A portion of a graduation ceremony...

Associates Degree in Arabic Recipients, DLI, 7/18/2013

William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

6/29/2013 - William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps at Disney World's Magic Kingdom

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Watching this, my primary thought was, "what would Tolkien have thought of this?" I don't have any way of knowing, but somehow, I doubt that his reaction would have been unalloyed joy and approval.




Just because a thing can be done, doesn't mean that it should be done...

William Diamond Jrs - Standpiece - 2013 Lexington Muster

Saturday's featured entertainment:

 William Diamond Jrs - Standpiece - 2013 Lexington Muster

Service Medley

The William Diamond Jr. Fife and Drum Corps perform a medley of tunes of the United States Armed Forces at their Winter Concert, Cary Hall, Lexington, MA.

Secretary Of Business

Another effective ad from Team Romney...

"Five Days" to go...

Five Days

It's Time To Vote

The Romney campaign has done some good videos this year. Here's another...

American Crossroads: "At Stake"

Clint's back, and there's nothing subtle - or amusing - about this one.

The Clear Path

Mitt Romney's close:



It works.

New Romney Ad - Apology Tour

Apology Tour



Yeah, that works...

CBS on the real Mitt Romney

I am shocked to find myself linking to CBS News video twice in one week, but there it is...



How on earth did this make it on to CBS?

But again, this is exactly the reason that the Obama smear campaign against Mitt Romney has been so infuriating. (And trivial - the dog and haircut stories got coverage because there's no real dirt on Mitt.) I've got no problem with people wanting to vote against him because they think that Barack Obama's done a good job, or they disagree with Romney philosophically. But he might be the nicest person, who has lived his life to the highest moral standards, of anyone who has ever run for the office. There are many reasons to vote against him, but "he's a bad guy" isn't one.

And that has been pretty much the sole argument I've seen from many...

"Act of Terror"

How wrong was Barack Obama, and Candy Crowley to bail him out the other night?

American Crossroads: "Act of Terror"

The Choice on Jobs

The Choice on Jobs



I agree with those who think that this is another effective ad from the Romney campaign. And, in the established context, the overall effect is fair. Obama did promise change, and jobs, and he's obviously not delivered.

But the statement that he made the other night that "some jobs are not going to come back" is absolutely true, and does not represent "giv[ing] up hope." The US economy is not producing the number of buggy whips that it once did, and those jobs aren't coming back. It's going to be a long, long time before much of the low-skilled manufacturing jobs which have left for the far east are profitable to bring back. (And if it becomes profitable for Americans to do those jobs again, it's very bad news for the American worker, because it means our economy, and standard of living, have been effectively destroyed.)

So, yeah, there are a lot of jobs that aren't coming back. But even more relevant are the jobs that will come back once the Federal Government stops implementing the economic policies that this administration wants. So the ad is, if not perfectly fair (albeit much more honest and fair than most of the Obama campaign advertising has been), plenty fair enough...

Joe Biden Says What He Means

You had to know that this was coming, the instant that the bloviating gasbag uttered the line...

Laughing at the Issues

That was quick. A strong new ad from the GOP...

Freedom To Succeed

Thomas Peterffy, a Hungarian immigrant, believes in freedom. And is putting his money where his mouth is with this ad, which he produced and is paying to run.

I grew up in a socialist country and I have seen what that does to people. There is no hope, no freedom, no pride in achievement. The nation became poorer and poorer, and that's what I see happening here.

I have a friend who also grew up behind the Iron Curtain, in then-Czechoslovakia, and, while I haven't talked to him about this, I know that he's entirely in agreement with it. (And if you think I get worked up about the media in this country [and I do], you haven't heard anything until you've heard the people who grew up in the Pravda regimes get started on what the media in this country is doing to America.)

According to CNN,

Peterffy ... expects to spend $5-$10 million on the ad buy, depending on its effectiveness. The spot will run on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, and test markets in Ohio, Wisconsin, and possibly Florida.

The one-minute spot, which began airing Wednesday and will continue through Election Day, has no mention of any specific politician or lawmaker. It's simply a plea for an end to what he sees as growing hostility to personal success - and to vote Republican.

To which I say, God Bless You, Mr. Peterffy. This is must-see viewing...

"The Dinner Table"

This ad, from Americans For Prosperity, is inspiring praise. Well-deserved, I think. This one stands out, and quietly cuts through the clutter of the race...

Mitt clobbers Obama - in Taiwanese animation...

Not everyone will love this, but I laughed out loud...

Another indicator...

This is apparently the best take that the Democrats can come up with on last night's Presidential Debacle (at least from the Obama point-of-view)...





Wow. Just wow.

That's some pretty weak tea...