Twit in Chief

Why is President Barack Obama twittering? More specifically, why is President Obama twittering the following message on the Monday following the exposure of his administration as first responder hacks in the face of a libtard's bread and butter issue of environmental rape and slaughter and the attempted car bombing of Times Square by a "middle-aged white guy" and the riotous anti-anti-illegal immigration demonstrations spurred in part by the President's own fear of his daughter's unfinished ice cream cones melting in the curb where her father lays beaten and bloody after being "harrassed" by Arizona law enforcement:

At 4:30 p.m. ET, join David Plouffe for a strategy session on #OFA's plan for 2010 and how you can get involved. http://j.mp/9vqMAt

This is the President of the United States tweeting this!

Let's say it again: the President of the United States!

His picture is next to the tweet. Tweeting about Organizing for America, a non-Executive Branch, private sector organization, albeit the successor organization to Obama's campaign, the one through which the president can permanently campaign on all his little diabolical programs to change the country.

Still, he's President now. And what's he tweeting? A reminder about a call-in strategy session, conducted by David Plouffe, now a public servant in the employ of the Executive Office of the President, for Democrats on how in November not to end up zipped up in a full body leather outfit and mask with an S&M ball shoved in their maw and chain around their neck tied to a rusting old radiator in a basement of an abandoned house in Detroit.

That tweet goes into the great big bin of official presidential communications.

Unlike all of President George Bush's tweets about Halliburton's contracting strategy, there are no madeup words or mispellings, so we have to give Obama some props on that.

Still, who is this guy? Some kind of community organizer?

SBD is heartened by the fact that the President of the United States has to tweet his tweeps about a strategy session to stave off the November implosion. The loyal opposition is doing something right. But how weak is this man in his understanding of his responsibility to this nation that he sends out that tweet. That it's on his schedule to send that out. Even that it's on his flack's schedule to send that out under his name.

There is no dignity left in the office nor sense of decorum nor sense of the appropriate when the President feels this level of comfort in sending out reminders about his own personal independent fund raising organization.

As Americans, we strive to respect the Office of the President, to instill in our children the same respect, even when we disagree with the man occupying the office, but it's very, very hard these days.

To wit, what a punk.

LATER THAT DAY . . .:

Well, I guess the first message wasn't enough for the Twit in Chief's tweeps.

You stay focused, Mr. President!

The Next Crisis

The Deepwater Horizon was - and is - the future of deep water drilling. It was an ultra-deepwater dynamic position semi-submersible oil rig. Deep water drilling is the future of hydrocarbon exploitation.

Here is a picture of a similar ultra-deepwater rig - the Deepwater Nautilus under dry tow:

These mammoth ships are the equivalent of the Saturn Vs, Space Shuttles and International Space Station. Designed to work under extreme and uncertain conditions and requiring the highest levels of engineering and brawn to make them successful. These things require the purest combinaiton of American white collar and blue collar skill. It is damned dangerous work. It always has been and it always will be no matter how many rules and regulations you write or procedures you put in place.

Here are the type of rigs is use today:



But what they do is not new; where they do it, in the deep waters of the Gulf, is.

Seventy-seven years of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1933, the first well drilled on state offshore lands was drilled at Creole, LA, approximately, 3,000 ft. off the beach in 12 ft. of water.

In 1947 Kerr McGhee drilled the first well out of sight of land in Ship Shoal Block 52.

In 2001, BP and Exxon announced the largest deepwater oil discovery to date in the Gulf of Mexico, located in 5,640 ft. of water, called Thunder Horse.

In 2002, Marathon and TotalFinaElf marked another milestone for deepwater operations by successfully installing a natural gas pipeline tie in 7,209 ft. of water.

Within the span of these milestones, approximately 4,000 oil platforms and drilling rigs have been erected.

Seventy-seven years. Here's a schematic of the total rigs under operation:



It is unreasonable and simply stupid to be surprised that such endeavors can be subject to total failure and destruction. You'd think that Deepwater Horizon was the first rig attempting to tap into the Earth, only to be snapped in half and pulled into her remorseless blue maw.

A tragic accident, human stupidity, a work of Fate, the manifestation of some enviro-terrorist plot, annular gas migration through the cement sheath, the fruition of an Al Quds in Venezuela training exercise.

As they say, who the fuck knows?

Many, many could bes and now we are told that until we understand what it could be, it must stop. Man must stop. Industry must stop. The rigs anchored up the rivers. The permits cancelled. The roustabouts, the toolpushers, the roughnecks, the mudengineers, the derrickhands, and the engineers are to be laid off, fired, or not hired. Hands must be wrung. Souls searched. Tears shed. Lobbyists deployed. Speeches written. Subpoenas issued. Accusations hurled. Suits filed.

Empty caskets buried.

11 empty caskets. Men lost in the conflagration. Their bodies consumed by fire and water.

Jason Anderson - Toolpusher

Dewey Revette - Driller

Donald Clark - Asst. Driller

Stephen Curtis - Asst. Driller

Dale Burkeen - Crane Operator

Roy Kemp - Derrickhand

Karl Kleppinger - Floorhand

Shane Roshto - Floorhand

Adam Weise - Floorhand

Gordon Jones - Mud Engineer

Blair Manuel - Chemical Engineer

Rest in peace.

Let's remember, too, that 115 people made it off that rig. Most of them will recover and they'll head back out onto some rig and face the same catastrophic risk again.

There have been many accidents, much loss of life, defilement of the environment. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed 109 oil platforms and 5 drilling rigs.

According to one report, workers in pursuit of oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico have been dying in accidents at the rate of one every 45 days since the mid-1990s.

And what is President Obama’s reaction?

New exploration and drilling must stop.

Really? For how long?

A transparently political reaction allowing him to avoid meeting his half-assed policy of opening new offshore areas to drilling. If he was truly concerned, he’d call for a moratorium and shutting down of all drilling in the Gulf. The accident has nothing to do with new drilling or exploration. It was a drilling accident, involving existing drilling techniques failing under human action or Earthly force, presumably being put into practice on any other one of those 4,000 platforms glowing yellow on that map above. So the President's initial reaction is like all his other reactions - turn a one time event into a crisis of indeterminate length.

Of course the disaster requires the best forensic response and the cleanup, but a moratorium on new drilling and exploration is irrelevant to the accident. Given the outcomes of all the other crises this country has been through the past two years, it would not be surprising to the complete federal takeover of the oil drilling industry.

The girls running the administration's departments of concern are “frightened.”

"It is of grave concern," David Kennedy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told The Associated Press. "I am frightened. This is a very, very big thing. And the efforts that are going to be required to do anything about it, especially if it continues on, are just mind-boggling."

Then get the fuck out of the way, Mr. Kennedy. Frightened and mind boggled. Really?

And of course Mother Nature’s priests are creaming their pants over the thought of broad scale destruction of the Louisiana coast.

"It’s quite possible this will end up being worse than the Valdez in terms of environmental impact since it seems like BP will be unable to cap the spill for months. In terms of total quantity of oil released, it seems this will probably fall short of Exxon Valdez. But because of the habitat, the environmental impact will be worse," John Hocevar, oceans campaign director for Greenpeace USA, told MSNBC Thursday.

Or this:

"There are grave environmental concerns which this horrific spill has highlighted," said Bob Deans, spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which opposed the policy. "We need a time out on any action to go forward with new offshore drilling because this has obviously raised a bunch of questions. We need a full comprehensive independent investigation."

Hopefully, it will take years to complete the investigation, Mr. Deans thought but didn’t say. Better get moving on those fund raising letters and multi-million dollar ad campaigns excoriating Big Oil and Fat America.

In the world SBD inhabits, the President would stand before the country and announce that 11 good men lost their lives on that platform; 115 others survived because of their training and the hard effort of local fisherman and the USCG; they worked at the forefront of entrepreneurialism and technological prowess to feed our nation's future; their industry is of national strategic importance; and their sacrifice will not be sacrificed to hand wringing, political hackery and bureaucratic immobilization at the hands of the enviro-religious. But we don't have that President. And we don't live in that fantasy world.

There and Back Again

From WSJ's Jim Taranto's Best of the Web Today:

"Even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us--the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of 'anything goes.' Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America--there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America--there's the United States of America."--state senator Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2004

"In the video message to his supporters, [President] Obama said his administration's success depends on the outcome of this fall's elections and warned that if Republicans regain control of Congress, they could 'undo all that we have accomplished.' 'This year, the stakes are higher than ever,' he said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Democratic officials. 'It will be up to each of you to make sure that young people, African Americans, Latinos and women who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again. . . .' "--Washington Post, April 26, 2010

And let's not forget this from March 2008:

Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

[...]

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. . . .

[...]

Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children.

Life's Last Acts

Lt. Miroslav "Steven" Zilberman:

The plane had blown an engine over the northern Arabian Sea, and the lead pilot, Lt. Miroslav "Steven" Zilberman, had to make lightning-quick decisions.

The E-2C Hawkeye, returning from a mission in Afghanistan, was a few miles out from the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier. Zilberman, 31, was a veteran U.S. Navy pilot who had flown many times in the Middle East with the Hawkeye, a turbo-prop aircraft loaded with radar equipment.

The starboard propeller shut down, causing the plane to become unstable and plunge. Zilberman ordered his three crew mates, including the co-pilot, to bail. He manually held the plane as steady as possible so they could jump.

"He held the plane level for them to do so, despite nearly uncontrollable forces. His three crewmen are alive today because of his actions," Navy Rear Adm. Philip S. Davidson wrote to Zilberman's parents.

Zilberman went down with the aircraft on March 31. The 1997 graduate of Bexley High School was declared dead three days later, his body lost at sea.

Rest In Peace.

The Crisis of the Unfettered Internet

A lose-lose-gamble:

In sum, the FCC deeming broadband to be regulated would be:

•Unnecessary, unwarranted, unjustified, and unauthorized;
•A long-shot bet-the-farm gamble that the FCC would very likely lose in court;
•A lose-lose dynamic with little upside and massive downside; and
•The height of regulatory hubris and irresponsibility.

Read the whole thing as they say.

Friday

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Sydney's posterous

Defiling Mother Earth in Style . . .

The Boomer 8N Tractor

One more reason to buy land . . .

This Day A Certain Number of Years Ago

In hindsight, it was not so wise to pick Earth Day as the day to get married. This day for always will be spent wracked in guilt ridden anxiety.

Why?

For to celebrate the anniversary, Gaia's gentle petals, her most translucent little belly hairs, must be pucked from her skin, bound mercilessly together into unnatural combinations of colors soothing only to selfish human eyes, and then propped in those standup coffins some call vases.

All for the vanity of ones wife!!!!!!

And let us not speak of the trees felled to produce a saccharine card that in ten toxic lines of ink conveys a smorgasbord of feelings that the human male is simply incapable of actually feeling.

And all for the vanity of one's wife!!!!!!!

And we must spare the words with respect to the 20 or so ounces of hoofed flesh that will be slathered in fatty renderings and peppercorns housing the Earth's pheromones, seered with fire produced by the forcible extraction of Gaia's sacred liquids, and served in an extra slatering of fatty renderings upon a table of wood hewn from virgin forests in Kuala Lumpur.

And all for the vanity of one's wife!!!!!

You know what?

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FUCK THE EARTH!







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All Your iPads They Belong to Us

Department of Defense admits its acquisition process wastes taxpayer dollars, adds years to the development of useful gear, and lags in adopting innovative technologies. Its answer?

In a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency solicitation notice, we find out that the answer is ipads and Apple apps.

In today's military, handheld systems are characterized by a tight integration of specialized hardware with a narrowly focused software suite. Most of the handheld devices are heavily optimized for a particular task and are ill-suited for general-purpose use. A soldier's radio, for example, has very limited data capability and essentially no multimedia capability. Current language translation devices support neither messaging nor collaboration of any form. This inflexibility in function is further exacerbated by the military's own acquisition process, a process that can take years to complete and involves an unwieldy linear process of formal requirements definition, technology development, and system certification. The current process adds considerable costs and introduces schedule delays to the deployment of new, cutting-edge technologies. Furthermore, there is a real risk that these very technologies will be obsolete by the time they are in the warfighter's hands.

Phew! It's about time they told us the truth.

A transformation in technical approaches and business processes is called for. DARPA seeks to overcome current limitations and give our military ready access to the leading edge capabilities.As envisioned by DARPA, this transformation will:

• Result in the rapid development of applications and system enhancements that keep up with the fluid demands of warfighter on the ever-changing battlefield;

• Demonstrate both affordability and scalability that enable pervasive use, targeted especially among the end-users at lower levels in the military echelon;

• Encourage and support open competition among a broad set of suppliers in the military applications development process; and

• Support new business models and streamlined processes to incentivize a broad community of suppliers.

The primary purpose of this RFI is to discover sources of commercial and non-commercial apps with potential relevance to the military specifically the national security community more generally. These apps may be used in situations such as the tactical battlefield, for humanitarian assistance, and in disaster recovery efforts. DARPA's initial interest will focus on apps developed on the iPhone or Android platforms that can be used today with little or no additional research and development expenses. Application providers may already have offerings in the commercial marketplace that could be adapted to meet these needs.

In order to meet this objective, DARPA extends an invitation to the developers of currently existing apps encouraging them to submit a whitepaper about their product offerings.

We must have been dreaming . . .

Something's missing from today's WaPo. Gay story? Check. Enviornmental disaster? Check. Sports? Check. Treason? Check. What is it? What is missing? I heard so much about a big event, nay, big events all over the country. Something related to tax day. Gosh, I guess I was dreaming it. If it ain't in the Post, then it didn't happen.

"Assembled in China"

The iPad Lesson for China Trade:

The imported cost of the basic iPads, maybe US$250, will show up as another part of the U.S. "trade gap" with China that needs to be "rebalanced." In reality, as little as 5% of the import price is value added at assembly in China. The real content of an iPad, reports The Wall Street Journal, comes from South Korea's Samsung, Japan's Toshiba, Broadcom in the United States and (for batteries) Amperex Technology, a Hong Kong company owned by TDK in Japan. The touchscreen, processors, wireless gear and a score of other elements are created and manufactured around the world.

[...]

A study by iSuppli Corp. estimated the total parts and manufacturing cost of the mid-range iPad with 32GB and 3G capability at $287, but all of that is parts cost. The final "assembled in China" portion amounted to $11.20.

[...]

With so little of an iPad actually Chinese, iPad imports into the United States become important misleading indicators of the alleged underlying trade imbalance. The import data on a mid-range iPad will raise the U.S. trade gap with China by $287--even though China's role isn't worth more than $12.

[...]

The biggest beneficiary of the system is Apple, which analysts estimate could retain a gross profit of more than $200 per iPad. So here's the issue: The United States is launching a major trade and currency offensive against China which, in the iPad case, amounts to attempting to punish China for trade transactions that are a huge benefit to U.S. companies, investors and consumers.

In raw theory, if China were to revalue it's [sic] currency and raise the yuan by 20%, then the dollar value of an imported iPad would rise 20% from $287 to $344, thereby raising the price of an iPad in [sic] further increasing the trade deficit. But theory is unlikely to apply here, since the deep international Apple supply chain suggests that actual U.S. price of an iPad may not change at all. It would certainly not make sence [sic] for Apple to raise the import price of iPads by $57 to account for a currency shift when the actual yuan value added to an iPad is less than $12.

The iPad demonstrates that trade data are grossly inadequate as indicators of global trade realities. Products, resources, components, design and innovation are now global in nature while trade data are antiquated remnants of national data collections systems. Those systems essentially date from a century ago, when products were actually made in one country and shipped to another. Attempts to manipulate and rebalance global trade flows among countries through currency and other policies are deeply flawed and doomed to fail.

Easter Brunch

Sent from my iPhone

Posted via email from Sydney's posterous

Who'll Stand Up for The American Other?

Re those Hutarree militia nutjobs, Instapundit takes hammer to head of nail:

[Christian apocolyptic warriors in the woods has] never been much of a theme here at InstaPundit, but with Balloon Juice looking out for their procedural rights, I’m sure those militiamen will be okay. And I’m sure top lawyers from top law firms on Wall Street and K street will be lining up to provide the Huttaree militia with a pro bono defense, too.

What Are They Thinking?

Here’s what their elected representatives think:

Senator Max Baucus 3/25/2010:

Too often, much of late, the last couple three years the mal-distribution of income in America is gone up way too much, the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind. Wages have not kept up with increased income of the highest income in America. This legislation will have the effect of addressing that mal-distribution of income in America.

Senator Dick Durbin:

Yes, if you’re making over $200,000 a year, you’re going to pay slightly more in taxes. It’s the cost, I think, of having the kind of America we want to have.

Congressman John Dingell:

Let me remind you this has been going on for years. We are bringing it to a halt. The harsh fact of the matter is when you’re going to pass legislation that will cover 300 American people in different ways it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.

Here’s what their moral arbiters think:

Al Sharpton – Presidential Emissary to the Black Community:

REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: I think that this is — began to transform the country the way the president had promised. This is what he ran on.

GERALDO RIVERA, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Some argue to socialism.

SHARPTON: Well, first of all, then we'd have to say that the American public overwhelmingly voted for socialism when they elected President Obama.

Here’s what their talk radio hosts think:

Ed Schultz:

SCHULTZ (30:58, initially responding to caller claiming "virtual war" between Dems and GOP): It is a cultural war that's taking place in America, you're exactly right. And it's being played out over the airwaves of America. And I hope the Democrats now turn to the Fairness Doctrine.It's time now for the Democrats to consider the Fairness Doctrine when you've got Rush Limbaugh out there saying, it's, we've got to defeat these bastards. He is now openly admitting that he is going to work against and campaign against the Republican, against the Democratic Party and campaign against Obama, and he is motivating people with the microphone and he's electioneering. Keep on talking, Rushsky! Hell, maybe I'll get on 600 stations too, or how many you own or whatever.

The fact is, look, it's not a level playing field when it comes to the audio culture of the country. Ownership has its privileges. When you own, I will be honest, if I owned 500 stations, the drugster wouldn't be on any of 'em. And that's just where it's at right now. But maybe we have reached the point where the Congress needs to equal it out. Equal out the audience.

SCHULTZ (32:51): Just keep in mind, there aren't any poor people with microphones.

SCHULTZ (33:56): And so, I think that, you know, hell, if we're going to be socialist, let's be socialist all across the board.

Here's what their celebrities think:

Jim Carrey:

Every construct we’ve built in American life is falling apart. Why? Because of personal greed and ambition. Capitalism without regulation can’t protect us against personal greed.. .

Gosh, then, what are we – the American people - to think?

Well, now we agree about something . . .

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Go For It!!!!!!!!!

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" . . . not contemplated by its creators."

James Madison:

“With respect to the two words ‘general welfare,’ [in Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution] I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators.”

Orange You Afraid!?

Shutter your windows and bar the doors!

Right wingers are on the march!

From Homeland Security Today:

New Vigilance Needed in Wake of Healthcare Vote
by David Silverberg
Monday, 22 March 2010

Violent domestic extremism poses a real threat. In the wake of the divisive 219-212 House vote passing healthcare reform, authorities need to heighten vigilance against extremist violence against government facilities.

The year-long healthcare debate was emotional and divisive and while the vote may have resolved the issue legislatively the passions it aroused are unlikely to die down soon.

In such an atmosphere extremist violence is a real possibility, particularly directed against government installations or symbols of government authority. Coming on top of a census process that has also been infused with extremist charges, homeland security officials at all levels of government should be especially vigilant against
potential attacks from domestic sources.

Domestic extremist terrorism has long been on the homeland security radar. In 2009 a report by the Office of Intelligence & Analysis in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), titled, Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment noted that while there were no specific plots under way, "rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues." These included the election of the first African-American president and the economic downturn. It also reported that extremists were recruiting returning Iraqi war veterans. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano later disavowed the report as having been released prematurely without proper vetting.

More recently, on March 2 the Southern Poverty Law Center released its own report, Rage on the Right , reporting that "The radical right caught fire last year, as broad-based populist anger at political, demographic and economic changes in America ignited an explosion of new extremist groups and activism across the nation." According to this report, 363 new "Patriot" groups formed in 2009, with 127 of them being militias and the formation of 136 new anti-immigrant groups.

As though to underscore the volatility of the current situation, yesterday, as the House of Representatives voted on healthcare reform legislation, tens of thousands of demonstrators descended on Washington to demand comprehensive immigration reform, an issue that may prove even more passionate and divisive than healthcare.

While debate is always healthy, violent extremism is not. The use of the color-coded terror alert system has fallen out of favor with the Obama administration, but any casual observer can see that the current situation calls for at least an orange level of alertness.

That's right, we shouldn't raise the alert level to Code Orange because judges are releasing hardened terrorists from custody and the Attorney General wants to try in civil courts here in the United States the ones who aren't released and our border is a collander with a single hole three states wide, but we should do it because a large majority of the country expresses a consistent and growing opposition to the federal government assuming control over 1/6th of the U.S. economy and hiring 16,000 IRS agents to enforce the new powers of the State against its citizens and because those citizens presented themselves in body and spirit and with the most corny of handmade signs outside the house of our constitutional republic to let their representatives know they were opposed.

And the authorities we will site for indicting 65% of the American people and for the federal government ramping up to a hightened risk posture against its own citizens are, first, a discredited DHS report on so-called Right Wing Extremism, expected to increase with an influx of discharged U.S. warriors who apprarently are under the influence of some blood lust not satiated on the immoral battlefields of American imperialism and, second, a discredited report from the hyper-partisan and derelict-from-its-original-mission SPLC that notes the formation of - gasp! - Patriot groups (which curiously may or may not include leftwing 9/11 truther squads) and "anti-immigrant groups," (scare quotes back at ya!) which may actually be anti-illegal alien groups (you know, those pesky rule of law types). Oh, and the racists. Don't forget the innate truth of America which is that most Americans are racists and cowards for not admitting it and are one caffeine buzz away from donning all black outfits and tossing bottles-and-cans-only trash bins through the windows of cop cars.

In any event and regardless of who is in these various groups and their actual numbers of members, a certain segment of our elite believes anyone who protests Hope and Change is suspect and needs active surveillance.

Now that causes SBD to raise his own threat level to Orange.

Repeal

Now we truly have something that is really "all about the children."

Repeal will not take place until we defeat these bastards, crush them during elections, and chase them out of town. This has to happen before they can construct the bureacracy that keeps them in power even when they are on the outs from election cycles.

Now is the time for hard and true idealogues.

No compromise.

No quarter.

No middle.

Freedom demands it.

Sunday of Shame

Cultured

The March cheeses have arrived.

The Roaring 40's Blue from King Island, located south of Melbourne at the Western end of Bass Strait. All of that is in Australia. Named both for the treacherous westerly winds that blow directly down 40 degrees S Longitude between King Island and the Australian mainland and the treacherous wind you'll be passing upon consumption of this honeyed, slightly nutty milk nougat, the basis for the culture is entirely cow's milk, assaulted by an injection of Roquefort style mold. To enjoy this delight, SBD shall allow the cheese to fully come to room temperature and cast forth its deep, treacherous aromas, and, upon the gasping departure from the house of Mrs. SBD, Sydney Brillo Daughter, and Sydney Brillo "Who Cut the Cheese" Junior, SBD shall smear a generous quantity on a fresh tear of still warm French bread. Being his own man, he will eschew the monger's recommendation to pair it with an Australian Shiraz, choosing instead to quaf a very cold, sweaty bottle of Budweiser.

The second wedge is the Morbier Du Livradois, a pretentious sounding piece of hard milk with peasant origins, as it was originally made by the cheesemaker for the cheesemaker. Two hundred years ago this means the cheesemaker taking the leftover crap from crafting more desirable cheeses, and if the pigs won't eat it, figuring out how to make something of it for whichever of his childre might have survived the winter. Thus, it is comprised of leftover curds from the production of Comte cheese. At the end of the day, the cheesemaker takes leftover curds, presses them into a round and then covers them with edible vegetable ash (!); the next morning, he presses another layer of unwanted curds on top of that. So, what appears to be a vein of "blue" in this cheese is actually ash, which in many countries would be considered a form of trash, but which in France becomes a key ingredient. To enjoy this invention, SBD shall prepare a number of robust slices, laid gently upon Original Triscuits. As its flavor is complex and fruity, and the ash layer is bold and complex, this snack shall be beaten into compliance by a Sam Adams Nobel Pils.

Lastly, our shipment contains the Cantal, one of the oldest European cheeses still produced, and, according to Pliny the Elder, a favorite of Rome. Essentially a French cheddar cheese, our variation is the Cantalete Dore, offering a soft, slightly sour hazelnut core. To enjoy this ancient truth, SBD shall thinly shave the wedge using his double-edge razor. As no cracker based on ancient Roman recipes is presently offered by Nabisco, SBD will eat the cheese without benefit of fiber. Always a dangerous thing when working with cheese, but for lubrication, SBD will pour what remains of the Budweiser and the Sam Adams into a Guinness branded pint glass.

These are but a few of life's offered pleasures.

Other

Happy Stereotype-the-Mick Day

The Great Observor of Humanity

Lileks takes a cruise:

Last of all, the old fat men who have spent a lifetime building their belly and walk around with it hanging out, white and hairy, like a trophy they won for finding their mouths with their hands. The biggest of them lie pasted in the deck chairs, basting in the Caribbean sun, looking like bombs waiting to go off and shower the rest with a spatter of guts and undigested cheesecake.

Read all of it. Hilarious and true.

File It Away

We read Economics of Transition so you don't have to:

What Do Russians Think About Transition?

[INSERT random Russian obscure professors name generator here]

Economics of Transition, Vol. 18, Issue 2, pp. 249-280, April 2010

Abstract:

We use data from the 2006 round of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey to describe perceptions of the Russian population about the transition process and the role of the state compared with that of free markets.

We find that about one-half of the Russian population is disappointed with transition and a large majority is in favour of high state regulation and state provision of goods and services. High demand for government regulation and increased state intervention coexists with a low level of trust in government institutions and recognition of high and rising levels of corruption.

The findings are consistent with the theory developed by Aghion et al. (2009). In an environment with poor social capital, private business imposes negative externalities on the society and society chooses to demand more state regulation and tolerate corruption to reduce these externalities. We also find that individual perceptions of social capital and corruption co-vary with the demand for regulation, as predicted by the theory.

Keep this study for your children; tell them to read it when they are adults and they'll understand their plight a little better.

Do Not Resign, Do Not Ignore

To DNR or not to DNR, that is the question:

I refuse to have a DNR or DNI order for myself. Go ahead, doctor and family, give me some comfort meds, then shock me, tube me and line me.

Life is precious and irreplaceable. Even severe incurable illness can often be temporarily fixed, moderated or controlled, and most discomfort can be made tolerable or even pleasant with simple drugs. In chess, to resign is to give up the game with pieces and options remaining. My version of DNR is "Do Not Resign." Don't give up on me if I can still think, communicate, create and enjoy life. When taking care of me, take care of yourself as well, to make sure you don't burn out by the time I need your optimism the most.

My DNI? It means "Do Not Ignore" early signs of trouble when my failing body and mind need support so I can continue to function in ways that matter. And Do Not Ignore my needs for companionship, stimulation and purpose, as these, too, make life worth living. To leave me in the hospital bed alone staring at the TV is torture. Surround me with people: Bring the kids so I can teach and talk to them. Discuss the news with me. Let me use my e-mail. Treat my depression, dehydration, malnutrition, muscle wasting and pain with potent pills, infusions, tubes and hormones.

Recall the great people of our time who thrived with disability and my willingness to savor life just like them. Give me a motorized wheelchair and a feeding tube if I need them, along with a tracheostomy to help me breathe and dialysis to filter out toxins. Those do nothing to stop a good mind and a strong spirit, while permitting both to overcome obstacles of blood and flesh.

It's so easy to let someone die, but it takes effort, determination and stamina to help someone stay and feel alive. Only after you made every effort to let me be happy and human, ask me again if my life is worth living. Then, listen and comply. At that point, if I wish to die, let me die. But until that happens, none of us realizes what I can accomplish with another day, another week, another month. So do it all for me. Then ask someone to do it all for you.

Unless we spend our lives fighting to live, when the Dark Embrace attempts to enfold us, we may lack the skill and discipline needed to make it very hard to move on.

Late Winter Chores

Smores Fuel

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Charlie Tuna Gets Canned

News Alert from The Wall Street Journal:

Rep. Charles Rangel said he is temporarily stepping aside as the chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee.

Mr. Rangel, a New York Democrat, has been battling a series of ethics charges in recent months. Last week, the House ethics committee found he broke congressional rules by not properly disclosing trips to the Caribbean that were paid for by companies.

Bullshit Bingo!!!!!!!!

Rules on how to play available over at Don Luskin's house.

The White House Health Care Same-Day Delivery Option

A video story of Obama's effort to deliver universal, crappy healthcare to all Americans. After today's successful White House stunt (focus on the White House optics and the MSM storyboarding) and the weepy story oneupmanship, which no Republican could ever win no matter how many hospitals they ran or how many of their wives and mistresses dealt with cancer, you must watch until the end to see how this story ends.


EMBED-Truck Attempts To Cross Flooded Road - Watch more free videos

(Remember, it doesn't really matter because there's nothing in the truck. It's all about the driver.)

Wreckers of the Economy Will Be Rooted Out!

"Counter-Revolutionary Wreckers"

The Enlightened Redneck:

The bureaucrats and politicians in Washington are out to get Toyota because of ongoing recalls of the Japanese automaker’s popular vehicles. The House held one hearing yesterday, and another is scheduled for today. Toyota also is target of a U.S. criminal probe and a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

This morning SBD chanced to hear a caller on a radio talk show wonder in dismay about why the Japanese CEO of Toyota had not yet committed suicide, but, short of that, he allowed that he would be satisfied to see long prison sentences for Toyota America's executive suite.

Yes, bring on the show trials!

The WSJ's Kimberly Strassel suggests that the government's aggressive stance is quite possibly spinning out control and the pols are nervous about it:

Yet having revved up the drama, the administration is now all but obliged to take action against Toyota, say with civil penalties. Mr. Rockefeller and other Democrats with ties to the carmaker are under pressure to get rough. And if Toyota bungles Washington as badly as it did the initial recall PR, this could go on a long time.

Toyota has not yet laid off a single one of its 34,000 U.S. workers, but that may change. Only a year ago, Democrats were wailing about economic damage if GM or Chrysler went bust. They forestalled that with government ownership. They, and Toyota, are now dealing with the all-too-easy-to-predict political behavior that followed such meddling in the private economy.

Yes, Toyota's products cettainly have a problem and they may or may not have taken it seriously. They are now. And they are attempting to fix it. And it will cost them a few billion in the process and quite a few unionized floors in order to ensure a quality product going forward. But that is all irrelevent. They opened the closet and hanging there for them is but one three piece suit of corporate greed, corruption and obeisance. The Obamocracy is their tailor. When all is said and done, Toyota will dress strictly to the left.

First Glimpse of 2010 Asshat Fashion

The latest Palestinian fantasy: we're Na'vi.

Priorities In the Midst of Climate Change

Sydney Brillo Duodenum has been preoccupied with Winter's Fury. Although small, his domicile requires constant attention during the climate challenge that has strucken the Nation's Capital. Eighteen inches or so cover the small plot of dirt that is Sydney Brillo Manor. The first order of business is to maintain a 360 degree perimeter of access to the structure. The backyard requires a warren of trenches to allow Sydney Brillo Dog unfettered access to his smells and any fallen bird seed. Of equal importance is the reestablishment of parking territory directly in front of the house and 30 feet on either side. This frenzy of constant ice chipping and pruning of snow trenches on the front walks necessitates a larger than normal consumption of high fructose corn syrup, lard and malted beverages. Keeping these duties straight has been challenging, but SBD is putting to good use a simple trick to stay on target.


This list is even more important as SBD just now espies the first tiny frozen messengers of the next blizzard promised to reduce the capital of Lady Hopeandchange into an eyeball scratching, last-packet-of-bacon-snatching hell-bitch.

Even before the promised foot or more of Round Two has fallen, county schools have simply decided that they are not up to the task of entertaining our children with their latest mind experiments for the rest of the week. SBD awaits word from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management as to whether it will unleash that wave of human destruction known as the federal workforce, calling them downtown to conduct the business of the Educated Class.

Regardless, SBD will not be distracted from his list.

Today's Disturbing Chart of the Economy!

Chart of the Day:

Today, the Labor Department reported that nonfarm payrolls (jobs) decreased by 20,000 in January. Today's chart puts that decline into perspective by comparing job losses following the beginning of the current economic recession (solid red line) to that of the last recession (dashed gold line) and the average recession from 1950-1999 (dashed blue line).

As today's chart illustrates, the current job market has suffered losses that are more than triple as much as what occurs at the lows of the average recession/job loss cycle. It is also worth noting that 25 months after an average recession/job loss cycle began during the second half of the 20th century, the job market recouped all losses and was already in process of adding new jobs. At the same 25 month mark during the 21st century, the job market was still suffering losses.

Lore

This came into SBD Central Command from the local Irish chain bar company RiRa:

In the 1930's and 1940's, the port town of Foynes in South-West Ireland was a major transfer point for passenger flying boats between the United States and Europe. The eighteen hour journey across the vast Atlantic Ocean was often a very bumpy and chilly ride.

Realising that the passengers were often cold and exhausted after their long flight, Brendan O'Regan and Joe Sheridan (the manager and chef of the Foynes terminal restaurant respectively), concocted a drink to lift the spirits and warm the hearts of every passenger that touched down in Foynes. The Irish Coffee was born.

That bit o' history will cost you $5 a glass. Not bad really.

This was you once . . .

And the Monkey Got Lucky

Chart of the Day:

The stock market has been rallying over the past 10 months. So, is the stock market performing well? It all depends on how you measure. When measured in US dollars, the Dow currently trades approximately 29% below its all-time record high. However, when measured with that other world currency (gold), the picture is even more bleak. To help illustrate the point, today's chart presents the Dow divided by the price of one ounce of gold. This results in what is referred to as the Dow / gold ratio or the cost of the Dow in ounces of gold. For example, it currently takes 9.3 ounces of gold to “buy the Dow.” This is considerably less that [sic] the 44.8 ounces back in the year 1999. When priced in gold, the US stock market has been in a bear market for the entire 21st century.

Next, we have today's "unexpected" announcement that 4th quarter GDP was a whopping 5.7 percent, a full percentage point above "Consensus" expectations of 4.7 percent. As with the last three quarterly reportings, we can expect the first revision of that number to knock it down a bit and then the final revision to bring it closer to or even lower than Consensus, if the behavior of the Data Moles at Commerce over the last year is any indication. According to Commerce,

"The acceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected an acceleration in private inventory investment, a deceleration in imports, and an upturn in nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by decelerations in federal government spending and in [Personal Consumption Expenditures] PCE."

Oh, excellent, so we can expect some good news regarding that lagging indicator we call employment.

Wrong. According to the Congressional Budget Office:

Hiring rates remain very low, and CBO projects that the unemployment rate will average more than 10 percent during the first half of 2010, before beginning a gradual decline. That pattern is typical of recent recessions, where hiring continues to fall for 6 to 12 months after the economy begins to grow.

SBD is tempted to link to a number of other sucky indicators regarding the economy, the stock market, employment or lack thereof, finance, and investing, but he really doesn't understand any of it and suspects that neither do you. It's better to live in fear and alternately hoard gold and cash and spend like a trailer trash Lotto winner than delude oneself into thinking all these signals can be interpreted into anything resembling a plan that Dave Ramsey wouldn't tweet a small fart to if you called into his show.

More interestingly, and perhaps a better indicator of how to navigate the turbulant waters of this economy, other than getting a job with the government, news comes from the Anglosphere regarding another clown show:

Lusha the Chimpanzee Outperforms 94% of Russia Bankers with Her Investment Portfolio
By Will Stewart

A chimpanzee in Russia has out-performed 94 per cent of the country's investment funds with her portfolio growing by three times in the last year. Moscow TV reported how circus chimp Lusha chose eight companies from a possible 30 to invest her one million roubles - around £21,000. 'She bought successfully and her portfolio grew almost three times. She did better than almost the whole of the rest of the market,' said editor of Russian Finance magazine Oleg Anisimov.

[...]

And her trainer Svetlana Maksimova admitted: 'Money questions should be decided by financiers and politicians. If monkeys get into it, our economy will collapse at once.'

But Pavel Trunin, the head of monetary policy department at the Institute for the Economy in Transition in Moscow, said enviously: 'It shows that financial knowledge does not play a great role in giving forecasts to how the market will change.
It is usually a matter of more or less successful guessing. And the monkey got lucky.'

The monkey, owned by legendary Russian trainer Armando, split her investments between state-owned corporations and private companies.

Ms. Lusha, in a similar predicament to the idiot savant English singing sensation and Monster Susan Boyle upon worldwide recognition of her talents, remains without a fashion and hair waxing consultant.

SBD believes that with a bit of grooming, Lusha could easily replace CNBC's Rebecca Quick and become the new decade's "Money Honey." SBD, himself a hideous chimp, will be watching this gal closely.

Wipe It Down Good

In the Consumer Connection section of the February 2010 issue of Costco Connection, there's this interesting tidbit regarding Apple's warranty policies on crapped out computers:

Apple has decreed that smoke residue inside a computer presents a health risk and a "biohazard," and in [two] reported cases [on Macs exposed to cigarette smoke] customers were denied service, despite having a valid warranty. Apple says that repair centers have the authority to decide whether to service smoky computers, citing OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) rules that include nicotine in a list of hazardous substances that could damage the health of someone exposed to them.

However, this is not listed anywhere in the Apple computer warranty's fine print. That means an aggressive consumer might be able to put up a good fight and win the right to repairs.

SBD's contacts inform him that Apple's secret list of harmful substances includes residue from Yankee Candle Company's Red Apple Wreath candles, male-specific residues (crossed matched against browser cookies), spittle drops on the screen, Doritos seasonings in the keyboard, non-Fair Trade dried coffee spills, fecal matter left behind while surfing on the john, cat litter, and any computer exposed to human breath, said to contain the global warming gas, CO2.

Relentless Determination to Pursue It

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen at Foreign Policy:

In 1998, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden declared that acquiring and using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) was his Islamic duty -- an integral part of his jihad. Systemically, over the course of decades, he dispatched his top lieutenants to attempt to purchase or develop nuclear and biochemical WMD. He has never given up the goal; indeed, in a 2007 video, he repeated his promise to use massive weapons to upend the global status quo, destroy the capitalist hegemony, and help create an Islamic caliphate.

Since the mid-1990s, al Qaeda's WMD procurement efforts have been managed at the most senior levels, under rules of strict compartmentalization from lower levels of the organization, and with central control over possible targets and the timing of prospective attacks.

Graham Allison in Foreign Policy:

In 2007, Congress established a successor to the 9/11 Commission to focus on terrorism using weapons of mass destruction. This bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism issued its report to Congress and the Obama administration in December 2008. In the commission's unanimous judgment: "it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013."

Faced with the possibility of an American Hiroshima, many Americans are paralyzed by a combination of denial and fatalism. Either it hasn't happened, so it's not going to happen; or, if it is going to happen, there's nothing we can do to stop it. Both propositions are wrong. The countdown to a nuclear 9/11 can be stopped, but only by realistic recognition of the threat, a clear agenda for action, and relentless determination to pursue it.

The only one I have left is God

Team Rubicon in Haiti:

Johnny kept his finger! He was debrided, his hand was reassembled, and his hand was casted to hold everything together. Now he's on his way back to the hospital for re-eval.

He is also completely alone, with nothing but the clothes on his back. He lost his parents, two brothers, and three sisters. "The only one I have left is God."

Farewell of Marines From Iraq

A letter from Marine SgtMaj Carpenter, the senior Marine enlisted in MNF-W/USF-W:

From: Carpenter SgtMaj Kiplyn (USF-W SGTMAJ)
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 15:55
Subject: FAREWELL OF THE MARINES FROM IRAQ

UNCLASSIFIED

Please pass on,

SgtsMaj, MGySgts, CMDCMs, Marines and Sailors, Saturday, 23 January at 1100 will mark the end of the Marines in Iraq as an organization. II MEF (fwd) will conduct a Transfer of Authority Ceremony with the First Armored Division without a Relief in Place from any incoming unit. USF-W (formally MNF-W) will merge with USD-C (formally MND-Baghdad) and will cease to exist.

After 6 years, over 850 Marines and Sailors killed in combat and another 8800 wounded we have completed our mission. At our peak, we had almost 26,000 Marines and Sailors on deck, close to 200 aircraft, over 380,000 pieces of ground equipment, and were averaging close to 2000 significant events a month. We have added a whole new generation of Heros; and names like Al Nasiriyah, Fallujah and Ramadi will be added to our History books.

Words can't begin to explain the magnitude of effort and sacrifice our Marines and Sailors have gone through to help the Iraqi people. Each year since the initial invasion, Marines and Sailors from all over the Corps have been a part of the revolving I MEF (fwd) and II MEF (Fwd) Commands. Each year has been different with its own sets of unique challenges and each successive year, the incoming organization has built upon the successes of the outgoing organization.

This year was no different, we didn't have anywhere near the level of fighting that previous MEFs have done. However, we did conduct many operations, maintained security, continue to professionalize the Iraqi Security Forces, develop good governance and economics, assisted with the continued establishment of the Rule of Law and oversaw the peaceful transition of the provincial government. We also had one unique mission that we can call our own. That was to finally bring the Marine Corps home. Over the past year, we have simultaneously conducted the responsible drawdown of 24,000 Personnel, over 34 COPs and FOBs, including Baharia, Rawah, and TQ and sent six years worth of equipment out of theater.

For those of you who served with me this year, thank you. It was long and difficult at times, with our own set of challenges, but we did it.

It has been an honor to serve with you.

For those of you who have left your boot prints over here at least once during the last six years; thanks to you too. You set the stage for us to finish the job. It has been costly, it has been challenging, it has taken a while with quite a few dark days. But, in the end, it was worth it.

All Marines and Sailors, including those who remained stateside have contributed to the overall success of the Marines and Sailors in Iraq and; all of us have known someone who didn't make it back alive or has permanent injuries. It is up to us to ensure that those who follow never forgot their sacrifice or what we did here.

Collectively, we have added another illustrious chapter to the successful story of our Marine Corps. One that all of us can be proud of.

Semper Fidelis,

K. Carpenter

Sergeant Major
United States Force - West, Iraq
(Previously Multi National Force -West) II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd)
21 January, 2010

UNCLASSIFIED

All Your Calories Are Belong To Us

In their paper, Calorie Posting in Chain Restaurants (National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 15648 – subscription only), authors Bryan Bollinger, Phillip Leslie, and Alan Sorensen measure the effect of posting calorie information in Starbucks stores on calorie consumption and effect on sales.

We find that mandatory calorie posting does influence consumer behavior at Starbucks, causing average calories per transaction to decrease by 6% (from 247 to 232 calories per transaction).

The effects are long lasting: the calorie reduction in NYC persists for the entire period of our data, which extends 10 months after the calorie posting commenced. Almost all of the effect is related to food purchases—average beverage calories per transaction did not substantially change, while average food calories per transaction fell by 14% (equal to 14 calories per transaction on average). Three quarters (10 calories) of the reduction in calories per transaction is due to consumers buying fewer items, and one quarter (4 calories) of the effect is due to consumers substituting towards lower calorie items.

We find that calorie posting did not cause any statistically significant change in Starbucks revenue overall. Interestingly, we estimate that revenue actually increased by 3% at Starbucks stores located within 100 meters of a Dunkin Donuts (an important competitor to Starbucks in NYC). Hence, there is evidence that calorie posting may have caused some consumers to substitute away from Dunkin Donuts toward Starbucks. The fact that Starbucks’ profitability is unaffected by calorie posting is consistent with the finding that consumers’ beverage choices are unchanged, which is of course Starbucks’ core business.

Starbucks can be expected to use this information to create more tasteless, doughy, sugar free, 100 calorie hockey pucks, placing them next to the $1.95 a piece, 480 calorie, 23 grams of fat Top Pot donuts, and charge $2.25 for peace of mind to suckers ordering 580 calorie white chocolate mocha.

But really, what are the expected long term benefits of the state bothering us all with more tiny fonts to decipher as we rush to work or the big comfy chair in the corner?

The authors conclude:

Calorie reductions on the order of 6% at chain restaurants would yield only modest decreases in body weight, even if those reductions were not offset by increased caloric intake at other meals.

However, as far as regulatory policies go, the costs of calorie posting are very low—so even these small benefits could outweigh the costs. Moreover, the long-run effects of calorie posting are potentially more dramatic. At the margin, calorie posting should encourage restaurants to innovate and offer low-calorie items. We document some preliminary evidence that this is happening in NYC. Also, there may be public education benefits from the policy: consumers’ exposure to calorie information may make them generally more aware and attentive to the nutritional value of the foods they eat.

What's so absurd about this entire study is the charade that people don't know that the donut they are eating is actually a pretty looking wad of lard with nice colored sprinkles on top.

It is none of the government's business what we choose to eat or why we choose to eat it or what the calorie count of what we choose to eat is or of the food we prepare using still legal ingredients in doing so. This is a tiresome rant but it must be said over and over again. In the study above, we have the functionaries, the putative scientists of the nanny state, gathering their bits and pieces of evidences as to why their small intrusions into our lives are completely harmless and have some real marginal benefits that really don't cost anything and may, may, may do this, that and the other thing to allow us to live long enough to prove the statists' point that we are better off living under their rule than under our own individual direction, concern, and yes, caloric ignorance.

On SBD's recent sojourn to Manhattan, every food shelf, every pizza pie, every donut tray and bagel bin, every knish pan and cannoli plate, even every hot dog and falaffel cart on the most foul and disgusting sewer sweat soaked street corner, had an absurd little card next to it announcing the calorie count of the defendant. In every case, it's a cacophonous riot of useless information that gums up the wheels of commerce, and causes nothing but increased guilt and angst in people simply trying to go about their lives. Why a free people puts up with these intrusions by government remains a continuing mystery. Perhaps, over time, these signs will be as well noticed and effective at moderating behavior as the 55 MPH speed limit signs have been in checking people's behavior on the road. Yes, driving too fast can kill you and others but eating too much has yet to be a demonstrated risk to other people. At present, though, you can be ticketed for disobeying the speed limit sign; it is only a matter of time before we are ticketed for violating a calorie count.

Eat 'em' while ya got 'em, folks.

Repudiation

Today.

Repudiation.

One year to the day since his inauguration - Repudiation.

Clean, honest, straight forward repudiation.

One terribly long year of accelerated Hubris and Arrogance and Radicalism meets brick wall.

No airbag.

American exceptionalism on display again.

The People – his people, his blue, blue people in the bluest of the blue land – say No.

That’s today.

Repudiation.

Tomorrow is another story.

Made the Blind See

A breathless ABC investigation shocks the country with this news:

U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret 'Jesus' Bible Codes
Pentagon Supplier for Rifle Sights Says It Has 'Always' Added New Testament References

By JOSEPH RHEE, TAHMAN BRADLEY and BRIAN ROSS

Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the U.S. military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.

The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious "Crusade" in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.

[...]

Trijicon confirmed to ABCNews.com that it adds the biblical codes to the sights sold to the U.S. military. Tom Munson, director of sales and marketing for Trijicon, which is based in Wixom, Michigan, said the inscriptions "have always been there" and said there was nothing wrong or illegal with adding them.

ABC did not explain how the imprint of Bible verse in font size 2 on the scopes counts as proselytising. ABC did not ask if the U.S. military allows its soldiers to issue a prayer under their breath as they pull the trigger on the enemy.

Sydney Brillo Duodenum hears through his sources that ABC is widening the scope of its investigation and is about to break a similar piece of news. It turns out that the U.S. military has been buying copies of the Bible containing complete, unexpurgated tracts from both the Old and New Testaments, and distributing them to soldiers, so-called Chaplins, and get this, whose job it is to provide religious ministry to other troops, and, even more distrubing, to do this when they are on the sacred soil of other countries!

Long Island

Over the river and through the woods to grandfather's house we go.

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NYC- Food

Hot Chocolate

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NYC - Village of the Damned

You can run, but you can't hide.

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NYC - Skyline

View from that big rock near that big pond you always see in movies

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NYC - Rock Center

Here's a picture of John J. Rockefeller adding final touches to his building.

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George M Cohan statue - Times Square

Oh, buddy, if you only knew.

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Number 3

Victory Prima Pils. Meh.

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Second Beer of the Night

Korean OB. Lighter than Kim's hold on reality.

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First Beer of the Evening

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One of NYC's Many Gates to Hell

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View From A NYC John

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First NYC Celebrity Sighting!

Just witnessed The Asskicker In Chief Curtis Sliwa cross the street. No picture. He threatened to kick our ass.

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SBD Has Arrived NYC

Times Square

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Higher Call

A Higher Call:

Charlie Brown was a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot with the 379th Bomber Group at Kimbolton, England. His B-17 was called ‘Ye Old Pub’ and was in a terrible state, having been hit by flak and fighters. The compass was damaged and they were flying deeper over enemy territory instead of heading home to Kimbolton.

After flying the B-17 over an enemy airfield, a German pilot named Franz Steigler was ordered to take off and shoot down the B-17. When he got near the B-17, he could not believe his eyes. In his words, he ‘had never seen a plane in such a bad state’. The tail and rear section was severely damaged, and the tail gunner wounded. The top gunner was all over the top of the fuselage. The nose was smashed and there were holes everywhere.

Despite having ammunition, Franz flew to the side of the B-17 and looked at Charlie Brown, the pilot. Brown was scared and struggling to control his damaged and blood-stained plane.

Aware that they had no idea where they were going, Franz waved at Charlie to turn 180 degrees. Franz escorted and guided the stricken plane to, and slightly over, the North Sea towards England. He then saluted Charlie Brown and turned away, back to Europe. When Franz landed he told the CO that the plane had been shot down over the sea, and never told the truth to anybody. Charlie Brown and the remains of his crew told all at their briefing, but were ordered never to talk about it.

More than 40 years later, Charlie Brown wanted to find the Luftwaffe pilot who saved the crew. After years of research, Franz was found. He had never talked about the incident, not even at post-war reunions.

They met in the USA at a 379th Bomber Group reunion, together with 25 people who are alive now – all because Franz never fired his guns that day.

When asked why he didn’t shoot them down Stigler later said, “I didn’t have the heart to finish those brave men. I flew beside them for a long time. They were trying desperately to get home and I was going to let them do that. I could not have shot at them. It would have been the same as shooting at a man in a parachute”.

H/T Sean Linnane