A semitrailer drives north on Interstate 29, north of Grand Forks, N.D., through floodwater and ice slabs as Red River flooding moves north Monday. Photo by Associated Press
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Wow.
I can honestly, and without shame, say that I do not have the cojones of this driver.
Tax Increases
Tax increases won't help the economy. Taxes hurt the economy. If you add a tax on a luxury item, people will eventually and gradually forsake the luxury item, eliminating the tax income. If you depend on that tax to fund your unconstitutional programs, those programs will lose funding.
159% tax increase on a luxury item used primarily by the "poor" people who thought they would be protected and coddled by the current administration.
Suckers.
159% tax increase on a luxury item used primarily by the "poor" people who thought they would be protected and coddled by the current administration.
Suckers.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Simon Jester
Once again following Kevin's links, I find this:
Proud to be Simon JesterWe are Simon Jester.
We are not anarchists.
We are not Far-Right or Far-Left. We are the seventy percent in the middle.
We are not Capital “L” libertarians, although we do have sympathies with their platform.
We are neither bitter clingers nor conspiracy nuts.
What we are is a group of folks that think we see liberty and freedom eroding in our beloved United States. We see the policies and agendas of the hirelings in Washington D.C. heading toward an abbreviation if not outright abrogation of the Bill of Rights.
We think that the Federal government is grasping to consolidate power using the current crisis, since as Rahm Emmanuel said, it’s a terrible thing to waste. We think the Federal government, not just this administration, is more interested in self-serving personal, political, and party power than it is in actually doing its best to do the least.
This President didn’t make it this way. It has been heading along this path since Woodrow Wilson held political prisoners and FDR held four terms as president; since Johnson’s Great Society and Nixon took us off the gold standard; since Bush Sr. lied about no new taxes, Clinton desecrated the Oval Office, Bush Jr. rammed through the Patriot Act, and Obama wanted every high school kid to ‘volunteer.’
For almost a hundred years, our country has been heading towards becoming a Socialist, centrally planned, Nanny State where the Federal Government tells it citizens how to conduct business, what they could grow in their own gardens or on their own farms, and now even how much a private citizen is allowed to earn before punitive and illegal taxation takes it away.
Now is the time to make it stop.
The problem with traffic cams as law enforcement
"It wasn't me" should be a no-brainer defense for traffic citations.
Linky.
Dwayne Custard, of Inver Grove Heights, traded in his 10-year-old Ford Taurus at a Minnesota dealership in March 2007. A year later, he received a $63.60 citation from Illinois stating he had failed to pay required tolls in July 2007.
Linky.
I'm at a loss...
...on how to begin to address this idiocy.
If you remove the incentive for the best and the brightest to stay, they will go somewhere they will be appreciated(read: properly compensated). This is not a solution to the "problem" of executive pay, and it is certainly not any of the government's business.
The dolt even recognizes the problem, but refuses to acknowledge that it is a problem. Is this willful stupidity?
If you remove the incentive for the best and the brightest to stay, they will go somewhere they will be appreciated(read: properly compensated). This is not a solution to the "problem" of executive pay, and it is certainly not any of the government's business.
What if we had a 95 percent marginal tax rate on income over $10 million? What dire consequences would flow from this? Perhaps a certain outflow of top-flight baseball talent to Japan. But I don’t see this leading to any kind of economic calamity. Producers of certain classes of supply-constrained luxury goods would lose out as their prices go down.
The dolt even recognizes the problem, but refuses to acknowledge that it is a problem. Is this willful stupidity?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Quote of the Day
"It’s like having someone tell you you’re just not good enough to infect with syphilis- it’s hard to imagine that situation being a loss rather than a sort of abstract relief."
-LabRat
-LabRat
Oh, bother!
Hold your breath!
On Monday, Obama's Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide a public health threat.
MySpace IT Quality Control
Funny. They forgot to test their new spam, before mass-mailing it to the entire world.
I love the privacy policy at the bottom, compared to names and address being given out freely at the top, if this spam campaign would have worked.
Welfare
If you are suckling the government teat, if I concede that the existence of a government teat is necessary to a successful society, can we at least limit the teat to providing basics? Gruel and a laminated cardboard box, maybe? Booze, pot and meth go firmly into the "not a necessity of living" category.
If welfare is acceptable, it shouldn't provide any cash. A check to the landlord(move back in with your family!) and a food stamp card should be the limit. You don't need cable, cigarettes, beer or weed. Your government-assistance-enabled landlord can cover the electric and heating bills. My share of the government teat is not hanging out there to provide you with freelance pharmaceuticals or any form of entertainment at all.
If you want the extras, get a job. Failing a drug test will keep you away from that, too.
On a side note, wtf is a poverty advocate? Does poverty really need someone pushing for its benefit?
On a practical note: If a reliable drug test costs $1500, and aleech welfare recipient receives $1200 in total benefits, it takes less than 2 months for failing a leech welfare recipient to pay for itself. Faster, if you count the approximately 90% overhead of government programs. The only consideration should be how many people will get washed out of the program compared to how many will pass the test, which makes those tests a waste of money. If 10 people apply for welfare, using the numbers above, that's $15,000 in tests. Over 1 year, without the tests, that's $144,000 in welfare. One person out of ten being washed out of the program will almost pay for the tests of everybody on welfare.
Lawmakers in at least eight states want recipients of food stamps, unemployment benefits or welfare to submit to random drug testing.
The effort comes as more Americans turn to these safety nets to ride out the recession. Poverty and civil liberties advocates fear the strategy could backfire, discouraging some people from seeking financial aid and making already desperate situations worse.
If welfare is acceptable, it shouldn't provide any cash. A check to the landlord(move back in with your family!) and a food stamp card should be the limit. You don't need cable, cigarettes, beer or weed. Your government-assistance-enabled landlord can cover the electric and heating bills. My share of the government teat is not hanging out there to provide you with freelance pharmaceuticals or any form of entertainment at all.
If you want the extras, get a job. Failing a drug test will keep you away from that, too.
On a side note, wtf is a poverty advocate? Does poverty really need someone pushing for its benefit?
On a practical note: If a reliable drug test costs $1500, and a
Carnival of WTF?!?!
There is a whole new level of WTF being defined here.
Are they trying to scare the younger baby shower guests out of having children?
This is just disturbing. Whoever loses the stupid shower game cuts the cake?
Courtesy of Cake Wrecks.
Are they trying to scare the younger baby shower guests out of having children?
This is just disturbing. Whoever loses the stupid shower game cuts the cake?
Courtesy of Cake Wrecks.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Disturbing Sub-Culture
We've got Skibunny Boy, Lizardface, The Caped Hoodie, and Blues Brother 2009. Criminals beware.
There is an entire subculture here that I wasn't aware of. I'm usually not caught by surprise by things like this. Wow. Actual masked men(and women) out prowling for bad guys, unarmed!
These guys have got to be living in their parents' basements. To come up with ideas like this, and have no brakes on the brainstorm, and then follow through.
Wow. This article if more than a year old, and the NY Times article is older than that, but this will be on Channel 5(MN) tonight at 10.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s842454.shtml?cat=191
http://www.citypages.com/2008-01-16/feature/superheroes-in-real-life/
http://www.heroesnetwork.net/listingofheroes.htm
http://hero-gear.net/default.aspx
http://www.superheroesanonymous.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/nyregion/29super.html
Should a villain attack, the Emerald Enforcer carries a small arsenal to defend himself: smoke grenades, pepper spray, a slingshot, and a pair of six-inch fighting sticks tucked into sturdy leather boots. Leather guards protect Geist's arms; his signature weapon, an Argentinean cattle-snare called bolos, hangs from a belt-holster.
There is an entire subculture here that I wasn't aware of. I'm usually not caught by surprise by things like this. Wow. Actual masked men(and women) out prowling for bad guys, unarmed!
The Eye is a 49-year-old crimebuster from Mountain View, California, who wears a Green Hornet-inspired fedora and trench coat. Though he focuses mainly on detective work and crime-tip reporting, he prepares himself for hand-to-hand combat by studying kung fu and wielding an arsenal of light-based weapons designed to dazzle enemies.
These guys have got to be living in their parents' basements. To come up with ideas like this, and have no brakes on the brainstorm, and then follow through.
or sheer investment in gadgetry, none top Superhero, an ex-Navy powerlifter from Clearwater, Florida. His patrol vehicle is a burgundy 1975 Corvette Stingray with a souped-up 425-horsepower engine. He wears a flight helmet installed with a police scanner and video camera, and carries an extendable Cobra tactical baton, a flash gun, sonic grenades, and a canister of bear mace. Topping off the one-man armory is an Arma 100 stun cannon, a 37mm nitrogen-powered projectile device. His ammo of choice? Sandwiches. "Nothing stops them in their tracks like peanut butter and jelly," he explains in a video demonstration posted online.
Wow. This article if more than a year old, and the NY Times article is older than that, but this will be on Channel 5(MN) tonight at 10.
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s842454.shtml?cat=191
http://www.citypages.com/2008-01-16/feature/superheroes-in-real-life/
http://www.heroesnetwork.net/listingofheroes.htm
http://hero-gear.net/default.aspx
http://www.superheroesanonymous.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/29/nyregion/29super.html
Innapropriate use of government
Under no circumstances -EVER- should a government entity be allowed "limited liability". Going into business for itself is another mistake entirely outside the scope of proper government action.
Winona County could be in business � literally � with a plan to build commercial wind turbines if state lawmakers approve a bill allowing the county to form a limited-liability company.
The President's* Press Conference
I only caught part of it on the radio. Who'da thought he'd make GWB look like a master orator and elder statesman? Commie crap from the moment I tuned in until it was over. Nothing but feel-good, "Robin Hood" smurfing bull-****. He's from the Karl Marx school of economics and the Fred Rogers school of psychology. He's great at "let's play pretend".
Maybe someday, he'll figure out that actions have consequences entirely independent from how he feels or how he can spin a bad plan.
Maybe someday, he'll figure out that actions have consequences entirely independent from how he feels or how he can spin a bad plan.
Derivative markets .... an understandable explanation
Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).
Word gets around about Heidi's drink now pay later marketing strategy and as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar and soon she has the largest sale volume for any bar in Detroit.
By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.
He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert
traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on security markets worldwide. Niave investors don't really understand the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Never the less, their prices continuously climb, and the securities become the top-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, although the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the bank (subsequently fired due his negativity), decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.
Heidi demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed they they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Therefore, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.
DRINKBOND and ALKIBOND drop in price by 90 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %. The decreased bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment extensions and having invested in the securities are faced with writing off her debt and losing over 80% on her bonds. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 50 workers.
The bank and brokerage houses are saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock negotiations by leaders from both political parties. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by a tax levied on employed middle-class non-drinkers.
Finally an explanation that is understandable!
Posted by DeanC at MNGunTalk.
Word gets around about Heidi's drink now pay later marketing strategy and as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar and soon she has the largest sale volume for any bar in Detroit.
By providing her customers' freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.
A young and dynamic vice-president at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit.
He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert
traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on security markets worldwide. Niave investors don't really understand the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Never the less, their prices continuously climb, and the securities become the top-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses.
One day, although the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the bank (subsequently fired due his negativity), decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar.
Heidi demands payment from her alcoholic patrons, but being unemployed they they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Therefore, Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.
DRINKBOND and ALKIBOND drop in price by 90 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %. The decreased bond asset value destroys the banks liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans.
The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment extensions and having invested in the securities are faced with writing off her debt and losing over 80% on her bonds. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 50 workers.
The bank and brokerage houses are saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock negotiations by leaders from both political parties. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by a tax levied on employed middle-class non-drinkers.
Finally an explanation that is understandable!
Posted by DeanC at MNGunTalk.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Overheard at work
Not Me says (12:35 PM):
Hey. I got a mouse in the house. i've never even bought a trap before. Any suggestions
Me says (12:35 PM):
ca
Me says (12:35 PM):
cat
Me says (12:35 PM):
bb gun
Me says (12:35 PM):
poison
Me says (12:35 PM):
molotov cocktail
Me says (12:35 PM):
tactical nuke
Me says (12:36 PM):
tennis ball
Me says (12:36 PM):
tennis ball filled with the little white bit of strike-anywhere matches :)
Not Me says (12:36 PM):
Did you forget my original problem?
Hey. I got a mouse in the house. i've never even bought a trap before. Any suggestions
Me says (12:35 PM):
ca
Me says (12:35 PM):
cat
Me says (12:35 PM):
bb gun
Me says (12:35 PM):
poison
Me says (12:35 PM):
molotov cocktail
Me says (12:35 PM):
tactical nuke
Me says (12:36 PM):
tennis ball
Me says (12:36 PM):
tennis ball filled with the little white bit of strike-anywhere matches :)
Not Me says (12:36 PM):
Did you forget my original problem?
Ethical Dilemma
What's worse, TARP funds going to pay salaries and bonuses, or TARP funds going to pay politicians?
One is a contractual obligation, the other is an outright bribe. So why is the ethical situation the one bring the public outcry and whining from the media?
Found on The GunCounter.
One is a contractual obligation, the other is an outright bribe. So why is the ethical situation the one bring the public outcry and whining from the media?
Found on The GunCounter.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Random Crap
1. I've been trying to figure out the best way to make a skeletal horse for Halloween. It doesn't have to be perfect, just convincing in low light. Solution: buy parts of an actual horse skeleton. Genius, I tell you.
2. It's a shame I didn't finish my rain barrels last fall, since we are now getting the "April showers".
3. A deep fryer doesn't speed up overall cooking time for random crap our of the freezer, but it certainly does taste better.
4. Raspberry soda recipes don't call for enough extract. The recipes taste like watered down koolaid.
2. It's a shame I didn't finish my rain barrels last fall, since we are now getting the "April showers".
3. A deep fryer doesn't speed up overall cooking time for random crap our of the freezer, but it certainly does taste better.
4. Raspberry soda recipes don't call for enough extract. The recipes taste like watered down koolaid.
Quote of the Day
1775:
"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
-Patrick Henry
Reminder via Tam.
"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace — but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
-Patrick Henry
Reminder via Tam.
Lovely.
Hitting the nail squarely on the head, again. Some people have no sense of tradition, history, or appropriate behavior. As long as it feels okay, there's nothing wrong with it, right?
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bad Parenting
The WCCO is now championing the cause of worthless POS child abusers.
You don't beat and abuse your children because you're worried about their well-being. You beat your children because you are a worthless parent who would have been better off sitting on a table saw at the onset of puberty.
Note: there is a (bigbigbig) difference between abuse and discipline.
In 2007, social workers got 1,076 reports of possible child abuse at homes in the county. In 2008, there were 1,270 reports, and that number and other disturbing ones show no signs of going down this year.
"Very concerning," said Victoria Johannes with the agency.
She blames one thing: the economy. She said she doesn't know for sure why the number of reports is up, but she thinks parents might be taking out their frustrations on their children, because they're worried.
You don't beat and abuse your children because you're worried about their well-being. You beat your children because you are a worthless parent who would have been better off sitting on a table saw at the onset of puberty.
Note: there is a (bigbigbig) difference between abuse and discipline.
Dodgeball
Half an hour of dads vs kids dodgeball at a 3 to 1 disadvantage is a great way to not only get a good night's sleep, but wake up stiff and sore.
Good Capitalism
Last Tuesday, as President Obama* got off the helicopter in front of the White House, he was carrying a baby piglet under each arm.
The squared away Marine guard snaps to attention, Salutes and says:
"Nice pigs, sir."
The President* replies "These are not pigs...these are authentic Arkansas Razorback Hogs. I got one for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and I got one for Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi."
The squared away Marine again snaps to attention, Salutes and says,
"Excellent trade, sir."
The squared away Marine guard snaps to attention, Salutes and says:
"Nice pigs, sir."
The President* replies "These are not pigs...these are authentic Arkansas Razorback Hogs. I got one for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and I got one for Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi."
The squared away Marine again snaps to attention, Salutes and says,
"Excellent trade, sir."
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Desecration
I grab and take as many picture books with me as can fit in my arms. I am a thief. But that all started months ago.
* * * * *
After my first visit to the shattered middle school, I am haunted by what I found in one office: hundreds of file folders containing student psychological examinations complete with social security numbers, addresses, and parent information. I sat and thumbed through them. Many contained detailed histories of physical and sexual abuse, stories of home lives so horrifying I still can't get them out of my head: sibling rape, torture, neglect that defies belief. The detailed reports explained emotional impairments, learning disabilities. There was another box full of IEPs. The dates revealed that many of these students are still in the school system somewhere. I found several of their faces in the 2007 yearbook.
I spend the next few months trying to track down someone who cares. I send e-mails to the school's former principal, offering to go back and collect these records for her or destroy them. She never responds. I call my mom, a retired special education teacher and erstwhile administrator to determine the extent of malfeasance. Then I call the school district's legal department and leave voice mails warning them of the liability of this gross violation of student privacy. I never receive a response. I track down the school psychologist to some address in Troy. Nothing. It turns out a daily newspaper reported abandoned records like these within many of the 33 schools closed in 2007 and the district did nothing. No one is responsible. Someone else was supposed to destroy them. The company that had been paid to secure the school never did its job.
So I did it. I went back in to destroy them so they would no longer be just sitting there on the floor for anyone to find.
Detroit is slowing fading away. There are open fields in the middle of the city and entire neighborhoods are completely abandoned. This is what our economic policy is leading to.
Found via Billy Beck.
Quote of the Day
From what I can tell, Installshield only cares about one person: the dork who blindly builds the Installer package for their one little application. Apparently, if you need to call on the Installshield components, don’t ever even try to discover whether they’re already installed on the target. Instead, assume that they must *not* be installed (presumably because every developer on the planet has the privilege of being the first to get software installed on each PC where it’s being used), and always install a copy of some Installshield dependency on the end-user’s PC. And then for good measure, make sure that there’s a hard-coded dependency on the version of the InstallShield bits that went with the installer.
-ParanoidMike
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
WTF Moments
If you diagnose a patient with gonorrhea, be sure to ask if she has any family members she would like to treat as well, because I was at a loss when I was asked the question "Should I treat my dog, too?"
Linky.
Individual Theft
A tax targeted at a select group of individuals? How un-American is that? That's the worst of communism.
Christopher Dodd, read your Constitution, then go to hell.
Update: Wrong, Sen. Jerkface. Governments have NO rights.
Christopher Dodd, read your Constitution, then go to hell.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Christopher Dodd on Monday suggested a tax provision to recoup the bonuses for executives of ailing insurance giant AIG.
Sen. Chris Dodd said the government could apply a tax to the AIG bonuses.
Dodd, D-Connecticut, said the notion is in the "earliest of thinking" and has not been settled on as a way to resolve the issue, which has set off outrage in Washington and across the country.
The tax would apply only to those at AIG who have received bonuses. The provision would help the government get back the money in the form of tax revenue.
Update: Wrong, Sen. Jerkface. Governments have NO rights.
"We have a right to tax," the Connecticut Democrat told CNN. "You could write a tax provision that's narrowly crafted only to the people receiving bonuses."
Monday, March 16, 2009
Stupid Children
Many college graduates are applying to do community service work or staying in school until the economy improves.
So, in light of the bad economic outlook, you are going to work for free and rack up more debt, to somehow put you in a better position when you finally grow up and enter the real world? What, exactly, did college teach you?
So, in light of the bad economic outlook, you are going to work for free and rack up more debt, to somehow put you in a better position when you finally grow up and enter the real world? What, exactly, did college teach you?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Commander in Chief*, but only by default
Proving once again how much contempt he has for our military, President* Obama wants veterans to pay for injuries received in the line of duty. Did he understand the job when he applied? Does he understand why we the best and the brightest from around the world come here? Does he understand why no other country is willing to attack us directly?
It's not because we talk pretty.
It's not because we talk pretty.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance.
Rampage Murders
Rampage murderers are stopped by active, armed opposition. When confronted, they either commit suicide, or the opposition kills them. Until they are opposed, they will continue the rampage every time.
The only solution to rampage murders is a widespread armed citizenry.
The motive: He was a worthless POS who was tired of being a worthless POS, so he killed as many of his friends, family and former coworkers as possible, cementing himself in the worthless POS category for all of history.
The only solution to rampage murders is a widespread armed citizenry.
"He was going to go until he was stopped, by himself or someone else," said Col. Chris Murphy of the Alabama Department of Public Safety.
The motive: He was a worthless POS who was tired of being a worthless POS, so he killed as many of his friends, family and former coworkers as possible, cementing himself in the worthless POS category for all of history.
"McLendon made statements of being depressed and was dissatisfied with his present position in life,
Quote of the Day
They did not realize that they existed to support the actual operation. They thought they were the actual operation. Everyone in the government makes this same mistake, 25 hours a day, 11 days a week, by the way.
-SippicanCottage
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Another Promise Broken
Interesting to compare how hard President* Obama campaigned against earmarks and wasteful spending with how hard he is defending the current batch of earmarks and wasteful spending. I wonder if he'll actually keep a campaign promise? Any campaign promise?
"Done right, earmarks have given legislators the opportunity to direct federal money to worthy projects that benefit people in their district, and that's why I have opposed their outright elimination," Obama said.
Obama, locked in a head-to-head battle with Clinton for the Democratic nomination, was the first to declare through a spokesman Monday that he would support a one-year moratorium on so-called earmarks when it comes up for a vote later this week. Clinton followed shortly afterward through a spokesman.
The poobahs of pork in both parties as well as their Senate leaders suddenly found themselves on the spot after stalwartly defending lawmakers' practice of steering federal dollars to their home states.
Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi had signaled privately to fellow Democrats that she supports an election-year break from earmarks as she follows the lead of House GOP leader John Boehner.
Cut Pork Barrel Spending: As a Senator, President* Obama introduced and passed bipartisan legislation that would require more disclosure and transparency for special-interest earmarks. Obama and Biden believe that spending that cannot withstand public scrutiny cannot be justified. Obama and Biden will slash earmarks to no greater than 1994 levels and ensure all spending decisions are open to the public.
Foreign Relations
Maybe the President* shouldn't have applied for the job until he had some-I don't know-credentials and experience? Maybe a quick run through Congressional diplomacy school?
Found via Tam.
Found via Tam.
Behold, the mighty asterisk.
There are many here among us that will flat out refuse to acknowledge BHO as president, in posts, and in casual conversation. I hear you, and feel your pain but the simple truth is that he does hold that title. Many more people seem to think that calling BHO the first Black president is also a misnomer, since the man is what ?.... like 10% African American at most.
I propose, that instead of sour grapes, and all the insulting nicknames like "bammy" we simply call the man by the title he has been issued, (for better or for worse) but like the famed Barry Bonds Home Run Ball, simply put an asterisk next to the questionable labels used.
For Example... "President Obama" will now be typed as "President* Obama" and the phrase "President Obama, the first black President" will now look like "President* Obama, the first black* President*" and so on and so forth.
Just a thought.
Carry on.
-Stradawhovious
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
French Fries
This weekend, I made french fries, from scratch, for the first time. Crunchy and delicious, they were.
I don't own a fryer, so I used a deep wok-style skillet half filled with vegetable oil. More, and you risk an overflow when the fries go in. Avoid that.
Cut the fries into 1/4 inch slices. Flip and stack the slices, and cut them into 1/4 widths.
Heat the oil to about 375, which is approximately '7' on my electric stove.
Gently throw in about 2 potatoes worth of fries.
Cook until they reach 'blonde'. Slightly yellow, a bit raw in the middle. It should take 3-5 minutes. Take 'em out and put them on a cookie sheet to cool for at least 10 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the raw fries.
When the entire batch has gone through the first stage, take the first batch and toss it back into the oil until done. They will get crispy and firm and golden. They are done when they reach the stage you like. Take them out and lightly salt. Add any other seasonings you like immediately. The oil will spread the flavor for you.
A single batch will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, counting the 10 minute downtime. That's about the speed of baking frozen fries, and only a bit more work that can be done while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Double cooking is the way to go.
I don't own a fryer, so I used a deep wok-style skillet half filled with vegetable oil. More, and you risk an overflow when the fries go in. Avoid that.
Cut the fries into 1/4 inch slices. Flip and stack the slices, and cut them into 1/4 widths.
Heat the oil to about 375, which is approximately '7' on my electric stove.
Gently throw in about 2 potatoes worth of fries.
Cook until they reach 'blonde'. Slightly yellow, a bit raw in the middle. It should take 3-5 minutes. Take 'em out and put them on a cookie sheet to cool for at least 10 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the raw fries.
When the entire batch has gone through the first stage, take the first batch and toss it back into the oil until done. They will get crispy and firm and golden. They are done when they reach the stage you like. Take them out and lightly salt. Add any other seasonings you like immediately. The oil will spread the flavor for you.
A single batch will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, counting the 10 minute downtime. That's about the speed of baking frozen fries, and only a bit more work that can be done while you prepare the rest of the meal.
Double cooking is the way to go.
Quote of the Day
The wages of sin are bacon. Crispy, yummy bacon. And some coffee. With cream and sugar.
-Marko
-Marko
Monday, March 9, 2009
Reluctant Participant, defined
In Minnesota, case law requires that you must be a reluctant participant in a self defense situation. You can't go out looking for a fight. Unfortunately, this concept is very misunderstood.
From a conversation here.
"Reluctant participant" doesn't mean you have to be dragged into the fight kicking and screaming. Defense of another means that the other can be reluctant for you. Reluctant participant is probably more accurately described as "did not provoke or escalate". The law [in Minnesota] specifically allows lethal force to be used in defense of another.
From Prof. Joe Olson:
From a conversation here.
"Reluctant participant" doesn't mean you have to be dragged into the fight kicking and screaming. Defense of another means that the other can be reluctant for you. Reluctant participant is probably more accurately described as "did not provoke or escalate". The law [in Minnesota] specifically allows lethal force to be used in defense of another.
From Prof. Joe Olson:
Many on this board don't understand that "reluctant participant" is not the legal test, it's writer's shorthand (which even I've been known to use). So you tend to over emphasize that element.
What you can't be is an UNLAWFUL aggressor. Other states with more developed self-defense statutes make this clear [by using terms such as "did not provoke" the fight]. So does the case law.
Asserting your minor daughter's right to free from unwelcome physical contact is perfectly OK. Ordering them to stay away from your family is OK. Those are mere words. But, the father could have physically pushed her assailant away. Lawful use of force is not legal "provocation."
We tend to forget that "non-deadly reasonable force" can be used too. Minn. Stat. 606.06 says this:
Quote:
609.06 AUTHORIZED USE OF FORCE.
Subdivision 1. When authorized. Except [by a criminal against a cop], reasonable force may be used upon or toward the person of another without the other's consent when the following circumstances exist or the actor reasonably believes them to exist:
***
(3) when used by any person in resisting or aiding another to resist an offense against the person; or ... .
The young thugs chose to respond with unlawful force. Then THEY escalated to deadly force (the multiple assailant attack on the man down).
After the multiple-assailant attack began, the father absolutely could have defended himself if he had anything with which to do so (such as a gun). A nearby permit holder, reasonably perceiving that the victim was facing an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm (as 7 or 8 young thugs kicked the shit out of him) would have been authorized to use protective force, including deadly force. According to the criminal charges, the victim suffered skull fractures and possible bleeding on the brain which ARE injuries capable of causing death or GBH.
Headlines of Lies
Duluth-Twin Cities high-speed rail in running for stimulus funding
Government projects are NOT stimulating for the economy. Government is ALWAYS a net drain. The government does not produce anything. It merely reassigns wealth, with an inevitably percentage of overhead.
The light rail in Minneapolis came in at triple budget and is running at a loss for every passenger. You can't make that up in volume.
Government projects are NOT stimulating for the economy. Government is ALWAYS a net drain. The government does not produce anything. It merely reassigns wealth, with an inevitably percentage of overhead.
The light rail in Minneapolis came in at triple budget and is running at a loss for every passenger. You can't make that up in volume.
It's interesting how often off-duty cops choose to play temper-tantrum traffic duty in their personal vehicles.
And the bastards always manage to get off.
Larivee's mistake was in going home. NEVER go home if you know you are being followed. If you think you are being followed, drive around the block and see if that car is still following you. Be safe.
No doubt about it. Larissa Larivee was scared.
Larivee, 20, who works as a nanny for a Mankato family, dropped off the kids at Bridges Community School Feb. 10 and hurried off down the road on her way to campus.
But she blew through that first stop sign and ended up cutting off a guy in a black pickup. She hurried through the next one, too. And when she looked in her rear-view mirror, there was the black pickup, and the driver didn't look happy.
He followed her, she said, honking his horn and waving his arms, trying to get her to pull over.
"I thought this was like a road rage thing," the Minnesota State University student said. "I didn't know what he wanted and I just wanted to get away."
She zoomed up toward campus and pulled into her driveway on Floral Avenue. The black pickup pulled in right behind her, and the driver got out and approached her. "I felt trapped," she said.
The closer he got, the more frightened she became. And it wasn't until he was a few feet away that she learned the driver of the pickup was Blue Earth County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Steinbach — who was off duty and driving his personal vehicle.
And the bastards always manage to get off.
Larivee's mistake was in going home. NEVER go home if you know you are being followed. If you think you are being followed, drive around the block and see if that car is still following you. Be safe.
Quote of the Day
It defies reason to think that multi-billion dollar criminal syndicates will not be able to get their hands on guns because of an American law banning cosmetic features and dictating lower magazine capacity.
-David Rittgers
Found via MassBackwards.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Quote of the Day
You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.- Anonymous, found at AR15.com
Found via Kevin, who seems to spend all of his time looking for good quotes.
Good News
Oil producers running out of storage space
Glut caused by world slowdown leaves the world awash in crude
The immutable laws of supply and demand are going to drive prices down.
H/T SurvivalBlog.
Glut caused by world slowdown leaves the world awash in crude
The immutable laws of supply and demand are going to drive prices down.
H/T SurvivalBlog.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Personal Rule #469
Never question another's fetish.
Let's go to the Power Exchange together. Let's go to the Power Exchange together and roleplay. Let's go to the Power Exchange together and roleplay HOT ZOMBIE SEX. I mean it. I know it sounds really ridiculous, but I've always loved zombies and the undead, and I've always loved sex, so I want to mix the two. Additionally, I've seen (and am friends with) some really cute zombie girls, and I could really enjoy the mix of horror, terror, shock value in others, and, y'know. Sex.
I'll dress up like an office professional or something like that, in some clothes I don't care about, and pretend to be doing some work in an office or something. Maybe then I'll listen to a prop radio and look shocked, act scared, peer out a mimed window or something, and then you batter on the door. And batter, and batter, and push -- and break in! And I let out a blood-curdling shriek, and you lunge at me and rip my clothes apart and splatter fake blood all over me (we'll use a tarp on the floor, to be polite), and proceed to savagely violate me. Or something like that -- I'm not really tied to that exact SCENE, but I think something that goes that way would be fun.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Man Down
You entered the plane on a rickety jump ladder in the tail, walked through the fuselage filled with wooden ammo boxes and gun emplacemements, climbed around the retracted ball that was his home for forty missions, and then had to walk on a catwalk less than a foot wide between the bomb racks to get to the cockpit. All this for a man who needs a walker.
Read the rest.
Thuggery Close to Home
Again. Dammit. This is two minutes from wrestling practice. I drive past this place often. Several times a week.
Monday, March 2 - Brooklyn Center Police are looking for a man who shot another man in the leg this afternoon in the parking lot at the BP gas station at 6044 Brooklyn Boulevard.
At 1:10 p.m. today Brooklyn Center Police Department responded to a report of a shooting at the station. Responding officers found a 23-year-old man who had been shot once in the leg.
Cooking Tip
If you're going to make cream cheese wontons at home, get a fryer. Don't make them in a pan. If one of them pops, or you don't seal the wonton perfectly, the cream cheese boils violently. Large bursts of 400 degree oil flying at your hand as you try to pull food out of the fryer is NOT FUN.
3 packages of cream chees
1 small can of crab meat
and a coating of soy sauce
will almost perfectly fill
1 60 count pack of wonton wrappers
Yum.
3 packages of cream chees
1 small can of crab meat
and a coating of soy sauce
will almost perfectly fill
1 60 count pack of wonton wrappers
Yum.
Quote of the Day
" And who’s gonna pay for this? You. The government makes rules, and we ALL pay. It’s a hidden tax. They don’t call it a tax, but they make a rule and YOU pay.
And folks, my industry is just a little slice of the pie that is modern America. Somewhere along the line, we’re going to recognize that the caresses we feel on our shoulders are really a hand reaching for our throats.
What happens then may be terrible to behold."
-Mostly Cajun
And folks, my industry is just a little slice of the pie that is modern America. Somewhere along the line, we’re going to recognize that the caresses we feel on our shoulders are really a hand reaching for our throats.
What happens then may be terrible to behold."
-Mostly Cajun
MS13 and the Suburbs
A 15-year-old male and an 18-year-old male were shot in the parking lot outside JC Penney at Southdale Center in Edina around 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27.
I know someone listening on the scanner. The police reportedly said that this was MS13, which was officially not in Minnesota a few months ago. MS13 is one of the most violent gangs running.
I hate watching violent crime and gang activity migrate. Especially to a location visible from my office building. But hey, that's no reason to carry, right?
Update: It's officially MS13.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
HF 953 (Paymar Backdoor Gun registry) being heard FRI MAR 6
In response to this:
Dear Representatives:
HF953 is an offensive piece of legislation that needs to be immediately
shot down.
First of all, there are already 4 statutory provisions to block "black
market" purchases of firearms. (1) 609.52 – Theft by the criminal himself,
(2) 609; (2) 609.53 – Theft-once-removed by acquisition from a “fence;”
(3) 609.66 sibd. 1c – Receipt from an accomplice/strawman; and (4)
624.7141 – Transfer to an ineligible person. Do we really need more laws?
According the the BATFE, fewer that 1 in 50 guns acquired by criminals
come from gun shows or private sales. Those that do are purchased via
"strawman purchases" by people who can pass a background check. Anybody
in the business of selling firearms is required to possess a federal
license. The idea of "unlicensed dealers" at gun shows is an insult to
the intelligence of every citizen in Minnesota.
This bill is simply harassment of legal, law-abiding gun owners. It will
have absolutely no effect on crime, because criminals don't use licensed
dealers. Criminals use the black market and smuggled guns, NOT legitimate
dealers or honest private parties.
This bill also eliminates the carry permit as a functioning purchase
permit. Carry permit holders have already passed an extensive background
check. Why do they need to get a second permit with an identical
purchase, if not to merely harass the law-abiding?
It also adds a fee to the permit to purchase and doesn't even bother to
cap the fee! That leaves backdoor gun bans open to any police chief who
wants to set the fee to any imaginable amount. A cursory examination of
the BCA's annual carry permit report shows that "expenses incurred by the
chief of police or sheriff for processing the transferee permit
application." is simply a joke.
And ultimately, the record-keeping requirements turn this into a gun
registration bill, which, as every thinking person can see, is merely a
precursor to confiscation, as history has shown time and again.
Stop this bill. It will accomplish nothing in the war on crime, except to
make a safer working environment for criminals.
Close to 60,000 carry permit holders, hundreds of thousands of hunters,
and well over one million law-abiding gun owners are waiting for you to do
the right thing.
Stop HF953!
Sincerely,
Me
Dear Representatives:
HF953 is an offensive piece of legislation that needs to be immediately
shot down.
First of all, there are already 4 statutory provisions to block "black
market" purchases of firearms. (1) 609.52 – Theft by the criminal himself,
(2) 609; (2) 609.53 – Theft-once-removed by acquisition from a “fence;”
(3) 609.66 sibd. 1c – Receipt from an accomplice/strawman; and (4)
624.7141 – Transfer to an ineligible person. Do we really need more laws?
According the the BATFE, fewer that 1 in 50 guns acquired by criminals
come from gun shows or private sales. Those that do are purchased via
"strawman purchases" by people who can pass a background check. Anybody
in the business of selling firearms is required to possess a federal
license. The idea of "unlicensed dealers" at gun shows is an insult to
the intelligence of every citizen in Minnesota.
This bill is simply harassment of legal, law-abiding gun owners. It will
have absolutely no effect on crime, because criminals don't use licensed
dealers. Criminals use the black market and smuggled guns, NOT legitimate
dealers or honest private parties.
This bill also eliminates the carry permit as a functioning purchase
permit. Carry permit holders have already passed an extensive background
check. Why do they need to get a second permit with an identical
purchase, if not to merely harass the law-abiding?
It also adds a fee to the permit to purchase and doesn't even bother to
cap the fee! That leaves backdoor gun bans open to any police chief who
wants to set the fee to any imaginable amount. A cursory examination of
the BCA's annual carry permit report shows that "expenses incurred by the
chief of police or sheriff for processing the transferee permit
application." is simply a joke.
And ultimately, the record-keeping requirements turn this into a gun
registration bill, which, as every thinking person can see, is merely a
precursor to confiscation, as history has shown time and again.
Stop this bill. It will accomplish nothing in the war on crime, except to
make a safer working environment for criminals.
Close to 60,000 carry permit holders, hundreds of thousands of hunters,
and well over one million law-abiding gun owners are waiting for you to do
the right thing.
Stop HF953!
Sincerely,
Me
Crime Rates
In response to the comments on this post:
Last year, there were 162 crimes committed from a pool of 56919 permit holders in Minnesota. That's a 0.28461497918094133769040215042429% crime rate. Of those 162 crimes, only 10 involved a gun, that's 0.01756882587536674240148280890388%. Violent crimes made up 40 of the 162, keeping in mind that only 10 of the 162 involved guns, that about a 0.07% crime rate.
Legal gun owners are self-selected to be the most law abiding group in existence. There is no demographic with a smaller crime rate.
That said, most gun control and all gun registration laws in the US have specific exclusions for felons. Requiring a felon to register a gun he can't legally own would be a violation of his right against self-incrimination, so he's not required to do so. That means, for the dense, that gun control is aimed solely at law-abiding gun owners. Criminals are never, ever the target, regardless of the rhetoric.
Gun control is about control, not guns.
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