Well, not really, but Kris, over at Anywhere But Here, pointed me to a really cool video of the Mona Lisa… “speaking.”
Believe it or… don’t.
🙂
It’s for the Childrenâ„¢
Below is a retread of a post from my Blogger days. Feel free to critique, scream, rant or flame all you want.
Of the top five problems I see in “prisons for kids” (also disingenuously called “public schools”) today, every level of administration has to rank close to the top. I have been privileged to know two intelligent and capable principals. Neither are principals, now. One retired and another was promoted to his level of incompetence. The rest? Object lessons in how idiots, bullies and poltroons suck up public funds.
While I have never found the axiom “Those who can do; those who can’t teach” to be a universal truth (I know some very fine teachers), I know of only two exceptions to this axiom: “Those who can teach bust a gut to do so in the face of almost overwhelming opposition from theose who can’t teach: administrators.”
Of course, many who can teach simply leave in the face of such overwhelming opposition to teaching/learning, often leaving a sad mix of beaten down teachers and lazy (and sometimes even stupid) bums putting their time in until retirement.
*Remove remote dictates to local schools. And invite to a “tea party” then shoot (or hang, I don’t really care) the politicians and bureaucrats who attempt to insinuate themselves into local schools from afar.
*Fire (or hang, for all I care) all the administrators (and mourn for the few good ones caught in the housecleaning).
*Require responsible behavior from both students and parents (dump –“viciously” prune from the student body– students who refuse to learn. Put ’em in labor camps for all I care.)
*Sweep out the bums marking time to retirement. Buying them out would be better than letting them stay. (“Three generations of idiots is enough” *heh*)
*Burn to the ground all the colleges’ and universities’ education departments. Send the professors to labor camps to work alongside with the products of their theories.
I know this may sound a bit harsh, but It’s For the Childrenâ„¢, so surely it’d fly… All one need to is repeat the mantra over and over, It’s For the Childrenâ„¢… It’s For the Childrenâ„¢… It’s For the Childrenâ„¢…
And you know the really neat thing? Since Judge Greer has laid down the principal that severely mentally/physically handicapped people can be… capped, all that would be needed to get the ball rolling would be for a judge to declare some “school” administrators to be in a “Persistant Vegetative State” and there we are! I’m sure that after that, we’d have “education” professors lining up and begging for slots in work camps… Neat, huh?
Ranting and throwing crockery all over the place at TMH’s Bacon Bits, Woman Honor Thyself
An Earth-Shattering Solution/Weekend OTA
This is an Open Trackbacks Alliance post, open all weekend. Link to this post and track back. More below the “Earth-Shattering Solution” to a large part of the illegal immigrant invasion…
I recieved this in email. Sounds like a reasonable response to a terrible tragedy…
Just suppose…
A big earthquake with the strength of 8.1 on the Richter scale hits Mexico. Two million Mexicans have died and over a million are seriously injured.
The country is totally ruined and the government doesn’t know where to start with asking for help to rebuild.
The rest of the world is in shock.
Canada sends troops to help the Mexican army control the riots.
Saudi Arabia sends oil.
Other Latin American countries send supplies.
The European community (except France) sends food and money.
The United States, not to be outdone, sends three million replacement Mexicans.
God Bless America.
(Works for me. Were I processing the “aid” request, I’d also empty a few prisons and send second and third generation welfare families… )
As I said, this is an open trackbacks post. Link to this post and track back.
Also note the other fine blogs featuring linkfests at Linkfest Haven.
Stop the ACLU
This Stop the ACLU Blogburst guest post is from John Stephenson at Stop the ACLU.
The above banner and slogan is quite deceptive and an utter joke to those that are truly aware of the ACLU’s workings. Just in the past week the ACLU has launched a massive campaign against the NSA’s efforts to trace terrorist phone calls into the U.S. This campaign with full page ads has even been denounced by media that usually defend the ACLU as completely lacking in context. In just the last few days the ACLU has pounced at the chance to bash America, applauding the decision of an EU Court that struck down an anti-terrorism agreement that allows the European Union and the U.S. to share information on airline passengers. And in the same day the ACLU of Florida came out against a new law that restricts colleges and universities from using state funds for travel to countries classified as terrorist states by the U.S. government.
The ACLU consistently allign themselves with groups like CAIR, and other organizations that have known terrorist ties. They have turned down donations from some of their most generous donors because of anti-terrorism stipulations. They can always be seen defending our enemies. It is no wonder that they fight to exempt lawyers from anti-terror supporting oaths.
A while back, my friend Kathy wrote about how deceptive this banner is, and it still applies today.
The ongoing battle for truth, justice and the American Way
My grandfather had a favorite saying about rights and priviledges. Well, one of many.
“My rights end where your nose begins.”
More and more, folks today don’t seem to recognize their responsibility to consider the effects of their behavior on others. All most folks care about is their attachment to fake “rights” (while letting the important ones slide and ignoring the fact that rights have responsibilities attached). Heck, some folks view licenses to do things as rights. And others (particularly politicians) view rights as something to be controlled, limited and licensed (making “priviledges granted by the political elite” out of “rights” *sigh*)
OK, here are a couple of examples of one small aspect of this complex issue:
1.) This page (and the attendant video) about an SUV driver (could have been an “anything” driver—nothing special about SUVs, I suppose) whose irresponsible behavior was just flat-out dangerous. Driving is a priviledge, licensed based on a certain very limited skill, knowledge of the ruling statutes concerning driving behavior and subsequent behavior. It is not a right, but it does carry an enormous weight of responsibility. Watch the video. I’ve been in situations like the one depicted. It’s not safe, and the driver was NOT acting responsibly (yeh, and I have the—healed—broken bones to back up my assertion).
But. From the camera angle and what’s actually shown in the view filmed, the biker was riding too far to the left, as well. More than one person was pushing their license to use the highways past the edge of responsible behavior. Yeh, I know the page asserts “a little left of the fog line” but that “little left” looks to be about 2 feet, to me. Too far left for riding in traffic.
But I could be wrong.
Still, from Chapter 8, page 5 of the Missouri Drivers License Guide
“There is only one reason to use your horn: to warn other drivers.”
And,
Other equipment of motor vehicles–violations, penalty.
307.170. 1. Signaling devices: Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a horn, directed forward, or whistle in good working order, capable of emitting a sound adequate in quantity and volume to give warning of the approach of such vehicle to other users of the highway and to pedestrians. Such signaling device shall be used for warning purposes only and shall not be used for making any unnecessary noise, and no other sound-producing signaling device shall be used at any time.
Which brings up
2.) Our new “trailer park trash” neighbors.
*sigh*
If I had wanted to live around loud, drunken parties (in their front yard, no less), people honking horns outside our bedroom window at all hours of the day and night (darned near every time folks drive up there, it seems they have to honk their horns, whether there’s anyone else at the house or not*), driven-to-distortion bass booms coming from front-yard-parked trucks, easily felt as well as heard inside on the other side of our house, and all kinds of other “trailer park trash” behavior, then that’s where I’d live.
I’m putting the local cop (well, there are more than one, but there’s only one at a time on duty) on speed dial. 911 would be overkill. No more gentle warnings or remonstrations.
But why can’t folks simply stop and think: hey! There’s no one home. I don’t need to honk my horn!
Or whatever might move them to think, “My rights end where someone else’s nose begins.”
*No one home and honking the horn? I’ve had folks ask me if my new neighbors are cooking meth, suggesting perhaps it’s an “all clear” signal to someone inside. I don’t know. Sure, we get toxic fumes drifting this way from over there from time to time, but that could just be trailer park trash cuisine… *heh*
Not quite ready for prime time
I do these silly things so you don’t have to. (Yeh, I stole Jerry Pournelle’s motto. Well, borrowed it.)
So, Microsoft has decided to try offering an online security and tune-up scanner. Interesting, thought I, when I first heard of it. But I skipped the earliest beta testing round, since I don’t have any computers I want messed up that badly. Bad enough installing Microsoft’s “shrink-wrap beta” thought I…
But. Well, you knew I’d have to test it out eventually, didn’t you?
So, I selected a machine running windows 2000 Pro, 384MB of memory and 60BG of storage. Logged on to the site (and no, I’m not linking to it for reasons that will become obvious in just a bit). Loaded the scanner engine and fired it up.
32 hours later, it was still scanning for viruses and spyware. 61% finished with that task.
*sigh*
Oh, but it had found 3 viruses and eight spyware threats.
Riiiiight.
Two of the viruses were trojans recieved as email attachments and cleaned by my regular anti-virus. The scanner found them in my anti-virus software’s “virus vault”. No threat. The third false positive was just that: a perfectly legitimate, uninfected (according to three other anti-virus softwares) and very useful piece of software.
Oh, the eight spyware security threats it had found in its 32 hours’ scanning? Bogus or negligible. Cookies, one and all. And three of the cookies were for navigating a site I want cookies from. Two were for cookies from Microsoft sites, for heaven’s sake! (Now, those were a concern, cos the only time I use Internet Exploder is when I visit a Microsoft site, and Internet Exploder doesn’t throw cookies away automatically on exit. No, it doesn’t.) Ah, but that’s been a consistent problem with Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware Beta (Giant Antispyware). Lots of false positives.
I’ll let it continue to run, just to see if it does eventually turn up anything useful, but so far on a scale of 1-100 (with 100 being perfect and 1 being “stinks to high heaven”) M$’s onloine scanner has scored a -253. The score has to run to heavy negative numbers because of its lethargic performance.
I’ll revisit this sometime next week, if it’s finished scanning by then.
Fair Tax/Wednesday OTA
If this is Wednesday, it must be time for an Open Trackbacks Alliance open trackback post. Pick one of your posts you want featured, link to this post in it and then track back here. More info below the Fair Tax Blogburst.
This is not just an idea anymore…it’s a movement! The Fair Tax movement.
What else do you call an event about something as dull and boring as the U.S. Tax Code that draws almost 7,000 to a rally? About 4,500 people got inside the doors, which had to be closed due to the 50,000 square foot Gwinnett Convention Center being at capacity at SIX THIRTY P.M.! The rally didn’t start for another hour, yet another almost 3,000 had to be turned away. People drove from Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, and all over the southeast. Hindsight being 20/20, I’ve heard some of them express disappointment over radio because they only heard the broadcast en route to the rally, and at 6:30 they weren’t even in Georgia yet. They knew they had to turn around and go home, but every single one said that next time, they’ll come a day or two in advance! Some who were turned away simply went to their cars and “tail-gated†with fellow Fair Taxers so they could all listen to the rally as WSB Radio broadcast it live.
Over a cliff…
This is Tuesday’s Open Trackbacks post. Link to this post in one of your own you want featured, then trackback to this post. More below.
If nothing else, the past few weeks have conclusively proven that the majority of party leaders in both parties have no respect for the laws they pass for the rest of us to live under.
(Click on the pic above for a better view)
Congressman William Jefferson, D-LA, found succor from the outlaws’ favorite law enforcement officer, “King” George W. “Vicente Fox’s lapdog” Bush, when Bush put a 45-day hold on materials seized under duly excercised, legal warrants pursuant to an FBI investigation that already has Jefferson caught accepting nearly $100,000 in dirty money.
And sure, enough, party leaders from both parties—the Senators fresh from a round of “screw the American electorate, screw American sovereignty, screw the rule of law” session approving a bill offering a “get outa jail free” card and hot cocoa by the fire to between 11 million and 20 million felons (depending on who’s doing the estimates)—rallied around the “Warrants: too good for American citizens; not good enough for congresscritters” meme and have been squawking about their special priviledges.
I’ve said for years that the Democrats are determined to drive the country off a cliff at 70 (the 80, then 90, now approaching 100) mph, but that the Republicans only wanted to drive a more stately 45 mph… off the same cliff. Now, it’s as though the Republican leadership is racing the Democrats to see who can drive the country off a cliff first.
*sigh*
Picture this: America personified, driving a car down a steep incline toward a cliff. The caption reads, “FROOMB!”
“Fluid’s running out of my brakes!”
This is indeed an open trackbacks post. Link to this post and trackback.
Also note the other fine blogs featuring linkfests at Linkfest Haven.
The “Warrants” graphic above shamelessly stolen from Neal Boortz’ site.
Security and Soverignty No. 19
Call me a Linknzona goupie, if you want. His latest post demonstrates once again why he’s become my “must read” blog on immigration and border security. Read it. There will be a test. Your children and grandchildren will grade your answers…
A Homework Assignment: “long train of abuses”
Read the Declaration of Independence recently? The Founders had some very specific beefs with their government. They had considered themselves Englishmen, and had brought their grievances before their ruler many times, already. In doing so, they simply and doggedly insisted on their rights as Englishmen. Nothing revolutionary, nothing remarkable, nothing really new at all: just the long-established rights of Englishmen, viewed from the perspective of colonists being denied those rights.
In doing so, they were conservatives, promoting the long history of the liberalization of rule that had been making progress in England since Runnymede. Look especially at the “long train of abuses” of good governance expected by English subjects/citizens in the 18th century. As Edmund Burke said in a speech before the British Parliament on March 22, 1775,
“…the people of the colonies are descendants of Englishmen. England, Sir, is a nation, which still I hope respects, and formerly adored, her freedom. The colonists emigrated from you when this part of your character was most predominant; and they took this bias and direction the moment they parted from your hands. They are therefore not only devoted to liberty, but to liberty according to English ideas, and on English principles.”
Continue reading “A Homework Assignment: “long train of abuses””