The World Is Going to End On ...

The Ice Is Cracking . . . Er | Power Line:

As late as '07 we were going to be "ice free by 2013" ... oops, the ice has ADVANCED since last year.

Back in 2006 I wrote about how far off the very confident post Katrina predictions on how OBVIOUS it was that there would be more "Superstorms" like Katrina than ever before due to Global Warming, and how Katrina was kind of W's "just desserts", since he was somewhat of a "denier".

Katrina was PROOF of Global Warming ... but wait, if there are LESS storms, what is that "proof" of??

The mark of science is CORRECT and REPEATABLE predictions. So far the warmist predictors are no more successful than the religious "the world is going to end on ..." guys.

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Canadian Perspective on Collapse of US

Collapse of American Influence Recalls Dis-Integration of Soviet Union, Fall of France - The New York Sun

Good to hear what our formerly more "progressive" neighbors to the north think about us.

Back when W was in office, the opinion of anybody else in the world with a negative view of W or US policy was very important to be shared widely and prominently! Wonder whatever happened to that attitude?

I fear he is WAY too optimistic about how easily this might be "fixed". I sincerely doubt that BO and the warmist fanatics will allow the US to become energy independent, and even if we did, two elections of BO are proof positive that our problems are much deeper than that.

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Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics

Police: Missouri man secretly exposed partner, maybe 300 more, to HIV - CNN.com:

Or COYOTE, which was a legalize prostitution group back when things were really just starting to roll on the "let's just throw God out and have fun ... especially with sex". A short perusal of this article reminds us of just how well that works.

Oh, but there have been problems with Catholic Priests, so religion is no answer. Right.

Brilliant logic ... there are still problems with infections caught in hospitals, so why don't we just throw out the whole ridiculous sterile protocol stuff? It definitely doesn't stop all infections!

Ah, the wise ways of man left to his own very limited devices.

I'm always mystified why the "progressives" believe that sex, drugs, abortion and the related "marriage" now, need to be "completely free choices", but soft drink containers, wages, work rules, seat belts, having more money than they think proper, how much water your toilet uses when it flushes and pretty much any other detail of life needs to be controlled to within a gnat's eyelash.

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Putin Declares the Obvious

Putin: John Kerry Is A “Liar” | Power Line:

I remember the MSM glee when some schmuck threw a shoe at W. I imagine that they would want nuclear retaliation were the same to happen to BO. Oh for just a tiny hint of balance.

So Putin knows that Kerry is a liar and is willing to say it? Good, gives me more confidence at least some world leaders still have a handle on reality!

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More Cowbell

Krugman: Obamanomics “an Astonishing, Horrifying Failure” | Power Line:

So even Krugman now things BOnomics is a failure. Not that one should put any stock in what someone that blasts deficits under one administration and then constantly harps that they are "too low" under another.

Still, it seems that at least we have a reasonable consensus that BOnomics sucks!

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The Winter Soldier Gets Heated Up

HURT: Tales of atrocities, as told by John Kerry - Washington Times:

Mr "I was for the war before I was against it", once the gung ho tough guy with THREE (count them) Purple Hearts (all without so much as a DAY of hospitalization!), has taken a "firm" position on chem weapons in Syria!

Kerry, "firm position" !!!??? ... oxymoron? I sure think so!

This guy is all out for John Kerry ... which is better than his boss who is out to destroy the "colonial powers", but still not what one would call "leadership".

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The BO Bad Example on Syria

Opinion: How not to run a foreign policy - Elliott Abrams - POLITICO.com:

Watching BO is often like watching Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith show. Downright painful. BO finally makes Carter look good, and he is the actual embodiment of what the left fantasized W to be. (except their imagination wasn't as bad as BO turned out to be),

He attacked Libya without so much as a whisper of "I need Congressional approval". So what the heck happened now? Andy take the bullet out of his gun?

Thinking people that care about America, a declining minority as evidenced by the last two presidential elections, are left in a real dilemma.

This article argues that Syria has to be struck for their use of chemical weapons. Is that a principle? Saddam used them multiple times, taking out whole villages of Kurds and also against Iranian soldiers. Do we value Syrian lives more than Iraqi or Iranian?

The assumption that Saddam had chemical weapons since he had used them was enough to get Kerry, Hillary, Joe B and many others to vote for boots on the ground military action with W in the WH. Do we need to find chem weapons this time to validate a strike? Would it be "a lie" if we didn't find them?

My guess is that what we MAY do with a strike is inhibit Assad's ability to deliver further chem weapons against his own people. Will it inhibit Assad's ability to deliver chem weapons to Hezbollah, which has 5K troops fighting with Assad?  Seems very doubtful.

What happened to the theory that "attacking Iraq makes us LESS safe"? Does attacking Syria have any effect on our security? Good, bad, indifferent? The evidence would seem to be that attacking Iraq did not make us at least MEASURABLY "less safe", but that was a real removal action, not cruise missiles at a few select targets.

 Is the BO encouraged attack on Syria intended to simply "police the world"? Use chem weapons NOW (post Saddam) and the US will unilaterally attack you? Does that work as an inhibitor?

Does that make us safer, less safe, or don't we care since our newfound "chemical morality" trumps issues of national interest?

But all these considerations are largely moot. BO certainly has the right to attack Syria as commander in chief. He himself affirmed the right in Libya. So what REALLY is a vote against his request? Or for it for that matter? It is some sort of Mime or Kabuki dance with potentially grave foreign policy repercussions.

It breaks new ground on amatuer, incompetent, incoherent foreign policy. It proves that the BO is the baddest example we have for a "president" to date. Not that I actually believe he cares. My belief is that he told us in "Dreams from my Father" that he is there to destroy the US as we know it, and again, he is doing one hell of a job!


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Back to 430 BC

(Not) John Cleese on Threats to Europe (Updated) | Power Line:

I've been thinking that we have returned to the 1970's with the stagnant economy, complete lack of respect for the US and it's leadership around the world, and sort of a general "malaise". I'm predicting a series of nasty dark cold winters to "ice it". Back in the '70s, folks were CERTAIN that we were sliding into a fresh ice age, and not without the winters to make you think they were right!

Maybe I'm off by a few thousand years though. It is too bad this ISN'T written by John Cleese, because it sounds like him, but it is good anyway. So odd that when nations had cultures, there was diversity of culture and you could actually make fun of them! Life was so fun before we did away with actual learning and culture and gave in to prissy political correctness.

I really liked the 430BC thing, but it is short and WELL worth the read. I pray the Aussies need NEVER cancel the barbie!

And as a final thought – Greece is collapsing, the Iranians are getting aggressive, and Rome is in disarray. Welcome back to 430 BC.

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JD 2320 Tractor, Patio Project

2320 and Patio Project

I was out working with the 2320 today and decided that I ought to shoot a couple of pics of it since it happened to be in a rare "loaded" state with the bucket, belly mower and tiller all attached. The bucket is on for obvious reasons, the evident digging for the extension  / completion of our house back perimeter rocking plus the addition of a small patio and a couple levels of steps to enable people to get to the patio, firepit, deck around the side of the house without stumbling in the dark. There will also be a berm and some rocks to separate it from the lawn and provide some privacy from the street

The other two items are on because I didn't like where I had the tiller at, so I wanted to move it and decided to just leave it on for weight while I dug, and when I was digging today I noticed that the lawn was really long, so I put that on and mowed. 

I've got all of 13 hrs on the unit so far, but WOW, it has done A LOT!! Lots of brush moving both at the edge of the yard and off from our drain-field, plus all the digging and mowing. Mowing is quite a breeze with the 62" deck! 

I'm always amazed at how poorly the measure "horsepower" captures working power. My previous 10 year+ mower was a JD 425 with allegedly 24 gas HP. This is a Yanmar 3cyl diesel, also with 24hp. The 425 had like zero torque ... load it and it died. This plays with the 62" deck, showing no signs of lugging even at 2/3 throttle. When I do lug it pushing brush or digging into a dirt pile with the bucket, it has a good deal of "snort" before it thinks of killing. 

It has been a JOY to use! Doing tasks that I've wanted to do for YEARS in an hour or two of enjoyable time is a superb treat. Somewhat like the opportunity to "be retired" for a couple weeks being of nearly infinite worth, the blessing of being able to complete tasks while using such a nice machine as been a real high point of the summer. 

JD 2320 Tractor, Patio Project

2320 and Patio Project

I was out working with the 2320 today and decided that I ought to shoot a couple of pics of it since it happened to be in a rare "loaded" state with the bucket, belly mower and tiller all attached. The bucket is on for obvious reasons, the evident digging for the extension  / completion of our house back perimeter rocking plus the addition of a small patio and a couple levels of steps to enable people to get to the patio, firepit, deck around the side of the house without stumbling in the dark. There will also be a berm and some rocks to separate it from the lawn and provide some privacy from the street

The other two items are on because I didn't like where I had the tiller at, so I wanted to move it and decided to just leave it on for weight while I dug, and when I was digging today I noticed that the lawn was really long, so I put that on and mowed. 

I've got all of 13 hrs on the unit so far, but WOW, it has done A LOT!! Lots of brush moving both at the edge of the yard and off from our drain-field, plus all the digging and mowing. Mowing is quite a breeze with the 62" deck! 

I'm always amazed at how poorly the measure "horsepower" captures working power. My previous 10 year+ mower was a JD 425 with allegedly 24 gas HP. This is a Yanmar 3cyl diesel, also with 24hp. The 425 had like zero torque ... load it and it died. This plays with the 62" deck, showing no signs of lugging even at 2/3 throttle. When I do lug it pushing brush or digging into a dirt pile with the bucket, it has a good deal of "snort" before it thinks of killing. 

It has been a JOY to use! Doing tasks that I've wanted to do for YEARS in an hour or two of enjoyable time is a superb treat. Somewhat like the opportunity to "be retired" for a couple weeks being of nearly infinite worth, the blessing of being able to complete tasks while using such a nice machine as been a real high point of the summer. 

Does the UK Now Matter?

U.K. Parliament Rejects Syria Action - WSJ.com:

When W went into Iraq with the full backing and participation of the UK, the US media and guys like BO said that he "acted alone". When W in a SOTU speech said that "British Intelligence said that ...", it was declared a "lie", even though Tony Blair and British Intelligence said repeatedly that not only did they say that, they still stood by the analysis. No matter, it remained "a lie" to the US chattering classes.

So now the UK refuses to even give approval to a US attack on Syria. How much did we listen to the press and BO wring their hands about the HORROR of W acting "unilaterally"??

Sometimes the left is feckless enough that I lose track of exactly where their double standards lie. I know they hated W, but given Vietnam and some of their other rhetoric over the years, I thought they actually had an "anti-war wing" that was independent of their hatred of Republicans. Left leaning people with real standards, not simply "hooray for our side and boo on your side" automatons ... but now I'm back to wondering.

Does lefty thinking SIMPLY come down to "we hate Republicans, if they do it, then it is BAD ... WHATEVER our side does is OK!"

Apparently so.

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Assault Weapons and Voting

Bill Clinton: 'A Great Democracy Doesn't Make It Harder To Vote Than To Buy An Assault Weapon':

"A Great Democracy Doesn't Make It Harder To Vote Than To Buy An Assault Weapon". Yea, right ... "I did not have sex with that woman". The wagging index finger that would be fun to snap off was even wagging.

We live in a nation of really stupid one-liners and demagogues dressed up as "statesman", in this case with their pants around their ankles.

1. We are a REPUBLIC, not a "Democracy" ... at least in name. We Pledge Allegiance to a REPUBLIC, not that Slick Willie has ever paid any attention.
   
2. I've both voted and purchased assault weapons, I have no idea what planet President Stain is currently residing on, but here in the old US of A, we don't even require an ID to vote (although we do to mail UPS, check into many hotels, get on a plane, withdraw money from your own bank, etc, etc). We want to make sure that all the "Undocumented Democrats" can get their votes counted just like the Democrats that are felons and or live in cemeteries.
   
   To buy an AR however, you need to submit a form to the local authorities, wait around week or so, be checked out by the Feds, get a "Permit to Purchase", take that to a gun dealer. Show your picture ID (in fact, have it copied) and then fill out a long form swearing to a bunch of stuff under threat of felony, and THEN you get your "Assault Weapon" ... meaning gun just like a whole bunch of others, but usually BLACK, with a FOLDING STOCK, and a LARGE MAGAZINE ... and maybe a HAND GAURD (so you don't burn your tough guy pinkies). 

I ride a Gold Wing, but today I was riding my wife's Harley Street Glide. It is sort of like an "Assault Motorcycle" ... it is BLACK, it RUMBLES, it SHAKES at the stoplights, it has LOTS OF CHROME, it is LOW ... it looks MEAN!! Only in the Assault Motorcycle world, they leave the super hot pipes exposed so they can REALLY burn you!

My Wing is burgundy, it is quiet, it is smooth, it has more HP, more acceleration, more top end, and looks like half of a Honda Accord. My 30-06 742 Remington has nice wood, it is WAY more powerful, accurate, and shoots a longer distance than my Bushmaster AR, but it is NOT an "Assault Weapon" ... just like my Wing is not an Assault Motorcycle.

A once great nation focuses on personal gratification for it's "leaders",  disarming the law abiding citizens, and allowing the country to be run by the illegal, the felons and the corpses?
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Not Fearing The Future Enoiugh

People Don’t Fear Climate Change Enough - Bloomberg:

I wonder how people developed the tendency to focus on today or the immediate future more than 100 years from now? It seems to be a mystery to a brilliant guy like Cass Sunstein.

For some odd reason, Cass doesn't mention debt. I wonder which is a greater threat to the next 50 years in the US? Something like 80T in unfunded FICA, Medicare, BOcare + 17T going rapidly to 20T of US Bond debt.  $100T debt. or the potential of a degree or two of extra temp ... a potential that has currently been on hold for the last 15 years.

Since debt is 100% human created for sure, I'd find it to be MUCH more controllable, predictable, and better understood than global climate. Let's assume that current climate change IS human caused ... I'd assume we can all agree there are many other factors as well? The climate has fluctuated significantly over all of it's 5B year history, and for LOTs of that, we were definitely innocent!

Anyone think we are likely to focus on our debt issue anytime soon? Compared to "Global Warming", it is a .000001 on the degree of difficulty to deal with. Let's just solve our debt problem in the US in the next decade to show how adult we are,  and then in the following decade we can take on the planet's climate.

I'm reminded of the chain smoker worried silly about flying. Or maybe more appropriate, the teen that is going to save the world, but can't quite find the time to clean their room.

Not only do humans think more about today and tomorrow than they do about 100 ... or even ONE year from now, they ALSO tend to make up paper tigers to focus on rather than actual items staring them in the face.

Thus, let's worry about "Global Warming" rather than debt, economic collapse, Syria, Egypt, power grid fragility, black urban violence, cancer, heart attack, car accidents, the collapse of the family, illegal immigration,  cleaning our room. ....




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Chris Lane, Trayvon Martin, Law vs Mob

No, Chris Lane is not Trayvon Martin! - Salon.com:

As this column says, "If you want to actually understand race relations in this country, you need to understand the difference between these cases." For folks like Salon, that isn't going to happen  until something like one of the following happens:

1. All "non-MSM media" are stamped out and people think and believe what they are told or they are nabbed by NSA surveillance and prosecuted under IRS or other "hate crime" laws for not thinking what the State/State Supporting Media has declared to be "truth". 
2. We become re-educated in historical, fundamental legal rights like self-defense and generally VOLUNTARILY agree to live under the rule of law as free men. 

This nation was founded under 2 and continues to slide toward 1. Are there "right wing" folks that will exploit things that happen? Sure, obviously that is the case on the left as well. However, that doesn't change the fact that the Zimmerman / Martin case was and is an open and shut case of self-defense, a human right at the basis of all human interaction. If you can't defend yourself when someone is on top of you pounding your head into the pavement than the right to self defense doesn't exist, as since it is Natural Law, we all really know that it does. In order to accept current "state truth" you have to deny Natural Law.

"Stand Your Ground" was not used in the case and has no bearing on the case. If you are in fear for your life and can't escape, that is self defense, and that was the defense which Zimmerman used and was freed under.

Any remotely dispassionate analysis will see that the Zimmerman/Martin case was latched onto by the left as a "cause" with no regard for George Zimmerman or Trayvon Martin. The new racial class of "White Hispanic" had to be created especially for the case, since the normal "Brown Hispanic" would be the wrong color. The idea was and is to "fire up the base" for political purposes and to keep the focus off a floundering president.

Why Henry Gates is even in the column is a mystery except I guess when one has very weak arguments a bit of screen helps.

**IF** George Zimmerman had actually just stalked and killed Trayvon Martin in cold blood and the police had let him go, then there would be a comparison something like what Salon imagines. But what the police did was see an obvious case of self defense that wasn't possible to prosecute, and  made the right decision, proven by the fact that a court of law reached the same c=-verdict. If we lived in nation 2, this column would never be written without near universal disapproval.

Will the right try to exploit the Lane case? Sure, but only because while we clearly don't live in nation 2 anymore, we have not yet "progressed" all the way to nation 1, so there is a need to try to get people to wake up and return to nation 2 before we damage ourselves farther. If people that care about rule of law and freedom don't stand up and talk, the alternative is going to end up being bloodshed since free men will not go quietly into nation 1.

We ought to take note of that and return to the rule of law!

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Decisions Soon, Grave Concern, Many Responsible

Obama in CNN Interview: Key decisions nearing on Syria, Egypt - CNN.com:

We are a LONG way from "the buck stops here", over even "I'm the decider".

Syria long crossed the "red line" and it is now "a grave concern". Wow.

We were totally in favor of the "Arab Spring" in Egypt, now we can't call a Coup a Coup.

So "key decisions" need to happen "soon".

Oh, and college cost a lot and many are responsible.

Carter's 2nd term is in full swing.

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