I am beginning to think that a significant number of people have gone insane in the world.
Here is a guy without any marbles (at all):
And here is a former chairman and a Democratic Congressman (Don Fowler and John Spratt (D-SC)) of the Democratic National Committee laughing about Hurricane Gustav because he perceives political advantage from the lost lives and destroyed property of people living along the gulf coast:
And, last (but certainly not least) we have Michael Moore...who is happy that a Hurricane is headed toward New Orleans:
Do you need any further proof that lefties are haters?
* Sarah Palin begins every day with a moment of silence for the political enemies buried in her yard. * Sarah Palin always beats the point spread. * Sarah Palin once bit the head off a live Osprey snatched from the air as it tried to fly off with a fish she caught. * Sarah Palin uses French Canadians as bait to catch giant king salmon. * When Sarah Palin booked a flight to Europe, the French immediately surrendered. * Sarah Palin knows who was on the grassy knoll. * Sarah Palin’s finishing move in the VP debate will be pulling Biden’s still beating heart from his chest & taking a bite.
LAFAYETTE, La. – What started as a routine assignment covering the Appalachian State-LSU football game in Baton Rouge has become more of an adventure.
I'm staying in Lafayette, La., just west of Baton Rouge and about 90 miles northwest of New Orleans, to help the Gannett newspaper here (The Advertiser) with Hurricane Gustav coverage.
My assignment Sunday is to go out with a photographer to New Iberia, a nearby community that is under orders for mandatory evacuation, and talk to people about leaving their homes and the uncertaintity they face.
The forecast changes rapidly but right now it sounds like Gustav is set to hit the Louisiana coast around 2 a.m. Monday with winds up to 120 mph and tidal surges of 15-20 feet, which could be more destructive than Katrina.
The forecast for Lafayette includes winds in the 90 mph range; the hurricane veterans around here say that's nothing, but I've never been in that kind of weather before.
Vladimir Putin, who is on a working visit to the region, arrived at the reserve on a helicopter. There he met with scientists working on research and preservation of the Amur tiger – one of the rarest predators on the planet. There are only about 450 big cats in Russia.
...snip...
Then Putin was offered to travel to taiga and see the trapped tigress.
‘Vesti’ TV channel journalists, who were waiting for the Prime Minister at the site, just five metres away from the animal, didn’t notice that the big cat freed itself.
They could have been attacked, but Putin reacted quickly and used the dart gun to stop the animal.
The evacuation of New Orleans appears to be progressing apace plans set in motion by the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans.
Trains with thousands of people headed to Memphis with evacuees and buses were lined 40 deep to take people without transportation out of the path of Hurricane Gustav.
Here is an enhanced infrared image of Hurricane Gustav from the National Hurricane center, showing the bands of moisture crossing Florida and closing in on New Orleans:
I am listening to scanner traffic, and will post excerpts as I can make them available.
**1.01 PM** Here is the audio of some radio traffic in New Orleans this morning at 10.30 AM EDT. I had computer problems...so here it is at last:
000 WTNT32 KNHC 311435 TCPAT2 BULLETIN HURRICANE GUSTAV ADVISORY NUMBER 28 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008 1000 AM CDT SUN AUG 31 2008
...GUSTAV CONTINUES NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN STRENGTH...
A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST FROM CAMERON LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER... INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM EAST OF THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER....AND FROM WEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS WEST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO THE DRY TORTUGAS.
FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.
AT 1000 AM CDT...1500Z...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE GUSTAV WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.3 NORTH...LONGITUDE 86.0 WEST OR ABOUT 325 MILES... 520 KM...SOUTHEAST OF THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
GUSTAV IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH...28 KM/HR. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON FORECAST TRACK...GUSTAV SHOULD MAKE LANDFALL ON THE NORTHERN GULF COAST ON MONDAY.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 120 MPH...195 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GUSTAV IS A CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME RE-INTENSIFICATION IS FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS...AND GUSTAV COULD REGAIN CATEGORY FOUR STRENGTH LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. FLUCTUATIONS IN STRENGTH ARE LIKELY THEREAFTER...BUT GUSTAV IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A MAJOR HURRICANE UNTIL LANDFALL.
GUSTAV IS A LARGE TROPICAL CYCLONE. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 50 MILES...85 KM...FROM THE CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 200 MILES...325 KM. NOAA BUOY 42003 RECENTLY REPORTED 8-MINUTE AVERAGE WINDS OF 54 MPH... 86 KM/HR...WITH A GUST TO 67 MPH...108 KM/HR.
THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE JUST REPORTED BY A NOAA HURRICANE HUNTER AIRCRAFT IS 962 MB...28.41 INCHES.
AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS STORM SURGE OF 12 TO 16 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDAL LEVELS IS EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE EAST OF WHERE THE CENTER OF GUSTAV CROSSES THE NORTHERN GULF COAST. A STORM SURGE OF 1 TO 3 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS IS POSSIBLE IN THE DRY TORTUGAS AS GUSTAV PASSES TO ITS WEST.
GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 12 INCHES OVER PORTION OF LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF UP TO 20 INCHES POSSIBLE THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ABOUT AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE OVER FLORIDA KEYS AND SOUTH FLORIDA.
ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF COAST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT.
REPEATING THE 1000 AM CDT POSITION...25.3 N...86.0 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 17 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...120 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...960 MB.
AN INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 100 PM CDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 400 PM CDT.
ASHEVILLE – Congressional candidate and Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower dismissed his son from his campaign staff Friday after police charged the younger Mumpower in connection with a bar fight.
Both men were at the restaurant and bar for Thirsty Thursday, which features discounted liquor and beer. Mumpower told an officer a man was mocking him, and he punched the man in the face, according to a police incident report.
He was charged with simple assault and released on $300 bond, according to the magistrate’s office.
Evacuations are already underway in parts of Louisiana (including New Orleans) and may come soon for parts of Texas and other portions of Louisiana today.
Here is the latest advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center regarding Hurricane Gustav:
WTNT22 KNHC 310856 TCMAT2 HURRICANE GUSTAV FORECAST/ADVISORY NUMBER 27 NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL072008 0900 UTC SUN AUG 31 2008
AT 4 AM CDT...0900 UTC...A HURRICANE WARNING IS ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN GULF COAST FROM CAMERON LOUISIANA EASTWARD TO THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER...INCLUDING THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN. A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD BE RUSHED TO COMPLETION.
AT 4 AM CDT...0900 UTC...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS ISSUED FROM EAST OF THE ALABAMA-FLORIDA BORDER TO THE OCHLOCKONEE RIVER....AND FROM WEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
AT 4 AM CDT...0900 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF CUBA HAS DISCONTINUED ALL WARNINGS AND WATCHES FOR CUBA.
A HURRICANE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM WEST OF CAMERON LOUISIANA TO JUST EAST OF HIGH ISLAND TEXAS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.
A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS WEST OF THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO THE DRY TORTUGAS.
Tropical Storm Hanna is bearing down on The Bahamas, and computer models vary wildly about her path past 2 AM Tuesday, with the NHC model showing a turn to the northwest. Here are the graphics regarding Hanna:
DELEGATES either vote for Ron Paul first round or go to the restroom . Do something just do not vote for a man you know is not qualified. You may be bound in the first round so sit it out.
This will be your finest hour, the Supreme Court has ruled that you have the right and obligation to judge the facts of the case and also the judge the law being applied in a trial that applies here also. VOTE YOUR CONSCIENCE and bring this country back to "We The People".
My opinion is that the delegates that have been bound to vote for McCain 1st round that are now enlightened by Paulites or just the plain old truth have to vote their conscience and vote Paul first round to stop McCain from getting the required number first round. Damned people are still telling people to vote first round McCain if they are bound.This is really important and we are just about out of time and I think since there are only 11 days left. I encourage all the delegates to revolt and also try for a vote of no confidence motion in McCain from the floor before ANY voting even starts.This could make the difference in McCain not getting the required amount and winning the nomination.
I bring this to you for your entertainment as the Paultards meet with reality in Minnesota...the reality of McCain-Palin 2008 that will crush the fantasy of Ron Paultard in the White House.
Have pity on them, for they have no clue that Ron Paultard has led them into defeat in the GOP. They should realize that they are vastly outnumbered and outmaneuvered inside the Republican Party.
I would also like to apologize for not mocking the Paultards enough lately, I have been busy...and just realized that they are headed toward an EPIC FAIL this coming week...
Ramsey County sheriff's deputies found weapons and devices to disable buses - among other items - in searches in the Twin Cities last night and today.
Authorities said the items came from "key members of the RNC Welcoming Committee," a self-described anarchist group.
Five people have been arrested and four properties have been searched, according to the sheriff's office.
At 8 a.m. today, the sheriff's office executed search warrants at three Minneapolis homes - 2301 23rd Ave. S., 3500 Harriet Ave. and 3240 17th Ave. S. The FBI, Minneapolis police and the Hennepin County sheriff's office assisted them.
"The 'Welcoming Committee' is a criminal enterprise made up of 35 anarchists who are intent on committing criminal acts before and during the Republican National Convention..."
...I just had a rather exciting flight. "Balz" and I launched to support standard tasking and were immediately retasked airborne to a Troops In Contact (TIC) situation near the location the French lost 10 troops two days ago. Unlike the French, these were Army SF supported with attack helos and us.
From the second we showed up it was a running gun battle with the SF guys taking RPGs, sniper and Heavy machine gun fire. We took out two sniper positions with confirmed kills in the first 5 minutes. The helos were marking the locations they were taking fire from with WP (white phosphorus) rockets and we were cleaning things up with the 30MM.
I shot 1100 rounds of 30MM and my wingman shot 750. I then used WP rockets to get my #2's eyes on a heavy machine gun position so he could put a 500lb airburst on it. Which he did.
In the middle of the fight we were running low on gas so I sent Balz to the tanker and I remained on station single ship suppressing enemy fire on a helo trying to extract the team. I told Balz to have the tanker drag him as close to the fight as the KC-10 crew felt comfortable...
Source: Blackfive (read the rest and watch a video of an A-10 gun being tested)
Remember that we are able to celebrate this Labor Day weekend because of the guys and gals who are in the military. Here is a photo from 2007 of Sara Palin visiting with wounded troops in West Germany:
Labor Day is a holiday created by socialists, but we can take the opportunity to spend more time with our families while the Communists wax nostalgic for the days of Stalin, Lenin, and Marx. Use it as a teachable moment for your children if you are so inclined, in order to counteract the socialist drivel your children are being fed in public schools, if you have chosen to allow them to indoctrinate your children. You should consider home schooling your children, or enrolling them in a suitable charter school of correct ideological foundations.
Kathy at Hang Right Politics has the scoop on the sordid mindset of the progressives, and their buddies in the Legacy Media:
The Truth Will Set You Free
The democrats are scrambling today to find just anything they can to taint Gov. Sarah Palin, the inspiring new addition to the McCain ticket. They can smell Obama in the toaster; the in the tank for Obama smear captains journalists in the media are questioning the firing of an Alaskan Dept. of Safety head over an allegation that he wouldn’t fire a state trooper, Palin’s ex-brother-in-law.
Know the truth, and when you see this talking point on comment sections of other blogs or news articles, post the link. The real story needs to be common knowledge.
Frankly when I heard the media’s account I recognized that it was a DNC hit. Only a democrat would defend a state trooper for tazing an eleven year old boy - because the immorality aside - they need to present the story with all the tawdriness they can find because there is no scum on Palin.
I read over at Politico that they are also spreading the rumor than her 5mo. old son actually is her grandson and that her daughter had the baby. (And we know how frequently Down’s children occur in teenage pregnancies… sarc/off)
Other lines of attack include attacking her motherhood by saying a woman can’t have an important or challenging career and raise children. Democrats are saying this! Criticizing her for ‘abandoning’ a special needs child to his father. Hello? Where are the feminists the democrats are so famous for? This line of assault after the charges of sexism over the treatment of Hillary should just about elimate the women’s vote except for the diehard ABORTION-IS-THE-ONLY-ISSUE female Herods. Telling women with special needs children they should just stay home - yup, that’s a winner.
And of course the coup de grace in the Obama arsenal re Palin is the ‘experience’ card. Notice how all the comparisons are between the GOP VP vs. the DNC P. Scary. Our VP has more experience, and has the only executive experience on both tickets yet she somehow has a thin resume.
Here’s why democrats truly believe that she is inexperienced compared to Obama (the male/female double standard will be addressed momentarily). Democrats consider trying and FAILING as an accomplishment. All of the things Obama has TRIED to do are counted - his community organizer days produced no results other than the loss of $100,000,000 on a school system that remains in the bottom in achievement in the country, a Southside Chicago housing debacle, and a Senate career spent campaigning for President. In a ‘results’ don’t matter, we don’t need no stinking RESULTS mindset, Obama has credentials.
I have found some truly nasty things (full of sexual innuendo and vulgar, filthy language, making fun of her religious faith) being said about Sarah Palin on many of the progressive blogs and in the Ron Paul forums. I expect it from profane people like Pam Spaulding because it is merely the expression of their black hearts. Some of the stuff on Daily KKKos and DU are unprintable.
The Idiot Ron Paul Supporters, on the other hand, claim to be conservative. Most of them have no idea what conservatism is beyond what they have been told by misguided people posing as political thinkers...and I include Ron Paul in that category. These people have been supping at the well of hatred for too long, and it has clouded their judgment, and is turning their hearts black. I have witnessed it locally, and nationally.
Here is just one snippet of an exchange (misspellings and foul language preserved):
And you're thinking a woman, with 20 months of LOCAL EXPERIENCE in the least populated state in the country; who has had scandle after scandle is a good politician and person?
She spent 15 MILLION DOLLARS on a Ice Rink that NEVER GOT BUILT back when she was mayor. More importantly it should never have cost more than 2 million. NOT TO MENTION the turmoil caused in the town by that; taxes have increased their by about 20% because of it.
She's a big oil woman; shes in the pocket of big business; her husband works FOR BP. She REGULARLY forwards emails from her governor account to her HUSBAND?
How is any of this not a abuse of power?
She wrote a budget that was 2 BILLION DOLLARS bigger then the last one; and the biggest one in state history.
In the last month she:
1. Drove the local State Dairy Farm; which had just received 600 million dollars in State Funds into the ground; using all that money within 2 months; and making no money back.
2. Got into a scandle involving firing a cop who refused to fire a subordinate who her family member had a dirty divorce with and out of purely personal reasons. Such a grosse misuse of powers that the state saw it fit to investigate it; and this is a heavy republican state here.
3. Supported the bridge to nowhere; then once it got out and everyone knew against flip-flopped and didn't support it.
4. FLEW on a PLANE when she was in labour, 20 hours; from Texas to Alaska. Rumours have popped up that her pregnancy; which she announced when she was 7 MONTHS pregnant; was a coverup for her own daughters pregnancy.
5. Continues to support teach creationism in schools and abstinence only education at both the local and federal levels.
This women is not fit to be president. This women is not fit to be a Paul supporter. Anyone who goes over to Palin because of this is absolutely pitiful. And thats all I have to say.
You post is pitiful, but at least get your facts right:
1. The state-owned dairy did not spend 600 MILLION DOLLARS in two months. It was a $600,000 grant. BIG DIFFERENCE. And if you know anything, you know the dairy was already failing; Palin did not drive it into the ground.
2. The cop tasered his own young child; drove drunk in his patrol car, abused his powers by hunting illegally and covering it up, and he threatened to kill members of the governor's family. And you think that is the kind of cop we need patroling Alaska?
3. Which bridge to nowhere? Sarah never supported the Ketchikan bridge, which was "the bridge to nowhere."
4. Oooooh, unsubstantiated rumors! Do you have a birth certificate to prove that the governor did not give birth like she said she did? Where do you get this stuff?
5. Education is a local and state affair. States and localities can teach any damn thing they want. Get over it.
It is truly funny that all the above lefties (I include the Paul people) always accuse Republicans of the most foul things, when anyone with an Internet connection (and the stomach) to find them guilty of every last thing they accuse us of in quantity.
FURTHER INTENSIFICATION IS EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT DAY OR SO WHILE THE SYSTEM TRAVERSES THE EXTREMELY WARM AND DEEP WATERS OF THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO. HOWEVER...BY 48 HOURS...ALMOST ALL OF THE GLOBAL MODELS SHOW AN INCREASE IN VERTICAL WIND SHEAR NEAR GUSTAV. IN ADDITION...SINCE THE LOOP CURRENT IS SOUTH OF ITS TYPICAL LOCATION...THE HURRICANE WILL BE MOVING OVER WATERS THAT ARE NOT NEARLY AS CONDUCIVE FOR STRENGTHENING AS THEY COULD BE. THESE TWO FACTORS WILL HOPEFULLY WEAKEN THE STORM PRIOR TO U.S. LANDFALL. HOWEVER...GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO BE A LARGE AND DANGEROUS HURRICANE AND THE NHC FORECAST CONTINUES TO SHOW GUSTAV AS A MAJOR HURRICANE AT LANDFALL.
THE INITIAL MOTION ESTIMATE IS 310/10. A MID-LEVEL RIDGE FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TO NORTHERN FLORIDA IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING THE HURRICANE TO THE NORTHWEST FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THEREAFTER...A RIDGE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY SHOULD CAUSE A GRADUAL LEFTWARD BEND IN THE TRACK AS GUSTAV APPROACHES THE NORTHERN GULF COAST. MOST OF THE GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS SCENARIO EXCEPT FOR THE UKMET/HWRF...WHICH TURN THE SYSTEM JUST OFFSHORE. THESE TWO MODELS ARE SLOWER AND TO THE LEFT OF MOST OF THE TRACK GUIDANCE...WHICH ALLOWS A RIDGE TO FORM OVER TEXAS TO TURN THE STORM. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST WILL STAY WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE GUIDANCE AND IS BASICALLY AN UPDATE TO THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE. GUSTAV WILL LIKELY SLOW DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE LONGER-TERM...WHICH COULD CAUSE A CONSIDERABLE FLOODING THREAT OVER LOUISIANA OR TEXAS.
The computer models show some weird divergence in the predicted path of Tropical Storm Hanna, as they continue to show the storm under the weakening influence of an upper level Low for the next 12 to 48 hours, which will be replaced by a High that will steer it westward, and may slow it down some.
All eyes will be on Hurricane Gustav for the next few days as it continues to threaten the gulf coast area in the middle of the coming week.
As Gustav comes closer to shore, I will begin posting my hurricane protocol for the areas forecast to be affected by the storm that will allow you to monitor local sources of data about the storm. For now, I will leave you some shortwave frequencies of regional National Guard units posted on the informative Milcom Monitoring Post, those of us with shortwave radios will be tuning in to listen to the radio traffic:
Alabama National Guard State HQ ALE Address: A040LN 4724.5 4924.5 8047.0 8622.0 9141.5 10233.5 12087.0 13722.0 14653.0 16338.5 20906.0 kHz
First, Sarah Palin speaking at the rally in Dayton, Ohio:
Dear Senator John McCain:
Please accept my apologies for doubting you, and thinking you incapable of changing, incapable of respecting the conservative base of the Republican Party.
Your choice of Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska shows true boldness and audacity.
I will volunteer with my local party, and work to get you and Sarah elected to the White House this November, and I heartily endorse you for President.
As a governor, Palin is the only non-senator who will be on the two presidential tickets this fall. She will also be the only person on the tickets who has executive experience, so she can easily portray herself as both an outsider and a reformer. Of course, Barack Obama had been running on the same message, so the challenge for Obama would be to ensure that Palin does not co-opt his message.Palin is unequivocally pro-life and a strong advocate of other issues important to social conservatives. This should please the Republican base who may have still had reservations about John McCain after the Rick Warren Forum earlier this month. McCain certainly pleased social conservatives at that forum, but tapping Palin to join him shows that he is indeed serious about showing social conservatives that he will be loyal to them. Any doubts they had about him earlier should immediately be erased by this pick. Also, because of the murmurs about McCain choosing Tom Ridge or Joe Lieberman, both of whom are pro-choice, that augments the feeling of relief pro-life voters have about Palin and enhances her appeal.As a lifelong member of the National Rifle Association who also enjoys fishing, conservative-leaning male gun owners and sportsmen should not feel threatened by Palin. The same holds true for fiscal conservatives, as this statement from the Club for Growth indicates.
Here is what some of the bloggers are saying:
The conservative blogosphere appears to be as happy and excited as I am:
And here are a few initial lefty responses, with a North Carolina foul-mouthed lefty leading the way:
I will start off with Pam Spaulding, a nasty lefty who is a black lesbian progressive. She immediately goes on the attackbecause Sarah Palin is the polar opposite of Pam herself. I fully expect it to remain nasty and full of vulgar language throughout the remainder of the campaign.
John McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Gov. Palin was first elected to the position in 2006 and previously served as the mayor of Wasilla (pop. 5,470). She also served on the town's city council. She has a degree from the University of Idaho where she minored in political science. That is the extent of her political experience. Her biography is fascinating. She is only 44 years-old. She eloped with her highschool sweetheart, a Yup'ik Eskimo. They have five children named: Track 18, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, Piper, 7, and Trig (who was born on April 18th). Trig has Down Syndrome. The Palins knew that Trig had an extra chromosome but decided to go ahead with the pregnancy. "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said. "Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?" Palin is an avid hunter and her husband is a champion snowmobiler who works for British Petroleum. She has admitted to smoking the ganja but says she didn't enjoy it. She was the runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest.
Make no mistake, Palin is a gamechanger pick for McCain. She, along with Whitman, was one of the two potential candidates that I thought had this potential for McCain. No one on the Democratic side saw this coming. I saw plenty of support for Palin in the rightwing blogosphere over the past few months. In fact, whenever there was a poll, she would win going away. Is she Quayle-like, or not ready? Its all going to play out here in the next few hours as she speaks, coming up in 15 minutes. That will be the impact, not all the chatter around the pick.
So it's official - John McCain has thrown a Hail Mary and tapped Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. The trad med types are ga-ga about what a game-changing choice Palin is. And they're right. It is a game-changer. The Palin pick takes a race already leaning toward Obama and pushes it further into his corner. Why? Because Sarah Palin is the most unqualified VP nominee in modern history, with the possible exception of Admiral Stockdale.
She's worse than Quayle.
After his selection in 1988, Dan Quayle was rightly lambasted as a dim, inexperienced lightweight with no real pertinent experience who was named by George H. W. Bush as a gimmick - a case of an old, out-of touch candidate trying to appear relevant by teaming up with a much younger pol. Now, Palin's not Quayle - by all accounts, she's quite bright. But she's fantastically inexperienced, far more so than Quayle was when he was tapped. And she possesses an attribute far worse than Quayle's stupidity - she's a big corrupt wheel in Alaska's big corrupt Republican Party, arguably the most corrupt political apparatus in the United States.
The more I read and hear, the more I like her. I'll be posting excerpts and links to people who know more about het than I do later today.
**12.48 PM** The Rally in Dayton, Ohio is now over, and I was blown away by Sarah Palin. Completely blown away! The video will be repeated tonight at 8 PM on C-SPAN. You may watch it on the C-SPAN websiteif you cannot get cable or satellite television.
I was crestfallen when I saw on Drudge that Romney had been ruled out.
Now, we find that Pawlenty and Palin are going to be in their respective states when the announcement is made...so I am thinking he may very well go with Giuliani.
**9.54 AM** I have tracked the flight from Anchorage to Hook Field in Middletown, Ohio.
The plane is a Gulfstream G-IV and is owned by Gypsy Two LLCout of Kirkland, Washnigton.
**10.13AM** CNBC is reporting that Palin is the pick, which would serve to bolster my research above. I am still looking for a live stream of the event, so I can embed it here. I think that the McCain Campaign needs some net-saavy people on their team.
**10:17AM** According to Palin spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, Palin is at home in Alaska...and plans on attending the Alaska State Fair.
Which leads me to wonder where is Giuliani?
**10.30AM** Glenn Beck just reported that Fox News is reporting that Alaska Governor Palin is backstage at the Dayton Rally. That is probably it, then. I will have to do some research on her, because I know little about her beyond her being a governor, a new mom who refused to abort her Downs Syndrome child.
**10.59AM** I will embed a C-SPAN video stream here, and take it down after the event is over:
1) McCain is going after a pick that will be attractive to both PUMAs and the conservative base of the GOP.
2) Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is famous for going after corruption in Alaska, and has gone against those in her own party to do it. This fits well with McCain's efforts at the same in the Senate.
**11.54AM** Here is the official Press Release from the McCain Campaign:
ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain today announced that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president. Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in office that she is ready to be president. She has brought Republicans and Democrats together within her Administration and has a record of delivering on the change and reform that we need in Washington. Governor Palin has challenged the influence of the big oil companies while fighting for the development of new energy resources. She leads a state that matters to every one of us -- Alaska has significant energy resources and she has been a leader in the fight to make America energy independent. In Alaska, Governor Palin challenged a corrupt system and passed a landmark ethics reform bill. She has actually used her veto and cut budgetary spending. She put a stop to the "bridge to nowhere" that would have cost taxpayers $400 million dollars. As the head of Alaska's National Guard and as the mother of a soldier herself, Governor Palin understands what it takes to lead our nation and she understands the importance of supporting our troops. Governor Palin has the record of reform and bipartisanship that others can only speak of. Her experience in shaking up the status quo is exactly what is needed in Washington today.
We are nearing the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane season, and we have two active tropical storms, Gustav and Hanna. Both have the potential to strike the USA coastline, with Gustav heading toward the Gulf Coast, and Hanna showing signs to dogleg south of Florida in the next five days. Here are the 5-day cones of current thinking by the National Weather Service:
Gustav
Hanna
And here is the odd spaghetti-models of the future path of Hanna:
Here are the videos of the speeches given on the climatic night of the DNC Democratic Convention in Denver, Colorado:
Chairman of the Democrat National Committee, Howard Dean
Say what you will about him. He has been a very effective organizer, cheerleader, and champion of new technologies. I can personally attest that the GOP will crush anyone who would attempt a similar revolution in effectiveness in our party.
Now, comes a trio of videos honoring Martin Luther King, Jr:
Here is Bernice, the only surviving daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, III. "My Father Would Be Proud"
The DNC Video Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. It is far shorter than I would have imagined, but expected if they were to be successful in painting him a a foreshadowing of Obama.
Congressman John Lewis and his remarks from last night, providing the pretext for a bridge between King and Obama.
A musical performance by Will I Am. I include it only to point out the Kaffiyeh worn by one of the performers. That is tantamount to wearing Klan robes or a Nazi armband. The youth of today are not taught history (or even current events) in school. Instead, they are taught the false religion of multiculturalism. Okay...enough ranting. On to the next video...
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, who was the favorite until Putin invaded Georgia...and forced Obama to go with a Biden pick.
Bill Richardson speaks to the crowd.
Al Gore speaks for 15 minutes to the Democrats gathered at Invesco.
Senator Dick Durbin introduces Barack Obama.
Here is the DNC Convention bio of Senator Barack Obama.
Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech. This is a 45 minute video.
Well, whaddya think? For once, I would love to see a politician accept their party's nomination in a speech under 5 minutes long.
The recent ICE raid of Mills Manufacturing has created problems for area employers, illegal immigrants and those who support them. Asheville City Councilman and NC 11th district congressional candidate Carl Mumpower wants to add to those worries.
"No matter how many justifications folks find for misusing illegal immigrants, this is a bad deal all the way around," said Mumpower. "Anyone who helps flood America with an exploitable underclass labor pool; side steps the rule of law; burdens our hospitals, schools, social service system and the tax payers who pay the bills; and otherwise enables illegal immigration is crying for some attention. We are in a postion to help."
"ICE and other government agencies cannot be relied upon to get serious and consistent with disrupting the flow of illegal immigrants being seduced into this country," noted Mumpower. "The solutions will have to come at the local level - illumination is one of the tools in that box."
Under the title 'Operation Illumination' Mumpower and his volunteer campaign staff are requesting that people let them know those in WNC that knowingly employee or otherwise enable illegal immigration. The 'Illuminators' will in turn contact that employer, social service agency, government entity, church or other organization and arrange a time to discuss the information received. That information and the follow-up action will be posted on a public web site, released to the media, and reported to ICE and others who may have intervention powers.
"Confrontation is not a necessary part of "Operation Illumination", said Mumpower. "Sigmund Freud once noted that social nonsense and corruption survive only in the darkness. We are going to do what we can to simply turn on the lights."
Carl Mumpower 11th District Republican Congressional Candidate
Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 3.3 percent in the second quarter of 2008,(that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter), according to preliminary estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, real GDP increased 0.9 percent. The GDP estimates released today are based on more complete source data than were available for the advance estimates issued last month. In the advance estimates, the increase in real GDP was 1.9percent (see "Revisions" on page 3). The increase in real GDP in the second quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from exports, personal consumption expenditures (PCE), federal government spending, nonresidential structures, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by negative contributions from private inventory investment, residential fixed investment, and equipment and software. Imports,which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased. The acceleration in real GDP growth in the second quarter primarily reflected a larger decrease in imports, an acceleration in exports, an acceleration in PCE, a smaller decrease in residential fixed investment, and an upturn in state and local government spending that were partly offset by a larger decrease in inventory investment.
If you spend any time listening to lefties (or their ideological cousins...the Paulorrhoids), you might believe that the USA is in the throes of a severe economic downturn.
Not so. According to data released today, the Second Quarter GDP figures are out, and they indicate a growth rate of 3.3%...higher than the forecast 1.9%.
So, here are the figures I have over the past little bit regarding GDP:
2007
2nd...+3.8% 3rd...+4.9% 4th...-0.2%
2008
1st...+0.9% 2nd...+3.3%
These are the only figures I can find (mostly because I have been tracking them on this blog since 2007) and finding an honest-to-God list or chart is well-nigh impossible for me.
As far as the economy goes...it looks like we had a tiny correct, and now we are proceeding full steam head...much to the dismay of those lefties who wan our economy to fail.
**update** 11.14 AM Aha! Courtesy of faithful reader JR, here is a chartof the fluctuations in GDP since the year 2000:
And here are some basic numbers of the dollar amount represented by the GDP:
The numbers above are taken from page 39 of a 2008 World Almanac and Book of Facts residing in the WCU Library.
So, the actual figures tell a far, far different story than the lefties on TV, the lefty blogs, and the Idiot Supporters of Ron Paul will have you believe. The United States of America is an Economic Powerhouse!!! The above figures are proof.
**update** 1.37 PM Rush Limbaugh just mentioned an article on Gateway Pundit, where Jim uses unemployment figures to compare and contrast the Clinton and Bush years...go read it.
DENVER -- Police in Denver arrested an ABC News producer today as he and a camera crew were attempting to take pictures on a public sidewalk of Democratic senators and VIP donors leaving a private meeting at the Brown Palace Hotel. Police on the scene refused to tell ABC lawyers the charges against the producer, Asa Eslocker, who works with the ABC News investigative unit.
A cigar-smoking Denver police sergeant, accompanied by a team of five other officers, first put his hands on Eslocker's neck, then twisted the producer's arm behind him to put on handcuffs. A police official later told lawyers for ABC News that Eslocker is being charged with trespass, interference, and failure to follow a lawful order. He also said the arrest followed a signed complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel. It was two hours later when Denver police arrived to place Eslocker under arrest, apparently based on a complaint from the Brown Palace Hotel, a central location for Democratic officials. During the arrest, one of the officers can be heard saying to Eslocker, "You're lucky I didn't knock the f..k out of you."
One of my favorite online military news resources, Strategy Page, has updated their online military forces database. Here are a few snippets of their observations:
European Nations are still dominated by Russia. Despite the sharp (about 80 percent) decline in the Russian military in the 1990s, this still left them with the most powerful combat force in Europe. That's largely because most European also cut their military spending, and manpower, in the 1990s. Russia is much less of a military threat to Europe, than it was during the Cold War, because their ground forces now largely consist of paramilitary troops, and army combat units that are no longer trained for offensive warfare. Russia can still invade neighbors, as it recently did in Georgia, but that was done with one mechanized infantry division, and another division worth of local militias and paramilitary troops.
Middle East Nations are still dominated by Israel. The third ranking nation, Iran, is powerful more because of the large number of men in uniform. Their weapons and equipment are in poor shape and largely obsolete. Because of Israel's dominating land combat power, many Middle Eastern nations spend a lot of money on ballistic missiles. These would be the only weapons they would have a chance of doing any damage to Israel with.
American Nations are still dominated by the United States. Because of decades of combat, and recent upgrades in
training and equipment, the number two power is Colombia. Brazil is close behind, because it is the largest nation in South America, and has a large and well equipped military. East Asian Nations are, as usual, dominated by China. But number two is South Korea, which has greatly increased its combat power over the last two decades, as its booming economy enabled it to equip the troops with the most modern weapons. Meanwhile, it's nemesis for the past half century, North Korea, has declined because of a collapsing economy and inept communist dictatorship.
African Nations have a strange lineup. The two top military powers, Ethiopia and Eritrea, have been at war with neighboring Eritrea for a decade. There has been a ceasefire for the last eight years, but not a demobilization. The number three power is South Africa, which is the best equipped, trained and led on the continent.
South Asian Nations are, as always, dominated by India. Pakistan is a distant second.
Old videos appear to show a radical Muslim named Khalid Al-Mansour helped Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gain acceptance into Harvard Law. Civil rights activist Percy Sutton recalled being solicited by a man named Dr. Khalid A-Mansour to write a letter of recommendation to help Obama gain acceptance into Harvard Law in this undated television interview available HERE.
"I was introduced to him [Obama] by a friend who was raising money for him and the friends name was Dr. Khalid al Mansour from Texas,” Sutton said. “He is the principle adviser to one of the world's richest men. He told me about Obama. He wrote to me about him and his introduction was 'there is a young man that has applied to Harvard and I know that you have a few friends left there because you used to go up there to speak, would you please write a letter in support of him?'...I wrote a letter in support of him to my friends at Harvard saying to them I thought there was a genius that was going to be available and I sure hoped they would treat him kindly."
There are many videos available on the internet featuring a man named Khalid Al-Mansour, who describes himself as an author, scholar and businessman, blasting the Jewish culture and Christianity and preaching the virtues of Islam, reminiscent of the controversial clips discovered of Obama’s longtime friend and former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright that rocked headlines earlier this spring.
In one of the videos, titled “
Christians Designed Discrimination” uploaded by a YouTube user named IslamStudios, Al-Mansour said, “White people don't feel bad, whatever you do to them, they deserve it, God wants you to do it and that's when you cut out the nose, cut out the ears, take flesh out of their body, don't worry because God wants you to do it." He also draws lines between whites and African Americans. “The Christianity that white people got and the Christianity that black people got was not the same,” he added.
A two-pronged tropical assualt may be in the works for the weekend after Labor Day.
First, Gustav is out over open water after a brief interlude in Haiti. Here is the NHC 5-day cone forcast:
And here is an ominous looking chart that shows both storms on a 5 day cone:
Keep an eye on these two storms and be prepared if you live in the Southeastern USA. Gustav could reach Category Three strength by the time it hits the gulf coast.
Here are videos of the speeches given by Bill Clinton and Joe Biden last night, along with the surprise appearance of Obama at the end of Biden's speech:
Former President Bill Clinton (after hearing him speak once again, I am glad that the DNC Rules Committee destroyed Hillary's momentum...that guy can charm birds out of the trees).
Senator John Kerry (on the shortlist for SecState should Obama win?)
Senator Joe Biden accepts the Democratic Party nomination for Vice-President
Senator Barack Obama pays a surprise visit to the DNC Convention
Later in the morning, I will have the "also spoke" speakers when people upload them to You Tube.
Scuttlebut has it the nominee has eight letters in the name based on signs observed at the RNC...
To me that says, Giuliani, Huckabee, Pawlenty, Thompson or Petraeus. There may be more...or it could be a feint to mask a Romney pick (my personal favorite).
WASHINGTON — Senator John McCain has decided on his running mate, two Republican strategists in contact with Mr. McCain’s campaign said Wednesday. He is expected to reveal his choice at a rally at a basketball arena in Dayton, Ohio, at 11 a.m. Friday.
Mr. McCain’s decision is known only to his small inner circle of advisers, no more than three or four people, who have refused all public discussion on the matter. Republicans close to the campaign said that the top contenders remained the same three men who have been the source of speculation for weeks: former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and, possibly, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut.
The GOP nominee-in-waiting will move to immediately change the campaign conversation from Barack Obama’s football stadium acceptance speech Thursday to the new Republican ticket, to be revealed at a noontime Friday rally in a Dayton, Ohio, basketball arena. McCain and his running mate will then travel by bus to Pennsylvania, where they’ll hold an outdoor event at a minor league baseball stadium in Washington County, just southwest of Pittsburgh. On Sunday, the duo will head to suburban St. Louis for another event to be held at a minor league baseball stadium, this one in O’Fallon, Mo. The Missouri rally is being billed to local Republicans as something of a unity rally, since it will feature McCain, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee — the GOP presidential finalists who effectively divided the vote three ways in the Show Me State’s Super Tuesday primary. A McCain aide warned not to read too much into McCain’s planned guests, however.
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