Turn Signals, God Bless the USA and Watch for The Leaks

·         Some drivers seem to be exempt from having to use their directional signals when making turns.  These exempt drivers are mostly wearing hats, but I don’t know if that’s a requirement for the exemption.  Other drivers leave their signals flashing perpetually, I guess to keep their options open for last minute turns and garage sales.  I consider the perpetual flashers to be a subgroup of the exempt group.  Between these two types, their combined net directional signal usage is 100% compliant.

I also notice drivers who turn their directional signals on when they’re half way through the turn, as if to declare “I am now in the midst of a right hand turn.”  I haven’t noticed a hat-wearing correlation in this second group of drivers.

·         This week, a Coney Island elementary school principal ordered that the kindergarten class not sing “God Bless the USA” (also known as “Proud to Be An American”) because she felt it might offend other cultures.  I assume that the cultures she wants to protect are here in the USA, and part of our rich social fabric. Once again, political correctness is invoked in a way contrary to and conflicting with the original intent of our founding.  

I’m really glad that the Coney Island Principal wasn’t around 45 years or so ago to keep our class from singing “God Bless America” and “Fifty, Nifty United States” (I still remember most of the words, too.)

·         President Obama’s Senior Political Advisor, David Axelrod, has interpreted the President’s comment and subsequent “walkback” of his comment from last Friday (“The Private Sector is Fine” and later, “What I meant to say is that the private sector is fine, but the economy is not.”).  On CNN's “State of the Union” Sunday, Axelrod explained “….we need to accelerate job creation in the private sector," before adding: "one of the ways that we can do that is putting teachers and firefighters and police back to work because those are good middle-class jobs."

Agreed….but those are public sector jobs, Dave…..

·         Regarding the leaks and the dispute over whether special counsel should be appointed to investigate, this is not a personal or partisan issue; it’s a matter of national security.  For the President to say that he’s offended that it’s even been considered that the source of the leaks is within his administration makes me think he “doth protest too much.”  I hope that the issue is resolved swiftly and before more damage is done.  It seems to me that having special counsel investigate the leaks is the best way for Obama’s administration to clear itself of any suspicion.  By the way, let us remember that it was good enough and appropriate for the Bush White House ("Plamegate".)

·         Attorney General Eric Holder and Representative Darrell Issa seem to have a Vinnie Barbarino and Mr. Woodman vibe going. The following is from a snippet of the hearings I caught yesterday on C-SPAN.

Issa:  Mr. Holder, have you released internally the documents requested in compliance with the subpoena? 

Holder:  Where?

Issa:  Mr. Holder, you’re a bad witness, let’s try this again.  Have you made available the documents requested in the subpoena?

Holder:  What?

Issa:  Mr. Holder, if you refuse to answer my line of questioning, I will move to have you placed in contempt.

Holder: Who?