Sweet Tea & Livermush

Mortui Vivos Docent

2012-01-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Mike Vanderboegh speak at Guilford Courthouse a few years ago. And, although I haven't linked to his essays often, I read as much of his work as I can. As should we all.

He remains the standardbearing voice of Patriotism for those who won't be cowed, coerced, or coddled by the nanny state.

"My problem is that I have seen with my own eyes too much. I no longer trust. I can no longer be patient. For we who have trusted and been patient in our previous searches for federal justice have always been betrayed by the same people who claimed to be determined to "get to the bottom of it."

If my long education in bi-partisan perfidy in the cover-up of federal murder and mass murder has made me impatient, abrasive, untrusting and cynical, I make no apology. If we do see a complete and honest investigation of the Gunwalker Conspiracy, it would be a triumph of faint hope over jaded experience.

But that's not the way to bet."

Well said, Mike.

Steel

2012-01-26T18:38:00.001-05:00

I'm all for the prolonged Primary season, and concur with Rick Santorum's characterization (yeah, I've been doing more and more of that) that at its best, the process is one of steel sharpening steel. But I cringe when I hear leftist rhetoric coming out of Republican mouths.

These guys are at their best when they each remain focused on the real target, and lose votes for themselves (and their Party) when they take cheap shots at each other.

Cases in point: Newt's assault on Bain Capital (with Santorum chiming in), and Mitt's "Nancy Pelosi might have something (on Newt) there..." I'm paraphrasing.

Romney missed a perfect opportunity to say, "You know what folks? It'll be a cold day in hell before I go hanging my campaign hat on anything that slug (Pelosi) has to say."

Ann Coulter likes Mitt. Thomas Sowell (who Miss Coulter reveres) leans toward Newt. Chris Christie loves Mitt, but Michelle Bachman and Sarah Palin prefer Newt. I still like Herman, but I think America's chances are pretty good against Obama with Rick or Mitt or Newt.

I think Rick Santorum should have demanded John King apologize to Newt, and stolen some of the standing ovation.

You want some steel? Check out my guy...

This Rocks?

2012-01-22T14:34:00.000-05:00

Yep.

Key Word: Unlawfully

2012-01-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

You are hereby presented with a choice. You can go read Ann Coulter's essay on the difference between firing service-providers in the real world and the prospect of firing guvmint workers in the not-real world:

"Obamacare, you will recall, will be administered by the same people who run the Department of Motor Vehicles. They will operate under the same self-paced, self-evaluated work rules that have made government offices the envy of efficiency specialists everywhere.

And no one will be able to fire them -- unless they're caught doing something truly vile and criminal, such as stealing from patients in nursing homes.

Oops, I take that back: Government employees who rob the elderly also can't be fired.

The Los Angeles Times recently reported that, after a spate of burglaries at a veterans hospital in California several years ago, authorities set up video cameras to catch the perpetrators. In short order, nurse's aide Linda Riccitelli was videotaped sneaking into the room of 93-year-old Raymond Germain as he slept, sticking her hand into his dresser drawer and stealing the bait money that had been left there.

Riccitelli was fired and a burglary prosecution initiated. A few years later, the California Personnel Board rescinded her firing and awarded her three-years back pay. The board dismissed the videotape of Riccitelli stealing the money as "circumstantial." (The criminal prosecution was also dropped after Germain died.)"

CONTINUE to TownHalldotcom....

Or, you can watch this public-service video.

Piss On The Taliban

2012-01-12T19:15:00.002-05:00

If a United States Marine wants to make water on a dead Talibaner, the family of said Talibaner should thank the Marine. These Afghan fighters are enemies of the Marines. But, (and correct me if I'm wrong here) I don't believe they have the gumption to even wear a uniform, choosing instead to blend in as pretended civilians so as to ambush Marines and other US Soldiers.

Hillary Clinton has the audacity to be offended at a video of Marines urinating on room-temperature bad-guys.

Fuck you, Hillary.

Where's your righteous indignation regarding Eric Holder's DOJ culpability in the death of US Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, vis-a-vis the Fast & Furious gunwalker scandal?

And if anyone accepts the very small leap that the Obama administration (including Mz Clinton), all the way to the top, bears complicity in Fast & Furious (which I, for one, do), it isn't too implausible that they played a hand in this mess. I firmly believe the Clintons are absolutely capable of orchestrating the whole episode.

Really? Marines just happened to be filming themselves taking a piss on the enemy? I'm not too surprised (or even disappointed they did it, if they in fact did); I'm just shocked they'd be dumb enough to both A) film the event, and B) get busted for it. It's much easier to believe they aren't even Marines, but actually a few misplaced Bradley Mannings.

And we hear that this may gum up the planned talks (as in "negotiations"?) with the Talibaners? What, for the love of Pete, do Americans have to discuss with these guys that some well-placed water-boarding can't effect?

America vs. Obama

2012-01-06T14:56:00.005-05:00

I enjoyed the Iowa Caucus, and even the results, because I wasn't looking at it as "I really want this guy to win" or "I really want this guy eliminated," as much as I felt like any of them would be an infinitely better leader that the pathetic excuse currently occupying the White House.

Would that that headline were so, it'd be a relatively easy fight. And make no mistake, that's exactly the nuts and bolts of this coming election: Obama wins and America dies. End of story.

But the headline isn't true, or at least it isn't complete. More accurately, it should read: America vs. Obama and His Fawning Media. Because with only a modicum of objectivity, Big Media would be all over the combined malfeasance and ineptitude of this administration.

Fred Barnes, in The Weekly Standard, says there will be six more televised debates by the end of January. Add four more by the end of March, already scheduled. In order, those debates come courtesy of ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN, NBC, CNN, CNN, CNN, NBC, and PBS.

Yikes.

With the obvious possible exception of Fox News, don't you honestly expect the moderators' questions to be geared toward emphasizing the individual faults of the candidates, and stirring the slightest antipathy between them, rather than any of their comparitive strengths vs Obama? The only way their candidate (The One) stands a chance is if they continue promoting his narrative. That is, they'll ask questions that paint the candidates (and GOP) in the worst possible light in order to avoid any light at all hitting their guy.

Here's a list of ten questions I wish they'd ask (or I would ask, given the opportunity):

Let's go straight down the line with 10 seconds for each candidate. Off the top of your head, if you count being Senator of Illinois as one, and President as the other, how many MORE jobs have you actually had in your lifetime than Obama's two?

Which do you think is a more egregious offense, experimentally implementing Romneycare as a trial balloon solution in a very liberal state or forcing Obabamamacare down the throats of the entire nation, in spite of its heated opposition?

Follow-up question, show of hands...Which of you would, immediately upon being sworn in, grant waivers regarding Obamacare to all 50 states and begin working toward repealing it completely?

How many rounds of golf did you play last year, while you should/could have been working? Alternative question, how much vacation travel did you and your family enjoy last year at the expense of the American people?

If you and a Marine and Nancy Pelosi were all getting on an elevator, how many of you would still be standing when the elevator doors opened?

Could you envision your home congregation inviting the "Reverend" Jeremiah Wright to deliver a guest sermon?

If Bill Ayers, George Soros, Cass Sundstein and Michelle Obama were all swept away in a flood, but you could save only one of them, would you A) order a pizza, or B) go to a movie?

Obama once said he'd convened a panel of experts to determine "whose ass to kick." What odds would you give each of your fellow candidates in a bare-knuckle match versus Obama? What odds would you give yourself?

Would you be in favor of waterboarding Eric Holder?

Pick any of the following and tell whether they would endorse you or Obama:
     *Bin Laden
     *George Washington
     *Martin Luther King, Jr.
     *Josef Stalin
     *Adolph Hitler
     *John Wayne
     *Kim Jong Il
     *Flight 93 passenger Tom Burnett, Jr
     *Milton Friedman
     *King Solomon
     *King Leonidas

If asked to moderate any of those planned debates, I'll gladly see about moving some things around to make it happen. It'd be the best debate evah!

What question would you ask?

Not Too Late

2012-01-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

For a worthwhile New Years resolution. You're probably a wonderful person, just as you are, even if you eat too many procrastinations, drink too many cigarettes, or smoke too much caffeine.

A RESOLUTION

We hereby recognize that the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama has been a disaster. The corruption, incompetence and lack of experience demonstrated by the President, his advisers and allies in the U.S. Congress and the American news media have made Americans worse off economically and have damaged our alliances around the world and placed us at a disadvantage in relation to our enemies.

Four more years of this failed, corrupt and recklessly radical presidency would impart lasting and irreparable damage on the fabric of this country and expose us to further economic decline and dangers from overseas.

Therefore, we hereby resolve...

Additionally, you can resolve to read more at Mike's America, Hillbilly White Trash, and On Motivation & Chocolate, any of which will make you feel smarter than a Holiday Inn Express.

NOTE: One caveat I had to Mike's Resolution is that if Kooky Ron gets the nomination, I'll support a scheme to launch a third party and camp out on Chris Christie's lawn until he agrees to run.

An Even Better Film

2012-01-01T07:00:00.001-05:00

There was one thing, however...

The one good thing to come from these past three years is the confirmation that the worst and most sinister enemies of America will come, not from abroad, but from within. And that they won't actually look like wolves, but will be dressed in warm, disarming smiles accompanied by soothing and gentle voices.

Tip o' the cap to From the Barrel...blogging excellence in Durham.

A Pretty Good Film

2011-12-29T18:04:00.001-05:00

by Declaration Entertainment...

S'More Pix

2011-12-26T08:54:00.002-05:00

The Trouble With Tribbles

VARIOUS 2011 PIX

2011-12-26T05:36:00.006-05:00

Race Car atop pole. New meaning to term "poll-sitter"?

More pix...

1/2 frog on one side of rail. 1/2 frog on other side. Ex-frog.

LETTERLAY

2011-12-23T07:57:00.000-05:00

Know what this is?

No, what?

It's a piece of Leverite.

A what?

Leverite. Know what I'm gonna do with it?

No. What?

I'm gonna leverite there.

Flight 93 Blogburst-9/23/2011

2011-09-23T15:48:00.001-04:00

Flt 93 mother on Crescent jury: "I don't want to reach out to those people! THEY MURDERED MY DAUGHTER!"

Alec Rawls, who has been working with Tom Burnett Sr. to stop the Crescent of Embrace memorial to Flight 93, explains the circumstances (related by Mr. Burnett in 2008, but not published until now).

Mr. Burnett had been telling his fellow design competition jurors that the crescent is a well known Islamic symbol. In addition to the giant central crescent (now called a broken circle) Tom also objected to the minaret-like Tower of Voices. "I made a point at that meeting," says Mr. Burnett, "to tell people that we have an Islamist design here that can't go forward, please, stay with me."

One of the left-wing design professionals on the jury, Tom Sokolowski (then director of Pittsburg's Andy Warhol Museum) thought that objecting to the crescent shape, just because it happens to be used by Muslims, was anti-Muslim bigotry. In a rude attempt to shut down criticism, Sokolowski actually called Mr. Burnett "asinine" for objecting to the huge Islamic-shaped Crescent. (Sokolowski would later repeat this performance to the press, calling a local preacher "asinine," "small minded," "bigoted," "repellant," and "disgusting" for protesting the Crescent design.)

It was in this atmosphere, charged with universal awareness amongst the jurors that the giant crescent was indeed a well-known Islamic symbol shape, but also charged with uncertainty as to whether people would be allowed to mention this fact, that another family member, Sandra Felt, started to explain what she liked about the Crescent design. She liked the "embracing" nature of it, says Mr. Burnett. She liked the way it "reached out..."

At which point another family member "lost it" (Mr. Burnett's description), screaming in agony: "I don't want to reach out to those people! THEY MURDERED MY DAUGHTER!"

The Park Service claims it "lost" the minutes

This extreme level of conflict on the jury over perceived Islamic symbolism should have come out years ago. The jury included a designated, non-voting, minutes taker. This was not supposed to be a private deliberation. These were volunteer citizens, doing the people's business, and the jury minutes were supposed to be made available to the public.

The Memorial Project and the Park Service claim that the minutes were "lost." No doubt, but that doesn't mean the loss was accidental, and defenders of the Crescent design had good reason to make the minutes go away. Any faithful record would have been explosive, revealing these fierce objections from multiple Flight 93 family members to the blatant Islamic symbolism in the Crescent design.

The ballot wasn't supposed to be secret either, but the Park Service refuses to account for what they claim was a 9 to 6 tally in favor of the Crescent design. What does 9 to 6 even mean on what was a ranked vote amongst three designs? Did every ballot that did not rank the Crescent last get counted as a vote in favor?

The whole thing is fishy, and there is one most obvious reason why the defenders of the Crescent might want to keep the vote details hidden. The seven family members on the jury were outnumbered by eight academics and design professionals. Thus all six of the votes against the Crescent could have come from the kin, with only Sandra Felt voting for it. This is more than just possible. It is likely.

Another mother of the murdered said only that she agreed with Mr. Burnett, and he thought that the other two men amongst the family members (Gerald Bingham and Ed Root) were on his side as well, though both have since spoken out against his ongoing effort to rescind the chosen design. Bingham and Root are angry at the anguish that the families are still being put through over the memorial design, but could such men have voted for the Crescent in the first place, in the face of that mother's anguished cry?

A vicious left-wing ideologue like Sokolowski, yes, but it seems almost inconceivable that family members could vote for a design that other family members saw as a tribute to the terrorists, or at the very least, as reaching out to Islam. Since Bingham and Root are willing to speak out, can they please tell us whether they voted for the Crescent? If they didn't, then the vote amongst the family members was at least 5 to 2 against.

In support of Powerline's John Hinderaker

The immediate impetus for making these revelations public now is to support John Hinderaker's 10th anniversary 9/11 post:

You may remember that there was considerable controversy when the design for the Flight 93 memorial was unveiled. It was called “Crescent of Embrace.” The crescent is, of course, the central symbol of Islam, and the design apparently was intended to symbolize some sort of rapprochement with that religion. The winning design was chosen by a jury, and some members of the jury, including Thomas Burnett, whose son was one of the heroes who brought down the airplane, vigorously opposed it. As I understand it, no one on the jury questioned the Muslim reference inherent in the crescent, but a majority believed that it would somehow be “healing” for the memorial to be, in part at least, a sort of tribute to Islam.

That was John's response to Tom Sr.'s revelations, and his statement is fully supportable, but for people to know why, the supporting information has to be available to everyone. Now it is.

Given the conflict between Mr. Burnett and Tom Sokolowski, there could not have been any doubt in any juror's mind that the Crescent was an Islamic symbol shape. Indeed, the jury made a specific request, not honored by the Park Service or by architect Paul Murdoch, that:

The crescent should be referred to as 'the circle or arc,' or other words that are not tied to specific religious iconography.

The only question was whether the use of this Islamic symbol shape should be seen as bad, and for a majority to favor the crescent design, a majority just have decided that it wasn't bad, even in the face of family members who found it horrific.

Maybe these left-wing design professionals actually wanted to torture the families, but the generous interpretation is the one John gives: that they saw the Crescent design as symbolizing "some sort of rapprochement" with Islam. Certainly that seems to have been Sandra Felt's idea, and at least one family member not on the jury thought it obvious that this must have been the intent of everyone who voted for the Crescent design. Mark Bingham's mother, Alice Hoglan, just wished that the outreach to Islam had been made explicit:

The Flight 93 Memorial selection committee has admitted to misgivings about the word 'crescent.' I almost wish that instead they could claim they deliberately chose the crescent design as a gesture of peace and unity with the Islamic world. If they were to make that claim, I would not object. I would welcome such a compassionate gesture.

Unfortunately, regardless of the intentions of the jurors, architect Paul Murdoch did not have a compassionate gesture in mind.

A terrorist memorial mosque

Mr. Hinderaker's anniversary post does not investigate whether the giant crescent actually does point to Mecca (allowing it to serve as an Islamic mihrab), or whether the Tower of Voices really is a year-round-accurate Islamic prayer-time sundial. Perfectly understandable, as these claims take some work to check and John had only just learned that the memorial controversy is still aboil, after thinking that it had been resolved in 2005.

But he does provide links to the evidence, and notes that some of it is accessible just by looking. Like why in the world does the Tower of Voices have an Islamic-shaped crescent on top?

The minaret-like Tower of Voices is formed in the shape of a crescent and is cut at an angle at the top so that its crescent arms reach up to the sky, as seen on mosque minarets across most of the Islamic world.

Literally dangling down below these symbolic Islamic heavens are the symbolic lives of the 40 heroes. This symbolic damnation is repeated over and over in Murdoch's design. The memorial is not just any mosque, it is an al Qaeda victory mosque.

So much for trying to reach out to Islam without bothering to vet what part of Islam is being reached out to. Nothing could be worse for the decent people of the Islamic world than to hand a great victory to the very worst in the Islamic world. That is the problem with doing this Muslim-outreach thing on the sly.

Knowing the American people would never go along with intentional Islamic outreach, the Memorial Project had to cover up what actually went on in the jury room, and once they got into cover-up mode, they just kept covering up revelation after revelation about what is actually contained in Murdoch's design.

Sokolowski's own vile cover-up: attributing the Crescent choice to the families, after vilifying family members who opposed the Crescent design

Here is how the Post-Gazette reported on local preacher Ron McRae, who believed that architect Paul Murdoch had intended the Crescent as a tribute to Islam:

It's a memorial to the terrorists," McRae said. "It's not a memorial to the innocent Americans who died there."

But Tom Sokolowski, the director of the Andy Warhol Museum, and one of the Stage II jury members, said that claim is "asinine."

"If the families of the 40 people who were killed felt this was an appropriate symbol to honor their loved ones, then I think he is delusional," he said. "To take this small-minded, bigoted view is disgusting and repellent."

Sokolowski knew that family members on the jury had taken that exact same "disgusting and repellent" view because he had said as much to their faces, and now here he was pretending that it was McRae, not himself, who was vilifying the families. Absolute moral trash of the highest order, even if he is just a feckless little worm. By intent, he is as evil as Murdoch.

Gordon Felt's defense of the Crescent design is also belied by what transpired on the jury:

Gordon Felt, whose brother, Edward, died in the crash, called the focus on the crescent an "unfortunate distraction," from the fourth anniversary memorial service tomorrow at the crash site.

Still, he continued, "It would be silly of us to have some sort of symbolism [in the memorial] that would be offensive to people."

This from the man whose own sister in law had spoken in favor of the "reaching out" symbolism of the Crescent, symbolism that was seen by other family members as intending to reach out to Islam, inspiring the most dreadful offense. All this is FACT, and Gordon Felt waves off any thought of it as "silly."

Did Gerald Bingham lie in his letter to the Memorial Project?

Mr. Bingham's letter to the Memorial Project (p. 21 here) was timed to counter Mr. Burnett's appearance at the 2008 Project meeting. It in-effect calls Mr. Burnett a liar, denying that Tom Sr. had ever raised any protest about Islamic symbolism when they served on the jury together:

Attention: Joanne Hanley
RE: Mr. Tom Burnett’s disapproval of the Memorial scheduled to be built honoring those on United Flight 93

Please read the following letter into the minutes of the Flight 93 board meeting scheduled for August 2, 2008.

I served on the Jury to select the final design for the Flight 93 Memorial along with Mr. Burnett. As I recall, Tom liked the design with a line of rocks along a 2 ½ mile walking trail. He indicated in his discussion with me that when it came to final vote that this would be the design of his choice. After the vote was taken and his design was not chosen he was very upset. Not once during these discussions did he mention that the design chosen by a majority vote of the committee had anything to do with a “symbol to the terrorist” as he is now saying.

The final design was chosen because its’ layout fit the landscape where the plane crashed and kept with the surrounding area.

I believe that Mr. Burnett has forgotten that this memorial is for 40 individual people who were on a flight taken over by terrorists and that all 40 of those people became heroes that day. All he is accomplishing at this point is causing other families aggravation and needless controversy.

We need to forge ahead with the plans as voted upon and join together as one just like our loved-ones did on United Flight 93, September 11, 2001.

Respectfully,
Gerald Bingham
Father of Mark Bingham

Mr. Bingham's denial that Tom Sr. said anything about Islamic symbolism is contradicted by numerous data points, starting with the fact that Mr. Burnett spoke out to the press immediately after Crescent design was unveiled in 2005:

Tom Burnett Sr., whose son died in the crash, said he made an impassioned speech to his fellow jurors about what he felt the crescent represented.

"I explained this goes back centuries as an old-time Islamic symbol," Burnett said. "I told them we'd be a laughing stock if we did this."

But his fellow jurors -- and it turns out, many of the other family members -- disagree with his interpretation.

"I got blown off."

But not entirely. The jurors, in their final report, suggested the name of Murdoch's design be changed from crescent to something with less religious significance, like an arc or circle.

This is corroborated by Helene Fried, who helped to manage the design competition:

Fried said the connection was raised by some history buffs on the jury during three days of deliberations last month.

"Old time Islamic symbol." "History buffs." And if the Jury's statement that the Crescent name is "tied to specific religious iconography" was not in response to Mr. Burnett's protests, where did it come from? Is Bingham saying that others on the jury were more vehement than Mr. Burnett in pointing out and objecting to this tie?

Then there is Mr. Burnett's account of Tom Sokolowski calling him "asinine" for objecting to the Islamic symbolism of the crescent. This is corroborated by the fact that Sokolowski used the exact same language to condemn Pastor Ron McRae. Altogether, the evidence is overwhelming that it is Gerald Bingham who was lying when he accused Mr. Burnett of lying.

For the sake of the families

Bingham makes his motivation clear. He opposes Mr. Burnett because:

All he is accomplishing at this point is causing other families aggravation and needless controversy.

But notice what Bingham doesn't say. He is willing to discuss how Mr. Burnett voted, but he keeps his own vote secret. (Gerald Bingham has been divorced from Mark Bingham's mother Alice Hoglan since the 1970's, so her stated approval of Muslim-outreach in the Flight 93 Memorial should not be linked to him.)

If Bingham voted for the Crescent, his secrecy about his vote would make no sense. Everyone from Sokolowski on up appeals to the will of the families. Bingham himself does this. These appeals obviously turn on whether the nine votes for the Crescent design came from family members or from the cadre of left-wing design professionals who outnumbered the families 8 to 7.

For Bingham's objective of ending the controversy, the most weighty thing he could say is that he voted for it, but he doesn't. And how could he have voted for the Crescent? This is a man who is so keen to avoid pain for the families that he is even willing to tell slanderous lies about the one family member he blames for dragging out the controversy. Surely such a man would never have voted in the first place for a design that was already causing the most extreme anguish to multiple family members.

Ed Root is also loud in his condemnations but mum about his vote

Jury member Ed Root also attacks Mr. Burnett and Mr. Rawls for continuing to oppose the Crescent design (p. 22 here):

Those who oppose this Memorial, for whatever misplaced reasons, have voiced their belief on numerous occasions. That is a striking example of the democracy we hold dear. When those unfounded beliefs turn to a zealotry that attempts to overthrow the very democratic process that selected the winning design it does a terrible disservice to those who worked long and diligently during the design process and, to me, it mocks those very 40 that we long to honor. Our nation is one of laws and due process. To let a few destroy what many have built is not democracy, but tyranny.

Yet Root too keeps his vote secret. It could just be embarrassment, not wanting to admit that he voted for such an obvious perversion, crammed to the gills with Islamic-shaped crescents. Or it could be that he was better than that, and despite the magnificence of Murdoch's Crescent, was unwilling to vote for as design that other family members found so appallingly offensive.

Mr. Burnett says he liked Mr. Root, and it is easy to see why. They both believe the passengers and crew were fighting, not just to stop the terrorist attack, but to get back to their families:

“The people of Flight 93 wanted to live,” Root said while visiting “Father Al” and the chapel in July. “There’s no doubt in my mind, they didn’t want to die.”

That distinguishes the passengers and crew from the hijackers, in Root’s eyes.

“[The passengers and flight attendants] wanted to try to get control of the plane and, if possible, to survive,” he said. “But they knew from all of the phone calls that if they didn’t do something, it would be far worse. So it really is this comparison of philosophies of a free society versus a terrorist society. One is, their cause is death; the other is, their cause is life. And that’s what makes this worthy of a national memorial. That’s what makes this worth being remembered.

Maybe he can join with Mr. Burnett in demanding an explanation for Memorial Superintendent Keith Newlin's claim that it was the passengers and crew who crashed the airplane: "They are the one’s who brought the plane down," says Newlin. This is his way of avoiding the implication that the circle-breaking crescent-creating theme of the memorial can only be depicting the actions of the terrorists. "[The terrorists] TRIED to break the peace," says Newlin, "but they failed." Surely Root would disagree.

But Root is wrong about who is refusing to respect democratic principles. Their 15 person jury does not take precedence over the will of the nation, clearly expressed in the national uproar over the original Crescent of Embrace design. The Memorial Project promised to remove the offensive features—the Islamic symbol shapes—but they never did. They just disguised them.

"The difference is at best a subtle one"

Thanks to Powerline for exposing this as well:

Crescent of Embrace, left. Circle of Embrace, right.

They call it a broken circle now, but the unbroken part of the circle, what symbolically remains standing in the wake of 9/11, is just the original Crescent of Embrace. All they did was recolor the graphics, then add an extra arc of trees, placed to the rear of a person facing into the giant crescent, that explicitly represents a broken off part of the circle. As a result, Murdoch's circle-breaking crescent-creating theme is now even more explicit, and so are its obvious terrorist-memorializing implications.

Will other front-line conservative blogs and publications take notice?

John Hinderaker is a top lawyer, a lifelong expert at evaluating evidence. When he announces that there is serious substance to the Flight 93 controversy, serious people ought to listen.

Everybody understands the difficulty. With multiple Flight 93 family members crying their anguish against anyone who prolongs the controversy, people need to actually look at the facts before taking a position. So take a look! MANY of the facts are perfectly straightforward and utterly damning. Not everyone can be as brave as Pamela Geller, but no one should let the whiff of danger stop them from examining this most important issue.

We're talking no less than the re-hijacking of Flight 93 by an actual al Qaeda sympathizing architect. Think 9/11 folks. The whiff of danger should be an attractant, a chance to tackle a hijacker. Those lied-to and in some cases lying family members need to have their fat pulled out of the fire. Ride to the sound of the guns.

Thank You, Sir

2011-09-19T20:22:00.000-04:00

I was able to join a friend who had tickets to a recent game in Chapel Hill, two Saturdays ago versus Rutgers. My friend also had his 7-year-old in tow, and they did some of the 7yo stuff at Tar Heel Town, while I went off in search of some cool refreshments.

Walking around Tar Heel Town, I went right past the soon-to-be-former Athletic Director having his lunch sitting on the steps of one of the campus buildings. I immediately wished I'd have stopped and said hello, but he was eating...and I try mind my manners to the point of not being a bother to someone mid-meal.

I did hustle my way back around THT and tell my friend about who I'd just seen. Really? No way.

Yeah, really...and way.

But, I regretted not slipping back by and manufacturing a way to shake his hand.

Later, though, I would get my wish when my friend had to take the youngun to the little fellers room. I was standing in the shade just inside Kenan Stadium. And, right by me walks Mr. Baddour.

"Mr. Baddour," I say, "thanks for all you've done for this University."

He actually thanked ME for asking him for the photo-op! Remarkable.

Still A Slap in the Face

2011-09-06T16:01:00.000-04:00

It's not a memorial to the passengers who overtook the hijackers of Flight 93...It's a giant Mihrab (or Mosque) on the 2200 acres of ground in Shanksville, PA.

It is a California architect's attempt to redeem the four hijackers, and symbolically complete their mission. It is oriented to face vistors towards "Mecca". It mockingly suspends the "souls" of the forty passengers and crew between heaven and earth, and glorifies the acts of the terrorists.

Any pretense to the contrary is a lie.

I refused to help build this thing, because I recognized the design for what it was, and knew enough of the story behind it. I hoped that my stance would empower others to shun this as a disgrace, but it hasn't worked out that way.

But I still hold out hope that opposition to this farce can gain some traction, reverse course, and abort the project.

In the meantime, there's no reason to celebrate any kind of anniversary this week. It was all bad ten years ago, and nothing good has come from it. The best thing that happened that day was the handful of guys who did what I'd have done: storm the cockpit and kill the bad guys. And their memory is being perverted for the benefit of the despicable.

A slap in the face.

For more, read Alec Rawls' recent blog. Then, find a way to help fight it.

Shameful

2011-07-28T09:39:00.001-04:00

UNC fired Coach Butch Davis yesterday. News conference is set for 11am today.

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp says that there isn't new dirt on the Coach, but wants us to believe and accept that Carolina's reputation is eroding by his continued tenure. I'm not buying into that math.

If there is/are new reason(s) for his firing, the school's supporters have a right to know about them. If not, then Thorp has done the University, the football program, and all of college athletics a disservice in firing a man of otherwise unquestioned integrity. And one who also recently had his (Thorp's) public vote of confidence.

Ultimately, Holden Thorp couldn't police a bunch of youngsters any better than Butch Davis or the next guy that gets the job. But hey, thanks for sucker-punching our team's prospects for this year, Thorp, and for making the next coaching candidate think twice about coming to Carolina.

Unless the Chancellor tells of something more egregious than "lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution", I'll be more inclined to think the firing a political one to curry favor with the snidely and dispicable NCAA.

In the meantime, I still support Coach Davis, and am ashamed at the move by Thorp. I suspect there was pressure from the NCAA for a live sacrifice. And I believe that possibility a lot more than I believe in his stated perception of some ubiquitously harmed thought.

In other words? Bullshit, Thorp.

12NOON UPDATE: After hearing Thorp talk out of the side of his mouth during that press conference, I say Double Bullshit.

Either there are infractions directly committed by Coach Davis that warrant his dismissal (and Thorp isn't making public), or... There is pressure coming from the newly sworn Board of Trustees, or... There is pressure from the NCAA.

My impression of Thorp is that he should have grown a backbone, or he's the one who should be out of a job. He has the nerve to say that these actions actually help the University move beyond the scandal? No sir. If anything, those actions exacerbate and prolong the feelings of inept leadership in Chapel Hill. They circumvent any concept of due process. They harm the reputation of the University. They effectively neuter the confidence of this year's team, not to mention the fragile psyches of recruits. And they make finding a new coach that much harder. Way to go, asshat.

Black day.

Great

2011-07-01T06:01:00.001-04:00

I just wonder if the folks making this claim have ever been to Austin. Or, if Austin was made aware of the competition...

All Points Bulletin

2011-05-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

Drankin likker can make a sumbitch's face grow crooked. Don't believe me? Check out this guy...

Daniel Boone was a surveyor and explorer. Betcha didn't know that.

If You Liked Ronald Reagan

2011-05-18T04:52:00.001-04:00

I think you'll like this guy, too.

Meet Herman Cain...

The founder of Godfather's Pizza (man, that was some good eatin'), wants to be President. And I would love to see it happen.

Check out his Presidential Exploratory Committee website, and let me know what you think.

On The Road

2011-05-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

Places to go (or come from). People to see. Things to do...

Almost Heaven...

First Impression

2011-04-16T16:24:00.002-04:00

As I've written here before, I'm a movie fanatic on a long, self-imposed exile from the cinema. The quality of the experience when I quit going to see those first runs on the big screen had gotten to be too little gained for too much spent. I've purchased hundreds of DVDs in the time between, but stuck to my boycott without regret. But just now, the film we've all waited for longer than my lifetime has come into existence. And I'm here to report on whether it was worth breaking the strike.

I fetched up Freckles and her first-born yesterday, and we all went to the picture show. We rode an hour and a half, and had to dodge some Interstate highway gum-ups, incorporated a stop at Bass Pro (since I was to be right there at it, there was a fish net needed getting), had a fine meal, and settled in to see Atlas Shrugged.

I'll try to spoil as little as possible, but can say I was satisfied with how the movie-makers adapted a 54-year-old story to show to a 2011 audience. And I think I'll see it at least once more before giving a full-fledged review. There were elements that I immediately felt could have been a fraction better (a bit of the dialog seems hurriedly delivered, a little subtlety would do wonders), and I'd like to have seen an hour's worth of enhanced character development (not that everyone else would, of course). But by and large, it was an excellent first installment of the 3-part series.

My two accomplices had not read the book, but were anxious for Part II. And judging from the lively discussion we had on the long ride home, they caught on well to Mrs. Rand's themes, drawing parallel after parallel with their modern world. And when it's all said and done, it is not for ourselves, those of us who've read Atlas, that we hope this film appeals, but that it does so to those who don't yet know the whole story and its importance.

If you only know Ayn Rand rhetorically, or if you read Anthem and/or The Fountainhead (or saw that movie) and couldn't make yourself endure the magnum opus, or if you tried to read Atlas and gave up for whatever reason, you should see the film. Those of us who did enjoy the book and have yearned for the movie, were given a treat, and should certainly consider seeing it a couple times. An 8PM screening, and no younguns kicking my seatback, and no other distractions. All-in-all, a very enjoyable movie-going experience. Can't wait for Part II.

It is worth noting that 1 week ago, there wasn't a theatre listed to be showing Atlas anywhere in North Carolina. That's changed due in large part to fans demanding that it be shown. Go here to find your nearest screen, or to demand that it be shown in your area. It was worth it to me to drive that far, and it's certainly worth your speaking up to get it shown.

Again, it's not just for you.

Better.

2011-04-07T12:19:00.000-04:00

Well, I said that I'd try to do better. How about a few observations from the world of sports?

ITEM NO. 1
Great news out of Chapel Hill, the big guys are sticking around. I read where someone was touting the potential continued successes of those mid-major schools (Butler,et al), due to the presumed continued trend of "one-and-done" players in the marquee programs, but not so with Zeller and Henson. I predict Barnes stays, too.

ITEM NO. 2
What's more pathetic (for a sports fan) than having your biggest/closest news resource be of the McClatchey syndication? Answer: nothing. Because they're more intent on social engineering, the Charlotte Observer's sports staff keeps pretending that Cam Newton is a viable choice as the #1 overall draft pick. See, it's their job to establish public palatibility for a black quarterback, not maintain objective reportage.

Hey kids, I've got nothing against Cam Newton, and don't care what the heritage of my team's QB is (remember that I'm a big Armanti Edwards fan). Okay, maybe I don't quite believe his insulation from the whole pay-to-play scheme for which his father took all the heat, but I'm just not sold on his talent. In fact, I don't think he'd be less of a project than Jimmy Clausen. I still prefer his teammate Nick Fairley at the top spot, and as a fillable need for the Panthers, and I'd take Cam Newton...just not as the numero uno. The only way I'd take Newton is if there's a team out there (there isn't) that would package their first and second round picks for him alone. Or if Cincy will give up Carson Palmer?

ITEM NO. 3
The biggest crybabies in the ACC are up to their same old shite. Again. They fired their perfect symbol of mediocrity (Cindy "Butterball" Lowe) down at NoClassStateU, and before the new guy even gets to show how mediocre he can become in such a bile-filled environment their idiot Athletic Director starts throwing mud at...wait for it...the University of Maryland's Head Coach, Gary Williams, for sabotaging their coaching search. Allrighty then Debbie Yow, you've got a bug up your ass about Gary Williams. But seriously, imagine you're Mark Gottfried. He's sitting there, getting ready to go to work for the Wusspack and his AD is telling folks that they'd have gotten who they wanted were it not for Maryland's head coach sabotaging their efforts. How's that for a vote of confidence?

ITEM NO. 4
As usual, I'll be rooting for Freddie to take another green jacket. I hope Woods putts it in the water (again), and misses the cut. I hope Hootie Johnson sneaks up on Rickie Fowler and bitch slaps his hat around straight. I hope Kelly Tilghman suffers a terrible allergic reaction to azaleas, and leaves Augusta...never to return.

SLR

2011-03-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

How many things (that you can enjoy in public) are better than this?

Rally. Really? No, Raleigh.

2011-01-17T11:16:00.000-05:00

From the flyer linked below,

It has been over 110 years since the Republicans have controlled both Houses of the (NC) General Assembly, and we should celebrate this achievement.

I'd add perhaps, celebrate this achievement as a product of Tea Party patriotism, not to be confused with blind allegiance to the "R" party. But yeah, this is a great idea. And I hope to lend my support in person. Wednesday January 26, 11AM-1PM, Raleigh.

You can download and print this flyer, and post it around your town. See you there, fellow Patriots!

Release Date For Atlas Shrugged

2011-01-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

I'd been checking regularly on IMDB.com for updated information regarding the release date for Atlas Shrugged, the movie. For a while, they had January 1 as the release date, but I was pretty sure that wasn't right. And then, at first, I thought it was a joke when I read April 15 was to be the date. So, I did some googling, and yep...that's it.

Perfect. Tax day. Tax revolt, day?

You can bet that my schedule is blocked out for this.

I once swore off theatre movie-going, after a final straw type experience. The last movie I've seen in a theatre was U-571. In front of me sat two "men" holding hands, and in back of me (in spite of the fact I'd opted for the late show, specifically to avoid younguns), were a woman and her two pre-teen, seat-kicking boys. My seat. I believe the ticket was about 7 bucks, too, which is $6.75 more than the actual film was worth, just on its own merit. All in all, a rather souring experience.

That was, what, 12-14 years ago? I believe I've held out admirably. And until I was too poor to justify it, I satisfied my love for movies building a fairly impressive DVD collection.

What a great way to end the streak.

Currahee!

2011-01-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

Rest in Peace, Major Winters

Major Richard "Dick" Winters, whose Easy Company (506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne during WWII) was the subject of the HBO miniseries Band Of Brothers, passed away last week. Always diverting glory from himself to his men, Dick Winters was a genuine hero.

Pennlive.com has a warm and fitting tribute to the man.

People who knew Winters during and after the war said he is exactly what he appears to be. He could lead without ever raising his voice or swearing. His friend Bob Hoffman, a Lebanon architect, said Winters’ eyes could “burn a hole right through you.”

The men who served under him and people who only met him later in life call him a hero, no matter what he says.

According to the book, one wounded member of Easy Company wrote Winters from a hospital bed in 1945, “I would follow you into hell.”

NC Blogroll, Update

2011-01-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

Either something is amiss within Blogger, I'm not holding my mouth right, or universal planetary alignment is out of whack. I've been trying to add a second blogroll, specifically to highlight NC bloggers, but keep stubbing my toe.

It ain't that I changed my mind, or forgot. Technical difficulties and operator error, but I'll get 'er done if I hafta ~~draw my pistol~~ grab my computer adjustment hammer.

Signed It, Yet?

2011-01-04T09:08:00.000-05:00

Don't you suppose that it's easier for them (your elected representatives) to ignore you if you fail to speak your mind? Especially if/when they might be listening?

It's a great big stack of paper that someone said is healthcare reform legislation. I have a bucketful of cowpies that I am calling healthcare reform. Is either of the proclamations more believable than the other? Have you read the "healthcare law"? Has your Congressman or Senator? Can he/she tell you where to find the "good" parts?

Sign the petition. Force your representatives to vote on repeal. Un-deem and un-pass, and be held accountable.

Right Minded In The Old North State

2011-01-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Look around me. The Tar Heel State is blessed with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent in the blogosphere. Some more prolific than others, some more widely-read than others. But by and large, I have to say it's mighty impressive company hereabouts. In fact, I'd like to advance the proposition that North Carolina has the finest collection of Right-thinking bloggers around.

Okay, raise your hand if you're a liberal blogger in North Carolina? Didn't think so.

By contrast, consider this list of localish wordsmithery (in no particular order):

Sister Toldjah
What Bubba Knows He likes to refer to himself as an "Aggregator" rather than a blogger. A rose by any name...
The Locker Room (The John Locke Foundation)
Hillbilly White Trash
No Feet Required
Red State Make sure to read Erickson's assessment of Reince Preibus' RNC Chair candidacy today. I still contend that every voting member should pencil in the name Sarah Palin.
From The Barrel Of A Gun
Cold Fury
Katy's Conservative Corner
Silence Do Good Likes to quote Ben Franklin and Bubba. 'Nuff said.
Confederate Yankee
Jane Q. Public

Plus...

On Motivation & Chocolate Denise prefers reporting on chocolates and sweets to governmental malfeasance, but I have it on good authority that Ayn Rand's Dagny Taggart is her hero, and she favors Reese's Cups to all other confections. That makes her right as rain in my book.

Very soon, I'll be collecting these into a special Nor' Cackolackian blogroll.

Happy 2011, y'all. Esse Quam Videri...To Be Rather Than To Seem

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T08:34:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Land of Livermushes. God bless us every one.

'Out There' Is Over There

2010-12-14T11:47:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned a few days ago, my outdoor adventuring efforts now reside in a new home. For the title of that, I wanted to give some homage to this site. Introducing Livermush Untamed & Out There.

I apologize that today's post there delivers such depressing news, but it is what it is. We appreciate your prayers.

That effort will include very little, if any, of the political rantings that it seems I've found myself gravitationally drawn to here. And hopefully, both endeavors should benefit from the separation. Please swing by over there and let me know what you think.

-Jeff

Doesn't Belong

2010-12-09T11:26:00.000-05:00

12/06-

I was just reading some of Lori Heine's blog post on David Horowitz' NewsReal Blog (h/t Bubba), and I've been following the public debate over DADT between the military brass, the Pentagon, and Congress. Plus, I've read the sources that I've come to trust most regarding anything to do with the US Armed Forces: the very astute preachings over at BLACKFIVE, where I subscribe more toward Grim's sentiments, than Uncle Jimbo's. That's unusual, because I'm almost always in agreement with the Uncle.

On the other hand, I do seem to always agree with Miss Coulter, who helps to remind us that there are reasonable limits to the concept of "tolerance." Miss Ann submits:

We've heard 1 billion times about the Army translator who just wanted to serve his country, but was cashiered because of whom he loved.

I'll see your Army translator and raise you one Bradley Manning. According to Bradley's online chats, he was in "an awkward place" both "emotionally and psychologically." So in a snit, he betrayed his country by orchestrating the greatest leak of classified intelligence in U.S. history.

Isn't that in the Army Code of Conduct? You must follow orders at all times. Exceptions will be made for servicemen in an awkward place. Now, who wants a hug? Waitress! Three more apple-tinis!"

Lori Heine would have you subscribe to the notion that gays in the military are only dangerous in that "well, they have guns." Combat soldiers have guns, dipshit...not your Army translators. If they'd have all been armed at Ft. Hood, I'll bet Maj. Hassan (terrorist, muslim) would have either A) not killed as many real soldiers or B) never hatched such a scheme in the first place.

And the point Ann Coulter makes is that a soldier's duty exists regardless of his/her frame of mind. A person's fitness to serve takes into account (or certainly should) the general state of that person's mind, and anyone whose sexuality is that screwed up so as to prefer that which is unnatural, ought to at least raise some skepticism on the fitness report, much like any Army Major who spends his free time hanging with sharia-loving disciples of that reknowned pedophile Mohammed.

Let me remind you, homosexuality is a perversion, and no less of one than beastiality, necrophilia, or pedophilia. If you and I are repulsed at that behavior, it's safe to assume that most soldiers (and sailors and airmen) are similarly disgusted. If you aren't repulsed, fine. But don't go around making up labels like "homophobia" to make me feel guilty for my intolerance. And don't ascribe terms like that to a soldier's level of tolerance or lack thereof.

12/09-

I'd delayed publishing this to let it stew a bit...

This morning, I read another essay by Ann Coulter on the subject. Just as I had been thinking (that's the way it goes--I'm busy thinking it, and she says it), there's no reason we shouldn't just dedicate a special branch of the military just for those pillow-biters who "want to serve their country." I put the quotation marks around the previous phrase because I don't believe for a minute that they're serving anything other than their own whimsy.

I was unaware that today's military employs "sensitivity training facillitators" or why such should ever, ever be necessary. It's the Marine Corps, you dipshits, fuck a bunch of sensitivity.

Again, Miss Coulter:

Why can't the Army and Marines have their own rules? Why does everything have to be the same? Whatever happened to "diversity"?

Maybe we could have an all-gay service! They'd be allowed to wear camouflage neckerchiefs (a la Paul Lynde) and camo capri pants. To avoid any sexual harassment claims, they'd have to have their own barrack, which we could outfit with a dance club, a cosmo bar and a counseling center called "The Awkward Place." Their band would mostly play show tunes, and soldiers captured by the enemy would be taught to reveal only their name, rank and seasonal color analysis ("I am Private First Class Jeffrey Smith and I'm a 'winter.'")

They wouldn't be allowed in combat, however, for the same reason women aren't –- it takes them too long to get ready.

If you were a soldier, you'd strive to be the best soldier in the best outfit, and there would be no place for weakness in your squad. A little bit of cowardice or distraction puts everyone at risk, and you'd be right (as it should be within your rights) to employ some considered discrimination. A soldier's life is too big a price to pay for social engineering.

Splitting

2010-12-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

In an effort to be more organized, blog-wise, I am planning on taking the "Outdoors" portion and branching it into a stand-alone effort. I have several reasons for thinking this a good idea, but chief among them is that currently, posting every thought here on the ST&L leaves any reader with an "It's Wednesday at the Mickey Mouse Club, Anything Can Happen Day" everyday kinda expectations. That can have its benefits, but can get tiresome, too.

And hopefully, branching off would help direct more clarity of focus, plus drive me to maintain higher standards of productivity, continuity, and quality.

I just recently had been trying to use the "page create" function to add a second page to this one, towards that purpose. But, there wasn't a way to whittle out sidebar elements (that's what happened to the Atlas poll) on one page without losing it on the other.

I'll be playing around with templates to see what I like, and something new should be forthcoming within a week or two...

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Sporting World Update

2010-12-02T12:07:00.001-05:00

This just in:

James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been fined by the NFL another $25,000. It turns out that the Steelers' opposing QB for this coming weekend, Baltimore's Joe Flacco, called the League office to complain that Harrison "might be thinking about looking at him funny."

Sources close to the aforementioned League office also quoted many other quarterbacks as having said, "Waaa, mommy, he touched me too!"

Pansies.

Seriously, I was watching the Carolina Panthers game last Sunday. One of the Panthers D-linemen was flagged for a "blow to the head" against the Ravens' QB and within about 30 minutes (real-time) I saw Tyler Brayton give Jon Beason a celebratory whack upside the head which was infinitely more "violent."

As Jack Lambert famously said, "If they didn't come to play football, put a dress on 'em."

From ReasonTV...

2010-11-30T15:05:00.001-05:00

...On the set of Atlas Shrugged.

[T]elling the epic tale of a society where the "men of the mind" go on strike and refuse to contribute to a collectivist world.

IMDB says that the scheduled release is January 1, but I wonder if that's not just their way of saying "next year." The most definitive time frame I've heard otherwise is "springtime." Whichever the case, I can hardly wait.

Here's an idea for ya: Let's have a big gathering of Right-minded North Carolina bloggers. We could have a pig-picking and then attend the premier en masse.

Cavewoman Casting 11/22: The BigAss Reptiles

2010-11-22T09:43:00.009-05:00

It seems so unfair, I know, to limit the preliminary casting choices for Cavewoman 2011 (catchy working title) to just those charming anchor-babes and correspondent-babes at the Fox family of networks. So to be fair, but not necessarily balanced, how about we include a few non-Fox personalities for consideration?

For the TRICERATOPS, I'm thinking Joy Behar, Rosie ODonnell, or maybe Janeane Garofalo.

Playing the PTERODACTYL, how about Katie Couric or Whoopie?

Helen Thomas, not really a teevee personality (and well, not much of anything, and could use some work), could do a cameo appearance as herself in a death-match against the TYRANNOSAURUS played by Rachel Maddow.

Other ideas?

Your Favorite Movie

2010-11-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

I stole this from Boortz, then tweaked it.

See if this simple math exercise can predict your favorite movie...of...all...time. Among the 18 films listed after the fold, your favorite movie will appear beside a number. That exact number will be predicted by the following math problem.

I guarantee that it'll work.

Movie Quiz:

Pick a number from 1-9.

Multiply by 3.

Add 3.

Multiply by 3 again.

Now add the two digits together to find your favorite movie in the list of 18 movies on the next page.

List of movies:

1. Gone With The Wind
2. E.T.
3. Citizen Kane
4. Star Wars
5. Forrest Gump
6. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
7. Jaws
8. On The Waterfront
9. The Impeachment of Barack Obama
10. Casablanca
11. Jurassic Park
12. The Outlaw Josey Wales
13. Pirates of the Caribbean
14. Rocky
15. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
16. It's A Wonderful Life
17. The Godfather
18. Toy Story

Boob's Out

2010-11-20T07:59:00.002-05:00

Lots of time, as voters, we're faced with choices between the lesser of two evils. Occasionally though, we get to decide between a really good person with character and genuine leadership skills, versus a particularly despicable one that embodies the worst traits of the ruling elite. And for North Carolina citizens, winning such an election was almost undermined by one campaign's dirty magic tricks.

The popular vote tally was in favor of Renee Ellmers, and by a wide enough margin that a recount would not be automatic. But that final score was before someone miraculously discovered 450+ ballots, all marked (even more miraculously) in favor of her opponent, Bob Etheridge.

Bullshit, Bob. You owe me $25.

Yesterday afternoon, Etheridge called Ms. Ellmers to finally admit that he'd lost; that further challenging the will of the people was unwarranted. Ladies & gentlemen of the Old North State, meet your new Congresswoman from the 2nd district, Renee Ellmers.

Ms. Ellmers, please don't forget that compromise is for politicians, and that losing a fight is much better than giving in. We don't need you to go make friends, or bring home pork (we make plenty of the real stuff, anyway, you know). We need you to go fix your predecessors' shit.

Congratulations, Ma'am.

A special thanks to SarahPAC's Momma Grizzly fund, gettin' it done!

One last note: Let's all not forget the fact that this election was much closer than it ever had to be, mainly because the RNCC never spent a dime to help her campaign.

We Used To Like Ya

2010-11-19T16:13:00.018-05:00

I was driving hither and yon this morning, and was about 3/4 listening a local radio station known for outside-the-rut programming. Sometimes the stuff they spin at WSGE is better than other times (it's sometimes been pretty great), and this morning was on the leave-side of the take-it-or-leave-it scale. At the top of the hour, in the mornings, they cut to a news package, and I'm pretty sure (at 9AM) it was "AP Radio News."

The headline story was over (brace yourself) Bristol Palin's Dancing with the Stars competition. As with most so-called news programs, legitimate or not, I'm generally about 3/4 tuned out, and certainly couldn't care less about anything to do with DWTS, but in the last sentence or two the newsreader credited Miss Palin's success, in part, to the tea-baggers.

I've actually written checks in support of Public Radio stations in the past. But, when I got home, I fired off this short email to the folks at WSGE:

To whom it may concern,

On a network news feed this morning from your station, the newsreader used a vulgar term of derision ("tea-bagger") as a backhanded slur against a group of common Americans whose collective sins amount to having the audacity to peacefully assemble in opposition to what they perceive as governmental malfeasance. Although I don't actually belong to the Tea Party, I do have great admiration and affinity for their efforts, and I take umbrage at having the national media so-casually deride them.

Whereas I believe the news service is AP Radio News, and not your own production, I listened to the "DJ" return to the programming long enough to offer an apology for airing the offensive term. None was provided.

I've enjoyed your station in the past. I've even been a financial contributor to Public Radio in the past. But, no more. Plus, I will lobby my elected representatives harder than ever to work toward de-funding National Public Radio and the Corporation For Public Broadcasting.

Regards,

Ex-listener

The WSGE website is here.

I'm not the only non-liberal who sometimes listens to stations that provide the AP feed, I'm sure. Did anyone else catch this?

Hangin In

2010-11-18T08:47:00.001-05:00

"Still hangin' in there," as Colonel Bigfoot Thompson says, "like a hair on a biscuit."

Five rounds of SBRT gamma-knifin' radiation, and only slightly worse for the wear & tear.

I probably made it much worse on myself than it had to be. One of the technicians who locked me into this contraption each day...

...clucked disapprovingly at my Tar Heel hat lying on the counter nearby on day 2, and expressed her love for the Blue Babies from Durham. I then made the mistake of offending her (the one responsible for monitoring the dosage) by asking, "Do you think this current crop of Blue Devil footballers is a case of Don't Ask Don't Tell as applied to college athletics?"

GZZZZZDT - that's the sound the machine makes as it's zapping you.

I got her back on the last day, though. I told her supervisor that if she touches my junk again, I'd have her arrested.

Seriously, thanks for the prayers and well-wishes.

I Got Your Fear Mongering Right Here

2010-11-17T10:18:00.000-05:00

I keep hearing about Obama's extended overseas travel and brief stopover back in America and subsequent additional overseas travel. It's easy to surmise that his reason for vacating the country would be to avoid shouldering any responsibility or accountability for the destruction his policies have wrought, but it could be he's avoiding something far more sinister.

Could be, he's keeping his distance from Brutus and Cassius.

Think about it. There was a time when every America-loving patriot, maybe not wished for but certainly wouldn't have cried over, Barack Hussein Obama's untimely demise. Such is most definitely no longer the case. No single person can claim more responsibility for waking up the general populace than the O!Bummer. Talk about being the great unifier!

May I digress? Sure.

Back when I was in the Titty Bar business, everyone in the club knew the importance of proper lighting. Keep it dark, or even better, keep the lights changing from flashy to dim, dim to flashy, strobing, pulsating, but ever-changing and never steady. The purpose is obvious; never let the guys with the money see those entertainers (apologies to the many fine-looking ladies I've known, you're exempt from this discussion)...especially those known as "day-girls", and get a really good look at the object of their desire. With very limited exception, the money dries up damn fast, when certain features are presented in the steady light of day.

Such is the case with this administration. He isn't even pretty, anymore, to his own would-be devotees. And for those of us on the Right, and truly anyone with their eyes open, he is easily identifiable as that which is evil, corrupt, political, unAmerican, anti-business, statist, unaccountable...I could go on and on...but the point is that we've never had a better poster-child for "wrong" than him. There has never been a better catalyst for waking up average America than to have such blatant personification of skullduggery. Simply put, Obama as a target of ire (less than an actual target) for Republicans is a good thing, and we''re likely to enjoy the fruits of keeping him alive. At least as a target for impeachment proceedings, I might add.

On the other hand, and this is getting to my greater point (a long-winded process, I'm sorry to say) that his scarcity on the scene might ought to be attributable to very real concerns for his safety...safety from his so-called friends.

If you agree with me that he's doing much good to galvanize the Right, and those folks on the Left (who are not total idiots, by the way) can see the same thing happening, what better time to shake things up? If you're him, and you know how devious and despicable his comrades can be, would you be turning your back on any of them? How easily would you sleep if you suspected that your own Brutus's needed to pin some scandalous dirt on their political rivals to maintain power?

Putting it another way, if Nancy knows she's currently #3 (until unseated as speaker by the swearing-in ceremonies) how passionately might she cling to that title if she considered a senate-floor stabbing could be afoot?

If the Dems could assassinate Obama and pin it on the Republicans (enter complicit left-wing media?), how would fortune smile on their power? Would Soros authorize the sacrifice of his puppet if it meant the end-game would be at hand? As Bricktop says in the movie Snatch, "You're really not much good to me alive now, are you Turkish?"

Fantastic, I know. But, if I can imagine it, why then not they? Does the Teleprompter-In-Chief imagine that possibility, too?

Does Princess Nancy?

Another question: Where's Joe Biden been? Does he have a food-taster? Is he deep in a concrete bunker somewhere?

Shouldn't he be?

Dear Obama: Continued good health to you, dickhead. Watch your back. Don't go changin'...

Suck Less

2010-11-12T09:54:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Veterans Day, and I was driving down the road from the Land of Livermush to fetch yet another dose of poison at the "Bleed 'em with leeches" Baptist hospital, and I noticed that traffic was lighter than usual. Odd, I thought, until reminded why by an elementary school sitting dark and unused.

I suppose I already knew that schools were closed for Veterans Day, but I have to admit that the proof just chapped my hide.

If I get elected king (and it ain't that bad an idea), but if I get elected king only Veterans and their immediate family members get to take Veterans Day off work. If you're some sucking-the-community-tit gubmint employee like a public school teacher, and you "have to" take the day off because the school is closed, at least have the compunction to take the money you received for sitting on your duff all day and donate it (without fanfare, thankeeverymuch) to something far worthier. Like VALOUR-IT (h/t to my friend Kate, whose Team Marine is kicking ass, btw).

Or take those funds and send them to the Warrior Legacy Foundation.

Not that you get to feel particularly good about yourself...you'll just suck a little less.

Happy Veterans Day

2010-11-11T10:08:00.001-05:00

To all those US Servicemen and women who have who have placed themselves in harm's way, and those who continue to do so, and the families of the finest and most honorable folks in all society,

Thank you.

Cavewoman Poll v2

2010-11-10T08:21:00.015-05:00

On a recent cross-country train trip, I was seated next to the E*Trade baby. He says to me, "Dude, can you puree livermush?"

And I'm like, "What?"

And he says, "You are the livermush guy, right?"

Me: Yeah, but you're on teevee. You're the E*Trade baby. Everybody knows you. You're famous...I just have a well-written and very clever blog.

ETB (enthusiastically): Yeah, well, I'm famous, but I wouldn't be much of an E*Trade baby if I lived in a cave, with nothing more than a dirty diaper. I have to stay on top of trends, you know?

Me: That makes sense. Thanks for noticing.

ETB: Speaking of living in a cave, it's time to bring back the cavewoman poll.

Me: You noticed that, too?

ETB: Dude, where do you think all your site traffic comes from, adults? And here's an idea for you: intead of regular actresses this time, how about using other recognizable TV personalities?

At this time, the E*Trade baby had to go back to the dining car for a meeting with his publicist. But, I promised to get his management folks a sample of pureed livermush and work up a new CW poll per his recommendations.

Tallying the responses from the last cavewoman poll was daunting. And we had our share of voter fraud, as you might have expected. Talk about some hanging chads. All I'm going to say is...new rule: one vote per crib.

The overwhelmingly popular choice from poll #1 was Scarlett Johansson. Or maybe that was just my choice regardless of the popular vote, I don't quite remember.

Here's the premise: I've got a wheelbarrow full of cash, and I want to do a remake of One Million Years BC. Who shall I cast in the leading role (Raquel Welch's Loana)?

Last go 'round, the choices included several big-name Hollywood actresses that any filmgoer would recognize. This time, however, to mix it up a bit, let's limit the casting call to females employed (on air) by the Fox News/ Fox Business channels.

Those of you who never stray far from your local news numbnuts may not be particularly familiar with this collection of talent. And if you haven't yet considered how Juliet Huddy or Courtney Friel might fill out a loincloth, now's your chance to free your imagination.

My short-list casting call might include, but not be limited to:
Courtney Friel
Shannon Bream
Sandra Smith*
Juliet Huddy
Megyn Kelly (although she's a lawyer and not a real person, I know there are folks who like her)
Gretchen Carlson
Tracy Byrnes
Alisyn Camerota
Shibani Joshi*
Nicole Petallides*

*Fox Business Network...If you don't get it. Demand it!

Feel free to write in anyone I've missed in the comments, and I'll launch the poll in the next week or so. All comments should be respectful to both the news~~babes~~ persons and especially the first most-perfect cavewoman, Ms. Welch.

Thanks for the advice, E*Trade Baby!

No Bailout

2010-11-09T08:53:00.001-05:00

If you're one of my elected representatives, when California comes seeking assistance from the federal gubmint, just say no. The voters there have chosen to embrace liberalism instead of responsibility, and should be required to shoulder all of the burdens pertaining to their awful choices.

As Dennis Prager points out in today's TownHall.com,

We watch as one of the greatest places in the world -- with its extraordinary natural beauty, almost uniquely beautiful weather and agricultural abundance -- wastes all of this as a result of having become a left-wing experiment. What is particularly saddening is to see a state whose success was achieved because it was a Mecca for the adventurous in spirit do everything possible to crush that spirit and drive away those who have it.

There is a silver lining here: clarity. Americans living elsewhere need not elect liberal Democrats to know what will happen if they do. They only need to look at California if they want to see what happens to a state governed by the left (and, for that matter, they can look at Texas to see what happens to a state's finances when governed by the right).

The left and its teachers unions have ruined public education in California. The left and its public service unions have saddled the state with $500 billion in unfunded pension liability. California's left-governed cities have set themselves up as "sanctuary cities" for those who have come into America illegally. And the left passes more and more rules governing the behavior of California citizens. Two examples: San Francisco just banned McDonald Happy Meals because they come with a toy and therefore entice children to eat fattening food; and the Democratic legislature has made it illegal for a California employer -- even in a retail operation -- to ask a male employee who comes to work wearing a dress to wear men's clothing while at work.

And the left and its voters have cursed (and continue to do so) the rest of the country with the likes of Pelosi, Boxer, and other career shop-a-holics and big-government fiends.

No bailouts, no pork, no "stimuli", no earmarks, no lifeline. Sink or swim, assholes.

I ask this rhetorical question of my fellow citizens...If you were asked to support a special tax to prop up the Golden State's "left-wing experiment", how violent would your reaction be?

Catch Magazine #14

2010-11-08T16:18:00.000-05:00

You love great photography and videography, right? No matter where you are, unless of course you're already wading a crick and waving a stick, you'd rather be fishing, right?

The best onliine fly-fishing magazine available is Catch Magazine. And it's free. Can't beat that.

Go there now.

Puttin' My Money Where My Mouth Is

2010-11-06T11:23:00.000-04:00

It ain't over.

This coming week, I have to go get some SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radio-Therapy), also known as Gamma-Knife, on three pesky little tumors in my chest. And I've told you folks that the worser cancer is that which infects and infests our civilization. Wanna know how serious I am about that?

I just sent (an otherwise sorely needed here at the International House of Livermush) $25 to Renee Elmers' fund to monitor the validity of a recount (which should NOT be happening) called for by that vile chunk of rancid carrion Bob Etheridge.

Remember Boob Etheridge?

Renee Elmers's district does not include me, but her representative voice certainly does. I've heard her speak, and she is good people.

If you've said to yourself that those folks up in Minnesota should have done more to ensure voting integrity in the case of Al Franken stealing his Senatorial election, and looking back wonder whether a measly 25 bucks might have made a difference, know this: Your money today or this week can be directly applied to fighting voter fraud by a good candidate against an awful one. You're stuck with funnyman Franken; you gonna let that happen again?

Alerted by Bubba (Thanks, Bud).

Renee Elmers:

Donate now.

Thanks, Skipper

2010-11-04T17:55:00.000-04:00

Rest in peace, George 'Sparky' Anderson. We're better for having known you.

Drivin' the Car

2010-11-03T13:58:00.001-04:00

I like the "President's" car metaphor, but not the picture he paints with it. He's driving it, all right. But, he's drunk. Or, he's smoking crack again. But he's driving very recklessly, and his car is not road-worthy, and he is endangering the lives of everyone else on the road. I think of his metaphorical car, and I picture that wobbly rig the Little Rascals built.

"We ain't gots no brakes, Alfalfa, we's free-wheelin'!"

Pull over, asshole. Don't make us ram your punk ass into a bridge abutment.

Yield the right-of-way to vehicles capable of maintaining a safe speed in the fast lane, and operators who aren't obsessed with putting on makeup, driving with their knees, talking on the cell phone, and musing about their next appearance on Comedy Central or The View. Your learner's permit has been revoked.

Or, as Michelle Malkin puts it today, Take Your Olive Branch And Shove It.

Now you say that if Republicans want to discuss changes to the healthcare fiasco, you're ready to listen?

Rrriiiiiight.

Like you and your cronies were listening when you rammed that scheme, "deem-and-pass-it-so-we-can-find-out-what's-in-it, down our throats?

Driving the economy does not require, as you pretend, ~~Democrats~~ Corruptocrats and Republicans working together. It requires you getting your ass out of the way. Time for the adults to retake the wheel.

But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive. -Shakespeare

2010-11-03T11:51:00.001-04:00

Read Skookum's open letter.

Stand and salute with your bowfinger, those who would name you as their enemy.

Rockin' the Tar Heel State...and updating...

2010-11-03T09:53:00.000-04:00

Brief notes around much dancing of the happy dance at Livermush Central...

Lots of good news last night and this morning. This from Katelynd Mahoney and The National Review, quoting Newt Gingrich:

Bigger, this is bigger than 1994. It’s a more decisive repudiation, the total number of seats will be bigger, I think the governorships are bigger, I think the state-legislature things, like [the Democrats’] losing North Carolina for the first time since 1898, is bigger.

H/T to the John Locke Foundation for the link.

Lots of evidence abounds, however, of much work yet to be done.

~
From the G'boro News & Record, a Republican majority in the NC General Assembly for the first time in over a hundred years. That's both legislative houses, by gosh.

And I'll bet it's like fingernails on the chalkboard for the limpwristed McClatcheyites at the Charlotte Obscurer to report this. Of course, the slant they kneejerk to is that mysterious big money played a more influential role for voters than did our raging bile over statism. Witness:

State Republicans had an above-average fund-raising year, boosted by massive expenditures by Raleigh businessman Art Pope to support groups aligned with the GOP. Freed from limits on corporate contributions by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, those outside groups flooded districts with campaign mail attacking Democrats and bought large blocks of time on radio and television.

And this is why Tea Party work is only beginning. The institutional, liberal spin machine isn't taking the day off, so neither will we.

Not just a wave.

A cleansing.

Video Monday

2010-11-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

Less than one day remains of the most lopsided disadvantage American citizens have ever had versus their own government. Tomorrow won't eradicate their corruption, but will only beat it back an inch or two.

Today, some videos to keep you focused...

From Bubba. I wonder how many times I've been in this exact same discussion.

From Sister Toldjah and reasonTV:

The possibility of voter fraud does worry me, but the ineptitude and/or ignorance of actual voters presents a much deeper threat.

Remember?

I wonder if Ziegler is interviewing voters again this go-round, as it'd be interesting to see if they're any better-informed.
~

UnAmerican

2010-10-28T10:32:00.001-04:00

From the who-to-avoid-this-election-year files...

One of your choices here in the Old North State for Court of Appeals judge responded to the Free Enterprise Foundation's following question:

Of the judges currently serving on the United States Supreme Court, whose judicial philosophy most closely reflects your own?

His answer was:

Sotomayor.

The same Sotomayor whose Supreme Court judicial body of work to this point is still best described as "scant". The same Sotomayor who ruled against fire-fighters who passed a standardized aptitude test for advancement but were denied advancement based on their skin-color. The same Sotomayor who contends her heritage and gender counts more to qualify her than does her comprehension of the US Constitution.

This candidate also says he thinks NC taxes on businesses are "about right", and among his business experiences writes "Yogurt Shop."

Run screaming.

But he's not any worse in my book than Tim Spear, down in the 2nd District (around Dare County). BigGovernment.com reports on the ad from Spear that features a photo of soldiers, and with the caption: "In combat, you always want another soldier covering your back."

The soldiers in the ad's photo are German.

The ad also states that "In North Carolina, one legislator is covering our soldiers' backs."

TimSpearGermanSoldiers-2 2 -

The ad could have said, "...covering our American soldiers' backs", but does not. In fact, nowhere in the ad will you find the word "America" or "American."

When I say "our soldiers," I'm referring to American soldiers. I'm convinced Spear's "our" means a far different group of guys.

Spear is running for re-relection to the state House, and his opponent is Bob Steinberg. Take out the trash.

Nekkid

2010-10-27T11:40:00.003-04:00

Okay, dammit, I'll do another Cavewoman poll. I know how you like that kind of diversion.

It'll take some putting together, so consider some items to help with strengthening your resolve whilest I work on it. Plus, diversion is right now the last thing you need. Eyes on the prize, kiddies...less than a week to go.

From Shenendoah/John Galt FLA, via Western Rifle Shooters, a reminder that your vote is important, maybe vital, but not necessarily the last important function that will be required of you this year regarding your country's future. Only the most naiive chess-player looks at a devastatingly bad move (like potentially losing control of the House and Senate) and doesn't consider the possibility of a fork by their opponent.

You may sleep at a later date my friends but now, more than ever, it is time to approach this nation’s guardianship with your eyes wide open.

Even if the candidate you like wins, it won't be enough if you and I allow him to be seduced by the power and perks of his shiny new office.

Paraphrasing something Bubba said recently, we aren't sending you (congressperson, senator) up there to make friends or find common ground. If you don't immediately start fixing fuckups, and righting wrongs, you'll be held accountable in a most ungentle fashion.

And speaking of accountability, now is not the time to take anything for granted. Suppose you went to your polling place and voted straight ticket, but the machine reversed your selection, recording votes for the opposite party. Yep, I could be talking about a faraway land like Chicago or New York or Los Angeles. But I'm not. The New Bern (NC) Sun Journal reports on this happening in Craven County...just down the road a piece. Isolated incident? I seriously doubt it.

Suggestion: make sure you have your camera-phone with you when you go to the polls, and record any malfeasance or irregularities.

Stop Supporting your Destroyers

2010-10-26T10:05:00.015-04:00

And don't eat their Red Herrings...

I once heard someone trot out Bernie Madoff as an example of a modern-day John Galt, supposedly because Madoff functioned only to satisfy himself. The only similarity is with self-preservation being the ultimate motivation, which is not evil in and of itself. The important distinction is that Madoff profited from cheating others out of what they'd earned, and the comparison is an affront (or should be) to anyone who understands the difference between earning and stealing.

The difference is paralleled by the not-too-subtle difference between Capitalism and Cronyism. Madoff's schemes bear more similarity with Obamacare, union bailouts, and influence peddling than anything the novel's John Galt (or today's John Galts) ever did. Capitalism is the exchange of value for value, and is only perverted by the inclusion of outside influence or presumed obligation.

And those on the left, those who would enslave you to their service under concepts like "common good", submit their own poster-children like Madoff as red herrings to divert your attention from their own schemes. Don't get fooled.

To paraphrase, I love my life as it is God's gift to me, not as if God lent it to me to hold in trust for your benefit.

Worth Noting

2010-10-19T14:30:00.001-04:00

I imagine that not everybody has a photographic recall of all those candidates' positions on all the various issues in preparation for the trip to the ballot box. Lord knows, I don't. Heck, I could donate 15 IQ points to the O!Bummer and still qualify for Mensa, but can't remember whether (and why) I liked Judge So-And-So.

Here's an idea you can use.

Go to your Board of Elections website for your county, and print off a sample ballot. Then, go to this website, compare the apples and oranges, and keep score on your sample ballot. Much easier than counting yard-signs or bumper-stickers on your way to work, and infinitely more responsible, no?

This process helped me sort through the choices for candidates for Court of Appeals, the following earning my endorsement and vote:

Ann Marie Calabria

Steven Walker

Dean Poirier

And a Supreme Court Associate Justice, Bob Hunter.

Some folks I'd vote for if I lived in their district:

Renee Elmers (her opponent is Boob Etheridge, the guy who choked a student reporter for daring to ask him a question).

Harold Johnson. Fukkin-A, I'd vote for the Big Guy.

Bill Randall. He spoke at the RTC rally, and Bubba likes him...nuff said.

Greg Dority, maybe...running against Mel Watt. Watt apparently advocates violence against peaceful Tea Party attendees, since he hasn't denounced that violence perpetrated outside his offices (and presumably to his benefit). Or, by gosh, maybe Lon Cecil simply for his survey response to the question: Do you believe the US Congress should enact "Cap and Trade" legislation that would enable government agencies to cap the amount of emissions a company may produce or require that company to purchase credits if it exceeds the government-set emissions limitation?

Spuh-lendid.

Still more endorsements to come...

~

What I'm Afraid Of

2010-10-19T11:32:00.019-04:00

Thanks to my friend Bubba, and from the Labor Union Report, here's what scares the hell ot of me.

We've already seen the willingness of the liberal left to fraudulently affect elections. According to the article linked, the power to subvert the electoral outcome lies with corrupt Secretaries of State (my bold is their italics).

"Here is a prediction: Across the country, there will be races that some candidates will lose even though poll numbers, right now, indicate otherwise.

As you read this, at present, you should know that there are only seemingly disconnected anecdotal dots that are starting to connect. However, if the dots do fully connect, we may not know until well after the November 2nd election if, in fact, America’s democratic election process will have become the victim of the biggest fraud in our nation’s history. What’s worse, with early voting beginning this week in many states, it may already be too late to do anything about it."

The article presents several facts (including ties to George Soros and SEIU) that are disconnected only by assumed coincidence.

The integrity of the voting process may well be the next-to-last hope for America. Absent any confidence regarding the final tally, what recourse shall remain for those who cherish Liberty? Even looking objectively at the possibilities, I don't think it'll be pretty.

I had a brief exchange the other day with a store manager who was benefitting from my devotion to capitalism (he was ringing up my purchase at his register). He said, "no matter who you're for, one thing we can still say in this country is that we'll have our election without having to worry about tanks in the street afterward."

In a world where the integrity of the ballot is indisputable and untarnished, I'd tend to agree with my friend the merchant. I wish I could rest that easily.

Read the linked article and tell me what you think.

Not Playin' For The Tie

2010-10-17T10:33:00.009-04:00

My favorite quote from this year is still Ann Coulter's:

There are a lot of bad Republicans. There are no good Democrats.

And this perfectly illustrates the value of the Tea Party. For Republicans, and particularly those conservative and Constitutionalist republicans, the Tea Party movement has proven to become a very effective vetting process for weeding out those RINOs, Republican In Name Only, and supplanting career politicians (otherwise valuable only for the big "R" after their name) with genuine leadership candidates. For Dems, I don't think there's a single candidate who's found a way to embrace the concepts of original intent, limited government, and American exceptionalism. So, the universal approach for the donkeys has been to demonize the Tea Party. You can't blame them, though. They know their policies are the impetus for the Tea Party brand of community organizing.

Newt may be a valid example of a bad Republican to many, because he can't be counted on to choose that which is right over that which is politically expedient. Nancy is perfectly representative of the all Democrats: government is the answer and private citizens organizing to take umbrage must be ostricized and belittled.

Don't get swept up in any wave to legitimize any potential Newt candidacy just because of this video (h/t Gateway Pundit), but he's right about the very basic difference in the two parties.

Early voting is now open in many places. If you're like many folks I know, and just can't vote for a Republican simply because an ancestor might "roll over in his grave," please do the rest of us the courtesy of recusing yourself from the process. I know how it is; I was once the same.

Thing is, though, there will be, in this election, very real consequences to your actions. Your efforts in 2008 have placed our country in the most perilous situation we've ever seen. A vote for a Democrat is a vote against America. Plain and simple.

You can vote for a Republican or against a Democrat. Better yet, vote for the REPUBLICAN Republican, as vetted by Tea Party endorsement or vote against a Democrat. Or vote against an incumbent.

Personally, I'll take the paycheck and the right to earn it and keep it. Time to take out the trash, folks.

Institutional Control

2010-10-15T11:45:00.002-04:00

There'll always be folks who pretent to be something they aren't. Case in point: a recent commenter to an online article claimed to be a UNC fan who isn't disappointed the football team members cheated, but that they had gotten caught. I'm a Tar Heel fan. I hope all the cheaters get caught and receive stiff punishment, whether they be star players with questionable scruples, manipulable and manipulative fellow students, coaches with selective attention spans, and most importantly the scum-bag agents.

There's lots of commotion in the lamestream media these days about so-called "institutional control" among the athletic departments of major colleges. Carolina-hating Caulton Tudor wants Butch Davis fired and Bomani Jones (who?) writes for ESPN.com that "Davis' defense rings hollow." The thrust of their points? That the head coach should have known about (or knew, and covered up) improprieties committed by several of his players and one coach. Much of that rhetoric reminds me of the Nifong vs. Duke LaCrosse witch-hunt, so I say consider the source before subscribing any value to their perspectives.

Former assistant/co-head coach John Blake certainly appears to have been doing as many things wrong off the field as right on it, and someone that knows him as well as Butch Davis did or does admittedly could have given much more scrutiny to Blake's allegiances and behavior. But the student-athletes?

I remember when I was a just a high-school athlete, and hearing reports from former teammates who had gone on to the college level, of boosters palming C-notes to them in the post-game locker rooms. Perhaps the coaches charged with monitoring their behavior were intentionally looking the other way. Until a diligent coach got wise (or suspicious) and banned locker-room visitation, how easy was this practice? For what it's worth, I played a little college ball to and witnessed zero ethical or institutional misdeeds.

Knowing the current schemes by agents to recruit "runners", fellow students who earn a few bucks befriending and distributing gifts to athletes on behalf of those agents, how much "control" can anyone have regarding the kids. The best you could hope for in such situations is a player having the self-control and wherewithal to refuse something he hasn't earned. You can try teaching that, but it's a tough climb trying to mandate it.

Those gifts could be obvious, like a car or wardrobe that seems out of place given that kids perceived means, but it can also be something the coaches never see, like a trip off-campus while not obligated to class- or team-required attendance. Or jewelry, perhaps. There isn't a coaching staff in the world that can (or will) monitor young adults 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It just can't be done. And my point is that it shouldn't even be necessary.

You can say that everybody cheats, but that's not true. You can suggest that every program has cheaters, but I ain't buying that either. It is true, however, that given the right set of circumstances, any kid willing to break the rules governing agent relations and acedemic integrity can probably find a way to do it, especially if the reward is great and the punishment is always greater on others than it is on him/her.

In light of this disproportionality, I'd propose the punishment be applied more directly to the root of the problem. That is, let the offenders be saddled with paying the price for those misdeeds. These solutions would require a set of agreements between the NCAA and the NFL (of other pro sports leagues), but should absolutely be possible...

A player caught cheating academically is immediately expelled, and may not be drafted into the pro league for 1 year past the date of finding.

Receiving improper financial perks from agents or their lackeys should result in a player having his earning potential limited for the first two years of his professional tenure to a rookie minimum. That is, for the first two years of his/her career, they get paid no more than the least valuable player in the league. Most "star" players get those obscene contracts long before having to prove their pro potential and durability. Given the possibility of getting injured (or cut) before having a chance at those big dollars with short-circuit most of those short-cuts.

And the offending agent should have their fees capped at a nominal percentage of the pro's earnings. Or have their priveleges (assuming there are such) revoked or suspended.

When I was in school, I loved being on my campus. But, I would jump at any opportunity for a ride out of town, much less an island-hopping trip between semesters. I may be arguing this point in support of Butch Davis, but the same point can be made in support of your coach. How much so-called "control" can a coach be expected to exert?

Cut off the money flow and punish the perpetrators. Quit believing that more misplaced accountability can solve the problem. When impressionable young adults and shady characters witness real disadvantages to their crimes, things may stand a chance of improving. And coaches can focus on coaching, instead of surrogate parenting, or policing.

Not Too Early...

2010-10-11T12:29:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about making a list for preferred Presidential candidates, and will certainly be getting to that. But in the meantime, I stumbled across this video, this morning. I was already thinking about Chris Christie headlining my list.

Don't you feel so much better when you and someone you admire as much as Ann Coulter are in syncronized agreement?

I Can See November From The Livermush Estate

2010-10-08T09:22:00.002-04:00

UPDATED...at bottom

My horse-club's Information Czar recently sent out a mass mailer to all the members reminding them to vote for a fellow member, Beth Jones, in the upcoming mid-term elections.

Okay, re-reading the note, I stand corrected that he only suggested "considering" voting for her, because she's "PRO Horse-Trail."

Well by gosh, if it comes down who is "pro horse trail" between two candidates who cherish Liberty above all else, who believe in and actively support the Tea Party movement, who are prepared to distance North Carolina from the federal government's unrelenting, intrusive power grab by way of Obamacare and offshore and nearshore oil drilling moratoriums and lawsuits against other states for doing a job that federal government won't, and who believes in gutting NC government in favor of privatization, then she should get that consideration. But all things ain't equal, it seems.

Jones is a former Caldwell County Democratic party Chairwoman, and endorsed by ACTBlue, "The online clearinghouse for Democratic action" who also endorses raving idiot Alan Grayson. Her campaign website lists the issues as: Economy/Jobs, Education, and Healthcare, the Dem party line that government involvement into those sectors is ever somehow beneficial.

Her Republican opponent, Warren Daniel, graduate of West Point and UNC Law School, says this on his website:

In 1787, our Founding Fathers gave us a Constitution that forever changed the relationship between man and government. They believed that each of us is born into freedom and that the proper role of government is to protect and secure the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which are endowed by our Creator, not derived from the government. Protected by these Constitutional guarantees, America became the land of opportunity for millions of legal immigrants who came fleeing oppression and seeking the American dream.

With the recent passage of Obamacare, it is more evident than ever that “We The People” need to act now if we are going to make a difference. As we enter this 2010 election year, I pledge to you that, as your state senator, I will strive to return North Carolina to the principles of limited government and unlimited opportunity. I hope that you will join me so that together we can bring conservative government back to North Carolina, and preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren.

To supporters of Jones, I say "whoa!" This Daniel guy sure sounds like more of a leader to me. In my thinking, the time for electing local numbnuts who can be counted on to fight for a locality's share of pork, or for his/her own nest-feathering career, is gone. Everything I read regarding Jones implies she's just another Hope It Changes corruptocrat with promises of unicorns and rainbows.

NC 44 isn't my district, but to my friends in that area, there are more-important things than "pro horse trail" and Warren Daniel has an obvious leg up when it comes to the concepts of leadership and Liberty. And be sure to check out his answers (and others!) to the questionnaire from the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation.

On a related note, check out this video (thanks to Hot Air via Legal Insurrection) that may serve to remind you what we're all up against this November.

Finally...just got off the phone with Daniel's office...he's in favor of horse trails.

UPDATE: Direct to my email inbox, Warren Daniel responds:

Thanks for your comments and support. We are horse owners too and enjoy riding... I have intended to join the association, and I know at least one of your members.

There you have it.

Endorsements

2010-10-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

In today's Townhall.com, Ann Coulter eulogizes her late friend Joe Sobran as "the world's greatest writer." She listed some of the phrases and quips that influences her writing, and endeared Sobran to herself and so many others, including:

"Watching a death-match fight on Animal Planet once, Joe said he found himself instinctively rooting for the mammal over the reptile."

Honoring Coulter, Sobran, and the universal instinct to root for your own kind (or at least those warm-blooded over those not), allow me to direct your atttention to the sidebar wherein I list my own endorsements regarding the upcoming mid-term elections.

Please click the pictures for links to the candidates' websites.

More coming, as I find time to create the links...

Caulton Tudor Should Resign Or Be Fired

2010-10-01T10:34:00.002-04:00

Though I'd rather not drive any traffic to his ass-wipe reportage, or to his big Obama-loving rag of a McClatchey fish-wrap, the Charlotte Obscurer, if you want an example of biased, control-the-court-of-public-opinion drivel, look no further than today's column by Caulton Tudor. (Sorry, I was gonna link to it, but you'll have to look it up yourself...See the sports section and bring your own barf bag.)

Tudor suggests that Butch Davis should resign or be fired as "the single most necessary step in the rehabilitation process for the school and the football program."

Of course, to make that assertion, you'd have to already believe in Davis' culpability in the matter, and to believe somehow that completely skipping the rest of the NCAA investigation to jump straight into (self-) punishment phase has any merit whatsoever. Or you have to have personal reasons for wanting that to happen.

Tudor delivers his proposal as if it's somehow valient for Davis to fall on his sword, for the sake of the University's image, but you really have to read with mental earplugs to not hear the Anti-Carolina venom dripping on his keyboard.

Truly, does his body of work really suggest to anyone any measure of objectivity?

He seems to believe that if the players remain without eligibility and a coach has been dismissed, then all the coaches are hiding additional guilt, and by extension the University and all its students are also guilty, and every fan probably, too.

I never read his articles, because I know what I'll get if the subject comes near UNC: thinly veiled animosity. I only clicked that link today because of the egregious headline and the consideration of ridiculing it in this space.

And to a point, I generally say, who cares? Let the Pusspack and Blue-Pillow-Biting-Devils have their own propogandist, so long he can either keep to a reasonable level of bile-spewage or acknowledge his bias. For someone like him to presume the authority over someone else's career, though, is insulting to anyone with a modicum of objectivity. Where the hell does this guy get off? What right does he have to call for Butch Davis' job, anymore than he has calling for yours or mine?

What divine edict placed you ahead of the investigative process and distribution of punishment, sir? Mighty presumptuous of you Tudor, and mighty disgraceful. I think you should quit immediately.

Of course, I submit that most readers already fired you and your paper long ago.

Dark

2010-10-01T08:09:00.000-04:00

I have the DVR'd Ryder Cup coverage going in the background this morning, and just heard Mike Tirico say, "It gets dark earlier here, due to the lack of sunlight."

Insight. That's why ESPN has Tirico anchoring the coverage. And it has very little to do with his fawning man-love for Tiger Woods.

Cancer. Some Things You Can Do.

2010-09-30T16:49:00.011-04:00

Most everyone I know well, including some folks I'd just as soon disown, are aware of the fact that I've recently begun treatments for metastasis of the cancer I had diagnosed and treated 3 years ago. I have avoided airing those personal details in this public space, because I don't want to sound like I'm pining for anyone's sympathy. Fact of the matter is though, the way I look at it: I'm luckier than any of you folks...I get to kick cancer's ass a second time. The chest-thumping factor is, as Kramer would say, "off the charts, Jerry, off the charts!"

Be that as it may, there'll probably be at least a third and fourth time, many years from now. And I have a point to make, so listen up.

In the first go-'round, I lost my job, my Corvette, a salivary gland, a sizable portion of beard, and most everything else I owned. This time they've already spill't enough blood to float a small farm animal, and will soon claim a few sections of both lungs. But, and I'm being 100% sincere, it's a minor setback.

My high school football coach just called me yesterday, and asked what he and our church could do for me. I received the question as if to mean, what could they do to benefit me? And answered that, besides their continued prayers, there was nothing I needed. But there is one thing I wish I'd have requested, which will benefit far more than just me, and I may call him back.

I wish I'd have told him that the cancer that is inside me is not remotely as threatening to my life and what I value than the cancer that has grown unchecked around me, and which continues devouring healthy tissue. Around, and amongst, all of us. I am writing of the pervasive, intrusive, constricting, and malignant cancer that is statism, and all its forms. All the greatest civilizations known to have existed, rolled into one, can't hold a candle to what the Founding Fathers established. And while our economy chokes from the tumor squeezing its windpipe and our national security teeters precariously from the tumor rotting its brain, our elected representatives had no qualms in turning to funny boy Stephen Colbert for a little levity on the subject of illegal immigration. Talk about fiddling while the shining city burns.

The Presidential administration sees fit to invest in offshore drilling to benefit Brazil, but simultaneously continue their moratorium on drilling in the Gulf. That's 40,000 American jobs outsourced to Brazil, not by an employer trying to escape onerous regulation and taxation, but by the guy who gets wee-wee'd up at the notion of American exceptionalism. The justice department (in an effort to assert and solidify federal authority) manages to fight against one state's attempts to stop illegal immigration, but can't justify an effort to investigate and prosecute blatant voter intimidation. That is, the federal government will fight hard to protect its own power, but won't lift a finger to help fight for yours.

Banks that accepted "stimulus" funds but decided to repay them have been refused that option, presumably because the administration prefers having the control to having the cash. This latest law to loan money to businesses contains such conditions that make it nothing but a trojan horse into those businesses to inject more governmental control.

Every new law and regulation and unvetted czar and Supreme Court nominee, that we've gotten from this President and this Democrat-controlled Congress and this Democrat-controlled Senate is consistent, not with an effort to engender Liberty for Americans, but an effort to destroy or pervert Liberty in the name of a more-collossal and controlling government.

Dear Coach,

Yes, there are a few things you can do, just for me: Vote Republican. Endorse and support the Tea Party movement. Criticize governmental malfeasance and ineptitude. Demand honesty and accountability from the national media. Vote Republican. Fight to abolish the income tax in favor of a flat sales tax. Rage against Socialism, in all its forms. Combat disinformation by the liberal media, and popular culture. Vote Republican.

All of us will eventually die. Some folks never really live, and that's the sad part. I told one person that you wouldn't wish my condition on anyone, but if you had to, you'd wish it on the meanest, toughest, son-of-a-bitch you'd ever met.

Round # 2 for me with ACC, and I'm bringin' the hammers.

Help me win the fight against the more-sinister cancer: statism. And we'll all win.

Thanks for the help. Hey cancer, fill yer hands, you sonofabitch.

Why Do You Make The Big Bucks?

2010-09-28T09:00:00.004-04:00

Back when I was building things for a living, I had these two laborers on the jobsite who were constantly trying to either get out of doing their assigned tasks or take credit for someone else's production. Their names: James Carter and Willie Clinton.

Seriously, if they'd have been state road-working employees, they'd have been outfitted with upside-down shirt pockets, so the shovels they'd be leaning on would have a place to catch and keep them from toppling over when/if they fell asleep standing up.

One day, I saw them talking with each other and was wondering what they were up to, when Willie walked over to me. He said, "We was wondering why it is that you make the big bucks."

I asked him if he didn't consider it possible that I earned more because I was willing to take on more responsibility and answer for my errors or wrong decisions instead of blaming someone else or some seismic anomaly, that I came to work prepared to do those things required to help my employer be successful, and that I considered his success was a good thing worth working for, and that I actually work harder and more efficiently than anyone else on that jobsite, and that I show up for work even when I don't feel like it, or because I do things myself that others in my charge cannot or will not do?

"No," he said, "I don't think that's why. I think there's something else."

"You're right," I said, "come here and I'll show you why I make the big bucks."

I walked over to a block wall that had been poured solid with concrete, and held my open hand in front of it.

"Now ball your fist, and hit my hand as hard as you can."

In a rare moment of compliance (or maybe it was just that he was willing to seize upon any opportunity to take a whack at me), Willie did just that. And I pulled my hand back, as he bloodied his knuckles on the unforgiving wall.

"That," I said to Willie, "is why I make the big bucks."

I watched Willie walk back to where Jimmy had been waiting expectantly.

Jimmy: "What'd he say, what'd he say?"

Willie then held his palm up in front of his own face and said, "hit my hand."

I chose those names in this tale because we've recently had a couple of former US Presidents by similar names inject themselves into the national discussion as if they're some kind of authority on, get this, the Tea Party and its emerging force as a voice for, and of, America.

Back in April, Slick Willie claimed that the Tea Party was "dangerous," but this past week was heard listing things "they" may be good for, peering professorially (and condescendingly) over his bifocals. And Jimmy the peanut head recently suggested that Tea Party rallies were a lot like his own Presidency.

Wow. Things are so bad now for the Corruptocrats that the two most-recent, most egregious examples of Presidential ineptitude not named Obama are swimming hard as hell to get in front of the wave, in an effort to deflect the reality that honest, law-abiding citizens who never envisioned themselves at a political rally, are indeed rallying to protest all the big-government intrusion and dependency that these two fostered and perpetuated their entire political lives. Next thing you know, Owl Gore will be claiming to have invented the Tea Party.

It isn't a single person that gives the Tea Party ralliers their drive and focus, it's the result of caging good people in an ever-deepening invasion of statism. The more those statists try to put their own brand on the Tea Party movement or belittle and ridicule its participants, or infiltrate those ranks with nutcases bent on smear tactics, the more they succeed in only defining themselves for everyone paying attention as the real enemies of America. Like that bumper sticker said, "If they don't want civil disturbance, why do they keep disturbing us?" The answer is that they just don't get it.

Power, for the statist, is the only thing that matters. More laws and more regulations equals more authority and control. Kinda like if I'd have let Willie and Jimmy have a "boss-for-a-day" experiment on the job, these folks have taken the past 23 months and proven just how inept and corrupt and un-American and rabidly evil they can be, given such unbridled authority.

The thing they did not count on was that good people maybe wouldn't sit silently while their country was sabotaged by its government. We've seen the harm you can, and will, bring to our economy and national security, and individual liberty. It would seem that enough good Americans weren't numb or asleep or addicted to your benevolence, despite the hardiest efforts of your assumed intelligensia and media, and none of your twists and perversions and slander come as a surprise to us now.

Anything other than finding useful occupation outside and away from public scrutiny, now that we've all seen you for what you truly are, only serves to reinforce our understanding of your destructive motivation, and the inherent danger therein.

...And for all those folks out there who were duped by empty Democratic rhetoric, Dennis Prager has a spot-on essay for overcoming emotional hurdles when it comes to "Danger on the right" at TownHall.com. Please consider checking it out.

KLAVAN

2010-09-22T13:43:00.000-04:00

I'm working on something that might have to go into the drafts folder for the time being. In realizing that possibility, it occurred to me to check what else I might have in there.

There was this...

Klavan's always a healthy diversion.

More livermush originality to follow soon, promise.

Cold Day, Hot Pie

2010-09-14T15:52:00.007-04:00

Many, many years ago, in one of my earliest jobs in the construction industry, I worked for a grading and utilities contractor. Our company's business was usually within about a 50-mile radius from the office, so our crews generally travelled to jobsites each day, as opposed to staying in hotels during the week. One such early morning ride included our hero of this tale, named Bill.

On a frigid January morning, Bill's foreman pulled the company crew-cab into a convenience store about half way to their jobsite, a new sewer line project, approximately 1.5 hours drive from the office. Bill, like most of his coworkers on the drive, had been snoozing on the way to the job, but rousted himself up to fetch some coffee and nabs (nabs = nondescript name for any type of snack food). In addition to his coffee, Bill left the store with a pack of smokes and a factory-packaged fried apple pie. Bill drank his coffee and smoked a cigarette while they were stopped, but put his pie away unopened for later in the morning, when he'd be taking a break.

When the crew arrived at the jobsite, and while the equipment operators lubed, cranked, and warmed up their various machines, Bill filled the resevoir of what's called a salamander heater with off-road diesel fuel. The temperature was expected to only get into the 20's for a high that day, and the fellows would be wanting to keep warm, especially their hands. A salamander heater has a metal saucer-shaped tank about the size of a small wash-tub as a base, with a 6" metal smokestack protruding skyward from its center. The surfaces can throw off 150-degree heat, and really make a difference for men working with their hands to ward off the numbing effects of the cold. Although a very chilly day, the weather was otherwise clear, and the crew began shouldering the task of laying pipe and setting manholes.

Then, about 9:30 that morning, Bill's breakfast started petering out, and he remembered that fried apple pie. Man, he thought, that thing would be just the ticket about now. And, it'd be even better if it was warmed up. Of course, there wasn't a microwave oven on a pipeline jobsite out in the woods, but he did have a heat source: the salamander heater. So, Bill went to the truck, grabbed his pie, took it out of its wax-paper wrapper, and laid it on the base of that heater, up close to the stove-pipe. And waited.

15 minutes or so later, Bill figured that the time was right to check on the consumability of the pie.

Now, not being the sharpest tool in the shed, and having a limited understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, Bill didn't consider the possibility that his pie could theoretically be every bit as hot as the heater on which it had sat.

Bill, with his gloved hands, picked up his pie. He turned the pie from hand to hand but couldn't guage the pie's temperature through the thick leather gloves. At that point he decided to do one of those things that later affords no deniability...he slapped the very hot pie to the right side of his face, leaving a D-shaped scorch mark.

"Ssssssssssss"

That moment of stupidity was one that old Bill was never able to, during his tenure with that particular company, live down. And he eventually moved to greener pastures.

Recollecting this story reminds me of the temporary stupidity of folks who've chosen to endorse Democrats in recent years. Can there be any deniability at this point that the Democrat Party is almost universally corrupt, particularly the Presidential administration? Is there not a shrinking distinction between Democrat and Socialist? The Obama/Biden White House has set new extremes for ineptitude and cronyism. Chris Dodd and slobbering Barney Frank are finally going to get the "credit" they deserve for wrecking the economy. The Clintons are proving to everyone that they never give a damn about anything besides more power, recognition, and authority for themselves. Reid and Pelosi have shown exactly how lustful for more big-government schemes they can get when their authority goes unchecked. Rangel and Waters could end up in jail for their crookedness. Chicken-Little Gore's wealth redistribution scheme (and latent hypocrisy). John Edwards' cheat-a-thon, and John Effin Kerry's boat-cloaking maneuver. NC Congresscritter Boob Etheridge assaulting a student. Funny man Franken's stolen election. Bribery and scandal with Blago and Sestak. Everything Alan Grayson has uttered. The Atlanta-area Congressional dipshit that thinks Guam could tip over for having too many US soldiers stationed there. Thuggery and shenanigans and corruption and outright ignorance. The list goes on and on.

Seriously, if there's any good anywhere in the Donkey party, I ain't seeing it.

It may not be enough to scrape that Obama/Biden sticker off of your Prius in the months and years ahead...You may have to move to a place where nobody knows you, or knows what that big, D-shaped scorch mark on your face is all about.

Call Me Capricious, Then

2010-09-14T14:40:00.002-04:00

I just never really find myself in disagreement with The Hammer. Except, well, this time.

Charles Krauthammer said yesterday that Sarah Palin's endorsement of Christine O'Donnell versus Mike Castle in Delaware, is "destructive and capricious", because in his assessment she has no chance of beating the Democrat in November but Castle would be a "shoo-in."

While I do see the value of having the raw numbers of "R's" in the Senate and all the inherent reconstructive power of a conservative majority, the time for half-measures is long gone. Chris Christie didn't seem particularly electable, and neither did Scott Brown. I don't want any shoo-ins, unless they've proven dependable in flawlessly adhering to the Constitution, and Castle can't remotely make that claim.

Out with establishment RINO's. I'd rather lose with the good guys than win with the losers.

And a vote for Castle is a vote to just lose a little, instead of maybe winning a lot.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin reminds us that "9 terms (of phony republicanism) are enough."

UPDATE 2: Check out Mark Levin and Jim DeMint ("I've been here when we had the numbers, and we didn't have the principles") at the National Review. Reference the Mark Levin podcast pane.

NC Sheriff's Association Wants Your Prescription Info

2010-09-10T15:49:00.000-04:00

From Drudge and the News & Obscurer, the NC Sheriff's Association wants access to your medical records. Their argument is that there's practically no way to enjoy their donuts and perform crime-fighting responsibilities in a traditional manner, so why not just make it easier for them? What's the big deal about a little invasion of privacy, anyway?

Okay, let's assume there is widespread prescription drug abuse. Is warrantless access to a citizen's health information even remotely a good idea? Ever? I know, or have known, lots of cops, but there isn't any one of them I want knowing that much detail about me. And I don't even take prescription drugs.

Lynn Bonner, in the N&O quoted Lee County Sheriff Tracy Carter as saying, "We can better go after those who are abusing the system."

And we're expected to believe there'd never be any abuse by the authorities against one of my neighbors?

So, in order to stop drug abuse, good North Carolina citizens must condone and accept police intrusion on their liberties?

I'm all for enforcement of the law, but not at the expense of personal privacy, so I say no thanks. If you can't do the job of law enforcement without reading a person's private medical information, then either you just can't do the job, or that job doesn't need doing.

The Other 9/11 Mega Mosque

2010-09-08T15:26:00.000-04:00

From Alec Rawls' Error Theory. Remember, this is the big project that I refused to help out with, the Shanksville Flight 93 Mosque, which is no less a mosque than the one proposed near Ground Zero.

If plans to burn copies of the Koran (or cartoon characterizations of Mohammed) hurt your feelings, consider how divisive and destructive the schemes to erect these muslim structures are to the rest of us. Ain't saying I condone book burnings, but I do agree with whatever it takes to pick a fight with the cowards who would otherwise be cutting up stewardesses and pilots with box cutters and then flying planes into iconic American structures.

Alan Keyes against the Flight 93 memorial

Conservative hero Alan Keyes is asking whether there is a pattern of submission surrounding the nation's 9/11 sites. Apparently he has seen our video expose of Islamic and terrorist memorializing features in the crescent memorial to Flight 93 (now called a broken circle). Like any straight-thinker, he doesn't like what he sees. The Flight 93 crash site is no place for a giant Islamic-shaped crescent, no matter what it is called.

On this point, Keyes cites Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo's 2005 objection to the newly unveiled Crescent of Embrace design:

Back in 2005, then-Rep. Tom Tancredo was reported to have sent a letter to the National Park Service "asking the Interior Department to reconsider the crescent-shaped design of the memorial to those aboard a plane hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, because some may think it honors the terrorists." Tancredo quite sensibly argues that "regardless of whether 'the invocation of a Muslim Symbol' was intentional, 'it seems that such a symbol is unsuitable for paying appropriate tribute to the heroes of Flight 93 or the ensuing American struggle against radical Islam.'"

Keyes notes our claim that the design is still replete with terrorist memorializing features and he seems to find it credible. Why shouldn't he? The damning features are all right there in architect Paul Murdoch's design drawings. Thank you Doctor Keyes!

"It’s not just embarrassing. It is a dangerous willful blindness, spurning the woken vigilance of Flight 93."

That's the last line of the full-page advertisement that Tom Burnett Senior and Alec Rawls will be running in the Somerset Daily American this Friday and Saturday (when the two first ladies will be in town for the 9/11 anniversary):

Click for legible image. Full ad-copy PDF here (large file warning).

We are hoping that visitors will hold onto our ad, maybe even tape it to their car windows, and most especially, show it to any press people they come across. Hey, if the Park Service can use 9/11 to plant the world's largest mosque on the Flight 93 crash site, we can use 9/11 to object.

Please continue the article after the fold...

To join our blogburst against the crescent mosque, just send your blog's url.

Miller on Cameron

2010-08-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

Restore The Constitution, Guilford Courthouse

2010-08-15T11:06:00.002-04:00

Some thoughts on my first rally, the RTC event at Guilford Courthouse Battleground Park, Greensboro, NC...

Easily the most entertaining speaker was Bubba, from What Bubba Knows. If you expect sensitivity and tolerance, Bubba does not mind shaking your sorry ass up. I like that.

We arrived a little late, and I'd complain about the sparse signage for road names and numbers, or the repeated instances of signs hidden by foliage overgrowth, but I'd be afraid more so-called stimulus funds would get earmarked for pruning services.

Judging from how far away we had to park, I was thinking the attendance would be over 1,000. I believe it was more like 500-700. Still a good turnout, considering the weather, but who belonged to all those cars? My guess is that many of those vehicles were parked there by the passive resistance crowd: Park in the way...walk off to other parts of the park...discourage attendance? If so, it certainly didn't work, because there were lots of attendees parked further back from us, who walked (and limped) farther to and fro.

My radar was on alert for trouble, but there was none. At least, there was no obvious blatant trouble. There were some curious characters, but even the few that I mentally pegged as such were applauding the same speakers and at the same times as was I.

Whether you had the full re-enactment uniform (which was way cool), or the tie-dye t-shirt, or shirt & tie, or the Veteran's hat (thanks, by the way) or the boonie hat, I was glad to see you and glad you're on the right side.

I wasn't so glad to hear some of you, and that was my only major gripe regarding the event. If you were there to schmooze or carry on your own agenda, you should have the common decency and regard to set yourself up at a little table on the periphery, or even the entrance, and blather on to your heart's content. If you were sitting or standing near me or someone else who gave a shit what the speaker had to say, as a manner of learning what the speaker was all about or to perhaps glean some wisdom, have the good sense to shut the fuck right up. There were some things said that I'd heartily endorse, and some things that knitted my eyebrows, and some things that I missed because I was distracted by your soliloquy.

Especially if you were one of those speakers. There were at least five of you who felt no qualms about being out in the crowd before or after your speech, showing little regard for the one at the podium and droning on and on about the golden friggin corral, or how hot it is, or the epic saga of how you came to acquire this particular firearm. Point one is there's a time and place. Point two is never miss an opportunity to shut up and listen.

And a note to the organizers of the next one: The distrubution of pamphlets and such needs to be limited to the entrance/exit areas to minimize the associated distraction therein. And, if there was a published cast of characters (list of speakers, with maybe a bare-bones bio for each), I missed it. If there wasn't such, make a note of having one for the next rally. I'll be there.

Note to the law enforcement personnel: If you're hiding behind a wall, you appear as if you expect to be a target. On the other hand, those listening to and applauding the speeches are apt to be sorted into the "friendlies" column. Listening has a multitude of benefits. Hiding has comparitively few.

All in all, I enjoyed the rally, and was glad I went. Plus, I wished I'd have planned enough time around the event, before and after, to suitably appreciate the historical markers. Coming soon hopefully, a photo-essay field trip to King's Mountain.

We were there.

III

Brilliant!

2010-08-14T09:04:00.000-04:00

Freckles and I had tentatively planned on going to the Crawdads' game last night, but talked ourselves out of it. The scheduled fireworks would have been fun, but sitting through the 18-4 drubbing...not so much.

So, instead, we watched part of a game on the TeeVee last night. And were treated to two sportscasting gems! Without naming names:

1) Pitcher tosses a big overhand curve, which the umpire calls a strike, and the catcher snags just above the dirt in front of him. The previous pitch, another curve, had bounced in the dirt in front of the catcher and gotten away, allowing the runner on first to advance to second. Announcer #1 (also known as Master of the Obvious #1) says, "If he'd not caught that one, it would have bounced on the ground."

As if everyone would have expected the ball to circle the globe?

And:

2) A shot from the blimp shows the sunset over the river, and the announcer, seemingly in an attempt to upstage his partner's MOTO moment says, "That is, I believe, a view toward the West end of town."

The implication, I suppose, is that if you were fast enough, you could run to the next town and the sunset would still be in the East.

And to think we'd have missed that.

Question

2010-08-12T09:44:00.000-04:00

Do you believe that perhaps the Conspirator In Chief thinks that "Ground Zero" is named after him?

Freshly Minted

2010-08-10T13:07:00.004-04:00

In the spirit of coining new terms of aspersion, like Islamophobia and ConspiRACIST, as a manner of degrading oppositional argument, I was already prepared to submit this one:

ISLAMOPHAG- One who endorthes toluhwanth above all elth.

But then, I learned this morning from Uncle Jimbo that Greg Gutfeld has investors lined up for an actual Islamophag establishment; one that seeks to play off the GZ Mosque's purported theme of unity. UJ's favorite new name for Gutfield's Gay Bar for Muslims is Mohammed's Man Meet.

Fucking classic.

How about Mo-HOMOed's? That's maybe too convoluted.

Towel-Heads & Pillow-Biters has a pleasant ring to it, no?

How about Let's Sharia My Prayer Rug?

All the "bouncers" should wear the official Bin Ladin coveralls, you know, the style with the padded knees and the zipper in the back.

Other suggestions?

UPDATE:

Ann Coulter's site is on board with more ideas, including -

Shiite Faced
Al Queerda
Holey War
Rahm Emanuel

If You Build It...

2010-08-09T15:56:00.000-04:00

...Bigoted Crackers will come.

As you well know, there's been a raging debate over this proposed Mosque in NY city, very near the site of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack, also known as "Ground Zero." And recently, I found myself in a mudsling over in the comment section of perhaps my most-favorite blog, Flopping Aces.

It seems, other commenters may have resorted to some unsavory name-calling, and one of the regular contributors felt justified in returning the favor by posting an article which effectively lumped all opposition to the Mosque into the category of "Islamophobes." The author also coined the term "conspiRACISTS" in his article, ostensibly to belittle anyone who didn't subscribe to his extreme notion of tolerance.

One other contributor took umbrage to the labeling, and he, Mike's America, is now an ex-contributor. Two other contributors defended the race-hustling author. One called me a bigot. I hope I recover.

I never even voiced specific opposition to the construction, and don't believe the argument is one over the applicability of our Constitution, but over the protections our country should afford its citizens in a time of war, and even the very definition of who that enemy is.

Personally, I don't give a rat's ass if your game involves labeling me. I'm unaffected. I figured some others might be swayed by your condescending tone, though, so I pushed back. Most folks still avoid being labeled racist at all costs, and that's why the liberal media plays that card every couple weeks. I expect it from Olbermann and Matthews and CNN and ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS, and so I distance myself from those nitwits.

Similarly, I'm now convinced that some of the authors at FA have pissed away my loyalty. You'd lost your argument when you lost your audience. Calling 92% of those readers "Islamophobes" will do that.

Those same regular authors like to refer to themselves as "conservative." If you're among a legitimate group of conservatives (Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin), which of them would ever use the term "Islamophobe"? Which of them would cringe, instead?

I enjoyed what Jeffrey Jena had to say about the proposed Mosque, though:

If this group of Muslims own this property then I must defend their right to do all that is legal with that property. If they think their actions will somehow raise tolerance for their sect they are sadly mistaken. If they want to be crappy neighbors then I would love to see New York do the same right back at them.

My first suggestion would be for Mayor Bloomberg to zone the area around the mosque for strip clubs and legalized street walking. Assign policemen of Jewish heritage to answer all calls at the Mosque. Schedule the gay pride parade to circle the block several times, if possible right at prayer hour. Allow as many street vendors as would like them licenses to sell pork sandwiches and “medicinal” marijuana in that area. My final suggestion would be to have the city tear up the side walks around the building and repave them with a nice mixture of Portland Cement and bacon fat.

Or, the Cordoba House masonry subcontractor could just run some livermush in with the mortar, and every brick laid becomes a big "Fuck you too, Mohammed".

Tolerance is a fine thing, taken in moderation. Recently though, the very overextension of tolerance, in fear of being labeled intolerant, has gotten lots of good Americans killed. I'd be an Islamophobe long before I'd be an enabler or a victim.

Pack Your Crap, And Get Out

2010-08-02T12:43:00.000-04:00

The Opposite of Bad

2010-07-22T15:53:00.002-04:00

There's plenty of bad news out there (I'm not just talking about the fact there are still dozens of people listening to Keith Olberman). Digesting it all can get burdensome.

Instead, let me relate some splendid information just gleaned from the top of the heap over at Big Hoolywood. Sorry, I do that all the time...and spend hours, generally, retreating and correcting, or proofreading and correcting my many typing dyslexities. That is Big Hollywood, thank you very much.

From John Nolte, at Big Hollywood, comes the unparalleled good news that the most important literary work of the past century is, as they say in Hoolywood (intentional that time): "in the can." You heard correctly, my little Livermush afficionados...Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged has been made into a major motion picture. Actually though, as Mr. Nolte reports, it's only the first third of the book (in the fashion of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) which has finished production. Like LOTR before, the remaining two thirds of Atlas will be produced and delivered forthwith.

More good news, apparently no megastar was employed to overshadow the script, which is said to be highly reflective if not identical in large part to the dialog as written by Mrs. Rand. This means that instead of Anjolina Jolie, the role of Dagny shall be left to Taylor Schilling, pictured below. I had reservations about the rumored casting of Jolie, doubtful that she has the range of talent.

Nolte says we can expect part one in "the second quarter of 2011 and start production on the second part the following fall."

Okay, "unparalleled" may be a bit strong. But, it's still pretty great.

Be of good cheer.

Tough.

2010-07-20T09:44:00.000-04:00

Chuck Norris will make you cry.

Get Well, Coach

2010-07-19T06:40:00.008-04:00

Sportsman of ~~the year~~ ~~the decade~~ ~~the century~~ ever.

Statement from the family of Coach Smith.

Part of the Solution

2010-07-12T18:05:00.001-04:00

I updated Saturday's post to somewhat disassociate the House of Livermush from implications of blanket friendliness regarding the NRA. It appears that they consider Liberty, as Jesse Helms famously said, "as a roll of bologna, to be bartered away a slice at a time."

Erick Erickson says that the NRA has thrown you/us under the bus.

Their claim of fighting for the 2nd Amendment, while failing to send bullets or take them regarding its parent document (uh, the Constitution), means they aren't part of the solution, but remain part of the problem. That problem, in part, has been that our representatives have been more concerned with their own self-preservation than with that of their constituents (whether those constituents be of elected representatives or the NRA.)

I'm checking out the GOA.

Shop at Fleggaard

2010-07-12T07:33:00.000-04:00

A departure from the regular programming here at the House of Livermush, this is just the best ad ever.
Fleggaard is, I've concluded, some kind of Danish discount superstore. Of particular entertainment value is the moment when the third skydiver pulls the cord for her "chute." This is NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

This is a video ad for a sale on washing machines: Fleggaard. I may not need a washing machine, but I do want to go to their store now.

If you're a man, and you're not gay, you can not help but love this. I challenge you to disagree that there's ever been a better commercial for an appliance.

'Nuther Fleggaard ad just for the women-folk. Sensitive. Sweaty. With a sing-a-long...in a blimp.

Is that the answer to the question, "Where have the Village People been since YMCA"?

Okay, so here's a more serious video. Y'all have a great Monday.

NRA ad

2010-07-10T08:49:00.001-04:00

If you believed the old adage, "what you don't know, won't hurt you" you may have been suckered in to the BarryO mystique. After all, there wasn't any real evidence that he wanted to destroy America, at least none that was reported on the network news, right?

He seemed affable and very cool. A person would have to be terribly cynical to suspect that his voting "present" and guarding his college and personal history meant he had anything sinister (like "healthcare", Cap & Trade, card-check, SEIU, ACORN, Van Jones, worldwide appeasement and bow-a-thon tours, bribery and influence peddling) to hide. Likewise, nobody should have predicted his likely ineptitude regarding the disaster in the Gulf or those idiotic rules of engagement he's handcuffed our soldiers with, just because he'd never really led or governed anything.

Your sarcasm meter should be pegged in the red.

Try to split your mind in two screens of view. Recall all the vacuous platitudes you swallowed in '08 on one screen, and compared that to the inaction, idiocy, or outright sabotage you're getting from this Administration now, on the other.

Now, if you don't have any reason to believe in Kagan's devotion to the Constitution other than her own rhetoric (like, say, an actual body of work?), at least consider the possibility that she's another wolf in sheep's clothing. I agree with the NRA that there's plenty of reason for concern, if not alarm.

Call your representatives and have them oppose the confirmation.

UPDATE: But, let's not presume that this ad means that the NRA is forgiven for its recent sins. It is certainly encouraging that such a powerful organization is spending money and resources to oppose the confirmation, but the NRA needs to start remembering (publicly) that the 2nd Amendment is part of a greater document, and that enemies of that Constitution should be and will be held accountable, regardless of their lip-service or special conditions.

Hey NRA, lie down with the dogs...wake up with fleas. And then, you'll be sleeping out on the porch.

Fair-weather patriots.

Correction

2010-07-09T08:46:00.000-04:00

I'd like to issue a correction/retraction regarding my post yesterday, where I wrote that Afghanistan is "now largely Obama's war."

It's fair to say that he has, to an extent, taken ownership of this war. But, his only real contributions to it have been 1) ordering more troops to the region, but 2) not sending as many as requested, or 3) not sending them in anything resembling a timely fashion, and 4) hamstringing those troops with suicidal rules of engagement.

The war in Afghanistan is our war, America's war. Obama only assumed ownership as an effort to usurp a military victory. His ownership is no different than the false image of Che Guevarra as some kind of warrior (the only times Che pulled a trigger was when his enemies were beaten and tied and blindfolded).

In fact, you could make a case that Obama's actions are more consistant with someone angling to lose this war than win it. This is a lot like a baseball game where the good guys have a slim lead, late in the game. The starting pitcher did a great job putting our guys in a position to win, but the relief pitcher has come in and, under the misguided imperative of an unscrupulous manager (Obama), has walked the bases loaded. That relief pitcher (McCrystal) has effectively taken himself out of the game, as a sacrificial lamb for his beloved teammates, and the Closer has now taken the mound. If General Petraeus isn't forced to pitch underhand, we still have a chance at success.

With apologies to Ann Coulter, Bill Kristol, Michael Steele, and anyone else, this is our war. Our going there was appropriate in the first place, and our remaining is still necessary, but not as mere targets for the bad guys. If Obama can simply keep his mouth shut, stay in the dugout, give Gen. Petraeus what he asks for, when he asks for it, he'll keep the Taliban and AQ on the defensive, swinging and missing.

One other thing, O'Bastard: This thing is more like baseball than soccer (guh). You play till you win...not until some mystery-clock expires. Leave the grown up stuff to the grown-ups. Stay the fuck off the field.

SaraCuda. You Betcha.

2010-07-08T10:35:00.003-04:00

Now, here's an idea I can wrap my arms around...

Draft Sarah Palin for RNC Chair, sign the petition.

Why do I like Sarah?

I like the fact that her political strength comes largely from her apolitical demeanor. I like the fact that her party is a reflection of her values and not the source of those values. I like the fact that she has values based in her faith, and values based on the Constitution, relies on both and doesn't confuse the two. I like the fact that she has real public decision-making experience. I like the fact that she has greater fondness for action than rhetoric, and that her rhetoric is always based on her own historical experience, as opposed to intangible platitudes. I like the fact that she has a deep regard for Liberty. I like the feeling that she disdains the special interest groups, in favor of limited government.

Do I think she'd be a good President? Yes.

But, I also think she'd wield enormously positive influence over a Republican party that has for far too long sought its own perpetuation over the Founders' vision of Liberty. And making a real impact, a positive impact, on our society is something she says she aspires to.

Even before reading about this idea (I heard it from Jim Hoft at BigGovernmentdotcom) I wondered who'd be good to replace Steele if it came to that. And her name was the first that came to mind.

I don't necessarily subscribe to the notion that Steele must be ousted, just for his remarks over Afghanistan being Obama's war (See Ann Coulter's essay at TownHall on why, yes, it largely is now Obama's war), but his leadership has been mostly uninspiring, if not outright ineffective. I believe her presence in that position immediately legitimizes it, and de-fangs the entire establishment-politics syndrome that keeps rewarding career incumbents whose focus has strayed from serving the Constitution and their constituents to serving themselves.

I like Sarah, and I like the idea of her being drafted to Chair the RNC.

WHEREAS the current Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, has woefully and repeatedly misstepped in his capacity as party Chair, failing to provide the leadership and vision necessary to battle the Progressive Socialist Left’s agenda, and

WHEREAS he has also failed to cultivate and facilitate emerging Conservative candidates who are able to convincingly argue that Liberty is superior to dependence upon the State Apparatus, and

WHEREAS Sarah Palin, by way of radical contrast, consistently and enthusiastically argues on behalf of Liberty, Free Enterprise, Individualism, and a small and Constitutionally limited Federal Government, and

WHEREAS she has also demonstrated an innate affinity with the great majority of Liberty-Loving Americans, a capacity to inspire them to action, and a willingness to act as a National Leader on important Conservative Issues,

THEREFORE, We, the undersigned, submit that Sarah Palin, as soon as is practicably possible, ought to replace Michael Steele

I was the 200-'something'th signer, and hope you'll join me. Let's make it a million signers by the weekend.

New Addition

2010-07-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

While I continue working on a few things in my drafts folder, I'd like to direct attention to a new resident in the ST&L blogroll: Big Peace.

Its creator, Andrew Breitbart, also known for his Big Government, Big Hollywood, and Big Journalism sites (which you should already have bookmarked and visit daily) says,

The site is pro-freedom, pro-liberty, and pro-American but will not be an outlet for false information or propaganda.

And from its editor, Peter Schweizer,

We are launching Big Peace on the 4th of July because we happen to believe that America is the last and best hope for mankind.

We are launching Big Peace on the 4th of July because we believe that freedom is an essential ingredient and condition for peace.

We are lauching Big Peace on the 4th of July because the American spirit of independence and fight, exhibited by our soldiers, is what ultimately keeps us safe.

I read elsewhere this morning that our own federal government has grown by 16% in the past year. So, on one hand our actual independence seems fleeting. But on the other, thanks in part to folks like Mr. Breitbart and the company he keeps, we have plenty to celebrate.

A belated Happy 234th Birthday, America!

50 Feet Further Than Last Year

2010-06-22T13:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday would have been, if my math is correct, my friend Donnie's 58th birthday. And it's been nearly 17 years now since the car wreck that killed him, on his way to work. That's longer than the time we were friends, longer than I knew him.

It amazes me that I'm no better adjusted to a world without my friend today, than I was on that stormy Monday...17 years ago. I was better for knowing him. But, I'm worth less every day and every year since. That's just the way it is.

I miss you, my friend. I'll raise a freshly squeezed Budweiser to you, sir. I wish you a happy birthday, on that great golf course in the sky (or is it a great blues bar?).

Whichever, would it kill you to call and say you're squeezing the phone tight?

Linky Love Tuesday

2010-06-15T09:02:00.000-04:00

I'm just going to publish a little linkarama for this Tuesday. Maybe I'll serve up some more self-produced nuggets later, but these caught my eye this morning, and I felt like sharing.

I keep linking to Lemuel and he ~~refuses~~ neglects to reciprocate for whatever reason, but today he does give us some good reason to celebrate the fact that NC Dumocrat Congresscritter Ethridge (district 2) has likely slapped and manhandled his last student. Go meet the Republican opponent to Boob Ethridge at Hillbilly White Trash. North Carolina politics is fixin' to get a whole lot prettier.

That guy makes me wonder whose desk Mel Watt has been hiding under regarding what happened last week on the steps to his office. Has anyone heard Watt distance himself from the thug that punched a peaceful Tea Party rallier, or remotely condemn that behavior?

Other unrelated good work this A.M. comes from Mary Grabar at American Thinker, entitled Keeping Up With the University of Stupid. Actually, it's great work. What does the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), have to say about the University of Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Berkeley...and your favorite school? I'll tell you this from the whodathunkit department: Arkansas gets an A. Read the article wherein she also links to this site for the report card. Does your Alma Mater consider Gender Studies and Environmental Science valid as core curriculum material, as worthy replacements for mathematics, foreign language, philosophy, and real science? Mine got a B, with poor performance in Literature, US Government or History, and Economics. The score does not mean the university does not teach these things, just that they aren't required. The shame.

Kick Here

2010-06-10T08:20:00.011-04:00

If you're the guy occupying the Presidency, and you're "sitting around talking to experts" in an effort to learn whose "ass to kick," recognize my upstretched hand.

It is I.

I am America. I am your opposition. I am the person whose Liberty and singularity you've methodically sought to abolish. I am Joe the Plumber. I am Capitalism and self-reliance. I am John Galt. I am a white man devoid of white guilt. I thumb my nose at Islam and their prophet. I'm John Wayne. I'm a Southerner with a truck, and I stand with Israel. I pledge allegiance and honor the Anthem and the Flag with my hand over my heart. I abhor and shun perversion, and would never hire a child-molestor to be "safe-schools czar". I never showed up at my job just to vote "present." I'm a friend of the Tea Parties. I'm an ecologist who doesn't subscribe to the global warming hoax. I'm a US citizen, and able to prove it. I sing God Bless America... with conviction. I am the original captain of the Olympic Ass-Kicking Team. And whipping me would win you the esteem of all your true believers...like Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Bill Maher, Michael Moore, Janeane Garofolo, Hugo Chavez, ad nauseum.

We could get a Pay-Per-View event set up, sell access at $50 per household, and pay down the national debt. Or someone could just lock the two of us in a room for ten minutes. Let your "expert" James Cameron set up a video camera in that room, and he can sell the "cold-cockumentary" at the theatres. That'd be my preference, but I ain't too picky. Even if it's just the two of us, for what it's worth, you won't be the "smartest person in (that) room."

I just got sliced open last weekend and still have some staples in my gut, but like John Wayne says to Bruce Dern in The Cowboys, "...on my worst day, I'd still beat the hell outta you."

Any time. Anywhere. For any amount of money.

You think you're a ~~bad muthafucka~~ competent leader? Come meet one. I'm America, and I'm calling your punk ass out.

Intellectual Left?

2010-06-09T13:00:00.023-04:00

Contradiction In Terms

The politically charged arguments you have with the ~~screaming-hair-afire nutcase~~ liberal in the cubicle next to you (or in the comments section of your favorite blog), leave you exasperated, and it's not because he has insight and wisdom which you cannot refute. The reason arguing with him or them gets you nothing but aggravation is because deductive reasoning, logic, and even knowledge are something they avoid. Want proof? Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal.

Daniel B. Klein and Zogby researcher Zeljka Buturovic surveyed 4835 American adults with eight questions, all based on economic principles. They also asked those participants where they stood politically: progressive/very liberal, liberal, moderate, conservative, very conservative, and libertarian. The scores are reflective of each person's ability to apply reason and logic to the questions, and designed to give partial credit for actually not knowing, as opposed to pretending to know...which gets no credit.

Consider one of the economic propositions in the December 2008 poll: "Restrictions on housing development make housing less affordable." People were asked if they: 1) strongly agree; 2) somewhat agree; 3) somewhat disagree; 4) strongly disagree; 5) are not sure.

Basic economics acknowledges that whatever redeeming features a restriction may have, it increases the cost of production and exchange, making goods and services less affordable. There may be exceptions to the general case, but they would be atypical.

Therefore, we counted as incorrect responses of "somewhat disagree" and "strongly disagree." This treatment gives leeway for those who think the question is ambiguous or half right and half wrong. They would likely answer "not sure," which we do not count as incorrect.

In this case, percentage of conservatives answering incorrectly was 22.3%, very conservatives 17.6% and libertarians 15.7%. But the percentage of progressive/very liberals answering incorrectly was 67.6% and liberals 60.1%. The pattern was not an anomaly.

All the other seven questions are shown in the article, and the ratio of correct answers (demographically sorted) are given as well. The results are illuminating as to what your debate adversary has in his arsenal of wit, but it still won't help him see the inanity of carrying on the argument. The argument will only come back around to some, "but what about Bush?"

Which is why the only manner wherein I choose to engage them, anymore, is to smite them with ridicule. Debate with these fools is no more productive than seeking automotive repair advice from a special needs child.

This also reinforces my argument for a national competency exam as a requirement for voter eligibility. Am I the only one lamenting the fact that our society is now defined by that which represents average, as opposed to being defined by those people, ideas, institutions, and endeavors which are exceptional?

Experimental Surgery

2010-06-06T12:51:00.002-04:00

During the whole process of surgical process, nowadays, every caregiver asks you to rate your level of pain, 1 to 10, with ten being the highest. And closing in on the time for slicing, they ask several times if you know what procedure you're having. The first several times they asked, I answered dutifully, "I'm having my appendix removed...I'm having an appendectomy..." And so on. I think that has something to do with their worry over liability issues.

As they wheeled my gurney into The Room (what we on the inside call the O.R.), they asked me again, and I told them I was undergoing an experimental operation (inspired by something Ann Coulter said recently) to remove all concept of reason and accountability, in hopes of turning me from a Constitutional Republican and into your run-of-the-mill Democrat. Cracked 'em up.

I thought about saying "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week," but feared they'd take me up on that idea.

After surgery, again, they resumed asking me to rate the pain-level, and I played along most of the night. In the wee hours yesterday, though, I took to quizzing every nurse and doctor who visited: On a sale of one to ten, with ten being the best patient you could ever imagine, how would you rate me as a patient? There's a level of emotional detachment most caregivers have to own to get through their jobs, but I felt like making it easier for them to like me. All of them were a bit off-put at the question. Funny, that they all rated me a 10, though, and the main nurse gave me a 4.5 until I was just about to walk out the front door, when she came running after me...to tell me I was really a ten.

Some good folks, them nurses.

EDIT: Crap. The link to the Ann Coulter essay doesn't accurately quote the author of the notion, but I'll find it. It's still good reading, but not the exact origin.

They Can't Kill Him!

2010-06-06T12:22:00.000-04:00

I had a slight case of emergency appendectomy Friday night! A little worse for the wear and tear, but I am still kicking ass and taking names. The appendix had not ruptured, but had completely worn out its welcome, kind of like the dumocrats.

Back in '07, I had the famously awful medical experience with the, ahem, "best cancer hospital in the world" (MD Anderson, Houston- according to US News & World Report). Then, except for one radiation oncologist, the whole place could burn to the ground and wouldn't truly be missed. I can only expect that USN&WR hasn't anything good to say about Catawba, 'cause aside from one unidentified male voice in the recovery room (and we'll get to the bottom of that) and maybe a rookie anesthesiologist, these guys were top notch in every regard. I've got two fat lips from the breathing tube, and laryngitis, heavy congestion and slight concern for pneumonia. If you're new to the anesthesiology game, I guess you have your first time sometime. No hard feelings for that.

There was an exchange between myself and a male voice in the recovery room, though, that's sticking in my craw somewhat. The conversation ended with me saying to him, "be here when I get untethered from all these tubes, and we'll decide who's an asshole, asshole." I was only semi-conscious, and hadn't yet opened my eyes, lucky for him. But the gals (and they were the sweetest!) got him the hell out of there, and did a good job of "having no idea who it coulda been..."

The world is full of telephone tough-guys.

All things considered, though, I can't complain about the treatment. The ER was predictably sloth-like, but I had a serious surgery and the whole roundtrip from my front door took less than 24 hours.

The stuff they gave me to bring me out of sedation kind of helped keep me up all night, and during that time I was hit by an idea for a new business venture. Time will tell whether it's Divine Intervention or delerium, but I'm now inspired to act, and we'll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

For those concerned over my tenacity, I tried to just ignore the whole feeling-like-I-was-stabbed thingy. I tried rubbing some dirt in on Wednesday, and fully intended on toughing it out till Monday, had it not been for Freckles (aka Princess Nagsalot). She's a pain in the ass, but I owe her a lot of credit for getting me to go. Thanks, honey.

Y'all take care of yourselves out there.

The Enemies Of My Enemies Are My Friends

2010-06-02T20:53:00.008-04:00

My buddy Ted sent me the following video, forwarded on from a friend of his. His friend, the originator of the email, seemed to have more affection (based on the language in his text) for Obama than for Reverend Manning. That is, the friend's words belied a bit of condescension regarding Manning, which from my point of view is misplaced considering how loathsome the alternative (Obama) is by comparison.

A brief search suggests that this video is from around the time of the 2008 election, so it's not quite cutting edge media.

I believe Dr. Manning is correct that an uprising is at hand, and he is quite welcome on the team of good guys.

"This man is destroying what God loves!" says Reverend Manning, whose doctorate is in philosophy, according to the Atlah Ministries website.

Dr. Manning's delivery may seem a bit comical, if you listen to it as if it's a news program, which is as it is designed to appear. But, Dr. Manning is a preacher, and he's speaking to his congregation in a way to which they can relate. The thing I believe caught my friend's friend's attention is the disgust from one black citizen regarding the Obamination. Well, let me be the first to tell you, there's lots of influential black men and women who aren't singing Obama's (or his fellow corruptocrat's) praises. You aren't likely to see them, if you get your current events from the ostrich media. Want more from Reverend Manning? Right-click the above video and watch it at YouTube...and you'll see another dozen such vids in the sidebar.

Regular readers of the ST&L will know, however, one of my favorites is Alfonzo Rachel. Who, incidentally, also has an essay at Big Hollywood where he shoots Bill Maher (figuratively, dipshits) in the foot.

Enjoy:

30 Seconds Of Census-Boy

2010-06-01T17:39:00.000-04:00

As a companion-piece-slash-follow-up to the my most recent (lack of) effort, allow me to redirect your attention to our new media king, James O'Keefe. You remember James. He's the one who videotaped the scumbag ACORN employees who thought they were assisting a young pimp and his hooker set up a whorehouse for underage Salvadoran slaves, whilest getting around the whole income tax inconvenience. His (and Hannah Giles') efforts scooped the entire mainstream media and effectively shut down Obama's favorite criminal enterprise.

What's he up to now, you ask? How about exposing those scammers from the census for what they are!

Disclaimer time: I personally know three (3) people who are currently (or recently) employed as census-takers. One of them I have a lot of respect for, and do not wish to cast a blanket indictment upon his character. The other two? Well, no livermush for you, assholes.

If James O'Keefe does not win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, then the Pulitzer is hereby exactly as illegitimate as the Nobel Peace Prize.

So what do you want to bet that the 30 seconds Census Boy who "knows who I am" spent in my driveway, somehow became multiple hours of government-funded (read: your tax dollars) waste? The waste Mr. O'Keefe displays is a billion dollars, assuming 20% of their time "working" is imaginary. I can vouch for some of these locals, that 20% seems about right.

Please also consider visiting my friends at Big Government for the bottom line on the Department of Justice's destruction of O'Keefe's evidence against Sen. Landrieu, and more on the fraudulent census taking.

"I Ate his Liver With Some Faba Beans and a Nice Chianti"

2010-05-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

Just getting around to making a note of this, but Sunday evening, while I was slopping the hogs, a feller pulled his Toyota pickup truck (with University of Florida Gator-Plate on the front) into the driveway. He'd only gotten about two steps from his truck when I recognized the "Enumerator" badge dangling from the laniard around his neck, and held up my hand. "Already been counted," I said.

I could tell he was put off at meeting someone less-cooperative than he'd expected, and as he pulled out and drove away, he shouted back at me, "We know who you are."

I bet you do, census boy.

Credit Where Credit's Due

2010-05-18T13:00:00.001-04:00

At the White House yesterday, the O!Bummer hosted the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team, NCAA champions, and said, "I want to point out that the team has not lost since I was elected president."

In fact, their last loss came in March of 2008. And since his predecessor is responsible for everything else, let's be perfectly clear. Any credit for their success is directly attributable to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.

Perhaps the Apologizer-In-Chief should more appropriately take credit for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers' "success-rate" during his occupation of the Oval Office.

Just sayin'...

Hooray, by God, For Oath Keepers

2010-05-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

"It doesn't matter if we're 'allowed or not', that's wrong." -SSgt. Joshua May

Allow me, please, just a few pertinent points, and then enjoy the video. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some National Guardsmen were ordered to confiscate firearms (all kinds of firearms) from citizens in New Orleans. Stewart Rhodes founded Oath Keepers, in part, because of those actions, but also as a manner of reinforcing the foundation that a U.S. Serviceperson's Oath is to defend the Constitution.

S.Sgt. May wasn't in Oath Keepers during Katrina (because it hadn't been invented yet, duh), but his actions embody the very essence of what Oath Keepers is.

S.Sgt. May did a couple of things worth celebrating. He joined, and represents, the National Guard for the right reason: to help protect his neighbors. He understands and embraces the Constitution. He has the balls, regardless of whether his CO agrees (and with some perceived risk to his security clearance, being in Military Intel), to stand up and declare that disarming citizens is wrong. It's a great thing that his fellow soldiers knew enough to agree and support him, and that's why I'm a big fan of Oath Keepers. This is why we now have such a thing as Oath Keepers, to give a foundation of support and knowledge of the Constitution to those soldiers such that they can feel confident and secure in doing the right thing. Oh, but if there'd have been a few more Sgt. May's there in Louisiana...

Here's you a feel-good video for the day:

Easy To Understand

2010-05-08T13:25:00.000-04:00

Klavan calls it Financial Crisis 101, as in This is some rudimentary education.

Thanks to Big Government...like Tony the Tiger says, they're great.

Today I'm Sgt. Schultz...

2010-04-27T08:47:00.000-04:00

I know nothing!

This is the rare time when I report my ignorance. I keep scouring for reports to update the story of GOP/Jindal fundraiser Allee Bautsch, and her & her boyfriend's beating at the hands of anarchist thugs, but every source I had has gone silent.

Troubling? Maybe.

Strange? Certainly.

I expected the Ostrich Media to give us the "talk to the hand" pose, but even The Hayride and Big Government blogs aren't updating. Hayride was the authority. Mysterious.

Anybody have access to updates, please share.