As If You Needed Further Proof...

...that the Democrats running Congress have lost their friggin' minds.

Inspired by the widespread failure and shear ineffectiveness of all the recent attempts in this country to curb inner-city violence through gun buyback programs, Senator Dianne Feinstein is now looking replicate that "success" by taking the same "logical" approach to ridding the world of all the evil, planet-killing SUV's and small trucks out there.

Yes, they want a nationwide, taxpayer-funded SUV buyback program.

And, like the gun buyback programs, the perfectly functional vehicles turned in will be scrapped for good. You wouldn't want to have any affordable, used vehicles available on the market for lower-income people in northern climates who have to drive to work in the snow, now, would you?

No doubt, it's FOR THE CHIKLDREN^TM. Don't ask me how, exactly. It just is. Chuck Schumer said so.

Full text of House and Senate bills here and here.

Waiter, Where's My Hopenchange?

Wasn't this bullshit supposed to come to a grinding halt, once the Almighty and Benevolent Prince of All Things Righteous assumed the reins of power?

ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle's nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle's tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.

The report indicates that Daschle's failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn't report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

I'll tell you one thing. Grandma Nancy's gonna have to hire more help. or get her current swamp-draining crew to start working second shift, if she hopes to even maintain the status quo on the number of thieving dogdicks polluting our nation's Capitol.

And, in case you haven't seen this one already, remember what Captain Compassionate said on the campaign trail last year?

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.

First, there was the obvious retort:

Needless to say, when Obama says, "We can't drive our SUVs ... as much as we want...", he's not including the Obama family in his definition of "we".

Well, now you can add jacking up the thermostat to the list of things that only the lowly commoner class should be shamed into not doing.

The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

Oh, and, don't even think of suggesting to The One that he his minions should stoop so low as to dine on crappy, little, $10 per pound tenderloin steaks. Please. That's so bourgeois.

His mouth said "Change", but his actions to-date have said little more than "Screw you, people! I'm Barack Obama, and this is how I roll!".

You know it's gonna be a tough four years, when you find yourself, less than two weeks into the President's new administration, yearning for the principled, conservative leadership of the Carter White House.

In a $1,000,000,000,000 Handbasket

NY Post:

Sick of reckless government, sleazy lobbyists, wild spending and deep borrowing that has scuttled America's great economic engine, voters embraced Obama's promise to be "post-partisan" and usher into the government a new era of responsibility and common sense.

But his presidency isn't two weeks old, and already warning flags have gone up.

Obama is wallpapering his administration with lobbyists, installed a tax cheat to run the Treasury Department and is pushing Congress to pass a massive, wildly unaffordable "stimulus" bill loaded with pork and reckless spending that plunges Americans even deeper into debt.

RTWT.

And, welcome to the United Welfare States of America.

May God save the Republic. It's become painfully apparent the parasitic vermin in charge of Congress have no intentions of doing so.

To Paraphrase Jeff Spicoli...

"People on 'ludes should not attempt to defend trillion-dollar pork-barrel spending measures on national television."



Wow.

This Just In!

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is still a tyrannical, nanny-statist loser.

Mayor Bloomberg Declares War On ... Salt

Singer Jimmy Buffett will never find his "lost shaker of salt" in New York City or any other place in the country if Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way. The mayor is waging a war on salt and he wants food manufacturers and restaurants to join his army … or else.

[...]

The city's plan is to get food manufacturers in the United States to agree to gradually start reducing salt content until it reaches a 50 percent cut in 10 years.

Up next, mandatory registration for bowel evacuation time slots (make check payable to New York City Rectum Enforcement Squad), so that the flushing of city toilets can be spaced out evenly throughout the day.

Note: This new policy will, in fact, serve no practical purpose, and have zero tangible benefit to the city, but someone on the Mayor's staff just recently informed His Royal Highness that there are currently no regulations in place, whatsoever, that tell the residents and visitors of New York City when they are, and are not, allowed to take a dump.

Seriously, is this guy not the biggest asshole of a control freak walking the planet right now? WHERE DOES IT F***ING END WITH THESE PEOPLE???

Thomas Frieden, the city's health commissioner, said he wants manufacturers and restaurants to join the war on salt voluntarily. If they don't, the city could pass legislation making it the law.

Ah, yes, the new "progressive" definition of "voluntarily".

F*** every last one of these useless dung rockets.

"Welcome to New York City! Here's your lunch order: one pre-cut (no unlicensed knives allowed) slab of unleavened, unsalted, sugarless, fat-free, gluten-free, vegan bread and a plastic sippy cup (glass kills) of soy milk. Better eat quick, though, if you want to make that 3:00 PM Broadway show and make it back to your hotel room in time for bedcheck."

Have I mentioned what a major, flaming ball of ass this guy is?

I'm ashamed to share the same biological classification as this piece of shit. Just knowing that we even have that in common makes me want to puke my f***ing spleen out.

Now, ask me how I really feel.

Nope, Nothing to See Here

Move along.

A top House Republican is demanding an investigation into whether the more than $2 billion for national parks in the House stimulus package is proper in light of the fact that the chief lobbyist for the National Parks Conservation Association is the son of House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey.

Ahhh...change.

Quick Question

When these so-called tobacco prevention programs "succeed" in (a) getting people to quit smoking and (b) stopping young people from picking up the habit, and the tax dollars dry up, what will they tax next to make up for the loss of revenue, to which they will have become incurably addicted?

Group Pushes For NH Cigarette Tax Hike

Several public health groups want New Hampshire to hike its cigarette tax to help pay for anti-smoking programs.

The groups favor a $1 increase, with a portion dedicated to tobacco prevention programming. The groups said spending money to help smokers quit or steer children away from smoking would save much more than already is spent on smoking-related diseases.

Becuase, there WILL BE a "next".

There always is.

Unless, of course, they really couldn't care less if these programs succeed or not, just so long as they get their hands on the money.

But, hey, as long as it's FOR THE CHILDREN^TM, right?

You're not (gasp!) ANTI-CHILD, are you???

Of course, this is exact same line of bullshit they used to push last year's proposed tax hike on all tobacco products other than cigarettes and the failed (thank God!) beverage container tax.

I'll say again what I said back then.

Behold, the biggest load of crap ever to be smeared over the eyes of a public all to willing to lap this shit up - this "promise" that a small tax of X percent is needed to fund program Z, a program which, without fail will be geared toward helping The Children^TM, feeding homeless kittens, saving the planet from a fiery death, or whatever the PC cause celebre du jour happens to be at the time.

After a year's time (well beyond the memory capacity of the average voter) that X percent tax will become X+Y percent, and when the voters are told that this tax increase will be needed to offset budget shortfalls brought on by Programs A, B, and C, no one will so much as bat an eye.

And, why should they? None of them will even remember what Program Z was in the first place.

Expanding, to no foreseeable end, the wealth and power of government.

IT'S WHAT DEMOCRATS DO.

Congratulations, Democrats

This shameless, pork-laden, trillion-dollar act of larceny is all yours now.

With no Republican support, the House approved an $819 billion stimulus plan that will serve as the cornerstone of President Obama's efforts to resuscitate the economy, an early victory for the new president but still a disappointment because of the lack of Republican votes.

May it hang you all.

The measure passed 244 to 188, with 11 Democrats and 177 Republicans voting against it.

Republicans acting like common sense, fiscal conservatives.

How's THAT for a refreshing change?

I gotta find the roll call to see who the soon-to-be-branded "racists" are who defected from the other side of the aisle. I'm curious to see if Carol Che-Porter (D-NH) is on that list of eleven. She and Paul Hodes did vote against the $700 Wall Street bailout package last fall. Though, they both have a taste for pork.

UPDATE: OK, so that proved to be a little bit of wishful thinking on my part. Their love of taxpayer-fleecing pork-barrel bullshit won out in the end. Funny, how the principles of the unprincipled suddenly shift once it's their guy sitting in the big chair.

Obligatory follow-up question:

Who's going to run in 2010 to send these two packing?

If you can't run a successful campaign against someone who just voted in favor of the greatest taxpayer ass-reaming and special interest boondoggle in the history of our Republic, you got no business stepping into the ring.

Don't make me do it myself.

Color Me Doubtful

Will Media Bash Obama For Trying To Enter Oval Office Via Window?

It was the window's fault for failing to obey a direct order from on high. If President Goldenchild says "Open!", you had best comply.

They Don't Make 'Em Like This Anymore

Absolute classic.

Proposed NH "Horse Tax" Bill Sent To Pasture

Good.

CONCORD, N.H. -- A proposal to register horses and require proof of rabies vaccinations is headed for oblivion after an outcry by horse owners.

Hours before a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, state Rep. Carla Skinder said she will ask to have her bill killed.

Any guesses as to Ms. Skinders party affiliation?

Also from WMUR, yesterday:

The proposed bill would require horse owners to buy licenses for each animal every year and vaccinate against rabies. Critics said the proposal to charge $25 per animal is just an attempt to raise revenue.

No shit. Ya think?

And, from the Concord Monitor comes this latest example of "Gee, where have I encountered this particularly specious brand of bullshit before?".

Rep. Carla Skinder would like to set the record straight: She owns six horses, a donkey, six sheep, a potbellied pig, two dogs and a cat. Plus, her husband has a horse of his own.

Oh, yeah...now I remember.

Let's get this out of the way. I am a gun owner and a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment.

If it moves, New Hampshire Democrats will try to tax it.

Because, spending within our means is apparently out of the question.

I need more ammo another drink.

That's Eight...and Counting

You can add Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez to this ever-growing list.

I wonder when Menino and Bloomberg are going to give us their version of Nancy Pelosi's dreadfully laughable "Drain the Swamp" speech.

Recharging My Batteries

Today was loooooooooooooong.

My brain hurts.

Seeking refreshments.

Back later.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Compare and Contrast Compare

If this doesn't creep you the hell out (and get you out shopping for more "supplies"), nothing will.

Pocket Obama:

Printed in a size that easily fits into pocket or purse, this book is an anthology of quotations borrowed from Barack Obama's speeches and writings. POCKET OBAMA serves as a reminder of the amazing power of oratory and the remarkable ability of this man to move people with his words. His superb and captivating oratory style has earned comparisons to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and this historic collection presents words that catapulted his remarkable rise to the American Presidency. It is an unofficial requirement for every citizen to own, to read, and to carry this book at all times.

Includes themes of democracy, politics, war, terrorism, race, community, jurisprudence, faith, personal responsibility, national identity, and above all, his hoped-for vision of a new America. POCKET OBAMA is a portable, everyday primer for readers who want to examine the substance of his thought and reflect on the next great chapter in the American story.

Pocket Mao:

As its title implies, it is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao Zedong's past speeches and publications. The book's alternative title The Little Red Book was coined by the West for its pocket-sized edition, which was specifically printed and sold to facilitate easy carrying.

[...]

Among the most widely printed books in history, Quotations had an estimated 5 to 6.5 billion copies printed during Mao's attempt to transform Chinese society. The book's phenomenal popularity may be due to the fact that it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times during the later half of Mao's rule, especially during the Cultural Revolution.

During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All units, in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours. Quotes from Mao were either bold-faced or highlighted in red, and almost all writing, including scientific essays, had to quote Mao.

If it's all the same to whacked-out Obama cultist crowd, I'm gonna stick with Pocket America, thanks.

Quote of the Day

Michelle Obama:

We believe it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes[.]

Unless, of course, you happen to be marketing a tragically under-qualified and inexperienced socialist Chicago politician as a candidate for president.

Obama Stimulus Package Movie Quote Contest

I'll start it off with this classic from Weird Science:

Chet: How 'bout a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?

Enter yours in the comments. I'll pick a winner, um, whenever I feel like it, I guess. That lucky person will receive a fabulous prize the admiration of others.

Presidential Priorities

From the Washington Times, comes this article about Obama's executive order to shut down the prison at Guantanamo bay, as well as overseas prison facilities where terror suspects are held and interrogated.

During his campaign and after his election, he promised that his administration would not practice torture. In his Inaugural address Tuesday, he said, "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals … Those ideals still light the world and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

Unless of course, those "ideals" are the ones codified in the Constitution by our founders to protect the rights and liberties of American citizens from an intrusive, tyrannical government. In those cases, "our ideals" must absolutely be compromised [read: thrown out the f***ing window] "for expedience's sake" in the name of "safety".

From the newly-refurbished WhiteHouse.gov website:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.

As long as it's "for the children", who cares about liberty? Or what the Constitution has to say on the matter? Come on, what are you? ANTI-CHILD???

Actually...hold on.

Wait one second.

Let me clarify something.

I don't want anyone to misunderstand me here.

I'm not saying Obama isn't a champion of liberty. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Liberty has always been, and shall continue to be, the main force that will guide his policies that will affect the people...












...of Cuba.

Stocking Up On Canned Goods

Foods Plus in Plaistow has PBR 30-packs on sale for $10.99.

And, there I was back in '07 thinking the $4.99 'Gansett 12-packs were the deal of the century.

Obama's Stimulus Plan In Five Words Or Less

Yippee!!! Big Digs for everybody!!!

Michelle Malkin:

I missed Clintonite moldy oldie-turned-Obama economic adviser Robert Reich’s testimony a few weeks ago on how the government should spend federal stimulus money. The Berkeley professor engaged in academic fantasy land talk about getting all the cash out to workers as quickly as possible — a pipe dream debunked by the CBO report I mentioned in my column yesterday.

Even more noteworthy, however, were the comments Reich made about which workers deserve the stimulus bucks most. Reich’s proposal exposes the lie that the Obama administration is actually interested in revitalizing basic infrastructure for the good of the economy. No, what Team Obama really wants is to ensure that the least skilled, least qualified workers get jobs based on their chromosomes and pigment.

In Reich's own words:

"I am concerned, as I'm sure many of you are, that these jobs not simply go to high-skilled people who are already professionals or to white male construction workers…I have nothing against white male construction workers, I'm just saying there are other people who have needs as well.”

Gee, that all sounds frighteningly familiar.

As the work progressed and the scope of the Project grew, the size of the B/PB staff increased accordingly, in all facets of the work (e.g. procurement, administrative support, finance and accounting, engineering and design, and construction). Then one day, the inevitable happened - political correctness reared its ugly head.

Suddenly, "diversity" was the big buzzword. The Project began holding mandatory diversity awareness training seminars for ALL project personnel. As a result, meticulous records were kept detailing the numbers of women and minority employees in every department, and at every pay grade. Some of this, I believe, was carried out under the guidelines established for public work receiving federal funds. To some extent, the Project's hands were tied when it came to complying with these requirements coming out of Washington.

As efforts to maintain the proper employment quotas stepped up, these tracking efforts yielded an interesting observation. The actual construction jobs (i.e. Field Engineers) were held by an overwhelming percentage of, you guessed it, white males. Clearly some kind of a racist conspiracy was at work here (that was sarcasm for those who might have picked up on that). But, rather than encouraging more qualified women and minority candidates to apply for these position, a more direct strategy was put into place.

A subsequent plan was kicked off to promote, from within, women and minority employees into these important positions with seemingly little regard to their qualifications or educational background. If you were a woman or minority working as a secretary or other administrative support position, and thought it would be neat to put on a hardhat and walk around downtown, the jobs were yours for the taking. Just sign up for an in-house class on how to read blueprints, or have the right connections and - PRESTO! - you're a qualified construction field inspector.

Now, come on folks. Honestly, what's more important? A diverse work place where we can be exposed to all sorts of wonderful people from varying cultural backgrounds (read: gender and skin color) or having a qualified group of individuals (regardless of gender or skin color) overseeing the largest tax-payer funded transportation construction project in the country?

On of the biggest scams perpetrated in connection with Boston's Big Dig (and, trust me, there are a lot to choose from) was the bullshit, feel-good requirement that a percentage of contract work on the project be awarded to women and minority-owned businesses.

Just a little bit of paperwork required, and voila! Irish White Guy Drywall, Inc. is now Mary O'Malley's Plaster and Carpentry.

It accomplished nothing to actually improve diversity in the workplace. No tangible benefit to the taxpayer. No increase in the quality of work. But, it kept the paperwork flowing and made the politicians, bureaucrats and the labor unions happy.

In other words...it was the Big Dig.

Now, multiply that leaking deathtrap by 100.

What could possibly go wrong?

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed Obama's biggest fans.

Guns Are Like Snowblower Shear Pins

You don't "need" one until you really need one.

Like when you misjudge the location of the bush next to the front walkway with the web-style Christmas lights still draped over the top of it.

Alternate Post Title: Give Us This Day Our Daily Fail

Peanut Butter and Bacon

It's what's for lunch.

Insanity Illustrated

Here's a picture of the window of a Quik Shop convenience store in Omaha. As you can see, there's a $25,000 reward being offered for information leading to the arrest of the individuals who shot the store clerk to death earlier this month inside this clearly posted "gun-free zone".

(click to enlarge)

Not much to add to that, really.

Except this piece of excrement masquerading as a "news" item.

If you thought it was sad, pathetic, and counter-productive to listen to someone with the mental capacity of Boston Mayor Tom Menino pontificating on the subject of how to behave when getting robbed (wouldn't want to show any disrespect to the misunderstood youth holding the screwdriver to your jugular, dontcha know?), wait until you see what the Omaha World-Herald did to top it.

They decided to go straight to the real experts in the field of crime prevention involuntary wealth redistribution. No, not Obama's economic team...we're talking incarcerated criminals.

Robbers offer some advice

Imprisoned robbers asked to give advice to robbery victims offered these safety tips:

DO

• Cooperate
• Give up the money
• Obey the robber's commands
• Keep your hands in sight

DON'T

• Resist
• Talk
• Plead
• Stare
• Make any sudden movements
• Be a hero
• Chase or follow the robber

Source: Athena Research Corp.

"Safety tips".

Uh-huh. For the guy doing the robbing, I suppose, sure.

As Ragin' Dave (of 4RWWS) comments over at Kevin Baker's place:

Getting advice from robbers on what to do if you get robbed?

Will they put out advice to single young women from rapists?

Perhaps they'll instruct little kids to just obey the nice stranger in the old car.

Lord help us.

(Link and pic via Hecate's Crossroad)

The "Greenest Inauguration in History"

Uh-huh.



I haven't seen that much garbage polluting the landscape since my last Earth Day concert on the Esplanade in Boston.

For 50 Bonus Points...

...identify the rifle in this blurry picture from an 80's music video.



For 50 milion points, identify the video.

UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long.

Resident gun nut, Jay G.:

Looks like a Steyr M95.

I'd say so. Here's a side-by-side with this picture reduced, rotated, and blurred to match.

Looking On the Bright Side

John "Campaign Finance Reform Global Warming Open Borders CEO Salary Cap Windfall Profits Tax" McCain is not the President of the United States today.

I'm With Ace

F*** them.

Musical Interlude

I figure as long as this song's stuck in my head, I might as well infect a few more of you with it.

Inaugural Memorabilia Fail

Um...



(WMUR)

Winter Driving Fail

Driving home on Rte. 101 in the snow today, I saw what I can only surmise was one driver's attempt to glide swiftly to his exit by turning his van into a monorail, using the highway guardrail and the adjacent snow bank as a makeshift approach ramp.
(Enter Jay's comment about the Simpsons' "Monorail" song here)
I gotta give him partial credit, though. From the looks of his tracks, he made it a good three or four car lengths along the rail before stopping.

All in all, between here and Portland, there were at least a half-dozen spinouts on I-95, with half of them involving big, manly four-wheel drive vehicles.

Like my momma used to tell me, life is like a box of f***ing morons.

Thus It Begins

No Looking Backwards - 1/15/09:

With the movie Notorious opening this weekend, what is the over/under on the number of people getting shot in a movie theater over the next three days?

Sounds like "Contest Time" if you ask me.

Greensboro, NC - 1/16/09:

Police evacuated The Grand 18 Four Seasons Station cinemas Friday just after 9 p.m. after a shooting.

Six more and I win.

Thanks for the link, Weebs.

Compare and Contrast: Empire State Edition

Fill in the blank.

"Oh, my God! If I don't make it though that door up there in time, I'll _________!"

a. miss out on that cheap flat-screen TV

b. drown in the Hudson River

How is it that a Wal-Mart store on Long island had a higher fatality rate on the day after Thanksgiving than Thursday's emergency water landing of a passenger jet in the ice-cold Hudson River?

Yes, once again, John Edwards is proved correct.

There are two Americas - one where people will trample their fellow citizens to death to get a good deal on the hottest new electronic gadget, and one where people look out for each other and provide aid and comfort to those in need.

We saw the same disparity of human character in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

One subset of the population took advantage of the breakdown in civil order to steal from, and bring harm to others, knowing full well that the government was powerless to stop them, while some of their neighbors, realizing the diminished capabilities of their government, chose instead to band together and protect their communities.

Hardly a day passes where I don't find myself thinking that scientists have been overly generous, as of late, in assigning to anyone with the ability to walk upright the classification of "homo sapien".

That's An Easy One

Michael Silence asks: Where to put links?

At my place, I often like to use the author's name first and put the link there. But I will also float it around. Much like the Tennessee General Assembly, there's really no rhyme nor reason to it. At other blogs, and perhaps it's my short attention span, if a link is placed where it doesn't tell me something, then my eyes will move on. For me, links are like the toys in the crib meant to catch the baby's attention.

It's not exactly rocket science.

Whatever you're linking to, just be sure include the phrase "naked college girls playing volleyball" in your blog post, and use it for the link.

UPDATE 1/17/09: Case in point.

Any guesses as to which link on my front page has been my #1 ranked "out click" for the last 24 hours?

Facebook Flair Fail

Bartender, make it a double.



UPDATE: For those of you keeping score at home, this was my 4,000^th blog post. And, because you're just dying to know, that's an average of 2.26 posts per day since March 11, 2004.

Yeah...I need a life.

Rhetorical Question of the Day

If it were 58 in Concord, New Hampshire this morning (39 degrees above the average monthly temperature), how much crap would we be hearing about this latest bit of "evidence" showing that Al Gore was right?

Yeah, That's Just What I Need

It's -4 outside, just after midnight, and the power just went out for about 10 seconds.

The generator's gassed up and ready, if needed, but I'd prefer otherwise. Stay warm, kids.

Is Vegas Taking Money On This?

With the movie Notorious opening this weekend, what is the over/under on the number of people getting shot in a movie theater over the next three days?

Sounds like "Contest Time" if you ask me.

Number of in-theater shooting victims: ____________

Number of shooters with state-issued CCW permit: ___________

I'm going with "seven" and "nil".

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Lawful Behavior

For those of you keeping score at home, the number of mayors in Tom Menino's anti-freedom alliance, "Mayors Against Illegal Guns", who are under indictment for, or have been convicted of, a crime is up to SEVEN.

(link via Say Uncle)

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before

It's not that I want to blog about every violent, law-breaking scumbag that's out walking the street, thanks to the compassionate and "progressive" Massachusetts criminal justice system, I mean, really, who's got that much spare time?

But, these scumbags crossed the line.

The state line, that is.

HAVERHILL, Mass. -- Two men were arrested Wednesday after an attempted armed robbery of a Brinks armored truck at a Bank of America ATM.

Isaac Sosa, 18, of Lawrence, and Christopher Delarosa, 19, of Billerica, approached the guards while they were making a pick up at the ATM, police said.

One of the men tried to take a bag of money from one of the guards, but a struggle ensued.

Police arrived on the scene and the two suspects fled over the state line into Plaistow, New Hampshire.

The two men were stopped by police and arrested.

And, now, the entirely unforeseeable punchline, brought to you this evening by the No Looking Backwards Department of Shocking News Developments.

Both were charged with being Fugitives from Justice from the State of Massachusetts and their bail was set at $350,000 cash each.

But, they promised the judge they'd behave themselves and show up in court when ordered to do so. What's this world coming to when you can't even take two fine, upstanding young men as these at their word?

Facebook Flair Fail

I bet the folks who came up with these great, big buttons of fail nearly broke their arms at the time, patting themselves on the back for being just so damn clever.



I blame...ummm...

Can I Just Say...

...Bill Buchanan is my new hero.

Photo Album Flashbacks

I took these pictures of this mural in a downtown __________ parking lot in the summer '89.

(clicky to biggy)

For 500 bonus points, in what city was that mural located? There are a couple clues in there, but I don't know if they'll do you any good.

Jim Rice Headed To Cooperstown

Hell hath frozen over.

Rice, the fierce and feared slugger who spent his entire 16-year major league career with the Red Sox, was at last elected to to the Baseball Hall of Fame this afternoon on his 15th -- and final -- season on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. Rice was named on 76.4 percent of the ballots. Seventy-five percent is required for induction. Rice received 412 of 539 votes, just seven more than the minimum amount necessary.

Hell, if an inexperienced politician and product of the corrupt Chicago political machine with questionable ties to domestic terrorists, convicted criminals, socialist groups, voter fraud organizations, and an America-hating racist preacher can be elected President, I guess anything's possible.

Wait a minute.

I apologize.

That's not exactly a fair analogy.

Rice has actual accomplishments on his résumé.

You Got Change For a Fifty (Billion)?

Fail.

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe's central bank will introduce a $50 billion note -- enough to buy just two loaves of bread -- as a way of fighting cash shortages amid spiraling inflation.

Yeah, that'll fix everything.

(link via Viking Pundit)

You Don't Need To Own a Gun...

...your government will protect you.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

The Boston Herald pulled the CORI record for the subhuman piece of garbage who carved up his mother and ex-wife in New Bedford, Massachusetts last week. See previous post here.

1992:

...convicted of assault and battery, breaking and entering and malicious destruction of property.

1993:

...sentenced on a breaking and entering charge and drug possession.

1996:

...sentenced...for breaking and entering and larceny from a building, for receiving stolen goods, assault and battery with a chair and destruction of property.

2001:

...pleaded guilty to using a tray to assault a prison guard while serving a sentence.

2004:

...sentenced for assault and battery and larceny...

2005:

...pleaded guilty in court to assault and battery with a knife.

2006:

...convicted for using a car as a dangerous weapon in an assault and battery charge.

Do you think it might be time for Massachusetts to update the state's Sentencing Guidelines Grid?

(click to enlarge)

Level 3 Offense:

Assault and Battery with a Deadly Weapon (No or minor injury)
Breaking and Entering (Not dwelling)
Larceny ($250 to $10,000)

Criminal History of the Offender:

Violent or Repetitive (2nd highest level)

Sentence Range:

0 to 24 Months

...or does everyone deserve a 37th chance?

Of course, to be classified as a "violent or repetitive" offender, a person's record must include:

Six or more prior convictions in any combination for offenses in levels three, four, five, or six.

But, there's a catch. Isn't there always?

The commission adopted an incident-based approach for determining placement within a criminal history category. This means that multiple prior convictions with the same arraignment date are presumed to have arisen from the same criminal conduct, and are to be counted as one prior conviction based on the most serious offense of conviction. The presumption that several offenses arraigned on the same date arose from the same criminal conduct is rebuttable.

So, just going by Level 4 offenses, you could seemingly have a guy break into your house, hit you over the head with a baseball bat, and rob you blind. Yet, even if he's convicted on all three separate charges, it would, by default, only count as one conviction when used to determine his criminal history category for the purpose of determining his prison sentence (if he's even incarcerated, at all).

Five violent break-ins of that nature are apparently not enough to automatically make someone a "repetitive" offender in the eyes of the Commonwealth.

I have never before seen, nor will I ever see, a body of people so dedicated to preserving and defending the rights, liberties, and freedom of the violent criminal class, while simultaneously working to deny the same to the most law-abiding subset of the population, through ineffective and bigoted gun laws, as the Massachusetts General Court.

And, oh yeah...

I blame Halliburton.

24 Episode 1 (and 2) AAR

OK, no signs of Audrey.

But, no kills for Jack, either.

Call it a wash.

We'll see how tomorrow pans out.

UPDATE: Did anyone else notice how Jack was able to take out the surveillance camera with one shot after having wrapped the muzzle end of the pistol (including the front sight) in a giant ball of rags.

HK - Yes, our pistols are that awesome!
(And, you still suck and we hate you.)

Dear Jack...

As much as I tried to quit you in the past, I find myself just one day away now from getting into a relationship that I know I may come to regret. But, after looking back on all the good memories of years gone by, I have decided to give you ONE MORE CHANCE.

But, like any relationship, ours must have boundaries - a set of preconditions, if you will. Here's what I expect of you over the next few months.

1. I had better see the dead bodies start piling up in the first half-hour or I'm walking. If that means you have to leap out of your chair, lunge across the hearing room, and kill Senator Red Forman with your tieclip, so be it.

Thirty minutes.

I'll be timing you.

2. This is the 21st century, and it's high time you started treating all people equally, with no regard to gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation. Hot terrorist chicks in revealing outfits are still terrorists. That shit about torturing and killing the guy terrorists, and then getting all soft and diplomatic-like on the cute girl terrorists has got to stop.

Equal pay for equal work, man.

3. Speaking of women, I still haven't forgiven you for dumping Diane the redheaded MILF for that witch Audrey. If I see that pale sack of bones make even the slightest of cameo appearances, we're through.

I don't even want to here her name spoken aloud. In fact, if you ever feel the need to refer a situation as "odd", please choose as a replacement a synonym that isn't a syllable of Audrey. Likewise, please refrain from using the words "rains", "reigns", and "reins".

That is all.

For now.

(see the 24 Season 7 trailer here)

UPDATE:

p.s. If I find out, after watching tonight, that they only reason the show's called "24" is because the writers did little more than recycle the plot lines from Die Hard installments #2 and #4, as the trailers seem to show, I'm walking.

It was bad enough watching John McClane adhere to the guidelines set out in Jack Bauer's book "How to Ineffectively Deal With Smoking Hot Terrorist Chicks" in the last Die Hard movie. You don't need to the return the favor.

Yes! I Passed!

I'm an embarrassment to Barack!


I only scored 16 on the Obama Test

The Most Busted Name in News

Yeah, I'm going with bullshit on this one.

File Under: Too "good" to verify.

As Much As I Love My Snowblower...

...I could really use a crustyicycrapblower right about now.

Another Resounding Victory...

...for compassionate [read: criminal coddling] liberalism run amok.

Batterer charged in deaths of his mom, ex

A chronic domestic batterer murdered his ex-girlfriend, dressed up her body and put makeup on her face, leaving a twisted love note in blood on the wall after killing his own mother during a weekend rampage in New Bedford, authorities said yesterday.

That's tragic. If only there were some warning signs along the way to alert the authorities of this guy's violent tendencies, then someone might have been able to see this coming.

Prosecutors allege Mendes had a long history of abuse at the hands of Gomes. In 2005, he was charged with assault and battery on Mendes with a dangerous weapon, according to court records that indicate he grabbed her by the throat, threw her down and held a knife to her throat, saying, “You’re never going to leave me.”

[...]

Shortly after breaking off her relationship with Gomes in 2006, Mendes was targeted again. Gomes drove his black Mercury Cougar straight toward Mendes and her then-estranged husband, Victor, who was hit. He then dragged Mendes into the woods and swamp, where she was rescued by a state police K-9 team. Cops found Gomes with his hands around her throat, according to a police report.

I'm sure he was punished and incarcerated to the fullest extent of the law. I'm sure the prosecutors and the judges' hands were tied. If only the State could have done more to keep this guy off the streets.

He was sentenced to 2 years with nine months to serve in [the 2005] case.

[...]

In October 2006, Gomes was sentenced to 2 years in connection with that incident. But he was freed less than two years later, on July 28, said Bernie Sullivan, spokesman for the Bristol County Sheriff.

I blame Dick Cheney.

And, of course, I thank God that no one involved in this story had a gun. Someone could have got hurt.

I Guess It All Depends...

...on one's definition of conflict.

The detective son of Mayor Thomas M. Menino moonlights as a “safety engineer” for a politically wired construction powerhouse that has landed millions in city contracts and regularly turns to the mayor’s team for necessary permits, the Herald has learned.

Detective Thomas M. Menino Jr., a 13-year Hub cop, landed the plum, 20-hour-a-week post with Suffolk Construction in January 2008, even as he pulls down a taxpayer-funded $86,000 annual base salary in the department’s intelligence unit. In 2007, he made $137,000 as a police officer with overtime and detail pay, records show.

Suffolk is one of the city’s biggest builders and general contractors, building and refurbishing schools and government buildings, most notably the Boston Police Department’s headquarters.

“There’s no conflict,” the mayor said last night.

Nope. None at all.

Well, not by his standards, anyway. In Menino's fiefdom, this is what's known as "standard operating procedure". How can there be a conflict if everything's being done "by the book"?

But, wait! It gets better. Here's Mumbles showing off his special brand of superior intellect and keen political acumen that have made him what he is today.

Are you sitting down?

“It wouldn’t be a story if his name wasn’t Menino.”

You don't say!

Facebook Flair Fail (cont'd)

As opposed to what, exactly? Feeling stupid for not knowing how to spell "Wile E. Coyote"?

And, for the record, my children know damn well who Wile E. Coyote is.

If your child doesn't, it has nothing to do with them being too young. It's because you're failing as a parent for not exposing them to the classics.

Proud Papa

My six-year-old just finished reading Charlotte's Web all by herself.

From Amazon.com:

Reading level: Ages 9-12

What do they know?

The Last Nail in the AGW Cult's Coffin?

Hey, what good is a fear-based scam like man-made global warming if you don't have a Republican in the White House to blame it on?

Huffington Post: Mr. Gore: Apology Accepted

You are probably wondering whether President-elect Obama owes the world an apology for his actions regarding global warming. The answer is, not yet. There is one person, however, who does. You have probably guessed his name: Al Gore.

Mr. Gore has stated, regarding climate change, that "the science is in." Well, he is absolutely right about that, except for one tiny thing. It is the biggest whopper ever sold to the public in the history of humankind.

(pauses to pick jaw up off the floor)

A curious development, to say the least. Perhaps this is the precursor to how the Left plans on setting the table for all the "Obama Cures Planet" headlines we're likely to see in the near future.

Step 1: Get your spokespeople in the mainstream media to play along and stop writing alarmist stories of apocalyptic doom.

Step 2: Wait a week.

Step 3: PRESTO! No more global warming!

Step 4: Give Obama all the credit for having "saved humanity".

Truth be told, that would be fine with me. Whatever it takes to drive the final nail into the coffin of that fraudulent beast, I'm all in favor.

When Your Deck Only Has Two Cards In It...

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Wilkerson presented herself as a victim...

It's too bad her "assailants" shared her skintone. Otherwise, she could have fired both barrels, playing the victim card and the race card.

Variation On a Theme

We'll call this one "Facebook Fail Flair".



I have to assume, due to its apparent inability to strike the primer with the firing pin, or even pass a projectile of any kind through the barrel from the cylinder, that at least it's Massachusetts-compliant.

New Years Trivia

Q: What do guitars, pool tables, and baseball bats have in common?

A: They were involved in twice as many non-justifiable homicides in New Hampshire last year as firearms were.

From this list of New Hampshire's 20 homicides of 2008, here are the "weapons of choice" used.

1. Guitar, boot
2. Firearm
3. Sword
4. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
5. Motor vehicle
6. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
7. Firearm
8. Weapon not specified (still under investigation)
9. Firearm (justifiable homicide, self-defense)
10. Pool table
11. Weapon not specified (information not released)
12. Weapon not specified (traumatic injury)
13. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
14. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
15. Weapon not specified (blunt object)
16. Baseball bat
17. Baseball bat
18. Knife (or other stabbing weapon)
19. Axe
20. Weapon not specified (multiple left rib fractures)

Compare and Contrast:

Two murders non-justifiable homicides (10% of all homicides) committed with a gun in the entire state of New Hampshire (population 1.32 million).

In the City of Boston (population approx. 600,000), there were 60 homicides recorded in 2008, 46 of which (77%) were committed with a firearm.

Gun Homicide Rates per 100,000 residents:

New Hampshire = 0.15
Boston = 7.7

Sure, there are a whole lot of apples and oranges being left out of the equation in this particular round of "My Statistics Can Beat Up Your Statistics" (such as violent, non-incarcerated, repeat offender population), but I'm still not seeing anything to justify Mumbles Menino's incessant calls to make his city the national model for legislation and policies that he claims have helped to prevent gun-related violence.

Anyone in this day and age who still thinks that strict gun control laws do anything to prevent drug-fueled, gang-related violence in the inner cities of America is a moron.

UPDATE: Like clockwork, a representative from the John Rosenthal Fan Club showed up in the comment section to criticize my "distorted facts and statistics" by posting some of his own.

And, to those of you who haven't figured it out by now, this post was not intended to be taken as a serious statistical analysis, by any stretch of the imagination. I assumed that would have been obvious to even the most casual of readers.

It's apparent some of the folks commenting did so without reading the post through to the end.

Facebook Flair Fail (cont'd)

File this one under: Adding Insult To Injury


Hey, Tyler, you make shitty flair and no one wants it.