Kids and their trains...

One of my favorite Christmas presents I ever got was when I was eight years old--a Lionel Train set. I had a blast running that thing around in circles. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

Luckily, I grew up.

Can't say the same about our legislators, though:

$60 million for Northstar; it’s up to House

by T.W. Budig
ECM capitol reporter

Northstar Commuter Rail supporters told the House Transportation Finance Committee last week that the proposed line needed $60 million in bonding.

And in an emotional appeal reminiscent of an teenage girl saying she has to have money for new Calvin Kleins:

The money is “absolutely necessary,” said Bob McFarland, public affairs director for the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

“It has to be $60 (million),” he said.

"..Ya haff ta give me 60 minutes, captain!! I haffta replace the dilithium crystals, and I'm not done drinkin' me Scotch Viskey!!!!"

Last session, the controversial rail project gained some $38 million in bonding.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty includes the final $60 million sought in capital cost by the project in his bonding proposal.

The Senate has also included the $60 million in its bonding bill.

And in some famous last words:

“I will not be back here next year after any additional money,” said Rep. Kathy Tingelstad, R-Andover, who’s carrying the commuter’s line bonding request in the House. (emphases added)

That statement has all the cred of a meth addict saying that this will be his last fix. Honest.

This has all the hallmarks of a money pit in the making.

But if I as a taxpayer am going to be footing the bill whether I like it or not, I want a chance to play with the locomotive.



(Filed under pass the pork)

Deaniac.. continues to live up to his name..

From here:

Howard Dean accuses Bush, GOP of exploiting immigration issue

SCOTT LINDLAW

Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. - Democratic Party chief Howard Dean accused President Bush and the Republican Party on Friday of exploiting the immigration issue for political gain by scapegoating Hispanics.

Dean and Bush agree on the legislation at the heart of the debate. Both support a Senate bill that would expand guest-worker programs for an estimated 400,000 immigrants each year.

However, at a speech in an Oakland union hall, the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate sought to tie Bush to a much tougher House bill that would tighten borders and make it a crime to be in the United States illegally or to offer aid to illegal immigrants. Bush does not back the House bill.

"This is a nonsensical proposal put out by far right-wingers in the Republican Party who have been endorsed for re-election by the president of the United States," Dean said. "The president has a moral obligation to rein in the right-wing extremists in his party and stop this divisive rhetoric about immigrants."

Errr.. uhh... Dr. Dean, just who is extreme here???


It certainly wouldn't be those nice folks who want to take over the southwestern U.S. and annex it to Mexico, would it?


(Filed under reconquista, the fifth column)

Contract with America.. Renewed?

I received this in an email today:

From here:

"In recent weeks, a startling realization has begun to take hold: if the elections were held today, top strategists of both parties say privately, the Republicans would probably lose the 15 seats they need to keep control of the House of Representatives and could come within a seat or two of losing the Senate as well. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who masterminded the 1994 elections that brought Republicans to power on promises of revolutionizing the way Washington is run, told TIME that his party has so bungled the job of governing that the best campaign slogan for Democrats today could be boiled down to just two words: 'Had enough?'"
- TIME -

Conservatives in Congress have an ATOMIC BOMB that could literally wipe out liberals in the 2006 elections.

But Republican Leaders and RINOs in Congress are STOPPING THEM FROM PUSHING THE BUTTON!

That's RIGHT -- "Republicans!"

Of course, I'm talking about the Contract with America: Renewed which was produced by Representatives Mike Pence and Jeb Hensarling of the Republican Study Committee.

If you haven't heard about the Contract with America: Renewed -- I'm not surprised. Liberals, the media and EVEN SOME REPUBLICAN LEADERS want to keep it under wraps!

Why?

Because the Contract with America: Renewed actually KEEPS the promises the Republican majority made to conservatives over a decade ago -- and advances our kind of bold conservative agenda!

Now, you would think that Republican Members of Congress would be running over each other to be among the first to sign on to a legislative agenda that harkens back to Newt Gingrich's original Contract with America of 1994 that gave Republicans control of Congress for the first time in over 40 years!

Right?

Wrong!

Sadly, Republican legislators are hiding under their desks -- quivering with fear!

And even though the Contract with America: Renewed has over 100 Congressmen behind it, Washington gossip indicates that Pence was outright TOLD that the Contract with America: Renewed would be marked DEAD ON ARRIVAL!

But if you join with me RIGHT NOW and take action -- WE CAN DECLARE CONSERVATIVE INDEPENDENCE TODAY!

The Contract with America: Renewed is a return to core conservative principles.

Here's some of what the Washington elites don't want you to know is contained in the Contract with America: Renewed:

"Eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB, which receives $400 million annually from Congress, funds 15% of the Public Broadcasting Service’s annual budget... CPB and PBS continue to use federal funding to pay for questionable programming, such as a documentary on sex education promoted and partially paid for by the Playboy Foundation."

"Eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH funds humanities programs and initiatives through grants to various entities. As with the NEA, the general public benefits very little from NEA, and it could be funded through private donations."

"Eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA funds art programs and initiatives through grants to various entities. In 2001, America spent $27 billion on non-profit arts funding: $11.5 billion from the private sector; $14 billion in earned income (tickets sales, etc.); and $1.3 billion in combined federal, state, and local public support (of which $105 million was from the NEA—0.4% of total non-profit arts funding). The [arts should] be funded completely through private donations, and the federal role eliminated."

In plain English that means YOUR tax dollars will no longer fund:

NEA funded obscene "art" that shows crucifixes suspended in urine or women smearing syrup on their naked bodies while shouting obscenities or actors dressed like priests sodomizing other men on-stage.

PBS funded smearing of Christianity, traditional values and the promotion of deviant sexual behavior.

NEH sponsorship of “history standards” that call for a politically correct rewriting of the past to promote a far-left agenda and indoctrinate our youth.

We have a chance to slaughter all three of these "sacred cows" in a single appropriations bill!

But That's Not All

The ELIMINATION of PBS, the NEA and the NEH is just a starting point. Here's some more of what is contained in the Contract with America: Renewed:

"Eliminate Title X Family Planning. Established in 1970, the program was created to distribute contraception to the poor to help curb the population... Despite approximately $5 billion spent on the Title X program since its inception, the U.S. population did rise to approximately 300 million people in 2005 (up from 203 million in 1970), and the catastrophic predictions made to justify this program have proven false. According to the General Accountability Office, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates spent $58.7 million federal Title X dollars in FY 2001..."

"Eliminate the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) was established by the Legal Services Corporation Act of 1974 to provide free legal assistance to the poor in civil, non-criminal matters... Instead of focusing on this core mission, the LSC has assisted lawyers and groups engaged in lobbying, advocacy of political causes, and litigation against the federal government."

"Open ANWR for Exploration. This budget assumes that a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska will be leased for oil and gas exploration, development, and production... Leasing could provide significant revenues to the Treasury, jobs to the U.S. economy, and a valuable domestic energy resource to offset the current transfer of U.S. wealth to other nations. This portion of the provision reflects gross receipts."

"Reduce Funding for U.N. Peacekeeping Operations. The United States is the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping budget... U.N. peacekeepers have been involved in a litany of scandals. In 2002 and 2003, Human Rights Watch accused peacekeepers in Sierra Leone of systematically raping women. In 2005, peacekeeping staff ran up more than $500,000 in unpaid international calls. Currently, peacekeepers stand accused in the Democratic Republic of Congo of widespread sexual exploitation of refugees. According to recent press reports, waste is rampant: The UN paid $10.4 million to lease a helicopter in East Timor when it could have been secured for $1.6 million, $2.4 million to buy aircraft hangers in Congo that were never used, and roughly $193 million in fraudulent contracts (nearly 20 percent of the $1 billion in contracts that were examined). This proposal would reduce funding for U.N. peacekeeping operations by 50 percent."

"Eliminate Federal Subsidies for Amtrak. Amtrak’s model for providing intercity rail service has been a failure since it began service in 1971. Historically, it has carried less than 1% of the traveling public... This budget proposes to reduce and eventually end over 30 years of taxpayer subsidization of a failed government monopoly."

Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical."

Jefferson defined precisely what is wrong with government funding of Planned Parenthood, the Legal Services Corporation, and United Nations graft and corruption.

Passage of the Contract with America: Renewed would curtail federal involvement in these programs and begin to right some long-standing wrongs.

But the programs mentioned above ONLY SCRATCH THE SURFACE. There's plenty of "red meat" in the Contract with America: Renewed for folks like you and me -- space simply prohibits mentioning it ALL!

Hard to argue any of that. Also from the site:

We're Not The Only Ones Saying It!

At the press conference announcing the new Contract, Congressman John Shadegg -- who voted for the Contract in 1994 – warned the GOP against failing to support this measure:

“[V]irtually every Republican in Congress was elected on a promise to curb government growth and spending. It is time to keep that promise.”

What the Republicans have to realize is that if these promises are not kept -- they will become the minority party in Congress in 2006.

Conservative and patriotic Americans have given them over a decade to keep those long-forgotten promises and patience is wearing thin.

In fact, the latest Fox News Opinion Dynamics poll is already showing that ominous trend.

It reported that only 34 percent of respondents plan to vote for a Republican in the upcoming Congressional midterm elections.

It’s time to tell so-called Republican leaders in the House and Senate to stop acting like Teddy Kennedy and Hillary Clinton and Barney Frank and start to keep the promises they made to conservatives.

It's time to tell them that YOU are demanding they support the Contract with America: Renewed.

Let's do it RIGHT NOW!

I suppose one could dream. The problem with this is that there are too many republicans who have run so far from the original Contract that it is no longer recognizable, and, unfortunately, a distant memory.

Until I received this email, I didn't know that there was such a proposal pending.

One thing is for sure. If the Republicans continue to forget just who it was that brought them to the dance, they just might find themselves stood up come election day.

There is a link set up for faxes to the President, the 55 Republican Senators, and the Republican House leadership here if you're so inclined.



(Filed under RINOs)

Email spam o' the day...3/31/2006

Subject: mosquito bruise From: "Isolde Simms" <uionnw@fergusnoone.com> Date: Thu, March 30, 2006 5:52 pm To: Priority: Normal Options:  |

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entrapment as retract the millimeter but laden botch the o

Vineyard tromp... heh...  sounds like a dance originated by Doug.


(Filed under daily spam)

Find a niche, and fill it?

From here:

State-of-the-art shoes aid migrants

By Amy Isackson The World programme, San Diego

Judi Werthein is handing out free "crossing trainers" to migrants

Declarations of emergency in US border states like Arizona and New Mexico have kicked the immigration debate into high gear.

Artist Judi Werthein has walked smack into the middle of this controversy.

She is hoping to leave her footprint with a special "crossing trainer" she has designed to help illegal immigrants negotiate the sometimes deadly terrain they encounter when crossing the border from Mexico to the US.

Migrants waiting for dark to hop the border fence from Tijuana into San Diego start calling out their shoe sizes when they see the boxes in Werthein's arms.

People start emerging from their makeshift homes in rusted cars and the cement channel that runs parallel to the border fence and drains Tijuana's fetid run-off.

Some have been waiting for months in this no-man's land for their chance to cross into San Diego.

Tarantula risk

They call the act of crossing the "brinco" - literally "jump" in Spanish. And that is the inspiration for Werthein's crossing shoes, called Brincos.

The trainers are adorned with unusual items.

"The shoe includes a compass, a flashlight because people cross at night, and inside is included also some Tylenol painkillers because many people get injured during crossing," Werthein says. (emphases added)

The trainers are equipped with a compass, light, map and painkillers

I think I'll just go and take a Tylenol myself..

By the way, how do you scream, "SIZE 10, Judi!!!" in Spanish?








(Filed under the fifth column, Reconquista!)

The day of reckoning.. is at hand...

Years of lax border control have now led to this:

As I have stated before, what we are seeing here is the beginning of what could amount to be another civil war in the United States; but instead of battling citizen against citizen, it will be a fight of citizen against non-citizen.

I remember hearing Barry Farber over 10 years ago warning his listeners regarding the aims of La Raza... specifically, "RECONQUISTA", the re-taking of the southwestern United States and annexing it to Mexico.

Signs of this are now legion, not only with the mass demonstrations in American cities, but out and out blatant examples like this:

Mexican flag flies over Chasewood North in Jupiter . . . at least for now

By KIT BRADSHAW
kit.bradshaw@scripps.com
March 29, 2006
The Stars and Stripes have been replaced by the Mexican flag at Chasewood North, and residents of the condominium community off Central Boulevard are puzzled as to who made the switch.

"I woke up Sunday morning and looked up from my patio and then realized that the American flag wasn't on the flagpole," said Sue Miller a Chasewood North board member. "What captured my attention were the colors — at first I thought it was an Italian flag, but one of our residents said it was the Mexican flag.

"I went to the flagpole, to see if the American flag was maybe on the ground, but they took it, and they cut the rope to get the American flag down and the Mexican flag up as well."

A best estimate of when the switch took place is Saturday night. Chasewood South, which also has a flagpole at its entrance was untouched; its American flag was still flying from its 20-foot flagpole.

At the present time, Congress is in the midst of a debate about immigration, seeking to radically change the immigration laws, perhaps by allowing the approximately 11 million illegal immigrants in the country to have a path to citizenship. But Miller said she can't figure out why this national debate would result in the American flag being stolen and replaced by a Mexican flag in Chasewood North.

"I'm flabbergasted that someone would do this, and I'm wondering why here," Miller said. "We have some Hispanic residents here, but not a large Hispanic population, and I'm curious if this occurred anywhere else in town."

It may be several weeks before the Stars and Stripes once again fly over Chasewood North, according to Miller, who at one time was the resident manager of the complex.

"We tried to get the flag down but couldn't, so we need to hire a company with a boom truck to get up there and replace the rope and put up the American flag," she said. "I would guesstimate that this would cost $500 or more to do."

Make no mistake about it. This is not going away. This will eventually either turn into a civil war over immigration laws, or weak-kneed politicians will capitulate, and in effect cede the southwest and rename it Mexifornia.

Either way, this ain't gonna be pretty.


***UPDATE*****

As I suspected, just in case you think that this was just some ad-hoc show of sentiment by a bunch of high schoolers, think again.

Andres Jiminez, director of the University of California's California Policy Research Center, told the media, “It's not only Latinos who are marching in the streets, its unions too: firefighters, farm workers and Hispanic students who had thought of U.S. law as protecting them and are now starting to see it as a threat to their future.”

He was right about this much: Latino organizations did not act alone. The media has failed to report that organized labor directed the illegals and minors. The L.A. Times revealed the rally’s “security” was handled by a union identified only as “Local 1877.” That would be local 1877 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the far-Left union founded by New Left radical Andrew Stern, which called for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq in June 2004 and worked in concert with Ted Kennedy to roll back anti-terrorist Homeland Security measures. According to the L.A. Times, the SEIU’s goons kindly helped “herd marchers along the route.” That was not the extent of SEIU’s help, though. The union also “coordinated the more than 100 buses that dropped off marchers from throughout California, Las Vegas and a few Southwestern cities.”

In other words, the massive rally against Homeland Security – since that is what gaining control of America’s borders would promote – was staged by a leftist labor union and staffed primarily with illegal immigrants.

SEIU did not work alone in this. It was aided by other radical or left-wing political pressure groups, including:

· Southern California Human Rights Network (SCHRN), whose members are apparently affiliated with the International Socialist Organization. SCHRN drafted a resolution in Orange County declaring, “We believe that no human is illegal and oppose the criminalization, dehumanization, and exploitation of migrants, immigrants and or economic and political refugees, by means of media, legislation, ideology, rhetoric, etc. [This] includes augmenting border patrol units, commissioning other law enforcement agencies to work in conjunction with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and [includes] such policies as the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and other policies that exploit the indigenous, peasantry, and environments of countries abroad.” In other words, capitalism and any form of immigration laws are exploitative.

Read the whole article. Rarely does the left do anything spontaneously.



(Filed under the fifth column, reconquista)

Little Cicero hits it on the head...

Little Cicero explores the difference between liberal expediency and doing the right thing:

That being said, I will relate this to government affairs:

• It is easy to take society’s collective wealth and pass it over to those who need it.


• It is easy to tolerate immoral actions on the basis of the fact that someone else finds it immoral, in the interest of tolerance for others.


• It is easy to solve the problem of gun crimes by simply getting rid of all guns.


• It is easy to avoid theocracy by completely eradicating all traces of religion from society.


• It is easy to avoid offending races or creeds out of which a disturbingly disproportionate number of criminals or terrorists come by simply ignoring the trends and turning to absolute tolerance.
  

Read the rest here...

If Little Cicero is emblematic of the youth in this nation, our future is indeed in good hands.


(Filed under great blogs)

Another straw man..bites the dust...

In an extreme "We told you so" moment, from the Washington Times:

A panel of former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judges yesterday told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that President Bush did not act illegally when he created by executive order a wiretapping program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA).

The five judges testifying before the committee said they could not speak specifically to the NSA listening program without being briefed on it, but that a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act does not override the president's constitutional authority to spy on suspected international agents under executive order.

...Which only begs the question... at which straw will the dems grab next on their journey down the slippery slope to irrelevancy?

(h/t stix blog)



(Filed under the fifth column)

Aaaahhh... Spring...

Gads.. now is the time of year that I have longed for all year long.

Spring has finally come to Minnesota.

Fifty four degrees right now in St. Cloud. I was walking out of work today, when my ears beheld a strangely familiar, sweet song... the song of a robin.

I looked up in a tree, and sure enough...

Tonight we're supposed to have some good old-fashioned thunderstorms.

Soon the trees will be budding, and the Central Minnesota landscape will be springing back to life. I'm really looking forward to the scent of lilacs, and the chance to get back to the lake.

God I love this time of year.





(Filed under miscellany)

He's back!!!!

After much cajoling and encouragement by yours truly , Daryl, an extraordinary blogger, is back in business at The Institute.

Check it out.




(Filed under great blogs)

Email spam o' the day... 3/30/2006

From another "bard of spamosphere"....

Subject: Re[4]: From: "Werner Sidney" <solvent@infospace.com> Date: Thu, March 30, 2006 9:21 am : Priority: Normal

was he an actor? . . . anyhow he had a portable gramophone. Yes, yes, they had all gone to the dacha! And the dogs, he remembered, had started howling when they played the gramophone. Only the woman Stepa had tried to kiss remained a complete blank . . . who the hell was she? . . . Didn't she work for the radio? Or perhaps she didn't. . . . Gradually the previous day came back into focus, but Stepa was much more interested in today and in particular in this odd stranger who had materialised in his bedroom complete with snacks and vodka. If only someone would explain it all! 'Well, now, I hope, you've remembered my name? ' Stepa could only grin sheepishly and spread his hands. 'Well, really! I suspect you drank port on top of vodka last night. What a way to behave!' 'Please keep this to yourself,' said Stepa imploringly. 'Oh, of course, of course! But naturally I can't vouch for Khustov.' 'Do you know Khustov? ' 'I saw that individual for a moment or two in your office yesterday, but one cursory glance at his face was enough to convince me that he was a hilj lflk mllr mrln m h krm fmf igjg khkljrk gjqjhfoj lj rk t sdjksdfsdfsdlgkj sdflkjsdf lksdjfsdfsdf

Geeze... I've been called a lot of things in my lifetime, even that one time when I went to the dacha; but I don't think I've ever been called a hilj lflk mllr mrln m h krm fmf igjg khkljrk gjqjhfoj lj rk t sdjksdfsdfsdlgkj sdflkjsdf lksdjfsdfsdf.

Whatever that is.


(Filed under daily spam)

The timing of this is impeccable...

This couldn't be timed better. From here:

The US military plans to detonate a 700 tonne explosive charge in a test called "Divine Strake" that will send a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas, a senior defense official said.

"I don't want to sound glib here but it is the first time in Nevada that you'll see a mushroom cloud over Las Vegas since we stopped testing nuclear weapons," said James Tegnelia, head of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Tegnelia said the test was part of a US effort to develop weapons capable of destroying deeply buried bunkers housing nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"We have several very large penetrators we're developing," he told defense reporters.

"We also have -- are you ready for this - a 700-tonne explosively formed charge that we're going to be putting in a tunnel in Nevada," he said.

"And that represents to us the largest single explosive that we could imagine doing conventionally to solve that problem," he said.

The aim is to measure the effect of the blast on hard granite structures, he said.

"If you want to model these weapons, you want to know from a modeling point of view what is the ideal best condition you could ever set up in a conventional weapon -- what's the best you can do.

"And this gets at the best point you could get on a curve. So it allows us to predict how effective these kinds of weapons ... would be," he said.

He said the Russians have been notified of the test, which is scheduled for the first week of June at the Nevada test range.

Yep, the Russians have been notified of this test, but I'm sure they aren't the only ones being put on notice.



(Filed under Religion of Peace?)

Alex, I'll take "cred" for a thousand...

This one had me rolling on the floor, laughing my fool guts out in a splattering mess.....

"We need a new direction on national security, and leaders with policies that are tough and smart. That is what Democrats offer," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday.

His counterpart in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Democrats were providing a fresh strategy _ "one that is strong and smart, which understands the challenges America faces in a post 9/11 world, and one that demonstrates that Democrats are the party of real national security."

"..Hey guys, you playin' cards??"

Putting them in charge of national security is like putting Richard Simmons in charge of the A-Team...

It just ain't gonna work!


(Filed under moonbat adventures, the fifth column)

Ojala Sioux... Scalping their own??

Jill Stanek penned a great piece in today's World Net Daily in which she lays waste the trite euphamistic pro-death rationalizations for a planned parenthood abortion clinic in the Ojala Sioux tribal lands as a response to South Dakota's recent ban on abortions. Among the "home runs" she hits is her thorough fisking of dem blogger Bob Geiger, who calls the ban on abortions in South Dakota "stupid"

Stupid are liberals like blogger Bob Geiger who sneer at a law to stop the killing of Oglala children as the solution to societal woes and then have the nerve to call pro-lifers cold.

"And thus the people who are anti-choice, but typically do the least to support families and help young children once they're actually born, continue to live their real creed: Love the fetus, hate the child," blogged Bob.

Oh, really. Tell me, Bob, how many handicapped babies have you and your ilk adopted? How many pregnancy care centers have you and your ilk launched? How many self-funded missions trips to Indian reservations have you and your ilk forfeited vacations to go on or donated money to?

Oh ... Bob can't answer because he has taken this week off to "recharge."

An excellent, must-read-in-its-entirety article that points out the blatant hypocrisy inherent in the "culture of death's" lame rationalizations for the infanticide that they not only support, but actively promote.

And just in case you wonder who Jill Stanek is, and where she's coming from:

Jill Stanek fought to stop "live-birth abortion" after witnessing one as a registered nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill. In 2002, President Bush asked Jill to attend his signing of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. In January 2003, World Magazine named Jill one of the 30 most prominent pro-life leaders of the past 30 years.

(Filed under defense of life, great blogs)

Not enough U.S. soldiers have died...

At least not if you're from the ACLU:

NEW YORK — The U.S. government has agreed to release disputed pictures showing American soldiers tormenting Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

An American Civil Liberties Union spokeswoman said today that an agreement was reached between the ACLU and the government and was submitted to a federal judge.

Once the judge approves the deal the pictures will be released.

The judge had ordered the release of the pictures of abuse from the Baghdad prison over complaints by government lawyers that it would incite violence against U.S. troops in Iraq and provoke terrorists. The Department of Defense had appealed that order but was dropping the appeal, the ACLU said.

They, the ACLU and this leftist filth judge, now have blood on their hands. The ones who perpetrated this alleged "abuse" have been tried and convicted. The resultant end-game of this exercise in sedition could only be, as the complaint alleged, to incite more violence against U.S. troops in Iraq and provoke terrorists.

But the mealy-mouthed Marvins at the ACLU, whose only mission I can now surmise is the defeat of the United States, salivate with glee. Bastard traitors. The lot of them.

The further blood of our soldiers, as well as those who die trying to kill them via renewed ire, is on their hands.


(Filed under the fifth column)

Making sense out of chaos...

Little Cicero touches the heart with a horrific incident that happened close to home. A female cousin of his was beaten to within an inch of her life by an abusive boyfriend.

If you would pause for a moment and say a prayer, it would be greatly appreciated.

Although Little Cicero is young, his wisdom regarding this and other matters is way beyond his years.




(Filed under great blogs)

With regard to the FEC ruling...

Doug Williams makes a very valid point that sort of (but not really) wrecked my buzz regarding the FEC decision to protect the First Amendment Rights of bloggers and others who utilize the internet for means of political speech. The problem? That this issue even came up in the first place:

I have a problem with the notion that the FEC had authority in this matter in the first place. Once that essential point is conceded, your “right” to freedom of speech becomes a privilege endowed by a benevolent government bureaucracy. Once it is conceded that they have the authority to grant such a privilege, it must also be conceded that they have the authority to take it away.

When the decision came down, I was so ecstatic that that fact completely escaped me. It just goes to show that government cannot be relied on to be the guardian of our Constitutional rights. It's up to the People to keep up the watch.



(Filed under first amendment assaults)

Assholes. Major Assholes...

A major sign of progress in Iraq... From here:

The water treatment projects are aimed at repairing water purification systems that operated "at a fraction of their pre-war capacity due to years of neglect, electricity shortages and post-war looting," according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID, an independent federal government agency, is also working with coalition forces and non-governmental organizations to rebuild public services in Iraq.

USAID estimates that "over (sic) 2.4 million Iraqis who had no clean drinking water in 2002 (before the March 2003 invasion) now have access to safe, potable water," according to the agency's website. "By 2006, water treatment service will be provided to over (sic) 3.3 million Iraqis."

But the ever-present (or in this case non-present) 5th column chimes in:

...An anti-war group, however, questions the success of water facilities in Iraq. "I don't know what to believe about what the military says it's doing and all the wonderful work it's doing," said Art Dorland, the chairman of the Iraq Water Project, an offshoot of the group Veterans for Peace.

The group, established in 1999, helped repair six water treatment facilities in the years before the 2003 invasion but has not sent a delegation to Iraq since war broke out because of the dangers (candy asses).

(Then, no doubt in a namby-pamby smarmy style that only a granola-munching, tree-hugging, pencil-necked America-hating commie pinko bastard can pull off:)

"There probably are successes and there are probably areas that they have done good work," Dorland told Cybercast News Service , but "whatever's being done there is basically being done to benefit the United States and not the people of Iraq."

Can you believe the gaul of this guy???

Well Dorland, you ingrateful, smarmy, ignominious, maggot-infested, dope-smoking prick; if the installing of fresh water systems that weren't there before the invasion is being done to benefit the United States, then I'm still waiting on my portion of clean water to arrive from one of those new wells.

Well.. where is it, Dorland?

Asshole.


(Filed under the fifth column)

Spam Email O' The Day.. 3/28/2006

Don't know what to say about this one:

Subject:	greedily
From:	"Enoch Barnes" <uyzbzgbuaj@blueboxinternet.com>
Date:	Mon, March 27, 2006 6:54 pm
Priority:	Normal

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(Filed under daily spam)

Ain't election years great?...

It's been said that Minnesota has "nine months of winter and three months of difficult sledding." The same concept can be applied to Minnesota Senate legislative sessions. Four months of nothing, and three months of dragging tail in "special session," producing--nothing.

But as the coming of spring lightly turns young mens' thoughts into thoughts of love, this current season of the political cycle invariably turns lazy, good-for-nothing boobs into productive public servants; who take a sudden, uncharacteristic interest in doing their job; at least for the duration of this magical season known as election year.

Witness this:

...A bill to rein in the use of eminent domain, the government's power to seize private property, passed the Minnesota Senate on Monday by an overwhelming margin, 64-2.

The bill sets a higher threshold for when public officials can invoke the power, particularly on the key issue of what constitutes a "blighted" property, and includes more protection and reimbursement for property owners.

64-2???? I haven't seen that kind of non-partisanship since... well... never.

On anything.

But fear not, fellow taxpayers. The "non-election year winter" will come again; and the Minnesota Senate will be back into the full swing of doing what it does best--playing politics with our tax dollars.

For the following three and a half years, anyway.




(Filed under Pass the Pork)

Robbing Peter, to pay Peter...

What is being described as a "win-win" situation, is anything but. The U of M has announced an agreement with the state of Minnesota that it will sell the state (READ: TAXPAYERS) land that is already state- (READ: TAXPAYER) owned.

This is much akin to saying, "We want a stadium, but so it won't be so much of a burden, we'll just charge half the cost to your Visa, and the other half to your Mastercard."

Or, "We'll sell you your own house that you already own to pay for our stadium. You'll have it back. You'll just have to pay for it twice."

From here

The plan, unveiled Friday evening, is for the state to pay $9.4 million a year for 25 years to finance bonds for a stadium. In return, the state would own the land after 25 years and create a nature preserve. The land in the Vermillion River watershed contains a trout stream, forests, rolling hills and trails for horseback riders.

"This legislation is a win-win for the university and the entire state," U President Robert Bruininks said.

Sounds like more of a win-win for the "U", and a not-so-winning deal for the Minnesota taxpayers, who, like it or not, will end up by funding the entire cost of the $235 million dollar stadium. A stadium that hosts a grand total of only six home games per year!

So, the U of M sells land already owned by the taxpayers, back to the taxpayers. And to top it off, this is coming from a state entity that has done nothing but moan about its financial woes, while continuing to place the burden of its fiscal largesse on the backs of its students and taxpayers. <--That article describes the U of M financially as being "between a rock and a hard place."

But in reality, the U of M is, and has always been, between a rock and a nice, fluffy, taxpayer-provided cushion.

Siss boom bah.



(Filed under pass the pork)

Score one for the First Amendment!!

Andy at Residual Forces breaks some great news with regard to the First Amendment and Bloggers!!! This is the best news that has come down the pike ever since the First Amendment was penned!!:

In a ray of hope that the Federal Government doesn’t have it’s head firmly planted up it’s you know what, the FEC decided that blogs should be covered under Freedom of Speech, in regards to Political Speech.

The Federal Election Commission decided Monday that the nation’s new campaign finance law will not apply to most political activity on the Internet.

In a 6-0 vote, the commission decided to regulate only paid political ads placed on another person’s Web site.

The decision means that bloggers and online publications will not be covered by provisions of the new election law. Internet bloggers and individuals will therefore be able to use the Internet to attack or support federal candidates without running afoul of campaign spending and contribution limits.

Hallelujah! Even better-

For example, the rule says individuals can use union or corporate computers or other electronic devices for political activity, as long they do it on their own time and are not coerced to engage in such activity by the union or corporation.

Read the rest--the news gets even better!! The First Amendment, which was penned to protect freedom of political speech above all else, would have been trashed if restrictions were put on ordinary citizens in exercising that right. The right decision (much to the consternation of the MSM, who will now enjoy no greater First Amendment freedoms than the average citizen) was made today.

Score one for the good guys!!


(Filed under First Amendment Assaults)

Another hat in the ring...

Barb Beniek throws her hat in the DFL run for Minnesota House District 14A:

March 20, 2006

Dear District 14A Delegate,

I am writing to introduce myself to you and to let you know that I am “throwing my hat in the ring” to run for the District 14A legislative house seat.

I am completing my 20^th year as a school board member in the Sauk Rapids-Rice School District. During my tenure, our school district has grown to be one of the most outstanding in the State of MN. As a board member, I have advocated for the children and families in our area, successfully negotiated contracts with our employees, both the SRREA teachers’ union and SEIU Local 284 for our custodians, clerical and paraprofessional staff. In addition, I have served as the chair for the Benton Stearns Education District where we service 6 Central MN districts – Sartell, Holdingford, SRR, Kimball, Foley and Rocori. So, my advocacy for children and their families extends even beyond my local school district.

Along with this, I teach prospective teachers in the Elementary Education program at St. Cloud State University. This is my 11^th year at SCSU. Besides teaching on campus, I supervise preservice teachers as they do their student teaching in area schools. Therefore, I have the opportunities to not only deal with policies and budgets, but I see the impact of decisions in the classroom for students and their families.

My past life experiences also give me a rich insight into the needs of families and our local communities. My husband Geno and I were fortunate enough to work it out so that I could stay home while our three daughters were growing up. In the early years of my daughters’ lives, I worked with Le Leche league and met with/counseled young mothers with their babies. I did this for 8 years. I also served for four years on the St Cloud YMCA Board of Directors. In addition, I was a Girl Scout Leader for 5 years at Rice Elementary School. We have lived in Watab Township since 1976 – so even though I was born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I consider MN my home. My husband was born in Brockway Township, part of district 14A.

I love working for the community in many ways – as you can see. Now it is time for me to take on a new role – as a legislative House Representative for our community. Along with education as my major issue, I am deeply concerned about the decimation of the funds of childcare, accessibility to affordable health care for families, well-paying jobs in this area, better veterans’ benefits and transportation. Art Rolnick, of the MN Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, has done extensive research on the best investment the State can make and he concluded that it is investment in our children. The funding for our schools is lower today than it was in 1990 (adjusting for inflation). We are one of 18 states who do not fund all-day every-day kindergarten. Our childcare funding has been cut and affordable health care is in a crisis. What are we funding and where are our priorities?

I would like to join the legislature and help get our state priorities in order. I cannot do this alone, but I know that I have much talent, energy and experience to bring to this effort. I need your support all along the way. I need to know what you are thinking about our needs. I need your help in endorsing me and then helping me get out into the community and listen to what folks are talking about.

I look forward to meeting you all at our Endorsing Convention on Sat., April 8, 2006.

Sincerely,

Barbara Beniek

babeniek@stcloudstate.edu