I don't know whether to applaud or cry. Repairs begin at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC. I remember seeing it in 1986 on an Air Cadet trip to the city. I remember the original controversy over the style of it, then the acclaims for it. As well I remember how visually and emotionally moving it was seeing it in person and the crowds of people in tears.
LONDON (AP) -- The British lawyer for Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi says his client is alive, contradicting a Sky News report that said he was dead.
Bah! Shame on Great Britain for this whole episode.
That reminds me. My neice (3 1/2 years old) was diagnosed with H1N1 on Monday. They had to drive "all over Northern Virginia" to get the proper meds. I don't really know any details beyond that. She had just started her first pre-school program/play group, so she may have contracted it there.
LONDON (AP) -- The British lawyer for Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi says his client is alive, contradicting a Sky News report that said he was dead.
Bah! Shame on Great Britain for this whole episode.
I must express my regrets..... that cause of death was not high velocity lead poisoning.
Lincolntf, prayers for your little niece. I am hoping they get the vaccine situation sorted out soon because I'd like to get my teenager vaccinated. Children and young adults seem to be most at risk this time.
I think the Vietnam Memorial is one of the most touching memorials I have ever seen. I hated it at first, but when I actually visited it, I was deeply moved. My kids were much younger then and they were also very moved. That is what a Memorial is supposed to be....simple, elegant, respectful...MOVING
Jeebus in a sidecar! I don't believe this..well, actually, I do believe this. mr hightechredneck and I went to the local post office today to apply for our passports. We're going on a cruise in December. We had already filled out the paperwork and had our birth certificates and picture i.d.'s. Turns out, the birth certificate that his mother had given to him was not a certified copy. Apparently, she never sent in for the certified copies and he's always gotten by on this one until now. He went back to his office and called the State Dept. of Health and over the phone, without any identification or even the file number that was on the photocopy he was able to apply for a certified copy. All they asked was his name, his parents' names and when and where he was born. Oh, and his credit card number. No wonder we have problems in this effin country!
We wholeheartedly share the concerns expressed by Robert L. Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch, about the direction that the organization — which should be one of the world’s leading human rights groups — has taken.
Human Rights Watch was founded more than 30 years ago with the admirable aim of protecting dissidents from oppressive regimes, but today its leaders have lost sight of its original ethos. Nowhere is this more so than in regard to the Middle East.
In a region dominated by regimes that violate human rights in horrendous ways, Human Rights Watch has instead chosen to single out Israel for condemnation, often using highly unreliable witnesses to do so.
Not only has it failed to allocate proper resources to monitoring the dictatorships that are rife throughout the region, but senior Human Rights Watch officials even recently went to Riyadh to raise funds from people associated with the Saudi regime, emphasizing the group’s work demonizing Israel while doing so.
In order that Human Rights Watch can once again fulfill the role for which it was created, we call upon its board members to institute a full independent review of the organization for which they are responsible.
Elie Wiesel Alan Dershowitz New York, Oct. 20, 2009
Kenneth: e-mail read and replied. I hope my answer helps a bit. Also one thing I forgot, talk to some of the parents and listen to what they have to say.
Phil, my 17 year old son said visiting "The Wall" was the most memorable part of his H.S. trip to D.C. It inspired him to read further on the history of the war.
It seems that I keep posting on the tail end of dead threads. I just posted this on the last thread, think it bears repeating:
U.S. Churches to petition FCC to investigate "Hate Speech" against illegal immigrants on talk radio: http://spectator.org/archives/2009/10/20/fcc-church-conspiracy-to-silen/print
Remind me again that all Christians are radical right-wingers.
redstate, that's really disturbing. You should think about writing to the appropriate agency and encouraging them to fix the system. Your state representatives would also be very interested.
Glad to hear that snowcrash. Hmmmm, I think I may have a blog topic for tomorrow now. Thanks for the idea snowcrash. I have a lot of pictures of Cenotaphs and war memorials here in Toronto. You wouldn't believe the amount that there are around the city.
A lot of the big memorials/cenotaphs are in the downtown core. They commemorate wars from all over the Commonwealth. From the Boer War to Korea and now Peacekeeping. There were a lot of small communities as well that have their own small monuments to the wars in the past. I think the most striking memorial is the Soldiers Tower on the University of Toronto Campus down town.
Just wait till tomorrow and I will have a write up on it with all sorts.
Thanks for the well-wishes. It's a little weird to discuss health issues on the web, so I'm not gonna chat about it much. I will say this, though. Those headlines/announcements of "H1N1 deaths expected to exceed 30,000", etc. look scary as hell today, where I kinda skimmed over such proclamations earlier in the year. Can't imagine what her parents are thinking when they see such stories. My wife is going to call her sister tomorrow (don't want to badger the family by calling every day) and supposedly that should be enough time to know that the meds have worked and the little one will be fine. I have faith that she'll be okay, but it never hurts to pray a little.
Hey y'all! Got a break from my chores, long enough to stick around a while! Big news(of things Obama shoulda done before(+)
Obama to refocus bailout on small businesses
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is set to unveil plans to refocus spending of the government's $700 billion financial bailout away from big financial institutions and toward small businesses.
The White House says the initiatives will make it easier for smaller community banks to provide credit to small businesses, which have been hard-hit by the financial crisis. The president's plan also includes a request that Congress increase caps for existing Small Business Administration loans.
Obama will announce the plan Wednesday during a visit to a small business in Maryland. In remarks prepared for the event, the president said his administration needs to do more to help small businesses grow.
"America will not recover until our small businesses recover," he said. http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20091021/4ade9550_3421_1334520091021-2034049023 I'm so glad America elected a SMART President /
WASHINGTON - A House committee has voted to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws as senators announced plans to take the same step.
The moves Wednesday signaled a growing determination by Democrats to punish the insurance industry for its criticism of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul agenda. The House Judiciary Committee voted 20 to 9 to repeal a 1940s law that exempted the health insurance industry from federal controls over certain antitrust violations including price-fixing.
Lawmakers said they wanted to include the legislation in a larger health care overhaul bill taking shape in the House. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced plans to repeal the antitrust exemption as part of its health care legislation http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20091021/4ade9550_3421_1334520091021312955445 Sigh.
The Deputy Defense Minister of Israel seems to be cut from the same mold as Deputy Barney Fife: Deputy defense minister hails draft Iran nuclear deal Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over a draft deal struck between Iran and the US, Russia and France, which would delay Teheran's ability to make nuclear weapons by sending most of its existing enriched uranium to Russia for processing.
"It just shows how much is possible with international effort," he told Israel Radio.
It shows how much time Iran can buy by talking; that's what it does.
Realwest: Here's an idea to help small businesses grow - get out of the way! Reduce taxes and regulations; let business owners spend their time building their business instead of filling out paperwork for the government; offer a tax break for hiring new employees; and most of all, do NOT impose outrageous new health insurance costs!
I am appalled at what these Dems are doing with this bill. The more I hear, the worse it sounds. Are they all unaware that the voters are paying attention to all of this? They are actually writing this bill, which will effect EVERY American, in some smoke filled backroom. Amazing...simply amazing.
Hey Lincolntf - prayers going up for your neice now. And you're among friends here - don't ever be concerned about posting about health problems and asking for prayers or best wishes or whatever. I've been VERY uprfont about my cancer and I can say it's helped at least 3 guys who were on a different blog at the time, but are coming over here (or are here already).
3wood would know more, but I believe some small business have had trouble getting loans due to the credit crunch. The government needs some way to let the banks loan more, without making it a government program, because the bankers will ask "How likely is it for this business to be able to pay the loan back?" while the government will go on things like diversity, etc.
Hey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
Hey Desert Dog - you don't get it. The Democrats DON'T CARE what the serfs think, they are the "elite" and they know what's best for us. Meanwhile, of course, my Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) and Rep. Bunning (R-KY?) have seperately and severally introduced legistlation that Congress and ALL government employees (except Military) will have to be covered by whatever health bill comes out of Congress - and BOTH times they have been shot down - almost strictly on party lines. Dems: don't fuck with our heath care! Repubs: "That's one reason we don't want health care reform but if we have to have it, we ought to abide by it too!"
Richard Fernandez has an excellent essay on the raging Muslim Civil War... and the dangerous stupidity of the US president who thinks he can ignore it.
" a battle for the soul of Islam is raging in South Asia. And the President may have elected to watch it from the sidelines, figuring the fires won’t jump. And if Krauthammer is right, then the West is facing a series of challenges which cannot be ignored. But maybe Obama is calculating he can ignore them; that it is better to keep talking than trying to act; because things just might take care of themselves. The world is about to find out who’s right. It should be an interesting next six months."
Hey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
As a small business owner myself, I can attest to the wonderful job President Obama has been doing for small business owners. He has created a very friendly environment for entrepreneurs and business owners to not only start up new enterprises, but also for existing businesses as well. With his fair tax policy, cutting of all that uneccessary government restrictions and red tape, and deep belief in capitalism and the free market, he will go down in history as one of our Greatest Presidents ever...no doubt.
/this message has been brought to you by KoolAid brand beverages....KOOLAID - Ask for it by name and DRINK IT UP....ALL OF IT!
Hey Kosh's Shadow - you're partially correct; the credit freeze which caused TARP in the first place affected all businesses, but small businesses in particular depended on lines of credit for paying payroll, vendors etc when THEIR customers didn't pay them on time. TARP actually did help quite a bit with small businesses (some of 'em anyway) but Congress - the LEFT anyway - can't resist getting their damn "diversity" crap in anyway. See, e.g., CRA; now Obama wants states to be able to borrow directly from the Fed and go through Fanniemae and Freddiemac to assist homeowners with mortgage loans that are in default.
Richard Fernandez has an excellent essay on the raging Muslim Civil War... and the dangerous stupidity of the US president who thinks he can ignore it.
I have full confidence in President Obama to sit and wait and do nothing at all about this. He is quite good at that.
"By dragging out the decision-making process on our Afghanistan war strategy, the president has not only irritated the military and our allies and given our foes reason for optimism. He has increased domestic pressure on himself — directly contrary to his desires and political self-interest. The Left is swirling and agitating, bestowing newfound respect on Joe Biden. The longer it goes on, the more hopeful the Left becomes that it can successfully deter Obama from a full-on counterinsurgency plan."
Realwest said... Hey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
It's just talk with BHO, it's campaigning. Health Care Reform, Crap-n-Fraud, Energy Policy, Tax Policy, every thing actually does is a small business killer.
DD, small business owners are smart people. They are not going to take on new hires until this health insurance mess and the cap and trade penalties are settled.
Thanks, RW. I hear ya. It can be very helpful to have discussions like that. My "weird" feeling stems from discussing someone else's health issues, not my own. As soon as we get the "all-clear" on her health, I'll be interested in finding out (and discussing) how H1N1 is dealt with by doctors, insurance co.'s, schools, families, etc. I assume (perhaps wrongly) that the rest of the family (class?) must be taking some kind of meds (maybe got the vax?). Anyway, we'll talk about it in a few days. Good luck with your battle.
"Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the third-ranking GOP member on the panel, said he has read the leaked report by McChrystal and believes the general makes a clear case for no fewer than 40,000 troops. “It was so thorough and so thoughtful … I feel like they’ve given immense thought to it,” Sessions said. “The president is the commander in chief, but he needs to listen very carefully to what his commanders are telling him.” "
Hey Kenneth! From your link: "Krauthammer believes there is something absurd about relying on “national self-denigration — excuse me, outreach and understanding” that “is not meant to yield immediate results; [but] simply plants the seeds of good feeling from which foreign policy successes shall come.” That’s like buying beers for thugs in a tough neighborhood in the hope they’ll respect you instead of coming back for more. Krauthammer claims that the policy of bending over backward so far has been a dismal failure; it has only resulted in the betrayal of the Iranian opposition, the sell-out of Tibet, “the sudden abrogation of missile defense arrangements with Poland and the Czech Republic” in exchange for exactly nothing. He concludes with a piece of gallows humor.
Henry Kissinger once said that the main job of Anatoly Dobrynin, the perennial Soviet ambassador to Washington, was to tell the Kremlin leadership that whenever they received a proposal from the United States that appeared disadvantageous to the United States, not to assume it was a trick.
No need for a Dobrynin today. The Russian leadership, hardly believing its luck, needs no interpreter to understand that when the Obama team clownishly rushes in bearing gifts and “reset” buttons, there is nothing ulterior, diabolical, clever or even serious behind it. It is amateurishness, wrapped in naivete, inside credulity. In short, the very stuff of Nobels."
I am beginning to think Obama will just surrender in Afghanistan. He does not have the backbone to do the right thing and send in more troops. He and the vast majority of those on the left would be perfectly ok with just raising the white flag and leaving Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Pres. Obama will bow down to the George Soros/KOS crowd on this...
Then, when most certain blood bath ensues...why'll it'll be BUSH'S FAULT, of course.
Dang it, blogspot ate my post! I assure you it was brilliant. Basically, I am suspicious of this small business plan because it sounds to me like another bank bailout. It will be just like the Community Reinvestment Act, which practically forced banks to lend to unqualified borrowers. If loans were made solely on the basis of creditworthiness, none of the bailouts would have been necessary.
snowcrash - Yep. President Obama keeps thinking (he really can't help it, it's who he was influenced by) that the GOVERNMENT can help out small businesses - other than getting the hell out of the way - and doesn't understand ANYTHING about running ANY kind of business - nope, small business owners are NOT going to be doing much more hiring until health care and Cap and Tax are resolved. And maybe not then - don't forget that Obama camapaigned on no new tax cuts on folks making more than $250,000 a year (a pledge he never intended to carry out and is obviously NOT carrying out) without any regard AT ALL as to what that means to small businesses.
Reports are that McChrystal requested no fewer than 40,000 additional troops to succeed in Afghanistan. Add that to the additional troops already sent, and we're back up to the number General Kiernan had requested and was fired for. Obama's base would go apeshit if he authorized 40,000 more troops. He can't go pick up his shiny new Nobel Peace Prize if he authorized 40,000 new troops. At the very least, he will wait until after the Nobel ceremony, on December 10th to make a decision. Which is stupidity, vanity and dereliction of duty for the Commander in Chief.
DD, small business owners are smart people. They are not going to take on new hires until this health insurance mess and the cap and trade penalties are settled.
I will not hire anyone and I may lay off more workers if the Cap and Tax crap goes through. As far as medical insurance. If the government forces me to buy my workers the government plan, that will be one more hurdle and roadblock to get around.
The Democrats think there is an endless supply of money coming from business and workers they can just reach into and pull out. They are destroying the businesses of the USA right now.
If people think jobs are disappearing now, wait until they pass those two piles of crap....Job killers....big time job killers, both of them.
-…Is just something I like to say. But this piece should give you some good ammo next time some boho bozo starts blathering on about sustainable urbanism, or whatever they’re calling it this week:
--In fact, lack of ethnic diversity may have much to do with what allows these places to be “progressive”. It’s easy to have Scandinavian policies if you have Scandinavian demographics. Minneapolis-St. Paul, of course, is notable in its Scandinavian heritage; Seattle and Portland received much of their initial migrants from the northern tier of America, which has always been heavily Germanic and Scandinavian.
-Among the media, academia and within planning circles, there’s a generally standing answer to the question of what cities are the best, the most progressive and best role models for small and mid-sized cities. The standard list includes Portland, Seattle, Austin, Minneapolis, and Denver. In particular, Portland is held up as a paradigm…
-But look closely at these exemplars and a curious fact emerges…you will find that the “progressive” cities aren’t red or blue, but another color entirely: white.
-In fact, not one of these “progressive” cities even reaches the national average for African American percentage population…
-The progressive paragon of Portland is the whitest on the list…The contrast with other, supposedly less advanced cities is stark.
-…just within the state of Texas, where Austin is held up as a bastion of right thinking urbanism next to sprawlvilles like Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston.
-Again, we see that Austin is far whiter than either Dallas-Ft. Worth or Houston.
-This raises troubling questions about these cities. Why is it that progressivism in smaller metros is so often associated with low numbers of African Americans?…
-The relative lack of diversity in places like Portland raises some tough questions the perennially PC urban boosters might not want to answer. For example, how can a city define itself as diverse or progressive while lacking in African Americans, the traditional sine qua non of diversity …?
-Imagine a large corporation with a workforce whose African American percentage far lagged its industry peers, sans any apparent concern, and without a credible action plan to remediate it. Would such a corporation be viewed as a progressive firm and employer? The answer is obvious. Yet the same situation in major cities yields a different answer. Curious.
-In comparison to the great cities of the Rust Belt, the Northeast, California and Texas, these cities have relatively homogenous populations. Lack of diversity in culture makes it far easier to implement “progressive” policies…
Oh, how delicious – leftists have to choose between socialism and racial integration.
It's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president.
Kenneth said... It's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president.
It wouldn't be a problem for 0bama. He'd just appoint a new general with no military experience but plenty of experience working for ACORN.
True, this isn't the way things are done in the military, but does that mean 0bama wouldn't do it?
Syrah and doppelganglander Hello! And you are both correct, because THAT'S WHAT THE LEFT WANTS - they want to control the entire economy. It's POWER they're after, not really intelligent, forward looking economics or foreign policy. The LEFT'S immediate problem can be summed up in two words: Unemployment and Underemployment - this economy will NOT get better while we have double digit unemployment and God knows how much underemployment. Nothing that Obama has said or, more importantly, done, has given a modest signal that he has a clue about either of those two problems with our economy. It's HOPEFUL that he's starting to recognize the importance of small business, but ALL of his policies, Health Care, Cap and Trade, and a stealth stimulus to the States for mortgage "relief" for folks who borrowed 100% financing under CRA and other Fed guidlines and are now stuck between a rock and a hard place because NONE of their expensive homes appraise high enough to rationalize recasting loans or making new loans is going to help our economy. Hell, those folks could barely afford those huge mortgages to begin with; now with one or both breadwinners unemployed or underemployed, they are going underwater with their mortgage debt alone. And when small businesses' fail, the bottom keeps falling out of the economy. And the LEFT is OK with that because most Americans WILL THEN HAVE TO LOOK TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR HELP. POWER.......THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. GOVERNMENT POWER. Screw the serfs.
Realwest, I think a lot of people couldn't even afford the mortgages they got, especially the "interest only" ones. (I know one person who legitimately used an "interest only" mortgage - to lower the payments on the house he moved out of until he could sell it.)
Obama Administration has absolutely NO clear strategy concerning Afghanistan and it shows. I liken it to voting present. My fear is that the media will not hold his feet to the fire re "the necessary war" and shift focus to other areas. MSN enablers.
Hi there formercorpsman! Good to see you! Regrettably those chores just won't wait any longer. So I gotta go, but I hope you all have a great day and that I get the chance to see you all down the road!
Realwest et al.: Let me tell you just how crazy mortgage lending is. I have a conventional loan at a fairly reasonable interest rate, considering we had some past credit problems. Although my husband has been out of work for nearly 9 months, we've made our mortgage payment on time without fail until this month. Due to a delayed payment from my client, I couldn't pay until the 19th.
So last week I called to discuss it with them, hoping to get the late fee waived. They did so, and the rep explained to me that I could apply for a loan modification, thanks to the $787 bazillion dollar "stimulus" program. I said I would think about it.
Then came the kicker. The rep said, "By the way, you're pre-qualified for our Super Premium Deluxe Credit Card! Would you like one?"
Really? I just told you I'm struggling to make my mortgage payment and you want to give me a credit card? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! Maybe they figure by the time I run up $10K and default on it, the government will be bailing out credit cards, too. Unfortunately for them, I'm actually responsible and declined the card.
I knew that Obama was an extremist during the campaign. His July speech in Colorado made that unmistakably clear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df2p6867_pw (I used to harp on that one a lot.)
Kenneth said... "It's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president."
It may not be inconceivable, but OMG, could you imagine the fallout if all 3 resigned? Troop morale? Enemy morale? I don't even want to think about it.
I don't think that all 3 would resign - certainly not publicly, not all together. They would know that such an act would be devasting to American forces everyone and American security.
Russ, if that ever happened, the domino effect would be incalculable. I would bet, he is probably hearing from certain elements within his own party wanting a decision on some numbers sooner rather than later.
I was trying to make a call on my wireless phone, but I couldn't get a dial tone. I finally remembered that I'd disconnected it to avoid it ringing overnight.
In other words: I couldn't use my wireless phone because it wasn't connected.
Pi, second link is a devastating summary of the attack on conservatives and the middle class that we have been seeing by this administration. Saved that one to favorites. Thanks.
Pi Guy, you mean you hadn't figured out how to turn the ringer off? Or did you disconnect it so you wouldn't forget it was off and wonder why no one is calling you?
Before the crunch I was looking at finance options for the van we bought. At some point a 1990 Camry is no long an option with kids. I applied on line with our credit union just to see what was available.
They came back and approved us for $120,000 auto loan. WTF sez I? $120k for a damn car? What are they smoking!
JCM, I'm sure the kids would enjoy a gold-plated Bentley. But seriously, that's exactly the way so many people got in trouble with their mortgages. We probably could have been approved for double the amount we applied for. It's hard to be sensible when they're dangling a key to Snob Hill Estates in front of you.
Kosh's Shadow said... Pi Guy, you mean you hadn't figured out how to turn the ringer off? Or did you disconnect it so you wouldn't forget it was off and wonder why no one is calling you?
I know how to turn the ringer off, but there's a built-in answering machine, which I can hear even at the lowest volume setting. If it rings in the middle of the night, I don't hear the ringer, but I do hear the voice making the recording on the machine.
snowcrash said... Pi, second link is a devastating summary of the attack on conservatives and the middle class that we have been seeing by this administration. Saved that one to favorites. Thanks.
turn said... Pi Guy, thanks for the Morning Bell link. I've never been to that blog, so true about alinsky tactics.
Kosh's Shadow said... Pi Guy, our answering machines also can be turned off, so you might want to try that. But by that time, unplugging it is so much easier.
11 or so years ago, when we were looking for a house (we had been renting in an expensive town for the schools), we were preapproved for much more than I wanted to spend. I knew the budget with the rent we were paying, so I kept it near that. The real estate agents wanted to show us houses at the high end, more than I was comfortable with. Then one made a mistake and showed us cheaper houses. We bought one of those. And after a 20 month period of unemployment back in 2002-2003, I'm glad I kept the payments down, or we'd be in a cardboard box. If we were lucky.
Before the crunch I was looking at finance options for the van we bought. At some point a 1990 Camry is no long an option with kids. I applied on line with our credit union just to see what was available.
They came back and approved us for $120,000 auto loan. WTF sez I? $120k for a damn car? What are they smoking!
And, how is that Lamborghini Station Wagon running these days?
The US Supreme Court has let stand a ruling in Virginia that police officers must personally observe erratic driving before stopping a suspected drunken driver.
On Tuesday, the high court declined to take up an appeal involving a Richmond motorist who was pulled over by a police officer based on an anonymous tip that he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The issue in the case, Virginia v. Harris, was whether the officer was justified in confronting the driver with a roadside sobriety test, or whether he should have waited until Harris' driving gave rise to a reasonable suspicion of drunk driving independent of the anonymous tip.
Kosh's Shadow: Unless you hire a buyer's agent to represent you, the agent represents the seller and is going to be paid by the seller. It's in his/her interest to sell you the most expensive house possible because the commission is a percentage of the sale price. You were very wise to stick to your budget.
In the brief age of Obama, we have had “truthers,” “birthers,” Tea Party activists, and town-hall dissenters.
Comes now, the “Oath Keepers.” And who might they be?
Writes Alan Maimon in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oath Keepers, depending on where one stands, are “either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.”
Formed in March, they are ex-military and police who repledge themselves to defend the Constitution, even if it means disobeying orders. If the U.S. government ordered law enforcement agencies to violate Second Amendment rights by disarming the people, Oath Keepers will not obey.
“The whole point of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening here,” says founding father Stewart Rhodes, an ex-Army paratrooper and Yale-trained lawyer. “My focus is on the guys with the guns, because they can’t do it without them.
“We say if the American people decide it’s time for a revolution, we’ll fight with you.”
It cold and rainy in the DFW area, so I turned on the TV to check the weather channel and the President is on TV again. Does he ever go into the Oval office and do work or is it nonstop campaigning?
Finally Free said... Instapundit: 0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech. A reader snarks that perhaps they regard criticism of 0bama as a subspecies of blasphemy.
I guess the sentence for atheism must be really serious.
@Pi Guy: WARNING TO ALL: this link goes to an article by Pat Pukecannon ;-) Sorry guys, I want NOTHING to do with that antisemitic, Father Coughlin-channeling piece of pigsh*t.
Finally Free said... Instapundit: 0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech. A reader snarks that perhaps they regard criticism of 0bama as a subspecies of blasphemy.
Also, U. of Illinois chancellor resigns over "inside track admissions scandal".
And "Gallup poll: 61% of Americans are un-American. Double heh :-)
So when an athetist puts up a no God sign in the State Capital for the Winter Solistice I can file blasphmey charges?
Re: "0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech."
Now, now... don't be a bunch of wingnut extremists and overreact like that freak Glenn Beck or something. Obviously, the blasphemy laws don't apply to criticizing Christianity or Judaism. It's only meant to protect Islam which, as we are told, is under relentless attack from Christofascists and ZioNazis.
Springfield, Virginia resident Eric Williamson was arrested and charged with indecent exposure yesterday for failing to put on any clothes after getting up at 5:30 am to make some coffee. A woman and her 7-year-old daughter had cut across Williamson's front yard and saw him through his kitchen window.
If convicted, Williamson could be fined $2,000 and spend a year in jail.
Fairfax police say Williamson wanted to be seen naked. Which I guess means Williamson's front yard is a pretty popular spot at 5:30 in the morning.
Woot. First on two threads!
ReplyDeleteHiya, all!
ReplyDeleteImams Settle Case Against Us Airways, FBI
ReplyDeletehttp://i38.tinypic.com/vhf5ua.jpg
See our Avatars and weep ye who shall soon be cloaked in anonymity!
ReplyDeleteFifth!
ReplyDeleteMorning Gak. Morning JTK
ReplyDeleteFifth!
ReplyDeleteNo, I was NOT bragging about my place in the comments, I was placing an order at the bar!
Sixth!
ReplyDeleteDamn, too slow on things here. :p
ReplyDeleteOh well, could be worse I guess.
See our Avatars and weep ye who shall soon be cloaked in anonymity!
ReplyDelete*sob*
And here's a "Well, duhhh!" news article from Reuters on the spread of the H1N1 flu.
ReplyDeleteMorning OoS. Afternoon here, though.
ReplyDeleteIts ok SB [patting SB on back] . . . maybe JTK will share some of his fifth with you.
ReplyDeleteGood morfternoon!
ReplyDeleteI like the "This Day in History" posts, BTW.
I don't know whether to applaud or cry. Repairs begin at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in DC. I remember seeing it in 1986 on an Air Cadet trip to the city. I remember the original controversy over the style of it, then the acclaims for it. As well I remember how visually and emotionally moving it was seeing it in person and the crowds of people in tears.
ReplyDeleteIts ok SB [patting SB on back] . . . maybe JTK will share some of his fifth with you.
ReplyDeleteCool. *hic*
Ahhh nuts. It looks like we were celebrating a little too early. :(
ReplyDeleteROFL! S. Weasel has a way with words!
ReplyDeleteFiled at 12:04 p.m. ET
ReplyDeleteLONDON (AP) -- The British lawyer for Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi says his client is alive, contradicting a Sky News report that said he was dead.
Bah! Shame on Great Britain for this whole episode.
Oh-oh. I guess it's starting to look like that any criticism of the current government and any of it's reforms is a punishable offense. House committee votes against anti-trust protection.
ReplyDelete/insurance companies beware...
JWF has a good video post up on "How to spot a racist at a tea party". Janeane Garofalo is such an easy target for mockery. Very funny.
ReplyDeletePaladinPhil said...
ReplyDeleteAnd here's a "Well, duhhh!"
That reminds me. My neice (3 1/2 years old) was diagnosed with H1N1 on Monday. They had to drive "all over Northern Virginia" to get the proper meds. I don't really know any details beyond that. She had just started her first pre-school program/play group, so she may have contracted it there.
Hi Phil,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the email, that is a cool photo. Please check your email, as I have another question for you... thanks!
Origin of Specious said...
ReplyDeleteFiled at 12:04 p.m. ET
LONDON (AP) -- The British lawyer for Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset al-Megrahi says his client is alive, contradicting a Sky News report that said he was dead.
Bah! Shame on Great Britain for this whole episode.
I must express my regrets..... that cause of death was not high velocity lead poisoning.
Lincolntf - hope she gets well soon.
ReplyDeleteLincolntf, prayers for your little niece. I am hoping they get the vaccine situation sorted out soon because I'd like to get my teenager vaccinated. Children and young adults seem to be most at risk this time.
ReplyDeletePaladinPhil said...
ReplyDeleteI think the Vietnam Memorial is one of the most touching memorials I have ever seen. I hated it at first, but when I actually visited it, I was deeply moved. My kids were much younger then and they were also very moved. That is what a Memorial is supposed to be....simple, elegant, respectful...MOVING
Jeebus in a sidecar!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe this..well, actually, I do believe this. mr hightechredneck and I went to the local post office today to apply for our passports. We're going on a cruise in December. We had already filled out the paperwork and had our birth certificates and picture i.d.'s. Turns out, the birth certificate that his mother had given to him was not a certified copy. Apparently, she never sent in for the certified copies and he's always gotten by on this one until now. He went back to his office and called the State Dept. of Health and over the phone, without any identification or even the file number that was on the photocopy he was able to apply for a certified copy. All they asked was his name, his parents' names and when and where he was born. Oh, and his credit card number. No wonder we have problems in this effin country!
JCM: Sad indeed.
ReplyDeleteOT - Posted this in the dead thread by accident:
To the Editor:
We wholeheartedly share the concerns expressed by Robert L. Bernstein, a founder of Human Rights Watch, about the direction that the organization — which should be one of the world’s leading human rights groups — has taken.
Human Rights Watch was founded more than 30 years ago with the admirable aim of protecting dissidents from oppressive regimes, but today its leaders have lost sight of its original ethos. Nowhere is this more so than in regard to the Middle East.
In a region dominated by regimes that violate human rights in horrendous ways, Human Rights Watch has instead chosen to single out Israel for condemnation, often using highly unreliable witnesses to do so.
Not only has it failed to allocate proper resources to monitoring the dictatorships that are rife throughout the region, but senior Human Rights Watch officials even recently went to Riyadh to raise funds from people associated with the Saudi regime, emphasizing the group’s work demonizing Israel while doing so.
In order that Human Rights Watch can once again fulfill the role for which it was created, we call upon its board members to institute a full independent review of the organization for which they are responsible.
Elie Wiesel
Alan Dershowitz
New York, Oct. 20, 2009
Kenneth: e-mail read and replied. I hope my answer helps a bit. Also one thing I forgot, talk to some of the parents and listen to what they have to say.
ReplyDeletePhil, my 17 year old son said visiting "The Wall" was the most memorable part of his H.S. trip to D.C. It inspired him to read further on the history of the war.
ReplyDeleteHey, here's something you Americans should watch out for. Smoking bans up here are starting to enroach on our freedoms and liberties.
ReplyDelete/hat tip Josephine...
It seems that I keep posting on the tail end of dead threads. I just posted this on the last thread, think it bears repeating:
ReplyDeleteU.S. Churches to petition FCC to investigate "Hate Speech" against illegal immigrants on talk radio:
http://spectator.org/archives/2009/10/20/fcc-church-conspiracy-to-silen/print
Remind me again that all Christians are radical right-wingers.
Lincolntf: my best wishes for her health
ReplyDeleteHi {red}. That is scary.
ReplyDeleteredstate, that's really disturbing. You should think about writing to the appropriate agency and encouraging them to fix the system. Your state representatives would also be very interested.
ReplyDeleteJCM said...
ReplyDeleteI must express my regrets..... that cause of death was not high velocity lead poisoning.
Kosh's Shadow says
I'd prefer high speed impact with the ground after a prolonged fall for the Lockerbie bomber.
Glad to hear that snowcrash. Hmmmm, I think I may have a blog topic for tomorrow now. Thanks for the idea snowcrash. I have a lot of pictures of Cenotaphs and war memorials here in Toronto. You wouldn't believe the amount that there are around the city.
ReplyDelete/so far I think I have found at least twenty...
Phil, I have never been to Toronto. I would love to see what you have.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the big memorials/cenotaphs are in the downtown core. They commemorate wars from all over the Commonwealth. From the Boer War to Korea and now Peacekeeping. There were a lot of small communities as well that have their own small monuments to the wars in the past. I think the most striking memorial is the Soldiers Tower on the University of Toronto Campus down town.
ReplyDeleteJust wait till tomorrow and I will have a write up on it with all sorts.
I get back and everything slows down.
ReplyDeleteDid Russkiltlover have to go out and get more coffee or something?
Rush Limbaugh just said, "I live in Barack Obama's head rent-free."
ReplyDeleteIf that isn't the truth. And his neighbors all work for Fox News.
See how poverty causes terrorism?
ReplyDeleteThe Sudbury man accused of plotting a mall attack and traveling to the Middle East to seek terrorist training has a doctorate in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston, where his father is a professor.
Kosh's Shadow says
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer high speed impact with the ground after a prolonged fall for the Lockerbie bomber.
Cause of death, natural.
Gravity.
Cause of death, natural.
ReplyDeleteGravity.
"Deceleration trauma" or "ground poisoning" have better rings to them.
Thanks for the well-wishes. It's a little weird to discuss health issues on the web, so I'm not gonna chat about it much.
ReplyDeleteI will say this, though. Those headlines/announcements of "H1N1 deaths expected to exceed 30,000", etc. look scary as hell today, where I kinda skimmed over such proclamations earlier in the year. Can't imagine what her parents are thinking when they see such stories.
My wife is going to call her sister tomorrow (don't want to badger the family by calling every day) and supposedly that should be enough time to know that the meds have worked and the little one will be fine. I have faith that she'll be okay, but it never hurts to pray a little.
Hey y'all! Got a break from my chores, long enough to stick around a while!
ReplyDeleteBig news(of things Obama shoulda done before(+)
Obama to refocus bailout on small businesses
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is set to unveil plans to refocus spending of the government's $700 billion financial bailout away from big financial institutions and toward small businesses.
The White House says the initiatives will make it easier for smaller community banks to provide credit to small businesses, which have been hard-hit by the financial crisis. The president's plan also includes a request that Congress increase caps for existing Small Business Administration loans.
Obama will announce the plan Wednesday during a visit to a small business in Maryland. In remarks prepared for the event, the president said his administration needs to do more to help small businesses grow.
"America will not recover until our small businesses recover," he said.
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20091021/4ade9550_3421_1334520091021-2034049023
I'm so glad America elected a SMART President
/
And then again, maybe not so smart:
ReplyDeleteHealth insurers may lose antitrust exemption
WASHINGTON - A House committee has voted to strip the health insurance industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws as senators announced plans to take the same step.
The moves Wednesday signaled a growing determination by Democrats to punish the insurance industry for its criticism of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul agenda. The House Judiciary Committee voted 20 to 9 to repeal a 1940s law that exempted the health insurance industry from federal controls over certain antitrust violations including price-fixing.
Lawmakers said they wanted to include the legislation in a larger health care overhaul bill taking shape in the House. In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced plans to repeal the antitrust exemption as part of its health care legislation
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20091021/4ade9550_3421_1334520091021312955445
Sigh.
The Deputy Defense Minister of Israel seems to be cut from the same mold as Deputy Barney Fife:
ReplyDeleteDeputy defense minister hails draft Iran nuclear deal
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over a draft deal struck between Iran and the US, Russia and France, which would delay Teheran's ability to make nuclear weapons by sending most of its existing enriched uranium to Russia for processing.
"It just shows how much is possible with international effort," he told Israel Radio.
It shows how much time Iran can buy by talking; that's what it does.
The suspect was rumored to have said: "hey, her's are fake and so are mine"
ReplyDeleteCounterfeiting charges for man printing $50s in lap-dance scheme
Realwest: Here's an idea to help small businesses grow - get out of the way! Reduce taxes and regulations; let business owners spend their time building their business instead of filling out paperwork for the government; offer a tax break for hiring new employees; and most of all, do NOT impose outrageous new health insurance costs!
ReplyDeleteRealwest said...
ReplyDeleteI am appalled at what these Dems are doing with this bill. The more I hear, the worse it sounds. Are they all unaware that the voters are paying attention to all of this? They are actually writing this bill, which will effect EVERY American, in some smoke filled backroom. Amazing...simply amazing.
Hey Lincolntf - prayers going up for your neice now.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're among friends here - don't ever be concerned about posting about health problems and asking for prayers or best wishes or whatever.
I've been VERY uprfont about my cancer and I can say it's helped at least 3 guys who were on a different blog at the time, but are coming over here (or are here already).
3wood would know more, but I believe some small business have had trouble getting loans due to the credit crunch.
ReplyDeleteThe government needs some way to let the banks loan more, without making it a government program, because the bankers will ask "How likely is it for this business to be able to pay the loan back?" while the government will go on things like diversity, etc.
Hey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
ReplyDeleteHey Desert Dog - you don't get it. The Democrats DON'T CARE what the serfs think, they are the "elite" and they know what's best for us.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, of course, my Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) and Rep. Bunning (R-KY?) have seperately and severally introduced legistlation that Congress and ALL government employees (except Military) will have to be covered by whatever health bill comes out of Congress - and BOTH times they have been shot down - almost strictly on party lines. Dems: don't fuck with our heath care! Repubs: "That's one reason we don't want health care reform but if we have to have it, we ought to abide by it too!"
Richard Fernandez has an excellent essay on the raging Muslim Civil War... and the dangerous stupidity of the US president who thinks he can ignore it.
ReplyDelete" a battle for the soul of Islam is raging in South Asia. And the President may have elected to watch it from the sidelines, figuring the fires won’t jump. And if Krauthammer is right, then the West is facing a series of challenges which cannot be ignored. But maybe Obama is calculating he can ignore them; that it is better to keep talking than trying to act; because things just might take care of themselves. The world is about to find out who’s right. It should be an interesting next six months."
http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/10/21/two-dramas-and-a-third/#more-6448
Realwest said...
ReplyDeleteHey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
As a small business owner myself, I can attest to the wonderful job President Obama has been doing for small business owners. He has created a very friendly environment for entrepreneurs and business owners to not only start up new enterprises, but also for existing businesses as well. With his fair tax policy, cutting of all that uneccessary government restrictions and red tape, and deep belief in capitalism and the free market, he will go down in history as one of our Greatest Presidents ever...no doubt.
/this message has been brought to you by KoolAid brand beverages....KOOLAID - Ask for it by name and DRINK IT UP....ALL OF IT!
Hey Kosh's Shadow - you're partially correct; the credit freeze which caused TARP in the first place affected all businesses, but small businesses in particular depended on lines of credit for paying payroll, vendors etc when THEIR customers didn't pay them on time. TARP actually did help quite a bit with small businesses (some of 'em anyway) but Congress - the LEFT anyway - can't resist getting their damn "diversity" crap in anyway. See, e.g., CRA; now Obama wants states to be able to borrow directly from the Fed and go through Fanniemae and Freddiemac to assist homeowners with mortgage loans that are in default.
ReplyDeleteKenneth said...
ReplyDeleteRichard Fernandez has an excellent essay on the raging Muslim Civil War... and the dangerous stupidity of the US president who thinks he can ignore it.
I have full confidence in President Obama to sit and wait and do nothing at all about this. He is quite good at that.
Flunking Warmaking 101
ReplyDelete"By dragging out the decision-making process on our Afghanistan war strategy, the president has not only irritated the military and our allies and given our foes reason for optimism. He has increased domestic pressure on himself — directly contrary to his desires and political self-interest. The Left is swirling and agitating, bestowing newfound respect on Joe Biden. The longer it goes on, the more hopeful the Left becomes that it can successfully deter Obama from a full-on counterinsurgency plan."
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/136242
Realwest said...
ReplyDeleteHey there doppelganglander - you're preaching to the choir with me (and probably most folks out here); I was just commenting on HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN the POTUS to figure out that small businees is what generates jobs!
It's just talk with BHO, it's campaigning. Health Care Reform, Crap-n-Fraud, Energy Policy, Tax Policy, every thing actually does is a small business killer.
DD, small business owners are smart people. They are not going to take on new hires until this health insurance mess and the cap and trade penalties are settled.
ReplyDeleteThanks, RW. I hear ya. It can be very helpful to have discussions like that. My "weird" feeling stems from discussing someone else's health issues, not my own.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as we get the "all-clear" on her health, I'll be interested in finding out (and discussing) how H1N1 is dealt with by doctors, insurance co.'s, schools, families, etc.
I assume (perhaps wrongly) that the rest of the family (class?) must be taking some kind of meds (maybe got the vax?).
Anyway, we'll talk about it in a few days.
Good luck with your battle.
"Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the third-ranking GOP member on the panel, said he has read the leaked report by McChrystal and believes the general makes a clear case for no fewer than 40,000 troops. “It was so thorough and so thoughtful … I feel like they’ve given immense thought to it,” Sessions said. “The president is the commander in chief, but he needs to listen very carefully to what his commanders are telling him.” "
ReplyDeleteHey Kenneth! From your link:
ReplyDelete"Krauthammer believes there is something absurd about relying on “national self-denigration — excuse me, outreach and understanding” that “is not meant to yield immediate results; [but] simply plants the seeds of good feeling from which foreign policy successes shall come.” That’s like buying beers for thugs in a tough neighborhood in the hope they’ll respect you instead of coming back for more. Krauthammer claims that the policy of bending over backward so far has been a dismal failure; it has only resulted in the betrayal of the Iranian opposition, the sell-out of Tibet, “the sudden abrogation of missile defense arrangements with Poland and the Czech Republic” in exchange for exactly nothing. He concludes with a piece of gallows humor.
Henry Kissinger once said that the main job of Anatoly Dobrynin, the perennial Soviet ambassador to Washington, was to tell the Kremlin leadership that whenever they received a proposal from the United States that appeared disadvantageous to the United States, not to assume it was a trick.
No need for a Dobrynin today. The Russian leadership, hardly believing its luck, needs no interpreter to understand that when the Obama team clownishly rushes in bearing gifts and “reset” buttons, there is nothing ulterior, diabolical, clever or even serious behind it. It is amateurishness, wrapped in naivete, inside credulity. In short, the very stuff of Nobels."
Nail, meet Hammer.
Desert Dog said...
ReplyDeleteI have full confidence in President Obama to sit and wait and do nothing at all about this. He is quite good at that.
I think they'll give him another Nobel Prize if he keeps it up.
Kenneth said...
ReplyDeleteFlunking Warmaking 101
I am beginning to think Obama will just surrender in Afghanistan. He does not have the backbone to do the right thing and send in more troops. He and the vast majority of those on the left would be perfectly ok with just raising the white flag and leaving Afghanistan to the Taliban.
Pres. Obama will bow down to the George Soros/KOS crowd on this...
Then, when most certain blood bath ensues...why'll it'll be BUSH'S FAULT, of course.
Desert Dog said...
ReplyDeleteI have full confidence in President Obama to sit and wait and do nothing at all about this. He is quite good at that.
Actually, I wish he'd do nothing at all on health care than what he's doing, and put some real thought into what he's doing with other countries.
Get your favourite OBAMAO gear here!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/10/oh-wow-oba-mao-in-washington/
If leftists can call Obama a Maoist, why are conservatives mocked and insulted when they try?
Realwest said...
ReplyDeleteObama to refocus bailout on small businesses
I worry that any "bailout" of small business would come with enough strings attached that the feds could do to them what they have been doing to BofA
The problem with accepting the Devil's coin is that he then calls the tune.
realwest.... Krauthammer is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteKenneth said...
ReplyDeleteIf leftists can call Obama a Maoist, why are conservatives mocked and insulted when they try?
Because the TRUTH hurts?
Dang it, blogspot ate my post! I assure you it was brilliant. Basically, I am suspicious of this small business plan because it sounds to me like another bank bailout. It will be just like the Community Reinvestment Act, which practically forced banks to lend to unqualified borrowers. If loans were made solely on the basis of creditworthiness, none of the bailouts would have been necessary.
ReplyDeletesnowcrash - Yep. President Obama keeps thinking (he really can't help it, it's who he was influenced by) that the GOVERNMENT can help out small businesses - other than getting the hell out of the way - and doesn't understand ANYTHING about running ANY kind of business - nope, small business owners are NOT going to be doing much more hiring until health care and Cap and Tax are resolved. And maybe not then - don't forget that Obama camapaigned on no new tax cuts on folks making more than $250,000 a year (a pledge he never intended to carry out and is obviously NOT carrying out) without any regard AT ALL as to what that means to small businesses.
ReplyDeleteI like this MAO shirt
ReplyDeleteCommunist Parties
Hey Kenneth - "Krauthammer is brilliant." That's the understatement of the day. If only Obama had the balls to hire guys like him as advisors.
ReplyDeleteDesert Dog,
ReplyDeleteReports are that McChrystal requested no fewer than 40,000 additional troops to succeed in Afghanistan. Add that to the additional troops already sent, and we're back up to the number General Kiernan had requested and was fired for. Obama's base would go apeshit if he authorized 40,000 more troops. He can't go pick up his shiny new Nobel Peace Prize if he authorized 40,000 new troops. At the very least, he will wait until after the Nobel ceremony, on December 10th to make a decision. Which is stupidity, vanity and dereliction of duty for the Commander in Chief.
snowcrash said...
ReplyDeleteDD, small business owners are smart people. They are not going to take on new hires until this health insurance mess and the cap and trade penalties are settled.
I will not hire anyone and I may lay off more workers if the Cap and Tax crap goes through. As far as medical insurance. If the government forces me to buy my workers the government plan, that will be one more hurdle and roadblock to get around.
The Democrats think there is an endless supply of money coming from business and workers they can just reach into and pull out. They are destroying the businesses of the USA right now.
If people think jobs are disappearing now, wait until they pass those two piles of crap....Job killers....big time job killers, both of them.
U.S. decision can't wait for Afghan legitimacy: Gates
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE59J08M20091020
In the meantime, our military is sitting in that sh*thole with no plan, no vision, no clear cut goals....and, doing it with less boots on the ground.
ReplyDeleteObama should either give the green light, or just pull out of there.
I hope he doesn't succumb to the wishes of his base and do the latter.
awesome subject line … good post too!
ReplyDelete-Shut up, hipsters.
-…Is just something I like to say. But this piece should give you some good ammo next time some boho bozo starts blathering on about sustainable urbanism, or whatever they’re calling it this week:
--In fact, lack of ethnic diversity may have much to do with what allows these places to be “progressive”. It’s easy to have Scandinavian policies if you have Scandinavian demographics. Minneapolis-St. Paul, of course, is notable in its Scandinavian heritage; Seattle and Portland received much of their initial migrants from the northern tier of America, which has always been heavily Germanic and Scandinavian.
The linked article reads:
-Among the media, academia and within planning circles, there’s a generally standing answer to the question of what cities are the best, the most progressive and best role models for small and mid-sized cities. The standard list includes Portland, Seattle, Austin, Minneapolis, and Denver. In particular, Portland is held up as a paradigm…
-But look closely at these exemplars and a curious fact emerges…you will find that the “progressive” cities aren’t red or blue, but another color entirely: white.
-In fact, not one of these “progressive” cities even reaches the national average for African American percentage population…
-The progressive paragon of Portland is the whitest on the list…The contrast with other, supposedly less advanced cities is stark.
-…just within the state of Texas, where Austin is held up as a bastion of right thinking urbanism next to sprawlvilles like Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston.
-Again, we see that Austin is far whiter than either Dallas-Ft. Worth or Houston.
-This raises troubling questions about these cities. Why is it that progressivism in smaller metros is so often associated with low numbers of African Americans?…
-The relative lack of diversity in places like Portland raises some tough questions the perennially PC urban boosters might not want to answer. For example, how can a city define itself as diverse or progressive while lacking in African Americans, the traditional sine qua non of diversity …?
-Imagine a large corporation with a workforce whose African American percentage far lagged its industry peers, sans any apparent concern, and without a credible action plan to remediate it. Would such a corporation be viewed as a progressive firm and employer? The answer is obvious. Yet the same situation in major cities yields a different answer. Curious.
-In comparison to the great cities of the Rust Belt, the Northeast, California and Texas, these cities have relatively homogenous populations. Lack of diversity in culture makes it far easier to implement “progressive” policies…
Oh, how delicious – leftists have to choose between socialism and racial integration.
Sophie’s...or, rather, Stalin’s choice!
Hey folks.
ReplyDeleteKenneth said...
ReplyDeleteU.S. decision can't wait for Afghan legitimacy: Gates
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE59J08M20091020
Right! This calls for immediate discussion!
It's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president.
ReplyDeletePi Guy said...
ReplyDeleteawesome subject line … good post too!
They will have to bus in people of color to legitimize their little progressive experiments, eh?
Hello, FC!
ReplyDeleteKenneth said...
ReplyDeleteIt's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president.
It wouldn't be a problem for 0bama. He'd just appoint a new general with no military experience but plenty of experience working for ACORN.
True, this isn't the way things are done in the military, but does that mean 0bama wouldn't do it?
ACORN STING TEAM RELEASES NEW VIDEO FROM PHILADELPHIA OFFICE
ReplyDeletehttp://www.breitbart.tv/breaking-acorn-sting-team-releases-new-video-from-philadelphia-office/
More fun!
Syrah and doppelganglander Hello! And you are both correct, because THAT'S WHAT THE LEFT WANTS - they want to control the entire economy. It's POWER they're after, not really intelligent, forward looking economics or foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteThe LEFT'S immediate problem can be summed up in two words: Unemployment and Underemployment - this economy will NOT get better while we have double digit unemployment and God knows how much underemployment. Nothing that Obama has said or, more importantly, done, has given a modest signal that he has a clue about either of those two problems with our economy. It's HOPEFUL that he's starting to recognize the importance of small business, but ALL of his policies, Health Care, Cap and Trade, and a stealth stimulus to the States for mortgage "relief" for folks who borrowed 100% financing under CRA and other Fed guidlines and are now stuck between a rock and a hard place because NONE of their expensive homes appraise high enough to rationalize recasting loans or making new loans is going to help our economy. Hell, those folks could barely afford those huge mortgages to begin with; now with one or both breadwinners unemployed or underemployed, they are going underwater with their mortgage debt alone.
And when small businesses' fail, the bottom keeps falling out of the economy. And the LEFT is OK with that because most Americans WILL THEN HAVE TO LOOK TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR HELP.
POWER.......THAT IS WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. GOVERNMENT POWER.
Screw the serfs.
Desert Dog said...
ReplyDeleteThey will have to bus in people of color to legitimize their little progressive experiments, eh?
Yep - otherwise they're racists!
Kenneth, I would say Obama has made himself an impossible situation as far as Afghanistan goes.
ReplyDeleteI would estimate, the majority of American opinion would be we won that conflict. Some skirmishes here, and there. But largely in the win column.
To have that slip away, after declaring throughout his entire campaign our focus should have been there, he won't be able to run away from.
Keep getting distracted by work and stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteAfternoon formercorpsman.
/think I am finally caught up on the news here.
Pi Guy... maybe he could appoint John Effin Kerry or Wesley Clark to command?
ReplyDeleteRealwest, I think a lot of people couldn't even afford the mortgages they got, especially the "interest only" ones.
ReplyDelete(I know one person who legitimately used an "interest only" mortgage - to lower the payments on the house he moved out of until he could sell it.)
Obama Administration has absolutely NO clear strategy concerning Afghanistan and it shows. I liken it to voting present. My fear is that the media will not hold his feet to the fire re "the necessary war" and shift focus to other areas. MSN enablers.
ReplyDeleteHi there formercorpsman! Good to see you!
ReplyDeleteRegrettably those chores just won't wait any longer.
So I gotta go, but I hope you all have a great day and that I get the chance to see you all down the road!
You nailed it snowcrash.
ReplyDeleteIt is one thing to be among many other votes who could sway a decision.
Now, he is the decision.
Kenneth said...
ReplyDeletePi Guy... maybe he could appoint John Effin Kerry or Wesley Clark to command?
Possibly, but I doubt that they've spent enough time in Chicago to have the 'good ol' boy' connections to warrant such an appointment.
Hang in there RW. We'll catch up soon enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd now for some science. Here's a spider just in time for Halloween. Just look at the size of it's webs.
ReplyDeleteRealwest et al.: Let me tell you just how crazy mortgage lending is. I have a conventional loan at a fairly reasonable interest rate, considering we had some past credit problems. Although my husband has been out of work for nearly 9 months, we've made our mortgage payment on time without fail until this month. Due to a delayed payment from my client, I couldn't pay until the 19th.
ReplyDeleteSo last week I called to discuss it with them, hoping to get the late fee waived. They did so, and the rep explained to me that I could apply for a loan modification, thanks to the $787 bazillion dollar "stimulus" program. I said I would think about it.
Then came the kicker. The rep said, "By the way, you're pre-qualified for our Super Premium Deluxe Credit Card! Would you like one?"
Really? I just told you I'm struggling to make my mortgage payment and you want to give me a credit card? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?! Maybe they figure by the time I run up $10K and default on it, the government will be bailing out credit cards, too. Unfortunately for them, I'm actually responsible and declined the card.
Sorry, rant over.
I know that we are the same page RW.
ReplyDeleteI knew that Obama was an extremist during the campaign. His July speech in Colorado made that unmistakably clear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df2p6867_pw
(I used to harp on that one a lot.)
Kenneth said...
ReplyDelete"It's not inconceivable that both McChrystal & Gates would resign, and maybe Petraeus as well, if Obama refused to authorize the additional troops required to succeed in Afghanistan. This would precipitate a major crisis for the US president."
It may not be inconceivable, but OMG, could you imagine the fallout if all 3 resigned? Troop morale? Enemy morale? I don't even want to think about it.
I don't think that all 3 would resign - certainly not publicly, not all together. They would know that such an act would be devasting to American forces everyone and American security.
Kenneth said...
ReplyDeletemaybe he could appoint John Effin Kerry or Wesley Clark to command?
Wesley Crusher would be a better pick than those two.
From the blogfather:
ReplyDeleteLAMAR ALEXANDER: White House Using “Nixon-Like” Tactics.
UPDATE: Rules For A Radical White House.
Dubbed Nephila komaci shelob ... interesting
ReplyDeleteRuss, if that ever happened, the domino effect would be incalculable. I would bet, he is probably hearing from certain elements within his own party wanting a decision on some numbers sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteI just had a problem with the oddest solution.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to make a call on my wireless phone, but I couldn't get a dial tone. I finally remembered that I'd disconnected it to avoid it ringing overnight.
In other words: I couldn't use my wireless phone because it wasn't connected.
/irony
Pi, second link is a devastating summary of the attack on conservatives and the middle class that we have been seeing by this administration. Saved that one to favorites. Thanks.
ReplyDeletePi Guy, thanks for the Morning Bell link. I've never been to that blog, so true about alinsky tactics.
ReplyDeletePi Guy, you mean you hadn't figured out how to turn the ringer off?
ReplyDeleteOr did you disconnect it so you wouldn't forget it was off and wonder why no one is calling you?
doppelganglander said...
ReplyDeleteBefore the crunch I was looking at finance options for the van we bought. At some point a 1990 Camry is no long an option with kids. I applied on line with our credit union just to see what was available.
They came back and approved us for $120,000 auto loan. WTF sez I? $120k for a damn car? What are they smoking!
Formercorpsman said...
ReplyDeleteI would bet, he is probably hearing from certain elements within his own party wanting a decision on some numbers sooner rather than later.
In his party, John Murtha is considered a a highly respected military expert. Just sayin'.
JCM, I'm sure the kids would enjoy a gold-plated Bentley. But seriously, that's exactly the way so many people got in trouble with their mortgages. We probably could have been approved for double the amount we applied for. It's hard to be sensible when they're dangling a key to Snob Hill Estates in front of you.
ReplyDeleteKosh's Shadow said...
ReplyDeletePi Guy, you mean you hadn't figured out how to turn the ringer off?
Or did you disconnect it so you wouldn't forget it was off and wonder why no one is calling you?
I know how to turn the ringer off, but there's a built-in answering machine, which I can hear even at the lowest volume setting. If it rings in the middle of the night, I don't hear the ringer, but I do hear the voice making the recording on the machine.
snowcrash said...
ReplyDeletePi, second link is a devastating summary of the attack on conservatives and the middle class that we have been seeing by this administration. Saved that one to favorites. Thanks.
turn said...
Pi Guy, thanks for the Morning Bell link. I've never been to that blog, so true about alinsky tactics.
You're welcome.
:)
Good morning - I won't be saying much today, too busy.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone's doing well.
Latest Nobel Peace Prize opinion poll results: 61% of Americans are un-American
ReplyDeleteDianna said...
ReplyDeleteGood morning - I won't be saying much today, too busy.
Hope everyone's doing well.
We understand. Take care of what you need to.
I hope your birthday yesterday brought some joy into your life.
:)
Pi Guy, our answering machines also can be turned off, so you might want to try that. But by that time, unplugging it is so much easier.
ReplyDeleteKosh's Shadow said...
ReplyDeletePi Guy, our answering machines also can be turned off, so you might want to try that. But by that time, unplugging it is so much easier.
Bingo.
11 or so years ago, when we were looking for a house (we had been renting in an expensive town for the schools), we were preapproved for much more than I wanted to spend. I knew the budget with the rent we were paying, so I kept it near that.
ReplyDeleteThe real estate agents wanted to show us houses at the high end, more than I was comfortable with.
Then one made a mistake and showed us cheaper houses. We bought one of those.
And after a 20 month period of unemployment back in 2002-2003, I'm glad I kept the payments down, or we'd be in a cardboard box.
If we were lucky.
JCM said...
ReplyDeletedoppelganglander said...
Before the crunch I was looking at finance options for the van we bought. At some point a 1990 Camry is no long an option with kids. I applied on line with our credit union just to see what was available.
They came back and approved us for $120,000 auto loan. WTF sez I? $120k for a damn car? What are they smoking!
And, how is that Lamborghini Station Wagon running these days?
Supreme Court declines to set rule on drunk driving stops
ReplyDeleteThe US Supreme Court has let stand a ruling in Virginia that police officers must personally observe erratic driving before stopping a suspected drunken driver.
On Tuesday, the high court declined to take up an appeal involving a Richmond motorist who was pulled over by a police officer based on an anonymous tip that he was driving under the influence of alcohol.
The issue in the case, Virginia v. Harris, was whether the officer was justified in confronting the driver with a roadside sobriety test, or whether he should have waited until Harris' driving gave rise to a reasonable suspicion of drunk driving independent of the anonymous tip.
Afternoon all...say...who whizzed off the Fraud's - who promised to keep oil in the 70-75 range with it now at 81.86, up 2.76? ;)
ReplyDelete...and the bus goes, bumpity bump...bumpity bump.
Could we ask for more fun?
//don't.
Hope everyone is doing okay..
ReplyDeleteHi Dianna! Happy belated birthday.
ReplyDeleteAnd, how is that Lamborghini Station Wagon running these days?
ReplyDeleteNot bad, not bad....
Pi, these folks just don't recognize how significant the "beer summit" was to global peace. LOL
ReplyDeleteKosh's Shadow: Unless you hire a buyer's agent to represent you, the agent represents the seller and is going to be paid by the seller. It's in his/her interest to sell you the most expensive house possible because the commission is a percentage of the sale price. You were very wise to stick to your budget.
ReplyDeleteAlienated and Radicalized
ReplyDeleteIn the brief age of Obama, we have had “truthers,” “birthers,” Tea Party activists, and town-hall dissenters.
Comes now, the “Oath Keepers.” And who might they be?
Writes Alan Maimon in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oath Keepers, depending on where one stands, are “either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.”
Formed in March, they are ex-military and police who repledge themselves to defend the Constitution, even if it means disobeying orders. If the U.S. government ordered law enforcement agencies to violate Second Amendment rights by disarming the people, Oath Keepers will not obey.
“The whole point of Oath Keepers is to stop a dictatorship from ever happening here,” says founding father Stewart Rhodes, an ex-Army paratrooper and Yale-trained lawyer. “My focus is on the guys with the guns, because they can’t do it without them.
“We say if the American people decide it’s time for a revolution, we’ll fight with you.”
snowcrash said...
ReplyDeletePi, these folks just don't recognize how significant the "beer summit" was to global peace. LOL
How could they forget?
;)
Hope everyone is doing okay..
ReplyDelete8675301 is that you?
:.)
turn said...
ReplyDeleteHope everyone is doing okay..
8675301 is that you?
:.)
Do you by any chance mean 867-5309?
Need a good laugh?
ReplyDeleteMichelle Obama on Sesame Street
Pi Guy, in case you missed this last night
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Li_CoNazI&feature=player_embedded
Pi Guy
ReplyDeleteIf the pols inside the beltway took their oath to "protect and defend the Constitution" seriously no one would even be talking that way.
haha screwed that up Pi Guy
ReplyDeleteIt cold and rainy in the DFW area, so I turned on the TV to check the weather channel and the President is on TV again. Does he ever go into the Oval office and do work or is it nonstop campaigning?
ReplyDeleteturn said...
ReplyDeletePi Guy, in case you missed this last night
Geez! You could at least warn a guy that it's a Chris Matthews link!
Once I saw his face, I closed the tab.
Instapundit: 0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech. A reader snarks that perhaps they regard criticism of 0bama as a subspecies of blasphemy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, U. of Illinois chancellor resigns over "inside track admissions scandal".
And "Gallup poll: 61% of Americans are un-American. Double heh :-)
It was an interview with the oath keepers founder, sorry didn't know you were that allergic to chrissy. ha
ReplyDeleteor is it nonstop campaigning? Yes, I was wondering the other day whether teleprompters ever wear out.
ReplyDeleteFinally Free said...
ReplyDeleteInstapundit: 0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech. A reader snarks that perhaps they regard criticism of 0bama as a subspecies of blasphemy.
I guess the sentence for atheism must be really serious.
@Pi Guy: WARNING TO ALL: this link goes to an article by Pat Pukecannon ;-) Sorry guys, I want NOTHING to do with that antisemitic, Father Coughlin-channeling piece of pigsh*t.
ReplyDeleteFinally Free said...
ReplyDeleteInstapundit: 0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech. A reader snarks that perhaps they regard criticism of 0bama as a subspecies of blasphemy.
Also, U. of Illinois chancellor resigns over "inside track admissions scandal".
And "Gallup poll: 61% of Americans are un-American. Double heh :-)
So when an athetist puts up a no God sign in the State Capital for the Winter Solistice I can file blasphmey charges?
turn said...
ReplyDeletePi Guy, in case you missed this last night
Chris is a di*khead and this Oath Guy is a loser.
I think the Obama administration is bad, but I do not fear for my freedom from domestic armies...
Stupidity
FF: Poor Britney is getting hammered at Moe Lane's article. :)
ReplyDelete/priceless
Desert Dog said...
ReplyDeleteNeed a good laugh?
Michelle Obama on Sesame Street
Big was invited to lunch at the White House the next day.
JCM said...
ReplyDeleteSo when an athetist puts up a no God sign in the State Capital for the Winter Solistice I can file blasphmey charges?
Like I said...
Re: "0bama administration approves of "blasphemy" exception to free speech."
ReplyDeleteNow, now... don't be a bunch of wingnut extremists and overreact like that freak Glenn Beck or something. Obviously, the blasphemy laws don't apply to criticizing Christianity or Judaism. It's only meant to protect Islam which, as we are told, is under relentless attack from Christofascists and ZioNazis.
///need I?
Man Arrested for Being Naked in His Own Kitchen
ReplyDeleteSpringfield, Virginia resident Eric Williamson was arrested and charged with indecent exposure yesterday for failing to put on any clothes after getting up at 5:30 am to make some coffee. A woman and her 7-year-old daughter had cut across Williamson's front yard and saw him through his kitchen window.
If convicted, Williamson could be fined $2,000 and spend a year in jail.
Fairfax police say Williamson wanted to be seen naked. Which I guess means Williamson's front yard is a pretty popular spot at 5:30 in the morning.
Read the comments, too.