Arlen, Arlen, Arlen......

I have to admit I haven't followed the career of Arlen very much, up until last fall, so I've been doing some reading on the guy. What a creep. Weasel. Worm. Spineless. What else? First he was a Democrat, but ran with a Republican. Then switched to the GOP. Lost an election, won, lost, won, etc.

Just days before the switch, he said he would not leave the GOP because he thought he "played an important role" in maintaining a balance between the parties in the Senate. I guess a few promises from the Donkeys and/or the fear of having to enter private life again can make a weak man jettison his principles and character. Maybe this is his character, he already switched once in his career. Maybe he doesn't have any principles. Specter claimed the Republicans moved too far to the right for him to stay in the party. Who is he kidding? Who believes that? The Republicans have moved left in the last 20 years in an attempt to "expand the party" and increase membership. Our friggin' Presidential nominee wrote a pro-amnesty bill for illegal immigrants, wrote and passed a campaign finance "reform" bill that ended up hurting him and hurts the country in general, in pro-cap-n-trade / global warming "fix" and wouldn't take the fight to his political opponent on real and legitimate issues due to fears of not being politically correct or insensitve or whatever his lame excuse was. Specter was just making shit up to try to cover his butt and blame others for his lack of will and courage.

Arlen said in his presser announcing his latest switch, "I am not prepared to have my 29 year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate." Wow! Honesty! Too bad he is proclaiming that this move isn't about issues, but is really about saving his own political ass.

So now he gives the Dems 59 votes. After the Minnesota disgrace, Stuart Smalley, gets into the Senate, they Dems will, for all intents and purposes, have the necessary 60 votes to push through any piece of crap legislation they want. EFCA - get ready. Socialized medicine - start taking your vitamins now and pray you don't get sick. Taxes, Federal debts, gun control, more welfare, anti-business legislations of all kind, the most liberal Supreme Court in decades coming into being and presiding for the next several decades to come, etc. etc. But Arlen says he's not going to be the automatic 60th vote. He doesn't have to be. He has Maine Senators Snowe and Collins to pick up the vote for him.

On the not-so-dark side, now everything that passes through the Senate that royally screws up the country will almost entirely have to be owned by the Dems. I doubt there are any clear thinkers outside the MSM who think Snowe and Collins will really count as republican votes or make any bill "bi-partisan."

It really is amazing what people will do to save themselves. He never was a Conservative and rarely voted like one. Specter had the balls this weekend to claim that the GOP is somehow to blame for Jack Kemp's death by not funding medical research. But in the next breath says that he has benefited from such research. The National Cancer Institute had a $4.8 billion budget in fiscal 2008 and has had in excess of $80 Bn since the early 1970's. This guy's a joke. The Dems are going to use him and then sabbotage him in the 2010 Democratic Primary. Who in their right mind is going to vote for him?

Finally Recovering from the Dreaded Swine Flu......

HYSTERIA. What a bunch of BS perpetrated and hyped by the pathetic and shameless major media outlets. The number of confirmed cases and deaths of Swine Flu keeps jumping around every day or two. How many people have died in Mexico - 150 or 60? In the U.S. ..... 100? No. 1. This poor kid was a Mexican national who was brought across the border, likely for better medical care.

From the CDC's own website, we lose 63,001 people each year to influenza & pneumonia in the U.S. Hell 34,136 Americans die every year from Septicemia. Do you know what this is? Even the detestable CNN reported that "Since January, more than 13,000 have died of complications from seasonal flu."

Now, I was out of pocket all last week on vacation back in my home state of Texas (gasp!) - right next to Mexico! The morning after I arrived, I turned on the TV immediately to the Swine Flu story on FoxNews. Not exactly the best news to start the day, but hey, what are you gonna do? Schools and businesses were shutting down and people were changing their daily habits and routines out of fear and a fraction of the data. I went to malls, restaurants, a business conference and other public places. I shook hands, gave hugs, stood in elevators without reservation. Gaffe Machine Biden then showed his face on a national TV show and told the nation he was telling family not to ride buses, subways, trains, planes, etc. (What a great way to help kick the economy while it's down, Joey! I'm sensing a pattern w/ this administration.) I then got on two more planes at the end of my vacation (because Delta screwed us out of our direct flight, but that is par for the course w/ them) and nearly 3 days later - no swine flu at my house.

Now I am reading that this virus is not as strong as our seasonal flu....no kidding! Why did Mexico get hit with dozens of deaths from this virus last month? Lack of healthcare, poor overall health of the victims, lack of education on how to treat the flu? All of the above. My guess is that they didn't die from the virus, they likely died from dehydration, pnuemonia, or some other complication from a weakened immune system. In the U.S. we have a fairly education popluce (contrary to logical deductions from recent elections), a very good healthcare system that some people want to deamonize and destroy, overall better diets than those in the slums of Mexico City and the rural areas in Oaxaca and we've been administering the annual flu vaccine for years.
Add it all up and I think it's time to move on to our nation's more critical issues. I think I'll go pick up some pork chops for dinner tomorrow.

A Few Quotes

"Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless." - Milton Friedman

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams

"Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built." - Abraham Lincoln

"If you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow." - John Wayne

"Life is hard; it's harder if you're stupid." - John Wayne

"We deal in lead, friend." - Steve McQueen, The Magnificent Seven

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for dinner. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

The List

I have had a list in my head of people, places, stores, etc. that I choose not to visit, give my money to, etc. Some I think you'll find pretty obvious; others, maybe not, but I have my reasons. They're my reasons, so they are all good ones.

Keep in mind, this is an ever growing list and this list is unfortunately not complete, since I've never listed the names anywhere outside of my not small head (according to my son's pediatrician).

Applebee's, Chili's, Friday's, Pizza Hut, CNN, Donald Trump
GE (and all subsidiaries including NBC, MSNBC, etc.), Stephen King, Sean Penn
Susan Sarandon (except Bull Durham), Tim Robbins (except Bull Durham and Shawshank)
Danny Glover, GM, Chrysler, Bank of America, Citigroup
The entire states of California, Massachusettes, Kentucky and New York

Any suggestions of people, places I might have forgotten? I'll update as I remember.

Extremists?

Looking over the DHO report on the looming danger of "right-wing extremism" in America, I thought it wise to do some self-examination.

The first thing about this report that really hacks me off is the VERY FIRST line of the "Key Findings" section: "The DHS....has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits..." The report then states that the economic downturn and the election of Obama "present unique drivers....."

Then the report attacks returning military personnel as a danger, citing the 1995 OKC bombing by McVeigh. Dispicable.

After reading the report, I think I may someone they are warning me about. Let's analyze...

Conservative political views - yes.
3rd Party support - not yet.
Constitutional principles - of course.
Support state's rights - yep.
Out of control Federal Gov and overspending - even a doubt?
Gun owner - right again.
Favor control of our borders against illegal immigration - always.
Mililtary vet - no, but I certainly support them.

We know can put a few puzzle pieces together. The new Administration doesn't want to call the radical Muslim terrorists terrorists, they won't use the phrase global war on terror, they want to get snuggly with Castro, Chavez, Putin and talk to Kim of N. Korea and Ahmadine-jihad of Iran. But, if you love your country, and the basic principles it was founded on, and want to see it grow strong and secure again, the US government needs to watch you. I'm sure they were watching all the tea party protesters last week. Don't these folks look dangerous?

Oh, OK, I get it. The backtracking by Janet Napolitano after this report has been laughable. How this woman got this job, when she couldn't even control her state's border, is a disgrace and she needs to go. She knew about the report and what it said and she supported it. Now she's suggested that terrorists have been coming across the nothern border from Canada as well....and more backtracking and correcting.

Do we really have 4 more years of this?

Poor People and Gambling. Downtown?

I was downtown with the family this past weekend enjoying a nice day of sunshine and mild temps - a much needed break from winter. While talking with some friends who happened to be there also, a lady walked up with a clip board- either looking to sell something or taking a survey, I thought. Wrong, she was getting signatures for a petition to get casinos on the Ohio state ballot... again.

She made certain to tell us that if we signed it she'd get credit - I assumed she was a paid organizer with ACORN or the like. Maybe I'll do some research on that another time. Two of her selling points on why Ohio needs casinos: 1) everyone who wants to gamble leaves the state for Indiana or Kentucky - riverboats & horseracing and 2) poor people can't afford to make the drive all way out to the casinos or maybe they don't even have cars to get there.

My friend Nick quickly replied, "I don't think those people should be gambling at casinos. If you can't afford a car, you probably shouldn't be gambling." I agree, but "you can't fix stupid." (apparently Ron White gets the credit for that one)

I find myself leaning more and more towards a libertarian way of thinking- If people want to spend their money gambling, so be it. We all have a vice of some kind. I've been known to play blackjack, buy a lottery ticket here and there and enjoy a scotch. However, I do not think we as a society should make it easier for the poor and desperate to ruin their lives or remain in their self-induced poverty by pissing away their $100 weekly check (earned or government paid).

Would the economic benefits of putting a casino(or 4) in Ohio outweight the social costs that would/might come along with it? I don't know. But I am certain that putting a casino in the downtown area of a midwestern city, instead of out in the sticks, is a bad idea all around. Who thought this one up? Wouldn't adding a casino to a downtown already stricken with a fair amount of crime in the surrounding neighborhoods, and one already struggling with the issue of suburbanites not wanting to come back to the city after hours and on weekends, only add to the problem with a casino that would likely become a hangout for gangsters, panhandlers, hookers, etc.? Why not make them drive 30-40 minutes to get near the action like everyone else?

Worthy Causes

Just want to give some binary space to a few worthy causes in case you are able help.

www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
www.packagesfromhome.org/
www.marine-scholars.org/
www.nleafcf.org/scholarship.php
www.dav.org/donate/

Assault on Firearms, America, Veterans

Anyone who is at all interested in firearms, hunting, self defense, government, politics, political activism, the evening news, newspapers, etc. etc. knows that there has been a sharp increase in firearms purchases of all kinds (and ammunition) in the last few years, with the largest spike coming since early 2008.


Some claim this is all in response to the election of Barack Obama, the appointment of Eric Holder as AG and the real possibility of a reinstatement of the Clinton "assault weapons ban" (AWB) or something much stricter.

From the graph to the right(credit to B.Weeks @ "You Get What You Pay For"), showing the avg monthly NCIS backgrond checks, you see that the trend really started to increase in 2003-2004 and hit the gas around 2005. The rise of Obama in 2008 was the icing on the cake, every firearm dealers dream (sort of). Heck, The Outdoor Wire made President Obama its “Gun Salesman of the Year.”

I would have argued a few weeks/ months ago that the cause(s) for the rise in firearms and ammunition sales was more complex than "he's gonna take them all away" or "the world is gonna end" or even "WWIII is coming!" But lately, my opinion has been evolving. I believe there is a general uneasiness across the country that "something just isn't right" and "I don't like the direction things are heading." From Islamic terrorism to the worsening local economies across the country and the resulting increase of unemployment, dispair and in some circumstances the release of criminals from jail / prison. I wouldn't give much credit to terrorism as a cause in the recent sales spike, but personal / household defense against local criminals seems very rational. If criminals are being released and there are no jobs for them when they get out, they revert to what they no best, even if some manner of rehabilitation held any influence over them for a time. And of course you have the weak who, out of fear, dispair, or some form hatred of any group or society as a whole, seeks to wreak some kind of havoc (Binghamton, Oakland, Pittsburgh).

But let's look at three recent statements by Officials in the current Administration. One: Secretary of State Clinton pressing the myth, easily debunked, that 90% of the weapons confiscated in the Mexican drug wars have been linked to the U.S. Wrong. The actual number is closer to 17%. The weapons are mostly coming from China, Russia, S. America etc. It's easier and cheaper. But facts don't matter to Clinton and the other anti's at DHS and ATF, Sen. Feinstein, et al. Even the Mexican Ambassador to the US and Mexican President Calderon have drank the Kool-Aid. But doesn't it benefit them to cast blame on the US? We need to control our guns. We need to control our drug market. We're to blame. Nevermind the corruption at all levels in the Mexican government. They have lost control and are sprialing into a 3rd world state. The US military ranked them as the #2 security threat to our country, with Pakistan being #1. Mexican gangs are the "biggest organized crime threat to the United States” according to the US Justice Dept. But I digress.....

Two: Speaker Pelosi on Good Morning America saying that she and her ilk "don’t want to take their guns away. We want them registered.” Rep. Rush of Illinois has introduced HR45 as a big proposed step in 2nd Amendment infringement. Guess what comes next folks....confiscation. Maybe not this year or next, it's a process, but look at what has happened in Canada, Australia and The UK. First you register the guns, as a backlash to some event, so you know where they are - at least the one's owned by law abiding citizens. Do they really think criminals are going to register their weapons? Then another event and you make them all illegal. Do you really think the criminals are you going to turn theirs in? Now you've effectively nuetered the populace. Guns supposedly come off the street and, surprise! the crime rate actually increases. Logic and facts have never stood in the way of ideologs. Look back thru history. What did Mao, Castro, Hitler, Pol Pot etc. do? The outlawed private ownership of firearms so they could run roughshod across the country and the people. The old axiom is true (that's why it's an axiom) - when you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns.

Now to #3, and perhaps the most disturbing of all. The Dept. of Homeland Security issued a report warning of a rise in "rightwing extremist activity." It cites the economic recession, the election of our first black president and the repatriation of disgruntled war veterans that could join "white-power militias." The report also identifies and warns against those groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. So, if you believe in the Constitution, you are an extremist who must be watched over by the government. I guess Jefferson, Franklin and Washington were extremists. Are they serious with this sh**?? Yes, I am afraid they are. Secretary Napolitano gave it her blessing. The politicization of this issue, making it into a Left v Right thing is unfortunate enough, but not surprising. But the accusasion and disrespect of Veterans is dispicable. Does anyone wonder why Napolitano is the DHS Secretary? She was Gov. of Arizona which has a huge issue with crime - Phoenix is #2 in kidnappings in the world - and a huge issue with illegal immigration. And yes, the two are directly related. She couldn't protect her own state, who the hell thinks she can, or wants to, protect the country. Illegal immigration will be another post in the coming weeks. Remind me.

It is interesting to me that this Administration has abandoned the phrase "global war on terror" in favor of "Overseas Contingency Operation" and terrorist attacks are now "human-caused" disasters. It seems as though the government is getting soft on the real dangers, but coming down pretty hard on it's own citizens. We're going to talk to Iran (while they enrich uranium) and we're gonna write strongly worded letters to N. Korea (while they launch admittedly crappy rockets) only to have them start up their nuke reactors after Bush-43's Administration paid them off to stop. That doesn't look like it worked, does it?

So, where is this going? I don't know for sure, but something stinks. And there are alot of people out there who feel the same way. Stock prices are down, bonds are down, housing is down. Gold is up and down. Ammo is definitely up.

Recent Violence

I am sure most everyone has heard about the ambush killings in Bingamton, NY, the police officers in Pittsburgh and Oakland, family killed in Washington and Alabama, etc. Every one of these cases had different circumstances from a violent anti-social guy recently paroled, to an angry coward recently out of work, to some guys going through marital separations. Many of these cases are still too new for anyone to have all the facts and we'll never know the whole truth since (I believe) all but one of the loons are dead.

There are alot of people out in the media, blogosphere and elsewhere who will make each of these into an anti-gun example for their purposes, and there will be some who will make this a Left vs. Right issue. Anyone who does either of these is a blind zealot and anyone listening to their nonsense is an idiot. Yes, I will from time to time take to name calling when the case is so clearly obvious. Disagree if you will; you are wrong.

Each of these instances, so far as I can tell (and I am not a "trained" psychotherapist), is a case of someone feeling like they have lost or are losing control of their lives; feeling desperation and anger, and projecting the blame on others - cops, ex-spouse, boss, etc. These people were weak and lashed out. The gun is not the cause, it is a tool, as useless as a hammer or a plow if left untouched. It could as easily have been a knife, a bomb, a car, poison...... The media is not the blame - they only report the news, give opinion, spark discussion. The boss who lays someone off is not the cause, he's only doing his job and trying to survive and feed his own family. The cops aren't to be targeted as they risk their lives daily to keep the public from the very loons who attack them.

Let's focus our attention on and name the real cause of the violence - the person who can't control their emotions and becomes blinded by them.

HS Diploma vs. Liberal Arts Degree

The author of this article argues that one would be better off going through life with a high school diploma than with a Liberal Arts degree, given a bunch of "average" assumptions. While it is a stretch to go along with these assumptions and no other factors, it is still interesting to see that this comparison can actually be made. I've always thought a Liberal Arts degree was a waste of money (especially when you consider the liberal professors and the agenda-pushing garbage they spew - generally speaking, of course) and this is just one more small piece of data to help prove the point.

http://www.smartmoney.com/Personal-Finance/College-Planning/The-Case-Against-the-College-Degree/