Volunteer radar gunslingers nail speeders

No really, I do!

There is nothing that really lights a fire for me today. The most interesting thing I saw on my morning surf was Rufini’s breakdown of Romney.

Oh, and 7th Son is saying that the RNC is making sure MN’s Feb 5 Caucus is more important.

The California fires. Where’s Al Gore with all his hurricanes? You don’t think this could be God’s reveneg for giving that nutjob an emmy for that movie implying man beats God when it comes to weather?

Wow, so the first nice day in weeks, and I was busting my arse at the day job. I had plans of running up to get the boat tonight, but am way too pooped to do so. I was cutting grass and picking up leaves, something we haven’t been able to do due to all the rain we have had in October.

I just got a shower, got all the dirt and dust off. I also just played with the boys (my dogs) in the back yard, and they are now pooped too. Time for some dinner, some home tasks, and then to bed. It is supposed to be nice again tomorrow, and we have a ton of stuff to do to finish up getting the grounds ready for winter.

I’ll try to take a look around the intertubes and see if anything requires my attention. If not, night night Jonboy.

CDS, Clinton Derangement Syndrome.

That’s the MSM’s meme for the Republican POTUS battle. In story after story they try to portray us in the light that their party has been stuck in for 7 years now, only in our case, rather than Bush, we’re all about bashing Clinton. To this day, the Democrats and their MSM allies are running against Bush and ‘his administration’. I don’t see how trying to tie every Republican on the ballot to Bush is not similar, but it is the media after all. And they will do everything in their power to help defeat Republicans.

The Republicans debated again last night, and for some reason the MSM thinks mentioning the presumptive Democratic nominee is out of line. And as is becoming all too common place here in Minnesota, a local lefty TV news anchor is no longer hiding her bias and is letting her politics get in the way of her reporting.

Alix the Anti-War Reporter, Exposes Her Bias Once Again

Alix Kendall who was caught trying to ‘anonymously’ donate $500 to Al Franken’s PAC during the 2006 Elections this Spring, reported on last night’s Republican debate this morning on FOX 9 News, and she used “fringe” to describe it.

It isn’t the first time I have seen her political opinions shine through, heck, take a look at her response to the FrankenPAC defense.

[...] But marching in a war protest isn’t an option, being a recognizable person, so we give with our checkbook. I don’t think that working for a news organization I give up my rights. I interview plenty of people that I don’t agree with, but I also ask questions to get the other side. I think it’s actually an advantage — in a news organization we have people of many political views. We have healthy debates. I think it’s my civic duty to be involved in what matters to me. [...] (Source MSNBC)

A slip of the lip, or is the local FOX affiliate no longer sharing the ‘Fair and balanced’ line that their parent FOX News does? She is quickly climbing up the crowded ladder of ‘fringe’ lefty local TV reporters. Sadly, most of her competition can be found on the local FOX affiliate.

She may not be able to march publicly with fellow anti-war lefties, but that doesn’t stop her from from bringing her bias to the news desk. She slips in little nuggets here and there, just like she did today with “fringe”. Just wait until the US Senate candidate start making the rounds at the Fair next year. You’ll get to see first hand the beeming giddy smile when Franken comes on, and scowl when Coleman does.

So the US Senate is trying to figure out how they too can be on the list for a nobel prize, they want to destroy our economy, and restrict our freedoms as citizens.

WASHINGTON — A Senate blueprint for tackling global warming would require power plants and vehicles to reduce their greenhouse gases by 70 percent. A chief sponsor said President Bush’s approach of voluntary action will not meet the goal.

Did you catch that? “Voluntary” action isn’t good enough. Here comes the steel heel of oppression.

From what the special interests who are pushing as far as action, it is a damn fine thing they haven’t taken away our 2nd Amendment rights. Yes, that is not so you can protect yourself while walking down alleys. It is to protect yourself should your Government try to take away your freedoms and rights.

That is the aim of the Al Gore global lunacy crowd. They are using fearmongering to destroy our capitalistic society, and worse, create their social conformity eutopia. Think Soviet Russia, only worse.

Do you realize there is virtually no way to reduce powerplant emmissions by 70% except by reducing output? That means your own personal usage will also be cut.

But not one has the strong bipartisan support. In addition to Warner, Republican Sens. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Susan Collins of Maine are co-sponsors, as is Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

“It is imperative that our nation acts now to address the concerns over growing greenhouse gas emissions, while carefully addressing the effects it could have on working families and our economy,” Coleman said.

Of course Coleman is a sponsor.

Hey, look, more demoralized conservatives. It is an election year Norm, you need us to defend you and work for you, not constantly work to keep you aligned with us.

Just imagine if all those calls and emails were on your behalf, rather than directed at you.

Oh and so you blind loyalists in the GOP, just to give you an idea of how bad this legislation is, Sen. Klobuchar is piling on too.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is the author — along with Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine — of a so-called “carbon counter” provision in the Lieberman-Warner bill that would establish a national greenhouse gas reporting registry.

This is not the kind of working across the isle people on the right have in mind. Why is it that Democrats never cross over to our side? Nope it is always people like Coleman working on liberal issues. Frankly, it is nothing to brag about.

Government-imposed limits would cover about three-fourths of all releases of greenhouse gases. Warner and Lieberman say other parts of the legislation could lead to further emissions cuts from sources such as private homes, which are not covered in the restrictions. Examples include new energy efficiency requirements and possibly more stringent actions that state could have permission to take.

Your private home!

The measure attracted broad support among environmentalists, although some said it did not go far enough and would not achieve reduction levels needed to stabilize greenhouses gases in the atmosphere to avoid the serious climate impact.

Lieberman and Warner said the reductions — if other countries act as well — would be enough to stabilize the gases at safe levels.

But emerging economic powerhouse nations won’t act, and this pandering to the environutters will put America on the fast track to economic irrelevancy in the world market. (Gee, you don’t think that is their goal?)

Lashoff said the bill does not cover all sources of greenhouse gases. But he said it would provide incentives for states to adopt additional measures such as new building codes and energy efficiency investments that would lead to further emission reductions.

Steve Cochran, climate campaign director at Environmental Defense, said the diverse group of senators supporting the measure “reflects growing momentum” for mandatory action on climate change. “The momentum has never been greater,” said Cochran.

“Mandatory”

Some lawmakers, however, are concerned about the economic impact, such as higher gasoline prices and rising energy costs from the cost of capturing carbon from power plants.

“This is going to be a long, contentious piece of legislation,” Warner said.

In other words, how much this will cost every American doesn’t matter to the Senators supporting the environmental lunacy. Nope, your freedoms, rights, and personal choice can no longer be trusted. The US Government is stepping in to and going to decide just how we can live our lives.

Anyone who supports this and votes for this legislation in Congress had better be prepared for the repercussions. The email threads and discussion at the grassroots levels in the GOP and conservative movement are racking up all the different ways Republicans like Coleman are repeatedly letting us down.

I believe there is a pretty large group of conservatives who won’t support Coleman anymore no matter what, and a growing number of people seriously wondering why in the world they should bust their butts to get him elected. We feel on most of the critical issues on our conservative agenda, that Coleman is no better than the Democrat.  He’s pissed off too many of us, and continues to rhetorically spit in our face with his liberal positions on core principles.

This legislation is opening the door that leads to a Government our founders and forefathers revolted from. Intrusive and oppressive. Dictating our habits and choices. Forcing us to pay for programs and initiatives we disagree with and that are in direct conflict with our liberties.

I know that the day my Government tries to tell me exactly how I have to live my life, is the day that I know America has failed.

The US Senate might as well just go down to the National Archives and shred the Constitution.

Well Nancy Pelosi once again failed in her role as leader. Or did she?

The US House failed to override the President’s veto of the Hillary Care-esque SCHIP bill.
273 - 156

Despite IDing 44 RINOs, the 2/3rds majority was not reached.

In Minnesota, the 5 Democrats did vote to expand the entittlement program, along with 1 R(INO)epublican. The soon to be former Rep. Jim Ramstad (MN 3) voted with Pelosi and the Democrats.

Reps. Michele Bachman (MN6) and John Kline (MN 2) both voted to sustain the veto.

I heard a radio clip of Pelosi, and she said it was nothing but “lies” being used against the bill. Well, if they arguments against the bill were all lies, why couldn’t the grand Pelosi manage to override the veto?

I almost have to wonder if Democrats won’t consider making a move in the Speaker of the House, should they manage to maintain control following the 2008 elections.

That’s the ratio of water needed to produce just one (1) gallon of ethanol according to a Cornell ecology professor.

A lot of people are coming to the conclusion that growing corn to create ethanol is a bad alternative for our fossil-fuel addiction, as reported in my column last week. If you have a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, check out the lead editorial Wednesday, titled “Ethanol’s Water Shortage.” The editorial says, in part: “Heavily subsidized and absurdly inefficient, corn-based ethanol has already driven up food prices. But the Senate’s plan to increase production to 36 billion gallons by 2022, from less than 7 billion today, will place even greater pressure on farm-belt aquifers. Ethanol plants consume roughly four gallons of water to produce each gallon of fuel, but that’s only a fraction of ethanol’s total water habit. Cornell ecology professor David Pimentel says that when you count the water needed to grow the corn, one gallon of ethanol requires a staggering 1,700 gallons of H2O.” (Source: MSM Money)

Say what you will about not believing how much water is needed to grow the corn, but you can’t argue with the fact that the ethanol plants alone slurp up 4 gallons of water to make a single gallon of ethanol produced.

In Minnesota we produced 550 million (550,000,000) gallons of ethanol in 2006. That means ethanol refineries consumed 2.2 billion (2,200,000,000) gallons of water just to make ethanol. The production of ethanol in Minnesota is expected to go up to 620 million gallons (620,000,000) in 2007, meaning 2.48 billion (2,480,000,000) gallons of water will be consumed by ethanol plants this year alone. (Source: MN Dept of Agriculture)

That is just in Minnesota.

I’m asking for intellectual and political honesty here. Is it worth it?

I know politically, a lot of people think it is ridding ourselves of our “addiction” to middle east oil, so it is worth it. BUT we get more of our oil from the Americas then we do from the middle east. In fact, in 2005, Mexico was our top oil supplier. Plus we have a whole lot of our own domestic oil we won’t allow ourselves to get due to environutter policies.

Take a look at the graphs below. See if you notice a problematic trend?

(Source: EIA)

Oh, and please don’t forget that we get thousands of different products from crude oil. It isn’t just used for gasoline, take a look at just a brief sample of what else comes out of crude oil.

That’s where intellectual honesty is required. New extraction processes for oil are far more environmentally friendly than than consuming billions of gallons of water simply to produce an alternative fuel like ethanol. It is supposed to be renewable, and well sure you can grow more corn, but what about the water? It is kinda hard to replace that. Not to mention the long term risks of pollution from pesticides and herbicides from agricultural runoff into lakes, streams, and rivers. And then, you have to take into account, all the subsidies required for ethanol in the first place. Oh, and then, you have to still import some crude, to make all the other products.

So ask yourself, is ethanol worth it, just to feel good and green politically?

I’m praying we stop this insanity, before it is too late.

Here’s another example of a problem with relying too heavily on public transportation.

PARIS (AP) - Strikers defying President Nicolas Sarkozy’s push to reform France crippled the country’s public transport system Thursday, forcing commuters to drive, pedal or walk to work - or stay home. Some workers vowed to continue the walkout Friday.

Go read the rest.

The French socialists may have lost the election, but they refuse to go quietly in the night. The Voters there chose reform, but the socialists (ahem! unions) know what that means, and are scared. It would mean an end to their stranglehold over Government and people’s lives.

I guess we should maybe also consider this as a good example on why Big Labor getting too much power is dangerous.

Today the US House is planning on taking up the veto override vote on Hillary Care’s primmer, SCHIP. Reports are that Pelosi will once again fail to lead Congress in opposition to President Bush, and fall short of the veto override.

Pelosi’s first 10 months as Speaker have been pretty much dismal. She can’t get anything meaningful on the Democratic agenda accomplished, except wasting a lot of people’s time and taxpayer money. She had grand plans of forcing members to be in Washington for the entire week, and take few vacations, but nothing is getting done.

I am one who believes our Representatives should spend as much time in their Districts with constituents as possible. I know the left’s operatives (liberal bloggers) and detractors (stalkerazzi) of Republicans love to chide Republicans who think the 5 day “work” week is silly, but the truth is that it is.

You see, it is impossible for members to properly Represent their Districts when they never have a chance to be there. Now I know this works out beautifully for the Democrats, as they can stay in close contact with their prime constituents, Washington Special Interests and DC money. But that is NOT what the founders had in mind when they dreamt up ‘the People’s House’.

So Pelosi may be running a sweat shop in the House by forcing members to be in Washington all week, but she is not producing the results to match. I guess that is why Congressional Approval is hovering just outside the single digits.

That God placed me on this Earth.

It wasn’t my choice to be born, sorry to all RINOs.

On that note, I really don’t like my birthdays. They make me crabby, and Luggers was convinced something was gonna be in his backyard lastnight and I didn’t get very much sleep.

So needless to say:

Update:

Are you disappointed you didn’t attend my Apple Pie party today? Don’t be. I immediately returned back to whence I came.

My birthday just always happens to fall on sewer flushing day here at work.

Ah, the luck!

Well said Luggers.