Ummm…. yeah. The context has been stripped from this, but it sounds like Mr. Sheriff Guy wants to jail anyone who’s not following the police story of events.
[youtube N4CT4boLPrU]
Dec 182012
Dec 152012
So, here we go again. A couple of nutjobs shoot a bunch of people and the political vultures come out:
Dem. lawmaker: To get gun control, Obama must ‘exploit’ shooting
New York Red. Jerrold Nadler (D:umbass) suggests that Obama should use this fantastic opportunity, brought on by a kid who *stole* guns in a state with some of the strictest anti-gun laws in the US, in order to further the civilian disarmament cause.
Of the many things I find curious about the two most recent mass shootings: at least from what I’ve seen so far, the media hasn’t been touting them as Tea Partiers, Right Wingers or other related Republican-related members, as they did with prior mass shooters. Is this because they learned their lesson? Or is it because the election season is over, and the next set of elections are too far away for the media to waste even more of their credibility in an effort to sway the electorate with fraudulent claims of political partisanship on the part of clearly apolitical whackos?
UPDATE: But Wait! There’s More!
Huckabee: Schools ‘A Place Of Carnage’ Because We ‘Systematically Removed God’
So on the one side we have leftist politicians who want to use this tragedy to cram more Government into our lives; and on the the other side we have rightist commentators who want to use this tragedy to cram more God into our schools.
Feh.
Dec 072012
Catcher in the Rye dropped from US school curriculum
OK, there are a few things here:
A new school curriculum which will affect 46 out of 50 states will make it compulsory for at least 70 per cent of books studied to be non-fiction, in an effort to ready pupils for the workplace.
So far, so… well, good, probably. The libraries of the world are *filled* with non-fiction books that would be good for kids to read. Any of a number of histories of the founding of the US, for example. “The Black Book of Communism.” “The Starflight Handbook.” Hell, “The Effects of Nuclear Weapons.” But what is suggested?
Suggested non-fiction texts include Recommended Levels of Insulation by the the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Invasive Plant Inventory, by California’s Invasive Plant Council.
Ugh.
More than two years ago I expounded on the general topic of schools forcing kids to read dreadful fiction that will turn them off reading forever. Well, just as you can ruin a kids urge to read by forcing “Oliver Twist” or “Hamlet” of “The Great Gatsby,” I suspect tomes on insulation regulations and invasive plants will accomplish much the same goals.
And this is apparently going to be spread pretty much nationwide. Feh.
When I read the Telegraph article, at first I thought it was satire. Let’s hope that it’s actually just bad reporting.
—
Dec 062012
From the Senator Donne E Trotter Biography:
Senator Trotter ushered in Illinois’ first comprehensive law banning assault weapons.
From the Donne Trotter Wikipedia page:
Senator Trotter is an vocal advocate of gun control laws having cosponsored 31 bills on the issue.
Trotter on a 1995 effort in Illinois to introduce the right to carry concealed firearms:
There’s a lot of individuals out here who do look at this as an opportunity to be that vigilante, to be that support person to the police officer who isn’t there, which is one of the things we addressed just yesterday when we voted for– for — in arming and also in empowering part-time police officers. What you’re doing here just basically creating part-time police officers who have not gone through the extensive training, who have not had the psychological evaluations, who will be getting out there who feel now that they’re–they are stronger, they are badder, they are tougher because they have this nine-shooter on their hip.
And from todays news:
State senator had gun in garment bag at O’Hare, police say
He had a .25 caliber Beretta and ammo in his carryon. Did he have a good excuse for this? Yes. *He* needed the gun for protection, and simply forgot it was there. Why did he need the protection? Because he works as a security guard for Allpoints Security and Detective Inc. You know… a “part-time police officer.” He’s currently earning 84 grand a year in his role as part-time state senator.
You will, I’m sure, be shocked and amazed to read that this corrupt Illinois politician is a Democrat. But then there’s also this from 2000:
“Barack is viewed in part to be the white man in blackface in our community,” says Donne Trotter, who detests Obama. “You just have to look at his supporters. Who pushed him to get where he is so fast? It’s these individuals in Hyde Park, who don’t always have the best interests of the community in mind.” … On the way there, he was asked whether he and his wife would move to Washington if he wins, as Obama would do.
“Aw, heck no!” he exploded. “That’d be suicide. You serving these people. How you gonna know what they need?”
So I have a few doubts about Eric Holder riding to Trotters rescue.
Nov 222012
Some lessons apparently need to keep being learned, over and over. So, once again, the story of Thanksgiving:
The Plymouth colony was originally set up to be a Christian commune. As governor Bradford related in “Of Plimoth
Plantation:”
1. The adventurers & planters doe agree, that every person
that goeth being aged 16. years & upward, be rated at 10li.,
and ten pounds to be accounted a single share.
2. That he that goeth in person, and furnisheth him selfe
out with 10li. either in money or other provissions, be accounted
as haveing 20li. in stock, and in ye devission shall receive a
double share.
3. The persons transported & ye adventurers shall continue
their joynt stock & partnership togeather, ye space of 7. years,
(excepte some unexpected impedimente doe cause ye whole
company to agree otherwise,) during which time, all profits &
benifits that are gott by trade, traffick, trucking, working, fish-
ing, or any other means of any person or persons, remaine still
in ye comone stock untill ye division.
4. That at their coming ther, they chose out such a number
of fitt persons, as may furnish their ships and boats for fishing
upon ye sea; imploying the rest in their severall faculties upon
ye land; as building houses, tilling, and planting ye ground,
& makeing shuch comodities as shall be most use full for ye
collonie.
5. That at ye end of ye 7. years, ye capitall & profits, viz.
the houses, lands, goods and chatles, be equally devided be-
twixte ye adventurers, and planters; wch done, every man
shall be free from other of them of any debt or detrimente
concerning this adventure.
[29] 6. Whosoever cometh to ye colonie herafter, or putteth
any into ye stock, shall at the ende of ye 7. years be alowed
proportionably to ye time of his so doing.
7. He that shall carie his wife & children, or servants, shall
be alowed for everie person now aged 16. years & upward, a
single share in ye devision, or if he provid them necessaries,
a duble share, or if they be between 10. year old and 16., then
2. of them to be reconed for a person, both in trasportation
and devision.
8. That such children as now goe, & are under ye age of
ten years, have noe other shar in ye devi~ion, but 50. acers of
unmanured land.
9. That such persons as die before ye 7. years be expired,
their executors to have their parte or shaff at ye devision, pro-
portionably to ye time of their life in ye collonie.
10. That all such persons as are of this collonie, are to have
their meate, drink, apparell, and all provissions out of ye comon
stock & goods of ye said collonie.
In short, the land was to be worked communally, and the produce distributed equally. Two centuries before Marx, this was nevertheless a perfectly valid description of “communism.”
How’d it turn out? Well… in 1623, Bradford wrote this:
The experience that was had in this comone course
and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst
godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of
that conceite of Platos & other ancients, applauded
by some of later times; that ye taking away of
propertie, and bringing in comunitie into a comone
wealth, would make them happy and florishing; as if
they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so
farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion &
discontent, and retard much imploymet that would
have been to their beneflte and comforte. For ye
yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour &
service did repine that they should spend their time
& streingth to worke for other mens wives and chil-
dren, with out any recompence. The strong, or man
of parts, had no more in devission of victails & cloaths,
then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter
ye other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged
and graver men to be ranked and [97] equalised in
labours, and victails, cloaths, &c., with ye meaner &
yonger sorte, thought it some indignite & disrespect
unto them. And for mens wives to be commanded to
doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, wash-
ing their cloaths, &c., they deemd it a kind of slaverie,
neither could many husbands well brooke it. Upon ye
poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike,
they thought them selves in ye like condition, and one
as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those
relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did
at least much diminish and take of ye mutuall respects
that should be preserved amongst them. And would
have bene worse if they had been men of another
condition. Let none objecte this is men’s corruption,
and nothing to ye course it selfe. I answer, seeing all
men have this corruption in them, God in his wis-
dome saw another course fiter for them.
In the end, it was found that communism bred not plenty, but famine. If you get your share whether you bust your ass in the fields, or just laze about all day, pretty soon people are going to realize that they are being played for chumps if they actually go and bust their asses in the fields all day. And the result of that will be a massive drop in productivity; and in a razors-edge colony on the far end of the map, this is a recipe for disaster.
As a result, the colony rethought its communist ideology:
All this whille no supply was heard of, neither knew
they when they might expecte any. So they begane
to thinke how they might raise as much corne as they
could, and obtaine a beter crope then they had done,
that they might not still thus languish in miserie. At
length, after much debate of things, the Govr (with
ye advise of ye cheefest amongest them) gave way that
they should set corne every man for his owne per-
ticuler, and in that regard trust to them selves; in all
other things to goe on in ye generall way as before.
And so assigned to every family a parcell of land,
according to the proportion of their number for that
end, only for present use (but made no devission for
inheritance), and ranged all boys & youth under some
familie. This had very good success; for it made all
hands very industrious, so as much more corne was
planted then other waise would have bene by any
means ye Govr or any other could use, and saved him
a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente.
The women now wente willingly into ye feild, and
tooke their litle-ons with them to set corne, which
before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to
have compelled would have bene thought great tiranie
and oppression.
The result here was that going from collectivism to private ownership resulted in a massive increase in productivity, and the end of the famine. With the assitance of the Indians in matters agricultural, the coloney went froma dying group of starving commies, to a prosperous group of feasting private property owners. If you’re of a mind to believe in God, then the deliverance from Communism is certainly something to be thankful for. The Pilgrims lucked out… a more typical story would have the totalitarian government maintaining the communist ideology until complete disaster struck. But the colony was too thinly populated for a Pilgrim-KGB to maintain order through force.
Nov 222012
More importantly, white New Zealanders are a distinctly different racial group from white Australians. Who knew?
Guilty of racism, the woman who called a Kiwi a fat Aussie
Calling someone Australian ruled by a court as a racist insult after a neighbour mistakenly abused New Zealander during drunken row.
The woman in question comes off as a real piece of work. But come on… “Australian” is a racial insult? I can only imagine what these people would’ve thought when during my college days, I called a Scotish student “an Englishman in a skirt.”
Nov 202012
I seem to recall that it used to be that if you wanted to immigrate into the US, you had to demonstrate that you wouldn’t be a *burden* to the US. Well, forget that.
Welcome to USA.gov: GOVERNMENT BENEFITS
Depending on your immigration status, length of time in the United States, and income, you may be eligible for some federal benefit programs. Government assistance programs can be critically important to the well-being of some immigrants and their families. Frequently, however, there is a lack of information about how to access such benefits. Benefit programs can be complicated and you may be given misleading information about how they operate.
The links below will lead you to official government websites describing a range of assistance programs.
Gah.
So… anybody care to explain to me why we’re bringing in people that need welfare right off the bat? What, are we running short on poor people as it is?
Nov 192012
A harbor for Akutan, but no road to it
The US Army Corps of Engineers built a $29 million harbor two miles from the Innuit town of Akutan (year-round population: 75) but didn’t build a road between the two. That’s ok, because:
Air service to Alaskan island ends despite new $75.5 million airport
The airport for Akutan was built six miles away on another island (Akun). Granted, the people can’t use the harbor to access the airport, since they can’t get to the harbor… but they can take the 2007-vintage “Suna X” hovercraft from Akutan to Akun. Except for the fact that the British hovercraft is broke down most of the time. Mail service used to come in via a Grumman Goose amphibian… but when the old harbor at Akutan was modified to accommodate the hovercraft, the Goose could no longer run up the ramp there. So Akutan has a shiny new airport that they can’t actually get to most of the time.
Awesome.
Keep in mind: the same types of bureaucrats making these infrastructure decisions will be making your health care decisions.
Nov 042012
After homecoming, USS Enterprise to sail off to history’s scrap heap
Process:
1) Sail the nuclear powered carrier Enterprise to Norfolk, VA
2) Remove nuclear fuel; ship to Idaho.
3) Strip equipment from Enterprise.
4) Tow the now unpowered ship around Cape Horn to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington
5) Remove nuclear reactors
6) Cut ship into scrap
7) Sell to China (probably)
There’s lots about this story to dislike, such as yanking the fuel out in Virgina then towing the hulk around South America to Washington… why not just sail it to Washington and skip some steps?? But worst is the act of scrapping such a historic vessel. It would make a massive and magnificent museum… I believe it would make a damned fine addition to Muscatine, Iowa (the nearest city on the Mississippi river to Riverside, Iowa… figure it out). Or give it a dignified death and sink it somewhere to serve as a dive site/coral reef. Or give it a *really* dignified death, and use it as target practice for a nuclear-tipped anti-ship missile. But chopping it up in to razor blades and cheap Chinese cars? Weeeeeeeeaaaaak.
Of course, there is another option, one the Enterprise should long ago have been used for:
And a final option: attach four ridiculously large lift fans to it and turn it into a flying aircraft carrier. Ridiculous? yes. Doomed to fail because physics does not support such a concept? Yes. A better use of taxpayer dollars than most of the bullcrap the US FedGuv does? YES.
Nov 032012
Don’t bother sending NYC assistance. They don’t need it, and what’s more, they don’t want it. Behold:
Davisburg trucker turned away in NYC after hauling power transformers
Mike James, an independent trucker, said he and three other truckers … slept in their trucks before attempting to deliver the 144 transformers to emergency workers.
When they arrived Wednesday, they were turned away by Con Edison employees because they were not union workers.
And:
Bloomberg: The National Guard in Coney is a bad idea
“We don’t need it,” Mayor Bloomberg said [regarding the National Guard coming in to provide security] “The NYPD is the only people we want on the street with guns.”
So if NYC doesn’t need electrical transformers or help providing security on the streets, then that sounds to me like their problems are pretty well solved. Certainly they don’t need any assistance (and definitely not dollars) from FEMA. And of course, that makes reports like the one below pure unadulterated fiction: