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Culture War

Could We Ever “Just Be Friends?”

The video seeks to resolve the question of whether men and women can ever be “just friends.”   A platonic relationship without any aspirations of hooking up.   Given that this “research” was conducted in a University Library, the outcome seems obvious but it is still instructive to see the parade of college-age women who think … Read more

“Slow societal suicide”

From Victor Davis Hanson at PJ Media:"[T]here is a growing realization that today’s brand of liberalism is really a form of slow societal suicide. "We see red states recovering from recession; blue states are still broke. Greece is a mess; so is the entire anti-democratic, statist, and redistributive EU. "Keynesian economics is about as dead … Read more

National Right to Carry And Its’ Opponents From Within

“Much of the self-righteous nonsense that abounds on so many subjects cannot stand up to three questions: (1) Compared to what? (2) At what cost? and (3) What are the hard facts?” —Thomas Sowell

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 The Union Leader’s Mark Hayward features a front page story today entitled, “Activists: Feds’ bill would lead to gun control“. The thesis of Hayward’s article is that two activist are against the bill because it gives the federal government a toe-hold into states’ rights and is a pretext to arbitrary national gun control.

 The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, HB 822, passed in the U.S. House yesterday and enjoyed strong support. The intent of this legislation is to allow law-abiding citizens with a concealed-carry permit in one state to carry concealed in states with similar systems. Obviously, the bill must have some strong support because Charlie “the RINO” Bass is a co-sponsor.

 Yet my good friend and esteemed fellow gun advocate Representative J.R. Hoell opposes the bill.  J.R. asserts, “The federal government will then want a photo ID for concealed- carry. Then a microchip Real ID card.”  J.R, the feds already want that, irrespective of “how” or “who” regulates guns. And numerous attempts at nationalizing gun registration, gun control, microstamping of ammunition, suing gunmakers, the assault weapons ban and any other novel, unique or creative trick, dreamed up by the pablum-puking, ant-gun liberals has already dawned within the halls of our congress…irrespective of this legislation.

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Obama Golfs With Guy Who Solicits Whores

I suppose it is the state of media and their love affair with Mr. Obama that when in the midst of a hatchet job on a potential opponent over accusations of sexual misconduct that the leader of the free world gets a pass for golfing with a guy convicted of soliciting prostitutes.

Politco/White House Stenographer Jennifer Epstein

Obama is(sic) played with two White House staffers — Marvin Nicholson and Pete Selfridge — and with high school classmate Bobby Titcomb, according to a pool report. In April, Titcomb was one of four men arrested as part of an undercover prostitution sting. He was later released on $500 bail. In May, Titcomb didn’t appear in court as his lawyer offered a no contest plea

Whatever your own thoughts, prostitution is still illegal in most places and rumor has it the girls are not treated particularly well.  So there is something to be said for the timing and optics given the "influential men treating women as sex objects" smear Politco has been waging on Mr. Herman Cain.  While Cain is defending himself from Obama’s pit bull David Axelrod, most of the Staff at Politco, and a dyspeptic conga-line of publicity-seeking-future-reality-star/potential-tell-all-book-deal-signing gold-diggers, Mr. Obama is casually hitting a little white ball around exclusive Hawaiian country clubs, in golf slacks and a pricey polo, with a guy who solicits sex from whores.

Hey.  Hookers are a shovel ready job, right?! 

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A few reasons for Income Equality that have NOTHING to do with society…

…and all about what individual choices have wrought:

  • Youth, career beginning, and education debt
  • Single motherhood
  • temporary unemployment
  • Life style choice
  • Lack of marketable skills
  • Living where there are no jobs to match skills
  • Very bad luck
  • Mental illness, addiction, etc.
  • Lack of cultural mastery, whether via recent immigration or whatever
  • Chronic disabling illness
  • A history of poor decision-making and life strategizing
  • Low IQ
  • Character traits such as laziness, inability to get along with people, lack of organization, initiative, goals, self-discipline, or ambition, no discipline to save money, impulsivity, poor planning, lousy judgement, etc etc.
  • Income data gaps due to the numbers of people who work off the books (for a dramatic example, our clinic realised that there was a 30-woman prostitution ring working out of a nearby government housing project)
  • Choosing to work the welfare/disability/food stamp/child care etc. system (with a couple of kids, the all with full government benefits brings them up to a working class standard of living without working. That ought to be good enough, roughly equivalent to a $40,000 salary). Our support system will bring you close to $30,000/yr in cash and/or benefits including unlimited free medical care)
  • History of criminality or career criminality

16 items. 2 are obvious not an individual’s fault. 3 can go both ways (not your fault, perhaps it is).

But how often to the Occupy Wall Streeters bring these up (and if they do, merely a fleeting mention) as opposed to the hated "1%"?  To often, I get the impression that they (and many Progressives) simply blame "the system" or blame "society" – and never, ever, really want to consider that neither is to blame.  People DO make choices – and sometimes, those choices are sub-par.

With the OWSers, we have heard often that "hey, I have this Sociology degree, or one in Womens’ Lit, or one of a dozen different fields of study in which I ask – "and that can be directly applied to what kind of productive job?  And then they relate to the $10s of thousands of debt, and blame society for not holding up "the social compact" (as in "I was told that a college degree would give me a good living").

(H/T: Maggie’s Farm)

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A 21-year-old girl in Waco, Texas says “Put me in charge!”

This, from a 21-year-old female, was in the Waco Tribune Herald in Waco, Texas on November 18, 2010 (maybe…I haven’t checked it; but it sounds good anyway!).

"Put me in charge . . . "

Put me in charge of food stamps. I’d get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho’s, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza…

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Dorothy The Hooker of Oz

It’s kids, candy, wild grown up costume parties, and Dorothy the Hooker from Oz. Makes you wonder what song the boys from the Lollypop Guild might have sung if Dorothy from Kansas showed up dressed like this?

Introducing The Morgan Freeman Rule

Morgan FreemanMr. Freeman is not the first but the most recent left winger to publicly declare their partisan ignorance on the matter of racism and the TEA party.  It is a shame really.  I like Mr. Freeman’s work.  And while I will continue to appreciate his other contributions to the culture, this most recent addition may prove to be one of his greatest.  For he has provided us with another name for the lefts poisonous and ignorant rhetoric on race, and a new template with which to apply it.

If objecting to  Mr. Obama’s lack of leadership, poor policy choices, and a destructive economic agenda is considered racist, then the "Morgan Freeman Rule" identifies as racist, anyone who speaks in opposition to the job performance of someone who is black.

It also exemplifies a narrowness of left leaning minds that requires them to assume objections must be based on the color of skin and not the character or choices of the man beneath it.

So having been handed this template I am more than willing to apply it to the real world with an equality no leftist ever would.

The entire staff at ESPN are racists.

 

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HOUSE JOINS SENATE, OVERRIDES SENATE BILL 88 VETO

“A moment’s reflection shows that Liberalism is entirely negative. It is not a formative force, but always and only a disintegrating force.” —Francis Parker Yockey

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The House voted today to override the Governors’ veto of Senate Bill 88 on the heels of the Senate voting to override last week. The vote was 251 to 111. It should be important to note that the Governor and his faithful went into overdrive to build support for sustaining the veto, to include a walking tour of Lincoln street area of Manchester in the vicinity of Hayward and Somerville Streets. It was there where Attorney General stated, “And we will be providing drug dealers and street gangsters with a new right to respond using more violence in public places…”

At the Governor’s press conference the morning before the house leaders’ press conference, Chief Robert Wharem, President of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police, told WMUR, “Senate Bill 88 is one of the most dangerous bills we’ve had come before us in our time…” while he had roughly a dozen other police chiefs gathered around him, seeming to imply he speaks for all New Hampshire Chiefs. The difference here is many likely opted to stay home and not politicize this bill, remaining within the confines of their sworn oaths.

At the end of the day, none of their Charlatanry, pandering or demagoguing held any political water, resulting in the veto override which now means the bill is law. Now SB 88 is law. The streets will not run red with blood and responsible, law-abiding citizens will not be prosecuted for lawfully defending themselves against violent attacks.

But to be expected, whenever there is a gun crime it will be certain that the critics of the bill will point to this law as a manifestation of that crime, ignoring the fact that criminals with guns will still commit crimes. They did so before this law and will continue to do so even after this law.

This law protects law-abiding citizens, not Criminals. On the coattails of Senate Bill 88’s passage we will likely hear be hearing next from the Brady Bunch about the enormous social costs of gun violence.  Guy Smith, Author of Gun Facts, has undertaken a most complete compilation of data. Here are just a few examples:

Myth: The social cost of gun violence is enormous

Fact: Because guns are used an estimated 2.5 million times per year to prevent crimes, the cost savings in personal losses, police work, and court and prison expenses vastly outweighs the cost of criminal gun violence and gun accidents. The net savings, under a worst-case scenario, is about $3.5 billion a year.257

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A RANGE WITH A PICTURESQUE VIEW

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” ~Abraham Lincoln My good friend (former Ward 12 Alderman and State Rep) Keith Hirschmann called me and asked me to tag along over to Henniker for some Saturday … Read more

A Tale of Two Cities: Detroit and Houston

GOOD READ below, from from National Review. You can subscribe to National Review HERE (I do; well worth it).

Houston, We Have a Solution 
A tale of two cities 
BY MARIO LOYOLA 

On a warm Saturday evening in June 1943, crowds were relaxing on Belle Isle, a retreat slightly larger than New York’s Central Park nestled in the Detroit River, which separates Canada and the United States. Belle Isle’s landscapes and structures were a showcase of great American architecture: Frederick Law Olmsted, Albert Kahn, and Cass Gilbert all were represented. Its botanical garden, yacht club, memorial fountain, golf course, and opulent marble lighthouse offered a serene testament to the grandeur of Detroit. 

Exactly what started the riots that night, we’ll never know for sure. There seems to have been a confrontation between a white sailor’s girlfriend and a black man, which led to a brawl. As contradictory rumors raced through the city, the conflagration spread. By the time federal forces intervened to impose law and order three days later, dozens of people had been killed, mostly blacks, and millions of dollars of property destroyed, mostly in the poor, black, inner-city neighborhood of Paradise Valley. 

Detroit’s fall can be traced to the race riots of 1943, though many decades of prosperity and achievement still lay ahead. The rise and fall of Detroit is history on an epic scale: Favored by fortune at first, then plowed under its wheel, the city has had a lot of bad luck. But as Oscar Wilde lamented as he languished in Reading Gaol near the end of his life: “I must say to myself that I ruined myself, and that nobody great or small can be ruined except by his own hand. . . . Terrible as was what the world did to me, what I did to myself was far more terrible still.” 

Houston had suffered race riots, too, during World War I, but fortune would smile on it for most of the 20th century….

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IGNORING THE U.S CONSTITUTION

 “Congress seems to want to cure every ill known to man except unconstitutional government and high taxes.” ~Charley Reese

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 BillofRightsVOid.jpgFriday, August 19, The Federal Election Commission released two draft advisory opinions indicating that it might allow a naturalized, Guyana-born American citizen to file papers and raise funds for run a Presidential run in 2012.

New York City lawyer Abdul Hassan, under this ruling, could conceivably be permitted to go through the initial steps to run for president. Hassan was born in the South American country of Guyana in 1974, and asked the FEC in July whether he could legally raise funds for his presidential candidacy.

Faced with the possibility of deciding a substantial question of a constitutional nature, one would think the FEC would simply tell him to, “get lost” and petition the judicial branch for such a substantial pivotal answer. Do you think they did that? No. . The hacks at FEC readily and willingly stepped up and responded, “although the Commission can respond to the questions asked in [his] advisory opinion, the Commission cannot make any determination as to whether [Hassan] can, as a naturalized citizen, serve as President.”

FEC told Hassan in a July 18 e-mail response that he could be a candidate, may solicit funds and would be required to file disclosure reports. But opinions differ on whether he may receive federal matching funds.  In the FEC’s first draft opinion, they advise Hassan that he would not be able to receive matching funds citing the constitutional provision. Yet, in the second draft opinion, they dodge the question entirely, characterizing it as a, “hypothetical question.”

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What I Hate About Wal-Mart

It’s not one of those "angst at their humongous success" screeds, I’m just trying to figure out why it takes so damn long to get out of that place.  So this is more about fundamentals of business.  Because the retail giant, that’s how the media refers to them, has in fact added much needed efficiencies to the global distributions system.  No argument there.  They provide discounted items to hundreds of millions annually, making creature comforts and necessary every-day products attainable to a wider swath of the population than anyone. (And more efficiently than the Democrats beloved federal government, I might add.) And they employ an army larger than most armies–wage and benefit arguments aside–because when you have staggering, persistent, inflation and unemployment as we do in the Obama economy, still having a job to wake up to is like getting a raise every-single- day. Even if the government is making it worth less and less, every-single-day.

Wal-MartSo what’s my beef (about Wal-Mart)?

I work in Amherst, New Hampshire and the Wal-Mart Super Store there is, if nothing else, convenient.   It is convenient to get to, but not convenient to get out of, and there lies my "operational" complaint.  No matter what time of day I am in there, 6am, lunchtime, afternoon, evening,…there are never, EVER, enough cashiers.  Did I say never?

The average time spent standing in the check-out line at Wal-Mart is most certainly a reflection of their desire to charge less for some items, but can we possibly try to keep it under fifteen minutes?  It takes me twice as long to get out as it does to do the actual shopping, most of which is spent walking from the entrance to whatever zip code the milk cooler is in and back.  This is a problem.

Long check out lines.  High average check.  Cashier bagging everything….hope you are not in a hurry.

So what about the self-checkout? Great idea.  I love it.  Except that so does everyone else because the other lines are so damn long. 

The latest trend at self-checkout, OK it is not the latest I’m just being timely, seems to be that people with fifty items or more also feel compelled to use it, as if this will actually take less time than standing in another line.  These are of course the same people who have no idea how to use it, if that gives you some idea of where this is headed.

This is not like trying a new salad dressing at lunch, or a new look, or even a new vacation destination.  This is serious.  Other peoples lives are affected.

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THE SHRILL KATHY And Her Bill O’Brien Rant

“Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” ~Ronald Reagan

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When one reads the Shrill Kathy’s latest diatribe in the Union Leader, there is one theme that plays like a broken record: Tax, Tax, Tax…Spend, Spend, Spend.  The Shrill Kathy complains, “a 10-cent cut in the cigarette tax, did not change prices for smokers because the tobacco companies raised their prices…” I think I missed something because the former argument of the day was that the tobacco tax reduction would increase youth smoking. So, now here’s Kathy Sullivan arguing the ill merits of a tax typically inflicted upon Granite Staters who earn the least….a tax on the poor…which of many, smoke.

Next, the Shrill Kathy complains that, “House budget writers ignored every signal that the federal government was about to impose a $35 million penalty for Medicaid errors dating back to the Benson administration…” adding that, “Their irresponsibility has caused a gaping hole in their ballyhooed ‘balanced budget’.”  How conveniently she ignores the fact that her beloved Democratic party, led by Teri “Billion-dollar deficit” Norelli had two full terms to reconcile and fix this issue, but did not do so. Instead, they created more layers of government, increased over one-hundred fees and taxes and put into motion record unsustainable budgets, creating the fiscal mess this state now faces.

The Shrill Kathy whines, “New Hampshire hospitals are laying off hundreds of employees because O’Brien and his Republican colleagues took away federal money that had paid hospital costs for the poor…” Yet it hard to ignore the countless millions of construction dollars hospitals are using to competitively outspend one-another in an unquenchable drive to be better than the next facility.  Now that the Democrats have created yet another constituency cash cow that becomes as angry as any other when bloated coffers are not being filled, The dependable Shrill Kathy is all too willing to step into the limelight and pimp their cash loss off onto the poor. Isn’t it about time we stop the demagoguing and manipulation of the less fortunate? Let’s be honest here; You don’t really care about poor people, Kathy.

Mayor Gatsas is no different than any other cash cow constituent, be it Republican or Democrat. Every entity that gets some form of funding for something from the state or federal government cries, cut theirs…but NOT MINE!  Cuts made to the at-risk juvenile program, shows no indication of any highly-paid hacks taking any pay cuts or losing their jobs. Nope! self-preservation trumps program delivery.

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THE SILENCE OF VICTIM ADVOCACY

“The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most useful tool.” ~Stephen King, American Writer

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Former Keene, NH resident 38-year-old Kerry Touzin walks free today. She walks free despite having falsely accused another of rape.  Police agencies from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire spent more than 150 hours investigating and arresting the person she accused of rape. While in custody, the man fully cooperated with police. Charges were dropped against the man and Touzin was charged, according the the Keene Sentinel
and Union Leader.

Kerry Touzin got off light. She was sentenced to 360 days in Jail, having served 60 and the 300 remaining were suspended upon good behavior. We should not be surprised. Keen is one of those bastions of liberalism where, despite Touzin’s reprehensible act that nearly cost another his freedom, she is still treated as a victim.

Aside from professional athletes, we are seeing more frequent media accounts of false allegations of domestic violence and rape. We have finally arrived at a place in society where we are acknowledging that perhaps there are some among us who see such allegations as a means to exert power over others.

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KRISTIN RUGGIERO ATTORNEY ACCUSED OF ALTERING DOCUMENT

“A witch and a bitch always dress up for each other, because otherwise the witch would upstage the bitch, or the bitch would upstage the witch, and the result would be havoc” ~Tennessee Wiliams, American Playwright

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The Union Leader’s James A. Kimble reports this morning that convicted liar Kristin Ruggiero’s divorce attorney, Linda Theroux, is being brought before the State Attorney Discipline Office charging that Theroux changed a military release form violating state ethics rules. Theroux, who represented Kristin Ruggiero in the divorce case, stands accused of misconduct during the course of her representation.

Theroux allegedly altered a military records release form Jeffrey Ruggiero signed and handed over to her, wrote James Kruse, an attorney for the Attorney Discipline Office.

Attorney James Kruse for the Discipline Office charges that Theroux altered a Military Records release given her by Jeffrey Ruggiero. After receiving the release Theroux’s alteration expanded the scope of inquiry in adding that Ruggiero assented to disclosing his “entire military file” notwithstanding documents classified as ‘Secret’ or ‘Top Secret’ or for National Defense Purposes,” Theroux never subsequently submitted the records release for judicial review by the family court, Kruse’s complaint further charges.

Kristin Ruggiero is a story that won’t go away for a long time to come. It is the quintessential epic saga of  of lying, manipulation, skullduggery…a plot found only on scripts of daytime soaps, but with all the trappings of a Shakespearian tragedy, sans dark humor.

Union Leader’s Kimble reports that, “Jeffrey Ruggiero’s divorce lawyers at the time, Phil DesFossess and Celeste Christo, found out about the altered document when they were contacted by a U.S. Coast Guard commander.”

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545 People Are Responsible For The Mess, But They Unite In A Common Con

“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.”~Plato, Ancient Greek Philosopher

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Charley Reese retired July 29, 2001. Who was Charley Reese? He was a columnist, serving 30 of those years at the Orlando Sentinel.  Characterized best by his plainspoken manner and conservative views,  he was with the Sentinel from 1971–2001, serving as  a writer and other such editorial capacities. King Features Syndicate distributed Charley’s column, which published up to three times a week.

 On February 3, 1984 Charley originally published the column below. This column additionally republished as his final column. Rightfully so and despite being 27 years removed from its orignal publish date, it is no less relevant. 

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The President does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

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