My latest at The Stir:

On Monday, Helen Thomas retired from her career as a journalist forUnited Press International at the ripe old age of 89. The now former member of the White House Press Corps did not step out gracefully with a Costco cake and warm wishes for happy golden years fromPresident Obama.

Ms. Thomas retired after making some spectacularly inappropriate comments that even White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbscondemned. He stated in a press conference Monday morning,”Obviously those remarks do not reflect the opinions of most of the people in here, and certainly not of the Administration.”

So what did Helen Thomas say? Remember, this is a woman that called sitting President George W. Bush the worst president in history. You think that she’d be old enough to remember what journalistic integrity was, but I guess not. But even that inappropriate, off-the-record comment pales in comparison to what she said last week.

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I. Am. Shocked.

I am usually impressed by what our Vice President has to say, but it’s usually more in the “I’m impressed this idiot ended up as the VP of our country” category. Heck, he even has his own category on this blog- Did Joe Biden really just say that?

A few days ago, Mr. Biden made some comments about this whole Flotilla thing. Flotilla is a fancy word for small group of ships, it has nothing to do with carne asada or guacamole.

The Flotilla thing in a nutshell- There’s this tiny strip of land in the middle east called Gaza, and it’s bordered by Israel on three sides, and water on the fourth side. It’s filled with people that loathe the Israelis and want to kill them. They bomb Israel all the time, mostly with petty little bomb thrown over the border that don’t do substantial damage, but still suck and people do die. I wrote a little bit about the whole situation here, if you’d like more background.

Ok, so last week a Turkish charity group tried to bring aid into impoverished Gaza. MSNBC reports that the super mean Israelis boarded the ship and started killing the poor sweet protestors. Ok, I’m paraphrasing, but not by much. Go ahead. Click the link. If you can stomach it.

It has since come out that that “aid” was sent by a Turkish “charity” group with terrorist ties. And that the flotilla carried Jihads openly ready to be martyrs. In other words, they came looking for a fight.

Here’s the thing that Joe Biden said. That I totally agree with.

“They’ve said, ‘Here you go. You’re in the Mediterranean. This ship — if you divert slightly north you can unload it and we’ll get the stuff into Gaza,’”, he said. “So what’s the big deal here? What’s the big deal of insisting it go straight to Gaza? Well, it’s legitimate for Israel to say, ‘I don’t know what’s on that ship. These guys are dropping… 3,000 rockets on my people.

“Look, you can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not — but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know — they’re at war with Hamas — has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in.”

During the interview, Biden also blamed Hamas for the crisis that has wracked the coastal territory and for the ongoing state of conflict with Israel.

“As we put pressure, and the world put pressure on Israel to let material go into Gaza to help those people who are suffering, the ordinary Palestinians there, what happened? Hamas would confiscate it, put it in a warehouse [and] sell it.

I wonder what MSNBC has to say about that.

On Monday night, members of a Community Board in New York Cityvoted 29-1 in support of the construction of an Islamic mosque atGround Zero. The Manhattan project plans to open its doors onSeptember 11, 2011, the 10-year anniversary of the deaths of 2,996 people in the name of Islam.

Yeah.

Frankly, I can’t think of anything better than building a place of worship for the religion responsible for every single terrorist attack on America in recent history. Wait, maybe I can. How about not building it?

Islam is not cool. I’m all about free choice, so I have no problem with people choosing to believe whatever they want to believe. If someone wants to be part of a community that oppresses women and encourages violence, then they are welcome to join it. I just hope they never change their minds, because the penalty for leaving Islam is death.

Read More (And be sure to check out the comments! I’m everything from a hero for bringing this to light to the cause of the 9/11 attacks.)

My latest at The Stir:

President Obama delivered the commencement speech last Saturday at the US Military Academy at West Point, attempting to fill the new graduates with hopey-changey optimism by eluding to a new world order.

I’m sure that most of those military types were scratching their heads.

It’s hard to get into West Point. You have to really, really want to go there, you have to be super-strong and whip smart, and above all, you have to love America and promise to defend it to the death. It’s not exactly a place for pansies, as well suited as a pansy might be elsewhere. Say in a pink tank top on her couch with her laptop clacking out a post on American exceptionalism for The Stir.

Yeah, you heard me. I’m a pansy. At least when stacked against a West Point graduate. But I do love America, and I will fight to the hard drive death for it.

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Yesterday President Felipe Calderon of Mexico visited President Obama in the White House. It is unclear whether or not he was required to show papers to gain entry to the United States. Not that it seems to be very difficult to crash state dinners these days. Even Michaele and Tareq Salahi almost put in an appearance.

Before the snazzy dinner sponsored by you and me, the taxpayers, the two heads of state addressed the controversial Arizona immigration law.

President Obama said:

“I want everyone, American and Mexican, to know my administration is taking a very close look at the Arizona law,” he said. “We’re examining any implications, especially for civil rights, because in the United States of America, no law-abiding person, be they an American citizen, a legal immigrant, or a visitor or tourist from Mexico, should ever be subject to suspicion simply because of what they look like.”

And President Calderon invited Americans to come to Mexico, take on a false identity, and take advantage of every public service available, from the education of our children (who of course will be taught by bilingual teachers) to food stamps (so we can have more children on Mexico’s dime). Oh, and of course free health care for everyone.

Ok, not really. But I’m sure that’s what he meant.

I didn’t get a chance to post about this yesterday. I was busy. Writing a new article for CafeMom The Stir, recording The Smart Girl Report, and it’s Easter break for Thing 1, so I had twice as many children to parent yesterday as I normally do. Plus I got my Master Card bill and had a stroke. Right after I hid the offensive document in the bottom of the toy box. Maybe Barbie will pay it for me. That chick has a dream house and a Corvette. She can afford it.

Or maybe bad guys will blow us up and it won’t matter whether or not I actually paid my credit card bill.

From Yahoo News:

Kicking off a hectic week for Obama’s nuclear agenda, his administration rolled out a strategy review that renounced U.S. development of new atomic weapons and could herald further cuts in America’s stockpile.

“We are taking specific and concrete steps to reduce the role of nuclear weapons while preserving our military superiority, deterring aggression and safeguarding the security of the American people,” Obama said in remarks issued by the White House.

The United States for the first time is forswearing use of atomic weapons against non-nuclear countries, a break with a Bush-era threat of nuclear retaliation in the event of a biological or chemical attack.

But this comes with a major condition. Those countries would be spared a U.S. nuclear response only if they are in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran and North Korea would thus not be protected.

So the only regimes we’ll actually consider nuking are ones that have or are developing nuclear weapons themselves? Ugh. Maybe President Obama should take a clue from President Teddy Roosevelt: Walk softly and carry a big stick. Ever since we developed nuclear weapons, we’ve had the biggest and the baddest. As it should be. We should always be a step ahead of everyone else.

Why is that a bad thing?

We don’t have to use them, but it’s good to know we could if we needed to. And guess what? It’s good for the bad guys to know that too. It sends a message to them: Don’t mess with us. You’ll regret it. We need a big stick so that we can wallop anyone that tries to knock us down.

It’s a difficult concept, I know. Almost as challenging as trying to understand that when you charge something, you eventually get the bill. Geez this administration is having a hard time adding two and two together. Must be that new math.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go fold six loads of laundry. That or nuke it. I haven’t decided yet.

Continued from here:

Dick Cheney walked onstage to thunderous applause.  He has become a loud voice for national security ever since our President appointed Janet the-system-works Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security.  You know, because he actually likes America, is proud to be an American, and wants to keep America around for a few more generations.

He said that when Liz asked him for advice on what to say, as she usually does before a speaking engagement (smart girl, I do the same thing with my dad) he mentioned that he’d like to attend CPAC with her.  “Ok,” she said, “But only as arm candy.”

Vice President Cheney said that he enjoys CPAC because it keeps conservatism and its fundamental principles alive.  He also said that he’s encouraged by recent conservative developments in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and that he expects to see more in the novemeber elections.

2010 is going to be a phenomenal year.

Dick Cheney said so.

I always love hearing Liz Cheney speak.  She just has a way of getting to the core of issues with common sense truisms.  Like the time she said, “America needs a commander in chief, not a community organizer.”  Or how about last week when she said, “Vice President Biden has a famously tenuous relationship with reality”?  The girl is a genius, I tell you, a genius!

I made sure to be there for her speech at CPAC to catch the pearls she would undoubtedly throw out to the audience.  I was not disappointed.

She encouraged us Americans not to believe the mainstream media when they us that conservatism is dead.  Massachusetts voters told the mainstream what they could do with their “info”.  We know what Obama’s about now.  He can no longer hide behind hopey-changey campaign promises.  The truth is, he ‘s going to raise everyone’s taxes, because he wants government in every aspect of everyone’s lives.

He also wants terrorists in everyone’s lives.  Obama’s weird pledge to close Gitmo and bring the terrorists into Thompson County, Illinois prisons is not only a bad idea, it’s an expensive one to the tune of $200 million dollars.  And that’s in addition to the taxpayer money already spent on the cost of building and maintaining gitmo.

Ms. Cheney told us that even her 9-year-old daughter had it figured out.  “Mom, is President Obama really bringing terrorists into the US?” her daughter asked.  After hearing her mother’s affirmative response, she responded, “Man, use your brain Dude! That’s really stupid.”  This is not rocket science, people.  Terrorists belong in Gitmo, not America’s heartland.

President Obama is not on top of his game in the national security department.  He revealed US interrogation techniques and then stopped paying attention.  To keep the US safe, he needs to make it a priority, and not treat it like a part time job.

As Americans, we have the right and the obligation to say something.  Too many men and women have paid too high a price for that right to speak, so let’s send a message to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: You will never silence us.  We have the courage of conviction, which she learned from her dad….

…who then walked on stage.

Dick Cheney was in the house.

To be continued….

Our VP can always be counted on to say the most insane things at the most bizarre times.  He did not dissapoint last night on Larry King.  Let me share with you some of the gems he dropped.

Regarding airplane attacks by Muslim extremists:

“I think what you’re seeing morphing here – and it’s a concern to us – is you’ll see the concern relates to somebody like a shoe bomber or the underpants bomber, the Christmas attack or someone just strapping a backpack on them with weapons that are indigenous and blowing up, you know, walking into in airport…I think there are going to be attempts.”  Biden also insisted that the Obama administration, which ordered a review of security and terrorism procedures after the Christmas Day incident, is prepared to deal with such attempts. “I’ve been really impressed with the success we’ve had, building on the last administration, in dealing with these.”

Hmm… I feel safe now.  Especially since the head of Homeland Security thinks the system works, but just in case it doesn’t, let’s steal pillows from toddlers during the last 90 minutes of all flights.

Regarding that three-letter word JOBS:

“I think now the jobs bill, I think, will be probably less than is needed initially, but it will be very helpful…by the spring, I think people are going to begin to have more confidence in the policies we’ve put in place.”

Is this the same Jobs Bill that extends unemployment benefits?  Why don’t they just go ahead and call it a “don’t bother looking for work because we’re going to pay you even longer to sit at home heckling the *rich* people providing for your existence”?  Too long?  Bummer.

Regarding Iraq:

“I am very optimistic about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration…You’re going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer.”

So he’s optimistic about having the troops home, not about Iraq or our own national security.  When the US leaves, the fledgling democracy in Iraq will most likely crumble to the extremists, and we’ll see all sorts of lovely new terrorist cells plotting the destruction of the US.  Perfect.

Regarding Sarah Palin (this by far is my favorite):

“I like her…She’s an engaging person. She has a great personality. I don’t agree with what she says and I think some of the things she says are not – well…Well, you know, it’s sort of like – some of the comments made are just so far out there, I just don’t know where they come from.”

Seriously Joe? Maybe you could explain some of your comments before you go ripping into Sarah Palin for her far-out comments.

Haitian judge Bernard Saint-Vil reccommended that the 10 missionaries being held on kidnapping charges in Haiti be released, after hearing their testimony yesterday afternoon.

The controversy over these Americans in Haiti began last week when they attempted to cross the border into the Dominican Republic with children they had “rescued” from an orphanage.  Only as it turns out, several of the children still had living parents. The judge also heard testimony from the parents of these children, who readily admitted that they had given their children to the missionaries hoping and praying for a better life for them.

“After listening to the families, I see the possibility that they can all be released,” Saint-Vil told The Associated Press. “I am recommending that all 10 Americans be released.”

That was Wednesday.  By mid-day Thursday, Saint-Vil still had not delivered his formal recommendation to the prosecutor on the case, who could potentially appeal the ruling.

Come on Haiti.  I know it’s a confusing time right now with your main city in a pile of rubble and over 217,000 people dead.  But you guys have bigger problems than holding citizens from a country that has shown you nothing but compassion and generosity.  Like how about taking care of the looters, murderers, and rapists roaming the streets?  I know it might be difficult to differentiate between the criminals and the missionaries, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

Otherwise, President Obama needs to grow a pair and pull our troops and funding out of there.  If Haiti wants to play by it’s own rules, that’s fine. But America doesn’t need to fund it.