Bastogne Celebrates "Nuts" Day, 2013.

Here's video of the parade in the Belgian town of Bastogne celebrating "Nuts Day", Dec, 26, 2013.



For those that don't know, "Nuts" was the answer that Brig Gen Anthony "Tony" McAullife, the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division (The Screaming Eagles) sent to the German commander when he demanded the surrender of the important communications and road intersection of several major highways in eastern Belgium.  Bastognians have been celebrating this holiday for decades...while we ignore the heroism displayed by the 101st Airborne Division and Team SNAFU (remnants of the 28th Infantry Division of the Penn Nat Gd--"Bloody Bucket" or "Keystone Div.") and the CCB of the 10th Armored Division, CCR of the 9th Armored Division, 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion 35th and 158th Combat Engineer Battalions, 58th and 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalions, 755th and 969th Field Artillery Battalions of 8th Corps 

While the list looks impressive, you must keep in mind that there weren't full strength units.  Most often, they were individual platoons an companies that fell back from the Nazi onslaught. These men upon themselves, without out the aide of outside forces, held off the elements of 4 German Panzer Divisions for more than a week.

Hat tip For t he Record blog

Monkey Rejects Unequal Pay

Here's a great video of a Capuchin Monkey rejecting unequal pay:



via Paterico's Pontifications

Sen Jeanne Shaheen is a Liar

Here is the add that could well sink the Democratic party in general and Jeanne Shaheen in particular.



Remember, ObamaCare was passed without a single GOP vote...Democrats OWN this abortion, now ram it down their throats.

Why Americans are so Angry

Here's a deep insight from the comment thread on an article in the Economist...

J. Kemp Dec 7th, 19:32

There is an apparent lack of understanding among many in this thread about the nature of America's unique flavor of, and recipe for, corruption.

The way corruption works in America is through the providing of morally corrupt laws to those who purchase laws from federal and state legislatures. The purchasing is done most often through campaign finance transactions.
In other less developed countries, corruption is quite straightforward and easy to see as such. Old fashioned cash-for-deeds bribery is more prevalent in less developed nations.

In America corruption is a much more insidious game, which is worse because (i) it is almost always plausibly deniable by virtue of being cloaked in "laws", and (ii) it is impossible for the citizens to escape.

The American banking sector, telecoms companies, insurance companies, America's multiple for-profit prison industries and the major licensed professions: attorneys, physicians, financial services "professionals" (sic) and accountants are all major spenders on the purchasing of legislation which creates and protects their selfish economic opportunities at the expense of normal Americans who are not members of these law-buying clubs. America passes secret laws enabling its NSA to violate its citizens constitutional rights and has secret courts to approve these violations. America uses drones to murder targets -- but many innocents -- in ways which are clear violations of easily understood Geneva conventions on warfare and prohibiting crimes against humanity.

There is, in fact, a high level of cash-for-deeds corruption in America, for example, as set forth by the Yale Law Journal which formulates and estimate of over 1 million bribery transactions per year in the American judicial branch of government. There are also abundant indications of a high level of arrogance towards the citizens by members of government from local police and other local government employees, all the way up to national office holders in federal legislatures and other branches of government.

However the worst and most inescapable and deleterious form of corruption going on in America is when private interests (or certain parts of government) get deals from legislatures and get the laws they want so that they can economically enslave -- and/or imprison -- American citizens.

Americans are being bled out by these custom, gov-for-sale laws like animals at a slaughterhouse. This is angering Americans as well it should.

The key to understanding the uniquely American flavor of corruption is to understand that is most often WRAPPED IN LAWS which laws seek to legitimize morally corrupt treatment of America's citizens, often under the further cover of some noble motive.

American corruption is unique and innovative in its many disguises, but it is worse for the citizens than the forms of corruption found in other nations due to the fact that American corruption is, by design, inescapable for its citizens, a large portion of whom are exploited as economic slaves by those privileged industries and professions who are holding all the cards in the form of laws they purchased from America's corrupt legislatures.

If Obama Was a Republican...

George Washington on the 2nd Amendment

Of all the founding fathers, this man had the most to lose.  So, I believe his opinions on  the 2nd Amendment are pertinent to today's arguments on this most important of ALL the Bill of Rights.

The Griffon, Bush Gardens, Prague Czech Republic

this looks AWESOME!

Howard University, Wash, DC: I Thought ObamaCare Was Free?

Via Instapundit.com, Michelle Fields interviews students at Howard Univ. in Washington DC about ObamaCare.



The title is from the last line...a clearly clueless idiot, who mindlessly voted for Obama...weep for the future, for these morons are it...but to quote the great Robert Heinlein, "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch", or as he put it TANSTAAFL...someone has to pay for that free lunch eventually...

PicoBrew Zymatic: Automatic Beer Brewing Appliance

This is awesome.  I'd love to have one of these things.



The only real barrier to me brewing beer at home is the mess and hours sitting in front of a stove watching beer boil... here is their kick start page...I hope those of you who can afford to, will pledge. I do know that if they aren't too expensive, I'll be buying one of these, because I've always wanted to brew my own beer...just about as much as I'd love to have a still and make my own aged whiskey!

Hat Tip; Patterico's Pontifications

Winter Hunting: Fox Style!

From Lynda D., an amazing video:

Obama Pivots to the Economy...for the 11th Time!

Unfortunately, his record is dismal...and is only exceeded by that of FDR's extending the great depression by 7 more years...Here is what Obama has achieved economically:

• GOP.com put together this summary of Obama’s economic failures.
• “For The Second Consecutive Year, Neither The Official Poverty Rate Nor The Number Of People In Poverty At The National Level Were Statistically Different From The Previous Year’s Estimates.” (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
• As Of 2012, There Are 46.5 Million Americans Living In Poverty. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
• Under Obama, The Poverty Rate Has Increased From 13.2 Percent To 15 Percent. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
• Under Obama, 6.7 Million More Americans Have Fallen Into Poverty. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
• Under Obama, The Gini Coefficient – Used To Measure The Degree Of Income Inequality – Has Increased From .466 To .477. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
• From 2011 To 2012, Median Income Declined From $51,100 To $51,017. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
• Since Obama Took Office, The Average Duration Of Unemployment Has Nearly Doubled From 19.8 Weeks To 36.1 Weeks. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 12/4/13)
• The Unemployment Rate Has Fallen “Almost Entirely” Because Fewer People Are Looking For Jobs, Rather Than Due To People Actually Finding Jobs. “The unemployment rate has dropped almost entirely because of this decline in labor force participation. In other words, it has not fallen because people are finding jobs. It has fallen because fewer people are looking for jobs.” (Binyamin Appelbaum, “Labor Force Participation Is Not Coming Back,” The New York Times‘ Economix Blog, 7/18/13)
• 21.6 Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed Or Have Given Up Looking For Work. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 12/4/13)
• “Nearly Two-Thirds Of Jobs Lost During The Recession Paid Middle-Class Wages, According To The National Employment Law Project. Yet Only 22 Percent Of Jobs Created Under Obama Are Mid-Wage Occupations.” “Nearly two-thirds of jobs lost during the recession paid middle-class wages, according to the National Employment Law Project. Yet only 22 percent of jobs created under Obama are mid-wage occupations. That disparity is what Obama had in mind when he declared in his Inaugural Address, ‘We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work, when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.’” (Ron Fournier, “Middle Class Falls, Wall Street Rises…And Washington Dithers,” National Journal, 5/31/13)
• Daniel Alpert, Managing Partner Of New York Investment Bank Westwood Capital, Says “We Have Become A Nation Of Hamburger Flippers, Wal-Mart Sales Associates, Barmaids, Checkout People And Other People Working At Very Low Wages.” “The majority of the jobs that have been created during the recovery have been low-paying jobs, worsening income inequality and keeping the economy sluggish. ‘Really we have become a nation of hamburger flippers, Wal-Mart sales associates, barmaids, checkout people and other people working at very low wages,’ Daniel Alpert, managing partner of New York investment bank Westwood Capital, told Yahoo Finance’s Daily Ticker. That’s why job growth is ‘not increasing consumption or the ability to go out and buy stuff.’” (Mark Gongloff, “July Jobs Report Masks Real Problems In U.S. Labor Market,” The Huffington Post, 8/2/13)
• There’s more….
• According To A July Chamber Of Commerce Poll, ObamaCare Now “Surpasses Economic Uncertainty As The Top Worry For Small Business Owners.” “Small business owners’ concern about the economy remained steady this quarter; however, their concern about the 2010 health care bill rose significantly in the past quarter and for the third quarter in a row (from 42% in January to 49% in June). Since June 2011, anxiety about the requirements of the law has increased by 10-points since and now surpasses economic uncertainty as the top worry for small business owners.” ( Harris Interactive/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce , 1304 Small Business Executives, MoE 2.5 %, 6/21/13-7/8/13)
• A Separate IFA Poll Shows That “Sixty-Four (64) Percent Of Business Decision-Makers In Franchise-Owned Businesses And 53 Percent Of Non-Franchisee-Owned Businesses Believe The ACA Will Have A Negative Impact On Their Businesses.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
• “Twenty-Nine (29) Percent Of Franchise And 41 Percent Of Non-Franchise Businesses Are Already Seeing Health Care Costs Increase Due To The Law.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
• The IFA Poll Shows That “The Employer Mandate Will Almost Double The Percentage Of Franchise-Owned Businesses And More Than Triple The Percentage Of Non-Franchise Businesses That Will Not Offer Health Care.” “Twenty-eight (28) percent of franchise and non-franchise businesses surveyed report that the employer mandate will mean they will drop coverage for their employees. In effect, among this segment of businesses, the employer mandate will almost double the percentage of franchise-owned businesses and more than triple the percentage of non-franchise businesses that will not offer health care.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
• “Employers Around The Country Are Reducing Employee Hours Because They Can’t Afford ObamaCare. “Employers around the country, from fast-food franchises to colleges, have told NBC News that they will be cutting workers’ hours below 30 a week because they can’t afford to offer the health insurance mandated by the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.” (Lisa Myers and Carroll Ann Mears, “Businesses Claim ObamaCare Has Forced Them To Cut Employee Hours,” NBC News, 8/13/13)

As you can see, he's not done too well.  Eventually,  he's going to have to stop blaming Bush for all his economic woes...

HT  The Gateway Pundit

Pentatonix: Drummer Boy

I will admit that I absolutely despise this song...since the '70's with that horrid Christmas show (claymation I believe)...but this rendition is brilliant.

Obama's New Symbol

Organizing for America has a new symbol.  They think it will be more effective than their old one, even though it incorporates much of it...