Say Goodbye to The Marshall Islands

Posted on January 27, 2007 by Phil Kadath

King County Exectuive, Ron “Tax to the Max” Sims, issued a press release from his office yesterday:

Members of the media are invited to join Executive Sims tomorrow morning as he meets with the President Kessai Note of the Marshall Islands to pledge their joint cooperation to deal with the extreme threat posed by global warming to the more than 60,000 residents of the islands.

President Note is extremely concerned about the looming impacts of global warming, and is emerging as an international leader on the issue. He has every reason to be concerned; his nation, a string of more than 1,000 extremely low-lying islets in the Pacific, averages only seven feet above sea level, and at its highest point is less than 20 feet above sea level. The Marshall Islands are thus considered a “front-line state” in the battle against climate change.

Global warming is expected to raise sea levels and increase the frequency and intensity of the tropical storms that batter the islands. If not checked, climate change impacts could become so severe that the islands will have to be evacuated. To help avoid that fate, Executive Sims will pledge today to deploy the county’s nationally-recognized experts of climate change adaptation strategies to assist the Marshallese in dealing with the climate threat.

The King County government can do very little right. The only two things I can think of that they can do with any competence is tax its citizenry and go overboard with political correctness.

If the officials governing the Marshall Islands are going to trust anyone from King County to help them, you might just want to get over to them as soon as possible. Because even if “Global Warming” doesn’t swallow them up, they may just collapse under a high tide with the county’s help.

I also suspect that the officals of King County are going to be taking many, many trips in the near future, especially during the winter, to the Marshalls to check on exactly how the beaches are doing.

All expenses paid by the taxpayer, of course.

Link found at Sound Politics

Posted in Useful Idiots | 2 Comments

Who, What, Where, When, Why, How: Part 5

Posted on January 27, 2007 by Professor Booty

Note: Once again, I am only receiving updates from John Thomas ever four days or so and then saving them up for the weekend. Unfortunately, this is the only one I’ve gotten all week so far, so I’m hoping that he sends something today. Again, I figure that if he can send info out and he still has his camera that this tale of weirdness turns out well enough for him. I’ll keep y’all updated as I find out new info.

And so, carrying on from last week:

——————

I’m severely pissoed off at this point, but since it seems that I am not allowed to argue or even question, I just sit cross-legged on the floor and hope that whatever comes next isn’t painful.

Once I find myself as comfortable a position as possible, I look up to find my two hostesses (I am refusing to call them ladies at this point) standing next to one another and beginning some sort of very odd dance.

spankable179.jpg

It looks as though it may get interesting and I am sincerely wishing at this point that my vision returns to normal before it is over.

Posted in Kewel! | 1 Comment

The Covering of the Ass

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Phil Kadath

Isn’t it just so coincidental that the Dem party symbol is an ass. Must be because they’re always have to spin half-truths to “cover” their actions?

In today’s episode, Larry Ludwig, Democratic State Committeeman for Stevens County, Washington, wrote a letter responding to the numerous letters to the editor and newspaper articles in blue-collar, but Dem voting areas in Washington, in an attempt to lie to the voting base about his party’s stance on firearms.

To those readers and reporters of our local and regional newspapers who wish to label all Democrats as “extremist gun-ban lobby lackeys” (in Jan. 13, 2007 “Spokesman Review”), I would draw your attention to the platform of the Democratic Party of Washington.

The latest platforms adopted at the 2004 and 2006 Party Olympia & Yakima Conventions, reflect a more balanced approach. The Platform clearly states that the Washington State Democrats believe in “enforcement and maintenance of current state and federal laws regulating the ownership of firearms, while respecting the rights of responsible gun owners.”

Significantly, the platform does NOT (emphasis added by author) call for additional control legislation or regulation. Moderate Democrats, particularly Democrats in Eastern Washington, understand the need for men and women in rural areas to protect and defend life and property, and to provide food for their families.

We stand by our party’s platform and believe it sensibly addresses gun ownership needs and concerns of the majority of the residents of eastern and rural Washington.

Larry Ludwig, Democrat State Committeeman for Stevens County, Rice, Wash.

See how carefully he points to his party’s platform, all the while ignoring that every single anti-private ownership of firearms bill to get introduced into the state legislature in recent memory has been introduced by a person with a (D) after their name?

Very good, Mr. Ludwig.

Unfortunately for Larry, the Grand Coulee Star allows comments on their site. Mine has not yet been approved, but Boyd from Bellevue has a good one up there.

Found at Alphecca

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | 1 Comment

RNS Quote of the Day: 01/26/07

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Phil Kadath

RNS Reader SailorCurt of the Captain of a Crew of One Blog read Tuesday’s QotD and commented on what it said with his first hand knowledge.

I can vouch for that. We have marksmanship quals in the Navy but they have nothing to do with becoming qualified to carry a firearm in the line of duty. They are only for “bragging rights” and a ribbon or medal.

To qualify to use a weapon on duty, one only needs to complete “fam fire” or familiarization training with the weapon. Basically, if you can describe the purpose and use of the safety features, load it, operate the controls and make it go “bang”, you are qualified. No need to be able to put steel on target.

Most of our “fam fire” qualification shoots consisted of seeing if you could hit the water from the deck of the ship.

Your United States Navy marksman: trained to “Minute of Ocean” accuracy.

Now granted, this is the Navy and not the Army or the Marines, but standards is standards is standards, and it is sad. I say that because, with the arrival of a second carrier group in the Gulf, I can forsee one of our ships there getting boarded. Don’t tell me that it can’t happen. It is highly unlikely, but it can happen.

On a different note, SailorCurt also attended an pro-rights, “Prosecute Bloomberg” rally in Virginia on Wednesday. He has a tale of his day there and numerous pictures.

Check-check it!

Posted in Quote of the Day | 3 Comments

The Rafts Only Go One Way

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Phil Kadath

Remember that when you click on this link. It will take you to a picture of America’s newest immigrants: 13 Men, 4 Women and 2 small boys who landed in Key West at 0500 yesterday morning after having floated across the Atlantic from Cuba in a home made raft created from flattened aluminum irrigation pipes and fiberglass.

It is very likely that they haven’t smiled like that in many years.

Here is there story and a picture of their “boat”.

Posted in Kewel! | 2 Comments

In A Pinch

Posted on January 26, 2007 by Phil Kadath

It is often said by my fellow Washingtonians that whatever happens legislatively in California will soon make its way up here. Unfortunately, the same is usually true with our neighbor to the north, Canuckistan.

Which is why this is more than just a little alarming

At the time LifeSiteNews.com interviewed John DeCicco, an active Catholic and member of the Knights of Columbus. DeCicco, an Italian immigrant who came to Canada at the young age of 15 and is fiercely proud of the country he now calls home, told LifeSiteNews.com at the time, “In this great nation of ours we can express our opinions and when you can’t there’s something wrong.”

In August, homosexual activist couple John Olynick and Greg Koll filed a complaint against DeCicco with the human rights commission over remarks he made at the council meeting and repeated in media interviews. In line with Catholic teaching on the matter, he described homosexual acts as “not normal and not natural.”

In the June interview with LifeSiteNews.com he explained, “I’m not against lesbian and gay people, but I don’t agree that I should have to endorse it.” He also said that people can do what they like in the privacy of their own homes, but, he said in reference to gay pride parades, they shouldn’t “go out and flaunt it, in front of people who don’t necessarily agree.”

While DeCicco already apologized for the incident once back in October, that apology was not considered part of the settlement. In addition to paying $1,000 to Olynick and Koll, DeCicco will provide a statement saying his comments were “inappropriate and hurtful to some.” The settlement will allow the councillor to avoid a Human Rights Truibunal hearing. The city of Kamloops will pay DeCicco’s legal fees, according to a report by Kamloops Daily News.

Like DeCicco, I have nothing against any individual in the GLBTGTS community. Unlike DeCiccio, I enjoy watching the Pride Parades for their unbridled and unabashed jocularity.

However, what I find absolutely abhorrent is that a person in a country within 150 miles of my home does not have the right to speak his mind about his views. The fact that a person can be fined by their government (and possibly jailed for refusing to pay a fine) for saying something that someone else finds offensive should make every Canadian, and likewise every American, quake in their boots.

Today in Canada, a priest or reverend or minister can lose his or her license to perform marriages if they refuse just once to perfrom a marriage between two men or two women. While I do support the GLBTGTS community’s right to register themselves with the state in anyway they see fit, including marriage (so long as they don’t force it upon cummunities via the courts), I do not support forcing people to violate their belief structure and perform the civil cerimony.

Just yesterday, it was reported in the Guardian UK that Catholic Churches in the UK will have to get out of the orphanage and adoption business unless they violate their core values and begin adopting to GLBTGTS couples. I could personally care less whether a person who is GLBTGTS and wants to adopt; each case needs to be treated on an individual basis which focuses on the health and safety of the child, but for the government to force an organization to violate their core values is wrong. One of two things will happen: Either the Church will capitulate or thousands of orphaned children will be left on the streets. I want neither to happen, I just want government out of the business of legislating morality.

As a note on this topic: There is no connection between civil rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s and the gay rights militarization of today. “Sexual Orientation” is not equal to race. Race is a genetic fact, whereas “Sexual Orientation” is an emotion.

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The Soundboard: The One Cheek Sneak

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Phil Kadath

I’ve been keeping my eyes on the Washington State Senate Labor, Commerce, Research and Development Committee Schedule for when they would discuss SB 5197 (the anti-Gun Show bill),  but I have seen nothing as of yet.

However, more and more often their posted agendas have these words across the bottom

Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

This bill wouldn’t be the first one they tried to slide out from under their chairs when no one is watching. I remember them doing the same thing with concealed pistol licenses in either 94 or 96, making it so that you had to go to the police agency within whose jurisdiction you resided in to apply or renew (you used to be able to go to any police agency).

I’m pretty sure that the local RKBA groups have been sending someone to each meeting of this committee to see what they’re talking about each day, but if there is one day where that person can’t make it in and they’ve announced that the committee may talk about “other business”, they will take full advantage of the abscence of opposition.

And so, today’s tunage is dedicated to the gun bigots who seek to end my right to privacy when purchasing firearms from my fellow private citizens.

I Smell a Rat – Howlin’ Wolf

I got this track off this semi-obscure disc you might want to check out.

Posted in Kewel! | Leave a comment

RNS Quote of the Day: 01/25/07

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Phil Kadath

The last one from Mr. Darryl Davis

The military does not teach rifle marksmanship. It teaches equipment familiarity. Despite what the officer corps thinks, learning to shoot a rifle is not like learning to drive a car. Instead, it is like learning to play the violin. You can have coherent-appearing results after equipment familiarity training, but to get the real results, you keep plodding on. The equipment familiarity learning curve comes up very quick, but then the rifle marksmanship continuation of the curve rises very slowly, by shooting one careful shot at a time, carefully inspecting the result, and the cause.

Darryl Davis – On the subject of Marksmanship – Military Magazine, Feb 1998 – pp 19

Tomorrow we’ll have proof of this from an RNS reader.

Posted in Quote of the Day | 1 Comment

Demanding Fealty

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Phil Kadath

MoveOn.Org once said, flat out, that they owned the Democratic Party.

With the win back in November, they are ready to start kicking their property to the curb

Liberal groups warn Democrats to toe the line

Democratic lawmakers who stray too far from the party line could find themselves facing primary opponents financed by unions, trial lawyers, and political activists eager to put the new congressional majority to the test.

After two weeks of near-perfect unity, congressional Democrats now move into more divisive territory that will test party discipline on such issues as the war in Iraq, worker rights, and health care.

Antiwar activists led by groups such as MoveOn.org and Win Without War have already mobilized, pressuring Democrats and Republicans to denounce President Bush’s troop-boosting plan for Iraq. But they also want tougher action, arguing that the elections that put Democrats in power were a referendum on the war.

This week, an influential group of organizers from labor and the liberal movement are banding together to hold Democrats in line on populist issues such as expanded health care, trade restrictions, and worker protections.

“The idea is that this election was a watershed,” said Steve Rosenthal, one of the main organizers of the new labor coalition. “There is a great opportunity to begin moving America in a new direction of economic populism and fairness.”

The coalition has organized two entities – a lobbying wing called They Work For Us and a campaign arm called Working for Us PAC – which will target lawmakers who don’t support their agenda of raising wages, increasing jobs, providing more affordable health care, and preventing job losses to foreign countries.

“Our PAC will encourage Democrats to act like Democrats – and if they don’t – they better get out of the way,” Rosenthal wrote in a memo describing the organization.

Hopefully for you and I, these groups will see exactly what Democrats act like: Slimy, limp-wristed, spineless toads.

Found at the FreeWillBlog

Posted in The Left is Never Right | Leave a comment

A One Sided War

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Phil Kadath

I would be seriously weirded out if my local District Attorney said this

The director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, warned Wednesday of a “fear-driven and inappropriate response” to the new threat that could lead to the abandonment of respect for fair trials and due legal process.

In a speech to the Criminal Bar Association, reported by the Guardian newspaper, Macdonald rejected the assertion that a “war on terror” was being played out in Britain.

“On the streets of London, there is no such thing as a ‘war on terror’, just as there can be no such thing as a ‘war on drugs’, said Macdonald, who heads the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

“The fight against terrorism on the streets of Britain is not a war. It is the prevention of crime, the enforcement of our laws and the winning of justice for those damaged by the infringement.”

Purely reactionary enforcement. You’ll have to die or be injured before MacDonald will take action, officially. Which is truly sad, seeing as how the inhuman shiteaters who commit acts of terrorism only attack civilian targets and DO actually consider it a war.

Posted in Dare To Be Stupid | Leave a comment