Wednesday, December 29, 2010

New Year, New Challenge!

We all have people who inspire us, I was inspired when I was young by President Reagan, I was at school watching when the Challenger exploded and later saw this speech;



In these few minutes I saw sorrow, but I also saw strength. Never have I seen these in Barack Obama, his eyes are dead, they are expressionless and empty. He doesn't seem to care about anything except his own advancement and power. The biggest difference is, I believe Reagan had my best interest in mind at all times. Obama shows no interest in me, and by me I mean the average American. I don't mean to be disrespectful but,  I don't respect Barack Obama beyond the position he holds. Yeah you see what I did there, kinda like this;
Ahh double speak.


The Bible, (a book I am sure Reagan kept close to him at all times and Obama only grabs for a photo op) in Ecclesiastes 3 talks about "A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,  

6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."



For the last four years we have been tearing down, and now in the coming new year it is time to build again. But we need to build on a strong foundation. We need to look back to the Founding Fathers and re-take their lead. We need to remember the words of another great President, the First one George Washington; "For myself (and I take no merit in giving the assurance, being induced to it from principles of gratitude, veracity, and justice), a grateful sense of the confidence you have ever placed in me, a recollection of the cheerful assistance and prompt obedience I have experienced from you, under every vicissitude of fortune, and the sincere affection I feel for an army I have so long had the honor to command will oblige me to declare, in this public and solemn manner, that, in the attainment of complete justice for all your toils and dangers, and in the gratification of every wish, so far as may be done consistently with the great duty I owe my country and those powers we are bound to respect, you may freely command my services to the utmost of my abilities." He was a man truly devoted to our Great Nation and it showed like Reagan in every word he spoke. 


Talk to God, your family, friends and neighbors, figure out what you are supposed to be doing, who you are supposed to be and make that your goal for the coming year. Not a resolution, but a first step on the road back to the shining city that America once was and can become again;

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Another Year Gone By...

Yeah I know I have been disregarding my blogging duties, but the new year brings new life to The Expert's Blog. Twenty ten was was an ill fitting cap to a turbulent decade. This time last decade we were worried about the millennium bug, Ten years later and we wish it was something so trivial. We started 2001 upbeat and refreshed, but we're quickly reminded of the insanity of the world on 9-11. To call the following years a roller coaster would be an understatement. We all wish it could be 9-10-2001 again, but the illusion is gone and dare I say we are in for a tougher decade.


The sharp turn toward socialism in America brought on by the Pelosi/Obama agendas will not fade into the night. We will have to fight to regain every inch of ground lost to the last four years of democrat change, yes four, Bush's last two years gave new meaning to the term "lame duck". Bush lost all will to fight the coming wave of liberalism and folded in every way. Giving up on social security reform, winning the two wars we were deep into and forcing banks, businesses and people to take responsibility for their actions by way of bail-outs and stimulus packages. Obama, who promised change followed with more of the same, ignoring social security, essentially throwing in the towel on Iraq and doing the least possible in Afghanistan, and of course issuing more stimuli and bail-outs. The out of control spending has dug us into a hole our grandchildren's grandchildren will be stuck with the bill for. See for yourself! 


All hope is not lost, we can still recover from this mess and come out a better people. But it is going to be hard, there will have to be sacrifices from everyone. Take my state California, we are going to have to go bankrupt. California is not to big to fail, taking a federal bail-out will only prolong the problems. Times will be tough, but the re-organizing that bankruptcy allows is exactly what California needs. Schwarzenegger talked big and I was one of the many who fell for his tall talk on Gray Davis and ending the spending. But instead of terminating, Arnold went on a spending spree, taxing and spending California into oblivion, and that's where we are. Unfortunately this is not the bottom, things will have to get tougher before they get better and California will be ground zero for the coming strife.


It doesn't matter which way we go, left or right, we are gonna have to tighten our belts. The difference is whether we let socialism squeeze us down to nothing or after a time of hardship we reemerge stronger and smarter. We need only to look at history to see our future. We are following the same path as ancient Rome and if we don't change course we will suffer the same fate. Do some homework, read up on Rome, particularly Cicero





He is consider one of the greatest orators of his time and he warned Rome of it's impending doom and was ignored. I am no Cicero, I don't claim that kind of ability or talent, but I can see the correlation between us and Rome and don't want to end up another failed nation doomed to see it's glory forgotten by history.


Forget about 9/10, we will never be able to get that back, remember 9/12, it's our only chance. Glenn Beck put these in his "Common Sense" book and I just keep thinking they are the right way to go.


The Nine Principles

1. America is good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The Twelve Values

1)Honesty

3)Hope

4)Thrift

5)Humility

6)Charity

7)Sincerity
2)Reverence

8)Moderation

9)Hard Work

10)Courage

11)Personal Responsibility

12)Gratitude

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Fountainhead

While I was in Israel I read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, a whopper at seven hundred and fifty two pages and in small print as well, it's no quick read. Ayn Rand is an amazing author and it shows, born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum; February second, nineteen hundred and five, she was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter.  Born and educated in Russia, Rand immigrated legally to the United States in nineteen twenty six. She was a screenwriter in Hollywood, had a play produced on Broadway in thirty five and six, but She first achieved fame in forty three with her novel The Fountainhead, then in fifty seven was followed by her best-selling work, the philosophical novel Atlas Shrugged


I would also call The Fountainhead a philosophical novel, it has a lot in common with Atlas Shrugged on a philosophical level, though the stories are very different. Fountainhead's story is based in architecture, courtrooms and the media. Howard Rourke is the lead with several other characters rounding off an exquisite cast. Thought compelling sells the description short, as the story throws twist and turns, left and right. Mix in romance as well, heroes, villians this book really has it all. The best description comes from the official Rand website: The story of an innovator—architect Howard Roark—and his battle against the tradition-worshipping establishment. Its theme: “individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man’s soul; the psychological motivations and the basic premises that produce the character of an individualist or a collectivist.” Ayn Rand presented here for the first time her projection of the ideal man. Roark’s independence, self-esteem, and integrity have inspired millions of readers for more than half a century. I am officially an Ayn Rand Fan and will be studying her works in depth.


BTW- If you haven't read The Fountainhead click the first link to buy a copy, then when you are done give it to a friend, or lend it, just make sure to spread the words...

Sunday, December 12, 2010

New Phone, New Fun, New Trouble

So I got a new cell phone last week that is internet capable and I think ultimately that will prove bad for me, in a couple ways. Yes it's a blackberry and now I know why they are affectionately (or not) called "crackberries". Having this much power at your fingertips is a bad, bad thing.







Yesterday I was on my lunch at work and was watching old episodes of "Beavis and Butthead" on youtube. Now any fan would know that B&B are hilarious and I am a fan. Of course B&B would pale in comparison to the disturbing animated shows on TV today, but in their time B&B were pushing the limits of what was acceptable, even on basic cable. The show was blamed for kids burning down their houses and many other lame examples of bad parenting and even more lame govt uptights. "Family Guy" which is on network tv, would make B&B blush and has drawn criticism from an array of groups, mostly the same bad parents and govt types. Back to my lunch story; halfway through the third episode I realized that my lunch was over and I was in the three minute grace period K-Mart gives us to clock back in. Bad me.







The other thing is Twitter; before when I got my tweets all I could do is read the headline and try to remember to follow the link later in the day. Now I have all the news when I want it and I read a lot on news and most of the time it just makes ma angry. Take (muslim) state rep Keith Ellison (D-Minn) saying “I think that we need to create a real crisis here so that the Republicans will have to answer for denying Americans unemployment benefits on the eve of the Christmas holiday,” Ellison said. “We let them off the hook, in my opinion.” Anyone have any idea on WTF he's talking about? You can see how this would be upsetting to read in the middle of a beautiful day here in California. 



One thing I have to point out is a design flaw in the Blackberry, In order to type a number within a text or email you have to hit the "alt" key before each number. How hard would it be to stick an alt lock on there, I mean this is a minor problem, but coming from an old Motorola phone that had an alt lock to this brand new top of the line BBY that doesn't is just plain weird.


UPDATE: A friend told me the trick to the alt lock (alt then shift), thanx Shane!

Monday, December 6, 2010

A Change in Climate

A few years ago I vowed that in five years "global warming" would be a thing of the past, and I am on track to be proved correct. Even now at the UN climate summit in Cancun Mexico (cool and rainy btw), the once great delegation is reduced to suggestions and making no actual decisions. The cost of this monster hoax has got to be in the hundreds of billions and now thank God it looks like it may be fizzling out.


This week Republican Speaker-elect John Boehner (OH) has said he will be dismantling Nancy Pelosi's pet project the "Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming". While the UN climate summit says 2010 will be the second warmest year on record, the actual numbers seem to say different. The planet has been cooling since 1998 and in the last year we have seen some good evidence to back that up like the first snow in Baghdad and China reporting it's coldest winter in one hundred years. In fact all four major global temperature tracking outlets (Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, RSS) have released updated data. All show that over the past year, global temperatures have dropped precipitously, no anecdotal evidence needed. The drop has been so precipitous it has wiped out the last hundred years of warming. The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C a staggering drop with makes me wonder if Time magazine needs to bring back it's ice age cover from the seventies. 


Even the mighty AlGore is scaling back his "Alliance for Climate Protection" which once held offices in twenty five states is down to seven. Of course they are calling it "a mobile and nimble operation... moving to areas where it’s most effective." That has got to be tough for Algore who in 2008 launched a three hundred million dollar advertising campaign to help pass climate legislation on Capitol Hill. Thanks to the new Congress he can kiss that money goodbye. 


One day we will know the full extent of the damage "global warming" has really done... to our wallets. Think back to the early nineties when all this babbling started with the "hole in the o-zone layer" to the evil "chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's)", changing all our Styrofoam, aerosol cans and now light bulbs just to find out it was all a big political power and money grab. I only regret that it took over twenty years for us to come to our senses.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

2 Things That Are Bugging Me

I'll try to keep this short but no promises. I'm not even sure I will keep it to two things. There is so much in the news today that just really bugs me. Surprisingly enough it's not wikileaks, or the FCC trying to pass net neutrality with out congress or even Obamacare failing before it even starts. GM and taxcuts are the big two bugging me right this moment.


Let's start with the tax thing. Back during the Bush Administration the taxes were lowered and democrats add the deadline as a stipulation for letting the cuts happen in the first place. Jump to today, most of the MSM are touting the "Why do the rich need a tax cut" line. Let's be very clear about this, there are no tax cuts! We are looking at the largest tax increase in American history. Though I have recent;y seen some liberal attacks talking about how the Republicans want to raise your taxes, which is laughable at best. Raising taxes right now would be the worst move for the economy, especially for the "evil rich". While labeling George Soros as evil might fit, most of the so called "rich" are small business owners who currently employ around sixty five percent of the county. Raising their taxes would stall any chance of recovery to the job market and the economy would be doomed to stay in the hole for God knows how long. Though the talking heads in the MSM would want you to believe that at least the unemployment would spur the economy Rush does a good job at squashing that stupidity. Call the House (202)225-3121 and the Senate (202)224-3121 and let your representatives know tax increases are wrong at any level.


The GM fiasco is the other thing really just killing me. I touched on this in a previous post but it deserves a seconfd look, especially since GM is spending money (our money btw) on commercials thanking us for bailing them out.

This is a moment I am glad I have a middle finger. Let me run this out, our money was taken from us without our permission and given to GM in the form of a bailout. GM promptly went bankrupt and we  (again without consent) purchased the lion's share of GM's stock, the remainder was given to the UAW as a payoff. Now GM's stock goes on sale and the UAW stands to make a killing. The American tax payer on the other hand is looking at at least a ten billion dollar loss. Not to mention we are selling stock we already own to ourselves. Think about it; We (tax payers) purchased GM, now GM stock is on sale to the public (Us). So we are paying for something we already own. Worse than that the money isn't even going back in our pockets. It's going to the Federal Govt who got us into this mess in the first place. Show me the FORD, we should make a commercial thanking Ford for not taking a bailout. 

Monday, November 29, 2010

I'm Back

Sorry about that little stretch of quiet, I recently started a new job and have been swamped. The holidays are a busy time at K-Mart, yep I'm working at K-Mart. I can't get into details on K-Mart, there is actually a no social networking clause in my job description. Big K aside, I have been following the news and wanted to comment briefly on some of the big and not so big stories.


First off Korea; North Korea attacked a small island belonging to S. Korea disrupting some war games. The MSM is hyping this into another war. Officially the Korean War was never ended so it would be a re-escalation, but beyond that, this is nothing new. The last power shift in NK between Kim Il-Sung and current despot Kim Jong-Il there was the same show of power type deal. Now Kim Jong-Il is passing the dictatorial torch to his son Kim Jong-Un so it is no surprise NK is acting up. They probably want what they aways want when they do something stupid, more food and money from the US. Which we always give.


The Wikileaks classified document dump is another thing in the news big right now. Again we are not learning anything we didn't already know. Iran was funneling weapons to Hezbollah during the recent spat with Israel, duh! Does something need to be done about this? Yes, of course but is it being blow out of proportion probably to cover another story? I think so.


That story would be the "lame duck" congress going back to their failed agenda. Yes Nancy Pelosi is still in charge and right now as I type House Bill S510 (food safety) is being debated and goes for vote tomorrow. This is another power grab by the federal govt. via the FDA. I feel like American food is pretty safe and letting the FDA run wild with regulations and taxes is just going to hurt us where it counts most, our wallets. But there's more, a week after massive protest in California over the rising cost of universities, the "dream act"  is getting the big push from democrats and RINO republicans. This will allow deportable illegal aliens to attend college at a highly subsidized rate, the cost of this of course falls on us the US taxpayer. The list could go on, but I promised brevity.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

In Defense of Michael Vick

I don't get this whole " should we forgive Vick" question, if he killed your personal dog it then your forgiving him is between you and God. I saw a damaged soul get busted and serve his time. While prison won't change his soul, he is clean in the eyes of the law. If he has had some kind of God finding moment in his life then I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and even clear away the damaged part.

This is America, our place is not to keep grudges, but to believe in God's ability to make us better. There is a reason "In God We Trust" is on our money and our govt buildings, and it's not for God's sake, but ours. Call it a reminder, for our govt to remember it's founding and the reason the United States is the strongest, richest, and the most merciful, charitable country in history, usually those don't go together. The money is a reminder to us the people that God gave us our freedom and will continue to do so as long as remember that. Ultimately this is bigger than Michael Vick, but it applies.

By the way I am neither a Vick fan or an Eagles fan, but who are we to sit in judgement?

Go JETS

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Seeing RED




Saw the movie "RED" yesterday, Bruce Willis topped an all star cast including John Malkovich and Helen Mirren. I guess you could describe "RED" as a AARP version of "Expendables", in a good way. The premise was a group of retired CIA operatives who are brought back into the spy game when they are put on a list to be terminated. I'm not gonna give away anymore, you should go see this movie, it was action packed, loads of fun and while the violence was extreme the language was pretty clean (one f-bomb) and no sex or nudity. Safe for your teens, but I'd leave the little ones home.


But this is not a movie review, it's politics people. Back a few post I mentioned how hollywood has been trying to force feminized heroes on us (Scott Pilgrim and the like), "RED" was just more proof that we don't want girly heroes. Bruno is getting close to sixty and he is our go to tough guy. I like "Live Free Die Hard" but the thought that Bruce is signed to do two more is disturbing. Is there really not a MAN under 40 that can be an action star (sorry Michael Cera doesn't count)? We have some prospects, Chris Pine (the new Kirk from "Star Trek") is taking on the role of Jack Ryan handed down from another aging action anchor Harrison Ford.


The feminist movement has destroyed chivalry and ruined true feminism. Not to mention at least two generations of boys. Boys who were drugged by schools when they showed signs of being boys. Dodge ball was deemed unsafe and tag-you're it was halted cause no one should be put on the spot and be called "it". God forbid a boy want a toy gun, what happened to GI Joe? Who is going defend this country if we turn all our boys to girls? Masculine responsibility for the civilization’s survival is replaced by womanish dreams maneuvering for trouble to be wished away. Such peoples no longer know how to defend themselves. They instead argue themselves to impotence.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

QE2 Is No Boat, But It Is Costing Us A Boatload!

I was going to write out a long form post explaining QE2 (quantitative easing), I have been reading up and getting all the lingo sorted out so I could make it as clear as possible. Jump ahead two hours and I found this little gold nugget. Thanks to Karl Denninger for making it so clear and easy.


I wouldn't have done any better, remember folks if shooting yourself in the foot doesn't work the first time, shoot the other foot and see if that makes it all better.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

TSA: Naked Scan Or Else!

A while back I posted on the naked scanners in "Say Cheese", they were new on the scene and people weren't happy. Some are claiming health issues and now some airports are screaming "opt out" if you choose not to be scanned and putting people though demeaning, sometimes painful "pat downs" that include squeezing or twisting genitalia.

Pilots who have to go through the scanners multiple times a day for some are saying that the repeated exposure to the radiation could create health issues. Just like getting multiple x-rays. Still others say that the bombardment or radiation can damage your DNA and cause serious problems.

The "Opt Out" seems to be discouraged by demeaning treatment and intrusive pat downs. One story (audio) comes from a woman that had been through the opt out wringer before and just wanted to ask some question when she was swarmed by over a dozen police and TSA employees.

The TSA's blog http://blog.tsa.gov/ has the official information and claims that no improper touching or groping is going on. Though the stories countering that are too numerous to post, here's a couple. From forcing a four year old girl out of her leg braces to a pregnant woman and her eight year old daughter being fondled.


I haven't come across any of these issues with the TSA, El Al is a different story. Their "secondary" screening in Zurich was hands on, but I had heard about El Al before my flight and had a pretty good idea of what I was in for. The thing that worried me most was my laptop, let me suggest a security friendly case. I will have one of these the next time I fly.

Monday, November 8, 2010

He's Bowing Again

In the past two years Obama has bowed to every dictator and other foreign dignitary he can find. I posted on it no too long ago. Well he's at it again. Bowing to the Indian Parliament, I guess that's what MSNBC meant by "Lean Forward".

When Obama was campaigning he spoke of America not being liked by the world and how he was going to fix that. Then came the apology tour that I posted about some months back. The bowing is more upsetting then anything else. He is the President of the United States, he bow to anyone! Not bowing is the reason we became an independent country in the first place, no more would we bow to the oppression of the British Crown, but Obama managed it in 2009.

I won't go as far as saying Obama committed treason, though I have seen some sites that do say that. I will say he needs to stop, Obama did say that America doesn't always have to be number one, but he doesn't get to choose that, he works for us. Every move he makes should be to strengthen us, to keep us on top and to make sure that America never bows to any man.

Friday, November 5, 2010

New Superman's Not Super Or A Man

DC Comics is producing a storyline for the seventy two year old hero called "Earth One". But this is not the Superman you grew up with, this superman is a emo, hooded sweatshirt wearing boy with disheveled hair and a brooding look complete with glowing eyes. It's being said he's the superman for "Twilight" fans. Brought to us by artist Shane Davis and writer J. Michael Straczynski
The stories Straczynski says, were never intended to become stagnant. "They are interpreted and reinterpreted for every generation. I guess DC wanted more young girls reading Superman, next you'll see him sparkling in moonlight or something. Let me be clear, this is only one storyline, stuck in one hardback graphic novel. The cape wearing "Superman" is till out there in other story lines. 


"We wanted to tell a story that's hip, sexy and moody," said DC Comics' co-publisher Dan DiDio. Of course sexier means less imposing. He's shorter, skinnier and obviously less muscular. Basically taking all his manliness away. This superman identifies with America because he was raised here, but he doesn't stand for the "American Way" that would give an unfair advantage that could lead to war! The low-rise, skinny jean wearing "hero" is more of a worldly type. In a world were Michael Cera's "Scott Pilgrim" is some kind of nerd hero, I guess this version of superman fits right in. But think about movies that won big in the last year or so, "Gran Torino" saw Clint Eastwood even in his golden years acting the tough guy role. Not to mention the actionfest that is Sylvester Stallone's "Expendables", it seems America wants more from it's heroes not less.  

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Day After Tomorrow

Yeah I know this is hitting late, I am very good at procrastinating...


The midterms have passed, the outcome was favorable, mostly. I watched the coverage all day, not to mention twitter which kept my phone beeping for hours. I split my time time between the three major news outlets Foxnews, CNN and MSNBC. I am not a fan of the latter two, but I have to do something while fox is in commercial. The outcomes were pretty much what was expected, my prediction was 59 house and 9 senate and I was close. Though being from California I have some serious disappointment to deal with.


Fox's coverage was exemplary, they stayed very close to their "Fair and Balanced" motto. They featured a litany of contributors from both sides of the aisle and did it without showing much for bias. CNN tries, but the overall dislike of the GOP still shines through in their delivery. The coverage was solid overall and they served their purpose of filling time while fox was on commercial. MSNBC was despicable, the openly hateful and bitter Matthews and Maddow cringed at every GOP gain and used the losses to make fun of and poke at the opposition. Which makes it no surprise FOX dominated the rating of the night with CNN in a far second and MSNBC behind them. 


The pick up in the Congress was nothing short of a slaughter, rebuking Obama and all the outrageous spend him and Congress has been doing for the past six years, yes six. Nancy Pelosi took over six years ago, and while Bush had made some bad call before that, things went really down hill in his second term. The GOP pick up is definitely a referendum, but not a open door for the republicans to go back to the pre-Obama ways. The tea party intervened on behalf of the people, people who wanted the GOP remember its roots and what used to make them different form the democrats. Small govt, low taxes, stern control of our borders, our common language and culture (hat tip to Michael Savage). If the GOP doesn't remember and return from it's senility it just might have to be tied to a tree and well you know the rest.


My biggest disappointment lies with California who somehow let Barbara Boxer keep her senate seat and re-install Jerry Brown, yes Moonbeam himself to the seat of Governor. Not too mention ninety percent of the props that went wrong. California is stuck on stupid. Arnold was the worst kind of RINO and he did the same amount of damage or maybe even more the Gray Davis. Boxer is known throughout the Nation as the dumbest person in the senate, I knew she would be terrible for California from the first time I met her, that would be when she came to visit my high school many moons ago. I love California, I have lived in New York, Jerusalem, and have spent shorter amounts of time in other places and none stack up to California, her beaches, mountains, deserts and forest are amazing and the weather is awesome. But the govt intrusion into peoples lives is through the roof and everyday I want to be here less and less. Why should I be driven from the place I love by socialist?


The next two years will be crucial to this country and the direction it goes. Times will be hard, we have to break our addiction to unlimited spending, the withdrawals will be painful but if we don't go through it that crazy future commercial depicting the Chinese ruling over us might just come to fruition.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Is It Tomorrow Yet?

The first of November on an election year has gotta be the most stressful day, throw onto that it's Monday (monday's suck every time), add to that last night's Halloween party (tequila & chocolate don't mix) and you have a recipe for a long day! Here in California especially...


We've got the Governor's race in full swing and the two major candidates are neck and neck. Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown are in a battle royale for the future of California, Brown is on the Obama diet of tax and spend and Whitman of course wants to slash taxes and bring some business back to what  used to be the fifth largest economy in the world. Looking at track records Brown has a long one, of failure. he was governor before, I believe his nickname was Governor Moonbeam (a nickname he received from his then girlfriend and left wing activist Linda Ronstadt) and he was referred to as a hippie fascist, because he installed hippie causes in a fascist manner. 
Whitman on the other hand has almost no political track record (she did work for Mitt Romney and then John McCain's presidential campaigns), she's a corporate titan, Whitman served as an executive in The Walt Disney Company where she was vice president of strategic planning throughout the 1980s. In the 1990s she served as an executive for DreamWorksProcter & Gamble, and Hasbro. Whitman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay from 1998 to 2008 in that ten years with the company she oversaw expansion from thirty employees and four million dollars in annual revenue to more than fifteen thousand employees and eight billion dollars in annual revenue when she stepped down. Being California is billions in the hole she would have her work cut out for her and while I do not agree with all of her ideas, she absolutely out shines governor moonbeam.


I'm not going into detail on the Boxer/Fiorina race, if Barbara Boxer is allowed to continue on her path of destroying California we deserve it, I would vote for a cinder block over Boxer.


Lastly I am going to run down the props on the ballot with just a simple yes or no, it is strictly my opinion, though I have read each in detail and I can tell you on some I gave it a lot of thought before I decided.

  • 19: No, sorry stoners
  • 20: Yes, redistricting is good
  • 21: No, the parks get enough
  • 22: Yes, the roads suck enough
  • 23: Yes, global warming is a hoax
  • 24: No, businesses are hurting enough
  • 25: No, trying to fool us on this one
  • 26: Yes, less fees is good
  • 27: No, political power grab
Read up before you vote, don't wait till you are standing the booth to decide. I am not on the everyone needs to vote train, if you are stupid, stay home.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Things That Make You Go BOOM!

Woke up this morning to a string of bomb threats around the planet. It seems there is some kind of semi dry run of bombs in the mail happening out of Yemen. From now only one actually explosive device has been confirmed with one other possibility and at least one dummy device found in Dubai on a plane from Yemen. One flight headed to NY's JFK airport was actually escorted by fighter jets to it's destination. That must be fun to see out the plane window... Look mommy jets! Thank God nothing actually exploded... Today.


This was a good reminder that we can't let our guard down. The President spoke today and said  "We must remain vigilant against terror", of course it's his Administration that has taken the word "terrorist" out of official use. But he is right, by leaving Iraq unstable, giving a timeline for leaving Afghanistan, and declaring Al Qaeda is "no longer a threat to the US",  they are going to work extra hard to show us that we are still a target. Today's events might just be the beginning. 




As the 9/11 anniversary rapidly comes to the ten year mark, we have to remember they started this fight and we have to be one to finish it!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

...And The New Batman Movie Title Is?

"The Dark Night Rises"... OK so not mind blowing, but it's growing on me already and I just learned it ten minutes ago, from the LA Times. I do appreciate putting some thought into the titles, it's better than Batman 3 or "Batman Forever". Chris Nolan has done great things for the Batman franchise, and I have high hopes for what will no doubtingly be Christian Bale's last time dawning the cape and cowl. Other news in the article was Nolan putting the squash on "The Riddler" being the big bad for the movie. Last week Nolan was started the search for a female lead, obviously Bats is gonna need a new love interest and the rumor is she'll have claws.

In Supernews Zack Snyder has been talking about not having a centralized villain at all in the new "Man of Steel" movie. I'm not sure how that will play out with the fanboys, but that would mean you would get some good Supes does in some good old fashioned bad guys. While you could probably go that route with Batman as well, coming off of the late Heath Ledger's "Joker", Batman is gonna need one hell of a fight to have the third measure up to the Second.

One last thing, because you didn't feel sick enough hearing the news that George Lucas is going to re-release all 6 "Star Wars" movies in 3D, he has also announced the next "Indiana Jones" flick will also require the stupid glasses. Sorry to wreck your day...


Monday, October 25, 2010

I Can't See The Light

By now most of you are probably sick of being bombarded with tree huggers telling you to switch out the evil incandescent light bulbs in your house for compact florescent (cfl) ones. This is just part of the "Climate Change" scam being perpetrated on the American people. CFL's have been touted as a cheap efficient replacement for incandescents, but how do they really stack up? Not so good.

Now CFL's do use less power than the old fashioned bulbs, but the power saved doesn't cover the other cost. One being lifespan. Now the CFL;s will tell you they have a lifespan of 3 years or better, but I have never seen a CFL last more than six months, while the old fashioned bulbs last for around a year or in one case of a bulb in a fire station in Livermore CA. that has been on for 110 years, go see it for yourself at Fire Station #6, 4550 East Ave. Livermore, CA.

Then there are the dangers, yes there are dangers to both types of bulbs. The old fashioned bulbs are made of fragile thin glass that can break fairly easy. Broken glass is sharp and there is a chance of being cut. The CFL's have the same issue, with one added issue, mercury. Yep CFL's have a small but still dangerous amount of the liquid metal mercury which is poisonous. The EPA has special guidelines to clean the CFL's when they break. It is time consuming and labor intensive. One woman was quoted over two thousand dollars in profession clean up of a CFL.

Last you are supposed to go through your house and throw away all the existing bulbs in your house and replace them. Isn't that kind of absurd? Then there's the talk about the Govt banning the old bulbs, forcing you to put the mercury bulbs in your house. Oh and you can't just toss those quick to die CFL's in your home trash. Most states have strict rules on disposing of mercury and if they catch you tossing the poisonous bulbs you are looking at a stiff fine. I'll stick with Thomas A. Edison, thank you very much.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Iron Man 2 & America

When Iron Man 2  hit theaters I was in Israel and though there was a theater in Jerusalem I didn't have the money to waste on movies. Shortly after I got back the cheap "$1" theater near my house got Iron Man 2 and finally saw it. Jump to a few weeks ago when I was visiting with friends for another friend's wedding and we popped Iron Man 2 into his BluRay player.

Overall it was a good movie, almost as good as the first and that's a tough thing for sequels. Like the first there were many scenes that went from science to science fiction and that I don't mind. It's a movie after all and if you can't let the mind wander into fantasy at the movies then it's probably not a great movie. The acting was good, RDJr. has really made an amazing comeback from the drug addled days of his youth and emerged as a captivating and enjoyable presence at the movies. The surrounding cast also does well, I am not a fan of Gwenneth Paltrow, I usually don't see movies she's in and when I do I'm not happy, this is the exception that proves the rule. Don Cheadle was a good replacement for Terrance Howard, Rourke makes for a good villain even with the dumb accent though Sam Rockwell was mediocre at best. He hasn't done a good movie since HGTTG.

There is one part that got me thinking and here comes the tie into politics. Early in the movie Tony Stark is brought before a congressional committee and is told to turn over his property to the government, and in today's America that doesn't seem to far off. A couple of post back I touched on scandal during hurricane katrina where police and military were going door to door and collecting legally owned firearms from the good people of Louisiana. Then there is the Obama Administration which continually brings up mandatory govt service.

Much like Tony Stark said no and one of my post a couple back, we to have to say no! No to the suspension of the 2nd Amendment when the wind blows and no to the Obama Admin's call for mandatory service. Most of all we need to say NO to the govt takeover of all the different private industries in our great nation. The lesson we can take away from Iron Man is that the answers to our biggest problems lie in the people, not the government. To borrow a line from the Iron Man movie; That's how dad did it and that's how America does it!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Defending a Democrat? Yes!

For some time now I have been watching Juan Williams as a commentator on Fox News, very little have I ever agreed with anything he has said and I have never read or heard anything he has done for NPR (national public radio). NPR in my eyes has always been an outlet for hard left wing diatribe and overt socialist commentary. The idea that the taxpayers are forced to support such an idealogical organization has always been a bit disturbing. but now that NPR has fired Williams for "controversial" statements he made about muslims on The Factor I am in full de-fund mode.


First for the sake of clarity here is Williams' statement; "I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous." I guess honesty is not the best policy at NPR.  


NPR said in it's statement that Williams' remarks; “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.” So being open and honest is inconsistent with NPR's standards? What exactly are they saying here? It seems freedom of speech and expression are not welcome at a station that is being partially funded by taxpayer dollars. It's time to stop paying for NPR's rhetoric. The First Amendment is for everyone, right or left, black or white, Jew or Gentile, right or wrong.


Maybe Fox News should offer Williams a full time job? Fox News seems to be the only news outlet that can live up to their mission statement, "Fair and Balanced".


UPDATE:
NPR now says Williams was fired for going on conservative TV - "Williams' presence on the largely conservative and often contentious prime-time talk shows of Fox News has long been a sore point with NPR News executives." (linked to NPR).


UPDATE II:
Fox just signed Williams to a $2Mil job!


  

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Party of No!

For a while now President Obama has been calling the Republican Party the "party of no". He blames the GOP for all the negativeness that surrounds his administration. I would like to clear a few things up, and I believe most of the party would agree. We are the party of no and we are damed proud of it. Let me explain...


In February 2009 the unemployment rate in the US was 8.2%. Obama told us if we didn't pass his trillion dollar stimulus plan it would go up to 8.6%. We said no. Congress passed the stimulus and by December 2009 the rate was at an astounding 10%. Do we know for sure the rate wouldn't have gone up anyway, no, but we never will.


In January 2009 the "Big 3" American Auto Companies were on the verge of bankruptcy. Obama says let's bail out the auto industry. We said no. Congress OK'd the bailout and promptly GM and Chrysler took the money and went bankrupt. The bankruptcy caused the break up of both companies the majority of Chrysler being bough out by Italian auto co. Fiat and the majority of GM being sucked up by the Federal Govt. itself. Both companies are still struggling to stay in the black and still owe taxpayers a lot of money. Ford, by the way did not take the bailout, did not go bankrupt, restructured the company, has been making a profit and paying off it's loans.


April 2009, Obama and Congress announce massive healthcare reform, with the govt. taking over one sixth of the US economy and federalizing US healthcare. Obama said you could keep your plan and your doctor. He said this would make thing fair and affordable. We said no. Congress passed a 2000+ page Healthcare monstrosity that not only causes premiums to skyrocket across the country but forces doctors out of their practices, regulates admissions to collages and even creates a "Civilian Ready Force" run my the Surgeon General (who by the way is not an actual general), as you saw here a couple posts back.


Earlier this year Obama introduced Cap & Trade, which would drastically change both power and environmental regulations in the US. In addition to immediately increasing unemployment in the energy sector, even more American jobs will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under the cap-and-tax plan. For example, the cost of farming will certainly increase, driving down farm incomes while driving up grocery prices. The costs of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also increase. Not to mention the "Smart Grid" power technology that would allow the govt. to regulate when you use the AC/Heating in your own house. We said no. Thank God, congress couldn't get that passed, yet. But they are still trying.


On January 1st 2010 the Bush tax cuts are due to expire. This will be the largest tax increase in US history! Obama talked about the "Rich not needing another tax cut". But this is not a cut, it is an increase. We said no, to all of the increases. Congress had talked briefly on only letting the tax cuts expire for the upper class while keeping the middle and lower class cuts intact. But then put off the vote to a later date. Well 82 days left and still no sign of a vote.


There are many other examples I can give. But I will leave it here. We will keep saying to to government takeovers of the private sector, no to massive spending that has put our posterity in debt for generations, and we will keep saying to to the job killing, dollar killing Obama Administrations as long as it takes till our Country is back on top where it belongs. Till then I am proudly saying NO!    

Monday, October 18, 2010

Obama Blocks 2 From My Gun Collection

The Republic Of Korea (ROK) has a huge stockpile of old American rifles M1 Garand and M1 Carbines that they want to sell back to the United States. First off let me point out that we didn't give those guns to them, we loaned them the guns for use during the war and for a couple decades following. So they are trying to sell us back our own weapons. They should just be giving them to us. But I am willing to let them make a few bucks, I mean we give ROK millions of dollars every year anyway. So moving right along, where do I send the money?

Not going to happen, why you ask angrily? Well the Obama/Clinton State Department has decided that, let me quote now; "Obama/Clinton State Department has reportedly denied the 'import' of these rifles from Korea on the theory that they might 'fall into the wrong hands' here in the US. The stories also report that the Korean plan was to sell them in bulk to importers who were then going to resell them in the US." I have wanted each of these guns for years, but the thousand dollar price tag has kept me far away. Adding 857,470 rifles (770,160 M1 Carbines and 87,310 M1 Garands) to the mix would bottom out the price and would make them affordable for all who want to own a little piece of history.

Just in case you are wondering, both the Garand and the Carbine are top loaded and hold eight rounds which make them one hundred percent legal to own in the US. They do not fall into the "Assault Rifle" ban of 2004. One thing that worries me is if the guns are returned to the Govt. without us paying, the Obama Administration might melt them down. Let's go ahead with the sale and these guns home where they belong in the hands of the people!

FEMA Camps? Healthcare Bill Weirdness?

I have been reading and reading about the "FEMA Camps" and it's pretty freaky stuff. Things like EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000- allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision. I found lots of these orders that would essentially give complete control of all people, resources and vehicles (public or private) to the federal govt. Orders that some claim are all on the books and ready to be implemented should an emergency arise. The H1N1 flu scare saw govt and media exploit the facts to scare people into lining up for the swine flu vaccine that was not widely tested and saw HHS Director Kathleen Sebelius shield both the government and vaccine makers from lawsuits for problems arising with the vaccine. In the aftermath of hurricane katrina we saw military and law enforcement disarm people trying to protect themselves and their homes from looters. I have also read that the "Black Helicopters" you have probably heard some talk about are FEMA controlled, in one video from a supposed camp the camera pans up to what looks like a black helicopter with no marking flying around the camera crew.

Now I don't know if FEMA is building camps, seems far fetched. But I can point out some wried things in the Healthcare bill starting with something PrezBo said during a campaign speech; "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." - Barack Hussein Obama, 2008 campaign. Here's a little snippet from the Healthcare Bill, yes HEALTHCARE; 


"H. R. 3590-496 (Page 496) SEC. 5210. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS. 
Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS. "(a) ESTABLISHMENT.-
"(1) IN GENERAL.-
There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency.
"(2) REQUIREMENT.-All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended. 
"(3) APPOINTMENT.
-Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. 

"(4) ACTIVE DUTY.-Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training."


Now, I ask you...currently we have the regular Army, the Marines, The Navy, the Air Force, the National Guard, state and local police, state troopers, first responders, firefighters, EMT, rescue workers of all kinds and in all locations. So what exactly does Mr. Obama need a private "ready reserve corps" who are hand-picked by him and report directly to him for?


There is plenty of strangeness in the "Healthcare Bill" all I can say is read it for yourself. But make sure you've got some time on your hands cause the sucker is two thousand pages! I have probably read three hundred pages and it feels like my brain is gonna melt. Good Luck.
Or you can get it for your E-Book for a buck.