Thursday, May 31, 2012
Vintage Babe of the Week
Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Rebecca De Mornay! (*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday) Like fine wines, the ladies improve with age!
NYC's Bloomberg Coming After Your Soda!
Cross-posted at the the Left Coast Rebel
Freedom-obstructing road block ahead - beware the totalitarian nanny state!
Writes the New York Times (emphasis mine):
But I won't.
I'll just use this story as today's teachable moment in American Statism Gone Wild.
I'll start things with an honest statement: I don't drink sodas, sugary drinks, soft drinks, colas, root beer; in fact, save for a few spoonfuls in my morning coffee, I completely avoid sugar in toto as well.
I know, I know; I understand -- anything that deteriorates a penny in 24 hours can't be good for you. Soda rots your teeth, sugar in extreme amounts exacerbates diabetes and poor health.
But so what?
I will defend to my dying breath the freedom of my fellow American to drink as much soda as they wish. And shouldn't every American do the same?
When in the world did America go from our collective understanding and appreciation of, "that which doesn't interfere with my liberty or rights is none of my business," to, "hey look over there, a fat kid; it's time to ban soda!"
Instead of becoming a freer society, America is heading in the precise opposite direction.
Instead of becoming more tolerant (real tolerance, not the mind-prison politically-correct kind), we are becoming more ready, able and willing to criminalize behavior that we don't like, or things, substances, behaviors et. al. that we think are damaging to our fellow citizens.
Instead of making societal judgement calls using individual liberty as our only guiding light, we castigate and legislate against those different than us. This has to stop. We have to regain the spirit of individual freedom and the freedom to fail or succeed that made America so great.
Nevertheless, if there is a silver lining to this story it is political for it demonstrates in Big Gulp-Red flying colors just what the progressive agenda is truly about.
In the 1920s, progressives gave us Prohibition and the mayhem that thus ensued. Among many other things, progressives then gave us the gift of failure that is the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty (both of which have done nothing to "solve" the problems they supposedly address, rather they have put into place multi-trillion dollar Industrial Complexes (untold incarceration costs, lost liberties and untold billions/trillions for the former and in excess of $9 trillion for the latter) that actually perpetuate a targeted issue. Dozens of additional government schemes fall into this category.
True conservatives abhor limiting individuals. It is the progressive left (and progressive Republican types) that wish to do so. In their sense of nannyism and elitism and I-know-better-than-you-ism they will stop short of nothing in taking away our once-cherished freedoms.
Until we say enough is enough.
Freedom-obstructing road block ahead - beware the totalitarian nanny state!
Writes the New York Times (emphasis mine):
New York City plans to enact a far-reaching ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in the most ambitious effort yet by the Bloomberg administration to combat rising obesity. The proposed ban would affect virtually the entire menu of popular sugary drinks found in delis, fast-food franchises and even sports arenas, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 fluid ounces — about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a common soda bottle — would be prohibited under the first-in-the-nation plan, which could take effect as soon as next March.I could go after every false assertion and misguided idiocy in this article (such as this being Bloomberg's effort to "combat obesity" or that even a ball-game soda will be illegal but beer won't!).
But I won't.
I'll just use this story as today's teachable moment in American Statism Gone Wild.
I'll start things with an honest statement: I don't drink sodas, sugary drinks, soft drinks, colas, root beer; in fact, save for a few spoonfuls in my morning coffee, I completely avoid sugar in toto as well.
I know, I know; I understand -- anything that deteriorates a penny in 24 hours can't be good for you. Soda rots your teeth, sugar in extreme amounts exacerbates diabetes and poor health.
But so what?
I will defend to my dying breath the freedom of my fellow American to drink as much soda as they wish. And shouldn't every American do the same?
When in the world did America go from our collective understanding and appreciation of, "that which doesn't interfere with my liberty or rights is none of my business," to, "hey look over there, a fat kid; it's time to ban soda!"
 | |
| (Onion Image) If NYC's Mayor Bloomberg has his way, this guy could go to jail |
Instead of becoming more tolerant (real tolerance, not the mind-prison politically-correct kind), we are becoming more ready, able and willing to criminalize behavior that we don't like, or things, substances, behaviors et. al. that we think are damaging to our fellow citizens.
Instead of making societal judgement calls using individual liberty as our only guiding light, we castigate and legislate against those different than us. This has to stop. We have to regain the spirit of individual freedom and the freedom to fail or succeed that made America so great.
Nevertheless, if there is a silver lining to this story it is political for it demonstrates in Big Gulp-Red flying colors just what the progressive agenda is truly about.
In the 1920s, progressives gave us Prohibition and the mayhem that thus ensued. Among many other things, progressives then gave us the gift of failure that is the War on Drugs and the War on Poverty (both of which have done nothing to "solve" the problems they supposedly address, rather they have put into place multi-trillion dollar Industrial Complexes (untold incarceration costs, lost liberties and untold billions/trillions for the former and in excess of $9 trillion for the latter) that actually perpetuate a targeted issue. Dozens of additional government schemes fall into this category.
True conservatives abhor limiting individuals. It is the progressive left (and progressive Republican types) that wish to do so. In their sense of nannyism and elitism and I-know-better-than-you-ism they will stop short of nothing in taking away our once-cherished freedoms.
Until we say enough is enough.
Quote du jour
“After just one term in office, French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost his re-election bid because he was unable to fix his nation’s economy. Or as Obama put it, ‘Uh-oh.’”–Jimmy Fallon
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Medal of Honor
Technical Sergeant Vernon McGarity
Citation:
He was painfully wounded in an artillery barrage that preceded the powerful counteroffensive launched by the Germans near Krinkelt, Belgium, on the morning of 16 December 1944. He made his way to an aid station, received treatment, and then refused to be evacuated, choosing to return to his hard-pressed men instead. The fury of the enemy's great Western Front offensive swirled about the position held by T/Sgt. McGarity's small force, but so tenaciously did these men fight on orders to stand firm at all costs that they could not be dislodged despite murderous enemy fire and the breakdown of their communications. During the day the heroic squad leader rescued 1 of his friends who had been wounded in a forward position, and throughout the night he exhorted his comrades to repulse the enemy's attempts at infiltration. When morning came and the Germans attacked with tanks and infantry, he braved heavy fire to run to an advantageous position where he immobilized the enemy's lead tank with a round from a rocket launcher. Fire from his squad drove the attacking infantrymen back, and 3 supporting tanks withdrew. He rescued, under heavy fire, another wounded American, and then directed devastating fire on a light cannon which had been brought up by the hostile troops to clear resistance from the area. When ammunition began to run low, T/Sgt. McGarity, remembering an old ammunition hole about 100 yards distant in the general direction of the enemy, braved a concentration of hostile fire to replenish his unit's supply. By circuitous route the enemy managed to emplace a machinegun to the rear and flank of the squad's position, cutting off the only escape route. Unhesitatingly, the gallant soldier took it upon himself to destroy this menace single-handedly. He left cover, and while under steady fire from the enemy, killed or wounded all the hostile gunners with deadly accurate rifle fire and prevented all attempts to reman the gun. Only when the squad's last round had been fired was the enemy able to advance and capture the intrepid leader and his men. The extraordinary bravery and extreme devotion to duty of T/Sgt. McGarity supported a remarkable delaying action which provided the time necessary for assembling reserves and forming a line against which the German striking power was shattered.
T/Sgt. McGarity: 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.”
Obama's Enron
What's the difference between Enron and the Obama Administration? Enron's accounting was more honest.
By now, some liberal, happy warrior has brought your attention to Ray Nutter's, er, Nutting's Market Watch piece about how Obama is Mr. Fiscal Conservative, and that
"under Obama, federal spending is rising at the slowest pace since Dwight Eisenhower brought the Korean War to an end in the 1950s."
Seem too good to be true? That probably seems counter intuitive to what most of you know to be true, and it should, because there's some Enron style accounting going into those figures*. First of all, it includes a heaping helping of stimulus that wasn't in Bush's budget. But since it happened in 2009, when traditionally, the previous president is responsible for the spending, it was in Enron's, er Obama's benefit to count it as Bush's spending.
To make the bamboozling even worse, what most of us thought would be a one time stimulus, is now built into the baseline of the federal budget, so that, according to the plan, about an additional billion dollars is spent, before there is any "increase". That's how they figure the increase is lowest since Eisenhower. It is a shell game. Obama is spending money faster than a drunken Congressman. And like Obama's phoney claim to have cut millions from the budget, Obama, should he be re-elected, would spend more every year he is in office. He's told us that we would. Now if only his willing accomplices in the media would expose this charlatan, this bamboozler of the gullible, for the big spender he really is, we can send him packing back to Chicago. Or Hawaii. Or Kenya. Or wherever he wants to go. Just go.
*When White House press secretary Jay Carney starts quoting them, it becomes a part of the administration's spin machine
Update : In his own words...
Cross posted at LCR.
Quote du jour
The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Sex in Advertising
For all you connoisseurs of advertising...
I may not be sure exactly what she's selling, but, I'm pretty sure I'm in the market!
I may not be sure exactly what she's selling, but, I'm pretty sure I'm in the market!
Quote du jour
War is not an independent phenomenon, but the continuation of politics by different means.
-Karl von Clausewitz
Monday, May 28, 2012
"As Memorial Day Nears, a Single Image That Continues to Haunt"
"Taken by the photographer Todd Heisler from his 2005 award-winning series for The Rocky Mountain News, “Jim Comes Home” — which documents the return and burial of Second Lt. Jim Cathey of the Marines, who lost his life in Iraq — the photo shows his pregnant widow, Katherine, lying on an air mattress in front of his coffin. She’s staring at her laptop, listening to songs that remind her of Jim. Her expression is vacant, her grief almost palpable."
Read the rest here. It is reminiscent of another photo almost too painful to look upon.
Remember those who have given all in the defense of their country, and remember, too, those they have left behind.
Quote du jour
We are responsible for 43 percent of the planet’s military spending. But if you spend on that scale without any strategic clarity or hardheaded calculation of your national interest it is ultimately as decadent and useless as throwing money at Solyndra or Obamacare or any of the other domestic follies. A post-prosperity America will mean perforce a shrunken presence on the global stage. And we will not like the world we leave behind.
-Mark Steyn
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Senators Move to Make Bison "National Mammal"
Observe south end of bison heading north for glimpse of big, steaming pile of Congress
I think I know now what they mean when they say ignorance is bliss. Ever since I heard this, my head started hurting!
There's a push in the U.S. Senate to make the bison, which is commonly known as the American buffalo, the official national mammal.
Wait! The Senate hasn't passed a budget in over three years, but more than one of them thinks we should be focusing on an appropriate national mammal?? Exactly how many years has the Republic survived without a "national mammal"? When was the last time you stood in a grocery store or unemployment office line and overheard someone bemoaning the fact the the US didn't designate a national mammal?
Is there some new bison crisis we haven't heard about? What exactly would this designation do for the bison?
The National Bison Legacy Act introduced in the Senate is backed by lawmakers from Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Rhode Island.(Emphasis mine)
The largely symbolic measure would provide no added protections for the estimated 20,000 wild bison in North America. And the bald eagle would still hold a somewhat loftier role as the national emblem, as declared by the Second Continental Congress in 1782.
But supporters said the bison legacy bill would afford overdue recognition to a species that has sweeping cultural and ecological significance. Bison — North America's largest land animal — already appear on two state flags and the official seal of the U.S. Department of Interior.
So, instead of focusing on unemployment, or the Constitutional required budget, or energy self sufficiency, Guantanamo, the War of Terror or any of the other problems pressing our nation today, the Senate wants to waste time on a symbolic gesture, designed to bolster the bison's self esteem?????
It won't make two hoots in Hades 100 years from now whether or not we had a national mammal. It might make a difference 100 years from now, whether or not we still have a country, not passing a national budget.
Priorities, people! Do the heavy lifting first, then sit around in your comfortable chairs as to how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or how many pin heads it takes to pass a national bison legacy.
Update : Maybe they could just name a street after them. It worked for Pelosi!
UpdateII : A commenter inspired me to look. In California we have a:
State Animal
State Bird
State Color
State Dance
State Fife and Drum Corps
State Fish
State Flag
State Flower
State Folk Dance
State Fossil*
State Gemstone
State Gold Rush Ghost Town
State Grass
State Historical Society
State Insect
State Marine Fish
State Marine Mammal
State Military Museum
State Mineral
State Motto
State Nickname
State Prehistoric Artifact
State Quarter
State Reptile
State Rock
State Seal
State Silver Rush Ghost Town
State Soil
State Song
State Tall Ship
State Tartan
State Theater
State Tree
Because California is solvent and has no troubles whatsoever of importance to deal with!
*May or may not be Jerry Brown!
Cross posted at LCR, Say Anything.
Quote du jour
"Amazing how many conservatives like NASCAR, since they are constantly turning left!"
-Proof
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Saturday Linkaround
Cartoon of the Day – NRO Home page
Krauthammer: Obama Claim Of Fiscal Discipline "Whopper Of The Year" -“an unbelievable distortion of the truth”
The Five Charts You MUST Show Every Undecided Voter You Know
Who Is Barack Obama? The Question that Won’t Go Away
Obama Campaign Responds to Breitbart 'Kenya' Booklet Story
Obama Once Again Shifting the Blame on Gas Prices
CHART: Many More Trying To Save Money By Renouncing Their Citizenship
Former CNN Anchor Rips Obama Over His Treatment of Women
Now Axelrod Is Fuming
Busted! Obama Headlined A Democrat Socialists Of America Event In 1996
The Ron Paul Machine vs. the Republican Establishment: 6 Steps Toward Unity
Rove SuperPAC Hammers '4th Greatest President'
Under Obama: 30 Worst Months of Employment Over The Past 25 Years…
53,000 Dead Voters Found in Florida
Van Jones admits he and the eco-facists stayed quiet on Gulf oil spill because Obama was president
Michigan Man Fired for Turning In Stolen Gun Found On the Job
Dennis Miller Hits Obama's 'Kardashian Presidency,' 'Great at Everything' Except 'Being President'
9th Circuit Takes Plush Maui Vacation At Taxpayer Expense, As Others Cut Back
Obama Had Lower SAT Scores Than Bush?
A modest proposal for those advocating an end to austerity measures in Europe
Tim McGraw to give 25 homes to members of military
Best Elizabeth Warren Parody Video Ever
A Marine and His Dog – a good read!
The Avengers - Why We Need Heroes
Vandal Extinguishes Australia’s Eternal Flame Memorial With Fire Extinguisher (Video)
Rule Five Roundup*:
American Perspective – Kate Upton Beach Bunny shoot -video
Belly Dancing Channel Banned -video
Camp of the Saints - The TCOTS Six Days Of Cheesecake
Classic Liberal – Rule 5
Bill Clinton Poses With Porn Stars
Lolo Jones
The Daley Gator – Daley Babes – Liz Hernandez
Fishnet Friday
Dustbury – Christie Brinkley
El Opinador Compulsivo – Seductive Motion, What do you relish with your hot dog?
Eye of Polyphemus – Alison Brie
Friday Night Babe – Lea Michelle
The Right Way -Miranda Kerr
Guns and Bikinis – Malibu Babe
Hookers and Booze
Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – Friday Pinup
Kate Upton’s Beach Bunny Bikini Campaign
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…
pitsnipesgripes – A small mental vacation
PostalDog - The letter A
Randy’s Roundtable – Thursday Nite Tart
Reaganite Republican – Kimberly Guilfoyle
Kitty and Boobs
Sex in Advertising
Soylent Green – Friday Corset
The Feral Irishman – Girls with Guns
The Last Tradition – Veronica Lake
Theo Spark –Bedtime Toddy , Jessica Rafalowski , Maxim Hotties
The Other McCain- Rule 5 Sunday
Three Beers Later – Alannah Miles
Vintage Babe of the Week – Brooke Shields
*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 at Proof Positive. (All spambots must die!)
Cross posted at Say Anything
Quote du jour
“President Obama admitted this week that a former girlfriend that he wrote about in his autobiography was made up and not a real person . . . So Obama had an imaginary girlfriend. Big deal! He had an imaginary economic plan. It’s all the same.”–Jay Leno
Friday, May 25, 2012
The Strange Case of Brett Kimberlin, Domestic Terrorist
There's a very strange story, series of stories, actually, going around the web about Brett Kimberlin. I hadn't really heard of him, or paid any attention to him if I did, until last Monday, when I got a message from a fellow blogger that Robert Stacy McCain had fled his house for an undisclosed location and took his family with him for their own safety. Wow. That's a bit drastic, no? So I started reading about this guy Kimberlin, and my first thought was, Why isn't this guy still in jail? And second, why are all those rich liberals giving him so much money?
Convicted Terrorist Brett Kimberlin Received $70,000 From Tides Foundation, $10,000 From Streisand, $20,000 from John Kerry’s Wife
What is up with liberals, domestic terrorists and death? Bill Ayers made bombs. The lovely Bernadette Dohrn lauded the Manson family when they murdered the pregnant Sharon Tate. Mumia Abu-Jamal killed a police office and became a darling of the left, Brett Kimberlin, known as the "Speedway Bomber", terrorized a town in Indiana in the late seventies, left a trail of death and destruction in his wake, and liberals can't wait to give them their money? But, it gets worse.
It seems that Mr. Kimberlin has a problem with free speech. Not in general, but anyone who has the audacity to criticize him, or the temerity to bring up his somewhat sordid past, is subject to all manner of harassment. Matthew Vadum puts it succinctly:
Do the people at the Tides Foundation, Barbra Streisand Foundation, and Heinz Family Foundation know that they have given money to an organization run by a litigious, violent, radical felon who appears to delight in intimidating people whose views he disagrees with?Some of the harassment had the potential to become fatal. Patterico tells of his experience of being SWATted: someone making a false police report, claiming that someone is armed and dangerous, giving the victim's home address and causing an armed SWAT team to storm the house. In a highly charged situation such as that, it would be very easy for an object to be mistaken for a gun and deadly force to be employed...all because someone didn't like what you were saying! Convicted Bomber Brett Kimberlin, Neal Rauhauser, Ron Brynaert, and Their Campaign of Political Terrorism The story is quite lengthy and convoluted. The Lonely Conservative has a good piece here: Speedway Bomber Brett Kimberlin Poked a Bees Nest Stacy McCain has a number of updates, a few of them here: Domestic Terrorist Now Using ‘Lawfare’? Convicted Felon Kimberlin’s 501(c)3 Raised $1.8 Million in Six Years UPDATE: ‘Convicted of Perjury’ ,Lying Felon Can’t Stop Lying, and here KimberlinFiles.Org. If you weren't familiar with this name before today, I suspect you will be soon. Many conservative bloggers have banded together to expose the malice and abuse of this individual and his fellow travelers. Who knows? Maybe even the MSM will deem to take notice? Nah. What was I thinking?
Quote du jour
... bin Laden was just a figurehead. The war on terror continues. Taking him out didn’t really change anything as far as the war on terror is concerned and using it as a political attack is a cheap shot.-Chris Kyle, former Navy SEAL
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Shadows of a Solar Eclipse
Nothing earth shattering here, but I have lived through a couple of near total solar eclipses, and I don't remember hearing about this until this last one. Did you know that the light passing through the leaves of trees acts just like a pinhole camera, projecting a reverse image of the sun? A couple of snapshots of the crescent sun projected through the trees:
Vintage Babe of the Week
Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Brooke Shields! (*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday) 
Quote du jour
Total federal subsidies in fiscal year 2007 were $24.34 per megawatt hour for solar-generated electricity and $23.37 per megawatt hour for wind, compared with $1.59 for nuclear, $0.67 for hydroelectric power, $0.44 for conventional coal, and $0.25 for natural gas and petroleum liquids. In fiscal year 2010, the subsidies were even higher. For solar power, they were $775.64 per megawatt hour, for wind $56.29, for nuclear $3.14, for hydroelectric power $0.82, for coal $0.64 and for natural gas and petroleum liquids $0.64.-Steve Hayward
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Medal of Honor
Technician 5th Grade Robert D. Maxwell
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 September 1944, near Besancon, France. Technician 5th Grade Maxwell and 3 other soldiers, armed only with .45 caliber automatic pistols, defended the battalion observation post against an overwhelming onslaught by enemy infantrymen in approximately platoon strength, supported by 20mm. flak and machinegun fire, who had infiltrated through the battalion's forward companies and were attacking the observation post with machinegun, machine pistol, and grenade fire at ranges as close as 10 yards. Despite a hail of fire from automatic weapons and grenade launchers, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell aggressively fought off advancing enemy elements and, by his calmness, tenacity, and fortitude, inspired his fellows to continue the unequal struggle. When an enemy hand grenade was thrown in the midst of his squad, Technician 5th Grade Maxwell unhesitatingly hurled himself squarely upon it, using his blanket and his unprotected body to absorb the full force of the explosion. This act of instantaneous heroism permanently maimed Technician 5th Grade Maxwell, but saved the lives of his comrades in arms and facilitated maintenance of vital military communications during the temporary withdrawal of the battalion's forward headquarters.
Technician 5th Grade Maxwell: 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.”
Barack Obama - Mr. Popularity
Our soon to be favorite view of Obama...leavingWith 61 percent of precincts reporting in Arkansas, Obama took 60 percent to 40 percent for Wolfe. In Kentucky, with nearly all precincts reporting, 42.1 percent of Democratic primary voters opted for “uncommitted” rather than backing the president, who received 57.9 percent.Two weeks before, Keith Judd, a convicted felon in a Texas hoosegow, won 41 percent of the vote in the West Virginia Democrat primary. So, let's recap: 40% of Democrats in Arkansas don't like Obama. 42% of Democrats in Kentucky don't like Obama, and in West Virginia, apparently 41% of Democrats don't like Obama. And all of this is without facing an organized, well funded candidate or one with name recognition. Hillary, call your office!
Quote du jour
"The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop."
- P.J. O'Rourke
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Sex in Advertising
For all you connoisseurs of advertising...
I may not be sure exactly what she's selling, but, it ain't a football!
Quote du jour
Proof's Corollary to Godwin: Any liberal losing political discussions on Obama's policies will state: "It's because he's black, isn't it?"
-Proof
Monday, May 21, 2012
Quote du jour
"The days I stay home with my kids without going out, I start to get ill. My head starts to ache."-Michelle Obama, Vogue 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Marines Get Replacement for M249 SAW
A little Saturday gun stuff...
The M27 IAR is less than half the weight of the M249 and allows the automatic rifleman to carry fewer rounds because of its improved accuracy. With a lighter load to carry, enemy combatants will now face a more lethal and mobile Marine with better firepower to boot, allowing the Marine to move faster and engage his enemy in record time. The Corps plans to purchase more than four thousand M27s – replacing nearly all the existing Squad Automatic Weapons. By the end of 2013, the Marine Corps intends to supply M27s to every infantry and light armored reconnaissance battalion in the Corps.Marines: When it positively, absolutely has to be destroyed overnight.
Saturday Linkaround
Joe Biden, Son of a Welsh Coal Miner*, Spanked for Hypocrisy
The Right Scoop has this great little RNC ad exposing the hypocrisy and political opportunism of Joe Biden and Company.
Losing 4 out of 10 votes to a virtual nobody in the Democrat primary was a sobering experience, I'd guess.
*From a Neil Kinnock speech he once plagiarized.
John Stossel Interviews Puerto Rican Governor Luis Fortuno
Michelle Obama's Food Police Curtail Fine Arts Programs at School
A Utah high school is learning the hard way that the government is serious about nudging students away from food it doesn’t want them to consume. Davis High School in the Salt Lake City area is having to fork over a whopping $15,000 in fines to the Feds because it accidentally sold soda through a vending machine during lunch. Federal law requires the school to turn off its soda machines during the lunch period, which is 47 minutes a day. And Davis High school did turn off the machines in the lunch room. However, the school didn‘t realize that there was another machine in the school bookstore that wasn’t being turned off. And when the food police realized it, the school was hit with a $0.75 fine per student for the duration of the offense. Now the school is going to have to cut money to fine arts programs to make up the cost.Fifteen thousand dollars taken away from educating the kids at Davis High School, not because they willfully defied federal law, but because they inadvertently violated federal law. And a pretty stupid law at that. These are high school kids. How many of them do you think are clever enough to know, that if they are having lunch at 12 and the soda machine shuts off at 11:59, that if they want to drink a soda with lunch, they just buy one a tiny bit earlier? Or across the street at an open store? Give me a break! What business should the federal government have telling any local school district what they can and cannot serve on campus? What comes from the vending machine isn't technically being served by the school anyway! And speaking of intrusion into the lives of the students, remember that story not long ago about a state inspector examining the sack lunches that some preschool children were bringing from home, and rejecting them, according to USDA guidelines! These students were then forced to consume the oh, so nutritional chicken nuggets being served at the school cafeteria! This is the Nanny State on steroids! (And don't get me started on steroids, when Congress hasn't passed a budget in three years, yet can find time for hearings on whether or not athletes took performance enhancing drugs!) Let's review. Each school has a principal. The school is likely part of a district. The district is under the auspices of a county board of education. The county board of education is subject to one of fifty state boards of education. So, with four layers of management, educational and nutritional expertise, in addition to parent teacher groups, why on God's green earth do we need a fifth, federal layer of bureaucracy? To soak up cash that could be going into the classroom to educate our children, all the while creating new regulations and one-size-fits-all restrictions and guidelines in order to justify their existence? BTW, the superintendent of one admittedly large school district receives "an annual salary of $330,000, medical and retirement benefits, and a district car and driver." For comparison, in 2001, the annual salary of POTUS was increased to $400,000 per year, plus $50,000 for expenses. Know of any cities, states or federal governments But this was apparently a federal law that was broken, so for the aforementioned Congress, who cannot even find the time to make good on their Constitutional mandate to produce a federal budget, I would suggest having the 10th Amendment to the Constitution branded on the forearms of every member of Congress, with the stipulation that they only be allowed to wear short sleeved shirts at work. Anyone who can find the penumbra of a shadow of a Constitutional prohibition on soda machines in city public schools may propose the next ordinance, but in the meantime, we need to get the federal government out of the business of trying to micromanage every aspect of our lives and make them focus on the duties they currently neglect that are clearly Constitutional. Serious rant to follow.
Quote du jour
The more obvious explanation of the variable first line in the eternally shifting sands of Obama's biography is that, rather than pretending to have been born in Hawaii, he's spent much of his life pretending to have been born in Kenya.-Mark Steyn
Friday, May 18, 2012
Quote du jour
There is an inverse relationship between reliance on the state and self-reliance.
-William F. Buckley Jr.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Vintage Babe of the Week
Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Senta Berger!
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)
Like fine wines, the ladies improve with age!
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