Friday, December 31, 2010

China preparing for armed conflict 'in every direction'

"In the coming five years, our military will push forward preparations for military conflict in every strategic direction," said Liang Guanglie in an interview published by several state-backed newspapers in China. "We may be living in peaceful times, but we can never forget war, never send the horses south or put the bayonets and guns away," Mr Liang added.


Cue the Chinese tank. Cue the junkyard awaiting its arrival after coming up against an M60 of ours let alone an Abrams.  

On a battlefield in almost every scenario I can imagine, China goes down even faster than Saddam's fellows did. Why? Because there's a reason shitstorms are described as "a Chinese fire drill". Low tech plus not being able to think without a superior first saying its ok to think plus the propensity to run amok in every direction all at once makes Wang a dull boy.

In China, "being prepared" translates into "ready to die". Bring it. Before the M1A3's are ready to roll because then it won't even be a turkey shoot.

Ann Dives Into The Liberal Heart (..lessness)

"Liberals never tire of discussing their own generosity, particularly when demanding that the government take your money by force to fund shiftless government employees overseeing counterproductive government programs.

They seem to have replaced "God" with "Government" in scriptural phrases such as "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37)

This week, we'll take a peek at the charitable giving of these champions of the poor.

In 2009, the Obamas gave 5.9 percent of their income to charity, about the same as they gave in 2006 and 2007. In the eight years before he became president, Obama gave an average of 3.5 percent of his income to charity, upping that to 6.5 percent in 2008.

The Obamas' charitable giving is equally divided between "hope" and "change."

George W. Bush gave away more than 10 percent of his income each year he was president, as he did before becoming president.

Thus, in 2005, Obama gave about the same dollar amount to charity as President George Bush did, on an income of $1.7 million -- more than twice as much as President Bush's $735,180. Again in 2006, Bush gave more to charity than Obama on an income one-third smaller than Obama's.

In the decade before Joe Biden became vice president, the Bidens gave a total -- all 10 years combined -- of $3,690 to charity, or 0.2 percent of their income. They gave in a decade what most Americans in their tax bracket give in an average year, or about one row of hair plugs.

Of course, even in Biden's stingiest years, he gave more to charity than Sen. John Kerry did in 1995, which was a big fat goose egg. Kerry did, however, spend half a million dollars on a 17th-century Dutch seascape painting that year, as Peter Schweizer reports in his 2008 book, "Makers and Takers."

To be fair, 1995 was an off-year for Kerry's charitable giving. The year before, he gave $2,039 to charity, and the year before that a staggering $175.

He also dropped a $5 bill in the Salvation Army pail and almost didn't ask for change.

In 1998, Al Gore gave $353 to charity -- about a day's take for a lemonade stand in his neighborhood. That was 10 percent of the national average for charitable giving by people in the $100,000-$200,000 income bracket. Gore was at the very top of that bracket, with an income of $197,729.

When Sen. Ted Kennedy released his tax returns to run for president in the '70s, they showed that Kennedy gave a bare 1 percent of his income to charity -- or, as Schweizer says, "about as much as Kennedy claimed as a write-off on his 50-foot sailing sloop Curragh." (Cash tips to bartenders and cocktail waitresses are not considered charitable donations.)

The Democratic base gives to charity as their betters do. At the same income, a single mother on welfare is seven times less likely to give to charity than a working poor family that attends religious services.

In 2006 and 2007, John McCain, who files separately from his rich wife, gave 27.3 percent and 28.6 percent of his income to charity.

In 2005, Vice President Cheney gave 77 percent of his income to charity. He also shot a lawyer in the face, which I think should count for something.

In a single year, Schweizer reports, Rush Limbaugh "gave $109,716 to 'various individuals in need of assistance mainly due to family illnesses,' $52,898 to 'children's case management organizations,' including 'various programs to benefit families in need,' $35,100 for 'Alzheimer's community care -- day care for families in need,' and $40,951 for air conditioning units and heaters delivered to troops in Iraq."

(Rush also once gave $50 to Maxine Waters after mistaking her for a homeless person.)

The only way to pry a liberal from his money is to hold tickertape parades for him, allowing him to boast about his charity in magazines and on TV.

Isn't that what Jesus instructed in the Sermon on the Mount?

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do ... But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:2-4)

In my Bible, that passage is illustrated with a photo of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

At least the hypocrites in the Bible, Redmond, Wash., and Omaha, Neb., who incessantly brag about their charity actually do pony up the money.

Elected Democrats crow about how much they love the poor by demanding overburdened taxpayers fund government redistribution schemes, but can never seem to open their own wallets.

The only evidence we have that Democrats love the poor is that they consistently back policies that will create more of them.

The reason liberals claim that the private sector cannot begin to assist those in need anywhere near as well as the government can, is because liberals are PART of the private sector and think that since they do squat everyone else does squat minus-1.

The insanely stupid Hollywood types and rock stars do enjoy getting their faces on the news for "supporting" one inane feed-the-world's-children scam or another, but the list of hungry kids seems to grow in direct proportion to Hollywooders holding telethons for them.

Maybe one day they'll come to the startling conclusion that letting dictators in on the money flow isn't the best of ideas?

Yeah, but damitall Hollweirdo's LOVE dictators lots more than starving children.

Lots more. And since said dictators and warlords and penny-ante thieves have tons of support and protection from actors and singers, and U.N. types, as well as stupid ass Fudds, they grow ever stronger, and the stronger they grow the poorer the kids become.

Funny thing in a tragic way; there are more hungry kids in China and North Korea than anywhere else in the world. Which is one of the reasons why, when the Chinese and Nork poor finally find the stones to ask for their fair shares, there won't be enough of them left to make a difference. Both are shrinking at a prodigious rate and the single thing that MIGHT save them...and the world itself for that matter...is the entertainers figuring out how to actually feed a kid or two without killing three of four in the process.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Frost Cutlery Mid-Week Destruction Of The English Language

Or...Hillbilly Hump Day

"...There are no future building of this knife planned...first come first serve...Buck handle...deer buck, that is...stag deer buck handle that are never to be built for the future after today. Later on, uh, um, I mean, now don't hold it to me who knows. No one can tell the future after today and if they can't tell it they can't plan it. What more can I say? What I'm tryin' to say is no one will ever see this again except on the open, um, after-market when someone else bought it before today and not ah, ah, the future. No one can plan on what someone who bought the knife in the past will do in his future and that includes sellin' this knife from the past. See what I mean?"

"Here is a first generation Frost Family in ram's horn collectors pouch. The pouch, um the pouch isn't ram's horn the handle is horn..."

Todd Boone

"So this here's our year end clearance special. How many are there, well I'm not gonna count 'em, Sheila ain't gonna count 'em and Marry isn't gonna count 'em so we don't know how many there were to begin with let alone after they sell out. So lets call it one piece but you're gonna get lots more than one piece and you can count 'em if you don't believe me."

Tom O'Dell

"You're so right, Tom, and America must be wakin' up to this great wonderful deal because all our lines are closed, wait there's one open, nope it's, wait, there's one, no, there's well on and off, yes, one line..."
Sheila Travis

Aaron Zelman Is Gone

And the country is worse off for losing him.

Click here to get the news from David at The War on Guns.

Don't Be Caught Filmin' No Police Officers Now...Y'Hear?



What else is there to say but...How in the holy fuck did it ever come to this? Do we need to hire cops that aren't so afraid of everything? Smarter ones? Promote only the ones who understand what an "OATH" is? Run every last podunk cop-shop via a civilian review board?


Hit "REBOOT"?

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Bang The Drum Fastly

J&G Sales has a decent enough deal on the following:

New GSG 110 Round 22LR Drum Magazine
These drum magazines fit the GSG-5 and 522 22LR MP-5 clones. Made in Germany.
ATTENTION: The following locations have magazine restrictions; please check for your local law and regulations before placing an order.

California- No mags over 10rds without a high-cap mag permit.
Hawaii- No handgun mags over 10rds.
Massachusetts- No mags over 10rds.
Maryland- No mags over 20rds.
New Jersey- No mags over 15rds.
New York- No mags over 10rds made after 1994 (i.e. none marked Law Enforcement only).
Chicago-No mags over 10rds.
Washington DC- No mags over 10rds.


But what I really wanted to focus upon were those restricted states where law enforcement is so bloody frightened of its citizens. With the exception of Hawaii...which isn't a slumlord backwater of America at least on the outside...the other LOW-CAP wonderlands are dreadful places to even visit let alone live there, so but of course only the bottom feeders of humanity congregate to meet and greet and that of course includes the politicians and police who despise the Constitution. 

And while it's nice to use a full-capacity magazine while repelling boarders, it is on the RANGE where 99.99999% of them will see action, and isn't it nice to spend that time shooting rather than RE-FRICKIN-LOADING.

Please click the headline link if you'd like to see more of these drums and how you can get your very own. When I can find one for a Ruger 10/22 and/or a Remington 597 I'll be whistling Dixie. 100+ rounds of hot loaded little 22 lr's coming from a 20" barrel isn't anything to laugh at, then add one of those trigger-housing crankers and lemme stop before the BATFU breaks down the front door.

Using The English Language...Part 8,462,947

What's wrong with this picture. Ah hell don't strain your eyes I'll tell you. In instance after instance, Streicher's misspells "gauge", replacing the correct spelling with the Fudd version "guage". Price isn't bad, but as I told them in an email, I try to do business with American companies whenever possible. Can't read nor write English, you're not an American company. 

Again, it isn't just one bad spell day but a constant misspelling of a simple word. Three (3) times on one (1) page. Fer chrissake, even the chinamen and hispanics do better than that.

Whoa. Maybe that's it. Maybe English isn't their first language. Ah hell, sorry then fella's. Hablo English a little? If not then have a looksee...
"GAUGE"

Marine, wife attacked by teens after showing of "Little Fockers"

MANATEE, Fla. (AP) — A group of unruly teenagers attacked a 27-year-old Marine and his wife who had asked them to be quiet during a Christmas night showing of "Little Fockers."

The attack happened as the couple left the theater near Bradenton Saturday night. Authorities say the fight attracted about 300 bystanders.

Federico Freire, home on leave from Afghanistan, says they left the theater shortly after the teens were asked to leave.

The couple was kicked and punched in the parking lot before a gun-brandishing witness told the crowd to step back just before deputies arrived.

Five teens were arrested, including a 17-year-old who struck a deputy and was stunned by a Taser.

The fracas caused the theater manager to close early.

One of the thing absolutely necessary for EVERY couple to have, is a plan.

If and when the shit hits the fan, where's the plan. The best plan is for both to be suitably armed, because...seriously now...who can go to ANY movie and expect NOT to have some sort of run-in with a gaggle of punks. Thankfully I'm too big and ugly for most of the animals to fuck with but I don't care HOW big and tough you are, enough of them can take you down so that's where the better half comes in. Dialing 911, she makes her way to the car whilst I die as slow as possible. Positions herself in relative safety, then begins shooting them off of me. Once a hand is freed, I join in the duck hunt.

Plans. They are a fun and easy way for the whole family to pitch in.

Knife Of The Week

Fox Karambit. Two styles, but then again there are more styles of Karambits...or Cram-Bits as Frost Cutlery likes to say...as there are sands in an hourglass. The olive-wood one, the Parong Hunter, at AG Russell is approximately $120 plus shipping, and the black Honuman is $160 plus freight. 

Knifeworks will take you to the blackie, the Kuku Honuman and while I wouldn't recommend that particular one I'd suggest looking at Spyderco and Benchmade products as well simply for variety. I included the darker version simply because of its popularity, and while ANY Karambit is one helluva fighting knife, I'd personally select the olive wood. Steel is the same for both knives, and a good one at that.

Put Away The Rain Gear Folks, Cuz Anal & Andy Isn't Going To Be Lisping His Way To The Head Of BATFU...

Senate Returns BATFU Nomination to White House

The Senate did not vote on whether to confirm Andrew Traver as the next leader of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives this Congress, sending his nomination back to the White House on Wednesday.
Traver, the chief of the ATF’s Chicago office, faced strong opposition from the National Rifle Association. The gun rights organization said in a news release that he “has been deeply aligned with gun control advocates and anti-gun activities,” noting his involvement with the Gun Violence Reduction Project, a national program supported by police chiefs, and the Joyce Foundation, which pushes for tighter gun laws.

President Barack Obama nominated the 23-year ATF veteran on Nov. 17, but the Senate Judiciary Committee never acted on his nomination. Obama now must re-nominate Traver if he wants the Senate to consider him in the next Congress, which convenes in January."

And THAT ain't a'gonna happen. Andy the human anal probe Traver can go stroke his captured AK's elsewhere, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Andy. And it DOES really look as if he wants to put that bad boy up to his lips and blow, doesn't it? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Thanks to Sipsey Street Irregulars for the pic and the link.

POLICE FATALITY RATES...THE SKY IS FALLING....

...And Guess To Whom They Want It To Land Upon...*

The big law enforcement related news piece dominating the media today comes courtesy of a press release from the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (LEOMF) insisting that an apparent increase in law enforcement officer deaths in 2010 in comparison to 2009′s record low number of officer deaths should be alarming and attributes the rise to a number of factors including reduced funding for law enforcement officers and increasingly violent criminals.

While we definitely do find it alarming when any law enforcement officer loses his or her life in an act of violence, we do feel it necessary to examine these numbers in order to put them into perspective, especially since the LEOMF and a professor from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice cited police accountability projects such as ours here at the NPMSRP as the reason for the rise in police officer deaths they claim they were seeing around mid-year.

Interestingly, in response to those wild allegations, we examined the alarming trend cited by the LEOMF in July and did some statistical analysis to determine what the actual homicide rate was for law enforcement officers and, surprisingly, our projected rate of officers who died in acts of homicidal violence ended up being pretty accurate.

Back then we determined that:
…in 2009 there were 127 line of duty deaths, of which, 57 of those fatalities could be attributed to an act of violence that specifically targeted a police officer whether by firearms, intentional vehicular assault, or assault.
So far in 2010, there have been 98 line of duty deaths, of which, 28 are attributed to an intentional act of violence against a police officer.

So, in 2009 the homicidal fatality rate for law enforcement officers was an estimated 8.14 deaths per 100,000 law enforcement officers. Currently the homicidal fatality rate is at 4.16 per 100,000 and, if projected to the end of year at the current rate, that homicidal fatality rate for 2010 would potentially be 8.31 per 100,000 law enforcement officers… a 0.17 per 100,000 increase or, roughly, a 2.1% increase.

The actual numbers cited by the LEOMF for 2010 are that 160 officers died in 2010 and that 59 of those law enforcement officers died in apparent homicidal causes for 2010. This would translate to a homicide rate of 8.35 officers per 100,000 based on an estimated employment rate of 706,886 sworn law enforcement officers in the US per the latest FBI-DOJ UCR numbers released earlier this year."

 (*Yep. Us. Its always our fault. Never the criminals.) 

Let's stop for a moment to clear our heads from number-implosion.

Fact: The death of one honest cop at the hands of one dishonest scumbag is intolerable. And an average of one cop per state killed in the line of duty would suggest that "intolerable" is going on far too often. Better judges are needed, the kind who throw away the key rather than listen to the bleeding heart tree huggers who want Danny The Cop Killer paroled because he's turned his life around. Violent offenders shouldn't be hunting our police officers, end of story. The cops need more and better training, more and better ballistic vests, and more and better people wanting to become cops.

But, dear friends justice must needs be a two-edged sword:


"While we do not track total officer-related fatalities but we do track fatalities associated with allegations of police misconduct or use of excessive force.

Per our latest projected 2010 statistical data we determined that, in comparison with the stated law enforcement homicidal death rate of 8.35 per 100,000, that the fatal use of excessive force rate for law enforcement in 2010 was 18.3 per 100,000 and the rate of officers officially charged with murder was 5.3 per 100,000 (compared to an estimated 4.9 per 100,000 murder rate by officers in 2009) as opposed to the murder rate for the general public which was 5.0 per 100,000 in 2009 per the latest UCR data available from the FBI DOJ."

Yes, you're reading that correctly.

Police officers are likely to kill more innocent people than criminals are to kill innocent people. The single MOST alarming fact coming from 2010 is that crimes committed by cops are on a meteoric rise. Name the crime and cops are doing it at record numbers. 
The bottom line to you and me?

We aren't criminals so the cops shouldn't be worrying about us. We on the other hand have more to fear from a cop than from Maury the Mugger, and THAT is what needs looking into.

The Yellowstream Media isn't going to do it, folks, so read it here and there and everywhere patriots meet to greet; in particular Injustice Everywhere from whence this story came.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Question: Quick Now, What's Wrong With This Picture?

Answer:

Everyone knows that Michelle tucks to the left but here she's middle of the road.

Thanks to I Hate The Media for the pic. I think.

PS: Think Adolph would've returned the salute?  Or stood frozen in shock like I am at this very moment.

No comeback for the comeback kid

The Skinny Behind Barry's "Victories"


Don't believe all the Washington talk that President Obama had a great lame-duck session and goes into the new year and the new 112th Congress with the whip hand. It's utter nonsense.

Let's review the lame-duck session as it happened - not as it has been instantly revised by the ever-obliging Washington press corp.

And review them you shall by clicking, pointing, or otherwise establishing the desire to go HERE.

Tuesday Toon

Sneaking end-of-life consultations into Obamacare...

During the debate over Obamacare last year, controversy erupted over a Medicare provision related to end-of-life consultations with doctors. Following well-publicized criticism from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin concerning government "death panels," the provision was promptly dropped. But now the New York Times reports that it has been resurrected in new Medicare regulations. There is both a right and a wrong reason to be outraged about this. Some have responded with the charged term coined by Palin, but this criticism is misplaced in the present instance. "Death panel" is entirely justified when used in reference to another provision of Obamacare -- the Independent Payment Advisory Board -- whose members will attempt to save money by making one-size-fits-all recommendations for skimping on care protocols and treatment regimes, particularly for older patients."

Since I was born and raised Roman Catholic I forever find myself laden with enough guilt to re-sink the Titanic whenever the issue of healthcare rears its ugly head. 
And with Obama in charge the head has never been uglier.
The Veterans Administration healthcare facilities are, by and large, over-crowded, ancient, and devoid of anything resembling pleasant decor. What they have in spades are dedicated nurses and doctors and I'll take that any day over fresh paint and Obamacare. The VA joints spoil you rotten when it comes to leaving no stone unturned in the quest for that healthier you, and this seems to be the exact opposite of what is in store for senior citizens facing the end of the road with a national healthcare system that is more interested in saving money than lives.
Me, if I need a prescription refill I go online, order it, and 3 days later its in my mailbox. Maximum cost per refill, ANY refill, is $8. Doctor visits are $15. Its a good deal and I know it but sometimes it makes me feel guilty. Just the other day I'm sitting in the hallway awaiting my number to be called when a nurses cart comes rolling on over. Free Flu Shots. Free Pneumonia Shots, Free Whatever-Ails-You-Shots.  

And those are the entry-level veterans benefits that cost me nadda, not a penny's premium, but if you want more you can pay for more. Seems to me like overkill but perhaps that isn't a good word to use in describing this stuff. Prescriptions drop to $4 a pop and Dr visits are something like 8 smackerooni's per sawbones, but when you start figuring it all out it breaks even so why go through the additional paperwork, ya know.
Anyway, you take good care of me but at least I've the good graces to be embarrassed by all the fuss because, after all, the federal government really needs to cut back on spending and here I am being treated like royalty. Well, Duchy of Grand Fenwick royalty perhaps but royalty nonetheless. 
So its doubtful I'll ever find myself on any death-watch list and that's a good thing. 

I really hate long lines.

Generation 4 GLOCK 27 On It's Way...

GLOCK 27 Gen 4
The same features as the GLOCK 26 in the popular and powerful .40 caliber. Glockmeister is expecting these to arrive in the first few weeks of the New Year. Pre-orders being accepted now! $549 shipped!

I've held a non-firing prototype of several of the Gen-4 GLOCKS, and am probably one of the few people alive who like the Gen-3 better.  Well maybe not all that much better but not much difference for my ergonomics at least. Clicking the Glockmeister link will let you see the deal for yourself.

Horological Wonder Of The Week...

Magnificent steal of a deal! $.99 and $13 shipping* brings this masterpiece home and my advice is to buy multiples because your friends and family are going to be green with envy and begging to borrow it!

Just go to eBay, click in that you want to see "watches", and before you know it up this little sucker will spring.

And don't worry that they'll sell out; after all, what are all those Chinamen for, anyway, if not to crank out wonders such as this.

Enjoy.

*carpal tunnel syndrome procedure extra

News Item: NFL Calls Off Sunday Night Football Due To Snow Forecast

Philadelphia Eagles General Managers Office: Phone rings. An Assistant to Howie Roseman accepts the call from the local Rotary Club:

Hey Ted, Howie here what's cookin'?

Rotary Club President Ted Ross: Howie did you see the weather report?

Howie Roseman: Yes Teddy I did. The Chamber of Commerce, The Hilton people, they've all called asking about my understanding of what happens when the sky gets too cold to rain and makes snow instead...

Ted Ross: (Interrupting) Howie you've got to cancel the game. Howie everybody's on my ass with this. The high rollers can't get into town and that means the Hotels are sucking wind. To say nothing about your bottom line when your cheapskate local fans show up already toasted and there goes the beer sales and when was the last time one of them walked away with dozens of shirts and balls and frickin Eagle key chains? Howie this is a disaster in the making for everyone...

Howie Roseman: (Interrupting back) Teddy, calm down. This is Philadelphia, Teddy. We've got a commie mayor and a commie board of directors but we're the Eagles Teddy, and that still means the only balls in town my friend. Besides, we owe it to the local fans...

Ted Ross: Oh sweet geez Howie, fuck you, and fuck your balls; Howie fer chrissake this is serious! The networks won't promise not to pan all the empty seats and Goodall's office has been driving us crazy talking about busing in phony fans to make the place look at least half full.

Howie Roseman: Ted. Listen to me. We're the Eagles, Ted. Maybe the fucking Post Office went daisy-chain but neither rain nor hail nor nuclear fucking tipped fucking missiles are going to make me call off the game. Our fans...

Ted Ross: Will you stop already with the fans! Geez Howie, fuck the fans...

Howie Roseman: Teddy listen I gotta go, the Commissioners office is on my other line...

Mr. Roseman's Assistant puts through the call from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Howie Roseman: Hello Roger, what can the Eagles do for the Commissioners office today?

Roger Goodell: The game is off, Howie. Call the Network and tell them you've made the decision that for the good of the league and its fans the game cannot be played in such dangerous conditions...

Howie Roseman: What? Roger I can't do that. Tailgating has already begun Roger and I'm not going to be the one to go out there and tell our fans that the Eagles are calling off the game because it might snow a little...

Roger Goodell: This isn't a request, Howie. The NFL stands to lose millions once the hotel chains and the restaurants and the god damned pretzel vendors want their money back from the surcharges we get from them.

Howie Roseman: Roger, please, Roger our fans...most of them have to work the next day and whenever we reschedule will certainly not be good for...

Roger Goodell: Cut the shit, Howie and do as I say. The game is off. Don't be an ass, Howie and grow the fuck up. Money talks and once and for all when will you get it into your head that we run this business with one and one dictate only. FUCK. THE. FANS.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Mostly Small...But Some Big-Screen Personalities I'll Miss...

Robert Culp. The 'I Spy' and 'Greatest American Hero' actor, writer, and director -- he also played Debra's dad on 'Everybody Loves Raymond' -- died in March after suffering a fall outside his home. He was 79, and the best worst actor of all time.

Barbara Billingsley. The woman who played mom June Cleaver on the classic sitcom 'Leave it to Beaver' died in October at age 94. "Ward, come quick...the Beaver has peanuts in his stool..."

Tom Bosley. The star of shows like 'Happy Days' and 'Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home' -- and Glad commercials -- died in October at age 83. "I'm telling you, Richie, that Fonzarelli character is nothing but trouble."

Phil Harris. The 'Deadliest Catch' star passed away after suffering a stroke during filming on Alaska's St. Paul Island. He was 53, and a pearl among crabs.

Peter Graves. The star of 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Biography' died in March at age 83. Sort of the thinking man's Clint Walker.

James MacArthur. MacArthur played Danno on the original version of 'Hawaii Five-0.' He was slated to do a cameo on the new CBS version but passed away in October at the age of 72. I think there's a California park named after him. Richard Harris sang the song in, what was it, '68?

Don Meredith. The former analyst for 'Monday Night Football' football player, actor, and spokesman (Lipton Tea) passed away earlier this month from complications of emphysema and a brain hemorrhage. Next to Merlin the worst football player turned actor ever. He was 72.

Blake Edwards. The man behind such TV shows as 'Peter Gunn' and 'Richard Diamond, Private Eye', and the Pink Panther movies of course.

Fess Parker. The star of 'Daniel Boone' and 'Davy Crockett' passed away in March at the age of 85. Coonskin caps at half mast forever.

Dennis Hopper. Hopper, whose TV credits include regular roles on shows like 'Crash,' '24,' and 'E-Ring,' and the Easiest Rider of all time, died in May from cancer. He was 74.

Tony Curtis. The star of the TV show 'The Persuaders' and a scazillion Hollywood movies from the Golden Age died of cardiac arrest in September at the age of 85. He also gave us Jamie Lee Curtis. Thank you, Tony. Thank you a lot.

Art Linkletter. The host of classic shows like 'People Are Funny' and 'House Party' passed away in May at the age of 97, and yes, kids say the darnedest things.

John Forsythe. The star of 'Bachelor Father,' 'Dynasty' and 'Charlie's Angels' passed away in April at the age of 92. And no; the rumor there was a tape around in which he was reported to say, "Just do-me, Angels," proved to be false. Maybe.

Pernell Roberts. The star of such shows as 'Trapper John, M.D.' and 'Bonanza' passed away from cancer in January. He was 81. Bonanza was never the same after 'Adam' left.



Leslie NielsenLeslie Nielsen. The star of the short-lived but classic comedy 'Police Squad' and alla them 'Airplane' deals died in November at the age of 84. The quintessential Mr. Deadpan.

Merlin Olsen. The star of the family drama 'Father Murphy' - and former football player -- passed away from complications of mesothelioma in March. He was 69. Great football player. Horrific actor.

Robert B. Parker. The man who wrote the novels that served as the basis for 'Spenser: For Hire' and the 'Jesse Stone' movies died in January at the age of 77. Sort of the unthinking man's Elmore Leonard.

Steve Landesberg. The 'Barney Miller' actor (Dietrich) died earlier this week of cancer at the age of 65. Not that anyone could ever replace 'Fish', or 'Nick', but Steve came close.

James Wall. The 'Captain Kangaroo' actor -- he played neighbor Mr. Baxter -- died in October at the age of 92. Bunny Rabbit wept. Thankfully, nobody told Mr. Greenjeans.

Jackass Of The Week

"..We got us all these knaahfs (knives) to say-el (sell) but I don't even know what to call them..."

Todd Boone of Cutlery Corner in explanation of why he hems, haws, and gives full frontal stutter when attempting to identify Frost Cutlery products that have forever been using other companies registered trademarks and are without names of their own.

Now That Christmas Has Come And Gone, We Can Go Back To Our Favorite Pastime...

Excoriating The Soulless Charlatan In The White House...

Whoops...I Meant The Putting Green...He's Never IN The White House, Is He..

President Obama has been a striking failure.

He has not saved this country from the Bush-era failures; rather, he has done the impossible in making Americans pine for the days that Bush was in office, with Obama's job approval rating recently falling below that of the former president.

Obama did not end the war in Iraq; he merely claimed credit for a deal negotiated under the Bush administration.  The Status of Forces Agreement, signed by U.S. and Iraqi officials on November 16, 2008, already laid the groundwork for an end to combat missions in Iraq.

He has not brought an end to the war in Afghanistan, instead emulating a military strategy that was a basis for success in Iraq, the surge.  What was once heavily criticized by President Obama as a failed strategy has since been hailed as a path to victory in a war that recently sparked Bush-like protests from the antiwar crowd.

Obama has failed to close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, an alleged symbol of American tyranny and torture, and a top priority of Obama during his campaign.  Shortly after his inauguration, executive orders were issued for the closure of the prison within a year.  The thinking was that such a facility was not "consistent with our values and our ideals."  Gitmo remains open nearly two years later, an apparent admission that the president is not consistent with his own values and ideals.

He has failed in every manner to resuscitate the stumbling economy.  The unemployment rate has continued its upward trend under Obama, going from 7.7% in January of 2009 to the current rate of 9.8%.  Meanwhile, attempts to convince the American people of the success of the stimulus bill were manufactured in deceitful ways despite clear signs of turbulence in the economy.  Personal incomes continue to trend downward, as does private-sector job creation, and the national deficit is projected to balloon to a staggering $1.5 trillion in 2011.

Obama's election has been anything but post-racial, with heightened racial rhetoric and actions coming from the administration itself.  Setbacks for the post-racial presidency include the firing and subsequent apology to a black official, Shirley Sherrod, at the Agriculture Department; the president himself, without knowing the facts of the case, labeling police as having "acted stupidly" following the arrest of a black Harvard professor; and the Justice Department's dismissal of voter intimidation charges against members of the New Black Panther Party during the 2008 elections.

Worse, Obama has been governing by putting policy over process, inviting unprecedented backroom deals for health care reform...and now, apparently, tax compromise solutions.

With both sides of the aisle enraged by the process, the recent tax compromise is simply the nail in the coffin.  Obama himself once declared that "[a] good compromise, a good piece of legislation, is like a good sentence or a good piece of music.  Everybody can recognize it."  Complaints from both sides of the aisle indeed indicate that everyone recognizes this -- as a bad compromise. 

And unlike former President Bill Clinton's shift to the center during his tenure, Obama's backroom successes and polarizing failures will only result in a perpetual downturn in his approval rating.  His recent ceding of the podium to Clinton seems to indicate an acceptance of this fate.

The president has gone from being "a big f'n deal" to eliciting utter contempt and disrespect for the highest office in the land.  His liberal colleagues angrily mutter, "F the president."

Like a good compromise, a good president, too, is something that everybody can recognize.  Years from now, recognition of Obama as a transcendent president will long be forgotten, and the era of the man who was to save America will be nothing more than a footnote in history."
 
Not in Chi-Town anymore, are you, Barry?
Where talking a good talk was good enough in mesmerizing the brainless ones into believing all was well, when in reality it was just the same shit, different day. Bitch having to work for a living, isn't it. 
 
You abject failure of a human being.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas

Well we did it again. Made it through several months of abominable advertisements just to get to this day; commercials trying to pump us up to spend, spend, spend, because the rest of the world doesn't buy our stuff anymore so its up to us to keep the federal government awash in Hawaiian vacations. I've had a wonderful day, but to be honest most of my days are wonderful yet its nice to know that most of the free world is having fun today, too.

Fort Fits, that great bastion of the Hogtown Irregulars, wishes you and yours the best Christmas ever, many more to come, and don't forget to shoot the messenger.

MERRY Christmas From Frost Cutlery

"... We've got your Copper-Heads, Sod-Busters, Spider Sense, ah, um, ah, ah, ah, well FORGET I said that. Forget I said that. Didn't mean to say that...."

(Frost Cutlery has been warned not to use other peoples registered trademarks to describe Frost Cutlery products. That means Todd Boone would then have to actually give the things a Frost-designated description, but since Jim Frost himself doesn't have the imagination to name his own knives, Todd Boone certainly cannot and so he constantly stutters and stumbles. Then gives up and goes back to calling them whatever he wants to call them.)

"..Now its time for Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson Homeland Heroes. Or Smith & Wesson somethin'. Wording on the blade is too small for me to see, but it's Smith & Wesson somethin'. Homeland Security? That's it. Smith & Wesson Homeland Heroes. I mean Security. Or somethin'. Buy it to find out for yourself."

"Now this here is another Copper-Head, ah, ah, um, ah, no, I didn't mean to say that. It looks like the kind of knife that has a head of Copper. Looks like its Copper but don't hold me to it. Next to it there's a Sod-Bust...no, the Dirt Breaker, or whatever you wanna call them. Breaker, Buster, Dirt-Buster.  You know what I'm meaning to say but can't say it anymores."

"...Time for the H&R Smooth Stag Bowie. With the Redwood on the handle. Not really Redwood but is red and made of wood. Might be wood, looks like wood. That is red. Not Redwood but Red Wood. If its wood."

"What is this? What is this? This I knew nothing about this. The Hunter's Edge? 22 pieces for $153.75. I'm caught off guard. Not supposed to talk to the producers anymore. But I know, knew nothing about this. Seems to me like there's more than 22 pieces. That means less cost per piece if there's more than 22 pieces because at $153.75 that's less than $7 per knife and if there's more that means less than that even. Whatever. You oughta be buyin' these as much as you can. Irregardless of how many and how much they cost per piece. If there's more than 22 pieces I'm sayin'.

"...One of the most imfluential (intentional sic) people in the history of the country was Abe Lincoln. And his pinnies (pennies). This here is one of the most fun of the commemoratives that Jim Frost has ever put together. The Abe Lincoln pinnies and the knife that goes along with them. $175 gets you the pinnies, all 6 of them, and the knife that itself has a pinny in the mother of pearl handle. Very quite few were more imfluential than Abe Lincoln. So just think about how much more so imfluential these will be years from now.  Comes with a certificate of authenticity and that tells you the pinnies are genuine." 

So what? No Tom O'Dell-isms? Have no fear.

"...These here are the Japanese Daisho swords, each and every one of them absolutely identical except for the ones that have a difference... and let's not forget the Pocket Paradise knives, hey, is that anything like Pocket-Pool?"

Sheila Travis. Stunned to hear senile O'Dell say something so uncool on the air...even after his admission that he was drunk on his ass...

"..And these pocket knaahvs are no two the same except for the ones that are similar..."

And All 3 Together...

"MARY CHRISTMAS!"

TSA Continues To Flex Its Muscles So That They May Grope Yours

 Woman arrested after refusing enhanced pat down

Early Wednesday morning, a computer glitch shut down a security checkpoint for a couple of hours at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.  The line snaked out the door as many travelers waited for more than an hour and some missed their flights.  One of the first people in line after that shutdown never made it through. She was arrested and banned from the airport.

Claire Hirschkind, 56, who says she is a rape victim and who has a pacemaker-type device implanted in her chest, says her constitutional rights were violated.  She says she never broke any laws.  But the Transportation Security Administration disagrees. 
Hirschkind was hoping to spend Christmas with friends in California, but she never made it past the security checkpoint.
"I can't go through because I have the equivalent of a pacemaker in me," she said.
Hirschkind said because of the device in her body, she was led to a female TSA employee and three Austin police officers.  She says she was told she was going to be patted down.
"I turned to the police officer and said, 'I have given no due cause to give up my constitutional rights.  You can wand me,'" and they said, 'No, you have to do this,'" she said.
Hirschkind agreed to the pat down, but on one condition.
"I told them, 'No, I'm not going to have my breasts felt,' and she said, 'Yes, you are,'" said Hirschkind.
When Hirschkind refused, she says that "the police actually pushed me to the floor, (and) handcuffed me.  I was crying by then.  They drug me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security."

An ABIA spokesman says it is TSA policy that anyone activating a security alarm has two options.  One is to opt out and not fly, and the other option is to subject themselves to an enhanced pat down.  Hirschkind refused both and was arrested.

Other travelers KVUE talked to say they empathize with Hirschkind, but the law is the law.

"I understand her side of it, and their side as well, but it is for our protection so I have no problems with it," said Gwen Washington, who lives in Killeen.
"It's unfortunate that that happened and she didn't get to fly home, but it makes me feel a little safer," said Emily Protine.  

The TSA did release a statement Wednesday that said in part, "Our officers are trained to treat all passengers with dignity and respect. Security is not optional." 
The TSA says less than three percent of travelers get a pat-down."

And there you have the real reason for at least half of the lunacy that goes on these days. The exceptional woman, the one in a thousand brave enough to speak up had her voice drowned out by the Suzy-Safety types that will put up with ANY intrusion into their rights as long as they get to board that plane.

Can you even begin to imagine them pulling such shit back when our Father's and Grandfather's ran the country?

Friday, December 24, 2010

Convenience Store Owner Accidentally Tasers First Lady....

Inspired by Bah_Humbug

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

Why Haiti Is A Losing Proposition...

...With a CAPITAL "L"...

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Angry Haitian mobs have lynched at least 45 people in recent weeks, accusing them of spreading a cholera outbreak that has killed over 2,500 people across the country, officials said Wednesday.

The number included at least 14 suspected sorcerers previously known to have been lynched in the far southwestern region of Grand'Anse as local people feared they were spreading cholera with a magical substance. The area has been largely spared by the outbreak.
"We have counted 40 people dead in Grand'Anse department alone, where people are attacking natural healers they accuse of cholera-linked witchcraft," said communications ministry official Moise Fritz Evens.

Five other people were killed in similar circumstances elsewhere in the country.
"The victims -- most of them voodoo priests -- were stoned or hacked with machetes before being burned in the street," added the official, who was presenting the results of an investigation conducted in Grand'Anse earlier this month."

Now don't forget to send as much of your hard earned money as possible to Haitian relief efforts.  So what that past donations intended to educate the population were stolen by villains, thieves, and scoundrels; eradicating the sorcerers is really really important and decent rope is expensive.

Caption THIS

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Did Abe Lincoln's Assassin Escape? DNA May Solve Mystery

As the old story goes, Union troops shot and killed a man they believed to be John Wilkes Booth...BUT...

Descendants of John Wilkes Booth have agreed to exhume his brother's body for DNA testing in an attempt to determine whether the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln escaped capture and eluded justice, as the family has been told.

"I'm absolutely in favor of exhuming Edwin," Joanne Hulme, a Booth family historian, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Let's have the truth and put this thing to rest."

The things DNA can tell us, eh? So very cool.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Lady Shelly's Separate Hawaii Travel Likely Costs at Least $63,000

The decision by First Lady Michelle Obama to leave on schedule for her two-week Hawaii vacation and not wait a few days for her delayed husband will probably cost taxpayers more than $63,000 in additional expenses, according to a White House Dossier analysis.
President Obama was supposed to depart for Hawaii Saturday, but decided to stay in Washington until Congress finishes its work for the year. He’s now expected to depart today or tomorrow. But Mrs. Obama chose to leave without him Saturday, taking their two children and the dog along with her.

Mrs. Obama’s decision to go without the president forced her to take a separate plane, meaning two flights instead of one were needed to ferry the First Family to their vacation destination. Unless for some reason her plane was headed to Hawaii anyway, her trip involves substantial additional costs."

Royalty does NOT pay attention so such things. Royalty does what it damned well pleases, WHEN it damned well pleases.
You'd think that, what with all the brouhaha over her extravagances, Michelle Obama would at least give lip service to acting like she gives a fuck.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

No Director Clapper In The White House?

Director Clapper Unaware Of London Terror Arrests...

Diane Sawyer sat down with the trio of officials on the same day that British authorities arrested 12 men in England

Brennan and Napolitano knew of the arrests and said that the plot would not have threatened the United States, but Director Clapper, who briefs the president daily on the nation's security, appeared to be unfamiliar with the events in London. 

"First of all, London," Sawyer said. "How serious is it? Any implication that it was coming here? ... Director Clapper?"
"London?" Clapper said, before Brennan entered the conversation explaining the arrests.
Later in the interview, Sawyer returned to the subject.
"I was a little surprised you didn't know about London," Sawyer told Clapper.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't," he replied. 

After the interview, Clapper's office declined to say whether he knew about the specific disrupted plot but issued a statement: 

"The question about this specific news development was ambiguous. The DNI's knowledge of the threat streams in Europe is profound and multi-dimensional, and any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate, un-profound, un-multi-dimensional, and biguous."

When asked to provide his take on the story, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, perhaps somewhat confused about the story himself,  said about the man responsible for briefing the President of The United States of America on terrorist activity, "To the best of my knowledge no one in the White House uses Director Clappers...we wing it then call it a day..."

The College Diploma Fraud

For more than a half-century, government has tried to close racial gaps in educational attainment.  Sad to say, those gaps have proven intractable.  Nevertheless, the impulse remains as heartfelt as ever (perhaps due to its financially lucrative character), but the emphasis is now shifting from actual learning to equality of graduation rates.  President Obama has spoken of adding 5 million graduates to the workforce by 2020, and credential-mania is now all the rage.  This shift is a disaster in the making; imparting knowledge is commendable, but just handing out diplomas is harmful deception.  A cynic might aver that the shift from knowledge to graduation rates is a tacit admission that the gap-closing quest is futile.
Consider a recent Washington Post story, "Md's Towson University conquers 'graduation gap.'"  The story explains how Towson is now among the tiny few that have equalized graduation across blacks, whites, and Hispanics.  The article's tone was clearly celebratory.  Meanwhile, a report prepared by The Education Trust (cited in the Post story) that examines the topic more broadly insisted that equal graduation rates "would be a very big step in putting our country on a path to a better and more equitable future." 

The tip-off to this educational chicanery is the silence regarding actual learning.."

Okay, here's the deal broken down so that even those tuning in from Rio Linda can understand what's going on:

Let's say I am a black man. And a diabetic. You are a white man, also a diabetic. For me, it takes 100 milligrams of medication a day to control my diabetes. You, the whitebread dude, need 80 milligrams of the same medication to control your diabetes.  

The medical profession (hah) takes note of this and becomes worried that treating black men and white men differently will result in an in-balance of the universe itself, soon ripping the space-time continuum to absolute shreds.

To remedy this, the medical profession (hah) comes up with two possible plans to save the world as we know it. Have pharmacies label ALL medications the same, be they 80 or 100 milligrams so as not to appear to be favoring one race or another...or...to force me the black guy to take the same dose as you the white guy because after all it isn't curing the disease that's important but treating the problem EQUALLY. 

The later is what the education profession (hah) has decided to do with minorities. Enter them in the same college-prep classes as non-minorities, whether they are deserving or not, because just like the diabetes medicine, to do otherwise would be to create an imbalance in the space time yadda yadda.

For obvious cultural reasons, minority children make up less than 20% of what are called "gifted children". So a classroom of gifted kids would therefore be 5 to 1 whitebread heavy and that just ain't gonna happen no mores. 

Fuck the education. Fuck learning. Give them ALL the same treatment... and that means gifted classes must leave out some truly deserving kids because the room must be reserved for undeserving kids taking up the limited amount of space. Not everyone is suited for college-prep courses. But idiots like Barry Soetoro want an equal amount of kids in college-prep courses because, well, JUST BECAUSE.

Wouldn't want to call him and his entourage racists so lets leave it at that. The end result is there are an awful lot of brainy kids left out in the cold but who cares, they're white. Soon enough the colleges are chockablock with mediocrity but on paper they are very, very, equal.

And....

Just like the black guys on diabetes, soon to expire.