Orange County Register

In preparation for the American President’s visit to China, Chinese authorities cracked down on the sale of merchandise bearing President Obama’s image. Another example of the censorship coming from Beijing.

But interestingly enough not all of Obama memorabilia was banned, just items that might be construed  as controversial. For example, Obama in Superman garb was allowed to be sold, but Obama in Red Guard attire was banned. I guess that was a little too taboo for Chinese regulators.

Apparently government officials visited stores that were well known for selling Obama memorabilia and forced them to stop selling controversial items. One of the most popular items that was banned was imagery that blended the likenesses of President Obama and Communist Leader Mao Zedong, which has been dubbed “ObaMao.” The ObaMao image takes an image of President Obama and dresses him the famous green jacket and cap worn by the Communist legend.

Obama has spoke in china about the importance of openness fro free society. I guess the bureaucrats missed the memo.

If you are in the 72nd Assembly District don’t forget to get out and vote today.

The only consequential race in the primary is on the GOP side where the two front runner, Supervisor Chris Norby and Linda Ackerman are vying for the Republican nomination. With the nature of that heavily gerrymandered district whichever Republican wins the nomination will like when the general election in January.

If I were a betting man I would put my money on Norby to pull out the victory. Even though he has suffered a barrage of attacks leading up to the campaign, he still remains a popular elected official on the Orange County Board of Supervisors and has a much stronger ballot designation going into the election.

This prediction of course is not to discount the political acumen of Linda Ackerman. the Ackerman name goes a long way in Orange County and her campaign definitely has many of the part mainstays behind it. But in the end Norby’s ballot designation, experience, and history living in the district should win out.

I doubt Norby will win by a landslide but I think the margin will be sufficient. But I have, of course, been wrong once or twice before.

There’s a new movie out about the end of the world: 2012. Our own governor is portrayed at a press conference just after a series of massive earthquakes hit.

The guv is shown reassuring Californians. He says he thinks “the worst is over.” That’s the cue. In the next instant California crumbles into the sea.

Funny how real life imitates the movies, isn’t it? Or is it the other way around? The real governor has been assuring us for years everything will be just peachy. Then ka-pow! The next catastrophe hits the Golden State.

The picture’s fiction of,course. Everyone knows the earth won’t crumble. Global warming will cook us. But we noticed another flaw. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger can’t be governor in 2012. His term is up next year. Maybe the worst is over.

RELATED POSTS:

Almost without anyone noticing (OK, we noticed) the federal government has become daddy, mommy, nanny, teacher, employer, boss, doctor and who knows what else. Did it occur to anyone to ask at some point, “Can the federal government do that?”

Now, the federal government wants to force you to buy insurance. Got that? The government insists it can demand that you spend your own money the way it thinks is best. Not content with taking your money to spend however it wants to, now the government will dictate to you how to spend what it graciously permits you to keep.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) told CNSNews.com he’s not a constitutional scholar so he is “not going to be able to answer” where the Constitution authorizes Congress to mandate that people must purchase health insurance.

You’d think if lawmakers are going to make a law, they might have a clue as to whether they have the authority to do what they want to do. Apparently not.

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) told CNSNews.com he is “not aware” of the Constitution giving Congress authority to force individuals to buy health insurance. Of course, health care bills in both the House and Senate would require that.

“But what we’re trying to do is to provide for people who have needs and that’s where the accessibility comes in, and one of the goals that we’re trying to present here is to make it accessible,” he said. “…But in ways to help citizens in our country to live a good life, let me say it that way, is what we’re trying to do, and in this case, we’re trying to help them with their health.”

Ah, they’re just trying to help. By ordering you to spend your money on what they want you to buy. Hm. Then there’s this: When CNSNews.com asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi where the Constitution authorizes Congress to order Americans to buy health insurance, her response was simply:

“Are you serious? Are you serious?”

Guess that settles that.

RELATED POSTS: