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November 29, 2007
The 800 Pound Gorilla In The Healthcare Discussion
Here's a clue: it's initials are "I.I."
About 30 percent of all immigrants and their children lack health insurance, Mr. Camarota reports, compared with 13 percent of native-born Americans. One of every three uninsured people in the country is an immigrant or a young American-born child with at least one immigrant parent, he found. Immigrant families account for almost three-quarters of the increase in the uninsured in the past 15 years, he concludes....“Immigrants have had an enormous impact on the lack of health insurance,” Mr. Camarota said. “If we are going to have a debate about health insurance, we should recognize that most of the growth in the uninsured comes from recently arrived immigrants and their American-born kids.”
For many many reasons we simply must secure and regain control of our borders.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:04 AM | Comments (5)
November 27, 2007
Sometimes You Read About the Neatest People
...in the local obituaries. We lost Mr. FRANK E. ZIELINSKI (1915 - 2007) this October 24th. He was a drummer. Now, it's only a couple lines of his story, but they speak volumes...
...After high school he enlisted in the Navy as a musician, a drummer. He served as a Musician for 23 years retiring in 1959.Frank was serving on board the USS Nevada at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked.
His band completed the flag raising ceremony while under attack and then manned their battle stations.
...don't you think?
Hit by 1 aerial torpedo and 6, or more, bombs during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Nevada was beached in the harbour entrance to prevent sinking. She rejoined the fleet a year later, after repairs and refitting at Puget Sound Navy Yard.
Bless you, sir, and our condolences to your family.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:46 AM | Comments (3)
Ah, Those Crazy "Youths" Of France
'Tis the Season to be jolly! Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la!
You can tell the Holidays are upon us, as the joyous gallic tradition of the Car-B-Q has returned
Dozens injured in Paris rampage
Rioting youths in Villiers-le-Bel
Rioting youths blamed the French police for the teenagers' deathsYouths target police
Nearly 80 French police officers have been injured, six seriously, during a second night of riots by youths in the suburbs of Paris, police unions say.The police say some officers suffered bullet wounds, while others were hurt by stones, fireworks and petrol bombs thrown at them in Villiers-le-Bel.
The youths said they were avenging the two teenagers killed when their motorcycle hit a police car on Sunday.
A senior union official said the riots had been more intense than in 2005.
The 2005 unrest, sparked by the accidental deaths of two youths, spread from a nearby suburb of Paris to other cities and continued for three weeks, during which more than 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 300 buildings firebombed.
In a bold move squarely aimed re-asserting the Police's authority and control the head of the national Police Union said, and I quote,
"Our colleagues will not allow themselves to be fired upon indefinitely without responding," he told the radio station, RTL.
I guess that means if a "youth" takes, say, 10 shots at the cops, well, youths will be youths you know, but if MakmudPierre fires say 30 shots then he'll get his falafelbaguette taken away lickity-split!
And the reason for these riots?
The youths said they were avenging the two teenagers killed when their motorcycle hit a police car on Sunday....The violence happened despite appeals for calm from the families of the two teenagers of Algerian origin whose deaths sparked the violence on Sunday evening.
A state prosecutor has ordered the National Police General Inspectorate (IGPN) - an oversight body - to carry out a detailed inquiry into the circumstances in which the two teenagers - named only as Moushin, 15, and Larami, 16, lost their lives.
Police sources have said that in Sunday's incident, the motorcycle was going at top speed and was not registered for street use, while the two teenagers were not wearing helmets and had been ignoring traffic rules.
Go figure: ride a motorcycle at high speed, don't wear a helmet, hit a car...and it's the Police's fault you die!
Here We Come A-Car-Oling...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:04 AM | Comments (8)
Prince Saud: "No Jooo Jerms For Me!"
A nice mature bunch, these "allies" of ours
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's participation in the U.S.-sponsored talks on Middle East peace was seen as a diplomatic coup for the Bush administration but the kingdom has made clear there will be no handshakes with Israeli officials."We are not here for theater. We are here for the serious business of making peace. We are not here to give an impression that everything is normal," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters on Monday, on the eve of the conference to be held in Annapolis, Maryland.
"We will not do anything that will divert from the seriousness of the occasion, (such as) shaking hands to give an impression of something that is not there," he said.
How many lashes do you get for shaking hands with Jooooos?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:02 AM | Comments (2)
November 26, 2007
More Bush Attacks On Our Democracy
When will people say "enough is enough?
(CNN) -- A Federal judge sentenced Democratic leader George Clooney to five days in jail Sunday, a day after the actor-turned-politician and other protesters were arrested at a pro-democracy demonstration in Washington.Clooney was charged and sentenced Sunday for organizing an unsanctioned procession, resisting arrest and chanting anti-government slogans.
The actor said his conviction is part of a government effort to harass him.
"Everything you heard here is a lie," he told reporters outside the courtroom. "All my rights were violated from the outset, from the moment of my detention."
Clooney said his arrest was intended to ensure that President George Bush's party holds on to power. Bush is slated to step down next year at the end of his second consecutive term in office.
Though America's constitution prohibits a third consecutive term, Bush is expected to attempt to retain power in some form.
It disgusts me how democratic freedoms and rights have been trampled by this regime. No wonder the world is justified in crying out as one against such abuses of basic civil rights.
Oops, silly me, it was that rascal Putin fellow. Well, that's all right then.
Nothing to see here, folks...cultural differences and all that.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 10:29 AM | Comments (2)
I Don't Think It's So Much That the Teddy Bear
...was named 'Mohammed' (a truly bad teddy bear name if there ever was one)...
A British primary school teacher has been arrested in Sudan, accused of insulting Islam's Prophet by letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear Mohammed, her school said on Monday.Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons, aged 54 from Liverpool, told Reuters they feared for her safety after receiving reports that young men had already started gathering outside the Khartoum police station where she was being held.
...but that she let her mixed gender class VOTE on what to name him in the first place.
...Gibbons, who joined Unity in August, asked a girl to bring in her teddy bear to help the Year 2 class focus, said Boulos.The teacher then asked the class to name the toy. "They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Mohammed. Then she explained what it meant to vote and asked them to choose the name." Twenty out of the 23 children chose Mohammed.
Concepts of democracy and female decision-making are not part of the training track, I'll betcha. You can kiss Teddy Ruxpin adios.
And, in keeping with the best traditions of TRoP, the seven year old 'catmeat-in-training' accomplice is on the hotseat as well.
...The bear itself was not marked or labeled with the name in any way, he added, saying Sudanese police had now seized the book and had asked to interview the 7-year-old girl.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:15 AM | Comments (5)
November 25, 2007
How Do You Avoid Those Ugly Holiday Family Fracases
...at Gramma's? You know, the sister-in-law who drives an Excursion, the pig brother-in-law who is a methane well-head or Grampa who just knows what buttons to push, cranky old bastard that he is and who should be dead by now anyway if he had any decency? Not to mention your basic hardened capitalist versus...well...you ~ the tree hugger home from college in California/Washington/any liberal arts U? Don't fret, gentle readers. Besides green tips and reviewing books like "Sex in a Tent", the Sierra Club has thoughtfully provided your talking points for conflict diffusion/resolution dialogue.
...“We’ll see how much we can avoid a dinner table argument this year,” Ms. Roby, 22, said. “There’s always that uncle or grandfather who knows what you care passionately about and is going to say anything he can to rile you up.”Dr. Wallin said that environmental activists can avoid arguments by trying to lead by example, not by lecture. “Don’t force them to change,” she said. “It may take two or three seasons, but you are not going to get anywhere by showing up and thumbing your nose.”
(Anxious greens can consult the Sierra Club’s Web site, which provides actual scripts to recite during dinner-table debates. For example, when “Aunt Mim” shrugs off global warming, the activist might respond:
“A delicate balance has been thrown out of whack, and the consequences are really rather frightening. At this pace, Mim, we could see an ice-free Arctic by midcentury.”)
(Delicately leaving out the obvious point that sanctimonious old bitch 'Aunt Mim' should damn well be dead by mid-century anyway if there's any warm global justice.)
I guarantee you that, should you utter these sensible, non-inflammatory words, Gramps will get off your ass, Dad will be thrilled with every one of the tens of thousands he's already spent on your education, look eagerly forward to the next tuition bill and Aunt Mim herself will recognize the second coming in your idiot savant 22 year old brain. Guaranteed.
And no one will yell at anyone any more ever again.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:32 PM | Comments (4)
Thanks John
Through thick and thin you've always been there to support us, and we appreciate your support. America could have asked for no firmer friend than Australia under your leadership.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:25 AM | Comments (2)
November 22, 2007
A story of the things we need to be thankful for......
Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to travel to Sis's house for Thanksgiving. We are having the CAGs father and wife over, along with a coworker and his wife. Well, our table does not have a leaf, so plan A was for me to make one, so we went to Lowes on Saturday to acquire the needed lumber. Lacking a planer, I needed to layer a number of boards to reach the desired thickness, but was unable to find any combination of boards that would work for less than the price of a few body parts. So being the anti-hero male that I am, I actually asked an employee in the lumber section for a bit of advice on the project. He looked at me and said "I would just take the measurements to the mill in Mt. Pleasant, and they can plane you a board the needed size for around $20 (ed-It turned out to be $33, but well worth it.)." But it was almost noon, and they closed at 12 on Saturdays, so we decided to call and give them the dimensions on Monday.
So we called on Monday and ordered the leaf, and it would be done by Wednesday. Being the eveel corporate stoolie type that I am, I would be to busy swindling the common man at work on Wednesday to be able to be there when it was picked up, leaving the CAG and Crusader III (Crusader II was home doing school work) to pick it up. Well, being as the leaf (44" x 16" x 1 25/32" solid Oak) was taller than Crusader III, he was of little help lifting it into the trunk. As the CAG was trying to get it in, a little old man gets out of his car and asks if he can help her with it. She turns around to see a gentleman in his 80s, no taller than she walking with his cane towards her. Together they lift the leaf into the trunk, then proceeds to explain to her that he is recovering from a stroke on jis left side a short while back. He expressed he was thankful it was his left side, as he had been shot in his left leg during the Battle of the Bulge, so it did not effect his good one. She thanked him, they spoke for a bit about his 2 grandchildren, and then went their ways.
Here, a man who was shot fighting in one the worst battles we fought in World War II almost 63 years ago, while probably little older than our own Crusader II (15), is recovering from a stroke and still goes out of his way to help a stranger. Those are the things we are thankful for, and whose values are worth fighting for, to the end. So this Thanksgiving, be not only thankful for what we have, but also for the people we have, most we will never meet, but whose sacrifices have won and preserved the freedoms we have.
Posted by Crusader at 08:35 AM | Comments (4)
November 21, 2007
Bush Creates Roaming Gangs Of Marauding Jellyfish
And the salmon sleep with the fishes
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) -- The only salmon farm in Northern Ireland has lost its entire population of more than 100,000 fish, worth $2 million, to a spectacular jellyfish attack, its owners said Wednesday.The Northern Salmon Co. Ltd. said billions of jellyfish -- in a dense pack of about 10 square miles and 35 feet deep -- overwhelmed the fish last week in two net pens about a mile off the coast of the Glens of Antrim, north of Belfast.
Managing director John Russell said the company's dozen workers tried to rescue the salmon, but their three boats struggled for hours to push their way through the mass of jellyfish. All the fish were dead or dying from stings and stress by the time the boats reached the pens, he said.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 02:55 PM | Comments (7)
On World News Last Night
...Charlie Gibson surprised us.
...CHARLES GIBSON: Let me turn to Iraq.PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Yes, sir.
CHARLES GIBSON: You took a lot of doubting and rather skeptical questions about the surge. I'll give you a chance to crow.
Do you want to say, I told you so?
Rather a nice acknowledgment of the state of current affairs in a back handed sort of way, n'est pas?
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:29 AM | Comments (4)
November 20, 2007
I Mean HONESTLY...
Delaware State Police have arrested a Chester, Pennsylvania, man who they said was running naked and drunk on Interstate-95 and caused three accidents.
*What else does a guy from 'BRANDYWINE' do?
*Not having the police video of the actual event, I have substituted this photo of Bingley during his traditional holiday revels in order to illustrate someone causing accidents. They don't call him the 'King of Turd-ducken' for nothing.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:51 PM | Comments (1)
The Message From the Saudis Is Nothing
...if not 'clear'.
The Saudi Justice Ministry Tuesday issued a "clarification" of a court's handling of a rape case and the increased punishment -- including 200 lashes --meted out to the victim....The woman was originally sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes. But that sentence was more than doubled to 200 lashes and six months in prison by the Qatif General Court, because she spoke to the media about the case, a court source told Middle Eastern daily newspaper Arab News.
And a judicial system that lets you trade up for a stiffer sentence is nothing if not 'justice'.
Medieval, even.
...It said the case was treated normally through regular court procedures, and that the woman, her male companion and the perpetrators of the crime all agreed in court to the sentences handed down.
I'm sure the affirmative was nothing if not 'sincere'.
(..."Currently she doesn't have a lawyer, and I feel they're doing this to isolate her and deprive her from her basic rights," he said. "We will not accept this judgment and I'll do my best to continue representing her because justice needs to take place.")
If the lash count (as in, you know, 'blood and chunks o' flesh flying through the air, with horrific pain and scarring IF she lives') went up exponentially, why aren't those arbiters of social justice also now slicing off a couple perpetrating schwanzes? You know...blood all around! How biblical! But that would change the rules and it would seem the rules say only women bleed.
Which is okay, too, you know, since...
"...And what they were saying to me is they want to reach out. They want American women to know what they're like. And these women do not see covering as some sort of subjugation of women, this group of women that I was with.That's their culture. That's their tradition. That's a religious choice of theirs."
...she CHOSE that life.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:17 PM | Comments (5)
The Kobayashi Maru
Arrives in Cleveland.
Is there finally a solution?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 03:06 PM | Comments (1)
Tell Me There's NOT
...some weird sort of...
...cosmic connectiveness in this world.
I dare you.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:53 AM | Comments (2)
November 19, 2007
It's Not Enough
....Megan's parents had been storing a foosball table for the family that created the MySpace character. Six weeks after Megan's death, they learned the other family had created the profile and responded by destroying the foosball table, dumping it on the neighbors' driveway and encouraging them to move away.But it's a start. The parents responsible...
...“They’ve absolutely offered no apologies,” Ron Meier told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer on Monday. “They sent us a letter in the mail, basically saying that they might feel a little bit of responsibility, but they don’t feel no guilt or remorse or anything for what they did.”...should immediately be social pariahs in town and, if there's any justice, hounded from it by villagers with torches and pitchforks.
...Rather, said Tina Meier, the people are upset with her for going public with their story. Last week, while shopping, she ran into the woman who invented the hoax, Tina Meier said.“She asked me to stop doing all of this,” she told Lauer. “I told her that we would not stop, that we were going to continue for justice for Megan because we knew what they did.”
Bastards. Inhuman, despicable, self-centered, monstrous bastards.
And if it had been my sweet child, I would plant myself on the sidewalk in front of their house and never move. Until they did.
UPDATE: Wow.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:58 PM | Comments (7)
"How Is a Itty Bitty 12 Oz. Roll of Sausage Supposed to Feed
...600 pounds of men?"
It's a legitimate question. And the man is demanding some answers.
Stick around for the end ~ he's a little slow ending the call.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:16 AM | Comments (2)
Couldn't Have Said It Better
...myself.
"I cannot imagine that the framers of the 1964 Civil Rights Act intended to say that it's discrimination for a shoe shop owner to say to his or her employee, 'I want you to be able to speak America's common language on the job,' "
Disaster relief would also be more of an effort if one needed a translator's intervention before goods and services could flow and needs articulated to be met. I mean, we've all seen how Washington, FEMA and local goverments play 'telephone' during a catastrophe ~ they're ALL speaking 'English' but there's little comprehension as it is.
Toss a foreign language into the gumbo and stand by.
...After testy negotiations, the Hispanic Caucus finally agreed to let the tax bill proceed after extracting a promise from Ms. Pelosi that the House will not vote on the bill funding the Justice and Commerce Departments unless the English-only protection language is dropped. "There ain't going to be a bill" with the Alexander language, Mr. Baca has told reporters.Sen. Alexander says that if that's the case, "thousands of small businesses across America will have to show there is some special reason to justify requiring their employees to speak our country's common language on the job." He notes that the number of EEOC actions against English-only policies grew to some 200 last year from 32 a decade ago. In an attempt at compromise, he has offered watered-down language that would still allow the EEOC to file many actions, but he says House Democrats rejected it.
I can only infer that the Democrats intend to compel me to learn a second ( or third or fourth) language to be able to communicate with a counter clerk with whom I'm conducting business. I just don't see how that's my responsibility.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:58 AM | Comments (6)
November 17, 2007
A New "Boston Tea Party" Is Needed
This trampling of the Constitution must not be allowed
Boston police are launching a program that will call upon parents in high-crime neighborhoods to allow detectives into their homes, without a warrant, to search for guns in their children's bedrooms.
more stories like thisThe program, which is already raising questions about civil liberties, is based on the premise that parents are so fearful of gun violence and the possibility that their own teenagers will be caught up in it that they will turn to police for help, even in their own households.
In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager's parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.
There exists too much potential for intimidation by the presense of armed officers. There is no way this unconstitutional plan should be allowed to go forward. Do they really think a parent, perhaps on parole themselves, will be able to freely choose to turn a group of police away?
What a horrible program.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:08 AM | Comments (13)
November 16, 2007
"I'm willing to lose my job..."
..."if that's necessary to set our fiscal house in order." So says our illustrious Governor Corzine, in yet another effort to paint himself as some type of fiscally responsible defender of the common man.
In a speech Thursday to hundreds of officials gathered for the annual New Jersey State League of Municipalities conference, Corzine said addressing the state's financial problems would be among the most important things he does as governor."It's time for we elected officials to stop being afraid and cautious and do something bold to right the ship," Corzine said. He later added: "I'm willing to lose my job if that's necessary to set our fiscal house in order."
Along with paying down debt, Corzine said his plan will provide permanent funding for transportation needs and will include new restrictions on state borrowing. He said the full details will come out in his Jan. 8 State of the State speech.
As is usual when Daddy Warbucks speaks, however, not once does he mention spending less. Nowhere does he mention freezing, let alone cutting, the number of state employees; well, no surprise on that, I suppose, given his dating history.
If I may mangle his quote a little, it's necessary for him to lose his job if we are to have any hope of setting our fiscal house in order. I'm more and more convinced that we really need a shakeup in NJ politics; the last thing we need is another millionaire carpetbagger riding in to 'solve' our problems as some pre-retirement vanity project (yeah, I'm looking at you, Mr. Bon Jovi. Yes, you were born in NJ. Yes, you own a lovely house just a couple miles from mine in Middletown. Yes, you've done wonderful and fantastic charity work in NJ. But you've decided to move with your family to Soho. I've got nothing against that, if that's where you want to live and raise your kids, great. But you live in New York now, not New Jersey, and if you disrupt the kids' life again by making them move back here so you can do your vanity project you're a schmuck. Besides, there may be a job opening in Albany pretty soon...).
The state of politics here is simply horrific. How many officials are under investigation? Our Senators are a joke: the only time you hear from "Silent Bob" Menendez is when his staff responds to new rumors of impending indictments, and as for Lautenberg...is he still even alive? I'm serious; when is the last time you actually even heard him mentioned?
Pathetic.
Update: Lawhawk was looking at this last night.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:50 AM | Comments (3)
November 15, 2007
Video: Butter Head
(thanks to LGF for this)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:52 PM | Comments (3)
"Punish the Person, Not the Whiskey."
"Jack never did anything wrong, and the whiskey itself is innocent."I'd say it's like throwing away the money if you were banking without a license, or bulldozing a national treasure. Shoot, SELL that stuff as a fundraiser for law enforcement. They'd sell my house if I was still selling crack and got caught.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 04:21 PM | Comments (8)
Quote of the Day
"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration, it's easier to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them."ROTFLMAO.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 09:38 AM
From Our Reporter In Spitzer's Office...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:08 AM | Comments (3)
Adeebada-deebada-deebada...That's All, Folks!
Spitzer sputters again
In a second major policy reversal in less than a day, Governor Spitzer is backing down from a plan to require Amazon.com and other online retailers to charge state and local sales taxes on all purchases from New York.Yesterday, just hours after The New York Sun reported on the new revenue collection scheme, the Spitzer administration announced that it was burying it for the time being — at least until after the Christmas shopping season. The move saved New York City shoppers from having to pay an additional 8.375% on many Amazon.com goods.
"Governor Spitzer believes that now is not the right time to be increasing sales taxes on New Yorkers," Mr. Spitzer's budget director, Paul Francis, said in a statement. "He has directed the Department of Tax and Finance to pull back its interpretation that would require some Internet retailers that do not collect sales tax to do so."
His Megalomaniacness is discovering that he doesn't quite have the same freedom from question as Governor as he did in his previous job. What with his dirty tricks scandal and the drivers license fiasco and now this, one is almost tempted to think he is a Corzine plant to divert attention away from New Jersey...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:39 AM
November 14, 2007
Rocket Man
An amazing and moving story
Spc. Channing Moss should be dead by all accounts. And those who saved his life did so knowing they might have died with him.March 16, 2006. Southeastern Afghanistan. A fierce ambush and bloody firefight. It was over in a flash and Moss was left on the verge of death.
He was impaled through the abdomen with a rocket-propelled grenade, and an aluminum rod with one tail fin protruded from the left side of his torso.
His fellow soldiers worried: Could he blow up and take them with him? For all anyone knew, the answer was yes.
Still, over the course of the next couple of hours, his buddies, a helicopter crew and a medical team would risk their own lives to save his.
Thanks to Ace for finding this.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:28 PM | Comments (2)
Laugh Of The Day
Now I've often looked around and thought "Bingley, how can you show the world what kind of a committed environmentalist you really are?" I mean, heck, I already recycle by dumping stuff into landfills (since it all was ripped out of Gaia's flesh the most logical thing to do is shove it back in); I try to feed the wondrous flora by generating as much tasty carbon dioxide for them as I can...what else can a concerned fellow do? Well, now I know:
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have bought a man-made island in the shape of Ethiopia that is part of an ambitious luxury development off the coast of Dubai, a newspaper reported Wednesday.The Hollywood couple intend to use the reclaimed piece of land to showcase environmental issues and encourage people to live a greener life, the Emirates Today newspaper said.
The couple's purchase is part of cluster of 300 islands, shaped like a world map, that is gradually surfacing in waters off the booming Gulf emirate.
What says "I care about the environment" better than an artificial island?
And what adjective describes a Middle East country better than "booming"?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:07 AM | Comments (9)
November 13, 2007
Just Say 'No'
Not, 'Yo'.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, which serves about 700,000 students, is embroiled in a nasty debate about whether meetings of a district advisory board should be conducted in English or Spanish.I don't have a child in the school district, but let me say this as clearly as I can for the activists wanting to conduct meetings in anything but English: Yo quiero Ingles, por favor.
For the rest of you: I want English, please.
One parent said it was racist to demand people who come to America speak English. I think not.
What's really odd about this debate out in L.A. for many of us is that it is not the usual clash between Anglo-nativists and newly arrived Hispanic immigrants. Instead this is a battle which pits African-Americans against newly arrived Hispanic immigrants. The African-Americans think they are getting ripped off if a key advisory council to the school district is conducting business — dividing up federal money in many cases — in a language they cannot understand.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:22 PM | Comments (3)
I Think The Penalty For Running
far exceeded what would have happened had he stood his ground and 'fessed up to the police
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man who allegedly was fleeing police was attacked and killed by an alligator in a pond, Local 10 reported.Miccosukee police, assisted by Sweetwater canine units, responded to a call on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation about vehicles being broken into.
Local 10's Todd Tongen said police captured one man, but another fled on foot and dove into a retention pond. Signs warned of the danger of live alligators in the pond behind the casino and hotel.
Eyewitnesses said they were shouting to the man to swim back to shore. When the man finally spotted the alligator, eyewitnesses said he screamed but then disappeared under the water.
There's a lesson in this sad tale, folks.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:04 AM | Comments (5)
Well, It's "Comforting" To Know That In England...
...Their immigration service is as screwed up as ours
The Tories say it appears the Home Office put "spin" before public safety in a row about 5,000 illegal immigrants wrongly cleared to work in security.They say leaked papers show the home secretary knew of the problem in July.
David Cameron said it appeared it was not announced then because it was "going to look bad for the government".
...Ministers ordered fresh checks on 40,000 people after it emerged the Security Industry Authority (SIA) was not checking applicants could work in the UK before granting licences.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that some of those who were not properly vetted by the SIA had been working for them. Others were employed at airports and ports.
Great, just great.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:07 AM
November 12, 2007
Makes Sense To Me
Although I'm not quite sure how one proves one's status
Seventy-three percent (73%) of American voters say that when someone is pulled over for a traffic violation, police officers should routinely check to see if that person is in the country legally. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 18% disagree while 9% are not sure.If someone pulled over for a traffic violation is found to be in the country illegally, 62% of voters say that person should be deported. Seventeen percent (17%) disagree while 21% are not sure.
Unfortunately we're going to have to come up with some sort of Government issued ID which shows one's status.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 08:12 AM | Comments (6)
Second Amendment Case
This could make for some interesting times
The justices are facing a decision about whether to hear an appeal from city officials in Washington, D.C., wanting to keep the capital's 31-year ban on handguns. A lower court struck down the ban as a violation of the Second Amendment rights of gun ownership.The prospect that the high court might define gun rights under the Constitution is making people on both sides of the issue nervous.
I would hope that the Court would use this as a chance to clearly say "the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Oh wait, the Constitution already says that.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:55 AM | Comments (14)
November 11, 2007
232 Reasons and Counting
... to love the Corps.
On Nov. 10, the Marine Corps turns 232 years old. Ever since it was formed in a Philadelphia bar in 1775, the Corps has given us countless reasons to take pride in the heritage of 'our beloved Corps'.
There is no shortage of instances in which Marine units and individuals have distinguished themselves in battle, but the bragging rights earned over the past 232 years weren't all born on the battlefield.
The Corps' culture sets it apart from other branches of the military in ways that those who have never earned the eagle, globe and anchor find difficult to fully understand. But what is obvious to even the most casual observer is that Marines distinguish themselves through their unique appearance, spirit and accomplishments.
To know the Corps is to love the Corps, which is why Marine Corps Times compiled the following list of 232 reasons to stand proudly at this year's birthday ball.
1. Cpl. Jason Dunham. First Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since Vietnam. If jumping on a grenade to save a buddy isn't worth the top of the list, nothing is.
2. Civilians have to find time to go to the gym. Marines get paid to go.
3. The National Museum of the Marine Corps. It's like a Smithsonian of leatherneck.
4. There's no such thing as an "ex" Marine.
5. Re-enlistment rates are higher IN the war zone.
6. Stink-proof socks. Well, almost. Systems Command is working on them.
7. Jalapeño cheese.
8. "Every Marine Into the Fight."
9. Lump-sum re-enlistment bonuses up to $80,000. Many of you would consider doing it for free.
10. New uniforms #1. Pixel-pattern cammies? Yeah, the Corps came up with that.
11. "Doc."
12. Flexed arm hang is harder than it looks. We tried it.
13. Barracks parties on non-payday weekends.
14. Marine Gunners.
15. The Wounded Warrior Regiment.
16. MarAdmin 266/07: Letting 18-year-old Marines drink on base at this year's birthday ball.
17. No receipt necessary for travel claim expenses less than $75.
18. The lance corporal underground.
19. Fallujah II.
21. Archibald Henderson's couch, re-upholstered, is still in the commandant's living room.
22. "No better friend, no worse enemy."
23. Typhoons approaching Okinawa often spark islandwide beer runs.
24. Waivers.
25. Gen. James Jones, who followed his tour as commandant with appointment as "supreme intergalactic overlord" (OK, it was Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, but close).
26. 10 rounds from the 500-yard line.
27. Per diem.
28. To civilians, every Marine is recon.
29. Recruiting in Texas is like hunting at the zoo.
30. The "boat cloak." Because every super hero needs a cape.
31. You can re-enlist in the IRR.
32. The wallet in your sock.
33. Motivating television commercials.
34. The "horse shoe" haircut, gone but not forgotten.
35. The global address list. Find your buddies and send them links to Marine Corps Times.
36. Running cadences that mention napalm. And Eskimos.
37. Stories that begin with, "So there I was ..."
38. Modified parade rest.
39. The transformation. Who you are when you join is not nearly as important as who you become.
40. Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis getting a fourth star.
41. If you've been on liberty in Twentynine Palms, you've been on liberty in Yuma and Barstow, too.
42. Grooming standards. Not only can you not act like a thug, you cannot look like a thug.
43. It's not the Army.
44. Women in Manhattan have all seen the Fleet Week episode of "Sex and the City."
45. Combat shotguns.
46. Combat Action Ribbons. IEDs count now, and should have counted all along. Duh.
47. The occasional free beer. Wear your blues into a bar and see what happens.
48. After decades of debate, there remains no resolution on whether sand fleas trump "The Reaper."
49. The Corps' doesn't call its officers, commissioned or not, "petty."
50. Cpl. Gareth Hawkins, lying on a stretcher after an IED shattered his leg, demanded re-enlistment before medical evacuation. And got it.
51. Whereas Army, Navy and Air Force jokes are funny, Marine jokes are potentially dangerous.
52. The occasional friendly debate. Refer to a Marine staff noncommissioned officer simply as "sergeant," and see what happens.
53. That troublesome "10 percent," making good Marines look great since 1775.
54. Everyone at a high school reunion is obliged to justify his last 10 years, except the guy wearing alphas.
55. As if ranks that include the words "master" and "gunnery" aren't intimidating enough on their own, the Corps uses them both. At once.
56. Soldiers have Hooah Bars. Marines have Ka-Bars. The second will generally get you the first.
57. The dress code. You can wear your cammies to meet the commandant or repair a tank.
58. From "Aliens" to "Doom," the future vision of warfare almost always includes Space Marines.
59. The Corps was formed in a bar.
60. Marines predicted the WWII campaigns in the Pacific years earlier and prepared for the inevitable. So when a Marine says, "Hey, I've been thinking …" perhaps you should take notes.
61. Give a Marine some free time, and he'll rip down your dictator's statue.
62. If it ain't raining, we ain't training.
64. Duty station garden spots: Jacksonville, N.C.; Yuma, Ariz.; Bridgeport, Calif.; Twentynine Palms, Calif. (Yes, we're kidding.)
65. Making morning PT on time.
66. Recruiters who promise everything EXCEPT a rose garden.
67. Mustangs #1. It's easier to take crap from a CO who went to boot camp.
69. Gen. Peter Pace, the first Marine chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He left his four-star insignia with his fallen comrades at the Vietnam Wall when he retired. Nice move.
70. The people zapper. Using microwave energy to disperse a crowd sounds like fun. Semper fry, gunny.
71. Nothing says "Good morning" like a mouthful of Copenhagen and freeze-dried coffee.
72. Nothing says "I love you" like a welcome home sheet hanging on a chain-link fence.
73. Bill Barnes. In June, the former Marine beat the crap out of a 27-year-old pickpocket who tried to make off with his dough. Oh yeah, he's 72.
74. Leftwich Trophy. Heisman winners only think they know about leaving it all on the field.
75. EOD. If you don't know why this is on the list, defuse the next IED yourself.
76. Tax-free combat pay. Doing what you signed up for and not having to give Uncle Sam a dime back.
77. Montford Point Marines. The first African-American Marines know a little something about honor, courage and commitment.
78. Front toward enemy. It's not just a visual reference on a Claymore mine, it's a Marine Corps way of life.
79. Mustangs #2. You know at least three Marines who drive them. It's like a Ford dealership exploded on base.
80. Fred Smith, founder of FedEx. Only a former Marine could truly appreciate the value of getting your mail on time.
81. CMC: The tallest member of the Joints Chiefs. OK, so we haven't actually measured, but he looks the tallest anyway.
82. No more spit shining boots.
83. Chuck Norris was in the Air Force. Steve McQueen was a Marine.
84. The Crucible.
85. 1/9, 2/9 and 3/9. Welcome back, fellas.
86. The FROG uniform. You are now sweat-wickin' AND flame-lickin'.
88. The M4. More rifles in the fight is generally a win-win.
89. MRAPs. Trucks straight out of Mad Max. We still love a good Humvee, but we loved jeeps, too. Things change.
90. Arty guys who do civil affairs. They blow it up, then they fix it. Circle of life.
91. Service Charlies. They look so good, the Navy's copying 'em.
92. Fake Marines. No one eats 'em up faster than real Marines.
93. John Lovell. A 71-year-old former Marine is sitting in a Subway restaurant when two armed men try to rob the place. Lovell grabs his .45, kills one and wounds the other. No word on how Lovell's sandwich fared.
94. 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Six Navy Crosses so far. Six.
95. Staff Sgt. Lawrence Dean II, aka the "BadAss Marine." He recites a poem. He gets uploaded to YouTube. Thousands get motivated.
96. Gen. James Conway takes over as the new commandant. Among his
demands: a new PT uniform, new tattoo regs, a plan to add dress blues to the seabag, a change-up in medals and 22,000 more Marines. Someone's been thinking about taking over for a while, huh?
97. Body-fat standards. Everyone hates them, until they see a fat Marine.
98. "Jarhead." Only a former Marine could write a war story about not fighting anyone and make it last for 200 pages, then get Jamie Foxx to star in the movie.
99. The Stumps. The Rock. The Sandbox. Oh, the places you'll serve.
101. Tattoos #2. Getting a fallen friend's name tattooed on your other forearm, and knowing the same.
102. The new PT running suit. Sure, the Army had them first, but the Army gets most things first.
103. Marine expeditionary units: The cheapest cruise you'll ever take.
104. Camp Lejeune: The closest interstate and the nearest good shopping mall are both at least an hour away.
105. Camp Pendleton: There are roads and malls, but try affording a house near the main gate.
106. Tattoos #3. Meat tags. Getting your blood type and other info inked on your ribcage isn't necessarily a bad idea.
107. The Marine Corps is getting bigger. The Navy is getting smaller.
109. 30 days' paid vacation, plus federal holidays off, is obscene by civilian standards.
110. Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, the Corps' first fighter ace. First Marine to fly a helicopter. Two Navy Crosses, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 air medals. In 1998, the 82-year-old was killed during a home break-in when he jumped in front of a shotgun blast aimed at his longtime wife, Edna.
111. Tattoos #4. Reaction to the new policy: Conway says sleeves are going away, Marines run for the chair. Tattoo parlors never saw so much business.
113. Guaranteed pay raises.
114. Marine Security Guard #1. Duty in the Bahamas.
115. Having a WWII Marine say he's proud of you
116. Drew Carey used to be in the Marine Corps Reserve. Now, he's the host of "The Price is Right."
117. Combatant diver pins. No more of that Navy crap.
118. A Red Stripe is a beer, mon. A Blood Stripe is a symbol of pride.
119. NMCI, if only they would remove the "MC."
120. You watched "300," and it reminded you of your unit.
121. The "Det One" .45 pistol. Designed by Marines, for Marines.
122. Combat marksmanship. You are creeping death. And you get graded on it.
123. Never lost six nukes on a plane.
124. CamelBaks. Water tastes like water again.
125. Give a Marine enough free time, and he'll marry your Bahraini princess.
126. Go to YouTube. Type in "bored Marines." Enjoy.
127. When the president gets on a helicopter, it's not called "Army One."
128. The opposite of the Peace Corps.
129. Camouflage. You can camouflage anything and make it cool.
130. No Fear #1. Marines aren't scared of anything. Except apricots. And Charms.
131. Combat optics on M16s. Leave the iron sights, just in case.
132. "Combat loss" amnesty for missing gear. It's like pleading the fifth.
133. Riding a chartered Continental Airlines flight home from the war zone with assault weapons stuffed in all the overhead compartments.
134. In combat, the division band becomes a heavy-machine-gun platoon.
135. What do headaches, broken bones, infectious diseases, missing limbs and hurt feelings all have in common? Motrin. Thanks, Doc.
137. Global instability equals job security.
138. When NMCI goes down, and it will, it's like having the day off.
139. The honor, privilege and responsibility of leading, mentoring and caring for junior Marines.
140. Gunnery sergeants. Don't know the answer? Ask the gunny. Need something? Ask the gunny. In trouble? Avoid the gunny.
141. Because gunny said so.
142. The line to get "tazed" at a military gear expo. Marines will do anything for a free T-shirt.
143. Deployment reunions. Like reliving your wedding night. Sweet!
144. Gig lines. Even in khakis and a polo shirt.
145. Eight-point covers. Even the uniform stands at attention.
146. Marine Security Guards #2. They're not cute and cuddly, but when they greet you at the door, it's like getting a great big hug from the United States of America, no matter where you are.
147. The Mameluke sword. Distinctive.
148. The NCO sword. Earned, never given.
149. The World Famous Mud Run. Thousands of people pay good money to run through 10 clicks of muck every year at Camp Pendleton.
150. John Philip Sousa. A Marine, the nation's March King and composer of "The Stars and Stripes Forever." Ooh-rah.
151. MRE crackers. Hard as Milk Bones but much tastier. You can almost feel your teeth getting cleaner as you eat 'em.
152. Jane Wayne Day. She'll never ask about work again.
153. Shirt stays. Or garters. Whatever you call them, they're a triple whammy, keeping your shirt tucked, your socks up and removing all that unwanted leg hair.
154. The slogans: "The Few, The Proud, The Marines." "We're Looking For a Few Good Men," "Once a Marine, always a Marine," "Tell that to the Marines." If they could only purchase the rights to Hallmark's "When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best."
155. Speaking of slogans, "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" beat out such notables as Nike's "Just Do It" and Burger King's "Have It Your Way" for a 2007 spot on the advertising Walk of Fame. Better luck next year, losers.
157. Real duty station garden spots you can go an entire career without being assigned to: Southern California; Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii; Okinawa, Japan.
158. Rear-party Marines. God bless them. Whatever reason they stay behind — injury, impending retirement or being volun-told — they are indispensable. They deserve medals for what they have to deal with while a unit is deployed.
159. While field-grade officers are at the company office, company-grade officers are in the field.
160. Colonels who can take a joke.
161. Free flu shots. And smallpox shots and anthrax shots …
162. Former Sgt. Chris Everhart. While camping with his three sons in June 2007, a bear snatched their cooler and made a play for his 6-year-old. Everhart threw an 18-inch log at the bear's head, cracking its skull before it could attack and killing it instantly. Then, the park ranger gave him a ticket for leaving the cooler where the bear could get it.
163. Standards. The Corps doesn't lower the bar when recruiting gets tough.
164. Jim Nabors. "Gomer Pyle" becomes an honorary Marine in 2001 and makes lance corporal. It takes him six years to pin on corporal. Talk about art imitating life.
165. Vincent D'Onofrio. The other "Private Pyle" is doing pretty well on "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." He's still weird, though.
166. If you ambush Capt. Brian Chontosh's boys, he's going to take off his Navy Cross and kill you. Then, he's going to pick up your rifle and kill your buddies. Then, he's going to pick up your buddy's rifle and kill your buddy's buddies. Then, he's going to pick up a rocket-propelled grenade launcher …
167. Speaking of the Navy Cross, a combat award second only to the Medal of Honor, Marines have earned 15 so far in Iraq, plus one in Afghanistan. Of the six awarded to sailors for those combat zones, five went to SEALs, and one went to a corpsman who exposed himself repeatedly to enemy fire to evacuate and treat wounded Marines. Along with Chontosh, the other recipients include:
168. Gunnery Sgt. Justin D. Lehew.
169. Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Perez.
170. Sgt. Scott C. Montoya.
171. Cpl. Marco A. Martinez.
172. Sgt. Willie L. Copeland.
173. Capt. Brent Morel (posthumous).
174. Sgt. Anthony L. Viggiani.
175. 1st Sgt. Bradley A. Kasal.
176. Cpl. Robert J. Mitchell.
177. Cpl. Dominic Esquibel.
178. Sgt. Jarrett A. Kraft.
179. Cpl. Jeremiah W. Workman.
180. Cpl. Todd Corbin.
181. Sgt. Aubrey L. McDade Jr.
182. Pfc. Christopher Adlesperger (posthumous).
183. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Louis E. Fonseca.
184. Iwo JIMA. Japan might have changed the name to Iwo To, but that doesn't mean you have to acknowledge it.
185. Col. John Ripley. Received the Navy Cross for the destruction of the Dong Ha bridge in Vietnam. The Corps takes care of its own. In 2002, with Ripley near death, doctors finally found a donated liver for his much-needed transplant. So the Marine Corps sent helicopters and Marines to Philadelphia to retrieve it, and they personally rushed it back to Washington in time to save his life.
186. Marine Corps Times isn't a version of Navy Times anymore. How many careers get their own newspaper?
188. Gatorade bottles wrapped in green, 100 mph tape so as not to offend the sailors in the room.
189. Camaraderie. Marines will hook you up with their sisters, then punch you in the mouth for doing what they knew would happen the whole time.
190. Ingenuity. MRE bombs, 101 uses for cleaning rods and iPods wired into field radio speakers.
191. Getting off the ship.
192. Getting back on the ship.
193. No beach? No problem. Marines inserted 400 miles into landlocked Afghanistan and created Camp Rhino using CH-53 Sea Stallions. Imagine what you can invade with the Osprey.
194. Cases and cases of bottled water mean never having to stand behind a water bull.
195. Race as a nonissue. It wasn't always the case, but three black sergeants major of the Marine Corps in a row show that the Corps has only one color: green.
196. Every day in the Corps is another reason to celebrate. That's why they call them working "parties."
197. Riddick Bowe had what it took to be boxing's undisputed heavyweight champ. He did not have what it took to be a Marine.
198. The U.S. Army Band is called "Pershing's Own." The U.S. Marine Corps Band is called "The President's Own."
199. "8th and I." Ten bucks says you have no idea where the Army chief of staff lives. Commandants don't hide.
200. MRE "rat boxes." How grunts trick-or-treat.
201. The poncho liner. It's a blanket, it's a tent, it's a keeper.
202. Combat fit-reps. People say they're equal to regular fit-reps. People lie.
203. The "E-tool lean." Sailors don't know how good they have it.
204. Navy Lt. Vincent Capodanno, Medal of Honor recipient. If Marines have a hot line to heaven, Father Capodanno — aka the Grunt Padre — would take the call. His body peppered by shrapnel, his right hand nearly severed, the Navy chaplain and priest crisscrossed a Vietnam battlefield Sept. 4, 1967, to render last rites to his fallen Marines and corpsmen with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, until 27 rounds from an enemy machine gun took his life. Last year, the Vatican declared him a "servant of God." Next step, sainthood?
206. Amphibious warfare means always being near the beach.
207. No Fear #2. Talk about the AV-8B Harrier's troubled past all you like, but brave jump jet pilots are flying missions in Iraq.
208. New Uniforms #2. Wash-and-wear combat uniforms mean no more starch, no more dry cleaning.
209. Marine air-ground task force. Nothing like controlling the air and the ground.
210. Slapping an eagle, globe and anchor on the back of your car and knowing it'll get you out of at least one speeding ticket.
211. The Navy wants to put Marines back on warships. It seems that Tomahawk cruise missiles can't do everything.
212. Liberty in Thailand.
213. Liberty in Australia.
214. Liberty, well, anywhere.
215. The Navy's mascot is a goat. The Corps' mascot is a bulldog. You don't need Michael Vick to tell you who wins that fight.
216. If you need another occupying land force, you can use the Marine Corps. If you need another rapidly deployable, sea-based, front-door-kicking, air-ground team, you can't use the Army.
217. 1775 Rum Punch. Four parts dark rum, two parts lime juice, one part pure maple syrup, grenadine to taste.
218. "It's fun to shoot some people," said Lt. Gen. Jim Mattis. He says what he thinks.
219. The Beirut Memorial Wall. If you ever forget what you're fighting for, pay a visit.
221. "Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don't want the truth because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to." Jack Nicholson, "A Few Good Men."
222. Maj. Meghan McClung, Marine public affairs officer, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq while escorting media. The PAO is more than just a spokesman.
223. Sgt. Rafael Peralta. Like Dunham, he hugged a grenade to save his buddies in Iraq. No Medal of Honor … yet.
224. Hearing an accidental discharge into the clearing barrel, then waiting for the lieutenant to walk inside.
225. Call signs like "Spider" and "Assassin," and these guys were generals.
227. Buttered noodles for breakfast.
228. "Every Marine should look like a Marine. But a Marine looks like a Marine when he's got a bayonet stuck in the enemy's chest." Gen. Robert Magnus, assistant commandant, discussing body-fat standards.
229. "Infantry" is the easiest job for recruiters to sell.
230. Being the youngest Marine at the ball.
231. Being the oldest Marine at the ball.
232. Marine Corps Times appreciates all you do. Happy birthday, Marines!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:45 PM
"The Real Forest Gump"
...on Friday's 
NBC Nightly News
Grinch and I were tickled watching. One more thing we hadn't known about him.
If you remember, we've actually met that remarkable American.
Helluva fellow. But they all are, really.
Happy Veterans Day.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)
Ben Stein
...in today's New York Times.
It’s Time to Act Like Grown-UpsNOW for a few thoughts on the credit crisis and the need to prepare for retirement.
...Next, when I saw that Citi had taken a bath in collateralized debt obligations and subprime, and saw that Robert E. Rubin had been on the board in a major position and had failed to stop the train wreck, I was staggered. And now he has been named chairman. He couldn’t protect Citi’s stockholders, and now he’s in charge? And let’s remember, he was Treasury secretary when we had the first part of one of the worst bubbles in stock market history. What on earth are the Citi directors thinking?
... But it certainly hurts to spend day after day, as I did this fall, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — where the incredibly brave wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan learn about walking and eating without their natural legs and arms — and to realize that the America for which they’re fighting is led in so many arenas, especially the money one, by such weak, disappointing specimens.
It’s high time that the America for which soldiers sacrifice so much is run on a moral standard more like theirs. And this is without even talking about Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, where fresh graves are dug every week and the fresh tears keep the ground damp. They deserve better.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:05 PM
November 10, 2007
Semper Fi
Happy Birthday, Marines!
and Thank You.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:14 PM | Comments (1)
To My Brothers and Sisters: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
And...always...Semper Fi.
MARINE CORPS ORDER No. 47 (Series 1921)
HEADQUARTERS
U.S. MARINE CORPS Washington, November 1, 1921The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.
On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name "Marine". In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation's foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.
In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.
This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps.
JOHN A. LEJEUNE,
Major General
Commandant
Posted by tree hugging sister at 11:14 PM | Comments (2)
"Why Don't You Shut Up?"
Juan Carlos to Hugo Chavez.
God save the King!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 09:54 PM | Comments (2)
November 08, 2007
Well I guess We Know What's For Dinner
this weekend
URBANA, Ohio -- A barn fire at a fish farm near the western Ohio city of Urbana killed more than 150,000 of the farm's half million fish.Dave Smith, owner of Freshwater Farms of Ohio, said he moved the fish to the barn and stoked up a stove to stave off the cold. Smith blamed the direction of the wind for sparking Tuesday night's blaze.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:36 PM | Comments (8)
You Know, When I Saw This Headline...
"Clinton Stiffs Iowa Waitress"
I sure didn't think they were talking about Hillary...
But this is one of those stupid stories, as "In fairness to Clinton, the article also notes that the meal was on the house. "
I shudder to think we still have a year of this crap left.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:53 AM | Comments (5)
Presidential Candidate Selector
From Volokh, an interesting quiz
My results below the fold.
1. Theoretical Ideal Candidate (100%) 2. John McCain (80%) 3. Alan Keyes (72%) 4. Mike Huckabee (69%) 5. Rudolph Giuliani (65%) 6. Fred Thompson (64%) 7. Tom Tancredo (64%) 8. Stephen Colbert (campaign ended) (63%) 9. Al Gore (not announced) (62%) 10. Duncan Hunter (62%) 11. Mitt Romney (62%) 12. Sam Brownback (withdrawn, endorsed McCain) (61%) 13. Michael Bloomberg (says he will not run) (60%) 14. Joseph Biden (59%) 15. Tommy Thompson (withdrawn, endorsed Giuliani) (58%) 16. Newt Gingrich (says he will not run) (58%) 17. Hillary Clinton (55%) 18. John Edwards (54%) 19. Chuck Hagel (not running) (52%) 20. Barack Obama (51%) 21. Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) (51%) 22. Wesley Clark (not running, endorsed Clinton) (51%) 23. Bill Richardson (50%) 24. Kent McManigal (campaign suspended) (45%) 25. Christopher Dodd (43%) 26. Ron Paul (40%) 27. Alan Augustson (campaign suspended) (32%) 28. Dennis Kucinich (28%) 29. Mike Gravel (26%) 30. Elaine Brown (9%)
As much as I decided not to vote for anyone named Clinton or Bush or who was from Arkansas, Texas or Massachusetts this year due to my complete fatigue with the politicians they've produced I may have to read up a bit more on Mr. Huckabee.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:22 AM | Comments (3)
Why Yes
I will have another slab of ribs
About two years ago, a group of federal researchers reported that overweight people have a lower death rate than people who are normal weight, underweight or obese. Now, investigating further, they found out which diseases are more likely to lead to death in each weight group.Linking, for the first time, causes of death to specific weights, they report that overweight people have a lower death rate because they are much less likely to die from a grab bag of diseases that includes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, infections and lung disease. And that lower risk is not counteracted by increased risks of dying from any other disease, including cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
...Some who studied the relation between weight and health said the nation might want to reconsider what are ideal weights.
“If we use the criteria of mortality, then the term ‘overweight’ is a misnomer,” said Daniel McGee, professor of statistics at Florida State University.
“I believe the data,” said Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, a professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of California, San Diego. A body mass index of 25 to 30, the so-called overweight range, “may be optimal,” she said.
Bring it on!
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:07 AM | Comments (9)
November 07, 2007
Batting .500 Ain't So Bad
Well, for the first time in ages NJ voters defeated a ballot question, two of them in fact
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey voters on Tuesday rejected borrowing $450 million to pay for stem cell research grants in the state for 10 years.With 95 percent of the vote counted, 53 percent of voters opposed the spending.
The rejection was a defeat for Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine, who campaigned heavily for the measure. He argued the money would help find cures for conditions such as spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis while also luring leading scientists and research firms to the state.
But the measure was opposed by anti-abortion activists, conservatives and the Roman Catholic Church because it would pay for research that destroys human embryos and would increase state debt.
Well, I know folks love to raise the 'religious right' bogeyman every time something they don't like happens, but that certainly was not the reason I opposed it. In fact, I find myself agreeing with Dick Codey on this one
Senate President Richard J. Codey, a leading stem cell supporter, pinned the defeat on chronic state fiscal problems and mounting state debt."The taxpayers of New Jersey are not against stem cell research," said Codey, D-Essex. "It's clear. The message we're getting is put your fiscal house in order and then do these things."
I'm against the state paying for it.
Now here's the laugh of the morning:
Said Corzine spokeswoman Lilo Stainton, "The public understands the state has serious financial issues that must be addressed first."
Yes, the public does; the problem is that the Governor doesn't, and neither does the Legislature.
As an aside, someone at the Associated Press needs some, shall we say, sensitivity training; look at this next paragraph in the story:
Scott Simpkins, a 36-year-old Williamstown resident who broke a vertebra and was left paralyzed after a bicycling accident in Colorado in late August 2000, was crushed. He hopes stem cell research might help him walk again.
Anyhow, so that was voted down, as was the sales tax/property tax shell game scheme; the $200 million Open Space and Let's Have Nice Words In The Constitution measures both passed.
All in all a better day than might have been expected, but on the radio this morning there was already talk that Corzine might try and put more Stem Cell money in the budget...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:44 AM | Comments (5)
November 06, 2007
Why I Love My Bride, Part MCMVXII
You've just got to love a gal who, as I type (and drink, natch), is cooking a meal combining organic veggies from the Commie Store and Velveeta.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 05:12 PM | Comments (6)
Oh, This Poor Man
Just walking along, maybe going to buy a present for the wife, and WHAM
A woman died and a man was knocked unconscious, apparently after the woman leaped from the roof of a department store in Tokyo and landed on the man, police said Tuesday.Police said a passerby found the man and woman collapsed and bleeding on the road in front of the Ikebukuro Parco department store in Tokyo's Toshima-ku at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday, and alerted police.
You just knew the japanese had to have a strange angle on this, though:
Ikebukuro Police Station officials said the woman's shoes were found on the roof of the Parco building, leading them to suspect that she had jumped to her death and landed on the man. It is common in Japan for people to remove their shoes before committing suicide.
Yeah, really be a bummer to get some dirt on that sidewalk that you just smashed yourself onto...
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:59 PM | Comments (5)
Oh Blech!
He looks like some anime drawing.
(link not safe for those of delicate sensibilities)
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 11:18 AM | Comments (7)
Oh Great.
Good to know our skies are protected
Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Air Force temporarily grounded its fleet of Boeing Co. F-15 fighter-bombers, including those flying missions in Afghanistan, the service said, citing ``airworthiness concerns.''The grounding of more than 700 aircraft, which includes F- 15E fighter-bombers that carry the largest U.S. precision guided weapons, took place after the crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C fighter on Nov. 2.
30 year old planes are starting to fall apart? No kidding.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:01 AM | Comments (22)
November 05, 2007
There Was an Interesting Discussion About Waterboarding
...on the News Hour last week. And now I see 'waterboarding is torture' addressed in today's WaPo...
Waterboarding Used to Be a Crime
...thanks to this post on Volokh. At the end of the post is another which notes an ABC News story:
Bush Administration Blocked Waterboarding Critic
Former DOJ Official Tested the Method Himself, in Effort to Form Torture Policy
Add his name to this reporter's, this guy's, THIS guy, any given SERE School student and well, you'll understand why I found Rich Lowry's comments to be so true Friday night.
...I think waterboarding -- look, reasonable people can conclude it's torture, but I sort of apply a commonsense standard here. Journalists are volunteering to be waterboarded to see what it's like. You would not do that with any infamous, obvious torture techniques. Journalists wouldn't volunteer, "Please, pull out my fingernail. I'm really curious how that feels."
No, they wouldn't. Neither would a suit at the DoJ. I'm not a lawyer, humanitarian or volunteering myself for it anytime soon, BUT...
He makes a valid point.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:48 PM | Comments (25)
The Macca Demand
...There is one catch: Mills wants McCartney to tell the world that she’s no gold digger....the why...
...According to The Daily Mail, a close friend of the disabled former model said: “Heather thinks that if only Paul would tell everyone she is a nice person, that she’s not a fantasist or a gold digger, then all his fans are going to stop hating her.”...and the best advice he could ever get, all in the same column.
Sir Paul, if there is any chance you’re reading this, I implore you: Say what Mills wants you to say, then open up your checkbook and make this go away.You can’t fight crazy.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:11 PM | Comments (3)
"Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd"
His skin was pale and his eye was odd.He shaved the faces of gentlemen,
Who never thereafter were heard from again,
Did Sweeney, Sweeney Todd!The Demon Barber of Fleet.
Street.
I can't believe they frickin' left the ballad out of the movie.
GARRRRR!
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:10 AM | Comments (4)
NJ's 4 Ballot Questions
So we've got some ballot questions to vote on tomorrow and I thought I'd give you my view on them. Here's the short answer: "no."
Here's basically what they are:
-- Permanently dedicate all money earned from last year's sales tax increase to property tax relief.
This is amazingly insane, and yet so typical of how our government 'works.' People scream they want lower property taxes, so does Trenton do what you or I would do: spend less? Heck no! They make a new tax and take that money and give it to folks as a 'property tax rebate'. As a bonus they've created a new bureaucracy to collect and distribute this, so spending and government obligations rise which means...they need more taxes. You really have to admire the creative genius at work here. "No."
-- Approve borrowing $450 million for stem cell research.
This might in theory be a good idea, and I'm certainly not opposed to government underwriting scientific research but the priority right now is to reduce government spending. This is more debt that we need to pay off, so No.
-- Approve borrowing $200 million for open space preservation.
"No" for the reasons above.
-- Revise language outlining when voting rights can be denied by deleting from the state Constitution the phrase "idiot or insane person'' and replacing it with the phrase "person who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting.''
I don't know, there's something that warms my heart about having that language in our state Constitution; perhaps therein lies our new motto: "New Jersey, where idiots can't vote but they can be elected!"
I say "No" to this as well. "Idiot" has a precise medical definition, and while the PC crowd may find it offensive it does clearly denote those poor folks who lack the mental horsepower to make basic decisions for themselves, and sorry, but they should not be allowed to make decisions for the rest of us. The same with insane. This would create a huge backlog in the court systems as well, it seems to me, for these competency adjudication hearings that need not take place and necessitate the creation of a whole new bureaucracy to manage them. So "No."
So that's my stand and I'm sticking to it.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 06:56 AM | Comments (9)
November 03, 2007
Regarding the College Team Closest to major dad's Heart
...and soul: the only thing that covers this year is a quote from the Japanese groundskeepers in "Major League".
"They shitty."
Posted by tree hugging sister at 07:17 PM | Comments (16)
November 02, 2007
Ozzie Says to Tell Aunt Kcruella
"Thank you VERY much!!"
He thinks it's quite natty.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 05:15 PM | Comments (19)
At Least You'd Be Safe From Tornadoes
So buy the place and have room to spare.
Previous tenant's houseplants not included.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 01:06 PM | Comments (2)
You Wanna See an Obscenity? DO Ya?
Well, I got one for ya that's turn your stomach to gouda grits. There's this:
...and then's there's THIS.
...TMZ first reported Brit earns an average of $737,868 per month.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 12:30 PM | Comments (15)
Goat Sucker Unveiled
Well, we were all on the edge of our seats about this, especially given a Certain Person's* disappearance of late, but rest assured: according to (and I kid you not) KENS-TV
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) -- The results are in: The ugly, big-eared animal found during the summer in southern Texas is not the mythical, bloodsucking chupacabra. It's just a plain old coyote.Biologists at Texas State University announced Thursday night they had identified the hairless doglike creature.
KENS-TV of San Antonio provided a tissue sample from the animal for testing.
"The DNA sequence is a virtually identical match to DNA from the coyote," biologist Mike Forstner said in a statement. "This is probably the answer a lot of folks thought might be the outcome. I, myself, really thought it was a domestic dog, but the Cuero Chupacabra is a Texas Coyote."
Stay tuned for any more breaking announcements on this story.
*The Certain Person's name has been changed to protect the innocent friendly.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:07 AM | Comments (8)
November 01, 2007
Paul Tibbets, RIP
Thanks for all the lives you saved
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Paul Tibbets, who piloted the B-29 bomber Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died Thursday. He was 92 and insisted almost to his dying day that he had no regrets about the mission and slept just fine at night.Tibbets died at his Columbus home, said Gerry Newhouse, a longtime friend. He suffered from a variety of health problems and had been in decline for two months.
Tibbets had requested no funeral and no headstone, fearing it would provide his detractors with a place to protest, Newhouse said.
Oh, and MSNBC? You can kiss my ass for this headline:
Paul Tibbets, WWII commander of infamous B-29, requested no headstone
The Enola Gay was not "infamous," with the implication that it did something wrong. She was justifiably famous and honored for her role in bringing the most horrific war in history to a close.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 01:32 PM | Comments (12)
Dear Heather,
Read the transcript of your "Today" interview this morning
On the offensive after 18 months of relative silence following the breakup of her marriage to Sir Paul McCartney, Heather Mills said in an exclusive interview Thursday that the union broke up in part over the ex-Beatle’s refusal to spend more of his fortune on charity.“I’m not perfect. There’s lots of things in our marriage that I could have done different,” Mills told co-host Matt Lauer via satellite from London.
But, the former model said, the biggest source of contention in the marriage was over what to do with McCartney’s estimated $1.6-billion nest egg and power as a darling of the British people.
“How can anybody have that kind of money and not do more for charity?” she asked. “That’s what we argued about all the time.”
Lemme give you a little clueski, Heather: it ain't your money. If Sir Paul wanted to convert his $1.6 billion into one dollar bills and sit atop them like Smaug the Dragon he can. It's his dough and he made every penny of it, while you contributed, I'm thinking, oh, zero.
But you're the victim.
“I pleaded with him for 18 months,” she said. “I said, ‘You’ve never had any bad press. How do you think Beatrice is going to feel about this when she’s 12 or 13, reading that you allowed this to continue? How do you think she’s going to feel about that?’”
It's not hard to see why he hasn't had bad press and you have.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 12:39 PM | Comments (5)
Now EVERYONE Will Be Rushing to Buy a New
...vibrator.
...And no wonder, other scientists say. Dr. Rubin, director of the Center for Biotechnology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is reporting that in mice, a simple treatment that does not involve drugs appears to be directing cells to turn into bone instead of fat.All he does is put mice on a platform that buzzes at such a low frequency that some people cannot even feel it. The mice stand there for 15 minutes a day, five days a week. Afterward, they have 27 percent less fat than mice that did not stand on the platform — and correspondingly more bone.
You don't even have to shake that thang anymore. It does it for you. And I'm sure it plugs into the wall, so no more environmentally unfriendly batteries.
Bingley's Energizer days are over.
Posted by tree hugging sister at 10:46 AM | Comments (5)
Tough Noogies
So the poor widdle petulant babies at State, who seem to think that it is they who are in charge of US foreign policy as opposed to our elected officials, don't like their potential new assignment?
WASHINGTON - Several hundred U.S. diplomats vented anger and frustration Wednesday about the State Department's decision to force foreign service officers to take jobs in Iraq, with some likening it to a "potential death sentence."In a contentious hour-long "town hall meeting" called to explain the step, these workers peppered the official who signed the order with often hostile complaints about the largest diplomatic call-up since Vietnam. Announced last week, it will require some diplomats — under threat of dismissal — to serve at the embassy in Baghdad and in so-called Provincial Reconstruction Teams in outlying provinces.
The solution is very simple, and it is one that those of us in the private sector are quite familiar with: if you don't want to do what your employer requires, you find a new job. Their job is to support and staff embassies, and be the everyday public face of the US abroad. So instead of working on "White Papers" go, you know, do it.
Or find another job.
Posted by Mr. Bingley at 07:24 AM | Comments (7)