I've Got a Feeling...

...Jim's not in West Roxbury anymore.

A Turning Point?

OK, one more and then I'm done.

I've tried to impart some common-sense, logical thought into the discussion of urban street violence, the revolving door justice system so heartily embraced by the leftists running the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the ineffective nature of Massachusetts' gun control laws that do nothing but deprive the innocent, law-abiding residents of the city of their right to defend themselves and their families.

Reacting to the increase in shootings and homicides in the city, the Mayor of Boston, surrounded by armed bodyguards, continues doing little, apart from issuing the occasional, all-too predictable press release expressing both his "outrage" and his insistence that he is "not going to let the hoodlums take over" the city.

From the Boston Globe:

"People are shocked, outraged, and there is some sense of fear and nervousness," said the Rev. William Dickerson of Greater Love Tabernacle, which is near the shooting scene. "We've reached a point where people are so cold-hearted they will shoot people in broad daylight.

Cold-hearted killers roaming the streets amongst all the decent, hard-working people in the city, who, thanks to the tireless efforts of Mayor Menino and the courage of his allies in the State Legislature (Barrios, Linksy, et al), have been rendered timid, weak and defenseless. No wonder they're scared.

"Their behavior is becoming more overt and audacious; they are so defiant of authority," he said of the young men involved in violent crime.

Not to mention the "most effective gun laws in the nation".

Dickerson said he has scheduled a community meeting on youth violence at his church on Monday.

A community meeting? Why didn't anyone think of that before???

Now, I'm not saying these meetings shouldn't take place. In fact, I think it's vitally important for the members of these communities to get together and support one another as they seek workable solutions to the violence plaguing their neighborhoods.

But, do yourselves a favor, folks. Don't invite the Mayor.

He said he believes that yesterday's shooting may be the last straw for a community fed up with street violence.

The last straw for the community, perhaps, but not for their fearless leader. It's gonna take much more than a pile of corpses and a city full of enraged citizens to get Mumbles to change his ways. For that would require him to admit failure. And that simply isn't gonna happen. The phrase "airborne rectal monkeys" comes to mind.

Besides, he knows they'll keep voting for him. What the hell does he care what goes on in "those" neighborhoods?

"It's been violent in that area before, but it's unfortunate we've gotten to the point where the minority, the people shooting guns, has made it so difficult for the majority," Dickerson said. "It has to stop."

The small group of people, the ones with all the guns, making life miserable for the majority. I'll spare you the relevant refresher course in European history.

And, last, but certainly not least, this poignant reminder.

From July of 2006:

Today, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Acting Commissioner Al Goslin, in conjunction with the Boston Police Department and numerous community and faith-based organizations, is pleased to announce that the 2006 Boston Gun Buyback “Aim For Peace” was a major success.

So, what do you think? Is it time to let Boston and the rest of the Commonwealth burn, and move on to more important topics. Frankly, I'm fresh out of giveadamn, where that authoritarian gasbag of a mayor and the Bacon Hill Bozos are concerned.

There's plenty to write about taking place up here in New Hampshire, what with all the tax-and-spend liberal scumbags oozing out of the woodwork trying to tax the state into oblivion and impose their socialist Utopian ideals upon us.

I don't want to abandon my readers in the Bay State, but this shit is seriously getting old. Short of a meteor crashing somewhere in the greater Boston area and turning Route 128 into the lip of a giant crater, it's a lost cause.

The last time I put this to a vote, back when I was still living in Meninostan, the results were overwhelmingly in favor of continuing beating the dead horse into a fine bloody pulp.

What should I do now? Live up to the name of the blog and move on? Or stay loyal to my readers still trapped in the People's Progressive Republic?

What should I do?
	Move on. No looking backwards!
	Stay the course. Marxachusetts needs you.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Now, it's off to find a store around here that sells Narragansett.

A Very Large Bag of Hammers

In case you haven't heard, the collapse of WTC on 9/11 marked...

...the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel.

Wow.

Priorities

And people wonder why anyone would want to move away from such a Utopian land of daisies and buttercups, and out from under the protective wing of such a caring, intelligent man like Boston Mayor Tom Menino.

From the Boston Globe's Scot Lehigh:

And I find it hard to imagine why the mayor or the governor would show any hesitation about having the State Police help in Boston's high-crime neighborhoods. But they both have. Yesterday I asked Mayor Menino why he opposed it.

"First of all, you have different unions here," he replied.

Our city is suffering a killing spree, and police union resistance really suffices as a reason? Good Lord.

Keeping the deep-pocketed unions happy, so as to not negatively impact his electoral concerns. People are being killed, and that's Mayor Menino's "first of all". I guess every man has to have his priorities, however depraved and twisted.

I'm guessing the real rubbing point would be the infighting over which officers would get to make up the mayor's personal security detail.

What an absolute disgrace.

But, wait, there's more.

Meanwhile, citing federal data from 2000, Sam Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, said Boston ranked third in percentage of full-time officers assigned to administrative tasks, and last in terms of full-time officers assigned to the field.

"We have people who are uniformed officers behind desks when they could be out on the street if they were replaced by lower-paid civilians," notes Tyler.

Come on, Scot. You're not looking at the big picture here.

What's more important? Fighting the urban street violence that's taking the lives of the city's young people? Or maintaining a staff of armed police officers for the purpose of harassing and belittling law-abiding citizens seeking permission from the State to own a firearm?

Seriously, you're not thinking "progressively" enough.

I'll Take "Things That Make Us Feel Good"...

...for $400, please, Alex.

Mia Farrow leads plea for state divestment from Sudan

BOSTON --Actress Mia Farrow showed slides from four trips to the Darfur region of Sudan as she pleaded Thursday for Massachusetts lawmakers to divest state pension funds in the African nation where experts say genocide is being committed.

Nooooo!!! Well, thank goodness we have "experts" to tell us that.

Why doesn't she just go over there and set up a gun buyback program? Boston Mayor Tom Menino held one last year, and it was a "major success", if you haven't heard. That's why the Guardian Angels showed up in Boston yesterday, to help him celebrate.

"I'm not an expert on anything...

You don't say.

...but I can convey what I know to be true," Farrow told members of the Joint Public Service Committee during a hearing at the Statehouse. "No one is safe in the Darfur region of Sudan."

I dunno, the heavily-armed Janjaweed militiamen seem to be doing OK.

KUTERI, Sudan -- The men with rifles lounged on a carpet in the sand. The five of them had come to the village that morning from the crumble of mountains nearby, and now the afternoon sun was blasting. Some sipped tea.

Because, nothing screams imminent peril quite like lounging on the rug with a fresh cup of tea.

As to Mia Farrow's feel-good divestiture plan, it should go without saying that...

[Massachusetts Governor] Deval Patrick said he supports the idea.

Of course, he does. Anything that doesn't involve empowering black people with the means to defend their lives, their dignity, and their communities is OK in the minds of the true "progressives" amongst us.

Whether we're talking about folks the other side of the Neponset River from the governor's house in Milton, or those on the other side of the Atlantic being slaughtered like lambs, the liberal establishment in this country, along with their comrades in the U.N., wants them to be as defenseless as possible at all times. It's for the "common good".

So, sure, innocent villagers will continue to be murdered.

Women will still be raped at gunpoint in alarming numbers.

More children will be starved to death or orphaned.

But, at least, they won't have any guns on 'em (someone could get hurt!).

This policy would serve one purpose, and one purpose only. It will make the limousine liberals feel good about themselves and give them a reason to pat one another on the back over cocktails in their fancy houses with their fancy friends.

And, what could possibly be more important than that?

You know my answer.

As always, all proceeds generated from sales of these fine stickers will go to a very worthy cause...trust me.

What Was I Thinking?

Flashback - August 4, 2005:

Thanks a million. Have fun in prison, asshole. See you in ten to twenty.

Boston Herald - March 29, 2007:

Road rage on the streets of Lynn led to outrage in the courtroom when a troubled ex-Marine, who shot a woman and her teenage son after a confrontation while driving, got a five-year sentence that makes him eligible for parole in just two.

Needless to say, the family of the victims is less than thrilled by this judge's latest "slap on the wrist" sentencing decision.

This Just In!

Throwing babies in dumpsters = BAD.

WHO KNEW?

How seriously fucked up a world are we living in, if there are people amongst us who actually need a visual reminder of this simple precept?

Cyndee Garcia holds a sticker designed after three abandoned
babies were found at 11-month intervals in the town of Orosi,
Calif. (Christian Parley, The Fresno Bee/AP)

That said, I would think that anyone with the mental capacity to read and understand the word "NO" has already got the whole "NO BABIES IN THE DUMPSTER" thing well in hand.

Though, I wouldn't bet on it.

(link via madshel in Maine)

Reality Disconnect of the Day

From the Boston Globe:

Kid caught with gun in school

By David Abel, GLOBE STAFF

The .44-caliber pistol was in the boy’s backpack, officials said.

When his fifth-grade teacher asked him just before class ended for the day Tuesday whether he had a gun, the 11-year-old at John P. Holland Elementary School said yes, authorities said.

Then, he took it out of his blue and gray bag and put it on his desk, while more than 20 students watched, school officials said.

The gun was loaded, police said.

[snip]

The real problem is easy access to guns, said Davida Andelman, chair of the Greater Bowdoin-Geneva Neighborhood Association.

"It’s unfathomable," Andelman said. "Somehow, we need to very methodically and quickly address this issue. I know people talk about the Second Amendment, but in this day and age, why do we need to have so many guns out there?"

Typical liberal inability to connect the dots right in front of one's face.

In one breath, he says the real problem is "easy access to guns", implying that violent criminals and gangbangers are having no trouble whatsoever in obtaining firearms through illegal channels. The simple fact that these scumbags are illegally carrying guns and showing no hesitation to use them in the promotion of their illegal, violent lifestyle, is accepted by both sides of the gun control argument.

In his next breath, he asks why "we need to have so many guns out there".

"There are armed criminals all over the place, willing to prey on anyone they choose. Now, why would you want a gun to defend yourself?"

Without the ability to recognize that all the gun control laws in the world will never disarm those inclined to carry guns for illegal, violent purposes, he reverts to the dependable stand-by position that all guns are bad, there's too many of them out there, and therefore, "in this day and age", the Second Amendment is doing more harm than good, and needs to be repealed...FOR THE CHILDREN^TM.

To people like this, there is NO DIFFERENCE, whatsoever, between a 16 year-old crack dealer carrying a piece of shit Jennings .22-caliber handgun in his baggy jeans and a law-abiding, 40-year-old father of two, legally carrying a $700 Colt .45 in a $200 holster under his suit coat.

Both are equally bad, in the eyes of these leftist Menino-ites.

An Arab militiaman murdering refugees in Darfur, and an elderly couple defending themselves from armed home invaders with a .22-caliber rifle?

Six of one, half-dozen of another.

A nutjob shooting up a mall full of shoppers with a pump-action shotgun, and a law-abiding citizen with a semi-automatic AK-47 in his gun safe?

Same thing.

Wait, scratch that.

The guy with the AK-47 is clearly a bigger threat to society. His gun has the ability to have a bayonet attached to it.

Preschool of Rock

So, you say your kid made the honor roll?

Big deal.

My girls' hopscotch goes up to 11.

Make Up Your Minds Already

Sorry for the glut of posts concerning news from south of the border, but I owe it to my Massachusetts-based readers to keep on top of this crap.

The latest plate of crap being dished up "down south"?

Well, the people of Boston have been listening to the police for years now, imploring them to get involved in the fight against gang violence in the city.

Now, a group of folks want to come to Boston and get involved in the fight against gang violence, and the BPD response is a resounding, "No, thanks!".

It's right up there with Boston Mayor Tom Menino, last year, refusing then-Governor Mitt Romney's offer to have the State Police assist the Boston Police Department in patrolling the city's most dangerous inner-city neighborhoods.

And, now, with Romney gone, and a fellow-megaliberal sitting in the corner office on Beacon Hill, he has no problem, whatsoever, bringing State Police helicopters into the city's most dangerous inner-city neighborhoods.

Ahhhh.. I love the smell of playing politics with the safety and well-being of the commoners in the morning. It smells like...victory do-nothing Bay State liberalism.

State of Emergency? Or Denial?

From the Boston Herald:

A city cleric has rolled out the "warning" mat for tourists, urging them to "think twice about vacationing in Boston" after Saturday’s slaying of Chiara Levin.

"You will take your life into your own hands if you travel to Boston. The city has lost the ability to stop the murders," the Rev. Bruce Wall, the ever-controversial pastor of Global Ministries Christian Church in Dorchester, said in a mass e-mail. He told the Herald he'll post that message around Boston on fliers if Mayor Thomas M. Menino doesn't declare a state of emergency.

"He could come out a winner on this," said Wall. He urged Menino: "Show the people who voted for you that you truly care more about them than your political career."

Don't hold your breath, Padre. You might as well ask an elephant to stop being so damn gray all the time.

And, for today's money quote, I give you the Mayor of Boston:

Menino's response to Wall: "It's totally irresponsible for anyone to say anything like that."

Once again, we see Menino capitalizing on the MTV-level attention span of his voter base, and spouting out utterly inane bullshit like that, in hopes it will make him appear as if knows what he's talking about.

You want to see what irresponsibility looks like, Mr. Mayor? Look in the mirror, you ignorant buffoon.

(click to enlarge)

Every day I wake up and look out into the woods in my backyard, enjoying my morning coffee, while checking out the deer tracks in the snow outside, I find religion and thank God I was able to get my family out of that town, and away from the idiot running the circus down there.

Let's Play "Spot the Hyperbole"

UPDATES UPDATED (AND UPDATED)- scroll down

In the 'Issues' section over at "new and improved" Devalpatrick.com, one registered user put up the issue, No more gun control in Massachusetts. As of 2:00 PM today, the responses posted include such rational arguments as...

So far all we have done is take away the right of self protection from law abiding citizens. The criminals just ignore us, and the laws.

- Charles J.

Law abiding citizens are hurt by gun-control laws. People who commit gun-violent crimes don't abide by the laws. The attempts to tighten gun restrictions does nothing but take away rights of good citizens.

- Aaron H.

Absolutely in favor. The current gun control regs have done little to stem any illegal activities. Criminals tend not to follow laws. The folks that bare the brunt of gun control laws are almost exclusively the law abiding citizenry. Almost every piece of statistical evidence supports this.

Oh yeah, I amost forgot, A great deal of gun control does tend to contradict the second amendment to the Consitution of the Unitied States which codified the individual right that pre-dates the constitution itself that all individuals have the right to bear arms. Which, in case you were not following, is a serious contradicition to the foundations of this country.

- Jeff S.

The laws are not working! On Sunday March 25th WBZ ran a piece with John Keller and Mayor Menino, in which the Mayor discussed some of the new tactics the police the will be using to fight gun related crimes. Interestingly, the Mayor said he thought that there were more guns on the street now than ever before.

Why?

From what I’ve read, Boston has employed one successful gun buyback programs in the country and Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws. Clearly, more legislation is not the answer.

- Michael S.

Criminals will not be controlled by our laws and they, by definition, are the ones doing the illegal shootings. Bans have never worked, we've banned all sorts of drugs and activities to no avail. Learn from what is going on in Australia and England.

- Carl C.

Massachusetts is insane regarding gun control; criminals are easily armed, while law-abiding citizens are faced with harsh penalties for defending themselves or their families, even in their own homes! Never mind how hard it is to even get a license at all...

- Leigh D.

It is high time the legislators in the Commonwealth open their eyes to the oppression of law abiding gun owners here. As a group, we are the most law abiding, educated, and productive members of the state.

It is also high time for criminals to start being held accountable for their behavior. They choose to ignore most other laws, thinking that they will not ignore another gun control law is silliness at its utmost.

Paul M.

...and, this slightly less than rational response from one Richard H. of Provincetown.

YEA! we gotta make it easier to kill people!

This jackass, apparently, has no idea how many people one deranged lunatic can take out with a gallon of gasoline and a match. Or a '78 Buick, for that matter.

Smart money says he's of the belief that Manhattan will be under 20 feet of water unless we surrender our national sovereignty, and turn over all our worldly goods to the UN for redistribution to every UN-felching, Stalinist, third-world dictator the world over.

Naturally, you can expect the Patrick sympathizer camp to dismiss this posting as a coordinated attack on the Patrick website, by an unruly mob of gun owners looking to sabotage the democratic process, by expressing their opinions, as residents and registered voters of Masschusetts, in an open forum through intimidation and political thuggery.

Or some other such nonsense.

UPDATE: Speaking of the Patrick sympathizer camp, I give you the Boston Globe.

Granted, it's not the gun control issue I wrote about above at play here, but it sure didn't take long for the baseless, idiotic attacks to start flying.

The issues generating buzz on Governor Deval Patrick's new civic engagement website are largely predictable: gay marriage support, renewable energy, and the administration's proposed municipal partnership package.

But one subject gaining popularity on the three-day-old site was championed by the Democrat's opponents in his successful campaign last fall. The long-time Republican rallying cry to rollback the state income tax from 5.3 to 5 percent has received enough "votes" to make it one of the top 15 most popular issues on DevalPatrick.com.

While gay marriage support has received seven times more votes than the rollback, the income tax issue has gotten enough support to show that the new site can be a vehicle to push the agenda of interest groups and the Republican minority.

What was the result of the income tax rollback referendum question again? 59% to 41% in favor of the income tax rollback, I think?

I guess it all depends on one's definition of "minority".

Some advocacy groups seized on the site before it even launched. The Conservation and Recreation Campaign, for example, blasted its 1,500-members an e-mail urging them to log on to the site and "vote" to increase funding for parks. The site is financed with political donations to Patrick's political committee, not taxpayer money.

What's that supposed to mean?

That opposing viewpoints from members of the general public will not be welcome there? That this forum is no place for open dialogue, between people with differing opinions? The opening paragraph says it's "Governor Deval Patrick's new civic engagement website", not some Moveon.org type of organization's verbal circle jerk.

Nope, no political bias in that Globe piece there.

Move along, folks.

UPDATE II: Talk about screwing the pooch:

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick launched a new page on his political Web site this weekend to organize supporters behind his issues, but Secretary of State William Galvin Monday asked the governor to take it down, fearing the identity of voters may be compromised.

Team 5 Investigates Janet Wu discovered that when people register to participate, it discloses their home address as listed in the Massachusetts voter database. Wu found that anyone could enter a name and a town and find the street address for any registered voter. For some searches, unpublished phone numbers were revealed.

Team 5 Investigates entered the name of a woman with a restraining order against a stalker. Her full address popped up on the Patrick campaign Web site.

I might just get me one of these just for the hell of it. Seriously, can Captain Patrick and his inept crew on board this proverbial ship of fools do anything right?

UPDATE III: From the above-linked WVCB piece:

"It's information that's publicly available from your city, your city hall, your local voter registration, " said Liz Morningstar of the Deval Patrick Committee.

Well, shit, now where have I heard that line of reasoning before?

Oh, yeah, from "compassionate" liberals seeking to protect the identities of convicted Level III sex offenders by fighting efforts to have their personal information, all of it public records, centralized on one website accessible to the general public.

Morningstar said if anyone has a complaint to lodge, she welcomes them to go online and register their concerns, but she said the campaign has no intention of taking down the new page.

Get your scorecards out, people!

Protecting the personal information of violent, dangerous, most-likely to reoffend, sexual predators? Good.

Demonstrating the same level of compassion and respect for the balance of the citizenry of the Commonwealth? Go fuck yourself, you dirty peasant.

Decisions, Decisions

As usual, I've been thinking about "the next one", and a decent .22-caliber pistol is way up there near the top of my list (seeing as I don't have one at the moment). Uncle's got a post up today that might just help me narrow my choices down a bit.

Of course, I'd then need one of these to go with it.

Backyard barbecues will never be the same again.

Man, you guys better buy a lot of bumper stickers.

Parenting For Dummies

Chapter 1: Do not leave your car running in a parking with your kids sleeping inside while you go shopping.

No, really. Don't.

SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, Mich. --A thief drove off in a minivan that was left running with three children sleeping inside, but the vehicle was found minutes later with all three unharmed and still asleep, authorities said.

The children's mother had stopped at a convenience store Friday night in Superior Township just outside of Ann Arbor.

Police said they were expecting to file felony dumbass charges within the hour.

Nope...Still Don't Get It

Gun Control: Because the right of a convicted felon to break into your house and murder you with a sledgehammer is more sacrosanct than your right to prevent him from doing so.

UPDATE: On a somewhat related note, here's a local entry for the "Guns Cause Crime" File:

Police: man wielded hammer in convenience store robbery

HUDSON, N.H. (AP) -- A Hudson (New Hampshire) man is under arrest, police say, over allegations he held up a convenience store with a hammer.

[edit note: insert "common sense hammer control" snark here]

The Age of Innocence

Daughter (pointing at the Rice Krispies box): Papa, who's that?

Me: That's Jack Sparrow. He's a pirate.

Daughter: Did he make the Rice Krispies?

From the "Too Priceless to Pass Up" File

There's hope yet for the future of our country.

LONGMONT — Humans don’t cause global warming, a jury of sixth graders at Trail Ridge Middle School concluded Thursday after hearing opposing arguments from their peers.

Excuse me, whilst I snicker some.

“They’re pretty young for this kind of thinking. They did great,” paleontology teacher Ken Poppe said after the 40-minute “trial” in his classroom.

That's a pretty sad reflection on how we see our children these days. Should we be surprised that sixth graders are seemingly capable of thinking independently and rationally? Fifty years ago, I'd wager a majority of parents in this country would be shocked if they found the opposite to be true. Is it now to be accepted as the norm that our kids are helpless, brain-dead automatons, to be left at the mercy of our "educators" for their intellectual programming?

Because, that's exactly what the leftists in this country want, for these kids to become ideologically ignorant and dismiss any intellectual arguments that require them to even consider engaging their brains. They don't want our kids to develop into individual thinkers. They want them to accept everything fed them by the Al Gore's and Michael Moore's of this world as the incontrovertible truth. They want our kids indoctrinated to walk lockstep to the drumbeat of Hillary and her "It takes a Village", "common good", collectivist rubbish.

How else can they expect to raise future generations of democrats Marxists?

But, I digress.

With Earth’s warming accepted as a tenet, pre-teen “lawyers” and “scientists” debated whether humans have caused it.

Eleven jurors listened intently as prosecutors and defendants flashed contradictory graphs tracking global temperatures, carbon dioxide levels, polar ice cap statistics, volcanic activity and sea surface temperatures — all of which were found Wednesday in the school’s computer lab.

Only one parent, it seems, shared what would have been my nearly immeasurable skepticism.

Only one parent questioned Poppe’s decision to hold a global warming debate. That mother expected him to present Al Gore’s global warming movie “An Inconvenient Truth” as indisputable facts, Poppe said. After he explained his neutrality in the classroom, the mom allowed her child to participate in the debate, he said.

The "jury" ruled against the Algorians, by a 7-4 vote.

Even sixth graders are seeing through this socialist bile.

The Republic is not lost.

Morocco - 1945

Here are a few more pics from my wife's grandfather's photo albums.

Unfortunately, I have no background info for any of these, other than the hand-written label on the cover of the photo album...

1945 - Kasba-Tadla (Maroc)

Photo Album Flashback

Though, not from my photo albums this time.

My wife's grandfather in France passed away recently, and she had to fly over for the funeral and to tend to his estate. Among the items she brought back (or had shipped back) were four boxes of photo albums and home movies. I've just started to scan the pages of the photo albums to burn them onto CD's for her family on the west coast.

Anyway, here are some pictures her grandfather took during his days in the French Air Force (circa 1938-1943). I figure there's probably some warbird buffs out there reading my blog who will appreciate these. Enjoy.

(click images to enlarge)

50 bonus points (and a shiny new bumper sticker - ooooh!) to anyone who identifies the aircraft.

More pics to follow.

UPDATE: I had left this one out of the original post, as the markings are clearly visible on the tail, which kinda makes it easy to identify.


Of course, I missed that and Googled "French WWII Aircraft" for like an hour to find out what it was.

The More I Think About It...

...the more I think I should have just gone with "Al Gore Can Go Fuck Himself" for the new batch of bumper stickers.

No Blood For Snake Oil!

I don't know what's worse, the fact that people are buying into this feel-good, do-nothing horseshit, or the fact that I didn't think of it first, and get a cut of the action.

How much does Carbon Offsetting cost? Price survey!

Example: a mid-sized 30 mpg car driving 12,000 miles/year will create about 3.55 tons of CO2/year. Using Carbonfund.org's calculator we figured this would cost only about $19.50 or $1.63/month to be offset! This means that for a very small amount of money you can drive the equivalent of a zero-CO2-emission car!

It's OK, folks. They're "certified" by the "Chicago Climate Exchange". Come on now, if that doesn't instill you with confidence, what will?

Where's my checkbook?

It is up to each of us to clean our own mess, obviously the government can't and won't do it (alone). Signing up with any of these programs might effectively reduce your CO2 contributions to ZERO! (All prices in US$)

Uh-huh.

And, I might start shitting gold nuggets this morning to help beef up my kids' college fund.

Caption This

Story: Kennedy-McCain partnership falters

Winner, as judged by yours truly, will receive the first Al Gore sticker off the stack.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

R.I.P. Calvert DeForest

AKA: Larry Bud Melman

NEW YORK - The balding, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows has died after a long illness. The Brooklyn-born Calvert DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, the Letterman show announced Wednesday. He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Rest in peace, Mr. Melman.

I think I'm gonna fix me up some Toast-On-a-Stick now, thanks.

UPDATE: The Headmistress digs up the pic.

Quote of the Day

From WBZ (Channel 4 - Boston) reporter, T.J. Winick, telling people what to do if they find a bear in their backyard, as this family in Concord, MA did recently.

Now, if you do find a bear eating at your bird feeder, experts actually suggest you step outside your house and make a very loud noise to scare the animal off.

Gee, if only I had anything I could use to make a "very loud noise".


Say what you will about the passive nature of some wild animals, and about how they're likely more scared of people that we are of them, but the probability that a dead bear (or any predatory being, for that matter) will ever come back into my yard in the future and hurt my kids is 0.00%.

Personally, I like those odds.

Coming Soon...

I was going to go with "I just paid some guy five bucks on the internet for some carbon offset credits and all I got was a lousy bumper sticker!", but there were some minor layout issues.

Nothing Fancy Here

Just a St. Patrick's Day dinner that will put a smile on your face and a 'Holy crap, that was good!' kind of feeling in your gut.

Step 1: In a piece of cheesecloth, put a couple dozen peppercorns, a bulb of garlic that's been cut in half horizontally (the cheesecloth keeps the skin from going all over the place), and a couple bay leaves. And, no, I don't think the bay leaves add any flavor. It's all a scam cooked up by the bay leaf industry. Still...why risk it? Tie it all up with a piece of twine.



Step 2: Throw your corned beef (or boilable meat of your choosing) into a large pot. Cover with water. Throw in the aforementioned cheesecloth bag. and bring it all to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Or until it's cooked...duh.



Step 3: In a large baking dish, put a bunch of carrots, cut into what I call bite-sized pieces (see photo), some butter potatoes (cut in half), and one large, roughly chopped onion. Drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste with coarse sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and thyme.



Step 4: Throw the vegetables into a 400 degree oven when you've got about an hour or so left on the meat.

Step 5: Fifteen minutes before the meat is done, toss is some cabbage. One quarter head per person should suffice (depends how much you all like cabbage, I guess). Make sure you cut through the middle of the stem (or whatever the stalky stem-like thing on a head of cabbage is called), so it can hold the leaves together.

Step 6: When the meat is done cooking, slice it across the grain. Chop up some cabbage. Scoop out some veggies. Malt vinegar on the cabbage is a must. As is the pint of Guinness to wash it all down with.



Step 7: Eat. Drink. Be merry.

And, yeah, the kids had macaroni and cheese. Sue me.

Video of SB44 Testimony

Courtesy of Gun Owners of New Hampshire:

VIDEO: Judiciary Committee votes to kill SB44

VIDEO: GO-NH Treasurer & Director Michael Pelletier testifies against SB44

VIDEO: NHLA Political Director Don Gorman testifies against SB44

VIDEO: Second Amendment Sisters coordinator Jenn Coffey testifies against SB44

And, my rather shoddy videos of Senator Burling's testimony, and that of the two police chiefs who spoke in favor of SB44. Yeah, you gotta crank up the volume somewhat. Sorry 'bout that.

Clip 1: Senator Burling

Clip 2: Enfield Police Chief Richard Crate

Clip 3: Lebanon Police Chief Jim Alexander

Sláinte!

For your listening enjoyment on this wintry St. Patrick's Day...

Joxer Goes to Stuttgart - by Christy Moore

(right-click, save as..., you know the drill)

Why Universal Healthcare Sucks - Reason #4,209

Taxing the intelligent to care for these fucking morons.

So hard to pick a favorite. It's pretty much a toss-up between #2 and #3. I have to give the nod to #2 for the accompanying audio.

Keeping Up With the Jones's Marxists

From the New Hampshire Advantage Coalition:

For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2007

NH Advantage Coalition Warns of "Fair" Tax Group's Agenda

Manchester, NH – The New Hampshire Advantage Coalition sounded the alarm to NH’s taxpayers today about an underhanded attempt of the Granite State Fair Tax Coalition to raise support for a income or sales tax.

The towns of Amherst, Harrisville, Sharon and Milton passed a resolution stating: "We the citizens of (Amherst, Harrisville, etc.) believe in a New Hampshire that is just and fair. The property tax has become unjust and unfair. 'The Pledge' perpetuates a burdensome property tax. We urge our elected officials to reject he Pledge,' have an open discussion covering all options, and to adopt a revenue system that relieves the local property tax burden."

"It's a simple bait and switch," said Tammy Simmons, NHAC Executive Director. "The resolution implies that it is simply an attempt to reduce the property tax, when in reality this "fair tax" coalition is attempting to fool people into supporting a new, additional broad-based tax." Such a conclusion is inescapable, since the 'Pledge', though not described in their ballot resolutions, is a pledge made by legislative candidates to stand against a broad-based tax."

"For the members of the 'Fair' Tax Coalition, taxes will only be fair when control over them is taken away from the citizens in each town, and handed to politicians in Concord." said NHAC Chairman Mike Biundo.

"Their belief that this will relieve local property taxes is a fantasy," said NHAC Communications Director Gardner Goldsmith.

"Their belief that X will result in Y is a fantasy."

Gee...stop me if you've heard that one before.

"In response to a similar education lawsuit crisis in 1976, New Jersey instituted an income tax that was supposed to relieve the 'unfair' burden of the locally controlled property tax. The result was a disaster. Property taxes did not decrease, but increased, and they now have some of the highest in the nation. Other states have followed, with the same results."

When your rallying cry translates to "Why can't we be more like New Jersey?", you are simply beyond help, and it should serve as a sure-fire indicator that a fundraiser needs to be held immediately to raise the money needed to buy your ass a one-way bus ticket out of New Hampshire.*

NHAC believes we can still reject the backwards thinking of big-taxers like the GSFTC, but it will take courage, integrity, and honesty - characteristics lacking from an organization that claims it is not in favor of any specific tax, but whose agenda is very, very clear.

New Hampshire Advantage Coalition is a bi-partisan, NH-based organization formed to preserve the economic and political blessings that make the state an attractive place to live and work.

Needless to say, the filthy, loathsome statists at The Granite State Fair Tax Coalition can kiss my fair ass.

* I realized that I posted this one after this earlier post containing the "Why can't we be more like New Jersey?" reference. So, now you know what I was talking about.

More Promising News From Concord

REAL ID foes push bill to ban NH's compliance

CONCORD – A year after a bill that would have barred New Hampshire from complying with the federal REAL ID Act was defeated, opponents are trying again, arguing the act's requirements for driver's licenses amount to the creation of a national ID card.

Witnesses urged lawmakers at a hearing yesterday to bar New Hampshire from complying with the act that was enacted as a national security measure. About 75 people crowded into a hearing room to support a bill to enact the ban.

No one testified against the bill and House Transportation Chairman Jim Ryan predicted the committee would vote next week to recommend its passage.

REAL ID opponents said the act essentially creates a national ID card that invades citizens' privacy and promotes identity theft.

"We already have a national ID. It's a passport," said Kevin Clifford of North Conway. Clifford said Americans can't expect to get security by trading their freedom for it.

His wife, Elena, a native of Russia, said she didn't understand why Americans would want to adopt her former country's policy of requiring identification to travel inside the country. The Soviet Union requires citizens to carry an internal ID to move about the country, she said.

And, you thought "Why can't we be more like New Jersey?" was bad.

What Do They care? It's Not Their Money

As I've said before, in regards to the new generation of New hampshire Socialists - you give them an inch and they'll jam the whole yardstick up your ass.

From the New Hampshire Union Leader:

Healthy (college) Kids: A nanny for your slacker

HOW MANY 25-year-old college graduates would you say really need to go on the dole? If you answered, "all of them," you might be a Democrat in the Legislature.

House Bill 790, sponsored by Rep. Martha McLeod, would expand the New Hampshire Healthy Kids program, which is sort of a Medicaid for minors, to cover "young adults who are less than 26 years of age."

Healthy Kids was created "to make a needed and strategic investment in this state's human resources by taking advantage of federally created options to obtain additional federal financial assistance by expanding medicaid eligibility for low income pregnant women and children."

The bill does more than add "and young adults who are less than 26 years of age." It expands eligibility to families earning up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level. That's $103,250 for a family of four.

[...]

OK, these people are really starting to get on my nerves.

And by the way, the bill would cover non-New Hampshire residents enrolled in colleges and universities in New Hampshire. So the New Hampshire Healthy Kids program would give subsidized health insurance to some Dartmouth and UNH students from Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Gee, I wonder (not) how Ms. McLeod would have the state pay for this. I can't wait to see what new and exciting tax she's dreaming up in that little Marxist mass of gray matter taking up residency inside her skull.

What's left that hasn't been tried?

If this bill passes, the state will put middle-class families earning more than $100,000 a year on public health care assistance. That is outrageous. If anything, current Healthy Kids eligibility, already at 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($62,000 for a family of four), should be trimmed to make the program conform with its original mission: to subsidize health care for the poor.

But, don't you know? In George Bush's America we're all poor.

WMUR Coverage of SB44 Hearing

N.H. Lawmakers Debate New Bill To Tighten Gun Permits

CONCORD, N.H. -- A new plan proposed to tighten restrictions on all state gun permits drew fierce opposition from gun owners on Thursday.

Angry gun owners packed a Senate hearing room to register disapproval in the proposed gun permit crackdown.

That's funny. I was in that room this morning for the duration of the hearing, and I didn't see any angry gun owners.

I saw concerned gun owners.

I saw vigilant gun owners.

I saw politically aware gun owners.

I saw a large number of gun owners smiling, clapping and shaking hands with one another at the conclusion of the hearing. But, not one angry gun owner.

"It's fixing a problem we don't have," said one gun owner.

"If anyone thinks a terrorist will be dissuaded by a law it's wrong," said another gun owner.

They're talking about a bill offered by state Sen. Peter Burling, D-Cornish, who said the current state police background check for gun licenses doesn't protect residents from gang members and terrorists.

As one of the speakers said (again, I'm paraphrasing somewhat):

"The citizens in this room aren't afraid of gang members and terrorists. They're afraid of overzealous police chiefs and government officials trampling on their rights."

"If someone walked in and said, 'I'm from al-Queda, and I'd like a permit,' there is no legal way to deny a permit absent a felony," said Burling.

Because everyone knows terrorists and gang members are (a) legally acquiring their firearms, and (b) carrying them concealed only when they can get permission from the state to do so.

Burling offered a bill to empower selectmen and local police to deny gun permits if they reasonably believe that a person is a terrorist or a member of a criminal group.

Burling said he offered the bill after a young person in Lebanon applied for and received a gun permit, even after admitting to being part of a criminal gang and having been arrested several times, though never convicted.

Guilty until proven innocent. What's not to love?

But critics said the bill offered no definition of a terrorist and gives local officials too much power over who gets gun permits.

"It's a solution in search of a problem," said Alan Rice of the New Hampshire Firearms Coalition. "There's no evidence that terrorists and criminals can obtain use of firearms in the state of New Hampshire."

Lawmakers agreed with gun owners, voting 5-0 to recommend killing the bill.

Toto, we're not in Boston anymore.

Burling offered an amendment to fashion the law after Vermont, which lists who is not allowed to get a gun permit.

Not exactly. The amendment, from I heard from Senator Burling's hurried reading of it, still contained the language that would have given the police chiefs far too much discretion in denying licenses.

That was also rejected.

Ohhhh....so sad.

A full Senate vote is expected next week.

You know what to do.

UPDATE: WMUR video here.

UPDATE II: By wolfwalker in the comments:

A point you missed, Bruce:

"Angry gun owners packed a Senate hearing room to register disapproval in the proposed gun permit crackdown."

Crackdown? What the --? I thought this was supposed to be a minor change to fix a loophole in the current law, suggested by a single incident last year. "Crackdown" suggests it's a major problem that needs a forceful solution.

Good point.

SB44: Inexpedient to Legislate!

That was the recommendation passed by the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary committee following the hearing this morning on Senate Bill 44: An act relative to licenses to carry pistols and revolvers (background and commentary here).

Inexpedient to legislate.

Dead on arrival.

Thank you for playing.

Score one for the good guys!

Approximately 600 people showed up for the hearing, which was held in a room with the capacity to hold 75 people. They did leave the doors open, but it's doubtful anyone in the hallway could hear what was being said inside.

[UPDATE: the folks who were stuck in the hallway are telling me there were more like 300 of us there. I had heard 600 from a third party source]

The folks who showed up in opposition to this bill vastly outranked those supporting it, in both numbers and in quality of rational arguments put forth.

I did shoot some video of the bill's sponsor, State Senator Peter Burling, speaking before the committee on behalf of the bill, along with the (less than impressive) testimony of two police chiefs who had signed on in support of SB44.

If the audio came out OK, I'll have these clips up on YouTube sometime this evening, with additional commentary, of course.

The best exchange between the speakers and the committee was when one gentleman was addressing the committee, and asked (and I'm paraphrasing), "Do you know what percentage the people who have come before you here today are carrying a handgun right now?"

To which, Senator Clegg from Hudson replied "Do you know what percentage of people sitting at this table up front are carrying a handgun right now?"

God bless the State of New Hampshire.

UPDATE: The videos I shot are over 100 MB in size, so unless I can figure out a way to compress the file size, I won't be able to post them on You Tube. Any help?

Quote of the Day

From The Anatomy of Gun Control (a little more that three minutes in):

"Yes, it makes us leaders."

I nearly rolled off the couch laughing.

A Fool and Her Money...

...are soon parted.

BARNET, VT. -- Sara Demetry thought she had found a way to atone for her personal contribution to global warming.

The psychotherapist clicked on a website that helped her calculate how much heat-trapping carbon dioxide she and her fiance emitted each year, mostly by driving and heating their home. Then she paid $150 to e-BlueHorizons.com, a company that promises to offset emissions.

But Demetry's money did not make as much difference as she thought it would. While half of it went to plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide, the other half went to a Bethlehem, N.H., facility that destroys methane -- a gas that contributes to global warming. The facility has been operating since 2001 -- years before the company began selling offsets -- and Demetry's money did not lead the company to destroy any more methane than it would have anyway.

How, pray tell now, does someone go about destroying methane? Well, anyone who ever witnessed a college roommate light a fart, or touched one off himself, knows the answer to that one.

Moreover, the project received a "dirty dozen" award from a New England environmental group in 2004 because it burns the methane as fuel to incinerate contaminated water from the landfill, emitting tons of pollution each year in the process. This method of destroying methane can emit more pollution than other burning methods.

I'm shocked.

"I really thought I was doing something good," Demetry, 42, said after being told what became of her money. "I thought if I contributed this much money it would be helping the environment that much more."

Depends on one's definition of the verb "think".

Look, there are plenty of ways to "do something good" with $150. Doing a quick internet search for locally-available consumer goods shows us many ways we can spend $150 to make a difference in the quality of life of those around us, less fortunate than ourselves (sorry kids, "carbon offset fund managers" do not fit into that category).

Personally, I'd opt to take that money to my local supermarket and load up on food and/or personal hygiene items to donate to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. $150 will go further than you might think.

300 cans of chicken noodle soup
150 cans of vegetables - all varieties
120 cans of tuna fish
100 cans of shaving gel
60 tubes of toothpaste

Other possibilities one might consider:

- winter hats, socks and long underwear for the homeless
- sports equipment for one's local Boys & Girls Club
- volunteer your time as a tutor at your local elementary school

That last one will only cost you a few hours a week of your time, freeing up that $150 for a big stack of "Kucinich 2008" stickers for you and your friends' hybrids.

Demetry's $150 purchase is part of the fast-growing world of voluntary carbon offsets -- an unregulated, largely on line marketplace.

This is the angle - the foot in the door, if you will - the Algorians and their overlords at the United Nations have been working all this time. They're hope is that this incessant promotion of this carbon offset fad will serve to soften up the masses for the carbon offset taxes they're looking to foist upon us all to fuel this ongoing scam.

Sadly, people like Ms. Demetry are buying it, sending their checks in, and emboldening these globo-socialist goons.

Although specialists say some of the money is well spent, it can be difficult for consumers to figure out if they are buying any new environmental benefit.

You don't say.

I'm surprised some of these "consumers" can figure out how to tie their shoes in the morning without inflicting serious bodily harm upon themselves.

Sales of voluntary offsets skyrocketed worldwide from $6 million in 2004 to $110 million last year, according to Abyd Karmali of ICF International a consulting firm.

$110 million? That's a shitload of soup.

My solution?

Well, in the interest of fleecing the stupid saving the planet, I am hereby launching the official No Looking Backwards Carbon Offset Credit Program.

For every hour that I don't get a combined minimum donation of $10.00 transferred to my Paypal account, I will do one of the following catastrophic activities, pushing Mother Earth closer and closer to the brink of destruction.

- burn a small pile of leaves in my backyard
- leave my kitchen light on all night long
- take wa-a-a-a-a-y too long trying to find the ketchup in the fridge (especially when it's sitting right there in front of me)
- spend an extra five minutes in the shower
- cut the cheese

You'd best hurry. I'm having chili for dinner.

UPDATE: In the interest of full disclosure, I had tacos tonight, not chili. I apologize to anyone who might feel misled in any way.

Had I Not Escaped...

You can bet your ass I'd have one of these on the back of the Jeep.


And, yes, I realize there's no provision in the M.G.L., through which to recall a sitting governor. But, as they say, it's the thought that counts.

Make No Mistake - There ARE Two Americas

My America.

And, Hillary Clinton's America.

Anyone who claims to value freedom, civil rights, and individual liberty, and suppports that woman as a political candidate is an utter moron.

Concord or Bust

*** REMINDER***

*** PUBLIC HEARING at 9:30 AM on 3/15 - TOMORROW! ***

From the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance:

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Thursday, March 15th is a critical day for Liberty in the State of New Hampshire.
On that day, the State House will hold public hearings for input on three key pieces of legislation:

We oppose:

• SB 44, which would limit New Hampshire's "shall-issue" firearm licensing, 9:00 AM State House room 103

[...]

I'll see you there.

UPDATE: Courtesy of Gun Owners of New Hampshire:

The hearing for SB44 has been re-re-re-scheduled for March 15, at 9:30am in State House Room 103.

Granny Stater of the Week

Meet New Hampshire State Representative Catherine Mulholland (D-Grafton):

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A state legislator is proposing a new tax on candy, officials said.

Sean McDonald reported that there's a new "candy tax" being proposed.

Democratic Rep. Catherine Mulholland of Grafton has proposed raising money for the state by putting a 50 cent tax for every pound of candy, which would be about 5 cents of tax on a candy bar.

Here's a reeeeeal shocker She's not from around here.

Birthplace: England

Three words: Nanny. Go. Home.

I'll now take the advice of my parents, who told me long ago, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all", and let Dave Quinn do the talking here (for the next five seconds, or so, anyway).

"I just think the whole thing is really quite silly," said Dave Quinn, an employee at Can Otis Chocolates in Manchester.

As a candy maker and retailer, he would have to get multiple "candy licenses," which would cost his store about $450, and his store would be required to buy 'tax stamps' to be put on all candy, a cost that would be passed along.

Yes...$450 for candy licenses.

CANDY LICENSES.

That was not a typo.

Read it again.

$450 for CANDY LICENSES.

Once again, so we're clear, I am not making this up.

Four hundred and fucking fifty fucking dollars for fucking CANDY LICENSES!

Don't these people have a comet to catch?

I hereby pledge never to use the phrase "dumbest thing I've ever heard" ever again. Every time I speak or write those words, it's only a (short) matter of time before I read something like this.

Not all candy sellers dislike the tax. Some store owners said they do not take offense form the tax because much of it goes to education.

Uh-huh.

Right.

Until the next time around, when they tell us we need a tax on Slim Jims, beef jerky, and Firecracker sausages, because public education will have been determined to be - SURPRISE, SURPRISE! - underfunded!

Again.

And after that, it will be a video game tax.

Then, a movie rental tax.

And, then they'll go for a "paltry" a one-percent increase in the state _______ tax.

All FOR THE CHILDREN^TM, of course.

And, finally, after they've succeeded in turning New Hampshire into Massachusetts North, bringing the state to its knees in a state of complete economic ruin, they'll look around for one of those evil Republicans to blame for all of it.

It's what they do.

"Fund education, we get, what, $3,300 per child per year? There's not a single school district that can pay for schools on $3,300 per season," said one store owner.

So far, the bill only has one sponsor.

That's one too many, as far as I'm concerned.

The date for when this bill would go before the house is unknown, officials said.

Might I recommend we pencil it in for next February 30th?