Fred Fry International

Dear Liberals, YOU WANT THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE

2012-01-18T23:11:00.001-05:00

Let's try this again. I previously wrote about the pipeline in my post 'Keystone XL Pipeline - You Don't Get a Much Better Example of How Anti-Business (and Petty) This Administration is'. I noted:

There is one thing that really gets me about the battle over whether the Obama Administration will permit the building of a pipeline to carry oil from Canada to oil refineries in the United States. That is that this battle is going on at all. Really, at it's simplest level, the Keystone XL pipeline is a business project. A pipeline. - Link

Today, the President once again came out front and center and killed this business project.Surely, the non-union portion of his Liberal base is celebrating this victory. But be careful what you wish for, because killing this oil pipline is only going to force the Canadians to transport this oil in more environmentally risky ways.

This oil will be moved to market, and by removing the safest and cheapest transport method will merely result in this cargo traveling via other means to get to refineries. The main alternatives to moving liquids by pipeline are moving them by tanker truck, ships, barges and rail cars.

This oil will most likely be sent through existing pipelines to be exported from Canada by tanker. In which case others will benefit for America's stupidity. The Merchant Mariner in me is just fine with killing off any pipeline as pipelines 'steal' cargo from tankers. Mobil Oil used to have a number of gasoline tankers bringing gasoline from Texas to the Port of New York. A pipeline put at least five tankers and their crews out of work. So you can bet that the tanker companies are not complaining about today's decision.

Better yet, some of this Canadian oil may still end up at the same refineries that it was destined for via the pipeline. See the map below to get a reminder of how far oil from the Middle East travels to get to the US. Taking this oil from Canada is a no-brainer, even if it has to travel a more expensive, more dangerous route. Really, just how do they think we get oil pumped out of the ground in Alaska?

Liberals however like to pretend that this oil will somehow just remain in the ground if they put up enough roadblocks in the way of getting this oil to market. This of course will never happen

As a reminder, the dispute is about whether a pipeline will be built. And it's not like this is a new idea. As the map below illustrates, the United States is already covered by pipelines. Then there is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, built in one of the world's most sensitive, and environmentally brutal climates. Nor would this be the first oil pipeline from Canada either. The only reason this pipeline is having problems is because this is the first time the US Government was being run by an Administration that is both anti-business, anti-jobs and anti-oil. The President was given the opportunity to kill a project that will bring energy into the US from a friendly neighbor.

Too bad we can't run our cars and heat our homes on hope.

(Map found here)

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Pelosi Starts 2012 Repeating Biggest Lie of 2011

2012-01-05T20:41:00.001-05:00

So here we have Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi with her first comments of the year:

Q: Leader Pelosi, one more please. It looks like the Obama reelection campaign may criticize Congress as part of its effort. Would you feel you are being thrown under the bus if they do that?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I think the President has been clear that it is the Republican Congress that has been an obstruction to job creation this year. Just think, for this year, you take me back to the fact that it is one year since they were sworn in as the majority, one year without any major jobs initiative, any jobs agenda; starting the year with the Ryan budget, starting their initiative with the Ryan budget which broke the guarantee for Medicare, which did not create jobs and which did not reduce the deficit. - Link

Not being able to think of anything new, or apparently interested in documenting her (and her party's) failure to do anything about jobs in the years that she held control of the House of Representatives, she has to go and attack Congressman Ryan's budget proposal as was done last year. Any the Democrat's attacks on the Ryan budget proposal were declared the biggest lie of 2012:

It's not as eagerly awaited as Time's "Man of the Year" was back when people paid attention to Time, but PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" nonetheless manages to generate a lot of chatter, aimed as it is at those who chatter for a living. This year almost all of the chatter was negative, as the St. Petersburg Times's self-styled "fact checking" operation, which usually leans left, tacked to the right, naming as its "Lie" the claim that "Republicans voted to end Medicare."The reference is to Rep. Paul Ryan's reform proposal, which passed the GOP-controlled House as part of a budget resolution before being rejected by the Democratic Senate - Wall Street Journal

And yet, even after the publicity of this story just a couple weeks ago, Pelosi is out there repeating the same lie.And the lies:

• They ignored the fact that the Ryan plan would not affect people currently in Medicare -- or even the people 55 to 65 who would join the program in the next 10 years.

• They used harsh terms such as "end" and "kill" when the program would still exist, although in a privatized system.

• They used pictures and video of elderly people who clearly were too old to be affected by the Ryan plan. The DCCC video that aired four days after the vote featured an elderly man who had to take a job as a stripper to pay his medical bills. - Politifact

And don't forget the video of 'Ryan' pushing Granny over the cliff in her wheelchair.Of course they are doing this to paint the Republicans as the ones who are killing off Medicare. Strangely enough, they do this by resisting any reform that might prevent the system from going bankrupt.

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Romney Is 2012's McCain...

2012-01-04T21:10:00.001-05:00

I had been thinking this for a while now and John McCain's endorsement of Romney seals it. We ended up with McCain as the Republican nominee in 2008. Nobody wanted him and all that did was help the current president win his job.Now four years later we are looking at going down the very same road with Romney. And for what it's worth, the guy that nobody wanted in 2008 comes out to back the guy that nobody (really) wants in 2012 (other than his strong base).Look, no matter who is the nominee for the Republican party, I'll be voting for him in November. I was asked over Christmas by a liberal cousin of mine who I liked on the Republican side. My response was simple. I like the guy who gets nominated. After all, it doesn't matter while one I support, he'll (and every other Democrat) will have problems with my choice. So, I choose the nominee. It could be Satan (or Ron Paul, God Help us) that's the guy i'll be voting for.Looking back at the 2008 Primaries, it seems that I was all the willing to vote for Romney, for no other reason that he would be better than McCain. Go figure:

I'm left with Romney and McCain.

My first thought is to write in Thompson. No, that's not right. Not unless there is some sort of massive write-in organized, and that will never happen. So I guess I will vote for Romney. Now I just need to get excited about it. Well it will be excitement enough if he beats whoever the Democrats push forward. And when that happens, there will be no shortage of lost marbles on the left. That has to be worth a good laugh.

Rusty at The Jawa Report expresses a strong case for supporting Romney in his post "Fredheads, It's Time to Support Mitt". Thanks Rusty. - 22 Jan 2008

2012 is only just starting. Given that Gingrich has atoned for his ad with Pelosi, he is a very viable option, as is Santorum. So lets see who we line up to support this year. After all, nobody expect McCain in 2008...

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Keystone XL Pipeline - You Don't Get a Much Better Example of How Anti-Business (and Petty) This Administration is

2011-12-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

There is one thing that really gets me about the battle over whether the Obama Administration will permit the building of a pipeline to carry oil from Canada to oil refineries in the United States. That is that this battle is going on at all.Really, at it's simplest level, the Keystone XL pipeline is a business project. A pipeline.

Sure there are regulations to be met and it will have to be done a certain way for the project to be safe and to protect the environment. But for such a project to involve the President of the United States to not just get involved, but to become the center figure in this issue is just crazy.

Worse is how the President decided to get involved, in that he shelved making any decisions on permitting this private business project to go ahead until after the 2012 Presidential election, well over a year away. Delaying not only the project itself, but all the jobs that come with it.

This of course did not sit well with lots of people, and members of Congress decided that the President should be forced to act one way or the other on this pipeline. And amazingly, word is coming out that the President will use this prodding as an excuse to kill the project.

Republicans hailed inclusion of the pipeline provision as a victory, but Democrats said the practical effect of the language would be to kill the project.“They’ve just killed the Keystone pipeline. They killed it because they forced the president to make a decision before he can make it so he’s not going to move forward with it,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and an ally of environmental groups.Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he was not concerned about giving in to Republicans on the Keystone provision.“The president is apparently just going to use the option given to him not to let it go [forward],” said Levin. “There’s a waiver in there which we understand the president is going to exercise.” - The Hill

As a reminder, they are all talking about whether a pipeline will be built. And it's not like this is a new idea. As the map below illustrates, the United States is already covered by pipelines. Then there is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, built in one of the world's most sensitive, and environmentally brutal climates. Nor would this be the first oil pipeline from Canada either. The only reason this pipeline is having problems is because this is the first time the US Government was being run by an Administration that is both anti-business, anti-jobs and anti-oil.

(Map found here)

Apparently, the excuse that will be used to kill this project will be the risk to the environment that this project popes. This of course is a lie. As it stands, sending oil by pipeline is not only the cheapest way to move oil, but it is also the safest.

The alternatives to moving liquids by pipeline are moving them by tanker truck, ships and barges.

Liberals however like to pretend that this oil will somehow just remain in the ground if they put up enough roadblocks in the way of getting this oil to market. This of course will never happen. Instead the oil will most likely be sent through existing pipelines to be exported by tanker. In which case others will benefit for America's stupidity. Worse, some of this oil may still end up at the same refineries that it was destined for via the pipeline. See the map to get a reminder of how far oil from the Middle East travels to get to the US. Taking this oil from Canada is a no-brainer, even if it has to travel a more expensive, more dangerous route. Really, just how do they think we get oil pumped out of the ground in Alaska?

Is it possible that there will be an accident over the lifetime of this pipeline. It sure is possible. But this also goes for all the alternative methods of moving this oil, all of which carry a greater risk of a mishap. Even better, the oil transported by this pipeline will reduce the US need for other foreign oil coming by ship. I understand that there are concerns about the process involved in extracting the oil from the ground. This however is irrelevant to this debate, as the Canadians are going to extract it regardless. And frankly, if we are going to look into issues like this, then why not look at the human rights abuses being conducted in the countries we currently buy our oil from?

To conclude, beware of the regulators who claim to be acting on projects like this for our benefit. It is just not true. Take the DEEPWATER HORIZON disaster. 'Environmental Concerns' are part of the reason why oil companies are drilling in such deep water far offshore. Simply, the thinking appears to be, lets make it as difficult as possible for the drillers to operate and then lets crucify them when there is an accident. Here is a thought, if you want to reduce the risk of accidents, and want to increase our chances of dealing with problems when they come about, how about letting these companies drill closer to shore in shallower water. Everything is easier, from finding your keys lost overboard, to drilling on the seabed.

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2012 First World Borrowing - $1,500 per Human!

2011-12-12T18:12:00.000-05:00

The OECD is warning that the Industrialized World is expecting to borrow over $10 trillion in 2012.

The OECD says the gross borrowing needs of OECD governments is expected to reach $10.4tr in 2011 and will increase to $10.5tr next year – a $1tr increase on 2007 and almost twice as much as in 2005. This highlights the risks for even the most advanced economies that in many cases, such as Italy and Spain, are close to being shut out of the private markets. - FT

If you want an example of just how out of control Government spending is, keep in mind that $10.5 trillion comes out to $1,500 borrowed per human on Earth. This is not how much is being spent per human, that clearly is much more. As a bonus, almost the same amount was borrowed this year.

It is worse when you consider that this number does not include any third world borrowing. I'm also rounding up the planet's population to $7 billion.

Such amounts cannot be paid back. The planet does not make enough money to tax these funds back.

P.S.

The US 2011 deficit is $1.27 trillion. That is $4,100 borrowed per American, $16,500 for a family of 4.

The US debt is about $15.1 trillion coming to $49,200 owed per American. For a family of 4, that is close to $197,000. The average US family income in 2011 was just under $50,000. If the US were a business, it would be bankrupt.

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You're Not Going to Get Job Stimulus From Democrats - They Hate Your Job

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

With the President demanding that Congress pass his latest job stimulus bill, keep in mind that there are very few jobs that President Obama and his fellow Democrats actually like. These jobs include:

Government Jobs
Union Jobs
'Green' Jobs
Teachers
Firefighters
Policemen, although only when they are making endorsements and looking the other way

Of course they like their own job, but they are not going to lift a finger to help you get one of those.

Other than union jobs for private employers, all of the kinds of jobs that the Democrats like require the rest of us to pay taxes to that they have the money to pay the salaries for these workers. This is the heart of the problem. Government needs more private workers so that more tax revenue is collected to pay the salaries of Government employees.So it should be an easy task to pass a bill that will result in stimulating the creation of jobs. One problem, Democrats hate most kinds of private jobs. These jobs include:

Banking sector jobs
Investment/Wall Street jobs
Insurance Industry jobs
Healthcare jobs
Toymaker jobs (Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act in July 2008 which requires expensive 3rd party testing for lead)
Slaughterhouse Jobs (Slaughter of horses banned since 2007)
Music Instrument Manufacturing Jobs (Gibson Guitars)
Coal Industry jobs
Offshore Oil Drilling jobs (Offshore Drilling Moratorium - Atlantic and Pacific off-limits)
Pipeline construction jobs (Keystone XL Canada-US Pipeline)

Think I am being dramatic? Here is an example of the President and his Democrat allies idea of 'Stimulus':

New documents obtained by Judicial Watch show acting National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Lafe Solomon joking that the NLRB's suit against Boeing would kill jobs in South Carolina. Commenting on a Planet Labor article whose headline suggests Boeing might not be able to open its new plant in South Carolina because of "antiunion behavior," Solomon writes:
The article gave me a new idea. You go to geneva and I get a job with airbus. We screwed up the us economy and now we can tackle europe.

The NLRB is upset that Boeing decided to open a second assembly plant not nearby it's current union-staff plant, but instead in worker friendly South Carolina. The Government's position is that Boeing did not have the right to build a new plant where it wanted. Nancy Pelosi has even declared 'that Boeing should either unionize its production facilities in South Carolina, or shut them down entirely.' (Link) Well, you can bet that Boeing won't union it's production. I suspect that they would first simply decide to move the assembly plant outside the United States. This is a perfect example of how many US jobs are not running overseas, they are in fact being driven overseas, by over-regulation and a Government that is hostile to business.

As for stimulus to encourage more jobs, as I said before, it is easy for the Government to get this started:

The President can easily set in motion a huge business boom. All he need do is get out of the way of energy production of oil, coal and gas and power plant construction, whether it be natural gas, coal, nuclear or hydroelectric. These two things will then spur the demand, and funding, for improved infrastructure, simply to get the supplies to help build the oil, gas and electric businesses. If we can get this moving, lots of other industries that support this will follow. - Fred Fry, Oct 2011

Validation of my comments can be found in this recent Wall Street Journal post:

So President Obama was right all along. Domestic energy production really is a path to prosperity and new job creation. His mistake was predicting that those new jobs would be "green," when the real employment boom is taking place in oil and gas.The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that the U.S. jobless rate remains a dreadful 9%. But look more closely at the data and you can see which industries are bucking the jobless trend. One is oil and gas production, which now employs some 440,000 workers, an 80% increase, or 200,000 more jobs, since 2003. Oil and gas jobs account for more than one in five of all net new private jobs in that period.The ironies here are richer than the shale deposits in North Dakota's Bakken formation. While Washington has tried to force-feed renewable energy with tens of billions in special subsidies, oil and gas production has boomed thanks to private investment. And while renewable technology breakthroughs never seem to arrive, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have revolutionized oil and gas extraction—with no Energy Department loan guarantees needed. - 'The Non-Green Jobs Boom - Forget 'clean energy.' Oil and gas are boosting U.S. employment.' - Wall Street Journal

This growth in jobs is despite the Government's best efforts to kill 'carbon' jobs. Just image the growth in jobs that could be attained it the Government merely got out of the way and let industry bring these energy sources to market as well as permit utility companies replace their aging power generation equipment with new power plants of their choice. All of this can be done at no cost to the Government. The Democrats will not let it happen though, because to do so will result in lower energy costs, which will surely bankrupt more of their 'Green' pet projects.

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Finnish Triple-Murderer Escapes (Yet Again)

2011-11-27T18:24:00.001-05:00

Surprise, surprise, a triple murderer with a history of escape, has yet again made a mockery of the Finnish Prison system.

In 2009, Fouganthine was granted a conditional release (Note: from a 'life sentence' for triple murder), but was re-arrested in Finland in June of this year and sentenced to four and a half months in prison for drunken driving and making illegal threats with an air gun.On Wednesday morning, Fouganthine failed to show up for his prison work duty at the minimum security Kerava prison in Finland, the Finnish Daily Ilta Sanomat reported.According to reports in the Finnish media, the escape comes shortly before he was set to be released. - Local.se

A sad fact is that he committed three murders while on conditional release from other crimes. He has a history of escapes as well as ongoing issues regarding theft as well as threats. This is a man who killed three people, one a child, over a bicycle he stole.The man should have been executed for his crimes. However, apparently more sophisticated people think that he should be given an unlimited number of extra chances. The only question I have is just when is he going to kill again. He is already threatening people. It will not take much if someone challenges him. Knowing Finland, there is a pretty good chance that this will happen eventually. Alcohol consumption basically guarantees it.

Previous:

Finnish Triple-Murderer Freed From Prison (AGAIN) - 2 Feb 2009
As Expected, Finnish Triple-Murderer Runs Away Once Freed - 13 May 2008
Finnish Triple-Murderer Freed From Prison - 26 Feb 2008
Finnish Triple-Murderer to Go Free - 5 Dec 2007
Finnish Triple-Murderer Escapes from an 'Open Institution' - 29 Nov 2006

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For a Change - School Encourages Wearing the Flag

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

There seems to be no shortage of news stories covering what you could call Us 'Flag Hate'. Stories from where students have been sent home for wearing clothing with a US flag on it, to stories of the US flag being removed from classrooms and even replaced with the Mexican flag.But all is not lost. Here is a photo of the message send home today with my child.

Be a Hero! Wear Red, White and Blue or camouflage clothes!

Keep in mind that I live in a very Democrat-friendly suburb of Northern Virginia. That said, I have never seen anything at the school other than efforts to instill patriotism and pride for the US in the very diverse student body. So there is hope for all of us yet! (And not for anything, I get along very well with all of my neighbors regardless of which way they lean politically)

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Behold! The 99% of Baltimore!

2011-10-16T19:41:00.001-04:00

The family and I took a trip to Baltimore this morning to tour the USS CONSTELLATION AND submarine USS TORSK in the Inner Harbor and just happen to come across the OCCUPY BALTIMORE squatters. I can't say that I'm impressed. It more appeared to be a pathetic gathering. Not the 99% that you would think.

I don't have any closer pictures as I really did not want to interact with anyone there. I don't deny that many of them probably are in difficult situations. That said, I really don't see why people who have made bad decisions should be rewarded by having those of us who are in better control of our lives pay up to meet their obligations.

As you can see from their flyer,they are continuing with the idiotic theme they everyone is getting bailed out but them. As I have commented before, everyone else needs to be bailed out because they borrowed and then failed to pay everyone else back.

Giving these people more money is a waste.They see what others have and instead of trying to work hard and save, they would instead prefer to take from the rest of us.

One last thought. Statistically, I am in the top 10%. I think the tagging of these disruptions as on behalf of 99% of the population is an example of how the left likes to hijack issues. Just how much of the population are they representing?

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Obama 'Jobs Bill'? - School Renovations?

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Is it me or does the Obama Jobs Bill have nothing to do with encouraging job growth in America? The more I hear about this plan, the more it stinks.

One of the huge issues I have is that the plan intends to spend money to upgrade schools. It sure sounds nice, but education is something that is traditionally funded within the states. It is after all one of the things that your property taxes pay for.

When buildings are that old, they start falling apart. They start leaking, and ceiling tiles start to cave in, and there’s no heat in the winter or air-conditioning in the summer. Some of the schools the ventilation is so poor it can make students sick. How do we expect our kids to do their very best in a situation like that? The answer is we can’t. Every child deserves a great school, and we can give it to them, but we got to pass this bill. Modernizing America’s schools is just one of the many ways the American Jobs Act will create jobs in industries like construction hit hard by the recession - WhiteHouse.Gov

The issue here is not whether it is a good idea to renovate schools or not. Sure it is. This issue here is how it is paid for. Schools have budgets and many of those needs to be passed by the local population that is asked to pay for it. Spend too much money and the voters are going to start saying no to 'extras' such as after school activities and sports as well as renovations.

So when the local community refuses to pay for these things, why should the Federal Government step in and spend the money on people who have decided not to spend their own money on these things? There is lots of talk about 'fairness' and there is nothing fair in this process. Each state has it's own opportunity to tax. Some tax a little and some tax lots. And some elect not to tax income.

So when the President steps in and promises to spend money the locals refuse to, this is little more than a subsidy to that state's voters. Worse, this is a sort of mission creep by the Federal Government into an are that was traditionally handled by the States. This mission creep will increase Federal spending.

The same applies for the other kinds of renovation work the Presdent is proposing for transportation projects. This is outside of the work on Federal highways. Again, this is work that should be paid for by the people of the state.

Unfortunately, the President can get away with this because for some reason people seem to forget that they pay state income and local property taxes. The quote above is from the President's speech from September 13th in Ohio.

Just today, the President was making promised in Texas that his jobs Act will put close to 300,000 teachers back to work:

The White House today released a report that outlines the devastating impact the recession has had on schools and students across the country. Teacher Jobs at Risk highlights the significant cuts in education spending that have resulted from state budget shortfalls since 2008, including the loss of nearly 300,000 teaching jobs across the country.And in the coming school year, without additional support, many school districts will have to make another round of difficult decisions. As a result of state and local funding cuts, as many as 280,000 teacher jobs could be at risk. Unless they receive federal assistance, many school districts will be forced to reduce the number of teachers in their classrooms, or turn to other measures such as shortening the school year or cutting spending on schoolbooks and supplies. - WhiteHouse.Gov

Again, it is up to the states to decide how much they are willing to spend on education. Who is to say what the right number of teachers is? It could be that many of the jobs that have been let go, were added during years of healthy tax revenue without proper regard to whether the positions were genuinely needed or not. This is what Governments are supposed to do when money gets tight, either find more money, or reduce expenses.

One more thing. None of these jobs is going to create new tax revenue for the Government. These are State Government jobs. The money to pay for these jobs comes from people paying their taxes and mainly private industry jobs. It is those kinds of jobs, manufacturing, energy, building, service, etc that the Government needs to encourage. The President can easily set in motion a huge business boom. All he need do is get out of the way of energy production of oil, coal and gas and power plant construction, whether it be natural gas, coal, nuclear or hydroelectric. These two things will then spur the demand, and funding, for improved infrastructure, simply to get the supplies to help build the oil, gas and electric businesses. If we can get this moving, lots of other industries that support this will follow.

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Operation Fast and Furious - People Will Go To Jail

2011-09-26T23:48:00.001-04:00

I haven't commented on Operation Fast and Furious, but I have been paying attention to the developments as they become known.Today's news is that not only did the Obama Administration permit weapons to get into the hands of criminals in Mexico, but they also were directly involved in some of the sales.

According to documents obtained by Fox News, Agent John Dodson was ordered to buy six semi-automatic Draco pistols -- two of those were purchased at the Lone Wolf gun store in Peoria, Ariz. An unusual sale, Dodson was sent to the store with a letter of approval from David Voth, an ATF group supervisor. Dodson then sold the weapons to known illegal buyers, while fellow agents watched from their cars nearby. This was not a "buy-bust" or a sting operation, where police sell to a buyer and then arrest them immediately afterward. In this case, agents were "ordered" to let the sale go through and follow the weapons to a stash house. According to sources directly involved in the case, Dodson felt strongly that the weapons should not be abandoned and the stash house should remain under 24-hour surveillance. However, Voth disagreed and ordered the surveillance team to return to the office. Dodson refused, and for six days in the desert heat kept the house under watch, defying direct orders from Voth. A week later, a second vehicle showed up to transfer the weapons. Dodson called for an interdiction team to move in, make the arrest and seize the weapons. Voth refused and the guns disappeared with no surveillance. - Read More at Fox News

(Letter Link)According to a number of stories, over 2,000 firearms were permitted to get into the hands of Mexican criminals. Many of these weapons have since turned up at crime scenes, including the murder of a US Boarder Agent.It appears that the Obama Administration intentionally let these weapons get into the hands of criminals. After all, there has been no explanation of how the Government planned to retrieve these weapons, nor does there appear to have been any attempt to arrest any of the subjects of this apparently bogus investigation.Just what was the reward to the Government in this plan? I can't think of anything that could justify giving thousands of weapons to criminals. I guarantee that the Government is not going to have a justifiable excuse either. The big question in my mind is how many Government employees are going to jail for planning and carrying out this operation? (My initial guess is 3)

I also expect this operation to become a real problem for Obama himself, most likely during election season. I do not think he personally knew the details of this operation, but expect that Holder knew. I also expect Holder to get fired over this at some point..Sadly, this whole scandal is the direct result of Democrat's irrational hatred of the Second Amendment. Oddly enough, it turns out that the biggest gun criminals are anti-gun Democrats. Maybe one day they will wise up and leave gun control to Conservatives. Too bad this requires a level of maturity that Democrats do not seem to possess.

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Globe and Mail: "IRS bearing down on Americans in Canada"

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-04:00

Many Americans both Conservative and Liberal are upset with how their Government is functioning at the moment. I know I am not happy with the idiocy that is going on and the lies being put forward that somehow, we would be able to continue spending the outrageous amounts of money that the Government is currently spending, IF ONLY rich Americans paid a little more.Even Americans living overseas cannot escape the long arm of the US Government, which has decided to extend the arm of the Internal Revenue Service, the dreaded IRS, into the pockets of Americans overseas, even those who have no link to the country other than to have been born in the US or born by US parents. Apparently, there are lots of them. From this story, there are about a million living in Canada alone:

One person who’s off the hook is my brother. He was 11 when we moved to Canada. At 17, he got a draft notice. So he renounced his citizenship (after a long lecture from a consular official). I suppose I could renounce, too – but they won’t let you do that until you’ve filed your back tax returns.As many as a million U.S.-born residents of Canada are caught in this Kafkaesque nightmare. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has written an indignant letter to leading U.S. newspapers. All of us are getting wildly conflicting professional advice. At first, Brian and his wife, who are by no means wealthy, decided to come clean. But when they were told they’d be on the hook for $250,000, they changed their minds. - Globe and Mail

I lived in Finland for three years while doing my MBA. Two of those years I filed a tax return. The third year I didn't because I didn't meet the minimum reporting threshold. It turns out that it was good that I did because a short while later I moved back to the US and applied for a GreenCard for my soon to be Finnish wife. One of the requirements was providing copies of my previous three years Income Tax Returns, or an explanation of why I didn't file.

This experience did result in not pursuing US Citizenship for my wife. We did have plans at the time to eventually move back to Finland, and we knew that it would be better tax-wise if she did not obtain US tax liability.

It is odd however, to see the amount of effort that the IRS is extending to track down money overseas the US thinks it can extort from Citizens, however unfair, while at the same time they do little to nothing to hunt down illegal aliens living within the US who are working without the legal authorization to do so, are conspiring with their employers to not pay/evade taxes (in some cases also committing identity theft) and are simply getting a free pass.

It is not fair.
It is discrimination.
It cannot last.

Unfortunately, I think it is going to get a lot more painful before it gets better. This is an illustration of a pile of $100 bills totaling $15 Trillion. That is $2,500 per person on earth. That is a hell of a bill to pay off and it is still growing. And this is why the US Government is trying to fleece Americans living abroad, they are simply running out of places to rind more revenue.

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French Fries - Just Another Example of Government Over-Reach

2011-09-15T18:41:00.002-04:00

Today, the Drudge Report has this headline:

Yeah, more Government over-reach.

On Thursday, the first lady joined Darden Restaurants Inc. executives at one of their Olive Garden restaurants in Hyattsville, Md., near Washington to announce that the company's chains are pledging to cut calories and sodium in their meals by 20 percent over a decade. Fruit or vegetable side dishes and low-fat milk will become standard with kids' meals unless a substitution is requested. - AP News

I think this is a bit ridiculous. No kid gets fat from eating fries in a restaurant. They will get fat if their parents take them to a restaurant every day and let them eat fries and other fatty foods. This however is an issue of poor parenting, not a menu issue. And is idiotic to try and make regulations to compensate for poor parenting. But hey, Democrats are not big on the traditional family. So this is what we get as a reward.

There is a reason why restaurants serve fries as a side dish. Parents are not going to take their kids to a restaurant for them to be served fresh fruit. Going to a restaurant for my family is a treat. It is meant to be something special for the kids and us. The important thing is that it is tasty, and you can bet the restaurants know this. If we do not have a good experience, we are not going back. So it will be interesting to find out what percentage of these meals end up with the now optional fries instead of the now-standard fruit. My guess is that the percentage will be high. Will this then prompt the Administration to make fruit

And what is the deal with the war on salt? Isn't all the fresh news about salt that it is not the evil that it was made out to be.

There are a number of reasons why Five Guys is America's favorite restaurant. Two of them are fries and salt;)

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So Where is the US Government's 2012 Budget?

2011-09-10T00:50:00.000-04:00

With all the talk about deficit reduction and job creation, it seems that the simple matter that the US Government does not have a budget for 2012 has not had lots of attention recently.That is a shame given that the 2012 budget year starts in a couple weeks on 1 October, 2011.Are we headed for another last minute showdown?

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Total BS: "These young people should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes."

2011-08-20T08:55:00.001-04:00

This week we had President Obama act to give illegal aliens amnesty and work permits. Their excuse is that they want to concentrate on deporting violent criminals. My first problem is that The Government is not following through in it's obligation to enforce the law. My second problem with this is that they even intend to permit criminals to stay, as long as they are not 'violent'. And given the way that these people lie, I am afraid to find out what their definition of 'violent' is. We already know that they like keeping illegal aliens who drive drunk around, at least until they kill someone. And where do they think these violent criminals come from? They are criminals first, and before they were criminals, they were merely an illegal alien.

My next problem is the propaganda being spouted in support of this action. Take Senator Durbin's comment:

The decision would, through administrative action, help many intended beneficiaries of legislation that has been stalled in Congress for a decade. The sponsor of the legislation, Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, has argued that “these young people should not be punished for their parents’ mistakes.” - NY Times

I can buy that the children are not the guilty ones. But Senator Durbin, and his Democrat buddies have no intention of punishing the parents of these children either. Hell, he simply calls the actions of the parents to come here illegally 'mistakes'. No, a more accurate statement would be that 'these young people should not be punished for their parents’ crimes.' Their intention is to simply reward all of them, even the criminals, other than a couple token violent criminals which they will use as evidence of being tough on crime. That too is a joke, as we should be putting them in jail, instead of sending them back home to cause havoc there.

The real joke in all of this is that President Obama's actions are going to hurt his supporters the most. It is reported that not only will many illegal aliens be permitted to stay, but they will also be given work permits to compete for jobs against millions of Americans already out of work. The NY times story mentions that there are about 300,000 currently facing deportation proceedings that will be effected, but I suspect that that list will grow once illegal aliens figure out the best way to get in line to see a judge, to be excused from deportation and handed a work permit for a gift. After all, when you reward something, you get more of it. As it is, I have at least two friends overseas looking at ways to get a visa to live here. Clearly, they don't need one.

And remember, this action is all a blatant attempt to buy votes for the next election.

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Social Welfare is OK, if it results in Lessening the Number of Those in Need

2011-08-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

I think many conservatives would have less of a problem with social Welfare if these programs reduced the number of people in need of support.

That said, why is it that it seems that there is a constant growth in the number of people that these programs support? Nobody ever gets off these programs and those receiving support appear to breed more people destinehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifd to require/receive support. I would say that the mere fact that half of all Americans pay no taxes is evidence of this.

The UK has an even more substantial benefits system and appears that the problems that result are even greater as the riots demonstrate. Take the story of this one benefit recipient's mother:

She is on benefits, does not live with the boy's father and has 10 other children, the court heard. - Mother of 13-year-old who smashed up shop blames government - The Telegraph, UK

AND

But the woman also suggested her son was not entirely at fault, when asked who she blamed for the looting.

''The government,'' she replied, her son by her side, adding: ''There is f*** all for them to do.'' - The Telegraph, UK

Her 13 year old son caused well over $20,000 in damage during the riot and all the mother can do is blame the Government for not finding something more productive for her 11 children to do. This is madness. Let the father(s) of the eleven children support them. People already have to support their own families, why do they have to chip in and support her's as well?

Also, I always found it strange that the UK is supporting this huge families, where the parents have not worked in years, in houses in expensive areas. Why not just ship them out of the cities and house them more cheaply in the countryside?

This brings up another pet peeve of mine. If I am being forced to support others, why can't I get a say in how they are using this support? For all this talk of 'shared sacrifice', it always seems that the tax-payers are always being asked to sacrifice more, but others on the receiving end are not asked to sacrifice at all. Not exactly fair, is it.

So, social welfare programs that over time reduce the number of those in need = Good

Social welfare programs that we (and the UK) currently have = Bad

All we are doing is growing the ranks of the poor. This support needs to come with an expiration date for those who are of working age.

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Liberals Fleeing (and Spreading) Broken Liberal Agenda

2011-08-14T15:50:00.009-04:00

The following comments posted on Instapundit struck a cord with me:

"The ideas and beliefs that have decimated California, are in fact, shared by huge swathes of the populace. In spite of their suffering in the world they helped create, when many of these business owners and workers move to other places they bring their dumb ideas with them. Trust me, they may be economic refugees, but they will be the first to start kvetching about the refineries down the road." - Instapundit Commenter

And this:

"Just read your postings about the attitudes that California refugees bring with them. You might note that the same problem has happened in New England. New Hampshire used to be a pretty conservative place – no state income tax, ‘live free or die’ on the license plates, etc. A flood of refugees from Taxachusetts over the past 20 years has changed that. And just as you described, the newcomers seem to have no clue that the policies they support are the very same ones that ruined the state they fled.” - Instapundit commenter

I have had similar thoughts for a while, but didn't really connect the California refugees to it. I had been thinking this about the legal and illegal aliens coming to America from both around the world, Mexico and central and South America. Many of these migrants are fleeing bad conditions in their home country. And still, they want to bring all these bad habits and practices with them. And oddly enough, they find an ally in the Liberals of this country who are also fleeing the utopias they have demanded be created here. Each group looking to the other to support their goals of legal permanent residency and redistribution of wealth through socialist programs.

The trick is stopping this spread of bad ideas. For starters, one can ask these refugees if their beliefs were so great, why is it that they left a place where they already had such benefits?

Update: An example of pushing their agenda on the rest of us, take the push for acceptance of Spanish in the US as a default second language. Americans are being shamed for not knowing Spanish as a second language and Spanish is showing up on all sorts of products. But the shame of knowing only one language only applies to Americans. There is no push for those coming to America to learn English, even though they too only know one language. Only we are being pushed to better accommodate people who are coming here, many of them illegally.

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ObamaCare and Blood Donations

2011-08-07T22:50:00.001-04:00

I passed by a blood drive in the area on Saturday. I was asked if I wanted to donate and the first thing that passed into my mind was Obamacare. It was a cynical thought of whether ObamaCare required blood donation. This is how bitter I feel about the crap that is ObamaCare.

You see, when the Government steps in and demands to run the show on anything, like healthcare, then they can go find the blood. As it is, they were out in an area of tax-payers. Why not go and stick needles in the half of the population that does not pay any taxes? Really, if they are not contributing tax revenue, they can contribute in other ways, like giving blood. Of course they won't, unless they get paid to do it. And this is the joke of the whole system and the Democrats pushing it. They repeatedly call for the better (revenue-earning) half of the population to do their 'fair share' and pay more taxes. And yet, there is a huge portion of the population that pays no share towards the common good. They only consume. Even when the contribute, they won't, unless there is something in it for them. Where is the fairness in that.

The only confidence I have is that the unfairness of this system will be it's doom.
--
P.S. No, I didn't donate blood. I do however vow that I will donate once ObamaCare is repealed. At that point I leave it to the nurse to get a full pint out of me. My body stops giving after about a half pint.

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So What Does Obama Plan To Use Gov't Revenue On If the Dept Limit Is Not Raised?

2011-07-15T02:10:00.000-04:00

President Obama and his team have been making a number of threats during the discussion on how or whether to raise the US debt limit. These threats included defaulting on debt payments as well as not paying out Social Security benefits.

Now given that Government Revenue (taxes and fees that the Government is receiving each month) exceeds the amount needed to pay for Social Security, Medicaid, Defense and debt obligations, just what does he plan to use that money for if he is not going to use it to pay these items?

Also, it is nice to see questions regarding the $2+ trillion Social Security Trust Fund. As I pointed out last year:

So on the one hand, Social Security has a surplus of over $2 Trillion to meet it's needs. On the other hand, all of that money was traded for Government bonds. The bonds are a promise from the Government to repay Social Security.

The Government took the money and spent it. The Government now either needs to pay that money back to Social Security, and with running a deficit, would need to borrow that money to repay the bonds. That could be a serious problem given that the Government already needs to borrow to cover the current year's spending deficits. And that is a problem with the idea of selling the bonds held by Social Security. Doing so increases the amount that needs to be sold into the market, and the Government is already having trouble selling the bonds it needs to need to cover current-year deficit spending.

Of course they could just print more money. I am not sure exactly how that would work out.

So remember, no matter how the politicians try to claim that Social Security has no problem, keep in mind that these same politicians turned the Social Security Trust Fund of $2 Trillion and turned it into added Government debt. - Link

Once the debt issue is over, the Conservatives in Congress should go back and tackle Social Security reform. The defense that there is no problem was just busted by the Democrats.

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Pirunvuori - Devil's Mountain - Finland

2011-07-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

So here I am at my in-laws and even after 10 years of coming here (to what is basically the middle of nowhere), they are still finding new places to take me. This time it was to the Devil's Mountain to see a stone house built by a Finnish painter just over 100 years ago.

It was a nice day trip with the bonus of discovering that the blueberries in the forest are already ripe for the picking.

Pirunvuori (Devil's mountain)

Mythical magic, soughing of the forest and rugged Finnish scenery!

This nature reserve has always been an inspiration for storytellers and poets. By hiking up Pirunvuori everybody can enjoy a trip to the past and be impressed by an untouched nature. In the beginning of the 20th century, the Finnish artist, painter Emil Danielsson built his stone castle on the peak of the mountain as his studio for more than 60 years. Nowadays this castle can be visited by tourists, giving a good impression of the spirit of that time.

Pirunvuori can be reached by walking over a path of about 2km from the hotel. - Link

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Ignoring the Debt Ceiling vs Passing a Budget

2011-07-03T13:20:00.000-04:00

News reports are suggesting that President Obama and his Democrat allies in Congress are setting the stage for the possibility of simply ignoring the country's debt limit by declaring it unconstitutional. This option does not seem so far fetched given the lack of action from the White House to come to some sort of deal in getting the debt limit raised, as well as White House recognition of the simple fact that even substantial tax increases would not be able to effect the massive spending deficit that the Government is committing itself to pay. Regardless of the issue that Republicans are refusing to consider any tax increases. Even if Republicans would be willing to raise taxes, President Obama would only be able to raise taxes on the highest earners, and not on the middle class where the most tax revenue could be collected.

So, in comes the possibility of an end run around Congress to keep the spending going regardless of any debt limit. It is an interesting solution and if done just might help push the US into bankruptcy that much faster.

But Congress does have a weapon to fight against this. Next year's budget. There are a couple options here, from refusing to pass a budget, prompting a Government shutdown, or passing a budget that only spends incoming revenue. Another option would be to pass a budget (Or better yet only propose a budget) that takes into account all spending needs and proposes across-the-board tax increases so that Americans are made aware of the actual bill for the Government services that they are demanding. At a minimum, Congress needs to start speaking up against the Democrat's proposed option of trashing the debt limit.

One more thought. A good portion of our upcoming debt increase and deficit problems are related to promises made to seniors by the politicians that they elected. These politicians failed to tax and save for these seniors. Instead, these seniors and politicians are planning to stick us children and grandchildren with the bill. So I am starting to come to the opinion that part of the solution is to break the promises made to these seniors. The promises that were made to them were in exchange for their votes. In reality, they were little more than lies. Their votes were in effect in exchange for lies. Worse, the money that should have been saved to fulfill these promises were instead stolen by these same politicians to make even more promises. So I think it is time to take a second look at what was promised and what we can afford to keep.

The Democrats will portray this as pushing grandma off the a cliff. However, there is another side to Grandma's story and it involves giving the bill to support grandma to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. That is not exactly fair. Not only that, is this what Grandma wants? I doubt it. This is why the Democrats are being dishonest in suggesting that everything can be paid for by taxing the richest a little more. This however is nowhere near enough. Future generations need to pay more. Lots more.

Now keep in mind the following when judging my comments above - Medicare is going to go bankrupt well before I can take advantage of it and Social Security is going to run out of money about the time that I will be eligible to collect from it. That is a pretty raw deal after having paid into it so far into my working life.

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Mannerheim Statue 'Tampere'

2011-07-01T13:45:00.001-04:00

I have mentioned the Tampere Mannerheim Statue on this blog before here 'Europe's Lingering Scar of Communism'

You see, Tampere was a hotbed of communists during the Finnish Civel War and Mannerheim was the leader of the 'White' forces and routed the communists from the city. So, back in the 1950's when a statue was going to be erected in his honor, the city leaders stuck it in the forest, nowhere near the city itself.

So for the last couple trips here I had been meaning to visit the statue. I finally got the chance today.

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Darts In The Forest

2011-06-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

My father in law finally got a dart board.

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Helsinki Tram Accident - 1999

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a photo from a tram accident in Helsinki back in 1999.

I was on the tram and saw the car crossing in front and knew when I saw it coming that there was no way it was going to make it. It hit hard enough to spin the car around.

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Illegal Alien Impact - Severe School Overcrowding

2011-06-07T12:55:00.002-04:00

I live in Fairfax County Virginia. The local High School, Annandale High School has been suffering from overcrowding for a while. The Country is now shopping around 4 main options in dealing with the problem (link).

I had gone to a presentation back in December on the issue and the issue of illegal aliens came up. The response was that the school District was not allowed to investigate the impact of illegal aliens on school overcrowding and that they are prohibited from asking anyone about their legal status.

This is what happens when you mix politics into situations that need a clear understanding of the facts. Overcrowding is not the only issue Fairfax County Public Schools has to deal with concerning immigrants, including illegal aliens, as the county also has a problem with keeping white and black students in certain district schools that are being overrun with an unnatural influx of immigrants. you see, parents are going to believe politicians for only so long. During WWI, the Japanese knew that they were losing the war because the 'Great Victories' the Japanese were winning were ever closer to the homeland. Eventually people do figure out that they don't like what is going on. Constant school overcrowding is a definite warning sign.

Our politicians, especially our Democrat leaning ones, want to tell you that illegal aliens are not an issue and should be formally legalized and brought into our society. However, they are negatively impacting our communities in many small ways, both draining resources and packing our schools. These same politicians then pass laws requiring Government to ignore the problems created. We the people then suffer.

Our Congressman is Democrat Gerry Connolly. He is a direct contributing factor to this problem.

I don't know what else to say. It just seems that all our politicians are working overtime to wreck our neighborhoods. I am ready to fight back, and guess it is time to get more involved.

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Spotted in Bermuda - Dan Mitchell, Brian Garst

2011-06-01T07:10:00.000-04:00

Last night returning to my hotel I ran into Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute and Brian Garst of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and Big Government.

They were working on a press release concerning events they were following here and I will add it once it comes out.

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Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich - 2012?

2011-05-26T09:10:00.001-04:00

I received my first 2012 presidential race fund-raising letter yesterday. It was from Mitt Romney. I got as far as 'Dear Fred' before I just went and tore the mailing up and tossed it in the trash. I did that because I have no interest in Mitt Romney being the Republican candidate for President. I think my biggest objection is 'RomneyCare'.

Of course I will vote for him if he wins the nomination, but he will have to get there without my help. That goes for Newt Gingrich as well. I think the photo below is a perfect example of how he is a political player. The lady he is sitting on the couch with rammed ObamaCare through Congress with zero regard for the concerns of anyone other than those pushing the radical overhaul of healthcare. If Newt becomes President, you can bet the Democrats will come calling demanding that they work together. This is a call they only make when they are out of power. Once in power, they kick their conservatives partners to the curb. This happens over and over because the Republicans are stupid, because they believe in the Democrats calls for bi-partisanship.

Let these guys have a VP or other supporting position. But by all means, lets find someone better for President!

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Scrap the 'Tax by the Mile' Idea for Transportation - Everyone Should Pay

2011-05-05T14:40:00.001-04:00

The idea of taxing drivers based on how much they drive keeps coming back in the news. I covered this back in April, 2009 in the post 'A (GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED) TAXI METER FOR EVERY CAR IN AMERICA!'. Now the President is pushing this idea ahead and a way to get more tax from the population.

The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.

The plan is a part of the administration's "Transportation Opportunities Act," - The Hill

That's great if you want to turn every car and truck in America into a taxi earning for the Government.

Here are some additional thoughts (in addition to my original post linked above) on this subject an how funding for the building of roads and bridges should be shared between the entire population.

First, a well-developed, well-maintained public transport infrastructure is in the benefit of every American. While some use the roads every day, everyone benefits from them, including those without a car. Need a policeman, Fireman or ambulance? They can't get to you if you without a road to get them there. While the need is rare, the need in those cases is urgent if not life-threatening. So just because you do not use it everyday, it does need to be maintained regardless of your use. And imagine trying to sell your house if there was no road to get to it. Use a bike or walk on the sidewalk. This is possible only as a result of road building. If you are going to tax drivers by the mile, why not also bikers and walkers?

So with this one issue in mind, it is not fair to burden only a segment of the population with funding of this infrastructure.

Then, as i wrote before, a mileage tax on cars is like putting a Government-controlled taxi meter in every vehicle in America. Outfitting every car and truck in America with tracking devices just to collect more tax has to be one of the dumbest ideas, ever. It would also be one of the most expensive projects, simply to put in place the tracking devices to levy and collect the tax information. And of course, it is not going to be the Government that pays, but car owners.

Worse, cars are already taxed in relation to how much they drive through a tax on gasoline. Sure, the rate is different for everyone, based on how much your car consumes as well as how much city/highway driving you do. However, everyone who drives pays and there is no need to make any changes to the cars (such as adding hundreds of dollars of GPS tracking and metering equipment) as the tax is collected at the pump.

One of the complaints of the current system is that people who choose hybrid cars save money because their cars use gasoline more efficiently than people who choose gas guzzlers. But there is an easy solution to this problem. Simply get rid of the $7,500 tax credit buyers of these cars receive and use that money for road building. The Administration would never do that because this would kill off the market for these cars, despite it solving the reduced gas tax revenue problem they create. And keep in mind that this is a problem the Government created in the first place for offering the tax credit.

Also, Democrats conveniently forget one reason for having a gasoline tax was to encourage drivers to conserve gasoline. Unfortunately for the rest of us, conserving gasoline means less tax money for Congress to waste. So our reward for being 'better citizens' is more taxes. In this case a proposed tax on every mile that you drive your car.

Also, lets not forget that the driving-force for a pay-by-mile tax is that the idea of raising gasoline taxes higher is universally unpopular. So as a fix, they decide to simply invent a new tax revenue stream. By all means raise the gas tax and incur the anger of the voting public. I can't see how this alternative is going to make people less angry. Really, they are going to violate the personal property of millions of American in installing tracking devices.

In addition to scrapping the credit for hybrids and electric cars, how about also scrapping the multi-Billion Dollar ethanol gas subsidy.

Ninety organizations are calling for an end to the $6 billion-dollar-a-year subsidy that encourages the production of ethanol biofuel from maize in the United States.

Ethanol makes up about 10 percent of the gasoline fueling cars in the United States, and almost all of it is made from maize.

"It’s renewable and domestic, home-grown," says Bob Dinneen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association, who adds that this home-grown source of energy is reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

A 2007 U.S. law requires motor fuel to include renewable fuels. And - for blending in ethanol - gasoline makers get a tax credit that adds up to about $6 billion this year. - VOA News

In addition to direct savings from ditching the ethanol subsidy, all drivers would benefit immediately due to better gas mileage from running on an all-gas mixture.

Worse, the money already extracted from car owners (and even residents in general) in some places is obscene. Certain Metropolitan areas subsidize their mass transit project through overcharging tolls for vehicle drivers. I just drove back from New York and the sight of a sign noting that the Toll to cross the Verazanno Bridge was $13 was shocking even with the knowledge that this is the round trip price. Still that is $6.50 for each direction. It is well understood that a good portion of that toll is destine to subsidize the subways. How much? Try half!

MTA Bridges and Tunnels (B&T) operates seven bridges and two tunnels that form essential links for vehicular highway transportation in the New York City metropolitan region. With an average daily traffic of more than 800,000 vehicles using the nine crossings and more than half of its $1.4 billion in revenue dedicated to mass transit, B&T plays a significant role in enhancing regional mobility. - MTA 2011 Final Proposed Budget (PDF Link, page 186)

Overbilling Car drivers to support the region's public transit system is only part of the redistribution that is going on in the NY City area. Take these additional taxes:

What You're Paying the MTA When You Don't Use It
.34% payroll tax on all employers (to include school districts and local governments)
5% additional sales tax on car rentals
Surcharge on drivers' licenses and car registrations
.375% of the sales tax
17% surcharge on corporate taxes
Surcharge on telephone taxes
.3% Mortgage Recording Tax-1; .25% MRT-2 - Link

All of this in order to prevent fare hikes and cuts in service. And yet, all of these acts mask the true costs of the service of public transport. It also puts off the need to fight waste and abuse when such a large slush fund is available to cover over the difference from actual revenue (bus and train fares) from actual expenses.

So drivers are already paying. Perhaps, money already extracted from drivers should be used on roads and the place to raise additional revenue should be in raising public transit fares. They are the ones who are not paying their 'fair share'. Their share is being partially paid off the backs of car owners.

Declaring that only some benefit from a well developed road infrastructure is simply false. Also, the excuse given for requiring all Americans to have health care in ObamaCare was that all Americans will eventually need medical care. the same applies to roads. Everybody needs them. So everybody should pay.

P.S.

One real screw in this tax meter plan of Congressman Oberstar is that we are already taxed on lots of roads that we drive on. Are they going to tax us for driving through Delaware on I-95 where the tolls per mile cost more than the cost of gasoline to drive through the state? Is this little machine going to tax us for driving on our own property and on local roads and 'unimproved' roadways? And if the answer is that they will not be taxing us on all roads, why should people who do not use them have these meters installed in their cars?

And how are they going to prevent massive fraud by users disabling these machines? That might be as simple as blocking the GPS signal. It would be impractical to integrate these machines to existing cars in a way that would defeat tampering. And if they ever did manage that feat, surely people will just start not registering vehicles because they can't afford the taxes that come with it. This would be a real possibility out west where the distances to be driven are large and the possibility of an encounter with law enforcement minimal. Then again, you register your car with your state, not the Federal government. So would they expect State Authorities to enforce Federal Tax-Meter regulations?

Surely there are many more issues out there that this Congressman is not interested in hearing about.

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Obama, The Great Appeaser: No Bin Laden Photo

2011-05-04T14:10:00.001-04:00

You would think that a Present who just publicly released a copy of his birth Certificate because a majority of the population was starting to doubt that he was born in the US, would have realized that some sort of proof of death would be required to prove to the world that the US had indeed found and killed Osama Bin Laden. But no:

In an interview with Steve Kroft for this Sunday's 60 Minutes, President Obama says he won't release post-mortem images of Osama Bin Laden taken to prove his death.

Video of the comments will appear on the CBS "Evening News" on Wednesday.

Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Wednesday that the Obama administration should not release the gruesome postmortem images, saying it could complicate the job for American troops overseas.

"The risks of release outweigh the benefits," he said. "Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East." - CBS News

This is a perfect example of how the President and his keepers are fully onboard with the mis-belief that the solution to a violent Muslim world at war (to a certain degree) with the West is a progressive American President who makes note of their pain and is in tune with their sensitivities. So when Obama appears to be more Muslim than catholic, it really has nothing to do with his religious preference, which I suspect he is not very religious at all, but instead is all just an act to appear to Muslims to be sympathetic to their concerns, regardless of how asinine they may be. Another perfect example is how Obama made sure that bin laden's carcass was treated with respect. For God's sake why?

This is unfortunate, because it is a soft consoling hand that will do nothing to guide muslims from the extreme fringes that are at war with the US and the West in general. Treating our muslim enemies with respect, especially people who at best are war criminals, only dis-empowers those who are friends of the West and US. This is why we should put the photo out there. Osama bin Laden was a criminal. He was an enemy of all people on earth, especially Muslims. We killed him. Your welcome.

Personally, I think bin laden's corpse should have been cremated in the garbage incinerator of the USS NEW YORK and his ashes mixed with paint. Then paint his remains onto the deck as non-skid.

As far as the US not catching him alive, I covered this likelihood back in 2005 in 'Likely Unintended Effect of Fighting for Rights for Terrorists'. After all, the last thing President Obama needed during a reelection campaign would be Liberals demanding rights for this animal. And for sure some of the Liberals would eventually start openly supporting rights for Osama. In that respect, you could almost say that liberals were as responsible for the killing of Osama as the Navy SEALS were.

The tag line at the bottom of this blog says 'Appeasement is for suckers'. Unfortunately, our President seems to think that it is a magical tool. It just is one more piece of evidence of the lack of common sense our President is dealing with.

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You Are Going to Need a Bigger Car

2011-05-04T10:40:00.007-04:00

Here is a photo of a car fully loaded down that we came across one day while on I-95 headed up to Baltimore.

According to the Smart website, the car can carry 500 pounds which I think is very good for it's size. Still, I can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, they might be better off with something a little bigger. It is interesting to see that the car can be loaded up like that in a professional manner.

Still, this is a good example of the ridiculousness of the President's comments a couple weeks ago on how Americans should go look for cars with better gas mileage as there is no fit's-all solution for most families. For us, we have a Volvo XC70 wagon and a Volvo XC90 SUV. It turned out that the wagon ended up being just a little too small when traveling and when having guests over we needed to take two cars places. So, when I traded in my also small-ish BMW 325i last fall, I ended up with the SUV, both for the all wheel drive and also for the fact that it has the 3rd row to permit seating for up to 7. We have already used the car a number of times with 6 and it has been a great solution to getting around. That said, all during the week I am driving it to and from work all alone.

One more thing about the President's dismissive comments about the high price of gas. It totally ignores the problem that high fuel prices are killing people every time they purchase home heating oil and every time people purchase an airline ticket. (And all sorts of other things...)

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Finland Catches Pirates off Oman

2011-04-06T08:30:00.002-04:00

Finland sent a warship to join the fight against piracy off Somalia. They just made a nice contribution by catching some pirates.

Reports so far indicate that the seizure of the vessel took place early on Wednesday morning, some 500 kilometres south-east from Salalah in Oman.

The suspected pirates were aboard a vessel that was towing two smaller boats behind it. The vessel attempted to escape, at which point the Pohjanmaa fired a volley of warning shots to deter the crew. The vessel was found to contain eighteen persons believed to be pirates. A detachment from the Pohjanmaa found material on the captured vessel that is in keeping with that used in piracy on the high seas.

The minelayer remains on station, attempting to determine the nature of the crew-members. - Helsingin Sanomat

Each victory against pirates is very important. It will be interesting to see what happens to this bunch. I suspect that they will eventually be set free.

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Here Is Your Gun Problem - Probation For Illegal Gun Possession In DC

2011-04-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Here is a perfect example of what is wrong with how the Government, especially Democrat-controlled Government, fights gun crime. In this case you have a 'kid' caught doing illegal behavior, who gets a break with only being charged with illegal possession of a firearm and then gets a second break by not getting jail time. It is only now, years later that police they are finally considering putting him in jail, basically for ignoring the trivial punishment he did get, probation.

D.C. police arrested Vaughn in June 2009 after stopping a group of men selling drugs near the McGogney Elementary School in Southeast Washington. Vaughn fled as members of the vice squad swooped in on the group, and one of the officers saw him throw a black handgun onto the roof of the school.

"This kid has little regard for the public if he is willing to just throw [a gun] away where anyone could pick it up and potentially hurt themselves or someone else," said Matt Burke, supervisory inspector with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. "It's time for him to take responsibility for this actions."

Police climbed the roof of the school and recovered a black Jimenez Arms .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun. Vaughn pleaded guilty to a felony charge of carrying a pistol and ammunition without a license, but he failed to appear before a D.C. judge after authorities claimed he had violated his probation. A warrant was issued for his arrest in October, and authorities said he has been on the run since. - Read More at Washington Examiner

Here is his sentence from DC Court Records:

Sentence
Sentence for Charge # 1, Carry Pistol W/O Lic -Outside Home/Business
Sentence Date: 09/25/2009
Confinement Type: YRA
Time: 0 years, 6 months, 0 days.
Time Suspended: 0 years, 6 months, 0 days.
Amount To Serve: 0 years, 0 months, 0 days.
Supervised Release: 0 years, 6 months, 0 days, Suspended.
VVCA Amount: 100.00, Due: 09/28/2010
Probation Type: YRASUP, Start Date: , End Date:
Probation Time: 1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Probation Conditions: Mental Health Screening/Evaluation--Mental Health Counseling
Probation Conditions: Maintain or Seek Employment
Probation Conditions: Vocational Assessment--Job Training
Sentencing Comments: credit for time served. (DC Courts link)

So he got 6 months of jail time, all of which was suspended.

I just don't get it. They complain that gun crime is a big problem in DC. They when they are confronted with it, they give the criminals a free pass. And this guy's crime was not simple gun possession. He was up to worse. He only got charged with the gun crime.

The people being most punished by DC's lax illegal gun enforcement are those looking to own legal handguns and the community at-large who are forced to live with criminals like Vaughn roaming around.

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Note for Democrats: Spending Less is Not Extreme - Demanding More is...

2011-03-30T08:50:00.001-04:00

It has been clear for a while that the Democrats are not interested at all in trying to win over Tea Party activists or people like myself who agree with the Tea Party goals of cutting spending and limiting Government.

Now it seems that the Democrats are taking a position of open hostility against Tea Party attempts to make out Government Representatives more responsible:

"The main thrust is basically that we want to negotiate and we want to come up with a compromise but the Tea Party is pulling Boehner too far over to the right and so far over that there is no more fruitful negotiations," Schumer said on the call. "The only way we can avoid a shutdown is for Boehner to come up with a reasonable compromise and not just listen to what the Tea Party wants. "

Schumer described Boehner as "in a box," over the budget negotiations.

The four senators came on the call after Schumer abruptly went silent and followed Schumer's script closely. - Washington Examiner

Some of our politicians simply have no shame at all. Unfortunately, this is a problem on both the left and the right. However, no amount of spin or even flat out slander of a segment of the voting population is going to change a very simple fact that the Government is recklessly borrowing huge amounts of money that they have no intention of ever paying back. And I think with this in mind, they have no problem trying to spend even more huge amounts of money, simply to buy votes. Keep in mind that the deficit for the current year is about $1.5 trillion out of a $3.5 Trillion budget. Republicans were attempting to cut budget spending by less than 2%. This is defined as extreme by Democrats. It might shock Senator Shumer, but many American families have been forced to such 'extreme' measures with their own budgets.

If Shumer wants extreme, I suggest the Republican members of Congress give it to him and the Democrat leadership. The easiest way to do this is by refusing to increase the debt limit.

Refusing to increase the debt limit will force the Government to operate under a balanced budget. Given how Democrats can't even cut frivolous and wasteful Government spending, this is probably the one way to stop this insanity. Is this an extreme way to go? the budget would have to be cut over 30% (Or cuts plus increase Government revenue). The more I listen to Congress bickering on CSPAN, the more I'm starting to think that this is the only way to go. It would be more tough love than extreme. It would surely be painted as the 'Nuclear Option', but hey, we live in a nuclear world.

At the very least, this should be the opening position for the Republicans in the House. Even if they eventually have to meet the Democrats 'half way', that will still be lots better than where we are being driven right now.

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The US is Going to Have to Take an Axe to the Budget

2011-03-23T12:50:00.001-04:00

One thing that has become quickly clear to me while listening to all the talk inCongress of the Continuing Resolutions to fund the Government and just what to cut in terms of spending, that is it going to be impossible to 'apply a scalpel' to the US Budget and carefully cut spending. there are two problems with such a method. First, most every dollar of spending has some Congressman ready to stand up and speak against cutting it. And second, the sheer amount of overspending, around 40% of all spending is borrowed, there is no way that we will be able to get Congress to selectively cut a tiny fraction of that amount.

Ace of Spades has been covering the budget/debt problem for a while:

With just this year's spending, President Obama, Henry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi have saddled us with debt that we will probably never pay back, and the White House budget (even before the CBO corrections) agrees. It doesn't even try to pay back these deficits - in fact it doesn't even balance the budget. Ever. - Ace of Spades

I think it is time to axe the budget by starting with a new budget where each kind of spending needs to be justified with total spending limited by the amount of expected revenues.

Does this mean that I want to cut Head Start? Damn right it does. I already pay for two children of my own. It is a responsibility of parents. Shame on the Government for deciding that I should also contribute to support children of other parents.

The budget Axe. It's the new scalpel. It needs to be.
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e-Verify - 'Work Authorization Confirmed'

2011-03-22T11:30:00.001-04:00

Homeland Security announced yesterday that it is now possible for people to e-Verify themselves. the idea being that you can check to make sure that your e-Verify information is correct.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched E-Verify Self Check, which also is available in Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Virginia and the District of Columbia. It will be extended to all states by the end of the year.

"E-Verify is a smart, simple and effective tool that allows us to work with employers to help them maintain a legal workforce," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a news release. "The E-Verify Self Check service will help protect workers and streamline the E-Verify process for businesses."

The initiative complements E-Verify by limiting bureaucratic hiccups and giving job applicants the opportunity to correct errors in Homeland Security and Social Security Administration databases that the system uses. - Tucson Sentinel

The E-Verify Self Check website is here Link (Not sure why they would use an impossibly long url) and it unsurprisingly confirmed that my information is correct and that I am authorized to work in the US.

So we have one less reason to not have all employers in the US use E-Verify to confirm that people applying for jobs are authorized to work in the US.

Now we just have to get the Government to start deporting illegal aliens are they trip over them.

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Democrats, Muslims, Gun Owners and Tea Partiers

2011-03-11T16:15:00.000-05:00

This week the Democrats displayed near unlimited concern that a group of Americans might be unfairly labeled for the actions of a few bad actors within that group:

Republicans criticized their counterparts for cloaking the debate in political correctness by questioning the constitutionality of targeting a specific group. Several Democrats suggested a broader hearing that would look at extremism of all kinds.

“I cannot help but wonder how propaganda about this hearing focusing on the American Muslim community will be used by those who seek to find a new generation of suicide bombers,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the panel’s ranking member.

But Rep. Paul Broun said such arguments miss the point: that al-Qaida and other organizations are successfully radicalizing youth in Muslim American communities.

“We need to know exactly who our enemy is. We need to focus on that enemy and not let political correctness deter us from that,” the Georgia Republican said. “I think political correctness is also an enemy.” - Roll Call

Personally I think the hearings are needed. After all, all things being equal, which community is most likely to breed terrorists inside the US?

Too bad that the Democrats, who are so quick to come to the defense of one community are as quick to label and slander other groups such as pro-life supporters, gun owners, tea party supporters, anti-illegal immigration advocates, conservatives, Republicans and anyone who does not keep in step with their own radical agenda.

Also, too bad that the Democrats are so complicit with refusing to acknowledge actual cases of violence committed by those they defend while accusing persons on the right of fostering violence that never manifests itself.

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Democrat Messaging Republican Cuts - 'Reverse Robin Hood'

2011-02-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

So on the way home Tuesday evening I caught a couple minutes of Congress debating how to, and how not to cut Government spending. Lucky me caught Boston Congressman Stephen Lynch's attempt to redefine Republican efforts to cut spending while at the same time not raise taxes against the rich as 'Reverse Robin Hood'. You can catch his comments here (Clicking the image will take you to the CSPAN site where his comments start a couple seconds into the video):

Video Link

I have a couple major issues with his line of thinking.

FIRST, in the case of 'Robin Hood', he was stealing from the rich to give back money that was taken by the Government from the poor. In our present society, the bottom half of income earners currently pay no taxes. In effect the Government is asking/taking nothing from them in the form of contribution as part of a collective payment towards the costs of our society. So what Congressman Lynch is defining as taking from the poor, is in actuality proposals to give less to the poor. There is a huge difference.

Second, he attempts to portray Republicans as evil because he claims that Government giving to the poor could somehow continue if only the Republicans would be big enough to raise taxes on the rich or in his words to ask millionaires 'to give a little more'. This is ridiculous for a number of reasons:

While he is saying millionaires, he then goes on to talk about raising taxes on those earning $250,000 and more. The last time I checked, that was much less than a million, unless he is inferring that people earning such amounts are already millionaires.
The potential increase in Government revenue by letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the richest Americans is nowhere enough to reduce the yearly Government spending deficits. In fact the cost to extend the tax cuts for the richest for ten years is less than this year's deficit (Previous post pointing this out).
The Top Federal income tax rate would have gone up to 39.5%. That is like working two days a week just to cover Federal Income taxes, once getting to that rate. Then tack on more work time to cover state and local taxes, before taking care of one's own needs.
The President's proposed 2012 budget plans to spend the equivalent of $12,000 per American. So, for my family of 4, the Government will spend $48,000. That is much more than what many families pay in taxes. And there is the reason why the Government has to borrow so much.

Congressman Lynch asks what about the single mother's and those in need? They are good questions, but there are other good questions that he and his Democrat buddies never bother to ask, such as

What about all the other assistance these people seeking aid already receive?
Who is working to help those receiving public assistance make their money go father?

As for the single mothers, how about demanding their respective single fathers pitch in? After all, if it is expected that I and other wage earners are expected to substantially support a good percentage of the population, then perhaps we should have a say on how these people are living their lives?

Before you declare this an unreasonable demand, look at how often aid money is wasted and abused. Remember the news of how Katrina aid given to evacuees was used in all sorts of wasteful ways, and now the Drudge Report is highlighting a Colorado Bill that would Ban the use of welfare cards at Strip Club ATMs. California has also be fighting abuse of their welfare funds. When is this all going to stop? The rest of us have to adjust to the current reality, so should the poor.

As for the elderly, I do have sympathies, but now I am starting to wonder about their innocence in all of this. They are the ones who elected the politicians who promised them the social welfare whose cost is now threatening to crush the system. They are the ones who permitted the Government to run deficits year after year for most of their lives. Social Security and Medicare entitlements are going to have to be adjusted. It is just a simple reality and given how people are living much longer, it is a fair adjustment to raise the retirement age, for starters.

Third, given that EVEN IF the Government raised taxes substantially, the budget will still spend more than it takes in in revenue, benefits are going to be cut. So Just who is robbing from who?

Decades of deficits have resulted in a mountain of debt. If Anything, the group that is being robbed is not the poor, but the children of this country. So as Representative Lynch would like to call out that Tea Party supporters are throwing the elderly into the harbor, what he is calling for is for all of us to saddle my generation and my children's generation with their irresponsible spending including their cleaning out of the Social Security Trust fund.

Now you would think that the poor would be concerned about their children having to pay for the support that they are receiving. However, given that they were never asked to pay for the benefits their parents received, why should they consider anything other than the possibility of the Government cutting back the benefits (and in many cases free lunches) that they are receiving.

Another Point. The Federal Government is not the only Government around. States are also responsible for providing public services, such as fire, police and education. If the people of a state want more, they they should be asked to pay more. This is not happening, partly because the Federal government has been footing the bill. For example, why is the Federal Government sending aid to Alaska while at the same time the State collects no income tax? Who considers this fair.

There is much more to this issue. Again last night I heard another Congressman use the Reverse Robin Hood comment. And I suspect that she will not be the last.

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Sea Shepherd Kills off Japan's Whale Hunt

2011-02-16T08:50:00.001-05:00

News comes out this morning that the Japanese have suspended their whale hunt operations, for now:

AFTER decades of bitterly opposed Antarctic ''research whaling'', Japan has suspended its hunt and is near to formally pulling out only halfway through the season.

Following a sustained pursuit by activists from the anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd, the whalers have had their kills slashed at a time when financial demands are tightening in Tokyo and diplomatic pressure is rising.

The sudden shift has raised hopes that Japan may be moving to end its 23-year program, which has killed about 10,000 Antarctic whales. - The Sydney Morning Herald

I have to say that I am somewhat surprised that the Sea Shepherd activists managed to stop the Japanese from whaling. Simply put, they managed this because they were more willing to endanger their lives than the Japanese were willing to fight back, despite managing to ram and sink a Sea Shepherd vessel last year. I do not think the Japanese were beyond sinking another ship this year, if the right accident opportunity presented itself, like in the photo below.

"The Gojira abnormally coming close in front of the Yushin Maru No. 3 bow." - Link

I guess we will just have to see what the Japanese plan next. I would not be surprised if they wait for Sea Shepherd to leave the area and then turn around, or just relocate to some other area. After all, this is a huge loss of face for them, not that killing whales is any better in that respect, but now there is an added level of shame, especially for the sailors who lost to a bunch of mostly disorganized, reckless and poorly trained opponents. Really, it is amazing that none of the Sea Shepherd group has managed to kill themselves all this time. I wonder how they would stack up against pirates...

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BELUGA NOMINATION Pirates Enter Safe Room via the Ceiling

2011-02-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

The BELUGA NOMINATION was recently taken by pirates. One open question was how the pirates managed to get into the ship’s Citadel safe room where the crew was hiding. As it turns out, the safe room was not so safe.

Somali pirates captured Beluga Nomination in the Indian Ocean on January 22. The crew hid in a citadel on board the ship for the first 48 hours, according to Beluga. But then pirates were able to open the ceiling of the safe room and took the crew hostage. – Lloyds List

This sounds like a scene right out of the movie Aliens where the Marines were trying to figure out how the aliens got through the barricades intended to keep them out of the living spaces only to realize too late that they were climbing through the ceiling.

This article also points out that the crew was safe from the pirates for a full 48 hours before the space was breached. So where were the naval forces during that time? An attempt was made to re-take the ship but it was not until after the pirates had gained access to the crew.

The article does not note where in the vessel the safe room was located, but if they managed to enter it from the ceiling, I suspect that it was inside the house. This clearly now was a poor decision. Also, if you watch the video of the South Korean raid on a captured cargo ship last month, you can see that the house was peppered with bullet holes. That is another reason not to place the safe room in the house.

So take the information above and treat it as lessons learned. How safe and secure is your Citadel space?

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A Very Valid Reason to Raise the Retirement Age in the US

2011-01-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

Out comes word that the President will not call for raising the Retirement age as part of controlling Government spending:

The direction of Obama's speech became apparent over the weekend, when the White House informed Democratic lawmakers and advocates for the elderly that he would not endorse the commission's recommendation to raise the retirement age and make other cuts to Social Security - the single largest federal program.

Liberals, who have been alarmed by Obama's recent to shift to the center and his effort to court the nation's business community, applauded the decision, arguing that Social Security cuts are neither necessary to reduce current deficits nor a wise move politically. Polls show that large majorities of Americans in both parties - even in households that identify themselves as part of the tea party movement - oppose cutting Social Security benefits. - Washington Post

This is unfortunate, because there is a fair way to explain why the retirement age should be raised. Simply put, most Americans are living longer. In many cases much longer. And as retirees live longer they put a greater strain on Social Security (as well as other parts of the Government). We need to deal with that strain somehow. One way is to raise the retirement age.

Another way to fix Social Security is to raise worker contributions. I am only in favor of that option if we overhaul the entire program, introducing private accounts. (See my post: Democrats Hate the Idea of Private Social Security Accounts - Because They Cannot Steal From Those Accounts...)

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Violent Prisoner with Escape History let out for Funeral and Runs Away

2011-01-20T15:50:00.001-05:00

Here's a great idea. Lets take violent criminals with a history of escapes and give them vacations from jail. What can go wrong:

An inmate who had already escaped from authorities once is on the run again after he was given a leave of absence from a federal penitentiary to attend a funeral in the District.

U.S. marshals say Theodore Dewayne Riley failed to report to officials in D.C., and never returned to the Federal Correctional Institution in Memphis, Tenn. A warrant for him was issued Dec. 1. He had been serving a three-year sentence for felony possession of a firearm for an incident that occurred in the District in 2008.

It's not the first time that Riley has escaped from custody, marshals said. He pulled a similar move back in 2000 when he failed to report to a community care facility in D.C. while serving time for a 1999 aggravated assault conviction, said Marshals Deputy Tony Gause.

Now, members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force are looking for the 30-year-old Riley again.

"With a long history of violence, Riley is obviously a threat to the community and is to be considered armed and dangerous," Gause said. "We need the community's assistance in locating him before he puts other innocent people in harm's way."

Riley has other arrests for gun and drug charges and for destruction of property.

He is described as a black male with dark complexion, standing 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighing 155 pounds. He is known to hang out in Northwest Washington in the Sursum Corda complex at First and M streets, and has relatives in Southeast D.C.

Anyone with information regarding Riley's whereabouts is urged to call Gause at 202-427-0183 or the U.S. Marshals Service at 301-489-1717 or 800-336-0102.

Tips from readers of The Washington Examiner have led directly to 24 fugitives since 2008. Marshals wants to make Riley the 25th.

The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is composed of 30 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. The unit has captured more than 33,000 wanted fugitives since its creation in 2004. - Prisoner with escape history let out for funeral and gets away - Washington Examiner

This is just one example of how part of our criminal problems are actually brought on us by our own Government. Maybe it's me, but if for some reason these people want to attend funerals, they should keep themselves out of jail. they are not going to let you out if your relatives are sick. So the same policy should be maintained in cases of death as well.

One more thing. The official(s) responsible for letting this criminal out should be held accountable. Maybe they should serve his term until he is returned to his cell. That will be a good incentive to ensure that only those trusty enough will be let out.

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Pirates Kidnap LEOPARD Crew of 6 - Lesson Unlearnt from DANICA WHITE Incident

2011-01-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

The MV LEOPARD was recently boarded by pirates. Apparently the crew had managed to disable the vessel which resulted in the pirates taking the crew off the vessel as hostages.

The crew of the coaster Leopard seems to have been kidnapped by the pirates that attacked the ship earlier this week. When a Turkish warship arrived at the Leopard there was no sign of the crew (two Danes and six Filipinos) or the pirates. The Leopard was simply drifting without any crew. Nato forces believe the crew has been transferred to a Taiwanese fishing vessel, which had been seized earlier by pirates and used as a mother vessel for attacking commercial ships.

The ship’s owner, Shipcraft A/S, in Hørsholm has not been available for comment on the situation. - Shipgaz

This is not the first time a Danish-Flag vessel with a crew of six has been taken over by Pirates. The MV DANICA WHITE was captured by pirates back during the summer of 2007. they had a crew of six. Amazingly, the Danish Maritime Administration blamed improper watchkeeping as part of the reason why the vessel ended up in the hands of pirates:

If there had been proper lookout from DANICA WHITE, the pirate boats could have been spotted app. 30 minutes before they reached DANICA WHITE. However, due to the slow speed of the ship, DANICA WHITE could not have sailed away from the pirates, but the crew would have been able to raise the alarm in time and shown the pirates that they had been spotted. (6.5) - DMA (page 5) - Link, 'DANICA WHITE Hijacking - 'Minimum Safe Manning' Partly to Blame'

My post on the issue, DANICA WHITE Hijacking - 'Minimum Safe Manning' Partly to Blame, takes issue with this given that the Danes permitted the ship to be crewed with so few seafarers to the point of being impossible for the crew to maintain a proper watch.

Just watch, when this is all over, the crew of the LEOPARD will be blamed for losing control of their ship and being taken hostage by pirates.

Here is a photo from the NATO site showing the amount of barbed wire the vessel had wrapped itself in. This of course does little good if the pirates manage to get the ship to stop for any reason.

View the NATO Press release here. (Note PDF Format)

And here is a NATO photo of help arriving too late.

The vessel apparently had a Citadel space. I wonder what happened and how the crew ended up in the hands of pirates if they did indeed have a space and managed to get into it. Of course these spaces are only as good as their ability to keep the pirates out until help arrives. Otherwise the pirates can just wait until you run out of food or water, or worse create a situation where you want to get out, such as setting the vessel on fire or attempting to sink it. NATO does note the following in regards to coming to the rescue of crew under attack by pirates:

The use of a CITADEL DOES NOT guarantee a military response. Before owners, operators and masters commit to a policy that recommends the use of a citadel, it is important to understand the criteria that military forces will apply before a boarding to free the ship can be considered:
100% of the crew must be secured in the CITADEL.
The Crew of the ship must have self-contained, independent, 2-way external communications. Sole reliance on VHF communications is insufficient.
The pirates must be denied access to propulsion.

The following points should also be taken into consideration when preparing CITADELS:
All emergency equipment in the CITADEL should be fully and regularly tested for functionality.
The communications system should have a power supply for a minimum of 3 days, based on a continuous open line (Consider satellite communications / satellite e-mail.)
A full list of emergency contact numbers including UKMTO should be held inside the CITADEL.
At least 3 days of food and water provisions for all the crew should be available in the CITADEL.
Medical supplies, including medication for the treatment of physical trauma, and sanitation should be made available.
- PDF Link

This will surely be an interesting piracy incident to keep my eyes on.

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"DREAM ACT" - Innocent Children? What about their Guilty Parents?

2010-12-08T20:50:00.002-05:00

So out of all of the possible things Congress could do to start digging this country out of the mess it is in, the Democrats have decided to work on passing a mass amnesty bill for illegal aliens.

7:19pm ET: If you stepped away from CSPAN just now you missed a quick, stirring, strong speech from Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in support of the DREAM Act. She said:
These children have not broken they law. These are are not criminals. [Note: Bullshit] The only nightmare I can imagine is the nightmare of violating the rights of these individuals who want an opportunity to serve America. First of all they have to be in the country for five years already. And they cannot change their status for another ten years…Do we violate our rights and our beliefs about we all are created equal?

And so I ask my colleagues to support a DREAM Act that invests in America, that allows people to serve America. It is not amnesty. It is people wanting to serve this country, pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Stand for what is right. Vote for the DREAM Act. Believe in our values. We are all created equal.
- Link

This is a scam, plain and simple. If this was about simply what the Democrats claim it to be, than the bill would would not have been written with some many crappy provisions in it, including the provisions that allow even criminal aliens to become legal under this proposed act, which is why I call BS Congresswoman Lee's comments above.

Also, keep in mind that by calling the children innocent, there is a guilty party the Democrats are ignoring, the parents of these illegal alien parents. The bill does nothing to punish the guilty party. Hell, the Democrats want to legalize them too. Hell, I might be party open to given these so-called victimless children a shot at legal status provided that their guilty parents are deported. After all, it is these parents that put both their children and us as a country in this position. Me, I say send them home. If their home countries are so bad than this is exactly what they need to reform, US-educated young adults to foster reform and improve living conditions back in their parents home. I do not see how we as a country need to be responsible for the bad behavior of others.

This position might seem heartless, however where do we draw the line? There are millions outside the country in need. how about the US instill it's laws and values on those third world countries? See, now I am evil for supporting an imperialistic America. however, look at the bright side if the US took over these countries:
The illegals will become legal residents

They can come out of the shadows
They will be free to move about the US
They can go travel to and from home without having to sneak across the border
Increased wages for those in the new territories due to minimum wage laws
Compulsory free education for children
Improved health care
etc....

Again this bill is a scam. The 'Dream Act' is nothing more that the 'Anchor Baby Creation Act of 2010'.

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Liberals Have No Right To Demand That Others Pay More In Taxes Than They Do

2010-12-08T14:20:00.001-05:00

It seems that Liberals are all up in arms about the President agreeing not to raise taxes on all Americans. This goes against the Liberal/Democrat demands that taxes be raised for the richest Americans.

First, one argument that Liberal Democrats were making, and something that Congressman Pelosi was using as an argument to raise taxes, was that all Americans were still going to get a tax cut, up to a certain point. In other works that the richest paid the same taxes as those earning less than them for that same portion of earnings, i.e. under $250,000 for couples. This however is disingenuous and the Democrat's first lie, because not all of the tax breaks are extended to Americans that exceed a certain income level. One of those tax breaks that cuts out is the child tax credit.

Credit worth as much as $1,000 per child

If you have children who are under age 17 at of the end of 2009, you can get a $1,000 tax credit per child on your tax return. A tax credit reduces your tax bill dollar-for-dollar, so three qualifying children, for example, can cut what you owe Uncle Sam by $3,000. The credit may be limited if your income exceeds the levels listed below.
And the credit does not affect the exemptions you take for dependents—worth $3,650 each in 2009. The child tax credit is in addition to those exemptions.
Credit is phased out at higher income levels
The child tax credit is reduced or eliminated if your adjusted gross income is above certain thresholds. The credit amount is reduced by $50 for each $1,000 (or fraction thereof) by which the taxpayer's modified adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds the threshold amount.
The threshold is:
$110,000 on a joint return
$75,000 for an unmarried individual
$55,000 for a married individual filing a separate return
- TurboTax

The argument for higher taxes for the rich made by Liberals also ignores a simple fact that the tax system is progressive and those that earn more pay a higher percentage of tax on their higher earnings with or without keeping the current tax rates. Click on the images below that cover both the current rates (10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35%) and the previous rates (10%, 15%, 27%, 30%, 35% and 38%) and in each case, the rich always pay a higher percentage in tax on their higher earnings. (Tables found here)

Liberals are also complaining that the announced tax deal by the President is unfair in that it extends the tax break for two years but only extends unemployment for 13 months is another weak argument. Simply put, unemployment payment is supposed to be temporary aid in order to help people find replacement work. It is crazy to extend such payments for years. This has the ability to distort behavior against taking other work, especially if the new work does not pay as well as the old job did. Unemployed were never entitled to unlimited unemployment benefits. To offer up another year is doing little more than creating a class of permanently unemployable 'workers'. This needs to stop.

The argument made by Liberals is distorting the actual cost of extending the current tax rates. they are using the cost to extend the current tax rates for the next ten years. Comparatively speaking, this amount is much smaller than any one year deficit during the Obama Administration. It is also about the same cost as the failure known as the 'Stimulus Bill'. As I wrote before:

As for the number that the President is commenting on there above, while being large, they pall in comparison to the actual deficit total. As for the $700 billion cost the President mentions, that is the cost to extend the tax cuts for the rich for the next ten years. In comparison, 'The total deficit for fiscal year 2009 was $1.42 trillion'. - Link

The argument made by the Liberals also ignores that the richest Americans already pay the majority of taxes. the lower half pay next to nothing. Take a look at the mint.com graphic below. The bottom half of the population is paying no Federal income taxes. How is that fair? Everyone should contribute. Many do not and this is distorting rational decision making as they are only looking at the Federal Government in terms of handouts. So it then becomes in their best interest to ensure that the richest are taxed as much as possible. It also perverts the perpetration of fraud among benefit recipients who, instead of reporting fraud, instead also look to benefit by replicating the crime, since it does not cost them anything.

The Democrats in Congress are talking about extending the Tax Cut for the middle class, because the poor don't pay anything. They are also ignoring the real problem which is spending. The Government is addicted to spending. As with any addition, the cure is never more, in this case money, but less. (and do not forget the other problem which is simple waste...)

UPDATE:
OK, I got the additional unemployment time wrong:

Just wanted to point out that the unemployment benefits extension doesn't give the 99ers another 13 months. The 99ers are still done after 99 weeks. This new bill just covers those behind the 99ers who are about to lose benefits.

I won't denigrate these people. I will say that people who can't find work for two years should perhaps move to where the opportunities are. - Lou Minatti

As for that last comment about moving, I have written about that before. It is hard to find work when the jobs have moved from your part of the country. Yes, some are moving overseas but many are just moving to cheaper parts of the country. There are lots of jobs here. Just ask all the illegal aliens doing them. See my posts ""The economy will recover faster if workers are willing to seek out and seize distant opportunities"", "Don't Redistribute wealth. Redistribute the poor" and "Don't Redistribute the Wealth - Redistribute the Work!" for more on that.

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MAREX - Sea Shepherd Partly at fault for Sinking of ADY GIL

2010-12-04T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Maritime Executive has news regarding investigation findings on the Sinking of the Sea Shepherd's ADY GIL:

Both Captains to Blame for Collision Between Activists and Whalers

The January collision between a Japanese whaling ship and a protest boat has now been officially blamed on both sides.

Maritime New Zealand says there is no evidence that either side intentionally caused the collision. The organization has placed blame on both captains saying they both failed in acting properly to avoid the accident. - The Maritime Executive

Given what Sea Shepherd has been up to down there, I would tend to put the blame on Sea Shepherd for the accident. After all, they have been attacking the Japanese and the Japanese certainly have a right to defend themselves. And I would say that the ADY GIL posed a potential huge problem for the Japanese given it's speed. I think it made perfect sense for the Japanese to try and damage the ship if given the opportunity. This is probably why the New Zealand Authorities declined to find the Japanese vessel at fault.

For your enjoyment, here is the video of the ADY GIL's last moments.

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I look forward to seeing what the Japanese plan to do to defend themselves next season.

I also look forward to the end of this mindless whaling.

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Airport Security is a Mess Because the Government Refuses to Profile

2010-11-16T09:55:00.001-05:00

TSA has gone and managed to piss off the entire country simply because they refuse to employ technology that can help them identify travelers who are more likely to be a threat than others. That technology is profiling.

The nun being frisked as pictured on the Drudge Report? A waste of time. The children getting disturbing in-depth pat-downs, disturbing and damaging to our country's future.

The simple fact is that most every American traveler is absolutely no threat to airline security. Zero threat. Most every real threat can be identified by first profiling the travelers. This is something that they can (and should) be doing from the moment the person purchases a ticket.

Now are security officials going to find things hidden on children and on grandma? Sure they are. History has no shortage of evidence of children being used to smuggle things through security. Are these things dangerous in respect of airline security? No. And I say finding pot strapped to a kid getting ready to board a plane is not the job of TSA. And even then, I bet that profiling will in most cases identify the parents most likely to do such a thing. Anyway, they already have a way to detect smuggled drugs by way of drug sniffing dogs.

The Government, and Democrats specifically, is/are greatly responsible for the problems that resulted in all of us getting probed at the airport. Think about it for a second. Criminals are not put in prison. Dangerous terrorists are let free. Millions of illegal aliens are roaming around this country with de-facto immunity from the same Government Department that is probing the rest of us. As it is, the 9/11 hijackers were well-known to the government already. And with that it is worth noting 'the wall' created by liberals within the Government to actively prevent the sharing of information concerning threats to this country. The ongoing result of this failure to use the information we have is the mess at security checkpoints at every airport in the country.

At this time I for one refuse to let my children go through a full-body scanner. There is no way that the Government can convince me that this is either necessary or done in a way that protects the privacy of my children nor done in a way that does not save the images for future potential abuse. I for one am convinced that the Government is lying that they are not saving copies of the scanned images. After all, they would be crazy not to. Otherwise how are they are going to review what might have happened in the case of a breach of security?

I certainly hope this is a temporary problem. Scanning everyone is not only not fun for passengers but also surely no fun for security screeners. Worse, I believe it helps the real terrorists hide in the crowd of just another person to get the same treatment. It is they who should have a spotlight trained on them. Not the rest of us.

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Gerry Connolly, Kieth Fimian and Tea Party Derangement Syndrome

2010-11-09T10:30:00.001-05:00

It figures that the Congressional District that I live in will apparently stay represented by a Democrat. As it stands now, Democrat Gerry Connolly has close to a 1,000 vote lead over Republican challenger Kieth Fimian.

I have to say that I was sorely disappointed with the candidate thrown up by the local Republican Party. I also think that this was a race that the Tea Party missed as Kieth was certainly no Tea Party candidate. Worse, this is the second time Mr. Fimian tried (and failed) to take this seat from Mr. Connolly, so I think it is time for someone else to give it a try. This is unfortunate, as I thought his primary challenger, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat S. Herrity would have made a better candidate. At least I think this will push me to become active in the decision-making process in the next race. I don't mean that I would run. I certainly am not interested in having people go into forensic detail of every aspect of my life. I expect that there is no shortage of things that could be twisted into making me look like a horrible person. At least I have the golden defense, I was a sailor and (whatever) is nothing uncommon for a seafarer...

As for the Tea Party, watch the development of 'Tea Party Derangement Syndrome' among the left as the next Congress comes to power. I think that the influence of the Tea Party, and those who sympathize with their goals, like myself, still has a long way to go. As it is my neighbor was asking me on election day to explain what the Tea Party was, while a Gadsden Flag was flying from the front of their house! Just image how many other people are out there who have yet to organize and take an active part in the election process, both as voters and candidates.

This should be interesting times. The Connolly-Fimian race has not been called yet but it appears to now be Connolly's to lose. No matter, he will be my representative and will need to deal with the concerns of his conservative constituents like myself. Otherwise it might just be that he and others who won election are going to start feeling sorry that they wanted this job.

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I Voted (With Bonus Harrasment by the Election Officer)

2010-11-02T11:20:00.003-04:00

Just got back from voting. I took my two kids with me and had them helping me with the touch-screen voting.

I did not have any problems with the machine, but I did have a run-in with the head election officer. She came up to me just as we were finishing and she told me that children were not allowed to touch the machine. My first reaction was 'Really?' She said yes and I asked her to show me the rule. She told me that that would take so time and I asked her to get it. She walked away and then comes back. Not with the rule but with the complaint that there were three of us at the machine and even made the snide comment about how many times we were trying to vote. As far as I know it is impossible for me to vote more than once. Isn't that the point of electronic voting, to make sure things like that don't happen. And it's not like my kids, 3 and 5, were going to hack the machine. I took them along just like my parents did with me. Although back then, we used the large machines with the curtain that offered some privacy from troublesome election officials.... I pointed out that if there was a problem with me taking my two kids to the voting booth, that is was something that should have been told to me when I went to the registration table. They of course were happy that I brought my kids to participate in the experience. By this time I was just pressing the 'VOTE' button and in the back of my mind I was wondering if she was trying to goad me into a situation that was going to end up with me being arrested. So in response her her demand for my voter number I simply replied that I was done voting and was leaving. I have no clue what was her problem. I never saw a person have a problem with kids coming to help parents vote. Also I was not interesting in escalating a situation where she was probably volunteering her time to begin with.

Just to be clear, I did not let me kids touch the machine after she told me they could not touch it. After all, there could be a valid rule, in an attempt to prevent kids passing on germs to the touch screen, or more likely getting something off the touch screen. But if any of these are the reasons, she should know the reason why and she had no clue.

This is not the first time that I have done this. I did the same in McLean for the last election and not only did I not have trouble, but the kids also got candy. I think that was why they wanted to come in the first place. Well for that and the sticker. And I bet the election official yelled at the helper for giving us three.

No matter, I voted and look forward to the results tonight.

Update: I voted at North Springfield Elementary School.

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Top 10 Congressional Candidates I want to see lose on Tuesday

2010-10-28T11:05:00.001-04:00

Here is a list of the top ten Congressional Candidates (House and Senate) I want to see lose on Tuesday.

1. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) - My current Congressman. My thoughts on him here. His opponent is Kieth Fimian and I will be voting for him.

2. Lisa Murkowski (write-in-AK) - She is a snake in the grass. When she failed to win her party's nomination, she decides to wage a write-in campaign, despite promising to honor the results of the primary. This I think is the lowest kind of politician. She agreed to participate in a party system and when she did not win, decides to go it alone. Then there is this crap she is pushing 'Frank Murkoskiwitcski's Little Princess To West Point Grad And Decorated Combat Vet: You Are Not Fit To Lead'. Her opponent is Joe Miller he is the only qualified person in this race to represent the people of Alaska. Ms. Murkowski wants the power for herself and her actions show no respect for the people of her state.

3. Charlie Crist (FL) - He is the same kind of snake as Murkowski. The two of them are not interested in serving the people at all. They are all out for a position of power. We do not need politicians like this. What we need are tools to do out bidding. After all, this is why we have them in the first place. His opponent is Marco Rubio. Mr. Rubio already beat Mr. Crist in the primary. Hopefully the second time is the charm, unless Mr. Crist is some sort of zombie that comes back from the dead.

4. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) - This is the Congressman who called for boycotting his own state for wanting to enforce Federal Immigration law. As a Congressman, it is his responsibility to ensure that the Federal Government does it's job. So 'Congressman' Grijalva has failed his state twice. First for not seeing that the Federal Government fulfills it's obligations and then for financially harming the citizens of the state he represents for calling for a boycott against those people who are merely calling for Federal Immigration laws to be enforced. He is the perfect example of what is wrong with our Government. As a bonus, we have the opportunity to replace this poor example of a politician with an actual rocket scientist. Her name is Ruth McClung and would be a great addition to Congress. Also, this is the district where thousands of bogus voter registrations has be discovered (See 'Raul Grijalva ally commiting voter fraud in Yuma County'). Their actions should be rewarded with defeat for the candidate they are trying to steal the election for.

5. Barney Frank (D-MA) - What's to say. He is a smug politician who is a huge contributor to the financial mess that this country is currently in. He is a cancer in the House of Representatives. (See Ace for more.) Sean Bielat is running to replace him and I think Massachusetts is lucky that they have an opportunity to rid themselves of Barney Frank with a good replacement.

6. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) - Again, another smug condescending politician.

Call Me Senator from RightChange on Vimeo.

Carly Fiorina is running against Barbara Boxer and polls give her a fair chance at actually removing Boxer from Congress. Mrs. Boxer has forgotten long ago that she is a servant of the people and needs to go. Remember, they do not tell us, we tell them.

7. Harry Reid (D-AZ) - As leader of the Senate, he was the enabler of Obama's ObamaCare and of the failed 'Stimulus' Bill. He is the one who traitorously declared the War Lost. Plus he irritates me. His opponent is Sharon Angle. She truly out-shined Harry Reid when they debated demonstrating that she is clearly the better choice.

8. Joe Sestak (D-PA) - Mr. Sestak has yet to answer outstanding questions regarding a possible illegal job offer from the Obama Administration to drop out of this race, when the seat was still held by Arlan Specter. His opponent is Pat Toomey.

9. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) - This tool is the guy who can't explain how to create jobs (video) and thinks that he has business experience because he has been suing businesses for years. You can't get much more disconnected from reality than that. His opponent is Linda McMahon.

10. Chris Coons (D-DE) - This is my longshot. I picked it because I hate driving through Delaware and I hate the fact that this guy at one time was so enamored with socialism that he wrote “Chris Coons: The Making of a Bearded Marxist.” His opponent is Christine O'Donnell. Despite being a longshot, it seems that she is just about to meet her goal of raising another $1.65 million after blowing past an initial goal of raising $1 Million. I love the tagline 'Help us raise $1 million to stop a trillion dollar tax increase'. If she wins, she would sit in the lame-duck session and would make it that much harder for Democrats to ram anything through at the last minute. That alone should be incentive enough for conservatives to come out and vote for her!

Close Runner-ups.:

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) - While I would like to see her lose her seat, I am content enough to see her relegated to a minority party. Then I think we will see her true colors and nasty attitude come out in full. There are now predictions that she will resign upon losing her senior position. That would be a nice side-benefit of this election.

Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Maxine Waters (D-CA) - While it would be nice to see both of these horrible Congress-critters lose their jobs, I realize that the part of the population they represent will vote for them no matter what wrongdoing they are caught doing. So hopefully when Republicans take control of the House the Tea Partiers in the group will push to have these two investigated and punished to the full extent for their ethics violations with appropriate criminal charges to follow. Unfortunately, their trials are scheduled for the lame-duck session.

There is now less than a week until the election. I am ready to vote. I am also ready to make sure that the new Congress dedicates itself to getting the country back on the path to recovery with a smaller leaner Government. Some people think that the feelings in the country represented so nicely by the 'Tea Party' will go away. I doubt it.

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Virginia's 11th Congressional District - Fimian over Connolly

2010-10-22T14:25:00.002-04:00

First, I am not a Tea Partier. That said, I wish that the Tea Party paid a little more attention to Virginia's 11th Congressional District race. I say this because I would like to actually be excited about who I am voting for more so than I am about voting out my current Congressman. Then again, there is lots to like about voting against the current guy.

For starters, given that I can't stand having Pelosi in charge of the House of Representatives, there is no way that I am going to vote for the Democrat, Connolly. Since I can't vote directly against Nancy Pelosi, I have to do it through her local proxy, which is Congressman Gerry Connolly. He voted for the 'Stimulus' Bill as well as for ObamaCare. So he needs to go.

This leaves the Republican challenger, Keith Fimian.

On the surface he sounds like a good choice. He is both against illegal immigration and for appealing ObamaCare. As it is, one of his promises is to introduce legislation to repeal it if he is elected:

The Pelosi-Connolly Healthcare Plan is Wrong for America

What is for certain is that government-run healthcare bill Democrats rammed through Congress will reduce the quality of care, increase costs, stifle innovation and create yet another unresponsive government bureaucracy that views Americans as statistics and not as individuals.

The plan is based on cutting $200 billion out of Medicare, raiding social security, and may threaten the healthcare benefits our nation’s veterans have earned.

The American people do not want this legislation. That is why Democrats used procedural maneuvers pass it. We can address each real problem with our system with stand alone legislation, not another massive bureaucracy and 2,300 page health care bill whose proponents have yet to even read it.

I will introduce legislation in Congress to repeal it. - Keith Fimian for Congress

The Washington Examiner also comes out with an endorsement for Fimian:

Incumbent Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly exemplifies the fading political fortunes of the freshman tax-and-spenders who rode President Obama’s coattails into Congress two years ago. The former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and president of the 2008 congressional class, Connolly loyally cast votes for the president’s $814 billion stimulus bill, bank bailouts, cap and trade and Obamacare. RealClearPolitics rates this year’s rematch of Connolly and businessman Keith Fimian as a “toss up.”

Connolly’s inflammatory campaign ads paint Fimian as an “extremist” and himself as a fiscal conservative. Both claims are false. Voters should disregard these distractions from Connolly’s record in Congress and send him back to Fairfax. Fimian, a William & Mary football captain and CPA who built a nationwide home inspection business, has a vision for reviving the national economy. This requires removing the paralyzing uncertainty now facing small business created by the same legislation Connolly voted for. One less career politician — and one more job creator — is what Congress needs and Fimian will be. - Washington Examiner

The NRA has come out for Fimian while at the same time slamming Connolly for what is basically a lack of respect for rights that were guaranteed to Americans in the Bill of Rights.

VOTE FREEDOM FIRST - VOTE KEITH FIMIAN FOR CONGRESS

Dear Virginia NRA Member: October 13,2010

The NRA-PVF (www.NRAPVF.org) has endorsed Keith Fimian for Congress. It is critical that you vote for Keith Fimian for Congress, and urge your family and friends to do the same. We need to bolster our ranks in Congress to keep this White House from pursuing an anti-gun agenda after the 2010 elections.

That's why it's more important than ever that we elect Keith Fimian to Congress to firewall around our Second Amendment rights. Keith Fimian is rated an "AQ" by the NRA-PVF for his pro-gun responses to our federal candidate questionnaire, and he is committed to opposing federal gun control and support pro-gun reforms.

By contrast, his opponent - Congressman Gerry Connolly - has earned an “F” rating for his extreme anti-gun positions, and for accepting campaign contributions from national gun ban groups like the Brady Campaign. Connolly was one of the few congressmen who signed the anti-gun “friend of the court” brief in the landmark McDonald case arguing that the Second Amendment is NOT a fundamental right guaranteed to all Americans and supporting the Chicago gun ban. Connolly also has cosponsored federal legislation to regulate gun shows - like the one held quarterly at the Dulles Expo Center - out of business. Connolly voted last year against allowing carry permit holders to carry and transport firearms for self-defense in national parks and wildlife refuges. Finally, Connolly refused to answer our federal candidate questionnaire this year - a clear indication of indifference, if not outright hostility, to the rights of gun owners and sportsmen.

The choice is clear! All gun owners and sportsmen in Virginia's eleventh congressional district should support Keith Fimian on Election Day. If you can volunteer to help, please contact his campaign at www.KeithFimian.com and703-621-7169. Also spread the word to your family, friends, and fellow gun owners. And on November 2, Vote Freedom First - Vote Keith Fimian for Congress!

Sincerely Chris W. Cox - NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION INSTITUTE FOR LEGISLATIVE ACTION

I think the choice is clear and easy. As far as my neighbors go, I am not aware of any of them who are not voting for him, other than the family with 'LIBERAL' license plates. And even then I am not sure because I have not talked with them.

UPDATE: OK, my blog is running anti-Fimian ads despite my attempts to filter them out. Whatever, go and see that the Democrats have against Fimian. It does not effect the reasons stated above. this election is more than about the candidates above, it is about which party controls Congress. If you want Pelosi to ram through more crap legislation, then pull the Democrat lever. If not, than you need to pull for the Republican candidate. Simple as that.

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Chamber of Commerce Money and ObamaCare Funded Abortions

2010-10-20T14:05:00.001-04:00

The Obama White House has been trying to hammer the Chamber of Commerce with false accusations that they are using foreign money to run election ads against Democrats.

“I challenge the Chamber of Commerce to tell us how much of the money they’re investing is from foreign sources,” Biden said Monday. “I challenge them. If I’m wrong, I will stand corrected."

White House adviser David Axelrod took heat from Bob Schieffer of CBS News Sunday when he did not provide any specific evidence of what was leading the White House to draw such conclusions about the Chamber's collection of funds overseas, saying only: "Do you have any evidence that it's not, Bob?" - Politico

Basically, the claim is that since the Chamber receives foreign money, that it's ad program is subsidized by these foreign funds. It is an interesting claim, but as the recent news comes out, if this is an accurate claim, then it is something that the Democrats are guilty of as well.

But this issue has bigger problems for Obama, because it strikes at the heart of the Democrats argument of including abortion funding in ObamaCare Legislation.

In the state-based exchanges that the law creates, people without employer-based coverage will be able to buy private insurance using a combination of their own money and federal subsidies that most will receive based on their income level. Drafters of the law attempted to assuage both sides of the abortion debate through a compromise that ended up pleasing neither.

Insurers are allowed to include abortion coverage in their exchange plans, but everyone who buys such a plan must make two separate premium payments: one covering the bulk of the policy and another, far smaller one, as little as $1 per month, for the plan's abortion coverage. Any federal subsidies can be applied only to the first payment.

Antiabortion groups complain that the arrangement amounts to little more than an accounting gimmick. Unless plans that accept federally subsidized customers are barred from covering abortion, they say, the government will effectively be using at least some tax dollars to fund abortions. - Washington Post

So once again the President and his Democrat allies are taking both sides of an argument, simply to meet their needs of the moment.

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"German Farm Girls Calendar 2011"

2010-10-15T23:10:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year! Now I am not too eager to start thinking about Christmas or New Years, but I will make an exception in this case.

German Farm Girls Calendar 2011

Milking a cow in lingerie? Handling a scythe in only a bra and panties? The 2011 edition of a calendar showing scantily clad German farm girls has just been released for fans of rustic erotica. - TheLocal.de

More photos of the calender here.

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Democrats Hate the Idea of Private Social Security Accounts - Because They Cannot Steal From Those Accounts...

2010-10-14T13:30:00.006-04:00

One issue that keeps coming up in US politics is the Democrat's claim that Republicans will wreck Social Security if they ever get back into power.

One way that they mention the Republicans will do this is by changing Social Security to permit workers to put at least part of their Social Security payroll deductions into private accounts that they can then influence how they are invested. One benefit of this change put forward is that the money put into those accounts is dedicated for the person who earned the money and gives the possibility of a better return on the savings than the Government might be able to provide. The Democrats in turn has falsely labeled this plan as just another way to steal money from workers and give it to Wall Street.

Democrats are wrong to claim that personal accounts would hand Social Security over to Wall Street because - unlike having Washington centrally manage investments, as Bill Clinton favored - individuals would make their own decisions along with their choice of financial advisers.

The idea would be to take control of retirement away from politicians in Washington and from politically connected Wall Street insiders and put it in the hands of workers themselves. The upside is that the accounts would be able to provide much higher returns than the current Social Security system even promises, let alone what it can actually pay. They can therefore be sold to the public as what they are - benefit increases. - Washington Times

The one real problem to the Government (and to Democrat's demand to ever increase spending) with moving to private accounts is that the Government would no longer be able to take Social Security money and use it for other purposes. And how much of the Social Security surplus has the Government taken? How about all of it. Over $2 Trillion.

Social Security taxes are paid into the Social Security Trust Fund maintained by the U.S. Treasury (technically, the "Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund", as established by 42 U.S.C. § 401(a)). Current year expenses are paid from current Social Security tax revenues. When revenues exceed expenditures, as they have in most years, the excess is invested in special series, non-marketable U.S. Government bonds, thus the Social Security Trust Fund indirectly finances the federal government's general purpose deficit spending. In 2007, the cumulative excess of Social Security taxes and interest received over benefits paid out stood at $2.2 trillion. - Wikipedia

So on the one hand, Social Security has a surplus of over $2 Trillion to meet it's needs. On the other hand, all of that money was traded for Government bonds. The bonds are a promise from the Government to repay Social Security.

The Government took the money and spent it. The Government now either needs to pay that money back to Social Security, and with running a deficit, would need to borrow that money to repay the bonds. That could be a serious problem given that the Government already needs to borrow to cover the current year's spending deficits. And that is a problem with the idea of selling the bonds held by Social Security. Doing so increases the amount that needs to be sold into the market, and the Government is already having trouble selling the bonds it needs to need to cover current-year deficit spending.

Of course they could just print more money. I am not sure exactly how that would work out.

So remember, no matter how the politicians try to claim that Social Security has no problem, keep in mind that these same politicians turned the Social Security Trust Fund of $2 Trillion and turned it into added Government debt.

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1994 BMW - 200,000 Miles

2010-09-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

My 1994 BMW 325i just hit another milestone this last Monday as it passed 200,000.

I took almost 3 years to drive 10,000 miles with it.

The question now is 'Now what?'

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Congressman Rangel emails all taxpayers soliciting for donations

2010-09-19T12:00:00.001-04:00

Upon hearing that DC House Member Eleanor Holmes Norton was out soliciting lobbyists with issues before her Congressional Committee, Congressman Charles Rangel realized that, he too was Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which among other things, oversees Taxation, Social Security and Medicare. With this in mind, he too decides to ask for cash from those whose livelihood his work in Congress has impacted; Every taxpayer in the US. Since there are too many to call, he decides to email everyone.

Here is a copy of one of his solicitation emails:

Dear Taxpayer/Social Security or Medicare Recipient,

This is Congresswoman Charlie Rangel. Uh, I noticed that you have given to uh, other colleagues in Congress.

I am a, um, Senior Member, a thirty nine year veteran and recent Chair of the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means. I’ve handled the writing of our tax laws which govern how much taxes people pay and how much (if any) benefits people receive.

I was, frankly, uh, surprised to see that we don’t have a record, so far as I can tell, of your having given to me despite my uh, long and deep uh, work. In fact, it’s been my major work, uh, on the committee and it’s been essentially having a direct impact on your quality of life.

I am, I’m simply candidly calling to ask for a contribution. As a recent senior member of the um, committee, we have (chuckles) obligations to raise, uh funds. And, I think it must have been me who hasn’t, frankly, uh, done my homework to ask for a contribution earlier. So I’m trying to make up for it by asking for one now, when we particularly, uh, need, uh contributions, particularly those of us who have the seniority and chairmanships and are in a position to raise the funds.

I’m asking you to give to Rangel for Congress. I’ll send you a follow-up note with appreciation for having heard me out. Thanks again. - Transcript found at Big Government

Clearly, he didn't send this email. But if Congresswoman Norton can solicit funds as she has been caught doing, then Congressman Rangel can solicit as I suggest above. This is merely an example of why this kind of donation solicitation is wrong. Her message sounded like a shakedown. Given that the recipient released the message to the press, he clearly thought so as well.

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Obama - Raising Taxes vs Tax Cuts: 'I've got a whole bunch of better ways to spend that money'

2010-09-10T08:25:00.001-04:00

To add to my post from yesterday 'Bush Tax Cuts Are not the Problem, Spending is...'

What I am saying is that if we are going to add to our deficit by $35 billion, $95 billion, $100 billion, $700 billion, if that's the Republican agenda, then I've got a whole bunch of better ways to spend that money - President Obama (Via The Hill)

Of course he does. Hell, if given the chance, President Obama and his Democrat buddies have no end of 'better ways to spend your money'. The trick is, they have no plans of spending it on the people that they are taking the money from. Worse, they have no plans on spending this money on you either.

At least the President's words give good insight into how the President thinks. Basically he sees letting people keep their own income as Government spending. It is backwards and wrong. This money is owns and somehow we collectively decided to lets the idiots in control of the Government spend it on our behalf.

As for the number that the President is commenting on there above, while being large, they pall in comparison to the actual deficit total. As for the $700 billion cost the President mentions, that is the cost to extend the tax cuts for the rich for the next ten years. In comparison, 'The total deficit for fiscal year 2009 was $1.42 trillion'.

Government spending is a reckless joke. Look at all the money that has been spent and basically wasted. Just how much more needs to be spent before we all feel good? Me, all I am thinking about is my income tax going up at the end of the year and eating away any raise that I might have coming. It get worse given the tax on dividends will go up. There is nothing that the Government can do for me to compensate for the additional tax money they are going to seize from me. And frankly, I am not interested in having that money being used to help other people, like in the recent billions spent as called for by the President to save teachers jobs in a number of states. That for me is a state issue. If those states are willing to lay off teachers, firefighters, whoever, then that is their decision. If they want to keep them, then the state needs to figure out how to pay their salaries. It is asinine to force me to pay for teachers in another state in addition to paying for those here.

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Bush Tax Cuts Are not the Problem, Spending is...

2010-09-09T13:05:00.001-04:00

Seems that President Obama has set his sights on letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the richest Americans at the end of the year. This move is purely designed to both punish the richest Americans as well as a political move for the next election to show his core voters (Other than those rich idiots who voted for him) that he is doing his best to 'stick it' to the group of American who already pay the most taxes. They claim that the rich need to pay more because otherwise the deficit will continue to grow.

The reason why I call BS on this is that reinstating the Bush Tax Cuts will do absolutely nothing to reduce the deficit. Take the following story found on the Huffington post noting that the cost to the Government to keep the Bush Tax cuts for the next ten years is between $2.5 and $2.9 Trillion. That is about $250 billion a year.

President Barack Obama favors making the cuts permanent for middle class families, those individuals making more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000.

The Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank, estimates it would cost $2.9 trillion over the next decade to extend all the tax cuts, while Obama's plan is estimated at $2.5 trillion over 10 years. - Huffington Post

Now take the following recent news noting that President Obama's Administration has managed to add over $2.5 trillion to the national debt in just 19 months in office.

(CNSNews.com) - In the first 19 months of the Obama administration, the federal debt held by the public increased by $2.5260 trillion, which is more than the cumulative total of the national debt held by the public that was amassed by all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan. - CNS News

Given the numbers above, any politician who claims that we have to end the Bush tax cuts for the sake of the national deficit should be run out of office. These idiots in power will just use the addition revenue as a reason to spend twice as much.

Take a look at this graph (from Wikipedia) noting the difference between what the Government is taking in and what it is spending.

The problem is not revenue collection. It is spending. The amount of additional revenue by expiring the tax cuts for the richest would not be enough to cover Medicare spending in the graph above. And as you can see, it is a mere sliver of the additonal revenue needed to close the gap.

And for all these people out there saying that it is OK for people earning more than you to pay more taxes, keep in mind that they already pay more.

Also, as noted in my post 'Obama's 2010 Budget Spends Almost $12,000 Per American!' the level of Government spending is not only unsustainable, it is truly an irresponsible amount of spending:

Now comes the President's 2010 budget that is also screaming that this is something the Country can't afford.
After taking office in January, Obama released a bare-bones version of his budget in February that offered a spending plan for 2010 carrying a price tag of $3.55 trillion. The White House revised up the size of the spending plan to $3.59 trillion. - Yahoo News
At $3.59 Trillion, the Government will be spending around $11,970 per American (Given 300 million Americans). That comes out to Government spending of $47,900 for a family of four.

This is an impossible spending figure for the country to sustain. Hell, it will take years, most likely decades of taxation just to pay this one year's deficit back. - Link

I can't believe that there is any excuse to continue spending like this. None.

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Labor Day Gadsden Flag - Photo

2010-09-08T08:25:00.007-04:00

The house I bought earlier this year came with a flagpole. It was a nice bonus and saved me the trouble of flying a flag from the house. Plus, the wife would not have been too eager for me to put up a flagpole.

But since I have one, I fly the flag every day. And for special occasions I throw up the Gadsden Flag as well.

Given that the wife is not American, I needed to educate her on 'the snake flag', which I did by giving her a copy of wikipedia's Gadsden Flag entry.

And no, I am not TEA Party, but I support many of their beliefs, including less government, less taxes, less spending, tackling illegal immigration and getting rid of that awful health care law. This of course means that the Democrats need to lose control of Congress. And by default this also means that there is no such thing as a good Democrat Congressman this election as a vote for any of them is a vote for keeping Pelosi and Reid in power. Given how crappy the Republicans have been I am not too happy about having to vote for them to get this change. I am however encouraged that it appears that I am not the only one pissed off and is finding new Republicans to replace many of the problem ones. I would like to see more of that.

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Japanese Dolphin Kill Documentary 'The Cove' to Air on the Animal Planet channel

2010-08-25T22:50:00.000-04:00

The Japanese Dolphin slaughter documentary will be shown on Animal Planet on Sunday night. So if you have not seen it yet, now is your chance:

Academy Award Winner, The Cove chronicles activist Ric O'Barry's fight to reveal the monstrous dolphin massacres that are taking place in various pockets of the world's waters, capturing the wrongdoings of the secretive dolphin industry in Taiji, Japan. - Animal Planet

Here is a trailer of the documentary. I have watched it and found it to be very interesting as well as very disturbing. The Japanese people should be very ashamed that this is going on in their country. As if killing whales under the ruse of 'research' wasn't enough already.

Trailer link.

Visit the documentary website here.

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There is no reason to build a mosque at or near Ground Zero

2010-08-16T08:35:00.000-04:00

Like many people, I have been following the Ground Zero Mosque. Of course, the President has to weigh in on the side of the mosque builders. Unfortunately, a real President would have sided on the signs of Americans in opposition to building this mosque where they want to.

Here are some issues I have with the Ground Zero Mosque.

As noted on the Ace of Spades Blog, they want to build this right against the Ground Zero site.

(Map Source: America's Independent Party National Committee)

Along with the location issue, just how many muslims live in lower Manhattan? There can't be all that many given that it is a business area. There does not appear to be many at all given this search in Google Maps, which shows only a few mosques and centers in all of Manhattan.

The lack of mosques in Manhattan in general is a perfect example of how this new mosque is not needed. After all, it is not like Manhattan was built yesterday and they had not yet gotten around to building the mosque. New York City is one of America's oldest cities and has been around for a couple hundred years. There is a reason why there are no large mosques in Manhattan.

This brings out another issue in that Islam has no real historical roots in Manhattan. There is no abundance of mosques up in Northern Manhattan where Harlem is, where you would think there would be, if anywhere. Islam was just not present. So why should some outsiders all of a sudden simply be allowed to shove a mosque in where it doesn't belong.

Mosque building is a funny thing. I have been to a number of muslim countries. In general, muslims build two things; mosques and bombs. Sure, you have places like Dubai, which has built a whole city out of the sand. But that was not based on any sort of rational decision-making. Cities grow because they are alive. Dubai was built with the idea that if you build it they will come. That seems to be the same idea with this mosque. Manhattan was built into a great city because the people came to it and it grew from that life.

Finally, as a larger issue, I do not think that Islam in general is a religion that is compatible with the spirit of the US. It is repeated over and over that the 9/11 terrorists are not symbolic of islam in general. In they they hijacked islam. My position is that this is representative of islam. Because if islam was hijacked, why is there no evidence of that. (See my post: Islam was not Hijacked)

So if the builders of the Obama-endorsed Ground Zero mosque want to exert their right to build a mosque on the edge of an islam-invoked terror-site. I look forward to others invoking their right to not help them in their task. There is already a call for construction workers to take a pledge not to help build the mosque. That is a great start. There are lots of others who can join in that pledge as well to thwart the construction, such as truck drivers, suppliers, equipment lessors, etc. New Yorkers and Americans in general can do anything they put their mind to. the Government for some reason has seen fit to endorse this project. It is now up to the people to stop it.

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U.S. Frees Puerto Rican Terrorist Leader Decades Early

2010-08-13T11:55:00.001-04:00

Furthering the Democrat problem of being soft on terrorism and the Obama mission of embracing our enemies, the Obama Administration has released a domestic terrorist for no reason whatsoever, other than to make friends with those who have waged war with the US and it's population:

An unrepentant terrorist who helped orchestrate more than 100 U.S. bombings as a member of a violent Puerto Rican extremist group has been quietly released from prison after serving less than half of his sentence.

Mum’s the word from Camp Obama but it’s likely that Attorney General Eric Holder was behind the abhorrent action. After all, Holder bypassed Justice Department procedures to push through Bill Clinton’s scandalous last-minute pardons and commutations, including those of 16 members of the same Puerto Rican terrorist group, known as Armed Forces of National Liberation or FALN for is Spanish acronym.

The recently freed FALN leader, Carlos Torres, served only 30 years of his 78-year sentence for his role in carrying out numerous attacks within the United States during the late 1970s and early ‘80s. The militant separatist group executed around 130 bombings of government and financial buildings in the nation’s capital, Chicago and New York, killing at least six people and injuring scores of others to protest the relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico. - Judicial Watch

Just what was the FALN:

The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (English: Armed Forces of National Liberation, FALN) was a Puerto Rican clandestine paramilitary organization that, through direct action, advocated complete independence for Puerto Rico. At the time of its dissolution, the FALN was responsible for more than 120 bomb attacks on United States targets between 1974 and 1983. The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classifies the FALN as a terrorist organization. - Wikipedia

This terrorist was a leader of a group that carried out attacks within the US that resulted in deaths and injuries. And Obama saw fit to set him free. Just another example of what people voted for. Before this Presidency is over, they will be calling for the release of the DC sniper, because in Obama's eyes, he is a victim too.

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Drill Sergeant as Therapist - Video

2010-08-12T21:50:00.001-04:00

I saw this cool Geico commercial once on TV. Not sure why they are not showing this more:

Does a former Drill Sergeant make a terrible therapist? You be the judge after watching R. Lee Ermey in one of the latest GEICO commercials - Link

I love it!

Now just image... Barack Obama as therapist...

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Finnish Women Need Foreign Men!

2010-08-10T08:00:00.001-04:00

Having lived in Finland for a couple years, the fact that there was an overabundance of woman in the Helsinki Capital City area was not exactly news to me.

Approximately 3,000 Finnish citizens marry foreigners each year. These unions increase immigration into this country, although of course in some cases the couples choose to live elsewhere.

Common-law marriages and marriages account for something like 60,000 foreign nationals having come to Finland - a figure well in excess of the refugee population, for instance.

In Helsinki, the numbers are already substantial: more than one in four marriages in the capital are between a Finn and a foreign partner. There is no great wonder in this, since Helsinki boasts thousands more women of marriagable age than it has eligible bachelors.

Many educated urban Finnish women actually go and seek out a spouse from Western Europe. For example, four out of five of the British citizens living in Finland are male. As a general rule, they are also well educated. - Helsingin Sanomat

When my wife read this her first comment was that of the available Finnish men, about 30% of them are un-date-able, making the shortage even greater. From my experience, there were Finnish women who only dated foreigners. This is why Helsinki is such a great place to work or go to school, if you are a foreign male. Oddly enough, the same is not true for foreign women. At least not according to my MBA classmates.

The story also goes into the problems that foreign men have in finding employment in Finland, despite being highly educated and trained. This problem I can relate to given how hard I tried to find work while living there, before giving up and moving back to the States. Traditionally, the excuse not to hire a foreigner has been the inability to understand the Finnish language. This excuse appears to be wearing thin as more and more foreigners actually learn the language. I still remember the shock of one interview when I responded to him, in Finnish, when he mentioned that I needed to speak Finnish for the job. Quickly Finnish was not to important any longer and Swedish (Finland's other official language) was what I needed to know. Basically, for many of the jobs, lack of Finnish language skills was being used as a simple excuse not to hire a foreigner.

Murat Yüzlü opens up his diary-cum-order-book on the table of a café in downtown Helsinki. It is full.

There is no shortage of work for a business consultant and interpreter, it seems. But as far as Yüzlü's specific field is concerned - managerial positions in the hotel and travel business - things are rather different: in fifteen years of living in Finland he has not managed to find work in his own branch.

Yüzlü, 41, speaks excellent Finnish. - Helsingin Sanomat

So, if you are looking for a Scandinavian woman and you have no idea how to get the Swedish Bikini Team member, you might want to broaden your search as Finland has women looking for you! What is the trade-off? Well first, they are not Swedish, although some are Swedish-speaking. And some people consider Finland not to be part of Scandinavia. That however only becomes a problem if any of your friends ever manage to get themselves a Swedish babe. And the chances of that happening are low.

And once you have found her, you are probably much better off bringing her back home. It really is difficult to find work in Finland and when you do, the salaries are almost always much lower, and the taxes much higher. It was a painful decision for me to move back but seeing how many of my friends continue to struggle, I know that it was the right decision for me. We often entertained the idea of moving back prior to purchasing a house earlier this year. But the plan was to buy our own business instead of trying to find a good-paying job.

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Same-Sex Marriage Invented in 1969!

2010-08-04T23:25:00.001-04:00

Every time there is a news story about judges backing gay marriage I end up working on this post. However, I never get enough energy (or interest) to bother posting it. However, today's ruling in California must have pushed me enough to publish it in response to all the BS in attacking real marriage. So here goes.

Don't take this post the wrong way. I am all for having some form of legal union for same-sex couples.

However, I am against turning our society upside-down by liberal attempts to change the definition of marriage into something that marriage has never been. And that is the point of this post.

The argument by the left to legalize gay marriage has been presented as some sort of historical injustice where (traditional) marriages have been given legal recognition and that gay marriages have not, as part of some sort of discrimination against gay couples.

The problem for me is that upon further investigation, the real history of gay marriage goes all the way back to...1969.

Basically, gay marriage is just another bad idea that came out of the sixties.

Take a look at Wikipedia's entry for gay marriage. Sure it refers all the way back to ancient times, but the whole story is all guessing. the one conclusion that you can get from reading the 'history' of gay marriage is that there was no gay marriage in the past. Really, here are a couple of examples. Take this concerning Greece:

In Hellenic Greece, the pederastic relationships between Greek men (erastes) and youths (eromenos) were similar to marriage in that the age of the youth was similar to the age at which women married (the mid-teens, though in some city states, as young as age seven), and the relationship could only be undertaken with the consent of the father. This consent, just as in the case of a daughter's marriage, was contingent on the suitor's social standing. The relationship consisted of very specific social and religious responsibilities and also had a sexual component. Unlike marriage, however, a pederastic relation was temporary and ended when the boy turned seventeen.

At the same time, many of these relationships might be more clearly understood as mentoring relationships between adult men and young boys rather than an analog of marriage. This is particularly true in the case of Sparta, where the relationship was intended to further a young boy's military training. While the relationship was generally life long and of profound emotional significance to the participants, it was not considered marriage by contemporary culture and the relationship continued even after participants entered into traditional marriage to women as was expected in the culture when men reached age 30.(citation needed - Wikipedia

Hmm, pretty thin as far as gay marriage goes. And take this history of same sex marriage in the US:

In the United States during the 19th century, there was recognition of the relationship of two women making a long-term commitment to each other and cohabitating, referred to at the time as a Boston marriage; however, the general public at the time likely assumed that sexual activities were not part of the relationship.

Rev. Troy Perry performed the first public gay wedding in the United States in 1969, but it was not legally recognized, and in 1970, Metropolitan Community Church filed the first-ever lawsuit seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriages. The lawsuit was not successful. In March 2005, two Unitarian Universalist ministers Kay Greenleaf and Dawn Sangrey were charged with multiple counts of solemnizing a marriage without a license in the State of New York. The charges were the first brought against clergy for performing same-sex unions in North America, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington, D.C.-based gay rights group.

The earliest use of the phrase "commitment ceremony" as an alternative term for "gay wedding" appears to be by Bill Woods who, in 1990, tried to organize a mass "commitment ceremony" for Hawaii's first gay pride parade. Similarly, Reverend Jimmy Creech of the First United Methodist Church performed his first "commitment ceremony" of a same-sex couple in 1990 in North Carolina. In January, 1987, Morningside Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends became the first Quaker Meeting to take a same-sex marriage under its care with the marriage of John Bohne and William McCann on May 30, 1987. Although several other Meetings held “Ceremonies of Commitment, Morningside was the first to refer to the relationship as a marriage and afford it equal status. - Wikipedia

So there you have. The strongest historical reference in the US of gay marriage is something that was not really a marriage at all, basically living as female roommates. And the first real US gay marriage was in 1969 and now the courts are fighting to declare it equal to marriages that have been going on for centuries. This boggles the mind.

Interestingly enough, fresh from Europe comes a ruling noting that there is no human right for gays to gay marriage. Given the lack of any true founding in society of gay marriage, it is not a surprise to see this kind of ruling. It is only a surprise given that you would think Europe would support this in all areas as part of their progressive agenda.

A panel of seven judges ruled unanimously Thursday that the couple was not covered by the guarantee of the right to marry in Europe's human rights convention.

The judges said there was "an emerging European consensus towards legal recognition of same-sex couples," but left it to individual states to decide what form that should take. - Yahoo News

And here is a neat explanation of how this new invention of Gay Marriage is getting shoved into our society:

Up until the early 1990s, when judges started acting as engines to install same-sex marriage, it did not seem to occur to most people that marriage meant anything other than the marriage of men and women. Judge Tauro’s affectation is to have us believe that it is quite as natural and legitimate now to assume that any couple of the same sex would be as plausible a candidate for marriage as the coupling, more familiar, of a man and a woman. One would hardly know, from Tauro’s opinion, that there are compelling arguments, grounded in nature and moral reasoning, that call into serious question the coherence of any arrangement that would call itself “marriage” while detaching itself from the union of a man and a woman. Tauro might have serious arguments to make against that case, but that argument has to be made. This late in the seasons of our experience, the overthrow of the traditional understanding of marriage is an act still sufficiently momentous that it deserves to have the reasons assembled to justify itself. Tauro simply begins by presupposing the legitimacy of same-sex marriage and the “irrational prejudice” of anyone who would deny it. As Bertrand Russell once said, presupposing has every advantage over demonstration that theft has over honest labor. - Bench Memos, National Review

Note again that this is all current (recent) history all trying to pervert centuries of common practice.

Also note that I am for some sort of civil arrangement to give gay couples benefits that they are looking for such as next of kin, etc. I would also say tax benefits as well but wonder exactly what benefits that might be given that the marriage penalty is coming back. One issue I do have though is that if we are going to start accepting the registration of alternate associations, where do we draw the line?

Finally, the position I have is that marriage is what it always was and it is assinine to attack it as part of appeasement to progressives. It is like arguing about how many cents are in a dollar. It is just plain stupid and those who do this are the very people that are helping to destroy this country.

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Obama Administration - Failure to Enforce Immigration Law - 'Foreign Policy'

2010-08-03T09:00:00.001-04:00

I have to say that I am not surprised to hear today that the drunk driver who killed a nun was an illegal alien. Sadly this is because when I first heard the name of the drunk driver I immediately wondered if he was an illegal alien simply because he had a Hispanic name. And not for anything, this is not the first time an illegal alien killed on the highways of the Capital region.

The man suspected of drunken driving and killing a Catholic nun in Prince William County this weekend is an illegal immigrant who was awaiting deportation and who federal immigration authorities had released pending further proceedings, police said Monday.

The man, Carlos Montano, a county resident, had been arrested by police twice before on drunk-driving charges, and on at least one of those occasions county police reported him to federal authorities.

"We have determined that he is in the country illegally. He has been arrested by Prince William County Police in the past," said Officer Jonathan Perok, a police spokesman, who said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified at the time of one of those arrests. - Washington Times

So here we have an illegal alien who had multiple contacts with the police, mainly through drunk driving, who for some reason the Federal Government decided that he was not enough of a criminal to warrant detention and deportation. You see, non-deportation by the Federal Government is actually part of some bizarre foreign policy. How do we know? Because the US Government's complaint to stop Arizona's illegal alien law states so:

And it will interfere with vital foreign policy and national security interests by disrupting the United States’ relationship with Mexico and other countries. - Arizona Complaint

And they further state in their complaint that the Government:

may even decide not to pursue removal of the alien if deferred federal enforcement will help pursue some other goal of the immigration system. See 8 U.S.C. § 1229c. - Arizona Complaint

It would be logical to assume that the Government would naturally want to remove from the country an illegal alien with a drunk driving arrest, and especially one with multiple drunk driving arrests. Again, the Government's complaint notes that the Government is busy trying to target illegal alien criminals, and even used this reason in their fight to stop Arizona's law, because of some fear that they will not be able to target these criminals if forced to deal with ordinary illegal aliens:

In exercising its significant enforcement discretion, the federal government prioritizes for arrest, detention, prosecution, and removal those aliens who pose a danger to national security or a risk to public safety. Consistent with these enforcement priorities, the federal government principally targets aliens engaged in or suspected of terrorism or espionage; aliens convicted of crimes, with a particular emphasis on violent criminals, felons, and repeat offenders; certain gang members; aliens subject to outstanding criminal warrants; and fugitive aliens, especially those with criminal records. - Arizona Complaint

This makes me wonder, just what kind of illegal alien criminals is the Government targeting to reduce the threat to 'public safety'? I would think that deporting drunk driving illegal aliens a given. Apparently not so. Also makes you wonder about their comment just what an illegal alien gang member have to do before he becomes targeted by ICE?

Not for anything, why is the Government spending all this money to hunt down criminal aliens while at the same time letting other criminal aliens out of jail? Perhaps the Government should be reminded of the simple proverb 'a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' which Wiktionary so nicely explains:

It is preferable to have a small but certain advantage than a mere potential of a greater one. - Wiktionary

And as a bonus, the Government would not have to spend money to hunt these people down given that they are already in custody. It just boggles the mind that police are letting free illegal aliens criminals instead of simply deporting them.

And since this latest crime drove me to post on this let me comment about the following recent illegal alien death.

EL PASO, Texas - A 15-year-old Mexican boy shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent was among El Paso's most wanted juvenile immigrant smugglers, according to federal arrest records reviewed by the Associated Press.

The records show Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereka had been arrested at least four times since 2008 and twice in the same week in February 2009 on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. Hernandez was repeatedly arrested along the U.S. side of the border near downtown El Paso, not far from where he was killed, but was never charged with a crime by federal prosecutors. - AZ Central (Click to read the whole story)

This story is troublesome because the Government knew that this teenager was smuggling illegal aliens across the boarder and still they did not throw him in jail. Oddly enough, he would probably be alive today if the Government prosecuted these criminals. Instead, they taught him that there was no real fear of being caught because nothing would happen to him. Unfortunately for him, this assumption contributed to his death.

And just to be clear, this was not any human smuggler. As the story notes, he was 'was among El Paso's most wanted juvenile immigrant smugglers'. and still, the government let him go. This is beyond irresponsible. It is criminal behavior on behalf of the Government.

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Battlestar Gallactica Spinoff to Cover 'Young William "Husker" Adama in the first Cylon War'

2010-07-29T09:35:00.000-04:00

At the end of the 'Re-imagined' Battlestar Gallactica series, many wondered what possible spinoffs might come from this series to carry on the story. One spinoff is Caprica. However, I was hoping that another spinoff would go back to the first Cylon war and carry on the story that was introduced in a couple of webisodes during the series. This seems to be coming to life in the near future:

An online series called "Blood & Chrome" is in the works, one that would follow the experiences of a young William "Husker" Adama in the first Cylon War. - Chicago Tribune

And note that this is coming online and not straight to TV:

"Blood & Chrome" would consist of nine or 10 episodes of nine or 10 minutes each, and it would make use of cutting-edge digital technology and special effects to depict the Cylon War. If it is greenlit to production, it will be filmed using green screens and virtual sets, not unlike Syfy's "Sanctuary" or James Cameron's "Avatar." - Chicago Tribune (Go click to read the whole story)

I look forward to this coming out. I guess this is a test to see if they can make a full series out of it.

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It is Financially Irresponsible To Buy A $41,000 Chevy Volt!

2010-07-28T09:45:00.002-04:00

So word comes out that Chevy's new 'Green' car, the Chevy Volt is going to sell for the insane amount of $41,000. Are they crazy?

The long-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' electric car, will cost $41,000, the company announced Tuesday, leaving consumers to decide whether its environmental appeal is worth a price far above that of similarly sized conventional autos.

Electric-car technology has been around for years, but the high cost to make the vehicles has prevented automakers from producing them for the mass market. The price announcements for the Volt and its electric rival, the Nissan Leaf, have been highly anticipated as a result. Nissan, the only other major manufacturer expected to bring such a vehicle to market this year, said the Leaf will cost $32,780.

GM and Nissan are relying on a $7,500 federal tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles to offset some of the added cost, and they're hoping that the allure of their novel power source will make up the rest. - Washington Post

First, forget the tax credit because you need to pay for the whole car, and I suspect that many people once they get the credit, will use it to either pay other bills, such as higher interest rate credit card, or simply blow the money on some other personal 'reward.'

A look at a car loan calculator gives an $800 monthly payment for a 5 year loan. This is on top of insurance and other costs. For most all Americans, this is an unreasonable monthly expense for a car to the point of being irresponsible.

Given the amount of debt that many Americans are carrying, this car does not make sense given the investment required. Hell, I wonder when it would make sense given that there are many nice alternatives as half the price. And since many families are 2+ car families, this choice is a great way to load up on crushing debt.

And people wonder why GM was in financial trouble. This car is a good example why. buying this car will just give you a share of GM's troubles.

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Obama Grants PLO Officials in US Diplomatic Immunity

2010-07-27T22:45:00.001-04:00

I guess this falls in the catagory of 'Smart Power'.

After a year and half in office, Obama recognized that his previous view of the Middle East was wrong. And as a pragmatist, he has embarked on a new course.

Yet before the ink on their proclamations had a chance to dry, Obama demonstrated that their enthusiasm was misplaced. Late last week the administration decided – apropos of nothing – to upgrade the diplomatic status of the PLO mission in Washington.

From now on, the PLO will be allowed to fly its flag like a regular embassy.

Its representatives will enjoy diplomatic immunity just like diplomats from states.

Indeed the PLO delegate in Washington Maen Areikat claimed that the administration’s move equates the PLO’s diplomatic status in the US to that of Canada and states in Western Europe. - JPost

And just what did they do to earn this? While he is at it, why not just extend the same courtesy to the Iranians? Or how about the Taiwanese?

TO PUT this move in perspective, it is worth comparing the PLO’s new status to that of the US’s firm ally and fellow democracy – Taiwan, the Republic of China. Whereas the PLO now has a “delegation general” in Washington, Taiwan has the “Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.” - JPost

Maybe if this Administration can find the time, perhaps they might consider strengthening our relationships with our friends for a change...

Update: 28 July

And what about Tibet? How about extending them the same courtesy...

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Murtha's Death Side Effect - Congressional Charges Against Rangel?

2010-07-25T16:30:00.002-04:00

About a year ago I had heard an interesting theory as to why Congressman Charlie Rangel was not likely to face an ethics investigation in the US Congress for his ever-growing list of questionable, possible un-ethical (and possibly illegal) activity. This came from a lobbyist and former Capital Hill staffer.

As it was, the Congressional Black Caucus was already pissed over Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi doing nothing to protect Former Congressman William Jefferson, who had hid $90,000 in bribe money in his freezer.

Going after Congressman Rangel, would result in a second member of the Congressional Black Caucus turning out to be crooks. The problem for Mrs. Pelosi is that the Congressional Black Caucus might have a problem with Congressman Rangel being investigated while other White Congressmen continue to be protected by the speaker. The most obvious example was her friend Congressman Murtha who had, among other questionable activity, connections to Lobbyist firm PMA which is currently being investigated by the FBI. But he never faced an Ethics investigation by Congress.

So it is funny to see that soon after Murtha's death, Congress finally decides to move forward with charges against Congressman Rangel. As they say, 'I question the timing'. After all, they waited years before deciding to charge him...

P.S.

I was also told that many members of the Congressional Black Caucus has been behaving unethically, violating rules if not outright breaking the law, especially in terms of receiving 'gifts'. as part of being the party in power. I guess time will tell.

Update: 26 July 2010

The Wall Street Journal gives a summary of what Congressman Rangel has been up to:

Allegations include Mr. Rangel's failure to report assets and income totaling at least a half-million dollars that, when he "amended" his reporting last year, doubled his net worth; his use of four rent-stabilized apartments in New York's tony Lenox Terrace complex, including one that he used as a campaign office; concealing taxable rental income from his Dominican Republic beachfront villa at the Punta Cana Yacht Club; and using his official Congressional letterhead to solicit donations for the Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at the City College of New York. - WSJ

Also, don't forget that he illegally parked a car for years in the House of Representative's garage as well as claimed that he was a DC resident in order to take advantage of a tax break:

City officials said Rangel, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, got the tax break from at least 1995 until 2000, amounting to $288 per year, said Natalie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Office of Tax and Revenue. Officials yesterday continued researching whether the break covered a longer period.

The exemption is designed as a break for people who buy a home in the District and use it as a primary residence. But Rangel always has maintained his primary residence in New York, making him ineligible. - Washington Post

Who knows what else he has been up to...

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Predictions Concerning Shirley Sherrod, USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development

2010-07-19T20:15:00.004-04:00

By now you have probably seen the video of Shirley Sherrod, the USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development explaining at a NAACP function how she discriminated against a white farmer.

We are in possession of a video from in which Shirley Sherrod, USDA Georgia Director of Rural Development, speaks at the NAACP Freedom Fund dinner in Georgia. In her meandering speech to what appears to be an all-black audience, this federally appointed executive bureaucrat lays out in stark detail, that her federal duties are managed through the prism of race and class distinctions.

In the first video, Sherrod describes how she racially discriminates against a white farmer. She describes how she is torn over how much she will choose to help him. And, she admits that she doesn’t do everything she can for him, because he is white. Eventually, her basic humanity informs that this white man is poor and needs help. But she decides that he should get help from “one of his own kind”. She refers him to a white lawyer.

Sherrod’s racist tale is received by the NAACP audience with nodding approval and murmurs of recognition and agreement. Hardly the behavior of the group now holding itself up as the supreme judge of another groups’ racial tolerance. - Big Government

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Link to video

I have a couple thoughts after watching this video:

Her actions in the case of deciding how much to help a farmer based on her color is the very definition of racism.
Given that it was not her money, it would have cost her nothing to help this white farmer at no cost to helping other farmers including those that are black. Her actions are simply spiteful and racist.
Prediction: Before this is over, I bet we will discover that she also failed to do 'her best' to help black farmers as well, instead doing 'enough'. The reason in those cases will be that she is simply lazy.
Prediction: Her defense (if she is ever held to account for her actions) will be that she acted no better in helping black farmers.
She should be fired.
The NAACP will defend her remarks.
The white farmer should sue.

Unfortunately, you can bet that she is not the only person in the Government who discriminates.

Update: 21 July 2010
Well, seems that the video above is only part of the story.

We wanted it and now we’ve got it. Forty-three minutes and 15 seconds. I haven’t had time to watch all of it — the full clip will be crowdsourced in the comments, I’m sure — but skip ahead to 16:30 for the segment about the white farmer and stick with it until at least 24:00 or so. She actually introduces the story by saying how she started working in order to help black people but then, through divine providence, came to realize that she was meant to work for poor people generally. The key moment comes just after the 21:00 mark when she talks about how helping the Spooners “made me see that it’s really about those who have versus those who don’t. You know, and they can be black, they can be white, they can be Hispanic.” And the crowd murmurs its assent. From there she segues into a historical narrative about racism being an artificial construct manufactured by wealthy interests to keep lower-class blacks and whites divided when in fact they should be working together. Exit question: How long before Vilsack gives her her job back? - HotAir

My post above was written given the information available at the time. Hell, even the NAACP condemned what was presented on that tape. In light of the now more complete story, my comments above are no longer valid. She does make a good point in that there is a need to fight poverty. That is the issue. The problem, as covered here in the past, is how the Government goes about tackling the issue. There is welfare, rent control and various government programs that both prevent families from moving to where the jobs are and killing their motivation to find a paying job.

I am not one for deleting posts when they are no longer correct. I will note that in this case I removed the word racist from the title. Also, clearly my predictions turned out wrong.

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US Supremacy Clause Claim Against Arizonia, But Not Against California?

2010-07-07T10:45:00.002-04:00

So the Federal Government is going after Arizona claiming that it has not right to pass a law targeting illegal aliens because that is the right of the Government.

INTRODUCTION
1. In this action, the United States seeks to declare invalid and preliminarily and permanently enjoin the enforcement of S.B. 1070, as amended and enacted by the State of Arizona, because S.B. 1070 is preempted by federal law and therefore violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. - Legal Filing

and:

Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws. The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country. - Legal Filing

This is a nice argument that the Government is taking. It does make me wonder though:

Why is the Government not taking the same position against 'Sanctuary Cities'?
Why is the Government not taking the same position against laws legalizing medical marijuana?

In both cases above, jurisdictions are violating the Supremacy Clause as the Government argues in this case.

However, there is one very distinct difference between the Arizona Law the Government is challenging and the laws that they are not challenging. In the case of Arizona, their law is supportive of Federal law, making Federal immigration crime also a State Crime. The laws supporting a city's status as a Sanctuary City and decriminalizing marijuana go directly against Federal Law.

I look forward to seeing Arizona fight this lawsuit and hope they include the hypocrisy of the Government in how they ignore violations of the Supremacy clause.

The Legal filing is an interesting read. I will post more of my comments on that later.

UPDATE: 7 July

The Governor of Arizona has now commented on the lawsuit and makes the point I made above:

"Today's filing," Brewer said in a formal statement, "is nothing more than a massive waste of taxpayer funds. These funds could be better used against the violent Mexican cartels than the people of Arizona."

...(and)

Brewer's statement added:
The irony is that President Obama’s Administration has chosen to sue Arizona for helping to enforce federal immigration law and not sue local governments that have adopted a patchwork of ‘sanctuary’ policies that directly violate federal law. These patchwork local ‘sanctuary’ policies instruct the police not to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

- NY Times

As for an example of Obama deferring to State Laws that are in violation of Federal Laws, there is also this from the NY Times:

In the Bush administration, federal agents raided medical marijuana distributors that violated federal statutes even if the dispensaries appeared to be complying with state laws. The raids produced a flood of complaints, particularly in California, which in 1996 became the first state to legalize marijuana sales to people with doctors’ prescriptions.

Graham Boyd, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union drug law project, said Mr. Holder’s remarks created a reasonable balance between conflicting state and federal laws and “seem to finally end the policy war over medical marijuana.” He said officials in California and the 12 other states that have authorized the use of medical marijuana had hesitated to adopt regulations to carry out their laws because of uncertainty created by the Bush administration. - NY Times

Lets see how the Government explains this away. Surely with more BS.

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Sea Shepherd's Pete Bethune Escapes Prison Sentence in Japan

2010-07-07T07:45:00.001-04:00

Thinking about it, I have to say that while I was expecting Japan to give Pete Bethune jail time, I am not surprised that they are letting him go.

TOKYO — A Japanese court on Wednesday convicted an anti-whaling activist from New Zealand of assault and obstructing Japan’s whaling fleet in the Antarctic. But his sentence was suspended, meaning he will not be jailed.

Peter Bethune, a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, boarded a Japanese whaling ship from a Jet Ski in the southern Antarctic in February, and threw bottles of butyric acid at the whalers. One bottle cracked open and three crew members suffered minor burns, prosecutors charged.

The Tokyo District Court also found Mr. Bethune, 45, guilty of trespassing, vandalism and possession of a knife. The presiding judge, Takashi Tawada, sentenced Mr. Bethune to two years in prison, with the sentence suspended for five years.

Mr. Bethune pleaded guilty to all charges except assault at the start of his trial in May. Under a suspended sentence, those convicted do not have to serve the prison term unless they are charged with further criminal offences. - NY Times

I figured that they would have made an example to him, if for no other reason than to put a real fear into other Sea Shepherd activists of facing the same fate if they are foolish enough to also board a Japanese whaling vessel. Still, I would like to think that spending a month confined on a Japanese whaling ship and then being a 'guest' in a Japanese jail is disincentive enough.

Personally, I think the Japanese need to hit back harder. Sinking the ADY GIL was a step in the right direction. There is lots more they can do like disabling the small boats and helicopter while on the deck. Hell, where are their potato cannons? Also, if I were them, I would target the camera crews. Simply because they are a tool for the Sea Shepherds and taking out their camera equipment has a real cost. (Note, I am against all Japanese whaling.)

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No Citizenship For Illegal Aliens, Ever...

2010-07-01T14:25:00.001-04:00

Rewarding illegal aliens with Citizenship, no matter how long and difficult a path you create for them is sending the wrong message about breaking the law. To offer illegal aliens the possibility of Citizenship also tells the rest of the world to come here ASAP to get in line for the next amnesty.

Also, offering citizenship to those who broke the law simply cheapens it's value. Frankly, illegal aliens do not deserve it. For if they do, you might as well offer citizenship to every person on the planet. At least the rest of them have not broken our immigration laws.

Also, the issue of legalization of illegal aliens can be solved by giving them legal residence. This would give them the right to stay and work. Why on earth would we give them the right to shape our country's Government and laws. Again, they did not earn it. And for the Democrats to promise it to them makes them agents of foreign Governments like Mexico. This is in addition to trading citizenship for the votes of these new citizens.

The President has declared that he is not holding border security hostage in return for an amnesty for illegal aliens. How about he actually do something about it. Yes, he talked about immigration today. Too bad he ignored illegal immigration. Whatever, the Government is full of BS when it comes to dealing with this problem, starting with this President.

For more detailed posts on this subject, click on the label below.

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Sea Shepherd's Paul Watson Wanted by INTERPOL

2010-06-25T08:20:00.002-04:00

Personally, I am surprised that it has taken this long for the Japanese to start seriously fighting back:

TOKYO -- The leader of a U.S.-based anti-whaling organization is now on an international wanted list for allegedly masterminding the group's disruption of Japanese whale hunts in the Antarctic Ocean, Japan's coast guard said Friday.

The move - done at Japan's request - signals Tokyo's escalating anger against the Sea Shepherd group, which it accuses of putting whalers' lives at risk during the annual Antarctic hunt.

The Canadian founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul Watson, 59, has been on the Interpol list since Wednesday, Coast Guard spokesman Shinichiro Tanaka said. He said Watson's whereabouts is unknown. - Washington Post

I am pretty curious to see what the Japanese would do to him if they manage to get their hands on him.

As for Sea Shepherd, I am wondering if their luck is starting to run out. With them now attacking tuna fishermen in the Med, I would think that lawsuits will start to pile up and eventually some country is going to arrest their vessel the STEVE IRWIN as part of a lawsuit.

No. I do not think the Japanese should be whaling. Also, I always thought that the tuna cause was a more fitting task for Sea Shepherd, it being an area where they had more potential to make an impact. No comment yet concerning what they ended up doing 'for the tuna'.

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The Jones Act and the Oil Spill

2010-06-23T11:20:00.002-04:00

I am going to start with a disclaimer in that I am no Jones Act expert. That said…

Many of you have noticed that in the news coverage of the DEEPWATER HORIZON disaster are references to the Jones Act and allegations that Jones Act restrictions are hampering cleanup efforts. With this in mind, here is a simple summary of the points.

Jones Act Restrictions

The Jones Act was born as part of The Merchant Marine Act of 1920. From Wikipedia:

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (P.L. 66-261) is a United States Federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports.

Section 27, also known as the Jones Act, deals with cabotage (i.e., coastal shipping) and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry, but agricultural interests generally oppose it because, they contend, it raises the cost of shipping their goods, making them less competitive with foreign sources. – Wikipedia

In short, US Maritime shipping has the following requirements:

US Owned
US Flagged
US Built
Crewed by Americans

So, unless your vessel meets all of the above requirements, you are not able to ship cargo between US Ports. Looking to ship US-made BMWs from Charleston to New York by sea, then you need to ship on a Jones Act complaint vessel. And given that building a ship in the US is extremely expensive, your choices are limited.

The Effect
The Jones Act effects different parts of the US in different ways. I believe that those most effected are Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and other remote US possessions like Guam. These places are almost entirely dependent on shipping.

One group that has traditionally had issues with the Jones Act has been farmers and politicians from farming states. This is because farmers are required to use US-Flag shipping to move their cargo. They claim that US-Flag ships are too expensive and make their goods uncompetitive when it comes to the export market. Then again, the farmers are forced to use US ships because they are receiving aid from the Government in the first place. So while they complain, don’t feel like you have to shed any tears for them.

Now the Jones Act is not all prohibitive. Ships of any flag can go from one US port to another and load and discharge cargo. They just cannot discharge cargo that they loaded in another US Port. For example a foreign-built, US-Flag containership coming from Bremerhaven can load and Discharge loaded containers in New york and then proceed to Baltimore and do the same thing, provided that containers just loaded in New York are not discharged. Since moving cargo by sea is very efficient, the Government has been thinking about encouraging more of this ‘Short Sea Shipping’. Also, US Regulations permit the movement of empty containers from one US-port to another on non Jones Act vessels. Think of containers as equipment, not cargo.

The ownership requirement is a little odd. My first ship was the car carrier NOSAC RANGER; NOSAC standing for Norwegian Specialized Auto Carriers. While the owners on paper were in New Jersey, the ‘real’ owners were in Norway. Then you have MAERSK Lines of New Jersey (Denmark), Lykes Lines (Now CP ships, Canada), American President Lines (Singapore) as a couple more examples.

The one qualification that cannot be changed on a ship is the US-build requirement. If a ship was not built in a US-yard, it will most likely never operate in a Jones Act route. That said, it is always possible that part of the requirements be waived to meet shipping needs in cases where a ship that meets the requirements is not available. One big example of this is the Hawaiian Islands cruise trade. Be willing to build a US-Flag cruise ship and the Government might be willing to let you start trading using a foreign built ship. (In actual practice such deals have not worked out very well.) President Bush temporarily waived the Jones Act for a couple of weeks in the wake of Katrina.

As for the crewing requirement, just think of these jobs as being no different than train, bus and truck jobs between the same cities. It makes sense to justify reserving work moving cargo from one US port to another. Letting foreign ships and crews move cargo within the US would be like letting foreign airlines and truckers move cargo within the US. (Do not confuse this comment with the movement of NAFTA cargo from Canada and Mexico)

As it so happens, the DEEPWATER HORIZON, despite drilling off of the US Coast, was not US-Flagged. It was foreign flagged. It was US crewed and the actual drilling operations, the cause of the current crisis, were under US Government regulations and inspections, not the Flag State. Having this rig US Flag would not have effected the outcome as the US was already responsible for overseeing that drilling regulations were being followed.

The Spill
There is no doubt that this spill is massive. It is an ‘all-hands’ event. Allegations have been made that the spill cleanup has been hampered because vessels have been excluded from participating in the cleanup because they are not qualified for this work due to the Jones Act.

From what I can tell, there are two issues here. One being whether the Jones Act applies to cleanup vessels and the other being whether or not there is a shortage of vessels qualified to operate under the Jones Act.

So, does the Jones Act apply?
It certainly does. These vessels are going to have to operate in waters that are under US control. They will call US ports, go to sea and return to the US without making a foreign voyage/ calling a foreign port. I would call that domestic activity. (And do comment if you think my logic here is wrong)

Given the size of this spill, I suspect that there will be room for foreign vessels to operate in the Gulf from Mexico and from the Caribbean as part of the cleanup effort. However the impact these vessels will have on US beaches will be minimal given that they will not be able to operate close to US shores. Not that that matters though, right. They should be trying to pick up as much oil as possible no matter where it is.

So, is there a shortage of Jones Act qualified response vessels?
As mentioned earlier, it is very expensive to build a US-Flag ship. However, there are lots of smaller vessels like tugs, fishing and offshore supply vessels that can participate in the cleanup. Add to that the President’s knee-jerk reaction in killing much of the drilling in the Gulf and you now have many offshore support vessels not doing anything else who can also participate in the cleanup.

Let’s say that there is a shortage. All it takes is for the Government to lift the Jones Act for the purpose of assisting in the cleanup. Might there be some highly efficient and specialized foreign ships that would be useful in this cleanup. Sure. Do I think that the Government should assist our International friends in letting them offer up a ship or two (or ten) to the cleanup effort? Yes. I doubt that they would take any jobs away from Americans. After all, this spill is so large that there should be hundreds of vessels fighting it. (I have no idea how many are actually employed in the cleanup)

Just this morning I read this story from The Maritime Executive which denies that the Jones Act is negatively impacting the cleanup.

Some have criticized the Jones Act, which requires the use of American vessels for transportation in domestic commerce, for hindering the Gulf clean-up. Not true, said the NIC and the Coast Guard.

“In no case has the Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC) or Unified Area Command declined to request assistance or accept offers of assistance of foreign vessels that meet an operational need because the Jones Act was implicated,” said a June 17 NIC Fact Sheet [Note: See the pdf fact sheet here which notes that there are already 18 foreign vessels involved in the cleanup].

The NIC Fact Sheet noted that foreign vessels from many nations are already working in the Gulf. The Jones Act only applies within three miles of shore. [Note: they might want to clarify that comment] Therefore, foreign skimmers, along with American skimmers, are already at work beyond three miles. The Deepwater Horizon spill is occurring 50 miles from shore, and the vast majority of oil is beyond 3 miles. – The Maritime Executive (Click to read the entire article)

So there you have it. I am not so sure about that comment about the Jones act only applying within 3 miles of shore. While this article was meant to be a simple summary, I think that can be called an over simplification.

Feel free to comment, criticize and clarify in the comments section.

One final note. the DEEPWATER HORIZON Response site is located here.

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Second TWA Flight 847 Hijacker Smoked

2010-06-21T08:30:00.006-04:00

News came over the weekend (via The Jawa Report) that a US missile strike took out TWA hijacker Mohammed Ali Hamadi. The US has had a $5 million reward for his capture:

June 13, 1985: Terrorists hijack TWA Flight 847, killing Navy Diver Robert Stethem and dumping his body onto the tarmac.
To bring these murderers to justice, the United States Government is offering a reward of up to $5 million. The money is available under a program to obtain information that helps punish those responsible for past international terrorist acts against U.S. persons or property and prevent future such acts. - RFJ
This is the terrorist that (our 'friends') the Germans had caught and refused to hand over to the US. Instead, when they decided to release him, they sent him back to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with the US.
Current and former American officials said they had pushed for two decades to gain custody of Hammadi and try him in a U.S. courtroom, but they ran into political and legal resistance from Germany. U.S. prosecutors originally sought Hammadi's extradition after he was arrested at the Frankfurt airport in 1987, but Germany denied the request and put him on trial locally instead.

Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official in the Reagan administration who oversaw efforts to extradite Hammadi in 1987, said German authorities threw obstacles in the way of U.S. prosecutors at that time and only reluctantly cooperated.

"They were not open at all," she recalled. "We knew he would be released early, way back then." - Washington Post
(Link to previous post)

Mohammed Ali Hamadi was one of four terrorists who hijacketed TWA flight 847. He is now the second of the group to have his life end in a violent explosion, the first being Imad Mugniyah who died in 2008. This leaves the following two TWA hijackers on the run:

First, there is TWA Flight 847 hijacker Hassan Izz-Al-Din.

Finally, there is TWA Flight 847 hijacker Ali Atwa.
He is currently wanted by the United States government for involvement in the June 14, 1985, skyjacking of TWA Flight 847. (He allegedly intended to help hijack the plane but was bumped from the flight. He was arrested but was then released by the Greek government as part of the deal to release the hostages. [Note: To get some Greek hostages released] He then re-joined the hijackers in Algiers onboard the hijacked airplane).This hijacking resulted in the death of United States Navy diver Robert Stethem. - Wikipedia

The planet will be much better off without these terrorists occupying it.

Two TWA Terrorists down, two to go. I have been following this issue since the beginning of 2006 (See 'TWA 847 Hijacking' tag). It is nice to see that progress is being made in removing this scum from the earth.

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