Put a Vulture on the DOJ Seal

When you release the terrorists and prosecute the good and faithful public servants at CIA, the seal is no longer worthy of an eagle -- but a vulture fits your character quite well.

un-natural laws

CAN YOU SUSPEND PHYSICS?

By that I mean, can you suspend the laws of the universe for your own benefit?

Based on the video evidence presented in this short, yes, you can. Or perhaps it's a matter of using a brand of more advanced physics? I have experimented with invisible cats (as Darlin' and other blog participants can attest in all sobriety). Some people believe an invisible cat is a physical impossibility - obviously not true.

THIS is why I don't have a cat...

The cat pictured below, doesn't seem to enjoy a good swim. Simply one more reason not to own a cat (they have NO sense of humor).

Engagement and Marriage

ENGAGEMENT

I'm a father of four daughters. 

Pity me.

h/t WoFat

Warning, Adult Theme

PetroTyrants

I'd like to begin by attacking the PetroTyrants like Hugo Chavez that sell us oil. (Venezuela is America's second largest supplier of oil) As with so many things, consumption is our fault, not his.

The economic recovery will lead to more consumption of petroleum. That consumption will lead to higher prices. We'll all blame the Saudis, but the US is behaving irresponsibly in the face of a new oil price increase. 

The value of the dollar drops as the Obama Administration borrows with reckless abandon and spends money we do-not-have. With the decreasing value of the dollar (the price of international oil is pegged to the US Dollar) we will pay more for the wide range of products made from oil.

At the same time, the Obama Administration banned domestic off-shore drilling for oil. In Barack Obama's utopian socialist fantasy, unproven alternative fuels will fill the void. The US Government will control our domestic fantasy fuel production (the socialist part) and all will be right with the country.  Did I mention the word "fantasy"? The Obama Administration removed the ability for companies to build new nuclear energy plants by its refusal to allow fuel storage at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. So there will be no new nuclear energy generation in America until Obama is voted form office in 2012.

The US refuses to build more oil refineries. We had 324 in 1981. We have 141 now. We are not able to refine the oil we need to meet the demand so we import refined products. This creates a GREATER reliance on foreign oil sources.

Many of the countries we supply with our purchases -- Iran comes to mind -- hate us every bit as much as Venezuela. We fund our enemies. Am I the only one who thinks this whole situation is absurd?

When Will America have a Black President?

Are we machines or are we people? People have prejudices built into their psyche from birth no matter what anyone says. How does prejudice or guilt resulting from prejudice fit into our political decisions? When will America finally have a black president? President Barack Hussein Obama is as white as he is black, though he claims to be a negro. Pastor David Manning weighs in on the issue (below) and puts the question to America.

Is Pluto a Planet?

The great debate continues and the tender crushed hearts of school children are again torn asunder by scientists who "vote" on whether or not the definition applies. There is no scientific consensus, really. Those of us who learned there were 9 planets orbiting the Solar System when we were in school still harbor that secret magic number. The US State of New Mexico's legislature resolved that Pluto is still a planet.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PLUTO? 

PLANET or DWARF PLANET or 9th ROCK FROM THE SUN?

Scientists are torn because there are Kuyper Belt Objects (KBO's) larger than Pluto out there in the further reaches of the Solar System. The New Horizons Mission to Pluto may stir the hearts of scientists to reconsider their harsh down-grade. There's also the dwarf planet, Ceres, that is orbits in the asteroid belt between Earth and Mars. The Dawn Mission to Ceres is likely to create a groundswell of support for calling Ceres a planet when we take a closer look at the place. 

In order to be classified as a "genuine" planet, the object must be:

1. Massive enough that gravity crushes it into a round(ish) sphere. (Pluto is smaller than Earth's Moon)
2. It must orbit the Sun.
3. It must be dominant enough that it clears away objects in its orbital space. (this is the sticking point, apparently because scientists can't agree on the cleanliness of Pluto's orbital path)

Sound off here: Planet/Not a Planet??

Sushi

I know that many of you revel in Japanese cuisine. I have fallen into that trap myself. For many years I thought that I was very "in" when I ate sushi or other Japanese delicacies. However this hidden video tells all. It explains:

The truth about sushi...

Has Japan been playing a cruel trick on the world all these years?

I believe the answer to that question would be, "YES!"

Oh Canada!

What do you think of when I say "Canada"?

Do you think of the arctic with sleds being pulled by dogs beating across trackless ice flows?

Does your mind fly to quaint Quebec or the matchless beauty of British Columbia?

In the video below, a news crew is on the streets of Toronto, interviewing Canadians, getting their opinion on the currently mandated practice of having to speak both English and French . It's a matter of debate throughout the country. See how these friendly, fun loving Canadians respond to the news crew:

Experience Toronto

Experience Canada

Planning a visit to Toronto? Call the Toronto Convention

and Visitor's Association toll free at 1-800-499-2514.

Children

My grandson, Griffin (6 months)

George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "Children begin by loving their parents, then they judge them, but rarely if ever do they forgive them." (A Woman of no Consequence)

What do YOU think?

The problem with parenting is that there are no dress rehearsals. Every day you are at the cutting edge of raising a child/children with everything that accompanies that process. Now that I am a grandfather, there is yet another generation for whom I am particularly concerned. Both my daughters are good and caring mothers, but it doesn't mean I don't fret slightly over my grandchildren in the same way I do for my children.

Did it Sink In?

There are a number of people around the country and a very vocal core here on the Internet who listened to what the Obama Administration and their Democratic partners in the legislature were planning to do with Healthcare in America and they said, NO!

As a result:

• They were scorned by the state-run media as "astroturf" (fake grass roots movement)
• A few were beaten by union thugs hired by the Obama Administration to keep them from participating in town hall meetings and exercising their option to petition their representatives in the legislature.
• They were harassed by ACORN people, hired and bussed in to form a counter-demonstration.
• The White House took the extraordinary measure of establishing a means to denounce anyone who disagreed with the Obama Administration by presenting an e-mail address where others could inform on them.
• MSNBC, CNN and the three major networks called them Nazis and crazies because we protested what we knew would be bad for America.
• They were demonized by their legislators as being "too well dressed", "too articulate to be genuine" and darkly suggested a plot by the insurance companies to hire Americans to be patriots at town hall meetings.
• Glenn Beck, a Fox Newsman, has had to hire security to protect his family from the union thugs because he called it the way it was. (Thanks for standing up for America, Glenn!)

Today the White House is releasing rumors that they are backing down from their plan. The President's polls are dropping like a cannonball from the leaning tower.

Is it over? No. The Obama Plan is a comprehensive program to turn America into a socialist state, however, so long as Americans are both vigilant and vocal, it doesn't look as it it can succeed.

How to Pick Up Women

See for yourself how happy this young lady is to be sitting in the passenger seat of a $350,000 Ferrari.

The first thing you need to do is grab her attention. Some guys resort to extraordinary means like buying a flash car, or an expensive wardrobe. Others communicate their successful profession with non-verbal props. A muscle shirt works with some women. But if you don't have a flash car, nice clothes or anything else going for you, you MUST resort to clever pick-up lines.

"What's your sign?" (a clever fall-back for those times when your mind is blank)

"Hey baby, new in town?" (always an ice breaker)

Or "You - me - Now!" (when desperate measures are called for)

Here are a few other modest examples:

Inept Federal Government

Those of you who know me, know what I'm doing for a living and that I interface with the US and other government agencies on a regular basis. At least ninety percent of what I do involves very "high interest activities", which means that if done right or wrong, it's a news headline somewhere, even though I am not personally mentioned.

Last night information came to me that all of you would agree with me would be vital for the government to deal with, but it needed to be acted on NOW because the situation was perishable. Two government security/law enforcement agencies, tasked to deal with this sort of work (sorry I'm being vague) 24/7 were informed. The reply came back - "We really don't want to work on Friday night or on the weekends."

Ok.

I worked for the government and saw it all first hand.

Are any of you (anywhere in the world) happy with the service your government provides you? Do any of you feel that the public servants who are supposed to serve your interests are actually interested in doing their jobs? --- beyond working for a check and eventual pension?

Extending that, are any of you interested in MORE government ineptness in your lives? More government programs? More taxes? More rules?

The more removed government is from the people they serve, the less in tune they are with the people they work for (and the less they care). And if, for example, you feel that the US Federal Government is indifferent, WHY would you want them to manage your health care? Do you think they'd manage the money better this time than they have in the past? (consider that the US Social Security and Medicare system are expected to run out of money within the next couple of years based on US Government projections)

Narcotics (in a nutshell)

The North American narcotics problem is a function of supply and demand. The US and Canada demand them and are willing to pay any price for them - and people supply the demand.

The Mexicans get cocaine through the US border. Very little cocaine is seized at the border (as a percentage of the whole).

Why?

Cocaine is produced in South America and is transshipped through Mexico primarily to the US. The Mexican middle-men who transport and market cocaine in the US pay "insurance" to get it through.

Why?

Because the Mexicans pay top dollar for the cocaine they buy from Colombia. They're less concerned about seizures of heroin or marijuana that are produced in Mexico because they haven't invested as much money in the product.

What is "insurance"?

The narcotics traffickers use bribery of government officials, dig elaborate tunnels, some miles long, under the US/Mexico Border, and find other more sophisticated means to get cocaine through. The word used by narcotraffickers is "insurance".

Isn't narcotics trafficking a crime in Mexico?

Yes it is. The truth is that the bulk of narcotraffickers in Mexico are in the agricultural produce business. It make sense. They grow and transport potatoes, carrots and lettuce. They also grow marijuana and opium poppies. The same transportation infrastructure for moving potatoes to market are used to transport the higher value narcotics crops to market. Agriculture and sending legitimate agriculture to market both within and outside Mexico constitutes a large percentage of Mexican commerce with the US.

Legitimate Businesses

Many completely legitimate agricultural businesses are preyed on by narcotraffickers who "lean on them" to transport illegal narcotics (crops) as well. The price for not cooperating is that your family members will be kidnapped and held as ransom for the service they require. Mexico City leads the world in kidnapping for ransom.

Murder

To date this year, there have been over 4,000 organized crime related murders in Mexico. The number is expected to top 10,000 this year. Who knows if they'll meet their goal? The narcotics business has become synonymous with homicide.

Won't Washington LISTEN?

Would somebody please report this to the White House spy and snitch apparatus:

Mr. Obama (DEAR LEADER), why don't you LISTEN?

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "The plan for August is to have a discussion, to listen carefully to what people are saying, what ideas they may have to improve the legislation as it affects them."

Pelosi means: I don't care what you suggest, we are going to dismantle the best health care system in the world and shove a single-payer government system down your throat.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "In spite of the loud, shrill voices trying to interrupt town hall meetings, and just throw a monkey wrench into everything, we're going to continue to work hard."

Reid means: In my world, there is no opposition to the ObamaNation's process of invading every corner of private life.

Representative Brian Baird (D-WA) said, "What we're seeing now is close to brownshirt tactics."

Baird means: I can't justify the program to the voters so instead of facing their outrage at what I and my Party are doing, I'll do a telephone call-in town meeting so I can screen the calls and broadcast victory throughout my district.

Washington DC, why won't you listen?

Is it because there is a sense of guilt at what you're doing? America doesn't want to convert our health care system to a government bureaucracy for the sake of a few million people who have the present option of Medicade or walking into an emergency room to be seen as they find a need, without paying a dime. Is it perfect? No.

The fact that the present system is imperfect doesn't mean that we want to surrender our right of choice to a single-payer government monopoly. We don't want socialism. We don't want a Marxist-oriented government. And if it means we stand somewhere with signs we draw, wearing clean, neat clothing, we are insulted that you don't think we're seriously OUTRAGED at your conduct. We're seriously OUTRAGED at the injustice of bills that are injurious to the nation that are rushed through the Democrat-controlled Congress without being read that cost TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS - as in the Health Care Bill; Nearly a trillion dollars for the stimulus package that isn't; Easily a trillion dollars over the next few years for Cap and Trade.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO RAM DOWN OUR THROATS NEXT?

Why are you surprised that mom and pop America are standing up and telling you that you are wrong? Why are you surprised that we don't want to surrender our liberty to you? Why are you calling us names? Why do you want to bus union thugs to town hall meetings to try and intimidate us? We look around and ask ourselves, "is this America?"

The Czar List (not only in Russia anymore)

Ivan the Terrible (Oprichnina Ivan Grozny IV), = pictured right = was the first Russian Grand Prince to crown himself Tsar. With his reign, Russia became an autocratic state. He used the Oprichniki, a militia loyal only to him to terrorize the country.

TODAY

Obama has fashioned a government of many czars (Reuters) There are over thirty czars in the federal government today in the old Soviet Union they were called Commisars:

(Do you know who these people are and qualifications they have to hold these positions?)

• Drug Czar - Gil Kerlikowske
• Sudan Czar - Scott Gration
• US Border Czar - Alan Bersin
• Faith-Based Czar - Joshua DuBois
• Information Technology Czar - Vivek Kundra
• Domestic Violence Czar - Lynn Rosenthal
• Guantanamo Closure Czar - Daniel Fried
• Green Jobs Czar - Van Jones
• Pay Czar - Kenneth Feinberg
• Great Lakes Czar - Cameron Davis
• Energy Czar - Carol Browner
• Climate Czar - Todd Stern
• AIDS Czar - Jeffrey Crowley
• Urban Affairs Czar - Adolfo Carrion Jr.
• Terrorism Czar - John Brennan
• Regulatory Czar - Cass Sunstein
• Stimulus Accountability Czar - Early Devaney
• Mortgage Czar - not yet appointed
• Car Czar - Ed Montgomery
• Copyright Czar - not yet appointed
• Technology Czar - Aneesh Chopra
• Iran Czar - not yet appointed
• Non-Proliferation Czar - Gary Samore
• Intelligence Czar - Admiral Dennis Blair
• Science Czar - John Holdren
• TARP Czar - Herb Allison
• Healthcare Reform Czar - Nancy Ann DeParle
• Middle East Policy Czar - Dennis Ross
• Middle East Peace Czar- George Mitchell
• Afghanistan & Pakistan Czar- Richard Holbrooke
• Cyber Security Czar - Ron Beckstrom (quit May 6)

The Czars occupy a place in government as part of the executive branch, but not of any agency. They have cabinet level power but are not confirmed by the Senate. They rule by direction of the president outside the oversight confirmation of the Congress.

Life Changing Decisions

Extreme sports bring the possibility of sports-related injuries. I know, I'm a victim of my own success in this regard.

Selecting an extreme sport is an important matter - these can be life changing decisions.

Career Choices

The life and lot of a massage therapist is not an easy one, my friends. Job satisfaction requires that you find that you fill the missing piece in the puzzle.

The gentleman from Brazil featured in the video struggles to keep his sanity in a the high stress job of a massage therapist. Take a moment to review his struggle on his journey through life...trying to find a fulfilling occupation.

Hat tip to M. C. Hart, whose wife refused to let him take this man's employment position.

The Town Hall Meeting

Congress is in recess. This is the time your elected representatives travel home to meet with you. Many lawmakers consider these meetings an inconvenience. Idiots like Sen. Arlen Specter explained to voters that in matters of of large pieces of legislation such as the health care bill, "we have to make judgments very fast". It seems his constituents didn't like what he and Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius had to say when explaining their plans to force an ostensibly free people into a communal health care system.

The media refers to those of us who attend town hall meetings as "mobs" and the Democrats refer to us as "tools of the insurance industry" or "agitators paid by the insurance industry". None of them call us anti-communists. Strange isn't it.

An aggressive socialist government has combined to meddle in your personal life, in your private affairs and your liberty and life are literally threatened by this action they've taken. Don't allow lawmakers the luxury of hiding in their office suites behind their staff. Confront those who would subjugate you and make your voice heard in the town hall meetings this summer. We are not rabble. We are not a mob. We are free people intent on remaining free from the Marxists who would put their boots on our necks and subjugate us.

Nuclear Energy - another Obama Failure

The Obama Administration quietly put the spike in America's nuclear energy program. The US Senate (under the direction of majority leader Harry Reid) voted to deny resources needed to complete a review necessary for the Yucca Mountain storage facility to open.

The US needs an additional 35 nuclear power plants to meet the anticipated 45% jump in demand by 2030 but without Yucca Mountain, it won't happen. To date, the 104 reactors in the US have prevented the emission of billions of tons of greenhouse gas.

It's interesting that the Obama Administration touts "green energy producing jobs" from one side of it's mouth and destroys the option to make it happen with the other. Not that any of us will be surprised at that.

Note: The US Department of Energy studied the rock at the planned Yucca Mountain Repository to assess how it would perform over tens of thousands of years. After 20 years and $9 billion, DOE found Yucca Mountain to be both safe and stable. The containers that were to bring spend nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain were virtually indestructible based on EXTENSIVE tests conducted at Scandia National Laboratories. Tests included:

• An 18 wheeler carrying a transport cask being smashed into a 700 ton brick wall at 81 mph;
• Dropping a cask from 2,000 feet onto hard ground;
• Having a 120 ton locomotive train ram a cask at 80 mph.

In each case the containers survived with no significant damage. So transporting spent nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain was not "risky".

It's simply another of many examples of the Obama Administration's failure to lead the nation in safe and reliable clean energy production.

Photo Album

The plain truth is that my grandchildren are cute so I'm going to post the odd photo album blog of them. These pictures were taken yesterday (Sunday).

Son-in-Law Devin with his daughter, Alyssa (2 months)

My daughter, Heather, with her niece, Alyssa.

My daughter, Kelly, and her daughter, Alyssa.

My grandson, Griffin (6 months) and my granddaughter, Alyssa.

Federal Employee Crisis Management

US Government employees are not perfect. They have the same problems that you and I have except that they are trained to deal rationally with serious problems. It's what sets them apart as a cut above. Training brings them to the point where they refuse to panic no matter how bad things look, no matter how grim things seem to them at the time.

These are the bureaucrats who decide our destiny - who process our requests and who examine our gripes and who we pay through taxes to make our lives just a little better.

Don't Try This at Home!

This is illustrative of what happens when officers don't use due caution when guarding a dangerous suspect.

Then again, maybe you do want to try it at home. Use at your own discretion.

Racial Profiling and Latinos

"Pinche Gringos" are continually stereotyped in Mexico and that leads to:

IMPROPER RACIAL PROFILING

I travel to Mexico for work and am CONTINUALLY PROFILED by the Mexican police and discriminated against by the Mexican people because I'm a "Gringo". It's not fair and it's not right. Latinos in the US feel they are profiled by the American police (click here) but nobody from Mexico seems to feel that once I cross the border the shoe is on the other foot.

I have yet to see public outrage in Mexico at profiling Gringos. They just do what they do and no matter how much we puff and sputter, you really have no rights at all...unless you buy rights from the police. That works remarkably well.

Edward James Olmos would disagree with me - and I don't care.

Social scientists write papers like this one all the time on skin color. (click here for more) The study abstract includes this quote, "darker-skinned Mexicans and Cubans face significantly lower occupational prestige scores than their lighter skinned counterparts..." Yet I have yet to see a study discussing stereotyping by Mexicans of their caucasian neighbors from the north. Why is this. Shouldn't it cut both ways?

Have you ever lost your way?

Big cities can be daunting if you don't know your way or if you don't speak the language. Sometimes when you're new to town, you cling to a map and if there's a good metro system, to the subway/train map in particular.

Or if you're VERY insecure you take it to an extreme and have the metro stops tattooed into your hide "backwards" and bring a mirror with you.

However, I find it easier to chart my course simply by looking at the station chart of the Washington DC Metro System if I want to know where to get off, or where to change trains.