Border Bothers

Does anyone believe for a moment that if the flood of Mexican nationals illegally crossing the US border every day were potential Republican voters rather than potential Democrat voters that the Democrats and their activists would hesitate to close the border and do the "impossible" - round up 12 million illegals and deport them? Conversely, do you believe that the jelly spined Republicans would be attempting to stop the Mexican tsunami? That is problemo numero uno (a little Spanish lingo there) in the immigration debate. Washington refuses to do anything serious about it because both parties want to court illegals as a voting bloc.

Meanwhile, Phoenix suffers as the 2nd highest kidnapping city IN THE WORLD. Which is one reason in a long list of why they took the drastic step of passing their own immigration law in the face of a heedless, heartless, hear-less federal government. Vigilantism is almost always a result of government failure to dispense justice. It just happens that in this case, the vigilante is a state government rather than an individual or group of individuals. The way things are proceeding, it could soon be a group of states instead of just one as even Pennsylvania is considering adopting the Arizona law. Wouldn't that signal to ANY reasonable and normal person that SOMETHING is wrong???

I read a disturbing article recently about Legal Immigration. The companies contracted to handle the incoming mail applications are paid by the piece but there is no oversight by the former INS now the USCIS (US Citizens & Immigration Services) Department to ensure they are actually getting the services for which they pay. And naturally no company or individual would ever take advantage of that little loophole /sarc/. Backlogs for immigrations/visas grew into years as mail waits to be processed and USCIS's budget exploded. In its infinitely insignificant "wisdom" Congress responded by increasing the cost of applications for Green Cards which created even more backlog since more people applied to get in before the rate increase took effect. No doubt more unionized employees will be hired to process mail and still there will be no oversight so taxpayers suffer even more money lost to corruption. In spite of all that (and much more that I haven't covered) we still process in about 1 million LEGAL immigrants every year.

To add further insult to the US's immigration woes, a UN 'rights' commission (ho boy!) decided that Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona (LONG MAY SHE REIGN!!!) is a worse threat to human rights than president Imapoopykakahead in Iran, Infidel Castrati in Cuba, Huge-o Chav-a$$ in Venezuela, and the original camel humper himself: Mummar Kaddafi in Libya. Really? Good thing I'm not governor of AZ or I would show them what a violation of human rights is.

Mexico is a dying nation. It suffers from the twin ills of terrible Iberian Imperialism and Catholic Communist Economics (more on that some other time). It was born corrupt and it will die corrupt. Like a loved one in denial, the Beltway crowd and the American left don't want to see that unless they quarantine the victim, the 'cancer' will spread to us as well.

Still Too Much Going On

The speed with which the Regime and its useful idiot partners are dismantling the Constitution and the nation is startling. We are either going to be nannied to death or completely ignored depending on the situation.

WHERE'S FEMA?

Nashville is drowning but you wouldn't know it. While at least 18 people have perished in West Tennessee flooding, the B-HO has yet to declare it a disaster area. Damage estimates have already topped the $1,000,000,000 (Billion) mark making this one the most expensive non-hurricane disasters in US History. The MSM and even Fox News relegate it to the TV news equivalent of the back pages because the Phoenix Suns wearing "Los Suns" jerseys is apparently more important. In spite of all this, Nashvillians have risen to the occasion. Looting is minimal or non-existent in stark contrast to Democrat run/Third World New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. No FEMA is probably a good thing since they were taking away people's guns and leaving them to be looted and raped in NO. I suppose one of the lessons we can learn from this - especially if we apply the "Katrina standard" that was glued to a much more engaged and concerned George Bush - is that Barrack Obama hates white people.

OIL, OIL EVERYWHERE

Speaking of being 'engaged', the B-HO took eight days to get anything going after the BP oil rig burned and collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico. I guess he was practicing the Saul Alinsky principle of not letting a crisis go to waste. Nope. He let it become a full-blown disaster. Of course, this now can let him backpedal on his promise to open more oil exploration and drilling off-shore. OPEC is already passive-aggressively slowing production as noted by the recent climb in gas prices. If the Regime takes off-shore drilling off the table we could be in for a long summer of high gas prices. The last oil shock helped bring about the current recession. Another oil shock this summer could send the economy into the abyss by the end of this year. I shudder to even mention what that could look like. Official unemployment might reach 15-18% while actual unemployment could reach or exceed 25%. We haven't seen numbers like that since the Great Depression. Watch gas prices and be ready for a spike. You might want to pack away a little extra food as well; or convert to Mormonism...

SEDITION!

Though I have not been to or officially joined the TEA Party movement, I am a huge supporter of it. I have adopted the Rush Limbaugh approach by calling the Obama Administration a Regime. In the eyes of Stalinist reporter Joe Klein, this is enough to label me as seditious! The diminutive in stature and intellect "journalist" may have a point. However, I don't recall him reaching for a dictionary to look up sedition when people were talking about the Bush "Regime". Nor did he consult Mr. Webster when a play and book about killing then sitting president Bush were released. Nope, that didn't rise to his definition of sedition. Instead, people of all races and socio-economic levels PEACEFULLY yet angrily protesting against massive and further government intrusion into their lives fits. Talk show hosts advocating peaceful revolution at the ballot box in November of 2010 and 2012 also fit.

I like to call Obama the Kenyan Katastrophe as a tweak on the liberal nose. I don't know for certain if he was born in the US or not but until solid evidence is produced I will take him at his word on that (little else though). I call his administration a Regime not because I believe the election was illegitimate somehow (let's face it, a cracked vase with big daisies could have beat McCain in 2008) but because the Congress, Senate, and Administration are running the nation as if they were some sort of ruling junta. They are elected to respond to the will of the people even if they think the people are wrong. They have acted counter to our wishes on small occasions without too many repercussions but on large issues - you know, like taking command of 1/6 of the American economy! - they HAVE to be guided by our will or suffer the consequences. To paraphrase Patrick Henry: If this be sedition then let's make the most of it!

NANNIES

The FDA thinks it should tell us how much salt we can have. Never mind that its own RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) has been shown to be less than the amount needed for optimum brain function. Virtually everything we do is now regulated. We get tickets for not wearing a seat belt. Yeah, I know, it saves lives. If you believe in Darwinism then those who don't wear seat belts will help strengthen the gene pool by eliminating themselves from it and leaving smarter people in later generations. We can't drive and use cell phones anymore - though most people couldn't seem to do both. They were most likely stupid people that would have not been alive anyway had there not been seat belt laws! There are disclaimers and tags on almost everything we buy. Small parts may cause a choking hazard (DUH!). Plastic bags covering TVs and computers are not toys (REALLY?). Don't eat the little bag of Chiclets you find in most boxed items that says DO NOT EAT (and here I thought they sent bonus food with my new stereo!). We are warned that knives are sharp, not to put our hands or feet under a running lawn mower, and more. Then we are told what speed to drive. Except in towns and residential areas, speeding is less about safety than it is about revenue generation. Just as the instant replay has made NFL officials worse and more stupid, more regulation and warnings on everything make people more and more stupid.

...AND FINALLY AT LEAST FOR THE MOMENT

OK, this isn't nearly as big a deal as the other stuff. Rather than refute the anti-Arizona race baiters and the terminally aggrieved like the racists at the National Council of La Raza (the Race), I'm merely going to mention how the law affects me personally. I am and have for some time been a semi-closeted fan of the lovely and talented Colombians singer Shakira. However, her recent decision to involve herself in a battle that is (1) no concern of hers and (2) something she hasn't done any fact checking about forced me to make a moral choice. Shakira lost. I unlinked her from my Facebook account. (Z OK, so it IS a BIG deal!) I'm sure she's heartbroken and will be repenting her error any moment...aaaaaaaany...moment...OK, maybe not.

Interesting Tidbits?

FRESH FOOD FETISH

Last week while watching Bones, I was momentarily annoyed by a PSA for "Green Week" from the world's most irritating and foul-mouthed chef - Gordon Ramsey. Amazingly, without cursing once in 30 seconds, Chef Ramsey informed us that we should be buying fresh foods rather than frozen food because processing and storage of frozen foods takes ten times the amount of energy used to process and store fresh foods. Seriously? Who do these people think they are? Frozen food is probably one of the greatest miracles of the modern age.

Don't get me wrong, I prefer fresh food. The freshness of my food isn't the issue here. This is about the agenda hiding behind the green movement. GE's agenda to move jobs to China and gobble up more of the light bulb market has pushed the incandescent light bulb toward extinction in spite of the dangers found in CFLs. So what would be the purpose of pushing us all toward mostly if not all fresh food?

Dependency. Most fresh foods last less than a week; perhaps two if you buy those funky preservation bowls seen on late night TV. Frozen food can last over a year depending on how well it is packaged. Canned food can last several years in spite of the expiration dates printed on them. People living mostly on fresh foods will never have more than a few days worth of food in the house in case of an emergency which means they will quickly become dependent on others - especially the government - should there be even a modest interruption of the food supply. Think about that the next time you're in the freezer aisle and grab an extra bag of something frozen.

STAND WITH ARIZONA

The new AZ illegal immigration law is causing quite an unnecessary hub-bub among the leftists and race hustlers. The law was crafted very carefully and underwent a number of drafts to ensure it would pass Constitutional muster (provided anyone on the courts still follows the Constitution). The law basically restates Federal immigration law and forces AZ police officers to actually follow said Federal laws! What a concept! Yet, if you listen to the media, the race hustlers, and the charlatans posing as intelligentsia, you'd think that the Grand Canyon State was burning crosses in people's yards and raising swastika flags over the capitol building.

Aren't the people who protest that Arizona is becoming a Nazi state the same people who want the police to pull over people for not wearing a seat belt? The leftist totalitarians hate freedom when it applies to people going about their daily lives. They want us ticketed for using cell phones while driving. The same people are limiting how much salt we eat and, in part of California, outlawed toys in a Happy Meal! These people just pushed a bill into law that makes us have to 'show our papers' to prove we have health insurance! But it isn't 'Nazi' when it is 'for our own good'.

Arizona is desperate. Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the US. People living near the borders are afraid to leave their homes for long lest they return to find (those "otherwise law abiding") illegal immigrants rummaging through their refrigerators. Illegals recently killed a rancher on his own property near the border. In spite of all this, Congress refuses to take up the issue SO CLOSE TO THE ELECTION! And the Feds refuse to tighten the border. So Arizona will have to do it themselves and endure the bullying by the media and groups like La Raza, an openly RACIST group seeking to conquer the US Southwest. Support Arizona however you can. They are on the right track.

GO HOME CHARLIE

Florida's governor Charlie Crist was running far behind his GOP opponent for US Senate, Marco Rubio. Rather than gracefully step aside of the popular, young, and charismatic Conservative, Crist, seeing the reigns of power slipping from his grasp, chose to cut ties to his party and run as an independent. This doesn't seen to have helped him according to polling data; nor has it helped the Democrat candidate. Unless some nasty scandal breaks or Rubio makes some huge gaff, he is probably assured of a Senate seat in November. Meanwhile, Crist has demonstrated that he is a power monger - which is the best reason not to vote for him whether he has a D, an R, or an I behind his name. Pack it in Governor Crist. The people of Florida and the US are on to you and we will not support you any more.

I'm a Tenther, She's a Tenther, He's a Tenther...

...wouldn't you like to be a Tenther too?

Once again the left is down to name calling. Those of us who question the origin of the B-HO are derisively called Birthers. If we don't like higher taxes and bigger government, "luminaries" like Anderson Cooper call us Tea-baggers - interestingly enough a derisive term for homosexuals (I notice the radical 'gay' groups haven't squeaked a protest about the use of that term like they do if someone on the right uses a homosexual slur).

The latest attempt to demonize the right is to call those of us who oppose Obamacare 'Tenthers'. Naturally the left would find the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution and those who uphold it as a defense against big government offensive to their centralizing, corrupt power-grabbing goals. But this is doomed to fail as a marginalizing tool before it ever starts. Like the early Americans who co-opted the term and tune Yankee Doodle as a badge of honor, we Tenthers will do the same. Like the commercial where young men and women proclaim that they will not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we should not be ashamed of our belief in the Tenth Amendment which simply states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That's pretty straightforward!

Were we to fall to the level of the left, I suppose we could called Empress Pelosi and crew "Commerce Clausers" since they continually beat the American taxpayer over the head with their intentional misinterpretation of that little line on a daily basis. But unlike them, we understand where the Commerce Clause fits into the original intent just like the 10th Amendment. The Commerce Clause states: [The Congress shall have power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes. The word among means between. It was included to keep the States from charging tolls and taxes when products crossed their borders as they had done under the Articles of Confederation and that's about it.

Before the days of blogging the state of Washington raised their cigarette taxes outrageously and then threw a tantrum when people living near the borders - especially with low tobacco taxing Idaho - were crossing over to buy cigarettes. The state sent troopers to spy on people buying cigarettes just across the line and issue tickets to them on returning to Washington. This is a CLEAR violation of the Commerce Clause because the product is legal in both states as long as the buyer is 18 and a state cannot penalize its citizens for buying elsewhere no matter their motivation; especially tax avoidance.

The state of Idaho long ago tried to violate the Commerce Clause in a less onerous manner by adding a line on their income tax form where you were supposed to calculate the amount of money you spent out of Idaho and pay the state sales tax for that spending. I don't recall anyone ever admitting to spending money out of state and believe it has since been removed. But it was an innovative try on their part!

The Tenth Amendment is becoming one of the last barriers to complete government control over our lives and it is currently at odds with the expansive abuse of the Commerce Clause as used by the Left. Stand up and proudly broadcast that you are indeed a 'Tenther'! I know I am.

Eat the Rich

Here in Washington State certain groups are attempting to pass an income tax on individuals, through Initiative 1077, making more than $200,000 or couples earning more than $400,000. One of the leaders of this modern day witch hunt is the father of 'His Majesty' Bill Gates; William Gates Sr (my first thought was: He's still alive???). The populist argument in favor of this attack on the wealthy is that it will reduce middle class and small business taxes.

Regarding the Middle Class, it will come in the form of property tax relief. The supporters claim a 20% reduction in state property taxes. That may be true but they conveniently omit the fact that only 10-15% of your property tax bill is levied by the state. The rest is local. So you will get relief of 20% of 15% of your tax bill. For the math impaired, 20% of 15% is a whopping 3%! That's $30 on a $1000 property tax bill. Try not to spend that all in one place! Small businesses will see a similar 'savings'.

In return for that, all we have to do is cannibalize the people in WA state who create our jobs. Bill Gates Jr. employs nearly as many people as the gubbermint. Boeing has quietly been sending jobs to states with less onerous tax burdens and what makes anyone think they won't accelerate this process as more of their high income officers start taking a hit on their personal incomes?

Of course, like any other increase in taxes, this will have the opposite of its desired effect and REDUCE revenue to the Treasury. I-1077 will head us in the direction of California rather than Texas and the few states that are not in fiscal trouble. Even if, in the unlikely event, I-1077 did increase revenue, there is no precedent that demonstrates the morons in Olympia will spend the additional revenue wisely by reducing the state's deficit.

All around the nation we are seeing attempts to eat the rich. Much of this is being pushed by socialists and other anti-capitalists attempting to direct populist outrage against government mismanagement of OUR money toward wealthy people who mismanage THEIR OWN money. Oregon just passed an income tax on the rich. Why don't we in WA wait for a year or two and see what happens in Oregon before we throw our own rich in the cooking pot? Better yet, why not reduce state spending?

So Much Going On

April usually turns my attention from politics to something more important: baseball. Though I haven't annoyed my keyboard much lately I am still keeping a weather eye on the B-HO and his cronies.

There has been a recent row over Joe Klein (columnist at Communist Stooge Time Magazine) who accused Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin of sedition on Chris Matthews' show. Another guest chimed in adding Rush Limbaugh to the list for calling it the Obama 'Regime'. This blatant attempt to chill Free Speech comes from the very people who demanded 'regime change' (preferably violent) when George W Bush was president. In fact, the left called Bush's two terms a regime more than 6500 times from 1/20/01. Additionally, they trotted Bubba out to further attempt to chill free speech on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. You may remember that he blamed Limbaugh directly for the actions of Timothy McVeigh.

Lesson: When Republicans are in power, dissent is the highest form of patriotism but when Democrats are in power dissent is seditious.

Feeling his oats after destroying American health care, the B-HO is targeting Wall Street for submission to the "Soviet Central Committee" this week. His willing accomplice in this scheme is Goldman Sachs. You may remember from previous posts the lengthy tentacles Goldman has in our government (across the political spectrum). Without warning the SEC slapped charges on Goldman - conveniently at a time to keep it from getting into the news cycle until after the weekend. The White House claims it had 'no idea' this was coming but by Monday, a Google search of "Goldman Sachs SEC" brings up a SPONSORED LINK to the B-HO's website (not the White House website). I'll let you draw your own conclusion there. In addition to that suspicious little tidbit, an article in the Washington Examiner today reveals the fact that Goldman has donated 7 times the amount of money to Obama as Enron did to George W Bush! Where is the MSM on that? They wouldn't let us forget that Enron donated a paltry $151,000 (inflation adjusted) to his campaign. Goldman dropped 7 digits into Barry's coffers. If Obama gets his "reform" passed look for Goldman to pay a small SEC fine while their competitors are destroyed by said "reform". Remember back in 2008, Hank Paulson (former Goldman bigwig) advised Bush not to intervene when Lehman Brothers collapsed and they were Goldman's main rival...

To distract us from that, the Regime has the FDA out trying to regulate how much salt can be added to our food - for our health naturally! Who do they think they are?

Both of these are being used to distract us from the Idiot of Economics, Paul Volcker floating the VAT trial balloon for the Regime recently. The VAT (value added tax) should be slapped from the lips of anyone who utters it as a legitimate idea. A VAT could double the prices of some goods overnight for consumers. Unlike a sales tax which is only charged at the retail level, a VAT is added to an item at EVERY LEVEL of production!

As an example, let's look at the wheat for a loaf of bread. A farmer grows the wheat, harvests it and sells it to the flour mill. The government charges VAT because the farmer has 'added value' to the wheat. The flour mill grinds it and sells it to the bakery triggering a second VAT because they 'added value' by milling the flour. The bakery mixes the flour into batter with other ingredients (all charged VATs) to make bread. They sell it to a retailer creating yet another VAT. The retailer finally sells it to you triggering the final VAT in the system. At every level of production the seller has had to charge the buyer more because of the VAT and the buyer has passed on that cost to the next seller which means that the consumer ultimately pays for each and every VAT back to the farmer who grew the wheat. In the real world (or at least Europe where the VAT is everywhere) the result has added 100%+ to the cost of an item depending on what goes into it and the VAT rate. This is unlike a sales tax where most if not all wholesale (pre-consumer) transactions are exempted. Most consumers cannot absorb even a small VAT and it would kill any economic recovery - even the phantom one we're being told is going on right now.

Whiffing at Soft Balls

I saw enough of the Washington Nationals Opener on Monday to witness Obama mocking the sport, the fans, and tradition when he donned a White Sox cap for his ceremonial first pitch. I mainly tuned in to hear the crowd reaction to him which was mixed at best (not a good sign for him considering it was in the liberal bastion of Washington DC) and the boos overpowered the cheers after he added the sullied Southsider chapeau. Not too long afterward he made his way to the booth where a fawning Rob Dibble pitched him what news industry insiders call a 'soft ball' question. In fact there could hardly be a potential softer ball question than was served; but Obama managed to strike out on one pitch.

Dibble: Who are some of your favorite White Sox players? (They don't get much easier for a president.)

Long awkward pause (come on Barry - can you even name a guy on the field below you - considering that they HAVE THEIR NAMES ON THEIR BACKS????) STRIKE ONE.

Obama: You know, blah blah blah, I like a lot of Cubs players too... (Really? Can you name any of THEM? Carlos Zambrano? Derrik Lee? Ryne Sandberg? I'd even give you credit for Evers, Tinker, or Chance.) STRIKE TWO.

Obama continues: ...blah, blah, blah, Cominskey Park, blah, blah... (Cominskey? Don't you mean Comiskey? You know named after the infamous late owner of the White Sox who wouldn't even pay to launder their uniforms?) BALL ONE - since I've heard a lot of people who aren't worthless 'presidents' add the extraneous 'n' to Charlie Comiskey's last name.

Obama continues: ...blah, blah, White Sox play blue collar baseball (Huh? What the H*ll is blue collar baseball? For that matter what the H*ll would be considered white collar baseball? Their minimum wage is almost what you make a year, moron!) ...blah, blah Steve Bartman blah, blah... (Wait! He actually threw a name out there! Granted it is only the most (wrongly) maligned name in Chicago history but the man never played major league baseball. And it STILL has nothing to do with the White Sox.) STEEEEERIKE THREE! YOU'RE OUTTA THERE!

By today, everyone with internet knows the name Mark Beuhrle (whether or not you can spell it) for his cool between the legs play to get an out at first on Monday. Fans know other names like new White Sox SS Omar Vizquel or pitcher Jake Peavy. Even if you don't know any modern White Sox, you can always fall back and punt (sorry to mix sports metaphors) with a classic line: I've always liked Shoeless Joe Jackson and think he got a raw deal in the "Black Sox Scandal". Anyone who knows baseball will nod vigorously in agreement giving you at least a "walk" to first - though you may have to endure a lengthy monologue that rehashes the 1919 Black Sox Scandal and a detailed recap of Joe Jackson's stats for the World Series. But alas for 'glorious comrade leader' he couldn't even come up with that!

The Eternal Hope of Spring

Unlike Obama's false hope and change, Spring brings actual hope to us every year. No matter how bad the winter, how hard the times, as the days lengthen and the last gasps of winter rage about us, all humans no matter their religion or culture are filled with new hope every spring.

Spring's greatest hope comes in the form of Easter, the day Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Savior of all mankind. Easter generally falls around one of the most ancient holy days celebrated by Christianity's older sibling Judaism: Passover. The Jewish Passover has been celebrated continuously for roughly four millenia now. Foreshadowing the salvation of Christ by about 2000 years, faithful Jews brushed lamb's blood on their doorposts at Moses command to avoid the last of the plagues visited on Egypt. That night the angel sent by God to kill all the firstborn of Egypt 'passed over' the houses with lamb's blood on the doorposts. Jesus is often referred to as the lamb of God and like the faithful Jews in Egypt, God will recognize us as His own when we paint the "Blood of the Lamb" on our spiritual doorposts. Have you taken this important step to be passed over for death?

The other great hope that 'springs eternal' every April is the opening of Baseball Season. Like the Jews during the Diaspora would utter the hopeful phrase "Next year in Jerusalem", Cubs fans claim that this year is their year. One wonders if Cubs fans will wander longer than the Jews. Today though is the day that every fan of every of the 30 MLB teams can hope that this is their year (except probably for Mets fans who languish in the eternal torment of injury Limbo). For baseball fans hope and summer are measured by 162 games rather than days. The rainiest day of summer will be bright when our team wins and the sunniest day will be dimmed a bit when they lose; but until the end of September, tomorrow brings hope that they will win again and we can bask in the warm glow of victory clear through October.

Here's a little tidbit of wisdom from Earl Pitts.
The three words every man wants to hear from a woman: Want more bacon?

Who Watches the Watchers?

Of all the onerous aspects of the health care 'law' we now toil under, perhaps the worst aspect of it is that it will be administered by the IRS. Evil the Obama Administration may be but he and his minions are not stupid. Unlike every other federal, state, and local agency in the United States, the IRS illegally and un-Constitutionally is not bound by English Common Law. Every agency except the IRS has to presume you are innocent no matter how compromising a situation they may find you in. In contradiction to every barrier of protection the Founders provided for us, the IRS gets to start with the assumption that we are guilty and they have a permanent battery of lawyers set to impoverish and destroy those who would stand in defiance of them. Obama and his snakes are adding 16,000 new IRS agents to monitor compliance with yet another un-Constitutional law knowing full well that this one agency can circumvent every protection US citizens have against tyrannical government. Many may not recognize it but this is a second huge step in the process of transforming us from citizens into subjects.

April 21st is St. George's Day but this year it will mark another important and tyrannical event in US history. Three US companies Caterpillar, John Deere, and Verizon will be hauled up before Henry "the Cue Ball" Waxman and his committee for FOLLOWING THE LAW!!! The three companies issued revised, projected earnings statements as they must, by law, to one of the infinite government agencies, based on projected health care costs from the new Obama law. Well, "Nostrilitis" Waxman doesn't like reality intruding into fantasy so he's mad at these three companies for rightly complaining that the law will hurt their investors. Adopting the same thug, Chicago Mafia tactics used by Obama on a daily basis and by the same committee against Toyota; once again a committee composed of scum and villainy will be accusing honorable businessmen of "crimes against government".

Waxman, Obama, Peolsi, Reid, Frank, Emanuel and the rest are nothing less than traitors to this nation. Every moment they are in office and every step they take reinforces Ronald Reagan's maxim: Government is not the solution; government IS the problem.

Obama the...

...AntiSemite

Yes, I'm going to say it out loud, Obama is an anti-Semite. His Administration does have Jews in it but they are the anti-Zionist, self-loathing type in the mold of Rahm Emmanuel. His hatred of Israel though is becoming a stumbling block. He is demanding 'regime' change in Israel because, no doubt, Prime Minister Netanyahu did not fall for any of Obama's thug, strong arm tactics in spite of the open insults and back room torture sessions. Now, the US is holding its veto of UN sanctions against Israel over them like a Sword of Damocles. This coming on the heels of Reichsmarshall Obama's manufactured US/Israel crisis over a housing project in an area of Jerusalem that was EXPRESSLY NOT controversial. Unlike his archetype - Jimmy Carter - Obama cannot be so naive that he doesn't see the danger he is placing Israel in. By creating a rift between them and the US and publicly chastising them, he will only embolden their Muslim enemies. Israel can no longer rely on the US as a solid ally (at least until 2013) and they have been wisely courting European nations since the Anointing of Obama.

...Muslim?

He smiles at you with that big toothy, Arab-like grin. He bows obsequiously to other dignitaries like the stereotypical Arab in the old movies. Then, when you are off guard, he shouts 'Allahyhu Akbar' and sinks a dagger into your back. I have already pointed out his anti-Semitism - on par with the most frothing at the mouth jihadist. He spent time in a Madrasa as a child. He gravitated toward radicals and radical causes as a young adult. He found a 'church' where hatred spewed forth from the pulpit that compares to the teachings of the most radical Imam in a mosque. He deals with opposition by destroying or enslaving those who oppose him. In spite of all that, I don't think he is a Muslim. He simply cannot be. He also cannot be a Christian because it is obvious that he hates any being that would set itself up as God in opposition to him. He wants to convert us all or kill us in the process. His armies must shout 'Obamayhu Akbar' as they charge into battle against his 'divine' authority.

...Authoritarian Dictator

He won and we lost. To him that means we cannot oppose anything he wants to do in direct contravention of the idea of a Representative Republic. He does not care a bit about the Constitution. He and his Congress have passed Health Care in defiance of the will of the people. He took over banks and two car companies with disregard to the will of the people. He governs with Executive Orders and when Congress won't pass what he wants, he forces it through the Bureaucracy. He cuts ties with America's traditional, republican allies and embraces our dictatorial enemies. He surrounds himself with criminals, with petty union dictators, 'scientists' without morals or ethics, and people of every stripe who want only to enrich themselves and curb individual liberties of the 'masses'.

It is a good thing that God is great and Obama is not because we are now pilgrims in an unholy land.

Curse Them All

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

This was a distinct promise from God to Abraham (and his offspring) given at the same time God promised to essentially establish the nation of Israel through him. History is replete with God fulfilling that promise.

Egypt suffered for enslaving them. The Assyrians fell when threatening to wipe out the Hebrews. Babylon fell for the same reason. The beginning of Rome's decline occurs shortly after the Diaspora. The nations of Europe in the Middle Ages thrived when they treated Jews well and suffered when they did not. Russia's institutional anti-Semitism kept it backward and invaded through much of its history. The Ottoman Empire sank into decay as its anti-Jewish laws grew more Draconian. Britain lost much of her empire for reneging on the Balfour Declaration. God took Russia from the Romanovs and delivered it into the hands of the Communists for its mistreatment of Jews. Germany got Hitler and committed national suicide when it attempted to exterminate the Jews. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt have thrown away several generations in fruitless attempts to destroy the rock of Israel since it became a nation.

So perhaps it is fitting that at the same time the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State of the United States have taken to openly cursing Israel; the traitorous subhumans in Congress pass a bill that sounds the death knell of the American Republic.

Twice I have started posts dripping venom and outright hatred of these people. The first I showed to Mrs. C - who, wanting a father at home for Crusader Jr. when he arrives, urged me not to publish it. The second, which is probably (a) more honest than the first and (b) filled with even more venom than the first was as much about me needing to vent the rage that was keeping me awake last night as anything else. Needless to say, both were very Old Testament and largely included hopes and prayers that God would make the 219 congressmen, 59 senators, vp, and potus (no caps on purpose - these people simply don't deserve my respect) suffer so badly that Job would look like he had a bad case of the sniffles by comparison. Of course that is not very Christian and I have honestly admitted to both God and myself that there really isn't much Christian love in my heart for anyone that I view as having destroyed the American Republic whether it be in accordance to God's plan or not.

Fortunately for those moods, I have the harsh comfort of God's assurances in Deuteronomy (32:35) and partially reiterated in Romans (12:19).

It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.

This is one of the few time where I prefer the NIV translation as it captures God's mood with much more force. For some reason, 'their doom rushes upon them' really appeals to the Scottish Highlander in me. I truly hope to witness Nancy Pelosi's doom rush in on her (oh please, oh please!!!) - perhaps in the form of a lightning strike. Since these people are all like mini Stalins, hopefully they will die by raising a fist to curse the God that created them and He will smite (don't you love that word! There needs to be more 'smiting' of evil people.) them down.

Anyhoo - since I have God doing all the smiting rather than doing any myself, I doubt the black helicopters filled with federal agents will be visiting me anytime soon to see if I constitute an actual threat. That means Crusader Jr. will have a daddy at home furiously hammering on the keyboard in faint hopes that God will smite(!) down half of Congress for their next transgression against liberty which will probably be "Fairness" Doctrine or another big tax hike.

Hey Sean Penn - BITE ME!

Okay, I haven't been interested in blogging lately and that is probably not going to change in the near term but here are a few thoughts.

Where is Venezuela's Pinochet? Sean Penn wants all of us who are aware that Hugo Chavez won obviously rigged elections and is in fact a dictator to die "screaming of rectal cancer". Perhaps if we all call Chavez a dictator at the same time Sean Penn will contract rectal cancer himself and the rest of us will have a good laugh. In 1973 Chile, Soviet backed left-winger Salvador Allende was pulling many of the same stunts Hugo is in current day Venezuela. A gutsy Colonel in the army realized what was going on and stepped in to stop his beloved nation from becoming a Soviet stooge. For his troubles including a reign of 17 years, and (from unbiased sources) around 1500 communist/socialist opponents killed or 'disappeared' he earned the eternal ire of the left (by any conventional standard this is a fairly bloodless coup). However when Pinochet stepped down in 1990 and Chile returned to democratic rule, it was in much better shape economically than South American nations that had moved left during the Cold War. Venezuela needs a Pinochet right now. Yes, he would earn the hatred of Danny Glover and Sean Penn and probably face charges in the Hague no matter how bloodless his reign but the people of Venezuela deserve better than Chavez. He has already destroyed their economy and is on the verge of aborting the rising middle class emerging in Venezuela. He is evil, he embraces a system of hatred and death, and yes Sean, he is a dictator.

Of course the way things are going in the US, we might need our own Pinochet soon as well.

The Good, The Bad, and the Culty

Circus of Irony

Is it just me or was it painful to watch Congress grill Akio Toyoda? While there is no question that there were serious problems within the Toyota Corporation and are still problems within the US Department of Transportation, I cannot help thinking that Mr. Toyoda has more honor in his pinkie finger than one could find in the array of self-serving, thieving, and entirely corrupt politicians sitting in judgment against him. Coming from a culture that prides itself on its code of honor, we can barely imagine the great amount of self-recrimination and loss of public prestige required of Mr. Toyoda to appear before the legislative body of another nation and apologize for his company's shortcomings. If Mr. Toyoda is aware of the state of American politics then it must have come as a double blow to him to have to apologize to the House of Reprehensibles; a body composed of men and women who, faced with a similar situation, would most likely lie, obfuscate, and blame others for their own sins. Worse yet, how can this body sit in fair judgment of Mr. Toyoda or any CEO of any other car company so long as they have a vested interest in an American car company. They might as well have forced Mr. Toyoda to face judgment from the board of GM...oh wait, they did.

More Propaganda Please!

One aspect of watching the Olympics on NBC is that we 'get' to see a lot of advertisements from its parent company: GE - General Evil. I know that sounds rude and I don't want to diminish the good that GE does or ignore inventions that they have created which benefit all of us. With the ascension of "Senator Palpatine" Immelt to GE's CEO though the patriarch of American innovation has taken a potentially sinister turn.

I can see the benefit of having all of your medical information available to any doctor in the nation at the touch of a few keystrokes. As someone who travels a lot, it would be quite comforting in an emergency to know that the local doctor can call up other medical needs if I and anyone traveling with me was unable to tell him/her. But think of the tremendous potential for abuse having an online library of every American's medical history available creates. Doctor/patient confidentiality would become a thing of the past. Unscrupulous hackers could sell information to potential employers who then use it to make hiring/layoff decisions. Or they could use it to blackmail you. This pales in comparison to how the government would abuse it were they to institute nationalized healthcare. Do you think a chronically ill blue-collar worker is going to get priority over a policeman or fireman if care is rationed? Will a rural deputy be put on the liver transplant list above a Congressman?

Then there is GE's smart grid. This technology claims to be for optimizing power distribution across the electrical grid. It sounds like a good idea. But the technology already exists to use the smart grid to regulate how much power you get (all that remains is to place the infrastructure). If GE and then Emperor Immelt decide you have too many lights on, they could dim them or even shut off power to the ones they don't think you should have on. This is far worse than your father following you around the house turning off lights every time you leave a room. The spectre of government interference looms over this as well. As elections grow more contentious do you want to risk living in a losing party state or county when vindictive political hacks can shut off the power? Will you have true freedom to speak out against government policy if your house can be targeted because you are against Card Check?

In a previous blog I've already pointed this out but it needs repeating. Whenever you see a GE commercial, remember that they were instrumental in lobbying against the incandescent light bulb which will be illegal in a few years (2012 I believe). They have the lion's share of the market on the much more expensive and mercury laden CFLs. In addition, GE recently closed an incandescent bulb factory in the US putting its workers on the street then opening a CFL factory in RED China to reduce production costs. This isn't about saving energy. It is about GE lowering costs, increasing profits with silent monopolies, and funding the Democrat party. And you think oil companies and the insurance industry are evil...

Scott Brown loses Tea Party Mojo?

A lot of Republicans and Tea Party types are upset by the recent votes from Scott Brown on the $15 Billion pork/stimulus/'jobs' bill that recently went through the Senate. I am not. As I've said before, Senator Brown is not a conservative; he is a Massachusetts Republican which makes him moderate or slightly liberal when compared to the vast majority of the rest of the country. Their indignation at Brown not being quite what they expected mirrors the complete meltdown on the left as the cult of Obama begins to fly apart. The left has always been suckered in by personality cults. They still worship at the image of JFK in spite of his reality. They voted in Bill Clinton because he could 'feel their pain' even though he was and is an obvious chauvinist - borderline abuser. Obama offered them 'hope and change' which they bought into with almost sexual ecstasy (cold shudder through the body) but only a year later he is revealed to them as sound and fury without substance.

Cults of personality are dangerous at any level but especially so when politics are involved. Demagogues and power mongers rely on personality cults to attain that power over others. This is how men like Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Mao Tse-Tung, and other ruthless dictators of little or no personal achievement enslaved so many. Obama is not a Hitler or Stalin (at least that we can tell) but he is a demagogue. He has reached this nation's highest office with little personal accomplishment to commend himself to the position other than his ability to give a good speech - which, if you haven't noticed, seems to have disappeared completely.

Those who are angry or disappointed by Senator Brown and/or President Obama have only themselves to blame. When you place you faith only in men (and by that I mean all members of humankind not just those with the XY chromosome combination) they will fail you at some point because they are flawed beings themselves. This is part of the reason why over seventy percent of us still claim to believe in God. This is also what prompted George Washington to remind us that we are 'a nation of laws not of men'. Faith in the principles of the Founders and the laws of nature's God will keep us off the path of self-destruction. Faith in men can only lead to perdition and the rise of men who enslave us 'for our own good'.

The readiness of people to follow a Barrack Obama or Scott Brown without knowing anything about them signals a dangerous trend to me. The rise of Obama indicates that many people are looking outside of themselves for solutions to their problems. The rapid rise of Scott Brown and suggestions that he run for president in 2012 show how fast idols can rise or fall and how much people are looking for someone to lead them. People who are willing to be led are not free. In the Old Testament, God gave the 12 tribes of Israel the world's first representative republic and freedom. Within a generation they begged and demanded he give them a king. He gave them what they wanted but took their freedom from them in exchange. Many in America appear to be begging for a leader/king to solve their problems. I don't know about you but I'm not ready to exchange my freedom.

Hatin' on Old Hickory

Recently I have been trying to fill the American History gap in my expertise. Actually, gap probably isn't an accurate term especially when compared to most American adults. I find that I can only take in so much of it before becoming frustrated with the major players and/or the political spin provided by 'historians' like socialist Howard Zinn.

The more I learn about President Andrew Jackson the less I like him. Don't get me wrong here. I respect his contributions as a general and his most important victory at New Orleans which ensured that neither Britain nor France would be able to significantly slow or stop our expansion across the Mississippi. Ironically, that battle occurred after the peace treaty (to a war neither nation wanted) was signed but before news of it could cross the Atlantic.

Like any other president, Jackson had his own personal shortcomings. Personality traits that made him a good general would not serve him - or the country - well as president. He was ill-tempered and ready to 'defend his honor' against any sleight; real or perceived. He ruled like a petty dictator as president and went through cabinet members like modern Congresses go through money. In addition to two Vice Presidents (and serving for over a year without one) he burned through four Secretaries of State, three Navy Secretaries and Attorney's General, two War Secretaries, and (not surprisingly) five Treasury Secretaries.

Before he was President, Jackson and his wife also entertained some of the early nation's most inglorious bastards. James Wilkinson was a self-serving man who became an aide to Benedict Arnold and was briefly tainted by Arnold's betrayal but lack of evidence saved his skin. Wilkinson skillfully managed to reach the rank of Brigadier General without ever actually being involved in major combat. He was involved in a conspiracy to replace Washington with Horatio Gates during the Revolution. While a general in the US Army, he was employed as an agent for Spain though for the money the Spanish Crown received little in return. Wilkinson also attached himself to America's second worst traitor: Aaron Burr.

Another of Jackson's shady associates was the aforementioned Aaron Burr. Burr is most infamous for killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel. The resulting hatred of Burr was enough for Jefferson to drop him as Vice President in his second term. Burr maintained popularity in the South where he was entertained in the Tennessee home of Andrew Jackson before and while on his campaign to create his own personal empire in the Louisiana territory and modern Texas. To Jackson's credit, lack of patriotism was not one of his failings and when Burr's machinations were discovered, Jackson repudiated Burr ever after.

It may seem silly on the face of it, but perhaps the biggest reason I dislike our seventh president is because he destroyed the financial system set up by my favorite Founder and our first Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton (associating with Hamilton's killer does not help his case). We can debate pretty much until eternity about the merits and flaws of the Hamiltonian system and the Bank of the United States but Andrew Jackson did not care about or take time to think about that. He killed the Bank of the US solely because he hated its Federalist director. Other Democrats provided him with 'legitimate' reasons for getting rid of the Bank including potential foreign domination (unlikely) and too much concentration of wealth but those were their reasons; not his.

Shallow historians and Jacksonian apologists like to trumpet the fact that Jackson was the only president who had the US out of debt. The reality though was that because of his impetuous destruction of the Bank of the US, the nation had no mechanism with which to borrow money. After the failure of the government under the Articles of Confederation, Hamilton recognized the need for a national government that could borrow money from time to time and wisely put in place a system to do just that. He also believed that the nation should only incur debts that would be paid off by the generation that created them since it was unjust to leave those debts to future generations (Oh for any politician that exemplifies Hamilton today!). On the face of it, having no national debt sounds like a good idea but by ending the Hamiltonian system and replacing it with nothing Jackson set up the nation for periodic economic crashes and general financial instability throughout the 19th century. Jackson's successor, Martin van Buren would suffer greatly for this as a severe depression resulting from the vacuum left by the Bank of the US set in; the first of many in a boom and bust cycle that would last a century.

In the end, I suppose it is ironic that Hamilton and Jackson both appear on our currency considering one carelessly tossed aside the stable financial system created by the other. Sadly few of us know little more about these men than as the faces on the ten and twenty dollar bills. For a good introduction to American History I recommend A Patriot's History of the United States by Larry Schweikart. From Columbus to 9/11 it covers our history in a way that will dispel the lies of the left that America is basically bad.

Items of Interest

To add to Europe's woes, pilots and crews at Lufthansa - Germany's main airline - are on strike creating travel chaos on the continent. Yesterday British Airways pilots decided to strike for ten days which will not only make European travel a living Hell but will also cause worldwide travel problems. In this economy, one has to wonder how some people are unable to clearly think that having a job regardless of wages and benefits is better than the alternative. In the US there are currently six people available for every open position. If I was an out-of-work jet pilot I'd probably be giving BA or Lufthansa a call.

The death of AGW (Anthropromorohic Global Warming) is big news everywhere except in the American media. British papers and blogs are on fire and are skewering the American press for ignoring the issue. The London Telegraph, one of my major news sources, has almost daily updates on the scandal. Even the liberal UK Guardian is wise enough to place scientific honesty over political bias. But not in America where politics trumps all. The MSM is, of course, hoping to keep Americans as ignorant of this as possible in order to push the radical 'green' agenda before the general public finds out that there has been no warming since 1995, the Medieval Warm period actually was warmer, the hockey stick graph is a fraud, and most damning to the enviro-wacko movement the sea levels are not rising. They also hope to keep us in the dark just long enough to get Cap and Trade through Congress. But don't worry, the media will tell you that they aren't biased.

Speaking of Cap and Trade did you know that it was dreamed up in the offices of Enron? Had they pushed it through in the 1990s its likely we'd be paying energy costs several orders of magnitude larger than we are and fat cats under the big E would be making trillions. After Enron's collapse, certain members of the left/green movement (Algore) realized how much money they would be able to make abusing Cap and Trade for their movement and it has been co-opted by their useful idiots in the press and on the street. So the difference here really boils down to who gets to pocket the money. We need to ensure that Cap and Trade fails for the left just as it did for the unscrupulous investors at the top of Enron's pyramid.

Catching up on the News

The news is coming so fast that I can hardly keep up with everything that I want to comment on. Today's jobless numbers have caught the media off guard again. Maybe its just me but aren't you tired of hearing about 'unexpected' increases in first time jobless claims? Even though the recession is supposedly over the unemployment rate remains high and this morning's newscasts have revealed that inflation is beginning to tick upward. We may be looking at another bout of stagflation just as we faced in the Carter administration. Unlike the Carter years, people have a much higher debt load which could be disastrous if interest rates rise like they did in the 1970s. Equally bad this time around is the fact that the nation's debt is a larger part of the GNP.

The B-HO continues with his lie that the current economic situation is George Bush's fault. If you know anything about economics you will know that this assertion is patently false. No president can be solely responsible for an economy even though they get both the blame and praise for economic circumstances. The American economy was in overdrive for much of the last decade and only began to show signs of trouble in 2008 - a year AFTER the Democrats came to power in the House and Senate. 'Compassionate conservatism' combined with liberal/progressive economics equals economic doom. For the sake of politics Hobama also ignores the fact that recessions follow oil shocks (something George Bush could not control) and have an inverse relationship.

Like a Cocker Spaniel, Meghan McCain is kind of cute but really stupid. Waxing ineloquent on ABC's The View last week Meghan woofed out some absurdity about how 'revolutions are started by young people not 65 year olds'. The self-described 'progressive' Republican (which is the same as saying liberal) is right about one thing: in the modern age, young people generally do begin revolutions. What Meghan isn't smart enough to realize (nor would she learn it from her Republican in Name Only father) is that youth movements and revolutions are almost always Fascist in nature. The other dirty secret of youth movements is that they are generally manipulated behind the scenes by older radicals who know how to attract young, revolutionary, and useful idiots like...Meghan McCain.

You may want to look to Greece for a peek at our potential near future. The EU stripped Greece of a vote on its own economic future on Tuesday (which should raise the paranoia rate in Whitehall to the roof) making them economic vassals to the whims of Germany and France. The Greek economy is in full collapse with unemployment rates estimated near 25%. There are riots in the streets on a near daily basis that receive absolutely zero coverage in the American MSM. I doubt that the threat of EU commissioners taking over economic sovereignty of their nation will make the highly patriotic Greeks less likely to take to the streets. Adding to Europe's problems is a collapse in the value of the Euro which is at its lowest level versus the dollar almost since introduction. Spain's economy is folding nearly as fast as Greece's and they may face similar sanctions before summer. Britain is not insulated as inflation is now outpacing interest rates making their savings worth less over time. However they have one consolation - the decision to keep the Pound Sterling provides them some insurance should the Euro collapse entirely.

Yo-Bama, Good Job - Sort of - Or Not

Unfortunately I was awake today in plenty of time to see the B-HO defending the pork-ulus bill one year later. While he searches for relevance in a world that no longer wants him and never really needed him I suppose I should say something nice about him. As with any nice thing you can say about Obama it will come with massive amounts of conditions. There are two items where I believe Hobama is on the right track but, like a government reliant 'community organizer', he is doing them for the wrong reasons and with the wrong money.

As oil becomes more volatile and scarce high-speed intercity rail will become more important and supposedly there are projects going on in 31 states thanks to the pork-ulus bill. Unfortunately this is something that should not be a government initiative. Amtrak proves that government running a business is a money pit. At this point in history if high-speed intercity rail was a profitable business someone in the private sector would be pursuing it already. You might argue that by the time we need it, it will already be too late and that is a distinct possibility but that is a risk you take in the free market economy. Besides this isn't about the government being prescient its largely because the B-HO and his thug-ocrats want us to be more 'European'. Well first, we aren't Europe and if you want to copy them then move there. Second high-speed intercity rail works in Europe because most European nations are little bigger than Washington state with populations approaching 100 million people. That difference is monumental when it comes to expensive mass transit.

The other thing Barry boy has taken up that I would like to acknowledge is his idea of building two new nuclear plants - the first in America in thirty years. But here come those silly qualifications. This same man closed the Yucca Mountain waste facility which demonstrates he isn't genuine about making nuclear power a relevant energy source for the future. Knowing that how can this be anything but a cynical political ploy? If that doesn't convince you Obama MUST know that his own EPA, his own enviro-wacko wing, and countless grassroots 'NIMBY' (not in my back yard) groups will rally to block a nuclear plant from one Portland to the other. In the end I doubt a single shovel of dirt will ever be turned for another American nuclear plant.

The Final Nail?
Phil Jones of the East Anglia University Climate Research Unit admitted to the BBC last week that the books on Human caused Global Warming were cooked; a revelation that could be the final nail in the coffin of the whole concept. Most of the dismissed skeptics knew that a long time ago but were shouted down by the Earth Cult that grew up around the concept of AGW. Jones also admitted that the Earth has been slightly cooling since 1995 adding three years to the estimates of non-biased climatologists. Furthermore he revealed that the science was never 'settled' practically damning Algore and that the now infamous 'hockey-stick' graph showing that global temperatures remained fairly even for millenia before spiking after the industrial revolution is a complete fraud. The Medieval warm period was indeed warmer than now. The 'Little Ice Age' that ran from the 14th-19th centuries really was colder and the 20th century saw us finally coming out of that. So, does all of that absolve us of responsibility for the earth? Certainly not. Just because AGW is dead doesn't mean we have license to destroy willy-nilly. The Chiahoga River catching fire in the 1970s was real. Acid rain was real. Boston Harbor's pollution was real. But these were localized conditions created from ignorance or deliberate abuse of natural resources. We have done a great deal toward removing these conditions. Filters in industrial stacks have all but eliminated acid rain, rivers and harbors have been cleaned up, mines clean up behind their activities. Global warming is real. But it is a complex cycle dependent on hundreds of variables including conditions on the sun; which we cannot control. The end of AGW will crush the enviro-cultists. Many of them will have to go through the five stages of grief before coming back to reality (some never will). But we all may be tearful over the death of human caused global warming as paleo-climatologists warn that we are overdue for an ice age. Frogurt anyone?

On the Lighter Side

Since this week was pretty heavy as far as posts go, let's try to catch up on some not so serious takes on recent events.

Poor President Tom. He's in quite a pickle as the demonstrations against him and his fake election increase in frequency and violence. Even his 'shocking' announcement that Iran is now a nuclear nation caused barely a ripple in the talking head world. The only ones who don't seem to know that we all know that Iran is working on nuclear weapons is the Iranians. Of course we have to redefine the term 'nuclear nation' to allow Iran into the club. They have refined uranium to a full on 20% purity (80% purity is needed to make an actual nuke-ular bomb). So basically they've refined it to a point where it isn't dangerous to anyone but...themselves.

America's favorite playboy, former President Clinton went to the hospital for chest pains and ultimately a couple of stents to open up arterial blockages. I'm sure that as he was drifting into the sweet oblivion of anesthesia visions of all the nurses and nurse's aides that he would be molesting during his recovery danced before his eyes. How shocking and horrible it must have been to wake up in the recovery room to see Hilary's sour puss scowling down at him! It's a wonder that didn't kill him on the spot! :)

Billboards are popping up around the country featuring a smiling President George W Bush and the caption "Do you miss me yet?" on them. While I understand the sentiment I'm not sure things would be much better off with him still around. Remember he claimed that we had to abandon free market principles to fix the free market and proceeded to do just that. The only difference with Obama is that he plans on abandoning free market principles to destroy the free market. Perhaps the anonymous business people who posted those billboards should spend a little more money and paper over W with a picture of Reagan. I think most of the nation really does miss him.

The Winter Olympics start in Vancouver tonight with the ever delightful, cult-like, opening ceremony and march of nations. On the plus side this may be the first Winter Olympiad where the spectators can wear shorts to the events! The IOC will inevitably draw the wrong conclusions about this Olympiad and chalk it up to 'global warming' rather than the glorious El Nino that comes along every few years to make winter in the Pacific Northwest charming rather than onerous. Don't expect another Winter Olympics anywhere coastal for the next few cycles. I will be happy though to join a committee for Katmandu or Yellowknife 2018! Call me.

Have a great weekend.

The Coming Oil Crisis Part III (and Final Part)

Preparing for a Peak Oil Crisis?
You may have guessed from my blogs that I hate not knowing what is going on. I am an information Hoover gobbling it up as fast as I can. As GI Joe says, knowing is half the battle; and like Admiral Kirk, I don't like to lose. That all adds up to a lot of unrelated items in the news suddenly making sense when I apply them in context to Peak Oil. Some people out there are preparing for Peak Oil and they are among the rich and powerful.

Back in early November of 2009, probably the low point of the recession, the MSM and Fox News all blandly reported that the alleged 'Wizard of Wall Street' Warren Buffett bought the BNSF Railroad. (That's Burlington Northern Santa Fe for the non Railroad literate.) They all focused on the price he paid: $26.3 Billion. As I was home alone at the time, I asked Stitch and Disney Cruiseline Chip (the stuffed animals that sit near my chair) why he would buy into a dying industry like the railroad. Well now it makes sense. CSX railroad advertises that it can haul a ton of goods 400+ miles on a gallon of diesel and I imagine BNSF is no different. Buffett is hedging on a major oil shock or Peak Oil crisis. Trucking will quickly be a thing of the past because of fuel prices and the only reasonably cost effective mass transport will be rail.

In my research I also found a little tidbit that ultimately made my decision to write about the subject. While the great environmentalist Algore's mansion is sucking down resources like a black hole feeding off a nearby star, that 'evil oil man' and former president George W Bush has quietly fitted his Crawford, TX ranch with alternate energy sources and taken it off the grid. You think he knows something we don't?

President Bush is a believer in Peak Oil and who better to judge the likelihood of that event than a former oil man? Some conspiracists believe that Peak Oil was part of his reasoning for invading Iraq. Being half a world away in a Peak Oil crisis would put the US at a severe disadvantage against China, Russia, and the EU who all have land access to the Middle East. Establishing a permanent US military presence there would be a vital strategic advantage during a Peak Oil crisis. I suppose its plausible but the same people also believe that is why Bush engineered the 9/11 disaster so that's going to need an entire salt lick of skepticism with it for me. I will say though that if he did use 9/11 to establish the US there for Peak Oil reasons and they come to pass...we might want to find another hill in South Dakota to carve his face on; assuming we manage to hold on to the remaining oil.

President Bush also expanded the Strategic Oil Reserve and filled it to capacity (it was usually at about 90% capacity). The Reserve will keep some vital services going but it is mainly to keep the military going in a crisis.

Since 1998 there have been a number of Oil company mergers. This could be a sign of Peak Oil. Those who cannot compete are absorbed by those who can. In 1998-99 BP, Amoco, and Arco merged. Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999. Then Chevron-Texaco who eventually gobbled up ailing Unocal. Then came Phillips and Conoco. Royal Dutch and Shell put it together in 2005. BP came within a hair's breadth of merging with Royal Dutch-Shell to form a mega-oil company recently as well. This isn't normal merging to create a monopoly as the left likes to believe. This is merging in order to survive. I suspect that it is because they see Peak Oil coming or have facts that show its already here and the wars in the boardrooms are warnings of wars in the oil fields.

The oil companies are also buying back their stock at what should be an alarming rate (but isn't even noted by the MSM). Exxon-Mobil and Chevron have bought back tens of Billions of dollars in stock in the last couple of years and at their current rate will have retrieved them all right around 2020. Corporate stock buyback isn't unheard of but it isn't generally a sign that everything's A-OK. In this case, it is likely that these companies are attempting to save their investors (at least the big ones) and themselves grief. In a Peak Oil crisis they're probably going to be seized by governments and cease to exist as a business. Even if they aren't their stock prices will be beyond volatile (granted its not going to make much difference to the general economic collapse).

Peak Oil Conspiracies
Well I already gave the George Bush - 9/11 conspiracy but there are more.

Remember the Homeland Security secret prisons being built around the country? Well now they are for illegals who will flee a collapsing Mexico when their oil well run dry in the near future. You know because anyone can tell present Mexico from a future collapsing Mexico. Maybe the conspiracists will read my blog and see that they are for desperate Americans stealing the remaining food and killing each other for scraps! BTW, Glenn Beck researched this conspiracy months ago and concluded that there is no evidence of DHS prisons being built at any of the 'known' locations.

Prisonplanet.com, a leftist-wacko site, says that Peak Oil itself is a conspiracy built to create artificial scarcity and drive up the price (and profits) of oil. Yet Exxon-Mobil has spent millions in advertising dollars denying that Peak Oil even exists. Oddly enough, the left usually wants oil to rise in price in order to force people to consume less 'for the environment'. This may be a case of the left hand not knowing what the lefter hand is doing...

That's all I can really handle telling you because spending too much time in that shady region of the Internet will make a person go a little bit insane. If you want to research it more on your own I recommend small doses so you don't get sidetracked by Peak Oil and Atlantis (OK, I made that up), Exobiology (nope, that's a real topic), and other wonders of the conspiracy universe.

Peak Oil and Revelation
I'm not going to get too preachy here. My fertile brain makes large intuitive leaps sometimes based on little information but the more I study and ponder worst case Peak Oil scenarios the more my brain kept associating it with parts of the last book of the Bible.

Revelation 6:2-8 describes what are known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse but that caught my eye is verse 6: "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny...". A penny was translated from a denarius which at the time of the prophet John was roughly a day's wages for most laborers. In other words, you will work a full day merely to feed yourself. That could easily happen in a neo-feudal structure set up during and after a Peak Oil crisis.

Furthermore, the second horseman is given the power to "take peace from the earth and make men slay one another". In any society his red color and description describe war. A Peak Oil crisis will definitely 'take peace from the earth' as nations fight it out over oil. The Fourth and most famous horseman, the Pale Rider, is given power over 1/4 of the earth to kill by sword (rioting/looting), famine and plague, and wild beasts of the earth. All of these will be rampant in the severe oil crisis. As society and industry break down, food will be scarce and famine will set in. Nutrition deficiency causes its own diseases but also makes people less able to fight off other diseases. One reason bird flu and swine flu didn't actually become a 'pandemic' is because people in America are well fed and could fight off the diseases. As people abandon cities in search of food many will not be able to cope with the world around them. So many are taught that bears, cougars, and wolves are playful and friendly. Not knowing how to deal with these predators and others and already weakened by lack of food they will be easy prey for wild animals.

Though I'm not inclined to believe this is how it will happen, Revelation 8:10-11 is the third trumpet judgment that poisons 1/3 of the earth's waters (I believe it will be a supernatural event but here is a non-supernatural possibility). In a Peak Oil crisis abandoned chemical facilities, idle waste treatment plants and riverside buildings will begin to decay and release toxic substances into rivers and lakes making them poison to drink. Desperate people will drink them anyway and many will sicken or die.

The Middle East figures prominently in the book of Revelation. A military coalition of Russia and Arabs will attack Israel (I believe because they will discover a vast oil field under Israeli land). Another coalition led by China will also march in as will the believed Antichrist's European coalition. Let's face it, the only two reasons to have a war in the Middle East are because of oil or you hate Israel (some will go to do both at once).

There are many other examples of imagery from the Bible's relevatory passages that match up with worst case Peak Oil scenarios but I promised not to be too preachy. You know where to look them up if you want to judge for yourself.

The Probability/Risk Factor
The History Channel and Discovery Network are fond of Disaster shows that scare us into thinking the end of the world could occur at any moment when most of the events they depict have a very small chance of happening in our lifetime. To heighten fears of the less capable minds these programs highlight the Risk portion of the equation out of context to its probability. For example, the probability of a space object big enough to cause an extinction level event is very low but the risk is extremely high if one does. On the other end, an event like your computer crashing at some point is very high but, while it might cause some inconvenience and work to reload your MP3s and favorite programs, it has a pretty low risk to your economic and life future.

A Peak Oil event in the next 15 years, whether programmed by evil Cabals or naturally occurring, has a very high to extremely likely probability. In addition it also has a very high to extreme risk to our economic futures, individual rights, and life and limb.

What's an Oil Junkie to do?
As one of the world's big oil junkies I am concerned about what Peak Oil could mean for me. As a natural cynic I tend to expect the worst case scenario but equally as a Fundamentalist Christian I believe that I will only see the beginnings of the true suffering people will experience as Peak Oil disrupts civilization and the world looks to the man who will become the Antichrist for relief.

But assuming that the Antichrist doesn't show up right away, here's what I think should be done.

1. First and foremost is to prepare yourself psychologically to cope with it. Let's face it most of us don't want to even consider scenarios like this. If 9/11 taught us nothing else, it did reveal that many people aren't prepared to cope with disasters on any scale. Many people can't keep it together if the barista gets their coffee order wrong let alone the end of the petroleum using world. About eighty percent of the people will be stuck in cognitive dissonance or frozen in terror. Only ten percent of us will keep our wits about us enough to act and react in the appropriate manner. The more prepared you are psychologically the more likely you will be in that ten percent.

2. To the best of your resource ability stockpile food, medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition. The first directive will be to survive. Act like a Mormon and build up at least a year's supply of food for each member of your family (buy vegetable seeds and start gardening now if you can so you learn what does and doesn't work before you have to to have it). Water is hard to store long term so you may want to come up with a rainwater catch and storage system along with ways to purify water. You'll have to choose the weapons that are best for you. The nice thing about a shotgun is you don't have to be as accurate as with other weapons. Just fill the air with lead in the general direction of the target.

3. Harp on your elected officials about Peak Oil. They need to acknowledge it as an actual problem and make preparation to help us smooth out the peaks and valleys. We all know they won't but at least we tried to get them to do their Constitutional directive to protect the nation.

4. Set up a network with friends and family. The more people you can rely on for mutual defense and resource sharing the less likely you are to be a victim. Keep in mind that only while everyone has enough food, water, and shelter are these networks likely to survive. If people begin to get too desperate even husband/wife, parent/child bonds will be tested to their limits.

5. If you have to stay in a city or large town you need to decide if/how you can make your home defensible and livable during a Peak Oil crisis. Otherwise I recommend having someone in your network that is rural - and the more rural the better. The further from other people you are the better. You will probably want to be at least 100 miles from a major city and between 50-100 miles from medium sized cities like Boise or Spokane. In a worst case scenario every mile between you and a population center will probably exponentially reduce your chances of having to face a kill or be killed situation.

6. Be aware of what is going on. You aren't going to learn much through the MSM news or even Fox News (unless knowing about the Kardashians or Jersey Shore informs you about world problems) but if you are willing to look beyond the headlines you can find out what really going on. Some of it may lead you into the shadier parts of the Internet where the conspiracists roam but like the Men in Black movies, sometimes the real news is in the Enquirer and not the newspaper. You'll have to use your own judgment to weigh everything you read and see just like you'll have to weigh whether or not this series of blogs is believable or not - but you should have been doing that all along anyway.

Things could always get better. There's a chance we could pull out of this recession and go on for another 10 or 20 years just like we were beforehand. I don't know how though. The oil companies and governments are quietly preparing for Peak Oil but hiding it from us for reasons that I haven't fully deciphered yet. I refuse to be a victim of dependent on others for my survival and do everything I can to prepare for the worst. It isn't about panic, rather it is a reasoned course of action based on the probability of the event in question. Right now we have time to plan. I was never a Boy Scout but anyone can see that their motto applies to each and every one of us: Be Prepared.

The Coming Oil Crisis Part II

Oil Shocks and the Economy
A Peak Oil crisis could occur virtually at any time and it will likely begin with an oil shock. Some think that we've already had our first one in the oil shock of 2008. For various reasons (war, terrorism, natural disaster) demand will outpace production. In the case of 2008 it was simply that world demand outpaced production as the US and Europe saw India and China began serious economic growth in oil based areas. Whatever the reason, it will drive up the price of oil which, as we have all seen, will cause the price of gasoline to jump. When it happened in 2008 we had just come off six of the most prosperous years in American history (in spite of what the Hobama tells us) and had several ways to get through it without too much disruption of our routine.

Historically an oil shock is followed by a recession and the worse the oil shock, the worse the recession. The first major oil shock came in the 1970s with the Yom Kippur War. War naturally disrupts trade but OPEC wanted to punish us for supporting Israel during the war and cut production. President Nixon compounded the problem by instituting price controls rather than allowing the price of gasoline to rise. Oil companies could no longer afford to refine gasoline and sell it at the control price which resulted in long lines at empty gas stations. OPECs 'embargo' quickly broke but the damage had been done and the US entered a deep recession. Actions by Nixon, Ford, and Carter (all Progressives to some degree by the way) worsened the recession and the US did not fully recover until 1984.

The next major oil shock took place in the 1990s when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Though prices then never reached close to what we pay daily now, the modest recession that followed Gulf War I was bad enough to get George HW Bush unelected.

Anatomy of a Peak Oil Crisis
As I stated before some of my sources believe that the 2008 oil shock is the first step in the ultimate Peak Oil crisis. Even though the government and MSM are proclaiming the recession over, most of us know that it isn't and a lengthy, deepening recession would only be the precursor to a Peak Oil crisis.

I could probably pontificate to near eternity on the possible scenarios that will arise after a Peak Oil crisis but will, for sake of brevity, limit myself to what I see as the best case, the middle case, and worst case.

Best case is simple. Some person or group discovers an alternate fuel source that is cheap to produce, abundant, and more efficient than oil. Oh and it has to be easy to convert from oil to the new fuel. That is a tall order considering that a single gallon of gasoline contains the energy equivalent of 200-500 hours of human labor depending on the activity. Should this happen, the only real dislocation will be the sudden end to the oil companies and the oil sheiks money stream. The sheiks will likely throw themselves fruitlessly at Israel and survivors will go back to 7th century Arab nomad culture and good riddance to them thank you very much.

The middle case is more complex. It assumes that the oil shock will lead to a steady but gradual decline in production. Industries will collapse and there will be pockets of high unemployment, hunger, and rioting. Famine will be an issue for those who can't cope and a period of general law through the gun will precede governments becoming more authoritarian in nature to curb the most serious problems. In the end the Middle Class will be all but gone as most people are forced to farm even the most marginally arable land. Since the US produces 60% of the world's food famine and disease will wipe out most of the under-developed world and nations with the resources to do so will fight over arable land in Africa and Asia to move their too large to sustain populations into. The least fortunate and least able to adjust everywhere will die off (to the delight of remaining academic leftists and enviro-wackos that have time to care). Other than militaries and the rich, modern convenience and travel will be little more than a memory. In the end most people will live a sort of odd mixture of 19th and 21st century life as the hour or two a day of electricity allows them a window to surf the net or listen to the radio.

Then there is the Apocalyptic version of the oil shock. This assumes that one day we will wake up and for whatever reason the oil spigot has gone virtually dry. The first few days would, like other disasters, be kind of surreal. Many neighbors would band together in a futile effort to 'get through it' and there would be much discussion of it over coffee and quiet friendly potlucks. But after a few days, the water might stop working, heating oil runs low or the gas line stops running, the food in the cupboards begins to run out and the stores are largely empty from hoarders or pockets of looting. The friendly neighbors start disbanding as they begin to look out for themselves and their families. Suddenly everyone is competing for resources that don't exist and societal collapse is imminent.

In addition, entire industries collapse overnight. People are out of jobs and money is worthless. Even assets like gold aren't going to be useful since no one will trade food for it. Your home is now a liability instead of an asset as you have to defend it against scavengers and bands looking for non-existent food. If you have petrol in your vehicle(s) they also become sources of contention. Civil rights are gone since hungry people don't care about free speech. Overwhelmed governments declare martial law but haven't the resources to keep the peace everywhere and many people die simply because they exist and are in someone else's way. Some will turn to cannibalism where food shortages are the most severe. Others will try to escape cities and towns to poach or, more likely, attempt steal from and kill rural inhabitants who tend to have modest food stores and means of defense. Famine and disease will become chronic. The modern world will cease to exist with horrors far beyond what the Black Death was like in Europe. Those who emerge from it will likely face a life that resembles the worst of the Dark Ages.

Okay, well that was pretty grim. I'm going to wrap this up in my next post. I believe there are some people preparing for the bad scenarios. Governments don't appear to be doing anything though there are some conspiracies out there that suggest they are - and none of it helpful. Then I will tell you what I think we should do to prepare for it.

Doom, Gloom, and the iPad?

A couple of non-sequiters before I hit you with the depressing stuff:

I heard this on Glenn Beck the other day and it took me a while to verify independently. As everyone but the average contestant on "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" knows Iran used to be called Persia. The people of Persia have long called themselves both Persian and 'eran' or Iran which is the Farsi word for Aryan. Yes, that's the same Aryan that Hitler and the Nazis believed themselves. The Nazis were the ones who encouraged the change and helped nurture the anti-Semitic leanings of Iran that menace us in the form of 'President' Tom today.

Speaking of evil cults; Apple's introduction of the iPad, aside from making the teenager inside me giggle at the name and want to abuse it in connection with feminine hygiene products, made me realize that Apple ownership has become less about the product and more like a cult. Ardent initiates gathered around Steve Jobs to worship at the release of the iPhone and the iPad as if called to prayer. Apple product owners have a nearly religious affiliation with the high priced products (the iPad is essentially Apple's answer to the netbook and is probably going to start at about 3-4X the cost) that don't play well with others. I can understand the desire to appear as part of the counter-culture (since I am a counter-culture unto myself) but latching on to a product like the Apple or Subaru as a symbol of that urge demonstrates a general shallowness rather than genuine like of the product or belief.

THE END IS NEAR
Okay, so that might be a little too dramatic. Those of you who regularly read my diatribes or have them read to you by a co-worker know that I'm not given over to panic. Yes, I rail against injustice and corruption with Apocalyptic fervor but I never panic.

Several weeks ago my attention was returned to something I remember hearing as far back as my days at the University back in 1990. I floated the notion by Mrs. C and brother RC only to be met with monumental indifference. They can hardly be blamed since what I am speaking about has been largely relegated to academic conferences that would put an insomniac in a coma.

I am talking about Peak Oil...yes, yes I can hear your indifference through the Internet. Peak Oil isn't a corporation although it would be a good name. As I said in my last post, a Peak Oil crisis has the potential to cause conditions like those written about in the book of Revelation. It is a forgone certainty that a Peak Oil crisis would trigger anything from a large regional war to a full out world war. But before we get there, I should explain what Peak Oil is exactly.

Peak Oil is the very real fact that at some point the world will reach its maximum oil production ability. Estimates of where this point will be range from it having happened in the 1990s to as far out as 2030. The mid range for it happening tend to fall right around the 2010-2015 time period.

The sources I've researched tend to show that Peak Oil will occur at about the same time we have used half of the world's easily accessible/cheaply recoverable oil reserves but I don't believe the two events are necessarily related. In all likelihood oil production did/is/will expand until 60-75% of world reserves have been used and, like shlucking on a milkshake, we have to work harder to get the rest of it out of the glass. One thing is certain though. We will use the second half of the oil far faster than we used the first half.

Peak Oil itself will, for most of the world, be a non-event. No one is going to be standing over an oil rig to bemoan the fact that we have pulled X% of the oil out of the ground and only the bearded weirdos wearing sandwich boards will be trumpeting the end of the world. Peak Oil will not be a problem for anyone until it reaches a crisis point.

Peak Oil has been all but ignored in the mainstream media and it faces other hurdles working its way into the general psyche of the developed world. Most lay people when confronted with Peak Oil respond that they will accept higher gas prices and travel less but a Peak Oil crisis will cause a lot more disruption to our lives than just that.

Using Oil
How much oil do you think you use in a day? How much do you think oil impacts your life in a day? As Americans we have the highest standards of living in the entire world and those standards require a lot of energy. Following is (at best) a partial list of how oil affects everything we do:

The average American uses just over 1000 gallons of gasoline per year for travel. A barrel of oil produces 20 gallons of gasoline so you use 50 barrels of oil just for travel. That car you are driving required roughly 20 barrels of oil to produce; more than that if you drive a hybrid that uses more exotic metals in the batteries.

The computer you are reading this on used its weight in oil to create.

Producing a one gram microchip uses 630 grams of oil.

Want to telecommute for work? The Internet gobbles huge amounts of oil in order to power the infrastructure that keeps servers cool and electrons surging through the system. It is estimated that right now 10% of the US's power consumption is dedicated to keeping the world wide web up and running. Most of that, especially the further east you go, is created by burning oil and natural gas.

In the US food travels an average of 1500 miles to get to your table. In Canada it travels an average of 5000!

All that food doesn't just happen either. It takes oil to make and power the equipment that allows us to mass produce/harvest food. Imagine how many people it would take just to harvest the Palouse every year without those harvesters. Keep in mind that the US also produces 60% of the world's food.

In addition modern fertilizers are ammonia based and much of that is derived from natural gas.

Everything you use daily is produced using oil. Natural and synthetic fiber clothing; furniture, electronic equipment, books, toilet paper... Everything we touch on a daily basis was likely produced using oil at some point. Even the greenest person can hardly avoid it.

Concrete and asphalt require extensive energy to produce. Asphalt is oil based. One ton of cement requires 45 gallons of oil or 420 pounds of coal to produce.

For those who think there is a panacea in alternative fuels/energy I have bad news. So far all of those sources have oil at their base. Nuclear needs massive amounts of concrete. Wind turbines require a lot of metal - mostly aluminum. Solar cells require more exotic metals and use a lot of oil in their production. It takes almost 18 barrels of oil to get a ton of copper. It takes almost 360 to process a ton of aluminum.

An aluminum plant requires the energy of a city of 175,000 people.

Ethanol is not a replacement. It takes 1.2 barrels of oil to create 1 barrel of ethanol (not including the oil used to grow the corn). Even when you get that, ethanol is only 80% as efficient as oil. Bottom line there is that you get 2/3 of the energy you invested from a barrel of ethanol. That's like spending $1 to make 66 cents. (Makes you think about how the government works.)

The bulk of American houses are heated with oil, natural gas, or electricity created from fossil fuels.

When you tally it all together; virtually every aspect of our lives and economy is based on oil.

Take that with you through the day and as you go through your routine think about what you are doing in relation to how much oil it took for you to do that activity. My next post will continue to look at Peak Oil and how we could be closer to a Peak Oil crisis than you might think.

Weekend in Review

OK friends, events are moving so fast that its hard to keep up. This weekend marked several significant items of note.

1. Saturday would have been Ronald Reagan's 99th Birthday. Unless you are a Progressive, a Socialist, or Communist; no matter how you felt about some of his policies it is almost impossible to argue with his most famous mantra: the government that governs best governs least. So it is a fitting tribute that:

2. This weekend marked the very first Tea Party convention. I suppose that the Tea Party will use those famous words of Reagan's as one of their rally cries. Tea, in case you don't know, stands for Taxed Enough Already. The name also ties it back to those heady days of the 1770s when American citizens used their God-given right to redress grievances with the symbolic dumping of tea from an East India Company merchantman into Boston Harbor. The modern Republican party was America's first successful alternate party - formed by abolitionists that tore away from the too conciliatory 'Whigs' and eventually eliminated that party altogether. The TEA Party might have a shot at being the second successful alternate party (by that I mean able to challenge for the majority - something the current alternative parties have been unable to do) if they remember that what unites them (and makes them popular with many people) is more important than what divides them.

3. I believe this weekend also marked the 5 Billionth public appearance of Obama since he was sworn in as president. Boy, I thought I was tired of Clinton after the first TWO years!!! I mean seriously. What other president would weasel his way onto television while the whole of America only cares about the Super Bowl? Could we have a few days without having to look at, and WORSE, listen to this jug-eared nonce? So far his only presidential 'success' is to take personal hubris further into the universe than NASA will get after he guts their budget.

4. Largely unnoticed in the media was a 6.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan. I suppose its not earth-shattering news except that major earthquakes seem to be unusually numerous lately. It is fortunate that so far only one has hit a populated area because even that one has strained the western world's (therefore the world's) disaster response services. A second major disaster while the world is trying to dig Haiti out of the last one could overwhelm private agencies like the Red Cross and add buckets of money to our deficit since America would respond no matter the long term costs to us.

5. Also largely ignored in the US is the economic disaster looming in Europe. Greece is largely insolvent and facing the prospect of being run by EU commissioners - a surefire guarantee that they will never again be solvent. Spain is also on the verge of economic collapse and the London Telegraph has reported that this might cause a "Lehman-like tsunami" of economic collapse throughout the EU. This could decimate the Euro's value and shatter the already fraying political union of Europe. (On the plus side that would temporarily silence talk about replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency.) Facing the very real prospect of being controlled by the French and Germans, many EU nations could arbitrarily opt out of the Union or hold plebiscite elections regarding leaving the union.

Those events, while damaging to the psyche of Europeans, would pale in comparison to the damaging economic ripples that would hit the world. This could deepen and extend the recession (in spite of what is being said by the white house and media we are still in the recession) or raise the spectre of the 'd-word'; worldwide Depression.

And yet all of that pales in comparison to another disaster I think is looming on the horizon. This disaster threatens the western world like nothing we've encountered before. It could trigger wars, destroy the Constitution and personal liberty like nothing we've considered before, and trigger events that will be equated with the horrors of the Biblical book of Revelation. How's that for a warm-fuzzy beginning to the week?