Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Watch Your Favorite RINO

There's going to be a lot of pressure, and we know how pliable those RINOs are.

What to contact their offices about:

  • The DREAM Act - yeah, they're still pushing that.
  • The extension of tax cuts - everyone wants to keep them for the middle-class, but differ on what to do about the rich.  The increase that is passes, will likely NOT include the likes of Hollywood celebrities, the Senators who are loaded, and George Soros.
  • More $$$$$ to the usual suspects who benefited from the previous bail-outs.

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No News Of Any Consequence

I'm tired.  I'm going to the motel (after picking up some food), and going to sack it in.  I have no energy, and my throat is itchy.  I need R & R, and I'm going to get it.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

What The Pope REALLY Said

I have been following the "controversy" about Pope Benedict XVI's recent comment in an interview about condoms.  It's awe-inspiring to see just how much the relatively secular press can twist a plain statement into something that "proves" their strongest biases.

What the pope said:
There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be the first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.
What the media heard:
Condoms are GREAT!  EVERYONE should use them, and have as much random sex as possible!
Amazing the difference between those two.

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Friday, November 26, 2010

MAJOR PITA

Major League PITA - Pain in the A$$

While out shopping, we accidentally lost a wallet full of credit cards (no cash, Thank God).  I've been on the phone for the last hour canceling cards.  It could be worse - I was able to access the account information online, which made canceling them SO much easier.  Only 1 had been used, right in that area.

Not horrible, just terribly inconvenient.

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Thursday, November 25, 2010

Some Thanksgiving Fun

Click to Mix and Solve

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More Thankfulness Around the Net

Some links to other pages:

From Clifford D. May at National Review.

What lurks in your Thansgiving dinner.

A Thank You from the American Thinker.

An unusual thank you:
Thank God for the dirty dishes
For they've a story to tell
And from the stack I have to wash
We've eaten very well.
While folks in other lands,
Are glad for just a crust
From this stack of evidence
God's mighty good to us.
Yet another Pilgrim tale.

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Thanksgiving For All the Following:

This is a great year - for the first time in several years, neither my husband nor I, nor any member of my immediate family, are sick.  So, not only can we enjoy all of the holiday to the fullest, but we won't be infecting anyone else, as well.

I'm thankful for:

  • My family - both immediate and extended, and, of course, those who have become part of my family through bonds of love
  • The troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, and all of the other hot spots in the world - I only wish that next year, they may also experience the Thanksgiving holiday with those they love at home
  • The election results - I'm looking forward to applying the reverse pedal to all of the ridiculous spending that has been planned
  • My computers - both the Linux-based PC, and the MACbook - they're working, and they allow me to do all of the work I have (or want) to do
  • Hope - I have some, now, that we we may weather the difficult times without breaking apart, either as a nation, or as a family
  • That I live in America - where I have a life that virtually all of the world's people, past and present, do envy.  May their envy lead them to work for the same rights, freedoms, and conveniences/luxuries in their lives
  • That I can say "Thank God" in public, and not be imprisoned for it
  • That disagreeing with someone politically generally does NOT lead to someone losing their head (at least literally)
  • That I have 5 - yes, five - days off from work - paid, at that
  • That I have so much in my life, that I'm truly stumped when someone asks me what I want for Christmas
  • Good weather in Cleveland and the route back home to SC
  • Enough money to allow us to have a pleasant trip
  • That my biggest problem with food is eating too much, rather than too little
  • That my biggest problem with time is how to find more, rather than how to fill an aimless and empty life

May all of you also have a large list of things to be thankful for.

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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Just Saw The DWTS Contestants on GMA

Was the final result EVER in question?


Was there ANYONE so clueless that they thought Bristol might win?


In the end, everyone was gracious (OK, they DIDN'T ask Brandi about HER feelings), and seemed to be content with the final verdict.


I really do think that Bristol's partner, Mark, earned a special reward.  He was the only professional dancer that had a TOTAL NEWBIE, and made her look adequate each week, some weeks better than that.  That takes a LOT of skill.  And he didn't exploit her, nor make her look foolish.


He was a gentleman.  That's rare these days.


One last note - I noticed the contrast between Brandi and Bristol in a picture last week, when Brandi was eliminated.

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This photo says it all:



Notice how Brandi and her partner look out to the audience while waiting for the verdict.

Notice that both Bristol and her partner have their heads bowed, eyes closed, in the prayer position.


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Monday, November 22, 2010

Innumeracy in Public Life

I've been thinking about this lately.  One major problem is that the people in charge of the state and federal governments are primarily lawyers.

Lawyers are people whose grasp on basic money principles is rather shaky.  Think about it - what's one of the commonest ways to structure a legal case?

1/3 - 2/3.

The lawyer takes a gamble that he can make enough of a nuisance of himself that he can recover his costs (plus a profit), even if he doesn't win.  He takes on enough of these cases that the odds favor him, and, as a result, makes a living even though he seldom wins.  Sort of like hitting the slots, hoping to break more-or-less even on most bets, over on a few (there's the "profit), and, occasionally hitting the jackpot.

Is this the mindset of someone we want to have responsible for our government budgets?

We need to encourage people who know how to balance their budgets; people who have a long-term approach to saving; people who realize that when the family income dips, that's not the time to take on more debt.

BTW, an old friend (now deceased) wrote a book explaining how math works in everyday life.

Probabilities in Everyday Life - if you click on the link, you can order it (the used copies cost only postage and a few pennies more).

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

Using The Amazon Widget for Purchases

I've added a couple of tools to the blog sidebar:

  • Amazon search - if you use it to access Amazon, I can get credit when you purchase (and it doesn't add to your cost).  If you were thinking about buying something from Amazon, consider using it.
  • Amazon contextual ads - this is supposed to bring up suggested purchases, based on the text on the blog.  I'm not sure how well this will work, but I'm willing to give it a try.
For those who (like me) use Kindle for the computer (not a separate device, just allowing you to read books on the computer), consider buying suggested books that way - no need to wait for shipment and delivery, convenient, and, of course, environmentally friendly.


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OK, Here's a Foreign Legal Precedent I Can Get Behind

I only occasionally read Ann Coulter - she does seem, to me, to be needlessly snarky and over-the-top in her acerbic commentary.

But, this makes some sense - she suggests that we use European standards for determining citizenship - most specifically, Sweden (Land of the most generous social net).  It turns out that just dropping the kid on Swedish soil doesn't count - there are standards that have to be met.

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Boy, Am I Frugal!

This is my light-hearted solution to the deficit problem.  It's a NY Times interactive that allows anyone to "balance" the US budget.

This is my solution (Warning:  I really don't like these choices - I believe that there are better choices.  Such as National Endowment for the Humanities, or perks for Congressmen).

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Thursday, November 18, 2010

Illegal Aliens and the Law

On National Review's The Corner:
For years, illegal-alien advocates have opposed any cooperation between local jail and prison officials, on the one hand, and federal immigration authorities, on the other, that could result in the detection and possible deportation of illegal-alien inmates. The ground of this opposition is rarely stated. Occasionally the advocates recycle the hoary argument that underlies sanctuary laws (those local ordinances which ban information sharing between all local government officials, especially the police, and ICE): That illegal-alien crime victims and witnesses will fail to cooperate with a police investigation if they think that their immigration status will be disclosed to ICE. The New York Times recently blasted jailhouse programs to identify illegal-alien inmates for “undermining . . . public safety.”
There is a reason why this argument is rarely trotted out: It is ludicrous. The illegal alien in jail isn’t a crime victim or witness; he’s a perp, and he’s already been apprehended.
So that leaves only one argument against deporting illegal-alien criminals: that the dearth of illegal aliens in the country is so severe that even those who have committed crimes must be shielded from detection. This argument remains implicit, but it is logically unavoidable. The standard rap against ICE’s Secure Communities program, which checks jail inmates’ fingerprints against ICE’s databases, is that it “could ensnare immigrants who have committed low-level offenses.” So? An alien commits a crime by sneaking across the border illegally, then commits another crime — say, driving drunk, or dealing drugs — and he should be protected against deportation? The only reason for doing so must be to ensure that we don’t lose even a single illegal alien to his home country, even if he’s violating additional criminal laws.
It's not that difficult, people - if you're illegal, you need to GO HOME!  Even if you are the parent of an American citizen.


I didn't make that decision to have a child in the US, who has a parent that is NOT a US citizen.  You did.  So, the way I see it, you have 2 choices:

  1. Go home, taking the kid(s) with you.  The kid is welcome back when he/she hits 18 - but, WITHOUT you - you're not eligible - you deliberately broke our immigration laws.
  2. Go home, without the kid(s).  We'll arrange for the adoption(s).  Lots of US citizens are available to be parents.
Don't like those choices?  Stay home.


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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

And the Moral of the Story Is...

...don't pi$$ off American Bikers.



Nothing says "in your face" like an escort of bikers to school.

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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Now That the Election is Over, What Do We Do?

Honestly, it's all going to vary by:

  • Your circumstances - are you employed, do you have any energy left, what is your bank account telling you, how urgent is the need for activism in your state?
  • Your state/region - what are the issues, will you need to work for the party in the off-season (preparing), are there local issues to contend with?
  • What is your passion - issues, dreams, plans, relationships?  Is there a current issue that drives you?  For me, it is always immigration - those Congressional cockroaches always seem to have another proposed bill up their sleeves.  Although the need ebbs and flows, most of the time, I need to be on top of this issue, lest they slip a fast one by us.
I've been working to set up some post-dated posts - some non-time urgent posts that will be scheduled for publication, to keep my blog in the forefront of people's thoughts.  I've been setting up ads (see sidebar), and updating some old money-churning activities.  Expect to see posts more regularly.

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Using ITunes Podcasts Feature to Bypass the Mainstream Media

Click the link above to download ITunes.

Why would you do that?  You don't own an IPod.

Because ANY computer (Mac or PC) can use the application.  AND, there are Thousands of podcasts on a wide variety of topics - education, leisure, exercise (both audio and video), religions, and, yes - politics.

I have several podcasts that I subscribe to - though they are delivered without any more effort, I still have choices - I can listen to them, download them to an mp3 player (NOT just an IPod), or, if the topic isn't that interesting to me, I can delete them.

One such pocasts that I'm listening to right now is Newt Gingrich's speech at this year's CPAC (Conservative Political Action Committee).  I never voted for Gingrich, don't plan to, but he is a remarkably clear and compelling speaker.  He lays out issues in understandable language, and speaks both knowledgeably and straightforwardly.

Here's the podcast.

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Teen Suicide

Do, in fact, gay teens commit suicide more frequently than non-gay teens?

It appears that the answer is "NO".

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The Darkness of Socialist Economies, Vs. the Light of Capitalist Economies

There's a great article on The American Thinker, by Andrew Thomas.

He contrasts two "republics" (one in-name-only), in the same part of the world, with the same ethnic people.   One followed Marx and Mao, the other followed the Free Market example set by Adam Smith and his philosophical progeny.

Here's the picture.



Now, go read about the differences that caused that picture.

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Letter to the Waste Committee

I was sent an email about the government committee to combat waste.


Obama panel probes stimulus waste -- at Ritz Carlton

By: Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
11/11/10 10:10 AM EST

Members of a key panel created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the stimulus bill, have scheduled a meeting on November 22 to consider ways to prevent "fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds." The meeting will be held at the super-luxe Ritz Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.
The group is the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel, a sub-committee of the larger Recovery Accountability and Transparency board (sometimes known as the RAT board). The stimulus bill set up the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel, or RIAP, to make recommendations to identify and prevent waste of the bill's $814 billion in stimulus spending.
"The purpose of the November 22, 2010 meeting is to allow the RIAP to have an open dialogue, with input from the public, on issues relating to fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds," says anotice in the Federal Register. Specifically, participants in the meeting will discuss various techniques to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as larger issues of transparency and public awareness. Portions of the meeting will be open to the public, while other parts will be closed.
The Ritz-Carlton is located "in the midst of the picturesque Camelback Corridor, the city's premier shopping, dining and financial district," according the hotel's website. Hungry waste-and-abuse hunters can dine in the "casual elegance, relaxed atmosphere and uniquely inviting ambiance of the European-inspired bistro 24." Or they can enjoy Afternoon Tea in the "uniquely warm and inviting" Lobby Lounge. And at any time, waste-and-abuse watchdogs who also enjoy golf will be "just minutes from some of the best courses in the world," including the Tournament Players Club, the Arizona Biltmore, and several others.
And of course, there's one other element to the story: The board is holding a meeting in Arizona, home of the immigration law that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have condemned and are challenging in court, and a state that is also the target of boycotts by a number of left-leaning groups and local governments around the country.
According to the Federal Register notice, members of the public who want to attend are instructed to send their comments topanel@ratb.gov and write "November 22, 2010 RIAP public comment" in the subject line.

So, I decided to send that comment to the RIAP committee.
Where can I start?

I'd like to attend the meeting for people anxious to cut waste and spending in government, but I don't think I can afford to, since it's being held at such an expensive hotel.  Is there a Budget Inn or Motel 6 nearby that I could commute from?
I don't know whether you know it or not, but the city you're holding the meeting in is in bad old AZ - you know, that nasty state that just passed (by an overwhelming majority) the law that said that illegal immigrants would be held to the federal standard (which, of course, is NOT enforced).  I'm confused - I thought all right-thinking (oops, I meant, left-thinking) citizens were supposed to boycott AZ.
I do have a few suggestions - stop these overly luxurious meetings at distant places - the carbon footprint alone is enough to give the environmental busybodies the vapors.  Oh, wait, I forgot, that travel restriction only applies to those nasty RICH people who make their money by starting a business with their OWN money, not leftists who use OTHER people's money to travel to distant places to come up with a strategy for punishing the rich for being, well, RICH.  Although, these days, I really do wonder how they do it - the government being so earnest and hard-working at separating them from their own money.
BTW, y'all MIGHT want to change the name of that committee you're a part of - the acronym RAT does bring unpleasant thoughts to mind, and you don't want the tax-paying public's minds to wander in that direction. 


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Saturday, November 13, 2010

The Midwest Academy

I've been reading Radical-in-Chief, by Stanley Kurtz, and its been a real page-turner.  The section I'm at now deals with the Midwest Academy.  That organization is the training ground of MANY "progressive" organizations.  If you Google "midwest academy training", you'll pop up a lot of choices, that reference it.  It's a handy way to find out where the radicals are, and get a look at the real objectives of many of those bland-sounding groups.

For example, one is the Student Environmental Action Committee.  If my child (or, rather, grandchild) came home saying that he/she'd joined, I wouldn't have thought anything of it but that it was "nice" for them to take an interest in cleaning up the world.

Hah!

The full description of their mission:
The Student Environmental Action Coalition or SEAC is a student and youth run national network of progressive organizations and individuals whose aim is to uproot environmental injustices through action and education. We define the environment to include the physical, economic, political, and cultural conditions in which we live. By challenging the power structure which threatens these conditions, students in SEAC work to create progressive social change on both the local and global levels.
The head of the Board of Directiors of the Midwest Academy is Heather Booth, who had supported the infamous Weather Underground (which another Obama buddy, Bill Ayers, headed).  BTW, read the bottom of the page for the Weathermen, and see just how recently the group's members were active, and who pardoned them - hint - he was famous for his pardons.

ActionPA.org - vague mission of working for grassroots environmental justice movement.

The Change Agency - supporting effective community action.

The Center 4 Tobacco Policy and Organizing "The Center is a project of the American Lung Association in California and is funded by the California Tobacco Control Program."  American Lung Association may have just gotten my last donation.


Sparklight Communications - this looks like an umbrella organization that provides business services to other organizations.  Click here for more information.


Partners in Policymaking - "Twenty years ago, the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities created a ground-breaking, innovative training program called Partners in Policymaking® to teach parents and self-advocates the power of advocacy to change the way people with disabilities are supported, viewed, taught, live and work. During the past two decades, important issues have been confronted and dramatic changes have been made."

It sounds like this last group trains disability activists.  "Since 1987, Partners programs have been implemented nationally and internationally. More than 15,000 Partners graduates are part of a growing national and international network of community leaders serving on policy making committees, commissions, and boards at all levels of government. We are also reaching thousands of people monthly through the online courses."

Hum.  That's rather different than their mild-mannered names might suggest.  I suggest that you check out some of these organizations, including their "alleged" mission statements, and who are the people behind them.  Many are Obamaniacs, radicals, and "reformers", who are persuading the young members to follow their radical ways.

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A Very Brave Man in Academia

Todd Hartch is a very brave man - as a professor at Eastern Kentucky University, he dared to challenge the conventional thinking of the academic world.

Professor Hartch is a conservative on the issue of same-sex marriage.  When his university proposed to grant benefits for domestic partnerships, he publicly took a stand.  Initially, he took the heat, and criticism alone.

But, as his stance became better known, he started hearing from the others - those who agreed with him.  And his thinking widened to accept that contrarian academics need to start risking exposing their unpopular views:
In the midst of all this, while reading George Weigel’s The End and the Beginning, the second volume of his biography of Pope John Paul II, it occurred to me that John Paul might have something valuable to teach me. His predecessors, Popes John XXIII and Paul VI, treated the Soviet bloc as a permanent fixture in modern Europe. Their so-called “Ostpolitik” sought to preserve what could be preserved of Catholic life behind the Iron Curtain by avoiding confrontation and cooperating as much as possible with the demands of Communist governments in Eastern Europe. This was a modus non moriendi, a way of not dying, not a way of fomenting Christian growth and expansion. Despite the pleas of many bishops behind the Iron Curtain to adopt a stronger stance and despite the Paul VI’s own anguish about Communist perfidy, the policy lasted through the 1960s and 1970s. Pope John Paul II, of course, ended the policy and began a vigorous spiritual campaign against the Communist domination of his homeland, Poland, and the other eastern European countries. The rise of the Solidarity movement in Poland and the eventual fall of Soviet communism owe much to the more confrontational approach of John Paul. “How many divisions does the pope have?” Josef Stalin had once asked. The Polish pope demonstrated that he didn’t need armies, that personal example, words of truth, and the creation of a culture of life were more important than guns and tanks. John Paul’s example and my own experiences at EKU have convinced me that it is time to end Ostpolitik on campus.
For at least two generations, Catholics, Orthodox, Evangelicals, and other religious conservatives have sought to “get along” with the prevailing American campus culture of relativism and moral license. We have dedicated ourselves to academic excellence, to fair and balanced teaching, and to keeping a low profile. We have kept quiet in department meetings, in the faculty senate, and on university committees. We have bitten our tongues when colleagues disparaged our religion, our morality, and our most cherished beliefs. We have convinced our colleagues that religious conservatives can be surprisingly thoughtful and urbane.
In the end, what have such actions won for us? Many of us have produced solid scholarship and positive teaching evaluations. We’ve been awarded tenure and even prizes. We have the respect of our colleagues and our administrations. Ostpolitik on campus has allowed religious conservatives to live normal lives, to teach our courses with a degree of independence, and to pursue the research agendas of our choice. Our jobs are secure and our careers give every sign of continuing success.
We have watched, though, as our campuses veered farther and farther off course. Sexual license is now taken for granted. Mentions of abortion, homosexuality, and even bestiality hardly merit a second glance in our campus papers. Many students have never heard a rational conservative argument about any moral issue. Our colleagues now scoff even at the idea of truth, as if it were some quaint notion from the Middle Ages. Discipline after discipline has lost its mooring and drifted into irrelevance or outright idiocy.
It won't be easy for the dissidents of academia.  They may suffer the penalties of a vengeful "Soviet", sternly enforcing the status quo.

But, how can a free people (Americans) do less than the Polish people, who faced the most repressive military force of that time?

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Why the Move to Jump-Start the Economy With Inflation Now

Is there, in fact, going to be a massive inflation of the currency?

Well, if you believe Sarah Palin, yes.

But, of course, she's a dummy, isn't she?  Where could she have possibly gotten that idea?

From the newspaper of the reporter questioning her understanding and knowledge of economics, of course.

I think this is what my son would call a Boo-Yah! moment.

But, why would inflation be such an unmitigated disaster for the American public.

On this, I have some expertise.  I lived through the inflation of the 1970s.  It was dreadful.  It eroded buying power, and made strikes near-constant.  Why?  Because the unions' members couldn't manage on  wages previously adequate.

The higher wages resulting from those strikes led to higher prices - and, inevitably, to calls for increased wages.  For union members, it was a cycle without end.  For those who didn't belong to a union, it was a nightmare - our bosses had trouble meeting wage demands of unions, and they did so by keeping our wages stagnant.

So, is the solution to join a union?

Please.

I've belonged to several unions, and each was more inefficient, more top-heavy with either corruption or socialists (sometimes, sadly, both) than any Kremlin politbureau.  I always looked at the deduction taken out of my paycheck as wasted money.  At that time, I worked for "closed shop" businesses.  Either join, or pay almost the same, but without membership - it made little difference.

Inflation does increase the value of homes, it's true, but at a terrible cost - savers find their efforts to be a waste, and retirees find that the value of their pension shrinks to almost nothing.  An inflationary economy encourages over-spending, going into debt, and living for today.

None of those are admirable character traits.

All of those traits developed in the generation that reached adulthood in the 1970s; those would be baby-boomers.  Is it any wonder that so many are "adults" of little personal character?



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Last Gasp of Energy

I worked today - it was tough.  I have a cold, and I basically felt like #$%^&*(.

But, with only 1 day before the weekend, it didn't seem worth taking off (trust me, for teachers, it's a LOT more trouble to take a day off than to go in sick).  I did so, and, with the help of tea, cough drops, and a lot of decongestant, I survived.

Also, I might add, thanks to some wonderful kids that knew I wasn't feeling well (they just had to look at me), and who rose to the occasion.  Bless them, all of them.

I'm home.  I'm lounging around, taking in liquids of the type that I can't at school, and enjoying the evening.  I'll probably turn in soon (again, thanks to those liquids).

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Post-Election Analysis From Sarah

First, I find it amazing that in just 2 short years (and a few months), Gov. Palin has become well-known enough that she's one of those select few that are commonly referred to by only 1 name.

Second, read her article in National Review - it's worth the time.

A small sample - referring to her support of more conservative candidates - whether or not they are more electable - she writes:
Certainly we can and should back sensible center-right candidates in bluer states, but I see no point in backing someone who supports cap-and-tax, Obamacare, bailouts, taxes, and more useless stimulus packages. If you think such a candidate will be with us when it comes time to vote down an Obama Supreme Court nominee, you’re living on a unicorn ranch in fantasy land.
She has some advice:

  1. The first lesson is simple: Set the narrative.
  2. The second lesson of this election is one a number of the candidates had to learn to their cost: Fight back the lies immediately and consistently.
  3. Another important lesson is that we will need the mother of all GOTV efforts if we wish to win in 2012.
  4. The last, and possibly most important, lesson is that a winning conservative message must always be carefully crafted.
That last piece of advice may be an argument against using rookies - in almost every case, they weren't experienced enough (including Sarah, during the 2008 race) to side-step the booby-traps, avoid the faux paus, and keep from stepping on one's own tongue.  It's understandable.  It takes time to become polished.

Therefore, any time that a local or low-level state position opens up in the next 2 years, we need to send in the rookies.  Let them get their feet wet in the small ponds of local politics.

Also, these aspirant politicians need to learn more about their city and county government - they need to attend the zoning meetings (I did, recently, and was both enthralled and educated by the experience), the school board meetings, and, yes, even the soil and water conservation meetings.  Find out what different offices DO.  Learn the nuts & bolts of government, and what the different positions CAN do, & what they CAN'T do.


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This Time, The Opposition is Right To Question Bank Procedures

I'm no great fan of the anti-business types; too often, they oppose big businesses just to be difficult, if not with the specific intent of undermining capitalism.

This time, they're right to oppose the robo-signing of foreclosure documents.

The slice-and-dice breaking apart of the original mortgages enabled companies to sell what are called "mortgage derivatives".  One big user of the instrument was Countrywide (full disclosure:  I used them twice, in 2 different home sales).  Apparently, they weren't fussy about paperwork, and granted MANY mortgages with shaky financing.

Because the mortgages were re-sold in parts, they were considered "safer" than selling a single mortgage, which would have to be scrutinized to see whether it was a good deal for the purchaser of the mortgage.  As a result, when a bank re-sold a single mortgage, they had to have all the paperwork intact and looking good.

Not so derivatives.  Now that there is a need to foreclose on those mortgages that underly them, the banks are finding that the original paper is lost, missing, or in different places, including in the old files on long-gone banks.

On one hand, banks certainly deserve to be able to foreclose on deadbeats who aren't paying their legal obligations.

On the other hand, state laws are VERY firm on this particular type of transaction.  You have to follow ALL the steps, and definitively prove your claim when it comes to mortgages.  Fail to do so, and the foreclosure can be tossed out of court.

Some of the problems:
There was much evidence, for instance, that mortgage servicers - responsible for collecting payment from borrowers and foreclosing when loans default - were charging improper fees and engaging in other questionable practices.
A 2007 study by Kathleen Porter, a University of Iowa law professor, found that servicers often tried to seize people's homes improperly, adding new fees when borrowers wanted to try saving them. She found that many servicers "lack the required documentation necessary to establish a valid debt."
That's why the temporary hold on foreclosures.  Sure, some of the borrowers will undeservedly get extra time in their homes.  Some will be able to re-negotiate, that would not have been able to.  And, some will get under from the push to get them out, and get back on safe financial ground.

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The Funniest Video - Evah!

I found this on Big Government - it was produced by Tim Hawkins, who produces comedy and a whole lot more.



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Sunday, November 07, 2010

When You've Lost Peggy, You're Toast

Wow!  Peggy Noonan, the squishy,loves-everybody, semi-Conservative-but-really-willing-to-compromise-with-liberals columnist, is SO over Obama:
On to the aftermath of the election. On Wednesday, President Obama gave a news conference to share his thoughts. Viewers would have found it disappointing if there had been any viewers. The president is speaking, in effect, to an empty room. From my notes five minutes in: "This wet blanket, this occupier of the least interesting corner of the faculty lounge, this joy-free zone, this inert gas." By the end I was certain he will never produce a successful stimulus because he is a human depression.  Actually I thought the worst thing you can say about a president: He won't even make a good former president.
This is it, folks!  When Peggy Noonan has nothing but bad to say about you, you better start packing your bags.

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7 Menopausal Dwarves

Found on VodkaMom:



Oh, yeah, I TOTALLY get that!

NOTE:  Men, if you find this, do NOT show it to her!  She will only find it true/funny/not sexist if SHE finds it and shows it around.

You will thank me for that information; it may save your life (see that last dwarf?  You will meet her in person if you laugh and show the picture to your wife).

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Why Having a Rational Discussion Can Be a Futile Exercise

I found this at Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.  It's long, but oddly reminiscent of certain conversations I have had with SOME people (NOTE:  Contrary to what this implies, conservation with liberals is NOT always futile.  However, to a true believer - of ANY extreme political position - it can, sadly, be all too true).



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Saturday, November 06, 2010

I Can't Wait To See These Hearings

Reid's campaign probably broke the law by pressuring the casinos to MAKE their employees vote, and overseeing their ballots.

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The First Step on the Road to 9/11

I like Debbie Schlussel.  I've been reading her for some time, and I really do think she gets a bum rap from some other bloggers.  True, she had feuds with some, but I'm not close enough to the circumstances to know what the tangled details reveal, and, frankly, I haven't the time to untangle them.

This link is LONG - but important to read, in full, as it traces the long and convoluted road from the murder of a rabbi, to 9/11 and beyond.  You need to inform yourself, so the next step on the road doesn't come as a surprise.

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Yet Another Border Outrage (YABO)

I received this information in an email today.  I made a point of checking out the link, as well as making sure that it wasn't an urban rumor.
52 Mil To Restore Habitat Damaged By Border Fence
by Judicial Watch, Inc. on Monday, November 1, 2010
The region where an illegal immigrant murdered an Arizona rancher six months ago remains plagued by Mexican drug-cartel violence yet the Obama Administration has chosen to spend $52 million on restoring habitat damaged by the border fence rather than secure the area.
A chunk of the cash—$14.3 million—will fund more than a dozen habitat restoration projects in a region long afflicted by the violence of Mexican drug and human smuggling operations. It’s an area where earlier this year a veteran cattle rancher (Robert Krentz) was gunned down by an illegal immigrant on his 34,000-acre property in Cochise County near the southern border.
Instead of dedicating resources to securing the crime-infested border region, the government will spend tens of millions of dollars to develop jaguar management plans, monitor fish populations, study bat movements, restore wetlands and plant various species of an ornamental tree native to the southwestern United States. The goal is to restore the areas damaged by construction of the border fence, according to the Arizona newspaper that reported the story over the weekend.
Billions have been spent on erecting fences along the 2,000-mile southern border and its time Uncle Sam allocates cash to protecting animals and plants, according to a government official quoted in the story. In this particular crime-infested area of Arizona, the tax dollars will go to six initial projects that include monitoring jaguars and restoring jaguar habitat ($2.1 million), monitoring endangered long-nosed and Mexican bat roosts ($1.9 million) and restoring vegetation in a stretch “damaged” by 5.2 miles of fence near Lukeville ($980,000).
Pointing out that the region’s ranchers and residents live in a “lawless” area “controlled by drug cartels,” the Arizona Cattlemen's Association suggests that the government prioritize protecting humans over wildlife. Drug smugglers disrupt everyday life and ranchers see the degradation of their environment yet the administration doesn’t help restore their habitat, the group points out.
This is one of those "last straw" episodes that should make us go a little gonzo.  Please, please, contact:

Your Senator
Your Representative
The White House (yeah, I know - it does seem to be a giant waste of time, but they still need to hear it)
The Department of the Interior (they are who are in charge of Wildlife Management - this link will take you directly to the Fish and Wildlife Service's online comment page)

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Tuesday, November 02, 2010

The Man Who Made Jimmy Carter Look Ept

Barack Obama

Elitist, arrogant


Incapable of talking without a teleprompter

A disaster for our economy

His fumbling incompetence makes Jimmuh look good.



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A Last Pitch for Your Vote

36 Reasons to vote Democrat.

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Why I Refuse to Join the AARP

The American Thinker has a post on organizations that endorsed policies that not only DIDN'T benefit its members, but directly HURT them.  On of those organizations is AARP.

Founded as a nonprofit advocate for retirees on issues affecting older Americans, AARP counts 40 million members. It is ten times the size of the National Rifle Association and not far behind the 68-million-member Catholic Church. Two-thirds of its $800-million annual budget comes from insurance sales, and another $240 million from membership dues, giving it a budget five times the size of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It is arguably the most powerful lobbying group for seniors and Baby Boomers.


But AARP's endorsement of ObamaCare was clearly made at the expense of its members' best interests. Obama's health insurance program targets seniors for $313 billion in Medicare cuts over the next ten years. That gives AARP a profitable opportunity to sell Medigap insurance. With fewer seniors on Medicare Advantage, demand for Medicare fee-for-service insurance will expand, as will royalties to AARP, which already command 30% of the Medigap insurance market.  The organization's call for $500 billion in Medicare cuts was made because it recognized that it would lose money if it didn't stop the Medicare Advantage program. Further, ObamaCare not only cuts Medicare, but it also limits patient-doctor choice and rations health care. Yet AARP remains a supporter, putting its commercial interests over the needs of its membership. 
This group DOESN'T represent the seniors it purports to.  It does not represent their interests, which, in addition to getting benefits for their members, should also realize that almost all of their members have children and grandchildren - whom the members want to NOT be made bankrupt for the sake of Granny and Gramps.

The insurance that AARP sells is NOT the best deal for seniors - it is just the insurance that offers the organization the best payoff.  Moneywatch has an analysis of AARP's offerings, and they aren't impressed.

Ed Hinerman, an insurance analyst, agrees that AARP often pushes bad plans for their target group.

I know the card comes with a low yearly membership rate, and it brings enticing coupons and offers, but consider tearing it up next time, and throwing it in the place it has earned - the garbage.

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American Idol

Barack Obama is slated to appear before American Idol's Ryan Seacrest today in an apparent effort to drum up the youth vote.

Lots of luck, Mr. President.

That's right, the young people aren't as excited to vote this time, because you haven't made enough trendy appearances. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you didn't deliver on campaign promises that meant the most to them - jobs, DADT, closing down the War on Terror, environmental issues, making it possible for them to move out of Mumsy and Daddums house, etc.

Ohhhh, no - it was just that they are too mentally feeble ("feebs") to find the spot on the channel changer where REAL presidents appear - the news shows - and needed you to hunt them down on their "fluff shows".

Yeah, that's the ticket.

Good thing you chose Ryan Seacrest - he's used to dealing with overinflated ego-driven divas. You should be right at home.

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Monday, November 01, 2010

Bush's First Pitch - World Series 4

This was nice. "Young" Bush rode out, accompanied by his dad, HW. The elder Bush was clearly a little frail, had a hip that was apparently "dinky". He leaned heavily on his cane.

The younger Bush stood with his dad for a short while, enjoying the moment, and probably enjoying having his dad share the moment with him.

Then, he wound up, and sailed a lazy one, right into the catcher's mitt. No trying for the fastball, no dramatics. It was clearly something he'd done many times in the past, and was comfortable with. Click on the link on the title to see it.

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Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...