Tom Hanks: Arbiter of Patriotism

Once upon a time Tom Hanks made good movies, really good movies that my Dad and I could both watch and appreciate. Even though deep down we knew he was probably a liberal at least he didn't shove down our throats. I could still separate the man from the character in his movies something that I can never do with Tom Cruise. Then he came out yesterday with this gem of a statement about Californians who supported the now famous Prop 8 ban on gay marriage in particular Mormons, "The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen. There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here's what happens now. A little bit of light can be shed, and people can see who's responsible, and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting Constitution, and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So let's have faith in not only the American, but Californian, constitutional process.”

So what's he trying to say? Most Mormons aren't polygamists but they're still homophobes who are un-American? So un-American that they donated money to support a cause they believed in and voted in favor of that cause? For someone who claims to believe in America Hanks would do well to study how this country works especially when it comes to amending the Constitution. The only way the Constitution can be amended is by the will of the people not through some activist court system our some overzealous politician. It's the people of America who hold the power to change our Constitution. Hanks and people who think as he do are the minority when it comes to legalizing gay marriage so according to our Founding Fathers they lost fair and square but liberals know better than them so if that means overriding the majority to stuff their narrow world view down our throats then so be it. We'll thank them later right?

And seriously, I'm not a Mormon and have never met one but lay off of them already because they weren't the only block of people to vote for Prop 8. Let's not forget that 70% of blacks who voted against Prop 8. Of course you'll never hear liberals come out against one of there favorite groups to victimize. Liberals have been using blacks for over forty years to promote government welfare. Mormons offer nothing to the liberals by way of promoting their liberal policies so they're fair game for intolerant comments like Hanks.

So maybe instead of passing judgement on the unwashed masses maybe Hanks would be better off checking out the actual Constitution and how things actually work before making ignorant statements like that again. One can always dream.

Sarah Palin: Whiner?

That's the impression you'd get not only from libs but also "conservative" writers like David Frum and his wife Danielle Crittenden. Critteden appeared on last night's O'Reilly and Frum has an article over at National Review Online today. In the article he first defends the McCain handlers assigned to her by simpering Those handlers faced a daunting problem: Their party's nominee for vice president could not respond to questions without embarrassing herself. The handlers who kept Pain under wraps knew what they were doing. THad Palin refused all interviews during the campaign, there would have been some criticism, but it would have been forgotten by now - and the Gibson and Couric interviews would not be filling YouTube, ready to be rebroadcast in 2012. I think the John Ziegler interview proved that Palin is quite capable of handling herself in an interview granted Ziegler is a Palin fan. The "embarrassing herself" line is particularly galling considering the verbal gaffes from both Obama and Biden through out the campaign. I suppose when Obama says 10,000 (as opposed to the actual number of 12) people were killed in a Kansas tornado it comes of as cool and nuanced or some other clap trap nonsense.

Frum continues, A smart politician rebuffs all invitations to speak about his or her own hurt feelings. It's not just that such talk sounds whiny and weak, although it does. Perhaps Frum misinterpreted what Palin was actually saying but last time I checked calling the media out for being biased was an admirable thing. Or in the case of Trig and the rumors about who his own mother is, rumors that were based on anonymous accusations I would think that a journalist such as Frum would applaud people like Palin who call rumor mongers to the carpet for attempting to pass as legitimate news sources. Apparently though Frum and his ilk prefer a conservative who says nothing in the face of lies and smears instead nobly remaining above the fray. Let me clarify by saying we shouldn't get into the mud pit but conservatives should not be afraid to call out a liar a liar. Conservatism works in fact it's amazingly brilliant! So why should we be ashamed to defend it? People like Frum, his wife, and Kathleen Parker would probably prefer we leave politics to "learned" people like themselves as opposed to the unwashed rabble that actually makes up the base of conservatism. There's just one problem they don't understand what they're talking about.

Then there is this absurd accusation Through the 2008 election, Barack Obama repeatedly said "It's not about me. It's about you." Exactly so! But Palin's replies to Ziegler make clear that for her, the election was about her. Are you kidding me!? This whole campaign was about Barack Obama and how cool he is and all his HOPE and CHANGE. The foundation for Obama's campaign was nothing more then dust bunnies and the monsters in the closet and the fact that "conservative" David Frum got sucked into that empty vortex paints a fairly clear picture of where his head is. In fact I can think of several instances of whining from Obama himself the easiest one to site is when he stated that the opposing party would come after him for "having a funny name" or "not looking like the other presidents on the dollar bills" So Frum doesn't mind Obama insinuating that the Republican Party is a bunch of ignorant racists but Sarah Palin stands up for her family and it's unacceptable? Give me a break the fact that Frum is still allowed near NRO is an insult to true conservatism.

Frum should face facts that the strategy of going Democrat light is not the way to go. I may not be a Washington insider but even I can see how every time a Republican has extended a hand in the hopes of bi-partisanship they've returned with nothing but a bloody stump. Sarah Palin knows this is how it works and instead of sacrificing a perfectly good limb she's standing tall like an upright human being and telling the liberals to step off! Perhaps someday Frum will peak out his ivory tower and join us.

You stay classy CNN

Let me preface this stating that I usually don't watch New Years Eve countdown programs until the last two minutes or so because I find most of them boring unless Greg Gutfeld is on Fox or someone has The Killers on. So I had to wait a few days to find out about the charming way "comedian" Kathy Griffin handled a heckler. By charming I of course mean crass and lame mainly because the joke is prehistoric and it was totally unnecessary. I'm sorry but if you're that thin skinned of a person that you have to respond to every drunken idiot like that then your pretty pathetic and probably not very funny. Now I'm no prude and laugh at a little blue comedy now and then but saying a string of four letter words in order doesn't really count as humor in book neither does telling Jesus to "suck it" after accepting an award (which she did in 2007).
Another thing I find amusing is how some people are offended that CNN would allow such garbage on, um it's CNN it was founded by Ted Turner who's not really a paragon for decency. So am I offended? Sure. Am i tired of trash like this passing for humor? Definitely. Am I shocked? Sadly not so much. Anyway Happy 2009!

Political DNA

There once was a time when former mayor of New York City Ed Koch had a few grains of sense but in lieu of the political coming out party of Caroline Kennedy has lost them. Quote the good mayor "When you look at her, and you know what the Kennedy's are capable of and you know the family she comes from … think of the DNA." Somewhere the words strength of character are enduring a slow painful death. Does Koch really want talk about Kennedy DNA? Where would one start? Murder? Rape? Alcoholism? And let's not forget Grandpa Joe's Nazi sympathies. It's a sad thing when your womanizing father is considered the decent one of the family.
Of course we have the assurance from the Left that Uncle Teddy will be there the guide Caroline through the Senate. Hopefully they won't be driving over any bridges. The memory of Mary Jo Kopechne isn't the only thing that haunts Ted Kennedy. This is a guy who twice was expelled from Harvard for cheating (nothing that Joe Kennedy couldn't fix though). Kennedy also failed to win the Democratic party nomination for president. Losing against Jimmy Carter that means the majority of Democrats felt that Jimmy Carter had a better chance against Ronald Reagan.
Liberals of course call foul. They say you can't judge Caroline on her family and their moral mistakes you have to look at her personal accomplishments. Indeed we do and I agree because this is America not some stodgy European country that answers to an archaic class system of nobility and entitlement. And this is where the liberals get caught in their own hypocrisy (not that hard to do mind you) because they created the "Kennedy Mystique" they want an American royal family to obsess about like they do in England but that's not what America is about because that's what America fought against. Yes, there are influential names on both major parties but that doesn't ensure political success and it never should. I'm not naive enough to think that nepotism isn't apart of American politics but that doesn't mean that we have to take it every single time. Some New York Democrats have already voiced their displeasure with the assumed coronation of Caroline Kennedy granted they probably have political designs of their own but at least their saying let's slow this train down before we start basing everything on pedigree and name.
And keep this in mind liberal media if Caroline Kennedy wife, mother, and concerned citizen can make the Senate then Gov. Sarah Palin wife, mother, and concerned citizen can damn well run against your Secular Savior in 2012 and win.