Tam writes about holsters

and finding that she really shouldn't have gotten rid of one. Which made me run through a quick mental inventory...

Let's see, a thumb-break shoulder rig for a 2" .38, one for my Officer's Model .45, the belt slide Dad made me years ago, another one I made, a Kydex paddle, and the Sparks IWB I bought about a year or so ago. And a nylon "It even holds a spare clip!" one that came with the pistol. Yeah, I think that's it...

I bought the IWB because A: I wanted to try that style and B: it was inexpensive(can't really say 'cheap'). I found that I like it better than the slides(it stays in place much better), and it's better at concealing than the Kydex paddle. The 'inexpensive' caught up because the mouth wasn't reinforced with anything more than a stitched-on strip of leather and didn't stay open as well as needed, so I finally cut the stitching and took it off, cut and shaped a piece of saw blade to fit, then stitched the strip back over; it made a world of difference. And, with a couple of exceptions, it's what I've worn ever since. When I next used the slide it felt exposed, and didn't stay in place; tended to slide back & forth a bit(that's not supposed to be why they call it that). The paddle stays right in place, but being outside the pants it just doesn't feel as hidden. My pants fit better, but I'll trade somewhat snug pants for better concealment and no movement(if I have to reach for it, I want it to be RIGHT THERE).

Right now I'd love one with a stiffer body, but this here retirement thing kind of prevents any "Let's look at Midway!" extravagance, especially this time of year. I need to find out either a way to stiffen leather better than what I know now, or find some leather that, after molding, stays stiff. I've got some spring clips, and I've made holsters before, so that's not a problem.

By the way, anyone else notice the variance in waistbands? I've got three pair of Wrangler jeans, all the same size, and the waist on each is a bit different in size: one holds the 1911 just fine, one's snug and the other's just too damn tight.

Maybe I should sue?

On some things, I give up

I mentioned once before a friend who's a True Believer in AGW(All the REAL scientists believe, etc.) Well, couple of days ago I decided to violate my 'never mention the subject again' rule because I thought the stuff coming out on the fraud was just too important to not pass on.

Damn.

Apparently out of the whole damn piece I linked to her the only thing worthy of notice was something near the bottom from a AGW clown that "most scientists agree", etc. Oh, and running 'round the net looking for info = "You live in an oil run media" etc. ad bullshit. I'd never have believed it, but she actually believes the 'Oil companies run everything' conspiracy crap.

I give up.

I just looked at the weather for Copenhagen,

upper 30's--low 40's next couple of days. So I have a proposition:

Take away the limos.
Take away the private planes; NONE involved in any way with this meeting allowed in-country.
Take away ANYTHING except public transport, bicycles and walking.
Take away 'heatist' things like central heating.
Take away all food not grown and preserved locally. WITHOUT those nasty CFC-using refrigeration systems having been used, of course.
THEN let these hypocritical power-hungry bastards have their meeting. And if we really want to help them feel that we are the good guys, the selfless saviours, and they are the bad guys, they have to sign on to not using those things to get home, either. Or use them in their daily life. Ever again.

Of course, they wouldn't agree to any of that; after all, they're important people doing important work so they rules they want us chained to shouldn't apply to them...

In local news, it looks like if you vote for the new MAPS tax,

you're going to get screwed. Twice.
As predicted FOLKS. The COUNTY is coming after Oklahoma City RESIDENTS for 400 million MORE dollars to fund the boondoggle that is the county JAILS.

YES ….COUNTY TAXES ON TOP OF MAPS TAXES.

So when you vote for MAPS….which raises the sales tax a penny…be ready to raise it another penny for the county.
If you read the rest, I think you'd agree with Shannon being opinionated on this. Well, so am I. There's been enough evasion(like the mayor saying someone 'needs to be called out' and then flatly refusing to debate) over this to bring the odor level to 'high'. At the least. And there are so damn many connections between people pushing for this and people who'll make money from it...

If it's too icy to drive in the morning, I can probably walk; my polling place isn't too far away.

A mystery of life

At the store the other day, Red Delicious apples were $1/pound. Except you could buy a 8lb bag for $3.

Wonderful, isn't it?

'Tis the Season,

ho freaking ho.
Tonight: Freezing drizzle likely. Cloudy, with a low around 31. East northeast wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Tuesday: A chance of freezing rain before noon, then a chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 43. East wind 9 to 12 mph becoming southwest between 17 and 20 mph. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. Windy, with a northwest wind 26 to 29 mph becoming north northwest 15 to 18 mph. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
It's currently a balmy 34 degrees, with that to look forward to. Damn.

An update on the Barfoot flagpole situation

"It looks like this thing is growing legs . . . the law firm of Coates & Davenport have already gone into Damage Control Mode:

Statement from the Sussex Square Homeowners Association

Dec. 3, 2009

The Sussex Square Homeowners Association never intended its request that Col. Barfoot remove his flag pole as an affront to his patriotism.

This is not about the American flag. This is about a flag pole. And Col. Barfoot is not being forbidden from displaying an American flag.

With its request that he remove the flag pole, the association was discharging its duty to all the owners in the neighborhood. The association's position has merit and is supported by its Bylaws, Rules and Declaration of Restrictions and Covenants.

The association is optimistic that this matter can be resolved in a way that is mutually satisfactory to all parties and looks forward to Senator Mark Warner's involvement toward that end.

Anyone who wishes to offer comments may do so at colbarfootsflagpole@gmail.com

Thank you,

Coates & Davenport
Richmond, Virginia



So I went back and checked the story, as it was originally reported to me:

In December 2009, the HomeOwners' Association (HOA) of Sussex Square, where 90-year-old Van T. Barfoot lives in Henrico County, Virginia, ordered him to remove the flagpole from which he flies the American flag. The HOA retained a lawyer to help enforce their order. The Association's bylaws do not forbid flagpoles, but the HOA ruled Barfoot should not be allowed to use his "for aesthetic reasons". Mr. Barfoot is contesting the order.


I don't want to come off sounding like a barracks lawyer, but it sounds to me like Colonel Barfoot has a pretty good case going for him."

Dec. 7

Stormbringer says it better than I probably could.

Speaking of idiot politicians dealing with troops,

In June, McChrystal noted, he had arrived in Afghanistan and set about fulfilling his assignment. His lean face, hovering on the screen at the end of the table, was replaced by a mission statement on a PowerPoint slide: "Defeat the Taliban. Secure the Population."

"Is that really what you think your mission is?" one of the participants asked.

In the first place, it was impossible -- the Taliban were part of the fabric of the Pashtun belt of southern Afghanistan, culturally if not ideologically supported by a major part of the population. "We don't need to do that," Gates said, according to one participant. "That's an open-ended, forever commitment."

But that was precisely his mission, McChrystal responded, enshrined in the Strategic Implementation Plan -- the execution orders for the March strategy, written by the NSC staff.

"I wouldn't say there was quite a 'whoa' moment," a senior defense official said of the reaction around the table. "It was just sort of a recognition that, 'Duh, that's what in effect the commander understands he's been told to do.' Everybody said, 'He's right.'"

As Ace puts it, The problem with these Obama folks is that they're so naive, so irreducibly ignorant of anything other than the inside of a classroom, they don't realize that when you give the U.S. armed forces a mission, they actually try to get it done.

What is this bullshit? "Oh, I told him to kill the Taliban, but I didn't think he'd take it so literally." What. The. Fuck.

Ace had a post pointing to an article in the Times

on how a bunch of wounded British troops 'greeted' PM Brown; as he notes, when troops do this to their head of government, it tells us a number of things, none of them good:
Gordon Brown was snubbed by badly injured Afghan veterans when they closed curtains round their beds during a hospital visit and refused to speak to him.

More than half the soldiers being treated at the Selly Oak hospital ward in Birmingham either asked for the curtains to be closed or deliberately avoided the prime minister, according to several of those present.

The soldiers, who have sustained some of the worst injuries seen in Afghanistan, described his visit as “opportunistic” and a “waste of time”.

Personally, I don't doubt it was exactly both; take a look at some of the things Brown & Co. have done:
The concerns of the wounded soldiers appear to highlight a disconnection between front line troops in Afghanistan and Brown and his government. Earlier this year an official report suppressed by ministers revealed that soldiers’ lives were being put at risk by “endemic” failures at the Ministry of Defence.

It blamed a “political fudge” and Whitehall incompetence for the failure to provide soldiers in Afghanistan with adequate equipment, and said bungled projects were £35 billion over budget.

At the same time Brown has been accused of failing to give adequate funding to the military. As chancellor he oversaw a dramatic increase in government expenditure on education, welfare and health while the defence budget fell from 2.8% of GDP to 2.2%.
...
...while a month earlier the government took two injured soldiers to court in a test case that would have slashed compensation payments to injured soldiers.
Take a real good look at that last: it's been in the press before. Just what kind of miserable sonofabitch does it take to try that? Why, a socialist crapweasel like Brown, that's what.

The British Army, overall, has always been considered one of the best fighting forces around; despite being so often crapped on by government they've always tried to get the damned job done. For them to be pushed to this point:
“I wanted to find out how the guy’s head worked,” he said. “I was interested in what he had made of his trip to Afghanistan and what he had learnt from it.

“I feel that even if someone is a moron, he should have the opportunity to defend his moronity. [His response] all seemed rather textbook and not from the heart.

“It is quite obvious to anyone that Brown is not concerned, it is almost as if we [the soldiers] are the product of an unwanted affair.

“The straight fact is this: we don’t like the man, he has done nothing for us and continues to kick us in the teeth over equipment and compensation.”
means things are near or at a breaking point. The question that's been asked before is, looking at much of what these troops have done, "How do the Brits manage to keep men of this quality in the forces when they keep getting crapped on?" Well, I think that's going to change; and the Brit army and Britain overall are SOL if it does. To borrow the last stanza from Mr. Kipling,
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

Let's see what's out there...

Mt. Kilimanjaro: the ice cap ain't what Al Gore kept telling us, surpise!


You've probably already heard about this, but all the "More threats to Barack Obama than ANY OTHER PRESIDENT!!!" crap? It really IS crap.


He doesn't have the desire, let alone the balls, to want to win; neither does he have the integrity or balls to say "I'm withdrawing the troops". He wants to have eight years in the Oval Office so bad he'll do anything- including get troops killed playing games- to try to get them.


Some of the members of the American Physical Society are taking Climaquiddick very seriously:
What has this to do with APS? In 2007 the APS Council adopted a Statement on global warming (also reproduced at the tinyurl site mentioned above) that was based largely on the scientific work that is now revealed to have been corrupted. (The principals in this escapade have not denied what they did, but have sought to dismiss it by saying that it is normal practice among scientists. You know and we know that that is simply untrue. Physicists are not expected to cheat.)

We have asked the APS management to put the 2007 Statement on ice until the extent to which it is tainted can be determined, but that has not been done. We have also asked that the membership be consulted on this point, but that too has not been done.

None of us would use corrupted science in our own work, nor would we sign off on a thesis by a student who did so. This is not only a matter of science, it is a matter of integrity, and the integrity of the APS is now at stake. That is why we are taking the unusual step of communicating directly with at least a fraction of the membership.

If you believe that the APS should withdraw a Policy Statement that is based on admittedly corrupted science, and should then undertake to clarify the real state of the art in the best tradition of a learned society, please send a note to the incoming President of the APS ccallan@princeton.edu, with the single word YES in the subject line. That will make it easier for him to count.


"The Big Cutoff" refers, of course, to an end of the tips, free quotes, free background stuff, etc., that the climate-mongers have been offering Revkin. In other words, they're threatening to blacklist him from their rolodexes and no longer return his calls, leaving him a reporter without sources in the field he's supposed to be covering. (And doing a poor job of it even with those sources, note.)

Glad to see there's none of that "tribalism" among this claque! Good to put that particular false rumor to bed!


It also needs to be hammered again and again(just not the way he likes) just what kind of sleaze the 'Safe Schools Czar' really is.


Ace has something on British troops basically crapping on PM Brown, but that deserves a post of its own.


The wonders of Socialized Medicine demonstrated in California: poor women hurt most in this case.


There is a lesson there for small democracies. If they abide by democratic principles, sustain a united front domestically, and refuse to accede to the arrogance of Foggy Bottom and the White House, they can control their own destiny. (Hmm, seems to also have worked out in Israel.) That it should require such a Herculean effort to resist the strong-arming tactics of the United States is sobering and distressing.
Hey, we've got a 'Progressive'(i.e. socialist crapweasel) as President; you think he really respects the idea of a republic?


In news unrelated to, well, 'news', I wound up using the belt sander to take about .01" off the Pocket Hammerless magazine(harder steel than I'd expected, which is good), then polished it a bit with 220 wet/dry paper and hit it with cold blue(Van's, if you're interested). The original, at the point the trigger bow moves over, is .425", the aftermarket was .443". I didn't want to reduce the wall thickness too much, so only took it to .435"; I'll try it and see if that took care of it.

Speaking of corrupt politicians like Sen. Max Baucus,

(I know, I wasn't, but just like the climate change fraud this needs to be hit again and again), it appears that Sen. Baucus shares some characteristics besides wanting to run our lives with Ted Kennedy:
You see, a decade or so ago Baucus's chief of staff, former CT congressional candidate Christine Niedermeier, accused the Senator of trying to include a physical relationship as part of her job duties. (mind you, this was right in the middle of the Senator's now lapsed marriage)
...
On that note, anyone really think that someone trying to bed a staffer in 1999 waited almost a decade before trying again?

It might be interesting to see if other former female Baucus staffers have landed plum jobs from his friends in the government and K Street, dontcha think? Like I said, this looks like a lifestyle for "Mad Max".

Over a decade ago, Republican Senator Bob Packwood was run out of office for exploiting his job so he could exploit women. We haven't much progress in improving the ethical standards of the Senate if people are now speculating that the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is up to the same monkey business.
Montana, the ball's in your court. Or do you people approve of this dirtbag? Hell even some media weenies are noting that this being ignored is not good; if THEY think so...

Because, with the Copenhagen Climate Fraud Summit starting,

this crap HAS to be hammered over and over,
But more dramatic still has been the new evidence from the CRU's leaked documents, showing just how the evidence was finally rigged. The most quoted remark in those emails has been one from Prof Jones in 1999, reporting that he had used "Mike [Mann]'s Nature trick of adding in the real temps" to "Keith's" graph, in order to "hide the decline". Invariably this has been quoted out of context. Its true significance, we can now see, is that what they intended to hide was the awkward fact that, apart from that one tree, the Yamal data showed temperatures not having risen in the late 20th century but declining. What Jones suggested, emulating Mann's procedure for the "hockey stick" (originally published in Nature), was that tree-ring data after 1960 should be eliminated, and substituted – without explanation – with a line based on the quite different data of measured global temperatures, to convey that temperatures after 1960 had shot up.

A further devastating blow has now been dealt to the CRU graphs by an expert contributor to McIntyre's Climate Audit, known only as "Lucy Skywalker". She has cross-checked with the actual temperature records for that part of Siberia, showing that in the past 50 years temperatures have not risen at all. (For further details see the science blog Watts Up With That.) (link added)
...
I will only add two footnotes to this real-life new version of the old story. One is that, as we can see from the CRU's website, the largest single source of funding for all its projects has been the European Union, which at Copenhagen will be more insistent than anyone that the world should sign up to what amounts to the most costly economic suicide note in history.

The other is that the ugly, drum-like concrete building at the University of East Anglia which houses the CRU is named after its founder, the late Hubert Lamb, the doyen of historical climate experts. It was Professor Lamb whose most famous contribution to climatology was his documenting and naming of what he called the Medieval Warm Epoch, that glaring contradiction of modern global warming theory which his successors have devoted untold efforts to demolishing. If only they had looked at the evidence of those Siberian trees in the spirit of true science, they might have told us that all their efforts to show otherwise were in vain, and that their very much more distinguished predecessor was right after all.

And, speaking of Watts,
On a normal day, Majken Friss Jorgensen, managing director of Copenhagen’s biggest limousine company, says her firm has twelve vehicles on the road. During the “summit to save the world”, which opens here tomorrow, she will have 200. “We thought they were not going to have many cars, due to it being a climate convention,” she says. “But it seems that somebody last week looked at the weather report.”

Ms Jorgensen reckons that between her and her rivals the total number of limos in Copenhagen next week has already broken the 1,200 barrier. The French alone rang up on Thursday and ordered another 42. “We haven’t got enough limos in the country to fulfil the demand,” she says. “We’re having to drive them in hundreds of miles from Germany and Sweden.”

And the total number of electric cars or hybrids among that number? “Five,” says Ms Jorgensen. “The government has some alternative fuel cars but the rest will be petrol or diesel. We don’t have any hybrids in Denmark, unfortunately, due to the extreme taxes on those cars. It makes no sense at all, but it’s very Danish.”

But wait, there’s more!
Red bold mine. Just like Al Gore using enough energy in ONE of his mansions EVERY MONTH to take care of an average family for a year, like the UN climate weenie who's flown almost half-a-million miles the past year- all in first class, of course- to do 'global warming' business,we have the merry socialist nannies lecturing us to "Do what we tell you, don't worry about what we're doing."

Pardon me for some crude wording: eco-passengers

my ass. They're either watermelons or general nanny-state jerks who want to run our lives; either by pretending to or actually believing the AGW bullshit.

No, I'm fresh out of charitable thoughts for these clowns.

Something very satisfying, when it's cold out,

when A: you try something new in the kitchen and it actually works and B: this results in a big pot of chicken stew. Which went very well with garlic bread.

As Zack said,

it's a Meowser!

So it's official: instead of Secret Service, some liberals want

a Praetorian Guard around Pres. Obama.
SCHULTZ: But I think this president deserves more. I think he deserves the absolute best around him. He doesn't deserve a cheaper cut or any less of an attitude and I would even go so far as to think it might not be bad to have politically like-minded people around the president in the Secret Service who would pledge allegiance to make sure that you go beyond the profession of a security that, you know, hey, that's my guy! That's my guy!

I realize that this might be a hard thing for Schultz and others like him to understand, but the Secret Service is, at base, a law enforcement agency of the United States. If agents start acting according to personal political views, they should be fired. That is not their damned job*. I have my problems with some of their actions in the past, but overall the Service Protective Detail is made up of the best they've got, people who are sworn to, if needed, put their life down to protect the people they are guarding. If that's not good enough for you, Mr. Schultz, you can piss off. We've got enough political bullshit messing up law enforcement in this country already without throwing crap like this into the mix.


*And the next step of that would be for the PG to 'protect' the President from being bothered by, oh, other elected officials or any peasantspeople who dare to ask questions or something. I think Schultz would just looove that.

Damn. Just damn.

This takes 'working with the enemy' to a whole new level

I do need to get around to reading some of his works

Oh how we burned in the prison camps, later thinking: what would things have been like if every police operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive? If, during periods of mass arrests, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood that they had nothing to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers or whatever was at hand? The organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt.

Couple of days ago had a post on the Death Tax

Here's some more. In particular, the thoughts of the socialists at Daily Kos:
And the difference between 45% above estates of $3.5 million and 55% of estates above $1 million? An estimated $234 billion in revenue over the next 10 years. That’s the gift which the Congress is giving to the rich, a gift which could pay for healthcare, or to eliminate the budget deficits of all the states, or any number of things which would benefit tens of millions of people, rather than the tiny number of people who are actually affected by this tax.
Note the 'gift' bullshit. So you work your ass off all your life, succeed, and these clowns think that you passing your estate to your family or whoever is a 'gift' the government 'gives' to them.

This is exactly the kind of word-twisting bullcrap I hate: you giving your kids something you worked for is a 'gift from government' if they don't tax the life out of it. And no, I can't spell the sound I made after writing that.

These bastards either do not consider or WILL not consider just what people can do with that money: start a business or invest in one, expand one already there, things that build companies AND MAKE JOBS; I guess they don't consider it a real gain if the government isn't in total control of it.

Look at these two comments:
*Whatever your parents estate is comprised off they acquired those material goods by exploiting a social and economic infrastructure that the society as a whole created. They did not simply take dirt and logs and create 3.5 mil + in assets.

*Somebody must pay– someone has to give up something in order for America to get out of this mess. It has to be the rich. And we in the middle class should force them.
Asshole number one: the vast majority of people who make millionaire in this country start out with little or nothing: they DO build that fortune by hard work. A concept you seem unfamiliar with.
Asshole number two: your attitude of someone else paying for everything is in large part what got us into this mess, and you think further armed robbery and extortion will help? Moron.

This is the kind of crap we're facing: clowns who think they have some divine right to have government loot you if you happen to have more than they do.

So the Obama administration and Kevin Jennings consider THIS

to be part of 'proper education' for 14-year old kids...

And you in the People's Republic of Massachusetts, note that your Department of 'Education' approved this conference. And a Governor's Commission approved it.

Here's a cheery thing to read on a cold morning

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will early next week, possibly as soon as Monday, officially declare carbon dioxide a public danger, a trigger that could mean regulation for emitters across the economy, according to several people close to the matter.

Such an "endangerment" decision is necessary for the EPA to move ahead early next year with new emission standards for cars. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has said it could also mean large emitters such as power stations, cement kilns, crude-oil refineries and chemical plants would have to curb their greenhouse gas output.
"Screw the economy! We can seize control with this! And it's Settled Science!!"

Add 'screw recovery' to that.

What kind of morons put someone like this

in a minimum-security prison that doesn't even have a friggin' FENCE?

High-level stupidity brought to you by the People's Republic of Massachusetts.

Oh, Obama's 'Safe Schools Czar' just keeps getting better

and better.
But, that’s not all. But, that’s not all. Barack Obama’s Safe Schools Czar is also on record praising the founder of NAMBLA (The North American Man/Boy Association) as one of his heroes.
Regular Folks United reported:

Jennings publicly stated that he was inspired by one of the biggest promoters of pedophilia in the country—Harry Hay. Hay actively promoted sex between men and boys and supported the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). Transcripts of a GLSEN conference in NYC on October 25, 1997 indicate that Jennings said, “one of the people that always inspired me is Harry Hay.” Jennings also edited a book called Becoming Visible: A Reader in Gay and Lesbian History for High School and College Students which included a biographical sketch on Harry Hay. One of GLSEN’s Education Department resources also lists a work on Harry Hay.

Is this a person you’d trust with your child?
Is this the type of person Barack Obama trusts with his daughters?

Remember the Obama fits to make sure he wasn't pictured with an F22

because 'we don't need it' ?

Barack Obama’s First Military Decision Is Now Proven to be a Bad Decision

Barack Obama’s administration said those threats were overestimated and Obama threatened to veto the entire defense budget if F-22 funding were left in.

Gates said Monday he’d heard no “substantive” argument for keeping the jet for national security reasons, pointing out that China has no planes that can compete with the more than 1,000 advanced fighter jets the U.S. will have by 2020.

Gates said that the gap between the two countries’ aerial arsenals will only widen.

Unfortunately for the United States military, that turns out to be flat out wrong.

According to Aviation Week, China not only is building a 5th generation fighter to compete with the F-22, but they’ll begin testing it this year.

Beijing’s fighter announcement suggests a serious failing in U.S. intelligence assessments, mocking a July 16 statement of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that China would have no fifth-generation fighters by 2020.

Note that China announced this while Obama was in China sucking up to them.

Has ANY 'reporter' or 'journalist' of the major media asked Obama about this?

Think any of them will?

Rob points out one of the bullcrap ways Helmke & Co. paint things:

Numbers count far more than something messy like actual results.

Anyhoo, after receiving General McChrystal's request,

I carefully reviewed and focus tested it with some of the top military strategist of DailyKos and HuffingtonPost. As an alternative, they suggested sending a special force of 200 diversity-trained surrender consultants. After several months of careful deliberation, polling, and strategic golfing, I told the General I would provide him a force of 30,000, which is fully 75% of a 110% commitment.

Now let's think about that. When you multiply it out, that's... let's see... that's almost an 83% total commitment to mission success! And son, back at Harvard Law that's what we called a "solid B." Not only that, I also pledged to provide you with all the healthy snacks and juice boxes you will need until the designated 5:30 pickup time. As an extra bonus to help you out, I secured a commitment of 10,000 additional special troops from our European allies. In fact, I think I see one of them in the back seat -- there in the blue bicycle helmet. What's your name son?

Pierre? That's... okay... okay, Pierre, please stop crying. Yes, I promised Mr. Sarkozy you'll be home soon.

The New York Times: All The News Fit To Get American Troops and Agents Killed,

but don't you dare talk about our reporters; they might get hurt!

The unpleasant fact is that a lot of media weenies are strongly anti-US; they either don't care or WANT to get our troops killed and don't care what intelligence operations they fuck up, as long as they can claim a headline.

When you build up a culture of law enforcement as the enemy,

you get crap like this. And this.

An awful lot of this crap feeds on itself. You tell young kids that being a druggie and gangbanger is good, and that cops who are paid to enforce the rules are bad, you get kids who hate cops. When you're a cop and you keep running into this crap, especially from particular age/racial groups it affects how you treat those people precisely because you know they're the people most likely to present a danger to you. Which the assholes use as excuse to condemn the cops and call dirtbags who commit murder 'martyrs'.

And the 'progressives' and Race Warlord Poverty Pimps use it all to enhance their power. See 'activist dirtbags in Obama administration' and 'Al Sharpton' for examples.

Getting back to one of the things I originally started this blog for,

Insty points to a article on building a gas-powered forge. You'd definitely want a way to close the front and back to concentrate heat, but the basic idea is quite good, and there's some good stuff on building your own burner.

A: Toronto has some gun bigots who are right in the

"I don't like it so you can't have it" mold
B: Toronto police need to get a grip.

You'll note the "He may have a gun so he's obviously dangerous" attitude of the caller, nicely matching the "I don't like guns so you shouldn't have one". Then you have the cops, AFTER the guy is cuffed threw me against the wall, and I'd like to know why? HE'S ALREADY IN CUFFS AND CONTROLLED, all you had to do was pat him down.

Just wonderful.

My first thought on this is that the judge ought to have her ass kicked,

and the company should have its ass sued off. And there should be some firm talks with the Sheriff's Office about going onto private land.

You know, if Congress had any real collective ethics or balls,

this would pass no problem. It won't, simply because A: Congress doesn't have that and B: it would take a weapon of fear away from them and the IRS.

If you want to keep up with the Climaquiddick mess,

you might as well just check Watts Up With That every day; he's been beating this like a rug on a nice winter day. Here's one of the big ones:
The Met Office plans to re-examine 160 years of temperature data after admitting that public confidence in the science on man-made global warming has been shattered by leaked e-mails.

The new analysis of the data will take three years, meaning that the Met Office will not be able to state with absolute confidence the extent of the warming trend until the end of 2012.
This is pretty big; at the least, they're admitting that the released e-mails and documents throw great doubt on previous figures, and all this needs to be gone over properly; as Watts notes, Quite a bit different from their November 24th statement, which you can read here. For those that still think Climategate has no significant impact on climate science, this revelation tells another story.

Please note the reaction from the Brit Government: The Government is attempting to stop the Met Office from carrying out the re-examination, arguing that it would be seized upon by climate change sceptics. Translation: "You can't do that! What if it doesn't show what we WANT!?" Further translation: "You morons, this isn't about your science, this is about us needing more control over people! And this might mess that up!"

A very important part:
Since the stolen e-mails were published, the chief executive of the Met Office has written to national meteorological offices in 188 countries asking their permission to release the raw data that they collected from their weather stations.

The Met Office is confident that its analysis will eventually be shown to be correct. However, it says it wants to create a new and fully open method of analysing temperature data.
The 'confidence' is face-saving bullcrap, and they know it(all but the True Believers); but the attempt to get the raw data to everyone who wants to study it is very damned important. And the fact is that if there had been a 'fully open method' in place from the beginning, the 'scientists'(no, some of them do NOT deserve that job title) involved in this wouldn't have been able to screw it up the way they did.

And I have to point out that people will have to be watching the data and the 'open method' very damned carefully, because the True Believers and the politicians will be trying very hard to slant it as much as possible, even now when they know people are watching every move. They're counting on A: an all-too-compliant media only spreading what they want and B: threats and scare tactics to get them what they want. And both are endangered, the first by (ta-DAAAAH!!) this here internet thing and second- well, hell, the PRIMARY thing they're scared of is the internet: more and more people are turning away from the major media BECAUSE they don't trust them anymore, and going to this messy PVC cloud of information and opinions; and it can't be controlled by them. They're trying, but it just won't work. And that means somebody can hear or read the latest threat or scare, and start punching keys to search and check it out. And that's really really bad for the people who want to control what you hear, how you hear it and what you think about it.

Added: it should be noted that Al Gore, who chickened out of showing up at the big summit, is absolutely full of crap. And still trying to control your life:
He also brushed aside questions over the reliability of climate science that have followed the publication last month of leaked e-mails between climate experts. He claimed that the scientific consensus around climate change “continues to grow from strength to strength”. He added: “The naysayers are in a sunset phase with a spectacular climax just before they subside from view. This is a race between common sense and unreality.”
Hey, Al? We know who's locked in unreality; your mansion in Tennesee uses HOW MUCH energy a month? And that's one of, what, five mansions? And that big-ass houseboat, and...

Ace has a post with a string of Climaquiddick stuff,

including this comment:
I'd find this global warming a lot more convincing if it weren't snowing outside my window. During the first week of December. In Houston. For the first time since Tambura 1815, as far as anyone knows. - Zimriel(more on that here)

And, a little further down, a link to Watts Up With That? in which a very good question is asked: If the raw data was really lost, why, in all those thousands of emails, is there no mention of this loss?

So, while Sen. Max Baucus(Evil Party Sleaze-MT) is trying to shove socialized medicine

down our throats, he's trying to shove(I refuse to go the way you're thinking) his bedwarmer in as a US Attorney.

Hey, Montana, wonderful guy you've got in the Senate.

From Mark Steyn: The Grand Old Duke of York

He had ten thousand men

He marched them up to the top of the hill

And he marched them down again."

The Grand Young Duke of Hope has 30,000 men. He'll march them up the Khyber Pass but he'll march them down again in July 2011. If you're some village headman who's been making nice to the Americans, the Taliban have a whole new pitch for you: In a year and a half, the Yanks are going. But we'll still be here.


And over at Q & O, a bit more on troop numbers from allies:
The clinker?

An undisclosed number of the new troops will steer clear of the fighting because they are barred by their countries from combat operations. And two allies, the Netherlands and Canada, still plan to withdraw nearly 5,000 troops in the next two years, offsetting the infusion.

But it sounds great on paper, doesn’t it?
In smithing, clinker is a problem. Ash from the coal or charcoal and scale from the steel melt together, sink down to the bottom of the fire and solidify into a mass that clogs the grate, reduces air flow and prevents you being able to do good work; sounds like McQ picked the right word for this mess.

Snork... a hockey stick graph you can believe in

Snitched without compunction from V-man.

Hehehehehe....

The Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond sent a priority-mail letter ordering Barfoot to remove the pole by 5 p.m. Friday or face "legal action being brought to enforce the covenants and restrictions against you." The letter states that Barfoot will be subject to paying all legal fees and costs in any successful legal proceeding pursued by the homeowners association's board.

A Richmond law firm, Marchant, Honey & Baldwin, offered yesterday to represent Barfoot at no cost, partner John Honey said.

So, apparently, if you need legal representation, are a patriot and value our war heros, the choice of law firm should be pretty easy.

I don't know how much more Transparency! and "You can't break the law

but we will" I can take.

Insty had a post on radios and interference,

so I'll throw out a story on the same: back when I was dispatching it was the early 80's, and there was a lot of sunspot activity. Which meant a lot of radio interference; made understanding calls bloody awful at times during daylight. And it had another fine effect, too: skip. As in causing stuff you sent to 'skip' off the upper layer of the atmosphere for sometimes amazing distances. Which meant that, as Florida Highway Patrol and OK HP used the same frequencies...

It's a pain when you can hear a unit in Florida better than you can one of your own a few miles away. And it works both ways. One day a FHP trooper drove up on a car in a canal and was calling for help, and his HQ about twenty or so miles away couldn't hear him at all, but the guys here could. The one working tried calling him back, and it worked: he got the location and details, called that HQ and gave them the information.

I understand the radios are better now and it's much less of a problem. And no, I don't miss that part of the 'good old days'.

Hey, we're already paying for a murdering traitor's health care,

why not another traitor?

A couple of thoughts on President Obama's plan for Afghanistan

First from Ralph Peters:
Our president is setting up our military to fail -- but he'll be able to claim that he gave the generals what they wanted. Failure will be their fault.

He's covering his strong-on-security flank, even as he plays to our white-flag wavers. His cynicism's worthy of a Saddam.

Obama's right about one thing, though: The Afghans "will ultimately be responsible for their own country." So why undercut them with an arbitrary timeline that doesn't begin to allow adequate time to expand and train sufficient Afghan forces? Does he really believe that young Afghans are going to line up to join the army and police knowing that we plan to abandon them in mid-2011?

Does the 2012 election ring a bell?

What messages did our president's bait-and-switch speech just send?

To our troops: Risk your lives for a mission I've written off.

To our allies: Race you to the exit ramp.

To the Taliban: Allah is merciful, your prayers will soon be answered.

To Afghan leaders: Get your stolen wealth out of the country.

To Pakistan: Renew your Taliban friendships now (and be nice to al Qaeda).

This isn't just stupid: It's immoral. No American president has ever espoused such a worthless, self-absorbed non-strategy for his own political gratification.


Second, over at American Thinker:
They say that the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was an odd venue for President Obama's Afghanistan speech. And indeed it was - after all, surrenders are usually offered to the enemy on the battlefield.
For that is exactly what the President proposed Tuesday night; surrender, abject and total.

And if that wasn't boon enough to our enemies, Obama offered them an extra token - before our announced withdrawal date of July 2011, he will generously offer them 30,000 more American soldiers to shoot at for the next year and a half. Surely target practice is all our soldiers will be, having been told in advance that they will be coming home scarcely before they can load their own weapons.

Obama's gall is nothing short of astounding: He dares to travel to a group of soldiers, to tell them to their face that he is sending them to fight and die in a battle that he has no intention of letting them win; that they will be pulled from the battle-field in time to placate his left-wing base for the 2012 election.

I've read a bunch of "I support the President's decision, but there are some problems" stuff from various politicians. The Democrats and fellow-travellers want us to surrender and leave(not all the Democrats, but far too many); and a bunch of Republicans don't want to be seen as 'unsupportive'. Well, crap on that.
He wasted a quarter of the vital year McChrystal wrote of in dithering and delaying.
He's sending less than half the number of troops originally requested.
He's putting constraints on their actions.
He's telling the enemy "We'll be gone by 'X' time."
Well, I'm NOT supportive of that crap. Either send enough troops, with orders to WIN, or pull them out. Period. This bastard is playing games with the troops lives to A: keep from offending his leftist base too much and B: try to keep from looking as weak on defense as he actually is. He doesn't have the balls to either say "Win" and take the heat, or pull them out and take THAT heat; he's too busy hoping for a second term to 're-make' the US with.

No, I'm not in a real good mood about this tonight.

Hey, Chris Matthews, here's something you need

to read. Assuming you'll deign to assault your eyes with words from the 'enemy camp'.

You miserable little bastard. These people have volunteered to do something you never have: to actually put their lives on the line for this country. Many will be wounded, some will be crippled, some will die for this country, for the Constitution they swear to protect and uphold, and you call them the enemy camp? You suck, Matthews.

A place you ought to look at that I'd forgotten about

until Keith reminded me: Borepatch. In particular, you might start here

And, in 'higher' education, Washington U

is full of bigots. In the administration.

If this is what the 'Safe Schools Czar' has as a reading list

for kids, he needs to be gone. Now. And should never have been in that position in the first place.

Let's see, the idiot in the Defense Department, the commander at Fort Hood,

one or the other should be told to leave. Maybe both.
It's been brought to my attention by several reliable sources that the Defense Department has brought Louay Safi to Fort Hood as an instructor, and that he has been lecturing on Islam to our troops in Fort Hood who are about to deploy to Afghanistan. Safi is a top official of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and served as research director at the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT).

Worse, last evening, Safi was apparently permitted to present a check (evidently on behalf of ISNA) to the families of the victims of last month's Fort Hood massacre. A military source told the blogger Barbarossa at the Jawa Report: "This is nothing short of blood money. This is criminal and the Ft. Hood base commander should be fired right now."

ISNA was identified by the Justice Department at the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing conspiracy trial as an unindicted co-conspirator. The defendants at that trial were convicted of funding Hamas to the tune of millions of dollars. This should have come as no surprise. ISNA is the Muslim Brotherhood's umbrella entity for Islamist organizations in the United States. It was established in 1981 to enable Muslims in North America "to adopt Islam as a complete way of life" — i.e., to further the Brotherhood's strategy of establishing enclaves in the West that are governed by sharia.
Go read everything this bastard is tied to. This is- crap, just no words for this level of stupid. And if General Casey considers this part of his precious 'diversity', he needs to be removed. Now.

For a Friday morning, lets start with the Anti-Defamation League

being full of crap. Appropriate, seeing as how they're so far up Obama's backside they have to have air piped in. What are these clowns going to do when they have to scream about real anti-government/anti-American activists? Who, to a large extent, also have no fondness for Jews.


Gee, the President and Pelosi and Reid lied about something in the socialized medicine bill? Damn!
President Barack Obama wants to cut spending on the federal insurance plan for the elderly to help fund his health-care overhaul. Part of that proposal would cut more than $100 billion from Medicare Advantage, through which the government hires private insurers such as Humana Inc. to deliver Medicare benefits to 11 million seniors, including extras like reduced co-payments and even gym memberships.

Should Congress scale back the program, “We’re not going to be able to say ‘if you like what you have, you can keep it,’” said Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. “And that basic commitment that a lot of us around here have made will be called into question.”
Uh, Sen. Casey, an awful lot of people were pointing out that the 'promise' was bullcrap for quite a while; you were just pretending it wasn't so. Or else you're too damn stupid to be sitting in that chair.

But wait! There's MORE!! slimy political bullcrap!
Senators Charles Schumer of New York, Bill Nelson of Florida and Ron Wyden of Oregon are among those who secured special provisions shielding constituents from cuts.

Casey says he wants “very comparable” protections for his state, where more than one-third of Medicare beneficiaries participate in Medicare Advantage. “It’s the kind of thing that will likely be addressed on the floor,” he said.
So, once again, we have slimy bastards like Schumer & Co. quite willing to rob the rest of the country, and screw the rest of the country, to protect themselves and the morons who put them in office. Wonderful, isn't it?

Also, the Health Panel changes its mind; and lies about what caused all the screaming.


Hmmm, the multiple-murderer also had slimy bastard friends and family. Amazing.


According to one airline security official, “This was a deliberate, well planned attempt to disrupt a domestic flight that was organized in advance of the boarding of these [Muslim] passengers. The purpose of their actions appeared to be multi-faceted, not the least of which was an attempt to change their status from passengers to victims of religious profiling. The situation was handled in a manner that we believe might have avoided an incident like USAir had in 2006, where everyone from the passengers who reported suspicious behavior to the airline was subjected to legal action by the Muslim passengers.”
And the Transportation Security Actors will NOT be investigating. Just friggin' wonderful.


Wheee, this is getting fun! Is Hansen the Climaquiddick leaker?
Although he might seem an unlikely suspect, in The Guardian today, he reveals his underlying motivation, telling the paper that it would be better for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen climate change summit ended in collapse.

Any agreement likely to emerge from the negotiations would be so deeply flawed that it would be better to start again from scratch, he says, adding: "I would rather it not happen if people accept that as being the right track because it's a disaster track ... The whole approach is so fundamentally wrong that it is better to reassess the situation."

So there we have it. This is a man with the motive and, from his elevated status in the "climate change community", he undoubtedly had the opportunity and the access.

By way of further confirmation that he dun it, it is highly suspicious that none of the emails released incriminate him or his Goddard Institute. And who else would have the knowledge to select such incriminating information from the mass of material that must be stored on the CRU computer?
And that's a good question he asks: if Hansen is it will Ma'am Boxer still want to prosecute him? And we should never allow a chance to whack on the Goreacle:
Berlingkse Media, a Danish group coordinating ticket sales and publicity for the event, said that "great annoyance" was a factor in the cancellation, along with unforeseen changes in Mr. Gore's program for the climate summit. The decision affected 3,000 ticket holders.

"We have had a clear-cut agreement, and it is unusual with great disappointment that we have to announce that Al Gore cancels. We had a huge expectation for the event. . . . We do not yet know the detailed reasons for the cancellation," said Lisbeth Knudsen, CEO of Berlingske Media, in a statement posted by the company.
Um, maybe because he doesn't want to have to deal with actual questions about what his "We're all going to die if you don't buy carbon credits" activism/making money is based on?
Cartoon stolen from Jammie Wearing Fool


Got something else to talk about, but it deserves a post all its own.

I'm with the guy in Dr. Helen's comments; let's call her

"domestic violence advocate Jessica Ashley."

I've got a question on something I've never run into before

Couple of days ago went to the range and took along the Pocket Hammerless, and discovered something odd. I'd picked up a spare magazine a while back(aftermarket) and it worked fine, until now. First mag went through fine, then every one after that there would be several 'won't fire' failures. The slide was closed all the way, and if you bumped the bottom of the grip it would then fire; felt like the disconnector wasn't resetting after the shot. But it only did this with the aftermarket mag; with the original, it went bang every time. Same ammo, same everything else.

Anyone ever heard of something like this? I've done some measuring, and the dimensions seem identical, a I can't see anywhere that the mag could affect the disconnector and there are no marks that the trigger is dragging- ok, wait a minute.

Ignore the above. I just looked REAL close at the sides, and on the left side is a slight mark. And, while I'd measured front-to-back and that's identical, it appears the side-to-side on the new mag is larger; probably enough to cause the trigger bow to drag. So I need to disassemble the mag and do some sanding on the side to bring it to the same dimensions and then try it again(testing a gun part; will the labor never end?)

First time I've run into a problem like this; apparently the QC on that size isn't what it should be. Friend with the .32 got one of the same brand and not only does it work, it feeds hollowpoints much better than the original mag.

Over at Eternity road, some thoughts on the Swiss vote

on minarets. He says some things better than I could, but just to keep in practice I'll throw in my thoughts.

This didn't say they couldn't build a new mosque, or be muslim; just no new minarets. No, it wouldn't pass muster here, but their law allows it. And I'll bet history like this(hadn't seen this quote before) was a serious factor:
The minarets are our bayonets; the domes are our helmets. Mosques are our barracks, the believers are soldiers. This holy army guards my religion. Almighty Our journey is our destiny, the end is martyrdom.
When you know that the enemy- and radical Islam is an enemy of all free and non-muslim people- looks on these structures as part of their attack, it gives you reason to not allow more of them(I do understand this is a problem for muslims who have assimilated and do not wish to spread submission by fire and sword; bad side effect). And remember that the Swiss have had a ringside seat to the 'disaffected north-African youths' rioting and raping and thieving and burning in France(in particular); having that next door is kind of like people in El Paso watching the cartels run wild just across the border: you want to discourage things like that.

Part of me really dislikes the vote: I have a knee-jerk reaction to follow Jefferson's comment that "It matters not whether my neighbor worships one god or twenty; it neither breaks my leg or picks my pocket." Problem is, in this case it does matter; when a significant fraction of a religion truly believes that non-believers deserve to die or be enslaved, and will act on that belief, all the neighbors have a problem.* And that's what the Swiss are dealing with. And they decided they'd rather present a disappointment to the Swiss muslims who are good people than allow the bad muslims more room.

It must flat infuriate the Swiss to hear crap like "Muslims indeed will not feel safe anymore." ; can anyone show one instance of muslims being threatened or attacked in Switzerland? But now it will happen? Bullcrap. And garbage like this:
"This proposal...is not considered just an attack on freedom of beliefs, but also an attempt to insult the feelings of the Muslim community in and outside Switzerland," [Mufti Ali] Gomaa, the Egyptian government's official interpreter of Islamic law, told the state-run news agency MENA.
Last I heard Egypt isn't exactly a welcoming nation to non-muslims, especially Jews, and most muslim governments are hostile- at the least- to anyone of other faith; for this clown to whine about 'freedom of beliefs' is disgusting. And you also have the veiled threats:
"I think Swiss Muslims will be angry and bitter over this," said Reinhard Schulze, professor of Islamic Studies at Berne University. "And we know that anger and bitterness among a community can lead to radicalisation, even to militancy."
"You wouldn't like to see the same things here as in France, now would you? Then you should not vote in ways that will upset muslims." Etc. I'd guess it's only a matter of time- if it hasn't started already- before the more blunt threats- disguised as warnings- start.

Which won't go over real well, I don't think; the Swiss are about the only nation in Europe that still maintain a gun culture, from troops taking their rifle and a basic ammo load home to shooting competitions all over the country, and they take the idea of self-defense pretty seriously from what I understand. It drives the EUnuchs up the walls and they're pushing hard for the Swiss to castrate themselves, but they haven't. And I'll bet that really is one reason Switzerland hasn't had the same problems as a lot of other countries: big difference between rioting and raping and burning in a place where people are disarmed and brainwashed into victimhood and trying it in a place where the reaction will likely be somewhat, let's say energetic.

So the usual suspects are whining about the 'bigotry' and 'hatred' of the Swiss for daring to say "We won't bend over", and they'll be pressuring them to change the vote. Let's hope they stand up to it.


*And isn't is just wonderful how our major media- Europe's too- is real big on beating on any 'fundamentalist' Christian or Jewish group who says something they don't like, but tries real hard to gloss over that significant fraction of muslims(when they have to mention them at all)?

I do like the idea of a deal: "When we can build churches(or synagogues if you really want them to blow seals) in Saudi Arabia, and people can worship freely there, then you can build another minaret." I don't believe the Saudis, or any other moslem country that currently bans churches would A: agree or B: keep their word, but it would be interesting to see what they'd say.

"Green Fakers"

And, just for extra snork,
Al Gore has this morning told Berlingske Media's great annoyance has canceled his planned major climate talks for Danes 16th december Tap in the old Carlsberg because, under the title "Climate Conclusion".

Thank you, Sondra

The Coates & Davenport law firm in Richmond probably received a call

from Levin; and I hope the homeowners association hears exactly what kinds of clowns they are.
There is no provision in the community's rules expressly forbidding flagpoles, Barfoot's daughter said. But she said the board ruled against her father's fixture and ordered it removed in July, deciding that free-standing flag poles are not aesthetically appropriate. Short flag stands attached to porches dot the community.

Not only do the "Let's screw with the data and prevent any real peer review" messages mean nothing,

Hansen insists there can be 'no compromise' on how to deal with globular warmering. And no political leader can grasp the importance of the issue. Etc.

I wonder how he's feeling with NASA about to be sued for helping him prevent data from being released? Maybe just a wee bit nervous...

And whichever one he lied to,

Obama's a liar.

Yeah, I was surprised too

And it should be noted that while Feinstein and Durbin

are pushing their crap, Waxman(Sleazy Genuine Slimeball-CA) wants to 'help' the field of journalism. And, coincidentally, have a hand around its throat.

Feinstein and Durbin(Evil Party Corrupt) want special protections for

their major media ass-kissers. And 'non-established journalists'- i.e. bloggers and such- would be screwed.

You think these clowns actually care about true free press?

Some information on the SEALS who've been charged

over at Big Government

Looks like the people at Goddard have stuff to hide

too:
Chris Horner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said NASA has refused for two years to provide information under the Freedom of Information Act that would show how the agency has shaped its climate data and would explain why the agency has repeatedly had to correct its data going as far back as the 1930s.
This is not a small thing. The most basic understanding is "They've got something to hide; otherwise, why would they refuse a FOIA request for the data? Well, they say
Mark Hess, public affairs director for the Goddard Space Flight Center which runs the GISS laboratory, said they are working on Mr. Horner's request, though he couldn't say why they have taken so long.

"We're collecting the information and will respond with all the responsive relevant information to all of his requests," Mr. Hess said. "It's just a process you have to go through where you have to collect data that's responsive."
Uh, if he asks for that specific data, why would it take a COUPLE OF YEARS to find 'data that's responsive'? Bull crap. And proving Mr. Hess is a damned liar,
He said he was unfamiliar with the British controversy and couldn't say whether NASA was susceptible to the same challenges to its data.

There is no damned way that someone involved in such research could be 'unfamiliar' with the data equivalent of a tactical nuke going off in the lab. This is such an idiotic thing to say...

The White House has dismissed the British e-mails as irrelevant.
Yeah, because Obama and his minions are AGW True Believers, and inconvenient facts are t be dismissed. How can they use AGW as a reason to take over more of our lives if they admit there are, ah, 'difficulties' with their line?

And we have Sen. Ma'am Boxer weighing in on this:
Boxer said her committee may hold hearings into the matter as its top Republican, Sen. James Inhofe (Okla.), has asked for, but that a criminal probe would be part of any such hearings.

"We may well have a hearing on this, we may not. We may have a briefing for senators, we may not," Boxer said. "Part of our looking at this will be looking at a criminal activity which could have well been coordinated.

"This is a crime," Boxer said.
Part of the crime, Ma'am, is that you've been using faked data and lies to push your global warming agenda; and it just rubs you raw that this information is out for all to see, doesn't it? 'May have a hearing' my ass.

Robert McCulloch, Prosecuting Attorney and

Obama supporter. Who, it appears, is letting his political views affect his job.

Badly.
Meet Robert McCulloch . Robert McCulloch is the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney in whose jurisdiction these arrests were made. Last year, during the presidential election, Robert McCulloch was a central figure in something called “The Barack Obama Truth Squad”. This “truth” squad was created at the request of the Missouri Obama for America campaign. As KMOV reported at the time:

“They will be reminding voters that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. They also say they plan to respond immediately to any ads and statements that violate Missouri’s ethics laws.”

McCulloch himself was quoted in the report saying:

“If they’re not going to tell the truth, somebody’s got to step up and say, ‘That’s not true. This is the truth.’”

That is what McCulloch said he would do on “The Barack Obama Truth Squad” in his capacity as Prosecuting Attorney, NOT as a paid employee of the Obama for America Campaign. Please understand, in September of 2008, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch took on as his responsibility as a public official, paid for by the good people of Missouri, the role of “Rapid Response” for the Obama Campaign responsible for informing the voters of what is true and what is not, all the time reminding everyone that Barack Obama is a Christian who wants to cut taxes for anyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. I think even the most casual observer can look at this and reach the conclusion that Mr. McCulloch brings with him a certain level of partisan bias when executing his duties as Prosecuting Attorney.

And he fits into the Gladney beating how?

• Robert McCulloch worked on behalf of the Obama for America campaign (Wicks and Howard) by aggressively promoting a pre-emptive strike against negative campaigning against Barack Obama. McCulloch is the person charged with the duty to bring charges against McCowan and Molens for assaulting Gladney outside the town hall meeting of Carnahan arranged by Howard following the volatile template written by Jorge! (Follow all that?)

So, how did McCulloch do in executing his duties in the Gladney case?

McCulloch handed the case over to county counselor Patricia Redington and washed his hands from that point on. It is interesting that McCulloch moved so quickly in using intimidation tactics by wielding the power of his office and the threat of legal ramifications for any negative advertising that may have suggested that candidate Obama might not actually lower taxes on everyone making $250,000 per year (have you gotten your tax cut yet?) but he passed the buck when it came to this case.

Meanwhile, Redington let this case languish for months before finally bringing modest charges against the suspects on the afternoon before Thanksgiving (an obvious attempt to let the story disappear). One week before the charges were brought, Big Government reported:

When I first heard of the delays in investigating, let alone filing charges in this mess I remembered the 'Truth Squad' bullcrap and wondered if the officials in the case had been involved; turns out at least one of them was.

Missouri, you've got some sorry people in places of power in your justice system.

Nick Kristof, Columnist at the NYTimes, is a liar

Anybody surprised?
Kristof used Brodniak’s plight to argue for universal health care, decry Brodniak’s deadly lack of insurance (even though he got Medicaid coverage in August), and lambaste doctors for refusing to treat Brodniak due to low reimbursements.

Well, OHSU confirmed for me two things:

1) OHSU is a safety-net hospital not far from where Brodniak lives. The hospital accepts all Medicaid patients and would not turn Brodniak away.

Okay, are you ready for Number 2?

2) Brodniak is a patient at OHSU — and has been a patient there for the past three weeks.

In other words, at the time Kristof’s article was published this past Sunday, Brodniak was already being treated and cared for by some of the best neurologists in the country!

Please note the 11:37 update: Kristof plays "he says", "appears he will get treated", and such bullcrap games to cover up the fact that HE LIED.

New York Effing' Times ethical journalism.

Freddy Spencer Chapman:

I need to find the book on this man.

Over at Sipsey Street,

Mr. Vanderboegh had a bit of health trouble on top of the usual. However, he's ok and should be back at work annoying the hell out of all the right people soon.

Since so many leftists truly believe the Democrat Party has always been

on the side of individual rights, I imagine a lot of them will buy the shirt. Well, in comments there are some interesting responses, but I rather like that from Phelps:
The first item listed is “Women’s Suffrage Amendment.” Let’s look at the vote: FOR: 36(R), 20(D) AGAINST 8(R) 17(D). Hmm. Looks to me like “brought to you by the Republicans.” Rural Electrification Act? So little opposition that they didn’t even take a record vote. The Federal Home Loan Program? O RLY? The one where “the credit program was a complete failure. While 41,000 homeowners applied for FHLB loans in the first two years after its enactment, the government agency administering the program approved just three applications.”? That led to Freddie Mac and Fannie May and the second depression, which we are now living? That one is all yours, baby.

The GI Bill? Written by an RNC chairman.

The Civil Rights Act? Are you fucking retarded?

Read the rest, for just how wonderful the Democrat Party was on that one.

Everybody remembers the 'military-industrial complex' warning

from Eisenhower; pass this along on the other warning he made:

“…the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”

(Emphasis mine – BW)

And please read his response to Phillip. I'll throw in a bit of my own to this part of Phillip's comment:
Note the F-22 that Obama cut out of the budget. It was a plane for a war long since over, of little use against terrorism, and severely overbudget and over-inflating the pockets of private interest. Yet the businesses that made the plane or it’s parts, and the Congressmembers who received donations or had parts of the plane made in their districts, fought to keep it. This is the influence that Eisenhower is warning us of.
Well, Phil, it must be really nice to know the future like you do. I mean, to know for certain there'll never be any problems in the future with a government that has high-tech shit to throw at us. To KNOW that we'll never face terrorists who've been given up-to-date anti-aircraft stuff that the F22 just might be real handy in dealing with. Or have to deal with a terrorism-supporting nation like Syria that the Russians have been selling all kinds of stuff to.

You moron.

If you're thinking of getting a chronograph,

go over to Anarchangel; Chris has a "What's out there with what features" post.

Britain is so screwed

Adam Posen, a member of the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee, said that the Government should consider slapping extra taxes on British properties, suggesting that in future homeowners should have to pay an extra charge if prices rise too fast. In comments which will cause extreme disquiet in the Treasury, he even indicated that this may mean imposing capital gains taxes on first homes and raising stamp duty.
Yeah, that's really going to help.

This is the kind if idiocy and bullcrap I've come to expect

from the True Believers:
Lord Stern, who produced a detailed report on the issue for the Government, said evidence of ­climate change was “overwhelming”. He accepted that all views should be heard but said the degree of ­scepticism among “real scientists” was very small.
Yep. The 'Real Scientists' are almost all Believers, so anyone who doesn't agree is probably not a 'Real Scientist'. Kind of a self-fulfilling thing, isn't it?

I have to point out what thieving, corrupt bastards a lot of Democrats are

The House bill would head off the estate tax's scheduled 2011 increase to 55 percent, with the threshold lowered to $1 million. It would protect all but about 5,500 families, or the richest 0.2 percent from the tax, according to the Tax Policy Center.

That's not good enough for those who argue multimillionaires are still getting a free ride. "I feel that it's a contradiction to vote on a tax break for people worth $3.5 million and above while we're sending troops overseas without any idea how we're going to pay for it," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
...
Slaughter said they needed to act on an estate tax bill to prevent the rate from going to zero next year. But she said her preference would be to revert immediately to the 55 percent rate set for 2011. "The sense that we've gotten from it is we need to do it because it's going to expire, and we've got 30 days, but frankly, given my choice, I'd rather go up to 55 percent right now," she said.

Advocacy groups such as United for a Fair Economy have been plugging a higher estate tax rate and lower exemption as critical particularly given the state of the economy and need to create jobs. They support a bill from Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., that would set the exemption at $2 million per spouse, adjusted for inflation, with a progressively rising estate tax rate based on the value of an estate. For estates worth up to $5 million, the tax would be 45 percent, rising to 50 percent for up to $10 million and 55 percent for those above $10 million. That would cost about $203 billion, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Please note: this is a bunch of God-cursed thieves arguing that because someone dies the government should be able to simply seize 55% of the estate. Not because taxes are due, not because someone didn't pay something, simply because they want that money and have no compunctions about stealing it.

And that is exactly what they're planning: grand theft under color of government, with lots of "It's only fair!" bullshit to try to cover it up.

Crooked politicians and appointees(is there a real difference?),

etc.

After investigating, Ohio's independent inspector general concluded there was "no reasonable basis" for the searches. Wurzelbacher subsequently filed a civil rights lawsuit against the three employees. Now, as Bill Hershey reported in the Dayton Daily News, Democratic Attorney General Richard Cordray had agreed to represent them in court.

The problem with Cordray's decision is that an Ohio statute states, "The attorney general may not represent an employee who acts recklessly, maliciously or in bad faith outside the scope of his employment." The inspector general's conclusion that there was "no reasonable basis" for the searches suggests that they were done outside the scope of the workers' employment and should absolve the attorney general from the responsibility of defending these individuals.

Let's see, illegal use of databases and position, and instead of prosecuting them the AG is defending them in a civil suit by the one they wronged. Wonderful people you have in high places, Ohio.

Three men are sitting stiffly side by side

on a long commercial flight. After they're airborne and the plane has leveled off, the man in the window seat abruptly says, distinctly and confidently, in a loud voice, "Admiral , United States Navy, retired. Married, two sons, both surgeons."

After a few minutes the man in the aisle seat states through a tight lipped smile, " Admiral , United States Coast Guard, retired. Married, two sons, both Judges."

After some thought, the fellow in the center seat decides to introduce himself. With a twinkle in his eye he proclaims, " Master Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy, retired. Never married, two sons, both Admirals.

Stolen from Tim's comment at Rodger's place

From Germany, a media opinion of Obama's speech

Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric -- and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught.

One can hardly blame the West Point leadership. The academy commanders did their best to ensure that Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama's speech would be well-received.

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool.

One didn't have to be a cadet on Tuesday to feel a bit of nausea upon hearing Obama's speech. It was the least truthful address that he has ever held. He spoke of responsibility, but almost every sentence smelled of party tactics. He demanded sacrifice, but he was unable to say what it was for exactly.
...
Just in Time for the Campaign

For each troop movement, Obama had a number to match. US strength in Afghanistan will be tripled relative to the Bush years, a fact that is sure to impress hawks in America. But just 18 months later, just in time for Obama's re-election campaign, the horror of war is to end and the draw down will begin. The doves of peace will be let free.

The speech continued in that vein. It was as though Obama had taken one of his old campaign speeches and merged it with a text from the library of ex-President George W. Bush. Extremists kill in the name of Islam, he said, before adding that it is one of the "world's great religions." He promised that responsibility for the country's security would soon be transferred to the government of President Hamid Karzai -- a government which he said was "corrupt." The Taliban is dangerous and growing stronger. But "America will have to show our strength in the way that we end wars," he added.

It was a dizzying combination of surge and withdrawal, of marching to and fro. The fast pace was reminiscent of plays about the French revolution: Troops enter from the right to loud cannon fire and then they exit to the left. And at the end, the dead are left on stage.

I started to add a link to this in the earlier 'rainy morning' post, but decided this one needed its own post.

Like cats or not,

this guy's got a lot of patience

Let's start this rainy, cold morning

with some hot steaming bullcrap from "The science is SETTLED!" political dirtbags:
*Science czar John Holdren, who will testify on Capitol Hill this week at a hearing on ClimateGate, infamously hyped weather catastrophes and demographic disasters in the 1970s with his population control freak pals Paul and Anne Ehrlich. He made a public bet against free-market economist Julian Simon predicting dire shortages of five natural resources as a result of feared overconsumption. He lost on all counts. No matter.
...
Canada Free Press (CFP) columnist Canadian climatologist Dr. Tim Ball notes that Holdren turned up in the ClimateGate files belittling the work of astrophysicists Sallie Baliunas and Willie Soon at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in the Solar, Stellar, and Planetary Sciences Division. Holdren put “Harvard” in sneer quotes when mocking a research paper Baliunas and Soon published in 2003 showing that “the 20th century is probably not the warmest nor a uniquely extreme climatic period of the last millennium.” First, deny. Next, deride.
And so on. Lots of corrupted-science pushers around the Oval Office these days.



It should be noted, Joy Behar is a bigoted fool. Big surprise, huh?


Also from Malkin, Charles Barron is a RWPP jackass who, unsurprisingly, is on the NYEffin'City Council. Actually, he may not be a true RWPP; he may just be another racist bastard.


Why do some politicians seem to lie by reflex about the most idiotic things?


George Monbiot is- well, 'friggin' idiot' doesn't quite cover it, but it's close. From Goldberg:
No serious student of energy and development economics thinks that oil will become less important in at least the next several decades. Every forecast shows demand—domestic and worldwide—going up steadily, or even sharply. Perhaps more importantly, this is also true of coal. China, which is building a new coal-fired power plant every 10 days, has surpassed the U.S. to become the biggest CO2 emitter in the world, and very soon India and Brazil will overtake America as well. They have no intention of abandoning cheap, reliable, and powerful fossil fuels—that they own—in favor of incredibly inefficient, unproven, and expensive “alternative” energy that they’d have to buy from America or Europe. This is true not only because fossil-fuel energy is cost-effective in its own right, but also because they’ve already paid for the infrastructure.
And they're in earnest about lifting their countries up, improving lives, and they need energy, affordable energy, to do it. Guess what? So do we.


Chris Matthews lets slip what he actually thinks about the military. Anyone surprised?
Update: he tries to talk his way out of it. Not very well.


No, I didn't watch the speech; I was about 95% sure I knew what was coming, and I was about right. "I'm sending troops, but not as many as needed. AND I'm telling the Taliban 'Hold on, we'll be gone by this date'. So SEE, I AM doing something! It just took me all these months while troops are fighting and dying and killing to decide on this! And it's all Bush's fault!" Etc. From Althouse,
But I'll say what I thought: He sounded oddly stern, like he was lecturing us. Annoyed at us. The words were meant to be inspirational but there was no lift... no lift of a driving dream. Is he tired of being Obama? Or was it the vibe in the room? I don't think those West Point folk liked him too much. He made some pauses that felt awkward in advance of grudging applause, and the response at the end was minimal. The camera searched among the faces and found only grim ones. No one glowed with the fire of Obama-love.
Well, hell, they're listening to a President who has made his disdain for them plain; who's sending a bunch of people off to fight and die when they know more of them will die because he won't send the numbers needed and doesn't have the balls to say 'victory', let alone turn the troops loose to win.

And Anne? He IS lecturing us; he IS annoyed at us for not giving him what he wants and doing what he wants(socialized medicine, anyone?); he's annoyed that he's being held to his campaign words on Afghanistan instead of being allowed to cut and run the way he really wants to. He did this at West Point because he wanted a captive audience in uniform who- he thought- would be pressured into giving him the homage he thinks he deserves; I have no doubt that's why he did it there instead of an address from the Oval Office, which this should have been.

From a moron in her comments: Obama: "Let me be clear: there has never been an option before me that called for troop deployments before 2010, so there has been no delay or denial of resources necessary for the conduct of the war."

The right-wing blogosphere claimed otherwise.
Well, let's see; the report and recommendations he ordered McChrystal to make? he refused to receive officially for a friggin' month, he's played games 'studying the situation(again)' ever since, he's allowing fewer troops than McChrystal says are needed, and because of the game-playing they'll start getting there months later than they should(as someone points out, 2010 is in less than a month, and it takes months to get that many troops ready, packed up and sent over), but there was no 'delay or denial'. Uh huh. Yeah.

Bullshit.


That's enough for now. Cookies in the oven.