Monday, January 31, 2005
The Moral Superiority of Old Europe
Ah yes, Old Europe. The culture. The sophistication. The worldliness. None of that crass American provincialism or ignorance. Old Europe, admired by liberals as the epitome of human civilization, societies which have progressed beyond the greedy selfishness of America, and realize that the citizen is entitled to the full social protection of the state, paid for by the taxes of other citizens. Free of the backward morality of the drooling bible-thumping imbeciles who populate the American heartland, Old Europe is the enlightened, open-minded model for modern society.
Uh huh.
Germany recently joined other modern open-minded socially liberal nations in Europe and legalized prostitution. With the un-freakin'-believable result that a woman who declined work as a prostitute is in danger of losing her unemployment benefits for declining a position of gainful employment.
Little Green Footballs has the story.
Uh huh.
Germany recently joined other modern open-minded socially liberal nations in Europe and legalized prostitution. With the un-freakin'-believable result that a woman who declined work as a prostitute is in danger of losing her unemployment benefits for declining a position of gainful employment.
Little Green Footballs has the story.
The Relative Value of Human Life
Someone sent this to me, and I can't vouch for its authenticity. If it's true, it's a sobering - and sad - commentary.
By Rush Limbaugh
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million. If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt. Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma Citybombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well. You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle Eastwhile their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense? However, our own U.S. Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting. "When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can. How many people can YOU send this to?
By Rush Limbaugh
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million. If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt. Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma Citybombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well. You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle Eastwhile their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense? However, our own U.S. Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting. "When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can. How many people can YOU send this to?
Friday, January 28, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
The "Deadliest Day" and the Quagmire
The loss of any human life is tragic to someone. The loss of lives of those who are innocent, or are trying to do the right thing by human civilization, all the moreso. So the news that 37 American soldiers and marines (31 of them in a single helicopter crash) died in what is the single "deadliest day" since the Iraq war began is a tragedy of larger proportions, simply because more lives are touched. But while Kerry runs around shrieking about the "Quagmire" and "Bush's Vietnam", it is useful to put this loss of life in perspective. Not to diminish the loss of any individual life, but to bring some perspective to the political rhetoric.
In a single two week period in April, 98 Americans were killed, prompting MSM hysteria amid claims that the casualty rate in Iraq is approaching that of the Viet Nam war. This was based on the claim that this was the highest number of American combat casualties in a two-week period since 1971. At about the same time, MSM reports shouted that the casualty rate was comparable to Viet Nam... IF you discounted for medical advances, better evacuation procedures, the relative number of soldiers in the theater, etc. etc. etc. In other words, if we discount the Viet Nam casualties to account for changed circumstances, the casualty rate is similar.
Somehow, I doubt that those who lost loved ones in Viet Nam would appreciate having those lost lives discounted, the way we adjust dollar values to account for inflation. So let's presume that a life is a life, and look at some numbers that put the loss of life in some historical perspective, for the benefit of those among us who are still unable to see the Viet Nam era as history.
The 98 soldiers killed in a two week period in April were the highest since 1971. However, during a two-week period in April of 1968, there were 752 Americans killed in action. You see, you have to be pretty selective to find data that makes Iraq resemble Viet Nam, or you have to apply that "discount".
In 2000, in the United States, there were 15,517 murders reported. Even allowing for the extra day in that year, this works out to an average of 42.396 murders per day. So every single day of the year 2000 in the U.S. was more deadly than the "deadliest day" in Iraq. And these are just murders, not traffic accidents, drownings, plane crashes, etc., etc.
It is impossible to overstate, in human terms, the value of each and every one of those 37 American lives lost. But at the same time, it can be very easy to overstate the level of the loss of life in historical terms.
In a single two week period in April, 98 Americans were killed, prompting MSM hysteria amid claims that the casualty rate in Iraq is approaching that of the Viet Nam war. This was based on the claim that this was the highest number of American combat casualties in a two-week period since 1971. At about the same time, MSM reports shouted that the casualty rate was comparable to Viet Nam... IF you discounted for medical advances, better evacuation procedures, the relative number of soldiers in the theater, etc. etc. etc. In other words, if we discount the Viet Nam casualties to account for changed circumstances, the casualty rate is similar.
Somehow, I doubt that those who lost loved ones in Viet Nam would appreciate having those lost lives discounted, the way we adjust dollar values to account for inflation. So let's presume that a life is a life, and look at some numbers that put the loss of life in some historical perspective, for the benefit of those among us who are still unable to see the Viet Nam era as history.
The 98 soldiers killed in a two week period in April were the highest since 1971. However, during a two-week period in April of 1968, there were 752 Americans killed in action. You see, you have to be pretty selective to find data that makes Iraq resemble Viet Nam, or you have to apply that "discount".
In 2000, in the United States, there were 15,517 murders reported. Even allowing for the extra day in that year, this works out to an average of 42.396 murders per day. So every single day of the year 2000 in the U.S. was more deadly than the "deadliest day" in Iraq. And these are just murders, not traffic accidents, drownings, plane crashes, etc., etc.
It is impossible to overstate, in human terms, the value of each and every one of those 37 American lives lost. But at the same time, it can be very easy to overstate the level of the loss of life in historical terms.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Our Story Thus Far...the names have been deleted to protect the innocent
From: Bandy, George
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 11:20 AM
To:
Subject: Blue State Secession
Time to put a little reality check on the "secession" nonsense. And that's what it is, nonsense. Outside of the northeastern states, which really are pretty liberal and are mostly pretty small, where do you see a blue STATE? Look at the county by county map...there are no blue states outside of the extreme northeast, there are states which have densely populated urban areas which are blue, the remainder of the state being red. If these states actually voted on secession, turnout in the red areas would be nearly 100% against. And as for the blue areas, the vast majority of these urban populations (i.e. Philly, Chicago) aren't liberal intellectuals. They vote democrat because they believe it will result in additional services or benefits being provided by the government, whether it’s health care, education, or food subsidies. They are not going to vote to leave the country that furnishes those benefits. Asking these people to vote for a liberal in the hope of getting something from the government is one thing. Asking them to vote to stop being Americans is something else.
From: Bandy, George
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:47 AM
To:
Subject: The Specter Spectacle
Stick to your guns! Conservatives are starting to sound like liberals..."let's marginalize anybody who doesn't agree with us". Conservatives alone did not elect Bush; conservatives alone can NOT govern effectively. If we begin eating our own "not conservative enough for us" brethren, we will end up like the "not liberal enough for us" democrats, and everyone - believe me, it constitutes an electoral majority - who falls anywhere from Lieberman and Bayh to Giuliani and McCain will be up for grabs in future elections.
From: Bandy, George
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 8:48 AM
To:
Subject: A Question for the Democrats
The question the democrats should be asking themselves is, "what would this election have looked like without the 18 month all Bush-bashing all the time MSM effort?"
That Bush was able to win after the partisan efforts of virtually all major media is amazing. That he was able to win decisively should be a real wake up call. Especially considering the possibility that by four years from now, the credibility of the MSM may well have diminished to the point that such efforts will have little or no effect.
The party that gave Michael Moore a seat of honor at its national convention had better be taking a long hard look at itself, not trying to explain away its decimation as the result of a massive turnout by bible-thumping gun-toting fundamentalist neanderthal homophobic trailer park dwelling morons.
While there may be no shortage of morons out there, I believe the democrats are looking for them at the wrong end of the political spectrum.
Nov. 4, 2004
Guess Carl Rove's evil mind control ray was working at full power Tuesday. I don't know what Zogby was smoking, but I wish I had some. His state by state was incomprehensible. The last Pew national released on 10/31, had the popular vote right. My final prediction was 51-47. I thought about 1% of democrats would vote against Bush, but go third party because they want Hillary in '08. Guess I outsmarted myself on that one. I had all the states right except Wisconsin. The exit polls must have been done by Zogby, too. The 59-41 w/m explanation doesn't really explain the numbers. Personally, I think the exit pollsters were had by a democrat slamming operation, where you stack the poll by having your people come out of the polling place, with or without being actual voters, and make themselves available (volunteer?) to take the poll. Unfortunately, the Republicans probably will screw it up by trying to push too conservative an agenda. They need to ease back to the center just a bit, and they could recapture that entire Reagan Democrat base, which Clinton stole. There's a lot more of them than there are Pat Buchanan Republicans. I like the ideas of tax code reform, and I don't think W is talking about tinkering. I think he's talking about major restructuring. W is not the dummy his enemies like to think, and he is not an election-driven politician. This guy really has vision. Funny, you always think of republicans as the old-fashioned, don't rock the boat types, but in this election, W is the guy with a sweeping vision of the future, with some almost radical ideas, and Kerry was the candidate of the past, the old Washington establishment. I also like the idea of a start toward privatizing social security. But then I liked that idea back in 80 when Big Ron talked about it. And I don't give a rat's ass how W pronounces "nuclear", at least he knows that letting the mad mullahs of Tehran have it is NOT a good idea. Daschle...yuck. I got to the point with him where I had that same visceral reaction I always had (have) with Clinton. Kind of like unexpectedly encountering three-day-old road kill on the sidewalk. Hope the Supreme Court Guys announce retirements immediately, while the object lesson of Daschle and the price of unreasonable obstructionism is fresh in every one's mind. Chavez might get a SC nomination now...4 democrats voted against the filibuster on him, and Landrieu has since said she would support him, and that gets you to 60. Speaking of three day old roadkill, what the hell is Dan Rather still doing on TV? After Fox called Ohio for Bush I switched over to CBS to watch Rather squirm. It was kind of pathetic, watching the old buzzard babble incoherently about some idiotic idea of Kerry still pulling it out. I half expected him to suddenly whip out a memo from the secret files of the electoral college saying Kerry won. When he said other networks had called Ohio but CBS policy was to make sure to get it right before putting it on the air I almost had a stroke. On the subject of fake documents, my bet is, if we live long enough, we find out that Kerry's original discharge was less than honorable NOT because of his cavorting with commies in Paris, but because HE NEVER SHOWED UP FOR HIS RESERVE DUTY (hmmmmmm...where have we heard that before?) and that's why he had the new one issued after Carter's amnesty. Hope the Swiftboat guys sleep well tonight, and for the rest of the nights of their lives. They have once again answered the call and served their country honorably. About 2:15 last night they said Teddy Kennedy had arrived at Kerry's townhouse in Boston. First thing that popped into my head was "Hey, I thought closing time in Boston used to be later than it is around here". I suspect the left wingnuts will retreat further into the fever swamp and await Michael Moore's next pile of filth, while nursing their grudges over the "stolen election" of 2000 and other imaginary causes, leaving centrist democrats ripe for the picking by the Clintonistas. But W may get there first, with or without the republican congress in tow. I'm telling you, that guy is a MUCH shrewder politician than people think. I think W should push Ed Koch for Sec Gen'l of the UN. This guy ran New York City, can you see him putting up with the French and their bullshit endless meetings about what to do about Darfur, etc.? Besides, he's Jewish, so all the wacko Arabs would drop out. Good riddance. I would wish Yasser Arafat a long and agonizing death, except that the sooner he dies, the better. Thank you Jimmy Carter for strong-arming the world into treating that filthy murdering terrorist as a head of state. Never mind that no such state ever existed. If you get a chance, get hold of the transcript of the complete Bin Laden tape, including the part where he bemoans the Afghan election and the inability of the true believers to cause bloodshed and disruption. Oh yeah, and the part where he complains about how hard it's gotten to run a terrorist enterprise with the damned Americans always breathing down his neck. But here's the really scary part: I think this tape represents his opening move in a campaign to make like Arafat and convert himself from a terrorist to a statesman. And he's clearly targeting the left wingnuts in America with his "message", which is partially derived from... Fahrenhiet 9/11! Sounds ridiculous now, but don't be surprised if that doddering imbecile Carter, probably through French intermediaries, establishes contact with him. Morons like Carter will never understand that some people just flat out need to be killed. Hey, if you happen to still have that last long e-mail I sent you with the election prediction stuff in it, could you send me a copy? Well, enough for tonight. Tell everybody I said "hi".
Nov. 2, 2004
Pass the word: if you guys are seeing the supposed "first exit poll numbers", IGNORE THEM. these are NOT exit polls. they are raw numbers and based on a 59-41 women/men sample.
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 11:20 AM
To:
Subject: Blue State Secession
Time to put a little reality check on the "secession" nonsense. And that's what it is, nonsense. Outside of the northeastern states, which really are pretty liberal and are mostly pretty small, where do you see a blue STATE? Look at the county by county map...there are no blue states outside of the extreme northeast, there are states which have densely populated urban areas which are blue, the remainder of the state being red. If these states actually voted on secession, turnout in the red areas would be nearly 100% against. And as for the blue areas, the vast majority of these urban populations (i.e. Philly, Chicago) aren't liberal intellectuals. They vote democrat because they believe it will result in additional services or benefits being provided by the government, whether it’s health care, education, or food subsidies. They are not going to vote to leave the country that furnishes those benefits. Asking these people to vote for a liberal in the hope of getting something from the government is one thing. Asking them to vote to stop being Americans is something else.
From: Bandy, George
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:47 AM
To:
Subject: The Specter Spectacle
Stick to your guns! Conservatives are starting to sound like liberals..."let's marginalize anybody who doesn't agree with us". Conservatives alone did not elect Bush; conservatives alone can NOT govern effectively. If we begin eating our own "not conservative enough for us" brethren, we will end up like the "not liberal enough for us" democrats, and everyone - believe me, it constitutes an electoral majority - who falls anywhere from Lieberman and Bayh to Giuliani and McCain will be up for grabs in future elections.
From: Bandy, George
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 8:48 AM
To:
Subject: A Question for the Democrats
The question the democrats should be asking themselves is, "what would this election have looked like without the 18 month all Bush-bashing all the time MSM effort?"
That Bush was able to win after the partisan efforts of virtually all major media is amazing. That he was able to win decisively should be a real wake up call. Especially considering the possibility that by four years from now, the credibility of the MSM may well have diminished to the point that such efforts will have little or no effect.
The party that gave Michael Moore a seat of honor at its national convention had better be taking a long hard look at itself, not trying to explain away its decimation as the result of a massive turnout by bible-thumping gun-toting fundamentalist neanderthal homophobic trailer park dwelling morons.
While there may be no shortage of morons out there, I believe the democrats are looking for them at the wrong end of the political spectrum.
Nov. 4, 2004
Guess Carl Rove's evil mind control ray was working at full power Tuesday. I don't know what Zogby was smoking, but I wish I had some. His state by state was incomprehensible. The last Pew national released on 10/31, had the popular vote right. My final prediction was 51-47. I thought about 1% of democrats would vote against Bush, but go third party because they want Hillary in '08. Guess I outsmarted myself on that one. I had all the states right except Wisconsin. The exit polls must have been done by Zogby, too. The 59-41 w/m explanation doesn't really explain the numbers. Personally, I think the exit pollsters were had by a democrat slamming operation, where you stack the poll by having your people come out of the polling place, with or without being actual voters, and make themselves available (volunteer?) to take the poll. Unfortunately, the Republicans probably will screw it up by trying to push too conservative an agenda. They need to ease back to the center just a bit, and they could recapture that entire Reagan Democrat base, which Clinton stole. There's a lot more of them than there are Pat Buchanan Republicans. I like the ideas of tax code reform, and I don't think W is talking about tinkering. I think he's talking about major restructuring. W is not the dummy his enemies like to think, and he is not an election-driven politician. This guy really has vision. Funny, you always think of republicans as the old-fashioned, don't rock the boat types, but in this election, W is the guy with a sweeping vision of the future, with some almost radical ideas, and Kerry was the candidate of the past, the old Washington establishment. I also like the idea of a start toward privatizing social security. But then I liked that idea back in 80 when Big Ron talked about it. And I don't give a rat's ass how W pronounces "nuclear", at least he knows that letting the mad mullahs of Tehran have it is NOT a good idea. Daschle...yuck. I got to the point with him where I had that same visceral reaction I always had (have) with Clinton. Kind of like unexpectedly encountering three-day-old road kill on the sidewalk. Hope the Supreme Court Guys announce retirements immediately, while the object lesson of Daschle and the price of unreasonable obstructionism is fresh in every one's mind. Chavez might get a SC nomination now...4 democrats voted against the filibuster on him, and Landrieu has since said she would support him, and that gets you to 60. Speaking of three day old roadkill, what the hell is Dan Rather still doing on TV? After Fox called Ohio for Bush I switched over to CBS to watch Rather squirm. It was kind of pathetic, watching the old buzzard babble incoherently about some idiotic idea of Kerry still pulling it out. I half expected him to suddenly whip out a memo from the secret files of the electoral college saying Kerry won. When he said other networks had called Ohio but CBS policy was to make sure to get it right before putting it on the air I almost had a stroke. On the subject of fake documents, my bet is, if we live long enough, we find out that Kerry's original discharge was less than honorable NOT because of his cavorting with commies in Paris, but because HE NEVER SHOWED UP FOR HIS RESERVE DUTY (hmmmmmm...where have we heard that before?) and that's why he had the new one issued after Carter's amnesty. Hope the Swiftboat guys sleep well tonight, and for the rest of the nights of their lives. They have once again answered the call and served their country honorably. About 2:15 last night they said Teddy Kennedy had arrived at Kerry's townhouse in Boston. First thing that popped into my head was "Hey, I thought closing time in Boston used to be later than it is around here". I suspect the left wingnuts will retreat further into the fever swamp and await Michael Moore's next pile of filth, while nursing their grudges over the "stolen election" of 2000 and other imaginary causes, leaving centrist democrats ripe for the picking by the Clintonistas. But W may get there first, with or without the republican congress in tow. I'm telling you, that guy is a MUCH shrewder politician than people think. I think W should push Ed Koch for Sec Gen'l of the UN. This guy ran New York City, can you see him putting up with the French and their bullshit endless meetings about what to do about Darfur, etc.? Besides, he's Jewish, so all the wacko Arabs would drop out. Good riddance. I would wish Yasser Arafat a long and agonizing death, except that the sooner he dies, the better. Thank you Jimmy Carter for strong-arming the world into treating that filthy murdering terrorist as a head of state. Never mind that no such state ever existed. If you get a chance, get hold of the transcript of the complete Bin Laden tape, including the part where he bemoans the Afghan election and the inability of the true believers to cause bloodshed and disruption. Oh yeah, and the part where he complains about how hard it's gotten to run a terrorist enterprise with the damned Americans always breathing down his neck. But here's the really scary part: I think this tape represents his opening move in a campaign to make like Arafat and convert himself from a terrorist to a statesman. And he's clearly targeting the left wingnuts in America with his "message", which is partially derived from... Fahrenhiet 9/11! Sounds ridiculous now, but don't be surprised if that doddering imbecile Carter, probably through French intermediaries, establishes contact with him. Morons like Carter will never understand that some people just flat out need to be killed. Hey, if you happen to still have that last long e-mail I sent you with the election prediction stuff in it, could you send me a copy? Well, enough for tonight. Tell everybody I said "hi".
Nov. 2, 2004
Pass the word: if you guys are seeing the supposed "first exit poll numbers", IGNORE THEM. these are NOT exit polls. they are raw numbers and based on a 59-41 women/men sample.
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