Randy, between the two trees and a little closer to the one on your right side and directly to the left and under the curved tree in the background, you can see the legs of a girl wearing a blue dress and if you look higher, you can see ca vaguely see the outline of her head and upper body. Initially, I thought it was a double exposure that Curt put up to trick us, but I suppose I am just looking through the “Looking Glass”.
Let me know if I have vectored you onto the target.
I primarily only drink at home and although nights on the town once seemed attractive, I could care less now. Usually, I am so tired, a glass or two of wine will put me down for the count; consequently, it is nearly impossible to have too much.
Randy
14 years ago
OK, it looked like a double exposure since I couldn’t see anything at first above the knees.
Randy
14 years ago
You must love Howie over at the Jawa Report (http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/) He cuts through the road apples and gets to the point.
Aid Organizations Ask United States to Remove its Logo From Food Aid
BBC:
A group of 11 prominent charities is preparing a letter calling on the US to remove logos on American-funded assistance in Pakistan.
The letter, signed by charities including Save the Children, Oxfam, and World Vision says that such “branding” of aid jeopardises their neutrality.
They say that this is especially dangerous in a country with numerous anti-American militants.
Update: Fatwa issued against Storm Saxon’s Gall Bladder for these ideas
Storm Saxon’s Gall Bladder
We could cover the insensitive labels with bumper stickers of polite lies:
“Aid Package Courtesy of King Charlemange of Gaul”
“Secret Zionist Overlord Foodstuffs with Mind Control Vitamins”
“A gift to the people of Haiti [REJECTED – send to pakistan]”
“Soylent Green”
“Free Crusader Toy in Every Box!”
“Happy Bhudda Rice”
“This box was packed by naked women who could read.”
The letter will be delivered later this week in Washington, officials say.
‘Highly sensitive’
It says that there are “strong indicators” that branding will attract violent attacks for both economic and ideologically-motivated reasons”.
The letter will be sent to the US government aid agency, USAID, by the InterAction group, a coalition of more than 160 humanitarian organisations working around the world.
International charities have for several years refrained from using their own logos in Pakistan because of the security risk.
However the US government, through USAID, requires non-governmental organisations that receive funding to “brand” aid with the agency’s handshake logo and the words “from the American people” in local languages.
Here’s an idea. If the f*cking Pakis don’t like the f*cking free American food, how about we let the God damned stupid dumbshit m*otherf*ckers f*cking starve to death and see how they like that.
Let em go beg from the godless communists.
Spit!
Hat Tip: Her Oyal.
Nan G
14 years ago
NEWSFLASH!
Obama in The TIMES MAGAZINE admits ”There is No Such thing as a Shovel-Ready Job!”
He’s still setting up those phony straw men arguments, though….
“It may be that regardless of what happens after this election, they [Republicans] feel more responsible, either because they didn’t do as well as they anticipated, and so 1. the strategy of just saying no to everything and sitting on the sidelines and throwing bombs didn’t work for them,” Mr. Obama said. “Or they did reasonably well, in which case the American people are going to be looking to them 2. to offer serious proposals and work with me in a serious way.”
Both straw men are false……
1. The Republicans have not been ”the party of No.”
Obama has insisted pass it w/o reading it and ”I won.”
2. The Republicans have offered many serious proposals only to have Obama turn them into the false line of “my way 100% or you (Republicans) want to go back to the Dark Ages.”
HE think that the AMERICANS will believe his lies again, this time IT’S not BUSH,
BUT the REPUBLICANS HE is targeting, watch him put THE race card after this one,
a regular pattern of his speech, but we know by now,how those lies come in pairs
Gregory_Dittman
14 years ago
China has the second largest economy in the world and spends the second most money on its military. It almost equals the U.S. in energy use. The UN is trying to push a world minimum wage of $1 a day. Between 800 million and 900 million Chinese make less than that. The Chinese government must provide 17 million jobs per year to starve off discontent. That’s what the U.S. economy is really up against.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
😉
Patriots amongst us…
Vote Smarter..Obama, Biden…no Service…and that chaps my ass big time.
How about you?
Randy
14 years ago
FYI
Sunday, October 10, 2010
EPA sued by over 90 entities for ‘Greenhouse’ Gas Regulations
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration’s move to curb ‘greenhouse gases’ using the Environmental Protection Agency has drawn legal challenges from more than 90 companies and trade associations. This could be very interesting since any of these legal challenges conceivably might result in subpoenas issued for infamous warmists such as James Hansen and Michael Mann, forcing them to provide documents and prove their flimsy AGW theory under cross-examination in a court of law. Here’s what happened when James Hansen was ‘boxed in’ on the witness stand once before, dumbfounded when cross-examined and asked to name just one other scientist who agreed with his assertion that sea levels would rise more than 1 meter this century, stating “I could not, instantly.”
Dr. Roy Spencer appears well prepared as an expert witness for the plantiffs.
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, AS usual, you come in to say the wise thing to do, at the right time,
thank you bye
Randy
14 years ago
OT2
I am not sure I could have done what Alan West did in Ramadi. The man has real courage and takes responsibility for his actions. There were a lot of dumb policies going around back then. Soldiers were automatically given an Article 15 for discharging their weapon into the charging barrel. So, they started unloading their weapons before they got to the barrel. W have sent Alan money and wish I could vote for him, too!
suek
14 years ago
Now Randy. Didn’t your Mother teach you not to use language like that in mixed company? (re #5) If she didn’t, I _know_ the military did!
Since I’m old enough to be your Mother – and maybe your Grandmother – I’m telling you now…don’t be using language like that in mixed company!!
(Note: I didn’t say I disagree with you…!)
Randy
14 years ago
Suek,
That was Howie from the Jawa Report. I just copied it to show how ignorant PC people in the world really are.
suek
14 years ago
OK…so you’re off the hook! But Howie needs a session with a bar of soap!!
suek: hi, SO MANY charity organisations, there must be a lucrative business to get into,
I bet they have a good credit too on top of the shared percent.
Missy
14 years ago
Left the TV on all day for the miners to check in during break time, and also my dog loves FOXNews, Animal Planet scares him, snakes, big cats, etc., not good.
The last one was finally rescued, bless them all, according to the talking heads, they will yet have a rocky road ahead of them, especially the one with the mistress. Could you believe the news had to bring that up at a time like this? Shame on them!
Anyway, hubby was wondering how they managed to get all 33 miners back up out of that hole without Geraldo.
@Skookum: Remember those paintings where there was another picture inside the picture and you had to look through it to see it? Forgot what they were called but they annoyed the hell outta me….there was a Seinfeld episode on it that was hilarious. I just spent 15 minutes trying to do the same thing with this picture because of your comment……rofl. I still can’t see any girl in a dress.
Initially, I thought it was a double exposure that Curt put up to trick us
Curt, I looked at the photo for about a second and the girl was there, blue dress and all. I thought, that Curt, what’s he doing to us, hmmmm. A large part of art is how you perceive things. They told me at school I could be an artist and I was thinking to myself in these exact words, “an artist, oh boy, that’s like being the best pizza delivery boy”, I have since matured. I went to school and ended up doing the same stuff I did when I was a young teenager. Oh well, they told me I could be a writer as well, and I am now having fun pursuing that vocation, the one I avoided like a disease. This is all a bit of periphrasis to say that I can usually see things that others miss, but if I had to use it to make a living, I’d be on welfare. 🙁
Now horses, there is something I can understand, 1200 to 1500 hundred pounds that can move faster than you can see and run at 40 miles an hour ( a speed that was once considered fast, President Grant got a ticket for driving his buggy too fast on Pennsylvania Ave.); the ones that are just waiting to destroy another human being, these are my closest friends. People ask me how I can deal with them and I tell them the horses feel sorry for me, they know I see things that others don’t see. 😯
CURT: hi, I saw a form of the girl too; I must say that I use to see animals on the clouds when I was young: clouds and fog play trick on human, often, nice picture,ressemble the other you put on before; It’s the debt of those which are getting observers to find other patterns,
from what I figure it, bye
Missy
14 years ago
Breaking: Barbara Boxer Approved Code Pink Trip to Fallujah to Donate $600,000 to Extremists to Murder US Soldiers
Code Pink’s leaders had just returned from Fallujah, Iraq, where 51 Americans had been killed and 560 wounded in the US Marines’ heaviest urban combat since the Vietnam War. Code Pink delivered $600,000 in cash and supplies to the very insurgents the Marines had been fighting against – quite literally giving aid and comfort to America’s enemies in a time of war. As noted in Islam Online, a diplomatic courtesy letter from Barbara Boxer helped make the trip possible.
Interesting to see how our leftists defend this. It wasn’t just Boxer that sent the letter, Kucinich D-OH, Waxman D-CA and the thankfully, now embattled Grijalva D-AZ were in on it too. They all need to go.
The following describes what Iraqis made up the “Resistance” that were participating in killing/attacking our troops…….many were not al Qaeda, not terrorists, or Baathists…they were just part of the population that Code Pink and their whacky networks funded.
I don’t think human should be any part of the question. It should be raging, cruel beast or raging, cruel animal. I think I will go with beast, at least you can somewhat pity an afflicted animal.
MISSY: THIS is HIGH TREASON, THERE is no other words; and no excuse to this,
NO human right excuse,: TREASON to the SOLDIERS there in HELL,
they should be view as enemys collaborating with enemys abroad,
who gave that money, from what pocket, the FBI should arrest them,
THEY are TRAITORS on highest caliber, they represent more of, who gave
MONEY for their ANTIAMERICAN CAUSE. they deserve to rot in jail,
they are guilty as hell for the DEATH and pain of the soldiers, and the
soldiers from other countrys also.
SKOOKUM: hi, WHO’S to say that the horses don’t see any spiritual forms,
you know them so much, there must be some stories you have experience on the subject!
bye
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Randy, there is a statute of limitations on some things but not on others. LTC West did the right thing because he cared about his Troopers. Stan McCrystal did the right thing for the same valid reasons. I never considered my Career as more worth more than my Troopers lives. That is why some of Us retire as less than General Officers or CSMs. But given the choice, my Folks would have volunteered for the Alamo if I would have been sent there, as would I to serve with them.
In the old Yugo Republic, Wes Clark damn near got Us into a shooting war with the Russians. I was there as an with a B Team Commander back in the day and I prefer Smart to Brash on an order of 10 to 1 odds. LTC West made a decision that I can stand with. Stan McCrystal went with his conscience and I respect that. Dave Petraeus is in the hot seat right now, not for Political reasons but out of Patriotism and love of his Troopers and the Country.
I wish that I could say the same for Gates and Mullen. The CiC is more worried about losing the Democrat Party than filling up space at Arlington. Politics and Military just don’t mix. The difference between Military Service and Public Service is a huge moral gap to jump. Politicians just haven’t got that figured out yet because Career Politicos never have to look their Troopers in the eye every day. They look at other liars and have to remember the last lie they told and who they told it to. I don’t have that problem
Nan G
14 years ago
What a great comment!
Old Trooper 2
28Reply to this comment
I just read something that weighs in on your wisdom with a bit of insight into Obama and his choices in his Administration.
It comes from the San Francisco Chronicle, believe it or not!
Even though America is fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, members of President Obama’s Cabinet are three times more likely to have attended law school than boot camp.
Only two – Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki – among the 16 Cabinet and six Cabinet-rank officials are military veterans. With last week’s departure of National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones, a former Marine, the ranks of vets in Obama’s national security inner circle just got thinner. Replacement Tom Donilon is another lawyer (and former lobbyist) with no military training.
The Democratic Party has come a long way since 2004 when party biggies were hitting President George W. Bush for serving only in the Air National Guard during Vietnam. Remember?
…….
Now it’s 2010. America is at war – two wars. The commander in chief has never served in the military. Vice President Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during Vietnam. And you don’t hear the term “chicken hawk” any more.
…..
Obama surrounds himself with like-minded alumni of faculty lounges and law review journals – seven Cabinet members and one Cabinet-rank official are law school grads – when he ought to be looking harder among America’s heroes and old warhorses for advice. Maybe, since America is at war, Obama should look a little harder outside his rarefied comfort zone.
Randy
14 years ago
OT2
I would have told the Iraqi that since he wouldn’t tell me the names of the people making the bombs, he could go with us on our next missions. Or I may have threatened to take him to a Shia police station and turn him over to the locals with a full disclosure of what we thought he was doing. Did you ever wonder why the Iraqi police need so many more vehicle batteries than they had vehicles? I likely would have had the same results, but I would not have put my command into such a tight situation. I would have given them deniability.
I had one Iraqi we were talking with. (Not captured) All I had to do was to let him know how sorry I was that I had to turn him over to the combat troops. They would hold him for a week or so and then turn him over to Abu Graib. That was after the Iraqis took it over. My SGM got on the radio and called HQ to let them know when we would be leaving and the man told us everything we wanted to know.
CURT, SOMETHING’s is wrong, I gave a comment here. IT struck me to see empty,
I go to my gmail,a comment from Randy, I click and here was all empty,
no randy comment no other comments either,
now i was switch to the right place just now.
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
@ Randy, even more amusing was parading the Mook through town, announcing that He had talked and then sending him off on his merry way…
Maybe a bit cruel but very effective and not a UCMJ Offense.
Missy
14 years ago
FIRST LADY CAMPAIGNS INSIDE POLLING PLACE
Am I getting picky or should I expect an ex-lawyer from Illinois to know better?
First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law — when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!
The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.
After finishing at the machine, Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting key.
She let voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos.
“She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband’s agenda going,” Campbell said.
According to a pool reporter from the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES at the scene, the conversation took place INSIDE the voting center, not far from the booths.
Illinois state law — Sec. 17-29 (a) — states: “No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place.”
A top Ilinois State Board of Elections official tells the DRUDGE REPORT that Mrs. Obama — a Harvard-educated lawyer — may have simply been ignorant of the law and thus violated it unintentionally.
“You kind of have to drop the standard for the first lady, right?” the official explained late Thursday. “I mean, she’s pretty well liked and probably doesn’t know what she’s doing.”
I have voted for many years in Illinois, I know I can’t even wear a campaign button when I go to the polls. But, I’m not a former lawyer or,….Michelle Obama, but, she’s FLOTUS, probably has no idea of campaign laws pertaining to the state she was born in. Not like we should expect her to know or respect our law at this point. 🙄
From soup to nuts, Executive Branch, Legislative and Judicial. These folks work for you. Elected, appointed, some vetted by the Senate and others selected, not elected.
I risked my life for the Nation, these pogues just risk Careers and there Dear Nan lies the difference. Less than 3% of Americans currently serve and you can look for Leadership, Values, Loyalty to the Nation and good folks that swore an Oath to the Constitution and meant every word of it. They don’t get 6 Figure Salaries, they love Country more than Self and not a one that I served
with or answered to ever threw ribbons or medals over a wall onto the White House grounds.
You fight for the guy next to you, you take risks ecause it matters as part of something greater than yourself and have moral courage and values from that experience. Over 20 or 30 years those experiences you collect a pension that is modest, you have friendships that last a lifetime and on occasion you have memories of faces that will never grow old and visit their graves. Community Organizers and Career Politicians never get those snapshots in time.
With Rights come Responsibilities and Service is an Honor, Duty is a calling and we are short on Statesmen and Patriots in office right now. Just my take on it. Sadly, no shortage of Career Politicians…
OLD TROOPER 2: there should be a impressive group of MILITARYS ELECTED
OR chosen by the PRESIDENT in the WHITE HOUSE, they earn those positions,
and they can bring DISCIPLINE on a high stander to a GOVERNMENT who must
be remember at times why they are elected, why they are servants not king.
bye
Nan G
14 years ago
Breaking News:
Geert Wilders: Not Guilty on ANY Counts!
Free Speech and Freedom of Expression safe in Europe, for now.
Link.
SKOOKUM: hi, YOU mentioned that you can see things that can miss;
I will say yes to that in my case, I notice that you see my mistakes,
where others don’t,
I had to tease you on this one, I could not resist to pass it. bye
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
A pretty keen read on what America’s Second Greatest Generation does every day. Give it a look see if you can justify the time. They are Patriots, Volunteers and bear dire and grim consequences of having not a Wartime and Decisive POTUS but a Punk Community Organizer that sent too few to do too much because losing the support of the Democrat Party base was just unthinkable and not politically correct … these guys are your Sons, Nephews, Cousins and My Brothers in Arms.
They are not there for money or fame. They don’t have time to play golf or give high minded speeches or apologize for what makes America great. They don’t dine on steak, wagu beef and lobster, or throw grand parties in elegant dining halls. Their actions speak louder than words read off a teleprompter or being awarded an unearned Nobel Prize, selling an auto biography at the age of 40 or so. Some of them just won’t live that long but they are America’s Second Greatest Generation and worthy of your respect.
In September 2009, the second platoon of Charlie Company arrived in Afghanistan with 42 men. Ten months later, nearly half had been killed or wounded, mostly in the Arghandab Valley—a key to controlling southern Afghanistan. Now these 82nd Airborne troops were getting ready to leave the Arghandab behind. They had one more dangerous job to do: a joint mission with the untried artillery unit that would replace them patrolling the fields, orchards, and villages they called the Devil’s Playground.
Expect the government to operate Social Security in a financially sound manner? Cut off grants for green energy? Turn off the spigot of agricultural funding? Less money for colleges?
Not bloody likely!
Remember, people in Washington are spending your hard-earned money for the best of reasons — they like the way it makes them feel.
And, face it, the people who get the money like the way it makes them feel, too.
And with all those happy feelings beaming from happy faces, it’s hard for regular folks like me and you to peep up with little old questions about the Constitution or fiduciary responsibility.
Still, someone has to do it.
So here goes.
The United States Constitution — written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and taking effect in 1789 — is indisputably the supreme law of the land. All powers of the national government must emanate from it, or else be fraudulent and tyrannical. No act of the president or the Congress should be allowed to stand unless it is directly authorized by the Constitution. That is plainly spelled out in the 10th Amendment, which says, in its entirety, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
Got that? If the Constitution doesn’t say the Congress or President can do it, then they can’t! Unfortunately for us — for We the People — this amendment is utterly ignored by the government it is supposed to restrain.
So, dear citizen, please take a look at Section 8 of Article I of the U.S. Constitution. It’s not hard to do so. The section runs to less than a page of printed material. You can look for it online under the heading of “Powers of Congress,” and when you find it, be prepared to have your world rocked — because Congress has almost no power to spend money. You, ladies and gentlemen, have been taken for a ride.
In a nutshell, you will find that Congress can do the following: Collect taxes, pay debts, borrow money, regulate commerce with foreign nations and between states, establish rules of naturalization, establish bankruptcy laws, coin money and regulate its value, establish laws regarding counterfeiting, establish post offices and roads to ensure that the mail can be delivered, regulate copyright; establish lesser courts; “define and punish” crimes committed on the high seas and “offenses against the Law of Nations”; declare war; grant letters of marque and reprisal; raise and support armies; provide and maintain a navy; make rules to govern the military; provide for “calling forth the militia” and for “organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia”; exercise legislative control over the District of Columbia and over military forts and facilities; and make such laws as are needed to carry out these duties.
There you have it — just a long paragraph’s worth of “powers,” and nary a word in there about health care, education, farm subsidies, or a national endowment for the arts. Don’t take my word for it. Look for yourself. Try in vain to prove me wrong. Or admit the truth, no matter how much it hurts.
Because it is time to say it plainly — the American people have been swindled. This isn’t government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is government of the looters, by the looters and for the looters.
How did they — how DO they — get away with it?
Two simple words — “general welfare.” At the beginning of section 8 of Article I of the Constitution, the looters found this phrase, which was the “open sesame” for trillions of dollars of treasure — “Congress shall have Power to … provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”
Through the portal of the “general welfare” — and with the acquiescence of the judiciary — Congress has been able to loot the wealth of this great nation for any purpose it deemed worthy, thus neutering the Constitution and leaving Americans without a fig leaf to their name.
If there ever were an independent judiciary, this sham would be exposed in a minute. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the “general welfare of the United States” is something quite different than the individual welfare of one farmer, one student, one university, one automobile manufacturer — yet most of the largess handed out by the federal government is done so on an individual basis.
Besides, if “general welfare” allows the Congress to spend money on anything it wants, the Founding Fathers could have saved a lot of time by writing Section 8, Powers of Congress, as this: “Congress can do whatever it thinks is in the best interest of the United States.”
Moreover, even the use of the phrase United States in the Constitution means something quite different than what we imagine it does. Before the Civil War, it was well understood that our country was indeed a federation of individual and sovereign States. Thus, when contemplating the “general” welfare of the “united” States, we were specifically talking about what was good for ALL the states as a UNIT, not what might please one state, and certainly not the kind of targeted spending that has become famous in congressional earmarks. A half-million dollars to fund a Teapot Museum is probably good for the welfare of the people who run the museum, and maybe for teapot collectors, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the welfare of the 50 united States.
And it’s a lot more than a half-million dollars.
Consider the evidence of my in-box. In the week of Oct. 3-9, I kept track of the goodies coming to Montana by way of Uncle Sam’s charitable contributions. Lots of it doesn’t have a specific dollar amount for Montana, as it is part of a bigger handout, but let’s just concentrate on the ones with a pricetag attached,and which ultimately trace back to federal dollars.
Oct. 4: “The Montana Department of Agriculture this week mailed award letters to seven successful applicants for specialty crop block grants [funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture] totaling $292, 955.”
Oct. 4 “U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a combined $776 million for urban and rural transit providers in 45 states and the District of Columbia to help bring buses, bus facilities and related equipment into a state of good repair.” The Missoula Urban Transportation District project to renovate the downtown transfer center received $590,400.
Oct. 5: “Montana Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester are applauding the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Department… The Flathead County Sheriff’s Department will receive $209,304.”
Oct. 7: “Montana Public Radio receives $500,000 in grants [from the U.S. Department of Commerce] to expand coverage.”
Oct. 8: “Montana’s senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus announced today Montana is one of three states selected for a new initiative to improve health care for veterans in rural areas, particularly when they’re in need of emergency care. Today’s news means Baucus’ legislation has come full circle, now that Montana was awarded nearly $300,000 to enhance health care services offered to veterans in rural Montana under the new authority created by his legislation.”
So let’s add it up. That comes to $1,892,659 for one week of handouts. Some of that is just for Flathead County or Northwest Montana and similar grants may have been made across the state, but let’s just assume that is everything done for the entire state for one week.
Then multiply that $1.9 million by 52 weeks. You can see that the kitty for federal payouts to Montana is then $98,418,268 for one year. What the heck, let’s call it $100 million.
Now let’s figure that Montana has about 1 million people (we actually have less, but round numbers are cool). Let’s figure moreover that the United States population is 310 million (you can probably see where I am going by now).
That means we can multiply Montana’s total amount of federal largess for one year by 310 to get the total amount being doled out by our good-hearted senators and representatives in Washington.
Do the math. That comes to $31 billion in goodies for our senators and representatives to feel good about.
Yeah, but a lot of that money is spent on worthy causes, our liberal friends will argue. It may or may not be worthy. That isn’t the issue. Most of it, however, is constitutionally suspect, at best, and criminal at worst.
Mind you, the $1.9 million in grants I know about are just the goodies that they bothered to send me, and mostly are focused on Northwest Montana. It would probably still be a conservative estimate to say that during the same week, all of Montana received at least $5 million in federal grants and awards.
If that’s true, then using the same multiplier formula, we would get $260 million spent on the state in one year, and $80 billion spent on the 50 states in the form of feel-good spending.
We can look at that number — $80 billion — and say one of two things: “So what?” or “What an outrage!”
If you said, “So what?” then I say to you, “What an outrage!”
Randy
14 years ago
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday. It is cool here in Colorado, but the Sun is shinning and There is a flock of robinns scratching around in the garden for earth worms. The forcast is cooler for the rest of the week. What a nice day for finishing my preperations for winter.
Randy: hi, THOSE ROBINNS not to mistaking pronounce B-Rob,
are probably from my place they left a few days ago, so please give them a second smile for me.
bye
October 17, 2010
If the Chilean Mine Had Been in Colorado
D.K. McGann
Satire –
Watching with moist eye the rescue of the thirty-three miners from the collapsed San Jose mine in Copiopo, Chile I found myself inspired by the sense of purpose and pride displayed by the actors in this all too real life drama. The unbending commitment of each and every Chilean and foreign national involved in rescue operation was genuinely heartwarming. I saw in the president and people of Chile the highest of human instincts, a willingness to come together and help their fellow countrymen in a time of acute need.
It is an instinct that is shared by the citizens of the United States, an innate quality imbedded in the DNA of every American. Or is it? What if Copiopo was located on the western slope of Colorado? Would the story have played out in the same manner? Would the spirit of the American citizen have been dampened by the wet blankets of bureaucracy and political correctness?
Here-to-with, a hypothetical chronology.
News Bulletin (Developing): A collapse occurred this morning in the San Jose copper mine is western Colorado. The cause of the collapse and the status of thirty-tree miners working 2,300′ below the surface are unknown.
Two Hours Later: The White House issues a statement acknowledging the incident. President Obama expresses his concern and notes that the miners and their families are in his thoughts and prayers. He directs all federal agencies to provide immediate assistance.
Day 1: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs meets with the White House press corps. When queried about the possible cause of the collapse he indicates that it is likely the result of the lax enforcement of mine safety rules by the previous administration.
Day 2: There has been no communication with the trapped miners. The Director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration holds a press conference in Copiopo, Colorado. He suggests that while hope for the rescue of the miners is slim, his agency will continue to study all available options. He announces a criminal investigation that will leave no stone unturned regarding potential safety violations at the San Jose mine.
Day 5: The operators of the San Jose Mine begin drilling a small diameter hole to a location where the miners may have sought refuge. Other mining companies deliver equipment and personnel to assist in the operation.
Day 12: Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean is a guest on Meet the Press and suggests that the Bush Administration and the Republican Party have conspired to circumvent, dilute, and repeal every worker safety law ever enacted, the recent growth in the scope and influence of OSHA not-with-standing.
Day 17: The news that everyone had hoped for, but that few actually believed, is broadcast to the world. A hole has been drilled to a void more than two thousand feet below the surface. The trapped miners have been found and they are alive!
Day 18: A team of mine experts develops a plan to drill a larger diameter hole, one big enough to implement a rescue operation.
Day 19: EPA Director Carol Browner reports that the construction of a road to the proposed bore location will require an Environmental Impact Statement. She promises an expedited review, one that perhaps could be completed within 60 to 90 days.
Day 21: Germany offers to provide the most advanced high-speed drilling equipment to expedite the rescue process. The White House consults with labor union officials and then declines the offer. There are no union members trained to operate the equipment and its operation round-the-clock would be in violation of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
Day 31: President Obama is asked at a back-yard press-conference if the federal government is doing all that it can to assist in the rescue of the miners. The President responds with an expression that conveys irritation that his near-omnipotence has been questioned. He replies that he cannot suck the miners out of the ground with a straw.
Day 38: Secretary of the Interior announces a moratorium on all underground mining in the County.
Day 39: The governors of West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Nevada send a letter to President Obama, Secretary Salazar, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that the moratorium be lifted. The letter notes that tens of thousands of miners have been put out of work. Speaker Pelosi responds that the best way to get the miners back to work is to give them food stamps.
Day 44: At a congressional hearing on the issue, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords questions the Director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration about the rescue operation. She asks if the agency is utilizing green technologies, such as solar powered lights, to illuminate the rescue site during the evening hours.
Day 47: Senator Harry Reid appears on Good Morning America. He asserts that the mine collapse is the result of risky and unproven mining practices that should never have authorized by the Bush Administration. In a subsequent portion of the interview, he suggests that it is imperative that the entire American health care system be overhauled with the imposition of an untested amalgam of new boards, bureaucracies, IRS agents, and mandates.
Day 51: At the urging of President Obama, the House passes bill that establishes the Mine Safety Regulatory Agency (MRSA). The bill authorizes the expenditure of $10 billion on mine safety issues. The actual expenditure on mine safety consists of a $50,000 grant to researchers at UCLA to study the effects of sunlight deprivation on the libido of South African diamond miners. The balance is for grants that allow individual states to defer dealing with unfunded public employee retirement benefit obligations.
Day 52: A Yemeni national attending school in Fort Collins is arrested along I-70, a mile away from the press village at the mine site. A flat tire has stranded him alongside the highway and the tow-truck driver reports suspicious materials in the rented vehicle. Authorities find plastic explosives, detonating devices, and evidence of recent communication with Al Qaeda members in Pakistan.
Day 54: Secretary Janet Napolitano deflects questions regarding whether the Department of Homeland Security considered the possibility that Al Qaeda might use a live broadcast being beamed to a billion people worldwide as an opportunity to make a statement. She suggests that the suspect was probably a “one-off” devotee of the Uni-bomber. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighs in suggesting the suspect was probably concerned that his Uncle Ali would have to post trans-fat content information on the menu board at his falafel stand in south Buffalo.
Day 60: The large diameter bore hole is completed. Preparation begins for the rescue operation.
Day 69: The world watches as the first miner is lifted to the surface. Vice President Biden is on hand. As the first miner exits the rescue capsule, the Vice President welcomes him back to “Wyoming” and implores him to take off his sunglasses so that the world can see his smiling face. Unfortunately, President Obama is not able to attend. He needs to complete his round of golf early so he can see Michelle and friends off on their three-week trip to Spain.
And that’s the way it is, but it does not have to be. Viva Chile! Viva President Pinera! Viva the American spirit of can-do! Let the reformation begin on November 2.
Randy: hi, THIS is a real GEM to read, thank you.
bye
Randy
14 years ago
“You voted for Obama to prove you’re not a racist. Now, who are you going to vote for to prove you’re not an idiot?” –Commenter at NBC-11 (by way of Doug Ross)
Here’s 50,000 wind farm jobs the Obama administration is crediting to the stimulus. Trouble is, the farms were either built during the Bush administration or finished before the stimulus money was let out. Surprising is that msnbc is exposing it.
Interesting is how the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University did their factchecking, they didn’t rely on what Obama and cronies were “touting.” Because the towers are over 200 feet they checked with the Federal Aviation Administration to see when they were registered. They also checked the utility regulators to find when they started producing.
Keeping in mind, the Dept. of Energy’s senior advisor in his testimony to Congress said the wind farms created 50,000 jobs, imo he either mispoke, had no idea of the facts or lied to Congress. In other words, he was following Obama SOP. 😉
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is crediting its anti-recession stimulus plan with creating up to 50,000 jobs on dozens of wind farms, even though many of those wind farms were built before the stimulus money began to flow or even before President Barack Obama was inaugurated.
Out of 70 major wind farms that received the $4.4 billion in federal energy grants through the stimulus program, public records show that 11, which received a total of $600 million, erected their wind towers during the Bush administration. And a total of 19 wind farms, which received $1.3 billion, were built before any of the stimulus money was distributed. ( See a list of the projects here.)
Yet all the jobs at these wind farms are counted in the administration’s figures for jobs created by the stimulus.
In testimony to Congress earlier this year, the Department of Energy’s senior adviser on the stimulus plan, Matt Rogers, touted the wind farm program for creating as many as 50,000 jobs. He acknowledges that these figures were provided by a wind industry trade and lobbying group. The trade group, in turn, cites a government study, which found that most of the jobs are short term.
The Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University fact-checked that claim, using the federal government’s own documents. Not only were 19 of the wind farms already in place before the first stimulus payments were made, but 14 of them were already sending electricity to the grid.
They have now pushed forward their attempts at revisionist history to include those in recent memory. Is it any wonder they wish to control the ‘Net so as to control even more forcefully the flow of information to the masses?
The very sad thing is that otherwise intelligent people are falling for these charades.
Missy, that one was worthy of an article, great find none the less. However, you seem to specialize in great finds; unfortunately, the Obama administration leaves itself open continuously for sleuths like you. Outstanding Missy, outstanding indeed!
Old Trooper 2
14 years ago
Like the Census Temporary jobs, Construction of Wind Farms, Highway and Bridge repair are All short term and of limited duration. They took a page from the old FDR WPA notes and while it is employment, it is not permanent Public Sector. There should be a clear distinction made on these claims.
There is a barefoot girl in a light blue dress in this photo.
Skook, you must still be recovering from a night on the town!
Randy, between the two trees and a little closer to the one on your right side and directly to the left and under the curved tree in the background, you can see the legs of a girl wearing a blue dress and if you look higher, you can see ca vaguely see the outline of her head and upper body. Initially, I thought it was a double exposure that Curt put up to trick us, but I suppose I am just looking through the “Looking Glass”.
Let me know if I have vectored you onto the target.
I primarily only drink at home and although nights on the town once seemed attractive, I could care less now. Usually, I am so tired, a glass or two of wine will put me down for the count; consequently, it is nearly impossible to have too much.
OK, it looked like a double exposure since I couldn’t see anything at first above the knees.
You must love Howie over at the Jawa Report (http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/) He cuts through the road apples and gets to the point.
Aid Organizations Ask United States to Remove its Logo From Food Aid
BBC:
A group of 11 prominent charities is preparing a letter calling on the US to remove logos on American-funded assistance in Pakistan.
The letter, signed by charities including Save the Children, Oxfam, and World Vision says that such “branding” of aid jeopardises their neutrality.
They say that this is especially dangerous in a country with numerous anti-American militants.
Update: Fatwa issued against Storm Saxon’s Gall Bladder for these ideas
Storm Saxon’s Gall Bladder
We could cover the insensitive labels with bumper stickers of polite lies:
“Aid Package Courtesy of King Charlemange of Gaul”
“Secret Zionist Overlord Foodstuffs with Mind Control Vitamins”
“A gift to the people of Haiti [REJECTED – send to pakistan]”
“Soylent Green”
“Free Crusader Toy in Every Box!”
“Happy Bhudda Rice”
“This box was packed by naked women who could read.”
The letter will be delivered later this week in Washington, officials say.
‘Highly sensitive’
It says that there are “strong indicators” that branding will attract violent attacks for both economic and ideologically-motivated reasons”.
The letter will be sent to the US government aid agency, USAID, by the InterAction group, a coalition of more than 160 humanitarian organisations working around the world.
International charities have for several years refrained from using their own logos in Pakistan because of the security risk.
However the US government, through USAID, requires non-governmental organisations that receive funding to “brand” aid with the agency’s handshake logo and the words “from the American people” in local languages.
Here’s an idea. If the f*cking Pakis don’t like the f*cking free American food, how about we let the God damned stupid dumbshit m*otherf*ckers f*cking starve to death and see how they like that.
Let em go beg from the godless communists.
Spit!
Hat Tip: Her Oyal.
NEWSFLASH!
Obama in The TIMES MAGAZINE admits ”There is No Such thing as a Shovel-Ready Job!”
He’s still setting up those phony straw men arguments, though….
Both straw men are false……
1. The Republicans have not been ”the party of No.”
Obama has insisted pass it w/o reading it and ”I won.”
2. The Republicans have offered many serious proposals only to have Obama turn them into the false line of “my way 100% or you (Republicans) want to go back to the Dark Ages.”
HE think that the AMERICANS will believe his lies again, this time IT’S not BUSH,
BUT the REPUBLICANS HE is targeting, watch him put THE race card after this one,
a regular pattern of his speech, but we know by now,how those lies come in pairs
China has the second largest economy in the world and spends the second most money on its military. It almost equals the U.S. in energy use. The UN is trying to push a world minimum wage of $1 a day. Between 800 million and 900 million Chinese make less than that. The Chinese government must provide 17 million jobs per year to starve off discontent. That’s what the U.S. economy is really up against.
😉
Patriots amongst us…
Vote Smarter..Obama, Biden…no Service…and that chaps my ass big time.
How about you?
FYI
Sunday, October 10, 2010
EPA sued by over 90 entities for ‘Greenhouse’ Gas Regulations
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration’s move to curb ‘greenhouse gases’ using the Environmental Protection Agency has drawn legal challenges from more than 90 companies and trade associations. This could be very interesting since any of these legal challenges conceivably might result in subpoenas issued for infamous warmists such as James Hansen and Michael Mann, forcing them to provide documents and prove their flimsy AGW theory under cross-examination in a court of law. Here’s what happened when James Hansen was ‘boxed in’ on the witness stand once before, dumbfounded when cross-examined and asked to name just one other scientist who agreed with his assertion that sea levels would rise more than 1 meter this century, stating “I could not, instantly.”
Dr. Roy Spencer appears well prepared as an expert witness for the plantiffs.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL OCTOBER 9, 2010
Carbon Curbs by EPA Land in Court Again
OLD TROOPER 2: hi, AS usual, you come in to say the wise thing to do, at the right time,
thank you bye
OT2
I am not sure I could have done what Alan West did in Ramadi. The man has real courage and takes responsibility for his actions. There were a lot of dumb policies going around back then. Soldiers were automatically given an Article 15 for discharging their weapon into the charging barrel. So, they started unloading their weapons before they got to the barrel. W have sent Alan money and wish I could vote for him, too!
Now Randy. Didn’t your Mother teach you not to use language like that in mixed company? (re #5) If she didn’t, I _know_ the military did!
Since I’m old enough to be your Mother – and maybe your Grandmother – I’m telling you now…don’t be using language like that in mixed company!!
(Note: I didn’t say I disagree with you…!)
Suek,
That was Howie from the Jawa Report. I just copied it to show how ignorant PC people in the world really are.
OK…so you’re off the hook! But Howie needs a session with a bar of soap!!
suek: hi, SO MANY charity organisations, there must be a lucrative business to get into,
I bet they have a good credit too on top of the shared percent.
Left the TV on all day for the miners to check in during break time, and also my dog loves FOXNews, Animal Planet scares him, snakes, big cats, etc., not good.
The last one was finally rescued, bless them all, according to the talking heads, they will yet have a rocky road ahead of them, especially the one with the mistress. Could you believe the news had to bring that up at a time like this? Shame on them!
Anyway, hubby was wondering how they managed to get all 33 miners back up out of that hole without Geraldo.
MISSY: hi, I know dogs don’t lie, I’m glad the miners all save from that hole,
FOX is very good on relating the tragedy of the world too. bye
@Skookum: Remember those paintings where there was another picture inside the picture and you had to look through it to see it? Forgot what they were called but they annoyed the hell outta me….there was a Seinfeld episode on it that was hilarious. I just spent 15 minutes trying to do the same thing with this picture because of your comment……rofl. I still can’t see any girl in a dress.
Nope….just liked the photo.
Curt, I looked at the photo for about a second and the girl was there, blue dress and all. I thought, that Curt, what’s he doing to us, hmmmm. A large part of art is how you perceive things. They told me at school I could be an artist and I was thinking to myself in these exact words, “an artist, oh boy, that’s like being the best pizza delivery boy”, I have since matured. I went to school and ended up doing the same stuff I did when I was a young teenager. Oh well, they told me I could be a writer as well, and I am now having fun pursuing that vocation, the one I avoided like a disease. This is all a bit of periphrasis to say that I can usually see things that others miss, but if I had to use it to make a living, I’d be on welfare. 🙁
Now horses, there is something I can understand, 1200 to 1500 hundred pounds that can move faster than you can see and run at 40 miles an hour ( a speed that was once considered fast, President Grant got a ticket for driving his buggy too fast on Pennsylvania Ave.); the ones that are just waiting to destroy another human being, these are my closest friends. People ask me how I can deal with them and I tell them the horses feel sorry for me, they know I see things that others don’t see. 😯
CURT: hi, I saw a form of the girl too; I must say that I use to see animals on the clouds when I was young: clouds and fog play trick on human, often, nice picture,ressemble the other you put on before; It’s the debt of those which are getting observers to find other patterns,
from what I figure it, bye
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/10/barbara-boxer-approved-code-pink-trip-to-fallujah-to-donate-600000-to-extremists-to-murder-us-soldiers/
Interesting to see how our leftists defend this. It wasn’t just Boxer that sent the letter, Kucinich D-OH, Waxman D-CA and the thankfully, now embattled Grijalva D-AZ were in on it too. They all need to go.
The following describes what Iraqis made up the “Resistance” that were participating in killing/attacking our troops…….many were not al Qaeda, not terrorists, or Baathists…they were just part of the population that Code Pink and their whacky networks funded.
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/10/18/meeting_resistance_new_doc_follows_iraqis#
http://video.foxnews.com/v/4372410/beck-are-we-subhuman-or-superhuman/
@Cary:
I don’t think human should be any part of the question. It should be raging, cruel beast or raging, cruel animal. I think I will go with beast, at least you can somewhat pity an afflicted animal.
How do they get that evil in 16 years?
MISSY: THIS is HIGH TREASON, THERE is no other words; and no excuse to this,
NO human right excuse,: TREASON to the SOLDIERS there in HELL,
they should be view as enemys collaborating with enemys abroad,
who gave that money, from what pocket, the FBI should arrest them,
THEY are TRAITORS on highest caliber, they represent more of, who gave
MONEY for their ANTIAMERICAN CAUSE. they deserve to rot in jail,
they are guilty as hell for the DEATH and pain of the soldiers, and the
soldiers from other countrys also.
THOSE who help the ENNEMIES are definitly SUBHUMAN of the worst kind.
WE have a group of SUPERHUMENS right here at FA, and that’s a fact.
SKOOKUM: hi, WHO’S to say that the horses don’t see any spiritual forms,
you know them so much, there must be some stories you have experience on the subject!
bye
@ Randy, there is a statute of limitations on some things but not on others. LTC West did the right thing because he cared about his Troopers. Stan McCrystal did the right thing for the same valid reasons. I never considered my Career as more worth more than my Troopers lives. That is why some of Us retire as less than General Officers or CSMs. But given the choice, my Folks would have volunteered for the Alamo if I would have been sent there, as would I to serve with them.
In the old Yugo Republic, Wes Clark damn near got Us into a shooting war with the Russians. I was there as an with a B Team Commander back in the day and I prefer Smart to Brash on an order of 10 to 1 odds. LTC West made a decision that I can stand with. Stan McCrystal went with his conscience and I respect that. Dave Petraeus is in the hot seat right now, not for Political reasons but out of Patriotism and love of his Troopers and the Country.
I wish that I could say the same for Gates and Mullen. The CiC is more worried about losing the Democrat Party than filling up space at Arlington. Politics and Military just don’t mix. The difference between Military Service and Public Service is a huge moral gap to jump. Politicians just haven’t got that figured out yet because Career Politicos never have to look their Troopers in the eye every day. They look at other liars and have to remember the last lie they told and who they told it to. I don’t have that problem
What a great comment!
Old Trooper 2
28Reply to this comment
I just read something that weighs in on your wisdom with a bit of insight into Obama and his choices in his Administration.
It comes from the San Francisco Chronicle, believe it or not!
OT2
I would have told the Iraqi that since he wouldn’t tell me the names of the people making the bombs, he could go with us on our next missions. Or I may have threatened to take him to a Shia police station and turn him over to the locals with a full disclosure of what we thought he was doing. Did you ever wonder why the Iraqi police need so many more vehicle batteries than they had vehicles? I likely would have had the same results, but I would not have put my command into such a tight situation. I would have given them deniability.
I had one Iraqi we were talking with. (Not captured) All I had to do was to let him know how sorry I was that I had to turn him over to the combat troops. They would hold him for a week or so and then turn him over to Abu Graib. That was after the Iraqis took it over. My SGM got on the radio and called HQ to let them know when we would be leaving and the man told us everything we wanted to know.
CURT, SOMETHING’s is wrong, I gave a comment here. IT struck me to see empty,
I go to my gmail,a comment from Randy, I click and here was all empty,
no randy comment no other comments either,
now i was switch to the right place just now.
@ Randy, even more amusing was parading the Mook through town, announcing that He had talked and then sending him off on his merry way…
Maybe a bit cruel but very effective and not a UCMJ Offense.
Am I getting picky or should I expect an ex-lawyer from Illinois to know better?
🙄
http://drudgereport.com/flash2.htm
I have voted for many years in Illinois, I know I can’t even wear a campaign button when I go to the polls. But, I’m not a former lawyer or,….Michelle Obama, but, she’s FLOTUS, probably has no idea of campaign laws pertaining to the state she was born in. Not like we should expect her to know or respect our law at this point. 🙄
@ Nan G, go here for a look at Who Served…
http://www.whoserved.com/
From soup to nuts, Executive Branch, Legislative and Judicial. These folks work for you. Elected, appointed, some vetted by the Senate and others selected, not elected.
I risked my life for the Nation, these pogues just risk Careers and there Dear Nan lies the difference. Less than 3% of Americans currently serve and you can look for Leadership, Values, Loyalty to the Nation and good folks that swore an Oath to the Constitution and meant every word of it. They don’t get 6 Figure Salaries, they love Country more than Self and not a one that I served
with or answered to ever threw ribbons or medals over a wall onto the White House grounds.
You fight for the guy next to you, you take risks ecause it matters as part of something greater than yourself and have moral courage and values from that experience. Over 20 or 30 years those experiences you collect a pension that is modest, you have friendships that last a lifetime and on occasion you have memories of faces that will never grow old and visit their graves. Community Organizers and Career Politicians never get those snapshots in time.
With Rights come Responsibilities and Service is an Honor, Duty is a calling and we are short on Statesmen and Patriots in office right now. Just my take on it. Sadly, no shortage of Career Politicians…
OLD TROOPER 2: there should be a impressive group of MILITARYS ELECTED
OR chosen by the PRESIDENT in the WHITE HOUSE, they earn those positions,
and they can bring DISCIPLINE on a high stander to a GOVERNMENT who must
be remember at times why they are elected, why they are servants not king.
bye
Breaking News:
Geert Wilders: Not Guilty on ANY Counts!
Free Speech and Freedom of Expression safe in Europe, for now.
Link.
SKOOKUM: hi, YOU mentioned that you can see things that can miss;
I will say yes to that in my case, I notice that you see my mistakes,
where others don’t,
I had to tease you on this one, I could not resist to pass it. bye
A pretty keen read on what America’s Second Greatest Generation does every day. Give it a look see if you can justify the time. They are Patriots, Volunteers and bear dire and grim consequences of having not a Wartime and Decisive POTUS but a Punk Community Organizer that sent too few to do too much because losing the support of the Democrat Party base was just unthinkable and not politically correct … these guys are your Sons, Nephews, Cousins and My Brothers in Arms.
They are not there for money or fame. They don’t have time to play golf or give high minded speeches or apologize for what makes America great. They don’t dine on steak, wagu beef and lobster, or throw grand parties in elegant dining halls. Their actions speak louder than words read off a teleprompter or being awarded an unearned Nobel Prize, selling an auto biography at the age of 40 or so. Some of them just won’t live that long but they are America’s Second Greatest Generation and worthy of your respect.
The Last Patrol
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/the-last-patrol/8266/
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid42950271001?bctid=627006030001
Something from my neck of the woods…
Congress to us: Damn the Constitution, full spending ahead …
http://www.dailyinterlake.com/opinion/columns/frank/article_f5e978a6-d97d-11df-9cb2-001cc4c03286.html
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday. It is cool here in Colorado, but the Sun is shinning and There is a flock of robinns scratching around in the garden for earth worms. The forcast is cooler for the rest of the week. What a nice day for finishing my preperations for winter.
Randy: hi, THOSE ROBINNS not to mistaking pronounce B-Rob,
are probably from my place they left a few days ago, so please give them a second smile for me.
bye
I had to post this from http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/10/if_the_chilean_mine_had_been_i.html
Does this remind anyone of the Oil Spill? LOL
October 17, 2010
If the Chilean Mine Had Been in Colorado
D.K. McGann
Satire –
Watching with moist eye the rescue of the thirty-three miners from the collapsed San Jose mine in Copiopo, Chile I found myself inspired by the sense of purpose and pride displayed by the actors in this all too real life drama. The unbending commitment of each and every Chilean and foreign national involved in rescue operation was genuinely heartwarming. I saw in the president and people of Chile the highest of human instincts, a willingness to come together and help their fellow countrymen in a time of acute need.
It is an instinct that is shared by the citizens of the United States, an innate quality imbedded in the DNA of every American. Or is it? What if Copiopo was located on the western slope of Colorado? Would the story have played out in the same manner? Would the spirit of the American citizen have been dampened by the wet blankets of bureaucracy and political correctness?
Here-to-with, a hypothetical chronology.
News Bulletin (Developing): A collapse occurred this morning in the San Jose copper mine is western Colorado. The cause of the collapse and the status of thirty-tree miners working 2,300′ below the surface are unknown.
Two Hours Later: The White House issues a statement acknowledging the incident. President Obama expresses his concern and notes that the miners and their families are in his thoughts and prayers. He directs all federal agencies to provide immediate assistance.
Day 1: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs meets with the White House press corps. When queried about the possible cause of the collapse he indicates that it is likely the result of the lax enforcement of mine safety rules by the previous administration.
Day 2: There has been no communication with the trapped miners. The Director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration holds a press conference in Copiopo, Colorado. He suggests that while hope for the rescue of the miners is slim, his agency will continue to study all available options. He announces a criminal investigation that will leave no stone unturned regarding potential safety violations at the San Jose mine.
Day 5: The operators of the San Jose Mine begin drilling a small diameter hole to a location where the miners may have sought refuge. Other mining companies deliver equipment and personnel to assist in the operation.
Day 12: Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean is a guest on Meet the Press and suggests that the Bush Administration and the Republican Party have conspired to circumvent, dilute, and repeal every worker safety law ever enacted, the recent growth in the scope and influence of OSHA not-with-standing.
Day 17: The news that everyone had hoped for, but that few actually believed, is broadcast to the world. A hole has been drilled to a void more than two thousand feet below the surface. The trapped miners have been found and they are alive!
Day 18: A team of mine experts develops a plan to drill a larger diameter hole, one big enough to implement a rescue operation.
Day 19: EPA Director Carol Browner reports that the construction of a road to the proposed bore location will require an Environmental Impact Statement. She promises an expedited review, one that perhaps could be completed within 60 to 90 days.
Day 21: Germany offers to provide the most advanced high-speed drilling equipment to expedite the rescue process. The White House consults with labor union officials and then declines the offer. There are no union members trained to operate the equipment and its operation round-the-clock would be in violation of the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
Day 31: President Obama is asked at a back-yard press-conference if the federal government is doing all that it can to assist in the rescue of the miners. The President responds with an expression that conveys irritation that his near-omnipotence has been questioned. He replies that he cannot suck the miners out of the ground with a straw.
Day 38: Secretary of the Interior announces a moratorium on all underground mining in the County.
Day 39: The governors of West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Nevada send a letter to President Obama, Secretary Salazar, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi requesting that the moratorium be lifted. The letter notes that tens of thousands of miners have been put out of work. Speaker Pelosi responds that the best way to get the miners back to work is to give them food stamps.
Day 44: At a congressional hearing on the issue, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords questions the Director of the Mine Safety and Health Administration about the rescue operation. She asks if the agency is utilizing green technologies, such as solar powered lights, to illuminate the rescue site during the evening hours.
Day 47: Senator Harry Reid appears on Good Morning America. He asserts that the mine collapse is the result of risky and unproven mining practices that should never have authorized by the Bush Administration. In a subsequent portion of the interview, he suggests that it is imperative that the entire American health care system be overhauled with the imposition of an untested amalgam of new boards, bureaucracies, IRS agents, and mandates.
Day 51: At the urging of President Obama, the House passes bill that establishes the Mine Safety Regulatory Agency (MRSA). The bill authorizes the expenditure of $10 billion on mine safety issues. The actual expenditure on mine safety consists of a $50,000 grant to researchers at UCLA to study the effects of sunlight deprivation on the libido of South African diamond miners. The balance is for grants that allow individual states to defer dealing with unfunded public employee retirement benefit obligations.
Day 52: A Yemeni national attending school in Fort Collins is arrested along I-70, a mile away from the press village at the mine site. A flat tire has stranded him alongside the highway and the tow-truck driver reports suspicious materials in the rented vehicle. Authorities find plastic explosives, detonating devices, and evidence of recent communication with Al Qaeda members in Pakistan.
Day 54: Secretary Janet Napolitano deflects questions regarding whether the Department of Homeland Security considered the possibility that Al Qaeda might use a live broadcast being beamed to a billion people worldwide as an opportunity to make a statement. She suggests that the suspect was probably a “one-off” devotee of the Uni-bomber. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg weighs in suggesting the suspect was probably concerned that his Uncle Ali would have to post trans-fat content information on the menu board at his falafel stand in south Buffalo.
Day 60: The large diameter bore hole is completed. Preparation begins for the rescue operation.
Day 69: The world watches as the first miner is lifted to the surface. Vice President Biden is on hand. As the first miner exits the rescue capsule, the Vice President welcomes him back to “Wyoming” and implores him to take off his sunglasses so that the world can see his smiling face. Unfortunately, President Obama is not able to attend. He needs to complete his round of golf early so he can see Michelle and friends off on their three-week trip to Spain.
And that’s the way it is, but it does not have to be. Viva Chile! Viva President Pinera! Viva the American spirit of can-do! Let the reformation begin on November 2.
Randy: hi, THIS is a real GEM to read, thank you.
bye
“You voted for Obama to prove you’re not a racist. Now, who are you going to vote for to prove you’re not an idiot?” –Commenter at NBC-11 (by way of Doug Ross)
http://michellemalkin.com/2010/10/17/ap-poll-obama-voters/
Here’s 50,000 wind farm jobs the Obama administration is crediting to the stimulus. Trouble is, the farms were either built during the Bush administration or finished before the stimulus money was let out. Surprising is that msnbc is exposing it.
Interesting is how the Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University did their factchecking, they didn’t rely on what Obama and cronies were “touting.” Because the towers are over 200 feet they checked with the Federal Aviation Administration to see when they were registered. They also checked the utility regulators to find when they started producing.
Keeping in mind, the Dept. of Energy’s senior advisor in his testimony to Congress said the wind farms created 50,000 jobs, imo he either mispoke, had no idea of the facts or lied to Congress. In other words, he was following Obama SOP. 😉
More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39759042/ns/business/
@Missy
They have now pushed forward their attempts at revisionist history to include those in recent memory. Is it any wonder they wish to control the ‘Net so as to control even more forcefully the flow of information to the masses?
The very sad thing is that otherwise intelligent people are falling for these charades.
Missy, that one was worthy of an article, great find none the less. However, you seem to specialize in great finds; unfortunately, the Obama administration leaves itself open continuously for sleuths like you. Outstanding Missy, outstanding indeed!
Like the Census Temporary jobs, Construction of Wind Farms, Highway and Bridge repair are All short term and of limited duration. They took a page from the old FDR WPA notes and while it is employment, it is not permanent Public Sector. There should be a clear distinction made on these claims.