Brutally Honest

Rush's Clint Eastwood "Halftime" Parody

By tim, The Godless Heathen

Via AD:

Komen CEO defends decision to defund Planned Parenthood (UPDATED)

The pro-aborts are up in arms and are slinging many arrows in the direction of the breast cancer awareness charity.  The following is from SGK Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker defending the decision:

Hats of to her and her organization as they find out how committed the baby-killers truly are.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

UPDATE: Komen reverses, and caves to the death culture:

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity said it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood.

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," a Komen statement said.

As reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from grants because it was under government investigation, notably a probe launched in Congress at the urging of anti-abortion groups.

Komen said Friday it would change the criteria so it wouldn't apply to such investigations.

"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants," the statement said.

Sad and frankly, infuriating.  Proof that principle means nothing today to far too many and that would now include the Susan G. Komen foundation.

And it proves how entrenched the death culture really is.

Shameful day.  A most shameful day.

Michelle Malkin: "Character and honor matter. Santorum has it."

In a compelling and convincing piece, Michelle Malkin has decided that Rick Santorum is her guy:

Rick Santorum opposed TARP.

He didn't cave when Chicken Littles in Washington invoked a manufactured crisis in 2008. He didn't follow the pro-bailout GOP crowd including Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich and he didn't have to obfuscate or rationalize his position then or now, like Rick Perry and Herman Cain did. He also opposed the auto bailout, Freddie and Fannie bailout, and porkulus bills.

Santorum opposed individual health care mandates clearly and forcefully as far back as his 1994 U.S. Senate run. He has launched the most cogent, forceful fusillade against both Romney and Gingrich for their muddied, pro-individual health care mandate waters.

He voted against cap and trade in 2003, voted yes to drilling in ANWR, and unlike Romney and Gingrich, Santorum has never dabbled with eco-radicals like John Holdren, Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi. He hasn't written any Contracts with the Earth. 

Santorum is strong on border security, national security, and defense. Mitt the Flip-Flopper and Open Borders-Pandering Newt have been far less trustworthy on immigration enforcement.

Santorum is an eloquent spokesperson for the culture of life. He has beensavaged and ridiculed by leftist elites for upholding traditional family values not just in word, but in deed.

He won Iowa through hard work and competent campaign management. Santorum has improved in every GOP debate and gave his strongest performance last week in Florida, wherein he both dismantled Romneycare and popped the Newt bubble by directly challenging the front-runners character and candor without resorting to their petty tactics.

He rose above the fray by sticking to issues.

Most commendably, he refused to join Gingrich and Perry in indulging in the contemptible Occupier rhetoric against Romney. Character and honor matter. Santorum has it.

As time has passed, my inclinations toward Gingrich have waned.  I'm more and more troubled by Newt and his baggage laden-ness doesn't help.  Michelle's piece makes a strong argument for Santorum and the character and honor of the man is indeed convincing.

His road ahead is daunting to say the least but if Gingrich continues to struggle, if he continues to lose traction, then Santorum will strongly play the role of the anti-Romney quite well and in that role, he'd certainly have my support.

Religious Liberty petition

Frank Weathers is looking for some help and I think you (yes you) are just the help he's looking for:

I drafted a petition to the White House regarding the HHS Mandate. Really. There's a first time for everything, you know. If you would be so kind as to sign it, and share it with other like minded folks, that would be great. If you don’t think this applies to you, have a look at why it does here.

Here's what the White House suggests I send folks regarding the petition:

Dear friends,

I wanted to let you know about a new petition I created on We the People, a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov, and ask for your support. Will you add your name to mine? If this petition gets 25,000 signatures by February 27, 2012, the White House will review it and respond.

Until 150 people sign it, however, it won't be visible to folks on the site as a choice to sign. So if you can share it, and link to it through your blogs, social media, etc., to help get the word out, I would be much obliged.

We the People allows anyone (heh!) to create and sign petitions asking the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. If a petition gets enough support, the Obama Administration will issue an official response.

You can view and sign the petition here:

http://wh.gov/kl3

Here's the wording of this petition:

We believe the Obama Administration should:

Rescind the HHS Dept. Mandate Requiring Catholic Employers to
Provide Contraceptives/Abortifacients to Their Employees

The present Administration, through the Health and Human Services
Department, is mandating that all employer healthcare insurance plans provide coverage for procedures which violate the beliefs of the Catholic Church, and Catholic institutions.

Basically, the new rules require the Catholic Church, and the institutions"operating faithfully under the aegis of the Church, to provide coverage for contraceptive drugs" and procedures. This requirement violates the beliefs of the Church.

Never before has the United States Government deigned to represent "transcendental truth" on matters of conscience for any religion
within these United States. That in itself is unprecedented, which is also
why it is unconstitutional.

Sign to Let the present Administration know that this mandate cannot stand.

Be advised, it takes some time for the petition to load up when you click on the link, maybe even as long as one minute. Have patience, grasshoppers. Also, if you're concerned about putting your location in, don't be. Just leave that blank empty. And forget about the other scary thoughts that keep you awake at night too.

Now, the faith part. All by myself, see, I don't know 25,000 people. None of us do. But I have faith that by sharing this opportunity with all of you, you will do the same, and we'll blow the doors off that little ol' number long before February 27th. After all, St. Augustine said, "Pray as though everything depended on God and act as if everything depended on you."

Frank's got a video tutorial because apparently the Obama administration doesn't make this easy.  Imagine that.

Sign it.  Pass it on.

It's your duty.

Has Newt's campaign just been derailed... by Newt's own words?

It's a little hard to think otherwise at this juncture.  

These are the links up currently at Drudge:

NEWT FLASHBACK 1983: REAGAN RESPONSIBLE FOR NATIONAL 'DECAY'... 

NEWT 1986: 'The Reagan administration has failed, is failing...

NEWT 1988: 'If Bush runs as continuation of Reaganism he will lose'...

VIDEO...

INSIDER: GINGRICH REPEATEDLY INSULTED REAGAN

And then there's this from Politico:

After nearly a week on the defensive, CNN's John King reports tonight that Newt Gingrich'sclaim about offering witnesses to ABC News in his defense — to rebut the network's interview with his second wife, Marianne Gingrich — was not true.

"Tonight, after persistent questioning by our staff, the Gingrich campaign concedes now Speaker Gingrich was wrong — both in his debate answer, and in our interview yesterday," King said on tonight's edition of John King USA. "Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond says the only people the Gingrich campaign offered to ABC were his two daughters from his first marriage."

Not good people.

Not good at all.

Will Mr. Santorum reap the benefit of Newt's apparent derailment?

God only knows.

God's help is needed.

Because an Obama re-election is beginning to look more and more likely from my corner of the world.

Oh how I hope I'm reading the tea leaves wrongly.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Rand Paul detained by TSA

You know... if this had been his father Ron, then perhaps it would've made a little sense... I mean, some people think Ron Paul is off his rocker... but Rand?

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s press secretary Moira Bagley tweeted on Monday that Transportation Security Adminstration officials were detaining her boss in Nashville, Tenn.

“Just got a call from @senrandpaul,” Bagley tweeted at about 10 a.m. on Monday. “He’s currently being detained by TSA in Nashville.”

Texas Congressman and current Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul – Sen. Rand Paul’s father – placed a post on Facebook about the news as well. “My son Rand is currently being detained by the TSA at the Nashville Airport,” Ron Paul posted. “I’ll share more details as the situation unfolds.”

Ron Paul adds, via Twitter, that the TSA detained his son “for refusing full body pat-down after anomaly in body scanner.”

As I'm posting this, the situation is still ongoing.

Fascinating.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Gingrich wins in SC

I've been supporting Newt, tepidly I'll confess, for some weeks now, largely because I see no other candidate making the kinds of arguments I think need to be made to defeat Obama. 

The news from last night ought then to make me happy:

Propelled by voters who were heavily influenced by the pre-primary debates, and a strong evangelical showing, Gingrich claimed a landslide victory, winning virtually every county in the Palmetto State save for a handful that went to Romney.

"It's not that I am a good debater," Gingrich said in his victory speech tonight, surrounded by his family and an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. "It's that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people."

Praising all three of his rivals, Gingrich, who made more than $3 million in 2010, per his tax return, repeatedly berated Washington and New York "elites."

In his concession speech, Romney congratulated the former House speaker but not without some underhanded jabs.

"When my opponents attack success and free enterprise they are not only attacking me, they are attacking every person who dreams of a better person. He's attacking you, I will support you I will help you have a better future," Romney said, hinting at a new line of attack that the campaign is likely to adopt going into Florida.

While Gingrich was never mentioned after Romney's opening line, a good chunk of his speech referred to the former speaker.

"The Republican Party doesn't demonize prosperity. We celebrate success in our party," he said. "And let me be clear, if Republican leaders want to join this president in demonizing success and disparaging conservative values, then they're not going to be fit to be our nominee."

The enthusiastic crowd chanted "We Need Mitt! We Need Mitt!" as he spoke.

I'm convinced we don't need Mitt.  And I'd like to be more enthused about saying we need Newt.

What we really need and the country I think knows this, is Obama to be gone.

Will Newt be able to win the nomination and then the general election?

I'm left unsettled by the question.

What will Marianne Gingrich say?

Drudge blares the headline 'Newt Ex-Wife Unloads', Politico picks up the story and expounds:

Matt Drudge first broke news that Marianne Gingrich, Newt Gingrich's second wife who he left after a lengthy affair with his current wife, Callista, has given an interview to ABC News, which appears to mark only the second time she's spoken this cycle.

My colleagues Dylan and Keach report that the interview is likely to air tomorrow night, which would coincide with the final debate before the South Carolina primary vote on Saturday.

Marianne Gingrich has barely spoken this campaign cycle, and the fact that Gingrich has a messy personal past is well known.

But based on her comments in the past about their relationship - Marianne Gingrich has said her then-husband called to ask for a divorce by phone while she was visiting her mother for her birthday in Ohio, and while he was leading the charge against Bill Clinton over Sexgate - it seems unlikely that this is going to be a positive thing for Gingrich at a time when his candidacy is surging.

Gingrich's daughters have reacted preemptively:

In an open statement to the network Wednesday, Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman suggested that whatever she has to say may not be accurate.

“Anyone who has had that experience understands it is a personal tragedy filled with regrets, and sometimes differing memories of events,” said the adult daughters.

“We will not say anything negative about our father's ex-wife. He has said before, privately and publicly, that he regrets any pain he may have caused in the past to people he loves.”

The women are the Georgia Republican’s children from his first marriage.

All this while polls show the race in SC tightening.

Coincidence?

I'll report, you decide.

Crossposted at Wizbang.

Sarah Palin endorses Newt

Kinda sorta:

Sarah Palin on Tuesday urged South Carolina voters to support Newt Gingrich in their GOP presidential primary, offering the closest thing to an endorsement the former Alaska governor may come before this weekend's contest.

“If I had to vote in South Carolina, in order to keep this thing going, I’d vote for Newt and I would want this to continue,” Palin said during a FOX News interview Tuesday night.

Her support for the former House speaker, however, was somewhat qualified. Palin said she believed it would be best for the primary campaign to continue, so as to continue to add scrutiny to candidates and forge their strength as an eventual nominee against President Obama.

“More debates, more vetting of candidates because we know the mistake made in our country four years ago was having a candidate that was not vetted, to the degree that he should have been,” Palin explained. “I want to see that taking place this time because America is on this precipice — it’s that important. We need this process to continue."

“We think its a pretty darn clear call to arms,” Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC News shortly after Palin made these comments this evening.

...

If you consolidate the three conservative candidates, we clearly would have a huge margin over Romney, and the challenge for me is to convince conservatives to come home and have a single candidate on Saturday,” Gingrich told a crowd in Florence, S.C. today.

Palin offered words of flattery for Gingrich beyond her support this weekend, crowning him the winner of a Monday night debate. Her husband, Todd Palin, has formally endorsed Gingrich for president.

"Newt Gingrich is a true leader, which he has proven not only since the beginning of his campaign, but throughout his career,” Todd Palin said in a written statement sent out by the Gingrich campaign on Jan. 9.

Gingrich seems to be singing the same song as Ms. Palin, suggesting strongly that a Romney win in SC pretty much seals the deal:

Newt Gingrich came clean Tuesday afternoon, admitting that if he can't win this state's primary on Saturday, he probably can't win the Republican nomination at all.

"If I don't win the primary Saturday, we will probably nominate a moderate," the former House speaker said, referring to Mitt Romney. "And the odds are fairly high he will lose to Obama."

There's a part of me that thinks the longer this primary season goes on, the higher the odds that Obama wins in November.

I hope I'm wrong and that Ms. Palin is right.

For the sake of the country.

"I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino ..."

Fascinating exchange between the Captain of the stricken Cruise ship and an Italian Coast Guard Commader, as reported by MSNBC:

Meanwhile, a transcript of a conversation between the cruise liner's captain, Francesco Schettino, and Capt. Gregorio De Falco of the Italian coast guard in Livorno, was released this morning.

In the recording, De Falco can be heard urgently commanding the captain to return to the cruise ship after he had abandoned it.

"There are people trapped on board," De Falco said. "Now you go with your boat under the prow on the starboard side. There is a pilot ladder. You will climb that ladder and go on board. You go on board and then you will tell me how many people there are. Is that clear? I'm recording this conversation, Cmdr. Schettino ..."

Schettino resisted returning to the ship, saying "I am here with the rescue boats, I am here, I am not going anywhere, I am here."

"You go aboard. It is an order. Don't make any more excuses," De Falco said. "You have declared 'abandon ship.' Now I am in charge. You go on board! Is that clear? Do you hear me? Go, and call me when you are aboard. My air rescue crew is there." 

"But you do realize it is dark and here we can't see anything," Schettino told the coast guard.

De Falco responded: "And so what? You want to go home, Schettino? It is dark and you want to go home? Get on that prow of the boat using the pilot ladder and tell me what can be done, how many people there are and what there needs are. Now!"

Needless to say, the Captain ignored those commands.

I think the man's goose is cooked.  In the mean-time, the death toll has risen (from the same MSNBC report):

Rescue workers discovered five bodies on Tuesday, bringing the death toll of the Costa Concordia accident to 11. The adult bodies, believed to be passengers, were all wearing life jackets and were found in the rear of the ship near an emergency evacuation point, according to Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro.

The discovery came hours after Italian naval divers used explosives to blow holes in the ship's hull in an effort to find 29 missing passengers.

The big question in my mind is how this might impact the burgeoning Cruise industry.

Time will tell.

Crossposted at Wizbang.