I am Honored... I think

Does anyone know how my "Obama Lied" post ended up on LibertyPost.org?

Not that I have a real problem with that, I think, yet, anyway...  It's kind of an honor, I guess.

I am just surprised that it landed there, and not sure how...


Another interesting honor has been the number of visitors coming from SmokingMeatForums.com to check out my smoker modifications.   All those mods still seem to work pretty well... if the most tender, flavorful brisket ever in the history of samoking is any indication...  By the way... those first pics of the ribs are almost laughable now.  Don't get me wrong, they were delicious, and tender, but rather scrawny.  They were my first successful ribs, and I was proud of them then.  But they are nothing like what comes out of the smoke now!  MmmmmMmmmmmMmmm.

I promise pics next time.

Fixing the Fight

The Chosen One is revving up for a fight... a fight he has fixed.

Obama is pushing to take complete control over the economic sector, demanding that mortgage companies write their mortgages with fat crayons using words that are no more than 5 letters long. That way, people purchasing a home will know what they are getting into. This is called the "See Spot Buy House" plan.

Then there is the "plain vanilla" plan. This requires that mortgage companies type in large print "WE BUY HOUSE, YOU PAY US, YOU KEEP HOUSE" with a line underneath for the buyer to sign his/her name... in fat crayon.

This will be the mortgage industry from here on out. His More-Intelligent-Than-Me-ness claims that this will allow consumers to easily compare mortgages when shopping for a house. What will there be to compare? "Gee, I don't know, Dear, I think I like the green crayon contract over the red crayon contract."

Flabbergasted that banks and consumers and just about anyone who has passed the third grade might consider this plan to be a little too, uh, wrong, Obama welcomed a debate... on his own terms.

"But what I will not accept — what I will vigorously oppose — are those who do not argue in good faith."

And therein lies the fix. Any argument that defends the status quo will be considered a bad faith argument. Any argument that does not transfer more control to the government will be considered a bad faith argument. Any argument that hints at letting the markets correct themselves will be considered a bad faith argument. Obama just created a straw man.



So, what is a good faith argument?


"Does this brown crayon make my butt look big?"

Open Congress

I placed a link on my side bar, but I think I should emphasize it here. It takes you a site called Open Congress. There, you can actually see all bills introduced in either house of Congress, their status, who is sponsoring it, who voted on it, etc. You can read the entire text of the bill or just see what riders are attached to it. You can track them for later.

This is an important site. We have to begin getting involved. We have sat silent for too long. As a result of this site, I have been able to become familiar with several key bills. I was then able to write to my congresspeople and voice my concerns, backed by actual knowledge of the legislation, and not just what I have heard from various sources.

Please take a few moments to look at the site and become familiar with it. Our founders would really appreciate it.

Obama Lied!

In his zeal to sell his porkulus bill, which enslaved this nation to a monetary debt it will never, ever, ever be able to repay, His Obamaness lied to the American people and to Congress.

Just 10 days before taking office, Obama's top economic advisers released a report predicting unemployment would remain at 8 percent or below through this year if an economic stimulus plan won congressional approval.

That report was written and prepared for the specific purpose of selling the need for the stimulus bill. Obama, by way of Biden, now realizing that the report was nowhere near reality, claims the report is a reflection of what "everyone else thought" the unemployment numbers would be.

Sounds familiar, does it not. Seems we were given some information a few years back that tended to justify an invasion of a dangerous middle-east country. That information, as it turns out, may have been flawed. As a result, then-President Bush was branded a "liar" for telling us what he thought was true.

So where is the outrage now? Where are the pitchforks and torches?

Here's the difference: Bush (and Congress) based its decision on what it believed to be hard evidence of facts that had already occurred, or were occurring. Those were facts that either were or were not. In that case, EVERYONE believed that the facts were true. After all, there seemed to be several sources.

This time, Obama (and Congress) based its decision on a report created by a small group which speculated about what the future might hold. Speculative reports are subject to so many variables (if A, B, C, D, E, F, ..., ZX, ZY, ZZ occur, or cause such and such) that they are prone to manipulation. The creator of the report determines what factors he wishes to include in his model. This report just so happened to be co-created by Jaren Bernstein, Biden's chief economist. What do you think he wanted the report to show?

Exactly.

So who's the real liar?

And who is this "everyone" Biden is referring to? As I recall, there were many strong opponents of the stimulus package who I am quite certain were not in agreement with this report.

Don't try to blame your lies on "everyone", Messrs. Biden and Obama. Facts are facts. You can ignore or mislead what you want, but some of us are watching...

You Did Not Just Say That

WalMart is in town!

I love their stockholders meeting. Walmart stockholders are not your typical rich and sophisticated crowd, unless your typical rich and sophisticated crowd wears halter tops and 80's hairdo's. These folks are the cream of the earth, though. They are the nicest folks.

Every year, Walmart selects one or two associates from each store and flies them into Fayetteville, Arkansas to live in vacated school dorm rooms, watch free concerts (with big name talent... Carrie Underwood, Hall and Oates, Foreigner, Sugarland, Brad Paisley, and Daughtry, to name a few), and get a year's supply of free samples from Walmart vendors. And every year, I get to drive in multiple circles getting these people from their dorms to the concert and dining hall and back. I really do enjoy it, and everyone is very courteous and very happy to be here.

So, tonight, I'm driving a big 40 foot transit bus, heading west. I am in the process of turning south. As I am in the intersection, a man runs up to me, waving me down. Because he is directly in front of my giant bus, and because I don't feel like getting buried in the mounds of paperwork that would surely follow my squashing this fellow, I decide I better stop... in the middle of the intersection... with cars trying to get around me. I open the door and motion for him to hurry and jump on. He doesn't. Instead, he stands there...

and patiently asks,


as he is pointing in the direction I just came from,


"Are you headed that way?"

Obama Jong-il

As a child, I thought President Reagan was a Mormon. It just seemed natural. He was highly regarded, and spoken of with adoration and reverence in my home and (public) school. I remember my school teacher being excited to vote for Mr. Reagan in 1984. Growing up Mormon, we spoke with adoration and reverence of the prophet and other church leaders. They wore suits and ties, Reagan wore suits and ties. It was a natural connection to a young mind such as mine. Imagine my surprise when I discovered he was very much not a Mormon. It didn't matter, we respected him and loved him. Even years later, I cried when I heard that he had died. I made it a point to watch the elaborate funeral procession.

However, just as we do not worship our prophet, we did not worship the President. We did not build shrines to him, or purchase basketballs, footballs, or tennis shoes with his face or likeness. I do not recall seeing Afghan quilts bearing his likeness hanging prominently over the WalMart fabric section, nor do I recall ever seeing a Time Magazine cover with Nancy's picture being offered as its own print for $15.95. Especially when he was first elected. I do not recall chastisement for speaking of him in a humorous or even derogatory manner.

I remember making fun of Jimmy Carter, with his big toothy smile, but I do not remember being told to hate him, or that he was evil. In fact, I felt honored to listen to his departing speech on a transistor radio... because he was the president, and that was a historic moment. At a young age, I recognized that.

As I matured, I came to realize that Ronald Reagan was a man. A good man, but a man nonetheless. I understood the honor that it would have been to have shaken his hand. I received a letter with his signature (manufactured) in reply to a letter I wrote him about how young teenagers should be allowed to work. I was disappointed that he didn't address that issue in his reply. When he made a decision, it was OK to disagree with it. There was certainly political discussion, and he had his supporters. I respected the President.



But today's climate is something very different. Mere respect is beneath His Oval Officeness. He is to be worshipped, praised, and adored by the masses. He is too important to trifle even with something so mundane as a serious discussion with the Prime Minister of Great Britain. To question his wisdom is blasphemy. To suggest a better way is heresy. He is the great Conqueror of Capitalism, the Hero of Hollywood, The Hope, The Future... The Dear Leader.


Hmmm...

It seems that title and worship has also been designated for another certain leader... a man with spiked hair and sunglasses, whose masses follow him without question, giving everything they have to his benevolent care, trusting that his decisions are always correct and that their lives are better because of his unerring wisdom. They do not see their meager existence as such. No sacrifice is too great for The Dear Leader. They erect massive portraits of him on buildings and in their homes. All they lack now are the basketballs and tennis shoes.

Isn't it ironic that our Dear Leader is condemning their Dear Leader?