Sunday, July 17, 2011
I agree.
This blogger says "the prospect of Obama achieving a Supreme Court majority and shaping American life for decades beyond his own disastrous presidency should be at the forefront of Americans’ concerns as the 2012 election approaches." 
Perry's priorities
Last week Texas Governor Rick Perry resisted efforts by the White House and UN to prevent the execution of this man, who admitted raping and murdering a sixteen-year-old Texas girl.
Hickenlooper: a weather vane?
Colorado's Democrat Governor John Hickenlooper says in an interview with Politico that Obama will have a "very hard" time winning Colorado in 2012.
Germany turns to coal and natural gas.
Germany has decided to scuttle nuclear energy by 2022, and plans to use climate fund cash to build up coal and natural gas plants! Why? Because they are experiencing burgeoning electricity demand due to their "still powerful manufacturing economy dependent upon exports."
Do you think he could take on Obama?
Florida Representative Allen West is interviewed about the important issues facing America. "That's why the 2012 election is so important!"
“Of such deals, are Tea Parties born.’’
Jeff Jacoby reminds us that in five and one-half months the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be legally sold in the United States. The law outlawing the sale of incandescent light bulbs that are used in 85% of American homes was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007. Jacoby explains here why it is an example of "unadulterated crony capitalism."
Who is responsible for our eating habits?
Does "healthy food" (fruits and vegetables) have to be so expensive? David Sirota doesn't think so. In fact, he blames "the ultimate elitists: agribusiness CEOs, their lobbyists and the politicians they own." Sirota alleges that these corporations use "public monies to protect private profit." "Lawmakers whose campaigns are underwritten by agribusinesses have used billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize those agribusinesses' specific commodities (corn, soybeans, wheat, etc.) that are the key ingredients of unhealthy food. Not surprisingly, the subsidies have manufactured a price inequality that helps junk food undersell nutritious-but-unsubsidized foodstuffs like fruits and vegetables. The end result is that recession-battered consumers are increasingly forced by economic circumstance to "choose" the lower-priced junk food that their taxes support."
For example, Sirota points out that the federal government has poured over 50 billion dollars into the corn industry over the last decade. "Corn, of course, is processed into the junk-food staple, corn syrup, and feeds the livestock which produces meat."
I am sure there is truth in Sirota's words. But what responsibility does the individual consumer have? Do we really have to choose the french fries and Coke, the chips and donuts?
Working part-time as a Wal-Mart cashier, I notice that Hispanics of all income levels still buy large quantities of Roma Tomatoes, mangos and jalapeno peppers. People from India now living in the U.S. buy large quantities of other vegetables. Stores that survive cater to the preferences of their customers. No one is "forcing" me to buy junk food. That is a choice, folks.
For example, Sirota points out that the federal government has poured over 50 billion dollars into the corn industry over the last decade. "Corn, of course, is processed into the junk-food staple, corn syrup, and feeds the livestock which produces meat."
I am sure there is truth in Sirota's words. But what responsibility does the individual consumer have? Do we really have to choose the french fries and Coke, the chips and donuts?
Working part-time as a Wal-Mart cashier, I notice that Hispanics of all income levels still buy large quantities of Roma Tomatoes, mangos and jalapeno peppers. People from India now living in the U.S. buy large quantities of other vegetables. Stores that survive cater to the preferences of their customers. No one is "forcing" me to buy junk food. That is a choice, folks.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
West and Rubio?
I spoke with a guy today (a scientist). He was telling me that there is a movement to draft Colonel Allen West and Representative Marco Rubio to run as GOP presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively. We could, and probably will, do much worse!
Forgetful?
Memo to the guy who left his opened package of condoms on a shelf at Wal-Mart: I am sure that the toy department was the apppropriate place, size wise, for you to leave it, but next time could you please stop at the cash register and pay for them before leaving the store? Just sayin.
Friday, July 15, 2011
The numbers may be going down slightly, but...
Michael Barone writes here that there is a new reality on the immigration front: Mexicans are staying home. People here illegally, 60% of whom are Mexicans, are now estimated at 11.2 million (2010 numbers), down from the 2007 peak of 12 million, and about the same as 2005 numbers. Barone believes the 2011 numbers are even lower.
Still, 11.2 million is hardly "staying home," is it? It is still a huge negative impact on our health, welfare, food stamps, law enforcement, and education costs.
Still, 11.2 million is hardly "staying home," is it? It is still a huge negative impact on our health, welfare, food stamps, law enforcement, and education costs.
The left ecstatic, the right embarrassed?
People at The Wall Street Journal and Fox News must be embarrassed to read the allegations of phone-hacking by their sister publication in England, News of the World, owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox and the Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is another who cannot be enjoying the negative publicity. However, the left must be ecstatic, given their hatred of Fox News, which has soundly beaten its rivals in cable news audience ratings. So far nine people have been arrested in England, and the F.B.I. is beginning an investigation in America.
Questions on my mind today
Are we reliable witnesses to our own history? To the extent that we are only able to remember what was done to us, and not what we ourselves have done, I think the answer is no.
How do we rectify the disparity? Do we go around asking everyone we know to tell us how they see us? That might be painful.
Are we persons who always puts ourselves in the most flattering light when we review what has happened to us?
Are we aware of God's presence throughout our day? If so, do we pray that His will be done through us, and ask for His guidance? Do we humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and forgive others as He has forgiven us?
How do we rectify the disparity? Do we go around asking everyone we know to tell us how they see us? That might be painful.
Are we persons who always puts ourselves in the most flattering light when we review what has happened to us?
Are we aware of God's presence throughout our day? If so, do we pray that His will be done through us, and ask for His guidance? Do we humble ourselves, ask forgiveness, and forgive others as He has forgiven us?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
9.2
This blogger thinks about this scene from Animal House every time a new unemployment number comes out. This week it was 9.2%. Furthermore, he suggests that when Obama does his military service, as suggested for the fraternity members in Animal House, he should volunteer to go to Libya.
Cats summarize all the Harry Potter movies
I have not seen any of the Harry Potter movies. Now I don't have to; these cats have just summarized them for us in one minute.
via Neatorama
via Neatorama
By land, sea, air, and the virtual world!
Politico is reporting that 24,000 files were stolen from the Pentagon by a "foreign government" in a "single intrusion" in March. Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn said that the theft included "our most sensitive systems, including aircraft avionics, surveillance technologies, satellite communications systems, and network security protocols.”
Why do I love this story so much?
Bank of America filed foreclosure papers on a couple who had paid cash for their home! The matter went to court and the homeowners proved their case. The judge ordered Bank of America to pay the homeowners' legal fees. Five months later those fees had still not been paid, so the attorney for the homeowners asked the sheriff to seize the bank's assets. Read the whole story here!
Via Redneck Peril
Via Redneck Peril
How Russians handle Somali pirates
What is it with us? Why are we fascinated by pirates? Is it similar to our fascination with mobsters when the Godfather movies came out? Why do corporations pay huge ransoms to these criminals?
Apparently the Russians do not share our fascination with pirates. This video shows Russian Navy Commandos taking over a pirate ship after pirates had taken a Russian oil tanker. They handcuffed the pirates to their ship, and blew it up.
Here is more on the story from the blog Bloviating Zeppelin:
Apparently the Russians do not share our fascination with pirates. This video shows Russian Navy Commandos taking over a pirate ship after pirates had taken a Russian oil tanker. They handcuffed the pirates to their ship, and blew it up.
Here is more on the story from the blog Bloviating Zeppelin:
The soldiers freed their compatriots and the tanker. The Russian Navy Commandos moved the pirates back to their own (pirate) ship, searched the pirate ship for weapons and explosives and then they left the ship and
exploded it with all remaining pirates hand-cuffed to it. The commandos sank the pirate ship along with the pirates and without any court proceedings, lawyers etc. That is, they used the anti-piracy laws of the 18th and 19th centuries where the captain of the
rescuing ship can decide what to do with the pirates. Usually, they were hanged.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Keeping your composure
A woman in a supermarket is following a grandfather and his badly behaved 3 year-old grandson.
It’s obvious to her that he has his hands full with the child screaming for sweets in the sweet aisle, biscuits in the biscuit aisle; and for fruit, cereal and pop in the other aisles.
Meanwhile, Granddad is working his way around, saying in a controlled voice, “Easy, William, we won’t be long, easy, boy.”
Another outburst, and she hears the granddad calmly say, “It’s okay, William, just a couple more minutes, and we’ll be out of here. Hang in there, boy.”
At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items out of the cart, and Granddad says again in a controlled voice, “William, William, relax buddy, don’t get upset. We’ll be home in five minutes; stay cool, William.”
Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather is loading his groceries and the boy into the car.
She said to the elderly gentleman, “It’s none of my business, but you were amazing in there. I don’t know how you did it. That whole time, you kept your composure, and no matter how loud and disruptive he got, you just calmly kept saying things would be okay. William is very lucky to have you as his grandpa.”
“Thanks,” said the grandfather, “but I’m William . . . the little s**t’s name is Kevin.”
Via Mostly Cajun, All American, and Opinionated
It’s obvious to her that he has his hands full with the child screaming for sweets in the sweet aisle, biscuits in the biscuit aisle; and for fruit, cereal and pop in the other aisles.
Meanwhile, Granddad is working his way around, saying in a controlled voice, “Easy, William, we won’t be long, easy, boy.”
Another outburst, and she hears the granddad calmly say, “It’s okay, William, just a couple more minutes, and we’ll be out of here. Hang in there, boy.”
At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items out of the cart, and Granddad says again in a controlled voice, “William, William, relax buddy, don’t get upset. We’ll be home in five minutes; stay cool, William.”
Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather is loading his groceries and the boy into the car.
She said to the elderly gentleman, “It’s none of my business, but you were amazing in there. I don’t know how you did it. That whole time, you kept your composure, and no matter how loud and disruptive he got, you just calmly kept saying things would be okay. William is very lucky to have you as his grandpa.”
“Thanks,” said the grandfather, “but I’m William . . . the little s**t’s name is Kevin.”
Via Mostly Cajun, All American, and Opinionated
Will they find that she did it beyond reasonable doubt?
This woman is accused of doing something very, very evil.
Maybe you should find someone else to heckle!
In surfing the blogosphere today I found this You Tube video of Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, punching a heckler in the jaw in 2002, when Aldrin was 72-years-old.
Via Neptunus Lex
"An abiding sense of underachievement"
Do you have "an abiding sense of underachievement?" Does that explain to some degree our devotion to sports teams? When sports stars suffer the humiliation of defeat and thereby capitulate to the "gods of failure," does that therefore enable each of us in our devotion to them to locate our own sense of underachievement by identifying with theirs?
The quotes are from The Finkler Question by Jacobson. One of the characters in the story, the one who is serially unsuccessful with women, gets mugged...by a woman. He awakens the next morning to "an alien sensation of near cheerfulness" because he suffered a "palpable loss of the theft of actual possessions," as opposed to his usual feeling of a "nagging consciousness of something having gone missing."
Here are some other gems from The Finkler Question.
" beautiful unshaven nose-ringed charity worker with whom he was destined to be happy...or, unhappy; it didn't matter which, so long as it was destined."
"I could use the company, but I can't go through the pain of getting it!"
"At a certain age, men begin to shrink; but yet, it is precisely the same age when their trousers become too short for them! Explain that!"
The quotes are from The Finkler Question by Jacobson. One of the characters in the story, the one who is serially unsuccessful with women, gets mugged...by a woman. He awakens the next morning to "an alien sensation of near cheerfulness" because he suffered a "palpable loss of the theft of actual possessions," as opposed to his usual feeling of a "nagging consciousness of something having gone missing."
Here are some other gems from The Finkler Question.
" beautiful unshaven nose-ringed charity worker with whom he was destined to be happy...or, unhappy; it didn't matter which, so long as it was destined."
"I could use the company, but I can't go through the pain of getting it!"
"At a certain age, men begin to shrink; but yet, it is precisely the same age when their trousers become too short for them! Explain that!"
A new one: "Operation Castaway"
Now we are learning of the possibility that a new scandal may be unfolding concerning arms trafficking to criminal gangs in Honduras. Three members of the House of Representatives have sent the following letter to the Director of I.C.E.:
July 12, 2011
The Honorable John Morton
Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
500 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20536
Dear Director Morton:
We are concerned about recent reports that suggest similarities between “Operation Castaway,” a firearms trafficking investigation led by the Tampa Field Offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and “Operation Fast and Furious,” an ATF program that provided firearms to Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Specifically, reports indicate that firearms under “Operation Castaway” may have been provided to dangerous criminal gangs in Honduras, including MS-13.
If true, these reports raise serious questions about the leadership of the ICE and ATF Tampa Field Offices. We support ICE’s efforts to disrupt criminal syndicates that traffic in firearms, drugs, and other illicit substances. However, when those efforts serve to fuel the operations of criminal enterprises through the provision of firearms, they must be stopped and those responsible must be held accountable. In an effort to address this issue, we would appreciate your response to the following questions.
1. What role did ICE agents and leadership play in “Operation Castaway?”
2. Can you confirm whether “Operation Castaway” included a gun walking scheme that allowed weapons to be trafficked to Honduras? If so, have any of these firearms ended up in the possession of the notorious MS-13 gang?
3. How many guns have been allowed to pass into Honduras and how many have since been accounted for?
4. Were these weapons subject to any special monitoring processes once they left the United States?
5. Is “Operation Castaway” still ongoing? If so, are you, in coordination with the ATF, planning to terminate the program?
We find it extremely troubling that the United States government would willfully allow weapons to be acquired by dangerous criminal and drug trafficking organizations, in direct contravention of our strategic and national interests. We look forward to receiving your responses to these questions in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative, Florida, 9th District
Michael McCaul, U.S. Representative, Texas, 10th District
Candice Miller, U.S. Representative, Michigan, 10th District
Via Sipsey Street Irregulars
July 12, 2011
The Honorable John Morton
Director
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
500 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20536
Dear Director Morton:
We are concerned about recent reports that suggest similarities between “Operation Castaway,” a firearms trafficking investigation led by the Tampa Field Offices of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and “Operation Fast and Furious,” an ATF program that provided firearms to Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Specifically, reports indicate that firearms under “Operation Castaway” may have been provided to dangerous criminal gangs in Honduras, including MS-13.
If true, these reports raise serious questions about the leadership of the ICE and ATF Tampa Field Offices. We support ICE’s efforts to disrupt criminal syndicates that traffic in firearms, drugs, and other illicit substances. However, when those efforts serve to fuel the operations of criminal enterprises through the provision of firearms, they must be stopped and those responsible must be held accountable. In an effort to address this issue, we would appreciate your response to the following questions.
1. What role did ICE agents and leadership play in “Operation Castaway?”
2. Can you confirm whether “Operation Castaway” included a gun walking scheme that allowed weapons to be trafficked to Honduras? If so, have any of these firearms ended up in the possession of the notorious MS-13 gang?
3. How many guns have been allowed to pass into Honduras and how many have since been accounted for?
4. Were these weapons subject to any special monitoring processes once they left the United States?
5. Is “Operation Castaway” still ongoing? If so, are you, in coordination with the ATF, planning to terminate the program?
We find it extremely troubling that the United States government would willfully allow weapons to be acquired by dangerous criminal and drug trafficking organizations, in direct contravention of our strategic and national interests. We look forward to receiving your responses to these questions in a timely manner.
Sincerely,
Gus Bilirakis, U.S. Representative, Florida, 9th District
Michael McCaul, U.S. Representative, Texas, 10th District
Candice Miller, U.S. Representative, Michigan, 10th District
Via Sipsey Street Irregulars
"Gunwalker," "Fast and Furious," explained
The Gunwalker Scandal Made Simple
There are five key accusations against ATF and DOJ made by ATF whistleblowers and other sources within FedGov:
1. That they instructed U.S. gun dealers to proceed with questionable and illegal sales of firearms to suspected gunrunners.
2. That they allowed or even assisted in those guns crossing the U.S. border into Mexico to "boost the numbers" of American civilian market firearms seized in Mexico and thereby provide the justification for more firearm restrictions on American citizens and more power and money for ATF.
3. That they intentionally kept Mexican authorities in the dark about the operation, even over objections of their own agents.
4. That weapons that the ATF let "walk" to Mexico were involved in the deaths of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and ICE agent Jaime Zapata, as well as at least hundreds of Mexican citizens.
5. That at least since the death of Brian Terry on 14 December, the Obama administration is engaged in a full-press cover-up of the facts behind what has come to be known as the "Gunwalker Scandal."
Via Sipsey Street Irregulars
It is now hitting the fan, folks
Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Senator Charles Grassley, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, have, on July 11, 2011 sent this letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, naming twelve current and former members of the Department of Justice who were "unquestionably aware of the implementation of this reckless program." Therefore it is necessary to review communications between and among these senior officials. As such, please provide all records relating to communications between and among the following individuals regarding Operation Fast and Furious:
1. David Ogden, Former Deputy Attorney General;
2. Gary Grindler, Officer of the Attorney General and former Acting Deputy Attorney General;
3. James Cole, Deputy Attorney General;
4. Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General;
5. Kenneth Blanco, Deputy Assistant Attorney General;
6. Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General;
7. John Keeney, Deputy Assistant Attorney General;
8. Matt Axelrod, Associate Deputy Attorney General;
9. Ed Siskel, Former Associate Deputy Attorney General;
10. Brad Smith, Office of the Deputy Attorney General;
11. Kevin Carwhile, Section Chief, Capitol Case Unit; and
12. Joseph Cooley, Criminal Fraud Section.
These records should include e-mails, memoranda, briefing papers, and handwritten notes. Additionally, any records related to communications referring to a large firearms trafficking case within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) or in Phoenix should be included in any production.
Please provide this information no later than July 18, 2011, at noon. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Tristan Leavitt in Ranking Member Grassley's office at (202) 224-5225 or Henry Kerner of Chairman Issa's Committee staff at (202) 225-5074. I look forward to receiving your response.
Via Sipsey Street Irregulars
What have we learned?
Vincent Carroll used to write columns for the Rocky Mountain News. When that paper ceased to operate, The Denver Post did a wise thing; they hired Carroll, whose views always seem to me to be in line with common sense.
Today Carroll asks if the Obama we have seen this week is for real; pretending to want to do something about our debt, while only five months ago offering up a budget that the Congressional Budget Office said would double our debt in ten years.
Carroll's conclusion: "Now we're supposed to believe he's a born-again deficit hawk and budget cutter without peer in either party. If American voters are ready to buy that, then they've learned nothing from the past 30 months."
Today Carroll asks if the Obama we have seen this week is for real; pretending to want to do something about our debt, while only five months ago offering up a budget that the Congressional Budget Office said would double our debt in ten years.
Carroll's conclusion: "Now we're supposed to believe he's a born-again deficit hawk and budget cutter without peer in either party. If American voters are ready to buy that, then they've learned nothing from the past 30 months."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
What do you look for in a book?
When I go to the library I like to browse and read book jacket covers to see if a book might have some relevance to my current situation or interests. This week I decided to try a book called The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. Among other qualities, such as "the wisdom and humanity of maturity," the cover said it was funny. I like funny. The older I get, the more I cherish laughter. The book is about three men, two of whom are widowers, and one is so unsuccessful with women, he qualifies as an honorary third widower!
For example, he goes to church one day and sees a woman lighting candles and making the sign of the cross. Of course, he immediately falls in love with her, and assumes she is distraught and in need of his protection. Later, at his house, she confesses that she is "a bit of an arsonist," but assures him that she has no intentions of burning down the church, but just that she is "turned on by flames." The next morning he awakens to two realizations: one, that she is gone; and two, that his sheets are on fire! The way the author tells this story just made me explode with laughter for at least five minutes.
For example, he goes to church one day and sees a woman lighting candles and making the sign of the cross. Of course, he immediately falls in love with her, and assumes she is distraught and in need of his protection. Later, at his house, she confesses that she is "a bit of an arsonist," but assures him that she has no intentions of burning down the church, but just that she is "turned on by flames." The next morning he awakens to two realizations: one, that she is gone; and two, that his sheets are on fire! The way the author tells this story just made me explode with laughter for at least five minutes.
The book on the 2008 election campagns
I finally finished reading Game Change, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the definitive book chronicling the 2008 presidential election campaigns. There is much more about the Democrat campaigns than the Republican campaigns. Obama and the Clintons took up most of the space. It was fun for a news junkie like myself to remember all the most newsworthy events of the primaries and campaigns. The book certainly held my attention unwaiveringly. One cannot help but conclude that the authors were more in tune with the Democrats than they were the Republicans. I think they were probably closer to sources within the Democrat inner circles than they were to Republican sources. Still, there is an amazing amount of inside stuff, reflecting a great deal of hard work by the authors in getting accurate accounts of what happened.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Head of the ATF turns whistleblower
The Head of the ATF has appeared before the committee with his own lawyer. Read all about it here.
The biggest cover-up since Watergate?
Here is an excerpt from a speech given by Attorney General Holder in Mexico on April 2, 2009.
Flopping Aces has some strong words for Holder:
And these final words from Flopping Aces: "We are now recovering the weapons at crime scenes along with the bodies of victims."
Last week, our administration launched a major new effort to break the backs of the cartels. My department is committing 100 new ATF personnel to the Southwest border in the next 100 days to supplement our ongoing Project Gunrunner, DEA is adding 16 new positions on the border, as well as mobile enforcement teams, and the FBI is creating a new intelligence group focusing on kidnapping and extortion.
Flopping Aces has some strong words for Holder:
Holder now has subjective memory loss and denies any knowledge of “Gun Runner” AKA “Fast and Furious”. Supposedly, the illegal operation was set up straw men to buy military weapons for Mexican drug cartels and trace the guns back to Mexico to make apprehensions, money was even given to the straw men to buy the weapons. There was no tracking of the weapons or apprehensions of suspects. It is logical to assume that the real intent was to provide the weaponry on the border to invoke chaos and provide reasons for invoking tighter gun control laws. The weapons were used in Mexico in countless murders and in the murder of two federal agents in the US. Again it has become very convenient for Holder to forget all about operation “Gun Runner”; especially, now that he is implicated in the murder of two federal agents on the border by approving the operation that provided the weaponry that killed the agents while insisting that federal border agents fire bean bag bullets at drug runners and murderers.
And these final words from Flopping Aces: "We are now recovering the weapons at crime scenes along with the bodies of victims."
Sunday, July 10, 2011
HotAirPundit: Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu Speaks Out Over Operation Fast and Furious...
HotAirPundit: Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu Speaks Out Over Operati...: "'This is unacceptable...This is insanity that our own government has given guns to criminals and this isn't going to be the end of it'
Steyn: Our pitchforks are misdirected.
Mark Steyn opines that it is time for us to re-aim our pitch forks. He writes here about the fact that the federal government used stimulus funding to buy guns from Arizona gun shops for known criminals to funnel to Mexican drug cartels. But Steyn wonders if the Obama administration might have had another goal in mind: "to plant the evidence that the increasing lawlessness on the southern border is the fault of the gun industry and the Second Amendment, and thereby advance its ideological agenda of ever greater gun control."
Can we call it what it is?
The meeting on the budget this afternoon is a scam. Why? Take a look at this picture from the Larry Kudlow blog. Spending is not going to decrease, no matter whose plan gets adopted.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
"Bullying is cowardice exploiting opportunity"
Greg Gutfeld supports Glenn Beck here. It seems some liberal New Yorkers deliberately dumped wine on the Beck family when they attended an outdoor event in Manhatten.
Will the media ever cover this story?
John Hinderaker at the POWERLINE blog wonders what will Eric Holder say if ever he is asked to testify about stimulus funds being used to run guns into Mexico to drug gangs there. Cartoonist Michael Ramiriez envisions this scenario.
"Bloody perversion of the medical profession"
Michelle Malkin posts here about Dr. Jihad. She details the long list of doctors who have been and are still involved in murderous jihad. The latest: "Our homeland-security officials have sent fresh warnings to foreign governments that “human bombs” may try to board planes with surgically implanted explosives."
Texting and video games must be making our children brilliant!
Dr. Helen Smith blogs here about grades inflation and standards deflation. Here is the sentence that blew me away: "In 2006, UCLA received 47,317 applications, of which nearly 21,000 had GPAs of 4.0--or above." No wonder my stepsons are choosing careers in truck-driving and mechanics!
Friday, July 08, 2011
Obesity and overweight adults and children
The latest nationwide study of obesity ranks Colorado first; that is, we are the "skinniest of the increasingly fat." Yet, the combined rate for those obese or overweight here in Colorado is 56%! Colorado's low rate of obesity in this year's report would have made us the fattest state in 1995!
On the other hand, Colorado's rate of growth of childhood obesity is one of the worst in the nation!
C'mon people; what is the problem? Why are we doing this to ourselves?
On the other hand, Colorado's rate of growth of childhood obesity is one of the worst in the nation!
C'mon people; what is the problem? Why are we doing this to ourselves?
CFL bulbs: better or worse for the environment?
A blogger decides to thank Al Gore for ruining her marriage:
Read the whole thing here.
via Instapundit
So, thanks, Al Gore. Thanks for ruining my marriage. When my baby is born with mercury poisoning, we‘ll be sure to name one of its heads after you. Because of you and your fearless activism, I’ve decided to replace all the light fixtures in the house with little brass lamps that burn polar bear blubber; and for heat, I’m going to get one of those generators that’s powered by powerful surges of indignation.
Read the whole thing here.
via Instapundit
McCotter enters the GOP race
Thaddeus McCotter is the latest person to declare himself in the Republican presidential race. Here are two videos and more information about him. I like his sense of humor. He declares himself to be a "country lawyer from Detroit." That's funny! Apparently he regularly goes on Greg Guttfeld's Red Eye show on Fox.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Atlanta: 78% of schools have teachers or principals who cheat on standardized tests!
178 teachers and principals in Atlanta have been caught cheating: altering the tests taken by their pupils in order to make the school district look like they are doing a good job! The Christian Science Monitor asks if they should be jailed. Invincible Armor says, "Yes!"
Update: On July 17, 2011 this story finally hit page 10A of the Denver Post. Why are bloggers ten days ahead of the lame stream media?
Update: On July 17, 2011 this story finally hit page 10A of the Denver Post. Why are bloggers ten days ahead of the lame stream media?
Obama gets endorsements for 2012
Endorsements for Obama's reelection are starting to come in fast and furious. On Independence Day he got the support of the NEA, the powerful teachers union. Now he also got the endorsement of the Communist Party USA. Its leader, Sam Webb, says "Millions who have to be at the core of this party still operate under the umbrella of the Democratic Party." Though I am sure Obama is grateful for the support, he probably will not brag openly about it, and the media surely will not ask him about it.
via Geckofeeder
Well, at least this will sell books.
Apparently next week a Boston Globe reporter's book on Barack Obama's father will assert that Barack's father told immigration authorities Barack's mother was making arrangements with the Salvation Army to put Barack up for adoption. Robert Gibbs and Ann Dunham's uncle denied that there was any truth to the story. The book's author wonders if Barack's father made up the story to appease immigration officials who were concerned about the father's "playboy lifestyle."
Via Legally Kidnapped.
Via Legally Kidnapped.
"Not proven"
Alan Dershowitz explains here why the system worked in the Casey Anthony trial. "In a murder trial, the state, with all of its power, accuses an individual of being the perpetrator of a dastardly act against a victim. The state must prove that accusation by admissible evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt."
"Even if it is "likely" or "probable" that a defendant committed the murder, he must be acquitted, because neither likely nor probable satisfies the daunting standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
"A civil trial, on the other hand, seeks justice for the victim. In such a case, the victim sues the alleged perpetrator and need only prove liability by a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, if it is more likely than not that a defendant was the killer, he is found liable, though he cannot be found guilty on that lesser standard."
I agree with Dershowitz that the Scottish system's verdict of "not proven" might be better than the American system's misleading term "not guilty."
"Even if it is "likely" or "probable" that a defendant committed the murder, he must be acquitted, because neither likely nor probable satisfies the daunting standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
"A civil trial, on the other hand, seeks justice for the victim. In such a case, the victim sues the alleged perpetrator and need only prove liability by a preponderance of the evidence. In other words, if it is more likely than not that a defendant was the killer, he is found liable, though he cannot be found guilty on that lesser standard."
I agree with Dershowitz that the Scottish system's verdict of "not proven" might be better than the American system's misleading term "not guilty."
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Coping
Why do old people have to be rigid and grouchy, and young people wild and crazy? I realize that these stereotypes do not always have to apply, but there is enough truth in them that I often ponder these subjects.
Another observation that seems to ring true quite often: young people are fascinated by technology and are confident users of it; old people seem clueless, and get easily frustrated and overwhelmed by it.
Yet, young people are more likely to turn to addictions when they feel inadequate to deal with life's challenges and frustrations.
Another observation that seems to ring true quite often: young people are fascinated by technology and are confident users of it; old people seem clueless, and get easily frustrated and overwhelmed by it.
Yet, young people are more likely to turn to addictions when they feel inadequate to deal with life's challenges and frustrations.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
"The state did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt."
Instapundit says the moral of the story is "Don't talk to the cops!"
A rousing speech on the Fourth of July
Rush Limbaugh speaks at Joplin, Missouri Fourth of July event. Is he considering a presidential run?
Are diet drinks and artificial sweeteners making you fat?
Diet drinks and artificial sweeteners have been found to trigger the appetite and cause weight gain. "They may also damage brain cells involved in feelings of fullness, while the lack of real sugar could also stop us from feeling full." Read more here.
Via Finestkind Clinic and fish market
Via Finestkind Clinic and fish market
Monday, July 04, 2011
They risked all.
Rush Limbaugh's father wrote a beautiful history of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Here is one paragraph:
Read the whole thing here.
Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create is still intact.
Read the whole thing here.
Who wrote Dreams from My Father?
Did Bill Ayres write Dreams from My Father? Here are two videos that come to that conclusion.
Krauthammer on Obama's tax-raising ideas:
"He himself, as we just heard, said you can’t reduce the deficit to the levels we need without raising revenues. Then he talks about the [tax break for] corporate jets, which he mentioned not once but six times.
I did the math on this. If you collect the corporate jet tax every year for the next 5,000 years, you will cover one year of the debt that Obama has run up. One year.
To put it another way, if you started collecting that tax at the time of John the Baptist and you collected it every year — first in shekels and now in dollars — you wouldn’t be halfway to covering one year of the amount of debt that Obama has run up.
As for the other one, he mentions again and again, the oil depreciation tax break — if you collect that one for 700 years, you won’t cover a year of Obama deficits.
And then here’s my favorite. I worked it out in the car on the way here. If you collect the corporate jets and the oil tax together — get all the bad guys and the fat cats at once — and you collect it for 100 years, it covers the amount of debt Obama added… in February!
And he pretends that he’s the serious adult at the table."
Via Brutally Honest
A plan to keep the heat off Obama
Innominatus reveals Obama's strategy for improving in the polls. As usual, it involves a hapless Joe Biden, and some junk.
Ye Olde New York Times
Manhatten Infidel imagines what the New York Times might have said on July 5, 1776 about the writings of this man.
Let's not forget July 4, 1863!
Yes, July 4, 1976 is certainly a significant date in our nation's history. But, let's not forget July 4, 1863:
Via Chicago Boyz
In 1863, the Siege of Vicksburg ran from May 18 – July 4 and the Battle of Gettysburg occurred over July 1-3. On July 4th, 1863, the fall of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi slicing the Confederacy in two. On July 4th 1863, Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were in full retreat from Pennsylvania having received a savage mauling. From that point on, the Confederacy lost all hope of foreign intervention and any chance of winning the war.
Via Chicago Boyz
Which direction are we going?
On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Calvin Coolidge had this to say:
"It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions."
"It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions."
Life just isn't fair.
Now here is a young man who learned about social justice somewhere in his education. A 21-year-old inmate of a jail in Michigan is demanding in a five-page handwritten lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit that inmates be able to possess erotic/pornographic materials along with personal televisions, video game consoles and radios.
Pay attention to what he does, not to what he says
According to NATO's African Command spokesperson, since March 1, American planes have flown 3,475 sorties over Libya. Of those, 801 were strike sorties, 132 of which actually dropped ordnance. The ordnance usually includes anti-radiation missiles.
Man, I'd hate to see what we could do in a situation defined as "hostilities!"
Man, I'd hate to see what we could do in a situation defined as "hostilities!"
"Dropout losers like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg"
Thanks to the blogger at Winds of Change for posting this commencement speech by Conan O'Brien.
Here is some of the wisdom imparted to the Dartmouth graduates by O'Brien:
"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention."
"Disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality."
"Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."
Here is some of the wisdom imparted to the Dartmouth graduates by O'Brien:
"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound re-invention."
"Disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality."
"Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen."
Pretending...
Is Al Qaeda our number-one security problem? Or is our "number one security problem the alliance between Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Iraqi insurgents, supported by the Turkish regime." If this is the case, then why is our government not explaining this to us?
Here's to the Hawkeye state!
After reading and viewing Mark Halperin's recent appraisal of Barack Obama, I decided to read his book Game Change. From the book I learned that Hillary Clinton spent 29 million dollars in Iowa to try to win the presidential primary there. 29 million dollars for 70,000 votes, placing her third, behind John Edwards.
I am so proud to say I spent my first seventeen years in Iowa!
I am so proud to say I spent my first seventeen years in Iowa!
This almost revives my faith in Hollywood!
Wow! This 2002 presentation by a group of Hollywood stars reciting Jefferson's rationale for a Declaration of Independece is something I had never seen. Thanks to zenpundit for posting it
The soul lives forever; but, where?
Have we forgotten our souls? This blogger thinks so:
As a culture, we’ve forgotten the soul. And women, who are privileged to carry more than one soul at a time, have betrayed their purpose in not standing up to men and reminding them of this fact. But, if one does not believe in the soul, it’s a very easy thing to forget – and to bury.
"Unalienable rights," "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
On Declaring Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...
We, therefore … do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States …
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
— The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, In Congress, July 4, 1776
Via the Center for Individual Freedom
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed ...
We, therefore … do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States …
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
— The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, In Congress, July 4, 1776
Via the Center for Individual Freedom
Happy Fourth of July!
Please go to Andy's Place to view a very creative video by people in the US Army singing the Star Spangled Banner.
They are teaching our kids?
Our nations teachers are meeting in Chicago. I am sure they will be emphasizing the importance of critical thinking, thoughtfully examining all aspects of issues before making decisions and attempting solutions.
What? They are going to vote today to endorse Obama's 2012 re-election bid? But they don't even know who Obama's opponent will be!
What? They are going to vote today to endorse Obama's 2012 re-election bid? But they don't even know who Obama's opponent will be!
Sunday, July 03, 2011
The government's take is more than Wal-Mart's!
Here is something I have never thought about. Do you realize that Wal-Mart's profit to shareholders is about half or less than half of what the government gets per item sold? Wal-Mart's profit is 3.6 percent of sales. In our area that is less than one-half of what the government gets per item sold.
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Obama's record
Peter Wehner writes here that Obama's economy has achieved these results:
An unemployment rate of 9.1 percent;
28 straight months of unemployment being above 8 percent, a post-World War II record;
Chronic unemployment worse than during the Great Depression (about 6.2 million Americans, 45.1 percent of all unemployed workers in this country, have been jobless for more than six months);
A nation in which 2.5 million fewer people are employed than when the president was sworn in and which has seen only 600,000 jobs created during our two-year “recovery”;
A housing crisis that has recently entered a double dip and is now worse than the Great Depression;
A record $1.65 trillion deficit this year;
A record $14.3 trillion debt;
First quarter growth in 2011 of only 1.8 percent;
A presidency in which real annual growth in GDP averages 1.5 percent, just barely above what it was during the decade of the Great Depression (1.3 percent); and
Gas prices roughly doubled what they were when Obama took office.
"Winning the war of ideas and developing the ability to explain..."
Fred Thompson is writing here about ideas, elections, and, well, here is an excerpt:
Suppose Republicans win next year because we are “not the other guys.” Then what? Winning is necessary but not sufficient to save our country from fiscal disaster. Two years later the Democrats will still be offering free stuff and the postponement of pain. We can’t win the several subsequent elections that will be necessary to put us on the right path unless we win the war of ideas and develop the ability to explain why restraint and reform are necessary and that fostering a nation of free people, free markets, and the rule of law is not only morally just and right but is the only way to sustainable growth and prosperity. Otherwise, we become participants in our own demise, for the sake of short-term political expedience.
Is ignorance a virtue?
Want to read about economic ignorance? Hypocrisy? Robert Tracinski seems to understand why Obama has the market cornered on those two phenomena. Here is just one paragraph:
Read the whole thing here.
Consider Obama's background. He grew up among leftists, his childhood mentors were outright communists, and he then went off to academia, where he spent his formative years in an environment where business and profit-making are looked down upon as ugly, dirty, rapacious, immoral. Is it any mystery why he doesn't know about business or economics? Asking him to study the economics of the free market is like asking one of the old New England Puritans to thumb through a manual on sex education. Why immerse oneself in a subject that is so unseemly? Why make a study of how to be immoral?>
Read the whole thing here.
Questions
What kinds of adversity could you endure? How would it change you? When does our time run out for getting things right in our lives, in our relationships? If we reach that point, what do we do? Stop trying? Try one more time? Turn to addictions? Rely on your own abilities and your faith in God? Withdraw? Embrace new challenges with your God-given abilities?
These are a few of the questions that come to mind as I am still reading Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman. It is about Mr. Friedman's son Cory and his battle with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, as told through Cory's eyes.
Doctors tried all kinds of medicines in all kinds of doses, to no avail. Cory becomes addicted to alcohol and nicotine, and engages in some behaviors that might endanger himself or others. Desperate, his parents enroll him in a wilderness program in Wyoming. Snow and below zero temperatures greet him there. The "camp" staff tell Cory that he will be discharged when he successfully completes the program, not until then. Cory focuses all his attention on what he must do to survive in those harsh conditions, and he comes to realize that he is doing so without the "help" of meds, alcohol, or nicotine; that he has the ability within himself to succeed, even though the tics have not stopped. He successfully completes the program. That's where I am in the reading of the book.
These are a few of the questions that come to mind as I am still reading Against Medical Advice by James Patterson and Hal Friedman. It is about Mr. Friedman's son Cory and his battle with Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, as told through Cory's eyes.
Doctors tried all kinds of medicines in all kinds of doses, to no avail. Cory becomes addicted to alcohol and nicotine, and engages in some behaviors that might endanger himself or others. Desperate, his parents enroll him in a wilderness program in Wyoming. Snow and below zero temperatures greet him there. The "camp" staff tell Cory that he will be discharged when he successfully completes the program, not until then. Cory focuses all his attention on what he must do to survive in those harsh conditions, and he comes to realize that he is doing so without the "help" of meds, alcohol, or nicotine; that he has the ability within himself to succeed, even though the tics have not stopped. He successfully completes the program. That's where I am in the reading of the book.
Friday, July 01, 2011
"Jihadi in the sky with virgins"
Someone who was close to John Lennon says that Lennon would have voted for Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter. In appreciation for Mr.Lennon's newly revealed conservatism, Iowahawk has re-written some of Lennon's tunes.
Will Kagan recuse herself?
Ed Morrisey reports at Hot Air that 49 members of the US House of Representatives have asked for an investigation of her involvement in the crafting of Obamacare, which is now in three appellate courts, and surely onward to the Supreme Court from there.
Tourette Syndrome
From reading Patterson's and Friedman's Against Medical Advice, I am pondering what causes Tourette Syndrome. I wonder if it is an example of how Satan attacks individuals and families. Victims say, "this is not me!" The compulsions sometimes involve uttering words or acting in a way that the sufferer knows is inappropriate, but the person cannot stop himself or herself from the word or action.
Go ahead and laugh at me for thinking this. Do you have a more convincing explanation? My heart goes out to individuals and families faced with the challenges presented by Tourette Syndrome.
Go ahead and laugh at me for thinking this. Do you have a more convincing explanation? My heart goes out to individuals and families faced with the challenges presented by Tourette Syndrome.
Must be time for another Nobel Prize!
David Harsanyi takes on Al Gore, the Sierra Club, Obama's "science czar," John Holdren, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Planned Parenthood in a blistering column in the Denver Post called People are Parasites.
Here is his last paragraph, but do read the whole thing here.
Here is his last paragraph, but do read the whole thing here.
Forget that the populations of Brazil and India and a number of other nations continue to grow and life continues to improve. Forget that our own standard of living steadily increases while our population steadily grows. Forget the never-ending ingenuity and development of mankind - especially anything that has to do with fossil fuels. For Gore, people are parasites, millions of little environmental disasters. And when a man embraces debunked 19th-century notions rather than empirical evidence, well, surely another Nobel Prize is in order.
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