BloggeRhythms

With all the hubbub about Brian Williams fabricating a story about his personal involvement in a helicopter downing in Iraq 12 years ago, media in general has come under speculation as to its truthfulness when reporting to the public.

 

In that regard, many years ago Rush labeled anyone involved in broadcast news as the “drive-by media” whereas he believes those individuals simply deliver biased reports slanted to reflect their personal and/or political beliefs rather than the unvarnished truth. Especially so if the facts don’t match their particular proclivities. Which is why today’s item has significant impact for Rush. 

 

It seems that on Friday, Peter Slen, Senior Executive Producer of C-SPAN’s Washington Journal referenced Rush, as follows in an excerpt from Rush’s radio broadcast:

 

SLEN:  Rush Limbaugh spent a lot of his show on Thursday talking about this issue, and from the website, RushLimbaugh.com, "Brian Williams Should Not Resign His Job as NBC Narrative Reader," is the headline.  Here's a little bit of the transcript: "They're not news readers anymore.  There certainly isn't journalism going on here.  It's not just NBC.  It's the whole Drive-By Media.  They're narrative readers," Mr. Limbaugh said.  "You know, in the UK they call 'em 'news readers.' You know, BBC, the news anchors, they're called 'presenters' and 'news readers.'  Here they call themselves 'journalists,' and they give themselves awards for bravery and courage."

 

RUSH:  And you know what? I have to give credit to Peter Slen of C-SPAN. He actually went to my website to find out what I said, rather than rely on some liberal "watchdog" fraud website.  So thank you, Mr. Slen. Thank you, C-SPAN.  But I'm not surprised they found that interesting.  "Narrative readers."  That's a... Hey, folks, that's exactly what the news has become.  It's the daily soap opera, the purpose of which is to advance the liberal agenda in America.  I don't even think that is disputable.”

 

The most interesting aspect of the scenario, though, is that while the major media goes out of their way to discredit Rush as a radical right-wing rabble-rouser, his show has been the number one commercial talk show since at least 1991 when record keeping began, according to Wikipedia, with 13.5 million listeners currently.

 

Additionally, in January 2013, Hart Research conducted a survey which showed that 47 million adults, or 24% of adults with access to cable television, watch C-SPAN weekly. Of the 47 million regular C-SPAN viewers, 51% are male and 49% female; 26% are liberal, 31% conservative, and 39% moderate. About half are college graduates. 28% of 18-to-49-year-olds report watching at least once a week, as do 19% of 50-to-64-year-olds, and 22% of those over age 65.

 

Which means that, if the combined audience statistics are correct, discounting overlaps, more than 60 million adults have heard about Rush’s take on Brian Williams misleading the public. And what’s more, due to the prestige of C-SPAN’s name and reputation, despite all the effort of others in media to belittle him, Rush received a tacit endorsement just by being important enough to gain the attention of one of their most respected newsmen.

 

In conclusion, aside from Rush’s gaining mention from C-SPAN, another beneficiary is Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker. Because, the Limbaugh name obviously carries some clout. And although Rush claims he doesn’t issue endorsements, there's no doubt he currently favors him quite strongly as a contender for the presidency of the US. 

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

While headline story’s have people all over the nation reacting to the circumstances and individuals involved, there doesn’t seem to be much comment about the ramification’s of what’s actually taken place.

 

The major item is the president being expected to formally ask Congress to authorize the use of military force against ISIS. Up to now, he’s been relying on congressional authorizations that W. Bush used to justify military action after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. While some critics have called the use of the authorizations a legal stretch, Obama has previously argued that a new authorization isn't legally necessary.

 

Press Secretary Earnest said specific provisions, including how long the authorization will last, what geographical areas it will cover and whether it will allow for the possibility of ground troops were still being worked out.

 

Former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi chimed in, saying that the U.S. should "move quickly" to steer military aid to Jordan, which has begun a stepped-up campaign against the militants, including a series of air strikes in Syria.

 

So, here we have the nation seemingly gearing up to commit funds, personnel and resources against an enemy that exists solely because the very same administration walked away too soon from a region under control. And, worse, the reason for leaving was fulfillment of an immature, irrational and ridiculous campaign promise made by the president when running for office.

 

Unfortunately, however, other than the destruction of the legacies of those committing and fostering the horrendous mistakes made by those involved, there are no real penalties, legal or otherwise. But there certainly should be.

 

Because, after all the president's campaigning, endless speeches and babbling rhetoric, the US is not only right back to zero as far as the Middle-East is concerned, with Iran now developing nuclear capability unbridled, military threats have now grown far worse. 

 

Taking the analysis of current foreign policy blunders a few steps further, one has to consider that the current administration is always treated unquestionably well by the left-leaning media. As a result, regardless of any potential harm to the nation, most legislative and policy-making steps are reported in their very best light consistently.

 

In that regard, one of the staunchest administration supporters is Brian Williams, the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News whose reporting and commentary is raptly absorbed by a shrinking but still large viewing audience.

 

In his case, according to Travis J. Tritten of Stars and Stripes.com, Williams admitted Wednesday he was not aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a false claim that has been repeated by the network for the past twelve years.

 

He told his audience that the erroneous claim was part of a "bungled attempt" to thank soldiers who helped protect him in Iraq in 2003. “I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago,” Williams said. “I want to apologize.”

 

So, combining the two elements of today’s subject so far, we have an administration that’s made colossal mistakes in governance, yet supported devoutly by news reporters that, admittedly, are dishonest when presenting the supposed truth to their audiences. Which leads to the obvious question that if, in this case, Mr. Williams lied about an event in Iraq 12 years ago, what else has he fabricated over time, or perhaps, daily?

 

Which brings us to the latest regarding Bill Clinton’s wife, posted by Rush on his website yesterday about the same subject: honesty.

 

Rush said, “Here's Hillary Clinton, just to close the loop and make sure everybody remembers.  March 17th, 2008, George Washington University.

 

HILLARY:  I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down (chuckling) to get into the vehicles to get to our base.  It was a moment of great pride for me! There was a saying around the White House that if place was too small, too poor, or too dangerous, the president couldn't go, so send the first lady.

 

RUSH:  Man! That's even worse, that she's the only brave one that had the guts to go to these places.  She lies about having to avoid sniper fire and corkscrew in, and that didn't happen either.  Here's the next bite, March 26th, 2008, in which Mrs. Clinton tells us why she made that up.

 

HILLARY:  I totally misspoke.  You know, I've talked about this endlessly, I wrote about it, and I don't know what I was thinking. Because, yeah, we were told that we had to land under, y'know some threats, and the military did a great job. I was the first first lady taken to a war zone since Eleanor Roosevelt.  But, uh, that was just sleep deprivation or something.”

 

Rush concluded with; “What difference does it make now anyway?"  Just like Benghazi.  "What difference does it make?"  Meanwhile, the real threat to America is posed by Republicans in the War on Women and vaccination, and don't you forget it.”

 

So, today we have solid examples of politicians and their ardent supporters in the media caught in bold-face lies and total distortions of the truth. And if they were anyone else, in any other walk of life, they'd simply be incompetent failures that no one would have to deal with if they chose not to.

 

However, in our society, the bumbling political stooges that get themselves elected have our fates, welfare, well-being and very existence in their hands, which is one thing. But, when the press supports their misguided mindsets by abetting their errors and covering up for them, water-boarding would be too good for all those involved.   

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Scott Walker continues gaining coverage in the national media, although those paying attention have been well aware of his successes in Wisconsin for quite some time now. And, sooner or later, media types as well as his competitors for the presidency, will have to come to grips with the fact that he’s one of a very few that have valid credentials for handling the job.

 

What’s critical for the nation at present, and should be at all times, is that the presidency isn’t a job for a politician, regardless of glibness, it’s a managerial post that takes outstanding, task-oriented, goal-fulfillment by a practitioner knowing precisely what he or she is doing administratively.  

 

Which is why, after all the talk, all the speeches, all the rally’s, and all the promises, spewers of endless rhetoric can't come close to someone who’s gone out and actually done a comparative job successfully.

 

In Governor Walker’s case, for one thing, he cut unemployment while creating a budget surplus, enabling him to cut taxes in a blue state. While, except for other governors such as, Perry, Bush, Christie, Jindal, Gilmore, Ehrlich, Huckabee and Kasich, most other potential candidates have absolutely no equivalent experience whatsoever. And for those who do, few have similarly outstanding records. Which means that the choice for voters in 2016 will likely be deciding if they prefer proven accomplishment or another four to eight years of hot air in the White House.

 

As far as the White House is concerned, Adam Kredo writes in an article published in Persian and independently translated for the Washington Free Beacon, that, “Mohammad Reza Naghdi, the commander of the Basij, a paramilitary group operating under the wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC), recently claimed that the “Americans are begging us for a deal on the negotiation table.

 

“Naghdi added that American officials routinely “plea” with Iran in talks and that the United States is negotiating from a position of weakness, according to his comments, which follow earlier reports claiming that Iran’s leading negotiator “frequently shouts” at U.S. officials.

 

“Iran feels the administration needs the deal, and this belief is supported by the way the administration is acting,” said Saeed Ghasseminejad, an Iranian dissident and associate fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

 

America’s “hostility toward its traditional allies in the region, Israel and Saudi Arabia, is at its historical peak and the Obama administration either supports Iran to expand its influence in the region or at least does not oppose it at all,” Ghasseminejad explained. “Iran feels as long as the negotiation is going on, it has a green light to do whatever it wants in the region, so why should they bother to sign a deal?”

 

While the situation involving Iran continues to fester, garnering significant current press, the historical steps that led to where things stand now have been meticulously explained and detailed in a comprehensive article at mosaicmagazine.com. It’s well-worth  reading, so here’s a link: Obama's secret strategy

 

And finally for today, Foreign Policy magazine this week announced the results of its 2014  Ivory Tower survey of 1,615 international relations scholars from 1,375 U.S. colleges.

 

One question they were asked was: “Who was the most effective U.S. secretary of state of the past 50 years?

 

A link to the story tells it all: Scholars rank John Kerry dead last

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Three items today, clearly illustrate the risks inherent when political ideology overrides rational decision making and plain old common sense.   

 

To begin, Sara Sidner and Greg Botelho, wrote on CNN about the outbreak of measles in children in California. The outbreak itself is causing heated disagreement across the nation as to whether the government should have that authority to require vaccination of all citizens or not.

 

What stood out in the article, though, was a paragraph saying “While once widespread in the United States, cases dropped significantly thanks to vaccines. In 2000, health authorities declared that measles had been eliminated in the United States, which meant it was no longer native to the United States but continued to be brought in by international travelers.”

 

Therefore, what the situation demonstrates is that, aside from problems arising from those arriving here legally, other dangers now are extremely prevalent. Because, along with the potential of terrorists crossing our border unbridled, illegal aliens flooding the nation and the damage associated with lost jobs, depreciated wages, stolen taxpayer resources, and increased numbers of crimes, we now face the threat of other diseases entering the country unchecked. Which means that simply as a practical matter, illegal immigration is unbelievably idiotic.  

 

In item two, Alexander Hendrie of Americans for Tax Reform, via Drudge, wrote yesterday that, “At a Senate Finance Committee Hearing today, IRS commissioner John Koskinen testified on IRS funding requests for the upcoming fiscal year. Koskinen admitted that the IRS is stuck in the past when it comes to technology: “Despite more than a decade of upgrades to the agency’s core business systems, we still have very old technology running alongside our more modern systems.”

Some of this software is so old that it is the same technology that was used in 1963, a full 52 years ago: “In regard to software, we still have applications that were running when John F. Kennedy was President.” 

 

Mr. Hendrie opines that, 'Taxpayers should be outraged that the IRS is still using technology that is more than 50 years old. But, the IRS is also taking unnecessary risk by not updating their technology. As Commissioner Koskinen testified: “It is important to point out that the IRS is the world’s largest financial accounting institution, and that is a tremendously risky operation to run with outdated equipment and applications."

So, now we have a huge new tax that involves the health and well being of millions of citizens, to be administered by an agency that isn’t even equipped to handle the basic task it was created for. Another example of government overreaching into areas it cannot manage and never should have interfered with in the first place. 

Lastly, is a short article claiming that the published unemployment rate is untrue. And once again, a salient point aside from the piece itself is the author, Jim Clifton, CEO of the polling organization Gallup. Which means that the writer is one who surely knows what he’s talking about.

 

Here’s a link to the story: http://www.gallup.com/opinion/chairman/181469/big-lie-unemployment.aspx

 

That's it for today folks

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

I’ve mentioned Scott Walker quite a few times over the past couple of years. He got significant attention from the press when he took on the unions in his state, Wisconsin. And again when he was forced into a recall election during his second term, meaning he won three elections in four years. Last Friday, January 30th, I wrote about the outstanding job he did at the Iowa Freedom Summit, wowing the crowd. 

Then, yesterday, Rush said,  “I'm telling you, this is why Scott Walker is running away with every Republican poll right now.  The consultant class doesn't get it. The Republican establishment doesn't understand it. They're scratching their heads, what's Walker done?  They do not get it.  They don't understand.  For two years I have been ballyhooing Scott Walker, not personally, but here's a guy not only has he drawn the blueprints for beating the left -- what are blueprints?  They are designs for building something.  Well, he's built the house. He wrote the blueprints and he built the building.  He built the machine that defeats the left.  He has shown how to do it, and he did it.  He is a walking gold mine.”

 

Rush then added, “So I'm not endorsing anybody here. As you know, I don't do that.  Particularly this early out.  I know some people think that I should.  Look, I already have the power here of stopping Romney, according to the Republican consultant class, and I did that back in August.  Consequently, Walker's taken off, and I defy you to find anybody who's been touting him but me, at least the way I have been.”

 

However, despite my admiration and respect for Rush, he’s talking about the political aspects of Governor Walker’s successes and his understanding of how the game is played, particularly against the “left.” But, while those elements are extremely important regarding elections, my admiration for the Governor stems from the administrative and operational aspects of his job. Because, aside from everything else, he knows how to manage a governmental entity professionally and profitably.

 

Therefore, although there are several other governors in the running for the Republican presidential nomination, and at the moment he’s the one at the top, there’s a primary point that he will hopefully make to establish his credentials versus his contenders.

 

What he needs to make absolutely clear to the voting public at the start, is that the US presidency isn’t the place to learn on the job. Which means that candidates with no successful practical experience in governance have no place in the presidential contest at all. And if the past six years haven’t proven that point dramatically over and over again, then voters are simply too ignorant to grasp how much damage is caused when ideology overrides practical necessity. And, perhaps, although yesterday’s Drudge poll wasn’t scientific, it demonstrated that folks seem to be grasping the point.

 

Scott Walker tallied 46% of the vote with a total of 183,735. Cruz garnered 53,975  for 14%, Paul 48,521 for 12%, Bush 17,770 votes for 4%, losing by one to Sarah Palin at 17,771. Then, simply for the record, Trump posted 2% with 6,798 votes.

 

So, although the real presidential contest hasn’t even barely begun yet, early indications seem to reflect that the voting public, at least on the Republican side, now clearly understand that if they want the nation to function successfully, they must elect a candidate who’s demonstrated a proven capability to do it. Which is light years beyond simply spewing roomful's of hot air. 

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Double-whammy today. Got a late start and there’s not very much of interest going on.

 

Drudge, however, posted a poll on his website that shows some very interesting results so far. Last time I looked, Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, had a huge and growing lead.

 

Walker tallied 46.35% of the vote with 54,844 choosing him. Next came Ted Cruz at 14.32%, Paul 12.86% and Jeb Bush at 4.45%.

 

Simply because his name was there, although I really can’t imagine why, Trump posted 1.42%, which means that apparently, at the moment participants feel that Scott Walker is about 40 times more appealing than he is. Tough row to hoe for Trump and long way to go, if he’s really serious about running at all.

 

On another subject, the president’s sidekick, Al Sharpton, got some bad press once more today.

 

According to Jillian Kay Melchior, “So far, every for-profit enterprise started by Al Sharpton and known to National Review Online has been shut down in at least one jurisdiction for failure to pay taxes, a review of public records in New York and Delaware reveals."

 

"He clearly appears — based on the information that’s available to us — to have a history of noncompliance with tax obligations,” says Bernadette Schopfer, the director of taxation at New York’s Maier Markey & Justic, a certified public-accounting firm that has had no dealings with Sharpton or National Action Network. “It appears that [Sharpton] does not file [taxes for his businesses], and then opens up something else. At all the entities we see he has opened up, he has not been compliant with the obligations of the owner of a business. . . . He’s either willful in his behavior, or he’s just sloppy.”

 

Ms Melchior adds, “Sharpton’s first for-profit company, Raw Talent, probably has the strangest set of tax-debt records. The company was incorporated as a for-profit entity in 1991, the same year Sharpton founded National Action Network.

 

Raw Talent racked up a lot of tax debt. According to a 2007 lien that appears to remain active, the company owed a total of $580,453 in federal taxes, and state records say it also owes $4,834 in New York taxes.”

 

So, as the old proverb goes, men are judged by the company they keep. And in this case, the president's certainly stayed consistent, whereas if you look at his closest associates, the list looks like a Who’s Who of abject imbeciles and deadbeats.

 

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

As a lead-in to today’s main item,  I’ve been a rabid NFL fan for more years than I care to mention. Lets just say that when I began watching the game on TV, the screen was round and about 9” in diameter, delivering a mostly snowy black and white picture.

 

Professional football's popularity increased over time, and in 1970, ABC TV's executive producer for sports, Roone Arledge, hired a guy named Howard Cosell to be a commentator for Monday Night Football. According to Wikipedia, Cosell “was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality.” Cosell offered his own self-description as "arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff.”

 

I mention him because, not only was his self-description accurate, in my particular case I felt he knew so little about the game, yet pontificated obnoxiously regardless, he caused me to turn the TV sound off. And I’ve never turned the volume up again when watching sports of any kind to this day.

 

As a result of my watching sports without sound, I know very little about the commercials broadcast during the games. In fact, most often I simply change the channel for a minute or two when they air or do something else; converse, get some refreshment, visit the lavatory, etc.

 

Nonetheless, I distinctly remember an ad featuring Pittsburgh Steeler all-pro defensive tackle, Mean Joe Green. Airing in 1979 the ad showed Joe on the way to the locker room after a game being approached by a young boy who offered him a sip of his Coke. After refusing the drink, Joe finally accepts, swallows it all in one gulp, then gives distraught the lad his game jersey in return, overwhelming the youngster with joy.

 

That ad, due to its poignancy and illustration of the relationship between adoring young fans and idolized superstars not only became legendary, but has to be the best football commercial ever aired.   

 

Then, yesterday, the football channel ran a program "Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2015'' featuring former quarterback Boomer Esiason and Katharine McPhee.

 

Though not watching myself, I caught the last few minutes as my wife viewed the broadcast upon which I mentioned the Joe Green ad, telling her I was certain it had to be the best commercial of all time, regardless. And then, as I stood there, it was announced that Joe’s ad came in second, losing to one for Budweiser beer.  

 

Scratching my head in confusion, I went to my computer, Googling to find that, according to a Wall Street Journal article by Nathalie Tadena, “Anheuser-Busch has spent more on Super Bowl advertising than any other marketer over the past five years. The parent company of Bud Light, the National Football League’s  official beer, spent $152 million on Super Bowl spots from 2010 to 2014, according to Kantar Media.”

 

The statistic on advertising spending left me hoping that the sport itself isn’t as rigged as the bogus commercials ratings. However, you can judge Mean Joe's ad for yourself at this link: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DxffOCZYX6F8&ei=jjjOVOegMOLgsAS0v4HIAg&usg=AFQjCNHktLc8df1gm9Por3vYQZkMwIqR1w&sig2=EqSBThp3IThrjVNto0OY3Q&bvm=bv.85076809,d.

That's it for today folks.

 

Adios