If there is one thing about me that those close to me know, it is that I love history. History is the study of humanity, and there isn't a creature alive on this planet that is more interesting than humans. The platypus comes in a close second...I mean, what is a platypus? It's not a duck, or a reptile, or a bird, or a poisonous snake, or a beaver, yet it shares attributes of each. It is a good thing scientists figured out how to classify the platypus (hey!, lets just make up a classification that only a platypus and one other creature "kind of" fits into!). Thank you scientists.
But as I was saying, I am a student of history. I love history of all sorts, from everywhere on the globe and all time periods. But one of my favorite periods is during the second world war. I don't love it because it was a war; war sucks and everyone with a brain knows it. But it is so interesting because it was a unique war. See, unlike most every war in human history, there really isn't much ambiguity when it comes to WWII. You had the good guys and the bad guys (and then there were the Soviets). You can look at just about any other war in history, especially in Europe, and make a case for either side. But in WWII, you had the ultimate bad guys: the Nazis.
Now, I know the title of this post says I "like Nazis". Of course I don't like them, but they were the perfect villain. You can actually hate them and feel good about doing so because they were so darned bad. If anyone wants to point to an example of how evil humanity can be when it really wants to, you can just point at the Nazis. And it didn't matter how many horrible things the Allies did in WWII, the Nazis were even worse. It was a case of moral relativism in action: relative to the Nazis, just about anything anyone did was moral.
So, I like the Nazis as a perfect villain, because it makes being objective about WWII rather easy compared to just about any other major war in history. Even in the American Revolution, you can see the British side of things if you are inclined to. But that is near impossible to do when it comes to the Nazis, unless you are some kind of hateful racist with an unhealthy obsession for sauerkraut. And of course, because of this uniqueness of the Nazis, they became the perfect analogy for anything evil...and eventually the object of fallacious arguments.
See, I rather don't like the "liberal" philosophy in modern politics. I put liberal in quotation marks because modern liberals aren't really liberal in the classical sense. They are just re-branded leftist progressives. Another term is Socialist. Something people like to latch onto in political arguments is comparing one side or the other to Nazis. Conservatives are called Nazis by the left because they share a few ideologies when it comes to national defense and national pride and, well, that's about it I think. The right likes to brand leftists as Nazis because both ideologies are socialist. However, comparing Nazis and liberals/leftists/socialist of American politics based on the Socialism connection is much like saying wolves and puppies are the same. Yes, they are both genetically similar. But you pet a puppy dog: you do not pet a wolf. One is playful, and the other is aggressive to the point of biting your face off.
I do like puppies, and most anyone does that doesn't just completely hate dogs (even President Obama loves dogs...preferably with ketchup). I may not like modern liberals' ideologies, but I would consider them puppies when it comes to comparing them with Nazi wolves. They share the roots of socialism, but there the similarities end. So the next time you get into an argument on the internets, invoke not Hitler or Goebbels, or the jackbooted thugs that did evil in their names. Instead, think of that leftist as a cute little puppy. A silly, stupid little puppy that doesn't know what it is yelping about.
I'm just an individual who hopes to inspire but not impose his views on others. I seek not to convince but only hope that my words are written well enough to get others to delve deeper into their own thoughts and ideas. I am sincere in all that I say but never so serious as to not listen to the ideas of others
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
What a Drag it Will Be Getting Old
Like Nancy Pelosi, I finally got around to reading The Affordable Care Act, and like the government, I’d like to exempt myself from it as well. I didn’t bother reading it earlier because I was really hoping the Supreme Court would come through for me, so I know I am rather late to the party. Based upon what I’ve seen tucked away in this law, here are some of the consequences I expect we will be seeing shortly as the implementation continues.
- Unlike in the Cuban system, rats in operating rooms will not be required to wear surgical garb.
- Instead of merely pulling the plug on grandma, they will go with the much more entertaining and lucrative Shooting with the Stars or Least Dangerous Game options.
- Much of the increased revenues needed to fund the new program will come from a nationwide lottery program titled Gambling For Your Life.
- While we won’t have to worry about back alley abortions anymore, we will need to worry about back alley appendectomies, back alley by-passes, back alley chemotherapy, back alley hip replacements…..
- All hospital TV sets will be required to continuously stream Sicko.
- Anesthesia will still be available for a nominal fee.
- We won’t have to worry about those pesky nurses waking us every hour to take our pulse and our blood pressure or our temperature. Of course, we also won’t have to worry about them changing our bedpans or our sheets or our hospital gowns…..
- Due to unexpected increases in the cost of birth control, the law suggests combatting teen pregnancy by using sex education programs to encourage bestiality.
- In order to qualify under the program, hospital emergency rooms must minimally be equipped with a saw, a blow torch and a bitin’-stick.
- To further fund the program, whenever a patient undergoes a surgical procedure, the government is allowed to harvest any ‘redundant’ organs to sell on the black market.
- Anyone living on a federal pension gets first dibs on the black market organs.
- We won’t have to worry about wealthy foreigners from countries with socialized medicine coming here and using our medical resources anymore.
- Anyone found praying on hospital grounds will be hit with the $25 prayer tax. Muslims and other non-Christians are exempt.
- The head of the federal oncology treatment panel is Dr. Kevorkian.
- Given the expected waiting period to see a doctor, all babies will be born before the first prenatal visit, and most abortions will be scheduled when the baby is between 2 and 3 years of age.
- The Time Life series on Civil War and Down Home surgical techniques will sell out the first seventeen printings.
- Starting out with just a pocketknife, a Hoover and a dream, I expect to make a killing with my new chain of Liposuction/Cooking Lard Huts.
- Solyent Green will indeed be people.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Feds spend at least $890,000 on fees for empty accounts
If you are a federal worker on furlough this week — or an airline passenger delayed by federal furloughs — you might want to save your blood pressure and go read another story.
This one is about all the money the U.S. government spends on . . . nothing.
It is one of the oddest spending habits in Washington: This year, the government will spend at least $890,000 on service fees for bank accounts that are empty. At last count, Uncle Sam has 13,712 such accounts with a balance of zero.
They are supposed to be closed. But nobody has done the paperwork yet.
So even as the sequester budget cuts have begun idling workers and frustrating travelers, the government is required to pay $65 per year, per account to keep them on the books.
In this time of austerity, the accounts are a reminder of something that makes austerity hard: expensive habits, built into the bureaucracy in times of plenty. The Obama administration has spent the past year trying to close these accounts, with only some success.
“If anyone had kept open a bank account with no money, and was getting a charge every month, they would do everything they could to close it,” said Thomas A. Schatz of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste. But, he said, the government hasn’t shown the same kind of urgency with taxpayers’ money.
“It’s just lack of attention to detail. And poor management,” he said. “And, clearly, the fact that no one gets penalized for paying money to keep the accounts open.”
The money spent on the empty accounts is a tiny fraction of the federal budget. But, in its own way, it is something special: Washington’s waste, a rare specimen of cost untainted by any reward.
The Pentagon once paid $435 for a hammer, after all. But at least in that case it got a hammer.
Here, when the money is spent, “there’s no benefit whatsoever,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who has joined Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) in pushing the Obama administration to close these accounts faster.
Administration officials said they’re trying. Last year, the Office of Management and Budget urged agencies to crack down on these “zero balance” accounts. And this year, it proposed a wide-scale push for better oversight.
“We have worked with agencies to improve the timely closeout of grants,” Danny Werfel, the controller at the OMB, said in an e-mail. “Agencies have made noteworthy progress so far, with the number of zero-balance accounts falling by more than 50 percent since the end of fiscal year 2011.” Back then, the total was more than 28,000.
Here is how the government winds up spending money on nothing:
First, a federal agency gives a grant. It doesn’t just write a check; it creates an account within a large, government-run depository. The grantee can draw money from it. The agency that created the account is charged a monthly fee, which goes to the government depository and is used to cover the costs of operating it.
Then, at some point, it’s over. The money runs out. Or the grant’s time limit expires. The agency is given notice: It’s time to close the account.
This one is about all the money the U.S. government spends on . . . nothing.
They are supposed to be closed. But nobody has done the paperwork yet.
So even as the sequester budget cuts have begun idling workers and frustrating travelers, the government is required to pay $65 per year, per account to keep them on the books.
In this time of austerity, the accounts are a reminder of something that makes austerity hard: expensive habits, built into the bureaucracy in times of plenty. The Obama administration has spent the past year trying to close these accounts, with only some success.
“If anyone had kept open a bank account with no money, and was getting a charge every month, they would do everything they could to close it,” said Thomas A. Schatz of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste. But, he said, the government hasn’t shown the same kind of urgency with taxpayers’ money.
“It’s just lack of attention to detail. And poor management,” he said. “And, clearly, the fact that no one gets penalized for paying money to keep the accounts open.”
The money spent on the empty accounts is a tiny fraction of the federal budget. But, in its own way, it is something special: Washington’s waste, a rare specimen of cost untainted by any reward.
The Pentagon once paid $435 for a hammer, after all. But at least in that case it got a hammer.
Here, when the money is spent, “there’s no benefit whatsoever,” said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), who has joined Sen. Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.) in pushing the Obama administration to close these accounts faster.
Administration officials said they’re trying. Last year, the Office of Management and Budget urged agencies to crack down on these “zero balance” accounts. And this year, it proposed a wide-scale push for better oversight.
“We have worked with agencies to improve the timely closeout of grants,” Danny Werfel, the controller at the OMB, said in an e-mail. “Agencies have made noteworthy progress so far, with the number of zero-balance accounts falling by more than 50 percent since the end of fiscal year 2011.” Back then, the total was more than 28,000.
Here is how the government winds up spending money on nothing:
First, a federal agency gives a grant. It doesn’t just write a check; it creates an account within a large, government-run depository. The grantee can draw money from it. The agency that created the account is charged a monthly fee, which goes to the government depository and is used to cover the costs of operating it.
Then, at some point, it’s over. The money runs out. Or the grant’s time limit expires. The agency is given notice: It’s time to close the account.
Searching for Answers
In the aftermath of the Boston bombing, the search for answers to the inevitable question, "Why" has begun and the answer is becoming clear: It's YOUR fault. YOU drove him to this! Well, you and "society." And by "society," they of course mean you.
And how did you do this? By watching boxing, by supporting him on welfare, by, well, existing.
The New York Times has given my favorite reason so far: He blew up the Boston Marathon because he was "angry that the world pictures Islam as a violent religion."
Let me repeat that: He blew up the Boston Marathon because he was "angry that the world pictures Islam as a violent religion."
It's YOUR fault, you Islamophobic cretins.
You can't make this stuff up.
So, in the interest of fairness, let me find a few more ways that society and you can be at fault for Boston, without having to look at the religion.
He was:
- Upset that the Red Sox/Patriots/Celtics/Bruins didn't win the World Series/Super Bowl/NBA Championship/Stanley Cup.
- Angry that Bill Belichick cheating gave the impression that Bill Belichick cheats.
- Practicing for the upcoming Russian/Chechen Moscow Bomb-a-thon.
- Overcome with loathing of people who think it's fun to run 26.2 miles.
- Upset that his welfare checks stopped coming.
- Bored, because seriously:What is there for a sober, bacon-free 26-year-old to do in Boston anyway?
- Looking for a professorship at an elite East Coast University.
- Trying out for that show, "Destroy Build Destroy." He just didn't get to the "Build" part.
- Tired of all the publicity and goodwill that New York gets just for being blown up on 9/11 and wanted to bring some of that to Boston.
- Educated at an elite prep school, so no wonder he hates America.
- Mad that all the guys were voted off American Idol.
- Trying to make Obama look good by giving him a bomber that didn't take a decade to hunt down and kill.
- Crazy mad that no one knows where Chechnya is.
- Jealous of all the attention mass shootings get. He wanted equal time for bombings.
- Hoping to force Congress' hand in enacting Common Sense Cookware Control.
- Desirous of meeting Diana Oughton, one of Billy Ayers' old girlfriends.
- Really not fond of Monday
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Don't Let the Door Hit You Emigration Act.
People keep going on and on lately about how we have this immigration problem and the system is a mess and there are all of these illegal people running around being illegal and running around. And we aren't even sure who they all are. And a piece by Ann woman-that-scares-me Coulter takes it a step further. She says not only are illegals a problem, but it's legal immigrants that are a problem, citing how a rather lopsided amount of mass murders and the like are perpetrated not only by immigrants, but immigrant losers.
She made some pretty valid points for being a crazy person (well ok, she usually is pretty much right on most things, but I still think shes nuts). Namely, that educated hard working people seem to have a tough time immigrating here but complete losers get here so easily. And yeah, that does seem to be the case.
Ok, fine Ann. We have a total immigration problem. But that is small potatoes really. See, I look at it this way: we have tons of deadbeats and losers born in this country. No they aren't born that way of course, but they end up being that way through bad choices and a complete lack of personal responsibility. Kind of the way people end up eventually living in Cincinnati. Or Toledo. So, why should we care about the immigration of losers just adding a trickle to an already large volume of natural born losers? I mean, that's like turning off a water faucet when your house is already flooded. Yeah, you should do that, but it's not going to exactly fix the mess.
I think, instead of an immigration problem, we have an emigration problem. Now don't read that out loud, or it will sound redundant. We are literally (and by literally I mean figuratively) flooded with losers in this country. People who won't get a job, or keep a job by doing simple things like showing up on time or working when they are told to work. And they get to sit around collecting benefits merely because they exist.
I dunno about you guys, but I am pretty sure that wasn't something the founders envisioned, and I'd be surprised if they actually thought of those people as citizens. The founders were a bit vague on what constitutes a citizen exactly, as far as I can tell anyway. Look that up for me, I'm busy. Anyway, so I think there should be a law (I rarely say that) defining what a citizen is.
Basically, if you are productive (which means you have a job or means of income) and don't use any government help past a certain amount of time, then you maintain your citizenship status. You also have to keep your nose clean when it comes to obeying laws. You don't have to be a model citizen, just not a complete parasite on society. If you can do all that, you'll reap all of the benefits of being an American citizen.
However, if you get enough strikes or whatever, you lose your citizenship. And then you get deported, since you're a foreigner now. You'll get $10,000, a passport, and a plane ticket to the undeveloped country of your choice. Sorry, we don't want a developed country trying to send you back, you loser.
And immigration would be a snap. We could give everyone a chance. If they play by the rules, they get a citizenship. If they don't, or they lose their citizenship...they get deported back to where they came from. And no, they don't get the $10,000. I call this the Don't Let the Door Hit You Emigration Act.
Catchy name right?
Catchy name right?
Bombing Motivations
So the motivation of the bombers is what everyone pretty much guessed as soon as they heard there was a bombing: They were motivated by their religion of Islam. But it’s not nice to jump to conclusion, so we have to act all surprised.
Give me a sec…
But most Muslims are such nice people! How could this happen? Did we fail them somehow? Maybe it’s our fault for what our military has done to those countries overseas; they were so peaceful and nice before we got involved! Really, the Tsarnaev’s are the true victims here! Why did this have to happen?! Why?! Maybe if we change our ways, less people will fall victim to wanting to mercilessly blow up children.
Okay, I’m done. You have to wonder what the logic was here:
1. Blow up children proving you’re ruthless murderers who can’t be reasoned with
2. ??
3. Islam dominates the world
People wonder if these two were part of some larger conspiracy. It seems too stupid and pointless to be much larger, but of course I never got exactly what sensible thing 9/11 was supposed to achieve either.
And I know the left are going to want us all to learn something from immigrants turning against us, but are Muslims going to have some deep conversations about why if you hear an explosion, you can think “Muslim!” and usually be right? Anyone working on a solution to fix that?
And are we waterboarding Dzhokhar? I mean, I know we probably got all the information we needed out of him, but maybe he can work as a practice dummy for CIA agents who need more waterboarding training.
Give me a sec…
But most Muslims are such nice people! How could this happen? Did we fail them somehow? Maybe it’s our fault for what our military has done to those countries overseas; they were so peaceful and nice before we got involved! Really, the Tsarnaev’s are the true victims here! Why did this have to happen?! Why?! Maybe if we change our ways, less people will fall victim to wanting to mercilessly blow up children.
Okay, I’m done. You have to wonder what the logic was here:
1. Blow up children proving you’re ruthless murderers who can’t be reasoned with
2. ??
3. Islam dominates the world
People wonder if these two were part of some larger conspiracy. It seems too stupid and pointless to be much larger, but of course I never got exactly what sensible thing 9/11 was supposed to achieve either.
And I know the left are going to want us all to learn something from immigrants turning against us, but are Muslims going to have some deep conversations about why if you hear an explosion, you can think “Muslim!” and usually be right? Anyone working on a solution to fix that?
And are we waterboarding Dzhokhar? I mean, I know we probably got all the information we needed out of him, but maybe he can work as a practice dummy for CIA agents who need more waterboarding training.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
At Last Now We Will Have a Chance to Understand Them
While the individuals who allegedly perpetrated the bombing of the Boston Marathon had ties to militant Islam, the talking heads assure us that the reasons for the bombing certainly can’t have anything to do with militant Islam. Talking heads would never lead us astray. There must be some other, possibly deeply psychological, reasons for them to act out like this. The real reason, I’m assured by my man in State, is some combination of these.
· They just hated Affleck and Damon so much.
· They were inspired by the mysterious voices emanating from NPR.
· It is just one more awful consequence of the sequester
· They couldn’t find decent borscht or pirogi in Boston.
· Increased taxes on vodka and cigarettes.
· To make everyone aware of the hazards of dangerous assault cookware.
· The community they grew up in was woefully unorganized.
· No matter how hard they trained, they were unable to qualify to run.
· When they were children, their parents forced them to practice the vuvezela while the other kids were playing baseball and training for marathons.
· They were upset that Sandra Fluke still didn’t have birth control. Her genes, and those of anyone choosing to mate with her, must not be passed on.
· They were upset that the undocumented workers might get amnesty while they had to jump through all the hoops to get their citizenship.
· Obamacare didn’t go far enough toward emulating the healthcare in Mother Russia.
· Their High School track coach resisted their advances.
· When they became teenagers, their mother refused to let them nurse any longer.
· The mail order brides they ordered didn’t look at all like their photos, yet the brides still rejected them.
· Boston’s gay marriage laws still didn’t allow brother to marry brother.
· Russian chefs are underrepresented on FoodTV.
· Their mother wouldn’t let them play violent video games.
· Boston drivers.
· They went to Boston public schools rather than being properly homeschooled using Uncle Sid’s Guide to Homeschool Your Hellions.
Monday, April 22, 2013
"Acted Alone" Really?
The people directly responsible for the bombings in Boston are either dead, in the case of the older bomber, or shot all to hell and in custody, in the case of the younger bomber. (I don’t particularly like giving these people the publicity they want by naming them). So, is it over? With the death of one, and the arrest of the other brother, is this case pretty much closed? If they acted alone and absent outside coaching or influence, yes. If not … no. It is most certainly not over.
So there we have the Mayor of Boston yesterday telling America that these two bombers acted alone. That’s it. It’s over. We killed on, the other is in custody. Case closed. Nobody else was involved We have them, and there’s nothing more to see here.
Here’s an oddity for you to consider. When there is a violent incident; a mass shooting, a bombing, a political assassination; the media seems to be instantly posed to blame it on right wingers. This happened all the way back with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I lived in Texas at the time, and immediately the national media was blaming right wing elements for Kennedy’s death. In some areas of the country offices of right wing organizations such as The John Birch Society were being vandalized. In California cars with Texas license plates were being vandalized as well. Then … well what do you know? … the assassin turned out to be a communist? Don’t you just hate it when that happens?
So then did you see the Mayor of Boston yesterday? After the identity and political and religious leanings fo the bombers became known the whole incident suddenly morphed from being caused by some evil right-wing political movement to two men out on their own..Sure enough the Boston mayor, a Democrat (of course) was telling America that the bombers acted alone. It was just them. Case pretty much closed.
The needs of political correctness dictate the “acted alone” conclusion. If government, particularly the Feds and Homeland Security, do not use the “acted alone” approach then the follow-up question will naturally be: “Well, what are you doing to find out who was involved with the bombers? Who influenced them? What happened on that trip to Russia? What about the Mosques the brothers attended? Are there other known radicals involved with that Mosque? Have known radicals who could have had influence on the members visited Mosque? You cannot address these questions without focusing on Muslims – on the wonderful, serene, peaceful, loving religion of Islam. And of course as soon as you start focusing on Muslims, on Mosques, and on the associates of the two bombing brothers --- you’re then engaging in the hideous, horrible practice of profiling! OMG! It might even be racial profiling! After all, the vast majority of Muslim radicals are from the Middle East!
Of course as long as you think that right wing militias committed some heinous act, or the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party or white supremacists – you can blame groups and movements and investigate to your heart’s content. After all … these people are perceived as predominantly white, and to make things worse, they’re largely believed to be white (ugh) males! But if a protected religious or racial minority might have been involved … be careful! You don’t want to profile!
So there we have the Mayor of Boston yesterday telling America that these two bombers acted alone. That’s it. It’s over. We killed on, the other is in custody. Case closed. Nobody else was involved We have them, and there’s nothing more to see here.
Here’s an oddity for you to consider. When there is a violent incident; a mass shooting, a bombing, a political assassination; the media seems to be instantly posed to blame it on right wingers. This happened all the way back with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I lived in Texas at the time, and immediately the national media was blaming right wing elements for Kennedy’s death. In some areas of the country offices of right wing organizations such as The John Birch Society were being vandalized. In California cars with Texas license plates were being vandalized as well. Then … well what do you know? … the assassin turned out to be a communist? Don’t you just hate it when that happens?
- The man show shot Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and killed several people? That was Sarah Palin’s fault, you know. In no time at all DailyKos and Think Progress, left wing websites, were blaming this on Palin because she posted a map “targeting” certain congressmen for defeat in the upcoming election. It was shown that the “targets” she used on that map were really surveyors marks obtained from the Internet – marks used to indicate geographic locations, like congressional districts – but to the left they were telescopic sights – Palin’s message that these people needed to be shot. The shooter turned out to be a complete lunatic with no discernable political leanings.
- The man who killed those folks in the Aurora, Colorado theater? In no time at all he was identified as a Tea Party member because Brian Ross at ABC, operating under an assumption that the shooter simply must be a conservative, found a Colorado Tea Party member with the same (quite common) name.
So then did you see the Mayor of Boston yesterday? After the identity and political and religious leanings fo the bombers became known the whole incident suddenly morphed from being caused by some evil right-wing political movement to two men out on their own..Sure enough the Boston mayor, a Democrat (of course) was telling America that the bombers acted alone. It was just them. Case pretty much closed.
The needs of political correctness dictate the “acted alone” conclusion. If government, particularly the Feds and Homeland Security, do not use the “acted alone” approach then the follow-up question will naturally be: “Well, what are you doing to find out who was involved with the bombers? Who influenced them? What happened on that trip to Russia? What about the Mosques the brothers attended? Are there other known radicals involved with that Mosque? Have known radicals who could have had influence on the members visited Mosque? You cannot address these questions without focusing on Muslims – on the wonderful, serene, peaceful, loving religion of Islam. And of course as soon as you start focusing on Muslims, on Mosques, and on the associates of the two bombing brothers --- you’re then engaging in the hideous, horrible practice of profiling! OMG! It might even be racial profiling! After all, the vast majority of Muslim radicals are from the Middle East!
Of course as long as you think that right wing militias committed some heinous act, or the Tea (Taxed Enough Already) Party or white supremacists – you can blame groups and movements and investigate to your heart’s content. After all … these people are perceived as predominantly white, and to make things worse, they’re largely believed to be white (ugh) males! But if a protected religious or racial minority might have been involved … be careful! You don’t want to profile!
Alinsky 101
Anyone else here that's read 'Rules for Radicals?'
One of the key points that sticks with me from Alinsky's amorality is that anything one does to achieve ones goals is moral, as long as the end to be attained is just.
Thus we have known radicals and terrorists, William Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Rashid Kalidi, all palling around with our Dear Leader. These people tried to achieve peace through blowing people up.
We have a Chief Executive who thought it was a good idea to promote gun control by arming Mexican drug cartels. (What's that you say? He didn't know anything about it? Well, I heard he did, and according to Harry Reid (POS, NV), the rules of evidence clearly state that once it's "out there," it's up to the accused to prove it wrong.)
So, a man who pals around with terrorists and subscribes to an amoral philosophy of action and believes you should never let a crisis go to waste becomes President of the United States.
Then Boston gets blown up. I've heard a lot of speculation that the government did it, but I don't believe it. The government still has too many patriots to pull this off without someone decent finding out. The government is not competent enough to do it well.
But Alinksiite group Organizing for America is.
I've heard they're involved.
Now according to Reid's Rules of Evidence, it's time for them to prove themselves not guilty.
One of the key points that sticks with me from Alinsky's amorality is that anything one does to achieve ones goals is moral, as long as the end to be attained is just.
Thus we have known radicals and terrorists, William Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Rashid Kalidi, all palling around with our Dear Leader. These people tried to achieve peace through blowing people up.
We have a Chief Executive who thought it was a good idea to promote gun control by arming Mexican drug cartels. (What's that you say? He didn't know anything about it? Well, I heard he did, and according to Harry Reid (POS, NV), the rules of evidence clearly state that once it's "out there," it's up to the accused to prove it wrong.)
So, a man who pals around with terrorists and subscribes to an amoral philosophy of action and believes you should never let a crisis go to waste becomes President of the United States.
Then Boston gets blown up. I've heard a lot of speculation that the government did it, but I don't believe it. The government still has too many patriots to pull this off without someone decent finding out. The government is not competent enough to do it well.
But Alinksiite group Organizing for America is.
I've heard they're involved.
Now according to Reid's Rules of Evidence, it's time for them to prove themselves not guilty.
15 Fun Facts About Earth Day
Forgot about Earth Day until Lisa reminded me this morning, and I was caught ill-prepared. My apologies, and as consolation, please accept this repost from last year as a consolation prize.
Not content with ruining an hour of your life on March 23rd, the greenies are back at it again less than a month later with “Earth Day”, which is like some sort of hippie Christmas or something.
Yeah, leave it to the Watermelons to pick a day for celebration when it’s still too cold to hang out in the back yard wearing an apron and a wife beater (pants optional) while drinking beer and grilling steaks. There’s a reason the 4th of July falls on the 4th of July every year, people.
Since no one you know or like knows a damn thing about Earth Day, I’ll get you up to speed so that if you end up talking to a liberal today, you can dish some knowledge and then act like he’s a total moron for not already knowing these…
15 FUN FACTS ABOUT EARTH DAY
1) Earth Day was invented by Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, on April 22nd 1970, in an valiant effort to make people spend their time caring about the environment instead of snickering at his first name.
2) Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd, which, coincidentally, is Russian dictator V.I. Lenin’s birthday. Although Lenin was too busy being dead to directly participate in the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, visitors to his tomb that day swear they heard chuckling.
3) An early supporter of the Earth Day movement was “Population Bomb” author Paul Erlich, whose work presciently predicted the widespread famines and food riots that killed millions of Americans during the Reagan years.
4) One of the most popular Earth Day activities is to reduce usage of water – a rare and precious commodity which few living people have seen outside of pictures – of which barely 400 quadrillion gallons currently remain.
5) Most Earth Day functions you will attend put out “recycling bins” to collect plastic water bottles. This reduces waste and pollution by having the containers hauled away separate from the garbage bins by 20-ton diesel trucks that get 3 miles to the gallon.
6) On Earth Day 2005, over 1000 people stood on a Canadian ice floe to spell out the words “Arctic Warming,” which, unfortunately, local polar bears mis-read as “Free Crunchy Meat Snacks.”
7) The EPA offers a free newsletter with handy Earth Day tips such as “Keep appliances in good working order.” Which is completely useless advice as it doesn’t tell you whether to use a fork or a knife to fix your toaster.
8) Some folks enjoy writing “6 word essays” on Earth Day, like “Many nations. One planet. Our home.” Mostly people who portrayed Indians in westerns during the 1950′s.
9) In preparation for Earth Day, teachers are encouraged to help children learn about global warming by periodically poking them with an “alertness stick” during a screening of “An Inconvenient Truth”.
10) One of the biggest crises addressed during the first Earth Day celebrations was ozone depletion. We don’t give a crap about that any more.
11) Sadly, although Earth Day was founded on an ideal of environmental justice, American law schools still hand out very few degrees to spotted owls.
12) On Earth Day 2003, students in the UK set a world record by planting 4100 trees, which were later cut down by men who skip and jump, like to press wild flowers, put on women’s clothing, and hang around in bars.
13) One of the watchwords of Earth Day is “reuse.” If you see a hobo begging for change using an old Slurpee cup, give him a big ‘ol Earth Day hug of thanks.
14) On the first Earth Day in 1970, activists spilled oil on the sidewalk outside the U.S. Department of the Interior to protest against offshore drilling, completely destroying the crab-fishing industry in the DC metro area.
15) The EPA was founded shortly after, and because of, the first Earth Day in 1970. Since its inception, the EPA has saved enough electricity to power 2 million homes by enforcing laws that prevent power plants from creating that electricity.
______________
Final thought:
Every time someone makes a list of Earth Day activities, they’re really just telling you how you can make hippies cry by doing the opposite.
Not content with ruining an hour of your life on March 23rd, the greenies are back at it again less than a month later with “Earth Day”, which is like some sort of hippie Christmas or something.
Yeah, leave it to the Watermelons to pick a day for celebration when it’s still too cold to hang out in the back yard wearing an apron and a wife beater (pants optional) while drinking beer and grilling steaks. There’s a reason the 4th of July falls on the 4th of July every year, people.
Since no one you know or like knows a damn thing about Earth Day, I’ll get you up to speed so that if you end up talking to a liberal today, you can dish some knowledge and then act like he’s a total moron for not already knowing these…
15 FUN FACTS ABOUT EARTH DAY
 |
2) Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd, which, coincidentally, is Russian dictator V.I. Lenin’s birthday. Although Lenin was too busy being dead to directly participate in the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, visitors to his tomb that day swear they heard chuckling.
3) An early supporter of the Earth Day movement was “Population Bomb” author Paul Erlich, whose work presciently predicted the widespread famines and food riots that killed millions of Americans during the Reagan years.
4) One of the most popular Earth Day activities is to reduce usage of water – a rare and precious commodity which few living people have seen outside of pictures – of which barely 400 quadrillion gallons currently remain.
5) Most Earth Day functions you will attend put out “recycling bins” to collect plastic water bottles. This reduces waste and pollution by having the containers hauled away separate from the garbage bins by 20-ton diesel trucks that get 3 miles to the gallon.
6) On Earth Day 2005, over 1000 people stood on a Canadian ice floe to spell out the words “Arctic Warming,” which, unfortunately, local polar bears mis-read as “Free Crunchy Meat Snacks.”
7) The EPA offers a free newsletter with handy Earth Day tips such as “Keep appliances in good working order.” Which is completely useless advice as it doesn’t tell you whether to use a fork or a knife to fix your toaster.
8) Some folks enjoy writing “6 word essays” on Earth Day, like “Many nations. One planet. Our home.” Mostly people who portrayed Indians in westerns during the 1950′s.
9) In preparation for Earth Day, teachers are encouraged to help children learn about global warming by periodically poking them with an “alertness stick” during a screening of “An Inconvenient Truth”.
10) One of the biggest crises addressed during the first Earth Day celebrations was ozone depletion. We don’t give a crap about that any more.
11) Sadly, although Earth Day was founded on an ideal of environmental justice, American law schools still hand out very few degrees to spotted owls.
12) On Earth Day 2003, students in the UK set a world record by planting 4100 trees, which were later cut down by men who skip and jump, like to press wild flowers, put on women’s clothing, and hang around in bars.
13) One of the watchwords of Earth Day is “reuse.” If you see a hobo begging for change using an old Slurpee cup, give him a big ‘ol Earth Day hug of thanks.
14) On the first Earth Day in 1970, activists spilled oil on the sidewalk outside the U.S. Department of the Interior to protest against offshore drilling, completely destroying the crab-fishing industry in the DC metro area.
15) The EPA was founded shortly after, and because of, the first Earth Day in 1970. Since its inception, the EPA has saved enough electricity to power 2 million homes by enforcing laws that prevent power plants from creating that electricity.
______________
Final thought:
Every time someone makes a list of Earth Day activities, they’re really just telling you how you can make hippies cry by doing the opposite.
The Aftermath
So, I guess you have to have a license to have a gun in Massachusetts, but the two loser brothers who did the Boston Marathon bombing did not have a license for the guns they used on their shootout with cops. They were running around shooting at people with guns that Massachusetts very clearly said was illegal for them to have. It’s like, come on, guys we’re a nation of laws; if you’re going to be murderous criminals, at least legally posses your guns first, you know. What’s wrong with you.
So anyway, I wonder what the government is going to do with the two brothers? Charge them on not having a firearm license, I’m guessing — which I assume means a heavy fine — and probably also question them. They didn’t read the two brothers their Miranda rights, though — they didn’t to one, because he’s dead and he’s going to remain silent whether he has a right to or not. But they didn’t to the other because… I don’t really get that. If Miranda rights are a right, then you always have them whether someone reads them to you or not. I mean, if you beat the guy with a phonebook to get him to talk, I’m pretty sure that’s inadmissible whether you read him the Miranda rights or not. But they have plenty of evidence on the surviving loser so they don’t really need his confession anyway. So get a phonebook and whack away.
Oh man, I was just thinking how phonebooks are falling out of usage now. How in the future are we going to get suspects to talk?
Anyway, of concern is how much the brothers’ Muslim-ness is involved in the attack. I guess it’s possible for someone to be a Muslim and bomb people for a completely different reason than their religion, but there does seem to be a blowing stuff up problem in the Muslim community. I mean, it’s a tiny tiny fraction of Muslims who want to blow people — especially in America — but it’s just a much much much larger percentage of people than for any other religion. This problem would be best to be handled from in the Muslim community — like a pamphlet titled “Why Being Muslim Means You Shouldn’t Blow Up People.” Whatever the effort it, they should put that Uncle Ruslan in charge of it. Now there is a Muslim who does not put up with that nonsense.
And really, if you can’t be Muslim and not blow people up, then I think you should lose your being Muslim privilege. You’ll have to find a different religion.
So anyway, I wonder what the government is going to do with the two brothers? Charge them on not having a firearm license, I’m guessing — which I assume means a heavy fine — and probably also question them. They didn’t read the two brothers their Miranda rights, though — they didn’t to one, because he’s dead and he’s going to remain silent whether he has a right to or not. But they didn’t to the other because… I don’t really get that. If Miranda rights are a right, then you always have them whether someone reads them to you or not. I mean, if you beat the guy with a phonebook to get him to talk, I’m pretty sure that’s inadmissible whether you read him the Miranda rights or not. But they have plenty of evidence on the surviving loser so they don’t really need his confession anyway. So get a phonebook and whack away.
Oh man, I was just thinking how phonebooks are falling out of usage now. How in the future are we going to get suspects to talk?
Anyway, of concern is how much the brothers’ Muslim-ness is involved in the attack. I guess it’s possible for someone to be a Muslim and bomb people for a completely different reason than their religion, but there does seem to be a blowing stuff up problem in the Muslim community. I mean, it’s a tiny tiny fraction of Muslims who want to blow people — especially in America — but it’s just a much much much larger percentage of people than for any other religion. This problem would be best to be handled from in the Muslim community — like a pamphlet titled “Why Being Muslim Means You Shouldn’t Blow Up People.” Whatever the effort it, they should put that Uncle Ruslan in charge of it. Now there is a Muslim who does not put up with that nonsense.
And really, if you can’t be Muslim and not blow people up, then I think you should lose your being Muslim privilege. You’ll have to find a different religion.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
This is Supposed to be a Happy Occasion. Let's Not Quibble About Who Killed Who. (What Can Men Do Against Such Reckless Hate)
My man in State has done it again. In the wake of the awful tragedy in Boston, the Obama administration is moving quickly to make sure that a tragedy such as this can never happen again. Here is a draft outlining some of the actions they hope to implement.
· Extensive background checks at hardware stores before one can purchase plumbing/construction supplies like pipes, nails and ball bearings.
· Require that marathons be run within established bomb-free zones.
· Change the ATF to the ATFF. The extra F is for Fertilizer.
· Allow the ATFF to regulate all farmers and gardening supply stores, and make personal composting illegal.
· Have Nancy finally read the Affordable Care Act and make sure it covers high quality prosthetics.
· Use profiling techniques to round up the Tea Party and have its members ground into mulch for trustworthy, never violent organic farmers.
· Blame the bombing on Bush and this Youtube video.
· Imprison the producer of that Youtube video.
· Bask in the security of the new, safer America.
Monday, April 15, 2013
10 Reasons Why Liberals Should Feel Old
There has been a lot of talk lately about the GOP being the party of “old, white guys.” However, liberals have several reasons to feel old as well.
I’ve compiled a list of those reasons right here.
1. On election day in 2016, Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old.
2. Joe Biden would have been unable to take Sarah Palin to the prom. Biden is 21 years older than Palin.
3. Jon Stewart turns 51 this year.
4. Labor union membership peaked in 1954.
5. When Dan Rather tried to assassinate George W. Bush’s character in 2004, he was already 72 years old.
6. Abortion ghoul Dr. Kermit Gosnell is 72 years old.
7. Jimmy Carter was the last Democratic Presidential candidate to carry Texas – in 1976.
8. Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals was published in 1971.
9. The Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, was in 1973.
10. Young people don’t care about global warming.
I’ve compiled a list of those reasons right here.
1. On election day in 2016, Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old.
2. Joe Biden would have been unable to take Sarah Palin to the prom. Biden is 21 years older than Palin.
3. Jon Stewart turns 51 this year.
4. Labor union membership peaked in 1954.
5. When Dan Rather tried to assassinate George W. Bush’s character in 2004, he was already 72 years old.
6. Abortion ghoul Dr. Kermit Gosnell is 72 years old.
7. Jimmy Carter was the last Democratic Presidential candidate to carry Texas – in 1976.
8. Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals was published in 1971.
9. The Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion, Roe v. Wade, was in 1973.
10. Young people don’t care about global warming.
Friday, April 12, 2013
And Now a Reading From the Book of Obama
“As Cyprus and the European Union demanded that banks extract a good bit of its citizens’ savings, some came to Him saying, “Great Orator, we know that you are the most intelligent one and truthful and teach the way of god faithfully and defer to no one. Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful for the federal government to take citizens’ savings?”"
“But Obama perceived their confusion and said, “You silly cradle-to-grave wards of the state, show me the currency to be taken by the state.”"
“And they brought him a dollar bill.”
“And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”"
“They said to Him, “Washington’s.”"
“He said to them, “Then render to Washington the things that are Washington’s, and to god… meh.”"
“And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away to buy guns and stock up on ammunition.”
“But Obama perceived their confusion and said, “You silly cradle-to-grave wards of the state, show me the currency to be taken by the state.”"
“And they brought him a dollar bill.”
“And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”"
“They said to Him, “Washington’s.”"
“He said to them, “Then render to Washington the things that are Washington’s, and to god… meh.”"
“And hearing this, they marveled, and leaving Him, they went away to buy guns and stock up on ammunition.”
We Need a National Conversation on What Rights Actually Are
So that Harris-Perry nitwit from MSNBC is back with a new promo. And what statist idiocy is she pushing now?
Let’s pretend we did, let’s say, have a right to food. What would that mean? Well, what if I didn’t have food? Since, I have a right to it, that means someone will have to give it to me. And what if that someone who makes the food doesn’t want to give it to me for free? Then, since I have a “right” to it, the government will have to send people with guns to force him to give it to me. So saying you have “a right to food” is really saying “I have a right to put a gun to people’s heads and force them to give me what I think I need.”
I’ve said this a number of times (including in my last book), but I’m really serious on this: We need a national conversation on exactly what rights are. Too many people don’t seem to get the concept at all and seem to confuse rights with “I really want this.” So anyone know how we get national conversation going? I certainly don’t or there’d be a big new crater on the moon by now.
You do have the right to health care, and to education, and to decent housing and to quality food at all times.No, you don’t have a right to any of those things, you boob.
Let’s pretend we did, let’s say, have a right to food. What would that mean? Well, what if I didn’t have food? Since, I have a right to it, that means someone will have to give it to me. And what if that someone who makes the food doesn’t want to give it to me for free? Then, since I have a “right” to it, the government will have to send people with guns to force him to give it to me. So saying you have “a right to food” is really saying “I have a right to put a gun to people’s heads and force them to give me what I think I need.”
I’ve said this a number of times (including in my last book), but I’m really serious on this: We need a national conversation on exactly what rights are. Too many people don’t seem to get the concept at all and seem to confuse rights with “I really want this.” So anyone know how we get national conversation going? I certainly don’t or there’d be a big new crater on the moon by now.
Apology Required
A salesman stopped at a local bar for a cold one, and sat down between two older weather-beaten cowboys. On TV, a media celebrity was fawning over 0bamacare. The salesman said to the cowboy on his right, “Man, that 0bama is a real horse’s ass!”
The cowboy stood up and knocked him off his bar-stool and walked out.
The salesman got up, dusted of the sawdust, sat back down and after a few moments silence turned to the cowboy on his left and said, “Man, I ‘m telling you, that 0bama is a real horse’s ass!”
That cowboy got up, knocked the salesman off his stool onto the floor and also walked out.
The salesman finished his beer and asked the bartender, “What’s the matter with those two cowboys? Is this 0bama country?”
The bartender said: “Nope. Horse country.”
The cowboy stood up and knocked him off his bar-stool and walked out.
The salesman got up, dusted of the sawdust, sat back down and after a few moments silence turned to the cowboy on his left and said, “Man, I ‘m telling you, that 0bama is a real horse’s ass!”
That cowboy got up, knocked the salesman off his stool onto the floor and also walked out.
The salesman finished his beer and asked the bartender, “What’s the matter with those two cowboys? Is this 0bama country?”
The bartender said: “Nope. Horse country.”
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The People We Love
I'm starting to suspect I'm not going to live forever. When I was in my 20s, I was pretty sure I would. Everybody is like that when they're young, but at some point, like everybody else, I started to wonder. A little while back I tried to ask my cardiologist about it, but he just kept changing the subject. I started to think maybe he knows something I don't. I mean he went to medical school and all. Awareness of your own mortality changes everything. It makes you think about who you are, what you've done with your life, why you're here in the first place, what happens to the people you're going to leave behind. If the movie has to end, if it was mine to control, I know how it would be. I'd like to go out in a hail of gunfire at the age of 112, defending myself from an outraged husband who came home unexpectedly for lunch. Most people (including my wife) don't understand why I think that's funny. But none of us knows when that day is, what we can do is enjoy the time we have left, and take care of the people we love.
"The people we love" is the point of this, of course. And some of them are very young. Like 2 years old, that kind of young. Almost unbelievably, for the first time in this country's history, their future is threatened by what is happening around them. They don't have any control of those forces, but we do, and how this all plays out depends on what we do about it all.
The feeling I get when I look at it all is kind of like the feeling Humphrey Bogart must have had in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, just when he thought he had it made, he was just a couple of miles from town, he had just found some water, and he was about to get away with all the gold, he heard a voice behind him that said: "hey! I know you…you're de guy in de hole!"
Ronald Reagan said "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." I refuse to accept the notion that we will end up having to explain to them how it is that we let this happen.
We owe them more than that.
Fun Facts About the 50 States: West Virginia
Welcome to Fun Facts About the 50 States, where – week by week – I’ll be taking you on a tour around this great nation of ours, providing you with interesting, yet completely useless and probably untrue, information about each of the 50 states.
This week, we’ll be unable to tell if that black stuff on our eggs is pepper, coal dust, or roach droppings as we visit West Virginia. So let’s get started…
_______________
* West Virginia became the 35th state on June 20, 1863. Originally part of the state of Virginia, the people in the western part of the state broke away in protest of the despicable institution of mandatory public education and the deplorable conditions of literacy that resulted therefrom.
* The state flower of West Virginia is the Rhododendron. State legislators were chastised for picking a flower that most people in the state couldn’t spell, but lawmakers ignored the complaints, since people had said the same thing when the dog was chosen as the state mammal.
* West Virginia license plates are white with blue lettering, and contain the tourism slogan, “Now With A Paved Road!”.
* In a recent survey, 95% of West Virginians report having checked out a book from their local public library within the last year. During the same time period, 95% of West Virginians also reported having found a way to fix that wobbly kitchen table with the short leg.
* The state song of West Virginia is “YAY! No More 3.2 Beer!”
* The celebration of Mother’s Day was first observed in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908, mostly as a way to get women to stop whining about not being able to vote.
* With a median age of 40, West Virginia has the oldest population of any state in the US. Upon turning 40, it’s traditional for a West Virginian to cope with his mid-life crisis by buying a shiny red convertible to put up on blocks in his front yard.
* West Virginia’s nickname is “The Robert C. Byrd Memorial State” State.
* Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia, was the site of the first 4-H Camp in the US, where rural youngsters learned valuable agricultural skills such as how to milk cows, shear sheep, and hide stills from ATF agents.
* The world’s largest sycamore tree was located in Webster Springs, West Virginia. However, it was recently cut down and sold to David Letterman, who was reportedly thrilled at finally having a toothpick big enough to fit his tooth gap.
* In 1960, Danny Heater of Burnsville, West Virginia, set a world’s record by scoring 135 points during a high school basketball game. Even more amazing was that he accomplished this feat while being the youngest player on the team at age 24.
* Some critics complain that the record shouldn’t count, since he violated West Virginia rules by wearing shoes.
* The first state sales tax in the US was instituted in West Virginia in 1921. It was hailed as a vast improvement over West Virginia’s old revenue-raising technique – random muggings of Yankee tourists.
* The first federal prison exclusively for women was opened in Alderson, West Virginia, in 1926. For those not familiar with women’s prisons, they’re sort of like sorority houses, except with more sobriety, and fewer gratuitously-sadistic, lesbian-overtoned initiation rituals.
* The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville is the highest steel-span bridge in the US, rising 876 feet above the river below. Every October, the locals celebrate “Bridge Day”, when over 100,000 celebrants gather to watch or participate in bungee jumping and parachuting from the structure. On Bridge Day, the bridge itself is closed to both automobile traffic and scissors.
* The state motto of West Virginia is “Montani semper liberi”, which is Latin for “Sister, daughter, wife… whatever”.
* At 69 feet high and 900 feet in circumference, the nation’s largest and oldest Indian burial ground is located in Moundsville, West Virginia. The mound’s many unquiet spirits are frequently seen on TV shows such as “America’s Most Haunted”.
* Nearly 75% of West Virginia is covered by forests, providing the state’s many fine restaurants with beautiful views and fresh road kill.
* In 1824, John Gallaher published the first women’s magazine, “Ladies Garland” which featured the now-infamous centerfold of Andrew Jackson showing off “Old Hickory”.
* The variety of apple known as Golden Delicious originated in Wellsburg, West Virginia, in 1775. It was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm by a population who’d spent years being stuck with eating the Ocher Atrocious.
* Outdoor advertising got its start in Wheeling, West Virginia, when the Block Brothers Tobacco Company started painting barns with the slogan “Treat Yourself to the Best with Mail Pouch Brand Gumming Tobacco”.
* 15% of America’s coal comes from West Virginia. The state’s coal producers expect that number to rise to 20% once they get their Balrog infestation problem under control.
* In 1997, West Virginia had the lowest crime rate in the US. Coincidentally, this was the year after bribing Senator Byrd was legalized.
* The world’s largest shipment of matches – 210 million of them – was shipped from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Memphis, Tennessee in 1933. They were used as part of FDR’s American Arsonist Army (AAA) program, whose job was to burn down trees so that the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) could have jobs planting new ones.
* Which may explain why – before the word “retarded” was coined in 1940 – extremely stupid people were referred to as “F-D-R-ded”.
* “Coal House” in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, is the only residence in the world which is made entirely of coal. Tourists are strongly advised to bring their own toilet paper.
* In 1841, William Tompkins of Cedar Grove, West Virginia used natural gas to evaporate salt brine – the first known industrial use of the natural gas. Prior to this, the highly explosive gas was mostly used by organized crime figures to fill brightly colored balloons for “kids who saw too much and needed to have an ‘accident’”.
* In May, 1860, the first oil well in West Virginia was drilled at Burning Springs. In June, 1860, the former governor of Texas invaded West Virginia and stole it.
* In 1885, stone quarried at Hinton, West Virginia was sent to Washington D.C to become part of the Washington Monument. Although the monument builders thanked West Virginia profusely at the time, they actually thought the stone was horrid. They immediately hid it in the attic of the monument and now only bring it out when they know a West Virginian is coming to visit.
* The last public hanging in West Virginia took place in Ripley in 1897. After that, folks learned to keep their uppity book-learnin’ to themselves.
______________
That wraps up the West Virginia edition of Fun Facts About the 50 States. Next week we’ll be nibbling ourselves into a cheese-coma as we visit Wisconsin.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go lay in some supplies for my visit to Coal House.
This week, we’ll be unable to tell if that black stuff on our eggs is pepper, coal dust, or roach droppings as we visit West Virginia. So let’s get started…
_______________
 |
* The state flower of West Virginia is the Rhododendron. State legislators were chastised for picking a flower that most people in the state couldn’t spell, but lawmakers ignored the complaints, since people had said the same thing when the dog was chosen as the state mammal.
* West Virginia license plates are white with blue lettering, and contain the tourism slogan, “Now With A Paved Road!”.
* In a recent survey, 95% of West Virginians report having checked out a book from their local public library within the last year. During the same time period, 95% of West Virginians also reported having found a way to fix that wobbly kitchen table with the short leg.
* The state song of West Virginia is “YAY! No More 3.2 Beer!”
* The celebration of Mother’s Day was first observed in Grafton, West Virginia, in 1908, mostly as a way to get women to stop whining about not being able to vote.
* With a median age of 40, West Virginia has the oldest population of any state in the US. Upon turning 40, it’s traditional for a West Virginian to cope with his mid-life crisis by buying a shiny red convertible to put up on blocks in his front yard.
* West Virginia’s nickname is “The Robert C. Byrd Memorial State” State.
* Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia, was the site of the first 4-H Camp in the US, where rural youngsters learned valuable agricultural skills such as how to milk cows, shear sheep, and hide stills from ATF agents.
* The world’s largest sycamore tree was located in Webster Springs, West Virginia. However, it was recently cut down and sold to David Letterman, who was reportedly thrilled at finally having a toothpick big enough to fit his tooth gap.
* In 1960, Danny Heater of Burnsville, West Virginia, set a world’s record by scoring 135 points during a high school basketball game. Even more amazing was that he accomplished this feat while being the youngest player on the team at age 24.
* Some critics complain that the record shouldn’t count, since he violated West Virginia rules by wearing shoes.
* The first state sales tax in the US was instituted in West Virginia in 1921. It was hailed as a vast improvement over West Virginia’s old revenue-raising technique – random muggings of Yankee tourists.
* The first federal prison exclusively for women was opened in Alderson, West Virginia, in 1926. For those not familiar with women’s prisons, they’re sort of like sorority houses, except with more sobriety, and fewer gratuitously-sadistic, lesbian-overtoned initiation rituals.
* The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville is the highest steel-span bridge in the US, rising 876 feet above the river below. Every October, the locals celebrate “Bridge Day”, when over 100,000 celebrants gather to watch or participate in bungee jumping and parachuting from the structure. On Bridge Day, the bridge itself is closed to both automobile traffic and scissors.
* The state motto of West Virginia is “Montani semper liberi”, which is Latin for “Sister, daughter, wife… whatever”.
* At 69 feet high and 900 feet in circumference, the nation’s largest and oldest Indian burial ground is located in Moundsville, West Virginia. The mound’s many unquiet spirits are frequently seen on TV shows such as “America’s Most Haunted”.
* Nearly 75% of West Virginia is covered by forests, providing the state’s many fine restaurants with beautiful views and fresh road kill.
* In 1824, John Gallaher published the first women’s magazine, “Ladies Garland” which featured the now-infamous centerfold of Andrew Jackson showing off “Old Hickory”.
* The variety of apple known as Golden Delicious originated in Wellsburg, West Virginia, in 1775. It was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm by a population who’d spent years being stuck with eating the Ocher Atrocious.
* Outdoor advertising got its start in Wheeling, West Virginia, when the Block Brothers Tobacco Company started painting barns with the slogan “Treat Yourself to the Best with Mail Pouch Brand Gumming Tobacco”.
* 15% of America’s coal comes from West Virginia. The state’s coal producers expect that number to rise to 20% once they get their Balrog infestation problem under control.
* In 1997, West Virginia had the lowest crime rate in the US. Coincidentally, this was the year after bribing Senator Byrd was legalized.
* The world’s largest shipment of matches – 210 million of them – was shipped from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Memphis, Tennessee in 1933. They were used as part of FDR’s American Arsonist Army (AAA) program, whose job was to burn down trees so that the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) could have jobs planting new ones.
* Which may explain why – before the word “retarded” was coined in 1940 – extremely stupid people were referred to as “F-D-R-ded”.
* “Coal House” in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, is the only residence in the world which is made entirely of coal. Tourists are strongly advised to bring their own toilet paper.
* In 1841, William Tompkins of Cedar Grove, West Virginia used natural gas to evaporate salt brine – the first known industrial use of the natural gas. Prior to this, the highly explosive gas was mostly used by organized crime figures to fill brightly colored balloons for “kids who saw too much and needed to have an ‘accident’”.
* In May, 1860, the first oil well in West Virginia was drilled at Burning Springs. In June, 1860, the former governor of Texas invaded West Virginia and stole it.
* In 1885, stone quarried at Hinton, West Virginia was sent to Washington D.C to become part of the Washington Monument. Although the monument builders thanked West Virginia profusely at the time, they actually thought the stone was horrid. They immediately hid it in the attic of the monument and now only bring it out when they know a West Virginian is coming to visit.
* The last public hanging in West Virginia took place in Ripley in 1897. After that, folks learned to keep their uppity book-learnin’ to themselves.
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That wraps up the West Virginia edition of Fun Facts About the 50 States. Next week we’ll be nibbling ourselves into a cheese-coma as we visit Wisconsin.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go lay in some supplies for my visit to Coal House.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Report: Free health insurance surprisingly expensive
Nancy said that they’d have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it, and today we find out that includes higher premiums for a lot of people:
In other words, maybe they should have consulted these people instead of the Skittle-shitting unicorns when crafting legislation that would have some serious impacts on millions of people.
Speaking of unicorns:
Yeah.
A new study finds that insurance companies will have to pay out an average of 32 percent more for medical claims on individual health policies under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.Wait a minute, how is this possible? I thought Obamacare was all about “bending the cost curve down.” This kind of sounds like the opposite of that to me. What the hell could possibly make premiums go up under this wonderful, totes for realsies awesome law?
What does that mean for you?
It could increase premiums for at least some Americans.
If you are uninsured, or you buy your policy directly from an insurance company, you should pay attention.
The study says claims costs will go up largely because sicker people will join the insurance pool. That’s because the law forbids insurers from turning down those with pre-existing medical problems, effective Jan. 1. Everyone gets sick sooner or later, but sicker people also use more health care services.Oh, riiiiiight. It’s that pesky supply and demand stuff that all the cool kids were apparently snoozing through in high school economics class.
“Claims cost is the most important driver of health care premiums,” said Kristi Bohn, an actuary who worked on the study. Spending on sicker people and other high-cost groups will overwhelm an influx of younger, healthier people into the program, said the report.
While some states will see medical claims costs per person decline, the report concluded that the overwhelming majority will see double-digit increases in their individual health insurance markets, where people purchase coverage directly from insurers.It should be pointed out that this study was put out by the Society of Actuaries. These are the dull, gray people who look at Real Melvin stuff like risk tables to determine that all of the interesting things that you do like smoking, skydiving, or having diabetes tends to have a bunch of bummer consequences in the real world, such as prolonged hospital stays, death, and–as a result of those things–higher insurance premiums.
The differences are big. By 2017, the estimated increase would be 62 percent for California, about 80 percent for Ohio, more than 20 percent for Florida and 67 percent for Maryland. Much of the reason for the higher claims costs is that sicker people are expected to join the pool, the report said.
In other words, maybe they should have consulted these people instead of the Skittle-shitting unicorns when crafting legislation that would have some serious impacts on millions of people.
Speaking of unicorns:
The Obama administration challenged the design of the study, saying it focused only on one piece of the puzzle and ignored cost relief strategies in the law, such as tax credits to help people afford premiums and special payments to insurers who attract an outsize share of the sick.Because that money just magically comes out of nowhere. Problem solved.
Yeah.
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