Attention, Democrats: your mortal enemy has reared his head.  Joe the Plumber, AKA Samuel Wurzelbacher, is baaaaaaaack.

Back in 2008, Barack Obama for America fundraiser Helen Jones-Kelley—who was apparently also moonlighting as the director of the Ohio Jobs & Family Services—ordered a full investigation of Wurzelbacher in order to find any kind of dirt that Democrats could use to discredit him.

If you recall, Obama walked up to Wurzelbacher.  Wurzelbacher asked Obama how he felt about redistribution of wealth, and Obama responded that "spreading the wealth around" was a good thing.

Desperate to curry favor with her masters at the Barack Obama campaign, Jones-Kelley ordered a full background check on Wulzerbacher, a move that was soon ruled to be illegal by the Ohio Inspector General.

Governor Ted Strickland refused calls to fire Jones-Kelley , who was also later found to be breaking Ohio laws by conducting political business during state-owned computers.  In fact, the Strickland Administration still refuses to admit that Jones-Kelley acted improperly in any way, to this day.  Jones-Kelley finally resigned in December of 2009.

Two of Jones-Kelley’s lackies, ODJFS Assistant Director Fred L. Williams and ODJFS Director of Child Support Doug Thompson were also involved in the witch-hunt; Thompson was fired in December 2008, and Williams resigned in January 2009.

Fast-forward to today.  Wulzerbacher is suing Helen Jones-Kelley, Thompson and Williams, alleging that his confidential information was accessed improperly, as a form of retaliation for criticizing Jones-Kelley’s object of worship.  Current Ohio Attorney General Dick Cordray is defending them in federal court.  On your dime.

Yes.  You are paying Dick Cordray to defend the invasion of your personal privacy .  Say something that faceless bureaucrats don’t like?  You can get your personal records illegally searched , and Ted Strickland and his cast of clowns won’t bat an eye.

You may be asking why Attorney General Cordray is defending former state employees.  Ohio law states that the attorney general “shall represent and defend the officer or employee in any civil action instituted against the officer or employee," unless he or she determines that the employees "was acting manifestly outside the scope of his employment or official responsibilities, with malicious purpose, in bad faith , or in a wanton or reckless manner, the attorney general shall not represent and defend the officer or employee." (Ohio Revised Code, 109.361-109.365) My emphasis added.

Therefore we can infer that it is the official position of Dick that Jones-Kelley, et. al. did absolutely nothing wrong, and were in fact performing their jobs as servants of the public when they investigated the ObaMaster’s political enemies

That’s right.  It is the opinion of the state’s top lawyer—the guy who represents the State of Ohio in court—that the government has every right to search your background if it doesn’t like what you say.  And he’s going to spend your hard-earned tax money to fight to keep as the government as powerful and big possible.  You are a vassal to the State, in his opinion.

Outrageous.

Both the liberal AG (Aspiring Governor) candidate Mike DeWine and the Republican attorney general candidate Dave Yost have called for Cordray to withdraw from the case.

Apparently, Yost agrees with my analysis.  Yost said in an interview that "to take this case, the attorney general has to be able to say that what these three did was part of their jobs—and that’s not an argument you can make with a straight face."

Well, yes, but Cordray believes that no wrongdoing was done.  It was done for The One, and Cordray actively campaigned for Obama in 2008 Just like Jones-Kelley did.

The ends justify the means in Obama’s America, and that’s why Cordray is defending these criminals.

For more background about the Ohio GOP Attorney General’s race, and for the dramatis personae of this story, see this entry at Athens Runaway.

The Butler County Republican Party, what far-leftist troll bridge Plunderbund terms “Boehner-land” and “smack dab in the middle of the Ohio GOP’s geopolitical base” endorsed Dave Yost for Attorney General.

That’s huge, and apparently the Mike DeWine for Ohio Aspiring Governor campaign felt the bodyblow, too. Why do I make this inference? Because they responded to the Butler County endorsement by trying to downplay it.

We are confident that Republican voters in Ohio will nominate Mike DeWine to be their Attorney General candidate. In poll after poll, Mike DeWine is the only candidate who can beat Richard Cordray. DeWine is known across the state by an overwhelming 93% of voters. As a former county prosecutor, he has the vision and experience to clean up corruption, fix the state crime lab, and make sure our state does everything possible to promote economic growth and job creation. –Source: John Hall, Mike DeWine for Ohio, Campaign Manager

Congrats, guys. You made it sound like you’re nervous about Dave Yost, whereas if you had ignored the Butler County endorsement, you wouldn’t be giving him credibility.

Speaking of “giving credibility,” guess who the Columbus Dispatch cited as an example of Republican conservatives unhappy with Mike DeWine’s unconservativeness? Moi.

Boo-yah.

[Cross-posted at Athens Runaway]

To head off any arguments at the pass, yes, this might be nit-picking. But it’s the symptom of a larger problem.

According to National Geographic, the kids’ television show Sesame Street will be teaching kids about the joys of “sustainable living.”

Sustainable living? You mean like eating your pets?

From Stuff.Co.Nz:

The eco-pawprint of a pet dog is twice that of a 4.6-litre Land Cruiser driven 10,000 kilometres a year, researchers have found.

Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialise in sustainable living, say pet owners should swap cats and dogs for creatures they can eat, such as chickens or rabbits, in their provocative new book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living.

The couple have assessed the carbon emissions created by popular pets, taking into account the ingredients of pet food and the land needed to create them.

“If you have a German shepherd or similar-sized dog, for example, its impact every year is exactly the same as driving a large car around,” Brenda Vale said.

“A lot of people worry about having SUVs but they don’t worry about having Alsatians and what we are saying is, well, maybe you should be because the environmental impact… is comparable.”

In a study published in New Scientist, they calculated a medium dog eats 164 kilograms of meat and 95kg of cereals every year. It takes 43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. This means it takes 0.84 hectares to feed Fido.

“The title of the book is a little bit of a shock tactic, I think, but though we are not advocating eating anyone’s pet cat or dog there is certainly some truth in the fact that if we have edible pets like chickens for their eggs and meat, and rabbits and pigs, we will be compensating for the impact of other things on our environment.”

Professor Vale took her message to Wellington City Council last year, but councillors said banning traditional pets or letting people keep food animals in their homes were not acceptable options.

Yes. I totally think my little siblings getting the idea that eating pets to help Gaia is a good thing that should be encouraged.

Think that’s an extreme example? Think that this is a function of PBS’s funding?

Think again. While most of the videos that were linked to have been taken down by the users, BigGovernment.com’s John Nolte did manage to get transcripts for 11 Obama-worshiping songs that teachers had kids perform for them in the classroom. On your dime. Here’s some fun excerpts from some of them:

“Change We Can Believe In”- Morgan Park High School, Chicago, IL

Tell the children
Take them by the hand
Tell the generations that we can take a stand
Tell the nation let them know that God can heal our land

Change is what we all must be
Change is what we all must see
This is our moment, This is our time
Seize it, [unintelligible], we won’t be denied.

Sure, that’s high-schoolers, they can think for themselves (in theory). Let’s get weirder.

“Barack Obama Rap”- Mr. Dobson’s and Mrs. Dudley’s 5th and 6th grade classes, Giffin Elementary School- Albany, NY

Verse 1:

We’re here to tell you about the man. His name is Barack Obama he’s the leader of this land. He was born in Hawaii then he lived in Illinois. His father moved to Africa when he was a little boy. He got into some trouble when he was 17 and he has come clean now he’s [unintelligible] people [unintelligible] He fights for civil rights and better health care. He wants to make sure that we all will have care. He’s [unintelligible] reform [unintelligible] he’s very educated and he’s got a lot of rhythm. First black President with a heart that’s only true, he wants to make the world better for me and you. At Chicago University he used to be a teacher, [unintelligible] At the Democratic National Convention, the name Barack Obama became [unintelligible].

Chorus:

Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can.

Verse 2:

He was born, in August of 1961.
In 2008 for President, He won.
We have a new President, Barack is the President.
He’s a pioneer. You can check the evidence.
He’s African-American. The first black President.
Now he’s in the white house. The 44th President.
His campaign slogan was “Yes We Can”
He’s a Democrat. He’s the man with the plan.
There is a special book that was written by Obama.
It’s Dreams from My Father, not Dreams from your Momma. [unintelligible] [laughter] [unintelligible] He’s running our country.
[unintelligible] great power.
[unintelligible] He ran against McCain.
Now he’s our President we’re ready to make a change.

Chorus:

Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can,
Say Yes We Can, Say Yes We Can.

[Verse 3]
He attended Columbia U in ’82.
He married Michelle in 1992.
He’s English, he’s Irish, [unintelligible], he’s a modern Martin Luther who was also a great man.
[unintelligible] Obama’s going down as the first in history.
[unintelligible] about war and that is really great.
He’s known around the world – come on let’s celebrate.

This one was done by third-graders at Powell Elementary School, in Camden, NJ
“Kings of Rock”- Powell Elementary School, Camden, NJ.

Barack Obama there is none higher
Other politicians should call me sire
To burn my kingdom you must use fire
I create change till I retire!

Democratic Party come correct
Our cuts are on time our rhymes connect
Got the right to vote and will elect
Others can’t feel us but give us respect

Now I walked through crowds, shook many hands
Spent my time saying YES WE CAN!
I stood on many stages, held many mics
Took airplane flights at great heights
PA and Jersey, I won that fight

Chicago Illinois was so hype
Moving so strong
Biden joined the fight
Now we are a team and we ignite!

Now I crash through walls,
Cut through floors,
Burst through ceilings
Knock down doors.

He is George
And I’m Turan
We’re never far behind
In class we shine
For every living person
With dreams and plans

Keep hope alive –
Think “Yes We Can”

We’re the baddest of the bad
The cool of the cool
I’m Barack
I rock and rule.

I’m Joe. I rock and rule.
It’s not a trick or treat or April fools,
It’s all brand new
With a little old school.

We’ve got the music and the message
For all my friends.
Check us out on the internet,
Load and send.

Music ain’t nothing
but a peoples jam.
It’s President Obama

Also, the National Education Association said that left-wing radical and Obama idol Saul Alinsky’s book Rules for Radicals was “recommended reading” for those in the teaching profession.

Obama buddy and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers called education the “motor-force of revolution.”

But sure. There’s no indoctrination going on in the school system. None at all. You can read more about how there’s no indoctrination going on at BigHollywood.

I’m a bit late to the party, but this story is still breaking, so I’m not late to the party, just not early. I will be updating this story as more information comes in.

Unofficial sources tell me that there will be developments soon. Rumors are swirling, and some of those rumors include that media from Columbus, Ohio are investigating this, as well as pending statements from local politicians and involved parties. The Ohio Republican Party is also rumored to be preparing a statement.

According to documents obtained by several bloggers, including myself, the Ohio University College Democrats (Motto: "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy") appear to have paid voters in the Fourth Ward here in Athens, Ohio.

Here’s a screengrab of the message, which was officially sanctioned by the College Democrats club.

Now, what does the Ohio Revised Code have to say about paying people to vote? (Note: emphasis added)

(A) No person shall before, during, or after any primary, convention, or election:

(1) Give, lend, offer, or procure or promise to give, lend, offer, or procure any money, office, position, place or employment, influence, or any other valuable consideration to or for a delegate, elector, or other person;

(2) Attempt by intimidation, coercion, or other unlawful means to induce such delegate or elector to register or refrain from registering or to vote or refrain from voting at a primary, convention, or election for a particular person, question, or issue;

(3) Advance, pay, or cause to be paid or procure or offer to procure money or other valuable thing to or for the use of another, with the intent that it or part thereof shall be used to induce such person to vote or to refrain from voting.

(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of bribery, a felony of the fourth degree ; and if he is a candidate he shall forfeit the nomination he received, or if elected to any office he shall forfeit the office to which he was elected at the election with reference to which such offense was committed.

State law says that what the College Dems was a big no-no. However, the Ohio Secretary of State office is currently controlled by a far-leftist with ties to chronically illegal ACORN, Jennifer Brunner. So that may be a big win in the election-defrauding College Democrats’ corner.

Let’s see how far this rabbit hole goes…

[UPDATE, 7:38 PM]: Sources currently investigating the story inform me that the money behind Galan’s Cash for Votes scheme came from the Athens County Democratic Party.

It should be noted that the current chair of the Athens County Democratic Party, Susan Gwinn, is currently under indictment and on trial for wo counts of theft in office, two counts of falsification and one count each of money laundering and unauthorized used of property.

Let’s review quickly: Cash for votes from the College Dems, but only if the voters are from the Fourth Ward.  Fourth Ward is a district being defended by Athens County Democratic Party hack Christine Fahl.  County Dems, and by extension the OU College Democrats are controlled by Susan Gwinn.  Susan Gwinn’s under indictment for financially-related election law violations.

Do the math.

(Cross-posted at Athens Runaway )

Normally, I’ve avoided writing about goings-on in my town, Athens, Ohio, because it’s not called The People’s Republic of Athens for nothing.

Writing about stuff that goes on here is an exercise in mental masturbation; the college professors are still going to be unthinking and liberal, the college students are going to be unthinking, and the beer will keep on flowing on Court Street.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I’m dropping this unofficial policy of mine.  While common sense has little lease in town here, there’s still people in this bastion of liberal academia that are able to think critically about things.

Which brings me to why I’m breaking my personal embargo on reporting on goings-on in a city where almost nothing government-related can be blamed on a Republican messing things up, simply because there are no Republicans running things at the city level, and only two Republican at the county level—rationality.  Critical thinking.  Things that it appears that Athens County Democrats lack, or disdain.

The first data point: one Nancy Bain, Athens City Councilmember, Ohio University professor, and, apparently, elitist.  Far-left blogger and friend of mine Nate Nelson did some public records request-digging and found records of Nancy Bain telling a colleague of hers, Athens City Auditor Kathy Hecht, to tell a private citizen who was asking uncomfortable questions to “go to [hell] and stay put!

When Hecht asked Bain where he got the numbers he was using, Bain advised Hecht:

Hi, The anount [sic] was discussed in executive session and should not be released. Tell him to go to [hell] and stay put!
nancy Bain

(Note: the word “hell” was not used as far as can be determined, but there are absolutely no idioms in the English language that start with “go to” and end with “and stay put” that don’t involve “hell.”)

The private citizen is running for Athens City Council on the Republican ticket, and has been endorsed by two of the three major newspapers in town here, including the liberal “alternative news” outlet.  His name is Randy Morris, and you can find his campaign site here.

Nate asked her if, in light of the fact that this “super-secret information” appeared in the public arena, namely the press.  Bain replied:

Such information is generally considered privileged under the Sunshine Law. [...] I never was asked, nor did I respond the [sic] Candidate/Citizen Morris. [..]  But if you review the the [sic] tapes of the meeting you will find your answer.

And therein lies the rub!  Morris is not running against Bain, nor was he brought up in the conversation.  Bain is conflating Candidate Morris with Citizen Morris; it’s bad manners to tell the member of an opposing party to “go to hell and stay put,” but it’s unethical to tell a public citizen who’s doing his duty and trying to get information on how his government plans to spend his money.

While she did not say this to his face, she did say this about him, and clearly disapproves of his efforts to shed light on the City Council’s activities.

Nate sums it up much better than I could:

In case you’re missing the audacity, let me point it out to you. Bain is using a law that exists to ensure transparency in order to evade it. And she’s not even doing that well! She insists that she cannot tell me how council will pay for a $1.75 million purchase because it’s “privileged information,” then turns around and says that this “privileged information” is actually open to the public in recordings of council meetings. If that’s the case, Dr. Bain, why don’t you just answer the question? And maybe you better get Kathy Hecht to sit down and take a listen to those tapes, since she was as clueless as the rest of us on August 17.

Are you seeing a pattern here? The Athens County Democratic Party thinks it is politically untouchable, and therefore politically unaccountable to Athens voters and taxpayers. Their party chair is under indictment and not one of them[...] has asked her to at least temporarily step aside.

They can do that, because they’re untouchable and unaccountable. Their councilwoman insists that Athens voters and taxpayers have no right to know how their city council plans to pay for a planned $1.75 million purchase that was authorized with no public input. She can do that, because she’s untouchable and unaccountable.

For a liberal, this kid’s pretty astute.

When liberals such as those on Athens City Council and in the Athens city government get questioned, they get angry and defensive, and lash out at the people they claim to represent.  The same goes for liberals in general, as we know.

Stay tuned for Part II…

Cross-posted at Athens Runaway.

Did you hear the news? This is ridiculous.

According to Andrew Breitbart and his investigative journalism website BigGovernment.com—the belles of the ACORN-cracking ball—there are more Obama administration officials meeting with the leaders of industry in order to push the White House’s agenda into the public consciousness.

You’ll recall the Celebrity Pledge Video, where cultural leaders such as will.i.am, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher (ugh, I can’t believe I had to call them “cultural leaders”) urged fans to “pledge to be a servant to our president.” Well, this is just another piece in the puzzle.

The post-coital peestream media missed this story, but once again, the Internet picked up on it. Anyway, Breitbart broke the story that the National Endowment for the Arts, the White House’s Office of Public Engagement, and leaders from Obama’s “United We Serve” initiative had a conference call with “artists, producers, promoters, organizers, influencers, marketers, taste-makers, leaders or just plain cool people to join together and work together to promote a more civically engaged America and celebrate how the arts can be used for a positive change!”

In other words, the White House, an allegedly non-political taxpayer-funded organization, and a political organization met with cultural leaders and tried to convince them to incorporate the White House’s social message into their art. That’s… creepy, to say the least.

It was revealed recently, again by Breitbart, that Hollywood is in on the game, too. A memo leaked from the Entertainment Industry Foundation revealed that, for this current week, all the major broadcast networks, as well cable networks owned by the aforementioned broadcast channels, will be incorporating storylines promoting volunteerism and airing commercials directing viewers to a website called “iParticipate,” where, surprisingly, all the ways that you “get involved” are left-wing causes.

Cue “Obama of Borg,” if you would.

Gracias.

On one of the promoted websites that are in on the game, CreateTheGood, this lovely, totally non-partisan talking point on why you should get involved and help your community appears:

Health reform isn’t about rationing; it’s about giving people the peace of mind of knowing that they will be able to keep their doctors and that they will always have a choice of affordable health plans.

How… altruistic… of the Obama administration to direct the group involved in this to pimp his health-care plan.

Through this media blitz, you can also get involved with the eco-douchebagger National Wildlife Foundation, help pot-smokers grow marijuana, serve as an imam at an inner-city mosque, even be an Christian Socialist blogger astroturfer for hire! Yay!

Volunteerism is nice, and I have volunteered for good causes like Food for the Hungry, and raised money for breast cancer research, but do we need to have all our favorite TV characters direct us to sign up with the White House? Why does volunteerism have to be a government directive?

I’m sure you’ll forgive me if I smell a rat, especially when Obama is trying to actively shape our culture in what appears to his metaphorical—and in the case of the NEA and White House staffers meetings with cultural leaders, artistic—image.