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, January 30. 2013Weds. morning links1 in 4 Swedish Women Will Be Raped as Sexual Assaults Increase 500% A Miami Clinic Supplies Drugs to Sports' Biggest Names Eggs not bad for you and the NYT is on it Student Loan Bubble Update: "This Situation Is Simply Unsustainable" Preaching to the Choir on Housing - At last week’s debate, New York’s mayoral candidates sang the same old chorus. If NYC deregulated housing, there would be affordable housing for everybody. Classic example of a government fix of a temporary problem creating a permanent shortage problem. Markets work when government stays out of the way. Will we learn from Britain and France? Robert Reich: Walmart, McDonalds and Every Hospital in America Should Unionize Want to Save Money on Health Care? Do Less of It. A Lot Less. Docs can't "do less" without tort reform. Defensive medicine is a huge factor in medicine today. Many claim it's 30-50% of billings. Other major wastes? Most preventive medicine, and annual physicals. Studies prove it. Department of Awful Statistics: Are Mass Shootings Really On the Rise? They're not, but the alarmist numbers are more likely to get media attention. Never Let a Dead Child Go to Waste MSNBC Busted AGAIN For Deceptively Editing Video To Make Conservatives Look Bad “60 Minutes” voluntarily becomes Pravda, and The Atlantic actually notices Time For Reform And Rethinking On Immigration While GOP leaders push amnesty, Dems rope more immigrants into welfare state Five reasons Republicans won't win Latino voters with immigration reform:
Only somebody like Rubio can preach the American gospel to hispanic immigrants. Past large waves of immigrants (Swedes, Jews, Irish, Poles, Italians, Cubans) got the memo, but in the era of big government, this wave doesn't get it. The fraud at the heart of the Gang of 8 immigration proposal Gun Restrictions Punish the Rational and Responsible for Acts of the Irrational and Irresponsible Boom! NAACP Leader Says Blacks Are “Doing Far Worse” Under Obama
Tuesday, January 29. 2013Tuesday morning linksFood cranks update: From Sundance to Dunkin’ Donuts, the gluten-free craze shows no signs of abating Why Fruit Juice Is the Real Health Killer Study: Nearly half are overqualified for their jobs Defined how? Liberal racism Many libs believe, deep down, that blacks and hispanics cannot make it in the modern world Question of the Week: Which Department of the Federal Government Should Be the First to Be Abolished? My vote goes to Dept. of Education. Not a federal responsibility. Don't get paranoid, but why this? Obama Administration Repositioning Homeland Security Ammunition Containers 1.4 billion rounds of ammo? Maybe they are planning on disarming the criminals in Chicago. That’s Weird: DHS Wants 7,000 Scary Looking Rifles For Personal Defense NY Mayor Mike Bloomberg Uses His Armed Bodyguards to Bully Journalist in Washington “San Diego Chief of Police: We Can Disarm America ‘Within a Generation’” No. You maybe can disarm the honest people, but not the crims Kirstin Powers on Obama & Hillary’s ’60 Minutes’ Interview: “Was Something You’d Expect From State-Run Media” Clinton backers launch ‘Ready for Hillary’ super-PAC in hopes of 2016 campaign
Malians celebrate, French-led forces clear Timbuktu Why shale fuels cannot help Britain Japan: Welfare payments to be slashed ¥74 billion to root out the comfortably poor
Monday, January 28. 2013A detailed look at illegal immigration from MexicoI am opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants, partly because it is indeed a crime and we are a nation of law (why begin citizenship as a Federal criminal when there are legal ways to do it?), and partly because I have seen what five-ten year hoops and expenses legal immigrants to the US need to go through, such as physicians from Canada and the UK, and programming geniuses from Singapore. Also, because I believe that vast numbers of immigrants cannot be assimilated. (Case in point: Mexifornia. Case in point: Europistan. Case in point: Dearborn, MI.) And, lastly, people have no idea how impossible it is for an American to emigrate to Mexico. Many American citizens and retirees would like to, if they could. Puerto Vallarta. Cabo. Basically, they have made it illegal to do so. Mexico is hell on immigrants. They want none of them. This piece by Skerry reviews some of the history that may make Mexican illegals a somewhat different case. From Splitting the Difference on Illegal Immigration:
It is worth reading. In the end, I suppose, my sentiment is that I would prefer that people who live in crappy countries do what they can to improve them. My blessed and brave ancestors did that here, for me. Half the world would invade the US were they able to do so. If you want to come here, why not try to make your place like ours? We have enough people already, and terrible unemployment with grandiose PhDs working as restaurant waiters. Nothing wrong with educated wait staff, but it's probably not what they envisioned in their Obama Economy. Bear in mind that I very much enjoy the legal Mexican and Colombian immigrants around here. Great people, family people, ambitious and entrepreneurial, and wonderful restaurants too. They are doing many jobs which unemployed Americans, with their sense of entitlement, spurn. However, it is true that they frequently prefer cash which, as an honest taxpayer, I resent. Not entirely assimilated into American values, know nothing about our history or traditions or even why we are a special place. Willing to work hard, though. It's more about money than political freedom because neither Mexico nor Colombia are totalitarian or oppressive states. Except for Boston, New England doesn't have the hispanic drug gangs and crims that California has. Most of our crims here are home-grown.
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Chart of gun facts for Americah/t Willisms. Large, interesting chart is below the fold - Regardless of that info, I'll keep repeating my gun mantra: Government should focus on disarming the bad guys, not the good guys. Begin with Chicago. Disarming the good guys only creates more helpless victims: Milwaukee Sheriff goes national with message to arm yourself. Police rarely prevent crime. They cannot be everywhere. Their main job is to find crims after the crime. Your own job is to prevent crime against you and your family. Continue reading "Chart of gun facts for America" Obama jokes about Benghazi
What is happening to America? President Barack Obama to Steve Kroft on Benghazi: $#!+ happens, LOL
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National School Choice WeekMonday morning linksPic above stolen from Pirate The auto industry is thriving, except for subsidized alternative fuel vehicles. Is the NFL doomed? Climate Crisis Downgrade Arriving on Schedule Whole Foods CEO: Global Warming 'Not That Big a Deal' It Figures. Liberal Media Already Pushing Death Panels for Fat People and Smokers "Why do we consider banks to be like holy churches?" Tina Turner renounces her U.S. citizenship to become Swiss (so how much tax will she now pay?) Schweizer on Boomtown: D.C. a 'New Versailles' Built on 'Borrowed Money' Higher Ed: You do not get what you pay for Obama says he goes skeet shooting ‘all the time’ at Camp David The Second Amendment is Not about Hunting Why is Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf a bestseller in Muslim countries? Saturday, January 26. 2013Pretty good advice for life: Workforce Skills Every Student Should Gain Before Leaving CollegeReposted - 10 Workforce Skills Every Student Should Gain Before Leaving College. A quote:
Certainly not, especially in a time when college degrees are so commonplace and when graduate degrees have lost their economic, social, and academic value through dilution. Listed in the article are not things you learn in college, but things you can learn wherever you are: high school, college, armed forces, crappy job, or on the street. Basic life lessons which I began learning at 12. I have had paid jobs since then. That's where I learned about life even though my book-larnin' has been a blessing to me. They could or should have said "should learn before leaving high school" because that is when adulthood is supposed to begin. Well before my time, college students wore suits to class. It was a serious adult endeavor. We don't know what it is now, except that they will give you As (or rarely Bs which used to be Ds and Fs) for paying the bill because the customer is always right except in math, physics or chem. Which is why employers like to see the tough courses and the demanding majors in college grads. They grade on curves, so the right stuff shows to potential employers. Now that I am in a position to interview new hires at our place, it has been a very interesting experience. We are finally doing quite well after post-start-up challenges. I'll write up a post about our hiring process and our hiring filters when I have a chance. We get 1000 applicants for each job posting at our little shop, but we do not delete the "overqualified" here if they are willing to take a chance with low wages to start.
Saturday morning linksMore good info about Wolves. There are no "mass extinctions" going on Being armed is a sign that we are neither slave nor serf nor willing victim Unintended pregnancies on the rise in servicewomen Obama: Reagan of the Left - The president sees himself as the unabashed apostle of the ever-expanding federal state. The Worst Five Years Aussies Strike Black Gold Milwaukee Teachers Earn College Credits for Taking Class to Heal Their Racism Natural rights and the Second Amendment:
In America, the government does not confer rights. The ideal of freedom, and self-reliance, preceded government. Many immigrants and descendents of more recent immigrants from lands with authoritarian histories don't understand that, nor do many African Americans whose ancestors were involuntary immigrants and even less free than indentured servants or serfs. My ancestors, however, did invent a government to ensure our freedom, and deliberately handcuffed government power for the same reason. Americans do not have delimited rights - the government has delimited powers. That was the radical idea which remains too radical for statists. Such was intended by our Constitution, anyway. Since then, government, intoxicated with its importance, has been at war with our radical Constitution. From Eritosthenes (h/t Vanderleun):
Friday, January 25. 2013David Mamet on firearmsGun Laws and the Fools of Chelm† - The individual is not only best qualified to provide his own personal defense, he is the only one qualified to do so. By David Mamet. A quote:
It's always gratifying to see a formerly knee-jerk Lefty come around to rational sanity. None of us is required to think the way we thought twenty years ago. We are meant to learn as we go through life. Friday morning linksHilarious climate science fail by the warmists at GRIST (and now CNN) Muslim Group Accuses Lego Of Raaaaacism Rotten to the Core: Obama's War on Academic Standards Europe’s Dream Becomes Its Nightmare - The EU and a less imperialistic U.S. are not proving to be a boon for Europe. Cameron: I don't want a country called Europe Cuomo: Governor government Walter Williams: Experts Aren’t Deities More Conservative Boehner Emerging as Speaker When it comes to end of life decisions, the state does not love you Student uses AR-15 to fend off armed home invaders Mead: Futuristic Blues:
Via Drudge, the Pope tweets in nine languages Thursday, January 24. 2013Movie Review: 'The Replacements' Whenever I do a movie review, I always include a clip highlighting the main actor doing his or her thing. What a disgrace. It seems as though I'm bedazzled by star power, completely ignoring all the lesser actors; those who really make the movie click. But not this time. No, this time I'm determined to focus on the supporting cast, those who really make the movie work; those who provide the surrounding aura so that Keanu Reeves may shine. It's only fair.
I don't believe any further review is necessary. Social Security is Welfare?
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Thursday morning linksAbout the Taurus Judge. That's what Marianne had. It will shoot a .410 cartridge. Mayor Bloomberg never goes anywhere without his firearms If the GOP wants to regain political power it will also have to find a middle ground on abortion. The demographics insist. Where did European Jews come from? U.S. Union Membership, Both Rate and Number, Continues Dropping Liberal Blogger: ‘How Dare You Smear Hillary by Quoting Her Accurately!’ 'What Difference Does It Make?' Mrs. Clinton finds herself in a familiar, if ironic, role. Indoctrination about "white privilege" probably won't make kids into little liberals. Hinderaker: Is Liberalism Doomed? Top Obama Aide: U.S. System Not Worthy of Obama The High Cost of Obama’s America If They Were Baby Seals Instead of Just Babies... NBC Panel Scolds Prince Harry: 'Why Do You Need to Antagonize the Taliban? Heather on women in combat: "I am not aware of any comparable crusade to create gender-integrated football teams. At least America knows what’s really important." Surprise! Mafia Heavily Involved With “Green” Energy
Wednesday, January 23. 2013The Left's unfinished agendaThe government now is on track to control medical care. What next? Michael Lind has just two items on his wish list: Voting rights for felons, and universal government child care. However, we know that Leviathan's hunger for money and control is never sated. If you imagine that there is ever "enough," just ask a Leftist where the endpoint should be, the point at which government's task is complete. There will always be a list, the job will never be done, and, still, utopia will never arrive because dystopia always arrives first. Related: Gerard found that One Cosmos has reviewed Our Logophobic President, with his sarcasm button turned on. One sample:
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When will American education display "full gender equity"?Females today are "overrepresented" on almost every educational metric. I propose affirmative action for boys to compensate for adverse impact. Weds. morning linksBring on the cold weather Sarkozy's plans to dodge new 75% French tax rate by moving to London Connecticut: Bridgeport Versus Greenwich Only the rich can afford to work? Of course not. Just changes in fashion. The Lost Wolves of New England We want them back. They would kill the dang coyotes, and our overpopulation of Moose, White Tail Deer, and raccoons. Charter schools, like private schools, avoid hiring staff with teaching credentials It's a problem Good stuff at Thompson Inaugural: not a word about jobs or the economy If everybody is on the dole, who will pay the bills? Health Insurance Brokers Prepare Clients For Obamacare Sticker Shock 5.0 Liberalism and the Future of the State "after the Sandy Hook murders I felt compelled to do something, even if it was only symbolic. So, last month, I joined the NRA, the nation’s most effective civil rights organization, for the first time." Tuesday, January 22. 2013Our hero Daniel Hannan debates free markets
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Tuesday morning linksHow academic mobbing happens (h/t Sailer) Ayn Rand and the criminalization of everyday life The (So Far) Failed Promise of Electronic Medical Records Living On Welfare in the U.K. Mayor of London: Ice Age Coming to Britain? NASA Warns Earth May Be Entering a Period of “Global Cooling” We must do something to stop it now before we all die Giddy CNN Correspondent: ‘I Feel Like I Should Pinch Myself Right Now’ Mr. Obama endorsed the entire liberal agenda as the guiding star of his next four years in the White House Plus Ça Change… Barack Obama Gives Stirring 1913 Speech Monday, January 21. 2013One good, strong woman wanted!Harvard is looking for a woman to bear a Neanderthal child. She might need broad hips. They would probably gain plenty of applicants if the kid were guaranteed admission on a multicultural basis. Might be a threat as a linebacker on the Crimson team too or, given the brain size, a threat on the Chess Team. I was disappointed that the post the other day about human migration excluded our Neanderthal brethren. They were made in God's image too, were they not? Global cooling is a real threat for mankind's global future, obviously. One advantage of bringing back our Neanderthal brothers and sisters is that they know how to hunt the coming influx of Wooly Mammoths, as Steyn reminded us today on the radio. At some point, in the Northeast, the dang Mammoths will become pests, rooting around in our Rhododendrons in the snow along with the Polar Bears and those annoying and smelly Musk Oxen. It's cold out there in Central Park today.
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America's oversupply of graduatesIt's a very sad story, and it is due, in part but not entirely, to the Obama economy in my opinion because nobody is hiring anybody right now, and neither are we:
What we really need around here are more good plumbers and electricians who do not abuse drugs. We have plenty of skilled, reliable masons, all clean-cut Mexican immigrants. In today's economic mess, it's time for people to get creative and to start their own businesses. Necessity is the mother of invention. Just make sure you don't hire more than 49 employees (same as they do in France). After 49, you get in deep government issues which nobody can comprehend but you just know you will make some error somewhere.
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Aviation update Pic: Doc's lifelong dream of flight begins to take shape As noted in The F-35 Debacle, perhaps the goofiest weapon of war the United States armed forces has ever commissioned was the fastest, sleekest, most modern fighter jet in history — while requiring that it also have the capabilities of a helicopter. The mind reels. But, even though they now cost about 10 times the original estimate, this isn't to say that our money's not being put to good use. Sure, there are bound to be a few little glitches, but that's expected when developing a new breed of aircraft. Little glitches like, say, turning into a fireball of death when hit by lightning. Lightning will ground F35 fighter jet known as the Lightning II
But at least they're watching every dollar and not frivolously wasting it on unnecessary weight:
Or scaring innocent civilians on the ground by flying too low:
What's so sobering is that, after more than a decade, this thing's still in the developmental stage. It hasn't even been put to use and field-tested yet. Let's hope the bad guys don't live in an area protected by lots of thunderstorms. Speaking of fireballs of death, below the fold we'll get an update on the Boeing 787 and how our ever-vigilant MSM has handled the story. You won't be surprised. Continue reading "Aviation update" Monday morning linksDon’t eat your organic veggies Figuring How To Pay For (Chimp) Retirement (h/t Vanderleun) 5 Things About Getting Older That Shouldn’t Have Surprised Me … But Did Surprised middle-aged guy is surprised! 7 Mistakes Women Make with Men - How to avoid unleashing the Hulk. Did you know about The Raisin Administrative Committee? They Hate Us, They Really Hate Us What Does It Mean to Say That a Gun Law Is Tough? Sen. Chuck Schumer Says the NRA Is an Extreme ‘Fringe Group’ Obama's Secret Beer Summit With Reporters Turns Into Swoonfest Tingles again! Good grief, these people are gullible. West Point center cites dangers of ‘far right’ in U.S. They must be referring to dangerous people like Mark Steyn and Victor Hanson and Roger Kimball and Glenn Reynolds Obama Advisor: President Is Focused on Raising Taxes Bill Maher: 'A Lot' Of The Constitution 'Is Bullsh*t' Gee, somehow I never confused him with James Madison Sultan on branding:
Algerian Terrorists to Hostages: “We’ve Come in the Name of Islam, to Teach Americans What Islam Is” Sunday, January 20. 2013It's difficult to demonize Wayne LaPierre
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