Post Scripts

Posted by Tina

Much fanfare accompanies even the slightest hint of impropriety when Republicans are involved but rarely is much made of democrats who are caught in nefarious goings on.

Just for fun, and I admit to tweak Libby a bit, here are three articles that place Democrats and MONEY in the corruption spotlight

From the July National Review print edition, page six “The Week”:

“The principle author of the Dodd-Shelby housing bill is Senator Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who chairs the Senate Banking Committee. Portfolio magazine has revealed that Dodd was one of two U.S. Senators who benefitted from Countrywide Financial’s “Friends of Anhgelo” program (named for CEO Angelo Mozilo), under which Countrywide, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., gave loans to the influential and powerful. ** …the preferential loan rates Dodd received will end up saving him $75,000.00 The troubling nature of this arrangement becomes clear when one looks at the fine print of the Dodd-Shelby housing bill, which would allow mortgage lenders to dump their most radioactive subprime loans on the government. The bill is overwhelmingly slanted to protecting lenders, such as Countrywide, that lowered their standards dramatically during the housing boom and subsequently found themselves holding a lot of bad debt….”

Is Dodd sent to his room or banned for life for this infraction? Nope hes rewarded with an even sweeter possible offer:

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has requested information from Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd as part of its search for a possible vice presidential candidate. – AP

***

While aggressive evictions are making rent-stabilized apartments increasingly scarce in New York, Representative Charles B. Rangel is enjoying four of them, including three adjacent apartments in a sprawling penthouse overlooking Upper Manhattan, courtesy of one of New Yorks premier real estate developers. Mr. Rangel, the powerful Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, uses his fourth apartment, six floors below, as a campaign office, despite state and city regulations that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence. – New York Times

Continue reading “<strong>Despicable Democrat Dealings</strong>” »

by Tina Grazier

When a person focuses all of his attention on one thing hes bound to acquire a pretty distorted view. If he then, in a state of panic, insists on extreme plans and procedures based on this distorted view hes liable to do some pretty bizarre things.

The following two paragraphs illustrate the insanity of paying obsessive attention to climate change and demanding immediate extreme fixes:

First the obvious beauty to be found on our thriving planet:

VERSAILL ES, France — Alain Baraton is an untraditional gardener in perhaps the most traditional garden on the planet. He is the keeper of the Gardens of Versailles — with hundreds of acres of flower beds as meticulously manicured as a beauty queen’s nails and trees so ancient they bore witness to the French Revolution. – Washington Post

Next the insanity of the greens:

Argentine scientists are taking a novel approach to studying global warming – strapping plastic tanks to the backs of cows to collect their burps and farts. Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that gets far less public attention than carbon dioxide in efforts to fight global warming. – Daily Mail (UK)

Oh myleave the lovely cows alone for heavens sakeand go make yourselves useful! I suggest gardening.

Posted by Tina

The Senate easily approved legislation to overhaul government eavesdropping rules in terrorism and espionage cases and effectively granted immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in a secret domestic spying program, ending a contentious debate that has raged for more than two years. Among the 69 senators who voted “yes” on final passage was Barack Obama (Ill.), who had opposed the immunity provision. – Washington Post

Somebody is getting the message.

Posted by Tina

We’re told that “the rich” are getting away with murder…not PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE in taxes! Is it true or just leftist bologna used to inflame the masses? Let’s ask the IRS:

New data from the IRS will be out in a few weeks on who pays how much in taxes. My contacts at the Treasury Department tell me that for the first time in decades, and perhaps ever, the richest 1% of tax filers will have paid more than 40% of the income tax burden. The top 50% will account for 97% of all federal income taxes, while the bottom 50% will have paid just 3%. – Stephen Moore -WSJ

The rich pay 40% of the entire tax burden…lump in the not quite as rich (the middle class) and 97% of all federal taxes are covered. Half of the citizens of this country pay only 3% of the tax burden.

HALF pay ONLY 3%!!!. Does that half deserve to vote…I mean don’t you have to particpate to be in the game.? Why should people who contribute so little have equal say in who becomes our president for instance…or whether or not we will drill for oil?

The so called “have nots” have gotten themselves a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

And what about those paying the tab…why are they being criticized (and shamed) after working hard enough to NOT become a burden on the system?

Please vote wisely in November.

by Tina Grazier

It should be a fairly reasonable expectation that elected leaders will act in the best interests of the American people but sadly that is rarely the case. The current energy problem is no exception. As a citizen I want Congress to make laws and set policies that support people in getting on with their own lives. Instead they continually throw up road- blocks and detours impeding progress at every turn. Today they are setting a course to put the American people in a giant holding pattern as we wait for their dreams to materialize.

In the lofty dreamers mind it seems quite reasonable to imagine a world without oil. In the practical every day lives of most Americans it is unimaginablewe are, and will remain, dependent on oil. Every job depends on it. Everything we consume depends on itand therefore being able to eat depends on it. The dreamers notion that we can just turn off a spigot and free ourselves from oil is both childish and silly.

Unfortunately our representatives in Congress prefer to dream than design a workable long-term plan for our energy requirements:

Continue reading “<strong>Demand for Drilling PopularHouse Dems – Thumbs Down</strong>” »

Posted by Tina

There are those among us who strongly believe that by electing agents of hope and change we will magically be freed from the terror threats we face. The rest of us think it wise to know the enemy and being good scouts, to also be prepared. Over the weekend I read a couple of very good articles that I think will assist us in both of these endeavors.

The first is a look back article from TownHall.com, Hitlers Favorite Jihadist, by David R. Stokes. In the article he reviews a book that offers some interesting historical background:

We are not fighting a war on terror. We are fighting against a pernicious way of thinking. Terrorism is a methodology a way to fight a battle. The technique itself is not the enemy. Our foes are people and regimes who, in the name of foul opinion, perpetrate destruction. Just like back in the 1940s.

Continue reading “<strong>Post 9/11 Ancient Problems, New Language</strong>” »

Posted by Tina

As reported by “Politico,” John McCain has released his economic plan for America in a document titled:

Jobs for America: The McCain Economic Plan,

The main points of the plan include the need for reasonable economic growth, comprehensive spending controls, and bi-partisanship in budget efforts. With these in mind the vision becomes:

John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan that will create millions of good American jobs, ensure our nation’s energy security, get the government’s budget and spending practices in order, and bring relief to American consumers.

As they say, the devil is in the details, so how does he imagine these can be accomplished?

The following are excerpts from the plan:

Continue reading “<strong>McCains Economic Plan for America</strong>” »

by Jack Lee

As most of you already known I am on active duty for the fires in California and we’re still spinning up units for deployment. This is only the second time in 27years the Guard has been activated for actual front line fire fighting duty and the previous time was last year.

Personnel in my unit have been rotating in and out so fast I barely get to know them and they are gone. Our Chaplain left today for field service and I just picked up an LAPD officer who flew in. He was activated for duty yesterday. He will join up with A Riverside County Deputy Sheriff who has also been called in for active duty. In fact most of the people I am currently working with have civilian jobs in addition to be members of the Guard. It’s an interesting mix of people.

Most shifts are working 10-12 hours per day to keep up…even then it’s hard because of all the demands made on their time. Logistics in fire fighting or war fighting is hard to imagine unless you have seen it up close and personal. It involves precision in every aspect from timing delivery to the exact composition of the order. So many hands are involved you would wonder how it all gets done right, but it does and repeatedly every day.

Currently I am sharing space in our computer room with a 1st LT., who is working in procurement and has been tasked with ordering 2000 pairs of Redwing boots that will conform to Cal Fire specs for safety. Apparently the military type boots won’t work, they melt in high heat! There does not appear to be a quick end to the fire season and the ordering of the boots is just one of the clues. Another is the airlift of supplies.

I’m off to Mather Field next. In fact it looks like my time is up…gotta run.

Take care everyone!

Posted by Tina

The Bureau of Land Management announced that it’s placing a two-year freeze on proposals for new solar-energy farms on federal lands, pending the results of … an environmental impact study. – New York Post Editorial

AS GREENIES HOLD UP SOLAR

Lease applications in the pipeline, which wouldn’t be affected by the moratorium, cover more than 1 million acres.Still, such an environmental hiccup for one of America’s prestige “green” industries does rather put the rest of the national energy debate in perspective. *** Consider the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where up to 16 billion barrels of oil could be extracted from a mere 2,000-acre footprint – but for politicians’ carping about the “pristine natural beauty” of a wasteland no more inspiring than any of the deserts so primed for solar energy. *** The two-year solar freeze, moreover, pales in comparison to the 12 years since the country’s newest nuclear power plant came on line – or the three decades since anyone’s built a much-needed oil refinery.

What goes around…comes around. Ooooh…the sheer joy!

A lady walks into the drug store and asks the druggist for some arsenic.

The druggist asks “Ma’am, what do you want with arsenic?”

The lady say’s “To kill my husband.”

“I can’t sell you any for that reason” says the druggist.

The lady then reaches into her purse and pulls out a photo of a man and a woman in a compromising position, the man is her husband and the lady is the druggist’s wife, and shows it to the druggist.

He looks at the photo and says “Oh, I didn’t know you had a prescription!”