Rivers and Tides

Creative drive.

Boehner suggested Thursday the 8th, and, by a coinkydink, that’s the opening night of the NFL season. Check, Obama, your move.

◼ from the comments at - The GOP Should Have Called Their Debate ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Michelle Malkin

NBC News has confirmed that the Republican presidential debate will go on as scheduled despite President Obama’s request to address a joint session of Congress about his jobs plan at the same time.

Seriously.

Soros moves from Pot to Meth

◼ And you say there's no slippery slope. - The FIX

Oh, it's always disguised as a good cause. Liberal/progressive/democrats should be so proud. (Are you all on board with this? Do you draw the line SOMEWHERE?)

He's funding your news sources, he fills you with propaganda and hate, and has been for years now. Where do YOU draw the line?

Covering 2012, Youths on the Bus

◼ A group of five fresh-faced reporters from National Journal and CBS News clicked away on their MacBooks one recent afternoon, dutifully taking notes as seasoned journalists from the campaign trail shared their rules of the road. - NYT

The journalists were mostly in their 20s, learning the basics: never get too close to a source; master the art of eating while driving; never rely on a hotel wake-up call.

For decades, campaign buses were populated by hotshots, some of whom covered politics for decades, from Walter Mears to David S. Broder to Jules Witcover. It was a glamorous club, captured and skewered in Timothy Crouse’s best-selling “The Boys on the Bus,” about the 1972 campaign.

Interesting article.

◼ New York Times Warns Reporters-Be Careful of Those Evil Bloggers

The point that the NY Times doesn't understand is the conservative bloggers are not out to embarrass mainstream journalists. We are out to point out the bias of liberal journalists.

In only two short years ....

The credit downgrade is just the tip of the ice burg that Obama has steered our way. If there were ever any questions about exactly what this traitor had in mind for America, they have long since been answered. Between his attacks on business, the economy, our right to work, the second amendment, and our Constitution in general, Obama has launched a full scale assault on Freedom, Liberty, and our way of life in America.

The really terrifying thing is that, in the midst of all this destruction, his radical left-wing base is chastising him and threatening to abandon him because he's not doing enough! Are you kidding me?! I shudder to think what THEY would have him doing to America if they had their way ....

Isn't there some way we can get the media to drop the partisan shield they've erected around this President and just do their job? There has never been a less qualified, or more anti-American President in the White House. It's time the media faced that fact, exposed Obama for what he is, and forced his resignation.



"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."

Winston Churchill

ATF HEAD SACKED

◼ ATF head removed by DOJ after 'Fast and Furious' controversy - The Hill

The head of the ATF has been removed after months of speculation about his role in a botched gun-tracking operation that could have contributed to the death of a Border Patrol agent.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kenneth Melson was being replaced. Melson is being transferred to the Office of Legal Policy, where he will be a senior adviser.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Todd Jones will take over as acting ATF director, according to the Department of Justice.

In a simultaneous move, the U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke announced his resignation on Tuesday. Burke oversaw the legal aspects of the "Fast and Furious" operation, providing advice to agents involved....

Melson's reassignment and Burke's resignation represent the first major investigative victory for Issa, who said he would continue to probe Justice and its botched gun-tracking operation.

“While the reckless disregard for safety that took place in Operation Fast and Furious certainly merits changes within the Department of Justice, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue its investigation to ensure that blame isn’t offloaded on just a few individuals for a matter that involved much higher levels of the Justice Department,” Issa said in a statement.

◼ Kenneth Melson, acting ATF chief, steps down - Politico
◼ That Was Fast & Furious: U.S. Attorney For Arizona, Dennis Burke Resigns - kfyi.com
◼ Falling under the heading of "Mistakes Were Made." Marvelous local reaction story on the Burke resignation. - sipseystreetirregulars
◼ Key "Gun Walker" Figure Loses Top ATF Job - John Hayward at Human Events

Melson is well-known to students of the massive “Gun Walker” scandal, in which the ATF pushed American guns across the border into the hands of Mexican gangs. He was long viewed as the designated fall guy for the Administration, and was widely expected to resign and contain the damage when the scandal broke.

Instead, Melson wound up testifying before congressional investigators, in a surprise Fourth of July appearance. He went on to complain that the Justice Department had misled him about right to testify without DOJ supervision.

Rep. Darrell Issa and Senator Charles Grassley, the lead investigators of the Gun Walker case, were not happy that “Justice Department officials sought to limit and control [Melson’s] communications with Congress.” They went on to warn Attorney General Eric Holder against attempting to retaliate against Melson, or other Gun Walker witnesses.

It's not clear how enthusiastic Melson might be for his new job. The Politico report notes that despite his cooperation, the House Oversight investigation into Gun Walker didn't make him look good... read the rest

◼ ATF Director Steps Down Amid “Fast and Furious” Uproar - Gateway Pundit
◼
Issa Statement on Resignation of Arizona U.S. Attorney, Reassignment of ATF Director


Stay tuned.

Chicago: Lawsuit: North Chicago error cost police officer's widow $200,000

◼ City never filed proper paperwork with insurer, court filing alleges - Chicago Tribune

The day before he died, a North Chicago police sergeant contacted his employer to make sure that his life insurance policy was in order.

Having undergone two heart surgeries in four months, Dean Vincent was concerned that, should he not survive, his wife and children would have the means to stay in their Winthrop Harbor home.

More than a year after the city's human resources director assured Vincent that his $300,000 policy was intact, Vincent's widow is still waiting for $200,000 from the claim, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the city of North Chicago.

The lawsuit alleges that the city failed to file the proper paperwork for Vincent and other employees who paid premiums to Fort Dearborn Insurance Co. that were deducted from their paychecks....

The city's new human resources director said "This happened with several people," according to the suit.

Is Barack buddy Buffett betting on bank bailout?

◼ Buffett, who recently won plaudits for advocating higher taxes, has spent four years betting on bailouts and big government -- and tilting the playing field in that direction by putting his money and prestige at the service of Barack Obama. - Washington Examiner

It's beginning to look a lot like 2008, which is bad news economically -- unless you know how to profit off bailouts.

Brewing Time!

Summer is coming to a close in Ohio, and with the feel of Fall in the air, I decided that this weekend would be a good time to start brewing up some beer. If you're handy in the kitchen, you like beer, and you've never tried brewing your own, I highly recommend it.

Fall is always the best time to brew beer, since beer ferments and ages better at cooler temperatures. Winter batches are pretty easy too, but since I don't have a temperature controlled place to age my beer, I definitely avoid brewing going into the Summer heat. As the first few crisp days of Fall come around, I start gathering my supplies, deciding on my recipes, and planning what I'm going to brew for the coming year...

I always try to brew a couple of different beers in the Fall, one for the holidays, with a hefty body and a touch of holiday spice, and one that's a little lighter and more traditional, for general consumption. I've found that brewing is much easier and I get far better results when I make three or four big batches a year, rather than brewing a little at a time, for two reasons. First of all, if you brew frequent small batches, it's more expensive and you'll spend a disproportionate amount of time doing prep and clean up work. Secondly, since beer has to age for a while to achieve the best flavor and character, you'll want to wait a while for each batch to mature. Waiting two or three months for a case or two of beer to mature is difficult for most people, so if you brew small batches, more often than not, it will get consumed before it's really ready.

If you're technically inclined (which I am), and can figure out how to keg your beer instead of bottling it (which I have), I've found that it's easy to brew larger batches and completely avoid the bottling process, which can be rather tedious. Just filling a couple small kegs and setting them aside for a month or two is a lot easier than cleaning a bunch of bottles and filling and capping them one by one.

There is a wealth of information about brewing on the internet, and you'll also find a slew of web sites where you can purchase everything from ingredient kits to the individual grains and ingredients necessary to make specialty brews to suit your own tastes. The basic equipment you need to produce 5 gallon batches of good beer is relatively inexpensive, and with a little research and practice, anyone can be turning out world class beers in a very short time.

Of course, as is often the case with hobbies, if you find yourself enjoying it, you'll probably wind up investing in all sorts of cool tools and equipment to make the process easier and more efficient. My micro brewery currently produces 10 gallon batches, and soon, I hope to upgrade to an all-stainless steel system that will produce 15 gallon batches ... just the right size to fit in a standard 15.5 gallon keg.

Brewing your own beer is not only fun, it can also be extremely beneficial economically. With the price of a good keg of beer topping $150 now, and the price of a six pack of many brands pushing $10, home brewing is becoming more attractive every day. I can usually produce 10 gallons of really good beer for around $50, and I learn something new with every batch. Hopefully, when I upgrade my system, and can buy my materials in larger quantities, I'll be able to cut that cost in half!

Cheers!

◼ Irene Makes Landfall, Spawns Tornadoes as it Churns Its Way Up East Coast - Fenway's update

You heard about the raid on Gibson Guitars? then you're going to LOVE this...

Guess who Gibson's main competitor is...

◼ CEO of Gibson Guitars' Main Competitor is a Huge Democrat Donor; Also Uses Same Wood Without Any Complaints From Feds

Earlier this week the federal government executed its second major raid of Gibson Guitars in just two years. Armed agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped production at the company's manufacturing facilities on Wednesday, confiscating "massive quantities of wood, unfinished guitars, and finished products".

...As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They’ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO.

The plot thickens, however.

One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin & Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars.

Like almost of all of the actions of the Holder Justice Department, the raid was likely motivated by political considerations.

Stay tuned.

◼ CEO of Gibson Guitar a Republican donor; Democrat competitor uses same wood - Landmark Report
◼ Report: Gibson Competitor is Dem Donor; Uses Same Wood, Experienced No Federal Raids - John Nolte/Big Hollywood

I'd say this - from what I have seen, rolling over and playing dead, giving in, settling rather than confront this madness is a mistake. Those who stand up, demand their rights, forcefully assert their innocence and know that the law is on their side WIN - and the skunks have to skulk away. This DOJ is a skunk. Don't back down.)

Oh, and don't miss Iowahawk's take: ◼ New Scandal at DoJ as Illegal Guitars End Up In Hands of Mexican Drug Lords

But why don’t we think of duck à l’orange, which is easily as fatty as any bag of chips, or foie gras, which is French for “fat liver”, or those posh, fancy Gü chocolate desserts, which are the match of any Mars Bars when it comes to sugar content and calorie count?

◼ This jihad against junk food is driven by naked snobbery for the lifestyles of the lower orders - Brendan O'Neill/The Telegraph

...the crusade against junk food never ventures beyond poor communities. It never knocks on the doors of five-star restaurants that serve up deliciously fatty grub or the homes of people who scoff fine steaks washed down with £100 bottles of wine.

Treasonous ?

◼ GE Stabs U.S. in the Back - Alan Caruba


"From an America corporate icon to an American disgrace, GE epitomizes how federal policies, cronyism, and rent seeking is destroying America from within by avoiding taxes and shipping jobs overseas. Keep in mind, none of this is illegal. It is, however, unconscionable."

"While Jeffrey Immelt flies around in his corporate jet and issues vacuous, hypocritical statements about jobs for Americans, he and his close friend in the White House are undermining the economy. Other U.S. corporations are following suit."

Isn't this just the sort of treasonous behavior our resident troll has been talking about? I wonder what sort of penalty he thinks would be suitable, considering the fact that the President of the United States and members of his administration are clearly complicit?

It's one thing when a President fails to enact new policies that would bring industry and jobs back to America. It's quite another when he actively supports the people and policies that are responsible for driving our industry and our jobs out of America.

Maybe...

◼ Should Obama leave his Martha's Vineyard vacation early... just because everyone else on the island is mobilizing in advance of Hurricane Irene? - Althouse

The economy couldn't do it, Libya couldn't do it. Maybe Hurricane Bachmann or Hurricane Perry can get him out of there...

The Obama Broadcasting Corporation

◼ Obama should not have gone last Sunday to the Martha’s Vineyard summer mansion of Brian Roberts, the CEO of Comcast, which owns NBC and MSNBC. And Roberts should not have hosted him. It stinks of collaboration. - White House Dossier

A Tale of Two Cities – Wisconsin Edition

◼ Now that Wisconsin’s public-employee union reform law has gone into effect, how has it impacted the state’s taxpayers? - HotAir

First, let’s look at Oshkosh, whose school district waited until after the passage of the PEU reforms to negotiate health-care coverage, which the city had contracted with the Wisconsin Education Association Trust, part of the teachers union and a major source of income for the PEUs. Now that the unions can no longer negotiate on benefits, Oshkosh has the latitude to find the best deal for coverage — and that will save taxpayers a ton of money...

There are numerous reports coming out of Wisconsin - now that public entities are able to 'switch to Geico' they are saving money hand over fist - schools are able to lower class sizes and hire more teachers...

What can we learn from this?

h/t: ar

Warren “Tax Me More” Buffett is about to cash in on one of the biggest swindles of the American taxpayer

◼ Will Buffett cash in on a $91 billion bailout? - Don Surber

Soros and Buffett - their investment is paying off in spades.

◼ Berkshire Hathaway Invests $5 Billion in Bank of America - CNBC
◼ Buffett’s Obama pigout - NY Post

August 25 is the anniversary of the eradication of Tykotzin’s Jews.

http://img.national-geographic.pl/uploads/pics/NG_0626_TYKOCIN_05.01.jpg

◼ The newest avatar of an ancient hatred - jerusalem post

You stand at the edge of the central square of Tykotzin and try to imagine that day in August. All the Jews of the town were gathered there. Their longtime gentile neighbors watched. Some jeered. Some used the moment to enter Jewish homes and steal more property even before the Jews were gone. But no one joined the Jews. No one said anything like, “We’ve lived together for centuries, and wherever you take them, you’re taking me.” Not a single soul, as far as we know.

Not the local priest, to be sure. But what would have happened, I asked myself, if all across Europe, as the Nazis gathered the Jews into central squares of shtetlach like Tiktin, parish priests had said, “Not on my watch. Our church stands for something.” What would have happened if, as the Nazis marched the men down the road and out of the village and took them to the verdant green of the Lupachowa Forest, all the other townsmen had joined and mingled with the Jews? Would the Jewish men, and the women and children who soon followed on trucks, still have been shot en masse and dumped into group graves? Might even minimal resistance have somehow unglued the SS Einsatzkommando firing squad, making them wonder if they could really do this? We’ll never know. The priest of Tykotzin didn’t say anything. Neither did priests in hundreds of other villages. The gentiles did not join the Jews, not in Tykotzin or almost anywhere else....

When all is said and done, what has really changed in Europe? Not enough. That alone is reason to stop and to weep this week, not only for the Jews of Tiktin, but for the hatred that lingers at the heart of the world that we still inhabit.

California plunges to bottom in new business creation - lost 4,632 businesses from the prior year

◼ From 2001 to 2009, it ranked first or second. But last year it lost 4,600 businesses. - LA Times

From 2001 to 2009, California ranked either first or second in the nation in creating businesses. But last year, the state plummeted to 50th as it lost 4,600 businesses, according to a study by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc....

Three years ago, California ranked first, with 32,829 net new businesses established. Though the number sank to 12,529 during the worst of the recession two years ago, the state still ranked first, ESMI said.

But last year, amid continuing high unemployment, California lost 4,632 businesses from the prior year, the study found. Only Michigan, among the states and the District of Columbia, ranked worse.

Strong 7.0-magnitude quake shakes Peruvian Amazon

◼ The 7.0-magnitude quake's epicenter was near the town of Pucallpa, which lies some 370 miles from Lima in a sparsely populated central-eastern region close to the Brazilian border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. - reuters

Losing Steve Jobs (Updated)

◼ Steve Jobs resigns

If ever there was a case for somehow preserving DNA, or saving a brain -- the loss of a prodigious creative mind like his - when it comes, will be a sad day for humankind.

Added:
◼ An Apple what if - Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

Quote of the day: "Breaking News: President Obama has just confirmed that the DC earthquake occurred on a rare and obscure fault-line, apparently known as "Bush's Fault"

◼ And if you Twitter, there's more: Quake provides field day for Washington wise-acres
◼ It was a made to order event for Twitter: Top politically themed earthquake tweets

@comradescott: Evidently the quake occurred on a little known fault line outside of DC called "Bush's Fault". #tcot #p2
@calebhowe: Breaking: Obama administration points out they "inherited" fault lines from previous administrations.

Earthquakes

◼ In DC 5.8 (5.9)
◼ 5.3 in Colorado - Rare Strong Earthquake Hits Colorado
◼ via Althouse

◼ Latest Earthquakes Magnitude 2.5 or Greater in the United States and Adjacent Areas and Magnitude 4.5 or Greater in the Rest of the World - Last 7 days USGS... Colorado is looking very active.

5.9 2011/08/23 17:51:04 37.975 -77.969 1.0 VIRGINIA
2.8 2011/08/23 15:54:25 19.303 -155.262 35.2 ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
3.7 2011/08/23 15:34:25 59.074 -151.094 37.1 KENAI PENINSULA, ALASKA
4.8 2011/08/23 14:28:56 36.475 71.236 75.0 HINDU KUSH REGION, AFGHANISTAN
3.9 2011/08/23 14:11:13 37.032 -104.690 5.0 COLORADO
2.6 2011/08/23 12:03:56 37.055 -104.761 5.0 COLORADO
3.2 2011/08/23 11:34:56 67.968 -146.118 14.6 NORTHERN ALASKA
3.2 2011/08/23 09:37:58 37.099 -104.711 5.0 COLORADO
2.5 2011/08/23 09:32:22 37.248 -104.705 5.0 COLORADO
2.5 2011/08/23 09:07:35 32.229 -115.353 12.1 BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
3.8 2011/08/23 07:17:59 37.099 -104.610 4.8 COLORADO
3.2 2011/08/23 07:01:35 37.109 -104.550 5.0 COLORADO
3.5 2011/08/23 06:56:59 37.110 -104.722 5.0 COLORADO
4.8 2011/08/23 06:04:56 42.100 142.480 45.6 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
5.3 2011/08/23 05:46:19 37.070 -104.700 4.0 COLORADO
4.9 2011/08/23 04:56:53 12.010 44.041 10.1 NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN
3.6 2011/08/23 04:49:18 19.128 -64.403 68.7 VIRGIN ISLANDS REGION
4.4 2011/08/23 03:55:57 14.321 -90.055 21.6 GUATEMALA
4.9 2011/08/23 03:20:02 -56.172 -27.076 110.1 SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS REGION
2.9 2011/08/23 03:11:00 59.340 -152.672 75.5 SOUTHERN ALASKA
3.0 2011/08/23 02:48:52 37.056 -104.726 5.0 COLORADO

The question the sorry little rant calls up is whether, in its way, this temper fit was a signal that the great global warming crusade, that has had such a sweet run for the last decade or more, is finally over.

◼ Demise of a crazed sex-poodle, end of a boondoggle? Gore’s meltdown might just be the moment when the people of the planet saw the carney show for what it was. - National Post

-26

◼ Rasmussen: This is the lowest Approval Index rating yet measured for President Obama. The previous low was -24 reached yesterday and also in September 2010.

Millionaires and Billionaires .....

Of course, we all know who that message at the end is intended for ....


And in case you're wondering, YES, some people REALLY DO believe tripe like that ...



This is Class Warfare at it's finest. Parasites like these people see NO problem with seizing half of someone's earnings because, well, they don't really need it, do they? What these tyrants fail to understand is that someone with that kind of wealth isn't sitting around in a trailer somewhere waiting for the tax man to come and take their money. They can pick up and go anywhere in the world, and they will, before they'll live or operate their businesses in a country where half of their earnings are siphoned off by a bunch of greedy politicians and funneled into the hands of their parasitic constituents.

It's amazing to me that these tax-and-spend liberals don't recognize the fact that this is already happening. They just can't seem to understand that THEY are the reason why our economy is suffering. The business and tax climate has been getting progressively more unfriendly in America for years, and the wealthy are voting with their feet, moving themselves and their businesses out of America. Maybe that's why these fools call themselves Progressives?

What we're seeing in America today is an "Atlas Shrugged" scenario, and it's one that will not reverse itself until something is done to quell our government's insatiable appetite for other people's money. Until that happens, the downward spiral will continue, and no taxation scheme is going to pull us out of it.

Subsidized ‘reporter’ presents fraudulent accounting of gun ‘costs’

◼ Column author Scott Johnson is identified as a “reporter” in the lede, and it’s not until one starts pulling strings on his “Oakland Effect” blog that his incentive for advocacy and his disinterest in exploring a more complete picture becomes evident. From there we learn Mr. Johnson “is the Oakland Tribune's Violence Reporting Fellow, an investigative position funded by the California Endowment.” - David Codrea, Gun Rights Examiner

“Funded by the California Endowment”..?

These guys?

The ones whose President and CEO just named Michael Bloomberg and George Soros his “Heroes of the Month”?

Fraud. It’s all the swindling antis have to con the suckers with. And the Fourth Estate Fifth Columnists are happy to act as shills and bring in the marks.

Here's your chance...

◼ streetartutopia.com

"They'll use their "being duped" to go hard after Republican candidates while continuing to ignore the obama vetting they ignored the first time. And, we're not supposed to notice."

◼ Comment on this article at Lucianne: NYT’s Friedman: ‘Way too soon to tell’ if media blew it vetting Obama the candidate

During the 2008 presidential election season, many Americans were captivated by then-candidate Barack Obama’s promises of hope and change. And some would argue that much of the media were taken in by the promises too. Nearly three years into the Obama presidency, is it fair to say the media were duped?...

Yes, we can!

It seems that the Secretary of Education needs to repeat a course or two on research, honesty, and integrity.

◼ Dallas Morning News: (Education Secretary Arne) Duncan flat-out lied about Texas education - HotAir

We shouldn’t hear lies come out of the mouth of the nation’s top education official...

...Texas caps student-to-teacher ratios in primary and secondary education by statute at 22:1. That limitation has been in place during the entire time that Perry has been governor in Texas. The nation’s Secretary of Education apparently doesn’t know how to do research before positing claims, or — as Jones accuses — deliberately lied for political purposes.

The obvious political purpose is to attack a Republican challenger to his boss, which would put Duncan out of work. Jones offers another motive: Perry’s refusal to join Duncan’s Race to the Top. Perry balked at the program as part of his general opposition to federal interference in state jurisdiction, which Jones calls “political,” but offers it as a reason that Duncan would want to make Texas’ education efforts look deficient. This one is a MUST READ

So ironic that Obama was dedicated to "Fight The Smears" - yet is so willing to dish it out - and expect now to be called on it. Last week he was telling Perry to watch his mouth - it seems he ought to take his own advice, and caution his people to do the same.

(And this, anon/X/liberalparasite, is WHY these dissenting voices you hate so much are so vital to making sure both sides are aired.)

BDS - unleashed!!

◼ Time Film Critic Corliss Works Anti-Bush, Anti-Perry Snark Into Review of 'Conan the Barbarian' Remake - newsbusters

For the 'you gotta be kiddin' me' file.

Magnitude 7.1 - VANUATU

◼ 18.260°S, 168.069°E Depth: 40.6 km (25.2 miles) - USGS

“In the United States, our battles over abortion, family life, same-sex ‘marriage,’ and other sensitive issues have led to ferocious public smears and legal threats not only against Catholics, but also against Mormons, evangelicals, and other religious believers.”

◼ “And with relatively few exceptions,” he said, “the mass media tend to cover these disputed issues with a combination of ignorance, laziness, and bias against traditional Christian belief.” - CNS

Philadelphia’s incoming Archbishop, Charles Chaput, at the Catholic World Youth Day ongoing this week in Madrid, Spain.

24,819 new regulations in the last 365 days

◼ Latest Terrific Creator of Jobs: Government Regulations - Michelle Malkin

We already know that unemployment and food stamps are are great ways to stimulate the economy and create jobs, and Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey now adds government regulations to the list.

◼ At the link, Click on the Newly Posted Regulations Icon

Tell me again - how many planets have TOXIC environments

But NO! - it seems if you drive an SUV you may be inviting retaliation from SPACE ALIENS! And this isn't even an episode of the Onion...

◼ Aliens may destroy humanity to protect other civilisations, say scientists - Rising greenhouse emissions could tip off aliens that we are a rapidly expanding threat, warns a report
◼ Aliens Could Attack Earth to End Global Warming, NASA Frets - FOX

They speculate that extraterrestrial environmentalists could be so appalled by our planet-polluting ways that they view us as a threat to the intergalactic ecosystem and decide to destroy us.

The thought-provoking scenario is one of many envisaged in a joint study by Penn State and the NASA Planetary Science Division, entitled "Would Contact with Extraterrestrials Benefit or Harm Humanity? A Scenario Analysis."...

"Humanity may just now be entering the period in which its rapid civilizational expansion could be detected by an ETI because our expansion is changing the composition of Earth's atmosphere (e.g. via greenhouse gas
emissions), which therefore changes the spectral signature of Earth," the study says.

◼ Global Warming Could Prompt Alien Attack: NASA - International Business Times
◼ Going Viral
PLEASE! Can we wake up NOW?

A.) Is this STIMUNOT money at work?
B.) Where's AlGore the crazed sex poodle?
C.) Is this proof that we really do need to revamp our education system?
D.) It must be a spoof.

Obama Sidesteps Congress ... AGAIN!!

◼ Republicans Decry DHS Deportation Review as Amnesty - FOX News

"The move would likely grant a reprieve to many would-be DREAM Act beneficiaries and thousands of others....

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, one of the president's toughest critics on border policy, said the move amounts to the administration implementing an immigration overhaul "via executive fiat."

"We need to remind President Obama that we elected a president that serves beneath the law and did not anoint a king that is above the law."

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said the plan circumvents Congress.

"It is just the latest attempt by this president to bypass the intended legislative process when he does not get his way," McCaul said. "


How much longer are the American people going to tolerate this sort of behavior on the part of this administration? If we continue to allow these people to rule by executive fiat, ignoring the will of the people and thumbing their noses at Congress, it won't be long before we can kiss our freedom and our Constitution goodbye. When that day comes, we will have nobody to blame but ourselves.


UPDATE: Does anyone remember this speech Obama gave to LaRaza a few weeks ago?



Apparently, he's decided that he's going to redefine how our "system works". Perhaps he was emboldened by all those chants of "yes you can"???

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm mad as hell about this ....

GREAT ANSWER!

◼ “Here your mom was asking about evolution, and you know it’s a theory that’s out there, and it’s got some gas in it. In Texas we teach both creationsim and evolution in our public schools,” Perry said. “Because I figure you’re smart enough to figure out which one is right.” - Sister Toldja

A good reason - and a GOOD TIME TO BUY FROM AMAZON

They're standing up against taxation - as well they should -

◼ Advocacy groups urge Amazon boycott - OC Register

Send Jerry Brown, the phony 'advocacy groups' and the worthless culls in the California legislature a message - loud and clear - IT'S THE SPENDING, STUPID.

Taxing Amazon purchases is not going to cure the spending problem.

Buy a refrigerator - offset the boycott.

Remember, thanks to Jerry and the culls: ◼ Amazon terminates deal with 25,000 Calif. affiliates

Message to President Downgrade: It's the Economy Stupid!

◼ Wall Street Tumbles on Economy, Bank Worries - Reuters

"Stocks tumbled more than 4 percent on Thursday after data pointed to a stalled economy and as bank shares sank on a report regulators were scrutinizing the U.S. units of big European lenders..."

"Also denting the market, new jobless claims rose more than expected last week, while consumer prices rose faster than expected in July, separate government reports showed."


Mr. President, how many UNEXPECTED RISES in jobless claims do you have to see before they become EXPECTED? How high do prices have to rise, in the midst of falling incomes and lost jobs, before you recognize the gravity of the situation we're in?

It's time to cancel your bus tour and your fancy vacation sir. Come back to Washington, and get started fixing what you've broken before it's too late. If you don't know how to do that, then it's time you admitted that, and started listening to the people who do. Continuing to push the same failed policies when it's clear they aren't working is ridiculous. It's also political suicide ....

Playing at the Coffee Shop this morning...

New commenting system loading

Don't worry, all old comments will migrate in.

And the Disqus system gives me Wordpress-like capability.

This has become necessary because an obsessed stalker has taken to attacking others on this blog, to the point of hijacking their name and avatar. Those comments are all being referred to Blogger.

"I wasn't talking to you."

Democratic State Rep. Michael Sturla is apparently not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

◼ Drilling Rigs in Pennsylvania! Hide the Womenfolk! - RedState

"Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder" *

... and this is on FULL DISPLAY in anonymous comments on this blog. Every other comment is a bizarre rant. Anybody need a prime example for your thesis, find it here.

* you do know who coined that phrase, right?

World of Good: Neighbor chases Kidnapper, saves girl

◼ 6-year-old girl taken from playground

An alert neighbor says the man tried to coax the little girl into his van.

“The child was being resistant to his enticement and that is what caused him to get out of the car and actually push her into the van,” said Officer Robert Gibbs with the Albuquerque Police Department.

The neighbor then jumped into his own car and chased after Phil Garcia, the suspected kidnapper, while calling 911.

Officers say Garcia realized he was being followed and tried to drive onto the mesa to lose the neighbor; instead he ended up crashing about a mile and a half from the kidnapping scene.

Garcia ran.

The neighbor jumped out of his car and pulled the little girl from the van.

If you’re only just now starting to notice how Orwellian far left San Francisco has become, with its urge to ban everything, tax everything else, its obsession with political correctness, its attacks on religious freedoms, and the labyrinthian regulations it imposes upon businesses, you really haven’t been paying attention much.

◼ Speaking of Kafka-esque - Ed Driscoll at Pajamas

We all know what it means - but what can be done about it?

◼ The Left’s Very Anti-PC Strategy: Hate, Fear, Stereotype, and Treat Diversity as Evil - Barry Rubin, also at Pajamas

"Why does the Left’s solution to the “wealth gap” always involve taking money from productive people and giving it to unproductive people? They never talk about forcing unproductive people to become productive and support themselves."

◼ A comment at Protein Wisdom and, speaking of comments, this is from a comment at neoneocon
about a comment at Ace of Spades:

Barack Obama broke into the 30′s today.

◼ Gallup
Never fear, though: ◼ He’s Back: Obama Takes to the Golf Course - whitehousedossier.com

...heading out for the 18th time this year and for the 76th time in his presidency, but for only the first time in seven weeks, having somehow not gotten a round in FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY... thanks to the pesky debt ceiling showdown and other matters

◼ Not any better at Rasmussen, now at -22... 20% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -22 ...quick! someone commission a nice CNN poll!

Street art

◼ h/t: CP

You know you've lost your base when .....

This billboard was spotted in central Ohio. Could it be that some of Obama's supporters are losing faith in their Messiah?

The Middle-Earth Guide to Campaign 2012—Updated

◼ at Pajamas

From the comments: treebeard is scott walker (attacking the libs in one of their hearts/backyards whilst they least expect it)... the balrog is valerie jarret... Obama does differ from Saruman in one major way. When The One is thwarted, he tends to act like Gollum; reverting to rambling monologues boiling down to “We hates hobbits, we hates them, we hates them, yes we do, nasty, tricksy Hobbitttssss!!!!!”

Gggahhhh!! In case you need it

◼ Neutralize skunk odor.

To neutralize or deodorize skunk spray, the chemicals in the secretion must be changed to a different type of molecule. Tomato juice does not work (see link for an explanation)

For pets that have been sprayed, bathe the animal in a mixture of:

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (from drug store)
1/4 cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
and a teaspoon of liquid detergent.

After 5 minutes rinse the animal with water. Repeat if necessary.

◼ Home Remedies for Skunk Odor - grandmashomeremedies
◼ Chemistry of Skunk Spray - William F. Wood, Department of Chemistry, Humboldt State University

The world is out of balance

14.6 Trillion Dollars in Debt .....!?

◼ Felonious Munk Weighs In

Warning - Explicit Content

This is explicit, but quite funny, and to the point. When you lose your base, you've lost the election ...

How many vacations is it?

◼ Obama's Vineyard Vacation Will Cost Taxpayers Millions - US News

At a time when many more cash-strapped Americans are stuck at home instead of vacationing at the beach, President Obama next week will lead an entourage of several dozens to exclusive Martha's Vineyard island at a cost of millions to taxpayers.

While technically he is paying for his estimated $50,000 a week rental of the 28-acre beachfront Blue Heron Farm in woodsy Chilmark, the dozens of U.S. Secret Service agents, communications officials, top aides, drivers, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel with him will be covered by taxpayers as with every other presidential vacation.

His 11-day stay will require the Coast Guard to keep ships floating near Obama's farm, a presidential helicopter and jet at the ready and security agents on 24-hour duty. Armored SUVs dubbed "war wagons" have been flown in to carry the presidential family around the island....

Obama's vacation comes at an awkward time because of the economic turmoil roiling the nation and Wall Street. Surveys show that a growing number of Americans can't afford even small vacations.

◼ Carney Defends Obama Vacay To Martha's Vineyard; "No Such Thing As A Presidential Vacation" - but - ‘The Internet Doesn’t Forget’ - Pajamas Media

How many vacations have you had?

God, yes, go for it!

◼ Al Gore for president - Brent Budowsky/The Hill

Let me be the first to propose a national movement to draft Al Gore for president in 2016, carry the banner of the New Frontier heritage of the Democratic Party, and mobilize to elect true Democrats to the House and Senate in 2012.

On the playing field of national politics, Gore is the conscience of the Democratic Party, the soul of what true Democrats stand for, and the fighting spirit that Democrats everywhere hunger for....If we have learned anything from the history of the presidency, it is this: experience matters. Judgment matters. Achievement matters. Integrity matters. The wisdom to see the truth, the clarity to state it and the courage to fight for it matter above all in the presidency. Voters would know, before Gore even announces his candidacy, that he already qualifies for a lifetime achievement award that would help informed Americans make the wisest decision about who should lead the nation.

pffffffffffftttttttttttt

Global Warming Link to Drowned Polar Bears Melts Under Searing Fed Probe

◼ “We never mentioned global warming in the paper,” Gleason told the investigators, according to the transcript....Gleason told investigators that reaction to his and Monnett’s paper was overblown and spun out of context. - Audrey Hudson at Human Events

Polar bears drowning in an Alaskan sea because the ice packs are melting—it’s the iconic image of the global warming debate.

But the validity of the science behind the image—presented as an ignoble testament to our environment in peril by Al Gore in his film An Inconvenient Truth—is now part of a federal investigation that has the environmental community on edge.

Pendulum

Jacket: "This is not science fiction, but terror-probability, as the England we know - "the guardian of justice and peace" - is thrown into violent convulsions by an economic depression reminiscent of the gloomy days between the two World Wars.

For those who can remember those day of evil it is something to be accepted. But for the young, it is a call to strike. Gangs of Hooligans rampage throughout the land bringing in their wake a bitterness and anger that is almost sub-human.

Action, as always, produces reaction. The pendulum swings yet again, but the stability that follows is that of supra-discipline, of grim religious retaliation. And the England that had been warm is now a country of freedom-frozen despondency.

Pendulum by John Christopher - Originally published in 1968, the nightmare happenings of Pendulum seem if anything even more probable today."

The only thing he didn't anticipate, it seems, is the Muslim factor. Been a long time since I read this, and 'No Blade Of Grass" - might have to order up a copy.

◼ In pictures: London riots spread to cities across England - BBC
◼ Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters - Daily Mail
◼ We will use water cannons on them: At last Cameron orders police to come down hard on the looters (some aged as young as NINE) - Daily Mail
◼ Birmingham riots: three men killed 'protecting homes' = The Telegraph
◼ Paper outs looters - The Sun
◼ Anarchy Spreads - The Telegraph
◼ London rioters: 'Showing rich people we can do what we want'... * - BBC

Read the book.

"Revenue enhancement" Newspeak

h/t: trevor

What's in a Poll?

Interpreting poll results can be a very subjective thing. When I read THIS CNN/ORC Poll that one of our resident "anonymous" readers referenced recently, I reached the following conclusions...

A) The vast majority of Americans, 87% of them to be precise, don't want to see an increase in THEIR taxes. However, it appears that roughly two thirds of Americans would be quite happy to see their "rich" neighbor get fleeced.

B) The same two thirds of Americans also object to "major changes" in the Medicare and Social Security programs. This is completely understandable of course, since they've PAID DEARLY for these benefits. They resent the fact that their money is being stolen and misappropriated by a bunch of corrupt politicians, essentially being "redistributed" to others to purchase votes and gain political favor. They've paid for, and were promised, a retirement trust fund and medical care program that would help them through their golden years, and that's exactly what they expect to receive. They expect their money back, with interest, period.

C) A majority of Americans are apparently smart enough to begrudgingly admit that a major cut in military spending would be foolish, and could put their lives in danger, so they would like to see cuts in military spending avoided if at all possible.

D) Virtually the same majority would rather see cuts in DOMESTIC SPENDING ... but only as long as those cuts remain undefined. When the day comes that those cuts are actually identified, any segment of Americans who would be adversely affected by them will very likely go ballistic. They will fight tooth and nail to protect their special interests, and will threaten to replace any politician who dares to vote for cuts that might directly affect them.

So, there you have it. The roots of our economic problems clearly lie in the American peoples' selfishness and inability to face reality. They want taxes raised to pay for what they've been promised, but not THEIR taxes. They want cuts in domestic and social programs and services, but not in the programs or services that affect THEM.

We’re in the situation we're in today thanks to years of political pandering and bribery. We've been promised a slew of entitlements and social programs, but we've only actually paid for two of them, Social Security and Medicare. Our politicians have misappropriated the money we've paid into those programs to cover their reckless spending on a myriad of other unrelated social programs, and our inability to recognize that fact and hold them accountable has finally caught up with us. We're at the point now where we simply cannot afford all the programs and services we’ve been promised.

However, the American people are not entirely at fault. Yes, we should have realized that promises were being made that couldn’t be kept, but when times are good, it’s easy to be inattentive and overconfident. We were assured that future growth and prosperity would pay for all these wonderful things, when in fact we were simply being sold a giant Ponzi scheme. We have been shortsighted and foolish, but we have also been victimized. We’ve been lured into a hole that’s so deep it’s going to be very difficult to climb out of it.

The question now is ... How do we fix this problem?

Sadly, 63% of CNN’s poll respondents indicated that they would like to see higher taxes on the "rich". Those poll respondents obviously don't know or understand that, not only is it counterproductive to levy additional taxes on the "rich", but there are simply insufficient numbers of "rich" people in America to fill the budget gap, even if they WERE taxed at confiscatory rates. The fact of the matter is, there just aren’t enough tax dollars available to pay for everything we've been promised. We've been bribed, lied to, and pandered to, for far too long now. Between the debt we’ve incurred and the entitlements that we’ve been promised, both funded and unfunded, the revenue requirements are now staggering.

Raising taxes on businesses or individuals to offset this runaway spending is a short term, and short sighted solution for two reasons:

First of all, raising taxes diverts more of our wealth away from the private sector where jobs are created and consumer demand originates. It amounts to slapping a short term patch on a gaping hole, and it would have a net negative impact on future growth. In subsequent years, as the effects of the tax increases were felt, people would have less money to spend, and businesses would suffer. Tax revenues would actually be reduced, worsening the problem. Allowing tax rates to remain low, encouraging investment in new technologies, and encouraging businesses to bring manufacturing back to America is the intelligent approach. We need more private sector jobs … millions more. Higher taxes would not only fail to create those jobs, higher taxes would drive even more manufacturers overseas, while reducing consumers' demand for their products.

Secondly, from a strictly philosophical standpoint, it simply makes no sense to give the people who built this Ponzi scheme one more dime of our money. They have an addiction to other peoples’ money, and the sooner we quit supplying it to them, the sooner the addiction will be broken, and the healing will begin. It’s time we settle on exactly what we are willing to pay for, cut whatever we aren't, and put this country on a path to fiscal responsibility.

However, I feel it’s imperative that Social Security and Medicare, the two programs that people are actually paying for with their payroll deductions, must be protected. I have no problem with streamlining and improving the efficiency of those programs, but any reduction in benefits that screws the American people out of the money they’ve paid in (including a fair rate of return on their investment) is THEFT, and would amount to fraud on the part of the U.S. government ... fraud of ENORMOUS proportions. If our government is allowed to steal from its own people on such a grand scale, how could we ever hope to restore the peoples’ trust and respect for government? And, without that trust and respect for government, we are finished as a nation. Cuts will have to be made across the board, and many of them will be painful, but Social Security and Medicare must remain intact.

Some very difficult choices are going to have to be made, and we need some courageous adults to step up to the table and make those choices. Many of the Tea Party representatives we elected in 2010 are more than willing to make those difficult and politically perilous choices, but from all accounts they will be excluded from the table in the upcoming negotiations.

"Why is that?" and "What can be done about it?" are the two questions we should ALL be asking our representatives.

Sending twelve of the same professional politicians who got us into this mess into a room, behind closed doors, and expecting them to come out with a rational and effective debt reduction plan, when all they're really worried about are their chances for re-election, is completely insane.

Why was Perry's prayer breakfast a big deal?

It was all over the news. But - not a peep about Obama's Ramadan with Iftar dinner.

Did he find a church yet?

Eh. He doesn't NEED one anymore does he? The only reason he went to church was for the upward political mobility the screeching Rev. Wright stood to gain for him.

Preliminary Results in Wisconsin

◼ The recall effort has apparently failed to shift the majority in the Wisconsin senate. - Althouse
◼ http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/127331193.html - Journal Sentinel

◼ In Darling race, GOP claims victory; Dems say too early to tell - Journal Sentinel
◼ Wisconsin - County Vote Results

◼ The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 21% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-two percent (42%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21

Where it stops, nobody knows....

President Downgrade must be very proud of himself ....

Santelli always gets to the crux of the matter.