Not One Shred

Perhaps you've heard the metaphor of one bad strand having the power to destroy the beauty of an exquisite tapestry?

What happens when all of the strands are bad or ugly? Well, my friends, we are finding out right now. The latest element of the Obama tapestry to unravel is that iconic (and pretty cool-looking) stencil artsy piece by a guy name Shephard Fairey.


So what's all the fuss about? Well, turns out the photograph that Fairey used to design his piece did not belong to him. He did not have permission to use it. It is owned by a photographer who at the time was freelancing for the Associated Press. Apparently the AP and the photographer are not too keen on somebody else becoming rich and famous through illegal use of their image. Makes sense. That's ultimately why Jay and Silent Bob struck back, no?
Earlier this year one of Fairey's attorneys, Anthony Falzone, stated, "We believe fair use protects Shepard's right to do what he did here." Well, that was until the attorneys found out Fairey was putting them on about the source photograph. Today Fairey's legal team filed documents in federal court to withdraw from the case, stating that Fairey misled them. That's gotta be a bit embarrassing. If I've learned anything at all from television courtroom dramas, it is that, guilty or not, your attorney can't represent you if you don't tell them the truth.
To the AP I say, "You made your bed..." or maybe, "When you lie with dogs... ."To Mr. Fairey I say, "Way to go."
To the president I say, "You need to surround yourself with better people -generally speaking. I am not aware of one single shred of honor or integrity within your administration. Everyone has an angle, an ugly past, a dirty little secret, a criminal record, or likewise. When E.F. Hutton spoke, I listened. When you speak, I cringe and change the channel."To Mannie Garcia, the photo's copyright holder I say, "They're going to get all of us one way or another. If this is the worst of it for you then you got off easy."
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The title of the AP article today read: Obama poster artist admits error. Yet the second sentence in the story is a quote from Fairey which reads: "In an attempt to conceal my mistake I submitted false images and deleted other images."
I'm sorry AP, but if you think blatant deceit and lying are the same as admitting an "error", you guys have some fundamental issues that need to be addressed to protect your longevity as a player in the global news industry.
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Lest you think I only have this one example, I was in Target this evening and while browsing the $5.00 DVD rack I finally figured out why Obama's "yes we can" chant resonates so strongly with America's young voters that got him elected.


While I highly doubt that the Obama campaign has been secretly indoctrinating children for the past ten years - many of whom were of voting age last November - I certainly wouldn't put it past them to intentionally hijack that catch phrase and thereby the minds of millions of young people.
Bob the Builder's DVD "Yes We Can!" is available from Amazon for $9.98 and ships free with Super Saver Shipping. President Obama's documentary/horror, also titled "Yes We Can", is not optional. You will pay for it whether you want to or not.


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Quote of the Day - VP Biden

You can't make this stuff up.

Well, you could - but why bother? Real life is just as, if not more, entertaining.

This comes from our Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden. He's been on a mission to glorify the "success" of the various stimulus packages. With unemployment now at 9.7% and still climbing, the stimulus packages have already failed on at least one of the key claims - that unemployment would not surpass 8% - so I'm still not clear on exactly which points Mr. Biden marks the success.

You may recall from a couple of my earlier posts on the subject [A Not-So-Stimulating Post, That Makes One of Us, FDCO Volume Two, and My Share?] that I believe the stimulus money was not allocated to areas that would actually stimulate the economy. Much of the money was assigned to unemployment benefits, food stamps, and Medicare. Perhaps it is just semantics, but to me, "stimulus" implies some relatively small action that sparks a much larger, mostly self-sustaining reaction. Like providing the spark to ignite a fire.

This is from Brett J. Blackledge of the Associated Press. 

Biden exercised some restraint in his praise for the stimulus' impact. He took a more cautious approach, for example, when asked if his declaration of stimulus success means Americans can now rethink the common view that government is wasteful and inefficient. [italics mine]

"I think it's too early to make that decision, to be very blunt about it, " he said.

That's a classic. Biden: we saved all of humanity from economic implosion, but let's not get too carried away with the praise.

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Who's Driving This Apple Cart?

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Associated Press reported today that 'new jobless claims plunged to their lowest level since January'. Naturally, my interest was piqued considering the recent rise in unemployment to 9.5%, so I clicked on the link.

Turns out reality is not nearly as good as the headline led me to believe. New jobless claims were still near 565,000, and were only that low due to the holiday weekend and 'the timing of auto industry layoffs'.

Here's the ridiculous sentence in the article that prompted this particular rant:

"Continuing claims... unexpectedly jumped to a record-high." (emphasis mine)
- Christopher S. Rugaber, AP

'Unexpectedly'?

Unexpected by who? Certainly not by any person that's taken a moment to consider the situation.

When a person can now draw unemployment for more than a year - up to a year-and-a-half in some states - much of the incentive to not file a 'continuing claim' is removed. I don't think the record high of continuing claims is in the least bit unexpected by anybody. Do you?

I sympathize with those that have lost their jobs and really do want to work. This is a tough job market right now. But the unemployed do not need incentive to remain unemployed - they need a job. Private enterprise creates jobs. That is where the focus must be placed. If all of that extra unemployment financing were redirected to provide incentives for business to set up/stay/grow operations here in the U.S., that would provide a real solution. That would retain jobs, create more jobs, and generate more tax revenue for the government through higher levels of employment.

Instead, it seems like every proposal today is destructive to capitalism (see Cap and Trade, Universal Health Care)