Thomas Hudner and Jesse Brown

Thomas Hudner and Jesse Brown
'I think I may have been hit.
I've lost my oil pressure and I'm going to have to go in.'"

“Where do we get such men?
They leave this ship and they do their job.
Then they must find this speck lost somewhere on the sea. When they find it, they have to land on its pitching deck. Where do we get such men?"
Rear Admiral George Tarrant in “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”

Holder's Hidden Agenda

Holder's Hidden Agenda

Let's take stock of where we are at this point. KSM and his confederates wanted to plead guilty and have their martyrs' execution last December, when they were being handled by military commission.
As I said at the time, we could and should have accommodated them.
The Obama administration could still accommodate them.
After all, the president has not pulled the plug on all military commissions: Holder is going to announce at least one commission trial (for Nashiri, the Cole bomber) today.

Moreover, KSM has no defense.
He was under American indictment for terrorism for years before there ever was a 9/11, and he can't help himself but brag about the atrocities he and his fellow barbarians have carried out.

So: We are now going to have a trial that never had to happen for defendants who have no defense.
And when defendants have no defense for their own actions, there is only one thing for their lawyers to do: put the government on trial in hopes of getting the jury (and the media) spun up over government errors, abuses and incompetence.
That is what is going to happen in the trial of KSM et al.
It will be a soapbox for al-Qaeda's case against America.
Since that will be their "defense," the defendants will demand every bit of information they can get about interrogations, renditions, secret prisons, undercover operations targeting Muslims and mosques, etc., and — depending on what judge catches the case — they are likely to be given a lot of it.
The administration will be able to claim that the judge, not the administration, is responsible for the exposure of our defense secrets.
And the circus will be played out for all to see — in the middle of the war.
It will provide endless fodder for the transnational Left to press its case that actions taken in America's defense are violations of international law that must be addressed by foreign courts.
And the intelligence bounty will make our enemies more efficient at killing us.

This "president" and his anti-American comrades might be more effective in destroying our country than al-Qaeda itself.

Why is this man bowing?

Why is this man bowing?
"Obama has now done it again. Andrew Malcolm asks (and reports):
('How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow.')
Obama's breach of protocol is of a piece with the substance of his foreign policy.
He means to teach Americans to bow before monarchs and tyrants."

Don’t-Miss Video: Incredible Look at U.S. Airways Flight 1549

Don’t-Miss Video: Incredible Look at U.S. Airways Flight 1549
"We’ve seen a lot of simulations of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 going into the Hudson River, but a new video painstakingly compiled by an engineer offers the most comprehensive and compelling look yet at the airliner’s short but incredible flight"

WHO IS JOHN GALT?

WHO IS JOHN GALT?
"October deficit bigger than expected; revenues down 18%.
“What better way to kick off Barack Obama’s first full budget year as President than with a deficit that exceeded the White House’s own projections as well as analysts’ expectations?
The federal government busted the budget worse than last October by $20 billion with a deficit of $176.36 billion for the month.
That used to be considered a decent deficit target … for an entire year.”"

Chia® Obama Special Edition

Chia® Obama Special Edition - Official Site - chiaobama.com

Navy Wins Diversity Award Topping Leading Companies

Navy Wins Diversity Award Topping Leading Companies
"Navy Region Southwest was awarded the President's Award for Diversity in the large business category from the league during an awards luncheon Oct. 29.
The award honors businesses for maximizing opportunities for minorities in San Diego County.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead has pointed out his goal to see the Navy designated a top 50 employer.
Ray King, president and chief executive officer of the San Diego Urban League, said the Navy in San Diego is helping the CNO realize this goal."

Diversity is our strength....right?
Is that what the US Navy is all about?
Do we have enough Islamists yet?

Muslims Bombing Muslims

Muslims Bombing Muslims
"In this case the rich nation doing the shelling and bombing and building the fence is Saudi Arabia.
The poor side of the fence would be Yemen, and the rebels are insurgents in the Yemeni civil war that have moved into Saudi territory.
According to AP, 175,000 have been displaced, and rebels are claiming the Saudis are randomly bombing, including residential areas."

No frowny faced Perky Katie or her MSM comrades to be seen anywhere........what a surprise!

N.C. principal leaves after cash-for-grades flap

N.C. principal leaves after cash-for-grades flap
"A North Carolina principal is retiring after school district leaders halted a cash-for-grades fundraiser she approved."

A follow up and a rare nibblet of good news on the government controlled education front.

How Comparative Effectiveness Can Cost You Your Life

How Comparative Effectiveness Can Cost You Your Life
"The phrase “Comparative Effectiveness” is becoming increasingly in vogue among Obama health care advocates. So, it’s important to note that it actually amounts to little more than a euphemism for health care rationing."

So the English majors have taken over the country and "euphemism" is the new national narcotic.
Great.....

Worst Birthday Cakes Ever

Worst Birthday Cakes Ever

Federal Deficit Hits October Record of $176 Billion

Federal Deficit Hits October Record of $176 Billion
"The rising deficit has caused some concerns in Asia, where President Obama is set to start a weeklong trip."

When communist China, bankrupt Japan and the rest of the mostly corrupt asian countries are worried about the economic stability of America... shouldn't that also worry us here in the USA?

Top Republican says White House hiding info on Fort Hood - The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Top Republican says White House hiding info on Fort Hood
"Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) said administration officials delayed briefing members of Congress about the alleged gunman, raising 'red flags' about what the White House was hiding.
'When they withhold information, you always start asking questions,' Hoekstra told Fox News.
'That's what raises red flags.
What do they know that they don't want us to know?'"

Go get 'em Pete!

Army says morale down among troops in Afghanistan

Army says morale down among troops in Afghanistan

Taken at Veterans Day ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Imagine you're in the military, at war.......and your boss is Barry Hussein.....

Deficit doubles for government pension insurer

Deficit doubles for government pension insurer
"experts warn that the PBGC's mounting shortfall eventually could require a taxpayer bailout."

Shooter advised Obama transition

Shooter advised Obama transition
"Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the alleged shooter in yesterday's massacre at Fort Hood, played a homeland security advisory role in President Barack Obama's transition into the White House, according to a key university policy institute document."

Chavez's policies go from bad to worse

Chavez's policies go from bad to worse
"It's come to this in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela: The president is pleading with people to save water by limiting their daily cleansing routine to a 3-minute ``communist shower.''
Really. This is just the latest indication of how badly Mr. Chávez continues to mismanage the economy of energy-rich Venezuela, which should be one of the most prosperous nations in the world to judge from its vast hydrocarbon reserves.
Instead of offering Venezuela's 27 million people a better life, Mr. Chávez ``Bolivarian socialism'' has squandered the nation's wealth on military armament, populist schemes and the creation of a patronage state, a prescription for ruin and misery."

AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movie Quotes (Musical Montage)

Tales Of Woe No Excuse For Mass Murder

Tales Of Woe No Excuse For Mass Murder
"It certainly was a surprise to the mainstream media, which spent the weekend after the Fort Hood massacre downplaying Nidal Hasan's religious beliefs.
'I cringe that he's a Muslim. ... I think he's probably just a nut case,' said Newsweek's Evan Thomas. Some were more adamant. Time's Joe Klein decried 'odious attempts by Jewish extremists . .. to argue that the massacre perpetrated by Nidal Hasan was somehow a direct consequence of his Islamic beliefs.'"

A Story Without Words

A Story Without Words

Grab a hanky, click and marvel at the love.

DADT Likely to Be Part of Defense Bill

DADT Likely to Be Part of Defense Bill
"Repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” will likely be included as part of next year’s Department of Defense authorization bill in both chambers of Congress, Congressman Barney Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat, said Wednesday.

“Military issues are always done as part of the overall authorization bill,” Frank said, insisting that this has been the strategy for overturning the policy all along.

'Don’t ask, don’t tell' was always going to be part of the military"

100+% Implicit Marginal Tax Rates Will Create Permanent Democratic Majority

100+% Implicit Marginal Tax Rates Will Create Permanent Democratic Majority
"A permanent, Democratic-voting majority living off government benefits with no way out.
It really is that bad, and this really is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the Democrats to achieve a permanent, economically-enslaved majority."

A little complicated but this is a MUST read.

Report: 10 states face looming budget disasters

Report: 10 states face looming budget disasters
Michigan, where two of the Detroit Three automakers filed for bankruptcy protection this year, continues to offer tax incentives even as they take a toll on the state's pocketbook, leading to declining tax revenue.
According to the Pew study, Michigan offered $6.3 billion more in total tax exemptions, credits and deductions than it actually collected in taxes in 2008."

The Swine Flu Boogeyman

The Swine Flu Boogeyman
"What Schuchat didn't say is that, as tragic as any child's death always is, in this case they merely represent a disproportionately larger slice of a very small pie.
Very few people are dying of swine flu in any age category.
Put another way, it's not that younger people are being slammed but that older ones are catching a break."

Not all happy with new road commissioner

Not all happy with new road commissioner
"Derezinski claims Mahoney favored DeWolf because of DeWolf’s ties to the United Auto Workers and the Democratic Party. He said DeWolf and the UAW played a key role in financing many Democratic candidates over the years, giving DeWolf an edge over other applicants for the road commission seat.

Even though he is a Democrat, Derezinski said he does not want to play politics with such appointments, especially at a time when township supervisors are demanding better communication with the road commission. Derezinski represents Egelston and Muskegon townships.

“This is party politics at its worst,” Derezinski said. “It’s the good-old-boys’ system, and I don’t want any part of it."

Cannibal who ate his mum jailed

Cannibal who ate his mum jailed
"A Russian man who killed and ate parts of his mother has been given a reduced sentence because he was starving and needed to eat.
Sergey Gavrilov, 27, was handed a lighter jail term of 14 years and three months after he confessed to eating his mother's body but said he did not enjoy it, the Daily Mail newspaper reports.
'I did not like the meat very much ... it was too fatty but I was so hungry I had to eat it,' the newspaper quoted him as telling a Russian court.
Gavrilov told the court he had no money to buy food after spending it all on alcohol and gambling machines.
When his 55-year-old mother Lyubov refused to lend him more money for alcohol he hit her over the head with a brick and strangled her with an electrical cable.
Gavrilov then put her body outside on the balcony of the family unit where it froze."

The Late Movies: Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers

Dogs Welcoming Home Soldiers

These reunion videos—for me, at least—shed a tiny beam of light on how emotionally draining being a military family can be.
They’ll also make you want a dog.
To commemorate Veterans Day, here are some overjoyed dogs greeting returning soldiers.

See them all!
And make sure you see the last one.
Not doggie, but even better!

What's wrong with this picture?

What's wrong with this picture?
"The First Lady, a woman widely acclaimed for her fashion sense in the courtier media, has no common sense at all when it comes to respecting a solemn occasion.
Apparently, nobody among her score of personal aides in the White House had the gumption to tell her she was about to make a fool of herself at the Veterans Day memorial."

Just send your $7,000

Just send your $7,000
"Fellow citizens of Illinois, Gov. Pat Quinn, legislators: Welcome to yet another public pension fiasco.
Yet another festival of denial.
Because in one obscure and maddening moment last week, every one of us slipped closer to burying our children and grandchildren -- unless they flee the state -- in still more debt by the billions."

CUNY's got math problem: Report shows many freshmen from city HS fail at basic algebra

CUNY's got math problem: Report shows many freshmen from city HS fail at basic algebra
"During their first math class at one of CUNY's four-year colleges, 90% of 200 students tested couldn't solve a simple algebra problem, the report by the CUNY Council of Math Chairs found.
Only a third could convert a fraction into a decimal."

Airventure 2009

I'm going next year!

Dressed to Kill

Dressed to Kill
Of Berets and Turbans The Blog home page Another Piece of Evidence in the Fort Hood Case »

Tarek Fatah writes in the Ottawa Citizen:
No one seemed to notice the significance of the attire that Maj. Nidal Hasan was wearing the morning of the killings. It was captured on a store surveillance video where he bought a coffee....

Hasan was wearing the 'shalwar-kameez,' the traditional attire worn by Pashtuns on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border....I have lived a decade in the Arab world and not once did I see an Arab wearing the shalwar-kameez.

There is one particular group of Arabs who did embrace the garb of the Pashtuns - those who went to Afghanistan to wage jihad alongside al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

This guy was walking around a U.S. military installation dressed like Osama bin Laden and nobody said anything, yet the Army is being accused of intolerance and anti-Muslim bias. To repeat, according to Tarek Fatah, Hasan was not merely dressed in traditional Arab garb--he dressed in the traditional garb of al Qaeda terrorists."

DeMint tries to ban 'permanent politicians'

DeMint tries to ban 'permanent politicians'
"Sen. Jim DeMint says Washington politicians are like fruit on the vine: the longer they hang around, the more rotten they get.
The South Carolina Republican - hearkening back to the days of the party's 'Contract with America' - on Tuesday offered a fix to the corrupting influence of 'permanent politicians,' introducing an amendment to the Constitution that would limit Senate members to three six-year terms and House members to three two-year terms."

Detroit pension trustees take flight on funds' tab

Detroit pension trustees take flight on funds' tab
"The trustees who oversee Detroit's two public pensions, their lawyers and staff spent $380,000 over the past year circling the globe to attend conferences -- often traveling in packs, with virtually no limitation on where they went or how often they traveled."

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports™

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll - Rasmussen Reports™
"Overall, 46% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance.
Fifty-three percent (53%) disapprove."

Meals on Wheels cuts may endanger elderly

Meals on Wheels cuts may endanger elderly
The woman’s son was pacing back and forth, looking at Lisa Roosien with helpless frustration.

His mother weighed just 87 pounds after dementia and a lack of nutritional resources had driven her into a dangerous spiral of weight loss in recent months.

He looked to Roosien, a registered dietitian at AgeWell Services, as a lifeline.
Times were tough and money was tight — his mother needed assistance.

“What do I do?” he asked.

At any other time, Roosien could have set the woman up with a Meals on Wheels plan where volunteers would check on her daily and bring warm food right to her home.

But recent state funding cuts have AgeWell Services in a tough place, she said.

Her hands were tied"

Time to raise taxes in Grand Rapids? With police, firefighter layoffs ahead, some say yes

Time to raise taxes in Grand Rapids? With police, firefighter layoffs ahead, some say yes
"City Manager Gregory Sundstrom’s announcement he will lay off 125 city employees — including 44 police officers and 25 firefighters — is giving birth to a push to raise city taxes not seen in 15 years"

The Man Who Despises America

The Man Who Despises America: "Barack Obama despises America.
When people who voted for Obama in 2008 -- including registered Democrats -- start speaking in normal conversational voices at dinner parties, neighborhood gatherings and PTA meetings that the over-inflated ego from Chicago has it 'in for America,' then it's clear most reasonable people have reached the same conclusion.
The central conviction of Obama's ideology is that America is guilty of limitless moral failures and is the chief architect of the world's ills.
Obama has boundless enmity for America, its key institutions, and its longtime allies."

Is China headed toward collapse?

Is China headed toward collapse?
"But there’s a growing group of market professionals who see a different picture altogether.
These self-styled China bears take the less popular view: that the much-vaunted Chinese economic miracle is nothing but a paper dragon.
In fact, they argue that the Chinese have dangerously overheated their economy, building malls, luxury stores and infrastructure for which there is almost no demand, and that the entire system is teetering toward collapse"

2009-10 MSU Basketball Preview

2009-10 MSU Basketball Preview

Muskegon may 'nudge' more students toward college

Muskegon may 'nudge' more students toward college
"Students at Muskegon High School would have to apply for college or other continuing education in order to graduate under a plan proposed by school administrators.

The proposed graduation policy, which would take effect with this year’s seniors, states that the requirement is the result of an economy that “demands highly skilled workers who have further education beyond high school.”

The district also would require that in order to graduate, students must take the Michigan Merit Exam, which includes the ACT college entrance exam. The MME is administered by school districts to high school juniors"

They're "graduating" kids who can't wright a sentence, add 3 numbers in their head and now those fools demand this.
Gimme a break!

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush
"As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.
FOR HOURS.
The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them."

Why will the unemployment extension payments take so long to receive in Michigan?

Why will the unemployment extension payments take so long to receive in Michigan?
"But many are also asking:
Why the big delay in receiving extension payments?"

It's run by the feds and Jenny?
Serious "duh" here.

FORT HOOD’S GUN-FREE ZONE.

FORT HOOD’S GUN-FREE ZONE.
“Neither Smith nor the other victims of Hasan’s assault had guns because soldiers on military bases within the United States generally are not supposed to carry them.
Last week’s shootings, which killed 13 people and wounded more than 30, demonstrated once again the folly of ‘gun-free zones,’ which attract and assist people bent on mass murder instead of deterring them.”"

US Postal Service honors our veterans by taking the day off...with pay

Federal Holiday Schedule

How proud our military veterans must feel.......yeah right....

For $20, kids can buy a better grade

For $20, kids can buy a better grade
"Selling candy didn't raise much money last year, so a Goldsboro middle school is selling grades.
A $20 donation to Rosewood Middle School will get a student 20 test points - 10 extra points on two tests of the student's choosing.
That could raise a B to an A, or a failing grade to a D."

Alms for the teachers?

ObamaCare endorsements: What the bribe was

ObamaCare endorsements: What the bribe was
"· The AARP got a financial windfall in return for its support of the healthcare bill.
Over the past decade, the AARP has morphed from an advocacy group to an insurance company (through its subsidiary company).
It is one of the main suppliers of Medi-gap insurance, a high-cost, privately purchased coverage that picks up where Medicare leaves off.
But President Bush-43 passed the Medicare Advantage program, which offered a subsidized, lower-cost alternative to Medi-gap.
Under Medicare Advantage, the elderly get all the extra coverage they need plus coordinated, well-managed care, usually by the same physician.
So more than 10 million seniors went with Medicare Advantage, cutting into AARP Medi-gap revenues.

Presto!
Obama solved their problem.
He eliminates subsidies for Medicare Advantage.
The elderly will have to pay more for coverage under Medigap, but the AARP — which supposedly represents them — will make more money.
(If this galls you, join the American Seniors Association, the alternative group; contact sbarton@americanseniors.org)

When will the people see this "man" for what he really is?

Employer-Provided Medicine Is Completely Illogical

Employer-Provided Medicine Is Completely Illogical
"Two simple observations are key to explaining both the high level of spending on medical care and the dissatisfaction with that spending.
The first is that most payments to physicians or hospitals or other caregivers for medical care are made not by the patient but by a third party—an insurance company or employer or governmental body.
The second is that nobody spends somebody else’s money as wisely or as frugally as he spends his own."

Sometimes, an extremist really is an extremist

Sometimes, an extremist really is an extremist
"If we act as if 'Islam is the problem,' we will guarantee that Islam will become the problem."

A Pittance of Time - Terry Kelly

Remember our living military veterans today.
Give thanks to those who we are so lucky to know and love!

"On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o'clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, "A Pittance of Time". Terry later recorded "A Pittance of Time" and included it on his full-length music CD, "The Power of the Dream".

U.S. announces one-on-one talks with North Korea

U.S. announces one-on-one talks with North Korea
"U.S. officials will soon meet unilaterally with North Korean representatives to facilitate the resumption of talks on ending North Korea's nuclear program, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Tuesday."

What perfect timing for pre-Veteran's Day!

Happy 234th Birthday to the Marines

Happy 234th Birthday to the Marines
"Earlier this year as I was filling up at the gas station I noticed a faded bumper sticker- vintage Bush 43-on the car next to me: “Dissent is Patriotic.”
When I pointed to the bumper and asked the driver if she still believed that, she suggested I do something to myself which I am certain is physically impossible.
I just laughed and said, “I’ll take that as a no.”
At the time, our Marine son and his men were deployed to a remote Forward Operating Base in Afghanistan."

...In AMERICAN PATRIOT by Robert Coram, Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Bud Day is quoted as saying:

“It is not a widely known fact, but military people are weepers.

They weep when they watch a parade and the flag goes by.

They weep when they hear the National Anthem.

They weep at tales of valor and sacrifice.”

When I read that, a sense of relief washed over me.

If maybe the most valiant man I ever met can weep then I guess it’s okay for me to admit shedding a tear.

I’ve shot guys and never flinched but tales of valor and the sacrifices I have seen by my military heroes and their families choke me up every time.

I wonder if the woman at Shell ever cries and if so, for whom or for what?"

Please read this entire ....gift to all of us.

DC sniper Muhammad executed for 2002 attacks

DC sniper Muhammad executed for 2002 attacks
"John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind of the sniper attacks that terrorized the nation's capital region for three weeks in October 2002, was executed Tuesday. Muhammad died by injection at 9:11 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt,"

Oh, happy day!

United announces Muskegon-Chicago flight schedule

United announces Muskegon-Chicago flight schedule
"Longtime air-service provider Delta Airlines will cease flights between Muskegon and Detroit on Feb. 10, the same day United takes over."

Doesn't that mean Delta will no longer service MKG?

Fruitport Township wants to study water alternatives

Fruitport Township wants to study water alternatives
"Fruitport Township officials took the first step Monday night that could pave the way for the township to eventually leave the Muskegon Heights water system, amid a long-running dispute over operation of the system."
Is Norton Shores gonna leave too?

How do you mark the Berlin Wall coming down without including Reagan? “Well, NBC …

How do you mark the Berlin Wall coming down without including Reagan?
“Well, NBC News shows us how, and, as a bonus, manages to include Hillary Clinton in the report, twice.”
Related item here."

Another example of the joys of government controlled media.
This trend is really getting scary!

New Hampshire Will Bailout Failing Newspaper

New Hampshire Will Bailout Failing Newspaper
"The state of New Hampshire last week agreed to guarantee 75 percent of a $250,000 loan from an Upper Valley bank to the new owner of the Eagle Times, an unusual deal because it involves a daily newspaper and the government it covers."

Here it comes!
Government controlled AND guaranteed media.
Adolf, Joseph and Mao would be proud.......

Is Social Security a savings account or a Ponzi scheme?

Is Social Security a savings account or a Ponzi scheme?
"Social Security works by transferring income of a younger generation to an older generation. So in that sense, it is a lot more like a Ponzi scheme in which earlier investors are paid returns off the investments of newer investors.
.....But, like a Ponzi scheme, Social Security does have a simple and fatal flaw: If there aren’t enough new participants in the system, there won’t be enough to support those receiving payoffs.
With the retirement of the baby-boom generation starting next year, the demographic structure of the U.S. population will slowly force Social Security to topple.
There simply won’t be enough workers to support those receiving benefits.
We will need to fix the system soon, or in 30 years Social Security will no longer be solvent."

This columnist suggests that even though it's a ponzi scheme, it's OK cause lot's of old folks made out like bandits.
gimme a break!

Interview with the President: Jail Time for Those without Health Care Insurance?

Interview with the President: Jail Time for Those without Health Care Insurance?
"During an exclusive interview with ABC News’ Jake Tapper today, President Obama said that penalties are appropriate for people who try to “free ride” the health care system but stopped short of endorsing the threat of jail time for those who refuse to pay a fine for not having insurance.
“What I think is appropriate is that in the same way that everybody has to get auto insurance and if you don't, you're subject to some penalty, that in this situation, if you have the ability to buy insurance, it's affordable and you choose not to do so, forcing you and me and everybody else to subsidize you, you know, there's a thousand dollar hidden tax that families all across America are -- are burdened by because of the fact that people don't have health insurance, you know, there's nothing wrong with a penalty.”"

What about the "free ride" 10s of millions of citizens and NON-CITIZENS already get?
What a dufuss.

Golf balls: 'Humanity's signature litter'

Golf balls: 'Humanity's signature litter'
"Research teams at the Danish Golf Union have discovered it takes between 100 to 1,000 years for a golf ball to decompose naturally"

15 Interesting Cold War Vintage Ads

15 Interesting Cold War Vintage Ads

The New Tammany Hall

The New Tammany Hal
"A fantastic - and frankly scary - piece appeared in the Weekly Standard a month ago by Fred Siegel & Dan DiSalvo with this title and subtitle:
The New Tammany Hall
Public sector unions have become a labor aristocracy--and they are bankrupting states and municipalities.
The authors write that public sector employee unions have enjoyed a lot of political victories at the state and local level:
'Indeed, they are the one group, besides Goldman Sachs executives, that's done well during the current Great Recession.
Public sector unions have become political powerhouses in New York, New Jersey, Washington, California, and a host of other states.'"

Convicted arsonist keeping his fireman's pension

Convicted arsonist keeping CFD pension

Paterson: NYS Will Be Broke In 4 1/2 Weeks If Cuts Aren't Made Immediately

Paterson: NYS Will Be Broke In 4 1/2 Weeks If Cuts Aren't Made Immediately
"Governor David Paterson called an unusual joint session of the Legislature Monday to implore recalcitrant lawmakers to close the state's huge budget gap before New York runs out of money."

The Warrior Song

OH YEAH!

First-time-homebuyer credit draws fraudulent claims

First-time-homebuyer credit draws fraudulent claims
"U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George told a panel of the U.S. House of Representatives late last month that more than 19,000 people filed 2008 tax returns claiming the tax credit for homes they had not yet purchased."

This is a surprise?

Government's bailout strategy driving up unemployment - says TARP oversight chair Elizabeth Warren

theblogprof: Government's bailout strategy driving up unemployment - says TARP oversight chair Elizabeth Warren
"And even more ironically, this was shown on MSNBC of all places:"

Government Cable

CARPE DIEM: Government Cable

Montague moves playoff football game to Holton

Montague moves playoff football game to Holton
Montague has moved its Saturday 1 p.m. (last week) playoff game to the artificial field turf stadium at Holton.
Montague (10-0), which is hosting Sanford-Meridian in a Division 6 district championship game, moved the game because of poor field conditions at its stadium."

Kids played football for a century on muddy fields.
Is this new "sensitivity" really a ploy to get voters ready for a new artificial turf stadium.......yep!

Why you can't get swine-flu vaccine

Why you can't get swine-flu vaccine
"the US government set out to have the H1N1 vaccine produced largely in single-dose syringes -- a demand that has set back production considerably, because multidose vials are far easier to make.
And the only reason to seek single-dose production was to please people needlessly worried about the preservative thimerasol, which is used to provide multiple doses of the vaccine. The fear -- utterly groundless and repeatedly debunked is that thimerasol can cause autism and other neurological disorders in infants and other young children.
If not for that decision, we'd have more than enough vaccine.
Instead, because the government yielded to pressure from antivaccine fringe groups, we're behind the curve on protecting millions of children from swine flu."

Will the United States Default on Its Debt?

Will the United States Default on Its Debt?
"I suggested that the unthinkable had become thinkable: some advanced society—say, the United States, Spain, Italy, Japan, or Great Britain—might someday default on its government debt.
It wouldn't pay its creditors all they were owed or wouldn't pay them on time.
Just a few days later, and completely coincidentally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued a report that, without saying so, added credence to this unsettling hypothesis"

The table below shows government debt in relation to a country's gross domestic product (GDP), which is the output of its economy. The first column shows the debt-to-GDP ratio for 2007, the last pre-crisis year; the second column gives the IMF's projection for 2014. (Debt reflects government borrowing to cover annual budget deficits.) By this standard measure, many rapidly growing emerging-market countries are less indebted than wealthier nations.

General Government Debt to GDP
COUNTRY 2007 2014
BRAZIL 67% 59%
CANADA 64% 69%
CHINA 20% 20%
FRANCE 64% 96%
GERMANY 63% 89%
INDIA 81% 79%
ITALY 104% 129%
JAPAN 188% 246%
SOUTH KOREA 30% 35%
MEXICO 38% 44%
UNITED KINGDOM 44% 98%
UNITED STATES 62% 108%

Fee increase from 21 cents a ton to $7.50 a ton proposed for trash dumping in Michigan

Fee increase from 21 cents a ton to $7.50 a ton proposed for trash dumping in Michigan to encourage recycling
"Some legislators in Michigan want to increase solid waste disposal fees from 21 cents to $7.50 a ton to encourage recycling."
oh...and it would also be a $145 MILLION tax increase on Michigan residents.....and oh, it's another ALL DEMOCRAT political scam.

Will the United States Default on Its Debt?

Will the United States Default on Its Debt?
"In my latest NEWSWEEK column, I suggested that the unthinkable had become thinkable: some advanced society—say, the United States, Spain, Italy, Japan, or Great Britain—might someday default on its government debt."

No new talks scheduled in Philly transit strike

No new talks scheduled in Philly transit strike
"Commuters in the City of Brotherly Love have been told to gear up to begin a second week of finding other ways to work following the collapse of a proposed deal to end a six-day-old strike by about 5,000 bus drivers, subway and trolley conductors and mechanics."

This is what you get with government mandated commuter-care.

MSU fans, meet Ashton Legget

MSU fans, meet Ashton Leggett
"Two weeks ago, Michigan State running back Ashton Leggett was on the scout team, buried beneath a host of ballcarriers on the depth chart.
Flash forward to the Spartans' 49-14 win over Western Michigan, when Leggett emerged for 110 yards and four touchdowns on 14 rushing attempts - including a 71-yard scoring run the first time he touched the ball."

Muskegon HS grad!

Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center

Mercy H.E.A.R.T. Center
"Lipid Profiles and Glucose Screenings
A blood draw to obtain Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, and Glucose values.
Open to community.
Results sent to your home in about 1 week. 12 hour fast required prior to testing.
Second Tuesday of every month.
Walk-ins between 7:00 AM and 12:00 PM.
$15 for a Lipid Profile
$6 for a Glucose Test"

Now that they passed it, will Dems survive 2010?

Now that they passed it, will Dems survive 2010?
"Sixteen Democrats, however, come from McCain districts, and still voted for the bill. They are listed below by district and last name as well as the percentage of their voters that went for McCain:"

FuturePundit: Policy Decisions Slow H1N1 Vaccine Production

FuturePundit: Policy Decisions Slow H1N1 Vaccine Production: "Why is H1N1 influenza vaccine coming out so slowly in the United States? Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA deputy commissioner, says a few policy decisions slow the production of vaccine."

Report Says 75 Percent of Young Americans Unfit for Military Service

Report Says 75 Percent of Young Americans Unfit for Military Service
"About 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments that make them unfit for the armed forces, according to a report issued Thursday.
Other factors, such as drug use, criminal records and mental problems"

Police: Security guard head-butted, sat on, driven away at Wal-Mart

Police: Security guard head-butted, sat on, driven away at Wal-Mart
"Two women trying to avoid arrest after allegedly stealing goods from a local Wal-Mart store head-butted, urinated on and drove off with a security guard in the getaway car on Halloween night, police said.

Nice gals, right by my home.

And the libs want to disarm me and my family and neighbors?

Health-Care Bill Doesn't Index for Inflation; Hits Young and Rising Middle Class Hard - WSJ.com

Health-Care Bill Doesn't Index for Inflation; Hits Young and Rising Middle Class Hard - WSJ.com: "All of those twentysomethings who voted for Barack Obama last year are about to experience the change they haven't been waiting for: the return of income tax bracket creep. Buried in Nancy Pelosi's health-care bill is a provision that will partially repeal tax indexing for inflation, meaning that as their earnings rise over a lifetime these youngsters can look forward to paying higher rates even if their income gains aren't real."

Rivals.com College Basketball - Preseason Countdown: No. 3 Michigan State

Rivals.com College Basketball - Preseason Countdown: No. 3 Michigan State
"OVERVIEW
The state of Michigan has received its share of bad news in the past year - but none of it came from Michigan State. The Spartans gave fans a feel-good story by reaching their sixth Final Four under coach Tom Izzo before losing in the national championship game to North Carolina. With limited accolades and hype, Michigan State marched to the Final Four on guile and hard work. Michigan State can't play the underdog card this season. Michigan State returns Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas to a team that won the conference by a commanding four games. But the Spartans do have some holes to fill. While every other Big Ten team that went to the NCAAs returns nearly intact, Izzo must replace two key players. Center Goran Suton was one of the most valuable players in the NCAA tournament, and guard Travis Walton was the league's defensive player of the year. If Michigan State can find capable replacements, the Spartans could write another inspirational story for their fans."

Senate blocks census US-citizenship question

Senate blocks census US-citizenship question
"Senate Democrats have blocked a GOP attempt to require next year's census forms to ask people whether they are a U.S. citizen."

Yes, there is a difference between the democrat and republican party.

Tell your friends!

Prichard Alabama Files Bankruptcy Over Pensions

Prichard Alabama Files Bankruptcy Over Pensions;
"Inquiring minds are noting another city has been driven to bankruptcy because of pension promises that cannot possibly be met.
Please consider Prichard Alabama Files For Bankruptcy."

15 Fascinating World WII Vintage Ads & Posters

15 Fascinating World War II Vintage Ads & Posters

Warren Buffett: Tax Hypocrite?

TaxProf Blog: Warren Buffett: Tax Hypocrite?
Warren Buffett's Tax Hypocrisy:
When Warren Buffett criticized President Bush's tax cuts while plumping for the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, he garnered prominent, adulatory headlines ... Consider that as the context for two pieces of information:
First, the observation, amid a column in today's Wall Street Journal, about Berkshire Hathaway's cash mountain: 'Mr. Buffett would rather not resort to the simplest way of solving this problem -- paying excess cash out to shareholders in the form of a dividend. Since he owns roughly 26% of Berkshire's shares, a cash dividend would saddle Mr. Buffett with one of the largest personal-income tax bills in American history. That's not the kind of thing at which he likes to excel. Mr. Buffett's reluctance to pay a dividend leaves him with little choice but to buy big companies outright.'
Second, the news (again, from the Wall Street Journal) that Mr. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is joining in a bid to buy $3 billion in tax credits from Fannie Mae. Reports the Journal: 'The credits are virtually worthless to Fannie Mae and require the company to take losses each quarter as their value declines. Companies such as Berkshire Hathaway and Goldman Sachs could use them to offset federal tax expenses.'
Neither Journal article places the news in the context of Mr. Buffett's stated support for higher taxes.
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage"

Clunker pickups traded for new pickups

Clunker pickups traded for new pickups
"The most common deals under the government's $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program, aimed at putting more fuel-efficient cars on the road, replaced old Ford or Chevrolet pickups with new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press.
The single most common swap - which occurred more than 8,200 times - involved Ford F150 pickup owners who took advantage of a government rebate to trade their old trucks for new Ford F150s. They were 17 times more likely to buy a new F150 than, say, a Toyota Prius. The fuel economy for the new trucks ranged from 15 mpg to 17 mpg based on engine size and other factors, an improvement of just 1 mpg to 3 mpg over the clunkers."

A deathblow to ObamaCare

A deathblow to ObamaCare
"But Virginia results are the most important.
More than 80 Democratic congressmen and 20 senators come from states that John McCain carried in 2008.
For them, the sudden switch in Virginia, a swing state that Obama actually carried, heralds tough political times ahead.

New Jersey is the quintessential blue state.
If it goes Republican, blue state congressmen needn't worry.
Their districts are likely still safe.
But when a Republican in Virginia wins by 20 points, it sends a message to red-state Democratic congressmen to take cover"

Persistent Errors in Stimulus Job Count

Persistent Errors in Stimulus Job Count
"President Barack Obama's economic recovery program saved 935 jobs at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, an impressive success story for the stimulus plan. Trouble is, only 508 people work there.

The Georgia nonprofit's inflated job count is among persisting errors in the government's latest effort to measure the effect of the $787 billion stimulus plan despite White House promises last week that the new data would undergo an 'extensive review' to root out errors discovered in an earlier report.

About two-thirds of the 14,506 jobs claimed to be saved under one federal office, the Administration for Children and Families at Health and Human Services, actually weren't saved at all, according to a review of the latest data by The Associated Press.
Instead, that figure includes more than 9,300 existing employees in hundreds of local agencies who received pay raises and benefits and whose jobs weren't saved.

That type of accounting was found in an earlier AP review of stimulus jobs"

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » The Coming Collapse of the Municipal Bond Market

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » The Coming Collapse of the Municipal Bond Market: "Sheehan starts off by noting that a lack of panic by the ratings and government agencies does not indicate health for a financial market. He cites the fact that the Fed did not anticipate how bad the subprime collapse was likely to be and obviously the Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s ratings were ridiculous.
Sheehan notes that “spending is rising and revenue is collapsing” for all levels of government. Pension fund losses will require governments to double their contributions to pension plans (see my blog posting on public employee pensions). Spending is rising, e.g., in New York City from an average of $65,401 in compensation per public employee in 2000 to $106,743 in 2009."

Family has impact on U.S. House bill tackling Huntington's disease

Family has impact on U.S. House bill tackling Huntington's disease
"A local family has influenced federal legislation.
After hearing from the Mikula family about the effects of Huntington's disease, Rep. Peter Hoekstra added his name as co-sponsor of a House bill that would revise medical criteria for it.
The Mikula family has lost five members to the disease, and two more have it."

This wonderful family runs a John Deere dealership and runs the lawnmower racing contest in Sparta.
They also own numerous lawnmower racing championships.

Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration

Molecular Sunglasses for Macular Degeneration
"Molecules designed to slow the production of toxic byproducts in the eye by making it less sensitive to light are now being tested in patients with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older.
If successful, the compounds would provide a much needed therapy for the disease, which affects more than 15 million people in the United States."

Proposed law would require pay for sick workers

Proposed law would require pay for sick workers
"U.S. employers who tell workers to stay home when they are sick will have to give them paid time off for up to five days under new federal legislation proposed on Tuesday.
The emergency law would cover pandemic H1N1 flu or any other infectious disease, said California Representative George Miller, a Democrat who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee and who introduced the bill."

Outside the Wire - Free Speech on the Cheap

Outside the Wire - Free Speech on the Cheap


Written by JD Johannes
Tuesday, 03 November 2009
This line from a Washington Post story jumped out at me:

"The arrival of war dead at Dover has long pitted free speech advocates against the government, which had been accused of using the ban to hide the horror of war from the public--especially as casualty rates in Iraq and Afghanistan began to climb."

The article is by Christian Davenport.

I'm at a little outpost in northern Iraq, fresh back from a patrol where we met with a local Sheik. The previous day I had rode with US Soldiers to a logistics base on a resupply run and while there picked up a few back issues of Stars and Stripes where I read the story.

In the story, a previous graph has a quote from University of Delaware Journalism Professor Ralph Begleiter one of the above mentioned free speech advocates. Begeleiter said, "Taking pictures of the returning casualties to Dover is a measure of the human cost of war. Do you want the government ultimately to have control over what we see or not see? Or do you want independent observers, an independent press or media, relaying those images?"

Mr. Begleiter if you really want to understand the human cost of war, don't stand on a fucking tarmac, get embedded and see the human cost of war up close and personal where the price is actually paid.

But many of the free speech advocates have no desire to put themselves at risk to tell the stories of the women and men who have willingly put themselves in harms way.

They want to do it on the cheap, standing on concrete in the US at a scheduled time rather than face the capricious hazards of war standing on the sands of Iraq or rocks of Afghanistan.

Many of those free speech advocates are interested only in the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines as props. As the story illustrates, very few of the arrivals at Dover are covered by the media.

When a reporter is embedded with US forces they at least have to share some of the risks and possibly themselves become another account in the human cost of war.

I have been ready to pay that price for the last five years and nearly had to pay it a few times. How many of the so-called speech advocates have been willing to pay that price?

Large Hadron Collider ready to roll again ... unless God stops it first

Large Hadron Collider ready to roll again ... unless God stops it first
"What is even scarier about the Large Hadron Collider, however, is that one of the CERN physicists working on the project (his name has not been released) was arrested Oct. 12 on suspicion of having Al Qaeda connections."

Muskegon crime rates and statistics

Muskegon crime rates and statistics
"3 (out of 100)
100 is safest

This city is safer than 3% of the cities in the US."

And we wonder why this city is dying?

News from The Harbor Theater

News from The Harbor Theater
"The Harbor Theater is thrilled to present two of the most anticipated indie films of the year this week!

'The September Issue' follows Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she puts together Vogue's legendary September issue. Anna Wintour was portrayed devillishly by Meryl Streep in the semi-fictional 'The Devil Wears Prada' back in 2006, this is her chance to show the world her true self."

The Harbor Theater has really made it happen!
Proving me wrong, again.....and I'm glad to be wrong on this one.
Click their site and sign up for their excellent weekly newsletter.
It really is one of the best e-mails I've ever seen!

Muskegon County Clerk

Muskegon County Clerk
Election results link

My voting experience today

I walked up to the voting desk and an elderly lady told me to fill out the "Application to Vote" form and show my ID.

I told her I had no ID and her partner at the desk said that OK, just fill out BOTH sides of the little form. The back side was an affidavit affirming I was not in possession of picture identification.

I filled out both sides, signed and returned it to her.

As I waited to get my voting form I mentioned how wonderful it was that we didn't need to show photo ID to vote.

The nice lady replied, "you must have photo ID to vote" and pointed to a card that read "Must have photo ID to vote".

I then pointed to the Application to Vote that she was approving.

She seemed befuddled.

I voted.

I wonder how many times each ACORN voter will vote today.

here's the application:
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2008/01/state-of-michigan-protection-against.html

Will Corzine Allies Steal the Election in New Jersey? ACORN, Dirty Tricks and Absentee Ballot Fraud

Will Corzine Allies Steal the Election in New Jersey? ACORN, Dirty Tricks and Absentee Ballot Fraud
"New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is locked in the political fight of his life.
With just hours left before voting, polls show a neck-and-neck race between Corzine and GOP candidate Chris Christie, with Independent candidate Chris Daggett pulling significant support. Obama and VP Biden are making last ditch pitches for the embattled governor.
But evidence is building that Corzine’s campaign may see its only salvation is in rigging the election."

I voted today without showing any ID at all.
I simply signed a slip promising I was me.
Nifty....right?

click this link to see how our vote is "protected" from fraud:
http://muskegonpundit.blogspot.com/2008/01/state-of-michigan-protection-against.html