The War and the Deficit

One of the favorite claims of progressives is that the war is responsible for the burgeoning deficit.

However, the facts simply don't support that claim, as is illustrated by this chart from CBO data showing the deficit with and without the war expenditure from 2003 to the present.





Note that the deficit continued to decline until the Democrats took over Congress in 2008 and the skyrocketed when Obama assumed the presidency.

For more information, read this article from the American Thinker.

The ‘What a Maroon’ Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

RUSSELL SIMMONS

Simmons, founder of the hip hop label Def Jam, was a guest Wednesday on the "Larry King Show." Simmons came down solidly in favor of favor of keeping the proposed Islamic cultural center two blocks from Ground Zero.

"...it would be a terrible idea to move the mosque," Simmons stated.
After all, in his words, "If you're blaming Muslims for the attack on 9/11, then you need to change your mind. We didn't - did we blame Christians at the first World Trade attack? We didn't"

Simmons seemed to be under the impression that Christians were behind 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The attack, which killed six and injured more than a thousand, was actually carried out by Islamic extremists.

Someone apparently told the clueless Simmons about his gaffe, because the following day, he tweeted "Made critical error on CNN last nite. Was thinking of last major terrorist attack on US soil in OKC by McVeigh & mispoke"

Yeah, sure. He should also have been cued in that McVeigh was an atheist who bombed the Murrah building in revenge for the federal massacre at Waco, Texas. He also forgot that the 19 terrorists responsible for 9/11 were all muslims who claimed they slaughtered 3,000 innocent souls in the name of Islam.



WHAT A MAROON!



In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician, organization or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of recent days.

Pelosi Attacks Mosque Critics

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has weighed in on the controversy considering the proposed construction of the $100-million Islamic Culture Center, including a mosque, two blocks from Ground Zero.

There is no question that there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded.

Here are some of the people Speaker Pelosi wants to investigate.

Who Cares What Old White People Want?

Commentator Juan Williams doesn't care. That's what Williams said this weekend. Williams and others were discussing Missouri's Proposition C, which is aimed at blocking the Obamacare command that everyone must buy health insurance or face punishment.

Missouri voters overwhelming approved the measure with 71% of the vote.

Well, Williams said that didn't matter. After all, only old white people voted for Prop C.

The 'What A Maroon' Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

ROSANNE BARR

It seems that anti-Semitism is on the rise among the Hollywood set in recent times. First, actor/producer Mel Gibson spews anti-Semetic venom to a traffic cop; more recently, producer Oliver Stone blames Jewish control of media for Hollywood not protraying the human side of Adolph Hitler. The latest entry is comedienne Rosanne Barr.

I used to believe that Rosanne could sink no lower then when she sang an off-key version of the "Star Spangled Banner" while grabbing her crotch. I was wrong.

Barr's excursion into anti-Semitism goes beyond mere bigotry into the realm of irrationality. On her "Rosanne World (Insights from the Domestic Goddess)" blog, Barr maintains, among other things: "Many of the Palestinian people are jewish and became christian after Israel stole their land and homes," "Zionists are German" and that "The scientists of the Reich successfully created a mutant human--a hybrid of Jewish mentality and German Resolve, the Zionist." In addition, she reveals that top Nazis Hitler, Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbles were Jewish.

There's no video to this, just this link to her blog she makes her claims and this picture of her at a photoshoot for Heeb magazine.

WHAT A MAROON!

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician, organization or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of recent days.

Did You See This on the News?

Nope, I didn't either. It's not like they're Tea Partiers, so why should the MSM cover it?

Actually, I hope they keep it up. It only gains support for those who oppose illegal immigration and amnesty.

The ‘What a Maroon’ Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D-NY)

It was difficult to choose this week's winner because there were so many worthy candidates, from filmmaker Oliver Stone's anti-Semitic rant to MSM pundits blaming UDSA official Shirley Sherrod firing on Fox News, even though Sherrod was axed before Fox made any mention of the infamous Breitbart video.

But none approach the good Congressman from New York for utter audacity. A House Ethics Panel has charged Rangel with 13 violations ranging from tax evasion to misuse of Congressional staff and stationary. Two things are remarkable about Rep. Rangel's situation.

One is that even some Democrat House members are calling on the veteran Congressman to step down--you have to understand how blatant these violations must be for Democrats to call for the resignation of one of their own.

Second, Rangel chairs the House Ways and Means Committee. This is the body that writes the nation's tax laws. And yet he once claimed that he didn't know he had to pay taxes on some property he owned.

For utter gall, Rep. Rangel wins hands down.

WHAT A MAROON!

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician, organization or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of recent days.

Best and Brightest 2.0

Those of us old enough to remember the original quagmire, Vietnam, know the phrase, "Best and Brightest." It was the title of book by David Halberstam. It referred to the the "brain trust" President Kennedy collected as his advisers.

Kennedy mined the best brains of the Ivy League and industry. They knew they were the best and brightest in the country. Because they were the best and brightest, they were infallible.

That was the problem. They simply couldn't believe they could make a mistake.

The result was the tragedy of Vietnam.

Neal Gabler of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington writes that he sees disturbing similarities between the Kennedy and Obama administration advisers.

Gabler's article is a bit long, but it's worth the read.

The Russian Navy and Somali Pirates

I'm not a great admirer of the Russians, but I do give credit where credit is due. There are times when they get things brilliantly, albeit brutally, correct.

Back in May, Somali pirates made the mistake of hijacking a Russian-flagged tanker. The Russian destroyer "Admiral Panteleev" was on antipiracy patrol in the area and responded with a commando attack on the captured tanker. They they freed the tanker crew, captured the pirates and then boarded the pirate's mothership.

The Russians then sank the pirate ship along with the pirates, all without any court proceedings or lawyers.

The Russians made a video of the incident. It's mostly in Russian, but the video is self-explanatory. I suspect it will be a long time before another Russian-flagged ship is boarded by Somali pirates.

The ‘What a Maroon’ Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

THE NAACP

This once-noble and honorable organization voted this past week on a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement as racist. The resolution passed unanimously.

While ignoring the many African-Americans who have leadership positions within the Tea Party movement, as well as its providing a platform for such outspoken racists at Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation or Islam and Jeremiah Wright, the NAACP chose to focus on a controversial incident in which they clamed African-American Congressmen were spat upon and called the n-word by tea partiers.

“In March, respected members of the Congressional Black Caucus reported that racial epithets were hurled at them as they passed by a Washington, DC health care protest,” the NAACP’s website states. “Civil rights legend John Lewis was called the ‘n-word’ in the incident.”

The only problem is that the accusation is a total fabrication. Oh, yes, Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Andre Carson (D-Ind.) did walk past a crowd of Tea Parties. But none of the spitting or racial epithets occurred. We know this because the entire incident was recorded by various news representatives and private individuals, including those on the Congressmen’s staff. In fact, a $100,000 reward is offered to anyone who provides evidence that it actually happened.

This isn’t the 1930s when the “Big Lie” was an effective tactic because there were no readily available video recording devices. Guys, this is the 21st century. Don’t tell a lie when you’re certain to get caught.

WHAT A MAROON!

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician, organization or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of recent days.

Opposition to President Obama is Racist

The conventional wisdom of the left is that the real reason conservatives in general and tea partiers in particular oppose President Obama isn’t because of his policies, it’s because of his race. They just don’t like an African-American in the White House and those who criticize him are racist.

Here are some examples of that race hatred of the president:

St. Louis Tea Parties Respond to NAACP Accusation of Racism

The NAACP votes to condemn the Tea Party movement calling for “all people of good will to repudiate the racism of the Tea Parties, and to stand in opposition to its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era."

Among the accusations are:

•Tea party supporters have engaged in “explicitly racist behavior” and “displayed signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically.”

•Tea party activists have used racial epithets, have verbally and physicall abused black member of Congress and others, and have been charged with threatening public officials. (FYI, Andrew Breitbart of biggovernment.com has a standing $100,000 reward offered for anyone who can prove this.)

St. Louis Tea Partiers have responded:

St. Louis Tea Party Coalition Resolution
July 12, 2010

Whereas, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded to advance the position of minority groups, and

Whereas a hallmark of the NAACP has been to do the important work of identifying and exposing remaining vestiges of racism and discrimination, and

Whereas the NAACP vocally stands against the discriminatory and harmful practice of labeling people with a broad brush, and

Whereas the NAACP decided to launch their 101st National Convention with a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement and labeling millions of their fellow Americans who subscribe to the movement as “racists”, and

Whereas the “Tea Party movement” is a label applied to patriotic Americans who have expressed their political free speech in the grand tradition of all that is American, that being the spirited expression of viewpoints in a 100% peaceful manner, and

Whereas, it is a hallmark of America that we settle our disputes civilly and avoid the gutter tactic of attempting to silence opponents by inflammatory name-calling, and
Whereas the very term “racist” has diminished meaning due to its overuse by political partisans including members of the NAACP, and

Whereas, the NAACP had an opportunity to preserve some semblance of legitimacy by standing up for Ken Gladney, the victim of a vicious racist battery conducted by a black avowed communist, even labeling him an “Uncle Tom”, but chose instead to use the opportunity to mock the St. Louis Tea Party, and

Whereas, the NAACP has refused to denounce the New Black Panther’s call to murder white cops and their babies, and

Whereas, the NAACP does its entire membership a grave disservice by hypocritically engaging in the very conduct it purports to oppose,

Now therefore be it resolved that the St. Louis Tea Party condemns the NAACP for lowering itself to the dishonorable position of a partisan political attack dog organization, and,

Be it further resolved that the St. Louis Tea Party calls on similar organizations to join in unanimous condemnation of this despicable behavior, and

Be it further resolved that we demand that the NAACP withdrawal their bigoted, false and inflammatory resolution against the tea party for any further consideration, and

Be it further resolved that these organizations call on the Internal Revenue Service to evenly apply their standards and consider the tax-exempt status of the NAACP considering the degree to which they are engaging in habitual partisan political behavior.

Adopted unanimously, this day, July 12th, in the year of our Lord, 2010.

A copy of this resolution shall be sent immediately to the NAACP at: washingtonbureau@naacpnet.org

The ‘What a Maroon’ Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CHARLES BOLDEN

I remember as a child the stunned reaction of adults as the Soviets put Sputnik into orbit and the humiliation of the failure of the United States to match the feat as the Vanguard satellite rocket kept exploding on the launch pad.

I also remember President Kennedy promising a joint session of Congress in May 25, 1961, that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That promise was kept July 20, 1969, by Neil Armstrong’s “One Small Step.”

Space was ours to explore. What was next, I wondered. A moon colony? Orbiting cities? Expeditions to Mars?

All of these were possible, as that was NASA’s mandate.

Fast forward to the present.

In keeping with the Obama Administration’s tradition of breaking news of importance to the American public overseas first, as when Secretary of State Clinton announced on Ecuadorian television that the federal government would sue the state of Arizona, Administrator Bolden, while in the Arab nation of Qatar, told Al Jazeera that his foremost mission was "to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math and engineering."

It seems that Administrator Bolden forgot that the space agency’s foremost mission is space.

What a Maroon!

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of recent days.

Racial Politics

The Obama Administration, at least its Justice Department, no longer even pretends to be race neutral; it's too useful a tool.

Eric Holder's suit against the state of Arizona is an interesting take. Holder denounce the law, without even reading it, as tinged with the stink of racial profiling. Yet his suit fails to mention that despite his public proclamation. This is probably because he knows the law specifically forbids racial profiling and to bring it up in court would be a good way to lose his case.

And then there is the curious case of the New Black Panther Party. Two truncheon-wielding, uniformed member of the NBPP confronted white voters at a Philadelphia polling place Election Day 2008 shouting racial epithets and making threats. The (then Bush) Justice Department went after them for voter intimidation. The case was won by default judgement because the NBPP didn't even bother to defend its actions in court.

Enter the Obama Administration and Attorney General Eric Holder. Although the case was already won, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division drops the charges.

Justice Department attorney Christian Adams resigned in protest, stating he was told never to bring a voter intimidation case when the victims were white. He testified to this before the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and has been publicly supported by two former member of the Civil Rights Division, Asheesh Agarwal and Mark Corallo.

One of the NBPP members in question, King Samir Zulu Shabazz, was later shown on video calling for genocide, including the murder of infants. Even the loathsome Fred Phelps doesn't go that far.

As with so much else, the Obama Administration's claim to be post racial is exposed as a lie.

Why Liberals Should Love the Second Amendment

Two recent Supreme Court decision, Heller and McDonald, reversed a decades-long trend of restricting gun rights. The court ruled that the Second Amendment is an individual right that applies to the states just as much as the other amendments.

That the Second Amendment means what it says, as does the First, Fourth, Fifth and all the others, is somthing that conservatives have always considered obvious.

In fact, it's so obvious that even some progressives are beginging to realize it.

Don't take my word for it. Read it on the Daily Kos.

Schoolhouse Rock Explains the Fourth of July

There used to be an animated television series called "Schoolhouse Rock!" that aired Saturday mornings. A children's educational progam, it covered a variety of topics including history and civics. Here is a link that contains a number of "Schoolhouse Rock!" episodes explaining the meaning of the Fourth of July.

The PC crowd won't like it, but to heck with 'em.

Your Friendly Liberal, Neighborhood Ku Klux Klan

The crocodile tears keep falling for the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia. The longest-serving member of the U.S. Senate, Byrd is being eulogized for many things by his supporters in the Democrat party.

Of course, his past affiliation with the racist and terrorist Ku Klux Klan are being...excuse the metaphor...whitewashed. At least former President Bill Clinton did talk about it, excusing is merely a ploy to get elected.

Be that as it may, the KKK was a horrible organization and a stain on our nation's past.

However, that makes it fair game for political humor satire. The '60s folk group the Mitchell Trio sang about them in a number titled "Your Friendly Liberal, Ku Klux Klan." FYI, the tenor in the group is the late John Denver.

The 'What A Maroon' Award

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for ... This week's "What A Maroon" award goes to...

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN

Our illustrious Veep, accompanied by a gaggle of reporters, went into a frozen custard store, mistakenly calling it an ice cream shop, went behind the counter and started serving the minions. He then took a frozen custard for himself and offered to pay. The store's manager refused payment, telling Biden that if he'd lower taxes, he'd call it even. Ever courteous, the vice president told the manager to stop being a smarta**.

Biden deserves this award in so many ways. He didn't know the difference between ice cream and frozen custard and had to be told where he was. Biden, an elected official, insulted a taxpaying voter. He not only insulted the man, he did it in the presence of reporters and recording devices.

What a Maroon!

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I will present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of the week.

Mr. President, Do Your Job!

President Obama met with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and promised help in securing the border. The governor shows what the president meant.

The ‘What a Maroon’ Award

In honor of the great American philosopher Bugs Bunny, who first coined the phrase, I've decided to present the "What a Maroon" award each week to the politician or celebrity who makes the most sand-poundingly stupid statement of the week.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Democrat County Supervisor Peggy West of Milwaukee who supports Milwaukee's boycott of Arizona because she thinks Arizona does not share a border with Mexico.



What a Maroon!

Political Telephone Calls

I am a political junkie; politics fascinate me. That said, I am sick unto death of getting telephone calls at my home from politicians asking me to vote for them! It used to be that telemarketers would call, but that's now illegal. Of course, politicians exempted themselves from that ban--imagine that!

A number of years ago, a disc jockey named Tom Mabe turned the tables on a telemarketer. How many of us wish we could to this to those pesky political calls?

Progressive Fascism

I’ve accused progressives of flirting with fascism before, and I’m going to do it again. One reason is that progressives have no problem using fascist tactics, whether the “Big Lie” (“911 was an inside job”) or intimidating opponents’ families.

A recent example was this past Sunday, when a crowd of 500 purple-shirted SEIU thugs were bussed into a residential neighborhood, blocked traffic and trespassed on private property of an attorney for Bank of America.

They claimed they were protesting “corporate greed” (forget that SEIU owes BoA $90 million or that the union is attempting to organize BoA’s tellers — It’s all about “corporate greed”).

Since the only person in the attorney’s home at the time was his teenage son, the thugs settled for intimidating him. The youngster locked himself in a bathroom until the “protesters” finally left.

What is perhaps more disturbing in my mind is that not only were there were no arrests, but that the local police actually escorted the SEIU thugs to the scene and then protected them.

In the ’20s and ’30s, police would escort Germany’s Brown Shirts to and from their demonstrations; in 2010, police are doing the same thing for America’s Purple Shirts.

So, yes, I call them fascists.

For more in his incident, click here, here or here.

Advice to Opponents of Arizona’s New Law

It really helps to know what your talking about before opening your mouth. As Mark Twain once said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

At Least One Congressman Get It

Congressman Tom McClintock (R-CA) understands what happened this week when Mexico's president, with the connivance of Democrats, had the temerity to lecture our Congress on American immigration policy. I wish we had more like him in government.

Arizona to Boycott Los Angeles?

The Los Angeles City Council has announced it will boycott the state of Arizona and Arizona-based companies in protest of Arizona's recent efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration. However, it seems that Los Angeles might be facing a boycott itself. Arizona is threating to withhold electricty from the City of Angeles in protest.

Here is a letter sent by Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa concerning the matter.

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

I was dismayed to learn that the Los Angeles City Council voted to boycott Arizona and Arizona-based companies — a vote you strongly supported — to show opposition to SB 1070 (Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act).

You explained your support of the boycott as follows: “While we recognize that as neighbors, we share resources and ties with the State of Arizona that may be difficult to sever, our goal is not to hurt the local economy of Los Angeles, but to impact the economy of Arizona. Our intent is to use our dollars — or the withholding of our dollars — to send a message.” (emphasis added)

I received your message; please receive mine. As a state-wide elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission overseeing Arizona’s electric and water utilities, I too am keenly aware of the “resources and ties” we share with the City of Los Angeles. In fact, approximately twenty-five percent of the electricity consumed in Los Angeles is generated by power plants in Arizona.

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy.

People of goodwill can disagree over the merits of SB 1070. A state-wide economic boycott of Arizona is not a message sent in goodwill.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Gary Pierce

‘Come to the USA’

Comedic songster Ray Stevens has some thoughts on the illegal immigration debate.

The Original ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you BOB HOPE and JAMES CAGNEY!

(from the movie “The Seven Little Foys” 1955)

Hey, not everything's about politics

¡Viva La Raza!

If you are still wondering why Arizona believed it needed to take action to protect itself from illegal immigrants, perhaps this speaker from a 2007 demonstration in Los Angeles will answer the question for you.

Illegal Immigaration is not a Laughing Matter, Mr. President

President Obama’s answer to how Arizona reacts to Washington’s failure to secure the borders is with humor. Gov. Jan Brewer doesn’t think it’s a laughing matter.

The Shape of Things to Come?

The following is an actual Tax Amnesty ad now airing in Pennsylvania. “Creepy” isn’t too strong a word to describe this video. And some people want an even bigger, more powerful government?

Jon Stewart: Racist or Condescending Jerk?

Comedian Jon Stewart, a favorite of the oh-so-sophisticated progressive set, recently perfomed a skit on his television show aimed at conservative journalist Bernie Goldberg. In the skit, Stewart, for some reason, chose to adopt a fake, exagerated African-American accent and even lampooned Gospel music.

The skit was highly offensive, to say the least. In fact, it could be viewed as racist.

Sonja Schmidt, host of "Left Exposed," has some thoughts on this matter.

Riot Police Called Against Tea Party

Police in full riot gear were called out in Quincy, Illinois, because of the threat of violence at a Tea Party rally near where President Obama was speaking. Here's a video of the horrible encounter.

Did you hear the screams, the shouted obscenities, the racial epithets, the spitting, the thrown water bottles? Neither did I.

Here's some pictures of the threatening crowd. You know how mean those older white women are!

Progressives everywhere can sleep easier tonight!

'Mostly Peaceful'

Here’s another example of a “mostly peaceful” pro-illegal immigrant demonstration in Phoenix. Imagine the media’s reaction had this occurred at a Tea Party.

Peaceful Protest?

Not one act of violence at Tea Party demonstrations (except for when Tea Partiers were assaulted), and progressives and the mainstream media called them threatening and racist.

Contrast that with the treatment of a photographer April 25 in Phoenix who was covering a pro-illegal immigration rally. If the media even mention the incident, they’ll probably call it “mostly peaceful.”

Mixed Message

Below is a photo of an anti-Sarah Palin demonstration in Eugene, Oregon. I gather that hoping a political opponent chokes to death does not constite hate in the enlightened town of Eugene.

I love irony!




Catchy use of the Obama symbol, though!

Charles Blow’s ‘Minstrel Show’

An African-American columnist for the New York Times, Charles Blow, decided that he would attend the Dallas area TEA Party event. Although he did not see any overt signs of racism displayed by the largely white crowd, he saw something that was even worse, in his estimation.

He saw a conservative African-American speaker, Alfonzo “Zo” Rachel, addressing the crowd.

“It was a farce,” Blow wrote. Rachel was only trying to show that he was one of “the good ones” to the whites in the crowd.

It was, Blow maintained, “ … a political minstrel show devised for the entertainment of those on the rim of obliviousness and for those engaged in the subterfuge of intolerance.”

Well, Zo has replied.

Blow, his liberal white handlers at the New York Times and progressives in general are right to fear Zo and others like him. Zo demonstrates that when people of color think for themselves, they leave the Democrat plantation.

And so, they savage any minority who dares stray from the party line. Just look at the abuse heaped on people like Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice and others. No slander, no insult, no racially inflammatory phrase such as “minstrel show” is off limits to them.

But the worst, most vile and vicious verbal assaults come from other African-Americans like Blow who is trying very hard to show his bosses that he is one of “the good ones."