Month: June 2012

The Final Frontier

Ah…..the weekend and I do not have to think about the political, the seedy underbelly of American society….and I found the perfect sciencey thing….and we all know that I love sciencey stuff, huh?

I have always enjoyed the stuff on ocean exploration and thought that there was a better way of doing this….and voila!

How about the SeaOrbiter?

Underwater space station

Comparisons have been made between The SeaOrbiter and the International Space Station (ISS), fuelled no doubt my rumours that both NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) are interested in using it. Not just that, but Jean-Loup Chrétien, the first French astronaut, is involved in the design of the ship and its anti-collision system is based on the one used by the ISS.

Using ocean currents and wind to explore the oceans, SeaOrbiter would be unique among underwater sea stations, such as Aquarius near Key Largo in Florida, due to the fact that its mobile. Crewed by six crew members, six scientists and room for six others (perhaps astronauts in training?), the SeaOrbiter would drift across the oceans, whilst research is done below the waves. Only the lookout deck, navigation department and communications would rise about the sea, whilst the research decks would be pressurised to enable the scientists to do daily dives and other scientific missions.

The project has drawn acclaim in France, with the French State Minister of Ecology and the Sea, Jean-Louis Borloo naming the SeaOrbiter as one of the leading tools for his “Grenelle de la Mer”, saying the oceanic platform would be essential for better understanding the ocean. President Sarkozy has even mentioned the project in a speech over the summer, winning it the backing of companies such as DCNS, the shipbuilder, and Thalès, the defence electronics group.

As you’d expect however, it is not a cheap venture. Rougerie, whose love of the oceans is driving him to launch half a dozen of the vessels, says he has half the the US$52.7 million needed to build the prototype, however he is confident that support will be forthcoming.

Come on…you gotta admit that this is the coolest thing ever!

No Mercy

Everybody is scrambling to explain the SCOTUS health care ruling……so I will leave that for others……

From time to time I get a raging headache when I hear about cruelty to animals….first, I do not understand the sociopaths that could do some of these things and second I am not normally a prick when it comes to punishment for crimes committed…..but then I hear some story about cruelty and I go off (BTW, this is one of those times)……..I feel that cruelty like described should be met with like punishment…for instance, there was a story in my area about 10 years ago that reported that some teenager put a kittens front paws in hot grease…his punishment should have been his hands in the same substance……I have no mercy for people like this….and a good thing I am not in charge!

I recent read a piece that made me want to go to Texas and exact revenge for the crimes committed…..

A Wood County Sheriff’s deputy responded to an animal call on County Road 2174 just outside of Quitman in the Clear Lakes area Monday. Upon arrival, Deputy J.W. Williams discovered a hole in the ground and inside the hole were the metal bands from numerous burned tires and the burned carcass of a medium sized dog.

According to a press release from the sheriff’s department, witnesses advised that on Sunday the suspect, 28-year-old Larry Lowery, of Point, had thrown a dog into a fire. Lowery was confronted about burning the dog and he (Lowery) apologized but then later threw a second dog into the fire. Witnesses said Lowery was bragging about the dogs and stated that the second dog did not die. Witnesses told police that Lowery stated that the second dog jumped out of the fire and ran off on fire.

According to the release, witnesses reported approximately four people sitting around the pit watching the debris being burned and were drinking alcoholic beverages. One of the witnesses, (unknown which one), made a comment daring Lowery to throw a stray dog into the fire. Witnesses stated that Lowery picked up the stray dog and threw the dog into the fire.

Deputy Williams made contact with Lowery who gave a voluntary statement, admitting to grabbing a stray dog that had bit him approximately two weeks earlier. Lowery advised the deputy that he was swinging the dog towards the fire but that he had stumbled over a rock or a root and “accidentally” tossed the dog into the fire.

Lowery was arrested and booked into the Wood County Jail on Monday and was charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal, a state jail felony. His bond was set at $5,000

This ignorant mfer needs to be thrown into a fire so that he will experience what he did to those dogs…if he dies tough shit….he got what he deserved….and then there is the friends that sat by and allowed this stupid bastard do the atrocious things….they need to lose one eye as their punishment….oh by the way….would you like to see the guy who could do such things?

TWO DOGS BURNED ALIVE IN FIRE PIT BY DRUNK TEXANS

See what happens when you allow people to marry their sister?  You think I am being too hard?  These are more humane punishments than what I really would like to do to these pigs.

The truly sad part is that this guy will probably get some light offense and be back in the ‘hood to drink to his victory and do all this again….I am sure this asshole will have a wealth of excuses why he would do such despicable things….and none of them will be true.  This guy and his friends are sociopathic dickheads and the sooner they are eliminated from the gene pool the better.

While You Wait

Today is the big day!  We all, well us political geeks, are waiting for the decision from SCOTUS on Obamacare.  No matter which way it goes there will be a wealth of surrogates sprinting to the closest mic to spout the party talking points (thank God for the House gym that keeps all these toads in shape for sprints like this one)…….

While you sit on the edge of your chair waiting nervously for the big announcement let me give you something to think about…….America is in the midst of radical change…..wait!  What do I mean?

James Fallows of the Atlantic has summed it up very well, indeed…..

This is distilled from a longer item earlier today, at the suggestion of my colleagues. It’s a simple game you can try at home. Pick a country and describe a sequence in which:

  • First, a presidential election is decided by five people, who don’t even try to explain their choice in normal legal terms.
  • Then the beneficiary of that decision appoints the next two members of the court, who present themselves for consideration as restrained, humble figures who care only about law rather than ideology.
  • Once on the bench, for life, those two actively second-guess and re-do existing law, to advance the interests of the party that appointed them.
  • Meanwhile their party’s representatives in the Senate abuse procedural rules to an extent never previously seen to block legislation — and appointments, especially to the courts.
  • And, when a major piece of legislation gets through, the party’s majority on the Supreme Court prepares to negate it — even though the details of the plan were originally Republican proposals and even though the party’s presidential nominee endorsed these concepts only a few years ago.

How would you describe a democracy where power was being shifted that way?

SCOTUS was originally created to be the referee between the Executive and Legislative branches….and since those days it has morphed into something radical and out of control……they have long since moved from neutral referee into a party arm…..and no matter which way the vote goes…they are helping create an America that no one respect…….

Meanwhile, Back In Mali

Inkwell Institute

Subject:  Sub-Saharan Africa

I realize that not many of my readers will give two shakes in Hell about Mali……but I do…..I was in the region back in the days that I worked for our government (yes, I was one of those govt employees that all are bitching about)……

About a month ago….the government and the rebels decided to kick some ass….the rebels were better at it than the government….as a matter of fact the government forces were out manned and out gunned……and with the collapse of the government of Toure all Hell has broken lose……the Taureg in the north have wanted their independence and their land as a separate country….looks like some of it is about to happen…….

The Tuareg separatists and Ansar Dine appear on the surface to have formed a mere alliance of convenience. The Tuareg leaders say they want to create a separate Tuareg republic, Azawad, and oppose strict sharia law. On the other hand, Ansar Dine originally did not want to break up Mali, but rather wanted to impose extreme sharia law on the whole country.  But in May they came to an agreement to rule northeastern Mali together, and declared the national independence of Azawad.

But all is not well in the now divided country…….

Watching the two largest rebel groups in Northern Mali, the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA) and Ansar ud-Dine, pirouette around each other as they try to create a united front is a bit like watching the mating ritual of an rare species of bird. Western journalists and analysts, who know the habits and motivations of the protagonists to varying degrees, are forced to gaze from afar – but even the best-informed are at a complete loss to accurately predict what will happen next.

The stakes couldn’t be higher – both for Mali and West Africa as a whole. If the Islamists in Ansar ud-Dine and their quietly Machiavellian leader Iyad Ag Ghali fail to come to terms with the nationalist and secular NMLA, then the prospect is either a protracted civil war in the north or a rapid defeat of the NMLA by the better-equipped and better-funded Ansar ud-Dine and their allies in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Personally, I do not see this as a lasting relationship….the AUD is extreme Islamists and the NMLA is secular….not a good mix for a friendly relationship or a country….a new country at that.  And then there is the fact that AQ is in bed with the AUD….another strike against the relationship….

This may be of no interests to Americans now….but it could be the beginning of another armed conflict that we have to wade into….

There Is Always A “Type”–Part 2

My last post was about the types of conservs out there…..I want to be fair and balanced (unlike some that claim that mantle)….then what are the types of liberals out there?

The Prometheus Institute tries to answer this question…..there types are as follows…..

1. The College Student

In college, previously disinterested students are inundated with leftist rhetoric from college professors who seem to have all the world perspective the students themselves lack. College students are further blessed with lots of free time, time which they can now use to save Nelson Mandela via a cardboard protest on a busy campus intersection. (Or did they save him already? Oh well, we can just change the signs to read “IMPEACH BUSH.” Great idea, Tad!) It makes sense that such idealistic young people would gravitate toward the Dems. They see the Republican Party as about holding onto past ideals and conserving, and the Democrats as the forward-thinking alternative. To many young adults, new always trumps old. Since they have little or no previous convictions to hold on to, these students often are swayed toward new ideas which seem to them novel or even brilliant at first glance. That’s why it is with no bit of irony that Kucinich once said, “I hold in my heart that rebellious spirit of youth that demands change.”

2. The social liberal but economic moderate

The classic liberal, as it was originally defined and is currently found all throughout Europe, is extremely different from the breed of liberal found in the US. Classic liberals support the free market. Usually these people would vote Republican (due to their pro-market positions), but many are so revolted by the Christian Right’s domination of the party that they feel compelled to support the Dems. This is often the case when the voter regards social issues as more significant than economic because he or she is already wealthy. For example, Steve Jobs is regarded as a liberal, yet he is a passionate defender of the free market. It is his social positions that resemble those of the Democrats.

3. The socialist

This voter believes in the corrupting power of Capitalism and supports the Democrats on social issues. However, his economic policies often stray left of the traditional party line. Dennis Kucinich and his cohorts are examples of Democratic Socialists. They generally believe in immediate withdrawal from NAFTA, preventing any privatization of social security, and creating single-payer universal health insurance. They are also extremely liberal on social issues and support same-sex marriages. They are so far left that even Hillary Clinton would blush at their latent, unrepentant communism.

4. The minority

Minorities are essentially born into the Democratic Party. Many are raised to believe that programs like Affirmative Action give them the boost they need to be competitive in America. Their leaders (e.g. Rev. Jesse Jackson) have hoodwinked them into believing that they need handouts in order to contend with their white counterparts. The tendency for minorities to be affiliated with the Democrats is so widespread that those not registered as Democrats are often scorned and ridiculed by their peers. Larry Elder, the black champion of libertarianism, is often called an “Uncle Tom” or “anti-black” by his detractors. Instead of asking Mr. Elder how he got to where he is today, they criticize him for not toeing the party line.

5. The victicrat

A victicrat* is someone who views his government as a form of protection against the evils the rest of us call life. They look for handouts before helping themselves. To be clear, victocrats are not necessarily found in the welfare line. They are often affluent heirs who blame illegal immigration for taking their jobs, or minorities “accepting” their lot in the US because of their skin color. Not only do they refuse to market their differences, they use it (them) as an excuse for their lack of effort. Like Dr. Dre has said, breaking out of the “slave mentality” is crucial to succeeding in business.

While I do not agree very strongly with this characterization…..it is a pretty good list…..anything to add?  My list would be something like…Reactionaries, Cowards, Deep Pocket Dems, etc…..

Please….your thoughts.

There Is Always A “Type”

From time to time I like to let people know what is being said or talked about on the Right……A Right Wing blogger, John Hawkins has written about what he thinks are ‘annoying’ conservs……

1) The Sell Outs: Liberals love pundits who claim to be conservatives, but tell them what they want to hear about the Republican Party. So, if you have no integrity, like say David Frum, David Brooks, Meghan McCain, Joe Scarborough, or Kathleen Parker, you call yourself a Republican, but spend most of your time criticizing your “own side.” Nothing on the Left ever seems to get you as agitated as the things the people “on your side” do. Liberals get a pass for the same sort of comments that infuriate you when it comes out of the mouth of a conservative. That’s because when you’re a performing seal for the Left, you have to be tame and balance a ball on your nose just the way the Lefties like or they might stop giving you fish.

2) The Purists: Of course, you can go too far in the other direction, too, like the members of the “I’m more conservative than you” club. These are the people who tell you there’s no difference between the Republican Party and the Democrats. They take their ball, go home, and don’t vote in the general election when the candidate they support doesn’t win a primary. Issues like electability, the chances of actually passing legislation, and what the general public wants are never taken into consideration. This is how you end up with people who think we can do better than Scott Brown (71% ACU rating) in Massachusetts or that we can just decide to never raise the debt limit again, even though we’ve already spent all of the money. If you want to have it your way, go to Burger King because you’re not ever going to get everything you want in politics.

3) The Appropriators: If there’s one defining difference that separates Republicans from Democrats, it’s spending. Republicans want less of it, Democrats want more — well, at least that’s how it should be. Yet, there are big government Republicans. There are Republicans who love earmarks. There are Republicans who think it’s fine to fritter taxpayer money away, but they just want to waste a little less than the Democrats. These people are not just killing the Republican brand; they’re helping to ruin the country.

4) The Bubbleheads: One of the idiosyncrasies of D.C. Republicans is that many of them are smart people, they’re well informed, they have inside info, and they consider themselves to be conservative — yet they have no idea how out of touch they are with the base and the rest of the country. This is how you end up with Republicans supporting Bridges to Nowhere, increased National Endowment of the Arts funding, or pushing comprehensive immigration reform and Harriet Miers. The average talk radio listener or blog reader has a better read on politics in some areas than senators and congressmen because they’re not mired in that D.C. bubble with aides, consultants, pollsters, and lobbyists all pushing the same monolithic way of thinking. If you’re a Republican in D.C. who doesn’t get that, you’re part of the problem, not part of the solution.

5) The Compromise Fetishists: There’s nothing wrong with compromise per se. Republicans should be willing to compromise with Democrats — if it’s on a bill that will make the country significantly better overall. How many bills are there fitting that description that have been passed in the last decade or so? Certainly no more than a handful — and none have been passed during the Obama Administration. That’s because “compromise” in D.C. usually starts with the idea that Democrats get 90% of what they want and then Republicans negotiate to see how badly they’re going to lose. Yet, we hear some Republicans lauding compromise like it’s a worthwhile goal in and of itself. A compromise on a bad bill isn’t a win. Did Republicans make a mistake by refusing to work with the Democrats on the stimulus or Obamacare? Should they have worked with Obama to raise taxes, pass comprehensive immigration reform, or to do another stimulus? Of course not! Half of stupid is still pretty stupid, stupid.

Hawkins is hitting at his party pretty hard….and yes, I believe that they deserve to be called out…..but like all right wing bloggers he tries to make the case that us on the Left are somehow trying to destroy the country……I think that is extremely stupid!  I may not agree with him on much but I believe that both libs and conservs have the best interests of the country at heart……I think that the right’s embracing of the massive amounts of money thrown at them is doing more harm than anything that I could conceive….and defending this is also destroying our republic……

Lions And Tigers And Bears…Oh My!

It is my last day of mental retardation….oh sorry….relaxation…….

For this post it will be the bears.  Not the football team.  Not a grizzly….Not a polar….but rather a Teddy!  Yep, a teddy bear made the news recently…….

Charles Marshall of Cincinnati is accused of having sex with a teddy bear for the fourth time in the past two years, according to the Smoking Gun.

Marshall was arrested Wednesday after employees at a health clinic saw him masturbating with a teddy bear in an alley, according to a police report obtained by the Smoking Gun.

Marshall has three previous convictions for either public indecency or disorderly conduct with a teddy bear. This latest time he was hit with a disorderly conduct charge.

People who are aroused by teddy bears can be diagnosed with Ursusagalmatophilia.

“This is also known as Plushophilia in some circles, although this term includes any stuffed animal and is not specific to teddy bears,” Cracked notes.

Leave it to shrinks to come up with name for a sicko….this whack-a-doodle was suffering from ursusagalmatophilia (you pronounce it)…..why cannot this guy just be f*cking crazy?