Hallowen III

Bigger and bigger government at best, brown-shirts at worst.

Clueless II

"I never thought this day would happen. I won’t have to worry on puttin’ gas in my car. I won’t have to worry at payin’ my mortgage...He's gonna help me."

News Juxtaposition

In todays news

Journalists from three major newspapers that endorsed John McCain -- the Washington Times, the New York Post and the Dallas Morning News -- have been booted from Barack Obama's campaign plane for the final leg of the presidential race.

and

A Delta baggage worker got a bit of a fright before Halloween when she opened a jetliner's cargo door and found a cheetah running loose amid the luggage

Might there be some form of connection? Inquiring minds want to know.

Maybe Not the Manchurian Candidate

I blogged about this issue last week, but in response to some discussions at an online board I continued to look for information about this whole issue. Eventually I found this site, What's Your Evidence?', which has a great deal of information apparently debunking Berg's claims regarding Obama's citizenship.

After reading this page, and the referenced documents here and here, I've come to the conclusion that the claim that Obama lost his citizenship when his mother remarried and moved to Indonesia is almost certainly false.

The one question remaining is whether he was really born in Hawaii. If he was born in Kenya, then he may not be a natural born citizen. However, the site referenced above accepts the proffered birth certificate as valid and says there is no real credible evidence to support claims that Obama was born in Kenya.

The more I read and look into things the more I think the Barry is a natural born citizen. Part of me wishes I was wrong, but it probably doesn't matter anyway. Any contrary evidence, if it did exist, is long gone and at this point the electorate does not care.

Obama is still not getting my vote. Whether you put "American", "Kenyan" or "Indonesian" in front of it he's still a "liberal socialist".

p.s. It should be noted that "What's Your Evidence?" is just an Internet site. It may be biased, but I've not seen it, yet; and it may contain factual errors, but have not found any, yet. In the end YMMV.

Another Obama Revelation (or shall I say revolution)

Don't let Biden and others tell you what Obama meant when he told Joe the Plumber he wanted to "spread the wealth". Here's what he meant in his own words:

Can anyone with a brain listen to to this and still claim the Obama is not a socialist, at least economically?

Cold Feet Equals Hot Foot

I've heard of the groom (or bride) getting cold feet, but giving the hotel the hot foot, that's bizarre:

A Japanese man set fire to the hotel where he was due to get married at the weekend, rather than go through with the ceremony later the same day...Tatsuhiko Kawata, 39, had gone along with wedding plans despite already having a wife.

Then again, the thought of having two wifes might just do it for anyone. I love my DW, but having two; that'd be too much for me too.

Obama's Continued Dissimulation

I've written about this before, but a quote I read in an article from yesterday has energized me to revisit this issue. Previously I had examined his statements relative to his past actions. Today I'd like to compare his campaign rhetoric to his published issue positions.

Here's what the Obamanator said recently as reported in "Working for the Working Class Vote":

“I just want to be absolutely clear, O.K.? I just don’t want any misunderstanding when you all go home and you talk with your buddies, and they say, ‘Oh, he wants to take my gun away.’ You heard it here, and I’m on television, so everybody knows. I believe in the Second Amendment. I believe in people’s lawful right to bear arms. I will not take your shotgun away. I will not take your rifle away. I won’t take your handgun away.

Here is what his official issue position says on the same topic:

As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

This is gun control bigger, better, more wonderful. A new AWB would be much more encompassing than the old one as its proponents have vowed to close the kind of loopholes that were in the old one. "Childproof" is an gun-ban code word for various proposed smart locks and individually coded interlocks that are fundamentally flawed in various ways. No such guns exist in the marketplace nor will they given their flaws. Closing the gun show loophole effectively means the end of private party sales driving up prices and enabling further gun control via dealer regulation.

His Tihart amendment position is flat out based on falsehood. Law enforcement does have access to all the gun trace information they need to trace guns used in crimes. What they, and this is primarily the BATF, do not have now is access to gun trace information for the purposes of harassing law abiding citizens, confiscation, dealer and manufacturer lawsuits and other anti-2A purposes.

I will grant that nothing in his position statement absolutely states that existing guns will be taken away from people, but making guns child-proof and reinstating the AWB would make the possession of certain guns illegal. The unanswered question is whether all of his gun control measures would contain grandfather clauses to "protect" existing owners. Without "grandfather" clauses his proposed legislation would make criminals of existing gun owners. I'm not willing to bet on that, particularly with regard to the AWB.

What is worse is what he does not say. According to his stated position American would no longer be able to buy many types of handguns, rifles and even shotguns that can currently be bought. People who have guns now likely would be able to keep them, but few new ones could be bought. Imagine a country where our children will be subject to a declining and increasing expensive number of firearms to protect themselves and their rights. And of course, criminals will always be able to get guns because they do not abide by the laws intended to restrict their acquisition of guns.

I continue to conclude that Obamarama is a liar in intent if not in letter. We've seen Joe The Plumber take him on regarding taxes. Now we need a Billy The Hunter to ask the same kind of hard question regarding the 2nd Amendment.

Call 9-Waa-Waa

From "Working for the Working-Class Vote":

“I am convinced that if there were no Fox News, I might be two or three points higher in the polls,” Obama told me. “If I were watching Fox News, I wouldn’t vote for me, right? Because the way I’m portrayed 24/7 is as a freak! I am the latte-sipping, New York Times-reading, Volvo-driving, no-gun-owning, effete, politically correct, arrogant liberal. Who wants somebody like that?

Call him a waambulance. The truth hurts don't it.

p.s. Here's some reports on the subject from various sources; the last one, from FoxNews is of course most interesting;

• Obama angry at FOX for tarnishing halo effect
• Obama: "If I Were Watching Fox News, I Wouldn't Vote For Me"
  
• Obama: Fox News to Blame for Elitist Perception
  
• Sen. Obama's Attack FOX Strategy: A Key to Victory?

Clueless, With a Capital "C"

From Curmudgeonly & Skeptical:

Good One NERepub!

Go here and read the story associated with this picture. It's short, to the point and quite humorous:

Beam Me Up Scotty!

Today's humor:

Sneak Peek #1 of Boston Legal: Dances with Wolves

Yes yes I know, the show actually makes the Shatner character into a caricature but this clip is still hilarious.

The Manchurian Candidate

Interesting interview.

Don't take this video, or media reports, or the verbal affirmations and denials at face value: Do some research and make up you own mind.

You can guess what I think.

UPDATE: Due to new info I've pretty much changed my mind. Details above.

Around the Blogsphere

From New England Republican:

FromThe Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller:

Now, what might that professional, infinitely wise and knowledgeable journalist write to accompany such a photo? We’re glad you asked:

Hey, is that even the right way to hold a rifle? Can’t you shoot your foot off like that?

Just wondering.

From Curmudgeonly & Sceptical:

Steven M. Warshawsky in this American Thinker piece analyzes the polls in a straightforward and compelling manner. His conclusion comports with my own less analytical, but based on the historical record, conclusion that polling data are manipulated to give a desired result. The article is short but concise, so please do read it.

“

Moreover, the idea – implicit in the daily fluctuations of the polls – that large numbers of American voters are regularly switching back and forth between McCain and Obama makes no sense. Who knows any real people who are going through such mental and political gymnastics? In short, the polls do not show that Obama is "winning" the race, anymore than they show that McCain is "winning" the race. What they show is that the contest is very close, and will not be decided until election day -- when the American people actually go to the polls and cast their votes. For the reasons I've stated before, I predict that more votes will be cast for McCain than for Obama.

”

Is It Halloween Yet?

This,

Illinois: Three NP*-members won Democratic primaries last Spring and face off against Republican opponents on election day: Danny Davis (U.S. House), Barack Obama (State Senate) and Patricia Martin (Cook County Judiciary).

this,

New Party* member Barack Obama was uncontested for a State Senate seat from Chicago.

and this

Secondly, the NP's* '96 Political Program has been enormously successful with 3 of 4 endorsed candidates winning electoral primaries. All four candidates attended the NP membership meeting on April 11th to express their gratitude. Danny Davis, winner in the 7th Congressional District, invited NPers to join his Campaign Steering Committee. Patricia Martin, who won the race for Judge in 7th Subcircuit Court, explained that due to the NP she was able to network and get experienced advice from progressives like Davis. Barack Obama, victor in the 13th State Senate District, encouraged NPers to join in his task forces on Voter Education and Voter Registration.

All found via Politically Drunk on Power via No Looking Backwards.

Scary!

*NP = New Party = "a loose confederation of unions, socialists, communists, and black activists who shared common values, but often had different goals."

Should You Vote for Obama? NOT!

http://barackobamatest.com/

"You DISAGREED with the Barack Obama position on 48 of the 48 test questions. This means you disagree with the Obama position 100% of the time."

The Guileful, Duplicitous "Maestro"

I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!
Lawmaker Accused of Fannie Mae Conflict of Interest

Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions.

Now that Fannie Mae is at the epicenter of a financial meltdown that threatens the U.S. economy, some are raising new questions about Frank's relationship with Herb Moses, who was Fannie’s assistant director for product initiatives. Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie.

He makes me sick.

CBS Hatchet Job

I finally got to see Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin's interview with Karie Couric via YouTube

I thought it was a rather poor interview by Katie Couric and CBS. Katie Couric was clearly trying to attack Senator McCain through Sarah Palin: Her repeating the same questions when they had already been answered made her partiality even more evident.

Also, the questions aired were clearly not the only ones asked as evidenced by the break in venue after the first question. I'm curious where the rest of the interview is and wondering whether CBS cherry-picked only the tough ones.

Even with all that I though Sarah Palin did pretty well. Her response about the American people not supporting the bailout package was downright prescient. She kept her poise pretty well in the face of a hostile, obdurate interniewer.

I only wish she had showed more "barracuda". She should have hit the first and last questions right back at the pitcher, hard. Something like this:

"There is no conflict of interest with Mr. Davis, he has no financial connection to Fannie or Freddie; and while we're discussing that point why not look at how much Fannie and Freddie have contributed directly to Senators Obama and Biden. I might suggest there is far more appearance of conflict of interest there than with Senator McCain or any of his staff."

and

"You've already pointed out one recent case, which is more than Senators Biden and Obama have. I would think that question would be better answered by your CBS researchers and fact-checkers. I don't have Senator McCain's entire 22 year Senatorial history memorized, as it is rather lengthly unlike Senator Obama's, but I'm sure your researchers can find other instances if they were so inclined.

And so the beat goes on.

Liars by the Dozen

Some much to blog on, so little time. If I have time I'll turn each of these titles into full-blown posts. Until then readers here (few as they may be) should be able to fill in the blanks themselves. These are all easy ones.

Barney Frank is a Liar
And Nancy Pelosi,
And Time

So is Barak Obama, again

And Bruce Wilson is too, as well as being a libeler.

McCain Pummels Obamarama

"Pundits: No clear-cut winner"
Given the bent of the LSM this tells me that McCain won. Personally I didn't watch because we watch very little TV and I've already made up my mind.

The quote that really got me was:

“I’d say a tie is a good thing for the guy who was behind.”

This was from Mr. Castellanos, a so-called Republican strategist, talking about Senator McCain. from what I can tell he appears to be a big government, friend-of-business centrist-left Republican. He's apparently advising McCain, after working on Big-Hair's failed campaign. With friends like that who needs enemies. Has-a-Brain needs to trim his gaggle of advisors.

+1 week ago McCain was in the lead according to the pundits and polls. A week later he is supposedly behind. Personally I think this is due to a combination of factors. First are the concerted efforts by the LSM to push their favorite son. This results in an inbred bias in all their polls and reporting.

The second factor I think is a shift that I believe has taken place in the financial sector. Traditionally big business and finance has been viewed as the domain of the Republican party. I believe that has changed as evidenced by the emergence of high profile hard-core Dhimmocrat supporters such Soros and Buffett. Hence I suspect a, maybe the, tipping factor in the fear and uncertainty that triggered the bank and mortgage crisis at this time was McCain's rise in the polls; a recognition that he could win and their favorite might lose. I have no proof per say, so you'll have to draw your own conclusions, but I do not believe much in coincidences.

More Obamanations

I don't normally listen to Rush but I found this report very interesting. (the audio can be found at the end of this post at Curmudgeonly & Skeptical). Here are some interesting quotes from Rush's report:

The president, in order to let everybody be heard, deferred to various Democrats, and every one of the Democrats -- Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, and Frank -- declined to speak and deferred to Obama. So Obama became the official Democrat spokesman in the meeting. This was to hype Obama's leadership and presidential aura and so forth. What happened next, the first thing out of Obama's mouth -- Paulson is in the meeting -- is he starts ripping the House Republican proposal and asks Paulson what he thinks of it...

It ended up with Obama essentially chairing the meeting, with the meeting falling apart. The president was described as "beleaguered," trying to regain control of the meeting. McCain didn't say hardly anything. Everybody was yelling and screaming in there. McCain did not. He said, "We've gotta put these differences aside, work together," you know, typical McCain...

You see, Obama did not defend the Democrat position on this. He led off with an attack on the Republican position, as though it was a shock and a surprise, under the auspices that this deal had already been agreed to...

So this whole meeting yesterday essentially was established to show off Obama's leadership skills and negotiating skills, and he blew it!

So, contrary to LameStream media reports and the Dhimmocrat leadership it was their boy, the Obamanator, who was responsible for the breakdown, not Has-a-brain McCain.

Do we want such an incompetent liar in charge of our country? I think not. Maybe he should stick to what he does best:

O-Tube

Two good YouTube clips:

John McCain v.s. Barack Obama

Veggie-Burger Hill

Truth Hurts

If you've been operating from a racially oriented world-view most of your life, which is what a "community organizer" does, it's going to come out in ugly ways. As Rush points out let the truth be known:

Mr. Obama's campaign is now trafficking in prejudice of its own making. And in doing so, it is playing with political dynamite. What kind of potential president would let his campaign knowingly extract two incomplete, out-of-context lines from two radio parodies and build a framework of hate around them in order to exploit racial tensions? The segregationists of the 1950s and 1960s were famous for such vile fear-mongering.

Here's the relevant part of the Spanish-language television commercial Mr. Obama is running in Hispanic communities:

"They want us to forget the insults we've put up with . . . the intolerance . . . they made us feel marginalized in this country we love so much."

Then the commercial flashes two quotes from me: ". . . stupid and unskilled Mexicans" and "You shut your mouth or you get out!"

And then a voice says,

"John McCain and his Republican friends have two faces. One that says lies just to get our vote . . . and another, even worse, that continues the policies of George Bush that put special interests ahead of working families. John McCain . . . more of the same old Republican tricks."

And this is not the first time. Obamarama has shown himself very willing to preemptively play the racial victim card in an attempt to use his skin color as a shield from legitimate criticism of his positions and behavior. Don't let this prevaricating dissimulator anywhere near the White House: Vote McCain/Palin.

See How They Run

Today's motivational poster:

Truth in Advertising

Here's some facts in case anyone is unclear about the Obama-spinmister:
OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL

WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.

Politically motivated hypocrite.

How Team Obama Pays Women

‘Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work,” Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said August 28 in his convention acceptance speech...

On average, Obama’s female staffers earn just 83 cents for every dollar his male staffers make...

On average, according to these data, women in John McCain’s office make $1.04 for every dollar a man makes.

"Change"? Yea right. Change begins at home. How about putting some change where your mouth is Obamarama.

Records show McCain more bipartisan

Sen. John McCain's record of working with Democrats easily outstrips Sen. Barack Obama's efforts with Republicans, according to an analysis by The Washington Times of their legislative records.

The rise of Obama has and will mean more partisanship, not less. Is that the "change" people really want?

Today's Exercise in Logic

First there's this, from "It's race against time to save Ike stalwarts":

Only four deaths had been blamed on Ike so far: two in Texas and two in Louisiana.

Then this, from "Report: Metrolink Engineer Texting With Teen Moments Before Killer Commuter Crash":

a wreck that killed 25 people

And finally this "Van Carrying Cheerleaders Crashes Killing 2, Injuring 14"

Moral of the story: When evacuating from a hurricane do not take the train, and be real careful about vans too.

UPDATE: Sadly the Ike toll is up to 30, but even then more than half of those appear to have been in areas not under evacuation orders; I stand by my advice above.

Fact Checker Needed

Seeing as all the MSM fact-checkers are busy chasing after Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin, it is obvious they need more fact checkers to keep up with Josephine Biden. He clearly has an issue with truth. Check out the following video of him and see if you can identify the four definite lies and one probable lie in his speech:



Two minutes with Google will show that:

1. Joe Biden's father moved is family to Delaware to find work, not to escape from the fame shadow of the Caseys
2. Bob Casey Sr was 10 years older than Joe Biden, not 12
3. Bob Casey Jr is 18 years younger than Joe Biden, not 12
4. Joe Biden could not have know Bob Casey Jr in Scranton because his family moved to Delaware before Junior was born
5. Joe Biden is unlikely to have known much of Bob Casey Sr or made much of any political observations regarding him before Bob Casey went away to college when Joe Biden was 7 years old. He did not return to Scranton until after the Bidens had moved away

The sad thing is that Josephine could have told a very good story, made a connection to Bob Casey Jr and been truthful. Once a pathalogical liar, always a pathalogical liar.

Killer Independent Ad for McCain

If you don't get a tear with this you are inhuman:

Left Wing Democrat Infection

BDS, an delusional infection affecting much of the Dimmosocicrat leadership, rank and file: Obama might pursue criminal charges against Bush

Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that he and running mate Barack Obama could pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration if they are elected in November.

Oooo, people are really scared Josephine: Is that the best you can do? You've had your MSM donks waling away at Sarah Has-em-Scared Palin for almost 5 days and not a welt, bruise or scratch. You're dealing with a regular joe hockey mom who came out last night and smacked you and your simpering running mate around like chum at a shark-fest.

One small problem with your empty threats: "if", as in "if ... elected". Ain't going to happen. No way. And you can take that to your Delaware bank and smoke it.

Journalistic Creationism

The liberal MSM claim to be against creationism, but they're all for it when it comes to writing stories to attempt to create news that does not exist. What's worse is that they are doing so to attempt to effect a personally favorable political outcome contrary to the apparently emerging will of the majority of Americans. Two examples jumped out to me today.

First, is this attempt by Glen Johnson (AP) to create negative predictions for McCain's presidential run based on a single alleged and unattributed comment from anonymous "Romney ... friends and advisers": Romney readies for White House run if McCain fails. Disgusting.

Even more disgusting are the blatant attempts to create a "Republican strategy" by which Sarah Got-em-Scared Palin withdraws from the Republican ticket:

• GOP Omerta On Palin Withdrawal
• Sarah Palin Premature Withdrawal Watch
• Palin Likely to Withdraw as GOP VP Pick

This is orders of magnitude worse than the Harriet Meyers railroading. If this happens then I, and many other folks will be seriously angry with the MSM for causing it, but even more so with McCain for caving in. He will then absolutely lose the election regardless of who he picks. Jesus Christ as his running mate would not save him.

Sarah Palin's selection really has the libra-Dimma-socialists scared. Please stick with it McCain and Palin and shove the MSM's little power play back down their throat till they choke and pass out. Maybe when they wake up they'll get back to reporting and quite trying to create news.

McCain Hits a Home Run

A grand slam even, with his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Her selection energizes the conservative party base, steals some Clintonista PUMAs, adds some experienced youth to the ticket,and plays wack-a-mole with Obamarama's post-convention media and polling bump. For those that cry she is inexperienced I would point out that she has years more executive and governing experience, infinitely so actually, than Obamarama and Loose-Lips together!

I hereby designate McCain with a new moniker. No longer will he be known as "Cheap Talk"; now I will refer to him as Has-a-Brain McCain.

I'm still working on a good name for Sarah Palin. This will do for the moment, but I'm sure a better one will emerge soon.

Finally, here's an inspiring video for the McCain/Palin ticket:

Josephine Biden

Joe Biden is like my in-law's dog. They got a lhasa apso named Josephine some years ago. Josephine is a stereotypical yap dog; all bark, no bite. The first time we saw them after they got the dog all she did was bark and growl at me, yet she would move away whenever I walked or moved in her direction. I tried to make friends, but no dice. After a few years of this I gave up. Now I ignore her while she yaps away until my in-laws get feed up and admonish her to stop or put her in her cage. May it be the same with Loose-Lips Biden. Cheap-Talk McCain should just ignore him. Eventually his yapping will annoy everyone and Obamarama will have to shut him up, if he can, or maybe throw him under the bus with his other former friends and supporters, although it might be a bit crowded under there.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's to the Left We Go

Obama-rama has picked Loose-lips Biden for his VP. A safe, fill in the blanks, shore up the liberal base pick. Moderates must be fuming given that Biden is third in liberality in the Senate to Obama, the Clintonistas must be livid as Hitllary didn't even get a look, and the Republican "weather control machine" must be loading up with ammo from all of Biden's past mis-steps.

I'm feeling better about this year's election, pending "Cheap-Talk" McCain's VP pick of course.

Bentley Flames Out Snuffing Floridia Outpouring

I thought I had posted something about Todd Bentley and the "Florida Outpouring" (also known as the Lakeland Revival) a while back but looking back I could not find it. My DW and I did some serious looking into this and determined that it, like the Toronto Blessing and Brownsville Revival before it, had some very serious issues. I won't go into all the details here but the bottom line is this "revival" was all about rampant emotionalism and being the Todd Bently show with little of God to it.

Sadly, but not totally unexpectedly, I read today of Todd Bently's fall:
Evangelist Bentley stepping down

Todd Bentley will step down as head of Fresh Fire Ministries, after the ministry revealed he had an "unhealthy relationship" with a female staffer. That announcement comes one week after Bentley's ministry announced he and his wife were separating.

The referenced announcements are here and here.

I do pray that Todd really finds God through these difficulties, and learns that when you build your faith upon emotions it's those very same emotions that will bring you down.

Obama-ramians Whine Like a Bottle of Ripple

The Saddleback presidential candidates forum must have been an overwhelming win for "Cheap-Talk" McCain. If Obama-rama had done even half-competently the MSM would be trumpting his "victory" as if it were the second coming.

About the only talk I've heard since the forum is whining by Obama-ramians about how McCain must'a cheated because he had intelligent, well-thought out answers and their leader did not. To me this is further proof that Obama-rama and his fans have has much knowledge and understand of the competencies needed to run this country as an aborigine has with coke bottles and airplanes.

Obama-rama is a media marketing creation and the cracks continue to show. The question is, who's looking?

Blah, Blah, Blah

Scatterbrained people in the workplace drive me crazy! Not only do they get little done but they waste everybody's time, are a continual source of frustration, and drag overall productivity down. A pox on their collective houses.
Arrrggghhhhhhh!

That's all.

More Chinese Dissemulation

What is real about the Chinese Olympics (or anything else they do)?

Olympic opening uses girl’s voice, not face

One little girl had the looks. The other had the voice. So in a last-minute move demanded by one of China’s highest officials, the two were put together for the Olympic opening ceremony, with one lip-synching “Ode to the Motherland” over the other’s singing.

More questions about Chinese gymnasts' ages

Birth dates found in online documents have raised questions about the age of another Chinese gymnast -- bringing the total to three, or half the women's team expected to contend for a gold medal, who may be too young to compete in the Beijing Olympics.

Obama-rama On the Homosexual Agenda

Some quotes from Obama -- the pro-'gay' candidate:

He advocates the full repeal of DOMA...
He's talking about opening up the military to homosexuality in a time of war...
He's talking about 'gay' adoption -- putting children in homes that are intentionally fatherless or intentionally motherless, and using the White House bully pulpit to do that...
Obama responded to an inquiry from the pro-homosexual Family Equality Council, pledging in a letter [PDF] his support for "LGBT families" -- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. He also congratulated homosexual couples that have recently "married" in California and Massachusetts...
that makes Obama...the first presidential candidate to actually support homosexual marriage. When you're congratulating homosexuals for their supposed marriage, that's being for and celebrating homosexual marriage...

Please vote your conscience, but don't say you weren't warned.

2A Rights in Massachusetts

Another legislative season has come to a close in MA. Here's a summary of RKBA-related bills courtesy of GOAL (see this page for full details):

• Governor's Fee Increase - The Governor's proposal to increase firearm license fees was defeated thanks to the quick action of Rep. Denis Guyer in filing an amendment to remove the increased fees from the bill...
• SCOTUS Resolution - The senate decided not to take part in the resolution offered by Rep. George Peterson recognizing the Heller decision and so it was offered as a House resolution only. The resolution was amended to remove the references to Article XVII of the Massachusetts Constitution because the U.S. Supreme Court didn't rule on that matter. After being amended, the House voted 115 - 40 to approve the resolution! A very strong showing for the recognition of the Second Amendment Ruling.
• S.1401 - GOAL's version of the Katrina bill filed by Senator Richard Moore was passed in both the Senate and the House and is waiting final enactment prior to going to the Governor's desk. This final step can normally happen in an informal session and should be completed next week. Another great victory for lawful gunowners.
• H.3991 The Governor's Lawful Citizen's Imprisonment Act - Thanks to the efforts of our members contacting the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the Governor's H.3991 bill never left the Committee and was thus defeated for the legislative session.

Overall well done, at least in not losing ground, and taking back a few hillocks. Hopefully with the Heller decision to build on more can be done in coming sessions.

Chinese Dissemulation

I'm shocked I tell you, shocked.
Some Opening Ceremony fireworks were faked

The faked fireworks were actually set-off at the stadium, but because of potential dangers in filming the display live from a helicopter, viewers at home were shown a pre-recorded, computer-generated shot. It sounds dishonest, but I'm not sure it's such a terrible thing.

"Sounds dishonest"? It is dishonest. Whether it's terrible depends upon whether you care or not about the honesty of the Chinese government.

Then there is this:
Beijing Scrambles to Host 'Green Games'

However, an American scientist, Steven Andrews, noticed that two monitoring stations were removed from locations where there is a high volume of traffic and three new ones were set up at locations where pollution levels are lower. Andrews also found out that the pollution standards were secretly lowered, that changes were made with regard to substances being measured, and that some substances, such as ozone, were simply not measured at all.

And this:
Beijing Olympics: British smog-monitoring unit ordered to close down

But on Friday, the day of the opening ceremony, the quarter of Beijing in which the Olympic Green is situated was coloured green on the map, marking an air pollution index (API) of 101-150. The government's safe limit is 100, and the city authorities' figures put the API at 95.

The reason for the "green" colour was high levels of particulates, known as PM10. Again, while the online map gave a fail for the Olympic Green, the figures for the nearest monitoring station in Beijing showed a pass.

Later on Friday afternoon, subscribers to the website received an email saying the site would no longer be visible by password.

"I am very sorry to have to let you know that at the request of our Chinese partners in this project we are unable to provide public access to the Beijing Air Quality forecasts during the Olympic Games period," the email said.

Clearly there is a history and pattern of dishonesty on the part of the Chinese government. Maybe it's not terrible, but we do need to recognize in dealing with them that if they lie about little things like pollution levels and fireworks to suit their goals how much more likely they are to lie about important things: Trust little, verify much.

USPS Idiots

Read this article in today's paper: Maine island loses mail delivery tradition

The U.S. Postal Service has ended a decades-old tradition in which mail was delivered to this small offshore island by a private ferry service and left in a specially marked trash can on the dock for recipients to pick up.

The "Postal Service higher-ups" who made this decision are idiots. They've lost sight of the purpose of the USPS which is, get this, to deliver the mail! Yea, yea, they claim it is a security issue but if they actually were interested in doing their job then they would come up with a way to continue service uninterrupted. Those banks of little mail boxes you see in many development these days can't be that expensive. Put a set up, then remove the trash can, not the other way around.

p.s. The person who complained also needs 30 lashes with a wet noodle. People need to think before they speak.

Sad Sabbath Experience

While traveling for business I attended a Messianic Congregation in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I drove 2 hours to get there and found it one of the most enthusiastic yet self-absorbed churchs I have ever been to.

Never, until today, have I visited a church were a pastor or staff member did not make a point of trying to talk to me. And it's not like they did not have time. The senior rabbi walked right past where I was sitting to greet some former members sitting in the row behind me. Most church greeters make it a point to identify visitors, make them feel welcome and bring their presence to the attention of a staff member; not there.

Many people wished me a Shabbat Shalom but only three people actually introduced themselves. Clearly "Shabbat Shalom" had become a greeting as meaningful as the perfunctory "How ya doing" most of us give and get every day.

Every row had one or two visitor cards. I filled one out, but no one actually came to collect it. There was an oneg (pot-luck lunch) after the service, but I did not stay. I did not have any food to contribute and no one asked me stay. In fact, not a single person spoke to me after service.

The praise and worship part of the service was exciting and well done. People really got into the worship and dance. The Torah procession was like a conga line. Yet in some ways it seemed more like performance than worship. Half of the songs were canned music with words projected overhead and no worship leader. The other half were lead by a small praise band. The three ladies who fronted it were very good but did not really lead the congregation in singing. Some people clearly were singing, but nearly as much as I would have expected given the size of the congregation.

There was guest speaker who gave a short teaching from Jeremiah the main point of which was to call on the members of the congregation to share the hope they have in Jesus. It was a good teaching, but I'm not sure it really applied to that congregation. Had I been an unbeliever I would not have any interest in associating with those I saw today or sharing any "hope" they might have.

All that said, I did find a sense of the presence of the Lord: Obviously there were 2 or 3 gathered to really praise Him. I enjoyed the music for what it was and sang my praises to the Lord regardless the lack of leadership. I also found the teaching meaningful to me.

God Bless and Good Sabbath.

Presidential Election Polling Silliness

Poll: Obama leads McCain among people who don't have pets

Did this headline strike anyone else as really silly? Who cares whether Obamarama or Cheap-talk McCain has a dog or not?

Worse yet it reinforces the continued trivialization of American politics, that somehow whether a candidate has a pet or not is somehow important compared to their positions of issues of value or their past performance or what they might do in the future.

Maybe we need a president that keeps rattlesnakes and lizards, and handles them on a daily basis. That would at least be a useful experience for a politician these days...

How I spent the 4th

Actually most of the week was spent working on a new buck shed for the goats. Here's the progression:

First, I had to move the old 8'x8' shed out of the way by turning it 90 degrees and moving it ~20 feet to it's new temporary location. The skid-steer I rented was very helpful in skidding it around. It came through mostly intact.
Then, I had to build up a platform for the new shed with ~7 yards of stone dust to keep it from flooding out during heavy rains. This is the real reason I rented the skid steer, and what I spent the least amount of time using it for.

Finally came construction, starting with the base built from 4x4 and 1x8 pressure-treated lumber.

And this is how it ended up Sunday evening, framed out but with roofing, sheathing, doors, windows, etc. yet to be done.

Also, I used the skid steer to clean out a section of overgrown brush, and redistribute another 7 yards of crushed base on the driveway.

Of course on the 4th of July I had to do some kind of fireworks. This year it consisted of meeting +100 other people at the Shirley Rod and Gun Club for 4 hours of gun fun.
All in all a very enjoyable week.

It's About Time

Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Gun Ban, Upholds Individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms

"Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted."

Some are saying that one of the unanswered questions is whether this ruling incorporates the 2nd Amenedment against the states. Some claim it did not, but other analysis indicates it rather clearly does. My reading leans toward the later.

The question now is what effect this will have on now unconstitutional gun control rules and regulations in various cities and states, and when. Here are the Massachusetts laws that I think could and should be affected and invalidated by this ruling:

1. Assault Weapon Ban (C.140: S. 131M):
   
2. "Consumer Protection"-based Handgun Ban (C.140: S. 123)
3. Discretionary and Restrictive Licensing (C.140: S. 131)
4. Mandatory Locks for Sales (C.140: S. 123)
5. Mandatory Storage (C.140: S. 131L)
6. Transportation Restrictions (C.269: S. 12D, C.140: S. 131C (a), (b), C.140: S. 121, C.269: S. 10 (m), , C. 140: S. 131C)*

Bottom line is that this ruling should lead to nationwide "shall-issue" or "no license required" policies, the abolishment of locked storage and transportation laws, and repeal of all AWBs and other bans of specific types of non-NFA firearms. We shall see if and how long this takes. I suspect some places, like Massachusetts, will take further legal action to bring this ruling into force.

The last question is "How could 4 justices dissent?!?" Clearly gun control is a matter of ideology bordering on religion for them, not law. Sad.

Go to SCOTUSBlog for more discussion and analysis.

*MGL references from www.goal.org

Obamaservations

"Obama is a post-turtle" from New England Republican.
Good one!

"Me, Anti-Semitic, How can you say that?" via Oraculations.
Do as I say, not as I do.

"The Latest Attacks and Abuse of Power by the Obama Camp" and "What Really Happened at the NPC" from Larry Sinclair's blog.

Be afraid, be very afraid

Commute Rants

Why do some short school bus drivers drive as if they are the passengers (i.e. 40 mph in a 50 mph zone)?
rain + wipers = headlights
Stay right except to pass. Doesn't matter if you're a SUV soccer mom on your cell phone, construction laborer in a beat up F150, Fung Wah wannabe driving an overloaded E-Series, mid-life crisis in a black mustang, or hung-over pot-head in a faded Escort. Lead, follow or get out of the way.

Political This and That

Sorry it has been a while since I posted. Work and life have been quite busy. Here are a number of events and things that have caught my eye in the last week or so:

Obama Quits His Church After Months of Criticism

Not surprising: He is a politician. Obama-rama originally joind the church for political reasons so when the downside exceeds the upside of course he's going to drop it like a hot potato.

Bishop says collapse of Christianity is wrecking British society - and Islam is filling the void

Now there is a priest who understands what is going on and knows to speak the truth. Read and heed.

And finally here's this week's home-town helping of zero-tolerance irrationality:

Souvenir rifle shell gets 4th-grader suspended

This story has grown some real legs; Boston news radio, NRA-ILA, MA Gun Owners Action League, just do a quick google and you'll find it all over the in-tar-web. There also continue to be follow-up articles.

This happened in the town I live in and it first broke on a community bulletin board site that I participate in. What disturbs me is that school department is doing spin control big-time (read the GOAL article referenced above) by claiming that there is more to this than just the shell casing. Some have gone so far as to say that the casing had nothing to do with his suspension. He may have received a longer suspension for arguing, but the mother has said she was told that her son was suspended for having the casing and that is what I'm going with.

All this can be traced back to the overturned 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act and the resulting 1994 version that was signed into law by the philandering husband of a current presidential candidate coupled with the idiocy of MA laws that equate brass casings to ammunition. It's hard to blame the school department completely, these stupid laws drive them to have a policy, but it doesn't have to be "zero tolerance" and to then throw the student under the bus when the heat gets turned up is unforgivable.

Edward M. Kennedy

Kennedy's Illness Slows Agenda, Idles Obama Ally

All I can is "There is a God".

What role He plays in all this I don't really know, except that Mr. Kennedy will someday stand before Him to answer for his deeds.

Obama-rama Campaign Shift

Obama-rama clearly has been going on the attack. In his case it sounds more like whining and excessive protestation [rolleyes]

Barack Obama blasts back at President Bush, John McCain

Obama tells Tenn.'s GOP: 'Lay off my wife'

Obama attacks Clinton's veracity

Obama attacks Clinton's gas tax plan

2A Give Away

Found via No Looking Backwards.

If you sign up please indicate your were referred by a friend and include my referral code, 1CC71.

Clintons Kill Another One

Sorry to see the lady go down:

Eight Belles collapses, euthanized

Of course conspiracy theorists will note this line in the article,

"endorsed by presidential contender Hillary Clinton"

connect it up with the many "Clinton Body Count" reports and conclude that their count just went up by one. We know Hitlery has no tolerance for anyone or anything that finishes second...

New Blogger in the Family

My brother has joined the 21st century and begins his conquest of the in-tar-net: http://moxieindustries.blogspot.com/

He's the artistic one; you've been forewarned :)

Rest In Peace Moses

Hitlery's Stripes

From The Smallest Minority:
Watergate-Era Judiciary Chief of Staff: Hillary Clinton Fired For Lies, Unethical Behavior

“She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”
...
"The brief was so fraudulent and ridiculous, Zeifman believes Hillary would have been disbarred if she had submitted it to a judge."
...
"...they show that the pattern of lies, deceit, fabrications and unethical behavior was established long ago – long before the Bosnia lie, and indeed, even before cattle futures, Travelgate and Whitewater – for the woman who is still asking us to make her president of the United States."

Once a lier, always a lier.

Obama-rama's True Strategy

Quid, Obama Offering Gore a Job?; awaiting the Pro Quo. Here is what Obama-rama real campaign strategy:

(sung to the tune of "The Wanderer")

Oh well I'm the type of guy who will never get pinned down
Where voters are found, you know that I'm around
I kiss em and I love em cause to me they're all the same
I hug em and I squeeze em they don't even know my name
They call me the panderer yeah the panderer
I roam around around around...

Oh well there's Teddy on my left and there's Kerry on my right
And Richardson's the gov' that Ill be with tonight
And when he asks me which one I love the best
I tear open my shirt I got Al Gore on my chest
cause I'm the panderer yeah the panderer
I roam around around around...

Oh well I roam from theme to theme
I campaign without a flag
till I'm as happy as a clown
I'm standing up for change, but I'm sayin' nothing clear

I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm saying nothing clear as I roam from theme to theme
And when I find the questions far too tough
I hop right onto the race card and ride it around the world
Yeah I'm the panderer yeah the panderer
I roam around around around...

I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around
I'm saying nothing clear as I roam from theme to theme
And when I find the questions far too tough
I hop right onto the race card and ride it around the world
Yeah I'm the panderer yeah the panderer
I roam around around around...

We Shall See

Work will be quite busy this week. Blogging will be light.

Dem Dancin' Dem's

From Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler:

Fitna Review

Saw this controversial 15 minute video clip via YouTube. Be warned, if you choose to view it that some of the images are very graphic. It has been flagged as such by YouTube so you may have to log in to view it.

In my opinion the movie is not bad at all, nor is it worth the reaction it is receiving. It dramatically highlights with video clips and pictures several verses from the Koran that the violent radical muslim minority uses to justify their murderous acts. I would like our society to be able to live in peace with our Muslim neighbors. Sadly though much of the Islamic over-reaction to this movie proves its very point.

Obama-rama Ringy-Dingy

From Curmudgeonly & Skeptical:
Who knows if it was 'shopped, but even if it was it's still funny.

Spring Sprung

Got 4" of "global worming" last night and today. [rolleyes] The driveway is too soft to plow. Hopefully it will melt soon.

Can't Wait For April Showers

I am so ready for Spring:

Last Update: 5:20 am EDT Mar 27, 2008 Forecast Valid: 9am EDT Mar 27, 2008-6pm EDT Apr 2, 2008

Today Slight Chc Rain Hi 42°F

Tonight Rain/Snow Lo 29°F

Friday Snow Likely Hi 36°F

Friday Night Chance Snow Lo 17°F

Saturday Mostly Sunny Hi 36°F

Saturday Night Mostly Clear Lo 17°F

Sunday Sunny Hi 44°F

Sunday Night Partly Cloudy Lo 23°F

Monday Rain/Snow Likely Hi 40°F

Driving Tip

Sorry it has been a while. Not much happening worth blogging about until today.

This should be in the MA drivers handbook. If you cannot control your vehicle while using your booger hook please pull over and finish your personal business before continuing on your way.

RIP Larry Norman

From LarryNorman.com:

Our friend and my wonderful brother Larry passed away at 2:45 Sunday morning. Kristin and I were with him, holding his hands and sitting in bed with him when his heart finally slowed to a stop. We spent this past week laughing, singing, and praying with him, and all the while he had us taking notes on new song ideas and instructions on how to continue his ministry and art.

Some music to remember Larry by:
Sitting in My Kitchen

Why Don't You Look Into Jesus

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

Superlative Rock Music

Kim du Toit started me on an tour of YouTube rock videos with this post: Purple Patch. I spent most of the hour long wander listening and watching Kansas videosof Kansas, particularly the live ones. They were one of my favorite bands growing up because they played real music (melody, harmonies, structure, layers, point-counterpoint, progression, etc.). Here are some for other's enjoyment:

Apropos song of the day: Can I Tell You
Tour de Force: The Pinnacle
Kansas Purple Patch: Carry On Wayward Son. Reinhardt is right there, then watch him with Walsh during the bongo solo, and how often now do you see the lead sing, ply keyboards and percussion well.
And of course the original enigmatic unplugged Dust in the Wind

Yea, the production values are, well 70'ish, but the music comes through.

UPDATE: An alert reader over at Kim's place noted that for Carry On Wayward Son the video and vocals were not quite in sync with the instruments. Turns out that the vocals were recorded with the video but the music was a studio recording. I think the bongos were also recorded "live". Regardless it's still a bummer because it's not the "purple patch" or "touch the sky" moment I thought it was.

I Are One

Found via The Smallest Minority:

Home Life This Week

Not much to post today. #1 Son and I got home safely yesterday from our respective jobs through the snow storm. There were a few idiot drivers, including one who pulled out in front of me in the center of town as a local policeman sat and watched.

I have noticed that the snow plows are running in much tighter formations on the highways. Get behind a squadron and there is no way you're getting past until they decide to pull over and let you pass. This can make travel on the highways very slow; slower than it needs to be.

Wife and children are still recovering from the loss of one of our does. She had a very long hard labor. The vet came and tried to get the first kid out which was stuck with a turned head. She ended up having to do an emergency C-section to save the kids. 3 of 4 kids made it, 2 bucklings and a doeling, but the doe did not. Everyone is doing better today.

So far this kidding season we've ended up with 4 bucklings and 1 doeling. Usually we raise the bucklings for meat and they get appropriate names, but this year 3 of the 4 bucklings are already designated to be sold as pets and have regular names. I do hope the rest of the kidding season goes better than the first 2 does.

Looking forward to Spring.

p.s. The blog broke 2,500 visit yesterday. Whoopee.

Obama-rama's 2nd Amendment Dissimulation

Obama said that he does believe the second amendment "speaks to an individual's right."

As long as you are a hunter and your city allows you to subject to "common sense gun control laws" and "universal background checks" and not to include the right to carry concealed, own semi-automatic guns or so-called "assault weapons", purchase more than 1 handgun a month, or use it in self defense.

Is the Wicked Witch of the East Throwing a Tantrum?

Clinton replaces campaign manager
Rats jumping off the sinking ship:

Campaign aides said Solis Doyle made the decision to leave on her own and was not urged to do so by the former first lady or any other senior member of the team.

Or scapegoats in the making:

But it comes as Clinton struggles to catch Obama in fundraising and momentum and faces the prospect of losing every voting contest yet to come in February.

Either way there's trouble in Clinton-land. Good.

Finally. The Chairs Are Safe Again

Bob Knight resigns midseason

It's about time. Read John Feinstein's "A Season on the Brink" to understand what goes on inside a Bobby Knight basketball program. The physical and psychological abuse he heaps on his players to win at all costs will make you nauseous. Yes, his graduation rates and adherence to recruiting and eligibility rules is very noteworthy, but it does not come close to justifying his abusive ways. I hope he enjoys his retirement (and stays there), and that his son has picked up the good without the bad from his father.

What's Left (Otherwise known as slim pickings)

With RINO Rudi departed, the Huckster on the ropes, and SciFi Ron still at the back of the bus the Republican race is down to 2; Cheap Talk McCain and Big Hair Mitt. My state primary is on Tuesday and I don't like either of the front-runners: Neither one is really conservative.

John is too authoritarian and big government oriented, and too willing to compromise on judicial and other matters with his "esteemed colleagues" on the other side of the aisle. He's run to right for the campaign but in reality he's a centrist.

Mitt is an inexperienced flip-flopping, wanna-be. People tout his business and management experience but evidence of any applicability of it was totally lacking in his only single-term elected job. He got to be MA governor by being as liberal as one can be as a Mormon on social issues, and now runs right on these issue for the primary. He's flipped on so many issues, abortion, gun ownership, activist judges, government spending, health care, etc. that it is hard to know what his real position is anymore. Although he's claimed to have tried to cut taxes, his real fiscal impact was only to increase revenues through fees. Furthermore, his single major accomplishment during his tenure was socialist universal health care that eventually will bankrupt the state. Fiscally conservative he is not. It was painfully obvious from the start that the governor's job was just a stepping stone for him. He did nothing for the state and local Republican party organizations during his tenure. Under his "leadership" the Republican party in MA lost so many seats they could no longer occasionally sustain a Republican veto and his "hand-picked successor" lost the governor's race by a landslide. Republican principles or loyalties mean nothing to him: He will do and say anything to get elected. In that way I consider him to be the Republican equivalent to Hitlery. Having lived under his reign there is no way I can mark for him on Tuesday.

I don't know that either one of them has a better chance of beating the Democratic nominee and neither is more conservative than the other. In the end I think John McCain is slightly more controllable than Mitt and a bit less likely to act to the determent of the party and his successors. That's no ringing endorsement and I may write in Fred as a protest on Tuesday. If not, I suppose it will be Cheap Talk McCain.