And Rightly So!

In NH, public servants now have exclusive rights the peon public do not have.

NASHUA – A man who once claimed to be God has become the first person to be convicted under a new state law lowering the threshold for what can be considered a threat against public officials.

A disclaimer: I do not endorse ANY form of threat made against ANY citizen. However, public “officials” are no better or different or more deserving of special laws and protections, than the very PUBLIC they are serving.

Michael Rezk, 44, will face up to seven additional years in prison for threatening to kill a Rockingham County Superior Court judge last September. In a single-day jury trial this week, prosecutors only needed to show a threat was made. Because of the new law, there was no burden to prove the threat was also meant to “terrorize.”

Mr. Rezk made a stupid choice. He threatened a Judge.

It was always illegal to threaten a public official, but what was in the past generally considered a misdemeanor in most cases was also upgraded under the new law to a Class B felony. The change makes jail time more likely for those convicted of threatening the current and former governors, legislators, judges and a variety of other public officials and their families — even if the public official has no reasonable fear for his or her safety.

Average people, peasants as we are, don’t deserve the same special reactions when we’re threatened? When Joe Blow threatens Sally Citizen it’s still just a pesky little nuisance. But when it’s a Judge, or a governor, or any other “public official” the rules change.

We can thank the Democrats in the NH House for this elitist law.

“This is a new addition to the criminal code,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young. “It’s a new crime.”

Yeah. A new crime? I don’t think so. We’ve always had laws on the books about threatening others. What’s new is the class of crime and therefore, the punishment.

Threaten Joe Blow and watch what happens. (Nothing) Ask the police how many citizens go to them with complaints of threats- and ask the cops what they do about it (besides laugh at you)…

Threaten Judge Joe Blow and expect to be arrested, charged, trialed and face jail time.

We live in times where political correctness overrides clear thinking.
What’s to stop a humble public servant from feeling “threatened” every time a citizen questions their vote, their actions, their word?
What’s to stop a public servant from making of “feeling” threatened by the presence of a gun carrying pesky citizen who happens to verbally inform said servant of disagreement on issues?

What’s to stop our public servants from feeling threatened by blog posts such as this one? Or editorials in our newspapers that highlight state house stupidity?

What is the threshold here? As Bruce asks, are we heading down slippery slopes? I think so.

What’s good for the servants should be good for the public. ALL the public. Since the public PAYS the servants, we must stand up and demand equality under the law.

9/11 date to be placed as star on crescent and star flag

Not all of us can make it to Pennsylvania next week to help Tom Burnett Sr. stop the re-hijacking of Flight 93, but if anyone needs another reason to try…

Read the rest of this entry »

How eerie.

What is going on here? Is the Obama campaign so stupid it cannot see how bad all this has become?

Unless you are a racist bigot who does not want the first black POTUS, you don’t want to click on the latest round of gaffes that Rachel Lucas has gathered of the Obamessiah that make George W. Bush look like a well rounded and talented speaker. Oh, and if you didn’t know it, but the Obamas have already picked out the decor for the White House. I am sure it is not arrogance by the Anointed One, but simply “nuance” (sneer quotes intentional).

Plus, she had this pic and link for this bumper sticker:

(proceed go to Soldier’s Angels)

Plus an excellent article (via Michelle Malkin) ’bout why the Germans, from whence my ancestors came, are all in uber-lovefest with The One.

and it pains me as a Texan to say it…

Oklahomans are trying to recover some of their lost state sovereignty by House Joint Resolution 1089, introduced by State Rep. Charles Key.

The resolution’s language, in part, reads: “Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows: ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.’; and Whereas, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and whereas, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and Whereas, today, in 2008, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government. … Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 2nd session of the 51st Oklahoma Legislature: that the State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. That this serve as Notice and Demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.”

HOLY COW! Finally, a state has the political will to come out and tell Washington, D.C., that federal does not mean NATIONAL, and that they’ve (the feds) have overstepped their jurisdiction under the Constitution. Ofcourse we learn that this bill has hit a bottle neck in the Oklahoma Senate, so it hasn’t passed out of the state congress to be signed by the governor. But wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of the states came out in a similar manner and took a stand FOR the Constitution?

And why hasn’t it passed in the Senate (which is split 24-24 Repubs/Dems), because the Dems have refused to even HEAR it and it was stuck in committee until they recessed. Standard Dems, don’t put it on the floor for a vote…

Here is a direct link to the bill.

H-tip to Bill Whittle’s E-3 Gazette.

As I was leaving for work yesterday afternoon, things got a little wet.

I mean downpour WET! And thunder. And lightening. For hours.

After the rain ended, some fog rolled up the hills near my work.

Did I mention that I love rain??

I haven’t written lately about the shop everyone loves to hate- Wal Mart. I guess I stopped writing because the “issue” hasn’t been news in the past year or so. Of all the bad press, Wal Mart still out performs every other retailer 10:1…and people like to spend less money on items they want and need. Working class peons such as myself depend upon Wal Mart’s low prices to keep us afloat. I believe people are simply stupid to not shop at Wal Mart.

This lady writes of being forced to shop at the big evil retailer, and discovers its not all that bad after all.

It’s a long story — one that involves a darling family of ducks, a semitrailer and me — but the upshot is that for the first time in three years, I have a car payment.

And in order to make those payments and fill my car with gas — I almost wept when I paid $4.29 a gallon the other day — and have enough left over for my ever-increasing bills and save some for emergencies, I’ve had to make some changes.

I’ve begun shopping at Wal-Mart.

She says with some shame, I suspect. NOT ME. I proudly admit I shop at the Wal Mart supercenter up the road, every week, for groceries and other stuff. Always have, since the place opened up over 10 years ago.

The lady whines-

For a long time, my biggest complaint about Wal-Mart was its vibe. Nothing about the store makes me feel special — though I suppose the greeter tries — and whether you admit it or not, most of us want to feel special when we buy something new.

Uuhh….special? Feeling special is how we’re supposed to feel when we shop or buy something? This is a big problem with people: This over dependence of shopping as a form of therapy. Fertheloveofhawd. You don’t shop to feel good. You shop to get the stuff you need.

The checkout lines tend to be long. There’s too much chatter over the public address system. I think the store is poorly organized. And it felt oddly behind the times, its 1970s-esque yellow smiley face sincere, rather than retro, the way it might be at the hipper Target.

I’ve been to the local Target as well and I don’t like the place. There aren’t a lot of choices; everything looks the same - a couple months ago I noticed how the women and men clothing sections had all the same color themes; even the handbags and jewlery echoed the colors (brown, red, beige, yellow…eeeck!) As we wandered thru the store we noticed, ammusingly how the candles and linens all matched the clothes. Hmm. Hipper? I don’t think so.

A couple weeks ago I spent $2.50 on a Wal-Mart plant that was $4.99 at the nursery up the street.

I stumbled upon DVDs for $5 and I’ve stashed away the fairly new releases to give as Christmas presents.

And my favorite fat-free sugar-free Jell-O instant pudding mix is 25 cents cheaper than at my regular grocery.

And the selection!

At Wal-Mart, I can buy a bag of red lentils, hummus in a can, lint screens for the hose on my washing machine, and, should I ever feel the need, scrapbooking materials from the store’s new Martha Stewart crafts line.

Yep…one can buy almost everything they need in one stop…saves time, gas, money. Selection is great if not superior to any other retailer in the world.

Suddenly, shopping at Wal-Mart makes me feel smart.

Well you should feel smart..cause you are. Now.

Shopping at Wal Mart is not only smart, it’s an investment. Into one’s own bank account of savings.

via LGF, Charles writes:

Here’s a mind-expanding article by Michael Specter that appeared in The New Yorker last December, on a discovery about the way viruses infiltrate human cells and affect the coding of human DNA. The Human Genome Project has shown that our DNA contains many traces of extinct retroviruses that copied themselves into the human genetic code, but were then expelled, destroyed, or altered through the process of evolution.

This part above doesn’t necessarily scare me. Its more interesting to see how modern science is figuring out how we’re built and how we’ve been infected in the past, sorta like a molecular Cold Case detective. But here is where its starts to get, as is mentioned in the article, kinda Jurassic Park on me…

Then, last year, Thierry Heidmann brought one back to life. Combining the tools of genomics, virology, and evolutionary biology, he and his colleagues took a virus that had been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years, figured out how the broken parts were originally aligned, and then pieced them together. After resurrecting the virus, the team placed it in human cells and found that their creation did indeed insert itself into the DNA of those cells. They also mixed the virus with cells taken from hamsters and cats. It quickly infected them all, offering the first evidence that the broken parts could once again be made infectious. The experiment could provide vital clues about how viruses like H.I.V. work. Inevitably, though, it also conjures images of Frankenstein’s monster and Jurassic Park.

This troubles me because there is that stinking and sneaky Law of Unintended Consequences. Waking up or resurrecting a dormant virus might not just be a break through for science, it makes me think of Steven King’s The Stand or I Am Legend. Not necessarily the end of the world stuff, but the possibility of an epidemic and mass sickness. Like cloning, this is a road that, in my mind, might turn into a slippery slope before we know it…

Raven might have more insight into such medical issues than I… whatcha think?

Some early history about New England, and NH in particular.

Uugh, grossly we used to be part of Massachusetts.

New Hampshire continued a part of Massachusetts until 1679, when the king separated them. He joined them again in 1686; but they were finally separated in 1691, and New Hampshire again became a royal province, the president and council being appointed by the Crown and the assembly elected by the people. Until 1741, however, the governor was but a lieutenant under the supervision of the governor of Massachusetts.

New Hampshire grew very slowly for many years. The chief cause of this was the fact that the heirs of Mason claimed the right to the land, and their infinite disputes and litigations with the settlers concerning the land titles repelled home-seekers. At last, after a hundred years of controversy, the Mason heirs were satisfied (1749) by the purchase of their claims.

In 1719 a colony of Scotch-Irish immigrants settled in New Hampshire and founded the town of Londonderry, so named from the city in Ireland from which they came. These people were thrifty, and they soon began an industry which they had learned in Ireland — the raising of flax and manufacturing of linen goods. The goods made by means of the old spinning-wheel in these humble cabins in the forests became famous over all New England, and even in the mother country.

My ancestors resided in Londonderry and were of Irish decent. But they came to the US long after these first people; my ancestors came during the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840’s and 50’s. I have the names and locations, births and deaths- the family tree- and most came to Londonderry after living in Boston for many years…they left Massachusetts in favor of the greener pastures and freedom of NH.

S. S. Minneapolis

Tonnage: 13,443 tons gross,
Length: 600.7’, Beam: 65.5’,
Builder: Harland & Wolff, Belfast,
Launch Date: 1900, Maiden Voyage: May 10, 1900,
Destruction: Torpedoed March 23, 1916,
Operated by A.T.L.: 1900 - 1916.
Notes: Official Number: 110515. Twin screws, quadruple expansion engines by builder with cylinders of 30″, 43″, 63″ & 89″, stroke 60″. Steam pressure 180 lbs, 1,227 n.h.p. 16 knots. 250 first class passengers. Depth of hold, 39-5’. Sisters: Minnehaha, Minnetonka, Minnewaska, Mongolia, Manchuria, Arabic.

Minneapolis was the first of the four sisters ordered and cost $1,419,120 (£292,000) to build. She evidently had largest registered tonnage of any ship afloat excepting the Oceanic, and she and her sisters were the largest vessels the Port of London could accommodate. During her trials Minneapolis reportedly “made 17 knots by observation and 19 knots according to the record by revolutions of the propeller… her time across the water is intended to be eight days.”

Unusually, her maiden voyage took her across the Atlantic sailing in ballast. She collected her initial cargo and passengers in New York and arrived on the Thames for the first time on May 1, 1900. She is recorded in the Morton Allan Directory of European Passenger Steamship Arrivals making a grand total of 155 voyages to New York for the A.T.L. passenger service between May 1900 and February 1915.

The British Government was not slow to take advantage for Minneapolis was one of the ships engaged to ferry units of the British Expeditionary Force to France on the outbreak of war in 1914. She is recorded sailing from Southampton with the 1st Buffs on September 8, 1914 and arriving at St. Nazaire the following day. She resumed her regular work on the North Atlantic for the A.T.L. in December but made only two voyages before becoming a British Military troopship early in 1915.

She crossed the Atlantic on the New York run a total of 155 times before being requisitioned. Minneapolis is known to have brought reinforcements of artillery (”B”, “C” and “D” Batteries 59th Brigade RFA with a dozen 18lber guns) to Gallipoli in August 1915. But her government service was tragically brief because she was torpedoed and sunk by U-35 195 north east of Malta on March 23, 1916 with the loss of 12 of the 189 people on board. Minneapolis evidently remained afloat for some hours after the attack and an attempt was made to tow her to Malta, but it had to be abandoned and she sank.

Unbelievable courage and ferociousness. True Warriors.

Everything was on fire. The trucks. The bazaar. The grass.

It looked surreal. It looked like a movie.

That was what Spc. Tyler Stafford remembered thinking as he stepped onto the medical evacuation helicopter. The 23-year-old soldier would have been loaded onto the bird, but the poncho that was hastily employed as his stretcher broke. His body speckled with grenade and RPG shrapnel, the Vicenza, Italy, infantryman walked the last few feet to the waiting Black Hawk.

That was Sunday morning in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. At a forward operating base — maybe as big as a football field — established just a few days prior. Outnumbered but not outgunned, a platoon-plus element of soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment(Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team accompanied by Afghan soldiers engaged in a fistfight of a firefight.

….

Immediately, a grenade exploded by Stafford, blowing him down to a lower terrace at the observation post and knocking his helmet off. Stafford put his helmet back on and noticed how badly he was bleeding.

Cpl. Matthew Phillips was close by, so Stafford called to him for help. Phillips was preparing to throw a grenade and shot a look at Stafford that said, “Give me a second. I gotta go kill these guys first.”

This was only about 30 to 60 seconds into the attack.

Unfortunately, Cpl Phillips was killed in the battle. But he showed himself, and the rest of C Company, to made of sterner stuff than 99.9% of America. Where do we get such fine soldiers?

Read the entire thing here at Stars and Stripes.

This is called Papri Chaat…an Indian dish that is just YUMMAY and we had some yesterday over in Rye (NH).

I wasn’t sure I’d like it cause the ingredients are of a different mix: homemade chips, lentil dumplings, garbanzo beans, potatoes, yogurt, chutney & spices. mmMMmm

IT WAS DELICIOUS and I bought a couple tins to bring home so we can snack on it later.

This is damn freakin hilarious.

DENVER | Throwing the “greenest national political convention to date” is easier said than done, as Democrats are learning the hard way.

Amid much fanfare, Democratic National Convention officials have for months promoted their commitment to an environmentally sustainable event.

They’ve hired a first-ever “director of greening,” set an ambitious recycling goal of 85 percent, and banished plastic water bottles and plastic foam cups from the premises.

BWAHAHA…

With the convention a little more than one month away, however, it’s apparent that some Democrats are greener than others. Only three state delegations have agreed to eliminate entirely their carbon footprints by purchasing travel offsets, despite the pleas of convention organizers.

The heavily vegetarian “Lean ‘N Green” menu has touched off a slew of gripes, ranging from caterers who can’t find enough Colorado-grown organic vegetables to Denver City Council member Charlie Brown calling menu planners “the food police.”

When I think of Denver, and Colorado, I think STEAKS AND other beefy foods. Don’t they raise Angus cattle out there? The wild west is all about good food, not girly man veggie freak food. Carbon footprints? Go away.

The biggest environmental disaster to befall the convention hit two weeks ago, when the Barack Obama campaign announced that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee would make his acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High stadium.

HE is theeee MESSIAH. We must never forget that. He’s teh rock stah of politics and no one need question him on these venue choices. If he had his way he’d probably demand to to accept his nomination at Mecca where tens of thousands more peasants can be seated in glowing bow to him.

The decision to move to the stadium threw a Chernobyl-sized wrench into the sustainability plan. Switching the venue from the Pepsi Center, which seats fewer than 20,000, to Invesco, which holds 78,000, threatens to saddle the convention with the Shaquille O’Neal of carbon footprints.

WELL!! Where’s Albore on this? How come he hasn’t come out and screamed green hot air over these plans? Oh wait…that’s right. The Borian is trying to save the other world, the one the rest of us live on and not the world the Dems live on.

This is just another example of out-of-control the Dems really are. They cannot come together on much of anything so this should not surprise anyone. The party controls the House and we see the lowest approval numbers in history, and this party out in Denver ought to be a Comedy Central show piece of epic proportion.

sleep in it beeyatches!

SAN FRANCISCO — A measure that aims to keep prostitutes from facing criminal charges has qualified for the November ballot in San Francisco.

The measure, which qualified Friday, would bar authorities from spending money to investigate or prosecute prostitutes for engaging in prostitution.

A San Francisco first-time offender program that allows men to avoid charges for soliciting a prostitute if they attend a class and pay a fine would also end under the measure.

The Erotic Service Providers Union recently announced it had gathered the 12,000 signatures necessary to put the measure on the ballot after failing to get a similar initiative before voters in 2006.

Mayor Gavin Newsom says the measure would hurt the city’s ability to investigate and prosecute sex-trafficking crimes.

Hey you guys are “The Progressive Ones™”. All enlightened and such, not making any moral judgements, unless ofcourse you believe that our military members aren’t a bunch of warmongering baby-killers and the 2nd Amendment is an individual right to OWN AND BEAR firearms. Then ofcourse you are an unnuanced neanderthal.

So now a union (the Erotic Service Providers Union? I wonder if the drug dealers & kiddie pron guys have union in SF?) is trying to decriminalize their activities. And Gavin Newsome has the gall to wonder why, in his city of all cities, such a measure is on the ballot?

On Albore’s latest antics:

Say, Al, I know you are a bit busy running around the world to exotic vacation spots like Bali, and cruising in your private jets and luxury sedans and SUVs, but, you do know that we went in to Afghanistan, right? Or, are you just a sore loser? But, hey, building a coalition of grassroots activists will surely solve the energy problems we face, what with them sitting around and chanting, you know.

(Thanks Teach for giving me a coffee-spill moment!)

More evidence of the media growing tired of the Obama-Messiah Factor.

JUST LIKE the Obama girl, Obama has a crush on Obama.

Barack Obama always was a larger-than-life candidate with a healthy ego. Now he’s turning into the A-Rod of politics. It’s all about him.

He’s giving his opponent something other than issues to attack him on: narcissism.

A convention hall isn’t good enough for the presumptive Democratic nominee. He plans to deliver his acceptance speech in the 75,000 seat stadium where the Denver Broncos play. Before a vote is cast, he’s embarking on a foreign policy tour that will use cheering Europeans - and America’s top news anchors - as extras in his campaign. What do you expect from a candidate who already auditioned a quasi-presidential seal with the Latin inscription, “Vero possumus” - “Yes, we can”?

Obama finds criticism of his wife “infuriating” and doesn’t want either of them to be the target of satire. Tell that to the Carters, the Reagans, the Clintons, and the Bushes, father and son.

Ouch.

But what about McCain?

Republican John McCain has the opposite challenge. As a candidate, he’s shrinking, thanks to a series of gaffes, stumbles, and generally uninspiring speeches.

But McCain has one thing going for him: the appearance of modesty.

Part of it is physical. McCain is stiff and awkward, the result of age and injuries from his years as a prisoner of war. That, too, is a contrast to Obama’s sleek physique, the consequence of youth and a George W. Bush-like passion for working out.

But with McCain, there’s also the sense of a man who made mistakes in life and acknowledges them.

McCain’s humility comes through in his book, “Faith of my Fathers,” which he wrote at age 63, after completing a career in the US Navy and moving onto politics. Obama wrote the more self-reverential “Dreams from My Father,” after he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review.

The McCain campaign is beginning to jump on the ego issue. “I don’t know that people in Missouri are going to like seeing tens of thousands of Europeans screaming for The One,” a McCain aide quipped in response to Obama’s upcoming visit abroad.

I’ll give McCain the salute he deserved for what he has been through- much more than the well mannered, well manicured and soft hands of the Messiah.

The ONE is too arrogant. He hasn’t lived with any real humility or humbleness and this is becoming more clear to people. These issues, and his steadfast disrespect for all things patriotic, could end his chances of winning the THROWN he believe he is entitled to. Obama fits right in with the rock stars and Hollywood half witted but self-loving, larger than life, surreal folk. Perhaps he should consider a career in acting.

cuz they’re done….

WASHINGTON — The political vision of a summer gas tax holiday died a quick death in Congress, losing to a view that federal excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel — far from dropping — will have to go up if they go anywhere.

Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded — with a prod from the construction industry — that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs.

Now, lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel.

Sheesh. And the Democrat controlled Congress thought that this is a good idea? With their approval rating at an abysmal low, I guess they figured it couldn’t get any lower…

Ofcourse, Gabe over at Ace of Spades HQ had this brilliant thought..

House Transportation Committee Chair Jim Oberstar continues to press for a gas tax increase. He believes that a tax hike of a dime per gallon will be necessary to pay for highway construction next year because the “Highway Trust Fund” is running on empty. I called Oberstar’s office and asked if he thought the trust fund would last longer if he didn’t spend more than it took in. He said he didn’t understand the question.

….

In September, Porkbusting Senator Tom Coburn identified $2 billion worth of earmarks in this year’s transportation and housing authorization plus an additional $6 billion to be paid on prior authorizations. Oberstar should go after that money before coming after ours.

Sheesh. This will go over like a fart in church…. but ya know what… I bet the Democrats Communists still gain seats in Congress this year…

Ahh…nothing like the feel of bare feet in hot beach sand.

My tired achy feet getting some therapy.

Did you know?
* 3 out of 4 Americans experience serious foot problems in their lifetime.

* The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.

* 1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.

* Only a small percentage of the population is born with foot problems.

* It’s neglect and a lack of awareness of proper care - including ill fitting shoes - that bring on problems.

* Women have about four times as many foot problems as men. High heels are partly to blame.

* Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around well being.

* Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet - so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.

* Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in America. It limits everyday dressing, climbing stairs, getting in and out of bed or walking - for about 7 million Americans.

* About 60-70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which in severe forms can lead to lower limb amputations. Approximately 56,000 people a year lose their foot or leg to diabetes.

* There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day.

* Walking barefoot can cause plantar warts. The virus enters through a cut.

* The two feet may be different sizes. Buy shoes for the larger one.

* About 5% of Americans have toenail problems in a given year.

* The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That’s enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times.

* There are currently more websites on the Internet having to do with foot fetishes than with foot health.

Thatisall.