The national debt explained

Hat tip to Don H!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Suckling at the breast of Gollywood

I posted this pick a few weeks back and then pulled it because I thought it just too vulgar.

But after thinking about it and the way that Obama is conducting his side of the election I've changed my mind. It defines Obama politics. Here it is again.

Hat tip to the folks who sent it to me!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

One of the things that I really dislike about the Left

is how some of them just make outlandish statements based on no facts.

I found this while searching for something else. It's from a couple years old Wonkett:

Twelve candidates showed up for a mayoral debate in Memphis last night, and as you can see in the photo, this included some crazies — can you believe they let a black guy participate?

http://wonkette.com/411490/memphis-holds-classic-mayoral-debate-melee

I mean Memphis had a black mayor for years and years and has one now. It had a black US Congressman, Harold Ford, Jr., for quite a spell before he ran for US Senator. (Its US Congressman now is Jewish.)

It would have taken maybe three minutes to look up the facts but no. The author had to play the race card.....inaccurately.

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Bipartisanship Plea

The Election



There are fewer than 6 months until election day when the


People will decide who will be the next President of the United States


The person elected will be the president of all Americans,


Not just the Democrats or the Republicans.


It's that time that we all need to come together,


Democrats and Republicans alike, in a bipartisan effort for America:


If you will support the Republican nominee,


Please drive with your headlights ON during the day.


If you support Barack Obama, please drive with your


Headlights OFF at night.


"Together, we can make it happen."

Hat tip to Jimmy M!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Memorial Day comes

A while back I posted this:

http://tallcotton-ppjakajim.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/p-8s-p3s-p5s-and-others.html

about the Navy's new patrol aircraft. One of the links was of a

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGPW4NeWFAU

 P5M-1 taking off whi h lead me to this

The last night of November, 65 years ago Monday, was wet with rain and fog. A big Navy reconnaissance plane bound from Alameda to Hawaii developed engine trouble over the Golden Gate. The pilot made a sweeping right turn, fighting to keep the plane in the air.



He failed. The plane crashed into the south face of Mount Tamalpais, above Mill Valley. Everyone aboard - eight young Navy fliers - was killed. It was Nov. 30, 1944.

snip

Sixty-five years later, almost to the day, Cerkel stood in the ruins of what is left - pieces of the aluminum fuselage, part of some kind of electrical device, even a corner of what was a bunk bed, rusted and lying under a small manzanita.



From the site, the hills of Marin roll down toward San Francisco Bay. The city itself on this day was invisible under a light mist. In the distance, the San Mateo County coast could be seen, curving away to the south. It was hard to see a single house and there was not a sound.


"You know," Cerkel said, "the plane crashed with such impact there may still be remains here. This is likely a grave site."


On an earlier visit last weekend, Cerkel put up a small marker with pictures of the dead crewmen. Underneath that he'd copied a sentence from the unit record of Navy Patrol Bombing Squadron 208:


"The squadron has no heroes, just individuals and crews who did their duty to the limit of their ability."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/29/MNFT1AQHAA.DTL

I guess that almost all, if not all, of the friends and relatives of the crewmen are dead. I would also guess that few, if anyone, remembers them or thinks of them.

Wouldn't hurt us to remember them in our prayers, would it?



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Ten things possible only in America!

1) Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000 a plate campaign fund raising event.


2) Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when we have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal workforce is black, but only 12% of the population is black.


3) Only in America could we have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department and Charles Rangel who once ran the Ways and Means Committee,
BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.


4) Only in America can we have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting that Muslims might be harmed by the backlash.

5) Only in America would we make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just become American citizens.

6) Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists."

7) Only in America could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

8) Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

9) Only in America could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a trillion dollars more than it has per year for total spending of $7 million PER
MINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

10) Only in America could the rich people who pay 86% of all (FEDERAL) income taxes be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any (FEDERAL) income taxes at all.

Hat tip to Larry P!



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Indian blood

The claim of the MA Democrat senatorial candidate to be 1/32 Cherokee brought to my mind something that my Dad told me.


It concerned his Grandfather, my Great Grandfather who I am named after.

As the story went Great Granddad was raised around Louisville, KY on a farm. He had three brothers and two sisters, a not unusual sized family in those days. During the Civil War, or War of Northern Aggression as it was known in my youth, Kentucky was a border state and while mostly Union in the east the west was more Rebel. A tradition that survives to this day in basketball, but I digress.

At the outbreak of the war two brothers joined and fought with the Yankees. One was either too old or otherwise unfit. My Great Grandfather chose to fight with the Rebels.

Why he did so no one knows, or if they did they didn’t tell my Dad. However, split loyalties within families were not unusual at that time. But what is even stranger is that the family owned no slaves and raised mostly corn on the farm. If he ever regretted his decision no one knows and it is believed that he never saw his family after leaving to join the Rebel army in the summer of 1862. He was 17 and although young he was a man in those days.

Nothing is known of exactly when he joined or what group he was with. All that I know is that he was wounded during the battle of Cornith, MS. His heel was shot off. Probably by shrapnel or a stray 58 caliber bullet from a Yankee rifle. Either way he was captured and at some point was part of a group of prisoners being moved somewhere. During that move the group stopped to get fresh water. Probably from a spring or creek. Some unknown Union soldier, seeing that Great Granddad was wounded in his right foot and on a crutch, decided he was no threat to escape and handed him the reins of the Union soldiers’ horses to keep them from straying and went to fill his canteen.

Bad decision. Great Granddad mounted a horse, scattered the others and rode off. The horse was gut shot but ran for several miles before dying. The Union solders made no real effort to capture him and he made his way to Nashville where he remained doing odd jobs and eating when and where he could.

After the war, by hook or crook, and using a crutch to help him get around he started a small sawmill not too far from Nashville. Sawmills need timber and you need horses to move the timber so he accumulated a fair number of mules and horses and was a small success. Somehow he met my Great Grandmother who was a Creek Indian. He wooed and wed her and they started a family. All of this in a short amount of time.

He became engaged in politics and backed the loser in an election for county sheriff. The result was hotly contested. That the winner was a “carpet bagger” only led to hard feelings, claims and counter claims. At some point the new sheriff went to my Great Grandfather’s home and called him out claiming  he had stolen the mules and horses used in the business and demanded to see a bill of sale or surrender and be taken to jail.

My Great Grandfather said that he had not stolen the stock and was highly angered at the claim. (Actually he probably said something like, “You son of a bitch how dare you insult me. I paid for the stock.”) In any event, after a time, my Great Grandfather informed the sheriff that he would go inside and get the bill of sale.

He went inside but came back with a rifle, killed the sheriff and buried him underneath the front porch.  And no, I never understood the location except perhaps he felt he could control where people could look for the body.

The next day he took the bill of sale into town, found the deputy sheriff and showed him the bill of sale while explaining that the sheriff had been interested in it but had unexpectedly went on to other places before seeing it. The deputy, probably realizing that he could now be sheriff and make a decent living or be killed, exhibited no interest as to where, or why, the sheriff had not returned. He accepted his promotion most gracefully.

I mention all of this to point how unimportant  marrying a Creek woman was. He was happy, she was happy. They raised a family, did all the normal things and when their time came, passed on.

It’s just that with a story like that, had I but known, I probably could have risen to high places in the Democrat party as the Great Grandson of an accused horse thief and an Indian woman.

What a resume!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Life in a ballon

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."


The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude. She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican. "

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

"The man smiled and responded, "You must be an Obama-Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are -- or where you are going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

Priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hat tip to Jimmy M!



"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Obama ate my Mom

Hat tip to whoever sent me this. Yeah, another Senior Moment!

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

 “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

So you wanna be a sailor?

You may want to think it over!



Hat tip to Dave T!

Pic source
"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

Nice ride

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

What Bush did vs What Obama did

Obama has been busy patting himself on the back for getting Osama bin Ladin. Let's go back and examine a few facts.

First, remember that Osama was the head of Al Qaeda. Then remember that Clinton had several opportunities to take him out or arrest him. He did nothing.

Now, let's read what Clinton's NSA, who had been held over by Bush, had to say:

RICHARD CLARKE: Actually, I've got about seven points, let me just go through them quickly. Um, the first point, I think the overall point is, there was no plan on Al Qaeda that was passed from the Clinton administration to the Bush administration.

Second point is that the Clinton administration had a strategy in place, effectively dating from 1998. And there were a number of issues on the table since 1998. And they remained on the table when that administration went out of office

So there was no plan “passed on” and there were issues unresolved for three years. Wow.

And the third point is the Bush administration decided then, you know, in late January, to do two things. One, vigorously pursue the existing policy, including all of the lethal covert action findings, which we've now made public to some extent.

Snip

So, point five, that process which was initiated in the first week in February, uh, decided in principle, uh in the spring to add to the existing Clinton strategy and to increase CIA resources, for example, for covert action, five-fold, to go after Al Qaeda.

So only days after Bush was sworn in the resources to go after Al Qaeda were increased 500%. Yep. Just old George goofing around.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115085,00.html

Now what did this effort yield?

From an interview with Condi Rice

"At the special meeting on July 5 were the FBI, Secret Service, FAA, Customs, Coast Guard, and Immigration. We told them that we thought a spectacular al Qaeda terrorist attack was coming in the near future." That had been had been George Tenet's language. "We asked that they take special measures to increase security and surveillance. Thus, the White House did ensure that domestic law enforcement including the FAA knew that the CSG believed that a major al Qaeda attack was coming, and it could be in the U.S., and did ask that special measures be taken."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,115170,00.html

So on July 5th, 2001 some 58 days before 9/11, Bush’s NSA warned all the departments and put them on alert. What else could be done?

Educate yourself, folkks. All the information is available.

Now, we know what was the first thing Bush did. Let's look at what Obama did.

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine

An 8th Grade Education

What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895...


Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina , Kansas , USA . It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina , and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina , KS - 1895

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph

4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of 'lie,''play,' and 'run.'

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.


Arithmetic (Time,1 hour 15 minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. Deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. Wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 lbs. For tare?

4. District No 33 has a valuation of $35,000.. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6,720 lbs. Coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft.. Long at $20 per metre?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt


U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton , Bell , Lincoln , Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.


Orthography (Time, one hour)

[Do we even know what this is??]

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis-mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks

and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each..

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete.

Gives the saying 'he only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!


Hat tip to Bill T!


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine