Cooling Planet, Heated Rhetoric?

                NASA consultant and climatologist John L. Casey is warning that the Earth is cooling, and cooling fast. In the new book, “Dark Winter: How the Sun is Causing a 30-Year Cold Spell”, he warns that the Earth is rapidly growing colder due to diminished solar activity. The former space shuttle engineer says trends indicate we could soon see temperatures similar to those seen in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s when the sun went into a “solar minimum”- a phase of significantly diminished solar activity such as solar flares and sunspots. He further states that this cold period has already begun, and that the frigid temperatures and food shortages that inevitably result could potentially lead to riots and chaos.

                He told Newsmax magazine, “All you have to do is trust natural cycles, and follow the facts; and that leads you to the inevitable conclusion that the sun controls the climate, and that a new cold era has begun.” He claims that the planet’s oceans have been cooling for over a decade and that, since 2007, the atmospheric temperature has fallen as well.

                “If you look at the 100-year global temperature chart, you look at the steep drop off we’ve had since 2007, it’s the steepest drop in global temperatures in the last hundred years.”

                Isn’t this at odds with the conventional wisdom? Casey suggests that climate-change theorists have wedded themselves to the wrong theory, that global temperatures respond to the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and that any scientist suggesting otherwise is immediately branded a heritic. Yet Russian astrophysicist Habibullo Abdussamatov has actually argued that a mini ice age has begun. While Casey isn’t willing to go that far, he states that the real driver of global climate is solar activity, in particular sunspots. He says that these historically correspond to shifts in global temperature with a greater than 90% accuracy.

                The greenhouse- gas warming theorists are demonstrably wrong on two counts. First, as Casey says, “the greenhouse-gas theory, and the global climate models that they produced, never permitted a pause. As long as C02 levels were going up, the only thing that could happen was global temperatures could go up. That has not happened. Number 2, there could be absolutely no cooling, much less a pause. And yet we’ve been cooling for 11 years now.”

                “There is no human on Earth, much less here in the U.S.,” Casey warns, “who has experienced the depth and duration of cold we’re about to experience.”

                Casey first developed these and other theories pertaining to the topic in 2007. So far, all of his predictions have come true.

                He even speculates (see Habibullo Abdussamatov) that one of the reasons Vladimir Putin is so eager to retake the Ukraine is to "re-secure" what was the primary source of wheat for the Soviet Union during cold weather in the Cold War era.

                He further claims that we are going to experience the worst crop damage in human recorded history, and that the U.S. might at some point have to cut off food exports in order to feed her own people. And, since almost 50% of corn is now going to ethanol fuel, he believes future historians will look back on using food for fuel as one of the worst decisions human beings ever made.

                A Clinton administration global warming report of some years ago relied on two vastly different, indeed mutually- and comically- exclusive, greenhouse-gas simulation models. One predicted a catastrophic drought that would kill off all of the trees in the American Southeast. The other forecasted significantly increased rainfall and forest expansion in the Southeast.

                 Tragically, we are likely preparing for the wrong calamity.

                "Climate change" is, at best, an inexact science. Despite the feverish rhetoric of the left, let's hope that cooler heads prevail. Cooler temperatures likely will.

               

 

               

               

          

               

               

Russia: The Return of the Evil Empire

                The Russian foreign minister issued a blistering attack on the West and NATO on  Saturday, accusing them of being unable to change their Cold War “genetic code” and also stating that the United States must abandon its claims to “eternal uniqueness”.

                Who is the party delivering this verbal attack? Who is invading their neighbors? Who can’t shake their “Cold War” mentality? That would be Russia.

                Sergey Lapdog’s (Lavrov’s?) assault (perpetrated at the U.N. in New York City) was the more ridiculous given that the U.S. has already abandoned its claim to “eternal uniqueness” under “Dear Leader” Barrack Obama. Remember Obama’s comment to  Vlad the Impaler a few years ago when he thought he was “off mike”? “I’ll have more, uh, flexibility, after the elections…”. He really wanted to be Putin’s Pal. Yet now Putin trots out Sergey to foam at the mouth in front of the United Nations.

                The United States’ claim to uniqueness was based on the concept of Natural Law. And it was unique…and led to utterly unique results. Putin has to share his belief in Natural Lawlessness with North Korea, Iran and many others. No uniqueness there.

                And it appears Russia’s leadership certainly hasn’t abandoned its claims to “eternal Evil Empire” status.

Moore, Oklahoma and an American Beheading

                  Another brutal murder on our soil, inflicted on innocents, by a  Muslim. And a  first for America…a beheading. The mainstream media usually immediately rules out the possibility of Islam playing any part in these crimes (terrorist attacks) and many speculate that it’s probably “tea-baggers”, conservatives, friends of George ‘W’ Bush or a rogue Fox News reporter responsible for the carnage. When this hope never pans out they blame a gun. It is amusing to watch them walk back the story until it becomes clear to any sentient being, no matter how they obfuscate, that it was an act of Islamist terror, almost always preceded by the voicing of “Allahu Akbar!” Since this beheading was carried out using a knife and the perpetrator was stabbing another victim when he was  stopped by an off-duty reserve  deputy (and Chief Operating Officer of the company) who shot him with a gun, the usual opening bullshit was dispensed with and they went right to calling it an unfortunate case of “workplace violence”.

                This is akin to calling the Germans’ deliberate attempt to destroy London from the air in WWII (by indiscriminately bombing civilian and industrial areas almost every night for weeks on end) “geopolitical tension-releasing”. In this day and age, throwing a pencil at a co-worker would qualify as "workplace violence". Beheading a boss or co-worker would seem to require the use of a stronger and more accurate term.

                The woman who was beheaded didn’t previously rob a convenience store. She was a totally  innocent non-combatant. Comparing this to another recent tragedy brings a question to mind.  Are the citizens of Moore, Oklahoma,  rioting in the streets against Muslims or Islamic extremist violence?

                The killer has a picture of himself holding a sign on a "social media" ("anti-social media" in this case?) site. The sign says "Freedom can go to hell."

                I don't believe "freedom" can actually go to hell.
    
                But he will.
 

 

The U.S.A.? R.I.P.

                Ironically, the '8th- grade' educated Americans of our past were more mature and self-disciplined- and possessed of more common sense- than the '18th- grade' educated and hyper-credentialed Americans of today, who have been both feminized and infantilized. It shows in the inane actions of 'our' government today as well as those of some of 'its' citizens, as opposed to the remarkable achievements of both in our past. We’re not going to the moon anymore, nor are we winning any wars…or even declaring them, no matter the barbarism and existential threat we face. And natural law, the founding bedrock of our nation, our uniqueness, is either unknown, ignored or mocked.  Those who have jobs requiring highly specific skills and/or  an extensive education toss away the ladder after they've climbed to the top. They protect and isolate themselves by unionizing and requiring more and more degrees, certificates and the like for anybody to follow them into their chosen field. Then, the unions take their money and use it to fund only one political party. America as it was founded-and intended to be- is dead. The victim, in part, of a “community organizer’s” jealousy and hatred-spawned plea for “hope and change”. And of American’s naivete’ and tolerance, lack of historical knowledge and understandable desire for a black president to get a chance to do great things.

                We literally possess all the energy needed to insure a stout economy indefinitely, but not the will or mental acuity and toughness to do so. We don’t make much anymore, or invent as many things as we used to. Although we have helped invent the “global warming/climate change” fallacy and are the home of many- if not most- of its besotted “true believers”.

                The rest of the world will have to deal with our demise, and the resulting ramifications on hope, faith and especially freedom. (Some of you should have been more careful what you wished for).

                The “shining city on a hill” has slid into the abyss.

                The U.S.A.? R.I.P.

                Notice what’s happening around the world lately?

                Welcome to a thousand years of darkness.

              

Climate Controlled

               “Climate change” has to be the lamest term/concept ever. Are they really going to get away with this? When/why were the words drought, flood, hot, cold, etc. coined in various languages over eons? (Another natural system would be the human body. Why are we different at 25 years old then we were at 5 years old? Or at 85 years old as from 25? Ever been hot? Cold?).

                Weather changes?! Incredible. Short term or long term? Ice age or tropical? The 'average temperature' for most locales is made up of extremes and isn't the 'most common' temperature for that day.  I've noticed it typically gets cooler and darker at night, yet seems to get warmer and lighter during the day. Winter cooler, summer warmer. Weird, but significant!

           Climate change? Really? Should there be a large thermostat somewhere that allows us- man- to select the perfect politically-correct temperature for every place on Earth over time?  What do ‘they’ want...climate control? Oh, yeah, like control of everything else.

 Both  ‘global warming’ and ‘climate change’ alarmists predict ever increasing frequency and intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms among other volatility. Yet the last 3 to 4 years have been one of the calmest periods in history in this regard.

        There is more, not less, Antarctic ice than there was a year ago. Last winter- in the United States at least- was brutally, historically cold. Many are predicting the same or worse for us this coming winter. “Refridgernation” as the Farmer’s Almanac called us.

        Where’s that damn “El Nino” effect when you really need it?

Historic Cluelessness

                A “senior administration official,” in a briefing posted on the official  White House website, “explained” why Saudi Arabia would be a logical ally in fighting ISIS/ISIL by stating that “Saudi Arabia has an extensive border with Syria.”

                 By closer inspection/more research/looking at a globe  this official would discover that, in fact, they share no border whatsoever and indeed are separated by Iraq and Jordan.

                This doesn’t instill great confidence in those currently manning the helm at the outset of hostilities with this/these new Islamic terror groups. Add to that  the fact that the  mission is uncertain, with ill-defined objectives on a fungible timetable with ambiguous, nebulous methods and unreliable,  allies;  all of this “supported”  by unclear, vacillating rhetoric.

                And yet…we still need to do this.

                I read an article by a New York Times columnist recently in which he stated that while he agreed in principle with airstrikes in Syria “if done cautiously and in conjunction with air forces of Sunni allies…we can’t want to defeat the Islamic State more than the countries in its path, and right now we do.”

                Wow. So, on December 8^th, 1941 would he have said something similar? That “I agree in principle to striking back against the Empire of Japan, if done cautiously and in conjunction with other  Pacific Rim allies, but we can’t want to defeat Japan more than the countries in its path.”

                That’s just blatant nonsense. Should we have consulted with the Philippines and tried to gauge how much they wanted to defeat Japan? China? If they didn’t “want to” as much as we did, should we have just dropped the whole thing? They were incapable of facing Japan alone, at any rate. And remember we, today, have already been attacked-repeatedly- by various Islamist extremist groups.

               Calling a Ronald Reagan or a George H.W. Bush.

               Anyone?

               

Monkeying Around With Chimps Nature

                  A recent article in the Washington Post (by Rachel Feltman) starts out by stating “When rival communities of chimps interact, death is often the result. That may not sound out of the ordinary in the human world, but it’s quite unusual for other animals- other than chimps, we seem to be the only ones who go to war”. I don’t know about that. I’ve seen some big-time ant battles, for instance. But if she means tanks and drones and communication lines, aircraft carriers and the like, well yeah. That’s just a function of ‘intelligence’ and capability, however. But that said, almost every other animal species survives by tearing other animal species apart limb from limb and devouring them live. And, in many instances, eating the young  of their own species, as fish are wont to do. Some females devour their partner after mating.

                Predictably, some researchers have argued that- you guessed it- the chimp wars we’ve witnessed are actually caused by human intervention. Yes, even though by these folks own understanding of science, chimps preceded humans on the world stage and evolutionary ladder (and therefore must have so very  much to teach us), apparently they were all existing in peaceful, non-judgemental harmony, holding hands and waiting for the Oprah Winfrey Network to arrive before we humans showed up.

                Tragically for them, a new study in the  journal Nature shows that chimps violent behavior is inherent, long-standing and a fundamental intra-species trait.

                Data from the study showed that chimp-on-chimp killings weren’t more likely to occur when human interference like feedings  or habitat destruction occurred.

                Supporters of the opposite view are unimpressed. “I am surprised that (the study) was accepted for publication,” Robert Sussman, an anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis, told science magazine. “Even the groups that the research team claimed were free from human disturbance were probably impacted by our interference”, Sussman said. He didn’t explain how. Did these chimps watch a lot of television? Talk about outright illogical denial!  “ The farmer in the Dell, the farmer in the Dell…I’m not listening, yada, yada, yada!”.

                In an accompanying article in Nature, behavioral ecologist Joan Silk, who was not involved with the study, pointed out that our desire to disprove an evolutionary basis for warfare may be wishful thinking. Our perception of primate behavior, she states, is often skewed so that “morally desirable features, such as empathy and altruism, have deep evolutionary roots, whereas undesirable features, such as group-level violence and sexual coercion do not.”

                Joan is right. It is incredible that many ‘researchers’, ‘academicians’ or ‘scientists’ want to show that all our best traits are gifts of evolution and our worst traits came later.

                This is exactly the opposite of the truth. Our survival instincts, flight or fight response, etc., etc. are understandably parts of our evolutionary heritage. Empathy, altruism, love, humor, kindness, self-discipline and control, these and other “better angels of our nature”  equally obviously are born of another, more recent source. God, religion, Christianity, the Ten Commandments, spirituality… or simply the gradual result of less brutal lives and more free time to reflect and engage in leisure activities.

                “Humans are not destined to be warlike because chimpanzees sometimes kill their neighbors,” Silk writes.

                Are we aping chimps behavior or are they aping ours?

I Voted... For Cash

               Something called the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission (oxymoron?) is actually pressing the City (“of Angels”) Council to ponder ways of paying (“bribing”?)  people to vote.

                The commission is disgruntled that relatively few Los Angelinos are voting of late. Only a little over 23 percent of eligible voters voted in last year’s mayoral election, for example. To quote an old song by the band “Rush”: “If you choose not to decide… you still have made a choice”. Not voting is, in itself, either a non-expression of opinion, or an  expression of no opinion.  That very non-expression of an opinion is itself an expression, and the expression of no opinion is in fact based on an opinion. Either the individual “non-voter” has an opinion, but in his/her way of thinking the candidates/issues aren’t worth the time and effort expended to voice that opinion or he/she doesn’t feel they really have a preference or know the issues well enough to weigh in on the matter at hand.

                Or they just don’t give a rat’s ass.

                In any case, these are not folks that we as a country should desperately try to bribe or entice- or coerce-  to vote. “Low information”, lazy, or what-have-you (potential) voters will be lured to the polls if the possible financial rewards are great enough. One measure under consideration to enhance voter turnout is to create a special lottery that would give everyone who shows up at the polls a shot at winning, say, $100,000. (Didn’t know L.A. was rolling in cash).

                News flash: the government already pays folks to vote! Welfare, food stamps, etc., etc., etc. work to the distinct benefit of…those in government come election day.

                So do your civic duty as an American citizen this upcoming election.

                And maybe win big cash prizes! “Show me those dead presidents!”

                Who are rolling in their graves.

               

               

           

The First Amendment and the New NFL

                Colin Kaepernick has just been fined $11,000 by the NFL for using an offensive word during the game. It wasn’t a 4-letter word or a curse word, just one deemed “inappropriate” by an on-field official. Many, if not most plays, end with one or more players of both teams pushing and shoving and “trash-talking” in the heat of the battle. I’m an old school guy and not a big fan of trash-talking, but it is literally a big part of the game today, as players try to gain the psychological advantage on their counterpart, express frustration, or, apparently, just have fun.

                A favorite cliché  when I was in school, back in the day, was “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words (or names) will never hurt me!”. This was because almost all kids, boys and girls, were constantly teasing one another. It was a way of connecting, of being heard, of playing, and, in some cases (usually boy-girl) of showing the object of your banter that you actually kinda liked them.

                I know I used the word/term that Colin Kaepernick did on more than one occasion. That doesn’t make it right, of course, but it doesn’t make it criminal. Had it directed at me several times as well. Just shook it off as back and forth teasing. Guess we grade-schoolers of that day- boys and girls-  were  mentally tougher than these modern-day muscled NFL behemoths. Or at least tougher than the NFL, and its rules committee and referees think they are, or now ought to be.

                Mike Priefer, Minnesota Vikings special-teams coordinator was forced to complete “sensitivity training” and was suspended two games for making what the Vikings determined was an inappropriate comment during a 2012 team meeting.

                This is truly scary, folks. Who determines what is an inappropriate remark? This isn’t just subjective, it’s totalitarian.

                Back to Colin Kaepernick. Almost all instances that have led to fines in the NFL have been penalized on the field at the time, as well.

                We know that almost nothing is allowed on an NFL field anymore. Can’t head-slap, cross-block, chop-block, crack-back, etc. Can’t target the head, or the knees, or block from the back, hit helmet-to-helmet, grab the face-mask, or the jersey collar, put hands to the face or taunt your opponent. The defensive back can’t come within five yards of the receiver without yelling loudly “here I come, are you ready?!” and presenting  him with a lovely floral arrangement and a gift certificate to Applebees.

                That said, what will be the penalties for on-field “inappropriate or insensitive, non-inclusive language” going forward? Who will enforce these penalties? Said penalties will have to be enforced in a consistent manner, or chaos will reign. Might personal bias not enter in?

                As for me, I’m glad  First Amendment protections are out the window. I find it hard to figure out what to say when I have so many options.

                Anyway, to help the NFL, here are my suggested “illegal use of the language” penalties… if one player says these words/phrases to another player on the opposing team in an accusatory manner:

                “bubble butt”- 5 yard penalty

                “Poopie-pants”- 10 yard penalty, loss of down

                “your mother wears combat boots”- 10 yard penalty

                “you really are a Richard”- 15 yard penalty                                                                                                                                                                                                               “tea-bagger(s)”- no penalty, flag picked up…perfectly acceptable

                “F-g, f-g—t”- 30 yard penalty, automatic first down, ritual execution of the perpetrator, his family and his team’s coaching staff, possible beheading.

               

               

               

     

               

               

Double Standards?

                As you may have read/heard in various news reports, Pakistani men tortured and sexually 'exploited' over 1,400 children in Rotherham, England, from 1997 to 2013. All of the various local 'authorities' refused to even investigate, for reasons of 'cultural sensitivity'. One teenage victim identified- by name- 250 men who had raped her. Police refused to pursue the case in favor of protecting their 'multicultural' ideals. We seem intent on seeing our own societies destroyed- and perhaps civilization in general- to avoid offending anybody.                                                                                                                                               

Gang-rape, beating and mock executions of children didn't offend these authorities?

Yet Adrian Peterson is denounced- as he should be- 24/7/365 on every media outlet in this country, ad nauseam, by the most pious, judgmental and holier-than-thou talking heads. Yes, he’s black, but he is a male, in the ‘violent, macho’ NFL- and from the South. Thus it’s ‘ok to tell the truth’ about him. In this particular case it doesn’t matter where you grew up or what you faced as a child, or what ‘your culture’ believes is correct, there’s no excuse, you should know better! (I agree, but trust you get the point about double standards).

Now, however, if he was a Pakistani raping and torturing kids… no problem!

For the most part, Muslims make their women wear head-to-toe clothing- and veils to cover their face. Don’t believe they should be educated as males are. Stone homosexuals to death. Etc., etc. Can’t denounce that! Just their culture, don’t ya’ know! For Pete’s sake, if you’re against this, what a bigot you are for your judgmental, non-inclusive  beliefs! Who are we to say what’s best? Walk a mile in their shoes! Diversity trumps all! Bring Shariah law here with them!

  But, let’s stone Adrian Peterson!

"Partial- Birth Coexistence"

                 A Follow-Up to the Previous Post and "Sticker Shock" (from last week)


                Love those 'Coexist' bumper stickers. Rocket scientry! A bit vague, though. If one is  aware one exists and can see other beings...? We know what's meant, however.

               Coexist with...skinheads? Fascists? Mitt Romney? Fox News? Sarah Palin? Proud and overt heterosexuals? Global warming? Invasive species? Crazy, just leading you guys on, lol.

              No, you mean coexist with abortion. Not with the baby I guess.( He/she might really agree with those sticker sentiments, but doesn’t get the choice!).

              Coexist with all the liberal media outlets and ideas, of course. Political-correctness? Certainly.  With illegal immigration? Absolutely. Executive power grabs and the trampling of the Constitution? You betcha'. Perhaps terrorists,  NAMBLA,  the decline and fall of Western Civilization?

               (Sorry to beat the proverbial 'horse no longer in existence,' but  don't like to coexist with rank hypocrisy. Especially when it turns into overt intimidation of the already tolerant, decent majority).

Liberally Intolerant

               Tolerance is the highest virtue screams the left! Diversity is number two! Yes, let's tolerate the silver head carp and all its invasive species brothers and sisters! Let us tolerate global warming! Climate change? That's the very definition of diversity! Didn't we hope and vote for change?! Let's welcome it in a non-judgmental fashion!  Yet, there sure are a lot of people who don't seem to be very tolerant of, say, the Tea Party (“Tea-baggers”? Hey, labels disable, libs). Strange, as they are trying to help us reconnect with our founding principles as the most tolerant society in history, with a constitution that explicitly protects all individual’s freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, etc., etc. and promotes equality.

                Intolerance? Go to North Korea for example. Start talking trash about the “Dear Leader”. Say he’s fat and goofy looking, and a brutal thug to boot. Nice knowing ya’!

                Try the Middle East. Shariah law is awesome! Especially if you’re a woman. Gay? Maybe a journalist?  Heard good things about Venezuela, too. And Cuba.  Soviet Union 2.0 Russia? Perhaps it’s just bad timing. I’m sure it will be lovely soon. Albania, Armenia…do they still exist? China? (That’s only a fourth of all the people on Earth, right there).

                The Sudan? Libya? Somalia?

                Other celebrated citadels of close-mindedness? MSNBC, the NEA (both of them), NPR, 98% of colleges and universities, Hollywood, Nancy Pelosi? Not much real “diversity” amongst any of the aforementioned.

                Logically, one would think a  black conservative would be a celebrated and treasured member of a modern-day diverse community. Nope. “Uncle Tom”. “Not true to his/her blackness, heritage or community”. It is nothing short of stupefying…and appalling. Instead of being seen as exhibiting that blacks-as others- are independent of thought, are of their own mind beholden to no one, and are present and valued members of political groups across all spectrums…they are mocked and told that blacks only think and behave in certain ways! This is where we’ve progressed to? The very definition of racism? You are “black” and because you are we (liberals, Democrats)  know you can only think this way or act this way. If you think any other way, we won’t tolerate like it. (And there is a perfectly valid reason why. If you act and think in the ways we expect and want, it gives us great power. Over you…and everybody else. But you don’t really need to know that. Have a nice day!).

                Where are the people and pundits saying that Harry Reid or Chris Christie can’t hold the views they do because they aren’t true to their “whiteness”?

                Racism? Tolerance? Diversity? Think about it.

                Those “progressives” on the left can tell an entire race what to think, and can get away with comparing Bush to Hitler and using vile slurs against those they disagree with politically. All while claiming the moral high ground. Yet if someone of a different political persuasion so much as questions Michael Mann’s ridiculous  global- warming “hockey- stick” graph they get shuttled away to a bleeping gulag.

               

               

               

           

The Bland Old Party

                Have you noticed that Republicans have mostly shut-up about Obamacare? And, incredibly, yet again they have completely bought into the perfect strategy for losing the upcoming elections. Instead of touting their own ideas and agenda, they are hoping to say nothing substantive and not make any glaring mistakes, believing that Obama's unpopularity alone will hand them victories. This isn't much of a 'strategy', and to the extent that it is, it has backfired nearly every time, including in several recent elections you may remember. This is exactly the opposite of Reagan's philosophy of confidently telling the people clearly what you believe and what your agenda will be, and explaining to them, honestly, why it is in their- and their country's- best interest.

             The Republicans want to play ‘prevent defense’ at the precise moment history calls for- and would richly reward- aggressive and creative offense.

Once again snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Amazing.

 

 

Hold the Bacon!

 In Winooski, Vermont, the owners of 'Sneakers Bistro' took down a sign advertising their bacon after a Muslim woman complained that it was insensitive to people who don't eat pork. I don't eat brussels sprouts, but advertisements for them don't ‘offend’ me. And I don't try to get grocers- or Green Giant- to pull their signs/billboards/advertisements, either. If Kevin Bacon lived in that town, would they force him to change his name?

There's something else happening here (and what it is is very clear... to paraphrase an old song). This isn't about pork. It's about exploiting the tolerant. It's about power and who owns the future, in this country... and around the world.

 

Hillary Shocker: She Says "I Had Monica First!"

Washington, D.C.

January 26, 2016-

                In a stunning revelation that had this town buzzing today, Hillary Rodham Clinton proclaimed that she- not husband/former president William Jefferson Clinton- was the first member of her household to have “relations” with Monica Lewinsky. At an informal news conference early this morning she had the following comments:

                “Monica first snapped her thong at me months before her now well-known oval-office tryst with Bill! I must admit, I jumped at the chance, even though I’m normally not into cellulite mamas. I mean, seeing as how Bill and I weren’t exactly lighting up the sheets, at the time, if you know what I mean.  Indeed, on one occasion, she was servicing me while I was on the phone with Bill talking about the Vince Foster cover-up…I mean suicide! However, I never had penetration of that woman, not a single time…never!  So I don’t think you can say it was sex.”

                Some pundits are speculating that Hillary is just trying to give her  presidential-election campaign an added boost. They say she is fixated on how beloved Bill is now- one of the most popular former presidents in history- and on how his poll numbers actually rose during his presidency after his  affair with Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment proceedings. Former President Clinton’s average first term approval rating was 50%. Yet, after the Lewinsky affair was made public in early 1998 and his subsequent impeachment later that year his approval ratings soared to 73%.  One MSNBC political analyst said her “hunch” is that Hillary isn’t telling the truth about her purported “relations” with Lewinsky, which she claims probably never happened, but has fabricated and made public the story purely for political gain. She added “you go girl”!

Dinosaur Brains

                  It was the biggest predator ever to trod the Earth, with a ‘crocodile’ snout six feet long, full of large teeth. And it had webbed feet, like a giant duck.

                ‘It’ is Spinosaurus, the only known dinosaur to, apparently, live much of its life in the water. A fifty foot long predator that looks like it was put together by committee. It was unveiled by scientists this past  Thursday in Washington, D.C. (This actually reminds me of a classic ‘Monty Python’ sketch in which the archeologists were putting the final touches on an upright dinosaur skeleton in a museum. The announcer intones “scientists now know the animal looked very much like this!” as they placed a large human thumb on its ‘face’ to complete the skeleton). Scientists say the beast was known to them before, but that the bones from a long-ago fossil discovery were destroyed in Germany during World War II.

                They say the new skeleton found in Morocco reveals the beast was far more aquatic than originally thought. Spinosaurus had a long neck, strong clawed forearms, powerful jaws and the dense bones of…a penguin, according to a new study released by the journal Science. It sported a 7 foot tall spiny ‘sail’ on its back and lived 95 million years ago. It propelled itself through the water with flat feet that were probably webbed according to the study. Study lead author Nizar Ibrahim said “it’s like working on an extraterrestrial or an alien. It’s so different than anything else around.” He was standing in front of a room-sized reconstruction of the skeleton at the National Geographic Society, which partially funded the research. ( I have been assured there were no human thumbs anywhere in sight).

                Ibrahim went on to say that the creature was “so bizarre it’s going to force dinosaur experts to rethink many things they thought they knew about dinosaurs.” Until now, scientists had thought that all dinosaurs stuck to the land with only the occasional, brief trip to water. But the new skeleton exhibits clear evidence of aquatic living, including nostrils positioned high on the skull, allowing the beast to be mostly submerged for extended periods of time. Study co-author Paul Sereno called it “an evolutionary experiment going into the water.”Spinosaurus grew 9 feet longer than Tyrannosaurus Rex and feasted on aquatic creatures the size of cars in an area that was history’s “most dangerous place” Ibrahim said.  Three giant predators roamed the land, and 25-foot long sharks, giant sawfish and various types of ‘nasty’ crocodiles lurked in the water. Even the sky had giant predators.

                And I had thought history’s most dangerous place was  any particular golf course on which  Gerald Ford was playing. And we are currently being told- and told, and told, and told- that all of planet Earth is now history’s most dangerous place due to global cooling, warming climate change.

                An article by Seth Borenstein in the Associated Press (Friday, September 12) quoted University of Maryland dinosaur expert Thomas Holtz, Jr. as stating “The new find is amazing and convincing, showing how wrong scientists have been about this dinosaur and about how diverse dinosaurs can be.”

                In other words we may have gotten most everything wrong in the past, been deluded for decades, but we’re certain that now all our beliefs and assumptions are unquestionably spot-on!

                Truth be told, I respect that these scientists are apparently  open-minded and willing to change their established beliefs  and  to question the conventional wisdom whenever new evidence comes to light.

                Most climate change scientists? Not so much.

                Who are the real dinosaur brains?

 

(All emphases/italics mine)

U.S. Harvest to Set Records

                 “The nation’s corn and soybean farmers will bring in by far the largest harvest ever this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday, September 11^th, in a new report. The yield of 172 bushels of corn per acre is significantly higher than the previous record set in 2009 of 165 bushels per acre. Ten states including Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, the top three producers, have the highest number of ears per cornstalk ever.

                “A massive harvest has been expected this year as adequate rain and cool temperatures made for favorable growing conditions.

                “Despite the strong forecast, concerns have grown in recent days that early cold weather is creeping into the upper Midwest too soon as some crops are maturing later this year because a wet spring delayed planting in Northern states.”

                It’s a big concern because “a hard freeze, temperatures at 28 degrees or below for at least four hours, causes significant damage to crops.”

                To recap, record breaking harvests of crops are occurring in the U.S. this year in part because of cooler than normal temperatures. Despite wetter than normal spring weather (most climate-change models have warmer and wetter going together, and cooler and drier), these record crops should be brought in o.k. unless the unusually cold weather persists in these areas.

                Yes, with our help, and, apparently, climate change, the Earth is becoming ever more bountiful and there will be more food- and/ or fuel- for everyone…if it doesn’t freeze to death first.

                Yes, I know, global cooling is exactly what global warming predicts. 'Climate change'.

                That theory is kinda corny, though. And some scientists are full of beans.

                The good news is we all may be soon.

 

 

               ( "Quoted" excerpts from an Associated Press article by David Pitt. All emphases and italics mine).

 

 

              

 

 

 

 

               

               

Sticker Shock

                 “You Can’t Hug Your Kids With Nuclear Arms” was a popular progressive bumper sticker back in its day.  Really? You don’t say? The only proper response to that would be “You Can’t Change Your Kid’s Diaper With A Fire Hydrant Either, But That Doesn’t Mean They Aren’t Necessary, Einstein!” 

                This bumper sticker phrase implies that either most who read it don’t actually realize that they can’t hug their kids with nuclear weapons or that they don’t care about  kids as much as the owner of the car bearing the sticker does. Else there would be no need for their ‘wisdom’ to be shared in this broad manner. And this to try to make themselves look and feel superior?

                To me, this is true ‘hate speech’. It insults and denigrates the reader on so many basic levels, while making the purveyor of the message feel holier-than-thou yet actually appear clinically insane.

                Sadly, I just saw one of these stickers on a car the other day. And to think that this prime bumper space could otherwise have been used for truly important and rational messages like “Co-exist”!

                Oh well.

                “Save The Whales”!

 

Bush-Hitler...Obama-Stalin?

                 The use- and abuse- of power as regards speech in this country has progressed far beyond distressing.  First Amendment rights (among others) are nearly completely ignored. The Constitution- and the rule of law- have been tossed out in favor of raw emotion and the will of the politically-correct elite in power, and their sycophants in the media and academia.

                Donald Sterling and other owners of sports franchises are being forced to relinquish their teams,  have their financial health jeopardized and their reputations permanently destroyed because of politically incorrect things they have said. ‘Sticks and stones’?

                It’s hard to keep up with all the threats to free speech of late. This commentator was pulled off the air for this remark, that one suspended for possibly offending this group, and this one boycotted for insensitive statements regarding another group. One can’t use this term, can’t even utter this word, can’t phrase something in this manner. And you sure as hell can’t say Washington ‘Redskins’.

                Fox News should be banned. And talk radio. And we need to shut the f---ing ‘Tea-baggers’ up, that’s for sure. We’ll call it the ‘Fairness Doctrine’. That should do it.

                Funny, the administration doesn’t even know if they- or we- are in a war against ISIS. John Kerry: ‘”we aren’t in a war against….”

Obama: “the Islamic State is neither Islamic or a state.” Yet today the presidential spokesperson claimed “it is a war in the same sense that we are at war with Al Qaeda and the Taliban.”

Yet, they do know, unequivocally, that the Republicans are conducting a ‘war on women’.

And now this. A teacher at McKinley Middle School in Washington, D.C. has given her kids a homework assignment asking them to compare and contrast Adolf Hitler and…George W. Bush. In the form of a Venn diagram, to help form a deep connection between the two. The assignment stated, “now that we have read about two men of power who abused their power in various ways, we will compare and contrast them and their actions. Please refer to your texts.”

Well, let’s see. Hitler murdered over 6 million Jews. Baked ‘em in ovens. ‘W’ wouldn’t even criticize his predecessor after his crew trashed the White House for his arrival. Led us through the shocking, dark days after 9/11. Never demanded that a single Jew- or anybody else for that matter- be baked in an oven.

There are so many getting called out and disciplined- and rightly so for the most part- for these insensitive statements. Yet, they are losing their jobs, their livelihoods, their reputation, etc. They are being fired, suspended, fined, punished, excluded and made to undergo ‘sensitivity training’.

But this teacher who handed out the hate speech and the insane homework assignment? Legal charges?  Hate speech? Nope. Fired? Nope. Suspended? Nope. Fined? Nope. She was instructed to apologize to her students and their parents. All better!

Can you imagine if a teacher had assigned homework that instructed her kids to compare and contrast Barack Hussein Obama and Joseph Stalin?! Hmmm? And they are much closer, ideologically speaking, than Bush and Hitler! Obama and Pol-Pot? Idi Amin Dada?

 

 

               

               

               

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9/11 Past, Present & Future

                The 13^th ‘Anniversary’ of 9/11. And what have we achieved? What have we ‘learned’? Where are we now?

                We had Iraq and Afghanistan roughly under control for awhile, but not now. Al Qaeda still exists. As do many, many other terror groups. ISIS/ISIL has sprung up into a self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’ in the Middle East, ‘promising’ to hit the U.S. in a big way soon. Hamas and other terrorist entities continue to fire rockets into Israel on a random basis and then cry ‘foul’ if and when Israel responds. It isn’t enough for these ‘radical fundamentalist’ Islamic terrorists to blow up their own  via suitcase or car bombs (or bombs attached to the bodies of men, women or children), they also purposely make sure as many ‘non-combatants’ or ‘civilians’ as possible get killed in retaliatory strikes so they can use the media to paint their targets as brutal monsters. That is when they’re not beheading members of the media.

                Jihadists from this country are going over to help the ‘evil-doers’ at an increasing rate.

                This is a struggle that has been going on for a thousand years and longer. This is an existential battle between the principles of good and evil, life and death, freedom and slavery…literally. This, then- not the ‘fights’ against global warming and invasive species or for ‘marriage equality- ’is the defining issue for humanity in our time, too.

                Thirteen years ago today, terrorists knocked two gleaming, massive towers out of the clear blue sky, killing thousands and shocking us all. It is fitting that today we again remember those who perished and pray for their families.

                But let not solemnity lead to passivity or hopelessness. Or fatigue. The terrorists tore a hole in our skyline and in our hearts. It is not in their power to tear out our character or resolve.

                We haven’t won the war against cancer or many other diseases yet either, but no one suggests we give up the fight. This, too, is a battle that has to be fought.

                It is a battle we cannot lose.