Villains Vanquished

For the Record...

2009-07-17T08:12:00.002-05:00

1. I've never watched "John and Kate Plus Eight" and don't give a rat's ass about any of it.

2. Never a fan of Michael Jackson, though I did used to enjoy rollerskating to "Thriller." The whole thing there - totally overdone.

3. Why is it that it is so difficult to remove cherry stains? Egad! They are never going to come out of my favorite shirt...I soak and I soak, but all I've managed is a bit of fading.

4. Making sour cherry jam this weekend, hopefully. Ah, the taste of Summer!

5. The older I get, the grouchier I get. Gawd, I need some caffeine.

Phhbt.

2009-07-15T14:43:00.002-05:00

It has been forever, I know.

I've been neglecting you terribly. Why, do you know that when I opened the door three moths flew out? Also, there are cobwebs and dustbunnies everywhere.

What can I say? I'm not great at virtual housekeeping.

Dear lord, Darth Obama is going to ram through his next rape of our children and grandchildren with this lunatic Obamacare program. Our government, who can't manage the US Postal Service in the black, or Amtrak, or Medicare/Medicaid, the VA, or even Social Security, wants to get into another business.

Next thing you know, Obama will want to personally see to feminine troubles as well. I could even see him putting Bill Clinton in charge.

The more time goes by, I am utterly convinced that at the end of Obama's term we will all be broke, homeless, unemployed, and bleeding to death.

Good times. Why, it will almost be worth it to watch the fools that voted for him suffer...

ObamaCare

2009-06-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

Attention Gamers:

2009-06-10T09:24:00.003-05:00

SpySistah and I were talking yesterday and reminiscing a bit. She asked me a question that I couldn't really answer and I'm hoping that if anybody still reads this blog, maybe they'll have an answer.

Here's the lead-in:

Back in the day, SpySistah and I enjoyed computer games. But, they were a certain sort of computer game that I call extended problem-solving games. In particular, we played King's Quest and Police Quest and Leisure Suit Larry. In these games, you sort of had to explore until you stumbled upon the best way to proceed.

Do these sorts of games still exist?

I'm not talking about the Sims (no offense, total waste of time) or the build your own amusement park, etc. games.

I'm looking for a game with a real goal that you have to figure out on your own. And, I'm not talking about the sort of game where the structure is obvious and you simply have to press the right buttons in the right order to get to the next level a la Mario Brothers.

Do these sorts of games still exist?

Leave a comment if you have a suggestion...

Latest Moves by Our Brilliant President

2009-06-05T09:54:00.002-05:00

That title is sponsored by the literary function known as sarcasm.

The President's corporate tax changes are likely to force more unemployment as corporations take their businesses (and jobs) to more tax-friendly nations.

And, in the category of "New Diplomacy" (read: pissing on allies and cozying up to enemies and combative rogue states):

Jews in the West Bank are answering Obama's call to cease "illegal" building of settlements by erecting an "Obama hut." Which sort of puts me in mind to another President who had whole communities of ramshackle huts built during his term (Hoovervilles). Not to worry, Best President Evah still has plenty of time to beat the economy into a depression. Lord knows he's giving it his best shot.

Best part of the article:

"Obama, in his audacity, dreams that 350,000 Jews can be removed from Judea
and Samaria, but they are a fact that cannot be changed,"

Hey! Audacious dreams are the cornerstone of this Presidency! Realities, facts...not so much.

He's also managed to vex Angela Merkel on at least two fronts: GTMO and the global economic crisis. Again, the New Diplomacy mandates everything be turned upside down. Old, long-standing allies are the new enemy.

Add France to the list as well. The Obamas have snubbed a dinner invite with Mr. and Mrs. Sarkozy. Do you remember the days when we had a President who didn't try to piss off the good guys? Yeah, those were good times.

Why, I almost expect the next headline to be that Obama gave the finger to the Australian Prime Minister!

I hope all of that "love" from the Muslim world will make up for the bridges he's busy burning. Somehow, I doubt it.

Where was Sandy Berger?

2009-05-20T10:59:00.001-05:00

It is a pertinent question, considering his previous activities at the National Archives.

Particularly in light of this.

BREAKING: Obama is Messiah Afterall!

2009-05-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

I used to laugh and ridicule the Obamabots.

I used to snark and guffaw at the golden halos in the images of him, at the talk of him being "The One."

Now, I can admit, I was wrong.

He is The One.

How else do you explain His ability to resurrect the dead with His Stimulus?

/sarcasm

Mitosis, Has to be Mitosis

2009-05-01T09:23:00.002-05:00

After a great deal of consideration, I have finally developed an hypothesis to explain a phenomenon that is taking place in my home. I am sure that many others have experienced similar, if not the same phenomenon.

To talk you back to middle school science, I have latched onto mitosis, that most elegant process of cell division, to explain what I am seeing.

I am trying to follow the scientific process, (Thank you, Mr. Pilgrim!), but I'm falling down on the last few steps.

The scientific process says that you observe something in nature, pose an hypothesis to explain the observations, and then test that hypothesis, report on the results, and tweak/change your hypothesis based on the results.

For the record, this simple process has largely fallen out of favor in recent years. At least, that is, with those following Al Gore and the Church of Global Warming. Even so, it is the only process that makes sense to me, so that's what I'm going with.

Mysterious Phenomenon in Nature: Multiplication of Toys

Everytime I turn around, there are more toys in our home. Just yesterday, I encountered a new stuffed bear that I have never seen before. As the local purchasing agent of such items, I am immigration control and, don't tell Bunny Boop, but I am also The Grim Reaper. So it came as a shock to find an illegal immigrant in the toys yesterday. I began to wonder if perhaps it wasn't an illegal immigrant, but an anchor baby. Perhaps, somehow, the toys were reproducing.

But of course, this can't be sexual reproduction, right?

So, I began to look for other processes by which I was losing the battle for toy control. And then, it hit me: MITOSIS.

Or, something similar anyway.

Perhaps the bits and bobs of broken toys were migrating toward each other and joining in the creation of new toys.

Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor disprove the hypothesis. The fact is, I simply don't know how to test it.

I could smash a bunch of toys and see what happens, but I suspect this would be the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand that spurred the Great War in my household.

Dark Days

2009-04-29T08:27:00.004-05:00

It has become clear to me that President Obama is dead-set on destroying this nation.

There is really no other explanation for his actions.

He bows and scrapes to the Saudi King, indicating that the United States is subservient to that country.

He listened quietly, taking notes, while Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega ranted at the United States at the Summit of the Americas, calling the US a terrorist nation. Of course, Obama has lots of practice sitting in a room and listening to hate speech, thanks to the oratory of his mentor and spiritual advisor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama lacked the courage to get up and walk out then and he lacks the same courage now. So much for "the one we've been waiting for."

He shaked the hand and had a good chat with dictator and thug Hugo Chavez, a man who has oppressed his own people, and done some nasty stuff to his political opponents, including forcing them into exile.

He offered a special deal to Russia, promising to jettison plans for missile defense in that region for their help with Iran. Of course, Putin's man Medvedev signalled that Russia wasn't willing to buy any cow when they could get the milk for free. Big surprise.

And, that is just the tip of the iceberg. He sent hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers into PTSD flashbacks by allowing Air Force One and two fighter jets to buzz Manhattan for a photo op. You see, they were running out of Air Force One postcards in the Whitehouse gift shop. Michelle sent a bunch to all of her high school and college classmates, so they needed to restock. Seriously now, nobody thought this might not be a good idea? Nobody thought this might be a giant fucking waste of tax payer money? You can't tell me we don't still have the negatives and can print more photos if we really fucking need them. This is ludicrous and just plain mean. NYC and the entire country was traumatized on 9/11/01. Clearly, Obama thinks we need to just get past it. Put it out of our silly heads.

I am not a New Yorker, never have been, never will be. But, I suffered that day. I cried. I didn't sleep for days. I can't even imagine how people who were actually there felt. People who lost friends and family and coworkers got to revisit the fear of that day, thanks to our fearless leader. Oh yeah, I know he has "apologized", but it all rings hollow to me.

This SOB is the worst President ever. EVER.

Obama has released the details of enhanced interrogation techniques and has signalled that those who authorized them will be held responsible. I guess all those lives that were saved in Los Angeles as a result of the use of these techniques should have been lost. Clearly, that's what Obama would have wanted.

He's forced bailout funding at taxpayer expense and has disallowed those firms to payback those funds.

He's spending money like a fortune-hunting bride from the trailer park. He's denigrating America and pissing on her prestige and history nearly every day. His "team" is the saddest sack of fuckups ever compiled, and that's just the ones that actually made it through confirmation!

His Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, referred to the events of 9/11/01 not as an act of terrorism or an act of war, but as a "man-caused disaster." Somehow I can't help but hear that as weak and offensive to the 2900+ people who died that day. This is the same woman, by the way, who is apparently convinced that those men who caused the disasters (not terrorists, but "failed pilots", I'm sure) came into the country from Canada - a contention that has been proven false. Also, Napolitano is apparently unaware that illegal immigration is in fact illegal. Bright shining star in the Obama constellation, that one. And, let's not forget her hit-job report released coincidentally to coincide with the tea party protests. That report, from Janet's office, basically branded any conservative an "extremist" and took specific aim at military veterans.

We've had a slew of nominees and potential nominees withe tax issues and at least one who had to bail out due to embarassing pending investigations.

We've had gaffe after gaffe from the President himself who has managed to piss off several of our chief allies, namely Canada, Australia, and the UK, while he's been busy snuggling up to dictators, thugs, and human rights abusers.

Instead of taking the high road and being polite to the outgoing President, he's exhibited a distinct lack of class and clear disrespect for the highest office in the land. George W. Bush was the elected leader of this country for 8 years, but Obama bad-mouths him in a way reminiscent of what Cinderella's ugly stepsisters did. What Obama fails to realize is that in doing so, he also runs himself down. He isn't rising to the occasion, he's descending into pettiness. He isn't lifting anyone up, he's running the USA down.

Moreover, Obama is setting a precedent. When the sun sets on the Obama administration, as it will do unless Obama takes a play out of the Chavez book, the person who follows will be free to fire away at Obama with both barrels. Throw everything at him, including the kitchen sink.

To his credit, Bush has a hell of a lot more class than Obama has ACORN workers. He has been quietly taking the brunt of Obama's attacks, letting the new President take the reins and do what he feels he must. This is what respect for the office looks like.

This is what class looks like.

This is what taking the high road looks like.

But, that isn't Obama's style. And, the country will be the worse for it. No amount of lofty speech and teleprompter-fed prose can change the impact of the words if all you are doing is bad-mouthing the people who elected you.

We can disagree. We can even disagree vehemently. But respectful people don't do this. And, if they do, they can and should expect there to be consequences.

Friday Fiction

2009-04-13T11:48:00.002-05:00

Yeah, it may be Monday, but I was traveling and didn't get to post this.

Silk has completed Chapter 4: Revelations

In case you missed it, you can find the previous chapters at the links below:

Chapter 1: Half of Two by Christina
Chapter 2: Collar and Cross by Me
Chapter 3: Emerald Eyes by El Capitan

Christina will post the final chapter soon.

This project has really sparked some creative juices. I hope we do another round.

President Obama, Scraping & Bowing

2009-04-09T10:01:00.002-05:00

President Obama denies it, but the video speaks for itself. Here is a man who won't listen to the other side of the argument, but who will bow before the leaders of other countries.

The facets of this President are absolutely staggering.

Insulted Americans? Check.
Denigrated and Demeaned American Prestige? Check.

We might be able to knock off for an early lunch and attend to the end of civil liberties by the end of the day!

Either he's bowing, or he had a rapid attack of menstrual cramps that quickly resolved themselves. Watch it again, his left hand is clearly visible on his lap. The White House's version of events doesn't square with the visual evidence. Watch it again, it is only 12 seconds long. That is no handshake.

An American President bowing, genuflecting, to foreign royalty...what's next?!?

h/t: Ace

Kidnapped, by PIRATES!

2009-04-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Well, well, well.

It seems President Obama has a major test on his hands in the form of an American-flagged cargo ship that has been hijacked by Somali pirates. Those pesky Somali pirates! I imagine the Obamabots would tell you that they are just "misunderstood."

I call bullshit.

These are thieves, kidnappers, terrorists on the high seas. They have been interfering with global commerce for far too long. Other countries and companies have coddled the pirates, played along, paid "tributes" and "ransoms."

Did none of these people go to grade school? Don't they know what happens when you let a bully steal your lunch money? He comes back for it again tomorrow! This isn't brain surgery, folks.

Currently, the American crew has managed to retake the Alabama. The pirates are adrift on a speedboat, with no fuel, water, or food. They do have one thing, however: a hostage. They are currently holding the ship's captain, Capt. Richard Phillips, on their little speed boat.

I was speaking with someone about this prior to the release of updated information and I shared what I would do were I sitting in the Oval Office.

It might be overkill, but I'd send two battlegroups to the site. I'd have twenty or so (each of the US Naval ships present) to fire individual, single warning shots just off the bow of the pirate vessel. I would show them the precision with which we can deliver hellfire. I would then proceed to inform them that they have exactly five minutes to release their hostage, unharmed, or the next volley of fire will not be warning shots. Then, I'd broadcast the ticking of a clock.

Overkill? Maybe, but those Navy boys deserve to have a little fun now and then. The fact of the matter is, these pirates are in a lousy bargaining position. They have one hostage. One. The are out of fuel, so escape is out of the question unless they give up their hostage, and we are unlikely to refuel them if he comes to any harm. They also don't have time on their side as they are out of both food and water. You can live several days without food, but without water, you're screwed. And, I suspect, before long the pirate leader is going to be facing mutiny from within the ranks.

There is another aspect to this, however, and it is why my response would be so forceful. I wouldn't aim my response for the pirates, they would be secondary recipients of my message. I would send a message of force, an emphatic "Don't Fuck with The Americans", if you will, mostly to Iran. Iran has been screwing with our ships too, feigning attacks like that that took out sailors on the USS Cole. To date, we've sort of put up with their antics. But the pirate thing offers an opportunity for the US Navy to show what we can do. Let's scare the crap out of the pirates and give Mahmoud Ahmadinejhad a moment's pause. We don't need permission from the UN to protect American sailors at sea or American shipments of humanitarian aid. We don't need a coalition to kill a speedboat full of Somali pirates. What we need to do is show the world that American Might has not been diminished.

The rest of the world may be willing to ransom their citizens and ships in a perpetual market of terror, but the United States should stand firm. We don't negotiate with terrorists on land, at sea, or in the air. There needs to be no doubt of the consequences if you fuck with us. Don't pick a fight with us, or we'll be scraping what's left of you off of the foredeck.

President Obama, busy kowtowing and bowing to Saudis and telling the world how bad American arrogance is, is unlikely to take this approach. Hell, everybody knows Hillary Clinton has more balls than Obama, so I'm not optimistic.

I still think a strong show of force would be a good idea though. And, I believe, Thomas Jefferson would approve. It was he who dealt with the Barbary pirates in much the same way. For far too long, American ships had done the same as French and British ships when traveling through The Med: they paid tributes to the Barbary pirates to protect against the enslavement of the crews. Jefferson sent in the Marines, fearing that paying any further tributes or ransoms would only embolden the pirates and bring about more attacks on American ships.

Here's an ironic twist for you: the US Naval ship on site at the current Somali issue is the USS Bainbridge. During Jefferson's presidency, the USS Philadelphia, captained by William Bainbridge, ran aground while patrolling Tripoli harbor and came under attack and was eventually taken and turned against the Americans. A year later, Lt. Commander Stephen Decatur lead the first American Marines in a spectacular raid on Tripoli harbor. They destroyed the Philadelphia and her crew remained enslaved, but it set off a sequence of events that ultimately resolved in 1815 with the ending of any tributes. The Algerians, Moroccans, and Tripolitans had finally been convinced we meant business.

Fighting was the right thing to do then and it is the right thing to do now.

And, lest you think I'm just some warmongering Conservative, I'll have you know my solution was at least measured and gave the pirates an opportunity to give up in the face of overwhelming odds. My dad suggested we just bomb the hell out of Somalia until the pirates realized that unless they acted, there'd be nothing to go home to.

Me? I think that's too much work. I think 20-well aimed warning shots fired from a fleet of Naval vessels and a five minute ticking clock will do the trick.

What will President Obama do?

Wring his hands and hope for the best? "Hope" for "change"?

The world is watching, President Obama, and so am I.

(Incidentally, the title of this post is from a very very very old comedy skit I saw once about a baby duck hand puppet that was kidnapped by pirates. It was hilarious, but I can 't tell you more than that. That was back in the days when She-Ra had her own cartoon.)

Why won't Obama let banks pay back TARP money?

2009-04-06T15:52:00.002-05:00

I say again, why won't Obama let rescued banks pay back their TARP money?

As a taxpayer, I say if the banks are ready to pay the money back, LET THEM.

It is NOT Obama's money.

If those banks are ready to stand on their own feet, why shouldn't we let them?

Come on, kool-aid drinkers, surely you have a pat answer to this one...

Obama's $163,000 Tax Bomb for Families Earning Less Than $250K per year - Yes, This Means You

2009-04-03T10:38:00.004-05:00

Get ready to feel the equivalent of nuclear taxation!

Stumbled upon this article in the Wall Street Journal. It didn't tell me anything I wasn't already keenly aware of, but I thought the kool-aid drinkers needed to sober up a bit about the coming tax consequences of their foolish infatuation.

Incidentally, the article is written by Michael J. Boskin, professor of economics at Stanford. The gist of the article is the lie that is Obama's "no tax increases for families earning less than $250K." It's pretty clear cut and you should read it all, but here are a few excerpts:

...

Mr. Obama's characterizations of his budget unfortunately fall into this pattern. He claims to reduce the deficit by half, to shave $2 trillion off the debt (the cumulative deficit over his 10-year budget horizon), and not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. While in a Clintonian sense correct (depends on what the definition of "is" is), it is far more accurate to describe Mr. Obama's budget as almost tripling the deficit. It adds $6.5 trillion to the national debt, and leaves future U.S. taxpayers (many of whom will make far less than $250,000) with the tab. And all this before dealing with the looming Medicare and Social Security cost explosion.

...

Finally, what of the claim not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $250,000 a year? Even ignoring his large energy taxes, Mr. Obama must reconcile his arithmetic. Every dollar of debt he runs up means that future taxes must be $1 higher in present-value terms. Mr. Obama is going to leave a discounted present-value legacy of $6.5 trillion of additional future taxes, unless he dramatically cuts spending. (With interest the future tax hikes would be much larger later on.) Call it a stealth tax increase or ticking tax time-bomb.

What does $6.5 trillion of additional debt imply for the typical family? If spread evenly over all those paying income taxes (which under Mr. Obama's plan would shrink to a little over 50% of the population), every income-tax paying family would get a tax bill for $163,000. (In 10 years, interest would bring the total to well over a quarter million dollars, if paid all at once. If paid annually over the succeeding 10 years, the tax hike every year would average almost $34,000.) That's in addition to his explicit tax hikes. While the future tax time-bomb is pushed beyond Mr. Obama's budget horizon, and future presidents and Congresses will decide how it will be paid, it is likely to be paid by future income tax hikes as these are general fund deficits.

We can get a rough idea of who is likely to pay them by distributing this $6.5 trillion of future taxes according to the most recent distribution of income-tax burdens. We know the top 1% or 5% of income-taxpayers pay vastly disproportionate shares of taxes, and much larger shares than their shares of income. But it also turns out that Mr. Obama's massive additional debt implies a tax hike, if paid today, of well over $100,000 for people with incomes of $150,000, far below Mr. Obama's tax-hike cut-off of $250,000. (With interest, the tax hike would rise to more than $162,000 in 10 years, and over $20,000 a year if paid annually the following 10 years). In other words, a middle-aged two-career couple in New York or California could get a future tax bill as big as their mortgage.

That's almost enough to make one start thinking about suicide...if Obama wasn't going to get you that way too!

INDICTED

2009-04-03T10:06:00.004-05:00

Former Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich was formally indicted yesterday afternoon on 16 felony counts by a Federal Grand Jury. The charges include:

racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal agents.

He allegedly abused his office in numerous matters to seek money, campaign contributions, and employment for himself and others, in exchange for official actions, including trying to leverage his authority to appoint a United States senator, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a statement.

If you recall, this investigation has been going on for some time and picked up steam after little blue bird Tony Rezko was caged and then began to sing his little melody about dirty Chicago politicians.

The same Tony Rezko involved in a shady land deal with Mr. Barack Obama, President of the United States.

Obama tried to distance himself from all of the dirty crooks, racists, and terrorists among his friends. Bill Ayers. Rev. Jeremiah "Chickens Comin' Home to Roost" Wright. Antoin "Tony" Rezko. I'm sure we all believe that Obama didn't really "know" the Governor of the State where he was an elected official (first in the State Legislature and later as a Senator). I'm sure they really weren't as cozy as these pictures would seem to suggest. There's simply no way our esteemed leader is a crook. No matter what you might hear about an article that the NY Times spiked about his campaign finance.

Just keep drinkin' the kool-aid. That'll make you feel better. Probably.

Move along now, there's nothing to worry your pretty little heads about...

Friday Fiction - Chapter 3

2009-04-03T09:40:00.002-05:00

As expected, El Capitan has completed Chapter 3 of our Friday Fiction Experiment. He did a superb job, as we knew he would.

You can find it here.

If you missed the first and second installments, you can locate them at the locations listed below. Sometime soon, Silk will post the fourth chapter and Christina will bat clean-up.

Don't miss it!

Chapter One: Half of Two by Christina
Chapter Two: Collar & Cross by Yours Truly
Chapter Three: Emerald Eyes by El Capitan

Obama Lied! This time about taxes

2009-04-02T09:05:00.003-05:00

I have long felt that the Death Tax was morally wrong.

The Death Tax, for those of you who get your news from The View, is the tax on your estate after you die.

My opposition to it is pretty simple. You pay taxes, do your civic duty all of your life. At the end of your life, you've managed to scrape up a few pennies here and there which you want to leave to your family. It might be a business, like, say...a bakery or a medical practice. Or, it might be a farm with a significant amount of free and clear assets. You work all of your life to pay off debt while also paying your taxes, among them property taxes every year, and you think you've done right. But no! The damn government is going to get you one more time by destroying what you've spent your life creating.

Destroy? Surely not!

'Fraid so.

What else do you call a 45% tax rate? Hmm? That's not a friendly poke, that's a repeating stabbing in a dark alley!

George W. Bush and the Republicans worked very hard to kill the Death Tax. They knew that it decimates family farms, ranches, and small businesses. It was set to expire in 2010, but not anymore. Obama's got his greedy paws on Grandma's pocketbook.

Obama and the Democrats argue that they can't afford to kill the Death Tax.

That's rich in irony! Do you know why they feel they can't afford to kill the Death Tax? Quite obviously it is because they have been spending money like Paris Hilton at Fashion Week! They've been buying all kinds of unnecessary crap we don't need, or if we "need" it, we don't have to have it now. They've mortgaged the future of our children and our grandchildren, and now they've decided to go after Granny and Gramps too!

This is the very definition of fiscal irresponibility and the "redistribution of wealth" that is known by people who have studied forms of government as Socialism.

You doubt my claims? Let's take a look at the personal example, okay?

My family owns a farm in the Southwest. We farm somewhere around 15,000 to 18,000 acres, at least half of which is owned outright. All paid for. The rest of it is mostly rented ground that we've picked up by being exceptionally good at what we do. We take our responsibility very seriously and consider ourselves stewards of the land. We know that it is our job to care and protect the land for the next generation.

This farm is not just an investment. It is my father, uncle, and cousin's raison d’être. It is their life's work, their livlihood, and how they feed their families and the families of the 7 hired men and women we employ. Someday, I hope it will also be my husband's livlihood.

But at this rate, it won't be. Here's why:

Let's take a look at just the land assets that are owned. There are buildings, equipment, and the brand that would also be counted among the assets, but just the land outright will more than illustrate my point.

Let's consider the 10,000 acres, more or less, that were purchased by my grandfather and increased by my father and uncle. This land was purchased a long long long time ago and has been added to over the years, slowly. If this property were to be evaluated and valued because of a death, you would see a phenomenal number. Now, farmland in the midwest ranges widely in price due to fertility, water and mineral rights, etc. But, let's go with a figure on the low end of the range. The range is from $500 to $2500 per acre. Let's use $800.

$800 per acre on 10,000 acres is...$8,000,000.

That's not Conrad Hilton or Guggenheim money, but it is a serious sum, even if the the Democrats in Congress blow more than that on golf carts and aid to terrorists. If the owner of these acres died and it was taxed at the Obama-approved rate of 45%, the heirs are looking at a tax bill totalling $2,025,000. And, that's just on the land! It doesn't include any life insurance, investments, improvements, home, or other farm assets. How is this fair?

How is this even right? Is this The American Dream? Is this Obama's much-flogged Hope and Change?

How do the heirs even begin to pay this? There is no way, at least, no way to pay it and preserve the birthright. If you need to raise upwards of $2 million, you are going to have to sell off the assests. And guess what, it is kind of hard to be a profitable farmer these days, but harder still if you don't have any land on which to grow your crop.

But, of course, this isn't just about the land. There are other assets that get valued, like improvements to property: houses, barns, bins, elevator legs, warehouses, scales. There is equipment to consider: tractors, trucks, combines, grain carts, spray rigs, fuel islands, etc.

That tax bill has a way of ballooning up like you wouldn't believe. So, the heir may want to continue the family work, but has to gut the inheritance to keep a part of it. Did the Federal Government work 18 and 20 hour days, sweating, bleeding, and crying for 80 years? No. Did the Federal Government pay property taxes, income taxes, and sales taxes on the activity from that farm for 80 years? No!

The Death Tax is morally reprehensible. It is wrong. It is killing family farms and small family-owned businesses all over the USA. If you think that so-called "corporate farming" is an evil, that huge multi-national corporations have a strangle-hold on this country, ask yourself how that came about. Ask yourself how hard it would be to see someone appropriate your life's work. It's a lot like a kidnapping.

My father loves the land like he loves my sister and I. The farm is really an older brother. He was around before us, we've always known him. If I have to kill one of my siblings to pay for my father's death, is that right? Is it?

I don't think so. I put to you that I'm going to fire those 7 hired men before I kill my sibling. Then, I'll likely pare down on the other assets too, but it is hard to farm without tractors, planters, combines, etc. I'll do anything and everything to protect what my father, uncle, and grandfather worked so hard to build.

It's not personal, right? It's just business. But Congress and Obama want to perform an autopsy on my father and sell the parts to a medical supply house.

This is not right. It will never be right.

It is inconsistent with the American Dream, it is inconsistent with the tenets of freedom, it is an Obamanation.

Worst.President.Evah.

Update: I got distracted by phone calls as I was writing this and skipped over a section that I had intended to include. I have corrected that above.

Does Obama Own Stock in Best Buy?

2009-04-02T08:15:00.003-05:00

A good friend took me to task last night for not posting. Okay, she didn't really take me to task so much as remind me that I haven't taken the proverbial baseball bat to Dear Leader in sometime. In particular, and largely due to my posts about Gordon Brown and Obama's gift exchange, she was wondering my take on Obama's gift to The Queen.

My take? I think Obama owns stock in Best Buy and is in love with himself (or has been reading his own press).

This time, when Obama went to see the figure head of the nation that we count as our closest ally (or did, pre-Obama), he spent a bit more money, but the gift was ill-suited and celebrated Obama, not the Queen or the special relationship between our countries.

He got the Queen...wait for it...an ipod.

An ipod.

Like one of the wealthiest women in the world doesn't have one already! For heaven's sake, he didn't even spring for the iPhone, which is at least a bit more technologically advanced.

Nope. An ipod. An ipod, get this, loaded with audio of his speeches before the Democratic National Convention and his Inaguration. And, pictures from his inaguration. Now, he also loaded it with pictures from the Queen's recent visits to the USA, but she travels with an entourage and likely has all kinds of pictures in her royal scrapbook.

Who loves Obama, huh?

Again, the guy has zero class. Zero.

And, guess what? She already had an ipod, has had one since 2005. Did Obama think she was too old to be that hip? Did he think to totally impress Granny Regina or that she was so deep in her bubble she'd never seen one? What the hell?!? She has several grandchildren who are all very hip, surely that didn't escape him, right?

So, we must presume that this gift was not meant to please her, but to please him. Which is the very opposite of what a gift is supposed to do, but I guess it is to be expected from this joke of a president.

This is what happens when a bunch of kool-aid drinking, facebook checking, tweeting lemmings vote into office a vapid socialist. We look like idiots and we get screwed. It's like two-for-one night at the karaoke cathouse!

This is more than just a little embarrassing.

Feisty Fiction: Chapter 2

2009-03-25T20:33:00.003-05:00

As promised, my part of the latest incarnation of Feisty Fiction is now complete.

For the first chapter, go here. You need to read that first or the below won't make sense.

Go ahead, we'll wait....

Back already? Then here goes:

Collar & Cross

Jake Cole stared at himself in the mirror of the men’s room trying to figure out if circumstances were conspiring against him. He needed a long drag. And a scotch.

He knew he was alone in the cold room. The urinals were pristine white against the institutional teal of the tiled walls. The cold was pervasive, climbing his legs after seeping into his shoes and coming at him from the wall and ceiling too.

He turned his back on the mirror, again attacking the bizarre circumstances of the day, tempted to violate the prohibition and light a smoke. He decided against it. Suddenly, a warmth flooded through him, beginning in his belly and rising and spreading throughout. “Great”, he thought to himself. “I’ve survived all the bullshit so that I could have a heart attack in a fucking bathroom a mere six steps from the morgue. That’s efficient, if a sad commentary on my miserable existence.”

“Hey, Numb Nuts, turn around.”

Jake knew that voice. He knew it as that belonging to a dead man. Now he could add auditory hallucinations to his heart attack symptoms.

“Turn around, Partner.”

Against his better judgment, Jake turned around. He was still alone, except the face that looked back at him from the mirror was not his own. It was Dave.

“Hey, buddy.” Jake had no response. He wasn’t going to start talking back to his hallucinations. “I’m not a hallucination.”

No, but you can read my mind, clearly.

“And, clearly, you are still an asshole.” Dave said from the mirror.

“Okay, I’ll play along: How ya been, Dave.”

“Got fast-tracked, so, not bad. Thanks for what you said at the service, by the way.” Dave was smiling at him in that way that had always irked him.

“So, what, you were there? Listening?”

“Not exactly…I sort of got the cliff’s notes version.”

“Right. Well, what can I do for ya, Dave?” If he was going crazy, he was going all-in.

“Listen, they’re making a huge exception here and I don’t have a lot of time. You need to stake her out. You hear me? Stake out.”

“Right. Stake out. Just ‘cause I’m a little slow, stake out who, exactly?”

“You know who. The chick with the eyes. The Chateline.”
Jake blinked, then tilted his head, grimaced, and came back to center. Stake out the weird chick, he thought.

“That’s right.” Dave nodded from the mirror.

“You bringing the coffee?” Jake asked the image.

Dave gave him that look, the one that called him a dumbshit without using any words. Partners sucked.

“Okay. I’ll stake out the weirdo, just for you. She’s hot, maybe she’s not careful with her drapes. Anything else I can do for you from this side of the mirror?”

Dave’s final words were spoken into Jake’s head without the image’s lips moving. “Yeah. Be careful and…Patrick’s okay.”

Jake felt like he’d been gut-punched. Patrick, his son. He’d never told anyone his name for his son. Patrick. He choked back an unexpected sob as the warmth left him. When he looked up, Dave was gone.

A stake out for one on a tip from a ghost? He was going to need more than a single drag and a double. He needed a whole pack and a bottle.

***

Jake walked into the holding room where Lyric Chateline had been waiting while he communed with spirits in the men’s room. She sat on the far side of the table, very composed and very still. He felt the perverse need to make enough noise to break her out of her calm.

He slid the legal envelope across the table to her and she looked up at him with her big, needy eyes, one blue, one green. “Miss Chateline, your sister’s effects have been released. If you’ll complete the form inside, the ME will release her body to whichever funeral home you designate.”

She took it all in without responding.

He walked back to the door, but stopped mid-way, having rethought it. He turned and made eye contact again. She’d been watching him walk away. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

She looked at him quizzically, as though not sure she appreciated the sentiment. He turned and speedily exited, as though the hounds of hell were after him.

It had been a very bizarre day.

***

Billy O’Toole rubbed his still-hot cheek. The unshed tear was still bright in his eye. He couldn’t believe that Father Jimmy had slapped him. He hadn’t been any slower than normal, so why did the priest hit him? It wasn’t fair. The Father had dropped the bible, not Billy. He pulled his robe back over his head, hung it on the peg, and ran out of the church, hoping to find the others.

Father James Francis DiCarlo was also removing his uniform. He couldn’t get it off fast enough. The collar seemed to be burning him. He pulled it from his neck and removed his black shirt, unbuttoning it quickly. He also pulled off his undershirt, looking down as he did at the place on his chest that ached.

There, burned indelibly in his pale white skin was a scorching red mark in the shape of a cross. The skin was tender to his touch and burned red pain when probed. His fingers gently touched his neck and found the same pain there, fiery, hot, unrelenting. The priest’s knees buckled and he went down.

***

He sat on the couch in their apartment, surrounded by silence. The only sound to break the quiet was the steady rasping of the knife on the stone. The blade slowly quickened, sharpening to a whisper.

The steady repetitive drawing of the knife, first this way, then that, helped him to focus his mind. She was late. He already knew that she hadn’t done as she’d promised. It still wasn’t done. He would have to make her understand. He would have to hurt her this time.

He paused in his work for another pull on his bottle. The fiery liquid burned all the way down to his belly. He used to feel it more sharply, but that was fading too. Like everything else.

Everything faded.

***

Jake crouched awkwardly on the camp stool that was usually buried in the trunk of his car. A cardboard box sat beside him serving as his coffee table, his thermos full of the piping hot solution to any stakeout.

The rest of his environs left a lot to be desired. The building had been condemned, but Jake was nothing if not resourceful. His perch on the fourth floor, in the corner apartment, gave him a perfect vantage point. Lyric Chateline’s apartment was just across the street. He could see into both her bedroom and living room.

As his subject wasn’t yet home, Jake busied himself with an expert-level Sudoku puzzle. He could usually complete these handily, but found himself too distracted on this night. As he was pouring a warm-up, the lights came on in the apartment across the way.

Jake observed as the young woman put groceries away. He watched as she folded laundry. So far, just an ordinary stakeout: a complete waste of time. At 7:46 p.m., she pulled a salad out of the refrigerator and ate it standing up in the kitchen while watching some celebrity news program. “Dear God, spare me,” he thought to himself. Jake was keeping his notes scrupulously out of habit.

8:05 p.m. – undresses (no peek) and showers

8:21 p.m. – subject out of shower, in bedroom.

Giddy up! The towel hit the floor and Jake got a good view, thanks to his binocs, of a firm young body. Exhilarating as it was, it made him feel old and, if he was being honest with himself, a little dirty. Not so much that he looked away though. The perks of stakeout work were few.

Soon, the young woman was clothed again. She had turned out the lights in the bedroom and returned to the living room. After dispensing with the television by remote, she pulled her coffee table toward her and lit a candle. She got up to turn off the lights in that room, prompting Jake to switch to his other binoculars with the special night vision feature.

She sat on the couch with only the slight glow of a single candle to keep her company. Jake watched as Lyric pulled a manila envelope out of a bag on the floor. He knew that envelope, knew the contents well. Now we’re getting somewhere, he thought.

Lyric pulled a bulky object out of the envelope. The sweater. Had to be the sweater. She opened it reverently, laid it on the coffee table, then knelt on the floor. It looked to Jake, the way she dropped her head, as though she might be…praying? To a sweater? Right.

She brought her head back up and leaned over the table, blowing out the candle. Despite the darkness, there was still a glow in the room. It was faint, but clearly detectable with his binocs, and seemed to be emanating from the buttons on the sweater. Lyric stood and Jake watched as she began to remove her pants. Maybe he was in for another striptease? Not her pants, but…a belt? Jake’s phone rang and he reached for it on his makeshift table, flipping it open as he held the binoculars with one hand.

“Yeah?” he said by way of greeting.

“Detective Cole?” a female voice, a bit gravelly asked.

“Yes. Who is this?”

“Jane Emmert with the ME’s office. Sorry to disturb you, Detective. Uh, look, we have a problem and the ME told me to call you since you are the only member of PD to show an interest in this case.”

“What’s the problem?” Jake wasn’t getting a clear look at the happenings across the street. Was the belt glowing too?

“A body is missing. You were here earlier today with the next of kin. The deceased is…,” Jake heard the rustling of paper, “Pandora Chateline.”

“Does this appear to be a breach of security?” Jake was intrigued now, but it was likely some bureaucratic snafu.

“Not…exactly. Could you come down to the morgue?”

That belt was definitely glowing. Weird, but a missing body was actually worthy of an investigation while his current activities would fall under the headings of stalking, illegal, and the whim of a ghost.

“I’ll be there in about an hour.” Jake flipped the phone closed. He was reluctant to leave, but duty called.

***

He was hearing voices, his skin burned where the collar and cross had rested, and he itched. Everywhere, it was driving him mad. He rocked in his austere bed, the headboard banging rhythmically against the wall. He rocked harder, then harder still. His head beat on the wall, bangbangbang until he fell out of consciousness.

A siren marked the passing of an emergency vehicle on the street, waking him. He fought the heaviness of his lids and looked at the ceiling, one eye blue, one green.

***

There you go. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll keep you posted about where and when to find Chapters 3-5.

Feisty Fiction

2009-03-25T19:47:00.002-05:00

Last week, my good friend Christina asked me to participate in a little writing project. Regular readers may remember the Friday Fiction project, this is basically the same thing on a looser timeline.

Anyway, Christina invited a few of us regulars to start up a new round. She posted the beginning of the story last week. You can find it here.

I will be posting my part, the second chapter, very soon.

My favorite nautical primate, El Capitan, will follow up with Chapter 3, to be followed by Silk with Chapter 4 and then Christina will bat clean-up.

So, if you want a good read, keep watching this space. Or, not exactly this space, but one that follows it.

You know what I mean.

The Bonus Brouhaha

2009-03-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

Okay. So, if you've been paying attention, you are aware that AIG needed yet another infusion of cash at taxpayer expense. You are no doubt also aware that it recently came to light that a bunch of AIG execs were in for some huge bonuses.

Now the public and lawmakers are all up in arms about the waste of taxpayer money.

Now?!?

To quote my father: JESUS JUMPIN' CHRIST ON A POGO STICK!

Folks, your outrage is too little, too late.

You should have been outraged with the bailouts themselves. Or the spending bill that is masquerading as "stimulus." Or the fact that Obama's big savings plan was making wounded vets pay for their own recovery.

Bitching and Moaning at this late data about contractually mandated bonuses is like calling the fire department after the house has burned down. If you wanted to stop the bonuses, we should have let the firm fail. Or, stopped with just one or two handouts. Or, put requirements on that cash.

But passing this bill in the house which taxes those bonuses 90% is just wrong, flat wrong, in a multitude of ways.

For one thing, a 90% tax is overwhelmingly burdensome and un-American. For another, this bill is an ex post facto bill. This means that the law is coming after the arrangement. Simply put, this is Congress making something you did yesterday illegal and going after you for it. It wasn't illegal when you did it, but it is now. Anybody else see a problem with this?

I mean, besides the fact that Congress is explicitly prohibited from doing just this by The Constitution? Anybody else concerned that the bill is also pretty damn close to the definition of Bill of Attainder, another Constitutional no-no for targeting a single group too specifically?

Look, a 90% tax is wrong. Ex post facto laws are wrong. Bills of Attainder are wrong.

Perhaps next time, we actually read the bill before we pass it? Perhaps next time we don't rush through a 1,100 page "emergency" bill that nobody has read and then go on a four-day weekend.

The Democrats are responsible for this collosal failure. They hadta hadta hadta do something. As though doing something, anything now was to be preferred over doing the right thing later after due deliberation.

But no, good God no! Let's beat our heads against the wall. If we work up a sweat doing it, maybe the rubes will believe we're doing the right thing.

Look, I don't know everything. At least I can admit it. Those esteemed leaders in the Whitehouse, The House, and The Senate need to learn something that I learned a long time ago:

If someone asks you a question or asks you to do something and you don't have the answer or don't know how to accomplish the task, it is better to admit that you don't have an immediate solution/answer, but assure them that you are going to spend the time to get the right solution. Because rushing in with an anwer/solution that hasn't been fully considered or researched ends up making you look incompetent, and rightly so.

If you are in with your doctor, showing him a bump on your arm, which of the following would you prefer:

a. He quickly announces you have Anthrax and runs from the room screaming

or

b. says he isn't sure but that he'd like to run a few tests since he's never seen this before

More importantly, which is the more professional response that is likely to have a calming effect on the patient? Which approach is likely to gain you credibility?

Why are the Democrats in Congress (and some of the Republicans) and our esteemed Teleprompter-in-Chief taking approach A?

Are they really this stupid?

Oh dear. Asked and answered.

Excellent MUST READ!

2009-03-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Reflections from the Hard Drive that Enables the Voice of the Leader of the Free World

(Barack Obama's Teleprompter has a Blog!)

So, any buyer's remorse yet?

2009-03-20T09:45:00.002-05:00

The question begs to be asked: Are you sorry yet, Obama voters?

On the one hand, you have bought yourself a President who, completely lacking in executive experience (he's never before run so much as a taco stand, let alone a country, government, etc.), is so overwhelmed that each day spotlights a new gaffe (or twelve).

For example, Gordon Brown's staff leaked the fact that Obama's super-fantastic Best Buy Bargain Bin gift...wouldn't play in the UK DVD player. Not formatted correctly. It's the insult that keeps on giving!

The country is reeling, reeling from economic difficulties. And yet, Obama is content to fill out his March Madness brackets instead of worrying about filling the posts at Treasury and giving Geithner (another clearly way out of his depth) some assistance. Dear Lord, Timmy needs somebody to bounce ideas off of!

So, Obama takes time off from his busy job of problem avoidance to visit Jay Leno. This just pisses me off. Is Obama promoting some movie that I'm not aware of? Is he starring in How to Fiddle While Rome Burns? In these dire times, is it really the best use of our President's time to yuk it up on late night television telling inappropriate "jokes"? I don't think so.

Obama is clearly not very good at his job, but I guess I feel like he owes it to the American people to at least give it a good try. For heaven's sake, if he didn't want to do the work, why the hell did he go through the election process?

Is President "Special Olympics" Obama really the more sensitive, diplomatic President you were hoping for? Really?

Slippery Slope to End of Freedom

2009-03-18T11:57:00.002-05:00

I am not a conspiracy theorist.

I am not a nut.

I am a reasonable woman, a wife and mother. A conservative.

My parent's instilled in me a work ethic, a sense of honor, a sense of personal responsibility. My father made sure that I understood the Constitution and our democratic republic form of government. He made sure that I understood it was my responsibility to be informed, have an opinion, and vote my conscience. I hope to someday instill these same values in my own daughter.

Yet now, I greatly fear for the continuation of the basic tenetsf of our civilization.

President Obama is working tirelessly to pulverize our freedoms. One by one, he's ticking off the liberties you and I have like some sort of grocery checklist.

Second Amendment: in the basket.
First Amendment: in the basket
Secret Ballot: in the basket

I am going to try to contain my emotion here, but I make no promises whatsoever.

President Obama, despite his protestations that he wasn't going to go after individual gun owner's weapons, clearly intends to do just that. He's de-funded the Bush Administration's measure to allow airline pilots to carry weapons in the sky, effectively disarming the last line of defense in the event of future hijackings. He seems to be saying that these people can be trusted with the lives of hundreds of people, drive what terrorists clearly consider to be a well-fueled ballistic missile, but not to pack a small handgun and ammo. Talk about a disconnect. I'm not sure I want to be on an airplane anymore!

More than just the armed pilots, we are now seeing the results of a measure that will severely curtail the amount of ammunition available on the domestic civilian market. You know that if law enforcement can't get ammo, Daddy's going to have a tough time and I guess Mommy is going to have to throw kitchen knives and rolling pins at her attacker.

It is disgusting, but no less than I expected from the megalomanical liar that is our President.

So, in a few years, we'll effectively be disarmed. Start hoarding ammo now, boys.

Next up, the First Amendment. Obama will not suffer criticism, will not tolerate alternate opinions. Joe the Plumber's treatment at the hands of Obama's loyal followers should have been heeded more closely. Joe the Plumber was the guy in Ohio who was out in his own front yard playing ball with his kid when Obama the candidate showed up on his street with a camera crew. It was Obama who approached Joe and Joe who asked the now famous question on economics. Obama's answer, about redistributing wealth, was a harbinger of doom. It was a deeply telling and deeply embarassing moment for Obama and he took a lot of heat for it. But, before the sun had set on that day, Obama's goons were already investigating Joe the Plumber's tax situation, his custody arrangements, etc. The were dead-set on getting the guy somehow. Why? Because he had the temerity to ask an honest question that Obama couldn't answer?

If only that was the only example! Rush Limbaugh has suffered mightily from the Obama Administration and is the primary reason that Democrats want the Fairness Doctrine back. Liberal media is a loser, has been proven to be a loser, but somehow, Limbaugh keeps succeeding. So, instead of bringing a product to market that has an audience, they are going to mandate what is available. This makes no damn sense, but Democrats never let a little thing like logic impede them. Did they stop at Limbaugh? Of course not! Rick Santelli and Jim Cramer got the same treatment, for doing nothing more than speaking their opinion.

You have to agree that this is wrong. You have to agree that short of shouting "fire" in a crowded theater and putting lives in jeopardy, these men have a right to voice their opinions in a public forum, be heard, and not see this sort of victimization? If you allow these things to happen, it is a slippery slope to there only being one opinion and anyone with the temerity to speak otherwise finds themselves in a woodchipper.

That is not freedom. That way lies dictatorship.

Let's move on to another sacred fundamental, shall we? Let's talk Card Check. Let's talk about how the Democrats want to elimate the need for a secret ballot. Let's talk about how utterly wrong this is!

Democrats and their Union campaign piggy banks want to eliminate the need for a secret ballot in the unionization process. That way, the tactics of intimidation are so much more effective, you know. Then, they can collect more membership dues, plump the pockets of more democrats, and take away more freedoms.

I've written about it before, I despise unions. I've never worked for one myself, but my husband has. The "good" of unions has long been outweighed by the "bad." Unions originally were about protecting workers through the power of numbers. No more. Now unions are about enriching those who are too incompetent to do real work at the expense of those who do and putting those same workers' lives in jeopardy all the while lobbying Congress for more power.

The union of which my husband was a member sucked in a huge way. Each month he paid dues, automatically deducted from his paycheck, and each year, never fail, it did no good. The union never actually helped him. The union worked very hard to make sure his work ethic and ambition never did him any good. The union worked very hard to make sure that his ability to solve problems never did him any good either. The union preserved the jobs of people who were high or drunk at work who by their very presence made the workplace dangerous. To the union, my husband was #12,606. And, there were 12,605 people more important than him, maybe a couple hundred less important. My husband has a work ethic. He never showed up late, frequently did any extra thing he was asked. Did he benefit? Of course not. He got the same raise everybody else got because that's the way the union wanted it.

The idiot who had to be retrained every few hours got the same raise.
The asshole who made the workplace a hostile environment got the same raise.
The lazy no-account bastard who showed up but managed not to accomplish a damn thing got the same raise.

Management might have identified the value in my husband's hard work, but the union saw fit that they never rewarded him for it. His only opportunity for advancement was in choosing a position of leadership in the union. Become a cock-sucking asshole? No chance of that happening.

So, imagine your workplace. Whether there are five employees or 500, imagine how you'd feel if someone was trying to unionize and you weren't allowed a secret ballot. Is that fair? Is that the American Way?

I would argue that is strongly the opposite, that it is diametrically opposed to the American Tradition.

It may not be the American Way, but it is clearly the Obama Way.

I urge you to contact your representation in Washington, DC and let them know your concerns.

For we are surely headed down a slippery slope to the end of the freedoms we regularly take for granted.

Must Read: 52 Days, 52 Mistakes

2009-03-13T15:28:00.002-05:00

Don Surber has compiled a list of some of Obama's most notable mistakes. You should go click and read it.

Don't worry, I'll wait.

Fantastic!

And, this by "Anna" from the comments on that post in response to a troll:

...your sainted leader is a wagyu-eating, thermostat-raising, teleprompter-reading, dvd-giving, non-stop-campaigning, terrorist-befriending, dictator-kissing, stuttering, leadership-impaired, history illiterate president on training wheels.

I’d buy you a clue, but Obama already has all my money.

Spot.On.