Greta Van Susteren's New Co-Anchor

Rumor has it.

The Genius of Ms. Rosalie Sidoti

America's finest living impressionist? I say, yes!

On Obama's Decision to Delay the Employer Mandate Until After the 2014 Election (On the Grounds that He Needs More Time to Put it All Together)

Thinking in terms of sleazy here. But I do have a compromise. Mr. Obama says that he needs more time to "put it all together". Fine, we'll give him more time. We can delay the implementation of the employer mandate until September, 2014. You see, that way the President gets his additional time but the voters also get to make an informed choice based on the policy actually being implemented for a while....So, a good compromise, you think?

On Nancy Grace 2

Not pro-prosecution, holier-than-thou, lacking stability, obnoxious, and bitchy enough.

On Bill O'Reilly

Not self-oriented, opinionated, and grating enough.

On Chris Matthews

Not smarmy, ballistic, and hyperactive enough.

On this Miserable, Worthless, Low-Life Piece of Garbage

Mr. Roberts used to employ this absolutely despicable technique during those healing shows of his. He used to have his henchmen take the obviously sickest people in the audience and rope them off at the back of his show to prevent them from ever coming up on the stage. This, while at the same time, he would certify an endless bombardment of phonies, plants, and hypochondriacs to have such an unfettered access that the dude couldn't help but look like a miracle worker....AND he made a huge shitload of money simultaneously. I mean, I don't know about you people, but in my little corner of the world, people who meter out false hope such as this, whether they be mediums, faith-healers, whatever, are the bottom of the food-chain - big time.

On Rachel Jeantel's Ludicrous Assertion that Cracka' Actually Means, Wannabe Cop

Seriously? She goes on national TV and lies through her teeth (check the urban dictionary if you don't believe me) like that and still expects to be treated with sympathy? God damn, have we ever devolved as a nation..........................................................................Of course the much more despicable part of this whole saga is the way that the interviewer, Piers Morgan, just rolled right over for the girl - so frigging paranoid of being called a racist was he....So much for the "conversation", huh? LOL

The REAL Anthony Weiner Scandal

It wasn't the sexting, folks. It was the fact that this lowlife idiot used $45,000 of campaign contributions (most of it coming from hard-working American folks) to wage some phony investigation into finding out just who it was who hacked into his e-mail account. That, to me, is much more unpardonable in that it involves not just his family but the American people who obviously deserve better than that. Slant-headed imbecile.

On wd's Assertion that Zimmerman A) Uttered, "You Gonna Die Tonight, Nigga'" and B) Gunned Down Trayvon in Cold-Blood

There exists no evidence to support either of these charges. The FBI interviewed over 40 people and could not find one scintilla of evidence that George Zimmerman (who, please, keep in mind here is 1/8 black and 3/8 Peruvian himself) has ever harbored racist views. NADA. And in terms of the killing of Trayvon, virtually all of the forensic evidence (not to mention the testimony of John Good) strongly supports Zimmerman's testimony (grass stains on the back of his jacket, a broken nose, 2 black eyes, 2 lacerations on the back of the head, an injured coccyx, the way that the bullet passed through Trayvon's shirt indicating that the youngster was on the top, etc.). I think that we just have to face it here, folks - this was one mean-spirited, political, and virulent prosecution, and wd is a dope.

Trayvon's Texts

1) To Trayvon, "So, you're just turning into a little hoodlum?" Trayvon's response, "Na, I'm a gangsta"."............2) To Trayvon (from his OLDER - by 5 full years - brother), "So, when you gonna teach me to fight?"............3) To Trayvon (from his girlfriend), "You gotta stop fighting." Trayvon's response, "Na, I'm not done with da fool."............4) Trayvon texts, "Duh way I fight nd golds I had last year." Friend's response, "Ub fightn....yeah, a lot."...............................................................................Alright, let's back-peddle a little bit here. Who would be the individual more than likely who started the fight; the 17 year-old self-proclaimed gangsta wannabe (and former footballer) who's history is full of fighting, or the short and stocky 29 year-old who's own gym manager essentially called a wimp (and who, according to wd, trips a lot)? Me, I'm personally going with the more logical option here.

On Rachel Jeantel's Preposterous Testimony

It makes zero sense. a) She claimed that Trayvon was having trouble "shaking" Zimmerman. Trayvon was a frigging football player, people. He could have cut through the middle of that complex and gotten to his destination and George Zimmerman would have still been getting his bulbous ass out of the car.............b) She claimed that Zimmerman started the altercation by jumping on Trayvon. Why...IN THE HELL would a person with a gun willingly jeopardize their advantage (the fact that your adversary could readily take the gun from you) by getting into an altercation and, better yet, doing it with a fellow who was obviously tougher than you? It's ridiculous.............c) She claimed that Trayon uttered to Zimmerman, "Get off me." I really love this one. Trayvon Martin relished fighting. His text messages were laced with violent imagery and confessions of numerous violent episodes. If Zimmerman ever did try and start something, Trayvon wouldn't have said, "Get of me." He would have said, "Let's get in on, you mother-fucker", or words to that effect.......Overall, I give this young witness a D-.

More Media Bias in the Zimmerman Affair

According to multiple sources (the story first broke in the Miami Herald), back when Trayvon Martin was first suspended in 2011 (ostensibly for vandalism), school authorities went through his back-pack and found 12 pieces of women's jewelry, a man's watch, and a screwdriver that they had delineated as a "burglary tool". Mr. Martin claimed that a friend (who he refused to name) had given these items to him and, while, no, there isn't any direct evidence that Mr. Martin was involved in any breaking and entering, these items do in fact fit a description of stolen items from a dwelling that was located not very far from the school................................................................................So, why was Mr. Martin never arrested for this? In a word, politics. The Samford police, in an obvious effort to keep the teenage African-American crime rate low, apparently decided that this case should instead be handled by the school system and, hence, the suspension (the first of several for Mr. Martin). As for the stolen jewelry, the stuff was simply categorized as "found items" and it continues to just sit on a shelf somewhere................................................................................Now, this of course doesn't mean that Trayvon was necessarily up to no good on that particular evening. The dude absolutely could have been just  out for a walk. But to try and say here that Zimmerman was totally off is bull........................................................................................P.S. And can we also just knock it off with this whole Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon crap? If Trayvon had been a young black businessman holding a laptop and walking on the sidewalk, or an elderly black woman, Zimmerman wouldn't have given him the time of day. But because he was dressing like a gang-banger and walking in between houses, he did, and he should have.

On "Obamacare"

The Affordable Care Act is one of the most idiotic pieces of legislation in American history. It is loaded with perverse incentives and the very type of rank crony favoritism (Cornhusker Kickback, exemptions for selected unions, etc.) that makes thinking people from both parties recoil................................................................................And it absolutely WILL fail, by imploding. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that a large percentage of young people will simply pay the fine and only purchase health insurance once in fact they're sick. TO WHICH, the insurance companies will be forced to sell it to them because of the no preexisting condition exemption clause. This trend will OBVIOUSLY push up rates for everybody and watch, we're all going to end up on fucking Medicaid eventually. Thank you, douche-bag Pelosi.

On the Idiocy of Bachmann, Gohmert, et. al.

One of the individuals that these crazy Republican ramrods went after in their McCarthyesque quest to rid the State Department of Muslim extremists was Huma Abedin. Yes, Ms. Abedin is a Muslim and, yes, she does have relatives from Muslim countries but THAT IS WHERE IT ENDS. The woman has a totally clean record and the Congresspersons have put forth ZERO in terms of evidence.........................................................................Of course the most absurd component of this story is the fact that Ms. Abedin is married to former Congressman (and perpetual pervert), Anthony Weiner, quite arguably the most vociferous supporter of Israel in recent congressional memory. Yeah, sure, Mr. Weiner is going to marry somebody who wants to wipe the state of Israel off the map. That makes total sense.

Cato's Dan Mitchell as to Why Politicians Love Keynesianism

"It tells that that their vice is a virtue."

Leo Szilard on the Public's Propensity to Submit to Authority/"Experts"

"If all you know is what someone has told you, you have no basis to form an intelligent opinion."...Yeah, that pretty much sizes it up, I think.

Self-Describe This

The population of Mexico is approximately 115,000,000, and of that 115,000,000, approximately 70,000,000 are considered Mestizo (a mixture of Native-American and European ancestry). Is it safe to assume here that the media and leftists of this country are now willing to go out on a limb and call these people, "self-described Hispanics" as well? Doubtful, huh?

On "Settled Science"

I prefer to call it non-science. Science is never settled and only a politician like Al Gore would ever say that it was.

On "Consensus Science"

I prefer to call it non-science (the fact that science isn't a popularity contest, many of the great scientific breakthroughs have actually been breaks from consensus, etc.).

Jimmy Hoffa, Joseph Hansen, and D. Taylor on Obamacare

WE'VE CHANGED OUR MINDS!!!!!

On the President's Recent Speeches

Not platitudinous/hackneyed/cliched, empty/impoverished, self-serving, and divisive enough.

The Sippery Slope of Blackness/Whiteness

If President Obama had married a white woman and had fathered some kids with HER, those kids would have exactly the same amount of African DNA as Zimmerman's mother and uncle. At what point does a person cease being black? That is what I would like to know. Based upon the reactions in the Martin-Zimmerman case, I would probably go, somewhere between Obama (1/2 black) and Zimmerman (1/8 black).

This One's For You, Russ

wd's explanation for Zimmerman's injuries - HE TRIPPED! HE FUCKING TRIPPED!! Can you even believe this guy? I mean, at the very minimum, Zimmerman would have had to have "tripped" two times; one time flat on his face (he must have decided not to use his hands to break the fall) to produce the broken nose and two black eyes and a second time flat on his back to produce the two lacerations on the back of his head (which actually were somewhat distal from each other and thus probably caused by separate trauma) and the injury to his coccyx.....................................................................And it doesn't end there. wd's explanation for where Trayvon was for those 4 long minutes - he was hiding, hiding out of fear (we actually know - via Rachel Jeantel's testimony - that Trayvon had made it all the way to the bottom of the T and that Zimmerman didn't have a dang clue as to where he was due to the extreme darkness of the environment and that for some strange reason Trayvon decided to double back and confront the short, stocky, and wholly unimpressive Hispanic male), a fear that was so absolute that the youngster decided to LUNGE at a man whose gun was already being brandished (he knows this how exactly is never quite revealed of course) and who knew that the police were to arrive on the scene IN SECONDS!...Yeah, I'm sure that it happened exactly like this - NOT!...............................................................................P.S. And I ask you yet again, what kind of a murderer calls the police and summons them prior to the crime, and then voluntarily takes (and passes!!!!!) a series of polygraphs after the crime? The jury came to the appropriate decision here, people.

So, You Want to Save the Planet, Do Ya'?

My suggestion - stop ingesting meat. Yeah, that's right (and as I've reported on before), the livestock industry contributes far more in terms of man-made greenhouse gasses than all forms of transportation (planes, trains, automobiles, buses, etc.) COMBINED (my source - the 2006 UN Agricultural Report). And if that doesn't convince you, just try wrapping your brains around this little tidbit. According to Clarke award-winning geologist, Ian Plimer, you would have to drive a diesel automobile nearly 10,000 kilometers to generate the greenhouse effect of ONE COW FOR ONE DAY....Oh, and if you're also worried about wasting water, Professor Plimer has a stat for that as well. According to him, it takes approximately 500 liters of water to produce 1 liter of milk. Bottoms up, all of you meat-eating environmentalists/hypocrites.

Note to Melissa Harris-Perry

Dude, next time that you decide to do a split screen with you and Mr. Zimmerman, I strongly suggest that you dim down the lighting some on your side. In case you that haven't ascertained it, the fella' is darker than you!...I mean, you certainly don't want to forfeit your racial moral posturing, now do you?

Farrakhan on Steroids?

You be the judge......."The Jews are all over government."......"Washington if full of Jews."......"Most Jews are disloyal."......"Let him (Len Garment) be the 'House Jew'."......"I hope to God that he's (Daniel Ellsberg) not Jewish, is he?"......"He's (Henry Kissinger) a dirty Jew."......"As long as I'm sitting in the chair, there's not going to be any Jew appointed to that court. No Jew can be right on the criminal-law issue."......"But Bob, generally speaking, you can't trust the bastards. They turn on you."......"The Jews are an irreligious, atheistic, immoral bunch of bastards."......"......the terrible problem arising from the total Jewish domination of the media......" Me, I'm kind of thinking in terms of the affirmative here, folks.

On Jerry Springer

Doesn't make black (and sometimes white) people look pathetic enough.

What Kind of a Murderer Would...

a) Not just call the cops but summon them to the scene?......b) Fully cooperate with law enforcement?......c) Not lawyer-up?......d) Volunteer to take numerous polygraph tests?......e) Pass numerous polygraph tests?......f) Allow the victim to assault and batter him?......g) Allow the victim to scream for a full 45 seconds prior to pulling the trigger?......h) Tell the cops that he (George Zimmerman) was screaming for help well before he knew that there was an audio?......i) Utter the words, "Thank God", in response to being told him that the entire incident had been captured on video (a police trick)?............Either a stupid, brilliant, or arrogant one, I guess.

On Unions and Moral Suasion

"Those who tell you of trade unions bent on raising wages by moral suasion alone are like those who would tell you of tigers who live on oranges." Henry George, 1891.

On the "Text" and People's Understanding of It

People who understand the text are pro free market. People who don't understand the text are pro big government.......People who understand the text are pro free-trade. People who don't understand the text are pro protectionism.......People who understand the text are pro production. People who don't understand the text are pro make-work.............We most assuredly need to get far more people to understand the text.

On wd's Idiotic/Fully Refutable Assertion that it was Trayvon Screaming

WE ARE LED TO BELIEVE....that Mr. Zimmerman pointed his gun at this youngster....FOR 45 SECONDS (the total amount of time that the screaming lasted), and that he only decided to pull the trigger then, fully cognizant of the fact that the police were going to be arriving on the scene IN SECONDS. Never mind the fact that the forensics totally rule out the fact that Trayvon could have even been standing up - this, in that that would have placed the sweatshirt next to the skin (it was clearly dangling away from the skin at impact and therefore Trayvon was still on top) as the bullet penetrated....Wrong again is wd.

The Reverend...and Profiler, Jesse Jackson

"I hate to admit it, but I have reached a stage in my life that if I am walking down a dark street late at night and I see that the person behind me is white, I subconsciously feel relieved."......Love irony.

When One Barn Closes, Another One...

The invention of the tractor ultimately put thousands of farmers and farm hands out of work. And, yet, I don't know of a single individual who currently thinks that this was a bad invention/trade-off..........................................................................So, what in the hell did all of those farm people eventually end up doing? You might have heard of it. It's a little something called something else. Yep, that's right, folks, when you allow for such things as free markets and free trade to materialize, our comparative advantage will in fact occur in the form of newer and often unforeseen opportunities. You just got to be prepared for the things.

On the Idiotic Assertion that Zimmerman "Got Away With Murder"

Apart from the fact that it shows a fundamental lack of understanding of our legal system (the concept of reasonable doubt and the fact the most that George Zimmerman ever should have been charged with was INvoluntary manslaughter with a lesser of reckless endangerment), it also totally ignores the facts of this particular case. Please, allow me; a) Zimmerman completely cooperated with law enforcement and didn't lawyer up.......b) The man took numerous polygraph tests and passed them all.......c) Zimmerman's injuries and his story are both fully substantiated by the forensic evidence; the grass stains on the back of his jacket, the two lacerations on the back of his head, an injured coccyx, a broken nose and two black eyes, the way that the bullet pierced through Trayvon's sweatshirt highly indicative that he was on the top and leaning over, etc........d) Eye-witness testimony from former neighbor, John Good, clearly indicates that not only was Trayvon Martin on top, he was also administering savage blows to Mr. Zimmerman.......e) The police tried to trick Mr. Zimmerman into thinking that the whole episode had been recorded and his response to that was, "Thank God."......f) Zimmerman told the police that he had been crying for help and he did so well before the time that he ever knew that there was an audio.......g) According Rachel Jeantel's own testimony and phone records, it appears as if Mr. Martin had ultimately made it back to his destination and only minutes later did he double back to the top of the T to confront Mr. Zimmerman.......h) There is no evidence WHATSOEVER that Mr. Zimmerman did anything illegal in the minutes leading up to the altercation. Following somebody - not illegal. Getting out of your vehicle - not illegal. Being in a public place - not illegal. Using your eyeballs - not illegal.............Now, will I admit here that maybe Mr. Zimmerman used some terrible judgement that night? Yes, obviously, but like I've stated on many other occasions, 'taint against the law.

If the President Had a Son, He'd Look Like Trayvon

Yeah, and depending on who the mother was, he'd look like Zimmerman, too. So frigging what?...........................................................................P.S. The truth, if the President had ever had a white wife, those children would be LIGHTER THAN ZIMMERMAN!!!!! Hello!

On the "Scream"

Alright, let's try and look at this one logically. Who would be the one who would more than likely be screaming; the guy who was getting beaten and battered, or the guy who was administering the punishment? Yes, it's possible that Trayvon could in fact have screamed once the weapon was brandished, BUT FOR 45 SECONDS? I am sorry here, folks, but that totally stretched credulity.

Dennis Miller on the Prospect of Obama Getting Tough on Putin

"Oh, what's he gonna do, open up a can of nuance-whup on him?"

wd Lies AGAIN

This time the idiot claims that it was Zimmerman's friend who gave the testimony relative to "ground and pound". WRONG!! It wasn't Zimmerman's friend. It was the former neighbor and PROSECUTION WITNESS, John Good, who testified to it....The evidence is overwhelming here, people. Trayvon was on the top and pummelling Zimmerman. End of report.

Bruuuuuuuuuce!

Springsteen is a rock and roll legend and true American original. And even though I've personally found his music to be a tad overwrought as I'VE gotten older, I still respect the man. But in terms of his politics, the dude is full of shit, or at the very least he's a damned hypocrite..............................................................................I cite specifically his outrage back when George Bush was President. Remember? We were losing our civil liberties ("It isn't the same country anymore", the man "articulated"), engaging in mass torture, murdering civilians, etc., etc., etc. (I largely agreed with the fellow, FYI). Basically the same shit that Obama is doing (no, we aren't personally torturing them anymore - we're just sending them over to Saudi Arabia and Turkey), in other words, and not only is this fellow, Springsteen, AOK with that, he's doing frigging fund-raisers for Obama!...Man, do I ever get frustrated with these celebrities.

On Tori Spelling and My Former Brother In Law

Bad nepotism.

On Robert F. Kennedy and Sofia Coppola

Good nepotism.

Dennis Miller on the Testimony of Eric Holder

"He was shakier than a jack-hammer laborer playing Jenga on his lunch-break."

Dennis Miller on Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton

"They speak in code more often than the folks who worked on the Enigma Project at the end of World War 2."

George Zimmerman's Uncle, Jorge Mesa

So, anybody out there want to call this fellow a "self-described Hispanic"? Anybody?

On Rolling Stone's Decision to Put the Boston Terror Bomber on Their Cover

Yeah, I would probably go with, disgustingly off-the-charts tone-deaf, on that one.............And to be totally honest with you, I've never quite forgiven those cock-suckers anyway, for making Joni Mitchell's "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" the worst album of 1975.

On the Assertion that Zimmerman Started the Fist-Fight

Well, if he did, it was one big swing and a miss.

On the George Zimmerman Trial 7

So, is George Zimmerman a racist? Don't know. What I can tell you, though, is that the FBI interviewed nearly 40 people and the only one who was willing to say anything even remotely untoward toward the dude was some wayward cousin. I can also tell you that a) the fellow is 1/8th black himself, b) has in fact mentored numerous young black children, c) came to the defense of some older black fellow who had been treated poorly by local police, and d) took a young black chick from Barbados to his senior prom...................................................................................And even in terms of his actions on the night of Trayvon's death, yes, Mr. Martin indeed was black. But he was also walking SLOWLY...IN THE RAIN...ON THE GRASS...LOOKING INTO PEOPLE'S WINDOWS (or at least that's what Zimmerman alleges). Is it not at least within the realm of possibility that Mr. Zimmerman was profiling by behavior that night?............................................................................Of course, even if Mr. Zimmerman WAS profiling by race (ditto, him getting out of his vehicle), a) that isn't against the law and b) it certainly doesn't give Mr. Martin the right to commit a felonious assault against the man.

White African-American/Self-Proclaimed African-American?

It's the logical conclusion.

Some Free Advice to the Republicans

Lose the neocon and religious right nut-jobs.

Some Free Advice to the Democrats

Lose the progressive nut-jobs.

An Update on My Coffee Status

Kicking back with some major-assed Peruvian of late.

On Media Matters' Assertion that Rush Limbaugh "Has No Shame"

I agree. But then neither do they or the Daily Kos or MSNBC (AKA, Tapesplicers.com).

Note to the Religious Right

The advocating of limited rights based solely on tradition, parochialism, and religious dogma is hardly something to feel morally superior over.

Note to Progressives

The advocating of bilking others in the name of charity and compassion is hardly something to feel morally superior over.

On the George Zimmerman Trial 6

I was a glutton for punishment last night and actually watched some of MSNBC's coverage of the Zimmerman verdict. Boy, are those a-holes (sorry) forever biased. I mean, I didn't hear a single solitary sentence that was even modestly pro-Zimmerman. And, yeah, it was the same old usual suspects (apologies to Kevin Spacey and Claude Rains)/cast of  characters; Toure (the angriest, most predictable, and most inarticulate moron on the planet), Melissa Harris-Perry (a lispy, insular, and quite unimpressive egg-headed socialist), and let us not forget the always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, divisive Reverend Sharpton................................................................................Now, this isn't to say that the presentation wasn't amusing at times. It thoroughly was. I cite, for example, when Ms. Perry went on one of her America is a racist country tirades and then they did a split screen of her and Zimmerman and Zimmerman was plainly the darker of the two. I mean, talk about some major-league irony, huh?

An Appeal to Small L Libertarians, Moderates, and Think Outside the Box Liberals

UNITE.

On Richard Nixon Making Over a Half Million in '71 and Again in '72 and Only Paying $1,600 Total in Taxes

Yeah, I'm thinking that he probably was a "crook" (he apparently also used millions of dollars of public funds in an effort to beautify his own personal residences in California and Florida).

On Nancy Grace

Not righteously indignant enough.

On the George Zimmerman Trial 5

Mr. Zimmerman used terrible judgement. He should have never, ever, gotten out of that vehicle. But he did, and terrible judgement isn't against the law. What the prosecution really needed to prove here was that Mr. Zimmerman got out of that vehicle with the express intent to murder Trayvon Martin (and, please, keep in mind here that Mr. Zimmerman had already spoken with the police and was fully expecting them to arrive on the scene in minutes) - and I personally don't think that they've accomplished that..............................................................................P.S. I also think that it's important to keep in mind here that Mr. Martin had a solid four minutes in which he easily could have "escaped" and gotten back home (his father's house was less than a 100 yards from where the incidence took place). The fact that he failed to utilize this opportunity is an aspect of the evidence that seemingly supports Mr. Zimmerman..............................................................................Now, this isn't to say that I totally buy George Zimmerman's story. I don't. I don't, for example, think that he got out of the car simply to get an address, and I buy even less his assertion that there was a struggle for the gun. But I also tend to agree with one of the pundits who I recently saw on cable. According to this person, it is normal for a witness's testimony to change over repeated renderings, and that it is the person who tells the identical story over and over (in a rote way) who is more than likely lying.

On My Previous Assertion that DDT is "Perfectly Safe"

That was obviously an incorrect statement in that NOTHING is perfectly safe (going up and down stairs and/or riding a bike, for example). A much more accurate statement would have been say that it's "highly safe" or that it's "relatively safe". That and I could have also made some tangible comparisons. For example, I could have stated that more people die in one day from hospital infections than have ever died from DDT. Ditto, indoor air pollution (mainly from the burning of cow dung). Ditto, malaria (a tragedy that could largely be snuffed out via pesticides). Ditto, starvation (a tragedy that could largely be snuffed out via biotechnology). Ditto, medications (Statins are a particularly virulent drug and I ask you folks to follow the money on that one)....Ditto...

Miscellaneous 173

1) According to a 2000 study from Quarternary Research, the boreal tree line in northern Siberia during the second Holocene Warming Optimum was significantly more advanced than it presently is, and that, because of this, the temperature then was at least 2 degrees warmer than it is today....What say you, Michael Mann?............2) The Arctic Ocean was actually warmer in the 1930s than it presently is. Glaciers retreated (this according to naval records and logs from the old Soviet Union), temperatures rose, and shipping through the various passageways was greatly facilitated....And, yet, the state of Florida survived....What say you, Mr. Gore?............3) According to geologist, Ian Plimer/a 2006 article from "Science", the average temperature of the last interglacial (130,000 years ago to 116,000 years ago) was approximately 5 degrees Celsius higher than at present. That's a fair amount, and to try and assert that THIS warming was in any way attributable to human causes obviously assumes here that the Neanderthals were significantly more industrious than previously thought.............4) Leon Louw, director of South Africa's Free Market Foundation on the high costs of extreme environmentalism; "The NGOs and EU place elitist environmental whims and nebulous conceptions about 'resource depletion' above the needs of the world's destitute billions. They seek to impose first world concepts of environmentalism and human development on developing counties. They do not want poor countries to follow the path that made the prosperity of their own countries possible....Anti-development and anti-trade policies are at their core anti-human."......I fully agree here, Mr. Louw, I fully agree.

On the George Zimmerman Trial 4

The dude is 1/8th black and 3/8th Peruvian (predominantly Native-American as evidenced by his mother and uncle). The fact that you have the asinine media going around referring to Mr. Zimmerman as a "white Hispanic' and a "self-proclaimed Hispanic", when the fellow has the same amount of caucasion DNA as President Obama, is thoroughly disgusting. Yes, George Zimmerman may in fact be guilty (of something) but the facts, not the rantings of some jack-booted propagandist chowder-heads like Al Sharpton, Martin Bashir, etc., need to be the determinant here. Please, petty please.

On the George Zimmerman Trial 3

Mr. Zimmerman's great-grandfather on his mother's side was black (an African-Cuban a la Teofelo Stevenson and Minnie Minoso). Back in the old south that would have made the fellow an "octoroon" and subject to harsh discrimination. Couple this with the fact that his mother and uncle are obviously of Mestizo heritage as well and the racial aspect gets even blurrier.......Not that any of this matters to the race baiters (can you say, Al Sharpton?) obviously. Those miserable sons of bitches are capable of seeing black and white (both literally AND figuratively) in their fucking Cheerios, for Christ.

A Poor Excuse for Policy

Developing nations do not achieve prosperity via foreign aid. In fact, they tend to do worse because of it. According to the Inter Regional Economic Network (July, 2002), for example, 70 of the countries who had been receiving such aid were poorer than they were in 1980............................................................................So, what then are the critical keys to economic development? Not that anybody has a magical formula, mind you, but I would probably have to say limited regulation (especially as it pertains to entry), a fair and simplified tax structure, a system of legal contracts, free trade/engagement, critical democratic institutions (free speech, free association, etc.), an incorruptible legal system, a stable money supply, and property rights. A strong and dynamic market orientation, in other words - NOT central planning.

Florida is Safe, Folks

The average winter-time temperature in Antarctica is -50 degrees Celsius. The average summer-time temperature is approximately -5 degrees Celsius. I'm pretty sure that the East Antarctic ice sheet (an area of approximately 80% of the earth's ice) isn't going to be melting any time soon - crazy, unsubstantiated claims from radical environmentalists notwithstanding.

An Update on My "Status"

Computer shit the bed last Wednesday. Have been forced to use the computer at work and at my buddy's house. Hope to be back up regularly blogging soon. Thanks.

Trading Favors

Say what you want about the late Bob Novak (that the dude was an SOB, a virulent right-winger, etc.), the man was a stellar reporter (an exceptional writer with sources up the ying-yang). And one of his better uncoverings was how he brought to light memos which patently showed that Enron was not only OK with the Kyoto treaty, it was flat-out in favor of it, actually going as far as to argue that the treaty would "do more to promote Enron's business than any other initiative", and that it would be "good for Enron stock" (they evidently figured out a way in which they could actually make money via emissions trading)...................................................................Of course the real smoking gun was an August 1997 memo to Enron President, Ken "douche-bag" Lay, in which virtual step by step instructions were provided on just how best to convince then President Clinton to sign said Kyoto Treaty. Youza, huh?...How anybody can still argue that big business and big government and even big NGOs aren't in bed together crafting this garbage (Kyoto, cap and trade, etc.) is totally amazing to me.

Penny Wise, Trillions Foolish

Richard Nordhaus is an esteemed economist from Yale. He also happens to be a true believer when it comes to man-made global warming...AND THESE ARE HIS NUMBERS. According to Mr. Nordhaus, the Stern proposal would reduce the damage from global warming by $13 trillion at a cost of  $27 trillion, and the Gore proposal would reduce the damage of global warming by $12 trillion at a cost of $34 trillion......................................................................................Yes, Mr. Nordhaus does have his own proposal and I'm willing to consider it (this, though I still firmly believe that only about a third - at most - of the .8 of a degree Celsius rise in temperature over the past 150 years is due to man caused CO2) but I really tend to agree more here with fellows like Lomborg and Monckton who say that it will invariably be far les expensive to adapt to global warming (by building better levies, not building as much in hurricane areas, etc.) than it ever will be to prevent it (any attempts at the latter quite feasibly destroying the world economy). 

Teal, Maybe

According to a recent study from the Journal of Industrial Ecology (and frequently cited by environmentalist, Bjorn Lomborg), it takes more than twice as much carbon-based energy to manufacture an electric car (a lot of that going into the making of the battery) than it does to manufacture a gas-fueled one. Couple that with the fact that these electric cars constantly need to be charged (again, via fossil fuels probably) and that the batteries sometimes need to be replaced and, yes, the situation does get even dicier....Of course, if the federal government is going to continue to subsidize them at $7,500 a pop (and, yes, believe it or not, the subsidy also applies to golf carts!!).......

On that Moronic Ottawa Fan Who Threw a Banana Peel at African-Canadian Hockey Player, Wayne Simmonds

This is a two year old story that I've only recently become aware of. To say that it's pissed me off is an understatement. And the fact they've never been able to identify the guy ESPECIALLY pisses me off. What should they do to the idiot if they ever do find him? I'll tell you what I would do. I would make it so that the asshat never gets to see another hockey game in person for the rest of his miserable life. Yes sir, I'd hit him where it really hurts, the bastard.

On Windmills and Steel

You can make the former out of the latter but not vice versa, and therein lies the problem, me-buckos.