Escher Economics

Amazing artwork over at 'Across The Street'  (read the whole e over thing there)

It has become clear to me that the works of the great M. C. Escher are not impossible designs; They’re Economic Models….check it out:

more…………………..




This one’s a model for sustained economic growth:

I call this one Deficit Financing:

Awesome.

Happy Birthday!

29 March 1911: The US Army formally adopts a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun developed by Mr. John Moses Browing,
US Patent Number 984,519;  and designates it the Model 1911.

The rest ... is history ...

After 100 years, many of Mr. Brownings inventions are still the best at what they do.

Happy 100th Birthday !

When Men Become Truly Free

(bump)
h/t Bad Cyborg

Watch the video.

Colin Ryan poem When Men Become Truly Free
Written by Colin Ryan
Read by Des Brittain

When Men Become Truly Free
by Colin Ryan

There comes a times in the lives of men
When the ruthless and the criminally insane
Who rule the masses for their own gain
Make the fatal mistake of enjoying too much
Their psychopathic entertainment.
They lose control in their lust for blood
And take too far their need to tread men down
By destroying any sense of a secure life
And taking away each and every freedom
Stealing the last piece of wealth they possess
So they cannot even care for their own
Stifling their voice with laws and corruption
Beating them down with rule by force
Where no justice exists for those being played
And there is no direction left for men to turn.
When this insane game is taken this far
Comes the time when men have nothing left to lose.
This is the time when the minds of men are freed.
It is a time when man loses his fear of death.
This is the time when a man becomes invincible,
He becomes free to do whatever he must do
Without fear for his life or for his future.
He will take control of the destiny of the world
Away from the bloodied hands of the soulless.
Any action he takes he will take with a surety
That he must do something for he has no future.
So the act he chooses will be all the greater
For when faced with oblivion and with no way out
There is one thing this now fearless man will do.
He will take down as many of his oppressors with him
Gladly die in a selfless act to change the world's future.
This day is coming soon as it always does.
The perverse minds of evil always self destruct
As their addiction to our suffering can never be sated,
Exerting control for their paranoia and fear of men.
For every good man will take down these brutes.
Every free man will give up himself for his brothers.
For a man with nothing left becomes fully empowered
And he is the most unassailable weapon.
(C) 2010 Colin Ryan

What a fine poem for our times.

Colin- Next time I'm up your way, let me buy you a pint.

Shut Up, and Plow For Your Masters

People are realizing that the public sector unions are organized against YOU.
They are protesting against you. They demand that you pay them, or else they will abondon their jobs and wreak havoc and violence and great expense upon your state and municipality.

TL in Exile

So, now that it is apparent that these union goons are protesting against you, the taxpayer, the benefactor of their existence, at the behest of the Democratic Party…

[…]

Unfortunately, there seems to be no outrage that the Democratic Party, through the President of the United States, has conducted a huge money-laundering scheme via labor unions and now expects the members of these unions to help them stall and even discourage legislation. Are any of you awake?

Of the Stimulus Bill over $800 billion was meted out to these entities on the FIRST page alone: ...

There follows a list of ‘Stimulus’ to public sector unions.

Funding public sector unions is not ‘stimulating’ the econmy. It only stimulates the bank accounts of political organizations. We used to call that graft and corruption. Kleptocracy. Now it’s being called “stimulus”. And they don't want the gravy train to stop.

Michael Barone tells of

Enormous contributions, yes -- to the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign. Unions, most of whose members are public employees, gave Democrats some $400 million in the 2008 election cycle. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the biggest public employee union, gave Democrats $90 million in the 2010 cycle.
Follow the money, Washington reporters like to say. The money in this case comes from taxpayers, present and future, who are the source of every penny of dues paid to public employee unions, who in turn spend much of that money on politics, almost all of it for Democrats. In effect, public employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.

ColdFury comments

A nice, tight, and very vicious little circle indeed. Don’t be fooled by all the whining about the poor, put-upon “little guy” here. This fight is all about power, from first to last, and nothing more. The Democrat Socialists and their union footsloggers intend to hold onto it, by hook or by crook, and taxpayers be damned, of course and as always.

Liberal-fascists want you to know your proper role here, which is to stay bent over, stop complaining, be humble, and keep paying up. And for God’s sake, stop electing people like Walker who have seen through their cozy little scam and intend to try to put a stop to it, willya?

This about about people who want to keep you plowing for them, to keep the chains on you.
“..know your proper role here, which is to stay bent over, stop complaining, be humble, and keep paying up.”

Just to be clear: I don’t want to end the scam and extortion. I want the extortionists and scam artists punished and jailed for what they have already done.

Should we accept serial rape, and never do anything to stop it? Should we feel better when they take a break, when they are demanding their right to come back for more? If we do not go after the rapists to stop the rape, then we should not complain when the rapists come again and again.

Bend over? No thanks.

Let's put and end to it, and hunt down the perpetrators.

The President Commits SEDITION, Actively Interfering in State Governance

from Deep Winter, ( h/t Arctic Patriot )

What is most concerning is that the President is effectively committing sedition, actively taking a role in funding the interference in a state to govern itself effectively and legally. Obama’s Organizing for America, the remains of his 2008 election campaign, is directly and admittedly involved in the situation.

From a sharp and clear voice on another forum, I submit for your consideration:

"S-E-D-I-T-I-O-N"
–noun 1. incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government. 2. any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion. 3. Archaic . rebellious disorder.

OBAMA, our currently sitting POTUS, is not only inciting this with words and deeds, he's ******** FUNDING IT! HE IS DIRECTLY INTERFERING WITH THE STATE OF WISCONSIN'S SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO GOVERN. I also believe that Obama helped orchestrate the acts of the Wisconsin Democrats and probably funded their 'escape' to the Illinois resort and their transportation to that resort....”

Organizing for America is also actively looking at spreading this type of activity to other states that are looking to pare back on benefits paid to public employees and their unions by the taxpayers.

[...]

Destroying the ability of a state to govern, and then another and another, leaving only the Federal Government, provides a very bleak path to a Night of Long Knives.

He's got a point there.

States unable/unwilling to defend themselves will be subsumed. Indiana has already relented.

Who Are They Unionized Against? Against 'we the people'.

from comments over at Small Dead Animals

Tim 2/14/2011

It is really troubling to see what many of you are writing.

I am a private sector employee, lucky to have my job and to be able to feed, clothe and house my wife and four kids - all of which attend a public school. I have a modest income of $50,000 per year gross. Out of this income, I pay 100% of my insurance premiums for my $10,500 family deductible health insurance plan. I have no 401k and pensions haven't existed in my private sector industry for 25+ years. Like many of my coworkers, I have not seen a raise in the past several annual reviews. My company's revenues are down, and we middle class workers share in the down cycle.

My wife and I love the commitment of our kid's school teachers. We help and support them any way we can. But it is so difficult to hear the arguments and disdain against our family by all of you teachers.

WHO ARE YOU UNIONIZED AGAINST?

[read the whole thing]

The unions feel that they are entitled to have the rest of us support them.
The more they clarify their feelings about us, the more the nation is revolted by them.

On Meet the Press

There was a referendum on this issue and the unions lost.

The teachers union is compelling society to pay them much more than the median wage and give them a great retirement. Average Wisconsin teacher makes between $80,000.00 and $90,000.00 per year (including benefits) for 39 weeks of work a year with 13 weeks off. Meanwhile, the average Wisconsin resident in the private sector makes $37,398.00 for a full year's work.

Those are the issues: Do the citizens plow for the teachers, or will the teachers agree to work for the citizens?
The elections in Wisconsin were a referendum on cost cutting measures. Does voting work, or is voting now irrelevant (does might now make right, or does corruption make right, or is it voting)?

The Unions have a good ponzi scheme going, and they want to keep the money flowing.
from Redstate

If the union can defeat Scott Walker’s reform plans, not only does it keep the union dues of teachers, it also gets to keep its health insurance monopoly intact.

Watch. Next move? The union will try use force (it's what they do). They already abandoned their jobs to create havoc, to 'show the citizens' their power. Next, goons will be brought in to compel the citizens to plow for them. National level thugs (lawyers, guns, and money) are being bussed in.

How much is this costing Wisconsin? Who should pay for the disruption, lost days, and associated costs? Part of the Union strategy is to explode costs for the State, at a time when the State is vulnerable to budgetary pressure. Turn-about is fair play- Bankrupt the Union, Jail the leadership, and make Public Unions illegal: Who are they organizing against? Against 'we the people'.

What I propose:

1) Wisconsin balances their budget, as best they can. The election was about that, now do it.

2) Walking out from jobs = Firing offense.

3) The Union is creating expense for a State that cannot afford it. Make sure the people of the State know the total cost to the State for this Union strategy. Make it clear that taxes will need to go up to cover the costs, if the Union responsible refuses to pay for expenses associated with their actions.

4) Union responsible for organizing = Repay the people of the State for direct and indirect costs of their protest.

5) National organizations busing in outside agitators? Arrest them locally, and issue warrants for others who support them (Pelosi, Reid, Rahm, Obama, et al).

6) Pass bills nationally, making 'public employee unions' illegal organizations, organized against (what?) the people and/or against the government they are supposed to serve.

*** *** ***

Like Unions, the Ivy League schools depend on Tax Payer money to exist. These "private" schools receive "public money" (my money), for everything from government backed student loans to research grants.

Yet, these schoools now openly hate America and the American people. Why am I forced to pay for them?
We need to keep that in mind when severe budget cuts are necessary... "Ivy League, Delende Est"

Why support a group that actively works to undermine your culture, your history, your civilization; and which supports people and projects and ideologies which are repugnant to Western Civilization and to the Constitution? Their support for Communism and Facism would be examples. Uncivil hatred of America and of Americans, would be another.

It's your money. You get to choose where it gets spent. no?

Firefly Returns to Cable TV

Entertainment Weekly reports that Firefly returns to cable TV

Firefly premieres on Science Channel on March 6 at 8 p.m., with the two hour pilot, followed by the first episode at 10 p.m. Following that, Firefly episodes will air every Sunday — and, yes, in their original intended order and upgraded to high definition.

"May have been on the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
-character Malcolm Reynolds

Brigid and the Browncoats- Set your TIVOs, tell your friends, and dust off the blog posts!

Supreme Court To Revisit Elegibility

from Bob Unruh at World Net Daily

In a stunning move, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled another "conference" on a legal challenge to Barack Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office, but officials there are not answering questions about whether two justices given their jobs by Obama will participate.

The court has confirmed that it has distributed a petition for rehearing in the case brought by attorney John Hemenway on behalf of retired Col. Gregory Hollister and it will be the subject of a conference on March 4.

[...]

"The real question here is one of getting members of the judiciary to take seriously the oath that they swore to protect and preserve the Constitution," Hemenway wrote in his petition for rehearing. "To continue to avoid the issue will destroy the constitutional rule of law basis of our legal system when it is under vigorous assault as surely as if the conscious decision were made to cease preserving and protecting our founding charter."

How was this not definitively settled before elections? Shirking responsibility. Playing along to get along. Loving tranquility so much, that they couldn't be bothered to do their jobs, to protect the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

'The Jipster' wishes he was like 'The Gipper'

The urban dictionary defines "jip":

1. jip
Verb: To take unfairly, to rob.
Alternate Spellings: Gyp, Gip, Jyp.
Shortening of the word Gypsie, as Gypsies were believed to be thieves.
'I got jipped.'
'What a jip.'

2. jip
Trouble.
'It's giving me some jip.'

3. Jip
A letdown.
Or in some cases a rip-off.
'I paid £8 to see this lame movie, what a jip!'
'Red Hot Chili Peppers at Leeds Festival 07, pft, what a jip!'

RCP has video: Obama Refers To Himself As "The Gipper" In Farewell To Gibbs.

"The Gipper" ? No way.

"The Jipster" fits better.

At Least They Are Trying

Junior GOP Congresscritters are trying.

from The Hill

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) on Friday evening introduced a revised 2011 government spending bill that the GOP said will cut at least $100 billion in spending this fiscal year, bowing to demands by Tea Party-backed House freshmen.

The continuing resolution funding the government after March 4 cuts deeply across all areas of domestic spending and singles out many programs for complete elimination.

In the CR $81 billion has been cut from non-security programs, and security-related programs have been reduced by $19 billion, compared to Obama’s 2011 budget request.

The legislation will increase funding for the Department of Defense by 2 percent over last year’s level.

“This evening, on behalf of House Republicans, Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers introduced a Continuing Resolution that will reduce spending by at least $100 billion in the next 7 months – a historic effort to get our fiscal house in order and restore certainty to the economy,” Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said in a statement.

There is a difference between politics and actually doing something.
Several of the new Congresscritters are trying to actually do something.

Charles Manson-Cloward-Piven

Foreign Policy? The world is as digusted with Obama as we are.
Abdication of responsibility, weakness, and backstabbing traditional allies.

Charles Manson- Cloward- Piven marxism strategy. Chaos, anarchy. "Burn, Baby, Burn" Remember?
And the 'community organizers are convinced that they will (a) survive, and (b) float to the top during the chaos, like drug lords.

Once it's viewed as the Charles Manson plan, it is easier to anticipate their actions.

Brightest Blurb on Thursday's Internets

comment by 'Birdman III' at Townhall article by Walter E. Williams
article linked at Western Rifle Shooters Association

At some point a collapse WILL happen. And then there will no longer be any money for anything, Defense, Home Security, Education, SS, Welfare, Medicare, et al. No one will give us any money loans and the well will dry up. The one who happens to be in office at the time will receive the blame. And we will be fair game for any tinpot dictator to walk in and take it all. Who would stop him?

All that oil we can't drill now wili be confiscated to someone else's benefit and the American people will go without. The trees we can't harvest now will be cut down for someone else's warmth and housing and the American people will do without. The coal that we can't mine wil be mined for someone else's use and the American people will do without.

Maybe at that point a new generation of Chino-Americans will wake up and become self-sufficient like our fore-fathers. But it will not save the America we grew old in. That America will cease to exist. And people around the world will cheer and celebrate until the next earthquake or tsunami or volcanie eruption and no one comes to the rescue.

We can bite the bullet now and possibly save the old America or we can let continue under Socialism and die a slow ugly death. You choose America between platitudes or reality. You can serve God and save yourselves or you can choose Man-god, as for me and my family we will serve God.

Me? I think we're past the point of saving 'the old America'. That bus was deliberately driven over the cliff, and sure as gravity and economic principles, it's only a matter of WHEN we crash onto the rocks below.

But it's good that some folks still believe it can be saved. May they be right.

Bigger Magazines and Violent Crime

Data beats propaganda.

Virgnia violent crime went down after larger magazines became available again in 2004; from 282 per 100,000 in 2000, fairly level, until a year or so after 2004, down to 227 in 2009. http://vaperforms.virginia.gov/indicators/publicSafety/crime.php

After 5 years of larger magazine sizes, the decrease accelerates! The 2009 Virginia rate is the 7th lowest in the nation.

More Liberty, and Safer Citizens.

Liberty is Good.

Notice the Peoples Republic of Maryland, with uber-restrictive gun laws and 20 round magazine limitations IS MUCH MUCH WORSE than gun friendly Virgina. Also notice that larger magazines in Virgina did not lead to massive liberal bloodbaths in Maryland (despite the mythology).

Is Maryland benefitting from Virginia and National laws?
Someone is going to have to study that.


Years of data - Beats the spin on media hype, doesn't it?

What else was Virginia doing these last few years?
Expanding Open carry
'Shall Issue' Concealed Carry
Unrestricted Magazine sizes
And crime was going down. Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm not saying crime reducing is what led to magazine sizes changing, or that magazine sizes changing is what led to reduced crime. The data is being shown. And the data debunks the lies being told in the media.

Why the focus on Virginia today? Well, CA over at Western Rifle Shooters Association links to articles where some geniuses noticed that in the years since larger magazines have been legal, that police are finding more of the legal magazines! Brilliant!
(Silly observation, really. But pushed as important findings by collectivists here)

The media lies don't end. Collectivists want to take your Liberty.
Seek data to keep informed. Liberty depends on the Truth.


How about National 'violent crime rates' after larger magazines were again available?
FBI data shows national violent crime also going down after those larger magazines magazines are available.

What else was was happening Nationally during these last few years?
Expanding Open carry
More 'Shall Issue' Concealed Carry
Nationally unrestricted Magazine sizes
And violent crime was decreasing? Hmmmmmmm.

Liberty is good.

The data debunks their mythology.

Liberty depends on the Truth.



Data beats propaganda.

[update] Tip of the hat to Borepatch for catching/correcting some of mine. He tried. What's still wrong, is all mine.

[update 2] Tam has a great post regarding magazine size, and the best comment:

"I relate the magazine restriction to governing all cars to 30mph because drunk drivers kill people. If they could only reach 30mph, fewer deaths would result."
-Joseph

Surely, that wins the internets (?)

I am TJIC

spotted at Eternity Road

the police—oathbreakers all—in Arlington, MA, who have conspired in violation of the First and Second Amendments and 18 USC 241 - 242 to deny one Travis Corcoran the free exercise of his constitutionally-protected civil rights.

Travis is known as TJIC on his blog (now offline). Goons came and took his guns and ammo and his Massachusetts 'gun license', as they trampled on the Constitution, some Amendments, Federal Law, and common sense.

Borepatch is leading this cause, and he provides the details of the 'high crimes and misdemeanors' TJIC is implicated in:

On the day that Congresswomen Giffords and a Federal Judge and 7 others were shot, TJIC had a Blog headline that said: "1 down, 534 to go."

His comments were along the lines of the old lawyer joke: What do you call a ship full of lawyers at the bottom of the sea? A good start.

To say that is a threat to lawyers is laughable on its face. Same as with TJIC's comment. Inflammatory? Perhaps. Boorish? Maybe.

But the First Amendment seems to me to apply especially to speech that people are likely to see as boorish.

[...]

It would be one thing if the law were applied equally to all.  It's not, and it will be applied disproportionately to us, because we hold views considered by some in power to be Double Plus Ungood.

Think back on the last 10 years and everything that was said, was done, pictures, and movies, and inciting with violent images and language; and then tell me that if this is allowed to happen to TJIC-- Then tell me who among us 300 million is safe from this?

First they came for the ... [you know the rest!]

Borepatch just recently escaped from the 'Peoples Republic of Massachusetts', and reminds us: Was it not "... a famous Massachusetts citizen who said We must all hang together, or surely we will all hang separately." (Ben Franklin)



If not now, then when? Really.

In my father's time, anyone flagrantly violating the Constitution and Federal Law would be imprisoned for long stretches for such actions repugnant to the Constitution... So now we must watch and see: 'is there any law'? And if it is demonstrated that 'there is no law', then what?

Title 18, USC, Sections 241 and 242

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 241
Conspiracy Against Rights

This statute makes it unlawful for two or more persons to conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person of any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, (or because of his/her having exercised the same).
It further makes it unlawful for two or more persons to go in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another with the intent to prevent or hinder his/her free exercise or enjoyment of any rights so secured.
Punishment varies from a fine or imprisonment of up to ten years, or both; and if death results, or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years, or for life, or may be sentenced to death.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 242
Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law

This statute makes it a crime for any person acting under color of law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom to willfully deprive or cause to be deprived from any person those rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution and laws of the U.S.
This law further prohibits a person acting under color of law, statute, ordinance, regulation or custom to willfully subject or cause to be subjected any person to different punishments, pains, or penalties, than those prescribed for punishment of citizens on account of such person being an alien or by reason of his/her color or race.
Acts under "color of any law" include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the bounds or limits of their lawful authority, but also acts done without and beyond the bounds of their lawful authority; provided that, in order for unlawful acts of any official to be done under "color of any law," the unlawful acts must be done while such official is purporting or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. This definition includes, in addition to law enforcement officials, individuals such as Mayors, Council persons, Judges, Nursing Home Proprietors, Security Guards, etc., persons who are bound by laws, statutes ordinances, or customs.
Punishment varies from a fine or imprisonment of up to one year, or both, and if bodily injury results or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire shall be fined or imprisoned up to ten years or both, and if death results, or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This situation will clarify a few open questions. We can watch and discover the position of this government: Does 'might make right'? Are some portions of the population now Overlords, 'above the rule of law'? Are the people now slaves, no longer whole men; but just 3/5ths of a man, and subject to the whims of their masters?

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face -- forever."
- George Orwell

What is the position of the government? Are they constituted to protect our Life, Liberty, and Property? Or is it their intent to trample the common man? And to do so publicly and boldly, to demonstrate that they can.

We Just Witnessed The Media's Test Run To Re-Elect Barack Obama

Keen Observation of the day, over at Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

We Just Witnessed The Media's Test Run To Re-Elect Barack Obama

In the vile attempt to tie Palin to the Tucson shooting we have witnessed the test run for how the left-wing blogosphere will target Republican candidates and propel false narratives into the mainstream media, and how the mainstream media will take those narratives and run with them.

Angry yelling and lies are a tactic to crowd out facts and reasoned discussion.

How to stop "union tactics" by goons?

Who wins when discussions are displaced & overwhelmed by angry yelling?

Who loses?

And what is lost?

Bow Down To Your Master

Do not Pander to Foul-Mouthed, Foul-Spirited People.

Don Surber

The left wants us to be civil — after being so uncivil for a decade.

Bite me.

There is grown-up work to do now. Liberals ran up the federal credit card, destroyed the American medical system and undermined the rule of law — which is the foundation of capitalism — with a bunch of unconstitutional fiats from the president and his bureaucracy.

[...]

I have been screamed at for 10 years.

It’s my turn now. I am not going to scream back. But I refuse to allow anyone to dictate what I say or how I say it. I refuse to allow the same foul-mouthed, foul-spirited foul people who dumped on me to now try to tell me what I may or may not say.

My free speech matters more than the feelings of anyone on the left. You don’t like what I say? Tough.

Timeless.

Here's something similar, from 200 years ago.

“Let these be your motives to action through life; the relief of the distressed, the detection of frauds, the defeat of oppression, and the diffusion of happiness.”
- Brigadier General Nathanael Greene

Live well. Do good works. Oppose lies and fraud.

Honor MLK: Disobey Unjust Laws

“One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

Picture and quote from I Disobeyed an Unjust Law
Hat tip to Cliffs of Insanity, and to Green Mountain Homesteading

“All laws which are repugnant to the Constitution are null and void.”
- SCOTUS Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

“Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
- Thomas Jefferson

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”
– Voltaire

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”
- Ronald Reagan

First&Last Big Test of GOP

Poll: 71% of Americans oppose raising the debt ceiling. Will the GOP Congress vote against a super-majority of Americans, like the Dems before them?

The debt ceiling has been raised 10 times in 10 years, 71 times since 1940, ALWAYS for "The Last Time"TM, "We Promise".

71% against. The debt ceiling could be "the 3rd Rail":  The country is outraged and tired of being raped. The GOP was voted into majority to STOP THIS RAPE.

The GOP needs to roll up their sleeves and show they can DO SOMETHING.

Whoever stands up to stop this, will be our next President.  If no one stands up- Then who cares who is President, really?


ACE has an informative post on this here, including comments from Jim Demint.
Zero Hedge has a post here. (read the comments)
Ron Paul has a post here.
Rand Paul article here.
How will your Congressman vote?

EuroDouchal

Grenadier1 defines a useful new unit of measure here (in comments):

A Douchal is a unit of measure it is equal to an entire bushel of Douches

A "Douchal" (doosh-ul) is a useful measure when it's time to feed the hogs.
By volume, one bushel of "Douchal" is roughly 1.24445663 cubic feet, about 9.3 gallons, and weighs about 77.16 lbs.

For many more Douches, use a larger unit of volume: A "FurDouchalong" (fur-douchal-long) is a Furlong (660 ft) of bushel baskets of Douches.

Example sentence: Congress is a "FurDouchalong".
100 Senators
435 Representatives
5 Delegates
1 Resident
=====
541 Douches, at one per bushel basket (but extending well over the top of a physical bushel basket).

As a unit of measure, by volume, ground up, a rough first estimate is 660 linear ft of bushel baskets of Douches, or one "FurDouchalong".

(someone, please check my math)

***

Now a Bushel is 17" diameter. So there are only 466 bushel baskets per 660 linear ft (one furlong).

The volume of each bushel is roughly 1.24445663 cubic feet.

466 bushels volume equates to roughly 580 cubic feet.

At roughly 62 lbs per cubic foot, a "FurDouchalong" weighs about 35,946 pounds!

Divided by 541, that equates to only 66 lbs per Legislator.

Using a more realistic 170 pounds average weight, it is estimated that Congress is two and a half (2.5) FurDouchalong.
Add in some porkulous and the average weight goes up. And they sure are dense.

So we see that Congress is too "FurDouchalong".

***

Spread out as a paste, the "FurDouchalong" would be 660 ft long by 17" wide by 7.44” tall. Deep Doo-Doo. Don’t step in it!

Another example of volume: In a 1,000 ft radius, we have 3,141,592 square feet, or just over 72.12 acres! A “FurDouchalong” would be spread to a depth of .0022 inches, .056mm, to cover the entire 1,000 ft radius. This is smaller than “small” raindrops (about .02 inches, .5mm per small drop). So a “FurDouchalong” would cover a 1,000 ft radius in a ‘thin mist’.

***

The “Douchal” proves itself as a useful measure.

The ‘english’ measure of “FurDouchalong” has some uses, also, when measuring large volumes.

The “EuroDouchal” (you’re-a-douchal) is the metric unit, defined as exactly 1,000 “Douchals”; roughly 10% larger than two of the english “FurDouchalong” (similar to kilograms vs pounds).
.

'Arctic Patriot' Channels Jefferson

'Arctic Patriot' may have read the Declaration of Independence. What do you think? /sarc
from comments at Restore The Constitution

We only have the rights we are willing to defend.
We only have the rights we are willing to kill and die for.

Government cannot grant rights.
Rights must be secured from tyrants and bought with blood.

Government cannot take away your rights.
You must choose to give them away.

If two men vote a third into slavery, he is justified in resistance.

If a thousand do likewise, the one may still resist.

If two hundred and thirty million voters consign one person to slavery, he is justified in resisting by any means available.

No matter what is legislated, no matter what voters decide, you are free. Only you, through conscious choice, can change that.

Resist.

Arctic Patriot

'Arctic Patriot' has an excellent blog as well.

Gunny Gives a SITREP

At a benefit for the "USO" and "Toys for Tots", R. Lee Ermey said

"I got to tell you folks, we're having a big problem this year. The economy really sucks. Now I hate to point fingers at anybody, but the present administration probably had a lot to do with that. And the way I see it, they're not going to quit doing it until they bring this country to its knees; so I think we should all rise up and we should stop this administration from what they're doing because they're destroying this country.They're driving us into bankruptcy so they can impose socialism on us. That's exactly what they're doing, and I'm sick and damn tired of it and I know you are too.

"But I know the Marine Corps is going to be here forever. This administration won't.
Semper Fi. God bless you all."

December 10, 2010, appearance on Roe Roeper's Miracle on Indianapolis Blvd. Holiday Extravaganza broadcast, live from The Venue inside the Horseshoe Casino, broadcast Live on NBC Chicago.

Thank you Gunny, for that Christmas gift.

I Pledge Allegiance

h/t Holger Awakens

Remember when?






[update]

Remember when? ...back before we noticed government destroying businesses and farms, courts and financial stability, and now whole industries.

“It is the responsibility of the patriot to protect his country from its government.”
- Thomas Paine

The current form of government has made itself a leech, a cancer, sucking the life out of the country. As it fattens, it is killing the host.


I also remember a time and place where the government provided stability and consistency, and where robust individuals were able to reap the rewards for their innovation and hard work. No, really. Maybe it was a local/regional phenomenon, but I remember it. It's what the founders intended. And I want that back.

That's the attraction in the videos: The nostalgic notion that people are free to do things without begging the government; that 'we the people' are anything other than Eloi to serve the Morlocks.

"--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
- Jefferson, et al

Imagine that: A government constituted with the specific task of ensuring my Safety and Happiness.

Awesome: Day by Day 'Civil War Blog'

American Interest is blogging the Civil War!
The blog has daily "updates" from the archives of newspapers as they were originally published 150 years ago, day by day.
So on December 20th 2010, the blog feature articles and editorials that were originally published on December 20th 1860. etc.

December 20th 1860 has President Buchannan dealing with the secession of several states.
Buckle up!

Prepare for interesting times.

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Warning: 'American Interest' editorials and essays are frequently pro-Obama pro-Statism-Lenninism, and against traditional American ideals and against many of the traditional 'Liberal' philosophies of Western Civilization as embraced by our founders. The civil war is interesting, even when Marxists and RINOs write about it.

Or at least I hope so.
It would be a shame if marxists try to re-write history, no?
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