Switchblade

This is kinda neat. Air ground support in a box.

Hat tip to Bill T!


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

MacDonald's employment news

McDonalds Corporation announced plans Tuesday that include hiring 50,000 new employees throughout the nation.

According to KIVI-TV, the news of the fast-food chain’s hiring spree has already sparked interest all over the country.

Link

Wait! Those jobs are no good!

Or at least that is what the Dimicraps and their handmaidens told us about Bush!

While we all hope that the economy will strengthen, the White House’s all-out PR effort today on the economy fails to recognize how historically weak both wages and job growth have been. Most Americans have good reason to believe the economy is not working for them. We should not lower our standards to the point where our leaders can state that our economy is doing great when the typical worker has seen his or her wages drop in real terms over the last four years and when job growth is at historic lows for this stage of a recovery

Link

BTW - That was 1/6/2006 when the unemployment rate was below 5%.

They must be outraged over the current situation.

No? Now why would that be?
OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Obama panel to investigate high oil prices

I read where Obama has appointed a panel to investigate high gasoline prices.

Being the good citizen that I am, I always want to help us find truth, justice and the American Way.

To do this, please return to the day Obama was sworn into office. If you filled up with gasoline the price was $1.61.

Link to a chart of average gasoline prices.

Yes, Bush's and Congress' actions had broken the back of the speculators.

But from that low prices have risen steadily to the current $3.87, a $2.26 increase.

Now why have they done this?

5:45 a.m., Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Facing gas prices near $4 a gallon and a pivotal national election, congressional Democrats allowed a ban on offshore drilling to lapse in September

But times change, and on Tuesday, the Obama administration - with gas prices roughly half what they were and many Democrats’ having been swept into office - blocked offshore drilling plans put in place at the last minute by the Bush administration, including plans to open the national outer continental shelf for drilling.

Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar also announced last week that his agency would block drilling on public lands in Utah, criticizing the Bush administration for releasing its offshore drilling plan just days before leaving office.

Link to article.

So why did the President do that? Well, listen to what he had said the previous summer (2008).

MSNBC Video

Obama rambles on about how we are running out of oil, about how India and China are expanding. Then the interviewer asks, "...could oil prices help us?" Now, remember that we had just seen the highest oil prices in history. So the question was "could high oil prices help us?

So what did Obama say? That it would be okay if it was a gradual adjustment. We could help the people and our auto industry could adjust.

Now, do you understand why and what he did on February 11, 2009 and what has happened?

Obama actually thinks high oil prices are good.

At 2 minutes Obama is mocking anyone who drives a vehicle that gets 8 miles to the gallon. The man he's mocking responds that he has a big family. Obama is amazed and apparently put off at the news the man has ten children. Barry, who has never wanted for anything in his life, then says the father should buy a hybrid.

The man with ten kids who can't afford gas entirely due to Obama's policies he tells to go buy a brand new car.

Disgusting. Democrats are the party of the little guy. What a sick lie.

Bonus: At 2:40 Obama explains that they didn't change gas mileage standards through the law, they got everyone to agree to it. The first people that come to mind in his list of participants: auto workers. In other words, unions. But no, no, he isn't a Leftist or a socialist.

Link

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Recycle or cry

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't
have the 'green thing' back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and
sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over.

So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts - wind and solar power really did dry the
clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters,not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room.And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you.When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills
that operate on electricity.

But she's right, they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or
a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just
because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized
gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space
in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks
were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

Hat tip to Mike L!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Poker Stars, Full Tilt and Absolute indicted

In case you are interested in poker and have been under a rock for the past several days be aware that last Friday the FBI threw a large clod in the churn of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker and a whole bunch of people associated with them and each other in various ways. Best I can tell they are indicted for money laundering, wire fraud and violation of:

TITLE VIII—UNLAWFUL INTERNET
GAMBLING ENFORCEMENT
SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Unlawful Internet Gambling
Enforcement Act of 2006’’.
SEC. 802. PROHIBITION ON ACCEPTANCE OF ANY PAYMENT
INSTRUMENT FOR UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 53 of title 31, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV—PROHIBITION ON FUNDING OF
UNLAWFUL INTERNET GAMBLING

If you are interested you can read the law here see page 69 and the criminal indictment here. There are also civil charges suing for billions and all the assets.

Many had thought that the 2006 law didn't really apply to poker. Why? Well the law says:

BET OR WAGER.—
a sporting event, or a game subject to chance,

And since the government had not previously demanded that the Internet sites block US players it made sense. Many based this on the belief that CA, which outlawed stud-horse poker in 1885, because it was considered a game of chance and that holdem was a game of chance. Thus when Holdem became legal in the 1990 time frame it was considered not to be a game of chance, but a game of skill.

Everyone was wrong. According to this article the only game considered a game of skill in CA is Bridge. Holdem had merely been ruled that it was not stud-horse poker.

So much more for what "everyone knows." And, of course, CA law is not Federal law.

But it remains interesting that apparently the Feds didn't go to the Internet gambling sites and say "US players are forbidden from playing." I mean, I don't think the Internet sites would have ignored that.

But it is reported that US players now trying to enter a cash game receive this message:

We are sorry but, due to government regulations, playing real money ring games is not allowed in your area.

I got curious so I sent them an email asking who in the US government had said that. They replied:

We regret to inform you that in light of recent developments,PokerStars is no longer offering real money play to US residents.

We are currently assessing the situation, and will communicate with all of our players as soon as possible

That's a non-answer to the question of "Who." They are either lying or else they are belatedly covering all the bases.

But I want to return to this.

BET OR WAGER.—
a sporting event, or a game subject to chance,

It is just possible that the Feds didn't push the issue because they didn't want to have to prove that poker was a game of chance which would have probably been a question raised by a law suit had the Feds told the sites to block US players.

Instead the Feds decided that they would just block new players from funding (buying chips) their accounts and old players who busted out. That would eventually do the same thing. From the law:

‘‘§ 5363. Prohibition on acceptance of any financial
instrument for unlawful Internet gambling
‘‘No person engaged in the business of betting or wagering
may knowingly accept, in connection with the participation of
another person in unlawful Internet gambling—
‘‘(1) credit, or the proceeds of credit, extended to or on
behalf of such other person (including credit extended through
the use of a credit card);
‘‘(2) an electronic fund transfer, or funds transmitted by
or through a money transmitting business, or the proceeds
of an electronic fund transfer or money transmitting service,
from or on behalf of such other person;
‘‘(3) any check, draft, or similar instrument which is drawn
by or on behalf of such other person and is drawn on or
payable at or through any financial institution; or
‘‘(4) the proceeds of any other form of financial transaction,
as the Secretary and the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System may jointly prescribe by regulation, which
involves a financial institution as a payor or financial intermediary
on behalf of or for the benefit of such other person.

In other words, their aint no way no how anybody can legally fund an account.

Apparently the people at the three sites who are indicted thought they could sneak through the back door.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

The partial truth, the partial whole truth and nothing but the partial truth so help me Obama

So much for the most transparent administration in the history of the world.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Inner Peace

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat plain food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,




Then you are probably the family dog.

Hat tip to Mike L!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"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

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson