Politics & Religion until you puke

Lots and lots to read today, but I’ll break it down for you, one section for religion, one for politics. Pols first – got this from Insty:

You can read the lyrics here.

SOTU Address: Obama “needs to come off as authentic”.

Come off? Perhaps this illustrates a big difference between Presidents Obama and Bush. Bush did not have to “come off” as authentic. He was authentic.

Beltway Democrats (and to be fair, too many Beltway Republicans) do not understand it because they -as smart, sophisticated sorts- live in a world of social and professional illusion, and they think the rest of the country does too, or it SHOULD. They think illusion is enough for them, so it should be enough to satisfy everyone else. They don’t know from authentic. To them authentic is too corny; it can only be dealt with ironically, or cynically, if at all.

Bob Herbert has some good advice for Obama

The Ellie Light Astroturf Saga: Patterico has been all over it and notes that the press is finally picking it up. Mudville Gazette goes heavy on the sarcasm in this post. Michelle Malkin is watching the apologies. There is one, so far. Light’s letters (or the pearls of other astroturfers) are all over the place, like a virus.

She affirms she is passionate about the president. And astroturfing for him is different than when anyone does it for anyone else. It just is.

Global Warming Hoohah: Too big to fail, but on the ropes, nevertheless. The science, it seems, is not settled, after all. Pew poll says America is not buying the hysteria anymore. The good news is, that ozone hole prevents global warming. I actually remember reading that years ago. The Big Global Warming Bus has hit a few bumps and wheels are coming off in all directions.

Obama’s Halliburton? No-Bid Contracts to connections are morally reprehensible, and stuff, right? A good time, I guess to remind everyone that the Dems spent the last 8 years shouting “Halliburton! Halliburton!” without, I suspect, even understanding what they were saying. As I wrote, way back when I said we should impeach Bush:

Please name the work for which Halliburton was contracted and then expound on what other companies do the same work with the same level of expertise and experience as Halliburton. We’ll wait. This is Impeachment we’re talking about…this is all going to have to come under real investigation and involve real testimony, and good lawyers never ask questions to which they do not already know the answers – so you should know that 94.7% of all of Halliburton’s contract funds came through “full and open competitive bids”, shouldn’t you?

Oh, wait. I guess this is another Obama line with an expiration date; when he said the magic word, “Halliburton” the crowd responded to the cue. America went through the 2008 election like Pavlovian dogs responding to bells. Note the response to the patently false denunciation of “lobbyists,” too. Meaningless. Just words, it’s all just words, served up to an audience trained by the MSM to bark at the right times, and pull the correct lever. After all, the press is not interested in covering actual news stories; that all gets saved for the bestselling books.

Obama believes that most of the country, however is still going to fall for his every sleight of hand and misdirection. Some of them will buy into his spending freeze that isn’t really a spending freeze at all, of course. But overall, he seems not to understand that his magic is gone. It’s kaput. Nor does he seem cognizant of the fact that videos and the internets exist.

Seems Obama is doing quite a lot of reprehensible Bush-type things. When does Joy Behar start demanding that he be impeached? When does Michael Moore call him a war criminal? Oh, wait, we’re mirandizing terrorists after less than an hour’s questioning. Nothing to see here. Move along.

WSJ says Obama has committed the biggest mistake a pol can commit: he has believe his own hype. Yep. We’ve talked about that here, before. It is always a politician’s downfall.

Let’s try something else for this year: Let’s be in charge of our own brains.

Is Congress Exempting itself from Health Insurance Tax? Why not. It’s exempting itself from Obamacare! Congress is full of creeps and rats who treat themselves as though they are akin to royalty. Yes, indeed…economic freedom for the elites. For you and me? Salvation through serfdom.

I guess Moscow does support gay marriage?

Haiti: A desperate need for infrastructure, yes, and sound, committed long-term leadership. Also, don’t miss this thoughtful post.

A “Murders at Gitmo Conspiracy? Joe Carter takes a look and decides Sullivan is being sloppy and reckless.

I am not bitter. Just Bittersweet

Really, what will they be doing when they are thirty? As a parent, my mind is blown.

Lech Walesa: On the American campaign trail.

Purity Tests: I hates ’em too

Even Football has become political to those people for whom everything is political

Ah, and that last item brings us to our Religion section:

Lots of focus on the always-under-reported-unto-obscurity annual March for Life on Washington DC. The number of marchers varies from 200,000 to 400,000, but I think anytime you can get even 150,000 people to show up and march in the middle of winter, there is a story there, and it should be covered. Lots of bloggers finding hilarity in the woefully inaccurate and biased media coverage – or what there was of it.

Deacon Greg, whose father-in-law wonders if the march might be even better attended if it were held in the springtime, links to a terrific video profile of a 17 year old marcher who, as an adoptee, says she wants others to have the same chance at life that she has had, and cannot help but notice how many young people are marching.

Cal Thomas writes about corporate rights and rights of the unborn

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus: We shall not weary in the fight for life. His 2008 remarks to the convention of the National Right to Life Committee. A must read and keep.

Horton was right: Everyone matters, no matter what.

A voice cried “blog,” and I said, “what shall I blog?”: All flesh is grass, but even so, Pope Benedict wants to set his priests a-bloggin’, and the vatican has of course, is leading by example! I have already blogrolled His Holiness at the Pope2U.net blog. And yes, I’m following on Twitter, so I hope the pope knows he is supposed to give me a reciprocal link, and a nod! Benedict’s is not the only new blog, though.

The Most Ebullient Catholic in the World: That would be Webster Bull who brings his infectious enthusiasm into his faith, every day.

For American Jews: An Orthodox Moment

Marching for Freedom of Religion in Egypt

Tammy Bruce says don’t blame the monks for the reckless youth of Scotland!

Msgr Charles Pope, whose stuff I like more and more, on the beauty of dying

One Gen-xer’s story Why he is a priest

An amusing and beautifully linked piece on “the most important psalter in the world”.

10 Catholic iPhone apps

Finally, the secret to learning is in the listening

Gawd, that’s enough. I really do feel like tossing it, now.