Mountains And Molehills

Democrats and the media are falling all over themselves to investigate crucify Chris Christie for all sorts of offenses, real and imagined.

CNN has learned that federal officials are investigating whether Christie improperly used some of (Superstorm Sandy relief funds) to produce tourism ads that starred him and his family.

The news couldn't come at a worse time for the embattled Republican, who is facing two probes in New Jersey of whether his staff orchestrated traffic gridlock near the country's busiest bridge to punish a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse his re-election.

Unfortunately for the scalp-hunters, the TV ads that they're so upset about were in fact approved by the obama administration.

Aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are pointing out that the Obama administration approved of the New Jersey tourism ads starring Christie and his family that a Democratic congressman has encouraged federal investigators to probe.

Of course, that won't stop the attack dogs unleashed by the dems.

I'm not a Christie fan. I think the guy is an opportunistic RINO who is also a bit of a bully. But the obvious bias and hypocrisy shown by the media in making a mountain out of a molehill in this case, while ignoring the Everest-sized scandals perpetrated by obama, is shocking, staggering, and sickening.

But, sadly, not surprising...

Cleaning Up - FOD Version

obama - involved in everything, responsible for nothing...

FOD 2014.01.13

We're going for the cheap, lowest-common-denominator level today, but why not. That's what obama supporters do.

Anyway, in true liberal and mainstream media fashion we'll start with some facts and then go on to sleazy innuendos.

An under-reported story is playing out in Hawaii right now — the story of Michelle Obama and her royal, incredibly luxurious, taxpayer-paid vacation in Hawaii.

Michelle Obama is staying at the Hawaii home of Oprah Winfrey for a few days without her husband and children. This is not simply the vacation of a private citizen. Because she is the First Lady of the United States — FLOTUS — her vacations cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Because she is a queen, she considers that cost her just due.

In Hawaii, security zones have been set up around the Winfrey estate. Residents and business owners are being inconvenienced to an exceptional degree. Security checkpoints have kept customers and vendors away from businesses, effectively shutting them down. But the people who are hurt are little people, nobodies. Who cares what happens to them as long as Michelle Antoinette gets her vacation?

There is the cost of the protective detail, plus their housing. There are the costs of the armored vehicles Michelle and her entourage ride around in. Those have to be transported by Air Force planes. There is the local cost for police services, which the federal government may or may not reimburse the local government for.

And then there is Michelle’s triumphal return to Washington to celebrate her birthday, to which this vacation is but the first act. President Obama will send an Air Force plane for her. It will probably be a C-32A. The C-32 is the Air Force version of a 757. The “ownership” cost per flight hour is reported by the Air Force as $42,936...

Now on to the sleazy innuendos.

Building on the fact that Mooch stayed behind while barry and the kids returned to D.C., some media outlets are speculating that the obama marriage is on the rocks.

Michelle Obama's extended absence from Washington and a flurry of renewed speculation about the state of the first couple's marriage are threatening to overshadow her 50th birthday party at the White House on Saturday.

Not for the first time in their 22-year marriage the Obamas are approaching what should be a happy family milestone under a cloud of rampant tabloid innuendo, summed up by a National Enquirer headline: "World exclusive: Obama marriage explodes!".

The Enquirer has earned a measure of respectability in Washington with its reporting of political scandals - most notably its exposure of the double life of John Edwards, a former senator and once a Democratic presidential contender.

Mr Obama acknowledged long ago that his marriage to Michelle had had ups and downs as they coped with the pressures of dual careers - she was formerly a lawyer and a hospital administrator - and the arrival of their two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

The latest tabloid report appears to have been provoked by the notorious incident at Nelson Mandela's memorial service when Mr Obama and David Cameron posed for a selfie with Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the prime minister of Denmark - or as the National Enquirer described her, "a leggy blonde foreign leader".

Personally, I think it's because michelle is a lesbian.

Michelle Obama French-kisses Carla Bruni, wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Star Spangled Banner The Way It Should Be

Memo to all those so-called 'celebrities' and 'entertainers' who think performing the national Anthem is an excuse to wail and caterwaul for several long agonizing minutes: watch this video.*

*  Sorry I couldn't figure out how to embed it in this post. There's a couple of homemade versions already floating around on YouTube, but the one I linked to is the best in terms of clarity and quality.

It reminded me of Tommy Loy, the trumpeter who for 22 years played the National Anthem before Dallas Cowboy football games.

Banned By The NFL

While you're watched the NFL playoff games this weekend, keep in mind the following commercial was banned by the NFL from appearing during this year's Super Bowl.

Sunday Funnies 2014.01.12

Wedded bliss...

After over 20 years of marriage, a couple was lying in bed one evening, when the wife felt her husband begin to massage her in ways he hadn't in quite some time.

His fingers started at her neck, and then began moving down past the small of her back. He then caressed her shoulders and neck, slowly worked his hand down, stopping just over her stomach. He then placed his hand on her left inner arm, working down her side, passing gently over her buttock and down her leg to her calf. Then, he proceeded up her thigh, stopping just at the uppermost portion of her leg. He continued in the same manner on her right side, then suddenly stopped, rolled over and became silent.

As she had become quite aroused by this caressing, she asked in a loving voice, ‘Honey that was wonderful. Why did you stop?'

To which he responded: 'I found the remote.'

Me to old friend: "Didn't you used to take blood pressure medication?"

Old Friend: "I did, but I was able to control it with lifestyle changes."

Me: "Did you lose weight?"

Old Friend: "Nope. Got a divorce."

My wife just got off the phone with a friend of hers who lives in North  Dakota. Her friend said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is 20 degrees below zero and the north wind is increasing to near gale force. Wind chill is -59.

Her husband has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare. She says that if it gets much worse, she may have to let him in.

Cleaning Up - Welfare Version

Oops - I'm not allowed to say "welfare" any more.

Stupid broad. If it waddles like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a friggin' duck, no matter what idiot liberals call it.

Cleaning Up - Radical Islam Version

Continuing to purge my files of accumulated images. Today's theme is radical islam.

Naked Chicks With Guns

Hah!

Now that I've got your attention, I'd like to discuss a couple of semi-related news stories. The first falls in the category of "Be careful what you ask for."

Remember when Colorado legislators -- more specifically, democrat Colorado legislators --  passed that law last March limiting magazine capacity? One of the unintended consequences of that is the relocation of Magpul Industries, a firearms accessories manufacturing firm. Magpul is leaving the state, taking 200+ jobs with it (and possibly 400 more), along with $85 million in state revenue and a planned expansion that would have generated even more jobs and revenue.

Colo. Democrats blamed for $80M hit to economy by pushing out gun firm Magpul

Democrats came under heavy criticism Friday for driving Magpul Industries out of Colorado by pushing an aggressive gun-control agenda, a move that could cost the state more than $80 million annually.

Officials at Magpul, which makes polymer firearms accessories, announced Thursday that the company will move its corporate headquarters to Texas and its manufacturing facility to Wyoming. Both are now based in Erie, Colo.

The relocation comes as a result of a measure signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper in March that limits ammunition-magazine capacity to 15 rounds...

Prior to the signing, Magpul officials told state officials that the company contributes more than $85 million annually to Colorado’s economy. The company employs 200 people and supports another 400 supply-chain jobs.

A year ago, the rapidly expanding firm was preparing to build a state-of-the-art facility in Broomfield, but pivoted after the gun-control bills gained steam...

“2013 began with Magpul planning expansion in Colorado, now 2014 begins with the announcement that Magpul will move 92 percent of its operation to Wyoming and Texas,” said Republican state Sen. Greg Brophy in a statement.

Today's second story takes a more global look at the effectiveness of gun control laws - rather, the ineffectiveness of same. A new academic study supports what many of us have been saying for years - gun control laws control law-abiding people, not criminals.

New Study Demolishes Almost Every Gun Control Myth

A study published in the latest issue of the academic journal Applied Economics Letters took on many of the claims made regularly by advocates of stricter gun laws. The study determined that nearly every claim made in support of stronger restrictions on gun ownership is not supported by an exhaustive analysis of crime statistics.

The study, “An examination of the effects of concealed weapons laws and assault weapons bans on state-level murder rates,” conducted by Quinnipiac University economist Mark Gius, examined nearly 30 years of statistics and concluded that stricter gun laws do not result in a reduction in gun violence. In fact, Gius found the opposite – that a proliferation of concealed carry permits can actually reduce incidents of gun crime.

... the results of the present study suggest that states with restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons had higher gun-related murder rates than other states,” the study’s abstract reads. “It was also found that assault weapons bans did not significantly affect murder rates at the state level.”

“These results suggest that restrictive concealed weapons laws may cause an increase in gun-related murders at the state level,” the abstract concludes.

Gius notes that his findings are consistent with those of John R. Lott and David B. Mustard, two researchers who authored a controversial 1997 study which found that right-to-carry concealed gun provisions both “deters violent crimes and it appears to produce no increase in accidental deaths.”

Of course, such data-driven results will do little to convince staunch gun control advocates, whose motto can be expressed as "My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts."

Actually, I may be a little unfair in mocking liberals. As the chart below shows, they can take a set of facts and reason their way to a conclusion.

This Gives "Concealed Carry" A Whole New Meaning

You can't make this stuff up.

A domestic dispute over space aliens escalated Saturday morning when a lingerie-clad New Mexico woman allegedly pointed a silver handgun at her boyfriend, a weapon she retrieved from her vagina, where it had been placed while the accused was performing a sex act, police allege.

McCarthy’s boyfriend told investigators that following the argument McCarthy departed her Aventura Road residence. Upon returning to the home, he told deputies, McCarthy went into her bedroom and later emerged “wearing lingerie and a silver handgun in her vagina.” She then proceeded to “have inner course with the gun,” according to the court filing.

After removing the gun from her vagina, McCarthy pointed it at her boyfriend’s head, investigators charge. Fearing that he could get shot, the man grabbed the weapon from McCarthy and put it in the toilet.

Putting the gun in a toilet makes about as much sense as anything else in this story.

On second thought, where else would you put a gun your crazy girl friend removed from her vagina and threatened you with?

I have absolutely nothing to add to this bizarre story (well, an obscene joke about 'snatching the gun' does come to mind...).

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2014.01.10

I'm thinking of making this the default Happy Hour post.

Crank it up and sing along!

New Feature - Cleaning Up

One of the things I would like to do this year is become more organized. No, this is most definitely NOT a New Year's Resolution. It is simply recognizing an aspect of my life where there is opportunity for improvement (one of many, I'm afraid...).

Anyway, over time I have amassed quite a collection of images that appealed to me. Many arrived via email, some I stumbled across while wandering the Interweb, and a few seem to have magically appeared on my computer through no action of my own. So I have decided to post a few every day, somewhat haphazardly categorized, until I've eliminated most of the backlog. Today's topic is that collection of pompous idiots and stuffed shirts masquerading as our elected leaders.

obama Lite

obama's reaction to all the numerous scandals of his administration can basically be summed up by the old Sgt. Schultz line: "I know nothing..."


Now it appears that Chris Christie is following in barry's footsteps.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by the conduct of "some people on my team" over an unfolding political scandal, saying he knew nothing of their activities...

Yeah, right...

Confused And Conflicted

This is one of those situations that end up leaving me confused and conflicted.

I was reading a story in the local paper about pending legislation in congress to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed. My first reaction was "No way. Let the lazy bastards get a job."

Then I thought about the dismal state of the job market.

"...while the short-term unemployment rate is back near its pre-crisis levels, the long-term unemployment rate remains higher than at any point from we began collecting records in 1948 to the onset of the Great Recession."

Meanwhile, obama is running around spouting off about 'his' economic recovery.

Saying the economy is doing better than it was a year ago, Obama said "I firmly believe that 2014 can be a breakthrough year for America."

Does anyone besides me see the irony of barry proclaiming that the economy is doing well, while at the same time saying we need to extend long term unemployment benefits?

Which brings me back to the story in the local paper. It focused on a San Antonio woman who was laid off and has been unable to find work. Now her unemployment insurance has expired.

When she was laid off in April, Catherine Dueñas was making nearly $60,000 and was so confident her solid work record would land her another job quickly that she felt no need to apply for food stamps.

That was 10 months ago, by far the longest the 50-year-old mother of three — who evaluated contracts with physician groups for an insurance company — has been without work.

... long boring recap of unemployment benefits bill here ...

She reapplied at UnitedHealth Group, her employer of 12 years, as well as other companies, including Valero Energy Corp., USAA, Martin Marietta, and Baker Hughes.

She said hiring managers told her she'd be a great hire — if she had had a college degree.

Why? She's done the job for 30 years. What would a college degree add to her qualifications? Where do these inane HR requirements come from?

“I've always wanted to go to school but always had to work to support my family,” she said. “I know now that I need to be able to do that, to be able to get back into the same market.”

Her plan is now to take out student loans for an associate's degree in business at San Antonio College.

Poor woman. She's been convinced that taking out student loans to get her a two-year business degree from the local community college will make her more marketable. She's 50 now. When she gets done paying off those loans it will be time for her to retire.

I realize I've been rambling. Despite the simple sound bites being broadcast from D.C., this is a complex problem without a simple solution. While the congresscritters play politics real people are being hurt.

Polar Vortex Update

Here's something for you to ponder as you freeze your ass off during the 'polar vortex.'

Obama Warned of “Excessively High Temperatures” in November; Average Temp in USA Today: 14.8 Degrees

“Excessively high temperatures” are “already” harming public health nationwide, Pres. Obama declared on Nov. 1, 2013...

On Coldest Day in Decades Loony Biden Lashes Out at ‘Global Warming Deniers’

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday predicted that extreme weather events would continue to hit the United States despite skepticism from “global warming deniers.”

Q: When will global warming fanatics use a little logic?

A:

Is It Worth It?

Our son has been home from college the last month or so on Christmas break. The Spring semester starts on Monday. He's leaving Friday "to get a head start on the new semester" (read: to party all weekend before going back to class).

His grades for his first college semester were a little disappointing. He was an A/B student in high school. He had the infuriating habit of doing just enough to make the minimum grade cut-off level; his A's were all 89.5s, his B's 79.5s. If he had spent as much time studying as he did figuring out how to get by with the minimum effort he would have been the valedictorian.

Youth ... sigh...

Anyway, his college grades were all one level lower - B's and C's instead of A's and B's. We had a little come-to-Jesus meeting about them. He now understands that if there is not significant improvement this semester his future options include living at home while going to the local community college, joining the military, or moving out and getting a job.

With that as background, I ran across this article.

New year, same bad news for recent college grads

If you’re getting ready to send junior back for his spring semester of college (or preparing to start your own), you may want to avoid the latest edition of the New York Fed’s Issues in Economics and Finance. In it, three Fed economists ask “Are Recent College Graduates Finding Good Jobs,” and the news is sure to fuel talk of a “higher education bubble.” In just seven short pages, the paper lands a series of body blows on the college value proposition.

Among the findings:

1. Underemployment for recent college graduates is high and has steadily increased since 2001.

During the first decade of the 2000s, the underemployment rate rose somewhat sharply after both the 2001 and 2007-09 recessions, and in each case, only partially retreated, resulting in an increase to roughly 44 percent by 2012. Thus, it appears that the underemployment rate has, in fact, been rising for recent college graduates since 2001.

2. Underemployed college graduates are increasingly working lower quality jobs.

The proportion of recent graduates holding “good non-college jobs” (those earning $45,000 or more per year in 2012) has plummeted since 2001, while the percentage holding “low-wage jobs” (those with average salaries below $25,000) jumped during that period.

3. Not all college majors are created equal.

Among recent grads who majored in business, 50% were underemployed and 6% were unemployed; in communications, 54%, 6 %; in liberal arts, 52% and 8%; and in leisure and hospitality, 63% and 7%. At the other end of the spectrum, engineering majors fared particularly well (20% underemployed, 5% unemployed), as did those who studied health (22%, 3%). Education majors also did well (22%, 4%), an indication of how the public schools fared when compared to the rest of the economy.

Supplementing the above, a Hamilton Project report has found that nearly half of families in the U.S. fall into the "lower-middle class" category, defined as those with income between 100 and 250 percent of the federal poverty level (that is, between roughly $15,000 and $60,000, depending on family size and composition). Almost half of those families are headed by individuals who have attended college, with 14% of them holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

In other words, a college degree is not a ticket to the middle class (or above).

Just what parents want to hear as their kids get ready for a new semester...

For Once I Agree With McCain

I have the utmost respect and admiration for John McCain when it comes to the sacrifices he made in the service of his country. He is a true American military hero.

Sadly, I don't have the same respect and admiration for him as a politician. He and I have different views on many issues. I am, however, in complete agreement with him on this one.

McCain blasts Obama for Al Qaeda-related takeover of Fallujah

Republican senators on Saturday blamed the Obama administration for Al Qaeda affiliates over-running parts of Iraq, including the city of Fallujah, which the United States secured before President Obama removed all U.S. forces from that country in 2011.

Sen. John McCain, Arizona, and Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, called the recent turn of events “as tragic as they were predictable” and suggested Obama misled Americans into believing that Iraqi leaders wanted U.S. forces out of their country.

“as tragic as they were predictable” - that applies to many events and consequences of the obama administration, not just Fallujah.

obama, meanwhile, has been trumpeting that AlQaeda is on its last legs. Recall that barry ran for re-election in 2012 claiming Al Qaeda was broken. Similar to "if you like your health care you can keep it," those claims were also a great big lie - and obama knew it.

As President Obama ran to election victory last fall with claims that al Qaeda was “decimated” and “on the run,” his intelligence team was privately offering a different assessment that the terrorist movement was shifting resources and capabilities to emerging spinoff groups in Africa that posed fresh threats to American security.

Top U.S. officials, including the president, were told in the summer and fall of 2012 that the African offshoots were gaining money, lethal knowledge and a mounting determination to strike U.S. and Western interests while keeping in some contact with al Qaeda’s central leadership, said several people directly familiar with the intelligence.

The gulf between the classified briefings and Mr. Obama’s pronouncements on the campaign trail touched off a closed-door debate inside the intelligence community about whether the terrorist group’s demise was being overstated for political reasons, officials told The Washington Times.

I think we all know the answer to that one.

The guy lies by reflex. He wouldn't know the truth if it walked up and whacked him upside the head.

Blood on his hands ... and the hands of everyone who supports him...

Bonus FOD 2014.01.06

Just for fun, let's pick on barry's legacy accomplishment - obamacare.

There's certainly no shortage of obamacare disaster stories to pick from. Here's excerpts from two.

Obamacare confusion reigns as frustrated patients walk out of hospitals without treatment

Hospital staff in Northern Virginia are turning away sick people on a frigid Thursday morning because they can't determine whether their Obamacare insurance plans are in effect.

Patients in a close-in DC suburb who think they've signed up for new insurance plans are struggling to show their December enrollments are in force, and health care administrators aren't taking their word for it.

In place of quick service and painless billing, these Virginians are now facing the threat of sticker-shock that comes with bills they can't afford.

'They had no idea if my insurance was active or not!' a coughing Maria Galvez told MailOnline outside the Inova Healthplex facility in the town of Springfield.

She was leaving the building without getting a needed chest x-ray.

'The people in there told me that since I didn't have an insurance card, I would be billed for the whole cost of the x-ray,' Galvez said, her young daughter in tow. 'It's not fair – you know, I signed up last week like I was supposed to.'

"It's not fair..."

I have nothing to add.

A similar situation frustrated Mary, an African-American small businesswoman who asked MailOnline not to publish her last name. She was leaving the Inova Alexandria Hospital in Alexandria, Virginia with two family members.

'I had chest pains last night, and they took me in the emergency room,' Mary said. 'They told me they were going to admit me, but when I told them I hadn't heard from my insurance company since I signed up, they changed their tune.'

That story illustrates the devastating impact obamacare is having on an individual level. The next one highlights how it expands government oversight and control over the general population.

Obamacare site can’t handle it when you have a baby

There’s another quirk in the Obama administration’s new health insurance system: It lacks a way for consumers to quickly and easily update their coverage for the birth of a baby and other common life changes.

At first glance that sounds like just another problem with the obamacare website. But when you think about the broader implications, it gets downright scary.

It’s not just having a new baby that could create bureaucratic hassles, but other life changes affecting a consumer’s taxpayer-subsidized premiums. The list includes marriage and divorce, a death in the family, a new job or a change in income, even moving to a different community.

So obamacare enrollees have to notify Big Brother of every 'life change.' I guess they're trying to take some of the burden off the NSA.

FOD 2014.01.06

Have you noticed how nice and quiet it's been lately? obama is on his annuall Hawaii vacation. Congress is in recess. Things are rolling along quite nicely without either of them. Too bad it won't stay like this.

Speaking of barry and michelle's vacation, I almost choked when I saw this headline. It's from the New York Times.

For Obama, a Real and Rare Vacation in Hawaii

Rare? He does this every damn year. How does that make it 'rare'?

After a two-week vacation on the windward side of Oahu, ensconced with his family in a private beachfront rental, President Obama prepared on Saturday to return to the chillier clime — both politically and weather-wise — of the nation’s capital.

In an end-of-year news conference before he left Washington, the president said he hoped that his annual tropical getaway would leave him refreshed and ready for the challenges of 2014. “I am sure,” he said, “that I will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun.”

"...even better ideas..."  Based on his past ideas, that shouldn't be too hard.

Mr. Obama’s vacation schedule was nothing if not routine.

He went to the gym at Marine Corps Base Hawaii for a sunrise workout. He played golf nine out of 15 days. And he and the first lady, Michelle Obama, stepped out for dinner at a few of their favorite restaurants...

“One of the reasons that the president, I think, likes it here is that he can have a sense of normalcy, even within his security bubble,” said Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii. “He can still feel, perhaps, like he did when he was a teenager, just for a few moments at a time."

Does that include toking on a doobie?

Sunday Funnies 2014.01.05

Most of the U.S. is blanketed by extreme cold today. How cold is it?

It's so cold that:

the optometrist is giving away free ice scrapers with every new pair of eyeglasses.

the local flasher is just describing himself to women.

the hookers downtown are charging 20 bucks just to blow on your hands.

we have to open the fridge to heat the house.

the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl this year. I mean, hell did just freeze over, right?

 It's as cold as my second ex-wife's heart.

An Amish woman and her daughter were riding in an old buggy one cold blustery day. The daughter said to her mother, 'My hands are freezing cold.'

The mother replied, 'Put them between your legs and your body heat will warm them up.'

The daughter did, and her hands warmed up.

The next day the daughter was riding with her boyfriend who said, 'My hands are freezing cold.'

The girl replied, 'Put them between my legs and the warmth of my body will warm them up.'

He did and warmed his hands.

A little while later the boyfriend said 'My penls is frozen solid...'

The next day, the daughter was driving in the buggy with her mother again and she asked 'Have you ever heard of a penis, Mother?'

Concerned, the mother said, 'Why yes..... why do you ask?'

The daughter replies, "They make one heck of a mess when they defrost, don't they!"

A non-Amish woman was riding in a car with her boyfriend on a cold and blustery day. As luck would have it, the car got a flat tire. The boyfriend got out and began to change it. After a few minutes he jumped back in the car and said "My hands are cold."

The girlfriend replied "Put them between my legs and the warmth of my body will warm them up."

He did and warmed his hands, then got back out and continued changing the tire. After a few minutes he jumped back in the car and again said "My hands are cold."

Once more the girlfriend replied "Put them between my legs and the warmth of my body will warm them up."

He did and warmed his hands, then got back out and continued changing the tire. A few minutes later he jumped back in the car for the third time and said "My hands are cold."

His girlfriend said, "Darling, aren't your ears cold yet?"

Family Pride

Hunting season in our neck of the woods comes to a close tomorrow. I didn't get a chance to go as much as I wanted to this year. However, I was able to be there when the grandkids harvested a couple of nice bucks. It was the first deer for the granddaughter, and the first good buck for the grandson. Makes me proud to know that they can handle firearms responsibly, shoot accurately, and process game.

Maybe there's hope for the future after all.

Best Laid Plans

Our 19-year-old son invited five of his college friends to spend this weekend here. They all accepted. Accordingly, we went out yesterday and bought enough groceries for a small army - well, either a small army or six teenage boys. Of course, being teenage boys they aren't the most reliable people in the world.

You can guess where this is going, right?

Naturally, two of them have had 'other things' come up, and one now can't be here until Sunday. So the weekend has been re-scheduled to some undetermined date in the future.

In the meantime, I have 30 chicken drumsticks and 30 thighs marinating in the refrigerator.

Anyone wanna come over for dinner?

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2014.01.03

This one's for all the poor folks stuck in the Northeast as they get hammered by a winter storm ... again.

BTW, I played golf this morning. Just sayin'...

Gracias, Señor Holder

Call it a gift that just keeps on giving. Guns given to Mexican drug cartels by Eric Holder's Justice Department continue to be used by those thugs to terrorize and kill.

Fast and Furious gun turns up after Mexican resort shootout

A dramatic shootout between authorities and suspected cartel gunmen at a Mexican seaside resort this month has ties to a botched U.S. gun operation.

A U.S. official said Tuesday that investigators have traced at least one firearm recovered at a December 18 gunfight in Puerto Peñasco, across from the Arizona border, to Operation Fast and Furious.

That's the disastrous operation run by agents in the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Agents allowed suspected gun smugglers to buy about 2,000 firearms with the goal of trying to find and prosecute high-level traffickers. They couldn't track the firearms and most are believed to have ended up with cartels and gangsters in Mexico.

Many have turned up at crime scenes in Mexico and the United States, including at a shooting that killed a U.S. border agent in 2010.

The shootout in Puerto Peñasco, also called Rocky Point by Arizona tourists, two weeks ago left at least five suspected cartel gunmen dead, including possibly a high level Sinaloa cartel chief, according to Mexican authorities.

... At least one AK-47 style firearm was found, and U.S. investigators identified it as one that was allowed to be sold to suspected traffickers as part of Fast and Furious, according to the U.S. official ... Guns from Fast and Furious have turned up at other high-profile killings in Mexico, including those of the brother of a Mexican state prosecutor and of a beauty queen.

Congress -- well, actually some republicans in the House -- are still trying to get to the bottom of the Fast and Furious scandal. They are, of course, opposed at every turn by obama and his attorney general eric holder.

On September 30 (2013), U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman turned down Holder’s Justice Department request to dismiss a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee lawsuit seeking “Operation Fast and Furious” gun-running scandal documents hidden by the self-proclaimed “most transparent administration in history”.

Up until now, Obama and company have refused to do so after the president asserted executive privilege. Their position argued that the oversight committee’s demand for information had been settled by a February 4, 2011 letter to Congress in which Assistant Attorney General Ron Welch stated that “the allegation that ATF ‘sanctioned’ or otherwise knowingly allowed the sale of weapons…is false”.  DOJ pleaded that since their letter contended that they had done nothing wrong, and that there was nothing more to see following its issuance, the matter should be settled. Congress should just accept their word… get over it… move on.

Call them a disagreeable lot, but the House oversight committee chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) wasn’t sufficiently trusting to do that. After they sued to obtain the outstanding records, the administration filed for dismissal...

But then a pesky problem arose. It seems that that February 4 letter that was supposed to end the House committee inquiry was…gasp…untruthful after all. As Deputy Attorney General James Cole was compelled to admit in another letter to Congress: “Facts have come to light during the course of this investigation that indicate the Feb. 4 letter contains inaccuracies.”

more...

"inaccuracies" ... snort...

obama and holder have done their best to impose restrictive measures on law-abiding American gun owners while at the same time fracturing all sorts of statutes in supplying arms to Mexican criminals. Their arrogance and hypocrisy is staggering.

Remember "the most transparent administration in history"?

President Obama on Thursday (Feb. 14, 2013) hailed his administration for its transparency.

“This is the most transparent administration in history,” Obama said during a Google Plus “Fireside” Hangout.

The president said this holds true even on the issue of the attack on a U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a controversy which he said was “driven by campaign” politics and one that Congressional Republicans were clinging to even though they’ve “run out of questions.”

“Benghazi is not a good example,” Obama said...

Hell, even obama's allies in the media choked on that one.

“This is the most closed, control freak administration I’ve ever covered,” David E. Sanger, veteran chief Washington correspondent of The New York Times...

(Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of the Washington Post) writes, "The administration’s war on leaks and other efforts to control information are the most aggressive I’ve seen since the Nixon administration."

Unfortunately, many others in the media still drink the obama kool-aid. Still, at least a few are beginning to ask the questions they should have asked five years ago. Let's hope that trend continues.

For Harper

Harper is having trouble with her bank. This post is for her.

Just In Case There's Any Doubt

File this in the "Gee, What a Surprise" category.

7 in 10 felons register as Democrats

A new study of how criminals vote found that most convicts register Democratic, a key reason in why liberal lawmakers and governors are eager for them to get back into the voting booth after their release.

...in some states, felons register Democratic by more than six-to-one. In New York, for example, 61.5 percent of convicts are Democrats, just 9 percent Republican. They also cited a study that found 73 percent of convicts who turn out for presidential elections would vote Democrat.

Birds of a feather...

Here's the money quote:

“Democrats would benefit from additional ex-felon participation...”

I think they mean as voters, not as elected officials.

Off To A Rough Start

Welcome to 2014. So far it's off to a rough start...

In spite of the excesses of last night - or perhaps because of them - I'd like to start the New Year off with a prayer.

Dear Lord,

So far this year I've done well.

I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that.

But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help.

Amen

This is also the day when we traditionally make resolutions for the New Year. Here's my thoughts on that.

Last but not least, here's my wish for you for the upcoming New Year.