Friday, January 30, 2009

Time to bring out the Nannystate Flag...

(Click on pic for full size)


Minnesota to ban smoking in cars with kids?

What's next, a knock on your door in the middle of the night from the tobacco nazis?

I don't smoke; personally, outside of an occasional fine cigar, I detest it. But this continued encroachment on our freedoms is getting to be wayyyy out of hand. First the restaurants. Now our cars. Next our homes?

Wake up, Minnesota, and wake up Republican legislators!

Life After Being Governor...

The storied erstwhile, now-unemployed Governor of Illinois Rod "Blago" Blagojevich is now out of the Governor's mansion in Springfield, so what is to become of him?

Personally, I think he'll be the Tonya Harding of politics . He'll serve some light time,

...after which he'll make the morning talk show circuit, maybe a couple of appearances on Springer..

Or, perhaps he'll hit the reality TV circuit, and be a temporary move-in with The Osbournes

And if that doesn't work, how about celebrity kick boxing?

With his charisma, and with my photoshop, The possibilities are endless.

Tom Daschle has the bona fides to serve in the Obama Administration.

Turns out he was allegedly involved in criminal activity:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Finance committee will meet Monday to review the tax records of former Sen. Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services who, according to sources, didn't pay taxes on a car and driver he had been loaned.

A Democratic source familiar with the situation told CNN that Daschle was loaned a car and driver by a wealthy friend and failed to disclose it on his income taxes, as he should have. Daschle has since paid what he owed, the source said.

Sounds like he'd be perfect to serve in an ethical, open, Obama administration.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that Daschle brought the issues to the committee's attention himself and that Obama is "confident" he will be confirmed.

What's a little cheating on one's taxes among the liberal elite anyway? I mean, actually paying taxes is for the "little people."

Hell. It's the thought that counts.

I Watched the RNC Chair elections today...

Went from five, to three, and finally to two candidates, with Michael Steele being the eventual victor. It was textbook democracy in action, and a good man won. On my way home from work tonight, a smarmy, angry-sounding talking head reporter on the CBS top-of-the-hour radio news commented on how a "deeply divided" Republican party took six rounds of voting to elect Steele.

WTF--there were six candidates to begin with!

But here was this "reporter," with a smarmy "how dare the Republicans elect a black guy" attitude clearly present in his voice.

It appears that the only organization where conservative minorities need not apply is with the DNC.

I'm Gonna Eat a Bunch of Worms...

...and live?

Can eating dirt make you healthier?

Several studies called the hygiene hypothesis show that when organisms from bacteria, viruses and worms enter the body from dirt, the immune system becomes stronger, The New York Times reported.

The ongoing studies imply ingesting worms redirects a skewed immune system, curing people with autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

“What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her new book, “Why Dirt Is Good” (Kaplan). “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.”

Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa,said children who grow up on farms and are exposed to worms and other organisms have been found less likely to develop allergies or autoimmune diseases.

“Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” Weinstock said.

I'll have the first piece of mudpie, thanks!

It Takes A Proverb...

Iowahawk outdoes himself.

Must reading.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 1-28-09

This Weeks Post Was Suggested And Written By Cynthia

Sgt James E. Craig
Sgt James E. Craig
27 years old from Hollywood, South Carolina
1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
January 28, 2008
U.S. Army

James, 27, was killed on January 28, 2008, in Mosul, Iraq, along with four other soldiers when the unit encountered an IED, followed by an ambush from a nearby Mosque. It has been a year since James was killed. I miss him each day.

James was on his third deployment to Iraq. There are so many things about James that I admired. He was 'loud' and funny and articulate and sweet - even calling himself 'Sweet Soldier' - and brave and tough. He was a devout Christian and more comfortable with telling people he was than anyone I ever knew - he had a enviable, easy comfort with this faith. It would be so easy to write and write about James, but let me share some portions of his letters - his long and articulate letters.

"...I am very much looking forward to this war being over. However, I fully support everything that is going on over here ever since I saw first hand what the real situation was. Our media doesn't portray the truth of this operation or the necessity to the people here. They need freedom and desperately cry out for someone to help them. ... I know one thing, God wants me here."

"The war here is stating to come to an end. It will be a slow transition period where the responsibility of the battle space is handed over to the growing Iraqi Army. It all depends on the Iraqis if we are able to leave them with it safely."

"...it is a tale of my wonderful journey where I made memories I will never forget and stood up for something that I believe in...that sweet taste of freedom when the day is done and the knowledge that I have done something to ensure the positive future of my loved ones. And, you should know that it comforts me the most that what I do protects wonderful people like you."

To read more about Sgt James Craig, go here.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Wednesday Hero Logo

Be Still My Heart!!!

While browsing the net today, I came upon this headline:
Murtha to Step Down

"Gads!" I thought, "could it really be? Could it be that the most corrupt politician to come down the pike since Huey Long has finally had his comeuppance?" So I clicks on the headline, and finds this:
BRATTLEBORO -- After nearly 14 years serving on bench, U.S. District Court Judge J. Garvan Murtha will move to senior status this July.

Murtha, approaching 68, said Tuesday that he has fulfilled all the requirements in the full-time position and decided to step down in order to give someone else the opportunity to be a federal judge.

Curses. I certainly look forward to that day when such a headline will be attributed to the target of this blog.

A movie every married couple needs to see...

Along with every person who plans to be married someday.

Fireproof.

It's now out on DVD. Don't preview it. Just rent/buy it and watch it.

Together.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Great Pioneers in the Field of Eugenics...

1. Adolph Hitler


Thought it would be a good idea to create "the master race." Thought that the "Jewish Problem" could be handled via their extermination.

2. Josef Mengele (a/k/a "The Angel of Death")
Mengele selects incoming Jews for labour or extermination in the gas chambers and conducts pseudoscientific medical experiments on inmates, principally infants, young twins, dwarfs and those with genetic abnormalities. He is given his own laboratory block, independent financing and a medical staff.

He is also supported by the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Anthropology, Human Genetics and Eugenics at Dahlem in Berlin and sends specimens to the institute director, Dr Otmar von Verschuer, his former supervisor at the University of Frankfurt and an expert on the genetics of twins.

Mengele investigates ways to increase human fertility. He tries to find a genetic cause for the disease 'noma' (a rare gangrenous condition of the face and mouth), studies physical abnormalities and contagious diseases, conducts experiments with wounds, and attempts to change the colour of inmate's eyes to blue with injections of chemicals directly into the eyeball. His chief interest is twins.

3. Margaret Sanger:


Founder of Planned Parenthood. Along with being an anti-semite and supporting the genocide of the Negro race, of her most famous sayings,
"It is a vicious cycle; ignorance breeds poverty and poverty breeds ignorance. There is only one cure for both, and that is to stoop breeding these things. Stop bringing to birth children whose inheritance cannot be one of health or intelligence. Stop bringing into the world children whose parents cannot provide for them."

And:

"The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it."
And last, but certainly not least,

4. San Fran Nancy Pelosi, who famously said yesterday that "contraception is good for the economy."

Her interview with Stephanopolous:


No apologies, eh, Nancy? Somehow that doesn't surprise me. That's the way to help the economy. Make sure folks are never born. That's worked so well in Europe.

But hold your head up proud, Ms. Pelosi. You're in (in)famous company.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A New "Little Red Book" For Our Times?


Remember that little red book that everyone in Maoist China carried around in their pockets... you know, the Quotations from Chairman Mao? Remember how it was not only required reading, but every citizen had to have a copy on his or her person at all times?




Well, now that we have elected our Obammessiah, The History Company has developed a new "Pocket Obama"
Well, actually it's not red, it's blue... but the publisher states:
...in a size that easily fits into pocket or purse, this book is an anthology of quotations borrowed from Barack Obama's speeches and writings. POCKET OBAMA serves as a reminder of the amazing power of oratory and the remarkable ability of this man to move people with his words. His superb and captivating oratory style has earned comparisons to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and this historic collection presents words that catapulted his remarkable rise to the American Presidency. It is an unofficial requirement for every citizen to own, to read, and to carry this book at all times. (emphases added--ed.)
Why is it that the more and more I see this clown portrayed, the more and more he looks like some infamous commie despot? Is art imitating life? Will we soon see little blue books everywhere we turn? Like on the farm fields of Minnesota?


Will the Obammessiah minions see to it that every school child is equipped with a "little blue book?"

Yes, hope and change we can believe in.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Murtha and Kuchera Industries: Follow the Money!

As I posted yesterday, the FBI raided a Pennsylvania defense contractor with strong ties to our very own Jihad Jack Murtha. What I didn't know was just how entwined our porcine earmark king was with the bigwigs at Kuchera Defense Systems:
Over the last several years, Murtha, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, has helped steer more than $100 million in contracts to Kuchera, a government contractor founded in 1985 by Bill Kuchera. The company and its employees have donated more than $65,000 dollars to Murtha’s re-election campaign and leadership PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records.

How many more times are the folks in PA-12 going to send this slime-laden, corrupt bloated dinosaur of a politician back to what should be a position of trust in Washington? How many times must he be caught with his fat, greasy fingers in the cookie jar before PA-12 voters finally get sufficiently disgusted to say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?!?"

(Cross-posted at Murtha Must Go!!)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Blogs for Mirth Obligatory Post #2...Michael Moore--how do I love thee...



Ode to Michael Moore, Part II
(with apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My arms can reach, around thy waist which is not slight...
For the ends of Dingleberries and ideal Grace.
For that unshaven beard that adorns thy face...
Most quiet need, by Domino's and Maid Rite,
I love thee freely, though thou blockest my light;
I love thee purely, as thou turnest thy gaze.
Toward the Taco Bell with thy eyes aglazed..
In thy olden briefs, with thy racing stripes.
I love thee even though thou smellest ripe..
With thy putrid teeth, --- and with thy foul breath...
Smiles, tears from the stench! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death!

Obligatory Blogs for Mirth Post #1



Ode to Michael Moore (to the tune of "Close to you" by The Carpenters)

Why do flies, suddenly appear...
Every time you are near?
Can't you see, it's perfectly plain to see you have B.O.

Why do birds fall out of the sky...
Every time, you walk by?

Can't you see, it's perfectly plain to see you have, B.O...

On the day when you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a gag come true..
So they sprinkled cow dung in your hair
And sprayed some skunk juice in your armpits tooooooo (pee-yew)

That's why all the skunks in town...
Follow you, all around...
Can't you see, it's perfectly plain to see you have... B.O.
Can't you see, it's perfectly plain to see you have...B.O...

Why, Oh Why..do you have B.O. (I really wanna know, I really wanna know)
Why, Oh Why..do you have B.O. (I really wanna know I really wanna know)
Why, Oh Why..do you have B.O. (and I don't mean Barack Obamaaaaaaa)

Every Taxpayer in America Must see this video:

It literally says it all:



(h/t Let Freedom Ring

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Crass vs. Class: A tale of Two Presidencies:

CRASS:

Remember how outraged we all were, when like a bunch of sadistic, vindictive middle school brats, when upon their exit, the trailer-trash Clinton administration looted the White House? (Of course, they finally said they'd pay for some items, but that was only after it was brought to light).  Remember all the missing "W" keys from the computer keyboards and other vandalism?

CLASS:

Upon taking residency at the White House, how did President Bush react to the Clinton looting and vandalism?  He was the adult.  He decided against prosecutions for the vandalisms perpetrated on The People's House.  Despite the catterwalling and incessant ravaging and character assassination by the leftist both within and without the beltway, Bush was determined to Set a "new tone" for Washington. President Bush respected his Office and chose to take the high road on this and many other issues, including inviting the Kennedy clan to the White House for movies and popcorn.   His respect for the office continued through his final days as President:
Unlike Bill and Hillary Clinton, George and Laura Bush will take few treasured mementos with them from their years at the White House.

When the Clintons left the White House in January 2001, the former first couple took with them more than 50 gifts -- including a chandelier, flatware, and paintings -- valued at nearly $200,000.

The Bushes, however, borrowed from furnishings that already existed within the White House collection, said Sally McDonough, press secretary to Laura Bush.

"Mrs. Bush -- having the experience of being at the White House when her father-in-law was president -- knew how many beautiful things she had to choose from to furnish the residence. And she will go back to Texas with only those items that belong to her," McDonough told FOXNews.com.
By their fruits shall ye know them.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Today is My Birthday!!!

~Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birrrth-daaa..ay..y

Oh shit.

Monday, January 19, 2009

It's the Spending, Stupid!

Representative Laura Brod sent out a memo today showing graphs that more than suggest that the State currently suffers from a spending problem, not a revenue problem. MN House GOP researcher Craig Stone explains it better than I ever could (all emphases added):

"The following graphs relate to the November forecast. They lend support to the position that the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.


The first graph shows that General Fund Revenue and Expenditure growth has exceeded the consumer price index, CPI. The graph uses FY ’02-’03 as a base, and projects through the upcoming FY ’10-’11 biennium using the November Forecast. Actual Revenues have risen 26.02%, which is above the 22.22% increase in CPI. General Fund expenditures are projected to increase by 36.62% over that time.



The second graph builds on the first. It simply shows total GF revenues and spending from the end of the FY’02-’03 biennium through the FY’10-’11 biennium (November Forecast). If spending had been and would be held to the CPI for that time period there would be a budget surplus of over $7.9 billion for the FY’10-11 biennium given actual revenues raised during that time.



That $7.9 billion represents the tax cut foregone by the state having spent over and above CPI. The $7.9 billion is the total potential cut, over that 8 year period.


The third graph shows that for the current FY’08-’09 biennium (the first biennium under renewed House DFL control) spending vastly exceeded revenues coming in. In fact, over $2 billion more was spent than raised! That level of over-spending could only be enacted due to the large budget surplus the GOP left the DFL.


This spending of over $2 billion more than raised in the current biennium, combined with projected further increased spending and nearly flatline revenues raised leads directly to the November forecast of a $4.8 billion shortfall for the upcoming biennium and a $4.6 billion deficit in the out biennium.

Finally, it should be noted that the adoption of the constitutional amendment dedicating MVST revenues to roads and transit has had a significant impact on the general fund. This was not unexpected, but those responsible for the dedication – and the voters – should understand that a portion of any budget reductions for the current and upcoming biennium can be attributed to this dedication.


For the current biennium, the amendment took $625.8 million out of the GF, which would have solved the deficit in the November Forecast.


For the upcoming biennium, the amendment will divert $798 million from the GF, which is 16% of the shortfall. However, it should be remembered that existing law at the time statutorily dedicated a portion of those then General Funds to roads and transit. If those statutory dedications had not been altered to deal with the budget situation then the actual impact on the current biennial deficit would have been $132.3 million and $316 million on the projected shortfall for the upcoming biennium.


State government spending out of control and way beyond increases in the consumer price index. Who'd a thunk it? The fact that we could be sitting on a 7 billion dollar surplus instead of a 5+ billion dollar deficit speaks volumes.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

To God, From the Dog

There are some emails I get that I wonder why they were sent.

This isn't one of them.

TO: GOD
FROM: THE DOG

Dear God: Is it on purpose our names are the same, only reversed?

Dear God: Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another?

Dear God: When we get to heaven, can we sit on your couch? Or is it still the same old story?


Dear God: Why are there cars named after the jaguar, the cougar, the mustang, the colt, the stingray, and the rabbit, but not ONE named for a Dog? How often do you see a cougar riding around? We do love a nice ride! Would it be so hard to rename the 'Chrysler Eagle' the 'Chrysler Beagle'?


Dear God: If a Dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad Dog?


Dear God: We Dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?


Dear God: More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.


Dear God: Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?



Dear God: Let me give you a list of just some of the things I must remember to be a good Dog.

1. I will not eat the cats' food before they eat it or after they throw it up.

2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish, crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.



3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.



4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.



5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.

6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's underwear when he's on the toilet.


7. Sticking my nose into someone's crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.


8. I don't need to suddenly stand straight up when I'm under the coffee table ..



9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.




10. I will not come in from outside and immediately drag my butt.


11. I will not sit in the middle of the living room and lick my crotch.


12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy' so when I play with him and he makes that noise, it's usually not a good thing.

P.S. Dear God: When I get to Heaven may I have my testicles back?

'Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened'

Anybody else see anything wrong with this picture?

(click on pic for full size)


Are you starting to get much of what's wrong with this country?

The Gospel According to MSNBC

...as presented on Fox News:

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Today's Movie Reveiw in a Nutshell.

Gran Torino.

Go see it.

End of review.

Calling it what it is...

Words mean things, and sometimes a few words say it all... like the words that make up this headline, for instance
Preaching global climate change through music
Preaching... religion. Yep. About sums it up.

The Brownshirts are Coming?

Remember Obama's promise of a national civilian security force that is as well-equipped and well-funded as the Army? Well, it would appear that he would have all that, as well as his own private "army."
In what would be another unprecedented step, Obama's political staff is deciding whether to create a service organization that would use the vast corps of its grass-roots campaign supporters. As described by one source knowledgeable with the discussions, this nonprofit arm would be used to help victims of natural disasters, but would do so under the Obama umbrella while continuing to build the overall network's massive e-mail database.

Has a president ever had an organized political relief squad, independent from the federal government? This strikes me as quite creepy. "Hi we're here to help...on behalf of Barack Obama....federal relief workers will be here shortly..."
This, coupled with this, and do we get this?

Remember:
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
-Ronald Wilson Reagan
Will ours be the generation asleep at the switch?

Just wondering.

Today's Deep Thought...

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.'

News You Can Use...

Got this in an email--can't yet swear to the veracity of every one of these tips, but I plan to try a lot of them:

How Many of These Did You Know About?

A sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm..).

Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.

For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: Get warm water and put Dawn dish washing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (Wish I had known this for the last 40 years!).

To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Then take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. The wax will fall out.

Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort ( elbow grease that is!).

Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.

Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get 'sharpened'' t his way!

Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL

Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry t oo quickly and will probably streak.

Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely a light scent in each room when the light is turned on.

Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen.

Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning.

To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously (the paper bag, not yourself) as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!

To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stove top.

Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring
in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains.

Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will
keep for weeks.

When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the
corn's natural sweetness.

Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half, and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away. (I prefer to soak the lime in Gin and rub it on my tongue first)


Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces...Left over wine? What's that?

To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.


Ants, ants, ants everywhere. Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So, get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.

Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.

When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, and then pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily.

Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer...Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush.

Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water, and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets.

Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.

Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle w ith water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (Or longer, if necessary).

Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.


Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?

Friday, January 16, 2009

The days of the "dead tree media" are numbered..

The Strib is sinking.

Andy writes:

Decades of tone deaf liberal pontificating and gleeful smearing of anything remotely center right, ‘reporting’ only the facts that benefit liberal policies and politicians. The one sided liberal bias of the paper made it a must *not* read paper for a very large portion of Minnesotans. And with the fact that people can get the news that they want for free online, clinging to the old business model for news left the Strib as a failure waiting to happen.

It is really just further proof that the free market works.

The fact that the dead tree media is dying while conservative talk radio, its nemesis lo these past 20 years, is thriving, not only speaks volumes, but nearly perfectly defines irony.

~I'd Like To Teach the World to Sing~ (What you didnt' see on the radio)

I was listening to Gov. Pawlenty's State of the State speech yesterday, as he gave an analogy of a family at a kitchen table, trying hard to budget themselves during these difficult economic times. I was struck by the loud and raucous applause given when Governor Pawlenty asked the legislature on behalf of every Minnesotan not to increase their burdens by raising their taxes. I thought to myself, given the volume and duration of the applause, the DFL folks must be applauding, too.

Kinda gave me a pretty good feeling--like there was actually bi-partisan agreement that raising taxes during a recession was a bad thing and off the table; that was, until I received this in an email from an observer who was there, who noted:
...How rude! Notably: When Pawlenty pleaded, on behalf of average Minnesotans, "Please don't raise my taxes," the GOP stood and applauded. The DFL sat on their hands.

What that tells us is clear: The DFL will raise our taxes, given the chance. This after Tarryl Clark told a recent meeting of St. Cloud area business leaders, "I won't raise your taxes." Senate Tax Committee Chair, Tom Baak, speaking Tuesday evening at the Minnesota Grocers Association dinner in St. Paul, acknowledged that taxes cannot be increased much because it would have a chilling effect on our already frigid economy, and extend our recession. Yet there they were, firmly sitting on their hands to tell us all what their response will be to Minnesotans' plea for no more taxes.

The DFL partisanship against Governor Pawlenty this afternoon was palpable -- evident in everything from silence, smirks and asides, to negative body language. They don't want to cooperate. They want to stick this in Pawlenty and break it off! Tarryl Clark's cold stares and lack of applause spoke volumes. This from a senator who promotes herself as a moderate bridge-builder and a bi-partisan!
In the words of another song,

~Can you feel the love tonight?~

Brace yourselves. I think we're about to be raped.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

A nostalgia post...

When I was a kid, and all the way through the mid 1980s, one of my favorite stores in the world was F. W. Woolworth's at the Cermak Plaza in Berwyn, Illinois. A sundries store, F.W. Woolworth had everything from goldfish to parakeets, from gloves to shoes-- During the early days of living on my own, Woolworth's saved me from frostbite on a number of occasions, as they usually had decent winter gloves at prices I could afford. One of the features that Woolworth's had was a pretty decent cafe. I received a copy of this Woolworth's menu from the 1950s (click on the pic to enlarge it).

Kinda neat, ain't it?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Global Warming: Welcome to the Looking Glass...

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Recall Alice
When she was just small

When men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know

When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the dormouse said;
"FEED YOUR HEAD
_______________
FEED your head"
-Jefferson Airplane-


In order to believe any tenet of liberalism, you must not only first suspend your own observations; verily, you must suspend reality itself, where right is left, up is down, good is evil, evil good, warm is cold, cold is warm...(emphases added):
Meteorologists: Global Warming and Cold Weather Go Hand-In-Hand


14 January 2009

The World Meteorological Organization says cold weather does not mean that global warming has abated. WMO says people should not confuse weather with climate.

Isn't that what the global warming chickenlittles have been ramming down our throats lo this past friggen decade? Hurricane Katrina? Global warming. Thunderstorms--Global warming. Tornadoes--Global warming. A warm summer's breeze... of course, global warming. Algore and his merry filthy-stinkin'-rich band of alarmists have blamed every individual weather event from rain to drought on global warming.

Hell--the alarmists have done such a wonderful job with their propaganda machine that they've given our kids nightmares about global warming.

And now that it's colder than a witches tit in a brass bra, they're saying that weather events don't matter any more? They've blamed episodic melting of polar ice on global warming, and then in the same breath say that the resurgence of arctic ice to 1979 levels is immaterial. Either individual weather events are symptomatic of global warming or they're not. You can't cherrypick.

Yet they trudge on with their packs of lies emblazoned on their placards, continuing to proclaim them as truth, clinging to their dogma more fiercely than any Appalachian ever clinged to guns and religion.

However, the agenda behind the agenda with regard to the intensifyingly hysterical global warming wailing and gnashing of teeth is quite clear: Follow the money. Oh, and did I say, Follow the money. And while you're at it, follow the ideology.

It ain't going away any time soon, kids.

So, kiddos, fasten your seatbelts, open your wallets wide, and enjoy your little sojourn through the looking glass lo these next four years.

Lewis Carroll himself could think of nothing more bizarre.

Wednesday Hero Blogburst 1-14-09

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Deb

Capt. Ed Freeman
Capt. Ed Freeman
Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
U.S. Army

While reading the info on Cpt. Freeman, I found that I couldn't have put it better than this.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
Wednesday Hero Logo

I see London I see France...

Interesting, but I'm thinking the likeness of the President Elect would have been better placed on the rear end of the boxers, on the inside..

Alternatively, the following may be a product more conducive to the true value of the President Elect's planned policies:

Liberalism 101

From Glenn Beck's website:
GLENN: Right. But it's interesting also that Janeane Garofalo and Jon Voight are in the same series this year.


STU: Yeah.


GLENN: The right and the left actors. Okay. So she's in that one scene, and I'm not going to give anything away but, you know -- I'm not going to spoil the scene for you if you have it on TiVo. But there's this one scene where you know character -- I'm trying to be as vague as I can -- this one character is with Janeane and they need to interrogate. It's 24. You knew this was happening. So they interrogate and the one character says, "I've got to get the answers." And Janeane Garofalo says, "You can't do that. This is America. That's against the law." And the other character says, "They'll kill a bunch of people and we've got to do it! A lot of people will die and it will be a horrible situation!" Janeane Garofalo's character says, "This is against everything we stand for! This is against code, this is against all regulations, this is against the law! I won't have anything to do with it!" And then the character turns with tears in their eyes, says, "This whole thing has been my fault. I've got to set this right. Please, I've got to get the answer. I've got to do this because it's -- I've got to set it right! Please, for me!" And the progressive says, "Okay, I'll wait outside." It wasn't because people are going to die. It wasn't because this guy knows and we need to get it. It wasn't, "We've got to protect our country." She was convinced by, "Please? It will make me feel better." You didn't even have to say, "But okay, let me make the case. I don't think the law applies here or here or here." All you had to do was look at her with puppy dog eyes and say, "Please, it will make my booboo go away."


STU: If that's not every liberal policy.


GLENN: It is.


STU: Feel good emotional.


GLENN: It is. It's wrong. If you want to do it for any other reasons. But if it will make us all feel good, well, then maybe we should.


That about sums it up.

(h/t Gary Gross)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Obama's Choice For Energy Secretary Vows to Slay ManBearPig!

What a bunch of friggen hogwash (with apologies to any sort of hogwash I may have defended with that comparison) Note that I will replace the term, "climate change" with an appropriate equivalent:
President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for energy secretary, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu, said if confirmed he will pursue policies to address [the Easter Bunny] and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

At a hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Steven Chu said two key challenges facing the United States are [Santa Claus] and making the nation more energy independent.
Just how tenaciously are they going to cling to that lie????

Dear Mr. Chu: I don't care if you won a Nobel Prize. So did Dhimmi Carter. So did Yassir Arafat. Big Hairy deal. I don't care if you put lipstick on the putrid carcass of global warming as you rename your pathetic strawman 'climate change.'

Here's a clue, Mr. Chu (via megaphone):


Any questions?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Let's dig the hole a bit deeper, shall we Mr. Mariani?

From an internal email from MN State Representative Carlos Mariani on crafting a "let's let 'em all in" letter to the Obammessiah:
Dear Colleagues

I have been working with several local immigration advocates, and with national advocates, to craft an urgent letter to Pres Obama's Administration to take immediate action on several immigration policies fronts that fall under the purview of the Exec Branch. Primarily these will fall under three key areas: the present nature and scope of the raids, (especially the door to door residential raids), the current nature of detention facilities (falling outside the scope of regulation that even hardened convicted criminals enjoy), and the nature of the 287G agreements that recruit our local public safety officals to carry out immigration enforcement with little or no federal funds to pay for our efforts.

The prime focus of the letter is to promote a more humane approach to enforcement while our nation prepares reform of our immigration policies.

We hope to have a letter ready by the end of this week. I am writing to ask you to consider joining me as a petitioner on the letter.

I do not see this as a partisan issue even as we may disagree on certain elements of current immigration policy and actions. I understand some of you may be sympathetic but hesitant to agree to the full nature of the letter's call to action however, I do not want to make that assumption for you. Let me know if you wish to see the draft letter for your consideration. Also, if you are not prone to sign on perhaps you can consider crafting your own version that you can convey to the new administration seperate from the one I am preparing. It is my belief that there is much common ground on immigration reform, including testifying to the destructive nature that the current lack of reform and heavy enforcement has had on our local communities. Any call to not continue the status quo will be important to make.

I will be issuing this invitation to both House and Senate members, to local elected officials, and to labor and business leaders as well. We will then share our call with colleagues in other states.

Please let me know of your interest as soon as possible.

Thank you for considering this request.

Rep Carlos Mariani
Note that Rep. Mariani talks about "... the destructive nature that the current lack of reform and heavy enforcement has had on our local communities" but says not one word about the destructive nature that illegal immigration has had on our community resources, including health care, law enforcement, and social services:
The study concluded that illegal aliens are expensive, costing the state $188 million annually, with costs escalating.

This paper reviews the state study concluding that its population numbers significantly understates actual trends and therefore $188 million significantly understates actual costs. Moreover, the costs included in the study failed to consider a number of other, even critical, issues in education, health care, public safety, jobs and economy, growing energy shortages, loss of natural areas, environmental damage, and threats to the homogeneity of the nation.

Although not cited in the Minnesota Study, in October 2005 a similar study of illegal aliens in Florida was published. This study emphasized the three largest expenditures, as does the Minnesota study, with the identical conclusions. Minnesota is likely 6-8 years behind #5 immigration state Florida in the seriousness of the problems connected with illegals. Florida now spends nearly $2 billion yearly for education, medical care and incarceration. California’s estimates its three million illegal aliens (likely many more) cost taxpayers $9 billion annually.3 Countering the dream of illegals advocates that the idea of tax payments exceeding costs is shattered with the finding that net outlays still amount to nearly $1 billion dollars annually, or about $315 per Florida household headed by a native-born resident. Similar to the Minnesota study, the Florida study begins with an Urban Institute study of these state cost areas. Jeffrey S. Passel, the same demographer cited in the Minnesota study, found the equivalent situation in Florida as in Minnesota where the “official” estimates of illegal aliens were undercounted.4

Yeah... way to look at all the angles, Rep. Mariani. Proof positive that liberal democrats. Can't. Link.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

When in Normal...

One of my kids will be getting married in August...

Maybe I could convince him that this would be a good idea.

I wonder if they had a little chihuaua in there bring up the ring.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Birds of a Feather...

Or knock me over with one.

Not that this is any big surprise, or anything, but lo and behold, as The Right Perspective reports, Obama’s choice for energy czar just happens to be a card-carrying socialist.

Oh… not just any socialist, mind you, but Carol M. Browner is a member of the “Commission for a Sustainable World Society,” an offshoot of the organization “Socialist International.”

I’ve often observed that far from being a group of well-meaning tree-huggers, the radical environmentalists see environmental issues as one of the primary vehicles from which they can slam more and more of their radical political agenda down our throats; which more than explains why they cling to their environmental dogma a hell of a lot more than conservatives cling to “guns and religion.” This despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.

So is it really any surprise that Barack Hussein Obama, who cut his teeth under the tutelage of such leftist luminaries as Bill Ayers and Saul Alinsky, would actually appoint socialists to help run his administration?

Ya get who you vote for.

Yet more proof of global warming...

Here, here, here, here, and here.

Knock it off with the bullshit, okay?

Nuff said.

Friday, January 09, 2009

In a KSTP-TV back office...

:::phone rings::::

KSTP: Hello, this is KSTP-TV Polls -r -Us!

You tell us what you want, and we'll tailor a poll to fit your needs.

:::voice on other line::::

FRANKEN: Yeah... this is Al Franken... Look-- I'm really in a hurry, and I want Coleman to concede. Can you make a poll that tells him to hit the friggen road?

KSTP: Sure, Al. Anything for a fellow traveller.

FRANKEN: Thanks...

--two days later, the phone rings at Franken's stately apartment in New York City

KSTP: Err... hi Al.

FRANKEN: Hey--didja get my poll done?

KSTP: Well...err... yeah, but you might not like the results. We did the best to fudge it and to word it in your favor, but a good 45% of Minnesota citizens still think you're a schmuck.

FRANKEN: What the hell kind of pollsters are you? You're the friggen lame..err... mainstream media! You're supposed to be on my side!!! Can't I order a g*ddmn poll without you f*cking it up????

KSTP: Look, Mr. Franken... maybe we can work something out (long pause)... I know!!! We'll just word the title, in huge bold letters, "Coleman should concede," and leave it at that. Most folks won't even read past the headline.

FRANKEN: Well... it's a start.

(h/t Newsbusters)

A lie, repeated often enough...

Found on a liberal website (click on image for full size):


Ahh yes. The enlightened ones.

I'll bet they love the smell of their own farts, too.

The Burris Shuffle...

The three ring circus and theatre production of angst surrounding the seating/unseating of Illinois Senator non-Senator Burris reminds me of an old Mills Brothers' Tune, called Indecision

~

~First you say you will, and then you won't,

And then you say you may, and then you don't,

You're undecided now, so what are you gonna do?~

All this angst for and against seating a man who was legally appointed by a sitting governor, who just happens to be a minority.


Don't you just love it when the dems eat their own.