Addictions. Sidney Poitier writes in Life Beyond Measure about his addictions to nicotine, alcohol, and gambling that he has had to overcome in his lifetime. Addictions are so easy to slide into, and so difficult to get out of. How do we parents help our young adult children avoid the snares of addiction? By our examples, most certainly; but that may not be enough.
Over ninety percent of the time, I believe, the addicted person must find his or her own motivation to quit. We can set good examples, express our love for the person, express our desire that the person will find the motivation to smash the ensnaring demons, but in the end, it will most likely be up to the addict to make the choice and find the will to quit. Of course, it helps mightily if the addict has a belief in God and a faith in God's love, mercy, and purpose for the addict's life, and if the addict becomes accustomed to seeking God's will in his life.
What is the reason people become vulnerable to addictions? Is it unresolved turmoil in their day-to-day lives? Mr. Poitier developed a concept of "neutral ground," whereby he quiets the inner turmoil and seeks a neutral ground of peacefulness. It sounds a lot like Jill Bolte Taylor's insights about the right hemisphere of the brain, in her book My Stroke of Insight. She says that the right hemisphere looks at the big picture, and is a place of peace where we can feel interconnected with others and with the universe.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Make mine Gingrich
The more I see of Newt Gingrich, the more comfortable I get with him. I hope he wins the nomination.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Rapes in Somalia
Women and girls increasingly are being raped in Somalia by Jihadists: http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/12/somalia-alarming-rise-in-women-being-raped-as-spoils-of-war.html
Favorite books of 2011
What was your favorite book you read this year? Readers of this blog will know that mine was Jill Bolte Taylor's My Stroke of Insight. Jill helped me to understand that happiness is the natural state of the right hemisphere of my brain, and though it might make me feel powerful to engage in anger, that emotion, like others, is based on a physiological response that runs for 90 seconds, then is out of the bloodstream (unless we choose to keep it running)! All day long we can consciously make choices that contribute to our health, or to illness.
At present I am thoroughly enjoying Sidney Poitier's book-on-tape Life Beyond Measure. He has wonderful chapters on faith and love, and one on shyness. Because of his shyness, he believes, he was a good listener, which in turn made him a better learner. He did lots of listening, watching, and imagining.
At present I am thoroughly enjoying Sidney Poitier's book-on-tape Life Beyond Measure. He has wonderful chapters on faith and love, and one on shyness. Because of his shyness, he believes, he was a good listener, which in turn made him a better learner. He did lots of listening, watching, and imagining.
More "vote for Ron Paul" signs
Go here to read six more reasons why people will be voting for Ron Paul: http://woody.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/12/ron-paul-2012-iowa-are-you-nuts.html
"Speed it up"
Mitt says Newt's failure to get on the ballot in his home state of Virginia reminded him of Lucy at the assembly line at the chocolate factory. Let's watch.
I found this at IMAO: http://www.imao.us/index.php/2011/12/better-than-obama/
I found this at IMAO: http://www.imao.us/index.php/2011/12/better-than-obama/
Ron Paul! Ron Paul! Ron Paul!
With the Iowa caucuses six days away, the Ron Paul supporters are out with their signs. It is my belief that the Paul supporters like him because he is for the legalization of all drugs (that's what they mean by chants of "liberty,") and the withdrawal of America's military from involvement with other nations (thereby, they think, making it possible for these young Paul supporters to avoid having to defend their country). Have I missed anything? If he is not nominated by Republicans, he will run for President on a third party ticket, and get enough votes from these fanatical devotees to give the election to Obama, who is not as far left as Mr. Paul, except on spending.
I found the video here: http://theothermccain.com/2011/12/28/when-the-story-writes-itself/
I found the video here: http://theothermccain.com/2011/12/28/when-the-story-writes-itself/
Cracking down on blogs
Eric Holder's "Justice" Department has begun a crackdown on blogs, asking Word Press to freeze the records of three blogs who have been writing about "climategate."
Read more here: http://classicalvalues.com/2011/12/climate-change-skepticism-leads-to-blog-crackdown-by-justice-department/
Read more here: http://classicalvalues.com/2011/12/climate-change-skepticism-leads-to-blog-crackdown-by-justice-department/
"US boots have hit the ground directly opposite Assad’s army."
Goodbye Iraq, hello Syria?
Read more here: http://patdollard.com/2011/12/report-us-troops-amassing-in-jordan-on-syrian-border/
A Christmas morning "honor" killing?
The Christmas killing of seven people in Grapevine, Texas may have been a Muslin "honor" killing. The girl in this photo was dating a boy deemed by her father to be an infidel.
Read more here: http://www.maggiesnotebook.com/2011/12/americas-christmas-morning-honor-killing-infidel-boyfriend-unacceptable-aziz-yazdanpanah-loved-his-children-to-death/
"Willfully refracting reality through the approved paradigm of political-correctness"
"Several churches in northern Nigeria were bombed December 25, in what has been described as "Nigeria's blackest Christmas ever." The attacks, perpetrated by the Muslim militant group Boko Haram, killed at least 39 people, "the majority dying on the steps of a Catholic church [in Madalla near the capital of Abuja] after celebrating Christmas Mass as blood pooled in dust from a massive explosion." Charred bodies and dismembered limbs lay scattered around the destroyed church."
Via: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2707/nigeria-church-attacks
The title of this post is a quote from the story by the brilliant Raymond Ibrahim linked to above. It refers to the New York Times reporter's spin on the story.
Via: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2707/nigeria-church-attacks
The title of this post is a quote from the story by the brilliant Raymond Ibrahim linked to above. It refers to the New York Times reporter's spin on the story.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
This cannot be good for Obama
The Washington Post has examined the records of Obama's clean energy initiatives, and found politics and corruption:
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/solyndra-politics-infused-obama-energy-programs/2011/12/14/gIQA4HllHP_story.html
The documents reviewed by The Post, which began examining the clean-technology program a year ago, provide a detailed look inside the day-to-day workings of the upper levels of the Obama administration. They also give an unprecedented glimpse into high-level maneuvering by politically connected clean-technology investors.
They show that as Solyndra tottered, officials discussed the political fallout from its troubles, the “optics” in Washington and the impact that the company’s failure could have on the president’s prospects for a second term. Rarely, if ever, was there discussion of the impact that Solyndra’s collapse would have on laid-off workers or on the development of clean-
energy technology.
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/solyndra-politics-infused-obama-energy-programs/2011/12/14/gIQA4HllHP_story.html
Christopher Hitchens R.I.P.
Here is the New York Times obituary of Christopher Hitchens, who died December 15: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/16/arts/christopher-hitchens-is-dead-at-62-obituary.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all
Republican "Monsters"
Peter Wehner writes today in Commentary about how liberal columnists like E.J. Dionne skewer Republican Presidents while they are in office, but then praise them when they are out of office and a new, worse-than-ever Republican gets elected. Read more here: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/12/26/e-j-dionne-rhetorical-tricks/#more-778971
Barbie's family
Sara explained her Barbie family to me tonight. Barbie has "a whole entire house," but she is on vacation in Washington (while Barack and Michelle are on vacation in Hawaii), so her sisters had to move in to Barbie's house. Why? Because their mother in Colorado dropped a t.v. on their house and it broke through the roof and caused a lot of damage. You know who else moved in? Justin Bieber! Justin Bieber is kinda weird, because he likes ballet and dressing up in the girls' clothes. He steals their couch and table, too! That's why the girls are mean to him.
All four sisters and Justin Bieber can fit into Barbie's pink jeep. Kaylee drives, because she is the smartest. She is a vet, who takes care of people's animals. Selina Gomez likes to ride her bike and swim in her friend's pool. Emily goes to a day care school. They gave her a key to the house. She comes home at 4:30 p.m. and goes right to bed, except when she goes into Kaylee's room, where she is not supposed to go. Marisa puts make-up on all the time, and wants to be a movie star.
Now that I know more about each of these dolls, maybe I will not feel sorry for Sara's lack of guns and ammo.
If Santa did not make it to your house, this may be the reason...
I found this here: http://sigmundcarlandalfred.wordpress.com/2011/12/27/why-santa-had-trouble-this-year/
Don't miss this!
My kind of flash mob!
I found this at Boinky's wonderful blog: http://www.fkclinic.blogspot.com/
I found this at Boinky's wonderful blog: http://www.fkclinic.blogspot.com/
Second Amendment in jeopardy?
The National Rifle Association agrees with Michelle Obama that the 2012 election is going to be vital to the future of our country. They just don't agree on whom the voters should elect: http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/11/michelle-obamas-warning-to-gun-owners/
Satan uses Maher to mock Tebow and Jesus
Atheist Bill Maher could not resist mocking Jesus and Tim Tebow, after the Broncos lost to Buffalo on Christmas Eve: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Comedian-Bill-Maher-creates-firestorm-with-profane-tweet-about-Denver-Broncos-QB-Tim-Tebow-122711/
Without the leadership of Brian Dawkins, the Broncos are not nearly as good on defense, as they were when Dawkins was in the lineup. A recent injury may have ended Dawkins' stellar career. To win in football, you have to have outstanding leadership from players on both offense and defense.
To win on HBO, all you need is a total lack of class.
Without the leadership of Brian Dawkins, the Broncos are not nearly as good on defense, as they were when Dawkins was in the lineup. A recent injury may have ended Dawkins' stellar career. To win in football, you have to have outstanding leadership from players on both offense and defense.
To win on HBO, all you need is a total lack of class.
Let's see if we can con cashiers into giving us 50% off items already marked down 50% off!
The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping days. People flood the stores with their gift cards and desire to get 50% off items that are already priced 50% off!
John Hinderaker posts about actual rioting that took place in Minnesota's Mall of America: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/12/riot-at-the-mall-of-america.php
John Hinderaker posts about actual rioting that took place in Minnesota's Mall of America: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/12/riot-at-the-mall-of-america.php
By becoming one of them!
How do you get the birds to fly to safety and warmth, if they don't trust you? Kingdom Triangle Network News has a suggestion from Paul Harvey: http://kingdomtrianglenetwork.blogspot.com/2011/12/man-and-birds-by-paul-harvey.html
"No conception, no birth"
In his Christmas greeting, Dr. Bob reminds us that where there is truth, there is God: http://www.onecosmos.blogspot.com/
U.S. Soldier dad hides in Christmas present to surprise his young sons
I found this at Primordial Slack: http://primordialslack.com/?p=2107
Lessons from the life of "Somebody"
Never having had to suffer severe economic hardship myself, I am attracted to stories of people who have had to overcome great odds. Sidney Poitier writes in Life Beyond Measure that he arrived in New York City alone at age sixteen with fifteen dollars in his pocket and, not knowing anyone, having nowhere to stay! That night he used the nickle required to open the door of a pay toilet stall in a bus depot, and spent the night there. Many similar nights followed, until he graduated to the rooftop of a New York building. Finally, to escape the cold, he joined the Army, where he stayed for a little more than one year.
After he was discharged from the Army, he returned to the same challenges of living in New York City, earning money from various dishwashing jobs. He applied for an acting job at the American Negro Theater, but after just a few minutes of auditioning (reading), was summarily thrown out, and told to get a job as a dishwasher. On his way to take the bus downtown to apply for dishwashing jobs, he suddenly realized that being a dishwasher was what the man at the theater thought was all Sidney could ever be! His father had raised him to think of himself as "somebody," and he was determined to prove that. He remembered the times he learned how to avoid being stung by wasps as he successfully reached to the top of trees for ripe fruit as a boy in the Bahamas. He later went back to the Americn Negro Theater and volunteered to be the janitor, if they would allow him to study there.
While doing yet another dishwasher job, he waited one night while the waiters finished their cups of coffee, so he could wash their cups. An "older Jewish waiter" saw Sidney browsing through a newspaper someone had left. He walked over to Sidney and asked, "What's new in the paper?" Sidney stammered, and then answered honestly, "I wish I could tell you, but I can't read very well." (Sidney had quit school at age 12 to help his parents pick tomatoes in the Bahamas). The waiter asked him if he would like to read with him. That started a nightly endeavor in which the waiter explained the basics of reading to Sidney. The waiter eventually took a waiter job elsewhere in the city, and one of Sidney's greatest regrets is that he was never able to properly thank the man for his kindness in opening up the world of literacy to the young dishwasher.
After he was discharged from the Army, he returned to the same challenges of living in New York City, earning money from various dishwashing jobs. He applied for an acting job at the American Negro Theater, but after just a few minutes of auditioning (reading), was summarily thrown out, and told to get a job as a dishwasher. On his way to take the bus downtown to apply for dishwashing jobs, he suddenly realized that being a dishwasher was what the man at the theater thought was all Sidney could ever be! His father had raised him to think of himself as "somebody," and he was determined to prove that. He remembered the times he learned how to avoid being stung by wasps as he successfully reached to the top of trees for ripe fruit as a boy in the Bahamas. He later went back to the Americn Negro Theater and volunteered to be the janitor, if they would allow him to study there.
While doing yet another dishwasher job, he waited one night while the waiters finished their cups of coffee, so he could wash their cups. An "older Jewish waiter" saw Sidney browsing through a newspaper someone had left. He walked over to Sidney and asked, "What's new in the paper?" Sidney stammered, and then answered honestly, "I wish I could tell you, but I can't read very well." (Sidney had quit school at age 12 to help his parents pick tomatoes in the Bahamas). The waiter asked him if he would like to read with him. That started a nightly endeavor in which the waiter explained the basics of reading to Sidney. The waiter eventually took a waiter job elsewhere in the city, and one of Sidney's greatest regrets is that he was never able to properly thank the man for his kindness in opening up the world of literacy to the young dishwasher.
Yippee, the liberal media thinks they have found something damaging to Gingrich!
The revelation by the Wall Street Journal that Newt Gingrich sent out a memo in 2006 praising Mitt Romney's Massachusetts health care reform bill is causing glee among liberal news organizations. Here is an NBC reporter's take:
Read more here: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9741710-2006-gingrich-memo-praised-romneys-health-reform
Update: But wait, Gingrich has a reply: Gingrich told Newsmax that "the United States must recenter the system on the patient and the doctor so patients are aware of their choices, the costs and which choice fits them best." A Gingrich aide said "time has shown that the plan doesn't work."
"If it’s your mother or your daughter or your wife or your uncle you don’t want to be told gee the bureaucracy doesn’t have any money. You want to be told that this is what we’re going to do to save their lives," Gingrich told Newsmax. "So first you have to build a system to save lives. You have to recenter the system on the patient and the doctor. This not only means not only less government bureaucracy but less private sector bureaucracy, less insurance company bureaucracy."
That would seemingly temper Gingrich's criticism of the Massachusetts plan as the "forerunner of Obamacare."
Gingrich has similarly criticized the individual mandate contained both in Romney and President Obama's health reforms, despite having supported a similar model for health reform in the 1990s. He's since disavowed such a plan.
Read more here: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/27/9741710-2006-gingrich-memo-praised-romneys-health-reform
Update: But wait, Gingrich has a reply: Gingrich told Newsmax that "the United States must recenter the system on the patient and the doctor so patients are aware of their choices, the costs and which choice fits them best." A Gingrich aide said "time has shown that the plan doesn't work."
"If it’s your mother or your daughter or your wife or your uncle you don’t want to be told gee the bureaucracy doesn’t have any money. You want to be told that this is what we’re going to do to save their lives," Gingrich told Newsmax. "So first you have to build a system to save lives. You have to recenter the system on the patient and the doctor. This not only means not only less government bureaucracy but less private sector bureaucracy, less insurance company bureaucracy."
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sara McLachlan "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
I found at http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/18837-Be-born-in-us-today.html
First Media Reports of Christmas Story
I found this at Maggie's Farm, but it originally comes from People's Cube: http://thepeoplescube.com/current-truth/christmas-in-history-first-media-reports-of-nativity-story-t1658.html
Click on it to read the articles!
One of the really good humans
I am really enjoying listening to a book on tape by Sidney Poitier. It is entitled Life Beyond Measure. It is a series of letters to his great granddaughter. It is read by an 80-year-old man named Sydney Poitier, who is now 84.
Mr. Poitier was born premature, weighing about 3 pounds, and his mother got no medical help. They managed to find a mid-wife. Soon after his birth his father brought a box, thinking they would soon be burying Sydney. However, his mother consulted a psychic, who said she need not worry; that Sydney would be known in all corners of the world.
Growing up on Cat Island in a small village in the Bahamas, Sydney did not even see himself in a mirror until age ten, when the family moved to Nassau. He spent his days with nature. His parents grew tomatoes. Though having little or no money, his parents had a wonderful relationship, the most compatible couple Sydney has ever known. Sydney had to quit school to help his parents when he was twelve-years-old.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
More persecution of Christians
Please pray for this Ugandan pastor. He was attacked last night by some coward who threw acid in his face.
Via Patriot's Corner: http://callofthepatriot.blogspot.com/2011/12/there-is-evil-in-this-world.html
Update: Here is the prayer Mrs. Who left in the comments section of this post: "Lord Jesus,
we often ask our ministers to pray for us: our intentions, our needs, our problems.
This time, I want to reverse the order and pray for your pastors, your servants, and in particular I wish to pray for Pastor Umar Mulinde: give him your Spirit's blessing, let him radiate in our milieu, may he be a spiritual guide for us, support him in his ministry, nourish his spiritual life. Thank you for giving him to us as your servant of the Word.
I pray you, risen Lord, who sit at the right hand of the Father, be with him in this time of need. Bring him healing and strength in his witnessing of Your blessed word."
Amen and Amen!
Via Patriot's Corner: http://callofthepatriot.blogspot.com/2011/12/there-is-evil-in-this-world.html
Update: Here is the prayer Mrs. Who left in the comments section of this post: "Lord Jesus,
we often ask our ministers to pray for us: our intentions, our needs, our problems.
This time, I want to reverse the order and pray for your pastors, your servants, and in particular I wish to pray for Pastor Umar Mulinde: give him your Spirit's blessing, let him radiate in our milieu, may he be a spiritual guide for us, support him in his ministry, nourish his spiritual life. Thank you for giving him to us as your servant of the Word.
I pray you, risen Lord, who sit at the right hand of the Father, be with him in this time of need. Bring him healing and strength in his witnessing of Your blessed word."
Amen and Amen!
Persecution of Christians
While we celebrate the birth of Christ, Christians living in Muslim-dominated countries are suffering persecution for their choice to believe in Jesus Christ. Here is a summary of events in November: http://www.meforum.org/3138/muslim-persecution-of-christians-november-2011
The girls get their chance!
It has been bothering me that presents for girls are mostly limited to Barbie fashion accessories, while boys get all kinds of fun things from hot wheels to a multitude of gun choices. So, when I realized that of all the guns I bought for the boys, one was better than the others, I talked to Colleen about it, and she suggested I give the best gun to Sara. I liked that idea, and we figured that if she did not like the gun, she could at least have something of value about which to negotiate with the boys! As you can see from these pictures, Sara transformed (get it, "Transformer"?) from a sweet little stuffed animal-hugging girl to a menacing "Don't mess with me" warrior! Do you like where she stored the Nerf darts? Kim also enjoyed shooting a few well-aimed bullets toward any and all of the four male siblings! 
Personalized coupons!
One of the sweetest gifts was the one Jon gave to his mom. He drew up this highly personalized coupon sheet, featuring things like one hour of silence and one fight free day. Jon is pictured here with his brother Erik in the background on the couch.
The world's largest camping chair?
Thomas, our over-the-road trucker son, was given this great present by his sister, Kim. Thomas is 6'3", but this camping chair dwarfs him! Jon and Greg easily fit in it together!
A tale of two Christmas trees
The kids and Colleen got in on December 23 from New Mexico. Colleen picked up this tree on Christmas Eve. We had a nice dinner after I got off work, then came home to put up the tree. Unfortunately we discovered that we had lost the tree holder. Undaunted, Colleen grabbed an empty trash can and put the tree in it, covering up most of the trash can with a skirt. We had lots of laughs about our truly redneck Christmas. The kids each opened one present, then we retired to bedrooms to finish wrapping presents. After we had gone to sleep, the two oldest boys, Thomas and Erik, snuck out of the house about two a.m. Christmas morning, cut this big tree down on our property, brought it inside and quietly trimmed it. They wouldn't tell us where they had gotten the tree, so I was worried they may have cut it down on a neighbor's property. When the sun came up, I saw their tracks in the snow. After all the presents were opened (three hours later), I followed the tracks and saw where they had chopped down the tree. 
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Newt and judges
Newt Gingrich would like to impeach judges who make decisions he thinks are wrong. He is getting criticism: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/newt-gingrichs-assault-on-activist-judges-draws-criticism-even-from-right/2011/12/17/gIQAoYa80O_story.html
Libertarians speak out against Ron Paul
Ron Paul is peaking at the right time. Now we learn that he sent out a newsletter years ago that featured ugly, racist screeds. Are there libertarians who are speaking out against this? Yes, here is one: http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/ron-pauls-ugly-newsletters/
Here is another: http://volokh.com/2011/12/22/libertarians-and-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters/
Another: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/paul-falwell-iran-gay/2011/12/26/id/422121
Here is another: http://volokh.com/2011/12/22/libertarians-and-ron-pauls-racist-newsletters/
Another: http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/paul-falwell-iran-gay/2011/12/26/id/422121
What is the meaning of Christmas?
Here are some examples:
http://funglejungle.blogspot.com/2011/12/risk.html
http://www.houseofzathras.com/?p=5499
http://funglejungle.blogspot.com/2011/12/risk.html
http://www.houseofzathras.com/?p=5499
"Christianity has just suffered its own “Kristallnacht”
Since January there have been more than 79 attacks on Christian institutions in Egypt.
Read more here: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/12/egypts-kristallnacht.php
Read more here: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/12/egypts-kristallnacht.php
Coulter doesn't like Gingrich; Sowell doesn't like Romney
Two revered writers on the right have opposing views about Newt Gingrich. Ann Coulter does not like the "adulterer" who makes claims about past "accomplishments" that cannot be fact-checked. Read Ann's acerbic column here: http://townhall.com/columnists/anncoulter/2011/12/21/newt_helped_formulate_christmas/page/full/
On the other hand, Thomas Sowell says that Mitt Romney's accomplishments do not compare to those of Newt Gingrich. He gives Gingrich credit for balancing the federal budget and welfare reform. He calls Romney a "smooth talker" who would, as President, be "the bland leading the bland." Read more of Sowell here: http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/12/20/the_past_and_the_present/page/full/
On the other hand, Thomas Sowell says that Mitt Romney's accomplishments do not compare to those of Newt Gingrich. He gives Gingrich credit for balancing the federal budget and welfare reform. He calls Romney a "smooth talker" who would, as President, be "the bland leading the bland." Read more of Sowell here: http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2011/12/20/the_past_and_the_present/page/full/
Oops! I lost some links!
Help! If you are one of the links I had previously listed on my blog, and you do not see your blog in my list of links, please send me your information so I can put you back on! I had been trying to change the background color of my blog, and Blogger decided to remove most of my links, but not change the color! I don't know how Blogger decided to choose which ones to keep and which ones to delete. So frustrating!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Precarious
To read a story that goes with this photo, go here: http://webutante07.blogspot.com/2011/11/one-photo-says-it-all-just-how.html
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Birth of a black hole
This black hole was born millions of years ago, scientists think. They are understanding more about its birth, spin, and mass. Read more here: http://spacestation-shuttle.blogspot.com/2011/11/nasas-chandra-contributes-to-black-hole.html
Scientists are trying to find the "God particle"
Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45653534/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.TudysVZdDz5
Monday, December 12, 2011
Stayin' Alive!
After being one of the sixteen out of one hundred people who are brought back to life after their hearts stop, Gerard Vanderleun is glad to be stayin' alive!
Read more here: http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/grace_notes/staying_alive_2_inches_of.php
Read more here: http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/grace_notes/staying_alive_2_inches_of.php
That's a lot of votes!
From the Burning Platform blog:
The deception in government reported figures is borne out by the most successful government program of the Obama administration, which has been adding participants at an astounding rate. The Food Stamp program has been a smashing success as we’ve added 13.8 million Americans to this fine program since Obama’s inauguration, a mere 43% increase in less than three years. There are now 45.8 million Americans dependent upon food stamps for survival, 14.7% of the U.S. population. This program began in 1969 and enrollment always surges during recessions and declines during recoveries. But a funny thing happened during our current “recovery”. The government reported our recession over in December 2009. It was certainly over for the Wall Street psychopaths as they rewarded themselves with $43 billion of bonuses in 2009/2010. The number of Americans on food stamps has risen by 6.8 million during this government sponsored “recovery”. You’ll be happy to know that Obama’s good buddy – Jamie Dimon – and his well run machine at JP Morgan earns hundreds of millions administering the SNAP program.
Read more: http://www.theburningplatform.com/?p=25234
"I'm doing this for the settlement money!"
"Don't let people sexually harass you through the t.v., and, if they do, get some settlement money!"
Via: http://houseofsunny.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/herman-cain-sexually-harassed-me-and-millions-more/
Via: http://houseofsunny.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/herman-cain-sexually-harassed-me-and-millions-more/
It's nice to see bombs bursting in air, but maybe we shouldn't jump on board quite so fast
Bob Belvedere says not-so-fast to Republicans who are jumping on the Newt Gingrich bandwagon. "And, as was shown by his recent-year stumbles in dealing with Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Al Sharpton, Scozzafava, ethanol, cap and trade, and the Ryan budget, Gingrich has not matured one bit.
Newt’s main concern is what is best for Newt…and paying Callista’s Tiffany’s bill.
What would you call a debate between Obama and Newton? Answer: An ‘Egogasm’." http://thecampofthesaints.org/2011/12/09/newt-destructa-est-2/
Update: Michael Savage has offered Newt Gingrich one million dollars to drop out of the presidential race within the next 72 hours. Via http://www.theblaze.com/stories/michael-savage-offers-newt-gingrich-one-million-dollars-to-drop-out-of-race/
Newt’s main concern is what is best for Newt…and paying Callista’s Tiffany’s bill.
What would you call a debate between Obama and Newton? Answer: An ‘Egogasm’." http://thecampofthesaints.org/2011/12/09/newt-destructa-est-2/
Update: Michael Savage has offered Newt Gingrich one million dollars to drop out of the presidential race within the next 72 hours. Via http://www.theblaze.com/stories/michael-savage-offers-newt-gingrich-one-million-dollars-to-drop-out-of-race/
Dude versus Maggie
Via Andy: http://andysredneckramblings.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-love-dogs-but-occasionally-ive-had-my.html
Coincidence?
Last week Barack Obama gave a speech in Osawatomie, Kansas about the need for more government intervention in the economy. Why Osawatomie? Osawatomie was the publication of the Weather Underground, the far-left organization of former Obama pals Bill Ayres and Bernardine Dohrn.
Via: http://www.trevorloudon.com/2011/12/the-osawatomie-coincidence/
Read more here: http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2011/12/no-surely-its-a-coincidence.html
Why Newt Gingrich is winning
Via: http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2011/12/watch-what-follows-listen-to-the-words-spoken.html
"Play your best for Him, son...and then He'll smile on you"
I love this video, which I found at the blog Brutally Honest. My sons Jon and Greg both love the drums. Jon just finished playing them in a concert at his school last week. I dedicate this blog post to my sons.
via: http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2011/12/dedicated-to-richard.html
via: http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2011/12/dedicated-to-richard.html
Music flows from this Botswana woman
I found this at the Brutally Honest blog, where he also has a thoughtful post on "What do you want for Christmas?": http://www.brutallyhonest.org/brutally_honest/2011/12/what-do-you-want-for-christmas.html
Birds in the living room, in the cornfield, and on the kitchen table
I am one of those lucky guys who grew up in a stable family with a father who was an excellent role model. Dad grew up in rural Iowa in a town called Goldfield. The toilet was out-of-doors. His mom was a sweet lady named Alice. Alice lived across the street from her sister, Nell, and Nell's family.
We had frequent extended family get-togethers, usually in Goldfield. We would be gathered in the living room of Alice's small house. Nell would start whistling like a bird singing, then she would pretend there was a bird somewhere in the house, and ask me to find the bird. I would persevere, looking in every nook and cranny of the house to no avail, while the family members would snicker. That Iowa sense of humor, good-natured, but nevertheless at someone's expense, was commonplace in my seventeen years of growing up there.
My uncle Bud would be at those gatherings. Bud had been a tail-gunner in the Air Force in World War II, shooting at Germans and being shot at by Germans. His nerves were a bit frayed after the war, and Dad felt great compassion for his brother, helping him buy a cafe in Des Moines. My most vivid memory of Bud was from a time when I had just turned sixteen. Dad and Bud were avid hunters. They decided to go pheasant hunting, and asked me to go with them. Usually when Dad asked me to go hunting with him, I rapidly came up with an excuse: "Thanks, Dad, but I have a basketball practice I've got to attend in order to get ready for next week's game." I knew that going duck hunting with Dad meant crawling on our stomachs in a blizzard.
Well, this time, I had an idea. If I could be the driver of the car, I could learn some skills needed to pass my driver's license. They agreed, since we would be on country roads and not likely to meet another car. As I was driving along on the beautiful autumn day, Uncle Bud, who was seated in the back seat of the Buick, started screaming excitedly, using words I can't repeat here. He demanded I stop the car, as he rolled down the window and pointed his gun out the window at a beautiful pheasant in the adjacent cornfield. "Bam!" We had pheasant for dinner that night, far and away the best part of hunting.
We had frequent extended family get-togethers, usually in Goldfield. We would be gathered in the living room of Alice's small house. Nell would start whistling like a bird singing, then she would pretend there was a bird somewhere in the house, and ask me to find the bird. I would persevere, looking in every nook and cranny of the house to no avail, while the family members would snicker. That Iowa sense of humor, good-natured, but nevertheless at someone's expense, was commonplace in my seventeen years of growing up there.
My uncle Bud would be at those gatherings. Bud had been a tail-gunner in the Air Force in World War II, shooting at Germans and being shot at by Germans. His nerves were a bit frayed after the war, and Dad felt great compassion for his brother, helping him buy a cafe in Des Moines. My most vivid memory of Bud was from a time when I had just turned sixteen. Dad and Bud were avid hunters. They decided to go pheasant hunting, and asked me to go with them. Usually when Dad asked me to go hunting with him, I rapidly came up with an excuse: "Thanks, Dad, but I have a basketball practice I've got to attend in order to get ready for next week's game." I knew that going duck hunting with Dad meant crawling on our stomachs in a blizzard.
Well, this time, I had an idea. If I could be the driver of the car, I could learn some skills needed to pass my driver's license. They agreed, since we would be on country roads and not likely to meet another car. As I was driving along on the beautiful autumn day, Uncle Bud, who was seated in the back seat of the Buick, started screaming excitedly, using words I can't repeat here. He demanded I stop the car, as he rolled down the window and pointed his gun out the window at a beautiful pheasant in the adjacent cornfield. "Bam!" We had pheasant for dinner that night, far and away the best part of hunting.
God and football
I haven't written about the Denver Broncos and Tim Tebow, winners of six straight games, the last four of them fourth quarter comebacks. It is an amazing story of a guy who humbly believes that God has a plan for him, and his teammates are convinced that there is something amazingly special going on. The team is young, and no more talented than any other NFL team. In fact, this coming Sunday they play the team with the best quarterback (since Peyton Manning went out with an injury), Tom Brady, and his talented New England Patriots.
There is a guy where I work who is a rabid Patriots fan. Every time I see him I tell him the Patriots are going down. Last night when I said that, he laughed heartily and said, "No way!" He said, "The Patriots have Tom Brady, and all the Broncos have is God!" Not believing the implications of what I just heard, I said incredulously, "Who would you rather have, God, or Tom Brady?" Without hesitation, he answered, "Brady!" Then, he followed up with, "All God does is say, "It's your time to die, now it's your time to die, now it's your time to die," as he pointed in different directions. Amazed at this line of reasoning, I asked, "What about when God says, it's your time to be born?" He replied, "I was born because of my mom's egg and my dad's sperm." I asked, "How do you suppose they got the eggs and sperm?" By that time he was picking up speed, walking hurriedly away from me. No matter, I'll see him plenty more times this week.
There is a guy where I work who is a rabid Patriots fan. Every time I see him I tell him the Patriots are going down. Last night when I said that, he laughed heartily and said, "No way!" He said, "The Patriots have Tom Brady, and all the Broncos have is God!" Not believing the implications of what I just heard, I said incredulously, "Who would you rather have, God, or Tom Brady?" Without hesitation, he answered, "Brady!" Then, he followed up with, "All God does is say, "It's your time to die, now it's your time to die, now it's your time to die," as he pointed in different directions. Amazed at this line of reasoning, I asked, "What about when God says, it's your time to be born?" He replied, "I was born because of my mom's egg and my dad's sperm." I asked, "How do you suppose they got the eggs and sperm?" By that time he was picking up speed, walking hurriedly away from me. No matter, I'll see him plenty more times this week.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
"He debates like a constipated goat on quaaludes"
Innominatus ranks the candidates here: http://innominatus87.blogspot.com/2011/11/cats-and-dogs-living-together-and-other.html
Wear gloves, don't turn your back, bow at all times
Manhatten Infidel writes about liberal icon Alec Baldwin, and gives us working class stiffs some good ideas about how we should behave when in the presence of a liberal: http://manhattaninfidel.com/2011/12/08/working-class-stiff-annoys-liberal-icon/
America 3.0
Do you know about America 3.0? Apparently there is a book about it coming out, and a website already in existence, but here is a summary: http://chicagoboyz.net/archives/26482.html
On our side!
In Confidence Men author Ron Suskind points out that Wall Street has always been the purview of men. A former bank teller in Kansas, who worked in Bob Dole's various campaigns, became a thorn in the side of the Wall Street males. Her name is Sheila Bair. Read more about her here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/sheila-bair-the-former-fdic-chairmans-20-20-foresight/2011/11/29/gIQARZNj8N_story.html
"Crazy as an outhouse rat!"
Claire Berlinski thinks America will be alright, but she warns about the state of journalism: http://ricochet.com/main-feed/I-Love-New-York-and-the-First-Law-of-Journalism
A classic exchange
Because I worked late last night, I missed the debate, which appears to have been a good one. I thought the exchange between Romney and Gingrich over Israel and Palestine was fascinating. Romney was impressive in characterizing himself as careful and sober and implying Gingrich to be a "bombthrower" but then Gingrich came right back at him, characterizing himself as a Reaganite truth-teller, even if that caused confusion for the "timid." What a classic exchange!
Do we need a truth-telling bombthrower, or a cautious statesman? The polls seem to be favoring the former. Then, there is Ron Paul, who has carved out a niche for himself among the millions of Americans who think America should not intervene in other people's disputes. I still think the 2012 race will be Obama vs. Paul as an independent, and either Gingrich or Romney as the Republican, with Obama winning because of the split vote among conservatives.
Do we need a truth-telling bombthrower, or a cautious statesman? The polls seem to be favoring the former. Then, there is Ron Paul, who has carved out a niche for himself among the millions of Americans who think America should not intervene in other people's disputes. I still think the 2012 race will be Obama vs. Paul as an independent, and either Gingrich or Romney as the Republican, with Obama winning because of the split vote among conservatives.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tonight's debate
Professor Jacobson has three suggestions for Newt Gingrich for tonight's debate. All are designed to expose Mitt Romney.
Read them here: http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/12/dear-newt-three-ways-to-crush-romney-tonight/
Please remember, though, I fear that no matter who wins the Republican nomination, I think we are going to see a Ron Paul or Donald Trump independent candidacy, which will hand the presidency back to Obama. I don't see anyone else writing about this peril.
Read them here: http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/12/dear-newt-three-ways-to-crush-romney-tonight/
Please remember, though, I fear that no matter who wins the Republican nomination, I think we are going to see a Ron Paul or Donald Trump independent candidacy, which will hand the presidency back to Obama. I don't see anyone else writing about this peril.
The son of a Marine
This is a photo of Landon. His father, Marine LCPL Andrew Carpenter, was killed in Afghanistan a month before he was born. Someone, (Landon's mother?) lovingly put this photo together.
I found it here: http://floppingaces.net/2011/12/09/photo-of-the-day-12/
I found it here: http://floppingaces.net/2011/12/09/photo-of-the-day-12/
The consequences of managerial incompetence
Just as I had suspected, Ron Suskind's book on the Confidence Men who were involved in our nation's financial collapse, praises Barack Obama's successful 2008 campaign all the way to the end of the campaign, but the tone of the book changes immediately after election day, when the consequences of Barack Obama's lack of managerial experience began to bear fruit.
Obama's choice of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary was the first example of those consequences. One of Geithner's responsibilities as Treasury Secretary would be to oversee the I.R.S. He had failed to pay over $34,000 in taxes, and improperly deducted his children's summer camp costs, admitted it to Obama's vetting committee, and was still nominated by Obama!
Obama's next mistake was to appoint Mr. know-it-all Larry Summers to head Obama's National Council of Economic Advisers. Ousted as President of Harvard because of sexist remarks about women and incompetent handling of Harvard's investment portfolio, Summers was, nevertheless, Obama's choice to coordinate economic advisers, despite the fact that the most important issue facing the new administration was the collapsing economy.
Thinking Geithner and Summers would get the economy moving again, Obama took his eyes off that challenge to push health care as his plan for a presidential legacy, despite the fact that the economy was in a severe recession, in no shape to bear the start-up costs of such a radical overhaul of a major part of our economy.
Obama's choice of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary was the first example of those consequences. One of Geithner's responsibilities as Treasury Secretary would be to oversee the I.R.S. He had failed to pay over $34,000 in taxes, and improperly deducted his children's summer camp costs, admitted it to Obama's vetting committee, and was still nominated by Obama!
Obama's next mistake was to appoint Mr. know-it-all Larry Summers to head Obama's National Council of Economic Advisers. Ousted as President of Harvard because of sexist remarks about women and incompetent handling of Harvard's investment portfolio, Summers was, nevertheless, Obama's choice to coordinate economic advisers, despite the fact that the most important issue facing the new administration was the collapsing economy.
Thinking Geithner and Summers would get the economy moving again, Obama took his eyes off that challenge to push health care as his plan for a presidential legacy, despite the fact that the economy was in a severe recession, in no shape to bear the start-up costs of such a radical overhaul of a major part of our economy.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Part One of Glenn Beck's interview with Newt Gingrich
Part two is here: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/beck-doesnt-hold-back-in-gingrich-interview-tough-questions-on-mandates-big-govt-and-global-warming/
Swing states are swinging
Obama is not doing well in polls in three key swing states: Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Gingrich is leading the Republican polls in those three states by a wide margin.
Read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/gingrich-surges-obama-in-trouble-in-swing-state-polls-20111208
Read more: http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/gingrich-surges-obama-in-trouble-in-swing-state-polls-20111208
John Mitchell, or Joseph McCarthy?
Via: http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2011/12/isnt-that-what-they-say-just-before.html
Congressman Isso compares Attorney General Holder to Nixon's attorney General John Mitchell, and Holder compares Isso to Senator Joseph McCarthy. This #Fast and Furious investigation is getting good!
Fast and Furious hearing 12/8/11 from Water Cooler on Vimeo.
Update: I guess this is what happens when "the most transparent administration in history" decides to eliminate the existence of a video that did exist yesterday!
Telling the boss what he needs to hear
The blog entitled In From the Cold tells us about Admiral J.O. Richardson, who courageously warned FDR, at the cost of his own career, about our vulnerability at Pearl Harbor.
Read more here: http://formerspook.blogspot.com/
Statistically impossible
From the Coyote blog:
Via http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2011/12/unexpectedly.html
in 2011 initial and continuing [unemployment] claims have been revised higher the week following [their initial release] 91% and 100% of the time, respectively. A purely statistical explanation for this phenomenon is “impossible.”
Wow. Something like 50 out of 50 times, the Administration has under-estimated the economic bad news in its statistics. Just bad luck, I guess.
Via http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2011/12/unexpectedly.html
Wednesday, December 07, 2011
Is our "addiction" to oil really such a bad thing?
Amy at The Peoples Press Collective asks in a blog post "Are you addicted to civilization?" This, of course, is a take-off on former president George W. Bush's assertion that Americans are addicted to oil.
Amy cites these facts: "One 42-gallon barrel of oil produces 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest, which is more than half the barrel, is used to make more than 6000 different products including:
Solvents Diesel fuel Motor Oil Bearing Grease
Ink Floor Wax Ballpoint Pens Football Cleats
Upholstery Sweaters Boats Insecticides
Bicycle Tires Sports Car Bodies Nail Polish Fishing lures
Dresses Tires Golf Bags Perfumes
Cassettes Dishwasher parts Tool Boxes Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet Caulking Petroleum Jelly Transparent Tape
CD Player Faucet Washers Antiseptics Clothesline
Curtains Food Preservatives Basketballs Soap
Vitamin Capsules Antihistamines Purses Shoes
Dashboards Cortisone Deodorant Footballs
Putty Dyes Panty Hose Refrigerant
Percolators Life Jackets Rubbing Alcohol Linings
Skis TV Cabinets Shag Rugs Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks Car Battery Cases Epoxy Paint
Mops Slacks Insect Repellent Oil Filters
Umbrellas Yarn Fertilizers Hair Coloring
Roofing Toilet Seats Fishing Rods Lipstick
Denture Adhesive Linoleum Ice Cube Trays Synthetic Rubber
Speakers Plastic Wood Electric Blankets Glycerin
Tennis Rackets Rubber Cement Fishing Boots Dice
Nylon Rope Candles Trash Bags House Paint
Water Pipes Hand Lotion Roller Skates Surf Boards
Shampoo Wheels Paint Rollers Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings Luggage Aspirin Safety Glasses
Antifreeze Football Helmets Awnings Eyeglasses
Clothes Toothbrushes Ice Chests Footballs
Combs CD’s & DVD’s Paint Brushes Detergents
Vaporizers Balloons Sun Glasses Tents
Heart Valves Crayons Parachutes Telephones
Enamel Pillows Dishes Cameras
Anesthetics Artificial Turf Artificial limbs Bandages
Dentures Model Cars Folding Doors Hair Curlers
Cold cream Movie film Soft Contact lenses Drinking Cups
Fan Belts Car Enamel Shaving Cream Ammonia
Refrigerators Golf Balls Toothpaste Gasoline
Also, petroleum is needed to make solar panels and wind turbines. A little factoid from Rankin, “Americans consume petroleum products at a rate of three-and-a-half gallons of oil and more than 250 cubic feet of natural gas per day each! But, as shown here petroleum is not just used for fuel.”
Are we addicted to oil? Only if you enjoy and are “addicted” to a modern lifestyle made possible by the discovery of fossil fuels."
Read the whole thing here: http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2011/12/are-you-%E2%80%9Caddicted%E2%80%9D-to-civilization/
Amy cites these facts: "One 42-gallon barrel of oil produces 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest, which is more than half the barrel, is used to make more than 6000 different products including:
Solvents Diesel fuel Motor Oil Bearing Grease
Ink Floor Wax Ballpoint Pens Football Cleats
Upholstery Sweaters Boats Insecticides
Bicycle Tires Sports Car Bodies Nail Polish Fishing lures
Dresses Tires Golf Bags Perfumes
Cassettes Dishwasher parts Tool Boxes Shoe Polish
Motorcycle Helmet Caulking Petroleum Jelly Transparent Tape
CD Player Faucet Washers Antiseptics Clothesline
Curtains Food Preservatives Basketballs Soap
Vitamin Capsules Antihistamines Purses Shoes
Dashboards Cortisone Deodorant Footballs
Putty Dyes Panty Hose Refrigerant
Percolators Life Jackets Rubbing Alcohol Linings
Skis TV Cabinets Shag Rugs Electrician’s Tape
Tool Racks Car Battery Cases Epoxy Paint
Mops Slacks Insect Repellent Oil Filters
Umbrellas Yarn Fertilizers Hair Coloring
Roofing Toilet Seats Fishing Rods Lipstick
Denture Adhesive Linoleum Ice Cube Trays Synthetic Rubber
Speakers Plastic Wood Electric Blankets Glycerin
Tennis Rackets Rubber Cement Fishing Boots Dice
Nylon Rope Candles Trash Bags House Paint
Water Pipes Hand Lotion Roller Skates Surf Boards
Shampoo Wheels Paint Rollers Shower Curtains
Guitar Strings Luggage Aspirin Safety Glasses
Antifreeze Football Helmets Awnings Eyeglasses
Clothes Toothbrushes Ice Chests Footballs
Combs CD’s & DVD’s Paint Brushes Detergents
Vaporizers Balloons Sun Glasses Tents
Heart Valves Crayons Parachutes Telephones
Enamel Pillows Dishes Cameras
Anesthetics Artificial Turf Artificial limbs Bandages
Dentures Model Cars Folding Doors Hair Curlers
Cold cream Movie film Soft Contact lenses Drinking Cups
Fan Belts Car Enamel Shaving Cream Ammonia
Refrigerators Golf Balls Toothpaste Gasoline
Also, petroleum is needed to make solar panels and wind turbines. A little factoid from Rankin, “Americans consume petroleum products at a rate of three-and-a-half gallons of oil and more than 250 cubic feet of natural gas per day each! But, as shown here petroleum is not just used for fuel.”
Are we addicted to oil? Only if you enjoy and are “addicted” to a modern lifestyle made possible by the discovery of fossil fuels."
Read the whole thing here: http://www.peoplespresscollective.org/2011/12/are-you-%E2%80%9Caddicted%E2%80%9D-to-civilization/
Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Why were Holder and Napolitano "ignorant"
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley shows some anger toward those who are lying to him.
"We're the ones who are out there."
Marines are attacked by Taliban scum who crawl out of their caves. The "bird" takes away the casualties.
Via http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/
Via http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/
Saigon today (HCMC)
Photographer Rob Whitworth captures the frenetic traffic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
This blogger says it is proof that "Something Else" is what usually happens: http://sippicancottage.blogspot.com/2011/12/something-else-happens.html
Traffic in Frenetic HCMC, Vietnam from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.
This blogger says it is proof that "Something Else" is what usually happens: http://sippicancottage.blogspot.com/2011/12/something-else-happens.html
Priorities
A Norwegian writes about multiculturalism gone wrong: http://www.aina.org/news/20111205114221.htm
Here is another example: "Honor crimes" in Britain: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2640/britain-muslim-honor-crimes
Here is another example: "Honor crimes" in Britain: http://www.hudson-ny.org/2640/britain-muslim-honor-crimes
Do you do these things correctly?
Cracked tells us how to do seven things correctly: poop, brush teeth, have babies, sit, bathe, sleep, and breathe: http://www.cracked.com/article_19121_7-basic-things-you-wont-believe-youre-all-doing-wrong.html
Gingrich stupidly attacks America's poor
Newt Gingrich joins Barack Obama in making the presidential campaigns about class warfare; except Obama is warring (verbally only) against the super rich, while taking campaign donations from them, while Gingrich is warring against the poor. And, by the way, I watched a NBC interview with Donald Trump, in which he agreed with Newt's claims about poor children having no role models. Neither Newt Gingrich nor Donald Trump are role models for me.
Mike Littwin, political columnist for the Denver Post, jumps on Gingrich with both feet. I agree with Littwin on this one. Read his column here: http://www.denverpost.com/littwin/ci_19476213
Mike Littwin, political columnist for the Denver Post, jumps on Gingrich with both feet. I agree with Littwin on this one. Read his column here: http://www.denverpost.com/littwin/ci_19476213
The U.S. Senate looking out for us!
"On Nov. 15, the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision to repeal Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Article 125 of the UCMJ makes it illegal to engage in both sodomy with humans and sex with animals."
The bill now goes to a conference between the House and Senate.
Read more here: http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/2011/12/pressing-reform.html
The bill now goes to a conference between the House and Senate.
Read more here: http://grimbeorn.blogspot.com/2011/12/pressing-reform.html
"Serial hypocrisy"
This is the ad Ron Paul is running against Newt Gingrich in Iowa. Folks, I'm telling you: Ron Paul could give us four more years of Obama. If he runs as an Independent, he could siphon off just enough votes in the too-close-to-call states to give the edge to Obama.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Where do you want to retire?
This blog tells you what to expect in every area of the country: http://rossputin.com/blog/index.php/retirement
How happy are you?
Take the "Happiness Quiz" here: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/happiness-quiz/
How does it feel to be in flow?
Are you challenged? Are you using your skills? Are you in control? Are you aroused? Can you withstand tragedy? Has your psyche been traumatized? What makes your life worth living? Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi gives a video lecture on FLOW on TED: http://vodpod.com/watch/2532649-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-on-flow-video-on-ted-com#
Quiet
Do you think shyness or introversion is a sickness? Do shy people need to be medicated, so they will be more extroverted? A New York Times opinion writer, Susan Cain, makes the case for introverts: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26shyness.html?_r=1
Susan also has a blog here: http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/
She has a book entitled Quiet coming out next month.
Susan also has a blog here: http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/
She has a book entitled Quiet coming out next month.
He does not like any of the Republican candidates.
Has the Republican Party reached double face-palm territory? This blogger thinks so: http://rightwingnuthouse.com/
Update: There may still be hope! T. Coddington Van Voorhies VII has announced his availability as a candidate! His boyhood not only consisted of being at his father's knee (his father was the father of conservatism), but,
Read this wonderful satire on William F. Buckley and The National Review here: http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2011/10/together-i-shall-ride-you-to-victory.html
Update: There may still be hope! T. Coddington Van Voorhies VII has announced his availability as a candidate! His boyhood not only consisted of being at his father's knee (his father was the father of conservatism), but,
As a growing lad I was expertly tutored in the manly arts of sailing, badminton, and, most pointedly, horsemanship. Among my teammates on the Montauk Crimsoneers Little League Polo squad, I quickly earned a reputation as a player who would never be thrown by the same horse twice - no matter how many trips to the stable for a better-behaved horse it might take.
Read this wonderful satire on William F. Buckley and The National Review here: http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2011/10/together-i-shall-ride-you-to-victory.html
Vacation time for the Obamas
This blogger has the details of President Obama's upcoming 17 day vacation trip to Hawaii to recuperate from his "grueling fundraising trips:" http://www.jammiewf.com/2011/exhausted-from-grueling-fundraising-trips-potus-to-vacation-for-17-days/
The political class disapproves of the public
The brilliant satirical blog The People's Cube is out with a new poll. It shows that the approval rating of the public by the political class has dropped from 99 percent in January 2009 to only 3 percent now. 
Read more analysis of the poll here: http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/public-s-approval-rating-hits-all-time-low-in-new-poll-t8039.html
Read more analysis of the poll here: http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/public-s-approval-rating-hits-all-time-low-in-new-poll-t8039.html
What happens to whistleblowers in the Obama administration?
After blowing the whistle on the Obama Justice Department's #Fast and Furious scandal, some ATF agents are not doing well these days.
via http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/11/30/the-most-transparent-administration-in-history/
via http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/11/30/the-most-transparent-administration-in-history/
270 to win
From Vodkapundit here is an image of where pundits think the 2012 race stands now. Actually the image is courtesy of a website called 270toWin, (270 is the number of electoral votes needed to win). 
Vodkapundit discusses several scenarios, but I still think the most important issue is whether Ron Paul or Donald Trump decide to run on an Independent ticket, and thereby hand the presidency back to Obama.
The link to Vodkapundit: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/12/05/wargaming-the-electoral-college-31/
Vodkapundit discusses several scenarios, but I still think the most important issue is whether Ron Paul or Donald Trump decide to run on an Independent ticket, and thereby hand the presidency back to Obama.
The link to Vodkapundit: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2011/12/05/wargaming-the-electoral-college-31/
Tough Mr. Trump
Donald Trump has a book out, Time to Get Tough: Making America Number One Again. Sounds good, but I doubt if his ideas about imposing tariffs on other countries would work in our favor. Does he not realize that they can do the same to us?
He praises Romney, Cain, Perry, and Gingrich in an interview with Newsmax. I think he may still be waiting in the wings. Speaking of which, did you know he offered to build a grand ballroom in the White House, so our presidents would not have to entertain foreign dignitaries outside in tents?
Update: Donald Trump was interviewed by Matt Lauer today. Candidates Huntsman and Paul have said they will not participate in the December 27 Newsmax debate, which Trump will moderate, so Trump said Huntsman and Paul are "jokes." Ron Paul says in this CNN interview that he thinks maybe the reason Trump doesn't like him is because he opposes the Federal Reserve's policy of easy credit for developers:
Trump also said on the Today Show that the reason he dropped out was because of his t.v. program and equal time provisions, and that because his contract on Matt's NBC is up in May, he would be able to run for president in May, if none of the GOP candidates were catching on with American voters. Frankly, I liked Ron Paul's statement about not knowing that he was supposed to get Trump's "laying on of hands," as Trump likes to brag that Romney, Cain, Perry, and Gingrich have done.
However, if either Paul or Trump runs for president as an independent in 2012, we've got Obama for four more years. Remember that "giant sucking sound" of Ross Perot? Remember Ralph Nader?
Update: Mitt Romney joins Huntsman and Paul in declining to participate in the Donald Trump moderated debate on December 27.
He praises Romney, Cain, Perry, and Gingrich in an interview with Newsmax. I think he may still be waiting in the wings. Speaking of which, did you know he offered to build a grand ballroom in the White House, so our presidents would not have to entertain foreign dignitaries outside in tents?
Update: Donald Trump was interviewed by Matt Lauer today. Candidates Huntsman and Paul have said they will not participate in the December 27 Newsmax debate, which Trump will moderate, so Trump said Huntsman and Paul are "jokes." Ron Paul says in this CNN interview that he thinks maybe the reason Trump doesn't like him is because he opposes the Federal Reserve's policy of easy credit for developers:
Trump also said on the Today Show that the reason he dropped out was because of his t.v. program and equal time provisions, and that because his contract on Matt's NBC is up in May, he would be able to run for president in May, if none of the GOP candidates were catching on with American voters. Frankly, I liked Ron Paul's statement about not knowing that he was supposed to get Trump's "laying on of hands," as Trump likes to brag that Romney, Cain, Perry, and Gingrich have done.
However, if either Paul or Trump runs for president as an independent in 2012, we've got Obama for four more years. Remember that "giant sucking sound" of Ross Perot? Remember Ralph Nader?
Update: Mitt Romney joins Huntsman and Paul in declining to participate in the Donald Trump moderated debate on December 27.
Sunday, December 04, 2011
If you have a cold, read this!
"According to scientists, cold plasma (basically a stream of ionized gas) can actually prevent viruses from replicating."
The link: http://www.neatorama.com/2011/12/04/plasma-can-kill-off-viruses/
The link: http://www.neatorama.com/2011/12/04/plasma-can-kill-off-viruses/
Confidence Men
Confidence Men by Pulitzer Prize winning author Ron Suskind, is holding my attention. It is about the financial collapse. Suskind seems to have done his homework, finding out who said what to whom, and when. So far he has praised Barack Obama the candidate. We'll see what he thinks of Barack Obama the President, as the book develops.
How do you smoke out bigotry?
Parade Magazine today features two interviews with Mitt Romney and his family members, all handsome and beautiful. It's a wonderful story of spousal and family love. One of the interviewers, though, cites this statistic: one-third of Americans say they could not vote for a Mormon. I do not understand this, though I believe there may be some truth to it. Do conservatives give other reasons for not liking Romney, in order to cover up their prejudice against his Mormon faith? If so, how do we smoke out these hidden prejudices?
Saturday, December 03, 2011
What I'm thankful for...By Greg Agard, age ten
I'm thankful for my parents, because without them, I wouldn't be me. In fact, if they weren't my parents, I could be a no-good, noisy, bratty little chihuahua! Or, I might even be...get ready for this: a girl! That would be terrible!!
Also, I am grateful for food: plump, tasty, life-saving food! The dough inside donuts, the sprinkles on cupcakes, and the juice that leaks from turkey when you take your first bite. Wow! I cannot imagine life without food.
The thing that I am most thankful for is life! If I did not have life, I'd be nothing. Well, of course, I could be a tree stump, but tree stumps can't do anything, So, I'm thankful for what God made me, even though I can't fly.
Also, I am grateful for food: plump, tasty, life-saving food! The dough inside donuts, the sprinkles on cupcakes, and the juice that leaks from turkey when you take your first bite. Wow! I cannot imagine life without food.
The thing that I am most thankful for is life! If I did not have life, I'd be nothing. Well, of course, I could be a tree stump, but tree stumps can't do anything, So, I'm thankful for what God made me, even though I can't fly.
He shot President Reagan and three others, and thirty years of treatment later, his narcissism is intact
Doctors at St. Elizabeth Hospital in D.C. say that John Hinckley's psychosis and depressive disorders are in full remission, but not his narcissism. Petula Dvorak writes in her Washington Post column that the attention to every detail of John Hinckley's moods: what makes him happy, sad, depressed, anxious, is staggering - and absolutely maddening. Is it any wonder he still has problems with narcissism?
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/its-nuts-to-spend-so-much-time-and-money-on-john-w-hinckley-jr/2011/12/01/gIQATS2hIO_story.html
Read more here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/its-nuts-to-spend-so-much-time-and-money-on-john-w-hinckley-jr/2011/12/01/gIQATS2hIO_story.html
Friday, December 02, 2011
Can you do this? In twelve minutes?
Here is the Navy Seal obstacle course video found here: http://yargb.blogspot.com/
Flares into Darkness
One of my favorite blogs is Flares into Darkness. I like it because it is eclectic in its content and very informative. Today, for example, it features an excellent background story about supply lines into Afghanistan, several excellent music videos, a video of a snowmobiler trapped in an avalanche (always be in a group when in the backcountry!), a story about the fact that the FAA is considering new rules which would allow the civilian use of drones, a juvenile burglar in Britain is required to write a letter apologizing to his victim, but he is obviously not the least bit sorry, and finally, a video (helmet cam) of a Navy Seals obstacle course.
The link: http://yargb.blogspot.com/
The link: http://yargb.blogspot.com/
"The real problem is us!"
Once again Roger L. Simon writes about a subject that interests me. The real question about Herman Cain is not whether he is guilty or clueless; it is why did he run? Simon says the real problem is not Herman Cain. It is us!
More from Simon:
Read more here: http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2011/12/02/the-mystery-of-herman-cain/?singlepage=true
The real problem is us. Why do we flock to politicians (amateur or otherwise) so quickly when we know so little about them? The personality profile of the person who goes into politics in the first place is not exactly that of normal people. It fairly screams narcissism.
More from Simon:
Here’s a question it doesn’t take a Zen Master to figure out: If Herman Cain was willing to hide a thirteen-year relationship, “friendship,” call it what you will, to a woman (to whom he made “repeated” financial payments!) from his own wife, as he has now admitted, should he be trusted to be candid with the American public?
Well, duh. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus is not one of the hoariest of legal principles for nothing. Do you want to see a liar — or, more politely, a prevaricator — as president of the United States? We’ve had enough of that already.
And, no, I don’t know whether the allegations of sexual harassment are true, nor do I even know if Cain actually had an affair with Ginger White, although, if he didn’t, that would put him among the roughly .003% of males who gave money to another woman for years without telling their wives, indeed not disclosing the “friendship” to them at all, and didn’t.
Read more here: http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2011/12/02/the-mystery-of-herman-cain/?singlepage=true
Thursday, December 01, 2011
Thanks, docs, but no thanks!
I agree with the blogger at This ain't Hell, who opposes freedom for John Hinckley. Secret Service agents followed Hinckley, when he was on a ten day visit with his 84-year-old mother. He didn't go to the movie, as he had said he was going to do. Instead, he went to a library and looked up people who had attempted to assassinate presidents. He also read about Ronald Reagan, whom Hinckley attempted to assassinate. Fox News has the story here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/30/court-hearing-plea-for-reagan-shooter-to-gain-eventual-release-from-mental/?test=latestnews
The link to This ain't Hell: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=27746
The link to This ain't Hell: http://thisainthell.us/blog/?p=27746
How do you know when someone is a phony?
I've been re-thinking what I said in my November 30 post about novelists who write about hilarious, but pathetic, characters. Maybe the best way for people to get to know someone is to "live" with the character in a book and draw our own conclusions about the character.
How do we know, for example, which, if any, of the presidential candidates can be trusted to be who they say they are? Barack Obama said he was going to be a uniter, but he clearly is a divider. Today the above-the-fold story on the front page of the Denver Post is about a highly respected retired sheriff of one of metro Denver's biggest suburban counties. He is currently in a jail (named after him) on charges of trading meth for sex with a man. The retired sheriff was voted National Sheriff of the Year a few years ago with a reputation as a crusader against illegal drugs!
How can you detect when a man or woman is a con artist? One sure-fire sign: the person consistently portrays himself as a victim, or gets surrogates to do it for him. Remember Hillary Clinton, who blamed "a right wing conspiracy" for reports about her husband's infidelity? Of course, when you portray yourself as a victim, you have to point the finger at someone else. If you are a con artist, you can get lots of people to believe you and feel sorry for you, and if you have the media in your pocket, like Barack Obama has from the moment he announced his candidacy for his first run at the presidency, your efforts to put the blame somewhere else becomes all that much easier.
Another thing that helps: be a smooth talker. Come up with an idea that sounds fresh, like "9-9-9." The actual substance of your idea may not matter, as long as you are persuasive in keeping the idea front and center. Or, if you are Barack Obama, you can rail against "fat cats" on Wall Street, and secretly give them taxpayers' money to hide how dismally they have been running their banks; then, you can collect hundreds of millions of dollars from those same fat cats for your campaign. All the while you can rest assured that no one in the media will call you out on your hypocrisy.
Another attribute of a con artist is that they convince themselves that they are not responsible for the consequences of their decisions and actions, when those decisions and actions fail to produce beneficial results. Because the con artist sees himself being pure as the driven snow (and we have plenty of that here in Colorado right now), anything that goes wrong cannot be his fault; it is always the fault of someone else.
How do we know, for example, which, if any, of the presidential candidates can be trusted to be who they say they are? Barack Obama said he was going to be a uniter, but he clearly is a divider. Today the above-the-fold story on the front page of the Denver Post is about a highly respected retired sheriff of one of metro Denver's biggest suburban counties. He is currently in a jail (named after him) on charges of trading meth for sex with a man. The retired sheriff was voted National Sheriff of the Year a few years ago with a reputation as a crusader against illegal drugs!
How can you detect when a man or woman is a con artist? One sure-fire sign: the person consistently portrays himself as a victim, or gets surrogates to do it for him. Remember Hillary Clinton, who blamed "a right wing conspiracy" for reports about her husband's infidelity? Of course, when you portray yourself as a victim, you have to point the finger at someone else. If you are a con artist, you can get lots of people to believe you and feel sorry for you, and if you have the media in your pocket, like Barack Obama has from the moment he announced his candidacy for his first run at the presidency, your efforts to put the blame somewhere else becomes all that much easier.
Another thing that helps: be a smooth talker. Come up with an idea that sounds fresh, like "9-9-9." The actual substance of your idea may not matter, as long as you are persuasive in keeping the idea front and center. Or, if you are Barack Obama, you can rail against "fat cats" on Wall Street, and secretly give them taxpayers' money to hide how dismally they have been running their banks; then, you can collect hundreds of millions of dollars from those same fat cats for your campaign. All the while you can rest assured that no one in the media will call you out on your hypocrisy.
Another attribute of a con artist is that they convince themselves that they are not responsible for the consequences of their decisions and actions, when those decisions and actions fail to produce beneficial results. Because the con artist sees himself being pure as the driven snow (and we have plenty of that here in Colorado right now), anything that goes wrong cannot be his fault; it is always the fault of someone else.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Barney's footprints are all over the housing collapse and bank bailouts
Via http://sigmundcarlandalfred.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/view-from-the-right-22/
Could you write a novel featuring hilarious, but pathetic characters?
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, is a book filled with marvelously hilarious characters in New Orleans. The characters are well-developed, and continue to be integral to the story all the way to the end.
One of my favorite characters is a policeman named Mancuso. Mancuso's sergeant seems to enjoy abusing Mancuso. He demands that Mancuso bring in "suspicious characters." Mancuso tries his best, but continually fails in this endeavor. The sergeant makes Mancuso dress up in various costumes designed to attract suspicious characters. Finally, the frustrated sergeant requires Mancuso to sequester himself in a toilet stall in the bus depot bathroom until he makes an arrest of a suspicious character. While he does not succeed in catching anything but pneumonia in his days in the toilet stall, Mancuso does succeed in becoming the hero of the story by, well, I guess I won't reveal this in case you want to read the book.
I wonder what it would be like to try to write a book like that one. Today I met a guy who was purchasing nicotine gum or tablets. I remarked to him how expensive they were. He agreed and said he was trying to calculate whether to buy the package with 50 tablets or the one with 100. He decided on the latter, because he said that he was about "to go off the wagon." He then went on to tell me that he had not slept in 14 nights. When I asked him what line of work he is in, he said he does not work, because he had recently been in a car accident in which his car hit three other cars, one of which was being carjacked, and "you can't trust the police."
This remark caused me to look at the man more carefully. He wore dark sunglasses, was about 6'3" and skinny as a rail. His Adam's apple protruded significantly from his neck. The more we talked, the more I realized I had my first character for my own version of The Confederacy of Dunces. Apparently the police investigation of the car accident did not go well for our man in the sunglasses. "The police are only in it for the money," he informed me. "It's your word against theirs."
Actually, I don't think I could write a novel featuring pathetic characters, because I feel a sadness when I realize fellow human beings are messing up their lives. That doesn't preclude me from realizing the humor and tremendous writing talent of an author such as John Kennedy Toole. But the fact remains that God gave each of us unique talents and is available to help each of us to realize those talents. I don't like to give up on fellow humans, even when they devolve to absurd levels.
One of my favorite characters is a policeman named Mancuso. Mancuso's sergeant seems to enjoy abusing Mancuso. He demands that Mancuso bring in "suspicious characters." Mancuso tries his best, but continually fails in this endeavor. The sergeant makes Mancuso dress up in various costumes designed to attract suspicious characters. Finally, the frustrated sergeant requires Mancuso to sequester himself in a toilet stall in the bus depot bathroom until he makes an arrest of a suspicious character. While he does not succeed in catching anything but pneumonia in his days in the toilet stall, Mancuso does succeed in becoming the hero of the story by, well, I guess I won't reveal this in case you want to read the book.
I wonder what it would be like to try to write a book like that one. Today I met a guy who was purchasing nicotine gum or tablets. I remarked to him how expensive they were. He agreed and said he was trying to calculate whether to buy the package with 50 tablets or the one with 100. He decided on the latter, because he said that he was about "to go off the wagon." He then went on to tell me that he had not slept in 14 nights. When I asked him what line of work he is in, he said he does not work, because he had recently been in a car accident in which his car hit three other cars, one of which was being carjacked, and "you can't trust the police."
This remark caused me to look at the man more carefully. He wore dark sunglasses, was about 6'3" and skinny as a rail. His Adam's apple protruded significantly from his neck. The more we talked, the more I realized I had my first character for my own version of The Confederacy of Dunces. Apparently the police investigation of the car accident did not go well for our man in the sunglasses. "The police are only in it for the money," he informed me. "It's your word against theirs."
Actually, I don't think I could write a novel featuring pathetic characters, because I feel a sadness when I realize fellow human beings are messing up their lives. That doesn't preclude me from realizing the humor and tremendous writing talent of an author such as John Kennedy Toole. But the fact remains that God gave each of us unique talents and is available to help each of us to realize those talents. I don't like to give up on fellow humans, even when they devolve to absurd levels.
One standard for them; another for the rest of us!
Yesterday the Denver Post ran a story by three reporters for Bloomberg News. The story is that Bloomberg News won a Freedom of Information lawsuit against the Federal Reserve and the biggest banks, and obtained 29,000 pages of Fed documents and records of more than 21,000 bank transactions. The Fed never disclosed to lawmakers these transactions. The six biggest U.S. banks secretly borrowed $460 billion dollars from the Fed. This does not include the $160 billion dollars these same banks got from TARP funds. The bankers also did not disclose the loans to their shareholders. The banks reaped an estimated $13 billion dollars in income from the Fed's below-market interest rates. Read more here: http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19429558
Now let's go to this story. Chase Bank in Atlanta tried to throw out of her house a 103-year-old woman and her 83-year-old daughter this week. Kudos to the Sheriff Deputies, who refused to move the frail woman out on the street. Video and story here: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9122056-deputies-refuse-to-evict-103-year-old-woman
Now let's go to this story. Chase Bank in Atlanta tried to throw out of her house a 103-year-old woman and her 83-year-old daughter this week. Kudos to the Sheriff Deputies, who refused to move the frail woman out on the street. Video and story here: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9122056-deputies-refuse-to-evict-103-year-old-woman
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Explosions rocking Iran
Several blogs are reporting more explosions rocking Iran. Here is one: http://www.neptunuslex.com/2011/11/28/case-of-the-nerves/
Ayers outs Obama
Did domestic terrorist Bill Ayers launch Barack Obama's political career with a fundraiser at Ayers' house? The Obama campaign said no three years ago. Last month Ayres said, yes. The October, 2011 video of Ayers is here: http://www.mrctv.org/videos/busted-ayers-admits-having-obama-fundraiser-obama-campaign-called-myth
Now the question is: will the Republicans run this video against candidate Obama in the 2012 election season?
Now the question is: will the Republicans run this video against candidate Obama in the 2012 election season?
Goodbye, Herman Cain
So the news tonight is that a woman in Georgia has announced that she had a thirteen year affair with Herman Cain. Goodbye, Herman. Now what? Anyone know what Sarah Palin is doing?
Don't say it, if it's a lie!"
Tonight I stopped at the grocery store and the library before heading home. At both of those places there were petition-gatherers hawking legalization of marijuana. At the library I decided to talk to the man hawking the petition. I told him I was not in favor of giving our citizens another legal way to be dependent on a drug, like we have done with cigarettes and alcohol. I just don't want to lend them a hand in this particular cause. The man said, "People are going to do it anyway, so we might as well collect the taxes. It's better than throwing them in jail." I challenged him on that one, asking if jailing people for marijuana use is really happening in Colorado. He said, "No, not in Colorado." I told him, "Then don't use that lie in your argument!"
Monday, November 28, 2011
Let's get on with it!
No sooner had we heard about hydraulic fracturing, than now we hear about the use of propane gel instead of water to crack open rocks and release the oil reserves in North America: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/10900#.TtRbQFZdDnl
Givng up on white voters who lack college brainwashing
Thomas B. Edsall writes in the New York Times an interesting analysis of Democratic strategy for the 2012 election. Realizing that they have lost the Reagan Democrats, white voters without a college brainwashing, the push now will be to form a coalition of Hispanics, Blacks, and college educated whites, "professors, artists, designers, editors, human resources managers, lawyers, librarians, social workers, teachers and therapists." Also, throw in single women according to James Carville. In 2010 Democrats lost working class whites 63 to 33.
The link: http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/the-future-of-the-obama-coalition/#
The link: http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/the-future-of-the-obama-coalition/#
They are the disease of which they proclaim themselves the cure."
Matthew Kaminski interviews economic historian Fred Siegel in today's Wall Street Journal. Siegel has been spending time in New York interviewing bankers and Occupiers. He finds the theater of the Occupy movement ironic in that the bankers and the Occupiers are "on the same side of the street politically. They're both in favor of big government!"
During the presidency of George W. Bush, the number of government workers who belong to a union surpassed the number of unionized private workers.
The link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577016092542307600.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
He links the liberalism of the 1960s, not any excess of the free market, to today's crisis. The Great Society put the state on growth hormones. Less widely appreciated, the era gave birth to a powerful new political force, the public-sector union. For the first time in American history there was an interest dedicated wholly to lobbying for a larger government and the taxes and debt to pay for it. "Wall Street makes money off the bonds that have to be floated to pay the public sector workers in New York."
In Mr. Siegel's estimation, only Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has tried the needed fix after last year's elections. "Part of the reason Walker has become such a lightning rod" is that he pushed "straight up, unambiguous structural reform." His move to restrict collective bargaining for state employees isn't as important, says Mr. Siegel, as ending the requirement that state workers pay union dues.
During the presidency of George W. Bush, the number of government workers who belong to a union surpassed the number of unionized private workers.
Government workers make up a growing share of the middle class. And perversely, says Mr. Siegel, unions can justifiably claim to defend the interests of the middle-class worker. "That's because the costs that they've imposed have driven out the private-sector middle class. They are the disease of which they proclaim themselves the cure."
The link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203716204577016092542307600.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop
"Noble intentions"
Is Barack Obama a good man? Here is what my fellow Coloradan Jeff Goldstein said on the day after Obama defeated McCain:
Here is part of what Jeff said today about Obama and his EPA administrator Lisa Jackson:
The link once again to Protein Wisdom, where you can find such superb writing every day: http://proteinwisdom.com/
This “good man” was involved in ACORN blackmail schemes. With an attempt to fraudulently undermine the Second Amendment by gaming court rulings. He got rich off of schemes that led to the mortgage crisis — then stood by and let others fix it in order to keep his hands clean during the final stages of an election. He has thrown in with race hustlers,”reformers” who believe that domestic terrorism was a valid form of expression, odious foreign potentates –
There is nothing at all noble about praising a man and a party who reviles you simply because in doing so you appear noble. Jews have tried that. And it’s often ended with skeletons and ash, or the twisted wreckage of a bus in Tel Aviv.
In this case, it will end with more McCains — and so more Obamas and Reids and Pelosis and Olbermanns.
If that’s nobility, I’m not interested. Yes, Obama is my President. But that doesn’t mean I’m forced to forget all he’s done to get there — and all that’s been done on his behalf, either by the savage supporters who went after Joe the Plumber and Sarah Palin, or by the “objective media” that sold its soul for a shot at establishing the government it desired.
A good man?
A good politician, sure. A dedicated husband and father, yes. But a good man?
Sorry. But good men don’t lie, cheat, steal, and throw longtime supporters by the wayside just so they can rise to power — even if they’ve convinced themselves they’re doing so for some Greater Good.
Because the fact is, in this country, they’re not supposed to get to decide what that is. We are.
The rest is hubris.
Here is part of what Jeff said today about Obama and his EPA administrator Lisa Jackson:
A narcissistic, fiat-driven bureaucratic state relying on post-constitutional and ethos-driven emotive court rulings to re-structure the entire system of separation of powers and checks and balances in order to “fundamentally transform” a free market system into a command-and-control economy run by self-appointed technocrats, unelected “czars”, and would-be authoritarians willing to grant themselves dictatorial powers so long as they can cite their noble intentions
The link once again to Protein Wisdom, where you can find such superb writing every day: http://proteinwisdom.com/
Newt wins key New Hampshire endorsement, and praise from Bill Clinton
Newt Gingrich wins the endorsement of New Hampshire's largest newspaper, and challenges Obama to a series of unmoderated debates, telling Obama that he can even bring his teleprompters! One problem, though, Gingrich is winning praise from Bill Clinton, who says Gingrich is doing well, because he is "thinking!"
The link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066833/You-use-teleprompter-make-fair-Surging-Newt-Gingrich-cheeks-Obama-wins-endorsement-New-Hampshire-s-largest-paper.html
The link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066833/You-use-teleprompter-make-fair-Surging-Newt-Gingrich-cheeks-Obama-wins-endorsement-New-Hampshire-s-largest-paper.html
Egyptians voting today
Egyptians are turning out in large numbers today in the first day of voting on a new parliament. Here is an informative video.
A very scary scenario
Do you know about an electromagnetic pulse EMP attack? There is a good discussion of it, and how to defend against it, at The Foundry, the blog of The Heritage Foundation. The link is here: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/11/28/protecting-america-from-the-emp-threat/
The Protein Wisdom blog linked to it today: http://proteinwisdom.com/
The Protein Wisdom blog linked to it today: http://proteinwisdom.com/
Newt would be more "aggressive" in fighting the drug war
Classical Values is a blog written by a Republican who wishes marijuana were legal. The blogger there laments the fact that Newt Gingrich has risen to the top of the Republican presidential candidates, because Newt is for ramping up the war on drugs.
I think it is very sad that so many Americans are hooked on legal cigarettes and alcohol. Is it really in America's best interest to add more substances on which Americans can become legally dependent?
The link to Classical Values: http://classicalvalues.com/2011/11/we-ought-to-be-much-more-aggressive-about-drug-policy/
I think it is very sad that so many Americans are hooked on legal cigarettes and alcohol. Is it really in America's best interest to add more substances on which Americans can become legally dependent?
The link to Classical Values: http://classicalvalues.com/2011/11/we-ought-to-be-much-more-aggressive-about-drug-policy/
Freddy Mac, or Fannie Mae?
Barney Frank is resigning from Congress. Dennis Miller joked today that when people called in to the brothel operated in Barney Frank's house they used code words to indicate what kind of sex they wished to engage in. The code words were "Freddy Mac" and "Fannie Mae."
Read more here, if you care: http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2011/11/barney-frank-to.php
Update: Jeffro from the Poor Farm made a good correction to this post in the comments section: Barney boy is not resigning; he has just announced that he is not running for reelection. Either way, the country will be better off.
Update two: Jeff Goldstein notes that improperly-zoned gay brothels and those getting rich off of market collapses engineered by government, hardest hit: http://proteinwisdom.com/
Saturday, November 26, 2011
"Beyond human comprehension"
Via: http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/11/graphic-conception-to-birth-depiction.html
Update: In today's Denver Post Ed Quillen calls people who say birth begins at conception "zygote zealots:" http://www.denverpost.com/quillen/ci_19402773?source=rss
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