Some people may be playing games with American Carol showings. Trying to depress ticket sales figures? Trying to keep people out by messing with ratings listings?
Google needs a new slogan: "Don't be Evil: Let Us Do It!"
Saturday Night Live notes crooked Evil Party politicians and connections: video disappears(mostly).
And, thanks to a suggestion in comments, it's not my hat: it a ACU Tactical Pet Bed.
Yeah, it's not much, but I'm short on time
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
The machinery of civilization
Insty notes something about it here, which got me thinking. I've come to the conclusion(long time ago, but it kind of coalesced now) that to an awful lot of people that machinery just appears from somewhere. Kind of like food appears in the grocery store.
I once worked it out for someone. They thought getting rid of all the nasty coal and gas and oil-fueled power plants would be just wonderful, somehow doing so would force clean, abundant alternate sources to appear(the Pure Effing Magic effect). So I asked them if metals would be needed for society to continue? Machines and tools and so forth? Of course, they said.
So how are you going to make them? The metals, and the tools?
I don't think that'd ever really occurred. How DO you make them?
Ok, so at the most basic level, metal tools, that means forging them. Will coal be allowed as a fuel for the fire? No? Too dirty? So back to the original. Charcoal.
Charcoal?
Yep. Over time whole sections of forest were cleared by the charcoal burners, turning trees into forge and furnace and cooking fuel. One forge might not use that much, but a bunch? Not to mention the furnaces to refine metal from ore, and recycle steel and brass and copper(to mention a few); say goodbye to a LOT of trees. What? Can't allow that? Well, then, considering that you cannot name one alternate energy source capable of replacing oil and gas and coal(not going into nuke plants right now), in efficiency and cost and space in the next ten years(at least, barring a miracle-level discovery) let alone right now when you turn off the currently operating plants, we're screwed. If you did allow charcoal you'd have to log off most of the forest on the continent to keep a metals industry of any size going.
Which connects to, I wonder if a lot of the enviroweenies have really thought about what the effect is on people in third-world countries when they try to deny them coal or whatever-fired power? That means cutting trees and drying animal crap for fuel; the latter is not exactly fun, the former means cutting trees and spending a lot of time each day to get the fuel just to cook food. I know the real nutcase level greenies have a solution: let die off(or kill off) so much of the population that the nasty humans are no longer any real influence on Mother Gaia; but for the less genocidal/homicidal types, what the hell do they THINK people are going to do? Solar panels won't cut it, wind won't cut it(either one on any real scale), and the greenies break out in hives at the thought of dams, so the question becomes WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THESE PEOPLE TO DO? They want the machinery of civilization, badly. And they get really, really pissed when you tell them they can't have it, to stay in their quaint little villages and be happy.
I once worked it out for someone. They thought getting rid of all the nasty coal and gas and oil-fueled power plants would be just wonderful, somehow doing so would force clean, abundant alternate sources to appear(the Pure Effing Magic effect). So I asked them if metals would be needed for society to continue? Machines and tools and so forth? Of course, they said.
So how are you going to make them? The metals, and the tools?
I don't think that'd ever really occurred. How DO you make them?
Ok, so at the most basic level, metal tools, that means forging them. Will coal be allowed as a fuel for the fire? No? Too dirty? So back to the original. Charcoal.
Charcoal?
Yep. Over time whole sections of forest were cleared by the charcoal burners, turning trees into forge and furnace and cooking fuel. One forge might not use that much, but a bunch? Not to mention the furnaces to refine metal from ore, and recycle steel and brass and copper(to mention a few); say goodbye to a LOT of trees. What? Can't allow that? Well, then, considering that you cannot name one alternate energy source capable of replacing oil and gas and coal(not going into nuke plants right now), in efficiency and cost and space in the next ten years(at least, barring a miracle-level discovery) let alone right now when you turn off the currently operating plants, we're screwed. If you did allow charcoal you'd have to log off most of the forest on the continent to keep a metals industry of any size going.
Which connects to, I wonder if a lot of the enviroweenies have really thought about what the effect is on people in third-world countries when they try to deny them coal or whatever-fired power? That means cutting trees and drying animal crap for fuel; the latter is not exactly fun, the former means cutting trees and spending a lot of time each day to get the fuel just to cook food. I know the real nutcase level greenies have a solution: let die off(or kill off) so much of the population that the nasty humans are no longer any real influence on Mother Gaia; but for the less genocidal/homicidal types, what the hell do they THINK people are going to do? Solar panels won't cut it, wind won't cut it(either one on any real scale), and the greenies break out in hives at the thought of dams, so the question becomes WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THESE PEOPLE TO DO? They want the machinery of civilization, badly. And they get really, really pissed when you tell them they can't have it, to stay in their quaint little villages and be happy.
Story from the sandbox
I haven't printed a lot about what son's doing/been doing; partly he doesn't say a lot about things, and partly(if he did tell me a lot) I'm not the New York effin' Times, I don't want to inadvertently let something out. But it's been a while since this happened, so...
While back I was driving somewhere and the phone rang, it was he.
"How's things in your part of the world?"
"I no longer have a truck."
Confusion, as his truck was in the driveway five minutes ago. "What do you mean, it's in the-"
"I mean my truck here."
"Oh. What happened to it?"
"It blew up."
Yeah, that does kind of get your attention. However, he was obviously alive and not in pain or something so I figured any injury had to be minor, so "What happened?"
Background: A few months before this they'd gotten MRAPs to replace(for some uses) the humvees. They're big(gunners cupola on top is 12-feet off the ground), heavy, from his report handle such that saying they handle like pig would be insulting to the porcine race, and armored out the wazoo. In fact, during the wet season they couldn't use them on some roads: too big and heavy.
So, they're on patrol, rolling down the road, son in the cupola, when they hit a mine. As he described it it was like getting hit in the face with a hot pillow and then the MRAP stopped. Aw, crap. He's scanning for ambush(like everybody not inside that vehicle) and waiting for the aother shoe to drop. One-legged man this time, apparently an old mine. So once it was determined the bad guys weren't about to pop over the hilltops they assessed the damage and injuries. Injuries consisted of one guy inside who'd been snoozing with his helmet off; banged his head on the "Ow! Dammit!" level. Damage?
Left front wheel gone, suspension trashed(what was left of it), engine and tranny pretty much trashed. Nothing else. They found a 80-pound piece of the run-flat tire 200 yards away. The EOD guy who checked it out thought it was an old mine, at least a month; looked like the driver just happened to be a bit out of line with the vehicles in front so this vehicle tripped it.
No, at the time didn't pass this on to the grandparents, as they worry enough already.
About a month ago, after the unit moved to another area, another of the MRAPs went through an almost identical situation: big mine taking out one side of the front end. No injuries to speak of this time, either. The things are big, heavy and clumsy, but the armor works.
He also mentioned that the M240 he's been using is a very good piece. Among other things, from the vehicle mount he can put a belt into about a 3" group at 50 yards, which is pretty damn good for an MG.
And that was about the most exciting thing he's mentioned over time.
While back I was driving somewhere and the phone rang, it was he.
"How's things in your part of the world?"
"I no longer have a truck."
Confusion, as his truck was in the driveway five minutes ago. "What do you mean, it's in the-"
"I mean my truck here."
"Oh. What happened to it?"
"It blew up."
Yeah, that does kind of get your attention. However, he was obviously alive and not in pain or something so I figured any injury had to be minor, so "What happened?"
Background: A few months before this they'd gotten MRAPs to replace(for some uses) the humvees. They're big(gunners cupola on top is 12-feet off the ground), heavy, from his report handle such that saying they handle like pig would be insulting to the porcine race, and armored out the wazoo. In fact, during the wet season they couldn't use them on some roads: too big and heavy.
So, they're on patrol, rolling down the road, son in the cupola, when they hit a mine. As he described it it was like getting hit in the face with a hot pillow and then the MRAP stopped. Aw, crap. He's scanning for ambush(like everybody not inside that vehicle) and waiting for the aother shoe to drop. One-legged man this time, apparently an old mine. So once it was determined the bad guys weren't about to pop over the hilltops they assessed the damage and injuries. Injuries consisted of one guy inside who'd been snoozing with his helmet off; banged his head on the "Ow! Dammit!" level. Damage?
Left front wheel gone, suspension trashed(what was left of it), engine and tranny pretty much trashed. Nothing else. They found a 80-pound piece of the run-flat tire 200 yards away. The EOD guy who checked it out thought it was an old mine, at least a month; looked like the driver just happened to be a bit out of line with the vehicles in front so this vehicle tripped it.
No, at the time didn't pass this on to the grandparents, as they worry enough already.
About a month ago, after the unit moved to another area, another of the MRAPs went through an almost identical situation: big mine taking out one side of the front end. No injuries to speak of this time, either. The things are big, heavy and clumsy, but the armor works.
He also mentioned that the M240 he's been using is a very good piece. Among other things, from the vehicle mount he can put a belt into about a 3" group at 50 yards, which is pretty damn good for an MG.
And that was about the most exciting thing he's mentioned over time.
Yeah, Barack I BELIEVE!!! in the 2nd Amendment Obama
has been a supporter just, practically forever!
As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama must demonstrate executive experience, but he remains strangely silent about his eight years (1994-2002) as a director of the Joyce Foundation, a billion dollar tax-exempt organization. He has one obvious reason: during his time as director, Joyce Foundation spent millions creating and supporting anti-gun organizations.
There is another, less known, reason.
During Obama’s tenure, the Joyce Foundation board planned and implemented a program targeting the Supreme Court. The work began five years into Obama’s directorship, when the Foundation had experience in turning its millions into anti-gun “grassroots” organizations, but none at converting cash into legal scholarship.
The plan’s objective was bold: the judicial obliteration of the Second Amendment.
...
The Joyce directorate’s plan almost succeeded. The individual rights view won out in the Heller Supreme Court appeal, but only by 5-4. The four dissenters were persuaded in part by Joyce-funded writings, down to relying on an article which misled them on critical historical documents.
Having lost that fight, Obama now claims he always held the individual rights view of the Second Amendment, and that he “respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms.” [.pdf available at link] But as a Joyce director, Obama was involved in a wealthy foundation’s attempt to manipulate the Supreme Court, buy legal scholarship, and obliterate the individual right to arms.
Read the whole damn thing, and spread it around. Especially to anyone of the "He won't bother my shotgun/target rifle" mindset.
As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama must demonstrate executive experience, but he remains strangely silent about his eight years (1994-2002) as a director of the Joyce Foundation, a billion dollar tax-exempt organization. He has one obvious reason: during his time as director, Joyce Foundation spent millions creating and supporting anti-gun organizations.
There is another, less known, reason.
During Obama’s tenure, the Joyce Foundation board planned and implemented a program targeting the Supreme Court. The work began five years into Obama’s directorship, when the Foundation had experience in turning its millions into anti-gun “grassroots” organizations, but none at converting cash into legal scholarship.
The plan’s objective was bold: the judicial obliteration of the Second Amendment.
...
The Joyce directorate’s plan almost succeeded. The individual rights view won out in the Heller Supreme Court appeal, but only by 5-4. The four dissenters were persuaded in part by Joyce-funded writings, down to relying on an article which misled them on critical historical documents.
Having lost that fight, Obama now claims he always held the individual rights view of the Second Amendment, and that he “respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms.” [.pdf available at link] But as a Joyce director, Obama was involved in a wealthy foundation’s attempt to manipulate the Supreme Court, buy legal scholarship, and obliterate the individual right to arms.
Read the whole damn thing, and spread it around. Especially to anyone of the "He won't bother my shotgun/target rifle" mindset.
And, for a display of full-blown PDS and enablers,
check this out:
And then came Sarah. My reaction to her, and the way the Republican Party threw her in our faces, and the pandering and hypocrisy that was behind their decision to do so, was immediate, visceral, and indeed, vicious. I have crossed every line I believed should never be crossed in public discourse — I have criticized not only her policies and her record, but her hair, her personal style, her accent, her abilities as a mother, etc. I’ve also begun to suffer personally and professionally. I bore my friends with my constant tirades against her, and am constantly distracted from my work by my need to continually update myself on the latest criticism, and indeed, ridicule, of her. In my hatred for her, I have begun to hate myself. I don’t want this woman ruining my life before she even gets a chance to ruin our country. How do I stop? Is there a self-help group for this? A “Hater”
And, if you have the stomach for it(or some tranquilizers), read the whole of the 'response' to it; these people really, truly are freakin' insane. Here's what the proper response should have been:
Dear 'Hater';
'This woman' is not ruining your life, YOU ARE. You are obsessed and about to drive away your friends and ruin your career by it. When you get home, have a drink and GIVE IT A REST! She's not the freakin' antiChrist, she's not out to get you, and you need help.
And then came Sarah. My reaction to her, and the way the Republican Party threw her in our faces, and the pandering and hypocrisy that was behind their decision to do so, was immediate, visceral, and indeed, vicious. I have crossed every line I believed should never be crossed in public discourse — I have criticized not only her policies and her record, but her hair, her personal style, her accent, her abilities as a mother, etc. I’ve also begun to suffer personally and professionally. I bore my friends with my constant tirades against her, and am constantly distracted from my work by my need to continually update myself on the latest criticism, and indeed, ridicule, of her. In my hatred for her, I have begun to hate myself. I don’t want this woman ruining my life before she even gets a chance to ruin our country. How do I stop? Is there a self-help group for this? A “Hater”
And, if you have the stomach for it(or some tranquilizers), read the whole of the 'response' to it; these people really, truly are freakin' insane. Here's what the proper response should have been:
Dear 'Hater';
'This woman' is not ruining your life, YOU ARE. You are obsessed and about to drive away your friends and ruin your career by it. When you get home, have a drink and GIVE IT A REST! She's not the freakin' antiChrist, she's not out to get you, and you need help.
A very good piece on Barack Don't Look At My History Obama
at Tammy Bruce:
I don't place much faith in what a candidate says and does after declaring his or her candidacy. Once he steps into the spotlight, he's playing to the crowd. He's on good behavior, and he'll tell us whatever we want to hear. This is a demonstration of his acting ability...and a politician is indeed part actor, but there's more to the job than that. The true measure of the man is what he did with his life when he didn't think he was being watched. That's what you're going to get when the candidate is in power, and never mind the speeches.
As we do with celebrities, we tend to project our fantasies onto politicians. The less we know about a person, the easier this is. With Obama's charisma and short history, and with the sympathies of the mainstream media behind him, he's been allowed to remain too much of a blank slate. This is slowly changing, as the reality becomes known and eats away at his mystique. Note that Obama's greatest string of victories in the Democratic primaries came when he was a new thing. As information trickled out, he lost steam. If more facts had been on the table earlier, Hillary certainly would have been the Democratic nominee.
Our job as voters isn't to nitpick and debate every nuance and gaffe. In a world of trivia and spin, we must seek the most essential truths and make them known.
and takes it from there. Including
At this point I'm scratching my head in puzzlement and wondering how Obama's candidacy didn't come to a complete halt when his background became known. He stood at the forefront of an organization that is on the record in promoting a hateful, racist agenda. He did this over the entirety of his adult life, only stepping away reluctantly and when compelled as a matter of political expediency. Something has gone horribly wrong with a political party that takes this damaged man and pushes him to the head of the crowd.
Very worth reading.
Also, a bit more on Obama and Ayers. AND, for your Monday-doesn't-suck-enough enjoyment, how ALL questions of Obama are RACIST!!!
I don't place much faith in what a candidate says and does after declaring his or her candidacy. Once he steps into the spotlight, he's playing to the crowd. He's on good behavior, and he'll tell us whatever we want to hear. This is a demonstration of his acting ability...and a politician is indeed part actor, but there's more to the job than that. The true measure of the man is what he did with his life when he didn't think he was being watched. That's what you're going to get when the candidate is in power, and never mind the speeches.
As we do with celebrities, we tend to project our fantasies onto politicians. The less we know about a person, the easier this is. With Obama's charisma and short history, and with the sympathies of the mainstream media behind him, he's been allowed to remain too much of a blank slate. This is slowly changing, as the reality becomes known and eats away at his mystique. Note that Obama's greatest string of victories in the Democratic primaries came when he was a new thing. As information trickled out, he lost steam. If more facts had been on the table earlier, Hillary certainly would have been the Democratic nominee.
Our job as voters isn't to nitpick and debate every nuance and gaffe. In a world of trivia and spin, we must seek the most essential truths and make them known.
and takes it from there. Including
At this point I'm scratching my head in puzzlement and wondering how Obama's candidacy didn't come to a complete halt when his background became known. He stood at the forefront of an organization that is on the record in promoting a hateful, racist agenda. He did this over the entirety of his adult life, only stepping away reluctantly and when compelled as a matter of political expediency. Something has gone horribly wrong with a political party that takes this damaged man and pushes him to the head of the crowd.
Very worth reading.
Also, a bit more on Obama and Ayers. AND, for your Monday-doesn't-suck-enough enjoyment, how ALL questions of Obama are RACIST!!!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Bill Ayers and Barack He's Just An Acquaintance Obama
now have a bit more questioning of their relationship to deal with. And, just to do my part to keep the noise up, I'll note these things Sondra found:
Last week, Ayers defended the September 2001 comments on his blog stating: “I’m sometimes asked if I regret anything I did to oppose the war in Vietnam and I say: No, I don’t regret anything I did to stop the slaughter of millions of human beings by my own government.”
while over here we see
In the wake of the Barack Obama association with Bill Ayers and friends, Zombie pointed out something that many people in the mainstream press conveniently forget or forgive — the Weather Underground wasn’t just anti-war. Instead like ANSWER, WCW, and UFPJ they were, and remain radical communists bent on revolution. Many of their activities occurred after the US had already pulled out of Viet Nam, Zombie recalls a few:
And let us not forget their fund-raising activities loooong after Vietnam was over:May 18, 1973 - The bombing of the 103rd Police Precinct in New York. WUO states this is in response to the killing of 10-year-old black youth Clifford Glover by police.
September 28, 1973 - The ITT headquarters in New York and Rome, Italy are bombed. WUO states this is in response to ITT’s alleged role in the Chilean coup earlier that month. [NYT, 9/28/73]
March 6, 1974 - Bombing of the Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare offices in San Francisco. WUO states this is to protest alleged sterilization of poor women. In the accompanying communiqué, the Women’s Brigade argues for “the need for women to take control of daycare, healthcare, birth control and other aspects of women’s daily lives.”
May 31, 1974 - The Office of the California Attorney General is bombed. WUO states this is in response to the killing of six members of the Symbionese Liberation Army.
July, 1974 – The WUO releases the book Prairie Fire, in which they indicate the need for a unified Communist Party. They encourage the creation of study groups to discuss their ideology, and continue to stress the need for violent acts. The book also admits WUO responsibility of several actions from previous years. The Prairie Fire Organizing Committee (PFOC) arises from the teachings in this book and is organized by many former WUO members.
September 11, 1974 – Bombing of Anaconda Corporation (part of the Rockefeller Corporation). WUO states this is in retribution for Anaconda’s alleged involvement in the Chilean coup the previous year.
June 16, 1975 - Weathermen bomb a Banco de Ponce (a Puerto Rican bank) in New York, WUO states this is in solidarity with striking Puerto Rican cement workers.
October 20, 1981 - Brinks robbery in which Kathy Boudin and several members of the Weather Underground and the Black Liberation Army stole over $1 million from a Brinks armored car at the Nanuet Mall, near Nyack, New York on October 20, 1981. The robbers were stopped by police later that day and engaged them in a shootout, killing two police officers and one Brinks guard as well as wounding several others.
Assuming we actually had any reporters worth their salt in the major media, the big questions on the Ayers-Obama connection would've been asked, repeatedly, a long time ago. And the excuses and evasions really reported, and investigated. That this hasn't happened really tells us all we need to know about what's happened to our major media(as if Dan Rather & Co. hadn't already done that).
I don't hear the visitor for a while, look around and find her
using my hat.
Which is not supposed to have a dog-fur lining, dammit.
Which is not supposed to have a dog-fur lining, dammit.
No no, you mustn't lock up your tools,
then they might break in:
Tenants have been warned that padlocks can lead to thieves forcing their way through doors and windows of the council-owned sheds to steal garden equipment.
Bristol City Council claims its 'Don't Use a Padlock' initiative will save taxpayers' money because fewer sheds will have to be repaired or replaced.
...
But a gardener at Bifield Allotments, in the Stockwood area of the city, whose shed was broken into a few weeks ago, criticised the advice.
Terry Nichols, 71, a retired engineering consultant, who has rented a plot at the site for more than 25 years, said: "It beggars belief that the council is telling us to leave our sheds wide open so that anyone can get in them.
"Everyone who has an allotment has been sent a letter. I have never read anything so ridiculous in all my life.
"I doubt the council would pay up if the sheds were burgled while they were left unlocked."
...
The council acknowledged that not locking the sheds could leave expensive equipment uninsured.
The spokesman added: "It would be a matter for discussion between the allotment-holder and their insurance company which would be able to advise them on the conditions of their policy."
Translation: "If they steal your tools, that's your problem, but if they damage the shed it costs US!"
Of course, the 'US' money comes from taxing the ass off the people, so why are they so upset? They generally act like that's a bottomless well.
Tenants have been warned that padlocks can lead to thieves forcing their way through doors and windows of the council-owned sheds to steal garden equipment.
Bristol City Council claims its 'Don't Use a Padlock' initiative will save taxpayers' money because fewer sheds will have to be repaired or replaced.
...
But a gardener at Bifield Allotments, in the Stockwood area of the city, whose shed was broken into a few weeks ago, criticised the advice.
Terry Nichols, 71, a retired engineering consultant, who has rented a plot at the site for more than 25 years, said: "It beggars belief that the council is telling us to leave our sheds wide open so that anyone can get in them.
"Everyone who has an allotment has been sent a letter. I have never read anything so ridiculous in all my life.
"I doubt the council would pay up if the sheds were burgled while they were left unlocked."
...
The council acknowledged that not locking the sheds could leave expensive equipment uninsured.
The spokesman added: "It would be a matter for discussion between the allotment-holder and their insurance company which would be able to advise them on the conditions of their policy."
Translation: "If they steal your tools, that's your problem, but if they damage the shed it costs US!"
Of course, the 'US' money comes from taxing the ass off the people, so why are they so upset? They generally act like that's a bottomless well.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
So, besides his general socialist tendencies, Barack
I Don't Want Your Guns But...Obama may have financial reasons for pushing gun ownership restrictions and bans:
One of Obama’s biggest donors is the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Meagher and Flom, LLP, which contributed $340,264 to his presidential campaign as of September 2, 2008.[12] Skadden, Arps represents the inventors of a “firearm safety system,” patent number 6499243, which adds a biometric activator that links a gun to one owner. The “Summary of the Invention” section of the patent application notes:
The safety system further makes use of a person’s fingerprint data, which is a unique personal property that is highly suitable for tracking and control.[13] [Emphasis added]
Sidley Austin LLP has contributed $350,302 to Obama.[14] Sidley Austin represents the inventors of the “Gun identification kit,” patent number 7380706. This invention provides a way for every gun to have a spent cartidge case made available for entry into a ballistic “fingerprint” database. Of course, such a database is useful only if all firearms are entered into it:
Because the vast majority of publicly owned firearms have not been used in the commission of a crime, they will not show up in [such a] database. It would therefore be desirable to provide a means for increasing the number of firearms for which…information and data is available.
The inventors’ solution to this? Pass a law mandating that every gun is registered (serial number matched with shell casing and owner data, all permanently recorded):
One means of populating [such a] database would be to mandate that ballistic information be obtained and entered into the database for all firearms.[15]
Now, isn't that interesting?
One of Obama’s biggest donors is the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Meagher and Flom, LLP, which contributed $340,264 to his presidential campaign as of September 2, 2008.[12] Skadden, Arps represents the inventors of a “firearm safety system,” patent number 6499243, which adds a biometric activator that links a gun to one owner. The “Summary of the Invention” section of the patent application notes:
The safety system further makes use of a person’s fingerprint data, which is a unique personal property that is highly suitable for tracking and control.[13] [Emphasis added]
Sidley Austin LLP has contributed $350,302 to Obama.[14] Sidley Austin represents the inventors of the “Gun identification kit,” patent number 7380706. This invention provides a way for every gun to have a spent cartidge case made available for entry into a ballistic “fingerprint” database. Of course, such a database is useful only if all firearms are entered into it:
Because the vast majority of publicly owned firearms have not been used in the commission of a crime, they will not show up in [such a] database. It would therefore be desirable to provide a means for increasing the number of firearms for which…information and data is available.
The inventors’ solution to this? Pass a law mandating that every gun is registered (serial number matched with shell casing and owner data, all permanently recorded):
One means of populating [such a] database would be to mandate that ballistic information be obtained and entered into the database for all firearms.[15]
Now, isn't that interesting?
Since Obama's ties with Terrorist Ayers are coming out
no matter how the major media tries to avoid it, their object now seems to be "He wasn't such a bad terrorist."
Palin was referring to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the group the Weather Underground. The group took credit for bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol four decades ago.
'Nonfatal explosions'. By pure luck. And let's not forget about the bomb that ended the string for these bastards, the one that blew up while they were assembling it: it was a nail bomb. That they were going to plant, along with several others, at a dance at Fort Dix. Ayers has tried to claim recently that they 'weren't trying to hurt people, just damage property'. Bullshit. Even if that were true for the earlier bombs*, it's not for this one: you do not make a nail bomb to damage property, you make one to kill and cripple people. This miserable terrorist bastard was prevented from carrying out a mass murder due to his groups incompetence, or his incompetence as a bomb designer, or just plain luck. And Obama's been hanging around with him, working with him, for years.
*people who celebrate the Manson murders aren't exactly the type to worry about people getting killed.
Palin was referring to Bill Ayers, one of the founders of the group the Weather Underground. The group took credit for bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol four decades ago.
'Nonfatal explosions'. By pure luck. And let's not forget about the bomb that ended the string for these bastards, the one that blew up while they were assembling it: it was a nail bomb. That they were going to plant, along with several others, at a dance at Fort Dix. Ayers has tried to claim recently that they 'weren't trying to hurt people, just damage property'. Bullshit. Even if that were true for the earlier bombs*, it's not for this one: you do not make a nail bomb to damage property, you make one to kill and cripple people. This miserable terrorist bastard was prevented from carrying out a mass murder due to his groups incompetence, or his incompetence as a bomb designer, or just plain luck. And Obama's been hanging around with him, working with him, for years.
*people who celebrate the Manson murders aren't exactly the type to worry about people getting killed.
And yet more from the 'most ethical Congress' that Pelosi promised us
Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.
So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.
Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.
This is the piece of crap that was standing in the House lecturing people about 'responsibility'. And I wonder how many payoffs he managed to lard into the bill that was just rammed up our backside?
So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.
Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.
This is the piece of crap that was standing in the House lecturing people about 'responsibility'. And I wonder how many payoffs he managed to lard into the bill that was just rammed up our backside?
Visitor for the weekend
Daughter and ex have gone to a sci-fi con for the weekend, and this beast does not like strangers and groups, so
This beast is currently sitting next to my chair, asking to sit in my lap. I'm not used to a small critter that looks kind of like a dogdog so small I'm worried about stepping on it being in the house. However, she seems used to keeping out of the way so she hasn't collected any sole marks. And she's properly housebroken, so little worry there.
But it's really ticking of Security Staff to have this furball inside the house.
This beast is currently sitting next to my chair, asking to sit in my lap. I'm not used to a But it's really ticking of Security Staff to have this furball inside the house.
Maybe a rope AND tar & feathers booth
After the word of the House vote yesterday, I managed to stop cursing and considering calling on ancient deities to bring a plague of boils and syphilis- never mind, many probably have the latter, let’s make it permanent hemorrhoids, bad ones- on many of the people in Congress before I wrote to my Rep. Mary Fallin, who changed her vote from ‘no’ to ‘yes’, thus causing me a certain amount of desire for a building collapse in DCheartburn. Along with all but two of the other OK reps(one of whom doesn’t count as he voted ‘yes’ the first time). At this point, I’m curious: just what DO we do about these bastards?
Everything I’ve been hearing says the calls and e-mails to pretty much EVERYBODY was running 90% ‘NO. HELL NO!’, and yet the did it anyway. I do realize this is a Republic, not a Democracy, but the God-cursed senators and reps are supposed to pay some attention to what the people who elect them say.
Add to that the parade of larcenous dirtbags standing on the floor of both Houses lecturing us about financial responsibility… Charlie Rangel, who’s defended by that bitch Pelosi by saying “He’s a simple man and didn’t understand the tax laws” THAT HE HELPED WRITE. Barney Frank, who is one of the bastards who saw to it that nothing was done about this years ago. Lecturing us. It made me want to see a meteor hit the Capitol so we could start over from scratch. Yeah, we’d lose the good ones, too; since so many of the ‘good’ ones turned around and voted for this abortion, what good are they? I have always thought Coburn in the Senate and Fallin were good ones; but Coburn voted for this end-run around the Constitution in the Senate- bullcrap theft and all- and Fallin changed her vote, so what the hell good are they?
Yeah, I’m still pissed. And I told both of them I am. Which, as their actions seem to indicate, means less than a bag of fertilizer to them.
There’s GOT to be enough lampposts in DC, and we can take enough rope…
Everything I’ve been hearing says the calls and e-mails to pretty much EVERYBODY was running 90% ‘NO. HELL NO!’, and yet the did it anyway. I do realize this is a Republic, not a Democracy, but the God-cursed senators and reps are supposed to pay some attention to what the people who elect them say.
Add to that the parade of larcenous dirtbags standing on the floor of both Houses lecturing us about financial responsibility… Charlie Rangel, who’s defended by that bitch Pelosi by saying “He’s a simple man and didn’t understand the tax laws” THAT HE HELPED WRITE. Barney Frank, who is one of the bastards who saw to it that nothing was done about this years ago. Lecturing us. It made me want to see a meteor hit the Capitol so we could start over from scratch. Yeah, we’d lose the good ones, too; since so many of the ‘good’ ones turned around and voted for this abortion, what good are they? I have always thought Coburn in the Senate and Fallin were good ones; but Coburn voted for this end-run around the Constitution in the Senate- bullcrap theft and all- and Fallin changed her vote, so what the hell good are they?
Yeah, I’m still pissed. And I told both of them I am. Which, as their actions seem to indicate, means less than a bag of fertilizer to them.
There’s GOT to be enough lampposts in DC, and we can take enough rope…
Friday, October 03, 2008
And the bailout bandwagon goes on,
with effing California now talking about "Save us!"
Response: Screw you, California, and your little Ahnuld too. You screwed your budget, you fix it, dumbasses.
Oh, and next time Charlie Rangel(Tax Dodger-NY) opens his mouth to talk about 'responsibility', I hope someone kicks him in the testicles. Assuming they haven't atrophied.
Response: Screw you, California, and your little Ahnuld too. You screwed your budget, you fix it, dumbasses.
Oh, and next time Charlie Rangel(Tax Dodger-NY) opens his mouth to talk about 'responsibility', I hope someone kicks him in the testicles. Assuming they haven't atrophied.
Another reason why various members of the Senate
should be horsewhipped out of the place:
By a vote of 74-25, the U.S. Senate last night approved a bill aimed at "providing stability to and preventing disruption in the economy and financial system and protecting taxpayers"--popularly called the bailout.
Or, as it is formally known, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007.
When the House rejected the same measure Monday, it was known as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Providence Journal explains what happened:
In part, it has to do with the U.S. Constitution. Article 7, Section 1 says tax bills must originate in the House of Representatives.
In order to improve chances that the bailout bill, which the House defeated on Monday, would be approved this time around, the Senate tacked on several popular provisions, such as extending the life of business tax cuts that were set to expire and changing the alternative minimum tax, a much-loathed part of the tax code intended to ensure that the well-to-do pay their fair share but that in recent years has increasingly affected the middle class.
And an element of the tax package was legislation advanced by [Rhode Island's Rep. Patrick] Kennedy that requires health-insurance companies to offer coverage of mental illness on a par with that of physical illness.
Once the Senate added those provisions to the rescue bill, it qualified as a tax bill, which the upper chamber is constitutionally prohibited from originating.
In order to get around the Constitution, the leaders turned to the time-honored stratagem of finding a live but dormant House bill--Kennedy's mental-health parity bill--to use as a shell.
"They take out the entire text" of Kennedy's old bill, "and then, by amendment, they substitute the other bill," said Don Ritchie, an assistant Senate historian.
So the bailout ended up attached to a measure that extends benefits to people suffering from depression and is named after a lawmaker who died in a crash. Never let it be said that the U.S. Senate lacks a sense of humor.
That business idea is back on. I wonder what kind of price break I can get for buying rope in bulk?
By a vote of 74-25, the U.S. Senate last night approved a bill aimed at "providing stability to and preventing disruption in the economy and financial system and protecting taxpayers"--popularly called the bailout.
Or, as it is formally known, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007.
When the House rejected the same measure Monday, it was known as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Providence Journal explains what happened:
In part, it has to do with the U.S. Constitution. Article 7, Section 1 says tax bills must originate in the House of Representatives.
In order to improve chances that the bailout bill, which the House defeated on Monday, would be approved this time around, the Senate tacked on several popular provisions, such as extending the life of business tax cuts that were set to expire and changing the alternative minimum tax, a much-loathed part of the tax code intended to ensure that the well-to-do pay their fair share but that in recent years has increasingly affected the middle class.
And an element of the tax package was legislation advanced by [Rhode Island's Rep. Patrick] Kennedy that requires health-insurance companies to offer coverage of mental illness on a par with that of physical illness.
Once the Senate added those provisions to the rescue bill, it qualified as a tax bill, which the upper chamber is constitutionally prohibited from originating.
In order to get around the Constitution, the leaders turned to the time-honored stratagem of finding a live but dormant House bill--Kennedy's mental-health parity bill--to use as a shell.
"They take out the entire text" of Kennedy's old bill, "and then, by amendment, they substitute the other bill," said Don Ritchie, an assistant Senate historian.
So the bailout ended up attached to a measure that extends benefits to people suffering from depression and is named after a lawmaker who died in a crash. Never let it be said that the U.S. Senate lacks a sense of humor.
That business idea is back on. I wonder what kind of price break I can get for buying rope in bulk?
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Relief did show up last night. On time.
Which means I got a normal amount of sleep last night, or as normal as I get anymore. Which means I got some of the grocery shopping done, which gave me time to have the radio on and hear more of the details of the lump of phlegm the Senate coughed up. These clowns make a kid who just had his first successful solo poop in the potty chair seem subdued, with far less reason. The kid actually accomplished something good, the Senate just pissed in our boot(again) and told us it's a clean, healthy rain coming down outside.
My Senators split it, Inhofe voting no and Coburn yes. Coburn says he felt he had to, but he thinks the bill sucks. I'd far rather he'd said "This is an abortion of a rabid wolverine and I refuse to help screw the people back home just so something can be done." Ticks me off severely, it does.
On somewhat happier news, I see Steve has now conceded the K31 is capable of accurate fire. We told him, but did he believe us? Noooo.
Let's see, for the update on idiocy in (fG)Britain, they not only take a cane away from a 78-year-old man(it's a 'weapon', you see), they lose it.
Nah, no possible bias in THIS debate, no sir!
Screw it, I've got grass to mowg
My Senators split it, Inhofe voting no and Coburn yes. Coburn says he felt he had to, but he thinks the bill sucks. I'd far rather he'd said "This is an abortion of a rabid wolverine and I refuse to help screw the people back home just so something can be done." Ticks me off severely, it does.
On somewhat happier news, I see Steve has now conceded the K31 is capable of accurate fire. We told him, but did he believe us? Noooo.
Let's see, for the update on idiocy in (fG)Britain, they not only take a cane away from a 78-year-old man(it's a 'weapon', you see), they lose it.
Nah, no possible bias in THIS debate, no sir!
Screw it, I've got grass to mowg
Simple message for the 'public servants' who are in such a rush
to loot us. Again.
"Let me put it this way. We're told, over and over, that it's a 'crisis' and things have to be done NOW. And then we find out about all the giveaways and pork you people lard into this. That leaves us with two conclusions to choose from:
First, that it's NOT a crisis, just a bunch of politicians using this as another chance to loot our pockets to pay off their supporters and increase their power,
or
Second, it IS a crisis, and even in a crisis these people are willing to use it as a chance to buy support and increase their power, even if it trashes the country to do so.
So, which is it?"
"Let me put it this way. We're told, over and over, that it's a 'crisis' and things have to be done NOW. And then we find out about all the giveaways and pork you people lard into this. That leaves us with two conclusions to choose from:
First, that it's NOT a crisis, just a bunch of politicians using this as another chance to loot our pockets to pay off their supporters and increase their power,
or
Second, it IS a crisis, and even in a crisis these people are willing to use it as a chance to buy support and increase their power, even if it trashes the country to do so.
So, which is it?"
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Some assorted observations and thoughts
One of the sillier tv shows to be found is on Spike: MANswers, as in ‘answers for men’. Things like “How drunk can you get without dying?”, “Do artifical boobs float?”, etc. I’ve seen this on a couple of occasions(“I need some background noise, dammit, I’m about to fall over.”) Last week saw one which included the question “What’s the biggest handgun you can buy?” Illustrated, of course, by some scantily-clad and, ah, well-endowed females. They showed one shooting a .357 Mag, then a second with a .44 Mag, and then the answer to the question: .500 S&W Mag.
Their final test? Comparison of how the compensator on the .500 reduced recoil by comparing how much that shooters boobs jiggled during recoil compared to those of the one shooting the .44. Unfortunately, not the best test, as the lady shooting the .44 was a bit shorter and lighter than the .500 lady so she got a bit more motion. And, not knowing fully how the size of the affected body parts and levels of support compared, can’t really say it was a valid comparison. Entertaining, though.
And yes, this is a demonstration of how far down the tubes tv has slid.
The bug people came by a couple of weeks ago to do their annual “Go away, you little bastards” spraying around the house. Which is something I’m fairly happy to leave to someone else to do. I’ve always been uncomfortable messing with insecticides, more so since I found out how many of them are basically a nerve agent not much different than the stuff banned from use by various international treaties(which boils down to a few countries telling some others “If you use this shit, we will stomp you into the ground. If you use it on us, you’ll be gone.” God help everyone if some of these clowns decide we won’t do it).
Know how the first nerve agents were discovered? From what I've read, a German chemist was looking for better bug-killing stuff and came across two compounds that were so lethal they were useless for bugs, as they’d kill EVERYTHING they came in contact with. Meet Sarin and Tabun. Now, if you read the labels on lots of insecticides, the warnings include that they’re a ‘cholinesterase inhibitor’. Guess what Sarin and Tabun are? VX also, which is even worse than the others. The first two break down, usually in a few hours; VX is persistent. It can stay dangerous for months. A room could be decontaminated, but if a bit on the bottom of a doorknob was missed, someone could open the door a month later and die. Nasty in the extreme.
So, for the most part, I leave messing with the stuff to people trained at it. I just have this dislike for the thought of developing twitches and blackouts. Worse than I have now, I mean.
This is one of those things that cause problems because the difference between insecticide and war agent can be very slight, and the equipment to make them is considered ‘dual-purpose’. Remember the chemical trailers they found in Iraq? The first people who examined them developed symptoms of exposure to chemical agents. The Iraqis captured said “No no, these are for making insecticides for the crops!” Which is bullcrap; you don’t make pesticides in small lots that size. And, of course, when some media weenie asked if the symptoms COULD be due to insecticide they were told yes, the effects can be very similar, BUT… We know what happened, the ‘but’ was ignored and it was loudly declared that they WERE pesticide-making trailers and the nasty, lying American Army could not be trusted. Another reason I distrust just about every word that comes out of the mouth of a talking head.
Just finished reading John Ringo’s The Last Centurion. Very good rundown in there of just how much we depend on chemicals- sometimes very dangerous chemicals- to stay alive. I spent some years growing up in a small town in northern Oklahoma, farm & ranch country. You pick up things living in a place like that. How terribly important the weather is, and how much of the crops would disappear without the insecticides and herbicides we’ve got. It’s scary, it really is: the difference between plenty and hunger is something to kill the weeds and pests.
And the same stuff, misused or used carelessly, can kill you.
Right now I'm not looking forward to the rest of the day. Last night my relief did not show up, and their phone went straight to answering. Which meant I had an unexpected four hours extra before I could get home. About 4.5 hours sleep. Then a doctors appointment this morning that didn't happen: get there a few minutes early, then, at 45 minutes after the time the appointment was scheduled, tell the receptionist "I'm out of time" and leave. So the day's just gone along wonderfully since midnight. And that moron better show up tonight or I'll pay them a visit. With a club.
More bloggage later, when I have more time and am less sleep-deprived.
Their final test? Comparison of how the compensator on the .500 reduced recoil by comparing how much that shooters boobs jiggled during recoil compared to those of the one shooting the .44. Unfortunately, not the best test, as the lady shooting the .44 was a bit shorter and lighter than the .500 lady so she got a bit more motion. And, not knowing fully how the size of the affected body parts and levels of support compared, can’t really say it was a valid comparison. Entertaining, though.
And yes, this is a demonstration of how far down the tubes tv has slid.
The bug people came by a couple of weeks ago to do their annual “Go away, you little bastards” spraying around the house. Which is something I’m fairly happy to leave to someone else to do. I’ve always been uncomfortable messing with insecticides, more so since I found out how many of them are basically a nerve agent not much different than the stuff banned from use by various international treaties(which boils down to a few countries telling some others “If you use this shit, we will stomp you into the ground. If you use it on us, you’ll be gone.” God help everyone if some of these clowns decide we won’t do it).
Know how the first nerve agents were discovered? From what I've read, a German chemist was looking for better bug-killing stuff and came across two compounds that were so lethal they were useless for bugs, as they’d kill EVERYTHING they came in contact with. Meet Sarin and Tabun. Now, if you read the labels on lots of insecticides, the warnings include that they’re a ‘cholinesterase inhibitor’. Guess what Sarin and Tabun are? VX also, which is even worse than the others. The first two break down, usually in a few hours; VX is persistent. It can stay dangerous for months. A room could be decontaminated, but if a bit on the bottom of a doorknob was missed, someone could open the door a month later and die. Nasty in the extreme.
So, for the most part, I leave messing with the stuff to people trained at it. I just have this dislike for the thought of developing twitches and blackouts. Worse than I have now, I mean.
This is one of those things that cause problems because the difference between insecticide and war agent can be very slight, and the equipment to make them is considered ‘dual-purpose’. Remember the chemical trailers they found in Iraq? The first people who examined them developed symptoms of exposure to chemical agents. The Iraqis captured said “No no, these are for making insecticides for the crops!” Which is bullcrap; you don’t make pesticides in small lots that size. And, of course, when some media weenie asked if the symptoms COULD be due to insecticide they were told yes, the effects can be very similar, BUT… We know what happened, the ‘but’ was ignored and it was loudly declared that they WERE pesticide-making trailers and the nasty, lying American Army could not be trusted. Another reason I distrust just about every word that comes out of the mouth of a talking head.
Just finished reading John Ringo’s The Last Centurion. Very good rundown in there of just how much we depend on chemicals- sometimes very dangerous chemicals- to stay alive. I spent some years growing up in a small town in northern Oklahoma, farm & ranch country. You pick up things living in a place like that. How terribly important the weather is, and how much of the crops would disappear without the insecticides and herbicides we’ve got. It’s scary, it really is: the difference between plenty and hunger is something to kill the weeds and pests.
And the same stuff, misused or used carelessly, can kill you.
Right now I'm not looking forward to the rest of the day. Last night my relief did not show up, and their phone went straight to answering. Which meant I had an unexpected four hours extra before I could get home. About 4.5 hours sleep. Then a doctors appointment this morning that didn't happen: get there a few minutes early, then, at 45 minutes after the time the appointment was scheduled, tell the receptionist "I'm out of time" and leave. So the day's just gone along wonderfully since midnight. And that moron better show up tonight or I'll pay them a visit. With a club.
More bloggage later, when I have more time and am less sleep-deprived.
"Screw the law; I'm Nanny Bloomberg, and I Know Best!"
Mr. Bloomberg, whose second term ends in 2009, is barred by law from running for re-election. So he will propose revising the city’s 15-year-old term limits law, which restricts him and dozens of other elected leaders to two four-year terms, those people said.
...
People briefed on the matter said Mr. Bloomberg, 66, would seek to change the law through legislation in the City Council. His staff is envisioning an unusual bill that would apply only to those currently in office, allowing them to serve three terms instead of two. A permanent change would require voter approval, these people said.
Translation: "I don't care what I said before, and I don't care what the voters think! I'm Nanny Bloomberg, the city NEEDS my leadership, so I(and my buttmonkeys, but let's don't mention them) need to be reelected and screw the term limits!"
Thanks to Sondra for noting this
...
People briefed on the matter said Mr. Bloomberg, 66, would seek to change the law through legislation in the City Council. His staff is envisioning an unusual bill that would apply only to those currently in office, allowing them to serve three terms instead of two. A permanent change would require voter approval, these people said.
Translation: "I don't care what I said before, and I don't care what the voters think! I'm Nanny Bloomberg, the city NEEDS my leadership, so I(and my buttmonkeys, but let's don't mention them) need to be reelected and screw the term limits!"
Thanks to Sondra for noting this
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