It's a good thing the Justice Department is under Obama now!

See here

Apparently, voter intimidation is OK as long as you're working for TEH ONE.

Colin Powell

I have not blogged much for a long time, largely due to other time pressures. Consequently, when General Powell endorsed (then) candidate Obama, it passed without comment here at Casa de Chuckles. I'd like to correct that.

General Powell always has been and always will be one of the good guys. He has spent his life in service to this nation in one capacity or another, often at the pointy end of the stick. We have all benefited from his judgment, his wisdom, his abilities and most importantly, his honor and commitment to put this nation before himself.

To suggest that he endorsed (then) candidate Obama simply to "hook a brother up" is one of the most foul things I've heard in a long time. To argue that this man that has devoted his life to this nation would suddenly become a base, racist coward beggars belief, and I have no doubt that his endorsement was based in what he felt was best for the nation he has served so well.

Clearly, I think the general to be dead wrong, but being wrong about a candidate does not make one a traitor. Not to this country, and not to the GOP. General Powell has lived the core values of the GOP. Lived-not just lip service, but in deeds he has shown what it means to be an American, and to try to edge him out of the GOP does a disservice to him, the party and the US.

Memorial Day

A matter of civil rights

"An open letter to rep Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Paul Helmke and Josh Sugarman"

I have long been a supporter of gay marriage. I have repeatedly stated on this blog that I think the 14th amendment and specifically the equal protection clause point to the notion that the civil and legal protections afforded to heterosexual couples in marriage should be applied equally to gays. I have stated unequivocally that I feel this to be a civil rights issue, and we're getting it wrong.

That's not why I am writing today.

I am, instead, writing of another civil rights victory, passed through congress today, and likely to be signed by president Obama. That victory is the restored right of lawfully licensed citizens to carry concealed weapons in national parks.

I know that if you that read this, you will scoff at the notion that gun rights are civil rights, but ask yourself-did you scoff when I stated that gay marriage is a civil right? Did you scoff at the notion that blacks have the civil right to vote? Would you scoff at someone arguing that freedom of religion, speech or the press are civil rights? Why then would you be so surprised that I think a clearly stated, strongly worded, guaranteed right in the constitution is a civil right?

How can you justify thinking anything else?

Every day I read stories in the news about people using their civil right to own firearms and defending themselves, their families, their homes and their businesses. How dare you try to keep them from exercising the basic right to their own lives.

You tirelessly work to deprive people of their rights without due process, as exemplified in this notion that people on the no fly list should not be allowed to purchase guns. As I understand it, there are no evidentiary rules or other protections keeping the innocent from that list. The TSA is under no obligation to tell you why you're on the list, and it's bloody impossible to get off the list. Ted Kennedy was on that list. Yes, THAT Ted Kennedy. Your civil rights cannot be cancelled without due process (see 1:56 i the clip) I'm certain Wayne LaPierre would "never" find himself on that list, maintained by an organization run by political animals like Janet Napolitano. It's not like she'd ever use her position to smear the opposition.

You write legislation without the faintest idea what you're actually talking about. "We need to ban weapons with barrel shrouds!" is your cry, but when asked you have no idea what that is. Your cohorts think that there are such things as heat seeking bullets that cook targets after killing them. You persist in pushing for laws that will have 0 effect on crime reduction or solving, such as microstamping, and refuse to see what the actual data tells you.

How can you continue to cry that more guns lead to more gun deaths when the numbers of guns and gun owners has steadily risen for decades while the rates and numbers of gun deaths have declined? How can you continue to trot out the same tired bullshit about blood in the streets wild west shootouts if average, law abiding citizens are afforded the opportunity to exercise their civil right to bear arms?

I'm sure at least one of you has met Mayor Daley in Chicago. Have any of you thought to ask him why he stridently denies his citizens the right to self defense while strutting about with a cadre of armed guards?

You insist on declaring that certain weapons ought to be outlawed because they are not needed. Ours is not a Bill of Needs, but a Bill of Rights. I do not, and should not, have to demonstrate a need prior to voting, or speaking or writing this piece. I do not need to worship, will that civil right be next? The right exists independent of need. It exists independent of your approval. It exists because I exist; it exists because you exist. It is a human right.

At one point I used to believe that you simply wanted to make the world a better place, and maybe you do. As long as you persist in attempting to deny me and my fellow citizens our civil rights, I will see you as no better than the bigots that denied blacks the vote or the anachronisms that oppose gay marriage.

Regards,
LC Scotty

PS-NRA membership far outstrips the membership of VPC and Brady combined. We are mainstream, we are nearly 50% of the nation. What we are not, is a "special interest." That title is meant for you.

ABC exhibits predictably poor marksmanship

A few weeks ago, 20/20 aired a program entitled "If I only had a gun", intending to explore the notion that an armed civilian could make a difference in a mass shooting or other getting shot type scenario. It was pretty lousy all around.

Excerpt here, here and here.

First, the good-They demonstrate that simply being armed and able to hit a person sized target from about 15 feet is woefully inadequate. To paraphrase Col. Cooper, buying a gun does not make you armed anymore than buying a guitar makes you a musician. If a person is considering arming themselves for defense, either at home or in public (a move that I heartily endorse for most people), then they must realize that it is not as simple as just buying a gun and being a good shot. As ABC was quick to point out, your physiology will make it damn difficult to hit what you need to in a crisis. The only way to fix that is with training, and practice, practice, and more practice. You should actually practice practicing.

Now the bad. Generally, they failed to stay on topic. How does sending a kid into a gun show with 5 grand and instructions to buy whatever he can get his hands on answer the question at hand? Regardless of how you feel about the "gun show loophole", how easy it is to buy a firearm has absolutely zero to do with answering the question of whether or not you could effectively employ that weapon. How does highlighting the number of armed, violent criminals in a particular neighborhood make being armed sound like a bad idea?

The ending quote about not being able to find any studies supporting the notion that armed civilians can effectively employ firearms as a defense against crime? Clearly she did not even attempt to look. A quick perusal of the works of John R Lott or Gary Kleck will clear that up for you.

30,000 die from guns every year, but only 130,000 died over a ten year period? Not to minimize the impact, but which is it? These numbers don't jive by more than a factor of 2.

Finally, Sawyer's little "experiment." A person with little to no experience (with one exception, although we have no idea what his carrying experience is, we just know he has spent hundreds of hours on the range) is given a gun in a classroom. A shooter comes in and goes on a rampage, and the subject is evaluated on their response. The shooter is a police firearms instructor. While this does an admirable job of illustrating the need for training, it is tragically flawed for the following reasons:
1) The shooter was a person who spends all day, every day with a gun in his hand teaching offensive and defensive pistol tactics. These are not the types that go on shooting sprees. To my knowledge, every single perpetrator of mass shootings had little more than some backyard plinking experience. All of the physiological changes that the subject will suffer from, the shooter should too, since the shooter will be someone with limited experience (most likely).
2) the shooter knew exactly where and how many armed individuals there were in the room. When these things go down in real life, the shooter will have no such knowledge, and will most likely assume that all the victims are unarmed-that's why they pick "gun free zones" for their attacks.
3) While the mass shootings garner a lot of attention, they are far and away not the only reason to carry concealed. There are plenty of muggers, burglars, murderers and rapists out there to protect yourself from.

To really show the effectiveness of being armed in a mass shooting scenario, the armed subject should have at least a few hours of carry/draw practice for several days prior to the experiment. The shooter should be someone of the approximate ability as the subject. The shooter should be told that there will be no armed resistance (it's a gun free zone, after all), and the subject should be unaware that there will be a shooter. The reality is this-a person with a CCW permit is likely to be rather proficient in deploying that weapon, and will have hundreds of hours of practice not just shooting, but drawing, moving and firing. They are likely to be more proficient than the shooter. Both individuals will have an element of surprise that works for them.

To anyone who saw that 20/20 and let it talk you out of arming yourself-please reconsider.

Way to go 52!!!

You must watch this video. It is about 3 weeks old, and it shows Taliban thugs in the Swat area of Pakistan flogging a woman for being seen with a man she is not married to.

Now watch this video. It is the president of the United States of FREAKING America bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia-A king that uses the exact same tactics on the women in his country for exactly the same reason.

He sends Hilary "Reset Button" Clinton to try and make nice with these fucking animals.

We told you this would happen 52 but you chose to be star struck by the empty suit. I wonder if watching the president bow a thug like Saud makes Ahmedinijad want to sue for peace or steam full speed ahead with nuking someone?

Elections have consequences 52, and I fear you have fucked us all. Thanks a whole bunch.

UPDATE: Obama going wobbly on Iran and enrichment.

New Blog

It's called "Secular Right" and it is a welcome palate cleanser after the last entry.

Too Far

I have never been a fan of Ann Coulter, and I have always been mystified that people like her, O'Reilly and Hannity have somehow become the voice of conservatism over people like George Will, Thomas Sowell and Ed Morrissey.

I have always found her brash, obnoxious and her rhetoric just misplaced. Even when I agreed 100% with the underlying theme, her delivery was nearly always offputting.

Now that she has defended a white supremacist, "christianist" group the Council of Conservative Citizens, she moves from being just obnoxious to despicable. Yes, she's said a lot of pretty awful things in the past, but this just tops it.

Chuckles misses the mark. Again.

The American people don't care about pork

Wrong answer, dickhead. We do care how you criminals spend the tax dollars we cough up that you all seem to manage to avoid paying.

Dr. Hupp testimony re Assault Weapons Ban

That's an oldy but goody. Watch that smarmy prick rolling his eyes at a victim of a mass shooting in Texas.

Ohhh hell yes

I am not a drug user. I enjoy the occasional fine scotch, a decent bottle of wine now and again, and I indulge in cigars and pipes. That's pretty much it. I have a hunch, however, that the next thing I put in the smoker will feel just like crack.

It is called the bacon explosion, and it looks like heaven. Seriously, I think I heard a choir of angels when my brother Rick showed me this. Whether it was angels singing in revelation, or I heard them because I now have about a week to live remains to be seen.

Updates to follow in a week or two-if I survive.

Oh, and who could imagine that there is such a site as bacontoday.com. I mean really!! Somebody pinch me.

UPDATE: What if, instead of Italian sausage, we use ground beef, ad instead of bbq sauce we use ketchup. Then we add some shredded cheddar cheese and diced onions to the middle before we roll it. We would have a bacon cheeseburger explosion. Daddy like!!!

Obama Thoughts

Just a couple of randoments here.

First, I am full to my eye effing teeth with media fawning over our new president. Can we please focus on things of importance like the executive orders (Gitmo bad, executive privilege good) and not his deep thoughts on the quality of snacks in the press room vending machines? Seriously, I don't care who designed Mrs. Obama's dress. Can we please let the man face the tasks before him in a serious fashion?

Second, This video is just creepy. I pledge to serve Barack Obama? I pledge to be a servant to the president? Check 3:18 and 3:54. What the hell is the matter with these idiots? Dear Leader, anyone? I don't think this is Obama's doing, I think it just shows how completely intellectually empty celebrities are, in general.

Third, to those on the right that I have always admired (I'm looking at you, Misha), I have to say that I am disappointed in your sentiment that Obama is not your president. I share all of your misgivings about his ideology, his associates and what his intentions are. I'm pretty sure that his administration, with congress' willing help, will be a disaster. He will roll back freedoms with his nanny state mentality and his hopolophobic cohorts. Honest, law abiding citizens are likely going to be jailed or killed by the state for refusing to disarm themselves in the face of an increasingly invasive state and emboldened criminal element. His own ACORN thugs will never face justice for election fraud that they perpetrated on an unprecedented scale. Before anyone asks, no I don't think that they stole the election, but just padded the margin. It's still fraud, and it still needs to be prosecuted. But I digress.

He is our president. If you love America, and believe in all that she stands for, then you have no choice but to honor the decision the Republic has made. Collectively, we decided that Barack Obama is our president. As bad as he may be for the Republic, he is who she chose, and as such he is my president. This Republic has survived far worse than some Saul Alinsky closet socialist, and she will survive this.

I will work tirelessly to unseat him, and to see fiscal/foreign policy conservatives regain the reins of power. I refuse to become the caricature those idiots on the left that for eight years screeched BusHitler, carried giant paper mache puppets and whatever other inane bullshit code pink, ANSWER and their ilk have been up to. We're the grown-ups for fuck's sake.

# 44

Good luck Mr. President. Even though I have grave doubts about your intended policy directions, I wish you well.

You have got to be kidding me

The video found here will definitely prove my assertion that the internet is an electronic insane asylum.

Stavi Salute: Nate

KHAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ricardo Montalban, dead at 88.

Beef Stew

After the assembly line of delicacies that was our New Years celebration (9 racks of back ribs, 6 pounds of orange chipotle smoked salmon and mounds of grilled bacon wrapped scallops accompanied with various sides including an awesome shrimp salad and deserts) I decided to scale it back a bit.

So I made enough beef stew to feed an army.

2 Chuck roasts (about 4 lbs total)- cubed
bag of peas
chopped onion
marinated garlic cloves
diced potatoes
chopped celery
chopped okra
bag of lima beans
barley
red wine
crushed black pepper
beef broth

Toss it all into the crock pots (it won't fit into one, even the large oval ones I promise) and just let it go. Sweeet Jesus does it hit the spot on a cold winter night.

UPDATE: I forgot to list mushrooms (sliced from the produce counter-just toss em in) and baby carrots cut in half. Thanks Anon-it was late when I was typing...

Happy Holidays

I wish you all a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, jolly Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate.

A pair of object lessons

in why law abiding citizens should have the right to arm themselves as they see fit.

First, we have this case, where a convicted sex offender breaks into a woman's house, rapes her and gets away. One week later, he comes back for more and his intended victim was now ready and loaded his worthless hide with buckshot. In this case, the would-be rapist turned off her power to prevent her from calling the police.

Second, we have this case, where a woman called 911 and did not receive any help. She was brutally murdered in her own home by an unknown assailant.

The bottom line is that the police are at best a reactive element. They do not show up until called, maybe, and since people don't generally call the police until after the crime has begun they won't show up until after the crime is completed. If they do, in fact, show up at all. Of course if the crime is murder or rape, the Brady folks would like you to believe that being a helpless victim is morally superior to being able to defend yourself...

Range Report #1

I went to the Niagara Gun Range (here) with my uncle for a bit of practice. Now I am by no means an expert marksman, and right now my AK is more accurate than I am. We went for an hour ($17.00/per- a little pricey, but 50 yard indoor ranges are not all that common) and I spent most of the time zeroing the AK, as I had never fired it before.

After zeroing, I did ok-a 6" group at 50 yards that was a bit high/right. I am planning on replacing the front sight post with an orange plastic insert to increase visibility.

All told I sent 80 rounds down range with no jams, missfeds or failure to eject. I was also pleasantly surprised by the low recoil.

Our New President

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama. I wish you well in the coming 4 years, and I hope that when all is said and done that America will be better for having chosen you.

Nobody likes to be wrong, but I hope that my opinion of your positions and sentiments is far from the mark-it's a crow I'd happily eat.

Later on I will be posting a list of predicted negative outcomes (although I'm certain that some of the things I am calling negative others would view in a positive light) resulting from this election.

It's not all doom and gloom, however. Despite our ideological differences, there are some good things about last night. It's nice to have objective evidence that people like Jeremiah Wright, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have been wrong all along about what a racist country this is. We are not, and have not been for some time, the US of KKK A. It's great to see near record turnout. It's great to see so many involved in the process, despite the fact that some of them moved from enthusiasm to thuggery. We can work on that.

It's only about 50 years since the end of Jim Crow. Whatever our shortcomings, we as a people have never stopped evolving and expanding liberty at home as well as abroad.

I hope that as Americans we will all support our new president when he is right, and hold his feet to the fire when he is left, errm wrong. I meant wrong. I hope that the right will refuse to sink to the childish level of the BusHitlerHalliburtonMcChimpy faction of the left. I hope that we will all remain focused on the issues that face us and the enormous tasks at hand.

I hope that President-Elect Obama keeps close to his heart the notion that we are a free people that consent to be governed, not a collection of rabble to mothered, smothered and dictated to.

Maybe there's something to this audacity to hope...

More on the bailouts

Let me preface this by saying I'm not an expert in the area of finance. My assumptions and conclusions could be 100% in error, but this is how I see it.

I am a believer in free, low regulation markets. There needs to be a simple set of rules without room to dodge, and up to a point the fewer rules the better. It is a sad fact, but a fact ignored at our peril that some people become very short sighted and less than honest when faced with the opportunity to become wealthy. The sorts of regulations we need are to protect us from those who would use cooked books, accounting subterfuge and general skullduggery to amass fortunes. Toss in some basic environmental, health, worker safety bits and you've just about got it.

And that's about it.

When you move from the regime I have described, the result becomes what we have today. This crisis arose not from too few regulations, but a set of the wrong regulations. Instead of forcing honesty and prudent risk management, the regulations did nothing to prevent people like Presidential Candidate adviser Frank Raines from cooking the books for bonuses. They also strongly encouraged loans to people that had no business getting them making the whole thing a house of cards.

This crisis is a perfect example of what happens when you have bad intrusions (as most are) into the market by government.

As one that supports free market capitalism, it is a direct line of reasoning that leads me to oppose this bailout. Free markets need the Darwinian thinning of the herd. Businesses need to be free to take risks, and then reap their rewards. If you remove the possibility of failure, then what is risked? The answer is nothing. The result is reckless practices like loaning 150k to someone making 30k per year. These banks that are being crushed by these bad loans need to go under or find someone to buy the paper.

So much for the preliminaries.

I am not convinced that the world will end if we don't get a bailout. I'm not even convinced we'll get a depression. I'm not saying things will be rosy, but we have many measures in place (e.g. FDIC) that will most likely prevent another 10 year horror like the depression. As I said, I'm not a finance guy, but I just don't see the problem being large enough to warrant a TRILLION dollars.

I f there is a bailout, we need to observe a few things. The CEOs who ran these companies into the ground ought not to profit. The problem may be that some of these guys are new and were brought in to fix institutions already irreversibly on the way down. Furthermore, the people that bought houses they could not afford ought not to profit. Just like I object to my taxes paying for failed companies, I object to subsidizing people too stupid to write a budget.

The bailout needs to have the strictest accountability and oversight, preferably not by the #1 and #2 recipients of campaign donations from these companies. Or the people that created Fannie and Freddie. Or the people that fought against increasing Fannie and Freddie oversight because "there is no crisis". Or the people that forced banks to lend recklessly. Or the people using these guys as advisers. Fortunately, those are all the same people. Unfortunately, they control congress.

By the way, if you're the majority party, and have enough votes to accomplish your task, you really can't blame the other party for "blowing it up".

Barak Obama and John McCain are sitting US senators. As we speak they are getting paid to deal with problems just like this. They most definitely are NOT being paid to run for President. They both need to get to Washington and deal with this. I don't get to not perform my duties at work because I'm fulfilling my dream of whatever.

There needs to be no pork, no drilling bans, no defense of marriage nonsense-nothing-in this bill that does not pertain to averting the financial crisis. Go suck eggs ACORN.

My take on the bailouts:

Shana...

Updates

Cousin Tracy and Hubby Mike have a new baby boy-Daniel Joseph. Welcome aboard!

Brothers Danny and Ricky came into town so we could take the old man on a fishing charter-caught piles of smallies (3-6 lbs) and had a blast. Except for the puking. You really haven't lived until you've held your Dad's dentures while he's tossing this mornings Hot Pocket (tm) overboard. Capt. Jim Hanley was our guide and always put us over biting fish. If you're considering a charter, go here to see Jim at Northeast Outdoors. He gets the Chucklehead seal of approval

Happiness is a full humidor. Yours truly just bought about 300 bucks worth of cigars from Holts. Some Fuente, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Punch and other assorted tobbacco-ey goodness. Jay, give me a call...

What am I listening to? "Manana" By Jimmy Buffet. "Don't try to describe the scenery if you've never seen it..."

I miss my friends in St. Kitts. I hope they are all well and that Danaher is treating them well. I worry that they are left to hang when resources get short.

I miss blogger picnics and Dammit I miss Byzantium's Shores. If you're reading this, Jaq, I read something by an objectivist that about made me ready for murder. If you need a blood boiler, ask me and I'll share.

Ava is starting to poop on her own. We've been hoping for this and it makes us happy, but I fear that the spontaneous, ground-in poops will not be nearly as much fun as the regularly scheduled, on demand variety.

I work too much. Consequently, now that I have an evening to myself (no wife or baby) I just put away a bottle of wine and a Fuente Churchill. I'm pretty sure there's a rule about blogging after a bottle of wine, but I'll be snookered if I can remember it after a bottle of wine...

I'm looking to get rid of a few fish my fish tank. There are 3 Zebra Danios and one Siamese Algae Eater (I'm about 99% certain it's not a CAE or other imposter) free to a good home. A good home is not a cichlid tank, Melvin.

I have no less than 5 outdoor cooking appliances, the latest addition is a Char Broil gas grill. As much as I stand by my assertion that there is no substitute for charcoal, when pressed for time the gas grill is king. Of course barbecue is the antithesis of pressed for time, but that's another matter.

Now playing? "Weather is here, wish you were beautiful"

Chucklehead out-I'm going to finish getting drunk and howling at the moon.

Sarah Palin was in a Rock Band!?!?!?

This is almost as priceless as Vlad's "Electronic Supersonic"

Jesus is a friend of mine...

Money quote: "He taught me how to turn my cheek when people laugh at me..."

Dude, your fucking head must need ball bearings to turn your cheek that much.

Never Forget

The best tribute story can be found here.


http://byzantiumshores.blogspot.com/2002/03/note-this-is-story-that-i-wrote.html

Sarahcuda

Ok, Jenifer has shamed into posting. What can I say, I'm a sucker for humiliation. I'm going to give my take on Governor Palin.

I like her. Quite a bit, actually. Ideologically, we have some differences, particularly on abortion and Intelligent Design, but I also see quite a bit of common ground. I think the choice of Palin for Veep will either launch McCain to the top or torpedo him in a humiliating fashion.

These are just some random musings about the whole thing in no particular order

She gives a pretty good speech, and if she performs that well in the debates, the Republicans walk away with the whole shooting match.

Maybe I need to brush up on my history, but the hubbub surrounding her nomination seems to echo the sentiments by Washington elites in late 1828 through early 1829. There was much wailing, gnashing of teeth, rending of garments etc over the impeding inauguration of Andrew Jackson, perceived to be an uncultured hick or a rural bumpkin. Will she stack up to Old Hickory? I dunno. Must re-read Schlesinger's book...

Any objectively created scorecard between Palin's and Obama's experience will show that there is not a huge difference there. My feeling is that Palin trumps Obama's experience, but I am hardly objective. The point is that if one more person tells me that Palin is sooooo underqualified, but then in the same breath and without a sense of irony tells me that Obama is ready on day one I may just do something as yet un-named but likely to be obscenely biological.

During Palin's speech she said something about laying pipeline, but there was a minuscule pause between pipe and line. So minuscule, in fact that I may have imagined it. However, hearing her talk about laying pipe really works for me...

Troopergate-we'll see what we'll see. Pat over at Against the Grain has an interesting take. Basically, even if there was no official malfeasance, her affadavit makes it seem like she did not keep her head when confronted. Stay tuned.

Media smears-boy are they out to get this woman. Although she is living proof of the feminist mantra, having accomplished so much at home and at the workplace without a rich and powerful father or husband (I'm looking at you Pelosi, Clinton...) they just hate her.
Why? She's not a liberal and she never tries to play the victim role. I'll be gobsmacked if she tries the damsel in distress routine.

Democrat hypocrisy-complaining that McCain is gender pandering while trying to trot out a pile of women to counter Palin. Were any of these Democrats actually in the country during the primary? It was all identity politics.

Marital infidelity-sure it's possible but I doubt it.

If McCain/Palin win this, she will be the first woman president.

Alan Bedenko-dude you're one of my favorite bloggers but I just can't take it any more. I know you're not claiming to be objective, and I know it's your blog but wow. Bush=CarterX2?!?! I don't think Bush will go down in history as a great president, but he really isn't the monster you've made him out to be, and that anger has, I think, spilled over into your assessment of Palin. I'm anxiously awaiting the end of this cycle so you'll go back to beating on locals who so richly deserve it...

I think the intense love and hate Palin has generated should show the Republicans that acting like Democrats won't help them.

In terms of the issues that I think are most important, I think McCain/Palin hits most of it spot on.

Iraq-we stay till we've finished. Anbar, once the deadliest area in Iraq has been handed over to the Iraqis. Going in may have been strategically or morally wrong, but certainly no less so than just walking away from a a country we blew up. McCain pressed for and got the surge. The surge that has been instrumental in turning this thing around. Right now we are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and to toss it all away for any reason would be tragic.

The economy-yes, it's slowed down. It still has not receded. Increased taxes, elevated entitlement spending and soaring fuel costs (no drilling...) will only make it much worse. That's change we can believe in, and hope we never see. We need to let it sort itself out.

2nd amendment rights-Obama is a gun grabber as evidenced by his previous stances. I don't care what he says, his actions have shown him to be of the Daley school of thought here. Palin on the other hand...let's just say I wouldn't want to break into her house!

Education-Obama is a Teachers union guy. Expect 0 actual helpful reform from them. Palin joined the PTA to fix her kids school.

Party First-McCain and Palin both have a demonstrated record of trying to clean up corruption in their own party or voting against their party to do the right thing. Obama and Biden-not so much.

Truer words

Are rarely spoken...

Quoth Buffalogeek here:

"This election isn’t about small things... ...We’re all too fucking cynical for our own good…always trying to find the flaws rather than the things that appeal to our better nature.

There are monumental issues facing this country right now and the question is, do you feel John McCain has the temperament, skill, ideas, and fire to solve them or do you think Obama does?"

Testify!

Congrats to the BfloBlog Family

SonThree was born to Kevin and the Mrs. at BfloBlog yesterday afternoon.

Reports are all is well, best to the whole family!!

Son of a Bitch!

First Cox and Forkum, and now this.

Enjoy a well deserved blogging retirement, Kim.

Global Warming Roundup

"The American Physical Society, an organization representing nearly 50,000 physicists, has reversed its stance on climate change and is now proclaiming that many of its members disbelieve in human-induced global warming."

For those that do not know, the American Physical Society is one of the most prestigious organizations of physicists in the world.

As I and others have been stating for a long time, the science is not settled, the debate is not over, and disagreeing with the canonical anthropogenic global warming ideas do not make you a loonie, anti intellectual or some sort of holocaust-denier like deluded individual.

Moncton's paper is here

You really should read it. Even if you don't follow the math, give his conclusions consideration.

Also of note, one of Australia's leading AGW scientists, Dr. David Evans, has essentially recanted. The bottom line? The signatures of greenhouse gas driven warming has never (that's NEVER) been detected. Couple that with many other bodies in the solar system experiencing the same warming at the same time without the human effects and it becomes bloody obvious that maybe, just maybe we aren't the ones doing it.

UPDATE:

Cedric (commenter) raises some very good points. The APS has not reversed their position as reported in the article, and the Moncton article was just that and not a peer reviewed paper. Serves me right for reading digested news.

I remain unconvinced the global warming is or is not anthropogenic. That is to say, it is one or the other but I'm not convinced which it is. In all fairness, I am probably allowing my politics to color my conclusions, so take that for what it's worth.

Science is not a democracy, and the presence of consensus is not, by itself, compelling. History is littered with rejected consensus that matched the best data and ideas available at the time. That's not an indictment of science, but a praise-it's how we move forward.

Heller Affirmed!

The court has held that the 2nd amendment does, indeed, grant an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Justice is served.

Updates

Things are still chugging along, with work and family keeping me busy. Ava had her eye surgery to correct a case of strebismus on Monday. She seems to have bounced back brilliantly.

Anxiously awaiting the SCOTUS Heller decision-rumor has it that Scalia is writing the majority opinion. Could be seriously good stuff coming...

Good Decisions

I was thinking last night about my decision back in 89 to join the Navy. With the hindsight of 20 years, I think it was probably the best decision I made in my life. Because of my Navy training and experience, I have never been out of a job or lost a job since I was discharged in 95.

My first job as a machinist - directly because of my machinist training in the Navy.

My second job as a test technician at Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems -due to the schooling at Nuclear Power School.

The Navy paid for a large chunk of my college education, and gave me the mindset to succeed.

My first job after finishing the Masters in Physics was as an environmental physicist at a nuclear cleanup site-again in large part because of Navy training and experience dealing with things nuclear and radiological.

My current job as the Director of Instructional Labs for the Physics department is due both to the Navy funded degree, and my time as a Naval instructor.

I made friends with people that I will treasure until they put me in the ground.

Aside from the choice of a mate (another really good decision on my part), that single choice has positively colored so much of my life. When someone like John Kerry decides to tell you how badly joining up is fucking up your life, or how it is a last resort to dreaded and avoided at all costs, remember this.

Busy

2 jobs and a 6 month old baby-all is well but blogging is on indefinite hiatus.