Drive-By Reporting

John Hinderaker at Power Line shows us the epitome of "drive-by media" in an editor's note from the New York Times. I won't even quote it here. You have to go read it for yourself. It's astounding.

Slick Willie Purple Rage Round-Up

When President Bubba, our only elected President to be impeached, spewed his fatuous swill in front of Chris Wallace, you knew it was only a matter of time before the blogosphere began shining the light of truth on the subject. To wit, this post is a compilation of swill remediation. Consider it my electronic community service. (Not that I've ever been court-ordered to perform community service, mind you.)

Richard Miniter writes in the Wall Street Journal "What Clinton Didn't Do...".

In his Fox interview, Mr. Clinton said "no one knew that al Qaeda existed" in October 1993, during the tragic events in Somalia. But his national security adviser, Tony Lake, told me that he first learned of bin Laden "sometime in 1993," when he was thought of as a terror financier. U.S. Army Capt. James Francis Yacone, a black hawk squadron commander in Somalia, later testified that radio intercepts of enemy mortar crews firing at Americans were in Arabic, not Somali, suggesting the work of bin Laden's agents (who spoke Arabic), not warlord Farah Aideed's men (who did not). CIA and DIA reports also placed al Qaeda operatives in Somalia at the time.

By the end of Mr. Clinton's first year, al Qaeda had apparently attacked twice. The attacks would continue for every one of the Clinton years.

In "Condi vs. Bubba", the New York Post editorial board tells of its conversation with Secretary Rice:

"The notion somehow for eight months the Bush administration sat there . . . is just flatly false," the former national security adviser told The Post's editorial board yesterday. "What we did in eight months was at least as aggressive as what the Clinton administration did in the preceding [eight] years,"

Firing Clarke? Far from it, she noted: He "was the counter-terrorism czar when 9/11 happened, and he left [in 2003] when he did not become deputy director of homeland security," as he wanted.

At Real Clear Politics, Ronald A. Cass brings a measured, thorough look at the situation in "Bill Clinton: Play It as It Lies". The opening paragraph is a thing 'o beauty.

Former President Bill Clinton, never one to let truth stand in the way of a good line, has decided to reincarnate himself as our tough, anti-terror President. The man who ran away from military service and displayed striking contempt for our armed forces has now announced that he did more—and would do more—to combat Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda than anyone else. In his view, he should be recognized as the best man to fight that enemy.

John Hinderaker at Power Line notes "Why didn't Wallace ask the Bush Administration? He did."

Byron York writes in National Review Online on "Bill Clinton's Excuses."

“All you have to do is read Richard Clarke’s findings and you know it’s not true,” he said at yet another point. In all, Clinton mentioned Clarke’s name 11 times during the Fox interview.

But Clarke’s book does not, in fact, support Clinton’s claim.

Another Power Line blogger, Paul Mirengoff, sums up the "So What?" presidency with his post, "The Fruits of an Unserious Presidency".

Bill Clinton is desperate to be remembered by history for something other than the Lewinsky affair, perjury, and impeachment. And he will be. It's becoming clear that the Clinton legacy will also include eight years of inaction, broken by rare instances of ineffectual action, towards the mounting threat posed by Osama bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists that culminated in 9/11.

Noel Sheppard at The American Thinker - "Bill Clinton, Bin Laden, and Hysterical Revisions"

Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post - "Clinton's Finger-Wagging Moment"

And, last but not least, via the indispensible Michelle Malkin, The Washington Post reminds us that we've seen it all before.

Wanna Google your tax dollars?

Senators Tom Coburn and Barak Obama thought it was a great idea. Senators Robert "KKK Kleagle" Byrd and Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens put a "secret hold" on it. But the blogosphere smoked 'em out. And today, President Bush signed it into law: an on-line database that we citizens can use to track where our government spends our tax dollars.

The law calls for the Web site to go online by Jan. 1, 2008. It will list federal grants and contracts greater than $25,000, except for those classified for national security reasons.

"The Web site will allow our citizens to go online, type in the name of any company, association, or state or locality and find out exactly what grants and contracts they've been awarded," Bush said.

"By allowing Americans to Google their tax dollars, this new law will help taxpayers demand greater fiscal discipline," Bush said. [emphasis mine]

Ain't technology great.

Once more, with feeling...

And a pointing finger and a red face.


He doth protest too much, methinks.

Hat tip: Right Wing Sparkle

Welcome Lone Star Times readers!

Thanks for visiting my humble blog. I hope you find something you like in the archives. I have an Appraisal Cap Primer, a proposed meeting minutes for the Task Force on Appraisal Reform, observations on the Trans-Texas Corridor, what liberals REALLY think, Sunday School lessons learned, and assorted other musings.

For Light Bulb readers who don't know about Lone Star Times, I hope you'll visit there as well. I'm thrilled to say that I made my first post there as a new contributor this morning.

Reagan is a hero, even in Poland

From Al-Reuters, Warsaw to get statue of ex-president Reagan.

"Reagan was the person who defeated the communists and opened the way for freedom in Poland," Janusz Dorosiewicz said. "The statue is a way for his legacy to live on."

As Lady Thatcher said at his funeral, "With the lever of American patriotism, he lifted up the world. And so today the world - in Prague, in Budapest, in Warsaw, in Sofia, in Bucharest, in Kiev and in Moscow itself - the world mourns the passing of the Great Liberator and echoes his prayer 'God Bless America'."

Hat tip: World Net Daily

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day

From Lone Star Times comes this jewel of erudition: today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. And in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I will now re-post my immediately preceding post in Pirate.

Me dear matey, Playwriter Girl, asked me this question in a comment t' me latest post on th' Property Tax Appraisal Cap issue. Wonderful, an' very appropriate, question. Here's me answer:

1. Vote in th' Primary Election - If yer State Representative or State Senator be nay doin' his job well, this be th' time t' vote fer a better candidate from yer party. An', fer many districts in Texas an' on accoun' o' Texas be such a red state, th' primary election determines who will win th' general election. Votin' can be a form o' complaint, after all.
   
2. Vote in th' General Election - I know, 't goes without sayin', but I gotta say 't.
   
3. Communicate wi' yer State Representative - Become yer State Representative's best matey...or worst nightmare. Write th' lad's letters. Call th' lad's. Let th' lad's know what yer position be. Ask th' lad's what his position be. If 't differs from yours, ask th' lad's t' explain hisself. If he has nay credible explanation, ask th' lad's who he be supposed t' represent. If he has a credible explanation, ask th' lad's t' consider yer reasonin', an' again ask th' lad's who he be supposed t' represent. Look up his votin' record, or t' really get under his skin, ask th' lad's t' send ye a copy o' his votin' record. Be persistent. Ye be fundin' his (incredibly meager) salary wi' yer tax pieces o' eight. By th' way, I be absolutely 100% serious about this. If ye dasn't know who yer State Representative be, go here. This goes without sayin' also, but...be passionate about yer position, be prepared wi' articulate an' well-sourced facts t' support yer argument, an' always be respectful.
   
4. Communicate wi' yer State Senator - Yep, same song, second verse. If ye dasn't know who yer State Senator be go here.
   
5. Join squadrons o' similarly minded swabbies - Thar be power in numbers, after all. Attend a function sponsored by yer political party, or jus' go t' the'r web site an' sign up fer notifications. Make sure ye're comfortable wi' the'r message, an' add yer voice t' theirs. One squadron in particular that be focused on th' Appraisal Cap issue be CLOUT.
   
6. Complain in a public forum - Oh, they really hate this. Ye be seein', each committee in th' House (dasn't know about th' Senate) be required t' hold hearings about upcomin' legislation. An' th' public be welcome t' join th' chorus. If ye can stand 't, watch this video fer a prime example o' th' public wantin' t' speak (an' gettin' th' cold shoulder). Again, when ye complain, be passionate, be prepared (nothin' looks more lily livered than knee-jerk reactions on display), an' be respectful. This last one can be tough sometimes since so many o' these swabbies be havin' earned our unyieldin' scorn rather than our respect. Yet, fer whateretheir reasons may be (selfish or selfless), they be havin' put they's self up fer criticism in a public forum, an' fer that reason alone they deserve our respect.

Concernin' this last item, th' Task Force on Appraisal Reform be holdin' public hearings across th' state. Th' hearin' in Houston be scheduled fer November 16 (location TBD). Got 't on yer calendar?

"So, who do we complain to?"

My dear friend, Playwriter Girl, asked me this question in a comment to my latest post on the Property Tax Appraisal Cap issue. Wonderful, and very appropriate, question. Here's my answer:

1. Vote in the Primary Election- If your State Representative or State Senator is not doing his job well, this is the time to vote for a better candidate from your party. And, for many districts in Texas and because Texas is such a red state, the primary election determines who will win the general election. Voting can be a form of complaint, after all.
   
2. Vote in the General Election - I know, it goes without saying, but I gotta say it.
   
3. Communicate with your State Representative - Become your State Representative's best friend...or worst nightmare. Write him letters. Call him. Let him know what your position is. Ask him what his position is. If it differs from yours, ask him to explain himself. If he has no credible explanation, ask him who he is supposed to represent. If he has a credible explanation, ask him to consider your reasoning, and again ask him who he is supposed to represent. Look up his voting record, or to really get under his skin, ask him to send you a copy of his voting record. Be persistent. You are funding his (incredibly meager) salary with your tax dollars. By the way, I am absolutely 100% serious about this. If you don't know who your State Representative is, go here. This goes without saying also, but...be passionate about your position, be prepared with articulate and well-sourced facts to support your argument, and always be respectful.
   
4. Communicate with your State Senator - Yep, same song, second verse. If you don't know who your State Senator is go here.
   
5. Join groups of similarly minded people - There is power in numbers, after all. Attend a function sponsored by your political party, or just go to their web site and sign up for notifications. Make sure you're comfortable with their message, and add your voice to theirs. One group in particular that is focused on the Appraisal Cap issue is CLOUT.
   
6. Complain in a public forum - Oh, they really hate this. You see, each committee in the House (don't know about the Senate) is required to hold hearings about upcoming legislation. And the public is welcome to join the chorus. If you can stand it, watch this video for a prime example of the public wanting to speak (and getting the cold shoulder). Again, when you complain, be passionate, be prepared (nothing looks more foolish than knee-jerk reactions on display), and be respectful. This last one can be tough sometimes since so many of these people have earned our unyielding scorn rather than our respect. Yet, for whatever their reasons may be (selfish or selfless), they have put themselves up for criticism in a public forum, and for that reason alone they deserve our respect.

Concerning this last item, the Task Force on Appraisal Reform will be holding public hearings across the state. The hearing in Houston is scheduled for November 16 (location TBD). Got it on your calendar?

My 100th post

I really can't believe it. When I started this gig back in April, I thought maybe I'd have something to say once in a while about the world around me (that, and I didn't like the feeling of being left out at a birthday party). I never thought I'd have a hundred things to say in six months. And readers, too! Ranging from new blogosphere friends to friends who tell me in our church library that they read my blog. I count it a privilege to express my views here and even higher one that you might read them.

Now, I obviously don't do this for profit or web traffic statistics (although there may be news soon in that area), but I'd dearly love to hear from you, even if it's anonymous.

Onward to 200!

Happy Constitution Day

Two hundred and nineteen years ago today our basic form of government was codified in our nation's Constitution. Today it is the longest serving charter for self government in the world.


September 17 is the actual Constitution Day (the anniversary of its signing), but because it falls on a weekend it will be observed tomorrow, among other places, by all schools that receive federal funding. (Did you know that? I didn't.) So make sure to ask your child tomorrow afternoon what they've learned about the Constitution.

Something to ruin your weekend

Were you ready for a nice, peaceful, relaxed weekend thinking about nothing important? You won't have one if you read this article I found linked at Power Line:

The politically correct regulations are unbelievable. Detainees are entitled to a full eight hours sleep and can't be woken up for interrogations. They enjoy three meals and five prayers per day, without interruption. They are entitled to a minimum of two hours of outdoor recreation per day.

Interrogations are limited to four hours, usually running two - and (of course) are interrupted for prayers. One interrogator actually bakes cookies for detainees, while another serves them Subway or McDonald's sandwiches. Both are available on base. (Filet o' Fish is an al Qaeda favorite.)

Interrogations are not video or audio taped, perhaps to preserve detainee privacy.

Call it excessive compassion by a nation devoted to therapy, but it's dangerous. Adm. Harris admitted to me that a multi-cell al Qaeda network has developed in the camp. Military intelligence can't yet identify their leaders, but notes that they have cells for monitoring the movements and identities of guards and doctors, cells dedicated to training, others for making weapons and so on.

Oh, there's more. Lot's more. For instance, what's the ratio of prisoners to lawyers? For every one prisoner there are 2.72 lawyers. Oh yeah. Another jewel: American taxpayers have paid for 5,000 dental operations for prisoners including teeth cleanings.

For the life of me, I can't understand why these pieces of filth were not lined up in front of a firing squad and shot on the battle field.

Perry's poll numbers drop

Governor Perry's poll numbers have now sunk below 33%. In fact, less than nine points separate the top three candidates. I guarantee you that these numbers would be a whole lot different if Governor Perry had been following conservative principles instead of following the standard Democratic playbook of tax increases.

Hat tip to Off the Kuff. While you're there, check out the interactive poll results from the Wall Street Journal.

Never forget

Never forget what the enemy did to us that day and who our enemy is.

The Path to 9/11

I watched "The Path to 9/11" tonight, and I hope that makes any moonbat reading this mad as all get out. And yes, I watched the warning slate at the beginning, and the second one at the 8:35 p.m. mark, and the great Lewinsky lie at 8:51, and the third warning slate at the end at 9:40. Just in case you didn't happen to see them during tonight's broadcast (either because you missed it or because ABC edited them out), here are some important scenes from "The Path to 9/11" via RedState.

For some background material that I'm certain didn't make it into the movie, here is a story about a speech William Jefferson Blythe Clinton (our only elected president to be impeached) gave to the Long Island Association on February 15, 2002 where he admitted that he had the chance to extradite Osama Bin Laden and decided not to. Also, here's a more complete list of opportunities we had to capture Bin Laden. (And more classic Clinton quotes.)

By the way, this post is also a means of helping to diffuse the moonbats' Google Bomb that Brit Hume reported a few days ago.

Abu Ghraib prisoners like Americans after all

The saying goes something like "you never know what you have until you lose it."

The notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad is at the centre of fresh abuse allegations just a week after it was handed over to Iraqi authorities, with claims that inmates are being tortured by their new captors.

[...]

Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.

"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism.

Sure, our record is not perfect on this matter, but I think Mr. Alaani's quote speaks volumes.

Let's apply a little more math to the property tax issue

A few days ago I wrote "A Texas Property Tax Appraisal Cap Primer", which tries to elucidate the whole appraisal cap issue. But, after thinking about it for a few days, I don't think I got the idea completely across the finish line. I didn't explain what it means for your wallet, which is the bottom line, after all. So let's apply a little more math (and research) to the problem.

Let's start with the basic mortgage. Still using the $100,000 property, we'll assume a $5,000 down payment and a 6.3% interest rate. Therefore, a $95,000 mortgage across 30 years yields a $588 monthly payment.

Year	Valuation	Mortgage Payment
Purchase	$100,000	$588.00

Now let's start adding the real taxes. First, there's school property taxes. For the school district where I live, the tax rate is 1.80000, or $1.80 of tax for every $1,000 of assessed value. However, I get two exemptions: a Homestead Exemption from the state and a Homestead Exemption from the school district. The state exemption lowers my valuation by $15,000. The school district exemption additionally lowers my valuation by 20%. Therefore, for school district tax purposes, my valuation is:

$100,000 - $15,000 - (20% of $100,000) = $65,000

And my school district tax is $65,000 taxed at a tax rate of 1.8000, or $1,170 yearly, or $97.50 each month.

Year	Valuation	Mortgage Payment	School Tax
Purchase	$100,000	$588.00	$97.50

Second, there's Municipal Utility District (MUD) taxes. The rate in my district is 0.57000, and I receive no homestead exemption. Therefore my MUD tax is $100,000 taxed at a rate of 0.57000, or $570 yearly, or $47.50 each month.

Year	Valuation	Mortgage Payment	School Tax	MUD Tax
Purchase	$100,000	$588.00	$97.50	$47.50

Staying with me? Lastly, we add county taxes. Now there are seven taxing authorities for which the county collects taxes. Each of them has its own exemption and tax rate. I have neither the room in this post nor the patience in my heart to share the details, so you'll have to trust me on this one. County taxes total $685.64 yearly, and $57.14 monthly.

Year	Valuation	Mortgage Payment	School Tax	MUD Tax	County Tax
Purchase	$100,000	$588.00	$97.50	$47.50	$57.14

So for the first year of home ownership, the total monthly payment is $790.14, of which 25% is taxes. Notice that I haven't included mortgage insurance or homeowners insurance in the mix; we're just talking mortgage and taxes here. Now, everyone hop into your time-traveling Delorean and go forward seven years. And what do we find?

Year	Valuation	Mortgage Payment	School Tax	MUD Tax	County Tax
7	$194,872	$588.00	$211.35	$92.56	$111.80

Yikes! Our total monthly payment is now $1,003.71, of which 42% is taxes, and still without mortgage insurance and homeowners insurance included. And please understand, I made no edits to the tax rates for each of the taxing authorities in the spreadsheet that I used to calculate this. I simply increased the appraisal valuation by 10% every year. The increased appraisal value resulted in increased taxes.



O.K. I have definitely covered this subject enough. As you can see, the 10% limit on appraisal increases is ridiculous. If taxing authorities think they're entitled to 10% growth every year, they need to come to the voters and ask us to approve 10% tax rate hikes every year. Hiding behind appraisal creep is cowardly.

By the way . . . any of you getting a guaranteed 10% increase in your paycheck each year? Yep, same here.

Do you remember what the Lefties said when CBS pulled "The Reagans"?

NewsBusters does.

Jerry Bowen: "Some analysts contend the conservative pressure is part of the nation's ongoing culture war."

Martin Kaplan, USC Annenberg School: "There's a well-organized conservative movement in this country that's in charge of its version of the truth, and they swing a big bat."

Bowen: "James Brolin, who plays Reagan, wasn't talking, but his manager was."

Jeff Wald, James Brolin's manager: "And we seem to be in a very oppressive era where they can censor something before they even see it." [emphasis mine]

– CBS Evening News, November 4.

God Bless NewsBusters. While you're there, read (by way of his attorney) the sanctimonious whining of the only elected president to be impeached. Summary: "How dare you remind people that I had eight years to do something about this!" Hey Bubba, go read John 8:32.

The First Amendment is poison...

...if you're a former President who didn't do enough to defend his country when you were in office. From the New York Post, "Bubba Goes Ballistic On ABC About Its Damning 9/11 Movie":

A furious Bill Clinton is warning ABC that its mini-series "The Path to 9/11" grossly misrepresents his pursuit of Osama bin Laden - and he is demanding the network "pull the drama" if changes aren't made.

Clinton pointedly refuted several fictionalized scenes that he claims insinuate he was too distracted by the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal to care about bin Laden and that a top adviser pulled the plug on CIA operatives who were just moments away from bagging the terror master, according to a letter to ABC boss Bob Iger obtained by The Post.

Yep, life sucks when the truth is your enemy, because sooner or later the truth will win.

Censorship is acceptable...

...if you work at ABC and the liberals ask you to edit something that might make them look bad. From calendarlive.com, "ABC alters 9/11 show under pressure".

After much discussion, ABC executives and the producers toned down, but did not eliminate entirely, a scene that involved Clinton's national security advisor, Samuel R. "Sandy" Berger, declining to give the order to kill Bin Laden, according to a person involved with the film who declined to be identified because of the sensitivities involved.

Ain't hypocrisy grand?

Plain old common sense from Uncle Newt

Newt Gingrich has written a list of eleven things the House needs to do in order to achieve victory in November. It's called "The American Eleven: A Values-Led Plan for Victory in November" and it's on Human Events online. You need to read the whole thing, but here are his points summarized:

1. Make English the Official Language of Government
2. Control the Borders
3. Keep God in the Pledge
4. Require a Voter ID Card
5. Repeal the Death Tax, for Good
6. Restore Property Rights
7. Achieve Sustainable Energy Independence
8. Control Spending and Balance the Budget
9. Tie Education Funding to Teacher Accountability
10. Defend America From the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam
11. Focus on Iran and North Korea

See what I mean by common sense? Nothing here is radical. Nothing here is revolutionary, except in the sense that Republicans can't seem to accomplish some of them. But if they did, that would be revolutionary. Still, it will take a whole lot of good words to overcome the trust deficit that Republicans in Congress seem to have with the voters. In fact, there might not be enough words.

Suppose we had a great economy and nobody noticed?

I've been long-winded lately. So I'll take a rest...and let someone else be long-winded on a great topic. With a big hat tip to the Power Line brainiacs, I must recommend you read Americans Hate their Fabulous Economy at Back Talk. The lead paragraph excites me.

Polls consistently show that Americans are rather negative about the economy, and many have wondered why that might be considering that our economy is the envy of the world (as well it should be). The source of our pessimism is a bit of a mystery, and it is one that I am going to pursue. For the moment, I'll simply note that I have identified what may be a contributing factor to our unwarranted despair: reporters rarely use charts, and that allows them to wax poetic about the "jobless recovery," "worrisome signs of inflation," "record setting deficits," and other such nonsense. Charts anchor the mind to the raw data, which makes it hard to use bumper-sticker slogans that mislead (and demoralize) more than they clarify. In any story about the economy, there is never an excuse not to use a chart, but reporters almost never do. [emphasis mine]

It really does excite me. Well worth your time.

"Secret Hold" Senators Revealed

Who had the "secret hold" on S. 2590? Robert "I was a KKK Kleagle" Byrd (D-WV) and Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens (R-AK), that's who. Read it all here at Media Lies. Huge congratulations and thanks go to Porkbusters.org for all their hard work in tracking down these two cretins!

Mama said, "Always tell the truth"

And our President listened to his Mama.

The enemies of liberty come from different parts of the world, and they take inspiration from different sources. Some are radicalized followers of the Sunni tradition, who swear allegiance to terrorist organizations like al Qaeda. Others are radicalized followers of the Shia tradition, who join groups like Hezbollah and take guidance from state sponsors like Syria and Iran. Still others are "homegrown" terrorists—fanatics who live quietly in free societies they dream to destroy. Despite their differences, these groups from—form the outlines of a single movement, a worldwide network of radicals that use terror to kill those who stand in the way of their totalitarian ideology. And the unifying feature of this movement, the link that spans sectarian divisions and local grievances, is the rigid conviction that free societies are a threat to their twisted view of Islam.

The war we fight today is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century. On one side are those who believe in the values of freedom and moderation—the right of all people to speak, and worship, and live in liberty. And on the other side are those driven by the values of tyranny and extremism—the right of a self-appointed few to impose their fanatical views on all the rest. As veterans, you have seen this kind of enemy before. They're successors to Fascists, to Nazis, to Communists, and other totalitarians of the 20th century. And history shows what the outcome will be: This war will be difficult; this war will be long; and this war will end in the defeat of the terrorists and totalitarians, and a victory for the cause of freedom and liberty.

We're now approaching the fifth anniversary of the day this war reached our shores. As the horror of that morning grows more distant, there is a tendency to believe that the threat is receding and this war is coming to a close. That feeling is natural and comforting—and wrong. As we recently saw, the enemy still wants to attack us. We're in a war we didn't ask for, but it's a war we must wage, and a war we will win.

But wait, there's more.

Americans believe that every person, of every religion, on every continent, has the right to determine his or her own destiny. We believe that freedom is a gift from an almighty God, beyond any power on Earth to take away. And we also know, by history and by logic, that promoting democracy is the surest way to build security. Democracies don't attack each other or threaten the peace. Governments accountable to the voters focus on building roads and schools—not weapons of mass destruction. Young people who have a say in their future are less likely to search for meaning in extremism. Citizens who can join a peaceful political party are less likely to join a terrorist organization. Dissidents with the freedom to protest around the clock are less likely to blow themselves up during rush hour. And nations that commit to freedom for their people will not support terrorists—they will join us in defeating them.

And still, there's more. But I'll let you go read it yourself. This is the kind of thing we need to be hearing every single day out of this administration, even if it is for no other reason than to drive the Lefties stark raving mad.