Hooda thunk it.

Politics came up in a recent conversation with a co-worker (not the one I mentioned in a previous post). He asked me why Independents were drawn to McCain. As I went through the points I thought pertinent, most of which do not endear McCain to me, he seemed to be paying close attention.

When I concluded, he nodded his head and said, "You know, I had pretty much made up my mind to vote for Obama, but you've sure given me a lot to think about. I've never thought about him in those terms."

Now, I had no thought of "convincing" anyone of anything that day. We were just chatting during an idle moment. But I bet he still votes for Obama. The last thing he mentioned was McCain's age. I reminded him that cut both ways.

There are days I despair these two are the best we could come up with. November 4th will certainly be one of them. If Obama wins, and it's looking like it, the GOP better get its ducks in a row for 2012. We'll have three years to find a good candidate, and right now, I hope most of the current batch doesn't run.

I will not stand by...

“The major issue of this campaign is the direct political, personal and moral responsibility of Democratic Party leadership... for this unprecedented calamity which has befallen us. They tell us they have done the most that humanly could be done. They say that the United States has had its day in the sun; that our nation has passed its zenith. They expect you to tell your children that the American people no longer have the will to cope with their problems; that the future will be one of sacrifice and few opportunities. My fellow citizens, I utterly reject that view. The American people, the most generous on earth, who created the highest standard of living, are not going to accept the notion that we can only make a better world for others by moving backwards ourselves. Those who believe we can have no business leading the nation. I will not stand by and watch this great country destroy itself under mediocre leadership that drifts from one crisis to the next, eroding our national will and purpose. We have come together here because the American people deserve better from those to whom they entrust our nation’s highest offices, and we stand united in our resolve to do something about it.” Ronald Reagan

Don't you wish McCain would make this speech? I don't think President Reagan would mind.

I'm just sayin'...

Actually, he is -

Justice Peter Zarella (Connecticut Supreme Court), in the minority opinion, wrote, “The ancient definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman has its basis in biology, not bigotry.” He added that if that is to be changed, it should be “a decision for the legislature or the people of the state and not this court.”  (from PatriotPost.us)

Of course, we're not really capable of making those kinds of decisions on our own. Or any other decisions for that matter. That's why we need the government to tell us what to think and do. Vote Obama.

Bill Clinton gives formula for Dem success.

“The administration keeps plowing an Uzi’s worth of bullets into the McCain-Palin ticket every time they have something else go wrong... It’s good politics for us.” —Bill Clinton admitting that pain for Americans is good for Democrats

Vote Obama.

Yes, I've been converted.

Let's see. Congressional Democrats force banks to loan money to people that can't afford their homes. Democrats increase scope of loaning to those who can't afford it, and set up Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac to bail out the banks if there's a problem. Banks jump into the program with joy and delight because government guarantees loans. People jump into the program with joy and delight, because the government said, by God, You deserve that house, when they can't really afford it.

Republicans see the fall coming and try to do something. Democrats ignore it numerous times, and accuse the GOP of being against poor people owning homes.

People who can't afford mortgages default. Property prices go down. Banks panic. Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac hold worthless paper. Banks fail. Stock market plunges. Federal government pats everyone on the head and says, "There, there. Uncle Sam will wipe away your tears, kiss the booboo, and make it all better."

Democrats say it's Republicans' fault that the government had to bail out big business. Bush should have "Done Something" to keep this from happening.

Makes perfect sense to me. Vote Obama.

“Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.” —Milton Friedman

“Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.” —Ayn Rand

“Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer.” —Ludwig von Mises

“The state is the great fiction by which everybody seeks to live at the expense of everybody else.” —Frederic Bastiat

“How odd that all those boring lessons from our grandparents turn out to be true in the globalized, hip 21st century: Save your money. Don’t borrow what you can’t pay back. Look first at a man’s character, not his degrees. And if a promised return on an investment seems too good to be true, it probably is.” —Victor Davis Hanson

“Mr. Obama’s leadership during the [financial] crisis has consisted of standing out of the way and mouthing platitudes about the failings of the past eight years of Bush economics.” —Rich Lowry

 

For those who do not understand...

Our tax system has become so complicated, hardly anyone really understands it. Maybe this will help us get a handle on how it works.

Might want to send it to your congressman and senator. If you like teaching pigs to dance, send it to a Leftist.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100 , each man drinking $10 worth of beer.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing. The fifth would pay $1. The sixth would pay $3. The seventh would pay $7. The eighth would pay $12. The ninth would pay $18. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).

The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Credit where credit is due...

“’You’ve got only a couple thousand bucks in the bank. Your job pays you dog-food wages. Your credit history has been bent, stapled, and mutilated. You declared bankruptcy in 1989. Don’t despair: You can still buy a house.’ So began an April 1995 article in the Chicago Sun-Times that went on to direct prospective home-buyers fitting this profile to a group of far-left ‘community organizers’ called ACORN, for assistance. In retrospect, of course, encouraging customers like this to buy homes seems little short of madness. At the time, however, that 1995 Chicago newspaper article represented something of a triumph for Barack Obama. That same year, as a director at Chicago’s Woods Fund, Obama was successfully pushing for a major expansion of assistance to ACORN, and sending still more money ACORN’s way from his post as board chair of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Through both funding and personal-leadership training, Obama supported ACORN. And ACORN, far more than we’ve recognized up to now, had a major role in precipitating the subprime crisis... In June of 1995, President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and Secretary Cisneros announced the administration’s comprehensive new strategy for raising home-ownership in America to an all-time high. Representatives from ACORN were guests of honor at the ceremony. In his remarks, Clinton emphasized that: ‘Our homeownership strategy will not cost the taxpayers one extra cent. It will not require legislation.’ Clinton meant that informal partnerships between Fannie and Freddie and groups like ACORN would make mortgages available to customers ‘who have historically been excluded from homeownership.’ In the end of course, Clinton’s plan cost taxpayers an almost unimaginable amount of money. And it was just around the time of his 1995 announcement that the Chicago papers started encouraging bad-credit customers with ‘dog-food’ wages, little money in the bank, and even histories of bankruptcy to apply for home loans with the help of ACORN...ACORN is at the base of the whole mess... And Barack Obama cut his teeth as an organizer and politician backing up ACORN’s economic madness every step of the way.” —Stanley Kurtz

Somehow I don't remember that being the drill when I bought my home. They kept bringing up things such as adequate income, down-payment, ability to pay, and much more.

...done privately would mean a jail sentence

“Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis warned, ‘The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding.’ The freedom of individuals from compulsion or coercion never was, and is not now, the normal state of human affairs. The normal state for the ordinary person is tyranny, arbitrary control and abuse mainly by their own government. While imperfect in its execution, the founders of our nation sought to make an exception to this ugly part of mankind’s history. Unfortunately, at the urging of the American people, we are unwittingly in the process of returning to mankind’s normal state of affairs. Americans demand that Congress spend trillions of dollars on farm subsidies, business bailouts, education subsidies, Social Security, Medicare and prescription drugs and other elements of a welfare state. The problem is that Congress produces nothing. Whatever Congress wishes to give, it has to first take other people’s money. Thus, at the root of the welfare state is the immorality of intimidation, threats and coercion backed up with the threat of violence by the agents of the U.S. Congress. In order for Congress to do what some Americans deem as good, it must first do evil. It must do that which if done privately would mean a jail sentence; namely, take the property of one American to give to another... There is no question that if one were to ask whether we Americans are moving towards more liberty or more government control over our lives, the answer would unambiguously be the latter—more government control over our lives.” —Walter Williams

When seconds count...

This morning's timeline:

0650 - Niece goes downstairs to eat breakfast, forgets to turn off house alarm. Alarm sounds, sister-in-law turns off alarm. My wife is asleep and I'm in the shower.

0652 - Alarm company calls, sister-in-law answers the phone, but can't remember password. My wife is still asleep and I'm still in the shower.

0655 - Alarm company calls, I answer the phone. The attendant tells me the police have been dispatched. I didn't even hear the alarm go off and the wife is still asleep. Going to have to get a louder siren.

0723 - Twenty-eight minutes after the last call from the alarm company, there's a knock on door; the police have arrived. I explain it is a false alarm, and the officer was quite nice about it. Last time, they were not amused.

It took 28 minutes from the time I was told the police had already been dispatched for an officer to show up on my doorstep. Our house is less than three miles from the nearest police sub-station. There were no traffic accidents or incidents anywhere close to our house, according to the morning traffic report on the radio.

Now, I'm not complaining. Yes, I would have liked to have seen a better response time than 28 minutes, but I understand it is not the job of local, state, or federal law enforcement to protect me it the alarm goes off. As the timeline above shows, they know it's not their job, too.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not slamming the police. I think our police do a pretty good job. If they were sitting outside my home when the alarm went off, I'm sure they would have done the necessary. However, the police are not in the habit of sitting outside my house, and since it took them 28 minutes to get there

Yes, when seconds count, the police are only 28 minutes away from my house. So what does one do in the meantime? Cower in a corner while you wait for the cavalry to arrive, or get behind cover and stand ready to protect yourself and your family with tools suited to that purpose? (that means guns, if you missed it)

Rob Allen has a short video about being prepared over on Sharp as a Marble. Substitute armed burglar or home invader for civil war. You get the idea.

GBW

Traps to Avoid, Just Say No

http://www.redplanetcartoons.com/

Kentucky Gun Shows thru December 2008

Sep 13-14 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center West Hall A&B RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC)

Sep 20-21 Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC)

Sep 27-28 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls  National Gun Day

Oct 11-12 Cave City, Convention Center Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4 A:$5 S/T Promotions

Oct 25-26 Hindman, Knott County Sportsplex RK Shows

Nov 1-2 Somerset, The Center,Map, RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC)

Nov 22-23 Cave City, Convention Center Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4 A:$5 S/T Promotions

Nov 28-30 Lexington, Heritage Hall of Lexington Center Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC)

Dec 6-7 Ashland, El Hasa Temple Map RK Shows (Kenny Woods Gun Show, LLC)

Dec 13-14 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center 2100 tbls  National Gun Day

Dec 20-21 Somerset, (Kenny Woods Gun Show LLC) The Center Map (2292 S. Hwy 27) RK Shows

Dec 26-28 Louisville, Kentucky Fair & Expo Center West Hall A&B RK Shows

 

"what really matters..."

“When we hear about rent control or gun control, we may think about rent or guns but the word that really matters is ‘control.’ That is what the political left is all about, as you can see by the incessant creation of new restrictions in places where they are strongly entrenched in power, such as San Francisco or New York.” —Thomas Sowell

I'm just sayin'...

Change. Yeah.

"one who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots." H.L. Mencken

Mencken's definition of a demagogue is as apt today as it was early last century. I expect the ecstasy seen in some political gatherings today would be difficult to tell from that seen in crowds gathered at the Well of the Comitia in ancient Rome, listening to someone running for office as Tribune of the Plebs and promising a general cancellation of debt to all.

Of course, the crowds of ancient Rome were also known to stone a erstwhile politicians for not keeping campaign promises.  Hmmmmm.

I'm holding out for puppies...

“You know why they call it birth control? Because it’s meant to stop a birth from happening nine months later. We know when life begins. Everyone who ever bought a pack of condom knows when life begins. To put it another way, with conception something begins. What do you think it is? A car? A 1948 Buick?” —Peggy Noonan

Must. Not. Choke. Co-worker.

While talking to a co-worker, the conversation turned politics. He volunteered the main reason he would never vote Republican in a presidential election was SCOTUS. When I pressed him, he said, "A McCain nominee would change the fundamental nature of the court." He went on to explain that the judges expected to leave the court generally lean (almost to the point of falling down) to the left.

So I asked him what he meant. He replied, "He would appoint conservatives, and that would unbalance the court."

So I asked him if an Obama nominee would maintain the "nature of the court" as he saw it. "Oh, yes," he said, "That would be just fine. We have to maintain balance."

I asked him why. He said it was "somewhere in the Constitution."

If ever Providence needed to be invoked...

Gun Owner. Voter. NOBAMA

If you're inclined, you can go over to the McCain store and buy this on stickers, t-shirts, and buttons.

A different look at "concealed carry"

Now that's using your, uh, well...

Well, you read about Cleavage Caddy for yourself, and buy it here if you're inclined.

Going "Green"? Nah.

As I was cutting the grass in my front yard recently, a neighbor walking by stopped to chat. First from his mouth was, "Going Green, huh?"

Prompted by my use of a Scott reel mower, he wasn’t seeing what he thought he was seeing. Even though I've been known to hug a tree or two (I'm particularly partial to Carpinus caroliniana Betulaceae and Fagus grandifolia), I wouldn't want my sister to marry one. Green is not a big deal to me.

I use the reel mower on my postage stamp front yard primarily to avoid the noise and dust cloud generated by my power mower. I still crank up the 5HP, self-propelled beast for the much larger back yard. There’s also a bit more exercise with a reel mower, and that doesn’t hurt. Well, not too much.

Unless you have environmental personality disorder, green is achieved by making it affordable and reasonable. Even AlGore, a classic case of EPD if ever there was one, hasn't moved into a yurt because it isn't reasonable. Of course, he thinks it's reasonable that we move into yurts, but that's between him and his shrink.

When seconds count...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again now. The police are there to draw the chalk outline and look for the perp. Protection is not part of their job.

from the AP and the Times Union.

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- A 911 dispatcher trying to find a Vermont woman being beaten to death was slowed by technical problems and a bureaucratic roadblock at Verizon Wireless, delaying emergency responders' ability to reach the victim, a county official in New York said Friday.

The dispatcher was placed on hold for two minutes and then got a busy signal when trying to fax a form that would allow Verizon to release the billing address of the victim's cellphone, said Bill Cook, Washington County public safety director.

It was 30 minutes between the time a screaming Francine Morgan placed the 911 call from her home in Wells that it was answered across the state line in New York and the Vermont State Police in Rutland could be sent to her home, where she was found dead.

Nothing 'till next Tuesday...

Going to funeral.

And that's not all...

“Whether we want to own up to it or not, the welfare state has done what Jim Crow, gross discrimination and poverty could not have done. It has contributed to the breakdown of the black family structure and has helped establish a set of values alien to traditional values of high moral standards, hard work and achievement.” —Walter Williams

As usual, Mr. Williams is correct. However, he doesn't mention that the "War on Poverty" did in many white families, too, particularly in Appalachia. My home county in southeastern Kentucky is still feeling the effects of generations of welfare recipients that sat at home drawing a check instead of moving to where there was work.

Anticipating a funeral

I've mentioned my paternal Grandmother a few times in the course of my blogging. She's my last living grandparent. She has been quite ill, and news from back home this morning was not good.

Her doctor and the hospice nurses have told the family there is nothing more they can do for her in hospital except try to make her comfortable, and they can do that at home. It may be hours, it may be days, but I don't expect it will be much longer than that. Renal failure, congestive heart failure, arrhythmia, probably pneumonia soon, will surely make sure of it.

A friend read the following to me yesterday evening. When I spoke to my Mother this morning, the words came back to mind.

On the occasion of their daughter's death, General Robert E. Lee wrote to his grieving wife,

"...I cannot express the anguish I feel at the death of our sweet Annie. To know that I shall never see her again on earth, that her place in our circle, which I always hoped one day to enjoy, is forever vacant, is agonising in the extreme.  But God in this, as in all things, has mingled mercy with the blow, in selecting that one best prepared to leave us.  May you be able to join me in saying 'His will be done!'
...I know how much you will grieve and how much she will be mourned. I wish I could give you any comfort, but beyond our hope in the great mercy of God, and the belief that he takes her at the time and place when it is best for her to go, there is none.  May that same mercy be extended to us all, and may we be prepared for His summons." (from Recollections and Letters of General Lee)

The apostle Paul encouraged the Thessalonians to

... sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

And I'll try to take that good advice myself, and share it with my family in the sad days which shall surely come.

Shipping firearms

Over at VFTP, Tam posts about her anticipation of a problem shipping an antique firearm. She was pleasantly surprised.

Coincidentally, I received a call today from a gentleman who is buying a couple of modern firearms from an out of state individual, and wanted to know if the guns could be shipped directly to me, or if they would have to be shipped thru an FFL holder on the other end.

The Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide (ATF P 5300.4) says:

B8) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U. S. Postal Service?
A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of his or her own state or to a licensee in any state. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. A nonlicensee may not transfer any firearm to a nonlicensed resident of another state. The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms.

(B9) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm by carrier?
A nonlicensee may ship a firearm by carrier to a resident of his or her own state or to a licensee in any state. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, Federal law requires that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm. [18 U. S. C. 922( a)( 2)( A) and 922( e), 27 CFR 178.31]

The buyer, the seller, and the transferring FFL holder are also required to abide by any applicable statutes or regulations of the respective states or localities. For example, because of the extra requirements of the California DOJ, I won't transfer a gun in or out of California, even to or from another FFL holder.

If I haven't said it lately, let me go on record now. I thank God I live in Kentucky. Firearms law isn't perfect here, but according to The Brady Campaign's 2007 ranking of 49th (tied with Oklahoma), we're getting close.

Yes!

The feds say federal institutions are in trouble for giving money to those already in debt. That’s the problem. They gave money to those already in debt. So, why are we paying taxes? Who’s more in debt than the government? What, are they $9 trillion in debt? We’re giving them more money? We’re enablers. We need to stop this.   - Jay Leno

"Irrational and ahistorical"

From The Washington Post.

What’s missing in our debate,’ Mr. Obama said [last week], ‘is a discussion of the strategic consequences of Iraq.’ Indeed: The message that the Democrat sends is that he is ultimately indifferent to the war’s outcome—that Iraq ‘distracts us from every threat we face’ and thus must be speedily evacuated regardless of the consequences. That’s an irrational and ahistorical way to view a country at the strategic center of the Middle East, with some of the world’s largest oil reserves. Whether or not the war was a mistake, Iraq’s future is a vital U.S. security interest. If he is elected president, Mr. Obama sooner or later will have to tailor his Iraq strategy to that reality.”

Irrational and ahistorical. Yup, sounds like most Liberals I know, though there are a few exceptions.

And this from The Washington Post? My, my...

Greetings, Staff Sergeant Cornell.

And in case I've never said it out loud, thank you for your service.

It was good to talk to you.

We're doomed...

"A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

-- James Madison (letter to W.T. Barry, 4 August 1822)

The more I talk to people, the worse I feel about November. And I wasn't a happy camper to begin with. Unless something changes, this may be the worst defeat for Republicans in the history of the party.

We have met the enemy, and can't tell him apart from most of our side. Though there are clear differences, too many are too willfully ignorant to make an informed decision, depending primarily on emotional responses to their immediate circumstances which pretty much delivers them into the Democrat camp at election time. God forbid any of them would fill up their gas tank before going to the polls.

We're doomed.

'splain this to me.

I've had a Sprint cell phone for 11 years.

I've lived in my current house for over 8 years.

I've used my cell phone as my main phone during that entire time, and have logged countless hours on my cell phone from my home.

But according to my current statement, I've racked up about $50 in roaming and long distance charges on calls I made from my living room on my cell phone.

I live smack in the middle of two Sprint tower coverage areas.

In over 8 years, I've never had a roaming minute from my home.

I am not happy.

"a duty to give serious thought..."

“While the media may treat the elections as being about Democrats and Republicans... elections were not set up by the Constitution of the United States in order to enable party politicians to get jobs. Nor were elections set up in order to enable voters to vent their emotions or indulge their fantasies. Voting is a right but it is also... a duty not just to show up on election day, but a duty to give serious thought to the alternatives on the table and what those alternatives mean for the future of the nation.” —Thomas Sowell

Blonde jokes...

Listening to a co-worker tell a joke, I suddenly remembered something that happened years ago.

I had been talking to a friend in Florida. He ended the conversation with a really great blonde joke. Had me crying.

After I hung up the phone, I immediately called my parent's house to tell the joke to my youngest sister A., a blonde. My other sister, D., also a blonde, answered the phone and told me A. was over at a friend's house.

Well, it was one of those jokes that you just had to tell someone right away (of course I can't remember it at all now), so I started telling the joke to D. It was a bit long, but worth every second. I delivered the punch line, and I remember waiting expectantly for the huge laugh I knew was coming. And I waited. And I waited.

Then several seconds later, D. said, "Yeah, and?" Yup, right over her head.

I lost it. I gasped out, "I'll talk to you later!" Then I fell out of the chair onto the floor laughing. Yes, literally ROFL.

My wife walked into the living room and wanted to know what was so funny, but every time I tried to tell her, I lost it again. I think it was the next day before I could tell her the blonde didn't get the blonde joke.

Now, maybe you had to be there, but that, "Yeah, and?" was one of the funniest things I ever heard.

From the original "Democrat"

Or so say his supposed spiritual heirs...

“Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread.” Thomas Jefferson

Apparently the current Party management didn't get that memo.

I am constantly amazed at the many Democrats I meet who are moral, independent, industrious, entrepreneurial, and self-sufficient. No, not amazed at their admirable qualities, but at their allegiance to a Party which has long abandoned the nurture of those qualities to preying upon those who still hold them.

Not that the "Party of Jefferson" doesn't appreciate those folks. There wouldn't be any income to confiscate and redistribute without them.

The next time someone says "network migration"...

I will be running away, screaming.

a couple of items of interest...

Michigan permit holder thwarts bank robbery.

Utah Police hassle some who open carry in West Valley City.

Associated Press: Standards coming for using quotes in blogs

Saul Hansell in the New York Times reports Associated Press will

"attempt to define clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt without infringing on The A.P.’s copyright."

and

On Friday, The A.P. issued a statement defending its action, saying it was going to challenge blog postings containing excerpts of A.P. articles “when we feel the use is more reproduction than reference, or when others are encouraged to cut and paste.” An A.P. spokesman declined Friday to further explain the association’s position.

Looks like the AP Police will be monitoring blogs. This should be interesting.

Liz sees the light

On Simply Stating the Obvious, Liz posts about castle doctrine in Ohio, and "blood in the streets".

When Ohioans were first allowed to carry concealed weapons, I thought “Oh, goody! Now watch people shooting each other down on the street.” But that didn’t happen. In fact, according to the Toledo Blade in 2004 (when the law was passed) the violent crime rate increased only slightly, then began a steady decline in 2005 and 2006. And I’ve yet to see an Old West type shoot-out in my area (where gangs are few and hunters are many).

I am actually coming around to the thought that maybe violent crime is more deterred by what the potential may be carrying than any kind of punishment the offenders might face. A mugger now has no idea if that woman walking alone is carrying a big gun and will, most likely (barring desperation for a hit of their favorite drug), think twice before approaching her. However, there is a slight rise in home invasions.

Would that all approached this with such an open mind...

I've always wondered...

Just what kind of "Reverend" Jesse Jackson is. This statement from his son tells me all I need to know.

“I cried all night. I’m going to be crying for the next four years. What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation’s political history... The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance.” Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Welfare Healthcare...

Guy calls into Hugh Hewitt's radio show this evening and says why don't we call it Welfare Healthcare instead of Universal Healthcare.

I like that. Spread the word.

Obama was selected, not elected.

Actually, the first sentence says it all.

Words mean nothing to liberals. They say whatever will help advance their cause at the moment, switch talking points in a heartbeat, and then act indignant if anyone uses the exact same argument they were using five minutes ago.

When Gore won the popular vote in the 2000 election by half a percentage point, but lost the Electoral College -- or, for short, “the constitutionally prescribed method for choosing presidents” -- anyone who denied the sacred importance of the popular vote was either an idiot or a dangerous partisan.

But now Hillary has won the popular vote in a Democratic primary, while Obambi has won under the rules. In a spectacular turnabout, media commentators are heaping sarcasm on our plucky Hillary for imagining the “popular vote” has any relevance whatsoever.

It's the exact same situation as in 2000, with Hillary in the position of Gore and Obama in the position of Bush. The only difference is: Hillary has a much stronger argument than Gore ever did (and Hillary's more of a man than Gore ever was).

read it all here...

Yeehawwwww...

From the PatriotPost.us

This week’s ‘Braying Jackass’ award

“It’s all politics. It’s all about the bias of the media for Obama... I’m telling ya, all it’s doing is driving her supporters further and further away—because they know exactly what it is—this has been the most rigged coverage in modern history.” —Bill Clinton

It must be so. If anyone in this United States know anything about rigged, it would be Bill Clinton.

I have had the opportunity to speak with several Hillary supporters this week, and to the man and woman, they all swear they would cut off their hands before they would vote for Obama. If the Obama/Clinton "Dream Ticket" doesn't materialize, it looks as though huge numbers of Dems won't be casting an Obama vote in November. I wonder if the Clintonista's might run their own Operation Chaos?

He's a good boy, he is!

(in the Courier-Journal)

This past Tuesday two young men (both 19, the Courier-Journal keeps calling them teens, which while technically correct belies the fact they are legal adults), one with a weapon, were shot by a homeowner after breaking into the man's home around 5pm. One died at the scene, and the other died several hours later.

There was a struggle. The homeowner was injured. No charges have been filed, but the case will be reviewed by the Commonwealth's Attorney.

Earl Springer, the man who died at the scene of the crime, had a record. Desmond Deshawn Turner apparently did not.

Jefferson County court records show that Springer was arrested May 23 on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. He had been released on his own recognizance and had a court hearing set for June 16.

In May 2007, Springer was convicted of carrying a concealed deadly weapon and sentenced to 60 days in jail, which was conditionally discharged.

No records were found for Turner.

Turner's family members spent yesterday seeking answers about the incident, said Calvin Roach, Turner's uncle.

"It's just so far from his character," Roach said. "It's very disturbing, and we just want the true story. We just have a lot of questions."

When one is looking for the “true story”, the facts are a good place to start. Let’s list a few.

• Mr. Springer had a criminal record. Mr. Turner was in his company. One of them was armed.
• Mr. Springer and Mr. Turner were in a man’s home, and apparently, since the police are calling it a break-in, they were not invited.
• There was a struggle in which the homeowner was injured and Mr. Springer and Mr. Turner were shot.
• The homeowner has not been charged.

A reasonable person could come to some fairly solid conclusions from these facts.

The protestations of good character and intentions from the families of those slain while committing a crime are so familiar as to be past clichéd. This may have been Mr. Turner’s first involvement in crime, but the odds are against it.

“My child/grandchild/nephew, etc. could NEVER do that,” is something I heard often when I served as an EMT on a rural rescue squad. Even when a victim’s blood was spattered head to toe on a “suspect”, a parent had to be restrained from fighting a Kentucky State Trooper while yelling, “He’s a good boy! He didn’t do it!”

One thing is certain. Young men and women who have never had to stand responsible for their actions while a child are morally handicapped and poorly prepared for the real world, which occasionally insists upon it.

National Open Carry Day - Friday, July 4, 2008

Back in January in a post about a WalMart manager suddenly afflicted with PSH when he saw a gentleman shopper carrying a Glock, I concluded, "Are we too frightened of "scaring Whitey" to open carry? We have National Ammo Day, and National Buy-a-Gun Day. Do we need a National Open Carry Day or two to help some of these jerks to get over their hoplophobia?"

I can't recall ever making another reference to it, but GBW is the third listing in the Google search for the phrase after PatriotPages.net and Snowflakes in Hell. Go figure.

According to PatriotPages, Friday, July 4th is National Open Carry Day, and the weekend of July 4-6 is National Open Carry Weekend.

There's been a lot of discussion on blogs and boards lately about the efficacy of concealed carry v. open carry. I usually come down on the side of those who say that open carry is a tactical mistake, however, if someone chooses to do so, they should be able to open carry any place they have a right to be. And we certainly should refrain from it just to keep someone's panties from scrunching into a wad.

We are told we frighten people, and so shouldn't let our guns be seen. We are told we are a menacing presence that makes others uncomfortable, including police who should know better. Most folks who regularly read gun blogs will remember ColtCCO's experience with a Knoxville, Tennessee police officer outside a WalMart in the fall of 2007 which resulted in an official apology, reprimands and additional training about carry laws for the entire department.

Perhaps several million responsible, law abiding adults exercising their right to keep and bear arms openly on the day our nation celebrates shaking the tyrant's boot off our neck would have a salutary effect upon the ignorance and immaturity of the general public. Millions might be wishful thinking, but hundreds of thousands is certainly not out of the question.

Even if the public isn't educated, I'm sure a number of police officers would be forced to confront their ignorance. Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against cops per se, only ignorant ones. If you sign up to enforce the law, you should know it.

In Kentucky, the Commonwealth's Constitution disallows most restrictions on bearing arms, indeed includes positive affirmation of "the right to bear arms in defense of themselves..", speaking of the People. In fact, open carry was intended to be the norm in Kentucky, as the the Constitution specifically allows the the General Assembly to prohibit concealed carry of deadly weapons. Apparently in 1891, they didn't give much thought to the tactical advantages of concealed carry.

I wouldn't expect to have much trouble with open carry in most of Kentucky, except perhaps the People's Democratic Republics of Louisville Metro (PDRLM) and Lexington/Fayette County and perhaps in parts of Northern Kentucky. But one can find benighted souls anywhere, and everyone has heard tales of small town cops run amok.

I expect to be in small town America on the Fourth of July and intend to open carry. If I get stuck in PDRLM, I will attend at least two very public outdoor gatherings, and I intend to open carry. Wherever I am, I hope I'm not alone in observing National Open Carry Day.

I think I'll use this occasion as an excuse to buy a new holster for my Glock Model 20. I'm leaning toward the Blackhawk CQC Holster with SARS. It comes with both belt loop and paddle setups. That ought to take care of any retention concerns. I'll let you know what I think of it.

Patriot Post on the Second Amendment and Obama

Not that Hillary's any better.

Mark Alexander of PatriotPost gives us an essay on the Second Amendment with some quotes and other info from Senator Obama.

And make no mistake, the newly-emboldened Left, with Barack Hussein Obama leading the charge, is gunning for those rights. Obama supports the D.C. regulations because he, “...wanted to make sure that local communities were recognized as having a right to regulate firearms... The notion that somehow local jurisdictions can’t initiate gun laws isn’t born out by our Constitution.”

Does he suggest, by extension then, that our national Constitution can be amended by judicial dictates and local ordinances?

Of course, in addition to serving on the Woods Fund board with Weather Underground terrorists William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, Obama also served on the board of the Joyce Foundation, which since 2000, has given more than $15 Million to radical gun control organizations and is closely linked to the Soros Open Society Institute, which advocates a worldwide ban on civilian firearm ownership...

Of course, suggesting that violence is a “gun problem” ignores the real problem—that of socio-pathology and the Leftists who nurture it. (See the Congressional Testimony of Darrell Scott, father of Rachel Scott, one of the children murdered at Columbine High School in 1999.)

Jump over and read it.

Framing the argument. "Language Counts in the Debate on Guns"

Def Mech on making the right words count.

“Saturday Night Specials,” “Cop Killer Bullets,” “Assault Weapons,”"Junk Guns,” Bullet Hoses,”"Sniper Rifles:” we hear these pejorative terms applied all the time to guns and ammunition. Those of us in The Community of People Who Legally Possess Firearms must be more careful in not allowing anti-gun fanatics, latte liberals, and hard-core socialists to dictate the terms of the debate regarding our natural rights to self-defense against crime and tyranny that are recognised by the Second Amendment.

and

“Gun Rights” is often used as a catch phrase, but we are not really talking about the rights of a tool. Nobody would advocate for ”Shovel Rights,” or “Saw Rights.

Doing the math on buying gasoline...

A friend sent me an email with a link to a site that tells you the price of gas in your area when you enter your zip code. I'm sure it can be quite useful, but I was figuring this out the other day and came up with this.

Say you have a 12 gallon gas tank on your car.

12 x $4.00 = $48.00/tank

12 x $3.95 = $47.40/tank

You save $ 0.60/tank

Say you get 20mpg. It costs you $ 0.20 for every mile you drive.

If you drive 5 miles out of your way to save five cents a gallon, it costs you $ 1.00 to drive that 5 miles. You would lose $ 0.40 on that tank of gas, not to mention the extra time it takes to drive there and back. If you drive 10 miles to save that nickel/gallon, it would cost you $2.00 just to make the trip, and you would lose $1.40 on that tank of gas.

I know a man that routinely drives 10 miles out of his way to save 2-5 cents per gallon, and he loses money every time he fills up his tank. He just doesn’t believe the math.

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Sigh. Too true.

“Republican National Committee Chairman Robert M. Duncan complains that conservative, pro-life, pro-gun Democrats won three special elections by stealing GOP issues... Democrats didn’t steal your issues, sir. You abandoned them. Your party discarded them. Democrats simply engaged in dumpster harvesting.” —Cal Thomas

Our tax dollars at work

From FoxNews. In my nearly 40 years of political awareness, I have never seen a good reason for the United States to send our tax dollars to this organization. This is certainly another good reason to pull out of the U.N.

The multibillion-dollar procurement business of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the U.N.’s flagship anti-poverty agency, is a gigantic shambles, according to UNDP’s own investigators.

Moreover, UNDP’s management has privately acknowledged that fact and is scrambling to fix the mess — even as it loudly denied concerns of a procurement scandal that have been raised by FOX News, among others.

In a confidential report obtained by FOX News, UNDP’s auditors have described the UNDP procurement organization that is spending well over $2 billion annually as:

— overwhelmed by its caseload at headquarters and in the field, while procurement ballooned from $800 million in 2003 to $2.5 billion in 2006 and $2.2 billion last year;

— often failing to provide plans to support its buying activities, which the report says causes many purchases of goods and services to be carried out on an "ad hoc basis" (in fact, more than $595 million worth of non-existent purchases were recorded, although the audit notes that they were not paid for);

— wallowing in shoddy paperwork and faulty bidding processes, which contributed to a "high number of waivers of the competitive process and to quality problems in the procurement process in general";

Click here to see the draft audit.

I hope they sell a million of them.

Get it here.

Panem et circenses, redux

Last month I had a brief post about bread and circuses. I wish the cartoon had been available then.

more from RedPlanetCartoons.com here.

When you hear "college student", what do you think?

When most people hear “college students”, I doubt that moderation, civility, restrained behavior, and maturity are the first things that come to mind. However, that does describe the vast majority of college students. But stories about those serious students who spend their time studying and working seldom make the news, and on film, serious students are usually seen only as pathetic foils to the “cool” students in most movies about college life.

I see this as a big problem for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. When most folks hear “college student”, they don’t think of adults living lives like they do; they think Animal House or its ilk. It’s difficult to get people to take you seriously when they are seeing a toga party with firearms in their mind’s eye.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 66% of all college students in the United States are 21 years of age or older. They are past old enough in most states to serve in our country’s armed forces, get married without the permission of their parents, start a family, enter into contracts, incur debt, legally purchase and consume adult beverages, and do all the other things that free American adults can do, including keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and their families. And that’s what many of them have done. Until, of course, they become the drunk or hopped-up, hormone-driven, uncontrollable hedonists, otherwise known as college students, when they set foot on most college campuses. (If college campuses exert that kind of influence on the people who enter their grounds, colleges and universities should be closed, and we should find another method of imparting “higher” education.)

I wish I could offer a better name to SCCC, but after much thought, I’m not sure there is one. That’s a battle that will have to be fought in the public arena. And even after that battle is won, and I think it will be, the same tired arguments (blood in the streets, the cops won’t know who is the bad guy, bystanders shot, etc., will be recycled, as they already are. But, as the Utah university system shows, along with every other implementation of concealed carry in the U.S., these things just don’t happen.

There is a lot of cultural baggage that goes with being identified as a college student. Empty Holster protests targeted primarily at the university community generate some publicity, but most stories regurgitate anti-gun propaganda to be “balanced” and do little to change the mind of a generally apathetic public. In the meantime, it’s up to those of us in the concealed carry community to step up and support Students for Concealed Carry on Campus by writing, phoning, or collaring our legislators on a regular basis regarding the discriminatory restrictions on campus carry. I hope to have some posts regarding this in the near future.

Responsible, law-abiding adults, no matter their age, should be able to carry any place they have a right to be. And that includes college campuses.

I know, but it's still funny.

My question, is this from the womb, learned in the crib, or imparted to succeeding generations in dark ceremonies under a new moon?

1. Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.
2. Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house
3. Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.
   
4. Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
5. Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)
6. That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
7. Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says "Thanks a lot" - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say "you're welcome" ... that will bring on a"whatever").
8. Whatever: Is a women's way of saying "Kiss my butt"!
9. Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?" For the woman's response refer to #3.

Christians riot after Jewish seminary students burn New Testaments...

Outrageous! Sacrilegious! Death to the…

What? No riots? No deaths? No Marches? Of course, if it had been Korans, the Israeli Army would be fully deployed and there would be mass hysteria in most Muslim countries.

I’ve had a couple of people tell me recently there was no difference between Christianity and Islam. I beg to differ. Not that Christianity doesn’t have a share of crazies on both ends of the spectrum, but come on…

(read about the book burning here)

Shout if from the rooftops!!

“To sensible conservatives, it is virtually incomprehen-
sible that the Republican Party can’t quite figure out why their prospects for the 2008 election seem so dim. Here’s your first clue boys and girls: America already has one socialist, tax-and-spend, appeasement-oriented, global warming Kool-aid drinking political party. Who needs two of them?” —Arnold Ahlert

Not that I'd question their motives...

“The urge to save humanity is almost always a false-face for the urge to rule it.” —H. L. Mencken

Concealed Carry Creed

from Xavier:

The Concealed Carry Creed

My weapon is for the protection of my life and the lives of others. That is its sole purpose. It does not confer rights, responsibilities or authority greater than that of other citizens. It merely allows me to protect life.

I will seek never to have to use my weapon. If I can avoid conflict, I will. If I can resolve conflict, I will. If I can escape danger, I will. If I am forced to bring my weapon to bear and use it, I will.

I will acquire superior training with my weapon. It is not the weapon that saves lives, but my effective use of the weapon. I will ensure my training is sound, my knowledge is current, and my mind is prepared.

I will know, understand, and obey all laws and ordinances concerning my weapon no matter where I happen to be. Failure to do so harms all who seek to legally carry an effective means of self protection.

I will know and follow the Four Rules of safe gun handling. I am a member of a growing community that must foster and teach safe and responsible gun handling if the community is to survive.

© Xavier 2008 Used by permission.

...but I play one on TV.

Mr. Farina takes a fall.

He must have been in condition White. Forgetting you have a weapon is condition White, right?

Wisdom doesn't mean ignoring the obvious, Senator Obama

If the long Palestinian war against Israel and the current situation in Iraq with al Sadr and in Iran regarding their nuclear program have taught us nothing else, it is those we fight in the Middle East believe negotiation is a sign of weakness to be exploited and lies are, for them, an ethical and expected tactic in negotiation.

Though the lesson has been taught, it is also evident that many on the Left, including Senator Obama, have chosen to ignore that lesson. Senator Obama’s stated last week in North Carolina, “I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies, like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did.”

History, something Senator Obama apparently ignores, tells us that FDR and Truman did not talk to our enemies, at least not while in a shooting war. Unconditional surrender was the order of the day in WWII. President Kennedy did talk to Khrushchev, but we were not in a shooting war with the USSR.

Talk didn’t stop Germany. Talk didn’t stop Japan. Talk didn’t stop North Korea. Talk doesn’t stop those who are determined to act. This willfully ignorant naiveté is what scares me most about the Left. While there is a time and place for talk, there is also a time and place where talk must turn to action, and the Left seems institutionally incapable of getting to that time and place.

This kind of talk from the Left’s standard bearers makes it easy for me to pull the lever for Senator McCain in November.

Olbermann outs himself

And I didn't think Olbermann would ever say anything with which I could agree...

“Most of us in news are not smart enough to figure out what’s going on. We may pretend that we’re good enough to do that. But in fact, when we look you in the eye, in the camera, we’re really just making it up.” —MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann

This is for Mel

Speaking of Lee, jump over and read This is for Mel.

Very well done, Lee. Very well, indeed.

Hee hee

Getting my fix over at Digital Nicotine where Lee says about the below, "I'm not even Catholic and I find this relevent."
I laughed so hard I hurt myself. Us bitter people do that, you know?

Panem et circenses

I got a haircut late Friday afternoon, and, as barbers are wont to do, my barber was talking about current events. He had much to say about the tax “rebate” that was supposed to start showing up in people’s bank accounts starting today.

His biggest question was, “Where are they going to get all that money?”

My answer was, “Us.” I said, “They’re just giving us back some of what they shouldn’t have taken from us in the first place.”

“No,” he said. “They must just be printing more. Why don’t they take it and just help people who can't pay their mortgage?”

I couldn’t get him to understand that the government doesn’t have any money which it has not confiscated, borrowed, or stolen from us, and I already had a mortgage payment. There were a few other people in the barber shop, and best I could tell, none of them agreed with me.

Panem et circenses.

The good old days...

"We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” —Davy Crockett

Yes, that Davy Crockett.

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

From ZDNet.
Holographic storage ships next month!

Ever since astronaut Dave Bowman disconnected the HAL 9000’s holographic memory in 2001: A Space Odyssey techies have been wondering when we could buy real holographic storage. Now we know: May, 2008.

Promising super-high density and excellent media flaw resistance, holographic storage has been an ever-receeding technology for years. You can buy nifty 3D skull and crossbones holograms - technically a form of storage - but no one had figured out how to turn a lab project into a product. Until now.

Deanna Troi to sit on SCOTUS?

“We need somebody who’s got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it’s like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it’s like to be poor or African-American or gay or disabled or old—and that’s the criteria by which I’ll be selecting my judges.” —Barack Obama

I'd love to say something about this, but I'm at a complete loss for words.

Waiting anxiously.

Some posts back, I mentioned my Grandmother's 89th birthday. Today, I'm waiting on a call to tell me how she came through orthopedic surgery. She fell a few days ago and broke an arm above the elbow. Being 89, that meant surgery because bones just don't want to heal at that age. The surgery had to be delayed because of the blood thinner wh takes to prevent strokes. I don't really worry much about things I can't affect, but I'm still anxious to get that call. I'm afraid she doesn't have much fight left.

I also mentioned a friend in her 90s in the same post. She fell while making a bed a couple of weeks ago and broke her back. She came through her surgery quite well and has begun her rehab. She has more gumption than ten normal folks combined.

If you're a praying kind of person, my family would appreciate your attention to both these fine ladies, particularly my grandmother.

But I FEEL better!!

Peer reviewed study from the University of Sydney shows 1996 gun ban and expensive gun buy-back had no effect on crime and suicides using firearms.

Now, I know this is a couple of years old, but I was having "reasoned discourse" with a nut and they were arguing that only in the U.S. did "scholars" find pro-gun results. So, I dig this one out from Down Under. And since it's fresh in my mind, I present it for your pleasure.

Hillary talks tough?

In an interview on Good Morning America...

Clinton further displayed tough talk in an interview airing on "Good Morning America" Tuesday. ABC News' Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons.

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

I wonder if she means obliterate like she means she supports the 2nd Amendment. Not to mention the fact that it's a bit late to try to position herself to the right of Obama on national security and foreign policy.

SCOTUS rules for Kentucky execution method

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled yesterday that the 3-drug execution method used in Kentucky is not cruel and unusual punishment. Good. As the old timers say, "Some people just need killin'."

In fact, I think it's cruel and unusual punishment for a death row inmate to sit there for decades awaiting the execution of their death sentence, but I doubt you'll find a death row inmate who will make that particular argument in an appeal. It's difficult for me to believe that appeals can't be handled in 5-7 years. Appeals for death sentence convictions should go to the top of the docket of every court they come before.

If it is in society's best interest to execute these felons, it should be in society's best interest to do it expeditiously.

Yarmuth's Saturday address quoted in Arab Times article

Read it HERE.

The growing cost to the United States of fighting the war in Iraq “is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it,” a Democratic congressman said Saturday. Rep John Yarmuth linked the costly and unpopular war with the growing economic troubles – some say recession – in this country. Yarmuth said in the Democrats’ weekly radio address that the testimony this week of Gen David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the Iraq war served as reminder of the billions of dollars being poured into Iraq as the US economy struggles. “General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker failed to offer a plan to change direction in Iraq and redeploy our troops,” Yarmuth said. “Instead, they offered more of the same, with US troops and taxpayers paying the price.”

Spring has sprung in the backyard

(well, from last year's pics, but I'm looking forward to it...)

Toothwort - not sure which one

Chickadee in a Red Dogwood


claytonia virginica

Intestinal Influenza

I have been chosen to host what seems to be several billion invaders to my body. This was not my choice, now or ever, if I may say so.

There was a couple of days of build up, and then... Well, imagine a case of severe food poisoning that lasts for five days. Being married to an RN has kept me out of the hospital, but I'm still not sure that was a good thing.

Blogging will resume, but is a very, very low priority at the moment.