Posted on 02 July 2010
Samuel Johnson famously said that "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." He, of course, was born in the wrong century to have met Dick Cheney, the scoundrel for whom self-professed patriotism, as we found out to our regret, was the first refuge.
A new survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press reports:
 Nearly all Americans consider themselves patriotic and voice pride in being American. Sizeable demographic and political differences do emerge, however, when it comes to intense expressions of patriotism. And many of those who voice strong patriotism and pride in the country also are highly critical of the federal government and its political leaders. A new national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted June 24-27 among 1,001 adults, finds that more than eight-in-ten (83%) say they are either extremely proud (52%) or very proud (31%) to be an American. Just 14% say they are moderately proud (8%) or have little or no pride (6%) in being an American. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) non-Hispanic whites say they are extremely proud of being an American compared with 36% of non-Hispanic blacks. People younger than 30 also are less likely than older Americans to say they are extremely proud of being an American. Those who give Barack Obama the lowest job ratings - predominately Republicans and independents who lean Republican - also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an American than are those who give the president more positive ratings.  Notably, those who take a particularly dim view of the federal government - including those who agree with the Tea Party movement - are among the most likely to consider themselves more patriotic than most people in this country.
A survey conducted earlier this year asked respondents to compare their own level of patriotism with that of their fellow citizens. Most people (59%) say they are about as patriotic as others. Just a third (33%) claim to be more patriotic than most other Americans. Notably, those who take a particularly dim view of the federal government - including those who agree with the Tea Party movement - are among the most likely to consider themselves more patriotic than most people in this country. More men (36%) than women (30%) say they are more patriotic than others and racial and age differences in these attitudes are also noted. More than a third of whites (35%) say they are more patriotic than others, compared with 26% of African Americans. And people age 65 and older were more likely (at 42%) than younger age groups to see themselves as more patriotic than others. The picture is largely the same when it comes to a key way that Americans express their patriotism: displaying the American flag. Asked in a June 8-28 Pew Research survey, nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they show the flag at their home, office, or on their automobile. |
Posted on 02 July 2010
Samuel Johnson famously said that "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." He, of course, was born in the wrong century to have met Dick Cheney, the scoundrel for whom self-professed patriotism, as we found out to our regret, was the first refuge.
A new survey by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press reports:
| Nearly all Americans consider themselves patriotic and voice pride in being American. Sizeable demographic and political differences do emerge, however, when it comes to intense expressions of patriotism. And many of those who voice strong patriotism and pride in the country also are highly critical of the federal government and its political leaders. A new national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted June 24-27 among 1,001 adults, finds that more than eight-in-ten (83%) say they are either extremely proud (52%) or very proud (31%) to be an American. Just 14% say they are moderately proud (8%) or have little or no pride (6%) in being an American. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) non-Hispanic whites say they are extremely proud of being an American compared with 36% of non-Hispanic blacks. People younger than 30 also are less likely than older Americans to say they are extremely proud of being an American. Those who give Barack Obama the lowest job ratings - predominately Republicans and independents who lean Republican - also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an American than are those who give the president more positive ratings. Notably, those who take a particularly dim view of the federal government - including those who agree with the Tea Party movement - are among the most likely to consider themselves more patriotic than most people in this country. A survey conducted earlier this year asked respondents to compare their own level of patriotism with that of their fellow citizens. Most people (59%) say they are about as patriotic as others. Just a third (33%) claim to be more patriotic than most other Americans. Notably, those who take a particularly dim view of the federal government - including those who agree with the Tea Party movement - are among the most likely to consider themselves more patriotic than most people in this country. More men (36%) than women (30%) say they are more patriotic than others and racial and age differences in these attitudes are also noted. More than a third of whites (35%) say they are more patriotic than others, compared with 26% of African Americans. And people age 65 and older were more likely (at 42%) than younger age groups to see themselves as more patriotic than others. The picture is largely the same when it comes to a key way that Americans express their patriotism: displaying the American flag. Asked in a June 8-28 Pew Research survey, nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they show the flag at their home, office, or on their automobile. |
Posted on 02 July 2010
Tonight's Rescue Rangers are grog, HoosierDeb, watercarrier4diogenes, jennyjem, srkp23 and vcmvo2 with BentLiberal as editor.
Welcome to Diary Rescue, your nightly cure for the meta blues, featuring well-written articles deserving a second chance at your attention.
Tonight's rescued diaries:
Beat Poetry & Introspection:
Reliably, jotter has High Impact Diaries: July 1, 2010.
bronte17 has Top Comments (07-02-2010): Come on Baby, Light My Fire.
Use as an open thread, and post your own favorites in the comments. And please be sure to leave a rec and a kind word in the diaries of tonight's featured authors.
Posted on 02 July 2010
Tonight's Rescue Rangers are grog, HoosierDeb, watercarrier4diogenes, jennyjem, srkp23 and vcmvo2 with BentLiberal as editor.
Welcome to Diary Rescue, your nightly cure for the meta blues, featuring well-written articles deserving a second chance at your attention.
Tonight's rescued diaries:
Beat Poetry & Introspection:
Reliably, jotter has High Impact Diaries: July 1, 2010.
bronte17 has Top Comments (07-02-2010): Come on Baby, Light My Fire.
Use as an open thread, and post your own favorites in the comments. And please be sure to leave a rec and a kind word in the diaries of tonight's featured authors.
Posted on 02 July 2010
So apparently, by attending the G20 summit, President Obama is taking us a step further toward a one world government. Also, Zimbabwe sucks:
Well, President Obama is trying to bind the United States into a global economy where all of our nations come together in a global economy. I don’t want the United States to be in a global economy where, where our economic future is bound to that of Zimbabwe. I can’t, we can’t necessarily trust the decisions that are being made financially in other countries.
...
So I think clearly this is a very bad direction because when you join the economic policy of different nations, it is one short step to joining political unity and then you would have literally, a one world government...I don’t want to cede United States authority to a transnational organization.
So that's why those bleeding-heart DFH commie socialist presidents Dubya and St. Ronnie attended and supported these summits. Turns out they were both working on a super-secret plan to force the United States to cede its authority to the will of Zimbabwe.
Thanks for clearing that up, Michele.
Posted on 02 July 2010
Well, this is just great.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and then-New York Fed President Timothy Geithner told senators on April 3, 2008, that the tens of billions of dollars in “assets” the government agreed to purchase in the rescue of Bear Stearns Cos. were “investment-grade.” They didn’t share everything the Fed knew about the money.
The so-called assets included collateralized debt obligations and mortgage-backed bonds with names like HG-Coll Ltd. 2007-1A that were so distressed, more than $40 million already had been reduced to less than investment-grade by the time the central bankers testified. The government also became the owner of $16 billion of credit-default swaps, and taxpayers wound up guaranteeing high-yield, high-risk junk bonds.
By using its balance sheet to protect an investment bank against failure, the Fed took on the most credit risk in its 96- year history and increased the chance that Americans would be on the hook for billions of dollars as the central bank began insuring Wall Street firms against collapse. The Fed’s secrecy spurred legislation that will require government audits of the Fed bailouts and force the central bank to reveal recipients of emergency credit.
We're all junk-bond buyers now. Man, that Fed audit could be really interesting. Which is probably why the administration fought it, considering then-NY Fed President Geithner who lied to Congress is current Treasury Secretary.
Posted on 02 July 2010
Well, this is just great.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and then-New York Fed President Timothy Geithner told senators on April 3, 2008, that the tens of billions of dollars in “assets” the government agreed to purchase in the rescue of Bear Stearns Cos. were “investment-grade.” They didn’t share everything the Fed knew about the money.
The so-called assets included collateralized debt obligations and mortgage-backed bonds with names like HG-Coll Ltd. 2007-1A that were so distressed, more than $40 million already had been reduced to less than investment-grade by the time the central bankers testified. The government also became the owner of $16 billion of credit-default swaps, and taxpayers wound up guaranteeing high-yield, high-risk junk bonds.
By using its balance sheet to protect an investment bank against failure, the Fed took on the most credit risk in its 96- year history and increased the chance that Americans would be on the hook for billions of dollars as the central bank began insuring Wall Street firms against collapse. The Fed’s secrecy spurred legislation that will require government audits of the Fed bailouts and force the central bank to reveal recipients of emergency credit.
We're all junk-bond buyers now. Man, that Fed audit could be really interesting. Which is probably why the administration fought it, considering then-NY Fed President Geithner who lied to Congress is current Treasury Secretary.
Posted on 02 July 2010
That didn't take long:
Just days after a four-star general was relieved of command for comments made to Rolling Stone magazine, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued orders Friday tightening the reins on officials dealing with the news media.
The three-page memorandum requires top-level Pentagon and military leaders to notify the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs “prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications.”
Apparently "other means of media and public engagement" is code for throwing back a few drinks.
And a funny side note:
A copy of the unclassified Gates memo was provided to The New York Times by an official who was not authorized to release it.
Posted on 02 July 2010
President Obama's remarks today at Senator Robert Byrd's funeral:
“And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than any other bird upon the plain, even though they soar.”
Robert Byrd was a mountain eagle, and his lowest swoop was still higher than the other birds upon the plain.
May God bless Robert C. Byrd. May he be welcomed kindly by the righteous Judge. And may his spirit soar forever like a Catskill eagle, high above the Heavens.
Complete text below the fold.
Posted on 02 July 2010
President Obama's remarks today at Senator Robert Byrd's funeral:
“And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than any other bird upon the plain, even though they soar.”
Robert Byrd was a mountain eagle, and his lowest swoop was still higher than the other birds upon the plain.
May God bless Robert C. Byrd. May he be welcomed kindly by the righteous Judge. And may his spirit soar forever like a Catskill eagle, high above the Heavens.
Complete text below the fold.
