The Delaware Curmudgeon

• Bopping Around the Tubes

  Blogging has been light lately; a bit under the weather for about a week, and feeling a basic ennui about the news being reported. But I can comment on a few things.
  
  Who could possibly have predicted that this would happen? (emphasis added)
  
  Edmunds.com reports that “September’s [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 5:45pm EDT
  

• Matthew Flocco and Robert Fangman

  Never heard of them? Pity.
  
  In a state as small as Delaware, it’s a wonder that you never ran into Matthew or Robert.
  
  Matthew Flocco hailed from Newark, a graduate of Newark High School, class of 1998. After graduation, Matthew joined the Navy and eventually became an [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 6:16am EDT
  

• Riddle Me This

  In the current version of H.R. 3200 as written, low-income families may be eligible for insurance premium subsidies in order to purchase health insurance. Interestingly, though, this subsidy is only available to those who purchase said insurance from a government-established “insurance exchange”, but not if the person wants to [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 6:07pm EDT
  

• Delaware's Own Larry Binger Starts Fundraising for the 2010 Veteran Wheelchair Games

  From his Rolling Sportsman website:
  
  
  Dear Friends and Fellow Veterans,
  
  By now, most of you know that I did fairly well at the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Spokane, Washington this year and that I brought home the Silver Medal for trapshooting. I was able [...]
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  Posted: September 01, 2009, 6:09pm EDT
  

• The Vandever Death Panel

  It was nearing midnight on Friday, June 13th, 2003 when the Vandever Death Panel convened for deliberations.
  
  It was an emergency meeting, unexpectedly held at a hospital in Salisbury, MD. There was no agenda, no rules of conduct, no taker of minutes, and no “action items” to follow up [...]
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  Posted: August 28, 2009, 5:54pm EDT
  

• Howard Dean Gives an Honest Answer to an Honest Question !

  The questioner wanted to know why tort reform is not a part of any of the current healthcare reform bills. He got an honest answer from Howard Dean:
  
  
  
  "And the reason why tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote it did" [...]
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  Posted: August 27, 2009, 6:07pm EDT
  

• Who Could Possibly Not Love This Lineup?

  On Saturday, September 5th, the 102 Arden Fair will commence ! We go to it every year to catch up with friends and family as a traditional end of summer.
  
  It is always a great time. In addition to the crafts, folk dancing, and rides for kids there [...]
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  Posted: August 26, 2009, 6:22pm EDT
  

• H. Res. 216 - The Sunlight Rule

  Introduced by Congressman Ron Paul on 3/5/2009, H.R. 216 is just plain common sense to me:
  
  Adds Rule XXIX (Time to Read Legislation Before Voting) to the Rules of the House of Representatives to prohibit voting by the House on legislation between the chambers unless: (1) the text [...]
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  Posted: August 24, 2009, 6:01pm EDT
  

• On Wee-Wee's

  In recent remarks on healthcare reform, President Obama said,
  
  "There's something about August going into September where everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up. I don't know what it is. But that's what happens."Really? People get “wee-weed up”? What does that even mean?
  
  When Sarah Palin says,' [...]
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  Posted: August 24, 2009, 5:30pm EDT
  

• 4th Annual POW/MIA Remembrance Day Run

  Saturday, August 29th.
  
  All proceeds from the run will benefit POW/MIA of Delaware Monument.
  
  Sign up point Dover AFB AMC Museum from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Breakfast sandwiches available at sign up from Harrington CKRT American Legion Post 7.
  
  $20.00 per bike.
  
  Ceremony starting [...]
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  Posted: August 22, 2009, 12:18pm EDT
  

• Lou and Betsy are What Make This Country Great: How Long Can They Last?

  Philadelphia is a city of food carts. They are on every street, of all different variations of cuisine from all over the world.
  
  For over ten years, I have been getting my breakfast sandwich (ham, egg and cheese on a roll, large coffee/2 creams 1 [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2009, 6:41pm EDT
  

• We're a Nation of Barney Fifes

  [...]
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  Posted: August 16, 2009, 5:25pm EDT
  

• You Really Should Bookmark Keith Hennessey

  To stay informed on all things economic:
  
  In the spirit of informed and vigorous debate, let’s look at what the President said about the pending legislation at yesterday’s Portsmouth town hall.
  
  THE PRESIDENT: Now, let me just start by setting the record straight on a few [...]
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  Posted: August 12, 2009, 5:57pm EDT
  

• Oh, For the Good Old Days When Protestors Had Some Real Class !

  
  
  h/t Michelle Malkin
  [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2009, 10:22am EDT
  

• New Castle Resident Mark Hedrick, US Army, Is Coming Home from Iraq Today

  And Warriors’ Watch will be meeting him at the airport to give him an escort home.
  
  Welcome Home rides are the best. You just feel so happy not just for the service man or woman returning from duty, but their family as well. I don’t always get [...]
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  Posted: August 09, 2009, 9:20am EDT
  

• Watchyoo Talkin About, Willis?

  It is amazing to me that many of those in the health care debate appear to not realize that there are at least five versions of so-called “reform”, and that even the most discussed, H.R. 3200, has been referred to five committees and has been marked up to the extent [...]
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  Posted: August 08, 2009, 2:47pm EDT
  

• Joe Biden Said That?

  Heh.
  
  It was bound to happen.
  
  h/t The Whited Sepulchre [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 6:59pm EDT
  

• People Can Fool You Sometimes

  On our recent camping trip to the Skyline Drive, we encountered quite a few bikers. In fact, I could almost say there were just as many motorcyclists as there were cars.
  
  As it happens, people with a common interest often end up talking to each other about this and [...]
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  Posted: August 05, 2009, 6:56pm EDT
  

• New Castle 100 Archers Benefit Raffle

  New Castle 100 Archers is holding a benefit raffle to help support Youth Archery programs and the indoor archery range.
  
  The drawing will be held Sunday, October 25th at 1:00 P.M.at New Castle 100 Archers, Sunset Lake Rd., Newark, DE.
  
  The lucky winner need not be [...]
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  Posted: July 28, 2009, 2:44pm EDT
  

• At Long Last, An Honest Politician !

  Representative John Conyers (D-MI), seems a little bit overwhelmed by the 1,000-plus House health bill.
  
  Sure thing, we should pass this and pass it fast:
  “What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out [...]
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  Posted: July 28, 2009, 1:34pm EDT
  

• A Little Getaway Planned

  We’re getting ready for our camping trip on the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway.
  
  I’ve always loved to camp. As a young family, my Mom and Dad would haul us five kids all over the place in Virginia and West Virginia. Sometimes we got a cabin, other times we roughed [...]
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  Posted: July 28, 2009, 11:23am EDT
  

• 4th Annual Cpl. Brandon M. Hardy Memorial Ride - Video

  I wrote earlier about the 4th annual Brandon M. Hardy Memorial Scholarship ride that we did last weekend.
  
  Here’s a video of the ride…part still-pics, part video, with some familiar background music.
  
  We will never forget Brandon Hardy. Ever.
  [...]
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  Posted: July 24, 2009, 6:43pm EDT
  

• When the Chips are Down, Even California Sez:

  Drill, baby, drill !
  
  The most interesting part of the agreement was the reopening of Santa Barbara’s coastline to off-shore drilling. That will raise $100 million a year, which the Drill Here - Drill Now contingent has insisted would help the state balance its budget while lowering the [...]
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  Posted: July 23, 2009, 6:45pm EDT
  

• Know Any Lesbian Alcoholics?

  Well, take heart ! Our friends at the National Institute of Health are here to help:
  
  The UIC College of Nursing has received a $3 million federal grant to continue research to identify risk factors for excessive drinking among lesbians. Three million dollars? Sounds like some researchers extending [...]
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  Posted: July 22, 2009, 6:51pm EDT
  

• James Brown Comes Back from the Dead to File Ethics Complaint Against Sarah Palin

  Even the King of Soul is getting into the act.
  Alaskan Ray Ward, a James Brown fan and impersonator (who once actually sued James Brown) filed an ethics complaint against Sarah Palin, claiming she has been paid for radio and television interviews dating back [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2009, 7:18pm EDT
  

• Is that a stimulus package in your pants, or are you just happy to tax me?

  The People’s Cube tells us everything we need to know about the economic stimulus package. If you are “insecure about the pork in your portfolio”, just take a gander at Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement:
  
  The size of your Stimulus Package is everything when it comes to impressing [...]
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  Posted: July 21, 2009, 6:00pm EDT
  

• Welcome to the Blogosphere !

  On a tip from The Mourning Constitution, I have added Sussex County Angel to the Delaware blogroll.
  
  Welcome, Angel ! [...]
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  Posted: July 20, 2009, 6:03pm EDT
  

• 4th Annual Cpl. Brandon M. Hardy Memorial Scholarship Motorcycle Ride

  What a great turnout today ! There were over 200 bikers who showed up for this worthy cause in memory and honor of Corporal Brandon M. Hardy who was KIA in Al Anbar, Iraq on April 28th, 2006. We've been to every one, and I've blogged about the event [...]
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  Posted: July 18, 2009, 6:40pm EDT
  

• 'Nuff Said

  This says it all:

  Douglas Elmendorf, chief of the Congressional Budget Office, said this of the leading Democratic health care proposals in the House and Senate:

  "In the legislation that has been reported, we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory" [...]

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  Posted: July 17, 2009, 5:07pm EDT
  

• Husband of Democratic Candidate for Senate District 19 States Position on Motorcycle Helmet Law

  Gary Hilderbrand, Legislative Coordinator for ABATE of Delaware, recently sent a letter to all four announced candidates for the District 19 Senate seat.

  As you may or may not know, a legislator from time to time will introduce a bill requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets. ABATE of Delaware [...]

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  Posted: July 17, 2009, 5:01pm EDT
  

• Independent Candidate for Senate District 19 States Position on Motorcycle Helmet Laws

  Gary Hilderbrand, Legislative Coordinator for ABATE of Delaware, recently sent a letter to all four announced candidates for the District 19 Senate seat.
  
  As you may or may not know, a legislator from time to time will introduce a bill requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets. ABATE [...]
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  Posted: July 17, 2009, 4:47pm EDT
  

• Libertarian Candidate for Senate District 19 States Position on Motorcycle Helmet Laws

  Gary Hilderbrand, Legislative Coordinator for ABATE of Delaware, recently sent a letter to all four announced candidates for the District 19 Senate seat.
  
  As you may or may not know, a legislator from time to time will introduce a bill requiring all motorcyclists to wear helmets. ABATE [...]
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  Posted: July 15, 2009, 5:58pm EDT
  

• Planning a New Tattoo

  I'm planning on a new tattoo. For professional reasons, I can't be inked up where it would be visible, but I'm just kind of in the mood and am thinking of one for my left shoulder blade.
  
  I had something in mind, and scoured the internet for ideas. I' [...]
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  Posted: July 14, 2009, 7:11pm EDT
  

• Sarah Palin's Resignation Explained

  [...]
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  Posted: July 12, 2009, 3:06pm EDT
  

• Larry Binger in Today's News Journal

  I'm so proud to know Larry. Be sure to read the story and watch the video.
  
  ' [...]
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  Posted: July 11, 2009, 7:28am EDT
  

• Plenty of Palin Goin' On

  The mainstream media and blogosphere are agog with commentary on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s recent announcement. If it wasn’t for the death of Michael Jackson we might have had to absorb even more. The commentaries ranged from snarky vilification, syncophantic sympathy, and a guarded watchfulness.
  
  I am not an [...]
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  Posted: July 08, 2009, 7:11pm EDT
  

• From the Inbox: New Government Accountability Website Launched in Delaware

  Update from the Caesar Rodney Institute:
  
  You pay a lot in taxes!
  
  Wouldn't you like to know what your elected officials and bureaucrats do with your hard-earned dollars?
  
  What have our state and local governments, from local schools to the bureaucracy in Dover, been doing with' [...]
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  Posted: July 07, 2009, 6:37pm EDT
  

• San Franciso Chronicle to Unions: NIMBY

  From a state that for all intents and purposes is leading the direction of this country, can you see the irony?
  
  The San Francisco Chronicle announced that they would stop publishing their newspaper at their aging, unionized printing plant and instead outsource the printing to a Canadian owned, [...]

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  Posted: July 06, 2009, 6:48pm EDT
  

• Hitler Finds Out Michael Jackson Has Died: Changes FB Status

  [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 1:01pm EDT
  

• TEA Parties From All Over !

  Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit blogger, has reports and pictures from TEA Parties around the country over the past few days.
  
  Albuquerque, Washington DC, Fresno, Oklahoma City, Bismarck, Louisville, Asheville NC, Reno, Philadelphia
  
  Perrysburgh OH, Bel Air MD, Washington DC, Pittsburg, Fayetteville, Kansas City, Lansing, Hernando MS, [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 7:35am EDT
  

• Idiot Blogger Put on Notice by Palin Attorneys

  Full text here (PDF, 4 pages):
  
  To the extent several websites, most notably liberal Alaska blogger Shannyn Moore, are now claiming as “fact” that Governor Palin resigned because she is “under federal investigation” for embezzlement or other criminal wrongdoing, we will be exploring legal options this week to
  [...]
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  Posted: July 05, 2009, 6:56am EDT
  

• Jesus Was a Treasonous Teabagger

  I wonder how Jesus would have made out in today's times. He would certainly have been subject to some ridicule in the MSM. Just a dang rowdy teabagger, I guess:
  
  From Matthew, Chapter 10:
  
  Verse 16: Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of [...]
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  Posted: July 03, 2009, 2:14pm EDT
  

• I Envy Those Who Have All the Answers: I Have Only Questions

  I envy the professional bloviators in the mainstream media who have all of the answers. You know who they are: the usual suspects at MSNBC, FOX, CNN. All of those people with tingly feelings and cigar cravings. I don’t watch television opinion pieces [...]
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  Posted: July 02, 2009, 12:27pm EDT
  

• John Galt is Wondering: What Took You So Long?

  No matter how hard the mainstream tries to gush a positive spin on the Obama economy, let’s face it: the so-called stimulus bill is a failure. It is not doing anything to “help” the economy or “create” jobs, and things are progressively going downhill, much like what would have [...]
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  Posted: July 02, 2009, 7:34am EDT
  

• Well, At Least It Wasn't a Government-Funded Study...

  A survey by Church and Dwight Co., Inc. (maker of Trojan, uh, sexual health products) indicates that about half of all Americans use vibrators:
  
  About half of American adults indicate using a vibrator, according to a new survey that sheds light on acts that take place beneath the [...]
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  Posted: June 29, 2009, 5:51pm EDT
  

• Larry's Packing His Gear for Spokane !

  
  I can’t believe it has been a year, but it is time again for Delaware’s own Rolling Sportsman, Newark resident Larry Binger, to be heading out to the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
  
  This is the 29th anniversary of the games, which will [...]
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  Posted: June 25, 2009, 5:52pm EDT
  

• Say It Ain't So, Mike

  From Political Wire today:
  
  Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) -- who may run for U.S. Senate, re-election or simply retire -- made a curious comment picked up by Philadelphia Business Today.
  
  Said Castle: "They've asked me to run for the Senate as a Republican. I don't know" [...]
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  Posted: June 24, 2009, 7:14pm EDT
  

• To Congressman Castle Re: H.R. 2454, "American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009"

  Sent this morning to Congressman Castle's website:
  
  Dear Congressman Castle,
  
  I would like to express my total and vehement opposition to H.R. 2454, the boondoggle of a bill oddly titled the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009”.
  
  The fact that it is now over [...]
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  Posted: June 24, 2009, 6:15pm EDT
  

• These Weird Internet Tubes Are At It Again: Chautauqua

  Once again a weird confluence of coincidences (or are they?) in these internet tubes has allowed me to discover new things, opened up a new concept, and smile in wonder at how seemingly disparate events can come together in a matter of days from the most unusual and unlikely of [...]
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  Posted: June 23, 2009, 7:27pm EDT
  

• Put This in the "I Wish I Had Said That" Category

  Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit fame opines on the nature of blogging in an interview with The Atlantic:
  
  More seriously, I find that there are a lot of very interesting and well-informed people on the Internet, but that they tend to be drowned out by the obnoxious trolls. [...]
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  Posted: June 23, 2009, 5:54pm EDT