Recently in Thoughts On A Sunday Category

I spent late yesterday afternoon trying to diagnose the problem with The Boat, figuring at first there was water contaminating the gasoline, in turn causing the loss of power and the sputtering I experienced Thursday evening. (Since marine gas started using 10% ethanol last year there has been an ongoing problem with the high moisture in a marine environment causing the ethanol in the gasoline to separate out and combine with the water. This usually leads to clogged water separator/fuel filters. Requiring a 10% ethanol mix for marine gas was not one of the EPA's better ideas. It has cost the boating public millions of dollars in repairs and lost recreation or work time.)

After removing the water separator/fuel filter and emptying it into an appropriate transparent container, I was surprised to see no evidence of water or ethanol/water sludge. Uh oh. That left one other possibility: electrical.

Because I had removed one of the batteries in The Boat to lend it to my work compadre for his boat and since the problem didn't occur until after I did this, I thought it might have had something to do with it. I reinstalled the battery, fired up the engine, and let it run for a few minutes to get it to operating temperature. Then I opened the throttle to rev it to the same level it was when I had the problem. There were no misfires, no sputtering, and the engine ran smoothly. This wasn't proof positive the problem had been fixed as the engine wasn't under load. That had to wait until today so I could take it out onto the lake and try it...or so I thought. Other duties took precedence so the test cruise out onto Lake Winnipesaukee will have to wait until after work on Monday.

One advantage of waiting until Monday: BeezleBub won't be working. Today was his last 'full' day because school starts Wednesday and he goes to his Saturday-only work schedule at the farm.

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It was Old Home Day yesterday here in our little town. It's a celebration of everything that makes our town special to us. BeezleBub's boss Farmer Andy and his missus were the Grand Marshals for the celebration.

There were all kinds of activities running the gamut of kids games, tours of a number of historical society museums and sites, horse-drawn wagon rides, a parade, and lots of vendor booths selling all kinds of goods and food. I admit to partaking of an ice cream sundae (sold by our local church for fund raising), two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (made by our favorite breakfast eatery), and some double fried french fries (really crispy, just the way I like them).

Needless to say I didn't feel the need to eat dinner after eating all that stuff. At least I didn't overdo it otherwise I might have never been able to work on The Boat afterwards.

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The big gathering hosted by Glenn Beck at The Mall in Washington DC was not what the MSM had probably believed it was. The Washington Post tried to minimize the size of the gathering, claiming 'thousands' attended. The photo in the article was misleading, giving a very narrow view towards the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. An aerial view of the same event shows over 300 thousand people attending the event.

Beck's gathering certainly didn't fit into the narrative Reverend Al Sharpton was selling, trying to paint it as some kind of twisted theft of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy. That Dr. King's niece spoke at the conservative gathering has more to say about the Tea party than anything Sharpton could.

Should the Left be worried about the gathering steam of the Tea party? Absolutely.

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Now to something entirely different: The Wankel Engine.

I've been a big fan of the Wankel ever since the Mazda RX-2 came on the market. A former girlfriend had one entirely tricked out and it was an absolute screamer, pumping out a lot of horsepower out of only 1300 cc's of displacement. I co-drove a Mazda RX-3 Rally car for a couple of seasons and was always impressed with the performance. I saw more than my share of RX-7's out on the track during my road-racing days. A co-worker drove a latter day RX-7 for a couple of seasons and had nothing but praise for its performance. I've even seen a head-to-head comparison of two identical boats, one with a fuel-injected 4.3L Volvo Penta V6 power train and the other with a marine version of the modern Mazda 13B Wankel. The Wankel powered boat blew away the V6, with equal horsepower (~225HP) but at a fraction of the weight. (A two rotor 13B Wankel has only six moving parts. The V6 has approximately 166 moving parts.)

Here's a video showing the components of a Wankel and how it works.

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A number of diseases once thought to be on the verge of extinction are making a comeback.

I believe some of them have returned because misinformed parents have decided immunization is far more dangerous than the diseases those immunizations are supposed to protect against. They're wrong and it's their kids who are paying the price for it.

Other maladies have also returned, including bedbugs. These pests could be dealt with easily if the EPA allowed the use of DDT to eradicate them. But because of Rachel Carlson, DDT - one of the most effective insecticides ever created - has been banned. Not that there weren't problems with DDT if used incorrectly, but use in situations like this are highly unlikely to cause any disruption of the ecology or create a Silent Spring.

(H/T Instapundit)

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It's one thing when climate scientists 'analyze' data. It's another thing when statisticians analyze the same data sets and come up with entirely different results. And so it goes with the Mann Hockey Stick which, after the statisticians used Mann's data, came up with an entirely different looking graph. (Scroll down below the updates to see the original post and links.)

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Adding a little more fuel to the fire about the Ground Zero Mosque is this opinion video from one Brit who gets it.


I'd say Pat Condell has hit the main points about the Ground Zero Mosque and how it will be perceived, not just in America, but in the Muslim world. Those perceptions will be entirely opposite to each other, sending the wrong message which in the end will mean more trouble, pain, and death rather than less.

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As if we need even more evidence that high tax rates affect business decisions, an increasing number of high tech companies are abandoning California for low tax states.

The latest to join the departing crowd: Adobe, eBay, and game maker EA are all pulling up stakes and heading to Utah.

The list of companies that have already left or have moved a majority of their operations out of California include Apple, Buck Knives, Ditech, Fluor Corp., Lennox, Pixel Magic, Denny's, DuPont, Fidelity National Financial, JC Penney, Intel, Intuit, Hilton Hotels Corp., Nissan North America, Northrop Grumman, Schott Solar, Starkist, Teledesic, Toyota, Yahoo, and USAA Insurance, just to name a few.

And with those moves go a lot of jobs and the taxes that would otherwise go to California. And people wonder why some business in the US have shifted their operations overseas when the taxes and regulations being dumped on them in greater numbers makes it less attractive to do business here.

As has been said over the years "As goes California, so goes the nation." Let's hope not.

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Cassy Fiano links and comments about Muslim bullying at Disneyland, where Disney officials have made every effort to accommodate the needs of a female Muslim employee who insists she be allowed to wear her hijab while in costume. Every attempt to reach a compromise has been met with rejection.

I have a feeling this woman and her friends at CAIR have bitten off more than they can chew. I hope Disney stands its ground and doesn't cave on this issue. After all, this employee knew the conditions of her employment before going in and now after two years of employment wants to change the rules after the fact.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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I have to agree with Michelle Malkin on this one: The Summer of Recovery is looking more like The Beltway Chainsaw Massacre.

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Gateway Pundit gives us the Tale of Two Rallies: Clean Conservatives versus Filthy Liberals.

It appears conservatives clean up after themselves while liberals believe someone else will pick up after them.

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A bit of not surprising news: Used car prices are up as much as 30%. Gee, could it be that Cash For Clunkers had something to do with that? Radley Balko certainly thinks so.

So we have a government program whose stated aim was to shore up huge, failed corporations by giving public money to mostly upper-income people that in the end will penalize low and middle-income people. But remember folks, it's the libertarians--who opposed C4C--who are greedy corporatists who hate the poor.

What did Obama and Congress think would happen to the used car market in light of Cash For Clunkers? When they artificially reduced the supply of used cars (using taxpayer money) did they really believe there wouldn't be a rise in used car prices? I certainly thought it was a really bad idea.

Call it yet another example of the Law of Unintended Consequences coming into play and biting Obama and Congressional Democrats in the a**.

(H/T Pun Salad)

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where school starts on Wednesday, a new heat wave started today that's expected to last all week, and where I'm still feeling the effects of our town's Old Home Day.

It was definitely one of those 50/50 weekends, weather-wise. Pretty much sunny and warm Saturday, with late day cloud cover moving in, and cloudy and rainy Sunday, with a bulk of the rain arriving in the afternoon.

I wish I could say I spent Saturday outdoors, but duty called and instead I worked most of the day at our small business performing the quarterly maintenance on the machinery that is part and parcel of our business. There's still some electrical work to be done, replacing fluorescent light ballasts in two fixtures and checking a third, but that will wait until later.

The day inside was a small price to pay for our business to survive.

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Could it be that the cure for the problems with our housing market could be solved by taking a lesson from our neighbor to the north?

Canada's housing market hasn't been suffering a downturn like we're seeing in the US because they've managed to avoid the mistakes our government has made over the years. Unlike the US, Canada has always managed to finance its housing through private banks with no government funding or guarantees. And even though the US government efforts to increase home ownership through numerous government housing finance agencies, Canada has a higher percentage of home ownership than the US. There has been little or no government interference in the housing market in Canada, meaning there aren't the distortions in the Canadian housing market as seen here in the US.

Maybe it's time for Washington to get out of the home financing game because, quite frankly, they suck at it. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and a whole host of other government agencies dealing with housing finance should go away.

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Another thought: The US should also take a lesson from New Zealand and do away with farm subsidies. The Kiwis did that a number of years ago and their agricultural system stopped shrinking and farms actually started making money again.

The farm subsidies here in the US distort food prices and only help the big agribusinesses at the expense of family farms. (The agribusinesses are usually the ones receiving the subsidies.) In effect, the government has been choosing the winners and losers, something that always ends up costing consumers more in both prices and taxes.

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Another subsidy we could do without? Ethanol.

Ethanol has been sold as the answer to our greenhouse gas and foreign oil dependency problems. But it's scam. Just like farm subsidies, ethanol subsidies distort the market, raising food prices as farmers grow crops (corn) for ethanol production and not as food. With a guaranteed price, courtesy of Uncle Sam, it makes economic sense to the farmers (or should we say agribusinesses) to grow a crop where they know exactly what their profits will be.

It's one thing if crop-based ethanol actually did lower our dependence on foreign oil sources and lowered the greenhouse gases generated, but it doesn't. Instead it tends to be neutral or even have a negative return, meaning it takes more energy to produce what we get back and generates more greenhouse gases than if we did nothing.

Now if that ethanol was in the form of some good sippin' whiskey, I might be willing to pay for that...

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Ron Enderland reminds us (at least those of us who are Baby Boomers) about how foul language by kids was usually taken care of by washing their mouths out with soap.

It never ceases to amaze me how expletives that would have gotten us grounded until we were 35 are now used like punctuation in every day speech. And it's not just kids using it, it's adults, too.

I am guilty of that infraction from time to time, but not like so many I hear today. I use far fewer of them than I used to, and then only when I do something like mash my thumb with a hammer or some other self-damaging accident. BeezleBub certainly had something to do with that, calling me on it back when he was 10 years old.

Sometimes there's something to be said for the old ways.

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Even though it's still summer we've already started preparing for winter here at The Manse.

We received our first of three cords of dried firewood for use in the Official Weekend Pundit Woodstove over the winter. The first cord was a pretty good mixture of ash, red and white oak, and maple, stuff that burns well and long. Farmer Andy tells me the other two cords will be the same. (BeezleBub tells me the same thing, seeing as he was the one who split and stacked it last year and the year before and loaded it on Farmer Andy's trailer.)

With the two cords of well dried wood we have left over from last winter we'll be pretty well covered for our heating needs...unless Global Warming gives us a particularly long and bitterly cold winter.

Deb has also made an appointment with the chimney sweep to clean our chimney of all the creosote and ash from last winter's use.

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Skip's right on this one. The problems we're seeing today with our spendthrift and Constitution-ignoring Congress and President are all Woodrow Wilson's fault.

It certainly seems that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is following Wilson's progressive philosophy, seeing the Constitution as an impediment to government power. We also know she wants to silence dissent, as did Wilson.

I want a bumper sticker just like the one Skip found.

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Obvious headline of the week from the Washington Post: With Consumers Slow To Spend, Businesses Are Slow To Hire.

Gee, ya think?

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It may be just me, but it seems more people are missing Dubya as time goes by. The Anchoress has the reasons to explain why.

What I find most interesting is that an ever larger number of Democrats are missing him every day. Could it be because without him their cohesiveness has been waning due to the fact that they no longer have a GOP nemesis at which to point a finger? Or could it be they have come to understand that their president is either inept and/or malicious. Or could it be both?

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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Bogie brings up the subject of aging pets, something any pet owner has to deal with throughout our lives.

Of our eight cats, one is 11 years old, another is old but we don't know how old, and the rest are between 2 and 4 years of age. So far all of them are healthy, but we did have a scare when one of our younger cats became quite ill and it looked like she wasn't going to pull through. Fortunately the vets were able to save her and she's back home looking none the worse for wear, though she does have a few places were her fur was shorn.

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Is it any surprise Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is "flying off the bookshelves"? As the USA Today article reports, it is the second most read book in America behind the Bible. Is it any wonder, considering we're living Rand's dystopian nightmare today?

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the long overdue rain is falling, school starts soon, and where I could really use a week off.

It's been a relatively quite weekend for us here at The Manse, with nothing unusual occurring. BeezleBub and I managed to get his 1973 Jeep CJ5 running again, correcting a problem stuck float in the carburetor, though it still needs a rebuild to ensure it will keep working. Deb worked and I did my usual weekend work around The Manse.

Every so often a quiet uneventful weekend is appreciated.

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Penn & Teller give us another lesson in the B.S. that passes for conventional wisdom, this time covering nuclear power and hybrid vehicles.

Penn Jillette confirms what I've known for some time - the folks pushing hard to eliminate nuclear power don't know what they're talking about, nor do they care. It's all about control using fear and disinformation in order to 'save' us from ourselves.

When it comes to hybrid vehicles, it's more about feeling good and not actually about saving the planet (or energy). I've seen (and driven) a number of vehicles that get better overall fuel economy than the hybrid Penn & Teller use for their demonstration (a Toyota Prius) that also perform better and can transport a family of 4 and all their luggage in total comfort.

By the way, the clip linked above is Not Safe For Work as it includes bare boobies and lesbians making out in the back seat of the aforementioned Prius. (No, I'm not kidding.)

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Here's more information that points to a recoveryless Recovery Summer.

Consumer spending is down. Unemployment applications are up. Businesses aren't hiring.

I'd like to see the White House spin all of that as signs of recovery.

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You've got to like John Boehner (R-OH). He managed to come up with a number of possible names for the nameless $26 billion union bailout bill passed by Congress. It proves the man has a sense of humor.

Here is the list he created:

Save Our "Stimulus" (SOS) Act

"Recovery Summer" Bailout Act (Cash for Flunkers)

Delivering Unions a Major Boost (DUMB) Act

Helping Election Expenditures, Hurting American Workers (HEEHAW) Act

Democracy Is Strengthened by Clearly Leveraging and Optimizing Special-Interests' Effectiveness (DISCLOSE) Act

Rescuing Incumbent Democrats Is Costly (RIDIC) Act

Summertime Cash for Union Bosses Instead of Spending Cuts for Taxpayers Act

Frivolous Act of Ineffective Largesse (FAIL) Act

Naming These Things Hasn't Gotten Us Anywhere, So Why Bother Act

My two favorites are the DUMB Act and Cash For Flunkers.

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Fellow Granite Stater Patrick Hynes lets it be known there's nothing wrong with New Hampshire.

After 4 years of being lied to by our two representatives to the House and the spendthrift budgets (with 30% spending increases over two biennial budgets) and tax increases by the Democrat majority New Hampshire legislature, Granite State voters have shifted away from the Democrats and are favoring the rejuvenated New Hampshire GOP.

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And speaking of the Granite State, here's a rather astute look at New Hampshire through the eyes of a Maine comic. What makes it so funny is that it's absolutely true.


(H/T GraniteGrok)

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I had mentioned that nothing unusual had happened around The Manse over the weekend. That's not exactly true, sort of. Let me explain.

Shortly after leaving The Manse for a quick shopping trip to WalMart I came across a doe with her two fawns. They slowly crossed the road, giving me the once over before continuing their way into the woods. This experience in and of itself isn't unusual...for here. We see it all the time. But it would be my guess that most folks not living in rural and semi-rural areas see deer rarely, making what we experience on a somewhat regular basis unusual to most folks.

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Cap'n Teach points us to yet another example of the Gore Effect during an anti-Anthropogenic Global Warming protest. In this case it was an anti-AGW protest in Australia during one of the coldest winters on record Down Under.

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Whoever came up with the phrase "Payback is a bitch" must have had a crystal ball.

As Cassy Fiano tells us, femisogynists moms are finding out their teenage daughters have taken their ideology to an unexpected place.

There's a new nightmare on the block for femisogynist moms. Now that they're all grown up and settled down with teenage daughters of their own, they're shocked to find out that the sexual empowerment they've been championing for decades has backfired on them. How has it backfired? Well, the femisogynist moms are finding out that sexual empowerment has really turned their daughters into slutty teens.

Talk about the punishment fitting the crime. What did they expect?

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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The suggestion has been made that New York sell off its roads and universities to raise funds to deal with its budget shortfall.

Of course that will only work in the short term. What will the Empire State sell when it runs out of roads and schools? Of course they could always sell the Brooklyn Bridge again...and again and again. (It's probably been the most 'sold' New York landmark except this time the 'sale' would be state sanctioned.)

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the well-to-do weekenders have already left in their Citations, Lears and Gulfstreams, the weekend weather has been nice, and the summer nights are arriving sooner every day.

Though the weekend started out well, I had to make a dash to the local emergency veterinary clinic this morning with one of our feline family members.

Hilda hadn't been feeling well the past couple of days and this morning she was totally listless, unable to keep anything down, including water. After a brief phone discussion with the vet at the clinic I gathered Hilda up, put her (unprotesting) into the cat carrier, and got her to the vet.

The vet found she was severely dehydrated, probably due to a stomach ailment. Hilda will be getting a couple of x-rays, some blood work, and an I.V. to help rehydrate her. She'll be staying overnight and I'll pick her up Monday morning and take her to her regular doctor.

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As if my post of yesterday about the 'Political Class' needed any more juice to back it up, here's Chris Muir's take on the same issue.

Take my word for it, his take is far scarier than mine.

Victor Davis Hansen adds his three cents worth in regards to Obama's total disconnect with the American electorate.

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Skip Murphy points us to a graph that illustrates just how well the "Summer Of Recovery" is working.

Hint: It's not.

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Stephen Spruiell also piles on the lack of economic recovery, specifically in the private sector.

The argument from the Left appears to be that government workers should remain insulated until private-sector hiring picks up again. It does not seem to occur to those making this argument that maybe one reason private-sector hiring isn't picking up again is because the government is vacuuming up capital to preserve government jobs, taking on large amounts of debt in the process that will have to be repaid through higher taxes in the future. Higher taxes in the future means lower returns on investments made today, which means that the private sector will create fewer jobs than it would have otherwise.

Gee, why didn't someone think of that? Oh, wait...we did way back in late January 2009! Too bad Obama and the Congressional Democrats chose to ignore us then and continue to do so now.

(H/T Viking Pundit)

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Deb and I ventured out on the lake this afternoon with a friend's family.

Going out onto Winnipesaukee on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon is something we rarely do due to the large number of boats and the rough water created by them. It makes for slow going unless you're willing to deal with the thumping you'll take at higher speeds. The weekend also meant our favorite sandbar would be crowded, which it was.

It took a while to maneuver through the other anchored boats at the sandbar and once at our destination we had to use both a bow and stern anchor to keep The Boat from swinging about and striking an adjacent boat. Leaving wasn't all that easy either, having to pull both anchors at the same time in order to keep from drifting into another boat.

It's things like that that usually keep me off the lake on weekends. I'd rather enjoy our time out on the lake, not work at getting from one place to the next and then dealing with hundreds of other boats trying to use the same small patch of water at the same time.

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The Feminazis aren't gone, they've just been re-branded as femisogynists.

I've seen how the feminist movement was hijacked and became less about equal rights and more about revictimizing women, making them out to be incapable of standing on their own while at the same time vilifying men. Betty Friedan must spinning in her grave.

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As happens almost every year on the anniversaries of dropping the A-Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the revisionists come out in force to decry Harry Truman's decision to use the bomb. And, as always, they are wrong.

Between those two cities about 150,000 died. That's half of the number of civilians killed when the Japanese invaded and took Nanjing, China.

It was estimated that there would have been 500,000+ American casualties and up to 15,000,000 civilian casualties if we'd had to invade the Japanese home islands.

Of course the revisionists ignore those particular factors when condemning Truman's decision. After all, it's not like he's still here to defend himself. Nor are there many left who actually fought the Japanese or planned the battles during the Pacific campaign to tell the revisionists that they're full of crap.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weekend weather was great, the lake was rough, and where we're still waiting to hear about Hilda.

This weekend started auspiciously, with Deb's Florida cousins - Anita and Jonny - arriving at The Manse Friday afternoon. They'd driven Deb's grandmother up from the Orlando area and were spending their free time visiting relatives and wandering around New Hampshire and Maine.

We managed to get them out onto the lake before the weekenders showed up (though our trip back was a little rougher as the weekenders were hitting the lake just as we were heading back home). We also took them to the farm where BeezleBub works and they checked out the produce and other products for sale at the farm's retail stand. They came away with some fresh sweet carrots, some baked goods and a quart of Jordan's strawberry truffle ice cream. (Jordan's is a local ice cream maker with some of the best ice cream I've ever had!)

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For the party that was supposed to "drain the swamp", they've failed miserably. The latest Congressional Democrat to face ethics charges? Maxine "We're going to nationalize the banks!" Waters.

First, it was Jefferson. Then Rangel. Now Waters. Between bribery (Jefferson), tax evasion (Rangel), and influencing bank bailouts for a bank with ties to a family member (Waters), the Democrats are showing they are no more ethical or moral than the GOP.

And we musn't forget to add John Kerry (tax evasion - "Do as I say, not what I do!") to the list.

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I've always liked Penn & Teller. Their illusions are great, thoughtful, and just plain fun to watch. And as great illusionists, they also have a pretty good understanding of the illusions politicians and wackos of all stripes try to persuade us to do things that aren't really in our best interests at any level.

That being said, I found this one at Maggie's Farm. It points out the hypocrisy involved with all these recycling initiatives.

(Warning: There is some strong language as this was originally aired on Showtime.)

I've been a fan of recycling for a long time, but only for specific materials, those being steel, aluminum, and copper. There's a big market for those materials and no need of government subsidies to 'promote' recycling of those metals. (They are also the most recycled materials on the planet.) All other materials, like paper, plastics, cardboard and the like, are a waste of time, and more importantly, money. Tipping fees for these recyclables are as much as four times higher than the tipping fees for trash. We never get back the money spent on recycling these materials, leaving the government to kick in the $8 billion+ needed every year to make up the gap between the cost of recycling and the money made from using those materials. It's a money losing proposition.

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Powerline has two posts covering the weakening of the Constitution, starting with Woodrow Wilson's contempt for it and latest Progressive move to make it irrelevant through the instrument of ObamaCare.

As Bird Dog wrote about this issue: "I like to remind myself that King George lll had nothing close to the power that our modern federal government wields today."

That's one heck of an unsettling thought.

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Is a second American Revolution on the not-so-distant horizon?

If Obama and the Congressional Democrats stay the course, greatly expanding government power and reach while spending far more than it collects in taxes, I'd say it's inevitable. It isn't as easy to hide the machinations of the Progressives in government as it was in the past. The Internet makes that darn near impossible.

Of course I expect the Progressives to try to stifle dissent on the 'net by severely limiting political speech and opinion, particularly by opponents during election season. Oh, wait, isn't that what the DISCLOSE Act was all about?

(H/T Instapundit)

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Oh, I like this one! What makes me like it even more is that it's from the Boston Globe.

The Yacht versus the Pickup Truck.

Democrat John Kerry sets sail in a $7 million yacht built in New Zealand. Republican Scott Brown hits the campaign trail in a GMC pickup truck with 200,000 miles on it.

From Newport, R.I., -- where Kerry's "Isabel'' was berthed before heading to Nantucket -- to Rhinebeck, N.Y. -- where Chelsea Clinton will marry in a mansion modeled after Versailles -- today's Democrats are looking more like Louis XVI than Tip O'Neill.

I expect a proclamation to come forth any day now, stating "Let them eat government cheese!"

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I really don't need to comment on this one. It stands all by itself.


(H/T Eric the Viking)

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Gee, who'da thunk this would happen?

Witness last week's land speed record for unintended consequences, as a liability provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform brought new issues to a screeching halt in the $1.4 trillion asset-backed securities market.

The financial genius behind this section of Dodd-Frank is Representative Mary Jo Kilroy. The Ohio Democrat inserted a line in the bill that removes the exemption for credit raters like Standard & Poor's and Moody's from being considered "expert" advisers in judging securities offerings. This makes them closer to underwriters or accountants in vouching for an issued security, and it means that their consent is required before their ratings can be included in a registration statement filed at the Securities and Exchange Commission.

[...]

Both S&P and Moody's cited this enhanced liability in announcing that they would not consent to participating in SEC asset-backed securities registrations. Fitch, DBRS and others followed suit.

If rating services will be held as accountable as the securities they're rating, is it any surprise they'll withhold permission for any of the securities brokers or firms to use them? That's like holding TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian responsible for someone's credit rating, good or bad, and then suing them if you lend money to that someone with a reasonable credit rating who then, for one reason or another, couldn't make the loan payments. It's one thing if they'd falsified the rating, but if they generated the credit rating based upon the criteria they generally use, assuming the data they had was accurate, how could they be held responsible for that someone failing to pay their note?

If that were to happen, all three would refuse to allow their ratings to be used to judge whether someone was creditworthy or not. That kind of legislation defeats the purpose of the rating bureaus and makes them useless.

Like that's going to help the economy.

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According to Vermont Tiger, a new right-wing madman has been spotted within the environs of Newark, New Jersey.

In order to fix a $70 million city budget shortfall, he's been saying things like "Taxes cannot be the answer," and suggesting things like spending cuts to close the budget gap.

Who is this madman? Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat.

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We all know the Obama Administration has no problem with stretching the truth. It's also quite apparent that it has problems telling fact from fiction. Now it appears it also has a problem reading charts, particularly those that put the lie to its claims about its spending in relation to the Gross Domestic Product. They claim its spending is lower than the Bush Administration's, but the chart, based upon the CBO's numbers, say otherwise. The Obama Administration's spending is a higher percentage of GDP than Bush 43's, Clinton's, Bush 41's, and Reagan's.

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An area of Lake Winnipesaukee known as "The Witches" has claimed yet another boat.

Located to the east of Governor's Island and south of Timber Island, it is a formation of submerged rocks that has damaged or sunk an untold number of boats. Despite warning buoys along its periphery and clearly marked KEEP OUT labels on charts, hapless boaters still find themselves in the middle of The Witches every boating season. If the water is high enough and the boat is on plane it just might make it out in one piece. But far too often the boat will strike one of the submerged rocks, damaging its prop, rudder, outboard or stern drive, or worse, holing the hull and sinking the boat.

This time around the latest victim of The Witches had its hull breached and the boat sank in less than a minute. Fortunately the eight people on board were able to escape, jumping into the lake and swimming away from the boat. All eight were picked up by other boats and none were injured.

On more than one occasion I've seen boaters cutting across The Witches, oblivious to the danger. And on far too many of those occasions I've seen them strike one of the rocks hidden beneath the surface. I've also listened on the Marine VHF band here at The Manse and heard more than one call to the Marine Patrol reporting a boat stuck on The Witches. And so it goes on the so-called Bermuda Triangle of Lake Winnipesaukee.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the boating weather has been spectacular, some of the boaters have not, and where the warmer and more humid summer weather is returning.

It's been a glorious weekend here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. While the rest of the East Coast has been roasting we've been seeing temps in the mid to upper 80's, though the humidity has been quite high. We didn't fire up the air conditioning in The Manse until late afternoon when the sun comes pouring through the deck sliders, heating up the interior rather quickly.

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We headed out on to the lake with some of Deb's friends this afternoon, waiting until most of the weekenders had gone, leaving the lake less turbulent than it otherwise would be. We did have to deal with a heavy shower about half an hour before we'd planned to leave, but once it passed we headed out. An hour or so later the sun reappeared and what had been a pretty good time out on the lake turned into a great time on the lake.

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BeezleBub is learning the ins and outs of car ownership, specifically the costs of running and maintaining a 35-year old Jeep CJ5.

If nothing else he's learning that gas isn't cheap and that his Jeep isn't fuel efficient in the least. (He's averaging 15 miles to the gallon.) The Jeep also has a small gas tank (probably 12 to 16 gallons, though we aren't sure). As long as the only traveling he's doing is between home and work or school, with a few side trips with Hobbit and/or Irina, a full tank should last him 2 weeks, maybe more. (I expect he'll be putting less than 5 or 6 thousand miles per year on the Jeep.)

He knows it's up to him to pay for everything his Jeep requires - gas, oil, tires, repairs, registration, and inspection. Deb and I pay for the insurance, period. All the rest is up to him.

I think he's going to find it's great to have your own vehicle, but that there's a price to pay for that kind of freedom.

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It was telling listening to Tim Geitner's opinion about the expiration of the Bush tax cuts at the end of this year. It has become apparent to me that he's one of those who believes there is a linear relationship between tax rates and revenues collected. He expecting that once the tax cuts expire the Treasury will see billions more in revenue flooding the coffers. Is he in for a big disappointment.

The battle over the Bush tax cut expiration is just beginning, with even Congressional Democrats voicing their concerns that raising taxes now would further weaken an already shaky economy.

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I have to admit that when I first heard of Linda McMahon's candidacy for Connecticut's Senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd, I thought it was something of a joke. After all, she's part of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) empire. But the more I hear about her and her beliefs, the less of a joke she's become.

Some are describing her as "John Galt in skirts", something that piqued my interest and made me take a second look at her.

As a self-made millionaire, she certainly understands economics and what it takes to build a business. She also has a pretty good understand of how not to expand the economy, meaning taxing and regulating every aspect of doing business to death.

That puts her far ahead of any of the other candidates in either party running for Dodd's seat.

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As if we in New England didn't already know this about John Kerry (D-MA): "Do as I say, not as I do!"

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This ought to have the Goristas and warmists up in arms.

Everywhere is warming faster than everyplace else.

Somehow I think they aforementioned groups will have no problem believing that at all.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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As if the above isn't enough to tweak the warmist, there's this: Despite the record warm temps we're seeing in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, it's just the opposite problem in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly South America, with record cold that has already killed hundreds.

As I recall last winter in the Southern Hemisphere was pretty darned cold as well.

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Cap'n Teach tells us about how the UK's government is slowly doing away with government health care while the US is moving towards it.

What do the Brits know our own government doesn't? Simply this: It doesn't work.

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Eric the Viking points us to a number of links that attempt to answer the question "Is ObamaCare Constitutional?"

As Eric says, "Constitutional issues aside, Barnett also sums up my less-than-legal opinion on Obamacare: it just feels wrong."

Indeed.

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As if we need any further evidence that the minimum wage hikes hurt the very ones they're supposed to 'help'.

This is something I wrote about way back in June of 2008.

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Our friend Skip from GraniteGrok made the local news in Las Vegas at the RightOnline convention.

The 'Grok has gone interstate!

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If anyone needs an example why socialism is anathema to human existence, then all one needs to do is watch this. (A warning: It's almost 90 minutes long, but worth watching.)

If you think the evils of socialism cannot occur again, you're wrong. All one needs to do is look at Venezuela. About the only thing that hasn't happened there (yet) is the extermination of a convenient class of scapegoats to strengthen Hugo Chavez's grip on power.

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OK, now I know they've let some of the insane out of the asylums.

It's bad enough when we have to deal with summer heat, but this nut thinks we should do away with air-conditioning altogether.

To a point I can agree with him. We should so away with air-conditioning...in Washington DC. Or more specifically, in the Capitol Building and all of the congressional offices. There should also be no heat for the winter.

What will that accomplish? Just this: Congress will have very little time to figure out new ways to spend money we don't have or to pass laws nobody wants or needs. It will either be too hot or too cold for the Congresscritters and their staffs to waste our money and our time because they'll have at most 6 months out of the year when the chambers of Congress and their offices aren't insufferably hot or cold. They'll go back to their home states and leave us alone to get on with our lives.

Being a member of Congress was never meant to be a full time position nor a lifelong career, but that's what it's become. Part of what made it possible is our modern HVAC systems. It's time to outlaw them in all Congressional venues, period.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the hot and humid weather has departed (for now), the boating is delightful, and where thoughts of fresh sweet corn on the cob beckon.

It's been kind of a quiet weekend for us here at The Manse. BeezleBub worked at the farm, Deb at one of the local nursing homes, and me all over The Manse, inside and out.

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One thing that BeezleBub did that was exciting this weekend was attend the Zac Brown Band concert at our local venue, Meadowbrook Farm. While he would have liked to take his sorta-girlfriend, Hobbit, she had other family obligations that prevented her from being able to attend. So BeezleBub asked one of his friends at the farm if they'd like to go.

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Just a reminder: I will be tweaking the blog templates over the next week or so, so if things look a little screwy now and then it's just me making adjustments.

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I was a witness to a traffic accident yesterday.

While waiting at one of the traffic lights near our local Lowe's I saw the driver of an SUV heading down the street decided that he/she absolutely needed to pull into the gas station right then and there. Never mind he/she was in the center lane and had to cross two lanes of traffic to make the turn. Never mind that there was another entrance around the corner. Never mind that someone else was already in the lane he/she tried to cross to get into the gas station.

As anyone slightly acquainted with physics knows, no two objects can occupy the same time/space coordinates. The resulting crunch, while not loud, did end up leading to one blocked lane while police and fire-rescue personnel performed their duties. Fortunately no one was injured beyond some frazzled nerves.

(The gender of the offending party has been generalized just because I felt like it)

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This almost sounds like something out of The Terminator.

First there was plate body armor. Then there was kevlar. Then ceramic body armor (think Dragon Skin). Now there's liquid armor.

(H/T Instapundit)

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It's still the spending, Stupid!

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Believe it or not, someone at the New York Times understands economics and how to tell economically healthy nations from those teetering on the brink of insolvency...and it isn't what you may think.

Which governments will not be able to pay their bills?

The ones with private sectors that are not doing well enough to bail out the government.

Government finances are important, but in the end it is the private sector that matters most.

At the moment I doubt the US government can count on the private sector to pony up the cash needed to help the government to pay its debts, not with ever higher tax and regulatory burdens being placed upon it. It seems every step the Obama Administration has taken to strengthen the economy has had just to opposite effect. (It doesn't help that the private sector has been universally ignored by Obama and his advisors, made up mostly of academics with little or no real world experience.)

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As if we need yet another reminder that cellphone usage in inappropriate situations can be fatal, a 21-year old New Hampshire woman was killed in a traffic accident in Massachusetts because instead of paying attention to her driving she was allegedly texting on her phone.

She lost control of her car, hit a tractor trailer which in turn crushed her car, ejecting her onto the highway where she was then struck by another tractor trailer.

Is a text message so important that it's worth dying for? Apparently some people think so.

It's no wonder more states are banning texting while driving. As more than a few studies have shown, texting while driving is worse than driving drunk.

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"Oh, yeah. I have a great idea! Let's make it more difficult for teens to find work by raising the minimum wage and making unpaid internships illegal! That ought to spur the economy!"

Yeah. That ought to work. Yeah. Uh-huh.

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First, they decide they knew how to spend our money better than we do. Next, they took away our right to choose our own health insurance and care provider. Then they decided that it would be best for everyone if they make it so difficult for local banks to do business and for small businesses to operate at a profit because they know profit and credit is evil. But now they want to tell us we can and cannot eat and what we can and cannot grow in our own vegetable gardens.

This means WAR!

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Cap'n Teach points us to yet another example of how ObamaCare will have major unintended consequences that will end up costing us hundreds of billions of dollars we don't have to provide substandard, severely rationed care.

More than a few ObamaCare supporters have tried to discredit the idea that many small to medium sized businesses will drop health insurance for their employees because the fines are much less expensive than the insurance premiums, forcing the employees to go to the government for their insurance.

But that's exactly what's happening in Massachusetts, where the ObamaCare prototype, MassHealth, is seeing businesses doing just that.

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I think Basil may be on to something in regards to how it is some people will keep supporting Obama no matter what he does.

He explains it in two words: College Football.

I have to say he may be on to something.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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I came across an interesting series on BBC America over the weekend, something called Being Human.

So far I like what I've seen. But then you have to remember I am something of a geek.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the humidity is falling, the temperature isn't, and where Monday has snuck up on us far too quickly.

It looks like the hot and humid weather has departed the Lakes Region of New Hampshire for the time being. The air conditioning at The Manse was shut off and the windows opened for the first time since July 3^rd It will still be warm over the next week or so but the humidity has departed for the time being.

BeezleBub will certainly be grateful for the change in the weather as it won't be as oppressive while he's working in the fields at the farm.

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One plus of the really hot weather we've had over the past week: the lake temperature is up to 77ºF, something we rarely see. It usually tops out around 72 or 73. Not that I'm complaining because 77 is still cool as compared to air temperature. This might also mean we can expect a somewhat longer swimming season.

The latest I've ever taken a dip in the big lake was October 16th, when the water temperature was 61ºF. Somehow I think we might be able to go a little later than that this year. Only time will tell.

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, the fear and uncertainty Obama has been creating in the economy has been one of the big reasons businesses aren't hiring. They aren't going to commit until they know what he's going to do and how much damage he's going to cause by doing it.

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It doesn't help things in general when Obama is still practicing the politics of fear, an attempt to paint a picture that the party presently out of power as the ones that will drag the economy over the abyss. Never mind that the party in power is already doing that at a rate that defies belief.

To use an old phrase, "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

(If you think the above is a racist phrase, then I suggest you up the dosage of whatever psycho-pharmaceuticals you're presently taking because they aren't working.)

As one commenter put it:

As far as I'm concerned, Obama has become irrelevent (sic). I don't pay any attention to anything he says or does. Nothing the man does of says makes any logical sense. NASA's new mission is to "reach out to Muslims?" Sue the state of Arizona for upholding US immigration laws that are on the books? Sticking his head in the sand and hoping the oil leak goes away? As far as I'm concerned we have no one in charge.

It does seem that way, doesn't it?

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Bogie has some interesting sunset photos you should check out.

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I came across this while Deb was perusing new ringtones on the web. I rather like it.

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It wasn't until today I realized that neither Skip nor I had reported our weights for the Great New Hampshire Weight Loss Challenge last week. We'll make up for it on Monday...I hope.

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Returning for the moment to the world that is the Obama economy, we have to ask how many people are really out of work as compared to what the Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting.

The unemployment numbers only reflect how many people out of work that are still seeking new employment (and collecting unemployment benefits), but not those who have given up looking because there's nothing out there for them, even at minimum wage. If they are taken into account the unemployment number isn't 9.5% but closer to twice that.

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I'm beginning to like her more every day.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has blasted the Boston City Council, basically telling them to "butt out" of Arizona's business.

The last time I looked, Boston was in Massachusetts, not Arizona. So how is it the City Council can decide that Arizona and its governor must be punished for passing a law that has the support not just of Arizonans, but a wide majority of Americans? Despite what President Obama and Attorney General Holder may believe, Arizona's law is very likely constitutional, something they'll be finding out in court very soon.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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It's no surprise to me, but the New York Times is showing its disdain for the Second Amendment. Again.

So what else is new?

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where slightly less humid weather has arrived, the lake temperature is up, and where yet again Monday has arrived far too soon.

This is an abbreviated Thoughts On A Sunday as we have a number of things planned for this Independence Day celebration.

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BeezleBub and I headed out on The Boat yesterday evening and made our way down to Alton Bay for their 4th of July fireworks show. On board we also had three of BeezleBub's co-workers from the farm: Rafael from Brazil, Yulia from Ukraine, and Irina from Russia.

While Rafael has been with us out on the lake before, it was the first time for Yulia and Irina. It was quite apparent they had a great time. While fireworks weren't foreign to them, it was the first time any of them had experienced viewing them from a boat.

The trip back from the bay took longer that the trip there because it was dark and there was a lot of wave action generated by a couple of hundred boats making their way up a narrow bay after the show was over. Once we were back on the main part of the lake we were able to pick up the pace a bit, but still had to be mindful of the wakes from boats ahead of us.

All in all, it was a great time.

BeezleBub made the suggestion that we go out again tonight for the fireworks in Meredith Harbor, but I'm not sure I'm up to dealing with the wakes from a couple of hundred boats. In the dark. Again.

It's tough enough during daylight hours. Once a year is enough for me.

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Next, something of a bummer.

Factory orders for durable goods dropped in May, something not unexpected. But it was how much orders dropped that caught folks unaware as the falloff was three times larger than expected.

It looks like Obama's master plan for economic recovery have met up with reality and have been found wanting. Of course he could do something radical (for him), like get government out of the way (and out of people's pockets) and let the economy fix itself.

Yeah, like that will happen.

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Oh, there's something I forgot to mention earlier this week.

BeezleBub got his driver's license this past Wednesday.

I admit, yet again, that I am of two minds about this. I'm glad that he now has the means to get himself from place to place without our help. I'm also sad that he now has the means to get himself from place to place. I guess he doesn't need his old man as much as he did only a week ago.

On the other hand, he is still incapable of getting up when his alarm clock goes off, leaving it to me to drag him out of bed to get ready for work at 5:50 in the morning.

Somehow I think it's just an excuse on his part, not wanting let go entirely of what his dear old dad can do for him. I just wish it wasn't quite so early in the morning, specifically on my days off!

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If you've ever wondered about cats, and more specifically cat physics, then Bogie has a primer explaining the unexplainable.

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As Instapundit notes, why is gas so cheap now?

I've noticed it as well, seeing local gas prices hanging around $2.58 per gallon, down almost 20¢ since the end of April. We usually see prices start rising around Memorial day as the summer travel/vacation period starts. But this year it's been just the opposite. Marine gas prices on the lake are also lower than I would have expected them to be.

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And now I'm off. There are burger patties to make, a grill to fire up, and cold drinkables to consume.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where fireworks will be booming tonight, barbecue grills are running, and where Old Glory waves in the breeze.

It's the first of two NASCAR race weekends here in New Hampshire. All one needs to do is look at the ramp at Laconia Airport to see all the business jets of the various teams and sponsors parked there to know it's race weekend. (I'm sure the same is true at Concord Airport as both airports are roughly the same distance from New Hampshire Motor Speedway.)

I plan to watch the race from the best seat in the house, mainly my recliner in front of the TV. No lines, no traffic, no waiting at the concession stand or the bathroom.

One thing that makes the Lenox Tools 301 different from many of the other NASCAR races? Danica Patrick. She's racing today and I'm looking forward to her showing some of the good ol' boys how it's done.

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BeezleBub is now working his full summer schedule at the farm, meaning at least 8 hours a day, 6 days a week (Wednesday through Monday). It also means I have to get a up even earlier than when he's going to school to get him to the farm by 7AM.

This coming Tuesday he's going for his driver's license test at the DMV and, if he passes, I won't have to drive him too much longer. Even after he gets his license he'll still need to be dropped off at work because his Jeep isn't quite ready to put on the road. Until then Deb and I will still have to drive him.

I have to admit that when the time comes when he's no longer dependent upon us to get him from Point A to Point B will be a bittersweet period. It will be great that I'll no longer need to get up quite so early to get him to work or school, but it also signifies that he no longer needs his dear old dad nearly as much as he used to.

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July 4th isn't all that far away, and with it comes a renewal of the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. Chris Muir reminds us that it is as relevant today as it was almost 234 years ago. All one needs to do is "change the names."

That's scary.

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Seeing the reports from Toronto on the G8/G20 summit, it has become quite apparent the rest of the leaders attending hold an entirely opposite view from The One. They understand, even if he doesn't, that they can no longer spend money they don't have and now have to live within their means. Obama appears to be stuck in this cryptp-Keynesian mindset that won't allow him to see his course of action is wrong. There is so much historical evidence to prove his way will do nothing more than drive the US, and probably the rest of the world, over an economic cliff.

But then Obama is incapable of admitting he's wrong about anything. It's the rest of the world (and all the little people in the US) that are wrong. Call it yet another facet of his unchecked narcissism.

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Could the catastrophic results of the Gulf oil spill been averted? According to the Dutch, the answer is yes. Apparently the Dutch have the equipment and expertise that would have helped to greatly reduced the effects of the damaged well head and headed off the contamination along the shorelines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Too bad Obama told the Dutch and other foreign nations offering help to 'piss off'.

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Eric The Viking comments about one of the biggest "gotcha's" of ObamaCare:

In Orwellian fashion, the new health care reform bill is called "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act." I guess it's an "act" after all.

He'll get no argument from me.

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Gee, the GPD expansion rate has been revised downward again? Big surprise!

NOT.

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Poor Bogie.

She and her Wonderful Spouse have to deal with a recurring mold problem in their attic.

Their insurance company paid for the first remediation effort, but it looks like Bogie will be footing the bill for this next round.

Mold sucks.

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I like this take on the so-called DISCLOSE Act.

Although the DISCLOSE acronym officially stands for:

Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections

... a more accurate translation is:

Democrat Incumbents S**t on Constitutional Liberties, Offer Sanctimonious Excuses

Yup. I'd say that just about covers it.

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Are Congressional Democrats using the Gulf oil spill to pull attention away from their plan to have no federal budget in place for fiscal 2011? After reading this, I'd have to say yes. Ed Morrisey writes:

The Democrats in Congress believe what Rep. Gerry Connolly told the LA Times, which is that no member of Congress ever lost an election because of a failure to pass a budget. They don't want to be on the hook for the hard decisions that must come in FY2011, which is either to drastically reduce spending from the binge levels of the last three Democratic Congresses, or to raise taxes to cover it. Spending cuts won't change voter perception of this Congress at this late date -- and tax hikes will make it worse.

So it appears they figure that if they can delay passing a budget until after the mid-term elections they'll stand a better chance of getting re-elected. Little do they realize that it's already too late and that such a maneuver will gain them nothing but scorn.

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Is it any wonder that conservatives have little trust in the MSM?After Sarah Plain's speech at California State University - Stanislaus, the Journalist Variant of Palin Derangement Syndrome was evident as caught by some open microphones at the event.

As the saying goes, "There is no such thing as a closed mic."

(H/T Cap'n Teach)

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where another NASCAR weekend has come and gone, the Fourth of July is just around the corner, and yet again Monday has returned all too soon.

It's been a combination weekend for us here at The Manse, between the graduation of my dear brother's middle son, Father's Day, and the end of Motorcycle Week in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

I spent the afternoon down at my brother's with the WP Parents, celebrating the matriculation of John's No.2 son. Unfortunately I was the only one from our household able to attend as BeezleBub was working at the farm (catching hay all day) and Deb had to work, too.

We headed over to the WP Parents' place on the other side of the hill (The Manse and their place are literally on opposite sides of the same hill) for a Father's Day celebration, wending our way through the large number of bikes making their last runs of Motorcycle Week before heading home.

The weather certainly couldn't have been much better, with no rain on Saturday and a few quick passing hit-or-miss showers late on Sunday.

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Speaking of Bike Week, Bogie has a few pictures she and her Wonderful Spouse took along Lakeside Avenue in Weirs Beach.

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It appears Obama's honeymoon period is now over. With even purported supporters now questioning his abilities and competence, one has to wonder if he will indeed be the next one-term president.

Obama's biggest problem is his disconnect with the American people. Is it because he believes he's the only one with the answers and that the people are too stupid to see his brilliance, or is it because the American people see that he's an arrogant elitist without a friggin' clue as to what's really important? Or is it both?

On one side is America -- fickle and excitable, hotheaded and prone to overreaction, easily frightened and in constant need of reassurance.

Easily frightened? Hmm. I'm not sure about that. Maybe easily pissed off when they're being talked down to. The only reassurance most Americans need is that the government is going the leave them alone and ,a href=http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2010/06/hundreds-of-construction-workers-forced.html>not take away even more of their money and not spend money it doesn't have.

On the other side stands Obama -- solid and sober, rooted in the belief that his way is the right way and in no need of alteration. He's the emotionally maimed type who lights up when he's stroked and adored but shuts down in the face of acrimony. Other people's anxieties are dismissed as irrational and unworthy of engagement or empathy. He seems quite comfortable with this aspect of his personality, even if few others are, and shows little desire to change it. It's the height of irony: the presumed transformative president is stymied by his own unwillingness to be transformed. He would rather sacrifice the relationship than be altered by it.

The more successful presidents were willing to make compromises and work with the people rather than telling them "I know better than you, so sit down and shut up." It is clear Obama is the more the latter than the former.

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To add fuel to the fire in regards to Obama, it doesn't help that most of the world sees Obama as incompetent and an amateur.

Hey, they're only seeing what a lot of us here in the US see, too, that being Obama is the 21st Century Jimmy Carter.

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Ace of Spades has a breakdown of the state Moocher Index, described as "the percentage of state residents who receive some form of welfare and subtracted the percentage who fall under that state's poverty level."

An interesting observation points out that "the 5 of the top 10 mooching states also have some of the country's highest effective tax rates."

Why doesn't that surprise me?

While my home state ranks pretty low on the tax burden scale (#46), I wish it rated at the same or lower level on the Moocher Index than it does (#32). (Note: the tax burden rating is based on 2008 figures.)

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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All my life I've heard the pundits and the politicians talk about poverty in America. Listening to them one would think all those we define as poverty-stricken are living on the streets or in slums, with little food to eat and none of the comforts the rest of us above the poverty line take for granted. But the truth is that many of those presently at or below the poverty line are living better and are better off than most of the middle class in the 70's and 80's.

...the poor's material well-being has improved. The official poverty measure obscures this by counting only pre-tax cash income and ignoring other sources of support. These include the earned-income tax credit (a rebate to low-income workers), food stamps, health insurance (Medicaid), and housing and energy subsidies. Spending by poor households from all sources may be double their reported income, reports a study by Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute. Although many poor live hand-to-mouth, they've participated in rising living standards. In 2005, 91 percent had microwaves, 79 percent air conditioning and 48 percent cellphones.

I'm not saying that there aren't any poor out there. I'm saying we may have to redefine poor in order to reflect the reality. And 'poor' here in the US would be considered wealthy in a number of other countries. It's all a matter of perception.

In the book MiG Pilot: The Final Escape Of Lt. Belenko, Viktor Belenko describes watching Soviet propaganda films showing the desperation of the poor in the United States and how the capitalist system exploited them. But what Belenko saw were the 'poor' with their own apartments furnished with the modern conveniences (ovens, refrigerators, TV sets, etc) - something that was rare in the Soviet Union at the time - and in many cases, owning their own cars. The 'poor' in America were far better off than the average Soviet citizen in the 1970's.

Maybe it's time to change the definition of poor.

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I have to agree with David Thompson on this one: "...the more egalitarian a person says he is, the more superior he wishes to be, or assumes he already is."

Basically, they believe everyone should be equal in all things...except for themselves. This is because they also believe some people are more equal than others. Frankly, anyone pushing for a more egalitarian society should immediately be taken out and put in the stocks or pillory, making sure, of course, there is a large supply of rotten produce handy for passersby to throw at the hypocrite.

As I have written more than once, 'egalitarian' societies always end up being the most oppressive and tyrannical because they are based upon the false premise that they can force people to be equal. Unfortunately equal usually equates to "equal to the lowest common denominator", which in the human species is always a Bad Thing™.

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Oh, yeah, let's make sure there will be big incentives for foreign investors to not invest in the US by making sure they'll know the Obama Administration will ignore the rule of law and use threats and extortion to get its way.

Obama is starting to make the US look more and more like a corrupt Third World nation every time he opens his mouth. Like that will help our economy recover.

November 2012 can't get here soon enough.

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I loved this!

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather has been marvelous, the boating has been great, and the rumble of thousands of motorcycles has been stilled until next year at this time.

It's the beginning of the 87th Annual Motorcycle Week here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. While the weather hasn't been great in regards to riding (rain and thunderstorms on and off) a large number of bike enthusiasts have made the best of it. At least the weather is supposed to be great the rest of the week, meaning we can expect a good turnout through next Sunday.

Hopefully BeezleBub and I will make it over to Weirs Beach later this week to partake of some sightseeing.

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David Starr explains the economics of energy and the costs of specific sources. As he writes:

Bottom line: We need conventional oil and gas unless we accept dropping back to a pre-industrial standard of living.

Of course if polywell fusion actually works all bets are off. (So far everything has been scaling just as Robert Bussard calculated they would.)

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Obama keeps telling us the government is doing everything it can to help mitigate the effects of the Gulf oil spill. But reports like this are telling an entirely different story.

So which is it?

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This is the only mention I'm going to make about Sarah Palin's boobs.

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Bogie disagrees with my take on the possibility of Obama and Congress killing mortgage interest tax deduction.

Rereading what I wrote, I realize I didn't adequately state my position, so let me state it more succinctly: Killing the mortgage tax deduction at this time would be the wrong thing to do. The last thing government should do is increase the taxes during a deep recession, particularly on an activity the government is trying to encourage. The last thing any family needs right now is an increase in their income taxes. Money is tight and some folks are hanging on by the skin of their teeth. How is it adding a higher tax burden is going to help anyone in that position?

I can see no harm in reducing or eliminating the deduction once the economy and the market have recovered, but now is not the time. (It would also break another one of Obama's campaign promises, again.)

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Like this is a surprise:

A majority of existing healthcare insurance plans won't be grandfathered.

And yet another Obama promise bites the dust. But then again, Pelosi knew this right from the beginning.

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Is yet another New England state seeing a shift from blue to red?

First it was the People's Republic of Taxachusetts with the election of Republican Scott Brown to fill the US Senate seat left open by the passing of Teddy Kennedy. Then Connecticut has a battle brewing for the Senate seat held by Chris Dodd, followed by a resurgence of support for GOP candidates for both House seats and a Senate seat in New Hampshire.

Now we're seeing a shift in voter attitudes in Maine, with a solid majority of them showing preferences for more conservative candidates and views.

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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Cap'n Teach brings us up to speed on how things are done in Guilford County, North Carolina, where the chairman of the Forsyth County GOP was punched in the face during a protest. That's bad enough. But the victim has been charged with simple assault, despite a video showing the attack and the attacker. The attacker has had all charges dropped.

Gee, could it be because the victim is a Republican and the attacker is a Democrat that charges against the perpetrator have been dropped because the magistrate is a Democrat?

Naw, that can't be it.

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It turns out that biomass generated electricity is not carbon neutral like everyone believes it to be. In fact, it has a carbon footprint 3% larger than the amount of coal needed to generate an equal amount of electrical power.

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I'm not sure how the logic of this one figures, but somehow the Left believes that the Gulf oil spill will "sink the Tea party."

Even after reading the linked op-ed piece I fail to understand the logic that leads Joshua Green to his conclusion. It's a pretty big stretch to tie the TEA party platform to the problems that led to the oil spill. It's as logical as Nancy Pelosi laying the blame for it at George W. Bush's feet.

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Bigfoot also has some interesting points about the BP oil spill in the Gulf, including a video that "gives a new meaning to an old song."

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the rumble of motorcycles will be heard for the next week, the weather will get better, and where yet again Monday has come to darn soon.

The weekend weather hasn't made it easy to get any work done outside The Manse. It seems every time it got sunny and I'd start to had outside the clouds would quickly move back in a drop some rain. I couldn't even hang any laundry out to dry yesterday because the passing showers came by far too often.

A day off from yard work now and then isn't a bad thing...as long as now and then doesn't occur every day!

A line of thunderstorms came through this afternoon, causing damage in a number of places in New Hampshire, though not here, thank goodness.

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The weather has also kept the weekend traffic to a minimum. A perfect example: BeezleBub had a driving lesson this morning and the traffic in downtown Laconia was almost non-existent. Even our favorite breakfast joint wasn't all that busy, meaning we didn't have to wait to get a table at a time we usually would have to wait 15 or 20 minutes.

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As Jennifer Rubin writes in regards to the reactions to Israeli interdiction of the Gaza-bound flotilla, "While the Turks call for a 'final solution' Obama says nothing."

I have to say that Dubya had it right.

(H/T Instapundit)

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I wonder how many more disincentives Congress will heap upon businesses before they realize they are one of the main reasons the economy isn't recovering?

The best thing they could is get out of the way.

Yeah, like that will happen.

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Speaking of disincentives, Cap'n Teach tells us about one of the unintended consequences of things like ObamaCare and other government mandates: more new jobs are coming without benefits.

Many of the jobs employers are adding are temporary or contract positions, rather than traditional full-time jobs with benefits. With unemployment remaining near 10%, employers have their pick of workers willing to accept less secure positions.

In 2005, the government estimated that 31% of U.S. workers were already so-called contingent workers. Experts say that number could increase to 40% or more in the next 10 years.

Cap'n Teach writes, "Why would employers want to hire employees they have to either give health benefits to or pay a fine on? Quite a bit smarter to make them temporary or contract workers."

I have no doubt this will be the trend unless the 112th Congress repeals ObamaCare next year. All this shows is that Obama and the Democrats in Congress are masters at ignoring the Law of Unintended Consequences. It also shows they have no understanding of economics and the effects mandates have on economic decisions.

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One of my favorite bloggers, Bruce MacMahon of No Looking Backwards is hanging up his blogging keyboard.

It's not that he's tired of blogging. Instead, he's putting his efforts into running for representative to the New Hampshire House.

The days of sitting on the sidelines are over. It's time for me to stop talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly - where our state (and federal) government is concerned - and start doing something about it. It's time to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. Time to live up to the name "No Looking Backwards" and set my sights forward.

New Hampshire is at a crossroads, with our future and our children's future dependent upon which road we choose to travel.

I'm choosing to continue in my efforts to rescue New Hampshire (and our country) from the destructive forces of big government, runaway taxation, special interest-driven politics, and reckless spending.

He's not just talking the talk, he's also walking the walk.

As someone who's run for office on more than one occasion, I can say "Welcome to the club, Bruce!"

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Just like John Edwards claimed, there are two Americas, just not the ones he claimed.

It's broken down into these two categories: private sector and government sector. At the moment it's far more lucrative and better paying to be the latter. The former actually does something and pays the taxes that make the second possible. But as the first group shrinks the second will find it harder to maintain their pay and benefits. And if the first group fails, so does the second.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Bogie and her Wondeful Spouse have a new addition to their home: a 46" Samsung LCD HDTV. It replaces their old dead TV.

They did the right thing by wall mounting it, which allows them a little more flexibility as far as arranging their furniture.

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I have to ask this question, too: "What part of illegal don't you understand?"

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

With all the economic problems the state is suffering you'd think California legislators would be focusing on them. Instead they're debating the pros and cons of paper versus plastic bags in grocery stores.

California is doomed.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where now that the weekend is ending the weather is clearing, the weekenders are heading home, and where lake residents will once again have the lake to themselves...until next weekend.

I could have easily gone of on some diatribe about the goings on down in Washington DC or the Gulf Coast or a whole host of other subjects and events, but decided to run a special edition of Thoughts On A Sunday on Memorial Day. I'm not saying there won't be diatribes within. It's likely there will be more than one.

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From the LA Times: Memorial Day's Changing Meaning.

To many, it's the start of summer or a day off from work. But as American wars come and go, more families experience Memorial Day in a deeper and more tragic way.

Where I grew up in the Midwest during the 1950s and early '60s, Memorial Day was no more about remembering the nation's war dead than Labor Day was about honoring working stiffs. It was a "free day." Falling on a Monday, Memorial Day made possible that great innovation, "the long weekend." As a family, we gathered in backyards for barbecues and to celebrate the informal beginning of summer. We did not gather in cemeteries to pay homage.

Three years ago this month, my son was killed while serving in Iraq. His death changed many things, among them my own hitherto casual attitude toward Memorial Day.

For us, personal loss has rendered the last Monday in May into the day of remembrance that it was originally intended to be.

Amen.

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David Starr recounts a little bit of American exceptionalism during World War II.

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Something non-Memorial Day related: the past two mornings we've smelled smoke when we woke. Yesterday we weren't quite sure if someone was burning brush illegally (the fire department isn't issuing burn permits at the moment due to the dry conditions) of if there had been a fire somewhere in the neighborhood. I even called the local fire department to ask and they said something about a forest fire...in Canada.

We checked the news and sure enough there were reports of large forest/brush fires in Quebec. Apparently the fires are so widespread the smoke has caused quite a bit of haze down here in New England. It also explains the smell of smoke. Some have reported the smell of smoke all the way down to the Massachusetts border. The haze has been quite noticeable here and was far heavier than could be explained by humidity (it's been quite low the past few days).

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The latest report of The Great New Hampshire Blogger Weight Loss Challenge won't be posted until tomorrow. (The program I use to generate the graphic is on my computer at work so it will have to wait until I return on Tuesday).

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Don Surber's evaluation of President Obama's performance in response to four different crises?

Massive FAIL.

From the London Telegraph, now comes Toby Harnden, who parsed Obama and found, well: "When any political leader feels they have to declare that they are 'fully engaged' in an issue, it is clear that they are in trouble. Talking about it undermines the very point you are trying to make -- not to mention that pesky Oil Spill Cam showing that, 38 days into the Deepwater Horizon disaster, not a whole lot had been achieved."

The old if-you-have-to-say-it-then-it-is-not-true truism, which holds that when a president has to remind people that he is still relevant, he is not.

--snip--

So we have seen Four Crises as handled by The Won in the last 6 months: The Fort Hood Massacre, Christmas Day Bomber, the Times Square Bomber, and the BP Oil Spill.

The president has underestimated the problem each time out.

Even his nominal supporters are beginning to question his judgment and abilities.

As we're hearing more and more, Obama is in over his head.

(H/T Instapundit)

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Add the Democrats in the New Hampshire Senate to the list of those wishing to kill the First Amendment rights of free speech.

Obviously they think they can get away with it. After all, you do have the right to speak freely...as long as you agree with them.

But another New Hampshire legislator, House Representative Jim Splaine, a Democrat, does not support such an unconstitutional and anti-American move. What's worse is the New Hampshire Democrat leadership apparently does support the move and they have castigated Splaine for defending the First Amendment. Gee, I could have sworn the oath of office all legislators took included the phrase "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Then there's Michigan's ploy to stifle free speech by requiring journalists to be licensed. The proposed law might also include bloggers.

Glenn Reynolds' retort: "How about requiring that all sitting legislators pass a test on the constitution? And maybe an IQ test, too . . . . " That would work for me, and probably the rest of America, too.

We must not forget the federal efforts to regulate journalism, too, using the Federal Trade Commission to do the dirty work.

It seems the First Amendment is under attack from all government quarters. Maybe it's time we explain things to them, if need be, by exercising our Second Amendment rights.

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Is it any surprise that states rights and the Constitution are affecting local politics? Not around here it isn't.

When the American people feel the politicians in their town, city, state, and country are ignoring them or worse, are condescending, the people will find some way of letting know their displeasure. Quite often it can be seen at the ballot box. But other times the people get angry enough that they organize and push to "throw the bums out", all of them, regardless of party.

We're seeing this in the form of the TEA parties and the 912 Project groups across the nation. We seeing it in angry 'town hall' meetings with members of Congress, where our elected representatives are put on the spot for votes made that spend money the nation doesn't have, raise taxes that further weaken the economy, or weaken the Constitution and the people's rights.

While there have been grumblings for the past few years on the federal government's profligate ways, they finally became outright defiance after the elections in 2008 when we all saw how the President and his allies in Congress sought to shift the entire country to the left in direct opposition to long held beliefs and principles that have made this nation a great power. They saw each move as one meant to turn the United States into a leftist nanny state, where the government would control every aspect of our lives, something anathema to a great majority of Americans. They finally had enough and are moving to restore the founding principles that made America what it is.

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Seen by Deb on a bumper sticker on a car with Massachusetts plates in Central New Hampshire today: "I Think. Therefore I'm Liberal."

Excuse me? I've always thought it was: "I Emote. Therefore I'm Liberal."

The other bumper sticker on the car: "Have you threatened your children with eternal damnation yet?"

Yeah, I like those open-minded liberals. Yes I do....

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That's all, folks! And now back to the daily grind.....

Here we are in the second day of the Memorial Day Weekend, and we've had to modify our usual weekend activities. While we often have Sunday brunch at our favorite restaurant, we've decided not to do so this week as we already know it will be packed from the time it opens in the morning until it closes at 2 in the afternoon. (It might also have something to do with BeezleBub working at the farm today. He usually has Sundays off while school is in session, but with the three day weekend, he's working his first Sunday of the season.)

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The latest addition to our feline population has been settling in with little fuss.

Miley has made the adjustment from a home filled with dogs to one filled with cats. She's already managed to school Henry, one of our more aggressive male cats, that she's no pushover and has sent him running off on more than one occasion. She's used to handling a pair of boxers, so dealing with him is no big deal for her.

She's still a little skittish with the others but has managed to reach a point where she gets along with at least two of her fellow residents: Bagheera (the old man of the bunch) and Pip (the youngest). She's still working things out with Minnie, the one cat that Miley most resembles in regards to temperament, affection, activities, and size.

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As if President Obama is getting hammered enough due to his wishy-washy and long delayed response to the oil spill in the Gulf, he's now being compared to King Canute.

As Eric writes, "If there's one thing more ridiculous than being King Canute, it's believing in King Canute."

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Is it possible claims made in a study about the loss of sea ice are erroneous, overstating the actual loss of summer ice?

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I have to agree wholeheartedly with this comment to this post about refugees from communism have to say about the efforts of our Dear Leader to lead us down that particular rat hole.

Foreigners who have come here to be Americans because they experienced the wonderfulness of socialism and communism are appalled at the stupidity and ignorance of the utopianists here.

What was it like in Russia, the Ukraine, Czechaslovakia (sic), etc.? Was everyone "working together for the common good"? Or, was there a two percent who had fabulous living while the prols (sic) lived in third world misery as documented in their newly opened files?

At least here 10% have fabulous lives, 80% have nice lives, and 10% sit on their ass and bitch that their welfare checks aren't big enough because they only have one large screen color TV.

Delusion always has its place in the attempted creation of utopian states. The problem is that utopian states always end up being hell on earth. But that doesn't stop the deluded from trying.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Skip Murphy keeps us up to date on his youngest's deployment to Afghanistan.

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While I am not normally one to visit yard sales, I made an exception this weekend. One of my neighbors up the road (actually, up the hill) had a few items that fit in rather nicely with our needs. The first item we picked up was a nice leather office chair that brought our complement to a total of three in the Official Weekend Pundit Office, meaning there's now one chair for every computer in the room. Not bad for $20.

The second item was something quite simple: a boat seat cushion/throwable PFD (Personal Flotation Device). I have two on The Boat now, but a third one will come in handy. It was only one dollar and well worth every penny.

Now if I can find a few 4" fenders for The Boat....

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Both Iowahawk and Kim Priestap prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Palin Derangement Syndrome is alive and well within the minds of Liberals.

(H/T HughS at Wizbang)

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I knew it was only a matter of time, and Nancy Pelosi did not disappoint.

Apparently she wholeheartedly believes the BP oil spill in the Gulf is all George W. Bush's fault!

And Bush Derangement Syndrome lives on and on, a gift that keeps on giving to the Left.

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It appears President Obama is so busy thinking about the Gulf oil spill and planning a tribute concert for Paul McCartney at the White House that he barely has enough time to snub Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. Considering his comments about Arizona's immigration law (the one that mirror's US federal law), one would think he'd at least make some time to talk to her about it when she's in Washington, keeping his continuously broken "reach across the aisle" campaign promise.

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Claims by the academic Left that domestic terrorist are all a product of the Right notwithstanding, Blue Crab Boulevard looks at the claim and sounds the "B******t!" alarm and breaks down the list of the FBI's Most Wanted Domestic Terrorists and shows that all of them are from the Left.

But when have academics from the Left ever let facts get in their way?

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Count Vermont among the states finding out they won't be able to keep all the social spending they've instituted over the years because tax revenues aren't keeping up to expenditures, nor are they likely to any time soon.

New Hampshire has the same problem as the governor and the legislature have so far been unable to close a projected $295 million budget gap. At least the governor appears to understand that raising taxes any further is a non-starter, seeing as earlier tax and fee increases have not raised the revenues expected and have had the not unexpected side effect of hurting already struggling businesses and residents. Most of the people of New Hampshire understand how to fix the problem, but the folks in Concord aren't listening. The answer?

Cut spending until expenditures meet revenues.

The same answer applies in Vermont, but I have no doubt it will be ignored there as well.

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Who'da thunk it?

Apparently all this stimulus spending is actually costing jobs, not creating them. At least that's what a study by the Harvard Business School reports.

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As the true costs and the non-health effects of ObamaCare have come to light, it has become quite apparent that its unintended consequences will have profound negative effects on the American economy as well as American society.

Rather than being a solution to a perceived problem, it has become a problem in and of itself.

This is not what the American people wanted.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summer has finally begun, the summerfolk have arrived in droves, and where we plan to make use of The Boat as much as possible this summer.

A busy weekend for us all, especially for BeezleBub. He worked the farm all day Saturday and spent a good portion of the day today driving, working towards increasing the total of hours he needs in order to qualify for his drivers license. A good portion of that time was spent on the road between The Manse and the WP In-Laws in the southwestern part of the state. He also had a driving lesson later in the day.

If he's lucky he'll have his license by the end of June. It also means he'll be driving his Jeep, assuming all the work needed to get it ready to put back on the road is done.

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You know government is broken when bedbugs have more rights than humans.

The EPA also has a propensity to kill jobs for no good reason.

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Pun Salad has the right of it: Michael Kinsley's article in The Atlantic about the Tea party and its many supporters was poorly researched and does not reflect the reality of the movement.

As the post says, "Kinsley got sloppy." I'd say he also got lazy.

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Bogie reminds us that if you have to hit a moose with a vehicle, it's best to hit one while driving a truck or SUV. Cars don't do very well against moose.

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Could the type of rioting we saw in Greece in response to the government's austerity programs happen here? It appears the SEIU is working hard to make sure it does.

Here's a taste of what they have in store for us:

The SEIU sent four busloads of Washington D C protestors (sic) to a Bank of America attorney's home last week, where they stormed his property and had the homeowner's teenage son hiding in a bathroom until they left. Fortune Magazine's Nina Easton lived next door and documented the attack. As one blog commenter noted, there are thousands of towns and cities in flyover country where this sort of assault would not have ended well for the SEIU thugs. The union's leadership knew that, however (they had a District of Columbia police escort) and terrorized a citizen's home safe in the knowledge that no violence would be visited upon them.

As the article also goes on to say, in other parts of the country (specifically flyover country) such an action would be met with well deserved gunfire. That would certainly be the case if a bunch of union thugs tried that here at The Manse.

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Cap'n Teach tells us the story of a rapist who also happens to be an illegal immigrant. What makes it worse is that this scumbag has been deported nine times yet he's still walking the streets.

If nothing else this guy is a prime example of why we should lock down our borders and stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

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Count musician Dave Mathews as yet another celebrity environmentalist hypocrite.

About the only celebrity I've ever come across that also walks the environmentalist walk is Ed Begley, Jr. He doesn't just talk about environmentalism, he lives it.

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In America's present culture war, which side will win: Free enterprise or Washington's version of Euro-socialism?

(H/T Instapundit)

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Is it arrogance or hubris driving both Mexico and the racists in Washington DC to condemn Arizona for passing a law identical to federal immigration law? (Yes, I called the leftists in Washington racists because they do not actually believe all races are equal. Therefore, they believe all minorities need to be 'protected' by means of discriminatory laws that do not create equality but institutionalize racial discrimination against non-minorities.)

Mexico's protest is hypocritical considering its immigration laws are far more harsh and draconian than US law. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

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Speaking of Arizona's immigration law, what about California's immigration law which closely resembles it? Why isn't Mexico or Arizona or Washington DC making a fuss over their law?

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BeezleBub and I watched the season finale of Lost, or at least the first two hours of it which consisted of a retrospective of all six seasons. We'll watch the last two and a half hours some time tomorrow evening, as well as the Jimmy Kimmel special that will air after the late Sunday news.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summer weather has reasserted itself, our boat is almost ready to launch, and where Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching.

It's been a good weekend with great weather. While we didn't do anything earth shattering, at least the housework got done and BeezleBub made a big dent in the work needed to get the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout ready for launching on the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend.

But for the most part I was really lazy, not doing all that much yesterday (some laundry and dishes were the about the extent of my exertions), I mostly read and napped. I'm not usually the napping type, but I've been dragging ass since Friday afternoon and felt tired even after a good night's sleep.

Do I feel guilty about it? Nope, not one bit. It's not like I do this on a regular basis so I figure a day like this once or twice a year can't hurt.

Yeah. Right.

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BeezleBub had his first driving lesson today with the Driver's Ed teacher. He's been driving with me for the past few months and has been doing pretty well. It helps that he's been driving various farm machinery over the past couple of years at the farm, including a number of the larger tractors, as well as his grandfather's tractor over the past seven or eight years, so he's had the basic mechanics of it down pretty well.

I have to admit that it will be a bittersweet moment for me when he finally gets his driver's license because I won't have to get up quite so early to drive him to school during the week or to the farm on the weekends and during the summer. But it also means that he won't need me or Deb to drive him anymore, meaning he will be far less dependent on his parents than he has been.

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I still see the regular 'reports' on the MSM about anthropogenic global warming and how we have to "do something" to keep us from destroying the planet. One would thing these bozos would be pulling back from that old propagandist mantra now that much of the 'science' has been unsettled.

While I have never denied that climate change has been taking place, I have been a firm skeptic when it comes to the claim the general warming trend over the past 100 years or so Is-All-The-Fault-Of-The-Evil-Humans.

Being the engineering type that I am, I have a pretty good head for analyzing data (though not nearly as good as Burt Rutan) and for understanding trends, both short and long term. How anyone can say "We're all DOOMED!" because warming has been taking place over the past 150 years is beyond me. Temps have been warmer than what we see now and human civilization didn't end (the Roman and Medieval Warm Periods). But the little Ice Age damn near did, particularly as it helped bring on the Black Plague which wiped out a sizable percentage of the European population.

Another thing, no one, and I mean no one has been able to prove the claim that warmer temperatures will bring about all the weather cataclysms. It's all conjecture based upon wishful thinking. (Remember the claims that the warmer weather we've seen will bring about more devastating and powerful hurricanes in greater numbers? But instead we've been seeing smaller storms and fewer of them.

I could go on and on, but that's best left for a future post.

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On the other hand there are scientists warning that there will be food and ethanol shortages as Earth's climate cools.

I wish these guys would make up their minds.

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I wonder when/if the Obama Administration will stop blaming Bush for every failure that has occurred during Obama's time in office? It seems folks are even trying to lay the blame for the BP oil platform disaster and following oils spill on Bush. By that kind of reasoning, the claim could be made that 9/11 was all Bill Clinton's fault. But you never once heard the Bush Administration making such a claim, did you?

(H/T Pirate's Cove)

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And that's the (abbreviated) news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where we don't have an oil spill to deal with, the weather is warm again, and boating season starts (for us) sometime in the next two weeks.

It's been a not so great weekend, weather wise. It was rainy and windy yesterday and cold and windy today, meaning neither day was good for working out of doors. No yard work was done, nor any pre-launch work on the boat completed.

About the only thing we managed to get done was the week's laundry.

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Believe it or not we've added yet another feline member to our family here at The Manse.

Miley, a three-legged cat originally belonging to a friend of ours needed a new home because she wasn't getting along with our friend's dogs. So we told her we'd take Miley where the worst thing she might have to deal with was the crowding around the supper dishes when we doled out The Wonderful Food (IAMS wet cat food, given more as an appetizer rather than the main course).

We picked her up this afternoon and once here she quickly made her initial rounds. Then holed up behind the washing machine for the rest of the day.

At least the other felines here didn't seem to have any problems with her. Charlotte, our last addition to the family, already knew Miley because the same friend had found her abandoned in a foreclosed home and fostered her until we were able to take her.

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I still haven't figured out the reasoning behind this, where apparently it's disrespectful to wear an American flag tee shirt...in America.

I think the school principal should be fired for caving to such racist PC bulls**t. He doesn't seem to realize that in this country we have something called free speech. Wearing the American flag on a tee shirt in America is part of that freedom of speech.

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This is something I've known for quite some time: Carbs are worse for us than fat.

Skip Murphy over at GraniteGrok and I have been in a competition to see which one of us will reach our target weight of 195 pounds first. (I think it will probably be him.) The only thing I did for my diet was cut out as many processed carbohydrates as I can and I've watched the weight drop off my frame. The few times I slipped the weight loss stopped or even reversed slightly. The rest of my diet has included both saturated and unsaturated fats, protein (in the form of beef, chicken, and pork), and some of the dense nutrition carbohydrates (broccoli, spinach, kale, green beans, etc).

There's also this: both my total cholesterol and HDL/LDL ratio have improved greatly since I dropped the processed carbs from my diet.

That doesn't mean I won't avail myself of cake, ice cream, or fries now and then, but those times will be few and far between.

(H/T Volohk Conspiracy)

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If you have a problem telling New Hampshire and Vermont apart, here's a guide that will help you do just that.

I have to agree with both the article and some of those commenting that my home state of New Hampshire is totally bad-ass as compared to Vermont. Heck, it's bad-ass as compared to most states. Even our state flag is bad-ass.

Those states more bad-ass than New Hampshire? Texas and Alaska.

(H/T Bogieblog)

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Speaking of New Hampshire, here's another thing that can be considered bad-ass: The New Hampshire Supreme Court has handed down a decision that states bloggers have many of the same rights as the conventional media, i.e. the Main Stream Media.

Unlike some states, this one believes in the freedom of speech and freedom of the press, even if the 'press' is some guy in his pajamas blogging about the events of the day.

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Also from Wizbang: Could it be that maybe liberals are just plain stupid?

I have to agree with a number of points brought up in the post. I also have to add that far too many times I've been in a debate with a self-professed liberal and more often than not they've prefaced their 'talking points' with the phrase "I feel that...." I've responded to that phrasing with the retort "I don't care how you feel about [place subject du jour here]. I want to know what you think about it." And more often than not they've responded with "What's the difference?"

At that point I know any further discussion is a waste of time because they are incapable of using logic. All they have going for them is emotion and that's an always disastrous basis for making any kind of decision that affects dozens/hundreds/thousands/millions of people. It doesn't have anything to do with their level of education as they let their emotions override their thinking.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where the weather has not been cooperating, the good weather is returning for the workweek, and where once again Monday has returned all too soon.

The farm where BeezleBub works opened its farm stand yesterday. Goodness knows it was perfect weather for it, with temps in the 80's and mostly sunny from mid-morning onwards.

BeezleBub put in a full week in at the farm this past week, it being school vacation week. He's already looking forward to the end of school and the start of summer, as are Deb and I.

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The Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout is finally out from under the winter storage cover. The support frame is still up but will be dismantled some time during the week. Over the next two or three weeks the post-storage maintenance and clean up will be done and, assuming no setbacks, it will make its trip to the lake and its summer berth right around Memorial Day weekend.

It would have been nice if it had been ready to go this weekend, considering the great weather we've had the past three days. But there's no way we could have gotten it ready to go in such a short time.

Still it would have been nice.

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Bogie relates tales from her census training, listing some of the things the students in the class knew to be true...but weren't.

The most egregious? How about this:

Tea Partiers: They are likely to shoot any Census worker (or government employee for that matter) as to look at them. You will be lucky to leave with only a couple of scratches if you have to interview one of THOSE people. They will be hostile because they hate government and want to have anarchy.

No, this wasn't taught by the Census Bureau or any of it's Supervisors or Crew Leaders. This was common knowledge amongst the students. Out of 17 students, the only people that had a different opinion were myself and a farmer (as far as I could tell, I didn't really stick my neck out on this) Also, I couldn't tell about a couple of the college kids - but everyone older than 25 (besides myself and the farmer) were very addament (sic) that Tea Partiers were basically the lunatic fringe and dangerous.

Not surprising, somehow. But it's disappointing to see how many people out there have been thoroughly brainwashed and are now incapable of thinking for themselves.

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One more than one occasion recently, the Obama Administration's response to the oil rig disaster and the resulting oil leak may be seen as its version of Hurricane Katrina. In other words, the government response has been damn slow. That's surprising considering the administrations quick actions in other areas over the past 16-some months.

This administration has plans to use or already has used its power to muscle its way into the business of public and private institutions with impunity.

Now, when a serious accident happens, where the federal government has a responsibility to get involved, act quickly, mobilize its assets, and obtain the best, most comprehensive information it can possibly get, we are lead to believe that this particular administration is willing to take the word of British Petroleum with no follow-up procedures or tools to prove the veracity of this information?

Amazingly hypocritical when one considers just how hostile this administration has been in its demonization of "Big Oil."

It's one thing when they can posture and make moves to take over entire industries. It's another thing when the government actually has to perform and fails to do so.

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Senator Chris Dodd's (D-CT) financial reform bill is supposed to help protect taxpayers from future bank and insurance company bailouts, amongst other things. But as one looks at the details, it appears it rolls back a number of existing protections and gives a number of insurance companies a pass. Coincidentally, those insurance companies are headquartered in Dodd's home state.

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It isn't just American citizens who are fed up with illegal immigrants. So are legal immigrants.

(H/T Maggie's Farm)

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Oh, yeah, like this will play well in Peoria.

It appears Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has asked the World Court to overturn the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.

What's next, the First Amendment?

Apparently Daley has forgotten he swore to protect and defend the Constitution when took the oath of office...unless the Chicago oath is a whole lot different from those in the rest of the nation. (That might explain a few things if true.)

Daley is learning the same lesson the folks in Washington, DC learned so long ago: An unarmed population insures a high violent crime and murder rate.

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Q&O asks "Why are Democrats so tone deaf?"

When it comes to what a great majority of Americans believe are important (jobs, the economy, the deficit), the Democrats choose to ignore those concerns and instead tackle issues that Americans see as secondary or tertiary issues (health care reform, financial reform, cap-and-trade).

With that kind of focus is it any wonder why it's possible Democrats could be tossed out of Congress in large numbers come November?

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Frank J. gives us some interesting facts gleaned from Fred Thompson's new book, Teaching The Pig To Dance.

FUN FACTS ABOUT YOUNG FRED THOMPSON

* Young Fred Thompson was always getting in trouble for sneaking up and tackling grizzly bears, and it got to the point that they could never maul anyone in peace.

* Young Fred Thompson's elementary school science project nearly destroyed the sun.

* The first time Young Fred Thompson experienced taxes was when he was charged sales tax on a pack of gum, and he became so enraged that eventually the national guard had to be called in to stop him. The incident was what Rambo: First Blood was loosely based on.

As the saying goes, Read The Whole Thing.

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And that he news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where summer-like weather has returned, farm stands and ice cream joints have opened for the season, and where boats have been venturing out on to the lake.

BeezleBub's school vacation started this weekend and he headed off to the WP-In Laws for a couple of days before spending the rest of the week working at the farm.

He spent Saturday and Sunday working on his Jeep, getting it ready to head to the body shop for a paint job. Being a John Deere fan, he's having it painted JD green with yellow striping and yellow wheels. I expect he'll get vanity license plates for it with some reference to John Deere on them.

One thing you have to say about him - he doesn't do anything half way.

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I admit to having a love/hate relationship with computers. I love using them, but I hate having to troubleshoot them. My main computer has been problematic over the past few months and it took until today to figure out the intermittent problem I've been having was due to a faulty power connector. There were times when it wouldn't boot and the BIOS would send out an ear-splitting high-low beep, telling me a voltage supply was out of spec. The faulty connector was the one that connects the power supply to the motherboard. One of the sockets was spread too much, making the connection intermittent, so whenever I moved the wiring harness out of the way the connection would either make or break.
 
I'm hoping all is fixed now. Only time will tell.

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Add Chris Muir to the list of those poking a finger into the eye of Islamic fanaticism.

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As if Chris Muir's finger poke weren't enough, then this bit of website hacking ought to get their attention.
 
Ridicule is indeed the best response.

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Tom Bowler questions the timing of the SEC's move against Goldman Sachs, seeing it as a purely political move by the Obama Administration purely to gain favor with an increasingly angry American public even though the actions won't fix anything. Never mind that a lot of the problems can be laid at the feet of Congress, and particularly Democrat members of Congress.

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Are TEA party supporters racist? Apparent so...but no more so than non-TEA party Americans. But you wouldn't know it from the way the media is reporting on the results of both the CBS/NYT and University of Washington polls.

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Color me unsurprised.

The so-called "Coffee Party" has quickly gone from civility to outright hatred towards the TEA parties.

As one commenter put it, "The Left's motto: If you can't beat 'em, BEAT 'em." (spelling corrected - ed.)

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Bill Whittle answers the question: "What did the Founding Fathers think of a strong central government?"

Apparently they had a major dislike for the idea, unlike far too many of Obama and his fellow travelers.

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Jea Tea delves into an uncomfortable subject for the multi-culti Left, but makes some valid points about Western Civilization and how it is too often seen by the Left as somehow inferior to all other cultures despite a plethora of evidence to the contrary.

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Nigerian lottery/bank transfer scams are so yesterday. Today, scammers are using ObamaCare as a means to steal by offering fraudulent health insurance policies to 'protect' themselves from the bad effects of health care reform.

As if we didn't see this coming.

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Back in May of last year I predicted the Cash for Clunkers program would screw up the used car market. It turns out I was right.

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"Public Unions! Huh! Good god! What are they good for?"

"Absolutely nothing!" (With apologies to Edwin Starr.)

Check out the photo included with the linked post if you doubt it.

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Stephen Hawking thinks we should avoid contact with extraterrestrials at all costs because they may be just like us. Think of what happened to the Indians after Columbus arrived, except that this time we'd be the Indians and the ET's the Europeans.

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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where warm weather has returned for now, boats are repopulating slips, and where thoughts of boating intrude constantly at work.