Can Someone Do Me a Favor?

Pay this guy a visit and tell him how much you really enjoy his writing style.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's a chilly Sunday morning here in Minnesota, and I have to burn a few more pieces of my dismembered, axe-butchered and executed trees.

WTF, pal? It's called a link.

UPDATE: Looks like Captain Original lifted this one too.

UPDATE II: From Weebs in the comments.

Looks like he removed the post he ripped off from you.

Oh, he also sent me an email saying he received that post in an email and didn't know it was yours.

I wonder if the other post he ripped off came via email too.

Now, for those of you who actually chose to spend your long weekend with your loved ones, rather than reading blogs all day long (and who enjoy this petty, vindictive kind of shit), here's the plagiarized post in question, posted at 11:36 Central Time.

(click to enlarge)

And, here's one of two hits I got this morning from someone in Minnesota, this one coming in at 11:25 Central Time.

(click to enlarge)

To quote Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard:

Do you want to change you bullshit story, sir?

UPDATE III: Well, so much for playing another round of "Find the Plagiarized Posts". He's flushed his blog, the proverbial kit and kaboodle, down the memory hole. And, I only got to grab one additional ripped off post before going back for more.





Now, this could have been entirely coincidental. I mean, "farting ringtones" is a pretty common, everyday expression, after all.

UPDATE IV: Google cache is your friend.

And, here's a shocker. Even his "original" paragraph was cribbed, in part, from this page at AllExpert.com:

This tree species grows fast and its roots are experts at seeking out water. The nutrient-rich water from leaky sewer pipes or cracked water lines acts like a magnet to the roots of these water-loving trees.

Normally, I wouldn't make such a big deal out of something like this, but for someone who wants to appear as if he's a defender of the rights of property owners, he sure could use a refresher course on the concept of intellectual property.

Or, maybe he's pushing for a position on Joe Biden's staff next year.

Words Fail Me (Almost)

Every once in a while, a story comes along that is so full of over-the-top bloggy goodness, that it's hard to know where to start.

Every once in a while a story comes along that so beautifully demonstrates and defines the moral and ethical vacuum occupying the skull of the average Massachusetts moonbat, that most people reading such a story would discard it as poorly conceived fiction.

This is one such story.

Bear with me as I try to put my words together here. Typing can be difficult when you find yourself overcome with the urge to smack people about the back of the head and shoulders with the butt end of a shotgun.

There's a guy in Somerville who had a large willow tree growing in the yard next to his triple-decker house. According to the story, the tree had already dropped several limbs and presented a serious safety and liability issue, so he hired a tree cutting service to cut it down.

Joe Benoit, who owns the property where the willow grew, said he had no choice but to fell the tree. After the tree began dropping huge branches several years ago, damaging electrical wires, cars, and fences, he consulted an arborist, who determined that the tree could fall and should never have been planted so close to Benoit's three-decker.

“It was a dangerous situation, and I was concerned about the safety of my tenants and other people,” Benoit said. “That’s the bottom line of that, or I would not have taken it down.”

Should have been a simple enough operation right?

The tree was situated entirely on his private property.

What could possibly go wrong?

Enter the guy's "progressive" neighbors.

When Benoit first tried to remove the tree Nov. 12, neighbors “literally stood under the tree and stopped it from being cut down,” Nadeau said.

They held handmade signs that read “Tree Butcher” and “Save Our Tree."

Trespassing? Private property rights? What are these strangely foreign concepts of which you speak?

When word spread today that the work crew had come a second time to chop down the tree, two neighbors raced to Middlesex Superior Court to seek a restraining order to save it. Benoit hurried there, too, to argue his case. During a brief hearing, Judge Joseph Walker "certainly heard the various arguments, and agreed to let the tree come down,” Benoit said.

How they managed to have their hearing in front of one of the very small number of rational judges currently seated in the Commonwealth escapes me. But they did.

So, anyway, that should have been the end of it.

Emphasis on "should".

Let's not forget where this story is taking place. And, as is WAY TOO OFTEN the case in Massachusetts, it gets worse.

If there's one thing we learned from the recent presidential campaign, it's how much outright hate and contempt the Left holds for hard-working, blue collar workers who dare call into question, or act in ways contrary to, their socialistic, collectivist ideals.

Joe the Plumber, meet Joe the Arborist.

Benoit Kills Willow, Despite Community Outpouring

Several of us confronted the arborist. Ellie and Kirsten went to court in Woburn where Joe Benoit mysteriously turned up and successfully challenged their request for a temporary restraining order.

A citizen takes lawful measures to exercise and protect his rights, and these people find such behavior "mysterious". Enough said.

Paul Harlow from Cambridge Landscaping should have his arborist license revoked. His evaluation proved false. There was no evidence of decay. I have a call in to the MAA to see if we can challenge his license.

Pure Chicago-style thuggery. I'll say this, though. They're fast learners. Their president-elect and mentor would be quite proud.

Joe Benoit is a coward. He never dealt with any of us with good faith or honesty. The city has to stop turning a blind eye to his lack of maintenance to his many rental apartments. He has to be held to account.

Hope! Change! Destroy!

Our Ward Aldermen Bob and Rebekah have pledged to work together and with all of us to help pass a meaningful tree ordinance. We will hold a community meeting and pot luck within the next couple of weeks to help ensure that this ordinance becomes law.

Property rights? We don't need no stinkin' property rights.

To say there's something fundamentally wrong with these people and the way they see the world would be a gross understatement.

Some of the neighbors are even taking a page from Al Gore's Apocalyptic Hysteria Playbook:

Al Bermani, watching the willow’s branches being cut down by chainsaw, noted there is a spring that starts near the willow, and in colonial times, he said, a brook ran from Thorndike to Alewife Brook.

“They’ll need three trees to suck all that water,” Bermani said, saying the water will be up to his chest in some basements if there isn’t another way found to absorb the water.

Like I said, you can't make this up. Who'd believe you?

And, to think, I once called Somerville home.

Gah!

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's a chilly Sunday morning here in New Hampshire, and I have to burn a few more pieces of my dismembered and axe-butchered trees.

Happy Trails, Kim

“And so, it has come to this.”

'Tis the Season

As has become our family tradition of late, we went out this weekend to kick off the Christmas season by cutting down the tree we tagged earlier this month at Ridge's End Tree Farm in Deerfield.

If you haven't figured out yet where to get your tree, and you're in the area, I can't recommend them highly enough. The hardest part is choosing from the hundreds of perfectly shaped trees growing there.

In the shed, there's complimentary coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and cookies for the kids (of all ages).

Or...

You could go to the gas station on the corner, pay some malodorous derelict $40 for a tree that was cut down in Quebec twelve days ago and has been sitting in his lot ever since, turning into a pine-scented, needle-shedding apparatus with a kindling point two degrees hotter than where you set your thermostat.

So, anyway, after wrestling with the tangled-up light strands (and a giant mug of mulled cider and Myers's Dark Rum - for medicinal purposes), the tree's up and it looks great, which brings us to today's poll question:

How many Christmas tree ornaments do you have with guns on them?
	Zero.
	1 or 2.
	3 or more.
	Racist!!!
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Here's mine.



And, in the spirit of "Hopenchange for the Holidays", I will not be making my annual snarky comment about Jay's...um..."totally awesome" Star Trek ornaments.

Like Momma Always Used To Tell Me...

...life is like a box of f***ing morons.

WEARE, N.H. -- A man that police said was accidentally shot by his brother in a moving car in Weare underwent surgery Friday afternoon.

Police said that three brothers were traveling in a vehicle near the corner of Route 114 and Short Street when Josiah Dean, 18, of Merrimack, started unloading a revolver while sitting in the back seat. The gun discharged and a round struck the front seat where Dean's brother was sitting.

Let's review the events leading up this "accident", shall we.

1. Mr. Dean was in possession of a loaded gun in a motor vehicle (which, if he does not have a NH pistol license, is a misdemeanor offense).

2. Mr. Dean was pointing said gun in the direction of his brother in the front seat.

3. Mr. Dean's finger, for whatever reason, pulled the trigger rearward, discharging a round into his brother's back.

Not sounding all that "accidental", if you ask me.

Unintentional? Most likely.

Negligent? Abso-friggin'-lutely. Violate two or more of the Basic Rules at the same time, and seriously bad shit can happen.

As to his claim that he was in the process of unloading the gun at the time, all I can say is I still haven't found the needle of my Bullshitometer that popped off and sprung across the room the first time I read this article.

Substitute the phrase "screwing around with" for "unloading" in the first paragraph there, and I suspect you'd get a little closer to the truth.

UPDATE: Speaking of morons and "accidents"...

CHICAGO HEIGHTS-- A man accidentally shot himself in the head Thursday afternoon in front of others during a Thanksgiving Day family gathering

William Agee, 30, of Buena Vista Ave., was pronounced dead at St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago Heights at 5 p.m., the Cook County Medical Examiner' aid.

The incident happened at 1661 School St. in Chicago Heights at 4:35 p.m., according to Chicago Heights Police Lt. Michael Romano.

“He thought the safety was on, put the gun to his head, squeezed the trigger and that was that,” Romano said.

This was an "accident" in the same way that Dahmer "accidentally" cooked and ate the flesh of his victims.

UPDATE II: It seems morons come in threes.

Ohio Police Chief Shoots Himself While Teaching Daughter Gun Safety

MONROE, Ohio — Police in southwestern Ohio say a police chief mistakenly shot himself in the thigh after giving his daughter a gun safety lesson.

A police report says 54-year-old Middletown police Chief Greg Schwarber was preparing to clean his Glock .45-caliber pistol on Friday and didn't realize the gun was still loaded.

For 50 bonus points, what possible gun control law could be enacted to prevent this kind of "accident" from happening again? I mean, other than a high-capacity moron ban.

(H/T cyberlogicx and Reptile @ NES Forum)

UPDATE III: WTF? Has it been raining dumbass dust this week?

Giants WR Burress suffers accidental gunshot wound

New York Giants star wide receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg Friday, according to multiple media reports.

Burress was hospitalized with gunshot injuries Friday night that were not believed to be life-threatening, FOX Sports.com reported Saturday.

The Giants released a statement on the condition of Burress, who was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon at approximately 2 p.m. EST, according to the team

“We are aware of the fact that Plaxico was involved in an apparent accidental shooting last night,” the statement said.

Let's play "Predict the Bullshit Story".

Whoever comes closest to Burress' actual bullshit story gets a fresh, hot-off-the-press "Know the Real Enemy" bumper sticker.

The Misinformation Campaign Rolls On

Yes, he's back once again, spreading his lies and misinformation to an uninformed populace, with the generous help of his willing accomplice, the Boston Globe.

John Rosenthal: A chance for sensible gun laws

I won't bother posting any excerpts here. It's all the same old snakeoil he's been peddling for years. The only difference is now he seems to be a little extra upbeat and cheerful about it all, knowing that we'll have the most gun rights-hostile president in our nation's history sworn into office in less than two months.

Fortunately, for those of us who prefer our discussions grounded in reality and based on factual information, our good friend is getting totally schooled in the comments over there.

Not that any of that will make a rat's ballbag of a difference, or affect any kind of reform, to Massachusetts' bigoted, criminal-coddling gun laws, but it's fun to read, nonetheless.

Can't...Blog...

Terminal food...coma...in 10...9...

[thud]

To Help Set the Holiday Mood

Who Does She Think She Is?

Everyone knows that helping violent sexual predators stay out of prison in Massachusetts is the purview of the state judiciary.

Getting It In the Great White North

Pierre Lemieux is a Canadian who gets it.

Western Standard: A question of state power

The issue of gun control is really the issue of state power: those who want more control want the state to have more power; those who want less control just want to be free.

And for our love of freedom, we most assuredly will be assailed in the Obamastream Media as hate-filled bigots the minute the first gun control bill of the Obama Era hits the floor, and we dare raise our voices in opposition thereto.

Dissent is patriotic hate speech.

Anyway, it's nothing we haven't heard or said already here in the world of reality, but nonetheless, it wouldn't hurt to drop on over and give Mr. Lemieux an attaboy in the comments. Also...

At least since the early 20th century, homicide rates have always been three to four times higher in the U.S. than in Canada (5.6 vs. 1.8 per 100,000 in 2007). But note the large regional variations between, say, New York City, Chicago or Washington D.C. with their handgun bans and high homicide rates, and New Hampshire or Vermont with their liberal gun laws and homicide rates comparable to Québec’s 1.2.

Speaking of which...

15 Safest States for 2008

No 1: New Hampshire

New Hampshire is ranked No. 1 for the first time thanks to impressively low crime across the board. It boasts the nation's lowest murder rate and second-lowest aggravated assault and burglary rates.

I blame Halliburton.

See Bruce. See Bruce Kick Self.

I forgot "24: Redemption" was on tonight.

Don't want to start watching in the middle of it.

Is anyone taping this who can burn me a DVD?

Speaking of Incorrigible Scumbags...

Bribery: It's not just for disgraced Massachusetts State Senators anymore.

FBI arrests City Councilor Chuck Turner

The FBI arrested Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner this morning on charges he accepted a $1,000 bribe and then lied about taking the money in a widening federal corruption inquiry.

A 12-page affidavit filed this morning in US District Court alleges that Turner was surreptitiously videotaped accepting the cash in his district office on Aug. 3, 2007, in exchange for pushing for a liquor license of the Roxbury nightclub Dejavu. Included with the affidavit are two photographs of Turner allegedly accepting the bribe. In one image, Turner's trademark white goatee is clearly visible as folded green bills are pressed into his hand.

I don't understand, he was always such a pillar of integrity!

Pornogate, anyone?

And, in typical Mumbles fashion, Boston Mayor Tom Mumbles Menino (gasp! surprise! shock! horror!, outrage!) passes the buck.

Asked whether Turner should resign, Menino said, “That’s somebody else’s decision, not my decision.”

Courage.

Leadership.

Spinal fortitude.

Not.

Let me help you out, Tom. The answer is "HELL YES!". How hard is that?

First, Wilkerson, now Turner. This can only mean one thing.

Ensuing cries and accusations of racist witch hunts in 10...9...8...

UPDATE: 7...6...5...4...3...2...1...lift-off.

Prominent members of Boston’s black community decried the arrest of a second top black politician in the span of two months, saying the scandals have rubbed the city’s deep racial scars raw.

The Rev. Ray Hammond, a well-known minister who called for Sen. Dianne Wilkerson to step down after her arrest, said some residents have questioned why the bribery sting has only ensnared blacks - Wilkerson and now Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner.

“As there appears to be an effort to root this out, people are wondering ‘Why is it only black officials that have been targeted,’ ” asked Hammond, who serves at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain. “I’m not willing to say this is inherently racial, but given our history as a nation, people of color tend to be a little suspicious.”

Nope. Couldn't see that coming.

On Their Way

I should have these in hand by Saturday.

Order now to avoid the holiday rush (and to beef up my EBR* fund).

These will be available shortly, as well. I just need to figure out which colors I'm going with.

*If you have to ask...

Better Late Than Never

One incorrigible scumbag down, many more to go.

[Massachusetts] Sen. Dianne Wilkerson has resigned, three weeks after the FBI released photographs of her allegedly stuffing bribe money under her sweater.

Governor Hopenchange:

I think the time is here.

Ya think?

I Don't Care Who You Are...

...this is funny.

My Little Scientists

Alternate Post Title: Reason #3,299 Why We Moved

Boston Globe: Hub grads come up short in college

About two-thirds of the city's high school graduates in 2000 who enrolled in college have failed to earn degrees, according to a first-of-its-kind study being released today.

The findings represent a major setback for a city school system that made significant strides in recent years with percentages of graduates enrolling in college consistently higher than national averages, according to the report by the Boston Private Industry Council and the School Department.

However, the study shows that the number who went on to graduate is lower than the national average.

So, why am I posting this, you ask?

Surely not to waste my time talking about the many ways Tom Menino and his minions have sent the city of Boston down the crapper. I've got better things to do than list the ways the teachers' unions and their political benefactors have sold out our country's young people, in the name of money, power, and more money, while pretending to give a rat's ass about their education.

Well, I'll tell you.

Last week, one of my first-graders comes home and tells me, "Papa, we learned about molecules today! And, that when you heat up water, the molecules inside start to move faster."

But she wasn't finished.

"In water, hotter molecules rise and colder ones sink. When you heat up the molecules in metal, the metal expands. When the molecules cool down, the metal contracts."

As if I needed additional confirmation that we made the right choice in moving out of Meninostan before the girls started first grade.

But, wait, there's more.

While I was cooking breakfast this morning, one of my girls told me that she can bend a spoon using only a glass of water. She went on to tell me that if you put a spoon into a glass of water, and look down from the top, it will look like it's bent.

I ask her what that's called.

Before she can answer, her sister yells out "Refraction!".

They're six.

I'm thinking we made the right move.

UPDATE: For Anthony, who commented...

When I have children I want them to go to that school.

In case you need another reason, let me remind you of the display the kids in that school put up in the hallway last year to celebrate the Bill of Rights.



Can you believe I'm allowing my children to attend such a radical indoctrination facility such as this? What kind of free-thinking, intelligent, sovereign beings am I raising here?

From Bruce's Big Book of How-To Hints

How To Make Your Spouse Roll Her Eyes:

Stop in the middle of a painting project, and say to the wife, "Uh oh! I forgot to change my shirt!" And, then, when she looks at you like you have two heads, say, "What? This is my good Def Leppard t-shirt."

Dustin Pedroia Named American League MVP

Nice.

Can Someone Clear This Up For Me?

I'm still trying to figure out the how those who declared Sarah Palin unqualified to hold the office of Vice President can say, with a straight face, that it would be in the best interest of our country to put Al Franken in the United States Senate.

Seriously, what kind of moron can string those two thoughts together and not see the severe disconnect from reality taking place?

Next question: What are the people in Minnesota smoking/huffing, and did they bring enough to share with the rest of the class?

Writer's Block

I got nothin'.

Back on Tuesday.

Color Me Less Than Impressed

I hate to piss on anyone's parade here, but come on...

Chandrayaan-I reaches its final resting orbit

BANGALORE: India's unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 on Wednesday successfully entered the operational lunar orbit after ISRO scientists carried out final orbit reduction manoeuvre, lasting one minute.

[...]

On November 9, India became the fifth member of the global moon club with Chandrayaan-1 entering the lunar orbit at 5.04 pm (IST). The other four members are the US, Russia (former Soviet Union), Japan, China and members of European Space Agency (ESA).

[...]

Experts said it was a significant feat because India's moonshot was successful in the very first attempt — something that even major space powers like the US and Russia could not achieve. The man who launched the Indian moon mission, Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, had said, "It's undoubtedly a great moment for India because nearly 50% of the moon missions of other countries have not been successful."

Let's recap.

Nearly four decades ago, at a time when you'd need a warehouse the size of Rhode Island to house a computer with the computational capacities of a Commodore Vic-20, we had guys playing golf on the surface of the moon.

Last week, India put an unmanned spacecraft into lunar orbit.

On their first try!

Not That They'd Ever Take My Advice

We are a talking about, after all, a body of people who recently went to the polls and told their state government how much they love being taxed and lorded over by their benevolent, progressive rulers.

Turnpike board approves toll hikes

A debt-ridden Mass Pike is pushing the financial pain onto motorists who now face massive toll hikes that could take effect as early as March.

Hey, those pensions aren't going to pay themselves, you know.

Public hearings and a final vote are still needed, but $2 tolls at the Weston and Allston-Brighton booths and a whopping $7 fee at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels are coming down the Pike.

Seven bucks to crawl through the Sumner at rush hour?

Where do I sign up?

Now, to the struggling and oppressed minority population of Massachusetts [read: Massachusetts residents who are fed up with the cronyism and corruption that have spread across the Commonwealth like a Stage IV cancer, but have yet to pull up the tent stakes and GTFO of Dodge, for whatever reason], who have no choice but to drive through the airport tunnels, I have two words of advice.

Penny rolls.

UPDATE: Don't forget this blast from the past THREE MONTHS AGO.

BOSTON (WBZ) ― There was good news and bad news for drivers at the Massachusetts Turnpike Board meeting Wednesday in Auburn.

The good news is the board decided not to raise the cost of tolls for the next 12 months.

(exits chuckling)

Sweetness

Episodes of The Rat Patrol are now available on Comcast On Demand.

What's In a Name?

Check out this post from AR15.com member "reloadfun".

Yea, they were reloads............mine, of course.............been reloading 10 years, 50,000 + loads to date with no problems. Have shot thousands through my Ruger Super Redhawk and Marlin lever action .44 mag with out a hickup. Haven't heard from smith & wesson on what to do next. Am I screwed?

Allow me to translate: "Gee, I don't understand why my AirLite blew up on me. I shoot reloads through my Super Redhawk all the time! I hope Smith & Wesson gives me a new gun."

The only thing Smith & Wesson owes this guy is a polite email saying "We're glad you're OK, dumbass."

I had the "pleasure" of shooting a couple .357 Magnum rounds out of Jay G.'s scandium/titanium snubby (emphasis on "a couple"). Remember the hobbling scene from Misery? Now, put your hand between the 4x4 and Paul Sheldon's ankle. Apply sledgehammer.

I don't think I'd ever voluntarily run reloads through one of those. That's what God invented the Ruger SP101 for.

(link via Xavier Thoughts)

Reaching New Heights, Or At Least Trying To

I've got another favor to ask of the most intelligent and best looking blog readers on the planet.

We're going to be painting our master bedroom soon, but due to an overly average-sized human skeletal frame, I'm unable to reach up to the top of the cathedral ceiling. We've got an extension ladder that would do the job, if it were possible to get it upstairs without taking out a wall or two.

I'm looking for a folding/telescoping ladder that will work for painting up to a 14'-6" ceiling height. If you've got one that you could part with for a couple days, let me know.

Thanks.

Musical Interlude: Hootie Goes Country

For Jay G., who writes:

The greatest compliment I can imagine - and I get it frequently - is when one of my kids comes up, completely unbidden, and tells me that they love me. I eat that up for breakfast. It makes everything worthwhile, and I hope they do it until the day I die. No matter how fast they grow, or how big they get, I'll never stop worrying about them, and I'll never stop loving them with every fiber of my being.

I will, however, stop doing their laundry before they hit high school...

Give Us This Day Our Daily Race Baiting Asshole

This should come as no surprise.

Buying semi-automatic rifles is now racist.

"Why are white people buying assault weapons?" said Ben Agger, a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Arlington who wrote a book about the Virginia Tech slayings. "I almost hate to say it, but there is a deep-seated fear of the armed black man, because Obama now commands the military and other instruments of the justice system. They are afraid Obama will exact retribution for the very deep-seated legacy of slavery."

Because, everyone knows that if Obama were a white man, we'd all be throwing down our guns and embracing his socialist agenda with open arms, and begging His Royal Highness for even more bureaucratic expansion of the federal government.

When the jackboot comes down on your neck, will you be all that concerned about the color of the foot inside?

(link via Armed and Safe)

Any Color Preference?

I've decided to diversify further, by throwing shotguns and some more scary-looking black rifle makers into the mix.



I think it will still read well, going with three lines of text on the bottom, using the Futura (Absolut Vodka) font.

"O crap!" Scotch Glass Now Available

Because, if ever there was a reason for drinking 15 ounces of scotch...

Quote of the Day

308 Mike, commenting at Kim's place:

I was at my local Merchant of Death Emporium on Monday, and they had posted a big picture of Urkel and around the photo they had written he was their Salesman of the Month.

OK, that's funny.

Grab Your Ankles, America

This is just the beginning, a mere hint of things to come.

The Federal Election Commission is unlikely to conduct a potentially embarrassing audit of how Barack Obama raised and spent his presidential campaign’s record-shattering windfall, despite allegations of questionable donations and accounting that had the McCain campaign crying foul.

Adding insult to injury for Republicans: The FEC is obligated to complete a rigorous audit of McCain’s campaign coffers, which will take months, if not years, and cost McCain millions of dollars to defend.

Ain't that a sweet kick in the ass? How's that campaign finance reform horseshit working out for now, John? Would you like some fries with that irony?

Allahpundit @ Hot Air:

File this away with last month’s post on how Barry O drove a stake through the heart of public financing: Not only will the ‘Net make it easy for any future campaign to outraise the meager $84 million cap currently provided by law, but going private practically guarantees you’ll avoid the expense and hassle of an investigation and fines. And the more you cheat, the more you raise, the less “substantial” any single instance of cheating is and thus the lower the likelihood of an audit. Perverse incentives all around, with none of them to be corrected legislatively before 2012, at the very least.

Well, with this matter now behind us, at least we won't have to listen to anyone in the Obamastream Media lecture us bitter, gun-clinging bible-humpers on how the word "audit" is actually a secret Republican code word for "negro".

Quick Favor To Ask

Sorry for the short notice, but does anyone in the area (anywhere between NH seacoast and Portland, ME) have a metal detector I could borrow for a day? Preferably one that's good at locating small, circular objects made out of platinum and gold.

UPDATE: OK, here's the scoop. A week ago Sunday, I was playing with the girls in the big pile of leaves we had raked up at my parents' house in Maine. My wife decided to take a few pics and videos of the ensuing frivolity.

Here are a couple stills from two video clips, taken at 11:50 AM and 11:55 AM, respectively. Let's play "Spot the Difference"!



UPDATE (11/12/08): A big thank you going out once again to reader "Wally" who was kind enough to lend me his metal detector this morning. Took me all of 30 seconds or so to find the ring buried under the leaves.

Back in the big bed!

Now, to get the damn thing resized.

Since dropping 20+ pounds from my pre-Daddy days, it's been somewhat loose-fitting...obviously. In fact, the reason it's on my right hand, as you can see in the pics above, is that my left ring finger is skinnier that my right one.

It will be nice to be able to wear it on my left hand once again. It gets pretty uncomfortable against the grip on the Ruger.

Quotes of the Day

On this Veteran's Day, let us forever hold dear the memory of those who laid down their lives in the name of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", and may me forever show our undying support to those who are putting themselves in harm's way, as we speak.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

~ Elmer Davis

To all the brave men and women, ever having worn the uniform of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, the world owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude. But, as President Kennedy reminded us...

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Now, more than ever.

What All the Cool Kids Will Be Wearing

Get yours today.

UPDATE: Pic added.



(H/T reader Ron B. for the idea)

Seeking Clarity

OK, I've just poured myself (another) glass of scotch. My mind should be back to normal any second now. Though, I'm still trying to cope with the harsh reality that all the Smarties are gone from the Halloween stash.

We will be returning you to your regularly schedule blogging shortly.

Thank you.

Knowledge Is Power

AR-15 Buyer's Guide
How to Build an AR-15
AR15.com Forum

(H/T Xavier)

CBS: Craptastic Bureau of Self-parody

Wow.

Pre-Orders Now Being Taken

Tell the people who carried this naive, inexperienced, Marxist buffoon to the presidency how you feel about them. Every car in America should have one of these.

(click to pre-order via PayPal)

If you only want to order one, send $3.00 by PayPal to:

Rock the Vote!

Before I set the wheels in motion on these, I need to know which of these will be the biggest sellers. Cast your vote below. You can pick more than one.

A: Gun makers


B: Pistol calibers


C: Rifle calibers


D: Media bias

Which of the stickers above would you be most likely to purchase?
	A: Gun makers
	B: Pistol calibers
	C: Rifle calibers
	D: Media bias
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I'll Take "Things That Are Easy To Find" for $400

As if you needed further proof that Bill Maher has the comedic instinct of damp lawn clippings.

Reuters Blogs: What will the comedians do?

U.S. comedian Bill Maher said last month that having Barack Obama as the next president would make life difficult for comics because it was not easy to find things about the president-elect to make fun of.

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

"Barack Obama has to give comedians something to work with. Seriously, here’s a guy who’s not fat, not cheating on his wife, not stupid, not angry and not a phony,” the comedian said in his show Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO last month.

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

Flashback - October 2006: Here's Maureen Down interviewing Jon Stewart (and beating Bill Maher to the "There's Nothing Funny About Barack Obama" meme by about two years).

DOWD: Your show has thrived during the Bush administration. Will you miss it?

STEWART: I remember people used to say, "What are you gonna do when Clinton leaves?"...I'd much prefer these guys to leave than to have to continue to make Lord Vader jokes about Cheney. I have great faith in institutional absurdity.

DOWD: But wouldn't, say, a President Obama be harder to make fun of than these guys?

STEWART: Are you kidding?

UPDATE: Scott comments...

Yeah, nobody in the Soviet Union made fun of their leaders either.

Why Do I Have the Feeling...

...that eating this lemon-flavored Tootsie Roll will feel like chewing on solidified Pledge?

UPDATE: OK, that wasn't too bad.

It still tasted like what I imagine coagulated furniture polish would taste like. But, totally in a good way.

Reality Check, Aisle Five!

This is absolutely priceless.

Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages

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.

What? You think that just because you worked for it, that somehow it's your money? Don't be so naive. That's Barack Obama's money, and as soon as he's done spreading that wealth around in whichever manner he sees fit, he'll be sure to give you the change.

You do want the "change", don't you?

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.

But, of course.

"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.

Excuse me?

You performed worked in exchange for financial compensation, and now The Almighty One, Barack Obama isn't giving you all of what you supposedly earned?

That's EXACTLY the system that you voted for!

"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.

American citizens bitterly complaining about their hard-earned wages being withheld from them by an organization run by a radical, leftist politician. Talk about a bunch of unpatriotic whiners.

Another Stimulus Package On the Way?

If the Democrats deliver on this socialistic notion of confiscating people's IRA's and 401(k) accounts, and put those funds under the control of the Social Security Administration, it would provide a huge economic boost to the makers and sellers of shovels and Mason jars.

Coming Soon...

A little something to replace your McShmuck/Palin stickers with.

We Have a Winner

With his winning entry of 43.7 points (Barney's MOV was 42.7 percentage points over Earl Sholley), Chris has won himself a fabulous new t-shirt from one of these fine vendors.

And, not to pressure you any in your decision making process, Chris, but if you go with something from Life, Liberty, Etc., I'll save a little on the shipping cost for the Wolverines t-shirt I'll be buying this week.

Group buy, anyone?

This 'Bout Sums It Up

Ace: "McCainism," RIP, and Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish

And, to those who bought into the fabricated MSM talking point that Sarah Palin was a "drag on the ticket", you got it half right.

There was definitely a "drag on the ticket", but it wasn't her.

In Case You Were Wondering

That sound you just heard was the sound of millions of Israelis shitting their collective pants.

Quotes of the Day

Because some things bear repeating (repeatedly).

"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."

~ Samuel Adams

"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."

~ Suzanna Gratia-Hupp

How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

~ Ronald Reagan

Not That Anyone Should Need Reminding, But...

VOTE!

Election Day Food For Thought

A little something to get you fired up before heading out to the polls today.

Reminder

Be sure to get your entry in for the Barney Frank Margin of Victory Contest.

I'll stop taking entries at 10:00 AM tomorrow.

Musical Interlude

For those of you who weren't sufficiently confused as to just where my musical tastes lie, I had this one at #4 on my "Desert Island Discs" list back in August of 2004.



UPDATE: Here's the #1 song from that list...just because.

File Under: Undeniable Truth

If the McCain campaign had been caught trolling for illegal and untraceable campaign contributions, and had refused to release the electronic records pertaining thereto, we'd now be in Day 23 of non-stop, 24-7 coverage on every television, website, and broadsheet news outlet in the country.

Stone.

Cold.

Fact.

God help us if this corrupt scumbag somehow manages to bullshit his way into the White House.

Note: I still don't think that will happen.

Pay no mind to what the pollsters are trying to tell you. There's a reason why I haven't been blogging about the results of every pre-election poll to come down the pike over the last couple of months.

They're. All. Bullshit.

Slublog at Ace of Spades HQ reminds us:

Just a few reminders of what was being said before the 2004 election:

Zogby's call? Kerry, 311; Bush, 213.

The electoral vote call made by one of those aggregating sites?
Electoral Vote (based on composite polls) - Kerry 298, Bush 231.

If you do nothing else tomorrow, get your ass out of the house and VOTE!

UPDATE: Speaking of bullshitting one's way into the White House...

Barack Obama: All the leadership qualities of a damp towel.

Laughing My Walnuts Off

That's good stuff!

Contest Time

Submit your predictions for Barney "Lying Socialist Scumbag" Frank's margin of victory in his re-election to represent the voters morons who make up the 4th Congressional District of Massachusetts.

Note: He faces two challengers on the ballot: Republican Earl Sholley and Independent candidate Susan Allen.

How many percentage points (to the nearest 0.1%) will separate Frank and the second place finisher in tomorrow's election?

Winner will receive the t-shirt of his or her choosing from either the Gadsden & Culpeper American Heritage Shoppe (where you should all be doing your Christmas/Hanukkah shopping, so that I can score myself more loot from them) or Life, Liberty, etc. (WOLVERINES!!!).

Have at it. One entry per reader, please.

UPDATE: Here are the final picks, including some which were submitted via my link at NES Forum.

Doobie ............ 7.0
Scrivener ........ 12.0
D-Pacman ......... 13.0
SteveBrookline ... 21.0
Mopar ............ 24.0
Chris Sheehy ..... 25.0
Myles ............ 28.3
Jay G. ........... 29.3
JD ............... 30.0
Bruce ............ 30.3
Chris ............ 31.2
Weer'd Beard ..... 33.3
Larry Patty ...... 39.0
Chris (from MA) .. 43.7
1894C ............ 47.0
ron .............. 52.3
depicts .......... 55.0
Jim .............. 56.7
bob68 ............ 57.0
Weebs ............ 57.2
Mikey ............ 63.0
stickman ......... 63.4
Palladin ......... 63.7
WildWzl .......... 67.0

The Manchurian Pavlovian Candidate

Any similarities between these two pieces of Communist propaganda are purely coincidental, I'm sure.



(link via Gateway Pundit)

Reason #2,833...

...to relegate Senator Government to antiquated political footnote status as soon as humanly possible.

Q: How do you convince people to change their lifestyles, to live differently, or to turn the question on its ear, are voters ahead of the politicians on this stuff? Do they get it, and maybe the politicians don’t?

A: Well, I think, uh, I think voters do understand it. I think it is important for us to send some price signals to change behavior.

Make no mistake about it. In Obamaworld, it will be the job of the federal government to sculpt "acceptable" societal behavioral norms through governmental interference of the pricing of consumer goods.

Ed Morrissey asks:

When have we seen government send “price signals to change behavior” before?

Hmmm...I wonder.

Oh, yes — in the lending markets. When government wanted more loans given to risky borrowers for political purposes, they sent “price signals” to lenders by having Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy up tons of subprime paper, and then mandated their conversion to securities to send “price signals” to investors. How did those “price signals” work out for taxpayers, consumers, and investors?

Oh, yeah, that. I was thinking Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

Obligatory Follow-Up Question: Any guesses on whether or not owning firearms for the purpose of defending one's self and family will be deemed acceptable behavior in the future under the guidelines established by President Obama and the Federal Bureau of Behavioral Adjustment?