Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fitting close for this year we get this article which basically, evn when they continue to push the same crap, destroys the CO2 fantasy of the watermelon cultists that demand we abandon our ways and allow them to form a tyrannical, all controlling, global government which will regulate the life of the peasants while letting the elite live like royalty.

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.

The first sentence is what counts. The other stuff is just more lies so they ca continue to leave the door open to push the agenda. And the fun thing is that they just discovered this now? Shows you how much they don’t really know, and how much of their science is plain and simple bullshit. We have been told that we are warming because of CO2. That’s obviously a big ass lie:

In contradiction to some recent studies, ,b>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.

Money quote in bold. End this cult! What these people want will just usher in a new dark age for humanity.

If you hoped Rush Limbaugh would die, and you are saddened by the news that it looks like he’s going to recover, please read this.

1. If you think Rush is a bad person, what does wishing him dead make you? Even if you are right about him (meaning you are correct about whatever it is that makes you hate him enough to wish death upon him), how is it ever acceptable to act that way? How does that make you better than him on any conceivable level? Answer: it doesn’t. In fact it could be said that you are worse for that behavior, because you claim (or maybe believe) to “know better” or have a better sense of ethics and/or morality. Except that wishing him dead makes that belief a lie, and it makes you a hypocrite in the first degree.

2. Imagine Rush was your family member and divorce the politics for a second. Really think about this. Imagine the man you love the most. Now imagine some flippant jerk online wishing him dead because he went to the hospital and they don’t like his political views. Now realize that YOU are that flippant jerk. You’re not better than him. You’re not a good person for saying it. Rush Limbaugh is not a mass murderer or a serial killer or even a capitalist robber baron stealing from the downtrodden and piling wealth in his secret vault, into which he dives naked like a fat, sweaty Scrooge McDuck. He’s just a regular person with opinions, and the oratory skill to make a certain segment of the population listen to him spout those opinions on the radio for three hours a day.

3.I hate having to do this, because it seems like such a lame “establishing my maverick bona fides” statement to make, but I want to be understood and not have to explain this later:  I’m no fan of Rush. Never have been. I have a long history of not liking the guy. I think he used to be a lot worse than he is now, because he was A) younger, B) doing the conservative version of Howard Stern before Glenn Beck ever picked up a mic, and C) hadn’t been somewhat humbled by his drug escapades going public. I hardly ever hear his show unless I happen to be showering between noon and three PM in my own house. (Explanation: I have a shower radio that pretty much ONLY receives the local AM talk station that is about a mile away from my house). So, now I have established for the record (again) that I am not a big Dittohead. I’ve just never been a big fan of any of those AM talk hosts. Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, Levin...none of them appeal to me. And they don’t represent my personal political beliefs. I’m not a fan.

What I am a fan of is basic human decency and trying to live life with as little hypocrisy as I can manage. To me, in a situation like this, that means when I hear that someone with whom I disagree politically with great fervor - for example, Ted Kennedy - is sick or even dying, if I have nothing supportive to say about the man, I will either wish his family well in their ordeal or just - and this is an option that more people need to realize is available - I SHUT MY MOUTH AND SAY NOTHING.

Yeah, that was maybe the longest sentence I’ve ever written, but the meaning should be clear: If you want to live your life with any kind of honor at all, if you want to be - not just be seen as, but be - as decent a human being as you can be, part of that is not wishing death upon a sick person because you don’t like their politics.

4. On a personal level, If you know us and/or have any kind feelings for me or my wife, just remember that MY life was threatened and horrible things said to me and my wife because we dared disagree publicly with Michael Moore. So...if that means anything to you, maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to make jokes about Limbaugh’s death. Because it only makes you look like a bigger ass than you think he is.

5. Lastly, this Tweet from Lee Doren should be seen by all:

Irony = Hoping Rush Limbaugh Dies. Then asking for citizens to trust you with power.

I’m not sure that is actually irony, at least not in the proper sense of the word, but then Alanis Morrissette has screwed up irony for an entire generation, so whatever. The sentiment is there and it’s true: You cannot expect me to trust you to determine the course of MY health care when you harbor so much hatred for the political opposition that you gleefully wish them dead and don’t care who knows it.

So...you know. Just my $0.02 and it’s worth what you paid for it, but I have lost some respect for a few people this morning. Not that my respect is worth jack to most folks, and most of the people who need to read this won’t see it, but I felt like it needed to be said. So I said it.

Get well, Rush.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I’ll have a post up at some point looking back over the year and the decade.  But for now, use this thread to post any of your thoughts.  We’re already getting some fun stuff.  Here’s Reason:

Reason is, of course, being sarcastic.  Cracked, continuing its push for the Third Best Magazine on the Planet, goes over the last century and concludes the 00’s were the 7th worst decade (they also review overlooked celebrity deaths).

My thinking is probably more in line with Gene Healy.  It’s stupid to confuse government incompetence and media hysteria with well-being.  The world is far wealthier, healthier and more peaceful than it was ten years ago.  Crime has continued to fall as has teen pregnancy.  We are living longer and healthier.  It’s easy to lose site of that.

I’ll post up more decade look-backs as I find them.

Update: A fun series of nested posts starting with Ta-Nehisi argues that Crash was the worst movie of the decade.  I wouldn’t go that far but it was very over-rated.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Building on Harley’s post on the Interpol business, I recently found a WaPo editorial that is surprisingly harsh on Obama’s human rights record:

THE OBAMA administration’s commitment to the traditional American cause of promoting democracy and human rights has been widely questioned, and not without reason. So some rights advocates were pleased by an address that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered at Georgetown University, in which she laid out “the Obama administration’s human rights agenda for the 21st century.” We’re not so happy.

...

As Ms. Clinton herself suggested, such pledges have been the common currency of American governments. But she did not limit herself to past principles. She offered an innovation: The Obama administration, she said, would “see human rights in a broad context,” in which “oppression of want—want of food, want of health, want of education, and want of equality in law and in fact”—would be addressed alongside the oppression of tyranny and torture. “That is why,” Ms. Clinton said, “the cornerstones of our 21st-century human rights agenda” would be “supporting democracy” and “fostering development.”

This is indeed an important change in U.S. human rights policy—but the idea behind it is pure 20th century. Ms. Clinton’s lumping of economic and social “rights” with political and personal freedom was a standard doctrine of the Soviet Bloc, which used to argue at every East-West conference that human rights in Czechoslovakia were superior to those in the United States, because one provided government health care that the other lacked. In fact, as U.S. diplomats used to tirelessly respond, rights of liberty—for free expression and religion, for example—are unique in that they are both natural and universal; they will exist so long as governments do not suppress them. Health care, shelter and education are desirable social services, but they depend on resources that governments may or may not possess. These are fundamentally different goods, and one cannot substitute for another.

For my entire life, I have heard people claim that liberals are in favor of freedom while the crusty conservatives are oppressive.  I have yet to see a scintilla of evidence that this is the case.  Ever since FDR—with his “freedom from want” and “freedom from fear”—they have replaced the concept of real freedom—the liberty to succeed or fail, to make good decisions or bad ones—with a warped concept of freedom.  It is a freedom as defined by the Nanny State.  The “freedom” to make any decisions but bad ones, the “independence” to be dependent on a benevolent government and the “right” to the fruits of other people’s labors.  The only real liberties they have ever favored have been in the personal arena.

It’s not that I’m against feeding, educating and healing the people of the world.  It’s that when you call them “human rights” rather than the opportunities of civilization, you open up an ugly can of poisonous worms.  The idea of a “right” is that it they are not given to us; they are intrinsic to who we are.  And, a such, everyone’s rights are treated equally.  My right to free speech does not impinge upon yours.  My right to worship my God does not stop you from worshipping yours.  My right to vote does not cancel yours.

But when you give people the “right” to things, you can not possibly continue that paradigm.  Resources are limited.  If you have only enough food to feed some of the people, whose “right” is more important?  If you only have enough teachers to put half the kids into college, who has a “right” to the learning?  If you have one MRI machine, whose busted knee takes priority?  As we have learned from the last few millennia, the answer to all three questions is “whoever has friends in high places”.

We have enough trouble getting the evil people who run much of the world to respect people’s right to vote and speak—as can be seen vividly in Iran right now.  Fuck, we have enough problems getting our own government to respect the liberties written in the Constitution.  Let’s not confound the issue with nebulous socialistic “rights” to other people’s property.

Just to keep up with the details of the latest terror attack.

Obama is not mincing words.  His take on this is different from Janet ‘The System Worked’ Napolitano.

The reviews I’ve ordered will surely tell us more, but what already is apparent is that there was a mix of human and systemic failures that contributed to this potential catastrophic breach of security. We need to learn from this episode and act quickly to fix the flaws in our system, because our security is at stake and lives are at stake.

I fully understand that even when every person charged with ensuring our security does what they are trained to do, even when every system works exactly as intended, there’s still no 100-percent guarantee of success. Yet this should only compel us to work even harder, to be even more innovative and relentless in our efforts.

Obama is supporting Napolitano for now with the rationalization that she meant the system worked after the attack happened.  That’s not exactly the point, is it?

We’ve also found out from the bomber—who is singing like a canary without any torture—that two of the men who planned this were released by the Bush Administration to the Saudi’s terrorist release art rehabilitation program. The Obama Administration has also released people to this program. This mainly demonstrates how weak the Saudis are as allies in the WOT and how foolish we are to place much trust in them.

Update: Brilliance from Hitchens on TSA (which has apparently backed down slightly):

Why do we fail to detect or defeat the guilty, and why do we do so well at collective punishment of the innocent? The answer to the first question is: Because we can’t—or won’t. The answer to the second question is: Because we can. The fault here is not just with our endlessly incompetent security services, who give the benefit of the doubt to people who should have been arrested long ago or at least had their visas and travel rights revoked. It is also with a public opinion that sheepishly bleats to be made to “feel safe.” The demand to satisfy that sad illusion can be met with relative ease if you pay enough people to stand around and stare significantly at the citizens’ toothpaste. My impression as a frequent traveler is that intelligent Americans fail to protest at this inanity in case it is they who attract attention and end up on a no-fly list instead. Perfect.

There is no way to make air travel 100% safe from terrorism.  I’m all in favor of sensible steps—screening passengers, bomb detectors, X-ray machines.  But at some point, we will have to say, “This is the best we can do.” and rely on the intelligence and bravery of our fellow passengers.

Monday, December 28, 2009

I found this story yesterday on a few right wing blogs, and at the time i pretty much ignored it as a knee jerk reaction.
However today i decided to dig into a bit.
Obama signed a executive order that amended a EO that Reagan Signed in June 16, 1983.

International Criminal Police Organizations

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States, including Section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (59 Stat. 669, 22 U.S.C. 288), it is hereby ordered that the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), in which the United States participates pursuant to 22 U.S.C. 263a, is hereby designated as a public international organization entitled to enjoy the privileges, exemptions and immunities conferred by the International Organizations Immunities Act; except those provided by Section 2(c), the portions of Section 2(d) and Section 3 relating to customs duties and federal internal-revenue importation taxes, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act. This designation is not intended to abridge in any respect the privileges, exemptions or immunities which such organization may have acquired or may acquire by international agreement or by Congressional action.

As i read it INTERPOL receives the same privileges, exemptions and immunities that any other organization benefits from under the IOIA., with the EXCEPTION of those that are outlined in the quoted section. correct?
so what are those sections quoted?

Section 2
(c) Property and assets of international organizations, wherever located and by whomsoever held, shall be immune from search, unless such immunity be expressly waived, and from confiscation. The archives of international organizations shall be inviolable.

Under this section INTERPOL offices and officers and property CAN be searched. Correct?

(d) Insofar as concerns customs duties and internal-revenue taxes imposed upon or by reason of importation, and the procedures in connection therewith; the registration of foreign agents; and the treatment of official communications, the privileges, exemptions, and immunities to which international organizations shall be entitled shall be those accorded under similar circumstances to foreign governments.
Sec. 3.

Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Customs with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the baggage and effects of alien officers and employees of international organizations, or of aliens designated by foreign governments to serve as their representatives in or to such organizations, or of the families, suites, and servants of such officers, employees, or representatives shall be admitted (when imported in connection with the arrival of the owner) free of customs duties and free of internal-revenue taxes imposed upon or by reason of importation.

They have to pay taxes and fees on anything they bring into the country.  Correct?

Section 4, Section 5 and Section 6 , these all deal with Taxes and Social security payments, correct?

In conclusion This EO signed by Ronald Reagan , made sure that INTERPOL was bound by US laws when acting inside the USA a,d ahd to pay fee taxes and other payments as any other organization would have. am i missing something?
If not then why is it that President Obama feels the need to Amend the order with this.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 1 of the International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288), and in order to extend the appropriate privileges, exemptions, and immunities to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12425 of June 16, 1983, as amended, is further amended by deleting from the first sentence the words “except those provided by Section 2(c), Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, and Section 6 of that Act” and the semicolon that immediately precedes them.

Now i maybe a dumb redneck but this EO seem to me be intended to render the previous one neuter,or totally reverse it. WHY?
I do not see any explanation given for this action and it was signed on the 16th of December.

This really bothers me that a Police organization has pretty much been allowed to assume protections over and above any law enforcement organization that currently operates in the United States.

Over at Threats Watch, they are gong spastic over this ,and i cant help but feel that it is somewhat warranted.
What the Fuck Obama?

Sunday, December 27, 2009

It’s been another violent day in Iran.  Ten dead, including the nephew of Moussavi.  This is taking place during the Ashura, during which violence is prohibited.  The regime may have just made a massive mistake.

Highlights:

In Tehran, thick crowds marched down a central avenue in midmorning, defying official warnings of a harsh crackdown on protests as they chanted “death to Khamenei,” referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has expressed growing intolerance for political dissent in the country.

They refused to retreat even as the police fired tear gas, charged them with batons and fired warning shots. The police then opened fire directly into the crowd, opposition Web sites said, citing witnesses. At least five people were killed in Tehran, four in the northwestern city of Tabriz, and one in Shiraz in the south, the Web sites reported. Photographs of several victims were circulated widely.

Unlike the other protesters reported killed on Sunday, Ali Moussavi appears to have been assassinated in a political gesture aimed at his uncle, according to Mohsen Makhmalbaf, an opposition figure based in Paris with close ties to the Moussavi family.

Mr. Moussavi was first run over by a sport utility vehicle outside his home, Mr. Makhmalbaf wrote on his Web site. Five men then emerged from the car, and one of them shot Mr. Moussavi. Government officials took the body late Sunday and warned the family not to hold a funeral, Mr. Makhmalbaf wrote.

We are witnessing history.  While we enjoy our presents and prepare to set off fireworks, a generation in Iran is openly defying their murderous dictatorship.  They have my hopes.

Dave Barry has his year in review up.  It’s not as good as previous years, but has some choice quotes:

The big health story in April is the rapid spread of swine flu, a dangerous new virus strain developed by the makers of Purell. Public anxiety over the flu increases when Vice President Joe Biden, demonstrating his gift for emitting statements, declares on the Today show that he would not recommend traveling by commercial airplane or subway. A short while later, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs assures reporters that he is ``not aware of any `Vice President Joe Biden.’ ‘’

In another embarrassment for the White House, New York is temporarily thrown into a panic when Air Force One flies low over Manhattan for a publicity photo shoot. Responding to widespread criticism, Gibbs notes that President Obama inherited Air Force One from the Bush administration.

...

On the environmental front, Copenhagen hosts a massive international conference aimed at halting manmade global warming, attended by thousands of delegates who flew to Denmark on magical carbon-free unicorns.

Have fun.  I hope to have an essay up soon reviewing the past year.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Jesus Christ.

In the wake of the terrorism attempt Friday on a Northwest Airlines flight, federal officials on Saturday imposed new restrictions on travelers that could lengthen lines at airports and limit the ability of international passengers to move about an airplane.

The government was vague about the steps it was taking, saying it wanted the security experience to be “unpredictable” and that passengers would not find the same measures at every airport — a prospect that may upset airlines and travelers alike.

But several airlines released detailed information about the restrictions, saying that passengers on international flights coming to the United States will apparently have to remain in their seats for the last hour of a flight without any personal items on their laps. It was not clear how often the rule would affect domestic flights.

Overseas passengers will be restricted to only one carry-on item, and domestic passengers will probably face longer security lines. That was already the case in some airports Saturday, in the United States and overseas.

...

On its Web site, American Airlines said the T.S.A. had ordered new measures for flights departing from foreign locations to the United States, including mandatory screening of all passengers at airport gates during the boarding process. All carry-on items would be screened at security checkpoints and again at boarding, the airline said. It urged passengers to leave extra time for screening and boarding.

As usual, TSA is responding to their failure by punishing us.  Being forced to stay in his seat would not have stopped this guy.  Not being able to read or use his laptop or anything would not have stopped this guy.  It’s possible that screening at the gate of international flights would help—this guy found a loophole by boarding his flight in Nigeria.  On the other hand, the British press has indicated that this was not the problem.  The guy apparently had explosive underpants.  How do you screen for that?

Once again, TSA is going in for the failed philosophy that you stop terrorists by searching little old ladies and babies for weapons and bombs.  They do this not because they think it will work.  They do this to look like they’re doing something.  They make life hard for the rest of us and call that progress.

Take it away, Balko:

Seems to me that what this, Flight 93, and the Richard Reid incident have shown us is that the best line of defense against airplane-based terrorism is us. Alert, aware, informed passengers.

TSA, on the other hand, equates hassle with safety. For all the crap they put us through, this guy still got some sort of explosive material on the plane from Amsterdam. He was stopped by law-abiding passengers. So TSA responds to all of this by . . . announcing plans to hassle law-abiding U.S. passengers even more.

I thought that Obama would be a little less prone to this panicky bullshit.  And he continues to disappoint.

Update: More information: we were warned.  Why don’t we put as much effort into following these warnings as we do into inconveniencing innocent people?

Update: More from Cato.

Update: Janet Napolitano thinks the system worked.

From the All-Knowing All-Powerful Congress that know that nothing is not their business:

The House on Tuesday voted to level off the abrupt spikes in volume felt by television viewers during commercial breaks.

The bill - approved by a voice vote - is aimed at stopping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than programs.

“It’s very frustrating,” said Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. “It’s an annoying experience, and something really should be done about it.”

Irritated by loud commercials, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., drafted the measure after discovering it was a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission.

It’s an annoying experience?  That justified Congressional involvement?  Let me look through the Constitution for a moment ... borrow money (and how) ... coin money ... declare war ... provide and maintain navy ... nope.  Don’t see “Congress shall have the power to deal with anything Americans find annoying.”

As long as we’re using that justification, let’s get Congress involved in movies.  I just watched Transformers 2 with my nephew and saw the trailer for the blasphemous Clash of the Titans remake.  I think Congress needs to pass laws requiring directors to demonstrate the ability to hold a shot for more than 17 femtoseconds, to know how to use a steadicam and to, if they spend six zillion dollars on CGI, let us fucking see the damn CGI creations rather than them flashing past the screen in a blur of pixels.  Oh, and Michael Bay should be just be taken out and shot.  In slow motion.  As as concession, I will allow them to continue to employee actresses from the “I’m not wearing a bra” school of acting.

Good thing it’s just Democrats who ... oh, what the fuck, Cliff Stearns, R-Fla?

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., addressed critics who have asked why Congress has to get involved in the matter.

“You can say, ‘Well, that’s fine. Just turn it off,’” Stearns said. “But it’s constantly an irritant when you have to do it. And we’ve got all the new bowl games coming up.”

“And we’ve got all the new bowls games coming up.” What a perfect embodiment of the child-like hubris of our leaders.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Details are still sketchy. But it appears someone tried a half-assed terrorist attack:

passenger on an international flight bound for the United States Friday ignited a small explosive device shortly before landing in a move the White House called an attempted terrorist attack, a senior administration official said.

Another passenger on the Northwest flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to Detroit, Michigan, quickly helped subdue and isolate the young male suspect with the help of cabin crew, passenger Syed Jafry said.

The Northwest passenger, identified as a Nigerian national “claiming to have extremist affiliation,” was placed in custody and is being treated for burns suffered in the explosion, according to a federal government bulletin obtained by CNN from a source familiar with the investigation.

The explosive device “was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used,” the bulletin said.

First things first.  Netherlands?  Try to keep up with the program here.  We can’t even board a plan with deodorant and you’re letting guys with small explosive devices on?  Put the joint down and pay attention.  Thank you.

Second, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this.  This feels like a Richard Reid thing—AQ found some dumb shit and he almost managed to pull it off.  More information will come.

Third, this demonstrates once again that airline passengers our best line of defense.  From the moment the passengers on United 93 rebelled, airplanes have been filled with hundreds of anti-terrorism agents.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Here’s hoping that our readers have a Merry Christmas with their families and friends.  While you spend the day opening presents, digging through snow or having a few let no government, no politician and no bureaucrat cloud your day.  They get every other day of the year; today is for us.

I would also like to take this opportunity, as I have in past years, to thank you guys for reading and for keeping me honest.  A big thanks is also due to JimK for maintaining the sites and allowing me to continue to spout my gibberish, even the gibberish he disagrees with.  And a quiet prayer for Lee, who got me into the business to begin with and whose loss has left a hole in the blogosphere that can never be filled.  If you find a quiet moment this Christmas, spare a thought and maybe a toast to him, wherever his spirit may be.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

As a parent watching this, my first inclination is “get the kid the fuck away from those parents”.  I especially like the line about “kids do things like this”.  Have any of you had kids do things like this?

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The liars running the country (into the ground I should add) may continue to claim their monstrous take over, expansion of government power, and infringement on our freedoms masquerading as a healthcare bill will reduce the deficit - something every sane person should intuitvely graps isn’t possible considering the source of the legislation and its obbjective - but the the truth is coming out:

Savings from Medicare touted by Democrats as a means to pay for the Senate health care bill were double-counted and the legislation will increase the deficit, not decrease it, a senior Republican senator said Wednesday, citing a new letter from the Congressional Budget Office. As the Senate prepares for a crucial vote before final passage of a massive overhaul bill that Democrats argue will reduce the deficit by $132 billion over 10 years, Sen. Jeff Sesssions, R-Ala, said the nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare actually will add $300 billion to the deficit. ”The real score on this legislation is that it would cause the deficit to increase, and not be a surplus as the president has promised,” Sessions told Fox News. “And a lot members of our Congress have said I won’t vote for this bill unless it’s deficit neutral. It’s not deficit neutral. It will add to the debt. That’s clear today.”

This is generational theft. At the top end we will soon be telling the old geezers there is no money to take care of them, while we tell the young they need to bleed more and harder to pay for it all. If it was just the idiots that voted for these parasites getting screwed hard I would call this justice, but we all will pay for their crime.

“The seniors have been had and our kids our gonna get the bill,” he said. “We’re talking here about double-counting, spending the same money twice in order to create a massive new entitlement that has nothing to do with seniors.” Sessions reached his calculations after speaking to CBO Director Doug Elmendorf.

Here is a does of reality for the old folks on Medicare and the working American people that will be bled to pay to expand the power and hold over our lives by these politicians:

“Either you’ve weakened the Medicare substantially or you’re going to have no money to spend on the new program that’s being created,” he said. “You cannot spend this money twice.”

I am sure they will just blame it on Bush and the wars when all this house of cards comes tumbling down. There is no way to make this work. Not enough money, not enough people, and definitely no logic or reality based means of making this fantasy work.

It’s absolutely hilarious to watch legions of commentators sit slack-jawed and bumfuzzled over this:

The homicide rate dropped 10 percent in the first half of this year as crime rates reached their lowest point nationally since the 1960s, the FBI reported Monday.

Preliminary figures collected by the FBI also show that car thefts dropped significantly in the first half of 2009, falling nearly 19 percent and continuing a sharp downward trend.

Overall, the rate of violent crime fell by 4.4 percent and the rate of property crime dropped by 6.1 percent, the FBI reported.

...

The data for early 2009 suggest that the crime-dropping trend of 2008 is not just continuing but accelerating. In 2008, the data showed a nearly 4 percent drop in homicide and an overall drop in violent crime of 1.9 percent from 2007 to 2008.

According to classic socioeconomic determinism, crime is created by poverty and unemployment.  People turn to violence because they have no alternative.  So naturally, when unemployment jumps to double digits, we should expect a crime wave as all those out-of-work computer programmer start mugging little old ladies on street corners.

Only it’s not happening.  It never happens that way.  Crime rates peaked in the early 90’s, when the economy as doing reasonably well.  And they’ve fallen since, through boom and bust, due to less restrictive gun laws, longer prison sentences and, I hope, a larger social trend away from crime.  And that leaves us here, in the biggest recession since the Big One, watching crime stats continue to fall.

Are sociologist ever right about anything?