Reading, Writing, Arithmetic.....

Head on over to Tech Central Station to learn the EVILS of Legos. Yes Legos. Seems a school in Seattle is leading the charge by banning the creative little blocks. Nothing like a dose of Socialism/Communism for the little tykes.

Some Seattle school children are being told to be skeptical of private property rights. This lesson is being taught by banning Legos.

A ban was initiated at the Hilltop Children's Center in Seattle. According to an article in the winter 2006-07 issue of "Rethinking Schools" magazine, the teachers at the private school wanted their students to learn that private property ownership is evil.
…….
The children were allegedly incorporating into Legotown "their assumptions about ownership and the social power it conveys." These assumptions "mirrored those of a class-based, capitalist society -- a society that we teachers believe to be unjust and oppressive."

They claimed as their role shaping the children's "social and political understandings of ownership and economic equity ... from a perspective of social justice."

So they first explored with the children the issue of ownership. Not all of the students shared the teachers' anathema to private property ownership. "If I buy it, I own it," one child is quoted saying. The teachers then explored with the students concepts of fairness, equity, power, and other issues over a period of several months.

At the end of that time, Legos returned to the classroom after the children agreed to several guiding principles framed by the teachers, including that "All structures are public structures" and "All structures will be standard sizes." The teachers quote the children:

"A house is good because it is a community house."

"We should have equal houses. They should be standard sizes."

"It's important to have the same amount of power as other people over your building."

Unless you are the Goracle, then it’s okay……

My Mother......

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me about ENVY. "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. "If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

My mother taught me LOGIC. " Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me RELIGION. "You better pray that comes out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. "Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me IRONY. "When she called me a son of a bitch”

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL. "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA. "You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

My mother taught me about WEATHER. "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

My mother taught me GENETICS. "You're just like your father."

THANKS MOM!

Wisdumb From the Goracle...

Do as I say, not as I do!

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

The hypocrisy of AlGore knows absolutely no bounds. Apparently, while flying around the world in his jet (carbon footprint here) complaining about the Rumbear's fleet of SUV's, Ole Al left the lights on at the Tennessee mansion.

Surprised? No. After all, this is the same guy who said we need to do more for the poor a few years back (1998) then filed his tax returns showing he earned $198,000.00 and and donated the paltry sum of $353.00 (that's Three Hundred Fifty Three dollars) to charity. But YOU need to do more.

So now his defenders are striking back telling us that the Goracle is just not like you and me. He is SPECIAL! A. C. Kleinheider writes:

Al Gore is not the average American. He comes from power and money and he has achieved power and money in his own right.

Al Gore lives a life different from most folks. I'm not one to defend elitism, not as a matter of practice, but some elitism is inevitable. There must be a leadership class. There always has been and there always will be. Even societies organized around the principle of the equality and preeminence of the proletariat have had an elite class. It is the natural order of things. The key for a society is to create a responsible, responsive and fluid elite.

Could Al Gore do more to be "Green" in his personal life? No doubt. I'm sure we all could. Regardless of your position on global warming, none of the steps greens suggest you take in your personal life are gonna hurt anything. It may be unnecessary but not detrimental.

However, his life and most of ours are not coordinate -- nor need they be.

One man. One disheartened loser of a man. Struggling to find a legacy. If this one man named the Goracle would simply stay home and turn his lights out it would do more to battle GlowBall Warming than 100's of us combined. But no........he is a member of the "...fluid elite...". A leader of the religion known as GlowBall Warming. That's why YOU need to do more.

What a pant load......

Dick Cheney is My Hero.

Missed em! Home safe ole sport, home safe.

Stop the Surge!

(Uh, never mind.)

The latest scheme of the wily Democrats to stop the war while "supporting the troops", while seeking "victory", without, you know, fighting has fallen by the wayside. Seems ole Murtha the Thug took careful aim and shot himself in the foot by announcing his plan without telling any of the Dem Leadership. Upon reflection the leadership is apparently saying "Not so fast Johnny Boy".

The plan was bold: By tying President Bush's $100 billion war request to strict standards of troop safety and readiness, Democrats believed they could grab hold of Iraq war policy while forcing Republicans to defend sending troops into battle without the necessary training or equipment.

But a botched launch by the plan's author,

Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), has united Republicans and divided Democrats, sending the latter back to the drawing board just a week before scheduled legislative action, a score of House Democratic lawmakers said last week.

All this scheming to stop the troop surge when every report out of Iraq finds that it is working. I'm with Uncle Rush on this one. The Democrats cannot allow success in Iraq, it simply does not fit into their overall plan for political dominance. They must have defeat. Expect more of these schemes in the coming months.

GORACLE.

Yup. That's his new moniker. AlGore, the all-seeing, all knowing purveyor of the gospel of GlowBall Warming. A true Goracle.

Monday's Pun(s) !!

A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at, either.

I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

Hat tip to TG for these!

An Inconvenient Truth?

No, not that one, THIS one! Poor ole Reverend Al is up in arms after learning of his link to the family of former Senator Strom Thurmond. Now he wants a DNA test to determine if they are, uh-hmm, "related".

''I can't find out anything more shocking than I've already learned,'' Sharpton told the Daily News, which on Sunday reported the link based on genealogists' findings.

Be careful what you wish for Al.

File this one under "Truth Stranger than Fiction" cross reference to "Priceless".

Hockeyball!

What a weekend for the Wings. They lost both games, but I can't cry. They are playing well. Having said that, I gotta ask what's up with the refereeing of late in the NHL. In short, it sucks! Career ending hits with elbows flying are not called, but some silly questionable hold and it's off to the sin bin for two minutes. Fights involving all the players on the ice and two guys get penalties. How about some continuity...let em play or call it all. What's up?

Oscar Predictions!

Okay, okay, many of you loyal readers have written the Rumbear wanting, ne demanding, to know his predictions for the Oscars. (Ed note: Why? I do not know.) Nevertheless, here it is.........we here at the Chronicles are predicting......... (insert drum roll please)

A sweep by the Dixie Chicks!

That's it. Remember you heard it here first.

UPDATE: Dang! The Chick's went something like 0 for 35 in categories they could have won. Well, based on the fact that they won Grammy's in categories they should not have been in, the Rumbear thought they were a shoe in for a handfull of little gold men last night. After the show, lead singer, Natalie Maines was seen back stage teaching the stage hands how to swear when she was interviewed by a local blog. "It's all George Bush" fault she screeched and stormed off in a huff.

GOREapalooozza...er!

So the former first loser is planning his BIG, really BIG concert to solve the GlowBall Warming problem. Persons more knowledgeable than your humble scribe have studied the numbers in regard to staging Le event extraordinaire and found some interesting tidbits.

To put those numbers in some kind of perspective consider:

The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than Zimbabwe produced in any month in 2003.
The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than the total daily fossil fuel emissions for Austria, Chile, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Kuwait, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, the Virgin Islands, and a dozen other countries combined.
The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than the entire nation of Afghanistan produces in a year.

Presumably, Gore and company will buy carbon offsets to make up for the pollution the event will create. Since it takes an acre of Douglas fir trees (and 50 years of growing time) to offset 1000 tons of CO2, Gore will need to plant 200 acres of trees to make up for his concert.

Reasonable people might ask why they don’t just skip the concert and use the money saved on logistics and promotion to plant twice as many trees? The Zen-like response: If a tree gets planted in the forest and no one is around to give Gore credit, can it still reduce CO2?

Apparently, the answer is “No, it cannot.” For the inconvenient truth is that Al Gore cares more about being viewed as an eco-savior than he does about actually acting in a way that might help us “save our selves.” (Evangelical Outpost)

Well, he is getting an Oscar and a new Honorary Degree in .....something. All hail AlGore!

Hockeyball!

The Wings are on top of the division and face two worthy opponents this weekend. Bring your own Rum!!

It's Aloha Friday.......

no work till Monday. Doo de doo, de doo, de doo ....

The younger Bear has a birthday today. Life is good!

"Get your island fix on the internet with KPOA!

Agree with ME or...

PERISH!

The GlowBall Warming conspirators are at it again. They cannot let a man of science, learned that he may be, utter opinions that are not aligned with the "consensus" view. Thus, like Oregon last week , we have the Governor of a state dictating to the "State Climatologist" what his views shall be or he cannot use the title. Governor Ruth Ann Miller of the state of Delaware has written the person to whom the title has been bestowed David R. Legates and said:

"Your views on climate change, as I understand them, are not aligned with those of my administration," Minner wrote.

"In light of my position and due to the confusion surrounding your role with the state, I am directing you to offer any future statements on this or other public policy matters only on behalf of yourself or the University of Delaware," Minner wrote, "and not as state climatologist."

Mr. Lagates is on the record having referred to global warming as "climate alarmism."

Get that ......"your views are not aligned with my administration..." so shut up!! No debate or discussion in Delaware. Like the Spanish Inquisition, maybe if we use similar techniques, these non-believers of the warming scheme will see the error of their ways and admit the dangers of GlowBall Warming......or not. As long they shut up.

Consensus, indeed.

GlowBall De-Bunking

Good article up over at the Wall Street Journal site. Pete DuPont addresses the mythology of Global Warming. His opening reminds of the ole saw "Those who do not study history are bound to repeat it."

When Eric the Red led the Norwegian Vikings to Greenland in the late 900s, it was an ice-free farm country--grass for sheep and cattle, open water for fishing, a livable climate--so good a colony that by 1100 there were 3,000 people living there. Then came the Ice Age. By 1400, average temperatures had declined by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, the glaciers had crushed southward across the farmlands and harbors, and the Vikings did not survive.

Such global temperature fluctuations are not surprising, for looking back in history we see a regular pattern of warming and cooling. From 200 B.C. to A.D. 600 saw the Roman Warming period; from 600 to 900, the cold period of the Dark Ages; from 900 to 1300 was the Medieval warming period; and 1300 to 1850, the Little Ice Age.

During the 20th century the earth did indeed warm--by 1 degree Fahrenheit. But a look at the data shows that within the century temperatures varied with time: from 1900 to 1910 the world cooled; from 1910 to 1940 it warmed; from 1940 to the late 1970s it cooled again, and since then it has been warming. Today our climate is 1/20th of a degree Fahrenheit warmer than it was in 2001.

I wonder if there was a guy named Eric Gore running around Greenland back then? After all.....it is a privilege to exist here on Planet Gore!

GlowBall Warming/Cooling/Whatever!

We here at the Chronicles wade through the tripe so you won't have to. National Review Online (NRO) has taken up the issue and set up, (insert drum roll, please.......) Planet Gore!
Providing facts, not hyperbole, on the most serious matter of almost 90% consensus in our time!

JoeBob says "Check it out!"

This Ain't Right!!

Who knew? PC guy limits the time his kids can be on the computer. I'm sensing yet another "Mac" convert!

Tax Refunds!

I never understood taxes and refunds until it was explained with this Baseball analogy by our in house accountant, Loophole Louie. If you don't understand the Democrats' version of tax refunds, maybe this will help explain it: 50,000 people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out.

A refund was then due.

The team was about to mail refunds when a group of Congressional Democrats stopped them and suggested that they send out the ticket refunds based on the Democrat National Committee's interpretation of fairness.

Originally the refunds were to be paid based on the price each person had paid for the tickets. Unfortunately that meant most of the refund money would be going to the ticket holders that had purchased the most expensive tickets. This, according to the DNC, is considered totally unfair. A decision was then made to pay out the refunds in this manner:

People in the $10 seats will get back $15. After all, they have less money to spend on tickets to begin with. Call it an "Earned Income Ticket Credit." Persons "earn" it by having few skills, poor work habits, and low ambition, thus keeping them at entry-level wages.

People in the $25 seats will get back $25, because it "seems fair." People in the $50 seats will get back $1, because they already make a lot of money and don't need a refund. After all, if they can afford a $50 ticket, they must not be paying enough taxes.

People in the $75 luxury box seats will each have to pay an additional $25 because it's the "right thing to do."

People walking past the stadium that couldn't afford to buy a ticket for the game each will get a $10 refund, even though they didn't pay anything for the tickets. They need the most help. Sometimes this is known as Affirmative Action.

Now do you understand?

Busy, busy.....

Back soon...feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Hey, Hey...

Caught a few snippets of the Fox Show "The Half-Hour News Hour". Half baked for the most part.... but then so was/is Air America and it had a following. Be that as it may, there was one skit with a guy who could connect GlowBall Warming with any topic in six steps. Pretty funny. Today, I saw this over at National Review Online and it brought back the skit.

It seems clear to me that global warming is being caused by Daylight Savings Time. Think about it—an extra hour of the hot sun every day??? Did we have global warming before the advent of DST? This seems so obvious tome that I am surprised that it is not being talked about.

I'm thinking if we could get a consensus on this we have a chance of it becoming proven SCIENCE! Maybe we could call those "9 out of 10 Dentists" who always seemed to have opinion. Haven't heard from them in a while.....

Monday's Pun(s) !!

Most rules of thumb suck.

The man brought an umbrella with him into the ice cream store because he heard there was a chance of sprinkles.

What do you call a melon that's not allowed to get married? Can't elope.

Spot On.

The wise ole Cap'n, Neptunus Lex, discusses the current "leadership" of the Congress under the heading of "How Democracies Perish" over at his site. On the conduct of Congressman Murtha he allows:

Mr. Murtha would clearly like for us to believe that he is merely attempting to do the “right thing,” both for the country and the troops. Why then this charade? Why this attempted perversion of the constitution to effect in a slow series of ever-more restrictive bonds what he must believe his party was elected to effect and which is well within their constitutional grasp using the power of the purse? Why not just act in consonance with the dictates of his conscience, and with what he no doubt understands to be the will of the people?
It can only be because he fears to be associated with the consequences of the course of action he clearly means to impose. It can only be because he cares less about his convictions - what’s good for the country and the troops - than for his own political reputation and future. No other conclusion is possible. The lesson we take away from this is that for many powerful members of the political class, power is the only thing that really matters. Not power to do good, but power in its own right.

Go read the whole thing.

Counted Blessings.......

Well, it's something to be happy about here on an Aloha Friday...

I have no intention to run for president," Gore said in an interview conducted in Los Angeles and broadcast Thursday by the BBC.

Doo de doo, de doo, de dooo...............

Press #1 for English, #2 for.......

Talking urinal cake's anti-DWI message: "Hey there, big guy. Having a few drinks?"

What will they think of next?

WhoooooWooooo! A Concert!

The former first loser in the Presidential sweepstakes announced plans for a world wide string of pop concerts "...to mobilize action to stop global warming". That's because we all know that a string of "pop concerts" is the preeminent way to solve scientific problems, apparently.

AlGore went on to say: "The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement. We hope to jump-start that movement right here, right now, and take it to a new level on July 7, 2007,"

Okay, we all know where the editorial staff here at the Chronicles stand on the issue, so I won't delve in to that. In lieu thereof I will posit a couple of questions....What exactly is the "plan" for this "movement" and what will it accomplish?

Lucy, you got some splaining to do!

White Flag Republicans

Go here and learn about the Republicans in line to support the "Non-Binding" resolution. Is that a thong?! Ugh!

UPDATE: There are 17 of them. Cheese eating surrender monkeys!

Dishonor Roll

Great article on the impending vote on the "Non-Binding" resolution on the war in Iraq. This line says it all;

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha expect men and women to keep dying for something they say is a mistake but also don't have the political courage to help end.

No cojones. We have Murtha the Thug skulking around behind the scenes "crafting" a bill that will prevent the troops from being deployed. Whatever the retired Marine possessed when he served has been lost with old age. Speaking of castration, we have HRH Pelosi announcing that, "I do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran." Okay Nancy baby......how about voting on a BINDING resolution to show that Bush feller what for. Uh, not today huh? Well, unlike Murtha, she never had any to lose, so we won't go there. Spineless wonders these elected few.

Of course, the comments of HRH Pelosi entirely over look the fact that she previously did vote and authorize the President to send the troops. Recall just last week we were treated to all of the "I was for the war before I was against it...." braying from Hillary et al? HRH Pelosi is counting on you not remembering. Democrats do that. An audience with a short attention span works well when you have no program.

Superfluity Does Not Vitiate!

Well, it doesn't. Discuss.

Inconvenient Weather.......

Hey, hey, he.....

Headline over at the Drudge Report...HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM

Oh, it gets better...a screening of AlGore's epic "An Inconvenient Truth" at Maryville University near St. Louis has been cancelled due to......wait for it ........ a snowstorm.

See, God does have sense of humor!

Valentine's Day.....

Sensitive bear that I be, I was plodding off to the local florista when I came across this.....

Valentine bouquets 'are bad for the planet'

The Valentine's Day bouquet — the gift that every woman in Britain will be waiting for next week — has become the latest bête noire among environmental campaigners.

Latest Government figures show that the flowers that make up the average bunch have flown 33,800 miles to reach Britain.
In the past three years, the amount of flowers imported from the Netherlands has fallen by 47 per cent to 94,000 tons, while those from Africa have risen 39 per cent to 17,000 tons.

Environmentalists warned that "flower miles" could have serious implications on climate change in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from aeroplanes.

Yikes! What's a sensitive bear type guy suppose to do? Hope for the day when GlowBall Warming has spread enough that we can grow flowers year round? Spend big bucks and destroy the planet for a few petals to show my endearing love or fore go the blossoms and buy my baby some carbon credits? Yeah right, carbon credits.....give me those 12 long stems and throw in the high priced babies breath from a land faraway. See how far YOU get with carbon credits. Wonder what AlGore got for Tipper?

Actor, Retired Senator, Poet?

Fred Thompson penned this quip that seems about right.....

In Congress, they are debating a meaningless resolution.
Down the street, they are trying a guy for lying about a leak.
A House subcommittee had to cancel a hearing on global warming because of snow.
Just another day in Washington.
Happy Valentine's Day.

I Was For It, Before I Was Against It……

But I'm still for it, kinda, sort of....maybe....

So you and the wife decide to send your kid off to college to gain a little knowledge. Two years in to a four-year degree you find out that the little bounder is studying Art History. He's not getting the best grades but he's on track to gradumacate. You thought he was Pre-Med (or Pre-Law, same thing). You hate Art History. This upsets you. You never would have voted to pay and send the little feller to college if you knew then what you know now. Alas, you tell him you support his getting an education and having a goal, just not THAT goal. You muse aloud that perhaps you will stop paying for the education. Maybe he should just pull out of school because ….in your view, what good is an Art History degree? It’s a lot of work & money for nothing. You argue with your wife who strongly supports the tyke and his pursuit of higher education. She views it as a lofty goal. You review the credentials of the professor and find them questionable, but after a meeting you approve him as the lads teacher. However, you’re angry because your still paying and not getting a result you want. You MUST be heard.

So you decide to unilaterally send a letter to your offspring expressing your disgust with his pursuit and explain why your wife is wrong in supporting him, with “your” money. You let him know that this letter is the first step in a “new direction” of his education. You cc the new professor so he knows where you stand. In closing, you wish him luck and tell him you support him....as a person, just not his current mission.

Think this scenario would have any effect on your son? How will your letter be viewed when learned of by his professor, friends and foes? Do you think this will be a positive step towards the accomplishment of the child's goal? Is this perhaps "childish"? Discuss.

What the Hey?!!

You're Fired
The minimum wage increase that took effect in Arizona last month has brought with it some unintended consequences — many teenagers are losing their jobs. The Arizona Republic reports some employers say payroll budgets have risen so much since the minimum wage went from $5.15 per hour to $6.75 — they have had to cut jobs and hours.
The owner of one Phoenix pizza restaurant says his payroll has shot up 13 percent and he's had to lay off three teenagers and cut hours for others. Another shop owner said expenses rose by $2,000 a month.A Federal Reserve study showed that for every ten percent increase in the minimum wage — there is a corresponding two to three percent decrease in employment.

Curse you law of unintended consequences!!



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GlowBall Warming = Greenhouse Hysteria!

Thomas Sowell weighs in on the debate with a great article entitled Greenhouse Hysteria.

The political Left’s favorite argument is that there is no argument. Their current crusade is to turn “global warming” into one of those things that supposedly no honest and decent person can disagree about, as they have already done with “diversity” and “open space.”

You should also check out The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming by Christopher C. Horner. Mr. Horner lays it out and gives you cites for discussion with your local “True Believers”. MJB arm yourself!

Then you can head on over to the Free Republic site where the headline says it all…Bush Solves Global Warming: No Change in Atmospheric Temps Since 2000!

Monday's Pun(s)!!!

The oil well driller had a boring job.

Retired teachers are classless.

What do you get when you cross a pirate with a zucchini? A Squashbuckler!

The Myth of GlowBall Warming

Nigel Calder, the former editor of the New Scientist has weighed in on the topic.

"When politicians and journalists declare that the science of global warming is settled, they show a regrettable ignorance about how science works."

The article goes on to examine several other theories that explain the current weather trends. Mr. Calder points out that the recent UN study fails to distinguish it's finding with any of the contrary theories. Like I said earlier, don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up!

Then we have the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, calling the IPCC report a "myth". He said in a recent interview;
Global warming is a myth and every serious person and scientist says so. It is not fair to refer to the U.N. panel. IPCC is not a scientific institution: it's a political body, a sort of non-government organization of green flavor. It's neither a forum of neutral scientists nor a balanced group of scientists. These people are politicized scientists who arrive there with a one-sided opinion and a one-sided assignment. Also, it's an undignified slapstick that people don't wait for the full report in May 2007 but instead respond, in such a serious way, to the summary for policymakers where all the "but's" and "if's" are scratched, removed, and replaced by oversimplified theses.

I report, YOU decide.

Logical Progression?

Air Pelosi!

"It's not a question of size..."

Visual Pun....



(click it and read the URL!)

It's Aloha Friday.......

.........no work till Monday. Doo de doo, de doo, de doo ....

Foto at the right is the docks at Kaneohe Bay Yacht Club (in my olde neighborhood) last Friday. A commotion in the ocean and me boat still floats!

Get your island fix on the internet with KPOA!

Consensus?

Well, that's what they told us. Great cartoon from Ryskind who opines...

You don’t hear much about the ozone hole any more. Has it gone away? Nope. NOAA and NASA say in 2006 it was bigger and deeper than ever.

But wait, you say, we implemented the Montreal Protocols in 1989, eliminating ozone depleting CFCs. Kofi Annan called the Protocol, “Perhaps the most successful international agreement to date.” CFC concentrations have been falling since 1995. How can the ozone hole be worse?

It’s not worse, says NOAA, it’s better. It’s just that you can’t see how great the Protocol is working because colder than average temperatures in the Antarctic mask the benefit. Cold weather “result[s] in larger and deeper ozone holes, while warmer weather leads to smaller ones.”

Colder in Antarctica? Al Gore told me it was melting! Al Gore told me there was consensus. Consensus!

Reminds me of a humorous sign that hung in my Dad's machine shop. "Don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up!"

War? What War?

Here's the lead over at Jawa Report; "Coalition forces in Iraq have delivered a series of stunning blows to al Qaeda in Iraq in the last 48 hours." Good news in the War on Terror! Six leaders dead, more captured and where is the Main Stream Media? Oh, that's right, Anna Nicloe died.

Air Force Three?

Ya got yur Air Force One that carries the President. Ya got the Air Force Two that carries the Vice President. However, there is a new diva in town and she trading in her broom for a big shiny jet. Yes, dear readers, we are haggling over Air Force Three. That's right, HRH Nancy Pelosi is demanding the use of Air Force planes and staff to romp between Washington and Kallyfornia. She wants a jet that will travel non-stop between the two locales. Seems the 12 passenger business type jet, a C-20 in military parlance, (Gulfstream III to us commoners) used by former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is just not up to snuff. It requires a re-fueling stop in the middle of the country. We all know how those pesky stops in flyover country are so, shall we say, pedestrian.

The Washington Times first reported last week that Mrs. Pelosi's staff was pressing the Department of Defense for an Air Force aircraft large enough to fly nonstop to San Francisco. She also has pressed to be able to include other members of the California congressional delegation, her family members and her staff on the plane.

"It's not a question of size. It's a question of distance," Mrs. Pelosi told reporters yesterday. "We want an aircraft that can reach California."

So what's the beef? Just get the next size up type jet that can make the trip, right. Nope. HRH Pelosi has requested to be chauffeured hither and yon in a C-32. That's the military name for what we call a Boeing 757-200. That's right a huge commercial type business jet that generally carries 300+ passengers for our Nancy and her entourage.

My Navy pilot friends say “Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club.”. Apparently it is, and HRH Pelosi is knocking at the door.

UPDATE: Instapundit is all over this topic...even the GlowBall Warming angle!!

UPDATE II: Apparently size does matter..... we have this from an emailer to NRO;
I am a Navy pilot, fully qualified in Gulfstream III, V, and 550 series aircraft. The military calls them the C-20D, C-37A and C-37B respectively.The G-III can easily reach California from Washington DC. The larger G-V and 550 can fly from Washington DC to Honolulu non-stop.

Superbowel Causes GlowBall Warming

Many of us here at the Chronicles agree that business jets cause GlowBall Warming. (i.e consensus) The superbowel attracts business jets like moths to light. (i.e. fact) The illustration above is a map of biz jets leaving Miami on the day after the Superbowell (i.e. documentation) ergo ........ The Superbowel Causes GlowBall Warming.

See how that works?

Off with His Head!

How dare a "scientist' in Oregon disagree with the Governor and his cadre of "experts". Shucks, let's just fire him and appoint our own expert...(who will agree with us).

That's what Oregon State University professor George Taylor is facing for having committed a purported act of heresy. His crime? Well, here's a quote “Most of the climate changes we have seen up until now have been a result of natural variations,” . By Gawd we cannot have a person who holds such a view have the title of State Climatologist boomed Governor Ted Kulongoski. Why Ted, why?

Well, the governor said Taylor's contradictions interfere with the state's stated goals to reduce greenhouse gases, the accepted cause of global warming in the eyes of a vast majority of scientists. Heck, we can't let reason get in the way of "stated goals".

When did science becomes "consensus" based? If nine out of ten Dentist agree the sky is green does that make it so? If you disagree and state that the sky is blue, are you no longer a Dentist. Maybe, seems in Oregon, at the very least, the Governor might want to take a look at your license because stated policy is contrary. So much for tolerance, open debate and simply a difference of opinion in Oregon.

It's a good thing this type thinking is limited to one state.....right?

On The Radar Screen.....

Da Bear has been postulating for years that the future 800lb Gorilla (not Guerrilla!) will be China. The ChiComs have embarked on a decade long plan to increase the size of their Navy and outfit it with the latest in ship technology. Surely our warriors at the Pentagon are watching this build up and responding, right? NOPE.

Here is a great article on the current status of our 276 ship Navy. That's down from the 600 that was forecast by the Reagan Administration so many, yet so few years ago. The San Diego Tribune has more information in their article on the subject. Just another item to ponder on the ole radar screen of life........

NASA

File under: "Houston, we have a problem."

Whoa momma! I thought glitches in fractional devices and under-performing canootin valves was the balliwick of the intrepid scientists who "man" our space program. Then I read this:

"Lisa Marie Nowak, an astronaut that police say attacked a rival for another astronaut's affection at Orlando International Airport on Monday, is being charged with attempted first-degree murder today."

So much of that ole Elton John song Rocketman and ...."burning out his fuse up here alone". Maybe Ralph Kramden was right?

"Too the Moon Alice!"

Ronaldus Maximus

February 6, 1911, today we celebrate the birthday of President Ronald Reagan. Happy Birthday Mr. President. It's always good to reflect on the great leaders of the past and their lifetime of work. Head over to the National Review Online site for a compendium of articles in their Reagan Archive. Or check out the website of his Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Finally, here's an article that he wrote for the December 1, 1964 edition of National Review. Given the results of the recent November elections it is almost prescient.

The Republican Party & the Conservative Movement

On losing.
By now a new cliché has been added to the time-worn lit, but I know of no other way of comment on the election than to open with the by now familiar — "Well, it's over and we lost."
Yes, we did; we lost a battle in the continuing war for freedom, but our position is not untenable. First of all, there are 26 million of us and we can't be explained away as diehard party faithfuls. We cross party lines in our dedication to a philosophy.
There are no plans for retreating from our present positions, but we can't advance without reinforcements. Are reinforcements available? The answer is an unhesitating — "Yes!" They are to be found in the millions of so-called Republican defectors — those people who didn't really want LBJ, but who were scared of what they thought we represented. Read that sentence very carefully because in my opinion it tells the story. All of the landslide majority did not vote against the conservative philosophy; they voted against a false image our Liberal opponents successfully mounted. Indeed it was a double false image. Not only did they portray us as advancing a kind of radical departure from the status quo, but they took for themselves a costume of comfortable conservatism. Read again their campaign fiction and you will find their normal flamboyant Liberalism hidden under the protective coloration of "the great society," or as Hubert Horatio Humphrey (who can't ask what time it is without conducting a filibuster) put it: "We don't want a planned society — we want society planning."
Unfortunately, human nature resists change and goes over backward to avoid radical change. It's a head shaker, I know, but the whole Liberal apparatus which can be quoted ad infinitum on "the wave of the future, the need for new approaches to old problems, adopt new rules for complex new problems, forget the Constitution," was able to campaign in a last-year's model, singing, "The old songs — the old songs are good enough for me."
Very shortly, though, they'll bring the show into town for a four-year run, complete with a new score — words and music by Reuther, Joseph Rauh, and the "Great Society Chorale." Time then for the music critics — that's us. We must dwell unceasingly on the change of tune. Our job beginning now is not so much to sell conservatism as to prove that our conservatism is in truth what a lot of people thought they were voting for when they fell for the cornpone come-on.
In short — time now for the soft sell to prove our radicalism was an optical illusion. We represent the forgotten American — that simple soul who goes to work, bucks for a raise, takes out insurance, pays for his kids' schooling, contributes to his church and charity and knows there just "ain't no such thing as free lunch."
I'll add a postscript — I don't think we should turn the high command over to leaders who were traitors during the battle just ended.

Joe Lieberman (I) Conn.

Politician, statesman, patriot. Here is an excerpt from a speech given last nite on the floor of the Senate as the majority tried to ramrod their "resolution" on the war.

The non-binding measure before us, by contrast, is an accumulation of ambiguities and inconsistencies. It is at once for the war but also against the war. It pledges its support to the troops in the field but also washes its hands of what they are doing. It approves more troops for Anbar but not for Baghdad.We cannot have it both ways. We cannot vote full confidence in General Petraeus, but no confidence in his strategy.

We cannot say that the troops have our full support, but disavow their mission on the eve of battle. This is what happens when you try to wage war by committee. That is why the Constitution gave that authority to the President as Commander in Chief.

The man is a class act. He knows the course is ready to lean to it. The rest of the speech is spot on.

Winter Carnival!

Gotta get a plug in for the ole alma mater. It's time to toast the winter in the northlands of Meeeechigan! MTU Winter Carnival. Ya Heh!

GlowBall Cooling?

Well, we got minus temperatures all across the Northern tier of states. Chicago, Detroit on over to New York. Where are the cries of GlowBall Cooling? Seems every time there is a temperature increase we have a plethora, indeed, a cornucopia of stories hyping the onslaught of GlowBall Warming so as my homies say "What up Holmes?"

(crickets) .......Yeah, I didn't think there would be an answer.

So, I continued perusing the articles of the day and found this by Dr. Timothy Ball:

Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn't exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition.“Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg.” . For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why.

The entire story is a worthy read. Yes, indeed.

or here.

"Original Six" Matchup!

On Versus at 7:00pm EST.

GO WINGS!!

Monday's Pun(s) !!!!

Mr. Mushroom could never understand why he wasn't looked on as a real fun guy.

The All-Pro wide receiver's wedding was a little bit shaky, but his reception was excellent.

What do you call an arrogant fugitive falling from a building? Condescending.

Hey!

Remember that lonely polar bear foto posted below? It's been used on every GlowBall Warming report in the media that I have seen. I guess we are supposed to surmise that the poor bear was on a soild piece of ice and that damn GlowBall warming came along and melted it away. Curse you GlowBall warming!!

Wrong, polar bear breath.

See bears, they, uh, hunt to live. Being up high gives them an advantage on their prey. That bear was thinking food. Seal. YUMMY!

Hornet was to low......

the Navy says. Go here and watch the embedded video. The Hornet was to low and too slow. The ole aircraft to boat interface.....tricky on a good day.

Pilot was fished out 17 minutes later.

Carry on.

After viewing the video you owe it to yourself to head over to Neptunus Lex and read this true account of "men doing manly things".

It's Aloha Friday.......

.........no work till Monday. Doo de doo, de doo, de doo ....

Get your island fix on the internet with KPOA!

(Moonrise, Anza Borrego desert, January 2006)