Today I'm Sgt. Schultz...

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.

Suspicion Of The Profit Motive

As Ayn Rand taught us, "any trade by which one man wins and another loses, is a fraud."  What she meant is the essence of Capitalism, that the only value attributable to a product or service is the value between the trading parties, and that no motive may exist regarding the transaction except that honoring that value.

Michael Medved reviews five myths of business, and references the scene from Wall Street with Gordon Gecko saying, "It's a zero-sum game, Bud...somebody wins and somebody loses."  And Medved reminds us that such is true in law and politics, but not so in business: "It's true in Survivor where you can get voted off the island, but it's not even true in sports."

My favorite line is, "If you believe that when the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, then you believe that creating wealth causes poverty, and you're an idiot."  You'll enjoy this...



Thanks to Wordsmith and Flopping Aces, as well as Medved and his book, one I'll be on the lookout for.

Ours vs. Theirs

Just got this today from my friend Danny.  Being Right has all the inherent advantages like having a clear conscience, but let us not forget the other undeniable benefits...

We win.

Just an added note: Clicking on the picture will open a larger version.  Which will afford you a better look at the two teams.  Just be sure to hit the "back" button before seering your eyeballs on those corruptocrat skanks.

Say it again...We win.

Kittehs On Prowl

REYHR-PFFF-PFFF-REYHRRR, REYHRRR

My thoughts on the Carolina Kittehs' draft selections?  Well, I am so glad you asked.

I was somewhat critical of Julius Peppers, but I'm happy for the Panthers that they got him to play well for one more season via the "franchise" tag.  I've always contended privately that I'd much prefer the sometimes-greatness-sometimes-mediocrity of having him on "my" team, than having to compete against him, anytime.  And although I'd have preferred the organization got some compensation for him, I'm happy for him and sincerely hope he thrives in Chicago.

I was very critical of Jake, too, but that's not to say I dislike him.  Again, I truly hope he finds renewed success in his new job.  Panthers fans have plenty of reason to be thankful for having employed both these guys.

But, I am here to say that I am quite excited about this weekend's progress in the draft.

Since I resumed my strike on MLB, and my hopes for the Hurricanes having another Stanley Cup run got dashed against the rocks with their early-season ineptitude, it's a long sports void between basketball and football seasons.

Things could turn sour in Chapel Hill, and the 'Heel's schedule is the definition of tough, but the Spring Game and retention of talent, plus the infusion of more talent (already on campus), foster much optimism at this point.  For the Panthers, though, I was prepared to be disappointed.  However, on the contrary, I was very pleasantly surprised.

These guys (Kittehs management) don't have the best track record concerning the drafting of QB's.  Like everyone else, I was pretty sure there was no chance at Claussen, and even wondered whether McCoy from Texas would be available.  No knock against McCoy, but I kinda looked at him as the ugly stepsister of the girl you really wanted for your prom date.  There are no words to describe the Panthers' fortune in Claussen's availability except pure dumb good luck.

I commented on the Obscurer's football blog once last year, midseason, that they needed to bench Jake, get Moore some big-stage experience, and prepare to draft the best QB currently/already playing in the state of North Carolina, Armanti Edwards.  So, when I heard they'd drafted him too, I let out an audible "oh my."  True, Edwards looks frail and spindly.  But this guy makes Mikey Vick's talent for confounding defenses look like amateur night.  Seriously, Edwards either scored or passed for 11 million touchdowns, while at Appalachian.  Either one of those choices, Claussen or Edwards, constitutes the unequivocal steal of the draft.

Even not considering the other poitions drafted, there's lots to love about management's work this weekend.  The QB from Cincinnatti, Pike...I woulda been just as satisfied with him as McCoy, for what that's worth.  And with his selection, it almost looks like a case of throwing everything on the back porch...to see what the cat licks up.  Sorry for the convoluted metaphor; it couldn't be helped.

Also from the for what it's worth department, every receiver on the roster, including the new guys are going to look more like NFL receivers with the added reliability that Moore will bring to the position.  Truly, I don't really expect Claussen to do much this year besides hold a clipboard and learn.  Moore will make most of those necessary passes without short-circuiting the offense with bone-headed gunslinger attempts.  He'll do what's most vital in this offense: complete successful hand-offs.  Edwards will catch some passes, return some kicks, but also take the lion's share of "wildcat formation" snaps and be the "just add water" solution to instant offense.

It appears that the Panthers have been listening to me, and that's certainly a good thing.  Now, let's just get 'em signed.

And not for nothing, Mr. Richardson, I could use a paying gig.

Apologies to Kate for pilfering the term "Kittehs."

By Definition: Political

As MacAiodh at Red State capably points out, the attack on Bobby Jindal's chief fundraiser Allee Bautsch and her boyfriend, while not strictly a DEM vs. REP display of violence, was by definition a political act.  Either way you look at it...

The subjects, Ms. Bautsch and Mr. Brown, were attacked because of who they were: well-dressed (and presumably affluent) Republican Party staffers.  That factor alone makes the action political in nature.  Plus, the attackers were the last (and presumably most-ardent) of the Iron Rail Book Collective (Gang) protestors remaining on hand at the restaurant (where one other attendee was similarly chased into a cab by the same protestors, a short time earlier).  They are by their own definition a political group, and a particulary unsavory one, at that.  From Red State:

I hardly think it’s necessary to spell this out, but a communist anarchist who makes disparaging remarks based on socioeconomic circumstances about someone he suspects to be a conservative Republican before descending upon said Republican and beating him or her savagely is doing so from a political motive. Economics + communism = politics. It’s not brain surgery. Particularly given that the anarchists’ propaganda both before and after the event was shot through with hateful references to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s “rich friends” and so on.


Given that we now know that people who were at the protest at Brennan’s pursued attendees at the fundraiser on two occasions and successfully attacked attendees once, one has to be incredibly suspicious that Daniel Mauch and Joanna Dubinsky would have “gone dark” the way they did. Perhaps it’s not an admission of guilt, but any cop will tell you that it’s classic guilty behavior. They might as well have fled in a white Bronco.


It's difficult for me to understand why some folks on the Right rush in to paint the assault in muted tones.  That's no less dishonest than the moonbats who claim they heard racist epithets hurled by Tea Partiers.

It also troubles me that Governor Jindal, hasn't publicly lit a fire under the investigation.  I'm sure there's something to be said for maintaining some distance to avoid tainting the investigation, but Jindal reportedly has aspirations to the national stage.  From the speeches I've heard him make, he seems like a likeable political figure, not yet convincing as a strong leader.  Visable leadership evidence at this point means a lot.  For my money, give me someone who defaults toward being a aggressive, competent leader rather than assuming a hands-off posture from the shallow end of the pool.  Or worse, doing nothing.

Reference Red State for the complete text excerpted above, and be sure to swing by The Hayride for the most recent coverage.  Not for nothing, but which major political party would you suspect these Iron Rail dipshits would be more apt to share a drink with?

Just sayin'.

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

The first lesson I learned in my first job in security (bouncer) for the Dirty Floor Inn, was that we (the nightclub) love the pot-heads.  What my supervisor meant by that was that, as a security issue, pot smokers were a non-threat to business.  They could be counted on to remain peacefully tame, as well as dependably thirsty.  Which are good things for a bar's customers to be: tame and thirsty.

Now, the flip-side of that lesson was that we preferred to be particularly discriminatory in regards to the nose-candy afficionados (cocaine users), who on the other hand, tend to be highly excitable and quick-tempered.  Because of the negative impact unruly behavior has on business, it just makes good business sense to keep abrasive, or highly agitated, behavior at a safe distance (read: anywhere else).

Same is true for society.  You really want to keep the misfits well away from that which matters most.  Kind of like having the adults at one table and the younguns at another (preferably separated by at least one wall).

In observance (not really) of today being a special day for those pot-heads, I'd like to make a proposal.  What's that you say?  What's special about today?

Well, kinda like "happy hour", which is an arbitrary period of late afternoon dedicated in the bar business to be an excuse to "git your drink on", 4:20PM every day is somewhat recognized as the international time to get high.  Similarly, April 20th (4/20), is a pot-smoker's self-proclaimed international holiday.  Look at your co-worker three cubicles down...inside, he's Kent Dorfman in Animal House going, "This is going to be so great" as he fantasizes about furtive bong hits in the parking lot during his afternoon break.  Seriously dude, check him out...he's jonesin big-time.

So, that is what is special about today.  And so, on to my proposal.

I suggest that pot, and all other recreational drugs, be legalized.  Stick with me, because this is a radical departure from my long-held stance against legalization.  I don't smoke pot, and I don't partake of recreational drugs.  Ain't gonna say I never did.  But I don't do it, nor do I recommend it to anyone.  Drugs are a self-degradation, and an embracing of abuse to a person's own mind and body.  Not good.

Legalization will come with certain caveats, though.  First, a digression...

I believe that Republicans in general, and Conservatives particularly, are perceived as being especially intolerant of recreational drug use.  Okay, that may be the understatement of the year.  But seriously, Republicans are far more associated with oppressive authority than are Democrats.  I know; I used to BE a Democrat.  So, if you're a counter-culturalist of any magnitude (from the occasional party-toker, to the habitual coke head, to the addicted meth fiend/ heroin junkie) any authority is bad.  And, if you're of voting age, and possess the limited initiative to crawl out of your cave on Election Tuesday, you're more apt to cast your lot with the party of least oppression (from your foggy perspective), and that be the Corruptocrats.  Hell, you could care less about national security and the economy (and even for that matter, the crookedness and fraud in either party), so long as you're left to your own self-indulgence, right?

On April 20th, 2013, we're going to make all recreational drug use 100% legal for those US citizens who formally register with the new Pothead Party.  There will be some other restrictions (such as what time of day or days of week you're allowed to operate a motor vehicle), but the main thrust is that while you'll still be allowed to vote, your vote will no longer, thenceforth and forever, carry any elective weight.  That is, you can continue to speak your mind through your vote...it just won't count for anything substantive.  And in return, you can grow, possess, distrubute, and consume mass friggin' quantities to your little heart's content.

It's really a lot like what's happening to the concept of democratically constested elections (see Minnesota Senate race, 2008), where the votes of some folks don't really count.

All this really does, in the long run, is remove from the decision-making process those people who aren't that good at thinking beyond their own "special interests".

Therefore, if you're a user who wishes legalization for any reason (medicinal, recreational, religious, or other), help guarantee that your "rights" are permanently ensured.  Vote Republican in 2010 and again in 2012.  Better yet, pay special attention to the candidates distinguished by support from the Tea Party movement.  They're the most republican (note little "r" signifying their adherence to the US Constitution) of all big-"R" Republicans.

You are not our enemies.  Or, at least you won't be, when you're no longer unwittingly helping to dismantle our society.  And then we'll also feel as if we've helped you get what you want...a happy trip without the hassle of worrying about "the man."

You will have your own cutlture, and it will be protected and guaranteed.  And the sanctity of my Constitution will be much less threatened.  Win/win scenario, baby.

Regarding Skookum's Malignant Narcissist Under Pressure

If a story-teller is only as good as his stories, then I'll always be looking up to Skookum.  His tales, which I believe are always first-person, factual accounts, are constantly magnificient in grandeur and moral.

Skookum makes his living as a horseman in Southern California, but longs to return to the Peace River country of his youth, the setting for the stories he contributes to Flopping Aces.  And those stories make me yearn for the same thing, or an adventure very similar.

If, like me, you get addicted to Skookum's stories, you'll soon see that he knows more about horses and trapping and hunting (and by extension, people), not to mention literature, philosphy, theology, and politics than the most well-rounded folk you've ever met.

Here's an excerpt from his most-recent tale:

The weather that fall was terrible; well actually, it was just a little worse than normal. We were in a hunting camp in the mountains about one hundred miles North of the Peace. There were three guides with three hunters. Knarley Manners my best friend had a nice quiet hunter that was serious about hunting and wasn’t worried about the cold, miserable conditions. I had one of a pair of hunters from Chicago: the two of them had won the hunting trip through a company contest and they were as different from each other as two men can be: my hunter was a former small game hunter who had grown up on a farm in Illinois, this was the trip of a lifetime for him and he wanted to have a successful hunt. The other hunter was a huge man, he stood at least 6 foot 6 and weighed way over three hundred pounds: he was as out of place in the mountains as a person can be and never stopped complaining or telling us of his personal accomplishments. Hunting was not his way to have fun; but he won the trip and was determined to take advantage of the prize, even though he hated every minute he was there.


He was quite proud of himself to the point of being arrogant. He would have taken over the whole camp and passed out orders to everyone, except in these conditions, he knew nothing, I was in charge and I wasn’t about to relinquish control over to this arrogant giant who tried to convince us that he knew everything. Since he couldn’t give orders, he made do with complaining about the weather, the food, his saddle, the fact that we had not seen game (that’s why they call it hunting), the sleeping arrangements, and his horse. I used the biggest pack horse we had, Ol’ Moose, because our favorite hunter – who became known as Mr. Big – couldn’t ride a lick and I didn’t want him hurting one of the smaller horses. Because of the constant complaining, I put him with John Belcourt; John was a Chips Indian and a good sized giant himself. John was always cheerful and would never let this guy’s attitude get to him. Neither would John be intimidated by the size of the surly one, for if there was a guy who could wrestle a Grizzly bear, it was John. He was as strong as 4 or 5 strong men and could move like a cougar.

The value of the story is eclipsed only by the value of its lesson.

Tell me, is Skookum a racist per today's popular definition...simply based on who & what he criticizes?

Jeff
III

BLOGBURST: Latest From the Appeaser-In-Chief

Nuclear Summit logo is an Islamic-shaped crescent
by Alec Rawls at Error Theory


World leader, known for reminding the Islamic world that his middle name is Hussein, hosts nuclear summit, presided over by large Islamic-shaped crescent. (Photo by Ron Sachs. Post via Error Theory.)

It is hard to believe that the State Department could do this by accident:



An Islamic crescent is a very distinct and completely unnatural geometric shape, combining a circular outer arc with a non-concentric circular inner arc. The unnaturalness is an Islamic religious requirement. A lunar crescent has an elliptical inner arc. Using such a natural shape as a religious symbol would risk idolatry (the worship of any actual thing besides God). Thus Muslims use as their symbol the explicitly unnatural circle-in-circle crescent shape.

Sometimes the inner circle sits entirely inside the outer circle. This arrangement is typically used to symbolize Islamic world domination, as seen in the MAS logo. More often the inner circle extends beyond the outer circle, as seen on the last Ottoman flags:


Turkish flag. Crescent covers an unnatural 2/3rds of a circle of arc, give or take (in contrast to a lunar crescent, which always covers half a circle of arc).

Obama's circle-in-circle NSS logo uses a thin crescent to combine the world encompassing aspect of the MAS logo with the more familiar Ottoman crescent, covering less than a full circle of arc.


Obama has ordered his underlings not to notice Islamic connections

Given that the unnatural circle-in-circle crescent is the only widely recognized graphic symbol of Islam, it must have been recognized as such by at least a significant percentage of the State Department personnel who saw it prior to the summit. Why didn't anyone object, forcefully and publicly if necessary?

It would seem to be the Fort Hood phenomenon, where witnesses to Nidal Hasan's murderous ideology were afraid that making an issue of it would be career suicide, thereby enabling Hasan's mass murder of American soldiers. Obama has now made the career suicide threat official, ordering all members of the executive branch to be as oblivious to Islam as possible. The more disturbing the Islamic connection, the more it is to be avoided, to the point where Muslim terrorists, whose reading of orthodox Islamic interpretation compels them to slaughter infidels, are no longer to be called "Muslim terrorists" or "Islamic extremists." Everyone is just supposed to ignore their Islamic motivation.

Please continue reading this after the jump...

Violent Opposition

If you think of my friends as unhinged because we openly consider violence as a manner of protecting our rights, please consider:

A) The Left's thug mentality that we take as a serious threat.

and

B) The "largest collection of reasonable men ever gathered in one place at one time in history"

Among others, Bill Whittle quotes Thomas Jefferson,

"What country before ever existed a century and half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

If you haven't picked sides yet, you better be making up your mind.  And fast.

Civil Disobedience, ST&L Style

Loyal readers will undoubtedly recall that this time last year, I went John Galt, and thoroughly defunded the machine which exists to enslave us citizens.  I will not allow the federal or state governments to steal from me, any more than I would stand still for a mugging, or roll over and whimper at the threat of a home invasion.  And without reliable representation and adherance to the Constitution, any attempt to lay claim on my income is nothing short of theft.

Now, I wouldn't go so far as to agree with the current administration that paying taxes is somehow "patriotic," but I absolutely do believe in the necessity for taxation.  And I'll gladly pay my share when, and if, there exists a more-equitable/less-onerous system of taxation.

Toward that end, I present ...guess what?  Two more videos.  Oh joy!



My first impressions of the "Flat Tax" plan were negative, because I don't like the concept of taxing income, and really don't like the idea of exemptions, loopholes, and "refunds."  But, this following video makes a good argument for the Flat Tax as a stepping stone to a stand alone national sales tax and Constitutional abolition of any future income tax.  Two words: Suh weet.

More Video, Yeah

Would it surprise you to learn that I am a member of Herman Cain's Intelligent Thinker Movement?  Or that I've been a member for quite some time?

I liked Herman the first time I heard him, on the Boortz radio show.  Now, Boortz has uttered some indefensible drivel in the past, but everything I've heard Herman say, I concur with heartily.

Herman is a successful businessman and author.  And he can deliver an excellent (and moving) speech, without the aid of a teleprompter or a manufactured (in Harry Reid's words) "non-negro speaking voice."  In fact, part of what I love about Herman is that there's seemingly nothing contrived about him.

I also just learned in this video, that he is a fellow survivor, and that left to the devices of Obamacare, would be dead by now.



Herman reminds us also of the part of the Constitution that says that "when government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (government)" and which is the main reason O!Bummer considers it "just a piece of paper" and another Congressman claims to not "really care about the Constitution."

Again, that is alter or abolish the government...not the Constitution.

Hat-tip again to Flopping Aces for the video.

Jeff
III

A Big Effin Deal

Because I know you love videos, my little kiddies...



Two great quotes from Miss Coulter:

One, "You know when the person you're arguing with calls you a racist, you've won the argument."

And two, "They (tea party participants) have to stop being told that there is no difference between the Democrat and Republican parties.  The rule of thumb is there are a lot of bad Republicans, there are no good Democrats."

The "WOW, I COULDA HAD A V-8" Moment

One of my favorite fellow bloggers is William Jacobson (Cornell Law Professor), at Legal Insurrection.  Recently, he wrote that he had heard from an old friend of his, a main stream liberal democrat, who called to say that Jacobson was right about Obama, after all.  He writes:

In the past my friend very much enjoyed getting me agitated by frequently mentioning the latest Frank Rich or Maureen Dowd column about the evil of Sarah Palin. At his age, getting me aggravated was pretty much his main form of entertainment.

In the months after the election the relationship was somewhat strained. There were certain things we just didn't talk about, although he would poke me in the political eye from time to time.

I haven't spoken to my friend in many months, probably since the fall or summer. So I was pleased when his name showed up as an incoming call on my cell phone, although I wondered how we would dance around the subject of Him.

The first sentence out of his mouth was, "Let's get it out of the way, you were right about Obama."

I have a few friends who, along with me, recognized the Obamination for what he was and what he represented long before the '08 election.  But, most of the folks I know, including most family members and many friends (and acquaintances who've since managed to keep a safe distance from me: "Don't stand too close to a Constitutionalist Republican, else you get mistaken for a racist!"), subscribed to the hope-n-changery rhetoric.

So, this report gave me some hope that people I know might actually someday, likewise, change their hideously abrasive tune.  I'm not so big on having someone tell me I was right...hell, that's like saying that water is wet.  I just hope that some of the "easily duped" I care for, can one day extricate themselves from the camps of "those who hate America."

On a similar note, I read a concisely accurate comment on another blog recently.  Obama may still have his supporters, and those people seem to have difficulty with a rational discussion over the merits of his intentions.  While I can sling descriptors like SOCIALIST at him all day long, those folks won't bat an eye.  But, ask yourself this question...

Q: If Obama (or those people who he answers to) wished to sabotage America's economy, abandon national security, and destroy the country, is there anything that he (or they) would do different, from what they have done?

A: No.

The words that I write here are all in the hopes that the people I love will soon make amends for the mistake they saddled us all with, back in November 2008.  The phone call would be nice, but I don't need that.  I just hope that the enemies of my country soon find out that fewer and fewer of those people can be counted in their camp.

Fooled

Thanks Flopping Aces...