Communism in the Class room

Story: "the students had been building an elaborate "Legotown," but it was accidentally demolished. The teachers decided its destruction was an opportunity to explore "the inequities of private ownership." According to the teachers, "Our intention was to promote a contrasting set of values: collectivity, collaboration, resource-sharing, and full democratic participation."

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."
...
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." "

What the heck? This is coming out of Seattle, but still! Taking kids legos because they promote private ownership? And the town was accidentally destroyed, I am sure.

When I played with legos as a kid, I loved them. But it wasn't until I was playing with someone else that it was really fun, get a group of 5 kids in there playing with legos, and it was great fun. We cooperated with each other, traded necessary pieces, and each built our own mansion, to be our little neck of legoville. But what is this about, 'A house is good because it is a community House'? Nonsense, I say. Shared houses turn into dumps, because no one cares to up keep or improve them. Whats next, all the lego people should have equal ownership to the suits?

This is really lame. I'm glad the kids got their legos back though.
Great article, I highly suggest that you read it.

Market drops, dang the commies

Story: "The Dow fell 546.02, or 4.3 percent, to 12,086.06 before recovering some ground in the last hour of trading to close down 415.86, or 3.29 percent, at 12,216.40, according to preliminary calculations. Because the worst of the plunge took place after 2:30 p.m., the New York Stock Exchange's trading limits, designed to halt such precipitous moves, were not activated.
The decline was the Dow's worst since Sept. 17, 2001, the first trading day after the terror attacks, when the blue chips closed down 684.81, or 7.13 percent.

China's stock market plummeted Tuesday from record highs as investors took profits when concerns arose that the Chinese government may try to temper its ballooning economy by raising interest rates again or reducing more of the money available for lending.

"Corrections usually happen because of a catalyst, and this may be it," said Ed Peters, chief investment officer at PanAgora Asset Management. "The move in China was a surprise, and when a major market has a shock it ripples through the rest of the market. With all the trade that goes on with China, there tends to be a knee-jerk reaction with that kind of drop."

Just a correction of the market. Three months from now, I think we'll be breaking a record again.

The tomb of Jesus?

Story: "One of the caskets even bears the title, 'Judah, son of Jesus,' which Cameron claims as evidence that Jesus may have had a son. Another coffin was said to hold the bones of Mary Magdalene, also known as 'Mariamne'.

Cameron unveiled two of the small limestone caskets at a press conference in New York, but the director could offer little proof to support his claims, other than the mathematical probability of a tomb containing a set of ossuaries with names linked to Jesus.

Of the ten ossuaries found, six were inscribed with the names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and Mary Magdalene, as well as Judah, Son of Jesus, and a Matthew, of which there were many in Mary's family, according to Luke 3:23.
...
[Dr. Gibson] "These are typical stone caskets from the first century. There are a lot of aspects that need to be looked at. A lot of new research has to be done. I'm sceptical."

Even Cameron, pushed to support his claims, said statisticians found "in the range of a couple of million to one in favor of it being them."


Yeah... What a farce. A shameful publicity stunt by Cameron. And Discovery Channel is along for the ride, because this is going to get some viewership.
A million to one odds? 1,000,000:1??? Geesh. Heck of a way to make a scientific claim.

"Cameron spent two years working with a team of experts to make the controversial film. Director Simcha Jacobovici told the press conference: "For millions of readers, the Da Vinci Code was a fantasy, a fiction. Here is a Judah, son of Jesus, next to a Jesus and a Mariamne." "

And this is what its really all about. Cameron read the DaVinci code about 3 years ago, (it came out in march of 2003), and decided he wanted to try and disprove Christianity. He's a Hollywood liberal, what do you expect? So this is the best he can do in 2 years, a 1,000,000:1 chance of being correct.

Well, he's wrong. Christ came, lived a sinless life, was crucified for us, and rose on the third day.


In other news, post number 700!!!
Thanks for reading and commenting.

The irony of stupidity

Story: "Authorities are considering taking an 8-year-old boy who weighs 218 pounds into protective custody unless his mother improves his diet, officials said Monday.
Social service officials will meet with family members Tuesday to discuss the health of Connor McCreaddie, who weighs more than three times the average for his age.

An unidentified health official was quoted as telling The Sunday Times that taking custody of Connor would be a last resort, but said the family had repeatedly failed to attend appointments with nurses, nutritionists and social workers.

"Child abuse is not just about hitting your children or sexually abusing them, it is also about neglect," the official was quoted as saying.

Dr. Colin Waine, the director of the National Obesity Forum in Nottingham, England, called Connor's lifestyle "extremely dangerous," adding he is at risk of developing diabetes in his early teens, and cardiovascular and nervous system problems in his 20s. "

Why are the even thinking about taking this kid from his mother? Do you realize how many kids in the world wish they had the ability to eat that much? The starving children around the world would eagerly jump at this, and yet, these people are talking about taking the kid away from his mother.
Definatly government control gone awry. Its in England, so is this a common thing Matt?

An inconvient Truth

So, not like I haven't discussed this already, but it seems to be a
story that won't go away. Yes, Al Gore's science fiction movie, with the cataclysmic failure of the ice sheets resulting in tons of dead people. So, this won an oscar last night. I think it would deserve one for the most ridiculous piece of movie making in history, but no dice.
Rueters: "While all the winners walk off the with a golden Oscar statuette clutched in their hands, it was a troupe of environmentalists led by global warming advocate and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore who painted the Oscars green.

"An Inconvenient Truth," which tells of Gore's 30-year campaign to warn people about global warming, was named the year's best documentary, and singer Melissa Etheridge was given the Academy Award for original song with "I Need to Wake Up."

"I have to thank Al Gore for inspiring us, inspiring me and showing that caring about the earth is not Republican or Democrat. It's not red or blue. We are all green," Etheridge said"

Ah, the joy. We're all green, and singing Kum-ba-ya because of our fearless leader, Al Gore. Wonderful.

And yet, the night of the Oscars, the Eastern seaboard is snowed in, the Midwestern plains are being pounded with large, aggressive blizzards. And another man, Patrick J. Michaels, would like to take issue with Gore's claims.
National Review: "Where’s the scientific support for this claim? Certainly not in the recent Policymaker’s Summary from the United Nations’ much anticipated compendium on climate change. Under the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s medium-range emission scenario for greenhouse gases, a rise in sea level of between 8 and 17 inches is predicted by 2100. Gore’s film exaggerates the rise by about 2,000 percent.

Even 17 inches is likely to be high, because it assumes that the concentration of methane, an important greenhouse gas, is growing rapidly. Atmospheric methane concentration hasn’t changed appreciably for seven years, and Nobel Laureate Sherwood Rowland recently pronounced the IPCC’s methane emissions scenarios as “quite unlikely.”"



So, 2000 percent exaggeration wins an award for a science documentary? Boy, it must hurt to be a real scientist right now, because no one appreciates your work.


And the nail on the Coffin for Gores' film: "According to satellite data published in Science in November 2005, Greenland was losing about 25 cubic miles of ice per year. Dividing that by 630,000 yields the annual percentage of ice loss, which, when multiplied by 100, shows that Greenland was shedding ice at 0.4 percent per century."

Yeah... Not exactly the cataclysmic disruption of Human life foretold by Gore.

I'd like to take this opportunity to link to The State of Fear: Global Warming, and an essay I wrote, Global Warming: Myth or Reality?, and my opinion of the Oscars (hint: I detest them)


EDIT:
Ok, so apparently Gore not only lies through his gums and teeth in his science fiction film, but he is also hipocritial in the extreme.
"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.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006. "

Yeah. He's a liberal, what'ya expect?

Clinton enjoying the speech circuit

Story:"Former president Bill Clinton, who came to the White House with modest means and left deeply in debt, has collected nearly $40 million in speaking fees over the past six years, according to interviews and financial disclosure statements filed by his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Last year, one of his most lucrative since he left the presidency, Clinton earned $9 million to $10 million on the lecture circuit. He averaged almost a speech a day -- 352 for the year -- but only about 20 percent were for personal income. The others were given for no fee or for donations to the William J. Clinton Foundation, the nonprofit group he founded to pursue causes such as the fight against AIDS.

His paid speeches included $150,000 appearances before landlord groups, biotechnology firms and food distributors, as well as speeches in England, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia that together netted him more than $1.6 million. On one particularly good day in Canada, Clinton made $475,000 for two speeches, more than double his annual salary as president.

"I never had a nickel to my name until I got out of the White House, and now I'm a millionaire, the most favored person for the Washington Republicans," Clinton told a friendly audience in Kentucky last fall. "I get a tax cut every year, no matter what our needs are." "

Am I upset that he's rich now? No, I think he's a brilliant capitalist, and people will pay what they think he's worth.
And the last comment cracked me up, even if it is a renewal of the 'tax cuts for the rich' jargon.

Now what I do find disturbing: That people will still pay to hear a man who had an affair while in office, lied about it under oath, and then was impeached by the house, one of only 3 men in US history to bear that mark of shame. And yet, people will still pay to hear him speak.

Cheney tells the truth

Story: "I think if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we will do is validate the al-Qaida strategy," the vice president told ABC News. "The al-Qaida strategy is to break the will of the American people ... try to persuade us to throw in the towel and come home, and then they win because we quit."

In the interview, Cheney also said Britain's plans to withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq - while the United States adds more troops - was a positive step. "I look at it and see it is actually an affirmation that there are parts of Iraq where things are going pretty well," the vice president said."

First thing: The story is titled "Cheney Slams Iraq Plan Advocated by Dems", and it isn't until the 5th paragraph that Cheney is quoted. Before that, we have this chatter from the Woman herself, Nancy Pelosi.

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fired back that Cheney was questioning critics' patriotism.
"I hope the president will repudiate and distance himself from the vice president's remarks," Pelosi said. She said she tried to complain about Cheney to President Bush but could not reach him."


Dick Cheney, I gottta love him. The democrats are essentially supporting Al-queda in this war, and finally some one has called them on it from within the administration. And thats gotta hurt the liberals, because they fear the truth. No wonder they pull out the lame 'patriotism' straw man.
And that brings up another point. Is it patriotic to support the enemy? NO. Thus, they are unpatriotic. When you support Muslim Nazis ahead of your own country, then you are no longer a patriot.

Cow vs. the SUV

Story: "As Congress begins to tackle the causes and cures of global warming, the action focuses on gas-guzzling vehicles and coal-fired power plants, not on lowly bovines.

Yet livestock are a major emitter of greenhouse gases that cause climate change. And as meat becomes a growing mainstay of human diet around the world, changing what we eat may prove as hard as changing what we drive.

It's not just the well-known and frequently joked-about flatulence and manure of grass-chewing cattle that's the problem, according to a recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Land-use changes, especially deforestation to expand pastures and to create arable land for feed crops, is a big part. So is the use of energy to produce fertilizers, to run the slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants, and to pump water.

"Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems," Henning Steinfeld, senior author of the report, said when the FAO findings were released in November. "

mm... Beef.
Well, for more details, you can read the story. But I think that last paragraph sums it up nicely. Cows are worse then SUVs, Cars, Trains, airplanes, and buses, combined.
So, it is now obvious that we must stop eating meat. And stop driving.

Hey, its for a good cause. :D

Public Service Announcement: Round 1

Ok, I'm tired of hearing this, at least by now I am.

Its partially because my employer harped on it for a while, but he's right.

Today is Washington's birthday, celebrated.

Not presidents day.


Thank you, that is all.

Communism doesn't work, Chavez in denial

Story: "Venezuela President Hugo Chavez's plan to curb inflation by lopping three zeros from the currency may backfire because the move fails to address production bottlenecks that are pushing prices higher, economists said.

The government will cut three zeros from the bolivar's exchange rate by February 2008, Chavez said last night in a televised speech, citing rising consumer prices. He also will cut the value-added tax rate and clamp down on ``speculators'' to halt last month's 4 percent increase in the cost of food.

The steps aimed at slowing inflation and boosting local output miss the root causes exacerbating imbalances in South America's third-biggest economy, according to economists at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bear Stearns & Co.
...
``He has a funny understanding of the problem,'' Alberto Bernal, a Latin America economist with Bear Stearns & Co., said in an interview. ``Cutting a number of zeros from the bolivar is irrelevant in the end.''

Chavez, who won a third term in December, was granted decree powers last month by Congress in his drive to seize key industries and put the country on the path of socialism. The president said he plans in ``coming hours'' to decree a law that allows the government to expropriate any business that sells food products higher than government-set prices.

The annual inflation rate rose to 18.4 percent last month, the highest in Latin America, from 10.4 percent in May.
...
Price regulations and other controls, including a crackdown on businesses buying currencies outside official government channels, have helped to make food production unprofitable, leading to a decline in supply and spurring inflation.

``Inflation isn't a problem that you solve with a few detentions,'' Carlos Caicedo, head of the Latin American office at London-based political risk advisers Exclusive Analysis, said in a telephone interview ``Speculation is a symptom of the disease, not its real cause.''

Chavez, speaking during his daily ``Hello President'' show, said he would lower value-added taxes 3 percentage points on March 1 and by an additional 2 points in July. The highest current value-added tax rate is 14 percent.

``The only economic indicator that has me a bit worried is inflation,'' Chavez said. ``Cutting three zeros will have a positive psychological effect and lower inflation expectations.'' "

Yeah, that'll show them! Instead of dealing with a major economic problem, Chavez has decided to just change the official value of the currency, and tell his people the problem is solved. Well, it isn't, because the market forces that are driving that inflation will still be there, with little affect on the rate of the inflation.

And in true Bolshevik style, Chavez has declared war on the bourgeois capitalists.
"Government officials blame private businesses and citizens who buy dollars outside government channels for accelerating inflation. Chavez said those found guilty of ``hoarding'' and ``speculating'' may receive prison terms of two-to-six years.

Venezuela's currency, set by the government at an official exchange rate of 2,150 bolivars per U.S. dollar, was little changed today at around 4,025 per dollar in unofficial parallel markets at 11:45 a.m. New York time. It weakened to a record low 4,700 last month after Chavez announced his plans to nationalize several companies in the phone and energy industries.

Government bonds that offer currency-risk protection fell today. The yield on the 6.25 percent dollar-denominated bond due April 2017, known as TICC, rose to 4.07 percent, compared with 4.06 percent yesterday, according to Mercantil Servicios Financieros SA. The price, which moves inversely to the yield, fell to 118.2 centavos from 118.3. "

Its a simple economic fact, if an area is regulated by the government, a black market will arise that more closely reflects that of the market. The Russians had to deal with it in the Soviet days, Chicago had to deal with it in the prohibition days, and now Chavez is dealing with it in our time.
Didn't work for the soviets, Chicago took forever, and Chavez probably won't have any success either.

Those who forget history doom the rest of us to repeat it.

Yesterday will be remembered as one of the darker days in American history, and indeed, the world at large. It is a day where the Worlds lone superpower, the United States of America, officially rebuked her troops, and the idea of defeating terrorism.

Story: "The Democratic-controlled House issued a symbolic rejection of President Bush's decision to deploy more troops to Iraq on Friday, opening an epic confrontation between Congress and commander in chief over an unpopular war that has taken the lives of more than 3,100 U.S. troops.

The vote on the nonbinding measure was 246-182, and within minutes, Democrats said their next move would be to challenge Bush's request for $93 billion in new funds for the Pentagon.

"The stakes in Iraq are too high to recycle proposals that have little prospect for success," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi, leader of Democrats who gained power last fall in elections framed by public opposition to the war.

"The passage of this legislation will signal a change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home," she vowed after the vote, in which 17 Republicans joined 229 Democrats in a wartime rebuke to the president."

What does this accomplish? A radical emboldening of the enemy, and a swift kick in the back of the legs to the our soldiers.
What lesson of history is being forgotten here? Vietnam. In the early years, the combined power of the United States Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force was cleaning house in the jungle, only to be restrained by the 'leadership' back home. We lost that war because of the idiotic, shortsighted, political considerations of the politicians back home.
And so, we withdrew in shame, with our soldiers dying as they ran. And once we were gone, millions of Cambodians and Laos were killed in a genocide.
Fast forward to today. We took Iraq down in one of the most brilliant military campaigns in world history, only to be assailed for destroying some museums.
We began the process of building a new infrastructure, one that took more then 50 years to build in the US, and the military and the contractors were assailed by the left, saying we weren't moving fast enough. We have killed tens of thousand, possible hundreds of thousands of terrorists, with the loss of 3000 US soldiers. That is one of the most miraculous death tolls in world history, fighting an enemy for 3 years, on their turf, on the ground, in an urban environment, and only losing 3000 US Soldiers?
And yet, that is to many to lose in this war on terror, to be protecting the United States from another 9/11. Because you know what else?
That is another lesson the liberals have forgotten, the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Why did the Muslim Nazi Osama Bin Laden think he could pull it off? Because the US was soft on the warlords in Somalia, 'Black Hawk Down' we know it as in the common tongue. Because we withdrew after a little bloodshed, rather then knocking the Warlord and his cronies into hell.

And so, we come to today, where again, the politicians back home stand up, spit in our soldiers face, turn around, and shake the hand of evil.

But not all is lost in our house, you don't mess with Texas.
"Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas to close their case - and the former Vietnam prisoner of war stepped to the microphone as lawmakers in both parties rose to applaud his heroism.

"Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home, and for those who fought and died in Iraq already," he said. "We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them," he added, snapping off a salute as he completed his remarks to yet another ovation."

Other Congressmen stepped up to the plate:
"Fighting fires, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C.

"Just as we know our fire chiefs would call up additional firefighters to contain a spreading fire, we must give our troops in Baghdad the chance to suppress violence and stabilize the region, which protects American families. In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget September the 11th."

Wilson voted for the increase."

"Frontiersman Davy Crockett at the Alamo, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo.

"Picture Davy Crockett at the Alamo. He has his back to the wall. Santa Ana has got thousands of troops. So he gets his BlackBerry out. He checks with Congress. Congress says, 'Hey, Davy, we really support you but we're not going to send you any troops.' That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me."

Akin supported the increase. "


In the end, the strength of the majority won this battle, and emboldened the enemy, assailed the troops, and have begun to deny the president any authority in Foreign Policy.

On the brighter side of things, in a place I usually deride as a haven for liberalism and rash, unthinking actions, we have the US Senate. The republicans there plan to block the bill.

Pelosi: Partisan, Pansy, and Prepared

Story: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without specific approval from Congress, a fresh challenge to the commander in chief on the eve of a symbolic vote critical of his troop buildup in Iraq.
Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Bush consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to differences with Iran "and I take him at his word."
At the same time, she said, "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.""

Yeah, that's one heck of a way to convince Iran to disarm, essentially handicap the President and his foreign policy. Technically, I do not think the President needs congresses' approval to defend this country, and we've got enough troops over there to take down the entire region, if our hands were untied.
Still, it is yet another vibrant display of Liberal weakness, fighting the war on terror along partisan lines, and refusing to defend this nation, or her soldiers. We have evidence, heck, even the New York Times acknowledges Iran is busy making weapons to kill our soldiers. And the democrat response? Bush, you can't do anything, we of the congress shall run this war.
This is beginning to be run by Vietnam, with a persistent engagement of the military by the political powers, and the result is not good.
Buzz off liberals, and let the military fight this war, and let Bush do what he feels needs to be done to defend this nation from the Muslim Nazis.

Welcome Home the Soldiers

This is coming from ABC News, a story about a man and his group of people who welcome home the soldiers at DFW Airport. As a friend of mine said, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, and this is a pretty good story.




Its things like this that both point out the idiocy of many of our congressmen, who are trying to pass-antiwar resolutions, and yet at the same time, it softens the blow to know that there are still Americans who are doing their best to support the troops and the war.

Death Certificates for abortion

Story: "Legislation introduced in Tennessee would require death certificates for aborted fetuses, which likely would create public records identifying women who have abortions.
Rep. Stacey Campfield, a Republican, said his bill would provide a way to track how many abortions are performed. He predicted it would pass in the Republican-controlled Senate but would have a hard time making it through the Democratic House.

"All these people who say they are pro-life _ at least we would see how many lives are being ended out there by abortions," said Campfield.

The number of abortions reported to the state Office of Vital Records is already publicly available. The office collects records _ but not death certificates _ on abortions and the deaths of fetuses after 22 weeks gestation or weighing about 1 pound. "

Brilliant, simply brilliant. Murder victims have death certificates, with the exception of these kids. Time to remedy that situation.

Global warming hearing canceled due to cold weather

HOUSE HEARING ON 'WARMING OF THE PLANET' CANCELED AFTER ICE STORM
HEARING NOTICE
Tue Feb 13 2007 19:31:25 ET

The Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather. The hearing is entitled “Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the Planet?”

The hearing will be rescheduled to a date and time to be announced later.


Tip to the Drudge Report.

Liberals protest war, ignore hipocrasy

Story: "Democratic congressional leaders vowed today to keep the House debate over the war in Iraq going until midnight, despite a dangerous ice storm that closed the federal government and schools throughout the area.
Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, answered with an emphatic "no" when asked if Congress might end debate early over a nonbinding resolution that would oppose the president's plan to send more troops to Iraq.
The federal government, along with local governments and school systems, closed at 2 p.m. in the face of freezing rain and falling temperatures.
"The men and women in Iraq are not shutting down because of rain, sleet, snow, cold, hot, sandstorm. We're going to be here and we're going to do our work," Mr. Hoyer said. "

(global warming, eh?)
Oh, those brave congressmen, standing up to the world, loudly screaming as they fade into the night, 'This war is a failure' and 'Bush lied to us!'. But their courage does not end there. No, while the tempest of old man winter blows about outside, they will remain and do their duty, defaming the work our soldiers have, and seek to continue. That is to say, Treason against their country. The liberals in washington are mad about the war, and this is how they vent. By aiding and abeting the enemy by destroying the resolve at home.

Hard to beleive they're elected, but alas, this is what those who elected them deserve.

Liberals taking teen jobs

Story: "Oh, for the days when Arizona's high school students could roll pizza dough, sweep up sticky floors in theaters or scoop ice cream without worrying about ballot initiatives affecting their earning power.

That's certainly not the case under the state's new minimum-wage law that went into effect last month.

Some Valley employers, especially those in the food industry, say payroll budgets have risen so much that they're cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees.
And teens are among the first workers to go.

Companies maintain the new wage was raised to $6.75 per hour from $5.15 per hour to help the breadwinners in working-poor families. Teens typically have other means of support.

Mark Messner, owner of Pepi's Pizza in south Phoenix, estimates he has employed more than 2,000 high school students since 1990. But he plans to lay off three teenage workers and decrease hours worked by others. Of his 25-person workforce, roughly 75 percent are in high school.

"I've had to go to some of my kids and say, 'Look, my payroll just increased 13 percent,' " he said. " 'Sorry, I don't have any hours for you.' "

Messner's monthly cost to train an employee has jumped from $440 to $580 as the turnover rate remains high.

"We go to great lengths to hang on to our high school workers, but there are a lot of kids who come in and get one check in their pocket and feel like they're living large and out the door they go," he said. "We never get our return on investment when that happens." "

Ah, but what do you expect? The dismal science (economics) has proved over and over again, when you set an artificial level of wages, then something else has to give, be it prices, effciency, availability, or number of employees. So, because buisness are being forced to pay more to workers who are not deserving of a raise, then some people are laid off, just to keep the payroll tight.
And thats liberalism, compassionate with wonton disregard for the consequences, and compassion with other peoples money.

It's a silly question...

Iran supplying IEDs to Shiite Terrorists

NY Times: "In interviews, civilian and military officials from a broad range of government agencies provided specific details to support what until now has been a more generally worded claim, in a new National Intelligence Estimate, that Iran is providing “lethal support” to Shiite militants in Iraq.

The focus of American concern is known as an “explosively formed penetrator,” a particularly deadly type of roadside bomb being used by Shiite groups in attacks on American troops in Iraq. Attacks using the device have doubled in the past year, and have prompted increasing concern among military officers. In the last three months of 2006, attacks using the weapons accounted for a significant portion of Americans killed and wounded in Iraq, though less than a quarter of the total, military officials say.

Because the weapon can be fired from roadsides and is favored by Shiite militias, it has become a serious threat in Baghdad. Only a small fraction of the roadside bombs used in Iraq are explosively formed penetrators. But the device produces more casualties per attack than other types of roadside bombs.

Any assertion of an Iranian contribution to attacks on Americans in Iraq is both politically and diplomatically volatile. The officials said they were willing to discuss the issue to respond to what they described as an increasingly worrisome threat to American forces in Iraq, and were not trying to lay the basis for an American attack on Iran.

The assessment was described in interviews over the past several weeks with American officials, including some whose agencies have previously been skeptical about the significance of Iran’s role in Iraq. Administration officials said they recognized that intelligence failures related to prewar American claims about Iraq’s weapons arsenal could make critics skeptical about the American claims.

The link that American intelligence has drawn to Iran is based on a number of factors, including an analysis of captured devices, examination of debris after attacks, and intelligence on training of Shiite militants in Iran and in Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and by Hezbollah militants believed to be working at the behest of Tehran.
...
It is the most effective I.E.D out there,” said Lt. Col. James Danna, who led the Second Battalion, Sixth Infantry Regiment in Baghdad last year, referring to improvised explosive devices, as the roadside bombs are known by the American military. “To me it is a political weapon. There are not a lot of them out there, but every time we crack down on the Shia militias that weapon comes out. They want to keep us on our bases, keep us out of their neighborhoods and prevent us from doing our main mission, which is protecting vulnerable portions of the population.”
...
To make the weapon, a metal cylinder is filled with powerful explosives. A metal concave disk manufactured on a special press is fixed to the firing end.

Several of the cylinders are often grouped together in an array. The weapon is generally triggered when American vehicles drive by an infrared sensor, which operates on the same principle as a garage door opener. The sensor is impervious to the electronic jamming the American military uses to try to block other remote-control attacks.

When an American vehicle crosses the beam, the explosives in the cylinders are detonated, hurling their metal lids at targets at a tremendous speed. The metal changes shape in flight, forming into a slug that penetrate many types of armor.

In planning their attacks, Shiite militias have taken advantage of the tactics employed by American forces in Baghdad. To reduce the threat from suicide car bombs and minimize the risk of inadvertently killing Iraqi civilians, American patrols and convoys have been instructed to keep their distance from civilian traffic. But that has made it easier for the Shiite militias to attack American vehicles. When they see American vehicles approaching, they activate the infrared sensors.

According to American intelligence agencies, the Iranians are also believed to have provided Shiite militants with rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-fired antiaircraft missiles, mortars, 122-millimeter rockets and TNT.
...
Marine officials say that weapons have not been found in the Sunni-dominated Anbar Province, adding to the view that the device is an Iranian-supplied and Shiite-employed weapon."

I will take this occasion to applaud the Times for a well written article, and a quality piece of journalism.
Is this a suprise? Iran giving weapons to terrorists to kill US troops. No, but I thought I'd post it anyways.
The real question: What should the US response be?

Build one for the Gipper

Story: "Opponents of Poland's former communist regime reportedly want to pay a posthumous homage to US President Ronald Reagan by erecting his statue in the place of a Soviet-era monument.

In an open letter to the mayor of the southwestern city of Katowice, the former anti-regime activists said that the staunchly anti-communist Reagan had been a "symbol of liberty," the Polish news agency PAP reported.

As a result, they said, he deserved to become the centrepiece of the city's Freedom Square, replacing a monument to the Soviet troops who drove out the occupying Nazis in 1945.

They also said that they wanted the site to be rebaptised "Ronald Reagan Freedom Square."
...
There are already separate plans to erect a statue in memory of Reagan in the centre of the Polish capital, Warsaw, which would be paid-for from private funds.

Reagan, who dubbed the Soviet Union an "evil empire," is widely credited by Poles with having driven communism to the wall. "

Sounds like a great idea to honor a great man. I'm glad that other countries still recognize the greatness of Reagan, not just those who were in the United States.

Border Agent Beaten

Story:"A former U.S. Border Patrol agent who was convicted of shooting a drug smuggling suspect and then lying about it was beaten by fellow inmates in prison, his relatives and a congressman said Tuesday.
Prison officials did not immediately confirm that Ignacio Ramos had been attacked.

The convictions of Ramos and fellow former agent Jose Alonso Compean sparked outcry from critics who argued that the men were merely doing their job defending the border against criminals.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal supporter of the agents and opponent of illegal immigration, criticized the Bush administration Tuesday for failing to protect Ramos and demanded a full presidential pardon for the two men.

"Not only did the administration choose the side of a foreign dope runner over the agents who stopped him from smuggling a load of drugs into the county _ now they've failed to protect that agent while his case is on appeal," he said in a statement.

Ramos and Compean, who reported to prison in January, were each sentenced to more than a decade behind bars. Ramos is being held at a medium- and low-security federal facility at Yazoo City, Miss. Compean is serving his sentence at the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in Ohio; no problems have been reported with his detention.

The agents were convicted last year of shooting Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in 2005 near El Paso and then trying to cover up the incident. Davila was shot once in the buttocks"

This guy has a hard life. First, he does his duty and tries to defend this country from drug dealing illegal aliens, and then is prosecuted and put in prison for defending his country. The drug dealer? He gets off Scot free. Not only does Bush refuse to pardon this man, he pretty much blithely ignores the situation.
Then, in prison, because the Hispanic gangs know he's a cop who does his job, they beat him up. Apparently, the guards didn't care, because this went on for several minutes.
First of all, this guy should be receiving a medal for defending our border and our streets, not put in prison. Second, he should have been pardoned after the miserable excuse for justice put him in prison. Thirdly, why is he locked up with the drug dealers? They had to know this was just asking for trouble. I hate second guessing people, but this just strikes me as common sense.

Its a travesty that Ramos has received this treatment from a country he loves, and it should shock many Americans into the reality of what we're facing here. When an agent does his job, he's put in jail. When our National Guard is confronted by armed gangs, they have to leave the area, because they are not allowed to shoot at them.
And to top it off, when a person illegally enters this country, we give them the welfare that US citizens receive, without an illegal alien ever having to pay taxes. The inanity of this entire situation lends great credence to the theories of the North American Union.

The real story: Tim Ball

Story: "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.
What would happen if tomorrow we were told that, after all, the Earth is flat? It would probably be the most important piece of news in the media and would generate a lot of debate. So why is it that when scientists who have studied the Global Warming phenomenon for years say that humans are not the cause nobody listens? Why does no one acknowledge that the Emperor has no clothes on?
Believe it or not, Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This in fact is the greatest deception in the history of science. We are wasting time, energy and trillions of dollars while creating unnecessary fear and consternation over an issue with no scientific justification. For example, Environment Canada brags about spending $3.7 billion in the last five years dealing with climate change almost all on propaganda trying to defend an indefensible scientific position while at the same time closing weather stations and failing to meet legislated pollution targets. "

Its a great read, and from a highly credible source, and he hits on the points I usually hit.
Ya know, the eviromental movement is out to kill capitalism, and man is not the cause of global warming.
24 is coming on, g2g.

The silence is deafening

Chicago: -30 degree windchill.

Hawii: Record Lows

So.
What happened to the global warming screamers? I can't hear them now.

Natural cycles people. We don't affect it at all.

Super bowl pick: Colts

I'm picking the colts to win today.

Why?

They beat the Patriots and the Ravens.

The AFC is far better then the NFC, and this is coming from a Green Bay fan.

They're run defense is good enough to stop Chicago, and Grossman can't beat them.

They're offense is good enough to score 2 tds on the bears, and thats enough to win.

Ya'll?

How about now?

Story: "Brutally cold temperatures will find it difficult to rise above
zero north of I-88... and only making it to 5 or 6 degrees above
well south of there. Strong west winds today will produce bitter
wind chills of 20 to 30 below zero. These biting cold temperatures
and blustery winds will continue to keep wind chills near this
range through Tuesday morning.

A Wind Chill Advisory means that very cold air and strong winds
will combine to generate wind chills at or less then 20 below
zero. This will result in frost bite and lead to hypothermia if
precautions are not taken. If you must venture outdoors... dress
in layers and cover all skin. Make sure you wear a hat and
gloves. Limit outdoor activity to minimize exposure... as
frostbite can occur in 30 minutes or less."

Ah... -30 below zero. So, in Chicago, they pull out the sweaters I imagine.

Still, what happened to all the clamor about a mild winter and the global warming that was causing it?

Clinton on Iraq

Story: "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she would not have attacked Iraq if she were president in 2002 and would end the war if elected, as she tried to blunt rivals like John Edwards who are stoking anti-war passions in the Democratic Party.

Clinton, raising her voice at one point to be heard above anti-war hecklers, suggested that calls from Edwards and others to cut off funding for President Bush's troop increase are unlikely to win approval in a narrowly divided Senate.

"Believe me, I understand the frustration and the outrage," Clinton said in a speech to the Democratic National Committee meeting that brought the party's nine White House hopefuls together for the first time. "You have to have 60 votes to cap troops, to limit funding to do anything. If we in Congress don't end this war before January 2009, as president, I will."

The New York senator's comments were her strongest against the war and signal an effort to confront one of the biggest threats to her front-runner status. As the conflict nears the four-year mark, she has been on the opposite side of the most outspoken anti-war activists who are a force in the Democratic primaries. "

Just end the war? Jus like that? How?
Pull out? Who do you think will win in there? The terrorist, funded by Iran and Syria.
Flood the area with troops? Yeah right.
Turn it over to the UN? Oh, that works real well. Currently, the UN forces are cowering from muslims in somalia and ethiopia.
Stay the course and win? Because that is what we are doing, winning. There is no other war in history that has gone as well for any nation as has this Iraq war for the United States of America.
If we pull out, we're just forfiting a winning game, and that is just stupid.

And we're back...

Well, the word verification works now. So I'm back.

And this is hardly suprising:
"Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company _ $39.5 billion _ even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 percent.
The 2006 profit topped Exxon Mobil's own previous record of $36.13 billion set in 2005. "

Yup, an american company making huge profits. Gotta love it.