Do you suppose these guys could enter an American Idol competition and win it?
Still cool after all these years.
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
This past week in review 11/22/14
This week's highlites:
The week was dominated by preparations for the trip out to da Ranch. Also, still recuperating from back pain. Not much progress to report there.
Update:
I don't know if I mentioned this, but I recently made a change to the left sidebar. I added a intro to the "about the blog" statement. Maybe it will help understand the blog. Maybe it makes a difference, or maybe it doesn't. In case anyone is interested.
- #Ferguson Protest Group Releases List of Targets,
- Will the Obama coalition survive?
- EGO OUT: BILL GATES ANTE PORTAS- GATE
The week was dominated by preparations for the trip out to da Ranch. Also, still recuperating from back pain. Not much progress to report there.
Update:
I don't know if I mentioned this, but I recently made a change to the left sidebar. I added a intro to the "about the blog" statement. Maybe it will help understand the blog. Maybe it makes a difference, or maybe it doesn't. In case anyone is interested.
Revised solar carport plans
Planning still ongoing for work at da Ranch in Sierra Blanca. Here's the latest iteration. Many changes may still be made.
Benghazi report
The initial Benghazi report is being hailed as clear the administration of wrongdoing.
Stuff.
Do they really expect us to believe this Bravo Sierra?
I found a contradiction in the short blurb about it in the NRO. The report said that there wasn't any intelligence failures, but that Rice got faulty info from intelligence. That much seems like a failure to me.
How can they not know that it wasn't a protest and then having said that say that it was their (intelligence) fault and not Rice's fault for going on the air and saying something false?
Bravo Sierra.
Bigger question is why would the GOP cooperate in such a whitewash?
Stuff.
Do they really expect us to believe this Bravo Sierra?
I found a contradiction in the short blurb about it in the NRO. The report said that there wasn't any intelligence failures, but that Rice got faulty info from intelligence. That much seems like a failure to me.
How can they not know that it wasn't a protest and then having said that say that it was their (intelligence) fault and not Rice's fault for going on the air and saying something false?
Bravo Sierra.
Bigger question is why would the GOP cooperate in such a whitewash?
Something just occurred to me
In looking for further news about the latest amnesty, I found my usual source for the lefty point of view. Yet, Maha had nothing much to say about it. Instead, what I found there was this insistence that the left has "no spine". Seems like a pretty familiar complaint that the rank and file conservatives have about our "moderates". Then it occurred to me, after she mentioned that the media usually kowtows to the "right" ( if you believe that), that the left can say with the straight face that the media isn't biased. Why? Because it isn't lefty enough. Yep. Those on the left are really out-of-the-ballpark left. They might as well be commies. If you are a commie, then the NY Times looks like a capitalist pig operation.
It can also be said of Fox News. It isn't right wing to conservatives because it isn't conservative enough.
Having said that, the left will charge that those calling Fox News as moderate are a bunch of fascists. But fascism isn't a conservative point of view. Fascism is more of a thing of the left.
Those who get caught up in the left and right need to listen to the Speech given by Ronald Reagan. It isn't about right or left, it is about freedom and tyranny.
One thing to remember, the media is definitely biased toward the Democrat party. Whether or not you call it left or right, it is still a bias.
It can also be said of Fox News. It isn't right wing to conservatives because it isn't conservative enough.
Having said that, the left will charge that those calling Fox News as moderate are a bunch of fascists. But fascism isn't a conservative point of view. Fascism is more of a thing of the left.
Those who get caught up in the left and right need to listen to the Speech given by Ronald Reagan. It isn't about right or left, it is about freedom and tyranny.
One thing to remember, the media is definitely biased toward the Democrat party. Whether or not you call it left or right, it is still a bias.
So, what is the other side saying about the latest amnesty?
Usually, I don't link to left wing sites, but I'll make an exception in this case.
Here's something that coincides with my thinking on this latest amnesty from Mother Jones:
For example, President Bush's decision to go into Iraq was clearly legal. It didn't work for him politically.
However, Obama isn't counting on it to work politically this past election, but he is counting on it to work in future elections. That's why he did it.
He's hoping for a backlash from Hispanics for anything the GOP might do in stopping this latest amnesty. For him it's a low risk high reward type of move.
Even if it is legal, it is still an abuse of power. An abuse of power doesn't have to be illegal. It's an abuse because it was done for political advantage and not for the good of the nation. It was done at the benefit of the few over the objection of the many. This is implied in the timing. He knew that the majority wouldn't like what he did.
Here's something that coincides with my thinking on this latest amnesty from Mother Jones:
It's an open question whether Obama's actions are politically wise...There's also, I think, a legitimate question about whether liberals should be cheering an expansion of presidential power, whether it's legal or not.--- Kevin DrumJust because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. Obama and the left know that this isn't politically popular, that's why it was deferred until the end of Obama's presidency and directly after an election. If it were helpful to them politically, he would have done it before the election.
For example, President Bush's decision to go into Iraq was clearly legal. It didn't work for him politically.
However, Obama isn't counting on it to work politically this past election, but he is counting on it to work in future elections. That's why he did it.
He's hoping for a backlash from Hispanics for anything the GOP might do in stopping this latest amnesty. For him it's a low risk high reward type of move.
Even if it is legal, it is still an abuse of power. An abuse of power doesn't have to be illegal. It's an abuse because it was done for political advantage and not for the good of the nation. It was done at the benefit of the few over the objection of the many. This is implied in the timing. He knew that the majority wouldn't like what he did.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Leave for awhile and things fall apart
I posted something early Wednesday, and now it is Friday. Less than 48 hours without a post and the traffic falls off. Oh, well. If you have to work this hard for almost nothing and then lose that, it may be tempting to just quit.
I didn't stop posting because I quit. Nope. I was doing something and didn't have the time to post. Usually if I don't post, I'm doing something.
If it ever gets to the point that in order to sustain this blog and to do something that matters, and those two conflict, and I have to make a choice between the two, the blog may not win. Just sayin'.
I didn't stop posting because I quit. Nope. I was doing something and didn't have the time to post. Usually if I don't post, I'm doing something.
If it ever gets to the point that in order to sustain this blog and to do something that matters, and those two conflict, and I have to make a choice between the two, the blog may not win. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
How the Counter Culture of the Sixties Became Mainstream
According to the Wikipedia, the Counter Culture of the Sixties grew
To answer that question, it may be useful to see how a commodity is marketed. Yes, the Counter Culture may well have been marketed like a product to the rest of us.
Recently, there was a post on the blog by Ann Barnhardt on the subject of diamonds. She pointed to an Atlantic article that basically said that diamonds really aren't worth anything, that people were conned into thinking that they there were, and subsequently spent fortunes for them. It was a completely manufactured value. This technique succeeded with even very traditional places like Japan. The power of these marketing people to lead others away from one mode of being to another is something to behold. In Japan, diamonds were definitely not a part of their courtship processes. Somehow, it became so. That somehow was achieved through a rather slick advertising and marketing regime.
It also worked in the United States, as you may well know. That is, the marketing campaign with diamonds. But it can also work in selling other worthless things like progressivism.
If you can take something that hasn't much value and make people put their hard earned money into it, then why can't you change an entire culture into something else entirely?
One thing that is certain about left wing politics. It has had a brilliant string of political successes. But that hasn't been accompanied by economic ones. Somehow, as in Japan, traditional cultures in the West had to give up their guns and religion in order to embrace the new order that was envisioned for us.
That new order has succeeded brilliantly in the political sphere, but meanwhile, the United States is undeniably slipping economically. Not to mention the culture as well. But it could well be the culture that produced the politics that produced the poor economic performance we are witnessing. It is the Counter Culture that has put such notions as Limits to Growth, Environmentalism, and Same Sex Marriage into the mainstream.
None of these toxic ideas were ever part of the mainstream before. They had to be sold to us.
The current rage is same sex marriage. But it isn't a democratic movement. It is coming from the top of the culture, through the court system.
It is ironic that the Counter Culture that rebelled against the Establishment themselves are now the Establishment that wishes to impose their ideas of morality and culture upon the rest of us. Something rather dramatic had to occur to bring this about. That drama had to take place at the top of the society and had to filter on down to the rest. So, it took a long time, like it took in marketing an otherwise worthless commodity like diamonds.
Men aren't ruled by virtue, nor truth; but by vice and the lies that support it.
It was a small movement, especially at first. I can attest to that, having grown up during the period. How did it get so big? How did it consume this society as it has? In sum, how did we get a president who really isn't of our culture and seeks to overthrow it?from a confluence of people, events, issues, circumstances, and technological developments which served as intellectual and social catalysts for exceptionally rapid change during the era.
To answer that question, it may be useful to see how a commodity is marketed. Yes, the Counter Culture may well have been marketed like a product to the rest of us.
Recently, there was a post on the blog by Ann Barnhardt on the subject of diamonds. She pointed to an Atlantic article that basically said that diamonds really aren't worth anything, that people were conned into thinking that they there were, and subsequently spent fortunes for them. It was a completely manufactured value. This technique succeeded with even very traditional places like Japan. The power of these marketing people to lead others away from one mode of being to another is something to behold. In Japan, diamonds were definitely not a part of their courtship processes. Somehow, it became so. That somehow was achieved through a rather slick advertising and marketing regime.
It also worked in the United States, as you may well know. That is, the marketing campaign with diamonds. But it can also work in selling other worthless things like progressivism.
If you can take something that hasn't much value and make people put their hard earned money into it, then why can't you change an entire culture into something else entirely?
One thing that is certain about left wing politics. It has had a brilliant string of political successes. But that hasn't been accompanied by economic ones. Somehow, as in Japan, traditional cultures in the West had to give up their guns and religion in order to embrace the new order that was envisioned for us.
That new order has succeeded brilliantly in the political sphere, but meanwhile, the United States is undeniably slipping economically. Not to mention the culture as well. But it could well be the culture that produced the politics that produced the poor economic performance we are witnessing. It is the Counter Culture that has put such notions as Limits to Growth, Environmentalism, and Same Sex Marriage into the mainstream.
None of these toxic ideas were ever part of the mainstream before. They had to be sold to us.
The current rage is same sex marriage. But it isn't a democratic movement. It is coming from the top of the culture, through the court system.
It is ironic that the Counter Culture that rebelled against the Establishment themselves are now the Establishment that wishes to impose their ideas of morality and culture upon the rest of us. Something rather dramatic had to occur to bring this about. That drama had to take place at the top of the society and had to filter on down to the rest. So, it took a long time, like it took in marketing an otherwise worthless commodity like diamonds.
Men aren't ruled by virtue, nor truth; but by vice and the lies that support it.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
California Dreamin'---- Mamas and the Papas
It was the Wikipedia that said that this song was a sign post for the arrival of the counter culture of the sixties.
Whoa! I really liked this song back then.
Further reading uncovered this gem of a quote from Pat Nixon ( former first lady and wife of President Nixon)
Ka-ching!!!!
Liberals had it easy and savaged the woman who never had it easy. Yet liberals have the gall to claim that they are for the common man. What a load of crap. Nothing changed, though. The gullible public still believes the lies of the left and we end up with Hussein in the White House.
Whoa! I really liked this song back then.
Further reading uncovered this gem of a quote from Pat Nixon ( former first lady and wife of President Nixon)
In an interview with journalist Gloria Steinem during the 1968 US presidential campaign, soon-to-be First Lady Pat Nixon exposed the generational chasm in worldview between Steinem, 20 years her junior, and herself after Steinen probed Mrs. Nixon as to her youth, role models, and lifestyle. A hardscrabble child of the Great Depression, Pat Nixon told Steinem, "I never had time to think about things like that, who I wanted to be, or who I admired, or to have ideas. I never had time to dream about being anyone else. I had to work. I haven't just sat back and thought of myself or my ideas or what I wanted to do...I've kept working. I don't have time to worry about who I admire or who I identify with. I never had it easy. I'm not at all like you...all those people who had it easy."
Ka-ching!!!!
Liberals had it easy and savaged the woman who never had it easy. Yet liberals have the gall to claim that they are for the common man. What a load of crap. Nothing changed, though. The gullible public still believes the lies of the left and we end up with Hussein in the White House.
Net neutrality will freeze out innovation
That's a nice visual there. The telephone is regulated, the cell phone isn't. Which one is more closely aligned with innovation at this time?
You can expand upon this theme to include nuclear power. Nuclear power is regulated, and that has led to a "calcified" industry. The nuclear power industry is basically stuck with Model-T Ford technology in the 21st century.
Molten salt reactors should have been adopted 40 years ago. Why not? Regulations played a large part, no doubt.
You can expand upon this theme to include nuclear power. Nuclear power is regulated, and that has led to a "calcified" industry. The nuclear power industry is basically stuck with Model-T Ford technology in the 21st century.
Molten salt reactors should have been adopted 40 years ago. Why not? Regulations played a large part, no doubt.
Why Dems Lack Working Class Appeal: It’s Immigration, Stupid
Why Dems Lack Working Class Appeal: It’s Immigration, Stupid
It ain't me, Dickie boy. You've got all those chuckleheads in the GOP who are more than capable of being super stupid on this issue.
Good to see that somebody gets it, though.
It ain't me, Dickie boy. You've got all those chuckleheads in the GOP who are more than capable of being super stupid on this issue.
Good to see that somebody gets it, though.
#Ferguson Protest Group Releases List of Targets, Including: Anheuser Busch, Boeing, Emerson Electric, Airport
#Ferguson Protest Group Releases List of Targets, Including: Anheuser Busch, Boeing, Emerson Electric, Airport
There needs to be a response to this intimidation attempt. I'd say a rather stern response is in order.
There needs to be a response to this intimidation attempt. I'd say a rather stern response is in order.
EGO OUT: BILL GATES ANTE PORTAS- GATES AT THE GATES OF LENR...
EGO OUT: BILL GATES ANTE PORTAS- GATES AT THE GATES OF LENR...: BILL GATES ANTE PORTAS- GATES AT THE GATES OF LENR The visit of Bill Gates at ENEA’s Frascati Lab (Nov 12) and his discussion with the...
Bill Gates, the billionaire software king, has decided to invest in cold fusion.
Well, I think he is to be applauded for his generosity and vision. With some luck, this may pan out into huge benefits for us all.
Bill Gates, the billionaire software king, has decided to invest in cold fusion.
Well, I think he is to be applauded for his generosity and vision. With some luck, this may pan out into huge benefits for us all.
Monday, November 17, 2014
M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S "A POINT OF VIEW": Michigan Legislature May Hand the 2016 Presidentia...
M.JOSEPH SHEPPARD'S "A POINT OF VIEW": Michigan Legislature May Hand the 2016 Presidentia...: This article is also at AMERICAN THINKER under the title "Michigan Demonstrates Why Elections Matter" ********************...
The presidential election is a potential point of great contention. There was one that sparked a Civil War, if you recall your history. The one in 2000 was pretty controversial.
People are getting too wrapped up in victory as opposed to effectiveness.
The presidential election is a potential point of great contention. There was one that sparked a Civil War, if you recall your history. The one in 2000 was pretty controversial.
People are getting too wrapped up in victory as opposed to effectiveness.
ParaPundit: GOP Voting And Women
ParaPundit: GOP Voting And Women
Surprise, surprise, surprise, says Gomer Pyle: White women haven't been voting for Democrats since 1992.
How then do Democrats still win?
A guess: Dems promote anti-family policies, like same-sex marriage. If the (traditional ) marriage rate were to go up, the Democrats would be in big trouble. They really need single women, who will vote Democrat. If they marry, they no longer need a husband substitute.
Government as sugar daddy. Who'd a thunk?
Surprise, surprise, surprise, says Gomer Pyle: White women haven't been voting for Democrats since 1992.
How then do Democrats still win?
A guess: Dems promote anti-family policies, like same-sex marriage. If the (traditional ) marriage rate were to go up, the Democrats would be in big trouble. They really need single women, who will vote Democrat. If they marry, they no longer need a husband substitute.
Government as sugar daddy. Who'd a thunk?
Learning curves
You'd think hammering a few nails wouldn't be much of a problem, now would you?
Man, I really screwed up one of the forms that I'm making. It's supposed to be six by six, but it didn't come out that way. I took a break to think it over.
The nails won't go in straight. The wood keeps moving around. I got two made, but one of them is a mess. I need 4 more. Hopefully, I may be able to recycle some of these when I get out there.
Never done it before? Been awhile. I helped put up a fence a long time ago.
Man, I really screwed up one of the forms that I'm making. It's supposed to be six by six, but it didn't come out that way. I took a break to think it over.
The nails won't go in straight. The wood keeps moving around. I got two made, but one of them is a mess. I need 4 more. Hopefully, I may be able to recycle some of these when I get out there.
Never done it before? Been awhile. I helped put up a fence a long time ago.
The world turned upside down
Try to imagine a white president telling a KKK mob to please not burn any crosses
there is Sharpton’s report that Obama said he hopes the protestors can keep the peace. If true, it’s about as weak a statement as the president of the United States could make in light of the situation. He could have made a strong and unequivocal statement that the law must be obeyed and that violence would not be tolerated.That's your president right there. Is that what you voted for, or were you expecting something quite different? He was supposed to heal the racial divide, wasn't he?
AmericanThinker
Will the Obama coalition survive?
the hill
Hilliary isn't as good a liar as Slick Willie. The Dems need to clone him and make a "mini-me" Bill Clinton.
Update:
Robert Reichhhhhhh is a possibility, but he is really not the liar that Bill is either. He's "a quasi liar", " semi-liar", "he's the margarine of deception", "he's the Diet Coke of deception", not quite enough the liar, sadly.
There’s also hope among Democrats that the historic nature of a Clinton campaign could lead to a different, but still vibrant, electorate.
Hilliary isn't as good a liar as Slick Willie. The Dems need to clone him and make a "mini-me" Bill Clinton.
 |
| It's friggin' cold out here Mr. Bigglesworth. |
Robert Reichhhhhhh is a possibility, but he is really not the liar that Bill is either. He's "a quasi liar", " semi-liar", "he's the margarine of deception", "he's the Diet Coke of deception", not quite enough the liar, sadly.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Popularity is vastly overrated
My opinion of course.
Look, I read Instapundit on a regular basis. He has something there that serves as a proxy for interest that I notice from time-to-time.
So, there's this post that is off the charts. Why is that? To me, this isn't newsworthy. Not worth anybody's time, yet look at all the people who so interested in it.
I did do some rearranging of thedeck chairs of the popular posts on my own blog, but this one does remind me of the trap of seeking popularity. Stuff like some broad being upset about what a man wears isn't worthy of mention. So, I haven't mentioned it, until now. Only mentioning now due to the fact that so many others seem interested in something so meaningless.
If I spent all my time looking for popularity, I'd be looking for stories like that. No wonder then that we get such crap. People seem to prefer it.
Look, I read Instapundit on a regular basis. He has something there that serves as a proxy for interest that I notice from time-to-time.
So, there's this post that is off the charts. Why is that? To me, this isn't newsworthy. Not worth anybody's time, yet look at all the people who so interested in it.
I did do some rearranging of the
If I spent all my time looking for popularity, I'd be looking for stories like that. No wonder then that we get such crap. People seem to prefer it.
Quick test with the drill
This isn't worthy of another installment in the off-the-grid series. But I've got to write something, because the day is getting late and I haven't posted anything.
I watched the Texans-Browns game today. That took up several hours. Other than that, I was snoozing. I've been doing a bit more of that than I should. It's not helping, either, judging from my reaction in watching the game. My backside starting complaining again. So, I'd better think up something for that. I can't lie down all the time.
When I got back, I noticed my Bentonite sand experiment of a few weeks ago. I decide to try the drill on it as with the first experiment. The 1/2 drill bit worked fine, but as before, the sample broke up with the 1 inch bit. I had another sample available, though, so I tried again. This time, it didn't break up. I got a clean hole all the way through. I tried the PVC pipe through it, and it fits. So, I'd like this kind of result when I get out there. Hopefully, the odds are good that I will.
I watched the Texans-Browns game today. That took up several hours. Other than that, I was snoozing. I've been doing a bit more of that than I should. It's not helping, either, judging from my reaction in watching the game. My backside starting complaining again. So, I'd better think up something for that. I can't lie down all the time.
When I got back, I noticed my Bentonite sand experiment of a few weeks ago. I decide to try the drill on it as with the first experiment. The 1/2 drill bit worked fine, but as before, the sample broke up with the 1 inch bit. I had another sample available, though, so I tried again. This time, it didn't break up. I got a clean hole all the way through. I tried the PVC pipe through it, and it fits. So, I'd like this kind of result when I get out there. Hopefully, the odds are good that I will.
Well, somebody seems to get it
Why can't everybody get this and put a stop to it?
I hear that the GOP leadership have no plan to stop Obama's amnesty. It means that the election was meaningless. Well, I coulda told you that. Oops! I already did. Once they defeated the Tea Party in the primaries, this was predictable. The Establishment will do nothing at all about this.
Time for a new party. But I've told you that already.
The irresponsible immigration policy has created a surplus of workers. Illegal alien amnesty will make that surplus much worse. Legalize twelve million illegal aliens and another twelve million will come. Those who can’t find jobs, will find gangs. Those who lose jobs to them will also find gangs.
The gangs will fight each other for control of entire neighborhoods and the crime wave will set America back decades.--- Daniel Greenfield
I hear that the GOP leadership have no plan to stop Obama's amnesty. It means that the election was meaningless. Well, I coulda told you that. Oops! I already did. Once they defeated the Tea Party in the primaries, this was predictable. The Establishment will do nothing at all about this.
Time for a new party. But I've told you that already.
Is the Most Popular Treatment for Lower Back Pain No More Effective Than a Placebo?
PJ Lifestyle via Instapundit
comment:
Oh shit. It looks like there's the possibility of an anxiety component to lower back pain. In other words, it could all be in my head ( with respect to my own pain ).
This leads me to wonder what the hell am I worrying about?
comment:
Oh shit. It looks like there's the possibility of an anxiety component to lower back pain. In other words, it could all be in my head ( with respect to my own pain ).
This leads me to wonder what the hell am I worrying about?
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