Recently in Thoughts On A Sunday Category

Heavy rain arrived last night, bringing with it high winds and rapidly melting snow. Some of the Weather Guys™ have predicted as much as 4 inches of rain in the southern part of New Hampshire and 3 inches expected here at Lake Winnipesaukee before it's all over.

With the above average temps we've been seeing the past week or so and the rains expected over today and tomorrow, I expect Ice Out on Lake Winnipesaukee to be early this year. But there's at least one person disagreeing with me.

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You did remember to set your clocks ahead, didn't you?

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Constitutional questions about the so-called "Slaughter Rule" have been raised, meaning the machinations of the House leadership to shove ObamaCare down the throats of the American public may come to naught. In effect the rule would allow the House leadership to declare, without a vote by the House members, that a bill has been deemed to have passed. But under Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution a bill must be passed by a recorded vote.

But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. (emphasis added)

It is apparent to anyone watching the Democrats are willing to do anything they need to do to pass ObamaCare, even if it means violating the Constitution to it. I have a feeling they believe the ends justifies the means, even if the means comes down to violating their oaths of office and, in effect, flipping their constituents the bird.

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You have got to be kidding me.

"I thought hand-knit items were supposed to be warm."

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Wizbang shows us an indisputable act of honor.

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Skip reminds everyone that New Hampshire is a hot bed of retail politics at the local, state, and federal level. For dyed-in-the-wool Granite Staters politics is a participant sport, one to be avoided by the politically uninformed.

Every four years those aspiring to the presidency find that out the hard way, being forced to go out among the voters here if they want to even have a chance of gaining support and votes. The 'modern' method of lots of media buys with slick TV and radio promos, pretty campaign signs and billboards dotting the landscape doesn't work here.

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The trusty Ford F150 4X4 made a trip to the dealership yesterday to have a dragging rear brake replaced. They took care of it quickly (and under warranty) and I was back on the road in only two hours. It would have been even shorter but they had to wait 90 minutes for the new caliper to arrive from the parts depot.

(Shameless Commercial Plug: The Ford F150 is now the Official Pickup Truck of Weekend Pundit.)

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How stupid is this?

The New York state legislature is moving to ban restaurants from using salt in cooking. Oh yeah, like that's really going to set well with chefs and patrons. What's next, red meat, nuts, and sweeteners?

(H/T And Rightly So)

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Eric the Viking has more thoughts and links about the Democrats' end run around the Constitution in trying to promote the so-called "Slaughter Rule" in an effort to push through ever more unpopular ObamaCare.

As Eric comments:

What does it mean for the country when one party, working against the will of the people, decides to change the rules as they go along? It's the seed of tyranny.

Of course they'll use the excuse that it's for the good of the people, even if the people are too stupid to know it. But that excuse has been used by political elites for thousands of years to justify imposition of dictatorial rule.

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Cap'n Teach asks the question that must be asked: "How'd those coffee parties go?"

My take on them? Classic FAIL.

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I've always found this misunderstanding of statistics to be indicative of the ignorance of too many of the people we elect.

There's an old story -- not apocryphal, unfortunately -- in which a politician is heard to moan:

50% earn less than the median income. Something needs to be done!

The median income is the point at which 50% of people earn less, 50% more. The median household income in the United States is roughly $50,000. Half of all households make more than this, half less.

And no matter how high household incomes rise, 50% of them will earn less than the median and 50% more. But somehow President Obama seems to think he can change that.

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Color me unsurprised.

Europeans don't like President Obama. Considering he has a knack for insulting our allies and pandering to our common enemies, it's no wonder he isn't well liked. I wonder if any Europeans find themselves missing Dubya yet?

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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And that the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the rains are falling, the snow and ice are melting, and where winter is slowly fading away.

It's hard to believe that only a couple of weeks ago ice fishing bobhouses dotted the lake. On Saturday I saw only one between Alton Bay and Governor's Island. Today it was gone. The ice is looking mushy and dark blue here and there, a sign that the ice is thin. A view from one of our favorite hilltops showed a lot of blue ice across the lake.

Yesterday's and today's temps in the mid-50's and temps in the mid to upper 40's over the next few days or so will speed the melting and break up of the ice. If the weather holds I expect Ice Out will be declared early this year, occurring in late March or early April. (Ice Out is defined as when the M/S Mount Washington cruise vessel can make all five ports of call on the lake - Weirs Beach, Alton Bay, Wolfeboro, Center Harbor, and Meridith - which usually occurs in mid April.)

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BeezleBub was back at work at the farm for the first time since vacation, working at the farm's saw mill cutting timbers for a new pavilion at Farmer Andy's farm stand. Construction will start next month, meaning BeezleBub will then use the timbers he cut this weekend to assemble the post and beam frame of the pavilion.

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It seems the Left is trying to link just about anything bad that happens anywhere to the TEA party movement, including the Pentagon shooter, Amy Bishop, and the Chilean earthquake.

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As the saying goes when it comes to scandal or corruption, follow the money. When it comes to AGW skeptics, they receive a small fraction of the funding of the AGW faithful receive, and from the same sources.

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Speaking of following the money, we should look closely at the Tides Foundation, "which is one of the original "philanthropic" donation launderers for donors who don't want to be tied to fringe activist groups."

The list of donors and recipients is illuminating and makes one wonder how some of these organizations and businesses can support organizations that do not have our country's best interests at heart and are working to damage as much of our economy as they can, all in the name of 'fairness' and 'justice'.

(H/T Instapundit)

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A comment to neoneocon's post about whether Obama has already done irreversible damage to America brings up a point that few may have thought about.

Neo's point is valid but Obama damages us in a more insidious direct fashion. At the end of the day what constrains both foriegn and domestic policy is money. Nothing new, that goes back thousands of years.

Obama is removing future options by burning up our capital actively managing the private sector's participation in the economy and racing through our credit by ramping up the deficit.

If he wants to remove any possibility of America doing anything here or overseas all he needs to do is bankrupt the nation, and that appears where he's leading us.

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Here's yet another preview of what we can expect in the way of health care if Obama gets his way.

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The Weekly Standard has their own take on the AGW crowd being in denial about ClimateGate and the continuing disintegration of AGW theory. (I particularly like the magazine cover illustration, finding it appropriate.)

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Now I'm off to watch the Oscars.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice is melting away, the bobhouses are gone, and thoughts of boating now intrude.

BeezleBub returned from the WP In-Laws today, his last day of February vacation. To say he wasn't pleased to be home would be an understatement. It wasn't that he dislikes us or home rather than it meant he couldn't work on his Jeep for another month or so and that has to go back to school. (He likes learning, he just doesn't like his high school and particularly all the adolescent drama that consumes too much of the day.)

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One American import British citizens appear to be embracing? Tea Parties.

(H/T Instapundit)

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US Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) believes the US economy is heading for a major collapse within the next 5 to 7 years unless some major changes are made in regards to the government's unsustainable spending.

Unfortunately I must wholeheartedly agree with him.

(H/T And Rightly So by way of Pirate's Cove)

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Bogie gives us a report on her snowstorm experiences. She also includes some photos, showing the snowfall and the high water aftermath.

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Skip Murphy has found that US Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has discovered a heretofore unknown Right in the United States Constitution.

It never ceases to amaze me how many unwritten 'rights' our Democrat leaders have found in the Constitution over the years, even those that fly in the face of the actual enumerated Rights found there.

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David Starr reminds us that second hand stuff can be pretty good, particularly if the price is right, and that sometimes second hand stuff is better than new stuff.
Call it Yankee frugality.

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Al Gore attempts to rehabilitate Anthropogenic Global Warming, trying to ignore or minimize the scientific fraud committed at the CRU.

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During my return trip from picking up BeezleBub from the WP In-Laws I noticed quite a few trucks towing bobhouses away from the lake. (A bobhouse is a small shack set up on the ice to provide shelter while ice fishing.) With the weird weather we've been experiencing - snow, rain, high winds, and warm daytime temps - the ice on the lakes has been melting, making it necessary to remove bobhouses before the ice gets too thin to venture out to get them. Such a thing usually occurs in mid to late March.

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And that's the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather is schizophrenic, the ice is getting thinner, and the woodpiles are getting smaller.

Beezlebub is on vacation this week and will be spending it down at the WP In-Laws, helping around their place and getting all the taps, tubing, and buckets set up to collect sap from sugar maples to make maple syrup.

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Speaking of sugaring, Bird Dog over at Maggie's Farm has a great post covering all aspects of making maple syrup (called sugaring), as well as the many uses for it other than covering your pancakes, french toast, or waffles. BD also has a number of useful links about sugaring.

In case you're wondering, we here at The Manse consume only the syrup made by the WP In-Laws or from Farmer Andy's operation, usually a dark amber Grade A or Grade B. I find them more flavorful than the light amber one finds in markets and from sugar houses via the Internet. We tend to keep the darker grades for ourselves.

We would rather do without than consume the colored/flavored corn syrup that masquerades as maple syrup that most folks consume.

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Deb's '91 Buick made its last journey late Friday afternoon. Despite it's structural shortcomings, it still ran like a top, making its last drive pleasurable while at the same time being bittersweet.

BeezleBub, the WP Dad, and I took the Buick to a salvage operator and got $175 cash for it as is. The fellow who bought it thought it looked pretty darned good for a 19-year old car, but he knew there were structural problems that made it too expensive to fix.

Before it made its last trip, BeezleBub took some pictures of it and took a few souvenirs to remember a car that has been part of his life for such a long time.

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As I mentioned last week, we bought a used 2004 Ford F150 4x4 to replace Deb's Buick. The truck was going to be hers and I would continue to drive the Intrepid. However, it didn't work out that way.

Instead, she has claimed the Intrepid as her own and I am now driving the pickup.

I think she planned it that way from the beginning.

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I thought I knew a lot about cats. But this was something new: Cats apparently have a gene that lets them love humans.

Cats, at least modern house cats, love their humans. Nothing else explains why cats demand petting, sleep on favored human's beds, sit in laps, and purr when picked up and stroked. They get terribly lonely when left alone. But what is the evolutionary origin of this gene?

The gene also shows they have intelligence, because they knew a good thing when they saw it and let the humans take care of them...just as it should be. I know Bagheera would agree with that.

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Are we now seeing deflation in spite of stimulus spending?

(H/T Instapundit)

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At least someone within the Federal Reserve gets it and is willing to say what needs to be said.

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It looks like the government is looking to do to your 401(k)'s and IRA's what they've done to Social Security.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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Fellow Granite Stater David Starr has a few ideas about how to cut the $1.6+ trillion deficit in Obama's latest budget.

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I must admit to a love/hate relationship with Anne Coulter. But this time around I happen to agree with her, particularly about this.

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Jennifer Rubin reminds us that Marco Rubio is not the Republican version of Barack Obama.

You see, they are alike because they are both non-white. Just like one another. Except that one speaks in short, comprehensible declarative statements about the greatness of America, and the other talks in vapid phrases, apologizing for America's ills. And except that one is a dogged advocate of the free market and a robust response to the war against Islamic fundamentalists, and the other isn't. And except that one inveighed against an inanely crafted pork-a-thon, and the other is still trying to convince us it saved us from an even worse depression. And then one said he's not prematurely running for president, and the other unfortunately did.

It appears that Rubio has a better chance of becoming the Republican nominee for US Senate than Florida Governor Charlie Crist and then defeating the Democrat challenger, particularly in light of the voter backlash against Democrats of all stripes.

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It's one thing when we slam the media for biased reporting, or worse, no reporting at all. It's another thing when Spain's government blames the "Anglo-Saxon" media as being the primary cause of all their economic woes. But could it be the real reason for Spain's economic pain be their unsustainable social spending and onerous fiscal policies under their socialist government?

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Could GE Hitachi have the answer to dealing with high-level long half-life nuclear waste?

Using reactors that make use of nuclear fuels other than U₂₃₅, like Pu₂₃₉, could greatly reduce the amount of 'traditional' nuclear waste to a small fraction of what presently exists. That would help, particularly in light of President Obama's abandonment of the Yucca Mountain storage facility.

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As happens around here almost every winter, a couple of guys decided that because Lake Winnipesaukee was frozen over where they happened to be (Welch's Island) that it was frozen enough everywhere. They were wrong.

Most of us around here know what areas are generally safe and what areas that need to be avoided at all times. The latter usually have thin ice or open water due to the way water flows in a given area. These two guys drove to an area on the lake where water flow keeps the ice thin or even non-existent.

This isn't the first time a vehicle has gone through the ice there, and I doubt it will be the last.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where a new round of snow is on the way, the local kids are on vacation, and where the ice is still thick enough to drive on...if you know where it's still safe.

An end of an era came upon us yesterday.

I took Deb's trusty 1991 Buick LeSabre to our mechanic for its annual state inspection yesterday morning.

It. Failed. Big. Time.

The list of things needed to allow her car to pass inspection was lengthy and expensive, too expensive, at least for a 19-year old car. It made no sense to spend $3000 or more to keep a car that will require an ever increasing amount of work every year. It was time to put the Buick out to pasture.

So today we went car shopping, or more accurately, truck shopping. We found a 2004 Ford F150 4x4 with only 60,000 miles on it. We managed to negotiate a reasonable price, knocking it down $2500 from the original selling price.

(In case you're wondering, the truck was not my idea. It was Deb's. I thought she'd go for another Buick but after talking things over with her dad, she decided a pickup truck would be a good idea.)

For the time being I'll keep driving the trusty ten-year old Intrepid. I figure I can count on it for the next 5 years at least.

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As Coyote Blog reminds us, difficulty in passing legislation is a feature, not a bug

(H/T Viking Pundit)

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Some folks are sick, twisted individuals, particularly when it comes to animals.

The person that did this to a poor dog is living proof of that. And if they can be this cruel to helpless animals, what kind of cruelties might they visit upon their fellow human beings?

I find it hard to fathom the thought processes that allow people to be cruel to animals. The thought of someone abusing any of the feline members of our household fills me with disgust and anger. The thought of those kind of people abusing animals and people makes we want to make use of my S&W Model 1076 to punch some non-lethal 10mm holes in their hides.

UPDATE: The perpetrator turned himself into the police. All I can say about this guy: "What an idiot!"

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Ah, this explains it! I was wondering why those on the Left were so in the tank for Obama's economic pseudo-policies. Now we know.

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BeezleBub and I watched the Daytona 500 this afternoon, the opening race of a new NASCAR season.

With two red flags for track repairs with 78 and 37 laps to go, the race took a long time to reach the end, finishing well after dark.

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John Stossel comments on the forced unionization of daycare workers/owners in Michigan, something I covered back in December of last year. (Scroll down towards the bottom of the post.)

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The AGW fall from grace just keeps getting better and better, particularly now that one of the major players in ClimateGate, Phil Jones, is admitting to the fraud of cooking the books to 'prove' global warming, and saying that over the past 15 years there has been no statistically significant warming.

Stick a fork in 'em. They're done.

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To add insult to injury, you know it's bad when a 15-year old high school girl has a better handle on global warming and the problems with the ground stations used to measure temperatures here in the US than Dr. James Hansen of NASA.

(via Don Surber by way of Pirate's Cove)

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I mentioned last week that Bogie had placed her seed order for her garden. This week I can report she's received them, including three free packets of an experimental variety of bean.

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This is yet another example of "This is just plain stupid!"

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I'm beginning to like Liz Cheney more every time I hear, see, or read her. She's definitely her father's daughter. She was able to let Juan Williams have it with both barrels, after her blasting the Obama Administration for its rank incompetence.

I'm wondering if we could see a Palin/Cheney or Cheney/Palin ticket in 2012?

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Speaking of Cheney (in this case Dick Cheney), he's hasn't been shy about slamming the Obama Administration, either. Maureen Dowd gives us an inside (though fictional) view of a meeting between Cheney and Obama before Cheney's weekend appearance on ABC Sunday morning.

Because of Cheney's scheduled appearance this morning on ABC, Obama made Joe Biden available to the other networks to rebut Cheney's opinions or claims about the present administration's policies.

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Somehow it seems both contradictory and fitting that an piece about cheating spouses should appear on Valentine's Day.

It appears we Americans have two opposing opinions about cheating, frowning down upon it while tacitly condoning it in their own relationships at the same time.

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While out on our truck shopping expedition today, we had occasion to drive by Alton Bay, the southernmost part of Lake Winnipesaukee. Normally, that isn't noteworthy. But today was the annual Alton Bay Winter Carnival. There were hundreds out on the ice in the bay. There were cars, trucks, snowmobiles (including some drag snowmobiles doing speed runs), ATVs and, believe it or not, aircraft out on the ice. (A runway and helicopter landing pad were created on the ice.)

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where winter carnivals have started, new trucks are being purchased, and where snow will return later this week.

New England dodged the storm that buried the mid-Atlantic states with over 2^1/2 feet of snow. All we got was a high, thin cloud layer that barely dimmed the sun. Beezlebub spent the day working at the farm, making use of the good weather.

Today's semi-nice weather (sunny, but cold with a nasty wind chill to deal with) allowed Beezlebub and I to move some more firewood into the garage. This batch has been seasoning for two years so it should burn quite nicely.

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"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Yup. I'd say that pretty well sums it up.

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From a comment made to the post linked above:

Progressives, despite claiming to be the party representing the "working man" have created a virtual social caste system, where if you didn't go to the right schools, or don't live in the right cities, or if religion is more than something you do on holidays, then your opinion can safely be discounted. They might pat you on the head, but ultimately they believe that you should be ruled by your betters. Lest we forget "Joe the Plumber". And Palin is tapping into that. During the Presidential campaign, there were a lot of Teamsters in PA asking why they should vote for two lawyers over the ticket where one of the candidates was married to a "brother member". When people throw out "right wing" and "fundie" they seem to lose sight of the fact that America remains a center right, deeply religious country, and given time to become comfortable with her negatives, a lot of the Democratic base will culturally self identify closer to someone like Palin than Obama. And at a certain point, the insults will make someone say "hey, they're basically talking about me." Especially if the "smart people" continue to demonstrate that even with massive majorities they still can't govern. I honestly don't think the average coastal/college town progressive understands the view on the ground in the hinterland.

To quote...umm... me, "Yup. I'd say that pretty well sums it up."

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I'll bet the Obama Administration didn't do it's math when it came to the "Cash for Clunkers" program. If they had they would have found they spent $8.57 for every dollar 'saved'.

I'd call that a major 'fail', wouldn't you?

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Skip at GraniteGrok delves more into Town Meeting and how it is democracy writ small. He also points out where the process can be used to deprive citizens of their property rights in favor of others. What's particularly disturbing is when the petitioner for change is the one that will benefit, while working to put a long standing family-owned family-oriented resort out of business.

This past Wednesday was our Town's Deliberative Session and an example of one of the topics that is most likely able to torque me up - that of using the force of Government for personal benefit used against your fellow neighbors or citizens.

There is a long standing animus between a business entity called the Ames Farm and a lawyer by the name of Stephen Nix here in my hamlet. For years now, the latter has tried to shut down parts of the operation of this 120 year cottage/restaurant/boat launch resort by using a number of legal maneuvers. In essence, he is trying to take away one of our basic Rights, that of Private Property, from this family so as to enhance the value of his property.

We have a term for folks like that borrowed from the South: carpetbaggers. That's even worse than being a flatlander. What makes this issue even more hurtful is that Attorney Nix grew up in our town, and as such, should know better.

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Apparently Obama's lack of understanding about economics also extends to Einstein's Theory of Relativity and freedom of speech.

Not only does Obama refuse to read physics textbooks before lecturing us on physics, he also refuses to read Supreme Court decisions before lecturing the Supreme Court on Supreme Court decisions. Justice Samuel Alito correctly mouthed "not true" when Obama made false statements about the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. Obama and Tribe's claims about physics are equally "not true."

Color me shocked!

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Ronald Reagan had the right of it.

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Beezlebub and I watched Super Bowl XLIV, rooting for the Saints.

I can safely say I've never seen an onside kick to open a half! The Saints' second-half gamble paid off, turning it into a touchdown and putting them ahead of the Colts for the first time.

In the end the Saints pulled it off, winning 31-17.

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Bogie's already getting ready for spring, placing her orders for seeds.

It's hard to believe planting will start in only three months (at least in greenhouses and indoors).

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where winter still holds sway, the firewood pile is getting smaller, and where Daylight Saving Time will return in a month.

While the South has been suffering from heavy snowfalls and freezing rain we up here in New England ave been enjoying sub-zero wind chills and below zero night time temperatures. That's worked out well for us here at Lake Winnipesaukee because this is the weekend of the Rotary Ice Fishing Derby. It's also been a problem because it requires a lot more firewood to keep The Manse above 60°F when the temperature outside is -10°F with a wind chill of -35°F.

It was cold enough that last night BeezleBub's boss, Farmer Andy, messaged him to let him know it was going to be too cold to spend the day outside splitting wood. (It might have also had something to with the difficulty of getting the diesel on the John Deere 5510 started when it's below zero in the barn.)

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With the thaw/freeze/thaw/freeze cycle we've been though the last couple of weeks the frost heaves have appeared in large numbers, making traveling down roads and side streets an exercise in preservation. In this case I'm talking about the preservation of automotive suspension parts and front end alignments.

We usually don't see frost heaves quite this early, which bodes ill for the 'regular' frost heave season in March.

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If you think the TEA parties are nothing more than a tool of the GOP, you're wrong. Instead it's the TEA parties taking over the GOP, replacing the faux fiscal conservatives with the real thing.

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If anyone should know whether the US is moving towards socialism, it's Lech Walesa. After all, he lived it and was one of the driving forces overthrowing it in Poland.

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Bogie's had her new Jeep for a month now ans she's still loving it. There were a few minor things she found wanting, with the worst being the air vents won't work unless the blower is on. That's been one of my pet peeves about Chrysler products since I had my trusty '95 Neon.

As Bogie says, "If the vents are the worst thing I have to complain about in the next 5 years...then I will consider myself truly lucky."

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And the hits keep on coming....

It appears the IPCC quoted an article in a mountaineering magazine and a master's dissertation, calling both of them 'papers' proving another facet of global warming. The only problem with them is that neither were based upon scientific study. Instead they both quoted anecdotal evidence from mountain guides in the Andes, Alps, and Africa.

The case for AGW is falling apart, as is the apparent severity of global warming in general.

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Robert Mitchell points out an important point which far too many Americans are ignorant: The US Constitution does not grant rights to anyone.

As recent events have clearly amplified, the average American's grasp of the content and purpose of the U.S. Constitution is woefully inadequate and too often inaccurate.

Ask a friend, a family member or a co-worker about the Constitution and what it does. You are likely to be told it grants Americans their rights and assures democratic elections and fair trials, or something along those lines. You'll also learn these things belong only to individual Americans. Foreigners and corporations are not covered. The Constitution does not permit. It does not dispense rights. It grants limited powers to the various branches of government and then provides checks and balances. Such as Article 1, Section 8: "The Congress shall have power to ..."

The Bill of Rights does not grant rights, either. Those 10 amendments limit the power of government to encroach on the rights presumed to belong to all of us. (Emphasis added.)

I am constantly amazed at the ignorance of our citizens when it comes to the Constitution and our rights.

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It appears Obama has solidified his newest political strategy: blame the other guy if he doesn't get his way.

Unfortunately his call for bipartisanship still sounds too much like his original definition of bipartisanship: Sit down, shut up, and vote the way we tell you to vote.

It sounds like he still doesn't understand that compromise means that both sides end up giving up something to get something they want. Over the past three years the Democrats have seemed unwilling to compromise on key issues, making the Republicans the only ones needing to compromise. And that means it isn't a compromise.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice fishing hasn't been great, the temps have been really cold, and where the fire in the woodstove is keeping us warm.

Apparently we are receiving a slight reprieve from winter over today and tomorrow, with warm temps and rain rather than snow through tomorrow. This will have the effect of clearing away the last of the snow and ice from the driveways and roads...making room for future snow and ice.

Such is the nature of New England winters.

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BeezleBub, Deb, and I got the remainder of our last delivery of firewood stacked in the garage today. That gives us about a cord and a quarter stacked in the garage, with another four cords outside. One cord of the fire wood still outside won't be ready to burn until next year as it's mostly oak. For those of you unfamiliar with heating with woodstoves, oak takes two years to dry before it will burn well. Maple is like that, as is elm. Elm must be dry before you can split it otherwise it just splinters. (Yes, we still burn elm up here. A number of them survived Dutch Elm Disease and were to the point where they were too old and too big to survive much longer, so down they came.)

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Roger L. Simon lays a smackdown on President Obama, and rightfully so.

The scary thing is that many of us believe the President hardly knows much of anything, certainly not economics, and is surrounded by an increasingly paranoid and defensive group of advisers. It's shades of Nixon, but worse. Tricky Dick, at least, knew what he was doing and could accomplish things.

You know it's bad when Dick Nixon at his worst is seen as far more competent that the present occupant of the Oval Office.

I have to agree with this as well:

Obama is the biggest windbag to ever ascend to the presidency. He has no idea what he is doing and now things are getting rough. Frankly, I'm worried for our country because this man doesn't really understand what the public is telling him. He just thinks we're "angry." He's wrong - we're furious and we're furious because he blames everyone but himself and seems psychologically incapable of taking responsibility.

Yeah, I'd say that sums it up pretty well. It also points to someone who has never needed to deal with the consequences of failure. Once someone like that is forced to face failure that is of their own making, they either 'freeze up', break down, or run away (figuratively speaking).

You know it's getting bad for Obama when even the Canadians are saying he's an incompetent narcissist. But wait, there's more!

Even the Left is piling on The One.

(H/T Instapundit)

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ClimateGate, the gift that keeps on giving, and giving, and giving.

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Being the TEA party supporter that I am, I am doing more than just attending rallies, protests, and town halls, or writing about TEA party activities or posting on my blog.

I am running for office.

In this case it is a town office (I've got to start somewhere). It is not the first time I've run for office, having run for selectman twice. (I lost both times, but the second time I had a pretty darned good showing.)

Being the cheap...uh...frugal Yankee that I am, I figure I can keep an eye on town spending, one of the few places where the citizen can have a direct effect on a government budget and, of course, the taxes that fund it.

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In the Super Bowl race, the Indianapolis Colts beat the New York Jets for the AFC Championship. The NFC Championship game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints starts later this evening (as I write this).

I'm hoping the Vikings beat the Saints as I'd love to see them take on the Colts and beat them.

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Don't worry. Obama has just the program to help create jobs.

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Now these are dedicated teachers, willing to take one for the team.

Where do these public servants teach? Vermont, of all places.

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Something that almost escaped my attention: Air America Radio has shut down and its corporate assets are being liquidated.

The liberal talk radio network was never successful, with dismal ratings, high salaries and expenditures, and just plain piss poor (and sleazy) management. The fact it lasted as long as it did was surprising.

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As if California doesn't have enough problems, now Democrats in the state want to impose a single payer health care system.

Where exactly do these morons think the money to pay for it will come from? California is broke, in hock to the tune of $40 billion (and growing). Residents and business owners are leaving in droves as taxes keep rising (and revenues fall). These guys must be reading from the Obama play book. And they'll have just as much luck.

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I have to agree with Glenn Reynolds on this one: Welcome to Harrison Bergeron High.

The school officials in Berkeley, California aren't doing their minority high school students any good by holding them to lower scholastic standards in science.

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Chris Christie, New Jersey's new Republican governor has already taken the bull by the horns and has put lawmakers on notice that it won't be business as usual in the Garden State.

The encouraging news is that Mr. Christie has ruled out raising taxes as a means for solving this problem. He has done so publicly and repeatedly. People close to the new governor say he has done this deliberately, as a message to the legislature and even his staff not to come to him with the same old solutions that have people fleeing the state. And he has done so knowing full well that if he reneges on so public a pledge, he will be crucified for it.

[Chief of Staff Richard] Bagger says that one thing that drives the Christie team crazy is the reigning assumption in too many quarters that taxes have no effect on business decisions. "If you are an entrepreneur," he says, "are you going to set up your business outside the University of Texas in Austin, where the income tax is zero, or outside Rutgers in Piscataway, where you face income tax and capital gains tax over 10%?"

History has shown again and again, both here in the US and the rest of the world, that high taxes always have a negative effect on business and that once they reach the trigger level, businesses and capital leave for greener pastures. It's a lesson the tax-and-spenders have either been unable to learn or have chosen to ignore, which is why they keep making the same mistake again and again and again.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the firewood is stacked under cover, the rains are coming, and where Monday has returned all too soon.

We've had a respite from the usual winter weather, the so-called January thaw, with temperatures above freezing, even overnight. A lot of the ice and packed snow on the driveway melted away, leaving bare pavement. The warmer temps also allowed us to keep the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove dialed all the way back, meaning the interior of The Manse was toasty warm while burning very little firewood. But it looks like our brief reprieve will be coming to an end later this evening.

Snow is forecast to start late this evening and last through the night until some time tomorrow. That means I'll be up a little earlier than usual tomorrow morning to clear the driveway so I can make it to work. At least BeezleBub doesn't have to worry about getting to school because of the MLK holiday. That doesn't mean he won't be getting up early to help clear the driveway.

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And speaking of woodstoves and firewood, BeezleBub as been splitting and stacking firewood at the farm, putting up next winter's cordwood. He's managed to go through a few cords so far, with only a hundred or two left to go.

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More guns in the hands of law abiding citizens lead to lower crime rates. Some people have been acting as if this is some kind of joke or an anomaly in the crime statistics. But for those of us living in states with lax gun laws (meaning those states with a real understanding of the Second Amendment, like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wyoming, just to name a few) have understood this effect for a long time. When even little old ladies are packin' heat and are more than willing to "bust a cap in yo' ass" should a criminal miscreant make the mistake of thinking they're an easy score, criminals think twice about committing crimes. Well, at least the smarter ones do. The dumb ones end up wounded or dead.

Besides, the average gun carrying citizen tends to be a better shot than criminals because they actually spend time at the range practicing.

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Speaking of gun laws, one New Hampshire legislator has obviously been drinking the gun-control kool aid. She has proposed a law to ban guns from the State House, going farther than the gun ban rule imposed by a legislative committee without hearings. Personally, I don't like the idea. She hasn't thought of the actual cost of implementing the law, which would require metal detectors and x-ray machines at each of the 14 entrances and the personnel to man them.

But listening to her on the local TV station, she repeated the gun-grabber claim that reducing the number of guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens will somehow reduce gun-related crimes. Crime statistics say otherwise (see post above).

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Powerline informs us the The Cape Cod Times has endorsed Scott Brown for the US Senate.

While not a big paper with nationwide reach, its endorsement is telling. After all it's located in Ted Kennedy's back yard (figuratively), and it has little use for Martha Coakley.

There are many people who would like to make this race a referendum on the current health care debate, but the election is more than one issue, no matter how important that issue might be. This election is about representing the people of Massachusetts on all issues.

While we have common ground with Coakley on some points, we have our concerns about her ability to be effective in Washington based on her underwhelming campaign. With the luxury of being the front-runner since the first day of this race, Coakley has done little to demonstrate her passion for the office and commitment to the people. She squandered an opportunity to show vision but instead has run a campaign that seemed intended to run out the clock.

It's more likely she will be nothing but a rubber stamp senator for Harry Reid, whose agenda doesn't have the best interests of the average American as its focus.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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There's been lot's of speculation about what happens if Brown is elected to the Senate on Tuesday. Will the Democrats, both in Massachusetts and in Washington DC, will try to delay Brown from taking his office as long as they can in an effort to force through a vote on health care reform? The big question: Can interim Senator Paul Kirk, appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to fill the seat left empty with the death of Teddy Kennedy until the special election, can constitutionally vote after Tuesday. If the answer is no, the 60-vote super-majority the Democrats have enjoyed is gone and a cloture vote would likely fail.

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If you need to see examples of class versus no class one need go no farther than Maui.

Apparently the paparazzi were so obnoxious that Sarah Palin and her family were forced to cut their vacation on Maui short. The photographers were so obnoxious that other hotel guests complained to the resort management.

Before departing the Palins apologized to the resort staff and patrons about the disruptions caused by others. To me (and many others) that tells me the Palins have class. The paparazzi, on the other hand, have none.

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I watched the Vikings-Cowboys game late this afternoon/early evening (DVR's are wonderful things!) after moving almost a cord of firewood into the garage of The Manse.

It was a game that paralleled the Patriots-Ravens game last weekend, with the Cowboys taking the role of the Patriots. The Vikings pounded the Cowboys, winning 34-3.

I'd like to think the Vikings can go all the way, proving that Brett Favre isn't too old to be playing the game and heralding the return of the Purple People Eaters.

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Jon Stewart uses Rachel Maddow to prove that Bush Derangement Syndrome is still alive and well, slamming her (rightfully so) for using the situation in Haiti to bash former President George Bush.

Earth to Rachel: WTF?

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where ice-in has been declared, the ice fishing derby will start in a couple of weeks, and where winter has returned with a vengeance.

If there were any doubts winter has arrived, they were dispelled with the arrival of sub-zero weather this weekend. Another unmistakable sign: bob-houses showing up on the frozen bays and coves of the lakes here in central New Hampshire.

While Lake Winnipesaukee has not frozen over entirely (a section in the widest part of the lake called The Broads is still open water), the ice is growing and thickening rapidly in the cold temperatures. Some of my fellow employees ave already ventured out onto the ice, placing their bob-houses in preparation for ice-fishing (and the upcoming Ice Fishing Derby).

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Speaking of freezing temps, one of BeezleBub's former classmates moved to Florida late last summer to "get away from the cold". It's ironic she's been seeing colder temperatures in Florida than we experienced here the other day.

It must be global warming.....

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Bogie has noticed a bigger tax bite out of her first paycheck of 2010.

I haven't received my first 2010 paycheck yet (that will happen later this week). It will be interesting to see if my taxes have gone up as well. (Yeah, like that won't happen!)

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Don Surber points us to a Rasmussen poll that tells us 45% of voters would replace Congress with names drawn randomly from the phone book. Not a bad idea. However I think our Modest Proposal to reform Congress - not all that different from the Phone Book idea - would work better.

Glenn Reynolds adds "Only 45%?"

From one commenter:

Preferably the Yellow Pages!!! At least they can run a business.

Hmm. Not a bad idea.

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It's been confirmed: Sarah Palin will be speaking at the first TEA Party convention in Nashville starting February 4th and running through the 6th.

One downside I can see about this convention: the 'party' will be highjacked and start sounding too much like the Dems and the GOP, taking the movement in the wrong direction and putting the brakes on the growing momentum.

But then again, that's just what the Left wants and is doing everything it can discredit the TEA parties, even if it means lying about the movement and manufacturing controversies about its members and platforms.

As if that's anything new.

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How can US health care be both the worst and the best in the world at the same time? It's either one or the other.

The WHO believes that we could have done better because we do not have universal coverage. What apparently does not matter is that our population has universal access because most physicians treat indigent patients without charge and accept Medicare and Medicaid payments, which do not even cover overhead expenses. The WHO does rank the U.S. No. 1 of 191 countries for "responsiveness to the needs and choices of the individual patient." Isn't responsiveness what health care is all about?

Does gaining universal health insurance coverage in exchange for much poorer service mean we'll have the best health care system in the world? No, it means we'll truly have the worst health care system instead of a rhetorically poor health care system. I don't see how that would be attractive to anyone.

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The New England Patriots played the Baltimore Ravens in Foxboro in the Wild Card playoff game.

The Patriots' heads weren't in this game, allowing the Ravens to score two touchdowns in less than 5 minutes. Brady was stripped of the ball during the Patriots first possession, allowing Baltimore to score their second touchdown. On the kickoff after the second Raven touchdown the Patriots kick returner lost the ball in the sun and darn near gave it back to the Ravens.

The Patriots defense was non-existent. Rushing defense couldn't keep the Ravens off of Brady. Brady got picked three times, fumbled once, with the Ravens able to exploit each turnover into a score.

Somehow the Patriots managed to score two touchdowns, but they still got crushed by the Ravens 33-14. This was the first Patriot loss at home since 2006.

The painful Patriots season is now over, with too many star players lost to injuries, too many rookies trying to play at a level they really wouldn't reach for another season or two, and a quarterback still trying to get back to where he was before he was injured last season.

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Despite record cold temperatures and widespread snowfall in Great Britain, the UK Met Office insists this winter is the warmest on record. That certainly isn't true here in the US, with most of the South seeing record low temps and, in some cases, recordable snowfall in places that have never seen snow before. The rest of northern Europe and Asia have also been seeing extended below normal temperatures and above normal snowfalls.

This is looking more and more like the Fallen Angels scenario.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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And speaking of "warmest winter on record", maybe Britain can once again look forward to wheat fields and vineyards across the island as once existed when the weather was warmer.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Can the GOP win Kennedy's US Senate seat in the special election January 19th? It's looking like the tide is shifting and GOP contender Scott Brown has evened things up with Democrat Martha Coakley just 9 days before the election.

Should Brown win, will Massachusetts Democrats stall his swearing in just long enough to keep him from voting on ObamaCare? Considering previous Massachusetts succession law shenanigans to ensure no Republican could ever be appointed by a GOP governor to fill a senate vacancy, I have no doubt they'll find some way to keep him from taking the senate seat for as long as they can get away with it. There's also the question about Senate Democrat machinations to delay Brown's certification as a US Senator to prevent him from voting on any health care bill that may come before the Senate.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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George Will tells us more about the failed state of California that liberalism built. What makes it worse is that the very people that helped create the crisis in the first place believe that more of the same will somehow solve the problem.

Haven't we seen the same thing from Obama and Congress in regards to the federal budget and the exploding deficit?

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ice is getting thicker, the snow isn't melting, and where more cold weather is on the way.

The Weather Guys™ predicted up to a foot of snow here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, but as often happens here in New England, they weren't even close. In this case they overestimated the snowfall, at least in this part of the area. If we got more than 5 inches I'd be surprised.

I'm not disappointed because I know we'll have lots more snow to deal with before winter ends.

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Charity giving: who cares? A visual guide to giving.

I found a few surprises.

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Starting Monday morning fellow blogger Skip Murphy from GraniteGrok and I will start the Great Blogger Weight Loss Challenge. We both tip the scales at over 240 pounds (I won't say how much over...at least not until after the official weigh-in tomorrow).

My goal is to return to my normal weight of 195 pounds, a place I haven't been since just before Deb and I were married about four and a half years ago. (No, I am not blaming her. Well, not much. It isn't like she forced me to eat what she cooked, is it?)

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Here are a few more reasons to like Sarah Palin.

I'm becoming more convinced she should run for President in 2012. I bet she'd be able to get more done in a half term than many other presidents have managed to get done in two. If nothing else she would make more than a few heads in both the Democrat and Republican parties explode.

I'd pay a dollar to see that!

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I've wondered about this, too.

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I like the idea of this proposed constitutional amendment:

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives, and Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States.

Go to the link and let Glenn Reynolds know what you think about it.

Our representatives in Congress should abide by the same laws as the people they represent. To do otherwise makes them believe they can walk the halls of power with impunity, knowing the laws they pass do not necessarily apply to them and further separating them from the very people that elected them.

Could it be this is the reason such an amendment was proposed?

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Bogie tells us about her sweet new ride, replacing her increasingly problematic Nissan Xterra.

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Apparently Republican Scott Brown's run for Teddy Kennedy's vacant seat in the US Senate is picking up speed and support.

It looks like Democrat Martha Coakley isn't going to have the cakewalk she thought she was in this race. If nothing else Brown is running to be "the 41st senator to stop" ObamaCare. In Massachusetts that might be a winning strategy considering the record of MassCare, with major cost overruns, higher taxes than projected, and more expensive insurance premiums than promised. (Many, including me, look at MassCare as a preview of ObamaCare, and we don't like what we see. Neither does Brown.)

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The New England Patriots played the Houston Texans in Houston today. This was a must-win game for Houston, as a loss today would lock them out of the playoffs and end their season.

Unfortunaly the Texans prevailed, handing the Patriots a 34-27 loss. But the Texans are not assured a playoff spots because it requires the loss of two out of three teams other teams playing today.

At least the Patriots already had a playoff spot secured before this game.

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California: Like, it is so over.

Unfortunately Californians have only themselves to blame, voting for an increasingly liberal agenda, more onerous regulation, higher taxes, and tying the hands of the state legislature and the governor to adequately deal with budget shortfalls.

Is it any wonder people and businesses are leaving in increasing numbers? Of course some of those leaving are taking their liberal Californian beliefs with them, endangering the states to where they move with the same damn foolishness that condemned California to its fate.

(H/T Ed Driscoll)

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Is it any surprise to find out Obama's presidential campaign wasn't as grassroots as claimed? Instead it was no different than any other modern campaign, depending upon big money donors to fill the campaign coffers.

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From Bob Parks comes this bit of hypocrisy from the Left:

Remember when dissent was supposed to be patriotic? Well, it seems that only applies when a Republican is president. Now that Barack Obama is in the White House, criticism of him is "un-American" and "traitorous."

Not even when it's richly deserved?

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I've noticed this too, and it's become quite annoying. The problem is that legitimate comments get buried in the noise.

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Over time it has become evident that ObamaCare is unlikely to pass the constitutionality test While the Democrats may argue the commerce clause allows Congress to force this on the American people, there is plenty of precedent that says just the opposite.

First, the Constitution does not give Congress the power to require that Americans purchase health insurance. Congress must be able to point to at least one of its powers listed in the Constitution as the basis of any legislation it passes. None of those powers justifies the individual insurance mandate. Congress's powers to tax and spend do not apply because the mandate neither taxes nor spends. The only other option is Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce.

Congress has many times stretched this power to the breaking point, exceeding even the expanded version of the commerce power established by the Supreme Court since the Great Depression. It is one thing, however, for Congress to regulate economic activity in which individuals choose to engage; it is another to require that individuals engage in such activity. That is not a difference in degree, but instead a difference in kind. It is a line that Congress has never crossed and the courts have never sanctioned.

In fact, the Supreme Court in United States v. Lopez (1995) rejected a version of the commerce power so expansive that it would leave virtually no activities by individuals that Congress could not regulate. By requiring Americans to use their own money to purchase a particular good or service, Congress would be doing exactly what the court said it could not do.

On the other hand we have to remember that Congress has had no problem with ignoring the Constitution since it came under the control of Pelosi and Reid, particularly since Obama took office. They see it as an inconvenience to be circumvented when and where they can in order to reach their goal of turning the US into a Euro-socialist state, and a failed one at that.

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Gee, don't you hate it when people won't cooperate with your superior knowledge about what is and is not real? How about when Earth's climate refuses to cooperate with the now-discredited warmist theory of AGW? How rude!

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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Is this another preview of the future in regards to the effects of Obamacare? If the Mayo Clinic in Arizona can no longer afford to take Medicare patients at the present poor reimbursement rate, what does that imply should the proposed 21% cut in Medicare reimbursements take effect?

This is making concierge medical practices look more attractive all the time. The patient pays an annual retainer to the medical practice that covers a certain number of office visits and treatments/procedures per year. Those retainers are far less expensive than top to bottom insurance coverage, meaning almost everyone can afford them. The only health insurance anyone would need to buy would be for catastrophic care, and I think we'll find the cost of that would be a fraction of what health insurance costs today. A visit to the doctor will generate no insurance paperwork, the cost to provide the service is far cheaper than it is for the insurance company to cover, and the doctor can actually spend time with the patient because he/she isn't providing fee-for-service, which usually limits the doctor's time per patient to 5 or 10 minutes, tops.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the snow has finally stopped falling, the snow blowing is done, and where it's inevitable that more snow will fall soon enough.

This is a bit of a (one time) change for today's post. Rather than picking a single topic, I'm borrowing from my usual Sunday post and covering a whole bunch of them in a single post. It's a good way to start 2010 and allows me to pop in a few New Year's resolutions in there here and there.

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I, for one, am happy to see 2009 behind us. While there were a few positive things that happened to this branch of the WP clan, there were many more times that number of negatives, the biggest one being the precipitous drop of the stock market, the climbing unemployment rate, the pay cut I and my fellow employees took in March in an effort to stave of layoffs, Deb's income falling to zero at the beginning of August, and the resulting family budget crunch.

We were more fortunate than many others because we were still able to pay our bills, the mortgage, and buy food, clothes, and fuel. There was very little left after that, meaning that discretionary spending dropped to just about zero. (The government is blaming us - not us personally, but the collective 'us' - for the slow recovery from the recession because we aren't spending enough, or worse, not putting ourselves deeper in debt to 'stimulate' the economy. Too bad.)

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One of my first resolutions is to get back into fighting trim, meaning dropping back to 195 pounds where I belong. (I had no problems controlling my weight until I got married. Deb is that good a cook...and she likes using lots of pasta, something that packs weight on me faster than anything else I've ever eaten, sugar included.) I'd also fallen into the habit of snacking on things that were bad for me in so many ways. But that ended today, Deb's good cooking aside.

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We know the Left can be contrarian (read that hypocritical). A perfect illustration of that hypocrisy: the same folks that want to control your health care also want Rush Limbaugh to die.

So tell me again, which party is the tolerant, compassionate one?

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If we need any more proof there's a correlation between taxes and happiness, here's another example. (Yes, I know correlation does not imply causality, but from personal experience I know higher taxes make me unhappy.)

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Our friend Skip points us to the 40 best political quotes of 2009.

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We have a series of snowstorms getting ready to blanket the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with a foot of snow (or more) over the next two days. I wouldn't mind that too much but I have to get up early Saturday morning to get the trusty Intrepid to the mechanic's so he can mount the snow tires. I have to clear the driveway before I can head to the shop.

Usually I've had this done during the first or second weekend of December, but Deb's car took priority and the aforementioned lack of funds for discretionary spending delayed the job until now.

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Speaking of getting up early on Saturday, why is it I regularly have to get up earlier on weekends than I do on work days? There's something very wrong about that.

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My second resolution? Get out onto the lake far more often next summer as compared to last summer. Of course the lousy weather last June and July didn't help things much.

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So much for the first day of 2010.

We have survived another Christmas Holiday season, making it down and back to the In-Laws without a single incident. Victuals were excellent and the gifts given and received were as well. About the only "gripe" (and I'm using the term loosely) is the use of the phrase "AS SEEN ON TV!" on a few of the gifts we received.

The gifts themselves were awesome, but I've never seen them on TV. Does that make them any less of a great product? Not as far as I can tell. But I can't see how the overused phrase on the box will induce anyone to buy them as I've seen plenty of products on TV that I would not spend a dime of your money on, let alone mine. Maybe in the earliest days of TV advertising such a claim might have swayed a purchase, but these days we're too cynical (and too connected) to buy something merely because it was 'seen on TV'.

A confession: I am using this neat gift as I write this, set up at an angle to hold the WP Laptop. (Notice the "AS SEEN ON TV" logo on the photo!) Thanks to the WP In-Laws for this gift as it makes writing a whole lot easier.

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Consider this a cautionary tale should we not take back Congress from Pelosi, Reid, and the Teleologist in Chief.

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Cap'n Teach points us to an inside view of how the Leftists are truly living in a dream world, showing their ignorance when it comes to health insurance and particularly when in relation to economics.

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The Senate passed the Health Care Destruction bill and the price for many Senate Democrats will be paying will become evident all too soon, particularly once November 2010 rolls around. Of course the whole thing might come apart should Connecticut decide to sue over Nebraska's 'special' deal in regards to Medicare. Other suits based upon the constitutionality of a number of provisions in both the House and Senate bills are also waiting on the sidelines.

With all the deals (aka bribes) made by the Democrat leadership (meaning Reid) in order to the buy votes needed to pass this steaming pile of manure, it isn't surprising the deals may come apart as other states find themselves holding the bag in order to pay off the other states. The Dems are working overtime to make sure this so-called reform wanted by no one, needed by very few, and paid for by those unwilling to give even more of their hard-earned money to those incapable of being frugal with it, passes.

One thing going for the GOP on this is that the Democrats have to take sole ownership of this g*d-awful legislation. The Democrats cannot lay the blame on the Republicans in any way, shape, or form. Despite Democrat claims that the GOP has put forth nothing for health care reform, it is a false claim. What they won't tell you is that every GOP amendment or bill has been killed in committee or on the floor, assuming they ever saw the light day.

(H/T Viking Pundit)

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The folks in Detroit understand this concept completely: Democrat power corrupts. Absolute Democrat power corrupts absolutely.

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This is a Congress Al Capone would have appreciated.

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Skip Murphy gets into one of my favorite topics: political correctness. It is a concept I have loathed since I first became aware of it, seeing it for what it was: fascism/marxism in disguise. (There really is little difference between the fascism and marxism. Only a few of the terms differ.) Even George Orwell was aware of the dangers of political correctness, as he showed in his dystopian novel 1984. 1984's Newspeak didn't allow any negative connotations, meaning there was no way to express dissent or dissatisfaction with the State.

Politically correct speech is no different, eliminating any negative speech and making it more difficult, if not impossible to express dissent or dissatisfaction with the State. Sound familiar?

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In light of the attempted Al Qaeda bombing of Delta Flight 253 as it approached Detroit, Obama's plans to close the Gitmo detention center are in doubt.

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Even though Obama has been in office for a little over 11 months, the world still doesn't love us.

Big surprise. NOT.

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Are we on the verge of a second American Revolution?

Seeing the heavy move to the Left in Congress by the Democrats, Obama and Pelosi's ongoing violation of the US Constitution, their continual profligate spending of the American people's money, their ever more confiscatory tax policies, as well as the backlash seen as the TEA parties have been growing in number and size, I'd have to say it's a distinct possibility. While it may not entail armed insurrection, the battles will take place in courtrooms, legislatures, town meetings, and polling places across the nation.

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The 9-5 New England Patriots played the 7-7 Jacksonville Jaguars in Foxboro this afternoon. Despite a failed first drive (a fumble at the goal line and a poor call by the officials, in my opinion) they managed to score two touchdowns in quick succession to make up for it. At the end of the first half the Pats were up 28-0.

The Patriots won, 35-7, clinching the AFC East division.

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At least one town in New Hampshire is making use of 21st Century technology, adding lasers to their snowplow trucks. The new lasers aid the plow driver in spotting where the edge of their wing plow will pass, meaning it's less likely the plow will strike mailboxes, road signs, and telephone poles. (To those of you living in more temperate climes, a wing plow is mounted on the passenger side - and sometimes the driver's side - of the plow truck, allowing it plow two or even three lanes at a time.)

If I were more of a cynic I'd be looking at these lasers as part of a precision targeting system, assuring maximum mailbox damage with minimal contact with the wing plow.

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The bald eagle population has rebounded here in the Lakes region of New Hampshire, with sightings becoming quite common.

I've seen more than one bald eagle in the area over the past few years, with six sightings just this past summer while I was out on Lake Winnipesaukee.

My first bald eagle sighting was about 18 years ago when I was still living just north of the capitol city, spotting a pair of eagles along the banks of the Merrimack River at a place called Sewall's Falls.

As an aside, I've seen the World Wildlife Federation's polar bear ad, with Noah Wyle explaining the plight of the polar bear and how it might "disappear in our children's lifetime." Too bad the ad is based upon a false premise considering the population of polar bears has increased by a factor of 5 since the early 70's and is still growing.

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The New Hampshire Supreme Court will be hearing a tax cap case, where the city of Manchester voters passed a tax cap article, limiting how much the city can raise taxes and limiting spending. But the article, which is slated to go into effect July 2010, is being challenged on constitutional grounds.

Of course the ones challenging the tax caps (a number of other New Hampshire municipalities also have tax caps) are the usual suspects: the tax-and-spenders. At a time when New Hampshire taxpayers are dealing with stagnant or falling incomes and higher costs and taxes, it seems counterintuitive to push for even more spending and higher taxes. But then the state legislature has been on a tax-and-spending spree over the past 4+ years, which in turn has motivated the municipal tax-and-spenders to ignore the economic conditions we are all dealing with and to push forward with budgets and taxes that are crushing far too many residents and even forcing some out of their homes.

Let us hope the New Hampshire Supreme Court makes the right decision and decides in favor of the taxpayers.

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After a 'Year of Obama Love', it appears the reality the O-bots and the MSM are now faced with will be devastating. It turns out their 'god' has feet of clay, is not the Alpha and the Omega, and is seen by other leaders of the world as an out-of-touch weakling with delusions of adequacy.

Welcome to the real world.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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As if we need yet another reason to hate unions, there's this story from Michigan (where else?) telling how over 34,000 day care providers are now 'members' of a union they didn't even know existed nor that they voted to join. What's worse is that the state of Michigan was complicit in this bit of racketeering. (Yes, racketeering, for that's what it is when the state conspires with the unions to create an 'employer' that by any stretch of the imagination shouldn't be.)

How is it someone who is self-employed with their own business (day care) can also be a union member forced to pay dues to a union that is nothing more than a means to collect someone else's money for a corrupt and criminal organization? Yeah, let's heap even more insult and economic injury on small businesses in a state with high unemployment, high taxes, high spending, a hostile business environment, and a population shrinking at an ever increasing rate.

And people wonder why Michigan is such an economic basket case.

I figure Michigan will end up being just like Detroit in short order if this madness continues: no jobs, decaying towns/neighborhoods, shrinking population, increasing crime, poor or non-existent services, a failing education system, and taxes rates that make paying 'protection' to the Mob cheap by comparison. At this rate Michigan will end up resembling a large number of Third World nations suffering from the same type of political corruption.

As one of the commenters to this WSJ piece wrote, "Let the last businessperson leaving Michigan turn out the lights on [their] way to Texas."

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather has temporarily turned warmer, the woodpiles are getting smaller, and where really cold weather is on its way.

The big Nor'easter hammering parts of the Atlantic seaboard and southern New England has left the Lakes Region of New Hampshire untouched. Even the southern tier of the state isn't seeing nearly as much snow as originally forecast. The Weather Guys™ have had to backpedal a bit, explaining the reason why we haven't been seeing the snow amounts expected is because the air is so dry the snow falling from the clouds evaporates before it reaches the ground.

I'm not complaining. Really. I had no desire to shovel snow or fire up the Official Weekend Pundit Snowblower to clear the driveway this weekend. I figure I'll have more than a few opportunities to do so before spring arrives.

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Speaking of the Nor'easter, I had the opportunity to speak to friends living out on Martha's Vineyard Island last night. They were already set for the then approaching storm, having taken care of their shopping and making sure the snowblower was positioned in the garage in preparation for clearing their driveway once the storm passed.

Whenever I think of heavy snow out on the island all that comes to mind is the Stephen King made-for-TV movie Storm of the Century. Hopefully Mr. Linoge has not made his way out onto the island.

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Is there any doubt that Senator Bernie Sanders (Socialist - VT) lives in an entirely different world than the rest of us?

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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And speaking of Vermont, I'm adding Vermont Tiger to the blogroll.

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For those wanting a better understanding of the TEA party movement and how it is evolving, Skip Murphy has an excellent piece explaining the hows and whys of the movement.

One thing I've noticed is that it is far more encompassing than either the Democrats or the Republicans. Members of the movement come from both parties and a wider range of political beliefs than either of the two major parties. It is a grassroots movement of pissed-off Americans trusting no one in Congress to represent us as they should have, instead taking care of all the special interests and ignoring the wishes of their constituents back home.

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I guess Bogie is suffering from weekend writer's block, so she had to borrow content from one of my favorite websites.

At least of you're going to steal borrow, steal borrow from the best.

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Eric the Viking has a number of links to responses and opinions about the Senate Health Care Reform scam.

The common response: Everyone hates it, even MoveOn.org!

So why does Reid keep pushing this steaming pile of legislative manure?

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It seems poetic somehow the states whose residents report being the happiest tend to be Red states and the least happy tend to be Blue states.

Unfortunately my home state of New Hampshire ranks 28th on the happiness scale (in the past it was almost always in the top 10). That's not all that surprising considering we've been suffering under free-spending Democratic majorities in the New Hampshire House and Senate, a do-nothing Democrat in the Governor's Office, Democrats that never saw tax or spending bills they didn't like occupying both Congressional District seats, and one Democrat in the US Senate. State spending and taxes have skyrocketed over the past 4 years, greatly exceeding the rate of inflation (spending increased 30% in four years, while inflation during the same period totaled 14%).

Is it any wonder residents of all-too-Blue New Hampshire aren't happy?

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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The New England Patriots played the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo this afternoon.

Buffalo had first possession and it took them almost 10 minutes to make it to the other end of the field only to settle for a field goal. The Patriots' battered defense managed to keep them from scoring a touchdown, and then only because the Bills got a false start penalty on 3rd and Goal.

The Patriots didn't fare any better, their first drive ending with an interception at the Buffalo 40. But at least they were finally able to turn it around, beating Buffalo 17-10.

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The Official Weekend Pundit Woodpile increased in size today, with the last two cords being delivered by BeezleBub's boss, Farmer Andy, this afternoon. One cord will make its way into the garage immediately and the second will be put under cover for use later this winter.

I'm just hoping we'll be able to keep our propane usage to a minimum as it still isn't all that cheap. The cost of the firewood we'll burn this winter will be less than that of a single tank of propane (we'd easily go through three, maybe four tanks if we heated exclusively with propane). If nothing else I can claim that we're using a renewable source of fuel rather than one of those evil fossil fuels.

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Has Duke University learned its lesson in regards to the Duke Lacrosse Team debacle a couple of years ago? Apparently the answer is 'no'.

(H/T Instapundit)

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Free the SEALs!

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Can Dave Bing turn Detroit around? Possibly, particularly if he can get the message across to the municipal unions that the gravy train has derailed and find way to cut the lengthy and expensive processes needed to open a business in the city for starters. He also has to fix the schools, reduce crime, and see about shrinking Detroit's infrastructure footprint (it has the infrastructure to support 2 million residents, but the city's population is half that these days yet it still has to maintain it all).

Let's hope he can pull off the biggest turnaround since Rudi Giuliani revived New York City.

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Daniel Botkin, professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UCSB, teaches us a simple but no less powerful lesson about nature, adaptability, and its relation to the bugaboo of Anthropogenic Global Warming. It's a lesson many in the AGW camp should learn.

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For the last entry of this week's TOAS, we return to Skip Murphy as he expands on Brent's post from earlier today, digging deeper into the incipient tyranny the Left wants to impose upon us, first by silencing any dissent.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the snow passed to the south of us, the woodpile has gotten bigger, and Christmas is only a few days away.

Winter temperatures arrived here in the Lakes Region with a vengeance, with day-time highs in the upper 20's, wind chill factors at or below zero, and night-time temps in the lower teens and upper single digits. The Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove has been running 24/7 in an effort to keep the temperatures inside The Manse to a reasonably comfortable level.

BeezleBub spent yesterday and today working at the farm, assembling a post-and-beam frame around the farm's new outdoor coolers. As he said more than once, "It's damn cold outside, meaning we had to keep working in order to stay warm." At least this morning he didn't have to get down there until 8, meaning I was able to get up an hour later than usual.

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I haven't been as diligent about posting regularly the past couple of weeks, allowing Brent and Nathan to pick up the slack. Part of it has been lack of the usual time (though a small part). A big part has been there's been too darn much to post about. I find that sometimes it's difficult to pick a subject, meaning that lately I've chosen none.

One subject that I could post endlessly about is ClimateGate. There's just so much fodder out there despite the denials by The Anointed that it's all much ado about nothing (except for scientific fraud, science influenced by a political agenda, data 'fixing', destruction of raw data, and worthless computer code written specifically to provide a predetermined outcome). The scientific method appears to have been bypassed in the name of "saving the planet" even if the planet isn't in peril (at least not from climate change). But with so much to choose from, it's been difficult to stick with even one aspect of the scandal. So I'm only posting about it nowhere near as often as I could.

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Dennis Miller has the right of it, comparing the ClimateGate perpetrators reactions to those of raccoons raiding your trash can 11:30 at night. (H/T Instapundit)

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The New England Patriots played the Carolina Panthers today in Foxboro. It was painful to watch right from the beginning.

The usual second-half malaise was there. Unfortunately it struck during the first half. The Patriots couldn't make the first downs, couldn't complete the passes, and had two turnovers (both of them involving Randy Moss, with an interception and a fumble).

The second half wasn't much better with offensive drives being short-circuited by turnovers.

Despite defeating Carolina 20-10, the Pats are starting to look all too much like the Patriots of the 70's.

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It appears that both Google and Bing have decided ClimateGate is not something they want to link to or have show up on searches...unless it's something denigrating about the leaked/hacked e-mails and other files. However Yahoo is still allowing full search results for "ClimateGate".

So which organization is living up to its "Don't be evil" mantra? Hint: It isn't Google.

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This doesn't surprise me in the least: Hourly workers tend to be happier than those on salary. I know it's true for me, having been on both sides of that equation. Hourly has always meant a bigger paycheck when all things are taken into consideration.

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Forget CO₂, now it's nitrogen we have to worry about in regards to climate change.

I'm betting oxygen will be next on the "We gotta DO SOMETHING about this!" hit list.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Talk about hypocrisy.

Liberals bash conservatives as greedy money-grubbers, but it turns out it's liberals that are most obsessed with more and more money and are as tight-fisted as Ebenezer Scrooge. They are also far more amoral in regards to earning money than conservatives.

Most surprising of all is reputable research showing those on the Left are more interested in money than Right-wingers.

Both the World Values Survey and the General Social Survey reveal that Left-wingers are more likely to rate 'high income' as an important factor in choosing a job, more likely to say "after good health, money is the most important thing," and more likely agree with the statement "there are no right or wrong ways to make money."

You don't need to explain that to Doug Urbanski, the former business manager for Left-wing firebrand and documentary-maker Michael Moore. "He [Moore] is more money-obsessed than anyone I have known -- and that's saying a lot," claims Urbanski.

They talk a good game, but when it comes to living up to the ideals and way of life they espouse, they want nothing to do with it. That's for the rest of us 'little people'.

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As RightWingSparkle puts it:

You gotta love this. How many times in the last eight years have you, as a Republican, said to yourself, "Why don't the Republicans fight back??? Why don't they answer their critics???" It was so frustrating for so long. Now we finally have someone willing to fight back.

To whom is she referring? Sarah Palin, of course. Sarahcuda does a smackdown on AlGore's response to her WaPo piece about ClimateGate and leaves him looking like the AGW fool he's become.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where winter has firmly established itself, the wood pile is getting smaller, and once again Monday has arrived too soon.

The Lakes Region of New Hampshire looked like a winter wonderland this morning, with snow coating the trees and a blanket of white from horizon to horizon.

If I believe the Weather Guys™, a good portion of the snow will melt away today, leaving the roads clear and dry and most of the snow cover gone.

The snow made for an interesting trip to the farm this morning, with Deb's car (shod with snow tires) having great difficulty making it up The Manse's steep driveway.

BTW, the Great Ice Storm of 2008 hit the Northeast a year ago, leaving over a million people without power, 400,000 of them in New Hampshire alone. We were fortunate here at The Manse because we were without power for only 16 hours. Even without power we had heat, light, and hot water (think baths and showers).

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I caught a portion of ABC's Good Morning America this morning during a 'report' about the upcoming Copenhagen climate conference and I was dismayed. This so-called report was nothing more than a propaganda piece pushing the AGW agenda. No mention of ClimateGate, no mention of growing dissent among knowledgeable scientists, and only a passing reference to a decline in public acceptance of AGW theories.

As I and many others have said, the fix is in.

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Another indication that AGW 'heretics' are being silenced: many respected science professionals are "losing their positions" on BBC-TV.

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Maggie's Farm has a round-up of ClimateGate posts and stories. Thanks to the News Junkie for doing this so I woundn't have to.

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The New England Patriots played the Dolphins in Miami this afternoon, and following their usual pattern, the Patriots had problems during the second half, between missing coverage, blown plays, and penalties costing them dearly. The Patriots lost yet another one, 22-21.

As much of a Patriots fan as I am, I have to say I believe the Patriots are done for the season and tat they won't even make the playoffs even though they are leading their division of the moment. Their morale is shot and their defense has huge holes in it, some of which can be laid at the feet of Bill Belichick (trading away Mike Vrabel was a huge mistake, particularly in light of the retirement of Tedi Bruschi and Junior Seau).

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Cap'n Teach informs us Sarah Palin is so popular that even the media is showing up in growing numbers for her appearances.

Maybe the media is finally catching on that's she's actually quite popular with much of Middle America.

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Darleen Click illustrates the differences between the Left and the Right, specifically in regards to 'death' taxes (also know as the estate tax). Unfortunately the Left still sees only 'the rich' paying such taxes. But the definition of rich is far too broad, with the unintended consequence of far too many family owned businesses going under because the government will confiscate a good portion of those businesses in taxes. How does impoverishing families by confiscating their wealth (as small is it might actually be) help anyone?

A message to the Leftist looters: Closed businesses and their now unemployed workers don't pay taxes.

Part of the Left's problem is that it still thinks of wealth as a zero-sum game, meaning that they believe that in order for one person to become wealthy they somehow had to impoverish someone else. That may have been true back in the days when wealth was measured purely by how much gold, silver, and precious/semi-precious gems you had in your treasury. But that hasn't been the case in the West for a few hundred years now.

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Here's another difference between the Left and the Right: Egocentrism versus Theocentrism.

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It's official - Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs fame has gone full lefty. It appears he is also suffering from selective amnesia, forgetting things he wrote only 2 years ago.

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The Official Weekend Pundit Christmas Tree is up, though not yet fully decorated. Deb and I assembled our tree (we have no need to go out and kill a tree needlessly for the holiday, so an artificial tree we can use again and again is our preference), strung the lights (including some new LED Christmas lights I picked up early this year for $2), and draped a few garlands. The rest of the decoration we'll leave in BeezleBub's hands as it's something he does so well. (He's also particular about where various ornaments go on the tree, so better that he does it rather than us so he doesn't have to undo it and then "do it right".)

While our original plan was to spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the WP In-Laws, we've had to change it. Deb has to work both those days as she's the new person on the ward (she's just started a new job). Instead the In-Laws will be coming to The Manse.

This is the second major holiday in a row where we've not had to travel. I doubt that will happen again any time soon.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the snow has finally fallen, more cold weather is moving in, and where Christmas will arrive all too soon.

Thanksgiving here at The Manse went well, with only Deb, BeezleBub, the WP In-Laws, and yours truly celebrating. It isn't that I don't like the large family gatherings, because I do. But this year the smaller gathering suited us. There wasn't as much food to prepare, less to clean up, and more time to just 'hang with the homies'.

The WP Parents and my dear brother's family made the trip down to my youngest sister's place south of Boston for the 'big' gathering.

All in all, it was a great holiday (and my personal favorite).

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BeezleBub was back working at the farm yesterday. His boss needed him and one or two others for hay and firewood deliveries as well as some odds-and-ends work that needed to be completed before winter arrives.

That pleased BeezleBub to no end as he's been feeling a little out of sorts without his weekend job.

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It was quite windy here in the Granite State yesterday, causing power outages all over the state.

During one of my trips out yesterday I was able to look out onto Lake Winnipesaukee and see whitecaps, rollers, and even some much larger breakers. It was almost like watching Deadliest Catch, the water was that rough. I wouldn't have wanted to be out there even on the Marine Patrol's 41-foot patrol boat.

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It would be best if I do not allow the feline members of the WP household to see this article about cat-friendly house design. I thought our cat condo and the connecting catwalk to the penthouse BeezleBub designed and built was pretty cool. But the features I saw in the article make the accommodations at The Manse look lame in comparison.

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And the hits keep on coming.

Reboot Congress has extensive links and quotes to a number of Eric S. Raymond posts and comments about ClimateGate, the fraud committed, analysis of the computer code used to create the required AGW results, and the damning e-mails from the perpetrators.

This is an issue that isn't just going to go away, and is something that must be addressed, particularly at the upcoming Copenhagen conference. To base both an international treaty and US policy on a fraudulent theory is madness and will, in the end, come back to bite us all in the butt.

(H/T Instapundit)

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Will the US be able to turn things around and become economically and politically robust like Texas, or will we continue on our present path and end up being an economic/political basket case like California?

I'm hoping and working for the former rather than the latter.

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This doesn't surprise me in the least.

The poor in America today are better off than the average American in 1971.

Of course the Democrats in Congress are working hard to change that...and not for the better. That doesn't surprise me either.

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William Briggs offers up some predictions of the aftermath of ClimateGate. The first one rings all too true:

Die-hard "activists" will develop a conspiracy theory of how skeptics are deliberately misinterpreting and/or inventing the emails/computer code to confuse the public. A rumor will float that Big Oil, or other "denialist" bugaboo, was involved in the conspiracy.

I've already seen some inklings of this in comments made to a number of blog posts and on-line articles, claiming the CRU data hacked from the University of East Anglia was a hoax. Never mind the University has admitted the files were likely accurate. (That must mean the University is in on the hoax!! OMG!!!!)

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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In light of ClimateGate, Senator Jack Inhofe (R-OK) says the Cap-and-Trade bill is dead, particularly if Democrats want to remain in office after 2010.

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Yet another hit from Climategate - the torturous code used to analyze the climate data that gave them their original results was so complex and convoluted even the CRU's own programmer couldn't recreate it.

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It's a shame that Washington no longer believes in Main Street, USA. But that's all right because Main Street, USA no longer believes in Washington, DC either.

"Elites like President Obama see government as a force for protecting the little guy," explains University of Arkansas political scientist Robert Maranto. "But regular folks on Main Street see government as incomprehensible and unpredictable."

--snip--

Much of the nation can buy a nice house for $150,000, live in a safe neighborhood with good schools and in general have peace of mind - and do it on one income.

For folks in places like Indiana, Pa., the economic insecurity of Chicago or both coasts - where people may work two jobs to live in a safe neighborhood - is totally foreign.

Even here in New Hampshire we see the same thing, with the exception of Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties (the two southernmost counties and closest to Boston). It's not uncommon for families in those two counties to require two incomes to survive. It's also not all that uncommon for one or both breadwinners to work over the border in the People's Republic of Taxachusetts. The political divide is just as broad, with a far more registered Democrats in those two southern counties while independents and Republicans tend to be the majority in the remaining eight counties. So even though we are on the East Coast, we tend to look at ourselves as also living in flyover country, just like the folks in Indiana, Pennsylvania. And like them we just want the government, both state and federal, to leave us alone.

From one of the comments:

[Main Street Americans] are really tired of being told their values and way of life are not politically correct.

We are tired of being told what [to] think, period.

Amen.

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From our friend Skip over at GraniteGrok: Who went to Fort Hood when it mattered?

You can probably guess the answer to this one.

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At least one part of New Hampshire state government is moving into the 21st Century.

Now if we can get the rest of it updated the cost of state government will fall. To quote former New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson, "Clicks, not Bricks."

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Representative Paul Hodes (D-NH) of New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District (Yes, there actually is a 2nd Congressional District in New Hampshire) tries to spin his support of and vote in favor of the g*d-awful PelosiCare bill.

From the comments many of his constituents aren't buying it. The few that are are showing the typical symptoms of having imbibed on Leftist kool-aid, using the typical and tired platitudes and accusing anyone opposing health care reform as written as being un-American.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the power is back on, BeezleBub is working again, and where we're still feeling the dietary aftereffects of Thanksgiving.

BeezleBub didn't get as much done as he usually likes to do on a Saturday. That happens when he sleeps until just past noon. It's not like he's done that before.

It's certainly screwed up his circadian rhythms, so it was questionable whether he was going to be able to sleep.

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Could it be entrepreneurs have gone on strike? It appears they don't like the idea that know-nothings in Washington are deciding the government can run businesses better than they can. I'd say history is against the know-nothings on this one.

(H/T Instapundit)

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The Climategate scandal is spreading, showing the cover-ups and deceit extended beyond the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit.

Will this be the final nail in the coffin of AGW alarmism? If not, it has certainly damaged the credibility of the AGW cause. It appears the skeptics were right to question the validity of AlGorism.

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Anyone familiar with Obama's political history in Chicago should not be surprised at his actions since he's taken office as President. The 'Hopey-Changey' candidate has stayed with what has worked for him in the past - throwing his friends and associates under the bus when it's convenient.

Is it any wonder he's doing the same thing to the entire country?

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As if it wasn't bad enough, it also appears Obama has thrown fellow Chicagoan Oprah under the bus. Of all the celebrities that helped him get elected, she probably had the greatest impact. Cynthia Yockey also adds quite a bit of her own thoughts about this, showing she wasn't surprised that it happened.

I know this report comes by way of the National Enquirer, but these days I have far more respect for the Enquirer than for a good portion of the MSM.

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Is PDS really just an extension of BDS?

Here's proof that hatred of Palin is so ingrained into the Left that it seems pathological.

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I can understand typos creating a few 'phantom' Congressional districts on Recovery.gov, but 440 of them? Here in New Hampshire we have two, but somehow we've ended up with four more, the 00th, 4th, 6th, and 27th.

Taking advantage of the new districts, friend Grant Bosse has decided to run to represent the New Hampshire Zero-eth Congressional District.

Run, Grant! Run!

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And speaking of New Hampshire news, the US Navy has announced that the Portsmouth, NH Naval Shipyard will become the home port of the USS Virginia (SSN-774), the lead boat in the new Virginia-class nuclear submarine fleet. The Virginia-class submarines will be replacing the Los Angeles-class subs as the newest and most advanced fast-attack submarines in the fleet.

Some here in New Hampshire are wondering whether the state's namesake USS New Hampshire will also be stationed out of Portsmouth as well.

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Right Wing Sparkle gives us a comparison between Bush and Obama during the first year of each president's administration. One damning statement:

But it is amusing to go back and look at the news when Bush was running for re-election in 2004. The economy was in recovery, but the Democrats were moaning about the 2.3 million jobs lost under Bush in his first term, calling it the worst job creation record of any president since Herbert Hoover. 2.3 million is the number of jobs lost under Obama in his first year. I shudder to think of what the number will be when his term ends.

How soon they (choose to) forget.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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There's no doubt this is an accurate depiction of how Congress (and the rest of government in Washington DC) works.

(Also via Pirate's Cove)

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Jay Tea, another WP friend, has noticed a disturbing trend in politics, namely that the politicians pandering for our votes and the parties they belong to have become hostile to the common people. That's no way to stay in office or in power. Jay offers a couple of examples of this hostility. This one in particular grates on me:

[I]n politics, there is a growing trend to take that nobody, that average person, and treat them just like we do hardened political professionals -- and attempt to destroy them in the process.

Take, for example, this guy named Joe. He's playing with his kids in his front yard one fine fall day a bit over a year ago when this horde descends on his neighborhood. He recognizes the guy at the head of the mob -- it's the Democratic nominee for president, and Joe doesn't particularly like the guy. So he figures he'll ask him a rather pointed question, take what will likely be his only shot in life to make a big shot squirm a little. It's not the greatest of questions, but the big shot bobbles it a little -- and suddenly Joe finds that he's the talk of water coolers across the nation.

For Joe's impertinence of helping Mr. Big Shot make himself look like a fool, he must be punished. No, he must be destroyed. Every aspect of his life must be ripped apart and laid bare for public consumption. Why, did you hear that he's behind on his taxes? That he's not even a fully licensed plumber? Hell, his legal first name isn't even Joe!

It only got worse from there. And all this average guy did was ask a question.

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The New England Patriots played the New York Jets in Foxboro this afternoon. The Pats lost their first game against the Jets earlier in the season, being able to score only field goals against the Jets defense. This time the Patriots were able to put 24 points on the scoreboard before the Jets could score in return.

Unfortunately during the second half the Patriots followed a more than occasional pattern seen this season of not being able to score or defend after the half. It's like they lose their rhythm or their energy during half-time. At least they managed to get their rhythm back during the last 6 minutes of the 4th quarter, scoring another touchdown and winning 31-14.

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It's a very short workweek for me this week, being off from Wednesday to the following Monday.

Goodness knows I could use the time off.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where preparations for Thanksgiving continue, the good weather is holding, and where winter will arrive all too soon.

Yesterday was one of those not-much-got-done days. With the heavy rains and the feeling of lethargy that kind of weather tends to bring. Other than a trip to the local Lowe's and WalMart, we really didn't do all that much yesterday. This is the first real rain we've had this month and Mother Nature more than made up for the deficit yesterday.

At least today will be a nice day, allowing us to take care of more of our pre-winter work outside The Manse. We even let the fire go out in the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove, it was that nice a day.

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While President Obama dithers about Afghanistan, troop morale there is plummeting. Between long and repetitive tours of duty and a Commander-in-Chief incapable of making a decision in regards to their mission, is it any wonder morale is deteriorating?

It all comes down to this: "Mr. President, make the g**d*** decision!"

The longer he waffles, the harder it will get for our troops and the stronger the Taliban will become.

He's starting sound and act more like Jimmy Carter every day.

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If this isn't a case of hypocrisy, I don't know what is.

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What happens when supporters of Obama/PelosiCare hold a rally and no one shows?

When the anti-Obama/PelosiCare rallies turn out hundreds or thousands and pro-Obama/PelosiCare rallies can only scare up a couple of dozen, one has to wonder if Congressional Democrats' claims of broad support of Obama/PelosiCare refelct reality to any degree.

I'd have to say the answer to that is a resounding 'no'.

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I have to admit to thinking the same thing as these folks on more than one occasion. I may have even thought it out loud. I'll even admit to thinking it far more often over the past few years.

Every year since he was 13, Henry Ladd Sr. has hunted deer, moose, bear and whatever else the forest provides. And each year, like clockwork, Ladd has hung the catch in front of his home, where it was gutted and drained of blood before the meat was cut.

That was until last week, when a neighbor who spotted a hanging doe called the police to complain about Ladd, who is now 81.

For the police, the call was a minor animal complaint, just one of many on Oct. 31, according to Sgt. Margaret Lougee. An officer spoke to Ladd, but there was nothing illegal about using his own property to process venison.

However, the idea that a neighbor would not understand a hunting tradition the Ladds have passed on for 68 years left a foul taste in their mouths.

"Did you tell them to go back to Massachusetts? That's what we do up here," Henry Ladd Jr., 43, recalled saying to the officer.

(emphasis added - ed.)

One thing that's always bothered me has been the folks moving up here to New Hampshire from Massachusetts and then trying turn their new home town into a clone of the very place they fled. As I've said to the them more than once, "If the place you came from was so d*** good then why don't you go back there?"

(H/T No Looking Backwards)

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You'll get no argument from me on this one.

Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.

Until they start speaking out, their silence will be taken as tacit approval of the actions of the militant jihadist factions within Islam.

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Obama has tripled the national deficit in less than a year yet Bush is still given the blame for everything regarding the economy. I still can't fathom the idea that people still believe the government can spend tons of money we don't have yet that such spending will somehow 'cure' the recession. That might work in the short term, but once the bill comes due the damage will be worse than the original problem.

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There certainly was a lot of hullabaloo about the possible federal bailout of a number of failing newspapers, which many feared would mean a media beholden to the government (specifically the Obama Administration) making them de facto propaganda arms of the government. But it turns out it wasn't the feds we had to worry about. Instead it was the Executive Council of the state of New Hampshire that voted unanimously to approve a bailout for a local failed newspaper in the western part of the state. This move was so out of character that it received coverage on Glenn Beck's show on Fox.



The statewide newspaper, the Union Leader of Manchester, NH is against the idea because it sets a bad precedent.

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Speaking of a bad precedent, the idea of using GPS in vehicles to allow taxation by mileage has two effects:

It will reduce traffic, and...

..it makes tracking the activities of citizens very easy.

That sounds too 1984 for me. Big Brother will definitely be watching everything you do and every place you go.

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I'm sure their parents are so proud.

New London, N.H., police have arrested 105 students at a party where officers say underage youths were drinking.

Police said 91 of the youths arrested Friday night are from Colby-Sawyer College. Police said 55 students were charged with alcohol possession after their blood-alcohol levels registered at 0.02 percent or higher. The rest were released to their parents.

What lesson will these college students learn from this incident?

Don't let your kegger get so loud the police can hear it from the police station.

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Could the Democrats lose Obama's old seat in the US Senate?

That would be a real kick in the teeth if the GOP takes the seat.

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The New England Patriots played a late game against the Colts in Indianapolis tonight. As I write this the game is tied 7-7 in the first quarter.

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BeezleBub and I finished cleaning out the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout, removing the cushions, life jackets, tools, anchors, and just about everything else not otherwise attached. We also started assembling the winter storage frame, used to support the large tarp we use to shelter the boat over the winter. But unlike past years where we used store-bought lumber, we decided to use the materials we had at hand.

If you read last week's Thoughts On A Sunday I mentioned we were cutting brush around The Manse. There were a lot smaller trees Beezlebub downed that were originally destined for the burn pile or the wood pile. Instead we're using them to build the frame. On top of that we aren't using any metal fasteners (screws or nails) to put it together. Everything is being held together with wooden pegs and sisal rope (the only item we bought). The pegs have been fashioned from the smaller tree limbs trimmed from the trees taken down last week.

While it isn't beautiful it will serve the purpose for which it was constructed - protect The Boat.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather was warm, the stove has been allowed to go cold, and where our boat will soon be under cover for the winter.

It's been 'let's cut the brush out back' time here at the Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Manse this weekend.

While BeezleBub tackled the brush out back I took care of cleaning out the more noxious and tenacious brush that have invaded the front. While we could have done this during the summer months, it has turned out to be easier and more efficacious after the leaves have fallen. It's easier to remove the vegetation when we can actually see what we're working on.

While we haven't gotten it all done, we did make a major dent in our task. I figure we'll be at it for another couple of weekends before we can declare success.

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It was a nice warm day here in central New Hampshire today, with temps in the low 60's. It's supposed to be even warmer tomorrow and Tuesday. I'll take it. While we have been running at below normal temperatures since mid September, we are being graced with a few days of above normal temps. Then we'll be back into the colder than normal temperatures. But at least we won't need to run the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove during the day until Wednesday. That works for me.

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Late last night I saw Nancy Pelosi crowing her success in extorting and strong-arming enough Democrats to vote for her 1990+ page "Destruction of the American Health Care System and Daunting Deficit Spending To Pay For It All" bill. In my opinion it shows her delight in sending the US down the path of economic ruin for our health care system. The Speaker obviously has no understanding of economics and what motivates and demotivates people to do what they do when it comes to economic activity.

We know her intentions are good (after all, she says so), but we all know the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Unfortunately she will be dragging 300+ million Americans to Health Care Hell with her.

Now all we can hope for is the bill's failure to pass in the Senate. I'd like to think there will be enough opposition to kill it despite Harry Reid's arm twisting.

Obama praised this soul-killing bill as one "desperately needed by the American people." Unfortunately he's wrong (or disingenuous). This isn't what was needed by anyone but him. What the American desperately need is for him to stop screwing around with the economy and to stop spending money we don't have.

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Sarah Palin makes known her thoughts about the just passed Pelosi health care bill:

Despite Americans' decisive message last Tuesday that they reject the troubling path this country has been taking, Speaker Pelosi has broken her own promises of transparency to ram a health "care" bill through the House of Representatives just before midnight. Why did she push the 2,000 page bill this weekend? Was she perhaps afraid to give her peers and the constituents for whom she works the chance to actually read this monstrous bill carefully, if at all? Was she concerned that Americans might really digest the details of a bill that the Wall Street Journal has called "the worst piece of post-New Deal legislation ever introduced"?

I've turned manure piles at the farm that did't stink anywhere near as much as this socialist piece-of-crap legislation.

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You know it's bad for Obama when even the Chicago press is criticizing him for his reaction (or lack thereof) to the shootings in Fort Hood. Some have even called this his "My Pet Goat" moment. (For those of you out there not familiar with the reference, President George W. Bush was reading "My Pet Goat" to a bunch of elementary school students Down South when he received word of the first attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th. Some criticized him for not leaving immediately, possibly scaring the hell out of the kids, even though there was no definitive information about what had happened at that time.)

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But wait! It gets even worse for Obama!

It's not good for the President when even Democrats state they miss George W. Bush.

In a sign that the Obama honeymoon truly is over, I began to hear this week the first stirrings of a wistfulness about Mr Bush. "I never thought I'd hear myself say it," one Democrat told me. "But Obama makes you feel that at least with Bush you knew where he was on something."

This makes me want to buy one of these.

You know Obama's luster has indeed faded when the cool demeanor he displayed during the presidential campaign is now being criticized because he's seen as too cool, too passionless.

When Mr Bush's Republicans were defeated in the 2006 mid-term elections, it was the President himself who stepped up and declared that his party had received "a thumpin'". The Democratic defeats on Tuesday were not on anything like the same scale but Mr Obama acted as if nothing at all had happened.

This sounds like denial, where someone will ignore an event or events in the hope that it will all go away all by itself.

I don't think that's going to work in this case.

(H/T Instapundit)

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Glenn Reynolds has a series of links decrying the Department of Homeland Security's focus on Tea Party protesters while ignoring online posts and rants of those glorifying suicide bombings and jihadist attacks against US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Says Instapundit reader C.J. Burch, "Ah, but those middle class protesters are a threat to politicians' power. Terrorists are just a threat to their constituents' lives. See the difference?"

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One must wonder what the heck the Obama Administration thinks the First Amendment - and particularly Free Speech - means. From what I've been reading lately I get the impression they see it as something that should be greatly curtailed...unless someone is speaking in favor of something the Administration wants.

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If this were really the case:


I've always liked the VW's.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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This is how President Obama should have handled the shootings at Ft. Hood.

Are we missing Dubya and Laura yet?

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The New England Patriots played the Miami Dolphins in Foxboro today, beating them 27-17. While still not perfect, the Patriots have shaped up nicely after a few stumbles at the beginning of the season.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where above normal temps are visiting for a few days, the depression over PelosiCare is setting in, and where ammo is still in short supply.