"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light"

The dandelion in winter. Even as cherries blossom inside the Beltway during these El Nino-induced days of faux spring in the Northeast, in Chelsea-by-the-Sea a dandelion -- cum opportunistic ant -- shows its colors on the twelfth day of Christmas -- Epiphany in the Christian calendar.

"The light came into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were wicked," Papa Ratzi quoted The Gospel of John (3: 19) in his Epiphany homily, broadcast live from the Vatican into our own studio in the wee hours this morning via EWTN. Once up and about and seated at our computer, we hurried on over to Bible Gateway to get the full monty -- King James Version -- on John's gospel and couldn't help but think of congressional earmark doubletalk when we came upon the very next line to the above:

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Self-avowed "most powerful woman" in the universe, newly anointed Speakerette of the House Nancy Pelosi claims she's going to make this House "the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history." Unfortunately for truth, justice and the American way, she knows she can count on the cluelessness of the history-free sector of our fellow citizens -- the mushy "masses" who "form their political beliefs with little regard for facts or logic" as Arnold Kling writes in "Two Strategies for Avoiding Truth" at TCS -- to swallow her snake oil without a thought. Polls, after all, reveal not what most people "think" but the latest thing they heard on TV. Kling continues:

The elites also have a strategy for avoiding truth. Elites form their political beliefs dogmatically, using their cleverness to organize facts to fit preconceived prejudices. The masses' strategy for avoiding truth is to make a low investment in understanding; the elites' strategy is to make a large investment in selectively choosing which facts and arguments to emphasize or ignore.

Not that we are immune to selective choice -- we found ourselves doing the very thing yesterday while attempting to shape a response to the latest exudation of "global-warming" hysteria prompted by cherry blossoms in January in the nation's capital. In our view, forces far more awesome than the Promethean overreaching of this thinking reed account for weather and climate change: El Niño for Mother Nature's latest mood swings -- from record snows in Colorado to our own sighting of a dandelion in full bloom in the lower forty -- and sun spots for the larger swings between global cooling and warming. We've been down that road many times before and soon tired of going over the same arguments. Then came our epiphany.

Amidst the leaves of fall -- ailanthus, oak, black cherry -- a vigorous harbinger of spring "cometh to the light" on the Twelfth Day of Christmas.

Amidst an underwhelming laundry list of grandstanding 100-hour legislative wonders, Nancy & Company have passed a bill that combines good sense and nonsense. The good sense part:

The measure, adopted 280-152, also requires that legislation containing pet projects and narrowly targeted tax breaks - known as "earmarks" -- include the names of the lawmakers who requested them . . . The new rules replace weaker ones on earmarks approved last September by Republicans.

The nonsense part:

The House voted Friday, its second day back under Democratic control, to block future tax cuts or benefit increases from being financed with dollars that swell the national debt. Republicans protested that the change would imperil GOP-sponsored tax cuts that expire in four years . . . The drive to restore the "pay-as-you-go" rule has long been a priority for moderate-to-conservative Democrats.

Counting on our economics-challenged "masses" -- including the majority of our journalist class, who, like most persons of the left, seem to have never met a tax hike they didn't like -- "pay-as-you-go" ignores the well-proven fact that lowering taxes results in increased revenues. But that, of course, doesn't fit the left's "preconceived prejudices." For an antidote to "the most powerful woman in America, head on over to our blogpal, the most powerful woman in the blogosphere, Pamela at Atlas Shrugs. She's got Nancy's number, big time.

Comments

[hnav]

thank you for this...
gorgeous photo...

this post reminds me, that the serious, reasoned, honest, are not going to give up to this ugly, unethical, facade.

the MSM is cheering these unattractive displays.

but we will overcome the corrupt - misguided someday.

a new year, bringing new things...

perhaps, we could be like the demented left, and claim Pelosi's polluted hot air has overheated the east coast.

it is hard to imagine, Harry Reid on the top in the Senate, after lying about his Abramoff connections, his larceny in land deals, his vitriolic comments about this President...

[Heather Flanagan]

Here is a quirky video about global warming I thought you might find interesting:

http://peoplegeek.wordpress.com/2007/01/06/global-warming-a-clear-and-present-danger/

[goomp]

Nancy ain't going to make Hillary happy.

[Tara]

Nancy hints she may cut off funds for the additional troops Bush wants for the upcoming surge in Iraq.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070107/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

[Teresa]

It's funny, but I saw Nancy up on the podium, flexing her puny little arm in some sort of "show of strength". In reality, it showed just how little strength she has. Not to mention she looked like a lunatic up there, grinning and doing the arm flex. I guess I just expect too much. I think that Congress people - be they men or women, Republicans or Democrats, should act with some sort of decorum befitting the office. Most of the time I'm very disappointed. *sigh*

In the case of Pelosi being in the spotlight... it does nothing for her. But may be taking the light away from some others we should be watching.

[LanceThruster]

"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light"

This helps explain why the Shrub misadministration is one of the least transparent in history. Can't find out who was at the Cheney energy meetings and can't see how often hookers/journos (Gannon) and criminal lobbyists (Abramoff) visited the WH. This is but a small sampling of examples that GOP cockroaches HATE the light of scrutiny.

The unprecedented number of PAID journos shows that they also prefer showing things in a distorted light.

[Gayle Miller]

How about details and names being named Thruster instead of wide ranging, generalized non-specific charges, Thruster?

Referring to the President of the United States in a derogatory fashion is not calculated to win you any believers on this site, child. I may think that President's Bush's predecessor was an utter disaster for this country, but I still refer to him with respect.

Methinks you have a fair amount of maturation needed!

[LanceThruster]

1st 3 from: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/26/politics/main669432.shtml

Armstrong Williams

Maggie Gallahger

Mike McManus

Karen Ryan

Jeff Gannon (can't confirm he was paid by WH, but was given unprecedented access, bypassed security checks with frequent day-passes, and whose WH visits are unaccoutable even though the Secret Service log is how it was determined the times M. Lewinsky visited the WH) - His partisan softball questions establish he was a propaganda plant.

The GAO determined the expenditures were improper and were to cease. I believe the WH was pressed to reveal those journalists who were paid to promote a WH agenda or program but the WH refused to release this info. Again, not a group known for transparency (i.e. they HATE the light).

from: http://www.truthout.org/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi/37/9592

"Yet in three separate opinions in the past year, the Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress that studies the federal government and its expenditures, has held that government-made news segments may constitute improper "covert propaganda" even if their origin is made clear to the television stations. The point, the office said, is whether viewers know the origin. Last month, in its most recent finding, the G.A.O. said federal agencies may not produce prepackaged news reports "that conceal or do not clearly identify for the television viewing audience that the agency was the source of those materials.""

As far as name calling goes Gayle, you're just a better person than I am I guess. Sisu regularly links to Atlas Shrugs and Pam is not known for her restraint. Coulter, Hannity, and a host of others regularly label the left in the most vitriolic of terms. Even W, the Boy Blunder, has shown his course side when he labelled journo Adam Clymer in front of an open mike as a "major league asshole" to which Cheney chimed in "big time."

As I once wrote here before, my expectations are not in "winning over" any particular group of Kool-Aid drinkers. I fear they are too far gone. They typically accuse others of those things they themsleves are guilty of; name calling, cheap shots, hypocrisy...you name it. These are the tactics used in the Reichstag fire. I am not expecting you to defend any and all GOP mouthpieces, just recognize that you selectively dismiss arguments based on your sliding scale of standards.

[Teresa]

First of all Lance... citing CBS for anything trustworthy in the name of news is just hysterical. Please! Find a source that doesn't make up their own. If that's your standard - then I'd have to say that none of the links you post are worth pursuing.

Second - I have not seen Sissy resort to calling people names on her blog. (when you see that happen, feel free to respond in kind) Until then, you look like a party hack by descending to what you consider to be "clever invective". What other people do on their blog is their own business. Go there and comment with your "descriptives". Over here, it's so out of place with the type of discourse, you simply look ridiculous.

Third - you may have a whole bunch of fun trying to remind us of worn out and tired little labels for the President, the Republicans, and any one else who doesn't subscribe to your illogical thinking. But it makes for wearisome reading for those of us who got over the cutesy little names about 8 years ago.

If you had some actual things like facts and you presented them with some sort of decorum - we might be able to listen. But you negate any rational discourse when you start calling names like a 3 year old on the playground. And that's all the credence I can give to any of your arguments.

[LanceThruster]

Just noticed in this fake hand wringing over "civility" that the new majority Speaker was derisively referred to as the "Speakerette" with its diminutive connotations.

And Sissy, even with your WP link, your entire wording ("Self-avowed "most powerful woman" in the _universe_") is a LIE as well as more of the disrespect you claim to eschew!

She recognizes that in her SOTH role, *is* the most powerful position held be an elected female in America at the moment. Writers for the right noted regularly and with glee the power that indicted former Majority Leader Tom "The Hammer" DeLay wielded.

[LanceThruster]

Teresa - More diversionary tactics on your part. The CBS news thing was expected as you are not part of the "reality-based community."

The government's own accounting office determined the money was spent illegally. Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallahger both admitted to their covert payments and though claimed that was their position anyway, saw no need as far as journalistic integrity to reveal the payments. I mean, even my local ABC affiliate mentions the Disney/Capcom connection when they do a Disney related story.

http://www.gao.gov/decisions/appro/302710.pdf

Your demand for "facts AND decorum" are just more of the sliding scale I mentioned. The facts are there for anyone with eyes. The decorum (or lack thereof) is from frustration over rampant hy-GOP-risy.

If there ever was a WATB, it is you. You talk out of both sides of your mouth as you whine about those uncouth meanies from the left. Boo-bloody-hoo!

[LanceThruster]

Additional names from SourceWatch (also cited by GAO):

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Covert_propaganda

Otto Reich

Mike Morris

Karen Czarnecki

*50* contributors the the Southeast European Times

There you go Teresa; facts AND decorum!

[Gayle Miller]

Truthout.org is one of those lovely leftist sites supported by that great jackass Soros, a man who makes me utterly ashamed of my Hungarian heritage. And don't start with me about incivility in reference to that man - the jackass is the symbol of the Democratic Party and Soros ain't no Republican!

You make assumptions that are unprovable or silly, young man, and your continued references to the President of the United States in derogatory and belittling phraseology are an offensive and sophomoric lack of civility. Unless you can conduct yourself in a respectful and gentlemanly manner, your arguments lack serious merit.

[LekProkPraick]

Saudi Arabia and Libya were the source of about 60 percent of the foreign fighters
who came to Iraq in the past year to facilitate attacks.