Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Obama's Approval Continues Its Plunge Unabated

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Continuing to prove that once you hit bottom, you can continue to go lower, President Obama's Approval index is at an all time low. Rasmussen, (who must practice "absolute hatred" of President Obama), continues to report less than flattering statistics of The One™. There can be no other explanation!
Here is something "we can all agree on": The facts don't lie!

Hat tip Gateway Pundit
Cross Posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Sanford's staff misunderstood the Governor. They thought he said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He had said he was tracking some Argentinean tail.

-Scott Charton

(Quoted by Rich Galen)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Most Decorated Marine Pilot Dies at 89

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This guy had some big brass ones!

Retired Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser, called the most decorated Marine aviator in history and was shot down in three wars, has died at age 89.

Reusser flew 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and was shot down in all three, five times in all.

His 59 medals included two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts and two Legions of Merit.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at a high altitude. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950 in Korea led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker almost blowing himself out of the sky.

In Vietnam he flew helicopters and was leading a rescue mission when his Huey was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body.


RIP Col. Reusser. We humbly salute you!

Hat tip Michael Ledeen
Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Obama's ongoing promise that he's "creating or saving" jobs is as plausible as the chess team captain's claim that his supermodel girlfriend can't fly down from Canada for the prom.

-Jonah Goldberg

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Presidential Approval Dips Into Negative Numbers

I apologize for being late to the party! I had said in an earlier post that it looked like Obama was heading into negative numbers, and June 21st, he did exactly that!

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I wonder why the MSM didn't make more of this last week???

This week, he's back to a wash:

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Hat tip Cao's Blog

Wal-Mart Plans Big Bucks Remodeling

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$1.6 to $1.7 billion dollars in remodeling and renovation.
...wonder how much of that will go to union electricians?


According to the Grand Forks Herald:
The recession steered a new type of customer to Wal-Mart — deeper in the pockets and suddenly looking for bargains. Now, the world’s largest retailer has to figure out how to keep that customer when the economy recovers.

So, Wal-Mart is bringing in more brand names, ditching scores of other products and even redesigning hundreds of stores to give them wider aisles, better lighting and better sight lines.

It’s more than just a cosmetic upgrade. That new breed of customer also spends about 40 percent more than the traditional Wal-Mart shopper, and the retailer senses an opportunity to accelerate its growth


Cater to the customers who spend more? Sounds like good business practices to me! But, with the dreaded, "evil" Wal-Mart spending $1.6 to $1.7 billion dollars in remodeling and renovation,
some of that to union electricians, I wonder how many liberal, upscale yuppie and union heads will 'splode as they take Wal-Mart's money and utilize Wal-Mart to save more of their own?

As a bonus: How many of you would pay money to watch our liberal union friend Buzz* take Wal-Mart's money on a pricey remodel near him? Heh.

*Resident Wal-Mart hater and union guy over at Say Anything

Cross Posted at Say Anything

Billy Mays Dead at Fifty

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It's apparently been a bad week for celebrities!


Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.

Authorities say Mays was pronounced dead this morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.


A genuinely nice guy according to those who knew him. Another cultural icon bites the dust.

Cross Posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Like a real-life, hyper-garrulous Forrest Gump, (Andrew) Sullivan has been present for, or at least has shared his thoughts — stray, organized, rational, and delusional — on most of the major events of the last twenty five years, at a rate that has only increased since he began blogging (before it was cool) and taking long vacations after pledge drives (which has been cool forever). More impressive than his output is his utter lack of fear of self-contradiction, flights of laughter-inducing hyperbole, public obsessiveness, repeated self-contradiction, betrayals of utter ignorance, and failed attempts to mimic the Bard by coining bizarre neologisms to match his wandering moods.

-Christopher Badeaux

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Random Thoughts from the 50th State

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Obama's Plan to Solve the Housing Crisis


Every now and then, Thomas Sowell does a column of random thoughts. The similarity ends there! Heh.

*Been spending the last couple days in the 50th (not 57th) state. This morning's Honolulu Advertiser had pictures of Obama's White House "luau". Some of the bloom must be off Obama's hibiscus, since a bunch of locals on the radio here were taking exception to whether Obama's choice of menu items were suitable for a genuine luau. Amidst disagreement on nearly every item on the menu, the Pièce de résistance was the dessert choice: strawberry tiramisu. Best line?
Oh, it was an Italian luau!
Heh.

*Another cultural indicator was found at the ubiquitous ABC Stores. There on the bargain table with the ugliest and oddest color t-shirts, were the "I (heart) Obama", and "Obama is my homeboy" t-shirts. The bloom is off the hibiscus!

*On the isle of Maui (as opposed to the Isle of Lucy) one of the scenic vistas is marred with a row of windmills along the top of a mountain ridgeline, ruining a view unmarred for centuries.
Many municipalities forbid individuals from building houses on top of ridgelines (because the spoil the sight lines!), but here, a bunch of structures with all the panache of a row of telephone polls can be seen for miles! One small nuke plant, nestled in one of the valleys around there, and they could have more power than those windmills would provide in their lifetime!

Cross posted at Say Anything

A Little Saturday Night (?) Music

Harry Chapin: Taxi

Quote du jour

As a senator, Barack Obama denounced the Bush administration for holding “secret energy meetings” with oil executives at the White House. But last week public-interest groups were dismayed when his own administration rejected a Freedom of Information Act request for Secret Service logs showing the identities of coal executives who had visited the White House to discuss Obama’s “clean coal” policies.

-Michael Isikoff

What you might call, The Opacity of Hope! Heh. -Proof

Friday, June 26, 2009

This Last Week's Poll

This Last Week's Poll: Will the Economy Affect Your Vacation Plans This year? had the following results:

Yes! Staying home to hunker in the bunker. (42%)

A little. Looking for bargains and places I can drive. (35%)

No. Just my way of stimulating the economy! (14%)

Undecided. (7%)



Thank you for your participation!
Not a scientific poll. Respondents are self selecting. Questions are drawn from fortune cookies, hieroglyphics and tomorrow’s New York Times.

Please make your opinion known in this week's poll.

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB is Kelly Brook!



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Michael Jackson RIP

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Most of the focus in his passing will be of his pop career and his endless plastic surgeries and the pedophilia charges. At some time, take a moment and mourn for the wide eyed child, corrupted by money and fame. The real tragedy started many years ago

Quote du jour

Ayatollah Khamenei said Obama’s “agents” had been behind the protests: “They started to cause riots in the street, they caused destruction, they burnt houses.” But that wasn’t all the Great Satin did. “What is the worst thing to me in all this,” sighed the supreme leader, “are comments made in the name of human rights and freedom and liberty by American officials . . . What? Are you serious? Do you know what human rights are?”

And then he got into specifics: “During the time of the Democrats, the time of Clinton, 80 people were burned alive in Waco. Now you are talking about human rights?”

It’s unclear whether the “Death to the U.K.” chanters switched at this point to “Democrats lied, people fried.” But you get the gist. The President of the United States can make nice to His Hunkalicious Munificence the Supremely Supreme Leader of Leaders (Peace Be Upon Him) all he wants, but it isn’t going to be reciprocated.

-Mark Steyn

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Some Days It Sucks to be Me!

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Today is one of those days! I have to fly to Hawaii for a couple of days...and I have to work! (I know! Poor baby!)

So posting might be a little light for the next couple days, as I waste perfectly good blogging time at 30,000 feet*!

There's a Friday Night Babe scheduled for tomorrow, at least a couple of good quotes, and I may drag myself away from the beach to let you know what's on my mind!

The sacrifices I make for you! Aloha!

*Update: It was actually 37,000 feet for you purists out there!

Quote du jour

It is time for our President to stop acting like a bewildered storekeeper in a spaghetti western.

-Harold Witkov

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Medal of Honor

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Sgt. Gary B. Beikirch


Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Beikirch, medical aidman, Detachment B-24, Company B, distinguished himself during the defense of Camp Dak Seang. The allied defenders suffered a number of casualties as a result of an intense, devastating attack launched by the enemy from well-concealed positions surrounding the camp. Sgt. Beikirch, with complete disregard for his personal safety, moved unhesitatingly through the withering enemy fire to his fallen comrades, applied first aid to their wounds and assisted them to the medical aid station. When informed that a seriously injured American officer was lying in an exposed position, Sgt. Beikirch ran immediately through the hail of fire. Although he was wounded seriously by fragments from an exploding enemy mortar shell, Sgt. Beikirch carried the officer to a medical aid station. Ignoring his own serious injuries, Sgt. Beikirch left the relative safety of the medical bunker to search for and evacuate other men who had been injured. He was again wounded as he dragged a critically injured Vietnamese soldier to the medical bunker while simultaneously applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to sustain his life. Sgt. Beikirch again refused treatment and continued his search for other casualties until he collapsed. Only then did he permit himself to be treated. Sgt. Beikirch's complete devotion to the welfare of his comrades, at the risk of his life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.


Sgt. Beikirch: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.

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Hat tip Home of Heroes




http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/living/living_war_wwii.html

There are over 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.

Bob Hope and the Zombie Vote

It's been kind of a slow news night, and I saw a small discussion on zombies over at RightWingSparkle that reminded me of this great movie line:



Was this the "Hope" from "Hope and Change"? Heh.

Quote du jour

Even from the narrow perspective of the nuclear issue, the administration's geopolitical calculus is absurd. There is zero chance that any such talks will denuclearize Iran. On Monday, President Ahmadinejad declared yet again that the nuclear "file is shut, forever." The only hope for a resolution of the nuclear question is regime change, which (if the successor regime were as moderate as pre-Khomeini Iran) might either stop the program, or make it manageable and nonthreatening.

That's our fundamental interest. And our fundamental values demand that America stand with demonstrators opposing a regime that is the antithesis of all we believe.

And where is our president? Afraid of "meddling." Afraid to take sides between the head-breaking, women-shackling exporters of terror -- and the people in the street yearning to breathe free. This from a president who fancies himself the restorer of America's moral standing in the world.

-Charles Krauthammer

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ex-Rep. Duncan Hunter Touts Fresh Faces To Revive GOP

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Iraq War Vets


Duncan Hunter, a retired Republican who once chaired the Armed Services Committee, has decided that Iraq War veterans are the perfect candidates to revive the Republican Party in 2010.

Hunter -- a Vietnam War vet who briefly sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination -- is already backing two such candidates as they launch challenges to two of the more junior members of the House Democratic majority: Jesse Kelly, who wants to take on two-term incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona's 8th District, and Vaughn Ward, whose target in Idaho's 1st District is freshman Democrat Walt Minnick.


Having those who were willing to lay down their lives for their country in charge of keeping it safe is not a bad idea!

...Hunter said he has "a real appreciation" for "the guys coming off the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan," and, moreover, thinks they can make great candidates. He said the GOP needs to get away from its typical approach "where we stand up a businessman," and instead get behind "young, hard-charging" candidates like Kelly and Ward.

Both of the political newcomers served in the Marine Corps, which gives them something in common with Hunter's son -- and House successor. The freshman congressman, also named Duncan Hunter, won the 52nd District seat in 2008 after the elder Hunter left it open first to pursue his short-lived White House bid and then to retire.

Other 2010 GOP House candidates that fit that profile include New York Assemblyman Greg Ball, who is challenging second-term Democratic Rep. John Hall in the state's 19th District, and businessman Mike Pompeo in the race for Kansas' open 4th District seat.


Maybe this next time around, we should ensure that Republicans pick who the Republicans' standard bearers should be? What a novel idea!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Ed McMahon - RIP

Johnny Carson's second banana Ed McMahon passed away. Did you know that as a Marine fighter pilot, Ed McMahon flew 85 combat missions in WWII and Korea? Rest in Peace, Ed! Thank you for your service to our country!

Quote du jour

Why the mere relocation of imprisoned terrorists from Guantanamo to prisons in the United States is a moral issue in the first place is by no means clear, since morality deals with behavior, rather than location. But putting them within the jurisdiction of liberal circuit court judges who can find reasons to turn them loose is a much more serious issue.

-Thomas Sowell

Monday, June 22, 2009

An ACORN By Any Other Name Will Still Stink As Much

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A name change! Yeah. That's all they need!


Washington Examiner - Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) leaders are using the threat of a law suit to silence and intimidate critics, according to current and former members of the liberal activist group.
In a letter dated June 11 an attorney for ACORN advised top whistleblowers that their unauthorized use of the organization’s name could make them liable for monetary damages and injunctive relief.
ACORN executives have also changed their organization’s name, which was tarnished by investigations in at least 14 states of allegations of voter registration fraud during the 2008 presidential campaign, and charges by current and former members of financial mismanagement and misrepresentation.


Oh, yeah! Because all the corruption, attempts at voter fraud and back room deals just go away if you change your name!

In a related story, Jeremiah Wright's new Church of the Fuzzy Bunny was rechristened in Chicago last Sunday! Bill Pure-As-the-Drive-Snow Clinton, who had just formally had his name changed was in attendance. Tony Mother Theresa Rezko was unavoidably absent from the ceremony as was Barack "Dude, Where's my teleprompter?" Obama!

Maybe ACORN can be like The Artist Formerly Known as Prince? The corrupt group of community organizers formerly known as ACORN!

Hat tip This Ain't Hell
Cross posted at Say Anything

The Paul Bots Strike Again!

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I'm sure their Internet skills surpass their social skills! Heh.


Remember Ron Paul? He was twice candidate for President, who never gets more than a corporal's guard of people to actually vote for him! Internet polls are a different story, however...
Over at America's Right, there's an Internet poll
Just Curious -- If you could vote now for the 2012 GOP primary, who would you select to face off against incumbent Barack Obama?


Guess who's leading at 79% ? That's right! Luap Nor! Too bad that it takes more than manipulating Internet polls to win elections and govern wisely!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

Obama is the first American president who is unaware of the historical sources of America’s moral strength. In his tepid response to events in Iran, the president hailed democratic process, freedom of speech, and the ability to select one’s own leaders as “universal values.” But they aren't. A quick glance around the world’s totalitarian regimes, including most especially that of Iran, should convince anyone of that. These values come from America and the West. Imagine having a president who either doesn't know or won't say it.

-Charlotte Hays

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Government Wants to Regulate Cheerios®---As a Drug!

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Cheerios Kid Busted!


The latest verdict from the Food and Drug Administration is that Cheerios® is a drug.


No, our government isn't overreaching to regulate every aspect of our existence, is it?

...The FDA sent a warning to Cheerios® maker General Mills Inc. that it is in serious violation of federal rules.

"Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease" the FDA letter said. "[Cheerios] may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application."


Cue Steppenwolf's G*d D*mn "The Pusher"! Whatever could General Mills be promoting that forced the government to take a stern hand here?

Two claims on the Cheerios cereal box upset the FDA: "Cheerios is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol 4 percent in 6 weeks" and, "Cheerios can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, by lowering the 'bad' cholesterol."

Susan Cruzan of the FDA's press office told The Washington Times the FDA is not objecting to the fact that clinical studies do, in fact, find that Cheerios do what General Mills claims. What concerns the FDA, according to Ms. Cruzan, is, "This is a food product, and they do have a health claim." Specifically, the agency objects to the preciseness of the claims, which she says would make the product classified as a drug. General Mills "could say 'heart disease,' but they are being specific and saying 'coronary heart disease,' " she explains.


Did you get that? "The FDA is not objecting to the fact that clinical studies do, in fact, find that Cheerios do what General Mills claims..."

So General Mills is making a factual claim about their cereal and the FDA wants them to stop because...people might listen and actually eat more healthy?

So the government has determined that if you put accurate information on a cereal box, their only alternative is to classify breakfast cereal as a "drug" in order to regulate how that information is presented to the consuming public? Please set your calendars to 1984, because we are here!

This is obviously unfair to competition! Since Hostess Ho Hos® cannot make a similar claim, it's obvious the General Mills has an unfair advantage in the marketplace that must be crushed er, regulated for the good of the children!
Hat tip John Lott
Cross posted at Say Anything

To Say Nothing of the Dog -A Mini Book Review

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I just finished “To Say Nothing of the Dog” -by Connie Willis , A tale of time travel set primarily in Victorian England. Think “Charley’s Aunt” meets “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”!
Time travel stories are a particularly favorite genre of mine, and one that is seldom well done. Too many authors have problems with causality or paradoxes that are either ignored or perhaps, not even recognized by the author?
To Say Nothing of the Dog is not science fiction per se. There is little “science” here: No flux capacitors, black holes or Heisenberg compensators. Their time portals are rather like an elevator…when you push the button, the door opens and you get in and are taken to your destination.
Set in a so too distant future where cats, incidentally have become extinct… See! Not all visions of the future are bleak! (Just kidding, cat lovers!) …it is thought that matter cannot be transported from the past, until a historian sent back to Victorian England rescues a cat and brings it forward in time. The difficulties and humor ensue when another historian is dispatched to return the cat to its own era and prevent any incongruities in the space time continuum from occurring.
Unfortunately, for our hero, frequent trips back and forth through time produce “time lag”, which closely mimics severe sleep deprivation in its effects, further hampering our hero from concluding his appointed rounds.

I enjoyed it. More a Victorian comedy than space time epic, still Ms. Willis acknowledges inspiration from the master, Robert Heinlein, in her dedication, and you can see, perhaps a bit of By His Bootstraps in the structure of the plot. A good read, but not everyone’s cup of tea!

To Say Nothing of the Dog won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1999 and is available in paperback from Bantam Books

Happy Father's Day - Daddy's Hands

A little tribute to fathers from Holly Dunn:

Quote du jour

It started in December when he was asked why he was making Hillary Clinton his chief diplomat after criticizing her qualifications and promising Democratic primary voters that his views on international relations were different than hers. He responded by telling the questioner "you're having fun" trying "to stir up whatever quotes were generated during the course of the campaign." The implicit assertion was that anyone expecting him to answer for campaign statements must just be "having fun" -- and certainly can't be serious.

A few months later, in reversing a five-year-old commitment to support ending the Cuban embargo, Obama offered no rationale for the U-turn other than saying he was "running for Senate" at a time that "seems just eons ago" -- again, as if everyone should know that previous campaign promises mean nothing.

At least that was a response. After the New York Times recently reported that "the administration has no present plans to reopen negotiations on NAFTA" as "Obama vowed to do during his campaign," there was no explanation offered whatsoever. We were left to recall Obama previously telling Fortune magazine that his NAFTA promises were too "overheated and amplified" to be taken literally.

It's true that politicians have always broken promises, but rarely so proudly and with such impunity.

-David Sirota, Obama's trail of broken promises

Saturday, June 20, 2009

A Little Saturday Night Music

"Summertime"

Keith Jarrett

Barack Obama - Superhero?

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!
Love the "bat signal"! Heh. Hat tip Rodney Graves

Skateboarding in the White House

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I saw something on this, briefly, the other day, but a repeat of the story on the weekend news brought it back to my attention:

Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk on Friday took a brief ride at the White House as part of a Father's Day celebration.

Hawk, 41, skated in the grand foyer and the nearby Old Executive Office Building, with the permission of White House officials.

The skateboarding icon, also known for his popular brand of skateboarding video games, posted photos to his Web site and Twitter page.

One photo shows Hawk on his skateboard with his hands in the air in what appears to be a hallway.

And here, some of us thought that the current resident would not maintain the dignity of the White House!

Update: At the risk of giving them ideas, maybe we could let them shoot a porno film in the Lincoln bedroom. I'll bet that hasn't been done before either! (I'm not talking about Bill's home movies!)

Cross posted at Say Anything

Vote "Present" on the Census

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My friend Spartacus gave me a good idea from a comment of his on Michele Bachmann and her plans on telling the government to MYOB when it comes to asking for anything more than a simple enumeration of the population.

We should all emulate the great Senator from Illinois, Barack H. Obama, who bravely and repeatedly voted "Present" on legislation he did not want to be held accountable for his vote, or was too busy running for office to read, or didn't have the cojones to take a stand on!

We, however, should do so on principle and boldly write "Present" on any question the Census Bureau asks, that we believe to be too intrusive into our personal lives, or unnecessary on the part of the government. (Besides, it's shorter than "None of your business"!)

Our President has set the precedent! Heh.

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

If the president were really intent on "fixing what's broken," one of the first places he would look is the abusive filings of medical malpractice lawsuits. The fact that he has ruled this out suggests that he is not entirely forthright about "fixing what's broken." Instead, it suggests that he is using the term "fix" in quite another sense. The president is not going to touch tort reform as long as trial lawyers remain the largest contributor to the Democratic Party. The fix is in. This is not the new politics of change but the very old politics of pay and play. The trial bar is paying, and Obama is playing along.

The only conclusion one can reach from the president's AMA speech is that he is not really serious about "fixing" health care. He is not serious when he calls on "all players" to make sacrifices. He is not serious about saving $300 billion on health care expenses. He is not really serious about fixing anything. But he is really serious about politics.

-Dr. Jeffrey Folks

Friday, June 19, 2009

This Last Week's Poll

This Last Week's Poll: Dave Letterman's Lame Rape Joke:


Should get him fired. 30%

Should cost him audience. 20%

Was in bad taste, but then what isn't? 30%

Dave who??? 40%


These numbers may add up to more than 100%, due to the fact that more than one answer was allowed, and the only accountants I could get on short notice are also moonlighting for the Obama Administration!

Thank you for your participation!
Not a scientific poll. Respondents are self selecting. Questions are drawn from fortune cookies, hieroglyphics and tomorrow’s New York Times.

Please make your opinion known in this week's poll.

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB is Denise Richards!

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Michele Bachmann on How to Fill Out Your Census Form

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"Don't"


Outspoken Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann says she’s so worried that information from next year’s national census will be abused that she will refuse to fill out anything more than the number of people in her household.

In an interview Wednesday morning with The Washington Times “America’s Morning News,” Mrs. Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, said the questions have become “very intricate, very personal” and she also fears ACORN, the community organizing group that came under fire for its voter registration efforts last year, will be part of the Census Bureau’s door-to-door information collection efforts.

“I know for my family the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home,” she said. “We won’t be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn’t require any information beyond that.”


Outspoken? Really? By whom? Heh. I did something similar the last census go round, where I felt the questions were intrusive and mostly none of the government's business.

If you fail to answer all the questions, expect to receive a number of phone calls and perhaps a visit from a census taker. Feel free not to answer the questions just because they ask more than once. Please contact me or this blog if this advise lands you in any hot water. I'm sure there are lots of folks across the country who will be committing minor acts of civil disobedience in regards to next year's census.

Hat tip Say Anything

Quote du jour

We all knew that GM and Chrysler were headed for bankruptcy. So be it. It would be a hit to the American economy. Yep. Let’s take the hit and move on. I believe President Obama, that you knew that GM and Chrysler were headed to bankruptcy as well, but by giving them our money first, you were able to seize control of the American auto industry. In one fell swoop, you became the head of GM and Chrysler. You turned the United Auto Workers Union into GM and Chrysler owners. You nailed the coffin shut on Ford, the one manufacturer who turned down your money (…our money). How is Ford going to negotiate wages with a union that is now also their competitor?

-Chris Burgard

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Hillary Has Problem With Right Wing

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Well, somebody had to say it!

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton expects to have surgery soon to repair a broken elbow she suffered in a fall in the State Department garage.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters that no date for the surgery has been set, but that it likely would be scheduled "in the coming week."


Which arm was it?

After the fall, Clinton was examined in her office and then taken to The George Washington University Hospital, just a few blocks away, where her right elbow was X-rayed, Crowley said. He said he did not believe it was a severe fracture, but that he did not know the exact extent of her injury.


We wish her a speedy recovery!

Quote du jour

Obama has the magic to make words mean almost anything. Numbers are more resistant to his charms.

-Charles Krauthammer

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Boy Hit By Meteorite

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A 14-year old German boy was hit in the hand by a pea-sized meteorite that scared the bejeezus out of him and left a scar.
"Bejeezus". That's the scientific term for it!

"When it hit me it knocked me flying and then was still going fast enough to bury itself into the road," Gerrit Blank said in a newspaper account. Astronomers have analyzed the object and conclude it was indeed a natural object from space, The Telegraph reports.

Most meteors vaporize in the atmosphere, creating "shooting stars," and never reach the ground. The few that do are typically made mostly of metals. Stony space rocks, even if they are big as a car, will usually break apart or explode as they crash through the atmosphere.

There are a handful of reports of homes and cars being struck by meteorites, and many cases of space rocks streaking to the surface and being found later.

But human strikes are rare. There are no known instances of humans being killed by space rocks.


I usually just catch 'em in my teeth, but that's just me! Still, a cool scar for show-and-tell! Heh.

Just Fakin' It - The Story of the Iranian Election

Andrew Sullivan posted an interesting graph on the Iranian election returns:

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I don't know how many election nights you've stayed up, watching early and late returns, but never have I seen an election where the percentage of votes going to the eventual winner was the exact same percentage all night!

The consensus is, that the election results were fixed, and pretty blatantly so.
Ahmadinejad has his hands firmly on the levers of power. He apparently feels the need to put forth some sham of an election, but not worried whether or not it's credible!

Hat tip Rob Port

The Medal of Honor

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Captain (then Lt.) Harvey C. Barnum, Jr.


Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. When the company was suddenly pinned down by a hail of extremely accurate enemy fire and was quickly separated from the remainder of the battalion by over 500 meters of open and fire-swept ground, and casualties mounted rapidly. Lt. Barnum quickly made a hazardous reconnaissance of the area, seeking targets for his artillery. Finding the rifle company commander mortally wounded and the radio operator killed, he, with complete disregard for his safety, gave aid to the dying commander, then removed the radio from the dead operator and strapped it to himself. He immediately assumed command of the rifle company, and moving at once into the midst of the heavy fire, rallying and giving encouragement to all units, reorganized them to replace the loss of key personnel and led their attack on enemy positions from which deadly fire continued to come. His sound and swift decisions and his obvious calm served to stabilize the badly decimated units and his gallant example as he stood exposed repeatedly to point out targets served as an inspiration to all. Provided with 2 armed helicopters, he moved fearlessly through enemy fire to control the air attack against the firmly entrenched enemy while skillfully directing 1 platoon in a successful counterattack on the key enemy positions. Having thus cleared a small area, he requested and directed the landing of 2 transport helicopters for the evacuation of the dead and wounded. He then assisted in the mopping up and final seizure of the battalion's objective. His gallant initiative and heroic conduct reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.


Captain Barnum: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.

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Hat tip Home of Heroes




http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/living/living_war_wwii.html

There are over 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.

Quote du jour

Greenland didn’t get its name because the early Vikings were color blind, it was green. When I say green I mean green with foliage not “green’ as in taking a stupid canvas bag to the grocery store that won’t give you a plastic bag for your food but will be glad to sell you as many as you want. They’re back in aisle four between the Styrofoam cups and plastic knives and forks.

-Jeffrey Jena

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Life

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The magazine.

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The cereal.

That's Life - Frank Sinatra

I figured we were on a bit of a "life" theme tonight!

Life is Strange

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Milestones come and go. Three years ago, after moving to Ohio, having lived in sunny California most of my life, it seemed very strange to say, "I own my own snow blower".

Today, I went to the opposite extreme: having contracted some work done on the swimming pool at the new Casa de Proof, and having filled it completely for the first time, I went out and bought my very first leaf skimmer.

Side by side comparisons: On the plus side, the skimmer never runs out of gas, doesn't need an AC cord or the arm of a major leaguer to start.
Advantage: skimmer!

On the negative side, I don't think it will ever help me to get to work any faster! Advantage: snow blower!

The snow blower helped me keep the sidewalks clear, which, on a corner lot was a boon to the neighbors. The skimmer could help keep the neighbor's pools clean, but that would mean going into their back yards. (Probably not a good idea!)
Advantage: snow blower!

Dress tends to be a little more casual when using the skimmer. No parkas, gloves or snow boots.
Advantage: skimmer!

Skimmer is quieter, more maneuverable and a whale of a lot cheaper. To all my friends in Ohio and North Dakota, et al...I think the leaf skimmer is the winner, hands down!

Next month, we'll compare crushing the ice for the margaritas by the pool and salting the ice for the postman and the meter readers! Ciao!

Life Imitates Stargate

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If only the people trying to save our planet were half this good looking!


Barack Obama's plan to bulldoze major portions of US cities reminded me of an old episode of Stargate. (Season 5, Episode 10)

On a agrarian planet, SG-1 meets the Ashen Confederacy
... SG-1 determines that some great calamity befell the population of the agriculture world, reducing them from millions to thousands and eliminating their industrial base... but Samantha Carter (the blonde in the picture! You knew I had a reason to post that picture, right?) manages to trick the Ashen into revealing that they plan to subject Earth's population to a long-term sterilization procedure.


"Reducing them from millions to thousands and eliminating their industrial base"? Sounds like the Green Party and the Democrats were wildly successful here!

The once densely populated cities were buried as converted to farmland. Somehow I suspect that Obama's planet will not fare any better than the fictional one in the Stargate universe!

Cross posted at Say Anything

Remember Me



A touching tribute to our fighting forces. This, according to the email I received from a friend, was put together by a 15 year old girl, Lizzie Palmer.

Quote du jour

I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.

-Anne Frank

Monday, June 15, 2009

Quote du jour

If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one.

-Cavett Robert

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Land of the Liberal

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Although it's a movie I doubt I will ever see, there is a great line in one of the trailers, after Will Farrell's character has made pronouncement after pronouncement...all of them wrong, where one character asks him:
"Don't you ever get tired of being wrong?"


I feel like asking that of my liberal friends on a daily basis in the Age of Obama!

Cross posted at Say Anything

The Greatest Save in Baseball History



Shamelessly stolen from the Whistler

Happy Flag Day!

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Long may she wave!

Quote du jour

The flag of the United States has not been created by rhetorical sentences in declarations of independence and in bills of rights. It has been created by the experience of a great people, and nothing is written upon it that has not been written by their life. It is the embodiment, not of a sentiment, but of a history.

-Woodrow Wilson

Saturday, June 13, 2009

A Little Saturday Night Music

Chad and Jeremy: Summer Song

Forget the "Ice Cold Blue of the Rockies", Bring On the Skinny Blondes!

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A NEW beer that promises to leave drinkers holding a naked woman before they finish the last drop has been labelled dangerous and sexist.

Health and women's groups called for Skinny Blonde beer to be banned.

And they want the Advertising Standards Bureau to investigate the provocative ad campaign.

Using modern ink technology, the low-carb beer label features a 1950s-style pin-up called Daisy, whose red bikini disappears as the beer level drops and the bottle warms up.


Ain't technology wonderful? I doubt this beer will ever make it to the states, but like those old ballpoint pens from the fifties,expect something similar as technophiles come up with strange and novel ways to express themselves!

Hat tip Jawa
Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

"If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I've no problem shooting them...I bought original, real guns of the type I used in 'Tomb Raider' for security. Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one. I'd be able to use it if I had to."

-Angelina Jolie

Friday, June 12, 2009

This Last Week's Poll

This Last Week's Poll: Obama's "Noob Beginning" Speech was:


Just like King's "I have a dream" 0%

Just like Reagan's "Tear Down this wall" 0%

Just like Obama: All Style, No Substance. 100%


I knew I liked the way this audience thinks!

Thank you for your participation!
Not a scientific poll. Respondents are self selecting. Questions are drawn from fortune cookies, hieroglyphics and tomorrow’s New York Times.

Please make your opinion known in this week's poll.

Union Jack Banned at Heathrow Airport

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It seems that national insanity is not a peculiarly American problem:

ARMED cops patrolling Heathrow Airport have been banned from wearing tiny Union Jack badges in support of British troops.

Top brass claimed the tie-pin badges - which cost £1 ($1.64) with proceeds going to the Help for Heroes charity - were OFFENSIVE.

But one officer asked: "How can the Union Jack be offensive?

"This ruling is even more absurd coming this weekend on the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

"We must be the only country ashamed to display our national flag."


So, just who exactly is offended when citizens show support for their own nation or their nation's troops who are putting their lives at risk? The usual suspects!

About 100 officers in the Metropolitan force's SO18 Aviation branch, which patrols Heathrow, bought the inch-square badges.

Seventy per cent of them served in the Forces and many have children fighting in Afghanistan.

Another cop said: "We're wearing the badges with pride. Most importantly, they are to show support for our soldiers at war.

"Nobody has put out orders to remove rainbow symbols that gay and lesbian officers wear. Why discriminate against us?"


After 9/11, many Brits and Canadians wore American flag pins to stand in solidarity with us. Maybe now, it's time for us to return the favor with the Union Jack?

Hat tip Moonbattery
Cross posted at Say Anything

Friday Night Babe

Tonight's FNB is CSI's Marg Helgenberger!

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Evil Men Do Evil Deeds. Other Evil Men Are Merely Political Opportunists

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Remember this story from a few years back?
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A gunman opened fire Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport while standing in line at the ticket counter of Israel's El Al Airlines, officials said, killing two and wounding four others before an airline security officer shot him dead.


A lone gunman shows up at an airline counter and begins shooting people.

Authorities identified the gunman as 41-year-old Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, who came to the United States from Egypt in 1992 and had been living in Irvine, California, for the last two years.

Hadayet was not a U.S. citizen but had a "green card" that allowed him to work in the U.S., authorities said.


Correct me if I'm wrong: No one said that this guy was representative of Muslims everywhere, or Egyptians everywhere or immigrants everywhere. So, why are the political buzzards on the left swarming over every tragedy looking for some way to smear conservatives, whenever one or two aberrant human beings commit crimes that no sane or reasonable person would condone, with only the flimsiest of ties to anything even remotely Christian or conservative?

Those who live by the smear die by the smear! It appears that this latest instance, at the Holocaust museum, may have equal or greater ties to liberals and the left than he does to the right. But, that in and of itself would not constitute "proof" that all liberals are blood thirsty wackadoos. Perhaps the liberals' inability to admit the very existence of evil in the world, reduces them to trying to score political points on every tragedy, rather than laying the blame at the feet of the sick and/or evil individuals responsible for the crimes? Maybe it's just pathological?

Cross posted at Say Anything

Quote du jour

The (William "Cold Cash") Jefferson case has all the Beltway business-as-usual ingredients that Pelosi vowed to eliminate when she took power: nepotism, abuse of power, corporate cronyism and gross violations of the public trust. But Jefferson is a black Democrat who has been fiercely defended by both the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Democrats are all too willing to lambaste corruption among their political foes, but fear the wrath of race-card players in their own party. It has muted criticism of tax-cheating, self-dealing New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, under investigation for numerous ethical improprieties in his personal finances and fundraising activities; congressional sisters Loretta and Linda Sanchez, under investigation by the House ethics committee for a payroll mess; and crony of color Rep. Maxine Waters, who had a personal and financial stake in Boston-based OneUnited, a minority bank that received $12 million in federal TARP bailout money.

-Michelle Malkin

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Quote du jour

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.

-George S. Patton

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Medal of Honor

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Corpsman Donald E. Ballard


Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life and beyond the call of duty while serving as a HC2c. with Company M, in connection with operations against enemy aggressor forces. During the afternoon hours, Company M was moving to join the remainder of the 3d Battalion in Quang Tri Province. After treating and evacuating 2 heat casualties, HC2c. Ballard was returning to his platoon from the evacuation landing zone when the company was ambushed by a North Vietnamese Army unit employing automatic weapons and mortars, and sustained numerous casualties. Observing a wounded marine, HC2c. Ballard unhesitatingly moved across the fire swept terrain to the injured man and swiftly rendered medical assistance to his comrade. HC2c. Ballard then directed 4 marines to carry the casualty to a position of relative safety. As the 4 men prepared to move the wounded marine, an enemy soldier suddenly left his concealed position and, after hurling a hand grenade which landed near the casualty, commenced firing upon the small group of men. Instantly shouting a warning to the marines, HC2c. Ballard fearlessly threw himself upon the lethal explosive device to protect his comrades from the deadly blast. When the grenade failed to detonate, he calmly arose from his dangerous position and resolutely continued his determined efforts in treating other marine casualties. HC2c. Ballard's heroic actions and selfless concern for the welfare of his companions served to inspire all who observed him and prevented possible injury or death to his fellow marines. His courage, daring initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of extreme personal danger, sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.


Corpsman Ballard: We humbly salute you and thank you for your service.

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Hat tip Home of Heroes




http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/living/living_war_wwii.html

There are over 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.