Breaking News — Senator Rand Paul detained by TSA

Rand Paul has been detained by the TSA for refusing a pat-down, after a x-ray showed an anomaly”

The Daily Caller has the story:

Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s press secretary Moira Bagley tweeted on Monday that Transportation Security Administration 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.”

Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook page has a post about the incident too. “Senator Paul is being detained at the Nashville Airport by the TSA,” Sen. Rand Paul’s Facebook post reads. “We will update you as the situation develops.”

Sen. Rand Paul’s chief of staff Doug Stafford told The Daily Caller the Senator “was detained by the TSA after their scanner had an ‘anomaly’ on the first scan.”

via  The Daily Caller.

To my libertarian and Ron Paul fans, please, do not freak out over this; the TSA were simply doing their jobs, I believe Rand Paul was released, but they would not let him fly on the plane he did try to board.

My friend, Ed Morrissey, who I do trust, weighs in:

No one thinks a Senator should get different treatment than anyone else, but that proves that the security theater we experience at airports isn’t designed with flight security as its primary goal.  Besides, let’s not forget that TSA is already working on programs for clearing frequent travelers on an expedited basis who they know through prior investigation won’t pose a security risk on commercial flights.   Who in their right mind thinks that Senator Rand Paul represented any kind of real security risk on board an aircraft?  Anyone? Anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?

Now, it might look like it was intentional, but I very much highly doubt that was even remotely intentional at all.  I simply believe that the TSA wanted to do their jobs and Rand Paul refused to let them, and for this, he was detained and released and not allowed to fly. Let us not forget why the TSA put these regulations in place, on Christmas Day in 2009, an idiot kid from Nigeria blow himself up on a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan; which by the way is my hometown and the airport that this almost happened at, is less than 10 miles from my HOUSE!

Anyhow, again, this might look bad, but I seriously doubt it is anything but Senator Rand Paul grandstanding against something that he feels is against his rights as a citizen. I personally disagree with that; I believe that safety of those flying here in America and abroad, should come first. Then again, I have never flown, nor will I ever. Too many planes crashing for this old man. 😯

Related:

Others: Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Big Government, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Michelle Malkin, The Raw Story, Gothamist, LewRockwell.com Blog, Campaign 2012, National Review

Update: Now a huge Memeorandum thread.

Update #2: Smitty, who I consider to be a friend; makes some good points.

 

Mitt Romney fires a shot across Newt Gingrich’s bow

Looks like Mittens is feeling the heat, perhaps from the flip flops and/or because of the recent polls and is firing back.

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Mitt Romney landed here Sunday with a simple message: Newt Gingrich is a failure and a fraud. And a disgrace. And a hapless showman.

Standing under a brilliant orange Florida sunset, Romney delivered his longest sustained critique of the South Carolina primary winner to date — ticking through a list as if he were reading off Gingrich’s Wikipedia page, and undercutting each item as he got to it.

“Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader,” the former Massachusetts governor said. “He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don’t know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace.

Romney continued: “He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership.”

Then Romney got into Gingrich’s post-congressional career.

“Over the last 15 years since he left the House, he talks about great bold movements and ideas,” he told the crowd of several hundred people gathered at a building materials company here. “Well, what’s he been doing for 15 years? He’s been working as a lobbyist, yeah, he’s been working as a lobbyist and selling influence around Washington.

via Mitt Romney: Newt Gingrich is a ‘failed leader,’ ‘disgrace’ – Reid J. Epstein – POLITICO.com.

To be clear, Newt Gingrich is not a saint and as Geller put it, “He is a son-of-a-bitch, but he’s our Son-of-a-bitch.”  I know that personally I would rather vote for someone like Newt and hold my nose, than to vote for some idiot racist Mormon who worked for a Latin-American financed company that acted as corporate raiders. I am sorry, but that is simply Anti-American; the very idea that an American would sit at a table with Latin Americans to devise a plan to destroy American businesses is absolutely asinine and for this Mitt Romney should be held accountable.  However, because Fox News and others are in the tank for that creep, you will not hear a word about it and that my friends is the tragic thing about corporate media.

So, yes, you can put me in the “anyone but Mitt Romney” category.

Newt in the lead in South Carolina polling

Looks like the attacks on Newt from his ex-wife did not do a thing to diminish his chances.  Either that or Chuck Norris has more power and influence than I thought. 😉

Quote:

Newt Gingrich heads into South Carolina election day as the clear front runner in the state: he’s now polling at 37% to 28% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Rick Santorum, and 14% for Ron Paul.

Gingrich’s lead has actually increased in the wake of his ex-wife’s controversial interview with ABC. Although one night poll results should always be interpreted with caution, he led the final night of the field period by a 40-26 margin. One thing that continues to work to his advantage are the debates. 60% of primary voters report having watched the one last night, and Gingrich has a 46-23 lead with those folks.

The other reason his ex-wife’s interview isn’t causing him much trouble is that there’s a lot of skepticism about it. Only 31% of voters say they think her accusations are true while 35% think they are false and 34% are unsure. 51% of voters say that they have ‘no concerns’ about what came out in the interview.

The skepticism of Republican voters toward the media is helping Gingrich as well. Just 14% of likely voters have a generally favorable opinion of the media, while 77% view it negatively. Gingrich’s attacks on the media have clearly played well with the party base.

Gingrich is leading with pretty much every key segment of the Republican electorate. He’s up 41-21 on Romney and Santorum with Evangelicals, he has a 52-18 advantage on Romney with Tea Partiers, he leads Santorum 44-21 with ‘very conservative’ voters with Romney at 20%, and he’s up 39-26 with men.

In the final week of the campaign Gingrich rose from 24% to 37% in PPP’s polling while Romney basically stayed in place, going from 29% to 28%. Romney saw a 15 point decline in his net favorability in the closing stretch from +24 (57/33) to just +9 (51/42). Gingrich saw a modest increase in his numbers over the final week from +14 (51/37) to +17 (54/37).

via Newt expands South Carolina lead – Public Policy Polling.

Best thing about all that up there? Ron Paul is a 14%; which is where that Jew-Hating, Racist bigot jerk belongs in this race. 😡 Like I told my commenter, “John V” the man allowed his name to be lent to a bunch of newsletters that contained some of the most vile, nasty stuff ever written; much more than anything that I ever written here or on my old blog. That alone brings into question his judgement as a leader; not to mention as a congressmen.

Furthermore, the worst thing that ever happened to me, during my tenure as a blogger; is the fact that I actually got associated with that idiot man and his followers.  For the record, I have never, ever agreed with any of the garbage that was contained in those newsletters, ever.  Furthermore, the most idiotic, tone-deaf thing I ever have done was when I thought that I could call myself a Paleoconservative/paleolibertarian and could actually disagree with that tripe. The truth is everyone and I mean every darned last one of them agree with that garbage that was published in those newsletters. Because of that, I prefer to call myself simply, “Right of Center.” I do not agree with Wilsonian foreign policy, but I sure as heck do not agree with those who seem to harbor the ugliness in those newsletters.

If there is anything that I ever hope to accomplish as a writer; it is that I can finally shake off the association with those who are of the Ron Paul, anti-black, anti-Jew mentality. I do not think that way, nor have I ever, nor will I ever.  I might not like the liberal left’s idea of racial resentment and “Multiculturalism;” But I am not a bigot, not like those people.

As for Newt and Mitt’s race; I believe sooner or later, one of them will win the primary and the Republican Party will get behind one of them. The sooner the better, if you ask me.

Others: Gretawire, Don Surber, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Mashable!, Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo! News, Scared Monkeys, today.yougov.com News, American Spectator, Political Insider, Telegraph, Daily Kos, New York Times, ABCNEWS, Hot Air, Ricochet Conversations Feed, The Reaction, M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD’S …, Guardian, Gallup and Clemson University

Two Instances of Republicans kissing up to black voters

Both of these idiots must be really desperate. 🙄

Instance one, Newt Gingrich sucks up to a black Church in SC:

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich faced a round of tough questions in a campaign event before an African-American church in South Carolina on Saturday.

Gingrich spoke with members of the Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Columbia, S.C. for an hour according to media reports.

Many of the questions focused on a statement from the former House Speaker in December that “really poor children” have bad work habits, a remark which attracted criticism from civil rights groups.

“Really poor children in really poor neighborhoods have no habits of working and have nobody around them who works, so they literally have no habit of showing up on Monday,” Gingrich had said at a campaign event.

Since when does a white man, running as a Republican go down to SC and grovel before a bunch of blacks, who will most likely not vote for him anyhow? This reeks of nothing more than USDA choice desperation. I personally do not believe that Newt owes these idiots a thing at all. Gingrich spoke the truth, and if they do not like it — screw em. 😡

Instance number two, Mitt Romney is trying to buy the black vote in SC, I guess:

SUMTER, S.C. — Amid shaking hands and signing campaign posters, Mitt Romney did something he has never done before on the ropeline: He took out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to a woman waiting to shake his hand.

The woman, 55-year-old Ruth Williams, says she has been following the Romney campaign since he arrived in the state on Jan. 11, when she said she received a message from God to track him down.

“I was on the highway praying and said, ‘God just show me how to get [my] lights on,’ and I pulled up to a stop sign and his bus was there,” said Williams, who has been unemployed since last October. “And then God said, ‘Follow the bus,’ and I followed the bus to the airport.”

According to Williams, she followed the campaign bus to the Columbia airport on Wednesday, the same day Romney was arriving from New Hampshire. When Romney wasn’t on the bus, aides told her to go to the rally scheduled in Columbia later that day. When she showed up, Romney found her to say hello and pulled over South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to say “hello” too.

“He was kind to me and he made Gov. Haley come see about me,” Williams said. “He stopped doing everything.”

I have a shiny twenty-dollar bill that says that the only thing this woman was thinking is, “I found me a stupid honky that will give me money!” Nice going Mittens. Try to buy the black vote; modern-day slavery, all that is. I figure Mittens does not own a plantation for her to work on and that stuff is illegal now, so he figures he will just buy her vote. 🙄 Smart, real smart Mittens.

In short: We….are….so…..screwed. 🙁

What’s next? Perry allows some black man to wash his car? 🙄

Others: Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, The Strata-Sphere, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, Taylor Marsh, Washington Post, The Lonely Conservative, The Hinterland Gazette and CNNCNN, The Politico and The Hinterland Gazette

Cross-Posted to Alexandria

I respect Ron Paul and all, But…..

This is one of the stupidest things, that I have ever seen come out of Ron Paul’s camp:

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Ron Paul tonight scored an historic second-place victory in the 2012 New Hampshire Primary. Below please find comments from National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton:

“Ron Paul tonight had an incredibly strong second-place finish in New Hampshire and has stunned the national media and political establishment.

“When added to Paul’s top-tier showing in Iowa, it’s clear he is the sole Republican candidate who can take on and defeat both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

“The race is becoming more clearly a two-man race between establishment candidate Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, the candidate of authentic change. That means there is only one true conservative choice.

“Ron Paul has won more votes in Iowa and New Hampshire than any candidate but Mitt Romney.

“Ron Paul and Mitt Romney have been shown in national polls to be the only two candidates who can defeat Barack Obama.

“And Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are the only two candidates who can run a full, national campaign, competing in state after state over the coming weeks and months. Ron Paul’s fundraising numbers — over $13 million this quarter — also prove he will be able to compete with Mitt Romney. No other candidate can do all of these things.

“Ron Paul is clearly the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney as the campaign goes forward.

“We urge Ron Paul’s opponents who have been unsuccessfully trying to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney to unite by getting out of the race and uniting behind Paul’s candidacy.

“Ron Paul has the boldest plan to cut spending, a dedication to protecting life, and a lifelong dedication to the Constitution and limited government. He also has the necessary support to campaign nationwide against Mitt Romney.

“Our campaign is already planning ahead for South Carolina, Florida, and beyond. Soon Ron Paul will head to South Carolina to begin a feverish round of campaigning.

“Ron Paul is in this race for the long haul. And he is ready to fight.

“See you on the campaign trail.” — Ron Paul To Everyone But Mitt: Drop Out

I respect the man and all; However, I do not respect his newsletters, neither do I respect his tin-foil hat crap that he and his supports are known for; especially when it comes to 9/11. I also do not have any use for his foreign policy, which I feel is worse than Rick Santorum’s Wilsonian foreign policy.

In other words, the man has no business being President.

Others: Hit & Run, Bloomberg, The Politico, The Other McCain, The Daily Dish, Outside the Beltway, The Gateway Pundit, Questions and Observations, Shakesville, ThinkProgress, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hot Air, Pirate’s Cove, American Spectator, CNN, Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, Mediaite, Flopping Aces, Ballot Box and Gallup

This is why illegal immigration bothers me

Via Preston Wright on Facebook:

The American Militia’s website

New Ron Paul ad dings Santorum in SC

(Via  POLITICO.com)

Video:

I wonder what Jesse Vantura would say about that? I mean, after all, he does support Ron Paul. Not only that, but Ron Paul has a lot of damned nerve even bringing up betrayal; considering the fact that Ron Paul has repeatedly betrayed the United States Military of which he served. All so he can remain true to his leftist ideology of isolationist utopia and foriegn policy disenguagement. Here is hoping that Rick Santorum fires back and fires back hard on this point. Not only that, I also hope Rick Santorum brings up his racist and Anti Semitic friends too.

Others: : National Review,, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERSAmerican Power  (via Memeorandum)

Noted Anti-Semite Tom Boggioni belches forth Anti-Christian and Anti-Catholic Bigotry

Go Read

He also spews forth more of his Bush derangement syndrome.

To see his Antisemitism on full display, read here.

I still do not understand why this Jane allows this douche-nozzle to write on that blog of hers.

Mussolini would be proud.

Update: Think that is bad? Check out Tom’s unflattering picture and racist painting of one the Bush Administration’s most hated staff member. I tend to believe that the reason that he gets away this sort of stuff Is because, 1. He is a liberal and 2. He is a minority himself. Proving my theory that not only white people can be racists.

 

Liberal Tool of the Day: Eugene Robinson

(H/T HotAir)

There’s phrase that comes to mind to describe this man.

….and it is not “Smart Liberal Black Man” either.

Click the picture to watch the video:

That is about all I can truly say about this little incident. I made a promise that I would keep it out of the gutter on this new blog. I’m gonna try to stick to it.

Only other thing I will truly say is this; if the Democrats actually think this sort of tripe is going to help thier cause; they are very highly mistaken. Insulting the parents of a dead child, yeah you boys keep on plucking that little chicken and see what it gets you.

I’ll keep the rest of my thoughts to myself. 😡 …..least I get accused of being a racist, a Klansman or whatever else those mentally depraved buffoons call people like me. (blanco)

Others: Stop The ACLU, NewsBusters.org blogs, Whiskey Fire, Pundit & Pundette, The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers, National Review, nation.foxnews.com, Big Journalism, Mercatornet, Big Journalism, Patterico’s Pontifications, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Ed Driscoll

It’s humor folks, relax

I hate it when I have to remind my own people that sometimes humor, is just that, humor.

Real Clear Politics has a video of Michelle Obama appearing in a TV show called iCarly.

Here’s the quote:

First Lady Michelle Obama is to make a guest appearance on an upcoming episode of the popular Nickelodeon show iCarly.

In the episode, which airs on January 16, the First Lady helps the show’s title character Carly get in touch with her father, an Air Force colonel who can’t make it home for his birthday.

Obama surprises the girl and her friends, which leads to her being called “Your Excellency” by Carly’s friend Sam Puckett.

After being corrected by a friend that you don’t call the First Lady that, Michelle Obama jumps in and says “No, no, I kind of like it.”

As if right on cue, the right-wing blogosphere is condemning this; do some of these people drive? It is humor folks, something that many of us actually could use right now. 🙄

I just have to wonder aloud, would they be that shrieking in their criticism of Michelle Obama if she were a white woman? It is to wonder.