Author Archive

Stacy McCain does the match on AOL and points out something interesting about the money in the AOL deal:

What it means, I suspect, is that the Left is willing to “invest” in liberal media ventures that are supposedly for-profit but which, in fact, lose money. Because, after all, whose money is being invested? Not theirs.

Five words: Government employee union pension funds.

That, I suggest, explains this whole deal. Private investors are now selling their AOL shares, while managers of pension funds for AFSCME, SEIU and other unions are buying AOL stock, thus providing the investment capital necessary to fund expansion of the Left’s online media presence in advance of Obama’s re-election campaign.

Belvedere notes that this is not an issue for the left:

Profit doesn’t mean much to the Committed Left — not if you mean the word in it’s classical sense [OED: ‘financial gains’]. Oh sure, they need money to fund their various schemes, but the Manic Progressives are always willing to sacrifice dollars for propaganda [see: MSNBC]. Besides, if they play it right, they can always funnel some taxpayer dollars into funding their schemes.

Broadcasting their lies relentlessly until they get absorbed by enough of the masses is a tactic the Leftists have employed successfully for a century now.

The daytime range of my radio show, looks pretty good for ads doesn't it?

I did the math, If I sold every second of every moment of ads for my radio show for one year that comes up to $64,800. If the liberals were to be believed about some giant conservative conspiracy I would have already had the Koch Brothers buying the entire time to support my radio show and blogging for an entire year.

Alas that is not the case, every day I’m going door to door pitching the show, extolling the range of the radio station, the strength of my guest and the appeal of my show to a growing audience, doing my best to make the sale and pay the mortgage.

The “interests” I’m beholden to are Basement Technologies of Western Mass., Aaron Pallet, Putnam Street lanes. and every other advertiser who buys time on my show. Each of them offer valuable services or produces to my listeners and buy ads on my show to attract customers. Yet ironically the left would paint me because I’m a person of the right as beholding to rich interests while at the same time they are paid millions for a product that doesn’t justify its value.

The world is a weird place.

I’ve mentioned the Ahmadiyya Muslims on my blog before, they have a mosque on main street Fitchburg and march regularly in our 4th of July parade. They are good people and they certainly mean well with this effort:

“Our hope is to emphasize to our fellow Americans,” Sayed said, “that it is the religious duty of a Muslim to be loyal to the country where he resides…Number two that there are negative influences being exerted — upon especially the Muslim youth in the United States — by people like al Awlaki on the Internet and third the press pays attention to violent acts that people commit in the name of Islam….If we just sit by, more and more these extremists will take hold the banner of Islam and say this is what Islam is.”

I’m torn by this. It’s a worthy effort and a necessary one, and Islam needs reforms from within. Unfortunately many Muslims consider the Ahmadiyya’s a breakaway sect, they have been targets of terror and murder for their peaceful views. I don’t know if western support would simply marginalize them further within greater Islam.

So as I applaud their efforts I don’t have a lot of hope that we will see more of their point of view and less of this:

An Afghan physiotherapist will be executed within three days for converting to Christianity.

Said Musa, 45, has been held for eight months in a Kabul prison

and remember this is not Pakistan, this is Afghanistan!

He claims he was visited by a judge who told him he would be hanged within days unless he converted back to Islam.

But he remains defiant and said he would be willing to die for his faith.

He told the Sunday Times: ‘My body is theirs to do what they want with.

‘Only God can decide if my spirit goes to hell.’

Defence lawyers have refused to represent him, while others have dropped the case after receiving death threats.

As long as Islam is generating these headlines it will be a tough sell.

I know the Valerie Jarrett mistaking the 2nd highest ranking man in the US army for a waiter story is an old one, but there are two things worth noting about it.

The first is as Glenn Reynolds pointed out, the difference in how the MSM is playing it:

It’s a good thing Sarah Palin didn’t make this mistake. Because if she did, it would be a univerally reported indicator that she’s an idiot and should never be allowed anywhere near issues of public policy. Luckily, since it was Valerie Jarrett, it’s all in good fun.

This is so axiomatic that it’s almost not worth saying but we’re going to KEEP saying it to make the lie out of the “Sarah Palin stupid” , “Sarah Palin ignorant”, “Sarah Palin evil” nonsense that we are bombarded by regularly that one has to call them on it.

The second it the part of the story that nobody is talking about. The class of the general, Four-star Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli, to wit:

“The guy dutifully went up and got her a glass of wine, and then came back and gave it to her and took a seat at the table,”

No objections, no ranting about rank, not even an: “Excuse me I’m not a waiter but I’ll find you one.” By going and getting the wine for Ms Jarrett not only did the General act with humility but he deliberately acted in such a way to keep from embarrassing Ms Jarrett.

Imagine just for a moment if we replaced General Peter Chiarelli with John Kerry? Let’s quote an old Howie Carr piece:

One off the surest ways to get the phones ringing on any Massachusetts talk-radio show is to ask people to call in and tell their John Kerry stories. The phone lines are soon filled, and most of the stories have a common theme: our junior senator pulling rank on one of his constituents, breaking in line, demanding to pay less (or nothing) or ducking out before the bill arrives.

The tales often have one other common thread. Most end with Sen. Kerry inquiring of the lesser mortal: “Do you know who I am?”

I’ll never forget one of my most embarrassing moments. I was at a dinner with a bunch of military and ex military a couple of years ago. I was sitting at a table with two genuine heroes, one from WW 2 and one from Vietnam. It came up in conversation that the gentleman from Vietnam had earned 3 purple hearts in his tour, I absent-mindedly said “Just like John Kerry”. You could have heard a pin drop, his wife coldly commented: “No not like John Kerry”. I felt a real fool, particularly being one who never served.

It is that humility that makes the military one of the most respected institutions in the nation and the congress and the white house not.

If you missed our first 2 hour show, live from the 2011 Republican Growing Grassroots Convention, it is now available here

We had a great lineup. Dan Collins of POWIP was kind enough to sub for Lorie Byrd who took ill, Roxeanne DeLuca was late (as usual) but make it though wet and icy roads to co-host. Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R) NC-2 new chairwoman of the subcommittee on health and technology graciously joined us for two segments in the first hour, former congressional candidate Mike Stopa was with us in the first hour and for part of our blogger issues panel. And Tom Bowler of Libertarian Leanings and Justin Brooks of the Twin City Tea Party rounded out our 2nd hour panel dealing with the issues of the week, and Brownies.

Next week I will be at CPAC, we will have live reports from there and a few taped interviews with CPAC folks mixed in. Remember we will be at our NEW TIME 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. And don’t forget till the end of the month our show will be replayed at our old time of 9-11 p.m. Saturday nights.

So don’t miss us on AM 830 WCRN 50,000 Watts of True Talk for all of New England every saturday and remember starting Feb 12th we have a whole morning lineup of conservative talk starting with the Wesley and Weston Review at 6 a.m. conservatively speaking at 7, a new conservative show at 9 p.m. and then me from 10-noon.

Oh and if you want to advertise on a blogger show that gets sitting congressional subcommittee chairwoman as guests, our rates are here.