As you all might be aware, Rush was kicked from the group bidding for ownership of the St. Louis Rams this evening. If you are not aware of what has transpired, then head over to the Drudge Report and allow your jaw to drop over what was insididiously accomplished today. This is America 2009. Do you like it what we have become? I know I don’t.

The link to Breitbart for the story http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9BB5J5O3&show_article=1

I thought that this day would never come; a day in which we would see a shakedown that didn’t involve money. The shakedown we saw today was for the purpose of malice and revenge. No other reason can explain what has happened to Rush’s venture to obtain a limited stake in the St. Louis Rams. Power my friends, this will empower more to follow in the footsteps of these antics. I mean, this is a story that has all of the great things that you come to expect from the newest great American MSM and small interest groups; slander, libel, and racketeering for power’s sake.

As I said elsewhere in my comments tonight, and I hope I do not regret in the morning, I am disgusted, embarrassed, and disheartened by what happened to Rush this evening. It was a benchmark of everything this country has devolved to. A convicted felon can return to football to which the sycophants accept, but a man who makes a misconstrued statement about Donovan McNabb is villified by the NFL commisioner as “divisive”. I am just flabbergasted by all of this. I have twins on the way as we speak. The wife is over two months along in the pregnancy, and I actually told my wife tonight that bringing children in this world may have been a mistake.

I have listened to Rush for over 10 years now, and I know that the NFL is one of this man’s greatest passions. I look at it this way, the man had a dream. Unfortunately, the powers of the left decided that he is unworthy of his dream; therefore, what happened this evening was the satisfaction of bloodlust. Did they satisfy it tonight, no. Bloodlust is insatiable to those that hate, and Rush will have to die a 1000 violent deaths for them to feel 1/100000th complete in their dementia. Chris Mathews eloquently proved this point last evening. They can not beat him on ideas and influence; therefore, the personal and financial payback desired was excised this evening.

Furthermore, I am disheartened at the state of affairs in the country displayed today. The liberals in the country officially get to decide who’s dreams are worthy of fullfillment. Those that are too successful are somehow exempt from the pursuit of happiness, and those that are miserable are deserving of a little less misery exacted off the backs of those who’s hardship is ordained by the left. That’s the game we play now, keep your nose down and do what they say or suffer the wrath of slander, libel, and socially unjust theft. Pretty soon, your views will become a hate crime to the left and it will be achieved through your children.

That’s why I fear for my children, I fear that I may not be able to shelter them from this or teach them what’s right and wrong, because what I believe and what I know to be true is not so to the compromised mentality of those that rule. That’s why I said what I said to my wife this evening. Anyway, as all of you will agree, I will beat these tactics and I will bring these kids up right, even if I have to fight to homeschool them to teach them right or wrong, I will do it.

(The story power’s that be felt the plot of this diary was a little weak thus the insertion of the diatribe on the children) Now back to the subject…

Rush wanted Obama to fail because his ideas and plans are an anathema to these United States and its Constitution. Other’s wanted Rush to fail because they hate him. Projection, as much as they disbelieve in its existence as a tactic in their repertoire, the more it becomes a reality to us of its existence and use.

So to all of you trolls and moby’s dropping by to gloat in what you believe to be a personal accomplishment in life, have at it. I on the other hand will sit here and continue to revel at the cesspool you are creating. Lastly, I and many of my colleagues around here do not engage in your games of class warfare and personal hate because in the end when the game you set up to play turns on you, you only have yourself to blame and eventhough your pain and anguish may be justified, I will still be there to pull you out of the mire. You know why, because I have honor and class something that you and your colleagues have in perceptually abound quantities but sorely and realistically nonexistent. You folks that raise your hands in victory over today’s accomplishment, are nothing more than an effervenscently noxious fungus growing on my nations and everyone in its prosperity, and yes, that prosperity always and shall remain inclusive of the wildly succesful Rush Limbaugh because he is not exempt under these U.S. and their Constitution.

In the era of oversensitivity, I am going full metal un-PC…

Alright folks, I am a big proponent of the “Don’t Ask and Don’t Tell Policy”; however, I am a even bigger proponent of the previous policy of keeping your homosexuality to yourself, period.  Sorry, but I have little empathy or sympathy for homosexuals in the military.  Why am I this way you ask?  It is because I am a 33 year old male, who grew up in a different period of time, the 80′s.  As much as I would appreciate a shower with my wife, I prefer not to shower with a compliment of females, and similarly I would rather not be with openly homosexual men.  Yes, I am that good looking.  I also sincerely do not see why open homosexuality in the military has become such a desire for such a small percentage of the population as it is.  You want to serve in the military? You follow the policy.  You do not like the policy?  Don’t go into it or get out of the military altogether. 

All of that said, I do not believe that homosexual males and females are any less capable then heterosexual males and females respectively.  I am an engineer and scientist, and I design systems and technologies to be used by the 5th and 95th percentiles of females and males respectively.  No where in my design critieria is a caveat for homosexuality; therefore, my designs do not discriminate.    

From a report written by Lisa Leff at the AP posted at the following link:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091008/D9B75MG81.html

Women are far more likely than men to be kicked out of the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy against gays in uniform, according to government figures released Thursday that critics said reflect deep-seated sexism in the armed forces.

My colleagues, let me explain something to you from the perspective of someone that works with the Marines everyday.  Homosexual men risk greater ostrication and ridicule then I believe their female counterparts receive; therefore, expect females to be more comfortable expressing their homosexuality than their male counterparts.  Here is a female EX-Marine (note I did not say former) who works for a gay-military advocacy group… 

“Often times the lesbians under my command were under scrutiny by the same men who were also sexually harassing straight women, so it was this kind of sexist undercurrent of ‘You don’t belong here,’” said Anuradha Bhagwati, a former Marine who founded the Service Women’s Action Network, an advocacy group.

Let me tell you something, male Marines I work with show no interest in what this women just claimed.  Lets face the facts (no offense to the women), but men (many I know) see military women as lesbians until proven otherwise.  Yes, prejudice plays a role, and it biases men like me to assume military females tend to be lesbians; however, I do not see any examples of this in the command.   At least I am backed up in the story with the following:

Nathaniel Frank, a researcher at the Palm Center, a University of California, Santa Barbara, center specializing in gays and the military, said one partial explanation is that homosexuality is more common among women in the service than among their male comrades.

Then the man disappoints me with the following:

But Frank and some women who served in the military said the gap could also be a result of “lesbian-baiting” rumors and investigations that arise when women rebuff sexual overtures from male colleagues or do not meet traditional notions of feminine beauty.

Of course there are people falsely accused; however, I can not see the military expelling the offenders for accusations of simple homosexuality made by counterparts without the admission by the accused.

After all of that, you should be alarmed right? OMG the DADT policy is sexist, bigoted, homophobic right? Hardly, here is where the numbers bring you back to reality…

Women accounted for 15 percent of all active-duty and reserve members of the military but more than one-third of the 619 people discharged last year because of their sexual orientation. The disparity was particularly striking in the Air Force, where women represented 20 percent of all personnel but 61 percent of those expelled. That is a significant jump from the previous year and marks the first time women in any branch of the military constituted a majority of those dismissed under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” researchers said.

Now this is where I find this whole story to be misleading, 619 people were expelled from the military for violation of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.  Snark On… Wow, it appears we have a systemic problem with this policy.  Snark Off…  Come on, really 15% of active duty but make up 33% of 619.  So, in numbers we have 204 (33%) of 619 and what it should be according to this story is 93 (15%).  Those numbers are not striking to me, are they to you?  Now this is where I have a problem with the media, this story is a non-starter; however, given the goal of GLBT community is to say that the policy is not just discriminatory against GLBT, but it is also sexist.  I would advise the Pentagon to not comment on this story period, the premise is completely overblown and unacceptable.  At least the Pentagon seems to be following my advice…

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said officials would not speculate on why women accounted for a disproportionate share of those dismissed for being gay, adding that even inquiring about it might run afoul of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Given my explanation in the previous paragraph, the rest of the numbers and percentages that were derived in this story are even more dubious and are required to be ignored.

Apparently, you are not, because every time you get in control of Congress you do nothing.  The Democrats showed tonight that you can ram things through in record time and add amendments at the last minute with not one person in attendance ever having read the entire thing.  Now if you are ever to get back into Congress, I demand that you ram legislation through repealing everything that was done tonight and previously.  

The Democrats seem be under the impression that the country is in a war of ideology and because their legislation is so distasteful to the American public they understand that time is of the essence. On the obverse, our points and ideas are very palatable, but after the Democrats frame the debate through sycophants and the MSM it becomes objectionable to the American public. Why does this happen every time? It is because you fail to create a coherent message, establish a unified front, or the maintenance of the original idea or policy prior to the successful completion of the demonization process initiated to solely undermine your efforts.

I could give a damn about you and your district, because come 2010 this vote will be used against you and it will work. Thanks for handing your district to the Democrats. Maybe you should switch parties now to help the Republicans as penance for you insolence today. You’re damn right I am angry. I have never put so much time and effort into making calls as I did today and to lose this vote I am livid.

For those Republican elected officials that decided they would swing the vote in the Democrats favor tonight, I suggest you retire at the end of your term in 2010 or switch parties to run as Democrat.  I see that you can be bought by legislation.  What does not make sense is that you voted against the Stimulus bill but somehow this bill is a good idea?  How can you rectify these two conflicting votes?  I have to suspect that you can be bought and I wonder if we can find GE or some other interested party involved in funding your campaign. 

Let me teach you something turncoat Republicans, I want you to look at the Democrats that passed their bills and ask, how do they get legislation through so easily?  Because they know how to wheel and deal with you and then turn on your rear ends the moment they can.  They will fight you tooth and nail in your district and they will point to your vote for this as the reason for not electing you.  Kind of a dirty trick don’t you think? That’s the way they roll. Do you understand you republicans morons? Now shake your head yes. Did you listen to your party, no.  Now I will make sure that not one dime of mine will enter your pocket for your election, and I would recommend that the GOP funds be redirected from you campaign to fund a true faithful Republican that will not sell his party out.  Listen, when I say faithful Republicans, I am relegated to solely Republicans that “hold the line” in preventing the expansion of Government.  Since you failed this simple exercise, I expect the Republican that takes your place to solely vote to repeal your actions today, that’s it.  Not to hard is it, now would you like to reconsider your vote today?  You may get the chance if the Senate kills it.

 
As you can tell I am angry, I am angry because this monstrosity was passed under the unsuspecting eye of the American people and I am angry because the American people are ignorant to the reign of hell that is coming.  Do you know what my fellow Americans, I TOLD YOU SO! Forgive me, for now I must go break and yell at things within in my house, for I fear they are the only things that will listen to me.
 

DTOM, BTW, Have at this diary as a venting area if necessary, because I needed to talk to someone tonight.

Further information needs to be discussed for those of you in the state of Virginia. We need to go after the Virginia Senators right away. Virginia is a Redstate, regardless of the 2008 vote. Too many people in Virginia were fooled by Obama and too many VA-11 district voters decided that the Republican that represented them was less conservative than Gerry Connolly, yeah right. Anyway here is the contact information for the following Senators:

Hampton Roads 222 Central Park Ave. Suite 120 Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Phone: 757-518-1674 Fax: 757-518-1679

NOVA: 1501 Lee Highway Suite 130, Arlington, VA. 22209 Phone:703-807-0581, Fax:703-807-5198

Richmond 507 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: 804-771-2221 Fax: 804-771-8313

Roanoke 3140 Chaparral Drive Building C, Suite 101 Roanoke, VA 24018 Phone: 540-772-4236 Fax: 540-772-6870

Washington, D.C. 248 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-4024 Fax: 202-228-6363

Toll Free Number 1-866-507-1570

Mark Warner identified himself during his campaign for Governor of Virginia as a “fiscal” conservative.  Well, Mr. Fiscal Conservative I will make sure to remind you that this was the moniker you chose now act like one and vote against this bill or any other iteration in the Senate if you do really care about the fiscal situation of Virginia.

Washington DC: 459A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: 202-224-2023 Fax: 202-224-6295 

Richmond VA: 5309 Commonwealth Centre Parkway Suite 401 Midlothian, VA 23112 Phone: 804-739-0247 Fax: 804-739-3478

Roanoke VA: 129B Salem Avenue, SW Roanoke, VA 24011 Phone: 540-857-2676 Fax: 540-857-2800 

Abingdon VA: 180 West Main Street Abingdon, Virginia 24210 Phone: 276-628-8158 Fax: 276-628-1036 

We know now that it is not to early to start getting your family and friends on the lines calling the Senators of Virginia or your home state to make sure they understand the growing opposition to this bill long before the U.S. Senate contemplates ever voting on it.  We sincerely do not want to call the offices to hear that they are undecided or leaning “yes”, that is unacceptable especially if they had plenty of time to read it.

As some of you may have noticed, I have added a signature line to all of my comments. For those of you that are in the know, it is from the heavy metal group Megadeth. Now you know, in my former younger life I was into this type of music. Included in my musical tastes are Led Zeppelin, Who, Megadeth, Metallica, GnR, and about anything from the genre of classic rock ’65-’94. Many of you around here may think that hard rock and heavy metal from ’80-’94 is not classic rock, but what the kids are listening to these days that is classic rock. If I do recall correctly, Jethro Tull won a Grammy award for the Heavy Metal genre. So, Jethro Tull, Heavy Metal? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

Why am I putting this awful diary together and possibly angering some on the list for kicking their beautifully written diaries into the great abyss of the search engine, because I found what I believe is a favorite song of mine mixed with photographs that sort of brings me back to the Wall. I hope you enjoy it, I did not do this video, but it is rather awesome for someone that wanted to put something together like that.

BTW, if you are averse to Heavy Metal please do not watch the following video; however, for all to know the lead singer is now a born again Christian and a huge supporter of Israel.

Lastly, you can tarnish my diary as needed consider this an OPEN THREAD, If I am even allowed to do this. So here is your chance to just download your thoughts for the day. I figured it would give 6eorge Jetson and $pecialist, BTW what happened to him) a place to show off their awesome photoshop work.

Now on with some more observations of the day and Obama’s socialist symphony of destruction… As much as I would love to pin all of this legislation squarely at the feet of the Zero, I can not. Zero can only accomplish as much as his statist colleagues in the Congress will allow him. Now what I know from practical experience is that rushing things does more harm than good. The thought that a bill such as H.R. 2454 could be brought up for a vote by Friday should be a warning sign by itself as a bad idea. This document is over 1000 pages and I have not even been able to comprehend it all in the amount of time I have had to look it over. That said, if I have had little time to digest the material, I can safely assume the American people have absolutely no idea what this bill means to them. The bill does start off rather nicely with the happy, hopey and changey language which should be an exclamation point for Danger, written by a Democrat.

Lastly, what really “churns my butter” (for you literal trolls out there this is an expression I am not made of butter) is the fact that within this bill is the allowance or issuance of vouchers for trading in your inefficient used vehicle. Now, what struck me instantly was we were going to give vouchers to upwards of $5000.00 for the so called trade in of your clunker. Remember, vouchers for your old used car but no voucher for your children to go to the school of your choice. Fantastic, I see we have our priorities in order. Screw your kids education, we are reducing 1 ppm of CO2 over the next 10 years, Whoop-eeee! Slimeball thy name is Democrats.

Updated, Russia has stated that they believe a nuclear detonation has occurred in North Korea. Obama has called this event a “great concern for all nations”; Wow, those some heavy words there, Zero.

Thanks to dissidentdingo for the heads up on the North Korea incident.

It appears that North Korea has sucessfully tested an Atomic Bomb underground and has fired a short range missile which I am to surmise is capable of carrying the A-Bomb payload.  According to an Associate Press story a 4.7 earthquake has been detected in North Korea which is definitly indicative of a Nuclear detonation.  Of course, I am speculating and that the earthquake and seismological data need to be examined to determine if the earthquakes signature is unatural. 

Source of Story Here… http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521617,00.html

I place this entirely at the feet of the left and the MSM.  When Bush called North Korea part of the Axis of Evil, we were lectured with the same mantra of cowboy diplomacy and we need to solve this crisis through diplomacy.  Bush complied with what I suspect is the advisement of the State Department and pressure from the United Nations.  Well, we are now getting exactly what we expected.  A nuclear armed North Korea capable of producing instability on the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

I record these thoughts as evidence of the Obama’s ineptitude in dealing with the brazen actions of a Rogue regime that is soon to terrorize the Korean Peninsula. Obama is sure to fail miserably when dealing with what is inevitably a nuclear armed Iran.

Additionally, I log this event as another example that the talk of the left and the MSM has led to exactly what I expected, a nuclear armed North Korea.  It is just a matter of time before this technology is sold to the Iranians and what to expect from our Zero, more talk (See the Update).

Now I have been dying to get this diary completed before the single payer system is instituted in the United States. Yes, I know that the administration keeps talking about patient choice, but as the diaries point out lately that this can not be farther from the truth.

Now, before I move on to the diary I had formulated about month ago, I would like to address the new argument that I have been hearing lately from the left. The left most recently has asserted that the system instituted by Massechussets is an excellent example of how to make sure that everyone is insured. Now, on the single state level this may be fine; however, its application to the Federal level is unknown. The argument that the left uses is that everyone is required to own automobile insurance before they are allowed to operate a motor vehicle. Keep in mind that automobile insurance is applied on the State level and not the Federal level.

Now straight to the point, automobile insurance is required for liability reasons. That is, to pay the expenses of you, your passengers and the other vehicles passengers in the event you are found at fault in accident. Did you get that, automobile insurance is to protect you against financial liability for accidents that can be directly attributable to your negligance or as deemed ‘no fault” which means your collision coverage becomes appicable. Now, you must keep in mind that collision insurance comes with its own premium and directly applies to the event in which you get into an accident that is a case of “no fault” or in the event that you get in accident with a deer or moose, God forbid. How does the use of the argument of automobile insurance relate to health insurance? It doesn’t. This argument is completely without merit since health is directly applicable to you and it does not involve the health of other people as a result of you health. Sounds stupid doesn’t it? I could go on with the fact that driving an automobile is not a right, not to mention that it requires a license from the State of residence to operate. Now to equate this to health insurance, it would require me to issue a license for your health that is given to you by the State and not the Federal Government. Do you need a license for your health? Of course not, it is part of your being and is considered private property by some in the Supreme Court.

Without further adieu, I move on to my original piece. Of course this is incomplete and I am sure some will provide comment to enhance my original though. So, here you go…
There has been much talk lately about how Universal Heatlh Care should be the course of action that the U.S. Government takes up in the coming years.  Shoot, in the coming years?  If the last 50 days or so are any example, we will have this passed in the next 25 days.  So, my question is, what exactly are the repercussions of a move which will eventually lead to a Public Healthcare System (PHS) that will affect everyone of the 300 million plus people in this country?  Well, I want to examine this subject with my friends here at RedState to put together something of a brainstorming session on the effects of a Universal PHS. 

First of all, I would like to examine some of our other institutions that are so called Public.  As Ron White says, “I was thrown out into “Public””.  Let us imagine our choices on TV for one, we have private corporations that provide television programming in both the broadcast and cable systems, and we have a choice of Public type broadcast usually referred to as the Public Broadcasing Service (PBS) which is of course provided by your cable company as well. 

What is the connection here, DONTREADONME, PBS, PHS?  The answer my friends is not as straight forward as you might think.  PHS is a universal type health care system modeled after the single payer system that is used by the British and the Canadians, while PBS is not a single payer system.  15-25% of the funding to PBS comes from the U.S. Government.    Everything you ever wanted to know about the PBS can be found at the PBS website here http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/.  For those of you Fox watchers, I will give you the brief, PBS 356 stations that reaches about 65 million people with its eductational and sometimes entertaining programming provided to it by the American Public Television, NETA and independent producers.  Its funding is largely obtained through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting which is a Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE).  If anyone thinks they have seen that name before, you have, they were once the mortgage giants Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Banking System and Freddie Mac.  You know, the sub-prime mortgage giants that have single handedly brought down the economy with the help of energy prices, Democratic Party, and Obama not to mention the unscrupulous traders, credit swappers, mortgage companies and greedy homeowners (flip this house, flipped the economy).

I have been giving this subject some thought now for about the last 20 days.  Here is a flipside argument that I have been working on, keep in mind that I do not have any supporting documentation here, but where does the majority of treatments and cures for disease orginate.  That is, which country in the world spends the most money (including government and private corporations) on the Research and Development of new drugs and treatments. 

I would imagine that country is the United States of America (USA).  Now the question is,  who conducts the majority of research and development in the USA on new drugs and treatment, private corporations.  Now why is that?  Well, we do spend money in the public sector through the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) but mainly that money goes to Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and R&D contracts with private organizations.  Again, why does the Government do that with our taxpayer money.  Simple, private industry works more efficiently; the Government is central planning and full of bureaucratic procedures such as statutory, regulatory and policy requirements.  Private companies are structured to better commit the funds directly to R&D without the costly “diseconomy of scale” that is the Government.  Let us not forget the following when it comes to private industry over Government:

When it comes to acquiring the best new equipment for R&D it is easier for the private company to use it’s own funds as part of business development; Government, in the effort to acquire new equipment specifically for its own use, requires the allocating of funds, planning of the acquisition, following regulatory, statutory and policy requirements (paperwork – NEPA, FAR. legal review, Source Selection Plan (SSP), Sole Source Justication and Apprval (J&A) if applicable etc.), releasing the Request for Proposal (RFP), selecting the source, negotiating the contract, and maintaining adherence to the contractual guidelines.  Phew, that is quite the process comparing Government to private organizations.  Now you can understand why the Governments technology (in this case medical) takes years and a private organization can have the Commerical Off the Shelf (COTS) product with in just the delivery time.  You may now say, DONTREADONME, the military has some of the most cutting edge technology in the world.  Well, the answer to why is simple, the Government usually funds private industry directly to conduct the research and development.  The Government is very limited in what it can develop itself for its own use, and manufacturing the developed product is another story.

Private industry does not have all of the time in the world to research, develop, and produce a product, that is the funding is limited. Demands of efficiency and progress within short time frames are usually demanded by the corporate leaders or the shareholders. Unlike Government, the private firm has a fixed R&D budget usually derived from either the selling of stock, borrowing or the use of profit. The Government and its workers, including the advocates in Congress and the Executive Branch, are never under the impression that the supply of money will run out; however, much to their dismay Government revenue is not infinite.

Finally, what disturbs me even more than the factors I listed above about Goverment taking over the Health Care system, is the loss of privacy.  Let us not forget the Porkulus Bill that alloted funding to develop a database system through which doctors would have to report their treatment processes for you to a centralized location.  When we are on this train called PHS, their will be no such thing as doctor patient confidentiality and Government will have complete access to all of your personnal medical information.  Is this what the country wants?  I know many of you here do not want this, and most certainly I will fight this effort to move to a single payer system in the style of Canada and Great Britian tooth and nail. 

“Don’t Tread On Me”

Once again, this diary is recycled from back in February, but this will probably be the last time I have a chance to relay the story of this ship and her crew before it is be lost to the sea as an artifical reef or worst sold as scrap metal.  If you have a chance, watch the History Channels reenactment of that ”dogfight” between ship and Kamikaze which are included as frames in this story below.  This is just one story of the many of those we remember today. 

This is the second update to my original posting from February 19th of 2009.  It seems that the situation looks dire for my grandfather’s ship that is docked beside the U.S.S. Yorktown at the Patriots Point Naval Museum in South Carolina. 

From an article posted on April 29th by Allyson Bird at the Post and Courier

The aircraft carrier Yorktown is one of four museum vessels berthed at Patriots Point. The struggling attraction might have to reduce the number of exhibits it has to maintain. Its development authority is seeking a long-term plan to carry it into the future.

“We have ships 25 years old and no structure in our funding to maintain them,” Hagerty said. “That leads to some very difficult choices.”
</p Over the past several months, the attraction’s dire situation became increasingly clear: All four ships need repairs, and the Patriots Point Development Authority does not have the necessary money or any plan for how to get it.

Experts gave the destroyer Laffey, known in World War II as “The Ship that Would Not Die,” a year before the hundreds of holes in the hull sink it. Hagerty pointed out that the Laffey Foundation contributed some $30,000 but that short-term costs exceed $300,000 and long-term needs extend into the millions.

“Can you imagine how we have blown our trust if she sinks?” Hagerty said.

Instead, he told the authority, “Pick what we can do and do it right. Don’t ever be in this position again.”

Other board members questioned the idea of turning a naval museum into a single-ship attraction, and the group decided to wait until its May meeting to take action.

Officials reviewed the status of each ship. The submarine Clamagore might eventually head to a land-side exhibit, while the cutter Ingham could move to the care of a Coast Guard group in Florida.

The cash strapped Patriots Point is talking about using its only funds to concentrate on fixing the Yorktown and eliminating the other vessels in the floating museums of which includes the U.S.S. Laffey.  I am saddened to hear such news, but it brings me to Memorial Day.  The U.S.S. Laffey is ready to be lost to the sea, but the ships history should give you a stark reminder of the service of our fellow countrymen in the effort to maintain our way of life.  The U.S.S. Laffey is also a reminder of the courage and “can do” spirit that uniquely identify us as Americans.  This Memorial Day, I will specifically remember those that served and I will use the Laffey’s story once again as a singular event that characterizes those that we honor on this holiday.  

The floating musuems are the USS Yorktown commissioned in 1943, USS Laffey commissioned in 1944, USS Clagamore (diesel sub) commisioned 1945 and the USCG Cutter Ingahm commissioned in 1936.  All four of these majestic naval vessels are all in need of repair at 34 million 7.7 million,  5 million, and  2.7 million respectively.  A description of the repairs needed to all four of these vessels can be found at the following link: http://www.laffey.org/patriots_point_needs.htm. 

The USS Laffey organization is not completely confident that the federal funds are available; therefore they are still open to any donations.  I have included the original story that was in this diary for all to read or re-read again.  If you get some time to do some research on the Yorktown, I recommend it, the ship and the men that served aboard have great tales to tell and are exemplary men and women. 

From my original Diary “Save the “Ship that Would Not Die” USS-Laffey DD-724? posted on February 19th 2009:

I write you all today at Redstate® for reasons other than politics.  Today, I write to you as simply a proud American and grandson of WWII Naval Veteran, Al Dorris whose ship dubbed the “Ship That Would Not Die”, is in serious trouble of being lost to the sea.  The following is taken from a press release which can be found at the following link: http://www.laffey.org/press_release__uss_laffey_needs.htm

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina – Dec 12, 2008
            In the early hours of Monday morning, December 1st, staff personnel at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum noticed the last remaining Sumner class destroyer in existence, the USS Laffey, sitting lower than usual in the water.
            When staff personnel arrived, they discovered five feet of water in the lower section of the ship.  As emergency procedures began and pumping commenced, water was entering the ship at a rate of 2,000 gallons per hour.  After over 90,000 gallons of sea water were pumped from the ship, the location of the leak was determined late Wednesday evening.  Environmental personnel were called to oversee the operations to ensure that all procedures were being conducted in a safe and efficient manner.  There were no hazardous materials released into the outside water.
            Survey teams and divers were on the scene Thursday morning to attempt temporary repairs and assess the extent of the hull’s deterioration.  By late afternoon Thursday, the leak was stopped with an epoxy patch, thereby allowing a marine survey to be conducted.

(…)
            The December 11 holes are not connected with the holes discovered three weeks ago or those discovered on December 1, but they highlight Patriots Point Development Authority’s challenges with the cost and the need for constant maintenance of its aging fleet of four naval museum vessels. An early estimate of the cost to tow the USS Laffey to a repair facility and repair her is $3.5 million. Patriots Point is weighing its alternatives to deal with the Laffey given her deteriorated hull condition. In addition to this early estimate of $3.5 million needed for the Laffey, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, submarine Clamagore and Coast Guard Cutter Ingham collectively need approximately $50 million of maintenance and repairs. This need is not unique to Patriots Point’s fleet. The aircraft carrier museum ship Intrepid moored in New York recently received over $120 million of repairs and maintenance.

I am writing this diary and including the history of my Grandfathers ship for I hope that in some small way, I can help save a piece of history for future generations.  If you take anything away from the diary, my hope is that you enjoyed the story and the show.   

The USS Laffey DD-724 is the last Sumner class “Tin Can” Destroyer and the only destroyer left to see action in WWII in both the Pacific and the Atlantic campaigns.  The history of this ship is amazing and it is chronicled in the book “The Ship That Would Not Die” by her WWII Captain, the late USN Rear Admiral F. Julian Becton.  When you watch the following videos from the History Channel, you will know why the ship enjoys that moniker and you will know the famous phrase of her Captain “I will never abandom ship as long as I have a gun that fires”.  I think some of our fellow Republicans could learn something from this quote.

Luckily, I do not have to give you my grandfather’s story, nor do I have to write verbatim, the events of April 16th, 1945 on radar Picket Station 1 North of Okinawa.  The reason for not having to relay this history to you, the Redstate® patrons, the History Channel has provided an excellent show with animated computer graphic reenactment of the events of that day.  The show was Dogfights “Kamikaze” Part 2.  I have provided the three parts of that show for your viewing pleasure.  See Below…

I think you will feel the same overwhelming feeling of pride I felt when you finish watching the reenacted events of April 16th 1945.  Additionally, these video will provide a much needed respite for many of you from politics.  I hope you enjoy and once again, my grandfather’s experience is documented for his future descendents which is just awesome.  In the video titled 4 of 5 The History Channels Dogfights “Kamikaze”, the plane that was hit straight on the nose by the 5? MT52 gun was heading straight for my grandfather’s position on 40mm guns below the bridge.  Ari Phoutrides discusses the take down of the Val with the 5? gun, that is amazing! 

Part 2 of 5 The History Channels Dogfights “Kamikaze”

Part 3 of 5 The History Channels Dogfights “Kamikaze”

Part 4 of 5 The History Channels Dogfights “Kamikaze”

The Commendations and Battle Ribbons of the USS Laffey are indicative of the hardiness of this ship and the valor of her crew. Presidential Unit Citation for action off Okinawa, April 16, 1945, Meritorious Unit Commendation for the Jordanian Crisis 1970, Navy “E” Battle Efficiency Award, American Campaign Service Medal, European-African-Middle, Eastern Campaign Medal with Battle Star, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with 4 Battle Stars, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal with Star, Korean Service Medal with 2 Stars, Naval Reserve Sea Service Award, Philippine Republic, Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Liberation Medal Philippine Independence, United Nations Service Medal, Korean War Service, Jubilee of Liberty (France) and Chinese War Memorial (China-Taiwan).

The only preserved Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, as well as the only surviving U.S. World War II destroyer that saw action in the Atlantic, USS Laffey acted as an escort for convoys to Great Britain. On D-Day, the destroyer helped bombard Utah Beach at Normandy. Sent into the Pacific, Laffey was involved in one of the most famous destroyer-kamikaze duels in the war.  Hit several times, racked by explosions and fires, Laffey remained afloat because of the valiant efforts of her crew to earn the sobriquet “the ship that would not die.” Laffey earned five battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service and two battle stars for her Korean War service.

Stricken from the Navy Register in 1977, Laffey (DD 724),  is now displayed with the aircraft carrier Yorktown, the submarine Clamagore, and the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham in Patriots Point, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

 

USS Laffey is a National Historic Landmark.

Class:  Allen M. Sumner Destroyer
Launched:  November 21, 1943
At:  Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine
Commissioned:  February 8, 1944

Length:  377 feet    Beam:  41 feet
Draft:  19 feet    Displacement:  2,200 tons
Armament: Six 5-inch/38 caliber guns; six 21-inch torpedo tubes

Present Address:
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
40 Patriots Point Road
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464

For all those wishing to help out with the enormous effort to keep this ship afloat visit the following website  www.laffey.org/sos.htm.   The text of the USS Laffey Association President’s message to the organizations members which provides an additional brief of the ships history as well as an SOS is as follows:

            The USS LAFFEY DD-724 fought at Normandy, Iwo Jima, Philippines and took on 22 kamikazes in 80 minutes at Okinawa.  She survived the Korean War and 25 more years of Cold War sailing.  She has now sprung some very bad leaks and is need of dry dock service.

            As you know, the LAFFEY is based at Patriots Point Naval Museum in Charleston, SC. She has been there since 1981.

            She is the last of her kind and is taking on water at the rate of 2000 gallons per hour. The pumps are handling it right now but we need your help. To pull her, dredge to get her out of her mooring, tow her up river to the dry dock and repair the bottom will cost in the area of 3 million dollars.

            Patriots Point and the Laffey Association are looking for any donations we can get to save this important piece of naval history.  Any amount you can afford would help immensely to help save our ship.

            Many of you have visited our ship and enjoyed the memories that she brought you.  Please do what you can to help preserve this great ship so others can share the experiences that you had aboard your tin can.

Thanks for your help.

Sonny Walker, President
USS LAFFEY ASSOCIATION

Once again, I hope you enjoyed a brief history about a WWII Destroyer that you may have never heard about before.  I will leave you by saying this, my grandfather would never admit to being a hero that day; however, his grandson is more than proud of his service to this country and he will always been my hero for doing his duty in as a crew member of the USS Laffey.  Lastly, my great appreciation and admiration to all that died in service to this great country and Semper Fi to the Marine Corps CAP that took care of “mop up” on the remaining Vals and Judys, because without you who knows, I may not be here. 

A special thanks to the people at RedState for allowing me to post this as well as stick around for as long as I have.

For more information on the USS Laffey (DD-724) and her historic background, please go to their website at www.patriotspoint.org and access “Ships & Museums – USS Laffey”.

Thanks to all,

being stuck without an “Open Thread” that is just “Open” so that someone can vent about what it is that is bothering them.  Most of the time for me, it is about some of the swingers-by that come by just to cause trouble. So for all, use this blog as an “Open Thread” to download your stray thoughts, outbursts and irritations.

I do not think I have ever really had an argument with a Conservative on this website, more like discussions; however, I find myself stuck blabbering to some drive-by just looking to cause trouble.  One night it was Warkarma; another night it was some chick that called me “daft”; now, it is a Global Warming Enthusiast that has not posted on Redstate for at least a month or so. 

The problem is, why do I argue with these people in the comment section?  Maybe, I think, I have to find a way to prove these “morons” (keep in mind these people aren’t morons, just a different view) wrong, or I just need to play their game.  Either way, my advice to everyone is the following, do not argue with these people because most of the time they only want to drag you down, tick you off, or get you to say something that you will regret.  I further advise to all the new readers around here, save your strength for people you have seen around on a regular basis. 

Why?  Because those usernames that are recognizable from your reading of the comments section or the diaries themselves usually have given you a context of their mindset, thought process or political leanings.  It is like getting to know one another; therefore, when it comes time for an argument with them you will display considerable respect for the person. 

Why? because it is easier to argue respectfully with someone that you share common ground with.  What is unusual about myself is that I find myself still arguing with those people who I have nothing in common with.  That is almost every position they have is antithetical to my own, and I will never change their mind no matter what I say or do.  Of course, the same can be said in the reverse; however, those individuals who I know and have a read on, usually stand a chance of convincing me of something missing in my logic or reasoning.  Of course, again, the same can be said in reverse.

So, for all of you out there reading this that have found themselves in an argument with me that has turned sour, I apologize, I do not know you very well and I most likely read you all long. We probably would get along in real life, there is no doubt about it.

Lastly, as I step down from the soap box, I have to say that many people make spelling errors in the comments section and sometimes miss words resulting in bad grammar; therefore, if you can understand the point the person is trying to make, ignore the spelling and grammar. It is thought that counts; even Physicists need their Maxwell (mathematician). If not, just ask for clarification. Do not strike out quickly at peoples’ thoughts in the comments’ section because many people find that their fingers do not keep up with the speed of their brain. Without error check or Ctrl+z, we are left with the error for all the world to see. So lighten up a little bit, we know we misspelled something or got the grammar wrong, and we are embarrased (misspelled on purpose) about it. Do not rake us over the coals for it.
“The Little Man From the Draft Board” “Draftee Daffey” 1945

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act destroyed, and rightfully so, by threat of veto by President George W. Bush has finally passed the Senate by a margin of 61 to 36. 

For all of you who want to read the bill, it is very short but telling for reference follow the follwing link http://thomas.loc.gov/ of course you have to look for the bill, given the link I orginally gave is indexed.  Just go to the www.senate.gov and it may be easier to find it that way. 

My objections to this bill are in line with those who voted against this legislation; however, I think I may have some objections to the Supreme Courts ruling of 180 days given that it seems the Court has legislated the number of 180 days.  I am no legal scholar so this is a engineer’s view of the matter and the implication of the statements in the bill in Section 2 which seem to strip all statute of limitations to these type of discrimination suits.  I think the story from foxnews.com that I quote and link below has missed the fact that the following quote completely eliminates the limitations of the “each paycheck” statement and replaces it to an unlimited duration when so called discrimination occurs. 

(3) With regard to any charge of discrimination under any law, nothing in this Act is intended to preclude or limit an aggrieved person’s right to introduce evidence of an unlawful employment practice that has occurred outside the time for filing a charge of discrimination.

The “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act” is legislation that is plain politics that will placate the leftists; however, this bone thrown to big labor and women’s rights groups will result in a huge cost of small business, corporations and large businesses alike. 

Former President Bush threatened to veto the measure last year, called the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The bill never made it out of the Senate. 

Republicans have said the measure is a pay out to trial lawyers and Big Labor. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a former small business owner, said the bill will have a negative effect as small business owners are hit with “frivolous lawsuits.” 

“This will leave women with fewer jobs. Small business owners, especially now in these hard economic times, are having a rough time. This kind of expense will mean they have less jobs for everyone, including women,” he said. 

The bill is named for Lilly Ledbetter, a former employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, who sued the company when she discovered after her 19-year career that she was paid much less than her fellow male colleagues. The case eventually made it to the Supreme Court where, in a 5-4 decision, Ledbetter lost her case. The court ruled that employees must file a claim within 180 days of a company’s initial decision to pay a worker less money, regardless of when a discrepancy is discovered. 

The Senate on Thursday approved legislation, as Ledbetter looked on, that declares each paycheck a worker receives can represent a new violation, thereby renewing the statute of limitations with each pay period. 

Disclaimer: Before moving on in this diary, if you are a liberal, overly sensitive or have a problem with perceived sexism and bigotry please do not read further for you are about to read something that may offend you.

You have to be kidding me!  Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company have NO REASON or obligation to pay Ms. Victim the same wage as her male counterparts.  If she had asked for a raise after she found out about the discrepancy in wages, than she should have been fired along with the person who told her about the income discrepancy for violation of company policy.  At minimum, the person who revealed his pay to Ms. Victim should have been fired and Ms. Victim should have been brought up to the salary of her male colleagues if she asked for a raise.

For all of you that think I am being unfair, this is a competition out there and companies are not in business to lose money.  You are an employee and a product or capital, if you accept a lower wage than your male counterpart, there is no reason for you to be given a matching wage as a male colleague once you find out about the discrepancy.

This works both ways here.  It happens in the professional world all of the time.  As the marketplace changes and the cost of living rises in an area new hires become more expensive due to the need for incentive.  If you have a problem with this reality, change jobs or move. 

Listen to me, if I have lived in my home for 20 years and have been employed with the same company for 20 years and the area around me has increased in the cost of living, my company would have to raise the amount of starting pay for the new hires to get people move to the area and accept the job.  It is called incentive. 

Now what happens if I was with the company for 20 years, paid off the mortgage, making $50,000 a year, my house’s value went from $75,000 in 1988 to $540,000 in 2008, and rent in the area is $2000 a month for an apartment, what do you think I am going to get for $50,000 a year? 

Secondly, if I am not the supervisor, why should I know what those around me make?  This is a competition, supply and demand, unless you are in a union then the laws of supply and demand fall apart.

Lastly, if there was a proven conspiracy to intentionally hold down someone’s salary because you are green, blue, very tiny, twig or from Mars then by all means you have a case and bring to court your allegations. 

Moving on to the last paragraph of the story linked above, we have Barbara Mikulski Democrat Senator who lives in Maryland invoking the spirit of Ted Kennedy with the following banal for those of you in Rio Linda that means dull and unoriginal.   

“Today we changed the law, we changed direction, we changed history,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md. Mikulski sent out a special note for the bill’s previous lead sponsor, the ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., who suffered a seizure related to a brain tumor earlier this week: “Ted, we miss you. We know you’re not here on the floor, but you’re with us in spirit.” 

Please Senator Barbara “Face for Radio and Voice for Silent Movies” Democrat, you have been a disaster for Maryland and a disgrace, you are the reason I left Maryland for Virginia.  Now your garbage has spread from MD to VA, please take the blue back from VA and return to the ruin you call Maryland.  You do not deserve calling yourself a Senator from Maryland as far as I am concerned you are just a Democrat Senator lap dog of the DNC.  Now that I have that off my chest, I can continue on with the rest of my point.

I am awe inspired by the many people on RedState that can find the time to write their diaries. My hat’s off to each and everyone of you that can read all of the headlines and dig deep into the story to find the details that the MSM misses or fails to highlight. I am also very impressed by the level of detail that some of the posters at RedState get into.

I have tried many times to write a diary entry that would be well thought out, detailed and researched and found myself running out of time and leaving it for another day only to find that another day has come and gone and new ideas have caught my attention.

That has led me to this point that I felt I would discuss. I spend many of my days and nights working on systems engineering documentation for the many programs that I am currently working on. My God, family, country, work, and sanity are my priorities in order right now in my life; however, my interest in getting my ideas and concerns in regards to the current U.S. political discourse are of ever increasing priority since the election of 2008, yet I am still at a loss for time to produce diaries worth reading or even getting to the front page. So am I alone here?

I have no children right now, but I want many. I want to be able to father a new generation of Conservatives steeped in the values that I hold dear, and give them the information to make it in this country like I have. Unfortunatly, for people like me, we find ourselves caught in the minute details of family, faith, mental health and career that our conservative and civics knowledge go unshared with those that I interact with on a daily basis or with those looking to learn by visiting this site. Again, is this a reason why the internet blogosphere is run by the liberals and not by conservatives? I certainly find it hard to spend time producing some of the diaries that I would like to create. Again, I always seem to be engaging in all of those other priorities listed above. Is this why the conservatives are not as prominent on the internet as their liberal counterparts are? When things get bad is that the only time you will here more from us vociferously challenged conservatives?

Many times I will pick up Physics/Engineering Journals or Textbooks to further my knowledge of my field of study rather than write on the politics of the day, but that is what many of my conservative colleagues do as well. I can only provide reassurance that when you start seeing more people like me enter the blogosphere, we have entered because our career can no longer take priority over the direction of the country. I just hope it will not be too late.

Lastly, to let everyone know and be reassured, there are many intelligent conservative thinkers out there who share your principles and can prove everyone of them to an extent that is almost air-tight to a logical thinker (except things relating to faith); however, many of us will hand snippets of information in the little time we have to do so. So please do not crush us with harsh critiques because our diary is short, because many of us want to contribute without hijacking a thread, and remember we have much to add.

The following was posted in the comment section of a diary by Jack_Savage titled “A challenge (and plea) to EPU (and others)”

The following is only a portion from that full comment…

The posters opening began with the following:

“Personally, I’m very puzzled by conservatism in many respects. Whatever your reading list or intellectual underpinnings, I think that answering some difficult questions in light of the conservative philosophy might help to illuminate the issue: Taxes: I’ve never met a conservative that didn’t feel that lower taxes were better. Yet the top marginal rate has steadily decreased over the last 60 years and is currently at its lowest point since the Great Depression.”

Now here is my argument to the posters premise:

Your argument is very narrow in scope. You say that the top marginal tax rate is the lowest in 60 years; however, you fail to discuss the tax burden to the tax payer in its entirety. The top marginal rate is not inclusive, it does not account for the other taxes levied on the income earner. We cannot forget about the payroll taxes, Medicare, property tax, state income tax, personal property tax, utility taxes, travel taxes, gas taxes, energy taxes, and sales tax. Not to mention all of the taxes you have if you are an investor or own a business that makes profit.

I believe the best way to view taxes and their effect on the taxpayer as the number of days a year on average that we have to work to pay for all of the tax obligations before we truly start “earning” our net income. They call the day you finish paying all off your tax obligations as Tax Freedom Day® by the Tax Foundation. I have no right to that term so from here onward I will call it the tax free days.

You will find that for the last 60 years, we as individual income earners have had to work a longer and longer period of time before we truly start earning net income. The shortest duration between the 1st of the CY and the day you fulfill your tax obligations was in 1900 when it was 5 days. The Great Depression started in 1929 or thereabouts and the duration for that year was 40 days.

Now let us look at 1930 to 1952. World War II occurred in the 1st half of the ‘40s which could explain the increase; however, look what happened after WWII.

The followings numbers were derived from the following link which supplies the duration to tax free day for all years from 1900 to present day:
Tax Foundation’s “Special Report: America Celebrates Tax Freedom Day” No. 160 April 2008

‘30, 43 days; ‘31, 46 days; ’32 56 days; ’33, 62 days; ’34, 60 days; ’35, 57 days; ’36, 58 days; ’37, 63 days; ’38, 65 days; ’39, 63 days; ’40, 66 days; ’41, 75 days; ’42, 77 days; ’43, 94 days; ’44, 88 days; ’45, 89 days; ’46, 89 days; ’47, 92 days; ’48, 86 days; ’49, 81 days; ’50, 90 days; ’51, 97 days; ’52, 97 days;

Here is some interesting numbers; in 1993 the income tax free days did not occur for 111 days, 1998 it hit 120 days until a peak in 2000 of 123 days before dropping back down to 106 days in 2003. I believe the market exploded in 2003-2006 and notice that when the duration to tax free days went, back to 116 in 2007 and back to 113 in 2008 because of the stimulus checks. As you can see the stimulus checks have, if any, short term (1 year) of the duration to tax free days.

Next sentence in the post is the following:

“The simple question is – at what point are taxes “low enough”? The bigger question is on what basis does a conservative answer this question?”

Obviously, from my discussion above it can be readily seen that the tax obligation of Americans translates into approximately 30% of the year. Again, 30% of the year we are working for the Government in all of its manifestations; therefore, there should be no question that taxes could be lowered regardless of the posters simple question.

This analysis can even be referenced to historical precedence. We are currently at 114 days from January 1 to tax free days. In 2010, this number will skyrocket when tax rates revert back to the Clinton years’ rates (Bush tax cuts expire). Expect our tax obligation to return to historical highs of 120-130 days; however, tax free days are dependent on Government’s spending, tax increases, programs and ideology. With the liberal ideology of the current administration and Congress, expect the interval to tax free days to reach record long durations. Taxes on investors, capitals gains, and corporate profit are not included in this discussion.

Now I asked the poster to provide an answer to his tax quandary presented in an earlier post excerpted above. The following is what I was given:

“Taxes – too low when the needs of the state cannot be paid for under the revenue provided by the tax base; too high when the state is wasting more money than the lowest basic entropy of a bureaucratic system generates. “Needs of the state” include basic needs of its citizens and basic standards of opportunity for its citizens are being universally met. I don’t think that this point is often found at in a region of the “Laffer Curve” that would see increased tax revenues as a result of decreasing tax rates – should it be found there, then obviously the formulae above would be reversed. I think that taxes on any given group should never be more than they can afford without giving up basic needs and basic opportunities.”

This statement made by the poster is common among idealists and socialists. He begins his argument citing the low end of the “Laffer Curve”, the linear region near zero where the Government cannot afford basic costs of minimal operation due to the lack of revenue. Then the poster shifts to the high end and states that Government becomes wasteful when taxes are too high. He has now moved to the “diseconomy of scale” argument for the Government which is used mainly as an explanation for efficiency of a company based on size. In keeping with good grammar practices, the poster has deviated from parallelism. He should have cited that when taxes are too high, the revenue brought in to the Government begins to reach a point of negative return. High taxes will bring in revenue that can be equated to the same revenue garnered when taxes are too low.

The “Laffer Curve” will be cited by Nobel prize winners James Toblin in his article “Voodoo Curse” from the Harvard International Review, and I will paraphrase him saying the theory deserves the same ridicule as it did when it was first greeted by sober economists. Let us recall that J. Toblin believes in Keynesianism economics that suggests that Governments should intervene to stabilize the economy to prevent recessions. For example, the Government will intervene in the economy through the control of interest rates, funding of public works projects and taxation. We all know how these economic principles turned out in practice. Need I say more?

Now let us move on to what the poster calls the “entropy of a bureaucratic system”. The poster states that the disorder caused by an enormous bureaucratic system is a given only when taxes have become too high; this is not consistent with the ordinate axis of the “Laffer Curve”.

Additionally, in the remaining logic presented by the poster, the tax burden should not exceed the ability of the payer to afford the basic needs and basic opportunities. These “basic” components are considered part of what the poster terms the “Needs of the State”. The problem with the argument is what are basic needs and opportunities and who determines what they are?

Working for the Government in the past, I can tell you, that you do not want Government to determine what are your “basic needs and opportunities”, let alone determine what “States Needs” are. This is Marxism, plain and clear as exemplified in the following phrase, “To each according to his needs, from each according to his abilities”. We have had many examples of this philosophies failure. Communism which is a form of Marxism was a failure.

Once again, working for the Government in the past has given me a firsthand understanding that the U.S. Government is indeed a bloated bureaucracy that is operating well beyond the point of efficiency. If the Government has reached the point of using $10 dollars to spend $1.00, I think it is safe to say that the Government is a bloated bureaucracy.

More of this analysis of the posters misconceptions, (and there are many) are to come in a future diary. The next entry will be the Another Simple Man’s Arguement (Military Spending

I am not a lawyer or even a student of the law, but I have a thought or argument that I have been trying to collect. This short diary deals with my perceived supremacy of the courts and how they have gone beyond their original purpose by assuming they do not need to consider original intent.

Let us imagine for a moment, that we are given the chance to conduct a 3rd Continental Congress to reestablish the U.S. Constitution and it’s Amendments; however, we are granted the opportunity to amend, subtract or leave the U.S. Constitution “as is”. What would we do? Delete words, add text, clarify, remove amendments, correct mistakes if any, etc…

Here is the problem; we need to make sure that the modifications we make to our hypothetical U.S. Constitution are not misinterpreted by future generations, because we are composing it with all of the knowledge of our history. We are the founding FATHERS, providing our hypothetical fledgling nation with guidance, direction and constitution.

I would bet that most of us would agree that most of the U.S. Constitution as it is currently drawn is acceptable to leave “as is”; however, there are no doubt some of us that have one or two exceptions. The 17th Amendment, a 2nd Amendment Clarification Amendment, and that whole “promote the general welfare” thing in the Preamble that someone is just waiting to use as an excuse to cut all fat and salt in our diets.

We would definitely leave the Amendment process “as is”. This will keep in place the wisdom that our Founding Fathers had regarding future changes that may have to be made.

Now here is the part that is most applicable to current issues. What powers will we supply to the Judiciary Branch of the U.S. Government when it comes to handling cases involving potential conflicts with our hypothetical U.S. Constitution? What would we expect of this Judiciary in these cases?

Here is my answer; we would expect that as founding fathers of this hypothetical U.S. Constitution, that the Judiciary Branch interprets our original intent in its decisions, unless our hypothetical U.S. Constitution has been amended. Our original intent is precedence here.

Now, here is the point, what makes the courts and the Supreme Court of the United States, for that matter, believe that the Founding Fathers would have expected the judiciaries’ role to be any different than us in creating our hypothetical U.S. Constitution?

I would expect that we would agree that the courts have been overstepping in some cases the mandate supplied to them in the U.S. Constitution. You can disagree, and you may be right. Then again, I am not a Harvard educated, MSM proclaimed Constitutional Professor.

If you are like I am, you are probably sitting there feeling so powerless in your ability to stop our Government’s rampage on the private sector. When I say powerless, here is what I mean: George W. Bush, Paulson, Democrats and most Republicans are arguing not about whether the U.S. Government should bail out private industries, No, they are arguing about who should get our money and how much.

My colleagues, we are experiencing a true feeling of powerlessness, not the garbage fed to us by the drive-bys and the complaints of our liberal friends over the last 8 years. The tyranny of the majority is finally upon us, and who would have guessed that the Conservatives are the minority.

So you are asking yourself, yes, I am with you but what can we do? I have to be honest, I really do not know. My advice is to start campaigning now for the midterm elections in 2010, and for myself I should get involved to make sure that Virginia is galvanized statewide in solid red after the 2009 off-year elections. Yes, I know the midterm elections are two years away, but when did the Democrats start campaigning for this election? 2 years ago, and look how that turned out.

I have learned over my three plus decades on this earth who is Conservative and who is a Liberal. I can tell from someone’s work ethic and drive which way they plan to vote in the U.S. Presidential elections. I will not say that 100% of those that vote Democrat have a bad work ethic, but I can assure you that the percentage is darn near close. For those that disagree with this assessment I will provide this disclaimer: most people who vote for the Democrat who are dedicated with an outstanding work ethic are usually those who are ill informed about what a Conservative truly is, or the Democrat who ran was a conservative. That subjective assessment made, we Conservatives are the Ones (not to be confused with the One) who keep this country in motion, and we are the legacy of all great things in this country. When a true Conservative speaks who did you hear? I image a Founding Father of the United States of America. When a Liberal speaks who do you hear? I imagine it would be the failed tyrants and despots of history and current (Hugo Chavez); therefore, we, the Conservatives will continue to be the pacemaker and lifeblood of the United States of America, while the liberals attempt to pull the plug.

I cannot salve your wounds or your feeling of powerlessness over the next two years nor can I relieve my own; however, it sure would help if someone would step in and act as the conductor of this out-of-control locomotive of unchained ardor and ire. Until such time that this Conservative fervor is chained and focused we will be powerless without a voice, but we will continue our lives as usual knowing that the failures of the Liberals will once again be laid to bare, and we will rise again to rectify. We will be waiting…

After listening to Mr. Hannity on the radio today with a liberal caller telling us we need to give Obama a honeymoon period, I began to think, should we? If so, why? Then I proceed to go off on a rant that is to follow.

Let us face the facts the Democrats never gave George W. Bush a honeymoon, period. Both terms mind you. You remember that wonderful 1st term honeymoon for G. W. Bush, you don’t? I do not either. I remember a full month of attempts to steal the election, litigation, and the whole “Selected not Elected” mantra. You know, I could open up my boxes of periodicals like Time and U.S. News and World Report and I will find story after story after the election of 2000 of Bush receiving everything but a honeymoon.

Did Bush get a honeymoon on his election to a second term? Yeah, I know he was the incumbent and does not need a honeymoon. None-the-less, my point is he didn’t. Some part of me says, “Do not sink to their level by preventing Obama from getting a honeymoon”. Then the proud and confident part of me says, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”. The Demoncrats (whoops, Freudian slip there, wait a minute doesn’t that only happen when you speak) will never let a Republican breath while in office, nor do I believe the MSM will ever stop the honeymoon for the next 4 years. Well, strap on your manure-kickers, we have our work cut out for us. “Don’t tread on me”, while a libertarian rallying call, with Chairman Oba-Mao in office, and the Democrats controlling the Legislative Branch, we will all be considered libertarians. How could you not be libertarian when you are against the tide of the socialist temperament in the country now?

Obama’s honeymoon started back in October when the market fell apart. The media fawned over this guy with such blind lust. Listen, I do not debate that his marketing strategy was awesome; however, that is the part that bothers me most. This guy was sold to the American public like suckers watching a late night infomercial for getting rich in the real estate market or the ultimate colon cleansing system. What cracks me up is this is what happened, people will still buy the real estate system even though the market fell apart and somehow we Conservatives got the colon cleanse free of charge without even ordering. I guess we did have to clean these moderates out of the leadership role, so I guess the Republican colon cleanse will do us some good.

Off on the subject here (scatter brain moment), please help me fill in the blanks on this story that I have been trying to piece together. Does anyone remember when Chuck Schumer came out and stated the name of the bank in California that was going under, what happened? I believe the clients of the bank ran-on it causing it to be shut down by the Feds. After this event, the banking market began falling apart as news stories came out speculating that many banks would go under in the following months, can we say spook investors. I am an investor and even I contemplated yanking all of my money out of my bank and throw it under the mattress. Does anyone remember Harry Reid coming out saying that an insurance company that everyone knows the name of was about to go under? The next day insurance stocks tanked. Those Democrats that were involved with making these statements did the public a great disservice and shows their ignorance of history.

Now I am not saying that these things may have not transpired naturally, but come on the timing is quite suspect as well as the usual suspects behind it all. I know, I know, I am acting conspiratorial, but the Democrats played the American public’s fears like a fiddle.

Secondly, I am sick of hearing that “Obama is a fantastic, inspirational, charismatic and persuasive speaker”. Come on, who is buying this garbage; Uh, Uh, Uh, Uh-unfortunately, Obama sells, and mostly everyone’s buying. Witnessing Obama’s forked tongue is like an inside joke among Conservatives since no one who was taught the following phrase “if it is too good to be true, it probably is” could ever fall for this matchstick man that just marked over half of the American electorate.

You, or they might say, I am the quintessential right-wing nut job, “angry young man” or the typical bitter white person that clings to his guns and bible while I fear people different than me. Maybe, I am one of those people that just want to punish my child with a baby. I could go on and on. The point is I will not forget the things that emanated from the One, and I believe that none of us should forget.

If you got this far in my diatribe, thank you! I am glad to see my writing is somewhat palatable or you are a glutton for punishment.

This is a work in progress… Great to see when you hit save by accident you can not hit ctrl Z ctrl Z:

As ideas come to me on how to illustrate and define the process of the infection liberalism I will continue to augment this document.

Liberalism is a mindset and it has a pathology. It is moved by people unwilling to part with the ideology and carry it like a disease. Liberalism always follows prosperity like a flock of locusts, ravaging the land as it progresses. Unfortunately, as liberalism moves it leaves in its wake a society reliant on Government and unwilling to break the chains of dependence. Thus the reason for a cure rather than haulting the conditions progression is paramount.

Liberalism is the mentality of the ideal. If the ideal fails, then the blame must fall upon something other than theory of liberalism. Projection is another tool of the liberal mindset, blame the Conservatives for the ravaging of land and resources, while what is left behind by the liberals is nothing short of that which it projects.

For about two weeks now, I have been wanting to start a discussion of what I see as a systematic progression of blue state mindset creaping into my homestate of Virginia. This invasion seems to stem from an increase in transients due to the housing boom experienced by Virginia over the last 8 years. The transients that I meet are mostly from large cities, mainly New England. Given the large influx of out-of-staters into Virginia from New England made me wonder 4 years ago. Was Virginia destined to become a smoldering urban wilderness, ravaged like so many states that enjoyed profound past prosperity? If Virginia keeps acquiring Yankees will we start voting for Democrats and Liberals?

Well it is four years later and my fear has been founded. It is my belief that we need to illustrate this process of the blue state mindset influx into the red state prosperity.

To further elevate my passion, as I sat today and watched as my property taxes were raised last year 30% and 16% this year and I am furious. When did Virginia start taxing like a drunken democrat from New England? Something happened, but what? Blue State Cancer

Largitorosis Carcinoma
For many years now, I have been watching the blue on the electoral maps slowly creep from the border-states and coastal-states inland towards the core or heart of the United States. Since many have speculated that the reason for this encroachment is due to the enlightenment of the masses, I would argue this is a systematic malignant invasion of a liberalism tumor. Due to the nature and pathology of this vociferous and invasive growth, I have decided to term the condition as largitorosis carcinoma or as it is more commonly known the Blue State Cancer (BLC).

Pathology
Root Cause and Background
BLC usually begins by forming within areas with high concentrations of people or cells. For a period of time, BLC was confined to these highly populated areas known as cities due to generations of independent, patriotic, reverent and industrious individuals who were capable of providing for themselves through hard work, prayer, honor and the limitation of Government.

Many 1st generation and legacy Americans enjoyed the opportunities and learned to appreciate everything they had as citizens of the United States. For generations, apathy was in short supply and patriotic fervor was rampant in those areas outside of cities. The individualistic spirit of 1st generation and the legacy Americans were fostered by the realization that they can do for themselves what they knew a Government could never provide. That was freedom, prosperity, and opportunity, the one known effective cure for BLC. Unfortunately, freedom is in short supply due to the U.S. Government’s willingness to protect it.

To the “Greatest” generation of Americans and older, there was no such thing as the “cannot do” American spirit; no, theirs was a “can do” spirit. In lockstep with history, the years progressed, prosperity flourished and the children of these older generations became sour, apathetic, spoiled and expectant.

While these children enjoyed all of the provisions of their parents, they rebelled and developed a mindset uncommon to that of their independent parents. Many of these rebellious children flocked to cities. The purpose of their migration was to surround themselves with people of a like mind or enlightenment so to say. When the offspring of these prosperous parents moved to the cities they witnessed a perceived inequity. Their mindset, faith (limited understanding of Christianity) and their perception of inequity between them and their urban counterparts led to a fundamental misunderstanding. This misundertanding was facilitated by a correlation of their family’s prosperity against their urban counterparts. Under the bountiful provisions of their parents, these children began to equate their parents bounty with an equal amount of destitution and squalor seen in their urban counterparts.

The following are possible reasons for the intense sense of guilt in these generations: In an urban area the poor are closer and thus the guilt is more pronounce. While charity could not support the enormous demand of the services, the children slowly began to realize that the only way to support these poor was to generate a source of public revenue. As common in the course of history and in contrast to their nations history, the source of public revenue is found in the form of taxation.

The following is an example of the festering of failed ideas spawned from unrealistic sense of idealism: Urban areas confine people in close proximity, thus demanding a ready acceptance of difference amongst individuals, and the coagulation and coalescence of individuals with like interests in to cliques.

Prognosis and Cures
BLC is called the “creeping socialism” in the more patriotic areas of the United States such as Oklahoma. Perplexingly, Oklahoma as a state has been immune to the creeping socialism as it is called. Some analysts suspect that a cure might be found if we study the methodologies and mechanisms that have prevented the tumors invasion into the state of Oklahoma; however, this observer believes that by the time BLC reaches the state of Oklahoma which can now be considered the Heart of the United States, the disease will have completely overwhelmed the Immune System. The Immune System represents the America’s Midwestern and Southern States. The Immune System is currently holding but signs of an aggressive intrusion of BLC into the Lymphatic System represented by Virginia and North Carolina has been seen.

Currently BLC has taken a firm hold of America’s Endocrine System represented by West Coast and the Digestive System represented by New England. These two systems have been completely overwhelmed and are in critical condition. There appears to be no real way to stop the spread of BLC further by concentrating on the systems due to the nature and pathology of the cancer. These two systems have been ravaged and left to waste as the tumor spreads to more healthy areas.

Systems of the United States that appear to be withstanding intrusion of BLC are the Circulatory System represented by Texas and Alaska and the Respiratory System represented by the Upper Midwest States such as Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota and Wyoming.

Notes:
A carcinoma pattern has mysteriously developed over the last three elections that many of my Conservative peers may have noticed

Many would argue that the identity of the United States is manifested solely in the cities of the New England and West Coast