A Ray Of Sunshine

Lost in the uproar over the trashing of the U.S. Constitution by five black-robed idiots Supreme Court ruling upholding obamacare was this bit of good news.

A judge on Wednesday rejected a request by federal authorities to block Florida's contentious move to remove potentially ineligible voters from its rolls.

The whole thing started when a local Florida TV station (NBC2 in Ft. Myers) decided to actually do some investigative reporting (a lost art at the mainstream media national level). Someone noticed that a lot of people were being excused from jury duty when they stated they were not U.S. citizens. However, in Florida the pool of potential jurors is selected from the list of registered voters. This led to the natural question of how people could beg off jury duty by claiming they were non-citizens when they were registered voters, who are, by definition citizens.

How, indeed?

So the state of Florida began a program to purge its voter roles of people who had used that particular excuse. The obama/holder DOJ objected, of course, since most of the invalid voters were probably democrats. Last week, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in the state's favor.

Hinkle in ruling from the bench said federal laws are designed to block states from removing eligible voters close to an election. He said they are not designed to block voters who should have never been allowed to cast ballots in the first place.

Although he said "questioning someone's citizenship" is not a trivial matter, Hinkle also said that non-citizens should not be allowed to vote.

"People need to know we are running an honest election," said Hinkle, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

Of course, this is not likely to end the controversy. If non-citizens and dead people are barred from voting, the democrats will lose a chunk of their core constituency...

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2012.06.29

The Blownstar 2012 blogmeet is in full swing today. Here's this year's theme song.

Obamacare Ruling Response

No profound thoughts about SCOTUS and obamacare. Just one picture that says it all.

What A Day

SCOTUS upholds obamacare.

In a landmark ruling that will affect the November election and the lives of every American, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the controversial health care law championed by President Barack Obama.

The narrow 5-4 ruling was a victory for Obama but also will serve as a rallying issue for Republicans calling for repeal of the Affordable Care Act passed by Democrats in 2010.

Holder found in Contempt of Congress

The House of Representatives voted Thursday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for refusing to turn over documents tied to the botched Fast and Furious gun-running sting -- a discredited operation that has become a sharp point of contention between Democrats and Republicans in Washington.

The House approved a pair of criminal and civil measures against the attorney general, marking the first time in American history that the head of the Justice Department has been held in contempt by Congress.

And in other news, the sun will come up tomorrow, and I'll be making a guest appearance at the Blownstar 2012 blogmeet.

Win a few, lose a few...

We Are So Screwed

SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts has tortured and twisted the Constitution into a perverted version of the original. He somehow interpreted the individual mandate requirement of obamacare as a tax, and went on to say:

"The federal government does not have the power to order people to buy health insurance ... The federal government does have the power to impose a tax on those without health insurance."

The main problem with that statement is that obamacare supporters, along with obama himself, have long maintained that forcing people to buy health insurance through the use of a financial penalty for non-compliance was not a tax.

In an interview with ABC, Obama said then (in 2009) that the various provisions of the health care law were intended to create an all-inclusive system, so that penalizing people who refused to join was not a tax.

"For us to say that you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase..."

Either obama lied, or Roberts is an idiot.

Or both...

The Golden Fleece Lives

Several years ago there was a U.S. Senator named William Proxmire (D-Wisconsin) who gained fame for issuing what he called the Golden Fleece award, which highlighted examples of wasteful government spending.

A couple of my personal favorites: $97,000 spent by the National Institute for Mental Health to study what took place in a Peruvian brothel (the researchers said they made repeated visits in the interests of accuracy), and $58,000 spent by the FAA to study the physical measurements of airlines stewardesses (with special attention paid to the "length of the buttocks"). While those amounts may sound low by today's standards, keep in mind that this all took place over three decades ago, when a dollar was worth quite a bit more than it is today.

In the spirit of the Golden Fleece, I'd like to highlight a couple of examples of ludicrous government behavior that, while they may not have exact price tags, nonetheless are indicative of an out-of-control agency that answers to no one.

The first case is pretty self-explanatory. The EPA is requiring oil refiners to include in the gasoline they produce an additive that, quite simply, does not exist.

And in true government bureaucratic tradition the EPA is fining the refiners for non-compliance.

Federal regulations can be maddening, but none more so than a current one that demands oil refiners use millions of gallons of a substance, cellulosic ethanol, that does not exist.

"As ludicrous as that sounds, it's fact," says Charles Drevna, who represents refiners. "If it weren't so frustrating and infuriating, it would be comical."

And Tom Pyle of the Institute of Energy Research says, "the cellulosic biofuel program is the embodiment of government gone wild."

Refiners are at their wit's end because the government set out requirements to blend cellulosic ethanol back in 2005, assuming that someone would make it. Seven years later, no one has.

"None, not one drop of cellulosic ethanol has been produced commercially. It's a phantom fuel," says Pyle. "It doesn't exist in the market place."

And Charles Drevna adds, "forcing us to use a product that doesn't exist, they might as well tell us to use unicorns."

And pixie dust. Don't forget the pixie dust.

The EPA, which would not speak on camera, is still hoping production of cellulosic ethanol will emerge.

Hope in one hand. Crap in the other. See which one fills up first.

A study by the Congressional Research Service, however, says the government "projects that cellulosic bio fuels are not expected to be commercially available on a large scale until at least 2015."

So the refiners are now suing the EPA, in part because the mandate gets larger and larger-- 500 million gallons this year, 3 billion in 2015 and 16 billion in 2022.

And still, not a gallon of cellulosic ethanol in sight.

The whole ethanol thing is nothing but a giant scam perpetrated on this country by an unholy alliance between the greenies and the farm states (including, of course, Big Ag). But that's a story for another day.


One a lighter note, the EPA is requiring another federal agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to jump through hoops and measure ... well, read the article for yourself.

With new air quality regulations looming for the Pinedale (Wyoming) region, Bureau of Land Management officials are hoping they won’t have to start tracking emissions from an often-overlooked source: local livestock.

Starting next month, the Environmental Protection Agency will designate the Upper Green River valley as being in “nonattainment” of federal ozone standards...

The "nonattainment" (don't you just love bureaucratic lingo) is a result of increased natural gas drilling and production in the region. I won't even go into the governmental 'logic' behind that designation. Regardless, one result of being designated in "nonattainment" (there's that word again) is:

... the BLM will have to account for expected emissions from all of its activities in the area, no matter how insignificant. And that’s where the cows come in.

The BLM’s Pinedale field office leases about 912,000 acres of grazing land for cattle. The EPA estimates a cow emits an average of 80 to 110 kilograms of methane, an ozone-causing gas, per year.

According to EPA regulations, "the BLM would have to find out exactly how many cattle are munching grass on federal land — and how much methane they subsequently release."

Yes, you read that right. One agency of the federal government is requiring another agency to measure cow farts.

"How was work today, dear?"
"Don't ask..."

Hell, if they're that worried about a bunch of bloviating bovines releasing vast quantities of noxious gases into the air they should measure the the release of fumes by congresscritters and regulatory drones in Washington D.C.

The entire area would have to be declared an environmental hazard and shut down.

Which would be a good thing...

Blood In The Streets

The TSA antics recounted in my previous post are bad enough. This story is worse. You just can't make this stuff up. It's a tragedy and a farce all rolled into one.

A grieving mother told a South Carolina court she was slapped with several bills, including one to clean the street after her son was killed by a drunken driver last year.

Loretta Robinson spoke on June 19 of the emotional and financial toll her son Justin Walker's death had on her as the driver Anna Gonzales, who is an illegal immigrant, pleaded guilty in the case.

"I had to pay to have the vehicle towed," she said according to WYFF. "I had to pay for the vehicle removed and to clean up the street from Justin's blood on the ground."

The illegal immigrant part will no doubt raise a few hackles, but IMO the bigger story here is the callousness, insensitivity, and general all-round cluelessness of the government.

Can you imagine, God Forbid, losing a loved one (especially a child) through no fault of their own, and then getting billed by the government for washing the blood off the street?

To add insult to injury, the bills were addressed to her son - her deceased son.

"First of all, having to open the mail and look at the charge to the deceased, Justin Darryl Walker -- the deceased! It's just a hard thing to deal with in the context of your child," she said...

How much -- or little -- common sense does it take to cross-reference the accident report and the bills so as not to send notices to a dead person? (On the other hand, the people in charge of voter registration seem incapable of preventing dead people from voting, so apparently this is much more difficult than it seems.)

And why on earth is someone who is not at fault being billed for the cleanup in the first place?

Not only would I refuse to pay, I'd raise so much hell that heads would roll.

Starting with the drunk driver that caused this tragedy...

(H/T Little Annie's Orphans for the link.)

TSA Strikes Again

You may have heard about a recent security breach at New York's JFK airport. Here's the full story.

The TSA’s bungling reached a new low yesterday when a JFK Airport terminal had to be evacuated and hundreds of passengers marched back through security screening all because one dimwitted agent failed to realize his metal detector had been unplugged, sources told The Post.

The stunning error led to hours of delays, two planes called back from the runway and infinite frustration for furious passengers.

“The truth is, this is the failure of the most basic level of diligence,” a law-enforcement source said.

“How can you expect the public to feel confident of the mission of the TSA if they don’t even know if the lights are turned on?”

But wait … it gets better.

The chaos at Terminal 7 was caused by screener Alija Abdul Majed, who had manned Lane No. 1 during the morning shift with no idea his metal detector had no juice, sources said.

Alija Abdul Majed … you have got to be kidding, right? I mean, seriously … Alija Abdul friggin' Majed?!?

Having a government employee named Alija Abdul Majed who is responsible for preventing terrorists from getting on planes is almost as bad as having a leader of the free world named barrack hussein obama.

Amazingly, he failed to realize that alert lights never flashed once as streams of passengers filed through the dead detector, the sources said.

Majed was so clueless that he couldn’t even tell police how long the machine had been shut off or how it happened, the sources said.

Just to show that wasn't an isolated incident, we have the following.

A man suffered humiliation and distress at the hands of an airport security agent when she insisted on opening a jar containing his grandfather’s remains and then dropped them on the floor.

John Gross, of Indianapolis, was trying to bring (the) ashes home from Florida and had them in his bag in a  tightly sealed jar clearly marked ‘Human Remains’. 

The 91-year-old’s remains had been divided up among family members after he died in 2002 and Gross had been given a share by his uncle during his trip. 

He was confronted by the TSA officer and explained what was in the container.

'They opened up my bag, and I told them, "Please, be careful. These are my grandpa's ashes,"' he told theindychannel.com. 

‘She picked up the jar. She opened it up. 

‘She used her finger and was sifting through it. And then she accidentally spilled it.’ 

As a third of the jar’s contents fell out onto the floor Gross frantically tried to gather it back up, a line of passengers waiting behind him. 

' She didn't apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments. 

'I couldn't pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me.’ 

Gross later found out that TSA rules state that staff should not tamper with human remain containers under any circumstance. 

Instead they are supposed to put them through an X-ray machine. 

Nothing can be done to regain the ashes. But Gross said he wants an apology from the TSA and from the individual agent 'who opened the jar and laughed at me'. 

'I want them to help me understand where they get off treating people like this,' he said. 

On the TSA website it states: 'Passengers are allowed to carry a crematory container as part of their carry-on luggage, but the container must pass through the X-ray machine. 

'Out of respect to the deceased and their family and friends, under no circumstances will an officer open the container even if the passenger requests this be done.'

Tomorrow, for your entertainment and amusement we'll present more examples of government bungling.

It's not like there's a shortage of material...

F**k Facebook

I have a Facebook account, but am not a big user.

Without going into a rant about how social media is corrupting our lives, I will simply note that Facebook is becoming more and more like the government. It's doing things that we don't want it to with little or no input from us. In fact, like the government, it really doesn't care at all about us except as a source of revenue, as the following examples illustrate.

Facebook Changed Everyone’s Email to @Facebook.com

Facebook just removed everyone's email address from their profile and replaced it with an @facebook.com email address without asking you. Here's how to easily fix the problem.

Okay, that's annoying, but not a major problem. The next one, however, is truly frightening.

Facebook quietly unveils 'stalking app'

Facebook on Monday appeared to have quietly unveiled a new feature designed to let people see which Facebook users are nearby at any given time.

By Tuesday, however, the feature seemed to have been pulled from the Internet.

The company called the feature "Find Friends Nearby," and on Monday it was available through Facebook's mobile apps and website despite the fact that it hadn't been formally announced.

The blog ReadWriteWeb dubbed the feature a "stalking app" because it could open people up to potentially awkward or threatening interactions with strangers on the social network who know you're nearby.

Creepy...

A Two Bag And Two Bottle Night

I'm sorry.

I've tried -- really, really tried -- to diversify my posts. I get as tired of writing about obama and his latest foolishness as you are of reading about it.

But yet he keeps embroiling himself in more and more bizarre situations. For instance, as many commentators have pointed out -- and mocked -- the obama reelection campaign has sunk to hitherto unplumbed depths of boorishness by pleading for newlyweds to ask friends and relatives to funnel cash to the begger-in-chief in place of gifting the happy couple.

Just when you thought the Obama campaign couldn’t get any more desperate, they come up with this: the Obama Event Registry, asking supporters who are getting married, having a birthday, or celebrating an anniversary to direct gift-givers to Obama’s re-election website.

That's bad enough. But it gets worse - much, much worse. To borrow the intro line from the above paragraph, "Just when you thought the Obama campaign couldn’t get any more desperate, they come up with this:"

In (his) latest campaign gimic (sic) Obama offers dating tips on how to score a woman like Michelle.

OMG! Do you have any idea how much tequila I'd have to guzzle to even consider scoring with a 'woman' like Michelle? The agave plant would become an endangered species.

Then he winks at the camera.

Gag me with a spoon! (Video here if you can stomach it.)

(H/T Jimbo at PRS for the link.)

FOD 2012.06.25

While waiting for the Supreme Court decision on obamacare, we would do well to not overlook the Fast and Furious scandal. Although the mainstream media (with the notable exception of CBS's Sheryl Attkisson) has largely ignored both the original gunrunning and the obama administration's ham-handed coverup attempts, the story is beginning to gain traction. It's just too juicy to ignore.

"Imagine being so down and out that you have to deter people from talking about the economy with the news that you are an accessory to murder." Nothing better summed up a week where the economy continued its tumble, the presidential approval rate continued its downward slide, and the President invoked executive privilege with respect to the government gun running operation which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people including our own border agent, Brian Terry, and perhaps an ICE agent of ours as well.

If this account is true, we have an Administration which ran an illegal operation designed to further regulate and therefore diminish American citizens'  constitutional right to bear arms ; when the scheme resulted in the death of 200 Mexicans and at least one and possibly two U.S. agents, it lied repeatedly under oath about it;  and the White House was involved in the efforts illegally to cover it up.

... it's Watergate with toe tags.

Can you imagine the media's outrage if this happened under a republican administration? Where is this generation's Woodward and Bernstein? Where's the outrage?

Only in the blogosphere, I'm afraid...

In The News

In the news this week, Roger Clemens was found not guilty of lying to congress, and Eric Holder is facing contempt of congress charges.

For the record, I think both Clemens and Holder are assholes who are guilty of the charges they faced. However, much as it pains me, I have to say I'm on their side in these cases.

Why should Roger Clemens, or anyone else for that matter, face criminal charges for lying to congress, when congress lies to us every single day of the week and twice on Sundays?

As for Eric Holder being accused of contempt of congress ... hell, I'm guilty of that as well. I have nothing but contempt for those lying do-nothing weasels.

Sigh...

Sunday Funnies 2012.06.24

Jerry Sandusky was convicted yesterday. Eric Holder is facing contempt of congress charges, and if there's any justice in this world will eventually face criminal charges as well. So today's theme is prisons and prisoners.

One fellow sent to prison was excited about the prospect of serving his full term. When asked why, he said the entire time he's been narried his wife had never let him finish a sentence.

Q:  What do you call a clairvoyant midget who escaped from prison?
A:  A small medium at large.

It's a convict's first day in prison. He's a young man and is worried about what to expect. An older convict sits down next to him and says, "Look, calm down, prison's not such a bad place. For instance, do you like movies?"

The young man says "Sure."

The older convict replies "Every Monday we show a movie on the screen, first run movie." He goes on, "And do you like baseball?"

"Sure do," is the response. "I love the game."

"Every Tuesday we arrange a baseball game," the old con says. "How about Italian food?"

Are you kidding," exclaims the kid. That's my favorite."

The old guy says, "On Wednesdays we have a pasta bar buffet with all the trimmings."

"Let me ask you one more thing," the old convict continues. "Do you enjoy sex with men?"

Absolutely not!" yells the kid.

"Oh, then you're going to really hate Thursdays."

obama's Immigration Policy - Variations On A Theme

I realize I'm a day late and a dollar short in adding my two cents worth to the conversation about obama's decision to make an end run around congress via his executive order granting legal status to illegal immigrants who were brought to this country as children. One benefit to taking one's time in commenting on a controversial issue such as this, however, is that it gives one time to get past the immediate emotional response and reflect upon things in a more deliberate manner. Accordingly, I'd like to offer my views on the issue from several different perspectives.

Humanitarian

From a humanitarian perspective, I must agree with obama. Deporting young people who were brought to this country as children, who have lived in this country for a good portion of their lives, and who are basically Americans, would IMO run contrary to basic humanitarian principles. Many of these kids don't speak Spanish, struggle with adapting to the Mexican culture, and encounter a Mexican school system that is not equipped to handle non-Mexican students (Mexico is not encumbered by the American love affair with diversity).

Call me a soft-hearted fool, but I don't see the point in punishing children for the sins of their parents.

Policy

There are several different policy implications to consider. On the plus side for obama, this country can use all the educated, law-abiding workers it can get. Lord knows we've got plenty of natural born dropouts, petty criminals, and welfare leeches. Just take a close look at Detroit, Chicago, Los Angles, and other major urban areas (all, coincidentally, democrat strongholds - hey, stereotypes don't write themselves, you know).

And I can't imagine that anyone would oppose granting legal status for immigrants who serve in our armed forces.

On the negative side, the unemployment rate stubbornly remains high, meaning that these young people would be competing with American citizens for jobs.

And then there is the 'magnet' issue to consider. obama's policy might tempt Mexican parents to bring their kids here in the hopes that they (the kids) would one day become legal.

Left unanswered is what happens to the parents and younger siblings -- by definition, illegal immigrants -- of the young people covered by obama's policy.

Process

I cannot think of one positive thing about the process. It was terribly flawed. If the republicans had any cojones at all there would be all sorts of legal challenges to this. It seems to be an obvious usurpation of the legislative branch's right and responsibility to write laws. It sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents, who now can just govern by executive fiat with total disregard for congress. To me this is a HUGE issue. If left unchallenged, it basically gives the president -- ANY president -- unfettered authority to do just about anything he (or she) might want.

As a thought exercise, ask any democrat or liberal that you might know how they would feel if a republican president issued an executive order to immediately deport without a hearing any illegal immigrant. Or an executive order stating that ordinary citizens could now purchase firearms without a background check. Or to abolish the EPA and ATF (hey, a guy can dream...).

And on the other side of the coin, a compelling argument can be made that if the president is free to pick and choose which laws he wants to enforce, I and my fellow citizens can likewise pick and choose which laws we want to obey.

Starting with that pesky income tax...

Political

Finally, we come to the meat of the matter. This whole thing is about nothing but politics. obama has had 3 1/2 years to do something about the immigration laws. That he decides to take such an obvious step to shore up his sagging Hispanic support less than five months from the election is nothing but blatant pandering to a demographic he desperately needs to be re-elected.

I would hope that the very people he is sucking up to would see this for what it is and reject it. However, this is such an emotional issue for most Hispanics that I have my doubts. He's very adroitly painted Romney into a corner. It is without a doubt a shrewd, albeit despicable, political gambit.

 Bottom Line

There's no doubt that our immigration policies need reform. But ramming it down our throat by means of an executive order is not the way to do it.

So what's the solution?

Simple.

Appoint me Emperor. I'll fix every damn thing that's wrong with this country in five years or less, then retire to a life of luxury.

I promise...

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2012.06.22

A weekend on the water - don't wanna boat, just wanna float...

Coming Up For Air

It's been a hectic couple of weeks. In no particular order:

• dog health problems (still an issue - we're in the midst of doggie physical therapy, which involves multiple lengthy walks on a leash daily - not a big deal, other than that it's time-consuming)

• a plumbing incident that flooded the garage

• the telephone landline went dead (also involved the alarm company, so I had the pleasure of dealing with two sets of customer 'service' drones and tech reps, each of whom blamed the other)

• my knee is acting up again, requiring a weekly visit to the dr. for synvisc injections (about a three-hour round trip, including waiting time)

•  our 18-year-old son went to a seminar in Washingtonn D.C. - not a big deal except that it required "professional dress." This is a kid who wears nothing but gym shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. His idea of dressing up is putting on cargo shorts and tennis shoes. Wrestling him into khakis and polo shirts is a major undertaking. Getting him into a suit and tie ... fugetaboutit. And dress shoes? You'd have thought we were pulling out his toenails with a pair of pliers. After dragging him around town getting suits, slacks, dress shirts, etc. I had to teach him how to tie a tie. We finally got him packed and on the plane ... which promptly developed maintenance problems, causing him to miss his connecting flight. In the meantime, my wife, who is usually very good at handling the paperwork for stuff like this, somehow missed a bunch of required forms, which meant we had to drive around town and buttonhole teachers and doctors for grades and health records, which then had to be overnighted to D.C. We finally got it all done ... barely.

• at the same time our daughter went off to camp, which was much less dramatic, but still involved a large (excessively large, IMO) amount of shopping. Since she doesn't drive yet, and Mom was busy getting the boy's paperwork issues resolved, guess who got to go shopping with daughter dearest? That's right ... dear old Dad. The worst part was I couldn't just drop her off at the mall and wait at the nearest bar like I do with my wife. I had to (1) set a good example, and (2) tote around the credit card.

• While all this was going on my 94-year-old father had a pacemaker implanted, so we spent a fair amount of time at the hospital and taking him to follow-up doctor's appointments.

• AND on top of all the preceding, I had a couple of projects with hard deadlines come due. The projects themselves weren't that bad, but we had to contend with project administrators who were more concerned with process than outcome. We finished the work and wrote the reports in plenty of time, but had to go back and make changes because some forms weren't filled out to their satisfaction and the report format didn't satisfy them. I spent more time on administrivia than I did doing substantive work that contributed to the project outcomes.

But all good things must come to an end. Just about everything should be wrapped up early next week.

Thank God...

WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!

It's 5 1/2 minutes long, and every damn second is worth watching.



There may be hope for change this November after all...

(H/T Moonbattery)

Still Swamped...

... but I think (hope) things will slacken up in the next few days. In the meantime, here's a few random observations to tide you over.

A woman's husband has been slipping in and out of a coma for several months yet she stayed by his bedside every single day. When he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he said, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When my business failed, you were there. When I got shot, you were by my side. When we lost the house, you gave me support. When my health started failing, you were still by my side. But now, I want a divorce."

Stunned, all the wife can do is ask "Why?"

The husband replied, "I think you bring me bad luck!"

Here's a combination of words I never thought I'd see:

The Tasteful Toilet Coffee Cup

We've all seen coffee cups designed to look like toilet bowls, but this, we are proud to say, is easily the most dignified, tasteful toilet-bowl coffee cup in the world. In white ceramic (much like the real thing) it's 4-5/8" tall x 5-3/4" x 4-1/4" overall and holds 7 oz. Nice big grip under the tasteful tank, too.

One flush or two?

Mother Superior calls all the nuns together and says to them, "I must tell you something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent."

"Thank goodness," says an elderly nun at the back. "I am so tired of Chardonnay."

This last one is not a joke. It is more applicable today than ever before, what with idiots like Mayor Bloomberg of New York banning supersized sodas, and towns in Massachusetts banning swearing , indoor tanning for teens (don't worry, they can still get abortions - they just can't get tans), dogs walking on the beach , and of course hopping on the NYC bandwagon and banning large sodas.

Anyway, here's a few words of wisdom from G.K. Chesterrtton:

 “The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog.”

Amen, brother, amen...

Theirs vs. Ours

Russian president Vladimir Putin and our own barack obama met in Mexico to discuss the situation in Syria. obama is seeking Russian cooperation to end the violence and possibly remove Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. Russia, on the other hand, has historically supported Assad and Syria. The atmosphere was tense.

In their first meeting since 2009, Obama and Putin shared little eye contact and did not appear to express much personal warmth following a two-hour meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Putin made brief remarks and then looked down at the table as Obama spoke to reporters, aided by a translator.

obama has never shown the cojones to directly confront anyone on the international front (except, perhaps, our traditional allies). Iran and North Korea continue to improve their nuclear capabilities with no meaningful opposition from the U.S. China is building up its military while obama plans to reduce ours. Assad continues to brutally repress any and all opposition without, well, opposition. Russia is asserting itself in several areas of national concern, including the U.S.-backed missile defense system in Europe and the Syrian conflict.

It shouldn't be surprising, I guess, that Russia is doing whatever it wants while we sit idly by. Just look at the contrast between their president and ours.

And in other news from Mexico, obama continues his tradition of bowing to every foreign leader he meets.

This guy is such a total embarrassment. We have simply got to kick his ass to the curb in November, or there is no hope for us...

God Bless Texas

And God bless this little girl and her family.

Following up on an earlier story:

A Lavaca County, Texas, grand jury did not return an indictment against a father who killed a man he found allegedly sexually abusing his daughter, officials said Tuesday at a press conference in Hallettsville, Texas.

"The substantial amount of evidence showed that the witness statements and the father's statement and what the father had observed was in fact what had happened that day," Lavaca County District Attorney Heather McMinn told reporters.

According to the Lavaca County Sheriff's Office, the father and his family had gathered for a horse shoeing last Saturday at their ranch where they keep horses and chickens.

There were seven people in attendance in total, including four members of the family, two acquaintances and a stranger to the family, who was the alleged molester. According to McMinn, the alleged abuser was a legal worker from Mexico.

His 5-year-old daughter had gone off toward the barn, to feed the chickens, the child's grandfather told CNN affiliates KSAT and KPRC.

Then her father heard screaming and ran. He found a man sexually abusing his daughter, according to Sheriff Micah Harmon.

The father stopped the alleged abuser, and then pounded him repeatedly in the head, killing him, authorities said.

On the recorded 911 call, the father can be heard crying, and telling the operator, "I need an ambulance. This guy was raping my daughter and I beat him up. And I don't know ... I don't know what to do."

McMinn also told CNN the child's grandfather and aunt both administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Neither officials nor the family's attorney, V'Anne Huser, took questions from reporters Tuesday but Huser said in light of the grand jury's decision, "in our opinion, today, the story is over."

McMinn told CNN she had "never seen a case this clear" in her career.

The incident occurred outside the town of Shiner, a community between Houston and San Antonio that has about 2,000 people within its city limits and another 1,500 or so on its outskirts, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

As we say in these parts, "some people just need killin'..."

Raining Cats and Dogs

There's about to be one less cat in the world...

Anyone want a puppy?

Swamped

I've been overwhelmed lately with shitstorms of various sizes, shapes, intensity, and duration. They all descended at once, and hopefully they will all go away soon. In the meantime, thank goodness there is a pill for that.

Sunday Funnies 2012.06.17

Today's the day to remember the man who made us what we are today ... dear old Dad.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day always worries me. I'm afraid I'll get a gift I can't afford.

My son wants 50% of my Father's Day gifts. He says, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't even be a father.

Here's one my daughter told me.

Q. What do you call someone who embarrass you in front of your friends?
A. Dad!

Of course, my wife had to had her two cents worth:

"On Father’s Day I make the ultimate sacrifice for the father of my children. I agree with everything he says."

And from my father:

"Son, I only had two big disappointments in life: the dog ran away, and you didn't."

But seriously, folks, a tip of my hat to my Dad and the rest of you fathers out there. It can be maddening, frustrating, and thankless at times, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Friday Follies Happy Hour

A little while ago OldNFO mentioned that he liked Pontiacs - GTOs in particular. Here you are...

This Is Journalism?

Can the lamestream media get any lamer?

Why does the White House seek out interviews with local television affiliates? Maybe it's because they ask questions like these:

"Mr. President, we've heard you sing, we've seen you do stand up at the correspondents dinner." Tom Wills of WJXT in Jacksonville, Fla. stated.

"I was just wondering if you would give any thought to being on 'American Idol' or 'America's Got Talent'?"

If obama suddenly stopped while he was walking that idiot 'journalist' would break his nose...

(H/T JammieWearing Fools for the link.)

Texas Justice

Most of you are probably aware by now of a recent incident near Shiner, Texas, in which a father beat to death a man worthless pervert who was apparently molesting his four-year-old daughter. For those of you who aren't familiar with the story, here's a summary.

Shiner is a place you can raise your cattle and chickens under the hot Texas sun, cool off with a bottle from the Lone Star State's oldest independent brewery, then go to bed knowing all your neighbors and believing that you'll be safe.

But a few days ago, one of its trademark ranches turned into a crime scene. That's when a father reportedly spotted a man sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter, then beat the alleged abuser to death.

According to the Lavaca County Sheriff's office, the 23-year-old father and his family were enjoying a barbecue last Saturday at their ranch on Shiner's outskirts where they keep horses and chickens.

His young daughter had gone off toward the barn, to feed the chickens, the child's grandfather -- who isn't being named, to protect the identity of his granddaughter -- told CNN affiliates KSAT and KPRC.

Then her father heard screaming and ran. He found a 47-year-old man in the act of sexually abusing his daughter, according to Sheriff Mica Harmon.

The father stopped the alleged abuser, then pounded him repeatedly in the head.

Sheriff Harmon described the victim as an acquaintance of the family, known for his horse-grooming abilities. He has not yet been publicly identified by authorities.

The father himself called 911, telling them that his daughter's alleged abuser was lying, beaten, on the ground. Afterward, the sheriff said that the admitted killer appeared "very remorseful" and didn't know the other man would die at the scene.

Asked whether authorities would press charges against the father, the sheriff responded, "You have a right to defend your daughter. He acted in defense of his third person. Once the investigation is completed we will submit it to the district attorney, who then submits it to the grand jury, who will decide if they will indict him."

Neighbors portrayed the father as hard-working, friendly and polite, the type of guy who reliably addresses others as "Sir."

"He's not a violent guy, he's never been in any trouble in his life," said Veit of a man he described as a single father who worked nobly to make ends meet. "He's a good, honest, hard-working kid."

We have a saying here in Texas that's appropriate for cases like this: "He needed killing." Apparently some parts of this country don't share that belief. Case in point: this comment on the San Francisco Chronicle blog.

scallywagy     2:54 AM on June 13, 2012

What remain questionable is the fact that the father although tending to a heinous crime is whether he took the law into his own hands when striking the man? Had the situation being instead of a child being molested but that of a child being called names by a stranger and the father reacting by murdering that same man one would be compelled to wonder if the father had gone to unnecessary and extraordinary lengths?

Does the nature of the transgression inform us as a society whether it is now fine for one to take the law into their own hands?

Leaving aside the questionable grammar and spelling, let's think about the logic that scallywagy (obviously a product of the public school system) is trying so vainly to express - a pervert raping your daughter is equivalent to her being called names.

That's about what one might expect from California in general, and SF in particular.

Sadly, other people around the country share that 'thinking'. Hard as it may be for those of us with our heads screwed on straight to understand, not everyone agrees that the father's reaction was justified. In fact, there's enough backlash that local media felt compelled to respond.

You`re quite correct that the details about the incident are rather sketchy in spots. As the publisher of one of the local newspapers involved in the coverage, I can assure you it`s rather frustrating for us to not be able to access all the information our readers want immediately. However, I`d like to point out you`re missing a few details in your own commentary.

The man who died has not yet been identified because they can`t locate his next of kin. Sheriff Harmon told us yesterday it is very likely those people are not in this country. Since he had a Texas driver`s license, we assume he was a naturalized citizen or legal immigrant; however, there is a very vibrant underworld trade in this region in stolen identities.

Violent perverted acts performed in this country by someone who is quite likely an illegal immigrant. And non-Texan liberals wonder why we want to secure our border?

The father will NOT be identified by any reputable news organization UNLESS he is charged with a crime. If you identify the father, you identify the 4-year-old victim - and that`s what you`re overlooking in demanding the man`s identity.

"reputable news organization" - at least that seems to be true for local media. The national media, however, is another story.

In speaking with the Sheriff, we have the understanding that both men involved are Hispanic, so your hints of some ethnic (Hispanics and Caucasians are the same race, we`re all Texans here) motivation are off-key as well.

Sorry, all you professional liberal racists out there. This was a brown-on-brown incident: no whites involved. Put your race card back in your wallet and move along. There's nothing for you here.

You view with alarm the sentiments being expressed by citizens commenting to various news websites about this incident. Perhaps you`ve never had your child raped or been on the scene when they find the mutilated body of a child killed by a molester. Texas has a unique culture in that we have a right to defend ourselves, our families and our property; we don`t have to sit back and wait for the police.

Damn straight. And we intend to keep it that way.

The father expressed great regret that the other man died, and the initial report we received from the Sheriff was that once the father had pulled the man off his child he stopped hitting him. It wasn`t a summary execution. Your last paragraph is typical Texas-bashing. We Texans have long since ceased to get all worked up over such condescension from residents of the lesser states.

I'll disagree slightly with the concluding sentence. THIS Texan gets worked up over such condescension from residents of the lesser states.

My response to them is ESADMF.

If you need a translation scroll down past the image below, but be warned - it is definitely NSFW.

ESADMF = Eat Shit And Die, Mother Fucker!

Today Is A Special Day For Two Reasons

(Make sure you read to the end of the post.)

I've been so dang busy this one almost slipped past me. Today is Flag Day.

June 14, commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the US flag by the Continental Congress in 1777. It’s celebrated across the nation by ordinary citizens hanging out their red-white-and-blue Stars and Stripes. President Harry Truman made sure of that in 1949 when he signed a congressional resolution setting June 14 as Flag Day’s official date.

Flag Day first took hold as a local event at the beginning of the Civil War, when the North needed a symbol around which to rally. It rose in popularity during the World Wars, for the same reason. Right now the US is at the tail end of a long involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The struggle against Al Qaeda has been going on for years. Flags came out on 9/11 and in many cases have stayed out.

The US flag does not represent federal Washington. It does not represent the power of the state. It represents the assembly of citizens into a government of them, by them, and for them. The citizens of no other nation on earth fly their flags everywhere they live and go, according to Marc Leepson, author of the 2005 book “Flag: An American Biography.”

“By and large it has been individual American businessmen, teachers, journalists and private organizations – primary but not exclusively veterans’ groups and patriotic organizations – that have developed and pushed for many of the important changes in the evolution of the flag’s cultural importance,” Leepson writes.

And that's the way it should be for many of the issues facing this country. Screw the politicians and the special interests. Let We the People run things for a change. We damn sure can't do any worse.

But I digress.

Fly Old Glory today. Fly her proud and high. And revel in what she stands for, and what she is.

The flag of the greatest country this world has ever known...

While we're at it, there's another anniversary of note today that I almost overlooked - today is the U.S. Army's 237th birthday.

Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago, our Nation's leaders established the Continental Army, beginning a rich heritage of successfully defending this great country and her citizens. Today, we celebrate the continued honor, loyalty and bravery of our Soldiers in this noble calling.

They used to say that the Army builds men. Well, forty-one years ago it made a man out of a know-it-all 19-year-old kid.

So here's wishing the Army a happy 237th birthday.

And here's hoping it celebrates 237 more...

Finally, here's one last image that I just couldn't resist.

What can I say - I'm a sucker for Old Glory and cute little dogs...

What Happens When The Government Runs A Car Company?

A little while ago I posted something comparing Facebook's disappointing IPO to the one from GM after its government bailout. Here's more.

(Background: GM’s post-bailout IPO launched in Nov. 2010 at $33 a share. The stock is now trading at around $22 per share.)

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson apologized to shareholders Tuesday for the automakers' poor stock performance, despite the fact that the company posted record profits and regained the title of global sales leader last year.

If GM is doing so well, why is the stock price cratering? Business 101: (a) sales and revenue are not the same as profits; and (b) profits by themselves are not always enough to prop up stock prices - profit margin plays a role as well.

(Akerson) said GM needs to improve the profit margins, pointing out that it's the fifth largest Fortune 500 company in terms of revenue, but only the 20th largest in terms of profit.

That has led to a slump in the company's stock price, "including the 500 million shares held by Treasury on behalf of U.S. taxpayers. The stock is down 33% since the company's November 2010 initial public offering."

Ford's stock performance has generally mirrored GM's since GM's IPO. However, over that same time frame Ford has raised it's bond rating and begun paying dividends again. GM's debt still carries a "junk bond" rating, and it has yet to pay any dividends post-bailout.

GM's CEO blamed its disappointing performance on losses from its European operations and the company's underfunded pension plans.

It sounds like on the one hand he's parroting his government master's party line -- 'Our problems are Europe's fault' -- and on the other hand throwing the unions under the bus.Of course, if GM can't meet its pension obligations guess who'll bail them out - again.

(Akerson) said there was also some concern about what would happen to the share price when the Treasury Department decides to sell its remaining stake in the company, which will put 500 million more shares into the market.

You don't need a Ph.D. in business to figure out what happens when the supply of a good with already-low demand is suddenly and dramatically increased.

Can you say "plummet?"

To deal with pension worries, Akerson pointed to GM's recent announcement to drop traditional pension plans for white collar retirees, shifting them to either a lump-sum payment or purchasing an annuity on their behalf.

No mention of dropping traditional pension plans for union members.

Can you say "blatant political pandering?"

Midweek Joke Clearance

Up to my ass in alligators during what was supposed to be a slow-paced low-key summer. So I'm taking the easy way out and posting  the following while cleaning out my in-box at the same time.

 * * * * * * * * * *

I was devastated to find out my wife was having an affair but, by turning to religion, I was soon able to come to terms with the whole thing.

I converted to Islam, and we're stoning her in the morning!

* * * * * * * * * *

Went to the pub with my girlfriend last night. Locals were shouting "pedophile!" and other names at me, just because my girlfriend is 21 and I'm 50.

It completely spoiled our 10th anniversary.

* * * * * * * * * *

My son was thrown out of school today for letting a girl in his class have sex with him.

I said "Son, that's 3 schools this year! You'd better stop before you're banned from teaching altogether."

* * * * * * * * * *

My wife has been missing a week now. The police said to prepare for the worst.

So I went down to Goodwill and got all her clothes back.

* * * * * * * * * *

I've heard that Apple has scrapped their plans for the new children's-oriented iPod after realizing that "iTouch Kids" is not a good product name.

* * * * * * * * * *

I got a new stick deodorant today.  The instructions said, "Remove cap and push up bottom." I can barely walk, but whenever I fart, the room smells lovely.

* * * * * * * * * *

During a recent password audit by a company, it was found that the blond receptionist was using the following password:

"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofySacramento"

When asked why she had such a long password, she rolled her eyes and said:

"Hello! It has to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital."

* * * * * * * * * * 

And saving the best for last...

Katie Couric, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams and a tough old U.S. Marine Sergeant were captured by terrorists. The leader of the terrorists told them he'd grant each of them one last request before they were beheaded and dragged naked through the streets.

Katie Couric said, 'Well, I'm a Southerner, so I'd like one last plate of fried chicken.'

The leader nodded to an underling who left and returned with the chicken. Couric ate it all and said, 'Now I can die content.'

Charlie Gibson said, 'I'm living in ' New York , so I'd like to hear the song, The Moon and Me, one last time.'  The terrorist leader nodded to another terrorist who had studied the Western world and knew the music.  He returned with some rag-tag musicians and played the song.

Gibson was satisfied.

Brian Williams said, 'I'm a reporter to the end. I want to take out my tape recorder and describe the scene here and what's about to happen. Maybe, someday, someone will hear it and know that I was on the job till the end.'

The leader directed an aide to hand over the tape recorder and Williams dictated his comments.

He then said, 'Now I can die happy.'

The leader turned and asked, 'And now, Mr. U.S. Marine, what is your final wish?

'Kick me in the ass,' said the Marine.

'What?' asked the leader, 'Will you mock us in your last hour?'

'No, I'm NOT kidding. I want you to kick me in the ass,' insisted the Marine.

So the leader shoved him into the yard and kicked him in the ass.

The Marine went sprawling, but rolled to his knees, pulled a pistol from inside his cammies and shot the leader dead.

In the resulting confusion, he emptied his sidearm on six terrorists, then with his knife he slashed the throat of one, and with an AK-47, which he took, sprayed the rest of the terrorists killing another 11.  In a flash, all of them were either dead or fleeing for their lives.

As the Marine was untying Couric, Gibson, and Williams, they asked him, 'Why didn't you just shoot them all in the first place?  Why did you ask him to kick you in the ass?'

'What?' replied the Marine, 'and have you three assholes report that I was the aggressor....?'

Don't Go There - Or Here

The state university system that I work for prohibits all travel on official business by students, staff, and faculty to certain countries that are designated "high-risk." Countries so designated include, among others, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, and Pakistan.

And, as of today, another third world failed country - Mexico.

Which leads somewhat indirectly to today's post.

No gross photos or descriptions of Mexican drug cartel violence today. Instead, it's something more disturbing. The Justice Department is reporting that the cartels are increasingly establishing a presence in small and medium-sized U.S. communities.

Mexican Drug Cartels Spread to Small-Town USA

The Justice Department's National Drug Intelligence Center estimates Mexican cartels control distribution of most of the methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana coming into the country, and they're increasingly producing the drugs themselves.

In 2009 and 2010, the center reported, cartels operated in 1,286 U.S. cities, more than five times the number reported in 2008. The center named only 50 cities in 2006.

Target communities often have an existing Hispanic population and a nearby interstate for ferrying drugs and money to and fro, said author Charles Bowden, whose books on the Mexican drug war include "Murder City: Ciudad Juarez and the Global Economy's New Killing Fields."

The bit about an existing Hispanic population is a little misleading. It's not that a large percentage of Hispanics are criminals or members of drug cartels. Rather, it's that the cartel members are Hispanic, and thus look for cities and towns that have a sizable Hispanic population so they won't stand out.

In an ironic twist, a major reason for the infiltration of cartels into smaller communities is the growing demand for meth -- the poor man's cocaine -- by working class whites. This is exacerbated by the U.S. fight against domestic meth production. Remember when you could buy cold pills over the counter? Now you have to go through a registration process. I can by a firearm easier than I can get a package of Sudafed.

As a result, in yet another example of the law of unintended consequences, Mexican cartels have taken over methamphetamine production from U.S. biker gangs. Now the cartels make the meth in Mexico and smuggle it into the U.S.

In the Silver Lining department:

... despite the increasing cartel presence in America, acts of wanton violence like those occurring south of the border aren't so common stateside.

... the cartels realize it's not smart to exact a Mexican brand of violence in the United States.

"In El Paso, murder's bad for business," ... "In Juarez, it is business."

The reason is twofold: Cartels fear American law enforcement agencies because they respond to violence more swiftly and forcibly than do their Mexican counterparts, and "since the U.S. is the primary consumer, the cartels will try and avoid disturbing the hand that feeds them."

Still, there are exceptions ... there have been many kidnappings and a couple of beheadings on U.S. soil linked to the cartels.

But for now, at least in this country, the cartels prefer bribery to brutality. Gold trumps lead. And given the current state of the economy, drug smuggling and bribery appear to be recession-proof industries.

Helped out, of course, by a drug-using example-in-chief stimulating demand, and an Attorney General who helps arm the cartels.

What could go wrong?