Sunday, June 30, 2013

Meaning of Life


From Monty Python's Meaning of Life, 1983:

[As the doctors drop the baby into an incubator, the mother looks up.]
Patient: Is it a boy or a girl?
Obstetrician: Now, I think it's a little early to start imposing roles on it, don't you? 
 
 

Judges Upset



The Post informs us:

Recent leaks of classified documents have pointed to the role of a special court in enabling the government’s secret surveillance programs, but members of the court are chafing at the suggestion that they were collaborating with the executive branch.

The only comment we could get from this FISC judge
was "Ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk,"

Friday, June 28, 2013

Smug Level: 10



Look up "smug" in the dictionary and you'll find this picture. You
can't usually find this degree of smug outside of a Prius dealership.
 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Surveillance State



So now they make license plate readers to save police time and effort:

When the city of San Leandro, Calif., purchased a license-plate reader for its police department in 2008, computer security consultant Michael Katz-Lacabe asked the city for a record of every time the scanners had photographed his car.

The results shocked him.

The paperback-size device, installed on the outside of police cars, can log thousands of license plates in an eight-hour patrol shift. Katz-Lacabe said it had photographed his two cars on 112 occasions, including one image from 2009 that shows him and his daughters stepping out of his Toyota Prius in their driveway.
I was sympathetic until I read that he had a Prius.

More big brother? Well yeah but it also gave me an idea. Seems to me that once Google perfects driverless cars, you could turn on your cell phone, (thus getting NSA's attention) toss it into your car - that has been programmed to drive in circles around your local police station. (thus trying up and confusing the locals) Then stream a Sarah Palin press conference on your computer. (Getting the attention of the IRS and Homeland Security) And Voila! You're free to roam the streets like a free citizen again, just like grandpa used to do.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Raaaaaaaacist!


Remember the stealth racial epithets that Tea Party members were alleged to have hurled? They were magic in that liberals could hear them but they would not register on any recording device known to man. I've always assumed that the liberal ear was tuned to a racist frequency primarily because their hearts were similarly tuned. Usually they keep it hidden, but sometimes it comes to the surface:

A Democratic lawmaker from Minnesota criticized Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision on the Voting Rights Act by calling Justice Clarence Thomas “Uncle Thomas,” then saying he didn’t know “Uncle Tom” was a racist epithet.

On his Twitter account Tuesday, state Rep. Ryan Winkler called the justices’ 5-4 ruling striking down a part of the law racist, and the work of “four accomplices to race discrimination and one Uncle Thomas.” Justice Thomas, who is black, was one of the five justices in the majority.

It's Go Time



So Putin says he's not going to extradite Snowden. I suspect he knows what can of worms he now opens.




Monday, June 24, 2013

Cute, Sorta


OK, here's an area where cats are better than dogs: Most cats don't have the surface area needed for this kind of pet modification.





Cute, sure, but I'd worry about ridicule from the neighbor dogs.  More here.

h/t: Lumberbrudi

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Liberals Sometimes Don't Think Things Through


Justin Credible sent me the link, but I've been looking for the video clip:

New York, NY (CFAM) — From the stage at the recent Women Deliver conference, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s daughter Chelsea revealed that her much-admired maternal grandmother was the child of unwed teenage parents who “did not have access to services that are so crucial that Planned Parenthood helps provide.”

Chelsea’s grandmother was born of an unintended pregnancy. And new research shows that her family is not alone in treasuring a person who – if Planned Parenthood had been successful – would not have been born.
 It takes a special kind of stupid to lament your ancestor's lack of access to abortion services.

Then there's the President, who:
suggested to a Northern Ireland crowd that gathered for the Group of Eight summit that parochial education leads to a divided community, irking some in the Catholic Church.

“If towns remain divided — if Catholics have their schools and buildings and Protestants have theirs, if we can’t see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden — that too encourages division and discourages cooperation,” he said, the Scottish Catholic Observer reported.

About 2,000 were in attendance — many of whom were Catholic — and heard the remarks, The Blaze reported.

Catholic World News called the timing of the comments curious, given the recent address of one archbishop who touted the many benefits of religious eduction.
 Obviously the man has watched a PBS special on Northern Ireland and, like most people who watch PBS specials, considers himself an expert because of it.

But he should know that Catholic schools admit anyone and everyone. That is the feature that makes them vulnerable to his birth control mandate. (the Lumberkid actually had a Wahabi classmate in middle school)


Friday, June 21, 2013

Ad Hominem Attack



John Boehner literally hits the nail on the head, figuratively speaking:

President Obama's soon-to-be-revealed second-term climate change proposal is “absolutely crazy,” Speaker John Boehner said Thursday.

The Ohio Republican was incredulous when asked to react to reports that the White House plans to regulate carbon emissions from power plants as part of its climate change strategy.

“I think this is absolutely crazy,” Boehner said at his weekly press conference. “Why would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill more American jobs at a time when American people are asking, 'Where are the jobs.' "
Boehner is right about carbon regulation killing jobs, but he ignores Bunyan's Razor which states: "Never assume craziness concerning that which can be explained by evil anger towards free markets and total contempt for all that is righteous and good."


Cloud Atlas



About halfway through this movie, all I knew for certain was that Denzel Washington wasn't in it. And I wasn't terribly sure about that.

But eventually the a theme was knitted from all the apparently disparate parts. And by the end I was cheering like a genetically-engineered fabricant on "soap".  Well, internally I was cheering. Our living room has a rule against audience participation.

Critical reactions were polarized, which is good, because it means the film critics get a shock every time they touch a door knob. So we got that going for us. My advice: rent it.


Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Nefarious Plot Exposed

Saw this guy on Drudge and, well, Photoshop was already open:

Ah-haa! As I expected, the Jew has stolen the middle of my muffin!


Villiams!




h/t: Jonah Goldberg Great find: this IRS training film from 2012

Ear Flappery




How cool that must be, flapping the ears without abandon. Humans, outside of maybe LBJ, have never known this kind of joy.

via

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

In Other News


Justin Bieber seems to have struck a paparazzi with his car. I just hope he wasn't pedaling full speed.




Tomorrow? Really?


The Daily Caller sez:

Conservative activists are planning to storm Capitol Hill on Wednesday for what they are predicting will be “the largest Tea Party protest since 2010.”

The protest — drawing tea partiers like TV host Glenn Beck and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — is in response to the Internal Revenue Service’s recent admission that it has been specifically targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny.

The gathering on the West Lawn of the Capitol is being called the “Audit the IRS” Rally.
So why am I finding out about it now? I tell you what, the liberals have us beat on two things: organizing, and using government assets to stifle dissent, and presidential vacations, and lying about the impact of legislation, and playing the race card. That's probably three things, but you get the idea.
 
Fathers' Day was by the way awesome. I already had the documentation (via mug) that I am the #1 dad in the world. This year I also got a copy of Lincoln Unbound. Yay!

He's No Dick Cheney

Politico:

No, you're not. When Dick Cheney was around gas 
cost about half what it does now, there was less
unemployment, and the IRS treated us all the same.


Monday, June 17, 2013

That's What You Get

for trying to help.



As you probably know, we try to do at least one tickle post every Monday....


Sunday, June 16, 2013

Kim Jong Un, the Little Prince



A missed nap usually meant that the nanny 
and her entire family would disappear. 

 

Friday, June 14, 2013

Obama's Minions Couldn't Possibly be Involved


CBS News had experts look into Sharyl Attkisson's computer:


CBS News announced Friday that correspondent Sharyl Attkisson's computer was hacked by "an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions," confirming Attkisson's previous revelation of the hacking.
CBS News spokeswoman Sonya McNair said that a cybersecurity firm hired by CBS News "has determined through forensic analysis" that "Attkisson's computer was accessed by an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions in late 2012."
"Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using Attkisson's accounts. While no malicious code was found, forensic analysis revealed an intruder had executed commands that appeared to involve search and exfiltration of data. This party also used sophisticated methods to remove all possible indications of unauthorized activity, and alter system times to cause further confusion. CBS News is taking steps to identify the responsible party and their method of access."
Hmm. Then they get one thing wrong:
To be clear, the federal government has not been accused in the intrusion of Attkisson's computer; CBS News is continuing to work to identify the responsible party.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Cue the Banjo Music


I fixed Obama's newest campaign bumper sticker:






I understand Ned Beatty was so traumatized by the movie, he never bought another canoe.


Wednesday, June 12, 2013

For Father's Day




This is what Dad really wants. Fill it with bacon for the perfect gift.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Abused by the IRS


Via Hotair:


A pro-life legal group, Alliance Defending Freedom, released audio today of a 2012 phone call between an IRS agent and the head of a Texas pregnancy counseling group. During the phone call, IRS agent Sherry Wan is heard lecturing Ania Joseph about how she can’t have a tax exemption and also push her religious beliefs— a bit of advice that would be quite interesting to every church in America.
This doesn't surprise me. an IRS employee decides she should use her government given power to punish those she doesn't agree with. I doubt Barack Obama told her to hassle this group. But he also didn't clean house when he found out that this sort of thing was going on before the 2012 election. That's his job. That's his failure.


Talkin Bout My Girl...





Saturday, June 08, 2013

Just As Promised by the Jetsons



And then he tells his wife and she makes a note in your medical records. "You want what? Bypass surgery? Well you should have thought of that when you were ordering those cheeseburgers."


What? You've Got Something to Hide?



Could be time for an audit.



Friday, June 07, 2013

Life Inside North Korea


Adam Johnson in GQ:

At a lavish Wonsan guesthouse, Fujimoto prepared sushi for a group of executives who would be arriving on a yacht. Executive is Fujimoto's euphemism for generals, party officials, or high-level bureaucrats. In other words, Kim Jong-il's personal entourage. And guesthouse is code for a series of palaces decorated with cold marble, silver-braided bedspreads, ice purple paintings of kimilsungia blossoms, and ceilings airbrushed with the cran-apple mist of sunset, as if Liberace's jet had crashed into Lenin's tomb.

At two in the morning, the boat finally docked. Fujimoto began serving sushi for men who obviously had been through a long party already. He would come to realize these parties tended to be stacked one atop another, sometimes four in a row, spreading out over days.

All the men wore military uniforms except for one imperious fellow in a casual sports tracksuit. This man was curious about the fish. He asked Fujimoto about the marbled, fleshy cuts he was preparing.
"That's toro," Fujimoto told him.

For the rest of the night, this man kept calling out, "Toro, one more!"

The next day, Fujimoto was talking to the mamasan of his hotel. She was holding a newspaper, the official Rodong Sinmun, and on the front page was a photo of the man in the tracksuit. Fujimoto told her this was the man he'd just served dinner.

"She started trembling," Fujimoto said of the moment he realized the man's true identity. "Then I started trembling..."
Interesting article.

h/t: WetDry

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Whoops





via

Death Panels


From Politico:

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to allow 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan to be moved to the adult lung transplant list, giving her a better chance of receiving a potentially life-saving transplant.
The quick and unusual ruling, made after a hastily scheduled emergency hearing, follows a campaign by the family and some members of Congress to pressure the Obama administration to change a federal policy that puts children under age 12 at the bottom of the list of those who can receive donated adult lungs.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/06/sarah-murnaghan-lung-transplant-ruling-kathleen-sebelius-92299.html#ixzz2VQ0t8n1y

 This may be the sensible thing to do but transplant rules are complex and troubling things. No matter what you do, some people will die waiting for a transplant. And some of those people will be children. There is no way around it because there just aren't enough transplantable organs to go around. I'm happy to leave it in the hands of doctors and medical ethicists.

But Obamacare is going to go wrong not because of organ shortages, but because of money shortages. Premiums are going to go up. You can't supply breast pumps, and birth control, morning after pills, and annual check-ups to the entire population without cost going way up.  Add to that the cost of campaigns to inform everyone that such things are available, and other fitness and educational programs and you've got a financial Godzilla demanding to be fed. I said it back when this nonsense started: If you think health care is expensive now, just wait til it's free.

But Obama can't go back on the goodies he's promised in order to get votes. He, through Sebelius, will have to cut services in order to manage costs. (which will still be going up, heck, they're already going up) So because we have to supply birth control to everyone, someone won't get a pacemaker. Because every new mother will get a breast pump, someone won't get an artificial knee.

Sure, they'll say you're too old for a pacemaker or artificial knee to make financial sense. But it made financial sense under most people's old insurance.

Personally, I may one day need a heart transplant due to a congenital defect. I'm 95% sure I won't, but it's a possibility. And under my old insurance it could have been done. Under Obamacare? Well, I'm just glad it looks like I can run out the clock with the heart I've got.

And here's another thing about the inevitable financially oriented death panels. Say you're 75 and you need a pacemaker. How do you know that you're being denied because of your age and not because you donated to the Romney campaign? With these guys, you don't know.

I'll pray for little Sarah to have a good outcome.


Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Hybrid Pets



Sure you'd worry about aerial dogfights, but think how awesome a game of fetch would be if your dog could fly.  So all of those scientists trying to devise an "Obama refrigerator" that will electrocute anyone who removes more mozzarella sticks than carrots -- they should be retasked to the flying dog project right away. 




Does Such a Thing Even Exist?


Among the Bilderberg attendees:

Balls, Edward M.    -      Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

 Oh man, if I had even known that there was such a thing, "Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer", I feel certain I would have lived my life in such a way as to one day attain that post. I mean, the business cards alone would make it all worthwhile.

"Oh, how nice, you're a brain surgeon, me? oh nothing much. I'm just the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, that's all." Yeah! In your face!

I wouldn't even mind having a name like Ed Balls.


fighting101s.jpg