{"id":23936,"date":"2013-12-08T21:53:17","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T02:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=23936"},"modified":"2013-12-08T21:54:33","modified_gmt":"2013-12-09T02:54:33","slug":"the-daily-gouge-monday-december-9th-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=23936","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge, Monday, December 9th, 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It&#8217;s Monday, December 9th, 2013, but before we begin, two quick items.\u00a0 First, courtesy of Jim Gleaves, and particularly in light of what we experienced on our way to church Sunday morning, we celebrate the joys of Winter!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xKy2lLNQYrI\" height=\"235\" width=\"420\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Second, another terribly memorable personal moment shared with America by Douchus Rex:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23978\" alt=\"3\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/3.png\" width=\"400\" height=\"302\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/3.png 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/3-300x226.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>\u201cToday, with solemn pride and reverence, let us remember those who fought and died at Pearl Harbor, acknowledge everyone who carried their legacy forward, and reaffirm our commitment to upholding the ideals for which they served.\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>Wait until March 6th; it&#8217;ll be &#8220;Remember the Obamo&#8221;.\u00a0 W<\/strong>hat an egotistical ass!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, here&#8217;s The Gouge!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Since we&#8217;re on the subject of habitual hypocrites and perpetual prevaricators, here&#8217;s the latest from a man who&#8217;s both&#8230;and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>then<\/em><\/span> some:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Some Reid staffers exempt from Obamacare exchanges<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/hypocrisy-yoda.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23966\" alt=\"hypocrisy yoda\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/hypocrisy-yoda.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/hypocrisy-yoda.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/hypocrisy-yoda-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph2\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of Obamacare&#8217;s architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law&#8217;s new exchanges.<\/strong><\/span> Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph4\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">In the charged atmosphere surrounding Obamacare, Reid&#8217;s decision only gives Republicans more ammo to attack Democrats already suffering politically from the law&#8217;s botched rollout.<\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/033.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23992\" alt=\"033\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/033.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/033.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/033-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph5\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">In September, Reid told reporters, &#8220;Let&#8217;s stop these really juvenile political games &#8212; the one dealing with health care for senators and House members and our staff.<\/span> We are going to be part of exchanges, that&#8217;s what the law says and we&#8217;ll be part of that.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph8\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">That&#8217;s true. Reid and his personal staff will buy insurance through the exchange. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>But it&#8217;s also true that the law lets lawmakers decide if their committee and leadership staffers hold on to their federal employee insurance plans, an option Reid has exercised.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"cnn_storypgraphtxt cnn_storypgraph9\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Reid spokesman Adam Jentleson emphasized, &#8220;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>We are just following the law<\/em><\/span>.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Seems to us that excuse has been tried before; but instead of &#8220;just following the law&#8221;, they were just following&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/nazi.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23959\" alt=\"nazi\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/nazi.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/nazi.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/nazi-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;orders!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As for Der Obafuhrer&#8217;s claims his &#8220;signature legislative achievement&#8221; is up and running, James Taranto suggests it&#8217;s just another of in his long list of lies:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The Time Thief<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"subHed deck\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Obama steals past the Nov. 30 deadline.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obamacare-navigators-trained-to-lie-and-intentionally-deceive-applicants-veritas-project-obama-antichrist.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23984\" alt=\"obamacare-navigators-trained-to-lie-and-intentionally-deceive-applicants-veritas-project-obama-antichrist\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obamacare-navigators-trained-to-lie-and-intentionally-deceive-applicants-veritas-project-obama-antichrist.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obamacare-navigators-trained-to-lie-and-intentionally-deceive-applicants-veritas-project-obama-antichrist.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obamacare-navigators-trained-to-lie-and-intentionally-deceive-applicants-veritas-project-obama-antichrist-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>NBC&#8217;s <span class=\"icon none\">Michael O&#8217;Brien<\/span> had some fun yesterday paraphrasing President Obama&#8217;s <em>latest infliction on the ears of America<\/em>: &#8220;Obama said his signature health care reform law is going nowhere as long as he&#8217;s in office.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;Going nowhere&#8221; could mean either &#8220;here to stay&#8221; or &#8220;unable to progress.&#8221; A look at the text of the president&#8217;s remarks makes clear, as if you have any doubt, that he means it in the former sense: &#8220;We&#8217;re not repealing it as long as I&#8217;m president, and I want everybody to be clear about that. .\u00a0.\u00a0. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>We&#8217;re not going to walk away from it<\/em><\/span>.&#8221; <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">I&#8217;m not a crook.<\/span> I did not have sexual relations with that woman.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">At least in the very short term, he appears to be right. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span class=\"icon none\">National Journal<\/span> reports that although &#8220;House Democrats are hardly ready to pop the champagne for HealthCare.gov .\u00a0.\u00a0. tensions eased Tuesday after White House officials briefed them on the site&#8217;s progress.&#8221; <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Party leaders &#8220;said they were &#8216;pleased&#8217; with improvements in the site&#8217;s user experience, and declared that they were back on offense over the Affordable Care Act.&#8221;<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">The Nov.\u00a030 deadline was followed by a spate of news stories, editorials and columns attesting that the &#8220;website&#8221;&#8211;which, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg that is ObamaCare&#8217;s computer system&#8211;had been &#8220;fixed,&#8221; or at least &#8220;improved.&#8221; <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The former is plainly not true; even the latter, highly dubious.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><span class=\"icon none\">Charles Ornstein<\/span> of ProPublica.org watched &#8220;a glowing news conference&#8221; Sunday, and on Monday &#8220;decided to log .\u00a0.\u00a0. and take the Web site for a test drive.&#8221;<\/span> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>It wasn&#8217;t going anywhere<\/em><\/span>: Ornstein experienced &#8220;long delays loading pages, an endless circle of tasks (some already completed) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>and ultimately an error message<\/em><\/span>.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span> He supplies screen shots and a transcript of a live-chat help session that goes on for nine minutes before a customer-service rep called &#8220;Kassie&#8221; tells him to try back later. When he does, &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t even log on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ObamaCare_Lies_Left_Silence_01_320x275.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23985\" alt=\"ObamaCare_Lies_Left_Silence_01_320x275\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ObamaCare_Lies_Left_Silence_01_320x275.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ObamaCare_Lies_Left_Silence_01_320x275.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/ObamaCare_Lies_Left_Silence_01_320x275-300x258.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Reader Alan Auerbach&#8211;who is actually trying to purchase insurance, not just test the system&#8211;sends along his own live chat (quoting verbatim):<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:19:35 pm]: <\/strong><em>Thanks for contacting Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Please wait while we connect you to someone who can help. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:19:39 pm]: <\/strong><em>Please be patient while we&#8217;re helping other people.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:20:15 pm]: <\/strong><em>Please be patient while we&#8217;re helping other people.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:20:22 pm]: <\/strong><em>Welcome! You&#8217;re now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Thanks for contacting us. My name is Dipika. To protect your privacy, please don&#8217;t provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:20:36 pm]:<\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong> Dipika <\/strong><\/span><em>Welcome to the Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat, my name is Dipika, how may I help you?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:21:20 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Alan <\/span><\/strong><em>Since Sunday, I have been unable to logon. I am certain that I am using the correct Username and Password. I have cleared the browsing history and cookies. I have rebooted. I have tried using three different computers and five different browsers with three different operating systems. Each time I select Log In, I am sent right back to the Log In page. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:22:37 pm]: <\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Dipika<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>I apologize for the inconvenience.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Obamacare-Rollout.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23994\" alt=\"Obamacare-Rollout\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Obamacare-Rollout.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Obamacare-Rollout.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Obamacare-Rollout-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:23:20 pm]: <\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Alan<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>Thank you. How may I log into my account?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:25:15 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Dipika<\/span> <\/strong><em>Our website was under maintenance. So may be that was the reason you were not able to log in. It is working fine right now but I am not sure why its not letting you log in if you have used every troubleshooting measures.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:26:11 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Alan<\/span> <\/strong><em>Is it under maintenance now? I have been trying to log in for the last hour. I keep getting returned to the log in page.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:27:13 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Alan<\/span> <\/strong><em>Yesterday, I read in the newspapers that the problems with the site were fixed so I have been trying to access my account. I have failed many, many times.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:28:58 pm]:<\/strong> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Dipika<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>Yes the site is functioning well now but I apologize that its still giving you glitches. If you like, we can help you complete a Marketplace application right now over the phone. And you can try getting back to your account sometime later today.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:30:50 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Alan<\/span> <\/strong><em>I have done that twice (plus the account I created online) and been promised letters and\/or calls within two days or two weeks. In seven weeks, I have received neither. Doing that again seems a waste of time. Better if I could access my account. Can you help with that?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:31:19 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Alan<\/span> <\/strong><em>Time is running out for me.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:31:56 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Dipika<\/span> <\/strong><em>I completely understand your frustration.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:32:31 pm]: <\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Alan<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>I am not frustrated. I am simply trying to move forward. All I want to know now is whether you can help with that.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:33:31 pm]: <\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Alan<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>Can you answer either yes or no so that I can do other things?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:33:41 pm]: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Dipika<\/span> <\/strong><em>If you have already tried clearing browser history and cookies and also used different browsers, there is nothing I could do to help you at this moment.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:34:03 pm]:<\/strong> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Alan<em><\/em><\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>OK. Thank you. Goodbye.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><p><strong>[2:34:26 pm]:<\/strong> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Dipika<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong><em>But we are available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-318-2596 and we can&#8217;t continue with your application.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">That &#8220;can&#8217;t&#8221; in the signoff message must be a typo. Or maybe a Freudian slip. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>It appears Auerbach&#8217;s efforts aren&#8217;t going <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>anywhere<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obama-face-obamacare.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23986\" alt=\"obama-face-obamacare\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obama-face-obamacare.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obama-face-obamacare.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/obama-face-obamacare-300x196.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Incidentally, your humble columnist received a phone call from ObamaCare yesterday. We arrived at home to find a message on our answering machine that began: &#8220;Hello, this is an important message for you from the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center. We need more information to complete your application\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">At first we thought it was a telemarketing scam, but it appears to be legit (though maybe that&#8217;s a false distinction). The &#8220;calling&#8221; number was in fact 800-318-2596. We then remembered we&#8217;d called the number a few times in October just to see if we could get through. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>When we finally did, we got someone on the phone and spent a few minutes asking her questions such as how many people she&#8217;d signed up and whether people were actually completing the process of getting insurance via phone (the answer to the latter question was no).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">We didn&#8217;t give her any personal information, including our phone number, so they must just have been logging all calls using caller ID and now are doing mass callbacks.<\/span> <em>That seems both inefficient <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and<\/span> a bit creepy<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Now we must confess, political events around ObamaCare are moving a bit more slowly than we&#8217;d expected. We thought that as the Nov.\u00a030 deadline approached and it became clear that the system would not even be technically functional, congressional Democrats would panic and all hell would break loose.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NewYorker1101_zpsb9c120ff.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23987\" alt=\"NewYorker1101_zpsb9c120ff\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NewYorker1101_zpsb9c120ff.jpg\" width=\"275\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NewYorker1101_zpsb9c120ff.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/NewYorker1101_zpsb9c120ff-220x300.jpg 220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Instead, the administration seems to have bought&#8211;or stolen&#8211;itself a bit more time.<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong> It did so by gradually scaling back its promise from fully functional to kinda functional for many during off-peak hours. <span style=\"color: #333399;\">Not that it met even the latter standard, but the lower standard was by definition easier to meet, while its vagueness made it much more difficult to say definitively that it hadn&#8217;t been met.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Enough journalists are still willing to act as shills for this administration<\/em><\/span> (even if their submission is not quite as abject as <span class=\"icon none\">Paul Waldman and Tim Noah would like<\/span>) <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>that the &#8220;meeting&#8221; of the &#8220;deadline&#8221; generated a spate of positive stories<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span> That allowed congressional Democrats&#8211;or at least House Democrats from safe districts&#8211;to declare themselves &#8220;back on offense,&#8221; as National Journal reported.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Of course those weren&#8217;t the Democrats anyone expected to defect. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Rather, the ones to watch are the ones in the Senate, especially those up for re-election next year, and <em>especially <\/em>those from states Mitt Romney carried.<\/strong><\/span> We did a Google News search for &#8220;ObamaCare&#8221; with the name of each of the four senators who meet all those criteria&#8211;Mark Begich of Alaska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina&#8211;and it appears mum&#8217;s the word for all four.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">Why? For the same reason each of them cast the deciding vote in favor of ObamaCare. Because while supporting a monstrous and unpopular policy is politically risky, so is dissenting from the party line. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>By defining down its deadline and taking advantage of the still-servile subset of the press corps, Obama heightened the immediate risks of dissent and made assent seem the safer course.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 30px;\">For the moment.<span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong> There are more deadlines to come, <em>and, in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">both<\/span> senses, ObamaCare is going <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">nowhere<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Or, as Jonah Goldberg puts it at the <em>LA Times<\/em>, courtesy of <em>AEI.<\/em>..<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Not a good enough Obamacare fix\" href=\"http:\/\/www.aei.org\/article\/politics-and-public-opinion\/not-a-good-enough-obamacare-fix\/?utm_source=today&amp;utm_medium=paramount&amp;utm_campaign=120413\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Not a good enough Obamacare fix<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"item-subtitle\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Not a good enough Obamacare fix\" href=\"http:\/\/www.aei.org\/article\/politics-and-public-opinion\/not-a-good-enough-obamacare-fix\/?utm_source=today&amp;utm_medium=paramount&amp;utm_campaign=120413\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">There&#8217;s still one hitch with HealthCare.gov: It doesn&#8217;t work, <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>at all<\/em><\/span>. <\/span><\/span> <\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mvv5pp-b781210382z.120131106143629000g311grr71.1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23982\" alt=\"mvv5pp-b781210382z.120131106143629000g311grr71.1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mvv5pp-b781210382z.120131106143629000g311grr71.1.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mvv5pp-b781210382z.120131106143629000g311grr71.1.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mvv5pp-b781210382z.120131106143629000g311grr71.1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><strong>And yes, we emphasized &#8220;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>at all<\/em><\/span>&#8220;&#8230;because it&#8217;s reality.<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>For more on the subject of Liberals&#8217; continued denial of reality, we turn to <span style=\"color: #993300;\">Tales From the Darkside<\/span>, courtesy today of <em>The Washington Times<\/em>, and this recent report on the hottest game to hit the Black &#8220;community&#8221; since Powerball:<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"mb min entry-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Elderly woman is New York City\u2019s 10th \u2018knockout\u2019 victim<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/knockout-suspect.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23990\" alt=\"knockout-suspect\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/knockout-suspect.jpg\" width=\"320\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/knockout-suspect.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/knockout-suspect-300x241.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">A 76-year-old New York City woman is said to be the latest victim in the dangerous \u201cknockout\u201d game spreading across the country, in which black youths single out a stranger, in most cases a woman, and hit the person in hopes of knocking them out with one blow.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>Yvonne Small was walking in the Brooklyn borough at about 11:30 a.m. EST Saturday when an unidentified black man in his 20s or 30s punched her in the back of the head, the Daily Mail reported.<\/strong><\/span><strong> <\/strong>Surveillance footage of the attack has been released as police try to nab the suspect.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Takes a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>real<\/em><\/span> man to sucker-punch a 76-year-old woman!\u00a0 Then again, given the sterling character of the average male denizen of the Hood, there&#8217;s no shortage of &#8220;real&#8221; men.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the ostriches at the New York Times and other Liberal &#8220;news&#8221; outlets continue to deny this particular bit of depravity even exists.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a related item, writing at <em>Commentary Magazine<\/em>, John Podhoretz details how the recent Socialist ascension to power in the Big Apple promises more, and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>much<\/em><\/span> worse, to come:<em><\/em><\/strong><strong><em><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.commentarymagazine.com\/2013\/12\/04\/a-frightening-portent-for-new-york-city\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\">A Frightening Portent for New York City<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/300_53347.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23999\" alt=\"300_53347\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/300_53347.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/300_53347.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/300_53347-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>One interesting aspect of Bill de Blasio\u2019s landslide victory in the New York mayoral race last month is that it leaves the city with very little electoral life outside the Left.<\/strong><\/span> The City Council speaker will almost certainly be someone as left-wing as the mayor; the new public advocate hails from the same left-wing political machine (the Working Families Party) as de Blasio; and most of the newly elected members of the City Council are doctrinaire as well. So the question immediately arises: Who will stand against Leftist infamies when they occur? <span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>We will find out in the next day or so, because the first major one has just happened.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">There is a new City Council member from the neighborhood in Brooklyn called Crown Heights, which is ethnically the city\u2019s most interesting\u2014a mix of blacks mostly of Caribbean origin and ultra-Orthodox Jews mostly from the Lubavitch Hasidic sect. <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>Her name is Laurie Cumbo, and this week she decided to take to Facebook to express some thoughts about the recent spate of violent \u201cknockout game\u201d attacks in which passers-by find themselves being struck hard in the face by someone\u2019s fist for no reason.<\/strong><\/span> She reports that at a community meeting called to discuss the violence, she said this:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 60px;\"><em>Many African American\/Caribbean residents expressed a genuine concern that as the Jewish community continues to grow, they would be pushed out by their Jewish landlords or by Jewish families looking to purchase homes. <span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>I relayed these sentiments at the forum not as an insult to the Jewish community, but rather to offer possible insight as to how young African American\/Caribbean teens could conceivably commit a \u201chate crime\u201d against a community that they know very little about.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alumnae_laurie-cumbo.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24000\" alt=\"alumnae_laurie-cumbo\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alumnae_laurie-cumbo.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"285\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>Her insight into why a thug would punch a 19 year-old Hasidic kid in the face in the middle of her district while his friends watched, in other words, boils down to Jewish money.<\/strong> <strong><span style=\"color: #993300;\">Cumbo knows she is treading on delicate ground here, so she attempts to mitigate the damage: \u201cI respect and appreciate the Jewish community\u2019s family values and unity that has led to strong political, economic and cultural gains.\u201d<\/span> And then she went all in: \u201cWhile I personally regard this level of tenacity, I also recognize that for others, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>the accomplishments of the Jewish community triggers feelings of resentment, and a sense that Jewish success is not also their success<\/em><\/span>.\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">(Unlike the success of&#8230;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>other<\/em><\/span> ethnicities?!?)<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Cumbo hastens to make clear she is against such crime\u2013<em>against it!\u00a0<\/em>\u201cIf one person attacks another, regardless of the motivation, there is no justification for such an action. We should never blame a victim, or try to explain away any wrongdoing. The issue of race or religion is but a red-herring one when it comes to crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Cumbo just can\u2019t leave it there<\/em><\/span>, because she feels the \u201csystem\u201d is rigged and so she is being compelled to argue for something that makes her unhappy: \u201cI feel torn because I feel apart of [sic] the very system that has caused the destructive path that so many young people have decided to take while I am simultaneously demanding that they be arrested by that same system.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Preacher-Ummayad-Mosque-300x202.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24001\" alt=\"Preacher-Ummayad-Mosque-300x202\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Preacher-Ummayad-Mosque-300x202.jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><em>Gee&#8230;&#8221;it&#8217;s all the fault of the Jews&#8221;; where have we heard THAT&#8230;<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/kristallnacht01.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24002\" alt=\"kristallnacht01\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/kristallnacht01.jpg\" width=\"380\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/kristallnacht01.jpg 380w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/kristallnacht01-300x187.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 380px) 100vw, 380px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>&#8230;before?!?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">So here we have it. (I am indebted to Sonja Sharp of DNAInfo for exposing the story.) <strong><span style=\"color: #008080;\">Jews are crowding out black people in Crown Heights, they are stoking resentment because of their financial success, and while there can be no justification for acts of violence, it\u2019s a terrible pain for someone like Cumbo to say those perpetrating the violence should be arrested because they are victims too.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Such textbook apologetics and excuses for crime hearken back to a different and far worse time for New York City, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>as does the nauseating stench of Cumbo\u2019s classic anti-Semitic stew<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">It was in the very neighborhood Cumbo now represents that the worst anti-Jewish event in modern American history took place: A three-day riot in 1991 following the accidental killing of an African-American child by a limousine driven by a Hasidic man. Two men were killed, stores were looted, and homes were targeted by Molotov-cocktail throwers through spotting the mezuzot on the doorfames.<span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong> It was a shattering event for the city, not least because the mayor at the time, David Dinkins, seemed to feel as though he was powerless to act as the riot spread. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">His conduct during Crown Heights was so shameful it came to be one of the key reasons Rudy Giuliani ousted Dinkins from City Hall\u2014even though the election took place two years later.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">One thing New Yorkers knew in the wake of the Giuliani election was this: Acts of violence were going to be addressed, not excused; and anti-Semitic conduct would be greeted with roars of protest and outrage from City Hall. Eight years of Giuliani stilled and calmed the city; 9\/11 created a new era of good common feeling; the perpetuation of Giuliani policies under Michael Bloomberg helped keep the urban peace. <span style=\"color: #993300;\"><strong>Now, only a month before the inauguration of DeBlasio, something ugly and evil is rearing its head. <span style=\"color: #008080;\">Who is there to speak out against Cumbo\u2019s words?<\/span> De Blasio?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>It sure as hell isn&#8217;t Laurie &#8220;Kristallnacht&#8221; Cumbo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next up, <em>Commentary Magazine<\/em>&#8216;s Jonathan Tobin explains&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.commentarymagazine.com\/2013\/12\/04\/why-newtown-didnt-lead-to-gun-control\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">Why Newtown Didn\u2019t Lead to Gun Control<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131003-gun-fight-pro-gun-inline.photoblog600.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23954\" alt=\"131003-gun-fight-pro-gun-inline.photoblog600\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131003-gun-fight-pro-gun-inline.photoblog600.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131003-gun-fight-pro-gun-inline.photoblog600.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131003-gun-fight-pro-gun-inline.photoblog600-300x208.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;<span style=\"color: #000000;\">But the main question members of the liberal mainstream media are asking today is the same one they will be posing in 10 days when we get to the first anniversary: why didn\u2019t the disgust Americans felt at this atrocity lead to the enactment of stricter gun-control laws? <\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">But while they wonder how it is possible that the liberal media offensive didn\u2019t buffalo politicians last winter, they\u2019re even more perplexed as to why Newtown didn\u2019t change public opinion on the issue.<\/span><\/strong> Indeed, as <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com\/2013\/12\/04\/cnn-poll-support-for-stricter-gun-control-fades\/\" class=\"broken_link\">a new CNN\/ORC poll<\/a><\/strong> reveals, a majority of Americans today oppose stricter gun-control laws.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;But the answer to their question isn\u2019t much of a mystery.<span style=\"color: #333399;\"> <strong>The majority of Americans understand not only that more legislation <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>won\u2019t<\/em><\/span> stop lunatics from shooting people with legal or illegal guns, but <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>they also don\u2019t trust the government to enforce stricter laws fairly or to respect the constitutional rights of gun owners<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Probably because, as this next item courtesy of Ruth Marcus and the <em>WaPo<\/em> details, neither guns nor gun control really had <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>any<\/em><\/span>thing to do with the Newtown tragedy:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Nancy Lanza, a mother tragic and infuriating\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/ruth-marcus-nancy-lanza-a-mother-tragic-and-infuriating\/2013\/11\/26\/30efee1c-56cb-11e3-835d-e7173847c7cc_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop\" class=\"broken_link\"><span class=\"entry-title\" style=\"color: #333399;\">Nancy Lanza, a mother tragic and infuriating<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/adam-nancy-lanza.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23955\" alt=\"adam-nancy-lanza\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/adam-nancy-lanza.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/adam-nancy-lanza.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/adam-nancy-lanza-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>&#8230;To read the state\u2019s attorney\u2019s report on Sandy Hook is to simultaneously admire Lanza\u2019s fierce efforts to help her troubled child and to seethe at the stupidity of her decision to allow him access to \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>indeed, encourage his interest in<\/em><\/span> \u2014 the weapons he used to murder 27 people.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">As the one-year anniversary approaches, unanswerable questions remain \u2014 questions that the report can resurface but not resolve. <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><strong>Not only about Adam Lanza\u2019s motives \u2014 for an act so irrational and heinous no explanation can suffice \u2014 but about his mother\u2019s behavior.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Few parents have to deal with the likes of Adam Lanza. Many parents, perhaps most, have to learn to find the balance between devotion and denial, empathy and enabling. Nancy Lanza failed at that task. <strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Searching her house after the shootings, they found a check she had made out to Adam.<\/span> It was dated Christmas Day, and designated to buy a CZ 83 pistol.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>In a related item&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Sandy Hook Benefit Concert Cancelled\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dnainfo.com\/chicago\/20131204\/river-north\/sandy-hook-benefit-concert-canceled-due-low-ticket-sales\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Sandy Hook Benefit Concert Canceled Due to Low Ticket Sales<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"story_text\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/article-2251701-169CE7BB000005DC-404_634x457.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23967\" alt=\"article-2251701-169CE7BB000005DC-404_634x457\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/article-2251701-169CE7BB000005DC-404_634x457.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"252\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/article-2251701-169CE7BB000005DC-404_634x457.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/article-2251701-169CE7BB000005DC-404_634x457-300x216.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"story_text\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">A Chicago benefit concert <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>to help first responders to last year&#8217;s Sandy Hook massacre<\/em><\/span> was canceled due to low ticket sales, it was announced Wednesday.<\/span><\/strong> The event, scheduled for Sunday at Untitled, 111 W. Kinzie St., was set to feature performances by local musicians and the Chicago Children&#8217;s Choir and a silent auction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"story_text\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;It is with great sadness that we have to cancel the Chicago Musicians Care Performance &amp; Benefit event &#8230; due to low ticket sales,&#8221; read a Facebook post from organizer Chicago Musicians Care, which was created in response to the shooting. <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Proceeds go to Sandy Hook Workers Assistance Fund, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>which helps teachers, first responders and other workers suffering mental health issues from the shooting<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"story_text\"><strong>Maybe if the concert were to benefit the families of the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>victims<\/em><\/span>&#8230;!?!\u00a0 Besides, at the risk of seeming harsh, weren&#8217;t all the &#8220;teachers, first responders and other workers suffering mental health issues from the shooting&#8221; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>union<\/em><\/span>&#8230;and thus already eligible for mental health treatmentvunder the Unaffordable Care Act?!?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And in the\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">Environmental Moment<span style=\"color: #000000;\">, courtesy of Bill Meisen, as Michael Fumento notes at the <em>New York Post<\/em>&#8230;<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/nypost.com\/2013\/12\/05\/global-warming-proof-is-evaporating\/\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\">Global-warming \u2018proof\u2019 is\u00a0evaporating<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120313dAPR201312020945401.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24012\" alt=\"mrz120313dAPR20131202094540\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120313dAPR201312020945401.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120313dAPR201312020945401.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120313dAPR201312020945401-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>The 2013 hurricane season just ended as one of the five quietest years since 1960. <span style=\"color: #003300;\">But don\u2019t expect anyone who pointed to last year\u2019s hurricanes as \u201cproof\u201d of the need to act against global warming to apologize; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>the warmists don\u2019t work that way<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the Lighter Side&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/81_14121620131205045628.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24004\" alt=\"81_14121620131205045628\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/81_14121620131205045628.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/81_14121620131205045628.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/81_14121620131205045628-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131204bubbleboys2220131205023546.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24005\" alt=\"131204bubbleboys2220131205023546\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131204bubbleboys2220131205023546.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131204bubbleboys2220131205023546.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/131204bubbleboys2220131205023546-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gmc11403020131206075000.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24007\" alt=\"gmc11403020131206075000\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gmc11403020131206075000.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gmc11403020131206075000.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gmc11403020131206075000-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gv120313dAPR20131203024519.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24008\" alt=\"gv120313dAPR20131203024519\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gv120313dAPR20131203024519.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gv120313dAPR20131203024519.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/gv120313dAPR20131203024519-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120513dAPR20131204112847.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24011\" alt=\"mrz120513dAPR20131204112847\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120513dAPR20131204112847.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120513dAPR20131204112847.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/mrz120513dAPR20131204112847-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/aria_c11402920131208120100.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-24006\" alt=\"aria_c11402920131208120100\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/aria_c11402920131208120100.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/aria_c11402920131208120100.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/aria_c11402920131208120100-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bed-Sore-copy-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23939\" alt=\"Bed Sore copy 2\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bed-Sore-copy-2.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bed-Sore-copy-2.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Bed-Sore-copy-2-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h1B06BDE9.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23940\" alt=\"Giving Thanks\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Giving-Thanks.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Giving-Thanks.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Giving-Thanks-300x146.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23937\" alt=\"h1B06BDE9\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h1B06BDE9.jpg\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h1B06BDE9.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h1B06BDE9-300x240.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h3C0FB682.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23938\" alt=\"h3C0FB682\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h3C0FB682.jpg\" width=\"492\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h3C0FB682.jpg 492w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/h3C0FB682-288x300.jpg 288w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then there&#8217;s this view, courtesy of Neil McShane, of how the Steelers&#8217; Mike Tomlin might influence the festivities at Pamplona:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/neilmcshane.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23962\" alt=\"neilmcshane\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/neilmcshane.jpg\" width=\"462\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/neilmcshane.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/neilmcshane-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>And in News of the Bizarre, a word of warning if you feel the call of nature during your Christmas shopping:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"instablog-article\" id=\"content_0_maincontent_0_h1ConversationHeadline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Woman Hospitalized After Being Glued To Toilet Seat at Home Depot<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Glue.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23963\" alt=\"Glue\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Glue.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Glue.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Glue-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">According to an incident report filed at the Banks County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, a woman found herself glued to a toilet seat after using the restroom at the Home Depot store in Banks Crossing last week. \u00a0Someone allegedly put glue on every toilet seat in the women&#8217;s restroom. Unfortunately, the woman didn&#8217;t realize this until she was already stuck.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Emergency medical services personnel were called in to help remove the woman from the toilet. \u00a0She was then transported to a Gainesville hospital where she received treatment.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The store manager found a brown paper sack in the restroom containing a bottle of Loctite GO2 glue, <em>a product that not only boasts of <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">durability<\/span>, but also <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">versatility<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Versatile is right!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Remember Crystal Mangum?\u00a0 Don&#8217;t feel bad; apparently, neither does the MSM.\u00a0 In what we can only describe as\u00a0another titillating tale torn from the pages of the Crime Blotter meets the &#8220;MSM Bias&#8230;WHAT Bias?!?&#8221; segment, as <em>CNSNews.com<\/em> reports&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"stcpDiv\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -1999px; left: -1988px;\">Duke Rape Accuser Got 160 TV News Stories on Accusation, 3 on Murder Conviction &#8211; See more at: http:\/\/cnsnews.com\/news\/article\/michael-w-chapman\/duke-rape-accuser-got-160-tv-news-stories-accusation-3-murder#sthash.WVhO4asj.dpuf<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Crystal Mangum\" href=\"http:\/\/cnsnews.com\/image\/crystal-mangum\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Duke Rape Accuser Got 160 TV News Stories on Accusation, 3 on Murder Conviction<\/span> <\/a><\/h1>\n<div id=\"stcpDiv\" style=\"position: absolute; top: -1999px; left: -1988px;\">Crystal Mangum, who falsely accused 3 Duke lacrosse players of sexual crimes in 2006, was convicted of second-degree murder on Nov. 22, 2013. &#8211; See more at: http:\/\/cnsnews.com\/image\/crystal-mangum#sthash.zASiEXrs.dpuf<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alg-crystal-mangum-crying-jpg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23948\" alt=\"alg-crystal-mangum-crying-jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alg-crystal-mangum-crying-jpg.jpg\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alg-crystal-mangum-crying-jpg.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/alg-crystal-mangum-crying-jpg-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Crystal Mangum, who falsely accused 3 Duke lacrosse players of sexual crimes in 2006, was convicted of second-degree murder on November 22, 2013.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Guess all that coverage of the JFK anniversary sorta crowded the Mangum story out.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Finally, in the Ernst Stavro Blofeld Memorial &#8220;Welcome to Hell&#8221; segment, we&#8217;ll close with this bit of news out of Mississippi:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff00ff;\">Abortionist who kept 36 bags of aborted babies in storage unit found dead<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/13333.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-23950\" alt=\"13333\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/13333-226x300.jpg\" width=\"226\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/13333-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/13333.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Now where&#8217;d I stash &#8216;dem dead babies?!?<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Authorities say an abortionist with a history of tax evasion, botched abortions, and unusual disposal of aborted babies has died. Police found the body of Dr. Joseph Booker Jr., 69, at his home Thursday night after relatives complained they could not reach him. Investigators said Booker suffered a stroke and drowned in his shower in his Madison, Mississippi, home.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">In 1999, Booker served time in prison for tax evasion. <span style=\"color: #ff00ff;\"><strong>Later in the year, police learned that a local resident discovered 36 bags of aborted babies in a storage unit he purchased from Booker in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.<\/strong><\/span> The new owner said Booker stowed the babies there shortly before going to prison.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Tanya Britten of Pro-Life Mississippi said, \u201cFrom a Christian perspective, I pray that he repented on the lives that he has taken, and that God is merciful.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ms. Britten&#8217;s understanding of the proper Christian perspective is correct; and it&#8217;s why we pray for The Obamao, though frankly not as often or fervently as we should.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>As Peter wrote in his second epistle, the Lord is long-suffering, <\/strong><strong>not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.\u00a0 That being said, were we forced to put money on it, we&#8217;d have to go with&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ztXmwXBlF-E?start=264\" height=\"235\" width=\"420\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Magoo<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Monday, December 9th, 2013, but before we begin, two quick items.\u00a0 First, courtesy of Jim Gleaves, and particularly in light of what we experienced on our way to church Sunday morning, we celebrate the joys of Winter! Second, another terribly memorable personal moment shared with America by Douchus Rex: \u201cToday, with solemn pride and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1988,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1988"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23936"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24017,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23936\/revisions\/24017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}