Maggie's FarmWe are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for. |
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Wednesday, June 1. 2011Weds. morning linksTransportation in Bob Dylan's Music Sale at Sippican Cottage Furniture Michelle: Chart of the day: America the Dependent A book: Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Vindicated!: Anthony Weiner Announces He Will Not Be Suing Ace of Spades For Defamation Home Prices Drop Into Double-Dip Territory James Lewis: Will Obama Sink the Democrats? Unexpectedly! Barone: Pro-Obama Media Always Shocked by Bad Economic News German nuclear cull to add 40 million tones CO2 per year Pajamas: The Central (Tactical) Intelligence Agency - The Osama bin Laden operation is the latest proof that the CIA is no longer a strategic intelligence agency ‘The Doctor Might See You Now’ In bemoaning the pain of fiscal responsibility, the Democrats show they still haven’t learned the lessons of Europe. Tuesday, May 31. 2011Trains, Planes, Trucks and…Boats?One of the problems facing the United States is deteriorating infrastructure. Everything from highways, byways, airports and freight facilities are in need of some sort of repair, renovation or downright replacement. Recently at the launch/commissioning ceremony for the USS William McClean (part of the Navy’s Prepositioning Program) Fred Harris President and CEO of General Dynamics NASSCO (NASSCO is a large shipbuilding complex outside of San Diego) spoke of the need for a National Marine Highway System . Mr. Harris made the case that vital part of the national transportation is being neglected – mainly the Maritime Coastal routes and facilities. America needs a marine highway system. What Harris is talking about is using what used to be called “coasters” – basically small ships to handle freight movement along coastal routes. His point addresses a larger issue – that our maritime industry has fallen on some hard times. As a nation that relies on sea power to extend our military and diplomatic reach across the world, we have basically relegated our Merchant Marine to other nations to build ships and transport goods. Our Maritime tradition not only extended from the Merchant Marine through the Navy and Coast Guard, but at one time, the world’s second largest Navy was the United States Army! The problems, of course, are simple – we just aren’t competitive in terms of labor costs and building/maintenance facilities. Our Merchant Marine is highly unionized with the attendant costs associated with union shops – including feather bedding. We’ve lost our ability to produce the tons and tons of high quality steel needed for a vibrant ship building industry. And the same infrastructure problems facing our highway and railway system also affect the Maritime routes that already exist. Our intracoastal waterways system is seeing less and less dredging needed to keep it open and traffic flowing. While the Gulf system seems to be fairly stable in terms of maintenance, the Atlantic system is in dire need of dredging and width repair in several places along it’s length. The last time I brought a boat down that route (a 53 foot Viking sport fisher) there where places in the Atlantic system where we were plowing through the sand and silt – not a good thing for raw water cooled engines. Tugs and barges are also restricted in certain parts of the Atlantic system. There are other challenges facing a new, bigger and better maritime system. NIMBY is a huge factor in the placement of facilities to off load or on load goods and raw materials. The recent contretemps in Narragansett Bay over the LNG facility is a good example. “Honest” Dick Blumenthal when he was Attorney General of Connecticut killed the Long Island Sound LNG/oil platform facility with misinformation and downright lying about the facilities impact on both the LIS ecosystem and it’s financial impact. Last, but certainly not least, access to distribution points are almost not existent due to the sale of port facilities to real estate developers to build hotels, convention centers, sports stadiums and private marinas. Harbor real estate is expensive and the competition is fierce to obtain and develop it. Mr. Harris has the right idea – a strong national maritime system able to move cargo, goods and materials using our long seacoasts and river systems should be a priority. I’m certain private investors would welcome the opportunity to be involved in building small ships, tugs, barges and facilities – as long as the government and the Maritime and Port labor unions can be kept at bay.
Posted by Capt. Tom Francis
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Via Surber:
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Tuesday morning linksClassic newsreel: 1946 USA, 82nd Airborne Division victory parade
America is a cool place. Politics is pure insanity. Via Driscoll:
At Dino:
Commies are always all about materialism. They just want other peoples' stuff. Mark Steyn: Cowed by udderly insane regulations Video: Why Israel mustn't withdraw to its pre '67 borders Barry vs. Bibi on the Middle East: The Dreamer Goes Down For The Count
and, Mead continues,
Indonesia and USA 'Most Entrepreneur-Friendly Nations': Global Poll Via Insty:
Good news: Obama Administration getting ready to ditch the Food Pyramid Nobody knows what we should eat. I believe we should eat whatever the heck we want to, and ignore the experts and the nannies. We're all gonna die. Just take some Lipitor and hope for the best. Sunday, May 29. 2011Get The Lead Out
Vanderleun at American Digest suggests we all "Buy American" after a run-in with a cheap Chinese mirror:
Vanderleun's a guy, so he's understandably unaware of the parable of age visiting a woman. Doorbell rings. Woman answers. "Hi, I'm age," the fellow at the doorstep says, then grabs both her breasts and yanks down on them as hard as he can. Unwisely, she turns around to run away, and, well...
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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Friday, May 27. 2011If I'd Known Government Spending Was Half This Cool, I'd Have Voted For A Tax IncreaseThe Washington Times has the straight skinny on the downstream effects of our porcine federal government's expenditures. There's the usual stuff about billion dollar toilet seats without holes in them and so forth, but there's one gem hidden among the awful offal that makes the annual three trillion spree worth it. Oh, yeah. Shrimp on a treadmill!
The Senate’s top waste watcher, in a new report Thursday, said taxpayer money has gone to funding jello wrestling in the Antarctic, to testing the exercise ability of shrimp on a treadmill and to a laundry-folding robot - all funded by the National Science Foundation. Is "jello wrestling at the South Pole" a euphemism for something actually naughty? Or is it just dull, useless, ugly people wrestling in jello at great expense, in between bouts of fudging statistics about how hot it is in the Antarctic because I drive a four-door car? I'm sorry, it's hard to keep up with these hipsters. Next thing you know, you're going to tell me Pabst Blue Ribbon is popular again. But the shrimp? That's entertainment!
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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Wednesday, May 25. 2011There's A Card Trick In There Somewhere. Let's Smoke It OutNote to new visitors to Maggie's Farm: Check out our site. You might like it. New things every day.
Posted by Roger de Hauteville
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Tuesday, May 24. 2011QQQ: The war on funHappy Meals, smoking, fried food, etc. Maybe they will try banning booze next. President Obama's War on Fun.
Monday, May 23. 2011Monday Constabulary HumorWhile she was flying down the road 20 miles over the limit, a woman passed by an overpass only to find a cop with a radar gun on the other side lying in wait. The cop pulled her over, walked up to the car, and with that classic patronizing smirk we all know and love, asked, "What's your hurry?" To which she replied, "I'm late for work." "Oh yeah," said the cop, "what do you do?" "I'm a rectum stretcher," she responded. The cop stammered, "A what? A rectum stretcher? And just what does a rectum stretcher do?" "Well," she said, "I start by inserting one finger, then work my way up to two fingers, then three, then four, then with my whole hand in. I work from side to side until I can get both hands in, and then I slowly but surely stretch, until it's about 6 feet wide." "And just what the hell do you do with a 6 foot asshole?" he asked. "You give him a radar gun and park him behind a bridge..." Traffic Ticket $95.00 One more: Things not to say to a police officer... When he pulls you over and says,"I think I smell alcohol. Have you been drinking?" Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean Everyone's Not Out To Get You All health care will be delivered by this method soon. Requests for chest X-rays will entail sending you an application to work at a Japanese power plant with a film shirt. Deafness will be treated by ordinances requiring that everyone yell at you -- not just the clerks at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Instead of glasses, those suffering from vision loss will be supplied with an even uglier spouse, because what difference will it make, anyway? At this point, with all our light fixtures filled with CFL bulbs, you can barely tell if you're living with a mammal, never mind a hottie. Good-looking spouses will be re-assigned to those with good eyesight, but who want Viagra, which doesn't grow on trees, you know.
Sunday, May 22. 2011Reactions to President Obama at AIPACFirst, what is AIPAC? The American Israel Political Action Committee Second, what is the root of the divide between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama? It goes back to core principles and experiences. Third, geographic perspective: Rocket ranges from Gaza; Even less from West Bank Now, some reactions to the President's speech at AIPAC:
Palestinians find another ally for no peace:
Me: Obama to Israel, "Let's agree to disagree, and you'll pay for it later, out of sight of this audience." Netanyahu replies: "My audience will hear from me tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and the next, despite your sellouts."
Posted by Bruce Kesler
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Friday, May 20. 2011Docs rebel against ObamacareThe Mayo Clinic says:
By "accountability," I think they mean cheap. One of the reasons I agreed to post my thoughts at Maggie's Farm was because of our editor's "Ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more" ethos. The Medicare and insurance company's regs drove me nuts, so I quit them all. See me, pay me. If you're rich, I'll charge you a lot. If you're poor, a little. Rightly or wrongly, I do it my way. There are two simple things that can be done to reduce medical costs in the US: 1. Tort reform, so that everybody with a tension headache doesn't get a $700 cya CAT scan and OBs don't have to spend $200,000/yr for malpractice insurance, and 2. A wide market for interstate major medical insurance.
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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Netanyahu bitch-slaps Obama (Video)
NYT: "Peace based on illusions will crash eventually on the rocks of Middle East reality," an unsmiling Netanyahu told Obama in the Oval Office. Reactions: "Respect goes two ways and Obama, a leader who has a history of cavalierly dismissing the sensibilities of American allies, cannot pretend that he is the injured party here." Listen for yourself:
Posted by Bruce Kesler
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Thursday, May 19. 2011It's OK for Cuba to do itWith Gas at $4 Per Gallon… Democrats Reject GOP Bill to Expand Drilling:
Energy costsh/t SDA Thursday morning linksUpdate on Prof Stanley Fish Newt Apologizes To Paul Ryan, Begs Democrats Not To Use His Own Quotes In Ads General Motors Sponsors Propaganda Film Promoting Genocidal Chinese Communist Regime Why Is Soros Spending Over $48 Million Funding Media Organizations? At Ace:
University Insiders: Illegal Immigrants Get Affirmative Action Has the Media Totally Forgotten About the Unemployed? You want coverage? OK, here's some coverage:
Wednesday, May 18. 2011Jewish Tea Party? Update: Kushner's ThreatsMany Jews and decent liberals are having a “consciousness-raising” experience. The three incidents at CUNY this past academic year honoring extremist foes of Israel, and throwing up chaff about academic freedom to distract, have struck to the quick in New York City and spread throughout the country. The contamination in our core institutions of the blatant Israel-hate that has melded the far left and Palestinian apologists and advocates has activated a ground-swell of reaction. Can this be the start of a roll-back? Yes, as more and more Americans speak up in defense of Western values and strike back at those who undermine them. The Obama-CYA, George Soros funded, Palestinians apologists of J-Street, leftist Jews, defended Tony Kushner receiving an honorary degree from CUNY as “a victory for all of those in the Jewish community and beyond who cherish freedom of speech and are unwilling to punish people for the content of their political views.” The Jewish establishment replies to the left’s double-standard:
The New York Times opinionator on education adds:
The 55,000 member Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, on 3500 worldwide campuses, wrote to the CUNY Board of Trustees to reverse the decision to grant an honorary degree to Tony Kushner:
The roll-back needs your active involvement in your house of worship, in your alma mater, in your newspaper. This is a "tea party" requiring all to attend. UPDATE: Tony Kushner, on Facebook, says, " it seems like with each successive fight around the Israel-Palestine issue (first Moustafa Bayoumi, then Kristofer, now this), our side gets stronger and stronger." Kushner calls for "You want Wiesenfeld off the Board? Organize for it..."Now let's make a bigger, f-ing deal. Go to it, folks!" Bring it on, Tony, as you cement your and your allies reps lower than already. Kushner titles his post, "We Won." Kushner, you've won a whoppin'.
Posted by Bruce Kesler
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"I'm offended. Rearrange the world for me."Nowadays, all it takes is one jackass to mess things up for everybody else. Why does one whining person have more power than hundreds of non-whining people? "I'm offended. Rearrange the world for me." Given the statistical likelihood that there is at least one stupid, selfish or self-righteous jackass fault-finder in any group, it's guaranteed that somebody will bitch about something every time anything happens. Hence the ACLU. ACLU Wants Historic Cross Covered During Graduation. And how come my offended whining about their whining carries no water at all? Am I the wrong kind of whiner? Tuesday, May 17. 2011Conspiracy ManiaNo sooner had the tin-foil hat world just begun to gin up conspiracy theories about Bin Laden than we get the new story about the "great man" (I had never heard of him before) Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Now we have to have a new slew of conspiracies about him, as if life were not interesting and confusing enough without them. It is difficult to keep up with all of the conspiracy theories these days.
Posted by The Barrister
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Tuesday morning links"Dr. Lastname" is, for me, the Dear Abby of the internet. Here's why you do not tell the truth, at work: The Truth Fairy Obamacare waiver-mania Obama Created or Saved 450,000 Government Jobs, Lost 1,000,000 Private Sector Jobs With Stimulus New bombshell of a book by David Mamet The addiction to the urban front lawn Obama’s latest fake plan for more drilling Amnesty International Is Keeping Dubious Company Here we go again—UC Irvine's annual propoganda parade VDH: The End of an Idea — Why Affirmative Action Should Stop. A quote:
Monday, May 16. 2011People are asking me about this guy's "problem"People are asking me about the IMF head's "problem". If all the stories and rumors are true, he doesn't have a personal psychological problem (except his new personal political and legal problems). My guess would be that the issue is that people like him have no problem. In other words, he just does whatever he feels like and doesn't give a damn because he gets away with it and his associates and his wife don't seem to care all that much. To diagnose that (eg Impulse Disorder, or Sex Addiction) is simply to excuse, or dignify, the sort of bad behavior that most people decide, often with great struggle, to limit to their fantasy lives. Everybody has illicit ideas and desires, whether consciously or unconsciously. That's why we are given the gift of the Ten Commandments. Now that he has supposedly (as the gossip says) had his fun raping and/or seducing God knows how many attractive women and girls, and finally got caught, watch him now act the victim and seek help for a psychological problem. They always do, after they get caught. Clinton too. From here: The charges are roiling France, where Mr. Strauss-Kahn was the favorite to be the Socialist nominee for President next year and was even leading in the polls against Nicolas Sarkozy. The French are legendary for nonchalance toward the sexual appetites of their politicians, and they sniffed at Americans who disapproved of Bill Clinton when he lied under oath about sex. But we doubt even the French will be blasé about assaulting a hotel chamber maid. Addendum, from France: "Politicians ... enjoy a particular tolerance on this subject," he wrote. "Part of the shock comes also from the unusual scene, until now unthinkable here: police arresting a top-level politician on a matter of morals."
Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss
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Monday morning linksDeath to high school English - My college students don't understand commas, far less how to write an essay. Is it time to rethink how we teach? Do you care about how Tom Friedman feels? Why Don't We Hear About Soros' Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations? (h/t Linkiest) More stamps: It's racist to discuss food stamps Associating food stamps with blacks is racist, seems to me. Most American poor are white. Ben Stein: "Arab Spring" is a fraud A Banner Day for Media Bias: The NYT’s Friday the 13th On Global Warming Samuelson: The Affluent Elderly Government Schools: Antiques Preserved in Political Amber Greece is almost certainly heading for default. The EU was a giant mistake, an attempt to create a bureaucratic empire like the European empires of old. There will be rebellion, destructive immigration, dissolution, etc. No wars. though. Sunday, May 15. 2011What if we really "bought American"?
It would be pretty darn bad.
Sunday excellent link dumpAll the kids in England want to be writers. No math and no heavy lifting, but how do you make a living from it? Similar question: How many decent musicians can raise a family on making music? Bill Clinton: Create Internet agency Related: Bill Clinton is a dangerous man As RR said, "If it keeps moving, regulate it." Mark Steyn: Who will restore reality to politics? Trouble on the horizon for David Mamet Since when are theater-goers Lefties? We are avid theater-goers, and we aren't. Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time That's a start. But let's get 100 nuke plants going. What If Justice Demands Open Borders? Worked out fine for the Romans... Health Care Solutions: Market (Same-day House Calls) vs. Government (36 Days to See Family Doc) The Islamization of Nashville Commentary:The B'Tselem Witch Trials Denmark decides to renew border enforcement Open has not worked out well for the Danes, but it's a little EU rebellion. First of many, no doubt. Immigration thoughts at The Examiner:
Outnumbered: Chronicles of a Manhattan Conservative George Will: The Dreamliner nightmare Obama does not want me to fly on the Dreamliner, but I want to. A trail of stalled or abandoned HUD projects How are education and housing Federal government jobs? They are in far over their heads. Ace: What if Supermakets Operated Like Public Schools Will Islamists use Israeli wireless cell phone rechargers? Darn right they will. Powerful case against the fantasy of high speed rail Rail is great in the right place, for the right purpose. Such places are rare in the US but, in the Boston - DC corridor, rail is good. Still subsidized, but heavily used - and all those cars could not fit onto the NYC roads. Steyn yet again: Mitt’s health-care “solution” is a major problem for his presidential campaign. Photo: The Striped Bass on the steeple of the Cuttyhunk Church. I am due another visit to good old Cuttyhunk. I am due another visit to Monhegan Island, too. Such a big, wonderful earth, and so little time to see and do everything...which reminds me of a story. A year or two ago, my energetic and ambitious Wall St. daughter got into some jolly verbal jousting with her boss. He challenged her to sky-dive. She did, and has the vid to prove it. She is doing well at work, and having great fun with it. Saturday, May 14. 2011Saturday morning linksSHOULD WE START PUTTING THE COMMAS outside the quotation marks? What's in your luggage? Married couples now a minority in Tennessee Do SEIU members know what their union does? Are we looking at the end of Fannie and Freddie? 16 Civilians Killed in NATO Strike in Tripoli – Media and Leftists Yawn A 2-week online symposium at Patheos: For Life and Family: Faith and the Future of Social Conservatism Sen Hatch on the Dems: "They play politics very, very tough, they play it well, and they don’t give a damn about what’s right and what’s wrong." Bin Laden's Harem pictures London's Wiener Library: Lest we forget What's the point of urban setbacks? It's tough on these folks, but they know they live on a flood plain, and know it will happen once in a while despite the levees which attempt to tame the untameable and mighty Father of Waters. That Mississippi silt from flooding is the reason they have such great farmland. Geert Wilders spoke in Nashville this week: My dear American friends, you cannot imagine how we envy your First Amendment. The day when America The New Science:
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