Birthday, links and that's about it.

Happy birthday to me.

It's my birthday today, and I'll be busy with family instead of posting thoughts on the American political and economic landscape.  So, for your Saturday reading pleasure, check out these great pieces:

US Geological Survey: Bakken Black or Man, do we ever have some oil in America!

Verum Serum: Occupy fundraiser leads to vandalism spree.

Conservatives 4 Congress: Romney, earmarks and the Olympics.

Legal Insurrection: Raising the specter of another Bush candidacy?

Scottcarp Dream: An endorsement from battleground Ohio

Gateway Pundit: Obama wrong again on jobs - Caterpillar edition

Chicks on the Right: Maxine Waters demonizing the right - literally.

Michelle Malkin: More sneaky news releases on the Obama Solyndra scandal.

Right Wing News: How to talk on the radio (in case your blog ever gets you mildly famous)

Sean Trende: The dangers of a brokered GOP convention.

Jay Cost: The Continental Divide for the GOP

Race for Justice: Not the separation of Church and State.  It's separation of Church and people

Eccentric/Conservative: Sloganized, simple but accurate and memorable.

All American Blogger: No more guns to Mexico please...

The Republican Mother: At last, a Star Trek metaphor. Tholian Web of regulation.

Mind Numbed Robot: About That Obamacare Attack on Religious Liberty – aka The Birth Control/Abortion Pill Mandate…

Gonzalo Lira: Inflationary undertow prior to the inflationary wave

King Shamus:  Obama, for real, totally has a plan on spending. 

Weekend Link Around (1 of 2)

Reading glasses required.

I've been busy with family this weekend, but I've had a few opportunities to do some reading and below are some great reads from this weekend. Part II will follow shortly.

On the GOP primary race:

Legal Insurrection writes about how Tea Party Congressman Allen West is being redistricted out of existence by - the Romney campaign?  This GOP primary race may turn out to be about establishment liberal Republicans versus grassroots conservatives.

Gateway Pundit has the video of Sarah Palin talking about how Newt Gingrich would clobber Obama in a debate.

Just a Conservative Girl muses about whether the Herman Cain endorsement will help Newt or not.

National Security:

The ideas of foreign policy have been distilled into security versus military adventurism.  There doesn't seem to be in many corners the idea that a mix of approaches is necessary for foreign policy.  Either America is an expansionist Empire, or a nation of patsies.  It's really not that simple.  There are however truths in both sides of those arguments.

The Republican Mother is concerned that America is acting like Britain during it's empirical period and is doomed to the same fate.

State of the country:

Conservative Perspective talks about the state of America's disunion and quotes from very inspirational words about the differing views of what Americans believe. 

Western Hero talks about the Fear Driven Economy.

We The People has a parable on how the stimulus doesn't work.

Liberty At Stake talks about the dumbness of crowds and the herd mentality.

Verum Serum reminds us that Newt was cleared of those ethics charges.  Are you listening New York Times?

Western Experience notes military experts' divide on military cuts.

On God:

Gorges Grouse doesn't believe in atheists. How's that for turning it on it's head?

TeresAmerica has the Muslim news roundup.

Miscellaneous:

Remember the 'peaceful' Occupy movement?  Right Wing News notices a large number of arrests that don't really equate to peaceful.

Eccentric Conservative has a humorous editorial cartoon on media bias.

Good reading for Friday

I don't think I'll have time to post anything today, so here are some posts from elsewhere worth reading.

Frankenstein Government mourns America's lost rule of law.

Chicks on the Right notice the lack of fairness too.

Legal Insurrection updates us on the good and bad of the cyber wars.

Hot Air observes that Romney is in Newt trouble.

The Scott Carp Dream reminds everyone of some of the pearls of wisdom of Obama.

Grant at What We Think and Why, sees that the transparency is not transparent. 

Reaganite Republican replies to Newt-bashers; So what?

The Warrior Bard looks at Obama, SEIU and OWS.

Bonsai from the Right looks at the link between Occupy Portland and the Democratic party.

What in the world? Verum Serum gives props to...Anderson Cooper?  And the Western Experience praises...Paul Krugman?

A Cop's Watch reminds us about China's military ambitions via Stratfor.

Western Hero on the race to the bottom.

Diogenes brings us some happy news.

The national debt meanwhile, has moved past $15 trillion but the debt super-committee is super confused.

Stuff I'm Reading Today

I missed the Cain-Gingrich Lincoln-Douglas style debate, but I hear it was good.  Robbing America points out the secret ingredient as to why.  Common Cents has the entire debate video.

Verum Serum: When Occupy Vancouver protesters attack.  Meanwhile, via Right Wing News: Occupy L.A. figures that we should rid the world of America.  The Western Experience exhorts the occupy crowd to Occupy Some Reality.

AdamSmith.org discusses peak everything and the doomsayers that promulgate such vapidity.

The War Planner has an amusing Riddle of the Day.

The Left - Watch What They Do, Not What They Say (that's a long title!) has some of the back story on the Egyptian uprising.

BoB J rants about brainless people. Of course, he's usually polite about it.

Teresamerica is not feeling well.

A Conservative Teacher looks at Nate Silver's analysis of the 2012 race.  It seems to me like a Romney pitch.  Consider: The economy will not be doing substantially better by this time next year.  There are alternatives to Romney other than Cain or Perry - Perry might be right out of the running, Cain may have recovered from his current troubles. Gingrich may have gained some ground too.   The best bet is someone who can debate Obama and make him look foolish in the process. Romney might be able to manage that, but the candidate I have the most confidence in with regard to debate prowess is Newt Gingrich.  He's got baggage and I'm not a super-fan, but he's a great debater and Obama will rely on sound bite type arguments.  Obama is very vulnerable to a solid debater.