As Our Birthday Beckons...

More than a hundred years ago, so-called "Progressives" began a campaign to undermine the Constitution's strict limitations on government, which stood in the way of self-anointed political crusaders imposing their grand schemes on all the rest of us. That effort to discredit the Constitution continues to this day, and the arguments haven't really changed much in a hundred years.

The cover story in the July 4th issue of Time magazine is a classic example of this arrogance. It asks of the Constitution: "Does it still matter?"

A long and rambling essay by Time magazine's managing editor, Richard Stengel, manages to create a toxic blend of the irrelevant and the erroneous.

The irrelevant comes first, pointing out in big letters that those who wrote the Constitution "did not know about" all sorts of things in the world today, including airplanes, television, computers and DNA.

This may seem like a clever new gambit but, like many clever new gambits, it is a rehash of arguments made long ago. Back in 1908, Woodrow Wilson said, "When the Constitution was framed there were no railways, there was no telegraph, there was no telephone,"

In Mr. Stengel's rehash of this argument, he declares: "People on the right and left constantly ask what the framers would say about some event that is happening today."

Maybe that kind of talk goes on where he hangs out. But most people have enough common sense to know that a constitution does not exist to micro-manage particular "events" or express opinions about the passing scene.

A constitution exists to create a framework for government -- and the Constitution of the United States tries to keep the government inside that framework.

The elite have forever hated our Constitution, as it leaves no ground for true royalty. And Mr. Stengel of Time magazine...being  liberal down to the fiber of his genetic being...knows in his heart of hearts that the smart, sophisticated people should but snap their smart and sophisticated fingers to get things done, regardless what we, the dumb and unsophisticated happen to think about it.

King George was a lot like that too.

The Constitution itself is a wonder of simplicity. Simply ask yourself, what would a free man of good will do, and bingo, there's the answer to every question in the known universe.

"Free" being the operative word. A word Mr. Stengel and his liberal brethren despise.

Holland abandoning multiculturalism

In a landmark turnabout, one of the cornerstones of contemporary liberalism is being rejected by one of the fountainheads of liberalism.  The politically correct doctrine of multiculturalism is heading for decline, as Holland, one of the most socially liberal societies on earth, is reversing its former policy of multiculturalism.  Soeren Kern, writing for Hudson New York, covers an important story that has gotten almost no notice from the American media, which wishes to pretend that multiculturalism works just fine:

A new integration bill (covering letter and 15-page action plan), which Dutch Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to parliament on June 16, reads: "The government shares the social dissatisfaction over the multicultural society model and plans to shift priority to the values of the Dutch people. In the new integration system, the values of the Dutch society play a central role. With this change, the government steps away from the model of a multicultural society."
The letter continues: "A more obligatory integration is justified because the government also demands that from its own citizens. It is necessary because otherwise the society gradually grows apart and eventually no one feels at home anymore in the Netherlands. The integration will not be tailored to different groups."
The new integration policy will place more demands on immigrants. For example, immigrants will be required to learn the Dutch language, and the government will take a tougher approach to immigrants to ignore Dutch values or disobey Dutch law.
The government will also stop offering special subsidies for Muslim immigrants because, according to Donner, "it is not the government's job to integrate immigrants." The government will introduce new legislation that outlaws forced marriages and will also impose tougher measures against Muslim immigrants who lower their chances of employment by the way they dress. More specifically, the government will impose a ban on face-covering Islamic burqas as of January 1, 2013.

Saying that Holland is socially liberal sort of misses the point. 

The Dutch are something of a free-wheeling lot, but it was always with the understanding that they knew they could handle it, and handle it they did until the intrusion of the islamic curse.

To them, being socially liberal meant the government kept its nose out of peoples business. That worked just fine, too. I'm biased because the Dutch love Americans and I was always treated marvelously by my Dutch hosts, and that...back when I was far younger and slightly wilder...meant I returned the favor by not embarrassing anyone with any silly ass Angry-American bullswaddle.

It wasn't easy. The rest of the world is forever asking about Americans inventing this, or the first ones to do that, because regardless of what liberals would have you believe, Europe was and has pretty much remained thankful that we defeated Hitler and Tojo for them.

This could easily lead to a swelled head, but the Dutch themselves were good teachers and I thoroughly enjoyed their way of life. And seriously now, they didn't care a lick if an American didn't speak Dutch, quite the contrary, as they liked to hear Americanese.

But leave it to the moslems to screw things up. Moslems CANNOT be assimilated into ANY society that does not follow strict islamic law. Case closed, Katie bar the door. And I am happy to see the Dutch fighting back to regain their culture.

Nutcase Chicago Top Cop Declares Federal Gun Laws "RACIST!"

...And Not The Way You'd Expect...

Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy earlier this month told parishioners at St. Sabina’s Church that federal gun laws are akin to “government-sponsored racism.”

“I want you to connect one more dot on that chain of African-American history in this country, and tell me if I’m crazy: Federal gun laws that facilitate the flow of illegal firearms into our urban centers, across this country, that are killing black and brown children,” he said according to an WMAQ-Channel 5 story that aired Thursday.

McCarthy can be heard telling the congregation in the video about the NRA, “The NRA does not like me, and I’m OK with that.”

McCarthy went on to say that in the debate about gun control, there has to be “a recognition of who’s paying the price for gun manufacturers being rich and living in gated communities.”

McCarthy told parishioners an anecdote about a brutal night of killings in Newark, N.J., where he was previously head of the police department. McCarthy said that after he got home that night, he turn on the TV to relax, and tuned in to Sarah Palin’s Alaska.

“She was caribou-hunting and talking about the right to bear arms,” McCarthy said. “Why wasn’t she at the crime scene with me?”

McCarthy also told parishioners that “everybody is afraid of race. I’m not afraid of race.”

In a statement Thursday, McCarthy said “strong gun laws against illegal firearms are critical in order to maintain public safety and private rights.”

So lets make some sense of this outburst of stupidity. Despite the 20,000 or so gun laws in America, Dingleberry McCarthy wants even more, or to be precise, "stronger" ones. Against only illegal guns, mind you, unless Sarah Palin is the one toting them.

Despite the irrefutable fact that "black and brown" people break the existing gun laws more so than anyone. and are responsible for 3/4 of all the violent criminal acts in America, Dingleberry McCarthy wants to protect black and brown people from themselves by penalizing white and somewhat tan people (Floridians need a voice in this too) from legally owning legal firearms, as the NRA is a staunch supporter of. 

I looked it up I really did, and the NRA...who Dingle says doesn't like him, sniff, has never asked white and tan gun owners to sell their firearms to thugs to go and kill black and brown people. To the contrary. The NRA wants black and brown people to LEGALLY own and carry guns too, in order to protect themselves from the black and brown criminals who hunt them like prey animals. 

Seems as if Dingleberry McCarthy really really believes that black and brown people cannot be trusted with guns. Well, he's a democrat, a follower of the party of slavery, so of course he doesn't like them or trust them or think they deserve the same rights as everyone else.

As a top cop in the windy shitty city, Dingleberry is anti-gun and that means anti black and brown since they are the ones needing the most protection. 

But he blames...wait for it...wait for it...

You and me.

And ya know what, I find myself agreeing with him. There should be tougher penalties handed down to people that harm and kill innocent people. So lets institute the death penalty for anyone, black, brown, white or tan, who uses a firearm as a man-killer just for the fun of it. Fry them, hang them, shoot them full of badass dope that brings on an instant dirt nap.

That'd sure stop the flow of illegal guns, now wouldn't it, Dingleberry. Dead men sell no ammo, partner. So push for them there stronger sentences, Dingle old buddy; we're behind you all the way and are ready to throw the switch.

Peter Falk

Pollak Doing Walken To A "T"

Knife Knowledge Test

Pardon for my posting this link as it appears to have been birthed on some homosexual site, but it IS an interesting knife knowledge test. I should have scored higher but I simply do not know enough about old fashioned knives designed for senile, aged men who do nothing but whittle. Which means Jim Frost would probably score a 20% because that's all he DOES know about. Be fun if I could somehow get one of those idiots to take the thing...

Obama Goofs Again Without TeleDope To Save Him...

Stutterer In Chief Says He Awarded Medal of Honor To Living Soldier When In Fact It Was Posthumously

During his remarks to troops at Fort Drum today, the President was reminiscing about the times he has spent with the US Army's 10th Mountain Division, when he got something wrong.

"Throughout my service, first as a senator and then as a presidential candidate and then as a President, I’ve always run into you guys.  And for some reason it’s always in some rough spots. 

    

First time I saw 10th Mountain Division, you guys were in southern Iraq.  When I went back to visit Afghanistan, you guys were the first ones there.  I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously."

The problem is, Jared Monti was killed in action in Afghanistan, on June 21, 2006.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, September 17, 2009.  President Obama handed the framed medal to his parents, Paul and Janet Monti.  He and the First Lady comforted them in the Oval Office following the ceremony.

I contacted the White House to see what happened.  I'm told the President didn't have prepared remarks.

The question remains as to why they let this guy out of his cage without a handler. 

Then again, he sleeps with Michelle so maybe it isn't all that easy telling the living from the dead.

US, Japan to Delay Futenma Relocation Plan

WASHINGTON -- After 15 years of controversy and deadlock -- and now new pressures to rein in spending -- U.S. and Japanese officials on Tuesday are expected to push back the timeline for relocating thousands of Marines stationed on Okinawa.

The announcement amounts to a concession that the larger realignment plan for U.S. military forces across the Pacific is unachievable.

“It does not take a math prodigy to look at the calendar, look at the original timelines that were laid out, look at the progress that’s been made and make a determination about what can and can’t be completed between now and 2014,” said a senior administration official briefing reporters Monday on the condition of anonymity. “So I think you can expect to [see] coming out of the meeting [Tuesday] a readjustment of the timeline going forward in a way that is more realistic and that will allow us to achieve our joint and mutual goals.”

Yeah, we should get out of Japan. Since they still don't have ANY natural resources to speak of, it'd take them decades to rearm again, so who cares?

We'll all be old or dead so leave it to the kids to work it out.

Oh and while we're at it, let's return the favor and order all Japanese out of America.

Just saying.

(That rumbling, echo-like noise you're hearing? MacArthur turning over in his grave.)

American Cancer Society Declares Poverty A Carcinogen

It's not Styrofoam or cellphones or tobacco that are killing us.

It's poverty.

A report released Friday by the American Cancer Society echoes a 1989 statement by Dr. Samuel A. Broder, then director of the National Cancer Institute, who said that poverty is a carcinogen.

As for why, the report said that people who are lower on the economic ladder are more likely to engage in risky behavior —- partly because marketing for products such as tobacco is aimed specifically at them, and partly because of barriers —- societal and otherwise —- to opportunities for exercise and healthy food.

And then impoverished people don't tend to engage in preventive medical care, which they can't afford, so that by the time they seek treatment, it's too often too late.

Damn. Stop smoking and drinking, cut back on red meat, exercise as often as practical, keep the overall caloric intake down to prohibit weighing more than a quarter ton...and now...

Staying the hell away from poor people or risk contact with yet another carcinogen. 

Will the government wrap them in warning labels with graphic pictures outlining the terrible risk of exposure?

School choice one of the answers in preparing youngsters for good jobs

Siemens, the German engineering group, is having difficulty filling job openings in the U.S.

With an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, how is that possible?

Eric Spiegel, chief executive in the U.S. for Siemens, said in an interview with Financial Times that, “There’s a mismatch between the jobs that are available, at least in our portfolio, and the people that we see out there.  There is a shortage (of workers with the right skills.)”

For contrast, the article goes on to say that a Volkswagen plant had 85,000 applicants for 2,000 jobs at its new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

America spends far more on education than most other nations, so why is its workforce lagging behind? There are jobs to be had, but the industries hiring say the knowledge, education and performance levels needed for these jobs aren’t being found in the U.S.

While the Obama Administration and Department of Labor tout that more job training and government intervention would solve this problem, why not fix the problem at its roots—America’s current education system.

One simple and cost effective way to do so is to allow students and parents to choose what school they attend and what kind of education they want to receive.  And that is exactly what many states are doing during this time of budget cuts and fiscal restraint.  In fact, over the past five years, the number of states that have enacted school choice programs has doubled.

 

Red states will embrace these sort of programs while blue states will fight them tooth and nail, such as what we see  in NY and California. Most of the reasons behind such recalcitrance is of course the teachers unions that see cushy jobs disappearing right and perhaps even left.

And Obama's ideas are simply stupid.

Providing additional training to youngsters who cannot read, write, or speak even colloquial English because they've been promoted to fulfill quota systems, will NEVER benefit from any genuine training program. Just ask anyone in Human Resources how difficult it is to find young, and even middle-aged workers in some areas, who can spell much of anything other their name.

The REAL training programs begin with Kindergarten.

Liberals have kept certain ethnic groups barefoot and pregnant and now they've assured that they must rely upon government giveaways because there isn't a decent paying private company that will hire them.

Time For More Great Inventions Of The 20th Century

For Some Reason This Never Caught On

Hot Stuff

5:24 PM and the temp just hit 101 here in beautiful downtown Gainesville. Humidity is a low 26% so at least its a dry heat. Tomorrow its supposed to top off at 100 with thunder storms, and that's when things get interesting; 100 degrees...100% humidity.

Get some.

No Oil For Blood!

Reversing The Eyes-Wide-Stupid Refrain Of The Functionally Illiterate Loons Who Believe We Fight For Booty

The idea that oil lust drives America’s Middle East policy is a perennial—and tired—saw invoked by U.S. critics both at home and abroad. But why, then, does America keep spurning this oil through sanctions on hostile regimes? In the decade between the two Iraq wars, America wouldn’t let Saddam Hussein sell any oil except for food. Washington’s sanctions on Iranian oil are costing America $38 billion to $76 billion  annually in lost revenue. And America had sworn off Libyan oil until Gadhafi abandoned plans to develop weapons of mass destruction and compensated the victims of the Lockerbie terrorist bombing.

That we are after Libya’s oil is particularly untenable for the simple reason that Libya is only a bit player in the world oil market. It is not even among our top 15 crude oil suppliers. The U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels a day and Libya produces 1.7 million barrels for the whole globe. America lost 1 million barrels a day during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the U.S. economy barely hiccuped.

So when all is said and done, we've lost over a hundred billion smackeroonies in our greedy thirst for precisely what commodity? Doesn't sound like oil had anything to do with either Iraq war. now does it? In fact with all of our endeavors in the middle east, including our support for Israel, the price for democracy over oil has been too high to calculate.

California Receives Over $800 Million In Stimulus Money To...

 Send Out Unemployment Checks

Federal officials announced Wednesday that California will receive more than $800 million in funding to help the unemployed as the state struggles to deal with the economy and a huge budget hole.
The U.S. Department of Labor said it will immediately release the money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The state can use the funds to pay unemployment benefits, provide employment services or administer the state’s unemployment insurance program, the department said in a statement.
“The federal government made these funds available as an incentive for states to strengthen their safety net as our economy continues to recover,” Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis said.
California was hard-hit by the recession and while the unemployment rate has dropped recently it remains well above the national average of around 9 percent. The most recent tally put the unemployment rate at 11.9 percent in April, down from a modern record of 12.6 percent reached in March 2010.

Remember when stimulus monies were to be used to CREATE jobs?

Brooklyn Man Shoots At Street Gang...Mother Of Girl Slightly Injured Praises Him

A Brooklyn gunman who opened fire on a pack of noisy teens was hailed as a hero Monday by the most unlikely of allies - the mother of the woman he inadvertently wounded.

Larisa Kaprovskaya said Thomas Dunikowski was just trying to protect them from local teens terrorizing their block.

"He shot because he wants to protect us," said Kaprovskaya, 50. "I don't know what would have happened to us if he didn't try to protect us. I appreciate him."

Kaprovskaya's 21-year-old daughter, Yana, was hit by shrapnel in her left leg when Dunikowski opened fire about 11:30p.m. Saturday.

Yana Kaprovskaya was not badly hurt, her mother said. She said Dunikowski stood up for them after the cops disregarded their pleas for help.

"It was so dangerous," the mom said. "I didn't know what was happening."

Dunikowski, 30, was slapped with a raft of charges for using a semiautomatic hunting rifle to open fire on the teens in Marine Park, cops said.

The wounded youths were identified as 17-year-old Francis Ruan and David Mahoney, 15, police said.

Kaprovskaya said Dunikowski is a family man who lives with his wife, Kimberly, and their 2-year-old son.

Another neighbor, John Westbay, felt sorry for the shooter.

"I can understand why he did it," Westbay said. "It's not the first time we've had this trouble."

Police said Monday they had no record of previous 911 calls from the shooter's home on Stuart St.

This is how the NYPD rolls.

Takes a day or two for them to "lose" the 911 calls, but lose them they most certainly do. 

Call it job security. Because when law abiding people have finally taken enough from street gangs they should take matters into their own hands. Not the law into their own hands, as some liberals would whinge about, but the RIGHT to fight back. Parts of Los Angeles...and larger and larger parts each year...are forever lost to the street thugs, and praise should be given anytime someone says no to such monsters.

Back when I grew up in NYC, each neighborhood took care of itself. Almost each neighborhood but that's neither here nor there. Lets just say each neighborhood worthy of the name. Men didn't need to shoot at the night scum but if they had to they would have and gladly so. Most of the time all it took was a father to race down the stairs and begin kicking ass. He'd be followed by another then another until the beasts were either beaten to the ground or ran for their lives.

The cops were different back then too. If they arrived at such a scene they'd usually jump right into the slugfest to help clear the sidewalks of the dog shit that had stained it.

Now they spit on their vows and help the criminals.

Mr. Dunikowski is going to pay dearly for his courage. In NYC and other dirty places, men aren't allowed to protect their families so Mr. Dunikowski is going to do time no matter how many ambulance chasers jump in to "help" him and get their names in the papers.

Its my fault and your fault; all men of otherwise good will must share this shame. We let the country sink this low and as penance it would be a good idea to stop the craziness where it was born and at the very least keep it away from our side of the wall.

Happy Father's Day

If you still have yours then treasure him. If you don't then remember and honor him.

Florida Governor Signs New Concealed Carry Law

Firearms; Provides that a person who is licensed to carry a concealed firearm is not in violation of law if the firearm is briefly and openly displayed under certain circumstances. Allows the Division of Licensing of the DOACS to take fingerprints from concealed carry license applicants. Provides that a person may not openly carry a weapon or firearm or carry a concealed weapon or firearm into specified locations. Provides that concealed carry licensees shall not be prohibited from carrying or storing a firearm in a vehicle for lawful purposes, etc.

EFFECTIVE DATE: upon becoming a law

Scott waited awhile but finally put the pen to this halfass bill today. Now it'll take, oh, lets say 3 or 4 years before the word filters down to law enforcement. And to some counties it won't really matter as they'll continue to harass law abiding citizens anyway.

Obama Administration: No Additional Drilling In Alaska

Administration officials wary of upsetting caribou...

Woman Gives Penis to Police As Evidence of Attack

In Bangladesh, a Weinergate very different from the one preoccupying America's Twitternet has emerged. There, a woman cut off her neighbor's penis after he allegedly broke into her house and tried to rape her. Monju Begum, a 40-year-old married mother of three, told police that she knifed off the penis of her neighbor, Mozammel Haq Mazi, in order to show evidence of the attack. She's filed an attempted rape charge against Mazi, a married man and father of five who denies the allegations.

"Um, well no officer that isn't MY penis. What's that, you want to see if I still have one? Sorry, but I was born without one..."

Expansion Revisited

PMC Starfire remains the preeminent brand of ammunition with regards to expansion upon impact. These rounds were all shot through water jugs, with the best mushroom coming darn close to .9" across.Take notice of the round fired through 6 layers of denim. Slightly less expansion but lots of talon-looking things, and deeper penetration because the expansion was curtailed a tad.

And all from a .40 caliber bullet. Federal's JHP's are a close second, with Winchester Ranger-T a nasty round with claws and hooks and lord knows what else, but not so much expansion.

If you gaze to the righthand margin you'll see my profile picture featuring a PMC Starfire in .38 Special, and to its right one loaded for .357 magnum. Terminal ballistics for the 38/357 are very close to the .40, with somewhat more deformation due to the extra oomph the magnum creates.

Obama's Presidency Shovel-Ready?

While meeting with his Jobs and Competitiveness Council today in Durham, N.C., President Obama cracked wise about one of his administration's early catchphrases.

Remember "shovel-ready projects."

Those were construction projects in the 2009 stimulus bill that were supposed to get moving right away -- but jobs council members told Obama today that some got held up because of elaborate government regulations and permitting procedures.

"Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected," Obama said.

In both the jobs council meeting and in his speech later to employees at a Durham lighting company, Obama said regulatory change is a major part of his new jobs push.

"How do we deal with making sure our regulations make sense, so that we start eliminating ones that don't work, aren't making consumers better off or aren't improving our quality of life?" Obama told the employees.

Republicans said Obama's "shovel-ready" comment is more proof of the shortcomings on his economic policies.

"He's a couple of years behind the rest of America," said Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "But it's refreshing that the president himself is now acknowledging the failure of his stimulus program."

Nice that the simpleton can laugh about unemployment. For that reason alone the doofus frig should be run out of town on a rail, after a formal tar and feathering.

More Interesting Reading...The Gold Standard

No...Not Ari's Talent Agency

"As the Fed's debasement of the currency reaches literally unprecedented levels, more and more regular Americans are waking up to the merits of commodity money. Yet this isn't some populist fad; there is a whole tradition of excellent academic scholarship touting the virtues of the gold standard."

Copyrights And Patents: Handed Down By The Aristocracy?

Granting patents was a way for the State to raise money without having to impose a tax. Dispensing them also helped secure the loyalty of favorites. The patentee in return received protection from competition. This was great for the State and the patentee but not for competition or the consumer.

In today’s system we’ve democratized and institutionalized intellectual property. Now anyone can apply. You don’t have to go to the king or be his buddy. You can just go to the patent office. But the same thing happens. Some companies apply for patents just to keep the wolves at bay. After all, if you don’t have patents someone might sue you or reinvent and patent the same ideas you are using. If you have a patent arsenal, others are afraid to sue you. So companies spend millions of dollars to obtain patents for defensive purposes.

Large companies rattle their sabers or sue each other, then make a deal, say, to cross-license their patents to each other. That’s fine for them because they have protection from each other’s competition. But what does it do to smaller companies? They don’t have big patent arsenals or a credible countersuit threat. So patents amount to a barrier to entry, the modern version of mercantilist protectionism.

What about copyright? The roots literally lie in censorship. It was easy for State and church to control thought by controlling the scribes, but then the printing press came along, and the authorities worried that they couldn’t control official thought as easily. 

So Queen Mary created the Stationer’s Company in 1557, with the exclusive franchise over book publishing, to control the press and what information the people could access. When the charter of the Stationer’s Company expired, the publishers lobbied for an extension, but in the Statute of Anne (1710) Parliament gave copyright to authors instead. Authors liked this because it freed their works from State control. Nowadays they use copyright much as the State originally did: to censor and ban books.

Quite the interesting read on how patents and copyrights can stifle growth. My foray into the business world taught me certain valuable lessons, one of which was the fact that whomever had the most to spend on lawyers usually won a copyright or patent fight.

The Goofball Goofs Again

Un-Stimulating To Say The Least

President Barack Obama visited the Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, a week ago Friday to tout the alleged economic benefits of his bailout of Chrysler.

The bailout kept the Jeep plant open, the president told workers there. "This plant indirectly supports hundreds of other jobs right here in Toledo," he added. "After all, without you, who'd eat at Chet's or Inky's or Rudy's?"

This week, Richard Lawrence, co-owner of New Chet's restaurant, announced it was closing its doors after 90 years.

Poor Chet's has to close because it isn't getting government subsidies like the unions are. And you think the Obama gang doesn't know this?

More here.

Warranty Schmaranty

I buy extended warranties on everything. The only thing you cannot warranty is anything a health professional does for you. Says a lot right there.

Anyways, the usual manufacturers warranty doesn't only suck ass, they are too expensive, and while I might look like a jerk I ain't one. The point of sale also wants to sell you a warranty. Something breaks and they have to fix it, the manufacturer chips in just so's Wal-Mart or Best Buy doesn't take too big of a hit. Everyone makes out except for the little guy who listens to all the hype about how good a product is, how fantastic the Quality Control happens to be, how millions of people the universe over are delighted to own one, then is told oh but you shouldn't think of using it for more than a year.

That's why I do my warranty business over at SquareTrade. No fuss, little muss, and the price isn't only competitive its usual 2/3 or less than what Acer or Wally World wants to hit you up for.

You fill out an easy form, then if you wish to, also send an email of the receipt for your purchase which they'll file. Something goes kerplooey, then its one less thing you have to worry about.

Just got a new laptop and added it to the list which includes my new Kindle. This way, when my bi-polar shrink asks if I've been obsessing I can honestly say no. Everything's covered.

Right?

Time Once Again For: Marine Corps Parables

Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and now you've wasted the whole day when you could have been fishing for yourself and your family. He's a grown man, and fer chrissake fishing isn't rocket science.

Freedom in the 50 States: Report From George Mason University

State Freedom Rankings

• 1. New Hampshire
• 2. South Dakota
• 3. Indiana
• 4. Idaho
• 5. Missouri
• 6. Nevada
• 7. Colorado
• 8. Oregon
• 9. Virginia
• 10. North Dakota
• 11. Florida
• 12. Oklahoma
• 13. Iowa
• 14. Texas
• 15. Georgia
• 16. Tennessee
• 17. Kansas
• 18. North Carolina
• 19. Alabama
• 20. Utah
• 21. Wyoming
• 22. Arizona
• 23. Nebraska
• 24. Mississippi
• 25. Wisconsin

• 26. South Carolina
• 27. Michigan
• 28. Arkansas
• 29. Montana
• 30. Vermont
• 31. Pennsylvania
• 32. Kentucky
• 33. Maine
• 34. Minnesota
• 35. Louisiana
• 36. West Virginia
• 37. New Mexico
• 38. Connecticut
• 39. Delaware
• 40. Washington
• 41. Illinois
• 42. Ohio
• 43. Maryland
• 44. Alaska
• 45. Rhode Island
• 46. Massachusetts
• 47. Hawaii
• 48. California
• 49. New Jersey
• 50. New York

Stringent gun laws accounted for a mere 7% or thereabouts in the overall rankings, but isn't it interesting that the states with the most restrictive firearms laws were also less free in other matters as well.

Interesting but predictable as all hell.

Alaska's ranking surprised me but then again Alaskans brag so much about how free they are I should have known better. 

Florida coming it at 11 means that the Gunshine State needs a swift boot in the ass so I've something to work towards for at least the remainder of this year. Damn Disney and that frickin' mouse. Then again, North Dakota only has 12 or so residents all told, so eliminate them and Florida makes the top ten.

The good news for us is, excepting Louisiana, home to yet another bragging bunch of liberal retards, Florida is surrounded by freedom loving folks so when the time comes we'll all be ready. 

Clicking the headline link will whisk you to an interactive map to see for yourself.

More Police State Brutality

Earlier this year in Tucson, Arizona a shooting rampage targeting U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords made international news – and prompted a coordinated effort to demonize Tea Party supporters (and free speech itself).

Without knowing the details of the case, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik immediately blamed the shooting on “the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government.”

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous,” Dupnik said, calling Arizona “a mecca for prejudice and bigotry.”

Obviously, the world quickly learned that Dupnik was flat out wrong in his assessment of the situation. The violence in Tucson was the product of a deranged madman – not a discernible ideology. But that didn’t stop Democratic leaders like U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn from saying that government should “rethink the parameters of free speech” in the wake of the shooting.

Five months after the Giffords’ tragedy, another fatal shooting took place in Tucson – only this one didn’t make international headlines. It has also failed to produce so much as a peep of disapproval from those who were so outraged earlier this year.

On May 5, 2011 – deputies and “operators” of the Pima County Sheriff’s Office raided the home of 26-year-old Jose Guerena, a U.S. Marine who served two tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2005. Having just fallen asleep after working the night shift at a local mine, Guerena was roused by his wife, Vanessa – who saw a man with a gun outside of the couple’s bedroom window. Thinking his home was being invaded, Guerena grabbed his rifle.

What happened next?

SWAT “operators” – executing a narcotics warrant – broke into Guerena’s home and fired 72 rounds within a matter of seconds, hitting him 22 times. Guerena’s five-year-old son, Joel, watched his father die. Initially, Pima County Sheriff’s investigators said that Guerena had fired his weapon at police officers. That report turned out to be patently false. In fact, Guerena never removed the safety from his rifle.

Also Guerena’s wife is adamant that the officers did not identify themselves as law enforcement agents until after the raid was completed. No drugs were found in the home – and it was later revealed that Guerena’s brother was the real target of the investigation.

Most of us have heard about the Marine being gunned down by paramilitary  forces calling themselves "police". And its easy for me to swear to avenge his death but local residents of the area weave a far different story.

Bear in mind that I've seen no such video, but one was supposedly taken during the event and shown to the city council. What they saw...again supposedly...was an armada of police vehicles parked outside the residence in question. Lights were shining on the house, officers were manning bullhorns identifying themselves, and to anyone in their right mind this could not have been misconstrued as a "home invasion" by anyone other than the authorities.

If true, that dismisses the allegation that the Marine feared that his home and family were under assault by criminal invaders.

But lets talk about who did the real invasion.

Do the cops have such a right? Of course not. It seems that more times than not they arrive at an incorrect address looking for the wrong person, then kill whomever is inside.

After the FIRST such innocent death, ALL SWAT raids across the country should have been stopped immediately if not sooner, but instead they have run amok in this feverish escalation of the war on drugs.

And perhaps it is time to ask ourselves where these men come from. Who teaches them to kill innocent civilians. What sort of man asks to be a part of then becomes proud of such a job? 

Getting the drugs off the street by caging and killing. Does a toke on the old bong warrant the death sentence.

How did America survive back when virtually ALL of these drugs were legal.

We certainly needed far fewer police officers. No armored vehicles or assault rifles. 

Job security? Or have the liberals allowed so much scum into the country the paradigm has so drastically changed as to justify such brutalities?

Todays News From 1775

 WILLIAMSBURG, June 10, 1775.

In the night of Saturday the 3d instant some young men got into the public magazine in this city, intending to furnish themselves with arms, but were presently after surprised by the report of a gun, which was so artfully placed (said to be contrived by L--d D-----e) that upon touching a string which was in their way, it went off, and wounded three persons, but not mortally; one of them is terribly hurt by several small balls that entered his arm and shoulder; another, by the loss of two fingers of his right hand, rendered incapable of following his profession for subsistence; the other wounded very slightly. There were two guns prepared for this horrid purpose, one of which was brought out next morning, and found to be double charged. On Monday a committee was appointed of the Hon. House of Burgesses to examine the state of the magazine, who have placed a guard over it till measures shall be concerted for its better Security.

Courtesy Of Cowboy Blob

Operation Gun-Walker Coming Home To Roost

Officials at the Department of Justice are in "panic mode," according to multiple sources, as word spreads that congressional testimony next week will paint a bleak and humiliating picture of Operation Fast and Furious, the botched undercover operation that left a trail of blood from Mexico to Washington, D.C. 

The operation was supposed to stem the flow of weapons from the U.S. to Mexico by allowing so-called straw buyers to purchase guns legally in the U.S. and later sell them in Mexico, usually to drug cartels.

Instead, ATF documents show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms knowingly and deliberately flooded Mexico with assault rifles. Their intent was to expose the entire smuggling organization, from top to bottom, but the operation spun out of control and supervisors refused pleas from field agents to stop it. 

Only after Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry died did ATF Agent John Dodson blow the whistle and expose the scandal. 

"What people don't understand is how long we will be dealing with this," Dodson told Fox News back in March. "Those guns are gone. You can't just give the order and get them back. There is no telling how many crimes will be committed before we retrieve them." 

But now the casualties are coming in. 

Mexican officials estimate 150 of their people have been shot by Fast and Furious guns. Police have recovered roughly 700 guns at crime scenes, 250 in the U.S. and the rest in Mexico, including five AK-47s found at a cartel warehouse in Juarez last month. 

A high-powered sniper rifle was used to shoot down a Mexican military helicopter. Two other Romanian-made AK-47s were found in a shoot-out that left 11 dead in the state of Jalisco three weeks ago. 

The guns were traced to the Lone Wolf Gun Store in Glendale, Ariz., and were sold only after the store employees were told to do so by the ATF. 

It is illegal to buy a gun for anyone but yourself. However, ATF's own documents show it allowed just 15 men to buy 1,725 guns, and 1,318 of those were after the purchasers officially became targets of investigation. 

Arizona gun store owners say they were explicitly told by the ATF to sell the guns, sometimes 20, 30, even up to 40 in a single day to single person. 

And those orders, from at least one ATF case agent, are on audio recording. 

"We would say, 'Do you (the ATF) want us to stop selling, is there something we should do here?'" Brad DeSayes, owner of J&G Gun Sales in Prescott, said. "And they would say, 'No, no, no, keep selling - just tell us after the fact.'" 

Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, holds a hearing Wednesday into Operation Fast and Furious.

The hearing is billed as "Reckless Decisions, Tragic Outcomes," and the following are among the details expected in testimony:

 This is what happens when dictators take over a government...any government. Rules are broken, liberties curtailed, followed closely by massive incarcerations then piles of bodies. I truly hope this leaves a trail all the way to the White House.

Will The GovernmentsWar On Cameras Prompt The 3rd American Revolution...

1776. 1861. 20..?

Once upon a time I believed that the war on guns would spark the next revolution, but now I think that the accumulation of governmental domestic "wars" will become the accumulative impetus that breaks the camels back.

The war on drugs, and the war on crime regularly cage and kill otherwise, and sometimes genuinely innocent citizens. These wars and the fight to disarm America has seen government thugs evolve from police officers to paramilitary armies that make the Bill of Rights seem like an elementary primer rather than the law of the land.

And now there's the war on cameras. Take a picture of, or film, or even just record the voice of a cop and off to jail you go.

Click here to view the sordid tale of a man who could be sentenced to 75 years in prison for committing a Class 1 felony...the same category as rape...for recording a bad cop.

Oh, and this is happening in Chicago, Ill-Annoy as if I had to tell you so. 

The citizenry as a whole pretty much yawns whenever the government goes after our guns, but take their tweeters and iPads, and cellphone cameras away and they just might awaken to the fact that this is not America anymore.

Open Carry In Florida

I've been getting some confused emails concerning Florida's open-carry status so let me try to clear things up.

Back in the mid-80's, Floridians wanted to exercise their right to carry a concealed weapon. Open carry was quite legal, and the police, retailers, and for all I know ice cream truck vendors despised the mere thought of concealed carry.

"HOW EVER WILL WE KNOW IF A MAN IS ARMED???!!!" came the hue and cry from the constabulary, and "BLOOD WILL RUN IN THE STREETS JUST LIKE IT WAS THE WILD, WILD, WEST!!!"

After a long, drag-out fight, concealed carry was passed. Couple months later, the liberals in the legislature changed the statutes to declare open carry illegal, but no one paid it any much attention. Hell, we can probably STILL open carry all we want as long as we have our licenses, and didn't the cops say that they PREFERRED the open gun?

No sir. This time around the police and sheriffs and ice cream vendors ran to Tallahassee and caterwauled to the high heavens.

"BLOOD WILL RUN..." you get the picture.

Anyways, we got screwed because at the last moment...which in politics means 3 or 4 months...the tone of the bill was changed to read that open carry was still banned but a quick flash of the weapon was not illegal as long as there was no threat or intimidation factor. This meant that the cops couldn't taser you whenever the wind blew your cover garment to expose the piece, but far from open carry.

As of this date, the Governor has yet to sign the bill into law. Many if not most Floridians want him to veto the thing and let us start from scratch. Seeing as how one of the planks on his election platform dealt with assuring Floridians the free and open Constitutional right to bear arms, he probably finds himself in a quandary, but the fact of the matter is the anti-gun retailers and resort owners will fight to the death to prevent open carry.

And there goes his campaign finances should he ever wish to run for public office ever again in the state of Florida. Fight Disney? Do so at your peril.

Knifeworks Goes Rogue

For quite some time I've been ordering production knives from the online seller Knifeworks. Even had a link in my sidebar. They had good pricing and shipped quickly so hey, what's not to like.

Plenty as of late. From my last few orders I've received knives that I've had to do some serious work to bring up to snuff; usually horrific edges and in one instance even a bent blade.

But I always re-sharpen production knives so I let it go. Then on May 19th I gave myself a late birthday present and ordered a Spyderco Endura in ZDP-189, a Japanese super steel. As an aside, I noticed that Knifeworks was offering a discount on Spyderco knives, but that did not enter into my decision to buy from them. 

Order went through, but the credit card was charged the full price of the knife...no discount. Look, I'm fortunate enough for this to be chump change, but its sort of the principal of the thing, ya know. Advertise a price, deliver on that price.

So I sent Knifeworks an email asking what gives and they admitted their mistake and said they'd credit my next order for the discount they should have given me for the Spyderco Endura. 

Last night I saw a sweet  Wharncliffe that would be fun to work on, so I ordered the thing...from Knifeworks.

Bygones should be bygones and everyone is entitled to a mistake. But I just received an email confirming the shipment of my order and guess what...

No discount.

Knifeworks has officially entered the SuckAss Zone and will be treated accordingly. 

All Hands To Battle Stations 

UPDATE

The situation has been resolved to my satisfaction

The Bogus Mercury Scare And The Loons Who Are Using It To Bankrupt America

The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued 946 pages of new rules, requiring that U.S. power plants sharply reduce (already low) emissions of mercury and 83 other air pollutants. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson claims that, while the regulations will cost electricity producers $10.9 billion annually, they will save 17,000 lives and generate up to $140 billion in health benefits.

There is no factual basis for these assertions. To build its case, EPA systematically ignored evidence and ignored clinical studies that contradict its regulatory agenda, which is to punish hydrocarbon use.

Mercury (Hg) has always existed naturally in Earth’s environment. A 2009 study found numerous spikes (and drops) in mercury deposition in Antarctic ice over the past 650,000-years. Mercury is found in air, water, rocks, soil and in trees, which absorb it from the environment. This is why our bodies evolved with proteins and antioxidants that help protect us from this and other potential contaminants.

A further defense comes from selenium, which is found in fish and animals. Its strong attraction to mercury molecules protects fish and people against buildups of methylmercury, mercury’s biologically active and more toxic form. Thus, the 200,000,000 tons of mercury naturally present in seawater have never posed a danger to any living being, even though they could theoretically be converted into methylmercury.

Modern technologies enable us to detect infinitesimal amounts in air and water. However, quantities of mercury measured in lake waters are often no more than 0.00000001 gram of mercury per liter. Lab technicians typically wear special garments when measuring mercury levels, not to protect themselves — but to ensure accurate measurements, because even breathing on a sample can triple a reading!

How do America’s coal-burning power plants enter into the picture?

The latest government, university and independent studies reveal that those power plants emit an estimated 41-48 tons of mercury per year. However, U.S. forest fires emit at least 44 tons per year; cremation of human remains discharges 26 tpy; Chinese power plants eject 400 tpy; and volcanoes, subsea vents, geysers and other sources spew out 9,000-10,000 additional tons per year!

All these emissions enter the global atmospheric system and become part of the U.S. air mass.

Thus, U.S. power plants account for less than 0.5 percent of all the mercury in the air Americans breathe. Even eliminating every milligram of this mercury will do nothing about the other 99.5 percent in America’s atmosphere.

And yet, in the face of these minuscule risks, EPA nevertheless demands that utility companies spend billions every year retrofitting coal-fired power plants that produce half of all U.S. electricity, and 70-98 percent of electricity in twelve states. Its regulators simultaneously ignore the positive results of medical studies that clearly show its new restrictions are not needed and will not improve people’s health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which actively monitors mercury exposure, blood mercury counts for U.S. women and children decreased steadily 1999-2008, placing today’s counts well below the already excessively “safe” level established by EPA.

A 17-year evaluation of mercury risk to babies and children, by the Seychelles Children Development Study, found “no measurable cognitive or behavioral effects” in children who eat several servings of ocean fish every week, much more than most Americans do.

These lunatic "scientists" and liberal activities might be dumb but they aren't stupid. It isn't Mercury they're after but the mere thought of using that dirty old coal to produce America's electricity.

And why China and India have a leg up on us, and will continue to as long as idiots are running the American asylum.

Hottest Aliens?

My personal top 3; and you can find more here.