I haven’t written anything about “climate-gate” and I’m not likely to write much on it – although if you’re interested, you can find the dump of emails and source code that everyone’s talking about here. Before you go and download the file [...]
Last week I wrote an article for the Grizzly Groundswell asking the question “What are we fighting for”. In that article I outlined my vision for our government, and I presented a plan for achieving that vision.
We must educate the American [...]Today I’m doing those last minute things I’ve been putting off for altogether too long. Tomorrow I leave for Salt Lake City, bright and early in the morning. I’ll stop somewhere along the way tomorrow night, and make the final push on Sunday. I expect to be in Salt Lake [...]
Do you think about what you read? Do you think about the positions you take and consider them carefully with regard to basic principles? Or do you listen to what others have to say and parrot that? Do you get your opinions from the radio? Are your ideals driven by [...]
Tonight, I saw a conservative blogger with an internet radio program ask the question “Do terrorist[s] have the same right[s] as an American”. The very first response I read was “hell no”. Another person said “In a patriotic America: NO, but in Obummer America: yes!”
I’m afraid I have to take [...]
After a short absence the Grizzly Groundswell is back. This is a shameless plug for a conservative website that has won a golden Sammy award – before being knocked off the web for a while. Go give them a visit and a read. Hopefully you’ll find it worth your [...]
It seems to me that in at least four “major” elections recently there have been some rather strange post-election goings on. OK, I know that it’s a lot more than just four– we can probably go back to the invention of the ballot to find accusations of voter fraud – [...]
I just responded to a comment left by Debbie on my previous post. Thinking about it for a moment, I’ve come to realize that all of the attention I’ve been putting on our founding documents and that we put on national politics isn’t enough, so I’ve decided to reproduce that [...]
Yes, you read that heading correctly. That’s what I believe that the Constitution originally established, and for the purposes of this part of the discussion, I’m referring to the unamended Constitution. I plan to talk about the amendments [...]
“Don’t trust e-mail attachments.” “Don’t click on links you find in unsolicited e-mail.” These are two warnings I’ve given in recent posts, and for good reason. There are people in the world with a malicious bent that are intent upon gaining access to your personal information, or even to your [...]
We’ve finally had a couple of days of semi-decent weather in a row out here and I was able to get back to working on my car. I’ve managed to get it running – that was an adventure after five years of sitting in the garage. Ultimately the solution to [...]
I use a URL rewriter library to set up my permalink URLs. I did this for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is that it allows me to provide you with a simple way to get to my archive. For example, the URL for this post should be [...]
This Veteran’s Day I would like to thank all Veterans for their service to our country. You fill a great need and are often underappreciated by the people that you have protected and served. There are some that think we don’t need you, but the founders of this great nation [...]
I keep getting these in my e-mail. I’ve probably received about two dozen of them in the last month or so. The thing is, I know they’re fraudulent.
Notice of Underreported IncomeThe following post was published about a year and a half ago – well before the economy collapsed near the end of George W. Bush’s presidential term. The post remains unchanged here, except I took out the horizontal lines within it.
How’s that “hope” and “change” working out?
The socialist elite [...]
I will get back to my series of posts on “First principles” fairly soon, but in the meantime this came up and I just had to say something. Jeff Jacoby writes…
Those who fulminate against letting voters periodically vote on ballot measures believe that citizens are too dumb to judge [...]
All men are created equal. Thomas Jefferson, and the other fifty five members of the Continental Congress that signed the Declaration of Independence agreed that this is a self-evident truth. In fact, it is the first of [...]
“The first and governing maxim in the interpretation of a statute is to discover the meaning of those who made it.”
— James Wilson, Of the Study of Law in the United States, 1790
“[T]he present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling. Under its banners, bona fide must [...]
For reason’s I’m not quite ready to disclose to the general public yet (nothing bad though), I may not be home this Thanksgiving. Since that’s a distinct possibility, my wife decided that yesterday would be a good day to celebrate. We had the traditional American Thanksgiving day feast.
“Weird Al” Yankovic has a fun song named “Virus Alert”. In the song he describes a particularly noxious computer virus that can do all sorts of terrible things both inside cyberspace and outside. This improbably powerful virus is described in one of those popular chain emails and has absolutely ridiculous [...]
Before you continue – a warning. This is a VERY long post. Many of you will be tempted to ignore it because of the length. That’s fine. If you stick with it, I think it will be worth your time, but that’s just my opinion. If you actually read it, [...]
If you ever needed proof that politicians don’t truly represent the people, but instead represent their pocketbooks and their “legacy,” all you have to do is look at the agreement signed by Washington’s governor “Chris” Gregoire and Seattle’s mayor Greg Nickels. If you need [...]
OK, so the plan for today was to replace the brake fluid and bleed the brakes, then to drive the car around the block to make sure things were OK before taking the car on a brief shakedown cruise. One of the reasons for replacing the brake fluid was that [...]
I suppose I should have expected this when I posted last night. After all, I did check the forecast and it did warn me. The plan for the day was to change the brake fluid, bleed the brakes, take the car once or twice around the block and then wash [...]
Three and a half weeks ago I wrote about cars, the street rod I want to build, the Mustang I’m still trying to get titled, and my Corvette. If you recall, I had just pushed the car out of the garage and washed it. The car had been sitting [...]
If you read this blog at all, you know that I’m absolutely against government funded healthcare programs – at least at the federal level. The Constitution doesn’t authorize them so we shouldn’t even be having the debate about whose plan is better, or whether the program will [...]
Instant messaging software is handy to have to communicate with friends and associates. I use three different messaging clients and services, primarily Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger. I also use AOL Instant Messenger and Skype, but I don’t use Yahoo’s messenger. I use these different versions of messenger to communicate with [...]
Sunday night at 8:00 P.M. Eastern you can watch “Not Evil, Just Wrong” right here.
Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV
”Not Evil, Just Wrong.” I have to wonder about that title, especially when some of those “not evil” people refuse to acknowledge things like [...]
My friend Karma sent me this in email. I got a good laugh out of it, and thought you might as well…
OLD BUTCH
John was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs. He kept records, [...]
Yesterday, October 13, 2009 marked the third anniversary of this blog. The very first posting to this blog remarked upon the alleged “right wing smear job” perpetrated by a Democrat against a Democrat. My second posting was about the call for “some sort of climate Nuremberg” by people who seem [...]
Allegedly, we are a nation governed by laws, the United States Constitution being the supreme law of the land. We’re not supposed to be governed by special interests, no matter how “well meaning” they are. Nevertheless, it’s plain that we are not a nation governed by laws, but by the [...]
My wife and I have plans for two new vehicles for the stable. She wants a Harley three wheeler, and I want a street rod. We’ve been talking about this for a while, and we were planning on waiting until we managed to sell the house and move to Tennessee, [...]
My wife and I are football fans. More specifically, we’re Seattle Seahawk fans. We used to hold season tickets back when the team played in the old concrete hamburger known as the King Dome, and while they played at Husky Stadium, and for the first season in the new stadium. [...]
As you know if you read my last post, I celebrated my 50th birthday and my 18th wedding anniversary recently. Part of that celebration included a trip to the Oregon coast.
We stayed in Lincoln City (near where my in-laws live). But, that wasn’t [...]
I celebrate two (actually three) very important occasions today. OK, one day (actually two) of importance to only a few, and one that should be important to us all.
Today, I turn 50. That’s right, I’ve been wandering about this planet now for half a century. I’m sure there was a [...]
Once again, my dad has forwarded me an interesting piece of email. It’s worth a look I believe…
Cash for clunkersA vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline.
A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons [...]
First the good news. The teachers are back to work. I dropped my son off at school at 7:30 this morning. For him at least this should be good news. We put him into one of the best schools in the school district, and expect him to do well there [...]
I believe I noted a few days ago that the Kent Education Association is a criminal organization. They, and the teachers that are their members, are in fact teaching an important lesson to the children of the Kent School District.
“It is [...]
It’s been known to happen. I seem to recall quite vividly the events that took place eight years ago today. I still seethe with anger when I think about them.
One thing I don’t remember is during the first seven years after that horrific act of war against our nation – [...]
Good advice is seldom heeded until it’s too late. Take for example this advice from Thomas Jefferson.
“Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public [...]
The leaders of the Kent Educational Association belong in jail. In the State of Washington, public school teachers are considered public employees. Public employees in Washington have no legal right to strike. School was supposed to begin on August 31, 2009, and yet it still has not begun.
This disrupts parent’s [...]
Well, there’s apparently at least one area where the government can run a business better than private industry. Boeing recently won a ruling in the WTO that the subsidies given to Airbus were illegal. Airbus, unable to compete with Boeing on its own had to rely on European Union subsidies [...]
I’ve finished my first piece of chain maille. It’s a ten by ten square of maille made from galvanized steel rings that came in a kit provided by Horse ‘n’ Round. Altogether it took about four or five hours to make, in the idle moments [...]
Cindy, my wife’s coworker and the woman that introduced us to Scottish Country Dancing, and her brothers really get into science fiction and fantasy. Earlier this year they dragged (Is that really what happened, or did we go voluntarily? I think it was the latter.) us out to [...]
Well, we’ve finished with the 63rd Annual Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering. As I predicted, it was indeed a lot of fun, although it was still rather warm weather (for here). The [...]
Even a stopped clock tells the correct time twice a day. The lucky ones get it right three times a day on leap year. And, like a stopped clock, the Obama administration occasionally gets it right too…
HOUSTON — [...]
The clan representatives carried their unlit torches out onto the field. The chieftain lit his torch from the fire that was lit upon the hilltop to call the clans together. He then lit the central torch. From this the flame was transferred to each of the clans. Then amidst the [...]
Who says that the people on the opposite side of the aisle don’t read the founding fathers for inspiration? As I was reading the Friday Digest from The Patriot Post this morning, I realized that it’s [...]
My wife works as a home care nurse. She frequently ends up taking care of patients in Pierce County, near Bonnie Lake and Buckley. She knows how much of a fan of Mt. Rainier I am, so tonight after dinner, we took a drive down to highway 410 to get [...]
It’s an outrage when a business engages in deceptive marketing tactics to inflate its profits. It’s so outrageous that the federal government has even dedicated a part of its bureaucracy to looking at claims of false advertising and punishing the companies that engage in it.
On the other hand, I guess [...]
The “most trusted man in America” is gone. According to the Seattle Post Intelligencer…
NEW YORK -- Walter Cronkite, the premier TV anchorman of the networks' golden age who reported a tumultuous time with reassuring authority and came to be called "the'" [...]
If there’s one thing I love about living in Western Washington, it’s the spectacular scenery. Every Monday night, my wife and I drive out to Enumclaw on our way to dance practice. On the way we pass by Krain Corner, a location with a fabulous view of farmland, rolling hills, [...]
That’s the question I’d like to consider for a while. Of course the question itself may be suspect to some people. In asking this particular question I’m assuming that America is great, and I’m well aware that there are some people in America today that just don’t accept that premise. [...]
I’m a conservative or a “right wing extremist” as characterized by some in our government. I’m not quite as “right wing” as the John Birch society, but in this instance, I agree with them one hundred percent…
[...]
There are occasions when a man just has to get away for one reason or another. Such an occasion occurred for me yesterday, and so I returned to a place I wandered about a few years ago under similar circumstances. Last time I went there, I had a cell phone [...]
As you know, from time to time I get some interesting tidbits in email and share them here. Here's yet another, with some minor reformatting…
(But Only To A Few)
Where It All BeganA little girl wrote to Sarah Palin and asked; 'How did the' [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to drive up the cost of energy on Friday. There’s really no other way that this should be said, unless you believe in or are invested in the propaganda regarding anthropogenic climate change.
The [...]
That’s right. Three quarters of us are apparently idiots, duped by politicians and an alarmist media into believing that by reducing our so-called “greenhouse gas” emissions we can do something about “climate change.” That’s according to a Washington Post [...]
I think that today's Founders Quote Daily from the Patriot Post should stand as an indictment to our generation…
“As parents, we can have no joy, knowing that this government is not sufficiently lasting to ensure any thing which we may bequeath to posterity: And [...]
That’s what might happen if we continue to pursue the “two state” solution to the Palestinian – Israeli conflict. It turns out that al Qaeda has an active cell in Gaza. Strangely, these “Palestinians” don’t seem to even recognize one of their staunchest allies – Jimmy Carter.
Perhaps one of [...]
Israel and Palestine? That’s really a non-starter. They tried that solution in the beginning. Israel got her state. The Palestinians refused, unwilling to live in their own state alongside a Jewish nation. The result has been a long “peace process” punctuated by the occasional cease-fire.
Not that it will do much [...]
I think this explains last November quite well…
I was just watching a commercial for a new program starring Jay Leno. He was doing one of those “man on the street” type of bits and he asked a woman “Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?”
“I have no idea” was her reply.
Jay [...]
About a year ago, I wrote the following posting. Nothing in it has really changed since, and it was one of my more popular postings, so I present it here again.
After a few years of serious thought on the subject, I've come to an inescapable conclusion: The United States' [...]
That’s the way it works in Seattle according to the Seattle Times…
…tourists or those simply unfamiliar with downtown streets are being hit the hardest by the tows, thanks in part to pay stations that allow drivers to purchase parking through 6 p.m., despite signs that say otherwise.
That’s right. The [...]
I’ve made the comparison here and in other places on several occasions that our federal government is looking more and more like the communist ideal. I’ve said that what we are living under is less a constitutional republic than a socialist state.
After all, our judges no longer honor the plain [...]
As a person struggling to learn a second language (Gàidhlig na h-Alba), I find that my perspective on the “official English” debate has altered a bit. I was required to take a foreign language course in middle school (I took French), but I didn’t really have to pass it. Today [...]
I believe I mentioned that I’ve picked up a few new activities. One of them, which I’ve remarked on before is Scottish Country Dancing. My wife and I joined the Plateau Scottish Country Dancers last fall, and we’ve been learning what we can, in preparation for the highland games this [...]
Yes, I’ve been gone a while. At first it was because things were getting really busy. Then it was because of problems with my computer. After a couple of weeks, I simply got out of the habit, and into other habits. I think I’ll spare myself and you the details, [...]
Even a four year old understands, at least in this cute video. Now if only we could teach this to a few people in their twenties and thirties.
I wonder sometimes about those people in their twenties and thirties. Conversations with one twenty-three year old leave me in near despair at [...]
My friend Karma forwarded an interesting piece of e-mail with a proposed solution to the economic problems we're having. According to the original e-mail this was a suggestion from a respondent to an article in the St. Petersburg Times business section.
Dear Mr. President,
Patriotic retirement: There are about 40 million people' [...]
I participate in opinion polls from time to time. One of the polling companies sends quick results of their polls to panelist via email after every poll is complete.
I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about President Obama’s call to have Rick Waggoner, GM’s former chief executive resign. I can [...]
A visitor to the site sent me the following information in e-mail regarding a recent posting here. I always want to give credit where it is due, and now, thanks to Peter Czukor I can.
Perri,
If you'd like to credit the photographer of the eagles diving at' [...]
On behalf of myself, and of like minded individuals, I hereby apologize to my children, to my granddaughter, and to the children of future generations. I know that I and my generation have squandered one of the greatest legacies ever given to a generation of humanity and saddled you with [...]
Months ago (just after the inauguration) I visited the White House web site and used their comment form to voice my objections to several of the agenda items and other statements that were published there. Today I have finally received a response.
Dear Perri Nelson:
Thank you for your recent note, and [...]
The Star Wars series of movies is a well known part of our popular culture. As most of you know (unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past thirty years or so), the series began in the middle with Episode IV: A New Hope. [...]
A coworker of mine forwarded this to me (via email) at work. I wish I knew who the original source of the pictures and text was, but I don’t. Still, it was rather cool, so I reproduce it below, with a small amount of formatting. [Update: Peter Czukor sent me [...]
This is the latest I personally have ever seen it snow in Washington. Well, except for a few years ago when I ran into a snow-shower on Tiger Mountain in June.
I love snow, especially when I’m watching it from indoors and don’t have to drive anyplace. Sidney loves it too. [...]
O.K. I admit it. I’ve long been a fan of Marx. I know that he’s a relic of a bygone era, but he had talent and ability that I wish I had when I’m trying to articulate my thoughts.
Oh, I’m certainly not talking about the Marx that appears to inspire [...]
Article I, section 9 of the Constitution ends with this paragraph…
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any [...]
According to The Hill… “The Senate voted to pass the DC Voting Rights Act on Thursday which would add a voting member of the House of Representatives to the District and Utah.” I remarked earlier this week [...]
Once again my dad has sent me some humorous email with a point, and once again, I reproduce it here with only minor formatting.
Shortly after class, an economics student approaches his economics professor and says, “I don't understand this stimulus bill. Can you explain it to me?”
The professor replied, “I' [...]
People For the American Way Public Policy Department Legislative Representative Jen Herrick has posted a blog entry on The Hill Blog. Jen is excited that our Congress is about to enact a blatant violation of the Constitution.
Long lines at the polls [...]
Today's Monday Brief from the Patriot Post has a wonderful quotation. Would that our representatives heeded these words of wisdom.
“You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. You cannot strengthen the weak by [...]
My dad sent me another email that I found funny and worth sharing, so here it is (with just a minor amount of re-formatting).
JOB - URINE TESTLike a lot of folks in the U.S.A., have a job. I work hard for my money (kinda), then they pay me for my [...]
I believe I've mentioned before that my wife and I have joined the Plateau Scottish Country Dancers in order to learn Scottish Country Dancing and to have a good time. Last month, we attended the Burns Night celebration hosted by the Tacoma Scots Pipe Band and some of us' [...]
How many ways can there be to say that something's either good for us or bad for us? I know that some issues arouse a lot of passion, but eventually reading dozens of rants about the same subject gets dull and passion wanes. This isn't necessarily a good thing. Some' [...]
The giant so-called “stimulus” package has got me thinking about why it is that we see so much “pork” in the federal budget. That has led me to believe that the sixteenth amendment to the Constitution was one of the most ill-conceived ideas to come [...]
My dad sent this in e–mail. I don't know for certain about the John Kennedy quote, but I have seen it attributed to him. I've added updated notes to the Jefferson quotes, based on what I could find about them.
I've always liked Thomas Jefferson!
John Kennedy once said to an assembled' [...]
Just saw a link to this up on twitter. A tip of the hat to @acmaurer.
WASHINGTON -- Tom Daschle has withdrawn his name from consideration for secretary of Health and Human Services, the Associated Press reports.
Now maybe we can get this [...]
As you may recall, I recently experienced a trip to the hospital. It wasn't the most pleasant experience I've had in my life to this point. The bills for my lodging and care have begun arriving in the mail in the last week or so. I'm [...]
In his inaugural address, President Obama had this to say…
“To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;”
I have to wonder… was he listening to himself? Or was it “[...]
In the movie The 6th Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger's character considers buying a clone to replace his daughters dog. The company he approached for making the purchase was RePet.
Well, they say life mimics art. Now we know that it [...]
Scott Gottlieb, writing for the Wall Street Journal points to another hidden evil in the so-called “stimulus” package being pushed by the Democrats…
In Britain, a government agency evaluates new medical products for their “cost effectiveness” before citizens can get access to them. [...]
Does everyone remember the outrage over the $1.2 million that Merrill Lynch spent to upgrade its executive offices? How about the outrage over that $50 million corporate jet for CITI? You know, the one — the one that CITI had ordered quite some time back, and ended up canceling the [...]
Normally, snow happens here once a year. We've done a little better than that this year. Temperatures have been hovering around freezing for the last couple of days, and this is what I saw this morning when I managed to pump enough caffeine into my system to notice my surroundings.
One of my readers, JMB asked this question (reformatted, but otherwise left intact)…
“I read Mr, Walter Williams article, as you had seggested, and I have some questions that maybe you can anser for me...
“Would not our States have, in 1787, fully understood, that if any of them were to [...]
The left has got a legitimate complaint. There really are pressing social problems that need to be solved in our country and our world today. There really does seem to be a serious problem with our national economy, as well as the world economy. Despite the fact that America has [...]
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