50 Feet Further Than Last Year

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

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

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?

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

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!

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

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

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"

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

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

"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

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...

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...