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?