My Email To Valerie Easton Of Pacific Magazine

Regarding your Pacific Magazine article last week:

Would you like to maybe fix this sentence:

a decrease in snowpack in the mountains and less snow in the lowlands

because I have about 16 inches of climate change I need shoveled from my driveway.

Here is the problem, when the earth was getting warmer 10 years ago, people were crying global warming. Now that it has been getting cooler the last few years, it is now "climate change". What the climate change crowd does not seem to understand is the earth's climate is always changing and that people are really insignificant part in the process.

You can not think of global climate over a 1 year or 10 year period. Looking at the big picture, hundreds of millions of years, this page has a graph of carbon levels and global temperature, scroll down to the graph labeled Global Temperature and Atmospheric CO2 over Geologic Time, historically the earth is now cold and carbon levels are low.

The other reality is ever single human being could live in the state of Texas with a population density of less than 39 people per acre. And before you reply about that is too dense, there was an article in the Seattle Times within the last year or two about a new "green" housing development in Issaquah that had a density of 40 people per acre.

Then there is the whole myth of carbon dioxide causes temperature rise. If anything it is the opposite. Look at the following. It is clear that the change in carbon levels FOLLOW temperature changes. The temperature starts moving up or down and then the carbon follows.

Finally, who is claiming that a warmer earth would not be a better earth. More people die during the colder months than the warmer months. 7,300 Americans die each day during January and February while 6,200 die each day during July, August and September.

In addition, about 1,000 years ago was a time referred to as the Medieval Warm Period when the earth was warmer than it is now. It is also called the Medieval Climate Optimum. Funny how it is not call Medieval We Are All Going To Drown Because Of The Melting Polar Ice Caps Period.

As Dennis Miller says, I will believe we can fix global warming sometime after we figure out how to fix traffic after a Lakers game.

Just had a few spare minutes because I was unable to drive into work today because of the lack of lowland snowfall and thought I would express myself.

Global Warming... Is There Nothing It Can Not Do, Part 424.

An "informative" article in today Pacific Magazine section of today's Seattle Times

While there is great year-to-year variability in our weather, Mass documents a warming trend, increased precipitation, a decrease in snowpack in the mountains and less snow in the lowlands.

In unrelated news...

Snow continues to fall; freezing rain glazes roads
Snow is falling again this afternoon all around the region — south in Fife and Tukwila, at Paine Field in Everett, east in Redmond, and on the Seahawks and Jets at Qwest Field in Seattle.

The when's-it-going-to-end snow followed a pre-dawn freezing rain that left a slippery layer of ice over Saturday's snow. Roadways and sidewalks have been left worse for the mix.

Rufus Wainwright Is Retarded

Yea, I had never heard of him either until I read an bit about him in the Newsmakers question and answer section of Newsweek.

You've lived in Canada and the U.S. Which has the better healthcare system?
At the end of the day, if it's free it's better. There are a lot of obstacles but eventually you get what you need if you fight really hard. That's better than being completely wiped out.

Well then I guess his music must suck since if I go to Amazon and search on his name, none of what comes up is free.

The whole Canadian Health Care is free line just bothers me to no end. It is not free. Doctors in Canada do not perform medical procedures as a hobby. The pharmacuticals do not donate drugs to Canadian medical facilities. It is NOT free and it is NOT better.

Canadian healthcare is funded through a combination of taxes and / or premiums...

Funding for the insurance plans comes from the general revenues of the Canadian provinces/territories, assisted by transfer payments from the federal government through the Canada Health Transfer. Some provinces charge health care premiums, but these are in effect taxes (since they are not tied to service use, nor to provincial health expenditures). The system is accordingly classified by the OECD as a tax-supported system, as opposed to the social insurance approaches used in many European countries.

Free healthcare, it does not exist, it never has and it never will. Someone is paying and most likely it is the person receiving the treatment.

But let me ask this one question, would you even want to go to a doctor that does not get paid?

Al "Amazing Kreskin" Gore Makes Another Prediction

From Watts Up With That, Al Gore is now claiming all the ice in the North Pole will be gone in 5 years.

Al Gore made another prediction, about increased hurricanes shortly after hurricane Katrina.

The following is a transcript of a speech given by former Vice President Al Gore at the National Sierra Club Convention in San Francisco on September 9, 2005 addressing the challenges and moral imperatives posed by Hurricane Katrina and global warming.
...
...
There are scientific warnings now of another onrushing catastrophe. We were warned of an imminent attack by Al Qaeda; we didn't respond. We were warned the levees would break in New Orleans; we didn't respond. Now, the scientific community is warning us that the average hurricane will continue to get stronger because of global warming. A scientist at MIT has published a study well before this tragedy showing that since the 1970s, hurricanes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific have increased in duration, and in intensity, by about 50 %. The newscasters told us after Hurricane Katrina went over the southern tip of Florida that there was a particular danger for the Gulf Coast of the hurricanes becoming much stronger because it was passing over unusually warm waters in the gulf. The waters in the gulf have been unusually warm. The oceans generally have been getting warmer. And the pattern is exactly consistent with what scientists have predicted for twenty years. Two thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves and deal with the underlying causes of global warming. [applause] It is important to learn the lessons of what happens when scientific evidence and clear authoritative warnings are ignored in order to induce our leaders not to do it again and not to ignore the scientists again and not to leave us unprotected in the face of those threats that are facing us right now.

We can check how that prediction has panned out...
2005 28 storms, 15 hurricanes, 7 major hurricanes
2006 10 storms, 5 hurricanes, 2 major hurricanes
2007 15 storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 major hurricanes
2008 16 storms, 8 hurricanes, 5 major hurricanes

But that does not tell us how big and devastating the storms can be, so lets look at it from a different perspective. How costly have they been? It would seem to make sense that if in fact things are getting warmer and if in fact storms are getting bigger and more dangerous then the most costly storms should have been fairly recent.

Costliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes
Total estimated property damage, adjusted for wealth normalization[121] Rank Hurricane Season Cost (2005 USD)
1 “Miami” 1926 $157 billion
2 “Galveston” 1900 $99.4 billion
3 Katrina 2005 $81.0 billion
4 “Galveston” 1915 $68.0 billion
5 Andrew 1992 $55.8 billion
6 “New England” 1938 $39.2 billion
7 “Pinar del Río” 1944 $38.7 billion
8 “Okeechobee” 1928 $33.6 billion
9 Ike 2008 $31.5 billion
10 Donna 1960 $26.8 billion


Hmmm... 6 of the top 8 costliest storms are prior to 1945. Only one in the top 10, that being #9 since Mr. Gore made his prediction.


Unlike "The Amazing Kreskin" though Al Gore actually believes what he is saying is true. Too bad the facts do not back him up. Really too bad nobody seems interesting in calling him on it.

Seattle's Proposed Gun Ban Hearing

Monday 6:30, be there.

Public hearing scheduled on proposed firearms rule
Residents may also comment online

SEATTLE – The city of Seattle has scheduled a public hearing on a proposed administrative rule to restrict firearms on city-owned property.

The hearing will be held on Dec. 15, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, with sign-in beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Bertha Knight Landes room is accessible from the building’s Fifth Avenue entrance. Residents unable to attend may also submit written comments at: www.seattle.gov/firearmsrule

Following a shooting that injured three people at the Folklife Festival on May 24 of this year, Mayor Greg Nickels directed all city of Seattle departments to study the adoption and enforcement of policies, rules and contractual agreements which would prohibit the possession of dangerous weapons, including firearms, on city property. The suspect in the Folklife shooting had a concealed weapons permit, despite a history of drug abuse and mental health problems.

“From increasing the number of patrol officers on our streets, to our Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, we’re addressing public safety issues from all directions. Common-sense gun rules are just one more way to protect our workers, residents, families and children,” said Nickels.

The proposed rule does not include any specific criminal or civil penalties, but a person refusing to comply with the rule would be subject to citation or arrest for criminal trespass.

The proposed rule would not apply to:

City streets and public sidewalks, except when they are being used for non-transportation purposes such as special events. The rule does apply to sidewalks and other walkways located within city parks.
Motor vehicle parking garages and parking lots.
City property leased and occupied for residential purposes.
City-owned property that is located outside the state of Washington.
The Roger Dahl Rifle Training Range.
To address the safety of visitors, including families and children, at city-owned properties, the city of Seattle is also implementing a firearms policy which is applicable to permits, leases and other contractual agreements for the use of city property. Under its policy, the city would lease, rent or permit the use of city property to only those parties who prohibit all persons, except law enforcement officers, from possessing firearms on leased city premises. To prevent the possession of firearms during an event, the city would also require sponsors of major events to take reasonable steps, such as signage, visual inspections, safe storage for lawful firearms, etc. The city would also permit departments to add gun-free terms to most leases and agreements.

State law allows private property owners to prohibit the presence of firearms on their property. As a property owner, the city has rules at Seattle Center and most facilities such as City Hall, prohibiting firearms unless a person has a concealed weapons permit. Organizations that lease Key Arena also have the ability to prohibit firearms in the facility. In addition to other prohibitions, state law prohibits firearms at schools, jails and courthouses.

Get the Nickels Newsletter and the mayor’s inside view on transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities at mayor.seattle.gov


- 30 -

Office of the Mayor

Did President Elect Obama Not Register?

All male citizens 18 - 25 must register with the Selective Service. There may be evidence that President Elect Obama may not have done so and people have made an effort to cover that up after the fact. Debbie Schlussel has the details.

This intrigues me on multiple levels beyond the penalties:

Men who do not register could be prosecuted and, if convicted, fined up to $250,000 and/or serve up to five years in prison. In addition, men who fail to register with Selective Service before turning age 26, even if not prosecuted, will become ineligible for:


Student Financial Aid - including Pell Grants, College Work Study, Guaranteed Student/Plus Loans, and National Direct Student Loans.

U.S. Citizenship - if the man first arrived in the U.S. before his 26th birthday.

Federal Job Training - The Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) offers programs that can train young men for jobs in auto mechanics and other skills. This program is only open to those men who register with Selective Service.

Federal Jobs - men born after December 31, 1959 must be registered to be eligible for jobs in the Executive Branch of the Federal government and the U.S. Postal Service.

There is the question of the cover up and we should all know by now, it is not the crime, it is the cover up that is usually the problem.

I also always am fascinated by those investigating things like this, how something small and seemingly trivial can be the smoking gun. For example, if you look at the document, it is suppose to be from 1980 and there is a United Postal Service stamp on it that says USPO but the postal service stopped using that stamp in 1970 and went to USPS. Smoking gun, don't know. Not sure how someone could explain it away though.

Finally, I have always had a beef with the Selective Service regarding the fact only males need to register. I live in a state where the Governor is female and both Senators are female and if you call and ask why is it only males have to register, you will get some lame answer that sure does not sound "empowering to women" to me.

President Elect Obama Employment Questionnaire

I am guessing the President Elect will not be answering any of these questions himself.

#14 If you have kept a diary... that could be embarrassment, please describe.

#18 Please describe any relationship with any financial institutions.... Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac.

#46 have any member of your family close social or business associates been arrested, charged with a crime or convicted...

#59, Do you or any member of your family own a gun. If so please provide complete ownership and registration information, whom it is used by. etc. etc.

Wealth Redistribution 101


Today we learn that the idea of wealth redistribution is not as attractive when it is your wealth not getting to you.

Former Obama workers claim they were short-changed


Indianapolis - The Obama campaign says most of the payment issues that brought hundreds of upset campaign workers to the Indianapolis office Wednesday have been resolved.

Campaign spokesman Jonathan Swain says a few people showed up Thursday and made arrangements for payment by mail.

A few hundred people stood in line for several hours Wednesday waiting to get paid for working in the final days of the campaign. Many of those people said they were underpaid for the number of hours they worked.

Read the original story:

Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.

The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.

"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.

...
...

The large gathering of around 375 people prompted police to call in extra officers and set up temporary barricades. The barricades helped keep the crowd from spilling out onto Meridian Street. Police say the several hundred people in line were for the most part orderly.
...
...

Eventually people did start getting paid, but some said they were missing hours and told to fill in paperwork making their claim and that eventually they would get a check in the mail.

"Still that's not right. I'm disappointed. I'm glad for the president, but I'm disappointed in this system," said Diane Jefferson, temporary campaign worker.

"It should have been $480. It's $230," said Imani Sankofa.


"They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90," said Charles Martin.

"I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned," said Randall Waldon.


Some people weren't satisfied with filling out a claim form for money they felt was still due to them.

...
...

"Talking about they'll mail it to us. I ain't worried about that, man. They're not going to mail nothin'," said Martin.

My Head Hurts

In the last 4 year, President Elect Obama took more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other person in Congress over the last 30 years except for the head of the Banking committee, Chris Dodd - D.

And somehow the economy was the number 1 issue...

Redistributing the wealth

Got this in an email today...

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.



Redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

Media Bias, What Media Bias?

An ad from a recent edition of Newsweek:

I Am Voting For Obama

Hey, I do not want to pay for my gas or mortgage either...



Now if you will excuse me, I need to go home and wait for my pet unicorn to poop some more Hersheys kisses.

H/T Glenn Beck

Buddy

October 29th 2008



You will be missed.

Getting Beyond Race?

Guess not...

Get Ready To Have Your Wealth Redistributed

Homecoming

Bring a hanky...


If that made you cry, do not click on this link

Why We Are Having The Credit Crisis?

Start here, the Community Reinvestment Act...

The Community Reinvestment Act (or CRA, Pub.L. 95-128, title VIII, 91 Stat. 1147, 12 U.S.C. § 2901 et seq.) is a United States federal law that requires banks and savings and loan associations to offer credit throughout their entire market area and prohibits them from targeting only wealthier neighborhoods with their services, a practice known as "redlining." The purpose of the CRA is to provide credit, including home ownership opportunities to under-served populations and commercial loans to small businesses. It has been subjected to important regulatory revisions.

Let me see if I can simplify that, the C.R.A. requires banks to give mortgages to poor people.

The hell you say?!?

The new rules, during a time when many banks were merging and needed to pass the CRA review process to do so, substantially increased the number and aggregate amount of loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers for home loans, some of which were "risky mortgages."

Lets look at some video, shall we...


And one more, just for fun.

How To Get A Grass Roots Campaign Going 101




Pay People!

"Grassroots"... that word does not mean what you think it means.

Why We Are Having A Financial Melt Down

Lenders were "encouraged" to lend to those who can not afford the payments. Throw on top of that lenders thinking those making the rules are "family".

Legal Issues For The Obama Campaign?

My Pet Jawa has the whole thing but of course I found out about it from Ace.

Anti-Palin Astroturfing Traced Directly to Obama-Connected PR Firm
UPDATE: LIKE CLOCKWORK, VIDEOS TAKEN DOWN!!!
Update: Rusty Uploading His Copy Now

Obama Connected PR Firm Produces, Uploads Lying Anti-Palin Ad on YouTube, Then Pushes it Virally as "Grassroots" Effort; PR Exec Sockpuppets Praise Video for "Getting the Truth Out;" Company Employee Uploads it On Democratic Underground and Urges Readers to Send it Out to Ten People Each

It is Ace... so consider this your content warning.

Just so you know, I am still alive, just life getting in the way of posting.

Also, Andrew lost a tooth earlier today.

Obama "Uninterprits" His Stance On The DC Gun Ban

He now says his earlier statements saying the DC ban was constitutional was "inartful".

Obama Camp Disavows Last Year's 'Inartful' Statement on D.C. Gun Law
Email
Share June 26, 2008 7:35 AM

ABC News' Teddy Davis and Alexa Ainsworth Report: With the Supreme Court poised to rule on Washington, D.C.'s, gun ban, the Obama campaign is disavowing what it calls an "inartful" statement to the Chicago Tribune last year in which an unnamed aide characterized Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., as believing that the DC ban was constitutional.

"That statement was obviously an inartful attempt to explain the Senator's consistent position," Obama spokesman Bill Burton tells ABC News.

"Inartful"??? When you have to make up words to "clarify" your position...

Comment On The Heller Decision

One quick comment based on a quote from a CNN article

Elilta "Lily" Habtu, however, told the high court that she supports the handgun ban, and tighter gun control in general. Habtu was in a Virginia Tech classroom in April 2007 when fellow student Seung-Hui Cho burst in and began shooting. She survived bullets to the head and arm.

"There has to be tighter gun control; we can't let another Virginia Tech to happen," she told the court. "And we're just not doing it; we're sitting around; we're doing nothing. We let the opportunity arise for more massacres."

Virginia Tech had a total ban on guns. It was a gun free zone as are the overwhelming majority of places that experience tragedies such as this. Let me say that again, the overwhelming majorities of mass murders caused by guns happen in "gun free zones". It is not a coincidence. It is because gun control laws take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens, thus making them unable to defend themselves in a V.T. type of situation. The criminals know nobody will be able to shoot back and therefore gun free zones are nothing more than consequence free firing ranges for those intent on killing large numbers of people.

So what law exactly does M. Habtu think would have stopped the V.T. massacre?

Is Global Warming About To Bring On A Little Ice Age?

Scientists are referring to the sun as "dead" due to the lack of sunspots.

The sun has been laying low for the past couple of years, producing no sunspots and giving a break to satellites. That’s good news for people who scramble when space weather interferes with their technology, but it became a point of discussion for the scientists who attended an international solar conference at Montana State University. Approximately 100 scientists from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and North America gathered June 1-6 to talk about “Solar Variability, Earth’s Climate and the Space Environment.”

...
Tsuneta said solar physicists aren’t like weather forecasters; They can’t predict the future. They do have the ability to observe, however, and they have observed a longer-than-normal period of solar inactivity. In the past, they observed that the sun once went 50 years without producing sunspots. That period, from approximately 1650 to 1700, occurred during the middle of a little ice age on Earth that lasted from as early as the mid-15th century to as late as the mid-19th century.

Maybe someone should look into a possible connection between the earth's temperature and sunspots. You would have thought that would have been done hundreds of years ago.

How The Old Farmer's Almanac Predicts The Weather
...
We derive out weather forecasts from a secret formula that was devised by the founder of this Almanac, Robert B. Thomas, in 1792. Thomas believed that weather on Earth was influenced by sunspots, which are magnetic storms on the surface of the Sun.

Over the years, we have refined and enhanced that formula with state-of-the-art technology and modern scientific calculations. We employ three scientific disciplines to make our long-range predictions: solar science, the study of sunspots and other solar activity; climatology, the study of prevailing weather patterns; and meteorology, the study of the atmosphere. We predict weather trends and events by comparing solar patterns and historical weather conditions with current solar activity.

City of Seattle Property, Now Gun Violence Free

It is official, the Mayor has made the 2nd amendment null and void while on city of Seattle property. Kind of… at least in his mind.

After a shooting at the Northwest Folklife festival injured three people, Mayor Greg Nickels will prohibit guns at Seattle Center, parks, community centers and city-run buildings.

On Monday, Nickels announced he had signed an executive order, which does not require City Council approval, directing employees to draft a plan in 30 days to create a "gun-free policy" on city property. He has not set a date for the prohibition to take effect.

"Our parks, our community centers and our public events are safer without guns," Nickels said at a news conference with Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. "At many properties, including City Hall, you can bring a gun if you have a concealed-weapons permit. Under this order, people with concealed weapons will be asked to give up their weapon or leave."

The city does not have the authority to arrest or fine people for bringing a gun onto city property. Only the state can enact laws governing firearms, and the mayor acknowledged the city could face a legal challenge.

First some background, at the recent Folklife festival, where people who do not regularly bathe, gather to air out and do what they normally do the other 364 days of the year, nothing productive, there was a shooting which injured 3 people. Nobody died, 3 people were injured. Over the course of the 37 year history of Folklife, the number of shootings at the festival now total… I may need some time here to calculate the total… fire up the spare server with the dual processor… including this 1 shooting… that would be 1. 1 shooting, 37 years. Millions of people have gone to this festival and there has been 1 shooting, no deaths, in 37 years.

So Mayor Greg Nichols has taken it on himself to make us all safer from this epidemic of violence from this one shooting, in 37 years, by deciding unilaterally that the constitution, the part that say the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, should not apply on city owned property.

Now I understand the need to get this epidemic of gun violence of 1 shooting in 37 years at Folklife down to a rate that would make other gun free zones such as post offices or schools envious, oops, bad examples. But wouldn’t a better idea be to limit other constitutional rights that have no doubt been the source of more violence? If the Mayor imposed restriction on speech, such as outlawing the phrase “Dude, are you sure this is not oregano?, at Hempfest or any speech starting with the phrase "Yo Momma" at the hip hop festival, surely that would result in a greater reduction of violence and we are just limiting a right, not doing away with it. Doesn’t this make more sense? Who could possibly have a problem with this idea?

Seattle, Where The Constitution Does Not Always Apply

Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols has decided the 2nd amendment to the constitution does not apply in Seattle.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels plans to ban concealed weapons at festivals after a shooting at Northwest Folklife injured three people.

Joshua Penaluna, her boyfriend, who was shot in the arm, called a ban a good idea. "At a public area like that, the only people that should have weapons should be cops and security."

And criminals Joshua, you forgot criminals. Because the reality is only "law abiding" citizens follow laws.

On May 25, the two Renton residents were hit by stray gunfire after a fight erupted between two men. A bullet shattered Penaluna's wrist and then entered Thorsnes' thigh. A third man, Henry Morris, who was struggling with the gunman, suffered powder burns on the upper lip and nose when the gun discharged close to his face.

Does anyone believe that someone willing to violate attempted murder laws by pulling a gun out and starting to shoot is going to be deterred from bringing a gun by a law against possession?

It was the first shooting in the festival's 37-year history.

So the reality is no doubt thousands and thousands of people have probably had concealed guns at the festival in the past and this was the first shooting. So because of this one shooting, part of the United States Constitution is now null and void at festivals in the city of Seattle.

Let me make an analogy. Let's say tomorrow, someone goes to Safeway and buys a 6 pack of beer and starts drinking it on the drive home and gets in a bad accident that injures some people, not kills, just injures. Should we now ban driving with alcohol in the car? I am not saying ban the consumption of alcohol while driving, that is and should be illegal. I am saying should we ban the transportation of alcohol in a vehicle. If a 6 pack is sitting in a grocery bag in the back seat of a car, should that be banned? The simple act of having a concealed weapon at a festival does not cause harm. Using that weapon, that can, and I stress, can cause harm. It is the same with the alcohol in the car. Having alcohol in the car does not cause harm. Using the alcohol can cause harm. But here is the difference... using the weapon at the festival can cause good. It could stop a serious crime. Using the alcohol in the car will not cause anything positive to happen. One more difference... we do not have a constitutional right to keep and use alcohol.

And where exactly is the ACLU on this issue? Their silence is deafening.

Seattle Alone Will Stop Global Warming

Seattle has decided to take the one drastic step needed to stop global warming, ban beach bonfires.

The park board will hear the recommendation Thursday, and the city plans to run public-service announcements and hand out brochures later this month about the effects of bonfires on global warming.

According to a memo to the park board from the staff released Thursday, "The overall policy question for the Board is whether it is good policy for Seattle Parks to continue public beach fires when the carbon ... emissions produced by thousands of beach fires per year contributes to global warming."

Because that is all it should take:

But at Alki, Nguyen said he'd be OK with banning bonfires.

"By all means, I'd rather not have bonfires than have global warming," he said.

In unrelated news, the Seattle Times has a list of fun things to do while we continue to have unseasonably cold and wet weather:

Puget Sound under cover: Fun places, out of the cold and wet
Here's a list of Puget Sound-area attractions and fun places to go — under a roof.

Of course you could always go to the mountains and play in the new snow:

Snow forecast for mountains, rain for lowlands
By Seattle Times staff and The Associated Press

Snow is in the forecast for the higher elevations of the Olympics and North Cascades, and rain will continue to fall in the lowlands through the rest of today.

The National Weather Service says up to two feet of new snow are possible by tonight above 5,400 feet, creating avalanche danger and hazardous conditions for climbers or hikers in the backcountry.

The Weather Service says the strong low pressure system over the Northwest will bring cool, cloudy weather with a chance of showers through the weekend across Washington. That means rain is likely off and on through the weekend, with temperatures in the mid-50s to lower 60s.

It's Official, Hillary! Is Out, Obama Is The Nominee

Obama Fundraising Buddy Guilty On "Some" Counts

Of course no mention on which Presidential party nominee he might have raised these so called funds for.

Political fundraiser Antoin 'Tony' Rezko has been found guilty on some counts of corruption charges related to a kickback scheme for companies that do business with the state.

Guilty on 16 of 24 counts... or as those of us with degrees in math would say... "most" counts.

Obama Clinches, Race Hustlers Hardest Hit

With the "historic" nomination of Barack Obama, race hustlers such as Al "Tawana Brawley" Sharpton, Jeremiah "God Damn America" Wright and Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson may want to take another angle in order to shake down corporations and the tax paying public for cash.

Either Barack Obama is the next President of the United States of America, proving that race does not matter or Barack Obama loses proving what I have long believed that it is the left that has a problem with race.

Obama's Spiritual Advisor's Film On Hold

Barack Obama's chief political advisor, David Axelrod, is making a film on one of Obama's spiritual advisors, Rev. Michael Pflegerm but that film is currently on hold.

Pfleger's crusades against guns, prostitution, porn and tobacco have made good copy for years for a fairly admiring local press corps hooked on cheering for the underdog, the poor and the powerless.

Pfleger is the subject of a documentary being made by Chicago-based David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist. On Friday, Axelrod told me in an e-mail that the film project has "been dormant for much of the last two years due to other commitments

When asked to comment, Mr. Obama said, "I did not know that".

So Long Montana?

Or should that be hello Republic of Montana? In response to the 2nd amendment case before the Supreme Court, if it does not come down on the side of an "individuals right to keep and bear arms", Montana, may take things into its own hands.

In a joint resolution, the Montana politicians argue that when Washington approved the state constitution, including a clause granting “any person” the right to bear arms, upon the Treasure State’s entry into the Union in 1889, the federal government recognized that clause as consistent with the Second Amendment. If the Court comes down on the side of a collective right, they argue, it would breach the compact for statehood between Montana and the federal government.

Bringing the United States down to 49... or 56 in Obama's world.

House Democrat Want To Socialize Big Oil

Maxine Waters, D-CA, who has some "ethic issues":

Waters was named in 2005[2] and 2006[3] as one of the "most corrupt" members of congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. They said, "Her ethics issues arise from her exercise of this power to financially benefit her daughter, husband and son."

Would like to socialize.... or is that nationalize big oil.

Link: sevenload.com

Hey, lets just call it National Socialize and be done with it.

A Solution To Many Of America's Problems

I am reposting something from May 2007, because I feel like it and it is a really good idea, no more so than before.

I am going to throw this out to the public but remember, it was my idea, you heard it here first.

One of America's biggest problems is energy independence. Another is the terrorist issue, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. What is one way we could solve both problems with one solution? Easy answer, become energy independent. No more need to buy oil from the Middle East, no more billions of dollars available to those who would like to see us dead.

So how do we do this? Being the capitalist society we are, monetary incentives and disincentives. Now stick with me for a second... we raise the tax on gas and other oil products that come from outside our borders. Call it the foreign oil tax. Not sure the proper amount per liter, quart, gallon or barrel but enough to cause at least some mild discomfort from the consumers and enough to raise some serious cash. Then we take that money, and I am talking multiple billions per year, and we have a national contest, make it a reality show. An American Idol type event called American Energy Independence. Anyone and everyone who is an American citizen, any individual, group, team, company, non profit, church, club, quilting circle whomever, whatever are eligible to submit a plan to a blue ribbon panel with the goal of making America energy independent. The ultimate goal would be a source of energy that is homegrown with bonus points for renewable, cheap and clean.

The foreign oil tax money would be used to fund the research and development of the top ideas deemed worthy of pursuit. There would be a limit to how many are currently being funded and every so often, say 6 months, each plans progress would be reviewed and ranked by probability of success. Any new plan, or even updated old plan, that has been submitted that looks more promising than the current list would replace any existing plan for funding.

The ultimate winner gets any money left over and all future foreign oil tax revenue in addition to a reasonable royalty fee on all future units of energy sold. And by reasonable I mean enough to make Bill Gates wish he had not wasted his time on software.

One condition. The name of the ultimate product has to be called VOOM! Because I really like reading Dr. Suess to Andrew and like I said, it was my idea.

The United States of America, According To Obama

Not sure which United States of America he is talking about... it is not the one I am familiar with.



H/T Ace

State closes "flawed" office to help black children in welfare system

5 years after the “Office of African-American Children's Services” opened, someone realized that it

appeared to use "racial classifications as the sole factor in determining" which kids are served

I wonder if anyone at DSHS has looked to see if they have an “Office of Cooking and Distributing Meth”. Nothing gets past these people.

The flaw of course is not that the office only serves African American kids, the flaw is nobody is willing to admit what any sane person knows, that the problem is in the African American culture, parents, and more specifically fathers, in the African American community tend to not take responsibility for their children.
Obviously not the case in all or even most situations but just look at Seattle Public school data and compare the breakout by race with the percentage of kids living in a single parent home. Then see if there is a relationship between single parent homes and test scores. Who would have thunk it? It appears dad is not there to make sure junior does his homework.

Enough diversity training of the welfare workers already, get dads to take responsibility for their kids. There is no other solution.

HOT Lanes, Government At Its Tax Spending Worst

New numbers on the HOT lanes and how financially inefficient they really are...

Here are the revenues...

Between 5 and 10 a.m. Monday, 339 solo drivers paid to enter the northbound lane, in fairly light traffic, said Craig Stone, urban-corridors administrator for the state Department of Transportation. Just 29 drivers used the southbound HOT lane.

The tolls, which increase as traffic gets heavier, reached $2.25 at 7:15 a.m. northbound at 277th Street, but Stone said no one paid that rate to use the HOT lanes. The most anyone paid, he said, was $2. The minimum toll was 50 cents, while the average paid was $1.04.

For the afternoon commute, between 2 and 7 p.m., 284 vehicles used the HOT lanes southbound and 60 used them northbound. They paid an average of 72 cents and had an average time saving of two minutes.

The highest the toll Monday afternoon was $1.25, and the highest time savings was 4 minutes.

That would be $557.04 for Monday. And now for the cost side of that financial ledger.

The federal government contributed $5 million toward the state's $18 million startup costs.

18 Million... that does not include the day to day ongoing cost which I am reasonably sure is way, way more than $557.04.

So at this rate, at $557 a day, the startup costs should be repaid in about 88.5 years. Someone may want to take another look at the cost benefit analysis for this project.

HOT Lanes, Another Bad Idea Only Government Could Come Up With

HOT (high occupancy transportation) lanes, AKA diamond lanes, are those where you need to be in a carpool or on public transportation to actually use. Highway 167 is now setup so that single drivers can use these lanes if they are willing to pay a fee. The fee varies depending on how bad the traffic is at the time.

Monday morning, in the first 5 hours of a weekday commute, 339 cars paid an average of $1.04 to use the lanes. Just a guess here but the cost to administer this program was more than the revenue generated and the benefit was minimal at best. $350 for 5 hours, that is about what it would cost to pay 9 people minimum wage over the same time period. This does not take into account any of the cost of the technology, signage etc. Reports this morning was 167 was backed up because of confusion over how the new system works.

Only government could come up with a plan this costly and ineffective. Do we need to do something about traffic congestion, sure. Spending $1000 to get $100 worth of benefit... only the government would do something like this.

McDermott Call U.S. Soldiers Mercenaries, Stupid and Felons

That is the claim by his opponent, Steve Beren.

McDermott said that “we’re losing in Afghanistan,” accused the President of planning to expand the war into Iran, and said “we’re running a gulag – one over in Guantanamo, and several in Iraq.” Yet, the congressman argued, “nobody cares” about the war because “as long as we can hire mercenaries to fight this war for us” the war would continue. McDermott said that the "mercenaries" were recruited from those who could not get jobs, or who could not get into school, or who were in jail due to having committed felonies.

And based on Representative McDermott's history, there is no reason to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Reverend Wright's 9 Commandments

Seems Reverend Wright's version of the 10 commandments is missing the one about "you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife"

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's loose cannon of a spiritual adviser, stole the wife of a parishioner - after the man sought Wright's help in saving his troubled marriage, the former husband told friends.

Delmer Reed, 59, confided to pals that he believed the minister moved in on his wife while Wright was counseling the couple at his Chicago church in the early 1980s, The Post has learned.

"That's exactly how he said it," Reed's divorce lawyer, Roosevelt Thomas, told The Post.

H/T Hotair.

Gas Tax Holiday, A Dumb Idea

We do not need a gas tax holiday. When a patient is hemorrhaging from a gaping wound, a band aid is nothing more than a waste of time fixing the issue. What we need is a comprehensive energy plan that will eventually make us energy independent. This needs to include temporary steps such as drilling in ANWR and raising fuel mileage standards. Both side need to give on this issue because it is too important.

And no, Senator McCain, ANWR is not the Grand Canyon but even so, if there was significant oil in the Grand Canyon, we should drill there also, it is that important.

Obama - Wright, Part 2

Interesting theory about why the rift between Obama and Wright. Could it be that if Obama wins, then everything Wright needs to continue to do what he does, make a really good living complaining about "whitey", goes away?

Obama - Wright, Part 1

Here was my first reaction when I heard Obama say "that is not the man I met 20 years ago". Oh really, how about the man who married you the the Mrs.? How about the man who baptised your children? How about the man that inspired your book? Is that the same man?

It reminded me about the comment about Ayers when he said the bombings took place when I was 8. OK but you did not meet with him when you were 8, you did not serve with him on Boards when you were 8. There seems to be a pattern here.

I have not heard anyone else bring this up. Am I the only one?

McDermott Pays $1 Million For Leaking Tape But Still Claims Victory

It is official, the check has finally been written and cashed.

Rep. Jim McDermott has paid more than $1 million to House Minority Leader John Boehner, ending a decadelong dispute over an illegally taped telephone call.

"Every last penny will be used to help elect Republicans," Smith said, calling it ironic that McDermott — an outspoken partisan — "is helping fund the defeat of his fellow Democrats. I wouldn't expect he'll receive a lot of thank yous come November."

Meanwhile, McDermott still does not get it...

"While the amount of damages assessed in this case is significant, I submit that defending the First Amendment is beyond measure and worth every penny," he said.

If it was truly "worth every penny" then why is he not out each and every day breaking laws in a constant effort to defend the First Amendment?

Why? Because he was not defending the First Amendment, he was proving that if you can come up with enough cash, ideally from other people, you are free to violate the law and do what you want.

Multiple calls to Rep. McDermott's office asking for an explanation of how he was defending the First Amendment have gone unanswered.

UPDATE:
Another call into the office and we have an explanation. It seems new case law was created and the court ruled that Rep. McDermott did nothing wrong. When asked why then was he paying over a million dollars, I was told that it was because the court said he should not have turned over the tapes. I was also told that I needed to read the ruling to understand that he did not "lose" the case.

What was the word he used to describe the ruling... "nuanced". I kid you not.

Voter ID Is Constitutional

As blogging buddy Karl over at LSU notes, it is legal to require ID to vote. Who would have thunk it.

Reminds me of the time that I went to my polling place after complaining earlier in the day to the county about the law which said it was illegal to ASK for ID. When was my turn to sign the voters book, I asked to see the book and looked through a couple of pages of voters names as if I could not decide which one I was. I then said how about this one. The polling person said how do I know that is you? You do not, do you, and you are not permitted to ask for identification. I then said in fact that was me and they said we understand your point, feel free to make it somewhere else next time.

Potential African American Baseball Players Opt To Become Doctors and Lawyers

Jerry Brewer had an article in the Sunday Seattle Times complaining about the lack of African American baseball players in the major leagues.

The subject barely musters shock value now. Mention that the African-American baseball player is on the verge of extinction, and, at best, it inspires brief pondering. At worst, it prompts little more than an obligatory nod.

We already know he's dying. We figure there's little we can do.

This feels like a vigil.

"It's sad," says Dan Jurdy, the Rainier Beach High School athletic director. "It's really sad."

Only 8.2 percent of major-league baseball players are African-American, according to diversity expert Richard Lapchick's 2008 Racial and Gender Report Card. It's the lowest percentage in at least two decades. Some estimates have it as the lowest since the 1950s.

I say it is a good thing. First off, if you strictly look at the numbers, African Americans make up about 12% of the population in the US and account for 8.2% of MLB players. Now if you subtract out the foreign players, mostly Latin and Asian, that brings those numbers up to something closer to the population at large. The sad reality is a significant number of young African American males can not play in the majors because they are incarcerated. Subtract out that total and that would probably get you to right about that 12% number.

But here is my point... sometime in the past, say 20 years ago, if you were driving down the road and a top of the line Mercedes pulls up next to you and a fairly young African American is driving this expensive vehicle, your first reaction is I wonder what team he plays for. That was what I was thinking, that is what you were thinking. Not the case anymore. That guy could be a doctor, a lawyer, sell real estate or own a small business.

As long as kids think the only chance to succeed is playing pro sports, they will not hit the books and stay in school and become a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer or teacher. The reality is making a living playing sports is one in a million and the overwhelming majority just do not have the God given gifts that it takes. But they can graduate from high school and go to college and make something of their lives. That should be what we are concerned about, the number that graduate, not the number that can hit a ball with a bat over a wall.

Government Ideas On How To Spend Tax Dollars

Here is a story that bothers me in a number of ways

After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a significant new legal client -- a longtime political supporter.

Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell's firm that eventually totaled $112,000.

A few months after receiving his final payment from EKI, Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.

Killerspin specializes in table tennis, running tournaments nationwide and selling its own line of equipment and apparel and DVD recordings of the competitions. With support from Obama, other state officials and an Obama aide who went to work part time for Killerspin, the company eventually obtained $320,000 in state grants between 2002 and 2004 to subsidize its tournaments.

There is the obvious corruption angle. Clearly Obama took a payment in order to direct taxpayer money to a client. But here is my issue... the government is providing tourism promotional grants... to a ping pong company?

This reminds me of a book I read about the Clinton administration. Before the 1992 election, the Clinton camp was going to come up with places where the federal budget could be cut and the one thing they came up with, reducing the amount of money the government gave to honey producers by 40 million dollars. And why exactly is the federal government giving money to honey producers?

The Black Panthers, Celebrating 40 Years Of Racial Socialism in Seattle

Of course that is not how the Seattle Times tells it...

The group was never anti-white, members said. Its mission was to advocate for the poor and protect the oppressed.

as long as they were black...

According to the Black Panthers own 10 point plan:

1)We want power to determine the destiny of our black and oppressed communities' education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
2)We want completely free health care for all black and oppressed people.
3)We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people, other people of color, all oppressed people inside the United States.
4)We want an immediate end to all wars of aggression.
5)We want full employment for our people.
6)We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our Black Community.
7)We want decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.
8)We want decent education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society.
9)We want freedom for all black and oppressed people now held in U. S. Federal, state, county, city and military prisons and jails. We want trials by a jury of peers for all persons charged with so-called crimes under the laws of this country.
10)We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and people's community control of modern technology.

Who would you think the Black Panthers are referring to when they say "our people"? Not Asians, not Hispanics, certainly not "the Jews".

Substitute the word white in place of black and you would think it was the KKK or white supremacists talking... no wait, that is not correct. The KKK is not a socialist group that is demanding land, bread, housing etc. for its members.

Here is a better analogy, substitute the word Germans for black and it sure sounds like the Nazis or as they are officially known, the National Socialists.

Diversity Loving Liberals In Seattle... Not In My Backyard

You got to love liberal Seattle..

Many residents in Seattle's affluent Magnolia neighborhood are fuming over plans to house homeless people near Discovery Park at soon-to-be-closed Fort Lawton.

At one community meeting, some residents wondered whether homeless housing at the fort would attract wife-beaters, sex offenders and crack addicts. They rolled their eyes when city officials asserted that such housing increases property values. They worried about the impact on schools and scoffed at the idea of homeless people shopping at the closest grocery — which sells pheasant-and-rosemary pâté for $9.99 and ground coffee for up to $18 a pound.

"We're the ones who live here, and we want to have a nice, safe neighborhood to live in," Donald Raz, a King County deputy prosecutor and Magnolia resident, said later.

Like most affluent neighborhoods in Seattle, Magnolia doesn't have any housing for homeless people mainly because land is too expensive for social-service agencies to buy.

According to Wikipedia, so you know it may or may not be complete bs, Magnolia's demographics are such:

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 19,156 people, 9,077 households, and 4,828 families residing in the neighborhood. There are 9,416 housing units. The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 87.4% White, 5.8% Asian, 1.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

And of course the residents in Magnolia donate 3-1 to Democrats.


They are all for helping the homeless, just keep those wife-beaters, sex offenders and crack addicts away from overwhelmingly white, liberal neighborhood.

Global Warming Does It Again

Global warming once again is damaging crops...

Reports of crops damage caused by freezing temperatures has grabbed the attention of Gov. Christine Gregoire, who may seek a proclamation offering growers low-interest loans

Fire up those SUVs

"Right now, the damage does not appear widespread but may be significant in isolated areas," Gregoire said in a news release. "Growers are telling us they need a few days of warmer weather before they will know the real extent of the damage."

Why I Love Dick Cheney, Part 630913

Air Force 2 takes off.


Airforce II Blows Media Away - Watch more free videos

Toys For The Kids

I recently bought stock in Hasbro... and not Playmobil... which on Amazon.com sells such exciting toys as Safe Crackers by Playmobil

Product Description
Two "crooks" have broken into the bank's safe. Comes complete with working safe locker.

or how about the Playmobil - HazMat Crew

Product Description
Oh, no! Hazardous waste has managed to seep out of a barrel and onto the sidewalk! No need to worry, the Hazmat Crew has promptly arrived. The street has been secured with road warning signs and the Crew begins clean up with their powerful very vacuums. Dressed in protective uniforms and armed with hazardous material equipment, this sidewalk is sure to be free of this hazardous substance in no time! Ages 4 & Up

Fun for everyone.

Sexism At the University of Washington

According to the UW's own Factbook for 2007, 9521 first year freshman females applied for admittance to the University of Washington while 8356 first year freshman males applied. 53.26% of the applicants were female, 46.74% of the applicants were male. But... 55.55% of those accepted were female while a mere 44.45 accepted were male.

Oh where oh where is that champion of diversity and all things fair, State Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles when you need her?

The Cure For High Gas Prices... More Government Regulation

My Senator, Maria Cantwell, feels that the solution to high gas prices is more government regulation.

Today, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Jay Inslee will be sending a letter to President Bush, urging him to increase vigilance at the federal level. They want an energy-fraud task force established at the Department of Justice. Last year, Cantwell was able to insert a provision into law that provided more tools for the federal government to investigate allegations of gas-market manipulation but the rule-making has been slow to start.

Is she in favor of increasing supply by drilling in ANWR? No. Is she doing anything to increase refining capabilities? No. All she wants to do is increase government regulation. Yea, that should help.

I guess I should not expect anything more from her.

Stock Market Investing Update

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had changed the way I invest in the stock market a while back. Starting in January, I tweaked that method slightly. I now purchase up to 5 stocks every 3 months instead of selling the 5 that have hit the one year anniversary and buying 5 new stocks. In January I held two of the 5 I already had and bought 3 new stocks. Just last week I purchased 4 new stocks, replacing the 5 that I have had for the last year.

This is a slight modification to the "MFI" method I had been using. I just feel more comfortable not being forced into 5 new stocks every 3 months. If I can find 5 worthy of purchase, great, if not, ok. This also concentrates my investment dollars into fewer stocks, which can be good or can be bad.

So far, the results since January, way, way too short of a time period, have been exceptionally good but only time will tell.

Global Warming, Is There Anything It Can Not Do?

I drove around the Seattle area watching it snow and hail from time to time while the thermometer said it was 41 degrees outside.

Snowing at 41 degrees. I am finally impressed by global warming.

Former Marshall Principal To "Resign"

If by "resign" they mean paid a lot of money so he will stop working there.

Seattle Public Schools will pay former John Marshall Alternative School principal Joseph Drake more than $200,000 in exchange for his resignation from the district.

Clearly this guy should not be a principal of a school.

A district investigation found that Drake was viewed as a "threatening person" by his staff. In addition, the investigation said he "engaged in a campaign of profane, intimidating and bully behavior, using the 'F' word during a meeting with central-office staff members"; bullied University of Washington evaluators working on a report about his school; "created an atmosphere of mistrust and 'my way or the highway' approach to policies and practices at the school"; and "impugned the character and competence of the district staff."

But here is the "money quote", literally...

In a March 4 letter, Drake wrote that he deserved compensation "in order that my family and I continue to experience a quality lifestyle."

He "deserves" compensation so he can continue to experience a quality lifestyle? No... you deserve compensation because you supply goods and or services of value.

This smacks of the school district spending taxpayer money to take care of their own. The guy deserved to be fired and they paid him off to go away. Must be nice to have a checkbook funded by others that allows you to do that.

Cuban Citizens Can Finally Get Cell Phones, Part 2

More interesting facts and figures from the same article:

The contracts cost about US$120 (euro76) to activate — half a year's wages on the average state salary. And that doesn't include a phone or credit to make and receive calls. Still, lines formed before the centers opened, and waits grew to more than an hour.
...
Astorga planned to buy about US$65 (euro41) in credit — enough, she hopes, for three months of very brief conversations

The "average" state salary? What about economic equality? Shouldn't all workers be equally poor in a Marxist utopia?

So lets run some numbers, $120 to ACTIVATE, another $65 for 3 months worth of calls, so $260 per year for air time. $120 is half a years wages for the average state salary, so $240 is about the average yearly salary. So for the low, low price of only 58% above your yearly salary, you to can purchase cell time and activation for a cell phone. The actual cell phone is extra.

So to put that in perspective, if you were making the US federal minimum wage, not the average salary, but the minimum wage of $5.85 an hour and working a full year at 40 hours per week, you would earn $12,168 and if the US had "economic equality" similar to Cuba, phone activation and airtime for the year would cost $19,266. But remember, that does not include an actual phone.

Cuban Citizens Can Finally Get Cell Phones

Not like I really care but I did find this quote interesting:

Getting through the day without a cell phone is unthinkable now in most developed countries, but Cuba's government limited access to cell phones as well as kitchen appliances, hotels and other luxuries in an attempt to preserve the relative economic equality that is a hallmark of social life in communist Cuba.

"Economic equality" Or as we would call it, everyone is dirt poor.

Anyway, welcome to the 1990s Cuba... you may want to start getting prepared for that Y2K bug.

McDermott's Loses Again But Thinks He Won

There is a saying that goes something like I would rather deal with a corrupt politician than an insane one because at least I know how to work with the corrupt one.

But what if the politician is both corrupt and insane? Today's lowlights from my congressman...

McDermott to pay more than $1 million in Boehner legal bills


A federal judge has ordered Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) to pay over $1 million in legal bills incurred by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a long-running battle between the two lawmakers over a leaked 1996 phone call.

Chief Judge Thomas Hogan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered McDermott to pay $1,053,181.40 in attorney's fees and costs, plus roughly $40,000 in interest to date. The Washington Democrat also had to cough up another $60,000 in fines. And that's on top of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees that McDermott must pay his own lawyers.

In a statement, McDermott said the legal fight - which Boehner offered at one point to settle with a public apology and a charitable donation - was worth it, despite the cost.

"This has been a long and costly battle but, in the final analysis, the judgment handed down today in the U.S. District Court is a small price to pay in defense of so fundamental a principle, and freedom, as the First Amendment," McDermott said. "Because of this protracted legal challenge, the First Amendment is stronger today, and shielded by new case law that will buttress its capacity to protect the publication of truthful information on matters of public importance long into the future. Knowing this, I am proud of my role in defense of the First Amendment."

I have a call in to McDermott's office asking what case law now protects the right to illegally disclose taped conversations. I also asked what color is the sky in Representative McDermott's world. I won't hold my breathe on getting an answer.

H/T Orbusmax

More Global Warming News

According to Reuters...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Ribbon seals, which depend on floating sea ice that is growing scarce in a warming Arctic, will be considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, a U.S. government agency said on Wednesday.

Also according to Reuters, in unrelated news...

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island (Reuters) -Canada's annual seal hunt, which the government promised would be more humane this year, cranked up slowly on Friday because of thick ice.

Global Warming 2008

It is April, a light covering of snow on the ground here in Seattle, 30 degrees this morning, my vehicle was frozen shut.

Global warming, she is finicky, ain't she.

The Company Hillary! Keeps

From Wikipedia so you know it may or may not be total BS.

Susie Tompkins Buell, a United States former entrepreneur and a liberal political donor. Buell is often described as Hillary Clinton's best friend.

In 1967, Tompkins Buell and Jane Tise co-founded the Plain Jane clothing label. Tompkin Buell's new husband Douglas Tompkins recommended changing the name to Esprit.
The early sensibility of Esprit was seen as flowing from the personalities and interests of its founders. They were once described as "a pair of San Francisco hippie merchants who sold clothing over a North Beach massage parlor".

Esprit de Corp. was found by the National Labor Relations Board to have illegally interrogated and intimidated $2-an-hour Chinese workers, and then to have shut down a factory to keep them from unionizing. The Department of Labor found that an Esprit contractor doctored payroll records and refused to pay overtime.

Tompkins Buell led a 1990 leveraged buyout that allowed her to gain control of Esprit, and also earned her a profit of about $150 million. The buyout left Esprit deeply in debt. In two years it went into technical default on its outstanding loans and in 1997, Tompkins Buell relinguished all ownership of and involvement in the company to a consortium of investors.

In March 1997, Tompkins Buell sued the new owners of Esprit for $3 million she said they owed her in reimbursement for tax payments

A San Francisco hippie who illegally interrogated and intimidated $2-an-hour Chinese workers, refused to pay overtime, took $150 million in profits resulting in a company deep in debt that lead to a default on its loans and then sued to get someone else to pay her taxes.

Sounds like a democrat to me.

Bryan Suits interviews Jim McDermott

I have had this .mp3, all 24 minutes worth, of an interview Bryan Suits conducted of my Congressman Jim McDermott since early 2003. This interview is just prior to Iraq War 2.0.
Click here to listen to Bryan Suits interviewing Jim McDermott

The audio has some gaps, not sure why. I bring this up now because of the item over at Ace's that claims Saddam may have paid for McDermott's trip to Bahgdad prior to the war.

Note the following:
Jim McDermott is unaware that Bryan Suits, a talk show host on a political talk radio station, is an officer in the National Guard or that he is not old enough to have been in the Vietnam war.

After saying over and over that he has never said he was a Vietnam veteran, he then repeatedly says when I was in the (Vietnam) war.

He refers to the United States as "they".

It sounds like the Congressman may have "drank his dinner".


A little background. Bryan Suits use to be on Seattle Radio stations KIRO and KVI but was let go only to be picked up by Southern California talk radio powerhouse KFI. The first time I ever heard Bryan on the radio, he was on KIRO. I was just flipping through stations and heard this guy talking about McDermott and claiming that McDermott had never claimed to be a "Vietnam Veteran". To quote Kieth Jackson... Whoooa Nelly... earlier that week, I had personally heard Jim McDermott, while in Bahgdad, hence "Bahgdad Jim", give an interview on ABC's "This Week" were he said, and I quote,

I believe that sometimes they give out misinformation. Lyndon Johnson did it in the Vietnam War. Both David and I were in that war, and there was no Gulf of Tonkin incident.

So I emailed Bryan the next day and let him know this fact and pointed him to the transcript. That was the first of what turned out to be many, many emails and a few face to face meetings where alcoholic beverages may or may not have been consumed.

Seattle Public Library Announcement

The Seattle Public Libraries will be closed this Sunday due to "historically low usage". Or as the rest of us call it, "Easter".

Obama's Endorements

The New Black Panther Party. Not sure these are the kinds of people you want an endorsement from.

The NBPP lists on its Web site a 10-point plan for full employment for black Americans as well as housing, education, free health care and an end to the death penalty.

In addition, it demands slavery reparations, the release of all black prisoners from American jails, trials of blacks only by all-black juries, an end to all black cooperation with police departments, exemption for blacks from the all-volunteer U.S. military and a separate country for African-Americans.

Exemption from the all volunteer military... what does that mean?

The Brady Campaign Says The Citizens of Washington DC Are Dangerous

I was listening to the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding the 2nd amendment case. Afterwards, there were statements made by both sides of the debate. One statement was by a spokesman for the Brady Campaign. He said, and this is not an exact quote, but should be very close, that the Brady Campaign, which supported the Washington DC ban on handguns was in favor of reasonable restrictions on dangerous people owning guns.

So let's understand what they are saying, they are in favor of reasonable restrictions, the DC law BANS HANDGUNS, on dangerous people, the DC law applies to all citizens.

So if I am understanding what was said, the Brady Campaign thinks a total ban on handguns is reasonable and the citizens or Washington DC are dangerous.

Boeing Tanker Contract Reaction

Sounds like Boeing is surprised that being the only "American" company bidding on the tanker deal is not enough to overcome submitting an inferior bid.

As a former Boeing employee who worked almost exclusively on Air Force related projects, I was more than a little surprised by the news. Reading the reports though, it sounds like Boeing was relying on being based in America as the main selling point. The 767 did not appear to be the strongest platform and had some performance issues when compared to the Airbus proposal. It will be interesting to follow the reaction as news of why Boeing lost leaks out.

One note of interest, in all that I have read in the news, not once has my representative, the Congressman from Seattle, Jim McDermott's name been mentioned once. I am guessing the reason is if he had been asked for comment about the Boeing tanker deal, the comment would have been something along the lines of "Boeing, Tanker deal? What are you talking about?"

Of course I could be wrong.

Congratulations President McCain



And you think these are good things?????

I stole this from Ace who stole it from someone...

Liberal Compassion, Acceptance and Tolerance

While I admire Warren Buffet for his investment geneous, I have always personally had issues with certain things about how he lives his life. Being more libertarian socially, it is not really any of my business what he does in his life. On the other hand, when he comes out and speaks in ways intended to change tax policy, that is fair game. The next time Warren Buffet talks about how he pays less in tax than his secretary, someone please, please ask him 2 questions, 1) how much did you pay accountants and tax professionals to get your tax that low and 2) what is keeping you from paying more? There is not a law limiting how much you can voluntarily pay.

All that being said, I recently stumbled across something that makes me think less of the guy, a lot less. An article about an heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune made a movie about the rich and interviewed Warren Buffet's grand daughter. She is the adopted daughter of Warren's son Peter.

Here is the sidebar about how Warren Buffet treats family members.

In Jamie Johnson's film "The One Percent," Nicole Buffett talks about how lucky she is to be a Buffett. "I feel very fulfilled and happy in my life," says Nicole, the adopted daughter of Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett's son.

Warren Buffett, however, wasn't pleased. Shortly after Nicole appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about the film, Mr. Buffett sent her a letter saying that, while he was proud of Nicole and her achievements, "...I have not legally or emotionally adopted you as a grandchild, nor have the rest of my family adopted you as a niece or a cousin."

Nicole is the biological daughter of Mary Buffett (with another man), who married Peter when Nicole was 4 years old. Peter and Mary divorced but Peter adopted Nicole when she was 18. Warren Buffett declined to comment.

Nicole says she spent almost every Christmas with Warren Buffett between the ages of 4 and 11 and often went to his home in Omaha for spring break. Susan Buffett, Warren's first wife, who died in 2004, named Nicole in her will as one of her "adored grandchildren" and left her $100,000. She added that Nicole "shall have the same status and benefits ... as if they were children of my son, Peter A. Buffett."

A source close to the family says Nicole spent "very little time" with Warren Buffett over the years but that he paid for Nicole's school and living expenses until she was 28. Nicole says that Mr. Buffett's reaction may have reflected his philosophy about wealth. "Sharing my experience as a Buffett was stepping outside the box," she says.

Obama's "Accomplishments"

And by accomplishments, I mean stuff that never went anyplace...

Just name one of his legislative accomplishments...


Of course give an Obama supporter 24 hours and he can come up with all sorts of things that were never turned into law...

Senator Obama’s fight for universal children’s health care in Illinois.

His success bringing Republicans and Democrats together (a huge selling point for me in general) on bills such as the one in Illinois requiring police interrogations and confessions to be videotaped.

His leadership on ethics reform in Washington (the bill that lobbyists and special interests are complaining about right now has his name on it).

His bill to make the federal budget far more transparent and accessible to Americans via the Internet – we could use that openness in Texas.

And his vital work with Republicans to lock down nuclear weapons around the world.

Cuba looks ahead

In the recent Seattle Times love letter editorial to Comrade Fidel, they use the phrase "government-paid health insurance".

So what exactly is the source of income that allows the Cuban government to be able to pay for health insurance. What industry are they in where they make a profit?

Oh... that is right, oppressing its citizens.

Seattle Times Op-Ed Columnist Bob Herbert's Toxic Bigotry

The Seattle Times ran an op-ed piece today by Bob Herbert

The article seemed to take a lot of the facts about Ben "Pitchfork" Tillman straight from Wikipedia.

On Saturday, in a cold, steady rain, voters turned out for the Republican primary. Nearly all of them — close to 100 percent — were white. At a dinner here Saturday night, I was reminded ruefully by one of the guests: "It used to be the Democratic Party that was the white man's party in South Carolina. Now it's the GOP. The black people vote next Saturday."

They still honor Benjamin Tillman down here, which is very much like honoring a malignant tumor. Astatue of Tillman, who was known as "Pitchfork Ben," is on prominent display outside the statehouse.

Tillman served as governor and U.S. senator in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A mortal enemy of black people, he bragged that he and his followers had disenfranchised "as many as we could," and he publicly defended the murder of blacks.

In a speech on the Senate floor, he declared: "We of the South have never recognized the right of the Negro to govern white men, and we never will. We have never believed him to be the equal of the white man, and we will not submit to his gratifying his lust on our wives and daughters without lynching him."

He just seemed to miss this one line.

Tillman was a member of the Democratic Party