I'm going to be taking the SOTU speech in smaller chunks throughout the day and focusing in on particular passages. First up, is this one...
On Medicare, I’m prepared to enact reforms that will achieve the same amount of health care savings by the beginning of the next decade as the reforms proposed by the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission.
Wow. That's certainly going to piss off a lot of Democrats. And it's way past time that he did this!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Two Responses?
So, Marco Rubio is going to deliver the Republican response to the the presidents SOTU speech tonight. And then Rand Paul is going to deliver the response to that response? Or the response to the president? I'm confused.
It's a good thing the GOP is united and firing on all cylinders these days.
It's a good thing the GOP is united and firing on all cylinders these days.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Not Fake
62-Year-Old With Gun Only One Standing Between Nation And Full-Scale Government Takeover
Bailey, who keeps his gun on his person at all times and regularly patrols his property in his truck, has reportedly struck dread into the very highest-ranking members of the U.S. government. According to sources, top government and military officials are fully aware that they remain unable to commence with their oppressive, systematic subjugation of the American populace as long as the 62-year-old owner of a rifle exists.
I guess The Onion stopped running fake news stories...
Bailey, who keeps his gun on his person at all times and regularly patrols his property in his truck, has reportedly struck dread into the very highest-ranking members of the U.S. government. According to sources, top government and military officials are fully aware that they remain unable to commence with their oppressive, systematic subjugation of the American populace as long as the 62-year-old owner of a rifle exists.
I guess The Onion stopped running fake news stories...
Cashing in on the Ron Paul Name
Now that Paul is retired some of his former supporters are trying to cash in on his name. Literally. Paul has filed a complaint with an arm of the UN to wrest control of the RonPaul.com domain name away from his own fans:
But something odd is definitely going on with RonPaul.com. A check of the whois database indicates that the RonPaul.com domain is registered to JNR Corp, which is located in Ciudad de Panama, Panama (the record was last edited yesterday). RonPaul.org is registered to Martha Roberts, DN Capital, Inc., also in Panama City. If these guys are grassroots American patriots, why the Panamanian shell corporations and the Australian domain registration? What are these guys trying to pull?
A Ron Paul presidency was always a pipe dream. By 2012 he was too old to serve. Paul himself was always too idiosyncratic, outspoken and honest about his real opinions. The great thing about him is that he had something for everyone: he was against the war in Iraq, the UN, the Federal Reserve, abortion and the war on drugs. And he was never afraid of angering his own base. Just last week, after American sniper Chris Kyle was killed at a gun range, Paul tweeted:
If the RonPaul.com guys really were Paul supporters, you'd think they would gladly give up the domain names to the guy that they respected and admired so much. The idea of Ron Paul as president was always just a lark, and a fun time was had by all. Let it go. But instead they're trying to extort him out of a quarter million bucks.
This is not a betrayal by Ron Paul. He owes these people nothing. For years they've been cashing in Paul's cult of personality, and now that his star is setting they're looking at declining influence — and revenues. The only thing more pitiful than a has-been celebrity are a has-been celebrity's sycophants. This is their last-gasp attempt to gouge Paul for a few dollars more.
People on the right are constantly yapping about god and county and tradition and principles and rights, but at the end of the day it's always about the money.
And I still can't stop laughing that Ron Paul is going all UN his supporters' ass.
The authors of RonPaul.com see the move as the ultimate betrayal from a politician who, more than many others, depended on an astounding level of grassroots support on the Internet in order to keep his longshot presidential campaigns running.It's a little ironic that the famously isolationist libertarian would go to the World Intellectual Property Organization to resolve a tiff with his supporters. But Ron Paul is completely within his rights to demand this domain name. WIPO is how such disputes are resolved. The guys at RonPaul.com are at best bitter disillusioned diehards, and at worst cybersquatters or extortionists.
"Last month, after Ron Paul expressed regret on the Alex Jones show over not owning RonPaul.com (in an interview titled "Ron Paul: The Internet Is Our Last Chance to Awaken America"), dozens of supporters urged us to contact Ron Paul to work out a deal," the owners of RonPaul.com write.
They say they offered Paul the use of RonPaul.org as a "free gift" but wanted to keep RonPaul.com. Their price, should Paul really want RonPaul.com, was $250,000.
But something odd is definitely going on with RonPaul.com. A check of the whois database indicates that the RonPaul.com domain is registered to JNR Corp, which is located in Ciudad de Panama, Panama (the record was last edited yesterday). RonPaul.org is registered to Martha Roberts, DN Capital, Inc., also in Panama City. If these guys are grassroots American patriots, why the Panamanian shell corporations and the Australian domain registration? What are these guys trying to pull?
A Ron Paul presidency was always a pipe dream. By 2012 he was too old to serve. Paul himself was always too idiosyncratic, outspoken and honest about his real opinions. The great thing about him is that he had something for everyone: he was against the war in Iraq, the UN, the Federal Reserve, abortion and the war on drugs. And he was never afraid of angering his own base. Just last week, after American sniper Chris Kyle was killed at a gun range, Paul tweeted:
Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense.In short, Ron Paul has enough baggage to sink the Titanic even if it had missed the iceberg.
If the RonPaul.com guys really were Paul supporters, you'd think they would gladly give up the domain names to the guy that they respected and admired so much. The idea of Ron Paul as president was always just a lark, and a fun time was had by all. Let it go. But instead they're trying to extort him out of a quarter million bucks.
This is not a betrayal by Ron Paul. He owes these people nothing. For years they've been cashing in Paul's cult of personality, and now that his star is setting they're looking at declining influence — and revenues. The only thing more pitiful than a has-been celebrity are a has-been celebrity's sycophants. This is their last-gasp attempt to gouge Paul for a few dollars more.
People on the right are constantly yapping about god and county and tradition and principles and rights, but at the end of the day it's always about the money.
And I still can't stop laughing that Ron Paul is going all UN his supporters' ass.
Best Picture: Les Miserables
I'm not much for musicals but Tom Hooper's Les Miserables is absolutely stunning. All of the actors are dazzling. Who knew that Russell Crowe could sing?
Anne Hathaway completely gives every iota of her heart and soul to her portrayal of Fantine and I have to admit I was moved to tears by her performance. It was devastating.
I remember how I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer and thinking, "Again, with this story?" Boy, was I wrong!
Anne Hathaway completely gives every iota of her heart and soul to her portrayal of Fantine and I have to admit I was moved to tears by her performance. It was devastating.
I remember how I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer and thinking, "Again, with this story?" Boy, was I wrong!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Good Words
The party right now is a holding company that's devoid of a soul and it will be filled up with ideas over time and leaders will take their proper place. We can't be known as a party that's fear-based and doesn't believe in math. In the end it will come down to a party that believes in opportunity for all our people, economic competitiveness and a strong dose of libertarianism
--(former Utah Governor, Ambassador to China and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman)
Agreed. But how long will it take to clear out the clown car?
--(former Utah Governor, Ambassador to China and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman)
Agreed. But how long will it take to clear out the clown car?
Saturday, February 09, 2013
A Perpetual Adolescent Power Fantasy
Bill requires all Idaho kids to read ‘Atlas Shrugged’
Fantastic! Now, it will be a law that young people have an indefinite adolescent power fantasy.
And doesn't this subvert the whole point of the book? Like I have been saying....most libertarians are closet fascists. Re-education camps are fine as long as we are doing it!
Fantastic! Now, it will be a law that young people have an indefinite adolescent power fantasy.
And doesn't this subvert the whole point of the book? Like I have been saying....most libertarians are closet fascists. Re-education camps are fine as long as we are doing it!
Best Picture: Django Unchained
I have no earthly idea why Quentin Tarrentino's Django Unchained was nominated for Best Picture. It's a good film and is very typical Tarrentino but certainly not as strong as Inglorious Bastards. Definitely not Oscar level material. Christopher Waltz shines once again, this time as a bounty hunter who rescues Django, played by Jamie Foxx, from slavery. The two end up teaming up, making money, and going after Django's wife who is still a slave.
Along the way, they shoot a lot of bigots with giant amounts of blood spurting out from every imaginable orifice. The acting is very good. Who can go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson? The violence is way over the top but not nearly as bad as Bastards or Reservoir Dogs. I was cautioned by many of my friends that it was "really, really violent." Had they ever seen a Quentin Tarrentino film before? Probably just the usual over sensitivity that seems to get worse and worse every day in our culture.
If you like revenge flicks and some serious gun play, this is the film for you.
Along the way, they shoot a lot of bigots with giant amounts of blood spurting out from every imaginable orifice. The acting is very good. Who can go wrong with Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson? The violence is way over the top but not nearly as bad as Bastards or Reservoir Dogs. I was cautioned by many of my friends that it was "really, really violent." Had they ever seen a Quentin Tarrentino film before? Probably just the usual over sensitivity that seems to get worse and worse every day in our culture.
If you like revenge flicks and some serious gun play, this is the film for you.
Friday, February 08, 2013
There Was Nothing Free About Them
If only people were allowed to carry their guns wherever they felt like it, spree shootings would never happen, gun free zone detractors whine in typical adolescent fashion. It continually amazes me that the core of their argument about this and many other issues revolves around the same basic emotion: I wanna do what I wanna do when I wanna do it and if I don't get my way, bad things will happen. See?!! Told ya!! Fuck you, dad!! (stomp stomp stomp...SLAM!)
Setting aside this perpetual, childish outburst, the assertion that spree shootings are more lethal because they are in gun free zones is patently false. The idea that we can somehow get into the mind of these people and (ahem) reason that they pick these places so they can have the largest body count is one of the finest examples of projection and confirmation bias I have ever witnessed. You would think that they were presenting a conclusion to an argument without having any facts to support it. That couldn't possibly be true!
When Cookie Thornton shot up Kirkwood City Hall, he began his spree by shooting a police officer, taking his gun, and then heading inside to continue his path of destruction. The fact that there were guns in the building had no effect on Thornton's mindset. He went in anyway. Thornton, by the way, was yet another individual with a pathological hatred for government. Jared Loughner walked in to a parking lot that was not a gun free zone and had no compunction about shooting up the joint. People were allowed to carry arms around that area and that certainly didn't stop him. Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL and heavily armed and trained, when he was shot, along with his friend Chad Littlefield, at a gun range (see: not gun free) by Eddie Ray Routh.
And armed security was present at Columbine when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their rampage, killing 12 people.
So, this notion that getting rid of gun free zones will somehow be a panacea is ludicrous. The above are just a few examples. Whether guns are present or not present has no bearing on whether or not people go on shooting sprees. It's simply another in a nauseating series of proclamations by children who are trying to get their own way.
Setting aside this perpetual, childish outburst, the assertion that spree shootings are more lethal because they are in gun free zones is patently false. The idea that we can somehow get into the mind of these people and (ahem) reason that they pick these places so they can have the largest body count is one of the finest examples of projection and confirmation bias I have ever witnessed. You would think that they were presenting a conclusion to an argument without having any facts to support it. That couldn't possibly be true!
When Cookie Thornton shot up Kirkwood City Hall, he began his spree by shooting a police officer, taking his gun, and then heading inside to continue his path of destruction. The fact that there were guns in the building had no effect on Thornton's mindset. He went in anyway. Thornton, by the way, was yet another individual with a pathological hatred for government. Jared Loughner walked in to a parking lot that was not a gun free zone and had no compunction about shooting up the joint. People were allowed to carry arms around that area and that certainly didn't stop him. Chris Kyle was a Navy SEAL and heavily armed and trained, when he was shot, along with his friend Chad Littlefield, at a gun range (see: not gun free) by Eddie Ray Routh.
And armed security was present at Columbine when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold went on their rampage, killing 12 people.
So, this notion that getting rid of gun free zones will somehow be a panacea is ludicrous. The above are just a few examples. Whether guns are present or not present has no bearing on whether or not people go on shooting sprees. It's simply another in a nauseating series of proclamations by children who are trying to get their own way.
Best Picture: Beasts of The Southern Wild
Beasts of the Southern Wild is an extraordinary film. It tells the story of a father and his daughter who are part of a community that lives off the grid down in the Bayou near New Oreleans. When a storm floods their little island, their already impoverished life becomes even worse.
I found myself sitting in judgement of these people throughout the film and, quite frankly, didn't like the things I was feeling. Hush Puppy, the main character of the story, is treated horribly by her father and the mandated reporter in me wanted to haul his ass to jail. Yet the entire community seemed to function perfectly well on their own, albeit in squalor. When a relief organization comes in to bring them medical aid and shelter, they react strongly against the assistance. It is a fascinating thing to watch as they reflect on how it's the outside world, not them, that are trapped.
In many ways, this film is a testament to libertarianism and, if you can stand the miserable living conditions, freedom is indeed a beautiful thing.
I found myself sitting in judgement of these people throughout the film and, quite frankly, didn't like the things I was feeling. Hush Puppy, the main character of the story, is treated horribly by her father and the mandated reporter in me wanted to haul his ass to jail. Yet the entire community seemed to function perfectly well on their own, albeit in squalor. When a relief organization comes in to bring them medical aid and shelter, they react strongly against the assistance. It is a fascinating thing to watch as they reflect on how it's the outside world, not them, that are trapped.
In many ways, this film is a testament to libertarianism and, if you can stand the miserable living conditions, freedom is indeed a beautiful thing.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Hand Grenade Man
The Tick was a superhero comic first published in the early Nineties. The Tick was a parody of Superman, Batman, Hulk, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four, the Punisher and the rest of four-color universe — and it was published in black and white. The Tick was turned into a half-hour Saturday morning cartoon on Fox for three seasons.
In one issue Tick and his sidekick Arthur go to New York where superheroes are hanging on every wall, lamp post and flag pole. They're packed so tight they have to reserve street patrol times by the hour and schedule their next colossal confrontation with the gigantic tentacled blob Thrakkorzog and his army of gelatin zombies a week in advance.
Tick and Arthur encounter the Mighty Agrippa, Roman God of the Aqueduct, who invites them to the Comet Club, the exclusive superhero hangout. While Arthur is sent down to the sidekick's lounge, Tick meets superheroes like Skateboard Viking, Four-Legged Man, Fishboy, the Ant and Hand Grenade Man.
Tick asks what Hand Grenade Man's super powers are. "Super powers? Bah! Who needs 'em? I've got a hand grenade! ... You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish when people know you've got one."
Which brings us to Jimmy Lee Dykes, the man who killed a bus driver, kidnapped a boy and held the child for almost a week. Dykes was shot dead after the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, a "counterterrorism tactical team," threw a flashbang into his bunker and briefly exchanged gunfire.
Dykes was a real Hand Grenade Man. Everyone knew he was going to explode some day. He pointed his gun at kids coming near his land. He patrolled his property at night with a long gun and a flashlight. He beat a neighbor's dog with pipe. He piled dirt in the road to create a speed bump, and when someone messed it up he started shooting at them. That precipitated a court appearance. And that's when Dykes pulled the pin.
Dykes apparently harbored anti-government, anti-police views. His neighbors found him to be increasingly paranoid and violent, frequently brandishing weapons. Before the incident Dykes gave a neighbor his manifesto, but authorities have yet to release it so we don't yet fully know what his deal was.
But the mild reaction of law enforcement to Dykes shooting at a woman and her child was proof of his paranoia. They simply scheduled a court date and left him at large. It makes you wonder: if Dykes had been black or Muslim would the police have been so accommodating?
Here was a man who was obviously a danger to himself and others, someone who had made terroristic threats, yet the authorities went out of their way to allow him to exercise his Second Amendment rights even after he'd abused them.
Jimmy Lee Dykes was the poster geezer for the NRA. He is the kind of guy we all think of when we conjure up the term gun nut: a grizzled, paranoid isolationist who's constantly ranting about the government and is on the verge of exploding.
Dykes is exactly the kind of guy that the NRA caters to and riles up with their apocalyptic visions of home invasions and arming themselves for the imminent collapse of society. They propagate the myth that an AR-15 is some kind of super power that will fend off drone strikes and Abrams tanks when the government attacks, or protect them from disease and starvation in the desolate landscape of Armageddon.
If it turns out that Dykes' manifesto is a rehash of NRA propaganda, how will they respond? Will they own up to their part in this act of domestic terrorism? Because the guy was a terrorist, no different than any Al Qaeda or Red Army terrorist. He was also crazy, like all terrorists and people who use violence against innocents to push their agendas.
Or will the Hand Grenade Men in the NRA blame his neighbors, the local police, liberals and society at large for threatening to take away his toys and driving him over the edge?
My money's on the latter.
In one issue Tick and his sidekick Arthur go to New York where superheroes are hanging on every wall, lamp post and flag pole. They're packed so tight they have to reserve street patrol times by the hour and schedule their next colossal confrontation with the gigantic tentacled blob Thrakkorzog and his army of gelatin zombies a week in advance.
Tick and Arthur encounter the Mighty Agrippa, Roman God of the Aqueduct, who invites them to the Comet Club, the exclusive superhero hangout. While Arthur is sent down to the sidekick's lounge, Tick meets superheroes like Skateboard Viking, Four-Legged Man, Fishboy, the Ant and Hand Grenade Man.
Tick asks what Hand Grenade Man's super powers are. "Super powers? Bah! Who needs 'em? I've got a hand grenade! ... You'd be surprised how much you can accomplish when people know you've got one."
Which brings us to Jimmy Lee Dykes, the man who killed a bus driver, kidnapped a boy and held the child for almost a week. Dykes was shot dead after the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team, a "counterterrorism tactical team," threw a flashbang into his bunker and briefly exchanged gunfire.
Dykes was a real Hand Grenade Man. Everyone knew he was going to explode some day. He pointed his gun at kids coming near his land. He patrolled his property at night with a long gun and a flashlight. He beat a neighbor's dog with pipe. He piled dirt in the road to create a speed bump, and when someone messed it up he started shooting at them. That precipitated a court appearance. And that's when Dykes pulled the pin.
Dykes apparently harbored anti-government, anti-police views. His neighbors found him to be increasingly paranoid and violent, frequently brandishing weapons. Before the incident Dykes gave a neighbor his manifesto, but authorities have yet to release it so we don't yet fully know what his deal was.
But the mild reaction of law enforcement to Dykes shooting at a woman and her child was proof of his paranoia. They simply scheduled a court date and left him at large. It makes you wonder: if Dykes had been black or Muslim would the police have been so accommodating?
Here was a man who was obviously a danger to himself and others, someone who had made terroristic threats, yet the authorities went out of their way to allow him to exercise his Second Amendment rights even after he'd abused them.
Jimmy Lee Dykes was the poster geezer for the NRA. He is the kind of guy we all think of when we conjure up the term gun nut: a grizzled, paranoid isolationist who's constantly ranting about the government and is on the verge of exploding.
Dykes is exactly the kind of guy that the NRA caters to and riles up with their apocalyptic visions of home invasions and arming themselves for the imminent collapse of society. They propagate the myth that an AR-15 is some kind of super power that will fend off drone strikes and Abrams tanks when the government attacks, or protect them from disease and starvation in the desolate landscape of Armageddon.
If it turns out that Dykes' manifesto is a rehash of NRA propaganda, how will they respond? Will they own up to their part in this act of domestic terrorism? Because the guy was a terrorist, no different than any Al Qaeda or Red Army terrorist. He was also crazy, like all terrorists and people who use violence against innocents to push their agendas.
Or will the Hand Grenade Men in the NRA blame his neighbors, the local police, liberals and society at large for threatening to take away his toys and driving him over the edge?
My money's on the latter.
No One Killed The Electric Car This Time
Here's some more good news that has flown under the radar.
A green secret: It was the year plug-in car sales accelerated
Plug-in vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius PHV, and all-electric Nissan Leaf are on pace for combined sales of about 50,000 by year-end – far ahead of what hybrid sales were at the same stage of market development – and a 280 percent jump in sales over 2011, according to data from Baum & Associates, an auto industry research firm. Next year will bring 33 models from a dozen companies.
When you consider how much of a pummeling the electric car takes every day, this is truly fantastic. This will have an impact on the climate, no doubt, and that's despite the notion that we are trading one form of polluting for another. Electric power is coming from more diverse sources than ever before these days so any less carbon emissions in the atmosphere is a net gain.
A green secret: It was the year plug-in car sales accelerated
Plug-in vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius PHV, and all-electric Nissan Leaf are on pace for combined sales of about 50,000 by year-end – far ahead of what hybrid sales were at the same stage of market development – and a 280 percent jump in sales over 2011, according to data from Baum & Associates, an auto industry research firm. Next year will bring 33 models from a dozen companies.
When you consider how much of a pummeling the electric car takes every day, this is truly fantastic. This will have an impact on the climate, no doubt, and that's despite the notion that we are trading one form of polluting for another. Electric power is coming from more diverse sources than ever before these days so any less carbon emissions in the atmosphere is a net gain.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
My Dream Realized
Remember how often I fantasize about people on the Right going off to form their own country? Well, Glenn Beck is now making that dream a reality!
Well, follks, what are your waiting fer? Just think of it...you could leave all of us commie fascist takers behind and have your own little paradise. Everything would work out perfectly. I just know it!
Well, follks, what are your waiting fer? Just think of it...you could leave all of us commie fascist takers behind and have your own little paradise. Everything would work out perfectly. I just know it!
Relief is Spelled C-O-U-L-T-E-R
Universal background check means universal registration. Universal registration means universal confiscation, universal extermination. That’s how it goes in history.
Well, shit. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't get anywhere on refining our gun laws but now I know for certain that we will. Hell, we might even get an assault weapons ban if we see more stuff like this!
I'm beginning to see a pattern that has developed over the last four years...the Right says something loony tunes, America reacts with revulsion and....good things happen:)
Well, shit. I was a little concerned that we wouldn't get anywhere on refining our gun laws but now I know for certain that we will. Hell, we might even get an assault weapons ban if we see more stuff like this!
I'm beginning to see a pattern that has developed over the last four years...the Right says something loony tunes, America reacts with revulsion and....good things happen:)
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