Somewhere, Someone is Already Saying, "Racist!"

A new book out, "Architects of Ruin" will undoubtedly draw criticism as a "racist" book. Why? Because it points out that lending to unqualified minority home buyers, individuals who normally couldn't get loans, helped lead to the housing bubble bursting. Mind you, all of his suppositions are supported by hard data from recent studies, including studies showing there was no real evidence of racism in lending.

Of special note is how liberal activists pressured lenders to loosen their normal lending standards to give loans to minority people who might not normally qualify. My question is, who is surprised if someone not generally considered a good risk takes out a loan and then doesn't pay it back?

The author, Peter Schweizer, posted an excellent overview of the book on the Power Line blog. In his overview, Schweizer points out that, "The real culprits [of the housing bubble] are the social activists and their allies in Washington who pushed an activist agenda. They helped to propel us into the mortgage crisis we face today."

Definitely recommended reading.

The Temperature Must Be Dropping...

and demons are wearing sweaters. Why?

Because I read an article from the Huffington Post I completely agree with. Mind you, the author (Stephen Gyllenhaal) and I may be approaching things from totally different directions, but it seems odd we both end up in the same place.

The point of the article is that Mr. "Hope and Change" Obama, in fact all of the 'power brokers' at the top, have not changed at all. Big Government is still rewarding "Stupid" friends in Big Business. I can't say I'm surprised. It's one of the reasons I would like less government control and more market controls.

The scary point for My. Gyllenhaal is when he finds a quote from Timothy McVeigh he agrees with.

I can understand his feelings.

The Way to Win in Afghanistan

I have immense respect for Steven Pressfield after reading his novel, Gates of Fire. In his online blog, he turns his critical eye on Afghanistan and the current conflict there. Most agree there needs to be a change in the way we conduct the war there, if we plan to 'win.' It's obvious to embedded reporters, like Michael Yon, that the war is not going well. General McChrystal believes we can win, but only if he is given the right tools and the resources needed to fight.

The question to ask is,"Who are we fighting in Afghanistan and how do we figth them?" Stephen Pressfield's answer is very telling. See the initial article in the continuing series on how we need to rethink the conflict.

Simply having more troops will not work. We need to refocus our energy and create a real alliance with the tribes in Afghanistan.

Our Leader Looks Like a Wimp Compared to... The French??

Okay, something is wrong when the French President is tougher on Iran than the US President. I mean, doesn't this quote sound like some Bizzarro world version of a news story, "[French] President Sarkozy in particular pushed hard [to confront Iran]. He had been "frustrated" for months about Mr. Obama's reluctance to confront Iran, a senior French government official told us, and saw an opportunity to change momentum." Instead, we find Obama didn't want to spoil his 'image of success' for the first UN meeting he attended.

So, we have a President who causes the French to say, "America needs to be tougher." A President who is more concerned with the appearance of success instead of actually doing real work for success. Wow. Could an "inexperienced" leader, like Sarah Palin, have done any worse?

Hat Tip - Powerline

Debate on Morality

Wow! This video is really incredible. It looks at "morality" from a different perspective than some may think. It essentially says, in the search for the 'real' we must all, conservative and liberal alike, give up some of our preconceived ideas about 'good' and 'evil' morality.

Wow!! Do We Have Another President Wishing to Reform Language?

So, the last president to get into language peccadilloes was a Democrat who carefully guided the conversation about his philanderings, and if he lied about them. This time, we have a Democrat who won't acknowledge the new healthcare bill would be a tax on people, even though the bill itself includes the word "tax" not once, but twice.

Guess what, when you try to set yourself up as the lone authority on EVERYTHING, people tend to believe you have dictatorial tendencies and stop trusting you. See the video of Obama attempting to singlehandedly redefine the English language below.

Friday Awesome!

I saw this image and just couldn't resist reposting it.

I suppose, if you're going to help out the community, you should be recognized for your efforts.

Hat Tip - Hot Air