Firefly....................Give me Serenity........................

Posted with only one comment.........................Browncoats..........................stand ready

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.


My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crib, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her: “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said: “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Dempsey ‘disappointed’ by anti-Obama campaign by ex-military members

Linked from my other place, Among The Joshua Trees.
Interesting piece here by Blog Bud and Shipmate, Bill "Instapinch" Paisley and the link is also provided for you.
Our good friend and fellow Lexican, Bill Paisley had this outstanding post at The Neptunus Lex Page on Facebook.
It is worth the copy, paste and link to the article itself. Bill does a really bang up job with it. He is a true Shipmate and a Blog Bud of the Highest Order.

Bill Paisley

".......Thoughts about Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey comments that even retired military should, to paraphrase his comments, keep their mouths shut with regards to political commentary. I know he doesn't use those words, but when he says he is "disappointed" in the group of former CIA agents, Navy SEALs and other military members and their long-form political ad that takes the President to task for the killing of Obama and leaks in the WH, there really isn't any any question what he means........." More at the links below.

http://desertf16apg.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/dempsey-disappointed-by-anti-obama-campaign-by-ex-military-members/

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/21/dempsey-disappointed-by-anti-obama-campaign-by-ex-military-members/#ixzz24GucxE88

This Old Retired Petty Officer does take issue with General Dempsey as well. The initial reaction on my part was somewhat salty of speech.

Having been Retired from the US Navy for almost nineteen years now, I can categorically let the Chairman, JCS to kindly shut his pie hole and leave me the hell alone!

Getting Back on Track in Reference to The Republic

From my friend Pam McKinney from Angel's Camp, California. 
She is a devout Christian Mother of two grown children and a firm believer in The Constitution as it was written and die hard conservative. 

• We have one shot to get this train back on the right track....VOTING OUT OBAMA. I am not a fan of Romney, however, he IS the GOP candidate and he IS our only hope to get the phony-in-chief out of here. There are a lot of Ron Paul's beliefs I agree with, some not so, however, America has evolved since 1776 and there has to be some tweaking when a nation grows. But, America must stop at tyranny, socialism (entitlements), life-choking rules & regulations (EPA), excessive taxation. Why do we insist on a govt budget? To know how much to collect from the citizens to pay the necessary bills! (military, roads, and post offices) I do not espouse "Republican views" just to be Republican. I am a true "republican" in the sense that all men are created equal, we all have the same God-given rights to be free (and that means free from a taxing, law-threatening, dictatorial govt, too), but we MUST live within boundaries to remain sovereign. Just letting everyone run willy-nilly without any restraints will bring utter chaos. Just as in having a smooth running home there are house rules...same with living in our country - country rules. I don't believe we need big govt pulling us around by the nose, tho, with excessive taxes, rules & regulations, laws...and we have allowed ourselves to become governed when it is WE who are to govern our govt. Vote responsibly....on all levels of Congress.

   

  

  Pam.

26 Butts So Perfect You’d Think They Were Photoshopped

Rule Five Stuff.
Really nice looking Butts here, fellas.
Like this one?


Or this one?


Maybe this one?


Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!
Link: http://regretfulmorning.com/2011/10/butts/
Enjoy

A Classic from a friend

How's this for apocalyptic literature?
This was written by a pastor's wife in biblical prose as a commentary of current events. It is brilliant.


And it came to pass in the Age of Insanity
that the people of the land called America ,
having lost their morals, their initiative,
and their Will to defend their liberties,
chose as their Supreme Leader that
Person known as "The One."


He emerged from the vapors with a message that had no meaning;
but He Hypnotized the people telling them, "I am sent to save you."
My lack of experience, my questionable ethics, my monstrous ego,
and my Association with evil doers are of no consequence.
I shall save you With hope and Change. 
Go, therefore, and proclaim throughout the Land
that he who proceeded me is evil,
that he has defiled the nation,
And that all he has built must be destroyed.
And the people rejoiced,
For even though they knew not what "The One" would do,
he had promised That it was good; and they believed.
And "The One" said
" We live in the greatest country in the world.
Help me change everything about it!"
And the people said, "Hallelujah! Change is good!"
Then He said, "We are going to tax the rich fat-cats."
And the People said "Sock it to them!"
"And redistribute their wealth."
And The people said, "Show us the money!"
And the he said,
"Redistribution of wealth is good for everybody.."


And Joe the plumber asked, " Are you kidding me?
You're going to Steal my money and give it to the deadbeats??"
And "The One" Ridiculed and taunted him,
and Joe's personal records were hacked and publicized.
One lone reporter asked, "Isn't that Marxist policy?"
And she was Banished from the kingdom.
Description: cid:image004.jpg@01CC602B.39924810
Then a citizen asked, "With no foreign relations experience and
Having zero military experience or knowledge,
how will you deal with Radical terrorists?"
And "The One" said, "Simple. I shall sit with 
Them and talk with them and show them how nice we really are;
and they Will forget that they ever wanted to kill us all!" And the people
Said, "Hallelujah!! We are safe at last,
and we can beat our weapons Into free cars for the people!"


Then "The One" said "I shall give 95% of you lower taxes."
And one, Lone voice said, "But 40% of us don't pay ANY taxes.
" So "The One" Said, "Then I shall give you some of the taxes the fat-cats pay!"
And the people said, "Hallelujah! Show us the money!"
Then "The One" said, "I shall tax your Capital Gains when you sell Your homes!"
And the people yawned and the slumping housing market Collapsed.
And He said. "I shall mandate employer-funded health care
For every worker and raise the minimum wage.
And I shall give every Person unlimited healthcare and medicine
and transportation to the Clinics."
(And no Muslim shall pay for their share of healthcare.)
And the people said, "Give me some of that!"
Then he said, "I shall penalize employers who ship jobs overseas."
And the people said, "Where's my rebate check?"
Description: cid:image006.jpg@01CC602B.39924810
Then "The One" said,
"I shall bankrupt the coal industry and Electricity rates will skyrocket!"
And the people said, "Coal is Dirty, coal is evil, no more coal!
But we don't care for that part About higher electric rates.
"So "The One" said, Not to worry.
If Your rebate isn't enough to cover your expenses, we shall bail you out.
Just sign up with the ACORN and you troubles are over!"
Then He said, "Illegal immigrants feel scorned and slighted.
Let's Grant them amnesty, Social Security, free education, free lunches,
Free medical care, bilingual signs and guaranteed housing...
" And The people said, "Hallelujah!" and they made him king!


And so it came to pass that employers, facing spiraling costs
And Ever-higher taxes, raised their prices and laid off workers.
Others Simply gave up and went out of business
and the economy sank like unto
A rock dropped from a cliff.
The banking industry was destroyed.
Manufacturing slowed to a Crawl.
And more of the people were without a means of support.


Then "The One" said, "I am the "the One"- The Messiah –
and I'm here To save you!
We shall just print more money so everyone will have Enough!"
But our foreign trading partners said unto Him.
"Wait a Minute. Your dollar is not worth a pile of camel dung!
You will have to pay more...
And "The One" said, "Wait a minute.
That is unfair!!"
And the world said, "Neither are these other idiotic programs you have embraced.
Lo, you have become a Socialist state and a second-rate power.
Now you shall play by our rules!"


And the people cried out, "Alas, alas!! What have we done?"
But yea, verily, it was too late.
The people set upon The One
and spat upon him and stoned him, and his name was dung.
And the once mighty nation was no more;
and the once proud people were without sustenance or shelter or hope.
And the Change "The One" had given them was as like unto a poison
that had destroyed them and like a whirlwind that consumed all that they had built.


And the people beat their chests in despair and cried out in anguish,
"give us back our nation and our pride and our hope!!"
But it was too late, and their homeland was no more.


You may think this a fairy tale, but it's not. It's happening RIGHT NOW!


THIS really tells it like it is.
After reading it -- and before you go into the bathroom to throw-up –
forward it to your friends and those you know who care about our country
and what is happening to it under the rule of Commissar Obamanation.


P.S. -- Yeah, this is too true to be funny..
Tragic, but not funny; Tragic but true.
IF YOU CAN'T SEE THIS HAPPENING....
JUST RUB YOUR EYES AND BLINK A FEW MORE TIMES REALLY GOOD.


Thanks and a Hat Tip to James E. Frame at Facebook for this one.

Not sure if this is a TRUE letter but it speaks volumes for the American People

I saw this at Google+ this morning. Pretty good one. As it says in the title, it may or may not be true. I can see it being partially so as we are talking about a politician here.


Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming , Co-Chair of Obama's deficit commission, calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. 

Here's a response in a letter from PATTY MYERS in Wyoming ... I think she is a little ticked off! She also tells it like it is! 
"Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight.. 
1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY YEARS. 
2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).
3 My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero ambition losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud.. 
4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and your ilk pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age 67. NOW, you and your shill commission is proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN. 
5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now you morons propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because you idiots mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal money from Medicare to pay the bills. 
6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt. 
To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" on your incompetence. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU. 
1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career? 
2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers? 
3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance? 
4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or, as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies? 
It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcases who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers. And for what? Votes. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it. 
And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch . 
If you like the way things are in America delete this. If you agree with what a fellow Wyoming citizen Patty Myers says, PASS IT 
ON!!! .

The gift of Choose your Weapon (24 HQ Photos)

The Brigade.
All kinds of awesome weapons. Hmmmmmmm what to use????????????

Arnaud (or Arnau) Amalric (died 1225) was a Cistercian church leader who took a prominent role in the Albigensian Crusade. He is remembered for allegedly giving advice to a soldier wondering how to distinguish the Catholic friendlies from the Cathar enemies to just "Kill them all. For the Lord knows them that are His."


Got the above from Wikipedia. Can't say how accurate it is but a guy I work with said Cromwell was a plagiarist!!!!!!








I’m going with tornado because I want spring to start now


http://thebrigade.thechive.com/2011/12/14/the-gift-of-choose-your-weapon-24-hq-photos/

Faith-based economics fails Obama again | Examiner Editorial | Opinion

Faith-based economics fails Obama again | Examiner Editorial | Opinion | Washington Examiner:

"Every day that you build this expanded facility," President Obama told employees of Solyndra at the company's solar panel plant in Fremont, Calif., last May, "you're demonstrating that the promise of clean energy isn't just an article of faith. Not anymore. ... It's happening right now. The future is here."

Well, it was here. Yesterday, Solyndra announced it was filing for bankruptcy, despite Obama's bold statement 15 months earlier that the company would create 4,000 new jobs -- 3,000 in construction and 1,000 in manufacturing. In September 2009, Solyndra had received the very first federal loan guarantee -- $535 million -- from a Department of Energy program partially funded by Obama's stimulus package. But questions quickly surfaced. A Pricewaterhouse Coopers audit of the firm, months after the award was announced, found it to be a black hole for cash. Solyndra's cumulative $558 million in "recurring losses from operations," PwC wrote, and "negative cash flows since inception ... raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern."

'via Blog this'

The New Tone

Got this one from Jeff. It is at Monster Hunter Nation. Gotta pay attention don't we?
Now can we question everything they say? Damn Right!
Linkage: http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/the-new-tone/



Need I say more? Nope, didn't think so.

Friday Follies for July 8, 2011

From Crucis' Court:
Got some doozy's here folks.
Starting with the jobs thingy we seem to get hammered with from the administration of the corrupt and the state run media.......
Paragraph one and two to wet your whistle!

The June 2011 jobs report was released this morning and the report is shocking.  There were only 18,000 new jobs created last month---for the entire country!  That's all forty-eight contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and a scattering of other US possession around the world.

The Jobless rate, which includes only around half of those unemployed, went up to 9.2%.  Not only that, but they've revised the May numbers downward.  The new jobs created for May, 2011 was reduced by 44,000.


The rest of the follies are at the link. Go. Read. Make up your own mind.
http://crucis-court.blogspot.com/2011/07/friday-follies-for-july-8-2011.html

Rules is Rules!

From my good buddy, Shane. Shane is the Roadmaster on the BNSF Devils Lake Subdivision in North Dakota. We dumped a lot of rock in June of 2007 and a few other times before.

Oops!
Good news:
It was a normal day in Sharon Springs, Kansas, when a Union Pacific crew boarded a loaded coal train for the long trek to Salina.

Bad news:
Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting a metal support drop down and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the rail.

Good news:
A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train

and immediately stopped the train in compliance with the rules

Bad news:
The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and trusses.

The crew tried to explain this to Union Pacific higher-ups but

were instructed not to move the train!

They were informed that Rules prohibited moving the train

when a part was found to be defective!

'REMEMBER, RULES IS RULES!'

(Don't ever let common sense get in the way of a good Disaster! )

20 Really Bad Ideas That Are Almost Too Stupid To Believe

This one is from The American Dream.
The narrative prep is as follows......
The twenty Really Bad Ideas are at the link at the bottom........

What in the world is happening to America?  It seems like all we get out of politicians at the federal, state and local levels is a steady stream of really bad ideas.  Even when our government officials appear to have the best of intentions things still turn out badly.  "What were they thinking" is a phrase that is being uttered by millions of Americans on a daily basis.  Sadly, instead of focusing on real problems and real solutions, the mainstream media loves to focus on the latest scandal.  Last month everyone wanted to talk about Anthony Weiner.  This month everyone wants to talk about Casey Anthony.  Next month it will be somebody else.  There is a never ending stream of scandals for the mainstream media to latch on to, but what is America going to look like if we do not start addressing our real problems?  The United States has become a cesspool of corruption, greed, debt and depravity.  Everywhere you look there are signs of decline, and yet all our leaders come up with are more really bad ideas.  Time is running out on this nation, and with each passing day there seems to be fewer reasons to be optimistic about the future.

Most Americans that are actively engaged in politics believe that either the Democrats or the Republicans are the answer.  But sadly, that is just not the case.  When the Republicans have been in power they have been a total mess.  When the Democrats have been in power they have been a complete train wreck.  Both political parties have lied to us and have deceived us over and over.  The mainstream media would have us believe that George W. Bush and Barack Obama are from "opposite ends of the political spectrum", but when you closely examine the policies that they have implemented they are almost identical.

No matter who we vote into office we always seem to get the same results.

It is almost as if this nation is under some sort of a curse.

Sadly, our leaders only seem to get stupider and stupider.

The following are 20 really bad ideas that are almost too stupid to believe....

http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/20-really-bad-ideas-that-are-almost-too-stupid-to-believe

I leave the final judgement up to the reader.........I didn't write this one but wish I had, OK?

Queen decorates Nepali for Afghanistan heroics

Got this one off of Yahoo News. OK, it is a couple of days old. But this guy is something.

Short excerpt from the piece...........Corporal Dipprasad Pun, 31, said he thought he was going to die and so had nothing to lose in taking on the attackers who overran his checkpoint........





http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110602/wl_uk_afp/britainmilitaryafghanistannepalaward;_

Attn: Wasserman Schultz – Is An Illegal Alien’s Murder Of A Houston Cop A Crime? – Updated

From All American Blogger.
Three short paragraphs to get your interest.
...............This is pretty much the Democratic line. Remember, Sen. Harry Reid called illegal aliens“Undocumented Americans.”

So I have to ask Debbie, if an illegal immigrant kills a Houston police officer, are they guilty of that crime? Or do they get a pass on it also?

The reason I ask is because one just did. It was the sixth straight officer killed in Houston to be killed by an “undocumented American”:............................

http://www.allamericanblogger.com/15963/attn-wasserman-schultz-is-an-illegal-aliens-murder-of-a-houston-cop-a-crime/

Volcanic Ash and Global Cooling

The link is to Opus 6 and her most excellent blog.....American Perspective.
Got some good stuff in this one........
Excerpt follows
"...............NASA says Mount Pinatubo cooled the Earth measurably for 2 years:

On June 15, 200 Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted with a tremendous force, ejecting vast amounts of ash and gas high into the atmosphere; so high that the volcano's plume penetrated into the stratosphere. The stratosphere is the layer of atmosphere extending from about 10 km to 50 km (6-30 miles) in altitude. Pinatubo injected about 15 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, where it reacted with water to form a hazy layer of aerosol particles composed primarily of sulfuric acid droplets. Over the course of the next two years strong stratospheric winds spread these aerosol particles around the globe.
Unlike the lower atmosphere (or troposphere, which extends from the surface to roughly 10 km), the stratosphere does not have rain clouds as a mechanism to quickly wash out pollutants. Therefore, a heavy influx of aerosol pollutants, like the plume from Mount Pinatubo, will remain in the stratosphere for years until the processes of chemical reactions and atmospheric circulation can filter them out. In the case of Mount Pinatubo, the result was a measurable cooling of the Earth's surface for a period of almost two years......................"

Can't make this shit up!

From Cold Fury;
The Iranians really believe this shit!
Wow! The Stone Age mentality is alive and well in a third world shit hole..........
And the arrest of the IMF head on the plane getting ready to get out of Dodge.......
Mike has his viewpoints on these items. I think you are going to like them.
http://coldfury.com/2011/05/22/off-with-their-heads/

I was just doing my job

This is a picture that says it all. Nothing to deny here.

The Two Old Jackasses is rich!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Got this from a friend at Facebook.
They always come through for me in the clutch!

Stormbringer: The Raid-More Concepts

The link is to Sean's outstanding post on the action of May 1, which resulted in the demise of bin laden. Sean is a Retired Spec Ops guy, so he knows what he is talking about.
Plus there are a few well deserved cheap shots at the CinC. So click, read, enjoy.
http://seanlinnane.blogspot.com/2011/05/raid-more-concepts.html