Thursday, December 31, 2009

The AGW Plot Thickens!

No Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fraction in Past 160 Years, New Research Finds

ScienceDaily (Dec. 31, 2009) — Most of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, only about 45 percent of emitted carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere.

However, some studies have suggested that the ability of oceans and plants to absorb carbon dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that the airborne fraction of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to increase.

Many climate models also assume that the airborne fraction will increase. Because understanding of the airborne fraction of carbon dioxide is important for predicting future climate change, it is essential to have accurate knowledge of whether that fraction is changing or will change as emissions increase.

To assess whether the airborne fraction is indeed increasing, Wolfgang Knorr of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol reanalyzed available atmospheric carbon dioxide and emissions data since 1850 and considers the uncertainties in the data.

In contradiction to some recent studies, he finds that the airborne fraction of carbon dioxide has not increased either during the past 150 years or during the most recent five decades.

The research is published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Congressional Reform Act of 2010

(Note. I would give the proper accreditation if I knew who composed this list. It came to me via email, signed as "A Fellow American".)

1. Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.

a. Two Six-year Senate terms
b. Six Two-year House terms
c. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

2. No Tenure / No Pension:

A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security:

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, server your term(s), then go home and back to work.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

6. Congress looses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

7. Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

8. All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/11 .

The American people did not make this contract with congressmen, congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work.

Feel free to add or change anything in the comment section.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Midnight at the Oasis

One of the great things about this time of year is that Congress is not in session. Christmas Day has come and gone and we're enjoying the last few days of the holiday season. Come Monday, January 4th, most kids will be back in school and we adults will have to focus on work until the next break, usually Spring Break.

While the untamed masses are hunkering down for the reality of the new year, what will Congress be doing?

Reconciliation of the Senate and House healthcare bills? (Obama has to sign something!)

Cap and Trade legislation? (Heaven forbid!)

Amnesty for illegal immigrants? (Aka: Get Out the Vote Act of 2010)

Whatever it might be, I doubt that I will be pleased. Sarah Palin put it best in a Facebook post on December 22nd, "Midnight Votes, Backroom Deals, and a Death Panel"

We seem to see a pattern emerging with the 111th Congressional session thus far. Consider the beginning of the legislative calendar for 2010:

January 6th - Congress convenes
January ?? - State of the Union Address
February 2nd - Presidential Budget released (brace yourself!)
February 16th - Presidents' Day

What havoc can this Congress (and President) wreak in this little window of the new year? It's hard to tell, but however it goes, I suspect we'll be seeing more midnights at the oasis (Aka: the governmental trough).

For those of you who don't remember "Midnight at the Oasis", enjoy:

Are You Ready for Some Football?

All politics aside for a moment, I found this video to be fascinating. I would love to see how other pro and college quarterbacks measure up to Drew Brees' accuracy.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Are the Israelis preparing for action?

Very interesting developments in Israel:

First-ever Heads of Missions Conference at the MFA
24 Dec 2009
Israel’s ambassadors and consuls general serving throughout the world will discuss broad diplomatic and strategic issues at a conference to be held next week in Jerusalem.

RedState has a very interesting analysis here.

There are other analyses that suggest that the situation in Iran is fast-reaching a tipping point:

The Start of an Iranian Intifada

Israel: Iran will have nuclear weapons by 2011

Iran in chaos: Ten seized in Tehran swoop on reform protesters as opposition accuse police of firing on protesters

Iran: Victory of Blood over the Sword

The Iranian Body Snatchers at Work

All of this take place while the President of the United States tries to decide whether or not to send John Kerry to Iran. This administration is hopelessly out of touch with the meaning of liberty. God help us all!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

My Wish for 2010

THROW ALL THE BUMS OUT!

I don't know how else to say it. In my lifetime and, perhaps, our country's lifetime, there has never been such a serious assault on our system of government...from within!

I can also think of only one person with the moxie to carry this out. Go here. Nonetheless, whomever that person ends up being, it must be carried out.

And don't believe the horse crap that you hear about "there's no turning back" once this legislation or that legislation is passed. Keep in mind that the free market will ALWAYS fill the gap. It did after the Civil War in the south and, although reviled by southerners at the time, carpetbaggers served the vital purpose of aiding reconstruction.

The one thing that we can't skimp on going forward is our military preparedness. If our adversaries sense blood in the water, the greatest union in the history of the world could become a footnote in history.

Oh, and if you want more, check out My Christmas Wish.

Friday, December 25, 2009

My Christmas Wish

Santa doesn't bring us everything we may want, a lesson we all must learn at a very young age. The very best things in life are those things that we must work for on our own. I remember my mother passing along some biblical wisdom when I was a youngster, which I'll paraphrase: "God helps those who help themselves."

We only have our own efforts to ensure our success in life. This country was founded on that very concept and it is the only reason that our government has endured as long as it has. Why anyone would want to change that is beyond belief, yet that is exactly what has now happened.

We are now beyond the capacity to "fix" Washington. It is broken and beyond repair. So, you ask, what do you do when something is beyond repair? You tear it down and begin anew. It is time to get back to the basics.

Washington needs to be dismantled. It's present structure cannot be maintained, nor should be. Every single member of the Washington community, both elected or otherwise, needs to be purged. Recognizing the impossibility of that fact, we must begin somewhere. I suggest we begin with all elected officials and primarily those that have been a party to our present malaise. That list is long and extends to both political parties. So be it!

I will vote for the candidate of "No". I don't want to hear about what he or she thinks they could do better than the present bunch. I only want to hear about his or her commitment to ending the structure that currently exists. As with the current banking structure, the government needs to be broken down and services sent back to the regional level.

Wall Street needs to be disemboweled. The first and best way to do that is to re-enact something similar to the Glass-Steagall Act, ending forever the connection between investment banks and commercial banks. We have seen the disastrous results of that act's repeal with the financial meltdown of 2008. We cannot allow that to happen again.

A full, complete audit of the Federal Reserve must begin immediately. Only by shining the light of day on its practices can we begin to understand how to reform it. Special interests on Wall Street that have governed the Fed's actions must be exposed for the corrupt actions that they have wrought. Wall Street interests need to be replaced with Main Street interests.

I really don't think the above is asking a lot. We deserve so much less out of Washington than what we're getting.

Merry Christmas One and All!

We can't lose our sense of humor no matter what.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Detroit = Statist Utopia

If you want to see what you get when you allow statists to take over, check out this video from Steven Crowder:

Alaska: God's Country



Hat tip: Conservative4Palin

LGF Dropped From Rush's Blogosphere

As recently as a few days ago, Little Green Footballs was still listed among the blogs that Rush refers to for show prep. I just noticed today that LGF is no longer listed.

Here are the blogs that Rush includes in his Total Stack of Stuff:

• The Page • NR's The Corner • Hugh Hewitt • Power Line
• Red State • Strata-Sphere • Michelle Malkin • Debbie Schlussel
• Hot-Air • Insta-Pundit • American Thinker • Climate Depot

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Protecting the Death Panels

In case anyone ever doubted the existence of death panels, we now have further evidence of their planned role in healthcare reform. The fact that the Senate bill is structured to protect the rationing board by requiring a supermajority (two-thirds vote) to overrule its findings should send chills up your spine. This provision is designed to limit future legislatures' ability to curb its role in cost reduction through rationing. But don't accept my word for it. Listen to Jim DeMint discuss his concerns in a speech on the Senate floor.



If this healthcare bill is so wonderful, why does it seek to protect some committee's ability to ration our healthcare?

Merry Christmas Barack!

Could this possibly be translated as a big lump of coal?















Courtesy of Rasmussen Reports.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Looking Good!


I am truly amazed at how the mainstream media is awash in all things Sarah Palin. With her book tour, Sarah Palin has captured positive press day in and day out. Positive comments from liberal newsmen about her appearance at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington, DC, underscore that fact.

Her appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien was genius. Despite the fact that her appearance was kept under wraps to the audience, it electrified them!

She also looks really good in a snow hat.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Rasmussen tells the tale:



Can't wait until Monday!

Sarah Does William Shatner

Monday, December 7, 2009

Bait and Switch

There seems to be an attempt to diminish our history in favor of current-day "emergencies". The mainstream media is awash in stories about the pending confluence in Copenhagen regarding global warming.

I might remind you that the science is far from settled. You can read much more about the scandal that is global warming if you google "climategate".

It seems that the Obama administration goes to great lengths to divert our attention from what was to what (in their opinion) should be. Of all days to start any discussion of "climate change", why begin on the day that defines American sacrifice: Pearl Harbor Day?

Forget about climate change, we need a lesson in history.



And for those of you who choose to remember, there is this:



Think about this. More people were killed on 9-11 than at Pearl Harbor. And yet we do not describe our current conflict as a war against America. Why?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Neda: Casualty to Icon

Update8: Iranian student protester Neda Soltan is Times Person of the Year

Update7: Neda's mother: "I asked her not to go".

Update6: From the Guardian UK website "How Neda Soltani became the face of Iran's struggle"

Update5: Iranians in Dubai hold vigil for Neda.

Update4: Additional information on Neda, courtesy of CNN.


Update3: Apparently the family of Neda is now being persecuted by the Iranian government. Read the story HERE.

Update2: John McCain pays tribute to Neda on the Senate Floor


Update 1: For an update from the LA Times, dated 6-22-09, go HERE.



Neda has become a rallying cry in the Iranian protests and being portrayed as a true martyr.

The video is very graphic, so be forewarned. It provides a gut-wrenching story unlike any printed word.



She surely meant the world to her family. Here she is with an unidentified gentleman, moments before being shot. Is that person her father or a college professor, as some now claim? I suspect a college professor is most likely, given her newly-reported age of 26. Previous reports of Neda being only 16 lent some credence to the gentleman being her father, which now seems doubtful.

Wikipedia continues to update information about Neda. Go HERE.

To all the protesters in Iran, know that the patriots of the United States stand with you!

The grave of Neda

God rest her soul!


*