Scare Force 1 Tells 100 Day Tale

The first 100 days of the Obama administration was marked today. In trying to come up with a list demonstrating how horrendous I feel his tenure has begun, I thought it best to use a real life incident to illustrate the point.

Get a look at what happened in Manhattan the other day:



What you saw were panic stricken New Yorkers running for hills in lower Manhattan as a jumbo jet, in this case Air Force 1, escorted by an F-16 fighter jet, doing a low altitude fly by of the once proud financial capital of the world.

They thought it was another terrorist attack, and can you blame them? Take another view of the fly by from over ground zero looking across the Cesar Peli towers and the Hudson River.



No terrorists. No, just an ordered photo shoot for President Obama. Obama ducked any responsibility and called the episode a mistake. You think?

This whole thing in my mind underscores that our Commander in Teleprompter has no command of the values and sensitivities of this great land, nor any fricking clue about the Global War on Terror and the wounds still present with most Americans, particularly those working in lower Manhattan. Maybe he was demonstrating he is now in charge down on Wall & Broad, as pathetic as that is.

I think about 9-11 just about every day, and am appalled at the mindset of the Obama administration taking steps to put the United States back on September 10 footing. But beyond the politics of fighting terrorists, my second grade child could have figured out this flyover was insensitive and something that should not be done.

Photoshop anyone? What a bunch of morons! At a minimum, how about picking up the dry cleaning tab!

And at a time when global warming, or cooling, or whatever is at the forefront of media and administration attention, you might think a country teetering on bankruptcy with a leader who chastises corporate executives for private plane usage would refrain from spending an estimated $300K and an astonishing carbon footprint for such a unnecessary action. Thankfully the DC flyover has been cancelled.

It is all about Obama folks. Actions speak louder than words, and it is obvious to me that Mr. Obama cares very little about average Americans and even less about the Global War on Terror as evidenced by this idiotic move.

And for the love of Pete, if George W. Bush would have done this, the world would be on fire. You did not have to worry about that though; Bush operates daily with class, something seemingly missing in the Obama world.

The White Knuckle Highway

When the good ole boys hit the Superspeedway restrictor plate races at Daytona and Talladega, the races usually invovle a major accident, which is commonly referred to as the big one. Often, the big one has been followed by a late race accident involving cars getting airborne.

The reason NASCAR implemented the restrictor plate, a small plate placed over the carburetor which restricts the flow of fuel to the engine thus reducing horsepower, was due to the following crash in 1987 as Bobby Allison in his Miller High Life Buick almost entered the grandstands. Check it out:



The placement of the restrictor plate slowed the cars down about from about 210 to 195 and seemed to bunch the cars together for tight racing, but it did not stop the major crashes. Take a look at Neil Bonnett, who was returning to competition after a few years in the television booth in the Mom and Pops Chevrolet Lumina, a car owned by his buddy, Dale Earnhardt.



Bonnett would later lose his life in a practice lap in his Country Time Lemonade Chevrolet at Daytona in 1994.

Another nasty crash at Talladega found Rusty Wallace finishing the race in sixth place in his Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac Grand Prix barrel rolling through he air. Take a look at this one:



Other drivers who have had last lap flips at Talladega, otherwise known as the White Knuckle Highway, are Elliott Sadler in the M&M's Ford and Bobby Labonte in the Interstate Batteries Pontiac.

The running of the Aarons's 449 yesterday at Talladega Superspeedway had it all. We had the big one on lap eight and then a very scary incident involving Carl Edwards as his Ford Fusion, in an eerily similar crash to the aforementioned Bobby Allison crash, almost entered the stands. Eight spectators were injured, either from debris from Edwards car or from broken parts of the catch fence. Check out this heartstopper:



I have been attending races at Daytona since 1992 and the catch fence is quite imposing and obviously capable of prohibiting the cars from breaking through to enter the stands. You can see the fencing in this photo of Jeff Gordon in his Dupont Chevy at Daytona last year:

NASCAR has made great safety strides with the safer walls, the catch fencing, the restrictor plates, roof flaps, fuel cells, roll cages and the HANS device. I remember Ernie Irvan and Dale Earnhardt wrecking in front of me on the Daytona Superstretch in 1997 when Irvans hood flew up toward where we were sitting. NASCAR is an awesome thrill and I love the sport, but I am in those stands twice a year and find it amazing there have been very few spectator injuries. Maybe ISC (ISCA:NASDAQ) might want to consider raising the fence height about two feet or so after the events of this past weekend. NASCAR is reviewing policies.

The Parking of Pontiac

After 83 years, a number of issues have led General Motors to conclude they must discontinue the Pontiac Motor Division. A very sad day indeed.

Since I got my first wheels as a sixteen year old, I have always piloted a Pontiac. Needless to say, this decision is personally painful to me.

I will write a lengthy historical piece, complete with photos, on this in a few days after I have had time to simmer down and collect my thoughts.

In the meantime, I am going to go tighten up those belts in my Pontiac Grand Prix V8 GXP just one more time and terrorize State Road 436 in honor of the Chief.

Riding The Storm Out

Another home run by Investors Business Daily editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez!

Can you imagine, we seem set to attempt prosecution of those who kept us safe while letting terrorists who wish our demise free!

The first 100 days of the Barack Obama administration is almost over, and it is without a doubt a total disaster. From idiocy in the form of cap and trade, promises broken in the form of tax hikes, the lunacy of global cooling, warming or whatever it is referred to today, the assault on small business to nationalizing companies in the insurance, auto and banking industries, the situation is bleak. I could go on and on. The guy has no idea what he is doing.

I guess until 2010 we will have to keep riding the storm out, and that is exactly what I will be doing tonight at Hard Rock Orlando as REO Speedwagon plugs in:

A Criminal Enterprise?

The TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) is already, albeit very quitely, out of hand. Larry Kudlow of The Kudlow Report on CNBC has very interesting discussion of the subject with famed economist Arthur Laffer, co-author of The End of Prosperity, former FDIC chair Bill Seidman and Peter Morici, economics professor at the University of Maryland.

For those who are arm chair quarterbacking this whole bailout thing, this would be a great discussion to wet your whistle. It also illuminates the basis of the what would generate the tea parties, highlighting how the governmental strong arm takeover of the banks is not behaving as it was indicated to us taxpayers it would.

The discussion also touches on Detroit, and how the "takeover" of GM will provide a vehicle for government to issue some sort of mandate for the company to produce cars the government want us to drive, not those we want to drive. This will quickly make this lifelong GM guy ask himself if he has driven a Ford lately?

Can you imagine fraud in the Congress? The discussion also questions an editorial in the Baltimore Sun, where it is outlined that some 20 criminal probes concerning TARP have been opened.

Take ten minutes out of your day to listen to Kudlow lead this worthwhile discussion with three top notch guests:

BAHL's Babes: Carrie Prejean

Three years ago at The Miss USA pageant, Miss South Carolina fired out a completely illiterate answer to a question and became the center of media attention. A firestorm has happened again this year, but this time it has teeth and will draw a political line in the sand. As one to speak my mind, let me emphatically position myself on the playing field for this debate. In doing so, for the third time in as many weeks, someone completely off the prior radar will become a BAHL's Babe, and that is Miss USA runner up, Miss California, the lovely Carrie Prejean.

Ms. California had the unfortunate opportunity to answer a question concerning gay rights by a low life gay rights activist judge, who interjected his personal biases into the pageant. The answer Ms. Prejean replied with likely cost her the title, but it won admiration from many, including me.

After the pageant, the judge and questioner, a Mr. Perez Hilton, posted his rationale on his website and verbally assaulted Ms. Prejean. Oh, and the folks out in Hollywood are none to pleased with her either, including some of those associated with the pageant.

Mr. Perez is all hot and bothered, I assume, that the liberal folks outs in California recently voted against legalizing gay marriage. He has every right to be, for this is America! I think he should leave his personal political bias at the door if he is asked to judge a contest. Perez indicated in his question his opinion that gay marriage is a "hot" topic for America. It is not, and 70% polled are against it.

Although the answer Ms. Prejean gave showed her nervousness, she was wonderful in the way she discarded political correctness and answered from the heart. I agree with her answer, that marriage is sacred and between a man and a woman, as taught in Christianity. I also share her opinion that those who are gay and wish to form a civil union are welcomed to do so, and I wish them all the best. However, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, as they say!












As for Carrie, she is quite stunning and a former San Diego Padre girl as I understand it. In a post pageant interview with FOX Business Cheif Neil Cavuto, Prejean also indicates she is anti bailout and not a fan of welfare. Take a listen:



I am not sure what you may be into, but I will say that given the events of the Miss USA pageant, I am into Miss California, and Carrie Prejean is the newest BAHL's Babe!

Orlando Tax Day Tea Party

Here are a few photos I took from the peaceful Orlando Tax Day Tea party at Orlando City Hall. Enjoy!

The Complete Lack of Integrity

The left is stock piled with pontificators who hold a high level of disdain for our military. Senator John Murtha, D:PA, is notable in this regard, and is an individual I have zero respect for. While we call them heroes, you may recall Murtha called members of our Marine Corps cold blooded killers. As it turns out, what a shocker, he was incorrect but issued no apology to those he slandered. Apparently, he was too busy slamming members of his constituency by labeling them racists.

Another individual who gets nothing accomplished but loves to run his mouth is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D:NV. This past weekend marked the anniversary of one of his famous diatribes. Take a listen to his conclusion:



Thank God, President George W. Bush recognized what an idiot Reid is and paid him no mind. The battle in The Global War on Terror that was Iraq is over, a decisive victory by our military in a region where few thought possible. Some 50 million people were liberated, which is truly remarkable. Excellent job and God Bless you all! Mission Accomplished!

Meanwhile, I am quite confused how folks like Murtha and Reid continue to get elected, or how things like this happen. One thing I know, is if I held Reid's position and was this clueless on the activities our military at any time, particularly at a time of war, I would offer my resignation out of personal integrity or my responsibility to my country, if not my stupidity. Then I remembered that personal integrity is widely absent in Washington. A complete lack of integrity! So there you go.

Don't Mess With Texas

Can you think of a better place than the Alamo for a Texas Tea Party? Oh, I know all of us who attended these events are radical terrorists, but it was something most us felt compelled to do, personally protesting the alarming recent actions of our government, particularly with respect to spending.

FOX's Glenn Beck was at the Alamo, and they kicked things off out there in proper fashion, with The Motor City Madman ripping away:



Beck and The Nuge, who grew up in Detroit but has moved his family to Texas, then kick around the events of the day:

Listen To What The Man Said

Orlando City Hall was the setting for another peaceful Orlando Tea Party rally of like minded citizens concerned with the direction our country is heading. Pictured at left was a guy with a great t-shirt, and it led me to think that most Americans would do well to remember our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, at this time. And for those who have not had the opportunity for whatever reason, it would be well worth taking ten minutes of your valuable time to listen to what the man said:



Speaking of listening to what the man said, may God spread his Wings Over America!

Independence Day

While most free market capitalist Americans see every day as Independence Day, many government elected officials and left wing loons look to April 15th as a trip to the candy store. They see this day as a day to feed the monster of well intended programs that have given way to a socialistic mentality which is crippling our once thriving economy.

Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for George W. Bush, wrote an outstanding column in The Wall Street Journal on the disaster that our tax system has become. Most, if not all, citizens near the bottom of the scale pay zero taxes, and in fact, receive tax credits making their rate of taxation charted in the negative. An alarming balance of the taxes are paid by the wealthiest of Americans, who are the ones who tend to be most philanthropic and those who start major business who employ high numbers of workers.

The current tax code is indeed an abomination, and Larry Kudlow moderates a discussion on The Kudlow Report with the aforementioned Ari Fleischer, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board member Steve Moore, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Jim Tisch, chairman of the Loews Corporation (L:NYSE).




The famous novel Atlas Shrugged is some 675,00 words. The Bible is near 800,000 words. Our tax code is estimated at 3,700,000 words. Enough said.

The Obama administration is on a spending spree not seen in our history. President Obama is of the mindset that government and it's checkbook is the preferred avenue of resurrecting the economy, as further evidenced by his speech today. This type of thinking sinks potential workers into a drug users position in the form of welfare and breaks the competitiveness inside of them.

I believe that small business, behind the entrepreneurial spirit with limited governmental regulation and taxation, is the vehicle to provide this great land of ours with a free market path to prosperity. Ronald Reagan believed that as well.

We might come closer to balancing the Budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule--Ronald Reagan

It is with that spirit that there will be over 500 tea parties across this great land today. Among the items spearheaded with Glenn Beck's 912 Project is the subscription of a set of principles and values. The Golden Rule would be one of those, and if any of our politicians recognized this, they would stand firmly against the spending that is set to cripple our children if not tackling us in the meantime. Most all do not, so it is time for action on our part.

Please join me in peacefully making your voice heard. Hopefully, I won't have to Jack Bauer any trouble making ACORN representatives at the Orlando Tea Party at City Hall tonight.

In an effort to better your mood, grab this Revolver and enjoy our annual presentation of the following Beatles/George Harrison composition:

Time To Reignite The Reagan Revolution

This past Thursday, Investors Business Daily celebrated its 25th anniversary. IBD, with their proprietary stock evaluation tools, fantastic political cartoons and dominant editorial page, is simply a must for all investors and patriots. IBD marked the occasion with a timely column titled Reagan's Legacy: Our 25-Year Boom.

Barack Obama was elected behind a very strong legion of younger voters, who quite frankly, have never experienced this country in an economic malaise. At 44, I can barely recall the gas lines which stretched for blocks and the disastrous economic condition of our great land. I do recall what got America back to its rightful place of leadership in the world; the capitalistic free market policies of Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Presently, behind the policies of Barack Obama, this country is embarking on a direction Reagan would be adamantly opposed to. The Obama administration is not going to let this economic crisis go to waste as they are using it to gain control over many aspects of the lives of our citizens.

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them--Ronald Reagan

This has got to stop, and it begins with making your voice heard. There are many outlets to do so, like starting a blog, joining like minded groups (Glenn Beck's 912 Project) or participating in one of the tea parties scheduled to take place at a city near you on April 15, 2009.

The Budah-BAHL-Ash tour will be at Orlando City Hall at 6PM looking for Thomas Paine!

BAHL's Babes: Angie Harmon

For the second time in as many weeks, there is an addition to BAHL's Babes that was not originally on the list, and that is the lovely Angie Harmon.

Angie began her career as a model but is most known for her role on NBC's Law & Order. She is married to former USC Trojan and New York Giant Jason Sehorn and has three children.

Angie has been in the news recently for stating accurately that you can be at odds with the policies of President Barack Obama without being a racist. That someone felt compelled to comment on what should be obvious demonstrates where this country is on the Obama love train, including the credibility and ratings plummeting mainstream news media.












Harmon is finding "that if you say anything against him you're called a racist,", and she is annoyed at having to defend herself on this, as she should be. Another item on the list of grievances Harmon has is the double standard presented by the main stream media. "I think one of the greatest things about the Republican Party is the understanding, we don’t point fingers and we have class." Harmon is a open GOP member and was a strong supporter of John McCain in the 2008 election.

So in summary we have a beautiful, talented actress, active member of the GOP, college and NFL football fan, a risk taker by taking on Obama from Hollywood and a fan of NASCAR. No doubt, that rises above the qualifications and Angie Harmon is a BAHL's Babe.

The following video shows Angie dropping the green flag and cutting the good ole boys loose at the AutoClub 500 at California Motor Speedway this past February. Stand On It indeed!

In The Name Of Love

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King, Jr.



I am by no means an expert on Dr. King, but I do not think things have turned out quite as he had hoped. From the speeches I have read and the interviews I have watched it seems to me Dr. King wanted an even playing field.

I recall ESPN College Football Gameday host Reece Davis making commentary about how few African-American head coaches there are in college fooftall, although one of BAHL's Blog's favorite people, Turner Gill, is tops on the list. Davis failed to make commentary on the overwhelming amount of African-American players there are.

Monday night, Michigan State will take on North Carolina for the NCAA Basketball National Championship. One white player will start. Let the chips fall where they may. Competition brings out the best in all of us. It's all good.

Recently, Rev. James Lee Patterson was a recent guest on Hannity and commented on how an unfortunate example of socialism is the African-American community HERE and HERE. He commented how the policies of President Obama are not helpful.

Columnist Star Parker, author of Uncle Sam's Plantation, took the discussion further in a recent column.

The enabling of the African-American community over the last several decades through government programs and initiatives, which although well intended, have hampered progress in the community. It is far time for the government to get out of the way and allow the African-American community to realize their goals and dreams, which are not unlike those of most Americans. Unfortunately, with associations like ACORN as an arm of the Obama administration, it seems as though the government will continue to be an impediment, not only for the African-American community, but for us all. Not Good.

Since Magic Johnson has exhausted his eligibility, I'll take the Heels to cut down the nets!

Running on Empty

According to the government, GM's Rick Wagoner was forced to resign because of poor performance. That’s embarrassing. You run an organization that loses billions of dollars and then get fired by a guy who heads up an organization that loses trillions of dollars.
--Jay Leno

Reaching your hand out to the government at a time of crisis has can have lasting and extreme consequences, as General Motors (GM:NYSE) recently found out. CEO Rick Wagoner was forced to resign, or fired, by President Barack Obama. Since when does Obama, who would not know a Plymouth Barracuda from Mercury Comet, think he can run a car company better than 30 year GM veteran Wagoner? Obama called the GM recovery plans insufficient. Perhaps Obama failed to read the status report GM submitted. With the Congress in charge, I feel much better.
The Obama administration has crossed the line in this regard in my opinion, and I am not alone. "They have opened Pandora's box -- the U.S. government has decided they know better than the private company," said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) "There is no question that this country is moving down a very different and foreign path. We have crossed this threshold: We own this company and we are telling it what to do." Amen brother!

I think the Obama administration, which has spoken publicly that GM does not "build cars people want," wanted to grab GM under the "crisis" to expand their ideas via the GM platform that America wants hybrid, small vehicles similar to the European model. This is nonsense. We don't! We want real cars for real guys, like Chevy Trucks, SUV's and Camaros.

As I have written about extensively, particularly HERE and HERE, General Motors has made great strides recently, and the 2010 Chevy Volt is a home run in waiting.FORMER GM CEO RICK WAGONER PICTURED WITH THE 2010 CHEVROLET VOLT

On April Fools Day yesterday, a rumor from Car and Driver discussed how President Obama had ordered GM and Chrysler to cease NASCAR operations at the conclusion of the current season. It bordered reality so closely, it was removed from the web. Investors Business Daily editorialized about it. If true, now that would indeed be a line in the sand that would pack out every tax day tea party from south Florida to Idaho. I almost wish it were true, for Obama's days in the Oval Office would definitely be numbered, as they should be anyhow.

On The Agenda: New Business

On my lunch hour, I did a fly by the Take A Report blog today and my eyeballs fell on the computer keyboard. OMG! How in the world could I have missed this?


Well, with the lovely Liz Claman running point, needless to say I will be replacing CNBC with FOX Business Channel as my preferred viewing channel for business news, and any other forms of business that may arise!

Calling Jack Bauer

In a meeting yesterday with Taliban officials, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered the Taliban an "honorable form of reconciliation". My recommendation of a Tomahawk missile into their official headquarters fell on deaf ears.

The Taliban leaders responded by calling her offer a "lunatic idea," and I actually agree.

So impressed were the Taliban by Mrs. Clintons gesture, the Pakistani leader of the Taliban has issued a warning vowing to amaze the world with an attack on Washington in the near future.

This is great news. I have little or no confidence in the Obama administration to deal with these terrorists, but thankfully our armed forces are several levels above their nearest competitors. And if they need any assistance, you know who just happens to be in town: Jack Bauer!