Day by Day Cartoon by Chris Muir

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

OOPS!

I guess I forgot to tithe to Teh One:


Obama - Biden
Friend --

As you may have noticed, we've asked you for a donation a few times now.

But according to our records, you haven't yet made an online donation to this campaign at this email address. (If our records are wrong, I apologize and thank you!)

I'm not writing to ask you for money again. I'm actually writing to ask your opinion about why you haven't given, and what you think would inspire you or other Obama supporters like you to decide to take the leap and donate.

We have two quick questions for you. Can you take a minute to answer them?

There's a good reason we're asking for your feedback: The kind of organization we all decided to be a part of only works if people like you pitch in to build it.

It's also the reason no other candidate has been able to match our level of grassroots support. This isn't the easiest way to run a campaign -- but we know it's the right way.

That's why we want to know what you're thinking.

Please take a minute to answer these two questions today:

http://my.barackobama.com/Your-Support-In-2012

Thanks so much,

Rufus

Rufus Gifford
National Finance Director
Obama for America

P.S. -- Of course, if you'd like to become one of our million-plus grassroots donors today, by all means, please make a donation of $3 or whatever you can afford.
Paid for by Obama for America
Contributions or gifts to Obama for America are not tax deductible.

Sharia law in Pennsylvania

This has to be nipped in the bud:
+++++++++++++++++

Muslim Admits to Attacking Atheist; Muslim Judge Dismisses Case

By Al Stefanelli

The Pennsylvania State Director of American Atheists, Inc., Mr. Ernest Perce V., was assaulted by a Muslim while participating in a Halloween parade. Along with a Zombie Pope, Ernest was costumed as Zombie Muhammad. The assault was caught on video, the Muslim man admitted to his crime and charges were filed in what should have been an open-and-shut case. That’s not what happened, though.

The defendant is an immigrant and claims he did not know his actions were illegal, or that it was legal in this country to represent Muhammad in any form. To add insult to injury, he also testified that his 9 year old son was present, and the man said he felt he needed to show his young son that he was willing to fight for his Prophet.

The case went to trial, and as circumstances would dictate, Judge Mark Martin is also a Muslim. What transpired next was surreal. The Judge not only ruled in favor of the defendant, but called Mr. Perce a name and told him that if he were in a Muslim country, he’d be put to death. Judge Martin’s comments included,
“Having had the benefit of having spent over 2 and a half years in predominantly Muslim countries I think I know a little bit about the faith of Islam. In fact I have a copy of the Koran here and I challenge you sir to show me where it says in the Koran that Mohammad arose and walked among the dead. I think you misinterpreted things. Before you start mocking someone else’s religion you may want to find out a little bit more about it it makes you look like a dufus and Mr. (Defendant) is correct. In many Arabic speaking countries something like this is definitely against the law there. In their society in fact it can be punishable by death and it frequently is in their society. 
Judge Martin then offered a lesson in Islam, stating,
“Islam is not just a religion, it’s their culture, their culture. It’s their very essence their very being. They pray five times a day towards Mecca to be a good Muslim, before you die you have to make a pilgrimage to Mecca unless you are otherwise told you can not because you are too ill too elderly, whatever but you must make the attempt. Their greetings wa-laikum as-Salâm (is answered by voice) may god be with you. Whenever, it’s very common when speaking to each other it’s very common for them to say uh this will happen it’s it they are so immersed in it. 
Judge Martin further complicates the issue by not only abrogating the First Amendment, but completely misunderstanding it when he said,
“Then what you have done is you have completely trashed their essence, their being. They find it very very very offensive. I’m a Muslim, I find it offensive. But you have that right, but you’re way outside your boundaries or first amendment rights. This is what, and I said I spent about 7 and a half years living in other countries. when we go to other countries it’s not uncommon for people to refer to us as ugly Americans this is why we are referred to as ugly Americans, because we are so concerned about our own rights we don’t care about other people’s rights as long as we get our say but we don’t care about the other people’s say”
But wait, it gets worse. The Judge refused to allow the video into evidence, and then said,
All that aside I’ve got here basically.. I don’t want to say he said she said but I’ve got two sides of the story that are in conflict with each other.”
And,
“The preponderance of, excuse me, the burden of proof… “
And,
“…he has not proven to me beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant is guilty of harassment, therefore I am going to dismiss the charge”
The Judge neglected to address the fact that the ignorance of the law does not justify an assault and that it was the responsibility of the defendant to familiarize himself with our laws.  This is to say nothing of the judge counseling the defendant that it is also not acceptable for him to teach his children that it is acceptable to use violence in the defense of religious beliefs.  Instead, the judge gives Mr. Perce a lesson in Sharia law and drones on about the Muslim faith, inform everyone in the court room how strongly he embraces Islam, that the first amendment does not allow anyone ” to piss off other people and other cultures” and he was also insulted by Mr. Perce’s portrayal of Mohammed and the sign he carried.

This is a travesty. Not only did Judge Martin completely ignore video evidence, but a Police Officer who was at the scene also testified on Mr. Perce’s behalf, to which the Judge also dismissed by saying the officer didn’t give an accurate account or doesn’t give it any weight.

Here is a link to the video that includes the audio of the Judge during the trial:
Here’s coverage of the incident from the local ABC affiliate

Needless to say, this is totally, completely and unequivocally unacceptable. That a Muslim immigrant can assault a United States citizen in defense of his religious beliefs and walk away a free man, while the victim is chastised and insulted by a Muslim judge who then blamed the victim for the crime committed against him is a horrible abrogation.

This reeks of those cases we used to read about where a woman is blamed for her own rape because she “was asking for it” by virtue of the clothing she chose to wear, and then having the Judge set the rapist free.

I can promise you this, you have not heard the last of this issue. Not by a long shot.
+++++++++++++++++
Sorry, "Your Honor", but the First Amendment trumps your Koran, and shariah law is not what we use in deciding legal issues in this country. If you want to live in an Islamic country, feel free to move to one - and take our "president" with you!

More coverage:

Barking Moonbat Early Warning System - 
More at BMEWS
Gates of Vienna
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/society/crime/muslim-admits-attacking-atheist-muslim-judge-dismisses-case

The judge in question must be removed from the bench and censured. An example must be made, or the next Muslim judge here might decide a little amputation is is order, as per the Koran.

This says something

Not sure what, though.


Obama - Biden
Friend --

Here's something a lot of folks have been telling us they wanted to see in the 2012 online store: iPhone cases.

I'm happy to say, we got them in this week. Take a look:

Get an iPhone case today.

There are four different designs to choose from -- and they're among the first iPhone cases to be made here in the USA.

So give $40 or more and get one today -- for yourself or someone you know:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Get-an-iPhone-Case

Thanks,

Rufus

Rufus Gifford
National Finance Director
Obama for America
Paid for by Obama Victory Fund 2012, a joint fundraising committee authorized by Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee.
Contributions or gifts to Obama Victory Fund 2012 are not tax deductible.
The first $5,000 of a contribution to OVF 2012 will be allocated to Obama for America (with the first $2,500 designated for the primary election, and the next $2,500 for the general). The next $30,800 of a contribution will be allocated to the Democratic National Committee. A contributor may designate a contribution for a particular participant. This allocation formula may change if following it would result in an excessive contribution.

         
I wonder how many donors will read the fine print.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Apology

Osama's not the only person in America who can apologize:



Bravo.

Think electric cars are a good idea?

Maybe you should read this:
++++++++

Tesla Motors’ Devastating Design Problem

Tesla Motors' lineup of all-electric vehicles — its existing Roadster, almost certainly its impending Model S, and possibly its future Model X — apparently suffer from a severe limitation that can largely destroy the value of the vehicle. If the battery is ever totally discharged, the owner is left with what Tesla describes as a "brick": a completely immobile vehicle that cannot be started or even pushed down the street. The only known remedy is for the owner to pay Tesla approximately $40,000 to replace the entire battery. Unlike practically every other modern car problem, neither Tesla's warranty nor typical car insurance policies provide any protection from this major financial loss. Here's how it happens.

Despite this "brick" scenario having occurred several times already, Tesla has publicly downplayed the severity of battery depletion risk to both existing owners and future buyers. Privately though, Tesla has gone to great lengths to prevent this potentially brand-destroying incident from happening more often, including possibly engaging in GPS tracking of a vehicle without the owner's knowledge.
++++++++
More at the link.

The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf use essentially the same kind of battery - although with the Volt, you might be able to drive on the gas engine if for some reason the battery died dead.
Tesla engineers must have had to put in overtime to figure out how to make a car's wheels lock up solid when the battery dies. Sounds like a lot of extra effort was expended to get that feature working.

So, when your government-supported Volt needs a new battery pack, at least it won't cost $40K, as the federal government will simply steal yet more $$$ from us to help you buy a new one.

H/t Barking Moonbat Early Warning System

Friday, February 24, 2012

Priceless rant

Over at the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler there's an absolutely inspired rant about Osama complaining that the Republicans are "licking their chops" over rising gasoline prices.

The one promise Osama made that he's kept - in spades - is that energy prices will skyrocket. Nad he's surprised that people don't like that?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Poll: Should Walker stay as governor?

Channel 3000 poll

81% in favor of him staying, 18% for a recall, 1% undecided, so far.

Looks like it uses a cookie to prevent repeat voting.

The Road to Serfdom

Link to video

Amazing story

Gary Sinese tells a true WWII story:




The American Dream - 2012

A chilling bit of news:



These kids are taught by the public school system to expect government to take them from cradle to grave - literally.

Just getting rid of the politicians in Washington will solve nothing, if people like this are doomed to become our leaders someday.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Memorials

Just got this in an email:


Whitney Houston's death, while a sad thing, was the direct result of very unwise life choices.  It dominates the news.

Charlie Sheen is 45 and his story is all over the news because he is a substance abuser, an adulterer, sexually promiscuous and obnoxious.

Lindsay Lohan is 24 and her story is all over the news because she is a celebrity drug addict and thief.

Something as frivolous as Kim Kardashian’s stupid wedding [and short-lived marriage] was shoved down our throats, While........

Justin Allen 23
Brett Linley 29
Matthew Weikert 29
Justus Bartett 27
Dave Santos 21
Jesse Reed 26
Matthew Johnson 21
Zachary Fisher 24
Brandon King 23
Christopher Goeke 23
and Sheldon Tate 27...

Are all Marines that gave their lives last month for you.  There is no media for them; not even a mention of their names.

Honor THEM by sending this on.

I did, will you?

God bless you, Rest In Peace, and THANK YOU TROOPS.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Campaign phone calls

Got a call from (202) 695-8645 - a robocaller with a breathless recorded message about how we need to get Rick Santorum elected, or the Debbil's gonna get us, or something.

At the end, I was advised to press 1 to donate, or press 9 to discontinue calls.

Being the ornery cuss I am, I pressed 1, with the intent of telling the human, if any answered, to take me off their list, or at least tie up a line on the robocaller for as long as possible.

Silence for about a minute, and the thing hung up.

That's a real effective way of getting money.

By the way - the spell checker on Firefox thinks "Santorum" should be spelled "Sanatorium".

Fly along on a WWII bomber raid on Japan

Very interesting glimpse into how we won the war.

http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/jeffcarter/2012/02/20/what_its_like_to_be_on_a_bombing_raid

Seen on the road

From an email I got:


Beware cheap ammo

Was reloading some magazines for my G19 for range practice. I bought an ammo box full of 9mm "factory reloads" from some cheap mail-order place, or maybe at a gun show a few years ago.

I already had one cartridge jam in the gun - the case was swollen about 2/3 of the way down from the mouth. Today, I found this:


Notice anything strange about the one on the left?

I'll never again buy bulk ammo loose in a can, let alone "factory reloads". Not worth the possible disaster.

Getting desperate?

Last Demonrat emails I got wanted $3 from everyone. Now this:

Friend --

Tomorrow night, we'll pick the first of four supporters who will sit down with me for dinner.

I'm hoping you'll take me up on the invitation.

Donate $2 or whatever you can today to be automatically entered for the chance to be my first dinner guest.

These meals are one simple thing that sets this campaign apart. The seats at our table don't belong to any Washington lobbyist or powerful interest.

These seats are yours.

Donate $2 or more today and be automatically entered to win:

https://donate.barackobama.com/The-First-Guest

Hope to see you,

Barack

Racism!

Can you imagine Romney announcing "White People for Mitt"?



H/t Domestic Divapalooza

Fascism and the US Government

Very good post over at Borepatch. Here's a taste - go read the whole thing.

This blog kills Fascists

Woodie Guthrie was a Red - he lived in the "Red Hill" district of Los Angeles in the 1930s (a neighborhood notorious for the concentration of radicals), and wrote a column for the Communist Party's Daily Worker newspaper.  He was a reliable Red, willing to be an apologist for the U.S.S.R.'s non-aggression pact with Hitler.

All that changed on June 1, 1941, as Operation Barbarossa saw the Nazi supermen storming across the border into Guthrie's Mother Russia.  He took some paint and wrote on his guitar: This machine kills fascists.

It's probably unfair to blame him for not recognizing that fascists fought on both sides of the Eastern Front.  Stalin paid lip service to the Socialist Dialectic, and the West's Useful Idiots (like Guthrie) let him get away with it, but the U.S.S.R. was fascist in all but name.  Non-Russians were second class citizens (as the population on Ukraine found out to their sorrow), the State controlled everything, and above all was the all-seeing, all-powerful fuhrer (well, General Secretary).

But Woodie knew how to get an idea popularized, and did.

We live today in a political world that people from Woodie's time simply wouldn't recognize.  The growth in the Leviathan State is steam rolling all before it - the War on (some) Drugs is crushing the Fourth Amendment, Kelo v. New London crushed the Fifth Amendment, Medicare is killing the Tenth Amendment.  Obamacare is killing the First Amendment.  The Second Amendment has - for now - fought off a series of restrictions from 1968 through 1994 that sought to kill it.  That battle is still raging.

Useless government services

Here in Wisconsin, as in many states, we have a "no call" registry, wherein you register your phone number(s) and the state then issues a "no call" list to telemarketers who are then supposed to studiously avoid calling, under threat of legal action by the State of Wisconsin.

I duly registered all my household phones.

The first thing I found out is calls from pollsters, political parties, businesses you have done business with and charities are not included in the list of organizations forbidden to call. So, mid-dinner calls from the Republicans, various fire and police fundraisers, etc. Not to mention dunning calls on late bills, an unavoidable occurrence in the age of Osamanomics.

Next, the telemarketers learned how to fox Caller ID with bogus phone numbers. This is easy to do, seeing as the people who designed the Caller ID system didn't bother to think past "we can charge for this service!" back when. If you are going to have Caller ID at all, make it universal and un-hackable, or don't bother.

I just got two calls from an Ohio number - (234) 512-3451 - a number that when dialed gives "Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and try again." When they called both times, there was dead silence and then a hang up. Harassment?

I've taken to keeping Pandora up on my desktop, tuned into a '60's-'70's oldie playlist. Dunning and political calls get "Please hold" and then whatever Pandora has up at the moment until they hang up. One caller responded to the lyrics from "San Francisco" with "I hear music" before giving up.

The newest proposal out of Madison would add text messages to cell phones to the no-call registry. I wonder how long it will take some hacker to fox that.

Just deserts

An idiot gets what he deserves.

Monday, February 20, 2012

GIving US territory to Russia?

Not a new thing - Clinton and Bush pushed it, Osama just gets to finish the deal.
+++++++++++

Obama's giveaway: Oil-rich islands to Russia

Exclusive: Joe Miller sounds alarm over deal to put land in hands of Putin's Kremlin



By Joe Miller

The Obama administration, despite the nation’s economic woes, effectively killed the job-producing Keystone Pipeline last month. The Arab Spring is turning the oil production of Libya and other Arab nations over to the Muslim Brotherhood. Iraq is distancing itself from the U.S. And everyone recognizes that Iran, whose crude supplies are critical to the European economy, will do anything it can to frustrate America’s strategic interests. In the face of all of this, Obama insists on cutting back U.S. oil potential with outrageous restrictions.

Part of Obama’s apparent war against U.S. energy independence includes a foreign-aid program that directly threatens my state’s sovereign territory. Obama’s State Department is giving away seven strategic, resource-laden Alaskan islands to the Russians. Yes, to the Putin regime in the Kremlin.
The seven endangered islands in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea include one the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. The Russians are also to get the tens of thousands of square miles of oil-rich seabeds surrounding the islands. The Department of Interior estimates billions of barrels of oil are at stake.

The State Department has undertaken the giveaway in the guise of a maritime boundary agreement between Alaska and Siberia. Astoundingly, our federal government itself drew the line to put these seven Alaskan islands on the Russian side. But as an executive agreement, it could be reversed with the stroke of a pen by President Obama or Secretary Clinton.

The agreement was negotiated in total secrecy. The state of Alaska was not allowed to participate in the negotiations, nor was the public given any opportunity for comment. This is despite the fact the Alaska Legislature has passed resolutions of opposition – but the State Department doesn’t seem to care.

The imperiled Arctic Ocean islands include Wrangell, Bennett, Jeannette and Henrietta. Wrangell became American in 1881 with the landing of the U.S. Revenue Marine ship Thomas Corwin. The landing party included the famed naturalist John Muir. It is 3,000 square miles in size.

Northwest of Wrangell are the DeLong Islands, named for George Washington DeLong, the captain of USS Jeannette. Also in 1881, he discovered and claimed these three islands for the United States. He named them for the voyage co-sponsor, New York City newspaper publisher James Gordon Bennett. The ship’s crew received a hero’s welcome back in Washington, and Congress awarded them gold medals.

In the Bering Sea at the far west end of the Aleutian chain are Copper Island, Sea Lion Rock and Sea Otter Rock. They were ceded to the U.S. in Seward’s 1867 treaty with Russia.

Now is the time for the Obama administration to stand up for U.S. and Alaskan rights and invaluable resources. The State Department’s maritime agreement is a loser – it gives us nothing in return for giving up Alaska’s sovereign territory and invaluable resources. We won the Cold War and should start acting like it.

The Obama administration must stop the giveaway immediately.

Author’s addendum, Feb. 17, 2012: This is not a new issue. In fact the Bush and Clinton administrations are directly at fault for the same inaction. A maritime agreement negotiated by the U.S. State Department set the Russian boundary on the other side of the disputed islands, but no treaty has ratified this action. Consequently, it is within the president’s power to stop this giveaway. The Alaska delegation’s failure to put pressure on the administration is inexplicable. State Department Watch, an organization that assisted with this article, has confronted each administration and is currently confronting the Obama administration — and has been met by silence. I’m hoping this piece will help reinvigorate efforts to stop this handover.
+++++++++++
Fricking unbelievable.

NRA Country

the real problem



Simple solution?  If you work for the government in any manner, you can't vote in that branch's elections. Work for the feds, no voting for federal offices. Conflict of interest.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

I might be a felon!

Depends on where the border between the People's Republik of Ill-Annoys and the free state of Wisconsin actually lies.

This morning, I had to run to the hardware store for some stuff. I was a bit early, so took a drive around the south side of Beloit. Shirland Avenue runs down the state line - the south side is PRI, South Beloit.

I went west down Shirland for a ways, then made a U-turn and went back east.

Possessing a loaded gun in the PRI off your own property is a felony, unless you are a Chicago alderman, police officer, or a "deputy", which I understand is anyone who wants to be who has political connections.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

An interesting answer to high-tech lefty snooping

A bunch of PETA types try to disrupt a pigeon shoot:
+++++++++++++++++

Citizens Shoot Down Video Drone


A remote-controlled aircraft owned and operated by an animal rights group called SHARK, was reportedly shot down near Broxton Bridge Plantation, South Carolina, on Sunday.
TheTandD.com reports:

Steve Hindi, president of SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness), said his group was preparing to launch its Mikrokopter drone to video what he called a live pigeon shoot on Sunday when law enforcement officers and an attorney claiming to represent the privately-owned plantation near Ehrhardt tried to stop the aircraft from flying.

“It didn’t work; what SHARK was doing was perfectly legal,” Hindi said in a news release. “Once they knew nothing was going to stop us, the shooting stopped and the cars lined up to leave.”
Hindi said the animal rights group decided to send the drone up anyway but that seconds after it hit the air “numerous shots rang out.”

“As an act of revenge for us shutting down the pigeon slaughter, they had shot down our copter.”
He claimed the shooters were “in tree cover” and “fled the scene on small motorized vehicles.”
+++++++++++++++++
Whiny video by the protesters at the link.

If someone is trying to fly such a device over private property without the owner's permission, I see no reason not to have a little aerial target practice.

If, as the protesters claim, shots were fired over a public road, or outside the boundaries of the private property, those shooters ought to be schooled in proper shooting etiquette and the law - most places it's illegal to shoot across a road.

If these turkeys return next year, the club ought to have a squadron of radio-controlled "fighter planes" ready to go up and ram the next attempt - IF it crosses over into their property.  Fight fire with fire, I say!

Something for my buddies down in the People's Republik


2nd Amendment Fundraiser

Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 7:30 PM (CT)

Winthrop Harbor, IL

Shooting, food, fun - and proceeds go to help Second Amendment supporter Lennie Jarratt running for Illinois State Senate in the 31st District.

Free CCW classes

More free classes from Wisconsin Carry:

Wisconsin Carry, has more openings in our free concealed carry training courses.
 
If you attend this class you will receive a certificate that serves as proof of training which you submit to the Wisconsin Department of Justice along with your application to obtain your concealed weapons license.
 
This class is FREE and open to the public.  You do NOT need to own a handgun in order to attend.  We encourage those who are new to right-to-carry to attend.
 
Place: Marathon Trap and Sportsman's Club (Exit 188 on I39/US 51 to county N and drive West about 7 miles (North Side of Cty N about 1/2 mile past Intersection of Cty O and Cty N)
 
Date: Sunday, February 26th, 2012
 
Time: Two Sessions: Morning 8:00 AM to 12 Noon or Afternoon 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM 
 
We will start the class on time.  Please arrive by: Morning Session 7:45 AM, Afternoon Session 12:45 PM to check in and fill out forms.
 
Pre-registration is required

For more information and registration send an email to WCI certified instructor Fred Yulga:  fred@wisconsincarry.org

To attend this free class you will need to register with Fred above and also visit the following link to download the class handouts.
 
 
Carry On,
 
Nik Clark
Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.

Well, he PROMISED more gun control

and it looks like he's trying to keep at least that promise:
+++++++++++++

MILLER: Obama’s fast and furious spin

Sneaky White House budget provisions undermine the Second Amendment


President Obama is using his budget to advance an anti-gun agenda just before the election. One particularly sneaky provision buried deep within his submission to Congress Monday would, if enacted, allow the mistakes of the “Fast and Furious” gun-walking scandal to be repeated.

In November, the president signed the Justice Department appropriations bill, which included language from Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, prohibiting federal agencies from facilitating the transfer of an operable firearm to an individual known or suspected to be in a drug cartel, unless they monitor the weapon at all times.

Now Mr. Obama is proposing to remove that provision from the 2013 spending bill, thus making it legal to revive gun-walking operations in the future. The White House justification is merely that the prohibition is “not necessary.”
+++++++++++++
Yeah. It's not necessary to keep out-of-control bureaus from violating international law.

Further down:
+++++++++++++
Mr. Obama’s budget contains other gun-grabbing surprises. The White House is looking to reclaim authority to destroy surplus M1 Garand rifles and M1 Carbines. For 30 years, the Defense Department has been blocked from scrapping these collectible firearms that served our soldiers well in World War II and the Korean War. The administration also wants to melt down the military’s spent brass casings, thwarting gun owners who have been buying and recycling the surplus materials.
The president’s budget would also restore millions in funding to the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control so they can pump out junk science studies claiming handguns are a public health hazard.

Mr. Obama is becoming more brazen in his disdain for the Second Amendment as his first term winds down, perhaps in an attempt to rally his dispirited liberal base headed into November. For those who believe in the right of the people to keep and bear arms, this ought to serve as an equally loud wake-up call.
+++++++++++++
All this hurts him with Democrats who also think the Second Amendment still means what it says - there's a lot of them out there.

If his budget gets shot down, all this crap goes with it.

H/t Bob Owens

WTF?

I'm speechless...



"Pregnant troops" - somehow, that does not compute. Pregnancy is something you get into after you leave the service, far as I am concerned. Liberal thought and new-age touchy-feely stuff notwithstanding.

The article in Stars and Stripes is here.

H/t Ace of Spades.

Tilting at windmills

Osama can't resist. President Don Quixote?
+++++++++++++

The Obama Budget And Wind Power

The promise of "wind" as an alternative source of energy has failed -- repeatedly.
Reprinted from the Institute for Energy Research (IER)

In the 1970s and 1980s, the proponents of wind power claimed that renewables would be cost-competitive in a few years if they just received some subsidies for a few years. But thirty years later, renewables proponents are still clamoring for subsidies from U.S. taxpayers. Despite a trillion dollar deficit, President Obama is once again responding to the renewable promoters and asking Congress to approve his budget with billions of dollars in energy subsidies.

The President’s proposed budget would renew and extend a number of renewable subsidies including the 1603 program which pays for as much as much as 30 percent of development costs of renewable-energy projects.[i]  The budget also includes an extension of the production tax credit for the wind industry that is scheduled to expire this year.[ii] The production tax credit is worth 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced during the first 10 years of a wind farm’s operation.   In addition, the budget request would provide $95 million for developing wind energy technology.[iii]
+++++++++++++
Read the whole thing.

Wind energy is great for isolated power way out in the sticks - where it is economically viable without government subsidies. It sucks as a replacement for a real power plant that can be controlled and generate power when it is needed - not when Mother Nature deigns to provide it.

It would be interesting to see how long all those wind farms remain cluttering up our farmland around here if all the federal money disappeared tomorrow. There's a lot of money in recycling them into something useful - lots of copper, steel, and rare earth magnets. We could create quite a few jobs for a couple of years tearing them down and selling them to people who might be able to use the materials to build useful stuff.

More good news

It appears Osama might just have a problem...CONgress might be passing legislation he can't veto without committing political suicide for the Demonrats.
++++++++++

House votes to kick-start Keystone XL and open ANWR for drilling

by Audrey Hudson
02/16/2012
 
The House Thursday passed an energy measure to fund highway and transportation projects that also included contentious language to kick-start the Keystone pipeline and open the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling.

The bill seeks to expand offshore drilling for oil and gas and create a shale oil leasing program, and passed mostly along party lines 237-187.

“Instead of more gimmicky stimulus spending or pork-laden bills of the past, this bill would permanently remove government barriers to job creation and support improving America’s roads and bridges,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), chairman of the House Resources Committee, said that in addition to developing energy for the U.S., money paid to the government for leasing the federal property would pay for infrastructure projects without raising taxes or adding to the deficit.

“Sadly, the president’s actions in office have been anything but pro energy,” Hastings said. “In fact, his rhetoric is 180 degrees from his action -- since taking office, this administration has repeatedly blocked energy production.”

By opening three percent of lands in ANWR to drilling, Hastings said it would produce more than a trillion barrels of oil -- enough to provide the U.S. with energy for 200 years.

Democrats objected to the ANWR provision, as well as the pipeline language that directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve the pipeline within 30 days.

“This bill is nothing but red meat, political propaganda at its worst,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). “Opening up ANWR will do nothing to lower gas prices.”++++++++++
More at the link.

Of course the Demonrats object - if the public realizes that oil drilling can result in $1.00 gas again, and an end to the extortion we see from people like the Iranians, they might also realize what Demonrats really are, and stop voting them into office!

Three percent of the Alaska mosquito preserve will power the USA for 200 years? What would 100% of that do? There's all that oil in the Dakotas and Montana they recently discovered, too.

Oil can be a lot cleaner than oil for generating power. It's easy to strip out sulfur and other nasty compounds from a liquid, and our transportation can remain based on high-energy liquid hydrocarbon fuels until someone figures out how to make a battery that can contain the same amount of usable energy in the same space as a tank of gas or Diesel - and be recharged in the same time it takes to fill a fuel tank.

And when that happens, we will have the electricity available to charge those new batteries - generated from abundant, clean oil.

Who knows - we might even be able to afford real space travel again. There's megatons of helium 3 on the Moon, and untold wealth out in the asteroids, waiting to be recovered with no ecological insult to our planet beyond rocket launches powered by pure hydrocarbons and liquid oxygen. Given a cheap source of He3, we could finally see those fusion power plants we've been promised would come on line "in the next ten years" ever since the 1960's - and at that point, we could finally stop using oil for fuel. It's infinitely more valuable as a chemical precursor for plastics and other products.

You have to do things in logical order - first you develop and implement the true clean reliable power source, THEN you stop using the older technology. You don't dump the old stuff until you have a good replacement ready to go. That's the big lesson the Demonrats and greenies can't grasp.

Friday, February 17, 2012

And so it ends

Two years to the month ago, I was laid off my last real full-time engineering job.

Today I got an 18-month contract with a local aerospace supplier to design in-plant test equipment.

I start a week from Monday. The job could go permanent, with luck, after a year.

The drought is over.

Think you have rights?

You have more than you thought. According to Madam Senator Babs Boxer, you have a "right" to medical insurance:



Article here.

The problem is you don't have a right to religious freedom - just insurance at OsamaCare rates and coverage. You will give up your morals and pay for procedures and drugs you find abhorrent, or else!

Update - GAH! I can't tell Boxer from Pee-Lousy. Fixed that.

I guess I just can't tell one shrill Demonrat harpy from another - they all look and sound so much alike...

More whining

Why can't we all just get along?



You can't prevent evil people from committing violent acts by persuasion. You either protect yourself, or you ask nicely to remain a victim.

Found at An NC Gun Blog

We're winning!

Wisconsin scores 3 out of 100 on the Brady Bunch's score sheet!


That's better than Vermont, the original Constitutional Carry state!

What we need to work on:
  1. Force public colleges to allow defensive weapons - 1 point for allowing them to ban weapons in the hands of law-abiding persons.
  2. End the Handgun Hotline - 2 points for "record keeping and retention".
We don't get any points for forcing people to get a license at $50 and a month's wait before they can carry personal protection.

From the Brady Bunch explanation:
Wisconsin has weak gun laws that help feed the illegal gun market and allow the sale of guns without background checks, according to the Brady Campaign. 
Wisconsin has both the FBI's E-Check to screen long gun buyers and the state "Handgun Hotline" which routinely takes a day or two to render a decision on whether or not a Wisconsin resident (who may already own a dozen handguns) is qualified to possess another - then a two-day wait to ensure he or she does nothing rash while in the normal new-gun frenzy we all know. Also costs the buyer $13 every time they buy a new handgun. Duplicates the E-Check, which is free, and keeps the record of the sale - but no data on the actual weapon - for God know how long.

As far as sales between private citizens, it's already illegal on both the state and federal levels to sell a gun to someone you know is not allowed to have one.

As far as making the Bradys happy, not even California, with some of the most onerous infringements can make a perfect score - because even they still allow SOME private ownership of firearms.

If you want to live in a state that truly respects the Second Amendment, you are still out of luck in the USA - but you can get close. Move to Alaska, Arizona, or Utah and get closer - they all rate at zero points.

H/t Alphecca

Thursday, February 16, 2012

One Man's Terrorist

A look in to an all too probable future for America.



http://buck-the-system.blogspot.com/

H/t Green Mountains Homesteading

The end of a mistake

Canada repeals their long gun registry
+++++++++++

Conservatives and enthusiasts cheer the end of the long-gun registry

Feb 15, 2012 – 1:08 PM ET

By Jeff Davis
OTTAWA — The Conservative government says its MPs will celebrate after a historic vote to end the long-gun registry Wednesday evening, despite vehement opposition to the move in Quebec and much of urban Canada.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told reporters Wednesday, hours before the vote, that the government’s actions are long overdue.

“It does nothing to help put an end to gun crimes, nor has it saved one Canadian life,” he said.

“It criminalizes hard-working and law-abiding citizens such as farmers and sport shooters, and it has been a billion-dollar boondoggle left to us by the previous Liberal government.”

Quebec MP Maxime Bernier said MPs and gun-rights advocates will celebrate together Parliament Hill after Wednesday evening’s vote.
+++++++++++
More at the link.

Meanwhile, Osama is promising to do to the Second Amendment what he has been doing to the coal industry, if we'll just give him four more years.

Brilliant!

The "Smartest Negro on Earth (tm)" is presiding over the attempted destruction of one of the only sensible bits of Homeland Security - allowing flight crew on airliners to be armed.

His latest "budget" has language ending the Federal Flight Deck Officer Program. This replaced common sense rules in effect since the Cuban Missile Crisis allowing flight crew to be armed to resist hijackers - a rule put in place by the FAA in the 1960s.

Isn't it interesting that pilots were stripped of that fundamental right two months before 9/11?

For centuries, it has been the right of ship captains to be armed against mutiny and pirates - and hijackers and bombers are just modern pirates. Airplanes are the modern equivalent of seagoing ships, even if mutiny is not a real concern these days.

I don't agree that a RINO would be preferable to four more years of Osama. A RINO will be open to "bipartisanship" and will gleefully sign bills presented by other leftist members of CONgress in the name of "reaching across the aisle". Such a President might even name liberal justices to the Supreme Court to keep the left happy.

It's certain that Osama WILL name liberals to the courts if he gets another chance, though. 

I guess we pray that whoever the Stupid party nominates can get enough votes to beat Osama - and that whoever that is is enough of a conservative to put judges in place who will actually follow the Constitution.

The alternative is to hope that the next bloody revolution doesn't kill too many innocents, and ends with good people in charge - not like a repeat of 1917 in Russia.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

A chance to cost the Demonrats some money

You'll get on a mailing list, but they will spend some cash mailing out this nifty collector's item!


The email said:
Once you put it in a visible place like the back of your car, in your window, or near your desk, things might start happening.
I'm sure of it. You'll get a ton of idiots clapping you on the back.

Or, you could put it on a shelf, like all the other Demonrat "free" stuff I've collected over the years.


Remember that anti-gun boycott of Starbucks?

Well, it's in process:
++++++++++++++

Anti-Gun Group Begins “Brew Not Bullets” Starbucks Boycott



As promised, an anti-gun group began a boycott of Starbucks on Valentine’s Day over the chain’s gun policy — or rather, its lack of a gun policy.

The CEO of the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGAC) said he tried to avoid the “Brew Not Bullets” boycott, but Starbucks would not budge on its stance.

“The boycott will end only when Starbucks rejects the NRA’s Pro-Gun agenda by 1) banning all guns from their stores and 2) committing to be an Aggressive Corporate Advocate for sane gun laws,” NGAC CEO Elliot Fineman said in a news release.

Starbucks’ gun policy is simply that is abides by local laws, saying “In the end, we determined that following local laws is the best approach for us. Were we to adopt a policy different from local laws allowing open carry, we would be forced to require our partners to ask law abiding customers to leave our stores.”
++++++++++++++
More at the link.

I wonder if Starbucks will notice. So far, I've seen no evidence of any protesters, so maybe this is simply a few dozen people who won't got to Starbucks any more - if they ever went in the first place.

Watch out for terrorists!

The FBI has a nice set of flyers warning people with businesses about possible threats - but they don't make them public.

That's our job:
++++++++++++++

FBI “Communities Against Terrorism” Suspicious Activity Reporting Flyers

February 1, 2012 in Federal Bureau of Investigation
The following collection of 25 flyers produced by the FBI and the Department
of Justice are distributed to local businesses in a variety of industries to
promote suspicious activity reporting. The flyers are not released publicly,
though several have been published in the past by news media and various
law enforcement agencies around the country.  We have compiled this
collection from a number of online sources.
To view the documents, click on a threat area in the menu to the left
and the PDF will appear on the right side of the page. You can also
download the complete collection of files (ZIP Archive, 6.27 MB).
Threat Areas
++++++++++++++
At the bottom of the flyer for "Electronics Stores", we find this caveat:
It is important to remember that just because someone’s speech,
actions, beliefs, appearance, or way of life is different; it does not
mean that he or she is suspicious.
Right after this warning:
Unusual comments regarding radical theology, vague/cryptic warnings, or
anti-U.S. sentiments that appear to be out-of-place and provocative
We certainly don't want to profile people.

The "Recognising Sleepers" and 'Tattoo Shops" flyers are particularly entertaining.



Osama coming to Milwaukee today

He's visiting Masterlock to celebrate the return of ONE HUNDRED JOBS from China.

100 jobs. In a country with approximately 20% real unemployment, and exponentially growing debt that he has personally pushed on us.

On hundred jobs he had no part in creating - it just makes more sense for Master Lock to have them here, rather than in China.

Masterlock's website says nothing about these new jobs. I wonder how long it will be before Wisconsin residents can even apply for them?

While America smolders, Osama is out campaigning.

Business as usual.

Monday, February 13, 2012

News from Minitru

Obama campaign sets up 'Truth Team'

By David Jackson, USA TODAY 
 
President Obama's re-election team is seeking help from Internet and on-the-ground backers to spread the word about Obama's record in office, and to bash his Republican critics.

The purpose of the "Truth Team" is to "promote the president's achievements, respond to attacks on his record and hold the eventual Republican nominee accountable," said the announcement from the Obama re-election team.

The overall website -- BarackObama.com/TruthTeam -- includes three specialty websites: KeepingHisWord.com (devoted to Obama's record), KeepingGOPHonest.com (attacking Republicans), and AttackWatch.com (responding to critical GOP ads).

"The sites also contain tools for sharing materials via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail, and empowers supporters to take further action by volunteering, writing letters to the editor, sending postcards to undecided voters with information about the president's record, and more," said the Obama announcement.

Deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter promoted the "Truth Team" in an e-mail to supporters, entitled "sit back or fight back."
++++++++++++
Original Demonrat email at the link.

They actually are claiming that during Osama's reign, the economy has improved.


Free CCW class in Milwaukee

Just got this from Wisconsin Carry:

Greetings in Freedom,

Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is offering another FREE Concealed Carry License Training Course in Milwaukee, WI:

Sunday, March 18th, 2012
1pm to 5pm

American Serb Hall
http://www.americanserbhall.com/

This class is FREE and open to the public.  If you attend this class you will leave with a WCI certificate of "proof of training" that you need to submit to the WI Dept. of Justice along with your application for a concealed carry license.  This class (which other sources offer for $80 to $150) is offered FREE of charge by Wisconsin Carry, Inc. a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and advancing the right to carry in Wisconsin.

To attend this class you must register at the following link:

http://www.planetreg.com/E12912124476

Please feel free to share this link with friends or family that would like to obtain their concealed carry license but do not have the state required 'proof of training' certificate.  You do not need to be a gun owner to attend.  Many people attend who would like to, but have not yet purchased a gun.  This class is a good class for those new to carry and gun ownership to take. Each person attending the class must register at the above link.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

A new nanny state low

Had the grandkids over for dinner today. My wife had some small Valentine's Day gifts for them. One of the gifts was some small plastic envelopes with a few crayons, 2" wide x 4" long, made out of a heavy plastic. Possibly a newborn's hand could fit inside the pouch, if the baby made a fist.

It had this warning on it:


Two inches wide.

This is an example of how government creates jobs. Someone had to design this warning and tool up to print it on this extremely dangerous item - voila! Jobs created!

In China, unfortunately.

A ray of hope

I knew there were Muslims out there who don't believe in the interpretations of the Koran so prevalent in most Islamic countries and among all too many Muslims here and abroad - that Israel must be destroyed and that all humanity must bow to Mohammad and sharia law or be killed. Proof:
+++++++++++++++++

The other face of the IDF….is Muslim

Although unknown to most of the world, there are many Bedouin Muslims who are loyal to the State of Israel and proudly serve in the Israeli Defense Forces.

BBC  In fact, there are thousands of Muslim Bedouin who serve in the IDF, and even bear arms against their fellow Muslims in the West Bank and Gaza. They do so although it is not compulsory for them to serve in the Israeli military, as it is for most Israeli Jews.

Israel’s Bedouin are a Muslim, Arabic-speaking group. Although these formerly nomadic people were once considered part of the Palestinian nation, most of them are now proud to call themselves 
Israelis. Co-operation between Jews and Bedouin began before the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948. In 1946, tribal leader Abu Yusuf al-Heib sent more than 60 of his men to fight alongside Zionist forces against their Arab neighbours in Galilee.
+++++++++++++++++
Now, if this mindset can just pervade most of the Islamic world, we might be able to live in peace with Islam.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

An answer to the "no weapons" sign

Found at In Jennifer's Head - a nice sticker for the front door of your home or business:


When I get some $$$, I'm ordering mine!

Why conservatives suck

Bill Whittle does it again:



Seen at From the Barrel of a Gun

Osama's running mate announced!

Biden is out! Meet the new veep to be:



Obama-Volt in 2012

Found at Ace of Spades

So, what else is new?

Big surprise:
++++++++++++

CNN: Pelosi May Have Broken the Law With Fundraising Comment on Capitol Hill

Remember when Nancy Pelosi said she she was willing to do anything to get Obamacare passed? Here’s a refresher:
You go through the gate. If the gate’s closed, you go over the fence. If the fence is too high, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. But we’re going to get health care reform passed for the American people.
Well, it could be that same approach to fundraising that now has her in hot water. According to CNN, the House Minority Leader may have broken the law when she solicited donations during a speech in the Capitol building.
CNN explains:
At a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday, Pelosi was making the case for campaign finance reform and said Democrats will disclose donors to their political groups, even when the law doesn’t require it.
During her comments, she said “by the way we’re asking people to contribute to us if they want to elect more reformers to Congress so we can do away with super PACs – we can do away with secret contributions.”
So what’s so odd about that statement? Well, the part where she says “we’re asking people to contribute” while standing inside the U.S. Capitol is. That’s because, as CNN notes, “The law prohibits any kind of fundraising on federal grounds.”

A Pelosi spokesman, Drew Hammil, denied any wrongdoing.
++++++++++++
More at the link.

Just what we would expect from our dear Nancy. I hope her perp-walk out of the Capitol is on DVD so I can replay it again and again.


Damn - that was a neat dream - who woke me up?

Friday, February 10, 2012

It's bloody well about time!

Fed Approves First New Nuclear Plant in a Generation


The nation’s first new nuclear power plant in a generation won approval Thursday as federal regulators voted to grant a license for two new reactors in Georgia.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission voted 4-1 to approve Atlanta-based Southern Co.’s request to build two nuclear reactors at its Vogtle site south of Augusta.
The vote clears the way for officials to issue an operating license for the reactors, which could begin operating as soon as 2016 and 2017.

The NRC last approved construction of a nuclear plant in 1978, a year before a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania raised fears of a radiation release and brought new reactor orders nearly to a halt.

+++++++++++++++

More at the link.

Now, we need about one new approval a month for the next ten years, and we might be able to start thinking seriously about shutting down some of those dirty old coal plants...

Truth in reporting

At the New York Times, not so much.

Found at An NC Gun Blog:

Tough love

Was watching this over at A Trainwreck in Maxwell when a pal sent me an email with a link to it.




Thursday, February 9, 2012

Again and again and again

they keep on trying to make gun ownership in Illinois expensive and troublesome.

The new attack:
+++++++++++

Emanuel to push for state-wide handgun registry

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants lawmakers to require that all handguns in Illinois be registered with the state, or gun owners could face felony charges.

A statewide gun registry is key in helping solve Chicago crimes that involve handguns from outside the city, and would also help crack down on gun trafficking, Emanuel announced at a press conference Thursday.

Under Emanuel's proposal, handgun owners would have to pay $65 for a registration certificate from the state, which would function much like the title to a car. Illinois law currently requires that gun owners and shooters have a firearm owners identification card, which works like a drivers license. But the guns themselves are not registered at the state level.

The handgun registration certificate would include information about the owner, the make and model of the gun, as well as where and when the firearm was bought. Registration applicants would also need a valid firearm owners identification card.

Owners and dealers would be required to notify Illinois State Police whenever a handgun changes hands. The registration certificate would last for five years, and cost $25 to renew.

Handgun owners would also have to tell the state if their gun gets lost or stolen, or they could face misdemeanor charges, according to the mayor's proposal. People caught in possession of an unregistered gun would be slapped with a felony.
+++++++++++
More at the link.

Rahm just had to hand over almost $400,000 in a lawsuit settlement with the Second Amendment Foundation. So, of course, he has to punish every gun owner in Illinois with another un-Constitutional and useless law and fee.

Not to mention that now he's got that long-wanted gun registry so his storm-troopers can break down the correct doors come next Kristallnacht.

They just don't get it

People in government are worried about low numbers of college graduates seeking federal jobs:
+++++++++++++++
GovLoop Note: Terry's post inspired this week's "Federal Worker Question" - a joint initiative of GovLoop and The Washington Post. Responses may also be submitted on the Post.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jolie Lee, with the FederalNewsRadio reported today that, "A survey of more than 35,000 college and university students found only 2.3 percent plan to work in the federal government after leaving school.

The Partnership for Public Service analyzed the results of the 2011 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey.

"The results are both alarming and replete with challenges for federal hiring managers and human resources professionals who are charged with attracting a new generation of skilled employees to our government," according to the Partnership report."

Why is this percentage so low, despite our continued high unemployment rates?  I'm sure that there are many motivations behind this intent, but my opinion is that there is a growing coalition of the disenfranchised that see the Federal government as the problem, not the solution.
+++++++++++++++
Possibly because more and more young people are waking up to the fact that the Federal governmnet IS a large part of the problems our country is facing today?

Duh.

When we get below 1%, I'll start relaxing just a bit.

Cause for celebration?

Could be.
+++++++++++++

L.I. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy’s district on the chopping block

State losing two congressional seats based on Census results


Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 8:59 PM

 New York Representatives, Sen. Charles Schumer supporters of gun control and Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference on new legislation to fix gun checks, Tuesday, March 15, 2011, at the US Capitol. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy spoke at the press conference.

Elisa Miller

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Nassau County), seen with Mayor Bloomberg at a gun-control rally in March 2011, may be at risk of losing her congressional district due to the state's redistricting.

ALBANY — Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy’s Long Island district is on the chopping block as state leaders begin redrawing congressional boundaries, the Daily News has learned.

State Senate and Assembly negotiators are looking at merging McCarthy’s Nassau County district into a Nassau-Queens district now held by fellow Dem Gary Ackerman, sources close to the planning said.
+++++++++++++
Such an attractive person she is. Dancing in the blood of her husband and the other defenseless people on that Long Island RR train, as she attempts to prevent others from being able to respond correctly to the next nut case who ignores all those pretty gun control laws.

I hope she gets retired. Too bad she will collect a CONgressional pension for the rest of her life if that happens.

H/t Alphecca