Frank Guinta's Town Hall Meeting - UPDATED

It's scheduled for 6:00 tonight at Exeter Town Hall.

I'll be on my way out the door in a few minutes.

Stay tuned for pics and video.

UPDATE: Got some good video of Carl Tomanelli, the retired New York City cop from Londonderry who was escorted by the police from Carol Shea-Porter's "clown hall forum" on Saturday.

And, yeah, you guys can stop e-mailing that link. I saw it the first time around.

Exeter Town Hall about an hour before the event.

My first impression of Mayor Guinta leaves me asking serious questions about his ability to be an effective representative in Congress. Not once did he make any disparaging remarks about anyone in the audience - no juvenile scrotum jokes intended to degrade the character of tens of millions of American citizens. Nor did he call anyone a Nazi or a racist.

The forum was open to anyone who wanted to walk in and have a seat - no metal detectors or special "permission slips" required to speak your mind.

He took questions and provided well thought out answers, discussing actual steps that we could be taking to improve the country's healthcare system without running up trillions in additional debt or funneling billions in pork payouts to organized labor.

He spoke of personal responsibility and individual choice.

I'm sorry, but I just don't think he'll fit in with that group of elitist, out of touch, cash-grabbing scumbags down in Washington.

UPDATE II: Of course, the "Reasoned Discourse" contingency was there as well.



Needless to say, these guys were a little short on specifics. And, I have to admit, I did heckle them a little. Hey, it's not every day that you get to yell out in your best Count Floyd voice, "Ow-ooooohhh! Personal freedom! CHOICE!!! Scaddy stuff!"

UPDATE III: Carl Tomanelli speaks.

Gotta Beat the Snow, Dontcha Know

Picking up my birthday present a little early this year.

America's Smelling the Coffee

Rasmussen: 57% Would Like to Replace Entire Congress

If they could vote to keep or replace the entire Congress, just 25% of voters nationwide would keep the current batch of legislators.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% would vote to replace the entire Congress and start all over again.

Sounds good to me.

Open Letter to Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA)

If you had a third brain cell for the other two to play with, you'd be dangerous.

(link)

File Under: Cops Who Can Kiss My Ass

Quote of the Day: Real Heroes Edition

Sheepdogs.

"There were more teachers running toward the explosions than running away from them."

On The Passing of Ted Kennedy

A daughter has lost her father.

My deepest sympathies go out to Kara Kennedy Allen this morning.

MA SJC to MA DoR: F.U.

Excellent news.

Massachusetts' highest court has ruled the state has no right to collect taxes from a retail chain that sold tires to Massachusetts residents in New Hampshire.

Look for the legislature in the Bay Pay State to spring into action over the next couple weeks to close what will inevitably be described as a "loophole". The phrase "the law as written" is so much less scary.

See this post from February for more of the story.

Only In New Hampshire

Keene Sentinel (via Phillip Bantz):

A topless teenage girl with a handgun holstered on her hip was arrested Sunday afternoon near a busy intersection in downtown Keene.

And yes, Dave Ridley has video of the event.

Don't worry, she's 18.

For 50 Bonus Points...

...what's wrong with this picture?



UPDATE: OK, I was looking for the answer provided by Chris in the comments.

NH doesn't have a deposit, to the best of my knowledge...

But, I have since overruled myself and will be awarding the 50 points to Droz, instead.

There is no such thing as a cash refund in CA.

Win.

Get Your Gadsden On

Just a quick reminder.

When shopping on-line to fulfill all your "Don't Tread On Me" needs, make sure you do click on the link to the "Gadsden and Culpeper American Heritage Shoppe" over on the right-hand sidebar.

Or, this one.

Thanks much.

Oops...Missed One

Had to update my "West Coast IPA Tour" list today. I had forgotten about the 22-ounce bottle of Ruination IPA I split with my brother a few days back.

That makes nine different tasty beers in nine days. I'll do my best to make it an even dozen before we fly back east in a few days.

Oh, the sacrifices I'll make in the name of scientific research.

Exit question: Any chance Southwest will let me carry on a case of that Mad River Steelhead?

I Understand Times Are Tough...

...so what say we skip the feathers?

From Our Trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Emphasis on "trip".

Leafy Sea Dragon

You do the math initials.

OK, So I Was Off By a Few Months

From the "Stevie Wonder Could Have Seen This One Coming" file:

No Looking Backwards - May 2009:

My question to you all is this:

How long will it be before someone on Beacon Hill proposes changing the law back to the way it was in 2004, using our current economic crisis as justification for subverting the (once-sacred) will of the people in their pursuit of power?

"There's no time to set up a special election. We're in a crisis!!!"

Or saying that having that senate seat vacant for more than 14.2 seconds would be depriving the good people of Massachusetts of their Constitutionally-dictated representation in the US Senate?

"How dare we allow the people's voice to be inadequately represented???"

I give 'em a week.

Associated Press - August 2009:

A cancer-stricken Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has asked Massachusetts leaders to change state law to allow a speedy replacement if it becomes necessary for him to surrender his seat, fearing a months-long vacancy would deny Democrats a crucial vote on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

In a note to Gov. Deval Patrick and other state leaders, Kennedy wrote "it is vital for this commonwealth to have two voices speaking for the needs of its citizens and two votes in the Senate during the approximately five months between a vacancy and an election."

Because standards are for the little people.

Greetings From Cali - Wish You Were Beer

OK, so without putting any real effort into this, I somehow managed to drink a lot of really good beer (specifically, west coast-brewed IPA) over the last five or six days.

I won't go all beer-geek on you with talk of original gravities and sultry citrus overtones with an undercurrent of rosemary , but suffice to say, my taste buds have been well slaked as of late.

Anderson Valley Brewing Company - Hop Ottin’ IPA

The one disappointment in the bunch, possibly due to improperly stored or "past its prime" stock. This was from the bottle and had a bit of a metallic twang to it, kinda like sucking on a penny while drinking beer. Come on, who hasn't?

Lagunitas Brewing Company - Lagunitas IPA

OK, it's good beer, but dude...

Thanks for choosing to spend the next few minutes with this special homicidally hoppy ale. Savor the moment as the raging hop character engages the imperial qualities of the Malt foundation in mortal combat on the battlefield of your palate!

...relax.

Full Sail Brewing Company - Full Sail IPA

Very [read: dangerously] drinkable. Though, probably the least super-hoppy of the bunch.

Russian River Brewing Company - Blind Big IPA

In a word: Grapefruityhoppygoodness.

21st Amendment Brewery - Brew Free! or Die IPA

Brewed in San Francisco. The irony is nearly as delicious as the beer.

Bear Republic Brewing Company - Racer 5 IPA

Kinda like Lou Bega's "Mambo #5", only it's not an annoying dance song. But if you take either of those 12 times in a row without coming up for air, you have an equal chance of punching out some guy at the end of the bar for no apparent reason.

Mad River Brewing Company - Steelhead Double IPA

8.6% Alcohol by volume - definitely one (or two) you'll want to chug real fast on a hot and humid summer afternoon after you're done cutting the grass. Serioulsy though, that is one awesome beverage.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company - Torpedo Extra IPA

Fire in the hole, Sailor!

So, yeah, we're having a good vacation.

Sorry I missed all that 96-degree humid crap weather back home.

UPDATE: I thought the list seemed a tad incomplete.

Stone Brewing Company - Ruination IPA

I have yet to be disappointed by any of their fine offerings. Stone brewing is definitely in the "Can't Go Wrong" category. All hits, no misses.

And, they have the perfect brew for the next Presidential Beer Summit.

And, He Calls Himself a Texan

From the Union Leader:

A Texas man who fell and slightly injured himself while hiking in the Crescent Range yesterday was told by would-be rescuers that they would not be sending a helicopter up the mountain to fly him off the trail.

[...]

The 50-year-old Texan, whose identity was not immediately available, was hiking with a group on the 3,251-foot Mount Crescent in the Icy Gulch area, when he apparently fell and injured his thumb.

Dude...

Two Out of Four Ain't Bad

Alternate Post Tile: Never Bring a 9mm to a Shotgun Fight

If this story doesn't warm your cockles, I don't want to know you.

They strode into the restaurant supply store in Harlem shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, four young men intent on robbery, one with a Glock 9-millimeter pistol, the police said. The place may have looked like an easy mark, a high-cash business with an owner in his 70s, known as a gentle, soft-spoken man.

[...]

Watching it happen, Mr. Augusto, whom neighborhood friends call Gus, rose from a chair 20 to 30 feet away and took out a loaded Winchester 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with a pistol-grip handle. The police said he bought it after a robbery 30 years ago.

The scumbag with the gun took the first round, and met his maker right there on the floor. Dead scumbag number two made it out of the store, but later succumbed to his fatal case of lead poisoning.

And thus, the world was made a safer place, by the margin of two, thanks to one citizen's decision not to rely upon the government for his personal well-being.

I'm Going Back to Cali, to Cali, to Cali...

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we're off to California tomorrow morning for a little vacation time and visiting with the in-laws. I'll check in to post if anything comes up requiring my immediate attention and razor sharp insight and commentary.

And, I'll be sure to pack up some Monopoly money to pay the CA state sales or meals tax on any related purchases I happen to make while I'm there. I figure I'll just write my name and address on the back and stamp "IOU" on it.

It would be a more secure note, by a mile, than the worthless scrip Sacramento's handing out these days.

And, the video of the exchange would be comedy gold.

Later, kids!

New York Times Explains Obama's Blatant Lies

Those aren't lies.

Those are merely "assurances" that "reflect an aspiration", but may not necessarily be "literally true".

OK, then.

(link)

Duh!

Everyone knows the first item on any would-be assassin's checklist is "Carry weapon openly so as to attract the most attention from local law enforcement and Secret Service personnel".

Let the PSH commence.

More here, including some of that stellar, fact-based (not!) reporting we've come to expect from MSNBC.



UPDATE: Supposedly, the guy open carrying his pistol today was on MSNBC's "Hardball". A commenter on the Free State Project Facebook page said he handled himself pretty well. If anyone finds a like to the video, post it in the comments.

Thanks.

Joke of the Day

"Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"California".

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - Small businesses that received $682 million in IOUs from the state say California expects them to pay taxes on the worthless scraps of paper, but refuses to accept its own IOUs to pay debts or taxes.

Entrepreneurship in the Golden State: A Tragedy
Act II, Scene III

State: "Hi, we owe you $20,000 for those goods and services you provided for us, but we're a little short on cash right now. Will you take this IOU, instead?"

Subject: "Do I have a choice?"

State: "Not really."

State: "And, oh, by the way, you owe us $2,000 in taxes on that."

Subject: "Can you just cut me an IOU for $18,000, and we'll call it even?"

State: "Um...no."

Subject: "But..."

State: "No buts. Now, pay up, or you'll face arrest and prosecution for tax evasion."

(Subject pauses to retrieve lower jaw from the dirt floor of his hut)

State: "Have a nice day, and thank you for doing business with the state of California."


UPDATE: As fate would have it, we're leaving first thing tomorrow for a ten-day trip to California. I'll be sure to bring some money from my kid's Monopoly set, in case we get any speeding tickets.

Or, I suppose we could use it to pay the sales and meals tax portions of any purchases we make while we're there.

Carol Shea-Porter: Then and Now

Tell me when you start to detect a pattern here.

CAROL SHEA-PORTER FLIPS ON
TOWN HALL MEETINGS

2006: “I always believe in speaking up. I think that’s what we’re supposed to do,” she said.

2009: No Town Hall meetings, spokesman, “…people are trying to disrupt this democratic process”

Integrity? We don't need no stinkin' integrity!

Obama to Visit Portsmouth, NH Today

I can't make it to show my "support", but I know a lot of folks who are. I'll be sure to post links to local blog coverage of the day's events.

If you're going to Portsmouth, get there early.

Bring a camera.

The agents of Hopenchange will be pulling out all the stops, doing everything they can to paint us as unruly racists. Jack Kimball will be there with a group of folks representing the forces of good.

And, if someone could make up a "Don't flag me, Bro!" sign to carry in my absence, that would be nice.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Race Baiting Asshole

Yet, some still some wonder why MSNBC's ratings are right up there with late-night reruns of Silver Spoons.



Of course, this is nothing new.

Same bullshit, different bull, as it were.

We were enlightened of the "fact", back in October 2008, that the word "socialist" was merely just a secret code word for "Us knuckle-draggin' Republicans sure do hate us some black folk!".

(link via Say Anything)

Riddle Me This

What's the difference between Barack Obama and a shameless, lying turd?



Why, it's almost as if he was spewing that garbage from his piehole for the sole purpose of getting elected, knowing full well it was one giant donkeyshit sandwich.

Quote of the Decade Nominee

Which American politician once had this to say about protesters who yelled, heckled, and waved signs in a disruptive fashion at a public town hall meeting?

"This is democracy in action. I’m energized by it, frankly."

Hint: Her congressional district likely holds the record for most swastikas displayed in public from 2001 to 2009.

Leah from Manchester Tells It Like It Is

Yes, she is angry.

And, she is not alone.

OMG!!!1!! Swastikas!!!

Here's the high-res version (previously posted here).

Still Pertinent After All These Years

And, I Quote Paraphrase

"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role politics played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the SEIU members in St. Louis acted stupidly in assaulting people when there was already proof that they were minding their own business."

Gone Camping

Back Monday.

Don't let up in my absence.

"Get in their faces." ~ B. Obama

The Chicagobama Machine Rolls On

Obama to his supporters: "Get in their faces."

Obama to his opponents: "Shut the f*** up."

Obama also did some campaigning for himself, defending his administration's efforts to fix the economy and blistering Republican critics, who he blamed for creating the crisis he inherited.

"I expect to be held responsible," Obama said. "But I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking."

Hope. Change. Chicago thug politics.

Welcome to what was once the United States of America.

(link via Say Anything)

Who's Astroturfing Now?

Via Now! Hampshire, priceless video of healthcare activists [read: SEIU members] from Massachusetts holding up signs thanking New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen for her support of government-run healthcare, a protest against which was being held just down the road by twice as many actual New Hampshire voters.

Senator Shaheen, you are partially correct when you say someone's acting in a disgraceful fashion here. But, barring the presence of a mirror or other reflective object, you're not likely to see who that person is anytime soon.

'Cause I Was Just About To Do That

From the "Instruction Manual" that came with the replacement battery I just got for the wife's laptop:

Never hammer a nail into the battery pack.

[/rollingmyeyesatwhatanationofmoronswevebecome]

Who's Astroturfing Now, Nancy?

Via Gateway Pundit:

SHOCK VIDEO--- DEMS SNEAK UNION THUGS INTO CARNAHAN TOWN HALL-- 1,000 Tea Party Taxpayers Locked Out!

Regular citizens being denied entrance to a meeting with their so-called congressional "representative", so that the hired muscle can get in and control the narrative.

Not that I'd expect anything less in this new and "enlightened" era of "Chicago politics for all!".

Good F***ing Question

Say Anything: Why Should We Trust Government?

To that post, I would add:

We were told the stimulus package would prevent unemployment from hitting eight percent. It didn't.

We were told our newly-elected president would put an end to wasteful pork-barrel spending. He hasn't.

We were told we would not see an increase in "any" of our taxes from this new administration. We did.

We were told there would be no more lobbyists working in the President's inner circle. There are.

We were told that January 2009 would mark the end to partisan "politics as usual". It didn't.

On what basis should we take these people at their word when they try to tell us all the wonderful things that will happen once the government takes over the country's health care industry?

"You can trust us. And, this time, we mean it."

Color me skeptical.

Another "Child" Killed By Gunfire

I blame the NRA.

For the First Time In Her Adult Life...

...the United States Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has decided that protesters allegedly carrying swastikas and comparing a sitting U.S. president to Adolf Hitler are deserving of scorn and ridicule.



Um...Nancy?

(click to...well, you know the drill)

UPDATE: In case Madame Speaker needs a refresher course.

"Change"

Brian Faughnan, writing at TheConservatives.com, brings us today's must-read entry in the "Glaringly Obvious to Anyone With Multiple Brain Cells" category.

A Study in Contrast

Given the debate over the legitimacy of protests against the Democratic agenda on health care, cap-and-trade, and the economy generally, I thought it might be instructive to look at how the last administration addressed protests against its policies.

RTWT

(link via Hot Air)

Quick Question

If some 16-year-old surviving brain donor rides his skateboard off the roof of a parking garage in hopes of getting his cool video of his stunt on some stupid MTV "reality" TV show, breaks half the bones in his body, and damages a couple critical organs in the process, should those of us who choose not to do stupid shit like that be expected to pay his hospital bills?

Consider Your Talking Point Shot Down

To Dick Durbin, Brad Woodhouse, Robert Gibbs, and the rest of you disingenuous hacks trying to portray the anti-Obama protest movement as some kind of well-financed propaganda campaign orchestrated by the GOP establishment, I'll paraphrase what some of my readers have already noted.

Today's Republican party couldn't organize a bologna
sandwich, let alone a nationwide protest movement.

You know why you're afraid.

And, we know you know.

We will not back down.

Sow. Reap. Some assembly required.

Quote of the Year

Courtesy of Lissa and her Blogger Shoot notebook:

Meataxe: "I lived in Soviet Russia for three years and had fewer restrictions [on gun ownership] than I do in Boston."

[...]

Lissa: "What do you do for a living that you lived in South Africa, Soviet Russia and Boston?"

Meataxe (horrified): "Oh, I’ve never lived in Boston."

Quote of the Year Runner-Up:

Wally: "The Pikachu is now filled with lead. Just like all the other Chinese toys."

Little Known Facts

All the anti-Bush protests that took place over the last eight years, organized by groups such as ANSWER, MoveOn.org, SEIU, and others, were actually paid for with hugs.

This Blog Post Brought To You By the Letter "D"

Democrat Dick Durbin, douchebag.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) warned other members of Congress against antagonistic audience members at healthcare town hall events who may be funded by industry interest groups.

Because, there's no way that ordinary people could possibly be coming out against a government-forced takeover of their healthcare.

Nice try, asshole.

UPDATE: Add DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse to the list of people I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) accused Republicans of fueling "mob rule" by way of encouraging conservative protesters of Democratic lawmakers and the Obama administration across the country.

DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse brought out the heavy artillery in a lengthy statement issued late Tuesday blasting the GOP and enablers in interest groups for spurring the protests.

Consider the talking point memo amply distributed.

"The Republicans and their allied groups — desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill — are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in Congressional Districts across the country," Woodhouse said in a statement.

[...]

"These mobs are bussed in by well funded, highly organized groups run by Republican operatives and funded by the special interests who are desperately trying to stop the agenda for change the President was elected to bring to Washington," Woodhouse said.

Where to begin?

First, this president was elected, in theory, to usher in a new era of open, transparent, bipartisan government. You know, no more "politics as usual". He was elected on the "promises" of not raising "any" taxes on the middle class, pursuing a "net spending cut" (his exact words), and bringing about an end to pork barrel spending, to name but a few.

How's that wagon of horseshit taste?

And, you wanna see "bussed in" crowds? Go to any of these staged, invite-only "town hall" meetings taking place around the country, where Obama or one of his flunkies takes pre-arranged questions from doe-eyed admirers in matching t-shirts.

These "mobs" you're talking about are run-of-the-mill American citizens, hard-working taxpayers struggling to make ends meet, and who are rightly pissed off at those who are trying to tax them back to the stone age, destroy what freedoms they have left, and are flat-out lying to the People to get their agenda passed into law before anyone can figure out what they're really up to.

President Thin-Skin Can Dish It Out...

...but he sure can't take it.

Seems the Obama administration has got its panties in a twist over the fact that people are posting video online of the president and his allies talking about their desire and their goal to create single-payer, government-run healthcare in this country.

Apparently, it's such a good plan that they don't want the American people to know about it.

Here's what White House Office of Health Reform communications director, Linda Douglass, has to say about these clips.

In the video Douglas says the site is "taking sentences and phrases out of context, and they're cobbling them together to leave a very false impression."

That's funny. No one in the Obama camp seemed all that concerned about "taking sentences and phrases out of context" and "cobbling them together to leave a very false impression" back in September of last year.

The malignant aspect of this is that Mr. Obama and his advisers know exactly what they are doing. They had to listen to both monologues or read the transcripts. They then had to pick the particular excerpts they used in order to create a commercial of distortions. Their hoped-for result is to inflame racial tensions. In doing this, Mr. Obama and his advisers have demonstrated a pernicious contempt for American society.

Why, it's almost as if this administration is suffering from a complete and unfettered lack of integrity, consistency, and honesty.

That's Not a Bug

It's a feature.

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) said the cap-and-trade legislation passed by the House of Representatives could be a boon for organized crime in the United States by creating a carbon credit industry that could spawn fraud, money laundering and other criminal activities.

File Under: World's Biggest "If"

IF there existed such a thing in this country as an honest and independent media, these clips would be leading the 6:00 news.





The president and our "leaders" in Congress are flat-out lying to the American people as they continue this immoral quest of theirs to secure supreme power over the United States economic and industrial infrastructure, and squash what small semblance of individual liberty we still possess.

But, turn on any network news outlet, and you'll think the biggest problem facing this country today is who's going to get custody of Michael Jackson's kids.

Calming Influence

If there's anything more therapeutic than turning a perfectly good watermelon into a cloud of pink mist (or butcher block into toothpicks), I'm all ears.

Needless to say, Northeast Bloggershoot 2009 was a rollicking success. Scores of guns, thousands of rounds of ammo, one sad, heavily-perforated Pikachu, and good company.

And, as I mentioned in the comments to a previous post, I sucked at taking good pictures, so I'll start linking up to other folks' AAR posts.

UPDATE(S): Jay G. has words, pictures, and video.

Note the guest celebrity appearance by Major L. Caudill, USMC (Ret.)

Note also that you either get the joke or you don't.

Lissa: I got bit by a Garand and I liked it

Bore Patch: From Pokemon to Bayonets

TOTWTYTR: Northeast Blogger Shoot AAR

MeatAxe: Things I Learned at the New England Bloggershoot

Weer'd Beard: Back from Blogger Shoot

Scotaku in America: Aw, shoot.

Palindrome of the Day

Amen. Enema.

The Day Draws Nigh

The Third (sort of) Annual (well, not really) Northeast Bloggershoot is just hours away!

Screw the chicken soup.

What your soul really needs, and what it deserves, is a healthy dose of lead-based recoil therapy.