TODAY’S LAUGH

True or not, it’s a great anecdote.

In addition to communicating with the local Air Traffic Control facility, all aircraft in the Persian Gulf AOR are required to give the Iranian Air Defense Radar (military) a ten minute ‘heads up’ if they will be transiting Iranian airspace. This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving them your call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of origin and destination.

This was on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency of 121.5 MHz while flying from Europe to Dubai. It’s too good not to pass along.

Iranian Air Defense Radar: “Unknown aircraft you are in Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.”

Pilot: “This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.”

Iranian Air Defense Radar: “You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!”

Pilot: “This is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter. Send ‘em up, I’ll wait!”

Iranian Air Defense Radar: (no response … total silence)

Via Don Surber.

OPPORTUNITY FOR OBAMA

“You never want a serious crisis go to waste.” That’s the thought of Rahm Emanuel, the President’s chief of staff.

As the economic signs grow ever more grim, so do the problems facing the incoming Obama administration.

That's one way of looking at things. Here's another:

As the economic signs grow ever more grim, the opportunities for the Obama administration to drive through its agenda actually are getting better.

And that’s exactly what the Obama administration did.

The most notable feature of the budget is its fundamental reordering of the role of government. In the fiscal year starting in October. Obama wants to spend a 10-year total of $630 billion for a downpayment on a government takeover of the healthcare system, green the nation’s energy economy, make college education an entitlement and otherwise heavily involve the federal government in education system.

Welcome to the Welfare States of America.

THANK YOU MR. OBAMA

Eventually, when it finally reaches zero, there'll be no way to go but up.

A SENATOR RESPONDS

My Senator, Jim Webb ($-VA), finally responded to my concerns about the spending ... oops, “stimulus” package passed by Congress:

Dear Dr. Hankamer:

Thank you for contacting my office regarding the ongoing economic crisis and the federal government's response. I appreciate your taking the time to share your concerns with me.

The United States is facing an economic crisis that is causing American families to fall behind. Communities are being hard hit by home foreclosures, failing businesses, and job losses that are almost unprecedented in recent history. As your U.S. Senator, I am committed to supporting policies that will help end the economic crisis and will help restore basic fairness for all Americans.

It is for this reason that I supported the bi-partisan American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1). This economic recovery package is designed to swiftly drive money into our struggling economy. With help for struggling families, meaningful tax cuts and concentrated funding on key infrastructure programs, I am hopeful that this responsibly-crafted legislation will create millions of new jobs and begin immediately to restore America's economic strength.

As one of those who were concerned with many aspects of the original proposal, I was pleased to work with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to put this plan into place within a set of targeted parameters for economic renewal. My Senate colleagues and I focused on programs to help families struggling under today's serious economic downturn, on shovel-ready infrastructure and public works projects, and on addressing the housing crisis. I am pleased that we were able to remove almost $100 billion in spending from the original proposal.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act also contains tax cuts for families and businesses, provisions to help unemployed Americans keep their health care and find new employment, and provides aid to help the most vulnerable. While this legislation is an important step, other measures must be adopted to restore the health of our economy. These include appropriate reforms of our banking and financial systems, tax fairness, and measures to place the nation on a long-term path to fiscal responsibility.

I appreciate hearing from my constituents. Your correspondence helps me serve you better in the Senate. I hope that you will continue to share your views with me and my staff in the years ahead.

I would also invite you to visit my website at www.webb.senate.gov for regular updates about my activities and positions on matters that are important to Virginia and our nation.

Thank you once again for contacting my office.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
United States Senator

OK, Jimbo, one question: just how do plan to pay for this trillion (Ed: that’s 12 zeros, my friend) dollar “bi-partisan” (Ed: I see; it takes 3 Republican votes to be bi-partisan) “responsibly-crafted legislation” (Ed: your words, not mine: responsible must mean vote for without reading)?

Capital gains tax? Hey, I’ve already got enough long-term capital losses to offset any “gains” for the next five years.

Tax the rich? Don’t get your hopes up. My wife and I would qualify as “rich” by Democrat standards if we both worked full-time, which we don’t – and won’t. The blunt fact is that our marginal tax rate is so high that it’s not worth working full time.

So let me ask again: how do the Democrats plan to pay for this abortion? The honest answer, of course, is that our children and grandchildren will pay. Are you willing to answer honestly?

A CULTURE OF IMPUNITY?

From Glenn Reynolds, writing in the Washington DC Examiner:

Despite all the faux-outrage about Wall Street bonuses on Capitol Hill, it seems to be the members of the political class who are getting away with things. Some examples:

Obama's appointee as Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, turns out not to have paid all of his taxes.

Tom Daschle had a $100,000 tax problem, which caused him to forfeit his nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-NY, faces too many scandals to count, from tax problems, to real estate questions, to an interest-group-funded Caribbean junket that violated House ethics rules.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-CT, had sweetheart loans from Countrywide Mortgage -- a subprime lender under the jurisdiction of the Senate Banking Committee, which he chairs.

We've gone from a "culture of corruption" in which people who figured in scandals faced actual consequences, to a ”culture of impunity.”

By all accounts, we're heading into a rough period, with the economy spiraling downward, the federal government near bankruptcy, and many state and local governments actually broke. And the fault will lie with our political class, which has done so much to forfeit the trust that, ultimately, makes a nation possible.

BRING IT ON

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow apparently wants to bring back the Fairness Doctrine to “balance right-wing talk on the radio dial.”

That tempts me to say “bring it on!” Can you imagine Rush Limbaugh or Neal Boortz on NBC? or CBS? or ABC?

What the liberals fail to recognize is that this knife cuts both ways.

By the way, Stabenow is married to Tom Athans, a liberal talk radio executive.

A VIEW FROM MY WINDOW

Manassas, VA at 7:30 am.