Former Bush Bashers Thank Him for His Leadership
SWAC Girl Has the Story [click to read].
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Binyamin Netanyahu
Speech to the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly
Binyamin Netanyahu
Here is the Text of His Remarks [click to read].
"We are a small people but great people; a people generous enough to forge a lasting peace; a people brave enough to thwart the dangers that confront us; and a people creative enough to once again help steer humanity towards a better future for all."
Binyamin Netanyahu
Here is the Text of His Remarks [click to read].
"We are a small people but great people; a people generous enough to forge a lasting peace; a people brave enough to thwart the dangers that confront us; and a people creative enough to once again help steer humanity towards a better future for all."
THYME Magazine
Citizen Journalism with a Better Flavor
Volume I, Issue XII
Editor's Note: This feature has always been a parody of the other weekly news magazine and this time around their website was slow in putting up the cover. I suspected it would have to do with the terrible attack on soldiers at Ft. Hood. I was prepared to punt on the parody this time because of the terrible nature of this event. When the cover was put up, unfortunately, it reflected the general unwillingness of the mainstream media to call a terrorist a terrorist. Therefore it seemed fitting to use this format as a lead-in to a straightforward discussion of terrorism. The black border is in tribute, as TIME's September 11 issue did, to the victims in this terrible war.
Calling a terrorist a terrorist.
First of All, Let's Answer the Question:"What About the Crusades?"
Ibn Warraq [click to read] in City Journal:
"Often, when I am criticizing crimes inspired by Islamic extremism, Iam interrupted by the remark that Christianity was once culpable of similar abuses. That Christianity may have been intolerant in the past, however, does not make criticisms of Islam’s present-day intolerance any less valid. Also, Islamic intolerance is an immediate danger, whereas Christian intolerance is generally a historical phenomenon and no longer a threat to civilization. And Christendom’s crimes were recorded by Christians themselves—a stark contrast to our politically correct climate, in which many, especially Muslims, are reluctant to criticize Islam."
Now, About Jihad
Let's look back to a time when the Muslim world almost overran Europe.The Siege of Vienna in 1529 saw the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, lay siege in an attempt to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. Although they were turned back, the Ottoman Empire tried to conquer Vienna again.
Their final attempt was in 1683 and the King of Poland reinforced the Austrians in the final battle. That battle took place on September 11,1683. The Ottoman troops were routed for the last time.
On September 11, 2001 the war with Western Civilization began anew after a 318 year hiatus.
Actually there had been a number of attacks already. The first attempt to topple the World Trade Center in 1993, the takeover of our embassy in Tehran, the USS Cole, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beruit and a host of other attacks in other parts of the world. Still, 9/11 represented something all-out, full-throttle that we had not seen before.
The Muslim faith had been gaining ground in the US too. Those who were of the mind that they were disenfranchised, such as prisoners, embraced the ideology in large numbers. Islamic centers in the Washington medtropolitan area grew and some of the Imans clearly were presenting radical Islamic ideas to their congregations.
It's easy to digress into psychoanalyzing the killer. Many young men feel frustration with the world but most voices other than rock or hip-hop musicians and radical clerics would tell them to get over it. The story here isn't the angry male but rather a culture of violence that, like the "dark side" in the Star Wars movies, channels that hate.
The take-away is that the ideology presents a clear message and has adherents within our borders. As we have seen they can ride to positions of power in our politically correct society where they are able to inflict great harm.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be put on trial in New York City, it was reported Friday. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is regarded as the planner of the attacks on September 11. Since this is clearly an act of war, why is this terrorist being tried in our court system at all and why is his presence being inflicted on Lower Manhattan, the scene of his barbaric attack? Mr. President, help me understand? Somehow in Barack's Amerika these people are not all that threatening but G-d fearing Conservatives are?
Putting "Soldier of Allah" on your business card is multicultural expression but a cross in a Veterans' memorial is "offensive?"
I find the cold blooded destruction of 3000 lives offensive and the warped ideology that spawned such a massacre I find repugnant. I find the cold blooded gunning down of fourteen American heroes [including the unborn child of one of the slain soldiers] despicable.
Mr. President, Have you no shame? Three months and four options later you are still telegraphing weakness and indecisiveness to our enemies [our REAL enemies, that is]. I'm not "Jumping to conclusions," Mr.President, I've had plenty of time to consider the conclusions I have come to.
Volume I, Issue XII
Editor's Note: This feature has always been a parody of the other weekly news magazine and this time around their website was slow in putting up the cover. I suspected it would have to do with the terrible attack on soldiers at Ft. Hood. I was prepared to punt on the parody this time because of the terrible nature of this event. When the cover was put up, unfortunately, it reflected the general unwillingness of the mainstream media to call a terrorist a terrorist. Therefore it seemed fitting to use this format as a lead-in to a straightforward discussion of terrorism. The black border is in tribute, as TIME's September 11 issue did, to the victims in this terrible war.
Calling a terrorist a terrorist.
First of All, Let's Answer the Question:"What About the Crusades?"
Ibn Warraq [click to read] in City Journal:
"Often, when I am criticizing crimes inspired by Islamic extremism, Iam interrupted by the remark that Christianity was once culpable of similar abuses. That Christianity may have been intolerant in the past, however, does not make criticisms of Islam’s present-day intolerance any less valid. Also, Islamic intolerance is an immediate danger, whereas Christian intolerance is generally a historical phenomenon and no longer a threat to civilization. And Christendom’s crimes were recorded by Christians themselves—a stark contrast to our politically correct climate, in which many, especially Muslims, are reluctant to criticize Islam."
Now, About Jihad
Let's look back to a time when the Muslim world almost overran Europe.The Siege of Vienna in 1529 saw the Ottoman Empire, led by Suleiman the Magnificent, lay siege in an attempt to capture the city of Vienna, Austria. Although they were turned back, the Ottoman Empire tried to conquer Vienna again.
Their final attempt was in 1683 and the King of Poland reinforced the Austrians in the final battle. That battle took place on September 11,1683. The Ottoman troops were routed for the last time.
On September 11, 2001 the war with Western Civilization began anew after a 318 year hiatus.
Actually there had been a number of attacks already. The first attempt to topple the World Trade Center in 1993, the takeover of our embassy in Tehran, the USS Cole, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beruit and a host of other attacks in other parts of the world. Still, 9/11 represented something all-out, full-throttle that we had not seen before.
The Muslim faith had been gaining ground in the US too. Those who were of the mind that they were disenfranchised, such as prisoners, embraced the ideology in large numbers. Islamic centers in the Washington medtropolitan area grew and some of the Imans clearly were presenting radical Islamic ideas to their congregations.
It's easy to digress into psychoanalyzing the killer. Many young men feel frustration with the world but most voices other than rock or hip-hop musicians and radical clerics would tell them to get over it. The story here isn't the angry male but rather a culture of violence that, like the "dark side" in the Star Wars movies, channels that hate.
The take-away is that the ideology presents a clear message and has adherents within our borders. As we have seen they can ride to positions of power in our politically correct society where they are able to inflict great harm.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be put on trial in New York City, it was reported Friday. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is regarded as the planner of the attacks on September 11. Since this is clearly an act of war, why is this terrorist being tried in our court system at all and why is his presence being inflicted on Lower Manhattan, the scene of his barbaric attack? Mr. President, help me understand? Somehow in Barack's Amerika these people are not all that threatening but G-d fearing Conservatives are?
Putting "Soldier of Allah" on your business card is multicultural expression but a cross in a Veterans' memorial is "offensive?"
I find the cold blooded destruction of 3000 lives offensive and the warped ideology that spawned such a massacre I find repugnant. I find the cold blooded gunning down of fourteen American heroes [including the unborn child of one of the slain soldiers] despicable.
Mr. President, Have you no shame? Three months and four options later you are still telegraphing weakness and indecisiveness to our enemies [our REAL enemies, that is]. I'm not "Jumping to conclusions," Mr.President, I've had plenty of time to consider the conclusions I have come to.
Classless Act
President Obama Meets with Netanyahu... Privately
Here's the Story [click to read] from Caroline B. Glick in Jewish World Review. As an American who respects Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu greatly, I am greatly disturbed by this.
"It isn't every day that a visiting leader from a strategically vital US ally is brought into the White House in an unmarked van in the middle of the night rather than greeted like a friend at the front door; is forbidden to have his picture taken with the President; is forced to leave the White House alone, through a side exit; and is ordered to keep the contents of his meeting with the President secret."
"Mr. President, Have you no shame!"
Here's the Story [click to read] from Caroline B. Glick in Jewish World Review. As an American who respects Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu greatly, I am greatly disturbed by this.
"It isn't every day that a visiting leader from a strategically vital US ally is brought into the White House in an unmarked van in the middle of the night rather than greeted like a friend at the front door; is forbidden to have his picture taken with the President; is forced to leave the White House alone, through a side exit; and is ordered to keep the contents of his meeting with the President secret."
"Mr. President, Have you no shame!"
Class Act
President Bush Visits the Troops... Privately
SWAC Girl Has This [click to read]. Sometimes what you do out of the public eye says a whole lot more than you think.
SWAC Girl Has This [click to read]. Sometimes what you do out of the public eye says a whole lot more than you think.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Slouching Toward Sweden III
The Oberstar Transportation Plan, Lifestyle Modification
Tertium Quids [click to read] reported it. The Heritage Foundation Dissects it Here [click to read]. Fishersville Mike [click to read] is straightforward about how Americans will react to it. The 775-page bill known as the Surface Transportation Authorization Act (STAA)reauthorizes the federal highway and transit programs that expired on September 30 for another six years. The problem is that this bill deals with more than just transportation.
Heritage Foundation states: "If enacted into law, Oberstar's STAA would mark a dramatic, harmful change in federal transportation policy by:
Shifting resources from cars to trolleys and buses,
Requiring a huge tax increase to fund these new commitments,
Centralizing transportation decisions in Washington,
Necessitating a substantial increase in the number of state, local, and federal government employees,
and Discouraging the private sector from investing in surface transportation projects."
Higher Taxes for Social Engineering
Heritage continues: "As written, many provisions of STAA have two primary purposes:
Deterring the use of automobiles; and Forcing residential and commercial development into higher density urban communities where public transit, walking, and bicycling would be the main form of transportation."
"To do this, Oberstar's bill would encourage and require states and metropolitan planning organizations to use new land use regulations that would lead to much higher densities than Americans now prefer."
And all this would require an additional $150-$200 billion in taxes over the next six years!
The reason for these drastic measures: reduction of greenhouse gasses. Yes, look for the government to try to move us into flats in some monolithic high rise buildings.
The problem is that with global warming being steadily debunked and given our desire as Americans to live in the village with a great degree of mobility, these are unnecessary costs and we can not afford to bear them right now.
Ironically state level Democrats often run promising to improve transportation. Their answer is to collect more taxes and build more roads. And that brings me to my point. Government in many cases created the problems in the first place.
Much of the overpaved suburban landscape is created in response to planning criteria in the first place. One of my favorite examples is a training center for foreign students where the county required sixty more parking spaces than necessary. Their reasoning: code required it. My client's reasoning: short-term visitors from developing nations won't be bringing their cars!
Overlapping parking requirement with other businesses, nonstandard road sizes, deleting large deceleration lanes and creative clustering in rural areas all require special permits, extra hearings and extra expense. The incentive is there to build what you know passed the month before.
In 1947 the British produced similar legislation in order to preserve the surrounding countryside. This resulted in British homes being the smallest and most expensive in any advanced country. British politicians are now seeking to change the law to make housing more affordable.
I would argue that preserving our rural land resources is an important goal. Tax policy [Francis Chester's revolution] would go a long way in securing this goal. Aaron Sime, the Libertarian candidate for state senate, presented the concept of locking in tax rates on rural land to the valuation at the time of sale. Father to Son/Daughter transfers would not trigger a new valuation. Here's another. Builders howl at the imposition of 'impact fees' but here's how 'impact' might be fairly treated. If you build within established infrastructure, as in infill projects, you pay no fee. New projects requiring additional government infrastructure would be subject to a fee system. Building were no infrastructure exists or is planned would require the developer to provide roads and utility construction as part of the cost of the project. Thus there would be a cost advantage to re-using the existing urban infrastructure but not a mandate.
Bill Atwood's Village Center for Crozet.
Village centers like Bill Atwood proposed for Crozet would be a winning solution for all. The concept calls for taking the old strip mall and making a multiuse village center that would anchor the town around a pedestrian friendly grouping of condominiums and businesses. Indeed it would seem to productive to explore transforming our suburbs into Jefferson's villages. Link the village centers with the bus system where the density allows for it. Allow 'granny flats' and garden plots in floodplains and let a little creative diversity flow...
...but don't let the government do it. Let people build it because they want it.
Crozet Village Center by Bill Atwood...
...creates a new pedestrian friendly town center from an old strip mall.
Tertium Quids [click to read] reported it. The Heritage Foundation Dissects it Here [click to read]. Fishersville Mike [click to read] is straightforward about how Americans will react to it. The 775-page bill known as the Surface Transportation Authorization Act (STAA)reauthorizes the federal highway and transit programs that expired on September 30 for another six years. The problem is that this bill deals with more than just transportation.
Heritage Foundation states: "If enacted into law, Oberstar's STAA would mark a dramatic, harmful change in federal transportation policy by:
Shifting resources from cars to trolleys and buses,
Requiring a huge tax increase to fund these new commitments,
Centralizing transportation decisions in Washington,
Necessitating a substantial increase in the number of state, local, and federal government employees,
and Discouraging the private sector from investing in surface transportation projects."
Higher Taxes for Social Engineering
Heritage continues: "As written, many provisions of STAA have two primary purposes:
Deterring the use of automobiles; and Forcing residential and commercial development into higher density urban communities where public transit, walking, and bicycling would be the main form of transportation."
"To do this, Oberstar's bill would encourage and require states and metropolitan planning organizations to use new land use regulations that would lead to much higher densities than Americans now prefer."
And all this would require an additional $150-$200 billion in taxes over the next six years!
The reason for these drastic measures: reduction of greenhouse gasses. Yes, look for the government to try to move us into flats in some monolithic high rise buildings.
The problem is that with global warming being steadily debunked and given our desire as Americans to live in the village with a great degree of mobility, these are unnecessary costs and we can not afford to bear them right now.
Ironically state level Democrats often run promising to improve transportation. Their answer is to collect more taxes and build more roads. And that brings me to my point. Government in many cases created the problems in the first place.
Much of the overpaved suburban landscape is created in response to planning criteria in the first place. One of my favorite examples is a training center for foreign students where the county required sixty more parking spaces than necessary. Their reasoning: code required it. My client's reasoning: short-term visitors from developing nations won't be bringing their cars!
Overlapping parking requirement with other businesses, nonstandard road sizes, deleting large deceleration lanes and creative clustering in rural areas all require special permits, extra hearings and extra expense. The incentive is there to build what you know passed the month before.
In 1947 the British produced similar legislation in order to preserve the surrounding countryside. This resulted in British homes being the smallest and most expensive in any advanced country. British politicians are now seeking to change the law to make housing more affordable.
I would argue that preserving our rural land resources is an important goal. Tax policy [Francis Chester's revolution] would go a long way in securing this goal. Aaron Sime, the Libertarian candidate for state senate, presented the concept of locking in tax rates on rural land to the valuation at the time of sale. Father to Son/Daughter transfers would not trigger a new valuation. Here's another. Builders howl at the imposition of 'impact fees' but here's how 'impact' might be fairly treated. If you build within established infrastructure, as in infill projects, you pay no fee. New projects requiring additional government infrastructure would be subject to a fee system. Building were no infrastructure exists or is planned would require the developer to provide roads and utility construction as part of the cost of the project. Thus there would be a cost advantage to re-using the existing urban infrastructure but not a mandate.
Bill Atwood's Village Center for Crozet.
Village centers like Bill Atwood proposed for Crozet would be a winning solution for all. The concept calls for taking the old strip mall and making a multiuse village center that would anchor the town around a pedestrian friendly grouping of condominiums and businesses. Indeed it would seem to productive to explore transforming our suburbs into Jefferson's villages. Link the village centers with the bus system where the density allows for it. Allow 'granny flats' and garden plots in floodplains and let a little creative diversity flow...
...but don't let the government do it. Let people build it because they want it.
Crozet Village Center by Bill Atwood...
...creates a new pedestrian friendly town center from an old strip mall.
Why We Miss Seeing What We're Looking At
Seeing the Face of G-d in Creation
Rabbi Naftali Brawer [click to listen] offers insight into the question: "If the Creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers?"
Rabbi Naftali Brawer [click to listen] offers insight into the question: "If the Creation so loudly shouts the existence of the Creator, why aren't more people believers?"
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Skyline Drive Overlook
Above Sugar Hollow Reservoir
Fall colors can still be seen on the lower mountainsides.
Fall colors can still be seen on the lower mountainsides.
Falls Hollow on Elliott's Knob
A Quiet Mountain Hollow Stream Awaits...
Falls Hollow, pictures taken in September of this year.
...and a Rugged Hike Awaits as Well
One of my favorite places to hike is the trail up Elliott's Knob [or Elliott Knob]. I'm pretty sure I saw it as Elliott's on a Jedediah Hotchkiss map so I'm sticking with it. The trail makes its way up Falls Hollow along this little stream.
Here are More Pictures [click to view] taken along the trail up Elliott's Knob.
Coming out of Falls Hollow, hikers find a rugged mountain road to the top.
Abandoned fire tower at the summit.
Looking up at the fire tower.
Almost to the top, where a view awaits...
...of the Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
Falls Hollow, pictures taken in September of this year.
...and a Rugged Hike Awaits as Well
One of my favorite places to hike is the trail up Elliott's Knob [or Elliott Knob]. I'm pretty sure I saw it as Elliott's on a Jedediah Hotchkiss map so I'm sticking with it. The trail makes its way up Falls Hollow along this little stream.
Here are More Pictures [click to view] taken along the trail up Elliott's Knob.
Coming out of Falls Hollow, hikers find a rugged mountain road to the top.
Abandoned fire tower at the summit.
Looking up at the fire tower.
Almost to the top, where a view awaits...
...of the Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
Elliott's Knob as seen from Little North Mountain.
When Hollywood Honored Veterans
Jimmy Stewart is Who We Need More Of Right Now
Bust of Glenn Miller in Bedford, England. He played a concert there.
There is nothing like a good film with Jimmy Stewart. My wife and I watched The Glenn Miller Story not long ago. When we watch Jimmy Stewart she wants romance [as in Donna Reed, Wonderful Life], I want Aviation [as in Spirit of Saint Louis, Highway in the Sky or The Flight of the Phoenix]. Wou get the picture. The Glenn Miller Story has a bit of both.
In real life Jimmy Stewart was an Air Corps General. In this tribute to band leader Glenn Miller he portrays Miller working to bring the troops some of the music they loved from back home. The band plays at a British hospital and softly plays 'String of Pearls' as a V-1 'buzz bomb' roars overhead. When the engine stops and the foul device dives in, Miller continues to play softly as the men duck and cover. When it explodes in the distance, the band plays their heart out at full volume to finish the number.
Miller's band was a great morale builder. It continued to do so for months after Glenn Miller's death in a plane crash [or possibly he was shot down] as he flew to France to make advance arrangements for a tour.
Bust of Glenn Miller in Bedford, England. He played a concert there.
There is nothing like a good film with Jimmy Stewart. My wife and I watched The Glenn Miller Story not long ago. When we watch Jimmy Stewart she wants romance [as in Donna Reed, Wonderful Life], I want Aviation [as in Spirit of Saint Louis, Highway in the Sky or The Flight of the Phoenix]. Wou get the picture. The Glenn Miller Story has a bit of both.
In real life Jimmy Stewart was an Air Corps General. In this tribute to band leader Glenn Miller he portrays Miller working to bring the troops some of the music they loved from back home. The band plays at a British hospital and softly plays 'String of Pearls' as a V-1 'buzz bomb' roars overhead. When the engine stops and the foul device dives in, Miller continues to play softly as the men duck and cover. When it explodes in the distance, the band plays their heart out at full volume to finish the number.
Miller's band was a great morale builder. It continued to do so for months after Glenn Miller's death in a plane crash [or possibly he was shot down] as he flew to France to make advance arrangements for a tour.
Slouching Toward Sweden II
The Life Preservers on Swedish Ferrys -- They Sink!
I'm not making this up!!! Fishersville Mike found This Swedish News Site [click to read] where the problem was reported.
"The life rings meet all European safety standards, but the Swedish Transit Agency (Transportstyrelsen) plans to file a report on the matter in the coming days with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)." -- So much for bureaucratic oversight!
The Local, an English language Swedish news publication had another article that was even more interesting:
Sweden to Test 'Culture by Perscription' [click to read]
You've got to be kidding. No, it's the truth. Doctors in Sweden will soon be able to prescribe cultural activities such as choir lessons or ceramics classes as part of a taxpayer-funded initiative to help reduce prolonged absences from work due to illness. The premise that cultural activities enrich one's life and increase productive energy is sound enough, but here are the dumb bureaucrats turning activities that spring out of free association into a federal program.
Think about it! I hike, shoot photographs and associate in spirited discourse because I WANT to. Do I need a federal program to make me do it? No!
But read some reports from The Center for Science in the Public Interest and you'll see that maybe the powers that be would find my blogging 'detrimental' to my performance and perscribe... say... multicultural sensitivity studies with a strong emphasis in embracing islamic jihadists as warm fuzzy friends. He who persribes the perscribing will perscribe the culture that will be perscribed [bad sentence, good thought, OK?].
In America [1.] that sort of thing never would fly, in Barak's Amerika, who knows. ht/Mike
America
Amerika
I'm not making this up!!! Fishersville Mike found This Swedish News Site [click to read] where the problem was reported.
"The life rings meet all European safety standards, but the Swedish Transit Agency (Transportstyrelsen) plans to file a report on the matter in the coming days with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA)." -- So much for bureaucratic oversight!
The Local, an English language Swedish news publication had another article that was even more interesting:
Sweden to Test 'Culture by Perscription' [click to read]
You've got to be kidding. No, it's the truth. Doctors in Sweden will soon be able to prescribe cultural activities such as choir lessons or ceramics classes as part of a taxpayer-funded initiative to help reduce prolonged absences from work due to illness. The premise that cultural activities enrich one's life and increase productive energy is sound enough, but here are the dumb bureaucrats turning activities that spring out of free association into a federal program.
Think about it! I hike, shoot photographs and associate in spirited discourse because I WANT to. Do I need a federal program to make me do it? No!
But read some reports from The Center for Science in the Public Interest and you'll see that maybe the powers that be would find my blogging 'detrimental' to my performance and perscribe... say... multicultural sensitivity studies with a strong emphasis in embracing islamic jihadists as warm fuzzy friends. He who persribes the perscribing will perscribe the culture that will be perscribed [bad sentence, good thought, OK?].
In America [1.] that sort of thing never would fly, in Barak's Amerika, who knows. ht/Mike
America
Amerika
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
'Going Rogue' Book Tour
Governor Palin is Coming to Roanoke November 22
November 22nd
ROANOKE, VA
Barnes & Noble
4802 Valley View Boulevard NW
Roanoke, VA 24012
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
November 22nd
ROANOKE, VA
Barnes & Noble
4802 Valley View Boulevard NW
Roanoke, VA 24012
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Pitch Me, Unopened, Right in the Bin...
..How NOT to Get Me to Open Your Direct Mail Piece
Large envelope from some environmental group.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh as I picked up the mail today. He was talking about the 16 year old kid who saved his family from a polar bear attack [he shot the bear]. Look what came from some environmental group! It went in the recycling bin directly.
The reason: Why read a piece of mail with two blatent lies on the cover? When you shout out to me that Sarah Palin is gone I wonder how you missed how she's still in the game. [1.] When you tell me that polar bears are decreasing, well, the evidence is that they're INCREASING! [2.] If you are making some attempt to stop energy exploitation in Alaska, I'm just not interested.
Now don't get me wrong. I like bears [3.] but I believe in a form of wildlife management that occasionally involves bullets. I want to see the beauty of Alaska preserved but I know that the right policies can allow caribu to snuggle up to pipelines as we use the state's natural resources to meet our energy needs well into the 21st Century. Sarah Palin knows this and she is NOT going away! [4.]
Large envelope from some environmental group.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh as I picked up the mail today. He was talking about the 16 year old kid who saved his family from a polar bear attack [he shot the bear]. Look what came from some environmental group! It went in the recycling bin directly.
The reason: Why read a piece of mail with two blatent lies on the cover? When you shout out to me that Sarah Palin is gone I wonder how you missed how she's still in the game. [1.] When you tell me that polar bears are decreasing, well, the evidence is that they're INCREASING! [2.] If you are making some attempt to stop energy exploitation in Alaska, I'm just not interested.
Now don't get me wrong. I like bears [3.] but I believe in a form of wildlife management that occasionally involves bullets. I want to see the beauty of Alaska preserved but I know that the right policies can allow caribu to snuggle up to pipelines as we use the state's natural resources to meet our energy needs well into the 21st Century. Sarah Palin knows this and she is NOT going away! [4.]
Marines and Muslim Pirates
Where 'Shores of Tripoli' in the Marine Hymn Comes From
In 1801, faced with Barbary Pirates enslaving American seamen and demanding tribute be paid to them, The United States fought the first Barbary War. The second Barbary War was fought in 1815 and The Marines, who celebrate their founding today, fought both those wars.
They got the nickname 'leathernecks' not so much for their own tough hides but for the high leather collars of their battle jackets. These were designed to protect them from cutlass slashing during the battle that would rage as they boarded a hostile ship.
The Marines brought safety and freedom to the seas. Their mission remains the same today.
In 1801, faced with Barbary Pirates enslaving American seamen and demanding tribute be paid to them, The United States fought the first Barbary War. The second Barbary War was fought in 1815 and The Marines, who celebrate their founding today, fought both those wars.
They got the nickname 'leathernecks' not so much for their own tough hides but for the high leather collars of their battle jackets. These were designed to protect them from cutlass slashing during the battle that would rage as they boarded a hostile ship.
The Marines brought safety and freedom to the seas. Their mission remains the same today.
The B&O Railroad in the Valley
The Valley Railroad
Valley Railroad bridge built around 1884.
Driving South from Staunton on interstate 81 one cannot miss the beautiful old railroad bridge spanning Folly Creek just south of the interchange with route 262. It was built around 1884 as part of a line that extended down the Valley from Harper's Ferry to Lexington.
The Valley Railroad was chartered February 23, 1866 but was an idea held since the mid-1800's by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to tap into the rich agriculture of the Virginia Valley as well as the coalfields to the West. Iron and Maganese were to be found as well and by 1883 construction reached as far as Lexington.
Construction would continue toward Salem but the final stretch of track was never laid. Economic crisis and competition from parallel lines would eventually bring construction to a halt but the line itself was operated as part of the B&O system for many years. It was not abandoned until 1942.
A rough faced granite ashlar stone...
...with a smooth face ashlar in the soffits of the arches.
Valley Railroad bridge built around 1884.
Driving South from Staunton on interstate 81 one cannot miss the beautiful old railroad bridge spanning Folly Creek just south of the interchange with route 262. It was built around 1884 as part of a line that extended down the Valley from Harper's Ferry to Lexington.
The Valley Railroad was chartered February 23, 1866 but was an idea held since the mid-1800's by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to tap into the rich agriculture of the Virginia Valley as well as the coalfields to the West. Iron and Maganese were to be found as well and by 1883 construction reached as far as Lexington.
Construction would continue toward Salem but the final stretch of track was never laid. Economic crisis and competition from parallel lines would eventually bring construction to a halt but the line itself was operated as part of the B&O system for many years. It was not abandoned until 1942.
A rough faced granite ashlar stone...
...with a smooth face ashlar in the soffits of the arches.
Monday, November 9, 2009
"Tear Down this Wall"
Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987
"We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe,if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" -- President Ronald Reagan
“The wall that had imprisoned half a city, half a country, half a continent, half a world for nearly a third of a century was swept away by the greatest force of all: the unbreakable spirit of men and women who dared to dream” -- Gordon Brown
"We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe,if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" -- President Ronald Reagan
“The wall that had imprisoned half a city, half a country, half a continent, half a world for nearly a third of a century was swept away by the greatest force of all: the unbreakable spirit of men and women who dared to dream” -- Gordon Brown
Slouching Toward Sweden
Observations from A Swedish Resident on Socialist Society
Saturday I listened to an interview with Swedish Pastor Gary Johnson, an American who leads a congregation there. His observations on life in a socialist 'paradise' are worth noting as America begins her slide toward that way of life.
Johnson's initial observation was that Sweden was clean and well cared for. The minutest details are cared for by the state and there are plenty of people to put to work keeping things straight. His neighborhood on first appearance seems well-kept and wonderful. What you don't see is the eleven neighbors who have committed suicide this past year, reflective of the Swede's high national rate. Life in paradise is troubled beneath the surface.
Healthcare is 'free' in Sweden. But I must explain to you how it can be 'free.' Swedish workers have 33% of their salary taken by the government right out of their paychecks. Employers must match this with a 30% 'contribution.' Out of this 63% garnishment the government provides such services as healthcare. Every WORKER pays. The unemployed and children are actually covered out of these funds as well.
When Johnson's wife opted to stay at home with the children recently she was bucking the national norm. It is expected that both parents work and send their children to government run daycare. Johnson states: "Socialism works when both parents go out the door." The government takes that 63% out of BOTH paychecks!
The government provides 'free' healthcare, dental services, and elementary education. 'Dangerous' homeschoolers take note: The Government TELLS you where your children will go to school. They tell you when your children will be seen by the dentist, etc. Miss an appointment and you are in violation of the law! Don't want your kids to have H1N1 vaccine, tough!
The family is no longer the basic unit of society in a socialist paradise. The STATE is a higher authority over children than the parents. Johnson goes on to make the point that Socialism is far more than just an economic theory, it is about how society is structured and it centers on the individual's relationship to the state, not family.
Swedish doctors, it must be pointed out, are not all that well compensated. There is a 'doctor drain' as the best of them seek employment in other countries. ht/Moneylife
Correction: Joy writes:
"The only thing I would disagree with about your latest blog is that America began her slide into socialism long time ago. Thanks for the information about Sweden. I posted it on my page."
This is all too true. Names like Dewey and Baldwin come to mind, just for starters. Joy, I guess you could say the slide began a long time ago. The blind flying leap into Socialism is rapidly gaining momentum...
"The most terrifying words in the English language are, I'm from the government and I am here to help." -- Ronald Reagan
Saturday I listened to an interview with Swedish Pastor Gary Johnson, an American who leads a congregation there. His observations on life in a socialist 'paradise' are worth noting as America begins her slide toward that way of life.
Johnson's initial observation was that Sweden was clean and well cared for. The minutest details are cared for by the state and there are plenty of people to put to work keeping things straight. His neighborhood on first appearance seems well-kept and wonderful. What you don't see is the eleven neighbors who have committed suicide this past year, reflective of the Swede's high national rate. Life in paradise is troubled beneath the surface.
Healthcare is 'free' in Sweden. But I must explain to you how it can be 'free.' Swedish workers have 33% of their salary taken by the government right out of their paychecks. Employers must match this with a 30% 'contribution.' Out of this 63% garnishment the government provides such services as healthcare. Every WORKER pays. The unemployed and children are actually covered out of these funds as well.
When Johnson's wife opted to stay at home with the children recently she was bucking the national norm. It is expected that both parents work and send their children to government run daycare. Johnson states: "Socialism works when both parents go out the door." The government takes that 63% out of BOTH paychecks!
The government provides 'free' healthcare, dental services, and elementary education. 'Dangerous' homeschoolers take note: The Government TELLS you where your children will go to school. They tell you when your children will be seen by the dentist, etc. Miss an appointment and you are in violation of the law! Don't want your kids to have H1N1 vaccine, tough!
The family is no longer the basic unit of society in a socialist paradise. The STATE is a higher authority over children than the parents. Johnson goes on to make the point that Socialism is far more than just an economic theory, it is about how society is structured and it centers on the individual's relationship to the state, not family.
Swedish doctors, it must be pointed out, are not all that well compensated. There is a 'doctor drain' as the best of them seek employment in other countries. ht/Moneylife
Correction: Joy writes:
"The only thing I would disagree with about your latest blog is that America began her slide into socialism long time ago. Thanks for the information about Sweden. I posted it on my page."
This is all too true. Names like Dewey and Baldwin come to mind, just for starters. Joy, I guess you could say the slide began a long time ago. The blind flying leap into Socialism is rapidly gaining momentum...
"The most terrifying words in the English language are, I'm from the government and I am here to help." -- Ronald Reagan
Walk into Winter
The Blue Ridge Mountains Devoid of Leaves
The Japanese Maple behind my house still was vivid as I left for Sunday's walk in the mountains.
Even though the temperature was a summery seventy degrees, the AT near Wildcat Ridge was wintry in appearance as I stepped onto the trail.
This old tree has survived fires, storms and time...
...and has seen the passage of thousands of hikers.
The trail passes through a stand of pines.
The Japanese Maple behind my house still was vivid as I left for Sunday's walk in the mountains.
Even though the temperature was a summery seventy degrees, the AT near Wildcat Ridge was wintry in appearance as I stepped onto the trail.
This old tree has survived fires, storms and time...
...and has seen the passage of thousands of hikers.
The trail passes through a stand of pines.
Kim Munley, Hero
Her First Words Coming Out of Anesthesia, "Did Anybody Die?"
Here's the Story [click to read] in the UK Telegraph.
"Sgt Munley, a mother of two daughters, is just 5ft 3ins tall, but colleagues described her as a "fireball" and a "tough cookie." She is a member of Fort Hood's SWAT team."
The 34 year old lady who stopped the gunman lost so much blood doctors feared she would die. Sgt. Munley, today's trip to Virginia Blood Services is in YOUR HONOR!
Sgt. Munley.
Here's the Story [click to read] in the UK Telegraph.
"Sgt Munley, a mother of two daughters, is just 5ft 3ins tall, but colleagues described her as a "fireball" and a "tough cookie." She is a member of Fort Hood's SWAT team."
The 34 year old lady who stopped the gunman lost so much blood doctors feared she would die. Sgt. Munley, today's trip to Virginia Blood Services is in YOUR HONOR!
Sgt. Munley.
Lawyers in Love, The Vote on HR 3962
An Old Jackson Browne Song from 1983:
I can't keep up with what's been going down
I think my heart must just be slowing down
Among the human beings in their designer jeans
Am I the only one who hears the screams
And the strangled cries of lawyers in love
G-d sends his spaceships to America, the beautiful
They land at six o'clock and there we are, the dutiful
Eating from TV trays, tuned in to Happy Days
Waiting for World War III while Jesus slaves
To the mating calls of lawyers in love
Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitol
The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them, like Russians will
Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon
And I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soon
As vacation land for lawyers in love
Cash for Clunkers?
I can't keep up with what's been going down
I think my heart must just be slowing down
Among the human beings in their designer jeans
Am I the only one who hears the screams
And the strangled cries of lawyers in love
G-d sends his spaceships to America, the beautiful
They land at six o'clock and there we are, the dutiful
Eating from TV trays, tuned in to Happy Days
Waiting for World War III while Jesus slaves
To the mating calls of lawyers in love
Last night I watched the news from Washington, the capitol
The Russians escaped while we weren't watching them, like Russians will
Now we've got all this room, we've even got the moon
And I hear the U.S.S.R. will be open soon
As vacation land for lawyers in love
Cash for Clunkers?
Multiculturalism's Morass
"I Wish His Name Was 'Smith'...
Mark Steyn [click to read] in Jewish World Review is spot on!
"When it emerged early Thursday afternoon that the shooter was Nidal Malik Hasan, there appeared shortly thereafter on Twitter a flurry of posts with the striking formulation: "Please judge Maj. Malik Nadal [sic]by his actions and not by his name."
Concerned tweeters can relax: There was never really any danger of that — and not just in the sense that the New York Times' first report on Maj. Hasan never mentioned the words "Muslim" or "Islam," or that ABC's Martha Raddatz's only observation on his name was that "as for the suspect, Nadal Hasan, as one officer's wife told me, 'I wish his name was Smith.'"
Multiculturalism operates on the flawed premise that all points of view are of equal value. It is often used to gloss over a systematic attempt to devalue the pillars of Western civilization.
Mark Steyn [click to read] in Jewish World Review is spot on!
"When it emerged early Thursday afternoon that the shooter was Nidal Malik Hasan, there appeared shortly thereafter on Twitter a flurry of posts with the striking formulation: "Please judge Maj. Malik Nadal [sic]by his actions and not by his name."
Concerned tweeters can relax: There was never really any danger of that — and not just in the sense that the New York Times' first report on Maj. Hasan never mentioned the words "Muslim" or "Islam," or that ABC's Martha Raddatz's only observation on his name was that "as for the suspect, Nadal Hasan, as one officer's wife told me, 'I wish his name was Smith.'"
Multiculturalism operates on the flawed premise that all points of view are of equal value. It is often used to gloss over a systematic attempt to devalue the pillars of Western civilization.
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