As I wrote earlier, the family took a trip to Yosemite National Park this past week. And we drove from RVFTLC headquarters to Yosemite.
The route that we took put us in the heart of Red California, the Central Valley and such cities as Bakersfield and Fresno and a lot of small towns and villages in between. As noted here, Bakersfield is one of the most conservative large cites in California. And while Fresno does have more registered Democrats, it too is relatively conservative.
And the counties that Yosemite are in, Madera, Mariposa and of Tuolumne are some of the most solidly conservative in the state. And, unfortunately some of the smallest in population.
But it is stark to realize that this part of California is around.
Even though I live in California, I live in such a liberal area that I may even forget that there is this part of the state until actually visiting there.
It is not just in politics that I note the differences.
Mrs. RVFTLC made a serious observation as we were travelling California state route 99 on our way to Fresno.
That there were very, very few high-end luxury cars on the road with us.
And she was spot on.
We hardly saw a BMer. A Mercedes. A Lexus. An Audi. An Infiniti.
You get the idea.
Once I realized this, I felt at home. It seems like almost everyone in the big cities around here has one of the aforementioned cars. But in the Central Valley and the Mother Lode, most people are practical. And it shows in what they drive.
But it is not just in what they drive as much as a totally different attitude in the people. I mean, they are genuinely friendly.
An example is that we made a pit-stop in the city of Mariposa. We found a Burger King, did our business. But we did not purchase anything. And usually we do. But the gentleman at the counter did not scold us for using the rest room. He said "Thank you and have a good day." If that happened here in Pasadena, it would be a near crime of the century. But here we were, total strangers in a very small town and not treated like criminals, but as people that might actually come back someday.
And in general, people smiled, said hello. And it was infectious enough to make your humble yet cynical blogger to smile right back and give a hello.
And the other aspect that is one that really made me think how different this part of California is that this area so depends on agriculture. It is the back bone of this region. It is literally the bread-basket of not just the United States but the world. And these kind of place are naturally more down-to-earth than those of us in the big cities.
But culturally, one huge difference between here and there.
Religion.
It is very clear that in this region, God is alive and well. There are churches everywhere. Even in the smallest towns there is at least a Roman Catholic church and a couple of Protestant churches. In larger towns and cities there are Jewish and Islamic places of worship. And it appears that all get along well. Because while they may nor agree on theology, they agree that practicing their faith is important and should not and can not be trampled on.
Yes, when one travels around California, it is clear that there are two distinct states. The state of Los Angeles, the Bay Area. And the state of the Central Valley and the Mother Lode. And they could not be more poles apart in almost every way.
It is a microcosm of the United States in general.
And it gives me hope that some of the positives of the Central Valley and Mother Lode can creep into life here in deep Blue California. For we can use a lot of it.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Just Back From Vacation
I go away for a week and the Blogger template is changing.
I have not fallen off the face of the earth. Sorry to all my liberal friends and readers!
The family, Mrs. RVFTLC, Scout the Wonder Dog and I took a few days off and went to Yosemite National Park.
It was my first time there. Scout's too. Mrs. RVFTLC had been there when she was a teenager.
I will have a lot more to write about, but just wanted to give you an update and to look for a lot of posts this weekend to catch up.
I have not fallen off the face of the earth. Sorry to all my liberal friends and readers!
The family, Mrs. RVFTLC, Scout the Wonder Dog and I took a few days off and went to Yosemite National Park.
It was my first time there. Scout's too. Mrs. RVFTLC had been there when she was a teenager.
I will have a lot more to write about, but just wanted to give you an update and to look for a lot of posts this weekend to catch up.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Santorum Scores In The Bayou
The former Pennsylvania senator, Rick Santorum, scored a very impressive win in the GOP Louisiana primary, taking 49% of the vote over the former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney's 27%.
And once again, Mr. Romney took the one solid urban area, Orleans parish, and Mr. Santorum took all the other parishes (counties).
Look at this map for that info.
But something interesting took place for Mr. Santorum this time.
According to the CNN exit poll, Mr. Santorum has taken some of Mr. Romney's natural vote of people making over $100,000 a year. And he scored a majority of voters that think the budget deficit and the economy are major issues.
Now that means that Mr. Santorum is making inroads out of the social conservative box that he, to some extent, put himself in.
And needless to say that is going to sort of hurt Romney moving forward.
But this maybe the last state Mr. Santorum can score such a victory. The rest of the states are favorable to Mr. Romney as we start looking at big states as California, New York and Texas.
But Mr. Santorum can and should savor this big win in the bayou.
And once again, Mr. Romney took the one solid urban area, Orleans parish, and Mr. Santorum took all the other parishes (counties).
Look at this map for that info.
But something interesting took place for Mr. Santorum this time.
According to the CNN exit poll, Mr. Santorum has taken some of Mr. Romney's natural vote of people making over $100,000 a year. And he scored a majority of voters that think the budget deficit and the economy are major issues.
Now that means that Mr. Santorum is making inroads out of the social conservative box that he, to some extent, put himself in.
And needless to say that is going to sort of hurt Romney moving forward.
But this maybe the last state Mr. Santorum can score such a victory. The rest of the states are favorable to Mr. Romney as we start looking at big states as California, New York and Texas.
But Mr. Santorum can and should savor this big win in the bayou.
How To Properly Wear A Hoodie
There are lots of photos in this post and yeah, I am making you read a lot before you get to see them!
The Trayvon Martin murder is a real tragedy and there are so many layers of it, there have to multiple posts to unpack a lot of it.
But something that happened from this is a lot of commentary about what Master Martin was wearing at the time George Zimmerman confronted and eventually killed him.
And that is what this post is going to focus on.
Apparently, Master Martin was wearing a hoodie.
OK, I don't get all worked up over it. Most kids Master Martin's age have at least one and yeah, they wear the hood over their head even when it is clearly not necessary.
But it is a part of a look that, in total, is totally stupid and dumb.
How many pubescent boys do you see with a hoodie, a baseball cap, hoodie on head and pants down practically to their ankles? The pants are so damn low that one can see undies, boxers, whatever the hell the kid is wearing.
The above is total trouble to even your humble blogger.
As I noted, I find it really boorish. But it is encouraged in a lot of ways by what passes for "music" today. You know, the crappers, er rappers, and that crowd.
The dirty secret is that most of the boys and young dudes with that look are really nothing but wussies. They are probably scared of their own shadow.
But there is serious talk of this look by none other than Geraldo Rivera of the Fox News Channel.
Also, my friend An Unmarried Man agreed with Mr. Rivera about what he said about hoodies and a certain look popular with boys and young men.
Both are Hispanic. And both at some point, as in the case of Mr. Rivera, are taking a lot of heat.
So what did Mr. Rivera say to rankle people? The following:
“I have a different take, Brian, on that,” Rivera said on Fox and Friends, “I believe that George Zimmerman, the overzealous neighborhood watch captain should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law and if he is criminally liable, he should be prosecuted. But I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”
“When you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark skinned kid like my son Cruz who I constantly yelled at when he was going out wearing a damn hoodie or those pants around his ankles,” Rivera said. “Take that hood off. People look at you and what’s the instant identification? What’s the instant association? Its crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone stick up a 7-Eleven, the kid is wearing a hoodie. Every time you see a mugging on a surveillance camera or get the old lady in the alcove, it’s the kid with a hoodie. You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta — you’re going to be a gangsta wannabe? Well, people are going to perceive you as a menace. That’s what happens. It is an instant reflexive action.”
In and of itself, Mr. Rivera is rather correct. When non-white kids are wearing a hoodie a certain way, it does lead to suspicious hackles being raised. And it is not just by White people. FTR, I would get worried being around a group of hoodie-wearing guys no matter their race. An individual not so much.
What I am trying to say is that hoodie-wearing is OK. But one should not go out of their way to look stupid and menacing when wearing a hoodie.
Let me state I am not particularly a fashion expert. I do know styles that I like and dress accordingly. And I have more than a rare occasion to wear at least a coat and tie and have that wardrobe. So I guess my style is Cali casual. And part of it is wearing a hoodie.
Below are some photos of your humble blogger is hoodie
So, photo number one to your left is the standard way that I wear my hoodie. A white Quiksilver hoodie. I have a gray one very similar with the wave a black and white plaid. But this does the job for illustration. As far as I am concerned it is the way one should wear a hoodie.
In looking at photo number two, I do have the hood on. The only time that I have the hood on is when it is raining. Shocking, isn't it? To use the hood for what it is made for.
But photo number three is the young boy, wannabe tough dudes look. You know, you have to wear a baseball cap, right. OK, in and of itself, no prob. But what in the hell does one throw on the hood on top of said hat?! As noted, I think that it looks stupid. Hell, it is stupid. But this is the look that Mr. Rivera and An Unmarried Man were referring to.
And photo number four, even though I am wearing shorts, gives the outfit a total look of "F--- you!" Note the unbuckled belt and I intentionally am wearing the shorts way below the waistline. And try not to notice the somewhat large waistline!
That is what the two gentlemen are trying to point out. And imagine a group of young boys and or post-teenage dudes walking down the street, often but not always with skateboard in hand and you look and wonder, hmm. What will these punks do if I don't even acknowledge they are there.
So, once there is some clarity, it appears that all three of us are onto the same thing.
It is not wearing a hoodie that is an issue. It is how one wears that hoodie that gets people, usually older people, worked up and yeah, worried when around said people.
No matter what, it is no excuse for anyone to do what Mr. Zimmerman did. We know at the very least that he was following Master Martin. Master Martin seemed to be concerned to mention to his girlfriend that he was talking to that he was being followed. Mr. Zimmerman was told not to continue to pursue Master Martin. A confrontation occurred and Mr. Zimmerman fired off one shot killing Master Martin.
If one of the reasons Mr. Zimmerman was following said Master Martin is because he was wearing a hoodie in and of it self, it is bad. If Master Martin was wearing it a certain way, all that had to be done was wait for the police and let people with a modicum of a clue take control of the situation. Amateurs like Mr. Zimmnerman should not be doing what he was doing.
But wearing a hoodie.
There is a right way and a wrong way. And that is the issue. Not just wearing one.
The Trayvon Martin murder is a real tragedy and there are so many layers of it, there have to multiple posts to unpack a lot of it.
But something that happened from this is a lot of commentary about what Master Martin was wearing at the time George Zimmerman confronted and eventually killed him.
And that is what this post is going to focus on.
Apparently, Master Martin was wearing a hoodie.
OK, I don't get all worked up over it. Most kids Master Martin's age have at least one and yeah, they wear the hood over their head even when it is clearly not necessary.
But it is a part of a look that, in total, is totally stupid and dumb.
How many pubescent boys do you see with a hoodie, a baseball cap, hoodie on head and pants down practically to their ankles? The pants are so damn low that one can see undies, boxers, whatever the hell the kid is wearing.
The above is total trouble to even your humble blogger.
As I noted, I find it really boorish. But it is encouraged in a lot of ways by what passes for "music" today. You know, the crappers, er rappers, and that crowd.
The dirty secret is that most of the boys and young dudes with that look are really nothing but wussies. They are probably scared of their own shadow.
But there is serious talk of this look by none other than Geraldo Rivera of the Fox News Channel.
Also, my friend An Unmarried Man agreed with Mr. Rivera about what he said about hoodies and a certain look popular with boys and young men.
Both are Hispanic. And both at some point, as in the case of Mr. Rivera, are taking a lot of heat.
So what did Mr. Rivera say to rankle people? The following:
“I have a different take, Brian, on that,” Rivera said on Fox and Friends, “I believe that George Zimmerman, the overzealous neighborhood watch captain should be investigated to the fullest extent of the law and if he is criminally liable, he should be prosecuted. But I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies. I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.”
“When you see a kid walking down the street, particularly a dark skinned kid like my son Cruz who I constantly yelled at when he was going out wearing a damn hoodie or those pants around his ankles,” Rivera said. “Take that hood off. People look at you and what’s the instant identification? What’s the instant association? Its crime scene surveillance tapes. Every time you see someone stick up a 7-Eleven, the kid is wearing a hoodie. Every time you see a mugging on a surveillance camera or get the old lady in the alcove, it’s the kid with a hoodie. You have to recognize that this whole stylizing yourself as a gangsta — you’re going to be a gangsta wannabe? Well, people are going to perceive you as a menace. That’s what happens. It is an instant reflexive action.”
In and of itself, Mr. Rivera is rather correct. When non-white kids are wearing a hoodie a certain way, it does lead to suspicious hackles being raised. And it is not just by White people. FTR, I would get worried being around a group of hoodie-wearing guys no matter their race. An individual not so much.
What I am trying to say is that hoodie-wearing is OK. But one should not go out of their way to look stupid and menacing when wearing a hoodie.
Let me state I am not particularly a fashion expert. I do know styles that I like and dress accordingly. And I have more than a rare occasion to wear at least a coat and tie and have that wardrobe. So I guess my style is Cali casual. And part of it is wearing a hoodie.
Below are some photos of your humble blogger is hoodie
So, photo number one to your left is the standard way that I wear my hoodie. A white Quiksilver hoodie. I have a gray one very similar with the wave a black and white plaid. But this does the job for illustration. As far as I am concerned it is the way one should wear a hoodie.
In looking at photo number two, I do have the hood on. The only time that I have the hood on is when it is raining. Shocking, isn't it? To use the hood for what it is made for.
But photo number three is the young boy, wannabe tough dudes look. You know, you have to wear a baseball cap, right. OK, in and of itself, no prob. But what in the hell does one throw on the hood on top of said hat?! As noted, I think that it looks stupid. Hell, it is stupid. But this is the look that Mr. Rivera and An Unmarried Man were referring to.
And photo number four, even though I am wearing shorts, gives the outfit a total look of "F--- you!" Note the unbuckled belt and I intentionally am wearing the shorts way below the waistline. And try not to notice the somewhat large waistline!
That is what the two gentlemen are trying to point out. And imagine a group of young boys and or post-teenage dudes walking down the street, often but not always with skateboard in hand and you look and wonder, hmm. What will these punks do if I don't even acknowledge they are there.
So, once there is some clarity, it appears that all three of us are onto the same thing.
It is not wearing a hoodie that is an issue. It is how one wears that hoodie that gets people, usually older people, worked up and yeah, worried when around said people.
No matter what, it is no excuse for anyone to do what Mr. Zimmerman did. We know at the very least that he was following Master Martin. Master Martin seemed to be concerned to mention to his girlfriend that he was talking to that he was being followed. Mr. Zimmerman was told not to continue to pursue Master Martin. A confrontation occurred and Mr. Zimmerman fired off one shot killing Master Martin.
If one of the reasons Mr. Zimmerman was following said Master Martin is because he was wearing a hoodie in and of it self, it is bad. If Master Martin was wearing it a certain way, all that had to be done was wait for the police and let people with a modicum of a clue take control of the situation. Amateurs like Mr. Zimmnerman should not be doing what he was doing.
But wearing a hoodie.
There is a right way and a wrong way. And that is the issue. Not just wearing one.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
If You Thought People Don't Have Manners, What Happend To The Ten Commandments?
I start off this post with the Decalogue, also known as the Ten Commandments. It is from Exodus 20: 1-17:
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 ¶ I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 ¶ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 ¶ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 ¶ Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 ¶ Thou shalt not kill.
14 ¶ Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 ¶ Thou shalt not steal.
16 ¶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17 ¶ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
To me, these are very much a huge bulwark of not just the Jewish faith (as it is in the Old Testament, but of the Christian faith. Even in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus Christ himself says that to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind; and to love thy neighbor as thyself hangs all the law and the prophets.
The Law.
What is the Law?
To the Christian, it is the Ten Commandments.
What has me even thinking about this is twofold.
One, Mrs. RVFTLC and I are taking a very serious class at our church called Education For Ministry. It is a mini-seminary put out by the University of the South, an Episcopal college in Tennessee.
Now, The Episcopal Church is way screwed up in many ways, but not in offering this course. It has made me think and understand a lot more about my Christian journey and faith.
And then I came across this post by my heathen friend, An Unmarried Man, about the Ten Commandants. It is HIS version as he sees it. But none the less, it was thought provoking.
Why should we care about the Ten Commandments? I mean, we break them, oh probably about 10 times a day almost everyone, right?
Well, I will refer you to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:
The Ten Commandments
Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses
and the people of Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to
our neighbors.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God;
I To love and obey God and to bring others to
know him;
II To put nothing in the place of God;
III To show God respect in thought, word, and
deed;
IV And to set aside regular times for worship,
prayer, and the study of God’s ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbors?
A. Our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves,
and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us;
V To love, honor, and help our parents and
family; to honor those in authority, and to meet
their just demands;
VI To show respect for the life God has given us; to
work and pray for peace; to bear no malice,
prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to be
kind to all the creatures of God;
VII To use all our bodily desires as God intended;
VIII To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek
justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all
people; and to use our talents and possessions
as ones who must answer for them to God;
IX To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by
our silence;
X To resist temptations to envy, greed, and
jealousy; to rejoice in other people’s gifts and
graces; and to do our duty for the love of God,
who has called us into fellowship with him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our
relationship with God and our neighbors.
Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?
A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our
sin and our need for redemption.
I prefer the version in the last real prayer book, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
but the last question above is most important.
Because if we do not know the commandments, how do we know what our sinful nature is and how do we seek the repentance from Almighty God?
At the very least, they are the guide which we should strive to live our lives.
But where have they gone?
Well, in the United States, it is clear that the War Against Religion in general and the War Against Christianity in particular, the Ten Commandments have been a major casualty.
The atheists, the Anti-Christians have done their best to make the Ten Commandments nothing more than some ancient stuff that needs to be eliminated from the modern world. Timeless as the teaching is, in today's secularized world, we do not need ANY guidance from God as to what is good, right and just. Nope. Science and so-called rationality is superior to this.
In my Christian denomination, the Ten Commandments can be said at the beginning of any celebration of the Holy Communion. At my parish, we are lucky to hear them read during Lent.
It is as if it is something that we can not hear and or take in today's world.
Yet we need them more than ever.
Look at what is under assault today.
Take the rejection of God Himself. Many people have just decided God is not great. That the wiles of the world are much better. Yet many of these people are unhappy or never satisfied.
What is the Graven Image today? How about the worship of celebrity? Of of politicians? Or of sports figures? Yep, we can do a lot of that yet take little time to worship God and Jesus.
Taking the Lord's name in vain is but to be expected nowadays. Even by people that are to me good and decent Christians. But if you do not make a mind to remember NOT to take the Lord's name in vain, well look at what happens?
The Sabbath Day? What stinking Sabbath Day? Sunday? Everything is open. Nothing is closed any more. In someways, Sunday is becoming but another day rather than the day to rest, relax and to make the time to worship God.
Honoring out parents?! WTF?! Yeah, I write such an acronym because we are making it an art form to not honor our parents. There are countless examples that are multiple posts. But we are doing what we can to diss out parents.
We seem to kill with ease.
Adultery seems to be as equal as marriage.
Stealing? Ahh, well that is done and totally justified no matter what.
Bearing false witness against one's neighbor? Again, done to save one's hide with great regularity.
Coveting what is not ours? Well, not to get overly political here, but that is Occupy Wall Street. Socialism, Fascism, Nazism, Communism. All believe in taking away someones perceived wealth and give it to those that covet it. No matter what. Although it does not say anywhere in the Ten Commandments, one can be rewarded through hard work. But again, that is a political discussion rather than one of faith.
Now, more than ever, we need the Ten Commandments to be emblazoned in our hearts and minds. We need to not be ashamed in knowing them, saying them and doing to the best ability to live them. Imperfect creatures that we are.
And where can we start.
By reading and knowing what the Ten Commandments are.
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 ¶ I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 ¶ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 ¶ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 ¶ Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 ¶ Thou shalt not kill.
14 ¶ Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 ¶ Thou shalt not steal.
16 ¶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17 ¶ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
To me, these are very much a huge bulwark of not just the Jewish faith (as it is in the Old Testament, but of the Christian faith. Even in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus Christ himself says that to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind; and to love thy neighbor as thyself hangs all the law and the prophets.
The Law.
What is the Law?
To the Christian, it is the Ten Commandments.
What has me even thinking about this is twofold.
One, Mrs. RVFTLC and I are taking a very serious class at our church called Education For Ministry. It is a mini-seminary put out by the University of the South, an Episcopal college in Tennessee.
Now, The Episcopal Church is way screwed up in many ways, but not in offering this course. It has made me think and understand a lot more about my Christian journey and faith.
And then I came across this post by my heathen friend, An Unmarried Man, about the Ten Commandants. It is HIS version as he sees it. But none the less, it was thought provoking.
Why should we care about the Ten Commandments? I mean, we break them, oh probably about 10 times a day almost everyone, right?
Well, I will refer you to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:
The Ten Commandments
Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses
and the people of Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to
our neighbors.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God;
I To love and obey God and to bring others to
know him;
II To put nothing in the place of God;
III To show God respect in thought, word, and
deed;
IV And to set aside regular times for worship,
prayer, and the study of God’s ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbors?
A. Our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves,
and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us;
V To love, honor, and help our parents and
family; to honor those in authority, and to meet
their just demands;
VI To show respect for the life God has given us; to
work and pray for peace; to bear no malice,
prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to be
kind to all the creatures of God;
VII To use all our bodily desires as God intended;
VIII To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek
justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all
people; and to use our talents and possessions
as ones who must answer for them to God;
IX To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by
our silence;
X To resist temptations to envy, greed, and
jealousy; to rejoice in other people’s gifts and
graces; and to do our duty for the love of God,
who has called us into fellowship with him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our
relationship with God and our neighbors.
Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?
A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our
sin and our need for redemption.
I prefer the version in the last real prayer book, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
but the last question above is most important.
Because if we do not know the commandments, how do we know what our sinful nature is and how do we seek the repentance from Almighty God?
At the very least, they are the guide which we should strive to live our lives.
But where have they gone?
Well, in the United States, it is clear that the War Against Religion in general and the War Against Christianity in particular, the Ten Commandments have been a major casualty.
The atheists, the Anti-Christians have done their best to make the Ten Commandments nothing more than some ancient stuff that needs to be eliminated from the modern world. Timeless as the teaching is, in today's secularized world, we do not need ANY guidance from God as to what is good, right and just. Nope. Science and so-called rationality is superior to this.
In my Christian denomination, the Ten Commandments can be said at the beginning of any celebration of the Holy Communion. At my parish, we are lucky to hear them read during Lent.
It is as if it is something that we can not hear and or take in today's world.
Yet we need them more than ever.
Look at what is under assault today.
Take the rejection of God Himself. Many people have just decided God is not great. That the wiles of the world are much better. Yet many of these people are unhappy or never satisfied.
What is the Graven Image today? How about the worship of celebrity? Of of politicians? Or of sports figures? Yep, we can do a lot of that yet take little time to worship God and Jesus.
Taking the Lord's name in vain is but to be expected nowadays. Even by people that are to me good and decent Christians. But if you do not make a mind to remember NOT to take the Lord's name in vain, well look at what happens?
The Sabbath Day? What stinking Sabbath Day? Sunday? Everything is open. Nothing is closed any more. In someways, Sunday is becoming but another day rather than the day to rest, relax and to make the time to worship God.
Honoring out parents?! WTF?! Yeah, I write such an acronym because we are making it an art form to not honor our parents. There are countless examples that are multiple posts. But we are doing what we can to diss out parents.
We seem to kill with ease.
Adultery seems to be as equal as marriage.
Stealing? Ahh, well that is done and totally justified no matter what.
Bearing false witness against one's neighbor? Again, done to save one's hide with great regularity.
Coveting what is not ours? Well, not to get overly political here, but that is Occupy Wall Street. Socialism, Fascism, Nazism, Communism. All believe in taking away someones perceived wealth and give it to those that covet it. No matter what. Although it does not say anywhere in the Ten Commandments, one can be rewarded through hard work. But again, that is a political discussion rather than one of faith.
Now, more than ever, we need the Ten Commandments to be emblazoned in our hearts and minds. We need to not be ashamed in knowing them, saying them and doing to the best ability to live them. Imperfect creatures that we are.
And where can we start.
By reading and knowing what the Ten Commandments are.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Romney Rolling
Mitt Romney has taken the Illinois Republican primary this evening and making it much harder for Rick Santorum to stay in the race for the GOP nomination.
With 94% of the vote counted, Mr. Romney has 47% of the vote compared to Mr. Santorum at about 35%. Ron Paul is ahead of the former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich with about nine percent to Mr. Gingrich's eight percent.
Some quick hits on the result.
First, while this seems to help Mr. Romney, once again he is winning without breaking 50% of the vote. But he is now consistently in the high 40s. Meaning voters are beginning to see the writing on the wall. That Mitt Romney will have enough delegates to win the Republican nomination in Tampa in August outright.
Second, so long as he is not ugly, there is no reason for Mr. Santorum to throw in the towel. He will win some more states. This Saturday Louisiana has it's primary and Mr. Santorum should win that one with possibly the same number Mr. Romney had in Illinois tonight.
Third, the one-time rationale of Mr. Gingrich staying in the race is now gone. Although it will be too late no matter what now, the honorable thing Mr. Gingrich could do is leave and support Mr. Santorum. But one thing about Mr. Gingrich is that he is one serious narcissist and that is why he will not leave this race with any shred of honor.
Fourth, Ron Paul is not any kind of factor except to keep his ideas out there. But now that the leftywhore media sees him going nowhere and is pulling their reporters from his campaign, it gets harder for him to get those ideas out there. Mr. Paul is not even getting double-digits in votes and is battling with Mr. Gingrich for the bottom of the barrel.
Clarity is now the way this race is heading.
But there are signs both Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum need to pay attention to.
As this map shows, the urban/suburban and rural divide is very clear here. Mr. Romney took Crook, er Cook county, home of Chicago and the surrounding counties. Mr. Romney also took Sangamon county, home of the state capital Springfield and Peoria county, home of the iconic city of Peoria. Mr. Santorum took everywhere else. And everywhere else while impressive on the map color-wise makes no difference when the other guy is taking the big prizes.
But it continues to hold out the open sore of the more conservative parts of any given state going with Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney taking the less conservative areas. It continues to paint Mr. Santorum in a corner that he will more than likely not get out of. And it just gets more difficult for Mr. Santorum to have the kind of wins that he had several weeks ago on a Tuesday when he won Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota.
But again, Mr. Santorum does not need to leave. He has issues he wants out there. And while sometimes he is not the most articulate, he is bringing the issues in the race. And they are not just social issues. It is how the current economic decline has hurt Blue-collar America.
And it could help make Mr. Santorum a serious candidate for vice-president.
Laugh all you want folks.
But who thought Mr. Santorum would be the last opponent standing against Mr. Romney? And again, his ability to connect with the Blue-collar voter that Mr. Romney will desperately need in November could bring his star rising to Team Romney.
And speaking of Mr. Romney, I think that this encounter with a young freeloader yesterday may have breathed amazing life to him and his campaign. See the linked video because reading the words do not it the same justice. But I will show the freeloader and Mr. Romney's retort:
Freeloader:
“You‘re all for like ’yay freedom and all this stuff and yay pursuit of happiness,’” the student said. “You know what would make me happy? Free birth control.”
Mr. Romney:
“Let me tell you something, if you‘re looking for free stuff that you don’t have to pay for, vote for the other guy. That‘s what he’s all about.”
It will take that and iron steel to go up against Team Obama and all of their surrogates. It will take a couple of adults. And both Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum are the adults in the room.
The Illinois primary makes that clear and it is looking more and more that Mitt Romney is on the way to the top for the GOP. And his running mate may already be there in Rick Santorum.
With 94% of the vote counted, Mr. Romney has 47% of the vote compared to Mr. Santorum at about 35%. Ron Paul is ahead of the former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich with about nine percent to Mr. Gingrich's eight percent.
Some quick hits on the result.
First, while this seems to help Mr. Romney, once again he is winning without breaking 50% of the vote. But he is now consistently in the high 40s. Meaning voters are beginning to see the writing on the wall. That Mitt Romney will have enough delegates to win the Republican nomination in Tampa in August outright.
Second, so long as he is not ugly, there is no reason for Mr. Santorum to throw in the towel. He will win some more states. This Saturday Louisiana has it's primary and Mr. Santorum should win that one with possibly the same number Mr. Romney had in Illinois tonight.
Third, the one-time rationale of Mr. Gingrich staying in the race is now gone. Although it will be too late no matter what now, the honorable thing Mr. Gingrich could do is leave and support Mr. Santorum. But one thing about Mr. Gingrich is that he is one serious narcissist and that is why he will not leave this race with any shred of honor.
Fourth, Ron Paul is not any kind of factor except to keep his ideas out there. But now that the leftywhore media sees him going nowhere and is pulling their reporters from his campaign, it gets harder for him to get those ideas out there. Mr. Paul is not even getting double-digits in votes and is battling with Mr. Gingrich for the bottom of the barrel.
Clarity is now the way this race is heading.
But there are signs both Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum need to pay attention to.
As this map shows, the urban/suburban and rural divide is very clear here. Mr. Romney took Crook, er Cook county, home of Chicago and the surrounding counties. Mr. Romney also took Sangamon county, home of the state capital Springfield and Peoria county, home of the iconic city of Peoria. Mr. Santorum took everywhere else. And everywhere else while impressive on the map color-wise makes no difference when the other guy is taking the big prizes.
But it continues to hold out the open sore of the more conservative parts of any given state going with Mr. Santorum and Mr. Romney taking the less conservative areas. It continues to paint Mr. Santorum in a corner that he will more than likely not get out of. And it just gets more difficult for Mr. Santorum to have the kind of wins that he had several weeks ago on a Tuesday when he won Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota.
But again, Mr. Santorum does not need to leave. He has issues he wants out there. And while sometimes he is not the most articulate, he is bringing the issues in the race. And they are not just social issues. It is how the current economic decline has hurt Blue-collar America.
And it could help make Mr. Santorum a serious candidate for vice-president.
Laugh all you want folks.
But who thought Mr. Santorum would be the last opponent standing against Mr. Romney? And again, his ability to connect with the Blue-collar voter that Mr. Romney will desperately need in November could bring his star rising to Team Romney.
And speaking of Mr. Romney, I think that this encounter with a young freeloader yesterday may have breathed amazing life to him and his campaign. See the linked video because reading the words do not it the same justice. But I will show the freeloader and Mr. Romney's retort:
Freeloader:
“You‘re all for like ’yay freedom and all this stuff and yay pursuit of happiness,’” the student said. “You know what would make me happy? Free birth control.”
Mr. Romney:
“Let me tell you something, if you‘re looking for free stuff that you don’t have to pay for, vote for the other guy. That‘s what he’s all about.”
It will take that and iron steel to go up against Team Obama and all of their surrogates. It will take a couple of adults. And both Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum are the adults in the room.
The Illinois primary makes that clear and it is looking more and more that Mitt Romney is on the way to the top for the GOP. And his running mate may already be there in Rick Santorum.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
The Sorry State Of Race Relations In The United States
I came across this seemingly shocking poll of Republican voters in Alabama and Mississippi that indicates roughly about 30% do not like interracial marriage and also think that it should be illegal.
One thought I have is that I am not surprised. I am not surprised that many people do not like the idea of interracial marriage.
The second thought is why would anyone be that honest to suggest interracial marriage actually be banned?
But the third thought is the one I would like to ask.
Was or is this question ever asked of Democrat voters? I mean, is the party that once supported segregation and the very laws that banned interracial marriage and by extension sexual relations? Yes it is. And should Democrat voters not be asked such things?
And let me take that a step further.
How about asking these questions on racial breakdown? You know, lets see how Blacks feel about the subject. And Hispanics. Lets not forget Asians.
Let me relate that these groups are much more vocal in opposition to interracial marriage than many if not most Whites.
But why ask such things in the first place? Is it not meant to illicit a negative response? Of course it is.
After all, the only way to keep the race huckster gravy train going to point out such information as the above poll.
Again, I find it to be at best a shock poll rather than anything of reality.
In my own family, some of my nephews and nieces are in interracial marriages. My one niece lives in Florida and is married to a Black man. One nephew is married to a Korean-American and the other, his brother, is married to a Filipina-American.
As I write that, my blood boils because all I can think of is the fact that I am an American.
That is it.
An American. My heritage happens to be European, but I would have to relationship to family that might be in Edinburgh, Scotland where my maternal grandmother was from. Or where my paternal grandparents came from, Odessa, the Ukraine.
My race is American.
Yet everywhere I have to answer on many things what race best describes me.
And yet I can not write American anywhere.
Why is that? Why must we be categorized in racial groups that for many we really have no real anchor to?
Because it is to Balkinize the United States of America.
I am sure that a lot of people of all race groups feel the same as I do. But what are we doing about it?
One of the most nauseating things that was said about the Tea Party movement has been that we are a bunch of racists.
Yet the only people pushing the race issue at Tea Party rallies I was privileged to be at were Lyndon LaRouche whack jobs. Democrat Lyndon LaRouche whack jobs.
I saw many people of many heritages. Asian, Black, Hispanic, others that I do not know nor for the sake of this care. Because we are united in being Americans first and heritage second.
Even people that I know should know better ask me about why the Tea Party is racist. Of course none who asked ever participated or went to a rally. But are spoon-fed the race angle because, well, the leftywhore media has to make the Tea Party a negative.
Somehow, keeping taxes low, restoring eroding freedom and keeping the federal government at bay is a racist issue.
But to the left everything is now in the prism of race.
It is how they keep the above-mentioned groups on the Democrat plantation.
And that is why they need to demonize any opposition to their policies as race-driven.
And with the first Black American president, it seems tailor-made, right?
Yet this is probably the reason the chains are probably going to be broken.
Because Americans elected a Black to the presidency, we will not have a problem electing someone from another group. And many who have been on the plantation only because of race will say no more.
It is what has to happen.
Because if it does not, many people will take the above poll seriously rather than the shock value that it is.
One thought I have is that I am not surprised. I am not surprised that many people do not like the idea of interracial marriage.
The second thought is why would anyone be that honest to suggest interracial marriage actually be banned?
But the third thought is the one I would like to ask.
Was or is this question ever asked of Democrat voters? I mean, is the party that once supported segregation and the very laws that banned interracial marriage and by extension sexual relations? Yes it is. And should Democrat voters not be asked such things?
And let me take that a step further.
How about asking these questions on racial breakdown? You know, lets see how Blacks feel about the subject. And Hispanics. Lets not forget Asians.
Let me relate that these groups are much more vocal in opposition to interracial marriage than many if not most Whites.
But why ask such things in the first place? Is it not meant to illicit a negative response? Of course it is.
After all, the only way to keep the race huckster gravy train going to point out such information as the above poll.
Again, I find it to be at best a shock poll rather than anything of reality.
In my own family, some of my nephews and nieces are in interracial marriages. My one niece lives in Florida and is married to a Black man. One nephew is married to a Korean-American and the other, his brother, is married to a Filipina-American.
As I write that, my blood boils because all I can think of is the fact that I am an American.
That is it.
An American. My heritage happens to be European, but I would have to relationship to family that might be in Edinburgh, Scotland where my maternal grandmother was from. Or where my paternal grandparents came from, Odessa, the Ukraine.
My race is American.
Yet everywhere I have to answer on many things what race best describes me.
And yet I can not write American anywhere.
Why is that? Why must we be categorized in racial groups that for many we really have no real anchor to?
Because it is to Balkinize the United States of America.
I am sure that a lot of people of all race groups feel the same as I do. But what are we doing about it?
One of the most nauseating things that was said about the Tea Party movement has been that we are a bunch of racists.
Yet the only people pushing the race issue at Tea Party rallies I was privileged to be at were Lyndon LaRouche whack jobs. Democrat Lyndon LaRouche whack jobs.
I saw many people of many heritages. Asian, Black, Hispanic, others that I do not know nor for the sake of this care. Because we are united in being Americans first and heritage second.
Even people that I know should know better ask me about why the Tea Party is racist. Of course none who asked ever participated or went to a rally. But are spoon-fed the race angle because, well, the leftywhore media has to make the Tea Party a negative.
Somehow, keeping taxes low, restoring eroding freedom and keeping the federal government at bay is a racist issue.
But to the left everything is now in the prism of race.
It is how they keep the above-mentioned groups on the Democrat plantation.
And that is why they need to demonize any opposition to their policies as race-driven.
And with the first Black American president, it seems tailor-made, right?
Yet this is probably the reason the chains are probably going to be broken.
Because Americans elected a Black to the presidency, we will not have a problem electing someone from another group. And many who have been on the plantation only because of race will say no more.
It is what has to happen.
Because if it does not, many people will take the above poll seriously rather than the shock value that it is.
The Myth That The GOP Will NOT Unify In Tampa
The reason that the Republican party will in August unify and go all out in the upcoming general election campaign are three words.
Barack Hussein Obama.
I need though to point out a bit as of now, make a comparison and backup why we will be behind whoever gets the Republican presidential nomination.
First it is the process.
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele set up the delegate formula and states determine how delegates are awarded. And a lot of states decided that it will not be a winner-take-all proposition.
Because there are fewer winner-take-all states and there are quite a few that have a really complex formula to awarding delegates, it is why we are where we are.
For instance, California was a winner-take-all state. One can win with as little as say 30% of the Republican vote and take all the delegates. All 172 of them. But since the 2008 contest, they are more or less awarded by the candidate that wins a congressional district. And there are 55 congressional districts. Thus 165, or three a district are awarded to the candidate that wins the district. And the remainder are won by the overall winner. It does help to create interest, even at the late date of June when our primary is held. Because no matter what, there are going to be two candidates vying for every delegate they can.
The long story short is that this is creating the race that we see now between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Newt Gingrich is but the gnat that will not go away and Ron Paul is, well Ron Paul.
As a result of this an interesting trend has developed between Messrs Romney and Santorum.
In the states contested so far, Mr. Romney almost always wins the urban and immediate suburban counties. Mr. Santorum wins everywhere else. And that is what happened in 2008 between Hilary Clinton and then Sen. Messiah Barack. And note that their battle almost got to the convention. Mrs. Clinton did not get out of the race even though the deck ended up being stacked against her. It did make then Sen. Messiah Barack a better general election candidate.
So essentially we Republicans are having the same race in 2012. The outcome will probably be different in which the so-called establishment candidate, Mr. Romney, will be the nominee and not the outsider, Mr. Santorum.
Oh, remember in 2008, we heard all the same gloom and doom about the Democrats. That they could not unify and that it could be a tougher race, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Please.
They were out of the White House for eight years against that yokel, W. They would have voted for the fire hydrant and brought along a lot of people to do the same. And the Democrats did have then Sen. Messiah Barack. And lets face it, he ran a flawless campaign in the general election.
The key to winning is going to be, as it is becoming clear, winning that 20 percent of the electorate that really does not vote by party.
We are a 40-40-20 nation.
By that I mean that 40% of voters will vote Democrat no matter what. Ditto for the Republicans. It is about 20 percent that do not identify with a party but a candidate and or ideology or just the way that they are generally feeling at that point of time.
And this time, the fortunes are against the incumbent, the Dear Leader, President Obama.
There are a lot of reasons not relevant to this post and I won't go into them here.
But the 20 percenters are not really in the Dear Leader, President Obama's corner. But they are not in the Republican one necessarily either.
That is what is getting the so-called establishment panties in a bunch.
But they should take it easy and let the process play out.
Because once the candidate is chosen in Tampa at convention in August, then the real battle begins for the 20 percent.
And the battle-tested candidate, the Republican one, will unify his party and begin the real campaign.
Barack Hussein Obama.
I need though to point out a bit as of now, make a comparison and backup why we will be behind whoever gets the Republican presidential nomination.
First it is the process.
Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele set up the delegate formula and states determine how delegates are awarded. And a lot of states decided that it will not be a winner-take-all proposition.
Because there are fewer winner-take-all states and there are quite a few that have a really complex formula to awarding delegates, it is why we are where we are.
For instance, California was a winner-take-all state. One can win with as little as say 30% of the Republican vote and take all the delegates. All 172 of them. But since the 2008 contest, they are more or less awarded by the candidate that wins a congressional district. And there are 55 congressional districts. Thus 165, or three a district are awarded to the candidate that wins the district. And the remainder are won by the overall winner. It does help to create interest, even at the late date of June when our primary is held. Because no matter what, there are going to be two candidates vying for every delegate they can.
The long story short is that this is creating the race that we see now between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. Newt Gingrich is but the gnat that will not go away and Ron Paul is, well Ron Paul.
As a result of this an interesting trend has developed between Messrs Romney and Santorum.
In the states contested so far, Mr. Romney almost always wins the urban and immediate suburban counties. Mr. Santorum wins everywhere else. And that is what happened in 2008 between Hilary Clinton and then Sen. Messiah Barack. And note that their battle almost got to the convention. Mrs. Clinton did not get out of the race even though the deck ended up being stacked against her. It did make then Sen. Messiah Barack a better general election candidate.
So essentially we Republicans are having the same race in 2012. The outcome will probably be different in which the so-called establishment candidate, Mr. Romney, will be the nominee and not the outsider, Mr. Santorum.
Oh, remember in 2008, we heard all the same gloom and doom about the Democrats. That they could not unify and that it could be a tougher race, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Please.
They were out of the White House for eight years against that yokel, W. They would have voted for the fire hydrant and brought along a lot of people to do the same. And the Democrats did have then Sen. Messiah Barack. And lets face it, he ran a flawless campaign in the general election.
The key to winning is going to be, as it is becoming clear, winning that 20 percent of the electorate that really does not vote by party.
We are a 40-40-20 nation.
By that I mean that 40% of voters will vote Democrat no matter what. Ditto for the Republicans. It is about 20 percent that do not identify with a party but a candidate and or ideology or just the way that they are generally feeling at that point of time.
And this time, the fortunes are against the incumbent, the Dear Leader, President Obama.
There are a lot of reasons not relevant to this post and I won't go into them here.
But the 20 percenters are not really in the Dear Leader, President Obama's corner. But they are not in the Republican one necessarily either.
That is what is getting the so-called establishment panties in a bunch.
But they should take it easy and let the process play out.
Because once the candidate is chosen in Tampa at convention in August, then the real battle begins for the 20 percent.
And the battle-tested candidate, the Republican one, will unify his party and begin the real campaign.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Whatever Happened To Manners?
You know, the above thought came to me last night due to two different incidents.
The first as we were having dinner at Pei Wei restaurant. It is a P. F. Chang subsidiary. So it is somewhere between fast food and a sit down restaurant with waiter service. What you do is order, pay, find a seat and a server brings your order.
As Mrs. RVFTLC and I were enjoying our dinner, a man was on the other side of us on his phone either e-mailing, texting or online. The server came with his meal and he did not even acknowledge that he was there. And needless to say did not even bother with a thank you. He just went on doing his thing. Within a moment or two he began to eat.
How rude.
I mean, would it have killed him to lift his head and give the server a thank you? It does not have to be heartfelt. But an acknowledgment of someone bringing a meal to him.
Dirtbag.
After dinner, and kind of the reason we had dinner out, we went on our way to Master Cashew's first day at puppy school.
And of course not without drama.
As we were heading to the freeway, Mrs. RVFTLC was trying to merge to the right lane to get on the freeway to our destination. She started and a car honked. And the driver we thought just forgot to take her hand off the horn. It was long after Mrs. RVFTLC realized she had to stay in the lane and let the car pass. Too bad the gal driving STILL had her hand on the horn. Mrs. RVFTLC simply raised her hands in a "Really?" manner. And said gal extended a rather long, right-handed middle-finger to Mrs. RVFTLC.
OK, Mrs. RTFTLC realized her mistake and did not try to intentionally cut the gal off. Yet she did not stop honking and ended up flipping us off.
Nice.
A couple of bursts of the horn would have done the same thing. Mrs. RVFTLC would have acknowledged the error and gestured some apologetic signal to the other driver.
Again, it would be what we used to call common courtesy.
This has opened a floodgate of examples of manners just going out the window.
A good friend of mine and I go out often to eat. Mostly at full-serve restaurants. Several times in the past, my friend was not all that far from the guy I first wrote about.
We would be checking out a menu and he would be trying to check his phone. Texting, Facebooking, something that diverted his attention. And at least twice he was talking to someone as the waiter or waitress was trying to take our order.
What are the two faux-pas here?
One, he is ignoring the waiter/waitress. Two, he is ignoring the guest, me.
Finally one time I finally just told him "Get the hell off the phone! The waiter/waitress wants to take our order!" I then proceeded to tell him how rude it is. And he thanked me because he did not realize he was doing what he was doing.
Another example was pointed out by my friend at The Unmarried Man and this post on e-mails.
Too bad he seems to follow suit of his co-workers in real life.
See, we all have e-mail that we should be answering at work in a timely manner. And as An Unmarried Man points out, a lot of people do not seem to get that. Yet that thinking should not stop when one leaves the office. When someone is e-mailing for needed information and is ignored.
The bottom line of this diatribe is that we all seem to forget the basic courtesies that our parents and or grandparents taught us when we were growing up.
You know, that you must say "please" and "thank you". That it is important to pay attention to people no matter what. That one respects people. That one does not with ease take advantage of others. That a man should, no must open a door for a woman.
I just do not get where this coarseness comes from. Did something happen from when I was growing up to now? Did parents abdicate one of the basics of instillation in children?
I think that there is probably a lot to blame here, but because it is not one thing, rather than blaming something, we must re instill the basic idea of manners. And it starts with each and everyone one of us. One of us at a time.
Maybe instead of the question of what happened to manners, we can say that we started to bring it back.
The first as we were having dinner at Pei Wei restaurant. It is a P. F. Chang subsidiary. So it is somewhere between fast food and a sit down restaurant with waiter service. What you do is order, pay, find a seat and a server brings your order.
As Mrs. RVFTLC and I were enjoying our dinner, a man was on the other side of us on his phone either e-mailing, texting or online. The server came with his meal and he did not even acknowledge that he was there. And needless to say did not even bother with a thank you. He just went on doing his thing. Within a moment or two he began to eat.
How rude.
I mean, would it have killed him to lift his head and give the server a thank you? It does not have to be heartfelt. But an acknowledgment of someone bringing a meal to him.
Dirtbag.
After dinner, and kind of the reason we had dinner out, we went on our way to Master Cashew's first day at puppy school.
And of course not without drama.
As we were heading to the freeway, Mrs. RVFTLC was trying to merge to the right lane to get on the freeway to our destination. She started and a car honked. And the driver we thought just forgot to take her hand off the horn. It was long after Mrs. RVFTLC realized she had to stay in the lane and let the car pass. Too bad the gal driving STILL had her hand on the horn. Mrs. RVFTLC simply raised her hands in a "Really?" manner. And said gal extended a rather long, right-handed middle-finger to Mrs. RVFTLC.
OK, Mrs. RTFTLC realized her mistake and did not try to intentionally cut the gal off. Yet she did not stop honking and ended up flipping us off.
Nice.
A couple of bursts of the horn would have done the same thing. Mrs. RVFTLC would have acknowledged the error and gestured some apologetic signal to the other driver.
Again, it would be what we used to call common courtesy.
This has opened a floodgate of examples of manners just going out the window.
A good friend of mine and I go out often to eat. Mostly at full-serve restaurants. Several times in the past, my friend was not all that far from the guy I first wrote about.
We would be checking out a menu and he would be trying to check his phone. Texting, Facebooking, something that diverted his attention. And at least twice he was talking to someone as the waiter or waitress was trying to take our order.
What are the two faux-pas here?
One, he is ignoring the waiter/waitress. Two, he is ignoring the guest, me.
Finally one time I finally just told him "Get the hell off the phone! The waiter/waitress wants to take our order!" I then proceeded to tell him how rude it is. And he thanked me because he did not realize he was doing what he was doing.
Another example was pointed out by my friend at The Unmarried Man and this post on e-mails.
Too bad he seems to follow suit of his co-workers in real life.
See, we all have e-mail that we should be answering at work in a timely manner. And as An Unmarried Man points out, a lot of people do not seem to get that. Yet that thinking should not stop when one leaves the office. When someone is e-mailing for needed information and is ignored.
The bottom line of this diatribe is that we all seem to forget the basic courtesies that our parents and or grandparents taught us when we were growing up.
You know, that you must say "please" and "thank you". That it is important to pay attention to people no matter what. That one respects people. That one does not with ease take advantage of others. That a man should, no must open a door for a woman.
I just do not get where this coarseness comes from. Did something happen from when I was growing up to now? Did parents abdicate one of the basics of instillation in children?
I think that there is probably a lot to blame here, but because it is not one thing, rather than blaming something, we must re instill the basic idea of manners. And it starts with each and everyone one of us. One of us at a time.
Maybe instead of the question of what happened to manners, we can say that we started to bring it back.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
California As The Fairy Tale
Of course the place where Disneyland opened way back in 1955 has been an enchanting land o' plenty.
Until about the last 30 years.
It suddenly came to me as I have been thinking about how this once Golden State is, well broken like an grim fairy tale.
And the problem is not just one political party over the other. Although one is much more at fault than the other. But both Democrats and Republicans have contributed to the problems.
The problems, plural. Because there are many.
One of the obvious economic problems very clear, my friends.
We are flat broke.
All forms of government from cities, counties, the state governments are all broke.
Last Sunday in the Left Angeles Times was an article of the plight of Stockton. It is so bad in Stockton that it may become the largest municipality to, dare I write this, declare bankruptcy. And it is a city of over 300,000.
And yes, another city has declared bankruptcy in California.
That would be Vallejo in the outer San Francisco Bay Area.
On May 7, 2008, long before the current government fiscal crisis came along, the Vallejo city council declared bankruptcy. And it only emerged last year.
County governments are in no better shape.
And the state government. Well that is interesting.
Once again the solution from the Democrat governor, Jerry Moonbeam Brown, and the Democrat-controlled state legislature is to raise taxes.
But they will not do it.
Nope, they want us to do so. And as noted in an earlier post, There could be up to three ballot initiatives in November asking us to do the legislature's and governor's dirty work.
But here is the fairy tale.
That somehow we could force the state government to allot at least 40% of the state budget for education. That is what voters voted on in 1988 in the form of Proposition 98. And that was done so that Kindergarten through 12th grade would have a guaranteed amount. Before that the state was, surprise, raiding the state budget for education to try to fund other programs.
Oh, and on almost every level, California ranks 49th out of 50 states. Probably not on per capita per pupil spending. But that is another post.
That somehow the state could offer workers unending pay and benefit hikes without the money to pay for the long term, especially state employee pensions. And because of the way other budgets are done, essentially the state helps counties and cities with their unbelievable pay and bennies package.
That somehow, we could have the most pristine coastline and think gee, we don't or should not have to pay high gas prices.
That there is just an endless stream of one percenters that we can keep taxing. And taxing. And taxing.
That regulations will not kill businesses.
That cutting off the water supply to Central California farmers to protect the Delta Smelt will not result in higher food prices.
That depending solely on a service and high-tech economy will produce good paying jobs. Having little if any manufacturing will be OK. Because we have the Silicon Valley. But now many of those high-tech entrepreneurs are beginning to get restless.
That having a higher minimum-wage than the federal government will produce a bevy of jobs. Especially summer jobs for youths.
NOT!
In fact, NOT TO ANY OF THE ABOVE!
If it is not government over reach, taxation and regulation, it is the stratification of the people that is really troubling.
Many cities that once had a strong, productive middle-class, are being replaced by yuppies and the Stuff White Liberal People Like crowd. It is better know as the SWPL crowd, but here at RVFTLC headquarters, I just add the obvious liberal to make sure all understand. Which leaves a lot of upper middle-class and poor people. One term is gentrification. It would not be a bad thing if some middle-class working people were part of the gentrification process. But the whole idea keep them out as well as the poor people. Thus what is left is something that I do not remember growing up in the Los Angeles area.
A real class structure.
Add to that the replacement of the defense industry with entertainment and the fairy tale is complete.
And while I just gave some of the facts, I want to look at solutions. California needs real leadership. Not political only but business, spiritual and yes leadership from the bottom up.
It is not Wall Street vs Main Street so much as reality vs fairy tale.
A government as big as it is in California is bound to fall under its own weight.
Regulations will eventually drive even big companies away.
High Taxes, well as I noted, if you believe that only one percent of Americans are wealthy, there are just so many to go around even here in the once Golden State. And if they are imposed on businesses, guess what? WE will enjoy paying more for products.
Gee, isn't this fairy tale fun kiddies?
No it is not.
But if we don't want to end up a basket case like Greece, the people need to rise up at the ballot box in November as a start. We can not keep voting the same dim bulbs that keep digging the ditch deeper.
What we need, and I am serious, is s 21st century Walt Disney.
Until about the last 30 years.
It suddenly came to me as I have been thinking about how this once Golden State is, well broken like an grim fairy tale.
And the problem is not just one political party over the other. Although one is much more at fault than the other. But both Democrats and Republicans have contributed to the problems.
The problems, plural. Because there are many.
One of the obvious economic problems very clear, my friends.
We are flat broke.
All forms of government from cities, counties, the state governments are all broke.
Last Sunday in the Left Angeles Times was an article of the plight of Stockton. It is so bad in Stockton that it may become the largest municipality to, dare I write this, declare bankruptcy. And it is a city of over 300,000.
And yes, another city has declared bankruptcy in California.
That would be Vallejo in the outer San Francisco Bay Area.
On May 7, 2008, long before the current government fiscal crisis came along, the Vallejo city council declared bankruptcy. And it only emerged last year.
County governments are in no better shape.
And the state government. Well that is interesting.
Once again the solution from the Democrat governor, Jerry Moonbeam Brown, and the Democrat-controlled state legislature is to raise taxes.
But they will not do it.
Nope, they want us to do so. And as noted in an earlier post, There could be up to three ballot initiatives in November asking us to do the legislature's and governor's dirty work.
But here is the fairy tale.
That somehow we could force the state government to allot at least 40% of the state budget for education. That is what voters voted on in 1988 in the form of Proposition 98. And that was done so that Kindergarten through 12th grade would have a guaranteed amount. Before that the state was, surprise, raiding the state budget for education to try to fund other programs.
Oh, and on almost every level, California ranks 49th out of 50 states. Probably not on per capita per pupil spending. But that is another post.
That somehow the state could offer workers unending pay and benefit hikes without the money to pay for the long term, especially state employee pensions. And because of the way other budgets are done, essentially the state helps counties and cities with their unbelievable pay and bennies package.
That somehow, we could have the most pristine coastline and think gee, we don't or should not have to pay high gas prices.
That there is just an endless stream of one percenters that we can keep taxing. And taxing. And taxing.
That regulations will not kill businesses.
That cutting off the water supply to Central California farmers to protect the Delta Smelt will not result in higher food prices.
That depending solely on a service and high-tech economy will produce good paying jobs. Having little if any manufacturing will be OK. Because we have the Silicon Valley. But now many of those high-tech entrepreneurs are beginning to get restless.
That having a higher minimum-wage than the federal government will produce a bevy of jobs. Especially summer jobs for youths.
NOT!
In fact, NOT TO ANY OF THE ABOVE!
If it is not government over reach, taxation and regulation, it is the stratification of the people that is really troubling.
Many cities that once had a strong, productive middle-class, are being replaced by yuppies and the Stuff White Liberal People Like crowd. It is better know as the SWPL crowd, but here at RVFTLC headquarters, I just add the obvious liberal to make sure all understand. Which leaves a lot of upper middle-class and poor people. One term is gentrification. It would not be a bad thing if some middle-class working people were part of the gentrification process. But the whole idea keep them out as well as the poor people. Thus what is left is something that I do not remember growing up in the Los Angeles area.
A real class structure.
Add to that the replacement of the defense industry with entertainment and the fairy tale is complete.
And while I just gave some of the facts, I want to look at solutions. California needs real leadership. Not political only but business, spiritual and yes leadership from the bottom up.
It is not Wall Street vs Main Street so much as reality vs fairy tale.
A government as big as it is in California is bound to fall under its own weight.
Regulations will eventually drive even big companies away.
High Taxes, well as I noted, if you believe that only one percent of Americans are wealthy, there are just so many to go around even here in the once Golden State. And if they are imposed on businesses, guess what? WE will enjoy paying more for products.
Gee, isn't this fairy tale fun kiddies?
No it is not.
But if we don't want to end up a basket case like Greece, the people need to rise up at the ballot box in November as a start. We can not keep voting the same dim bulbs that keep digging the ditch deeper.
What we need, and I am serious, is s 21st century Walt Disney.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
WHOA! Rick Takes Two In The South!
Just in case you think that the 2012 Republican presidential Death March, aka primary season, can not get any more convoluted and complex, here comes Rick Santorum to win not just Alabama but also Mississippi and take two deep South states.
Starting in Mississippi, with 99% of the precincts reporting as of this writing, Mr. Santorum leads Newt Gingrich, 33% to 31% with Mitt Romney coming in a solid third with 30%.
In Alabama, also with 99% of the precincts reporting, Mr. Santorum had a stronger win taking 35% of the vote and Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney tied for second each coming in at 29%. But by actual votes, Mr. Gingrich is ahead of Mr. Romney by about 2042 votes.
To cut to the chase, this is what happened tonight.
Mr. Santorum is the only other viable candidate to go up against Mr. Romney.
Mr. Gingrich needs to leave with what little grace he has and if he is serious about wanting a conservative he should immediately endorse Mr. Santorum.
But I do not think the former House speaker will do that.
If he should "suspend" the campaign, he will simply not endorse anyone. He will just let the process play out.
Mr. Romney did better than I would have thought in these two states in the deep South. If he does finish third in both of these races, it will not be because he was blown out.
And if Mr. Romney is the GOP standard-bearer in 2012, these states will vote for him over the Dear Leader, President Obama. This was their chance to say, essentially, we don't particularly have an inclination to vote for Mitt now, but come November, we will crawl over broken glass to do so.
Tonight were two big wins for Rick Santorum. He is now the co-front runner along with Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich needs to go away.
And this will continue.
After all, we have to wait to see who wins the Hawai'i caucus later tonight!
Starting in Mississippi, with 99% of the precincts reporting as of this writing, Mr. Santorum leads Newt Gingrich, 33% to 31% with Mitt Romney coming in a solid third with 30%.
In Alabama, also with 99% of the precincts reporting, Mr. Santorum had a stronger win taking 35% of the vote and Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Romney tied for second each coming in at 29%. But by actual votes, Mr. Gingrich is ahead of Mr. Romney by about 2042 votes.
To cut to the chase, this is what happened tonight.
Mr. Santorum is the only other viable candidate to go up against Mr. Romney.
Mr. Gingrich needs to leave with what little grace he has and if he is serious about wanting a conservative he should immediately endorse Mr. Santorum.
But I do not think the former House speaker will do that.
If he should "suspend" the campaign, he will simply not endorse anyone. He will just let the process play out.
Mr. Romney did better than I would have thought in these two states in the deep South. If he does finish third in both of these races, it will not be because he was blown out.
And if Mr. Romney is the GOP standard-bearer in 2012, these states will vote for him over the Dear Leader, President Obama. This was their chance to say, essentially, we don't particularly have an inclination to vote for Mitt now, but come November, we will crawl over broken glass to do so.
Tonight were two big wins for Rick Santorum. He is now the co-front runner along with Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich needs to go away.
And this will continue.
After all, we have to wait to see who wins the Hawai'i caucus later tonight!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
This Is The Result Of A Dependency Culture
Two recent items in the news caught your humble blogger's eye and they involve welfare fraud.
Oh, to hear defenders of the way our layers and layers of welfare is good for society, they are crickets chirping when the following stories are brought to light.
I will go backwards and start with Amanda Clayton, a resident of Michigan.
Miss Clayton had the luck to be a million-dollar winner in the "Make Me Rich" state lottery show.
And a wise woman Miss Clayton is.
Miss Clayton took the $1,000,000 in a lump sum which meant after taxes she was left with about $500,000. Not chump change at all.
And again, Miss Clayton was wise and bought two houses.
But one little detail about this.
Miss Clayton was and continues to receive food stamps to the tune of $200 a month.
Now it is not the amount that she gets but after winning the state lottery contest that she is getting any assistance whatsoever.
But the other catch to this is that it is not illegal because, after all, Miss Clayton is not working and has no visible means of income.
I guess $500,000 in state lottery winnings do not count. But it is legal according to Michigan state law.
Get the reaction Miss Clayton has when confronted by a Detroit news reporter:
"I thought that they would cut me off, but since they didn't, I thought maybe it was OK because I'm not working," Clayton said. "I feel that it's OK because, I mean, I have no income, and I have bills to pay. I have two houses."
Oh hell, this just gets a WTF?!?!?!
Really, Miss Clayton, have you not one once of shame?
Well, mama Clayton, Euline, does not seem to get that at this point, she has a lot of money and should not be asking the taxpayers, you know the people that pay into the food stamp program, for any more assistance. Here is mama Clayton:
"I'm not saying it's the right thing to do. But it's nobody's business if she's not breaking the law."
Your humble blogger is at this point pounding his head on this desk.
Mama Clayton, you should have taught your daughter better than that. But it is obviously the way that you think, so what can we expect.
Get this whole picture.
An unemployed woman, at least collecting food stamps, goes on a lottery show, a state lottery, wins a million bucks, and sees nothing wrong with taking a measly $200 bucks a month. Because after all, she now has two houses.
Thankfully, a Michigan state legislator, Rep. Dale Zorn, is submitting legislation to put a stop to this practice.
For it is not the first time that this has happened to a Michigan lottery winner.
Leroy Fick won a $2,000,000 state lottery jackpot and he too kept leaching off the taxpayers.
But now that this Amanda Clayton has been exposed, there is a strong push to change the rules so that this does not continue to go on.
Just because something is not illegal does not make it immoral. And what Miss Clayton is doing, with a tacit OK from mama is robbing people.
It is about time that Michigan reforms this obvious loophole in the assistance laws.
Now to a more current case of welfare fraud that is even more hideous.
Now I would like to introduce Anthony "Chopper" Garcia, a convicted killer in the state of California. Mr. Chopper, er Garcia, is so proud of his conviction of murder that it is tatted on his chest.
Nice. Very nice.
Well, one thing for Mr. Garcia is he is a pretty smart homie.
He conspired with his papi, Juan Garcia, and a couple, not just one but two girlfriends to defraud the state unemployment insurance fund to the tune of $30,000 dollars.
Thirty frickin thousand dollars.
But here is Dan Stephens, a spokesman for the Employment Development Department, and how he explains the obvious:
"Certainly, being in prison would make an individual ineligible to receive unemployment benefits since he or she would not meet the requirement of being available to accept work,"
No, really dude? You're kidding right? I mean, if homie is in jail, well he can't work right? Shouldn't he be entitled to the same bennies as everyone else?
Well, not when you conspire with others to defraud the EDD. And the best part? Homie Garcia was sharing in the taxpayer largess with some of his fellow gangbangers.
Such a good and kind-hearted killer. To share the wealth with his fellow compadres in crime.
OK, the two above stories are what have been reported. How about the fraud waste and abuse that is never reported on? That happens all the time.
And I know, you supporters of the current welfare system will tell me that I focused on a Black woman and Hispanic male.
See, to me race has not one thing to do with the scamming the system. People do it no matter their place of national origin. The reality is that if one is willing to game the system, they will. It is just a fact.
I remember back in 1976 when Ronald Reagan was running for president and he was harassed for describing one of the more outlandish examples of welfare fraud:
"She has eighty names, thirty addresses, twelve Social Security cards and is collecting veteran's benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands. And she is collecting Social Security on her cards. She's got Medicaid, getting food stamps, and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income is over $150,000."
Now according to the Wikipedia entry the above is taken from, it is a conglomeration of stories. It is not a particular case.
No matter. Mr. Reagan was of course raked over the coals for daring to point out that it does happen. That back then welfare fraud was occurring pretty regularly.
And now, people are doing it with regularity and impunity that no one seems to bat an eye. And in fact, people will defend such actions.
It is the result of the dependency culture that the United States if suffering from at this point in our history.
We are treating people that have the brains and wherewithal as if they are criminals. And people that game the government for bennies as heroes.
Is there any hard outrage over Miss Clayton? Or Mr. Homie Garcia? Well there should be.
When any presidential candidate will mention this in their campaigns, then I will believe that they want to do something about this insidious mentality. That they want to change the way public assistance is done in this nation.
Because when there is not a government to to turn to to defraud and or game, they will have to learn to be like the rest of us. Work hard and pay taxes and realize that they are a part of American life and not just takers.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Is Kansas A Republican Kingmaker?
Today the Kansas Republican party held their 2012 presidential caucus and the winner, by a mile, was Rick Santorum.
And it was not even close as the results show Mr. Santorum taking a solid majority, 51% of caucus goers to Mitt Romney's 21%. Newt Gingrich and Crazy Uncle Ron Paul fight for the bottom with 14% and 13% respectively.
Now I do not know but Kansas is one of the most Republican states in the nation. And it solidly rejected the so-called front runner, Mr. Romney.
And before you say how few people participated in the caucus, does not matter. A vote is a vote. It is their tough duck if they could not tear themselves away for a couple of hours and participate.
The question is can Kansas make Mr. Santorum even more respectable to Southern voters in Alabama and Mississippi this Tuesday? Will the Kansas vote make or break Santorum or will it even matter?
Here is one thing for certain.
Newt Gingrich is conceding these states. Because he is saying that he will stay in the race no matter what. I do not think that he expects to win either state.
So not it really is a race between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum.
And today, I think Kansas made that possible.
And it was not even close as the results show Mr. Santorum taking a solid majority, 51% of caucus goers to Mitt Romney's 21%. Newt Gingrich and Crazy Uncle Ron Paul fight for the bottom with 14% and 13% respectively.
Now I do not know but Kansas is one of the most Republican states in the nation. And it solidly rejected the so-called front runner, Mr. Romney.
And before you say how few people participated in the caucus, does not matter. A vote is a vote. It is their tough duck if they could not tear themselves away for a couple of hours and participate.
The question is can Kansas make Mr. Santorum even more respectable to Southern voters in Alabama and Mississippi this Tuesday? Will the Kansas vote make or break Santorum or will it even matter?
Here is one thing for certain.
Newt Gingrich is conceding these states. Because he is saying that he will stay in the race no matter what. I do not think that he expects to win either state.
So not it really is a race between Mr. Romney and Mr. Santorum.
And today, I think Kansas made that possible.
Don't Forget To Spring Ahead Tonight
Ahh, it is that time of year again. A time that I sort of dread. That is the beginning of the so-called Daylight "Savings" Time.
Yes, I can go on and on about why the way we have it now does not really do what the proponents claim it does.
But rather than doing that, I will simply link you to this post that I wrote in 2007 on the subject.Two-thousand and frickin seven?! Where has all the time gone?!
Anyhow, don't forget to put your clocks ahead one hour tonight.
Yes, I can go on and on about why the way we have it now does not really do what the proponents claim it does.
But rather than doing that, I will simply link you to this post that I wrote in 2007 on the subject.Two-thousand and frickin seven?! Where has all the time gone?!
Anyhow, don't forget to put your clocks ahead one hour tonight.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
The Total Collapse Of California
Living here in the once Golden State of California, I get a front-row seat to the disaster that the politicians, the bureaucrats, the big-labor unions and what big business is left here, hath wrought on this state.
This wonderful piece by the former mayor of San Diego and current radio talk-show host Roger Hedgecock sums up the politics of it quite well. The disaster of the Welfare State. The high unemployment. The attempt to regulate almost all aspects of life here in Cali.
This is the second paragraph of the piece and it sums it up pretty well:
California is a one-party state dominated by a virulent Democratic Left enabled by a complicit media where every agency of local, county, and state government is run by and for the public employee unions. The unemployment rate is 12%.
Mr. Hedgecock covers politics, the big-unions and the cost of doing business in this state.
One of the problems as to why we are in the state we are in is the iron-fisted rule of the Democrats.
This year is the first year of the citizens redistricting committee. They had the unenviable task of redrawing all the legislative lines throughout California. It was supposed to be independent of the major parties. Taking and going right down the middle so no party has an unfair advantage.
Funny how that worked out.
The Democrats were able to essentially hijack the process and potentially lose seats for the Republican party. The so-called gaining of centrist candidates for office from both parties? Ain't. Gonna. Happen.
The Democrat control of all state government is bad in and of itself. What makes it worse is the state legislature and the way the lines have been drawn. It gives total advantage to the most left of the left in the Democrat party. It is the Nanny State writ large.
Take just a few posts that I have written on the Nanny State that California has become.
There is the attempt to force cities to ban free parking. That is so people will ditch their cars for inefficient public transportation.
And of course it is the role of the state government to ban styrofoam boxes. Of course it is all about the material and "climate change" agenda of the left.
And the Nanny Statism does not just permeate the halls of state government.
No, no, no siree Bob!
Here in Pasadena, hometown of RVFTLC, last year the Pasadena city council passed a city ordinance that will make it illegal within a years time for me, in my town home that I own, to smoke in said town home. Of course the justification is that dreaded second-hand smoke.
And this is the same state that made it easy to get a marijuana joint than tobacco.
Amazing, doncha think?
So lets go back to Mr. Hedgecock and his piece.
One of the problems that is severe is that Cali Dems are addicted to big government like a crack whore. Seriously. Take this from the Hedgecock piece:
After trimming legislators' perks and reducing the number of cell phones provided to state civil servants, the governor intoned that drastic budget reductions had already hollowed out state programs for the needy, law enforcement and our schoolchildren. California government needed more money.
And do you know how they are going to try to get that money?
By asking the voters to sign the death warrant on tax hikes. And it is not just Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hike that will be on this November's ballot.
There are going to be two other competing measures that will seek to raise taxes to feed the state crack whores habit.
Yet amazingly over the last several election cycles, California voters have voted down every attempt to hike taxes. Yet once again, the crack whores threaten armageddon and think that yeah, yeah, this time we can fool the voters and they will finally open the flood gates of taxes and we can keep going.
As I have noted, it is not just government and economics, but the urge to force some people's will against others.
Which is where the real Axis of Evil, Big Government, Big Labor and Big Government get into the act.
However, big business is getting very tired of the anti-business in general attitude of government.
So many firms and businesses have left this state for greener pastures. Such as Texas. Oh yeah, and those of means are doing the same thing.
And because of that, it weakens the opposition party, the Republicans.
Well, it did not help to have former Gov. Benedict Arnold Schwarzenegger at the helm for the previous seven years.
As more and more people leave the state, that leave dare I write, the freeloaders. The people that want, want, and want. And do not want to work or produce.
California is on the road to becoming the first American state to mirror the distress that is Greece.
And it has been a team effort.
What is truly needed is a leader to come in and truly rewrite everything. How state government should work. How revenues should be raised. The proper role of the state government. An overall attitude of California is really open for all business. Not the government-approved ones.
I am literally witnessing the total collapse of my state, California. It is sad on the one hand, but on the other a lesson for the rest of the United States.
Do not keep voting for the people that continue to lead us down this path. Starting at the top, the president, the congress, the governors, state legislators, all that can cause more damage than good.
America, you have your warning and that is California.
This wonderful piece by the former mayor of San Diego and current radio talk-show host Roger Hedgecock sums up the politics of it quite well. The disaster of the Welfare State. The high unemployment. The attempt to regulate almost all aspects of life here in Cali.
This is the second paragraph of the piece and it sums it up pretty well:
California is a one-party state dominated by a virulent Democratic Left enabled by a complicit media where every agency of local, county, and state government is run by and for the public employee unions. The unemployment rate is 12%.
Mr. Hedgecock covers politics, the big-unions and the cost of doing business in this state.
One of the problems as to why we are in the state we are in is the iron-fisted rule of the Democrats.
This year is the first year of the citizens redistricting committee. They had the unenviable task of redrawing all the legislative lines throughout California. It was supposed to be independent of the major parties. Taking and going right down the middle so no party has an unfair advantage.
Funny how that worked out.
The Democrats were able to essentially hijack the process and potentially lose seats for the Republican party. The so-called gaining of centrist candidates for office from both parties? Ain't. Gonna. Happen.
The Democrat control of all state government is bad in and of itself. What makes it worse is the state legislature and the way the lines have been drawn. It gives total advantage to the most left of the left in the Democrat party. It is the Nanny State writ large.
Take just a few posts that I have written on the Nanny State that California has become.
There is the attempt to force cities to ban free parking. That is so people will ditch their cars for inefficient public transportation.
And of course it is the role of the state government to ban styrofoam boxes. Of course it is all about the material and "climate change" agenda of the left.
And the Nanny Statism does not just permeate the halls of state government.
No, no, no siree Bob!
Here in Pasadena, hometown of RVFTLC, last year the Pasadena city council passed a city ordinance that will make it illegal within a years time for me, in my town home that I own, to smoke in said town home. Of course the justification is that dreaded second-hand smoke.
And this is the same state that made it easy to get a marijuana joint than tobacco.
Amazing, doncha think?
So lets go back to Mr. Hedgecock and his piece.
One of the problems that is severe is that Cali Dems are addicted to big government like a crack whore. Seriously. Take this from the Hedgecock piece:
After trimming legislators' perks and reducing the number of cell phones provided to state civil servants, the governor intoned that drastic budget reductions had already hollowed out state programs for the needy, law enforcement and our schoolchildren. California government needed more money.
And do you know how they are going to try to get that money?
By asking the voters to sign the death warrant on tax hikes. And it is not just Gov. Jerry Brown's tax hike that will be on this November's ballot.
There are going to be two other competing measures that will seek to raise taxes to feed the state crack whores habit.
Yet amazingly over the last several election cycles, California voters have voted down every attempt to hike taxes. Yet once again, the crack whores threaten armageddon and think that yeah, yeah, this time we can fool the voters and they will finally open the flood gates of taxes and we can keep going.
As I have noted, it is not just government and economics, but the urge to force some people's will against others.
Which is where the real Axis of Evil, Big Government, Big Labor and Big Government get into the act.
However, big business is getting very tired of the anti-business in general attitude of government.
So many firms and businesses have left this state for greener pastures. Such as Texas. Oh yeah, and those of means are doing the same thing.
And because of that, it weakens the opposition party, the Republicans.
Well, it did not help to have former Gov. Benedict Arnold Schwarzenegger at the helm for the previous seven years.
As more and more people leave the state, that leave dare I write, the freeloaders. The people that want, want, and want. And do not want to work or produce.
California is on the road to becoming the first American state to mirror the distress that is Greece.
And it has been a team effort.
What is truly needed is a leader to come in and truly rewrite everything. How state government should work. How revenues should be raised. The proper role of the state government. An overall attitude of California is really open for all business. Not the government-approved ones.
I am literally witnessing the total collapse of my state, California. It is sad on the one hand, but on the other a lesson for the rest of the United States.
Do not keep voting for the people that continue to lead us down this path. Starting at the top, the president, the congress, the governors, state legislators, all that can cause more damage than good.
America, you have your warning and that is California.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
And Alaska Goes To Romney
To update the last of the Super Tuesday races, Alaska goes for Mitt Romney over Rick Santorum by about five percent.
And the results are six states for Mr. Romney, three for Rick Santorum and the state of Georgia for Newt Gingrich.
So it cements a good night for Mr.Romney, an also good night for Mr. Santorum and a lousy one for Mr. Gingrich.
But no one is leaving this race anytime soon.
And no one should.
And the results are six states for Mr. Romney, three for Rick Santorum and the state of Georgia for Newt Gingrich.
So it cements a good night for Mr.Romney, an also good night for Mr. Santorum and a lousy one for Mr. Gingrich.
But no one is leaving this race anytime soon.
And no one should.
Romney WIns The Big Prize Of Super Tuesday, Ohio, And Barely
When all is said and done as of this writing, Mitt Romney was the winner of the night of this Super Tuesday, 2012, Republican edition.
While this election tracker does not indicate it, Mr. Romney is the projected winner by Fox News, CNN and the Associated Press.
But, as John Fund points out over at National Review Online, there are a lot of danger signs for Mr. Romney.
I will go back to it. Because here is how it seems to have all shaken out tonight.
For Mitt Romney, he wins the following states:
Idaho, Virginia, Massachusetts, Vermont and Ohio.
Rick Santorum has won three states and one is surprising:
North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Newt Gingrich won his home state:
Georgia.
As of this writing, there are no results from the Alaska Republican Caucus.
So, what does this all mean?
For one, Newt Gingrich has no real reason to be in this race now except to be a spoiler. He needed to win somewhere other than Georgia and he did not. And two states, Massachusetts and North Dakota, Mr. Gingrich finished in last place.
Rick Santorum, while not winning the big prize of Ohio made it a total nail-biter in the end. Mr. Romney only won Ohio by one percent or about 12,000 votes. And Mr. Santorum had an upset winning the North Dakota caucus. It may not seem like much, but Mr. Santorum is now the only viable ABR-Anyone But Romney-candidate left standing.
Mitt Romney did what he had to do. He did end up winning Ohio. But it was not pretty and brings us back to Mr. Fund's piece over at NRO.
Although it is short, it points to the obvious.
That Mr. Romney should have had a much easier time winning Ohio.
That losing Oklahoma may not seem like a big loss, but it is a rebuke to the very popular Sen. Tom Coburn who just endorsed Mr. Romney.
And the fact that Mr. Romney is still not all that in the South. He has not won a state outside of Florida in the South and there have already been several primaries.
And he did not win in Georgia, Tennessee or Oklahoma. The pattern is there and plain to see.
And yet it does appear that Mr. Romney will more than likely be the Republican nominee this time around.
It also means that he needs to make a serious choice for second spot on the ticket if he is the nominee.
There is no doubt that Mr. Santorum could be at the front as the clear ABR candidate. I still think he can pull the surprise by asking South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to be number two. And there is already clamoring to put Marco Rubio as the number two.
But first things first.
By winning what he had to do tonight, Mitt Romney should be able to start winning races by larger margins as it looks evident he will be the nominee. Rick Santorum can stay in, but needs to tread carefully if he will be seriously considered for the number two position.
As the old saying goes a win is a win. No matter how ugly it is. And Mitt Romney has won kind of sort of ugly tonight.
While this election tracker does not indicate it, Mr. Romney is the projected winner by Fox News, CNN and the Associated Press.
But, as John Fund points out over at National Review Online, there are a lot of danger signs for Mr. Romney.
I will go back to it. Because here is how it seems to have all shaken out tonight.
For Mitt Romney, he wins the following states:
Idaho, Virginia, Massachusetts, Vermont and Ohio.
Rick Santorum has won three states and one is surprising:
North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Newt Gingrich won his home state:
Georgia.
As of this writing, there are no results from the Alaska Republican Caucus.
So, what does this all mean?
For one, Newt Gingrich has no real reason to be in this race now except to be a spoiler. He needed to win somewhere other than Georgia and he did not. And two states, Massachusetts and North Dakota, Mr. Gingrich finished in last place.
Rick Santorum, while not winning the big prize of Ohio made it a total nail-biter in the end. Mr. Romney only won Ohio by one percent or about 12,000 votes. And Mr. Santorum had an upset winning the North Dakota caucus. It may not seem like much, but Mr. Santorum is now the only viable ABR-Anyone But Romney-candidate left standing.
Mitt Romney did what he had to do. He did end up winning Ohio. But it was not pretty and brings us back to Mr. Fund's piece over at NRO.
Although it is short, it points to the obvious.
That Mr. Romney should have had a much easier time winning Ohio.
That losing Oklahoma may not seem like a big loss, but it is a rebuke to the very popular Sen. Tom Coburn who just endorsed Mr. Romney.
And the fact that Mr. Romney is still not all that in the South. He has not won a state outside of Florida in the South and there have already been several primaries.
And he did not win in Georgia, Tennessee or Oklahoma. The pattern is there and plain to see.
And yet it does appear that Mr. Romney will more than likely be the Republican nominee this time around.
It also means that he needs to make a serious choice for second spot on the ticket if he is the nominee.
There is no doubt that Mr. Santorum could be at the front as the clear ABR candidate. I still think he can pull the surprise by asking South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to be number two. And there is already clamoring to put Marco Rubio as the number two.
But first things first.
By winning what he had to do tonight, Mitt Romney should be able to start winning races by larger margins as it looks evident he will be the nominee. Rick Santorum can stay in, but needs to tread carefully if he will be seriously considered for the number two position.
As the old saying goes a win is a win. No matter how ugly it is. And Mitt Romney has won kind of sort of ugly tonight.
So Who Will The Big Super Tuesday Winner Be For The GOP?
As I write this, voters will go to the polls in 10 states to determine the lion's share of 410 delegates for the Republican presidential nomination.
Today voters in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia will vote as to who they think should be the GOP presidential nominee and who should get the delegates.
So, a scorecard is needed as to who can win, where and why.
Lets start with Mitt Romney and the following states he should win today:
Idaho, Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia.
Mr. Romney should win Idaho with ease as it in the Mormon trifecta-Nevada and Utah being the other heavily-populated Mormon states. Massachusetts is his current home state. Vermont because he is a New Englander and Virginia by default.
Virginia is by default because two of the three others left in the race, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, failed to qualify for the Virginia ballot. Only Crazy Uncle Ron Paul will be on the ballot with Mr. Romney in the Old Dominion state.
For Rick Santorum, he should win the following states:
Oklahoma and Tennesee.
A win in both states is a huge boost to Mr. Santorum's claim that he is the last viable conservative standing between Mr. Romney and the Republican presidential nomination.
Ron Paul, yes Crazy Uncle Ron, has a chance to win two states because they are caucus states and they are:
Alaska and North Dakota.
Crazy Uncle Ron has a better chance in Alaska than North Dakota. But one can never rule out a win for the libertarian in North Dakota.
Newt Gingrich will only win one state:
Georgia.
It will not be much of a win because it is his home state. A loss there and it is totally over for the former Speaker of the House.
And that leaves one race that I do not have a prediction on.
And that is Ohio as Mr. Santorum's once solid lead has evaporated and Mr. Romney is closing in.
If I had to get out of a room and only could choosing one of the two, I will give the edge to Mr. Santorum. But not one with a great deal of confidence.
And that is because like it or not, Mr. Santorum has been knocked off message and some of it is his own doing.
I like the fact that he is unabashed about being a true so con. But to win Ohio, one must know that it is all about the economy, the economy, the economy.
And yes, I do know that the leftywhore media has amped up the coverage of Mr. Santorum on social issues. But there is no reason to take the bait. Mr. Santorum has to realize that the leftywhore media is going after him on these issues. And he must learn how to force the conversation back to the economy. That is why I think Mr. Romney has gained ground and might, might just pull off the win in Ohio.
But please fellow conservatives and Republicans, it will not end tonight.
Unless Mr. Romney wins six or more states, it will continue to be a race of attrition and no one has to drop out just yet.
So tonight the results will be a mixed bag and a lot for us to chew on in the upcoming days and yes, weeks.
Today voters in Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia will vote as to who they think should be the GOP presidential nominee and who should get the delegates.
So, a scorecard is needed as to who can win, where and why.
Lets start with Mitt Romney and the following states he should win today:
Idaho, Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia.
Mr. Romney should win Idaho with ease as it in the Mormon trifecta-Nevada and Utah being the other heavily-populated Mormon states. Massachusetts is his current home state. Vermont because he is a New Englander and Virginia by default.
Virginia is by default because two of the three others left in the race, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, failed to qualify for the Virginia ballot. Only Crazy Uncle Ron Paul will be on the ballot with Mr. Romney in the Old Dominion state.
For Rick Santorum, he should win the following states:
Oklahoma and Tennesee.
A win in both states is a huge boost to Mr. Santorum's claim that he is the last viable conservative standing between Mr. Romney and the Republican presidential nomination.
Ron Paul, yes Crazy Uncle Ron, has a chance to win two states because they are caucus states and they are:
Alaska and North Dakota.
Crazy Uncle Ron has a better chance in Alaska than North Dakota. But one can never rule out a win for the libertarian in North Dakota.
Newt Gingrich will only win one state:
Georgia.
It will not be much of a win because it is his home state. A loss there and it is totally over for the former Speaker of the House.
And that leaves one race that I do not have a prediction on.
And that is Ohio as Mr. Santorum's once solid lead has evaporated and Mr. Romney is closing in.
If I had to get out of a room and only could choosing one of the two, I will give the edge to Mr. Santorum. But not one with a great deal of confidence.
And that is because like it or not, Mr. Santorum has been knocked off message and some of it is his own doing.
I like the fact that he is unabashed about being a true so con. But to win Ohio, one must know that it is all about the economy, the economy, the economy.
And yes, I do know that the leftywhore media has amped up the coverage of Mr. Santorum on social issues. But there is no reason to take the bait. Mr. Santorum has to realize that the leftywhore media is going after him on these issues. And he must learn how to force the conversation back to the economy. That is why I think Mr. Romney has gained ground and might, might just pull off the win in Ohio.
But please fellow conservatives and Republicans, it will not end tonight.
Unless Mr. Romney wins six or more states, it will continue to be a race of attrition and no one has to drop out just yet.
So tonight the results will be a mixed bag and a lot for us to chew on in the upcoming days and yes, weeks.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Now California Wants To Harass Roach Coaches
OK, it is not politically or "foodie" correct to call "food trucks" by their traditional name, roach coaches, but in California, once again, trolls for big government want to regulate where food trucks can set up their ware.
Yep, only in Cali can this come about. Although give it time folks. It will come to a town, county or state near you.
The "brainchild" of state Assemblyman William Monning (of course Democrat-Carmel) says he likes him some of the "gourmet" fare that the "food trucks" serve. But it is those darn roach coaches that are the problem according to the good assemblyman.
Here is some wisdom from Assemblyman Monning:
"The reality is the trucks that are coming to the schools are pushing low-cost, sugar-sweetened beverages and high-sodium snacks. The kids aren't paying $17 for a risotto from a gourmet food truck."
Really?! The kids are not paying $17 for a risotto from a gourmet food truck?
I would like to know where one does pay $17 for risotto from a food truck, roach coach, whatever!
First of all, the elitist snob, Monning, represents tony and posh Carmel-by-the-Sea, hometown of Clint Eastwood, the former mayor. And as the article points out, surprise, there are no licensed food trucks or roach coaches in Assemblyman Monning's hometown.
I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! That there is no such animal in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
And when one looks at this website about some of the restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea, I do not see a fast-food one on this list. Nor anything inexpensive either.
The problem is simple.
Traditional roach coaches serve the workingman and woman in many cases. Many of those workers would not have anywhere to eat nearby their place of employment. Because many work in factories and or areas that sit down restaurants do not operate.
No, they do not serve gourmet food. That is an invention of the liberal or Stuff White People Like "foodie" crowd. They took the roach coach and turned into snobby fare for foodies. And while I do not deny my inner foodie every now and then, I have enjoyed many, many a meal from a roach coach and I am still alive, and do not blame my slight overweight to roach coaches.
But Assemblyman Monning does. And this is not a new attempt at regulating the traditional roach coach over the nouveau food truck.
So what does this legislation do exactly?
It would make all food trucks, roach coaches have to set up shop a minimum of 1,500 feet away from elementary, middle and high schools.
To show the absurdity of this legislation, a "medical" marijuana dispensary only has to be 600 feet from the aforementioned schools.
So, it is easier to get that joint than to get food from the roach coach, food truck, whatever.
But this has united the SWPL foodies with the roach coach purveyors.
As Matt Geller, chief executive of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association, pointed out, gee those kids will still be able to go to McDonalds if they really want to. From Mr. Geller:
"This bill won't do anything to cut children's access to unhealthy food. They won't eat at the food trucks, but they are going to eat at the McDonald's nearby. They are going to eat at the convenience store, the gas station."
Bingo!
Oh, his bad! He may give Assemblyman Monning some more dim ideas.
But Mr. Geller is spot on. Kids will eat what they want and where they can.
And there is a group called California United Family Loncheros Association. They are essentially the group for the roach coach, or taco truck crowd. And their CEO, Erin Green said pretty much the same thing:
Trying to improve student health is "noble," said Erin Glenn, the group's chief executive, but the legislation (AB 1678) is too broad. It doesn't address, for example, the proximity of stores where students can "buy a bag of Hot Cheetos and a bottle of Coke," she said
Once again, bingo!
The best way to change people's eating habits is through education, pure and simple. If people have the information about good eating, I really think that they can make good choices. The problem with the busy-body left is that they think you are stupid and easily taken in by such things as roach coaches and anything else in their "minds".
If schools do their job and, oh boy, e d u c a t e said students and yes, parents, I think that they so-called obesity problem will lessen.
And it will lessen without the busy-body left telling us once again how to conduct legal business with no clue.
Yep, only in Cali can this come about. Although give it time folks. It will come to a town, county or state near you.
The "brainchild" of state Assemblyman William Monning (of course Democrat-Carmel) says he likes him some of the "gourmet" fare that the "food trucks" serve. But it is those darn roach coaches that are the problem according to the good assemblyman.
Here is some wisdom from Assemblyman Monning:
"The reality is the trucks that are coming to the schools are pushing low-cost, sugar-sweetened beverages and high-sodium snacks. The kids aren't paying $17 for a risotto from a gourmet food truck."
Really?! The kids are not paying $17 for a risotto from a gourmet food truck?
I would like to know where one does pay $17 for risotto from a food truck, roach coach, whatever!
First of all, the elitist snob, Monning, represents tony and posh Carmel-by-the-Sea, hometown of Clint Eastwood, the former mayor. And as the article points out, surprise, there are no licensed food trucks or roach coaches in Assemblyman Monning's hometown.
I am shocked! Shocked I tell you! That there is no such animal in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
And when one looks at this website about some of the restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea, I do not see a fast-food one on this list. Nor anything inexpensive either.
The problem is simple.
Traditional roach coaches serve the workingman and woman in many cases. Many of those workers would not have anywhere to eat nearby their place of employment. Because many work in factories and or areas that sit down restaurants do not operate.
No, they do not serve gourmet food. That is an invention of the liberal or Stuff White People Like "foodie" crowd. They took the roach coach and turned into snobby fare for foodies. And while I do not deny my inner foodie every now and then, I have enjoyed many, many a meal from a roach coach and I am still alive, and do not blame my slight overweight to roach coaches.
But Assemblyman Monning does. And this is not a new attempt at regulating the traditional roach coach over the nouveau food truck.
So what does this legislation do exactly?
It would make all food trucks, roach coaches have to set up shop a minimum of 1,500 feet away from elementary, middle and high schools.
To show the absurdity of this legislation, a "medical" marijuana dispensary only has to be 600 feet from the aforementioned schools.
So, it is easier to get that joint than to get food from the roach coach, food truck, whatever.
But this has united the SWPL foodies with the roach coach purveyors.
As Matt Geller, chief executive of the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association, pointed out, gee those kids will still be able to go to McDonalds if they really want to. From Mr. Geller:
"This bill won't do anything to cut children's access to unhealthy food. They won't eat at the food trucks, but they are going to eat at the McDonald's nearby. They are going to eat at the convenience store, the gas station."
Bingo!
Oh, his bad! He may give Assemblyman Monning some more dim ideas.
But Mr. Geller is spot on. Kids will eat what they want and where they can.
And there is a group called California United Family Loncheros Association. They are essentially the group for the roach coach, or taco truck crowd. And their CEO, Erin Green said pretty much the same thing:
Trying to improve student health is "noble," said Erin Glenn, the group's chief executive, but the legislation (AB 1678) is too broad. It doesn't address, for example, the proximity of stores where students can "buy a bag of Hot Cheetos and a bottle of Coke," she said
Once again, bingo!
The best way to change people's eating habits is through education, pure and simple. If people have the information about good eating, I really think that they can make good choices. The problem with the busy-body left is that they think you are stupid and easily taken in by such things as roach coaches and anything else in their "minds".
If schools do their job and, oh boy, e d u c a t e said students and yes, parents, I think that they so-called obesity problem will lessen.
And it will lessen without the busy-body left telling us once again how to conduct legal business with no clue.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
It Is Not How The Left Reacted To The Breitbart Death, But Some On The Right That Is Annoying
It was a surreal Thursday morning as I was going around the internets and saw the red headline on the Drudge Report that Andrew Breitbart had died. Yeah, I thought that it was a really sick joke. Then Fox News Channel broke in with a patented "Fox News Alert" and confirmed the report.
Let be very clear about Mr. Breitbart.
He loved the fight. But more than that he really loved people. No matter where they were on the issues. He was a conservative true believer that said it was OK to actually fight back when the left made outrageous claims about conservatives. And that conservatives needed to also be on offense.
It was that offense that made Mr. Breitbart famous among conservatives and infamous among liberals.
After all, would Anthony Weiner still be in congress had it not been for the work of Mr. Breitbart? Or would ACORN still be a force on the left had Mr. Breitbart not brought the work of James O'Keefe to the surface?
But even someone like Mr. Breitbart could get it wrong every once in a while. In the case of former Agriculture department official Shirley Sherrod. He received a badly edited videtape that made it look that Miss Sherrod was a racist. Again, bad editing and not the best follow through made all look bad. Miss Sherrod lost her job and Mr. Breitbart had to do a lot of mea culpas.
But that one bad doe not take away from all that he did in the name of pursuing conservatism.
Except to one of the biggest douchebrains claiming to be a "conservative". And that would be the insufferable bore, David Frum.
It is no secret to many readers of this blog the contempt that has developed towards Mr. Frum.
But this piece by Mr. Frum in the equally insufferable The Daily Beast shows why his criticisms are much more annoying and tasteless than what the left can and a few did upon the news of Mr. Breitbart's death.
In this piece, it is obvious that Mr. Frum has no real knowledge of Mr. Breitbart by this:
The good was there. Breitbart was by all accounts generous with time and advice, a loving husband and father, and a loyal friend.
Seriously, when one starts off with something like that, two things come to mind. One, Mr. Frum never actually met or encountered Mr. Breitbart. And two, he really did not get what Mr. Breitbart was trying to do with the conservative movement and the Republican party.
Mr. Frum goes on to insult Mr. Breitbart, which he would not take as an insult, by saying he was fighting a new kind of culture war. And what Mr. Frum means by that is that he was, well doing what the left has done for, oh at least my 47 years on God's green earth. Mr. Breitbart was getting in their face. He was as I noted going on offense.
In other words, Mr. Breitbart was not being a good little boy like, well Mr. Frum. He was not tearing down conservatives and their ideas but giving them the platform to get that beyond the leftywhore media complex.
The laugh that Mr. Frum tries to elucidate is that Mr. Breitbart was not interested in the truth.
Really?
The whole point of Big Government, Big Hollywood, Big Peace was to get the truth about things out there that the leftywhore media covers-up, ignores or distorts.
Too bad that Mr. Frum has a bit o' shady history on the truth.
Let me remind you that it was Mr. Frum that coined the phrase "Axis of evil" in the speech then President George W. Bush gave to the nation in the 2002 State of the Union speech. It was the prelude to seeking congressional approval to seek to expand the War Against Islamofacist Terror in a new theatre. And that would be Iraq.
For the record, I believe that we did the right thing in expanding the theatre and changing regimes in Iraq. However, many and some conservatives always had qualms about that. And at the end, I totally believe that this is why Mr. Frum has decided to be a conservative basher. For he seeks not to promote conservatism but David Frum.
Within two paragraphs of this "obituary", Mr. Frum all but calls Mr. Breitbart a racist for his piece on Miss Sherrod. And "racially coded" rhetoric. And in the very next paragraph, maybe Mr. Frum felt he went too far, he said that nothing racial should really be read into some of the pieces that Mr. Breitbart had done.
Whiskey? Tango? Foxtrot? Really, Mr. Frum? You are kidding, right? You all but call the dude a racist and then pull an Emily Litella and say "Never mind!"
Again, what a douchebrain.
And while we all know that there were some tasteless comments about Mr. Breitbart's passing from the left, when someone that claims to speak for and about conservatism blasts the man as the body is not even cold shows what kind of man Mr. Frum is.
A man that I sure would not want to be in a foxhole with me. A sellout.
And BTW, what ever happened to the New Majority or then renamed Frum Forum? They have gone off in the night. And Andrew Breitbart's sites? They are alive and stronger than ever.
That is the real testament to a man. A good man like Andrew Breitbart. David Frum is alive, sort of, as the House "conservative" at a decidedly liberal website.
Enough said.
Let be very clear about Mr. Breitbart.
He loved the fight. But more than that he really loved people. No matter where they were on the issues. He was a conservative true believer that said it was OK to actually fight back when the left made outrageous claims about conservatives. And that conservatives needed to also be on offense.
It was that offense that made Mr. Breitbart famous among conservatives and infamous among liberals.
After all, would Anthony Weiner still be in congress had it not been for the work of Mr. Breitbart? Or would ACORN still be a force on the left had Mr. Breitbart not brought the work of James O'Keefe to the surface?
But even someone like Mr. Breitbart could get it wrong every once in a while. In the case of former Agriculture department official Shirley Sherrod. He received a badly edited videtape that made it look that Miss Sherrod was a racist. Again, bad editing and not the best follow through made all look bad. Miss Sherrod lost her job and Mr. Breitbart had to do a lot of mea culpas.
But that one bad doe not take away from all that he did in the name of pursuing conservatism.
Except to one of the biggest douchebrains claiming to be a "conservative". And that would be the insufferable bore, David Frum.
It is no secret to many readers of this blog the contempt that has developed towards Mr. Frum.
But this piece by Mr. Frum in the equally insufferable The Daily Beast shows why his criticisms are much more annoying and tasteless than what the left can and a few did upon the news of Mr. Breitbart's death.
In this piece, it is obvious that Mr. Frum has no real knowledge of Mr. Breitbart by this:
The good was there. Breitbart was by all accounts generous with time and advice, a loving husband and father, and a loyal friend.
Seriously, when one starts off with something like that, two things come to mind. One, Mr. Frum never actually met or encountered Mr. Breitbart. And two, he really did not get what Mr. Breitbart was trying to do with the conservative movement and the Republican party.
Mr. Frum goes on to insult Mr. Breitbart, which he would not take as an insult, by saying he was fighting a new kind of culture war. And what Mr. Frum means by that is that he was, well doing what the left has done for, oh at least my 47 years on God's green earth. Mr. Breitbart was getting in their face. He was as I noted going on offense.
In other words, Mr. Breitbart was not being a good little boy like, well Mr. Frum. He was not tearing down conservatives and their ideas but giving them the platform to get that beyond the leftywhore media complex.
The laugh that Mr. Frum tries to elucidate is that Mr. Breitbart was not interested in the truth.
Really?
The whole point of Big Government, Big Hollywood, Big Peace was to get the truth about things out there that the leftywhore media covers-up, ignores or distorts.
Too bad that Mr. Frum has a bit o' shady history on the truth.
Let me remind you that it was Mr. Frum that coined the phrase "Axis of evil" in the speech then President George W. Bush gave to the nation in the 2002 State of the Union speech. It was the prelude to seeking congressional approval to seek to expand the War Against Islamofacist Terror in a new theatre. And that would be Iraq.
For the record, I believe that we did the right thing in expanding the theatre and changing regimes in Iraq. However, many and some conservatives always had qualms about that. And at the end, I totally believe that this is why Mr. Frum has decided to be a conservative basher. For he seeks not to promote conservatism but David Frum.
Within two paragraphs of this "obituary", Mr. Frum all but calls Mr. Breitbart a racist for his piece on Miss Sherrod. And "racially coded" rhetoric. And in the very next paragraph, maybe Mr. Frum felt he went too far, he said that nothing racial should really be read into some of the pieces that Mr. Breitbart had done.
Whiskey? Tango? Foxtrot? Really, Mr. Frum? You are kidding, right? You all but call the dude a racist and then pull an Emily Litella and say "Never mind!"
Again, what a douchebrain.
And while we all know that there were some tasteless comments about Mr. Breitbart's passing from the left, when someone that claims to speak for and about conservatism blasts the man as the body is not even cold shows what kind of man Mr. Frum is.
A man that I sure would not want to be in a foxhole with me. A sellout.
And BTW, what ever happened to the New Majority or then renamed Frum Forum? They have gone off in the night. And Andrew Breitbart's sites? They are alive and stronger than ever.
That is the real testament to a man. A good man like Andrew Breitbart. David Frum is alive, sort of, as the House "conservative" at a decidedly liberal website.
Enough said.
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