About Obamanation

Republicans clearly had no plan of attack about the ideology of Barack Obama. The even almost ignored the associations which gave a clue. The significant thing about Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers is not their radical ideas, nor why Obama hung around with them. The significant thing is why THEY felt comfortable hanging around Obama.

I submit that they are ideological bedfellows. Obama is as radical as they are. He wants to “spread the wealth” around. Not his, mind you. He wants to spread other people’s wealth around. He considers people selfish if they want to retain their hard-earned money, but has yet to send any money to his aunt or brother.

I was on his mailing list and, after his raising record amounts of money, he sent out an appeal to help bail out the DNC because they went into debt to finance his campaign. It apparently did not occur to him to “spread the wealth” that he had brought into his campaign.

Watch closely in the coming months.

Global warming continues unabated

News Anchor:   Record temperatures in California continue to prove that Global Warming is advancing.  Over to you, Bill.

Correspondent #1:  No, Tom, those are record low temperatures.  Grape growers are concerned about early free. . .

News Anchor:  Thanks for your report, Bill.  Now on to Oregon where more record temperatures clearly demonstrate Global Warming.  Tell us about it, Mike.

Correspondent#2:  Thanks, Tom.  Yes, once again we are experiencing temperatures not seen for 118 years.  These record low. . .

News Anchor:  Don’t you mean high?

Correspondent#2:   No, Tom.  We haven’t seen temperatures as low as this since the turn of the last century.

News Anchor:  Great.  Well, the receding glaciers in Alaska and the northern shelf still demonstrate that man is responsible for Global Warming, isn’t that right, Fred?

Correspondent#3:  Actually, Tom, the glaciers had been retreating, but they actually grew this year.

News Anchor:  Well, isn’t that just peachy.  OK folks, enough about Global Warming.  Next up, How George W. Bush single-handedly caused the worst economic meltdown of this reporter’s lifetime - after this commercial break.

Dave and Blarney Discuss the Bailout

Blarney: Well, the Senate is acting where the House flopped.

Dave: You mean because they passed a bailout bill?

Blarney: Exactly. Now if only those stubborn Republicans in the House will get on board.

Dave: Blarney, can I ask you a few questions?

Blarney: I suppose so.

Dave: Does this bill have anything to do with money?

Blarney: It has everything to do with money.

Dave: Does it have anything to do with raising revenues?

Blarney: Well, it does address taxes.

Dave: According to the Constitution, where do bills about revenue originate?

Blarney: Well, everyone knows that: the House of Representatives.

Dave: So, you don’t have a problem with Senate originating this bill?

Blarney: Oh, but it originated in the House.

Dave: But the House killed it.

Blarney: No, they didn’t. They suspended the vote before it was final. That allows the Senate to modify it.

Dave: That seems a little sneaky, doesn’t it? By the way, how many votes would it take to pass the bill in the House?

Blarney: Everybody knows that, too. With 434 or 435 members, it takes 218 votes to be a majority.

Dave: How many “No” votes were there in the House?

Blarney: Er, ah, 228.

Dave: Sounds to me that it failed.

Blarney: No, no, the vote was suspended. That was to give the Republicans time to change their minds.

Dave: How many Democrats are in the House?

Blarney: Uh, I don’t know. Maybe a couple hundred?

Dave: Would you believe, 235? If the Democrats think this is such a great bill, they could pass it all by themselves.

Blarney: But that wouldn’t be fair.

Dave: So 95 Democrats voted against the bill just to be fair?

Blarney: well, …

McCain, Obama, and the "Credit Crisis"

OK. Let's review the bidding.
1977 - Jimmuh Cahtuh and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) - Encourage banks to make loans to risky clients.
Enter ACORN

ACORN is a non-profit, non-partisan social justice organization with national
headquarters in New York, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. To maintain
independence, ACORN does not accept government funding and is not tax exempt.

Since 1970 ACORN ( Association of [originally Arkansas] Community Organizations for Reform Now) has been pressuring banks to make loans to high-risk clients. In 1990, they launched the first challenge to block a merger based on non-compliance with CRA.

2004 - Republicans want to investigate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Democrats oppose.

2008 - The bad loans begin to default. Freddie and Fannie hold a huge portfolio of bad paper.

2008 - President Bush, Pelosi, Reid, etc (including both McCain and Obama) push for a $700 billion bailout which is widely opposed by Main Street America. It fails in the House and the finger-pointing begins. McCain calls it a failure to act. Congress did act. They REJECTED the bailout, as the majority of Americans wanted them to. It was Bi-Partisan, with nearly 100 Democrats voting against it. Even ACORN opposed the bailout, even though a staggering amount of the funds would have gone to ACORN (in direct opposition to their statement above).

2008-Sep 29 - The market (Dow Jones Average) falls over 770 points in one day, the largest single point loss in history. As a percentage of the Dow, however, it is about 6.5% and would not make the list of the ten largest drops.

2008-Sep-30 - The market rebounds with the Dow gaining 485 points. Meanwhile, the media and the political talking heads decry the tragedy of not getting the bailout pushed through.

Let's see what happens tomorrow. And visit here for more information.

Hil(l)ar(y)ious Sarah

Joe Biden on McCain's speech

Imagine, Joe Biden took the time to send me an eMail. Wow. My comments are next to his.

From: Joe Biden [mailto:info@barackobama.com]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 5:01 AM
To: Pat'sRick
Subject: McCain's speech

Richard -- John McCain just accepted the Republican nomination and adopted the most conservative platform in the history of his party. And I say, right on. It’s about time! After days of negative attacks -- and no mention of real proposals to fix our economy, get more people health care, or make America safer -- the party that brought you eight years of disastrous policies is asking for four more. Yes, I know you have spent a week attacking Sarah Palin, but beyond that, it isn’t the government’s job to “fix” the economy. They tried that for years in the Soviet Union and it never works. Besides, unemployment is lower now than during the Clinton years. As for health care – nobody is denied health care. You are confusing health INSURANCE with health CARE. Republicans make America safer by taking the fight to the terrorists. Well, not if we have anything to say about it. And that’s what is scary. Across this nation, people like you (you wish) have joined this movement because you believe that we are better than the past eight years. And now that we are entering the final stretch, it's going to take all of us to bring the change we need. Step up at this crucial moment and make a donation of $5 or more to change our country. I will, to McCain-Palin. After the last eight years, it's up to you to keep America's promise alive. How can John McCain pull us out of the deep hole we're in when he voted with George Bush more than 90% of the time? See, here is my question: what hole? The American people deserve more than a 10% chance at change. And they deserve better than Chicago thug politics. No matter what McCain says, we can't bring about change by relying on the same ideas that have failed us for the last eight years. Obviously, you haven’t been listening. Show the McCain campaign that people coming together, giving what they can afford, and working toward a common purpose will transform this country. I will, I ‘ll double my McCain contribution. Change begins with you. Please make a donation of $5 or more now: Thanks for everything you're doing, Joe

Questions About Man-made Global Warming

You could call these questions about Anthropogenic Global Warming, if you wanted to impress your professor.

 

1.       Where do you take the global temperature?  (temperature will vary by latitude.  It is generally hotter at the equator and cooler at the poles)

2.       If the answer to #1 is that we take average readings, what would be the effect of several thousand stations in the colder latitudes not reporting?

3.       Assuming we can answer number 1, what time of day should we take the temperature?  (Global cooling occurs at night, doesn’t it?) 

4.       Assuming we can answer both 1 and 3, what should the temperature be? (If the current temperature is below the ideal, then Global Warming is a good thing.)

5.       Assuming we can answer 1, 3, and 4, has the planet ever been colder than it is now?  What was that like?

6.       Has the planet ever been warmer than it is now?  What was that like?

7.       Are there generally more weather-related deaths due to cold weather or due to hot weather?

8.       Do plants, on average,  grow better in cold weather or in warm weather?

9.       When you say “Greenhouse gases” what exactly do you mean?  Can you name the specific gases?

10.   What portion of greenhouse gases does NOT contain carbon?

Global Warming is Bad for Your Health

There are many things about the Anthropogenic (man-made) Global Warming hysteria that are, well, funny.  It seems that every day we find things that “Global Warming may cause” in supposedly reputable news sources. 

 

I thought news sources were to report something that has already happened, not something that “may” happen.  One of the latest I have seen is that Global Warming may cause kidney stones.  No, really.  Read it for yourself here.

 

In case you haven’t been paying attention, here is a partial list of things that may be caused by Global Warming (forget for the moment that the globe has been cooling since 1999):

Floods and Droughts

Less frogs … and … more insects

Go here for a complete list.

 

It's Only Money

According to the Obama campaign, McCain is way ahead in fund raising:  “By collecting huge checks from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs, they raised more money than ever before in June. Combined with the Republican National Committee, they now have more than $95 million in cash on hand.”

 

See those darn lobbyists. You won’t catch Obama accepting money from lobbyists.  No, sir.  You won’t catch him using questionable sources.  You won’t see him changing positions on major topics either.  He doesn’t change his position, just his rhetoric.

 

Words mean something.  John McCain thinks actions mean something also.  What do you think?

 

Dave and Blarney Discuss the Weather

Dave: Hi, Blarney. What are you up to?

Blarney: Hi, Dave. I’m heading to a protest march about high gas prices.

Dave: I thought you wanted gas prices to be higher.

Blarney: Whatever gave you that idea?

Dave: Don’t you want to reduce man-made carbon emissions?

Blarney: Absolutely. We need to do everything we can to reduce man’s impact on Global Warming.

Dave: Well, don’t high gas prices force people to drive less and therefore emit less carbon from their autos?

Blarney: Well, yes. But it’s all Bush’s fault.

Dave: The high gas prices or the fact that people drive?

Blarney: Yes. Bush should have ratified Kyoto.

Dave: And that would have lowered gas prices?

Blarney: Well, no. But it would have averted catastrophic man-made global warming like we have now.

Dave: You do know that the globe has not warmed since 1998, right? In fact, April 2008 was the coldest April in a long time.

Blarney: Well, experts say that is only a temporary lull.

Dave: But don’t you believe that the primary factor in global warming is enhanced C0₂ emissions? What is causing the lull?

Blarney: I, uh …

Be Safe Out There

10 Deadliest Days of the Year To Drive

 

1. July 4

2. July 3

3. December 23

4. August 3

5. January 1

6. August 6

7. August 4

8. August 12

9. July 2

10.September 2

 

 

Five Deadliest Months to Drive

 

1. August

2. October

3. July

4. November

5. September

 

 

Deadliest Day of the Week to Drive

 

1. Saturday

2. Friday

3. Thursday

4. Wednesday

5. Monday

6. Tuesday

7. Sunday

 

The above provided from statistics compiled from the Air Force.

The Actual Decision

Go here to read the transcript of the case, the majority decision (written by Justice Scalia with Roberts, Kennedy, Alito and Thomas joining) and two dissenting opinions (written by Stevens and Breyer with Souter and Ginsburg joining):  Click this link for the transcript.

The Second Amendment Survives

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights."

---

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

---

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

 

Senators up for Election

Thought you might want to consider their votes on suspending earmarks (pork-barrel politics) in this year’s election. A “NO” vote is against limiting the earmarks. A “Yes” vote is in the best interests of the individual taxpayer.
Class II - Senators Whose Terms of Service Expire in 2009
Senators in Class II were elected to office in the November 2002 general election. Their terms run from the beginning of the 108th Congress on January 3, 2003 to the end of the 110th Congress in January 2009. The Yes and NO indicated how they voted on establishing a moratorium on earmarks.

Democrats
Baucus, Max (D-MT) NO
Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (D-DE) NO
Durbin, Richard (D-IL) NO
Harkin, Tom (D-IA) NO
Johnson, Tim (D-SD) NO
Kerry, John F. (D-MA) NO
Landrieu, Mary L. (D-LA) NO
Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) NO
Levin, Carl (D-MI) NO
Pryor, Mark L. (D-AR) NO
Reed, Jack (D-RI) NO
Rockefeller, John D., IV (D-WV) NO

Republicans
Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) Yes
Allard, Wayne (R-CO) Yes
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) Yes
Cochran, Thad (R-MS) NO
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) NO
Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)NO
Cornyn, John (R-TX) Yes
Craig, Larry E. (R-ID) NO
Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) Yes
Domenici, Pete V. (R-NM)NO
Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY) Yes
Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) Yes
Hagel, Chuck (R-NE) NO
Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) Yes
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) Yes
Roberts, Pat (R-KS) NO
Sessions, Jeff (R-AL) Yes
Smith, Gordon H. (R-OR) NO
Stevens, Ted (R-AK) NO
Sununu, John E. (R-NH) Yes
Warner, John (R-VA) NO

The Constitutional Amendments

You can visit the Bill of Rights at the National Archives at any time.

 

Why were the first ten amendments added?

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights."

---

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

---

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

---

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

---

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

---

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

---

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

---

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

---

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

---

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

---

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

 

Spend Like Drunken Democrats

Presidential hopeful John McCain tried unsuccessfully to implement a one-year moratorium on earmarks. Surprisingly, the other two Presidential hopefuls from the Democrats voted along with him. So did Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Russ Feingold (D-WA), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Claire McCaskill (D-MO). If all the Republicans had voted with him, it would have carried. Sadly, 26 Republicans like their pork too much to sign on. Here's the complete tally:

Alabama	Sessions	(R-AL)	Yea	Shelby	(R-AL)	Nay
Alaska	Murkowski	(R-AK)	Nay	Stevens	(R-AK)	Nay
Arizona	Kyl	(R-AZ)	Yea	McCain	(R-AZ)	Yea
Arkansas	Lincoln	(D-AR)	Nay	Pryor	(D-AR)	Nay
California	Boxer	(D-CA)	Nay	Feinstein	(D-CA)	Nay
Colorado	Allard	(R-CO)	Yea	Salazar	(D-CO)	Nay
Connecticut	Dodd	(D-CT)	Nay	Lieberman	(ID-CT)	Yea
Delaware	Biden	(D-DE)	Nay	Carper	(D-DE)	Nay
Florida	Martinez	(R-FL)	Yea	Nelson	(D-FL)	Nay
Georgia	Chambliss	(R-GA)	Yea	Isakson	(R-GA)	Yea
Hawaii	Akaka	(D-HI)	Nay	Inouye	(D-HI)	Nay
Idaho	Craig	(R-ID)	Nay	Crapo	(R-ID)	Nay
Illinois	Durbin	(D-IL)	Nay	Obama	(D-IL)	Yea
Indiana	Bayh	(D-IN)	Yea	Lugar	(R-IN)	Nay
Iowa	Grassley	(R-IA)	Yea	Harkin	(D-IA)	Nay
Kansas	Brownback	(R-KS)	Nay	Roberts	(R-KS)	Nay
Kentucky	Bunning	(R-KY)	Nay	McConnell	(R-KY)	Yea
Louisiana	Landrieu	(D-LA)	Nay	Vitter	(R-LA)	Nay
Maine	Collins	(R-ME)	Nay	Snowe	(R-ME)	Nay
Maryland	Cardin	(D-MD)	Nay	Mikulski	(D-MD)	Nay
Massachusetts	Kennedy	(D-MA)	Nay	Kerry	(D-MA)	Nay
Michigan	Levin	(D-MI)	Nay	Stabenow	(D-MI)	Nay
Minnesota	Coleman	(R-MN)	Nay	Klobuchar	(D-MN)	Nay
Mississippi	Cochran	(R-MS)	Nay	Wicker	(R-MS)	Nay
Missouri	Bond	(R-MO)	Nay	McCaskill	(D-MO)	Yea
Montana	Baucus	(D-MT)	Nay	Tester	(D-MT)	Nay
Nebraska	Hagel	(R-NE)	Nay	Nelson	(D-NE)	Nay
Nevada	Ensign	(R-NV)	Yea	Reid	(D-NV)	Nay
New Hampshire	Gregg	(R-NH)	Nay	Sununu	(R-NH)	Yea
New Jersey	Lautenberg	(D-NJ)	Nay	Menendez	(D-NJ)	Nay
New Mexico	Bingaman	(D-NM)	Nay	Domenici	(R-NM)	Nay
New York	Clinton	(D-NY)	Yea	Schumer	(D-NY)	Nay
North Carolina	Burr	(R-NC)	Yea	Dole	(R-NC)	Yea
North Dakota	Conrad	(D-ND)	Nay	Dorgan	(D-ND)	Nay
Ohio	Brown	(D-OH)	Nay	Voinovich	(R-OH)	Nay
Oklahoma	Coburn	(R-OK)	Yea	Inhofe	(R-OK)	Yea
Oregon	Smith	(R-OR)	Nay	Wyden	(D-OR)	Nay
Pennsylvania	Casey	(D-PA)	Nay	Specter	(R-PA)	Nay
Rhode Island	Reed	(D-RI)	Nay	Whitehouse	(D-RI)	Nay
South Carolina	DeMint	(R-SC)	Yea	Graham	(R-SC)	Yea
South Dakota	Johnson	(D-SD)	Nay	Thune	(R-SD)	Yea
Tennessee	Alexander	(R-TN)	Yea	Corker	(R-TN)	Yea
Texas	Cornyn	(R-TX)	Yea	Hutchison	(R-TX)	Nay
Utah	Bennett	(R-UT)	Nay	Hatch	(R-UT)	Nay
Vermont	Leahy	(D-VT)	Nay	Sanders	(I-VT)	Nay
Virginia	Warner	(R-VA)	Nay	Webb	(D-VA)	Nay
Washington	Cantwell	(D-WA)	Nay	Murray	(D-WA)	Nay
West Virginia	Byrd	(D-WV)	Nay	Rockefeller	(D-WV)	Nay
Wisconsin	Feingold	(D-WI)	Yea	Kohl	(D-WI)	Nay
Wyoming	Barrasso	(R-WY)	Yea	Enzi	(R-WY)	Yea