Michael Brown Fact & Fiction

Wait, where is the element of institutionalized racism the mass media and protestors have been claiming?

Transparent? Yes, We See Right Through You

Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber was caught bragging about deceiving the American people, who he thinks are stupid.

"… if you had a law which said that healthy people are going to pay in, you made explicit healthy people pay in and sick people get money, [Obamacare] would not have passed. Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really really critical to get for the thing to pass."

UPDATE 11/13/14

Nancy Pelosi doesn't know who Jonathan Gruber is, and has reassured us he didn't help write the Obamacare bill.

I feel better already.

UPDATE 11/14/14

Another video clip has surfaced.

And this one where Gruber confirms Obama was in on the deliberate planning of the deception:

UPDATE 11/15/14

What I see in the video below smells to me like the far-left liberal Marxist tactics exposed in the book "The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness."

UPDATE 11/18/14

Former Obama Adviser: Gruber Was 'the Man' on ObamaCare Creation

The Never-Ending TV Company Issue

I don't initiate a support chat in order to receive a sales pitch for a product that isn't marketed toward my best interests. I can't believe in this day and age, we still cannot get TV content a la cart, but instead have to pay for dozens and dozens of channels we will never use, just to get the few we want. Well, at least with the major players we can't. I hate online support chat, but when I do have to enter that realm, I let them have it.

Is Capitalism Environmentally Unsustainable?

Human activity is remaking the face of the Earth: transforming and polluting the landscape, warming the atmosphere and oceans, and causing species to go extinct. The orthodox view among ecologists is that human liberty—more specifically economic activity and free markets—is to blame.

Continue reading here.

Who Are the Racists: Conservatives or Liberals?

The Myth of the Tiny Radical Muslim Minority

Why ADV/DS Motorcylists Don't Wave At Street Bikers

10. They know you probably don't know what a DS or ADV bike is, anyway.

9. They are too busy thinking of that remote mountain lake they are headed to.

8. They don't want to make you feel jealous for being a pavement slave.

7. They are uncomfortable sitting on that 2X4.

6. They use their helmet visor to assist with a head nod.

5. They feel it's unsafe to wave while popping a wheelie off of the sidewalk.

4. They are too busy anticipating the turnoff onto the gravel road up ahead. The gravel road you just rode past without even noticing. Because you can't ride on gravel.

3. They don't wave to people who can't ride on gravel.

2. They got told once by a certain motorcycle gang member they don't wave at "dirt bike m-fers." You might belong to a motorcycle gang.

1. They are too busy riding their own ride, on any road, trail, or goat track they want to ride on.

No WMDs in Iraq? Really?

Let's see how the media spins and/or ignores this.

One Definition of Creativity

One definition of creativity is the putting together of two previously unrelated things and creating something new.

What I Am Reading

"As I got older my ambition began to boil and my fight with the education system intensified. I wasn't the only one who suffered. I would look around the classroom - in the dismal stillness of a teacher's droned lecture, or worse, as the scratch of pencils made the only sound - to see dozens of kids in slow atrophy. Of course, there were those who didn't mind it, or were too young to question the system, as well as those who seemed to actually thrive in the structure - watching them made me feel all the more dysfunctional. What was it they had that I lacked? However, I wasn't alone in my struggles, and over the years saw many brilliant and creative young minds bounded by walls, rules, conformity, and endless boredom. Artists, musicians, athletes, farmers, and free spirits of every kind of been hammered into submission by and archaic, outdated system. Even today it kills me to watch kids drag through school during the years when they should be out in the world, experiencing and learning. What does education do? As Thoreau famously answered: "'It makes a straight cut ditch out of a free, meandering brook.'"


Can you relate to this? I sure can.

US Government Spending in Real Life

Why I Am So MESSED UP

I have finally figured out why I am so terribly MESSED UP - I read almost all of these books as a kid.

15 Classic Children’s Books That Have Been Banned In America

The Bushbama Twins

I'm adding this to my "Obama Has More In Common Than Contrast With Bush" list.

You Might Be Cool, But…

You might be cool because you wear Sperry Top-Siders, but you're probably not I-relaced-my-Sperry-Top-Siders-with-paracord cool. @sperrytopsider #paracord #shoelacesareforpantywaists

A Million Geocaches In the US!

Not too long ago, we "celebrated" a million geocaches worldwide, and I remember thinking geocaching had grown too mainstream.

Now we have a million caches in the US.

A Comparison Of Army and Marine Recruit Training

I came across some footage that compared Army and Marine Corps recruit training, and decided to chop it up for some back-and-forth comparison fun. Enjoy!

Volcano Eruption in Papua New Guinea

You're going to want to turn your speakers way up to be able to hear the volcano blast in this amazing video.

You're welcome.

Obama Ended the Iraq War!

The Pale Blue Dot

What did I get from this awesome message?

I heard "LOVE CONQUERS ALL."

3 Inspiring Quotes from 3 Inspiring Leaders

I have had numerous reasons and opportunity to be contemplating the idea of leadership over the last few months. What better way to pay it forward than to share a little inspiration that was shared with me?

1. Gunnery Sergeant Merritt, USMC Drill Instructor:

"Someone's gotta transform these useless maggots into Marines. Who better than me?"

2. Captain Pete Graves (RIP), former Marine, Federal Bureau of Prisons FCI Sheridan:

"We didn't hire you to enjoy a soft, easy job. We hired you to earn a living by keeping society safe from convicted felons."

3. Mitch Priestly, CEO New Horizons Computer Learning Centers Beaverton, OR:

"You aren't just professional trainers. You are success facilitators. The people you train will directly benefit from your knowledge, skills, and ability to give them what they need for job success."

American Politics Summed Up In One Joke

While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

“Welcome to heaven,” says St. Peter. “Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.”

“No problem, just let me in,” says the man.

“Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.”

“Really, I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,” says the senator.

“I’m sorry, but we have our rules.”

And with that, St . Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises…

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

“Now it’s time to visit heaven.”

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

“Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.”

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: “Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.”
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he’s in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder.

“I don’t understand,” stammers the senator. “Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?”

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, “Yesterday we were campaigning…Today you voted.”

One of the Quandaries of Our Time

By John F. Di Leo

One of the quandaries of our time is this: why is it that relatively few muslims are jihadist - taking up arms, attacking Christians and Jews, bombing churches, making war on the west, etc. - but virtually none of the billion other muslims on earth ever denounce those who do?

Many assume - or try to convince themselves - that it's because the vast majority completely opposes islamofascist jihadism (even though it's pretty clearly called for in their book), but they stay quiet out of fear. All over the world, the billion moderates are afraid of retaliation from the allegedly miniscule minority of jihadists.

My problem with this is the math. A few dozen jihadists in the USA can't possibly terrorize a million USA muslims into acquiescence on this matter. There must be a different reason.

Here's my theory, though of course I can't be sure... but I'll put it out there and ask what you think...

I think it may be most accurate to compare the way they think of their jihadists with the way we Christians view our religious orders - our priests, ministers, monks, friars, and nuns.

A Christian may not choose to become a priest or nun - you or I may not have any interest in taking the vows and joining that lifestyle himself - but he supports and endorses it fully, and he's GLAD that there are others who are willing to devote their whole lives to the religious life. Other people's kids become priests so that his kids don't have to.

He donates to his church or to his favorite religious order (the Salesian orphanages, the Benedictine monasteries, his local parish), in order to help support those people who are better Christians than he is himself. He's proud of them.

Similarly, a muslim may not choose to make bombs, hijack planes, or lead a paramilitary group in the Afghan desert. It's not his thing. He'd rather act moderate, pretend he's not into such things, have a house in the suburbs and a store or business of his own... and just donate regularly to his local mosque or "Islamic Cultural Center", happy that some of his donation will help support those others who are "better muslims" than he is.

No, this isn't to say that this describes ALL non-terrorist muslims. Obviously there must be some who genuinely are decent, kind people and who disapprove of the "religion-inspired violence" as called for in the quran.

But it's the only explanation I can see for why there are so few in that family of denominations who speak out against it.

Now, that's just a theory. Just my theory. There's no way for me to know if it's right or wrong. And there's no way to tell by taking a survey, because taquiyya would require them to lie and say it's wrong even if it's true.

But I think it's a more logical explanation than the one that says 90% or more of muslims all over the world are afraid of the 10% or less with whom they disagree.

And if I'm right, then there is only one solution: convert them to Christianity, because islam is irredeemable, unreformable, despite the parts of it that are in fact good. The jihadist strain dooms it as a net evil force in the world (along with its core of misogyny, endorsement of slavery, and its extreme violence in its approach to meting out justice)... Christianity admittedly needed reforms by the Renaissance, but I think if I'm right about the heart of islam's universal support for jihadism, it is simply not reformable.

Hope I'm wrong. What do you think?

Orignal Post Here

Nothing To See Here. Move Along…

Fun With Statues

Cure Your Technology Distraction Addiction

If you are reading this blog, you may suffer from Technology Distraction Addiction. I suggest going unconnected for a while, preferably outdoors away from it all. Before you do that, though, check out this interesting article.

Natural Habitat "Restoration"

I was reading this article in the South Lincoln County News (sadly, you have to pay for the full online article), and one of the last sentences caught my eye. It mentions how information on the frogs is useful to Oregon Parks and Recreation "… when it comes to planning restoration projects, helping them figure out when the projects will have the least negative impact on natural resources, like breeding amphibians."

Something in there is making me feel just a little confused…

Gun Control and Crime

"The national Academy of science has reviewed hundreds of studies, and could not document a single gun regulation that reduced violent crime or murder."

Read & view more here.