Radioactive Communist Zombies

Dry

It's a rare day I can't find anything to blog about.  But today is such a day.

So I'll leave you with a not-so-random headline:

France declares war against al-Qaida

Which begs the question, how long until France surrenders to al-Qaida?

What's a Life Worth to the U.N.? Less Than a Day

A U.N. war crimes tribunal sentences a mass murderer to 35 years for the deaths of over 16,000 people.  With time served, he'll spend only 19 years behind bars.

Thirty-five years works out to a little more than 19 hours per life.  However, the U.N. tribunal had its reasons, according to the AP:

Judges said that in handing down their verdict Monday, they took into consideration the historical context of the atrocities: The 1975-79 regime was the product of the Cold War times.

Oh, it's all the U.S. and Soviet Union's fault, then?

This is why we can't trust the U.N. to deal with terrorists, criminals, or rouge countries (i.e., Iran).  They obviously do not have the best interests of victims (or potential victims) at heart.  They would rather bash the U.S. than hand down a just sentence. 

Ripping Up Paved Roads

Used to be paved roads was a sign of progress.  A town or county with gravel roads was considered backward and poor.  Maybe they still are.  But according to an article (sub probably required) on the front page of today's Wall Street Journal, there's going to be more of them.

Why?  Because jurisdictions are going broke and can't afford to repair and maintain paved roads.  So they are ripping them up and replacing pavement with gravel:

In Michigan, at least 38 of the 83 counties have converted some asphalt roads to gravel in recent years. Last year, South Dakota turned at least 100 miles of asphalt road surfaces to gravel. Counties in Alabama and Pennsylvania have begun downgrading asphalt roads to cheaper chip-and-seal road, also known as "poor man's pavement." Some counties in Ohio are simply letting roads erode to gravel.

The moves have angered some residents because of the choking dust and windshield-cracking stones that gravel roads can kick up, not to mention the jarring "washboard" effect of driving on rutted gravel.

But higher taxes for road maintenance are equally unpopular. In June, Stutsman County [North Dakota] residents rejected a measure that would have generated more money for roads by increasing property and sales taxes.

So what are counties spending their money on, if not roads?  I'll bet a lot of things people would rather they didn't but they are required to by state or federal regulations.  And while residents don't want to pay higher taxes (and who can blame them?) they probably wish the counties would maintain their paved roads.

Green Economy: Green for Those Well Connected, Apparently

President Obama was in Michigan Thursday to give money to a Korean corporation.  Apparently the new green economy means green (money) for those who are well connected.  Henry Payne of The Michigan View reports:

The president handed $150 million in stimulus money over to Korean CEO Peter Bahnsuk Kim of LG Chem. LG Chem is an $11 billion Korean conglomerate that hardly seems a candidate for the American Recovery Act.

The stimulus which was supposed to keep unemployment below 8% (and it's now at nearly 10%) is now being spent on corporate welfare for foreign corporations. 

But these are the foibles of Keynesian economics which states that the government can grow the economy by spending money and it doesn't matter, apparently, how the money is spent.  Even if given to a Korean company.

Obama said his benevolence would create 300 jobs in Holland – but that’s $500,000 per job. At least it’s a bargain compared to the $ $1.25 million per job Obama spent on two solar companies in Arizona over the July 4 weekend. 

So in a "green" economy some get taxpayer (or borrowed) money from the government, and some don't.  And why do we have to give government money to these businesses to create jobs?  Because they are jobs that wouldn't exist without government money.  Which means they are jobs that will continue to keep on needing subsidies in the form of infusions of taxpayer dollars from now on.

I've got an idea.  How about stop spending money we don't have, stop threatening to raise taxes, and stop passing 2,000-page bills to regulate the economy so businesses can thrive and employ people the old fashioned way: without a government handout.

Feds to Track if You're Fat

It sounds just a bit Orwellian, but according to Fox News, the Federal Government is going to track citizens' body mass indexes (BMI).

The change comes as the Health and Human Services announced this week that under the stimulus law, health care providers must establish "meaningful use" of electronic health records to qualify for federal subsidies or risk seeing their Medicare and Medicaid payments slashed. The electronic health records must include Americans' body mass index, or BMI, height and weight.

Why, you may ask?  Because obesity is about to become the new smoking.  You know, an evil thing the government must control.

"The fact we're now tracking BMIs', I think knowledge is power for us," nutrition expert Mitzi Dulan told Fox News."There are a lot of people that don't know their BMI and it's denial."

I know my BMI and it's approaching three digits (just kidding).

So how long until tracking your BMI becomes penalizing you for having too high of one?  After all the government is now in charge of health care so it would be simple to deny care based on "lifestyle" choices.

Another Dumbocrat

Remember when Rep. Hank Johnson (Democrat) was worried about the island of Guam tipping over?

Well another example prime example of Democrat intelligence apparently thinks we won the Vietnam war and there is still a South Vietnam:

Today there are two Vietnams?

Well, at least she didn't mispronounce "nuclear."

These are really the people you want in charge of your government?

The Left is Going Nuts

Usually when liberals are out of power is when they go nuts.  But now they control pretty much the entire Federal government and a lot of state and local governments and they are  . . . going nuts.

What's going on?  Well, they're getting almost everything they wanted and it's not working.  We have not made a paradise on Earth, we have not made New Soviet Man in their image, we don't even have a public option on health care.

So the result of leftist, liberal policies is failure.  Unemployment remains high, the American people are not liking their new president, and the stimulus did not stimulate (as some predicted, like, say, me).

So leftists are going crazy.  They are calling their political opponents "racists" for the sin of not wanting to live under their liberal aegis.  They are attacking anyone who dares question the Congress and the Administration.  And they are infighting amongst themselves to see who can be the most pure liberal.  It would be fun to watch if it weren't so scary.  Impugning political opponents with motives they do not have (racism) is the first step to trying to kick them out of polite discourse and marginalize them.  How long until they try to pass a law making it illegal to oppose liberal policies?  Because, after all, that would be racist.

The sooner we get these people out of power, the better.  The election in November is the first step.  Then comes 2012 (and no, I have no idea who I'm supporting for the Republican nomination).  We need leaders who believe in freedom, liberty, small government, low taxes, and sensible regulation.  Like Republicans used to be and libertarians still are.

Nonexistent Racism Denounced; Real Racism Ignored

The NAACP is formulating a proclamation denouncing the racism of the Tea Party movement.  My question is: what racism?  Well, according to the NAACP (quoted by Investors' Business Daily):

The resolution calls on "all people of good will to repudiate the racism of the Tea Parties, and to stand in opposition to its drive to push our country back to the pre-civil rights era," said Anita Russell, head of the Kansas City chapter of the NAACP. "We need to realize it's really not about limited government."

What the NAACP has done here is set up a straw man and then knocked it down.  Where has any person in the Tea Party movement called for repealing civil rights?  What about the black members of the Tea Party movement?  Are they racists, too?

Meanwhile, no one on the left is denouncing King Samir Shabazz who stood outside a polling station intimidating whites or called for killing "crackers" and their babies.  And the NAACP didn't make a peep when Robert Byrd, former KKK member and who filibustered the Civil Rights Act, was honored for his service to the country.

So why ignore the racism of Shabazz and Byrd?  Because they are leftists.  Why attack the non-racist Tea Party?  Because they are not leftists (I have trouble calling them conservative because I think the Tea Party is more populist than right-wing).

Or is it that opposing the policies of a Black president is racist?  That's probably next.

It Must Be Monday

Monday after a three-day weekend.  Wow.  (What?  you didn't have a three-day weekend?)

Looks like illegal votes may have pushed Al Franken from washed up comic to U.S. Senator.  Us in Washington State have great experience with this, since it was illegal and ineligible votes that made Gregoire our governess back in . . . was it 2004 (time flies when you're having fun)?  Mantra of the Democratic Party: if it's close, we will win it, thanks to ACORN, and felons, non-citizens, and the dead voting.

Roman Polanski is safe in Switzerland (lets hope he doesn't speed).  Leaving Hollywood a place where a child rapist will be defended but a conservative is a pariah.

Fidel Castro (who figures prominently in my novel) appeared on Cuban T.V. today.  Meaning either Cuban CGI technology is improving or the old mass murderer is still alive.  We could hope when he finally kicks the bucket Cuba might make some movement toward freedom.  Or maybe Raul needs to die, too. 

Webtoon ("Netoon"?) "Day by Day" is having a fund raiser to help pay the living expenses of the author.  Maybe I should have a fund raiser.  I'd probably get 47 cents and a bottle cap.  Tell you what.  Donate $5.99 and I throw in a free Kindle copy of my novel.

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day.  And happy birthday to the greatest nation on Earth.  We may have our problems, we may have our divisions.  We do have a President who doesn't believe the country he leads is the greatest there is.  But this is still America.  There's a reason people from all over the world want to come here.  There's a reason the Islamists hate us.  And it's because we are (still) the most free country on the planet.

So Happy Fourth of July.