As I was sweating my [deleted] off fixing a foot-sized hole in my attic floor, my Darling Wife said she wanted me to "be done for now" so we could go to BH's place.
BH's place is the place with a standing invite to go shooting anytime.
Then she said the B family would be there. Dad B had expressed an interest in having a gun class (see "Let me take you shooting" on the right side of this page) but never worked up a schedule. I brought out some guns, ammo, and teaching equipment (including PPE) just in case, then loaded up #2's bicycle so he could ride around BH's land, and off we went.
Lunch, and socializing with another family that showed up kept us busy for the first part of the afternoon, but around 16:00 I told CB if he wanted a class, it had better get started or we'd run out of time. By 18:30 we were packing it in, because my Darling Wife is 8 months into the cooking process for VFDkiddo #4 and she can only be up and doing for so long. Between those times, I ran a class with two boys and a man, and we did much less shooting than I would have liked.
I started Boy 1 off with a .22LR Ruger revolver which he liked, except that it was heavy for him. We were about 5 yards from a few aluminum cans, which danced nicely with a good hit. He kept wanting to lean backwards from his hips for some reason. Then his dad was up, and he did quite well, only requiring a couple of minor pointers. Boy 2 has been shooting before but hadn't been through my lecture, so he sat through it and waited for the n00bs to have their turns, then he lit up the berm with his hi-point 9mm carbine. It put the hurt on the cans, including sending one flying clear off into the tall grass. I sent him to get more cans.
Boy 1 wanted to have a go at the Glock foh-ty, but one shot was all he wanted from it. I think he was surprised at the much-larger recoil He handled it ok, but the Glock may as well have been a 2x4 in his little hands, so that first shot was plenty. His dad did better with it, and was happy to see one can scoot halfway up the berm from a solid hit.
I like to start folks out with light-recoiling guns, and they were up for it, so we broke out a Marlin .22LR rifle. I think Boy 1 might need glasses or something, he had such a hard time seeing the front sight. It was also heavy for him, so I provided a third hand (mine) for a forend rest. He struggled with the sights for a minute and ended up not firing a shot. Boy 2 took a turn on it and chewed the cans up. Boy 1 saw Boy 2 having fun at it, and said he wanted another try. I held the front of the stock again, and Boy 1 was having a hard time getting off a shot. The difference between the single-stage revolver and the 2-stage rifle triggers was throwing him, plus he was maybe a little scared to be shooting actual guns. I saw him struggling with the (5lbs) trigger, so I told him to just squeeze it without aiming, to see what it was like. He did, and found out it wasn't so bad, and then he got a few shots off. I need to get some child-sized safety glasses. . . the ones he was wearing were slipping off his head. Oh well.
I could tell the Dad was having fun, and he was dealing with recoil pretty well, so (after a word from my Darling Wife that time was running out) I ran him up the power ladder pretty quickly. He liked the SKS, and was impressed with its report. #3 commented from the house 100 yards away in a 2 year-old's voice that he was also impressed with the noise from the SKS (we heard "LOUD" after each shot, very cute). Then Boy 2 broke out a Mosin Nagant and THAT was the winner of the 'loudest gun yet' award, in addition to tipping Boy 2 back on his heels despite being well-positioned. The Dad shot that one, and was suitably impressed with the recoil coming through the steel butt plate. He was also impressed with the price . . . Mosins can still be had for <$100 in good condition these days. If only they had a longer frikken bolt handle . . .
Then it was time to go, because my Darling Wife was at about 97% of her capacity for not being on a couch with her swollen feet up. One of my goals for the day was to see if a few new parts for an old Bryco 59 would turn it into a functional pistol. It got off two shots. Then it stovepiped on a live round (FTF) which I cleared. Boy 2 was curious throughout the afternoon about this gun. He had never seen one and wondered why I kept saying it was cheap junk. After the third shot it showed me the new striker spring was NOT the right part by halfway disassembling itself as the slide was going back into battery. Boy 2 was watching me shoot, and I held up the partially-disassembled weapon, and called back to the spectator's area and said "Piece of Junk." He finally understood, agreed, and said back in a suitably impressed tone: "Piece of Junk."
Then we loaded up and left. We got home around supper time, and then the Zoo went down for the night. A couple of guns got a light cleaning and fresh grease, then put back in the safe. Then it was bedtime.
Good times.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day 2010
Of course I observed it. I started the day with a prayer of thanksgiving, then we went on to do what my fallen brothers can't: live life.
Yes Obama skipped the ceremony at Arlington. No it's not the end of the world. I reckon VP Biden would be more honest about it anyhow, and (dirty little secret) some of your more popular R-type Presidents of the USA have also skipped it.
Not "Happy Memorial Day." It went as well as could be expected, and I lived to tell about it, unlike some other folks who also wore the uniform.
Remember them.
Yes Obama skipped the ceremony at Arlington. No it's not the end of the world. I reckon VP Biden would be more honest about it anyhow, and (dirty little secret) some of your more popular R-type Presidents of the USA have also skipped it.
Not "Happy Memorial Day." It went as well as could be expected, and I lived to tell about it, unlike some other folks who also wore the uniform.
Remember them.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Hydrogen From Seawater
A new catalyst has been discovered that allows a 70x-cheaper (than platinum) way to make hydrogen gas from water. And it can be dirty water. Actually, it looks like they can use this new material to make H2 straight from SEAWATER.
That, plus a few nulear reactors, and the world's energy needs are pretty much in the bag.
That, plus a few nulear reactors, and the world's energy needs are pretty much in the bag.
I May End Up With Good Teeth, Yet!
If you don't have huge, gaping holes in your teeth left by years of military substandard dental care after a lifetime of substandard nutrition, you will be less thrilled by this than I was.
In the future, you may be able to grow your own teeth. New teeth. Not your adult teeth, after the baby teeth fall out. new teeth, instead of implants to replace adult teeth gone bad.
I'll take (at least) TWO!
In the future, you may be able to grow your own teeth. New teeth. Not your adult teeth, after the baby teeth fall out. new teeth, instead of implants to replace adult teeth gone bad.
I'll take (at least) TWO!
The Mark Of The Beast Goes Viral
Any sort of credit or identity document that is not a part of a person's body can be forged or lost/stolen. Any biometric identifier can be faked. The only secure solution for identity and payment documents is an implanted chip.
When it's getting right near the end of time, the people of the world will be clamoring for such a system. A cashless society will arise.
And it will STILL not be secure!
A man proved a point in a huge way, but it will be ignored when that time comes. A computer system was infected with a computer virus. The computer virus was made by him. It was in a microchip implant, in himself. He infected the computer simply by being in close proximity to it.
How would you like for the whole system to come crashing down, because someone walked by a scanner? Maybe the banking system collapses after the hacker pays for a dental check-up. Maybe a prisoner is checked into jail and all the doors are opened. The potential for mayhem is very nearly limitless. This is yet one more reason why you should NOT trust implanted identification or payment options.
But this warning will go unheeded.
When it's getting right near the end of time, the people of the world will be clamoring for such a system. A cashless society will arise.
And it will STILL not be secure!
A man proved a point in a huge way, but it will be ignored when that time comes. A computer system was infected with a computer virus. The computer virus was made by him. It was in a microchip implant, in himself. He infected the computer simply by being in close proximity to it.
How would you like for the whole system to come crashing down, because someone walked by a scanner? Maybe the banking system collapses after the hacker pays for a dental check-up. Maybe a prisoner is checked into jail and all the doors are opened. The potential for mayhem is very nearly limitless. This is yet one more reason why you should NOT trust implanted identification or payment options.
But this warning will go unheeded.
Next Up: Invading Iran!
We have to gin up public support for it, though, so here's the first of many stories: The Taliban is training in Iran.
We are fighting an undeclared war with the Taliban
They are training in Iran
Iran is a bunch of doody-heads anyhow,
So I guess it's time for us all to start singing "Barbara Ann" with revised lyrics like they did a couple of decades ago.
We are fighting an undeclared war with the Taliban
They are training in Iran
Iran is a bunch of doody-heads anyhow,
So I guess it's time for us all to start singing "Barbara Ann" with revised lyrics like they did a couple of decades ago.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Do You Like Having Less Free Money?
Then be sure to NOT contact your Senator.
The House has passed a bill that would quadruple the taxes you pay for every barrel of oil. The idea is to make YOU pay more, for cleanup funds in case a PRIVATE COMPANY has a spill.
Here's my idea: let the private company suffer financial ruin cleaning up their own messes, and someone else will still be going to get the oil out of the ground.
If this bill passes then John Q Public will have the cost of literally everything increased on him, with no corresponding increase in benefit from the government or pay from his employer. This is not good for a faltering economy, in case you were wondering, but that's not the point.
It's a power grab, to get more of your life from you (in the form of tax dollars). Poof! and the money is gone to Washington.
"You'd think they'd be saying 'Thank you'"
"Never let a good crisis go to waste"
The House has passed a bill that would quadruple the taxes you pay for every barrel of oil. The idea is to make YOU pay more, for cleanup funds in case a PRIVATE COMPANY has a spill.
Here's my idea: let the private company suffer financial ruin cleaning up their own messes, and someone else will still be going to get the oil out of the ground.
If this bill passes then John Q Public will have the cost of literally everything increased on him, with no corresponding increase in benefit from the government or pay from his employer. This is not good for a faltering economy, in case you were wondering, but that's not the point.
It's a power grab, to get more of your life from you (in the form of tax dollars). Poof! and the money is gone to Washington.
"You'd think they'd be saying 'Thank you'"
"Never let a good crisis go to waste"
Predator Drone Crews To Be Prosecuted?
The Fifth Column is hard at work. In a place where we KNOW our enemies hide behind women and children, an attack was made on a convoy with armed men on board. The Predator crew who called it are being thrown under the bus. What do you want, to send foot patrols to be mowed down, instead of sending drones out? There is no real alternative unless you want to move the decimal in the price tag several places to the right.
If we are not willing to fight the enemy, why are we there?
If we are not willing to fight the enemy, why are we there?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Topkill Failed Wednesday Night?
BP says they're going to try something different, a variant on the theme. Naked Capitalism hypothesizes that BP is merely putting a brave face on, and will be announcing a total failure of the top kill procedure late tonight or tomorrow, after the Annointed One gets out of the region.
Reading the comments doesn't make one feel better . . . a claim of NO prospect of stopping the flow until a relief well is drilled and online, MONTHS from now. I expect they would keep trying, but oy.
I'm not an oil engineer, but this sucks. I'm thinking a big clamp-on pipe and you start sucking whatever comes out of the pipe in the seabed, through a new fitting clamped over the old broken pipe. Then you run some ships around sucking up the undersea rivers of oil, trying to get it all before it is washed up on shore as part of a storm surge in a hurricane.
Reading the comments doesn't make one feel better . . . a claim of NO prospect of stopping the flow until a relief well is drilled and online, MONTHS from now. I expect they would keep trying, but oy.
I'm not an oil engineer, but this sucks. I'm thinking a big clamp-on pipe and you start sucking whatever comes out of the pipe in the seabed, through a new fitting clamped over the old broken pipe. Then you run some ships around sucking up the undersea rivers of oil, trying to get it all before it is washed up on shore as part of a storm surge in a hurricane.
Bill Clinton To Not Pass Go, Collect $200?
The answer to my question is apparently none other than William Jefferson the Impeached. He was the courier for Rahm's offer of giving Sestak the post of SecNav in exchange for quitting his bid for Senate. Rahm is hiding in Israel until this blows over, or at least you get some beer and bar-b-q in you and you forget about it a little bit.
So that'll be Jim Messina sharing a cell with Bill Clinton then eh? No, they're not a flight risk. In fact, they didn't even mean anything by it . . . we'll just give them a warning, shall we?
One might think an allegation of this nature could damage Hillary's prospects at a run for the Presidency, but then one would be forgetting the shameless nature of the persons involved. One would also be forgetting that the current President is the least suited candidate for the office ever to hold it, but hold it he does.
So that'll be Jim Messina sharing a cell with Bill Clinton then eh? No, they're not a flight risk. In fact, they didn't even mean anything by it . . . we'll just give them a warning, shall we?
One might think an allegation of this nature could damage Hillary's prospects at a run for the Presidency, but then one would be forgetting the shameless nature of the persons involved. One would also be forgetting that the current President is the least suited candidate for the office ever to hold it, but hold it he does.
Movie Reivew: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
A co-worker recommended this movie as very funny and a 'have to watch.'
It was only temporary but I think I lost a few IQ points while I watched 20 minutes of this film (the first 15 minutes, then some copious amounts of fast-forwarding). It was not only stupid, but not even stupid in a funny way. It's a good thing I was doing other stuff when the film was playing, otherwise I doubt I would have made it 5 minutes in.
If you like people being stupid, saying "fuck" every third word, and potty-joke levels of humor in your movies, have a go. If you are a typical government high school student you'll love it. Terrible movie.
The guy who recommended it came over to watch a couple of minutes over my shoulder. While I was rolling my eyes and/or shaking my head, he was laughing. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
It was only temporary but I think I lost a few IQ points while I watched 20 minutes of this film (the first 15 minutes, then some copious amounts of fast-forwarding). It was not only stupid, but not even stupid in a funny way. It's a good thing I was doing other stuff when the film was playing, otherwise I doubt I would have made it 5 minutes in.
If you like people being stupid, saying "fuck" every third word, and potty-joke levels of humor in your movies, have a go. If you are a typical government high school student you'll love it. Terrible movie.
The guy who recommended it came over to watch a couple of minutes over my shoulder. While I was rolling my eyes and/or shaking my head, he was laughing. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
Movie Review: Hotel Rwanda (2004)
The story of a [deleted] up situation, created by racism and the spirit of empire. The situation was resolved satisfactorily due to the courage, persistence, and cleverness of the hero.
It's a true story. He might tell you otherwise, but Paul Rusesabagina is a true hero.
Worth the time to watch. Not always easy to watch. Not for children, pregnant or nursing women, or the faint of heart. Good work by Terry George et al.
It's a true story. He might tell you otherwise, but Paul Rusesabagina is a true hero.
Worth the time to watch. Not always easy to watch. Not for children, pregnant or nursing women, or the faint of heart. Good work by Terry George et al.
Movie Review: Tunnel Rats (2008)
I saw Tunnel Rats -Hell is for Heroes, the unrated director's cut by Uwe Boll.
It had promise, according to the cover art and text description on the back. I watched 52 minutes of this movie on a tertiary display while I was working, then my shift ended. I'm not even remotely interested how the movie turns out for the remaining 44 minutes. I wasn't trying too hard, but I failed to find anything like a plot during that first 1/2 of the film.
If you're into combat movies, movies about dark evil places, and movies with lots of gratuitous gore, this film is for you. If you don't consider any of those to be a reason to spend an hour and a half plus the cost of a rental, skip it.
It had promise, according to the cover art and text description on the back. I watched 52 minutes of this movie on a tertiary display while I was working, then my shift ended. I'm not even remotely interested how the movie turns out for the remaining 44 minutes. I wasn't trying too hard, but I failed to find anything like a plot during that first 1/2 of the film.
If you're into combat movies, movies about dark evil places, and movies with lots of gratuitous gore, this film is for you. If you don't consider any of those to be a reason to spend an hour and a half plus the cost of a rental, skip it.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Frustrating Computing Experiences: One More :(
I was trying to find information for something at work today. The manufacturer's website had some Java thing on there for their buttons. Firefox told me I had to install a missing plugin to view the page. Fine. I told it to install that sonofa.
It found the plugin right away and it pretended like it was going to install, then it said I didn't have permissions to install it. Fine.
Logout, login to Windows as the machine administrator. Go to the same webpage. No mention of having to install the plugin. Fine.
Logout, login as myself again, and run Firefox as the Administrator. It opens the webpages Administrator had open, not the ones I had open. Fine.
Close firefox, run it as myself, copy/paste the address into notepad, close firefox, run firefox as Administrator and open that web page. Now at least, Administrator has to install a plugin. Great. Install the mother.
The plugin finder searches for several minutes. I take a piss break, come back and it's still searching for that plugin. Great. Reload the page and try again, same result.
Fine, I'll do without that page. I decided I'd just see if I can poke around the website from the homepage and the plugin can go F itself. So I deleted the tail end of the URL and went to the home page of the website. It said I needed a plugin.
Okay, fine, we'll play this game again, go ahead and install it. It finds it, it starts to instals it, and everything is going swimmingly.
I went to type up this blog post, and the [deleted] plugin installer program takes the system focus away from Notepad and I type two letters to finish the word I had been typing. It took the focus away and popped up a dialog box to request my input.I selected an option, but I don't know what it was because the dialog box was only open for 1/4 of a second. [deleted] [deleted] [deleted] software. Software should NEVER force its way to the top like that.
Fortunately I did manage to tell it not to install the (stupid) Yahoo! toolbar.
And finally it did install, and I was able to view the buttons on the webpage and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.
But RRRRRRRGH!
It found the plugin right away and it pretended like it was going to install, then it said I didn't have permissions to install it. Fine.
Logout, login to Windows as the machine administrator. Go to the same webpage. No mention of having to install the plugin. Fine.
Logout, login as myself again, and run Firefox as the Administrator. It opens the webpages Administrator had open, not the ones I had open. Fine.
Close firefox, run it as myself, copy/paste the address into notepad, close firefox, run firefox as Administrator and open that web page. Now at least, Administrator has to install a plugin. Great. Install the mother.
The plugin finder searches for several minutes. I take a piss break, come back and it's still searching for that plugin. Great. Reload the page and try again, same result.
Fine, I'll do without that page. I decided I'd just see if I can poke around the website from the homepage and the plugin can go F itself. So I deleted the tail end of the URL and went to the home page of the website. It said I needed a plugin.
Okay, fine, we'll play this game again, go ahead and install it. It finds it, it starts to instals it, and everything is going swimmingly.
I went to type up this blog post, and the [deleted] plugin installer program takes the system focus away from Notepad and I type two letters to finish the word I had been typing. It took the focus away and popped up a dialog box to request my input.I selected an option, but I don't know what it was because the dialog box was only open for 1/4 of a second. [deleted] [deleted] [deleted] software. Software should NEVER force its way to the top like that.
Fortunately I did manage to tell it not to install the (stupid) Yahoo! toolbar.
And finally it did install, and I was able to view the buttons on the webpage and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.
But RRRRRRRGH!
Man That Guy Must Really Be Terrible!
"I take responsibility. It is my job to make sure that everything is done to shut this down" President Barack Obama (regarding the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill)
First he claimed the melting-down economy as his own, now he accepts responsibility for the worst ecological disaster in his own lifetime. That's quite a legacy he's owning up to, there!
Of course, the (almost-kakistocracy) Obama administration is doing as much as it can bungle, to see that the problem is worsened. Louisiana still hasn't heard anything back on their desperate requests to dredge up a row of sand berms to protect their fragile marshlands. Now I just heard today that, on May 8th they were pleading with the government not to allow oil dispersants to be released underwater. They said the oil would not rise, where it could be skimmed or burned off. It would make underwater rivers, which would get caught in currents, and possibly kill huge portions of the nation's fisheries. May 13th the EPA allowed it anyway and they started releasing dispersant chemicals at 4,000 feet. Now we have miles-wide, miles long rivers of oil NOT rising to the surface, getting caught in the undersea currents.
Great.
I share Neal Boortz's sentiment that neither the spill nor the majority of the ineffectual flailing about which followed were the fault of President Obama. I am also not too terribly heartbroken that he will catch a lot of blame for it anyhow, because he's an evil man.
At least the topkill seems to be working, for which I was praying and am very grateful.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Busy Morning, Eh Boys?
My morning commute to work takes me down a twisty two-lane road with woods on the North side and multi-acre front yards on the South side. One of the properties on the South side has a fancy brick entry, which neatly conceals two police motorcycles. So it is (of course) a frequent location for the local PD to raise some money off of speeders with their RADAR guns.
This morning, as I was heading West to work, I was behind one of those motorcycle patrolmen. Having finished writing out a citation, he was going back to hang out with his partner. He had to wait for an oncoming car to pass (headed East) so he could go back into his shady speed trap hiding spot. As the car passed by, the lights on that bike lit up like a blue and red Christmas tree, and he pulled a U-turn right on the road. He was off after the next offender.
(I'm guessing it might have been a case of expired tags or something.)
This morning, as I was heading West to work, I was behind one of those motorcycle patrolmen. Having finished writing out a citation, he was going back to hang out with his partner. He had to wait for an oncoming car to pass (headed East) so he could go back into his shady speed trap hiding spot. As the car passed by, the lights on that bike lit up like a blue and red Christmas tree, and he pulled a U-turn right on the road. He was off after the next offender.
(I'm guessing it might have been a case of expired tags or something.)
F1 Racing In Watermelon Austin?!
As Jeff Ward pointed out, it is looking like the taxpayers may be on the hook to build a race track. There is evidently a stolen-from-taxpayers state fund for helping billionaires build sporting arenas*. That is sure to be part of it, but who else is going to be paying? A day after the initial announcement of a decade-long deal between Austin and the racing people, and no word as to who will build the track? He thinks it smacks of government stealing from some for the enjoyment of others again.
But my first thought was: HERE? Here where they are supposedly all sideways about the environment we are going to have cars screaming around a track for the sole purpose of screaming around the track, which get 4MPG and go through 3 sets of tires in a few hours? Cars that make such a racket you have to wear plugs and muffs to get near them when they are in operation? Seriously? They're going to allow that here? Wait till the nearest NIMBY neighborhood or environmentalist whacko association hears about THIS!
*In related news, did you know you were paying $31M for the Superbowl this year? Also, Travis county is looking to raise property taxes, because it is impossible to spend LESS money year-over-year.
Tea parties: Not anti-government, anti too-much government.
But my first thought was: HERE? Here where they are supposedly all sideways about the environment we are going to have cars screaming around a track for the sole purpose of screaming around the track, which get 4MPG and go through 3 sets of tires in a few hours? Cars that make such a racket you have to wear plugs and muffs to get near them when they are in operation? Seriously? They're going to allow that here? Wait till the nearest NIMBY neighborhood or environmentalist whacko association hears about THIS!
*In related news, did you know you were paying $31M for the Superbowl this year? Also, Travis county is looking to raise property taxes, because it is impossible to spend LESS money year-over-year.
Tea parties: Not anti-government, anti too-much government.
How Not To Write a Nice Book
After I finished The Killing Fields, I wanted to freshen my memory about the history of Cambodia, and (to be quite honest) to reassure myself that the Khmer Rouge really did end up out of power eventually. I found this this article containing a round condemnation of "First They Killed My Father" by Loung Ung. The book was apparently written to manipulate a reader into sympathizing with the authoress, who largely made it up. That's not so bad, until you realize she was writing about being a survivor of the tyrany of the Khmer Rouge. The book is decried a travesty, stomping on the memory of the innocent Khmer-Cambodians brutalized during that awful time -with a hint of racism for good measure.
Mentioned more favorably are "Music Through the Dark" by Bree Lefreniere, narrated by Daran Kravanh, and "When Broken Glass Floats" by Chanrithy Him (both of which are now on my Wish List).
********
It got me thinking. Losing 2,000,000-ish Kampucheans would be like losing 75,000,000-ish Americans these days. Imagine writing a book about it, from the perspective of a survivor, that was at least in large part made up and passed off as factual.
Not.
Nice.
Mentioned more favorably are "Music Through the Dark" by Bree Lefreniere, narrated by Daran Kravanh, and "When Broken Glass Floats" by Chanrithy Him (both of which are now on my Wish List).
********
It got me thinking. Losing 2,000,000-ish Kampucheans would be like losing 75,000,000-ish Americans these days. Imagine writing a book about it, from the perspective of a survivor, that was at least in large part made up and passed off as factual.
Not.
Nice.
Movie Review: The Killing Fields
I watched The Killing Fields for the first time today. I'm young enough that it would have been WAY too early for me to see it when it first came out.
Wow. That's a good movie. It's a bit hard to watch in places, and sometimes the acting is a bit transparent, but (and this is high praise for a movie, from me) it's not a waste of two and a half hours of your life.
It is also most emphatically NOT for viewing by children (even some young teens), expectant mothers, or the faint of heart. I'm not sure if it makes it better or worse that it's based on a true story. May God help us not to repeat it in the USA.
Wow. That's a good movie. It's a bit hard to watch in places, and sometimes the acting is a bit transparent, but (and this is high praise for a movie, from me) it's not a waste of two and a half hours of your life.
It is also most emphatically NOT for viewing by children (even some young teens), expectant mothers, or the faint of heart. I'm not sure if it makes it better or worse that it's based on a true story. May God help us not to repeat it in the USA.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Razzle Dazzle, Border Control Edition
More nuclear reactors . . . as part of Cap & Trade.
More insurance for healthcare . . . as part of Socialized medicine
and now (drumroll please) . . .
Fewer National Guard troops than requested, in non-security roles, on the US/Mexico border . . . as part of comprehensive immigration reform (amnesty) bill?
The President says he wants to send 1,200 (of 6,000 John McCain was pushing for) National Guardsmen to lend a hand in supporting roles (vs. actually making the border secure). This WILL be spun by the national leftist media as an amazing great good response and the border will surely be secure after this just wait after all he is sort of god!
It will also be a typical Obama response: do something that sounds good in a properly-worded headline, but not enough to actually help, besides being too little, too late.
More insurance for healthcare . . . as part of Socialized medicine
and now (drumroll please) . . .
Fewer National Guard troops than requested, in non-security roles, on the US/Mexico border . . . as part of comprehensive immigration reform (amnesty) bill?
The President says he wants to send 1,200 (of 6,000 John McCain was pushing for) National Guardsmen to lend a hand in supporting roles (vs. actually making the border secure). This WILL be spun by the national leftist media as an amazing great good response and the border will surely be secure after this just wait after all he is sort of god!
It will also be a typical Obama response: do something that sounds good in a properly-worded headline, but not enough to actually help, besides being too little, too late.
Movie Review: Why We Fight (2005)
I finally got around to watching the "Why We Fight" movie made during the regime of the eternally-hated President Bush.
If I had never watched that film, I would never have found out:
The US military is full of uneducated losers who couldn't support themselves on their own, without the assistance of parents in the lower socioeconomic class.
We didn't win the war in Vietnam
The USA is a "democracy"
Further I would never have known that the primary reasons we are fighting in Iraq are:
To further the US Empire
For oil
To profit the companies who build hardware for the US military.
I might have been inclined to think that, from WWII through the current wars, there were actual enemies out there, who would like to kill me if they could, and whom we send our troops to fight. I might have thought that Communism was a threat to be resisted by force of arms.
Bonus points for insulting the intelligence of the viewing audience with cheezy camera work, stock footage shot who-knows-where-or-when but inserted in places calculated to engender sympathy with our enemies
I left a note in the box when I replaced the DVD: "P.S. please take no notice of the existence of actual ENEMIES"
If I had never watched that film, I would never have found out:
Further I would never have known that the primary reasons we are fighting in Iraq are:
I might have been inclined to think that, from WWII through the current wars, there were actual enemies out there, who would like to kill me if they could, and whom we send our troops to fight. I might have thought that Communism was a threat to be resisted by force of arms.
Bonus points for insulting the intelligence of the viewing audience with cheezy camera work, stock footage shot who-knows-where-or-when but inserted in places calculated to engender sympathy with our enemies
I left a note in the box when I replaced the DVD: "P.S. please take no notice of the existence of actual ENEMIES"
N. Korea Making A Risky Bet
On one hand, we have a bunch of sympathetic co-religionists fellow-travelers Democrats running the United States, and they are already stretching their military resources thin over in the Middle East. They are unlikely to want to START a war with us, and they may be loath to jump in a war we start with the South, because they are Capitalist Pigs in the South.
On the other hand, Hillary is bumbling toward war talk, and their President is obviously able to be swayed by public outcry, at least sometimes. Plus, they did kick our [deleted] last time we were involved in a war with the USA and the South.
. . . but you know, it sure would be nice to have all that industrialized goodness down there, and it would show what a great leader I am, to win a war over the South . . .
On the other hand, Hillary is bumbling toward war talk, and their President is obviously able to be swayed by public outcry, at least sometimes. Plus, they did kick our [deleted] last time we were involved in a war with the USA and the South.
. . . but you know, it sure would be nice to have all that industrialized goodness down there, and it would show what a great leader I am, to win a war over the South . . .
Monday, May 24, 2010
Oral Rehydration Therapyf
I first learned about Oral Rehydration Therapy from Team Rubicon when they were reporting good success using it after the earthquake in Haiti. I couldn't find the recipe from them again, but wikipedia was happy to oblige:
Oral rehydration solution recipe, to be mixed with clean water:
2.6g/L Sodium Chloride
13.5g/L glucose, anhydrous
1.5g/L potassium chloride
2.9g/L trisodium citrate, dihydrate
The stuff is available in ready-to-mix packages (just add water) and it has saved more lives than a civilized person would like to know, mostly children suffering from diarrhea.
A brother at my church said his wife was feeling pretty low for a while after spending too much time in the sun recently. Our home-brewed ORS is our go-to drink for such occasions. It's also good if someone is just plain dehydrated, especially if watery stuff coming out the nether regions is also involved. We're loath to spend money if we can DIY, and thanks God, we've so far always been able to get by with the somewhat less scientific version that goes something like this:
Big glass of cool water (REALLY BIG)
Tablespoon or so of sugar
Little bit of salt
Maybe with some orange juice, a cup or two, if we have any
Mix well
Try that next time you have overdone it and undersupplied your liquids and electrolytes, and you don't have any Gatorade handy.
Oral rehydration solution recipe, to be mixed with clean water:
2.6g/L Sodium Chloride
13.5g/L glucose, anhydrous
1.5g/L potassium chloride
2.9g/L trisodium citrate, dihydrate
The stuff is available in ready-to-mix packages (just add water) and it has saved more lives than a civilized person would like to know, mostly children suffering from diarrhea.
A brother at my church said his wife was feeling pretty low for a while after spending too much time in the sun recently. Our home-brewed ORS is our go-to drink for such occasions. It's also good if someone is just plain dehydrated, especially if watery stuff coming out the nether regions is also involved. We're loath to spend money if we can DIY, and thanks God, we've so far always been able to get by with the somewhat less scientific version that goes something like this:
Big glass of cool water (REALLY BIG)
Tablespoon or so of sugar
Little bit of salt
Maybe with some orange juice, a cup or two, if we have any
Mix well
Try that next time you have overdone it and undersupplied your liquids and electrolytes, and you don't have any Gatorade handy.
BP To MAKE Money Cleaning Up Their Oil Spill!
You read it here first. Or at least, you would have if I were still posting from work. I came up with this around lunchtime, all by my lonesome. Feel free to forward it to the fevered minds at prisonplanet.com.
So get this: the Obama administration is getting fed up with the fact that it is taking a long time to plug a hole 23" across that is spewing out high-speed, high-pressure, high-volume oil a MILE under the surface of the ocean, WAY out in the gulf. They are making noises about having The Government take over the effort.
Q: Who in the government has a ship standing by and ready to go out there and put a giant rubber stopper in the hole?
A: Nobody, that's who.
The Government would have to have somebody who knew what he was doing go in there and fix it all up nice-like. That somebody is going to be:
a) The Easter Bunny
b) Big Sis Napolitano
c) A huge multinational petroleum company
The next logical step is as follows: who knows the most about this particular oil disaster, and has already hired on consultants from all the other oil companies AND experts from several world-class universities, and has assets on-scene to take care of the problem? Why that would be British Petroleum! We should totally hire them for a billion and a half dollars to shut off the well and clean this all up for us! Yeah, that's a great idea!
But The Government doesn't know what to do, or what ideas have been discussed and discarded. They only know what has very publicly failed to work, to date. So then we could spend a couple of days whilst some needlehead in the Obama White House goes back and forth over well-trod ground with the BP engineers while oil continues to pour into the ocean. THEN they could impose some ridiculous union rules that would prevent the job getting done the next month, THEN the thing the BP people wanted to do next, before the effort was "taken over" by The Government would be tried, and it would work.
And who makes money? BP makes money! Great success! High Five!
Let BP take care of the leak. They are one of a handful of companies who has half a clue what to do, and I guarantee that they are thrashing day and night trying to stop that PR disaster formerly known as straight-up MONEY pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. Let them handle it, then let them be liquidated to pay all the damages claims.
Or maybe hire a Chinese company who would hire BP. Or maybe, hey let's do what they used to scream about the Bushies doing: a no-bid contract for Haliburton to do it!
********
All the talk of The Government taking over the efforts under the sea is just evidence of the fact that we have Statists running the country and the press right now. Their knee-jerk reaction to anything is halp! somebody call da gummint!
So get this: the Obama administration is getting fed up with the fact that it is taking a long time to plug a hole 23" across that is spewing out high-speed, high-pressure, high-volume oil a MILE under the surface of the ocean, WAY out in the gulf. They are making noises about having The Government take over the effort.
Q: Who in the government has a ship standing by and ready to go out there and put a giant rubber stopper in the hole?
A: Nobody, that's who.
The Government would have to have somebody who knew what he was doing go in there and fix it all up nice-like. That somebody is going to be:
a) The Easter Bunny
b) Big Sis Napolitano
c) A huge multinational petroleum company
The next logical step is as follows: who knows the most about this particular oil disaster, and has already hired on consultants from all the other oil companies AND experts from several world-class universities, and has assets on-scene to take care of the problem? Why that would be British Petroleum! We should totally hire them for a billion and a half dollars to shut off the well and clean this all up for us! Yeah, that's a great idea!
But The Government doesn't know what to do, or what ideas have been discussed and discarded. They only know what has very publicly failed to work, to date. So then we could spend a couple of days whilst some needlehead in the Obama White House goes back and forth over well-trod ground with the BP engineers while oil continues to pour into the ocean. THEN they could impose some ridiculous union rules that would prevent the job getting done the next month, THEN the thing the BP people wanted to do next, before the effort was "taken over" by The Government would be tried, and it would work.
And who makes money? BP makes money! Great success! High Five!
Let BP take care of the leak. They are one of a handful of companies who has half a clue what to do, and I guarantee that they are thrashing day and night trying to stop that PR disaster formerly known as straight-up MONEY pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. Let them handle it, then let them be liquidated to pay all the damages claims.
Or maybe hire a Chinese company who would hire BP. Or maybe, hey let's do what they used to scream about the Bushies doing: a no-bid contract for Haliburton to do it!
********
All the talk of The Government taking over the efforts under the sea is just evidence of the fact that we have Statists running the country and the press right now. Their knee-jerk reaction to anything is halp! somebody call da gummint!
Well This May Be Interesting
Obama is proposing it, so I start from the assumption that it is a horrible idea, but . . .
He has proposed a way to get around the supreme Court, who forbade the line-item veto a few years back. No, it's not "let's legislate the jurisdiction to decide the constitutionality of the line-item veto away from the supreme Court." No, it's not "let's all work together and make a good bill." No, it's not "let's not write bills full of waste and pork-barrel spending." It's "you write it, I'll make it law, and then I'll tell you what I hate about it and you can tell me if you agree with me or not."
IF we had a virtuous President AND a virtuous legislature, that might be a good way to deal with honest mistakes. As it is, I'm thinking it's (still) time to be holding on to our Liberty with both hands.
He has proposed a way to get around the supreme Court, who forbade the line-item veto a few years back. No, it's not "let's legislate the jurisdiction to decide the constitutionality of the line-item veto away from the supreme Court." No, it's not "let's all work together and make a good bill." No, it's not "let's not write bills full of waste and pork-barrel spending." It's "you write it, I'll make it law, and then I'll tell you what I hate about it and you can tell me if you agree with me or not."
IF we had a virtuous President AND a virtuous legislature, that might be a good way to deal with honest mistakes. As it is, I'm thinking it's (still) time to be holding on to our Liberty with both hands.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Steele: Still Not Getting It
So now, RNC Chairman Michael Steele is showing that either he is either a poor example of a partisan hack, completely unwilling/unable to dig out the truth, or else he is completely clueless as to what is really going on with the US electorate. Or all three. He's criticizing what amounts to a poor choice of words by Rand Paul with regards to something that was controversial (because Democrats fought it) before half the nation was even born yet.
Steele really needs to go, but I am hoping he will be replaced sooner, rather than later, after this next round of elections puts in people who are in touch with what the People really think.
As for my commentary on Paul's position, Tam has captured the flavor of my opinon nicely.
Steele really needs to go, but I am hoping he will be replaced sooner, rather than later, after this next round of elections puts in people who are in touch with what the People really think.
As for my commentary on Paul's position, Tam has captured the flavor of my opinon nicely.
Cable Television Service As A Metaphor For Obamacare
On our way down the street from our house going to church this morning, I saw a van with the side decorated to promote a cable television channel. Contact your cable provider to get XYZ channel added to your service. It struck me that this is an apt metaphor for healthcare insurance.
Not everyone needs or wants cable TV service, or health care payment insurance.
There may come a time when you wish you had access to a show, or a way to pay for a procedure, without having to do something extraordinary
If you don't have the channel service or insurance plan already in place, you will be out of luck.
To the Statists in our government, this is an unacceptable consequence of what should, by rights, be your own choice to make.
They would rather steal money from you at gunpoint, and force you to pay to make the choice they want you to make.
And the President says "You'd think they would be saying 'thank you'" for the privilege of not having the money you wanted, instead of a service you did not want.
You ought to be able to say "I'll take the chance of missing a show or being stuck with a hundred-thousand dollar medical debt" as a free American. But if you sign up for cable, your provider MUST give you access to local programming. And if you sign up for health care payment insurance, your provider MUST provide certain coverages. These MUSTs are dicated by your government, "for your own good."
What the Democrats did to you (never forget it was the Democrats) by passing Obamacare into law, is the metaphorical equivalent of charging you $150 a month for the premium cable package whether you wanted the programming or not. Included are ALL the sports channels, ALL the movie channels, ALL the music channels, plus a few you might have been paying the $20/month basic service rate for already. It doesn't matter that you will never watch Country Music Television's coverage of car racing. You will pay for it, or else.
You ought to be able to say "I'll take the chance of missing a show or being stuck with a hundred-thousand dollar medical debt" as a free American. But if you sign up for cable, your provider MUST give you access to local programming. And if you sign up for health care payment insurance, your provider MUST provide certain coverages. These MUSTs are dicated by your government, "for your own good."
What the Democrats did to you (never forget it was the Democrats) by passing Obamacare into law, is the metaphorical equivalent of charging you $150 a month for the premium cable package whether you wanted the programming or not. Included are ALL the sports channels, ALL the movie channels, ALL the music channels, plus a few you might have been paying the $20/month basic service rate for already. It doesn't matter that you will never watch Country Music Television's coverage of car racing. You will pay for it, or else.
Review of Dayton A/C & Heating, Austin Texas
I had the vintage air conditioning system (25 years old) at my house replaced a few days ago by Dayton Air Conditioning and Heating, out of Austin, Texas. The entire experience, from having the company owner out to give me a free non-binding estimate, right through the billing, was characterized by hassle-free, professional, courteous service. Everyone knew his (or her) stuff, and nobody once tried to hard-sell, harass, lecture, or in any other way pressure me. They didn't try to up-sell a system, and didn't try to perform services that were not required just to get a bigger sale.
I cannot more highly recommend Dayton A/C & Heating to anyone who needs an air conditioner in the Central Texas region.
I found them through a random service I tripped over on the Internet, that was supposed to send my contact information to 3 companies which would give me a quote. I am glad Dayton was one of them. A few minutes later, they called me and we set up a date for them to give me an estimate. Coy Dayton hisse'f came out to inspect the place and work up a quote. He showed up in a wrapped company truck, well after normal working hours. He was ready to listen to what I wanted, and ready to make suggestions when it came to things I didn't mention. He did not try to push me into a 'better' system that would also be 30% more expensive. He did not try to push me into signing on for upgraded blinker fluid. He looked around the house, asked appropriate questions, and went out to his truck and worked up an estimate for the installation of my new system. UNLIKE every other one of the five companies I had give me estimates, Coy gave me actual model numbers and a break down of exactly what he thought was required to do the entire job. The only thing he insisted on including was his warranty agreement, and he only insists on selling it (to everybody) because the cost of it is thousands of dollars less than the cost to replace the first major assembly, should one ever fail. Nevermind (God forbid) the second, or third major failure. I agreed with him and eventually called him to get the system installation appointment set up.
The install crew arrived (on time) in a spiffy company van with everything it would be foreseeable they should need to to the job, and then some.
Their work order was a carbon copy of the same form Mr. Dayton had filled out and given me to think over. The men (it was a two-man crew) were clean, courteous, and competent. Everything the did told me they were in business to do a/c work, not to "do" customers. They wiped their feet clean on a doormat while the ground outside was moist. They laid down heavy moving blankets to protect our flooring. They even entertained my questions and suffered my presence looking over their shoulders for the whole 5 hours they were at our house. They worked quickly when possible, but took their time when it came to the detail work. A great deal of care was taken to get the old equipment out safely (safe for them and for my house) and get the new stuff in properly. Before they even knew I was going to need a new pad, they were talking about leveling he ground under the concrete pad under the condenser (that is, when it was the prospect of doing it right meaning more work, for less money). The duct work upstairs is a little bit of a nightmare in one corner, and they went to extra trouble to seal it all up tight as a drum.
Have a look at this. It's my new furnace, air handler, and cooling coil, in a space barely larger than the unit itself, freshly installed by Dayton's people. On the right you see the return air duct. The exhaust plenum (to the house ducting) is hiding on the left side by the wall. Not shown is approximately two feet of deck width on the near side of the unit. Not shown, because these are close quarters.
Note that the power and control wires, gas line, drain pipes, and even the new flue pipe are all dressed so that they are as neat and out of the way as possible. The connections on the outside unit are even more tidy. Also note how the new system has about a tub and a half of mastic sealing the ducts, vs. the tape-in-place job on the old unit. Then look at the floor beside the new equipment.
Look at the floor beside the old equipment:
They left the place CLEANER than when they got there.
There was some difficulty with our telephones, but still the billing lady was cheerful as she took me for $5600. That would be, exactly the cost of the estimate plus a fee for credit card service.
As for the equipment, what do you want? It works, of course, but it was just installed. I would be shocked if it didn't work. Time will tell the tale of reliability. One thing I can say, Mr. Dayton was enthusiastic about the reliability of the Amana equipment he sells, because every single dollar of labor on a warranty service call comes straight out of his pocket. I had a peek inside and everything looked fairly high quality. Compared to what we used to have, it's all new hotness.
Here, I'll make it easy for you: No scrolling up required! Dayton A/C & Heating, a company that did a good job for me.
********
Full disclosure: I paid full retail price for the entire job, parts, labor, and all. No discounts, no nada from them motivated this post. They were that good to me.
I cannot more highly recommend Dayton A/C & Heating to anyone who needs an air conditioner in the Central Texas region.
I found them through a random service I tripped over on the Internet, that was supposed to send my contact information to 3 companies which would give me a quote. I am glad Dayton was one of them. A few minutes later, they called me and we set up a date for them to give me an estimate. Coy Dayton hisse'f came out to inspect the place and work up a quote. He showed up in a wrapped company truck, well after normal working hours. He was ready to listen to what I wanted, and ready to make suggestions when it came to things I didn't mention. He did not try to push me into a 'better' system that would also be 30% more expensive. He did not try to push me into signing on for upgraded blinker fluid. He looked around the house, asked appropriate questions, and went out to his truck and worked up an estimate for the installation of my new system. UNLIKE every other one of the five companies I had give me estimates, Coy gave me actual model numbers and a break down of exactly what he thought was required to do the entire job. The only thing he insisted on including was his warranty agreement, and he only insists on selling it (to everybody) because the cost of it is thousands of dollars less than the cost to replace the first major assembly, should one ever fail. Nevermind (God forbid) the second, or third major failure. I agreed with him and eventually called him to get the system installation appointment set up.
The install crew arrived (on time) in a spiffy company van with everything it would be foreseeable they should need to to the job, and then some.
Their work order was a carbon copy of the same form Mr. Dayton had filled out and given me to think over. The men (it was a two-man crew) were clean, courteous, and competent. Everything the did told me they were in business to do a/c work, not to "do" customers. They wiped their feet clean on a doormat while the ground outside was moist. They laid down heavy moving blankets to protect our flooring. They even entertained my questions and suffered my presence looking over their shoulders for the whole 5 hours they were at our house. They worked quickly when possible, but took their time when it came to the detail work. A great deal of care was taken to get the old equipment out safely (safe for them and for my house) and get the new stuff in properly. Before they even knew I was going to need a new pad, they were talking about leveling he ground under the concrete pad under the condenser (that is, when it was the prospect of doing it right meaning more work, for less money). The duct work upstairs is a little bit of a nightmare in one corner, and they went to extra trouble to seal it all up tight as a drum.
Have a look at this. It's my new furnace, air handler, and cooling coil, in a space barely larger than the unit itself, freshly installed by Dayton's people. On the right you see the return air duct. The exhaust plenum (to the house ducting) is hiding on the left side by the wall. Not shown is approximately two feet of deck width on the near side of the unit. Not shown, because these are close quarters.
Note that the power and control wires, gas line, drain pipes, and even the new flue pipe are all dressed so that they are as neat and out of the way as possible. The connections on the outside unit are even more tidy. Also note how the new system has about a tub and a half of mastic sealing the ducts, vs. the tape-in-place job on the old unit. Then look at the floor beside the new equipment.
Look at the floor beside the old equipment:
They left the place CLEANER than when they got there.
There was some difficulty with our telephones, but still the billing lady was cheerful as she took me for $5600. That would be, exactly the cost of the estimate plus a fee for credit card service.
As for the equipment, what do you want? It works, of course, but it was just installed. I would be shocked if it didn't work. Time will tell the tale of reliability. One thing I can say, Mr. Dayton was enthusiastic about the reliability of the Amana equipment he sells, because every single dollar of labor on a warranty service call comes straight out of his pocket. I had a peek inside and everything looked fairly high quality. Compared to what we used to have, it's all new hotness.
Here, I'll make it easy for you: No scrolling up required! Dayton A/C & Heating, a company that did a good job for me.
********
Full disclosure: I paid full retail price for the entire job, parts, labor, and all. No discounts, no nada from them motivated this post. They were that good to me.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Uncle has shot himself. With a pressure washer. The comments on his post agree with his point: the Four Rules apply to everything with a trigger, while trending towards a "stupid mistakes with morals" thread. So here's another one for you:
One of the men where I work is missing the last segment of one of his fingers. He lost it to a snowblower in the Great White Frozen North of Massachusetts. He went to the local Emergency Department and sat down with three other men. Each of them had also lost the tip of a finger to his snow blower.
One of the men where I work is missing the last segment of one of his fingers. He lost it to a snowblower in the Great White Frozen North of Massachusetts. He went to the local Emergency Department and sat down with three other men. Each of them had also lost the tip of a finger to his snow blower.
I Am The Last Man Standing
And I'm not even standing. I'm sitting on the floor of our living room.
Everyone else is abed already. My Darling Wife included, for a very rare exception. It's only 20:30hrs. We almost never get to bed before 21:00, and sometimes the children are up until 22:00. One of #1's little friends down the street (not home schooled) has been up later than 20:00 maybe 3 times in her whole life. I can't recall the last time we had everyone down this early.
Oh well. There's a first time for everything.
Everyone else is abed already. My Darling Wife included, for a very rare exception. It's only 20:30hrs. We almost never get to bed before 21:00, and sometimes the children are up until 22:00. One of #1's little friends down the street (not home schooled) has been up later than 20:00 maybe 3 times in her whole life. I can't recall the last time we had everyone down this early.
Oh well. There's a first time for everything.
Friday, May 21, 2010
News That Sounds Like A Joke
I'm guessing they don't come down very hard on car burglars in Australia, if they even bother catching them. I guess so because, instead, they are fining people who don't lock their cars. Wow.
It's Not An Attack, It's A NAME.
There was a controversy about whether or not to use the President's middle name in upcoming textbooks in Texas. Somehow it was supposed to be insulting to use the man's name. Note: it was DEMOCRAT types who were claiming it was an insult. You know why? Because they're raaaaaaaacists!
Be sure to throw that up in their faces if someone raises this issue with you. Say "you're just ashamed to have him as President because he's BLACK" and stand back and watch them splutter. If they ever come back from the stratosphere, tell them you were kidding, even if you weren't, then say the proper thing for Texas to do would be to use his middle name the same as with all the other presidents. It's either "John Fitzgerald Kennedy, George Walker Bush, Barack Hussein Obama" or "John Kennedy, George Bush, Barack Obama." A lack of consistency is bad for children, in discipline and in textbook name usage conventions. I'm for using middle names personally, but then I'm quite the rigid formalist.
Maybe they should mention in the social studies text book how it was a big flapdoodle when a Republican used his name, but when a Democrat uses it it's no big deal. Maybe we should also teach the children that BHO was elected only because he's (half) black, and a tabula rasa like he made himself out to be, with white skin, would never have stood a chance. Good luck getting THAT in a textbook!
In other news, woman tries to get a car company with the same name as her family name, to not use a common first name as a name for their upcoming new car, because it's her first name. And apparently it's personally deprecating her to use a name shared with 30,000 other people. Or something.
Be sure to throw that up in their faces if someone raises this issue with you. Say "you're just ashamed to have him as President because he's BLACK" and stand back and watch them splutter. If they ever come back from the stratosphere, tell them you were kidding, even if you weren't, then say the proper thing for Texas to do would be to use his middle name the same as with all the other presidents. It's either "John Fitzgerald Kennedy, George Walker Bush, Barack Hussein Obama" or "John Kennedy, George Bush, Barack Obama." A lack of consistency is bad for children, in discipline and in textbook name usage conventions. I'm for using middle names personally, but then I'm quite the rigid formalist.
Maybe they should mention in the social studies text book how it was a big flapdoodle when a Republican used his name, but when a Democrat uses it it's no big deal. Maybe we should also teach the children that BHO was elected only because he's (half) black, and a tabula rasa like he made himself out to be, with white skin, would never have stood a chance. Good luck getting THAT in a textbook!
In other news, woman tries to get a car company with the same name as her family name, to not use a common first name as a name for their upcoming new car, because it's her first name. And apparently it's personally deprecating her to use a name shared with 30,000 other people. Or something.
Nashville Still Destroyed. Prayer Still Needed.
Not that you would have noticed it from the 20 minutes of combined national network TV coverage the story has gotten, but the people of Nashville are still going about trying to fix their destroyed-by-a-deadly-flood city.
Christians, take a moment to ask for some divine assistance, will you?
Christians, take a moment to ask for some divine assistance, will you?
Bumbling Toward Korean War II
There are right and wrong ways to approach a madman with his finger on the button. Having a woman with no clue how to be a Senior Statesman -especially the woman who made it possible for Korea to become a nuclear state to begin with- talk about "serious consequences" is probably not the way. Citing undeniable proof when there is only circumstantial evidence is also not the way.
I hope to continue to believe that the people running America right now are just bumblers and generally incompetent. I can't see Hillary Clinton getting us in a war over one foreign Navy's ship being sunk, but she probably wouldn't even see it coming until we were knee-deep in (sh)it. Then again, her husband did paint our warplanes blue and bomb the heck out of Yugoslavia, so . . .
********
. . . still waiting on the war crimes indictment against him on that one, BTW.
I hope to continue to believe that the people running America right now are just bumblers and generally incompetent. I can't see Hillary Clinton getting us in a war over one foreign Navy's ship being sunk, but she probably wouldn't even see it coming until we were knee-deep in (sh)it. Then again, her husband did paint our warplanes blue and bomb the heck out of Yugoslavia, so . . .
********
. . . still waiting on the war crimes indictment against him on that one, BTW.
This Was Only A Matter of Time
I told you these cars are not secure.
I was correct.
It has been shown that the fancy-pants remote controllable cars *cough*onstar*cough* can be hacked. The price of cars is about to jump, to allow integration of security into the embedded computer systems.
At this point, I remind you of my short poem/rant Throttle Should Be A Cable."
I was correct.
It has been shown that the fancy-pants remote controllable cars *cough*onstar*cough* can be hacked. The price of cars is about to jump, to allow integration of security into the embedded computer systems.
At this point, I remind you of my short poem/rant Throttle Should Be A Cable."
Thursday, May 20, 2010
It's Not Unreasonable If WE Do It!
Your right to privacy is about to take another beating, Amendment 4 to the COTUS notwithstanding.
By an overwhelming majority, your Elected Heroes in Congress passed a bill to steal a copy of your DNA. Convicts already get their DNA sampled and stored in a national database. There is arguably a good reason for that. You've got some 'splainin' to do if you want me to agree that there is a reason to be storing DNA samples from people arrested but not convicted.
What have you to fear, comrade? What are you hiding from the benevolent State?
Of course, if the police were to arrest me, and then try to take a DNA sample from me without a signed warrant, I'd be going into the 'convicts' database anyway for at least attempting to lay a beat-down on somebody trying to steal the very most private thing I used to be able to keep to myself.
And did you hear of this story on tonight's newscast?
By an overwhelming majority, your Elected Heroes in Congress passed a bill to steal a copy of your DNA. Convicts already get their DNA sampled and stored in a national database. There is arguably a good reason for that. You've got some 'splainin' to do if you want me to agree that there is a reason to be storing DNA samples from people arrested but not convicted.
What have you to fear, comrade? What are you hiding from the benevolent State?
Of course, if the police were to arrest me, and then try to take a DNA sample from me without a signed warrant, I'd be going into the 'convicts' database anyway for at least attempting to lay a beat-down on somebody trying to steal the very most private thing I used to be able to keep to myself.
And did you hear of this story on tonight's newscast?
More News From The Place Where England Used To Be
A woman has died.
She got drunk. She went to the restroom. She missed the toilet and caught a toilet brushup her rectum in her butt cheek. 6" of it broke off inside her bum. She went to the Emergency Department at the hospital and they missed it. She went back, over and over again, complaining of abdominal problems and pain. Guess how many x-rays were added to her medical record during that period.
Two years later, they figured out that she had a piece of brush handle in her, but by then it had fused to her bones. Surgical removal, they said could prove fatal. It was.
Such is the state of medical care in the United Kingdom, where the government provides everyone with state-rationed care in approved-cost doses.
She got drunk. She went to the restroom. She missed the toilet and caught a toilet brush
Two years later, they figured out that she had a piece of brush handle in her, but by then it had fused to her bones. Surgical removal, they said could prove fatal. It was.
Such is the state of medical care in the United Kingdom, where the government provides everyone with state-rationed care in approved-cost doses.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Obama More Demanding Than Arizona
President Obama is scheduled to attend a high school graduation ceremony in Kalamazoo. He wants to shake the hand of every graduate. Before they are allowed to touch and be photographed with him, however, they will have to provide proof of US citizenship, and supply their social security and phone numbers. And he's upset because Arizona is requiring aliens to prove themselves to a lesser standard, as is required by existing Federal law.
Right.
Right.
Borders, Language, Culture
Savage says a nation is defined by its borders, its language, and its culture.
We got's no cultcha
English is racist
and now, apparently President Obamathinks reads that the borders aren't so much of a defining feature, either.
Yes, seriously. Click the link and watch the video for yourself.
If you voted for this clown, don't do me any more favors, will you?
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I just won't mention that the goal of the faithful muslim is a (nationless) world government under a caliph. That would be racist. Or something.
We got's no cultcha
English is racist
and now, apparently President Obama
". . . we are defined not by our borders but by our bonds" -Barack Hussein Obama
Yes, seriously. Click the link and watch the video for yourself.
If you voted for this clown, don't do me any more favors, will you?
********
I just won't mention that the goal of the faithful muslim is a (nationless) world government under a caliph. That would be racist. Or something.
What The . . . Just No.
A guy made a thread on a car forum I read, saying he was having trouble getting some critical bolts to torque down properly. And by properly, I mean well over TWICE their torque specification.
Did you ever know someone who thought he was a subject matter expert, but really knew (literally) just enough to be dangerous? Yeah, that's this guy. I'd hate to see the engine he built, unless it was on video. I'd stand BESIDE every car he makes, from a distance of at least 100yds.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Dying Over Here
~or~ Notes From A Central Texan Whose Drugs Have Worn Off
Have a look at this:
(image from News 8 Austin)
Guess what I'm allergic to? That's right, my body hates to have hundreds of thousands of mold spores in the old windpipes. And I spent half the morning outside watching the men work on my air conditioner.
Ugh. Does anyone have a spare head they can lend me?
Have a look at this:
(image from News 8 Austin)
Guess what I'm allergic to? That's right, my body hates to have hundreds of thousands of mold spores in the old windpipes. And I spent half the morning outside watching the men work on my air conditioner.
Ugh. Does anyone have a spare head they can lend me?
NOW Will They Help This American Man?
President Obama signed the Freedom of the Press act, affirming the US' commitment to the freedom of the press internationally. The act was written in response to the beheading of a journalist by the peaceful adherents to the Religion of Peace.
Banned from the United Kingdom solely for expressing his opinion is only one man, an American known locally as Michael Savage. He is on a very short list of undesirables including the worst of the worst, almost entirely muslims. Not on the list are imams in UK calling for the violent overthrow of UK's government.
After announcing the signing of the act into law, President Obama took no questions from the press. Maybe because the first question from a responsible journalist would be "Hey what about Savage now?"
Banned from the United Kingdom solely for expressing his opinion is only one man, an American known locally as Michael Savage. He is on a very short list of undesirables including the worst of the worst, almost entirely muslims. Not on the list are imams in UK calling for the violent overthrow of UK's government.
After announcing the signing of the act into law, President Obama took no questions from the press. Maybe because the first question from a responsible journalist would be "Hey what about Savage now?"
Obama's Aunt Granted Assylum
President Obama's illegal alien aunt, who was ordered deported in 2004 and not deported, has been granted asylum. After Barry said to not prosecute her fore being here illegally. Surprising no-one who has been watching this, "the most open and honest administration EVAR," the reasons for granting asylum are sealed per court order.
"Juveniles" Can't Be Held For Life Without Parole
So a street thug who has beaten multiple people into retard status, who sells drugs to children, who rapes his whores, and is 17 years, 364 days old when he is arrested for anything but murder, must have a chance to walk the streets again?
The supreme Court made another distasteful decision yesterday because of a societal problem. If the 16 year-old thief in question had his hand removed for his trouble, this wouldn't even be a problem.
"Hey, where are we going, and how did we all get in this handbasket?"
The supreme Court made another distasteful decision yesterday because of a societal problem. If the 16 year-old thief in question had his hand removed for his trouble, this wouldn't even be a problem.
"Hey, where are we going, and how did we all get in this handbasket?"
Why Is The Price Of Oil Falling?
We are going into Summer, when electricity and gasoline use typically climb, driving up the cost of oil. As a result, the price of oil falls $20/bbl in a couple of weeks? This summer, the people of the US are not doing much leisure travel because we're watching every dime. But here's what I think is the real reason:
Speculation. I've frequently stated that most of the price of oil is speculation. Yes, most of your price at the fuel pump is driven by speculators. Oil should be around $40ish right now per barrel, but traders have to do something with clients' money. So they invest in something everyone needs: energy. When everybody buys something (oil futures) and they take increasing price as a good sign to buy, the price goes up. Problem is, traders are a spooky lot of blokes. They see that Europe, the US, and maybe China are headed down hill, and they're scaring out of oil (for now).
Enjoy the extra couple of dollars that are not going into your fuel bill while you can. Preferably use them to pay off debt.
Speculation. I've frequently stated that most of the price of oil is speculation. Yes, most of your price at the fuel pump is driven by speculators. Oil should be around $40ish right now per barrel, but traders have to do something with clients' money. So they invest in something everyone needs: energy. When everybody buys something (oil futures) and they take increasing price as a good sign to buy, the price goes up. Problem is, traders are a spooky lot of blokes. They see that Europe, the US, and maybe China are headed down hill, and they're scaring out of oil (for now).
Enjoy the extra couple of dollars that are not going into your fuel bill while you can. Preferably use them to pay off debt.
Supreme Court Upholds Indefinite Custody For Sexually Dangerous Prisoners
Boo.
I find it interesting that they were able to find a reason why this is within the authority of Congress to do, while not addressing any of the other claims of the people trying to get out of prison after serving a full prison sentence. They said "you're screwed for this reason, but feel free to go back to court, spend a couple hundred thousand more dollars, and try again to get freed for one of these reasons." I have called this type of decision "chickening out" before, but a lawyer might call it a "limited" decision.
I hate the idea that a person can serve their prison sentence, then not be released. I also hate the idea that a sexual predator might be released, ever. The reason I don't like this decision is because it speaks of a much broader societal problem.
Baby rapers should be hanged.
18 year-olds doing 17 year-olds should be placed on probation.
Everything in the middle should probably be a long, long, long prison sentence.
There should not be a question of letting sexually dangerous crazy people out after their terms expire. Their prison sentences should have been appropriately long in the first place, but elections have consequences. When you people elect squishy/wobbly/downright leftist Presidents of the United States, we get judges who give slaps on the wrist for hangin' offenses, and now the supreme Court has had to come behind them and clean up the ants with a sledge hammer. I say again:
Boo.
I find it interesting that they were able to find a reason why this is within the authority of Congress to do, while not addressing any of the other claims of the people trying to get out of prison after serving a full prison sentence. They said "you're screwed for this reason, but feel free to go back to court, spend a couple hundred thousand more dollars, and try again to get freed for one of these reasons." I have called this type of decision "chickening out" before, but a lawyer might call it a "limited" decision.
I hate the idea that a person can serve their prison sentence, then not be released. I also hate the idea that a sexual predator might be released, ever. The reason I don't like this decision is because it speaks of a much broader societal problem.
Baby rapers should be hanged.
18 year-olds doing 17 year-olds should be placed on probation.
Everything in the middle should probably be a long, long, long prison sentence.
There should not be a question of letting sexually dangerous crazy people out after their terms expire. Their prison sentences should have been appropriately long in the first place, but elections have consequences. When you people elect squishy/wobbly/downright leftist Presidents of the United States, we get judges who give slaps on the wrist for hangin' offenses, and now the supreme Court has had to come behind them and clean up the ants with a sledge hammer. I say again:
Boo.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Environmentalists Fighting Environmentalists
It makes me smile.
San Diego, California is one of those parts of the world where the watermelons and NIMBYs would never allow construction of a power plant of any sort. Transmission lines for power to the area are at very near full capacity, and the population is growing.
So build a new transmission line, right? How hard was that? I mean, you can put wind farms, solar farms, and dams where they will [deleted] up somebody else's view of the ocean, and you get the electricity through the new wire! WIN!
Except that you have to get approval from the forest service before you can build the transmission line. And they're worried about bambi's reaction to the construction.
FAIL. haha.
San Diego, California is one of those parts of the world where the watermelons and NIMBYs would never allow construction of a power plant of any sort. Transmission lines for power to the area are at very near full capacity, and the population is growing.
So build a new transmission line, right? How hard was that? I mean, you can put wind farms, solar farms, and dams where they will [deleted] up somebody else's view of the ocean, and you get the electricity through the new wire! WIN!
Except that you have to get approval from the forest service before you can build the transmission line. And they're worried about bambi's reaction to the construction.
FAIL. haha.
Can You Dig Even ONE Level Deep? Please?
I get e-mail from a LOT of different sources. One of them is an individual who passes on the most inflamed rhetoric you could type and still be credible at the first reading. I just finished reading about another way the government is going to tax everybody to the tune of thousands of dollars a year in order to achieve compliance with a new law. There were even links at the bottom of the e-mail to prove it was true!
One of them, the only non-government sourced link I bothered to click on, says it was NOT true. Sometimes I wonder if the alarmists aren't truly agents provocateurs working to make our side look stupid.
Here's a hint: if you get all worked up because of a story, at least find verification from a couple of other places *where they know what they're talking about* before you hit that "Forward to All" button.
One of them, the only non-government sourced link I bothered to click on, says it was NOT true. Sometimes I wonder if the alarmists aren't truly agents provocateurs working to make our side look stupid.
Here's a hint: if you get all worked up because of a story, at least find verification from a couple of other places *where they know what they're talking about* before you hit that "Forward to All" button.
NATO Gives Iran Enriched Uranium?!!
For Iran to meet with Brazil and Turkey and come to this agreement is a disparaging gesture toward President Obama. and I hope the news hits Barry like a sack of bricks.
********
Related stories? You decide. Nato unveils new mission statement that involves keeping Iran from developing the bomb. Iran comes to an agreement in talks with Brazil and Turkey on the disposition of its low enriched uranium.
So, we are going to allow this? Or are we going to be the world's Nanny In Chief some more? Iran has agreed to give up 3.5% enriched uranium to be held out of country, in exchange for 20% enriched uranium ostensibly "for peaceful purposes" to run a reactor making chemotherapy poison. This is the part where we all are supposed to breathe a sigh of relief because for some reason Iran is supposed to be unable to convert this 20% Uranium to 90%. Color me skeptical.
The next couple of years will be veeeeeeery interesting, when it comes to what happens with this deal, and what happens to all that Uranium.
********
Related stories? You decide. Nato unveils new mission statement that involves keeping Iran from developing the bomb. Iran comes to an agreement in talks with Brazil and Turkey on the disposition of its low enriched uranium.
So, we are going to allow this? Or are we going to be the world's Nanny In Chief some more? Iran has agreed to give up 3.5% enriched uranium to be held out of country, in exchange for 20% enriched uranium ostensibly "for peaceful purposes" to run a reactor making chemotherapy poison. This is the part where we all are supposed to breathe a sigh of relief because for some reason Iran is supposed to be unable to convert this 20% Uranium to 90%. Color me skeptical.
The next couple of years will be veeeeeeery interesting, when it comes to what happens with this deal, and what happens to all that Uranium.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Contact Your Senator (Again)
Elena Kagan is probably going to be given an up-or-down vote on her nomination, instead of facing a Republican filibuster. This, while arguably a Good Thing, and definitely a result of your lack of participation in the last Presidential election, is quite dangerous. It means, after she lies as much as she thinks is required and as much as she thinks she can get away with, she will face one vote before joining the bench of a court that unanimously overturned her most-recognized public activity.
Call and/or write to your Senators and tell them to vote AGAINST the nomination of Solicitor General Kagan to the supreme Court. And pray!
Call and/or write to your Senators and tell them to vote AGAINST the nomination of Solicitor General Kagan to the supreme Court. And pray!
It's YOUR Fault!
So said #1 to me once up on a time, as she began crying. She was crying because her shin hurt. Her shin hurt from hitting my arm. My arm had hit her shin. It hit the sin as I intercepted a kick I knew would hurt me if it landed. So I blocked it. She, at 6 years old, thought I had hurt her. She had an excuse (immaturity) for passing the blame, until I explained to her what had happened.
The people running the show in Greece are supposed to be grown-ups, but they are not acting like it. After seeking out extremely risky financing of Greek debt from American banks who provided the financing (probably) in accordance with all applicable law, the
The people running the show in Greece are supposed to be grown-ups, but they are not acting like it. After seeking out extremely risky financing of Greek debt from American banks who provided the financing (probably) in accordance with all applicable law, the
Saturday, May 15, 2010
In Thailand: Fighting Still. Again. Still.
According to Reuters there is a coup on average every 4.3 years in Thailand, for the past 78 years. One a decade for the last forty years.
Think about that for a moment.
We in the USA don't realize sometimes how good we really have it. Ever since the first one for several centuries, transfers of government power have been almost entirely peaceful. Versus a coup, bloody or not, every few years for the entirety of the memory of every person in the country.
This time it's Red Shirts protesting the government. They say they want democracy. Michael Savage says it's the Socialists making trouble again. My take on it is that in an age of common availability of information and easy distribution of propaganda, the government of Thailand is trying to hold on to the old ways the wrong way. I am sure (because President Reagan did it) that even uneducated common people can be convince that (what Americans call) conservatism is the proper way.
The commoners see the government wanting to take away all the wealth that was being redistributed their way, and they sympathize with the Red Shirts. They see the monarch, army, and parliament trying to take away without explaining why or proposing a better way. Shooting people in the street is not going to convince them your government is the right one. Persuasion works if you have a good leader, even if you have a bad cause.
It begins to look to me as if the parliament in Thailand will have to be dissolved. Possibly even a new Constitution will need to be written. Here's hoping the international Socialist movement won't be cheering the result, whatever happens.
Think about that for a moment.
We in the USA don't realize sometimes how good we really have it. Ever since the first one for several centuries, transfers of government power have been almost entirely peaceful. Versus a coup, bloody or not, every few years for the entirety of the memory of every person in the country.
This time it's Red Shirts protesting the government. They say they want democracy. Michael Savage says it's the Socialists making trouble again. My take on it is that in an age of common availability of information and easy distribution of propaganda, the government of Thailand is trying to hold on to the old ways the wrong way. I am sure (because President Reagan did it) that even uneducated common people can be convince that (what Americans call) conservatism is the proper way.
The commoners see the government wanting to take away all the wealth that was being redistributed their way, and they sympathize with the Red Shirts. They see the monarch, army, and parliament trying to take away without explaining why or proposing a better way. Shooting people in the street is not going to convince them your government is the right one. Persuasion works if you have a good leader, even if you have a bad cause.
It begins to look to me as if the parliament in Thailand will have to be dissolved. Possibly even a new Constitution will need to be written. Here's hoping the international Socialist movement won't be cheering the result, whatever happens.
More Radiant Barrier Goes In
The ongoing saga of the installation of radiant barrier in my attic goes on. Another 6 strips went up, in half the time it took me to do the first 6 strips, thanks to the assistance of two stout lads from my church who came out to help with the installation. It might all have been put in, but we had a 7 year-old's birthday party to attend. Now all that's left to install is in the very least accessible corners of the attic.
That, plus I need to patch a foot-sized hole in the ceiling over #1's bedroom. Still, it went about as well as could be hoped. The nameless fellow who put his clodhopper through my ceiling kept his wits about him and kept his grip on the rafters, and avoided falling 16 feet to a thinly-carpeted concrete floor below. I'd rather clean sheetrock dust than brains off the floor any day.
Photos and a full review will be forthcoming sometime this summer, but regular readers will know the house has been keeping me busy with other projects. That, plus it frankly sucks to be monkeying around in this particular attic trying to do actual work. For now, let me say that the barrier material I got from the folks at Atticfoil.com is a HUGE step up from some of the other products I was considering using. It is relatively VERY easy to work with, because it is ridiculously strong and there is no top or bottom. Two of the guys who came out to give us quotes for a new air conditioning system were impressed enough with the material that they asked where I got it, and they've seen it all.
********
Full disclosure: I was ready to pay full price, but Ed did cut me a special deal and I took it. Having worked with several hundred square feet of the stuff, I'd say I'm still ready to pay full price if (God forbid) I have to do this on the next house.
That, plus I need to patch a foot-sized hole in the ceiling over #1's bedroom. Still, it went about as well as could be hoped. The nameless fellow who put his clodhopper through my ceiling kept his wits about him and kept his grip on the rafters, and avoided falling 16 feet to a thinly-carpeted concrete floor below. I'd rather clean sheetrock dust than brains off the floor any day.
Photos and a full review will be forthcoming sometime this summer, but regular readers will know the house has been keeping me busy with other projects. That, plus it frankly sucks to be monkeying around in this particular attic trying to do actual work. For now, let me say that the barrier material I got from the folks at Atticfoil.com is a HUGE step up from some of the other products I was considering using. It is relatively VERY easy to work with, because it is ridiculously strong and there is no top or bottom. Two of the guys who came out to give us quotes for a new air conditioning system were impressed enough with the material that they asked where I got it, and they've seen it all.
********
Full disclosure: I was ready to pay full price, but Ed did cut me a special deal and I took it. Having worked with several hundred square feet of the stuff, I'd say I'm still ready to pay full price if (God forbid) I have to do this on the next house.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Why We Must Resist The Statists
~or~ More News From The Place Where England Used To Be:
If you think it is pointless to push back every. single. time. someone comes up with another well-intentioned but somewhat intrusive power grab (like, say, monitoring every child's Body Mass Index with no (as yet) stated purpose?) consider what it is like in a place where they let the control freaks go a little too far, too many times.
Some children sniff glue to get high. So we ban sales of glues with solvents to minors. Then this 17 year-old gets a flat tire. He goes to buy a tire repair kit and the clerk refuses to sell it to him. The glue has solvents. He might sniff it. They tell him right to his face! His father is standing next to the "boy" and asks if he, the father, can buy the tube patch kit. No. The teenager might sniff the glue.
A man donates some fish to a hospital pond. He has a pond at his house also. The pond suddenly needs maintenance, and he takes the fish to his own pond without waiting 30 days to get the transfer approved. Now he's up on charges.
They don't know better than you how to run your life, but they would sure like to get the chance to do it!
If you think it is pointless to push back every. single. time. someone comes up with another well-intentioned but somewhat intrusive power grab (like, say, monitoring every child's Body Mass Index with no (as yet) stated purpose?) consider what it is like in a place where they let the control freaks go a little too far, too many times.
Some children sniff glue to get high. So we ban sales of glues with solvents to minors. Then this 17 year-old gets a flat tire. He goes to buy a tire repair kit and the clerk refuses to sell it to him. The glue has solvents. He might sniff it. They tell him right to his face! His father is standing next to the "boy" and asks if he, the father, can buy the tube patch kit. No. The teenager might sniff the glue.
A man donates some fish to a hospital pond. He has a pond at his house also. The pond suddenly needs maintenance, and he takes the fish to his own pond without waiting 30 days to get the transfer approved. Now he's up on charges.
They don't know better than you how to run your life, but they would sure like to get the chance to do it!
Crimes Against Humanity Act is Aptly Named
The leftest of the leftists in the Senate have introduced a bill to very effectively make the US military into a paper tiger, and open up the prospect of having President Obama Bush prosecuted for crimes against humanity a.k.a. prosecuting a war.
The Crimes Against Humanities Act is one. Unfortunately, it's also got the sort of title that might get it passed without a reading by the same people who brought us Obamacare.
The Crimes Against Humanities Act is one. Unfortunately, it's also got the sort of title that might get it passed without a reading by the same people who brought us Obamacare.
Islam Well On The Way To Complete Success on 9/11 Legacy
If you haven't been outraged by the Flight 93 memorial, you haven't looked it up yet.
Now Mayor Bloomberg has taken a break from trying to prevent you being able to defend yourself long enough to say he doesn't mind too terribly much having a multistory mosque overlooking the site of the former World Trade Center towers. Wouldn't it be lovely if they held the ribbon-cutting on the eleventh of September?
So there appears to be plans in the works to celebrate islam where all three planes hit. Nice, eh? Some people question where the money comes from, but that is probably just raaaacism.
Now Mayor Bloomberg has taken a break from trying to prevent you being able to defend yourself long enough to say he doesn't mind too terribly much having a multistory mosque overlooking the site of the former World Trade Center towers. Wouldn't it be lovely if they held the ribbon-cutting on the eleventh of September?
So there appears to be plans in the works to celebrate islam where all three planes hit. Nice, eh? Some people question where the money comes from, but that is probably just raaaacism.
When Batteries Expire
When an Alkaline battery goes bad, it leaks corrosive liquid into your walkman.
When a gunpowder battery went bad earlier today, two people were killed and houses were shaken and rattled, but mostly not rolled, for miles around. The MDM Muzzleloader building blow'd up and something tells me large amounts of gunpowder were involved, all at once. May God help those who were on station at the time. Talk about a bad day at the office. :(
When a gunpowder battery went bad earlier today, two people were killed and houses were shaken and rattled, but mostly not rolled, for miles around. The MDM Muzzleloader building blow'd up and something tells me large amounts of gunpowder were involved, all at once. May God help those who were on station at the time. Talk about a bad day at the office. :(
Thursday, May 13, 2010
How Is This A Big Deal?
Various groups of tetchy people are all bent sideways that a photo of Elena Kagan playing softball was published. They say it's an accusation that she's a queeeeeer.
To me, it says she plays softball. You know who plays softball? People who want to have a fun game in medium-large groups, which does not require highly specialized, expensive equipment, huge expensive stadia, and with simple rules. Softball and baseball are America's version ofsoccer football. I remember as a boy watching my Uncle John half-lit on cheap American beer, playing slow pitch with a gang of decent-sort-of-people in a municipal park.
Just because queers play softball, doesn't mean ONLY queers play softball. This is a non-issue in my opinion.
If you don't want her being called a queer, how about telling her to come out as a breeder. No? Then how about we drop the subject altogether? She's hugely unqualified for the position to which she is nominated. If she's a queer or not, that's WAY down the list of reasons why you don't want her as a Justice.
To me, it says she plays softball. You know who plays softball? People who want to have a fun game in medium-large groups, which does not require highly specialized, expensive equipment, huge expensive stadia, and with simple rules. Softball and baseball are America's version of
Just because queers play softball, doesn't mean ONLY queers play softball. This is a non-issue in my opinion.
If you don't want her being called a queer, how about telling her to come out as a breeder. No? Then how about we drop the subject altogether? She's hugely unqualified for the position to which she is nominated. If she's a queer or not, that's WAY down the list of reasons why you don't want her as a Justice.
Eurozone Beaurocrats Grasp For More Power
The bean counters who are also Statists trying to run the european monitary union are grasping for power. They have proposed a rule that all national budgets must be submitted to the EMU before they are even read in the respective national parliaments.
This is the equivalent of the federal government in Washington, D.C., demanding that (e.g.) Connecticut must submit a budget to D.C. before they even start to consider passing it in the legislature in CT. This is a pretty astonishing demand for a surrender of national sovereignty, even for Europeans. I sincerely hope that the member nations tell the EMU to kick rocks, and the Eurozone breaks up, with Greece falling off the bottom (hah!) first.
This is the equivalent of the federal government in Washington, D.C., demanding that (e.g.) Connecticut must submit a budget to D.C. before they even start to consider passing it in the legislature in CT. This is a pretty astonishing demand for a surrender of national sovereignty, even for Europeans. I sincerely hope that the member nations tell the EMU to kick rocks, and the Eurozone breaks up, with Greece falling off the bottom (hah!) first.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
China Still Headed For A Fall
I have been blogging on this theme for one year this month*. I still maintain that the Chinese economy is getting ready for a huge collapse, along the same lines and for similar reasons that we had one in the USA.
Our economy was in the tank when home prices here fell by half. Is it different when home prices in China fall off by a third?
When china implodes and takes 1/4 or so of the world's manufacturing capacity with it, what does that do to the world economy? Is it possible that the Chinese collapse will be blamed in the minds of the people of China on the Communists? Will the Great Depression, China Edition lead to capitalism!?
Hat tip: Mish
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*Update: Whoops, make that LAST month.
Our economy was in the tank when home prices here fell by half. Is it different when home prices in China fall off by a third?
When china implodes and takes 1/4 or so of the world's manufacturing capacity with it, what does that do to the world economy? Is it possible that the Chinese collapse will be blamed in the minds of the people of China on the Communists? Will the Great Depression, China Edition lead to capitalism!?
Hat tip: Mish
********
*Update: Whoops, make that LAST month.
You Cannot Say Certain Things!
For example, it is racist to say -despite ovewhelming evidence that it is true- that almost all crime in the United States is perpetrated by a very few, mostly black, young, gang-affiliated males.
It is possibly also racist to say that, one year after the possibly-Bad Shoot that killed Nathaniel Sanders, crime at the Walnut Creek apartments where theperfect angel thug* was killed, is down.
When thugs* are taken out of society, crime goes down. Who'd'a thunk it?
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*He didn't carry a gun so a *different* class of person would be kept away from him; he was carrying to ward off others of the same type, my friend.
It is possibly also racist to say that, one year after the possibly-Bad Shoot that killed Nathaniel Sanders, crime at the Walnut Creek apartments where the
When thugs* are taken out of society, crime goes down. Who'd'a thunk it?
********
*He didn't carry a gun so a *different* class of person would be kept away from him; he was carrying to ward off others of the same type, my friend.
Ah Swohr, Chikins Is So Duuuuum!
The lady from whom I buy my free range chicken eggs has two hens sitting on their clutches which won't let her collect any eggs. One of the hens had a chick hatch out the other day, coincident with the lady's daughter buying two dozen chicks. The chicks were placed near the sitting hens in an attempt at a surreptitious insertion into their broods, but the hens woke up.
The hens immediately started gathering the chicks under their wings as if they were their own! I LOL'd.
The hens immediately started gathering the chicks under their wings as if they were their own! I LOL'd.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
BP Seen With Fork Sticking Out Its Back
I watched video of Lamar McKay of British Petrolium, in today's testimony before the Senate, put BP on the hook for approximately a quajillion and a half dollars.
"we will pay it" was a common response to Senatrix Cantwell's questions about what sorts of damages for which BP acknowledges being responsibility. McKay did balk at the undefined "long term" damage to Gulf of Mexico fishing industries, and lost TAX revenue to the federal government. But he was quick to reply to pretty much every other sort of damages, that BP will pay all claims.
I'm not sure there is enough money in the coffers at BP to survive paying those claims. Until I watched McKay testifying under oath, I had thought it might be saying a bit much that this spill might be the end of British Petroleum. Now I think it just might be.
Ouch.
"we will pay it" was a common response to Senatrix Cantwell's questions about what sorts of damages for which BP acknowledges being responsibility. McKay did balk at the undefined "long term" damage to Gulf of Mexico fishing industries, and lost TAX revenue to the federal government. But he was quick to reply to pretty much every other sort of damages, that BP will pay all claims.
I'm not sure there is enough money in the coffers at BP to survive paying those claims. Until I watched McKay testifying under oath, I had thought it might be saying a bit much that this spill might be the end of British Petroleum. Now I think it just might be.
Ouch.
Monday, May 10, 2010
In Texas, They Call It "Justified"
In the place where England used to be, they call it "Murder"
. . . when a fellow comes home and sees his mother receiving a beat-down, and kills her assailant. Welcome to the UK, where the motto is "You can't defend yourself or anyone or anything else (including your cultural heritage) - and we won't either!"
Hat tip: Uncle
. . . when a fellow comes home and sees his mother receiving a beat-down, and kills her assailant. Welcome to the UK, where the motto is "You can't defend yourself or anyone or anything else (including your cultural heritage) - and we won't either!"
Hat tip: Uncle
A Little Mutilation Is OKAY By The American Academy of Pediatrics
Even the New York Times could find somebody sane enough to produce this commentary:
That's right boys and girls. The same American Academy of Pediatrics that says not to give infants water to drink, EVER, and to never spank children, now says that it is okay for a ritual pinprick or nick of a baby girl's 'parts' to happen in the US of A, instead of getting a full-bore clitoridectomy back in the Old Country where theMuslim parents came from.
Hat tip: Moonbattery
********
Update 5/27/10: After being hammered from the left, right, and center, not to mention the dues-paying physicians who are members of the academy, the AAP has reversed its position. And Australia is considering taking the position just reversed by the AAP. Great.
“There are countries in the world that allow wife beating, slavery and child abuse, but we don’t allow people to practice those customs in this country. We don’t let people have slavery a little bit because they’re going to do it anyway, or beat their wives a little bit because they’re going to do it anyway.” -Georganne Chapin, Executive Director, Intact America
That's right boys and girls. The same American Academy of Pediatrics that says not to give infants water to drink, EVER, and to never spank children, now says that it is okay for a ritual pinprick or nick of a baby girl's 'parts' to happen in the US of A, instead of getting a full-bore clitoridectomy back in the Old Country where the
Hat tip: Moonbattery
********
Update 5/27/10: After being hammered from the left, right, and center, not to mention the dues-paying physicians who are members of the academy, the AAP has reversed its position. And Australia is considering taking the position just reversed by the AAP. Great.
I Agree With The Statesman?!
Yes, for once, I agree wholeheartedly with the editorial board of the Austin-American Statesman. The school district has spent $150,000 and counting trying to hide something related to the search for a new superintendent of schools, despite orders from a judge and an opinion from the Attorney General that they should disclose the documents.
What are they hiding? Racism and shenanigans, probably. If/when the documents are made public, don't be surprised if the story is spiked if it makes certain brown people look bad. Remember: These are your tax dollars at work, hiding information from you. Are you upset about it?
What are they hiding? Racism and shenanigans, probably. If/when the documents are made public, don't be surprised if the story is spiked if it makes certain brown people look bad. Remember: These are your tax dollars at work, hiding information from you. Are you upset about it?
Kagan Nominee: Possibly The Worst Choice EVAR
You would probably do less damage to the Republic if you nominated any random bum off the street. Elena Kagan has been very careful to avoid saying controversial things, and even though she is supposedly some big wig at Haaavaahd Lewaah, she has published fewer than a handful of papers. Her resume is thin, but from it we find:
She clerked -by choice- for one of the worst justices of the supreme Court, EVER ("If you liked Thurgood Marshall, you'll LOVE Elena Kagan")
She was reared in a lefty home
She went to big-time lefty schools
Her papers reveal her to be at the VERY LEAST highly sympathetic to the Socialist cause and strongly against unpopular speech
As chief high muckety-muck at Haavaahd she tried to evict the recruiters for the volunteer armed forces THEN CURRENTLY fighting overseas to defend her sorry [deleted] right to dissent . . . and was overruled by a UNANIMOUS supreme Court at that time
Her record as Solicitor General of the United States as a quality speaker before the supreme Court is spotty, at best.
Listen to her for a single minute and you'll hear her voice drip with arrogance and/or condescension.
She's a lewahyah. She's never been on the other side of the bench. Obama is trying to spin lack of experience at the extremely-important job he wants her to do as a good thing.
. . . in other words, she is a slightly whiter, shorter version of the Socialist-in-Chief. As has been pointed out already, her confirmation would be solid competition for the most-destructive item in the legacy of Barack Hussein Obama.
If you don't at least call and/or email your Senators and tell them 'not just no' on the Kagan nomination, you suck.
. . . in other words, she is a slightly whiter, shorter version of the Socialist-in-Chief. As has been pointed out already, her confirmation would be solid competition for the most-destructive item in the legacy of Barack Hussein Obama.
If you don't at least call and/or email your Senators and tell them 'not just no' on the Kagan nomination, you suck.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The Door's In.
Between church services I ripped out the old door and got the new one tacked in position. After the evening church meetin' the door was properly installed, trimmed and caulked on the inside (where my Darling Wife has to look at it tomorrow, happy mothers day). Now all it needs is three screws through the sill, some trim and caulk on the ouside, and we're back to where we were last friday. Except without the leaks and drafts through and around the old door. And except for the $240 out of the checking account.
At least everybody likes the way the new door looks.
At least everybody likes the way the new door looks.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
England: Culture Fail, Sniping WIN!
We can't know his name yet for security reasons, but the Brits have another national treasure/hero on the battlefield right now.
This time five Tangos in 28 seconds were taken out by one man, preventing an ambush. That right there is some impressive shooting, but consider that this was at a range in excess of a MILE.
That guy would come in handy when the culture war shooting starts in jolly ol' UK, if the subjects there were allowed arms by their royal overlords. Congratulations to this sniper, as well as to Accuracy International who are doing something very right with the rifles they send to UK these days.
This time five Tangos in 28 seconds were taken out by one man, preventing an ambush. That right there is some impressive shooting, but consider that this was at a range in excess of a MILE.
That guy would come in handy when the culture war shooting starts in jolly ol' UK, if the subjects there were allowed arms by their royal overlords. Congratulations to this sniper, as well as to Accuracy International who are doing something very right with the rifles they send to UK these days.
Not *Exactly* What I Was Wanting To Do . . .
I was whackin' some weeds with the weedwhacker in the back yard. There was a rock keeping close company with the weeds. My weed whacker's string didn't think the rock should be there, and sent it flying. Into the two-by-five foot sheet of glass that covers the opening in our house's back door.
Did you know that glass doesn't necessarily shatter all at once? We could hear it crackling for several minutes, and sometimes catch a glimpse of another piece of glass splitting. It was pretty neat actaully.
Well, there was nothing else to do. I kept at the weeds. I got about two feet down the row, and the string in the weed whacker ran out. I don't have any more string. So now when I go to the home improvement warehouse store, I'll have two things to buy.
A bit later, we slapped some pig steaks on the grille. A very hot grille. So it turns out, the time the instructions on the meat package were to leave it about twice as long as required to really well BURN the meat.
Oh well. At least I managed to get a mild sunburn on my arms.
:(
Did you know that glass doesn't necessarily shatter all at once? We could hear it crackling for several minutes, and sometimes catch a glimpse of another piece of glass splitting. It was pretty neat actaully.
Well, there was nothing else to do. I kept at the weeds. I got about two feet down the row, and the string in the weed whacker ran out. I don't have any more string. So now when I go to the home improvement warehouse store, I'll have two things to buy.
A bit later, we slapped some pig steaks on the grille. A very hot grille. So it turns out, the time the instructions on the meat package were to leave it about twice as long as required to really well BURN the meat.
Oh well. At least I managed to get a mild sunburn on my arms.
:(
Friday, May 7, 2010
Another Storm Brewing At School
A boy in a Houston area high school saw a Mexican flag draped over a railing. Four feet HIGHER than any US flag in the place. He called his mother, who called the school, who told her she had to make an appointment to lodge a complaint. Being a patriot with no other place to put it, and unwilling to see such nonsense in his beloved school (and country), the boy took the flag down and trashed it.
Suspended.
Even though the school 'doesn't know' whose flag it is.
AND they're seeking financial compensation for . . . whoever owns the flag. An investigation into the value of the flag is underway.
Apologies are apparently not forthcoming from the school.
I predict that Klein Collins high in Spring, Texas, is about to be the awardee of the second* Shit Storm of The Year award this week.
Laura Ingraham had the boy's mother on the air this morning, but Moonbattery has the link.
*(The first, of course, being the school where five kids were kicked out for wearing US flag shirts on cinco de beero in California. By the way, note to the brown children at that school, skipping class to march in the street will get you NEGATIVE respect. Losers.)
Suspended.
Even though the school 'doesn't know' whose flag it is.
AND they're seeking financial compensation for . . . whoever owns the flag. An investigation into the value of the flag is underway.
Apologies are apparently not forthcoming from the school.
I predict that Klein Collins high in Spring, Texas, is about to be the awardee of the second* Shit Storm of The Year award this week.
Laura Ingraham had the boy's mother on the air this morning, but Moonbattery has the link.
*(The first, of course, being the school where five kids were kicked out for wearing US flag shirts on cinco de beero in California. By the way, note to the brown children at that school, skipping class to march in the street will get you NEGATIVE respect. Losers.)
Williamson County Starts Acting Wisely. RACISM!!!
Williamson County, Texas, has a program for paying the medical bills of indigent persons. This is (arguably) a proper thing for the local government to do. Last year, 1500 people took advantage of their taxpaying neighbors the program.
20% of them were illegal aliens
With the cost of the program going up several hundreds of percent in the past two years, WilCo wanted to cut costs whilst still providing care to their indigent citizens. The new plan is to require proof of citizenship in order to qualify for the indigent care medical program.
This, somehow, is supposed to be racist. The light-brown people are all bent sideways over it. I have a suggestion where they might like to take their outrage, but they'd get thrown in jail where they came from for protesting against the government, so they probably wouldn't like my suggestion.
"Not a citizen? No benefits." This attitude will lead to a national ID card if they don't shut the borders down tight, but until we get to that point, I'm for it. We don't need a national ID. We need immigration and border control.
20% of them were illegal aliens
With the cost of the program going up several hundreds of percent in the past two years, WilCo wanted to cut costs whilst still providing care to their indigent citizens. The new plan is to require proof of citizenship in order to qualify for the indigent care medical program.
This, somehow, is supposed to be racist. The light-brown people are all bent sideways over it. I have a suggestion where they might like to take their outrage, but they'd get thrown in jail where they came from for protesting against the government, so they probably wouldn't like my suggestion.
"Not a citizen? No benefits." This attitude will lead to a national ID card if they don't shut the borders down tight, but until we get to that point, I'm for it. We don't need a national ID. We need immigration and border control.
The Plot Thickens, News At Never O'Clock
The Dow Jones fell a thousand points almost, in just a few minutes. I said to myself when I heard the news, "oh-oh, it's finally started." Then the DJIA made up most of the losses, and it wasn't 1929 all over again (yet).
Later in the day, it was hypothesized that a single trader had hit a B instead of an M and missed the size of a trade by THREE orders of magnitude. Look down at your keyboard and note how close together the B and M keys are. I jotted myself a quick note when that came out:
You would think by now we would know that person's name, and have seen pictures of him on the street with his jacket torn to shreds by other traders. Instead we have ominous talk about the Obama administration investigating just what happened.
. . . and wouldn't it be just great if the newest rumour were true: Instead of a trader in the US, A hacker in China pushed that B instead of M, and then took out the safeties that were supposed to prevent such a precipitous drop in the value of a security all at once. As a warning.
Later in the day, it was hypothesized that a single trader had hit a B instead of an M and missed the size of a trade by THREE orders of magnitude. Look down at your keyboard and note how close together the B and M keys are. I jotted myself a quick note when that came out:
"DJIA down 1000 at one point today. . . is this the beginning? or will there be another rally? possibly human error, someone hit wrong button on computer . . . riiiight"
You would think by now we would know that person's name, and have seen pictures of him on the street with his jacket torn to shreds by other traders. Instead we have ominous talk about the Obama administration investigating just what happened.
. . . and wouldn't it be just great if the newest rumour were true: Instead of a trader in the US, A hacker in China pushed that B instead of M, and then took out the safeties that were supposed to prevent such a precipitous drop in the value of a security all at once. As a warning.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
UK Enforcing Sharia . . . ?
Because you didn't hear this on your nightly news cast:
Muslims in Dudley, UK, are getting uppity. And it looks like the Police are not necessarily above delivering beatings to those opposed to the islamic takeover of UK.
Have you ever seen a pickup truck backing down a boat slip, to let a boat into the water? Did you ever see the truck back down too far, and the driver realizes that, despite using 4 wheel drive to spin his tires, his truck is about to be underwater? The English Defence League is the driver in thismostly bloodless revolution analogy. . . but (like with the soon-to-be-wet driver) you have to root for them to succeed as they go down.
Alternate Headline: More News From The Place Where England Used to Be.
Muslims in Dudley, UK, are getting uppity. And it looks like the Police are not necessarily above delivering beatings to those opposed to the islamic takeover of UK.
Have you ever seen a pickup truck backing down a boat slip, to let a boat into the water? Did you ever see the truck back down too far, and the driver realizes that, despite using 4 wheel drive to spin his tires, his truck is about to be underwater? The English Defence League is the driver in this
Alternate Headline: More News From The Place Where England Used to Be.
YOUR Public Schools Are Just Fine, I'm Sure.
Government schools are much like Congressmen: They all stink except for yours, which is why you never do anything to change them.
Here are two more that stink: Ann Arbor, Michigan, forbids white children taking a field trip. Bonus points to the not-racist teacher for screaming at them when some racist white children objected.
In America, students wearing American patriotic colors on a Mexican holiday got in trouble for being insensitive in Morgan Hill, California.
But the school to which you send your children would never have any problems like these. No, yours is a good school.
Here are two more that stink: Ann Arbor, Michigan, forbids white children taking a field trip. Bonus points to the not-racist teacher for screaming at them when some racist white children objected.
In America, students wearing American patriotic colors on a Mexican holiday got in trouble for being insensitive in Morgan Hill, California.
But the school to which you send your children would never have any problems like these. No, yours is a good school.
"What Took You So Long?"
Despite a whole lot of strained arms from Team Obama patting themselves on the back about how great a job they did catching this bomber in New York before he left the country, the fact remains that an alert citizen gave the tip-off despite his being on a "watch" list for years now, and he was within minutes of escaping scot-free from the scene (nation) of his crime.
So I thought it was a very good question indeed, when he asked the arresting agents as they boarded his plane, "What took you so long?"
So I thought it was a very good question indeed, when he asked the arresting agents as they boarded his plane, "What took you so long?"
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Interrogating NY Truck "Bomb"er Without Miranda Warning?
All of the following goes on the premise that his citizenship will not be revoked due to fraudulent application, and he will not subsequently be shipped to gitmo for questioning. . . .
In the first place, the Miranda advisory statement is not what gives someone their rights in the United States. The rights are pre-existent, but we have to stop pretending they don't apply when the accused is Mirandized.
Second, this cat is an American citizen, and was captured on American soil, and was -and this is the important bit- NOT convicted of any crime when he was taken into custody. This guy was a criminal, not a convict. He, according to the spirit of the law in the USA, had done nothing wrong because he hadn't been proven to have done anything wrong.
Yes, he has valuable intelligence. Yes, he is an enemy combatant in the Jihad. Yes we need to lean on him. And [deleted] YES he should have been read his rights just like everyone else arrested for anything else, who is from here and caught here. Until the nation wakes up and we officially recognize that we are in a holy war not of our choosing, all this guy did is get suspicion (of being an attempted car bomber) drawn to himself. That's hardly the time to start breaking out the electrodes and bamboo slivers.
Are you ready to have the country officially recognize the jihad and start fighting back appropriately? Are you going to vote for people who will do that, this November?
In the first place, the Miranda advisory statement is not what gives someone their rights in the United States. The rights are pre-existent, but we have to stop pretending they don't apply when the accused is Mirandized.
Second, this cat is an American citizen, and was captured on American soil, and was -and this is the important bit- NOT convicted of any crime when he was taken into custody. This guy was a criminal, not a convict. He, according to the spirit of the law in the USA, had done nothing wrong because he hadn't been proven to have done anything wrong.
Yes, he has valuable intelligence. Yes, he is an enemy combatant in the Jihad. Yes we need to lean on him. And [deleted] YES he should have been read his rights just like everyone else arrested for anything else, who is from here and caught here. Until the nation wakes up and we officially recognize that we are in a holy war not of our choosing, all this guy did is get suspicion (of being an attempted car bomber) drawn to himself. That's hardly the time to start breaking out the electrodes and bamboo slivers.
Are you ready to have the country officially recognize the jihad and start fighting back appropriately? Are you going to vote for people who will do that, this November?
Do You Vote? Greece Vs. USA
A hundred thousand people were rioting in the streets of Greece. Police were using tear gas and protesters were slinging molotov cocktails. I'm not sure what the firebombs were supposed to be good for, but so far 3 people have died.
Greece is a little different from the USA. Rioting is almost a national pastime there, whereas here it is still (for now) mostly frowned-upon. This is a deep cultural difference that goes back to America's Christianity and Greece's paganism. Greece is also very similar to the USA: the government likes to spend money it doesn't have, on handouts.
Finally they are smelling the coffee and imposing austerity measures, making life less easy for the moocher class in Greece. These measures will not be enough to prevent an economic collapse in Greece, even after a $145B bailout from the ECB.
America sneezes and $145B disappears. There is nobody out there who can bail out the USA. It may be too late, but we must try now to elect small-government politicians this November. Pretty much everyone who's been in office a couple of terms spends too much. Please, for the sake of the Republic: do your homework, donate to campaigns for the better candidates if you can, and for crying out loud go VOTE!
Greece is a little different from the USA. Rioting is almost a national pastime there, whereas here it is still (for now) mostly frowned-upon. This is a deep cultural difference that goes back to America's Christianity and Greece's paganism. Greece is also very similar to the USA: the government likes to spend money it doesn't have, on handouts.
Finally they are smelling the coffee and imposing austerity measures, making life less easy for the moocher class in Greece. These measures will not be enough to prevent an economic collapse in Greece, even after a $145B bailout from the ECB.
America sneezes and $145B disappears. There is nobody out there who can bail out the USA. It may be too late, but we must try now to elect small-government politicians this November. Pretty much everyone who's been in office a couple of terms spends too much. Please, for the sake of the Republic: do your homework, donate to campaigns for the better candidates if you can, and for crying out loud go VOTE!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sex With Children is Like Spam Email
The radio news announced that sumdood flew from New York to Central Texas have sex with a 13 year-old girl he had met online. SURPRISE! it was the Police who met him instead.
You've got to be pretty badly broken in the head to go to all this trouble to get a young piece. Especially when we're all the time hearing about exactly this sort of story. It strikes me that people who do this are 10x worse than, but along the same lines of foolish as, the type of people who click on emails that have titles like V1AGARA HUGE DISCOUNT NO PRESCRIPTION!!!
(hint: don't)
You've got to be pretty badly broken in the head to go to all this trouble to get a young piece. Especially when we're all the time hearing about exactly this sort of story. It strikes me that people who do this are 10x worse than, but along the same lines of foolish as, the type of people who click on emails that have titles like V1AGARA HUGE DISCOUNT NO PRESCRIPTION!!!
(hint: don't)
Meet The New Boss . . .
WORSE Than The Old Boss!
("from day one" commentary from the Press and White House notwithstanding . . .)
Politico reports that the PR people at the White House are in a "panic" over the official reaction to the oil rig explosion/leak.
Post-Katrina day 3: Bush lands on scene
Post-Explosion day 9: Obama has first press conference
Established, pre-approved procedure for a leak of the size they thought this one was, where this one is, under weather conditions that existed at the time of the explosion: go ahead and burn the floating oil. Procedure carried out: don't burn it, wait until the weather turns and you can't do it any more, and watch as the oil destroys the national fisheries.
(ahem)
("from day one" commentary from the Press and White House notwithstanding . . .)
Politico reports that the PR people at the White House are in a "panic" over the official reaction to the oil rig explosion/leak.
Post-Katrina day 3: Bush lands on scene
Post-Explosion day 9: Obama has first press conference
Established, pre-approved procedure for a leak of the size they thought this one was, where this one is, under weather conditions that existed at the time of the explosion: go ahead and burn the floating oil. Procedure carried out: don't burn it, wait until the weather turns and you can't do it any more, and watch as the oil destroys the national fisheries.
(ahem)
Monday, May 3, 2010
1.5 Mile Kill Shots. Two of Them!
Craig Harrison, a Corporal of the Household Cavalry, and his driver/spotter Trooper Cliff O’Farrell, both should get free drinks for life. TWO one-shot kills at 8,120 feet. At that range, even the mighty .338 Lapua is dropping like a stone, and to land two back to back kills is a feat of arms indeed. Just because he wanted to show off what an absolute shooting machine he is, Corporal Harrison went on to shoot (to disable) the rifle the two mooj's were using, which drew his attention to them in the first place.
Accuracy International (who produced the rifle used for these shots) had the modesty to admit that luck is a big part of shooting at this range. I'm going to say sure, luck to get perfect weather, and luck to be a human mannequin who can stay still enough to make THREE such shots. Thank God that such men are on our side!
Accuracy International (who produced the rifle used for these shots) had the modesty to admit that luck is a big part of shooting at this range. I'm going to say sure, luck to get perfect weather, and luck to be a human mannequin who can stay still enough to make THREE such shots. Thank God that such men are on our side!
Who's "Mostly Peaceful" Now?
At a "may day party in Santa Cruz, California, a riot broke out and caused $100,000 worth of damage. The Police were overwhelmed and had to call for mutual aid from other agencies.
At a Minuteman rally against a day laborer hangout in Westminster, California, a fat mexican tried to beat up a Minuteman old enough to be his daddy, and got his ass handed to him. Police showed up, reviewed the video, and arrested the goon.
In San Jose, California, a mob delivered a beating to some other Minutemen anti-protesting the protest against Arizona's highly effective new law.
But it's the right wingers the Obama administration is worried may be violent. The press is playing up the possible violence from the right. Did you hear about these three incidents at all, before now?
Furthermore:
What does it say about these people? If you were at a street party and saw someone lob a rock through a window, would you join them or would you chastise, holler at, subdue, or otherwise try to discourage them? The revelers in California joined them. But what do you want from people already gathered to protest the rule of law?
At a Minuteman rally against a day laborer hangout in Westminster, California, a fat mexican tried to beat up a Minuteman old enough to be his daddy, and got his ass handed to him. Police showed up, reviewed the video, and arrested the goon.
In San Jose, California, a mob delivered a beating to some other Minutemen anti-protesting the protest against Arizona's highly effective new law.
But it's the right wingers the Obama administration is worried may be violent. The press is playing up the possible violence from the right. Did you hear about these three incidents at all, before now?
Furthermore:
What does it say about these people? If you were at a street party and saw someone lob a rock through a window, would you join them or would you chastise, holler at, subdue, or otherwise try to discourage them? The revelers in California joined them. But what do you want from people already gathered to protest the rule of law?
Once A Criminal Politician, Always a Politician
Disgraced former Representative James Traficant, fresh off a seven-year prison sentence for corruption has filed papers to put himself in the running for his old seat, as an independent. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the (D) and (R) candidates would have to be baby rapers or something, before I'd vote for James Traficant again.
Three People Needlessly Stabbed in Hollywood TARGET Store
Of all places, a friggen Target store. You go to get some shoes and a blender, and come back with a 15,000 emergency room bill, seriously?
If the second person to see this crazy [deleted] with the knives had a pistol about them, then the only person stabbed might have been the first, surprised victim. At the store.
Carry your guns, people!
Thank God there was an off-duty only one there, carrying his gun.
If the second person to see this crazy [deleted] with the knives had a pistol about them, then the only person stabbed might have been the first, surprised victim. At the store.
Carry your guns, people!
Thank God there was an off-duty only one there, carrying his gun.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Quote of The Day 03 May 2010
Overheard @ my house:
My Darling Wife and I were discussing a desire on the part of #1 to learn to speak Chinese. I got to thinking about how we here in Texas can slaughter American English, so adamn yankee foreigner person from elsewhere who nominally speaks English can't really understand us and I came out with
" . . . the thing about Chinese, is that it's completely different. For somebody with a Texas accent, you tell somebody you want french fries, and you're telling them their dog is orange." -me, 2 minutes ago
My Darling Wife and I were discussing a desire on the part of #1 to learn to speak Chinese. I got to thinking about how we here in Texas can slaughter American English, so a
" . . . the thing about Chinese, is that it's completely different. For somebody with a Texas accent, you tell somebody you want french fries, and you're telling them their dog is orange." -me, 2 minutes ago
Contact Shots and DARs: Things to Think About
I'd heard of officer-mounted video cameras before and I think they're a good idea if small/unobtrusive enough that they don't interfere with normal locomotion. What I hadn't really given much thought to is a supplemental digital audio recorder. I mean, the officer can key up a hot-mic on his radio and he has a recorder in his car, right? Well let me tell you, I've heard with my own ears what happens when an officer's arm or (fill in the blank) is blocking the radio mic: no audio recording.
Assuming your radio mic is in a different location than your DAR, this is a huge bonus when the feces has hit the impeller and Internal Affairs would like to know what, exactly, was going on when it happened. A personal digital audio recorder should be on your person if you are on patrol.
Also something I had almost-thought about: contact shots (shots fired when your gun is actually touching the target). Most pistols won't fire out of battery, and pushing a pistol into a Bad Guy during a struggle (or having him pull it in to himself, or if he lands on top of you with the gun pointing into him) might just render a pistol unable to fire. I think the Springfield XD has a protruding guide rod for the recoil spring, so it's harder to push it out of battery against a Goblin, but it could still happen. I hadn't gotten any further in my thinking than "gee, that would suck if you needed to make a shot just then" but the people who think about use-of-force for a living figured it out for us. You push that puppy back into battery. It works and it won't destroy your non-firing hand to do it, as shown in the short, worthwhile video, here.
In case you didn't click through, both of those links are to Spartan Cops. If you are in law enforcement or are some other type of person who may have to use force on another person, you should be picking up what they are laying down, at least every once in a while.
Assuming your radio mic is in a different location than your DAR, this is a huge bonus when the feces has hit the impeller and Internal Affairs would like to know what, exactly, was going on when it happened. A personal digital audio recorder should be on your person if you are on patrol.
Also something I had almost-thought about: contact shots (shots fired when your gun is actually touching the target). Most pistols won't fire out of battery, and pushing a pistol into a Bad Guy during a struggle (or having him pull it in to himself, or if he lands on top of you with the gun pointing into him) might just render a pistol unable to fire. I think the Springfield XD has a protruding guide rod for the recoil spring, so it's harder to push it out of battery against a Goblin, but it could still happen. I hadn't gotten any further in my thinking than "gee, that would suck if you needed to make a shot just then" but the people who think about use-of-force for a living figured it out for us. You push that puppy back into battery. It works and it won't destroy your non-firing hand to do it, as shown in the short, worthwhile video, here.
In case you didn't click through, both of those links are to Spartan Cops. If you are in law enforcement or are some other type of person who may have to use force on another person, you should be picking up what they are laying down, at least every once in a while.
Bulletproof T-Shirts? I'll Take TWO!
A Police patrolman has enough on his chest already, and then you slap on 20lbs of armor and his workload is increased. How about you knock 19lbs off that bulletproof vest, and make it a t-shirt while you're at it? These guys are trying. It looks like they're getting close.
Then twist the knobs on the machine and you have light, strong body panels to replace sheet steel on automobiles. The possibilities are endless.
Then twist the knobs on the machine and you have light, strong body panels to replace sheet steel on automobiles. The possibilities are endless.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Climate Bill Knickers In A Humorous Twist!
Obama's cap and trade bill was supposed to include support for offshore oil exploration. It looked like everybody was okay with that. Then we had a possibly-intentional explosion on an oil rig and the watermelons have remembered that they don't like oil drilling in the ocean, after all.
So it now appears that there are two camps on the climate bill: It's dead if it includes drilling, and It's dead if it doesn't include drilling.
Obama continues to demonstrate his total lack of persuasive ability, riling up both sides of yet another issue and preventing anything major being done. As far as not getting anything major done with a marxist at the helm, I'm for that, so keep telling the kook fringe types you know that the cap and trade bill must/must not (depending on the flavor of moonbat the kook is) include offshore drilling.
I'll be over here with my popcorn.
So it now appears that there are two camps on the climate bill: It's dead if it includes drilling, and It's dead if it doesn't include drilling.
Obama continues to demonstrate his total lack of persuasive ability, riling up both sides of yet another issue and preventing anything major being done. As far as not getting anything major done with a marxist at the helm, I'm for that, so keep telling the kook fringe types you know that the cap and trade bill must/must not (depending on the flavor of moonbat the kook is) include offshore drilling.
I'll be over here with my popcorn.
May Day 2010 Celebrations
On the occasion of this socialist worker's holiday, I was happy to engage in acts of capitalism which will enable me to keep more of my hard-earned (yes, EARNED) money: buying more home energy efficiency stuff. This happened at a store full of workers working their tails off to earn (yes EARN) a living. I also, by the time the second visit is over, will have required wage slaves employees of TWO air conditioning businesses to come to a house I bought without government permission, to spend their time working up proposals to compete with one another for my business.
I didn't get to punch any pinko commies right in the face, but engaging in acts of intentional capitalism of the higher sort are a close second place.
I didn't get to punch any pinko commies right in the face, but engaging in acts of intentional capitalism of the higher sort are a close second place.