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Laies and Gentlemen...Start Your Engines
The League 2 Tough 2 Tame is back in action. Sign up now so you won't have to start handicapped!Count Me As One
Devil Ball wishes they were there, and so do I! The FBR Open is this week, which means the Tour boys are at TPC Scottsdale, and the famous 20,000 seat 16th hole stadium that rivals the 17th at Sawgrass in fame. It's Amen Corner meets Soccer Hooligans. And it's so much fun to watch!
TPC Scottsdale; One of the places I want to a) play golf at, and b) watch a tournament...From the 16th.
TPC Scottsdale; One of the places I want to a) play golf at, and b) watch a tournament...From the 16th.
KRISIS!!!
There's an old saying, I think I learned it in the Navy, that goes like this: "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles scream and shout." This very much resembles the behavior of politicians in Washington these days.
There are some metrics in this that are pretty scary. Take a look at the following chart:
The "adjusted monetary base" is "the total amount of a currency that is either circulated in the hands of the public or in the commercial bank deposits held in the central bank's reserves. This measure of the money supply typically only includes the most liquid currencies." Now according to this chart, from before the Great Depression, to about 1972, the AMB stayed in a range of $1-30 Billion Dollars. In 1971, Nixon took the U.S. Dollar off the gold standard...you know, "In God We Trust," and from that point till September 2008, it grew from about $30 billion up to about $850 billion in September, 2008. Some quick math here...hang on, my shoes are still on...about $22 billion per year on average. Now...from September, 2008 till today, it has grown from just under $900 Billion to about $1750 Billion...hmm, that's $850 BILLION in less than six months. Well, surely something that dramatic must have had a profound impact on financial futures in our country right? Let's see...the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 11,020. Today it closed at 8,001. Well that's good isn't it?? Lower is better?
Umm, no. So while our money supply has increased almost 95%, the Dow has lost 27%. Bear in mind that the Dow is a forward thinking index...while it reacts to day-to-day news, in the aggregate it reflects the sentiment of investors for where they think this thing is going. By this rationale, if we assume that some version of the $900+ BILLION "Stimulus" bill does make it to Obama's desk and he signs it...after all, he has to do something!!!! It's a crisis!!! We can expect our 401K's to fall in a similar proportion...$900 Billion represents another 51% increase in the money supply, therefore, applying our ratio the Dow should go down another 15% to 6,800. Now I know there is not a DIRECT correlation, but these things are related and should not be ignored.
This is not a "bash Barry" piece. The panic began under Bush when he cried "fire" in a crowded theater. Without going into too much detail, because I've covered a lot of this in previous posts, this is a ten step anatomy of the abyss we find ourselves in:
1. Lousy policy that encouraged those that could not afford homes to buy them.
2. Lousy policy that encouraged banks to lend that money.
3. Lousy policy that created "public/private" entities (Fannie and Freddie) to insure said bad loans.
4. Lousy policy that allowed the practice to go on unabated despite warnings from every sector.
5. Human greed that figured out how to securitize these bad loans and sell them off as "mortgage backed securities."
6. Human greed that figured out how to re-securitize these bad securities into "collaterized debt obligations."
7. An excessive influx of capital into the United States and into real estate in particular.
a. China and India emerging with purchasing power wanting to put the money in a safe place.
b. The crash on Wall Street of 2000 - the "tech wreck" - led everyone to believe real estate
was safe.
8. Lousy governance and cronyism that constantly swept the warning signs under the rug.
a. Barney Frank
b. Christopher Dodd
9. Lousy leadership that led to a panic.
a. George W. Bush
b. Hank Paulson
10. Cynical leadership that sees opportunity in fanning the flames of a crisis for political gain.
a. Barry O.
b. Rahm "Knuckles" Emmanuel
Now in Barry's defense, he feels he has to do...ummm, something. The Hill Democrats see a special moment in time where they can ride off of Barry's popularity and the sense of panic in the country and ladel in some heavy doses of social engineering. Their clear aim is to add to their patchwork quilt of constituencies in the hopes of creating a permanent class that is beholding to them for their well-being. Please notice that in the above menu of ten items, six of them - 60% for those of you fascinated with numbers - are attributable to Democrats. The very same people who account for 60% of the problem are now the ones with their hands on the tiller steering the boat. (In case you need help, put a check by numbers 1,2,3,4,8 and 10.)
The money has to come from somewhere to pay this tab. Or, alternatively, you could just print it. Weimar Germany tried that and it didn't work out too well. Their panic led to a tyrant...you know one that everyone loved to chant slogans to. It's that or taxation and didn't we fight one war already for "taxation without representation?" These folks up on Capital Hill are spending money on their pet projects without even pausing to catch their breath and consider that it it not their money.
Sadly, the other impact of this Katrina of Money hitting the system is two-fold. First, once it makes its way out of the bank vaults and onto the street, it could cause hyper-inflation and to stem that, the Fed would have no choice but to raise interest rates dramatically, killing off any chance of a recovery in the cradle. Secondly, the dollar will lose its stature as the global market setter. The type of irresponsible policy with no thought to unintended consequences that is being exhibited today in D.C. should make you nauseous.
There is hope though. The House Republicans and 11 Democrats votes in opposition to this bill. And the more people that know about the guts of the bill, the more they are going to realize that this is nothing more than a grab bag for favorite Democrat projects. This from the Wall Street Journal:
The teachings of Hippocrates should apply to public policy as it does to medicine - first do no harm. (It's not in the Oath, but it is in his writings.) Obama has inherited a terrible problem. One caused in large part by his fellow party members, though compounded by a rush to solution by the outgoing Bushies. And he faces the true test of leadership. He has pledged that he is going to do "something." The best possible "something" he can do right now is "nothing," but that is not in the cards. Further, he has surrounded himself with neo-Keynesians who ignore the lessons of history in the belief that they are the "best and the brightest" sprung from Mt. Olympus for our salvation. It's a toxic mix. Ironically, Barry O's best chance at salvation right now may well lie in the Republican party. If they can stop this bill...filibuster it to death if need be...or raise enough public awareness that the pollsters in the West Wing get the message, they may buy Barry another term. If.
Rumble on!
There are some metrics in this that are pretty scary. Take a look at the following chart:
The "adjusted monetary base" is "the total amount of a currency that is either circulated in the hands of the public or in the commercial bank deposits held in the central bank's reserves. This measure of the money supply typically only includes the most liquid currencies." Now according to this chart, from before the Great Depression, to about 1972, the AMB stayed in a range of $1-30 Billion Dollars. In 1971, Nixon took the U.S. Dollar off the gold standard...you know, "In God We Trust," and from that point till September 2008, it grew from about $30 billion up to about $850 billion in September, 2008. Some quick math here...hang on, my shoes are still on...about $22 billion per year on average. Now...from September, 2008 till today, it has grown from just under $900 Billion to about $1750 Billion...hmm, that's $850 BILLION in less than six months. Well, surely something that dramatic must have had a profound impact on financial futures in our country right? Let's see...the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 11,020. Today it closed at 8,001. Well that's good isn't it?? Lower is better?Umm, no. So while our money supply has increased almost 95%, the Dow has lost 27%. Bear in mind that the Dow is a forward thinking index...while it reacts to day-to-day news, in the aggregate it reflects the sentiment of investors for where they think this thing is going. By this rationale, if we assume that some version of the $900+ BILLION "Stimulus" bill does make it to Obama's desk and he signs it...after all, he has to do something!!!! It's a crisis!!! We can expect our 401K's to fall in a similar proportion...$900 Billion represents another 51% increase in the money supply, therefore, applying our ratio the Dow should go down another 15% to 6,800. Now I know there is not a DIRECT correlation, but these things are related and should not be ignored.
This is not a "bash Barry" piece. The panic began under Bush when he cried "fire" in a crowded theater. Without going into too much detail, because I've covered a lot of this in previous posts, this is a ten step anatomy of the abyss we find ourselves in:
1. Lousy policy that encouraged those that could not afford homes to buy them.
2. Lousy policy that encouraged banks to lend that money.
3. Lousy policy that created "public/private" entities (Fannie and Freddie) to insure said bad loans.
4. Lousy policy that allowed the practice to go on unabated despite warnings from every sector.
5. Human greed that figured out how to securitize these bad loans and sell them off as "mortgage backed securities."
6. Human greed that figured out how to re-securitize these bad securities into "collaterized debt obligations."
7. An excessive influx of capital into the United States and into real estate in particular.
a. China and India emerging with purchasing power wanting to put the money in a safe place.
b. The crash on Wall Street of 2000 - the "tech wreck" - led everyone to believe real estate
was safe.
8. Lousy governance and cronyism that constantly swept the warning signs under the rug.
a. Barney Frank
b. Christopher Dodd
9. Lousy leadership that led to a panic.
a. George W. Bush
b. Hank Paulson
10. Cynical leadership that sees opportunity in fanning the flames of a crisis for political gain.
a. Barry O.
b. Rahm "Knuckles" Emmanuel
Now in Barry's defense, he feels he has to do...ummm, something. The Hill Democrats see a special moment in time where they can ride off of Barry's popularity and the sense of panic in the country and ladel in some heavy doses of social engineering. Their clear aim is to add to their patchwork quilt of constituencies in the hopes of creating a permanent class that is beholding to them for their well-being. Please notice that in the above menu of ten items, six of them - 60% for those of you fascinated with numbers - are attributable to Democrats. The very same people who account for 60% of the problem are now the ones with their hands on the tiller steering the boat. (In case you need help, put a check by numbers 1,2,3,4,8 and 10.)
The money has to come from somewhere to pay this tab. Or, alternatively, you could just print it. Weimar Germany tried that and it didn't work out too well. Their panic led to a tyrant...you know one that everyone loved to chant slogans to. It's that or taxation and didn't we fight one war already for "taxation without representation?" These folks up on Capital Hill are spending money on their pet projects without even pausing to catch their breath and consider that it it not their money.
Sadly, the other impact of this Katrina of Money hitting the system is two-fold. First, once it makes its way out of the bank vaults and onto the street, it could cause hyper-inflation and to stem that, the Fed would have no choice but to raise interest rates dramatically, killing off any chance of a recovery in the cradle. Secondly, the dollar will lose its stature as the global market setter. The type of irresponsible policy with no thought to unintended consequences that is being exhibited today in D.C. should make you nauseous.
There is hope though. The House Republicans and 11 Democrats votes in opposition to this bill. And the more people that know about the guts of the bill, the more they are going to realize that this is nothing more than a grab bag for favorite Democrat projects. This from the Wall Street Journal:
Does that really say $4.1 BILLION for "neighborhood activist groups like ACORN???" Yup. And how does that stimulate anything productive? Well, it doesn't. If the word can get out that this is nothing more than a pork barrel of nonsense, there is a chance it can be stopped.
So then what’s the multiplier for the $50 million for the National Endowment of Arts? How about the $400 million for global warming research, the $335 million for STD prevention, the $650 million for digital conversion coupons, the $81 billion for Medicaid, the $20 billion for food stamps, the $30 billion for Cobra insurance extensions, the $4.1 billion for neighborhood activist groups like ACORN, the $83 billion for the earned income credit to give tax refunds to people who don’t pay income tax, and the $6 billion to subsidize university building projects just to name a few.
The teachings of Hippocrates should apply to public policy as it does to medicine - first do no harm. (It's not in the Oath, but it is in his writings.) Obama has inherited a terrible problem. One caused in large part by his fellow party members, though compounded by a rush to solution by the outgoing Bushies. And he faces the true test of leadership. He has pledged that he is going to do "something." The best possible "something" he can do right now is "nothing," but that is not in the cards. Further, he has surrounded himself with neo-Keynesians who ignore the lessons of history in the belief that they are the "best and the brightest" sprung from Mt. Olympus for our salvation. It's a toxic mix. Ironically, Barry O's best chance at salvation right now may well lie in the Republican party. If they can stop this bill...filibuster it to death if need be...or raise enough public awareness that the pollsters in the West Wing get the message, they may buy Barry another term. If.
Rumble on!
My Apologies To House Republicans
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! This may be one of the defining moments of the revamped Republican Party. I know, it's too early to make such a call but one can only hope.The Dems stimulus package is just that - it belongs to the Dems. Not one Republican House member voted for it. Way to go! You have renewed my faith in your intelligence and your resolve. Keep up the good work! Make the Dems own and pay for their own stupidity.
John Boehner, keep 'em in line.
Obama, Pelosi, and Reid will try to make you pay for your vote but don't back down. They are the weak party. The party of negotiation. The party of giving up. We are not. I love an underdog.
You Want Stimulus? Stop Taking My Money!!
I am sick and tired of this stimulus bullcrap! Congress, QUIT TAKING MY MONEY!! That's all the stimulus I need.Imagine, what if the government said they would suspend taxes for just 90 days. How much money would that put into the economy? Of course, there has to be a contingency. It would only happen sometime after hell freezes over.
You morons in Washington are sucking the blood right out of the economy. You aren't helping. You are hurting. Why can't you see that? The only rational reason I can deduce is that you really do want to turn this into a socialist nation, regardless of how many times His Highness Barack Obama said he wasn't a socialist. I didn't believe it then and I sure don't believe it now.
Look, he's trying to silence his opposition by putting a muzzle on conservatives like Rush Limbaugh. Isn't that what they do in socialist/communist countries and dictatorships?
I for one will not go down without a fight. Give me liberty or give me death!
Open Letter To GOP, RNC, RNSC, and RNCC
I have delayed this for as long as I can. During the last few years I have struggled with supporting a do-nothing Republican Congress who worked harder to appease the Democrat minority than anything else. Then I struggled with supporting a Republican minority that helped President Bush and the Democrats to spend large amounts of my money.Well, I am finished! I refuse to support a Republican minority that is doing little more than butt-kissing the Democrat majority and their new leader, His Highness Barack Obama.
Please stop calling me for money. I am no longer throwing it away by giving it to you. Instead I think I will use it to build a bunker and stock it with guns and ammo. At least that way I would have something to show for my money.
You have no spine. You have no balls. Now you won't have my money.
Rush A Traitor For Not Drinking Obama's Kool-Aid
Liberals are shocked that Rush Limbaugh and other conservatives are openly acknowledging their hope that new President Barack Obama will fail. On The Daily Show host Jon Stewart went so far as to call Rush's comment "treasonous".You people are completely missing the point. As liberals, do you want conservative policies and legislation to succeed? No you don't and don't tell me you do. You have spent the last eight years condemning George W. Bush, calling him sophomoric names, and pining for our failure in Iraq. You people are pathetic!
After your unhinged, psychopathic hatred of President Bush, merely saying that we hope Obama's liberal policies fail seems very calm and rational.
All of you pots in the media and in Hollywood, don't call the kettle black.
H/T: NB
If Emperor Obama Wants War, That's What He'll Get
I am seething and probably should not be writing this now. I should wait until I've cooled off but I have got to get this off of my chest.Barack Hussein Obama is an arrogant, manipulative, scheming excuse for a President of the United States. He is not there to help America. He is not there to improve America's economy. He is not there to improve our standing in the world. He is there to bring greater power to the Democratic party and to browbeat the spineless Republicans into agreeing with everything the Democrats do.
Listen up, Republicans. If you bow to Obama and the Dems we will replace you with people who have backbone and will stand up to this pseudo-emperor.
Obama essentially told the GOP in Congress that they must drop conservatism if they want to work with Democrats. As a conservative I am HIGHLY OFFENDED!!
Obama, you have now picked a fight. You were going to bring change. You were going to work together with everyone. What a load of crap that was!
Now I am going to say it loud and clear - I hope you fail miserably! I hope you fall flat on your face. How dare you?
The Coolness of Skype
So, I was never one to use a webcam until now. And I've got to say, it's pretty darn cool. And Skype makes it easy to call, see, and speak with people over the internet
Just sayin.
Just sayin.
Only White Males Are Smart And Qualified. Just Ask Any Liberal.
How do businesses hire employees? What criteria do they use to judge a candidate for a position? Do resumes list the gender, race, or sexual orientation of a candidate?Businesses look at the criteria that are relevant to a candidates ability (or inability) to perform a job. Some businesses hire based on fear of the government auditing their "diversity" or fear of a minority non-profit organization extorting money from them. (Can you say "Rainbow Coalition" and "National Action Network"?)
Don't we (or shouldn't we) choose our elected officials in the same way that businesses hire employees? Based on qualifications? The answer is "yes".
Instead, political races are more like American Idol - the most popular candidate wins regardless of his or her qualifications. Just look at Barack Obama. John McCain had more experience and was tremendously more qualified. But Obama was younger and had a smooth tongue. And he had and even greater advantage - he was black.
Before all of you liberals have a knee-jerk reaction to that and label me as a "racist", keep reading. If you don't you have no right to comment.
We were repeatedly told by the media that if Barack Obama lost it would be because he is black. We were repeatedly told that if Hillary did not get the Democratic nomination it was because she was a woman. Now we're being told that Caroline Kennedy was forced to drop her bid to replace Hillary in the U.S. Senate why? Because she's a woman.
You see, according to liberals, the elected officials in the federal government are a white male club only. Blacks and women need not apply. What is funny is that they don't realize how stupid that sounds. What gender is the Speakerette of the House? What gender is the person who Caroline Kennedy was trying to replace? (no jokes, please) What color is the current President of the United States?
If their minority status is what keeps them from getting elected, then their minority status is also what gets them elected. That was the predominant factor that put Obama in the White House.
That means the criteria that actually matters and makes the fit for a job is secondary. If they can't win on that criteria alone then they aren't qualified for the job in the first place. That is the logical conclusion if you think through what the liberals are always contending - that blacks and women can't get elected because they are not male and white.
January 20, 2009: National Jerk Day
Today, January 20, 2009, was a very special day for me. I have waited for this day for many months. It is my 19th Anniversary. It is also my brother-in-law's 32nd birthday. Something else was happening today but I can't quite remember what it was.After watching the news reels and reading news sites I finally remembered. Today must be National Jerk Day.
So much for Obama and the era of reconciliation of races and cultures. Today was a day of divisiveness between blacks and whites, and snobby, elite liberals and middle class Americans.
JERK #1: Reverend Joseph Lowry who was invited to offer an inaugural prayer. Rev. Lowry could have been neutral. He could have even made references to helping the poor and I would have been okay with it. But nooooooo!!!! He had to bring class warfare and racial division into his prayer. Here's a snippet:
...help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around; when yellow will be mellow; when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white would embrace what is right.Translation: White people account for all of the evil that exists in this world and that every other race is being cheated of their rightful success by whites.
Nice.
JERK #2: Tom Brokaw. There have been times I thought Tom Brokaw wasn't a complete idiot. Those days are long gone. Only a complete idiot would allow this to come out of his mouth:
Having been in the South in the '60s and Los Angeles, in Watts and northern urban areas, when we were evolving as a country, I'm thinking of all the bigots and rednecks and people I met along the way. I'm saying to them, "Take this." You know?I will not sit by quietly and be called a bigot and a redneck by an arrogant, self-centered, holier-than-thou, guilt-ridden, bleeding heart liberal. Mr. Brokaw, mind your own business! Take care of yourself and your own attitudes. Get the plank out of your eye before you start criticizing the speck of dust in mine. I am not easily offended but you have managed to cross that line!
I couldn't give a rat's tail that Obama is black. It means less than nothing to me. You see, I don't vote for or against people because of their skin color. I don't judge a person by their skin color. It is hypocritical liberals like you who constantly divide people by skin color, social class, gender, sexual orientation, etc.
Why don't you spend some time trying to pull your head out of your butt and judge people by the content of their character? Sound familiar?
Until you do, don't you DARE criticize me or anyone else!
JERK #3: The gaggle of inauguration attendees who chanted "Hey, Hey, Goodbye!" as President Bush's helicopter flew away. What a bunch of moronic ingrates! They don't have a flipping clue what President Bush did for them. Not a flipping clue! Well, they are going to find out sometime in the next four years, mark my words. Jerks!
This past presidential campaign has been nothing more than a combination of American Idol, a concert, and a sporting event. At the end of the day it really doesn't matter a hill of beans who wins American Idol or even the Super Bowl. But the morons who voted for Obama are too stupid to realize that. They think this is some kind of popularity contest and their favorite contestant won. Now you will learn how important it is to elect public officials based on their ability to lead and not on their charisma. I just hope you grow up enough in the process not to repeat it again.
Obama Is Going To Buck Up America
An Obama official made this comment today about the inauguration speech:
This is a family-friendly blog so I'm going to leave that one alone.
He will buck up the American people...
This is a family-friendly blog so I'm going to leave that one alone.
As millions descend to Washington D.C. I'm sending up a prayer for God to lay his protective hand over everyone there, and to keep them safe from any one who might see that gathering as an opportunity.
Lord I ask that you keep safe all of the millions of innocent people, and especially Barack Obama and all of the members of our government today. Watch over them, guide them and protect them in their journeys today.
Amen.
Thank You President Bush
For your faithfulness and service to our country God speed and Blessings to you and your family President Bush. History will vindicate your leadership. And thank you Vice-President Dick Cheney and wife Lynn, a couple that was always a class act in in the face of classless, clueless liberals and leftists.
1964: Dr. Martin Luther King Predicted A Black President By 1979
Excerpt from a BBC interview with Dr. King hosted by Bob McKenzie.
Just for the record Dr. Martin Luther King was a life-long Republican whose main social and political opponents in the drive for equality were Democrats.
Just for the record Dr. Martin Luther King was a life-long Republican whose main social and political opponents in the drive for equality were Democrats.
It's About Time!! Compean and Ramos Freed (Almost)
President Bush finally got around to something that should have been done a long time ago - freeing Border Patrol agents Compean and Ramos. Even so, he still fell short. These men should have received a full pardon, not just commuting of their sentences. They will remain in jail until March 20 which just chaps my hide. The news is bittersweet but I'm sure their families are ecstatic. My heartfelt apologies go out to these men and their families for this travesty. President Bush, you should have done better than this.Do you see where liberalism has taken us? In this country, we treat criminals better than the victims and the law enforcement agents who apprehend them.
H/T: Michelle Malkin
Climate Change Alarmists Never Change
Jim Hansen, the climate change alarmist, is telling us that Barack Obama has just four years to save the planet from destruction. My first response is, how many times have we heard this before? You can only cry wolf so many times.Hansen and his supporters in the scientific community remind me a lot of the doctors and nurses in the abortion industry. They are so deep in the trees that they can't see the forest. These climate change "experts" have discarded the scientific method and logic in favor of manipulating data to promote a specific agenda.
Do I think they are manipulating data purposely? Not the true scientists. I think at some point in their data analysis they took a left turn and never looked back. What about Al Gore, you ask? Al Gore wouldn't know the difference between exhaust from my Infiniti QX56 and cow flatulence. He is 100% about promoting his agenda, completely ignoring what the data shows.
Some scientists say we may be headed for an ice age but I am a little skeptical of that. Ice ages don't come and go over a 50, 100, or even 500 year period. True ice ages span thousands of years and we just don't have reliable data for those kind of time periods. Global cooling, yes. Ice age, maybe not.
There will always be alarmists out there predicting gloom and doom whether it be due to the climate, economy, war, microbes, pestilence, aliens, solar flares, asteroids, whatever. Liberals have turned alarmism into an art form and their anti-human, anti-progress philosophies place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the human race.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Humans did not create this planet and we cannot destroy it. When it is time for the Earth to be destroyed, we will be powerless to stop it.
Obama: Worst President In U.S. History
What is the deal with this Obama hysteria??? The man has not served one second as President. He has not made one decision. He didn't do anything of any significance in the Illinois our U.S. Senate.Why is someone pushing for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment? We (by "we" I mean "they") don't even know if we want this guy after four years!!
If they can swoon like he is the greatest president in history before he even takes office then I certainly can complain that he is the worst president in history before he takes office.
Mark my words. This will go down as one of the worst presidencies in U.S. history. Not from the smitten, drooling, mainstream media, but from real, unbiased historians who understand the long-term effects of presidential policies. Jimmy Carter should really support Obama because the Chicago community organizer may eclipse the peanut farmer as the worst president in U.S. history.
As the U.S. Airways pilot told his passengers as he ditched into the Hudson River, "Brace for impact!"
Farewell President Bush - You Will Be Missed
History will vindicate the leadership of this man who has been unjustly vilified and lampooned by the liberal press, talking heads Gibson, Williams and Couric and late night jokesters like Letterman and Leno. George W. Bush has freed 50 million Muslims from the oppression of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein and provided this nation with security from attack for the past seven years.
God Bless you President Bush.
God Bless you President Bush.
Miracle On The Hudson
US Airways Flight 1549 enroute to Charlotte, N.C. successfully ditched in the water after apparently hitting a flock of birds resulting in the disabling of both engines on the Airbus A320. Veteran pilot Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, is credited with the flawless water landing of the disabled aircraft with 150 passengers onboard. Sullenberger, a 28 year commercial airline veteran and former U.S. Air Force F-4 fighter pilot was able to glide the stricken aircraft without power over the George Washington Bridge and into the Hudson River near a ferry terminal off Manhattan’s West 48th Street. The close proximity of the plane's final resting place made the aircraft readily accessable to water craft that normally ply the river shuttling passengers from New York to New Jersey. Sullenberger is a hero and we are likely to hear more about 57 year old hero for weeks to come. Not a single fatality was reported in what is normally considered a very hazardous landing. I'm sure airlines from around the globe are going to be knocking on Sullenberger's door to find out how he pulled off this amazing feat. Photo from (Bebeto Matthews/AP) Double Blast From The Past: Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
The world has stopped making sense. Don't sweat it.
Blast From The Past: Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Great video from the movie Stop Making Sense. I miss these guys since the band officially broke up in 1991. Lead vocalist David Byrne, drummer Chris Franz, bassist Tina Weymouth, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison were masters of nervous energy and subdued minimalism in the punk rock genre that was at its peak in the 1980's. The core members of the group met at an northeastern college of art in the early seventies and moved to the Big Apple to work on their own brand of music that blended melodic harmonies, pop guitar and world beat to become one of the super groups of that era.
Is The GOP Dead? Or Just Castrated?
The GOP is dead. Well, maybe not dead but definitely castrated. It didn't happen last November 4. It happened long before then.Where are the conservative leaders in politics? Have they all died? Where are leaders like Ronald Reagan? Like the authors of the Contract With America?
What we have in Congress and the leadership of the GOP organization is a bunch of castrated bureaucrats who don't have a clue what the American people want. The best thing they can come up with is to emulate the Democrats who kicked their behinds in the last election. How stupid is that???
GOP, listen up and listen well. What the majority of Americans want is politicians with backbone who will promote and defend conservatism!!
This is a dangerous world and we have sat back and given control to a bunch of sissy liberals who are going to get us in serious trouble.
Why? Why? Why??????
Why are we letting this happen??? Have we lost our pride? Have we forgotten the sacrifices it took to make this into the greatest nation on Earth? Have we become so consumed with ourselves that we just don't care anymore?
Dear God, forgive us and help us. Raise up strong conservative leaders who have the guts and the intellect to stand up against and defeat the sickening cancer of liberalism.
My Sunny Economic Prediction
We've all heard that we are experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Some have said we are headed for a depression. We are losing jobs right and left. No one is spending any money. Most of these are not true but I digress...
I predict that the economy is on the verge of turning around. As a matter of fact, I will go so far as to say the economy will start to get better on January 20, 2009.
Don't believe me? Watch the news over the next week. Compare the economic reports from that time period to those after January 20. It will be a near-miraculous change.
I predict that the economy is on the verge of turning around. As a matter of fact, I will go so far as to say the economy will start to get better on January 20, 2009.
Don't believe me? Watch the news over the next week. Compare the economic reports from that time period to those after January 20. It will be a near-miraculous change.
Movie Review: Valkyrie
In this break between the election and Barack Obama's orgy on January 20 I thought I would step aside from politics for a moment to review a movie.First, I am not a big Tom Cruse fan. Personally, I think he's a moron. However, judging him strictly as an actor, he is very good. His most recent film, Valkyrie, is no different.
There are NO SPOILERS in this review. I don't like spoilers and I won't have any here.
This was a very tense movie. I found it rather strange feeling sad when the German army was attacked by an allied fighter plane at the beginning of the movie. As Col. Stauffenberg's character is developed (Cruse), you see a man who loves his country but hates what it has become under Adolf Hitler.
Bill Nighy (Davy Jones, Pirates Of The Caribbean) is perfectly human as the indecisive Gen. Friedrich Olbricht. Tom Wilkinson (Gen. Cornwallis, The Patriot) does a great job as Gen. Friedrich Fromm.
Don't listen to the critics because they are usually wrong. This movie will have you on the edge of your emotions.
While Valkyrie isn't 100 percent historically accurate, it was very well made. The saddest thing of all is that we know how it ends.
Help?
The lady's Powerbook G4 has started to have display problems, and although this is not hers, it is exactly the same problem.
Also, it won't allow her to copy her HD files to an external HD. Not OS files, but pictures, documents, etc... Something about not having access to modify the disc.
Any suggestions? I'm thinking it's hardware related, like a bad graphics card.
Also, it won't allow her to copy her HD files to an external HD. Not OS files, but pictures, documents, etc... Something about not having access to modify the disc.
Any suggestions? I'm thinking it's hardware related, like a bad graphics card.
Saw This Coming A Mile Away
Oklahoma Sooners;
Avg 562 yards per game
Scored at least 58 points in their last six games
Seem like a good bet for the Title against the Gators?
Not what I thought.
Oklahoma might have the highest powered offense in the country, but they gave up 360 yards, and 24 points per game, and all of their "tough" opponents (Texas, Texas Tech,...) averaged the same.
In comes Florida who only allows 280 yards per game.
And tonight, the teams defenses performed exactly as expected.
Florida average allowing 12 ppg, and Oklahoma average 24 ppg. Tonight, Oklahoma got 363 yards of offense, and Florida got 479, so both teams got 100 yards more than the opposing team's defense averaged.
What does this tell you?
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Way to go Gators! Bringing the Championship back to the SEC for an unprecedented 3rd year in a row.
Avg 562 yards per game
Scored at least 58 points in their last six games
Seem like a good bet for the Title against the Gators?
Not what I thought.
Oklahoma might have the highest powered offense in the country, but they gave up 360 yards, and 24 points per game, and all of their "tough" opponents (Texas, Texas Tech,...) averaged the same.
In comes Florida who only allows 280 yards per game.
And tonight, the teams defenses performed exactly as expected.
Florida average allowing 12 ppg, and Oklahoma average 24 ppg. Tonight, Oklahoma got 363 yards of offense, and Florida got 479, so both teams got 100 yards more than the opposing team's defense averaged.
What does this tell you?
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Way to go Gators! Bringing the Championship back to the SEC for an unprecedented 3rd year in a row.
TRAINS
On February 11, 1861, a tall and visibly tired man boarded a train in Springfield, Illinois. At the Tolono Station in Springfield, he turned and addressed the crowd with the following words: "I am leaving you on an errand of national importance, attended as you are aware with considerable difficulties. Let us believe as some poet has expressed it 'behind the cloud the sun is still shining.' I bid you an affectionate farewell." Abraham Lincoln was on his way to Washington D.C. to become the 16th President of the United States. The
train, pictured here, would wind through the Midwest, passing through Indianapolis, Cincinnati, heading north into New York to stop in Buffalo and then southward toward Philadelphia and Baltimore. The route would be repeated four years later in reverse as Lincoln's body was returned to his home state. On the outbound route, Lincoln made over one hundred speeches. One of the more prophetic ones being at Independence Hall on February 22, 1861, where he raised the flag at Independence Hall to commemorate George Washington's birthday and said:
To put this in context, On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union and on February 1, 1861 along with six other states, the Confederate States of America was born. Four more would soon follow. Matters of "national importance" and "considerable difficulties" in deed. The War, or the "Wahr" as I grew up knowing it, would ultimately cost almost 1.1 million lives due to casualties, disease, suicide, naval engagements etc. From Faust's "Encyclopedia of the Civil War:
After Lincoln has spoken at Independence Hall, he was advised by Allan Pinkerton that a plot on his life was afoot. Lincoln persisted on speaking to the Pennsylvania legislature and riding the train to Baltimore. There, he was disguised (some reports say he was dressed as a woman) and smuggled into Washington D.C.
Now, aside from some interesting reminiscences of the War between the States, I am drawn to this story because of the continuing urge of the current President-Elect to try to channel Abraham Lincoln. It has been announced that he will re-enact the last leg of Lincoln's journey to Washington by boarding a train in Philadelphia to ride to Washington. They will go off the beaten path to go pick up commuter Joe Biden
in Wilmington, Delaware and then continue anon. So, I ask, what disguise will Obama wear to be smuggled into Washington from Baltimore? He has disguised himself quite well as a "centrist" and a "moderate" so far. The "Office of the President Elect" has further announced that he will be sworn in using Lincoln's Bible. While that is probably a relief to some who were afraid he would choose a Koran, I find the attempt at connectivity revolting. If "Barack Hussein Obama" (the name he will use to be sworn in) had studied Lincoln as closely as he claims he has, he would realize that one trait Ol' Abe was known for (aside from always getting picked to play center in pick-up basketball games) was humility.
When Lincoln went to dedicate the Gettysburg Cemetary and delivered the now famous "Gettysburg Address," he purposely kept his remarks very short. Disappointingly short to the gathered crowd, but he felt that it was inappropriate for the President to hog the clock when the Cemetary Commission had hired an orator, Edward Everett, who spoke for two hours before Lincoln mounted the dais. Lincoln knew that his role was governance, not showmanship. The contemporary reaction of the time to the Gettysburg Address was overall not good...his "hometown newspaper," the Chicago Times said "the cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances of the president." But Everett knew better. Writing to Lincoln the next day he said: "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
But then there's Barry! He's the star of the show...our Savior...our own Barachrist Superstar!!! Oh, and did you know that we have a crisis????!!!!! My God, the economy is in the tank! Unemployment will reach double digits!!!!! The world as we know it is coming to an end!!!!!! Oh, and that's Obama speaking, not the silver hair plugged man from Delaware. But not to worry! Since the crisis is so huge, so enormous, so unimaginably horrible, let's just give all the power to Barry and let him solve all our problems and salve all our fears. It worked for Hugo Chavez in Venezuela! It worked for Lenin in Russia...why shouldn't it work here? Hope and Change! Hope and Change! Chant mindlessly along with me now: "Yes we can!"
Oh, that reminds me, didn't the Israelis and Hamas get the memo that world peace would reign after January 21st? Couldn't they have just waited a couple of more weeks for the flowers to bloom and love to conquer all from the Land of Hopeandchange? Obama would do well to heed the words of Charles Simmons, "Integrity is the first step to greatness."
Now, can we put things in perspective? I am reminded of a wonderful saying that Senior Chief Wonder, USN taught me when I was a tenderfoot Ensign: "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!" Does the current financial situation compare in ANY way, shape or form, to the condition of the Union when Lincoln headed to Washington? If you answered "yes," to this question, you need to take a hard look at yourself. Like me, your 401K may be down 40%...you may be temporarily out of a job...you may not be able to get a car loan to buy that cool Congressional Motors special-alternate-fuels vehicle BUT, put it in perspective people, the dissolution of the United States is not upon us (yet)! I feel like Bill Murray in "Stripes:" "We're not Watusis, we're not Spartans, we're Americans!" It's about 2:49 into the following clip:
There is another irony in all this Lincoln adulation on the part of B.H.O. Lincoln inherited a divided country, but in assembling his cabinet, he not only appointed his most bitter rivals, he appointed folks from every region of the Union (getting secessionist Southerners to play along didn't work out to well, but he tried):
train, pictured here, would wind through the Midwest, passing through Indianapolis, Cincinnati, heading north into New York to stop in Buffalo and then southward toward Philadelphia and Baltimore. The route would be repeated four years later in reverse as Lincoln's body was returned to his home state. On the outbound route, Lincoln made over one hundred speeches. One of the more prophetic ones being at Independence Hall on February 22, 1861, where he raised the flag at Independence Hall to commemorate George Washington's birthday and said:"I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Now, my friends, can this country be saved upon that basis? If it can, I will consider myself one of the happiest men in the world, if I can help to save it. If it cannot be saved upon that principle, it will be truly awful. But if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it. "
To put this in context, On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union and on February 1, 1861 along with six other states, the Confederate States of America was born. Four more would soon follow. Matters of "national importance" and "considerable difficulties" in deed. The War, or the "Wahr" as I grew up knowing it, would ultimately cost almost 1.1 million lives due to casualties, disease, suicide, naval engagements etc. From Faust's "Encyclopedia of the Civil War:
"The Federals lost 110,100 killed in action and mortally wounded, and another 224,580 to disease. The Confederates lost approximately 94,000 as a result of battle and another 164,000 to disease. Even if one survived a wound, any projectile that hit bone in either an arm or a leg almost invariably necessitated amputation. The best estimate of Federal army personnel wounded is 275,175; naval personnel wounded, 2,226. Surviving Confederate records indicate 194,026 wounded.Like many Southern boys, I grew up dreaming that maybe if I had been the last man over the wall into the Union guns at Pickett's Charge in Gettysburg I might have made the difference. I have stood on that hallowed spot many times and in my youth cried that on this spot the dream died. As an older, wiser man I cry for the cost of poor decisions. Needless to say, in my younger days, I didn't think much of Mr. Lincoln. Now, I am grateful for what he did and admire the true genius of the man. He was a conniving politician like the rest of them but, I think, he had a sense of honor. Freeing the slaves was only part of what the war was fought about, but he deserves the credit and I won't get into a drawn out fight about states rights here.
In dollars and cents, the U.S. government estimated Jan. 1863 that the war was costing $2.5 million daily. A final official estimate in 1879 totaled $6,190,000,000. The Confederacy spent perhaps $2,099,808,707. By 1906 another $3.3 billion already had been spent by the U.S. government on Northerners' pensions and other veterans' benefits for former Federal soldiers. Southern states and private philanthropy provided benefits to the Confederate veterans. The amount spent on benefits eventually well exceeded the war's original cost."
After Lincoln has spoken at Independence Hall, he was advised by Allan Pinkerton that a plot on his life was afoot. Lincoln persisted on speaking to the Pennsylvania legislature and riding the train to Baltimore. There, he was disguised (some reports say he was dressed as a woman) and smuggled into Washington D.C.
Now, aside from some interesting reminiscences of the War between the States, I am drawn to this story because of the continuing urge of the current President-Elect to try to channel Abraham Lincoln. It has been announced that he will re-enact the last leg of Lincoln's journey to Washington by boarding a train in Philadelphia to ride to Washington. They will go off the beaten path to go pick up commuter Joe Biden
in Wilmington, Delaware and then continue anon. So, I ask, what disguise will Obama wear to be smuggled into Washington from Baltimore? He has disguised himself quite well as a "centrist" and a "moderate" so far. The "Office of the President Elect" has further announced that he will be sworn in using Lincoln's Bible. While that is probably a relief to some who were afraid he would choose a Koran, I find the attempt at connectivity revolting. If "Barack Hussein Obama" (the name he will use to be sworn in) had studied Lincoln as closely as he claims he has, he would realize that one trait Ol' Abe was known for (aside from always getting picked to play center in pick-up basketball games) was humility.When Lincoln went to dedicate the Gettysburg Cemetary and delivered the now famous "Gettysburg Address," he purposely kept his remarks very short. Disappointingly short to the gathered crowd, but he felt that it was inappropriate for the President to hog the clock when the Cemetary Commission had hired an orator, Edward Everett, who spoke for two hours before Lincoln mounted the dais. Lincoln knew that his role was governance, not showmanship. The contemporary reaction of the time to the Gettysburg Address was overall not good...his "hometown newspaper," the Chicago Times said "the cheek of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances of the president." But Everett knew better. Writing to Lincoln the next day he said: "I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
But then there's Barry! He's the star of the show...our Savior...our own Barachrist Superstar!!! Oh, and did you know that we have a crisis????!!!!! My God, the economy is in the tank! Unemployment will reach double digits!!!!! The world as we know it is coming to an end!!!!!! Oh, and that's Obama speaking, not the silver hair plugged man from Delaware. But not to worry! Since the crisis is so huge, so enormous, so unimaginably horrible, let's just give all the power to Barry and let him solve all our problems and salve all our fears. It worked for Hugo Chavez in Venezuela! It worked for Lenin in Russia...why shouldn't it work here? Hope and Change! Hope and Change! Chant mindlessly along with me now: "Yes we can!"Oh, that reminds me, didn't the Israelis and Hamas get the memo that world peace would reign after January 21st? Couldn't they have just waited a couple of more weeks for the flowers to bloom and love to conquer all from the Land of Hopeandchange? Obama would do well to heed the words of Charles Simmons, "Integrity is the first step to greatness."
Now, can we put things in perspective? I am reminded of a wonderful saying that Senior Chief Wonder, USN taught me when I was a tenderfoot Ensign: "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!" Does the current financial situation compare in ANY way, shape or form, to the condition of the Union when Lincoln headed to Washington? If you answered "yes," to this question, you need to take a hard look at yourself. Like me, your 401K may be down 40%...you may be temporarily out of a job...you may not be able to get a car loan to buy that cool Congressional Motors special-alternate-fuels vehicle BUT, put it in perspective people, the dissolution of the United States is not upon us (yet)! I feel like Bill Murray in "Stripes:" "We're not Watusis, we're not Spartans, we're Americans!" It's about 2:49 into the following clip:
There is another irony in all this Lincoln adulation on the part of B.H.O. Lincoln inherited a divided country, but in assembling his cabinet, he not only appointed his most bitter rivals, he appointed folks from every region of the Union (getting secessionist Southerners to play along didn't work out to well, but he tried):
"So New England got Gideon Welles of Connecticut as Secretary of the Navy. The mid-Atlantic got William M. Seward of New York as Secretary of State and Simon Cameron of Pennsylvania as Secretary of War. Ohio got Salmon P. Chase as Secretary of the Treasury. The border states got Attorney General Edward Bates of Missouri and Postmaster General Montgomery Blair of Maryland. The West of that day -- today's Midwest -- got Caleb Smith of Indiana as Secretary of the Interior. Lincoln even approached a Southerner -- Rep. James A. Gilmer of North Carolina, a former Whig -- to serve in his cabinet, but Gilmer declined."
To date, one Southerner has been appointed by Barry...an ex-mayor of Dallas to be a trade representative. The South is paying the political price for not supporting the junior senator from Illinois. I thought "unity" was one of the principal values in the Land of Hopeandchange.
In all, the Lincoln morphing is eerie and more than a little strange. But like the Greek Columns at the DNC gala in Denver, I suspect it's all about image with no substance behind. The American people will be paying the price for this lack of substance and, in the words of H.L. Mencken, we will "get it good and hard." But we will survive...this is 2009, not 1861.
Rumble on!
Global Warming: Disproved Once Again
Dr. Roy Spencer is one of my heroes. He is a pearl among swine. On his web site is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.
Here's a link: CO2 Emissions Charts
Here's a link: CO2 Emissions Charts
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