Karzai's Rope Trick

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St. Patrick's Breastplate -- Rita Connolly

Tradition has it that a prayer of protection (lorica) that St. Patrick wrote and recited every morning has been preserved in the profoundly comforting and strengthening lyrics of the hymn known as St. Patrick's Breastplate, also called the Lorica of St. Patrick and The Deer's Cry. By the time of his death, Patrick had converted most of Ireland from Druidism to Christianity, no small feat for an inhabitant of the 5th century who started out as a slave.

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The Irish Washerwoman -- John Sheahan and André Rieu

A little something brought to you by violinists John Sheahan and André Rieu, with help from an enthusiastic crowd in Kerkrade, The Netherlands.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

May the sun always shine on your windowpane.
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Allen West on Disarming U.S. Marines for Panetta Speech

Before hearing an address by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta in Afghanistan yesterday, a group of American Marines were ordered to leave the tent where they had assembled for the address, disarm, and then return to the tent to hear Panetta speak.  The explanation?

According to Maj. Gen. Mark Gurganus, who issued the order: "I wanted the Marines to look just like our Afghan partners."

Gurganus explained that the decision to bar weapons was because of Panetta's presence: "I mean, you got one of the most important people in world there."

Nobody's that important.

However, buried in that explanation is a mixed message. How exactly does "looking like our Afghan partners" secure the safety of Leon E. Panetta?

Or was this order merely another knee-jerk to this administration's PC comfort? Are Panetta's sensibilities so acutely sensitive that he cannot bear the sight of armed U.S. Marines in the same tent as unarmed Afghan soldiers? Is that what we are supposed to believe?

Then don't invite Afghan soldiers. 

Allen West has a few words on the subject. From the Congressman's facebook page:
 

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Sandra Fluke's European Deprivation

Despite having to provide her own contraception, Sandra Fluke somehow managed to eke out a vacation in Pompei and Tuscany in 2009 and in Spain in 2011 (photo evidence below, courtesy Gateway Pundit via Marooned in Marin.

Poor thing.

Do I need to mention that Fluke's traveling companion is a member of a generationally wealthy Massachusetts socialist family?

I thought not.

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No, Really: 1% of Americans Think U.S. Economy "Very Good"

That's a stirring endorsement of President Obama, isn't it?

How about this one: 20% of Americans think their families are better off financially today than they were 4 years ago. Those 20% (plus another 1%) think the U.S. economy is in "fairly good" shape.

That leaves 78% of Americans thinking the U.S. economy is in bad or disastrous shape--nearly all of the 80% whose families aren't better off than they were 4 years ago--under a Republican president.

These figures, by the way, are taken from a March 7 - 11 CBS/New York Times poll.

Something tells me Obama isn't quite as popular as some folks would have us believe.


H/T: Hope n' Change Cartoons.
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Santorum's Winning Quote of the Day

Yesterday, Rick Santorum won both the Mississippi and Alabama primaries.

From his Alabama acceptance speech:

For someone who thinks this race is inevitable, he spent a whole lot of money against me for being inevitable.

This is a grassroots campaign for president.

Who would have ever thought in the age of media that we have in this country today that the ordinary folks from around this country can defy the odds, day in-day out?

Many of us, apparently.

I wish I had time to watch the whole speech, which you can view at Adrienne's Corner.

Maybe later. Right now it's time for me to go back to being Big Government's overtaxed work serf (pun intended).

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Obama's Sneaky "Don't Tell" Abortion Rule: Secret "Abortion Surcharges" in Health Insurance"

Obama is "sidestepping" the Hyde Amendment--which has been used by Congress for the last 36 years to prohibit direct federal taxpayer funding of elective abortions--by requiring insured people to pay a monthly "abortion surcharge" that they cannot be told about in advance of enrollment.

Get this:

To comply with the [ObamaCare] accounting requirement, plans will collect a $1 abortion surcharge from each premium payer,” the pro-life source informed LifeNews. “The enrollee will make two payments, $1 per month for abortion and another payment for the rest of the services covered. As described in the rule, the surcharge can only be disclosed to the enrollee at the time of enrollment. Furthermore, insurance plans may only advertise the total cost of the premiums without disclosing that enrollees will be charged a $1 per month fee to pay directly subsidize abortions. 

A monthly abortion surcharge.

A compulsory monthly abortion surcharge.

A compulsory monthly abortion surcharge that insurance companies can't tell you about until you enroll.

 
To pressure the Supreme Court to approve this monstrous legislation that was passed in the dead of night, Obama's staff is organizing a prayer vigil in front of the Supreme Court beginning March 26, so that his supporters can pray for . . . what do you call it when you kill babies?

Borrowing from an astute Obama observer: "It's enough to make a maggot vomit."

H/T: Weasel Zippers.
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Psalm 95: If Today You Hear His Voice -- Mickey Itchon

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The Pro-Sarah Palin Documentary You Want to See This Weekend

If, like me, you missed it last year when it launched in some cities and as a video selection, you'll get another chance to watch "The Undefeated" tomorrow night (Sunday) during its TV premiere on the ReelzChannel at  8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern/ 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Pacific.*

Producer, director, and writer, Stephen Bannon, made this documentary to chronicle Sarah Palin's "extraordinary record of accomplishments" in "a story of modern America and what one has to do to accomplish anything in this country."

Bannon regards Palin as "a significant cultural force and a significant political force" who will remain so "for many, many years." He told Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit that he made this movie "for young women," as Hoft reported, "for the Americans who formed their opinion of Sarah Palin through state-run media outlets and Saturday Night Live skits." (Hoft's interview of Bannon is available here.)

This view of Sarah Palin is certain to diverge from that of Satuday Night Live, starring, as it does, Andrew Breitbart, Mark Levin, Kurt Gibson, Tammy Bruce, and plenty of others who formed very definite and highly informed impressions of Palin. The film also contains archived footage of herself.

I can't wait to watch it.

*Go here to find ReelzChannel on your TV [bottom right of page].

If you can't watch tomorrow night, there will be encore showings on Monday, March 12 (10 pm. Eastern/ 7 p.m. Pacific) and Sunday, March 25 (5:30 p.m. Eastern/ 2:30 p.m. Pacific).

Don't get ReelzChannel? No cable or satellite access? You might try streaming it at netflix.com (I believe a free trial is available). Also, copies of "The Undefeated," are available at amazon.com for as low as $11.49 new and $6.95 used. Trade-in discounts are also available.

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