Speaking of heads rolling...so much for the strong-arm from Armstrong Williams

It pays to advertise. At least that's what the Education Department, and by extension, the Whitehouse figure, to the tune of about $750,000. Now Mr. Williams has apologized for his part, i.e., non-disclosure of $241,000 to produce what amounts to an infomercial for the No Child Left Behind Act. Tsk. But wait, I did say $750,000 didn't I? Where did the other half million go, and to whom, and for what.? We don't know...yet. What were they thinking? Don't know what they call it other places, but around here, when the government hires a mouthpiece without telling the public they'e a government mouthpiece, its called propaganda.

Finally, some heads rolled at CBS

News reports are now coming out about the resignations and firing of CBS employees over Rathergate. Well, its about time. The public pronouncements about the whys and wherefores of the whole thing focus more on the rush to break a story rather than any politically motivated agenda of "getting" Bush. Well, if Mary Mapes was working on this story for five years, the timing of 'breaking' this story doesn't square with CBS's official position on why it happened. There's too much coincidence between the story, the presidential campaign, and the way the Kerry campaign was able to jump in the middle of it before the ink was dry on Dan Rather's notes. I understand that to admit to the political agenda that was part of Rathergate would probably eliminate any shred of credibility CBS is holding on to. So be it.

And the blogosphere grows

Hat tip to my colleague, Jared King and his contributions to Bloggerville, http://boxingforchrist.blogspot.com/. Of course, I couldn't help putting my 2 cents worth in on his initial post...:-)

The Red Kettle Effect?

I can't say why for sure, but maybe Target could've used some Red Kettles at its stores to help things along...hehe


NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - Retail behemoth Wal-Mart hit its mark Thursday, reporting December same-store sales in line with Wall Street expectations while holiday sales at other retailers were mixed.
December sales at Wal-Mart (WMT: news, chart, profile) stores open longer than a year grew 3 percent, matching the Bentonville, Ark., company's forecasts, but down from the 4.3 percent growth in same-store sales in December 2003.
Wal-Mart said Thursday it doesn't see the pace picking up significantly in January, and forecast same-store sales growth of 2 to 4 percent for this month. Wal-Mart shares rose 1.4 percent to $54.05
Target Corp. (TGT: news, chart, profile) shares slid 5.4 percent to $48.50, after it said December same-store sales rose 5.1 percent. But it warned that fourth-quarter results would come in below the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson First Call for earnings from continuing operations of 94 cents per share.

Only in America...well California anyway.

This letter from Senator Barbara Boxer to US Representative Stephanie Jones is part of an attempt by Democrats to protest the electoral college results, specifically in Ohio. Like Senator Kerry said, Ms. Boxer...he didn't really lose, he just didn't win. Irregularities...what irregularities? Can we please get back to our regularly scheduled program?

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., sent the following letter to Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio:
January 5, 2005
The Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones
1009 Longworth H.O.B.
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Representative Tubbs Jones:
I am in receipt of your letter that spelled out concerns about the election irregularities in Ohio during the November 2004 election.
The fact that you are from Ohio and that you are a former judge gives great weight and much credibility to the points you cited and to your plea that these issues be addressed by the Congress.
I was particularly moved by your point that it is virtually impossible to get official House consideration of the whole issue of election reform, including these irregularities.
I have concluded that objecting to the electoral votes from Ohio is the only immediate way to bring these issues to light by allowing you to have a two-hour debate to let the American people know the facts surrounding Ohio's election.
I will therefore join you in your objection to the certification of Ohio's electoral votes. Attached is my signature on a copy of your written objection.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Target-ing Target: Sales figures

Well, maybe this is the telling result of Target's 'nifoms' (not in front of my store) policy concerning the Salvation Army. Note that 'promotional sales' means they had to discount the heck out of their stuff to get anyone in to buy it. My heart bleeds peanut butter sandwiches for their stockholders...

UPDATE 2-Target sees profit below average estimate
Thu Jan 6, 2005 09:49 AM ET (Adds January sales forecast, December sales details, share activity)
CHICAGO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Discount retailer Target Corp. (TGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it expects fourth-quarter profit to fall short of the average Wall Street estimate after increased promotional sales in December, sending its stock down more than 3 percent.
The company said sales at stores open at least a year rose 5.1 percent in December, just above its forecast for a rise of 3 to 5 percent, but sales were more promotional than a year earlier.
Analysts' average earnings forecast for the fourth quarter is 94 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.
Target said it expects earnings from continuing operations in the quarter to be up by double digits on a percentage basis from the year-earlier 80 cents a share.
Sales from continuing operations in the five weeks ended Jan. 1 rose 11.3 percent to $7.55 billion.
Best selling categories included jewelry and entertainment, while home improvement, electronics and auto were among the worst categories, the company said in a recorded telephone message.
Target forecast a 5 to 7 percent increase in January same-store sales.
Target shares fell $1.67 to $49.61 on Thursday morning on the New York Stock Exchange.

A little bit of a brag here.

If you're not familiar, Powerline is the blog(see 'links') that was essentially responsible for exposing the documents associated with Rathergate. Its the 'Big Kahuna' of blogs out there. Not too long ago I emailed them concerning a Christmas show put on by Jay Leno, exclusively for the military. He tried a couple of Rumsfeld jokes and almost got booed off the stage by the armed forces audience. Son of a gun if Scott Johnson of Powerline didn't email an attaboy back to me. Show me in a virtual blogging swoon...:-)


What a great report. Thanks for taking the time to write it up and
let us know about it.
Best regards,
Scott Johnson

You knew it was coming..."Illegal Immigration for Dummies"

Well now, seems like the Mexican government is making sure its citizens know the way to San Jose, San Diego, San Francisco, San Fernando, well you get the idea. An Illustrated booklet on the ins and outs of getting in, illegally. I guess President Fox figures its cheaper to print directions to the promised land rather than fix his nation's economy. You can see it here. So, what's next President Fox...free transportation in the unvented semi-trailer of your choice? Hey, W...if you weren't sure your buddy there in Mexico wasn't fully intending to export his problems North, you sure have proof now! Sure hope those terrorist crossing the Mexican border can't read Spanish...'course I guess the illustrations in the booklet will get the point across just the same...argh.

Couldn't have said it better...but I'll add to it.

"We are six percent or less of the world's population, yet we give almost half. We are a very small number of people, relatively speaking, and we carry the weight of a dozen countries. Secondly, we maintain a military structure that keeps the peace of the world.....Who is in the Indian Ocean with the aircraft carriers, helicopters, skilled personal? No one has the infrastructure in the world, we spend almost half a trillion dollars a year on our military structure, which is essentially the fire department of the planet and it is always at the disposal of people hit in a national disaster.....Incidentally on food aid, we give 60% of all the food aid in the world. It is simply irresponsible to talk about the U.S. as anything other than the most generous nation on the planet."



This quote from Charles Krauthammer, a Fox News commentator and columnist really paints a big picture of who we are and how we handle a natural disaster half a world away. I'll add that by and large, we are a Christian nation. As such, we never considered the race, creed, color, national origin, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or even the opinion those people had of the United States before this nation threw its collective back into helping those affected by the tsunami, we just did the(yeah,uh huh...Christian)right thing. I would like to think that somehow, the rest of the world would have a gentler, kinder opinion of America when this is done. I'm not holding my breath.

As long as we have Islamic extremists and a entire religion that tolerates any level of extremism as long as "allah" is invoked, we'll be hated. As long as liberals continue to equate theological absolutes with cultural relativism and substitute moral equivalency for morality, we'll be hated. How bankrupt theologically is a religion that holds Islamic terrorists, absolutely the worst of the worst, above us so-called "infidels"? If every good and faithful Muslim turned on these jackals like they know they should, terrorists would disappear tomorrow.

Hey! Rap degrades women...So what was their first clue?

Picked up on a NYPost column by Stanley Crouch here. In effect, Essence Magazine, a publication geared toward black women, is going to oppose certain kinds of rap/hiphop music that is so degrading to women, among other things too numerous to elaborate here. The wholesale assault against anything remotely related to morals or generally acceptable behavior or ideas that rap music has become is finally getting some pushback from the people it attacks. In reading the column and the quotes in it, I was dumbfounded. It was as if some 40 watt bulb finally went off over someone's head. Here it is 2005, and the group most targeted by rap 'artists'...that's right, women, are just now figuring it out? Better late than never, I reckon...