I've heard of something going on next Tuesday. Something about some election or something. Anyway, I'm sure ya'll tell me all about it on Wednesday.
Paul, the Psychic Octopus, has gone to that big aquarium in the sky. With a detour into a frying pan first, no doubt. We hardly knew ye...
Tell me, do you feel...lucky? Israeli lottery hits same numbers twice in one month.
I''m sure this has nothing to do with Halloween. A class at the Universtiy of Baltimore is entitled Zombies 101. Nothing at all.
It's Bring Your Daughter to Work Day. "OK honey, here's how you pick a lock."
Duude. Like Officer, this weed just doesn't cut it, man. You try a hit and tell me what you think.
Really, really old toothpaste.
Alotta Felina.
This demands action! The looming Bacon Crisis.
And finally, Johnny Cash reincarnated...
Hang your head and cry. Have a good weekend, y'all.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Barack Obama, We Regret to Inform You Your Learner's Permit has been Revoked
From: The United States Department of Motor Vehicles
To: Barack Obama DL # 11082008ALINSK01
Mr. Obama,
We regret to inform you that we are revoking your Learner’s Permit effective November 3, 2010 at 12:01 am. From that day forward, you will not be allowed to drive any vehicle anywhere for any reason, not even in an emergency. You are only allowed to be a passenger in a vehicle and are not to interfere with the operator of said vehicle in any way.
We have several reasons for this, which we will outline below.
You driving record during the short time since you passed your Learner’s Permit examination demonstrates that you have yet to master, nor fully understand, the rules of the American road. Whomever is responsible for teaching you to drive is either unaware of those rules or displays the same blatant disregard for those rules as you. The numerous wrecks you have been involved in have resulted in sensational headlines in the local newspapers and, we are certain, great consternation to your family and friends.
For our first example, we remind you of when you ran your grandmothers’ car into the emergency room at the local hospital and your inexplicable behavior afterwards where you ran around the scene yelling “Single payer!” until you were subdued by orderlies with an injection of Valium.
The next week you ran your mothers’ car into the front door of the bank. The impact from that crash was so severe that it set off every single dye pack behind the counters. The bank is still closed for cleaning.
By now, the entire town is familiar with your reckless driving. Everyone still remembers when you made the local television news the day you announced that you were opening your own used car lot, which you called “Cash 4 Clunkers” despite your lack of any business experience. The video of your laughter as the bank foreclosed on your lot resulted in many local dressing up as you on Halloween that year. Your insistence that one day you would buy General Motors and Chrysler to quote, “show them how it’s done” has become the butt of many local jokes, causing many in the community to question not only your driving, but also your stability.
Such impudence by someone who should be learning how to drive safely gives us great cause and concern not only for your safety, but also the safety of others on the road with you. It is for these reasons that we are revoking your Learner’s Permit on the date above. If, after a suitable time, you should wish to reapply for a Permit, you will be allowed to do so, but only after a rigorous examination in order to assure this agency that you are no longer a danger when you are behind the wheel.
We remind you that driving is a privilege, not a right, and that safety is our primary concern. That is the reason for obtaining a Learner’s Permit, so that inexperienced drivers such as yourself can learn to drive in a responsible manner.
Sincerely,
G. Washington
Director, US Dept. of Motor Vehicles
To: Barack Obama DL # 11082008ALINSK01
Mr. Obama,
We regret to inform you that we are revoking your Learner’s Permit effective November 3, 2010 at 12:01 am. From that day forward, you will not be allowed to drive any vehicle anywhere for any reason, not even in an emergency. You are only allowed to be a passenger in a vehicle and are not to interfere with the operator of said vehicle in any way.
We have several reasons for this, which we will outline below.
You driving record during the short time since you passed your Learner’s Permit examination demonstrates that you have yet to master, nor fully understand, the rules of the American road. Whomever is responsible for teaching you to drive is either unaware of those rules or displays the same blatant disregard for those rules as you. The numerous wrecks you have been involved in have resulted in sensational headlines in the local newspapers and, we are certain, great consternation to your family and friends.
For our first example, we remind you of when you ran your grandmothers’ car into the emergency room at the local hospital and your inexplicable behavior afterwards where you ran around the scene yelling “Single payer!” until you were subdued by orderlies with an injection of Valium.
The next week you ran your mothers’ car into the front door of the bank. The impact from that crash was so severe that it set off every single dye pack behind the counters. The bank is still closed for cleaning.
By now, the entire town is familiar with your reckless driving. Everyone still remembers when you made the local television news the day you announced that you were opening your own used car lot, which you called “Cash 4 Clunkers” despite your lack of any business experience. The video of your laughter as the bank foreclosed on your lot resulted in many local dressing up as you on Halloween that year. Your insistence that one day you would buy General Motors and Chrysler to quote, “show them how it’s done” has become the butt of many local jokes, causing many in the community to question not only your driving, but also your stability.
Such impudence by someone who should be learning how to drive safely gives us great cause and concern not only for your safety, but also the safety of others on the road with you. It is for these reasons that we are revoking your Learner’s Permit on the date above. If, after a suitable time, you should wish to reapply for a Permit, you will be allowed to do so, but only after a rigorous examination in order to assure this agency that you are no longer a danger when you are behind the wheel.
We remind you that driving is a privilege, not a right, and that safety is our primary concern. That is the reason for obtaining a Learner’s Permit, so that inexperienced drivers such as yourself can learn to drive in a responsible manner.
Sincerely,
G. Washington
Director, US Dept. of Motor Vehicles
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
George Monbiot Can’t Comprehend the Tea Party
George Monbiot seems to be famous. I’d heard of him, but had never run across any of his writings until today.
So I’m perusing the various blogs this morning when I find this little gem - The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by millionaires.
Naturally, I’m intrigued. I consider myself a member of this movement, even though there’s no formal way to confirm that since there’s no formal organization to belong to. Which is one of the reasons I like it. To quote Marx, I wouldn’t belong to a club that would allow me to be a member.
I’ve watched as pundits in the traditional media have tried to dissect the movement without success. Their well-known and built-in liberal bias gets in the way of their analysis, as it always draws some incorrect conclusion or nefarious inference. All their arrows miss their marks wildly.
I’m accustomed to that, as is everyone else in the Movement. After a while, it became a grand sport: seeing who can come up with the most fallacious and outrageous article to describe the greatest populist movement in recent American history.
And today, we have a winner! May I have the electronic envelope, please?
George Monbiot.
Let me start by saying, George, please introduce me to your drug dealer. You are getting some seriously primo stuff. I’ll keep it under wraps, just between you and me, ok?
Nothing else explains the wild-eyed, insane rantings contained in his post at the Guardian. I can say without reservation that I’ve never read such bullshit in my life.
Normally, an outside viewpoint is welcomed when you’re trying to figure something out. Not in this case. In a very odd way, it’s comforting to see that the insanity of progressivism knows no national boundaries, and that there are raving leftists in England too.
Monbiot starts straight out of the gate this way,
Monbiot gives us the benefit of the doubt for a nanosecond before he calls us dumb hicks, who are too stupid to figure things out for ourselves,
Monbiot then launches into his version of a conspiracy theory that would make Vince Flynn proud, as he outlines the influence of the Koch brothers in American conservative politics. To Monbiot, the Koch brothers are just the embodiment of evil,
So, George, keeping more of our own money (which we made by working) is a bad thing? What’s your dealer’s name again?
The curious thing that Monbiot ignores is that George Soros does many of the same things that he excoriates the Koch brothers for, except Soros is doing it in order to bring America, and Americans, to their knees, thereby hurting untold millions of innocent people who want nothing more than to quietly live their lives in peace. He's done it before.
Monbiot's overall comprehension skills are soreley lacking when it comes to the Tea Party Movement, as is the case with other leftists. There is a reason for this: they cannot understand something simple. The Tea Party is simple because the concepts of freedom and liberty are simple. There's nothing to figure out, no great secret to decode, and no layers of nuance to wade through. Just a few very basic principles that have lived in the hearts of people since the dawn of time.
Sadly, those ideals are not embraced by all.
So I’m perusing the various blogs this morning when I find this little gem - The Tea Party movement: deluded and inspired by millionaires.
Naturally, I’m intrigued. I consider myself a member of this movement, even though there’s no formal way to confirm that since there’s no formal organization to belong to. Which is one of the reasons I like it. To quote Marx, I wouldn’t belong to a club that would allow me to be a member.
I’ve watched as pundits in the traditional media have tried to dissect the movement without success. Their well-known and built-in liberal bias gets in the way of their analysis, as it always draws some incorrect conclusion or nefarious inference. All their arrows miss their marks wildly.
I’m accustomed to that, as is everyone else in the Movement. After a while, it became a grand sport: seeing who can come up with the most fallacious and outrageous article to describe the greatest populist movement in recent American history.
And today, we have a winner! May I have the electronic envelope, please?
George Monbiot.
Let me start by saying, George, please introduce me to your drug dealer. You are getting some seriously primo stuff. I’ll keep it under wraps, just between you and me, ok?
Nothing else explains the wild-eyed, insane rantings contained in his post at the Guardian. I can say without reservation that I’ve never read such bullshit in my life.
Normally, an outside viewpoint is welcomed when you’re trying to figure something out. Not in this case. In a very odd way, it’s comforting to see that the insanity of progressivism knows no national boundaries, and that there are raving leftists in England too.
Monbiot starts straight out of the gate this way,
The Tea Party movement is remarkable in two respects. It is one of the biggest exercises in false consciousness the world has seen – and the biggest Astroturf operation in history.Then the contradictions begin,
An Astroturf campaign is a fake grassroots movement: it purports to be a spontaneous uprising of concerned citizens, but in reality it is founded and funded by elite interests. Some Astroturf campaigns have no grassroots component at all. Others catalyse and direct real mobilisations.So, George, which one is it? In the aftermath of the Obama coronation, we discovered that that David Axelrod was one of the first practitioners of this thing we call Astroturf. We found out just how he did it, with well-placed operatives engaging in an electronic whispering campaign, much like someone setting up a dishonest scam at an art auction. So, yes, if you include Axelrod, then this is certainly accurate.
Monbiot gives us the benefit of the doubt for a nanosecond before he calls us dumb hicks, who are too stupid to figure things out for ourselves,
It is mostly composed of passionate, well-meaning people who think they are fighting elite power, unaware that they have been organised by the very interests they believe they are confronting.
Monbiot then launches into his version of a conspiracy theory that would make Vince Flynn proud, as he outlines the influence of the Koch brothers in American conservative politics. To Monbiot, the Koch brothers are just the embodiment of evil,
The Kochs want to pay less tax, keep more profits and be restrained by less regulation. Their challenge has been to persuade the people harmed by this agenda that it's good for them.
So, George, keeping more of our own money (which we made by working) is a bad thing? What’s your dealer’s name again?
The curious thing that Monbiot ignores is that George Soros does many of the same things that he excoriates the Koch brothers for, except Soros is doing it in order to bring America, and Americans, to their knees, thereby hurting untold millions of innocent people who want nothing more than to quietly live their lives in peace. He's done it before.
Monbiot's overall comprehension skills are soreley lacking when it comes to the Tea Party Movement, as is the case with other leftists. There is a reason for this: they cannot understand something simple. The Tea Party is simple because the concepts of freedom and liberty are simple. There's nothing to figure out, no great secret to decode, and no layers of nuance to wade through. Just a few very basic principles that have lived in the hearts of people since the dawn of time.
Sadly, those ideals are not embraced by all.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Think Taxes are High? Government Regulations Cost Even More
We are overregulating ourselves to death. It’s not really us, it’s the people in Washington making the regulations, and there are an awful lot of them. It’s their job. It’s what they’re paid to do. But we elect the people in Washington who then appoint the people to the regulatory agencies who make the regulations, so, when you look at it that way, we are doing this to ourselves.
And it’s killing us economically.
When we Tea Partiers start fussing about big government, this is what we’re talking about: the increasingly costly burden placed upon us by governmental rules and regulations. It’s one of those things that we suspect is happening because we see prices rise, but we don’t know exactly why.
If you’ve been in a grocery store lately, you know what I mean. Here in the Backwards household, I do the grocery shopping, and I’ve noticed how much prices have increased in the past four years or so. Many items have doubled in price during that time. I remember this began when gasoline prices approached $4 dollar per gallon. This made everything that was transported by truck more expensive, because the businesses that deliver their products had to pay more money in the form of higher fuel prices, which got passed along to the people who buy those products, namely you and me.
We all understand how and why that happens. And we’re not too angry about it as long as we understand that there may be a valid reason for a price increase, and providing the increase isn’t too much. Business owners don’t necessarily like price increases, as it tends to make them less competitive. After all, the whole point of capitalism is to have low prices for high quality goods.
But when a business incurs an increased cost for no valid reason, then we have a problem. And we have a big problem when it comes to the costs of government regulations. As the size of government increases, the more regulations are created. The more regulations are created, the more they add to the cost of doing business. This can only happen for so long until we can no longer afford to do business.
We’re at that point today.
Finding the actual core cause for any price increase can be difficult. But there are some cases where we can find the cause relatively simply. Let’s go back to the price of groceries for a moment. When the price started going up, most folks knew why: increased transportation costs. But when the price of gas went down, the cost of groceries stayed high. Why? Because around that time, Washington wanted us to start making fuel out of food, namely corn. This sounds like a good idea on paper, but when you understand that most of the meat we buy in the grocery store is fed corn prior to being slaughtered for market, and that corn is present in a great many foods, and that corn is now being made into fuel, then the price of corn goes up. That increase is passed along in the form of higher prices. So we wind up paying for every new governmental regulation.
Every single one.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed. Gus Van Horn over at Pajamas Media has a great article about this very thing. He also links to this study of the cost of regulation for businesses and households in America. It should concern everyone that the cost is high and increasing every year. As one chart in the study shows, the cost per American household to comply with regulation rose at an annual rate of 2.4%. If you compare that with the inflation rate of around 1% (excluding groceries and gasoline), then you can see why prices are going up for everything. Regulatory compliance now costs us almost as much as do taxes. For example, in 2000, the regulatory cost was $10,300. By 2008 that cost was over $15,000. That’s almost a fifty percent increase in just eight years.
Is there any question why our economy isn’t expanding?
Did your salary go up that much during that time? Yeah, mine neither.
However, there are many in Washington who want us to pay even more for the things we need. Do you remember how candidate Obama said that his plan for a cap-and-trade energy bill would make everyone’s utility bills “necessarily skyrocket?”
Why would you want that for the nation, Mr. President? Do you really think that, after a while, you’ve made enough money but you haven’t paid enough for electricity? Why would you want to impose that sort of suffering on your fellow citizens?
Unless, of course, you don’t consider us your fellows at all, and instead consider us an enemy?
And it’s killing us economically.
When we Tea Partiers start fussing about big government, this is what we’re talking about: the increasingly costly burden placed upon us by governmental rules and regulations. It’s one of those things that we suspect is happening because we see prices rise, but we don’t know exactly why.
If you’ve been in a grocery store lately, you know what I mean. Here in the Backwards household, I do the grocery shopping, and I’ve noticed how much prices have increased in the past four years or so. Many items have doubled in price during that time. I remember this began when gasoline prices approached $4 dollar per gallon. This made everything that was transported by truck more expensive, because the businesses that deliver their products had to pay more money in the form of higher fuel prices, which got passed along to the people who buy those products, namely you and me.
We all understand how and why that happens. And we’re not too angry about it as long as we understand that there may be a valid reason for a price increase, and providing the increase isn’t too much. Business owners don’t necessarily like price increases, as it tends to make them less competitive. After all, the whole point of capitalism is to have low prices for high quality goods.
But when a business incurs an increased cost for no valid reason, then we have a problem. And we have a big problem when it comes to the costs of government regulations. As the size of government increases, the more regulations are created. The more regulations are created, the more they add to the cost of doing business. This can only happen for so long until we can no longer afford to do business.
We’re at that point today.
Finding the actual core cause for any price increase can be difficult. But there are some cases where we can find the cause relatively simply. Let’s go back to the price of groceries for a moment. When the price started going up, most folks knew why: increased transportation costs. But when the price of gas went down, the cost of groceries stayed high. Why? Because around that time, Washington wanted us to start making fuel out of food, namely corn. This sounds like a good idea on paper, but when you understand that most of the meat we buy in the grocery store is fed corn prior to being slaughtered for market, and that corn is present in a great many foods, and that corn is now being made into fuel, then the price of corn goes up. That increase is passed along in the form of higher prices. So we wind up paying for every new governmental regulation.
Every single one.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed. Gus Van Horn over at Pajamas Media has a great article about this very thing. He also links to this study of the cost of regulation for businesses and households in America. It should concern everyone that the cost is high and increasing every year. As one chart in the study shows, the cost per American household to comply with regulation rose at an annual rate of 2.4%. If you compare that with the inflation rate of around 1% (excluding groceries and gasoline), then you can see why prices are going up for everything. Regulatory compliance now costs us almost as much as do taxes. For example, in 2000, the regulatory cost was $10,300. By 2008 that cost was over $15,000. That’s almost a fifty percent increase in just eight years.
Is there any question why our economy isn’t expanding?
Did your salary go up that much during that time? Yeah, mine neither.
However, there are many in Washington who want us to pay even more for the things we need. Do you remember how candidate Obama said that his plan for a cap-and-trade energy bill would make everyone’s utility bills “necessarily skyrocket?”
Why would you want that for the nation, Mr. President? Do you really think that, after a while, you’ve made enough money but you haven’t paid enough for electricity? Why would you want to impose that sort of suffering on your fellow citizens?
Unless, of course, you don’t consider us your fellows at all, and instead consider us an enemy?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Economics 104, the Creation of Wealth
I know it’s Monday and maybe our mathematics synapses aren’t fully functional yet, but I ran across another video by Bill Whittle the other day over at Big Government that’s worth your time. It’s short and sets out to dispel the myth that capitalism has somehow failed, or doesn’t work, or does nothing but make the rich richer and the poor poorer. If you believed any of those fallacies, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog in the first place.
Actually, this is pointed more at the likes of noted economist Paul Krugman. The only reason he’s noted these days is for his wild declarations and overall lack of knowledge about free market economics. So this is a type of indirect fisk of his latest column. I could perform a full-fledged, point-by-point refutation of his false notions, but I’d rather let someone else do it for a change.
Cue our cousins from across the Pond: Will someone please shut Krugman up?
We're trying, we really are. Perhaps this video will help.
I’ll try to keep this next explanation simple so that maybe Mr. Krugman can understand it.
Here’s our problem: one day, someone somewhere in the dark recesses of Washington decided to “help guide” our society. This person decided that we would move away from an economy that made things to an economy that didn’t make anything. This not-making of things was called a “service economy.” People would no longer get dirty doing things like making cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles. Their logic was, if people were making money doing things for other people instead of making things, then everybody would be happy. The planet would be cleaner and all the animals would be happy.
The whole world would be one big, happy world and we would all live happily ever after.
But what about all those things we used to make that people wanted? People still want them, but someone else can make them, then they will have more money and the planet will be cleaner and the whole world will be one big, happy world and we can all live happily ever after in a global economy.
So they set about to make sure that we didn’t make anything anymore for anyone. So we stopped making things like cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles. And we started doing things for other people like, uh, cooking. That’s right, we started cooking for each other. And doing each other’s taxes. And doing each other’s’ lawyering. Oh, and gambling, we started gambling. And growing marijuana so we could tax it. And in the case of Paul Krugman, we started doing each other’s confusing for them, too.
And this worked, at least for a while, until we ran out of the money we used to have back when we made things. Now, things are bad. How bad, you ask? This bad.
We now have people with advanced degrees who once created things in Silicon Valley who wonder where their next meal will come from.
So we get to ask ourselves some questions: Are we happy? Is the planet cleaner? Are we better off than when got dirty making all those things we made? Are all the other people in the world happy that we don’t make anything for anyone anymore? Do we have plenty of money to pay for things like retirement, or new roads and bridges and airport runways like we used to?
Is Paul Krugman happy?
Is the person in Washington who thought we would be happy with a global economy happy?
Well, the rest of the world seems to be happy. They have the money that we used to have back when we made things. They love us for that and they would never think of being mean to us since we gave them all our money. They make all the things we want now like cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles.
And we have Paul Krugman.
And Nancy Pelosi, who says "We really haven't gotten the credit for what we have done."
Yay.
Actually, this is pointed more at the likes of noted economist Paul Krugman. The only reason he’s noted these days is for his wild declarations and overall lack of knowledge about free market economics. So this is a type of indirect fisk of his latest column. I could perform a full-fledged, point-by-point refutation of his false notions, but I’d rather let someone else do it for a change.
Cue our cousins from across the Pond: Will someone please shut Krugman up?
We're trying, we really are. Perhaps this video will help.
I’ll try to keep this next explanation simple so that maybe Mr. Krugman can understand it.
Here’s our problem: one day, someone somewhere in the dark recesses of Washington decided to “help guide” our society. This person decided that we would move away from an economy that made things to an economy that didn’t make anything. This not-making of things was called a “service economy.” People would no longer get dirty doing things like making cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles. Their logic was, if people were making money doing things for other people instead of making things, then everybody would be happy. The planet would be cleaner and all the animals would be happy.
The whole world would be one big, happy world and we would all live happily ever after.
But what about all those things we used to make that people wanted? People still want them, but someone else can make them, then they will have more money and the planet will be cleaner and the whole world will be one big, happy world and we can all live happily ever after in a global economy.
So they set about to make sure that we didn’t make anything anymore for anyone. So we stopped making things like cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles. And we started doing things for other people like, uh, cooking. That’s right, we started cooking for each other. And doing each other’s taxes. And doing each other’s’ lawyering. Oh, and gambling, we started gambling. And growing marijuana so we could tax it. And in the case of Paul Krugman, we started doing each other’s confusing for them, too.
And this worked, at least for a while, until we ran out of the money we used to have back when we made things. Now, things are bad. How bad, you ask? This bad.
We now have people with advanced degrees who once created things in Silicon Valley who wonder where their next meal will come from.
So we get to ask ourselves some questions: Are we happy? Is the planet cleaner? Are we better off than when got dirty making all those things we made? Are all the other people in the world happy that we don’t make anything for anyone anymore? Do we have plenty of money to pay for things like retirement, or new roads and bridges and airport runways like we used to?
Is Paul Krugman happy?
Is the person in Washington who thought we would be happy with a global economy happy?
Well, the rest of the world seems to be happy. They have the money that we used to have back when we made things. They love us for that and they would never think of being mean to us since we gave them all our money. They make all the things we want now like cars and washing machines and computers and tires and desks and clothes and roofing shingles.
And we have Paul Krugman.
And Nancy Pelosi, who says "We really haven't gotten the credit for what we have done."
Yay.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday Bits of Tid, Juan Williams Edition
Boy, did NPR step in it when they fired Juan Williams on Wednesday. There are many lessons to be learned from this debacle, among them, what freedom of speech means, how intolerant the left is of ideological impurity, and why George Soros is the enemy of American values. You can click just about anywhere on this Intertubes thingy and read all about it.
Personally, I think Juan has learned an important lesson, and that is that the left, where he says he was practically born and definitely raised, can turn against you for the very slightest of reasons. I also hope he comes out on top of this situation, and he has already with a contract extension from Fox. I'd also like to see him sue NPR for violating his civil rights. His former boss was extremely insulting to him by insinuating that he was somehow mentally imbalanced for speaking against the party line, just like old-world Communists did.
Most revealing are his facial expressions. In the many interviews he's held since his firing, you can see the disappointment on his face. He knows he's been betrayed and that hurts him. He'll be all right in the end, I believe. He has a new fan base, which includes me. I haven't agreed with his views on many occasions, but he's certainly allowed to speak his mind. Opposition gives me a chance to more fully examine my own views, some thing I think is valuable in order to be intellectually honest about one's beliefs and convictions.
Anyway, if you're out tonight and have the opportunity, hoist a drink in Juan's honor and wish him well.
And speaking of honor, everyone stand up and welcome our newest follower, Flounder. Stand up there, Flounder, and let everyone see you.
To watch you readership increase by 33% overnight is truly amazing.
I am deeply humbled once again.
On to the bitting.
Today in 1797, is the first time anyone willingly jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft. Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin made the world's first parachute jump from an altitude of 3200 ft above Paris. In 1799, Garnerin's wife, Jeanne-Genevieve, became the first female parachutist.
Duude. High Times writer is busted for pot possession. And it took them how long to find him?
Dear Santa Claus, I've been a really good boy this year and I want one of these for Christmas. But if your elves can't make one in time, I'll take one of these. Thanks.
Maybe they just got bored. Ten garden gnomes found on hiking trail.
A robber with a case of OCD robs the same bank four times.
Neither rain, nor snow, nor the passage of time, will stay the courier from his appointed rounds. Postcard finally delivered after 64 years.
Obama Underappreciation Syndrome. Possibly related to the Williams Syndrome. Not to be confused with the Juan Williams Law.
I wouldn't stand too close to one of these. A Japanese vending machine sells live crabs. Oh wait, they're not those kinds of crabs? Never mind, then.
Via David Thompson, what to do when you've read everything in your *ahem* library.
And finally, from Ace of Spades HQ come these words to live by. "Don't talk back to Darth Vader, he'll get you."
I'll see ya on Monday. In the mean time, have a good weekend.
Personally, I think Juan has learned an important lesson, and that is that the left, where he says he was practically born and definitely raised, can turn against you for the very slightest of reasons. I also hope he comes out on top of this situation, and he has already with a contract extension from Fox. I'd also like to see him sue NPR for violating his civil rights. His former boss was extremely insulting to him by insinuating that he was somehow mentally imbalanced for speaking against the party line, just like old-world Communists did.
Most revealing are his facial expressions. In the many interviews he's held since his firing, you can see the disappointment on his face. He knows he's been betrayed and that hurts him. He'll be all right in the end, I believe. He has a new fan base, which includes me. I haven't agreed with his views on many occasions, but he's certainly allowed to speak his mind. Opposition gives me a chance to more fully examine my own views, some thing I think is valuable in order to be intellectually honest about one's beliefs and convictions.
Anyway, if you're out tonight and have the opportunity, hoist a drink in Juan's honor and wish him well.
And speaking of honor, everyone stand up and welcome our newest follower, Flounder. Stand up there, Flounder, and let everyone see you.
To watch you readership increase by 33% overnight is truly amazing.
I am deeply humbled once again.
On to the bitting.
Today in 1797, is the first time anyone willingly jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft. Frenchman André-Jacques Garnerin made the world's first parachute jump from an altitude of 3200 ft above Paris. In 1799, Garnerin's wife, Jeanne-Genevieve, became the first female parachutist.
Duude. High Times writer is busted for pot possession. And it took them how long to find him?
Dear Santa Claus, I've been a really good boy this year and I want one of these for Christmas. But if your elves can't make one in time, I'll take one of these. Thanks.
Maybe they just got bored. Ten garden gnomes found on hiking trail.
A robber with a case of OCD robs the same bank four times.
Neither rain, nor snow, nor the passage of time, will stay the courier from his appointed rounds. Postcard finally delivered after 64 years.
Obama Underappreciation Syndrome. Possibly related to the Williams Syndrome. Not to be confused with the Juan Williams Law.
I wouldn't stand too close to one of these. A Japanese vending machine sells live crabs. Oh wait, they're not those kinds of crabs? Never mind, then.
Via David Thompson, what to do when you've read everything in your *ahem* library.
And finally, from Ace of Spades HQ come these words to live by. "Don't talk back to Darth Vader, he'll get you."
I'll see ya on Monday. In the mean time, have a good weekend.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
While Obama Dismisses War on Terror, Muslim Brotherhood Declares War on US
There is a disturbing trend among many in Washington to dismiss the War on Terror as a fabrication of knuckle-dragging right-wing-nuts who drool at the prospect of creating some non-existent boogieman to skewer. This trend reaches to the top of the Obama administration who has famously renamed the War on Terror with the vapid term “Overseas Contingency Operations.” Acts of terror are now referred to as “Man-caused disasters.” Even our military forces must contend with the lack of seriousness emanating from the poison of political correctness in the Pentagon in the form of rules of engagement that make no sense and seem designed specifically to place our fighting forces in a position of weakness.
This trend is a disturbing one because it ignores a very fundamental truth: We have enemies.
Part of this dangerous psychology is denial. Some folks just cannot accept the fact that others don’t like them. The false ideas contained in the concepts of political correctness are also to blame. There is a catch-phrase the ignorant left loves to use to disregard any warning concerning the real intentions of radical islam – when faced with actual arguments, they invariably start screeching “islamophobia” with all the idiocy they can muster. Even after the massacre of 9/11, there are those who deny what is right before their eyes.
However, all of the arguments and all of the new-age pop psychology that is employed by the leftist have just been tossed out the window.
The Muslim Brotherhood has officially declared war on America.
That means you and me.
The history of islam is one of a constant effort to conquer the world through any means available. By the sword. By the word. By the courts. By patience. By cunning. By using our assets against us.
Every day, there is some example of the oppression of islam somewhere in the world. Whether it be “morality police” forcing men to cut their hair a certain way, forced clitorectomies, honor killings, brainwashing children and teaching them to hate others, the list of barbarities is long. How long must the world tolerate these things? What will it take before we awaken from our national slumber to the realization that there were many in the Arab world who danced in the streets upon learning that Moslems plowed two American airplanes into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?
Maybe this will do it.
Some of us are starting to fight back. A group vowing to fight "Islamofascism" has launched a media blitz in Oklahoma supporting a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit the courts from considering Islamic or other international law when ruling on cases in Sooner State courtrooms. Naturally, the muslim superiority group CAIR rose up out of their slime to denounce the initiative as, you guessed it, “islamophobia” and another example of muslims being unfairly targeted.
I ran across this little piece over at National Review Online that is worth your time, especially if you have yet to decide if the Ground Zero mosque is a good idea. Here’s the intro,
Indeed.
This is a war the Obama administration clearly does not know how to fight. Or does it? In his book The Audacity of Hope, Obama clearly states that he will “side with muslims should the political winds of war shift in an ugly direction.”
Is there any other way for the wind to shift during the hell of war, Mr. President?
What then are we to expect of you, Mr. President, given your published intention to side with our enemies? Should we really expect anything except rules of engagement that favor the enemy? Should we expect anything except mislabeling what is clearly a war? Should we expect that you would want to give our enemies the hard-won rights and liberties that our forebears died for inside our very own courts?
What should we expect from you?
This trend is a disturbing one because it ignores a very fundamental truth: We have enemies.
Part of this dangerous psychology is denial. Some folks just cannot accept the fact that others don’t like them. The false ideas contained in the concepts of political correctness are also to blame. There is a catch-phrase the ignorant left loves to use to disregard any warning concerning the real intentions of radical islam – when faced with actual arguments, they invariably start screeching “islamophobia” with all the idiocy they can muster. Even after the massacre of 9/11, there are those who deny what is right before their eyes.
However, all of the arguments and all of the new-age pop psychology that is employed by the leftist have just been tossed out the window.
The Muslim Brotherhood has officially declared war on America.
That means you and me.
The history of islam is one of a constant effort to conquer the world through any means available. By the sword. By the word. By the courts. By patience. By cunning. By using our assets against us.
Every day, there is some example of the oppression of islam somewhere in the world. Whether it be “morality police” forcing men to cut their hair a certain way, forced clitorectomies, honor killings, brainwashing children and teaching them to hate others, the list of barbarities is long. How long must the world tolerate these things? What will it take before we awaken from our national slumber to the realization that there were many in the Arab world who danced in the streets upon learning that Moslems plowed two American airplanes into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?
Maybe this will do it.
Some of us are starting to fight back. A group vowing to fight "Islamofascism" has launched a media blitz in Oklahoma supporting a state constitutional amendment that would prohibit the courts from considering Islamic or other international law when ruling on cases in Sooner State courtrooms. Naturally, the muslim superiority group CAIR rose up out of their slime to denounce the initiative as, you guessed it, “islamophobia” and another example of muslims being unfairly targeted.
I ran across this little piece over at National Review Online that is worth your time, especially if you have yet to decide if the Ground Zero mosque is a good idea. Here’s the intro,
Imagine that there really were these fundamentalist Christian terror cells all over the United States, as the Department of Homeland Security imagines. Let’s say a group of five of these terrorists hijacked a plane, flew it to Mecca, and plowed it into the Kaaba.
Now let’s say a group of well-meaning, well-funded Christians — Christians whose full-time job was missionary work — decided that the best way to promote healing would be to pressure the Saudi government to drop its prohibition against permitting non-Muslims into Mecca so that these well-meaning, well-funded Christian missionaries could build a $100 million dollar church and community center a stone’s throw from where the Kaaba used to be — you know, as a bridge-building gesture of interfaith understanding.
What do you suppose President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg, the New York Times, and other Ground Zero mosque proponents would say about the insensitive, provocative nature of the proposal?
Indeed.
This is a war the Obama administration clearly does not know how to fight. Or does it? In his book The Audacity of Hope, Obama clearly states that he will “side with muslims should the political winds of war shift in an ugly direction.”
Is there any other way for the wind to shift during the hell of war, Mr. President?
What then are we to expect of you, Mr. President, given your published intention to side with our enemies? Should we really expect anything except rules of engagement that favor the enemy? Should we expect anything except mislabeling what is clearly a war? Should we expect that you would want to give our enemies the hard-won rights and liberties that our forebears died for inside our very own courts?
What should we expect from you?
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The Left’s Illogical Logic
When Christine O’Donnell debated her Democrat opponent Chris Coons earlier this week, an interesting subject arose. When Coons argued that schools should teach science instead of religion, O’Donnell asked where the Constitution outlined the separation of church and state.
It was readily apparent from the reaction of the audience (laughter and hoots) that no one in attendance knew the correct answer. No one except Christine O’Donnell, that is.
Understand, this is Delaware. The same part of the country that gave us the political equivalent of Forrest Gump, Joe “Bite Me” Biden. Slow Joe. Plugs. The Sheriff. The Vice-President who oversaw the distribution of some $800B in Porkulus Funds to Democrat cronies, various left-wing activist groups, and non-existent “shovel-ready jobs.”
That guy.
The “bearded Marxist” Coons cited the First Amendment in response to COD’s question. To which the incredulous COD replied, “You’re telling me the First Amendment does?”
Coons, thinking he had COD on the ropes, proclaimed this:
Now, these are simple points that any middle schooler would know, if civics were still taught in school. But a more important item is missed by the left in their gleeful excoriation of O’Donnell’s answer: Coons doesn’t know them.
Now, Delawareans can ask themselves an important question. Would they want to send as their duly elected representative to the Senate someone who doesn’t know the basics of our Constitution?
Which brings me to another article concerning our Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment over at Foxnews.com. I’ve touched on this before and you may want to reread that post (or read it, if you’re new here) so you’ll have a bit of background. In short, Arizona lawmakers want to clarify the Fourteenth Amendment to exclude automatic citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants, which it already does.
The Fox article quotes an alleged constitutional law professor at Arizona State University, Paul Bender, who states that if the lawmakers focus their argument on the "subject to jurisdiction" wording, they won't get very far because the founders only meant it to apply to the children of foreign diplomats born in the U.S.
Hmmm. Really, Mr. Bender? Let’s take a look at that section and see what it actually says, shall we?
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
Funny, I don’t see the word “diplomat” anywhere, do you? In fact, when I read the rest of that section, that word is curiously absent. So, how, Mr. Bender, if diplomats aren’t specifically excluded (or cited, for that matter) in the language of the law, do you know what the Founders meant? They used the case of a visiting dignitary as an example in case law, but that doesn’t begin to cover the entire meaning.
What is implied in the Constitution at all times, and is conveniently overlooked by those on the left who want it to mean whatever they say it means (The Living, Breathing, Constitution Clause) is that it’s meant to protect the rights of native-born American citizens first. Only when you become a naturalized citizen are you afforded the rights and protections that are guaranteed in it.
But I digress.
Our First Amendment specifically prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion like the Church of England. And it has been adhered to, hasn’t it? Has Congress created a Church of America?
So, that’s clearly what the Founders meant when they made it the very first right, right?
But they clearly didn’t reference illegal immigrants when they wrote the Fourteenth Amendment to say “…and subject to the jurisdiction thereof”? How can anyone who isn’t a naturalized citizen be subject to our law when they haven’t gone through the process of becoming a citizen?
Pardon my confusion, lefties. You logic escapes me.
It was readily apparent from the reaction of the audience (laughter and hoots) that no one in attendance knew the correct answer. No one except Christine O’Donnell, that is.
Understand, this is Delaware. The same part of the country that gave us the political equivalent of Forrest Gump, Joe “Bite Me” Biden. Slow Joe. Plugs. The Sheriff. The Vice-President who oversaw the distribution of some $800B in Porkulus Funds to Democrat cronies, various left-wing activist groups, and non-existent “shovel-ready jobs.”
That guy.
The “bearded Marxist” Coons cited the First Amendment in response to COD’s question. To which the incredulous COD replied, “You’re telling me the First Amendment does?”
Coons, thinking he had COD on the ropes, proclaimed this:
“I think you’ve just heard from my opponent in her asking ‘where is the separation of church and state’ show that she has a fundamental misunderstanding.”
“That’s in the First Amendment?” O’Donnell again asked.
“Yes,” Coons responded.
O’Donnell was later able to score some points of her own off the remark, revisiting the issue to ask Coons if he could identify the “five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment.”
Coons named the separation of church and state, but could not identify the others — the freedoms of speech, press, to assemble and petition — and asked that O’Donnell allow the moderators ask the questions.
“I guess he can’t,” O’Donnell said.
Now, these are simple points that any middle schooler would know, if civics were still taught in school. But a more important item is missed by the left in their gleeful excoriation of O’Donnell’s answer: Coons doesn’t know them.
Now, Delawareans can ask themselves an important question. Would they want to send as their duly elected representative to the Senate someone who doesn’t know the basics of our Constitution?
Which brings me to another article concerning our Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment over at Foxnews.com. I’ve touched on this before and you may want to reread that post (or read it, if you’re new here) so you’ll have a bit of background. In short, Arizona lawmakers want to clarify the Fourteenth Amendment to exclude automatic citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants, which it already does.
The Fox article quotes an alleged constitutional law professor at Arizona State University, Paul Bender, who states that if the lawmakers focus their argument on the "subject to jurisdiction" wording, they won't get very far because the founders only meant it to apply to the children of foreign diplomats born in the U.S.
Hmmm. Really, Mr. Bender? Let’s take a look at that section and see what it actually says, shall we?
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
Funny, I don’t see the word “diplomat” anywhere, do you? In fact, when I read the rest of that section, that word is curiously absent. So, how, Mr. Bender, if diplomats aren’t specifically excluded (or cited, for that matter) in the language of the law, do you know what the Founders meant? They used the case of a visiting dignitary as an example in case law, but that doesn’t begin to cover the entire meaning.
What is implied in the Constitution at all times, and is conveniently overlooked by those on the left who want it to mean whatever they say it means (The Living, Breathing, Constitution Clause) is that it’s meant to protect the rights of native-born American citizens first. Only when you become a naturalized citizen are you afforded the rights and protections that are guaranteed in it.
But I digress.
Our First Amendment specifically prohibits Congress from establishing a national religion like the Church of England. And it has been adhered to, hasn’t it? Has Congress created a Church of America?
So, that’s clearly what the Founders meant when they made it the very first right, right?
But they clearly didn’t reference illegal immigrants when they wrote the Fourteenth Amendment to say “…and subject to the jurisdiction thereof”? How can anyone who isn’t a naturalized citizen be subject to our law when they haven’t gone through the process of becoming a citizen?
Pardon my confusion, lefties. You logic escapes me.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The New Compromise in Congress
In the spirit of the coming conservative tsunami that is about to hit Washington, I’d like to suggest a new meaning of the word “compromise” in the American political dictionary.
For the past forty years or so, this word has meant, as Arizona congressional Republican candidate Jesse Kelly put it, "Bipartisanship in Washington means Republicans selling out their conservative principles in order to appear nice on MSNBC."
He has a very valid point.
The word conjures up an image of two political opponents hammering out details, first one and then the other, reaching some sort of middle ground acceptable to both, with the underlying supposition that what results is in the best interest of the country. However, candidate Kelly is quite correct to point out the reality of what actually happens: radical, big-government leftist lay out a plan to spend more of our money in order to make themselves look good to the people back in the home district so he or she is better able to be reelected. The conservative then must give in to whatever the liberal wants or else be smeared as “partisan” or “obstructionist” or some other name so the people back in the home district will reelect the radical, big-government leftist.
This is about to change.
The rise of the Tea Party in American politics is about the formerly “Silent Majority” speaking up to demand that our representatives in Washington start doing what we ourselves are being forced to do, namely "tighten their belt" and reduce spending. The days of wasting taxpayers’ dollars are nearing an end. Today’s voters are more engaged than ever and have more means at their disposal to monitor what Washington is doing. So the word “compromise” must change to accommodate the will of the people to reduce federal spending and cut out waste, fraud and the abuse of power.
So, here is the new meaning of the word.
In the future, liberals will be giving up their priorities to conservatives, who will start crafting common-sense allocations for programs. The compromise will now come from the left to the right side of the aisle, not from the right to the left, as is now currently done. Liberals will start cutting their budgets and justifying the remainder in an honest accounting of where the money will be spent. Budgets will no longer be based on the previous fiscal year, but will start from scratch to determine how much is actually needed. Zreo-based accounting, I believe, is the proper term for this.
Compromise will now mean that any government expenditure must be fully justified and meet a real need, or else it will be reduced or eliminated. The conservation of tax dollars will be the rule, not the increase. Big-spending, big-government liberals will begin to pare down their requests for funds in accordance with the new paradigm of a smaller, more responsible Federal government.
This new definition of compromise will also include a new twist on the words “partisan” and “obstructionist”. These terms will now be used to describe anyone on the left who wants to squander tax money. Things like the waste of taxpayer dollars on the study of ants will be brought into the light and those who propose such insults to the American people will be derided as the irresponsible spenders that they are.
The attitude of the American people is changing. Politics in Washington will change as a result. Business as usual will no longer be tolerated. We’ve tried the vapid promise of hope and change and it has been shown to be a gigantic failure, resulting in record high levels of unemployment, poverty, and federal debt, things that should never happen in the worlds’ number one economy. It's time to halt this very dangerous veer towards the radical left that Obama and his cronies in Congress have engineered.
As a reminder, if you haven’t already, pick a day to vote and let your voice be heard in Washington. And be sure to tell all your Democrat friends to vote on November 3rd.
Send an undeniable message to the corrupt elitists that we are coming to take back our nation. Bend to our will or get out of the way.
For the past forty years or so, this word has meant, as Arizona congressional Republican candidate Jesse Kelly put it, "Bipartisanship in Washington means Republicans selling out their conservative principles in order to appear nice on MSNBC."
He has a very valid point.
The word conjures up an image of two political opponents hammering out details, first one and then the other, reaching some sort of middle ground acceptable to both, with the underlying supposition that what results is in the best interest of the country. However, candidate Kelly is quite correct to point out the reality of what actually happens: radical, big-government leftist lay out a plan to spend more of our money in order to make themselves look good to the people back in the home district so he or she is better able to be reelected. The conservative then must give in to whatever the liberal wants or else be smeared as “partisan” or “obstructionist” or some other name so the people back in the home district will reelect the radical, big-government leftist.
This is about to change.
The rise of the Tea Party in American politics is about the formerly “Silent Majority” speaking up to demand that our representatives in Washington start doing what we ourselves are being forced to do, namely "tighten their belt" and reduce spending. The days of wasting taxpayers’ dollars are nearing an end. Today’s voters are more engaged than ever and have more means at their disposal to monitor what Washington is doing. So the word “compromise” must change to accommodate the will of the people to reduce federal spending and cut out waste, fraud and the abuse of power.
So, here is the new meaning of the word.
In the future, liberals will be giving up their priorities to conservatives, who will start crafting common-sense allocations for programs. The compromise will now come from the left to the right side of the aisle, not from the right to the left, as is now currently done. Liberals will start cutting their budgets and justifying the remainder in an honest accounting of where the money will be spent. Budgets will no longer be based on the previous fiscal year, but will start from scratch to determine how much is actually needed. Zreo-based accounting, I believe, is the proper term for this.
Compromise will now mean that any government expenditure must be fully justified and meet a real need, or else it will be reduced or eliminated. The conservation of tax dollars will be the rule, not the increase. Big-spending, big-government liberals will begin to pare down their requests for funds in accordance with the new paradigm of a smaller, more responsible Federal government.
This new definition of compromise will also include a new twist on the words “partisan” and “obstructionist”. These terms will now be used to describe anyone on the left who wants to squander tax money. Things like the waste of taxpayer dollars on the study of ants will be brought into the light and those who propose such insults to the American people will be derided as the irresponsible spenders that they are.
The attitude of the American people is changing. Politics in Washington will change as a result. Business as usual will no longer be tolerated. We’ve tried the vapid promise of hope and change and it has been shown to be a gigantic failure, resulting in record high levels of unemployment, poverty, and federal debt, things that should never happen in the worlds’ number one economy. It's time to halt this very dangerous veer towards the radical left that Obama and his cronies in Congress have engineered.
As a reminder, if you haven’t already, pick a day to vote and let your voice be heard in Washington. And be sure to tell all your Democrat friends to vote on November 3rd.
Send an undeniable message to the corrupt elitists that we are coming to take back our nation. Bend to our will or get out of the way.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sorry, Mr. President, But We Are Thinking Clearly
We read what you had to say at that little fundraiser over the weekend. You said that your Democratic friends in Congress are having difficulties in this election because we aren’t thinking clearly. You said,
You’re wrong. Very wrong. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong even if you tried to be.
We’re not scared. We know what you and your Democrat party are trying to do to us. We’ve watched you and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi very closely ever since you took office.
We watched as you went around the world and apologized to our enemies. We watched you disrespectfully return the bust of Churchill to our British allies. We watched you put your feet upon the Presidential Desk. We watched you bow to leaders of foreign countries as though you were their servant instead of standing before them as their equal.
We watched you play golf while our fighting forces made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of a war you refuse to name. We watched you force one unpopular law after another through Congress against our will. We watched while you criticized those in business who dared to make a profit. We watched you disparage doctors as greedy people who can’t wait to chop off someone’s leg. We watched as you tried to give our sworn enemies the same rights as normal Americans in our court system instead of treating them as the animals they are.
We watched as you looked down your nose at everyday Americans and we heard you call us “bitter clingers” for adhering to our faith in American values. And now, we have to hear you say that we’re scared and can’t think for ourselves.
I’m terribly sorry if that’s what you think. You see, we are thinking very clearly because we aren’t scared.
We’ve learned a lot since you took office. We learned that you don’t think very much of your own country, although we don’t know why. After all, you should thank us for electing you even though you haven’t had much in the way of experience, either in politics or in everyday life. We know you’ve never had a real job with real responsibilities and real people depending on you for their families’ livelihoods. We know that you don’t want us to know anything about your time in college since you won’t release any of your records. We know you voted “present” a lot. An awful lot.
No, Barry, we can see a few things for ourselves. We know when we’re being lied to. What you call “facts and science and arguments” we call “radical left-wing progressive talking points”. Just words, really, with no truth in them, designed to manipulate us into giving you and your party more power over us in order to satisfy your incredibly large and arrogant egos.
No, Barry, we’re thinking very clearly and we aren’t afraid at all. In fact, we’re defiant.
We’re defiant of you and your efforts to “fundamentally transform” the country into something far less that it was. That’s why your party is in trouble. We’re going to send you an unmistakable message in a few weeks that we don’t like the place where you want to take us.
And you’d be wise to listen to us.
We want our government small and responsive to our needs. What we need right now aren’t vague platitudes and socialist talking points. We need a return to American principles like personal responsibility and accountability. We need to get the economy going again so we can have a future to give our children and their families.
We want a government that is honest and listens to us. We want a government operated by folks like us, that understands what we want from life and that will write laws that benefit us all, and repeal the laws that don’t. We want a government of, by and for us. And we know that’s not what you want.
So, pardon us if we don’t live down to your mistaken ideas and false notions of what we are or aren’t thinking.
We can think for ourselves, as you will soon see.
"Part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now, and facts and science and argument do not seem to be winning the day all the time, is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared," Obama told the assembled Democrats, who paid $15,200 a person to attend. "And the country is scared."Hmmm. Is that what you think? Really? Well, I have some news for you.
You’re wrong. Very wrong. In fact, you couldn’t be more wrong even if you tried to be.
We’re not scared. We know what you and your Democrat party are trying to do to us. We’ve watched you and Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi very closely ever since you took office.
We watched as you went around the world and apologized to our enemies. We watched you disrespectfully return the bust of Churchill to our British allies. We watched you put your feet upon the Presidential Desk. We watched you bow to leaders of foreign countries as though you were their servant instead of standing before them as their equal.
We watched you play golf while our fighting forces made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of a war you refuse to name. We watched you force one unpopular law after another through Congress against our will. We watched while you criticized those in business who dared to make a profit. We watched you disparage doctors as greedy people who can’t wait to chop off someone’s leg. We watched as you tried to give our sworn enemies the same rights as normal Americans in our court system instead of treating them as the animals they are.
We watched as you looked down your nose at everyday Americans and we heard you call us “bitter clingers” for adhering to our faith in American values. And now, we have to hear you say that we’re scared and can’t think for ourselves.
I’m terribly sorry if that’s what you think. You see, we are thinking very clearly because we aren’t scared.
We’ve learned a lot since you took office. We learned that you don’t think very much of your own country, although we don’t know why. After all, you should thank us for electing you even though you haven’t had much in the way of experience, either in politics or in everyday life. We know you’ve never had a real job with real responsibilities and real people depending on you for their families’ livelihoods. We know that you don’t want us to know anything about your time in college since you won’t release any of your records. We know you voted “present” a lot. An awful lot.
No, Barry, we can see a few things for ourselves. We know when we’re being lied to. What you call “facts and science and arguments” we call “radical left-wing progressive talking points”. Just words, really, with no truth in them, designed to manipulate us into giving you and your party more power over us in order to satisfy your incredibly large and arrogant egos.
No, Barry, we’re thinking very clearly and we aren’t afraid at all. In fact, we’re defiant.
We’re defiant of you and your efforts to “fundamentally transform” the country into something far less that it was. That’s why your party is in trouble. We’re going to send you an unmistakable message in a few weeks that we don’t like the place where you want to take us.
And you’d be wise to listen to us.
We want our government small and responsive to our needs. What we need right now aren’t vague platitudes and socialist talking points. We need a return to American principles like personal responsibility and accountability. We need to get the economy going again so we can have a future to give our children and their families.
We want a government that is honest and listens to us. We want a government operated by folks like us, that understands what we want from life and that will write laws that benefit us all, and repeal the laws that don’t. We want a government of, by and for us. And we know that’s not what you want.
So, pardon us if we don’t live down to your mistaken ideas and false notions of what we are or aren’t thinking.
We can think for ourselves, as you will soon see.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday Bits of Tid, Birthday Edition
And a good Friday to you all.
What do you get a blog for its birthday? While you ponder that question, I'll tell you that this blog is exactly one year old today. I can't wait until it's housebroken.
Congratulations to the Chilean miners who were rescued this week. One kept up spirits by doing Elvis impersonations, so guess where he's going? Graceland. There's a song somewhere in that story...
Fun with teleprompters.
If we can put a Chinese takeout container in space, then why can't we...
And speaking of food, take a look at these foodscapes. I'm suddenly hungry.
The world's two oldest professions, together at last.
The first official act of a new teenaged driver.
And now for Naked News: Woman in Open Robe Drives Through Florida Animal Park. Naked jogger tased. Obama's streaker won't get $1M. Naked, unemployed, and drunk is no way to go through life.
That dry British wit apparently dries up around age 52.
How to remember your children's birthdays.
And finally, what to do when the drummer doesn't show up.
Have a good weekend, y'all.
What do you get a blog for its birthday? While you ponder that question, I'll tell you that this blog is exactly one year old today. I can't wait until it's housebroken.
Congratulations to the Chilean miners who were rescued this week. One kept up spirits by doing Elvis impersonations, so guess where he's going? Graceland. There's a song somewhere in that story...
Fun with teleprompters.
If we can put a Chinese takeout container in space, then why can't we...
And speaking of food, take a look at these foodscapes. I'm suddenly hungry.
The world's two oldest professions, together at last.
The first official act of a new teenaged driver.
And now for Naked News: Woman in Open Robe Drives Through Florida Animal Park. Naked jogger tased. Obama's streaker won't get $1M. Naked, unemployed, and drunk is no way to go through life.
That dry British wit apparently dries up around age 52.
How to remember your children's birthdays.
And finally, what to do when the drummer doesn't show up.
Have a good weekend, y'all.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Death Throes of "Progressivism"
It's all around us. It surrounds and permeates us.
The Force? Not quite. I'm speaking of the death of the "progressive" movement in American politics.
For years, we've tolerated outrageous ideas, one after another, that are irrational, obtuse, and downright fantastical. Here's one: animals have the same legal rights as humans. I'm going to carbon-date myself (once again) by telling my younger readers that there was a time when this idea would have gotten you laughed out of the bar, or at least cut off from any more drinks. We just knew better than that.
Here's another one: the earth is fragile and incapable of maintaining its own equilibrium. This notion, embraced by environmental groups, is responsible for the drastic decline in our nation's manufacturing sector and living standards as governmental rules and restrictions have become too onerous and costly to comply with, in addition to being an outright lie.
One more: by outsourcing American jobs, we're creating wealth and job opportunities for Americans. I'm not really sure how this one gained any traction, but I know that some people actually believe it, because I saw it on the Internet yesterday.
These false notions along many others have become so common-place as to boggle the mind. What used to be common sense has now been replaced with mindless babbling and incoherence. I present as an example, this clip from The Shark Tank.net where former Republican governor of Florida Charlie Crist announced an endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kindly 'splain it to me Lucy what, if anything, in that clip made any sense?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
It has taken us a while, as a nation, to finally understand what the radical left has in store for us. Up until now, we've dismissed these people and their ideas as just so much mental experimentation that will soon dissipate in the light of Reality. However, with the election of Barack Obama and the installation of a filibuster-proof Democrat majority in Congress, we see, starkly, what these ideas can do to a people and a country when given free reign. The results aren't pretty: record levels of poverty, record amounts of unemployment, new records for home foreclosures, a declining purchasing power of the dollar in world markets, favoritism in law enforcement instead of the uniform application of law, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
While those on the left sneer at the concept of American exceptionalism, the rest of us are about to demonstrate how it works by sending an unmistakable mandate to Washington on November 2nd. We've seen what so-called "progressivism" has done in a short length of time and we want no more of it. The coming "Red Wave" will be the political equivalent of Shock and Awe. Only the most brainwashed will construe it any other way. We demand that government respond to our wishes and we refuse to accept anything else: no excuses, no whining, no nothing save what we tell it to do.
We have had enough.
Vote as if your life depends upon it. Don't expect to ride the wave by thinking that others will do the heavy lifting. Do your part. Be the Wave.
The Force? Not quite. I'm speaking of the death of the "progressive" movement in American politics.
For years, we've tolerated outrageous ideas, one after another, that are irrational, obtuse, and downright fantastical. Here's one: animals have the same legal rights as humans. I'm going to carbon-date myself (once again) by telling my younger readers that there was a time when this idea would have gotten you laughed out of the bar, or at least cut off from any more drinks. We just knew better than that.
Here's another one: the earth is fragile and incapable of maintaining its own equilibrium. This notion, embraced by environmental groups, is responsible for the drastic decline in our nation's manufacturing sector and living standards as governmental rules and restrictions have become too onerous and costly to comply with, in addition to being an outright lie.
One more: by outsourcing American jobs, we're creating wealth and job opportunities for Americans. I'm not really sure how this one gained any traction, but I know that some people actually believe it, because I saw it on the Internet yesterday.
These false notions along many others have become so common-place as to boggle the mind. What used to be common sense has now been replaced with mindless babbling and incoherence. I present as an example, this clip from The Shark Tank.net where former Republican governor of Florida Charlie Crist announced an endorsement from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kindly 'splain it to me Lucy what, if anything, in that clip made any sense?
Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
It has taken us a while, as a nation, to finally understand what the radical left has in store for us. Up until now, we've dismissed these people and their ideas as just so much mental experimentation that will soon dissipate in the light of Reality. However, with the election of Barack Obama and the installation of a filibuster-proof Democrat majority in Congress, we see, starkly, what these ideas can do to a people and a country when given free reign. The results aren't pretty: record levels of poverty, record amounts of unemployment, new records for home foreclosures, a declining purchasing power of the dollar in world markets, favoritism in law enforcement instead of the uniform application of law, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
While those on the left sneer at the concept of American exceptionalism, the rest of us are about to demonstrate how it works by sending an unmistakable mandate to Washington on November 2nd. We've seen what so-called "progressivism" has done in a short length of time and we want no more of it. The coming "Red Wave" will be the political equivalent of Shock and Awe. Only the most brainwashed will construe it any other way. We demand that government respond to our wishes and we refuse to accept anything else: no excuses, no whining, no nothing save what we tell it to do.
We have had enough.
Vote as if your life depends upon it. Don't expect to ride the wave by thinking that others will do the heavy lifting. Do your part. Be the Wave.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
A Backwards Birthday!
I'm taking today off so's BackwardsGirl and I can celebrate my birthday. The three of you are left up to your own devices. Be nice to each other and try not to set anything on fire.
I'll see you tomorrow with more fun and frivolity from the world of politics and all that other "P"-eyy stuff. In the meantime, feel free to poke around in the archives or visit a few of my blog buddies.
Enjoy y'allselves.
I'll see you tomorrow with more fun and frivolity from the world of politics and all that other "P"-eyy stuff. In the meantime, feel free to poke around in the archives or visit a few of my blog buddies.
Enjoy y'allselves.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
More Desperation, Now with Added Instability!
This is really getting good. You can tell we're getting closer to an election when you have to put on waders before you read or listen to the news.
Recall yesterday's post wherein President Obama, parroting the line from the radical, far-left "think tank" Center for American Progress, accused the Republican Party of illegally contributing foreign money to candidates in this election cycle without any proof. Unmentioned is the fact that Democrats' primary funding is coming from noted foreign leftist and America-hater George Soros. Also conveniently missing is the fact that many of the organizations who contribute to Democrats such as the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club also have international chapters just like the Chamber of Commerce.
Now, you'd think that, after all the weekends' bashing of Republicans in general and the Chamber of Commerce in particular, the White House would hesitate to even mention the name of the CoC.
You would be wrong, campaign-finance-breath.
Via Gateway Pundit,
I don't think this is anywhere close to being a "make-up kiss" as Larry Sabato suggests. This is nothing but psychological instability writ large. It's a desperate attempt by a flailing President to minimize the damage he's inflicted upon his own image.
This shows an inability to make up his mind: bash businesses or praise them? It's clear that Obama is openly hostile to capitalism and business, there are far more examples than I can recall. But this attempt yesterday to include the CoC in his effort at another stimulus aimed at infrastructure just reeks of hypocrisy, and is most unbecoming the office of the Presidency.
At best, it's a lack of consistency. At worst, it's a sign of mental instability.
Pick one, Mr. President. You can't have it both ways.
If these were less serious times, this would be amusing. However, given the outright failures of the Obama administration, this is not at all funny. Obama and his radical Marxist cronies in Congress have nearly succeeded in their quest to destroy capitalism, bringing untold misery to millions of innocent Americans through their misguided policies of government intervention into areas of the economy previously left untainted. If he were to plan the destruction of our way of life, he wouldn't be doing anything differently.
The outrage is growing. Many in the blogosphere have joined the voices condemning this futile and grossly unfair tactic by the White House.
Via SC&A, comes this from the Economist.
The Jawa Report has this cartoon from Chris Muir.
And the self-described "right-wing troglodite" Charles Krauthammer has this to say over at NewsBusters.
On November 2, vote like Mark Levin is looking over your shoulder.
Recall yesterday's post wherein President Obama, parroting the line from the radical, far-left "think tank" Center for American Progress, accused the Republican Party of illegally contributing foreign money to candidates in this election cycle without any proof. Unmentioned is the fact that Democrats' primary funding is coming from noted foreign leftist and America-hater George Soros. Also conveniently missing is the fact that many of the organizations who contribute to Democrats such as the AFL-CIO and the Sierra Club also have international chapters just like the Chamber of Commerce.
Now, you'd think that, after all the weekends' bashing of Republicans in general and the Chamber of Commerce in particular, the White House would hesitate to even mention the name of the CoC.
You would be wrong, campaign-finance-breath.
Via Gateway Pundit,
I don't think this is anywhere close to being a "make-up kiss" as Larry Sabato suggests. This is nothing but psychological instability writ large. It's a desperate attempt by a flailing President to minimize the damage he's inflicted upon his own image.
This shows an inability to make up his mind: bash businesses or praise them? It's clear that Obama is openly hostile to capitalism and business, there are far more examples than I can recall. But this attempt yesterday to include the CoC in his effort at another stimulus aimed at infrastructure just reeks of hypocrisy, and is most unbecoming the office of the Presidency.
At best, it's a lack of consistency. At worst, it's a sign of mental instability.
Pick one, Mr. President. You can't have it both ways.
If these were less serious times, this would be amusing. However, given the outright failures of the Obama administration, this is not at all funny. Obama and his radical Marxist cronies in Congress have nearly succeeded in their quest to destroy capitalism, bringing untold misery to millions of innocent Americans through their misguided policies of government intervention into areas of the economy previously left untainted. If he were to plan the destruction of our way of life, he wouldn't be doing anything differently.
The outrage is growing. Many in the blogosphere have joined the voices condemning this futile and grossly unfair tactic by the White House.
Via SC&A, comes this from the Economist.
The Jawa Report has this cartoon from Chris Muir.
And the self-described "right-wing troglodite" Charles Krauthammer has this to say over at NewsBusters.
On November 2, vote like Mark Levin is looking over your shoulder.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Smell the Desperation in the White House's October Surprise
The White House is trying a desperate ploy to stop the upcoming Republican tsunami that's headed towards Washington by accusing Republicans of using foreign money to help fund this election cycle. President Obama made not one, but two references to the Chamber of Commerce during speeches last Thursday.
What the President fails to mention is that the blog posting he cites is from a George Soros-funded radical far-left advocacy group, Center for American Progress.
What the President also fails to mention is that these accusations are essentially baseless. The Magnificent Bastard, Karl Rove, has retaliated by noting that the Obama administration is employing one of the tactics of Tricky Dick Nixon in assembling an "enemies list". After nearly two years of the Obama regime, it's clear who is on this list: all of us.
Be on the lookout for this ad from the DNC coming to a cable system near you:
Perhaps we should tell them that we don't have a democracy. You'd think that they'd know we have a representative republic, but what's a little factoid like that when you're trying to hang on to your power by using Alinsky's tactics?
Here's why this attempt to stem the tide will fail - we're not stupid.
There's a little item the President and those who helped him bamboozle fifty-two percent of the voting public in November of 2008 don't want you to know: their online fundraising was very busy accepting illegal foreign donations in clear violation of election laws. The only reason why this hasn't been investigated is that Democrats hold the majority in Congress and are therefore able to decide which investigations are pursued and which ones aren't.
From the New York Post:
Here's another source, The Washington Post, reporting on the same malfeasance,
Obama and his corrupt enablers have far more 'splainin' to do to the American people as to why it's alright for them to accept foreign funds and then turn around and accuse Republicans of doing the same thing.
Remember this on November 2. Get out and vote. Send a clear message that we don't like the hard turn to the corrupt left that this administration has taken the country against our will.
In two campaign stops Thursday, Mr. Obama invoked what he portrayed as a specific new example, citing a blog posting from a liberal advocacy group as he teed off on a longtime adversary, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, over its political spending.
What the President fails to mention is that the blog posting he cites is from a George Soros-funded radical far-left advocacy group, Center for American Progress.
What the President also fails to mention is that these accusations are essentially baseless. The Magnificent Bastard, Karl Rove, has retaliated by noting that the Obama administration is employing one of the tactics of Tricky Dick Nixon in assembling an "enemies list". After nearly two years of the Obama regime, it's clear who is on this list: all of us.
Be on the lookout for this ad from the DNC coming to a cable system near you:
“Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie: They're Bush cronies,” the ad charges. “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce: They're shills for Big Business. And they're stealing our democracy. … Tell the Bush crowd and the Chamber of Commerce: Stop stealing our democracy.”
Perhaps we should tell them that we don't have a democracy. You'd think that they'd know we have a representative republic, but what's a little factoid like that when you're trying to hang on to your power by using Alinsky's tactics?
Here's why this attempt to stem the tide will fail - we're not stupid.
There's a little item the President and those who helped him bamboozle fifty-two percent of the voting public in November of 2008 don't want you to know: their online fundraising was very busy accepting illegal foreign donations in clear violation of election laws. The only reason why this hasn't been investigated is that Democrats hold the majority in Congress and are therefore able to decide which investigations are pursued and which ones aren't.
From the New York Post:
The Federal Election Commission says the Obama campaign has reported well over $200 million as coming from contributions of $200 or less. Only a small portion of that sum is attributable to donors the Obama campaign has disclosed.How did they do this? I thought you'd never ask...
No presidential campaign has ever before received such a gargantuan sum of money from unidentified contributors.
The campaign's records reveal big contributors with names like "Doodad Pro" (employer: "Loving," profession: "You") and "Good Will" (same employer and profession). Both donated via credit card. Other reports have suggested that some donations come from overseas - raising the question of whether Obama is accepting donations from foreigners, another violation of federal law.
All of which prompted an enterprising citizen to test the controls put in place to enforce compliance with federal campaign law by the Obama and McCain campaigns. Last Thursday, he decided to conduct an experiment.
He went to the Obama campaign Web site and made a donation under the name "John Galt" (the hero of Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged"). He provided the equally fictitious address "1957 Ayn Rand Lane, Galts Gulch, CO 99999."
He checked the box next to $15 and entered his actual credit-card number and expiration date. He was then taken to the next page and notified that his donation had been processed.
He then tried the same experiment on the McCain site, which rejected the transaction. He returned to the Obama site and made three more donations using the names Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Bill Ayers, all with different addresses but the same credit card. The transactions all went through. By Saturday, he'd reported that the transactions had all posted to his credit-card account.
Others repeated "John Galt's" experiment last week, giving to Obama under such fictitious names as Della Ware, Joe Plumber, Idiot Savant, Ima BadDonation (with a Canadian bank card) and Fake Donor.
Here's another source, The Washington Post, reporting on the same malfeasance,
In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.Even the Wall Street Journal has taken notice and criticized the White House for this pathetic attempt at an October surprise.
Obama and his corrupt enablers have far more 'splainin' to do to the American people as to why it's alright for them to accept foreign funds and then turn around and accuse Republicans of doing the same thing.
Remember this on November 2. Get out and vote. Send a clear message that we don't like the hard turn to the corrupt left that this administration has taken the country against our will.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Friday Bits of Tid, Auto Racing Edition
Happy Friday, y'all.
Today is the birthday of America's first auto racing winner, Frank Duryea. He, along with his brother, also created the very first American car company. So, do a burnout in recognition.
In Bolivia, politics is a contact sport.
Are we sure this isn't Alan Grayson?
New York's Naked Cowboy is running for President. He can't possibly be any worse than our current one.
More state fair food, on a stick, with a picture. Suddenly, I'm hungry...
In Mississippi, you do what the judge tells you, or else.
How to remember your wedding anniversary. Get married this Sunday, 10-10-10.
Marijuana tourism, for a trip you'll never remember.
This fellow really, really, really likes football.
Maybe this explains why I think I'm young and good-looking. Rich, too.
Dear Santa Claus, I've been a good boy all year long and I want one of these for Christmas.
And finally, enjoy these two little fellas enjoying each other's company...
How could you not have a good weekend after watching that?
Today is the birthday of America's first auto racing winner, Frank Duryea. He, along with his brother, also created the very first American car company. So, do a burnout in recognition.
In Bolivia, politics is a contact sport.
Are we sure this isn't Alan Grayson?
New York's Naked Cowboy is running for President. He can't possibly be any worse than our current one.
More state fair food, on a stick, with a picture. Suddenly, I'm hungry...
In Mississippi, you do what the judge tells you, or else.
How to remember your wedding anniversary. Get married this Sunday, 10-10-10.
Marijuana tourism, for a trip you'll never remember.
This fellow really, really, really likes football.
Maybe this explains why I think I'm young and good-looking. Rich, too.
Dear Santa Claus, I've been a good boy all year long and I want one of these for Christmas.
And finally, enjoy these two little fellas enjoying each other's company...
How could you not have a good weekend after watching that?
Thursday, October 7, 2010
What If?
Mindless tasks have merit. Anyone who’s ever done such things as gardening or car repair know what I’m talking about. For me, such activities were a welcome respite from the demands of work and the mental rigors of solving problems or figuring out a method for accomplishing a given task. This is also why riding a motorcycle is a form of meditation for many. The brain and the body seemingly operate on autopilot, freeing the mind for thought and analysis. Or not.
Moving does that, too. There are no life-or-death decisions to be made, just move the box. And as long as I stay away from bright, shiny objects, I’m good. Things can be carried to the extreme, IYKWIMAITYD.
What if...
…we were to become united as a people again, with a shared heritage of freedom and responsibility, and rejected the efforts of self-serving, power-hungry politicians to divide us?
…we were to insist that our representatives acted for the greater good of the majority of Americans, not just moneyed special interests who don’t embrace American values?
...we demanded truth, honesty, and integrity from our elected officials at all times?
…we were to chart an economic course that emphasized American-made products for our consumption, not through protectionism and artificial tariffs, with enough left over for trade?
…we dedicated ourselves to diversity in the marketplace so that those who enjoy working with their hands as well as their minds could secure a good future for themselves and their families by reinvigorating the manufacturing sector?
…we decided to utilize our God-given natural resources responsibly, such as our vast oil and natural gas reserves, and started building nuclear plants and oil refineries again while we make the money necessary to research alternative energy sources and make them cost-competitive?
…we finally recognized that there are folks inside our country who are enemies and treated them as such, to be shunned and disrespected?
…we told those enemies that we do not hate them and they are welcome to leave?
…we returned to the concept that immigrants are expected to become true American citizens and assimilate into our society, learn our language and customs and embrace our way of life?
...we dedicated ourselves to influencing the world through our actions here at home, to be the shining light of freedom, goodness, and human potential?
…we recognized our enemies abroad and withdrew our aid when they acted against us in the court of world opinion?
…we rejected those within our own government who advocate global governance of any kind?
...we pursued the goal of an impenetrable missile shield to protect us?
…we rediscovered our heritage and history and began to teach their words and ideas to our children in school instead of the lies of “The Story of Stuff?”
…we returned radical environmentalism and its supporters to the fringes of society from whence they came and rejected the false notion that humankind is capable of any long-term environmental damage?
...we restored the rule of law clearly and fairly to everyone?
…we recognized the simple truth that human life is to be honored and preserved above any other creature?
…we just understood the Truth and lived it every day?
Moving does that, too. There are no life-or-death decisions to be made, just move the box. And as long as I stay away from bright, shiny objects, I’m good. Things can be carried to the extreme, IYKWIMAITYD.
What if...
…we were to become united as a people again, with a shared heritage of freedom and responsibility, and rejected the efforts of self-serving, power-hungry politicians to divide us?
…we were to insist that our representatives acted for the greater good of the majority of Americans, not just moneyed special interests who don’t embrace American values?
...we demanded truth, honesty, and integrity from our elected officials at all times?
…we were to chart an economic course that emphasized American-made products for our consumption, not through protectionism and artificial tariffs, with enough left over for trade?
…we dedicated ourselves to diversity in the marketplace so that those who enjoy working with their hands as well as their minds could secure a good future for themselves and their families by reinvigorating the manufacturing sector?
…we decided to utilize our God-given natural resources responsibly, such as our vast oil and natural gas reserves, and started building nuclear plants and oil refineries again while we make the money necessary to research alternative energy sources and make them cost-competitive?
…we finally recognized that there are folks inside our country who are enemies and treated them as such, to be shunned and disrespected?
…we told those enemies that we do not hate them and they are welcome to leave?
…we returned to the concept that immigrants are expected to become true American citizens and assimilate into our society, learn our language and customs and embrace our way of life?
...we dedicated ourselves to influencing the world through our actions here at home, to be the shining light of freedom, goodness, and human potential?
…we recognized our enemies abroad and withdrew our aid when they acted against us in the court of world opinion?
…we rejected those within our own government who advocate global governance of any kind?
...we pursued the goal of an impenetrable missile shield to protect us?
…we rediscovered our heritage and history and began to teach their words and ideas to our children in school instead of the lies of “The Story of Stuff?”
…we returned radical environmentalism and its supporters to the fringes of society from whence they came and rejected the false notion that humankind is capable of any long-term environmental damage?
...we restored the rule of law clearly and fairly to everyone?
…we recognized the simple truth that human life is to be honored and preserved above any other creature?
…we just understood the Truth and lived it every day?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Another Drive-By Post
Boxes to pack, things to move, and stuff like that there.
Here’s what eco-fascists really, really want to do to you. Warning for shockingly gross depiction of explodingdissenters skeptics schoolchildren and actresses. Heh, notice after doing her spot, Gillian Anderson gets 'sploded anyway. Nothing is ever enough for that crowd.
Why the “green economy” is a fantasy, almost as real as “global warming” or “climate change” or “climate disruption” or whatever they call it these days.
The Democrat version of Forrest Gump, Joe Biden, wants to strangle the next Republican who whines about the massive deficit. He says that Dems know how to balance the budget. Well, we’re waiting, Joe. And no fair raising taxes. Nobody has any money now, anyway.
Why I’m voting Democrat, over at Ace of Spades HQ. My Moron buddies frolic in the kiddie pool full of pudding again…
Obama’s official seal makes a run for it.
And finally, Halloween’s coming and to get you in the mood, here’s a 3-D Fiscal House of Horrors, if you dare…
Here’s what eco-fascists really, really want to do to you. Warning for shockingly gross depiction of exploding
Why the “green economy” is a fantasy, almost as real as “global warming” or “climate change” or “climate disruption” or whatever they call it these days.
The Democrat version of Forrest Gump, Joe Biden, wants to strangle the next Republican who whines about the massive deficit. He says that Dems know how to balance the budget. Well, we’re waiting, Joe. And no fair raising taxes. Nobody has any money now, anyway.
Why I’m voting Democrat, over at Ace of Spades HQ. My Moron buddies frolic in the kiddie pool full of pudding again…
Obama’s official seal makes a run for it.
And finally, Halloween’s coming and to get you in the mood, here’s a 3-D Fiscal House of Horrors, if you dare…
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Fisking the Anti-Christ, George Soros
The Financial Times has an article online today by noted America hater George Soros. In it, Soros, far from seeming knowledgeable about finance, pens a rambling, incoherent analysis of our current financial problems, in which he no doubt played a part. As usual, when it comes to our enemies, and make no mistake, Mr. Soros falls into that category, expect confusion and misleading statements.
America needs stimulus not virtue is the title, and even that is misleading. America is in dire need of virtue, particularly from the people it sends to Washington to represent her. In recent years, these people have said one thing in order to get themselves elected and abandoned their promises once they arrive. So strong is the allure of power that precious few can resist its siren call.
But I digress.
Soros begins with a falsehood and proceeds downhill from there.
Really George? In case you missed it, we’re in jeopardy of losing our AAA credit rating. Try again.
You’re getting warm there, George. We know that Washington’s balance sheet is just like the one we have to balance at home every month. Washington’s just has more zeros. A lot more zeros. And deficit spending makes about as much sense in Washington as it does for us, which is none.
Not so fast there, Georgie. Here’s what really happened.
George, in the future, please try to keep your facts straight. The mortgage meltdown was caused as a direct result of government regulations, (particularly the Community Redevelopment Act, as rewritten by Clinton) not the lack of them. Lenders were following the law, as they must.
I believe that we need a stimulus, but not the kind you’re talking about. We now know that Obama’s Stimulus was a huge mistake, one that ran our deficit through the roof with no positive effect on unemployment, or GDP, or anything else except the special interests who received lump sums of cash.
And if anyone is ignoring the lesson of history, it would be your puppet Obama. Many Americans remember how we pulled out of the last prolonged recession in the late ‘70’s: it was Ronald Reagan’s stimulus of the private sector that created the largest peace-time expansion of our economy is history, one that lasted until “progressives” infested the Republican Party and began their long, slow march to dismantle the economy again.
But we can’t blame you guys, it’s what you do. Your own history in manipulating world markets is well documented, and your penchant for causing financial harm to innocent citizens the world over is well known by those of us who follow these things. We also know, by your own words and actions, that nothing would make you any happier than to bring America to its knees as witnessed by your founding and funding of the various extreme left-wing groups like Media Matters, Think Progress, and MoveOn.org.
Actually, I’ll give you credit for getting that one right. Americans see massive fraud and waste and accurately surmise that government in incapable of “managing investments”, especially when we see $800K of our tax dollars going to Africa to teach men to wash their genitals after sex. If that doesn’t improve the country’s physical and human capital, I don’t know what does.
Oh, sorry, did I interrupt your insanity? Pardon me, do continue, George.
Um, no George. I could call the sky brown with pink polka-dots for twenty-five years and that wouldn’t make it so. When government actually is bad, and people have been noticing for twenty-five years, that’s something altogether different. And your observations that previous “stimuli” have resulted in such things as the TVA bring up a very salient point: that was then, this is now. There is no such achievement to point to as a success from Obama’s Stimulus plan. The only bridge that has been built is the one to our ruin. But the signs are really pretty.
Soros concludes by giving us his plan for our demise and his profit. After all, his track record shows that he is very good at manipulating currencies for his benefit always at the expense of someone else.
Really? I don’t think the word “investing” means what you think it means, especially when it comes to spending our tax dollars. Back when we had a roaring economy, those “investments” were called taxes, and we paid them so we could have effective schools and sound roads and bridges. And inflation might help you, but you’d be the only one. Of course, those on fixed incomes would be harmed the most, but we know that you don’t care as long as you make your precious money. Funny how, when Obama rails against the "evil rich", he doesn't mean you.
George, you’ve made your fortune. Now please take your bazillions, go buy an island somewhere, establish whatever type of government that pleases you and your Jesus complex, and kindly leave us alone.
Forever.
America needs stimulus not virtue is the title, and even that is misleading. America is in dire need of virtue, particularly from the people it sends to Washington to represent her. In recent years, these people have said one thing in order to get themselves elected and abandoned their promises once they arrive. So strong is the allure of power that precious few can resist its siren call.
But I digress.
Soros begins with a falsehood and proceeds downhill from there.
The Obama administration’s insistence on fiscal rectitude is dictated not by financial necessity but by political considerations.There is no insistence on any kind of fiscal decency, as his goal is clearly to employ the Cloward-Piven strategy of placing so many demands on “the system” that it becomes incapable of sustaining itself and collapses under its own weight in order to foment political revolution. The massive debt he and his corrupt “progressive” enablers in Congress have engineered is planned and well thought out.
The US is not in the position of Europe’s heavily indebted countries, which must pay hefty premiums over the price at which Germany can borrow.
Really George? In case you missed it, we’re in jeopardy of losing our AAA credit rating. Try again.
President Barack Obama is under political pressure. Americans are deeply troubled by the accumulation of public debt.
You’re getting warm there, George. We know that Washington’s balance sheet is just like the one we have to balance at home every month. Washington’s just has more zeros. A lot more zeros. And deficit spending makes about as much sense in Washington as it does for us, which is none.
The Republican opposition has been extremely successful in blaming the crash of 2008 and the subsequent recession and high unemployment on government ineptitude. But the crash of 2008 was primarily a failure of the private sector. US (and other) regulators should be faulted for failing to regulate.
Not so fast there, Georgie. Here’s what really happened.
The lending standards for home mortgage loans changed substantially beginning in the mid-1990s. The looser lending standards did not just happen. They were the result of federal policy designed to promote more home ownership among households with incomes below the median. While home ownership is a worthy goal, it was not pursued directly through transparent budget allocations and subsidies to homebuyers. Instead, the federal government imposed a complex set of regulations and mandates that forced various lending institutions to extend more loans to low- and moderate-income households. In order to meet these mandates, lending standards had to be reduced. By the early years of the 21st century, it was possible to borrow more (relative to your income) and purchase a house or condo with a lower down payment than was the case a decade earlier.
George, in the future, please try to keep your facts straight. The mortgage meltdown was caused as a direct result of government regulations, (particularly the Community Redevelopment Act, as rewritten by Clinton) not the lack of them. Lenders were following the law, as they must.
I believe there is a strong case for further stimulus. Admittedly, consumption cannot be sustained indefinitely by running up the national debt. The imbalance between consumption and investment must be corrected. But to cut government spending at a time of large-scale unemployment would be to ignore the lessons of history.
I believe that we need a stimulus, but not the kind you’re talking about. We now know that Obama’s Stimulus was a huge mistake, one that ran our deficit through the roof with no positive effect on unemployment, or GDP, or anything else except the special interests who received lump sums of cash.
And if anyone is ignoring the lesson of history, it would be your puppet Obama. Many Americans remember how we pulled out of the last prolonged recession in the late ‘70’s: it was Ronald Reagan’s stimulus of the private sector that created the largest peace-time expansion of our economy is history, one that lasted until “progressives” infested the Republican Party and began their long, slow march to dismantle the economy again.
But we can’t blame you guys, it’s what you do. Your own history in manipulating world markets is well documented, and your penchant for causing financial harm to innocent citizens the world over is well known by those of us who follow these things. We also know, by your own words and actions, that nothing would make you any happier than to bring America to its knees as witnessed by your founding and funding of the various extreme left-wing groups like Media Matters, Think Progress, and MoveOn.org.
The obvious solution is to distinguish between investments and current consumption, and increase the former while reducing the latter. But that seems politically untenable. Most Americans are convinced that government is incapable of managing investments aimed at improving the country’s physical and human capital.
Actually, I’ll give you credit for getting that one right. Americans see massive fraud and waste and accurately surmise that government in incapable of “managing investments”, especially when we see $800K of our tax dollars going to Africa to teach men to wash their genitals after sex. If that doesn’t improve the country’s physical and human capital, I don’t know what does.
Oh, sorry, did I interrupt your insanity? Pardon me, do continue, George.
Again, this belief is not without justification: a quarter-century of calling the government bad has resulted in bad government. But the argument that stimulus spending is inevitably wasted is patently false: the New Deal produced the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Triborough Bridge in New York and many other public utilities still in use today.
Um, no George. I could call the sky brown with pink polka-dots for twenty-five years and that wouldn’t make it so. When government actually is bad, and people have been noticing for twenty-five years, that’s something altogether different. And your observations that previous “stimuli” have resulted in such things as the TVA bring up a very salient point: that was then, this is now. There is no such achievement to point to as a success from Obama’s Stimulus plan. The only bridge that has been built is the one to our ruin. But the signs are really pretty.
Soros concludes by giving us his plan for our demise and his profit. After all, his track record shows that he is very good at manipulating currencies for his benefit always at the expense of someone else.
…but the Obama administration’s stated goal of halving the budget deficit by 2013 while the economy is operating far below capacity is not one of them. Investing in infrastructure and education makes more sense. So does engineering a moderate rate of inflation by depreciating the dollar against the renminbi.
Really? I don’t think the word “investing” means what you think it means, especially when it comes to spending our tax dollars. Back when we had a roaring economy, those “investments” were called taxes, and we paid them so we could have effective schools and sound roads and bridges. And inflation might help you, but you’d be the only one. Of course, those on fixed incomes would be harmed the most, but we know that you don’t care as long as you make your precious money. Funny how, when Obama rails against the "evil rich", he doesn't mean you.
George, you’ve made your fortune. Now please take your bazillions, go buy an island somewhere, establish whatever type of government that pleases you and your Jesus complex, and kindly leave us alone.
Forever.
Monday, October 4, 2010
10-2, The Hate America Rally Roundup
In a lame attempt to duplicate Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally on 8-28-10, the Communist Party USA held its' own little gathering last Saturday. Crazy Ed "Sargeant" Schultz was there, as was a small crowd of leftists, socialists, communists, racists and liars, in other words, his core audience. All of them, judging by his ratings.
Here's just a sample of a few of the folks in attendance.
First, you should know who sponsored this rally. Click here for the most comprehensive list of left-wing, extremist, anti-American groups you've ever seen. It's a who's who of hate groups. They are not nice people.
Here's one lady who didn't want her picture taken, so much so that she assaults the videographer several times. Perhaps someone should tell her that she's in a public place.
Joe Madison addressed the masses, gleefully telling them that someone sent him a satellite photo showing the crowd was larger than Glenn's rally on 9-29. He was right, except for one teensy, weensy, little detail.
Here's a better visual comparison of crowd size at the two events.
Charlie Martin over at Pajamas Media concludes what we suspected all along: "progressives" are unable to do math. Not with budgets, not with crowd sizes, not with anything.
And how despicable is it for teachers to require their students to attend a hate-fest?
Any more despicable than the attendees own words? More hate here. Even more hatred here.
Day by Day's Chris Muir even made a cartoon of the characters who trashed the Mall.
Overall, contrary to their misperception of the Tea Partiers, the rally last Saturday was held by the real haters. Their self-loathing extends to every part of the country that has given them the freedom to complain that others in the world don't have. They should really try the same thing somewhere else, like Iran, Russia or Saudi Arabia, and see what happens to them.
They are nothing more than narcisstic, immature children who don't have any respect for the men and women who lost their lives to give them the right of free speech. Thank goodness they're vastly outnumbered. We really do have them surrounded. It's time to push them back to the margins of society from whence they came. They are not now, nor have they ever been, in the mainstream of American thought. We tolerate them only because we're nicer than they are. However, we're running out of tolerance. Maybe it's time to make them feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
They will fail because they hold hatred in their heart. They create an enemy where there is none and ignore the real ones. Pray for them, for they know not what they do...
Here's just a sample of a few of the folks in attendance.
First, you should know who sponsored this rally. Click here for the most comprehensive list of left-wing, extremist, anti-American groups you've ever seen. It's a who's who of hate groups. They are not nice people.
Here's one lady who didn't want her picture taken, so much so that she assaults the videographer several times. Perhaps someone should tell her that she's in a public place.
Joe Madison addressed the masses, gleefully telling them that someone sent him a satellite photo showing the crowd was larger than Glenn's rally on 9-29. He was right, except for one teensy, weensy, little detail.
Here's a better visual comparison of crowd size at the two events.
Charlie Martin over at Pajamas Media concludes what we suspected all along: "progressives" are unable to do math. Not with budgets, not with crowd sizes, not with anything.
And how despicable is it for teachers to require their students to attend a hate-fest?
Any more despicable than the attendees own words? More hate here. Even more hatred here.
Day by Day's Chris Muir even made a cartoon of the characters who trashed the Mall.
Overall, contrary to their misperception of the Tea Partiers, the rally last Saturday was held by the real haters. Their self-loathing extends to every part of the country that has given them the freedom to complain that others in the world don't have. They should really try the same thing somewhere else, like Iran, Russia or Saudi Arabia, and see what happens to them.
They are nothing more than narcisstic, immature children who don't have any respect for the men and women who lost their lives to give them the right of free speech. Thank goodness they're vastly outnumbered. We really do have them surrounded. It's time to push them back to the margins of society from whence they came. They are not now, nor have they ever been, in the mainstream of American thought. We tolerate them only because we're nicer than they are. However, we're running out of tolerance. Maybe it's time to make them feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
They will fail because they hold hatred in their heart. They create an enemy where there is none and ignore the real ones. Pray for them, for they know not what they do...
Friday, October 1, 2010
Friday Bits of Tid, Model T Birthday Edition
Another good Friday to you all. The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful.
My Crimson Tide narrowly escaped the clutches of Arkansas last Saturday. They'll definitely have their hands full tomorrow night with Florida. Which brings me to one of the joys of being a grandparent. The youngest just turned 5, her mom is a die-hard Gator fan, so what could be more fitting for a birthday present than a crimson T-shirt that says "Roll Tide"?
And speaking of birthdays, on this day in 1908, the first Ford Model T completed production, paving the way for America's modern industrial boom. Many engineering concepts came together to help the new method of manufacturing, the assembly line, become the standard for mass production.
Many species previously thought to be extinct have been rediscovered. The closer we get to the truth about the world, the sooner we can rid ourselves of the false concepts the radical environmental movement uses as an excuse to control us and restrict our economy. First, global warming was uncovered as the hoax many of us suspected all along, now we see that the Endangered Species Act is also based on a hoax. When we return control of Washington to the adults, this is yet another law they should seriously consider repealing. I'm all for preservation, but not at the expense of personal property rights or freedom.
I still wonder what would've happened if the eco-freaks were around when the dinosaurs met their demise. We know that mankind had nothing to do with that, so how would they have reacted? Not much differently than they do today, methinks.
And now to the bits.
Who you gonna call? Why the real, live, Ghostbusters, that's who. In California, which I guess is appropriate.
The economy can't be so bad that they're laying off police dogs, can it?
Fox News discovers what we've known all along. Everything tastes better fried on a stick. (State) Fair, balanced, and delicious.
This is one daughter whose dad won't worry when she goes on a date. She killed a 448 lb. bear with a bow and arrow.
"Like, duude, I think I ran off my buzz when those cops started chasing us. They'll never find us here, man."
Drunk man drives drunk woman to police station. He had to drive, he was too drunk to walk.
Mmmmm, chocolate. An Armenian chocolatier creates the world's largest chocolate bar.
Mmmmm, mmmmm. Closer to home, Hershey's plans to let you design your own candy bar.
In politics, this is considered a gaff. Virginia congressman admits "If you don't tie our hands, we will keep stealing."
And finally, from Ace, Alan Grayson, national embarrassment and Satan worshipper. Enjoy.
Have a good weekend. B'Girl and I are still moving. I hurt where I don't even have places...
My Crimson Tide narrowly escaped the clutches of Arkansas last Saturday. They'll definitely have their hands full tomorrow night with Florida. Which brings me to one of the joys of being a grandparent. The youngest just turned 5, her mom is a die-hard Gator fan, so what could be more fitting for a birthday present than a crimson T-shirt that says "Roll Tide"?
And speaking of birthdays, on this day in 1908, the first Ford Model T completed production, paving the way for America's modern industrial boom. Many engineering concepts came together to help the new method of manufacturing, the assembly line, become the standard for mass production.
Many species previously thought to be extinct have been rediscovered. The closer we get to the truth about the world, the sooner we can rid ourselves of the false concepts the radical environmental movement uses as an excuse to control us and restrict our economy. First, global warming was uncovered as the hoax many of us suspected all along, now we see that the Endangered Species Act is also based on a hoax. When we return control of Washington to the adults, this is yet another law they should seriously consider repealing. I'm all for preservation, but not at the expense of personal property rights or freedom.
I still wonder what would've happened if the eco-freaks were around when the dinosaurs met their demise. We know that mankind had nothing to do with that, so how would they have reacted? Not much differently than they do today, methinks.
And now to the bits.
Who you gonna call? Why the real, live, Ghostbusters, that's who. In California, which I guess is appropriate.
The economy can't be so bad that they're laying off police dogs, can it?
Fox News discovers what we've known all along. Everything tastes better fried on a stick. (State) Fair, balanced, and delicious.
This is one daughter whose dad won't worry when she goes on a date. She killed a 448 lb. bear with a bow and arrow.
"Like, duude, I think I ran off my buzz when those cops started chasing us. They'll never find us here, man."
Drunk man drives drunk woman to police station. He had to drive, he was too drunk to walk.
Mmmmm, chocolate. An Armenian chocolatier creates the world's largest chocolate bar.
Mmmmm, mmmmm. Closer to home, Hershey's plans to let you design your own candy bar.
In politics, this is considered a gaff. Virginia congressman admits "If you don't tie our hands, we will keep stealing."
And finally, from Ace, Alan Grayson, national embarrassment and Satan worshipper. Enjoy.
Have a good weekend. B'Girl and I are still moving. I hurt where I don't even have places...
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