I can tell you right now; Obama is not getting elected in 2012; it is over for the “Hope and Change” era. Over quicker than it started.
Now, I await two things; one, I await for some identity politics ogre, to start carping about how this man is just some angry white racist bigot. Second, I await some liberal to say that this guy is just some angry rich white businessman. Well, let me be the first to tell you all something here. I happen to know a little about the crowd, who hangs around Hope Depot.
Contrary to what some might actually believe. The good majority of the people who buy products at Home Dept are the people; that are commonly known as the backbone of America in this globalist age —- Small Business owners; and the Obama Administration, with the sun-setting of the Bush tax cuts — is basically targeting that group of people. Granted, not all business owners make that kind of money. However there are those that do, and they usually have employees and when taxes increase on those people, sometimes, especially with the smaller businesses; employees have to be laid off, because the “overhead” is just too much of burden on those business people. This should be just common sense, but when you are dealing with socialist left, common sense tends to run in short supply. When you let someone go like that, that causes the said person to not be able to spend money to contribute to the economy; which hurts the service industry, and so on. Not to mention the fact that that person will have problems paying his bills. It is a vicious cycle and it gets worse as the cycle progresses.
You see, that is one thing that I have been trying to make clear here; and I guess I will just have to say it — most likely again. I am sure I have written here in the past. Anyhow, I do not write on this blog to defend the multi-billion dollar companies. They do not need my help; they have their P.R. companies and such. I write for the small business owner and the working man, who decides to go into business for himself; painting walls, building kitchens or whatever sort of trade that he desires to do; like driving a truck or whatever. Those people should be helped, not targeted for taxes and other such stupidity that the socialist left tries to cook up. Like it or not, my friends — but the small business owner and their businesses are the backbone of America. Yes, sure, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have their place, as do every other big business. However, it is the small business owner, the entrepreneur that embodies the true Spirit of America. That is who I defend and will continue to here on this blog.
The blog is, and will always be — the Blog of the working man. Not the rich man — but those who work for themselves.
And make no mistake: voters probably handed a Senate seat to Democrats last night. Castle voters were polled and said they prefer the Democrat 2-1 over O’Donnell. It’s not impossible for her to win if the stars align just right. But wishing upon the stars works in the movies; in real life, not so much.
After O’Donnell’s victory, Sarah Palin issued a call for “unity” among Republicans. I fully support this and support candidate O’Donnell. She has deep flaws, but I’d rather see my flawed candidate in the Senate than the other side’s flawed candidate.
However, I can tell you that Palin’s “unity” directive is going to be hard to implement.
Part of the problem is the Republican establishment, which let slip the fact that they do not intend to give O’Donnell a cent to pursue her quixotic ambitions. The decision not to fund her mostly hopeless candidacy is defensible. The decision to announce that decision on election night is unforgivable.
If O’Donnell loses — I’m thinking “when” but saying “if” for the sake of our “unity” — Tea Partiers will not look for blame in the mirror. Establishment Republicans have given them a ready-made scapegoat, and they will flog it all the way to 2012.
Another part of the problem lies in the insufferable gloating of O’Donnell supporters over what was a fairly predictable primary victory. It does not foster “unity” to declare that O’Donnell beat “Mike Castle, Allahpundit, Charles Krauthammer, and Jim Geraghty.” It does not foster “unity” to label Paul Mirengoff a “loser” who needs to wear a dress for noting the obvious obstacles O’Donnell faces. If Twitter is any reflection of the mood among conservatives, I saw civil war last night. The Levin acolytes going around mimicking his name-calling behavior are hardly seeking “unity.”
With all their toldya so’s, you’d think these people had won the general election instead of handing it to the opposition.
If Sarah Palin truly seeks “unity,” at some point she is going to need to rein these people in.
Indeed, Patterico makes a good point. However, there is another side to this story; which I want to share with you all.
I was talking in private with Dan Riehl and I mentioned that I live here in the Detroit, Michigan area. Quite bluntly folks; The Democratic Party’s socialist policies; have screwed this area straight to hell. 30% Unemployment just in the city of Detroit. 30% —- that is a whole bunch of people out of work! In the proper CITY alone! Let’s not even get into the percentage of people that are unemployed here in the suburbs! Believe you me; it is a MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more, than you might think! That is not even mentioning the people that are, what is referred to as underemployed — or not making enough to even making their bills. Like family members of mine, who are just barely getting by. We need a business-friendly political climate in Washington DC, not to mention in Michigan — so that Business owners can start putting people back to work — with jobs, real jobs, where people; like those in my family with houses, and children and bills — can make a decent living again. (…and If *I* happen to score a job too, all the better, this writing and not getting paid is getting a bit old!)
Here is my point: O’Donnell might be a little nutty; she might have been a little dishonest in the past. However, if she can win this election; and makes it to DC and can reverse course on this damned socialist nightmare that we have upon us; especially here in Michigan — then damn it, I am ALLfor it!
Here is my other point: Our Nation and the state of Michigan is in a serious crisis; we need real Republican ideals to get this nation back to work. Not RINO, Democratic Party lite stupidity. That sort of crap might have worked by in the days of prosperity; but let me be the one to “wee wee” on the RINO Parade —- That party is over folks, that ship sailed long ago and it is time to get back to our principles of Conservative values. If the Republican Party and the Conservative establishment does not do this; the Republican Party will die and the Nation; as we know it now, might just die with it — and in the end, we will be handing the socialists the victory they so very much desire in the end.
Now as for O’Donnell’s supposed dishonesty… here she is defending herself against the smears: (H/T HotAir)
I think she will be alright. Everyone just needs to give her a chance. Especially the Conservative establishment.
Sunday Sept 12
Precious metals soar as investors flock to gold and silver. But are they looking deep enough to truly understand the current trends at hand?
When reviewing the metals sector I like to look at it from different angles to get a solid understanding of the patterns and trend forming. I follow multiple time frames along with monitoring the gold mining stocks. Gold stocks tend to lead the price of gold bullion and when its out performing the price of gold substantially by 10% or more you should be expecting a pause or pullback in both gold stocks and gold bullion prices temporarily.
Below are a few charts showing the long and short term trends for gold.
Gold Bullion Price – Weekly Trend Chart
Gold continues to be in a strong up trend. The occasional test of support at the major moving averages can provide great long term points for adding to a position. The 50 period average is one which is tested frequently.
Looking at the weekly chart does give me a red flag for the intermediate price of gold. While the trend is clearly up I can’t help but notice the rising wedge which is a bearish pattern. During an uptrend we want to see bull flags and pennants, not a grind higher forming a narrowing range. This grind higher could unfold much similar to the price action of 2005 and 2007 instead of a correction but I am leaning more towards a sharp correction because more people are bullish on gold now then they were during the June top.
For those looking at gold as a long term investment/currency can be patient and wait for a pullback to a major moving average before adding to your position then you would lower your overall risk for this position. You will understand after reviewing the following charts.
GLD – Gold Bullion ETF – Daily Chart
(This fund moves identical to spot gold price so even though I am showing you GLD fund, the spot gold chart is doing the exact same thing.) As you can see below the price of gold is trading at resistance and becoming choppy. Buying gold at resistance does not make much sense to me. There is a very good chance gold will move lower in the coming weeks providing a better price for long term investors to add to their positions. For example, if you waited for the weekly chart to pullback to the 50 period moving average that would be like buying this GLD fund at $113, which is an 8% discount.
Gold continues to hold up within its channel but this week we could see fireworks if the price breaks below the blue support channels.
Gold:Gold Stocks Comparison – Daily Chart
This chart shows the performance of gold vs gold stocks from the Feb 2010 lows. The blue line is the performance of gold stocks while the red line shows gold’s performance. It’s obvious that when everyone is bullish on gold they buy the highly leverages gold investments in order to take full advantage of the upcoming move. This is much like reading the put/call ratio for trading the SP500 and it measures the bullishness of the precious metals sector.
When gold equities are strongly out performing gold bullion you should be thinking about raising your stops, taking partial profits and or hedging your long term position until the sector stabilizes is not trading at a premium.
Precious Metals Sector Trading Conclusion:
In short, Gold is in a strong up trend and will remain in one for a long time. Commodities have higher percentage of going parabolic. That means there’s a small chance that gold continues to move up quicker and quicker surging hundreds of dollars in a very short period of time. That being said, it’s not very likely, and from a technical point of view those buying gold now are paying a premium in my opinion.
Being a patient trader is not easy, but waiting for low risk entry points is very rewarding on many different levels when done correctly.
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For questions or to get great stock, oil or gold advice like this, please head on over to the gold and oil guy’s website.
Gary Franchi points out Obama’s latest Iraq War Bushism and welcomes We Are Change Founder Luke Rudkowski to the show.
Nina breaks down the headlines including Homeowners Associations restricting Gadsden Flags, the Blogger Shakedown of Righthaven LLC, the recent Emergency Declaration in North Carolina that suspended the 2nd Amendment and how Blackwater Security used shell corporations to acquire tax payer money.
The viewers answer whether or not the World Trade Center was a Controlled demolition in the mailbag and keep watching to see the viewer pick for this week’s Enemy of the State.
Whoa… Now I am all for Conservative purity and all that. But, this just goes a wee bit over the line. 😯
As much as I hate to have to link to these guys…. Via the Huffington Post:
The chairman of the Delaware Republican Party received a death threat last week over his support for Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del) over Tea Party challenger Christine O’Donnell in the state’s upcoming Senate primary, a party official confirmed to the Huffington Post.
The threat, issued in the form of an email, told chairman Tom Ross that he deserves “a bullet in the head” for backing “political ass-kissing RINO’s” [Republicans in name only].
“It is one thing to have your country screwed over by socialists, it is far worse to be backstabbed by people pretending to be your friends,” the email read. “We will either rid the GOP of pieces of shit like you, or we will start a new ‘Common Sense Conservative’ party and render you all useless.”
The threat was serious enough to compel Ross to leave his home, temporarily, and to spur an investigation from the Department of Justice said the official with the Delaware GOP (a DoJ official did not immediately return a request for comment). It also was sinister enough to alarm state party officials who are unaccustomed to not just threats of violence but even to heated political contests like the one unfolding in the state’s Republican primary.
“It is just scary what is going on right now,” the official said. “Tom is a loyal and dedicated Republican officer in Delaware… the position is unpaid and his job as party chairman is to defend and promote the candidates… It is disgusting, it is amazing and it has no place in our democracy.”
The really, really, really stupid part? THIS:
The identity of the emailer was not immediately known, though the official said that the person “wrote his name and address” on the note — providing obvious information for authorities to use.
WOW. 😯 😮 not only is this a guy right wing extremist…. he ain’t very bright either. 🙄 😆 😀 😛
I mean, I literally sat here and laughed hard about that last quoted bit there. I mean, it’s like, “I’m gonna shoot you in the head, screw your wife and eat your babies —- and I live at this address right here, now please, come and arrest me.” 😆 😀 😉
I guess it is true what they say; criminals are not the brightest bulbs in the box.
For a glimpse of how venomous and debased the discourse about Islam has become, consider a blog post in The New Republic this month. Written by Martin Peretz, the magazine’s editor in chief, it asserted: “Frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims.”
Mr. Peretz added: “I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment, which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse.”
Thus a prominent American commentator, in a magazine long associated with tolerance, ponders whether Muslims should be afforded constitutional freedoms. Is it possible to imagine the same kind of casual slur tossed off about blacks or Jews? How do America’s nearly seven million American Muslims feel when their faith is denounced as barbaric?
This is one of those times that test our values, a bit like the shameful interning of Japanese-Americans during World War II, or the disgraceful refusal to accept Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe.
It would have been natural for this test to have come right after 9/11, but it was forestalled because President George W. Bush pushed back at his conservative ranks and repeatedly warned Americans not to confuse Al Qaeda with Islam.
As much as I hate to say it; Mr. Kristof is absolutely right. It should noted that Martin Peretz is, in fact Jewish and is, in fact, a rabid Zionist. In fact, Martin Peretz is known for the following comments:
Frankly, I couldn’t quite imagine any venture like [the Iraq War] in the Arab World turning out especially well. This is, you will say, my prejudice. But some prejudices are built on real facts, and history generally proves me right. Go ahead, prove me wrong. — Source
and:
But, frankly, Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims. And among those Muslims led by the Imam Rauf there is hardly one who has raised a fuss about the routine and random bloodshed that defines their brotherhood. So, yes, I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend that they are worthy of the privileges [sic] of the First Amendment which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse. — Source
Like Kristof said; could you imagine if the above were uttered about the Jews or about the black race? There would a media frenzy about it. Believe me, I know; I have been attacked by those who are of the protected class and all for speaking my mind about them and how they attack those of whom they disagree.
The fact is, that this whole Mosque situation boils down to this; Islam versus Christian Nativists and Jews, Arabs versus Americans, whites versus non-whites. Am I calling those who oppose this mosque racists? Well, my question for you is this; do you feel that burning pages of the Koran normal acceptable practice? Would you feel the same way, if some Muslim took a page out of the Christian Bible and began burning it? How about the Tanakh, the Torah, or The ?umash, the Siddur, the Piyutim or even the Zohar?
The point I am trying to make here is this; I realize that radicalized Muslims attacked the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and Flight 93. However, when you punish an entire religion for the actions of a few, you are practicing a forum of collectivism. That is not anything remotely Conservative, nor is it anything remotely American. Being vigilant against terrorism is one thing; but being idiotic is another, this situation with this Mosque is well beyond that — on both sides.
Update: On the Other hand… these are videos from 9/11:
There are two sides to every argument; one would suppose. There is also this here.
Wed Sept 8th, 2010
I am going to step out on a limb in this report and cover what I think to be an intermediate top in the precious metals sector. Everyone I speak with and from the hundreds of emails I get I would say the vast majority are bullish on gold and silver. That being said, I feel we are 3-8 days away from a pop and drop in the price of gold.
Below are my explanation and charts of what I think is unfolding.
HUI – Gold Bugs Index
This chart tracks a basket of gold companies and can be used as a leading indicator for gold bullion at times. This index tends to lead the price of gold before rallies and also during declines. I have seen this lead by a few hours and even up to 7 days. I find it out perform when gold is about to rally, and under perform when gold is topping or about to start another move down.
It looks as though we are forming a triple top which also happens to be at a previous 2009 resistance level. Each time this level has been reached sellers take control and send the market sharply lower. There have been several long upper wicks formed in the past few sessions telling me that buyers are pushing the price up, but sellers hit the sell button pulling the market right back down. If this triple tops plays out, I would expect a multi month correction to take place.
UUP – US Dollar ETF
The US Dollar looks to have found support at the March/April lows and has put in a very solid rally. If the chart pattern is correct then it looks as though the dollar will breakout to the upside and run to $24.75 area. The relationship between the dollar and the precious metals sector is generally inverse, meaning if the dollar rallies both gold and stocks should fall.
GLD – Gold Bullion ETF
The chart of gold has identical patterns no matter if it’s this ETF or spot gold price. So this analysis goes for both ETF and gold bullion prices. Anyways, the past two times gold rallied for this length of time without any sizable pauses we saw the price of gold drop $70 per ounce, and $140 per ounce which is equivalent to $7-$10 drop on this GLD fund which is a decent size move.
The chart is screaming of a nasty correction to occur any day now. With gold testing the June highs I feel its only days away. What I am looking for is a pierce of the June high. That will suck in the rest of the bulls as they jump on the band, and cause all the shorts to cover their positions. This causes a pop, and once buying starts to dry up, the big money will start to sell down the price to trigger the stops and start a multi day waterfall sell off.
With the declining volume as the price grinds its way higher it tells me fewer individuals want to buy in at these high prices. Once the price starts to slide it will cause the stops to triggered. And because there have not been any substantial pullbacks along the way, there is a larger number of stops sitting in the market waiting to get hit.
Mid-Week Precious Metals Trading Report:
In short, I feel precious metals are on the verge of a sharp correction which may only last a few days, but the drop will be substantial. I still think we could see a few more up days or sideways session before this happens as the June high for gold bullion should be penetrated before the market truly reverses back down.
Anyone long gold, silver or PM stocks should be thinking of tightening their stops and for the gold bugs to mentally prepare them selves for a correction.
Well, duh, he is a liberal and a Democrat. He does believe in class warfare. Remember you Republicans and Libertarians that voted for him. (You know who you are…)
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday will make clear that he opposes any compromise that would extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy beyond this year, officials said, adding a populist twist to an election-season economic package that is otherwise designed to entice support from big businesses and their Republican allies.
Mr. Obama’s opposition to allowing the high-end tax cuts to remain in place for even another year or two would be the signal many Congressional Democrats have been awaiting as they prepare for a showdown with Republicans on the issue and ends speculation that the White House might be open to an extension. Democrats say only the president can rally wavering lawmakers who, amid the party’s weakened poll numbers, feel increasingly vulnerable to Republican attacks if they let the top rates lapse at the end of this year as scheduled.
It is not clear that Mr. Obama can prevail given his own diminished popularity, the tepid economic recovery and the divisions within his party. But by proposing to extend the rates for the 98 percent of households with income below $250,000 for couples and $200,000 for individuals — and insisting that federal income tax rates in 2011 go back to their pre-2001 levels for income above those cutoffs — he intends to cast the issue as a choice between supporting the middle class or giving breaks to the wealthy.
In a speech in Cleveland on Wednesday, Mr. Obama will also make a case for the package of roughly $180 billion in expanded business tax cuts and infrastructure spending disclosed by the White House in bits and pieces over the past few days. He would offset the cost by closing other tax breaks for multinational corporations, oil and gas companies and others.
While the speech will be centrist in its policy prescriptions other than the Bush tax cuts, Mr. Obama’s language will be partisan as he seeks to sharpen the contrasts between Republicans’ record and efforts by Democrats to create more jobs, aides said.
As much as I would like to jump up, holler and raise a fuss about this; I cannot. We all knew that this was coming. This should be a lesson to the Republican Party. That is, do not run weak or moderate Conservatives during elections. Because when you do; Conservatives, and I mean hardcore Conservatives will not vote — and this is what you get. I know that I, personally, will not be affected by this; neither will my family.
However, I am sure that there will be some families affected by this — not to mention a myriad of business owners out there. This will, I am sure, cause a downtown in hiring by businesses; which will add to the huge downturn in the economy. It is all a domino effect, starts at the top and goes to the bottom.
Another thing to think about; we do have to eventually pay for these two wars. I believe that those who profited off of both of these wars ought to be targeted for taxing. I believe that a special “War Tax”, ought to be appended to anyone making over $500.000 or more a year. I would target multinational companies, like oil companies and so forth. Especially those in Iraq. Perhaps next time, the warmongering class will not be so eager to start a war next time. This taxing would reinforce the idea that those wanting said war, should they actually have to pay for it. Foreign Policy has a price tag; and those who want follow Woodrow Wilson’s steps, should be required to pay that price tag.
On Iraq, it’s hard to see how Obama could have improved the situation. He followed the SOFA pact that George W. Bush negotiated with Nouri al-Maliki, and the Iraqi government made it clear they wanted us to stick to that schedule. If the Iraqis want us out entirely by the end of next year, we have little choice but to comply; to do otherwise would be a de facto reoccupation that will not fly well here at home or abroad. However, I’d say it’s entirely likely that Baghdad will rethink that final phase and ask us to remain for logistics, training, and air and sea protection for the next several years, and then the question will be whether Obama will agree to it or insist on a full withdrawal, even if it means the collapse of the nascent democracy in Iraq.
Afghanistan is a different problem, but one with potentially the same result. Obama owns Afghanistan more than he does Iraq, having made the decision himself to add more troops and get more aggressive, which means a failure there can’t be left on the doorstep of his predecessor. If Obama starts withdrawing from both fronts as they deteriorate, he will at least be the man who lost Afghanistan, if not Iraq as well, just as he has to prepare to convince Americans to give him another four years as Commander-in-Chief. For that reason, I doubt we’ll see a significant drawdown in eithertheater, and Obama will just have to remind the Left that they have nowhere else to go in 2012.
Ever notice how Neo-Conservatives will never say Bush screwed up with Iraq, at all? They will never admit, that there was an intelligence error — never. That is what Party loyalty does to a person.
“Nation-building is the most prominent — and most important — part of the neocon doctrine,” wrote Jed Babbin in the American Spectator. “And the decision to pursue it is the principal reason that we are losing in Afghanistan, Iraq is falling apart, and the real enemy — the terror-sponsoring nations — have grown stronger.”
None of these writers can accurately be described as a budding noninterventionist. But most conservatives who opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and favored no more than a limited mission in Afghanistan can agree with them on the following: neither Islam nor foreign lands can easily be reformed by either bureaucrats or the force or the force of arms; our interventions have produced something closer to sharia states than Switzerland’s; Iran is now more powerful in the region rather than less.
There have l0ng been three main foreign-policy tendencies on the American Right: old-style conservatives who agree with Randolph Bourne that war is the health of the state and therefore favor less military intervention abroad; neoconservatives who want to preserve the United States’ global hegemony and engage in armed proselytizing for democracy; and defense-minded conservatives who believe the U.S. should strike forcefully at its enemies whenever it perceives itself, its interests, or its allies to be threatened.
Roughly speaking, these groups can be described as the Jeffersonians, the Wilsonians, and the Jacksonians. Among rank-and-file conservatives, the Jacksonians are by far the largest group. In the postwar era, the Jacksonians have tended to align with the Wilsonians. But there is no reason why that conjunction is inevitable.
With the exception of Ron Paul and some Ron Paul Republicans, the Jeffersonians have no major political figure to speak for them. Yet the popularity of the Wilsonians was always greatly exaggerated. The invasion of Iraq and the mass conservative acceptance of the Bush Doctrine were made possible by al-Qaeda’s act of mass murder on 9/11.
Throughout the 1990s, Wilsonian neoconservatives called for regime change in Iraq, but they did not succeed in rallying the grassroots Right to the cause. The conservative base tuned out the PNAC crowd. Millions of conservatives voted for Pat Buchanan, who opposed even the first war with Iraq, in the 1992 and 1996 Republican presidential primaries—even as neoconservative commentators were writing essays attempting to purge Buchanan from conservative movement.
Grassroots conservatives were repulsed by American bloodshed during our humanitarian intervention in Somalia. They opposed using our armed forces to deliver groceries to Third World countries and restoring a dubious left-wing character to power in Haiti. They objected to the bombing of Serbia and canceled their subscriptions to the Weekly Standard when that magazine sided with the Clinton administration on military action in the Balkans.
The years after 9/11 were a Jacksonian moment hijacked by neoconservatives. While most American conservatives liked the idea that the we could increase others’ freedom by defending our own against despots overseas, very few of them wanted to go to war to build schools in Iraq or promote democracy. They wanted to pay back the people who murdered their countrymen and make sure that such an attack never happened again.
They trusted that George W. Bush was the man for the job and were patient when he talked about lighting a fire in the minds of men. But ordinary conservatives nevertheless agreed with the following sentiment expressed by John Derbyshire: “What matters most is not the fire in the minds of men, which will burn at some level for as long as there are men, but the fire that results when fissionable material undergoes a fast chain reaction.”
You see the problem is that the very same people that stood behind George W. Bush and cheered him, as he charged off to war in Iraq and Afghanistan; are the same one who stand and in unison blame President Obama for any failures for the war in both Countries. The truth is that President Obama DID inherit BOTH of these wars for President Bush and it is because of utter incompetence of the Pentagon and State Department under President Bush, not to mention the entire intelligence community, is why we are in this mess in the first place!
So, instead of being noble and honest men, and admitting that they actually made mistakes, one being electing a President that was about as Conservative, as I am damned atheist; they would rather navel graze the whole thing and try and deflect the blame onto the Democrats, as much as they possibly can. The problem is with that little idiotic plan is this; thinking Americans, like this writer are just smarter than that, we know what happened and we know who was responsible for the actions of the President. I am fully aware of who goaded the President into declaring war with Iraq. I have no forgotten and neither have the American people. This is, one of a myriad of reasons, why John McCain lost the election. Because the American people did not want someone, who would take marching orders from the Neo-Conservatives.
So far, Obama has been showing his independence of the warmongering class in the Republican Party. Thankfully, under Michael Steele the warmongering class have been pushed aside; which is why people like William Kristol want him to resign so badly, that being because Michael Steele will not march to their orders and is expressing his own views, and not those who wish the United States to fight a perpetual war. I commend Michael Steele for that.
Another thing I think I need to be clear on; as you know, I did post a video, that was a warning to America. Some would look at that and say, “Are you not talking about of both sides of your mouth?” to that I would say no. That is because that video essentially validates what I have believed all along; that the notion of, “We must fight the terrorists there, so we do not have to fight them here” is idiotic at best. That is because there are radical Islamic terrorists that are already here now! That video proves as much. My personal issue with George W. Bush was not with fighting terrorism, which he began in Afghanistan. He however, was goaded by the warmongering class in the Republican Party to go to war with Iraq, which, for what it is worth, is what this class of people wanted to do during the Clinton years, but was rebuffed repeatedly. This caused, I feel, a distraction, as those who planned had this strange idea, that the invasion would be a cakewalk. I believe it would be understood that we all know now that this was a very flawed idea.
Much of what I said above, would be considered, what I like to call, “rearview mirror quarterbacking.” We all know this now, the problem is, where do he go from here? The best thing that can happen is Obama follow through with his promises to follow Bush’s pull out timetable in Iraq. We cannot continue to be the World’s police officer. If Iraq has an upheaval over there, let them. We did our part over there; we rooted the major player in the insurgency. We toppled Saddam. What happens after we have left is not our concern. As for Afghanistan, if we can catch or kill Osama Bin Laden, fine do so. However, if the Afghan Government and the Pakistani Government is that corrupt and does not want to be partner against the war on terror. I say cut our losses and pull out the troops and leave. Then send in specialized CIA assassins in there to hunt Osama Bin Laden down and kill him that way. I just do not see the justification for our Military personnel dying for a Government that is corrupt to its core. It just does not make any sort of sense to me at all.
Bottom Line: President Obama should not be blame for any of the failures of any of these wars. The President who started them should be blamed. President Obama should continue the turnkey plan given him by Bush, and should implement a better strategy in the Afghan theater. If the Governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan will not work with the United States on the capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden, then President should use the CIA to kill him.
This is a very interesting story; and I did not know anything about it. Until I saw a headline via ABC NEWS.
There has been a massive fire outbreak on the West and East sides of Detroit. It has been windy here for the last few days. Well, you take a windy day, add some electrical lines that have been arcing and sparking; plus dry conditions and you have a massive problem on your hands.
DETROIT (WXYZ) – Detroit’s Fire Commissioner told Action News fires were burning at 80 locations between 4:00pm and 8:00pm Tuesday. No word on how many homes and buildings were destroyed. Many of the destroyed homes were abandoned.
Multiple homes were destroyed on Detroit’s east side.
On Moenart Street and Luce Avenue near Mound and McNichols 7 homes caught fire.
On Van Dyke near Quinn firefighters worked to control 20 homes. The fire spread across the city block to Robinwood Street. Firefighters say it’s possible the blazes in this neighborhood were ignited by a faulty transformer spraying sparks. Those sparks were carried by strong winds and started fires at a number of other houses. Folks on the block say they alerted DTE to the problem last week and nothing was done. Action News contacted DTE and they tell us they are investigating those claims.
An abandoned commercial building also burned near Chene and Hendrie on the city’s east side.
On Detroit’s west side four homes burned on Stoepel near Livernois and Margareta Avenue.
The Fire Commissioner told Action News during the height of the fires 236 firefighters were working. One firefighter was injured during the afternoon.
Strong winds are to blame for fueling many of the fires. The winds may also have prompted the flames. The Detroit Fire Department took calls on 140 wires down across the city from 8:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday. They stopped taking calls when the string of fires began. Investigators say one person is in custody being questioned about the fires on the east side.
My thoughts and prayers are with the people on Detroit’s East and West sides tonight. I remember back in the day in Southwest Detroit. We did have fires like that in the summer too. Sounds like the gents at the Detroit fire houses have their hands full. My Prayers go out to those guys as well.
I will say this; Detroit’s city management is to blame for the short handed situation. What you are seeing there is a result of horrible leadership under Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit’s Former Mayor and now convicted crook. Not to mention the fact that parts of the city, just have some bad water lines and such, and cannot keep up the pressure to deal with the fires. You can thank some of the corrupt Democrats, who have funneled money to pet projects, instead of keeping up the city — for this horrible mess.
Some of the fires were set intentionally; that is a unfortunate part of inner city living and that is crime and arson. I cannot say to much. We had an arson less than a mile from my house here. It was a commercial business. The difference is, I live out here in the suburbs. Which really bothered me. Hopefully, they will catch the little bastard that pulled that little stunt.
Hopefully, the Detroit Fire Department gets a handle on the situation in the city. I feel for the people in those areas. Unable to get out, and move somewhere better. It sucks. My heart goes out to them. 🙁
If you are Christian at all; and happen to believe in Prayer. Say a small prayer for those in that area. I am sure that they would appreciate it.
I just wonder, if Yahoo.com approves of such behavior by their employees on company time. I will be sending a link of this posting to yahoo corporate and let everyone know if their response. This is just straight up wrong; and I wonder if yahoo does endorse terrorism? It sure seems that way to me. It might also explain why Yahoo is now all but overlooked by the majority of America over Google.com.
You aren’t even capable of understanding your own commenter’s sarcasm. Find a new hobby. I’d suggest one that doesn’t involve setting down your befuddled musings in text.
That’s fine buddy, you keep leaving those little pud messages and I will keep posting them here and will forward them to yahoo corporate.
Remember this folks come 2010 and 2012, how tolerant liberals are, except when it violates their ideology.
Can you tell that I am tired of writing about this stuff, I’m getting there…:
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AFP) – US President Barack Obama Monday promised more than 50 billion dollars to create jobs rebuilding roads, railways and airports, targeting huge unemployment and ripping resurgent Republicans.
Obama, under intense pressure due to the sputtering economy ahead of November’s mid-term congressional elections, announced the new funding spree at a Labor Day rally with union workers in Wisconsin where the crisis has hit hard.
“This will not only create jobs immediately, but will make our economy run better over the long haul,” Obama said on a public holiday two months before congressional polls which Democrats fear could bring heavy losses.
“It’s a plan that says even in the aftermath of the worst recession in our lifetimes, America can still shape our own destiny.”
The White House called on Republicans to support quick passage of the measure, which would “front-load” 50 billion dollars of money as the first part of a broader effort to reauthorize transportation funding over six years.
“We’d like to pass this as quickly as possible,” a senior administration official said. The size of the total package, over and above the initial 50 billion dollar infusion of funding, was unclear.
Of course, the Republicans are the ones being the evil white racists the grown up realists here:
Opposition Republicans, seeking to wrest control of both chambers in Congress from Democrats, immediately condemned Obama’s plan, signaling no let up to obstruction tactics which have slowed his presidency.
“A last-minute, cobbled-together stimulus bill with more than 50 billion dollars in new tax hikes will not reverse the complete lack of confidence Americans have in Washington Democrats’ ability to help this economy,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
John Boehner, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, sought to link the new plan to Obama’s previous stimulus package worth around 800 billion dollars, which critics say has failed to revive the economy.
“If we’ve learned anything from the past 18 months, it’s that we can’t spend our way to prosperity,” said Boehner.
This is why I do like two party politics. Because one party does equalize out the other party. What gets me is the fact that Obama accuses the Republicans of wrecking the car and that Americans should not “Give them back the keys.” The problem with that is this; and Yes, I have written this before, the Republicans seem to have learned the error of their ways. Where, the Democrats have not. They have taken that same car and driven it over a cliff and are not still trying to drive that mangled car. The sick part is, everyone else knows that car is wrecked and no longer drivable. But the Democrats are willfully blind of that fact and keep on trying to drive that same wrecked car. I know, it is a bit of a weird analogy, but it works in this case.
The Bottom Line: Obama and Democrats are in trouble, grave trouble and they are trying every trick in the book. They pushed healthcare, when America needed Economic recovery, and yes, Jobs. Now, they are trying to save face. Will it work? Doubtful. Many are angry and feel that Obama lied to them or told them anything to get elected. This angry will come out in the polls. Personally, I see a shift, but I do not believe it will be a huge sweep as some do. However, it will be interesting to blog about. I cannot wait. 😀
This is just breaking across Robert Stacy McCain twitter Feed:
I am trying to get info on his condition.
Anyhow, this means that Robert Stacy McCain might need the extra funds. So, head on over and hit his TipJar. I’m sure he has insurance. But, in times of need, we have to put others first. This is big. I will try to get info on his condition.
Update: Does anyone have any contact information for RSM? If you do, drop it at the contact form on the contact me page of this blog. I’d like to call the man. I cannot find any info for him anywhere. 🙁
Also, no blog posting…yet.
Update #2: Still no word on McCain and no Blog Posting as of 1:04am EST
Mike Edwards, 62, was a founding member of ELO and played cello with the group from their first live gig in 1972 until he departed in January 1975.
He quit to become a Buddhist and later changed his name to Deva Pramada because of his religious convictions.
His eccentric cello playing – including plucking the strings with an orange or grapefruit – and bizarre costumes were a major ingredient of ELO.
He played cello on albums ELO II, On the Third Day, The Night The Light Went On (In Long Beach) and Eldorado.
Mr Edwards died instantly when he was hit by the bale which weighed nearly 700lbs.
He was driving along a road when the bale careered down a slope in a field and flipped over a hedge – smashing down onto his roof.
The circular bale is believed to have been in a steeply-sloping field beside the road when it somehow rolled and jumped 12ft to 15ft into traffic.
Police said the accident happened at around 12.30pm on Friday on the A381 between Harbetonford and Halwell in Devon.
Steve Walker of the Devon and Cornwall police traffic unit said they were trying to contact his family.
He said: ”This was a tragic accident and we have now identified the victim as Michael Edwards, a founder member of ELO.
”We have used photographs and YouTube footage to identify him but we now need help contacting his family for formal identification.
”We don’t believe he was ever married and we have identified an ex girlfriend but she is currently aboard.
”We think he may have a brother called David in the Yorkshire area and we obviously need to contact him.
”Michael has no immediate family but we believe he may have taught some cello in Devon and would ask his students to contact us if they know of any relations.”
Mr Edwards had been living in Totnes, Devon. After he left ELO, he was replaced as cellist by Melvyn Gale. —- Source
Here is Naked Emperor News video of the Rev. Al Sharpton speaking at a rally in Alabama back in July in which he essentially said African-American candidate Johnny Ford should win his State Senate Primary runoff against a white candidate – Billy Beasley – because the district is “heir property” to African-Americans.
Sharpton, for all his talk of wanting equality, actually uses “race” as a cottage industry for himself. It is impossible to square these comments with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream that people would someday be “judged by the content of their character” and not the “color of their skin.”
Here is the real funny part:
The voters did not agree with Sharpton. Beasley defeated Ford in the Democratic Primary runoff for the District 28 State Senate Seat by getting 62% of the vote.
Heh. So much for that entitlement to the State Senate in Alabama, aye Sharpton?
In-Farking-deed! I always hear Blacks; all liberals of course, trashing America and complaining about how they are always oppressed by the White Man. I have one thing to say to them —- you can always go back where you originated from and live there and see how well you live. However, when someone does that; they are automatically called RAAAAACIST!
I am sure there is a particular Pony-tailed Homosexual that is about go into meltdown, because of this post right about now. Right Bob? Right.
Hi all – just a quick note to say that a 7.1 Earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand at 4:35 am this morning. Power and water is out through much of the city. My family and I are safe.
Solid aftershocks are still coming through. Thanks to everyone for their messages and prayers.
Many Christchurch residents are counting themselves lucky to be alive after this morning’s massive 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the city.
Marsha Witehira, 30, was sleeping when the wall next to her bed collapsed in and falling bricks narrowly missed landing on her head.
Her friend, Tama Wharepapa, was sleeping in the lounge when items started falling on him from a wall unit.
He rushed into Ms Witehira’s bedroom and pulled her by the feet out of the way of the collapsing wall.
“It just missed my head,” Ms Witehira said.
“He literally pulled me by my feet in my sleep, just at the time that the bricks fell on my bed and it just missed me. It was pretty intense,” she said.
“I’m very lucky to be alive. If Tama wasn’t here to wake me from my sleep and pull me out, I really wouldn’t like to think what the result would be.”
Thoughts and prayers to those in the affected area.
Add Jesse Jackson’s ride to prominent vehicles being stripped in Detroit.
Following the embarrassing news that Mayor Dave Bing’s GMC Yukon was hijacked by criminals this week, Detroit’s Channel 7 reports that the Reverend’s Caddy Escalade SUV was stolen and stripped of its wheels while he was in town last weekend with the UAW’s militant President Bob King leading the “Jobs, Justice, and Peace” march promoting government-funded green jobs.
Read that again: Jackson’s Caddy SUV was stripped while he was in town promoting green jobs.
Add Jesse to the Al Gore-Tom Friedman-Barack Obama School of Environmental Hypocrisy. While preaching to Americans that they need to cram their families into hybrid Priuses to go shopping for compact fluorescent light bulbs to save the planet, they themselves continue to live large.
“We need an economy that creates employment that can’t be shipped overseas,” the Green Rev wrote for CNN about the march. “Home-grown American labor will be installing windmills and solar panels. A green economy is not an abstract concept.”
Well, its certainly abstract to Jesse, but I digress.
Yeah, the labor would be; Jesse Jackson has not done a day of honest hard work in his entire life. Hell, I’ve worked harder than he will ever work. Oh, wait, Jesse Jackson has worked hard, yes, very hard. That is, if you consider running one’s mouth continually about how oppressed the black man is; and doing the continual race hustle that he is very much known for. Then, yes, he is a very, very hard working man.
That’s right folks, the President and his Administration are in one hell of a huge bind. If they do not do something fast; they are going to be sunk come the midterms and possibly come 2012.
American businesses added more jobs in the last three months than originally estimated, but the wheels of the economic recovery are still spinning in place.
The private sector added 67,000 jobs in August, according to the Department of Labor, higher than consensus forecasts, and the government upwardly revised its numbers for June and July, suggesting that job creation was slightly stronger over the summer than originally reported.
But the continuing wind-down of the 2010 Census, as well as state and local government layoffs, led to an overall loss of 54,000 jobs in August.
With businesses adding about half the number of positions needed simply to accommodate population growth — much less dent the ranks of the jobless — the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6 percent, from 9.5 percent.
“The overall picture is one where the labor market is still kind of treading water,” said Joshua Shapiro, chief United States economist at MFR Inc. “It’s better than sinking, but it’s certainly not surging ahead.”
Given the continuing addition of private jobs — albeit at a tepid pace — Friday’s monthly snapshot of the labor market seemed to calm fears of a double-dip recession. But the numbers are likely to do little to assuage political pressure on the Obama administration in the run-up to the midterm elections.
Speaking from the White House Rose Garden on Friday morning, Mr. Obama called the latest job report “positive news,” but said he would be unveiling “a broader package of ideas next week,” to shore up the flagging economy, although he declined to give specifics. The president once again urged Congress to pass a stalled bill that would offer tax breaks to small businesses and create a $30 billion program to encourage community banks to lend.
“There’s no quick fix for this recession,” he said. “The hard truth is that it took years to create our current economic problems, and it will take more time than any of us would like to repair the damage.”
Responding to the higher-than-expected private sector numbers and revisions, investors pushed up the major stock gauges. By early afternoon, the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index was up 1 percent. Market reaction to the jobs data was tempered somewhat by a report that said growth in the services sector had slowed in August.
The Labor Department revised its private sector number for July, raising the number of jobs added to 107,000 from the 71,000 originally reported. And private sector hiring in June, originally reported at 83,000 and lowered to 31,000, was raised again to 61,000.
Flanked by members of his economic team – including outgoing Council of Economic Advisers Dr. Christina Romer, whose replacement has yet to be named – President Obama chose to look at the silver lining in the economic clouds of today’s jobs report – not even mentioning that August saw a net job loss of 54,000 jobs.
“In the month I took office, we were losing 750,000 jobs a month,” the president said. “This morning, new figures show the economy produced 67,000 private sector jobs in August, the eighth consecutive month of private job growth. Additionally, the numbers for July were revised upward to 107,000. Now that’s positive news, and it reflects the steps we’ve already taken to break the back of this recession.”
The net job loss for August is largely because of the layoffs of 114,000 Census temporary workers.
Democrats are spooked by recent polls and predictions indicating the GOP may slam the Dems so badly that the D’s lose the House and possibly the Senate. The Republicans need to gain 39 seats to seize the House, and it’s not difficult these days to find nonpartisan handicappers who predict the R’s could gain 40 to 50 seats. The conventional wisdom in D.C.: A tsunami is heading toward the Democrats. A Democratic strategist toiling on the party’s House efforts refers to working on the “Titanic” (though he claims there may be some hidden life rafts). “The president keeps saying it’s a tough environment,” says a Democratic House staffer. “We know that. We want to know what he’s going to do about it.”…
“He still wants to be seen as post-partisan and bipartisan,” says a House Democratic leadership aide. “But we’re in a fight here.” Democrats expect Obama to come out swinging nonstop — bashing the R’s repeatedly and proposing economic initiatives that actually register with voters. At the same time, members of the House Democratic leadership are worried that Obama will cave and yield to GOP demands that George W. Bush’s expiring tax cuts for the wealthy be extended. “If he doesn’t do something immediately, our members will be livid,” says a House Democratic aide. “And when there’s fear of a bloodbath, it’s never too early to start the blame game.”
I just blogged about how the Democrats can fix this mess. However, knowing them like they do; they would rather let the Nation suffer and blame the Republicans for the entire mess, while living large on the taxpayers dime —- than to actually do something to fix the problem. FDR did this, to a certain extent as have many other Democrat Party Presidents; I mean, it is not like Obama is going to be affected by any of this economic downturn.
One there is very certain, the tide is turning, Democrats had the chance to actually fix things and they have failed at it miserably. The Tea Party has now crystallized into a political force to be reckoned with — even among Republicans. RINO’s are being flushed out and true-blue Conservatives are being brought to the battle. It is so bad that the liberal media is gone to terrible spinning facts, an example:
It is possible that coming at the end of the summer an uptick in people looking for work is not as positive as it appears. This is the time of year, after two hot months, when recent graduates start to actually think about their future and send out resumes. And you can image many other out of work people deciding to take off looking for a job in the summer. In August, with the summer ending, some of those people started looking again in earnest. But you would expect the big uptick in post-summer people searching for work to come in September. So the fact that it is coming early is a good sign.
Oh Yes, it is that bad on that that side of the political aisle. When you start reading that sort of idiotic spin in a liberal publication, you know that things are horrifically bad right now for the Democrats. This midterm election and possibly in the general election; will most likely go down as the worst ever failure of the Democrat Party ever. The Democratic Party roared into power in 2006 to take the keys away from the Bush Administration, then they won the General election in 2008. They then got the entire key chain of the Country —- and proceeded to drive the Country as a whole over a cliff! Because of that and because of this economic that we are in, which was, in fact, created by the Carter and Clinton Administrations; whom were, Democratic Party Administrations — we are about to see a major collapse of a party’s authority in the political realm. I have written here, time and time again; that the Democratic Party has horribly overreached…..again. This happens just about every time the Democrats get into power. To be fair and as non-partisan as I can be; Republicans have done it too — Nixon did it, Bush did it and some others. However, this administration took it to another more frightening level. Because of this; they are about to do what many call, “Paying the Piper.”
The ship is sinking and the rats are jumping. It should be very interesting to watch. 2010 looms and they have no answers.
Welcome to the meltdown. Get popcorn. Hold on tight and enjoy the show.
(H/T to HotAir on the story leads for this posting. Good show AP! 😀 )
Administration officials have struggled to develop new economic policies and an effective message to blunt expected Republican gains in Congress and defuse complaints from Democrats that President Obama is fumbling the issue most important to voters. Following Obama’s vacation and focus on foreign policy in recent weeks, White House advisers have arranged a series of economic events for the president next week, including two trips to swing states and a news conference.
“We’ll continue to do everything we can, understanding that recovery will require persistent effort. There are no silver bullets,” senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said in an interview Thursday. “At the same time, we have to make clear our ideas and theirs, and the fact that the Washington Republicans, having helped create this recession, have attempted to block our every effort to deal with it.”
But with the unemployment rate expected to rise again in jobs numbers due out Friday, panic is setting in among many Democratic candidates who fear it is too late for Obama to convince voters that he understands the depth of the nation’s economic woes and can fix them.
[….]
Last November, Obama announced that he would turn his attention to unemployment, calling it “one of the great challenges that remains in our economy.” He declared the same intent two months later, telling House Democrats he would focus relentlessly on job creation “over the next several months.” Senior aides went on television pledging that the mantra would become “jobs, jobs, jobs.”
But other matters – health care, the BP oil spill – continually stole the limelight, creating the impression, some Democrats complain, that the president was barely focused on the economy at all.
His advisers described his attentiveness – noting, for example, that he discussed the economy with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I) for 15 minutes before golfing – but got little traction.
“Obviously it’s going to be hard to get anything done before the election, but it’s really important for him to try, and to make the case to the American people that he’s trying to do something and the Republicans aren’t letting him,” said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic strategist. “We are at the final moments here.”
Obama has another incentive to act: Tax cuts enacted during the George W. Bush administration are scheduled to expire in January, and Democrats – accused by Republicans of plotting to let them vanish – feel compelled to do something before the midterms.
Obama campaigned on a pledge to let cuts expire for the richest 2 percent of households, but some Democrats say the economy is too weak to raise anyone’s taxes right now. And they fear a backlash from small-business owners who could be hit with higher taxes.
Pairing targeted business tax breaks with an extension of middle-class tax cuts could help alleviate those problems.
This article alone, ought to be a lesson for any Democrat thinking about running for office. That raising Taxes in a recession, just does not work. Only tax breaks for the wealthy and making the business climate more healthy will help. Also cutting spending is another way to bring down inflation. This article alone, should be a text book example of why Keynesian Economics does not work in a recession, at all. If you tax businesses to death, you spur growth, if you spur growth, jobs disappear — it is a vicious cycle. Democrats have been making these same stupid mistakes for years.
Which is why we need to vote them out, come November of 2010. Especially here in Michigan, where job growth is desperately needed.
Half an hour later, I drive down an unpaved road past a large Miller-for-Senate campaign sign and turn into a driveway marked with multiple “No Trespassing” signs, past which no wise person would go uninvited. Here, nestled among birch trees on the shore of scenic Lake Lucille, is the home of the woman whom liberals love most to hate — and Todd, the man who got the nickname “First Dude” during his wife’s term as Alaska’s governor.
Todd opens the front door and his youngest son, two-year-old Trig, scampers across the living room to greet the guest with a “high five.” Rambunctiously energetic, Trig is the focus of his father’s attention — Todd bounces the toddler on his knee, reads him a book, and fixes him a bottle — for the next several minutes until 16-year-old Willow comes downstairs, scoops him up and carries him upstairs for sisterly babysitting.
Getting an interview with Sarah Palin is difficult. Getting an interview with Todd is next to impossible, and I would never have gotten this far if mutual friends — including Anchorage conservative talk-radio legend Eddie Burke — hadn’t vouched for my bona fides. So most of the conversation over the next two hours is off-the-record, or at least on background. To breach that agreement would be to put myself into that category of reporters whom Sarah Palin recently described to Sean Hannity as “impotent, limp and gutless.”
As of about right now, Mr. McCain is “The Man” of the Conservative Blogosphere. What an awesome thing to wake up to. 😀
Still, I am not much a of a Palin fan. But this is quite the awesome get, journalistically speaking.
Although, right now, I would venture to guess that there is a certain pony-tailed man in California who’s feeling about small at the moment.
NEW ORLEANS – An oil platform exploded and burned off the Louisiana coast Thursday, the second such disaster in the Gulf of Mexicoin less than five months. This time, the Coast Guard said there was no leak, and no one was killed.
The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the source of BP’s massive spill. But hours later, Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said crews were unable to find any spill.
The company that owns the platform, Houston-based Mariner Energy, did not know what caused the fire. Mariner Energy’s Patrick Cassidy said he considered the incident a fire, not an explosion.
“The platform is still intact and it was just a small portion of the platform that appears to be burned,” he said.
Mariner officials said there were seven active production wells on the platform, and they were shut down shortly before the fire broke out.
LouisianaGov. Bobby Jindal said the company told him the fire began in 100 barrels of light oil condensate.
The Coast Guard said Mariner Energy reported the oil sheen. In a public statement, the company said an initial flyover did not show any oil.
Photos from the scene showed at least five ships floating near the platform. Three of them were shooting great plumes of water onto the machinery. Light smoke could be seen drifting across the deep blue waters of the gulf.
By late afternoon, the fire on the platform was out.
Of course, the political carnival barkers on both sides, were in full force. You can read that round up here.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office is responding to an exclusive report by San Francisco-based television station KGO-TV about sheriff’s deputies tasing a 64-year-old man who said that he would “shoot himself in the head” after he was treated by paramedics for a slip and fall injury.
Peter McFarland told KGO-TV that the statement threatening suicide was “hyperbole” after he was tired and suffering pain from his injuries. McFarland is filing a lawsuit
Marion County Sheriff’s Dept Statement:
On Monday, August 30, 2010, a representative from a local news station left a voicemail message advising the Marin County Sheriff’s Office that Mr. Peter McFarland had filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office related to his arrest on June 30, 2009. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office has not been served with a lawsuit with respect to the arrest of Mr. Peter McFarland on June 30, 2009, nor has it yet had an opportunity to review the allegations made to the media on August 30, 2010 by Mr. McFarland’s attorney.
The decision to resort to the use of force is never taken lightly and deputy sheriffs undergo an extensive amount of on-going training to ensure those decisions are both appropriate and fall within the guidelines established by law and department policy.
Irrespective of the totality of facts that lead to a decision to apply force in an arrest situation, the actual application of that force is often a very difficult thing to watch, as evidenced by the reaction of some to seeing the effects of the TASER deployment used during Mr. McFarland’s arrest. That reaction can all too often also be influenced by using only small, selected segments of a much lengthier video that better depicts the complexity of the event in question.
Regardless, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office is committed to as transparent a process in its arrest procedures as possible, a process that requires every TASER weapon in our inventory to contain a video / audio recording device that is automatically activated each time the weapon’s safety is removed. It is that very video system that recorded the footage recently released to the news media by Mr. McFarland.
The Sheriff’s Office takes all allegations of excessive force and/or deputy misconduct seriously and will do so in this case as well. After all the facts have been made public, we are confident the actions of our deputies will be found to have been both within the law and department policy.
Contact information:
Marin County Sheriff’s Office
3501 Civic Center Drive #145
San Rafael, CA 94903 Driving Directions
Administration 415-499-7250
Sheriff Robert T. Doyle email
Undersheriff Timothy Little email Captain Michael Ridgway email
Captain Dave Augustus email
Captain Rick Navarro email
Last Sunday, August 29, 2010, was the hardest day of my life. Even when my father made me promise that I would preach his funeral (which I did–twice: once in Indiana where he lived, and again in Florida where I live and where he is buried), that was not as difficult and gut wrenching as what I had to do last Sunday. Last Sunday, I retired as the pastor of the church that my wife and I founded 35 years ago: the Crossroad Baptist Church of Pensacola, Florida.
Think of it: all of my adult life (after college) has been spent pastoring this wonderful congregation. And the people that I spoke to this past Sunday evening are, without a doubt, the finest group of people I have ever known. They are my friends. Many of them I had led to Christ, or were saved under my preaching. Some have stood with me for twenty years; some for over thirty years. My vocabulary is too limited to express the love and appreciation I have for these wonderful people! They stood by me through thick and thin. Even when God opened the door for me to run for President of the United States on the Constitution Party ticket, they stood by me. They stood by me when enemies attacked me; they stood by me when friends forsook me.
And last Sunday evening, I had to tell them that, after 35 years as their shepherd, God had led me to leave them. I can tell you, tears flowed like rivers; and I believe my family and I cried more than anyone.
[…]
Yes, I will continue to write this column; but while we are in the process of moving (maybe 6 weeks or more), they will not be written quite as often. I will attempt (with the help of a small but dedicated staff) to produce at least one column a week (instead of two). Yes, my web site, ChuckBaldwinLive.com will be maintained. And, yes, people will still be able to support us via the website during this transition.
Yes, last Sunday was the hardest day of my life, but there will be many hard and difficult days ahead for the Baldwin family. Each of us is aware of that. We are not naïve. We know we are headed for a fight; we know it won’t be easy. But we also know that freedom is worth fighting for, and if Washington, D.C., is freedom’s greatest threat (and it is), then defiant, liberty-loving states are freedom’s greatest allies. I’ve been preaching that for several years now. I guess it’s time that I started practicing it. Therefore, Montana, here we come!
I suppose I should write a little something here about Mr. Baldwin and why this is such a big story. I have not always agreed with Pastor Baldwin; in fact, I have been known to criticize him on certain issues. However, I know Mr. Baldwin’s heart. He is, like me, a Baptist and also a born again Christian. (Although, I would tend to opine that he does a much better job at the Christian bit, than I will ever do. But, I digress.) I also know what Chuck Baldwin wants to see the Conservative movement come back to the days of Ronald Reagan and get away from the idiotic Neo-Conservative stupidity that has infiltrated that party and movement in the last 10 or so years.
I do read his column every time it comes out, and even though, at times, I disagree with it’s content; I do know that it comes from someone with a good heart and from someone who shares my love for this wonderful Country of ours.
Having said all of that, I do wish Pastor Chuck Baldwin and the Baldwin family, the very best in what they are about to undertake. I too, have had to count the cost of doing what I do and I know, like Pastor Baldwin, that in the end — it will have been worth every piece of hate mail, insults and even lies made up about us.
Good Luck Pastor and May the Lord of Hosts be with you.
