Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!

Pearl Harbor Day

December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy" . Never forget. Others have commented on this more eloquently than I am able to.

Some say we don't have the same quality of men and women as those of the "greatest generation". I have met many of those men and women personally and many more online and have heard the stories of many more and I believe the quality of people we have serving today matches any in our history. But they need our support.

I Love It!!!

I stole this from Hot Air. I love it!!!

Firearms Refresher Course

I got this from my trusty veterans' online group:

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE

1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will

plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson

2. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.

--John Adams

3. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.

4. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a

subject.

5. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens

tries to control them.

6. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.

7. You only have the rights you are willing to fight

for.

8. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns,

no peace, no safety.

9. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

10. Assault is a behavior, not a device.

11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one

yesterday.

12. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All

Rights Reserved.

13. The Second Amendment is in place in case

the politicians ignore the others.

14. What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you NOT

understand?

15. Guns have only two enemies; rust and

politicians.

16. When you remove the people's right to bear

arms, you create slaves.

17. The American Revolution would never have

happened with gun control.

IF YOU AGREE, PASS THIS 'REFRESHER' ON TO TEN FREE CITIZENS.

Update: Edited format and fixed typo.

9-11-01

Never forget, never forgive.

Happy Labor Day

I hope everyone has a relaxing and enjoyable Labor Day! Lots of good food and good company.

A Musical Interlude

This is (I think) a local band. I think they're really good. They're called JB and the Moonshine Band.

Senator Edward Kennedy

On the subject of Edward Kennedy's death, I agree with The Pistolero,that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything.

Important Technical Advice To Improve Your Computer

I got this from one of the online veterans' groups I belong to:

Some people do not realize why their computer screens tend to accumulate a layer of dust. (It is due to the generation of static electricity.) But most people clean their computer screen from time to time by wiping the dust off with a rag when the accumulation of dust gets to the point that it is annoying. What many people do not realize is that the static causes a thin film to build up on the inside of the screen, as well. (It's why old computer screens aren't as sharp as new ones.)

Fortunately, a newly released, but unpublicized, utility included in your operating system's latest automatic update solves this problem. To activate this just click here . You will be delighted with the new clarity of your screen.

Woodstock

Peter reminded me that the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock is coming up on the 15th of this month. I mentioned this to my sweetie and then made the observation "It's a wonder so many of us are still alive." And I mean attendees, wannabe attendees, those who wish they had been there, and those who don't really care.

Peter asked "What were you doing during Woodstock?"

I was in the Air Force at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NE.

Where were you?

Update: Corrected typo in title.

Savvy Move

This from RedState is just icing on the cake.

And in a surprising display of savvy, Democratic allies who reached the RNC’s phone lines were instructed to press 1 to voice concern over Republican “mobs,” at which point their call was automatically directed to the DNC’s main switchboard.

Go read it all as the big kids say.

Alpha Males

One of my Facebook friends posted that he was making a pudding to take to a celebration at a twelve step program we attend at a meeting place we call "Alpha". Someone commented on his post that alpha males didn't make pudding. I followed that with a post saying "Alpha males do whatever they please."

I was telling my sweetie about this and she reminded me that I had saved a piece on "Retrosexual Males" that I had gotten from a veterans group that I belong to. Read and enjoy all of you with a sense of humor.

OK folks, I've had it. I've taken all I can stand.

Every time my TV is on, all that can be seen is effeminate men prancing about, redecorating houses and talking about foreign concepts like "style" and "feng shui." Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, metrosexual, non-sexual; blue, green, and purple-sexual bogus definitions have taken over the urban and suburban world!

Real men of the world, stand up, scratch your butt, belch, and yell "ENOUGH!" I hereby announce the start of a new offensive in the culture wars, the Retrosexual movement.

The Retrosexual Code:

A Retrosexual, no matter what the women insists, PAYS FOR THE DATE.

A Retrosexual opens doors for a lady. Even for the ones that fit that term only because they are female.

A Retrosexual DEALS with IT, be it a flat tire, break-in into your home, or a natural disaster, you DEAL WITH IT.

A Retrosexual not only eats red meat, he often kills it himself.

A Retrosexual doesn't worry about living to be 90. It's not how long you live, but how well. If you're 90 years old and still smoking cigars and drinking, I salute you.

A Retrosexual does not use more hair or skin products than a woman. Women have several supermarket aisles of stuff. Retrosexuals need an endcap (possibly 2 endcaps if you include shaving goods).

A Retrosexual does not dress in clothes from Hot Topic when he's 30 years old.

A Retrosexual should know how to properly kill stuff (or people) if need be. This falls under the "Dealing with IT" portion of The Code.

A Retrosexual watches no TV show with "Queer" in the title.

A Retrosexual does not let neighbors screw up rooms in his house on national TV.

A Retrosexual should not give up excessive amounts of manliness for women. Some is inevitable, but major reinvention of yourself will only lead to you becoming a frou-frou little puss, and in the long run, she ain't worth it.

A Retrosexual is allowed to seek professional help for major mental stress such as drug/alcohol addiction, death of your entire family in a freak tree chipper accident, favorite sports team being moved to a different city, favorite bird dog expiring, etc. You are NOT allowed to see a shrink because Daddy didn't pay you enough attention. Daddy was busy DEALING WITH IT. When you screwed up, he DEALT with you.

A Retrosexual will have at least one outfit in his wardrobe designed to conceal himself from prey.

A Retrosexual knows how to tie a Windsor knot when wearing a tie - and ONLY a Windsor knot.

A Retrosexual should have at least one good wound he can brag about getting.

A Retrosexual knows how to use a basic set of tools. If you can't hammer a nail, or drill a straight hole, practice in secret until you can - or be rightfully ridiculed for the wuss you are.

A Retrosexual knows that owning a gun is not a sign that your are riddled with fear. Guns are TOOLS and are often essential to DEAL WITH IT. Plus it's just plain fun to shoot.

Crying. There are very few reasons that a Retrosexual may cry, and none of them have to do with TV commercials, movies, or soap operas. Sports teams are sometimes a reason to cry, but the preferred method of release is swearing or throwing the remote control. Some reasons a Retrosexual can cry include (but are not limited to) death of a loved one, death of a pet (fish do NOT count as pets in this case), loss of a major body part.

A Retrosexual man's favorite movie isn't "Maid in Manhattan" (unless that refers to some foxy French maid sitting in a huge tub of brandy or whiskey), or "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." Acceptable ones may include any of the Dirty Harry or Nameless Drifter movies (Clint in his better days), Rambo I or II, the Dirty Dozen, The Godfather trilogy, Scarface, The Road Warrior, The Die Hard series, Caddyshack, R! ocky I, II, or III, Full Metal Jacket, any James Bond Movie, Raging Bull, Bullitt, any Bruce Lee movie, Apocalypse Now, Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Fight Club, Risky Business (the Porsche 928 scene...) etc.etc.

When a Retrosexual is on a crowded bus and or a commuter train, and a pregnant woman, hell, any woman gets on, that Retrosexual stands up and offers his seat to that woman, then looks around at the other so-called men still in their seats with a disgusted "you punks" look on his face.

A Retrosexual knows how to say the Pledge properly, and with the correct emphasis and pronunciation. He also knows the words to the Star Spangled Banner.

A Retrosexual will have hobbies and habits his wife and mother do not understand, but that are essential to his manliness, in that they offset the acceptable manliness decline he suffers when married/engaged in a serious healthy relationship - i.e., hunting, boxing, shot putting, shooting, cigars, car maintenance.

A Retrosexual knows how to sharpen his own knives and kitchen utensils.

A Retrosexual man can drive in snow (hell, a blizzard) without sliding all over or driving under 20 mph, without anxiety, and without high-centering his ride on a plow berm.

A Retrosexual man can chop down a tree and make it land where he wants.

Wherever it lands is where he damn well wanted it to land.

A Retrosexual will give up his seat on a bus to not only any women but any elderly person or person in military dress (except officers above

2nd LT) NOTE: The person in military dress may turn down the offer but the Retrosexual man will ALWAYS make the offer to them and thank them for serving their country.

A Retrosexual man doesn't need a contract -- a handshake is good enough. He will always stand by his word.

A Retrosexual man doesn't immediately look to sue someone when he does something stupid and hurts himself. We understand that sometimes in the process of doing things we get hurt and we just DEAL WITH IT.

-

Cat solves printer-problem(with subtitle)

I got this from Denny at GOC.

On Obamacare

The Geek has a long but really good post on medical care and why the current healthcare reform bill or anything similar to it needs to be defeated. He also discusses why the people behind it are trying to destroy our way of life and why they need to be defeated as well.

Sorry

Sorry for the double posting of the wedding entrance video. That's what happens when you get in a hurry and don't really remember how to do stuff.

Wedding Dances

I first saw this on Facebook

and now it's gone viral.

Today I saw this at Ace's

JK Wedding Entrance Dance

Better Served

Via Denny at GOC a better post about Walter Cronkite than I could do by Matt Patterson at American Thinker.. He said it much better than I did and included a few points I forgot.

Justice Served Cold

Walter Cronkite died yesterday and the media is full of
praise for him. Some of it is deserved. Some of it, in
my opinion, however, is not. He and Robert S.
McNamara, who died on July 6, deserve a huge share
of the blame for our failure in Vietnam.

McNamara deserves blame for his arrogant
micromanagement of the war with the aid and support
of Lyndon B. Johnson. Neither of them knew anything
worth knowing about military tactics or strategy. This
has been hashed over ad nauseum by better qualified critics than I.

Cronkite wrote an opinion piece following the TET Offensive of 1968, saying we were "Mired in stalemate." This was pure nonsense. I know. I was there. We won a huge military victory, but Cronkite and others like him lied to the American people about what was happening and that contributed to our failure there. It gave aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. Why he chose to do this, I don't know. Others who know more about these things have made all kinds of speculation over the years.

What I do know is that he, McNamara, Johnson and others have the blood of thousands of troop on their hands due to their mishandling and misrepresentation of the war.

May justice be served.

This is my opinion and my blog. If you don't like either you are free to move on.

Our Media At Work...Or Not

Did you read this in papers or see it on TV? Where are our patriotic news media?

On May 26, 2009, namesake former President George H. W. Bush was airlifted aboard the USS Bush for a one day visit. It had been his greatest wish to watch flight operations from the flight deck of the navy's newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier and to meet the Sailors. As a decorated former naval aviator in World War II, this has a special significance for him. He was accompanied by his daughter (and the ship's sponsor) "Doro" Bush Koch.

They observed flight ops from the flight deck and the bridge, dined with officers in the Flag Mess and watched night flight ops from the Flag Bridge . The next morning he dined in the Chief's Mess and was escorted around, meeting and greeting Sailors. Finally, we had the crew assembled in hangar bay 2. The CO pointed out that June 12th is his birthday (he'll be 85 years old) and nearly 2,500 Sailors sang happy birthday to him. He then swore in re-enlistees and read the promotion orders to all recently advanced Sailors (and there were a bunch of them). Lastly, he spoke to the crew. It was quite a moment - at the end of his short remarks, he looked up, paused for a second, and said "This ship means the world to me.." and he then broke down for a few seconds. There wasn't a dry eye in the hangar bay. He then continued on and thanked every one of the crew for their service to the country and for making him proud as one of 'his' Sailors'.

This may have been the first time in US Navy history that a ship's namesake (certainly an aircraft carrier) not only was alive at the time of commissioning, but was healthy enough to go aboard when the ship was at sea.

Too bad such goes without comment in today's Obama lama ding dong world...

This doesn't fit the narrative.

Technology Can Be Treacherous

Via Hot Air,the story of a young lady who falls into an open manhole while texting on her cell phone. The article points out it wasn't entirely her fault but also emphasizes the importance of paying attention to where you're going.

1947

I got this from one of my online groups and post it for your consideration.

The year was 1947

Some of you will recall that on July 8, 1947, a little over 60 years ago,
witnesses claim that an unidentified flying object (UFO) with five aliens
aboard crashed onto a sheep and mule ranch just outside Roswell , New
Mexico . This is a well known incident that many say has long been
Covered up by the U.S. Air Force and other federal agencies and
organizations.

However, what you may NOT know is that in the month of April 1948, nine
months after that historic day, the following people were born:

Albert A. Gore, Jr.
Hillary Rodham
John F. Kerry
William J. Clinton
Howard Dean
Nancy Pelosi
Dianne Feinstein
Charles E. Schumer
Barbara Boxer

See what happens when aliens breed with sheep and jackasses?

I certainly hope this bit of information clears up a lot of things for
you. It did for me.

Equal For All

Robert has a post on a lady I know complaining to the local newspaper about a constable's deputy parking in a handicap parking. He then comments on all the excuses the various LEO came up with. Go read. As I commented at his place, I know Cindy and I don't think this is the end of this. Update: Add title

Tyler, Texas Tea Party

Here are some pictures from the Tyler, Texas Tea Party. My sweetie took these with her phone camera since I forgot to bring one. Everyone was well-behaved and polite as I expected, but there was no doubt as to why they were there. If there were any counter-demonstrators there, I didn't see or hear them.

Independence Day

I just want to take this opportunity to wish whoever reads this a Happy Independence Day!

Independence Day

Warner Todd Huston at Redstate has some thoughts on observing Independence Day as opposed to the Fourth Of July. I agree. Let's call it what it is. Also, let us not forget what it is.

Only In Texas

This was recorded in Zilker Park in Austin, Texas during their 'A Bigger Bang' tour - October 22, 2006, according to You Tube.


As I said "Only in Texas."
Update to add, They will probably never do this again, either.

It's Happened Before

I may have been wrong in my opinion expressed in the previous post. According to Uncle Jimbo, this may be a good idea. He usually knows what he's talking about and I sure hope he's right about this.

When Will We Learn?

This is going to cost the lives of American soldiers, just like it did in Vietnam. When are we going to learn that we can't fight this kind of war by rules that the other side is not playing by.

Back To School

With all the typos I've been making I may have to go back to school to re-learn how to type, spell edit, or all three. Spell check can only help so much. I know part of it is because I haven't been posting for a while. I hope that improves.

They're Everywhere

After reading some of the posts at The War On Guns and at Joe Huffman's I'm not too worried about being on a DHS watchlist for some of the posts on this blog. Of course, I'm also not too worried because there aren't many, if any, readers of this blog. Putting it on a watchlist would only draw attention to it. Hint, Hint. Update fixed typo. Again Update 2: Another typo.

Knives, Etc.

Lawdog has posts here and here on ridiculous rules and regulation forthcoming on knives. They completely overlook the fact that these regulations have nothing to do with real knives that are real weapons. The inmates are running the asylum. Update: Fixed typo at some point.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads.

Good Advice

Stolen from Firehand, who got it from Theo's place


Some Self Defense And Teaching Advice

The handgun would not be my choice of weapon if I knew I was Going to a fight....I'd choose a rifle, a shotgun, an RPG or an atomic Bomb instead."

"The two most important rules in a gunfight are: always cheat and always win."

"Every time I teach a class, I discover I don't know something."

"Don't forget, incoming fire has the right of way."

"Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets. I may get killed with my own gun, but he's gonna have to beat me to death with it, 'cause it's going to be empty."

"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not Loadin, you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut Your head off and put it on a stick."

"When you reload in low light encounters, don't put yourflashlight in your back pocket.. If you light yourself up, you'll look like an angel or the tooth fairy...and you're gonna be one of 'em pretty soon."

"Do something. It may be wrong, but do something."

"Nothing adds a little class to a sniper course like a babe in a ghilliesuit."

"Shoot what's available, as long as it's available, until something else becomes available."

"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous.. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid for."

"Don't shoot fast, shoot good.

Update: Fixed typo.
Udate 2: Another typo. I need an editor.

I'm Back And I'm Not Happy

What with the goings on in North Korea and Iran, and President Obama's nonchalant reaction to them and the continued disregard for the law concerning Inspectors General and assorted other things, I'm afraid we're in for at least some kind of rude awakening soon. I hope it's not as bad as I fear, but I'm not optimistic. There are just too many things that could go badly wrong that aren't receiving sufficient attention. This just demonstrates to me that the only thing the left is serious about is strengthening and increasing their power and control over every aspect of our lives. This is what comes when we abdicate personal responsibility for our lives as so many of us have done over the last forty to sixty years or longer. Sorry for such a gloomy post to come back with, but that's just the way it looks tonight. Maybe I can do better later.

Lack of Posting

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, but some life things intervened and whatever I have that resembles a muse just up and flew away for a while. I saw this at Tam's and had to share it. I hope to post more in the future. Update: Corrected Typo.

Gun Sales

According to Dave Hardy, Americans bought enough guns to outfit the Chinese and Indian armies, combined in the last three months of 2008. That should give the gun grabbers something to think about.

A Silly Link

Got this from Laura W. at Ace's . She didn't know how to embed it and neither do I, so here's the link. I got quite a laugh out of it.

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

From an online veteran's group I belong to:

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES
* Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting
someone else to hold them while you chop.

* Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet
seat by using the sink.

* A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will
prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after
you hit the snooze button.

* If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives;
then you'll be afraid to cough.

* You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If
it doesn't move and should, use the WD -40. If it
shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

* Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know
them.

* Finally: If you can't fix it with a hammer,
you've got an electrical problem.

Baghdad Bo

With all the flip flops and outright lies coming out of the Obama Administration, maybe we should start calling him Baghdad Bo.

The Video Cnn Doesn't Want You To See

CNN keeps trying to have this pulled, and it was suggested that if a bunch of bloggers embedded it, it would help make their efforts more difficult, so here goes:

Sorry For Lack Of Posting

I apologize for the lack of posting recently. I think its' a case of being made speechless, or wordless by events on the national government level. I've simply been appalled at what's happening. I'll try to gather my wits and begin commenting again on events and other things that catch my interest.

The Alamo

Robert at Blackfork is doing a series on the siege of the Alamo. He started it on Feb. 22, and it is called 13 Days To Glory. Go Read it. It started me to thinking about the Alamo.

I was born and raised in Texas and have heard about the Alamo for as long as I can remember. I knew who Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William Travis and the others were before Walt Disney told the whole world about Davy Crockett and the Alamo in the fifties.

I have read every book about it I could find, saw every movie and television program I heard of, and anything else I could find.

I grew up in Tyler, Texas, which is in east Texas and not very close to San Antonio by even Texas standards, was not able to be there until the late fall of 1966 when I was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base for basic training.

When it came time for our first pass to town late in our stay at basic, the first thing I did was find out how to get to the Alamo. When the bus stopped downtown that is the first place I went. That was more the forty years ago some of the memories are not what I would like, but I remember being shocked at how small the chapel, which is all some people know as the Alamo, was.

Some of the rest of the old church which became a fort are still there to be sure, but is the chapel which to me and many others has become the shrine. I remember being inside the chapel and reading the names of the men who died there listed on the wall and being in awe of their courage and selflessness and grateful for the time they bought for Sam Houston. Without their sacrifice Texas might not exist.

I have been back to San Antonio and the Alamo many times since and still am in awe and gratitude every time I enter that chapel. But nothing has ever come close to what I felt the first time that I stood on the very ground that that had been occupied for thirteen days by men who very great and very courageous indeed.

Don't Go To Mexico

Peter, reminds us once again that Mexico is becoming more and more dangerous and unstable by the day. Additional information is available from Peter here where he has links to additional information this growing problem. If you live anywhere near the Mexican border, you need to be concerned. I live about 450 miles from the border and I'm concerned, and I don't think I'm being overly cautious.

We do have an illegal drug traffic problem here and we also have a problems with illegal aliens, though few in government seem to want to deal with it. If local, state or federal government has any kind of plan to deal with the disaster that could result with the collapse of Mexico. I haven't heard even a rumor of it.

Also, to emphasize what Peter said if you have any plans to go to Mexico, don't. If you have friends or loved ones who plan to go to Mexico urge them not to go.

Update: Fixed typo.

Will They Ever Learn?

Just as I was about to reconsider my doubts about John Cornyn comes this from CNET News.

Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations.

And these are so-called Republicans, folks!

Scary

I don't know how many may have heard of the plans for the Iowa National Guard to conduct an exercise in an Iowa town searching private homes for "arms dealers", but Michael Bane, Ace and OPFOR have posts on it. This post at the Bane blog tells how the Iowa Guard has called off the planned exercise. OPFOR summarized my reaction this way:
NEVER LET ARMED AGENTS OF THE STATE SEARCH YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT A WARRANT-- FOR PRETEND OR FOR REAL. Never.

My Portion Of The Stimulus

wireless and broadband deployment grant programs

(including transfer of funds to Doc G. for the Doc G. Personal Economic Stimulus Program)

For necessary and unnecessary expenses related to the Wireless and Broadband Deployment Grant Programs established by section 6002 of division B of this Act, $2,825,000,000, of which $1,000,000,000 shall be for Wireless Deployment Grants and $1,825,000,000 shall be for Broadband Deployment Grants: Provided, That an additional $350,000,000 shall be paid directly to Doc G. in the form of subsidized loans that do not require repayment. Provided Further, That the funds be used by Doc G. to avoid economic catrastrophe and to be well armed for all eventualities or for whatever. Provided Even Further, That Doc G. will receive free Guy Clark tickets for life. Provided Even Further Still, That Doc G. shall be treated as a cabinet-level appointment for the purpose of income tax reporting, and therefore no taxes shall be paid on any of the aformentioned benefits. And one more thing: Arlen Specter is hereby expelled from Congress, effective immediately upon enactment.

Stimulus Chicago Style

I got this from an e-mail:


Stimulus Chicago Style



Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House. One
is from Chicago, another is from Tennessee, and the third is from Minnesota.
All three go with a White House official to examine the fence.



The Minnesota contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring,
then works some figures with a pencil. "Well," he says, "I figure the job
will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit
for me."



The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring and figuring, then says,
"I can do this job for $800: $350 for materials, $350 for my crew and $100
profit for me."



The Chicago contractor doesn't measure or figure, but leans over to the
White House official and whispers, "$2,800."



The official asks, "You didn't even measure like the other guys! How did you
come up with such a high figure?



The Chicago contractor whispers back, "$1000 for me, $1000 for you, and we
hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence."



"Done!" replies the White House official. And that is how the new stimulus
plan will work.

Globaliztion

I got this from one of my online groups.

Finally,
a definition of globalization that I can understand and to which I now can relate:

Question:
What is the truest definition of Globalization?

Answer:
Princess
Diana's
death.

Question:
How come?
Answer:
An
English princess
with an
Egyptian boyfriend

crashes
in a French tunnel,
driving a

German
car

with a
Dutch engine,

driven
by a Belgian

who was
drunk

on
Scottish whisky,

(check the bottle before you
change the spelling),

followed
closely by

Italian
Paparazzi,

on
Japanese motorcycles;

treated
by an American doctor,
using

Brazilian
medicines.

This is
sent to you by

an
American,

using
Bill Gates's technology,

and
you're probably reading
this on your computer,

that
uses Taiwanese chips,
and

a

Korean
monitor,

assembled
by

Bangladeshi
workers

in a
Singapore plant,

transported
by Indian

lorry-drivers,

hijacked
by Indonesians,

unloaded by
Sicilian longshoremen,

and
trucked to you by Mexican illegals....

.

.

.

.

.

That, my friends,
is Globalization!

Porkzilla Lives

As most of you probably know by now, the cloture motion on the stimulus bill passed the Senate this afternoon 61-36. The usual GOP turncoats voted for it (Collins, Snowe and Specter). One of my senators, Cornyn, who I was already having reservations about,
was not present to vote. I have sent his office an e-mail asking why, but I really don't
expect an answer, much less an acceptable one.

Michelle contacted his office and received the following reply:


“Sen. Cornyn was out of town for a prior commitment, but his position is clear - he opposes the stimulus and will vote against final passage.”


On the final passage his vote will not be critical as it was tonight because it will not require 60 vote to pass. So this answer is BS and unacceptable.

I had posted earlier about having buyer's remorse about him and must say I definitely have it now. He was just re-elected for a six year term, but I have a long memory and will work to defeat him when he runs again.

Why Not Kentucky?

According to Hot Air Mr. Obama is going Elkhart, Indiana to give his speech tonight on the stimulus bill. When I saw that, my first thought was "Why doesn't he go to Kentucky if he wants to go somewhere?" But that might make him uncomfortable.

Can Anyone Explain?

On Friday the closing price on West Texas Intermediate cruse oil was $40.17 per barrel. The price of a gallon of regular at three stations near where I live was $1.77 a gallon. This morning it had jumped to $1.85 a gallon. According to Bloomberg at 12:05 EST the price was $41.10 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate crude. Similar situations have been occurring for the last couple of weeks. Can anyone explain this to me. Have basic laws of economics been changed?
Update: Had to fix link.

More On The Stimulus Bill

I've been trying to form my thoughts on the "stimulus" bill, but then I found Kurt's post on things and decided I couldn't do any better. Go on over there and read it.

Extraordinary Flying

A few days ago Old NRO had a post on the F-4 Phantom II that got me to thinking. The F-4 was indeed a great aircraft and I don't mean to take anything from it, but the aircraft I most admire is the North American F-100D.

The F-100 was the first supersonic fighter aircraft in the U. S. inventory. It was used by the U. S. Air Force Demonstration Team,The Thunderbirds, from 1956 until 1969, when it was replaced by the F-4E. I was stationed at their home base, Nellis AFB, in 1967 and was able to see them frequently.

I was not a pilot but, in Vietnam, I was also able to see them in action up close. I was the intelligence troop for small group of Forward Air Controllers (FACs) and sometimes I flew with them in the Cessan O-1, a small single engine observation aircraft. Basically the FAC being low and slow, would mark a target with a white smoke rocket, and then direct the fighter strike aircraft where to put their ordnance.

On one particular occasion I saw the best precision flying I have ever seen. We were putting in an airstrike on what I was sure an enemy ammunition cache with a flight of two F-100Ds. They had expended almost all their ordnance and we had gotten no telltale secondary explosion that normally indicates that there is indeed an ammo cache.

The FAC and I discussed this for a moment and then I asked him if he could get one of the F-100s to make a pass with his 20mm air cannon about 10 meters around the outside of the building where we suspected the ammo cache to be. He switched to the fighters frequency on the radio and relayed this to the lead pilot of the F-100s.

The F-100D had four 20mm air cannon mounted in the nose, two on each side. So the next thing I knew, one of the F-100 was in a dive toward the target firing his air cannon. Because the target building was surrounded by rice paddies I could see the 20mm incendiary rounds splashing in the water around the building. The pilot was stitching a near perfect square around the building.

Now in order to do this he had to maneuver the nose of the aircraft with the rudder pedals while flying at a high rate of speed.

When he was just about all the way around the building one of the largest secondary explosions I have ever seen occurred. Then there were several more. We had indeed located an ammo cache and I was able to see some extraordinary flying.

Update: Fixed typo. I never see them until after I hit publish.

One Stop Shopping (Almost)

This is a marketing genius. All that's needed is guitars. Only in Texas. From Traction Control, via A Keyboard And A .45.

The House Does, Too

According to Michelle, the stimulus bill passed 244-188 with not one Republican vote. This means the Democrats own this one, which is as it should be. Good for the House Republicans. Update: fixed the link.

They Got One Right

Well, according to Redstate, John Cornyn (R_TX) at least voted against the confirmation of Eric Holder as Attorney General in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Tom Coburn (R-OK) joined him. They were the only two votes against confirmation. He will almost certainly be confirmed by the whole Senate, but it would still be helpful to urge your Senator to vote against confirmation.

The Other Side

Did you ever wonder what is on the other side of Mt. Rushmore?

Buyer's Remorse?

John Cornyn's vote to confirm Tim Geithner today is beginning to make me wonder why I voted for him. I've been hearing some negative things about his responsiveness, or lack thereof, to difficult or uncomfortable questions, too. I don't have any thing I can quote, but I trust what I've been hearing. Updated for punctuation.

One Cubic Cat

At Mostly Cajun, ...the volume of the box is one cubic cat.

Stimulus Plan

Got this from an online veteran's group I belong to.

YOUR ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLAN

This year, taxpayers will again receive an Economic Stimulus Payment. Here is an attempt to explain this plan using the Q & A format:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is for you to use the money to purchase a high-definition TV or a new computer, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China?
A. Shut up.

Just One, Please

According to Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, we don't have to worry about Caroline Kennedy being a senator for a while. Thank God for that at least. One Senator Kennedy is quite enough.

Update: Oops! Maybe not.

Udate 2: According to AP she's withdrawing.

Why I Am A Conservative

Brigid's post, which I linked in my post Saturday night and this post by Josh Painter at Redstate got me to thinking about why I am a conservative.

When I was in my teens, I was a conservative. In the 1964 election I was 18 and would have voted for Goldwater had I been 21.

I was in Vietnam in 1968 and felt I was too busy trying to stay alive to bother with absentee voting from overseas. It was a lot of trouble and I really didn't fully understand the importance of voting at the time.

When I got out of the Air Force and went back to college, I majored in Political Science and Sociology. I had misguided dreams of teaching at the time. I was naturally exposed to a lot of liberal social and political theory. I remained a fiscal and national defense conservative, but bought into the social liberal school of thought because "It felt good" to do something for the greater good. I must confess to or plead to being young and foolish. Now I'm just old and foolish, but I digress.

I wound up working for the Vetrans' Administration for 20 years and was able to do some good for some people. During this time, I voted democratic on a regular basis, but I never felt entirely comfortable.

I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 but almost immediately regretted it.

By 1996 I was ready to vote Republican. I realized Dole wasn't the best we could do, but as the saying goes, it was the only game in town.

Shortly after that, due to a life changing event that 's for another post, another time, I was able to do a great deal of self-examination and re-evaluation of some old ideas and assumptions and decide that, among other things, I am a conservative all around, fiscally, on national defense, and socially. I am also in favor of as small a government as possible in a nation of this size.

I was supportive of George Bush. I voted for him twice. I held my nose and voted for McCain. He isn't a conservative, at least not to my way of thinking, but I don't have any answers right now about what conservatives can do to make ourselves heard. I just hope we can survive the next few years.

The virtues cited by Brigid and Josh in their posts are ones I share, as I share the fears they both express. I do not claim to possess the virtues they discuss, but I do try to emulate them

But one other thing came to mind that has been on my mind frequently in the last few months. On October 30, 1966, at approximately 9:30 am, I took the following oath:

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Emphasis mine. I have never renounced it and to my knowledge have never been released from it.

Funky Music

Here's an interesting take on a J. J. Cale song, Anyway The Wind Blows, by Brother Phelps.

Update: Corrected typo.

Well Said, Ma'am

Brigid nails it, via Bill H. at Free In Idaho, on Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness. Well said, Ma'am.

Outrage

Based on what I've been able to see from Xavier and Blackfive, Marine Cpl. Melroy H. Cort really got a bad deal. The cop who arrested him, the D. A. who prosecuted him, and the judge who allowed the case to go to trial all showed terrible judgement.

Cpl. Cort, who was on his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for treatment, probably had some sort of military I. D. and orders or some sort of authorization to go to Walter Reed. He also had been told by his commanding officer to store the gun and ammunition at Walter Reed. In addition he also had a Concealed Carry License from Ohio. This should have been sufficient for the arresting officer to give him a warning.

The only thing that is not clear is that, according to The Washington Post, Cpl. Cort said there were twelve rounds of ammunition in his trunk which the police said were in the magazine of the gun. At least that's what I think the Post meant, they called it a "clip". Knowing the history of the D. C. police, I believe Cpl. Cort

Thankfully a jury showed some common sense and acquitted him of the felony charges. On the misdemeanor charge of possession od ammunition, he was sentenced to time served. He plans to appeal that.

The New Deal

Redstate has a round-up on the carbon footprint of the inauguration. Someone call Al Gore immediately. Michelle has a post on the most expensive inauguration in histroy. What a deal.

NRA Goes Wobbly

A few days ago, I received a letter soliciting my membership in the Nation Rifle Association. I was just about to send them a check when I read that the National Rifle Association has decided not to actively oppose the nomination of Eric Holder as Attorney General. Holder is well known as being hostile to the Second Amendment. They will send a letter of complaint, but there will be no active opposition to him.

They apparently want to save their "political capital"on "more important" battles down the road. I think preventing the nomination of an Attorney General who is hostile to the Second Amendment is pretty important, but that's just my opinion. It looks like some of the leadership of the NRA has been spending too much time inside the beltway and has suffered the loss of good sense that too often happens to those who do so.

Tonight I went to the NRA website to send an e-mail in protest, but they apparently don't have e-mail capability, or if they do, I couldn't find an address. Their NRA Grassroots Hotline is 1-800-392-8683, but I'm told it's only open from 8:30am-5:00pm. So I'll call them in the morning.

Also, I wouldn't hurt to contact your congress critters and let them know about your opposition to Holder's nomination.

Thanks to Redstate for the info. Also, according to them Gun Owners of America and will actively oppose Holder.

More Info

For other options on what to do about the problem mentioned in the previous post , Casto Creations has some information on what to do. Thanks and hat tip to Tam

But It's For The Children

This nonsense, from Redstate is enough to make your blood boil. This is something worth contacting you congresscritter about. Remember though, be polite, but be firm and let them know actions have consequences.

What Else Is Coming?

The withdrawal of Bill Richards from his nomination to Secretary of Commerce, in addition to the growing scandal in Illinois does not indicate an auspicious beginning for the Obama Administration. I think I'll stock up on popcorn. This is going to be fun to watch, if for no other reason than to see what happens next.