The Lies of Rachel Carson

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Alaska

Methinks this deserves much wider exposure. If you remember Silent Spring, you’ll want to go read.

Posted in Rampant Eco Socialism | 1 Comment

Desktop is Done

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

Leaving to get it now.

1260042533571a.jpg

Back in Teh Win column.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

EuroCrash

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

I hope Soros is as invested in the Euro as they say he is.

Greece has already accumulated a mountain of debt that will be difficult if not impossible to pay off. The government has borrowed more than 110 percent of the country’s economic output over the years, and if investors lose confidence in the bonds, a meltdown could happen as early as next year.

That’s when the government borrowers in Athens will be required to refinance €25 billion worth of debt — that is, repay what they owe using funds borrowed from the financial markets. But if no buyers can be found for its securities, Greece will have no choice but to declare insolvency — just as Mexico, Ecuador, Russia and Argentina have done in past decades.

This puts Brussels in a predicament. European Union rules preclude the 27-member bloc from lending money to member states to plug holes in their budgets or bridge deficits.

And even if there were a way to circumvent this prohibition, the consequences could be disastrous. The lack of concern over budget discipline in countries like Spain, Italy and Ireland would spread like wildfire across the entire continent. The message would be clear: Why save, if others will eventually foot the bill?

On the other hand, if Brussels left the Greeks to their own devices, the consequences would also be dire. Confidence in the euro would be shattered, and the union would face a crucial test. What good is a common currency, many would ask, if some of the member states pay their debts while others do not?

Furthermore, there is a threat of a domino effect. If one euro member falls, speculators will test the stability of other potential bankruptcy candidates. This could destroy the currency union. Because of this systemic risk, say the economists at the Swiss bank UBS, “we believe that if a country is facing a problem with debt repayment or issuance, it will be supported.

I am also hopeful that this means more demand for dollars.

Meagan McArdle has more on this.

Posted in Life in the Atomic Age | 3 Comments

Your Existence is an Affront to Gaia!

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

China and Canadian Editorialists agree: A worldwide one child policy is key to stopping Climate Change

The “inconvenient truth” overhanging the UN’s Copenhagen conference is not that the climate is warming or cooling, but that humans are overpopulating the world.

A planetary law, such as China’s one-child policy, is the only way to reverse the disastrous global birthrate currently, which is one million births every four days.

The world’s other species, vegetation, resources, oceans, arable land, water supplies and atmosphere are being destroyed and pushed out of existence as a result of humanity’s soaring reproduction rate.

Ironically, China, despite its dirty coal plants, is the world’s leader in terms of fashioning policy to combat environmental degradation, thanks to its one-child-only edict.

The intelligence behind this is the following:

-If only one child per female was born as of now, the world’s population would drop from its current 6.5 billion to 5.5 billion by 2050, according to a study done for scientific academy Vienna Institute of Demography.

-By 2075, there would be 3.43 billion humans on the planet. This would have immediate positive effects on the world’s forests, other species, the oceans, atmospheric quality and living standards.

-Doing nothing, by contrast, will result in an unsustainable population of nine billion by 2050.

Humans are the only rational animals but have yet to prove it. Medical and other scientific advances have benefited by delivering lower infant mortality rates as well as longevity. Both are welcome, but humankind has not yet recalibrated its behavior to account for the fact that the world can only accommodate so many people, especially if billions get indoor plumbing and cars.

Well then fine, Ms. Francis. If that is your worry, how about this proposition: You walk or bicycle everywhere and live in a tent and someone else’s reproductive freedom remains untouched?

Sounds equitable to me. If it is you wo want people to sacrifice, you should lead by example.

Yeah, it’ll never happen in our lifetimes, but that should be the response every time someone whines about there being too many people and their idea is to restrict the rights of others to keep theirs.

Posted in Rampant Eco Socialism, The Global Warming Death Cult, Too Stupid to Live | 1 Comment

It’s like magic

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

A Hockey Stick turns into a Heartbeat.

Almost like it’s showing us a cycle or something.

Posted in The Global Warming Death Cult | 1 Comment

Imagine that!

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

There was race-politics behind the effort to keep bilingual instruction in California!

Who’da thunk it?

In 1998, Californians voted to pass Proposition 227, the “English for the Children Act,” and dismantle the state’s bilingual-education industry. The results, according to California’s education establishment, were not supposed to look like this: button-cute Hispanic pupils at a Santa Ana elementary school boasting about their English skills to a visitor. Those same pupils cheerfully calling out to their principal on their way to lunch: “Hi, Miss Champion!” A statewide increase in English proficiency among all Hispanic students.

Instead, warned legions of educrats, eliminating bilingual education in California would demoralize Hispanic students and widen the achievement gap. Unless Hispanic children were taught in Spanish, the bilingual advocates moaned, they would be unable to learn English or to succeed in other academic subjects.

California’s electorate has been proved right: Hispanic test scores on a range of subjects have risen since Prop. 227 became law. But while the curtailment of California’s bilingual-education industry has removed a significant barrier to Hispanic assimilation, the persistence of a Hispanic academic underclass suggests the need for further reform.

Read the whole thing. It is lengthy, but very worth your time.

Posted in Academia and Other Nonsense | Leave a comment

Porcine Aviation

Posted on December 11, 2009 by Phil Kadath

Color me struck with awe: An honest to goodness MSM reporter supporting your civil rights!

The best gift for a law-abiding citizen this Christmas might be a concealed-weapons permit.

Even though Fresno police always are putting out press releases that claim crime is down, the city doesn’t feel safe. Nor does it appear safe. Not on my side of town, at least. Not south of McKinley Avenue.

Look, there was a time when I believed that more guns led to more violence.

Now, in my gut, I have to agree with Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims. She says that a society is safer when responsible people bear arms.

“I think it’s a good idea to keep the bad guys guessing so that they never know when they’re coming up against a citizen who is carrying,” Mims says.

Under California law, each sheriff can issue a concealed-weapons permit to anyone with a clean record who has “good cause.” Some sheriffs are stingy with permits. Others, such as Mims, believe the permits should go to any eligible person.

For Mims, ” ‘Good cause’ is, I can’t put a deputy sheriff with every single citizen.”

I don’t have a gun and I’ve never applied for a permit to carry one. But this is going to change. In a city where no one is safe from the Bulldogs street gang, every responsible adult should think about carrying a gun.

Hit that link at the top and leave Mr. McEwen some kind comments

Found via RideFast

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | 1 Comment

SOCOM II Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Alaska

IMG00644.jpgClick to embiggen. These things are rarer than hen’s teeth — this is the first one my FFL’s seen since summertime when my brother and I pleaded with them to find us a new-in-box SOCOM II. (My Rache was obtained used.) Note that although this one’s

not as sexy a beast as my Rache (hoisted by Uncle at GBR IV), this black-stock version has the super-duper full-length rail, going all the way to the back of the receiver.
Hey, even Traction Control doesn’t have ’em in stock.

In ten days she’s mine. We’ll see if my brother can pry her out of my, er, cold live hands.* (Hey, fifty degrees outside is COLD in Kali!)

* Yes, intrafamily transfer without an FFL is lawful in Kali, if you do it right. Of course part of that is waiting a decent interval to avoid the appearance of a straw purchase….

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | 5 Comments

The Soundboard: Quote of the Day Edition

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Phil Kadath

First, the quote

Our first jam was maybe a half an hour long. But I knew after the first two or three minutes and I was like, holy shit, this is the best fucking band I’ve ever been in!

Dave Grohl

Yeah.

Here are the two tracks I spoke of the Soundboard after the album debut.

Caligulove

and

Gunman

Enjoy! I know I still am.

Posted in Kewel! | Leave a comment

Cooties

Posted on December 10, 2009 by Phil Kadath

Did you know Republicans had them?

Me neither.

But apparently enough of the leftists at “Election Assistance Commission” think they do.

So you’ve found the right candidate for the job.  He’s got a long history of exemplary service, familiarity with the subject matter that the position is responsible for, and would be an excellent addition to your office.  There’s only one problem, he’s a Republican.

Sadly this isn’t a hypothetical, it actually occurred in a federal agency that was created to provide advice on fair and proper election procedures.  The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was created by Congress in 2002.  The EAC’s purpose was to distribute grants and provide states advice on election practices.  It took six years for partisanship to rear its ugly head and result in unfair discrimination against a job applicant.

In 2008 the EAC found itself in need of a General Counsel.  An eminently qualified attorney applied for the position and was in fact selected for the office.  Two EAC Commissioners then started looking into the candidate’s politics, and found that he was a Republican.  These Commissioners then refused to approve his appointment.  It’s pretty clear that Gracia Hillman was one of the Commissioners at fault.  Gracia Hillman continues to serve on the EAC.

With certain narrow exceptions, the federal government has a merit hiring system which requires applicants be judged solely on their qualifications not their political preferences.  The Commissioners who chose to disregard this practice did so to engage in overtly partisan politics.

A complaint was filed with the Office of the Special Counsel.  After a thorough investigation the OSC announced that it “uncovered evidence indicating that the EAC illegally refused to approve the complainant’s appointment because he was a Republican.”

While the OSC was investigating this unlawful discrimination, “the EAC agreed to provide the complainant a substantial monetary settlement to resolve the issues that were the subject of his complaint.”  However bureaucracies, even those newly formed, protect themselves and the EAC refused to admit fault.

That’s your and my money they’re giving away to cover their asses.

And when I say “cover their asses” I mean both for the mistake they made in using political affiliation to discriminate against the unnamed man, and in they way they apparently want to hide something from folks who don’t necessarily believe in what they believe.

Like you and I.

Found via Some Poor Schmuck

Posted in Count ANY Vote, The Left is Never Right | 3 Comments