'Hockey Sticks' Through History.

With The One heading off to Copenhagen to single-handedly save to world from man-made global warming (which seems can only be ended by destroying our economy and giving governments like Zimbabwe billions of dollars), perhaps we should put the famous 'hockey stick' in some perspective:

Quick, Bonnie Anderson! Get Me Rewrite!!

Is the Climate Change Fund the new Millennium Development Goals? Kenneth Anderson wonders. Oy. Another unsuccessful UN program our Presiding Bishop will want us to worship...

Stop the Typing!!

Your humble blogger just went over to The Episcopal Church (tm) website to post a link to their ever prominent MDG page and.... It's gone! Poof! Not there! Nothing in the 'Quick Links". Nothing under the "Advocacy" tab. Or any of the other tabs, for that matter. You'll find it if you look hard enough, buried in the Episcopal Relief and Development page here.

Why just a year ago, our Presiding Bishop couldn't stop talking about the MDG's. She was giddy for them. Our pope-in-waiting crisscrossed the country exhorting the faithful to participate. They were a 'mission priority' for the church. Large gatherings of Episcopalians (defined officially by TEC as 25 or more, excluding wait-staff) were reminded that the ticket to salvation was using sporks and giving 0.7 percent of their income to make the MDG's come true. The MDG's were our new catechism.

So... what happened?

It'll Be A Cold Day In Hell...

...And apparently, it is.

UPDATE: But this new revelation should make it uncomfortably hot for some folks at the conference...

Reform, Democrat Definition Of.

Back in 2008, Obama and the Democrats sold the American people on health care "reform" that would be both bipartisan and transparent.

Here it is, almost 2010, and this is what we're about to get:

‘And here’s the most outrageous part: at the end of this rush, they want us to vote on a bill that no one outside the Majority Leader’s conference room has even seen. That’s right. The final bill we’ll vote on isn’t even the one we’ve had on the floor. It’s the deal Democrat leaders have been trying to work out in private’

What is it, Senator Reid, that you and your Democrat colleagues don't want the American people to see?

Thursday Morning Distraction.

Besides being an inconsiderate bore, here's another reason I don't get invited to Christmas parties - I think this kind of stuff is fun:



Much more scientific weirdness here.

Hattip: Theo Spark.

TIGER WOODS' GIRLFRIEND NAKED!

Not really. My stats are down; I need some traffic.

The Little Party That Roared?

'Tea Party' now polls more favorably than either Democrats or Republicans.

If my little see-into-the-future globe is right, look for both 'established' parties to try and glom onto the Tea Party Movement in 2010.

The GOP establishment machinery has been trying to co-opt the Tea Party movement as theirs from the get-go, proving once again the current GOP still doesn't get it: The Tea Parties exist because of GOP failures in leadership and vision, not successes. If the GOP wants us in their camp, they're gonna have to earn it. And they're not doing a very good job with that right now. Actions, people; not words. (Or bus tours; or Facebook groups; or wine parties... -ed.)

As things continue to sour for Team Hopenchange, look for the Democrats to also try to make some kind of overture to the Tea Parties, or try to create a similar 'grassroots' organization to compete for the 'angry vote'. Like the Republicans, they have failed at the things that have folks looking to the Tea Parties as an alternative.

Maybe a new third party isn't such a bad idea.

The Rt. Rev. Tiger Woods?

Calling Katherine Schori: In the wake of the Tiger Woods scandal, Ann Althouse asks: "Is the need for multiple partners a sexual orientation?"

In this day and age, ask a question like that and it won't be long before The Episcopal Church (tm) will promote it. (We have to, you know. It's somewhere in our 'Baptismal Covenant'. - ed.) Besides, it gives The Episcopal Church (tm) further opportunities for another celebrity priest (or three), to show the world how with it, hip and relevant The Episcopal Church (tm) is these days.

"I'm-a Leaving On A Jet Plane..."

Though sources say it's more like five jet planes, actually. Carbon footprints are for the little people.

And why the hell is Charlie Rangel going?? Like he needs another government-paid vacation. The best way for Charlie Rangel to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere would be for the man to simply shut up. Or maybe, the good Congressman is going there to learn more about an interesting tax-free business opportunity. And we know how much our Mr. Rangel hates paying taxes.

Cap-n-Scam.

Think of all the "green" jobs we'll create if we implement Cap-n-Trade. Just like they're doing in Europe.

Road To Hayride.

My buddy Charlie Buras has announced he is shutting down his Louisiana political blog, The Old River Road, one of the most insightful and mature political sites in the Bayou State. But not to worry, dear readers, Charlie isn't vanishing from the scene - he will now be a contributor over at The Hayride. So check it out and update those bookmarks accordingly!

Party Girl.

Mary Landrieu has decided to represent the interests of her party on health care rather than the interests of, well, the vast majority of her employers (us Louisiana voters).

At least she has some integrity - once she's been bought, she stays bought.

The Teacher Must Be Episcopalian.

A school tosses out a second-grader who drew a "violent image".

Yet another reason we didn't want to raise our children in Massachusetts.

Tea Party Like It's 2006? (UPDATED)

Is the GOP trying to co-opt the Tea Party Movement? If what we see in our area is any indication, then the short answer is, yes.

The GOP needs to remember that if they had held to their values in the first place, and not tried to be just another piggy at the DC feed trough looking for their share, there would be no Obama - and there would be no Tea Party movement. The GOP lost our respect. And if they want it back, they will have to earn it - and actions speak louder than words. Or, bus tours, or seminars, or direct mailers, or Facebook posts.

The GOP has a chance here to prove they are once again the party of Reagan - do everything in their power to defeat the Democrat takeover of our health care.

UPDATE 16DEC09: Reid's Rule No. 3 of Senatorial Procedure: If the opposition plays by the rules, change the rules. How, um, Democratic. Yet another reason the Tea Parties are so necessary. They can't vote US into silence.

Tactical News You Can Use.

Via my buddy Rich McAroy up in the land of 'Live Free or Die!', I'm pleased to introduce to RSR readers ITS Tactical. Full of lots of interesting military/outdoors information, such as 'How to escape from Zip Ties'. Pretty handy thing to know when they arrest you for not buying your government-approved health insurance policy...

True Grits.

Only in Louisiana: Woman attacks man with... grits. Really.

THIS IS A NATIONAL CRISIS!!! YOU CAN BUY GRITS OVER THE COUNTER, WITHOUT ANY KIND OF BACKGROUND CHECK!!! EVEN CHILDREN CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON GRITS!!! WE MUST DO SOMETHING!!!

I think we need an Assault Grit Ban.

And Now For Something Completely Similar.

When you saw this image of Harry Reid at the top of Drudge today:

Was this bit from Monty Python the first thing you thought of:

Yeah, me too.

UPDATE: Y'know, if 'Ol Harry had let us serenade him with some Christmas carols this weekend, maybe he'd be in a better mood.
Or, not.

How I Spent My Saturday.

"So," I hear you ask, "How did that 'Streetcar Named Retire' sing-along turn out?" Considering Reid and Landrieu didn't show up, it was cold, and it rained most of the time... not bad, actually:



Thanks to Clare at High Noon for Health Care for the video.

UPDATE: Video link fixed.

UPDATE 14DEC09: Also on Saturday morning, I was on Greta Perry's radio show again, this time to promote 'Streetcar Named Retire'. Thanks, Greta!!

This is my rifle, this is my gun...

Only in New Orleans: An inspector from the U. S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives gets caught damaging a hotel room to, um... inspect shooting devices on his own time.

Perhaps this video clip should be required for all BATFE inspectors.

Hattip: Dan Riehl via Instapundit.

Arcofailure.

What with the world's most elite busybodies meeting in Copenhagen to figure out how they want us proles to live, Byron York points out an earlier attempt at a 'green' utopia. An architect plays a central role, I'm sad to say.

Friday Afternoon Global Warming Education.

Maggie's Farm points out a commenter to this Megan McArdle column on 'Climategate', who takes an AGW scientist to school - by pointing out that most basic scientific precept: A logical conclusion is not the same as empirical verification. Well, duh.

Instead of allowing their claims to withstand independent verification and review - as is the case in all other sciences - the Global Warming crowd deflect any dissent by ignoring questions, persecuting critical inquiry, hiding data, and claiming "settled science." Call it the Pope Urban VIII approach to science.

A Streetcar Named Retire. (UPDATED!)

UPDATE 11DEC09: RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! Senator Harry Reid announced that he was getting in touch with his inner Sir Robin and is bravely running away from his pocket-stuffing trip to New Orleans on Saturday. Did his decision have anything to do with our (not so) little caroling protest? (Cameras catching his well-heeled guests getting out of their limos to the serenade of 'Jingle Cash' in the background would not look good on the evening news...) Who knows. Maybe Harry just likes working weekends.

But no matter: 'STREETCAR NAMED RETIRE' IS STILL ON!! We're going to rally even though Harry, Mary, and their money bags buggered off. There is much going on at the Federal level to protest, and hey - 'tis the season!! END UPDATE


Senator Harry Reid definitely understands the priorities of the political ruling class - the crisis he claims needs our immediate and furious attention goes on the back burner when there is money to be obtained for himself. And this weekend that money is in New Orleans - the Big Easy - so Harry is taking a few days off to pocket a bunch of four and five-figure checks at a fundraiser hosted by... Senator Mary Landrieu. Yes, the same Mary Landrieu who's vote the acute Senator Reid bought off with a mere (in Federal government terms, anyway) $300 million.

Makes you pretty upset, doesn't it?

It makes us all upset. But not to fear, dear readers. It's the holidays - be of good cheer! There is something you can do - especially if you live in or near New Orleans - because your humble blogger has a cunning plan to go...

Caroling.

Yep. Caroling. 'Tis the season. So this Saturday morning, 12 December, myself and several (hundred? thousand?) friends will be meeting in New Orleans to serenade the Senator from Nevada and his well-heeled guests with some appropriately written carols, to let him know how we feel about his trying to take away our health care choices, spend us into oblivion, and generally turn the US into the next Venezuela.

This event will be about the only opportunity during the health care debate that the vassals - that's you and me - have a chance to voice our unfiltered opinion to our Majority Leader Lord and Master.

Details about our caroling event are here. Bring a smile (nothing annoys The Media more than cheerful protesting conservatives) and bring a will to sing (don't worry, you CAN'T sing any worse than me). Seasonal dress (funny hats, scarves) and creative signs with a holiday theme are encouraged.

And to help you get into the season, here are a couple of the carols:


HARK! THE HARRIED TAXPAYERS SING!

Hark! The Harried taxpayers sing
We don’t want your health care thing!
No new fees and mandates wild
Leave our health care undefiled!
Joyful all our hearts arise
Join the Founders voices wise!
‘We The People’ speak again
You just wait ‘till Twenty Ten!
Hark! The Harried taxpayers sing
We don’t want your health care thing!


JINGLE CASH

Dashing through a vote
On a bill nobody read,
O'er the health care bloat
“Reform” is what they said;
The ‘Nays’ they do abound
Making cloture fail,
Harry looked around, and he found
A Senator for sale!

Oh… Jingle cash! Jingle cash!
Mary's on the way,
300 mil, for a bill
That'll bankrupt us one day! Hey!

Jingle cash! Jingle cash!
Mary's on the way,
300 mil, for a bill

That'll bankrupt us one day! Hey!


TEA PARTIES ARE COMING TO TOWN

You better not shout, you better not lie,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Tea Parties are coming to town!

We see you when you are voting, we know when you’ve been bought,
We know if you’re been bad or good, and at town halls you’ll be caught!

So… You better not shout, you better not lie,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why,
Tea Parties are coming to town!

Somebody Missed Economics 101.

Barack Obama actually thinks we can "spend our way out of this recession". And where does the money Barry wants to spend come from? It comes from employers and employees - you and me - the productive members of our society. The very people who are being hurt by profligate government spending.

And doing this is going to help us out of recession??

The Government Will Keep Us Safe.

Except when they, y'know, post their classified security proceedures on line for all to see. Even a copy of a CIA ID card. Something to remember as you fly this season.

The Skin Of Our Teeth.

More "settled science": Climate change back in the 1970's. I loved this bit:

In 2002 I stood in a room of the Smithsonian. One entire wall charted the cooling of our globe over the last 60 million years. This was no straight line. The curve had two steep dips followed by leveling. There were no significant warming periods. Smithsonian scientists inscribed it across some 20 feet of plaster, with timelines.

Last year, I went back. That fresco is painted over. The same curve hides behind smoked glass, shrunk to three feet but showing the same cooling trend. Hey, why should the Smithsonian put its tax-free status at risk? If the politicians decide to whip up public fear in a different direction, get with it, oh ye subsidized servants. Downplay that embarrassing old chart and maybe nobody will notice.

Sorry, I noticed.

Post title reference is here.

A Tiger By The Tale.

I've noticed - as have many of you, I suppose - how the Left/Mainstream Media has grabbed onto the recent stories of Tiger Woods and his marital problems. On some networks it's the only leade - all Tiger, all the time. I find this curious coming from a group of folks who, just a few years ago, were bemoaning the decline of "serious news", and rending garments and gnashing teeth over the rise of "infotainment".

I know part of this is the sensationalism. Woods is a star and, let's face it, sex sells. But I think that only explains a part of the obsessive focus. The Woods story is a great distraction for the public, and I think The Left/Mainstream Media want the public distracted right now.

The Left/Mainstream Media know that when they highlight things such as the current push to nationalize health care and environmental extremism (cap and trade, Copenhagen meeting), it gets the American public riled up. They remember what happened last August, and don't want a repeat. So with the Senate debating nationalizing health care, and Obama agreeing to draconian measures at the Copenhagen climate talks - two things Americans by and large do not want - keeping John and Suzy Public talking about golf clubs instead of 'triggers' and 'hockey sticks' is, for them, a good thing.

"But Clifford", I hear you say, "I didn't think you believed in conspiracy theories." I don't. I'm not saying this is a conspiracy. We're talking about media personalities here. Their egos wouldn't let them conspire over anything other than, well... themselves. Plus, these folks have such big mouths and inflated senses of self-importance that they couldn't keep any real conspiracy quiet. But I do think there is an unspoken consensus that they need to keep the rubes quiet right now. And Tiger is just the ticket until they can switch the focus to the Holidays.

I also think there is another, more subtle, reason for all of the attention on Tiger Woods' problems. Woods has eschewed racial politics, especially the Jessie Jackson/ Al Sharpton brand of racial identity/victim politics. He has refused to identify himself as black or African-American. And his wife is white. Woods has been a contradiction to the "America is still a racist nation" position of many black leaders and white liberals; and so his fall is, I think sadly, seen by them with some sense of payback.

Tea Party Caroling.

OK, we CAN'T sing. We know it, but we wanted to get the Tea Parties into the season:

'Jingle Cash'


'Tea Parties Are Coming To Town'


'The Twelve Days of Senate'


And yes, your humble blogger was the wordsmith (and in the videos). These 'carols', plus several more, will be sung this weekend when Mary Landrieu hosts Harry Reid at a $5,000/couple fundraiser in New Orleans. (Snicker.) Other Tea Parties are free to use them for their own holiday cheer. Email me if you want the words. 'Tis the season.

More Geek Cool.

From the UK's Daily Telegraph:

Calling Nena: The Pentagon launches 10 giant red balloons in the US, and challenged groups to be the first to locate all 10 using Facebook and Twitter networking. The possibilities of such distributed social networks are just beginning to be grasped.

I don't think we'll see accidental pictures of hookers on these corners: Pompeii is now on Google Street View.

Hope And Kampf.

Was Team Hopenchange's playbook written by a convicted felon while in jail? Well, it worked for another jailed socialist...

Hattip: Libertarian Republican.

Bowing To History.

Obama's recent bow to the Japanese Emperor, explained:



From: Creative Minority Report.

It reminds me of this, but it was a joke. The above, sadly, isn't.

Every Breath You Take...

Every Move You Make... Now violates the Federal Clean Air Act.

Team Hopenchange know their cap-n-tax scheme is dead in Congress, so they're going around the legislative process and imposing large portions of it on us by regulatory fiat. The end justifies the means and all that.

More Is Less.

Only a government mind thinks adding 111 new programs, committees, cooperatives, and projects will make your health care more efficient, more accessible, and more affordable.

In a few years, when you pay 30 percent of your income to the government for health care and have to wait in line for hours for urgent care for your sick child, remember all this "reform" was to benefit you.

Hattip: Maggie's Farm.

Harry Reid Is Watching You.

So now, America, freedom is slavery. Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah...

Can 'Ignorance is Strength' be far behind?

And Another Reason Why This Day May Well Live In Infamy.

The UN's Copenhagen conference on capitalist-caused global warming "climate change" opened this week, which giving us yet another opportunity to play...

Spot The Hypocrite!

It seems our ruling-class betters and their "settled science" experts have a plan to deal with the "global crisis", which can be summed up thusly: We have to destroy human civilization and progress in order to save it. (Now where have we heard similar logic? Anyone? Anyone? Oh, yeah... -ed.)

If our ruling betters and "experts" have their way, in a few years all us little folks will be living according to their moral and economic choices - for our own good, of course. We'll have our very own Zimababwe! I can't wait.

Monday Afternoon Wicked Cool.

Concrete cloth, and some other new materials will peg your geek-o-meter.

Hattip: Soldier Systems.

A Date Which Will Live In Infamy.

68 years ago today:


Image from here

Please remember in your prayers today Lt. (jg.) Ralph Hollis, USS Arizona.