Photo Time

Another one from the "Where was Dave?" files. Clickamus for Biggamus.



It's Mount Rainier, as seen from in front of the Commanding General's house on Fort Lewis. It's 328KB if you want to download it.

Quote of the Day #2

From The Smallest Minority.

We are not your sons and daughters, whom you must protect and defend. We are your sword and your shield. We are men and women who volunteer to place our lives on the line so you do not have to. We do not decide when or where we will be sent. We go. You are our advocates, not our parents.

As Kevin Baker says, you have GOT to read the whole thing.

Quote of the Day

From BabyTrollBlog:

There's no such thing as "capitalism." Marx made that up. What he calls capitalism, the rest of us call freedom. It's what happens when humans get together to do business without busybodies meddling in things.

Yep. Sounds about right.

So where the hell did Dave go?

Well, first I was helping put on a training event for over 200 people, and then I had a day off. And then I was a competitor in a little event called the Best Warrior Competition. I won my unit, lost the regional. I was runner up. Kinda ticked off about that one. I guess the difference between my score and the winners was about thismuch or so. As a certain senior NCO put it "You couldn't fit a butt-hair between the two."

So while I wasn't the winner, I was pretty damn close. And hey, I ended up with some swag! Yay me! I think I also re-discovered how much fun it is to be a Soldier, and to be around Soldiers, instead of being around stick-up-the-ass desk jockeys day in and day out. I tell folks that the more I sit behind a desk, the more I hate sitting behind a desk. And that's about the truth of it. I didn't think I'd have fun during the BWC, and the night land nav course flat out SUCKED DONKEY BALLS, but all in all I had a hell of a time, met some damn fine Soldiers, and enjoyed myself.

FYI - if you've never heard the gastronomical symphony caused by a platoon of people eating MRE's twice a day, well... I'd say you're missing out, but being awoken at 0200 hrs. by the sounds of twenty people farting in the style of Bach's Tocata and Fugue in D Minor, while amusing as hell, isn't something I would recommend for the faint of heart.

So I now get to have Saturday off, and then I jet off for yet ANOTHER mission. So I'll post when I can, but don't expect any more of me next week than ya got last week. Anyways, I've got things to take care of tonight as well. Toodles!

Congress adopts new "nonbinding budget blueprints"

O.K. folks, can someone out there please tell me exactly what "nonbinding budget blueprints" are?

Congress has wrapped up work on a compromise $3.4 trillion budget outline aimed at helping advance President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda despite staggering government deficits.

The Senate's 53-43 vote to pass the measure followed House action earlier Wednesday.

The votes to adopt the nonbinding budget blueprint are only a first step toward Obama's goal of providing health care coverage for all Americans.

Pelosi-open mouth and spoodle remaining brain cells

In all fairness I think she wants us to be what the Democrats say they are.

The California Democrat offered her own analysis of the political environment for her political opponents, asserting Republicans across the country are more willing to work with Democrats than their leaders on Capitol Hill.

"Yes, there is -- shall we say -- a 'radical right-wing' element with whom they identify. But by and large, I say to Republicans in America: Take back your party. The party of protecting the environment. The party of individual rights. The party of fairness. This is not the Grand Old Party."

Pelosi concluded her long riff about the GOP by saying, "Our country needs a strong, diverse Republican Party." Without missing a beat, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid chimed in, saying "not too strong."

the Internet we can't make you shut up so we will force you to listen to our opinions doctrine

I do not think I can properly express just how wrong the mere suggestion of this all is. As usual the left has found a way to stomp all over the 1st Amendment.

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama's nominee for "regulatory czar" has advocated a "Fairness Doctrine" for the Internet that would require opposing opinions be linked and also has suggested angry e-mails should be prevented from being sent by technology that would require a 24-hour cooling off period.

The revelations about Cass Sunstein, Obama's friend from the University of Chicago Law School and nominee to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, come in a new book by Brad O'Leary, "Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech." OIRA will oversee regulation throughout the U.S. government.

Sunstein also has argued in his prolific literary works that the Internet is anti-democratic because of the way users can filter out information of their own choosing.

"A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government," he wrote. "Democratic efforts to reduce the resulting problems ought not be rejected in freedom's name."

<snip>

World Bank alarms are going off

World Bank demands poverty action

Robert Zoellick wants to see more aid pledges

The head of the World Bank has warned of a "human catastrophe" in the world's poorest countries unless more is done to tackle the global economic crisis.

Speaking at the end of the World Bank's spring meeting, Robert Zoellick also called on rich nations to do more to help tackle global poverty.

He said the crisis meant targets on tackling poverty in the poorest countries were unlikely to be met.

The World Bank says an extra 53 million people are at risk of extreme poverty.

'Accelerate aid'

"There is a widespread recognition that the world faces an unprecedented economic crisis, poor people could suffer the most and that we must continue to act in real time to prevent a human catastrophe," said Mr Zoellick.

He added that no-one yet knew how long the global recession would last.

a more realistic perspective of the recent release of interrogation techniques

and a bit of history behind it.

WASHINGTON — Those who claim that harsh interrogation tactics are a break with American traditions, as President Obama has done, are offering up a childish mirage.

In the wars America won— in less than four years—our intelligence agencies did what was necessary.

By contrast, Obama and radical allies on his left spent last week tantalizing our terrorist enemies and the public with the release of classified interrogation documents and holding out the possibility of show trials of Bush administration officials.

In these clumsy moves, Obama has come close to impaling himself on the strongest suit that President George W. Bush left the Republican Party. And that is that Bush kept the 50 states safe for the seven years and four months after 9/11.

America has never endorsed brutality for its own sake, but its war heroes saw starkly what had to be done to win.

Here’s what Major Gen. William J. Donovan, the founder of the Central Intelligence Agency, said decades ago: “Espionage is not a nice thing. Nor are the methods employed exemplary. We face an enemy who believes one of his chief weapons is terror. But we will turn terror against him.”

bipartisanship

Here is a discussion about bipartisanship and how we got to where we are in the first 100 days of resident bambam.

Chrystler and Fiat????

I am quite certain this is probably old news for the majority of you, but I felt it worth mentioning.

Chrysler, which has 8,000 unionized workers in Canada, is under immense pressure to secure a partnership with Fiat after the Obama administration threatened to suspend federal aid for Chrysler unless it secured a deal with the Italian carmaker. (See "Obama Takes The Wheel In Detroit.")

Go Pakistan

Pakistan's military says troops killed 20 militants in an operation against the Taliban in the troubled northwest.

An army statement says paramilitary troops killed the militants Monday in the Lower Dir district, which is part of the Malakand division of North West Frontier Province.

Earlier Monday, a spokesman for radical cleric Sufi Mohammad, Ameer Izat, said he had suspended peace negotiations between the Taliban and government officials until the military operation in Lower Dir was halted.

Another strike against traditional values and marriage

DES MOINES, Iowa – The only gay couple who were legally wed in Iowa are looking forward to getting some company. Iowa county clerks were to begin processing same-sex marriage applications Monday, following the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling on April 3 that legalized same sex-marriage. Iowa typically requires a three-day waiting period for marriages, but judges can waive that and allow immediate weddings.

The Samali Pirates are at it again...

This time it was a Yemeni oil tanker that was freed by the Yemeni Special Forces after it was seized in the Gulf of Aden. This story will tell you all about it.

There is also an Australian Cruise ship story here.

Klavan On The Culture

(D)emocrats hate free speech...

A Day of Rest

I actually have a day off! WOO HOO!

And then I go right back to the grind tomorrow. Gah. Dangit.

Anyhoo, I'm off to enjoy the one day I got. Toodles!

Life is hard

It's even harder when you're stupid.

You can call me callus if you want, but the sight of a stupid, naked hippy getting tasered just makes me smile.

Oh, and all the liberal pussies crying about police brutality? Try that kind of crap ANYWHERE ELSE but the USA and see how it works for ya. Mr. "Naked is Beautiful" would be on the ground searching for his teeth in most other countries. That's if he would be awake at all after the beat-down he would receive.

Anyone do HTML well?

Here's the scenario - I'd like to put more pictures or videos up, but I don't want to take up all the space on the page, plus if I put up pictures of a ..... feminine nature, I don't want outraged wives and girlfriends (may they never meet!) to get upset with me.

So here's the question - what HTML code do you use in order to hide the picture, with the link that "opens" that section? Can I even do that with Blogspot?

Keep up the good work Ford

I have spoken to people that did not realize that Ford motor company did not take bailout money. It has remained a viable company that can still get private loans. It sounds like they are doing even better. I post this to support companies that will make it on their own instead of sucking off the governments tit and being run by resident bambam.

Ford Motor Co posted a smaller-than-expected first-quarter loss and said it was on track to at least break even in 2011 and did not expect to seek U.S. government loans, sending its shares up more than 22 percent.

I'm sure y'all have heard the joke about the Obama spending cuts...

I understand about cutting back, but when you have added BILLIONS to the spending $100 MILLION is nothing. Get a grip. Let's not forget that the mear $100 Million he wants to save won't come out of any of HIS projects, which means it will come from things like, Emergency Services, Border Patrol, Military, etc...

Obama Cabinet Spending Cuts Ridiculed Yesterday, President Obama ordered his cabinet to identify $100 million in budget cuts. The CBS Evening News reported that "critics say the amounts are so small," that "it's nothing more than a publicity stunt." CBS added that the President "admitted $100 million is a drop in the budget bucket, but insisted there's a lot more cutting to come." The New York Times says "budget analysts promptly burst out laughing. A reporter declared at the White House briefing that the initiative would become fodder for late-night talk show hosts," and "the Republican Study Committee, a group of fiscal conservatives, put out a news release with the headline 'Obama's 0.0025% spending cut.'" The Cato Institute's Dan Mitchell, appearing on CNBC's The Kudlow Report, said, "I almost thought it was April Fool's Day. Talk about a kick in the teeth for taxpayers. ... And, oh by the way, these wouldn't be spending cuts the way you and I understand it. These would be reductions in the planned increases that are already built into the government budgeting baseline. This was a spit in the face to hard-working American taxpayers." Former labor secretary Robert Reich agreed that "this is pretty small potatoes. I mean, it's the beginning. It's at least a gesture, an important gesture. ... Yes, Obama needs to do more."
The Wall Street Journal reports "Obama has left himself open to the charge of overspending as he focuses on jump-starting the stalled economy with the huge stimulus bill and shoring up its foundations with big overhauls of health care, energy and education." And "anticipating the charge, the administration sought to build savings into its budget plans. But results so far have been modest." The AP says the Obama move "set off outbursts of mental math and scribbled calculations as political friend and foe tried to figure out its impact." Adds the AP, "The bottom line: Not much." The Washington Post, however, reports that in addition to the $100 million, "many other planned reductions are already underway -- and with total savings of far more than $100 million." David Brooks, in his New York Times column, says that "Obama imposes hard choices on others, but has postponed his own. He presented an agenda that bleeds red ink a trillion dollars at a time. Now he seems passive as Congress kills his few revenue ideas (cap and trade) and spending cuts (agricultural subsidies)," and "huge fiscal gaps are opening this decade that can't be closed by distant entitlement reform."