Here is a bit of free advice for certain, unfunny and bigoted PhD(uh)s …

Don’t go to Canada, specifically British Colombia.

7 (1) A person must not publish, issue or display, or cause to be published, issued or displayed, any statement, publication, notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation that

(a) indicates discrimination or an intention to discriminate against a person or a group or class of persons, or

(b) is likely to expose a person or a group or class of persons to hatred or contempt

because of the race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation or age of that person or that group or class of persons.

Though it might be interesting to see which pro-censorship force would prevail, it might rend asunder the very fabric of the universe for these titans of stupidity to do battle.

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. makes the case for Flex Fuel mandates that I completely support. He likens the high price of gas (which isn’t high enough yet) to a tax on the American peeps without representation. While that’s an interesting way to see it, I tend to disagree. A “tax”, at least in modern day America, implies that the money would be put to use for “the public good” (depends on how you define it), while the profits on oil go to fund terrorists and their brand of radical Islam.

In any case, the point is that we need to be independent of oil for National Security. By that I mean that the threat of no more oil (or at least severely decreased amounts) is a real stick to keep the Saudis in line. It also would tend to dampen the speculation of the oil market that OPEC engages in. WTF am I talkin’ bout?

Unlike perishable agricultural products, oil can be stored in the ground. So when will an owner of oil reduce production or increase inventories instead of selling his oil and converting the proceeds into investible cash? A simplified answer is that he will keep the oil in the ground if its price is expected to rise faster than the interest rate that could be earned on the money obtained from selling the oil. The actual price of oil may rise faster or slower than is expected, but the decision to sell (or hold) the oil depends on the expected price rise.

That’s from the interesting piece in the WSJ by Martin Feldstein. Of course like Ed Morrissey of Hot Air, Mr. Feldstein can’t resist taking an uninformed (IMHO) potshot at ethanol and the price of corn.

Two words: distiller’s grains

The corn that goes into ethanol production comes out as distiller’s grains which can be fed to livestock in place of, get this, the CORN that goes into the ethanol plant.

As I have written many times before, I am no fan of corn as a feedstock for ethanol based on efficiency, but there is no reason to demonize ethanol because it is currently made from an inefficient feedstock. With new technologies (i.e. algae, coal gasification) in development, it seems like a smart move to be prepared for ethanol and biodiesel in the entire transportation sector.

OK, I admit that this story resonates with me mainly because of the incident a while back when a lone, insane PhD got my other blog shut down with a single phone call, but it still burns my britches when people get silenced. In this case they we not paying for the service, so my argument isn’t as strong, but when you are paying for a service and a single nutjob can throw the entire site into the dumpster there is something wrong.

The hosting companies have to protect themselves, but a single phone call? What are we Canada?

Green Bay Packers running back Noah Herron is having a tough time after foiling an attempted robbery at his home near TitleTown.

This week’s revelation that Packers running back Noah Herron had to use a bed post to fight off an intruder in his home over the weekend was another sign that professional athletes aren’t immune to crime, even in the NFL’s small-town haven.

First off, good on ya Noah! Unscrewing a bed post and whacking the bastard upside the head was fantastic and a thing of beauty.

This incident, of course, will result in a 10 day waiting period for buying beds and a deep background check for bed shoppers. Anything that can be used to protect oneself from crime has to have limits or citizens will run wild in the streets whacking one another with IWDs (Improvised Whacking Devices).

Prayers and positive thoughts for the entire Kennedy clan.

It looks like everyone’s crazy uncle is working the censorship angle again.

The subject of the censorship doesn’t matter! Yes, I hate the ideology of the radical islamists as much and anyone in the USA, but that’s the point. If we allow even offensive speech to be censored, soon it will be inoffensive speech. Senator Lieberman can, and should, rant rave scream and rail against the machine. I applaud him speaking out, the problem I have is that he feels as though he is the final arbiter of free speech. Here is the part that is troubling me:

But because there’s no U.S. law requiring deletion–at least not yet–there’s not much the onetime veep candidate can do except complain.

(bolding mine)

Next up: Canadian-style “Human ‘Rights’ Commissions”

I suppose I should be happy that games are not in the crosshairs this time…

Note to Senator McCain: Don’t let this censorship fan on the ticket! I swear I’ll vote for Bob Barr!

Senate panel retains oil-shale moratorium

The Senate Appropriations Committee today narrowly defeated Sen. Wayne Allard’s attempt to end a moratorium related to oil shale development in Colorado.

WTF #1: There is a moratorium on oil shale development??? Seriously dude, WTF? Why is there anything slowing down development of this important counter-weight to OPEC’s control of our economy and National Security?

senate committee asking lawmakers to move cautiously on oil-shale development until more is known about the environmental impact and other issues.

Ahhh, WTF #2: Even at $120+ a barrel the envrio-nutballs get final say?

“If we are really serious about reducing pain at the pump, this is a vote that would make a difference in people’s lives,” Allard argued.

But in a 14-15 vote, the committee spilt strictly on party lines and rejected the amendment.

WTF #3: Partisanship?? naw… couldn’t be… National Security and the economy (the very foundation of our freedoms) is out of bounds for partisanship, right????

One of the key votes was from Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who said Sen. Ken Salazar had urged her to reject the amendment even though she personally thinks the moratorium on oil-shale development is unjust.

WTF #4: Senator Landrieu thinks the moratorium is “unjust”, yet can be persuaded to vote to uphold this “injustice”…

Landrieu vowed to try to lift the moratorium when the large appropriations bill reaches the floor of the U.S. Senate in coming weeks.

WTF #5: Does anyone believe this? It seems like, if she really believed that the moratorium was “unjust”, this was the perfect opportunity to insert the language. So she passed up the chance now in favor of an undefined vague promise???

WTF #1 is really the shocker. We have heard all about how the oil shale was going to be a big part of the energy plan of the future. How it would “save” ANWR and how it is potentially among the largest oil reserves in the world. How the hell does a moratorium like this get put in place?

Seriously, WTF?

I’m up! I’m up mmmmphssss….

zzzZZZzzz

I hate moving.

I know, I know, we all hate moving…

Threw out my shoulder haulin’ boxes, which I did because I hurt my knees sanding and spray painting rusty floorboard heat radiators.

Gonna order a pizza, pour a bourbon, fire up a mindless game on teh mac and relax.

All starts again tomorrow… ::sigh::

Progress today, only to run into yet another blocker…

I was able to “persuade” the fine gent at the lender that he should go ahead and “unstick” my loan post haste. I think he cried a bit, but I’m not sure. The mortgage broker has gotten verbal approval and the signed deal is fed-exing its way to his office.

All is good right?

Not so much.

Since the house we are buying was a foreclosure there is yet another hoop to hop through. Guess what? They can’t even start the process of this hoop jumping until the financial part is complete and the paper in the hands of the title company.

Best guess is “Late Thursday, possibly Friday”.

I still wonder how this sector got into so much trouble. THEY NEVER SEEM TO DO ANYTHING.

Feh

Michelle Obama says:

The problem with that kind of thinking is that we pass that on to our children. See, cause the thing I know as a mother is that our children are watching everything we do or say. Every explicit or implicit sign, they are watching us.

I agree wholeheartedly. That is exactly why I cannot vote for Senator Obama.

Those of us with kids of a certain age know this to be true. The first time your kid uses a turn of a phrase that you are fond of, the first time they use some body language that looks familiar, the first time that you overhear your words echoed from her to her friends, that my friends is when parents have that moment of clarity. I can tell you from personal experience that it is both inspiring and tremendously frightening. What I do and say has a great impact on my daughter, the good and the bad.

What have the Obama’s shown their daughters? A crazy preacher that spins conspiracy theories and hate for America, associations with shady characters (Resko), and befriending unrepentant terrorists. They have passed on the bitterness and hate that separates our people. They have shown them its OK to associate with terrorists as long as there are campaign donations involved. Its OK to take favors from “fixers” as long as nobody is looking.

They have also passed on the belief that you can throw your close friends and even you blood relatives under the bus as long as you can further your political ambitions.

Yes, Michelle, I totally agree with you, our kids look to us and learn from us. While I have no doubts that you think that your kids have gotten a positive worldview from you and your husband, I wouldn’t want that worldview to be passed on to my daughter.

I would much rather my daughter have a chance to grow up without racism, radicalism and hate.

Today was the scheduled date for the closing on our new house.

It didn’t happen.

Some pinhead in Texas can’t get some scrap of paper until some arcane information is provided. Worse, I can’t provide that information is has to come from the appraiser.

Now, I understand that the mortgage companies are having a hard time of late with all the foreclosures and all, but for the love of all that is right and good in the world why choose me to dick around?

If there was anyone in the entire world that a mortgage lender should lust after, its me. I have a credit rating that is off the charts, a 20% down payment that was in a money market account for a long time (growing until large enough for the down payment), and a history of making mortgage payments when other people would have just walked away.

What the hell?

The best information I have gotten is that because there have been so few home sales in the area, there isn’t a track record for home values. The appraiser thought my price was well below the value in the home, but some pinhead in Texas can’t let the deal go through until he sees some “comps”. Let’s not mention that the same house sold for quite a bit more than I am paying just 3 years ago. Even if the value has gone down, I’m still buying 20% up front. The risk is so low to them that it doesn’t even bear mentioning.

I guess this means this area is forever doomed to not have a sale. If I can’t buy a house, nobody can. Classic chicken and egg issue. That is just plain stupid. If the mortgage company doesn’t want to, you know, issue mortgages, why not just go out of business.

No wonder this sector of the economy is so fracked up.

Update: I can haz house? plsthx

I want to ask the women out there a simple question.

Do you have some voodoo magic, radar system or some eerie SpideySense that tells you when your husband is about to head for the bathroom?

If not, my wife is a witch… A WITCH A WITCH may we burn her?

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeze

Somehow its the falut of the Jooooosss

Dr. Wright implored, cajoled and badgered the questioners at the National Press Club event to see the whole sermon. He used the fact that people have not seen the whole sermon to shield himself from criticism, even in one case refusing to answer a question because he was sure that the questioner did not see the whole sermon.

I have seen the whole sermon.

Powerful stuff.

Powerfully wrong. Seeing “in context” the “God Damn America” soundbyte only adds to the loathsomeness of the good Doctor. The context that we all derived from the YouTube video was generous compared to seeing the whole thing.

Dr. Wright is a dynamic speaker and powerful personality. I was almost taken in, almost. I’m not so sure that, had I been “in the pews” that Sunday that I wouldn’t have been up out of my seat, clapping and crying “AMEN”. That is what I see as the very worst of the situation. Thousands flock to see the man and hear his race-centric and hateful sermons every week. They bring their children along which teaches them that its OK to hate as long as you hate the white man. It also hands down the litany of grievances, repeated over and over again. It spreads the crazy conspiracy theories to another generation.

It delays the reconciliation that he claimed to be all about.

Dr. Wright, stop digging, you are in deep enough.

In case you have not been following the outrages that the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) have been committing across our northern border, you need to start paying attention. A good place to get up to speed is Ezra Levant’s blog and his inspiring YouTube videos.

Canada, as cute as they are (you’re a gooood little democracy, good), doesn’t have the equivalent of our First Amendment even though they have a tradition of free speech and a free press enshrined in their “Charter of Rights”, which as I understand it is somewhat less vigorous than our Bill of Rights.

The power and reach of the CHRC is jaw-droppingly astonishing. One of the biggest abuse of their powers recently was the use of a private citizen’s WiFi connection (without permission) to post racist remarks on a target website in order to stir up some evidence with which to prosecute. Yeah, that’s right, take a minute for that to sink in… [shutter]

The reports that the private citizen’s network was unsecured not have been shown to be false.

Hechme disputed an initial media report that her wireless Internet access was unsecured and therefore easily hacked. In fact, she said, it required an encryption key that could not have been guessed or casually cracked.

When she forgot the key, even she couldn’t access the connection, she said.

“It was so secure to the point I couldn’t get into it (so) I’m not sure how they got into it. It’s very bizarre.”

It’s bad enough to fire up your wireless card and casually look for an unsecured network to leech bandwidth and identity, egregious but not white hard standing on end scary. The report that the CHRC has the means to hack a secured network and the lack of morals to use that hacked system to further their personal vendettas is something that puts me at a factor 5 freak-out.

Be alert Americans! This is not too far away for us. Support our Canadian friends.

Why does everything have fucking PESTO in it?

I hate pesto, I really hate pesto. The only thing I hate more than pesto is when I find pesto in places it has no place being. YUK!

I foolishly thought I could buy a turkey club wrap from a local deli without the dreaded pesto coming into play, but as you might have guessed I was wrong.

A TURKEY CLUB SHOULD NOT INCLUDE PESTO! ZERO, NADA, ZILCH!

I’m going to be awfully hungry this afternoon.

grrrrrrrrrr.

You have to be kidding Mr. Vartabedian, right?

I mean it has to be a joke to write something a mind-numbingly stupid as this: John McCain gets tax-free disability pension

PLEEEEEEESE tell me you are joking… Un-fracin’-believable.

Ed Morrissey handles the “substance” better than I can, especially with my jaw firmly on the floor.

Just how clean is Senator McCain?

Ralphie, a bit of advice from your ol pal Sinner. If the best you can do is denigrate a real-life victim of the Vietnam war for taking his Navy pension, claiming the allowed by law tax treatment and wonder aloud that he may be too disabled to be CIC, you are going to have a very very long election season. That is if you are trying to run down the good Senator from Arizona. Then again, why would you write this if you weren’t serving your partisan masters?

We have a word for “reporters” like Ralphie, that word is: HACK