Nemo me impune lacessit

No one provokes me with impunity

____________________________________

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Article 1, Section 9, Constitution of the United States

If this is the law of the land...why in a republic (little r) and as republicans, do we allow mere POLITICIANS to the right to use a "title of office" for the rest of their lives as if it were de facto a patent of nobility. Because, as republicans, this should NOT be the case...just saying...

The Vail Spot's Amazon Store

Thursday, December 31, 2009

ClimateChange: Most Carbon Emitted Is Absorbed By Oceans

Most of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, only about 45 percent of emitted carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere.
In other words, in the past 160 years, the real rate of CO2 in the atmosphere hasn't risen very much...

Most American Support Aggressive Questioning of Terrorists

Rasmussen Reports' recent poll on "aggressive questioning", personally, I prefer torturing the bastards, says that a strong majority of Americans support such tactics to get information.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say water boarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 30% oppose the use of such techniques, and another 12% are not sure.
We know that much of the early intel that was obtained in Afghanistan was through water boarding KSM, and others who were caught early. The information obtained prevented a number of terrorist attacks...yet weak sister's in Congress has forbid en such interrogation from being used. It's a shame, really, these people have chosen to wake total war on America and we have limited ourselves in the ability to obtain information. Not only that, the New York Times has gone so far as to reveal secret methods to obtain information through tracking terrorists emails, money transfers, and other methods. Yet, this "newspaper" decided to give away those methods...without being punished. Obviously, they don't desire us to win.

This conflict with jihadis will last at least a generation, if not longer, it won't go away in the next 10 years, perhaps not for 30 or 40...but we need information in order to inflict damage upon them, and obtaining that information is becoming more and more difficult with each passing day with the idiotic limits that we have placed upon ourselves.

Janet Napolitano

What We Can Expect This Year

I expect the coming year to be a bad year on the Long War front...because this Administration has a history of weakness and dithering, I can see our Jihadist enemies to begin a vigorous assault upon America. I suspect that we'll begin to have multiple attacks or waves of attacks. Last week was only the beginning. Eventually some are going to succeed...and then we'll see Mr. Biden's prediction, this adminstration will do...nothing. That deosn't bode well for America.

Jimmy Carter Redux is a BEST CASE senario...at this point. I suspect that since 90% of our problems in the middle east stem from Mr. Carter's inability to actually DO anything against our enemies 30 years ago, this president won't do anything either...but we'll continue to be attacked while Mr. Obama ineffectually attempts to answer...and that will eventually result in another spectacular failure (i.e. the commando raid to free the hostages in Iran).

Governement Controled Health Care: "I Hope You Die"

Rush Limbaugh is in the hospital with chest pains...in the Politico.com story, it only took the 12th commenter to state "I hope you die." These are the people who will be in control of our health care. Already people are worried that if they take positions that are unpopular with the government and have spoken out against policies, that if they need life-or-death health decisions, that decision would go against them based on their political beliefs...
Rush Limbaugh has said on his show many times that once the government runs health care, there is a threat that life-or-death decisions will be made based on politics, and people will worry that if they criticize the government or espouse the wrong opinions decisions will go against them.
UPDATE: When I went back to Politico.com's story...all of the negative comments had disappeared! Imagine that!

Obama Administration Priorities?

It took the Obama Administration four days to respond to the Christmas Day terrorist attack, but mere hours to respond to criticism from former Vice President, Dick Cheney! Where in the world are this administration's priorities? I mean, come on!

Earlier this year, the Obama Administration rescheduled a press conference in order to coincide with a speech Mr. Cheney was giving. Now they are responding within hours of a statement of his. Additionally, accusing Mr. Cheney of not being tough enough on the terrorist is on it's face a ridiculous charge. Really, here is a man who (like me) urges that all captured terrorists be vigorously question under the most stringent rules available, then accusing him of being "soft" on terrorism makes one question just where this administration's priorities are.
As Jim Geraghty quipped, "He's [Mr. Cheney is] beyond condemning [bomber Abdulmutallab]; he wants to waterboard him until his lungs qualify for a federal wetlands status." We all agree al Qaeda's attempts to blow up airplanes are bad -- the question is what is the current occupant of the White House going to do about it?
If his prior actions are any measure...NOT MUCH! How about a civil trial? After all, this terrorist surely deserves exactly the same rights as an American citizen!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Peaceful Protest or Violent Radicals?

Radly Balko has an excellent column over at Reason.com. Please read the whole thing...here's an except that makes an great point.
It can’t be easy to both keep order and protect civil liberties at such events. But that doesn’t mean police and city officials shouldn’t be expected to try. Yes, some protesters damaged some property at the G-20 summit, although there wasn’t much of that this time around. But the presence of a few unruly demonstrators doesn’t give the police carte blanche to crack down on every young person in the general vicinity, nor should it give the city free rein to suppress all public protest. It’s unfortunate that when the global press and the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies came to Pittsburgh, the images that emerged were not of a society that values free expression and constitutional rights but of one willing to grant police powers normally seen in authoritarian states.
At what point does Freedom of Speech end? At what point does a police prescence give them the right to squash any and all public dissent? Mr. Balko brings up some very troubling points from a 1st Amendment point of view...

Big Congressional Bills

Basically, Congress only writes huge complicated bills when they want to hide pork and special interest preferences...How can I make that statement? Easy...

Homestead Act (1862) — 9 pages.

National Labor Relations Act (1935) [aka “Wagner Act”] — 25 pages.

Social Security Act (1935) — 82 pages.

Civil Rights Act (1964) — 74 pages.



So you see, it's not really necessary to write a hugely complicated bill that will change they way things are done in America unless you're trying to hide things...pork, and things lobbyist desire...but all those things end up screwing America. That means, Congress is corrupt and they all must go...

The Tea Party Is Growing In North Georga

As I've spoken of in the past, the Tea Party IS growing...in North Georgia at least. Historically speaking, this is exactly how the Republican Party started in the old "NorthWest Territory" (i.e. Ohio, Mich, Ill, Ind, Wis, Minn)...a small group of disatisfied voters who banded together and started a new party.
There's a political movement percolating in North Georgia, and it's picking up steam.

Catoosa, Gilmer and Walker counties have tea party groups, and new ones are forming in Dade and Whitfield counties.

"My desire is to go through all of the (Georgia's) 9th Congressional District and organize tea parties," said James Groce, a leader with the Tea Party of Walker County.
They're starting small, but building...I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them begin to elect people not just locally, but nationally next year.
But if their candidates do not win Republican primaries, will Tea Party activists support their own third-party candidates in the fall elections, prompting what Republican strategist Bill McInturff conceded would be a "disaster" for the GOP? Will their supporters simply not vote? Or could their movement, born of concern over government spending even when Republicans were in control, end up taking down incumbents of all political stripes?

"Right now the Tea Party movement has higher favorables (in polls) than either the Democratic Party or the Republican Party," said Democratic pollster Fred Yang. "Eleven months from now, the enemy could be all of us."
In other words, either you support the goals of the Tea Party, or they will actively work against you...Go Tea Party!

Don't Worry We'll Be Much Better At Health Care

Classical Liberals vs Modern Liberals

Mr. Obama isn’t like liberals of old. Kennedy, Truman, FDR (even Johnson & Carter served in the Navy) were more than willing to fight for America. Liberals today firmly believe that since America is the problem and thus not worth fighting for. Today you won’t find many Liberals serving in the military, and for this they don't have as much of a "vested interest" in defending this country. They leave that for those who are “less fortunate than themselves” so that they can go on to “leadership” roles. The only recent Liberal who was nominated for national office was John Kerry, and even he has spent the rest of his career denouncing the military.

But most of all, Liberals don’t see national security as an important issue. They view terrorism as a law enforcement issue, and not a genuine threat to the nation. Thus we will have rediculous trials in NY City for those whom we have taken on the battlefield. KSM’s trial will be a sideshow and is a huge threat to our security apparatus. Prosecutors will have to turn over large amounts of sensitive data that will compromise our ability to continue to defeat Al Quieda.

Furthermore, by not immediately sacking Mrs. Napolitano (a political hack with NO background in security issues) from her position as secretary of Department of Homeland Security (as useless a Department as has ever been implemented) after her repeated statements that “the system worked”, he has signalled once again that his administration’s belief that terrorism isn’t a threat to the security of this country. Again, his dithering over actually implementing the plan his hand picked commanders in Afghanistan have put forward is another symptom of his inability to actually use the “Big Stick” of TR’s fame.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

National GOP Absent In Mass Senatorial Special Election

The National GOP committees are completely absent from the Massachusetts Senatorial special election.
GOP U.S. Senate candidate Scott Brown has been all but abandoned by the same national Republican committees that pumped hundreds of thousands in campaign cash to former governors Mitt Romney and William Weld during their long-shot bids for U.S. Senate.

The snub has outraged local Republicans who say national conservatives should be jumping at the chance to nab the first open Senate seat in decades despite Brown’s tough odds in the Jan. 19 special election.
This is a shame given that the national committees backed Scozaffava in NY-23, even when she was far less of a Republican than Mr. Brown is. This is why I've become very disenchanted with the various national GOP committees.

The Dream of Flight



I'd love to learn to fly...and this is the perfect airplane to start with.

Nebraska Poll

Rasmussen Reports has just released it'a newest poll for Nebraska. The news isn't good for Ben Nelson, Nebraska's Democratic Senator. His numbers are abysmal. In fact his numbers are so bad, that his chances right now for reelection appear to be very slim.
The good news for Senator Ben Nelson is that he doesn’t have to face Nebraska voters until 2012.

If Governor Dave Heineman challenges Nelson for the Senate job, a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey shows the Republican would get 61% of the vote while Nelson would get just 30%. Nelson was reelected to a second Senate term in 2006 with 64% of the vote.

Nelson's health care vote is clearly dragging his numbers down. Just 17% of Nebraska voters approve of the deal their senator made on Medicaid in exchange for his vote in support of the plan. Overall, 64% oppose the health care legislation, including 53% who are Strongly Opposed. In Nebraska, opposition is even stronger than it is nationally.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters in the state believe that passage of the legislation will hurt the quality of care, and 62% say it will raise costs.

War: Making The Hard Decision.

In the present Great War On Terror (GWOT), there is a certain parallel between Mr. Obama and the man he is often measured against, FDR. During the second world war, FDR often was placed in the position to make difficult decisions, as was his British counterpart, Winston Churchill.

Very early in the conflict, Mr. Churchill was given information that came from Enigma, their code breaking effort against the Germans. Mr. Churchill had the choice to allow the English city of Coventry without defending it...or to defend it and give the enemy notice that they were "reading the mail." Mr. Churchill chose the difficult, if correct path of not defending the city from ariel bombardment. That paid huge dividends later in the war. There are parallels to today...we were reading terrorist emails and intercepting cell phone calls as well as tracking money...until the NY Times decided that this was terrible and published stories that highlighted these tactics. Now we can no longer do any of these things because our enemies have altered the way they do things so we no longer have the ability to track them nearly as well as formerly.

Another difficult decision was made by FDR after German saboteurs were landed by submarines at various points of the east coast from NW Florida to Long Island. All were captured within hours of landing. FDR was notified and chose, as they were not in uniforms, but were wearing civilian clothing, to try them as enemy combatants (i.e. spies) as is permitted under the terms of the Geneva Convention. All were executed...How does this apply to today? Mr. Obama has chosen despite the many precedents to try all enemy combatants in American Courts...

This is a terrible choice, because as many were captured on the battle field they were not "read their rights". Additionally, many were questioned in what I learned as a young Marine "field interrogation techniques" wherein a enemy combatant is somewhat less well than an American criminal suspect. Personally, I think any terrorist should be questioned under any means necessary in order to extract whatever information he may have. The more important he is, the harsher his questioning should be.

George Bush, while president made many mistakes...but at least in this respect he did choose the correct course. He chose to have those who were taken on the battlefield, but not in uniform, to be tried by military tribunals. Mr. Obama on the other hand has chosen to treat enemy combatants as "alleged criminals" and subject to the much, much higher standard of the US Criminal Code. This is disastrous as immediately after apprehending a terrorist, we must "read him his rights." That means we won't be getting any information out of him as his lawyer will tell him to keep his mouth shut. This seems to be the Liberal Left's answer to terrorism, to treat it like a criminal enterprise. Dumb move, Mr. Obama, but as a lawyer, I guess he just can't help himself...

First, President Obama said the following: “As the plane made its final approach to Detroit Metropolitan Airport, a passenger allegedly tried to ignite an explosive device on his body, setting off a fire.” (my emphasis) The language is that of courtroom legalese, carefully indicating that a suspect is only “allegedly” guilty of anything, until such time as a jury is convinced by a trial that he was indeed the party responsible for the crime committed.

But as the world knows, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was indeed very guilty, and only because a Dutch filmmaker sitting near him interceded and subdued him, helping put out the fire at the same time, was the plot unsuccessful. Rather than treat the culprit as a foreign national who became converted in London to the doctrines of radical Islam by mullahs at his local mosque, evidently the decision has been made to treat him as a defendant in a criminal case, with a subsequent trial in which his guilt is not to be prejudged. Although he is a foreign national, evidently he will be treated as if he were an American citizen.
I think that treating terrorists as criminals is a horrendous idea...unless they'll be placed in "open population" in prison where our lovely (but nearly universally patriotic) convicted felons will make short work of them.

The Long War: Islamic Terrorism Won't Go Away Any Time Soon

The Obama Administration and the political leadership of the Democratic party really don't understand how to deal with Islamic terrorism at all. At the heart, they believe it's a law enforcement problem. The recent terrorist's bungling of the NW/Delta flight is a case in point. They want to PROSECUTE this guy in civilian court. I have several problems with that.

First of all, that gives this man a whole host of rights under our system that he doesn't deserve. Once his court appointed lawyer speaks to him he won't say another word. This man has committed an act of war upon the United States. Under the Geneva Conventions, he doesn't rate any rights at all. Under those conventions, a terrorist may be tried by a military tribunal and executed. Those are the rights this man deserves. Not coverage under our Constitution and civil code.

Second of all this conflict isn't going to go away any time soon. It will last the rest of our lives. Christopher Hitchens put it very well in his column yesterday in Slate online.
What nobody in authority thinks us grown-up enough to be told is this: We had better get used to being the civilians who are under a relentless and planned assault from the pledged supporters of a wicked theocratic ideology. These people will kill themselves to attack hotels, weddings, buses, subways, cinemas, and trains. They consider Jews, Christians, Hindus, women, homosexuals, and dissident Muslims (to give only the main instances) to be divinely mandated slaughter victims. Our civil aviation is only the most psychologically frightening symbol of a plethora of potential targets. The future murderers will generally not be from refugee camps or slums (though they are being indoctrinated every day in our prisons); they will frequently be from educated backgrounds, and they will often not be from overseas at all. They are already in our suburbs and even in our military. We can expect to take casualties. The battle will go on for the rest of our lives. Those who plan our destruction know what they want, and they are prepared to kill and die for it. Those who don't get the point prefer to whine about "endless war," accidentally speaking the truth about something of which the attempted Christmas bombing over Michigan was only a foretaste. While we fumble with bureaucracy and euphemism, they are flying high.


UPDATE: Mark Steyn's view of Mr. Obama's "statement" is spot on:
Putting aside the stuff that was just plain wrong (this guy's an "isolated extremist" - oh, yeah?), the President's remarks had a horrible desiccated complacency. "Alleged..." "suspect..." "charged..." - because this is no different from a punk holding up a gas station, right? In all their alleged allegedness, this Administration has an allergy to the concept of war, and thus to the tools of war, including strategy and war aims. In essence, they've accepted a Fort Hood model for this challenge: every so often, something will happen and people will die, and we'll seal off the crime scene and take the alleged suspect into alleged custody. But it's reactive, and it cripples our ability to prevent the death of innocents.

There's a difference between an alleged suspect (which is what he is is the President's fantasy) and an enemy combatant (which is what he is in reality). If this were a war, we would question him about who he hooked up with in Yemen, who did he meet with in London, and maybe get a lead on attacks to come. Instead, the authorities, having issued the Knickerbomber a multi-entry visa, having permitted him to board the plane, and having failed to detect his incendiary unwear, now allow him to lawyer up and ensure that we'll never know who he knew in Yemen or anywhere else.

This would be a big enough gamble in the best of circumstances. Up against the broader background Derb discusses, it makes disaster inevitable.
Again, the emphasis is mine...loved "desiccated complacency" I'll have to remember that.

Monday, December 28, 2009

LA Times And NY Times Want Amazon.com To Collect Taxes

Slashdot.org is reporting that the NY Times has a story that Amazon.com should be collecting more taxes for the government. Of course, in their knee jerk fashion the LA Times jumps in as well. If the business insn't located in the state...not state taxes! Those two papers are located in states that are being crushed under the burden of the excessive taxes their liberally controlled legislatures have enacted...to provide nanny state services...now they can't afford to pay for the services, CUT SPENDING!

California certainly won't. I doubt they can...neither will NY.

Senator Drunk on Senate Floor



This is the man who desires to seize control of the health care industry for this administration.

State Department Fails To Screen Terrorist


Kevin Bacon's bit in Animal House is spot on for this article.

Hilary Clinton's State Department failed to screen a potential terrorist from entering the US.
When Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s father in Nigeria reported concern over his son’s “radicalization” to the U.S. Embassy there last month, intelligence officials in the United States deemed the information insufficient to pursue. The young man’s name was added to the half-million entries in a computer database in McLean and largely forgotten.
The lack of attention was not unusual, according to U.S. intelligence officials, who said that thousands of similar bits of information flow into the National Counterterrorism Center each week from around the world. Only those that indicate a specific threat, or add to an existing body of knowledge about an individual, are passed along for further investigation and possible posting on airline and border watch lists. …
Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) joined GOP critics in asking how the suspect was able to retain a U.S. visa — issued by the U.S. Embassy in London in 2008 — after his name appeared in the terrorist database.
“What happened after this man’s father called our embassy in Nigeria?” Lieberman asked. “What happened to that information? Was there follow-up to try to determine where this suspect was?”

White House officials struggled to explain the complicated system of centralized terrorist data and watch lists, stressing that they were put in place years ago by the Bush administration. Spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Obama has ordered reviews of the watch-list system and the airport explosives screening.
Moreover, the TSA and Dept Of Homeland Security (another useless department) has failed dismally. After all, the best Napolitano can say is they reacted "successfully after the event". Jonah Goldberg says "
I watched her on three shows and each time she was more annoying, maddening and absurd than the previous appearance. It is her basic position that the "system worked" because the bureaucrats responded properly after the attack. That the attack was "foiled" by a bad detonator and some civilian passengers is proof, she claims, that her agency is doing everything right. That is just about the dumbest thing she could say, on the merits and politically. I would wager that not one percent of Americans think the system is "working" when terrorists successfully get bombs onto planes (and succeed in activating them). Probably even fewer think it's fair that they have to take off their shoes, endure delays and madness while a known Islamic radical — turned in by his own father — can waltz onto a plane (and into the country). DHS had no role whatsoever in assuring that this bomb didn't go off. By her logic if the bomb had gone off, the system would have "worked" since it has done everything right.

Napolitano has a habit of arguing that DHS is a first responder outfit. Its mission is to deal with "man-caused-disasters" afer they occur. It appears she really believes it. If the White House wants to assure people that it takes the war on terror seriously (a term Robert Gibbs used this morning by the way), they could start by firing this patently unqualified hack.
The emphasis is mine...



Mrs. Napolitano, if the system had worked this man would never have gotten onto the aircraft without a passport. A passenger on the flight, one Kurt Haskell who boarded the plane at the same time as the terrorist says that an "Indian/Pakistani" looking man berated the ticket clerk into giving a ticket to the terrorist. So, NO! The system didn't work. Your endless regulations and screening obviously has failed...yet again. Your useless department has done nothing but add discomfort to travelers and hired idiots who can't do anything else...here's a link to The Hill that has a whole host of governement experts who agree that the system has failed. Justin Raimondo, editorial director of Antiwar.com, said:
Yes -- in Bizarro World, where up is down, right is left, and a "system" supposedly designed to protect us instead breaks down completely and leaves passengers on a plane utterly defenseless.

What universe is this woman living in? I'll tell you -- it's the world of Washington, D.C., where the main occupation appears to be covering your own a[--]. How she could sit there and say that with a straight face reveals an iron will: too bad she didn't apply that will to actually doing her job.

Consider: the passengers on that plane were left completely on their own: no air marshalls were on board. Also consider that the would-be terrorist got on the plane without a passport (according to a passenger on the flight, one Kurt Haskell), and in spite of the fact that his own father had personally gone to our CIA and the US Embassy to warn them about his son's activities, and that he presented a risk.

We're fighting a war in two countries, simultaneously, on the dubious grounds that we are combatting "terrorism" -- and yet the terrorists apparently have no problem getting into this country. We're protecting the Afghan-Pakistani border from incursions by the Taliban-- but our own borders continue to be among the most porous in the world.


It's time to dissolve the Department of Homeland Security, discharge the useless bureaucrats and ignoramuses who man the "security checkpoints" whose sole basis is to harass travelers, not stop terrorist from traveling.

UPDATE: From Megan McArdle
No, what this points out is not that Napolitano is incompetent, but that our elaborate system of security theater is probably next to useless. I cannot imagine where this is going to end. No, actually, I can imagine all too well: with passengers checking all luggage and flying in specially issued hospital gowns. And when some enterprising terrorist manages to sneak through that cordon by swallowing his explosives, the TSA will tell us that "the system works" and start the cavity searches.

ClimateGate: The Timeline

Here is a link to a .PDF formatted Timeline to ClimateGate. It's eye opening! For literally, the past 30 years, so called "climatologists" have been fraudulently altering temperature data. The scope is tremendous. Take a look at the documents and decide for yourself.

Here is an example of the fraud perpetrated by Jones and the IPCC:
1990
THE WANG AFFAIR AND JONES' URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT PAPER [48]
JONES is the lead author of a Sep.90 paper [46] which concludes (from Eastern China and other data) there is no relevant urban heat island (UHI) effect (warmer temperatures in and around urban centres). However 3 months later, in Dec.90, his co-author, Wang, publishes another paper [47] (using the very same Eastern China data) but arrives at the opposite conclusion: that there is a significant UHI effect and temperature studies must this take into account to avoid skewing results in favour of warming. (Also see {WIGLEY 26.Nov.2009})

Aside from the fact until the contradictory conclusions are resolved, the papers can't be cited as favoring one position or the other another problem arose with the data set used. Both studies stated that the 84 stations were chosen based on their history such that "few, if any, changes in instrumentation, location or observation times".

In February 2007 mathematician Doug Keenan learned from MCINTYRE's blog that data was only available for 35 of them, and of those 35 at least half had substantial moves (eg 25 km). Keenan wrote to JONES asking about the source of location information of the other 49 stations. JONES replied that his co-author Wang had selected those stations in based on his “extensive knowledge of those networks”. So Keenan wrote to Wang, who replied that Zeng (a co-author of [47]) had "hard copies of station histories" but these were not provided to Keenan. However, the problem is that Zeng was also the co-author of a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) study which detailed station moves which noted that the “hard copies” to which Wang referred were not found.

Later in 2007 Keenan publishes "The fraud allegation against some climatic research of Wei-Chyung Wang" [49] setting out the matter and despite an investigation by University at Albany (where Wang is employed), and still the "hardcopy" data is not disclosed, nor was the university's investigation report.

In his paper Keenan notes that although JONES may not have known about the fraud in 1990, by 2001 he did due to subsequent papers JONES wrote which addressed the station moves and stated "those relocations substantially affected the measured temperatures" in direct contradiction to the 1990 paper. "Thus, by 2001, Jones must have known that the claims of Wang were not wholly true." Keenan wrote to JONES but received no reply. [49]

The 1990 Jones et al paper has been the major evidence presented by JONES in all of the IPCC reports to dismiss the influence of urban change on the temperature measurements, and also has been used as an excuse for the failure to mention most of the unequivocal evidence that such urban effects exist. The paper was even dragged out again for the 2007 IPCC report. [39] In fact determining the UHI is not complicated at all, for example see [61]: "Picking out the UHI in climatic temperature records - so easy a 6th grader can do it!"

On 31.Aug.2007 WIGLEY e-mailed JONES that Keenan is correct: "Seems to me that Keenan has a valid point. The statements in the papers that he quotes seem to be incorrect statements, and that someone ([Wang] at the very least) must have known at the time that they were incorrect." ([1188557698.txt] with more in [1241415427.txt])

ACORN Investigations Whitewashed

Much as I suspected all those months ago when ACORN was shown to be the badly corrupt organization that I thought, it's enablers in Washington, DC and elsewhere have already begun it's rehabilitation. It was very naive to think that the biggest weapon the Democrats have for corrupting the electoral system would simply be allowed to collapse under the weight of its corruption.

As I said at the time, ACORN would simply be allowed to sit in the corner for a while, until the figurative "dust" settled, then all be go back as it was. I just didn't figure it would only take 4 months. The NY Post is reporting that the rehabilitation effort is nearly over.
A congressional research arm said Tuesday that the left-wing pressure group -- which Congress recently voted to cut off from federal funds after a sting operation caught employees dispensing housing-fraud advice to a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute -- violated no federal regulations.

This follows a Brooklyn federal judge's ruling this month that Congress' action was itself unconstitutional -- and an "internal review" (read: whitewash) by former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger that found "no evidence" of illegal action on ACORN's part.

Indeed, Harshbarger blamed the whole mess on lax standards introduced by the group's disgraced former leader, Wade Rathke, explaining that the scandal "erupted just as ACORN's reform leadership was about to complete an ambitious and professionally directed organizational and cultural transformation."
Next we'll see the Democratic majority in Congress (probably in January) quietly restore all of the lost funding. Meanwhile, ACORN will continue to implement it's plans to fraudulently steal elections. Much as they did the Minnesota Senatorial election last year.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Red Barchetta! Rush Live



Follow the link at the title to a history of the song...and the car. Here are the lyrics:

My uncle has a country place that no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm before the Motor Law
And on Sundays I elude the Eyes and hop the Turbine Freight
To far outside the wire where my white-haired uncle waits

Jump to the ground as the Turbo slows to cross the borderline
Run like the wind as excitement shivers up and down my spine
Down in his barn, my uncle preserved for me an old machine
For fifty-odd years, to keep it as new has been his dearest dream

I strip away the old debris that hides a shining car
A brilliant red Barchetta from a better vanished time
I fire up the willing engine responding with a roar
Tires spitting gravel, I commit my weekly crime

Wind in my hair
Shifting and drifting
Mechanical music
Adrenaline surge

Well-weathered leather, hot metal and oil
The scented country air
Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape
Every nerve aware

Suddenly ahead of me across the mountainside
A gleaming alloy air-car ahoots towards me, two lanes wide
I spin around with shrieking tires to run the deadly race
Go screaming through the valley as another joins the chase

Drive like the wind, straining the limits of machine and man
Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I've got a desperate plan
At the one-lane bridge, I leave the giants stranded at the riverside
Race back to the farm to dream with my uncle at the fireside

The Future Of American Health Care

I just read a great article by Mark Steyn on what we can expect here now that the government has seized control of our health care system. The government has effectively taken control of a portion of the economy that equals ALL of the GDP of the United Kingdom AND France, or twice what India produces now. But, all is not lost...
In Canada, once the wait times for MRIs and hip surgery start creeping up over two years, the government distracts the citizenry with a Royal Commission appointed to study possible “reforms” which reports back a couple of years later usually with recommendations to “strengthen” the government’s “commitment” to every Canadian’s “right” to health care by renaming the Department of Health the Department of Health Services and abolishing the Agency of Health Administration and replacing it with a new Agency of Administrative Health Operations which would report to a reformed Council of Health Policy Administrative Coordination to be supervised by a streamlined Public Health Operations & Administration Assessment Bureau. This package of “reforms” would cost a mere 12.3 gazillion dollars and usually keeps the lid on the pot until the wait times for MRIs start creeping up over three years.

The other alternative is what the British did earlier this year: They created an exciting new “Patient’s Bill of Rights,” promising every Briton the “right” to hospital treatment within 18 weeks. Believe it or not, that distant deadline shimmering woozily in the languid desert haze can be oddly reassuring if you’ve ever visited a Scottish emergency room on a holiday weekend. And, if the four-and-a-half months go by and you still haven’t been treated, you get your (tax) money back? Ah, no. But there is a free helpline you can call which will give you continuously updated estimates on which month your operation has been rescheduled for. I mention these not as a preview of the horrors to come, but because I’ve come to the bleak conclusion that U.S.-style “health” “reform” is going to be far worse.
It can only get better right? After all, we'll now have a far more efficient and more cost effective health care system...RIIIIIGGGGHHHTTTT! I'll be happy to sell you some beach front property in Arizona, just wait until the next "big" quake in SoCal...

Obama is Wrong On Terrorism

Andrew McCarty writes in NRO.com
The people now in charge of our government believe Clinton-era counterterrorism was a successful model. They start from the premise that terrorism is a crime problem to be managed, not a war to be won. Overdone "war on drugs" rhetoric aside, we don't try to "win" against (as in "defeat") law-enforcement challenges. We expect them to happen from time to time and to contain, but never completely prevent, the damage.

Here, no thanks to the government, the plane was not destoyed, and we won't get to the bottom of the larger conspiracy (enabling the likes of Napolitano to say there's no indication of a larger plot — much less one launched by an international jihadist enterprise) because the guy got to lawyer up rather than be treated like a combatant and subjected to lengthy interrogation. But the terrorist will be convicted at trial (this "case" tees up like a slam-dunk), so the administration will put it in the books as a success ... just like the Clinton folks did after the '93 WTC bombers and the embassy bombers were convicted. In their minds, litigation success equals national security success.

It is a dangerously absurd viewpoint, but it was clear during the campaign that it was Obama's viewpoint. The American people — only seven years after 9/11 — elected him anyway. As we learn more painfully everyday, elections matter.
His point is spot on. The liberal left believes that terrorism is a only a law enforcement problem, not a military/national security problem, and that it can be successfully protected against by only law enforcement methods. Unfortunately, Mr. Clinton's failed prosecution of the WTC 1993 bombing suspects didn't 'prevent' further attacks, the policies instituted under his watch exacerbated them by preventing the CIA and FBI from communicating directly on threats within the national borders. They were in fact the nucleus of the 9/11 attacks.

The right on the other hand thinks that terrorism is strictly a military problem. I believe a mixture of both is the solution. Use national intelligence assets to locate terrorists when possible...and either seize those individuals/cells and try them prior to execution, or use the military to destroy them and those who shield them.

Solid Patoto Salad - The Ross Sisters



These women have "HOLY SHIT" MOVES!

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry — er . . .Politically Correct Version

Merry — er . . .

From the national review online:


To All My Liberal Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.



To All My Conservative Friends:
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Jimmy Carter's Epiphany

It seems that James Earl Carter, one of the worst presidents in our history has had an epiphany. It seems he is sorry that he's been harsh on Jews, lo, these past 30 years. Either that, or its because his grandson is running for the Georgia state senate in a district that has a high percentage of Jews as constituents. Hhhmm....what do you think?

Twas the Night Before Cloture

From the 1st comment in an article in Politico.com

It was the night before Christmas, and all through the Senate The Left voted for a health care bill, no matter what was in it The majority of people don't want this kind of reform But Democrats blew off the gathering anti-tax storm “We'll need more pork” , they cried with a grin “More handouts for all, will keep us voted in!” They knew hard working folks want less Government help "but let's tax them right now,” they cried with with a yelp So try as they might, Republicans could not win Because Democrats common sense was simply too thin And then a few holdouts raised such such a clatter That the Senate Libs rushed to see what was the matter All sprang up from their desk and ran from the floor Straight through the cloakroom and right out the door And what in the world would be quite so raucous? But a lot of bribe money for the Democratic caucus The president, and Harry Reid, knew what to do More handouts and Pork for Nelson and Landrieu More rapid than eagles, the provisions they came And they whistled and shouted and called them by name “Doctor Shortages, rationing, Strip medicare, what a plan!” Amnesty, Abortion and Higher taxes! 'Yes, we can!” “No exclusions or changes for Lawyer Lawsuits, Hurry! Don't read it ! We'll look so astute.” The Democrats all came together because of some bribes . At the expense of taxpayers that Christmas Eve night And then in a twinkle, I heard under the dome The roll call was closed, and it was time to go home Despite a few heroic tactics of some The filibuster had broken, the wrong side had won And a poor bill was ready for President Obama Ready to sign and begin the sad health care drama Democrats explained as they drove out of sight “ Big Government for us and less Constitutional Rights."

Posted By: cowboys61 | December 24, 2009 at 09:22 AM

Thursday, December 24, 2009

One Page Health Care Reform

Health Care Seizure Not So Important After All?

There are now credible reports that Congress will, at the behest of the President, put of the reconciliation process until after the State of the Union Address in Late January. Instead he will ask that a second "stimulus package" hidden behind the facade of "jobs bill" be taken to the fore...

So, the Democratic led Congress will borrow upwards of $500,000,000,000.00 to create jobs...isn't that what the original "stimulus package" was supposed to do? Isn't this throwing good money after bad? The Democrats in Congress blew $800,000,000,000.00 on pork "to keep unemployment below 8%." That failed so they are going to do it again.

The basic premise of insanity is that you continue to do the same thing over and over again, getting the same result time after time...yet expecting things to change. That's crazy...yet here we are again for the fourth time, going to save jobs with a stimulus bill...

1st: TARP supposed to keep banks from collapsing...failed, many regional banks have failed (300+ so far have been taken over by the government...failed.
2nd: "Stimulus Package", supposed to keep unemployment below 8%...failed
3rd: Health Care Seizure...supposed to "save" money (just like Medicare is)...failed
4th: "Jobs Bill"..will keep unemployment below 8%...failure in the making.

Eventually, the entire country will be in the same boat as California, New Jersey and New York (all are very close to bankruptcy). Our great grand children will surely thank us for turning the richest country in history into a 3rd rate nation...sure they will. Our children will now face having a much lower standard of living than we have now...WE will face having a lower standard of living than we have now...thanks Barack, Harry & Nancy...the ends sure justify the means.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

CBS On The Democratic Culture Of Corruption



You know it has to be bad when CBS actually comments on the corrupt passage of legislation by Democrats.

A Moderate's Plan for America

I have several ideas for Moderates in this country to fend off the Democratic Party's socialist agenda. These strategy ideas won't be easy to implement, because the socialist party will fight stiffly against any changes to their already implemented program.

The Obama administration has already extra-legally taken control of the third largest auto manufacturer (Chrysler--and forced it's sale--and swindled bond holders out of monies owed to them) and have a large minority interest in the largest (GM--and turned effective control over to their union allies).

The Troubled Assets Relief Program--TARP was supposed to be used to bailout banks and other "too big to fail" investment companies (AIG being at the heart...which by the way manages Congress's retirement funds). Instead it has morphed into a catchall slush fund that is being used far beyond the purpose it was intended for. It is being used to continually bailout Chrysler, as well as being funneled through AIG to companies such as Goldman, Sachs, GMAC (GM's auto/mortgage loan arm).

Much of those funds have been diverted to executive bonuses, or executives learning of "loans" going to companies, have purchased stock in advance of proposed bailouts (Stephen Friedman a member of the Goldman Sachs board was forced to resigned as the chair of the New York Federal Reserve after reports surfaced that he had bought 37,000 Goldman shares and that he did so on learning that his company would be getting paid back at 100 cents on the dollar for its toxic assets insured by AIG. Mr. Friedman made more than $5 million on that insider information.

The passage of the huge $800 billion dollar special interests bill, inaptly named "stimulus package" that was in effect a political payoff of constituent special interest groups. The bill's purported purpose was to stimulate the economy but instead allowed the Democratic majority to provide huge subsidies to political contributors and groups whose support allowed the socialist party to take control of Congress with a much larger majority that previously held. As unemployment rises, the public's ire has risen as well as distrust in the Democratic majority's aims and economic policies.

With the near certain passage of the government's seizure of the health care industry, that an average of 55% of likely voters strongly opposes is merely one more step in the Democratic Party's and Obama administration's efforts to enact European style socialization of the American Economy. The back room deals that shut out the Republican party have been characterized by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as, "unsavory process to get 60 votes – which included, he said, giveaways such as the 'Cornhusker kickback,' the 'Louisiana purchase,' the 'Florida flim-flam' and all of the other kinds of dealing that went on – will be seen as 'very distasteful' by the American people."

Michael Barone a syndicated columnist in the of the Washington Examiner describes as the 21st Century Kansas-Nebraska act. "[The] Kansas-Nebraska was an attempt to settle a fundamental issue by legislative legerdemain and political trickery," says Michael Baone,. "The Democrats' health care bills are an attempt to settle a fundamental issue by partisan maneuver and cash-for-cloture. As Stephen Douglas learned, such tactics can work for a while, but the country -- and the Democratic Party -- can end up paying a heavy price."

One Democrat and Atlantic blogger (and Obama voter) Megan McArdle writes, "We aren't done talking about health care. We haven't even really started. Our budget problems are as big as ever, and we just used up both political capital, and some of our stock of tax increases and spending cuts, to pay for something else."

These then are the major issues that now face the country. We have the highest unemployment rate this country has face in more than 25 years. Yet the Obama Administration has attempted to use Keynesian solutions to these problems. The major issue with that is that Keynes economics has never proven to work in the past.

Herbert Hoover attempted to use some proto-Keynesian policies after the the economic meltdown that caused the Great Depression of the 1930's. Mr. Hoover created the Reconstruction Finance Corporation in an attempt to bail out troubled banks. Furthermore, he engaged in deficit-finance relief expenditures. And his Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon supported those effort. Federal spending rose precipitously under Hoover, most of the increase financed through deficit spending. All of those efforts failed miserably.

It's well documented that FDR used many more Keynesian methods to counteract the effects of the Depression. However, the nascent recovery of 1934-35 sputtered out under the weight of many of the New Deal tariffs and regulatory measures enacted at the time. FDR's policies didn't end the Great Depression, the advent of a worldwide conflict in 1939 did.

Now, in the present time if we genuinely desire to mitigate the effects of this recession we as a nation must urge our politicians to take a number step immediately. The first step toward recovery would be to use the remaining TARP funds to pay down the burgeoning national debt. A debt that has ballooned in the past year with Congress having to yet again raise the debt ceiling.

The second step would be to take the remaining stimulus funds and expend them solely on infrastructure projects. That would allow the construction industry to recover far more quickly than is presently the case. Unemployment in blue collar industries is roughly 40%, by far the hardest hit sector of the economy. This is what China and Germany have done and thus have weathered the crisis in much better shape than the US has done. An alternative would be to use the to once again pay down the debt

An additional use for $50 Billion dollars from this fund would be as a basis of small business loans. This will have the effect of freeing up funds that small business needs in order to conduct their operations. Additionally, by allowing small business those funds, they will increase their hiring. It costs small businesses an average of $330k to create full time positions. Under the stimulus, the government has spent $2.4 million each to create temporary positions that will need to be refunded every year. That's an 8-1 spending ratio, not cost effective in the long run.

A third solution would be to reduce taxes across the board, better yet, overhaul the "progressive" (or rather the REGRESSIVE) income tax system with a flat income tax rate for all individuals, businesses and or corporations. End any and all federal tax breaks for business. Tax all businesses equally with no exceptions. Do the same for individuals. The ONLY exception on individual taxes would be for those who earn below X dollars (i.e. the poverty line).

Reign in government spending by eliminating those departments which are merely jobs programs in disguise. Education, for one, combine HHS, HUD and vastly reduce their mandate. Eliminate Labour. Use the money saved to pay off the debt, return those workers to the public sector where they could be producing wealth instead of sucking off the government tit. Additionally, end the extra-constitution practice of adding earmarks to budgetary bills. Furthermore, we need to permit localities and states to grant genuine incentives to those who wish to build manufacturing concerns so that we can rebuild our manufacturing base. A base that is rapidly siphoning off to Mexico, China and India.

Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has decided that governmental seizure of health care is a crisis. In the opinion of voters, it surely isn't, but if you have to absolutely have to interefere with the system, there is a way within the present framework to modify the system that will increase health insurance coverage far beyond what it is now. By institution portability, which means to remove employment as a means of health insurance. Allow the 1300 companies to offer insurance regardless of state lines. This will allow genuine market competition.

Another must is Tort Reform. Lawyers have boosted the costs medical coverage by 20% or more (some say 30%). It should not be a gigantic crap shoot. Limit damages to actual loss, and only with gross negligence. Loser pays for all the winner's costs and fees. Make health costs 100% tax-free. By allowing portability between states and permit ALL of the health insurance organizations to provide insurance regardless of state lines.

Force the Pharmaceutical companies to sell to other countries at the same rate as they charge their biggest customers here. They will then pay more, and we'll pay less. This will institute immediate savings, because America presently permits other countries to provide drugs at a vastly reduced rate, while we foot the full bill plus the difference they pay.

The final problem that must be face soon is Social Security/Medicare/Medicade. Rollback the retirement age back to 65 as a minimum for eligibility for Medicare. Vigorously prosecute all fraudulent disability claims. Tack on a 1-2% national sales tax to pay for it. This will eventually end the Ponzi scheme, while honoring the obligations that we previously.

These are some reasonable solutions that would be effective to the major problems this country faces. Unfortunately, no politicians worthy of the title would ever settle for simple solutions to complex problems. Especially when such solutions would reduce the role that government would play in our daily lives, and thus, the Democratic Party would never adopt them as they are hell bent on adopting European Socialist systems wherein government controls most aspects of our lives. The Republican Party on the other hand has become "Democrat Lite." It was under their watch in the early and mid-portion of this decade that unrestrained earmarks became the norm. It remains to be seen if the Tea Party can rise out of the ashes of the present mess. It's certainly possible.

The Declaration of Dependence



Michael Ramirez Cartoon

Obama Sinks Further In Polls



Rasmussen Reports has posted their most recent tracking poll. Mr. Obama has sunk to a -21 on the approval index. This is the difference between those who strongly support his policies and the job he's doing (25%) and those who strongly disapprove (46%) hence the high negative rating.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

This Little Piggie




A picture is worth a thousand words...

Detroit: Steven Crowder Of PJTV Tours The City



I lived in the metro-Detroit area for a little over 2 years. The large building that is shown several times in the course of the film is in downtown Detroit. It's about 10 blocks from city hall and the "river front". If anything, Steven down plays how bad it really is there. There are thousands of abandoned buildings, and hundreds of derelict factories. The suburbs are starting to look just as bad as the city. When my wife and I fled in August of 2004, nearly 1 in four of the houses on our street had for sale signs.

This is what the Democratic Parties leadership of the state legislature has wrought. In June, Michigan became the first state in 25 years to suffer an unemployment rate exceeding 15%, according to the Labor Department. That of course is the "official" unemployment rate...but in reality it is far, far higher. Once you fall off of the unemployment roles, (i.e. your benefits run out) the state stops counting you. I have friends that have been unemployed for years...literally, years since 2003-4. Since the Michigan meltdown started in 2003. When we moved, I had been out of work for 16 months, and my wife for 12. We were lucky, we were able to leave.

The state income tax rate isn't that high, and is presently estimated at 9.4% of income, Michigan's state/local tax burden percentage ranks 27th highest nationally. On the other hand the business tax rate is among the highest in the nation, with a base rate of 4.9%, and a surcharge is applied to the apportioned business
income tax and gross receipts tax before credits. That rate
is 21.99%. Which is why so many business that COULD have long since left the state. This is the same model that California uses...to the same result, businesses flee when the tax rate rises too high.

This is the model Mr. Obama is using for the country...but the real problem is, where do WE flee to when the tax rate rises too high?

UPDATE: The Department of Labor just released new unemployment figures for the city of Detroit...unemployment is 50.4%. Every other person is out of work. The metro Detroit unemployment rate is almost 30%. That's an average of of 4 out of every 10 people out of work. But Mr. Obama said that if the "stimulus" was passed in Feb, that unemployment wouldn't pass 8%...so is it working yet?

The California Model



It seems that the economic model the Obama administration is using is the "California" model. After all this administration seems hell bent on using the nanny state model that California has excelled at all these years. The only problem is that state is losing people to the tune of 2,000 a day...flowing away from the peoples paradise that is California.

They have the most generous state pension plan in the country.
They have the largest state bureaucracy in the country (& most unionized 57%).
They have the highest per capita tax rates.
They have the state budget deficit $14 billion by next June.
They have the most regulated economy in the country.
This California model is important because Obama is adopting it as a blueprint on a national scale. If he wins (and don’t count him out), life really would be more patterned on an equality of result. New payroll, income, state, local, and health care surcharge taxes would hit those over $200K with about a 70% take of one’s income. The public sector employees double in number, unionize, and demand ever more from “them.” Cap-and-trade charges raise monthly utility bills 20%. Things like SUVs, Winnebagos, and private jet travel are taxed out of reach — except for a guardian class that uses public moneys for a rarefied lifestyle of governance and enforcement (sort of like the jets parked on the tarmac at Copenhagen or Barack’s night out on the Big Apple).
So it looks like we can expect our new socialist overlords to begin really taxing us...

Now That's Cold!

Health Care Backlash Growing

With the near certain passage of the Senate bill authorizing the Federal government to seize control of the health care industry has begun to build. Pressure in Nebraska over the outright bribe offered to Sen. Ben Nelson, a former governor of the state has begun to build. When combined with the "Louisiana Purchase", the $300,000,000.00 package (originally reported to be a mere $100 million) given to Mary Landrieu for her vote on the bill, will end up costing the country approximately $400,000,000.00.

What is truly remarkable, is that this legislation is the single largest spending and tax bill in our history that was passed solely along partisan party lines. To make it even more astonishing is how unpopular this piece of legislation is, the real problem is with how substantively awful the bill is but also how deeply dishonest and (possibly legally) corrupt the whole course of action has been. Real Clear Politics poll averaging site gives 57% against and only 36% in support of this bill. With this background, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, the majority leaders of both the House and the Senate expect to lose 20-30 seats in the House and perhaps 3-4 in the Senate.

Democrats currently hold an 89 seat majority in the House, and 8 seats in the Senate, with 2 independents caucusing with the Democrats to give them a filibuster proof 60 seat total. Commentators are predicting that Mr. Reid will lose his seat as he is currently polls worse than Danny Takanian (38% to 49% with 13% undecided) and Sue Lowden (40 percent to 45 percent, with 15 undecided). Mr. Reid will be the 2nd Democratic Senate Majority Leader to fall in an election (Tom Daschle of ND was the 1st).

Already 4 Congressmen from marginal districts have announced that they won't seek reelection next year because they don't want to face voters over their votes on the "Stimulus Package" as well as the health care bill. Even so, very few Democrats in Washington comprehend the depth and the intensity of the opposition to those bills. Nor should the health care bill be viewed in isolation. It is merely one part of the package that has seen passage so far. The omnibus spending bill included 8,500 earmarks, which vastly bloated it beyond what was necessary and was another record sized budgetary bill.

Jim Manzin in National Affairs magazine points out that,
"[Under Obama] the federal government has also intervened aggressively in both the financial and industrial sectors of the economy in order to produce specific desired outcomes for particular corporations. It has nationalized America’s largest auto company (General Motors) and intervened in the bankruptcy proceedings of the third-largest auto company (Chrysler), privileging labor unions at the expense of bondholders. It has, in effect, nationalized what was America’s largest insurance company (American International Group) and largest bank (Citigroup), and appears to have exerted extra-legal financial pressure on what was the second-largest bank (Bank of America) to get it to purchase the ¬country’s largest securities company (Merrill Lynch). The implicit government guarantees provided to home-loan giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been called in, and the federal government is now the largest de facto lender in the residential real-estate market. The government has selected the CEOs and is setting compensation at major automotive and financial companies across the country. On top of these interventions in finance and commerce, the administration and congressional Democrats are also pursuing both a new climate and energy strategy and large-scale health-care reform. Their agenda would place the government at the center of these two huge sectors of the economy…"
If the deep-seated dissatisfaction that has been building since the passage of the swollen and mispent "Stimulus Package" continues, it's not out of the question that the Democratic Party could see a tidal wave of voter anger cause them to lose as many as 100 seats in the house and 13 in the Senate.
When viewed as a whole, these actions spell out a very different story than the one carefully crafted for Mr. Obama during last years campaign. He has (in concert with Mr. Reid and Mrs. Pelosi) revived the most awful feelings of the Democratic party – that of profligate, undisciplined, arrogant, lovers of overweening government programs, as well as a party that increases of taxes. The problems and tale for American politics in the near future has been set — traditional small government versus a gigantic bureaucratic government, capitalism versus European chic socialism, accountable and considered policies versus reckless and radical ones.

ObamaCare

"They've been on this jihad for 70 years...Two-thirds of the country don't want this. And one-third of these jihadists, these health care jihadists do. I guess that's how democracy in the Obama era works."
-- Mary Matalin on health care reform

"Common Sense"

This is for my husband who has asked me to contribute just a little more than once every six months.
I came to the title as it seems that we as a nation have lost a portion of our common sense.
As we watch the news and listen to the radio we hear such conflicting “stories” about various topics and “Global Warming” being one of them. So, as we listen to what the “educated-experts” have to say on the effects of “Global Warming”; what we have actuality forgotten are the basic facts.
“Global Warming”: regardless of what the “educated-experts” think they know or what they know or what they think the planet is going to do, the planet is going to continue what it has been doing for roughly 4.54 billion years: “CHANGE.”
It isn’t anything that we as a “human” race (roughly 200,000 years of known existence) have done or can do to stop the “CHANGE”. The ever “CHANGING” evolution of the planet will carry on regardless if we, the human race is here on the planet or not.
The earth IS an ever “CHANGING” planet but somewhere down the line the “educated-experts” to ensure that they can obtain funds must prove that the human population is to blame for the “CHANGING” planet.
COMMON SENSE: Earth-4.54 billion years old (give or take a few years) is not going to stop changing and given the very insignificant time that humans have been inhabiting this magnificent planet; the planet is not, has not and will not stop changing as we, as humans have had very little to do with the significant internal and external physical changes of the planet from the beginning of its creation.
We can however stop abusing the planet and realize that all we are doing is speeding up our own demise.

ClimateGate, There IS Substantial Evidence Of AGW, NOT!

A great sypopsys of the "denier" arguments...found in volokhconspiracy.com about halfway down.

schizuki says:
Rather than make an open and honest argument that, despite persistent uncertainties, there is substantial theoretical and empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that human activity is contributing to a gradual warming

Really? Where? Because all of the “evidence” I’ve seen has been suspect. Do you have a link to any of this “substantial theoretical and empirical evidence”?

The argument always goes like this:

“Sure, the Hockey Stick was shown to be fraudulent, but there is still plenty of other substantial theoretical and empirical evidence.”

“Sure, James Hansen’s NASA climate data was shown to be corrupt, but there is still plenty of other substantial theoretical and empirical evidence.”

“Sure, temperature tracking stations were shown to have had air-conditioning exhausts installed right next to them, but there is still plenty of other substantial theoretical and empirical evidence.”

“Sure, East Anglia CRU is the most influential player in Global Warming research and policy formulation, and has been exposed as a cabal of data-cookers and debate-squelchers, but there is still plenty of other substantial theoretical and empirical evidence.”

“Sure, he hit me a few times, but he’s really a sweet guy when he’s not drinking.”

Quote

Monday, December 21, 2009

American Socialism: Ideological Subversion



I found this in the comments in a pajamasmedia.com article on socialism.

42. Painesright:

It is NOT by accident that we find ourselves in our current situation… it is by design… the result of 40+ years of something called “Ideological Subversion”.

There is nothing secretive or crazy-conspiracy-theorist about Ideological Subversion. It is overt, out in the open, in your face.

There are 4 stages to Ideological Subversion:

1. Demoralization
2. Destabilization
3. Crisis (we are at the beginning of this stage)
4. Normalization (which is anything but normal!).

This cancer has been growing silently and is very close to destroying our country.

Please read this recent American Thinker article and watch this short video/interview. They feature Yuri Bezmenov, an ex-KGB agent and Russian defector, describing exactly how Ideological Subversion works (it should sound eerily familiar).

Video (Interview from mid 1980’s… there are many videos featuring Mr. Bezmenov, if limited on time, skip to 2:12):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeMZGGQ0ERk

Recent 2009 American Thinker article:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/from_russia_with_no_love.html

Please share with everyone you know. This video has over 100,000 views, but it needs to have 100 million.

Election 2010, And So It Begins

From Rasmussen Reports:
Incumbent Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan may have a serious problem on his hands if Republicans recruit Governor John Hoeven to run for the U.S. Senate in North Dakota next year.

The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone survey of likely voters in North Dakota finds the popular Republican governor leading Dorgan by 22 points – 58% to 36%. Just six percent (6%) are undecided in that senatorial contest.

Part of the challenge for Dorgan is the health care legislation working its way through Congress. Dorgan, along with every Democrat in the Senate, has voted to move the legislation forward and is expected to vote for final approval of the reform later this week. That’s not likely to be well received in North Dakota where just 30% favor the proposed health care reform plan and 64% are opposed.

Opposition to the health care plan is higher in North Dakota than it is nationally.
Eighty-four percent (84%) of those who strongly favor the plan support Dorgan. Eighty-six percent (86%) of those who strongly oppose it back Hoeven.

It Can't Happen Here? Seizure of Firearms In The UK And Australia



video of protests to banning of firearms in the United Kingdom and Australia. Can it happen here? Damn, I hope not.

Reagan On Socialized Medicine



"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened." -Norman Thomas, who ran for President of the United States 6 times and was one of the Founders of the ACLU.

Signing Away American Sovereignty In Copenhagen



Lord Monckton on Copenhagen

Diversity Means Disunity



A great video about the 2nd American Revolution...as Glenn Reynolds says...watch the whole thing.

2011: Obama's Coup Fails

This is a game that purports to be about Mr. Obama's failed Coup of 2011. Here is the intro:

It is the year 2011. The United States has become saturated with suspicion and unrest. Since early 2010, President Barack Obama, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico, and Prime Minister Stephan Harper of Canada have been conducting private meetings with each other and various political heads of the U.N. None of the meetings are open to the media, let alone the public.


Americans, thoroughly disgusted with the socialistic programs that have been thrust upon them over the last few years, vote out seventeen of the nineteen Democrats in the Senate and 178 in Congress that were up for reelection.


The secrecy of the President became an issue tacked onto the political platforms of candidates running for the Senate and Congress in the November 2010 elections. When asked for his opinion on this monumental power shift in favor of liberty-minded Republicans during the November elections, President Obama is quoted as saying the elections were "ultimately inconsequential;" he allowed the cryptic statement to stand alone and said nothing more on the subject until January's swearing-in ceremony.

In January 2011, two days prior to the swearing-in of the new Senators and Congressmen, President Obama holds an emergency conference that interrupts the regular broadcasting of every station in the United States, and is replayed on major news networks throughout the day. The news is horrifying, and the ramifications of what the president has said have a numbing effect on the public.


Private Ownership of firearms has been outlawed, and Obama has promised a new era of equality and peace. Unfortunately for Obama, Americans would not act like the sheep he had taken them for.
Revolution begins.

The Socialist Revolution Has Come to America

FROM THE COMMENTS OF PAJAMASMEDIA.COM BLOG ENTRY ON: The Socialist Revolution Has Come to America

This comment is right on the money ALL the emphasis is mine.


24. AQUA:

Those who voted for Obama who are not on the extreme left themselves, and who are now “shocked,” ought to do some deep self-reflection and never, never allow themselves to be gullible sheep again.

The fact is that our system, with all its faults, is the best the world has seen. But don’t ever take it for granted — it is vulnerable to destruction. Complacency and the belief that it is so strong that it will stand no matter what — is the enemy. It must be respected, nurtured and protected by We The People or it will be (may already be) lost forever. Never again allow its strengths to be stretched and stretched at every whim, fancy and false idea, until the “fundamentals” are paper thin, and finally gone.

Now the next “fundamental” to be challenged is going to be the First Amendment and Freedom of Speech. Subsidized newspapers, oh yeah. And the O has already not only signed us onto — but actually co-sponsored — a U.N. agreement to limit speech, criminalizing criticism of “religion” (guess which one). Of course, it can’t be law here — Yet. But it’s on the way. You know, International Cooperation and a twisted version of Rule of Law and all he spews out. You didn’t know? Why Not?

It was clear from the early days of his campaign, that this man was going to be extremely destructive to everything the non-leftist, overwhelming majority of Americans — including most Democrats — hold dear.

Although, by his “words” and his ambiguity, he was attempting to sell himself as a “moderate,” it was sooooo absolutely and unquestionably clear that he was coming from the Extreme Radical Left. Anyone who was of a mind to examine the man by his past would have had to have blinders on not to have seen it. Were you “in denial” or what?

ANY ONE of the many, many revelations, that appeared in blogs and on Fox easily confirmed this.

In addition, two interviews on NON-Fox TV made his intentions clear.

One, in which he said that it didn’t matter if lowering taxes actually brought more revenue into the Federal coffers — what mattered was (his interpretation of) “fairness.”

The Second, where he stated that he was going to close down the coal industry, and that, of course, would cause energy prices to skyrocket.

There was also universal coverage of his statement to Joe the Plumber that we should “share the wealth,” and his speech telling us that “You Can’t just drive any car you like, or eat as much as you want, or keep your homes at 72 degrees.”

What on earth did you think these statements indicated — a moderate??? Did this give you the impression that he would give a damn what the majority of We The People would be in favor of or against — like for instance in Health Care or wealth destroying Cap and Trade?

Did you think that his wife’s statement — that this is the “first time” she was “proud of her country” — an opinion so heavy in extreme radical leftist anti-Americanism — would not be shared by the man she was living with?

Did you ever hear him (except for the occasional qualified and without any of his usual enthusiasm) speak highly of or praise this Nation? Oh, yes, he (with reluctance, if you listened closely) “conceded” that he realized America had given a man with his modest background the opportunity to have gotten where he has — but then his wife did say, it was the “first time” after all.

There was the audio circulating the Internet of his disparaging the Constitution as being inadequate in that it only contained what the government could not do. That he preferred that it would contain what the government “must do for” citizens — and that blah, blah, Community Action blah blah REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE. (Now there’s a hint!)

How could you expect him to “Protect and Defend” what he has little respect for, appreciation for, and as far as I’m concerned, even understanding of.

Not just Wright, Ayers and Khalidi, but ALL of his associations were with radicals of one type or another. (Were there ANY associations he had or projects you heard about that he had done with truly “Centrists” or “Moderate” types? Any at all? No.)

How far did you have to deceive yourselves to fall for his story of not knowing what Wright was preaching after 20 years? Did you know that Wright’s church — he was a member don’t forget — was dedicated to Black Liberation Theology which is socialist and race-biased — one could even easily say, racist? If you didn’t, Why Not?

Didn’t it disturb you that all of his records from his Chicago office disappeared — where he had voted “present” a hundred and something times? Or that not one bit of his writing while at University was available — even though he was the “Editor” of the Harvard Review? And that he refused to release his grades?

Did you know there was a video of a speech he gave at a party for Rashid Khalidi which the L.A.Times refused to release because it would be damaging to him? What do you suppose it revealed? Something innocuous perhaps?

The man lied with a straight face over and over — obvious lies — knowing the MSM would never call him on it. And NOT the kind of fudging and spin most politicians do — outright lies about what his intentions and plans were — and he had zero compunctions about just simply either denying what he had previously said, or giving some obviously measly “I really meant …” when he’d contradicted himself — sometimes the very next day! (By the way, that’s right out of Alinsky. Say whatever you have to to get the power — the point is to get inside to do what you will “from within.”)

Did you know about the $50 Million Chicago Annenberg Challenge (for education) he worked on with Ayres, that totally failed to improve the scholastic levels of the students because the program was geared to politicizing the children instead of giving them the skills that would improve their lives? Why Not?

Did you know, the man who was being sold as the “savior” and for the “poor,” granted state money to and made deals with the Rezko crew for improvement of a Chicago housing project — left those poor people freezing in the winter and living in broken down (unrepaired) buildings, while Rezko made a fortune on it? Rezko, the man who is in prison now — who did a deal to help the O buy his Chicago mansion?

Why not? Or, if you did, didn’t you think these might be an indication of at least his character and abilities?

His Alinsky connection. His ACORN connection. It goes on and on, and deeper and deeper at every turn.

In 2007, he proposed a bill that would commit us to transfer almost $1 Trillion of our money under the U.N. Global Poverty Act. Moderate? If you didn’t know about it, WHY NOT? The information was readily available.

And, to top it all off, he TOLD US that he was a deceiver. In his book and in several statements he made, he said outright, that people saw in him what they wanted to see. Isn’t it clear that this is only possible in one who deliberately makes himself vague and ambiguous.

Finally — what the #*^! did you think he meant by “Fundamentally Changing America!”????

What we have in the White House is now much worse than “socialism.” It’s the kind of very dangerous, very embroiled alliances with huge corporations combining extreme regulation with government influence. Czars with no Congressional oversight. A combination of Extreme Radical Ideologues and Crooks — following Alinsky guidelines — which have zero, zero scruples — and is all about accumulating and weilding unemcumbered POWER.

The O gang should never be called “Liberals” again. They are not. They are Extreme Radical Leftists and should always be referred to as such.

Watch one (in two parts) of the David Horowitz Restoration Weekend Videos here:
David Horowitz, Pat Caddell (A Democrat!) and Scott Wheeler

Socialist Assault On America

The attack on America has really only just begun. This is the end of the beginning and we'll see much more over the next two years. In 2012 Mr. Obama will suddenly morph into a moderate once more and attempt to be re-elected. Unfortunately, it's the damage done over the next two years that matters. While the bill that authorizes government seizure of health care still has a ways to go, it is very possible that it will, in the end be passed.

What is the most important aspect is that this is the largest single tax increase in American history. Additionally, if it is passed, it will be along strictly partisan party lines only. So the Democratic Party will own this legislation lock stock and barrel. When the American people, who oppose this measure by a poll average of 57% against to 37% for, will (unless the GOP blow it, which ain't beyond possibility) barring some "emergency" postponement of next November's national election, hammer the Dems at the polls.

At this point, I don't discount postponement of next fall's election. Remember, Adolf Hitler was a SOCIALIST, and took power legally. Mr. Obama already has thugs in waiting in the SEIU who already have a history of beating those who oppose The One's will (St. Louis & So Cal). During the campaign, Mr. Obama said he wanted to form a civilian "corps that is as well funded as the military"...what is that but a new brown-shirt organization.

We live in interesting times...but I for one, could do without it.

Obama Supporter Changes Heart

The NY Post published a column by Michael Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin voted for Mr. Obama in the past presidential election, but has come to have a distinct change of heart. Like many people I know who voted for The One last year, his actions this year have prompted a change of heart. Mr. Goodwin calls it a bait and switch:
President Obama, for whom I voted because I believed he was the best choice available, is a profound disappointment. I now regard his campaign as a sly bait-and-switch operation, promising one thing and delivering another. Shame on me.

Equally surprising, he has become an insufferable bore. The grace notes and charm have vanished, with peevishness and petty spite his default emotions. His rhetorical gifts now serve his loathsome habit of fear-mongering.

"Time is running out," he says, over and again. He said it on health care, on the stimulus, in Copenhagen, on Iran.

Instead of provoking thought and inspiring ideas, the man hailed for his Ivy League nuance insists we stop thinking and do what he says. Now.

His assertion we will go bankrupt unless Congress immediately adopts the health monstrosity marks a new low.
Living in blue-state Maryland, I've come to hear this kind of thing more and more often. Many of my neighbors voted for Mr. Obama because he ran as a moderate, almost "Clintonesque" candidate. But once elected to office. He didn't just lurch left, he ran there full tilt.

Mr. Obama's assertion that those who didn't agree with him should "shut up and get out of the way," isn't in the spirit of America. In America, we can disagree, but don't demonize me...as Mr. Obama has first, the banking industry, then health insurance industry...going so far as to set up an "enemies" website informant email destination. Had Richard Nixon done half the things that Mr. Obama has...the media would have led the coup that overthrew him, not support his every move and initiative as if it came from heaven.

In the coming months, I think we'll see a lot more independents and moderates shift even farther to the right...the GOP can, with intelligence (they probably don't have) lead the electorate into a massive defeat of the Democratic Party next November. My real concern is that once in place, no entitlement program has EVER BEEN REPEALED! EVER! And don't get me wrong, the Senate has passed this governments seizure of health care. That's despite 61% of voters OPPOSING such a move.

It's time to take a very hard look at those who have been chosen to lead this country and kick them all out. It's obvious they have abandoned their constituents desires and adopted the "we know better than you what is good for you" attitude. I expect that next fall, the Democrats will be very surprised at the polls. I also expect that many more Democratic Congressmen will choose to retire rather than face their constituents at the ballot box.