{"id":29108,"date":"2015-01-18T20:55:54","date_gmt":"2015-01-19T01:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=29108"},"modified":"2015-01-18T20:56:02","modified_gmt":"2015-01-19T01:56:02","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-friday-january-16th-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=29108","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Friday, January 16th, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>It&#8217;s Friday, January 16th, 2015&#8230;but before we begin, a brief bit of humor courtesy of Randy Weber, the Republican congressman who replaced the GOP&#8217;s Crazy Uncle in the Attic, Ron Paul:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/screen_shot_2015-01-12_at_1029_1_956x519.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29016\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/screen_shot_2015-01-12_at_1029_1_956x519.jpg\" alt=\"screen_shot_2015-01-12_at_1029_1_956x519\" width=\"450\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/screen_shot_2015-01-12_at_1029_1_956x519.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/screen_shot_2015-01-12_at_1029_1_956x519-300x163.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Weber has since apologized; we only wonder&#8230;why? \u00a0After all, like Joe Wilson before him&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qgce06Yw2ro\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Weber was only speaking the truth; so why apologize?!?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, here&#8217;s The Gouge!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>First up, with all due respect to my Roman Catholic brothers, yet another strike against the concept of papal infallibility&#8230;at least as applies to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>this<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Pontiff:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"inside_lead_headline clearfix\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"After Charlie Hebdo, pope says free speech has its limits\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cruxnow.com\/church\/2015\/01\/15\/after-charlie-hebdo-pope-says-free-speech-has-its-limits\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\">After Charlie Hebdo, pope says free speech has its limits<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/pope-philippines.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29050\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/pope-philippines.jpg\" alt=\"pope-philippines\" width=\"350\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/pope-philippines.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/pope-philippines-300x219.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;Alluding to an attack on a French magazine that left 12 people dead in reprisal for satirical depictions of Muhammad, <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>Pope Francis today condemned the violence, but also said there are limits to free speech \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>especially when it involves religion<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008080;\"><strong>In particular, the pope said, one shouldn\u2019t abuse freedom of expression to \u201cprovoke\u201d or \u201coffend\u201d others deliberately, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>and also shouldn\u2019t be surprised when they react to such taunts<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Even in the case of a dear friend, Francis said, \u201cIf he says a swear word against my mother, he\u2019s going to get a punch in the nose. That\u2019s normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>\u201cPeople who make fun of, who toy with other people\u2019s religions, he said, risk running into \u201cwhat would happen to [that friend] if he said something against my mother.\u201d<\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Really<\/em><\/span>?!? \u00a0So much for turning the other cheek. \u00a0Punch in the nose&#8230;kill 12 people; makes sense to <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>us<\/em><\/span>! \u00a0We don&#8217;t know the type of friends Francis hangs around with, let alone what they say about his mother; we can only respond&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C6cxNR9ML8k\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Personally, we prefer the position espoused by Salman Rushdie:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q9cYuQonbXs\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>We for one are confident\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>our<\/em><\/span> Lord and Savior is beyond besmirching by any human being, whatever they might say; and certainly capable of dealing with blasphemers in his own way and time.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the other hand, Francis&#8217; stand against unfettered free expression\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>is<\/em><\/span> in keeping with the position&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline entry-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Climate change consensus, no dissent allowed\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/opinion\/saunders\/article\/Climate-change-consensus-no-dissent-allowed-5264142.php\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #003300; text-decoration: underline;\">Climate change consensus, no dissent allowed<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Prof-Norgaard.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-29051\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Prof-Norgaard-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"Prof Norgaard\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Prof-Norgaard-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Prof-Norgaard.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Professor Kari Marie Norgaard: any science-based skepticism\u2014based on actual, not fictional data\u2014should be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theregister.co.uk\/2012\/03\/30\/climate_scepticism_racism_slavery_treatment\/print.html\">\u201crecognized and treated\u201d<\/a> as some sort of aberrant behavior.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong style=\"line-height: 1.5;\">&#8230;of his new-found friends in the Environazi movement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>For a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>realistic<\/em><\/span> appraisal of the facts, we turn to the editors at\u00a0<em>NRO<\/em>, who offered this assessment of the situation immediately following the attack:<\/b><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008000; text-decoration: underline;\"><a id=\"font-size26\" class=\"homie-headline-big active\" style=\"color: #008000; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/article\/395910\/charlie-hebdo-massacre-editors\">The <i>Charlie Hebdo<\/i> Massacre<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pic_giant5_010715_SM_Mohammed-Cartoons_0.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29019\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pic_giant5_010715_SM_Mohammed-Cartoons_0.jpg\" alt=\"pic_giant5_010715_SM_Mohammed-Cartoons_0\" width=\"400\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pic_giant5_010715_SM_Mohammed-Cartoons_0.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/pic_giant5_010715_SM_Mohammed-Cartoons_0-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;A religion that commands murder as the punishment for blasphemy offends the God it professes to worship. <span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>In reality, it worships the Devil. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">And by such deeds as the half-random murders of innocent people ye shall know that truth.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><em>Is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Islam<\/span> that religion<\/em>?<\/span> For <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>most<\/em><\/span> of the world\u2019s 1.6 billion Muslims, <em>it is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span> They follow the precepts of the Koran and seek to live harmoniously alongside their infidel neighbors, and where two Koranic interpretations clash, they choose to believe the one that conforms more to the civil laws and social customs of their societies. Most of the time they don\u2019t ponder much on religious texts but get on with the daily business of living.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong><em>That is<\/em> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>not<\/em><\/span> <em>so, however,<\/em> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>for a large minority of Muslims<\/em><\/span> \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>maybe hundreds of millions worldwide<\/em><\/span> \u2014 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>who cleave to interpretations of their faith that enjoin murder, rape, torture, and cruelty as pious, even mandatory, acts<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">They take their diabolic faith seriously, and the result is what we saw in Paris today.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>Thus, there are in practical terms <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>two<\/em><\/span> Islams \u2014 <em>a religion, if not of peace, then of peaceful accommodation, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">and a religion of death<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/death-to-infidels-radical-islam-political-cartoon.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29023\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/death-to-infidels-radical-islam-political-cartoon.jpg\" alt=\"death-to-infidels-radical-islam-political-cartoon\" width=\"350\" height=\"265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/death-to-infidels-radical-islam-political-cartoon.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/death-to-infidels-radical-islam-political-cartoon-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Western political leaders try to dismiss this second death cult as a perverted or false Islam, or even as nothing to do with Islam at all<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #008000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>That dismissal is false and, worse, completely unpersuasive<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> <\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The death cult has learned imams and sophisticated theologians among its adherents. They can quote Islamic texts in support of their revolting doctrines \u2014 and do so far more convincingly than President Obama, David Cameron, or Tony Blair do in support of their own. Their scholarship strengthens the faith of the suicide bombers and child soldiers. <\/span><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">And because they justify murder and issue fatwas mandating it, they exercise some intimidation even over the leaders of the other Islam<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Case in point: the consistent position of the Washington, DC chapter of the Neville Chamberlain Appeasement Society, aka &#8220;Team Tick-Tock&#8221;:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r9PL5V931uY\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>&#8220;Radical Islam&#8221;?!? \u00a0Never <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>heard<\/em><\/span> of it!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29060\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/unearnest.png\" alt=\"unearnest\" width=\"500\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/unearnest.png 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/unearnest-300x109.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>So how does Islam&#8217;s newest, bestest friend respond?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><a style=\"color: #008000; text-decoration: underline;\" title=\"Permanent Link to Obama Releases 5 Yemeni Jihadists From Gitmo Just One Week After Paris Attack Planned, Funded By Al-Qaeda\u2019s Yemeni Branch Run By Former Gitmo Detainees\" href=\"http:\/\/weaselzippers.us\/211083-obama-releases-5-yemeni-jihadists-from-gitmo-just-one-week-after-paris-attack-planned-funded-by-al-qaedas-yemeni-branch-run-by-former-gitmo-detainees\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Obama Releases 5 Yemeni Jihadists From Gitmo Just One Week After Paris Attack Planned, Funded By Al-Qaeda\u2019s Yemeni Branch Run By Former Gitmo Detainees<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Behead-Coach.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29066\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/Behead-Coach.gif\" alt=\"Behead Coach\" width=\"500\" height=\"243\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>But The Obamao and his prevaricating Progressive puppets couldn&#8217;t have pulled this off without the complete complicity of his devoted disciples in the MSM, as <em>Commentary Magazine<\/em>&#8216;s Evelyn Gordon observes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\"><a style=\"color: #800080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commentarymagazine.com\/2015\/01\/14\/western-media-forgotten-truth-shall-set-us-free\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" class=\"broken_link\">Western Media Have Forgotten that Only the Truth Shall Set Us Free<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/12312008.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29028\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/12312008.jpg\" alt=\"12312008\" width=\"400\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/12312008.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/12312008-300x212.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Which is the way the Western MSM will report it!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;Once upon a time, Western liberals understood the critical importance of truthful information. They genuinely believed, as the New Testament proclaims, that \u201cthe truth shall set you free.\u201d <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>That\u2019s precisely why the West invested so heavily in media outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Europe during the Cold War: Many Westerners genuinely believed that letting Eastern Europeans and Soviet citizens hear the truth, rather than the propaganda published in Soviet media, would help bring the Iron Curtain down. <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>And history proved them right<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">But today, it seems, Western liberals no longer believe in the power of truth. If they did, they would realize that the road to defeating Islamic extremism starts with reporting faithfully on all its victims, day in and day out. <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>For only when people know the truth about the carnage this extremism has wrought might they begin to turn against it.<\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong>In a related item, writing at the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Byron York points out what we&#8217;ve long espoused to be true:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"hd-font entry-title color3\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Obama's Paris snub wasn't an oversight\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/article\/2558546\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Obama&#8217;s Paris snub wasn&#8217;t an oversight<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wheres-Dildo-Sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29013\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wheres-Dildo-Sm.jpg\" alt=\"Where's Dildo Sm\" width=\"425\" height=\"237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wheres-Dildo-Sm.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Wheres-Dildo-Sm-300x167.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;The uproar over whether President Obama or another top administration official should have attended the massive unity rally in Paris has obscured an important point about the White House&#8217;s reaction to the latest terror attacks in Europe. <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The administration no-shows were not a failure of optics, or a diplomatic misstep, but were instead the logical result of the president&#8217;s years-long effort to downgrade the threat of terrorism and move on to other things.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;<span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Even as the march wound its way through Paris, the White House sent out yet another sign of its unseriousness.<\/strong><\/span> On Sunday morning, the press office announced the president will host a &#8220;Summit on Countering Violent Extremism&#8221; on Feb. 18. The plan is to bring together &#8220;social service providers, including education administrators, mental health professionals, and religious leaders, with law enforcement agencies to address violent extremism as part of the broader mandate of community safety and crime prevention.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>As the world watched images of black-clad, AK-47-wielding terrorists killing Parisians, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Obama proposed to meet the threat with social service providers<\/em><\/span>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>So when the president chose not to attend the Paris march, nor to send the Vice President or Secretary of State, <em>the problem <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">wasn&#8217;t<\/span> a tin-ear sense of public relations<\/em>.<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em> It was Obama&#8217;s actual attitude toward the terror threat facing not only Europe but the United States<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong> <em><strong>We&#8217;ve dealt with the big stuff, Obama has declared, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">now let&#8217;s move on<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yeah&#8230;to the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>next<\/em><\/span> crisis this would-be Marxist dictator&#8217;s policies have created.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<strong>Understand, folks: none of what&#8217;s transpired during The Dear Misleader&#8217;s reign is by accident; <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>it&#8217;s all by design<\/em><\/span>! \u00a0And he doesn&#8217;t give a fig&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/myworkhereisdone11.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29052\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/myworkhereisdone11.jpg\" alt=\"myworkhereisdone\" width=\"400\" height=\"282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/myworkhereisdone11.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/myworkhereisdone11-300x212.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;about the consequences. \u00a0After all, what does <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>he<\/em><\/span> care&#8230;as long as he gets his taxpayer funded vacations and golf rounds.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Meanwhile, back at the ranch with The Gang Who Still Can&#8217;t Shoot Straight, as the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>\u00a0accurately opines&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"hd-font entry-title color3\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Republicans weren't elected to raise the gas tax\" href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/article\/2558555\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline;\">Republicans weren&#8217;t elected to raise the gas tax<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/shutterstock_54135511.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29014\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/shutterstock_54135511.jpg\" alt=\"shutterstock_54135511\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/shutterstock_54135511.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/shutterstock_54135511-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;In defending a gas tax increase, Inhofe remarked to The Hill that \u201ca lot of states are doing that on their own because &#8216;well if the federal government won&#8217;t do it we&#8217;ve got to do something about the roads.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Inhofe is correct on this point \u2014 and that&#8217;s why a federal gas tax hike makes even less sense now than it usually would. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Conservatives have often spoken in the past about devolving responsibility for transportation back to the states. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">This dream is possible, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>but not if Congress keeps raising the federal gas tax<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The <em>WSJ<\/em> goes the <em>Examiner<\/em> one better, suggesting the most effective solution is to&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><a title=\"Abolish the Gas Tax\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/abolish-the-gas-tax-1421281241\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #333399; text-decoration: underline;\">Abolish the Gas Tax<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3 class=\"subHed deck\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><a style=\"color: #800080;\" title=\"Abolish the Gas Tax\" href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/abolish-the-gas-tax-1421281241\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">A better way to fund roads and bridges than more pain at the pump<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Gasoline-Tax.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29042\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Gasoline-Tax.jpg\" alt=\"Gasoline Tax\" width=\"400\" height=\"163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Gasoline-Tax.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Gasoline-Tax-300x122.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;<span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong>Now <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>here<\/em><\/span> is a formula for popularity that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>only a lobbyist or liberal could love<\/em><\/span>: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>As one of its first major acts, the new GOP majority would make the commodity that most Americans must buy every week more expensive, offsetting the discretionary-income gains from cheaper gas<\/em><\/span>. <span style=\"color: #800080;\">Republicans <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>should<\/em><\/span> be talking about <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>downsizing<\/em><\/span> the federal gas tax instead, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>with a target of zero<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;since the 1990s, the Highway Trust Fund has come to fund much more than new roads and bridges and highway maintenance, abandoning the original \u201cuser pays\u201d principle behind a gas tax. <span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #333399;\">Drivers <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>now<\/em><\/span> see about a quarter of their gas taxes diverted to subsidize mass transit in merely six metro areas and sundry other programs for street cars, ferries, sidewalks, bike lanes, hiking trails, urban planning and even landscaping nationwide.<\/span> <em>Trolley riders, et al., contribute <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">nothing<\/span> to the HTF<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Federal spending on such side projects has increased 38% since 2008, while highway spending is flat. <span style=\"color: #333399;\"><strong><em>Here\u2019s what the politicians <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">won\u2019t<\/span> say<\/em>: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #ff0000;\"><em>Simply using the taxes that are supposed to pay for highways to, well, pay for highways makes the HTF 98% solvent for the next decade, no tax increase necessary<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>But then, where would the money come from to fund stuff <em>few<\/em>, <em>if <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">any<\/span> of us<\/em>, will ever <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>use<\/em><\/span>? \u00a0Like California&#8217;s&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/14-0428-CA-Bullet-Train-Crashes-500.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29053\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/14-0428-CA-Bullet-Train-Crashes-500.jpg\" alt=\"14-0428-CA-Bullet-Train-Crashes-500\" width=\"400\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/14-0428-CA-Bullet-Train-Crashes-500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/14-0428-CA-Bullet-Train-Crashes-500-300x152.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Bullet Train to Nowhere; Boston&#8217;s&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/1153159394_3375-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29054\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/1153159394_3375-1.jpg\" alt=\"1153159394_3375-1\" width=\"400\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/1153159394_3375-1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/1153159394_3375-1-300x159.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Big Dig, or Washington, DC&#8217;s&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/20140806_Streetcar_Image.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29055\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/20140806_Streetcar_Image.png\" alt=\"20140806_Streetcar_Image\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/20140806_Streetcar_Image.png 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/20140806_Streetcar_Image-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;Folly Trolley?!?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>On the Lighter Side&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/gmc12675620150112033500.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29005\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/gmc12675620150112033500.jpg\" alt=\"gmc12675620150112033500\" width=\"462\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/gmc12675620150112033500.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/gmc12675620150112033500-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gmc12682120150114121200.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29056\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gmc12682120150114121200.jpg\" alt=\"gmc12682120150114121200\" width=\"462\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gmc12682120150114121200.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gmc12682120150114121200-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAMclr-011615-run-IBD-COLOR-FINAL147_345.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29062\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAMclr-011615-run-IBD-COLOR-FINAL147_345.png\" alt=\"RAMclr-011615-run-IBD-COLOR-FINAL147_345\" width=\"462\" height=\"335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAMclr-011615-run-IBD-COLOR-FINAL147_345.png 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/RAMclr-011615-run-IBD-COLOR-FINAL147_345-300x218.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12674920150113120100.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29006\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12674920150113120100.jpg\" alt=\"holb_c12674920150113120100\" width=\"462\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12674920150113120100.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12674920150113120100-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mrz011315dAPC20150113034527.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29008\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mrz011315dAPC20150113034527.jpg\" alt=\"mrz011315dAPC20150113034527\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mrz011315dAPC20150113034527.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mrz011315dAPC20150113034527-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bg011315dAPR20150113034638.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29010\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bg011315dAPR20150113034638.jpg\" alt=\"bg011315dAPR20150113034638\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bg011315dAPR20150113034638.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/bg011315dAPR20150113034638-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/lb0114cd20150114083328.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29058\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/lb0114cd20150114083328.jpg\" alt=\"lb0114cd20150114083328\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/lb0114cd20150114083328.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/lb0114cd20150114083328-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gv011415dAPC20150114034532.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29057\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gv011415dAPC20150114034532.jpg\" alt=\"gv011415dAPC20150114034532\" width=\"462\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gv011415dAPC20150114034532.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/gv011415dAPC20150114034532-300x227.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12679320150114120100.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29007\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12679320150114120100.jpg\" alt=\"holb_c12679320150114120100\" width=\"462\" height=\"310\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12679320150114120100.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/holb_c12679320150114120100-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/chess-is-racist.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29002\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/chess-is-racist.jpg\" alt=\"chess-is-racist\" width=\"462\" height=\"519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/chess-is-racist.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/chess-is-racist-267x300.jpg 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Je-Suis-Jimmy-Sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29003\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Je-Suis-Jimmy-Sm.jpg\" alt=\"Je Suis Jimmy Sm\" width=\"500\" height=\"244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Je-Suis-Jimmy-Sm.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Je-Suis-Jimmy-Sm-300x146.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Then, courtesy of Dick Mayer, there&#8217;s The Obamao&#8217;s version of &#8220;playing through&#8221;:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/obama4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29061\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/obama4.jpg\" alt=\"obama\" width=\"462\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/obama4.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/obama4-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Which brings us, appropriately enough, to today&#8217;s installment of Idiots on Parade, courtesy of PETA:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"2 endangered monkeys die from cold temperatures at Louisiana zoo\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/2015\/01\/14\/2-endangered-monkeys-die-from-cold-temperatures-at-louisiana-zoo\/?intcmp=obmod_ffo&amp;intcmp=obnetwork\" class=\"broken_link\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #ff00ff;\">2 Endangered Monkeys Die From Cold Temperatures at Louisiana Zoo<\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tamaridmonkey.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29033\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tamaridmonkey.jpg\" alt=\"tamaridmonkey\" width=\"350\" height=\"197\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tamaridmonkey.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tamaridmonkey-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;While the world was enraptured by last week\u2019s video of the giant panda bear Bao Bao as the cub frolicked in the snow in Washington, D.C.&#8217;s Smithsonian National Zoo&#8217;s, frigid temperatures were claiming the life of two endangered monkeys in Louisiana.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff00ff;\"><strong>The cotton-top tamarins, which each weigh less than a pound, died after a caretaker &#8220;overlooked&#8221; them and left them out on Jan.7 at the Alexandria Zoological Park, city officials said.<\/strong><\/span> A third monkey survived the exposure. \u00a0The death of the monkeys were only made public this week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8230;<span style=\"color: #ff6600;\"><strong>Now, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, <em>is calling for a federal investigation into the deaths of the tamarins, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">saying that their deaths were preventable<\/span><\/em>.<\/strong><\/span>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Uhhh&#8230;PETA&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BtgdN97bKOM\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;<em>The cotton-top tamarins, which each weigh less than a pound, died after a caretaker &#8220;overlooked&#8221; them and left them out on Jan.7 at the Alexandria Zoological Park, city officials said<\/em>.&#8221; \u00a0Case closed!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But as every cloud has its silver lining&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3MgyRO3c870?start=122\" width=\"420\" height=\"235\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8230;even <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>this<\/em><\/span> simian misfortune leaves some potentate in India as happy as The Obamao with a crispy-fried canine!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Finally, courtesy of Ed Harvey, we&#8217;ll call it a wrap with a truly heart-warming&#8230;as well as <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>hand<\/em><\/span>-warming&#8230;tale of private charity; the only kind which <em>actually<\/em> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>works<\/em><\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><a title=\"Chick-fil-A Franchisee Gives Needy Man Free Meal, His Own Gloves\" href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/chick-fil-franchisee-needy-man-free-meal-gloves\/story?id=28182111&amp;singlePage=true\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Chick-fil-A Franchisee Gives Needy Man Free Meal, His Own Gloves<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/HT_Chick_fil_A-_ml_150113_16x9_992-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29036\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/HT_Chick_fil_A-_ml_150113_16x9_992-1.jpg\" alt=\"HT_Chick_fil_A-_ml_150113_16x9_992 (1)\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/HT_Chick_fil_A-_ml_150113_16x9_992-1.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/HT_Chick_fil_A-_ml_150113_16x9_992-1-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">When a man who appeared to be in need walked into Mark Meadows\u2019 Alabama Chick-fil-A, Meadows does what he has done many times before. He asked how he could help.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">\u201cWe made eye contact and I asked him what would he like, what we could do for him and then he said \u2013 he asked if he could do some work to get something to eat,\u201d Meadows, the owner-operator of the Chick-fil-A franchise on Highway 280, told ABC News in a Monday interview.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Meadows told the man that he would give him a meal on the house.<\/strong><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Meadows doesn\u2019t know whether the man was homeless, but said he was carrying many garbage bags and &#8220;looked, maybe, like he had most of his possessions with him.&#8221;<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Meadows also noticed that the man wasn\u2019t wearing gloves and his hands appeared to be cold.<\/strong><\/span> On that day \u2013 Wednesday \u2013 Birmingham was experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures down to the upper 30s, according to AccuWeather.com.\u00a0Meadows, who has operated his Chick-fil-A for 25 years, asked the stranger whether he had any gloves. The man said he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u201cI said, \u2018Take my gloves,\u2019 and when I went and got them \u2026 he was kind of taken aback, like he didn\u2019t want to take them,\u201d Meadows said.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Eventually, the man accepted the gloves.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/butwaittheresmore.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29038\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/butwaittheresmore.jpeg\" alt=\"butwaittheresmore\" width=\"350\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/butwaittheresmore.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/butwaittheresmore-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">&#8220;&#8230;Meadows is struck by the power of social media but isn\u2019t very comfortable with the consequences.\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t particularly like the attention or the notoriety or the popularity or whatever else,\u201d he said.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>He said he felt compelled to help the man in need because \u201cIt was the right thing to do.\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong>Indeed, his staffers have been instructed to help anyone who asks for food, he said.\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u201cI\u2019ve given food and I\u2019ve put gas in people\u2019s car but I will not give them cash,\u201d he said, describing the ways he\u2019s helped out.<\/span> \u201c<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>I draw the line at cash because I don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen with it<\/em><\/span> \u2026 .\u201d\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000;\">(Unlike the idiots running the federal government, who <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>STILL<\/em><\/span> haven&#8217;t figured this out!)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Meadows last year extended his generosity to drivers who had been stranded by a Jan. 28 ice and snowstorm in Birmingham. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">He served up hundreds of free sandwiches and more than 1,000 biscuits.\u00a0<\/span>Those people were \u201cvery, very appreciative,\u201d Meadows said.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">People on Facebook praised Meadows\u2019 actions toward the needy man.\u00a0\u201cI wish I could \u2018like\u2019 this a million times!!! What a wonderful example of showing God&#8217;s love to another,\u201d Deborah Lafayette wrote.\u00a0Kristen Mason Wade added: <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>\u201cWarmed my heart! <em>Chick-fil-a is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">AWESOME<\/span><\/em>!!\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Truly; or perhaps more accurately, truly Truett! \u00a0All we can say is&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/413Tyx4a-NL._SY344_BO1204203200_.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29037\" src=\"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/413Tyx4a-NL._SY344_BO1204203200_.jpg\" alt=\"413Tyx4a+NL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_\" width=\"215\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/413Tyx4a-NL._SY344_BO1204203200_.jpg 215w, https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/413Tyx4a-NL._SY344_BO1204203200_-186x300.jpg 186w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 215px) 100vw, 215px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Back in the mid-80&#8217;s, we had the window seat in the first row of coach next to a unimposing elderly gentleman on a flight to Atlanta. \u00a0Imagine our surprise when, after the traditional banter between seat-mates, he handed us a business card which read:<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>S. Truett Cathy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chairman<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Chick-fil-A<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Despite the coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich on the back, we still have the card. \u00a0And we&#8217;re confident, upon shuffling off this mortal coil, we&#8217;ll see him again!<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Magoo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>P.S. \u00a0If you made it this far, be sure to weigh in on our latest poll!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s Friday, January 16th, 2015&#8230;but before we begin, a brief bit of humor courtesy of Randy Weber, the Republican congressman who replaced the GOP&#8217;s Crazy Uncle in the Attic, Ron Paul: &nbsp; Weber has since apologized; we only wonder&#8230;why? \u00a0After all, like Joe Wilson before him&#8230; &#8230;Weber was only speaking the truth; so why apologize?!? [&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-29108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29108","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=29108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29109,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29108\/revisions\/29109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}