“The group in this country that most resembles the Taliban, ironically, is the Religious Right.”
October 28, 2009
5th Grade Logic
October 19, 2009
The Great Balloon Hoax
Cartooning the Loon Balloon at the American Spectator blog.
October 12, 2009
Tarnished for a Generation
The Wall Street Journal: A Wicked and Ignorant Award
In one mindless stroke, the committee has rendered the Nobel Peace Prize a laughingstock, perhaps for as long as a generation. And that is an act of true destruction, because it was actually good that the world had a prestigious award for peacemaking.
Times of London: Absurd Decision on Obama Makes a Mockery of the Nobel Peace Prize
Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world.
Instead, the prize risks looking preposterous in its claims, patronising in its intentions and demeaning in its attempt to build up a man who has barely begun his period in office, let alone achieved any tangible outcome for peace…
Mr Obama becomes the third sitting US President to receive the prize. The committee said today that he had “captured the world’s attention”. It is certainly true that his energy and aspirations have dazzled many of his supporters. Sadly, it seems they have so bedazzled the Norwegians that they can no longer separate hopes from achievement. The achievements of all previous winners have been diminished.
George Bush liberates 50 million Muslims. Ronald Reagan liberates hundreds of millions of Europeans, saves parts of Latin America. Any awards? No. Just derision. Obama gives speeches trashing his own country and he gets a prize for it.
Investor’s Business Daily: A Political Pick
October 5, 2009
Hey, Community Organizer! Leave Those Kids Alone!
The rest of this cartoon can be seen at the American Spectator blog.
New York Daily News: Obama Plan to Lengthen Kids’ School Days, Shorten Summer Vacation Could Stress Them Out
President Obama’s plan to smarten up American kids with longer school days and shorter summer vacations might bolster their grades, but it could also stress them out, experts say.
Instead, she says, the system itself needs to change so that the time kids already spend in the classroom is spent on more engaging activities.
“We need to make kids’ learning more relevant,” says the former teacher. “We should help teachers build relationships with their students so the kids have an open and a positive attitude.”
Still, some educators think the President’s plan rates an “A plus.”
Rather than letting many school buildings sit empty for the entire summer, educators ought to offer enrichment activities for students, says Mavis Brown, Ph.D., University of Richmond education professor. “We’ve invested greatly in these buildings and they are underused,” she says. “We need to be thinking about creative ways to put these facilities to use, and to use them in ways that will help kids get the reinforcement they need.”
But many parents aren’t warming up to the President’s ideas for more time in the classroom.
“I don’t think schools should be a babysitting service for parents,” says Robin Ashlyn, a parent. “Kindergarteners are already in school 8-and-a-half hours a day, more hours than government workers work. We parents are our children’s first teachers. Let us do our jobs and don’t take our children from us for more hours.”
October 4, 2009
Red Planet Animated
Well, almost.
A familiar cartoon is used to illustrate this speech by (UK) Spectator columnist Melanie Phillips, How Britian is Creating a Terror State Within.
Hat Tip to Pamela Geller. Part 2 of the speech can be seen here.