Picture of the "New" America.

Up on Drudge right now is the electoral map by county that got Barrack "The Golfer" Obama re-elected. The blue parts are majority DemocRat, the red parts are majority Republican. Here it is.

I noticed something about it. The red parts are where all the food comes from and where all the work gets done. The blue parts are where all the food goes. Also the fuel, etc. that gets made in the red parts.

Dear DemocRats, that's something for you to think about.

The Phantom

Update: Welcome  Catallaxy Files readers!

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SAY IT LOUD! Say it loud or shut the hell up!

Kate's place has a post today titled "I Won."  It refers to this article in Foreign Policy regarding the Senate investigation into the attack at Benghazi and the death of the US Ambassador and three US servicemen. Predictably, the Obama administration is screwing around, won't let certain papers be viewed except this week, and only by Senators.

One senior GOP Senate staffer told The Cable that State is only making the documents available for senators and committee staff to view today and tomorrow, which won't actually allow the members to prepare for the hearing. Staffers for committee members are also not allowed to see the material.
"Funny since no member is in town," the aide said. "The timing and limited access clearly demonstrates the administration cares more about playing politics with the tragedy than accepting responsibility."

That's the GOP comment. Fiery, ain't it?

My comment over at Kate's , re-posted for your convenience.

"The timing and limited access clearly demonstrates the administration cares more about playing politics with the tragedy than accepting responsibility."

Really. You don't say.

Incidentally its not a tragedy. Those brave men died in battle like GIANTS. Chosen by the Valkyrie. Two of them accounted for 60 enemy fighters. They died not because their kung fu fell short, but because they were BETRAYED by their own side. Tragedies are when shit happens to innocent people by accident.

In other news, that guy who made that video this all was blamed on got a year in jail yesterday. For "unrelated charges" of course.

Make a fuss Republicans. Make a ruckus. Kick over the traces and stonewall Barry like there's no tomorrow. Or shut up and just let it burn.

But don't cluck like a bunch of hens. That's so degrading.

The Phantom

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Apparently I live in Bizzaro World.

Barry wins! Wow, how the hell did that happen? I'm even more stunned by the fact that the odious DemocRATs kept their Senate majority. Did not see that coming. At all.

I thought about it all day today. Clearly all the stuff I talk about here and all the stuff on drudge and on the web generally hasn't made any impression on about half the population. I can riff about ten reasons off the top of my head why this is a frickin' disaster for the USA and double-plus ungood for Canada too... but its going to bounce off half the people out there like a tennis ball off an engine block.

I'm pretty confident in my disaster prediction, given that the DOW dropped 300 points this morning as soon as the market opened. Everybody with a clue knew that was going to happen. Everybody I know has a clue. Most of the people I've met in the USA in the last four years have a clue.  Hell, the gnarly Mexican gang dude I met in a car lot in Phoenix in 2009 had a clue.

So who the FRIG are all these clueless goofs that voted for Obama?

Well, lets start in New York. All the people I know in New York voted for Romney. Because they can tell shit from shinola, mostly. Who voted for Barry? HALF THEIR NEIGHBORS.

How about Staten Island? After getting flooded and then SHAFTED by Barry and NYC government, FEMA, Red Cross, the power company, the electrical union and etc as covered this last week here at the Soap Box, almost exactly half of 'em voted for "Thank you sir may I have another!" 49.9%Barry, 49.1% Mittens, 0.8% the Interstellar Party of Peace and Love or whatever.

That seems stupid to me. How does half a population manage to suspend reality so massively that they vote for the guy who came to their wrecked homes, made a speech and then flew off to Vegas. Leaving them to the tender mercies of bureaucrats so inept that they still don't have gasoline available. Been a week now. Total cluster-fuck, still voted for more of it.

I don't have a clue. Really don't get it.

But I kinda need to. Because if we less-government-more-freedom types don't find a way to breach the Reality wall and make contact with the cranium space of that other half the population, we are all going to be living in Greece North real soon.

The Phantom

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Lexington Armory Update: "Victoria's Secret Saved Our Butts."

A new story in Wired today contradicts what I said yesterday. Fair's fair, so here it is.

"We were dead in the water until Victoria's Secret showed up," Captain Brendan Gendron, the Regiment's operations officer, told Wired magazine.

Victoria's Secret is slated to hold its annual fashion show at the New York Army National Guard's historic armory on 25th Street and Lexington in Manhattan on Wednesday, and producers were already in town to prep for the televised event when the storm hit. They had eight 500-kilowatt generators with them, and they were happy to put them to good use. Soon, the soldiers had power and hot water again.

This story in Fashionista is saying the National Guard has a pre-aranged agreement to move soldiers during the show, and is not getting booted out as previously said in yesterday's story.

We just heard from Victoria's Secret and they assure us that the Post's report is entirely untrue. The National Guard is incredibly grateful for the lingerie giant's help during Hurricane Sandy. Guardsmen will relocate as planned–Victoria's Secret is not kicking them out, as the Post's report implied.

There you have it then. Private production company steps up and saves state funded institution from their own lack of preparation.

My question now is, why doesn't the New York National Guard have their own generators and the brains to bring them along? They have more and better stuff than the whole Canadian Armed Forces, they can't wire up an armory in an emergency?

I'm sure they can, and I'm sure there's a reason why this all is the way it is... but really, I'd love to know if its a reasonable reason or if its all just down to SNAFU.

The Phantom

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Disaster relief socialist style: Victoria's Secret update!

This here is surreal. You're not going to believe this, so here it is in print fer ya:

Dozens of National Guardsmen, and Army and Air Force personnel who have been sleeping at Manhattan's Lexington Armory in between hurricane-relief shifts are being booted — to make room for Victoria's Secret models in anticipation of Wednesday's runway show.

About 300 uniformed personnel have been bunking down at the armory at various times since Sandy hit.

But their numbers will be reduced to 60 by Wednesday for the event, which is featuring Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

The military workers will be relocated to the Jacob Javits Center, Harlem Armory and hotels such as the Marriott East Side and Ramada East Side — where they'll bunk five to 10 per room on the government's dime, sources said.

...

A massive transformer generator was being brought in for the show, and a huge Sony video board was hauled to the site.

Just to rub some salt in this wound, lets lay it out:

• Soldiers,
• on duty for disaster relief,
• in a disaster which is still a DISASTER,
• in a place where over a million people haven't had power since Tuesday and still don't,
• are being kicked out of the armory
• which was built and is maintained specifically for SOLDIERS to use during time of war, disaster, insurrection, plague and what have you,
• which cost the taxpayers of New York millions and millions and millions of dollars over the years,
• which is a Federal building under control of FEMA for the duration of the emergency,
• an emergency which is still in place,
• are being kicked out of their barracks for an underwear show,
• which is being powered by a huge generator that is urgently needed about a hundred other places by people who are cold and hungry,
• and is using equipment being delivered by large trucks which probably should be working to deliver that generator to the cold-and-hungry people.

New Yorkers, this is your government in action. This is the action delivered by your President, Barack Obama, who you voted for in droves, who promised to cut the red tape and get you people looked after. 100% fail.
Tomorrow you get to vote on who runs your government. I suggest you think about that Victoria's Secret show at the Lexington Armory and what it represents to you personally before you do.

Here endeth the lesson.

The Phantom

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Disaster recovery, Socialist style!

The inevitable has happened in New Jersey. In the heat of the moment on Tuesday volunteers and work crews from as far away as Arkansas and Alabama showed up in New York and New Jersey to get the power back on. They came with trucks and chain saws, burly guys with wire strapped to their backs ready to kick some hurricane ass. Well, cooler heads have prevailed and we are back to business as usual.

Crews from Decatur Utilities and Joe Wheeler out of Trinity headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can't do any work there since they're not union employees.
The crews that are in Roanoke, Virginia say they are just watching and waiting even though they originally received a call asking for help from Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
The crews were told to stand down. In fact, Moore said the crew from Trinity is already headed back home.
Understandably, Moore said they're frustrated being told "thanks, but no thanks."

See ya!

Because really, the most important thing when 600,000 people don't have power and gas stations can't pump gas is union rules. Right?

Well no. The MOST important thing is... wait for it... the New York MARATHON!!

These should be pumping gas somewhere.

Nice tent!

"[T]hose urging the city to halt the run believe that the thousands of Marathon volunteers could direct their efforts towards post-Sandy relief and cleanup, "and they also argue that the event will divert thousands of police from important hurricane-related duties." But despite petitions circulating, work started up again yesterday on the Marathon route.
A tipster, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us there were lots of workers in and out of the park today, who had "started before the storm and then came back starting yesterday." Trailers are lined up from around 71st to 66th Streets on Central Park West, a food truck was set up today, and "generators have been sitting there at least a week." The tents that were taken down prior to the storm have also been set back up, and there is a stage set up near 73rd Street.
Considering all the volunteer help and NYPD attention that's already being diverted to the Marathon, the added sight of generators and food being channeled to the event is probably going to strike some New Yorkers as a little misplaced—we're thinking of the ones who are currently lined up waiting for the National Guard to ration out MREs and bottles of water."

Say, couldn't these guys stay in the nice tent instead of clogging up the high school for another two weeks?

 The marathon staging area is Staten Island. Which is a disaster zone.

Downside, lost the house. Upside, got a NEW BOAT!

Meanwhile there's people on Staten Island still lining up for gas too, because many gas stations have gas in the tanks but don't have power yet. Because there's not enough crews. Because the crews are non-union, or they're working on the friggin' marathon.

Isn't socialism wonderful? Isn't Mayor Bloomberg a wonderful socialist?

Incidentally,  a reader from New Yawk (who shall remain nameless) informs me that strange people have been showing up in his 'way upstate neighborhood siphoning gas and stealing stuff off people's porches. He has no power yet. Another reader from a bit further north says he has no problems at all and there's no lines at the local gas station. We're talking less than 70 road miles from Battery Park here. An hour and a half drive from the flood zone there's no disturbance at all. Plenty of whatever you need.

Bottom line, the clusterfuck that is FEMA can't move PLENTIFUL fuel and material 70 miles down the biggest, best road network in the USA to reach the affected coastal zone that's no more than a mile wide at its worst.

The Phantom

Update! From a commenter at Small Dead Animals this link:  http://dailycaller.com/2012/11/02/ala-utility-florida-crewman-blame-electrical-union-for-interfering-with-hurricane-sandy-relief-video/

Crews from out of state are not being allowed to work by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The power companies invited them, the power companies want them, the -union- is telling them the crews have to join the union and get paid the union rate or they can't work.

Can we say this is a serious emergency? No. If these shitheads are still playing this game, its not at all serious. So much for Barry's "no red tape" promise, eh?

Just imagine for a second if something bad happened. Like an earthquake. Headlines would read "Two Million New Yorkers Dead From Abject Stupidity."

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Will Sandy help Obama? Update: Not So Much.

Here's Barry "managing the response" during the storm.

"I gotta get one of those big screens for the beach house."

Here's Barry staring pensively down the river with Gov. Christie playing Second Banana.

"Hey Christie, is that your car down there?"

Here's Barry and Christie in  Marine One burning five hundred gallons per hour flying over the New Jersey shore accomplishing absolutely nothing.

"Come on Barry, I wanted to be door gunner"

 Here's forty zillion pissed off Jersey voters lined up for a five gallon can of fuel. For eight hours.

"Yeah? Well if Romney wins these lines will be TWICE as long!"

Here's some New Yorkers who are not rubbies getting dinner from a dumpster. Nice purse, baby.

"I was too stupid to get milk -before- the storm."

Government spokesmen are saying the power may be out for a week, fuel may be short for longer. Maybe they should siphon up what's running out of these cabs then, eh?

"We were too stupid to park -above- sea level."

 Where's Barry today? 

"What happens in Vegas, STAYS in Vegas!"

 Obama may not carry New York.

The Phantom

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