Thursday, March 26, 2009

"Urine or You're Out"




Mar 26, 7:32 AM (ET)

By TOM BREEN

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Want government assistance? Just say no to drugs.

Lawmakers in at least eight states want recipients of food stamps, unemployment benefits or welfare to submit to random drug testing.

The effort comes as more Americans turn to these safety nets to ride out the recession. Poverty and civil liberties advocates fear the strategy could backfire, discouraging some people from seeking financial aid and making already desperate situations worse.

Those in favor of the drug tests say they are motivated out of a concern for their constituents' health and ability to put themselves on more solid financial footing once the economy rebounds. But proponents concede they also want to send a message: you don't get something for nothing.

"Nobody's being forced into these assistance programs," said Craig Blair, a Republican in the West Viginia Legislature who has created a Web site - notwithmytaxdollars.com - that bears a bobble-headed likeness of himself advocating this position. "If so many jobs require random drug tests these days, why not these benefits?"

Blair is proposing the most comprehensive measure in the country, as it would apply to anyone applying for food stamps, unemployment compensation or the federal programs usually known as "welfare": Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Women, Infants and Children.

Lawmakers in other states are offering similar, but more modest proposals.

On Wednesday, the Kansas House of Representatives approved a measure mandating drug testing for the 14,000 or so people getting cash assistance from the state, which now goes before the state senate. In February, the Oklahoma Senate unanimously passed a measure that would require drug testing as a condition of receiving TANF benefits, and similar bills have been introduced in Missouri and Hawaii. A Florida senator has proposed a bill linking unemployment compensation to drug testing, and a member of Minnesota's House of Representatives has a bill requiring drug tests of people who get public assistance under a state program there.

A January attempt in the Arizona Senate to establish such a law failed.

In the past, such efforts have been stymied by legal and cost concerns, said Christine Nelson, a program manager with the National Conference of State Legislatures. But states' bigger fiscal crises, and the surging demand for public assistance, could change that.

"It's an example of where you could cut costs at the expense of a segment of society that's least able to defend themselves," said Frank Crabtree, executive director of the West Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Drug testing is not the only restriction envisioned for people receiving public assistance: a bill in the Tennessee Legislature would cap lottery winnings for recipients at $600.

There seems to be no coordinated move around the country to push these bills, and similar proposals have arisen periodically since federal welfare reform in the 1990s. But the appearance of a cluster of such proposals in the midst of the recession shows lawmakers are newly engaged about who is getting public assistance.

Particularly troubling to some policy analysts is the drive to drug test people collecting unemployment insurance, whose numbers nationwide now exceed 5.4 million, the highest total on records dating back to 1967.

"It doesn't seem like the kind of thing to bring up during a recession," said Ron Haskins, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "People who are unemployed, who have lost their job, that's a sympathetic group. Americans are tuned into that, because they're worried they'll be next."

Indeed, these proposals are coming at a time when more Americans find themselves in need of public assistance.

Although the number of TANF recipients has stayed relatively stable at 3.8 million in the last year, claims for unemployment benefits and food stamps have soared.

In December, more than 31.7 million Americans were receiving food stamp benefits, compared with 27.5 million the year before.

The link between public assistance and drug testing stems from the Congressional overhaul of welfare in the 1990s, which allowed states to implement drug testing as a condition of receiving help.

But a federal court struck down a Michigan law that would have allowed for "random, suspicionless" testing, saying it violated the 4th Amendment's protections against unreasonable search and seizure, said Liz Schott, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

At least six states - Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Virginia - tie eligibility for some public assistance to drug testing for convicted felons or parolees, according to the NCSL.

Nelson said programs that screen welfare applicants by assigning them to case workers for interviews have shown some success without the need for drug tests. These alternative measures offer treatment, but can also threaten future benefits if drug problems persist, she said.

They also cost less than the $400 or so needed for tests that can catch a sufficient range of illegal drugs, and rule out false positive results with a follow-up test, she said.

(So what are your thoughts. VN8)

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government



Daniel Hannan, Conservative MEP for South East England, gives a speech during Gordon Brown´s visit to the European Parliament on 24th March, 2009.

Read Daniel´s blog at www.hannan.co.uk

Daniel Hannan MEP: The devalued Prime Minister of a devalued Government



Daniel Hannan, Conservative MEP for South East England, gives a speech during Gordon Brown´s visit to the European Parliament on 24th March, 2009.

Read Daniel´s blog at www.hannan.co.uk

A Tea Party Coming to a City Near You . . .

Find a Tea Party in a city near you!


Amen Brother!



This song is the National Rallying Cry of the movement against president Obama's outrageous government over reaching stimulus package. Written & performed by Lloyd Marcus. http://www.LloydMarcus.net
To obtain a cd copy of the anthem mail $5 to: Lloyd Marcus, PO Box 6472, Deltona FL 32728

Or, you can now go to http://www.LloydMarcus.net and order via the PayPal button.

If we sit by and do nothing, we are to blame for what happens to this nation! VN8

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Struggling with the economy, unemployed?

I saw something on Fox News this morning that was very inspiring. If you have some times on your hands, why not volunteer and give back to your community. I found this group to be very inspiring!

God's Love We Deliver


God's Love We Deliver's twenty years of service. GLWD is a New York City-based, not-for-profit, non-sectarian organization, is the metropolitan area's leading provider of life-sustaining nutritional support services for people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and other life-altering illnesses.

Monday, March 23, 2009

TOTUS Update!

Well TOTUS has a blog that is bringing down the house. It is the most original idea I've seen in ages and he even has a FaceBook page! Join the bandwagon, jump on the train, we have about 1399 more days to go and you have to laugh to keep from crying, come along for the ride!

Rock on TOTUS, keep POTUS on his toes!






OMG,this has to be the funniest PhotoShop I've seen in a while!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Travel Back In Time

I heard this on the radio tonight and found it on YouTube! Janis Joplin ROCKS! RIP woman, you were the best!

This song was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Joplin made this song her very own!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Oh you can't make this up!



President Barack Husseing Obama Teleprompter Blog

Worry about the economy Mr. President!



"Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four, and as much as I respect what he's doing, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably more than the brackets," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said from the Blue Devils' first-round site in Greensboro, N.C.


(Wow, Mike, kudos! Give 'em hell! VN8)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

How progressive are you?




Take this interactive quiz and tell me how progressive you are.

The Progressive Quiz

My ideological score: 79/400

This makes me extremely conservative. The average score for Americans is 209.5

I'm sure this liberal group would love to get inside my head! On second thought they might be afraid they would become trapped inside my head and not be able to escape! VN8

Cheap NYC Parking

A Lebanese man walked into a bank in New York City one day and asked for the loan officer.

He told the loan officer that he was going to Lebanon on business for two weeks and needed to borrow $5,000.

The bank officer told him that the bank would need some form of security for the loan.

The Lebanese man handed over the keys to a new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank.

He produced the title and everything checked out.

The loan officer agreed to accept the car as collateral for the loan.

The bank's president and its officers all enjoyed a good laugh at the Lebanese for using a $250,000 Ferrari as collateral against a $5,000 loan.

An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the bank's underground garage and parked it there.

Two weeks later, the Lebanese returned, repaid the $5,000 and the interest, which came to $15.41.

The loan officer said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled.

While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi millionaire.

What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow '$5,000'

The Lebanese replied:

'Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return''

Ah, the brain of the Lebanese...

CBS Interview with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, September 2007?

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



(I posted a blog the other day regarding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas making a speech at VMI, this is just a follow up. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a Great American! VN8)

Obama Received a $101,332 Bonus from AIG




Senator Barack Obama received a $101,332 bonus from American International Group in the form of political contributions according to Opensecrets.org. The two biggest Congressional recipients of bonuses from the A.I.G. are - Senators Chris Dodd and Senator Barack Obama.


The A.I.G. Financial Products affiliate of A.I.G. gave out $136,928, the most of any AIG affiliate, in the 2008 cycle. I would note that A.I.G.’s financial products division is the unit that wrote trillions of dollars’ worth of credit-default swaps and "misjudged" the risk.

The Washington Post reports a "mob effect" at A.I.G financial products division:

A tidal wave of public outrage over bonus payments swamped American International Group yesterday. Hired guards stood watch outside the suburban Connecticut offices of AIG Financial Products, the division whose exotic derivatives brought the insurance giant to the brink of collapse last year. Inside, death threats and angry letters flooded e-mail inboxes. Irate callers lit up the phone lines. Senior managers submitted their resignations. Some employees didn't show up at all.

With the anger and rage that is being exhibited against A.I.G., perhaps the bonuses Obama received from A.I.G. explain Obama's A.I.G crocodile tears.

Now that the Wall street Journal has revealed that A.I.G. paid bonuses of $1 million or more to 73 employees, it's time to ask if recipients of A.I.G. "bonuses," including President Obama, will give what now ought to be taxpayer money back?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Ask not what you can do for yourself, ask what your country can do for you!

Supreme Court Justice Thomas visits Washington & Lee
March 16, 2009

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't make a lot of public appearances but he did Monday night at Washington and Lee University.

This was a homecoming of sorts for Justice Thomas.

He spoke at Washington and Lee before he became a Supreme Court justice and his son attended VMI back in the 90's.

"I have nothing, but fond memories of the time I came and spent here at VMI and here in Lexington," says Justice Thomas.

Justice Thomas touched on a number of topics during his speech inside Lee Chapel.

He says while most Americans appreciate the constitution they don't exactly know what's in it.

"It is at least as easy to understand that great document as it is to understand a cell phone contract," says Thomas.

Justice Thomas also believes too many Americans expect too much from their government.

"The message today seems more like ask not what you can do for yourselves or your country, but what your country must do for you," says Thomas.

It's not everyday you get insight into the Supreme Court.

Thomas says justices base their decisions on what the original framers intended, not their personal opinions.

He criticizes judges who do.

"What restrains us from imposing our personal views and police preferences on our fellow citizens under the guise of constitutional interpretation," says Thomas.

During a question and answer period with the audience, Thomas was asked a lot of questions.

One dealt with whether the constitution allowed slavery.

"I don't think there was any question slavery was constitutional. Was it moral? No. Was it wrong? Yes, but it was there," says Thomas.

Thomas spoke to a crowd of nearly 300 people.

He received a number of standing ovations.

***************

LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas plans to visit Washington and Lee University for a rare public speech.

The 60-year-old Thomas is to speak Monday night in Lee Chapel as part of the Shenandoah Valley liberal arts school's Contact series.

The Georgia native took his seat on the court in 1991. Thomas and Justice Antonin Scalia are considered the core of the court's conservative 5-4 majority.

Thomas endured a grueling confirmation process over allegations that he sexually harassed a former staffer of his, Anita Hill, who testified during the Senate hearings.

Since then, he has been one of the less public members of the court, although he made several appearances in 2007 to promote his autobiography.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!




Message on the Observance of St. Patrick's Day
March 12, 1982


Nancy and I are delighted to wish a warm and wonderful St. Patrick's Day to everyone.

Even today in the Irish countryside you can see the words "Gone to America" on old houses. The Emerald Isle has given much to the world, but she has blessed America abundantly with her most precious gift: her children. And like so many of the indomitable Irish, the Reagan family came to the United States seeking the liberty and bounty of this great land.

Every American gratefully acknowledges the many contributions of Irish Americans in every walk of life down through our nation's history. But, most of all, the sons and daughters of Erin upheld a fine old Irish tradition by making their mark in American letters and politics.

Just as St. Patrick lit the fire of faith in Ireland centuries ago, so, more recently, has the Statue of Liberty's torch of freedom ignited the spirit of liberty in his countrymen. This special link and appreciation have engendered the mutual affection between both lands for many years. On this St. Patrick's Day, let us fervently wish that America and Ireland will continue to be friends as long as the hills are green.

President Ronald W. Reagan

Sunday, March 15, 2009

For the love of God!

New York, NY - State Bureaucrats Fight Doctor's $79 Flat Fee for Uninsured





New York, NY - The state is trying to shut down a New York City doctor's ambitious plan to treat uninsured patients for around $1,000 a year.

Dr. John Muney offers his patients everything from mammograms to mole removal at his AMG Medical Group clinics, which operate in all five boroughs.

"I'm trying to help uninsured people here," he said.

His patients agree to pay $79 a month for a year in return for unlimited office visits with a $10 co-pay.

But his plan landed him in the crosshairs of the state Insurance Department, which ordered him to drop his fixed-rate plan - which it claims is equivalent to an insurance policy.

Muney insists it is not insurance because it doesn't cover anything that he can't do in his offices, like complicated surgery. He points out his offices do not operate 24/7 so they can't function like emergency rooms.

"I'm not doing an insurance business," he said. "I'm just providing my services at my place during certain hours."

He says he can afford to charge such a small amount because he doesn't have to process mountains of paperwork and spend hours on billing.

"If they leave me alone, I can serve thousands of patients," he said.

The state believes his plan runs afoul of the law because it promises to cover unplanned procedures - like treating a sudden ear infection - under a fixed rate. That's something only a licensed insurance company can do.

"The law is strict on how insurance is defined," said an Insurance Department spokesman.

A possible solution that Muney's lawyer crafted would force patients to pay more than $10 for unplanned procedures.

They are waiting to see if the state will accept the compromise. Still, Muney is unhappy because, he said, "I really don't want to charge more. They're forcing me."

One of his patients, Matthew Robinson, 52, was furious to learn the state was interfering with the plan.

"The whole point is, he [Muney] found a way of paying his rent, paying his workers, and getting to see patients for the price," said Robinson.

"How can the state dictate you've got to charge more?"

(OK, I couldn't wait for my "Outrage of the Week" next week. I just saw this doctor on Huckabee and you will not believe that he has come up with an ingenious way to provide affordable health care for his patients, but it cuts out insurance companies and they have blocked him from going forward with his idea! OH boy, I can't wait to sit back and watch these two lobbies go at each other. I hope the physician lobby wins! This is what I mean about too much government involvement in our lives! Way to go Huckabee! I'll try to follow up if I hear more about this topic! VN8)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Judge Bodiford recounts Fulton courthouse rampage case



By Talia Mollett
tmollett@mdjonline.com


SMYRNA -
"Jim, they need you."


Those words from his wife, Nancy, helped Cobb Superior Court Judge Jim Bodiford agree to take over the case of Brian Nichols last year in Atlanta. Nichols was convicted in November of killing four people in a Fulton County rampage in March 2005, and is now serving life without parole.

Judge Bodiford shared some of his experiences in the trial with members of the Smyrna Optimists Club during a breakfast Friday at American Legion Post 160.

He also gave an update on Nichols, who is now a resident of the maximum-security prison in Jackson, southeast of Atlanta in Butts County. Bodiford said Nichols' cell is so small that he can touch both walls from his cot. There is not enough room for him to exercise in his cell. He is allowed out only to shower.



"All he has to look forward to is his shower three times a week," Bodiford said. "Brian Nichols is not a celebrity at Jackson prison. He's just another person in a hellhole prison."

And although it was Bodiford who sentenced Nichols to spend the rest of his life in prison - four life sentences without parole, plus seven life sentences, plus 485 years - he told Nichols at sentencing that "if I could give you more, I would."

The road to the sentencing was a long one.

After the killings in March 2005, prosecutors brought 54 charges against Nichols and sought the death penalty. Pre-trial motions dragged the case out for more than two years. In early 2008, Hilton Fuller, a senior judge of the DeKalb Superior Court, stepped off the Nichols case after a magazine reported him saying "everyone in the world knows (Nichols) did it."

That's where Bodiford came in. He officially took over the case on Feb. 4, 2008. By summer, he was seating the jury, which took six weeks. Bodiford and the lawyers selected 12 jurors and six alternates.

On the first day of trial, September 22, one juror sent Bodiford a note asking to be excused.

"The letter said, 'I have dental problems, I have medical problems, I have mental problems and I hate Brian Nichols,'" Bodiford recalled.

The juror was promptly excused - sort of. Bodiford made the man attend the trial every day and sit at the back of the courtroom. He had to be in court at the same time as the jury, and he couldn't leave until the end of the day's proceedings.

"I told him he would still get paid $25. He asked me if I could really do this to him and I said, 'try me,'" Bodiford said with a smile. "I hate to say this, but it really made my day."

On Nov. 7, the jury found Nichols guilty on all counts. Jurors deadlocked on the death penalty, forcing the life sentences.

Bodiford, who has been a Superior Court judge since 1994 and has presided over several high-profile trials, earned accolades all around for getting the trial back on track.

"I thought whichever judge took the trial, it could be a career breaker for them. I knew whoever was assigned to the case, it would take up their whole year," Bodiford said.

But with the encouragement of his wife, Nancy, who is an assistant to Cobb Sheriff Neil Warren, Bodiford knew he had to take the case.

"It was the right thing to do," he said.

(Judge James Bodiford and his wife Nancy are both personal friends and I am so proud of the job he did presiding over the Brian Nichols case and the sentencing phase! Way to go Jim, again you proved what our justice system is all about, "fairness". You went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that "prejudice" would not be part of Nichols' appeal process! Godspeed! VN8)

Should we make it illegal to own a gun?




By JAY REEVES and BOB JOHNSON

SAMSON, Ala. (AP) - Many residents of this quiet, close-knit farming community could hear the rapid crackling of automatic gunfire that killed nine of their neighbors. Others got frantic phone calls from friends or relatives.

But none of them knew yet that the heavily armed gunman grew up among them, playing Little League baseball, graduating from the local high school and working by their sides at local factories.

Those who knew 28-year-old Michael McLendon and even those who just remembered his name or face couldn't believe his rampage across two counties near the Florida border Tuesday that left him, five of his relatives and five bystanders dead.

Josh Smith played baseball with McLendon when they were young and later went to Samson High School with him, although he had not seen him since graduation.

"He was just a normal person," Smith said Wednesday. "He was very quiet and, as far as I know, never got in trouble."

McLendon began his killing spree a dozen miles from Samson in Kinston in Coffee County, where he burned down the home he shared with his mother, killing her. It ended about an hour later with him taking his own life after a shootout with police in nearby Geneva at Reliable Metals, where he worked until 2003.

In between, he gunned down four relatives and the wife and 18-month-old daughter of a local sheriff's deputy on a wide front porch that looks like so many others in Samson. He then turned his gun next door and killed his 74-year-old grandmother and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars.

McLendon then drove off, spraying bullets through the town lined with old brick buildings, killing three more bystanders.

The shootings cast a pall over an old town of 2,000 people that rarely changes. A black bow blew in the breeze in front of City Hall the day after. Across the street, workers replaced a window at Bradley True Value Hardware, which was hit in the hail of gunfire.

"God bless the victims and their families and God bless Samson," said a scrolling electric sign at Byrd's Nest Florist on Main Street.

"The community's just in disbelief, just how this could happen in our small town," said state Sen. Harri Anne Smith, from the nearby town of Slocomb. "This was 20-something miles of terror."

Authorities say McLendon had struggled to keep a job and left behind lists of employers and co-workers he believed had wronged him. The lists found in McLendon's home included Reliable Metals, which forced him to resign years ago, a sausage factory from which he suddenly quit last week and a poultry plant that suspended his mother, District Attorney Gary McAliley said.

The pages torn from a spiral notebook included names of co-workers, including one who reported him for not wearing ear plugs, another who made him clean a meat grinder and a supervisor who didn't like the way he cut pork chops, McAliley said.

Investigators offered no immediate explanation for why McLendon targeted relatives and others who weren't on the list as he fired more than 200 rounds in the worst mass killing by a single gunman in Alabama history.

Derek Weeks, 28, was senior class president of McLendon's class.

"He was kind of reserved and to himself. I can't tell you one bad thing about him," said Weeks, who lives in nearby Enterprise. "I don't remember him ever getting in any kind of trouble."

He also couldn't really remember who McClendon was good friends with, even though their class was small with about 50 graduates.

As word about the killings spread, Samson high graduates scrambled to find their yearbooks, and many realized they knew the gunman.

Like many, Weeks couldn't believe the terror that shattered the small community.

"But one benefit to living in a small town is the closeness of the people," he said. "So we know that if something happens, everyone will still be together and will be there for the families of those victims."

On Wednesday night, hundreds of community members gathered for a prayer service at First Baptist Church of Samson.

"Father, there are times in life when we don't have answers to the question 'Why?'" Rev. Steve Sellers told the congregation. "I don't know what set a young man off like that, but I, too, want to pray for his family."

The answers might never be known. Lt. Barry Tucker of Alabama Bureau of Investigations said McLendon was "somewhat depressed about job issues" but that investigators don't believe the shootings were job-related.

"There's no specific indication of 'This is why I did it,'" said Tucker who wouldn't release a motive.

It was not clear how long McLendon had been planning the attack, but authorities said he armed himself with four guns - two assault rifles with high-capacity magazines taped together, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol - and may have planned a bigger massacre than he had time to carry out.

"I'm convinced he went over there to kill more people," said Sheriff Dave Sutton.

(Don't let anyone tell you that if guns were illegal this would never have happened. Anyone with ill intent will find a way to cause mayhem! In my opinion, if more people had guns, this guy might not have had to take his own life! Keep this small community in your prayers. A law enforcement officer who puts his life on the line every day to protect his community lost his wife and his 18 month old daughter while his 4 year old hid inside the home where the shootings took place! If only someone along his path had not been afraid to be armed, he might have been stopped along the way. I had someone in law enforcement tell me exactly this, "Citizens are their first line of defense." That's when I applied for a carry permit. I do not ever want to take someone's life, but if it means you or me or them, I have your back. God protect us from the insane in this world. VN8)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Outrage of the week!



A Muslim preacher of hate today ridiculed British soldiers who were abused during a homecoming parade - branding them cowards who have an 'uncanny knack for death by friendly fire'.

Firebrand preacher Anjem Choudary praised the Muslims who had protested at yesterday's parade for the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment in Luton.

And in an inflammatory message posted on an Islamic extremist website, Choudary viciously mocked their comrade who was killed by friendly fire in Iraq.

His words came as police charged a man who allegedly shouted abuse at the Muslim anti-war protesters.

Choudary, who has links with banned Muslim cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohammed, likened the soldiers to Nazis and branded yesterday's homecoming a 'vile parade' of 'brutal murderers'.

Choudary said: 'On 10th March 2009 200 pathetic and cowardly British soldiers from the second battalion, of the Royal Anglian Regiment, pompously marched through Luton to demonstrate their skill at murdering and torturing thousands of innocent Muslim men, women and children (in Iraq) over a 24-month period.'

Choudary leads the controversial Islam For The UK organisation which wants Britain to be an Islamic state, ruled by Sharia law.

His group was formed after Bakri's fundamentalist organisation Al-Muhajiroun was banned by the Government.

He said: 'Non-Muslims in Britain must appreciate that the actions of the British soldiers must be condemned unreservedly; they are not heroes but closer to cowards who cannot fight, as their uncanny knack for death by 'friendly fire' illustrates.'

His cruel comments were clearly designed to mock the memory of Private Darren George, 23, from Pirbright, Surrey, who was accidentally shot by a colleague in Kabul on April 9, 2002.

Today it was revealed that yesterday's shocking scenes were likely to have been organised by an extremist group directly linked to Bakri Mohammed.

Within hours of the march ending the London School of Sharia had posted a message in support on its website.

The group is led by Bakri, the 'Tottenham Ayotollah', who now preaches to his followers from Lebanon via videos posted on websites after he was barred from Britain.

Bakri, 51, today said he felt 'proud' of the Luton protesters but denied any involvement in organising the demonstration.

The preacher, speaking from the Lebanon, said: 'My brothers from Luton were protesting against people they see as killers of Muslims in Iraq - including women and children'

But one Muslim community leader today condemned the extremists.

Akbar Dad Khan, of Building Bridges in the town, said: 'They are about 10 to 15 hotheads. The best thing to do is just to ignore them. They do not represent the views of the community. They are a small hotch-potch of hot heads.

'They love the attention and the media should not give them the time of day. The vast majority of the Muslim population in Luton - like elsewhere - want to live peacefully and get on with their lives.'

'Many people from all backgrounds opposed the Iraq war but there are proper ways to conduct yourself,' he added.



One protester at yesterday's rally, Sayful Islam, the leader of the Luton branch of an organisation that has the same beliefs as al-Muhajiroun, was unrepentant today.

He said: 'The anger has been rising. The parade was the final insult. They have killed, maimed and raped thousands of innocent people. They can't come here and parade where there is such a Muslim community.'

Last month members of the same group were seen at an anti-Israel demonstration in the Bedfordshire town.

In his internet posting, Anjem Choudary said that the British soldiers were 'terrorists'.

He said: 'They cannot be excused for simply 'carrying out their duty', which incidentally (and vividly) was also used by Nazi soldiers in Germany to justify their notorious and bloody campaigns in the early 20th century.'

Read more here.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Ayn Rand Interviewed by Mike Wallace



If you only watch one of these video clips, this is the meat of "Atlas Shrugged". Ayn Rand was a woman ahead of her times! In this interview with Mike Wallace, Ms. Rand tells it like it is!





(Ayn Rand: "Aristotle is the Father of logic." This woman was brilliant! Please visit the Ayn Rand Institute if you are inclined to learn more about Ayn Rand. VN8)

Milt Friedman dismantles Phil Donahue on Big Government

Friday, March 6, 2009

Homeless Guy Takes Picture Of Michelle Obama At Soup Kitchen

What's wrong with this picture?


Here’s your answer: That guy is in line at a soup kitchen. And he has a cell phone. He apparently can afford a wireless plan, but not food.

But don’t worry. You’re probably paying for the cell phone. And the soup.

Hope and change!

(OK, wonder if his cell phone is being provided free via you and me, see previous blog regarding SafeLink! VN8)

Siegelman Conviction Upheld



The 11th Circuit of Appeals has upheld the bribery conviction of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman. The case became a minor cause of the far Left; we wrote about it here and elsewhere. Liberals , many of whom treated Siegelman as a hero, peddled the absurd claim--unsupported by any evidence--that Karl Rove was behind the prosecution. In fact, while the evidence against Siegelman may have been less than overwhelming, his prosecution reflects the priority the DOJ has put on political corruption, not some non-existent political influence. Which didn't stop the Associated Press from repeating the liberals' slander against Rove:

Siegelman has claimed his prosecution was pushed by Republicans, including former White House adviser Karl Rove, a claim career federal prosecutors who handled the case have emphatically denied. Rove, a Texas strategist, was once heavily involved in Alabama politics.

The AP manages to convey the impression that there could be something to Siegelman's claim, despite its inherent implausibility and the complete absence of any evidence to support it. Typical.

CHAVEZ CALLS ON OBAMA TO FOLLOW PATH OF SOCIALISM



Fri Mar 06 2009

Caracas - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday called upon US President Barack Obama to follow the path to socialism, which he termed as the "only" way out of the global recession. "Come with us, align yourself, come with us on the road to socialism. This is the only path. Imagine a socialist revolution in the United States," Chavez told a group of workers in the southern Venezuelan state of Bolivar.

The controversial Venezuelan leader, who taunted the United States as a source of capitalistic evil under former president George W Bush, added that the United States needs a leader who can take it to a "higher" destiny and bring it out of "the sad role that it has been given, as a murderous, attacking power that is hated all around the world."

Chavez said that people are calling Obama a "socialist" for the measures of state intervention he is taking to counter the crisis, so it would not be too far-fetched to suggest that he might join the project of "21st century socialism" that the Venezuelan leader is heading.

"Nothing is impossible. Who would have thought in the 1980s that the Soviet Union would disappear? No one," he said.

"That murderous, genocidal empire has to end, and some day there has to come a leader ... who interprets the best of a people who also include human beings who suffer, endure, weep and laugh," the outspoken Chavez said.

Developing...

(When Hugo Chavez speaks, does anyone listen? OK, I can't wait to see where this story goes! VN8)

'Most patriotic man ' sounds off on Obama, socialism


Jack Kimball, president of Great Bay Facility Services Inc., has placed messages on the sign for his Route 1 Bypass business that read, "Let's all stop paying our mortgages" and "Congress We don't want socialism."
Don Clark photo



By Elizabeth Dinan
edinan@seacoastonline.com
March 05, 2009 6:00 AM


PORTSMOUTH — A sign in front of Jack Kimball's Route 1 Bypass business advertises his cleaning services, as well as his politics.

President and owner of Great Bay Facility Services, Kimball's sign now displays a message to southbound drivers reading, "Let's all stop paying our mortgages."

"Most of us live by the rules," he said. "We pay our mortgages, and sometimes it's difficult, but we do it. We, the guys who follow the rules, shouldn't be subsidizing those who don't."

Northbound motorists passing by Kimball's business these days can read another message: "Congress — We don't want socialism."

That's Kimball's take on President Obama's stimulus package or, as he likes to call it, "the 'spendulus' package."

"I consider it to be one of the greatest blunders in American history," said the city businessman. "All my life, I was taught that communism and socialism were what we were fighting against. Then, without firing a single shot, that's what we're getting. We'll be passing on all this debt to our children and grandchildren, and maybe beyond."

Inside his medical facility cleaning business, Kimball keeps a small American flag in his pencil holder, a "God Bless America" plaque in the lobby and a framed photo of his 1967 Navy crew on his office wall. He owns a 9 mm handgun and an M-4 assault rifle, but is not a member of the National Rifle Association.

He also bought "as much ammo as I could get my hands on."

"I think we have serious things coming," said Kimball, who is adopting a survivalist mentality by adding generators at his home and planning for worst-case scenarios.

"Our enemies see us as weak and they are going to test us," he said.

Kimball volunteers as a Pease Greeter, is the son of a Massachusetts firefighter and said the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, made him "a mess.

"I thought of all the firemen there and all the brave things my father did as a fireman," he said. "I'm the most patriotic man you'll ever meet."

Kimball said he's not an activist, but "a patriot more than anything."

Which explains the name of his newly formed group of "like-minded people," the Granite State Patriots. Its platform, he said, is to support American troops, counter anti-war and pro-Hamas groups within a 60-mile radius, and "keep a close eye on this president."

Do an Internet search for the Granite State Patriots, he said, but "if you're politically correct, do not join."

"People are jumping on board," he said, and cited interest from Gold Star Mothers, Blue Star Mothers, veterans groups and other conservatives.

The next meeting is March 12 at Kimball's 445 Route 1 Bypass/southbound office. Plans are in the works to organize rallies to counter liberal views at public protests.

"I'm scared to death," said Kimball, who said he lost half his 401(k) and IRA in the tanking market, before taking it all out.

"We're going to pay the piper," he said, "big time."

Now editing the language of the next message he'll advertise over the bypass, Kimball said it will somehow reference Obama's early Cabinet picks, who were dismissed for not paying taxes.

"Balance the budget — have the cabinet candidates pay their taxes," is the general idea, he said. "But I gotta shorten it."

Welcome a New Blogger!

This is Fuzzy!


If you have a chance to visit another American Patriot, Fuzzy's Dad is another great Conservative blogger.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Are we living in Atlas Shrugged?



By David Weigel
3/4/09


Rep. John Campbell (R-Calif.), who gives his departing interns copies of Ayn Rand’s novel “Atlas Shrugged,” told me today that the response to President Obama’s economic policies reminded him of what happened in the 51-year-old novel.

“People are starting to feel like we’re living through the scenario that happened in ‘Atlas Shrugged,’” said Campbell. “The achievers, the people who create all the things that benefit rest of us, are going on strike. I’m seeing, at a small level, a kind of protest from the people who create jobs, the people who create wealth, who are pulling back from their ambitions because they see how they’ll be punished for them.”

In Rand’s novel, creative people (the “Atlases” of the title) are hounded and punished for their labor by an oppressive, socialistic state. In response, they retreat from society to a hidden enclave where they watch civilization’s slow collapse.

How far, I asked Campbell, are we from the final chapters of the novel? “We’re still a ways away,” he said. “That will happen when people expect that there ought to be a recovery going on, and it isn’t going on.”

President Obama Snubs Prime Minister Gordon Brown

No Colgate Moment, Indeed

By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, March 4, 2009; A03



Our British cousins are getting the feeling that the new administration doesn't fancy them.

The murmurs began when President Obama returned to the British Embassy the Winston Churchill bust that had been displayed in the Oval Office since Tony Blair lent it to George W. Bush.

The fears intensified when press secretary Robert Gibbs, announcing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to the White House, demoted the Churchillian phrase "special relationship" to a mere "special partnership" across the Atlantic.

And the alarm bells really went off when Brown's entourage landed at Andrews Air Force Base on Monday night. Obama, breaking with precedent, wouldn't grant the prime minister the customary honor of standing beside him in front of the two nations' flags for the TV cameras. The Camp David sleepover that Blair got on his first meeting with Bush? Sorry, chaps.

Still, Brown kept a stiff upper lip as he sat in the Oval Office yesterday as Obama, skipping the usual words of welcome for his guest, went straight to questions from the news services. Brown didn't get to speak for six minutes, after Obama had already answered two questions. Gamely, the snubbed premier tried to speak the president's language.

"I don't think I could ever compete with you at basketball," Brown said. "Perhaps tennis."

"Tennis? I hear you've got a game," Obama replied mildly.

"Yes, we could maybe have a -- have a shot," the prime minister went on.

"We haven't tried it yet," the president said.

"I don't know," Brown said. "I think you'd be better, but there we are."

Obama smiled faintly. Brown spent much of the session with both soles planted on the floor, his palms gripping his thighs.

For the president -- beloved by the world largely for the fact that he is not Bush -- it was a surprisingly cool reception for an ally. Bush, of course, went in the opposite direction, disclosing at his first meeting with Blair, in February 2001, that they both used Colgate toothpaste. In the next 13 visits Blair made to the United States to meet with Bush, all but one included a full stand-at-the-flags-style news conference, according to CBS News's Mark Knoller, an unofficial statistician of the presidency. The one exception was Blair's last-minute trip after the 2001 terrorist attacks to appear at Bush's address to Congress. When Brown took over, he, too, got the Camp David treatment.

But not this time. Benedict Brogan of Britain's Daily Mail reported on his blog that "the joint press conference No10 was banking on is off. . . . Embarrassing." He later updated the report: "If Downing Street was expecting the kind of love-in that marked the first Blair-Clinton gala at the White House or the Blair-Bush Colgate and video moment at Camp David, this new administration has proved it wrong. There never was going to be a press conference, despite what No10 said. And there is no couple time planned. No Stevie Wonder, no Meet the Parents, no burgers."

Brown, agreed the Spectator's Alex Massie, "may have been treated a little shabbily."

Still, Brown labored not to show the hurt when he was whisked into the West Wing yesterday without ceremony. He brought Obama a pen holder carved from the timbers of the HMS Gannet, sister ship of the HMS Resolute, the wood of which was used to make the Oval Office desk. A small pool of reporters was admitted to the Oval Office to question the two seated leaders, and they emerged with a sometimes-shaky video of the session plagued by audio gaps.

After a question about Russia, the BBC's Nick Robinson observed to the president that "it's often been said that you, unlike many of your predecessors, have not looked towards Europe, let alone Britain."

"The special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me, it's important to the American people," Obama assured the British, hitting all the requisite points about common language, culture and the fact that Britain is "where my mother's side of my family came from."

Brown used the moment to deliver his opening statement, which he had not had a chance to make earlier. "Let me -- let me just thank President Obama for his -- for his welcome, for his hospitality, for his leadership," the prime minister offered. He declared that he was "grateful, too, that Michelle and Sarah will be meeting later this afternoon."

A second British reporter asked the two men to describe their personal relationship. Obama, thus prompted, reached out to touch his counterpart's shoulder. "I will say that this is my third meeting with Prime Minister Brown, and I'd like to think that our relationship is terrific," he said. "And I'm sure he won't dispute me -- in front of me, anyway." Obama then listed various impersonal commonalities such as free markets and rule of law before mentioning their "spectacular wives."

"This was very obviously no Colgate moment," the BBC's Robinson judged.

"There was a lackluster quality to it all that did little to assuage the fears," agreed Tim Shipman of Britain's Telegraph.

Somewhere in the British Embassy, a bronze bust of Churchill was turning in its storage crate.

You have got to be kidding me!

OK, I'm going to start a new feature on the blog, items related to the response of, You have got to be kidding me? You know what I'm talking about, we've all had those moments! Well this is the most recent moment I had this morning. Spread the word we are one step closer to absurdity! What do you think about this new government handout?




Free Government Sponsored Cell Phones

SafeLink Wireless is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.


Lifeline Benefits

Lifeline Assistance is part of a program that was created by the government to provide discounted or free telephone service to income-eligible consumers. To help bring you this important benefit, SafeLink Wireless is proud to offer Lifeline Service. Through our Lifeline Service you will receive FREE cellular service, a FREE cell phone, and FREE Minutes every month! SafeLink Wireless Service does not cost anything – there are no contracts, no recurring fees and no monthly charges.

Any Minutes you do not use will roll-over. Features such as caller ID, call waiting and voicemail are all also included with your service. If you need additional Minutes, you can buy TracFone Airtime Cards at any TracFone retailer Walmart, Walgreens, Family Dollar, etc). SafeLink Airtime Cards will be available soon.

Your exact benefits, including the number of free Minutes you will receive, depend on the state you live in. Please enter your ZIP code to get the details for your state.

How to Qualify

The process to qualify for Lifeline Service depends on the State you live in. In general, you may qualify if...

1. You already participate in other State or Federal assistance program such as Federal Public Housing Assistance, Food Stamps and Medicaid.
OR
2. Your total household income is at or below 135% of the poverty guidelines set by your State and/or the Federal Government.
AND
3. No one in your household currently receives Lifeline Service through another phone carrier.
4. You have a valid United States Postal Address. In order for us to ship you your free phone you must live at a residence that can receive mail from the US Post Office. Sorry, but P.O. Boxes cannot be accepted.

In addition to meeting the guidelines above you will also be required to provide proof of your participation in an assistance program, or proof of your income level.

Robin Williams you are in my prayers!



And in the same breath so to speak . . . I couldn't resist posting this!

Did you know they are serving Penis? LOL



Thanks to OweMe1Cannoli for bringing this blunder to my attention. You don't want to miss this video, it's hysterical! VN8

Do You Need A Survival Job?



Here are a few suggestions:

Quintessential Careers:
The Pros and Cons of Taking a Survival Job. What Should You Do?


by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

Survival Job: Typically a low-end, low-paying job that a displaced job-seeker takes on a temporary basis (often as a last resort) when unemployed to cover basic living costs, in order to survive and avoid bankruptcy -- or worse.

You are out of work, your benefits have expired, and your savings are quickly being depleted. You've cut expenses, but you still have those monthly bills to pay. For whatever reason, the employment picture for your profession looks bleak. Now is the time to make a decision about whether or not you should take a survival job -- any job -- just to help you make ends meet until an opportunity in your field opens again.

This article discusses the pros and cons of taking a survival job, as well as tips and suggestions for making the best of a bad situation.

The Pros of a Survival Job
1. Income. The main reason that people take a survival job is the income needed to cover at least the most basic of necessities, such as food and shelter.

2. Productivity. While many of us may fantasize about a life of doing nothing, in reality, we have a strong work ethic -- and even the most basic survival job makes us feel we are doing our part.

3. Confidence. Being unemployed for any length of time is a blow to our egos, but being back in the workforce may be just the confidence-booster needed to help find a new job in your field.

4. Respect. Most employers report having respect for unemployed job-seekers who are willing to work survival jobs as a means to support their families.

5. Healthcare. If you are one of the lucky ones, you may get healthcare benefits with your survival job so that you and your family do not go without healthcare on top of everything else.

6. Foot in the Door. If you're lucky, taking a survival job could be just the break you need to establish a reputation for a when a position in your field opens with an employer.

The Cons of a Survival Job
1. Lower Wages. No surprise here. Survival jobs do not pay the big money that you may have been getting in your last job, so you will still need to make drastic cuts to your budget and lifestyle.

2. Multiple Jobs. Because of low wages and limited availability, you may be forced to take multiple jobs to even obtain a livable wage for you and your family.

3. Limited Time for Job-Hunting. Working one or more survival jobs means you have less time to devote to job-hunting for a new job in your profession -- and less flexibility in scheduling job interviews.

4. No Future. For most people, survival jobs are just temporary stops -- as temporary as possible -- on the way back to a normal life and a regular job.

Tips for Survival Jobs and Job-Hunting
Remember that old axiom, if life gives you lemons then make lemonade? The same thing goes for being fired/downsized/rightsized. You can put your ego aside and do the best work you can in that survival job while you await better opportunities or you can become bitter and defeated. As one job-seeker stated, isn't it better to be underemployed than to not be employed at all?

Here are some additional tips related to survival jobs:

1. Knowledge Base. Look for survival jobs where you can learn a new skill and actually add to your marketability. A marketing professional working as a store clerk can quickly learn lessons in customer service, inventory control, and more.

2. Synergy. Consider finding survival jobs that relate to your interests or hobbies. A wine enthusiast might find a job in a liquor store more tolerable than other types of jobs.

3. Best Companies. Seek out companies that have a strong reputation and that may have job openings closer to your specialty at some point in the future.

4. Check Ego. If you decide to take a survival job, be sure to leave the chip off your shoulder and check your ego at the entrance. Take pride in a day's work.

5. Make Time. Don't work so many hours that you simply are too exhausted to find time each day to conduct at least a few job-search related activities.

6. Talk with a Professional. You'll want to decide whether placing the survival job on your resume will help you or hurt you. A career professional may be the best person to help you answer that question.

7. Tough Competition. In bad economic times, you may face stiff competition for even the most dead-end of survival jobs, so be prepared with a strong resume and a positive attitude.

8. Keep Your Spirits Up. Taking a survival job may be a setback, but it's not a defeat. In fact, some people report having less stress and a more enjoyable life with what they once considered a survival job.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Please don't light a candle for me!


If this wasn't absolutely hysterical, it would be creepy.

Hey President Obama, it's PRICE and Earnings Ratio!

"What I'm looking for is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market, but the long-term ability for the United States and the entire world economy to regain its footing," Obama said after meeting in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"You know, it bobs up and down," he said, comparing stock market movements to daily tracking polls during political campaigns. "The banking system has been dealt a heavy blow," he added. "There are a lot of losses that are working their way through the system. And it's not surprising that the market is hurting as a consequence."

Sounding ever more like an analyst, he said that "profit and earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it."The president predicted a recovery "but it's not going to happen overnight."

(Do me a favor Mr. President, stay off camera, stop fear mongering, seal your lips and get someone to give you a few economic lessons.)

The P/E ratio (price-to-earnings ratio) of a stock (also called its "P/E", "PER", "earnings multiple," or simply "multiple") is a measure of the price paid for a share relative to the annual net income or profit earned by the firm per share.[2] It is a financial ratio used for valuation: a higher P/E ratio means that investors are paying more for each unit of net income, so the stock is more expensive compared to one with lower P/E ratio.

Addendum

Is he kidding? He's waging an all-out war against capitalism, and he wants us to buy stocks? This man who wants a government-controlled economy wants us to invest in the stock market? This is like the Surgeon General telling us to go out and have unprotected sex with drug addicted street walkers. Yeah ... let's all do that! Neal Boortz

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Thank God for the WSJ!



Our Troubled Economy

As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama's policies have become part of the economy's problem.

Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence -- and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.

The Democrats who now run Washington don't want to hear this, because they benefit from blaming all bad economic news on President Bush. And Mr. Obama has inherited an unusual recession deepened by credit problems, both of which will take time to climb out of. But it's also true that the economy has fallen far enough, and long enough, that much of the excess that led to recession is being worked off. Already 15 months old, the current recession will soon match the average length -- and average job loss -- of the last three postwar downturns. What goes down will come up -- unless destructive policies interfere with the sources of potential recovery.

And those sources have been forming for some time. The price of oil and other commodities have fallen by two-thirds since their 2008 summer peak, which has the effect of a major tax cut. The world is awash in liquidity, thanks to monetary ease by the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Monetary policy operates with a lag, but last year's easing will eventually stir economic activity.

Housing prices have fallen 27% from their Case-Shiller peak, or some two-thirds of the way back to their historical trend. While still high, credit spreads are far from their peaks during the panic, and corporate borrowers are again able to tap the credit markets. As equities were signaling with their late 2008 rally and January top, growth should under normal circumstances begin to appear in the second half of this year.

So what has happened in the last two months? The economy has received no great new outside shock. Exchange rates and other prices have been stable, and there are no security crises of note. The reality of a sharp recession has been known and built into stock prices since last year's fourth quarter.

What is new is the unveiling of Mr. Obama's agenda and his approach to governance. Every new President has a finite stock of capital -- financial and political -- to deploy, and amid recession Mr. Obama has more than most. But one negative revelation has been the way he has chosen to spend his scarce resources on income transfers rather than growth promotion. Most of his "stimulus" spending was devoted to social programs, rather than public works, and nearly all of the tax cuts were devoted to income maintenance rather than to improving incentives to work or invest.

His Treasury has been making a similar mistake with its financial bailout plans. The banking system needs to work through its losses, and one necessary use of public capital is to assist in burning down those bad assets as fast as possible. Yet most of Team Obama's ministrations so far have gone toward triage and life support, rather than repair and recovery.
AIG yesterday received its fourth "rescue," including $70 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program cash, without any clear business direction. (See here.) Citigroup's restructuring last week added not a dollar of new capital, and also no clear direction. Perhaps the imminent Treasury "stress tests" will clear the decks, but until they do the banks are all living in fear of becoming the next AIG. All of this squanders public money that could better go toward burning down bank debt.

The market has notably plunged since Mr. Obama introduced his budget last week, and that should be no surprise. The document was a declaration of hostility toward capitalists across the economy. Health-care stocks have dived on fears of new government mandates and price controls. Private lenders to students have been told they're no longer wanted. Anyone who uses carbon energy has been warned to expect a huge tax increase from cap and trade. And every risk-taker and investor now knows that another tax increase will slam the economy in 2011, unless Mr. Obama lets Speaker Nancy Pelosi impose one even earlier.

Meanwhile, Congress demands more bank lending even as it assails lenders and threatens to let judges rewrite mortgage contracts. The powers in Congress -- unrebuked by Mr. Obama -- are ridiculing and punishing the very capitalists who are essential to a sustainable recovery. The result has been a capital strike, and the return of the fear from last year that we could face a far deeper downturn. This is no way to nurture a wounded economy back to health.

Listening to Mr. Obama and his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, on the weekend, we couldn't help but wonder if they appreciate any of this. They seem preoccupied with going to the barricades against Republicans who wield little power, or picking a fight with Rush Limbaugh, as if this is the kind of economic leadership Americans want.

Perhaps they're reading the polls and figure they have two or three years before voters stop blaming Republicans and Mr. Bush for the economy. Even if that's right in the long run, in the meantime their assault on business and investors is delaying a recovery and ensuring that the expansion will be weaker than it should be when it finally does arrive.

Joe, what the heck are you talking about?



(Earth to Joe, take your medication NOW! LOL VN8)

What are you doing to cut costs?



I wanted to offer you an opportunity to share with others some of the money saving tips that you may have implemented that might help others. I'm sure each of us is discovering new ways to pinch a penny. Are you coupon clipping? Are you eating out less? Are you driving less? Carpooling? Bartering for goods and services? Cutting back on How are you cutting costs in this uncertain economy? Here' an interesting video I located on YouTube. VN8

Monday, March 2, 2009

Who let the DAWGS out?



Snowy Sandford Stadium 3/1/2009

You have got to be kidding me?

By BECKY BOHRER
The Associated Press
2/20/2009


NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The federal government is providing six more months of rental assistance to thousands of families affected by the 2005 hurricanes, allowing them extra time to reach self-sufficiency or to get into other housing aid programs.

(OK, let me get this straight, these families have had 3 1/2 years to get their selves together and they still need assistance to become self sufficient? What in the name of God has happened to people? For those of you in Rio Linda, that's a rhetorical question! Give me a break, get off your collective booty, find employment and get off the taxpayers back! Please don't tell me you are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder! Approximately 31,400 people are still receiving Federal assistance, will someone tell me what 31,400 people have been doing with their time for over three years? I really want to know! VN8)

Way to go Jonathan Krohn!



Jonathan, You are our next generations Ronald Wilson Reagan, where is ours! This is what happens when you take government schools out of the picture. Jonathan Krohn is home schooled! Kudos, Jonathan, keep your head about you and life is your oyster! VN8

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Big Brother IS Watching!

Radio chip coming soon to your driver's license?
Homeland Security seeks next-generation REAL ID

By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Privacy advocates are issuing warnings about a new radio chip plan that ultimately could provide electronic identification for every adult in the U.S. and allow agents to compile attendance lists at anti-government rallies simply by walking through the assembly.

The proposal, which has earned the support of Janet Napolitano, the newly chosen chief of the Department of Homeland Security, would embed radio chips in driver's licenses, or "enhanced driver's licenses."

"Enhanced driver's licenses give confidence that the person holding the card is the person who is supposed to be holding the card, and it's less elaborate than REAL ID," Napolitano said in a Washington Times report.

REAL ID is a plan for a federal identification system standardized across the nation that so alarmed governors many states have adopted formal plans to oppose it. However, a privacy advocate today told WND that the EDLs are many times worse.

(Yep, I have a healthy sense of paranoia, especially after, right here on one of my blog posts, I was labeled as possibly being one of the "nuts" at a "tea party" demonstration opposing President Obama's Porkulus plan. No one has the right to track me or anyone else. VN8)

Buyer's Remorse?

Obama Declares War on Investors, Entrepreneurs, Businesses, And More

Larry Kudlow


Let me be very clear on the economics of President Obama’s State of the Union speech and his budget.

He is declaring war on investors, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large corporations, and private-equity and venture-capital funds.

That is the meaning of his anti-growth tax-hike proposals, which make absolutely no sense at all — either for this recession or from the standpoint of expanding our economy’s long-run potential to grow.

Raising the marginal tax rate on successful earners, capital, dividends, and all the private funds is a function of Obama’s left-wing social vision, and a repudiation of his economic-recovery statements. Ditto for his sweeping government-planning-and-spending program, which will wind up raising federal outlays as a share of GDP to at least 30 percent, if not more, over the next 10 years.


This is nearly double the government-spending low-point reached during the late 1990s by the Gingrich Congress and the Clinton administration. While not quite as high as spending levels in Western Europe, we regrettably will be gaining on this statist-planning approach.

Study after study over the past several decades has shown how countries that spend more produce less, while nations that tax less produce more. Obama is doing it wrong on both counts.

And as far as middle-class tax cuts are concerned, Obama’s cap-and-trade program will be a huge across-the-board tax increase on blue-collar workers, including unionized workers. Industrial production is plunging, but new carbon taxes will prevent production from ever recovering. While the country wants more fuel and power, cap-and-trade will deliver less.

The tax hikes will generate lower growth and fewer revenues. Yes, the economy will recover. But Obama’s rosy scenario of 4 percent recovery growth in the out years of his budget is not likely to occur. The combination of easy money from the Fed and below-potential economic growth is a prescription for stagflation. That’s one of the messages of the falling stock market.

Essentially, the Obama economic policies represent a major Democratic party relapse into Great Society social spending and taxing. It is a return to the LBJ/Nixon era, and a move away from the Reagan/Clinton period. House Republicans, fortunately, are 90 days sober, as they are putting up a valiant fight to stop the big-government onslaught and move the GOP back to first principles.

Noteworthy up here on Wall Street, a great many Obama supporters — especially hedge-fund types who voted for “change” — are becoming disillusioned with the performances of Obama and Treasury man Geithner.

There is a growing sense of buyer’s remorse.

Well then, do conservatives dare say: We told you so?

(You betcha! VN8)

Atlanta Tea Party



(Amen and amen brother Steve! Conservatives are greedy and we deserve to keep anything that we have worked for! God I can't wait to go to one of these tea parties! It is our own personal responsibility to gve to charity if we choose, not to be robbed of our income to give to charity as someone else sees fit! VN8)

Memories of Snow!

Memories of SNOW!



















I tried posting a video of the snow, I guess I'm going tohave to post it on YouTube if it doesn't load on BlogSpot! ENJOY! VN8