Quote du jour

Nerds of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your molecule chains!

-Proof, on the 25th anniversary of Buckyballs (2010)

A Little Saturday Night Music

Dusty Springfield - I only want to be with you

All Those In Favor of Dirty Air and Dirty Water, Please Raise Your Hand!

Okay, put your hands down now, you filthy conservatives who are only concerned with raping the planet! That's the picture the Left paints, isn't it? As long as you can make a buck, it doesn't matter how many streams you pollute or how dirty the air gets, because...well, I'm not exactly sure why, because no one I know likes dirty air or water. It's been said that the anti-capitalist Left became "environmentalists" so that as they destroy our nation's economy, they could say they're doing it to "save the earth".

Balderdash! Capitalism has enabled the technology to keep our emissions down and keep the environment cleaner, because we can afford to! Back in the days of the old Iron Curtain and a partitioned Germany, some of the filthiest spots on the planet were in Communist countries that did not have the wealth to afford safeguards on pollution.

Obama's recent rescission of ludicrously high standards for "parts per billion" of ozone in this country, where even the air above our national parks might not meet the standards, got me to thinking, what would individuals who want to "save the earth" be willing to give up personally to make improvements in air quality that are nearly too small to measure?

(Think: Al Gore with his limo idling outside one of his global warming speeches, so he doesn't have to get into a cold car, to drive to airport where a private jet is waiting to take him back to his mega mansion with all the lights burning while he's gone, but on a smaller scale.)

And I thought, what can a good, honest (stop laughing!) green weenie do personally to improve the environment? First thing? Unplug the 'fridge. Your refrigerator runs 24/7 and is probably the largest energy consumer in your house. Unplug it and don't buy anything perishable that will not keep unrefrigerated.

Some of you will find this to be an inconvenience. (Talk about your "Inconvenient Truths"!) You may find that you need to go to the store a little more often. Perhaps daily. But, don't drive to the store. You cannot waste what precious little ground you gained by unplugging your 'fridge, if you pollute the air making multiple trips to the store. Find a store within walking or biking distance. Or work on those calf muscles, because you're not going to let a little thing like this deter you from saving the planet, are you? Think about it!!! The WHOLE PLANET!!!! That's better! Must keep things in perspective!

Buy locally. A typical modern supermarket has a wondrous assortment of fruits and vegetables from around the globe. My last trip, I noticed some wonderfully fresh rhubarb that had been grown in Canada. DO NOT BUY IT!
Do not buy anything that is not in season where you live. Some diesel belching truck brought those here and in good conscience, you must avoid contributing to that mindset.

Unplug your furnace and your air conditioner. This is a way to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the third world. Think of those poor, benighted people burning cow chips for cooking and heat. Of course, you could fire up the woodstove or a fireplace or a barbeque grill, but you know the prodigious amounts of soot put into the air by them, so you forego them. Wrap your self in a nice quilt in the winter (so long as all the fibers were grown and sewn locally) and console yourself with the fact that you are SAVING THE PLANET. Not just a portion of the planet, but the entire freaking planet. Feel free to shake your fist at your neighbors who are oblivious to the planet's plight.

Boycott "Big Water". Daily showers are overrated. It takes power to pump that water into your household. Try digging a well. Buy water from the store if you have to (whatever will fit on the back of your bicycle) but be sure to take a reusable container. Preferably not plastic, since those are made from byproducts from the evil petroleum industry. And you can turn off your water heater, too. That also runs 24/7 for most of us, whether we're using it or not. You can get a solar shower from most good camping stores. How often you take one is up to you, but, we are saving the entire planet!!!


Sit in the dark when the sun is not shining. Living off the grid used to mean using candles and kerosene lamps to avoid using electricity. No more. Light a candle sometime, invite your friends over (if you still have any after not showering so much), and watch the smoke that comes off them. Sometimes, people who burn a candle repeatedly in one place may notice a darkening on the ceiling above it. This is pollution. Your fireplace pollutes, your candles and oil lamps pollute (and just where did you think that oil came from, hmmm?). If you live in a city where there are streetlights, petition to have them turned off. In these tough economic times, cities are on a budget, too. This will lower their carbon footprint and might even save you a little on your property tax (or your evil Republican landlord's taxes, as the case may be.) Of, course, it will be a little harder to ride your bike to the store at night, but they've got these tiny generators you can attack to your bike's wheels to power a light. Some nights, you might even want to bring it inside and treat the family to a few extra minutes of carbon free lighting?

And since I'm sure you're going to unplug your computer and sell your TV right after you finish reading this, one last thought:

A large, coal fired generating plant, generating power for 10,000 homes, puts out far fewer emissions than 10,000 homes with woodstoves, candles, and oil lamps. So much less, that you can even plug in your 'fridge, if you want, and enjoy a few of the creature comforts we take for granted. Like the glowing screen you're staring at now.

No one wants dirty air or water, but some of us realize that regulations that cripple our economy are actually counterproductive to keeping the environment clean. I think our cities can live with the same amount of ozone found naturally over our national parks. I seem to recall a story about a small Alaskan town where they actually had to introduce small amounts of pollution into their waterways to keep them in compliance with what the federal government required of them. (Please don't ask for a citation, I've slept since then!)

We have made great strides in reducing pollution in our country over the last several decades. At some point, the diminishing returns of larger and larger investments for smaller and smaller gains should provide a wake up call for the green weenies.

Sometimes good is good enough. If not, I look forward to your reports on what you are doing personally to turn it around. Hand carried, of course, on paper made locally from locally grown fibers. Because, I'm sure you want to be consistent.

Cross posted at Lady Cincinnatus , LCR, Say Anything.

Saturday Linkaround

Cartoon of the Day – NRO Home page

Thomas Sowell -'Price gouging' in Florida (from 2004)

More irenic thoughts, or Obama as Dukakis

Ron Paul: "Those who hate us and would like to kill us, they are motivated by our invasion of their land"

Little Green Tyrannists Run Amok in Hollywood – “Tyrannists”, not “footballs”

Comparing Obama’s Performance in Office with that of a Sack of Hammers

My Rick Perry Problem — and Ours – Jonah Goldberg

Obamacare’s broken promises

The Desperation-of-Deprivation Myth – Mark Steyn

DHS Chief Napolitano: I’m Not Going To Deport More Illegal Immigrants…

The False WWII Analogy –Victor Davis Hanson

To Show Her “Support For American Workers,” Obama’s Labor Boss Buys Canadian-Built Car . . . Wait, Canadian?

What’s Off the Table in 2012? –Victor Davis Hanson

Solyndra: An omen for Obama’s soon to be announced jobs plan

Post Solyndra, Obama Stands By Throwing Money Down The Green Drain

Teapot Solyndra –video

Obama’s Enron

No Honor Among Thieves, No Curiosity Among Journalists: Perez Hilton Re-Pirates Video, CBS News Repeats Smear

John Fund: Why Sarah Palin Is Not Running

Why 9/11 Talking points are Un-American

Cheney Says He’s “Honored To Be Compared To Darth Vader”…

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t: banking in the age of Obama

The Ant & The Grasshopper – 2012

A Libertarian’s Lament: Why Ron Paul Is an Embarrassment to the Creed -Will Wilkinson

In Which I Respectfully Disagree With Will Wilkinson





Rule Five Roundup*:


American Power- Afternoon Rule Five

Rose McGowan


Camp of the Saints - Rule Five Saturday, Hump Day Rule Five

The Daley Gator – Daley Babes , Halle Berry

Dustbury – Justice

Eye of Polyphemus – Christina Ricci, Sophie Monk, Lucy Pinder, Leann Rimes

Friday Night Babe – Kristen Renton

Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - Friday Pin up

Maggie’s Notebook – Rule 5 Olivia Munn

Pirates Cove - Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup, If All You See..., If All You See…, If All You See…, If All You See…, If All You See…, If All You See…

Randy’s Roundtable – Thursday Nite Tart

Reaganite Republican – Hot Romanian Chicks III - 'Inna' (Be sure to check out I & II)

Sex in Advertising - Audrina Patridge

Teresamerica – Rule 5 – Taylor Swift

Kardashian Sisters Strip Sexy For Lingerie Ad

Theo Spark –Bedtime Toddy , Bedtime Toddy II


The Other McCain- Rule 5 Sunday: Cuts like a knife

Vintage Babe of the Week – Diane McBain











*By no means comprehensive.

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics. If you feel that I’ve neglected a link, news, commentary, humor or Rule Fivage, send a link to the contact email on the sidebar. (All spambots must die!)

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Our thoughts go out to everyone on the East Coast waiting for Hurricane Irene. In Washington, D.C., thousands of people have been left without power. They’re called Democrats.

–Craig Ferguson

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB* is Kristen Renton!

(*a.k.a. Rule Five Friday)

Allen West Takes On the Violent Rhetoric of the Congressional Black Caucus

On a related note, more drive by race baiting from the CBC:

Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party Movement would love to see you and me, I'm sorry, hanging on a tree. -Rep. Andre Carson, (D-IN)

Modern Democrats have become the party of demagoguery. If you disagree with the status quo on education, perhaps believing that a voucher system might actually improve the education of our youth, you are branded as being "against education". If you suggest that steps need to be taken to prevent the insolvency of programs like Social Security, then you just want to push granny's wheelchair off a cliff.

At one point, Republicans advocated raising the amount of federal money given to school lunches, but doing it through block grants to the states, and that was demagogued as "Republicans want to cut federal school lunch program. Republicans want to starve children."

Yes. They proposed cutting federal control of the program, not the aid. Truth has never been an obstacle to the true demagogue.

For the new Party of Incivility, it is not enough to merely disagree with your opponents and let your superior ideas win out, you must seek to demonize them and engage in what Bill Clinton referred to as the Politics of Personal Destruction.

No one is advocating lynching anyone. The discussion isn't properly about race at all, but about fiscal responsibility. With unemployment for black, inner city youths far above that of the nation as a whole, it is imperative that we get our financial house in order. One could even argue that bringing unemployment down would disproportionately favor blacks, because there are more of them currently unemployed. Putting our financial house in order will, of necessity, bring conflicts among different groups advocating where dwindling resources ought to be spent.

However, the "scorched earth" policy of demonizing one's opponents for temporary political gains is shameful, and should be soundly condemned. Then, these folks, regardless of race, color or creed, should be rewarded with an all expense paid, one way trip home from the legislative halls of this great country.


Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

"Racism" As Defined by the Left

Racism is a nasty word when accurately applied, but becomes even nastier when it is falsely used to bludgeon one's opponents. Charging one's opponent with racism has become, for the Left, a tacit admission that they have neither the facts or reason on their side and they are losing the argument.

Consider the recent tirade of Sheila Jackson Lee: Sheila Jackson Lee's Insanity on Parade. She ranted that the only reason that Barack Obama was being singled out to deny his raising the debt ceiling was...wait for it...because he's black. The fact that the debt ceiling was already raised twice before during Obama's first, and hopefully only term, seemed to have escaped her.

But all too often, I'll be having a discussion with some liberal, who's losing the argument, because neither the facts or logic is on his side, and out comes the 20 Megaton Libel: "You're only opposing Obama because he's black." Usually at this point, the thread is hijacked for a fruitless discussion of race ("Fruitless" because liberals never learn. Not an indication of their sexual preference. NTTAWWT), and I'm sure the liberals hope that they have diverted your attention from yet another argument that they were losing on the merits.

So, I got to thinking about all the presidents and presidential candidates that I have criticized to see if the "because he's black" meme holds any water. Here's the list I came up with:

Woodrow Wilson
FDR
LBJ
Jimmy Carter
Walter Mondale
Teddy Kennedy
Bill Clinton
Lyndon LaRouche
George Wallace
George H.W. Bush
George W. Bush
Michael Dukakis
John F. Kerry
John Edwards
Al Gore
Newt Gingrich
Mitt Romney
Hillary Clinton
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
and Ron Paul

I may have left some out. These were the more memorable ones. Now, I usually don't like to characterize people by race, but I believe the list above qualifies at the very least as "not black".

Here's the list that fits the meme:

Barack Obama
Jesse Jackson
Al Sharpton

I included Sharpton's name on there, not because he was ever a serious candidate, but he called himself one, and he is black. Al's more of a "boutique" candidate, in it to garner some attention for himself. Take the frivolous campaigning of Sharpton out of the mix, and the ratio is over ten to one whites to blacks. Some might even discount Jackson as a serious candidate, then the ratio is twenty to one.


So, let's do the math. C'mon, you liberals! It's not that hard, despite what Barbie™ says! If five to ten percent of the presidents or presidential candidates are black, and we criticize virtually all of them, how do you figure that any criticism of Obama is "just because he's black"?

Sometimes, I even get the "Well, you'd never vote for a black man for President". Except, that I did. In 1996, I voted for Alan Keyes in the California Republican primary. This was long before* Obama was ever around to vote "present" for anything.

And even though Mr. Keyes has taken some positions where I cannot fully support him today, there are still any number of qualified blacks whom I would vote for, over the dregs at the bottom of the Chicago political barrel we have today. Race has absolutely nothing to do with it.

So, please, all you liberals out there. If you have no facts and no argument, just say so. Save your lame and tired insults for those who may actually deserve it. You will clutter fewer discussions and hijack fewer threads that way.

Unless, that was your intention all along...

Update : I probably should add JFK to that first list. Even though I was a big fan of his in the day, and still quote him for his outstanding economic leadership, I believe I have criticized him for his actions, or rather inaction at the Bay of Pigs. And possibly because of some dead people in Chicago who voted for him in 1960.

Update II : Just for giggles, I looked at the percentage of Republicans in that mix. Approximately 30% of those criticized were Republicans. Statistically, I guess, that means I am three to six times more likely to criticize a Republican than I am blacks. Sounds more like a closet Democrat than a "racist"! Heh.

*Okay. Not that long. Barry was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and was able to start voting "present" in 1997.

Cross posted at LCR.

President In Absentia

No. "Absentia" isn't a country (otherwise, Michelle would have booked a flight there by now!), it's Latin for "the lights are on, but nobody's home". Don't bother calling the White House today. Barry's not home. He left for Camp David, to enjoy a four day weekend, to recover from his grueling ten day vacation after three rigorous days of campaigning.

Whew! Sometimes it's hard to figure how he ever squeezes in a game of golf at all!

Quote du jour

“If my theory of relativity is proven correct, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.”

-Albert Einstein

Obama on Speech Delay: "We are Not Amused."

According to Politico, not amused at all!

It seemed like a trivial matter: On Wednesday, House Republicans forced the president to delay his speech to a joint session of Congress by one day.

Who cares? The White House cares. Very much.

“It is a big deal that the House said ‘no’ to the president from our end,” a White House source with intimate knowledge of what took place between the House and the president told me Thursday. “This confirms what we all know: They will do anything in the House to muck us up.”

Is it just me? Or do the echoes of Rahm Emanuel suggest that the word they used wasn't "muck"?

On Wednesday, the White House staff did not know exactly what President Barack Obama was going to say in his major jobs speech, but it knew exactly where and when he was going to say it.

The location would be before a joint session of Congress in the august marble-clad chamber of the House of Representatives. And the speech would be next Wednesday night, when the House returned from vacation, and there would be maximum TV viewership.

I don't know if anyone is expecting anything other than warmed over platitudes, "I feel your pain" and suggestions to spend yet more millions if not trillions of federal dollars to borrow our way to prosperity.

But, if the speech really were important or substantive, why the delays? First of all, I heard a suggestion today that Obama might try to deliver the speech in a thirty minute slot before the kick off of the NFL season. If this is true, it is quite damning on many levels.

First, it suggests that it is once more an exhibition of petty gamesmanship on Obama's part. Aside from the fact that Obama and his teleprompter very seldom can say anything in under thirty minutes, this would seem to preclude any time for a rebuttal from the Republicans. Second, How substantive or comprehensive could it be if he can spell it out in thirty minutes or less. What is he? Delivering a pizza?

And third, if he could spell it out in thirty minutes or less, are you telling me that he could not delay his ten day vacation in Martha's Vineyard for thirty freaking minutes to lay out a plan to turn the nation's economy around?

And what's the BFD, as Joe Biden would say, about addressing a joint session of Congress? If he can lay it out in thirty minutes or less, make your speech from the Oval Office and let the weight of your ideas carry the day.

And then it hit me. Why the need to address the joint session of Congress, other than to screw with the Republicans and their presidential debate? It is this:

There will be so little substance to the President's speech, that he needed a studio audience to give him standing ovations and applause to make his lackluster ideas, platitudes and spending proposals sound more impressive than they really are.

This is Obama’s M.O. His Styrofoam Greek columns writ large. Remember his speech in front of 10 Downing Street address? He wasn’t visiting any British head of state, he was just using it as a backdrop for his campaign.

This guy Obama is a world class phony and poseur. God help the United States of America.

H/T Memeorandum

Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.

Crime Doesn't Pay: California Edition

Some days it's hard to make a dishonest buck!

San Jose police say a truck illegally carrying marijuana crashed and ended up on its side near Oakridge Mall early Wednesday, sending large bags of pot throughout the intersection as the frightened driver ran away. Several motorists and pedestrians who happened to be passing through the area ran out and grabbed most of the marijuana bags and took off before police arrived.

Okay. You lost your truck and you lost your payload of illegal drugs. What could possibly be worse?

Officers eventually collected the remaining bags of weed left at the scene and also found a loaded handgun inside the white truck. They're still looking for the driver and all the people who snatched up the loose bags of pot and don't have any suspect descriptions.

Oh. You lost your truck, your pot AND your gun? Bummer, dude! You'd better hope that's not your name on the registration, or that's not all you'll lose!

It's unclear how the truck crashed at Blossom Hill Road and Playa Del Rey in South San Jose at 12:50 a.m. But there were no other vehicles involved in the crash, which ended with the truck landing on its side in the middle of the intersection.

Driver sampling his own merchandise, perhaps? H/T Memeorandum

Vintage Babe of the Week

Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Diane McBain!
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)











Like fine wines, the ladies improve with age!

Quote du jour

"Stacy McCain’s old laptop was the hardware equivalent of a Steven King novel"

-"Smitty"

Obama: "Kiss of Death" to Yet Another "Green" Company

Remember when Barack Obama told us that "Green" energy was the wave of the future, providing the jobs the economy needed while keeping the air cleaner and enabling us to clone unicorns?? Okay. I may have made that last part up!

But, another company that Obama visited, hyped and funneled large amounts of federal money to, is going belly up. I know! Big surprise!

“Regulatory and policy uncertainties in recent months created significant near-term excess supply and price erosion,” Solyndra's CEO said.

A California-based solar company that received a $535 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will shut down.

The company, Solyndra Inc., said Wednesday it would suspend its manufacturing operations and lay off 1,100 employees effective immediately. The company said it intends to file a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

“Regulatory and policy uncertainties in recent months created significant near-term excess supply and price erosion,” Solyndra CEO Brian Harrison said in a statement. “Raising incremental capital in this environment was not possible. This was an unexpected outcome and is most unfortunate.”

Oh, really? "Regulatory and policy uncertainties"? Would those be the regulations and policies generated by the Democrat controlled legislature and governor's mansion, or the would those be the regulations and policies generated by the Democrat controlled Senate and White House?

The mind reels!

Solyndra received the $535 million stimulus loan guarantee from the Energy Department in 2009 to help finance the construction of a new plant to manufacture solar panels.

A half a billion here, a half a billion there...pretty soon it adds up to real money!

What are the odds that the current resident of the White House will take this as a sign that "Green" technologies are not necessarily the engine to drive the economy out of this recession, or do you think he will double down on stupid?

Yeah. Me, too.

H/T Memeorandum

Medal of Honor

Staff Sergeant Don J. Jenkins

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Jenkins (then Pfc.), Company A, distinguished himself while serving as a machine gunner on a reconnaissance mission. When his company came under heavy crossfire from an enemy complex, S/Sgt. Jenkins unhesitatingly maneuvered forward to a perilously exposed position and began placing suppressive fire on the enemy. When his own machinegun jammed, he immediately obtained a rifle and continued to fire into the enemy bunkers until his machinegun was made operative by his assistant. He exposed himself to extremely heavy fire when he repeatedly both ran and crawled across open terrain to obtain resupplies of ammunition until he had exhausted all that was available for his machinegun. Displaying tremendous presence of mind, he then armed himself with 2 antitank weapons and, by himself, maneuvered through the hostile fusillade to within 20 meters of an enemy bunker to destroy that position. After moving back to the friendly defensive perimeter long enough to secure yet another weapon, a grenade launcher, S/Sgt. Jenkins moved forward to a position providing no protection and resumed placing accurate fire on the enemy until his ammunition was again exhausted. During this time he was seriously wounded by shrapnel. Undaunted and displaying great courage, he moved forward 100 meters to aid a friendly element that was pinned down only a few meters from the enemy. This he did with complete disregard for his own wound and despite having been advised that several previous rescue attempts had failed at the cost of the life of 1 and the wounding of others. Ignoring the continuing intense fire and his painful wounds, and hindered by darkness, he made 3 trips to the beleaguered unit, each time pulling a wounded comrade back to safety. S/Sgt. Jenkins' extraordinary valor, dedication, and indomitable spirit inspired his fellow soldiers to repulse the determined enemy attack and ultimately to defeat the larger force. S/Sgt. Jenkins risk of his life reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

S/Sgt. Jenkins: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.



Hat tip Home of Heroes

There are fewer than a hundred living MoH recipients today. Their names and their stories should not be forgotten. My mission is to honor one of those heroes here each week, and salute them for their courage and sacrifice. In the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy:

“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors; the men it remembers.”

Cross posted at Say Anything

Obama's Speech Trumped By Boehner's Full (or Empty) House

It looks like President Petulant has tried his hand at petty school yard politics. Did you hear about Obama's planned "jobs address"? This wasn't urgent enough to tell the nation before he went on vacation for ten days, but all of the sudden, he wants to make an address to Congress the same day, the same time the Republicans had scheduled a candidate's debate at the Reagan Library.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has asked President Obama to address a joint-session of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 8, when it wouldn't conflict with the Republican presidential debate.

Citing logistical difficulties, Boehner requested that Obama hold his jobs address, which Obama wants to deliver next Wednesday, one day later.

The Speaker's letter made no mention of the more obvious conflict: between the president's speech, and a Republican presidential debate scheduled on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST. That debate is the first of the post-Labor Day political season, and the first one in which Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is set to participate.

It was a juvenile move. Strictly "bush league" (Small "B"). He wanted to upstage the Republicans on the one hand, and use Congress as a bunch of props and a backdrop to stage the glory that is Obama.
One small problem: The President has to be invited to address Congress. Apparently, the President didn't even ask Congress about the speech, but arrogantly expected that if he said "jump" the peasants would ask "How high?".

Enter the adults with a cold splash of harsh reality for President Petulant. Boehner said that there might be "parliamentary or logistical impediments" that might interfere with his speech. That's right. "Parliamentary" (wink, wink) or "logistical" (nudge, nudge) impediments". If fact, I think that Boehner could probably give Obama an iron clad guarantee that there'd be at the very least a parliamentary impediment to the President's proposed schedule.

Note to the Obama White House: This ain't bean bag.


H/T Memeorandum