My 2nd Amendment Rant

My laptop has been acting up for the last few days, so I haven't been able to post very often. My hit counter, however, is still rolling along nicely because of something of mine the good folks at "Free Constitution" featured on their site.

My link is the one about "Good guns fences make good neighbors". Right above the links for gun and ammo porn.

Hey, this Libertarian thing is a VERY wide umbrella, ok? ? ?

The Notorious Chinese Washing Machine Story

I've been posting old emails from my China trips any time I'm too tired to think but too wired to sleep. This one's from a little more than a year ago, when I made a Quality Control trip to a vendor called "Aifei" in Xiamen.

Wendy is Aifei's #1 sales rep., and translator.

Here goes....

Dear family, friends, co-workers, Moderate Baptists, retail booksellers, and people from the Starbucks on Camp Bowie,

I hope everyone is doing well. I still don’t have Internet access at the new apartment, and haven’t had much free time outside of working at the factory and getting moved into the new place. I’m writing from the Coffee Bar near our new apartment.

Our company apartment is bigger, nicer, and more luxurious than anything that 99% of the Chinese can afford, or have ever seen. I never doubt for a moment that I’ve been blessed, and am very fortunate to have been born where I was born.

All that obligatory gratitude aside, the apartment was designed to look like the Jettson’s. Unfortunately, the utilities were provided by The Flintstones. It’s on the 27th floor of a high-rise that’s still being built by small angry people with lots of hammers.

Let’s start in the kitchen: There is a double sink with cold water only. The left-hand side sink is about the size of a piece of photocopier paper. The right-hand side sink is about the size and depth of a shoebox. Fran will tell you that I can dirty enough dishes, forks, ladles, and colanders to fill both of these sinks just by microwaving one pack of popcorn.

To the left of the sink is the space where the microwave ought to be. But that’s the only space where I can chop up whatever small animals that I’m having for dinner. (The food suppliers, restaurants, and I have a mutual “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy....) So the microwave stays on top of the fridge until needed. There is a dual surface gas cooktop that works great.

Below that is a Thing that’s not quite a Dishwasher. They call if a “sterilizer”. When I asked Wendy why I needed the sterilizer after the dishes had already been hand washed, she said “Bad Water”. I know all about the Bad Water from the medical disaster of my first trip. She also suggested that I leave the dishes in the sterilizer at all times. I asked why. She said “Bad Air”. Considering that they’re always burning huge piles of leftover Asbestos, DDT, Napalm, Agent Orange, etc. all over the countryside, I’m taking her advice. Good Karma.

The refrigerator is small, but will keep beer cold. The only ice trays they sell here are about the size of two playing cards placed end to end. The ice is all dice-sized cubelets. Made from Sparklett’s, because of Bad Water. A minor hassle.

I’ve got two great balconies. One of them overlooks other high-rises, but the other one has a great view of the lake and the bay. That’s where I have my new washer/dryer. (All in one machine.) It has two digital dials, and about 20 buttons. The owner’s manual is only in Chinese, which I’m slowly trying to translate with a Character-Finder dictionary (don’t ask how that works, it’s too tiresome to explain. But I feel like I’m on the Medieval Committee that turned all the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew into the King James Bible.)

For reasons that I don’t understand, this Washing Machine can be programmed to wash one load for up to 20 hours. Yes, 20 hours. I think it has a similar capability for drying times, but I’m afraid to find out. I might incinerate something.

Combine all this with a safety feature that won’t let you open the door when there is ANY water or ANY heat in the machine, and it’s time for ADVENTURES IN LAUNDRY ! ! ! My first load washed for about 3 hours, and dried for about half that many. I don’t have accurate times for the 2nd load on Sunday, because there was a lot of starting and stopping involved - I’d call it 9 hours total. Every time I tried to move from washing to drying, it started a new wash cycle for a random length of time. And of course, the door wouldn’t open. Then, when I did persuade it to go from wash to dry, after about 3 hours of drying, the damn door still wouldn’t open because of the excessive heat.

It was ridiculous. My shirts were held hostage. All the crowbars were back at the factory.

Most businesses here have a little Buddhist mini-shrine/altar somewhere on the premises. They burn incense on the altar in front of the Buddha statue about twice a day. If things are going badly, they will even place sacrificial fruit in front of the statue (apples, oranges, plums, etc. etc etc. Some people try to fake it with plastic fruit, but I bet that doesn’t work as well..)

Anyway, I thought it would make for a funny photo to show Wendy if I took a picture of some fruit in front of my washing machine, as a sort of hostage exchange for my shirts. I put some bananas, oranges, and grapes on the balcony in front of the washer, and went to get my camera. When I went back on the balcony to take the picture, the door was open. The Chinese Washing Machine was apparently satisfied with my offering.

You can’t make this stuff up

My shirts had been washed so many times they were almost transparent. And they will now fit my little daughter perfectly.

The washer/dryer works very hard, and it works for long, long hours. It’s very complicated. And you’re not going to get anything out of it until it’s ready to give it to you. So I’ve named it Aifei….

My driver just showed up to take me to the factory.

There’s more to tell, like the hot water heater that doesn’t hook to either of the sinks or to the shower, but maybe is what keeps the toilet water so nice and toasty. The bed has a Chinese-style mattress - a term I wasn’t familiar with until this trip. “Chinese Style Mattress” translates into English as “If you have a Basketball, you can dribble on it.” But this email is already over-long. This coffee bar has 6 CD’s in the music rotation, and one of them is Christmas music. When “Joy to the World” comes over the speakers, the Chinese workers and customers don’t know the difference, but all the Westerners in the place look up from their laptops and smile at each other. It’s great. I’ve met people from all over the world in this place. I love this country.

Click here for The Infamous Chinese Dog Story

Fried Wikipedia

See full article at:
http://ourfounder.typepad.com/leblog/2007/10/jimmy-wales-gro.html

Things Caused by Global Warming

warmlist has a list of all the things caused by Global Warming.
Individually, they're serious reading.
Taken as a group, they are hilarious.

I've hit about a dozen of the links. Go Thou and do Likewise.

I was referred to this link by the good folks at Cafe Hayek.

Broadway Baptist, Gay Couples, Church Directory

Well.....
Like the Calvinist said after he fell down the stairs, "I'm glad that's over with."

Fort Worth's Broadway Baptist votes to keep pastor
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
and a similar story from the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog

I'm a member of a study group called "Exploring The Christian Faith" at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth. We don't hesitate to ask the hard questions. Very few answers are provided. We're just about to finish a series called "Living The Questions". We'll probably do a book study next.

If you've lost touch with your faith, or lost interest in traditional answers to Christianity's difficulties, come join us. There's been some recent controversy about our studying some of the theologians listed in the Spiritual Advisors blogroll to your right. Borg in particular. I hope we're over it now. (See the Star-Telegram link above.)

In the last few months, I've learned that Freedom of Religious Expression is a valuable thing. Lord have mercy, I love this class. All points of view are respected. No one believes me, but meeting in that room is the most Libertarian hour of my week.

If you want to join us, we meet at 9:30 in Room 306 every Sunday morning. 305 West Broadway, Fort Worth, TX 76104.

So ... who's in your church's directory?

I sent this to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. They ran it as an editorial.

Star-Telegram.com: 11/30/2007 So ... who's in your church's directory?

So ... who's in your church's directory?
Broadway Baptist Church is putting together a directory for its 125th anniversary. Photos of member families were to be included. Some same-sex couples -- members of the Fort Worth congregation -- made appointments to be photographed together but were told they could not.
This has caused some controversy about same-sex couples within a Christian community. We church members will vote on the issue Sunday.

Some of our members believe that homosexuality is a sin, and to include committed same-sex couples as a family in the church directory is to approve of their lifestyle.

Other members welcome same-sex couples and gay or lesbian individuals to participate in leading, teaching, serving and tithing. They believe that there is a legitimate conflict between homosexuality and interpretations of Scripture that condemn it. But they prefer a "don't ask, don't tell" approach, and allowing committed same-sex members to be photographed together for the directory would be too highly visible.

Still other members just wish these issues would go away. They wish that God had created everyone with the same orientation: political, spiritual and sexual. They see the directory conflict as embarrassing, a distraction from the church's mission. They would prefer to focus on the hungry people to be fed, cold people to be clothed and lonely people to be comforted. These Broadway members perceive our directory dispute as a waste of emotion, time and resources.

A final group, which includes me, sees this as an opportunity for inclusion: In Christ, there is no black or white, rich or poor, Gentile or Jew, gay or straight. This is an opportunity for a Baptist church to be among the first to get something right.

Each group is composed of good people who want to do the best they can, in light of what they know.
Jesus made a consistent practice of not turning away anyone -- the diseased, the outcast, tax collectors or sinners. "If you've done it for the least of these, you've done it for me," was his memorable phrase. All four strongly committed groups of Christians in Broadway Baptist Church want to emulate his love, his outreach and his understanding.

But enough about Broadway Baptist. Let's talk about your church.

A recent Star-Telegram article reported that Fort Worth is home to 10 times as many same-sex couples as it was 16 years ago. Other statistics report that gays and lesbians make up as much as 5 percent of the population, spread out across all neighborhoods, professions, income levels and faiths. If your church has more than 100 members, some are probably gay or lesbian.

Congregations such as those in the Metropolitan Community Church provide some of the only outlets for openly gay and lesbian people to worship. Scant few other mainstream Protestant denominations allow gays and lesbians to be who God made them.

Some people believe that sexual orientation is a choice and therefore, according to one interpretation of Scripture, a sin.

I don't know a single person who chose to be heterosexual, nor do I know anyone who would choose the (now diminishing) shame, ridicule and ostracism associated with being openly gay or lesbian.
Within 20 years, most Christian denominations will accept openly gay members. Society is accepting openly gay and lesbian people, and the church will follow that trend or become increasingly irrelevant.

Regardless of how Broadway Baptist votes, I believe that I will see the following within my lifetime:
More theologians will become embarrassed by the church's prejudice and discrimination. Scriptures will be re-interpreted.

Sermons will claim that the church should be open to gays and lesbians.

We will then claim that we were instrumental in the liberation of gays and lesbians and were never really opposed to it.

That has been the pattern with slavery, women's rights and civil rights. We could belabor the point by pointing out that the church tried to suppress scientific truths about the movement, shape and age of Earth, all with biblical justification.

I cannot believe that the Creator of the universe made "defective" people for the purpose of condemning them for their defects. God is bigger than we can possibly imagine -- big enough to create everything we see around us. God is big enough to be in all of us.

I just hope that our church directories are big enough for God.
***********************************
Prior to our meeting that Sunday, the church asked that all non-members from the news media leave the room, stating that The Deacon Chair would make a short summary of the meeting available afterwards. I'll post a link to this summary as soon as it's published elsewhere.

My 17-year-old daughter made a point of finding me prior to the meeting so she could sit beside me. (Publishing this for all the world to see has caused some controversy....)

"I don't think you should be sitting by yourself, Dad," she said. "I want everybody to see that I've got your back."

That's how you know you've raised your kid right ! ! !

God forced Richard Roberts' Resignation

All I wanted to do before work this morning was sit in Starbucks and read the paper.

Star-Telegram.com: 11/29/2007 Roberts: God forced resignation

I don't ordinarily get worked up over the goings-on at 3rd tier Witch Doctor Finishing Schools, but there's a warm place in my heart for anyone connected to Oral Roberts.
My grandmother, Mamie, was disabled from a stroke, and lived with us part of the year.
When I was growing up, we only got one TV station.
One of those TV stations regularly carried the Oral Roberts TV "Ministry".
A regular feature of this "Ministry" was Oral berating people like Mamie who didn't have the faith to stand up and walk. I've hated that bastard ever since then.

TULSA, Okla.-- Richard Roberts told students at Oral Roberts University Wednesday that he did not want to resign as president of the scandal-plagued evangelical school, but that he did so because God insisted.

Richard, that's called getting out of town before the lynch mob arrives.... Mamie used to sit in her rocking chair while people like your Daddy screamed at her.

God told him on Thanksgiving that he should resign the next day, Roberts told students in the university's chapel.

That's when you realized God The Investigators had you, wasn't it?

"Every ounce of my flesh said no" to the idea, Roberts said, but he prayed over the decision with his wife and his father, Oral Roberts, and decided to step down.

For those who haven't followed it closely, Oral is having a few problems with the "Physician, Heal Thyself" thing in his old age. Oral's not doing well. Something about it reminds me of how Mamie used to sit there watching the TV, saying "I just wish I had that kind of faith...." when Oral would "heal" shills from the audience.

Roberts said he wanted to "strike out" against the people who were persecuting him, and considered countersuing, but "the Lord said, 'Don't do that,'" he said.

The Lord is correct, Richard....You're going to need to save every penny you've got for defense, not offense.

After submitting his resignation, he said that for the "first time in 60 days peace came into my heart."
Roberts spoke for only a few minutes and was applauded and cheered by students. He wiped away tears with a handkerchief and his hands.

Enjoy the peace in your heart while it lasts. They're still going to come after you with the long knives. Some of those students were applauding your departure, you Nimrod.

"This has nearly destroyed my family, and it's nearly destroyed ORU," Roberts said.

So close. So close. Maybe next time.

A lawsuit accuses Roberts of lavish spending at a time when the university faced more than $50 million in debt, including taking shopping sprees, buying a stable of horses and paying for a daughter to travel to the Bahamas aboard the university jet.
Roberts has previously said that God told him to deny the allegations. The week the lawsuit was filed, Richard Roberts said that God told him: "We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person whether they have a legitimate case or not. This lawsuit ... is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion and taking shopping sprees, buying a stable of horses, and paying for a daughter to travel to The Bahamas aboard the university jet.

Ok, that's the last I'm going to write about these clowns. Mamie, wherever you are, I hope you're enjoying this.

Campaign trail rancor carries into GOP debate - CNN.com

Campaign trail rancor carries into GOP debate - CNN.com
Here's CNN's LiveBlog of the same thing. They're about halfway through.
I type faster than they do. Or maybe they have an obligation to be accurate.
1) John McCain won it. (see previous post.)
2) Free Trade with the rest of the world is doomed. We can only buy through campaign donors.

The CNN YouTube Debates, Part Four, John McCain won the debate

I have to admit that I'm not blown away with these guys tonight. I think McCain is winning. Rudy has been somewhat of a disappointment.

And I'm as libertarian as they get, but Ron Paul isn't inspiring a lot of confidence tonight.

Huckabee's campaign video: He believes in things. (Am I the only one who thinks he looks like Kevin Spacey?)

Question: retired brig general who is openly gay, wants to know why gays can't serve in military openly...

Hunter: Unit Cohesion...(No pun intended!) You can't ask these conservative soldiers to work in a "Small Tight Unit" (No pun intended !) I ain't making this up....

Huckabee: More about unit cohesion...

Romney: We're in the middle of a war. He has to retract his statement about openly gay soldiers from 15 years ago. He's going to ask the military about what they want.

The general feels that he didn't get an answer from the candidates. He thinks the military is professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. He revealed his orientation after he retired. He thinks don't ask, don't tell is harmful. We're losing good doctors, pilots, nurses, etc.

McCain: I talk to the military. They unanimously say that the present policy is working.

New Question: Do you accept the support of the Log Cabin Republicans (Gay Republicans)

Huck: He'll take anybody's support. Of Course. wouldn't change his position on same sex marriage.

New Question: National debt will increase by half a million in the length of time this question takes. What are we going to do?

Fred: We're spending social security fund of the future. Entitlements are a huge problem. It's a moral issue, but I don't have a clue what to do.

Mitt: We face lots of problems, but Social Security is radioactive, and I ain't going to touch it from this stage....Do you think I'm an idiot?

New Question: Space exploration: are any of you willing to send someone to Mars? what is your vision for space exploration?

Huck: let's expand the space program. Look what GPS, Screens, TV satellites have done. (He's doing well. He's slick.) Gets a good laugh by suggesting we put Hillary on a rocket to Mars.

Tancredo: Everybody's trying to be everything. We can't afford some things, like going to Mars.

New question: Lots of African Americans have conservative views, but vote Democrat. What's up with that?

Giuliani: We haven't sold it well. I moved 600,000 people off welfare. (Rudy isn't selling himself worth a damn tonight. Hillary might eat his lunch. I fear for him.)

Huck: I got a good % of the black vote. I asked for their vote. And we better reach out to blacks and hispanics.

New question from someone with a Rebel flag in the background....what does this flag represent?

Mitt: I'm above this. So can our country. (Good answer, Mitt.)

Fred: Everybody who hangs the Stars and Bars isn't racist. It doesn't belong in a public place. We don't need to go out of the way to bring up stuff like this.

Ron Paul's video: Less tax, less regulation, a Republic, not an empire, etc.

New question: fixing the infrastructure will cost more than two trillion....who can articulate the sacrifices we need to make?

Rudy: I saw it all in NYC....Can't be done by one President. We'll need a sustained effort, long term, over multiple administrations.

Ron Paul: It's a big problem. we're taxed to blow up and rebuild bridges overseas, and our own are falling down.

McCain: Will veto every single pork bill that crosses his desk. No bridges to nowhere. He's got a Veto pen.

Rudy: (having taken a hit) The line item veto is unconstitutional.

New question for Ron Paul: Are you going to let America down by not running as an Independent?

Ron Paul: I'm doing well. That's not why I'm in this. Raised 4.3 million in one day. THIS COUNTRY IS IN A REVOLUTION, THEY'RE SICK OF WHAT THEY'RE GETTING, AND I'M LUCKY TO BE A PART OF IT.

New Question: Rudy, why did you switch from Yankees to Red Sox after post-season.

Rudy: I'm an American League fan. He likes their team in the series. When I was mayor of NYC, the Yankees won 4 world series. Afterward, none.

Mitt: Red Sox beat Yanks, when they were ahead 3 games to none.

Ok, this thing is over.
Duncan Hunter is going nowhere.
Ron Paul didn't blow me away, and I wanted him to.
Mitt came across ok.
Put "The Location of Tom Tancredo's Head" into Google, and you'll see my opinion on Tancredo.
I'll call Fred Thompson if I ever need someone to scowl.
Rudy didn't have a particularly good night. He's the Hillary of this thing, and everybody's dogpiling.
I bet Huckabee gets a boost after this. He did ok.
I think John McCain did the best. He comes across as the adult in the room. He's bulletproof on the military issues, has some credibility with his Veto pen.

I'm disappointed that there isn't a single candidate taking a Free Market, Free Trade Stance in a big way. Ron Paul hardly mentioned it.

Wait a minute....William Bennett has been pulled away from the slot machines long enough to do some CNN commentary. David Gergen agrees that McCain has found his voice. He agrees that Huckabee is a factor.

There's a book on the Clinton/Dole election called either "Campaign Fever" or "Losers", depending if you find the original hardback, or the paperback reprint. Michael Lewis, who wrote "Liars Poker", spent about a year following and writing about the losing candidates in the Republican and Democratic primaries.

William Bennett is talking about moral authority. Now he's making a more appropriate Texas Hold 'em reference.

Anyway, the Michael Lewis books is worth reading. John McCain is the hero of that book, and I haven't really thought of it recently until tonight. McCain says what he wants to say, consequences be damned. Tonight was the first time I've seen anything in McCain that reflects the qualities Lewis wrote about. Check it out. Michael Lewis, "Losers".

For What It's Worth, John McCain won the debate.

The CNN YouTube Debate, Part Three

An Alabama muslim asks what we can do for damage control....

Rudy: stay on offense. Muslims, Arabs, etc are good folks. The fundamentalists have defiled a great religion. Don't engage in group blame. But we can't put our head in the sand. You have to come out and say "Islamic Terrorism". We can make the distinction.

McCain: We have to win in Iraq. Rebuild the country. Train the police. Fight the Democrats and their dates for surrender. I'M THE ONE who said the old strategy was failing. I have the military experience. I ROCK.

(I think McCain is winning this debate....)

Hunter: we bring food and medicine. we help everybody. we defend you. I will never apologize for that.

New Question: McCain is against waterboarding. He's been tortured. How can you disagree with him?

Mitt: You can' t describe what techniquest you would use to interrogate someone. Also, keep these terrorists at Gitmo.

McCain: I'm astonished that you don't know what waterboarding is. It's torture. Violation of the Geneva conventions. We ain't going to torture people. Talk to military people.

(I think McCain is winning this debate....)

Mitt: I didn't say I'm in favor of torture. I'm just not going to be specific.

McCain: we would have to advocate that we withdraw from the Geneva Conventions. Life is not "24" and Jack Bauer. This is a defining issue. We should never allow torture to happen in the U.S.

New Question: Who is willing to make a long term commitment to the people of Iraq?

Fred: We should stay as long as we have to. There are people there who want to kill us. etc etc etc

Ron Paul: The best we can do for Iraqis is give them their country back. The surge hasn't worked. Only in the center of the nation has it worked. The edges are chaotic.

McCain: We never lost a battle in Viet Nam. American Public Opinion forced us to lose there. The Iraqi's want to follow us home. We can meet the enemy, though, and defeat them.

Paul: Anecdote about generals....battles were irrelevant. We're occupying the Iraqi's country (many boos).

Tancredo: wishes he could live in Paul's universe....

Question for Rudy: How do you respond that you want to be the 9/11 President?

Rudy: goes into his record with the Reagan justice dept., fighting crime, working with Haiti, U.S. attorney, prosecuted Sicilian Mafia figures. Trots out the George Will quote about Rudy running the most conservative government in the 2000's. He's been tested. 3rd largest government in the country. One of the largest in the world....

New question: Cartoon of Dick Cheney....will you have a Veep like me?

Fred: I thought that was me....(laughs)....VP has a dual role. Should be chosen based on his ability to serve as Prez. etc etc etc.

McCain: Bush came to office in a time of peace, and then found himself at 2001. He had to rely on Cheney. I have experience in military, so I wouldn't have to do that.

Duncan Hunter video: Chuck Yeager likes him, he built a fence, and saved the Veterans memorial.

Let's post

The CNN YouTube Debate, Part Two

Funny gun control question starts us off:

Hunter: I got a hunting license at age 10...He criticizes the carelessness of the questioner throwing his weapon around. Good point.

New question: Rudy, why do you support written exams for gun owners?

Rudy: You gotta be aggressive. He says stuff about how rough NYC was, and what all he had to do to tame it. It was a reasonable regulation. (some boos) Supreme court will decide this. Rudy says it's a personal right.

Thompson, why do you slam Rudy on this?

Thompson: Rudy gets his picture made with Clinton's cabinet. Fred slams Rudy. Eloquently.

Rudy: It's an individual right. Shouldn't be interfered with.

Question: Tell us about your gun collection. GREAT QUESTION

Fred: I own 'em, and I'm not going to tell you what or where.

McCain: Military only. Carried a 45. Doesn't have any now.

Hunter: Anecdote about Daddy.

Rudy doesn't have any.

Mitt has a couple.

New question: Black on Black crime. What are we going to do?

Mitt: Strong families. Have a dad and a mom and a mom and a mom, like the mormons. Better education. Do a better job with policing.

Rudy: Is Mitt a crime fighter? Statistics are mixed.

Mitt: running a city isn't like running a state.

Abortion question. Journey from Arlington asks about the penalties for abortionists and abortionees.

Ron Paul: It's up to the state and the juries. Let's get the government out of it. Woman shouldn't be charged with a crime. The abortionist should be punished.

Fred Thompson: question has a weird premise. It's all up to the Justices you put on the bench. Penalty should be like it is now. Doctor only, not the woman.

New question: AJ wants to know if Roe V Wade was overturned, would they sign a ban on all abortions?

Rudy: No. Leave it to the states. Roe Vs. Wade took the decision away from the states. There should be parental consent.

Mitt: We should overturn R V W, return it to the states. I would sign the bill.

Question for Huckabee: The death penalty....WWJesus do?

Huck: I did it more than any other governor. Toughest decision he ever made. Irrevocable. He read every word of every case. Some crimes are so heinous, that we have to beyond our capacity to fix. How can you be pro life, and believe in death penalty? Basically, the issues of guilt....

But WWJesus do?

Jesus was too smart to run for public office.

Tancredo: I would pray to him for the wisdome to do the right thing. (He then bows for a word of prayer).

New question: Do you believe every word of this book? The Bible. Joseph Dearing asks it. Joseph of Dallas.

They ask Rudy first, but Huckabee offers to help.....Rudy sees metaphor, allegory, but he doesn't believe every word literally.

Romney: He thinks it's the word of God. A guide for his life. He won't say if he believes every word.

Huckabee: It's what it is. The word of revelation to us from God himself. There's some allegory. But Love your neighbor. Do unto others, etc. Let's work on the simple stuff like that. There's stuff he doesn't understand, and he's not supposed to.

They show Mitt's video: the world is changing. we need the leader who gets the big stuff done. We need Mitt. Mitt basks in the glory.

Let's post part two.

The CNN YouTube Debate part one

Why, oh why, with so many other mentally ill people in our great nation to choose from, why does CNN lead off the debates with Lou Dobbs?
David Brooks has written a column that "Lou Dobbs Is Winning" for the New York Holy Times. He's using that as his soapbox this evening. Ranting against "Faith Based Economics" and "Free Trade".
I bet his suit, shirt, tie, AND American flag lapel pin were made overseas.
And by the way, he neglected to mention that David Brooks was writing from China.

Ok, we have applause. Anderson Cooper is welcoming us.
Jim Greer, chairman of the Florida Republican party, introduces Charlie someone. Greer looks like a lineman frat boy gone to seed.
It's Charlie Crist. He's spouting boilerplate.
Brings out Duncan Hunter.
Ron Paul.
John McCain.
Fred Thompson
Rudy Giuliani, looking properly polygamous.
Mitt Romney. looking monogamous.
Mike Huckabee.
Tom Tancredo, who I hope will be the Dennis Kucinich of these proceedings.

Photo ops are taking place.

Now we're all at the podiums, scribbling our talking points onto our pads.

A video about YouTube. No questions from kids, dogs, snowmen, dead presidents, or Frankenstein.

We're starting with a singing question....McCain is the only one to give a belly laugh. Good tune. This guy will have a hundred imitators at the next debate.

Question for Giuliani about sanctuary cities....will this continue? Rudy denies NYC was a sanctuary city. He let their kids go to school. They could go to hospitals. They could report crimes. Crimes WERE reported, but the illegals didn't get deported when arrested.

Mitt says it was a sanctuary. Rudy sued to keep it that way. Just being there illegally was a crime....(good point, but I hate it.) You should have no bennies if you're here illegally.

Rudy says Mitt has 6 sanctuaries, one was Mitt's freakin' mansion, where they worked ! ! ! That will be widely reported.

Mitt does a throwdown. He didn't employ any....It was a company that did the work, not an individual. Rudy plays the Holier Than Thou card. Mitt was the only one to employ illegals.

Mitt isn't accustomed to being talked to that way. He's ready to fire somebody.

A man shrouded in darkness asks about amnesty....Fred Thompson pledges against amnesty for illegals. He'll have Jack Ryan keep them out, as soon as he get The Red October to the surface. Fred slams Rudy and Mitt.

Rudy says NYC wasn't a sanctuary city. See above. We're gonna hear a lot about that tonight, aren't we?

McCain thinks it's all a sad situation. Borders aren't enforced. 12 million illegals here, we need temporary workers. We've failed at Katrina, Iraq, spending, etc. He says the illegals are God's children, too.

The man in darkness is actually in the audience. Dressed all in black.

Tancredo says everyone is trying to out-Tancredo him.

New question, seasonal workers: I want to know if I'll have a job next year??? Tancredo says he won't allow any illegal immigration. He rejects the idea that there are jobs no American will take. Good luck getting your lettuce picked, Tom.

Hunter: He built the border fence in San Diego, and it does work. He reduced the smuggling of people and drugs.

I'm tired of hearing these guys attack immigrants. All of their ancestors at one time or another were immigrants.

Huckabee gets a question about lower in-state tuition for immigrants, but not for veterans or their kids....(asked beneath a picture of Reagan.)

Huckabee: No such bill for immigrants were passed. It was about who had been in high school for a certain time in Arkansas. He's explaining the situation well. You can tell he's been a preacher, thinking on his feet. I halfway expect him to bring something from I Corinthians to the argument.

Mitt, why did you call Huckabee a liberal on immigration? "Liberals have great reasons for taking tax money...."

My dang phone is ringing....

Huckabee: I worked my way through college.

Phone is still ringing.....

Ok, Ron Paul got a question about the Trilateral Commission and The Masons and Yale Skull and Bones trying to form a North American Union...Does he believe it?

Ron says "Kinda".

Good sane question about national debt....

McCain says we're totally out of control on spending. Too big of an expansion of government. Makes good points about funding S-chip by a higher tax on cigarettes.

Mitt says he would cut pork just like McCain. No outside the box thinking if you have inside the beltway politics. (Someone was paid a lot o' money to write that.)

Rudy would strengthen the dollar. 42% of the federal workforce will retire in the next 10 years. Let's don't replace them ! ! !

A question about limited government. Why are you Republicans writing checks like drunk cowboys? What 3 programs would you eliminate?

Fred Thompson: SS, Medicare, and Medicaid must be reformed. (Not eliminated). Fred has no idea how to answer this question. This chick who asked this ROCKS. Fred is dancing around it. He's talking about NOT eliminating 3 programs.

Ron Paul: Washington didn't change him. Cut dept of education, energy, and homeland security. Then change foreign policy.

Huckabee: IRS. 10 billion a year industry. Revive the fair tax. Revamp Homland security. (He said revamp, not kill).

New question: Uncle Sam asks, do you support the elimination of the income tax, vs higher retail sales tax.

McCain: He doesn't support that, because it would put some people's rate into the 30's (%).
He's tired of Ron Paul's isolationism. (cheers and boos). The troops message is "Let us win". That had a lot to do with tax rates, didn't it? McCain just lost points, in my book.

Ron Paul: Why do I get the most money from active military duty personnel? I'm not an isolationist.

Question: Bush made a commitment that he would opposed any tax increase Congress sent him. Will they do the same?

Tancredo: Yes.

Huckabee: Yes.

Mitt: Yes.

Rudy: Yes.

Thompson: Yes. He don't do pledges to anybody but the Amurricannnn people

McCain: yes.

Ron Paul: yes.

Hunter: you could have an emergency.

A QUESTION ABOUT FARM SUBSIDIES ! ! ! FINALLY ! ! ! GOD BLESS TED ! ! !

Jokes about Iowa....

Mitt: He ties it to "food security". He's full of horse manure. Mormon horse manure. What a crock. We're competing with those who also subsidies. Therefore, shovel more pork to millionaires.

Rudy: It's not a level playing field. Therefore we can't eat cheaply. Rudy, you disappoint me. Let's buy European and bankrupt them.

Rudy, why did you take trips to the Hamptons, and expense it?

He had 24 hour security. There were threats. If you can believe the crap about "food security", you might believe this.

A new video....Tom Tancredo's campaign video. kinda lame.

A question about lead on Chinese toys. What is gmmint gonna do to keep toys safe and keep jobs in America?

Tancredo: He ignores Tylenol poisoning, automobile recalls, etc., and slams China.

Hunter: China is cheating. Buy American.

Time for a commercial - Fred Thompson's....He says Mitt likes abortion, Huckabee wants to raise taxes (when he was fatter).

Thompson, whassup with that? He wanted to give his buds some air time.

Mitt: I was wrong on abortion. I was wrong. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. (I hope I spelled that correctly. I'm a Protestant...)

Huckabee: I cut 90 taxes. Sales taxes is a penny higher. His voice is hypnotic.

Commercial time. Time to post.

Thomas Sowell and That Top One Percent

Now that Milton Friedman has passed away, Thomas Sowell might be the smartest man in The United States.

RealClearPolitics - Articles - That 'Top One Percent'

Dr. Sowell rarely names names, but Anna Quindlen irked him....

A recent column by Anna Quindlen in Newsweek (or is that Newsweak?) laments that "the share of the nation's income going to the top 1 percent is at its highest level since 1928."
Who are those top one percent?
For those who would like to join them, the question is: How can you do that?
The second question is easy to answer. Virtually anyone who owns a home in San Francisco, no matter how modest that person's income may be, can join the top one percent instantly just by selling their house.
But that's only good for one year, you may say. What if they don't have another house to sell next year?
Well, they won't be in the top one percent again next year, will they? But that's not unusual.

He goes on to write that most of the categories our politicians like to throw around, "The Rich", "The Poor", "The Middle Class", are not permanent stations in life. Most of us have been considered poor at some point in our lives.
Most of us hope to be rich. We might get there.
So the next time you hear Talking Heads decrying the widening gap between the top 5% and the middle 20% of the bottom 10%, please remember all those people who sold a house, cashed in their stocks, won the lottery, or sold a business. They don't necessarily need to be punished. One day the top 5% might be you.

And I never tire of sending people to this site....enter your yearly income here to see how you stack up against the rest of the world (not the nation). Then come back.

Do you still feel like the top 5% should pay far more of the tax burden?

Another Southern Mayor/Ex-Preacher, Kidnapped and Brainwashed by Satan Worshippers

I'm copying this entire piece word for word, since the best article I could find was from a small TV station, and they're likely to take it down after a few weeks to avoid leaving a trail for the Satanists....

CENTERTON, Ark. -- The mayor of an Arkansas town resigned on Wednesday, claiming he was abducted and brainwashed by Satan worshippers nearly three decades ago.

Yeah, well that happens to all of us from time to time. That's no excuse for quitting your job.

Centerton Mayor Ken Williams said he has been living under an assumed name for nearly 30 years. He had been mayor since 2001.
Williams told authorities he was born Don LaRose and that in the mid-1970s, he was a preacher in Indiana. He said he was abducted and brainwashed into forgetting all about his life as Don LaRose.

What a bunch of baloney. He just got tired of the Deacons' Wives trying to run him out of town, and took the Brainwashed Satanic Abduction way out.

It was a double-life he had never acknowledged, Williams said, because he didn't even realize it existed until he had recently taken a truth-serum injection.

They've been tempted to use those truth-serum injections with other former Arkansas elected officials, if memory serves....

As Williams regained his memory, he said, he realized that he had a wife and two kids but that he had decided to leave and take on a new identity to protect them.

I bet the new Mrs. Williams is hotter than the old Mrs. LaRose. Any takers?

"I had no choice. The choice was to watch my family killed before my eyes or go with these people, and I chose instead to run," Williams said.
He wouldn't explain from who he was running, saying only that he had been brainwashed.
"I had multiple shock treatments," Williams said. "It took five years to get my memory back."
Williams said he took his current identity in 1980 when he moved to Centerton. His full name -- Bruce Kent Williams -- was taken from a man who died in a car crash back in 1958, he said.
"What happened in 1980 -- whether it was right or wrong -- I did it under the threat of my family and for my own survival," he said.
The information went public, Williams said, because he runs a Web site about Don LaRose and his disappearance. LaRose's former family found the Web site and started inquiring about its author. They found the site registered to a Ken Williams and went from there.

Here's a link to the Williams/LaRose website , one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen, and I'm from North Mississippi....

Williams said his current wife is standing by him and the two of them want to continue living in Centerton. He said he plans to continue living as Ken Williams.
Also, his resignation was signed with two names, he said.
According to police, Williams is under no investigation for any wrongdoing.

I found all of this on Boing Boing.

It's hard to believe that he's going to keep living as "Ken Williams". Wouldn't the genuine Ken Williams's family object?

It's Brainwashed Satan-Worshipper Abductees like this one that give all the others a bad name.

Farm Bill Questions for The Next Debate

Cover your wallets and lock up your daughters; The Farm Bill is still making it's way through the Senate.

THOSE WHO pay any attention have long understood that the government's crop subsidy programs are not a safety net for the hard-pressed denizens of Farm Country but rather a tremendous waste of taxpayers' money, artificially raising grocery prices and transferring income from the poor to the rich. Still, as the Senate continues its debate of a five-year farm bill larded with tens of billions of dollars in subsidies, including a $5.1 billion trust fund for farmers who insist on plowing dry land in the Dakotas and Texas, it's worth reflecting on exactly how unreal the discussion of agricultural policy has become.
Farm Follies - washingtonpost.com

Will someone, somewhere, please get some questions about the farm bill into the debates? Something along the lines of "Why are we blocking cheaper imports?" "Why do we set quotas by nation on the imports we allow?" "Why are we giving additional millions to millionaires?" "Why are we insuring against guaranteed failure?" "Why is it possible to make more money on these failure than via success?" "Would Mutual of Omaha write these same policies?" "Why are we subsidizing ethanol?" "Why do we block cheaper Brazilian ethanol?"

Let's stop for a break, and then resume, having stretched our legs and gone to the rest room...."Why do we subsidize tobacco farms, tax the hell out of tobacco consumption, and then spend another small fortune getting out our anti-tobacco message?" "Why didn't Wulf Blitzer pull his head from his nether regions long enough to ask these questions?" "Why is no one talking about this, when the bill is sitting there in the Senate, like the invoice from an American Express card mistakenly mailed to a $20.00 crack whore?"

You can go here to see what happens when we mess around with Free Markets.
You can go here for an earlier rant about the farm bill.
And you can hit this link for a plea for additional support for The Farmers of Manhattan.

Ok, back to work...."Why do we have people who can't afford groceries, but block the cheaper imports from overseas?" "Why do we allow sugar producers to totally foul The Everglades with runoff, but block imported sugar?" "Why is corn syrup in my Coke, instead of sugar?" heh...heh...heh....research that one, if you aren't angry yet.... "Why don't we subsidize toothpick makers, chair manufacturers, and people who fix flat tires the way we subsidize farmers?" "Do campaign contributions have anything to do with it?"

Blog type

Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate

You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great.One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog...And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes.Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.

What's" Your Blogging Personality?

They got it half right. I haven't changed the design of this thing since day one, other than to condense the entries. And I'm not careful who I share it with. I'd share it with Hannibal The Cannibal to keep the hit counter rolling.

These online "tests" (much like mind readers, palm readers, and faith healers) use vague universal statements like the ones above to establish credibility without taking any risk. They're vague enough to apply to everyone, and everyone tends to overlook the portions of the statements that don't directly apply to them.

If you're a blogger, or a writer, or now that I think about it, a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, try it out with the link below the picture. It won't matter. You'll agree with about half of the computer "analysis" says about you, and you'll be tempted to ignore the rest. Regardless of which analysis they send you.

Liberals, Progressives, and New, Improved Words

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2007/11/political-divide.html#links

There is no Oral Roberts, Jr. ....His name is Richard Roberts. But thanks for the links to my site

Someone, somewhere, has linked this site to the phrase "Oral Roberts, Jr." There is no such person. But people come in here and wander around anyway, and for that I am grateful.

It's hard to believe that anyone would name a child "Oral". The odds against consecutive generations making the same mistake are massive. Oral's son is named Richard. My previous posts on these two con-artists can be found here and here, should you need any background.

Senator Charles Grassley (Republican of Iowa) is conducting an investigation into Televangelist Ministries. 3 of his 6 targets are on the Board of Regents at Oral Roberts University.

Here's the latest on the sorta related mess at ORU....

TULSA, Okla. -- A former senior accountant for Oral Roberts University claims in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that he was ordered to help school President Richard Roberts and his wife "cook the books" by hiding financial wrongdoing from authorities and the public.

Most of the accusations of financial misdeeds are generic - plane trips for the kids, clothing purchases. But it's never the crime that gets us into trouble, it's the cover-up.

Two students also sued Wednesday in district court. Cornell Cross II and David Brown claim the wrongful termination of the three professors ruined the reputation of their degrees.

As Andrew Sullivan has commented elsewhere, it's not like a degree from Oral Roberts University has much of a reputation to begin with. Yale, Harvard, and The Devry School of Air Conditioning and Refrigerator repair all carry more clout....

Gratitude

Well, let's see...There's family: Fran, Mary, Mama, Amy, Darrell, Shelby, Lexie, Jill, Mark, Jake, Henry ALLEN, Steven, Nancy, Baby Dean, Denny, Iona, Scottie, all the remaining Mississippians, and all The Carolina People.

And then there's work: Pat, Cheryl, Greg, Peau, Carl, Mike, Brad, Mikey, Justin, The Two Steves, Fast Eddie, Travis, Curtis, The Daniel/Libby Godley team, Carmen, Fane (who I need to mend some fences with), Don, Adrian, Robert, Vanessa, Tanya, RJ, Andre,and let's go ahead and be grateful for Craig, Danny Ray, Igor, Randy, Ellen, Rick, Andrea, Yesenia, Damon, Bel, all the other office folks, Darin, Ray, Joe, Jim, Randy B., Rita, Gary, Doug, Brent, Tanya, Barbara, DeAnne, Marsha, Vicky, Mr. Chen, Nancy, Wendy, Hubert, and let's throw in the salespeople too.

And I couldn't possibly forget everyone in the Heresy class: the three Davids, Don, Donella, J.C., M.M., Ginny, Rod, Lisa, James, Brenda, Elaine, Elizabeth, Scott, Cinda, Peter, Beth, the incredibly detailed Charles, Darla, Julie, Mark, Stephanie, Bob, Bob, and Glennella.

The wonderful neighbors we have, Amy Don and Cheryl in particular. I couldn't ask to live by a better pair of lesbians.

Couldn't possibly forget the guitarists: Jason, Kirk, Jeff, and let's throw in Tom, who doesn't play but acts like it.

Gotta mention Bob, Rick, All The Starbucks People, Henry E., John T., Tracey with C., and Robert.

Let's get to the critters: Humphrey, Mandy, Chauncey Billups, Tigger, Sammy Sosa, and Ciabatta.

Also thanks to the good folks at Samizdata, quite possibly the best site in the world, and therefore one of the best things in the universe. One day I'm going to write something, and they're going to link to it.

Good health. Good job. Good truck. Plenty to do. Barack is gaining on Hillary. My glass is at least half full.

Photo lifted from troylaplante.blogspot.com/, who is grateful to be separated from The Psycho B-witch from hell.

Justices Will Decide if Handgun Kept at Home Is Individual Right - New York Times

Justices Will Decide if Handgun Kept at Home Is Individual Right - New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 — The Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it would decide whether the Constitution grants individuals the right to keep guns in their homes for private use, plunging the justices headlong into a divisive and long-running debate over how to interpret the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the “right of the people to keep and bear arms.”

This shouldn't be difficult.

The Second Amendment's guarantee....

That means that it's in our Bill of Rights,

of the "right of the people...."

That's you, me, people you like, and people you don't like.

To keep....

That means to own. I can keep a gun, along with the other things I can keep. And the great majority of the other things I keep are in my house. Along with my guns.

And bear....

That means to use. A basic right that may seem unnecessary to those living in Gated Communities, Fenced Enclaves, and White-Flight Suburbs, but a right that is curiously comforting to those of us living in Fort Worth's/Funkytown East Side. I love my neighborhood and neighbors. They seem to like me ok. We're one of those extremely diverse groups that "Progressives" get hot and moist just thinking about. Wait a minute....where did all the "Progressives" on the East Side go? I sure don't know any. Could it be that their desire for safety clashed with their distaste for gun ownership, so they moved away?

arms.

That means guns. Equalizers. Fire sticks. To expand on Robert Frost's Mending Wall, "Good Fences and 20-gauge single shots make Good Neighbors."

Any time the Supreme Court needs help with these difficult issues, I'm available for consultation at reasonable rates, and can be contacted through this site.