Heard on the Radio in My Head

Heard on the radio this morning (sorta):
"Teresa Heinz is undergoing breast cancer treatment, including 4 recent surgical procedures, at Tufts Equine Medical Center. Her husband, Senator John Kerry, is stabled nearby and is providing emotional and moral support."

How the Mighty Have Fallen

Heard on the radio today that the count of Tiger mistresses is up to 14.

Also heard that Obama's approval rating has dropped below 50%.

Here's my comment to both of them:

In Honor of Thanksgiving

One of the greatest moments in comedic television:

Happy Thanksgiving - WKRP Turkey Drop - kewego
Happy Thanksgiving from Sharkhost.com!
This is a blast from the past, WKRP in Cincinnati Famous Turkey Drop.
Sharkhost does not own any copyright to this material.

Video from sharkhost

The Bow-er, Part 3

Obama bows to yet another foreign leader. This time it's the Chinese premier. Check out this video from his visit.
Note his bow to the premier at the conclusion of Wen Jiabao's remarks. Here's a still capture in case you missed it:

Now rewind the video and check out how he greets other Chinese officials who are shorter than him with a simple nod. That puts the lie to apologist claims that he was merely leaning over to greet a shorter individual. Clearly he's showing significant deference to the Chinese premier.

And it appears to have happened more that once during his visit. Note that the background and surroundings are completely different from the video above.

Throw the incompetent quisling out before he disgraces himself and and this country to every nation around the world.

Makes My Day

Humor: Obama, Biden and Finances

From Curmudgeonly & Sceptical:

To Bow or not to Bow (again)

For those who have not seen it here's the picture of The One bowing subserviently to the Emperor of Japan:
Check out the video of his meeting here. Observe not only the bow but his continued ducking of the head while conversing with the emperor and his wife. His whole body language is that of subservience. Once could be a mistake, but this is not the first time; there clearly is a pattern here. Disgusting to see from our head of state.

This quote from the article caught my eye: "an unnamed, senior Obama administration official told the Politico.com news site that the president had simply been observing protocol." [emphasis added] What protocol? Other heads of state do not observe such protocol. Previous Presidents have not observed such protocol and have been rightly criticized if they even come close. Whoever is advising the President on protocol needs to be replaced. Maybe they think it funny to have him bow subserviently to other foreign leaders but such behavior reflects negatively on our country.

President Obama needs to remember that he is the President of the United States, not some country bumpkin or inner-city gang-banger touring the world for the first time. "Thou need not bow" has been the rule from day one of this country reflecting the core principle upon which this country founded that is we are republic not a monarchy, a nation of equals equal among the nations, bowing to no one and having no one bow unto us.

Ft. Hood Shooting Rampage Reviewed

It's been over a week since I returned from Ft. Hood. That's right I was at Ft. Hood a week ago Thursday when Nidal Hasan decided to go on a shooting rampage against his fellow soldiers. It's taken me this long to process things and decide to write them up.

A group of us were finishing up a meeting when all the cell phones of the local folks started ringing. That was the first indication that something was happening. Shortly thereafter we got word that there had been a shooting on base and that the base was in lock-down. We spent the next five plus hours locked in the building not really knowing what was happening.

Information was in short supply most of that afternoon. Indications were that there were multiple shooters, that one was dead, that one or two were in custody, and that one or two were still at large. Multiple shooting locations were mentioned. Early on it was even said that there was a possible sniper. All the while the tally of dead and wounded went up, and those of us locked in continued in tension and uncertainty.

We tried to get some work done to wrap up from our meetings that week. It was not very productive due to the nervousness of not knowing what was happening. The cell phone networks were overloaded. Text messaging worked and some of us could hit the Web from our phones, but we did not have a computer network connection, TV or radio for information. And frankly there was not much information out there to be had. I did get a message or two off to my wife letting her know that I was OK, but it was early evening before any cell phone calls would start going though and I was able to talk to her.

By early evening we had learned the name of the thought-to-be-primary shooter. It was quite a shock that it was of their own. We also had final tallies of the dead and wounded, that too was a shock.

At 7:15pm local time lock-down was lifted. Next was the trial of getting off-base with many thousands of other people trying to do the same thing at the same time. It took us over 2 hours. After that was a quick stop for something to eat and a 90 minute drive Austin. All-in-all a very long, tiring day.

Looking back it was fortunate that we were as far from the shooting location as we were, about two and half miles. And as far as I know none of the people killed or wounded were connected to the people that were were meeting with. Still it was not a fun experience and actually there was quite e bit of nervousness and tension from not knowing what was happening.

Regarding the shooter IMNSHO he is the worst of mass murderers. He needs to be tried, convicted, sentenced to death and have his sentence carried out in a prompt manner. I also think the Army, and the probably the rest of the military, needs to re-examine their attitudes and practices related to Muslim service members. I'm not saying that they should receive extra scrutiny, but quite clearly signs were missed because of hyper-concerns about appearances of religious persecution. If someone is not performing, or showing signs of agitation and concern, that needs to be dealt with directly and not skirted because of the person's religion.

Furthermore, people should be allowed to carry guns for personal protection on military bases. There were hundreds of trained people in close proximity who could have made short work of Nidal Hasan and potentially saved the health and lives of some of their fellow soldiers if they were allowed to carry on base. Sadly this is yet another example demonstrating that victim disarmament zones do not work.

Graphical "Comment"

The original photo caption contest is found here

My Take on the Balloon Boy Escapade

I think the balloon was launched deliberately, most likely by the parents, but possibly by one or two of the other brothers. Maybe they thought to get a bit of news notice just from the balloon flying around; but, I do not think they manufactured the missing child report as part of the balloon launch; seems to have been very genuine. that means their other son was either mistaken, or pulling his own childish prank, in saying Falcon was in the balloon, but my strong sense is that they truly though their son was missing and in the balloon and that was not part of the plan in any way.

What baffles me a bit then is why don't they just admit they launched to balloon deliberately but that the rest of it was a true mistake. I suspect they'd get hit with some fines for interfering with airport traffic but I have to think that fallout would be less damaging than being charged for the whole "rescue effort" because nobody believes anything they say.

UPDATE: Just saw the ABC interview with the family. Here's what appeared to happen based on the interview and home video they showed:

The family was preparing the balloon for a tethered test flight. Parents then go inside for some period of time.

While parents are inside brother observes Falcon crawl under the balloon, go out of sight, and then sees the door to the cargo box close or has been closed. He assumes Falcon went into the balloon; a reasonable assumption give that Falcon had gone into the cargo box before.

Meanwhile Falcon had crawled under the balloon, closed the door and went into the garage out of sight of his brothers. He climbs up into the garage attic via some route neither his brothers or parents knew about and hides in a box. What 6 year old does not have a hiding place that few, if anyone, knows about.

Parents return and release the balloon from a holding frame for a test flight. As seen on home video the tethers either break or were not tied securely and the balloon flies free. Father is angry that balloon got away.

The brother then tells parents he saw Falcon go into the balloon. Parents call 911, officials chase balloon, balloon lands, no one inside. Meanwhile Falcon continues to hid in garage attic.

Eventually police search garage attic and find Falcon. He comes out, sees all the people and cameras, and given he's been exposed to TV shows assumes the balloon was launched as part of some kind of TV show. Again, not unreasonable logic for a 6 year old given his past experiences.

If the event went down something like that, what culpability is there? None that I can reasonably see. You can claim the ropes should have been tied better, the parents should have checked the cargo box, or should have known where all their children are every split-second of the day, but frankly that's all Monday-morning quarterbacking and nanny-state mentality.

Accidents do happen at no fault to anyone. Ropes break, or come untied. People are out of sight for a moment or two. Reasonable, but ultimately false, assumptions are made.

Moral of the story? I don't think there is one, unless to observe that somewhere, someone will second-guess anything; sometimes it's even me.

UPDATE II: I stand corrected. The mother has apparently confessed it was all a stunt. Assuming that's true, then charge 'em up and call DSS.

O'Humor

From MArooned:

Numbers Don't Lie

On September 12th there was a conservative march in Washington D.C. Numbers estimates for that march were all over the map with the MSM generally using "tens of thousands", which appears to translate to around 70 thousand in this case, and some supporters using "2 million". Charlie Martin over at Pajamas Media took a critical look at the estimates and came up with a ballpark figure of 850 thousand. What I found amazing was the lack of media coverage for that march given it's size and the fact that it occurred the day after September 11th. In fact what little coverage there was seemed to be more about the wide variance in crowd estimates than any of the subjects of the demonstration.

Fast forward to this weekend. There was a gay rights march this weekend that the MSM is saying was attended by "tens of thousands"; note the use of the same phrase as above. It's gotten wide coverage in the MSM yet if one looks at the estimates by the Daily Kos, not exactly an unbiased source, one will see that 20-30 thousand is what they estimate. So in this case "tens of thousands" equals 20-30 thousand.

So, given two marches, one of which was most likely at least an order of magnitude larger than the other, with the relative MSM coverage of those two marches being the inverse of their size, why would anyone assume the MSM is unbiased in it's news coverage?

Nobel Prize Commitee Jumps the Shark, Again

Zinged!

More Racist Projection

Wilson's son says Congressman is not racist

Responding to an audience question at a town hall at his presidential center in Atlanta, Carter said Tuesday that Wilson's outburst was also rooted in fears of a black president.

"I think it's based on racism," Carter said. "There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president."

"There is not a racist bone in my dad's body," said Alan Wilson, an Iraq veteran who is running for state attorney general in South Carolina. "He doesn't even laugh at distasteful jokes. I won't comment on former President Carter, because I don't know President Carter. But I know my dad, and it's just not in him."

Jimmy Carter is full of manure. When will Obamanauts get it through their head that we disagree with what he is doing because of what he is doing, not because of his skin color. IMNSHO it's pure projection on the part of the old peanut farmer.

Obama Administration Dissimulation

From the UK (found via New England Republican): "No.10 turns on Obama and Clinton for criticising decision to release Lockerbie bomber"

President Obama and the US Secretary of State fuelled a fierce American backlash against Britain, claiming Abdelbaset Al Megrahi should have been forced to serve out his jail sentence in Scotland – but a senior Whitehall aide said their reaction was ‘disingenuous’.

British officials claim Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton were kept informed at all stages of discussions concerning Megrahi’s return.

The officials say the Americans spoke out because they were taken aback by the row over Megrahi’s release, not because they did not know it was about to happen.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1211495/No-10-turns-Obama-Clinton-criticising-decision-release-Lockerbie-bomber.html#ixzz0QQrofhPi

Such hypocrisy. I wish I could say I was surprised.

More Strange News

Pa. man fires cannon, hits neighbor's house

A Pennsylvania history buff who recreates firearms from old wars accidentally fired a 2-pound cannonball through the wall of his neighbor's home

The moral of the story is that the four rules of gun safety apply even when your firearm is a 2.0 caliber cannon.

Putting Teddy Kennedy to Rest

I've been putting off posting anything here about the late Senator Kennedy mostly because I have little good to say about the man and I'm tired of hearing about him. Well, Jay G. over at MArooned has just posted pretty much everything I would say about Teddy Kennedy in "I Blog Not to Praise Caesar but to Bury Him." I urge you to go and read it. The only thing I would add would be to emphasize that virtually everything about Mr. Kennedy's personal conduct ran contrary to what I believe to be good and moral behavior.
Is sileo, finis.

Here Are a Few With A Clue

There a some real Republican politicians still around. Watch and learn:



Both courtesy of Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.

More Health Care "Reform"

According to this article, the Republicans have had 3 alternatives on the table starting in May of this year:

In May, Republicans in the House and the Senate formed a bicameral coalition to produce the130-page “Patients Choice Act of 2009.”

In June, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) introduced the “Health Care Freedom Plan,” a 41-page proposal.

And in July, the Republican Study Committee, under the leadership of Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), unveiled the “Empowering Patients First Act,” a 130-page plan.

To quote the article:

Some of the provisions included in one or more of the bills include: investing in preventive medicine, an overhaul of Medicaid, reduction of abuse and fraud in the Medicare program, supplemental health insurance for low-income families, tax credits for health insurance, and a ban on federal funds being used for abortions.

Are they better than the President's plan? Republicans generally think so, others obviously do not. Disagreeing about which one is better is part of the political discussion, and one that I hope could be had honestly. However, claiming that no Republican alternatives have been offered is a false argument and is IMNSHO a clear indication of the unwillingness of the Democrat leadership to have an honest debate or discussion on this subject.

And if that's not enough proof we have "Obama opposed healthcare reform before he was for it":

Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) has been one of Obama's staunchest critics on this issue. He says the president opposed meaningful Republican legislation while he still a member of the Senate.

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina)"I want Americans to be clear that I have introduced major healthcare reform every year I've been in the Senate. Barack Obama did not introduce any that I'm aware of. He voted against Republican reforms that would have made it less expensive and more accessible for individuals to have their own insurance if they didn't get it at work," DeMint points out. "He's done everything he can to maintain the status quo so that he could call for government intervention -- and we need to expose that to the American people."

Tell me it ain't so; that our current President would engage in disingenuous partisan politics to further his own personal agenda.

MSNBC Propaganda

For those of you who might have missed it several people openly and legally carried guns at a recent speech by Mr. Obama in Phoenix. It is worth noting:

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

Now we have the mainstream media in the form of MSNBC attempting to conflate those peaceful, legal activities into a threatening racist issue:

Observe the hysterical allegations and fear-mongering that appears to be the purpose of said report.

It's all false propaganda. Here is a video and still shot of the same person at the same event. The still shot even comes from MSNBCs own web site.

Observe that MSNBC had to frame and chop the video of the man with the rifle to obscure his skin color, otherwise it invalidates their entire premise. Disgusting. I wish I could say I'm surprised at their bias, and their lying, but I'm not.

Parade of the Obliviots

Describes this mornings commute; from the soccer moms in their Ford Explorers (yes there was more than one), to the dude in the work van who was more concerned with drinking his large cup of Dunkin' coffee than driving, to the Latina princess using her cell phone like a PA mike, and the guy napping as he drove in his generic Chevy sedan it seemed nobody was paying attention to what lane they were in, what lanes were open, their speed, or where anyone else was on the road. Days like today make telecommuting so very attractive.

And while I'm in rant mode, what is with people using their cell phones like old-fashioned radios by holding it front of their mouth to talk, then holding it to their ear to listen, then their mouth, then their ear ... ...? It strikes me as rather strange, inefficient, technically unsavvy behavior.

Health Care "Reform" Tom-Foolery

First we have:

White House appears ready to drop 'public option' (Aug 16 2009, 7:36 pm ET)

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that government alternative to private health insurance is "not the essential element" of the administration's health care overhaul. The White House would be open to co-ops, she said, a sign that Democrats want a compromise so they can declare a victory.

then within hours we have:

Administration Official: "Sebelius Misspoke." (Aug 16 2009, 9:11 pm)

A second official, Linda Douglass, director of health reform communications for the administration, said that President Obama believed that a public option was the best way to reduce costs and promote competition among insurance companies, that he had not backed away from that belief, and that he still wanted to see a public option in the final bill.

Sebelius's trial balloon got shot down by her own boss within hours. How's that for a vote of confidence? If one reads the bill I'm sure they will find that a public option is integral to this bill and thus cannot be removed from it.

Speaking of reading the bill, here's someone who has: "What HR 3200, 'America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009,' Says". I'll summarize his points, but please go read the full analysis to understand the full impact danger of this bill:

1. Will the plan ration health care? Yes
2. Will the plan punish Americans who try to opt out? Yes
3. What constitutes “acceptable” coverage? "the bill makes health plans in which individuals pay for routine services, but carry insurance only for catastrophic events, (such as Health Savings Accounts) illegal."
4. Will the plan destroy private health insurance? Yes
5. Does the plan TAX successful Americans more than others? Yes
6. Does the plan allow the government to set fees for services? Yes
7. Will the plan increase the power of government officials to scrutinize our private affairs? Yes. [Think what this means for HIPA protections]
8. Does the plan automatically enroll Americans in the government plan? Yes
9. Does the plan exempt federal officials from court review? Yes

Keep up the pressure on your public officials to reject this evil bill. If not, then run away; run away fast.

Green Car Goonery

There's been much discussion and debate on the In-Tar-Webs about the Cash-for-Clunkers debacle, it's actual and theoretical efficacy as an economic stimulus program, and whether it should be refunded. All of that has totally missed the point.

Cash-For-Clunkers is NOT an economic stimulus program; it is an amateurish social engineering program designed to advance the Green environmental agenda by paying people to destroy their current cars and buy "greener" ones. For example, a true economic stimulus program would inject the used vehicles back into the market to encourage further economic activity not require that they be destroyed. It merely masquerades as an stimulus program to take advantage of the current economic crisis in true Alinsky fashion.

And for the more cautious among us, here's a video from Glenn Beck about some more insidious potential problems with this program.

It is worth pointing out that just because the government could do some of the things discussed in the video does not mean that they actually are.

No more of my tax dollars to this program. Let it die.

Economic Planning

The same could be said for health care reform too.

News of the Strange

Oscar Mayer Wienermobile crashes into Wis. home

One southern Wisconsin homeowner is probably not in love with the Oscar Mayer wiener. The famed hot dog's Wienermobile crashed Friday into the deck and garage of a home in Mount Pleasant, about 35 miles south of Milwaukee.

Do you think the homeowners will take compensation in the form of a free lifetime supply of Oscar Mayer hot dogs?

Car Work is a Pain

4 hours to replace brake pads on the family van. The front brakes were not so bad. The back brakes took twice as long because the bolts holding the calipers were a pain to get to.

Mea Culpa

Sorry I have not been posting recently.  Work has been quite busy and really cutting into home time too.  This has left little time to blog anything.  Patience is a virtue so this time of craziness will pass.

News You Won't Hear From the LameStream Media

Another ethics complaint against Gov. Palin dismissed

The governor's office said the dismissal by a representative of the Alaska Personnel Board is the 14th ethics complaint against Palin or her staff to be resolved with no finding that the Executive Branch Ethics Act was violated.

Not just another, the 14th, and so far the score is 14-0 for Sarah Palin. Of course it's cost her over $500K to defend against such fraudulent charges.

Ironically, if that's not unethical attempted abuse of the ethics enforcement system for persecutory reasons then I don't know what is. The amount of fear and hatred she engenders from liberal left and country-club center continues to both amaze me, and to encourage me that she represents the way the country should be going.

On a related note: Palin helps NY town celebrate Alaska purchase

More than 20,000 people turned out to see the former Republican vice presidential candidate lead a parade through downtown Auburn and sign a proclamation on the steps of City Hall honoring Seward as "the one person most responsible for Alaska."

I heard a report on the radio from someone who happened to be in Auburn at the same time as this event for other reasons. The caller was amazed at the number of people that came from as far away as Ohio, Michigan and Rhode Island just to see and hear Sarah Palin.

Sarah Palin obviously continues to have a populist appeal to that cannot be denied. I pray the Republican Party wakes up to reality that conservative, not liberal, is where we need to go as a party and a country, and fully supports Mrs. Palin with that message.

Kick the traitors out: Sarah Palin for 2012!

Who's Your Daddy

U.S. blocking Israeli access to U.S. fighter-jets

The Obama administration has imposed obstacles on Israeli efforts to procure U.S.-origin fighter-jets.

Administration sources said the White House has drafted measures that could prevent Israel and other non-NATO allies from procuring U.S. fighter-jets, including the F-35. They said the administration would require that Israel obtain special permission from the Defense Department and State Department to acquire the Joint Strike Fighter.

The administration has also been resisting Israeli requests for technical data on the new F-15SE fighter-jet.

and

Administration blocks helicopters for Israel due to civilian casualties in Gaza

The Obama administration has blocked Israel's request for advanced U.S.-origin attack helicopters.

Government sources said the administration has held up Israel's request for the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter.

Yet

Obama Approves Longbow For Egypt

The administration of President Barack Obama has notified Congress that
Egypt would receive the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter in an $820
million deal. Congress, notified on the eve of Obama's visit to Cairo and
the Middle East, has 30 days to block the Egyptian request for the Longbow.

Note that these are the same helicopters being denied to Israel.

Barry, your bias is showing.

Sotomayor Exposed Continued

One of her overturned cases continues to build the picture of liberal judicial activist willing to interpret laws strictly or loosely to fit her agenda.

From "Sotomayor's Record Could Give Environmentalists Hope, Business Leaders Pause":

Sotomayor ruled that, according to the relevant statute, the EPA must consider the best technology available -- and cannot factor into the equation the billions it would cost businesses to comply.

"The statutory language requires that the ... selection ... be driven by technology, not cost," read the opinion from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

A ruling straight out of the radical environmental playbook based on the most narrow, torturous reading of the law.

Logically though the Supreme Court disagreed:

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia noted that forcing compliance under Sotomayor's reasoning would make companies spend nine times the amount necessary to accomplish "nearly the same benefit to the environment that cheaper technologies would achieve."

"The EPA's current practice is a reasonable and hence legitimate exercise of its discretion to weigh benefits against costs ... We conclude that the EPA permissibly relied on cost-benefit analysis," the majority said in its April decision.

In this case, as in the Mahoney v. Cuomo case, she chose to interpret the law as narrowly as she could to further her agenda.

However, in other cases, like Ricci v. DeStefano, Gant v. Wallingford Board of Education, Makesko v. Correctional Services Corporation, Bartlett v. New York State Board of Law Examiners and E.E.O.C. v. J.B. Hunt Transport she has expanded the interpretation and scope of the law to further a liberal perspective. In most of these cases she exercised her "empathy" in making said decisions.

Just say no to identity politics; vote no Sonia.

p.s. This article contains a pretty comprehensive and unbiased summary of her more notable rulings.

Sotomayor Exposed II

A fifth reason to oppose Ms Sotomayor has surfaced. It has now come to light that even post-Heller as a card-carrying liberal she continues to fight the plain reading of the 2nd Amendment:

In Maloney v. Cuomo, Sotomayor signed an opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that said the Second Amendment does not protect individuals from having their right to keep and bear arms restricted by state governments.

Her logic in this is quite convoluted, reflecting her "considerable" jurisprudential skills. She claims:

that even though the Heller decision held that the right to keep and bear arms was a natural right--and therefore could not be justly denied to a law-abiding citizen by any government, federal, state or local--the Second Circuit was still bound by the 1886 case, because Heller only dealt indirectly with the issue before her court.

Yet the Supreme Court itself in the landmark Heller case said the 1886 Presser case does not apply:

“Presser said nothing about the Second Amendment’s meaning or scope, beyond the fact that it does not prevent the prohibition of private paramilitary organizations,” the court ruled. “This does not refute the individual-rights interpretation of the Amendment.”

Even the 9th Court of Appeals, one of the most liberal in the land, gets this right:

Sotomayor’s ruling ran to the left of even the reliably liberal San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which ruled in the April 2009 case Nordyke v. King that the Second Amendment did, in fact, apply to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment, heavily citing the Supreme Court in Heller.

We continue to see how this "wise Latina woman", now nominated to sit on the highest court of the land, clings to her discredited and unconstitutional views, disregards current law, and pushes her liberal, activist agenda from the bench. Send her back to NY, now.

Sotomayor Exposed

Underneath the tidal wave of gushiness for Her Honor there appear to be some real coral heads upon which her nomination should (but probably will not) flounder.

First is her basic temperament as a judge. Multiple sources indicate that she is a bully on the bench. Here are quotes from two different sources that speak to this:

Lawyers who have argued cases before Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor call her "nasty," "angry" and a "terror on the bench," according to the current Almanac of the Federal Judiciary -- a kind of Zagat's guide to federal judges

and

The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench," as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. "She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren't penetrating and don't get to the heart of the issue." (During one argument, an elderly judicial colleague is said to have leaned over and said, "Will you please stop talking and let them talk?")

Allegations such as this have derailed previous Supreme Court nominees, but I do not expect that to be the case this time. Too many Republican Senators will play by the unwritten rules rather than "Bork" Her Honor as she should be.

Second is her view of the role of the judiciary in the US system of government. Her comment here about appeals judges being expected to make policy is most telling. Her immediate "denial" or "explanation" is clearly a posterior-covering exercise as evidenced by her comments about it being on tape. IMNSHO she unabashedly considers herself to be an activist judge, out to make law and policy. Not a big surprise, given her hypocritical nominator and his plain statements about his intent to nominate just such judges, but it is something that should be questioned during her nomination hearings, and this time with some tenacity as there is now more evidence of her judicial activism.

Third is the role of her ethic and social background in her behavior as a judge. One has to be deaf, dumb and blind to have not heard about her "wise Latina woman" comment. Ill advised, yes, but I actually do not have a problem with judges using their background and experience to help them to understand the nature and facts of the cases before them; that is part of being human. Where it becomes an issue is when ones race or ethnicity causes one to ignore the clear facts in a case or disregard settled law as the basis for judgment. I've not seen evidence that she has gone this far but the question should be asked and examined.

Frankly, I'm more concerned about her membership in "La Raza". Reportedly La Raza has "promoted driver's licenses for illegal aliens, amnesty programs, and no immigration law enforcement by local and state police" and has supported the more radical secessionist Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan. Ms. Sotomayor's level of involvement in and support for the policies of La Raza should be vigorously examined during her hearing, but I doubt it will be.

Finally is her actual competence as a judge. Clearly she has the requisite education and has punched all the right tickets to be on the Supreme Court, however anyone that has worked in the real world knows that such types of qualifications do not necessarily guarantee actual competence. There is evidence that she actually is not that good a judge. Three of five of her rulings that have gone to the Supreme Court have been reversed and it appears likely a fourth one will be as well. Furthermore her written opinions are reported to be,

"not especially clean or tight, and sometimes miss[ing] the forest for the trees."

In addition:

Some former clerks and prosecutors expressed concerns about her command of technical legal details: In 2001, for example, a conservative colleague, Ralph Winter, included an unusual footnote in a case suggesting that an earlier opinion by Sotomayor might have inadvertently misstated the law in a way that misled litigants.

Clearly there are concerns here that in my opinion should disqualify her. Unfortunately it appears they are being overlooked in the arguments about the more sensational and inconsequential aspects of her nomination.

In the end what I'd like to see is the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee stringently examine Ms. Sotomayor's qualifications, temperament, credentials and competency to be on the US Supreme Court. If they do so in a fair and historically consistent manner I am confident that some or all of them will vote against her. Similarly the members of the full Senate should consider and vote against her nomination when it comes to a full vote. The odds of this happening I think are less than zero.

On the other hand, I do not think a filibuster against her nomination should be attempted at this time. It is likely to fail and there are other more winnable battles in the future for which such large artillery should be saved.

More Financial Blame-Shifting

Congress Approves Bill Restricting Credit Card Industry

The new restrictions would protect debt-ridden consumers from many of the surprise charges common in the industry, like over-the-limit fees and a charge to pay the bill by phone.

Lack of reading comprehension does not make something a surprise. Read your credit agreement people.

As banks scramble to make up for the lost revenue, cardholders who pay off their balance in full each month could also see annual fees become the norm and lucrative rewards programs canceled.

On the plus side for consumers, card holders who see their interest rate skyrocket because they have been late on a payment would get a chance at their older, lower rate if they pay their bill on time each month for six months.

This is yet another example of law-abiding, responsible citizens bearing the burden of the financially irresponsible.

Scarier Than the Original

And I thought the original song was kind-of creepy...

Biden's Lips Sinks Ships

Continued evidence that the ineptitude of the POTUS is only exceeded by that of his VP: Biden Reveals Location of Secret VP Bunker.

If I revealed that kind of information I'd be out of job in a heartbeat and blackballed from the entire industry I've worked in for almost 30 years.

Where Have You Been

Between work travel, visiting family and cross-country vacations as a child I've been to most of the continental states.

visited 42 states (84%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Best time to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina
found via Weer'd World Arrr

Double Standard

What's good for the goose:
Golf Analyst Feherty Sorry for Pelosi Joke in Dallas Magazine

"From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though," Feherty wrote toward the end of his column.

"Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death."

Feherty, a former Ryder Cup player who grew up in Northern Ireland, has gone to Iraq over Thanksgiving the past two years to visit with U.S. troops, and he created a foundation to help wounded soldiers.

"This passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president," Feherty said in a statement. "In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize. As for our troops, they know I will continue to do as much as I can for them both at home and abroad."

Should be good for the gander:
Obama, Comic Wanda Sykes Headline D.C. Correspondents' Dinner

Former Vice President Dick Cheney couldn't make the dinner, Obama joked, because he was writing his memoir, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people."

and Wanda Sykes: Rush Limbaugh was the '20th hijacker'

“Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails. So you’re saying, ‘I hope America fails.’ You’re like, ‘I don’t care about people losing their homes, their jobs or our soldiers in Iraq.’ He just wants our country to fail.

To me, that’s treason. He’s not saying anything differently than Osama bin Laden is saying. You know you might want to look into this, sir, because I think Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker but he was just so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight

“Too much?

“You’re laughing inside, I know you’re laughing.

“Rush Limbaugh — I hope the country fails. I hope his kidneys fail, how about that?

“He needs a waterboarding, that’s what he needs.”

Where's the apologies from these 2 comedians; making fun of people being accidentally shot, wishing kidney failure upon others? Oh I forgot, it's a White House function; The media's One won so the rules do not apply, again and again and again.

No Honor Among Thieves

Party Switch Costs Specter His Seniority on Senate Committees

The Senate last night stripped Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) of his seniority on committees, a week after the 29-year veteran of the chamber quit the Republican Party to join the Democrats.

Bwahahaha. Welcome to the party of Hopenchange. Couldn't happen to a nicer fella.

The loss of seniority could prove costly to Specter in his campaign to win reelection in 2010, denying him the ability to distinguish himself from a newcomer in his ability to claim key positions.

He who lives by the sword (of politics) dies by the sword (of politics). Put that in your re-election pipe and smoke it.

How to Avoid Swine Flu

Don't do this :)

Zings from Around the Blogsphere!

Kit Bond discussing November's election

Rush On Jeb Bush, Romney: They "Hate" And "Despise" Palin

Goebbels Redux

Math

from the Dread Pundit Bluto:

Work

Found this via the evangelical outpost. It's a bit long, but entertaining and very well worth watching:
Epiphany is another the word that comes to mind through this.

Craigslist Humor

Found on the Internet today:

The following message was posted on Craigslist, but has been removed. What a great message! Those in states permitted to carry concealed weapons can appreciate this!

To the Guy Who Mugged Me Downtown (Downtown, Savannah )

I was the white guy with the black Burrberry jacket that you demanded I hand over shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I hope you somehow come across this message. I'd like to apologize.

I didn't expect you to crap your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket. Truth is, I was wearing the jacket for a reason that evening, and it wasn't that cold outside. You see, my girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber 1911 .45 ACP pistol for Christmas, and we had just picked up a shoulder holster for it that evening. Beautiful pistol, eh? It's a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head, isn't it?

I know it probably wasn't a great deal of fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge flopping about in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse since you also ended up leaving your shoes, cellphone, and wallet with me. I couldn't have you calling up any of your buddies to come help you try to mug us again. I took the liberty of calling your mother, or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, and explaining to her your situation. I also bought myself some gas on your card. I gave your shoes to one of the homeless guys over by Vinnie Van Go Go's, al ong with all of the cash in your wallet, then I threw the wallet itself in a dumpster.

I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell. They'll be on your bill in case you'd like to know which ones. Alltel recently shut down the line, and I've only had the phone for a little over a day now, so I don't know what's going on with that. I hope they haven't permanently cut off your service. I was about to make some threatening phone calls to the DA's office with it. Oh well.

So, about your pants. I know that I was a little rough on you when you did this whole attempted mugging thing, so I'd like to make it up to you. I'm sure you've already washed your pants, so I'd like to help you out. I'd like to reimburse you for the detergent you used on the pants. What brand did you use, and was it liquid or powder? I'd also like to apologize for not killing you and instead making you walk back home humiliated. I'm hoping that you'll reconsider your choice of path in life. Next time you might not be so lucky. If you read this message, email me and we'll do lunch and laundry.

Peace!

This wasn't you who posted it was it brother?

News from the News

Canada Issues a Wake-Up Call: You May Be a Citizen

Thanks to a new law, Canada will bestow citizenship Friday on what its government believes could be hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting foreigners, most of them Americans.

You may be a hoser and didn't know it, eh.

King family draws fees from DC memorial project

The family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has charged the foundation building a monument to the civil rights leader on the National Mall about $800,000 for the use of his words and image — an arrangement one leading scholar says King would have found offensive.

Enterprising capitalism, crass commercialization, fair use, or plain old extortion? You be the judge.

Hopeful cities, towns find limits on stimulus cash

Some town leaders say the federal stimulus package, with its promise of creating jobs, is neglecting to invest in the cornerstones of community life, from new city halls to recreation centers.

And ya'all thought it was going to be free money from the government: Ain't no such thing.

Another Take on The Sermon on the Mount

entered by yours truly onto http://www.wordle.net/

Obama the Oblivious

What Do You Expect?

The Valiant Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips' brave escape attempt; Pirates recapture US hostage after escape attempt: Too bad the Navy didn't have your back.

Around midnight local time, Phillips jumped off the lifeboat and began swimming, but was recaptured, according to Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about unfolding operations.

Sailors on the USS Bainbridge, which is patrolling nearby, were able to see Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the lifeboat, and the Defense Department officials think he is unharmed.

I really wonder about the rules of engagement people are operating under out there. Clearly they are not working to actually rescue him. Where were the Navy Seals that should be shadowing that lifeboat from below? Why were the pirates that left the lifeboat to recapture Captain Phillips not taken out as soon as they showed themselves after he went overboard? And why was the lifeboat not turned into flaming, bullet-ridden flotsam as soon as Captain Phillips was away from it?

I'm guessing that this operation has been completely focused towards a negotiated end from the highest levels of our government and thus those on the water are not and were not prepared to take any immediate forceful actions when presented with the right opportunity. Captain Phillips is a certified hero and deserves far better support from his countrymen than he is getting right now. Sad.

The Gift War (and more)

Yesterday I posted about one of the better April Fools jokes, one that involved President Obama. I wish today's post was also a joke, sadly it is not: British Queen gets personalized iPod from Obama

During their private meeting, President Obama and first lady gave the queen a personalized iPod with video footage of her 2007 visit to Washington and Virginia.

The One continues to act like a cultural moron, trivializing international relations with some of our closest allies (and some of our enemies).

It appears however that the British now understand this and are responding accordingly:

In return the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, gave the Obamas a signed portrait of themselves.

I predict a gift war with the British that would make Monty Python proud.

UPDATE: The gaucheness continues: Did the First Lady Break Protocol? The short answer is "Yes".

UPDATE II: This is beyond gauche: Obama Bows to Saudi King; and it was a full-blown bow, not just a polite head nod of greeting as would be exchanged among equals. His utter lack of understanding of political and social manners and customs is beyond appalling; it will hurt this country in some way some time in the not too distant future. One wonders whether it comes from his background and upbringing, or is it a profoundly misguided attempt to restore "respect for America from other countries" by showing obsequiousness. Either way it's bad news.

Bubba Be Bad

From Car and Driver:

In a move sure to spark outrage, the White House announced today that GM and Chrysler must cease participation in NASCAR at the end of the 2009 season if they hope to receive any additional financial aid from the government. Companies around the globe—Honda and Audi, to name two—have drawn down racing operations, and NASCAR itself has already felt the pinch in the form of reduced team spending. A complete withdrawal from America’s premier racing series is expected to save more than $250 million between GM and Chrysler, a substantial amount considering the drastic measures being implemented elsewhere...

Bwahahahaha. What makes this one so good is that it could be true. Really.

Hmm, Hmm, Hmm

I don't follow MMA but this one is pretty good:

I love the reaction of the ref: Is his name Barry?

Barry, One Smooth Dancer

Not!
ACORN to Play Role in 2010 Census

The U.S. Census is supposed to be free of politics, but one group with a history of voter fraud, ACORN, is participating in next year's count, raising concerns about the politicization of the decennial survey.

Payin' back the peps.

Obama White House bars press from press award ceremony

The president is to receive the award from the federation of black community newspapers in a White House ceremony this afternoon.

The Obama White House has closed the press award ceremony to the press.

Transparency? Openness? Not even close.

Obama Ashamed Of Old Glory? Hides Flag For Message To Iran

In the main, generic version, an American flag is plainly visible in the background. But below that there are links to other versions, including “.mp4 with Persian subtitles.” Persian is of course the language of Iran, so that is the version designed by the White House to be seen there.

Click on it and you’ll see that—poof!—the American flag has disappeared from the background.

Country, what country?

It's certainly becoming one that I find hard to recognize.

AIG Is Not The Problem

I originally posted this elsewhere, but I figure it's worth posting here too (with a few minor tweaks).

The AIG tax bill that the House passed is beyond ridiculous. It is outright unconstitutional according to Article 1, Section 9:

No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

A bill of attainder is "a legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial." The bills language is very tightly targeted to just AIG, and retroactive to previously allowed actions. I do not see how this will pass legal muster or either the attainder or the retroactive aspects. I predict someone will take it to court and spank Congress heartily, all at our expense.

I also find the utter hypocrisy of both the Congressional and Executive branches in this matter to be completely disgusting: Sen. Dodd Admits Adding Bonus Provision to Stimulus Package

In a dramatic reversal Wednesday, Sen. Chris Dodd confessed to adding language to a spending cap in the stimulus bill last month that specifically excluded executive bonuses included in contracts signed before the bill's passage.

Dodd, D-Conn., told FOX News that Treasury officials forced him to make the change.

furthermore,

Amid AIG Furor, Dodd Tries to Undo Bonus Protections in the 'Dodd Amendment' Rules

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) on Monday night floated the idea of taxing American International Group bonus recipients so the government could recoup some or all of the $450 million the company is paying to employees in its financial products unit.

The outrage being expressed by Dodd, Geinter and The One is completely bogus and two-faced. Two (or even three or four) wrongs do not make a right. Obviously neither does Congress or the President.

Alabama Tragedy

I'm sure most have heard about this by now. If not here's a page with links to stories about this tragic event.

Today I came across an article with more info on this tragedy: Town comedian hailed as hero in Alabama killings

On Friday, witnesses and authorities said Maloy, the 10th and final victim of Tuesday's shooting rampage by Michael McLendon, single-handedly tried to end the violence with his beat-up old pickup truck.

With gunshots still echoing through downtown Samson and the killer headed toward a bigger city 12 miles away, Maloy chased McLendon's dark red Mitsubishi out of town, ramming the vehicle at least once.

Maloy slowed down the killer briefly, and he may have given police and state troopers time to catch up to McLendon, said Geneva County Chief Deputy Tony Helms. But it cost him his life.

Stories like this make me wish more people could and would carry.

On a larger front, is it me or have there really been more news reports of people committing crimes with guns in the last few weeks since AG Holder announced his idea for a new weapons ban? I would be quite interested in any studies that have been or are being done that show or disprove any correlation between the reporting of gun-involved crimes and gun control-related announcements. I'm not claiming there are any conspiracies, but I also do not believe much in coincidence.

Geeks do the 2nd Amendment

As posted on an internet board:

The state doesn't give us anything. The rights were simply enumerated.

Your right to defend yourself is bestowed upon you when you are instantiated.

While I believe my base class to include this right as well, the state has thus far overloaded the 2A operator with a null pointer... As of yet the linter has not detected this and a segfault is occurring when the function is referenced...

LOL

Compare and Contrast

Steele no Steal

What the heck was he thinking?: Limbaugh's latest attacker: RNC's Steele

In a little-noticed interview Saturday night, Steele dismissed Limbaugh as an “entertainer” whose show is “incendiary” and “ugly.”

I'm not the biggest fan of Rush Limbaugh, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Michael Steele was supposed to be the great uniter for the Republicans, kind-of in the mold of The One for the Democrats. Comments like this are not the way to do it.

Obama Humor

From LawDog via Weer'd World Arrr:

Q: What's the difference between Jesus and Obama?

A: Jesus was a carpenter; Obama can't even assemble a cabinet.

*rimshot*

The last time I saw this many withdrawals, it was in the Detox tank at the County jail on a bad Saturday night.

LawDog

Truth

John Bolton on Barack Obama*:

Being inconsistent or deceptive is not the same thing as being a moderate.

Bwahahahaha

*from World Magazine Blog

The Rat Resurfaces

The rat that is Northeast Traders resurfaces again:

It seems that while every store in the state sells them. They are not on the approved Roster. I came into work last night to find them all locked up back in the cage.

It seems someone came into the store, I was told, on Saturday to return a 22A that he bought from Bass Pro.

From what I was told yesterday by several different people...

He went into Northeast Trading and was talking about the 22A he bought from Bass Pro. He was told by someone there that it was a felony to own the pistol, and he needed to take it back.

So, he came back on Saturday, as I posted above, and was freaking out that he was going to go to Jail and demanded that we take it back.

So, we took it back, we removed them from the shelves.

As I've said before with regard to their history, Northeast Trading is a lying, scum of the earth dealer who is an enemy of gun owners in Massachusetts and should be boycotted by us all. Just so you know who he is here is the address and contact information:

Northeast Trading Company
Rt. 152/580 Kelley Blvd.
North Attleboro, MA 02760
508-695-4852 or 800-473-3006
sales@northeasttrading.com
http://www.northeasttrading.com/
Read, heed and avoid

The First Skirmish

The White House does it's best "General Gage":

and the colonists respond*:

*found via Oraculations

Revolution

Taxes? We don't pay no sticking taxes! We just print money and spend it.
George Stephanopoulos’s Buddy Rahm Emanuel in Possible Tax Trouble

The Washington Times and New York Daily News, among other news outlets, have reported that, as a member of Congress, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel received rent-free accommodations from Representative Rosa DeLauro for five years, raising the question of whether Emanuel properly complied with gift rules for House members and whether he should have paid taxes on the imputed income of the gift.

Another Obama administration appointee or official has tax issues.

Government accountability takes yet another combination to the body:
The RAT hiding deep inside the stimulus bill

In the name of accountability and transparency, Congress has given the RAT Board the authority to ask “that an inspector general conduct or refrain from conducting an audit or investigation.”
...
The language means that the board — whose chairman will be appointed by the president — can reach deep inside a federal agency and tell an inspector general to lay off some particularly sensitive subject. Or, conversely, it can tell the inspector general to go after a tempting political target.

There appears to be some confusion on the part of the current administration about the differences between power, independence and transparency.

In the end, when you have a nation of farmers and merchants that is where their revolution begins. When you have a nation of capitalists where does that revolution begin? Here's one possibility:

Heartwarming

From Gonzo’s Bar & Go-Go Grill (found via Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler):

When I first opened my old computer repair shop, it was a part time weekend and evening thing, a one man operation. To this end, I bought an old service station which had been converted to a pizza shop, both businesses of which were defunct...

Imagine my surprise when I go there the other night and find that there are people parked there...

As I walked in, I had opportunity to look at the bumpers of the cars parked there.

“Obama ‘08.” “Hope. Change.” “Obama/Biden.” All three cars belonging to LIBERALS. One loaded down with pithy little bumpersticker philosophies that Liberals so love.

On my [bleep]ing property...

Read the rest for the heartwarming part.

Done Deal

I've not blogged on the stimulus bill because there was more than enough information out there for anyone who wanted to know. There wasn't much I felt I could add to the debate. Also it was pretty clear it was going to pass regardless of what anyone said.

Interesting though is the fact that it did pass given there was much public hue and cry about the fraud, waste and abuse in this bill. Furthermore, I've only met a few people that were for the bill, and they're involved in our local government which will be receiving money from this bill. Much of the reporting and public opinion was critical of this bill, yet it still passed. Why?

For example, back in 2007 immigration reform legislation was introduced with strong support from the President and the leadership of both parties, yet that legislation failed spectacularly. Public opinion at the time was very divided but it seemed to me that there was more public support for that legislation than there was for this bill. Why did that one fail and this one pass?

I suspect either people were not contacting their Congress-critters this time around to express their displeasure; or, more likely, Congress simply ignored the opinion of their constituents and did what they wanted this time. Yet another example of politics as usual.

For those of you who what to do something about the politics as usual here are links to the roll call votes in the House and the Senate:
Initial House vote
House vote on final compromise bill
Vote to end debate (filibuster) in Senate
Initial Senate vote
Senate vote on final compromise bill
I encourage you to look up your Senators and Representative and express your opinion of them regarding this bill in word and at the ballot box.

"W" Now Equals "N"

Today I learned that "wetback" is the new "n" word. I knew it was an insulting term to some people, but not having spent much time in areas of the country with large Hispanic populations I did not realize that etymological evolution had raised the "w" word to offensive equality with the "n" word. Live and learn, I guess.

This got me thinking that we Caucasians are losing the cultural war because we don't have a universally-recognized offensive appellation for ourselves. Some candidates that come to mind are "whitey", "honky", "cracker" and "yankee". The first two tend to only have applicability in black-on-white interactions. The last two tend to have geographic constraints. Someone from the Northeast is not likely to be much insulted to be called a "yankee": Similarly someone from the Southeast being called a "cracker".

Obviously the answer is to put them all together; whitey-honky-cracker-yankee becomes "whonkeree": That ought to be insulting enough for everyone.

Of course this will require some selling to get it accepted as a terrible insult. All us white guys will have to go around calling each other "wonkeree" then raise holy cane when someone else starts using it:

W1: "Hey whonkeree, how's it hanging?"
W2: "Good, good. What about you whonkeree?"
W1: "Fine, fine." How's the wife and kids?"
W2: "They're well. And yours?"
W1: "Well too. Well, gotta go whonkeree, keep earning that dollar."
W2: "Me too whonkeree, me too"
NW: "What's that you be calling one another 'whonkeree'?"
W1&W2: "HOW DARE YOU USE THAT WORD. DON'T YOU KNOW IT'S TERRIBLY INSULTING TO US? Use that word again and we're going to call a news conference to tell the whole world how we're being persecuted and harassed by people using that word. Anyone who uses that word ought to be shamed and shunned by all society."

Get enough of us whonkerees doing this and the cultural field will be level again in no time.

Difficult Weekend

It's been a difficult weekend here. Our two senior goats died which has everyone upset.

Dawn was the matriarch. She was the first one we got and is the basis for more than half of our herd. She had not been in the best of health for a while but still it was shock when she passed way Friday night.

Gamble was the senior buck and the first buck that we got. The original plan had been to have no bucks on site because of their reputation for being smelly and aggressive. When Gamble came to visit to breed some of the ladies he was such a sweetie that when his owner offered to sell him to us we jumped at it. He too had been in poor health off and on the past year. He was with Dawn when she died which appeared to affect him. Coming so close on the heels of Dawn his death this morning was even more of a shock

All in all a tough weekend

Musings on Onions and MBIs

I ate out at an Outback restaurant the other evening while on a business trip. I was by myself and it was an interesting people-watching experience. Of the nine women seated in the same section I was in four of them were seriously overweight; not morbidly obese, but certainly overweight by more than 50 pounds. Two of the four were accompanied by men who where also noticeably to seriously overweight.

The most amusing couple was also the heaviest. It looked like they spent half the time that they were waiting for their food thumbing their Crackberries. One wonders who they might have been emailing; it certainly didn't look like one another.

As far as the meal itself that was decidedly mixed. The prime rib, steamed veggies and baked potato were very good, done just like I like them. On the other hand service was slow, and they screwed up the blooming onion, twice. The waiter told me the first one came out of the oven burnt. Then someone neglected to remove all of the outer skin on half of the second one. Unfortunately it was mostly the half I took back to my hotel room for a "midnight" snack.

So, what does an elevated average MBI of a restaurant's patrons indicate about said restaurant? In this case nothing, other than it provide some minor amusement to what otherwise would have been a long, lonely, boring, mediocre meal.

By Any Means Possible

Official: Gregg leading candidate for Commerce

Gregg's appointment to the post could give Obama and his Democratic Party a victory in the Senate, clearing the way for them to pass legislation without fear of a Republican filibuster.

I respectfully ask my northern neighbors to contact their remaining patriot Senator and express their strong desire to see him resist the siren song of The One and continue to serve their, and the rest of the Republican's party, interests as Senator. This blatant attempt to manipulate the legislative branch by the executive branch is manifestly disgusting.

This Whole Thing is Screwed Up

Follow-up to yesterday's crap. From the latest AP article:

The woman who gave birth to octuplets this week conceived all 14 of her children through in vitro fertilization, is not married and has been obsessed with having children since she was a teenager

...

Her daughter's obsession with children caused Angela Suleman considerable stress, so she sought help from a psychologist, who told her to order her daughter out of the house. "Maybe she wouldn't have had so many kids then, but she is a grown woman," Angela Suleman said. "I feel responsible and I didn't want to throw her out."

...

"She told me that all of her kids were through in vitro, and I said 'Gosh, how can you afford that and go to school at the same time?"' she added. "And she said it's because she got paid for it."

...

The news that the octuplets' mother already had six children sparked an ethical debate. Some medical experts were disturbed to hear that she was offered fertility treatment, and troubled by the possibility that she was implanted with so many embryos.

Now I'm all for large families, my wife and I have 9 children, but this is just all messed up on many different levels. There is no family here either for the mother or for her children, the mother sounds like she has mental/emotional issues, someone is funding her behavior, and the medical community is aiding and abetting the whole thing. This sure sounds like the ultimate welfare mother story.

Crap

Absolute utter junk full of evolutionary stereotypes. Here are some representative excerpts:

Eight kids at once. The mind boggles. The mind is also pretty creeped out by the thought of one tiny baby after another coming out of a woman as if she were a mouse.

...

And so the very nature of what it takes to be an adult human puts constraints on how many children a mother can have at a time.

...

Take a look at a naked woman and see for yourself how many babies a woman is designed to care for - two, at most.

...

It doesn't seem right to have that many kids at once because it isn't right in the evolutionary sense.

...

chances are it will be a very long time before that mother reproduces again

Meredith Small appears to have written quite a number of books and articles with parenting advice, and some things she says seems to make some sense, but following the evolutionary mindset toward its logical conclusion leads to this kind of crap. Then again IMNSHO getting parenting advice from a primate anthropologist is like trying to have your car repaired by bicycle historian.

On the Lighter Side Today

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I'm a Mazda RX-8!

You're sporty, yet practical, and you have a style of your own. You like to have fun, and you like to bring friends along for the ride, but when it comes time for everyday chores, you're willing to do your part.

Yea, whatever.

You Ain't in Chicago Anymore, Barry

Ooops.
William Lynn, Obama's First Ethics Exception, Causing Massive Headaches

On Friday, Gibbs added that the waivers like the one granted to Lynn to serve in the Obama White House would be "limited" in their number.

We'll follow our own rules, except when we don't.

Commentary: Obama breaks his own rule

If you have no intention of abiding by your new rules, then don't make new rules. That would be "actual" transparency.

Expectations, Smecktations. Did anyone really think he would be any different.

Interesting Tidbits

By Michelle Malkin The John Murtha Jihadist Correctional Facility

Get this: King of Pork John Murtha, the 19-term Democratic congressman from western Pennsylvania, now wants to welcome a flood of Guantanamo Bay jihadists into his district. I don't want to hear a single word of protestation from the constituents who put this money-grubbing, security-undermining fool back into office. As you vote, so shall you reap

Karma, gotta love it.

Obama Citizenship Case Disappears from SCOTUS Docket

Updated -- apparently, all docket items regarding Obama eligibility have disappeared but one Berg item.

Even that case may have been dismissed. The Lightfoot case appears to be in limbo. It was scheduled for conference on January 23rd, but that appears not to have happened. Something is going on.

Late addition: Obama to GOP: 'I won'

President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning - but he also left no doubt about who's in charge of these negotiations. "I won," Obama noted matter-of-factly, according to sources familiar with the conversation.

Thus is hopenchange. What frosts me is the hypocrisy of the liberal left, including the MSM, who absolutely castigated President Bush for his executive orders and scrutinized everything he did for even a hint of what they considered arrogant or "cowboy", yet consider it perfectly acceptable, even expected, for President Obama to do the same things, or worse. Here's a comedic take on this point:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video