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Monday, March 2. 2009A few Monday morning linksNice snowfall overnight here, and today too. Beautiful. 1.5 million year-old human footprints. Video The Gun Control Genocide Chart George Lakoff explains The Obama Code Re-usable toilet wipes? Gimme a break How Iran got the plans for Obama's new helicopter. It's about file-sharing. Why Socialists in Vermont? AVI Centrifugal forces in the EU New Jersey's War on Business Why Obama went big. Politico Why some non-profits can't use their endowment money now
Welcome to the egalite cafe: Neoneo NBC pulled this SNL skit from its website in October, and had it removed from Youtube. Too much truth.
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With all due respect, I don't think the AVI really understands Vermont, he is merely feeding back the predominant, romanticized, Socialist view of the once proud home of Yankee common sense and frugality, the state the Weekly Standard once called "America's favorite Canadian Province."
21st C Vermont has some of the nation's highest taxes and most generous public assistance. Vermont also has one of the highest rates of state public employment per capita. There are many dedicated to closing our only nuke energy plant, a key to competitive electric rates. And I could go on and on. The CumBayah stuff is only for trust funders and lefties. The real Vermont, the Vermont we speak of so fondly, unfortunately disappeared several decades ago. For a more au fait view of Vermont, go to www.vermonttiger.com, a free market website dedicated to the economic growth the state so desperately needs. I suspect that you are right, but I'd like to think AVI is right.
No, Avi does not understand VT. What you need to understand is that the state is now, and has been for sometime, composed of two groups; Vermonters and those from "away" (which stands for New York).
Vermonters have been over run by people from away who have fundamentally changed the state...for the worse. The attitude they bring is as simple as it is selfish; "I got mine, too bad for you. Hooray for Me and F___ you!" This is the attitude that makes one believe that, now that they own the charming farmhouse on the hill, NO development should take place within their sight. The state is one of the most anti-business minded you'll likely find, look up Act200 or Act250. So my friend, who KILLS himself trying to keep his families dairy farm alive, is beset on all sides by people from "away" who wish to "enlighten" him. The older couple who BEGGED that he peel off a strip of land from his highest pasture so they could buy/build ? They are now complaining that cows....SMELL. They have lodged a complaint with the Select Board. The folks in places like "nuke free" Brattleboro want him to pay MUCH higher utility rates because Vt Yankee is a nuke plant and nuke plants are BAD! He chose years ago, for HIS OWN reasons, not to use growth hormones, despite the increase in production/$$$ that promised. He STILL gets letters from groups threatening to place him on boycott lists. These folks all feel that they know better, that they are enlightened and he benighted, that they are, at heart, BETTER. This kind of arrogance leads to laws like Act200, Act250. This kind of arrogance leads to cities like Burlington issuing "NUKE FREE" directives/statements and places like Brattleboro announcing they will arrest George Bush as a war criminal if he ever dares come to town. I live on the NH side of the border. Some years back WalMart came to the area and the folks in the town on the VT side told them "NO WAY!!! you exploiter of the proletariat, you big bad capitalist meanie!" The WalMart is located on the NH side of the border, and the lot often has more cars with VT plates than NH. About 2 years ago when things began to slow down the town approached WalMart about possibly opening a store on their side of the river; you can guess the response. Want to understand VT? You have to decide which VT you are looking at; Vermonters or folks from "Away" How do you tell the difference? Easy...pickups vs. Volvo's, Obama stickers vs. "Gut Deer?" stickers, the list is long. Easiest way to tell who you're dealing with? Are they worried about hangin' on or are they smugly satisfied that they are "empowering others to affect change". Does thgier truck have a "TAKE BACK VT' sticker or does their Subaru Tribecca have a "MOVE VT FORWARD" sticker. One is a very real group, concerned with their loss of property rights, the other a sticker you can buy in trendy coffee houses in Burlington and Woodstock, that one hopes announces "I'm ever so much more enlightened that those stupid hicks" I'll let you guess which is which. Here in NH we suffer the same fate as folks from Mass. move north. Amazing that they move to escape all that is wrong with Mass. then DEMAND that their new home be more like Mass! For the most part I just lurk here, sometimes chiming in, but mostly just lurking. Obviously, this hit a nerve. I could go on and on about the arrogance of the folks who ruined the state. Instead, let me just relay a favorite saying of the few REAL Vermonters that are left; ".....what's the best thing left in Vermont? The view of New Hampshire" NorthCountry WHY DID OBAMA GO BIG NOW? BECAUSE HE'S A MARXIST-LENINIST
By Richard Geno Sunday, March 1, 2009 In his book Das Kapital, Karl Marx wrote ominously in 1867: “Owners of capital will stimulate the working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks, which will have to be nationalized and the State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to Communism.” It helps to have willing accomplices in the White House and in Congress. Sadly, Marx’s prediction is eerily wending its way through the American system. A new Fox Dynamics Poll shows really how much trouble we currently have in America. Universal food? Should the government provide food for every person? In the Fox Poll, 68% say yes. Healthcare? 66% say yes. Housing? 52% say yes. A, 51% say yes. 51% of Americans today say everybody who wants one should be provided a job. People haven’t been taught why socialism is bad. We can no longer sit back, just go to work, and assume everything is going to be okay. America voted for “change.” Contrary to what conservatives have been saying, the Fox Poll seems to indicate that the voters may very well have known exactly the type of change they wanted. Is there any doubt that Obama, Pelosi and Reid are going to attempt to deliver European-style socialism to America by the end of 2010? Or, would it be more correct to say that they are going to deliver “more than socialism”? Nationalizing banks and dictating to private corporations is beyond socialism; we are moving towards a Marxist State. When the Obama stimulus package fails, as it will, there will be a demand for more government. This is exactly what happened in the 1930’s. The difference between the 1930’s and now is that we are already a long ways down the road now; Roosevelt was just building the foundation for socialism back then. In 1930, federal spending as a percent of GDP was 4.4%, compared to 20% today - before the bailouts and stimulus packages are added. When California state and local taxes are added in, we have a 35.5% ratio between taxes and GDP. That is the average for all Californians. Since we have a progressive tax, and since over 1/3 of all California workers pay no federal or state income taxes, imagine what the average is for the average taxpayer. If you aren’t concerned about what President Obama is trying to do to the United States, you aren’t paying attention. He is striking while the iron is hot. He is capitalizing on his electoral victory in November, 2008, and instituting the visisons of V.I. Lenin, who promoted the following: “Deepen, exacerbate existing problems, crises, differences, and if they don’t exist, create them or convincingly claim that they exist, and then deepen, exacerbate them...and profit [politically, ideologically and even financially] the most from them in any way you can, and, in the resulting chaos, blame our enemies for the whole thing.” - Vladimir Ilich Ulianov (Lenin) The American founders provided its descendants the land of opportunity. The United States has been a magnet for those seeking freedom, liberty, and the “pursuit of happiness.” For more than two centuries, America has been the beacon of hope for a better life. It was never intended to be a guarantee of happiness. By its very nature, life provides its ups and downs for everyone. In America, we have had the freedom to succeed or fail based on our God-given talents and abilities. Some can run and jump like Lebron James while others can sing like Celine Dion. Still others can make technological breakthroughs like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, while others entertain us like Clint Eastwood. Some have business acumen, and some can do wonderful things with their hands - whether it be a pianist or a sculptor. Some people are outgoing extroverts while others are more analytical. VIve la difference. Up until now, America has attracted and encouraged a unique brand of Exceptionalism. By invoking the word “Change,” and taking advantage of a financial challenge similar to many we have survived over the years, President Obama is seeking to fundamentally change the very foundation of our society by applying the famous Marxist edict without saying it in so many words: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” On June 5, 1778, Patrick Henry said in a speech at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.” If now is not time for another major Tea Party, there never will be a time. That supposed Marx quote is a hoax that has been repeatedly debunked. See:
The Atlantic http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/01/faux_marx.php International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/25/business/col26.1-437515.php Its a made-up quote designed to scare people. George Lakoff suffers from BDS and writes:
I've written a whole book - "Whose Freedom?" - on the word "freedom" as used by conservatives and progressives. In his second inaugural, George W. Bush used "freedom," "free," and "liberty" over and over - first, with its common meaning, then shifting to its conservative meaning: defending "freedom" as including domestic spying, torture and rendition, denial of habeus corpus, invading a country that posed no threat to us, a "free market" based on greed and short-term profits for the wealthy, denying sex education and access to women's health facilities, denying health care to the poor, and leading to the killing and maiming of innocent civilians in Iraq by the hundreds of thousands, all in the name of "freedom." His whole article is to the effect that the Obamessiah is an utter genius whose utterings can be reinterpreted to show that creation of a socialist workers' paradise is the real intent behind the US Contitution. Phenominal. And tell me again how the Republicans are going run next time
Please, oh please tell me that the folks at CPAC are not going to be the dominant voice in the Republican party--like Newt and others who have noticed that the times have changed somewhat--I too need a party to cling to. The Republican party at this time happens to be the strongest force working for the Dems! Sorry folks: the days of anti abortion, and free will executive corruption are over-if what you really care about is maintaining a free nation. The Republicans have yet to say to themselves we have failed because "WE" (not them) did this to ourselves! Power grows out the barrel of a gun Mao
Get your gun AP if you want the US back. The Reps are not going to be able to stop the Obama socialist agenda because a majority of the citizens now want it..See the above post I put up at 10:05. Indeed, Habu, "power does grow out of the barrel of a gun," as Chairman Mao says. So buy a gun for home security, if you don't have one, and buy ammunition to use with it. And find a shooting range and practice with it. But that's not all we need to do to prudently prepare ourselves for the coming months.
In our neighborhood association monthly newsletter, the editor always lists the various crimes and misdemeanors that have taken place within the subdivision in the past month. The increase in property crimes, home invasions and attacks against citizens in just one month is staggering. So we are tightening up our home security with longer deadbolts [at least two inches long so that they will seat within the house's fabric and can't be easily jacked with a prybar] increased security lighting around the house perimeter, patio enclosure gates that latch securely. In short, we are implementing anything that will help us turn our home into our own private fortress of protection. Years ago when I was flying home after a business meeting, I sat next to a guy who was a professional security expert. We had a fascinating conversation, in which he pointed out that it is extremely difficult to make a building completely invasion-proof. The secret of relatively good safety protection is to make it too much trouble to break in. If your home is lit up like a used car lot, has strong deadbolted doors which would take half an hour to break into, and burglar alarms on all the entrances, you stand a pretty good chance of avoiding home invasions. Your last line of defence is a house gun. It's nice to have an alert police force. But even if they get to your house in five minutes, a lethally-intentioned home invader will already have done his work. And the cops can only avenge your murder. Nice for the rest of the neighborhood. But it won't help you much. Marianne MM,
I appreciate the advice which made me chuckle. Why? Well I 'm not sure you know my background but I am a Marine brat who became a U.S. Marine in 1968. I then joined the Central Intelligence Agency and have been on every continent on the globe including action in Angola and Rhodesia where we use real bullets. So I'm fairly well versed in guns, bullets, and establishing security both electronic and physical. We now have a President who is a dedicated Marxist-Leninist, a threat to this country and it's future. Those who fail to recognize this, and that is many, will in time perish under his 1920'-30's redux of Soviet Russia. Let's hope he can be stopped. "Those who fail to recognize this, and that is many, will in time perish"
I'm not sure what word would apply to our current state of pre-implosion .. ..Masochist or Stupidity, would be interested in seeing a sociiologist study of the events of the past six months. How could the unrest of the late 1960's parallel these times? . Well, I'm not sure of your level of knowledge about Soviet Russia, The Early Years but I can suggest The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn as a start.
Apple Pie- If Republicans don't sound like the folks at CPAC then it's time to switch to the Democrats. We've had the RINOs and Democrat-Lites, it's time to re-build the GOP into the true conservative party. We are suffering now but Obama is the best recruiter we've got. Wonder how many of the 54% would stick with O after the first 45 days? Wasn't it Disraeli who said "Good things come to the man who will wait", or something like that?
GMPunter ... Be strong, dear. Don't switch over to the invidious party. I think you would be very uncomfortable there. You are far too independent and responsible ever to be happy in the careless, corrupt hands of Pelosi and Reid and their ilk. We can soldier through this mess if we concentrate and work hard. And really that's the only choice we grown-ups have.
Marianne OBAMA WENT BIG because he did not have Rush Limbaugh helping him out!
I am not saying that we have to give up our belief in the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc. What I am saying is that for every line of good sense that Rush Limbaugh puts out there--he lays down five lines of old fashioned rednecked idiocy--not conservative think tank rationalizing. The dems and their media will take each of those five lines and play it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over . . . get the picture? By the time 2010 rolls around it will not be possible for anyone not in the democratic union to become elected--because of their ability to manage the guns of media, and Limbaugh's absolutely egomaniacal need to pump bullets into their chambers! If we cannot move away from antiquated bumper stickers--we cannot win. How about this for an example: many places on this planet have been experiencing draught conditions during the last 11 years. Some places have seen other climate changes. So the dems yell "human caused", but the conservatives yell "it's not happening at all". Now, given that most of the population has seen, has experienced some climate changes (no matter what the cause) the R's cannot stand there and say it's not happening. It is happening and what the "informed and attractive" republican will be saying is this: "yes, there is climate change, we don't know what is causing it--but, we do need to prepare for the change". Ya see how nice it would be if the folks running the R party could use the language at least as well as the dems?
This one is for HABU--SEMPER FI
http://poorbuthappy.com/yourthing/post/sendem-up---gotta-love-our-pilots Sorry Habu: maybe this one will open better than the previous link.
http://carolmsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/iran-threatens-marine-fa-18-pilot-says.html Re- usable toilet wipes? I call those face cloths. When my kid were in diapers, and had a bad blow out. I did one of two things. Minor blow out, clean with a face cloth. Major blow out , bring child to bath tub, stand child up, turn on faucet, and clean with face cloth.
What do you expect from a shepherd. I read an interesting quote this weekend. " The new world order began in 1776, we are rapidly approaching the old world order of European Aristocracy." Call it what you want I call it socialism, the dark ages, government control, whatever floats your boat. Either way, Buddy Larson had it right, "we will have to fight our way" back to the Constitution. Apple Pie,
Think tank white papers have all the strength in this fight as single ply toilet paper. If you truly believe that 80% of Rush is redneck idiocy then perhaps it is time our population of gun hugging, Bible toting citizens unsling their arms and send a few rounds downrange; because that's a message not requiring even a GED ... but it's very effective, as is Rush. Don't buy into the latest chic of kicking Rush because it might make you more acceptable to the neighbors. You're not going to change a leftest with either Rush or think tank papers. They're committed to acquiring and keeping ALL the power any way they can. Republicans in general prefer the Marquess of Queensberry rules and thus are getting their brains beat out, not to mention becoming a totally impuissant political party. Apple Pie,
BTW thanks for the Marine Air, "Come on up" clip. Returning the favor take a look at this Marine handing out "the word" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrAlQ4W5uw Habu, my friend ... I would never presume to give advice on self-defense or home defense to a Marine -- a group of heroes whom I truly revere. But there are others of us civilians out here, especially women, who may not yet have thought these dangers through, and who may be readers of this wonderful blog. I was raised in the 1930s and 1940s in the Mid-West where folks mostly lived clean and did what they promised. I didn't learn to mistrust my fellow men and women until I went to college in New York, and encountered one serial murderer and many rabid leftists, whose view of the world and of America was not a wholesome one, to say the least.
At this point, I have learned to listen before I trust, and to prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best. Just think. It only took me 80 years to learn that! Marianne MM- I think you mis-interpreted my last post- Have no fear- I would never desert the GOP, certainly not for any RINO's or Democrat-Lites! No, it is time to stand and fight these insidious people who have taken over the American government. Each neww day brings another wacky idea, the stock market tanks further, and many Indies and some old line Dems are scratching their heads saying : "We've been screwed!" End result? New Republican voters being minted day.
GMPunter ... From your mouth to God's ear, as the old saying goes. The full horror of the Obama administration's mandates and future plans is becoming more and more evident to thinking Americans of every political stripe. Love your last line: "New Republican voters are being minted daily."
Marianne |