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January 24th Edition:

Posted by :Steve Baker On : 24 January 2012
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Category: Today in History

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41 – Roman Emperor Caligula, known for his eccentricity and cruel despotism, is assassinated by his disgruntled Praetorian Guards. The Guard then proclaims Caligula’s uncle Claudius as Emperor. Having served on a security detail in Iraq, the lesson here
is always tip your waiter.

1848 – California Gold Rush: James W. Marshall finds gold at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento. Oddly enough, in 1985 on a road trip to Syracuse University I found gold in a bar called Sutter’s Mill. I think her name was Lisa and she was a Tri Delt but everything else is hazy.

1961 – 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash: A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. 5 of 6 arming devices automatically arm on one bomb. Easch bomb was 250 times more powerful than Hiroshima. The uranium core of one weapon remains buried in some 55 feet of ground that flooded everytime they tried to dig it out. So the Air Force bought the land. The third pilot is the only man to every eject from the top hatch of a B-52 without an ejection seat and live to tell about it. This proves fear is a great motivator.

1972 – Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II. Wasn’t this a Gilligan’s Island episode?

2003 – The United States Department of Homeland Security officially begins operation.
Indecipherable color coded terror alert systems and humiliating airport pat downs soon follow. The Coast Guard is traded here by the Department of Transportation for an agency to be named later.

Happy Birthday:

76 – Hadrian, Roman Emperor, builder of the wall and bad neighbor to the Picts. The original spite fence.

1941 – Neil Diamond, American singer
1941 – Aaron Neville, American singer Now there is an joint album for you

1943 – Sharon Tate, American actress and Manson murder victim What a career she could have had

1946 – Michael Ontkean, Canadian actor and former Division One Hockey player, Ned Braden from Slapshot

1947 – Warren Zevon, American musician and genius Send Lawyers, Guns and Money ’cause Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner is an Excitable Boy and he’s on the loose with Werewolves of London

1949 – John Belushi, American actor “John Blutarsky, zero point zero”

1987– Jennifer Repollet, Paralegal, Baker, McEvoy Everybody deserves to see their name in lights. If you see her in the office today and she is awake say Happy Birthday.

Adios:

Other than Caligula

1965 – Winston Churchill, soldier, politician, historian, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Nobel laureate and enjoyer of the finer things in life.

1975 – Larry Fine, American actor and comedian The Brainy Stooge

1986 – L. Ron Hubbard, American writer and founder of Scientology So many jokes, so little time

1993 – Thurgood Marshall, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Holiday:

Jen’s Birthday and the Feast of Cadoc

‘Right-to-Work’ may soon be a reality in Indiana

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 24 January 2012
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Category: LibertyBlog & Rants, Unions

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The Indiana state Senate has passed a right-to-work bill which would end the practice forcing employees at union shops to join the union and pay mandatory dues.   The bill must still pass the state House where Democrats have promised to block it.  Currently, Democrats in Indiana are using delay tactics because they do not have the votes to block the bill.  Once they exhaust their remaining parliamentary procedures the bill will likely pass the House and go to Governor Mitch Daniels, who has indicated he will sign it.

I have written about right-to-work issues previously and it is something in which I believe strongly.  Employees should be able to work where they want without being forced to give up a portion of their paychecks to a union.  Every employee is free to join a union; they also should be free to refrain from doing so.

It’s a simple matter of choice.  Union bosses don’t like right-to-work because it forces them to convince people to join a union by demonstrating added value.  Instead, unions often prefer a ‘closed-shop’.  In closed-shop states employees cannot work at a unionized business unless they agree to join the union.  This set-up makes it much easier for money to flow to union coffers which they can use to purchase access to politicians.  This is good for AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka and former SEIU chief and Obama ally Andy Stern but I doubt it is of much use working folks like you and me.

Gov. Christie calls Newt “An Embarrassment”

Posted by :Jerry Bloom On : 24 January 2012
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Category: The Quill

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First, let me start out by making it clear that I’m a conservative who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, who lived for 25 years with my family in New Jersey, while I commuted to New York every day, and now I’m living in Florida, and have been since 1999.  We have recently bought a home in New Jersey, so that a few years down the line we can become Snowbirds.  So bottom line is,  I am a New Yorker, a Jerseyite and Floridian at this time. 

Governor Chris Christie, the governor of  New Jersey is doing a fantastic job in getting New Jersey on track to financial stability.   I have watched the Governor change things around in Jersey and I look at him as a hero,  and I only wish him the best in continuing the good fight.   I respect him a great deal. 

The Governor has made it known that he is a Romney supporter.   He is out campaigning for Romney, and that’s just fine with me.   I,  myself, am leaning towards Newt Gingrich, but I would vote for Romney in a heartbeat, if he gets the nomination.   After the South Carolina primary, and the big win by Gingrich, Gov. Christie has bad-mouthed Newt, big time.  He has said that Newt is an embarrassment, as follows:  “We know the record.  He was fined $300,000 for ethics violations.  This is a guy that has had a very difficult political career at times and it has been an embarrassment to the party.”  Ironically, Mr. Gingrich was fined $300,000 in ethics violations 14 years ago on the same day (January 21st, 1997) that he won the South Carolina Republican primary election in 2012.

Sarah Palin said recently about Christie’s remark related to Newt:  “Christie got his panties in a wad” after Romney lost the SC primary to Newt.   Right on, Sarah!  She is exactly right.   Gov. Christie is known for his outspokeness, but the Governor has to learn a few things.  He ought to wait a minute and consider what he says, especially when his party is trying to win back the White House.  I know the governor is a smart guy, but sometimes common sense and smart are two different things, depending on the situation.  

The governor, with his remark about Newt being “An embarrassment” has just put into play the very first TV ad to be used by the democrats if Newt gets the nomination.   The Dems will play that over and over again.  Now, if the goal here is to make Obama a one time president, then one should be careful what they say and have the future in mind.  It’s commonsense.   How can Christie not know that the Dems will use this, if  the occasion arises?   I like Christie a great deal, but he should think a bit before throwing out comments that will hurt the cause, i.e., ousting Obama.

 One last thing:   If Christie wants embarrassment, let him turn to Romney.   Governor,  if you want embarrassment,  I give you two words:  Romney Care.    Now that’s embarrassment you can believe in.

Lessons for the election in erroneous reports of Paterno’s death

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 23 January 2012
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Category: Quickies

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When Penn State’s student newspaper Onward State, erroneously reported the death of Joe Paterno a full day before he had actually died, the national media picked up the story and ran with it.  Few bothered to check and see if Coach Paterno was still alive, something which I assume would have been fairly easy to verify.  While the Associated Press did not carry the story, CBSSports.com, HuffPo and People.com did.  So rushed was the media to “break the story”, they didn’t check to see if it was true.  Keep this in mind when you are reading reports in the national media about the election and our presidential candidates.

Supreme Court: Warrants needed for GPS tracking

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 23 January 2012
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Category: Quickies

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Striking a blow for liberty in a rare unanimous decision the US Supreme Court ruled today that police must obtain a search warrant prior to using a GPS device to track a suspect.  This may be the only case where Scalia and Sotomayer both wrote concurring opinions.  I agree with this opinion and with the Court’s determination that attaching a GPS device to a private citizen’s car is an “encroachment” on a protected area.  Alito and Ginsberg also wrote that the Court should have gone further and dealt with GPS tracking of wireless devices as well.  I agree with this sentiment.  Don’t misunderstand, I want criminals captured and prosecuted harshly, but protection of our liberties must come first or soon we will have no liberties to protect.

Stand-off between Rand Paul and the TSA becoming an election issue?

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 23 January 2012
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Category: LibertyBlog & Rants

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This morning the Daily Caller was reporting that Senator Rand Paul, the son of presidential candidate Ron Paul, was detained by the TSA at an airport in Nashville.  The TSA has responded that he was not detained, simply escorted out of the passenger screening area.  I am guessing that the TSA is disputing the use of the word ‘detained’.  They did not arrest the Senator; they removed him from the area to discuss his refusal to submit to a pat down.  This is a bit of semantics which is obfuscating the real issue.

Senator Paul had refused to submit to a full body ‘pat down’ after an ‘anomaly’ occurred with the body scanner.  Paul offered to go through the scanner again but was told by the TSA that he would have to submit to a pat down instead.  Senator Paul refused the pat down and he has spoken out repeatedly in the past against the TSA’s pat down procedures as a violation of civil liberties.

This afternoon presidential candidate Ron Paul responded to the incident by referring to the TSA as part of a growing police state.  The White House weighed in this afternoon by sending out Jay Carney, the regime’s spokesman, to declare that the White House was standing behind the TSA.  This story is going to generate continued controversy because it gets to the heart of the debate between privacy and security and the reach of executive power, central themes in this election.

When Paul offered to go back through the scanner he was making a reasonable offer.  More than once I have had the scanner go off  and been told to walk through again.  Perhaps the TSA agents recognized Paul as an outspoken critic of the agency?  Perhaps the TSA agents were just having a bad day and decided there would be no leeway?   Given the speed with which the agency responded to the incident I suspect they realized that Paul was the exact wrong person to mess with when it comes to violations of liberty.  It is all well and good that the TA is attempting to avoid embarrassment, but I would prefer it if they simply stopped treating me as a suspect just because I purchase a plane ticket.

January 22nd: “The Let’s Get This Out So I Can Watch Football Edition”

Posted by :Steve Baker On : 22 January 2012
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Category: Today in History

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1506 – The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican. They are still wearing the same goofy uniforms.

1824 – The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast. Ashantis’ Gold Coast Offense shreds the British Secondary.

1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Isandlwana – Zulu troops defeat British troops.
1879 – Anglo-Zulu War: Battle of Rorke’s Drift – 139 British soldiers successfully defend their garrison against an intense assault by four to five thousand Zulu warriors.
This seems to be a rough day to be a British Soldier in Africa. On a brighter note, several cool movies result from this!

1973 – The Supreme Court of the United States delivers its decision in Roe v. Wade, legalizing elective abortion in all fifty states. Without commenting on the merits of the actual holding, this opinion is legendary for its being so poorly written. It has been called the most poorly written opinion of Justice Blackmun’s career. No less than Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens have roundly criticized its wording and have been joined by Alan Dershowitz, Cass Sunstein, and Kermit Roosevelt. Hardly a Heritage Foundation panel.

1984 – The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous “1984″ television commercial. Directed by Ridley Scott it is only broadcast twice due to cease and desist orders from the estate of yesterday’s birthday boy George Orwell. Although ground breaking, at the time it is less popular than John Madden’s Lite Beer commercial or the U.S. Army one featuring D.B. Sweeney and touting “as much as $20,100 for tuition.” Yep $20,100. lol

1987 – Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself during a televised press conference, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism. A great way to make a point but you can only do it once so choose wisely.

Happy Birthday:

1869 – Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk “The Thing That Wouldn’t Die”

1931 – Sam Cooke, American singing great

1934 – Bill Bixby, American actor and staple of our childhood

1934 – Graham Kerr, British-born chef
1939 – Jeff Smith, American chef Seems to be a good day for PBS Chefs

1959 – Linda Blair, American actress, victim of demonic possession and Rick James Sidekick

1965 – Diane Lane, American actress and aging well hottie

Adios:

1901 – Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom

1973 – Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States

1994 – Telly Savalas, American actor “Who Loves Ya, Baby? Part Deux”

Holiday:

Feast of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade

January 21st: “The I had to Shovel Snow and Other Stuff So this is Late Edition”

Posted by :The Editors On : 22 January 2012
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Category: Today in History

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1908 – New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor. Can’t see the current mayor doing that.

1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia. What an imaginative set of parents he had.

1948 – The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Quebec Flag Day. The fact a PROVINCE calls its legislature a NATIONAL ASSEMBLY does not seem to faze the Quebecois or even the rest of Canada.

1968 – Vietnam War: Battle of Khe Sanh – One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins. Go USMC!!!

1981 – Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland. Good thing because “Back to the Future” doesn’t work with a Gremlin or K Car.

Happy Birthday:

1824 – Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, American, Confederate army general and future fratricide victim.

1922 – Telly Savalas, American actor “Who Loves Ya, Baby?”

1924 – Benny Hill, English actor, comedian, and singer and inventor of the sexy dance party.

Adios:

1928 – George Goethals, American army engineer and namesake of the perpetually backed up bridge.

1950 – George Orwell, British writer “All animals are created equal. Some are more equal than others.”

1996 – René Marc Jalbert, sergeant-at-Arms at the National Assembly of Quebec, See what I mean?

1998 – Jack Lord, American actor and the only famous graduate I know of from John Adams H.S. in Ozone Park, Queens. Other than the Jeszecks. Oddly enough he would find fame as a Haole Detective in Hawaii. “Book’em Dano.”

Holiday:

Flag Day (Quebec) Continuing the theme

National Hug Day (United States)

Canadian Oil going to China thanks to Obama

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 21 January 2012
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Category: Quickies

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Thanks to Barrack Obama’s decision to kill the Keystone oil pipeline project for political reasons, foregoing all the associated jobs and oil, Canada has announced they will be selling their oil to China instead.  Let’s recap:  The US loses out on a source of cheap oil from a friendly neighbor and our economy loses close to 20 thousand jobs; but on the bright side Obama’s cronies stand to make a killing and he gets the greens back in his camp for the election.   At this point I have to ask if Obama is trying to weaken the United States.

Kids defy Michelle Obama in a case of “school lunch” Capitalism

Posted by :DChristianMoore On : 21 January 2012
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Category: Quickies

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One of the unhappy side effects of Michelle Obama’s constant national nagging about the food choices of Americans has been the rise of expensive, organic, supposedly healthy and definitely tasteless school lunches.  (Seriously quinoa salad and vegetarian curry?)  The students responded as anyone who knows anything about a free market would expect them to respond, by bringing junk food from home and selling it to the highest bidder.  In the Los Angeles Unified School District a vibrant black market has developed while the expensive lunches taxpayers are funding usually end up in the trash.  I suddenly feel a glimmer of hope regarding the future of America and this next generation.

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