A quick trip around Hannity's America...
In - - - We Trust
One school in Tennessee has banned the phrases "God Bless the USA" and "In God We Trust"! Students at Lakeview Elementary School made posters to announce a voluntary prayer event held outside of class time, and used the phrases to advertise the event. School administrators actually covered up the offending phrases before allowing the posters to be put up.
Here are the posters: The phrase "In God We Trust" — our national motto, by the way — before and after, "God Bless the USA" before and after and "Come pray with us" before and after.
The Alliance Defense Fund filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of these students and their parents. We wish them the best of luck as the case proceeds.
T-G-I-Gibbs!
It's another Robert Gibbs edition of Liberal Translation. At Thursday's briefing, he was asked why the vice president is participating in the AFL-CIO conference at a luxury Miami resort when the administration has criticized businesses for wasting money during these troubled times. His brilliant response is Friday's Liberal Translation:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think, obviously, as we talk about creating jobs in this country, labor is certainly important part of that.
LIBERAL TRANSLATION: Labor creates jobs. That's about as philosophical as I get.
GIBBS: I also think you've gotten the notice that the — the vice president, excuse me, is also down there to announce an increase in mass transit funding as part of the reinvestment and recovery act.
LIBERAL TRANSLATION: Sure he's at the posh resort in Miami on the taxpayer's dime. As long as he isn't around here we're happy!
GIBBS: The president asked for, the Congress passed.
LIBERAL TRANSLATION: That's how it's going to be. We say "jump" and Pelosi asks "how high?"
GIBBS: I think the activities and his participation is obviously appropriate.
LIBERAL TRANSLATION: We're thinking about sending him on a cruise for his next "mission."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Great answer, Robert. I think you made it out of that one with the support of the AFL-CIO still intact.
He's Still Talking?
Friday's Meltdown segment is brought to you by the vanquished vice president who delivered remarks Thursday at The Wall Street Journal's economics conference in California. Given the state of the nation's economy at this time, Gore used his time at this conference about economics to talk about global warming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: We as a civilization have been slow to recognize the enormity of the climate crisis. It is a genuine planetary emergency, and I know that many people are not prepared to hear that phrase in an accepting way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
One of the people who was not prepared to hear Gore in an accepting way was an actual scientist, Bjorn Lomborg, who was in the audience. He challenged Gore to a debate about the existence of man-made global warming. As you might imagine, the vanquished VP doesn't really like debates. According to The Wall Street Journal, Gore said it's "kind of silly" to keep debating the science. I'm sure the scientist was surprised to hear that! The vanquished vice president, by the way, was a government major in college.
O-ffensive
After the visit by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to the White House earlier this week, one thing is clear: President Obama has got nothing on Santa Claus when it comes to gift giving.
During their meeting, Obama was given several thoughtful and expensive gifts by Gordon Brown, one of them being a pen carved from the timbers of a British naval vessel that had conducted anti-slavery missions in Africa. And how did Mr. Obama repay the favor? He gave the prime minister 25 DVDs, including "E.T." and "Star Wars." How generous.
Officials at Downing Street tried to keep details about the gift secret because it paled in comparison to those given by Brown, and many in Britain believe the gifts — plus the fact that the White House refused to have a formal joint press conference with the two leaders — equals a major snub by the new U.S. president. One British journalist wrote, "President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain this week. His handling of the visit... was appalling."
Wait, didn't Obama promise to repair all those relationships he said the Bush administration ruined with its cowboy diplomacy? This is a great first step.
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