Fresh Air

Yesterday was a breath of fresh air, both figuratively and literally.

Figuratively, because we had some of our favorite relatives that we hadn't seen in a long time come to town for a quick visit. We spent the day touring the Texas Hill Country and reminiscing. Politics, the economy, Occupy Whatever, the Penn State mess ... all were forgotten for a short while.

Literally, because one of the things we did was climb Enchanted Rock on the most gorgeous, picture-perfect day we've had around here in a long, long time. Crisp cool temperatures and an incredibly clear blue sky did wonders for the psyche.

The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.

Tonkawa Indians believed ghost fires flickered at the top, and they heard weird creaking and groaning, which geologists now say resulted from the rock's heating by day and contracting in the cool night. A conquistador captured by the Tonkawa described how he escaped by losing himself in the rock area, giving rise to an Indian legend of a "pale man swallowed by a rock and reborn as one of their own." The Indians believed he wove enchantments on the area, but he explained that the rock wove the spells. "When I was swallowed by the rock, I joined the many spirits who enchant this place."

Approaching the granite dome (click to embiggen).

A couple of views from the summit.

 

There are some unusual rock formations on the Rock, along with several examples of how persistence and determination can overcome a seemingly insurmountable obstacle.

 

After climbing the granite dome, we looked around for more mountains to conquer. We found one.

We came, we saw, we climbed.

 

After all that climbing we were in desperate need of something to offset the good influences of fresh air and exercise. So off we went to the Fredericksburg Brewing Company for some giant soft pretzels (still warm from the oven), plates of tasty, juicy German sausages, and of course a few mugs of fresh-brewed beer.  

Then we returned home and started fixing dinner (didn't even take a nap).

Dinner was barbequed brisket, accompanied by more sausage, a pot of borrracho beans (FYI, "borracho" is Spanish for "drunk"), potato salad, and of course a bucketful of Shiners. Afterwards there was fresh peach cobbler topped off with Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, followed by coffee and Kahlua.

I slept like a baby...

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2011-11-11

Today we honor our nation's veterans. Please take a moment (actually, about 6 minutes) to watch this video. For those of you of a certain age, it will bring back a host of memories. It might also help if you have a handkerchief nearby.



My God, how young we were...

11-11-11

To all who have ever worn the uniform of this country's armed forces, Thank You.

I grew up reading the comic strip Peanuts. As I got older, I noticed that every Veteran's Day there would be a strip about Snoopy and Bill Mauldin. I often wondered why, until I came across this.

As Paul Harvey would say, "and now, for the rest of the story."

Charles Schulz, who died at age 77 in 2000, admired Mauldin deeply and paid tribute to him every Veterans Day.  Every November 11, Snoopy would don his WWI Flying Ace outfit or his WWII uniform and “go quaff a few root beers with Bill Mauldin.”  Every year, “Sparky”–as friends, family, and Santa Rosans generally refer to the much-missed Schulz–signed the original drawing and sent it to Mauldin.

One of his final Mauldin tributes was this one, from November 11, 1998.

Sparky drew 18,000 Peanuts cartoons over fifty years and, unlike many others, always insisted on inking every line and letter himself.  The above is a rare exception, perhaps the only one, to Schulz’s rule that he would be the only artist whose drawings would appear in Peanuts.

The Willie and Joe Schulz inserted into his 1998 panel come from a Mauldin cartoon published on June 26, 1944 in the Mediterranean edition of Stars and Stripes.  The battlescape surrounding them is littered with purse-like bags about the size of binocular cases.  The caption: ”I see Comp’ny E got th’ new style gas masks, Joe.”  The Army had issued gas masks, but since the Germans didn’t use gas against the Americans, frontline soldiers routinely threw them away to reduce their burden by  3 1/2 pounds.  Several vets have told me, however, that they often saved the cases because they were watertight: a perfect container for socks and cigarettes.

Schulz never heard from Mauldin after he sent his drawings.  Mauldin was not one for thank you notes, and, for a time, he didn’t even open his fan mail, so it’s quite possible some of those envelopes from Sparky remained sealed and stacked in the spare room which held Mauldin’s voluminous papers.

One day in 1986, at a cartoonists convention, Mauldin spied Schulz and approached him.  He asked Schulz why he drew his annual Veterans Day cartoon and sent the original to him.  Sparky explained that he had been a machine gun squad sergeant with the 20th Armored Division in France and Germany in 1945.

“That’s all he needed to say,” said Mauldin.  He understood the rest.

What Mauldin understood may be captured in a remarkable comment that Charles Schulz made toward the end of his life when a reporter asked him: “Out of all the awards you have received over your glittering career, which one means the most to you?”

Schulz responded,  “the Combat Infantry Badge.”

Who would ever have thought that such a kind, gentle person as Charles Schultz was a combat veteran? That, to me, is one of the most amazing hallmarks of the Greatest Generation: how they left their peacetime lives, participated in a worldwide cataclysm that resulted in over 60 million people dead, with around 416,000 of those deaths U.S. servicemen and servicewomen, and then afterward laid down their weapons, went back home, and built the greatest nation this world has ever seen.

No slight intended to other Veterans. Anyone who served at any time has my deepest respect and gratitude.

God Help Us - obama Is Going To Win

Rick Perry didn't just shoot himself in the foot in last night's debate. He blew his entire leg off.

Rick Perry and his campaign went into damage-control mode Thursday as Perry vowed to put an epic debate gaffe behind him...

The reaction of Herman Cain and his staff to the sexual harassment charges -- regardless of whether they are true or not -- has raised serious questions about his ability to run a national campaign for the presidency.

Need a lesson on how not to react when your campaign hits a crisis? Look no further than the response of GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain’s camp to the sexual harassment allegations that have imperiled his bid for the Republican nomination.

Newt Gingrich may be the most qualified candidate and the most ideologically acceptable candidate to conservatives, but he comes to the campaign toting a lot of baggage - perhaps too much to be electable.

The collapse of Cain has caused many people to look to Newt Gingrich as the new conservative savior. However, he may not be any better than Cain or the other candidates. Indeed, he could very well be a lot worse.

As for the front-runner, Mitt Romney, he excites no one and is leaking momentum faster than Michael Moore sweats gravy out his pores.

The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll shows that while Romney would still do the best head-to-head with Obama, he is slipping, now trailing Obama by 6 points in a head-to-head matchup, a 4-point drop since last month. But more dangerous is how he scores with the most important part of any successful GOP electoral coalition. Even with Obama’s job-approval rating stuck at 44 percent, Romney is losing ground.

Says the Journal today: “white, working-class voters are ready to vote for an unnamed Republican over Mr. Obama by 48% to 36%, Mr. Romney finds himself deadlocked with Mr. Obama among that key demographic, 44% to 44%.”

The enthusiastic support of these voters – call them Reagan Democrats or conservative independents if you like – is the way the GOP wins. A Republican who ties Obama in this Demographic would get smoked.

How did it come to this? The most inept president in the memory of every living voter is going to get reelected because the republicans couldn't come up with a single decent candidate.

Of course, there's a long way to go, and a lot can happen between now and next November. But I'm not optimistic...

Happy Birthday USMC

As a warm-up for Veteran's Day, today we celebrate the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps.

Before the United States was born, there was a Marine Corps.

Founded in Tun Tavern (how fitting!) on Nov. 10, 1775, recruits flocked to the tavern, lured by beer and the opportunity to serve in the new Corps of Marines.

Not much has changed since then. Tun Tavern still lives today. Marines still flock to taverns. And some of America's finest still flock to the Corps (see Meyer, Dakota ).

So Happy Birthday, Marines!

Semper Fi.

Am I The Only One Paying Attention?

Candidate for most redundant headline of the month:

Iran's nuclear program alarms world powers

World powers expressed alarm Wednesday at a critical report documenting Iran's progress toward making a nuclear bomb...

Anyone with half a brain could have seen this coming several years ago. In fact, several countries did. The response? Sanction after sanction after sanction. The most likely response to this latest report? Tough talk, followed by more sanctions.

The United States is looking to increase the heat on Iran, including a possible strengthening of existing sanctions (told you so) on Iran's financial and banking sectors and additional political pressure...

The United States also hopes international organizations, such as the United Nations, will take steps to further isolate Iran diplomatically.

Oh, by all means let's isolate the rag-heads diplomatically. That'll put an end to their nuclear program.

Of course, the nation with the most to lose is losing patience with the sanction approach.

Israel, meanwhile, warned it will consider all options to confront its arch-nemesis.

"It's clear that Iran is trying to achieve a nuclear weapon and Iran needs to be stopped," said Tzipi Livni, an Israeli opposition leader and former foreign minister. "Iran needs to understand ... that all options are on the table."

In an interesting twist, one Israeli commentator is suggesting that obama could help his reelection chances by taking direct action against Iran. He makes a number of intriguing points, although I disagree with some of the conclusions he draws.

One year from now, the American people will go to the ballot box to decide whether Barack Obama deserves a second term of office.

If recent polls are any indication, the president is facing an uphill battle.

Of course, a lot can happen in a year and it would be a mistake to write the president off. He is a talented campaigner, has an enormous war-chest and will have all the advantages of incumbency at his disposal.

But a sour electorate, stubbornly high unemployment and a growing sense of malaise at home have all contributed to mounting disappointment with the current occupant of the White House. With little hope of an economic turnaround in the next 12 months, the president’s prospects are far from bright.

There is, however, one thing Obama can do which would transform the equation, both at home and abroad: launch a military campaign against Iran to thwart its nuclear intentions.

On the domestic front, confronting Iran would rally the American people behind him in no uncertain terms. In one fell swoop, it would put to rest any qualms about him being weak or indecisive while underscoring his commitment to protecting US interests.

Not so sure about this statement. It would cost him his remaining support on the left, while probably picking up some moderates. But he likely would enjoy a surge of support, just like Bush did during the early stages of the invasion of Iraq.

Internationally, it would transform the Middle East and stave off the unbearable peril of the atomic Ayatollahs destabilizing the region. Moreover, stopping Iran would create a lasting legacy for Obama as the man who saved Western civilization.

That may be a bit much, but it definitely would appeal to his ego. That shouldn't be underestimated.

The US has all the justification it could possibly need for attacking Iran.The recently disclosed Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to Washington by blowing up a Georgetown restaurant was virtually an act of war. No country can tolerate a scheme by another state to carry out acts of terror on its soil, and America would be well within its right to respond.

Moreover, the Iranians have been arming and training guerrillas to kill American troops as part of its proxy war against the West.

The Ayatollahs have the blood of American soldiers on their hands and this must not go unpunished.

Amen to that. But bho is just the person to stand back and let them get away with it. 

Let’s be clear: there is no greater threat to international peace and security than a nuclear Iran.

The possibility of the Ayatollahs getting their hands on a nuclear weapon is simply intolerable. It would enable Iran to threaten and coerce its neighbors and set off a region-wide arms race that would alter the strategic balance of the Middle East.

Thankfully, Obama is already on record as saying that he would not allow this to happen.

On June 4, 2008, in an address to the annual AIPAC policy conference, he stated, “I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Everything in my power. Everything.”

Obama reaffirmed this position again earlier this year on May 22, when he told an AIPAC audience that, “We remain committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Now is the time for him to stand by his word. Round after round of sanctions have failed to halt Tehran’s nuclear drive. The only option left on the table is the measure of last resort: military force. Nothing else, it seems, will stop Iran from achieving its goal.

I agree with everything in the above paragraph - except the naive expectation that obama will stand by his word. He'll say and do anything that seems politically expedient at the time, but time after time fails to come through when it counts.

To be sure, such a course of action would enrage many throughout the Muslim world. And taking out Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would neither be easy nor quick.

But it is better to be respected than to be liked. And right now, America is neither.

Sad, but true. Unfortunately, obama is not the person to change that.

Obama’s path to electoral victory goes straight through Tehran. He can salvage his presidency and protect the Western world by thwarting Ahmadinejad’s devious plans.

Though fraught with risk, a US-led military assault against Iran’s nuclear installations might just be the game-changer that Obama – and the world – so desperately need. Here’s hoping that he acts before it is too late.

When it comes to obama, hope in one hand and crap in the other, and see which one fills up first.

I suppose I should stop taking shots at obama and address the situation. Iran simply must not be allowed to get its hands on nuclear weapons - period. End of discussion.

After all, this is a theologically-driven society that routinely produces suicide bombers. It venerates savages who revel in blowing themselves up while killing innocent men, women, and children. Its leaders assure their subjects that death in a holy war against the infidels is an express ticket to heaven, complete with 72 virgins. Couple that mindset with weapons of mass destruction and we have the formula for Armageddon.

It is starkly clear that it is in the best interests of the U.S., not to say the rest of the world, to take whatever action is necessary to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons. I don't see how any reasonable person can disagree with that position.

I am not an expert on military force, but I think it can be done without ground troops. A combination of bunker-busters, MOABs, and BUFF carpet bombing would certainly degrade, if not destroy, Iran's nuclear facilities, no matter how buried and hardened. Even if the facilities themselves were unharmed, they'd be buried under hundreds of tons of rubble. And while we're at it let's take out their power and transportation infrastructure, just to complicate resupply and rebuilding.

Since this would result in a loss of Iranian oil on the world market, it would also be a perfect opportunity for us to reinvigorate and expand our domestic energy industry.

Ah, who am I kidding? Something like this will never happen.

Unless the Israeli's do it...

More Credibility (Not)

An update to yesterday's post about the credibility of the most recent Cain accuser: (H/T Doug Ross)

Cain accuser Sharon Bialek lives in the same Chicago apartment building as David Axelrod, political consultant and senior adviser to barack obama

Another Cain accuser, Karen Kraushaar, works in the obama administration.

I'm sure this will be reported on MSNBC and CNN in the very near future...

Return of FID

I haven't had a FID post in a while, so I thought I'd catch up on the latest from the Religion of Peace.

When I saw this story my head just about exploded. (H/T Moonbattery)

Public school students in Cambridge have the day off today in what officials believe is the first time a Massachusetts school district has scheduled a holiday to recognize an Islamic holy day.

The school holiday will recognize Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice. The day off to mark an Islamic holy day was approved by the Cambridge School Committee last year.

To be sure, schools often have days off for Christian and Jewish holidays. However, the last time I looked Christians and Jews aren't running around demanding under threats of violence and death that the societies and cultures they move into adapt to them, rather than the other way around.

Europe’s veil of fear (H/T BMEWS)

The office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was badly damaged by a firebomb on Wednesday, after it published a spoof issue "guest edited" by the Prophet Muhammad to salute the victory of the Islamist party in Tunisia’s elections.

Much more at the link. Take a look. It's some very disturbing stuff.

Finally, BMEWS summed it all up with one short pithy phrase:

Where islam spreads ..... freedom dies

No Credibility Issue Here

I haven't said anything about Caingate, or Politicogate, or whatever gate it's being called, because: (1) I honestly think it's much ado about nothing; (2) I think it is, as Clarence Thomas described his experience, "a high-tech lynching;" and (3) others have spoken about it in more eloquence and detail than I'm capable of. However, I ran across the following and thought it summarized the most recent development quite nicely. From Curmudgeonly & Skeptical:

Okay, so: (Herman Cain accuser Sharon) Bialek was fired by the NRA (National Restaurent Association, not the real NRA) in 1997 after working there for six whole months. Then she requested a face-to-face meeting with the president of the organization that had just fired her, to ask about finding a new job. A phone call wouldn't have done it, apparently. And she didn't tell Cain she was there about a job until dinner. And the whole thing wasn't her idea in the first place, but her boyfriend's. And then Cain groped her and told her it was part of the job interview. And she's coming forward almost 15 years later, after a week of non-stop coverage of unspecified accusations by anonymous accusers, on behalf of women everywhere. After Gloria Allred gets her face time, of course.

Oh, and by the way, Bialek just happens to have a history of financial troubles and legal squabbles.

The emerging portrait of Herman Cain's most recent accuser shows a suburban homemaker with a history of financial and legal troubles...

Records show she twice has filed for personal bankruptcy...

After the case was discharged, she accused a former boyfriend of harassing her for repayment of a loan...

The IRS filed a tax lien against her in 2009 for nearly $5,200. In August, the Illinois Department of Revenue claimed Bialek owed the state more than $4,300, including penalties and interest, relating to income taxes from 2004, according to county records.

Court records also show creditors took legal action against her during the past decade, including at least one lawsuit filed in Cook County.

What an amazing coincidence. This paragon of fiscal responsibility and exemplar of stability in her personal life is from Chicago, from whence you-know-who came. Conspiracy theorists, have at it.

As TV trucks pulled up in front of her Mundelein home and reporters rang the doorbell, (Bialek's fiancee said she) does not plan any legal action against Cain and does not intend to stand in the political spotlight for very long.

"We're in it together," he said. "My only concern is that it not become some type of media circus."

Yeah, right. That's why you bozos help a press conference in NYC and have retained Gloria Allred. You want to keep it low key.

And in other news:

Herman Cain says his stimulus package is bigger than obama's...

Bill Clinton endorses Herman Cain - says he has what it takes to perform in the oval office...

But seriously, folks, Clinton did have some advice for Cain. See below...

No Joy

As regular readers know (and my thanks to both of you...) last weekend was the opening of deer season down here. In keeping with the bizarre way things have been going the last few months, this year's hunting experience has likewise been on the strange side. But first, a little background.

I was raised to be comfortable around firearms. We also spent a fair amount of time camping, fishing, and in general enjoying the outdoors. However, my father wasn't a big hunter, so my early firearms experience was limited to target shooting. When I got out of the Army back in 1975 and took my first job in the corporate world, I became friends with a couple of good ol' Texas country boys who just couldn't believe I'd never been deer hunting. Roy and Ronnie were brothers who were a few years older than me. They took me under their wing and treated me like their little brother. Of course, in this case that meant the Texas country version of tough love. Roy and Ronnie often had disputes and were prone to settle them with fisticuffs rather than words. I never got into a knock-down-drag-out with either of them, but there was a little pushing and shoving on occasion. Of course, once the dust settled and the first beer was opened whatever the argument was about soon faded into insignificance.

Roy and Ronnie were also pretty rough practical jokers. I still shudder when I remember pulling open my desk drawer and discovering a live rattlesnake coiled inside. Their explanation that they'd wrapped a rubber band around its mouth to keep it shut did little to reassure me, especially once we saw that the rubber band had broken. The drawer got slammed shut pretty damn quick while we figured out the best way to deal with the situation (a metal trash can and a couple of Austin phone books were involved, in case anyone finds themselves in a similar fix).

Anyway, Roy and Ronnie introduced me to the joys and frustrations of deer hunting. They had a lease out near Sweetwater, which hosts the world's largest rattlesnake roundup. Yes, I've been there. Yes, I've eaten fried rattlesnake (it really does taste like chicken). And no, I will never do either one again. Once is more than enough for some things.

One of my most enduring and endearing memories of hunting with them was the day we were walking back to camp and saw the biggest rattlesnake I've ever seen in my life slithering across the path. Both brothers let out a loud whoop, threw down their rifles, and went tear-assing after the snake. The snake, understandably confused by the two lunatics running towards him instead of away, tried to escape by heading down a nearby hole in the ground. Unfortunately for him, he'd just eaten and had a bulge about the size of a football in his mid-section. Ronnie got there first, grabbed the snake by its tail, yanked it out of the hole, swung it around his head a couple of times to build up momentum, and then cracked that snake like a whip. Popped its head clean of its body. Damnedest thing I ever saw. Even without the head, that snake pegged out at damn near six feet.

Roy and Ronnie skinned the darn thing, salted it, rolled it up, and put it on ice to take home. The plan was to tack it to a board and let it cure, then make a couple of belts out of the skin. Of course, Roy and Ronnie got in a fight about the best way to do this, so the rest of us just sat back and waited for them to get tired of whaling on each other.

I hunted with Roy and Ronnie for years. Unfortunately, I left the Austin area for another job in Houston. At first we stayed in touch but over the years we gradually drifted apart. I don't know where Roy and Ronnie are today, but wherever it is I can guarantee it's not boring.

By the time I got to Houston I was a confirmed hunter. I made new friends and hunting compadres. This resulted in a couple of decades of hunting the same lease, this time in Central Texas near the small town of Albert (just outside the thriving metropolis of Blanco). Great lease, great friends, but time had its way with us. Several of the old-timers got too feeble (or too dead) to continue hunting. And after 20+ years the landowner died, and his son sold off the land. About that time I moved back near San Antonio, so by mutual consent those of us who remained on the lease agreed to move on as well.

For the last few years I've taken a new approach to hunting. Between work and family, it's been difficult to get away for multiple weekends during the season, so I've been taking one week-long hunting trip. I usually go to a ranch in Wyoming where we know some folks. I get to hunt mule deer and pronghorns, and one of these days I'll draw an elk tag and really fill the freezer. It's a different way to hunt than what I'm used to - kind of like going to a resort for a week where you're pampered and spoiled, and don't have to do anything. It's a lot of fun, but I missed the camaraderie and sense of ownership that you get from having your own lease.

All of which brings me to this year. My older son (38 years old, from a previous marriage) found a lease near Dilley. Dilley's claim to fame is that it is home to the Dolph Briscoe Unit of the Texas state prison system. As a matter of fact, our lease is right across the road from the prison, just a little over a mile from it.

Like I said way back somewhere near the top of this post, this is a bit of a strange year. The previous hunters on this lease didn't renew this year, so it went on the market. A group of five other hunters signed on, leaving two spots open. My son and I took them, so we're hunting with a bunch of strangers. They seem nice, and also seem to know what they're doing, so hopefully there won't be any problems. but it is a little different from what I'm used to.

I also didn't get a chance to do much pre-season scouting. In fact, I only got there once before the season started. I didn't even get to make opening morning, instead showing up mid-day and hunting Sat. evening and Sun morning. In my one scouting trip I found a place to set up that overlooks the intersection of a couple of game trails, with plenty of deer and hog sign, so I was cautiously optimistic. However, I didn't see a damn thing that first evening.

Once it got too dark to shot I headed back to camp. Foliage in South Texas brush country consists of plants that have thorns, spines, stickers, or some combination. It makes cross-country travel difficult, so most folks stick to established trails. I was moseying along one such trail when I heard the unmistakeable sound of a disturbed rattlesnake dead ahead. There he was, coiled up smack in the middle of the trail. I didn't feel like going backwards, and couldn't go around him. He didn't seem inclined to move, so we just stood there for a few seconds and stared at each other.

In addition to my rifle I was carrying a .357 revolver, primarily in case I ran into a bunch of hogs. It was loaded with solid slugs, not rat shot, but at that point I didn't care. I unholstered it and cranked off a few rounds. The first one went high, but the next one hit the snake. He thrashed around for a while and didn't seem in any hurry to settle down, so I busted another cap on his scaly ass. That quieted him down quite a bit, but not all the way.

By now it was nearly full dark. I knew I'd hit the darn thing twice, but it was still twitching and moving around. So I took my flashlight in one hand and a big rock in the other and dropped the rock on the snake's head. Then I took this picture and cut off the rattles.

It's not a very good picture, but all I had with me was my cellphone. The snake was about four feet long and about as big around as my wrist.

It was also the only critter that got shot this weekend.

The weather was warm and muggy. Game was scarce. More hogs, coyotes, and bobcats were seen than deer. Hopefully things will pick up when the weather cools off. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go back for at least two weekends. But it was nice getting out, doing some hunting, and spending time with son #1.

And I'm sure my next hunt will result in a freezer full of venison...

Bonus FOD 2011.11.07

Think this is good news? Think again.

CNN Poll of Polls: President's approval rating remains in the mid-forties

Sunday began the one-year countdown to the 2012 presidential election when President Obama and a yet-to-be-determined GOP candidate will face off for the White House. A CNN Poll of Polls released Monday reveals the president's approval rating is still under 50%.

According to the CNN Poll of Polls, which is an average of the most recent national surveys, 45 percent of Americans approve of how the president is handling his job and 51% disapprove.

"Approval ratings are a useful measure of an incumbent's chances of re-election, but they are not meant to be a prediction of the vote in the next election," notes CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "In Obama's case, for example, polls indicate that roughly one in three Americans who disapprove of him feel that way because he has not been liberal enough. Those people may not vote for Obama by staying at home on election day or voting for a third-party candidate, but they are probably not going to vote Republican."

I remain concerned about the 2012 election for several reasons. Regardless what you may think of obama as a person or as a president, he remains a skilled politician. There is a solid liberal/leftist/democrat base of somewhere around 40%, plus or minus. And of course he has the active support of most of the mainstream media, which will do whatever it can to smooth over his failings (heard anything about Fast and Furious lately?) and tarnish the opposition (see Cain, Herman).

But my biggest worry is the tendency of the republicans to shoot themselves in the foot. It's looking more and more like Mitt Romney will be the republican candidate. That could result in a rerun of 2008, when disillusioned conservatives stayed home in droves rather than vote for John McCain.

We all know how that turned out...

 

FOD 2011.11.07

I've posted before about the propensity of obama and his political allies to insist that the rich pay their fair share. Much of the debate about this revolves around the question "what exactly is their fair share?"

While that is a valid question certainly deserving an answer, it obscures a couple of more basic, and potentially more troubling, points: the use of 'the politics of division' as the engine which drives obama's re-election campaign; and the 'tax the rich' cry as a distraction from the real issue - cutting the size and scope of government.

Richard M. Salsman, writing for Forbes, offers an interesting perspective on the class warfare issue. As he points out, substitute any other group -- racial, ethnic, gender (or gender-bending), even a social grouping such as lower-income -- and the backlash against such demonization would be loud, vociferous, and immediate. Yet bias against those who are successful is not only tolerated but encouraged by the socialist-in-chief and his ilk.

Envy of the rich is the last popularly accepted prejudice in America. With the current U.S. president leading the charge, the envy shows no signs of abating anytime soon. The bigots among the 99% of people who seek to control or destroy the top 1% of U.S. income-earners and wealth-owners are targeting a minority and treating its members as inferior citizens devoid of full rights, not based on skin color, gender, or religion, but because the minority displays superlative productive power.

The viciousness of the anti-wealth bigots contributes heavily to expanding the size and scope of government and piling more tax burdens on the 1% minority.  Instead of scaling back spending and regulations, politicians and pundits today prefer to re-jigger the tax code yet again, so as to deflect attention away from the size of Leviathan to the means by which it is financed. Instead of slaying Leviathan, they merely seek ways of feeding him more “optimally.”

The top 1% of U.S. income-earners ($380,354+) generate 20% of all personal income yet pay 38% of all federal income taxes, while the top 10% ($113,799+) earn 46% of income and pay 70% of all such taxes. The other 90% of tax filers, who make 54% of personal income, pay only 30% of federal income taxes. The disproportion is even worse for the lower 50% of all federal tax filers (those making $33,048 or less), for while they earn 13% of all income, they pay just 3% of all federal income taxes. Meanwhile 47% of U.S. households (and most of those that make less than $40,000 p.a.) pay no federal income taxes (double the rate of 1980). The inequity is worse if you measure the net effect of taxes paid and subsidies received.

Our present-day Redistributionist-in-Chief frequently denies that he’s engaged in class warfare. Indeed, while discussing the alleged need for higher taxes last month he insisted “this is not class warfare – it’s math.” But Obama fails even on the math. It’s quite apparent that he doesn’t really care about promoting American prosperity, because he believes that wealth can be multiplied by dividing it.  Not so, sir.  Division isn’t multiplication.

Since the U.S. federal income tax was first adopted in 1913, marginal tax rates on the top 1% of income earners have ranged from a low of 7% (initially) to a high of 94% (during WWII), and have averaged 61% for the past century. Thus the principle for much of the past century has been that the rich in American do not have a right to even half their earned income. Yet the person who can’t keep the bulk of the fruits of his labor is nothing but a slave.

 Now contrast the 'rich are evil' perspective with what Ronald Reagan said in a 1982 speech.

Since when do we in America believe that our society is made up of two diametrically opposed classes —one rich, one poor — both in a permanent state of conflict and neither able to get ahead except at the expense of the other? Since when do we in America accept this alien and discredited theory of social and class warfare?  Since when do we in America endorse the politics of envy and division?

"Since when do we in America endorse the politics of envy and division?" Since obama was elected ,,, no, wait, scratch that ... it goes all the way back to FDR, who, not coincidentally, is obama's hero.

At a (July 2011) Presidential Town Hall Meeting at the University of Maryland, Obama described FDR as being fiscally conservative.

SAY WHAT?!?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt implemented the New Deal and many other social programs.  Ignoring the Constitutional and Bill of Rights limitations of the role of the federal government, Roosevelt’s administration resulted in the largest expansion of the federal government and government expenditures at the time.

Now Obama is calling FDR a fiscal conservative and using him as his model.  And holding true to his hero, Obama has also rapidly expanded the federal government in size, power and spending.  Health care, financial reform and the federal bail out has resulted in the largest two year increase in the federal government and its budget, surpassing his hero FDR.

How did FDR pay for his increase in government?  He raised taxes on income and businesses.  How does Obama want to pay for his massive deficit?  Raise taxes on income and businesses.

There is no doubt that Obama is doing his best to follow in the footsteps of his hero.

If he succeeds, God help us all...

It's Still Opening Weekend

Still hunting...

Two Texas Aggies were dragging their dead deer back to their car. Another hunter walked up and watched them for a minute, then spoke up.

"Hey, I don't want to tell you how to do something ... but I can tell you that it's much easier if you drag the deer in the other direction. Then the antlers won't dig into the ground."

After he left, the two decided to try it.

A little while later one Aggie said to the other, "You know, that guy was right. This is a lot easier!"

The other replied, "Yeah, but we're getting farther from the truck."

My kids don't share my passion for deer hunting. They're also fussy eaters and sentimental about animals. So last season I decided to serve them venison for dinner, but not tell them what it was.

My daughter sniffed it suspiciously, nibbled at it, eyed me skeptically, and asked "What is this?"

My son took at bite and pronounced it delicious, which prompted his sister to take a large bite.

After a few more bites they started badgering me, asking what they were eating.

"Here's a hint," I said. "It's what your mother often calls me."

My daughter screamed "Don't eat it. It's an asshole!"

A classic...

Your Polka Fix, Braut To You By Wurstfest

If you're from around here, and you don't hunt, then the other big event this time of the year is a celebration of the German heritage of some of the area's original settlers. It's similar in concept to Oktobfest, but on a smaller scale and a little more family-friendly.

The 51st version of Wurstfest, the annual celebration of German culture, returns to New Braunfels on Friday...

It's a polka festival and it's German, so there will be beer...

As always there will tons of food, served from dozens of booths in Wursthalle and scattered around the grounds...

Line up early for the cult classic Kartoffelpuffer, a specially seasoned potato pancake served with cinnamon and apple sauce or sour cream. This is the most popular food at Wurstfest...

My first paying gig was as a trombone player and drummer with Russel Koehler's German American Band, playing oom-pah music at Wurstfest back in the late 1960's. That was the apex of my musical career, at least in terms of fun...

It's Like Christmas Eve

Tomorrow is the Opening Day of deer season. Down here it's as big - if not bigger - than Christmas.

It snuck up on me this year. This has been a very challenging semester at school. The students are contentious, and the administration has been unusually demanding, unreasonable, and aggravating. On top of that, there have been family issues that required time and effort (nothing overly dramatic or serious, but still significant enough to require attention).

Bottom line - usually I have everything ready a week or so ahead of time, but not this year. I'm running around today like a headless chicken, frantically trying to get things done. The good news is that my rifle is sighted in, my knife is sharpened, and the beer is iced down.

Everything else is gravy...

Someone Is Out To Get Me

Last Monday we were having problems with the internet connection at our Central Texas home. I had to leave Monday evening to get down to my workplace in South Texas, so Tuesday my wife had a service technician visit and fix the problem. It turned out to be a faulty router.

But that Monday evening when I got to my South Texas apartment the Internet connection there wasn't working. I called the local ISP, which unfortunately is Time Warner. After slogging through their 'customer service' (*cough gag choke*) phone voice response system, I finally got a real live person on the line. He was helpful enough, and after about an hour of various tests we figured out that the problem was with the modem. It was a relatively new modem that Time Warner gave me about 2 months ago to replace the previous one, which was working fine, but that's another story.

Unfortunately, Time Warner couldn't send a service technician out until Thursday morning. I asked if I could just drive to their local office and swap out the non-working modem for a new one. I figured that if it worked, it would save Time Warner a service call, plus get me up and running much quicker. If it didn't work we'd have the scheduled service call as a back-up.

Evidently Time Warner isn't interested in efficiency or customer satisfaction, because this idea wasn't acceptable to them. To his credit, the service rep on the phone was supportive. Together we pushed the proposal through three levels of management, all of whom said "no," but none of whom could give a good reason, other than "that's not the way we do things."

So I went to bed Monday night with no Internet connection, but comforted myself with the thought that I'd go into my office in the morning and catch up on things.

Wrong again, modem-breath...

Tuesday morning I could not get online from my office PC. Fixing this involved successive visits from the university's tech support team. Most of them are students working part-time while they go to school. They may be whizzes when it comes to social media, but they're a little inexperienced when it comes to basic network telecommunications. We eventually got online late Tues. afternoon, just in time for me to toddle off and teach my evening class.

Afterwards I went back to my Internet-less apartment and pondered various conspiracy theories, all revolving around why some nameless, faceless government agency wanted to deny me Internet access. That was three different connectivity problems at three separate locations. It couldn't be coincidence. There had to be some hidden malignant force acting against me. What were 'they' trying to hide? What were 'they' afraid of?.

Wednesday I had a number of errands to run and a bunch of papers to grade, so I didn't go in to the university. I started off the day somewhat antsy, jonesing for the Internet. But by midday I had settled down and was even enjoying the lack of connectivity by Wednesday evening. I finished grading the papers, caught up on some reading, listened to some music, and generally puttered around without worrying about emails, blogs, etc. It was actually quite liberating.

All good things must come to an end, however. The Time Warner service technicians have just left. It took two of them to install one modem about the size of a paperback book. They also had to go back and forth from the apartment to their truck three times.

It was almost like they were working for the government...

They're Not Like Us

One reason why obama's plan to tax the rich hasn't gained much traction in congress so far: the people voting on it are far more likely to be affected by it than the average American.

The percentage of Americans who are millionaires is pretty low. It's about 1 percent of the population - the so-called "1%" of Occupy Wall Street scorn.

Now contrast that with the percentage of members of congress who are millionaires. That figure? Nearly 50 percent.

Actually, that percentage is misleadingly low. It only takes into account certain cash and assets that are self-reported, and does not include assets that may be held in a joint or separate accounts or titles, such as a family home or a spouse's 401(k) plan.

244 current members of Congress were millionaires in 2009, the most recent year for which data is available. That figure includes 138 Republicans and 106 Democrats.

That lofty financial status is claimed by only about 1 percent of Americans. The median American family had a net worth of $96,000 in 2009, according to the Federal  Reserve Board.

The median net worth for a current member of the U.S. House of Representatives was $725,000 in 2009, according to the Center's research, and the median net worth of a U.S. Senator was $2.4 million.

Another reason why the 'tax the rich' bill faces uphill sledding. The people who contribute large amounts of $$$ to political campaigns are also likely to be impacted by the proposed tax hike.

"We don't know how many political donors are millionaires, but we do know that it takes a certain amount of disposable income to make contributions..."

Campaigns are expensive. In 2010 ... the average winner of a House race spent $1.5 million. The average Senate winner spent close to $10 million. Closely contested races are much more expensive. And about half of that money, on average, comes from an elite group of very wealthy donors.

People who get a lot of attention from politicians and people who have plenty of opportunities to tell lawmakers how they feel about a new millionaires' tax.

So let's see. The people who vote on the tax increase are likely to be negatively affected by it, and the people who paid for the election campaigns of the people voting on the bill are likely to be negatively affected by it. No wonder the bill isn't going anywhere.

As we mentioned in yesterday's post, lawyers comprise approximately 40% of congress (52 senators and 148 representatives are lawyers). I don't have the time to do all the research, but it would be interesting to cross-reference the list of congress-critters who are millionaires with the list of scum sucking sleazebags lawyers currently wasting space in congress. I'm willing to bet there's a substantial overlap.

And we wonder why congress is out of touch with the rest of us...

MYOB

One of my core tenets is "live and let live." If you don't bother me, I won't bother you. And I damn sure won't go out of my way to interfere with people who are doing just fine without my meddling.

Unfortunately, there are some people out there who just can't keep their nose out of other people's business.

The Pointless Case Against Catholic University

The Catholic University of America is, um, a Catholic university. So—surprise, surprise—its Washington, DC campus, like those of most other Catholic institutions of higher learning, has a lot of Catholic stuff around. Chapels, priests and nuns on the faculty, crucifixes in the classrooms, statues of the saints, and a gigantic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary...

As if the name itself wasn't a giveaway, a quick look at the campus - either in person on via the Internet - should reveal the university's Catholic nature. So it would be reasonable to conclude that anyone enrolling in Catholic University would know what to expect, right?

But nooo—the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights is currently considering a 60-page complaint alleging that Catholic's 122 Muslim students (out of a total student population, including graduate students, of just under 7,000) feel discriminated against because they are obliged to perform their daily prayers "surrounded by Catholic symbols which are incongruous with their religion." Those symbols include (according to the complaint) "a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate.”Particularly offensive (according to the complaint) is the basilica, which the complaint describes as a "cathedral that looms over the entire campus." The complaint faults Catholic University for not setting up a prayer room devoid of all Christian imagery where Muslim students can fulfill their religious obligations.

Surprisingly, the complaint did not originate from any of the Muslims currently enrolled at the school. It came, instead, from - what else - a lawyer who is on a crusade (ironic, isn't it).

Not a single Muslim student at Catholic signed onto the complaint, however, and when the campus newspaper, the Tower, interviewed Muslim students there, it was unable to find any with anything negative to say about the university's treatment of them. The complaint is actually the brainchild of John Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University (also in the District of Columbia) who has become more famous for his threatened litigation against institutions that he finds politically objectionable than for his teaching.

...  Banzhaf concedes that the facts might not support any legal claim that Catholic University is discriminating against Muslims—but he is counting on the Human Rights Commission of an ultra-liberal city to support his complaint anyway.  It might help if he could find a flesh-and-blood Muslim or two with some on-the-ground stories of bias. For one thing, the number of Muslim undergraduate, graduate, and law students at Catholic has more than doubled over the past four years, from 56 in 2007 to this fall's 122. Second, Catholic's Muslim students seem to have few complaints. One of them, Wiaam Al Salmi, told the Tower, "The community here is very respectful of other religions and I feel free to openly practice it."

So we have an outsider with no dog in this fight filing a complaint on behalf of a group of people who are quite satisfied with the status quo. Why do so many lawyers feel so compelled so often to meddle in things that don't concern them?

Shakespeare said it best: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

As an added benefit, 52 members of the U.S. Senate are lawyers, along with 148 lawyers in the House. And of course, the prez and his veep are also scum sucking sleazeballs lawyers. So if we take Willie's advice we'll have a great headstart towards improving this country in 2012.

(Note to any overly-sensitive law enforcement agencies. I am speaking metaphorically, not literally.)

Actions Have Consequences...

... and the idiots running the U.N. have just been hit upside the head with one.

U.S. Cuts UNESCO Funds

UNESCO voted Monday to admit Palestine into the organization as its newest member, and the United States promptly responded by cutting off funding for the agency.

I got all excited when I read this. For a moment I thought Michelle had let barry have his balls back (at least for a little while). Then I read the second paragraph.

Acting under a legal requirement to cut U.S. funds to any U.N. agency that recognizes a Palestinian state, the State Department on Monday announced that the United States has stopped funding the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization because of the vote.

Ah, now I understand. obama had no choice, although I'm sure he's working on some way to resume funding under a presidential edict. Either that or he'll take credit for reducing the budget deficit by $80M.

The United States provides UNESCO with more than $80 million a year, covering about 22 percent of its budget, thus making any cutoff painful.

Good. I hope it pains those assholes. In fact, I hope the U.N. votes to give those rag-headed terrorists palestinians full membership. Then we can stop pouring money down that rathole in New York, kick the whole kit and caboodle out of the country, and keep whack jobs like iran's ahmadinejad from polluting our shores, streets, and air.

The prohibition on U.S. funding of U.N. agencies that recognize a Palestinian state was included in two pieces of legislation that were signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and President Bill Clinton in 1994.

Bipartisanship at its best...

FOD 2011.10.31

Halloween and FOD - a scary combination...

Actually, what's really scary is the thought of four more years of this buffoon...