And take Tim with you!
And so it starts. Just like clockwork. It's so predictable you could set your watch by it.
SOURCE
Every Presidential election cycle brings the same recurring list of celebrities who defiantly proclaim (usually via some sort of press conference) that if the Republican nominee gets elected in November they will move out of the USA in threatened protest. In this case if "we the people" don't want Susan Sarandon to pack up her Prius and deprive us of the glory of her presence we MUST put a Democrat in the White House.
Harumph!
This time, please follow through with your promised threat. MOVE! GET OUT! At least I'd have more respect for you for putting your money where your mouth is. Alas, if history is to be our guide for precendent, they won't be going anywhere as usual.
More symbolism over substance. Surprised?
Happy Memorial Day
Unlike the petulant, ignorant, arrogant, and elitist whiners of the left, I DO appreciate the sacrifices and courage of our military. Because of THEM I am free despite the continuing efforts to limit and control our freedoms by the ones in Washington, DC.
Happy Memorial day!
More symbolism (plus some tax dollars)
A better definition would be to call it an extortion fee to fund another new bureaucracy populated with political cronies who aren't required to produce anything.
SOURCE
As usual, more symbolism over actual substance. Some of my favorite quotes from the article (my
emphasis and
comments added).
"The modest fee -- 4.4 cents per ton of carbon dioxide --
probably won't be enough to force companies to reduce their emissions, but backers say it
sets an important precedent in combating climate change and could serve as a model for regional air districts nationwide."
BOHICA...
"The fee will not be imposed on vehicles"
Not yet anyway...
"
It doesn't solve global warming, but it gets us thinking in the right terms," said Daniel Kammen, a renewable energy
expert at the
University of California, Berkeley. "
It's not enough of a cost to change behavior, but it tells us where things are headed. You have to think not just in financial terms, but in carbon terms."
Symbolism over substance at its best. An "expert"? Take a guess where this is headed! Hold on to your wallets!
"The fees are expected to generate $1.1 million in its first year to help pay for programs to measure the region's emissions and develop ways to reduce them."
Said new bureaucracy...
"The proposed program, which requires companies to measure and report their own emissions, could make it more complicated and expensive to do business in the Bay Area"
Duh. Sure, another thing **I'd** have to document for my business. I would be passing the cost of this unfunded mandate to my clients.
What's the next "legal" form of discrimination?
(Besides against white males, that is...)
DISCLAIMER: I don't smoke.
Like a lot of other legal and social trends it starts with the smokers. Using their logic, they are in the right to discriminate against smokers because they "cost more" when it comes to heathcare costs. Now as you're reading this I'd like you to do the old substitution game. Replace "smoker" with "employee with spouse/partner and/or children".
As an employer who's in charge over overseeing my company's HR, I can tell you with 100% certainty that the insurance costs for an employee's spouse and children are
A LOT higher than for just the employee alone. Duh. One of the little known aspects about medical insurance is that when companies (and government agencies) get to a certain size they get group rates, which means that all eligible employees get the SAME rates and can't be denied insurance based on other factors that would normally prevent someone from getting insurance on their own.
Rates are simply determined by age and home zip code. No exams. No questionnaires to determine factors like "I'm a smoker" or "I have high blood pressure".
Remember this when reading this article. This is just a thinly veiled attempt for more government approved social engineering and sanctioned discrimination against smokers. If history can be looked at for precedence, the "obese" are next. If not the obese, it will be something else - there is ALWAYS something else. Just watch...
SOURCE
Sign me up
I bet you won't read or hear about this from the Algore-worshiping lemmings:
PETITION
Remember that 2000 member group claiming that the "science is settled" – that the "consensus" of scientists in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming is so overwhelming that further examination of the science is unnecessary? There were only about 600 scientists involved. Most were non-scientist political and bureaucratic representatives, and participants from environmental, business, and political organizations. I'm sure they were all more than qualified to make such a momentous declaration.
And I've got some carbon credits to sell you...
31,000+ American scientists have already signed this petition, including 9,000+ with PhDs. Can't really say the same about the former group.
In the meantime, Left. Right. Left. Right...
Not MY heath records you don't
I don't know how long I'll be free to resist. The Google juggernaut makes another crack into our personal security.
SOURCE
I don't trust them at all, but then you already knew that...
Oh yes we can and I WILL
A quote from your esteemed presumptive Democratic nominee:
"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK."
SOURCE
SCREW YOU! Who the hell are you to tell me how to live MY life and spend MY money. Are you and your elitist ilk practicing what you preach? I highly doubt it. If you don't want to drive your SUV, eat more than a starving African, and maintain your home's temperature where you want it go right ahead. Just don't dare tell me to do it because you feel guilty about America's and YOUR prosperity. I don't need the government of another country's permission to exist as I see fit - OR YOURS!
GO STRAIGHT TO HELL YOU BASTARDS!
Do you want a person (or a party) who thinks like this to govern your country? Sadly, many of you do. Don't worry, they'll get around to regulating/rationing/eliminating something that will finally piss you off. By then it will be too late.
Keep marching lemmings. Left, right, left, right...
(Don't worry, Mom. I'm just fine...)
Image courtesy of
Glenn Beck
The good and the not so good
The Ying must have its Yang. Positive needs the negative. Nature is all about balance. This weekend had many goods that were countered by a single debilitating bad.
Good: Completed some household tasks that were in process for way too long. Successfully setup my two main musical battle axes with new strings AND a balanced Floyd Rose floating tremolo (not blocked this time!). Prepared some tracks for the new CD. The recording gods weren't in my favor, BUT I did conjure up some interesting solo ideas. Lots of yummy dry rose wine.
Bad: 100 degree heat hits the homestead starting on Thursday. A/C decides to immediately go on strike. Four straight days and nights of sweat and lethargy. Just ask the fur-covered four-legged ones in the house. Uggg... Hopefully it gets fixed today.
Fads, tokenism, and social engineering
The barrage of environmental and green activism during Earth Week reminded me of how the popular media (news, entertainment, TV, advertising, etc.) influences and is influenced by all of the current fads and trends of social engineering. It's funny how quickly the focus changes and moves onto the next "important" feel-good cause du jour. Here's what I mean:
A couple weeks back it was all about being "green" and saving the planet. If you paid close attention the message was EVERYWHERE and still is. Fine. Whatever. But how long will it continue?
Remember these other fads and tokenism from the past? Keep in mind I don't necessarily disagree with any of these things, it's just an interesting observation to their injection into TV shows, commercials, news outlets, movies, etc. A good indicator to follow are children's cartoons.
Gays/lesbians - How many sitcoms,TV shows, movies, etc. has/had the token "gay" character(s)? It is all the rage these days with the hip crowd.
Minorities - How many sitcoms,TV shows, movies, etc. has/had the token "minority" character(s), usually in positions of authority? When's the last time you saw a white male on a local TV news channel with the exception of the sports guy?
Disabled persons - How many sitcoms,TV shows, commercials etc. had the token "person in a wheelchair"? Where are they now? Not so many anymore.
Women - Try and find a commercial or TV show that doesn't depict a female (little girls included) as saints, highly intelligent (smarter than any male shown), and always in control/authority.
Married couples/fathers - Take note as to how many TV shows - especially commercials - have no fathers or evidence that the mother on the screen is married.
Men/boys - If a male is depicted on any TV show or commercial he is typically portrayed as doofus, dolt, or chauvinist pig.
No judgments. Just a few observations.
I wonder what's next...
It ain't just a river
Denial. Stage 1. I've already dove head first into the depths of Stage 2 with many frequent flashbacks to Stage 1. It's taken a long time for me to locate that selfish thorn in the back of my mind. At least I've found it. Now it's time for me to deal with it.
I should have just looked into my own
band's musical endeavors for the clues to my dilemma.
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
Hola!
Back from a week of some required R&R. Strange how quickly those irritants that said R&R are supposed to resolve can rear their collective ugly heads and put you right back in that frame of mind that you escaped from in the first place. A vicious circle it is.
The black cloud is back!
Now to go through roughly 2400 emails, 99% of which are garbage.
