A Carbon Copy, Media Lies, Pour The Wine And Wisconsin

*Does this remind you of anyone? The people of Egypt forced their president to resign. They were angry because Hosni Mubarak couldn’t get the economy to grow, ignored or punished those who opposed him, defied court rulings that said his edicts were unconstitutional, exploited class differences, and tried to curb or control communications, including the Internet. Sound like anyone you know?

*Don’t accept everything the media say. Before believing anything in the popular press about events in the Middle East (or anywhere else, for that matter), consider this gem from The New York Times back in 1979: “The depiction of [Khomeini] as fanatical, reactionary and the bearer of crude prejudices seems certainly and happily false.” Reminds me of how the same paper, 20 years earlier, described Fidel Castro as “definitely not a communist; [he's] the George Washington of Cuba.”

*”Could you bring me a drink, general?” During a state dinner at the White House, Valerie Jarrett, one of Barack Obama’s tough-as-nails cronies from Chicago, turned to a man walking behind her and asked him to bring her a glass of wine. Turns out it wasn’t a waiter, however — it was four-star general Peter Chiarelli, the No. 2 ranking general in the U.S. Army. Chiarelli, who was in full dress uniform, is obviously a gentleman: He went and poured the lady a glass of wine and brought it to her without saying a word.

*Have you read about the fireworks in Wisconsin? Man, things are sure heating up in one of our coldest states. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had the unmitigated gall to say that the State government was going bankrupt and everyone had to tighten their belts a bit. State workers have gone absolutely ballistic at the thought of their cushy benefits and juicy pensions being cut by even a nickel. Democratic legislators even fled the state to avoid taking a vote on budget cuts. Walker says he will call out the National Guard if protests by State workers turn violent. Watch this one closely; it’s a harbinger of things to come.

–Chip Wood