My absolutely favorite “caption” blog in the Universe.
You probably have seen the version of the one with the economic downfall, etc., but this is the best parody of “The Bunker” with Anthony Hopkins as Hitler that I’ve seen. True, you need to be a bit “blog” savvy (e.g. recognize “Instapundit”) to fully appreciate the humor, and I realize that many of you have never heard of “Viking the Kitten”, but if you want to add some chuckles to your life, you should check him out.
And yeah…besides being very right-leaning, some of you moderates and lefties might like it, too.
Except if you like Andrew Sullivan.
Heh.

I never said I wasn’t a “sick twisted freak”. I listen to Glenn Beck, ya know

A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill. -  Ronald Reagan

Stimulus stupidity alert: $460,000/Coast Guard job, $1.5 bil “carbon capturing contest,” $400 mil chlamydia/HIV tests, $45 mil for ATV trails & more!

Here are some numbers/items (remember, all in the name of “saving jobs, and saving America’s economy”):

Page 41: The Coast Guard wants more than $572 million for “Acquisition, Construction, & Improvements” They claim these funds will create 1,235 new jobs. Crunch the numbers and this brings the cost of “creating” each job to a staggering $460,000+

Page 23: $200 million for Dep. of Defense to acquire alternative energy vehicles.

Page 32: $1.5 billion (with a “B”) for a “carbon-capturing contest”

Page 64: $3.5 billion for higher education facilities. This is ridiculous as I know in Georgia the Board of Regents has imposed a “temporary” (yea right!) $75 fee per student during this economic crisis. The funds from this per-student fee stays at the school and is used to offset current budget shortfalls.

We at AASU are starting construction on our new student center, all paid for by student fees. No tax money has been used during any process of this planning. How about asking other higher education institutions to do the same, or hold off on any renovations, additions, etc.?

Tom Jones notes another $200 million for DoD plug-in car stations and crunches the numbers: 53,526 plug-in cars = >$3700/car.

Burn him at the stake…

James Hansen’s Former NASA Supervisor Declares Himself a Skeptic – Says Hansen ‘Embarrassed NASA’, ‘Was Never Muzzled’, & Models ‘Useless’

NASA warming scientist James Hansen, one of former Vice-President Al Gore’s closest allies in the promotion of man-made global warming fears, is being publicly rebuked by his former supervisor at NASA.

 

Retired senior NASA atmospheric scientist, Dr. John S. Theon, the former supervisor of James Hansen, NASA’s vocal man-made global warming fear soothsayer, has now publicly declared himself a skeptic and declared that Hansen “embarrassed NASA” with his alarming climate claims and said Hansen was “was never muzzled.” Theon joins the rapidly growing ranks of international scientists abandoning the promotion of man-made global warming fears.

“I appreciate the opportunity to add my name to those who disagree that global warming is man made,” Theon wrote to the Minority Office at the Environment and Public Works Committee on January 15, 2009. “I was, in effect, Hansen’s supervisor because I had to justify his funding, allocate his resources, and evaluate his results,” Theon, the former Chief of the Climate Processes Research Program at NASA Headquarters and former Chief of the Atmospheric Dynamics & Radiation Branch explained.

The more I read up on all of this, the more I am convinced that all the gloom and doomers know very little about it, the cyclical nature of climate change, and what really causes it. Obama and his cronies have either bought into this hook, line and sinker or are merely using it to grab power for the government based on scare tactics. Possibly both. We will see a vaster expansion of government into every aspect of your life, your business and your personal choices in the next four years than we have ever seen in the history of this nation. I guess the mob wanted change. Well, they’ve got it.

New Study Shows Climate Change Largely Irreversible, Climate Modelers Given $140 Million Bonus

‘I guess if it’s irreversible, to me it seems all the more reason you might want to do something about it,” she says. “Because committing to something that you can’t back out of seems to me like a step that you’d want to take even more carefully than something you thought you could reverse.’”

You can’t make this stuff up.

What others think:

“…all the fuss about global warming is grossly exaggerated. Here I am opposing the holy brotherhood of climate model experts and the crowd of deluded citizens who believe the numbers predicted by the computer models. … I have studied the climate models and I know what they can do. … They do a very poor job of describing the clouds, the dust, the chemistry and the biology of fields and farms and forests. They do not begin to describe the real world that we live in.”- Physicist Freeman Dyson

Well, that’s reassuring. And I can only say how pleased, and relieved, I am that this woman is occupying a position of power in this country. More from that “you can’t make this crap up” file.

Hillary Clinton favors diplomatic response to extraterrestrial life

Clinton’s criticisms of Hollywood stereotypes of invading aliens, alludes to her disapproval of secret national security policies concerning UFO evidence and ‘future’ relations with extraterrestrial life.

Next week, Hillary Clinton begins her first full week as the nation’s top diplomat. Her public statements and sustained interest in UFOs suggest that, if given the opportunity, she intends to create a very different national security policy concerning extraterrestrial life. As Secretary of State, Clinton will stress ‘galactic’ diplomacy over ‘future’ military confrontation with extraterrestrial life. That may represent a welcome departure to national security policies that have been secretly developed and implemented over six decades of the UFO phenomenon.

You tax dollars can certainly do amazing things. Where do I sign up for some of this “bail out” money? They should have a 1-800 number where you can just call and get yourself added to the list.

Economy Hope: Porn, Roads and Auto-Flush Potties

How many taxpayer dollars does it take to change a light bulb? Well, if you live in North Miami, Fla., your mayor says it would cost $2 million to switch households to energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs.

That’s just one of 18,750 ready-to-go local job and infrastructure projects that the U.S. Conference of Mayors has proposed the federal government fund as part of the $825 billion economic stimulus plan.

There are plenty of suggestions for bridge repairs, road paving projects, new buses, trolley, garbage trucks and school improvements on the list.

But there is also $886,000 to build a 36-hole “disk-golf” course — think Frisbee throwing meets golf — in Austin, Texas, and $33,725 for automatically flushing toilets in Sumter, S.C. And don’t forget the $1.4 million children’s water park requested by Pine Bluff, Ark., and the $500,000 that Chula Vista, Calif., wants for a dog park.

The Beast lives right on the border of this town.

From Foster’s Daily Democrat:

Milton School relents, will let girl sing favorite song with word ‘Lord’

By Bill O’Connor and John Quinn

MILTON — When 8-year-old Bailey Champy climbed into the

car outside the Elementary School on Thursday, her mother asked her how her day went, just like she does every day.

But this Thursday the question was anything but ordinary for Bailey, whose eyes filled with tears as she began to speak.

Bailey explained that school officials told her she wouldn’t be allowed to perform her favorite song, “Trading My Sorrows” by Darrell Evans, for her second-grade class because it contained the word “Lord”.

That decision was eventually reversed Friday afternoon by SAU 64 superintendent Bill Landers, much to the relief of the Champy family.

“I think they’d have rather heard her sing “Baby Got Back,” said David Champy, Bailey’s father, on Friday morning, referring to the sexually charged 1992 hip-hop song by Sir Mix-a-Lot.

Heh. Heh. Heh.

 Over the past few years I have had the privilege to have known a native Ugandan missionary named Mike Wangolo. He is the leader of a team of Africans called Afri-Tendo (http://www.thrustministries.org/) who make periodic trips to the United States to witness to Americans through native songs and dances. During his travels he has become a close and valued friend to many of my friends and family.

Through his story and example many people have developed a heart of love and compassion for the Ugandan people. One of the people influenced by Mike Wangolo through his trips to the United States was a young lady who eventually ended up participating in a missions trip to Uganda.

The story Susan Smith’s transformation and experiences in Uganda is amazing. Her life has been changed in a fundamental way and she has become a passionate humanitarian and missionary to the people of Uganda.

Uganda, especially in the northern part of the country, has suffered from over two decades of insurrection, lawlessness and civil strife. Over a million people were displaced from their homes during the fighting, many tens of thousands killed and orphaned, and the famous “midnight children” (thousands forced to flee their villages nightly to hide in forests, hospitals and nearby cities to avoid abduction by rebel groups) have garnered international attention.

Aids, poverty and all their assorted consequences have taken a heavy toll on the Ugandans but they have proven to be a resilient people. They have also shown themselves to be a spiritually hungry people. Blessed with a heart of service, that is where Susan Smith comes in. She has written a book about her experiences titled Dancing Under the Ugandan Skies.

This is not just some book recording mere facts and a few mildly interesting anecdotes, but a triumph of storytelling. The descriptions are vivid and the entire reading experience is more reminiscent of a good friend sharing an adventure with you than anything else. I was quickly drawn into the story that Dancing Under the Ugandan Skies brings to life. Susan Smith is a descriptive wordsmith who can paint a visual picture like few others can. She brings the places and people she describes to life in a way that places you right at the scene with her as she tells you her story. By page twenty I was hooked. This is good storytelling, and that’s what a good book should be.

You will be moved by this book. You will laugh and you might even cry. You will marvel at the twists and turns that come unexpectedly on life’s journey. And you will marvel at how God can use a person if they are willing to listen and to be used. It will make you understand and appreciate those who have sacrificed much to act upon The Great Commission to go unto all the world and spread the gospel.

Few who read this book will not re-examine their own lives, renew their Faith, and question if there is not more that they are willing and capable of doing for those less fortunate than themselves.

From the author’s website:

Dancing Under the Ugandan Skies is an inspiring glimpse inside the journal of a woman embarking on a life changing adventure in East Africa. It is her fears and doubts, successes and trials, and the surprises along the way that only God could orchestrate. She found a life she never knew existed. Be inspired, be moved and see what happens when we let God take the wheel of our lives. This is her incredible story of what happened when God stamped her passport.

It has been a long journey from Colorado to Eastern Africa but Susan Smith is now a full time missionary and is based in the city of Kampala, Uganda. She has partnered with a variety of organizations, both American and Ugandan, such as Flood the Nations, Young Arise for Christ, God’s Centre of Blessings Ministries and Gulu Community Church.

Dancing Under the Ugandan Skies is 223 pages and available for sale at http://www.lulu.com/content/4843786. A paperback copy is $17.50 and an electronic download is available for $6.25. Eighty percent of the profit proceeds go towards Susan Smith’s work in Uganda including funding churches and providing scholarships for children and youth to attend school. The author’s website can be viewed at www.Betheclay.com.

After many years of it gnawing away in my brain I decided last Friday night at about two in the morning that I was going to go ahead and write and assemble a book on the conservative ideology. It is titled No Apologies: In Defense of the Conservative Ideology. I have been working 8 to 10 hours a day since then (Sun. excluded) to bring together hundreds of my blog posts as well as dozens of quotes and my essays into a coherent, topic-organized outline of a book. I am currently at nearly 65,000 words which comes to 231 pages so far. It will also contain a significant amount of original commentary and writing which I have also been  intermittently working on. It’s ridiculous. It’s either my legacy to Western Civilization or a hobby gone horribly and tragically wrong. I’m not sure which.

I’ll be self publishing through lulu.com and then, hopefully and eventually, marketing it on this blog, my facebook page, through my columns, my homepage, friendly bloggers and whatever other venue I can think of. We’ll see if this very rare burst of brilliance, energy and interest can be sustained all the way through. I’m tired, cranky, and my eyes hurt. And my wife thinks I’m crazy. I’ve got about a week left before I enter the real, working world again so I am on a severe time limitation when it comes to getting at least the meat of the project organized and put together in chapter form. Wish me luck. I need it.

Possibly one of my favorite things ever. Plenty more at the site.

“As long as the [New York] Times has such a burning interest in the root causes of murder, how about considering the one factor more likely to create a murderer than any other? That is the topic we’re not allowed to discuss: single motherhood. As I describe in my new book, ‘Guilty: Liberal ‘Victims’ and Their Assault on America,’ controlling for socioeconomic status, race and place of residence, the strongest predictor of whether a person will end up in prison is that he was raised by a single parent. … By 1996, 70 percent of inmates in state juvenile detention centers serving long-term sentences were raised by single mothers. Seventy percent of teenage births, dropouts, suicides, runaways, juvenile delinquents and child murderers involve children raised by single mothers. Girls raised without fathers are more sexually promiscuous and more likely to end up divorced. A 1990 study by the left-wing Progressive Policy Institute showed that, after controlling for single motherhood, the difference in black and white crime disappeared. Various studies come up with slightly different numbers, but all the figures are grim. A study cited in the far left-wing Village Voice found that children brought up in single-mother homes ‘are five times more likely to commit suicide, nine times more likely to drop out of high school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, 14 times more likely to commit rape (for the boys), 20 times more likely to end up in prison, and 32 times more likely to run away from home.’ With new children being born, running away, dropping out of high school and committing murder every year, it’s not a static problem to analyze. But however the numbers are run, single motherhood is a societal nuclear bomb. Many of these studies, for example, are from the ’90s, when the percentage of teenagers raised by single parents was lower than it is today. In 1990, 28 percent of children under 18 were being raised in one-parent homes — mother or father, divorced or never-married. By 2005, more than one-third of all babies born in the U.S. were illegitimate. That’s a lot of social problems in the pipeline.”

–columnist Ann Coulter

Benediction at Obama’s inauguration, Rev. Joseph Lowery: “Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around… when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen”…

Those darn white people. It’s about time that they embrace what is right.

President Bush was far from perfect but one thing nobody can take away from him is the undeniable fact that he and his administration kept America safe from terrorist attack for seven years. Now Obama and the Dems are faced with the same responsibility and it’s got them nervous. They’re facing two unappetizing prospects. Do they:

a. Dismantle the security apparatus they fought against  – The Patriot Act, The Military Commissions Act, etc – and attempt to keep us secure without these proven tools?

or

b. Keep them in place and face the wrath of their nutroot base while tacitly admitting that their original opposition was more about scoring political points against what they saw as the real enemy than concern about preventing Bush&co from “shredding” the Constitution?

The stakes are high. The Democrats have never enjoyed primacy on national security. If they dismantle the Bush security apparatus and another 911 were to occur on their watch the damage could linger for decades. We are already seeing a moderation of rhetoric against Guantanamo Bay, security intercepts, harsh interogation techniques and so on. The far Left is already starting to freak out.

You have to feel a bit of pity for the nutroots. . They must feel like the chess club president who gets a prom date with the hot cheerleader but comes back from the punch bowl to discover she took off with the Captain of the football team.  The nutroots are not going to get their defeat in Iraq. They’re not going to get their vast expansion of the Welfare State (the money’s going to bail out the Unions and Corporate Fatcats) they’re not going to get their Impeachment or their indictment orgy. In a few days Obama will put his hand up to take the oath of office and all those lofty lefty fantasies will come crashing down to the hard stony ground.

photo courtesy of CNN

I’m sure you’ve all heard by now about the US Airways jet that crashed in to the Hudson River today. Since I live in the NYC area let me attempt to paint you an even more vivid picture than you may be hearing on the news. First of all it is COLD today. Damn cold. We got up to a nice balmy high of 20 degrees this afternoon after this morning’s snow and we had a couple of little snow squalls blowing through over the course of day and winds have been gusting on and off all day. 

In these conditions pilot Chelsey B. “Sully” Sullenberger reportedly struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff disabling at least one and possibly two of his engines. The veteran commercial and former fighter pilot (the military trains them well don’t they) cooly turned the plane around in an attempt to get to Teterboro, a smaller local airport. Realizing he couldn’t make it there he piloted the crippled jet a scant few hundred feet over the George Washington bridge and set it down gently in a half mile wide stretch of the Hudson River.

Just to put it into perspective the man piloted this jet over a heavily travelled bridge and landed it safely into an icy river dividing downtown Manhattan from Jersey City and Weehawken, some of the most densely populated real estate in America, with ZERO fatalities and ZERO serious injuries. This could have gone so much worse in so many ways. Not only did the man save the lives and the 155 people on board but probably those of countless others on the ground as well. God was clearly watching over many people this afternoon.

Some well deserved praise also goes to the New York fire and police departments and the Coast Guard, from whom we have come to expect such courage and skill, for quickly snatching the passengers out of the water. Kudos also to a heads up ferry captain who piloted her vessel over to the crash site to throw life jackets to some of the passengers.

As one last act of heroism after everyone else was off of the plane Sullenberger made two more passes through the sinking plane to make sure that no one was left behind. Mr. Sullenberger hats off to you my good man. May we all be able to face life’s trials with such bravery, decisiveness and integrity. God bless.

What a pity…

Israel has killed another Hamas leader

Israeli Troops Battle Militants On Gaza City Streets

Several buildings were on fire, witnesses said, including a lumberyard. Sounds of the battle could be heard clearly around the city of 400,000 as the Israeli forces, backed by artillery and attack helicopters, moved into neighborhoods east and south of Gaza City. Israeli gunboats shelled the coast from the west.

The Israeli military said it carried out some 60 airstrikes overnight, hitting groups of Hamas militants holed up in a hotel, a house and a mosque. It said it also struck 15 squads of gunmen, rocket launching sites and 15 smuggling tunnels along the Egyptian border.

The army said it had hit about 30 militants, and that three soldiers were wounded in overnight fighting. Among them was an officer who was seriously wounded when a bomb exploded in a northern Gaza house that he was searching. Weapons, including a machine gun, were later found in the house, the military said.

From Swim At Your Own Risk:

Jono Beard was surfing with friends at Dreamtime Beach when a shark took a 16″ chunk out of his leg. Not so dreamy. Beard and his 3 buddies were watching a pod of dolphins jumping through the waves about 8.30am yesterday when the shark came out of nowhere and attacked Beard.

One of his friends helped him back to shore while the shark continued to lurk nearby, and used a surfboard leash as a tourniquet until the ambulance arrived.

GRUESOME BITE PICTURE HERE.

And as if that wasn’t enough:

A girl was surfing with her cousin at Binalong Bay, in Tasmania’s north east when a 15 ft white pointer latched onto her leg yesterday.

The shark dragged the girl under the water twice before her cousin reached the scene on his surfboard and hit the animal until it to let go. Damn.

The cousin managed to pull the girl onto his surfboard and paddled her back to shore while the shark followed.

Stay out of the water, Aussies!

The Muqata Israel At War: Special Edition blog is doing a great job in providing a day by day, blow by blow, account of the Israel-Hamas war currently being waged in Gaza. The author’s own home in Germany was attacked by a pro-Hamas mob because he had a Israeli flag posted in his window until the police broke into his flat and tore it down to help “defuse the situation”.  Be sure to give him a visit and watch some of the many videos posted there of the current operation.

Some things always ring true, no matter how old they are. This particular cartoon is only 15 years old, but it has been and will remain a constant truth. Sadly.

Truth

There is no historical way to validate George Washington’s vision one way or another but this has been making the rounds in the blogosphere once again as we rapidly approach the beginning of the reign of the The One. The earliest printed example of this was in the June, 24th 1861 Philadelphia Inquirer though some sources state that it had earlier appeared in an 1856 Mormon periodical. The main “naysayers” believe it was little more than Union propoganda for the Civil War. I remember being very small and my grandfather telling me about the vision of George Washington and what that meant about the future of the country. A great example of American folklore if nothing else.

“You doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going to the thicket to pray. Well, it is not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort from God, the interposition of whose Divine Providence brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation.

“One day, I remember it well, when the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shown brightly, he remained in his quarters nearly all the afternoon alone. When he came out, I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual. There seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone commanded, related the event that occurred that day.” – Andrew Sherman

It is as follows: 

Read the rest of this entry →

Reposted from Citizenlink.com . Why should I not be surprised?

House Democrats Change Rules to Silence GOP

 by Jennifer Mesko, editor

Shift could create ‘the most closed Congress in history.’

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has brought back archaic procedures in order to silence conservatives.

On Tuesday, the full House passed the Rules Package for the 111th Congress, 242-181. The changes limit the GOP’s ability to use procedural rules like the Motion to Recommit, which is the last opportunity for the minority party to amend a bill before it passes.

“The new rules consolidate power in the hands of a few and attempt to silence Republican input on key policy debates, in addition to making a mockery of the Democratic leaders’ promises of presiding over an open Congress,” Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement.

In the last Congress, Republicans were able to block some of the Democrats’ tax increases using a Motion to Recommit.

California Rep. David Dreier, ranking Republican on the House Rules Committee, called Pelosi’s changes an “act of pure cynicism,” according to The Washington Times. He said the changes will create “the most closed Congress in history.”

Tom McClusky, vice president for government affairs at FRC Action, agreed.

“It severely limits the democratic process in the House,” he said, “and doesn’t allow the minority to speak out on a number of issues where they represent a large amount of the American public.”

The House also repealed a rule limiting committee chairmen to three terms as head of a committee.

A nice way to say “thank you” to the troops.

The Gratitude Campaign

OK here goes. Odd numbered years are a bit tough since there’s not a whole heck of a lot going on election wise.

1. After a very rough start the economy will begin to recover midway through 2009. Although no one will be able to explain why everyone will attempt to take credit. Obama will garner most of the credit and conservatives will gnash what is left of their gnashed teeth in anger.

2. 6 teams will finish the NCAA football regular season undefeated and 4 of them will have nothing to show for it. The NCAA will finally cave in and develop a playoff system wherein Texas, Oklahoma, Florida and USC play every year in a two round playoff to determine the national champion.

3. Illinois governor Blogoyocihinskiwicz will be convicted of attempting to sell Obama’s vacated senatorial seat and be sent to prison only to pardon himself after everyone realizes that they forgot to throw him out of office. Massive amounts of money will mysteriously appear in various offshore accounts.

4. “Guns N’ Roses” will record another album, release it and then pull it off the shelves when they notice that no one cares.

5. Despite being awarded an astronomical amount of money from taxpayers GM and Chrysler will still have massive layoffs.

6. After electing a pro wrestler for governor and a comedian for senate Minnesota will follow up by electing a transvestite midget porn star for attorney general.

7. Scientists will make an amazing breakthrough in cancer research.

8. India and Pakistan will go to war. The rest of the world will get smart and stay out of it. It will be damn near impossible to get any sort of tech support help over the phone temporarily. Shortly thereafter unemployment in the US will go down nearly 1% and Americans will rejoice at being able to understand what the hell tech support operators are actually saying.

9. Gas will go up to just over $2.00 a gallon.

10. OJ will still be in prison.

11. Caroline Kennedy will be appointed to replace Hillary in the senate. Sure she’s completely inexperienced but that didn’t stop Hillary from getting elected.

12. Despite the state of this state the people of the fine state of New Jersey will re-elect Jim Corzine.

Ellen Green really belts it out in this nerdy duet from “Little Shop Of Horrors”. Ordinarily there’s a reason “Off Broadway” shows are “Off Broadway”, but this musical adaptation of the Roger Corman film (featuring a young Jack Nicholson) continues to please.

The Beast really enjoys the “Greek Chorus” as played by the three black backup singers.

Special bonus video: “Sixteen Tons” from “Joe Vs The Volcano” (in memoriam of the Beast’s first purchase of a compact putrescent light bulb and his contemplation of the soulless actinic illumination thereof – thanks for banning incandescent bulbs, Dems – now we will all be Joe).