31 July 2008

We're #1! We're #1!

A couple in Lansdale, PA was busted after going on an 18 month house-egging spree. That's got to be a record, congratulations to my beloved Commonwealth of Pennsylvania! I live in Easton, PA and I have a friend who lives in Lansdale, PA, about an hour south of here. I know the area and the surrounding area. There's really not much to do there, but this couple has taken to ending their boredom with the area and found a unique activity to share in together. I know there has to be some Kodak moments of their activities. Like I said, I know that area, I can guarantee it. Let's just hope they supported their local farmers and economy (of which there are plenty down there) by buying local eggs. I often would joke about the area to my buddy about how mind numbingly bored I'd get there...and Easton isn't exactly NYC. The next conversation I have with him will be quite interesting for sure. Personally, I hope they make these two clean up every single house in the Landsdale area over the last 18 months, it's only right. No mention, by the way, of how old they are. I'd love to think they were 18 or 19, but knowing the area, they could have been in their 50s.

-Caomhin

Ice on Mars!

Not my usual topic to be sure, but damn exciting. I know some people may not get worked up about ice being found on another planet that obviously isn't supporting life, but this has got to be one of the greatest discoveries of all time. I'll admit that since this latest expdition started, I've imagined being on the planet looking around at nothingness and being to explore the planet. I don't know if we'll be alive by the time a manned expedition gets over there (50 years from now I'll be 80, suddenly I don't feel so old), but with the advance of robotics and technological advances, dare I say, there may one day in my lifetime be a completely robotics operated station on Mars which will eventually become manned? Say, 500 years or sooner before people are actually living there in controlled man made habitats? I know we're looking at that possibility on the moon someday and we're looking at more manned missions there as well. Yea, this is a kid like post from me (a worded daydream if you will), nothing like I usually do (though I guess some may argue otherwise) but, damn, this is amazing!

-Caomhin

Why No Mention of Obamagirl?

If the moonbats want to go out there and state as Allahpundit is saying, that putting pictures of white women around Obama somehow suggests racism, why isn't everyone pointing to Obamagirl? That's what got him his national exposure more so than his speech at the convention did. Most people aren't into politics like that to remember that speech but sticking that skank in a video with him sure did. Their real worry is that the image of the trainwrecks like Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears is going to stick. Adverstisers have known for decades that sex sells, so what goes around comes around.

Who's the real racist here? Everyone who criticizes Obama and doesn't intent to support him is a racist, regardless of how horrible they think his ideas are? When he was out bashing people from my Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as bitter, gun-clingers, who believe in God, who do you think he was taking a shot at? Who was the one talking about Hillary Clinton's "claws" and mocked her as "Annie Oakley" when she talked about her support of the Second Amendment (which, of course, was a lie)? Who's the one whose surrogates throw racial bombs at everyone? Are we really to believe that Rev. Wright was correct and that if Bill would have dropped an N-bomb on Hillary that Obama's candidacy would have been for not?

What this really shows is that Obama is extremely insecure and has a terribly, terribly weak glass jaw. One of these days his cockiness is going to make him stick it out there and someone is going to shatter it. Let's hope its before the election and McCain does it, lest it be Iran or some terrorist organization.

-Caomhin

30 July 2008

Does Obama have Head Trauma?

Seriously, how do you explain this?



Notice the uneasy laughter by one person in the crowd. He's not serious, he's got to be making a joke, he has to be. If his answer to the energy crisis is to inflate tires and change spark plugs he must have stopped learning about the oil market right about the time he got his driver's license. He can't honestly think that:
1. Inflating your tires and changing spark plugs is a true solution. What's he doing reading the "Lifestyle" section of his newspaper under the tips column for his briefings?
2. That the 3% efficiency increase from properly inflated tires is the same as getting a slew of new oil to the market place. Domestically produced oil that will help get us off of foreign oil, reduce our deficit, and strengthen our dollar, which in turn will increase the buying power of all Americans.
3. Shale oil is myth. He has to know we have enough shale oil to run our nation at our current consumption levels to supply us for 100 years.
4. That people are really that stupid that they never check their tire pressure at all.

I could go on forever here, but you get the drift. That is honestly one of the stupidest statements I've heard a politician make in years. But alas, when you've got the media as your groupies, no one is going to press the issue, and hey, if his highly complex, tire inflating solution fails, there's always his Plan B, so simply a child could do it:



-Caomhin

Move, B*tch, Get out the Way

That's the more appropriate theme song for Obama's campaign as yet another one of Obama's vocal supports gets hucked under the bus, this time it's Ludacris, who had the audacity to hope that he could Hillary Clinton a bitch and hope the John McCain would be paralyzed in the latest lyrical score he wrote on the back of napkin and then recorded. Stay classy Ludacris. Oh well, we all look forward to your improptu concerts coming soon to a grocery store parking lot near us. Actually, he owes Obama a big one, his star on the hip hop walk of fame has long since faded, so hey, at least he got a headline.

Which brings me to a larger point, there obviously can't be any more room under Obama's bus, what with Wright, Pfleger, Ayers, the entire nation of Israel, Muslims, etc, etc. Not that he has anything to worry about, after all he's like the old man who throws bread crumbs at the pigeons and the pigeons of course, represent the media. Hell, he could karate chop a baby and his minions in the press would cover for him. But alas, back to my greater point. No, this isn't a bus people are getting thrown under....it's a Monster Truck. Here we see the metaphorical representation of Team Socialism's campaign celebrating with the bodies of all his closest friends and allies from days past firmly stomped under his wheels:



Since I'm on the topic of videos, I've managed to dig up this clip from a few weeks ago where we can see Rep. Jeff Flake fighting off all types of under handed attacks from Nancy Pelosi on the floor in the House of Representatives. I think she needs a refund on the latest botox injection, though. Good stuff.



-Caomhin

21 July 2008

More Eco-Insanity

The Democrats are attempting to give our economy a lobotomy. Even worse, they are pursuing tremendously hurtful policies during a difficult economic time, a time when we can least afford this kind of chicanery. Al Gore, perhaps sensing a disturbance in his investment income, has been popping up more and more talking about how horrible oil is. Yes, the same industry that has allowed us to develop into the strongest nation on the face of the earth, the same one the gets us to work every day, the one that heats our homes, etc, ever since people have become even more acutely aware that our reluctance to drill here at home is killing us at the pump and in the world economy as our dollar further devalues.

Before I proceed from here, you should really see the highlights of Al Gore's "major" speak on the dangers of losing his cash cow, er, I mean carbon based energy. Here it is, presented by Americans For Prosperity:


Al Gore is completely off his rocker and has been for quite some time. Why, he's even compared offshore drilling to the Iraq invasion. Which of course is nothing like the invasion of Iraq. In fact, you'd think if the point he was trying to make was to be more responsible in international affairs and leave nations to their own accord, the our energy self sufficiency would include us drilling here at home. Or maybe he's referencing the point that nations like Iran are much better stewards of the environment and have better and more cleaner technologies to pump oil than we do here in America. Oh right, he's completely and utterly insane and wrong.

Democrats and Liberals have no regard for the common man. Rather than being sensible and recognizing that we will need oil and natural gas supplies for at least 25 years (at absolute minimum) to be able to move away from using gas in our cars, etc, and seeking to blend energy forms as we do journey down that path, they could care less if you could afford to do so. They could care less if you couldn't afford to buy a new car that ran on hydrogen and we had no gas tomorrow. They could care less if you got to work and if you could afford to do so, well then they would just raise your taxes up to the point where you couldn't anymore.

Sounds like an exaggeration right? Well re-visit that clip where the guy in the AFP video is completely happy about gas going up to about $8 a gallon for the "common good." But that's OK, right, my green comrades? That's the Democrats energy policy in a nutshell. Don't think arugula lover Barack Obama has a problem with this. He just wishes it was a slower rise in the price of gas, but the price? Completely cool with it. So don't act so shocked when the Congressional Democrats are crowing about high energy prices and aren't doing jack to raise the supplies are focused on raising one thing....your gasoline tax by 50%, and they're moving to do it quickly.

-Caomhin

One More Step Towards Winning the Iraq War

It's pretty inevitable now that we're going to be declare true victory in Iraq, with the Iraqi people being the true winners in the war. Yes, the GOP has been dragging the Democrats toward victory in Iraq, kicking and screaming as it were, and now we've reached another huge milestone in Iraq. Today, the Sunni bloc officially rejoined the new Iraqi government. This is a tremendous development and yet another key sign that the war is drawing to a close. Bringing the Sunnis back in is a huge victory for al Maliki and the Iraqis. As it is clearly obvious to any honest observer, the surge has been tremendously successful.

John McCain, the Republican nominee for president, deserves a great amount of credit for calling for Rumsfeld's ouster after he did not initiate a build up of troops after the amount of violence greatly increased upon our taking of Baghdad. Rumsfeld, though, orchestrated a incredible ground invasion that was lighting quick, however, his dealings with the insurgency were his downfall, as he did not listen to the commanders on the ground. Upon the implementation of the surge we have seen the utter demolition of al Qaeda in Iraq, the build up of the Iraqi security forces, deals on oil contracts and economic policies, a dramatic reduction in violence with lower American and Iraqi casualties, the Mahdi Army's disembowelment, etc. The surge has worked greatly.

The question, then, is where do we go from here? Certainly not to withdrawal and leave Iraq to fall back into chaos. The way leave Iraq victorious is clear. We must continue to train Iraqi security forces in order to become even more capable of defending themselves and provide for the security of the Iraqi people. The American ground forces can be withdrawn as the Iraqi forces are built up. Certainly, Iraq will need our logistical and air support as those networks are built up, but as American casualties continue to fall, the swell in support here at home will continue to draw. As Iraq develops these capabilities, we continue to withdrawal our troops until Iraq is completely self sufficient or until they ask us to leave completely.

Political solutions are entirely left to the Iraqis. We cannot force Iraq to implement laws and rule that we are forcing upon them, this is not our mission, nor should it. The Iraqis have their own unique needs and wants, and we must leave it up to them to decide their own fate. The way to ensure that they do is to provide security in the interim while they choose their policies. This is the mission that we are seeking to complete.

Despite what Obama is currently saying, he completely opposed the surge of forces in Iraq that created the current situation. His current visit to Iraq is a disgusting way to try to score cheap political points. In the years between his first and now current visit, Obama lacked the courage to go to Iraq when things were looking bleak and his own personal security may have been at risk. That utter lack of courage is highlighted even more so when you consider the number of Republicans and Democrats who went to Iraq during the times of extreme violence regardless of their opinions on the war. Obama's lack of leadership and courage are on full display, this is not a man who should be leading our nation.

Finally, I just want to touch on the irony of the situation. The Liberals refused to support Iraq when thing were bleak and made much of the fact that we essentially went into Iraq as the leaders of a small coalition. Fast forward to present day and our path to victory is clear and no longer deniable, even to the most ardent of Liberals and even after some of allies left Iraq. It was under our leadership, our forces, that a conflict that started out so bleak turned the corner. On the other hand, the Afghan conflict, led by NATO, which started out so well and now falters under NATO's lead and internal positioning, is the conflict supported by the Left. They constantly labeled this conflict as "the good conflict," and is now the more dangerous of the two missions. I commend those calling for a similar surge in Afghanistan, but even as they do so, they highlight with even greater emphasis the success Gen. Petraeus and President Bush have secured in Iraq. We can not lose either of these conflicts, and for as great as an importance as it is to America, it is of an even more, exponential importance to the people of Iraq and Afghanistan that we finish the mission and leave these nations with the necessary, domestic security forces, for them to protect themselves.

-Caomhin

16 July 2008

Democrats, Ethanol, Devastate the Gulf Coast

The Dead Zone at the base of the Mississippi is larger than ever thanks the Democrats' ethanol mandate and is wiping out wild life while stuffing the pockets of the Democrats and their favorite pet project investors. For all the complaining that the Democrats do about oil, not even the Exxon Valdez disaster has has this much of a drastic impact, spreading so rapidly, and threatening to do even more devastation in such a short period of time. Remember who they blasted those who opposed their ethanol subsidies and how they chide oil as being irresponsible? Where again is there an ever increasing oil spill that is destroying not just wildlife, but other industries within our borders? For that matter, seeing as how the Democrats have killed off all life in an area the size of New Jersey in the Gulf of Mexico, what again is their opposition to off shore drilling there? Hate to tell I told you so about ethanol in general and the Democrats in general, but...wait, no actually I enjoy that part. The Dead Zone and the Democrats reckless ways? Not so much.

-Caomhin

Obama and his Surrogates Hateful Insinuendo

Obama and his idol worhiping legionnaires love making suggestions about their opponents. You'll recall his overt sexism during his race and now his blatant ageism against McCain, specifically by his and his worshipers constant use of the term "confused." Personally I don't get it and I'd like to do my part and shoot down some rumors about Obama, you know, to be helpful.

First of all, I don't know why these ideas always seem to be coming home to roost on left when they talk about equality and change, which they obviously don't truly believe in. Now don't get me wrong, I think smear against Obama are horrible, especially when it comes to religion. I have no doubt that Obama believes strongly in God, so strongly that he may even pray three times a day, at sunrise and sunset I'm sure. Perhaps out of his love for the environment he may even pray towards the direction the sun is currently sitting in when he prays.

Now, he talks about confusion but there is no confusion about Bill Ayers and his cohorts. No, he has no regrets against bombing the government and wishing he could have done more, and he wouldn't even bat an eye to do so. We've also heard the hurtful things that Jesse Jackson has threatened to do to Obama, and really, that's not cool at all. Bill Clinton even has called for Obama to "kiss his ass" and that's wrong. Why these three are so hateful, some sort of vengeful Trinity, if you will, is beyond me.

In conclusion let me just say that a total lack of experience of understanding of the issues is not Obama's fault. He's simply been campaigning since he first won an elected office, so learning about the issues and hearing things that he doesn't know, and doesn't recall being what he knew, is simply a distraction. He's not flip flopping when he says one thing and does another. In fact, his judgement to lead has been so exceptional that he has the foresight to see that the green policies he enacts will be so environmentally friendly that it precipitates a withdrawal from Iraq before the Democratic Congress can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And that...is change he can believe in.

-Caomhin

Inform Yourself On Energy Policy

By now you know how strongly I feel that in order to formulate opinions and engage in spirited debate, one must fully inform themselves on the issues. I highly suggest reading the Energy IQ Survey released by Energy Tomorrow, which can be found by clicking here. Among other useful tools on the site are podcasts, audio, and video sessions which will go a long way to helping raise your awareness on the issues of our energy security and development. It's an excellent resource tool.

-Caomhin

15 July 2008

Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi Should Be Haunting You at the Pump

President Bush did the right thing by lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling. We desperately need more supplies of oil and natural gas, whether they be found off shore, inland, above ground, or underground. We have the technology and resources to begin to move away from being held hostage by foreign nations, yet the Democrats, who are funded and run by enviro-nutjobs and their pet projects they invest in, refuse to recognize reality or economics.

We will not be "off of oil" within the next 15 years. It won't happen. We need oil for homes, automobiles, plastics, and many other vitally important things. As we move to other sources, we will need to have oil, and we should be producing it here at home, be it for national security, strengthening the dollar, stopping interruption flows (be it from foreign strikes or terrorist attacks), etc. In fact, the public is fully behind the efforts to begin drilling here at home. Please reference this article. The rise in support for domestic drilling is growing exponentially.

A fact sheet that was recently brought to my attention is an excellent source of information and shoots down the concerns of the average environmentalist, who basically has no idea what they are talking about nor the facts to back up their outrageous claims. Congress, of course, under the direction of uber Left Wingers Reid and Pelosi are trying to stop this effort to become self sufficient and more secure in our energy needs. Contrary to Reid's belief that Oil "makes us sick" or the Dems policy of "drive small cars and wait for the wind" Americans know the reality that they do not. To Harry Reid's point, it's not Global Warming that's making us sick, it is him and his cronies in Congress. Even as we develop more sources of energy and increase efficiency, energy supplies such as coal, oil, and natural gas, are abundant, can be clean, and begin to hit the market place much faster and have a much more dramatic impact as sources such as wind, solar, etc are developed and brought into the fold as well.

Energy solutions should be regionally based. Pennsylvania, Alaska, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Colorado, North Dakota, and Utah have abundant sources of natural gas that can be tapped and begin to be used. Louisiana and Florida, for example can safely extract oil offshore. These are real solutions which can impact us now, and if we move on it NOW, then we will see results. It is not coincidence that as President Bush lifted the executive ban on drilling, prices dropped nearly $9. Let's see if the morons in Congress actually care about the people of America and hold up their end of the deal.

-Caomhin

The Democratic Congress's Destruction By The Numbers

Here are some numbers to consider. Personally, I did not think they would be able to devestate the economy as badly as they have in one and half year. I was completely wrong. Never underestimate the Left Wing's penchant for devestating American families.

Jan 4, 2007 Jul 14, 2008
Unemployment 4.6% 5.5%
Dow Jones Industrial Average 12,488.69 11,055.19
Price per barrel of oil 58.32 137.85
Gallon of Gasoline 2.33 4.11
Home Heating Oil Per Gallon 2.42 4.53

Unemployment is up because of the rise in the minimum wage rate and excessive panic that the Democrats have pushed for political purposes as well as constantly pursing policies that devalue the American dollar. The DJIA is down for that exact same reason, and we can all thank Chuck "The Sheister" Schumer for causing IndyMac to shut down. The Democrats reckless policies concerning ethanol and thier refusal to allow for more domestic drilling of the last decade, and even now, have caused a gigantic leap in oil prices. Anyone up for giving these hacks another shot a congress and giving them the presidency on top of it? If so, please research Jimmy Carter's term a bit more and prepare for the pain.

-Caomhin

09 July 2008

Mixed Feelings on the FISA Bill

The Telecom Surveillance Bill, which passed with a wide margin today, has mixed implications for the American people. The element of the bill which would give immunity to the telecommunications companies who had helped the government in its surveillance of suspected terrorists should have only been applied to the cases before the evidence of the practice became public. The telecommunications companies were told by federal authorities that the wireless tapping was acceptable and necessary to protect America from future terrorist attacks and undoubtedly there was intelligence gathered that did in fact protect our nation from further harm.

However, the protection from civil lawsuits going forward should have been stripped from this bill. That may sound like it runs counter from the information in the preceding paragraph, but there is a distinction that needs to me made. Originally, when the program was run in secrecy, corporations were told that they would not face civil or criminal repercussions for their assistance with the program. If that is what they were told and had operated under that philosophy, with assurances from the White House, then they should have been granted immunity as this bill did provide. However, going forward, the implications can be grave.

Monitoring suspected terrorists’ communications is essential to national defense; there is no arguing that point. However, the text of the bill does not limit the scope to suspected terrorists, rather, that the government simply needs to have reasonable belief that one party is overseas. One can easily see how this could lead to far reaching abuses and lead to a domestic spying program to be utilized for political purposes as opposed to national defense reasons. Whether or not you trust the current Administration should not factor into the evaluation when determining the validity of granted future immunity to the companies involved. Subsequent administrations and political operatives who one day will run the nation will also have authorization to utilize this program.

The bill, does however, provide for an emergency tap to be utilized and then give the government up to one week to get a court order in order to use the information. This is a very careful dance on civil liberties. Shielding the telecoms from lawsuits from violations of this law going forward presents and opportunity for them to do corporate spying as well, as rest assured, they will be monitoring communications as well. It also makes them somewhat “bullet-proof” and will provide a temptation for them and the government to commit violations of the provisions within the bill.

Will that happen? The likelihood not severe, but it is a possibility and one that should be in the front of people’s minds when discussing these issues and formulating opinions. In the digital age, striking a balance between national defense and protecting civil liberties is a difficult task. This is especially true when battling an enemy which has time and again shown no regard for civil liberties, freedom, democracy, or human life. It is paramount that we protect ourselves. Giving blanket protection to the telecom industries and the political parties charged with safekeeping the program and our personal data and communications going forward may well prove to be a costly mistake. Time and close observation of the program will the only means of evaluating this bill. America will win the War on Terror, but this bill will remain long after we have achieved victory.

Philadelphia Assaults Second Amendment...Knows It Is Unconstitutional

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has forged ahead with a plan to hold law abiding citizens responsible for crimes committed by those who do not abide by the law. Under Philadelphia’s new gun law, one which the Philadelphia DA says is not constitutional. No matter, though, the city plans to forge ahead anyway. The fine will be $1,900 for not reporting the lost gun within 30 days of knowing that it is lost. You can find the article here.

Besides the obvious problem of punishing private, innocent citizens for the actions of others (i.e. most guns that are “lost” are actually stolen), this comes on the heels of the Heller decision which upholds the rights on an individual’s right to bear arms. Mayor Nutter has been briefed by the DA that this law, as well as others that Philadelphia is seeking to institute, are in violation of the Constitution. Additionally, this also poses an issue in determining when a gun is lost. If one does not report the gun lost within 30 days of knowing it is lost, how exactly does the city go about proving that the owner knew for more than 30 days that the gun was lost at all? There is no way of proving that time frame except for the word of the owner in the first place. So in addition to being a violation of the Second Amendment, the law is going to enforced arbitrarily and result in an excess fine.

Additionally, one must also consider the fact that if a gun is stolen during a break in; one must reasonably assume that the gun was secondary in the theft. Identity theft is a complete nightmare, unfortunately a reality for many, and is a difficult problem in which to find a resolution. It should not be a punishable offense if the victim of break-in were to focus on securing their financial accounts, credit, social security number, etc, and place the emphasis on those issues rather than focusing on material items, which of course, can be replaced through private insurance. Dealing with crimes of this nature is extremely traumatic and takes considerable time. To further exacerbate the after effects of being the victim of crime through unconstitutional laws is wholly irresponsible and reckless.

There is no disputing that Philadelphia has many problems and that violent crime has been on the rise. The failings of former Mayor John Street are just a part of the root cause of this increase in violence. The criminals are the problem in Philadelphia and rather than combating the criminal element, the city is seeking to scapegoat law abiding citizens and blame the people and the not the failings of the politicians who run the city for the woes that they face. Rather than going after citizens who are not breaking the law for exercising their Constitutional rights to bear arms, they ought to look in the mirror and begin to enact and enforce laws that will confront the criminal element directly.

04 July 2008

Happy Indepenedence Day 2008!

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very happy Independence Day! Today is a day to reflect on everything that makes America great. A day to remember our break from tyranny and the creation of new form of government, one that values individual freedoms, maximizes liberty, is not oppressive in taxation, and allows each individual to pursue their own dreams in freedom. Assuredly we have not reached this point completely as of yet, the ideals that our Founding Fathers envisioned for us, but we, the American people must strive hard to perfect our union, and allow liberty to flourish within our Republic, and take a stronger stance to fight for these ideals.

We should take time today to be with friends and family, to remember all the sacrifices that our ancestors have given so that we may have a chance to chase the American dream. We should recollect on the spirit of freedom that blossomed into the American Revolution, the likes of which the world had never seen before. We should honor and thank our veterans for fighting for our rights and giving the ultimate sacrifice for every one of us, remembering they gave voluntary service in order protect the masses that did not have the privilege of knowing them personally. We should remember that the fireworks are an illustration in that they provide a representation of Francis Scott Key’s work, our National Anthem, that even through the horrors of war, the lights of the explosions gave hope and inspiration that our Flag was still waving, and that we were still free. I wish you all the best today, I give thanks to those that came before me and reaffirm my beliefs in freedom and liberty. God Bless.