More Gustav Silliness. Dems Think God Will Kill For Them

And they seem to be reveling in the thought.

Cobalt6 Is Sick. I Mean Really Sick

Along with contributor Kestrel9000 and commenter Cliff Garstang.

No comment necessary. I hesitate to link, but here it is. [LINK]

I'm Baaack.....

After a long period of sporadic (at best) writing, I've renewed my commitment to these pages. This morning I awake to find I'm back inside the BNN top 20 influential Virginia blogs.

Now I'll pour myself a cup of Chock Full O' Nuts, that heavenly coffee, and bask. Yep, just bask.

A New, Temporary, Part-Time, Virginia Blogger

This guy, who has been seen almost daily for the past couple years stalking Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, will become a blogger next week.

Randy Marcus, the Lt. Governor's Chief of Staff, will be blogging live from the Republican National Convention for CBS6, WTVR.com in Richmond.

Welcome to the blog world Randy, perhaps you can even manage to continue after your return from St. Paul. I know most of Virginia's bloggers would welcome it.

Oh, and tell Tucker Martin to contact me. If he would like, he's welcome to blog here while he's in St. Paul. No sense in you having all the fun, now is there?

Sarah Palin, I Know How It Feels

A few years ago, here in Virginia we had a marriage amendment proposal on the ballot. For reasons having nothing to do with the issue of anyone's gayness, I opposed it. (Whether I was right or wrong was immaterial, it passed. And my life goes on, exactly as before.) I suddenly found myself to be the conservative poster child for every whacko leftist group in Virginia.

It seems that Governor Palin has also opposed a similar idea in Alaska. There, the proposal was to block the state from giving public employee benefits such as health insurance to same-sex couples. Her veto came at the advice of her Attorney General, who said the bill as written was contrary to Alaska's constitution.

Now that all that has been said, let's look at a website that has recently popped up. The name and URL of the site is http://www.sarahpalingayrights.com/, a name and URL that seems designed to inflame the Republican base. Never mind that I believe the Republican base to be beyond such simple minded platitudes, and not at all "anti-gay". Hey, I'm part of that base. I know too many people in that base. The Republican base does not hate gays.

The Republican base does not approve of that lifestyle. The Republican base does not want that lifestyle taught to their children as "normal", typical, or even "desirable". But they do not hate those who live that lifestyle, whether by choice or otherwise.

Back to the website. It's a nicely designed, clean interface, with the McCain star logo at the top. Must be the work of one of those extreme right-wing, anti-gay, agenda-driven hate groups, right?

Nope. let's look deeper and we begin to see the Joey Stanley style of repugnant campaign tactics.

The website in question, sarahpalingayrights.com, is hosted on a server at the IP address of 74.208.74.232 which itself resolves to; host 74.208.74.232
232.74.208.74.in-addr.arpa domain name pointer obamadefense.com

obamadefense.com? Yep, that's the domain name under which the sub-domain sarahpalingayrights.com is hosted.

Enter obamadefense.com into your browser and where does it take you? Click here to find out, obamadefense.com

So Joey Stanley is not atypical of Democrat(ick) dirty tricksters, is he?

H/T LGF

UPDATE:

Less than an hour ago, obamadefense.com redirected to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome It now (10:02pm) redirects to this forum. Joey Stanley, please call home.

Whooo Hooo. As Funny As A Hurricane In New Orleans!

Democrats sure seem to have a displaced sense of humor. Or at least former Democratic National Chairmen do.

Don Fowler thinks a hurricane bearing down on New Orleans is a hoot.


H/T RedState

Quote Of The Day

From the comments at Spark It Up!

James Atticus Bowden;

This couldn't be any better. Hooah.

It's McCain-Palin-Gilmore and Barack Hussein Obama - Biden - Mark "I won't raise taxes then" and "now am afraid to debate Gilmore" Warner.

Win-Win-Win for Republican Conservatives.

My Final Lessons From Denver

After a week of hearing how a former "community organizer" with zero foreign policy experience should be considered ready to occupy the Commander in Chief's chair, I was almost ready to believe it.

Until.

Until today, when Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency." A heartbeat away is much better than no heartbeats away, huh? Remember what I said about experience the teacher?

I have learned in the past week that if I vote against Obama, I'm a racist. No question about it.

I learned all Summer from Hillary's campaign that if you can't vote for a woman, you're a sexist.

So, now I have to choose.

Do I prefer to be called a racist or a sexist? Tough choice, but I've been called a racist bigot before, and I know it's not true. Besides, if I have to choose which side to make angry with me, it sure as heck ain't gonna be the women.

A Few Things About mcCain's Choice Of Sarah Palin For VP

Governor Sarah Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has seen approval ratings of over 80 percent.

She has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources.

She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent.

She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. And she put a stop to the bridge to nowhere that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars.

In Alaska, she challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill.

As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops.

Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington.

In choosing Governor Sarah Palin, John McCain put Washington on notice that he is serious about shaking up the status quo.

What we're seeing is a maverick who has shaken up Washington picking as his teammate a maverick governor who has shaken up her own state.

What it's going to take to change Washington is a team of Mavericks who have a record of accomplishment in shaking up the status quo.

H/T Mike Reynold (via email)

Badrose has this.. [LINK]
SWAC Girl this.. [LINK]
STD has this.. [LINK]
Leslie Carbone has noticed.. [LINK]

Can It Really Be Palin?

Oh, man, I hope so. Early news reports say it's Sarah Palin.

A great conservative, corruption busting, NRA member Governor. The first truly qualified female VP candidate ever. (Sorry Geraldine, but you never did quite cut it.)

More to come...

Things That Make Me Say, Hmmm....

Could this be because Pam went with Ward to Denver? (Actually, due to some silly, politically correct "quota system", Ward went with Pam.)

A Real Candidate For Change

Heh...

More Learning From The DNCC In Denver

I learned from Mark Warner that America during the Reagan administration was a time of great hope for those wishing to make a mark in the business world.

Mark Warner also taught me that the failed policies of Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter are not the model of America's future, even though the purpose of his speech was to promote Obama's visions of just such policies.

I learned that the Democratic National Convention, which so often turns out a future superstar for their party, will not do so this year. At least it will not be the former Governor of Virginia.

Hillary followed her game plan for 2012 perfectly. She is the consummate politician, having learned from last century's master. Did she really mean all that? I doubt it, but it was called for and she knew it.

If James Carville considered the opening evening to be a wasted opportunity, he must surely think even less of the second evening.

My education continues...

Warning To Virginia Bloggers

Do not, under any circumstances, link to the website of the Spotsylvania County Public Schools.

According to the official policy of the Spotsylvania County Public Schools, links to their websites are prohibited. The official policy, found in this pdf file, http://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/info/codeconduct/Code%20of%20Conduct%2007-08.pdf, clearly states;

Linking any Web page to the division website without the permission of the Office of Public Information is strictly prohibited. Linking any Web page to school websites without the permission of the school principal is strictly prohibited.(page 33) [LINK]

I'm sure that same policy would apply to the following sub-sites as well;

• The Parent Resource Center
• The Adult Education Program
• The Event Calendar

While the code of conduct, http://www.spotsylvania.k12.va.us/info/codeconduct/Code%20of%20Conduct%2007-08.pdf, does not specify what recourse, if any, the Spotsylvania County Public Schools will take against an offender, I'm sure you, as a responsible Virginia Blogger, will take this directive seriously.

H/T James Taranto

Yes Virginia, We Have A Plagiarist, cvillelaw

A few days ago, with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek, I tweaked badrose a bit about a subject we each hold dear. Plagiarism is never to be tolerated. Ever.

Today, while looking through BNN, I read some words that seemed very familiar. Sure enough, those words were familiar. I'll simply present a table below, with content from Website "DC" on the left (appropriately), and Website "W" on the right.

Website "DC"	Website "W"
PRWORA instituted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which became effective July 1, 1997. Replacing Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which had been in effect since 1935, and supplanting the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program of 1988, TANF was heralded as a "reassertion of America's work ethic" by the US Chamber of Commerce, largely in response to the bill's workfare component. Some criticize the bill as a reinstitution of workhouses and believe the new system is ineffective in getting people out of poverty. Although PRWORA has expired, Congress has continued to fund the program until a new bill is enacted.	PRWORA instituted Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) which became effective July 1, 1997. Replacing Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), which had been in effect since 1935, and supplanting the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) program of 1988, TANF was heralded as a "reassertion of America's work ethic" by the US Chamber of Commerce, largely in response to the bill's workfare component. Some criticize the bill as a reinstitution of workhouses and believe the new system is ineffective in getting people out of poverty. Although PRWORA has expired, Congress has continued to fund the program until a new bill is enacted.
Social welfare to poor mothers had historically been funded by AFDC following its inclusion in the Social Security Act of 1935. As restrictions on the availability of cash support to poor families (especially single-parent, female-headed households) were reduced, AFDC caseloads increased dramatically from the 1930s to the late-1960s. Between 1936 and 1969, the number of families receiving welfare increased from 162,000 to 1,875,000.	Social welfare to poor mothers had historically been funded by AFDC following its inclusion in the Social Security Act of 1935. As restrictions on the availability of cash support to poor families (especially single-parent, female-headed households) were reduced, AFDC caseloads increased dramatically from the 1930s to the late-1960s. Between 1936 and 1969, the number of families receiving welfare increased from 162,000 to 1,875,000.[2]
With many more people applying for welfare, and a larger percentage of those applying being accepted, AFDC caseloads swelled between the 1950s and 1960s. Primarily in response to concerns about the expansion of the welfare apparatus from (primarily) Republican politicians, federal funding for AFDC began to lag behind inflation. Between 1970 and 1994, a typical state's AFDC benefits for a family of three fell 47% in inflation-adjusted dollars	With many more people applying for welfare, and a larger percentage of those applying being accepted, AFDC caseloads swelled between the 1950s and 1960s.[3]New Right politicians, federal funding for AFDC began to lag behind inflation. Between 1970 and 1994, a typical state's AFDC benefits for a family of three fell 47% after adjusting for inflation.

There is much, much more. I figure three random paragraphs should make the case.

Come clean cvllelaw. With a username such as you've chosen, one would think you would post a credit for using someone else's work.

Website "W" even provides links to indicate the source(s) of its statements. Cvillelaw goes so far as to omit those. If Cvillelaw is a law student, this is inexcusable. If Cvillelaw is a practicing attorney, it's even worse.

Water Heaters, Economics, And Headaches

On the phone yesterday. I had been looking at the website of one of those "big box" home improvement stores, the orange one if you must know, for a solution to a hot water problem. The guy at the Danville store told me he had a 2.5 gallon "point of use" water heater for 199 bucks, and a 6 gallon unit from the same maker for 193 bucks.

I was curious, so I asked, "Why is the smaller unit priced higher than the larger one?" "Oh", he answered, "since there is a much smaller demand for the 2.5 gallon unit, and we sell so few of them, we have to charge more".

I'll wait a moment while that sinks in.

I tried to explain that his logic flew in the face of all known economics, supply and demand and all that, yet he still insisted he was right. OK. I'll accept it. It's still wrong. But as long as he wants to believe that, who am I to try to convince him otherwise.

I've always been one to continue to pound my head against the wall in order to stop the headaches, so I ventured down another path with him. "Why", I asked, "does this same unit cost 30 dollars less on the website?"

"That's the price before shipping charges", he replied.

"OK, but you do stock this item in your store, correct?"

"Yes sir, we do".

"Then can you explain the 30 dollar difference between the store price and my price if I ordered it from the website?"

"I did, sir, that's the price before shipping charges". (Gotta give him credit, he was very polite. Stupid. But very polite about it.)

OK. This tiny little water heater, delivered to the big box store as part of a full truckload of other stuff, warrants a 30 dollar shipping charge added to the customer who drives to the store to pick it up. The same 30 dollars I would pay if I had a big ol' truck bring one single unit to my front door.

Damn. My head hurts.

There's a meaning here. I don't know what it is, but there's certainly a lesson here somewhere.

What I Learned Watching The DNCC Opening Night

I've learned a lot!

Did you know that Amtrak will export machinist jobs out of the country if Obama is not elected? I didn't, until some "real person" from Indiana told us tonight.

I've learned that one of the most distinguished, honorable, truthful, and yes, even the most ardent supporter of family values in the Senate is Ted Kennedy.

I've learned that if you're a politician, and you lie about an extramarital affair, the DNC will distance itself from you. You obviously do not hold strong to their values.

Unless your name is Clinton.

Or Kennedy.

Or maybe it's just if your name is Edwards.

Or perhaps if your indiscretion came to light just a few weeks before the convention.

I've learned that even a state house minority leader can get bumped as a delegate, if the proper "boy, girl, boy, girl" ratio is somehow not met. What would have happened if Ward was married to a black guy? Would he have not even been allowed as a guest?

That Barry will close the book on old time politics as usual. Does Joe know about this?

I learned that John Kennedy did not say, "The moon is too far away, why even try?" I learned that his baby brother does say, "Drilling for oil will take too long, why even try?"

In less than an hour I've learned all these things. I should be a freakin' genius by the time they leave Denver.

It's Called Analysis, Not News.

Heh.

Analysis. It means; "The separation of an intellectual or material whole into its constituent parts for individual study". To analyze is to take facts as presented and come to some logical conclusion, based upon a study of those facts. [LINK]

News Reporting, on the other hand, is simply the regurgitation of those facts. No conclusions to be drawn by the reporter, just a report based upon a timeline of events.

The MoveOn crowd surely knows the difference. Surely.

In their recent rant against an AP employee though, they either do not know, or they know their rather dense followers do not know. [LINK]

Joe Biden On DC Schools

"There's less than 1 percent of the population in Iowa that is African American," Mr. Biden said. "There is probably less than 4 or 5 percent that are minorities. What is in Washington? So look, it goes back to what you start off with, what you're dealing with."

I'm just sayin'...

Are You Really A Plagiarist If You Plagiarise a Plagiarist?

I'll need to ask badrose, (my favorite broad, by the way), about that....
[LINK]