The year was 1997. I was working 3rd Shift for NationsBank Card Services. Back before we had 24 hour stores, This WalMart opened at 4am on Black Friday. One of the things they had on sale was a 30 inch color TV for an insaneprice. So, I decided to get to the nearest WalMart on Miiltary Highway, get in, get out with my TV. I knew, however, that I was going to have a problem with the mob. But, I also knew something that the mob didn’t know, and planned to use that to my advantage.

I arrived at the store, went directly to the customer service desk, and the young lady there rang me up for my purchase, gave me a receipt, and told me to give it to the folks standing guard at the TV’s. I went back there and pushed my way through the crowd, handed my receipt to the person there, and they started going through the motions of getting one loaded into my cart.

What happened next can only be described as all hell breaking loose. The crowd of people, ready to fight over these TV’s, refused to let me pass, and threatened to beat the snot out of me. At the very least, they weren’t going to let me out of the store with a working TV, the implication being they would sooner see the one I had just bought fairly smartly bounce tested before I got out of the store. The WalMart employee told the crowd that there was nothing he could do about it, as I had paid for the item, one of those TV’s was rightfully mine. They had to get security guards to escort me out of the store with the TV. The fact that I worked smarter and not harder had just pissed off at least 50 or 60 people, and they all knew they’d been had. Not by me, mind you, but rather their own inability to do a little homework. They all came ready for a fight over a TV. I came for a TV. As expected, they got their fight, and some of them didn’t get a TV. I got a TV without a fight.

I’m fairly sure WalMart doesn’t allow that anymore, as it appears they’d rather see people act like savages. At the very least, they don’t advertise the fact that you can buy the damn thing first and go pick it up with ticket in hand. In any event, I shop online now and refuse to go shopping at a box store after Thanksgiving unless I absolutely have to as a last resort.

When I see events like what happened yesterday, I’m just reminded of the irrationality of a mob. I’m also reminded, sadly, of the fact that people (as opposed to specific persons) are generally stupid, and hate being proved stupid. A simple phone call would have given them the same knowledge I had, and it damn sure would have made their night a lot simpler.

To them I say, “Wake up, savages. You’re being had.” You’re being had by the stores, by the folks who report the news, and by people like me who up until yesterday, made fun of you. I can’t make fun of a guy being stomped to death by a mob. It’s sad. I can however, point the blame at the animalistic behavior of the zero-sum game mindset that Black Friday puts people in, and I can point the finger of blame at the stores who promote the idea that gladitorial combat is the only way you’re going to get a sweet deal on that Flat Screen. It’s sickening, and something has to be done before somebody else dies.

I read somewhere that Target doesn’t do the 5am doorbusters anymore, and prefers to do a 2 day sale instead, because they didn’t want something like this to happen in their store.

Sounds like a good enough reason to shop at Target.

Technorati Tags: Black Friday, Nine, Riot, Television, Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart, Walmart

Just Google her.  Seriously.  Or, Google her blog, Atlas Shrugs.  See her?

Well, that’s apparently a problem for Ms. Geller,  because none of the stories she’s written are searchable anymore.  In fact, she’s written a little rant about it:

How does Atlas grow? Google search is one critically important way. People find Atlas when they do a word search in google ie “Obama birth certificate“, “Obama odinga“, “honor killings”, “Obama campaign finance fraud“  - stories that I broke or did groundbreaking work on and Atlas is usually in the top five of the search results. That’s how folks find my work and generally I keep 15-20% of them as return readers. Regular Atlas readers know the media refuses to cover these stories - building readership is the only way to boost awareness in this increasingly dangerous world.

A couple of days ago I was wiped off google search pages. Yes, if you google Pamela Geller or Atlas Shrugs, I come up, that is not the issue. My work is not there, it does not come up in google’s search results. It is critical to building Atlas that I be searchable.Youtube searches are still intact as are images.

Further my google search box (left sidebar) which I use almost constantly to search my site for reasearch (as do my readers) has been dramtically affaected. Input any term, any word in my search box and the same thing comes up - FORBIDDEN.

This sound funny to you?  It gets better.  Ms. Geller sinks further into the Pit O’ Dumb by saying this is censorship.  Why?  Because Google CEO Eric Schmidt backed Obama, and was in line to be Obama’s CTO.

Rumor has it that Google CEO Eric Schmidt will be occupying the newly-formed tech advisor position to the president of the United States. Barack Obama created this position just shortly before visiting the Google headquarters during his campaign, and some believe that the reason this happened was because the job was promised to Schmidt.

Uh, not so much.

In an appearance on CNBC Friday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt took himself out of the running to be the Obama Administration’s promised chief technology officer, so we can stick in fork in that really bad idea. Asked by host Jim Cramer if he’s interested in the job Schmidt said, “I love working at Google and I’m very happy to stay at Google, so the answer is no.” Thank goodness for that.

Still, there’s got to be a reason for it, right?  Why would Google just remove Atlas Shrugs’ searchable content?  Well, someone by the profile of “againstcensorship” in Google Webmaster Help (very likely Ms. Geller) asked.  “DId google censor atlasshrugs.com content?  I get no hits of articles
on this site”.

What she got in response was probably NOT what she was looking for. A sample:

Googlenoia strikes again… or is it a case of plugging for
contributions to fuel the cause**?

Highly likely, but most of the idiots that read Ms. Geller would contribute anyway if she asked.  Bloglemmings are like that.

I had a look at your site and your google rant. You have no idea what
you are talking about. Ypou have no idea how search engines crawl,
index and rank pages.

How long do you think it will be before Google bans you from Adsense?
and it won’t be for your paranoid reasons, it will be for deliberatly
and blatantly breaking the agreement you agreed to when you joined
adsense. It will be interesting to see the spin you put on this when
it happens.

What, do you mean a fine upstanding citizen journalist like Pamela Geller isn’t following the Adsense Terms of Service?

Oh, my site just dropped in rank. Can I get some financial support,
and an anti-censorship movement too?

This is just as cracked as the story which she was complaining about
losing rank.

So, this isn’t the first time she’s whined about Google screwing her.  Shocking.  One person did Google her and Atlas Shrugs and came up with 8900 entries.  Her response:

> That indexing has been altered intentionally.

Totally agreed. Google intentionally hates link exchnage, link
schemes, and intentionally devaluates it as it’s against the quality
guidelines.
http://www.linktopia.org/index.php?profile&slid=16482
Beside this your domain is 302-redirected to the typad blog instead of
301-permanently moved redirect, so that the value from some natural
links could genrate some benefit for the typepad subdomain you use.

So it’s up to you to decide whether you need help regarding to ranking
of your site, or continue building more theories why Google filters
out your content.

I understand that the choice is not easy as the “I was spamming
Google, so I’ve lost some ranking” headline is much less exciting that
your current theory.

Google give people a wealth of information on how to play nice. The problem is, a lot of people don’t think they have to. This leads to exactly what happened here, and instead of diagnosing the problems with her website, Ms. Geller went to the default position of “It’s Google’s Fault, those nasty censors. Waaaah, my work isn’t there, I’m losing money, I should be at the top of the searches!”

Or, as she said, “I juat(sic) want to be Atlas again in the googlesphere. I earned it.”

She’s entitled?

Pamela Geller, the world’s first Blog Welfare Queen.

Technorati Tags: Atlas Shrugs, Barack Obama, Eric Schmidt, Google, Pamela Geller, Sandboxing, Search, Web search engine

After hearing about the tragic death of a Wal Mart worker this morning, I began thinking about how business and consumers can both get something out of Christmas Shopping, and cut down on future bruises and contusions.

Some weeks ago, I was at Harris Teeter, picking up some items.   Out in front of the store, they had these cards that you could get stamped by the cashier if you had bought a certain amount.  If you did that for 10 weeks or so, Harris Teeter would give you a free turkey for Thanksgiving.  The idea behind it is pretty simple: Harris Teeter got a guaranteed revenue stream out of you for 10 weeks, and in return, they gave you something back, it cost them far less in the end, what’s a turkey in return for the hundreds you spent?

Why can’t this model work for other things?  For example, iPods, and the iTunes Store?  Can we all agree that an iPod is an item a lot of us would like to have?  Say, for example, Apple implemented a program that said if you spent x amount in the ITunes Store between January 1st and Thanksgiving Day, you could qualify for Apple Merchandise?  They could set up a multi level thing, like rewards points.  Based on where you end up on Thanksgiving Day, you could then choose what you want, and have it sent to you.  Of course, it would have to be profitable for Apple.  But, the upside for them is that they get a guaranteed revenue stream based on what you give them every month in hopes of reaching those levels.

Does it work for higher end items like HDTVs?  Blu-ray players?  Hell, Wal Mart could do this with very little problem, AND do it for much less than you think.  For them, it’s going to come down to cost per unit, which is much less than you end up paying going into the store an buying something any old time.  How much does the average family spend at Wal Mart every year?  It should pale in comparison to the cost of, say, a flat screen TV.

A second Idea that might be better suited to the big box stores, is a lottery based on sales for a specific period.  Person’s spending a certain amount over 10 weeks (or more), get their names put into a drawing, for the riht to be at the store at 4am to take first crack at the doorbusters.  Say, the first 100 people.  They get a predetermined amount of time in the store before opening to the general public.  BUT, those lucky 100 people get an additional discount because of customer loyalty.

Lastly, people who act like animals, in any event, deserve to get their asses arrested, and their stuff restocked for someone a little more respectful of others to buy.  If these stores are going to create a mob scene, they need to be prepared to respond to the mob mentality.  This behavior can’t be tolerated, and something has to be put in place to enforce a little decorum.  Throw the bums and psychopaths out of your store.  Cage the animals.  Insist on adult behavior.  What the hell is wrong with that?

Technorati Tags: Apple, Big-box store, Black Friday, Christmas Shopping, DoorBusters, Harris Teeter, iPod, iTunes Store, Lottery, Points System, Revenue, Rewards, Wal-Mart

GP has his knickers in a twist this morning because of an Obama quote.  One he created, but he’s still pissed.

He says, in his subject line,

Obama Tells Disappointed Supporters: “I Am the Change.”

Obama didn’t say that.  McClatchy newspapers wrote the following, though:

President-elect Barack Obama essentially said Wednesday that he is the change, striving to assure Americans that he’ll shake up Washington despite filling his administration with old hands from the Clinton administration and the capital’s corridors of power.

“Understand where the vision for change comes from, first and foremost,” Obama said. “It comes from me. That’s my job, is to provide a vision in terms of where we are going, and to make sure, then, that my team is implementing.”

Since when does the description of what someone said become the quote?  It does when you’re a “citizen jounalist” with a bias.  However, something about Obama’s actual quote reminded me of something else. Who does this quote come from?

“You surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the overall policy that you’ve decided upon is being carried out.  In the Cabinet meetings–and some members of the Cabinet who have been members of other Cabinets told me that there had never been such meetings–I use a system in which I want to hear what everybody wants to say honestly.  I want the decisions made on what is right or wrong, what is good or bad for the people of this country.  I encourage all the input I can get…And when I’ve heard all that I need to make a decision, I don’t take a vote, I make the decision.  Then I expect every one of them, whether their views have carried the day or not, to go forward together in carrying out the policy.”

That, friends, was Ronald Reagan.

Need it in third grade English?  I can name that tune in three notes.

“I’m the Decider.”

How do the quotes differ?  Obama’s a Democrat.  So, as long as the Republican (sorry, THE Republican), has that exact same process, I would guess that’s perfectly OK with the BlogTards.

You’re a hypocrite, GP, and a hack to boot.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Change, Gateway Pundit, politics, President-Elect, The McClatchy Company, United States

Reading Ben Smith’s Blog at Politico, and came across this story

GOPTrust.com paid $24,000 Triangulation Strategies – which was listed at the same address as dickmorris.com — for ads that appeared on Morris’s Web site and in his e-mailed newsletter, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The gist of the article is that Morris may have had a little to gain from this, because in the waning days of the election, he was beating the drum for the National Republican Trust PAC the aforementioned “GOPTrust.com”.

A commentr in the thread said the following: “Now Ben, just to be fair….let’s see a story about where George Soros’ money went during the campaign and where it’s going now. Oh, wait a minute, hell just froze over and a pig flew by. Yeah, like your ‘journalistic’ talents will ever go after a real story. Now excuse me…I must vomit.”

So, I decided to check. It’s not like these things can’t be found…

Personal Contributions made by George Soros for the 2008 election cycle totaled $101,050:

However, it’s the 527S contributions that the commenter was most likely asking about.  Here they are:

• 3.5 Million Dollars contributed to The Fund For America
• 1 Million Dollars contributed to America Votes
• $250,000 contributed to EMILY’s List Non Federal
• $150,000 contributed to Young Democrats Of America

The Fund for America, a 527 political action committee, was established November 7, 2007, to “accept and disburse funds in order to create a lasting progressive majority voice in public affairs.”

America Votes is a coalition of the largest membership-based progressive groups in the country, representing a broad range of issues including the environment, civil and human rights, choice, education and labor.

EMILY’s List members are dedicated to building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to office.

The Young Democrats of America is the largest youth-led, national, partisan political organization.

Of the four, The Fund For America is going to get the most eyeballs, seeing as Soros contributed 3.5 large to it.  Where does money donated to that fund go?

It’s reported that FFA collected $12,142,046 while it was open for business.  It closed in June after Obama said he didn’t want his donors giving to outside groups.  It spent $11,514,130,, funding organizations such as Campaign to Defend America, America Votes, VoteVets.org, Americans United for Change, ACORN, Center for American Progress Action Fund and Women’s Voices, Women Vote Action Fund, as well as Progress Now Action and a few of its affiliates.

So, there’s your story on where the money went.  All anyone had to do was Google it, which I dare say both the media and the bloglemmings should be capable of doing if they really wanted to know that badly.

UPDATE 8:28pm: Media Matters has a nice breakdown of the Dick Morris/GOPTrust.com backscratching.

Technorati Tags: America Votes, Conrtibutions, Emilys List, Fund for America, George Soros, politics, United States

The basis of Michelle’s latest serving of bovine fecal matter comes from the wonderful world of being green. For purposes of setting the right starting point, here’s the campaign promise, straight from Obama:

Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars — cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon — on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.

So we’re clear, this is a campaign promise that Obama wants to work on once he takes office. Note the date. It’s 11/23.

So, naturally, NOW is the time to say Obama’s a hypocrite on hybrid cars, because he’s going to be driven around in a gas guzzler.

Michelle, who hasn’t missed an lame excuse to bash the President-elect for things he has no actual control over yet, has this to say:

Well, who is surprised by this story about the “monster gas-guzzling” Obamamobile? Once a Drive as I Say-er, always a Drive as I Say-er…Obama’s eco-hypocrisy emission standard: Still high.

The trouble with all of this, is that this limo is for the President, whoever that was going to be.

A spy photographer who tracks down future car models for magazines snatched pictures of the heavily disguised first-car-in-waiting when it was being road-tested last summer.

I’m reading this, and my take is that they mean Summer of 2007. Well, hell. If you knew THAT far back you were going to lose the election, you could have saved yourself at least $150,000.

This car was already constructed and being road tested before anyone had any clue that Barack Obama was going to run away with it. This is of course, ignoring the fact that a car that gets 10 miles a gallon is stupid, no matter who the guy in the back is, Republican or Democrat. I doubt seriously that this would be an issue if McCain was the guy in the back of that limo, despite The Republican Candidates own campaign promises:

John McCain Will Propose A $300 Million Prize To Improve Battery Technology For Full Commercial Development Of Plug-In Hybrid And Fully Electric Automobiles.

True, Malkin and the bloglemmings didn’t like Mac either, but the argument would still change from energy hypocrisy to the proper and appropriate protection of the President and The Vice President. The fact that it sucks down gas like it was a bottomless Big Gulp would be conveniently be sidestepped by the fact that the Republicans want to drill baby drill. What’s 10 miles a gallon if it’s American oil supplying that gas?

The only thing that could make this more laughable is finding out that Malkin drives a Ford Expedition or something that gets gets 15-20 mpg tops, with a steering wheel in one hand, Blackberry in the other, and no concept of the words “blind spot”, or “turn signal”. That’s just humorous speculation of course, but can’t you just SEE that?

Technorati Tags: Automobiles, Barack Obama, Energy, Gas, Hybrids, John McCain, Michelle Malkin, President-Elect

I’m sure she doesn’t know about this, but I find it hilarious that a lady that has no problem letting the “will of the people” take away the rights of a group, also has no problem making a buck off the same group.

The Google Ad is for PinkCupid, a dating and singles site for lesbians.

Ad filters, Michelle.  Look into them.

Technorati Tags: FAIL., Google, Google Ads, Lesbians, Michelle Malkin, PinkCupid

I knew this was going to happen. I didn’t want to actually believe it, but some people can’t be helped. Moreover, Ann Coulter can’t help herself.

This morning’s column, “The Reign Of Lame Falls Mainly On McCain” is the start of the attempt to throw John McCain under the bus, and the particular brand of insanity that she spouts is a joy to behold. I’ve included the link here so you can read her entire column in context, and you should. Even if it’s the only time you ever read an Ann Coulter column.

Some juicy paragraphs for your pleasure:

After Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidential election, Hillary Clinton immediately announced that, henceforth, she would be known as “Hillary Rodham Clinton.” So maybe Obama can now become B. Hussein Obama, his rightful name.

…
This was such an enormous Democratic year that even John Murtha won his congressional seat in Pennsylvania after calling his constituents racists. It turns out they’re not racists — they’re retards. Question: What exactly would one have to say to alienate Pennsylvanians? That Joe Paterno should retire?

Apparently Florida voters didn’t mind Obama’s palling around with Palestinian activist Rashid Khalidi and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, either. There must be a whole bunch of retired Pennsylvania Jews down there.

…

How many times do we have to run this experiment before Republican primary voters learn that “moderate,” “independent,” “maverick” Republicans never win, and right-wing Republicans never lose?

…

Like Sarah Connor in “The Terminator,” Sarah Palin is destined to give birth to a new movement. That’s why the Democrats are trying to kill her. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is involved somehow, too. Good Lord, I’m tired.

I understand, Ann. And after a sentence like that, maybe you should follow the nice men in the white coats, and have a nice rest. They have HBO, and all the tin foil you can ask for.

I am now liberated to announce that all I care about is hunting down and punishing every Republican who voted for McCain in the primaries. I have a list and am prepared to produce the names of every person who told me he was voting for McCain to the proper authorities.

For someone who tried to rehab the image of Joe McCarthy, this doesn’t surprise me. Ann, please put me at the top of the list. I confess, I voted for McCain in the primaries, and switched sides and voted for Barack Obama in the general election. Oh, and Ann, Sarah Palin is the reason I couldn’t vote for McCain, aside from the fact that I don’t believe John McCain was in control of his own campaign.

Ann, one more thing. Right wing republicans never lose? Rick Santorum wasn’t right wing enough? Dick Armey wasn’t right wing enough?

Amazingly enough, all the other folks I tried to list all resigned due to ethics complaints, or actual indictments. Just thought I’d mention that.

John McCain lost this election not because he wasn’t conservative enough, but because the conservative movement in the party forced him to run t the right, where he did not want to be. You also forced him to take a vice presidential candidate he did not want. Prove me wrong. While he may have still lost in the end, if he had been allowed to choose Joe Lieberman as it’s reported he wanted to do, I think it may have been a closer race than it ended up being.

Plus, you might have had the Pennsylvania Jews.

I’ll say it again till I’m blue in the face. Your base cost you this election, because they couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a Mormon. Don’t blame the message, or the messenger, blame your base. Mitt Romney would probably be the President today, were it not for the fact that your Christian Redneck base revolted–albeit silently–against a candidate who didn’t love the same Jesus.

It wasn’t the Pennsylvanians, or the unperfected Jews, Ann. It was the pitchforks.

I do hope the view looks good from that petard you’re hanging from.

Technorati Tags: Ann Coulter, Human Events

Folks, I’m tooling around the internets, and I’m laughing at the superior intellect of those on the right that are now attempting to belittle the victory of Barack Obama as something other than what it really is.

Examples. I haz it.

Let’s start with my favorite blogtard in the whole entire world, Malkin.

Here’s my promise to you: As long as I can still publish a blog and speak my mind openly about the next denizen of the White House, I will.
First order of business: He can now change the “0″ to a “1.”

Michelle implies that an Obama win means that she’s worried she’ll be muzzled. Michelle, you shouldn’t be muzzled because you’re a right wing blogtard, you should be muzzled because you’re a clueless blogtard. Oh, and because YOU DOTH SUCK.

From Babalu:

No doubt in the coming days and weeks we will be hearing the word mandate. To put a little perspective on the vote count and to illustrate what a real mandate looks like, take a look at the map depicting the landslide vote Reagan received in 1980.

It’s cute when they have to go back 28 years to make that point. Reagan ran against Carter in 1980. An invertebrate could have beat Carter in 1980.

Face a little reality, Babalu. 1980 is so one generation ago, and to compare the electoral climate of 28 years ago to last nights election is intellectually dishonest. Granted, there are some on the Democratic side that will claim that this election is a repudiation of conservatism, I disagree. This election is a repudiation of this bunch of conservatives, specifically. It was a course correction, as most folks believe that we’ve gone TOO far to the right. Whether this is an overcompensation remains to be seen, but it does not make this any less than a mandate.

Federal Way Conservative takes another tack:

If someone says that they have a mandate, it is ok to laugh at them. They don’t have 60 seats in the senate. They barely have a majority in the house. Obama might’ve run on change and hope, but he is going to have a tought time changing even his bedsheets without the senate 60% on his side.

That’s exactly the blinkered thinking we want to get away from. Barack Obama–a guy who preached bipartisanship through out his campaign–doesn’t have a mandate because he’s forced to act in a bipartisan manner with the Senate and the House. That’s the argument of a bitter Republican who would sooner take his ball and go home, than play well with others. Party First, eh?

The Mandate is not for Obama’s agenda, or for a total ejection of Republicans, and it never was. The Mandate is for all of us–starting with Washington–is to embrace The Change We All Need. That change, Pelosi, Boehner, Reid, McConnell, Red States and Blue States, starts with two words that should be more than a slogan: Country First.

Technorati Tags: 2008 Election, Babalu, Barack Obama, BlogTards, Federal Way Conservative, Mandate, Michelle Malkin

Here’s the Black Panther video from Fox News This Morning.  Pay close attention to the voice:

He’s described by Rick Leventhal as a Republican Poll Observer. Now, here’s a recording of a phone call from CNN.

Am I delusional, or is that the same voice? If it is, how can you be a Republican poll observer and claim you were going to vote for Obama at the same time?

For the record, I think it’s the same guy.

UPDATE: After about a half hour of sitting here second guessing myself, I decided to send this link to MSNBC. Hell with it. They either air it, or they don’t, or they air it and call me a whackjob. What the hell, I’ve been called worse.

Technorati Tags: Black Panthers, CNN, FAIL., FOX News, Videos, VOter Intimidation