Feb
27
2014

URLs du Jour

2014-02-27

[Nine]

  • Pun Salad is nine years old today. If you'd like to see the brave first post, it's right here. The major change since then is my move off the network of my (then and current) employer, the University Near Here. Which allowed my current blatant commercialism (tasteful Amazon links, which I hope you'll use to buy, buy, buy). Also, I figured out how to do RSS feeds along the way.

    Thanks, as always, for reading.

  • Bradley A. Smith, writing in the WSJ, notes the docile response of the MSM to the IRS targeting of conservative/libertarian 501(c)(4) groups for legal harassment.

    The mainstream press has justified its lack of coverage over the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservative groups because there's been no "smoking gun" tying President Obama to the scandal. This betrays a remarkable, if not willful, failure to understand abuse of power. The political pressure on the IRS to delay or deny tax-exempt status for conservative groups has been obvious to anyone who cares to open his eyes. It did not come from a direct order from the White House, but it didn't have to.

    Smith outlines the history, and demonstrates the IRS's efforts were almost certainly in response to demands from the President and other powerful Democrats. Including New Hampshire's own Senator Jeanne.

    You'd think the press might take a bit more interest when unbridled government power is used to silence opposition. Especially when it's cheered on by elected officials.

  • Speaking of which:

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday that the conservative Koch brothers are "un-American."

    This was reported at the Washington Post website, in a lead paragraph, so good for them. Senator Harry, however, is simply following other prominent members of his party (e.g., Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi; Jennifer Granholm) in applying the "un-American" smear to his political opponents.

  • Years ago, back when I listened to radio stations, a local DJ was a fan of guitar hero "Johnny A". I quickly became a fan too; Johnny (or should I call him "Mr. A"?) can make an electric guitar do just about anything he wants to do. And (fortunately) what he wants to do is to make amazing music. Rock, blues, jazz, surf, country, classical: it's all one to Johnny.

    Johnny is about to release his third studio album. He is raising funds to promote it through PledgeMusic, and I gratefully plunked down a pledge this morning. And I never do this sort of thing.

    As I type, they've blown well past Johnny's original funding goal, but that's OK. I encourage you to check it out. Get his album, you won't be sorry. Or, if you have a few kilobucks rattling around, he'll even come to your house and play a set for you.