The Storm Drain of Government

Reading an article today by Eric Fry, and he gave this terrific simile:

The governments of the West have come to see themselves as a financial Army Corps of Engineers — overpowering the course of nature with brute force. They respond to short-term crises with powerful, overly engineered “solutions,” without ever really considering the long-term harm these solutions may produce. Sure, the river doesn’t flood when you transform every oxbow into a concrete storm drain. But diverting nutrient-rich silt away from farmland and into the sea is not exactly progress.

Nevertheless, governments throughout the West continue building their storm drains. They continue to divert essential nutrients away from the private sector and pour them into a bottomless sea of bankrupt governments and failing too-big-to-fail enterprises. In other words, the governments of the West continue to “do more,” when “less” would work just fine.

Friends, we have a century's worth of evidence that government at every level is a bumbling fool when it tries to do anything.  It never solves problems, but only creates bigger problems, which it then tries to fix with even bigger "ideas" that will lead to even bigger failures.  But the common thread through all of it is that taxpayers are expected to foot the bill for these ever-increasing failures without complaining.

Understand that I am not one of the anarcho-marxists currently "occupying" certain parks in several American cities.  I know there is a certain amount of government that is necessary for the orderly operation of society.  Vital records must be kept.  Contracts must be enforced.  Traffic must be regulated.  Property rights must be upheld.  Things of that nature.  But the sort of cradle to grave handout mentality that stifles and ultimately chokes out the God-given creativity and dignity of humanity, not to mention taking every penny from everyone it can just to feed it's Jabba the Hut-like maw - it must be done away with.  I pray that voters realize this in time, before those who don't particularly care for voting decide to do something about it.

Tigers Eliminate Yankees

There is joy in Motown today as the Detroit Tigers eliminated the New York Yankees from the American League playoffs last night.  Lots of clutch pitching against a potent Yankees lineup.  Despite two blowout losses, Tigers pitchers held that lineup to a .260 batting average for the five game series.

Yet, to read the national media today (ESPN and CBS Sportsline in particular), the theme of the day is a requiem for the Yankees, bemoaning their loss rather than the Tigers win.  Because of course, nothing important happens outside of New York, at least in the media's eyes.  Or, in Baseball context, nothing important happens outside of the American League East (or the National League East for that matter).

I sure am enjoying the fact that the two AL East teams, those great juggernauts, the supposed cream of the league, who were going to beat up on those other teams from flyover country, are now both out of the playoffs!  It seems that the East isn't the beast it was made out to be.

So hats off to "Jimmy Smokes" and his band of baseballers - you sure have made it an enjoyable summer, and we who are your fans are looking forward to more baseball wonderfulness as you take on the Rangers.  But whoever wins that series, it doesn't matter, because the Yankees have been vanquished, and there will be at least one non-East team in the World Series.

But I do hope it's the Tigers!

Man is not free unless Government is limited

If you recognized that quote from Ronald Reagan's farewell address, give yourself a gold star. 

Now, many of you might think that this is the start of another rant against President Obama and all the other socialists that are running this country.  Although that would be an obvious and worthy place to direct more criticism, that is not where I am going with this post today.

Instead, I am directing it at Gov. Rick Snyder, and his proposal for the State of Michigan to require doctors to report to the state the Body Mass Index (BMI) of all children in the state.

Friends, this is where elections have consequences.  We all knew that Rick was a fiscal conservative and he has proven that since he was inagurated in January.  What most conservatives were willing to overlook was that he was a social liberal.  A social socialist, if you will.

The Governor appears to have no problem with big government when it comes to meddling in the private lives of individuals in this state.  Why is the business of the government what the BMI's of my kids are?  Of course, the answer from the big government Republicans is "we are paying for health care for a lot of these kids either through the insurance plans of their state employee parents or through the social welfare systems, so we have a vital interest in tracking that information, so we can form our policies appropriately".  Sounds all legal and proper doesn't it?

Well, if that sounds proper to you, then you have bought into the big government lie as well, because you have bought into the mindset that says "the government must provide the social safety net".  Or more broadly, "the government must provide the solution to every problem".  Ladies and gentlemen, this is socialism.  This is nanny-stateism at its most insidious.  It is this mindset that has let us to the edge of social, financial, and political ruin.  And unless we reject this thinking, our country will join all the others in the ash-heap of history who had freedom in their grasp, and traded it off for a bowl of stew named socialism (Gen. 25:29-34).

President Gerald Ford (no conservative, he) had it right in his address to Congress in August 1974 when he said "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have."  This government, at all levels, continues to take everything we have.  Every right.  Every freedom.  Every dollar.  All in the name of enlarging the scope of its control over everyone.  Though he would never say it, this is what Gov. Snyder is doing.  The government has no business prying into the private relationship between a doctor and his patients, no matter how old those patients are.  Aren't we tired of the same old "it's for the children" rationalization for every new government program or initiative that comes along?  Haven't we learned that that isn't the reason at all?

Friends, this is not our birthright!  Our birthright as Americans is freedom, not slavery!  Freedom bought with blood and sweat and privation and death, because freedom is worth such things.

So no, Gov. Snyder, I don't want you prying into my children's personal information.  You can't know their BMI, their cholesterol, their weight, their music choices, or their reading habits.  You can't have them or their measurements.  My wife and I are the ones responsible for all these things, not you.  And the same is true for every other parent and child in this state.

Of Struts and Chryslers

Two weekends ago I had opportunity to drive my wife's van (a Dodge Grand Caravan), which I don't do very often.  This vehicle is 11 years old, has 155,000 miles on it, and is really starting to show it's age. But it still runs well.  She had been complaining about the front struts not being right and making strange noises, but I had not really driven it to see what she was talking about.

During this drive, which was about an hour of about 80% interstate and 20% surface streets getting to and from the interstate, I couldn't believe how bad it was.  It seemed that every ripple and tar strip in the road was going to bounce me off the road.  I called the mechanic on Tuesday and had it in Wednesday morning first thing.  Well, this began my education in the foibles of Chrysler minivans, circa 1996 to about 2004 (which I think they call "Gen. 2")

Wednesday after lunch the mechanic calls and says that the top strut mount is completely rusted through, and there is no way he can put a strut in there.  This is the spot in behind the wheel well where the top part of the strut attaches to the body/frame of the van.  Of course, I am now having visions of having to purchase a new vehicle for my wife in the next few days.  Then I remember a little tidbit of information I got a couple of months ago.  In my mind this is an example of how God acts in our lives and we don't even notice it.

At that time, we had had several major storms go through in the space of a week or so, and there was some serious water on the road.  My wife had driven home from her mom's after one of these storms, and upon arriving at home told me that the "transmission light" was on, and she was afraid the transmission was failing.  Well, what it really was was the "Check Engine" light, so I took it over to the local auto parts store and had them put their code reader on it to see what was going on.  It was nothing more than an oxygen sensor.  The clerk asked if we had driven it through any water lately (which obviously my wife had during the storms) and said that this was a common thing to happen.  During our conversation he said that he had owned a couple of Grand Caravans and had really liked them, but they had a problem with strut mounts rusting through.  My ears perked up at this and I told him I had a lot of rust on one my mine, and he told me that Chrysler had so many problems with it that they had made a little kit that you could install to fix it fairly cheaply.  Well, I filed that little bit of info away for later use, little knowing that I would need it really soon.  But God did.

So, back to the present, I mention this to my mechanic, and he says he will look into it, and lo and behold the dealer has a kit and so he is going to go ahead and see if it will work.  A day and a half later, after installing the repair kit (which he said worked better than he though it was going to), two new struts (completely shot, fluid completely out of them), a new tie rod on one side, and $1500, my 11 year old van now rides and handles like it's almost new again!  And I'm not making another car payment for the next 4 years!

On Saturday, wife goes out to a friend's house.  She gets back around midnight, and tells me "the (power) window won't close on the passenger side door".  Well, I wasn't going to go out at midnight to try to fix it.  We have already had trouble with these windows, and the drivers side doesn't work at all, but now the other window is stuck in the full down position.  So the next day after church I get on the internet and start searching, and wouldn't you know, Chrysler has had window motor problems with their minivans for a long time as well.  Indications are that it is a problem with the brushes in the motor, but of course you can't just buy the brushes, you have to buy the whole motor.  But I also found out that if you hold the switch in the "up" position while slamming the door, the window will move.  This did, in fact, work, and I was able to get the window up from the fully down and inside the door position to where I could pull it up and help the motor.  Banging on the motor with the handle of a screwdriver helped as well, and I got the window up.  So now the van is drivable in all weather conditions, not just when there is no rain in the forecast!

All I had to spend for that one was about $3.00 for the little door panel fasteners to get the inner panel put back on.

My conclusion is that cars are a pain, but I'm glad I don't have to walk to work.

Family Pride

I have to admit, I have been posting a lot this year about foolishness, stupidity, and downright idiocy, and I didn't want this blog to be all about that stuff, so I have been searching for some positive content that I could post.  And this morning it landed in my inbox.  This is my cousin Isaac (the fiddler) and one of the bands he plays in:

And the amazing thing is, he doesn't read a note of music.  He just makes it!

Al Gore: Eat less meat to fight global warming

From an article in The Politico

Al Gore wants society to ditch meat-heavy diets and go organic to combat global warming.
"Industrial agriculture is a part of the problem,” Gore said Friday during an interview with FearLess Revolution founder Alex Bogusky. “The shift toward a more meat-intensive diet,” the clearing of forest areas in many parts of the world in order to raise more cattle and the reliance on synthetic nitrogen for fertilizer are also problems, he added.

If AlGore is so concerned about "Global Warming" he can do two things today that would have a huge impact:

1. Stop writing and giving interviews to newspapers and magazines.  That would leave more trees available to cleanse carbon dioxide from the atomosphere and turn it into useful oxygen. It would also decrease electricity consumption needed to print his drivel, thus less coal would have to be burned to generate that electricity.  Not to mention all the gasoline and diesel fuel needed to fuel the vehicles that deliver these publications to their readers - lots of CO2 in those exhaust emissions.
2. Shut his fat gob.  That would decrease greenhouse gas totals in the atmosphere by at least 25%

Meanwhile, I'm going to have a steak for dinner this week in Al's honor.

Traffic Stop

I don't know if this is a true story or not, but I think it's funny nevertheless.

True story from a Kansas State Highway Patrol officer:

I made a traffic stop on an elderly lady the other day for speeding on U.S. 166 Eastbound at Mile Marker 73 just East of Sedan, KS.  I asked for her driver's license, registration, and proof of insurance.  The lady took out the required information and handed it to me.  In with the cards I was somewhat surprised (due to her advanced age) to see she had a conceal carry permit.  I looked at her and ask if she had a weapon in her possession at this time.

She responded that she indeed had a .45 automatic in her glove box.  Something---body language, or the way she said it---made me want to ask if she had any other firearms.  She did admit to also having a 9mm Glock in her center console.  Now I had to ask one more time if that was all. She responded once again that she did have just one more, a .38 special in her purse.  I then asked her what was she so afraid of.

She looked me right in the eye and said, "Not a damn thing!"

Kwame: Kilpatrick says Bing 'has a problem connecting with people'

Full Article Here

This headline in The Detroit News today.  Here are a few quotes:

"Economic development was the best it had ever been when I was there".
"City services worked better when I was there"
 And one of the reasons why the current mayor is not doing well: "they're talking about the old mayor every week."

Mayor Bing may well have a problem connecting with people.  But clearly, Kwame has a problem connecting with reality.

Kwame - just go away and leave Detroit alone.  She is better off without you there.

Pistons considering Isiah Thomas for coaching vacancy

I don't think I have ever posted about the NBA because I don't particularly enjoy the NBA any more.  I kind of follow it from afar just through general sports interest.  So, over the last couple of days in my meanderings through the sports pages, I see that Isiah Thomas is being considered for the coaching vacancy on the Detroit Pistons.

Now, back when the NBA was actually enjoyable to watch - when they didn't have all the strutting, preening thugs that they have today - you had great teams with great players beating each others brains out on the court.  When you think of great basketball teams you think of the Lakers of Jabbar and Johnson, the Celtics of Bird, McHale, and Parrish, and yes, the Pistons of Thomas, Dumars, and Laimbeer.  That was the Golden Age of Baskeball.

I loved watching the "Bad Boys" Pistons teams in their heyday, and I loved Isiah Thomas as a player.  He wasn't afraid of anyone or any situation, and played his best in the biggest games.  His coaching record, however, is less than spotty, and his days with the Pacers and Knicks don't give any reason to hope that he has talent as a coach, or that he can develop a team, especially one that will be rebuilding as the Pistons will be.  He's pretty much been a bust as a coach and as a GM.

Hiring Thomas to coach the Pistons would perhaps bring some positive PR, but it would quickly go downhill once the games were being played.  Please, Mr. Gores - don't start out your ownership of the Pistons with a move like this.  You will end up destroying your franchise.

Congratulations to Mickey Redmond

Former Detroit Red Wing and longtime hockey broadcaster Mickey Redmond has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame for his 30+ year broadcasting career.

I love listening to Mickey do color on a hockey game.  He came from a different era, but he understands the game so well and makes it easy for his audience to pick it up too. 

Congratulations Mickey - no one deserves it more.

This person is a Teacher?

Reading an article in today's Detroit News (full article) about protesters at the Mackinac Policy Conference, who apparently held a news conference, which was " organized by A Better Michigan Future, a coalition of about 50 union and public interest groups".  One of the quotes from a teacher really caught my eye:


" 'It can't be possible that everyone really believes that corporations need the money more than children,' said Tammy Hazley, a special education teacher from Sault Ste. Marie Area Public Schools."

Ms. Hazley, let me ask you a simple question:  From where does the money come to pay your salary?  I'll answer the question for you, ma'am:  it comes from taxes.


If, by the tax policies imposed on businesses by politicians to fund schools, libraries, parks, mass transit, subsidized housing, road commissions, police, fire, ambulance, etc., businesses which operate in your district have to downsize in order to remain profitable, how many of that company's former employees are going to be able to pay their taxes?  Especially in an economy like Michigan has had for the last 8 years?

So, if the persons in your school district don't have jobs, they move away.  Or they stop paying taxes because they have lost their homes from forclosure. How much revenue is coming in from those people who aren't paying taxes any more?  How much tax revenue is being generated by that company you want to raise taxes on which has had to cut its operation to the bone just to stay alive?  Is that tax revenue amount more or less than it generated when times were good and its operations were expanding?  And how many more people will it have to lay off if you increase their tax burden?  And what effect will that have on the tax base in your district?  Not to mention the amount of tax revenue not being generated by the companies that have already gone out of business.  But by law we still have to educate their kids.

So in light of these economic realities, and your expressed desire to have yourself in a classroom to teach students, isn't it in your best interest, Ms. Hazley, to see that those corporations that give people in your area jobs so they can buy houses and pay taxes [edited to add] are successful and thriving?  You really need to let go of the socialist claptrap you have been taught during your time in the Public Schools and step into the real world.  Because socialism doesn't work.  It never has and it never will.

Now - why are you on Mackinac Island protesting instead of being in your classroom teaching?  Did you take a vacation day, or did you call in sick?

Granholm Tweets Arnold: keep ur pants zipped

Full quote: "Another guy guv admits 2 cheating on his wife. Maybe we need more women governors. Guys: Keep ur pants zipped, for Pete's sake."

So Professor Granholm of UC Berkeley weighs in on the apparent moral superiority of women over men.  I guess she was too busy screwing up Michigan to engage in that other sort of behavior.

Frankly Ms. Professor Granholm, your Governorship isn't exactly one to be held up as a shining example for the rest of the country to emulate.  You and Arnold are running neck and neck in that regard.  We sure don't need more Governors like you, Professor, be they male or female.

I Voted

Today I voted to tell Virg Bernero no, you can't have any more of my money.  I need it more than you do.  You have streets to resurface- I have a roof to resurface.  You have Police to pay for - I have $4.29 gasoline to pay for.  Somehow I have to find a way to pay for that on my current income - so do you.  So cut the fat, put off purchases, sell off assets you don't need (like some of those school buildings you've closed), and all the other things that we poor peasants have to do when times are hard.

Edited to Add:  By a slim margin, Lansing voters rejected the tax increase proposed by Mayor Bernaro.  Frankly I expect to see an increase in "Impeding Traffic" speeding violations issued to try and make up the shortfall.  Nobody gets any points, but the City gets $120 or so each.

New Big-10 Division Names

I have to agree with Lynn Henning, whose headline in the Detroit News today reads:  Time to ditch ‘Legends,’ ‘Leaders’ for more logical Big Ten division names

From day 1 the current "Leaders" and "Legends" names have been completely lame.  The Big-10 should have asked for their money back from whatever marketing firm came up with them.

I actually like Henning's suggestions:  "Great Lakes" and either "Great Plains" or "Heartland"

You know it's a slow sports day when...

... one of your top headlines is "Long Snapper Daly commits to Notre Dame".  (From the ESPN Website today)

Monica Conyers wants to finish out her prison sentence at home

Former Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers wants to finsh out her prison sentence for bribery at home.

Now you might think I would be all indignant about this, given the arrogance and deceitfulness this woman has displayed over her time in public office, and I must admit that I did have these thoughts at first. But upon reflection, I think maybe Monica has come up with something here. Let me 'splain.

It is well known that Michigan has a fiscal problem, and there isn't as much money as there used to be for stuff like prisons, so perhaps as a cost cutting move, we can let felons like this just go home. Then we don't have to pay to feed and house them, and we don't need as many prison guards to watch over all these prisoners.

This could even be bumped up to the federal level. Let all those criminals go home! I'm sure they won't cause any problems for anyone, or commit any more crimes. They'll just go out and find jobs and become productive members of society.

Thanks, Monica! That's a really helpful idea in these days of governmental money problems!

Four More Years!

The Peaceful, Compassionate, Altruistic Left

As embodied by the teachers unions.  This excerpt from an article in today's Detroit News entitled "Tougher teacher no-strike law pushed" shows how the left uses logic, peaceful dialog, and uplifting art to argue their point:

Acrimony over school funding played out Tuesday in controversy over the MEA's Facebook page and its image of Snyder with satanic stars, red eyes and blood spatter.

The photo appeared to have been posted on March 11, according to Michigan Capitol Confidential, an online news agency run by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank.

The agency alerted the MEA to the photo on Tuesday morning, and it was removed minutes later.

Ken Braun, managing editor of Michigan Capitol Confidential, said his staff had noticed even before discovering the photo that the tenor of comments posted on the page had grown remarkably harsh in recent days.

Folks - these are the people who have control of your kids for 180 days a year over 13 years.  Think about that for a minute.  13 of the most formative years your kids will have in their entire lifetime are spent with people who for the most part think that drawing demonic horns and blood spatters is an acceptable way of expressing themselves.

Is it any wonder that people home educate their kids more and more these days?

High Capacity Freedom

In the aftermath of the Tuscon shootings earlier this year, there is lots of heat being generated these days in the hallowed halls of Congress over a renewal of the "high capacity magazine" ban. (Thanks again for nothing, Bill Ruger). This article by Rabbi Dovid Bendory gives logical reasons why high capacity magazines are essential. Not that gun banners care about logic.

Link to the original article: http://jpfo.org/rabbi/five-reasons.htm

Minutes before lunatic Jared Loughner began his mayhem in Arizona, the issue of a Federal high capacity ammunition magazine ban was a complete political non-starter. Obama didn’t go near it when he had Democratic majorities and he certainly wouldn’t have tried it after the election rout of 2010. High cap bans were simply not possible. Add to this the pro-self defense victories in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Heller and McDonald decisions, and the door to magazine bans seemed both locked and barred … perhaps even welded shut for good.

And then came Jared Loughner. And the gun grabbing vultures circled and landed. We now face a replay of the hysteria that brought us the so-called “Assault Weapons” Ban (and the included magazine bans) of the Clinton years. The act of a single madman has struck a blow against the Second Amendment that all the gun grabbers combined have been unable to strike. Please think long and hard on this irrational state of affairs.

Today, the most common plaintive question you hear from the victim disarmament crowd is: “Why would anyone need a high capacity ammunition magazine?” Note that the emphasis is always on the word “need”.

So-called “gun control” has always used semantic deception. What the gun confiscators want to do is apply “needs” to situations that more accurately require “wants”.

No one “needs” a seat belt. After all, 99.999 percent of your driving time you don’t “need” a seatbelt. You only “need” a seat belt during an automobile crash. Do you want a seatbelt? Of course! No one would even debate this issue.

To a greater or lesser degree, the same goes for property insurance, fire extinguishers, spare tires, life jackets, and first aid kits, to name just a few things.

So with this in mind, here are five good reasons that you should WANT a high capacity magazine.

1. Multiple assailants. Whether on the street or during a home invasion, violent criminals often move in pairs or packs. Realize that you will never shoot as well as your score at the range when you are under the unbelievable stress of a life-or-death encounter. Which would you prefer to have in your magazine in such an event? Ten rounds? Or fifteen or seventeen? Or perhaps even 30?

2. Private citizens always face the threat before the police arrive. Private citizens were on the front line at Tucson, Columbine, and Virginia Tech. Why limit our effectiveness?

You should logically want whatever cops choose to carry. How many cops choose a ten round magazine? If politicians want to hinder us “little people” with a ten round limit, they should also hamper the police with the same limit. Let’s see how far that flies.

In nearly every instance it is not a cop on the “front line” of a violent situation. It is private citizens who must face the “lone gunman” until (and sometimes even after) the police arrive. See Dial 911 and Die. Is the life of a policeman more important than yours?

3. Civil disturbances. Watch the Reginald Denny beating video some time. Review the looting insanity of Hurricane Katrina. You’ve got a crazed mob of ten, twenty, or fifty people headed in your direction. Are ten rounds enough? Might you want fifteen, or seventeen, or even thirty? 

Oh, and while you’re at it, perhaps bring from memory those Los Angeles Korean store owners standing guard on the roofs of their businesses with semi-auto AKs during the Rodney King riots. No one messed with those stores, did they?

4. Because it is your most fundamental right as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and, more importantly, as given by G-d A-lmighty: the right to the righteous defense of yourself and the innocent. “Shall not be infringed” simply means what it says. When politicians infringe on magazine capacity, they infringe on the Second Amendment. You should want a high cap mag because you can have one! 

This is America, not a socialist nanny state or tin pot Third World dictatorship. The saying “use it or lose it” is never so relevant as when applied to our Bill of Rights. See "2A Today for the USA"

5. Your assailants may well be armed with high cap magazines themselves. No ban will affect these criminals; it will actually encourage them. Do you really think the gang bangers care about federal laws? Again, ask the local cop why he or she won’t “downgrade” to a ten round mag to go along with this feel-good idiocy. Ask the pols why they don’t think the cops should do so.

These are just a few of the reasons for WANTING (not “needing”) a high cap magazine. In the spirit of JPFO’s recently launched “High Cap Freedom” campaign, go out and buy one or more high capacity mags for your pistol or rifle today.

Always remember, the present drive towards a ban might fail, but all it will take is “Loughner II” (another convenient “crazed lone gunman”) to drive the hysteria machine to victory for the gun grabbers. Get your high cap magazines before any ban can take place.

“Because your life is too precious to risk running out of bullets.”

Rabbi Dovid Bendory
Rabbinic Director
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
(http://jpfo.org)

Continuing Irresolution

My frustration with this whole continuing resolution mess in Washington is summed up by freshman Rep. Lankford (R-OK). In an interview with Radio America, Rep. Lankford defends the continuing resolutions with the statement "We're cutting 2 billion per week". Well, let's do a little math, shall we?

The first number we need to know is 14 trillion. That is the commonly accepted total budget deficit right now (not that I believe that, but for the sake of argument we'll use that number). The second number we need to know is 104 billion. That is 2 billion per week times 52 weeks. That is the amount that will be cut from the deficit if Rep. Lankford's pace continues. So what percent of 14 trillion is 104 billion?

Let's start with an easy one to show the formula. What percentage of 100 is 50? We all know it's 50%, but how do we do the math? Well, we make a fraction. The bottom number (the denominator) is the number we want to determine the fraction of, in this case 100. Then we put the other number on the top of the fraction (the numerator). So in this case, the fraction is 50/100, which can be said as "fifty over one hundred" or "fifty one-hundredths".

All you sixth-grade math students can see that we can reduce this fraction by asking which numbers can be evenly divided into both numerator and denominator. I can see several: 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50. I'll take the largest to eliminate steps, so 50/100 becomes 1/2, or "one half". We all know that "one half" is fifty percent.

It's easier to show it in decimals, so we would express our 50/100 in decimal notation as .50 - fifty one-hundredths. To express any decimal number as a percent, you multiply it by 100 which is the same as moving the decimal point two places to the right, which gives you 50. - that is, fifty percent. This is how we calculate batting average, save percentage, winning percentage, all kinds of things.

So using this formula with our actual numbers, the equation is 104,000,000,000 (that's our 104 billion) over 14,000,000,000,000 (14 trillion) which comes out to .007428571429 according to my handy-dandy Casio calculator (and Microsoft Excel confirms it). Multiply that by 100 to move the decimal point for our percentage, that gives us .7428571429 percent. Let's just round that off and say .74 percent.

Folks, that is three-quarters of one percent. Less than one percent. Or put it another way: for every $100 of deficit, Rep. Lankford and his colleagues are cutting seventy-five cents.

All this wrangling, all this speechifying, all the meetings and arguments and proposals and interviews - all for a lousy .74%. This is beyond appalling, beyond disgusting, and bears a passing resemblance to a great heaping mountain of male cow excrement. Only much, much worse.

Rep. Lankford, let me remind you and your fellow freshmen why you were voted into office last November: GET CONTROL OF WASHINGTON'S EXCESSIVE SPENDING!!!! With this kind of crapola you are spewing publicly, you are showing yourself to be no better than the one you replaced. YOU ARE NOT DOING YOUR JOB, SIR! GET WITH THE PROGRAM OR WE'LL FIND SOMEONE WHO WILL TO REPLACE YOU IN 2012!

Let me help you out. You have set your goal way too low, obviously, so let's give you a new goal by taking your original yearly goal (104 billion) and make it your weekly goal! That would lead you to cutting 5.408 trillion by this time next year. That's over one-third (38.6%) of the deficit in one year! THAT would be a much more worthy goal for you!

I'll go even farther for you. Here's a list of programs that could be cut completely from the budget:

Dept. of Education
Dept. of Commerce
HUD
Dept. of Interior
Dept. of Homeland Security

And here's a list of those that could be cut drastically:
IRS
BATFE
Transportation

That's just a start, Congressman. I'm sure you can come up with some more.

Public Sector Unions Explained

Energy

If we would have started drilling in ANWR when we first found the oil there, we wouldn't be having $3.55 gasoline prices today.

I'm just sayin'.

And we're going to lose at least two more years until we get someone (and more like a lot of someones) in Washington who will not cave in to the enviro-socialists.  And then it will be ten year (or more probably, since the eco-weenies litigate what they cannot legislate) before we see the first tankful of gas produced from oil out of ANWR.

You know - Congress can limit the jurisdiction of the US Courts...

Glen Beck and Detroit

I'm hearing and reading news reports of Glen Beck's rant comparing Detroit to Hiroshima, but I didn't hear the rant myself.  Most of the Detroit media is huffing and puffing about how horrible it was and what a jerk Beck is and Detroit is coming back, you just wait.

I have to ask Detroiters - what do you expect?  People have been down on the D for years.  Don't you remember "Murder Capital of the World" for all those years?  And frankly, you don't have a lot going for you right now.  Do you think Mayor Bing would be wanting to consolidate neighborhoods and move people around and create "Urban Farms" if there was much of a chance of recovering your former glory?  It's time to face reality, folks.  Your city sucks.

I was talking to a friend of mine that grew up in Royal Oak, a city right on the northern border of Detroit.  He hasn't lived down there for probably 25 years, but was back recently to take his daughter to Childrens Hospital.  He said he can't believe the decay since their last trip to the hospital about 3 years ago.  Neighborhoods that used to be nice are now nasty.  Not like it was when he was growing up.

The last time I was down there was in 2006.  My wife and I spent the weekend there at the Renaissance Center, which happened to coincide with Game 1 of the World Series which the Detroit Tigers were playing in.  We didn't go to the game, but we did walk around the area of Greektown and Comerica Park during the afternoon before the game.  Certainly it had been spruced up a little bit for the game, but I remember looking around and seeing all the buildings that had no tenants and were already decaying.  I remember thinking how grim it looked outside the stadium district. 

I would truly love to see a true revival of Detroit's fortunes because frankly that city has been dragging down the rest of this State with all of its problems and corruption and racist knucklehead politicians at every level.  But I don't see much hope for that because they keep electing the same kinds of politicians and running the place out of the same socialist playbook they have used for the last half century.  Where has that gotten you, Detroit?  Be honest with yourselves.

So when Glen Beck or anyone else goes off on you, don't get all self-righteous and whine about how mean and unfair the remarks were - use it as a motivation to effect real change.  More of the same will get you nowhere and you'll drag the rest of us down with you.

"Romney tops state GOP poll on presidential hopefuls"

This is the headline from The Detroit News today.

From the article:  "Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, was the first choice of 28 percent, followed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 15 percent."  Romney?  And Huckabee?  Are you kidding me? 

This is why Michigan Republicans drive me crazy - they keep on voting for losers who have no clue.  Romney, who created and passed through the Massachusetts legislature the model legislation on which Obamacare is based?  Really?  He's a guy to bring fiscal sanity to the US?  And Huckabee, who never met a legislative solution to a problem that could better be solved in the private sector that he didn't like?  And who releases murderers so they can go out and murder again?  He's the smaller government guy you like?  Hope you're prepared to lose again, folks.

Yes, it's early.  No, there isn't much to choose from right now.  But nearly a third of you Republicans think Romney is a better choice than a bag of hockey pucks?  And 45% of you would vote for either one of these two over said bagged rubber?

I sure am glad I'm not a Republican any more.  I would be embarrassed.

Winter Fun

My daughter went sledding with her church youth group last Saturday.  I think it was about 10 degrees, and the wind chill around zero.  Fahrenheit, that is.

Granholm to teach at UC Berkeley

So reads the headline in The Detroit News today.

First:  THANK GOD THAT WOMAN IS GONE!!!!  Now we might actually make some headway with our economic woes here in Michigan, since we have someone in the Governors office that actually understands how to make economic decisions based on reality instead of some fluffy leftist utopian academic brain fart.  Which means she'll be right at home at Berkeley, where that sort of thing happens daily.

The article goes on to say that she will teach in their Public Policy school.  She's certainly qualified to teach what NOT to do in terms of Public Policy.  But again, this is Berkeley we're talking about, so she'll probably be the darling of the department.

And finally, the article reports she will be a "paid contributor" to NBC's Meet the Press show.  This fact tells you all you need to know about NBC.  Well, I guess the whole country is going to see the incredible ignorance we have had to put up with in Michigan for the last eight years.  Have your barf bags ready everyone.

Congressional response to Giffords shooting

First things first:  my fervent prayers and best wishes go out to Rep. Giffords and her family, as well as the families of those wounded and killed by this piece of excrement.  None of them deserved what happened to them, and the piece of crap that did it needs to fry - with extreme prejudice.  And yes, I'll say it:  I'll volunteer for the firing squad.

As for the reaction of those in Congress, I am a little disturbed by the haughtiness of those who believe that they need more protection for themselves in the wake of this attack.  I say if they can afford it, they should absolutely hire more security for themselves out of their own means, not that of the taxpayers.  Otherwise, they can live under the same laws and in the same environment they have set up for the rest of us to live in.  If DC is a gun-free zone, then those laws need to apply to them too.  If their district does not allow for "shall issue" concealed carry permits, then they shouldn't have any special privileges for self protection either.

They have created this little slice of utopia - they need to live it it like the rest of us do every day.

Sometimes, I just shake my head

Working at a major state university, "political correctness" and "diversity" are a part of the daily landscape.  But today my email contained one that just caused me to facepalm.  I was reading an email conversation from a Listserv I belong to for network administrators on campus, and one of the topics was whether or not there were a list of email addresses from our SAP implementation project, so they could be put into what is called a "whitelist" on a departments email server.  For those who don't know, in the email server world, a "whitelist" is a list of email addresses that are always allowed through, while a "blacklist" is a list of addresses that is never let through (usually because they are known spammers or attack sites).

So one guy gets on and requests that everyone use the terms "allow lists" and "deny lists" because of the racial connotations that are attached to "whitelist" and "blacklist".

I don't understand why otherwise intelligent people continue to subscribe to destructive philosophies like "diversity", which is not about equality and inclusion, but about divisiveness and exclusion based on external physical characteristics that no one can do anything about.  It pigeonholes people based on these characteristics, it makes broad assumptions about what they think and how they think based on these characteristics, rather than promoting understanding and reconciliation.

I have been through all the seminars and heard all the slogans and experienced the attempts at indoctrination over my twenty plus years at this institution, and it has always revealed itself as a philosophy that is empty of meaning and substance, promoting of strife, and frankly rather paranoid.

Not for me, thank you very much.

FIND BANE

This is Bane.

Bane is a tracking dog with the Michigan State Police, working out of the Alpena Post in northern lower Michigan, and he is lost.  On November 13, Bane and his partner, Trooper Jamie Bullis were out looking for a dementia patient who had wandered away.  They were in very dense brush and because of that Bane was working off-lead.  During the search they kicked up a deer which crossed his path within a couple of feet, and being a dog, Bane took off after the deer.  That was the last time he was seen.

If you are reading this and know anything about where Bane might be, please call 989-354-4101 or 989-734-2204 
Here are Bane's web and Facebook pages 
www.findbane.com
www.facebook.com\findbane 

I'm officially sick of all this Nick Saban talk

Well, MSU is going to face Alabama in the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day. It's been official for less than a day and already I'm sick of the storyline being MSU facing it's old coach Nick Saban - football's version of Larry Brown.

Friends, the story here is a team who was picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten having an 11-1 season and getting a share of the conference championship, not a guy who coached here ten years ago (or whatever it was).

Lions: Nate Burleson Guarantees Win this Sunday against 8-3 Bears

Hey Nate - you guys are 2-9. You have no cause to be guaranteeing anything. Just shut up and play. You and the rest of those knuckleheads on your team. Just shut up and play. No chest thumping, no first down gestures, no end-zone celebrations, no sack dances. You guys have not earned that right. Your team has sucked for 40 years - it takes more than a single catch or a single sack for you to celebrate anything. Just give the ball back to the ref and go back to the huddle and do it all again until you win the game. Then celebrate.

I know you haven't been around for any but this year's edition of sad-sack football, and I certainly don't blame you for all that has (and hasn't) happened with this team, but please - less talk, more walk.

Government Gropers

I've been stewing about this for a while, but didn't know quite how to articulate what was wrong with what is happening.  I happened on this article while reading another blog, and it spells out very well what is wrong with what the Government Gropers (aka "TSA") is doing to people.  It's written by a former police officer.  May I particularly point out his response to the "if you don't like it, don't buy the ticket" argument.

http://thewarriorclass.blogspot.com/2010/11/tsa.html

News you can Use: Laptops Cooking *ahem* Testicles

Well, I'm past the time when this would be a concern for me, but for the sake of all my nephews, I'm posting this today.

Scorched scrotums: Is your laptop cooking your testicles?

Scientists warn of sterility concerns after testing temperatures of nether regions

Whoever invented the 'laptop' probably didn't worry too much about male reproductive health.

Turns out that sitting with a computer on your lap will crank up the temperature of your nether regions, which could affect sperm quality.

And there is little you can do about it, according to the authors of a study out today in the journal Fertility and Sterility, short of putting your laptop on a desk.

The researchers hooked thermometers to the scrotums of 29 young men who were balancing a laptop on their knees. They found that even with a lap pad under the computer, the men's scrotums overheated quickly.

"Millions and millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive age range," said Dr. Yefim Sheynkin, a urologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who led the new study.
"Within 10 or 15 minutes their scrotal temperature is already above what we consider safe, but they don't feel it," he added.

So far, no studies have actually tested how laptops impact men's fertility, said Sheynkin, and there is no bulletproof evidence that it would. But earlier research has shown that warming the scrotum more than one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) is enough to damage sperm.

Under normal circumstances, the testicles' position outside of the body makes sure they stay a few degrees cooler than the inside of the body, which is necessary for sperm production.

"I wouldn't say that if someone starts to use laptops they will become infertile," Sheynkin told Reuters Health. But frequent use might contribute to reproductive problems, he said, because "the scrotum doesn't have time to cool down."

According to the American Urological Association, nearly one in six couples in the US have trouble conceiving a baby, and about half the time the man is at the root of the problem.

Both general health and lifestyle factors such as nutrition and drug use can influence reproductive health.
However, Sheynkin said tight jeans and briefs are generally not considered a risk factor.

"Clothes should not significantly change scrotal temperature, because you are moving around," he said.
To hold a laptop on your knees, however, you need to sit still with your legs closed. After one hour in this position, the researchers found that men's testicle temperature had risen by up to 2.5 C.

A lap pad kept the computer cool and also made sure less heat was transmitted to the skin. But it didn't do much to cool the testicles, and might give "a false sense of security," according to Sheynkin.
"It doesn't matter what pad you use," he said. "You can put a pillow beneath your computer and it still won't protect you."

As it turned out, leg position played a far bigger role. When the men sat with their legs spread wide -- made possible only by placing the computer on a large lap pad -- they could keep their testicles cooler. But it still took less than 30 minutes before they began overheating.

"No matter what you do, even with the legs spread wide apart, the temperature is still going to be higher than what we call safe," said Sheynkin.

Belkin International, Inc., which sells lap pads and other electronics accessories, did not wish to comment on the new findings.

Dr. James F. Smith, a urologist at the University of California, San Francisco, cautioned that a clear impact of laptop use on fertility had still not been shown, and that it probably didn't play a big role.

Still, he added in an e-mail to Reuters Health, heating up the scrotum is likely to be bad for sperm production. He often asks patients that he sees for infertility if they use a laptop and, if so, suggests that they spread their legs periodically or place the computer on a desk.

Dr. Smith said the consequences of continued overheating of the testicles -- so-called scrotal hyperthermia -- probably weren't permanent, but might take months to go away.

"When interested in maximizing fertility potential," he advised, "minimize harmful exposures, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

Boy, these test subjects sure gave their all for science.  I wonder if the researchers monitored what was being viewed on the laptops while the temperature changes were being measured!

It's time for a Lions post

I haven't done one in a while, so at the halfway point, here goes.

1. Expectations were on the upswing for the team entering this year after another good draft and some good free agent pickups, and you can see the progress that has been made.  However, they still shoot themselves in the foot in ways almost unimaginable.  This weeks game was a perfect example:  two penalties on center Dominic Raiola for illegally shifting the ball.  Three penalties for chop blocks.  An absolutely inexcusable personal foul on Julian Peterson (who should know better) for hitting the ballcarrier out of bounds on the final drive, giving the Jets the field position for free to kick the field goal to send the game to overtime.  And Drew Stanton doing what he has been doing since he played here at Michigan State - making a boneheaded play at a crucial time to give a game away.  This time throwing an incomplete pass on third down to stop the clock late in the fourth quarter when the most important thing to do was run off as much of the clock as possible before giving the ball back to the Jets.  How long have you been playing football again, Drew?
2. How far can Matthew Stafford take this team when he can't stay on the field?  His talent and ability are obvious, but he's only played in 50% of the games in his first two years.  Shaun Hill isn't the long term answer, but is fine as a backup.  Stanton's contract is up after this season - he should be allowed to walk and another QB found to develop, in case Stafford isn't the answer.
3. There should be no excuse for the Lions not making the playoffs next year.  They have good players, they need to play up to their talent level now.

Important Rule of Warfare

This is a 2-part rule.  The first part is to know who your enemies are.  The second is to know who says they are your friend, but they are not. 

In the war to reclaim the Republic, it is easy to know who the enemy is:  Democrats, plain and simple.  There is not one of them that is interested in cutting the size and scope of government.  There is not one of them that is interested in actually being constrained by the Constitution (although they will twist it to their own purposes at every opportunity).

The second is not so easy.  They will rejoice at our victories.  They will say the right things.  They might even do things that we think are right, or that we agree with.  But their aim is to accumulate power for themselves, not to take away the unauthorized power of the government.

So how can we recognize them?  There are a couple of indicators I can think of off the top of my head.

1. Long-term incumbancy, or career politician.  This is not a complete indicator, because there are some long-term incumbents that get it.  These tend to be ones who had a successful career outside of politics before running for election.  Barack Obama never held a real job before he got elected.  A community organizer is a politician-in-training, funded by some Foundation or another.  It produces nothing tangible and serves no one but itself.  Ron Paul had a successful medical practice before he ran for Congress.

2. Uses the word "reform" rather than "eliminate".  Slogans like "we need to reform healthcare/Wall Street/Banking System/Education/etc." flow from his lips, rather than "we need to eliminate the Department of Education/Death Tax/Earmarks/Obamacare/etc."  This indicates a basic conviction that government involvement in every aspect of our lives is a good thing, and that their plan to control people is better than the enemy's plan.  Folks, neither plan is acceptable - you are just changing slavemasters, not gaining your freedom!

I know there are more indicators - feel free to add to my list.

RIP Sparky Anderson

The Tigers, and all of baseball, lost one of the great ones today. Sparky Anderson died at age 76.

That's two beloved legends we Tiger fans have lost this year.

Apparently, my image from The Detroit News was moved. Sorry about that folks.

To Conservatives Everywhere

Today is the first day of the war to save the Republic. Yesterday just defined who is going to be on the front lines. Conservatives - we are the logistical train that keeps them supplied with ammunition and sustenance during the war. We are Rosie the Riveter. We are the Merchant Mariners. We are the stevedores in the ports. We are the doctors in the hospitals that heal them when they are wounded and weak. We can't leave them there to be chewed up by the enemy - we have to support them, cajole them, kick their butts, yell at them, plead with them, and do everything we can to keep them pressing forward against the leftist, marxist tide. We cannot fail them, for if we do we fail not only ourselves, but our posterity.

Oh, I miss this man

A Little Friday Fun

From one of my favorite movies (with a twist)

Public's right to know trumps privacy issues

Hat tip to WorldNetDaily for the link to this article from the Anchorage Daily News:  http://www.adn.com/2010/10/23/1515937/judge-orders-miller-documents.html

The article states: "A judge ruled Saturday that the Fairbanks North Star Borough must release personnel records of U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller.

In an unusual weekend hearing, retired Superior Court Judge Winston Burbank ruled that the public's right to know about candidates outweighed Miller's right to privacy.

"I hold that although Mr. Miller has a legitimate expectation of privacy in those documents, Mr. Miller's right to privacy is indeed outweighed by the public's significant interest in the background of a public figure who is running for the U.S. Senate," the judge said. He noted that U.S. senator is among the highest elected offices in the nation."

Wonder if that applies to Presidential candidates as well?

Tackling Technique 201

I wouldn't say this is Basic Tackling Technique, but when you are trying to bring down one if the best running backs in the NFL, you have to bring in the more advanced stuff, as Kyle Vanden Bosch demonstrates (from The Detroit News, 9/27/10):

College Football Humor (at the expense of Ohio State)

Saw this article at the ESPN website today:

Ohio U apologizes to Ohio State, fans

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio University has apologized to Ohio State and its fans after the school's Bobcat mascot tackled the Brutus Buckeye mascot, touching off an impromptu wrestling match before Saturday's game at Ohio Stadium.

In addition, the student who was dressed in the Bobcat costume has been banned from any further affiliation with Ohio athletics.

The Bobcat first went after Brutus as the OSU mascot led the Buckeyes onto the field for the game.
Moments later, the Bobcat mascot climbed on the back of Ohio State's mascot and rode him to the ground. The two then tussled in the end zone while fans booed.

An e-mail sent by Ohio's assistant athletic director for media relations, Jason Corriher, said the department does not condone such behavior and regretted the negative effect of the mascot's actions on the relationship between the two schools.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
 

I have to say I'm taking the side of the Bobcat on this one (while laughing hysterically!)  I'm sure the sheer size of the cranium of that mascot leads to some serious instability, resulting in an easy takedown by opposing mascots.  Reminds me of this:

EDITED TO ADD:  Here's the footage from someone's cell phone camera.  Notice right at the beginning the OU mascot tries to tackle the OSU mascot and kind of whiffs.  Then the chase begins:



9/22 Update:  ESPN has found the Bobcat!  Here is the interview:  http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/100921_rufus_mascot&sportCat=ncf

The guy has planned this for over a year!  Too funny!

Here is one job I definitely don't want!

Daily Hot Videos from Youtube

This one makes my back teeth itch!

On 9/11/10

Thinking about and remembering 9/11/01 this week and this weekend.  Here is a terrific post about it.

This one is me from 2008.

Folks - don't ever forget.  Even amidst the PC claptrap you are inundated with daily about the "Religion of Peace", don't ever forget.  And don't forget those who are enablers (or worse) in high places.  Remember to take them out of their high places with your votes.

It was the 3rd of September...

In honor of my old boss, Gene Patterson, who used to sing this song every Sept. 3, I give you "The Temptations".

Some Great Founders Quotes Reflecting on the Times

John Adams:
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." 

Samuel Adams:

"A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader. . . . If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their great security."
 
Dear Readers, the root problem in this country today is not that we have gone too far left or that we have too many laws or that we have allowed abortion or gone off the gold standard.  It is this:  We have forgotten God.  We have turned away from the wisdom of the Creator who gave us this country, and toward the wisdom of the created (which, indeed, is no wisdom at all).


So the solution to our problems today is simple in concept, yet vast in its implementation.  As the Bible has it:  "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (Jas 4:7-10)  

Or, if you prefer the Old Testament:  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Much has been written to discredit the founders, calling them deists, slave owners, or 18th century dimwits trapped in their outdated cultural strictures.  The truth is that they were more enlightened, more educated, more widely read, and more insightful than 99% of what passes for leadership in this country today.  They were for the most part NOT deists.  Indeed, those who are most often cited as belonging to that sect (like Franklin or Jefferson) give no evidence of it when their lives are examined in detail.


So if you are reading this, I exhort you to investigate for yourself what these men believed, what influenced their thinking, and how they took all that and turned it into the most unique nation ever on the face of the earth.  You will see how far we have strayed from their vision.

Who's sick of the LeBron James hype?

This is me raising my hand.

I have been sick of this guy since he was a senior in high school and he was plastered everywhere. 

LeBron - just go away, willya?  You're an egotistical jerk, wherever you end up playing.  I'll take Magic Johnson or even Chauncey Billups over you any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  You are why I hate the NBA any more.  They used to play basketball in that league.  Now it's mostly thuggin' and tats and shorts that are five sizes too big.

Independance Day 2010

Well, actually it's a couple of days later, but as I think about our great nation and remember what our forefathers did for us in pledging their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor in what was in all likelihood to be a losing cause, I am awed by what they did in the face of a stone tyrant and the mightiest military in the world at that time.  I hope when the time comes I have a small fraction of their fortitude in standing up to tyranny in our day.

And then I see this, and I realize that the task is bigger than Jefferson and Madison and Washington and Adams and all the rest ever dreamed of:



And this from Jay Leno.  Thank God for Grandpa at the end! He must be truly embarassed by the buffoon of a son he has.



Truly ladies and gentlemen we are finished.

Obama (spit) rained out

It seems that there is a contingency of old soldiers in heaven who are fed up with our knucklehead-in-chief, and have implored God not to make them listen to his excremental spewings on Memorial Day.  So God obliged them by cracking open the valve on the floodgates of heaven just a little, and raining that jerk out.

More on Detroit

Another Paul W. Smith-inspired post.  Yesterday, Paul W was talking with someone from the Detroit Institute of Arts about how bad it's getting financially for them, and how even their large donors are not giving as much, and the how the State of Michigan used to give them millions of dollars annually, but this year only gave them $10,000 (yes, ten thousand dollars), and how they were afraid that they would have to cut back or eliminate programs and/or exhibits.  But their latest idea to keep themselves funded was to get what they need from the taxpayers through a millage.

That's right.  Here in Michigan roads are crumbling, companies are failing, people are out of work long-term, but the people of Metro Detroit need to cough up even more money to subsidize an art museum.  They don't need that food.  They don't need that electricity.  They don't need water or gas for their homes.  But to these artsy-fartsy folks, they absolutely need an art museum.  This on top of the zoo they already support with their tax dollars!

Let me be clear - the Arts are a big part of my life, and always have been.  I understand and appreciate their importance to the soul of man.  But let me be just as clear on this:  they are not important enough that I want to be taxed for them.  They are not important enough that anyone should be taxed for them.  There is no constitutional basis for imposing any kind of tax for art museums!  Art museums are not a function of the government.  Police, Fire, sewers, roads, bridges - those are the things that government is responsible for.

And the worst part of it was that Paul W was supportive.  Shame on you, Paul.

To them, it's a 1300-year war

Why do the muslims hate us?

To hear the Obamaites (and even some Conservatives) tell it, it's because of our nation's unflagging support (until Jan. 2009) of Israel.  Or maybe our exploitation of them for their oil (how many petro-dollars have poured into thier little third-world stinkhole countries in the last 50 years again?)

What they don't seem to understand (probably because we don't teach history in the government schools any more) is that to the muslims this war has been going on since the seventh century AD, and that the whole world must come under the political and religious domination of Islam.

The government schools will tell you that the Crusades were a terrible thing that Christians should be ashamed of ever participating in or having associated with our faith.  While there were certainly atrocities committed in the name of Christ, what nobody ever talks about is why there were Crusades in the first place:  muslim expansion into eastern and southern Europe.  They never tell you that Spain was once invaded and mostly conquered by the muslims.  They never tell you it was invading muslims that Vlad the Impaler was impaling.  And do you ever hear about any of the atrocities committed by the muslims as they conquered their way toward Europe?

So let's not fool ourselves by thinking that if we leave them alone, they will leave us alone.  That may well be true for us, but their own religious and cultural history tells us what they will do.  This means you Ron Paul.  This means you, Chuck Baldwin.  This means you Obama (spit).

The Day I met Ernie Harwell

I woke up this morning to the sad news that baseball broadcaster extraordinaire Ernie Harwell passed away last night from bile duct cancer, at age 92.

For those who didn't grow up or get to experience listening to Mr. Harwell on the radio, it would be hard to describe the bond that exists between him and us, even though most of us never met the man. He represents warm summer days, the smell of hot dogs and cigarette smoke in the air, and the greenest grass you ever saw as you walk into old Tiger Stadium. You sit with him in your back yard with a beer and good friends, or as you're doing yard work, or as you lay in bed after midnight listening to the late game on the west coast. Your mind's eye can see Tram and Lou turning that double play, Al Kaline hauling one in at the warning track, Lolich mowing down the Cards three times, or Gibby taking Goose Gossage deep. Or the man from Onstead catching the foul ball. Ernie is baseball - the joys, the trials, the hopes, the dreams, and the memories of summers past - for all of us who had the privilege of listening to him over the years. He is the connection to Cobb and Stengel and DiMaggio and Williams and Robinson and all the names large and small from the history of baseball, because he knew them all, and had stories for each of them.

A few years back, after he had retired from broadcasting, Ernie came to my building as part of his work with Blue Cross. He was signing autographs and posing for pictures and talking with his fans. I had brought a copy of his book "Tuned to Baseball" and I hoped to ask him to autograph it, but I began to get cold feet about going up there. What do you say to a legend? How do you strike up a conversation with a man like him, like it's nothing at all? I almost didn't go, but my friend down the hall, Eddie, kicked my butt about it, and told me how much I would regret it if I didn't go up there. So I did. I screwed up my courage and went up to the room he was in.

There were quite a few people there, and there was Ernie standing behind a table with Blue Cross "stuff" on it, signing baseballs and whatever else was handed to him. My first thought on seeing him in person was what a tiny man he was. He seemed to be about 5'-6", and might have weighed 100 pounds soaking wet. Not at all what I expected. But the big smile and the warmth you could feel even through the radio were there. When it was my turn I handed him my book, and he said "Wow - that's an old one" as he signed the inside flyleaf. I don't even remember what I said to him beyond telling him my name and thanking him for the autograph. I shook his hand and went back down to work. And that was it.

I told Eddie this morning how glad I was that he didn't let me off the hook when I was about to chicken out, because I got to meet Ernie instead of regretting for the rest of my life that I chickened out and didn't go.

So Godspeed, Mr. Harwell. I hope to meet you again when I get to heaven, and hopefully I won't be so tongue-tied then! Until that day, you have a place in the hearts and memories of a great multitude, who today are grateful for all that you gave us as we remember your life.

Thanks, Ernie.

Why Detroit will continue to FAIL

Once again The Paul W. Smith Show provides fodder for this blog. (I really need to meet Paul W. one of these days to thank him for all this stuff.)

Paul was interviewing Mayor Dave Bing this morning about the shooting death of a Detroit police officer, and Mayor Bing was doing a commendable job of talking about what happened with the class and dignity he is renowned for. If he would have stopped there I would have nothing but praise for him in performing this most difficult of mayoral duties. But then he veered off into the hackneyed liberal blame-speech that does nothing but make inanimate objects responsible for the problems Detroit faces. It was the old "we need to get handguns off the street" line.

Ladies and Gentlemen, if Mayor Bing feels the need to trot out these foolish old arguments, it merely reveals him as another in the line of "same old thing" politicians that have driven Detroit into the mess it's in over the last half-century or more. His worship of the usurper Barack Obama (also on display in this interview) merely adds more evidence that supports my contention.

To Mayor Bing (one more time): Inanimate objects do not cause crime. Inanimate objects do not commit crimes. People commit crimes. People use knives, fists, baseball bats, wood chippers, rocks, bricks, and tire irons to kill people - not just guns. They have been doing so for the six millenia of human history, and they will continue to do so as long as this world continues to exist.

To the People of Detroit: as long as you continue to elect clueless individuals to lead your city, you will never recover. Remember the common definition for insanity: doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

Finally, as the son of a Police officer, tragic events like this mornings shooting always hit home with me, and my heart and my prayers go out to the family of the slain officer. News reports indicate the officer leaves behind a wife and 10 year old son. I never thought about my dad going off to work one day and never coming home when I was a kid, but this young man gets to live with that reality for the rest of his life. If you are the praying sort, please remember this family before God today.

My Favorite Irish Song

Inspired by the offerings at Lagniappe's Lair today, I offer my own favorite Irish song, which I always thought was called "The Bricklayer's Song", but it also has the alternate title "Dear Boss":

A couple of Obama voters

Priceless

Asian Carp and Strange Bedfellows

That moving of the earth you folks in Chicago this week was not, as some have expressed, an earthquake. Actually, it was caused by me agreeing with environmentalist wackos, as expressed in this headline in today's Detroit News: "Environmental groups say plan to fight asian carp not enough". http://www.detnews.com/article/20100212/METRO/2120423/Environmental-groups-say-plan-to-fight-Asian-carp-not-enough

This invasive species is a huge threat to the economy of the Great Lakes, yet the fedgov (read Obama. Where is he from again? Oh yeah, CHICAGO) and the Governors of Illinois and Indiana oppose the only sure way to keep them out of Lake Michigan (and every other lake, river, and stream that connects to it), which is closing the locks of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal.

We are talking tens of billions of dollars in economic impact to Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Not to mention the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. And yet we can't shut the damned doors.

I'm happy to consider other solutions, but close the damned doors first. That will give us time to figure out what those other solutions are, without sacrificing the economies of the states and provinces already mentioned.

The Governess has a budget proposal?

It appears that Governess Granholm has a budget proposal out, and she has been making the rounds in the media to try to explain it and garner support.

I have to ask - after seven years of tax increases and fiscal ineptitude from the Granholm administration, why should any taxpayer in Michigan believe that she has any answers at all to the problems Michigan is facing?

This thing should be rejected posthaste.

Granholm: "Budget process broken"

I have been chewing on this statement from the Governess' "State of the State" speech this week, and I think in a sense she is right. But not the way she thinks she is. What really needs to happen, at all levels of government, is that politicians need to let go of the idea that government exists to solve every problem and meet every need (real or imagined).

For instance - do we really need a "Pure Michigan" campaign funded by the state government? If we didn't tax the life out of businesses, a private organization like the Chamber of Commerce could have done something like this very easily, out of the dues its members pay or out of a special fund that businesses could contribute to. Gee, that would create jobs for marketing people, publicity people, graphic artists, TV and radio production people, etc. All without spending one penny of tax dollars.

In this era of declining tax revenues, shrinking tax bases, and high unemployment, the conversation needs to be about what do we really need to have government do for us, not how we can preserve what we have and expand it at every turn, and squeeze more money out of our citizens to do it with. Let's see...Department of Commerce? Delete. Department of Education? Delete. Department of Labor and Economic Growth? Delete. Department of Natural Resources? Radically downsize (we do need to keep the Asian carp out, after all).

Wow - I'll bet that's a couple billion right there!

The Scott Heard 'Round the World

Yes, I have shamelessly ripped off my title for this post, because I thought it was a great line!

For the last day or so I have been enjoying the delicious irony of a Republican taking over Chappaquiddick Ted's recently vacated Senate seat, and I most heartily congratulate Senator-elect Brown on his victory. You are symbolic of the fight being waged to overthrow the facist-in-chief and his band socialist tyrants, and you are a message to all Congresscritters about just who they work for.

However, in listening to Senator-elect Brown in news reports yesterday, a note of dissonance began to form as he talked about health care. His campaign rhetoric was all about being the 41st vote against Obamacare, but his remarks yesterday went something like this: "I want everyone to have health care, just not this way."

This leaves a very big door wide open in my mind. Government intrusion into the health care system is what has made it so ponderous and expensive (that and the ambulance chasers), and Senator-elect Brown's remarks give the impression that he is OK with continued government intrusion, or even a government program, just not the Obamacare monstrosity.

Now, at this point I am willing to give him a slight benefit if the doubt. Perhaps his exuberance at his miraculous win has caused him to misspeak, or perhaps the press has edited out some disclaimers he might have made (Noooo. That would never happen. Would it?)

But it would behoove us all to keep a weather-eye on Senator Brown, and if he strays too far out of line, remind him of why he was sent there . It wasn't to give us Obamacare-lite, that's for darn sure.

For Legal Scholars out there...

...if you beat the crap out of some Jihadi while your plane is still in the air, when do you officially come under the jurisdiction of US law enforcement?

Just wondering.

The Foolishness of the "Rooney Rule"

I haven't done any sports commentary in a while, but I got a topic this week that really set me off. The National Football League has imposed the "Rooney Rule" (named for the late owner of the Pittsburg Steelers, Art Rooney) on its teams when they are searching for new head coaches (and perhaps other football positions as well). The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to include minority candidates in the interview processes when they are looking to hire a new coach.

Now, I understand that the NFL is a private association and can impose whatever rules it wants to on its members. I don't have a problem with that. All I am saying is, as with all other "affirmative action", their hearts may (may!) have been in the right place, but the practical results are not at all what they wanted to achieve. I give you this week's hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach by the Seattle Seahawks as exhibit A.

Mr. Carroll has NFL head coaching experience, but only around a .500 winning percentage with the New York Jets and New England Patriots. Past record may or may not indicate future performance (see Joe Torre before he took over the Yankees), and he does have a nine-year track record of success at the University of Southern California, including a National Championship. So objectively you would expect some level of competence from him, and you wouldn't necessarily argue with the selection.

Ahh, but there's that Rooney Rule. News reports over the weekend indicated that Mr. Carroll's hiring was being held up because the Seahawks had to interview their token minority candidate. Everyone, including this minority candidate, knew what was going on, and that he had no chance of getting that job, that Pete Carroll was the guy the Seahawks wanted. But this poor guy had to schlep all the way to Seattle, and the Seahawks brass had to pretend like they were interviewing him, just to show that they were "diverse". And of course, so they didn't get a hefty fine from the NFL.

I feel sorry for the "minority" guy. How must he have felt after being used this way? If I were a minority with an ounce of self-respect, I would tell any team who wants to use me like this to kiss off. It might damage my career, but at least I have my self-respect. Which is more important?

Anyone who thinks that this kind of thing is good for either party, really, you need to pull your head out of the little imaginary world you live in. Perhaps you have had a recent head injury?

Now, before the race baiters swoop in and accuse me of being some kind of white supremacist, let me state that I in no way believe in any kind of segregated society whatsoever, nor do I believe in any kind of privilege for anyone based on what are described as racial characteristics. Indeed, the science of genetics tells us that the physical characteristics that we humans use to group people by "race" (skin color, eye shape, etc.) account for a difference of 0.012% between us. * Folks, that is twelve one-thousandths of one percent. And that is statistically insignificant. So we can say that there is really only one race - the human race. Yes, there are variations within humankind, just like there are variations between dog-kind or horse-kind or camel-kind. But they're still dogs, horses, and camels. And humans.

So, since we're in Obama's "post-racial" America, perhaps the NFL will scrap its ill-conceived "Rooney Rule" as being un-necessary, and get down to the business of evaluating coaching talent based on achievement and not the outmoded concept of race.

*S.C. Cameron and S.M. Wycoff, The destructive nature of the term race: growing beyond a false paradigm, Journal of Counseling & Development, 76:277–285, 1998 (via Answers in Genesis website)

Christians the new Negros?

A very thought provoking article by Dr. Kenneth Hucherson: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=118459

Here's the introduction:

I did not become a Christian so I would have to fight for my constitutional freedoms all over again.

Growing up in Alabama being black, knowing how that felt and the way I was treated in an all-white world of power and control, I had to fight for equal rights under the Constitution. How ironic now as a Christian to have those same thoughts and feelings again and to have to try and wrestle control of my constitutional rights from the secular community.

Foolish Pro-Lifers in US House

Full disclosure: I am an unabashed, full-on, no holds barred, committed pro-life voter. I am not a single-issue voter, but pro-life is one of my litmus tests.

Having said that, I must comment on the foolishness exhibited by the pro-life caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives this past weekend. It was typified by the email I got from "Americans United for Life", whose email alerts I subscribe to. They were crowing about a great victory they had won over pro-abortion factions in the House, as the Stupak et.al. amendment was passed as part of the onerous and misnamed "Health Care Reform Bill" approved this past weekend.

It seems to me that the best way for them to have been true to their position was to kill the Bill entirely. That way current federal law prohibiting funding of abortions would have remained in effect. But apparently, in order to make a headline and to appear effective, they achieved a Pyrrhic victory (which will be undone in conference), while giving some pro-life democrats the political cover they needed to be able to vote for the bill without offending their pro-life constituencies.

Given the fact that this bill passed by only 3 votes, it will be a costly victory for them in the end, both politically and in human lives.

So way to go you knuckleheads - you just made it a whole lot easier for the president and his cadre to roll back three decades of work. Just so you could thump your chest a little. I'm sure those babies that might have had a chance for life will give you all the thanks you deserve when you meet them in heaven.

Oh, and I unsubscribed from "Americans United for Life". However, since they didn't seem to have a "Comments" link, I couldn't tell them why. Oh well.