O Joyous Day!

Hey kids! Ever wanted to start your very own jihad cell? Ever want to join al-Qaeda? Well boys and girls, now you can!

You feel that you want to carry a weapon, fight, and kill the occupiers, and that it is our duty to call for jihad as much as to call for prayer . . . All that is required is a firm personal decision to fulfill this obligation, and participation in jihad and the resistance . . ."

And while there, why not download your very own al-Qaeda Manual?

BZ

John Edwards Says:

That Americans should be willing to give up their SUVs.

Here's John Edwards with his crossover Cadillac SRX on the campaign trail in New Orleans.

BZ

Oklahoma: Mandatory Deportation Has Illegals On The Run

Are things actually about to change in a few states, regarding illegal immigrants?

Please note my phrasing:

NOT "undocumented workers"

NOT "migrant workers"

NOT "visiting workers"

No. ILLEGAL immigrants.

Primarily MEXICANS.

As such, yes, it would appear that a few states are actually beginning to "see the light" in terms of common thought, rationality, common sense, an acknowledgement of reality, a respect for the basic nature of our laws, and respect for taxpayers.

To wit, from WND:

Thousands of Hispanics have fled the Tulsa, Okla., area in the shadow of a looming state law that limits benefits and mandates deportation for illegal aliens, according to a report from KTUL television in Tulsa.

The state of Oklahoma recently approved a new law that requires deportation for illegal aliens who are arrested, and limits benefits and jobs to those individuals. The report said in East Tulsa, where a community of Hispanics has grown over recent years, there's been a sudden drop in population.

This is good news indeed. But wait; it actually gets a little better:

Officials say many of those departing apparently are heading either to Kansas or Arkansas. But that may not be for long, since Arkansas is about to adopt a law similar to Oklahoma's, and Kansas is considering a similar move.

And so, isn't that amazing? Decide to enforce the law, decide to DEPORT Mexican and other lawbreaking illegal nationals, decide to limit benefits and eliminate entitlements for persons who are not LAWFUL CITIZENS of this country?

What a shocking concept! That we would actually deign to enforce our laws! Shocking, I tell you! Shocking!

Of course, there are those who will sue, who predict doom and gloom, who predict an economy that will fall apart, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Ginger.

Nature abhors a vacuum. So does an economy. Trust me, jobs will get filled. It may take a couple of days, but the jobs will get filled. By people who NEED the jobs.

If Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas can do it, why not EVERY OTHER STATE IN THE NATION?

This needs to become a massive, rolling, unstoppable, national TREND.

BZ

Wrong

But not for the reasons you might think.

US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is stepping down, effective September 17th. Many are happy, particularly those on the left.

Gonzales might have been a good jurist; a manager he most definitely was not. Nor did he apparently, along with Bush, have an idea how to combat the accusations leveled against him with regard to the removal of a mere 8 USAs nationwide.

You and I both know the argument: it was reprehensible for Gonzales to fire 8 US Attorneys in late 2006, despite the fact that Clinton fired ALL the US Attorneys nationwide, except for one.

The bad strategy: to back down. To not point out the obvious.

The bad strategy: to appoint someone who is no manager. Who communicates as poorly as Bush himself.

Bottom line: problem solved. Move on. Better make a damned good pick now, Mr. Bush. Then ensure Gonzales's replacement has a spine and can defend his own-se'f.

The upcoming hearings for "this person"? A "short timer" (year-and-a-half)? They'd better be wearing titanium underwear. You'd best find the FINEST Constitutional Jurist extant. And a damned good manager.

We lose traction when we, as Conservatives, fail to state the obvious, clearly and up front: we need an AG who screams from the highest rooftops that their job is to defend the nation, provide the greatest ability to fight the war on terror, come down on the side of our nation against all other nation-states. An AG who swears to provide all possible legal tools to enable this wondrous nation to not just survive but flourish.

BZ

P.S.

Rumors: Michael Chertoff as AG. Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. "The Skull" brings horrendous baggage. Wrong. Couldn't be worse. Couldn't be worse. For those of you who just tuned in: couldn't be worse. Bring in a young, nasty, opinionated, oppressive current US Attorney. They exist. Right here. Right now. Find one. But NOT Michael "The Skull" Chertoff. WRONG!!

Heroes

BZ

Death of the Internet; Death of Blogging; Death of Equality; Death of Free Speech; Death of Free Ideas: HERE NOW.

PART ONE:

Ladies and Gentleman:

At no other time that I can recall in my, ahem, almost 60 years on this planet, is not only our American "freedom of speech" jeopardized, but the freedom of speech of many other western and/or European countries.

And it isn't the Right Wingers who are doing it; oh no. It is those on the Left Side of the American political aisle, or those on the Left in various European countries (to include England, Sweden, Denmark) and Canada as well.

I am a large, a HUGE supporter of Free Speech. I enjoy my blog. I enjoy the small audience I reach. I treasure each and every brief visitor or devoted reader. I consider it a blessing that anyone would touch down upon my very own personal slice of the Blogosphere when, in fact, there are SO many OTHER places you could be visiting, other places you could be going. The mere fact that YOU are reading this now: I find myself continuously in amazement. Bless you.

It is because of the FIRST AMENDMENT of the American BILL OF RIGHTS that I enjoy the ability to write what I will, when I will.

Short of decrying "FIRE" in a crowded theatre, publicly advocating for the death of whatever President is in office (with, in concert, the present will and the physical means coupled with an overt act), advocating for the violent and immediate overthrow of my country, I am free to write what I wish when I wish under the heading of OPINION.

My blog exists under the overarching umbrella of my OPINION. I suspect yours does too. I attempt to buttress my arguments with facts in evidence (with proffered links whenever possible) but, still, some of what I write merely reflects my feelings and emotions day-to-day.

I do not make myself to be anything close to the Second Coming of Journalism. I do not make myself out to be a "journalist" (though I in fact used to BE one whilst I worked for various Sacramento radio stations in the mid-1970s) and I do not portray one on TV.

One look at my blog would convince the most skeptical that I am NOT the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlanta Journal, the Sacramento Bee or the Chicago Tribune.

I do NOT enjoy hundreds (much less thousands) of readers per day. And yet, when everything is said and done, within some reasonable standards, my blog can somewhat compete, in terms of accessability, with the millions of other blogs available for perusal on the Internet.

This is called "net neutrality."

That is to say, with a reasonable HTML design team, the site for PlasticSheets&WessonOil.com or ObscureFerrets.com can look every bit as professional and stunning as the massive corporate site for General Motors. Or Coca-Cola. Or McDonald's. Or Halliburton. Or the US Senate.

My support of free speech doesn't just stop there. I support the right of the Daily Kos to write what he does when he does. Or Smirking Chimp, or Democratic Underground, or many others. It doesn't matter. The Blogosphere will find its own water level. Those who succeed, succeed. Those who fail, fail. But because I may have a diametrically opposed opinion to other bloggers doesn't obviate their need to exist or to have a readership.

Clue in: if Free Speech works for me, it should work for everyone ELSE in America.

Blogging takes actual work. Consistent work. There are millions and millions of bloggers on the web who made an initial post and then, perhaps after three or four posts, let their blogs languish.

Free Speech means precisely that: speech that may be in conflict with a held or accepted norm in America. If I uphold MY free speech, then I must uphold YOUR free speech. And I DO.

_________________________________

PART ONE:

My brother Don revealed to me a series of videos he happened to chance upon in YouTube and, oddly enough, via PBS. I watched them. And you'd best watch them too. Once you do, I ask:

Is it hyperbole? Or is the title of this post correct?

First, go here, which is Part I of a PBS Now show entitled "Net Neutrality."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j668eaTvCrE&NR=1

And tell me that it isn't about "the bucks."

A smidgeon of the video, from the transcript:

MCCORMICK: We have said that in our industry we will not block, impair, degrade content, applications, services. So the experience that a consumer has today with the internet, a consumer will have in the future.

BRANCACCIO: McCormick says the companies he represents are in the business of making money and if consumers want to visit a given website, the telecom companies have every interest in letting that website through...He says the idea that they'd somehow restrict access to certain websites is overblown.

MCCORMICK: It's -- it's very difficult to deal with -- with "what ifs" and hypotheticals. There are enough problems in the country for congress to deal with that are real problems as opposed to worrying about "what if" scenarios.

BRANCACCIO: But it's not all hypothetical:

In 2005, a small phone company in North Carolina blocked their internet customers from using a rival web-based phone service. The federal communications commission said iks-nay, and fined them $15,000.That same year, the Canadian telephone giant Telus blocked their web customers from seeing a site that was supportive of union workers who had a beef with Telus.

And just this year, America Online was accused of blocking emails from a group that were waging a campaign critical of AOL.

McCormick argues these are isolated examples...and he points out that we already have a watchdog in Washington - the FCC -- that's promised to make sure these kinds of problems are rooted out.

MCCORMICK: The Federal Communications Commission has said that it has sufficient authority to disallow any company from blocking, impairing, degrading any kind of application or service.

BRANCACCIO: But advocates of net neutrality say websites don't have to be blocked or degraded to suffer from second-class treatment. Give the newest, fastest online service to a select few websites that have paid for the privilege goes the argument, and what you build-in is an unfair advantage for the richest, most powerful companies.

AARON: If they're allowed to get rid of network neutrality, then they can favor Verizon video or AT&T phone service or the new Comcast search engine over anything that I come up with, even if my product is better, even if I'm offering it for a lower price. By manipulating what happens over the network, they're allowed to favor their own content and those of their partners. And that means everybody else is left behind.

MARKEY: It's really not about the Googles, and the Yahoos of today. It's about the Googles and the Yahoos of the future. It's about the next Serge Brin. It's about the next Jerry Yang. It's about the next Bill Gates.

_________________________

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Thus endeth Part One.

Are you yet beginning to Clue In?

And:

Am I a "reactionary"?

BZ

Squirming, Bleeding Bumps

CARBONDALE, Colo. — Doctors thought the strange, bleeding bumps on Aaron Dallas' head might be from gnat bites or shingles. Then the bumps started moving.

A doctor found five active bot fly larvae living beneath the skin atop Dallas' head.

"I'd put my hand back there and feel them moving. I thought it was blood coursing through my head," Dallas told the (Glenwood Springs) Post Independent.

"I could hear them. I actually thought I was going crazy."

Ewwww. . .

Dallas' wife, Midge Dallas, teased him about it.

"I told him, 'I will love you through your maggots,'" she told the newspaper.

Thank God for spouses with senses of humour . . .



BZ

Payback

I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist. I snatched this overtly from Gunz's blog. But it so makes me smile.

BZ

Slap Butt Day

In the state of Oregon recently (July 22nd), specifically the town of McMinnville, "two boys tore down the hall of Patton Middle School after lunch, swatting the bottoms of girls as they ran -- what some kids later said was a common form of greeting. But bottom-slapping is against policy in McMinnville Public Schools."

From there the two boys were arrested, strip searched four times, held in jail for five days, were not permitted contact with their parents for 24 hours, led into court in shackles. Why?

Because Yamhill County District Attorney, Bradley Berry, brought felony sex charges against the two boys.

For slap-butt day.

Read the whole story as written by Dennis Prager, who raised $45,000 for attorneys' fees for the boys and their parents.

For slap-butt day.

A local circuit judge dismissed the case.

For slap-butt day.

Here's what should happen:

- The school principal should be fired;
- The DA, Bradley Berry, should be fired.

Period.

Nothing else should be acceptable.



BZ

Infrastructure?

I recently bloviated this past Monday about much-needed national infrastructure, indicating that we are sacrificing our infrastructure for phony, poorly-run, bloated and inefficient social programs whilst, at the same time, not only packing in more people (in terms of illegal immigrants), but failing to properly inspect, maintain and expand our refineries, power generation stations, water capacity, reservoirs, dams, sewer systems, roadways, etc. I wrote that we are, essentially, sacrificing the many for the few.

At the time of its writing, I had forgotten that Governor Schwarzennegger signed (October, 2006) into law AB 32, which "commits the state to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 25% by 2020."

On its face, not terribly offensive, neh? But further:

In a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger, Jim Repman, President and CEO of the California Portland Cement Co., says, "AB 32 will hurt California's efforts to rebuild its crumbling infrastructure." He adds that AB 32 recognizes that regulatory obstacles may impede greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, but fails to address any of these problems.

He also cautions, "California's population is forecast to grow by at least 21% between now and 2020, which will require more electricity and transportation. We must find a way to meet these needs."

He continues, "Corporate executives will have tough decisions when answering to their Boards of Directors about the viability and prudence of making significant new investments in California in many industries including cement manufacturing.

What's the big deal? you may ask. Fornicalia Senator Tom McClintock explains:

The Governor’s crusade against “greenhouse gases” is, in fact, the single greatest impediment to the era of public works that he has promised, and the crusade for public works construction is the biggest impediment to reducing “greenhouse gases” that he has promised.

To understand the dilemma requires a quick recap of the chemistry lecture that Gov. Schwarzenegger apparently missed. Highways, dams, levees and aqueducts require prodigious amounts of concrete, the central ingredient of which is cement. Cement is manufactured by superheating limestone to produce a compound called “clinker,” which is about two-thirds of the rock’s original weight. The missing third of that weight is carbon dioxide. Lots of carbon dioxide. In fact, cement production is the third biggest contributor of “greenhouse gases” in all human activity, ranking only behind internal combustion and deforestation.

And now the farce begins. Schwarzenegger’s AB 32 declares carbon dioxide to be the premier environmental hazard of our era. California’s Environmental Quality Act requires that any project that degrades the environment must include plans to mitigate that damage.

But wait, folks, here's the piece de resistance via a McClintock Logic Bomb:

Earlier this month, Attorney General Jerry Brown (yes, Fornicalia citizens actually elected this 70's Reject as AG last year. - BZ) used AB 32 to sue San Bernardino County and threaten San Joaquin County on the grounds that their transportation plans fail to explain how they plan to construct or operate highways without increasing carbon dioxide emissions. In short, the counties cannot proceed with construction until they can demonstrate that the highways can be built without earthmovers or concrete and that, once completed, no one will use them.

Ever eager to help, Brown has suggested that the counties re-think their plans for highway construction and shift the money into mass transit, bus, bicycle and pedestrian projects instead. It’s a good bet that’s where most of the highway bonds will end up.

The remaining funds for dams, levees, aqueducts, schools and housing will no doubt be sidetracked into similar new-age boondoggles. Indeed, legislative plans are already afoot to divert money from Prop. 84 (the water and flood control bond) for bike trails, museums, aquariums, a “water trail” for “human powered boats” and “water accessible overnight accommodations” at Lake Tahoe.

This is Jerry Brown’s dream come true. As Governor in the 1970’s, Brown cancelled the state’s aggressive public works plans, condemning our generation to chronic shortages of highway capacity, water, electricity and housing.

Yes, you read it here first.

Fornicalia is horribly suffering from aged, dilapidated, overused, constrictive roadway and other forms of infrastructure requiring concrete. But now, because of AB 32, Fornicalia can't build with traditional concrete.

I guess we'll have to learn to build our roads and dams with the methane and shit emitted from Demorats' asses.

Good fucking luck, I say.

And you wonder why I live 79 miles from Sacramento, the Fornicalia seat of government?

BZ

P.S.

Thanks to my brother Don for the insight.

Oooh, Ouch!

The wife of Barack Obama, Michelle, said:

One of the things, the important aspects of this race is role modeling what good families should look like," Michelle Obama said at a Women for Obama event. "And my view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House."

Oooh, ouch, hack, slash, parry, thrust:

At another stop, in Atlantic, Michelle said she travels with her husband in part "to model what it means to have family values," adding "if you can't run your own house, you can't run the White House." She didn't elaborate, but it could be interpreted as a swipe at the Clintons.

Huh. D'ya think? The Demo knives are certainly out this week; makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

BZ

P.S.

More good news: Endeavor landed safely on Tuesday.

Shocking

From Hillary:

Clinton said new tactics have brought some success against insurgents, particularly in Iraq's Anbar province.

"It's working. We're just years too late in changing our tactics," she said. "We can't ever let that happen again. We can't be fighting the last war. We have to keep preparing to fight the new war."

From John McCain:

McCain said that pulling out of Iraq would empower al-Qaida and Iran and unleash a "full-scale civil war" in Iraq.

He drew applause when he said, "As long as we have a chance to succeed, we must try to succeed."

Later, he said, "We're starting to succeed, and I think we're seeing some shift in public opinion."

Shocking.

In closing: pray for the shuttle Endeavor astronauts, as they plan to return to earth today.


BZ

INFRASTRUCTURE!

In my opinion, for the past 20+ years Americans have sacrificed infrastructure for social programs that have yielded little if any benefit -- except perhaps to create an entire "needy" class dependent on government and to eliminate males entirely from black families. And, of course, to ensure we keep the constant flow of worker drones (i.e., Mexican laborers) funneling into our country so as to continue the consistent underclass.

In that amount of time, however, we have done our level best to ensure that the necessary infrastructure to accommodate all the additional people has been seriously curtailed.

And we are just now beginning to see the toll that this lack of focus and priority is creating.

Ask yourself if the way I typify Sacramento, Fornicalia (the place where I work) is the way you would typify your local community:

I describe Sacramento as a series of burgeoning and exploding bedroom communities, strip malls and parking lots interlinked by single two-lane roadways.

Meaning: we build and we build but we consider infrastructure not.

What do I mean by infrastructure? That would be the logical essentials, such as:

• Power generating stations;
• Sources of water;
• Adequate emergency response staffing (fire and police);
• Hospitals;
• Refineries for petroleum distillates;
• Interconnecting surface roads with sufficient capacity;
• Expanded freeways to accommodate future traffic needs;
• Sufficient railbeds to accommodate future interstate rail traffic;
• Airport expansion;
• Sewer capacity, water treatment capacity;

And that's just the tip-o-the-iceberg; not being a civil engineer there are certainly other venues I am soon forgetting, clearly. Likely you will remind me of some.

The fall of the Minneapolis I-35W bridge is just a small taste of what's in store for us in the immediate future. This is just the beginning of what is known as a Cascading Event Chain. If you think your taxes have been going to the constant monitoring and assurance that your bridges and roadways and trestles and overpasses are safe -- well, think again. Just ask your local governmental civil engineers. Your tax dollars have been diverted to assuring that, at least in Fornicalia, with CDC, the male inmates desiring to so become women have been getting their penises surgically nipped in clean and sterile environments.

Commercial air traffic is at its worst since on-time and off-time statistics were first kept in 1987. Our controllers are working with equipment that is outdated, outmoded, and their hardware and software won't be fully upgraded until 2025.

Las Vegas, for example, may reach a crisis in terms of sufficient water in three meagre years. It's called "building a city in the desert," for Christ's sake.

The same for New Orleans. Rebuilding New Orleans is an excursion in stupidity and tilting at every possibly-ridiculous windmill known to Man.

We cannot sacrifice the many for the few. Even good Trekkies know that. Spock said, in "STII, The Wrath of Khan":

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."

And we, as Americans, have consistently gone out of our way to avoid this bit of common sense since the 60's. I said it ten years ago and I'll write it now: our country will only be better off when my generation, the Baby Boomers, the self-absorbed, completely die off. The sooner the better. Bill Clinton perfectly exemplified my generation, thank you -- which is what you shall get in his wife, should you elect her.

We HAVE sacrificed the many for the few exceptions -- and to our eternal detriment and, I submit, damnation.

We are only now beginning to realize the price we shall now pay for our shortsighted foolishness.

This is witness in our social programs, our HIPA act, our ADA, our classifying as "disabled" those parolees who tattooed their foreheads with offensive letters and graphics because they cannot get jobs.

In the meantime, what we really need -- serious infrastructure as listed above -- gets shunted aside for social programs that coddle puerile emotions but yield little benefit. We ARE sacrificing the many for the few!

• Short on water? Build desalinization plants!
• Short on electricity? Build power plants! Build nukes!
• Short on distilled petroleum? Build refineries!
• Short on freeways? Build more!
• Short on connecting roadways? Build more and widen them!
• Short on sewers? Dig down and install new piping! New plants!
• Can't move enough freight? Build new rail lines or double and triple track main lines!

But no.

We'd rather argue about fairy shrimp or vernal pools or some such bullshit.

It's not because we CAN'T make these things happen; it's because we bow to the FEW who would have us return to, as Spock once again said, the age of "stone knives and bearskins."

We can sacrifice the many for the few;

Or we can take back Logic.

BZ

Feral Cat Buddies

I have two feral cats that seem to have adopted me at home.

There are two more on the periphery; a gray-and-white unit and another younger tabby unit. I can pet the first two. The second tier cats are standoffish and skittish.

The first two cats seem to have made my house their home.

Where I live, there are bears and raccoons and bobcats and, likely, cougars.

Over the years, since I've been here, I've lost 3 cats and, after we broke up, my ex-girlfriend later lost Ida, a large Red-Boned Coon Hound. To our local big-ass brown bear, I'd wager. A bear I have personally seen, at 2 am, in front of the local post office parking lot about a month ago. He was about 4' high at the shoulders.

Those who have read my blog can recall I got my own cat, named Mose, in 2005. He came from a local cat rescue organization and had his very own stuffed white teddy bear (which, the staff insisted, go home with him!). I raised him from a kitten and a finer cat never existed. He became bi-coastal -- meaning, he had two homes; my home in the mountains and my wife's home in the valley below. Unfortunately, whilst at my wife's house, he exited out the dog door one evening and never returned.

I don't think he was predated; I believe he wandered off and was captured by a local neighbor.

He was a great cat; friendly, loving, swift to ramp up the Cat Motor. I can only hope that he found a good family who are treating him well. He even won over my wife, who is a Dog Person and not a Cat Person in the slightest.

I miss Mose to this day. I miss him terribly. He used to be my blogging buddy (see the photo) and would lay on my upstairs desk with his head over the keyboard as I would create posts, snow falling outside the window, warmed by my desk lamp.

In Winter he would also jump up on the bed and nose himself under the covers, and sleep at my side or at my feet. If I lay on my side, he would curl himself up between my arm and my body. He knew where the Heat Generator was located.

Because of my inconsistent schedule, I cannot have any more animals at my house. Sometimes I'm at my house three days a week; sometimes I'm here four days a week. Sometimes I'm at my house for only one day. Sometimes, schedule-dependent, I won't hit my house for two weeks. The fact that I cannot have another cat disappoints me greatly.

I still work, I'm not retired, so I am subject to work.

I'd love to have my own dog, or my own cat. But quite frankly, that is not in the cards.

I must settle for my Feral Cat Duo. They greet me, loudly, when I return home, no matter the time, no matter the day. And they always manage to bring a spontaneous smile to my face.

BZ

Endeavor

I would not want to be a crew member on the shuttle Endeavor.

They have what is termed a "gouge" or a "divot" on the bottom of their shuttle.

NASA has decided that an EVA to repair the gouge is too dangerous to be warranted. First, the facts as reported from CNN via NASA:

Endeavour's bottom thermal shielding was pierced by a piece of debris that broke off the external fuel tank shortly after liftoff last week.

The debris, either foam insulation, ice or a combination of both, weighed just one-third of an ounce but packed enough punch to carve out a 3 ½-inch-long, 2-inch-wide gouge and dig all the way through the thermal tiles. Left completely exposed was a narrow 1-inch strip of the overlying felt fabric, the last barrier before the shuttle's aluminum structure.

Stop right there. Read that carefully.

"Left completely EXPOSED was a narrow 1-inch strip of the overlying felt fabric, the last barrier before the shuttle's aluminum structure."

Meaning: yes, the "divot" is small but it extends completely to the aluminum frame of the shuttle itself.

Let's review a few facts:

The shuttle Columbia broke apart on February 1st of 2003 when a piece of insulation the "size of a small briefcase" broke off the main propellant tank during launch. The debris struck the leading edge of the left wing on the number 8 reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) tile, damaging the shuttle's thermal protection system.

Lest we forget, the Columbia astronauts literally burned up during re-entry because the massive temperatures generated whilst the BOTTOM of the shuttle contacted the increasing oxygen of earth's atmosphere created horrible jets of unimaginable heat which bypassed the thermal tiles into the frangible and delicate frame and structure beneath (oddly enough, you can purchase a tile from Russia's space shuttle, the Buran, on the internet) -- each shuttle containing more than 34,000 custom-cut separate tiles.

Note: a standard shuttle tile taken from a 2,300º F oven, for example, can be immersed in cold water without damage. Surface heat dissipates so quickly that an uncoated tile can be held by its edges with an ungloved hand seconds after removal from the oven while its interior still glows red.

Space shuttle tiles have to accommodate temperatures ranging from -250 degrees in the bitter depths of space, to 3,000+ degrees during re-entry.

I suspect at this point you can do the math or what I call the "logical extension" yourself. Tiles provide massive protection to the shuttle.

I have some major concerns for STS-118 Commander Scott Kelly and his crew.

Tiles on the space shuttle range in thickness from 1 to 5 inches.

This "gouge" proffers a route directly from the external skin of the shuttle, unimpeded to the "felt fabric" and its basic metal structure -- bypassing its mitigational tiles.

The American space shuttle system has had its tragedies, beginning with Challenger and then morphing to Columbia.

My post and my concern have nothing to do with denigrating America; it has everything to do with technology and our refusal to upgrade each and every shuttle platform.

I will willingly pay for an upgrade to our shuttle system in order to impose our will into space; in order to service and insert our satellites into space; in order to rule over this arena; in order to snatch foreign satellites from space and destroy them; in order to recover our technology or recover threatening technology or rescue our citizens.

But for God's sake, let's not sacrifice our own people simply because it is either expedient, because we are stupid, or because we have various corporate and/or government cultures in conflict.

We are better than that.

Let us abandon this shuttle system and create a NEW and a more effective and efficient platform to enable our space goals.

In my opinion, the STS program is far beyond moribund.

I can only hope we do not have another Columbia/friction/re-entry disaster.

BZ

One Vote

One vote stopped a resolution by San Francisco Supervisors to condemn radio host Michael Savage for alleged "hateful" comments he made on his radio show regarding illegal immigrants (see my post here for the background).

That one vote came from Supervisor Ed Jew.

In response, Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval (who called for the resolution against Savage) may as well have come out and called Jew a "Chinaman" or a "chink."

Sandoval responded with a personal challenge to Jew:

If this commentary was directed at the Chinese-American or the Asian community, you would not be resorting to this rigid formalism on your part," he said.

Ahem. Yeah. Right. Actually, it would appear that, instead, Jew may have an inkling of a concept regarding the founding issues at stake, issuing from our Constitution and Bill of Rights:

For the record, I do not agree with comments allegedly made by Mr. Savage, but the First Amendment gives him the right to make those comments," Jew said.

What a novel concept; someone in a position of authority in San Francisco actually having at least 1) a teaspoon of common sense and 2) perhaps an entire set of balls as customarily issued from The Factory.

My hat is off to Supervisor Jew because, in truth, this has little to do with Michael Savage and everything to do with our basic, intrinsic freedoms.

BZ

Moonbat? Or Simply Insane?

Another reason the Dutch aren't respected -- or don't even truly "factor" in terms of world events -- and are primarily ignorable:

Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program "Network" Monday night he believes God doesn't mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

The Almighty is above such "discussion and bickering," he insisted.

Muskens points to Indonesia, where he served 30 years ago, as an example for Dutch churches. Christians in the Middle East also use the term Allah for God.

"Someone like me has prayed to Allah yang maha kuasa (Almighty God) for eight years in Indonesia and other priests for 20 or 30 years," Muskens said. "In the heart of the Eucharist, God is called Allah over there, so why can't we start doing that together?"

Number One: "Tiny Muskens"? You're kiddin' me. . .

Number Two: Why stop there? Let's just get it over with and start praying to Mecca five times daily, eh?

So: Moonbat or insane?

I say: dangerously stupid; a nice triumvirate.

BZ

Fornicalia Budget

A note to Fornicalia Governor Arnold Schwarzennegger:

How about you just shut the hell up? Yes, the Fornicalia budget has been stalled for six weeks now, going on seven. Your calling for the Republicans to just bend over and let the Demorats have their budgetary way is nothing more than a complete and total collapse of every positive principle on which you initially campaigned against Gray Davis. And the reason that I, for one, voted for you.

The Demorats want nothing more than to spend more money more money more money more money more money more money more money.

The Demorats consider a "budget cut" to be a situation where a particular division is not funded not only to its prior level, but isn't funded to an additional amount. Not adding more money = a budget cut. How insane is this??

Semantics, boys and girls, it's all about semantics.

It's all the Republicans' fault?

How about, Arnold, you check out the REAL budget? Maybe it's time to call in Charles Grodin as accountant Murray Blum (from the 1993 movie "Dave") in order to check out the true status of the Fornicalia budget?

But, of course, that would reveal the horrific fraud the Fornicalia budget truly is, bloated and lumbering and oozing from Demorat pork and failing social programs.

Six weeks going on seven. Perhaps, Ah-nold, it's time to focus your concerns on the real truth: your budget and your control on the Demorats is completely out of control. The state is bleeding and all compartments are taking on water. Your public comments are ensuring that fewer and fewer persons are willing to bail.

Guaranteeing a sure sinking.

BZ

Threats To Michael Savage

First off: I am not a massive fan of Michael Savage, the talk host broadcasting from his studios in San Francisco. I frequently like his messages but am not consistently convinced he is the best of messengers. I find his mantra of "Borders, Language, Culture," however, absolutely, implacably etched in stone.

Recently, however, because Savage does in fact broadcast from San Francisco, an SF Councilman recently came out with a resolution condemning Savage (go here to see the resolution itself):

San Francisco leaders want taxpayers to pay for green cards, citizenship.

San Francisco city officials are trying to force taxpayers to pay for immigrants' green cards and citizenship – and to bolster their case for the new tax, they've introduced a resolution condemning national radio talk-show host Michael Savage for what they call his "defamatory language. . .against immigrants."

Supervisor Chris Daly, reacting to the new and significantly higher federal fee structure for immigrants seeking citizenship, imposed last week by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, complained that the fee hikes raise concerns that immigrants "cannot obtain safe pathways to legal immigrant status and citizenship" and "further exacerbates pressures on families, increasing stress," according to the San Francisco Examiner.

Under the new fee structure, the cost to apply for a green card is now $930, up $605 from the old fee. Citizenship applications went from $330 to $595. On Tuesday, Daly asked the city attorney to draw up legislation that would subsidize immigrants applying for citizenship, green cards and petitions for relatives and workers.

On the same day, apparently to further generate sympathy for immigrants and bolster Daly's bailout effort, Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval introduced a resolution condemning popular radio talk-show host Michael Savage, a mainstay of the San Francisco airways for years. Since he was syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, Savage has become one of the nation's most-listened-to radio talkers.

Condemning the "defamatory language used by radio personality Michael Savage against immigrants," Sandoval's resolution is apparently in response to Savage's July 5 broadcast, when the talker commented on a group of students who had announced they were fasting in support of changes in immigration policy.

"I would say, let them fast until they starve to death," quipped Savage, "then that solves the problem."

Sandoval's resolution calls Savage's comments "symbolic of hatred and racism," according to the Examiner.

"I really for the life of me cannot understand why there is not more media outrage to what Michael Savage said," Sandoval said in the Examiner report, which added that Sandoval plans to hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall Tuesday just before the entire Board of Supervisors votes on his resolution against Savage.

"The intolerant and racist comments of Michael Savage demand a strong condemnation," Sandoval insisted.

However, almost all of the Examiner's readers who posted comments on the newspaper's website after the story sided with Savage.

Michael Savage, who takes little lying down, stated last week that he would hire an attorney to fight the City of San Francisco and the council's resolution:

One of the nation's top civil rights attorneys has offered his assistance in suing a San Francisco city supervisor who attacked nationally syndicated radio talk-show host Michael Savage for his tough stance against illegal immigration.

Daniel A. Horowitz of Oakland, Calif., wrote to Savage after Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval introduced a resolution condemning the radio talker urging him to sue the official, whom he compared to Adolph Hitler, Josef Stalin and Hugo Chavez in the way he attempted to silence political speech by rallying the mob.

"You have a strong federal civil rights action that you can file against Supervisor Sandoval and the city of San Francisco," he advised. "You have a constitutional right to state your political opinions and no city official has the right to lie about what you said or to call for a mob to come to your door to threaten you and to try to have you fired."

Horowitz said the Civil Rights Act of 1871, designed to tame the terror of the Ku Klux Klan, can be used as the basis for a federal civil rights action against the official and the city.

I am not Michael Savage's number one fan; far from it. I AM, however, an advocate of complete free speech and free speech applies to BOTH sides of the aisle. Free speech is present, specifically, to protect ALL forms of speech and Savage has EVERY RIGHT to say what he will. (For your edification, Gerardo Sandoval is also the city councilman who opposed the USS Iowa having a berth there. Check this out. As far as Sandoval is concerned, the United States shouldn't even have a military. His defense suggestion? Cops. The Coast Guard. Please click the link for complete info.)

When Michael SAVAGE'S free speech is removed, then YOURS is NEXT, people. And the Demorats are ALL about the removal of free speech and the institution of PROHIBITED speech. I repeat: when Michael Savage's free speech is removed, then YOURS is NEXT.

BZ

Rove

Karl Rove stepped down today. The Left howled with victory. One of the Three Great Satans is defeated! Cheney next. Please note the horrible dangers posed by Dick Cheney:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the straw poll in Iowa -- no mean feat.

Hugo Chavez says oil is headed to $100 the barrel soon.

BZ

Music That Marks Your Life

Perhaps I am odd; well, in truth, I realize that I am odd and have been told so by numerous persons on innumerable occasions.

That being said (or perhaps more aptly, written), I tend to mark critical times in my life by various pieces of music that I found myself listening to at the time, or that I purposely sought.

The first "get-over" music I can recall: losing my second very close girlfriend, Linda Fertig, in the 70s. John Fogerty's "Rockin' All Over The World" pulled me through, as did Stray's "Stand Up And Be Counted." They seemed to work absolute magic.

Though I have to admit, my very first girlfriend affected me infinitely more; I worked at Chatham Village in Kettering, Ohio, on the maintenance crew and took a radio with me when I worked inside and out, shoveling snow, changing filters, mowing lawns, painting fences. Dawn Keller was in fact my first and most staggering girlfriend. I'll not then and now ever forget her. Music, for me, at the time (1970 to 1973), was all over the map. I know that she was my first actual true love that surpassed, even, my first wife. But I suspect she knows this already. And more. Maybe our musical icon would be the Humble Pie concert at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio. I smile when I think of her and associate her with the music of the times. There are SO many memories. Fairmont East High School, Chatham Village, my white 1966 Ford Fairlane, her mother, my mother. Those were wonderful days for the both of us. Only positive. Except for the make and manner of our parting.

In 1979, I encountered a critical incident where I ended up taking the life of another human being as a law enforcement officer. My friends the FBI came to visit (oddly enough, I ended up working for them almost five years later), as did the local DA. I was the subject of suits. I can clearly recall listening to nothing outside of a steady diet of Van Halen and Black Sabbath; more specifically, the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album. I replayed the title track and "Killing Yourself To Live" over and over. I do not know why.

I can write about this now, many years later, after having gone through many transmogrifications and adaptations. My final analysis is this: the heroin-dealing asshole died and I lived because I was the better shot at 25' on a vehicle stop. He pulled his gun first. Inaccuracy was his downfall. Fuck him. I was younger and had better training. He was stupid and took 3 rounds to the torso, and one very nice scaldingly-hot round to his forehead. Center-punched. BABY. He fell like a fucking rock. There is much more to this story. That I shan't reveal in public. The suits and hate and discontent are over. Besides, his survivors wouldn't have the mental capacity to scan blogs, much less read.

As an aside: Never poo-pooh either the stainless 4" K-frame S&W Model 66 or its concomitant .357 round. Trust me; it's taken MANY years to get to the point where I can crow about my living and his death. And if you've never been there and find my analysis disturbing or inappropriate, well I can only say this: STFU. The asshole is dead because he was stupider and slower, and I was smarter and faster. Then. And that's all that counts. For me, anyway.

Okay. Better now. Vented. Probably shouldn't have done so in public, but, there it is.

Other music crises:

My divorce in 1988: listening to a steady diet of Talking Heads, 801, Smashing Pumpkins and King Crimson. I went back to my roots, to what I loved, to what was familiar. I have absolutely no idea why. But of course I do.

Fast forward to 2004: I severed a relationship of 17 years which, in public, I should not address to be fair. I found myself primarily listening to the newest Phil Manzanera album, 6 PM. It just seemed to typify my angst, my confusion, my resolution, my new direction, my temporary vacuosity.

It was slow, it was wistful, it was introspective, it was self-centered -- it simply spoke to me.

My life, perhaps because I was in radio for so many years, revolves around music. Much of it remarkably obscure and esoteric. I associate radio and music with many chapters in my life.

I completely concur with Foghat's philosophy from 1978's Stone Blue album:

Wind tearin' through the backstreet, I hear the rhythm of my heart beat,

Rain blowin' to my face, I'm tired of being in the wrong place.

Blues knockin' on my back door, I can't jump from the second floor,

Turn up the radio higher and higher, rock and roll music set my ears on fire.

When I was stone blue, rock and roll sure helped me through.

When I was stone blue, rock and roll sure helped me through.

Do you associate music with certain portions of your life?

What do you link with what songs and at what time?

You've read mine. . .

"When I was stone blue, rock and roll sure helped me through."

This is more honest than I've been in years . . .

BZ

P.S.

I began my blog in 2004; it actually "caught on" in 2006. Despite that, it's taken me almost 30 years to reveal this information to anyone, much less proffer it in public. Some may be offended; some may not. For those offended, my first response is not kind. My second response would be: unless you've been there, read and listen. A book I might suggest:

On Killing, by David Grossman.

World War III -- Red Dawn

I have read many books over my almost 60 years. I enjoy classic science fiction, mystery, suspense, military fiction, cop novels, some westerns and -- in terms of dealing with this post -- books about armageddon; either self-induced or from external sources.

One of the finest books about a massive paradigm change for the entire world was written in 1953 by Arthur C. Clarke, entitled "Childhood's End." I read a small hardbound version of this book in 1970 and ended up "liberating" it from my then-girlfriend's father so that I could read it again and again. Not quite armageddon but close enough that you could see it from there.

Whilst in high school, I happened to read Pat Frank's "Alas Babylon" and it shook me to my entire core.

From there I read Nevil Shute's "On the Beach," later made into a movie starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner (1959) -- then remade in 2000 with Armand Assante (actually, one of my all-time favorite actors), Rachel Ward and her now-husband Bryan Brown.

Perhaps the first and finest summation of armageddon can be found in George Stewart's novel (1949) "Earth Abides." In my estimation, you cannot omit this from your reading.

On this path, one should not omit the novel "Fail Safe" by Eugene Burdick and, actually, its predecessor, "Red Alert" by Peter George.

Frequently overlooked is the book "The Bedford Incident" by Mark Rascovich (1963). This was later turned into a movie featuring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier (1965).

And perhaps the most overlooked book in this category is the detailed and exquisite novel "The Last Ship" by William Brinkley.

A few of my favourite movies regarding armageddon (that I shall mention here):

Dr. Strangelove (Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb); -- one of my all time favorite movies regardless of category!

World War III: a 1982 TV movie starring David Soul (woke my ass up Big Time);

Red Dawn: 1984's illuminating movie starring Patrick Swayze, directed by John Milius;

Also, not to be forgotten is "The Day After" (1983) with Jason Robards and JoBeth Williams.

What does this have to do with the Here and the Now?

One book proffered what I fear at this point:

What if, for example, China decided to invade our sovereign soil?

And, more importantly, what is keeping various nations from invading our sovereign soil?

Eric Harry postulates this in his novel "Invasion," in which China decides to take action against the US and land troops upon our soil.

You've stayed with me for this long;

I ask you this: if Nation X decided to invade our shores, we would be able to repel their attacks or would we simply roll over?

Do we have, I ask, even the Will To Survive?

BZ

Minneapolis Bridge Failure: Initial Musings

After the Minneapolis I-35W bridge fell last week, immediately some conspiracy theorists started making noises of "terrorism" and "al Qaeda." My very first impression: a structural issue.

This article would tend to confirm that conclusion:

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 8 — Investigators have found what may be a design flaw in the bridge that collapsed here a week ago, in the steel parts that connect girders, raising safety concerns for other bridges around the country, federal officials said today.

The Federal Highway Administration swiftly responded by urging all states to take extra care with how much weight they place on bridges when sending construction crews to work on bridges. Crews were doing work on the deck of the Interstate 35W bridge when it gave way, hurling rush-hour traffic into the Mississippi River and killing at least five people.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation is months from completion, and officials in Washington said they were still working to confirm the design flaw in the so-called gusset plates and what, if any, role it had in the collapse.

Still, in making public their suspicion about a flaw, the investigators were signaling they consider it a potentially crucial discovery and also a safety concern for other bridges around the country. Gusset plates are used in the construction of many bridges, not just those with a similar design to the one here.

“Given the questions being raised by the N.T.S.B., it is vital that states remain mindful of the extra weight construction projects place on bridges,” Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said in a statement issued late today.

One civil engineer called in to a nation talk show I heard, and indicated he believed the problem was twofold: the requirements of construction yielded the closure of one entire set of directional lanes. All traffic, therefore, was shunted to the only remaining set of lanes open. This apparently placed twice the weight on one sole span of the bridge. This, along with the potential disturbance or vibration created by the construction itself, may have been a contributing factor to the collapse.

Certain personnel have attempted to lay the blame for this incident squarely at the foot of the Bush Administration. In my opinion, this couldn't be farther from the truth. The true culprits are the bridge inspectors coupled with the frequency and/or depth (or lack thereof) of inspection.

Here in Fornicalia, suddenly bridge inspection is a massive priority.

That tells me all I need to know about the focus and priority my state has placed on the issue.

BZ

Tell Me About Your Dog

Tell me about your dog.

Everything.

BZ

Reverse Discrimination

So, this is where we are now as a society: it is now acceptable to embrace reverse discrimination, particularly if the subjects of same are white males. Of course; it simply follows.

From the WorldNetDaily:

Four firefighters are suing the city of San Diego for being forced by their superiors to attend the annual "Gay Pride" parade where they endured a barrage of sexual taunts and lewd gestures.

San Diego's fire chief, Tracy Jarman, is an open lesbian who called the July 21 parade a "fun event" in which "all employees are encouraged to participate."

But the firefighters said, unlike previous years, they were ordered into uniform to participate in the parade in their fire truck, despite repeated protests.

My, anyone sense anything of a reverse agenda here, perchance? But wait, it gets better:

You could not even look at the crowd without getting some type of sexual gesture," one said, adding, "If any crew member were to hang up pictures at the station of what we saw, we would be disciplined."

Over the course of three hours, they heard statements such as, "show me your hose," "you can put out my fire," "you're making me hot," "give me mouth-to-mouth," "you look hungry, why don't you have a twinkie (from a man wearing a "Girth and Mirth" t-shirt)," and "blow my hose."

When they refused to respond to the crowd, some in the crowd turned hostile and started shouting, "F--- you firemen" and others began "flipping them off."

But, naturally, as we all know, those who reach positions of power OTHER than white males cannot even be featured as having the capability or the inclination to misuse their power because, inherently, they are much better than that aforementioned class.

Aren't they? I mean, like the Demorats, they wouldn't misuse their power and authority, would they? After all, that's precisely the source of their complaints, is it not?

Nah. . .

BZ

If It Worked For The Russians. . .

. . .then why not the Iranians?

The Russians completely copied our B-29 Stratofortress, naming it the TU-4:

Our C-5A Galaxy, calling it the Antonov AN-124:

Our space shuttle, calling it the Buran:

So why wouldn't the Iranians produce their first-ever mass produced jet airplane based upon reverse-engineering of American products, the Azarakhsh (Lightning)?

Iran has begun industrial-scale production of its first domestically manufactured fighter jet, state-run television reported Monday, part of Teheran's efforts to become militarily self-sufficient.

The plane was first tested in 2006 and was derived from the reverse engineered components of US combat aircraft.

"The airplane, Azarakhsh, was made by Iranian experts, and it has already reached the industrial production stage," the television quoted Iran's defense minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, as saying.

First question popping into my fetid brain: will an Iranian jet actually fly?

(BTW, interesting article here: entitled "Why Russian Warplanes Suck.")

BZ

Oil

Prices at the pump:

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy is in a "danger zone" because of near record-high crude oil prices and the world's producers must boost supply to prevent shortages, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said Thursday.

Sustained U.S. crude oil prices near the $80 level could harm the U.S. economy, and both OPEC and non-OPEC producers should "look at what the facts are," Bodman told reporters.

"We're in a ... danger zone right now, so that's why I hope that both OPEC and non-OPEC nations will look carefully at the facts," Bodman told reporters.

"I am concerned that where we are operating, in the ranges that we're talking about now where you are approaching $80," Bodman said.

Some have indicated that oil will reach $100 per barrel by the end of this season. See my post about this possibility. In the meantime, gas around here is the cheapest it's been in months: $2.77.

BZ

Today's Guide: Demorat Leadership

BZ

It Just Never Stops

Some days I simply have to slap my forehead and posit:

What is it that the Demorats actually want?

• The entire collapse of the country?


• An entire class of whore workers laboring solely for those who want things for free and refuse to work themselves?


• A complete dismantling of the military?


• To speak Farsi? To speak Spanish?

I suppose I could go on and on -- but the Demorats and their associates continue to attempt to undermine this country:

Sean Penn loves Hugo Chavez:

CARACAS, Venezuela - Sean Penn applauded President Hugo Chavez as the
Venezuelan leader lambasted the Bush administration and demanded an end to war in Iraq.

Chavez met privately with the 46-year-old actor for two hours Thursday, praising him as being "brave" for urging Americans to impeach President Bush.

"In the name of the peoples of the world, President Bush, withdraw the troops from Iraq. Enough already with so much genocide," Chavez said before an auditorium packed with his red-clad supporters.

Penn sat near the front, at times applauding and nodding in agreement. He is the latest in a series of celebrities who have visited Caracas, including Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte.

Danny Glover? Left Nutjob. Harry Belafonte? Addled Left Nutjob.

Let's add Sean Penn to the official list, along with Cindy Sheehan.

In addition, the Demorats wish to further eviscerate this country's ability to defend itself:

The House proposal would not allow me to carry out my responsibility to provide warning and to protect the nation, especially in our heightened threat environment,” the spy chief said in a statement. “I urge Members of Congress to support the legislation I provided [late Thursday] to modify FISA and to equip our Intelligence Community with the tools we need to protect our Nation.”

President Bush weighed in on Friday as well, challenging Congress to pass “a bill I can sign” and vowing to veto any FISA bill that the DNI does not approve.

Demorats have essentially insisted that, in terms of warrants and the FISA court, if a foreigner speaks to a foreigner (say, an AQ member in Pakistan to an AQ member in Saudi Arabia) and, for whatever reason, that call routes through ANY kind of switcher located in the US, a warrant would have to be acquired prior to monitoring.

And folks, that's just not simply wrong, it's stupid and, moreover, placing this information out into the public merely serves to put al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations on notice as to how they may use American laws and policies against America.

It is at times like these that I have to ask myself if the Left and Demorats truly do want the utter downfall of this country -- or -- are their philosophies so corrupted that they cannot possibly see reality as it exists?

BZ