Hostess strike: A joke and a menu change

As seen on various websites:

You may have heard that Hostess Bakery plants shut down due to a
workers' strike. But you may not have heard how It was split up.

The State Department hired all the Twinkies, the Secret Service hired
all the HoHos, the generals are sleeping with the Cupcakes and the
voters sent all the Ding Dongs to Congress. 

On a more serious note, I see Gwinnett County school cafeterias had to shuffle today's menu. WSB Radio notes:

There will be no hot dogs served in Gwinnett County schools today due to Hostess shuttering its doors.

Obama inspires French socialist

“Barack Obama's nationalized. The Germans are nationalizing. All countries are nationalizing. I've also noticed the British nationalized 6 banks.”

Romney and Obama

In his heart, it seems Mitt Romney never shed his progressive roots. Or perhaps Mr. Romney is simply naive as he lends credence to the president.

White House Photo

The Romney-Obama photo reminds me of another. One shot in 1938 as British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with the leader and chancellor of Germany. Not every gesture of good will means something good lies ahead.

Mr. Romney likely meant well by today's handshake at the White House. Mr Chamberlain meant well too. But attempts at appeasement or concession often carry a high price down the road and, at the very least, that's what Mr. Romney's gesture looks like.

I'd feel better about having voted for Mitt Romney if I knew for sure his talk about conservative values was more than just election rhetoric. I'd feel better about the Republican Party if its 2012 nominee didn't look so eager to endorse a president and an agenda he supposedly campaigned against for the past two years.

Plenty to talk about this week

Coming up on Friday's (November 30) Don and Doug:

We've noticed a preposterous new campaign by progressives to vilify evangelical Christians and Republicans as the root cause of America's civil war. Have they thought this one through?

We're seeing plenty of posturing over the so-called fiscal cliff. But can any of it save America from the fiscal abyss?

And we'll talk guns. Black Friday broke another sales record. Ammo inventories are  spotty at many retailers. We'll attempt to connect some dots and identify trends. And after shooting one for the first time this week, I'll share my slightly revised opinion about AR type rifles.

The program starts at 1:00 o'clock Friday afternoon on TalkSouthRadio.

What's the hold up?

GOP senators block bill that would open more federal land for hunting, and protect ammunition from EPA regulation.

To be fair, shouldn't the article have provided some detail about what Republicans object to?

Not all new shooters are buying new guns

Had a brief conversation with a fellow customer at a big box sporting goods store last night.

We were both browsing in the firearms section. He was a guy who's long had a couple of firearms, but I got the idea he hasn't shot them much.

He asked me a question about scope mounts. He wanted a set to upgrade a Ruger 10/22 for his sons. He also spoke of teaching them to shoot an old .410 shotgun that had been passed down from his uncle.

FBI stats documenting retail gun sales tell just part of the story of shooting's rising popularity. Families passing down legacy firearms from one generation to the next.  Some families are rediscovering long dormant firearms that have been in closets or attics for years.

You don't need something new or fancy to get started with the basics.

NPR: Evangelical Christianity caused America's Civil War

If you listened to NPR's Morning Edition today, you would have received this bit of commentary under the guise of a book review:

...There didn't need to be war to solve the problem of slavery and the union. What he felt drove the nation to war was the sort of exponential growth in both the north and the south of evangelical Christianity.

The review also seems to set the stage for blaming evangelical Christians for the divide in today's America as well.

Welcome back to recession.

From Zero Hedge:

To summarize: according to one of the least susceptible to manipulation indicators of US economic strength and growth, the US economy is now in a recession.

More guns, less crime

In Virginia, gun related violent crime drops as gun sales soar. And it's a six year trend, says a university professor's study.

Time to lose the muddled message

Bill Whittle makes a simple point. Republicans don't champion the values they claim to.


Is it too late to bring the party, and the country, back to the models of enterprise and liberty they were founded on?

Red Friday

The U.S. Treasury borrowed another $24 billion last Friday. 

We're paying a huge price so that government can maintain a facade of normalcy.

Friday was a record breaker

From the Bangor Daily News:

Even with the glitches, a record number of guns were sold on Black Friday all across the country, Stephen G. Fischer Jr., director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, said Monday.

154,873 transactions were recorded Friday. That's nearly 20 pcernet over 2011's Black Friday record breaker.

I didn't shop on Friday, but I did hit a few firearms retailers yesterday. The guys around here still seemed to be doing a brisk business. Most stores looked relatively well stocked. But there were plenty of empty spots in the ammo cases at a couple of Walmart stores I spot checked.

Silent yet deadly ammunition

It's something new on the government's ammo wish list.

From Wired.com:

In its latest round of small-business solicitations, the Pentagon’s Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, is seeking out subsonic ammunition. The reason, according to the solicitation, is to ”provide superior covert and stealth capabilities” for not only the military, but police forces and the Department of Homeland Security.

"It means we can't sell no damn guns"

Gun dealers in Maine were upset as they outted apparent crashes of the FBI's Instant Background Check system for prospective gun buyers, according to the Bangor Daily News.

"High call volumes caused 'intermittent outages' in the system, an FBI spokesman confirmed Friday afternoon," according to the newspaper's website. 

According to Ammoland.com, Black Friday had the potential to break all one-day sales records. The most checks ever conducted in a single day occurred November 26, 2011, when more than 129,000 were made by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

Were Friday's sales below last year's record? If so, how much did sputtering FBI computers contribute to any decline?

Christmas cash for Ruger stock holders

This has gotta be driving anti-profit, pro-gun control progressives absolutely crazy:

Sturm, Ruger and Company announced a special dividend on November 19:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) announced today that its Board of Directors voted to declare a special dividend of $4.50 per share on the Company's issued and outstanding shares of common stock. This cash dividend will be paid on December 21, 2012 to shareholders of record as of December 7, 2012. 

Chief Executive Officer Michael O. Fifer commented on the special dividend, "The decision to return this cash to our shareholders was based on an analysis that indicates we can continue to fund our high rate of organic growth, including expected increases in both working capital and capital expenditures, and fund our quarterly dividend while still growing our cash reserves at a modest rate. In addition, the special dividend will substantially increase the Company's return on our shareholders' equity, as the equity will now more accurately reflect the net assets being used in the conduct of the business. Likewise, after the special dividend, our long-term investors will still own the same future stream of earnings, resulting in an increase to their return on investment." 

Mr. Fifer concluded, "This special dividend reflects our confidence in the future to be able to pursue good opportunities that come our way. We remain committed to our new product development strategy and will continue to seek accretive acquisition opportunities and prudently expand our manufacturing capacity."

### 

RGR shares traded under $10 in
January 2009.
Last Friday, shares closed at $54.57.

Ruger's done quite will since January 2009.


Here's a graph showing RGR stock prices since the Obama inauguration:

Gun and ammo sales remain hot

The Kansas City Star takes note:

Demand for guns is nothing new in
America. A government photo shows
the gun counter at Sears in Syracuse,
NY was packed in October 1941

Gun and ammo sales locally are on the rise -- about twice as high as they were this time last year -- even though sales can't match the mad rush that cleared out many gun stores after Obama was elected in 2008. 

Weapon and ammunition shortages could be on the horizon if gun lovers keep up this pace.

The Houston Chronicle also provides anecdotal evidence of a post-election up-tick. But the Chronicle notes some  Houston area gun dealers now have policies of not speaking to the media.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports computer glitches prevented some Black Friday gun sales from taking place in Maine. Apparently the government's instant background checker couldn't handle the high number of requests coming in.

If you hear of other states having gun sales blocked by government computers crashing, let us know.

By how much will the U.S. raise its debt ceiling in 2013?

And by what means will the increase be authorized?

Refuting an Obama fable

How many times has he president insisted millionaires and billionaires pay lower tax rates than their employees? That tax breaks mean millionaires and billionaires don't pay what he calls a fair share.

IRS data shows millionaires pay a higher tax rate than the middle class. CNBC has the scoop:

According to new data from the IRS, people who make $1 million or more had an average tax rate of 20.4 percent in 2010. Tax filers who earned $30,000 to $50,000 paid an average rate of 4.8 percent, while those who made between $50,000 and $100,000 paid 7.7 percent. Those making under $30,000 had a negative effective rate, meaning they paid no federal income taxes after deductions and credits.

Got Kevlar?

Chicago mayor and close Obama ally Rahm Emanuel says in the Washington Post that Chicago's the Democrat model for all America.

Of course, Chicago has also become the most deadly city in America.

If Rahm's progressivism is so great, why is his own city descending in a bloody hell?

People who used to get by with part time jobs are getting their hours cut

And it's all because of Obamacare.

"It's kind of a double whammy for us because we are facing a legal requirement [under the new law] to get health care and if the college is reducing our hours, we don't have the money to pay for it," said adjunct biology professor Adam Davis.

The feds coach and equip local police in their new role as Big Brother's eyes and ears

But the feds aren't talking. It's apparently a matter of national security.

Investment income takes a new tax hit January 1

Blame Obamacare:

Congress passed the 3.8% tax in 2010 to add an estimated $210 billion of funds into President Obama’s Affordable Care Act and Medicare overhaul, and the new tax is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.

U.S. dollar vs Confederate dollar

A quick factoid about Confederate paper money just prior to Lee's surrender at Appomattox:

As of April 2, 1865, one ounce of gold could be bought with about $1,450, Confederate. 

As of yesterday, November 23, 2012, an ounce of gold could be bought for about $1751 U.S.

Lee surrenders to Grant, April 9, 1865

For those who scoffed earlier this year about online media reporting a Russian sub patrol off the U.S. coast, it appears the Russians came back last month for a little Red October cat-and-mouse.

And this time, CNN is the one reporting it:

While the submarine did not enter U.S. territorial waters or follow any U.S. Navy ships, its arrival came while a Navy carrier strike group was training off Florida, according to defense officials who could not speak publicly because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The Left really does hate America

Excerpted from Twitchy:

Holiday jeers: Thanksgiving, America and Charlie Brown attacked as ‘racist’

Black Friday rush?

Made-in-China door busters aren't the only hot commodities this Black Friday. Someone's out there buying gold. From Kitco.com just before noon:

From Kitco.com just before noon EST, November 23

Don and Doug. The Black Friday edition

Retailers seem to work extra hard this year to lure you into the stores. Advertising started sooner, stores opened earlier. But was it enough to mask the reality and get people to spend?

Don and I are back on Black Friday (November 23) with some observations. 

 

We now are living through a protracted period of extreme and increasing political and economic deterioration. Anyone who expects this all to turn out well either has not read much history or did not understand what they read.

We talk about it today at 1:00 pm EST. Join us for the live program at TalkSouthRadio.com or access direct by clicking here. Your call in participation is welcome. 678-344-9926.

Washington's call for Thanksgiving

From President George Washington, 1789, as archived by the Library of Congress:

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation. 

The original document

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. 

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be-- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national 

One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions-- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. 

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. 

Go: Washington

Cycles of government and history

"I sometimes wonder whether there is not some malign force in play, some diabolical miasma with a sense of humor that, having brought the Soviet Union down, amuses itself by turning the United States into the same thing. Or maybe it is just that if any state that can become totalitarian, it will." ~ Fred Reed

Obama as Napoleon

A recent cover of Newsweek seems to paint a Napoleonic image of the newly re-elected President Obama.

I missed the November 19th cover when it first appeared but when I did see it, it immediately struck me as a Napoleonic image. A quick check shows others saw it the same including a writer at Left-leaning media Huffington Post. At the Atlanta Black Star, writer Nick Chiles not only comments on the Napoleonic image, but also describes Mr. Obama as being occupied "with the running of the globe."

I find it odd the Left hails Obama as its rising Napoleon. Do these cheerleaders not realize Napoleon seized power in France and installed himself as emperor? Is this the direction the Left sees Obama taking in America?

Just like the movies. Sorta.

Americans tonight are trolling supermarkets. Trying to snatch up the last box of Twinkies.

But unlike the movie, it didn't take a zombie apocalypse to make it happen.

Another nugget we could have used pre-election

Banks are told to prep for 12 percent unemployment.

Why I disagree with Glenn Beck

Secession petitions are a huge hit on the Obama White House website. Tens of thousand of Americans are putting their names on what strike me as mostly symbolic petitions to allow their states to leave the union.

Glenn Beck is among those denouncing these petitions. But his reasons for doing so are the very reasons people are signing. Beck has outlined his views on his radio and Internet TV shows. His news site The Blaze has published excerpts.

Among Beck's warnings:

“Now how do you think that’s going to work out?” Beck asked on his radio show. “I mean, how dumb do you have to be?  Really?  You’re putting your name on a list that goes directly to the White House, and you’re putting your name on a list and saying, ‘yeah I think we should secede, I think there should be a Civil War.’”\ 

When co-host Stu Burguiere pointed out that the petitions request a “peaceful” secession, adding that it really is just a place to “make a statement,” Beck appeared unconvinced. 

“Uh huh…[And] do you think that these people don’t forget who made a statement to them?  Are you out of your mind?”

Is Beck this naive? The White House and Obama campaign organisations already know who sides with them and who doesn't. The campaigns, both Republican and Democrat, spend untold time and money researching how people voted and who those voters were. If Beck thinks signing a symbolic petition makes you an enemy of the White House, it seems to me being a registered Republican, or asking for a Republican ballot in a partisan primary, would probably already have you on a list.

I see the petitions as a vehicle to inform the White House there's a limit to what the nation will tolerate, limits to what it can stand. And I'm not just talking matters of conservative tolerance. On its present course, the United States is not economically viable. Long term, or maybe even in some shorter time span, we're heading for an economic and political catastrophe under present spending patterns.

Anything that helps people realize the status quo of an ever expanding government spewing out ever more invasive regulations (and entitlements) financed by an ever expanding debt can't go on forever is a good thing. The survival of the United States is not guaranteed. In an over simplistic way, secession petitions may have started to spread the message to the mainstream.

Now's the time to make the case that government needs to mend its ways, and return to levels of control and entitlements that are sustainable. The alternative is that the states need to prepare to function on their own in the event the federal government collapses from its own overreach and excess.

People like Beck are counter productive when they encourage us to hold our opinions, and use scare tactics of potential political retaliation to reinforce their message of keeping silent.

Don't think of secession petitions as an all or nothing proposition. Think of them as a starting point in negotiations. If the government sees enough of us are serious about returning America to less controlled, more sustainable path, the progressives may even start to bend a bit. And a secession position leaves room for conservatives to compromise far short of leaving the union.

Batton down the hatches. Protect your assets.

Easy money from the Fed is what's fed the stock market rise in recent years.

And smart money folks are awaking to the fact the Bernanke strategy has run its course.

Republicans are their own worst enemy

How do you make Obama look like the good guy? Have Republicans hold an official meeting full of so much moonbattery that Obama looks sane and rational in contrast.

Mother Jones reports:

Top Georgia GOP Lawmakers Host Briefing on Secret Obama Mind-Control Plot

These appear to be some of same bunch of GOP knuckleheads that championed a bill outlawing mind control microchips a couple of years ago.

Obama's just using aggressive marketing techniques (including deceptive adverstising) to sell Americans on bad ideas. 

But maybe we should have Republicans in the Georgia Senate screened for microchips. Just in case. They're doing things that defy rational explanation. 

China adding to its gold reserves

It's been doing so for some time.

Zero Hedge as an update. And perspective.

Boom!

Another of our big Georgia pines just fell. Better to go by chainsaw now than ice storm later.


We're having six taken out. One's dead. Four others dangerously close to the house. And an additional one that has roots running through our vegetable garden plot.

Dead quiet

From Hope 'n Change Cartoons:

But seriously, people...

Is anyone really taking the secession petitions literally?

Yes, I'm cheering them on. But at the same time, I don't think the State of the Union has fallen that  far. At least not yet (Though we seem to be drawing closer at an ever escalating pace).

I see the petitions not so much about secession, but as a starting point in push back against outrageous, unsustainable levels of federal overreach. They convey that Americans who revere the nation's founding principles won't be satisfied with just token gestures of compromise as Statists destroy the nation's remaining remnants of liberty and economic vitality.

And I don't see secessionist petitions as any more over the top than Obama's articulated contempt for the Supreme Court as he's expressed it on at least a couple of occasions in recent years. Or a president who openly uses executive orders and bureaucratic regulation as a way around the Congress.

Those in conservative or libertarian circles who steadfastly denounce the petitions remind me a bit of Chicken Little. They say these petitions are absolutely crazy. They seem to fret these secessionist petitions will trigger a falling sky... or something.

Yet campy click-to-post petitions on a White House website don't pose near the risk to the republic as mountains of debt, ever growing hurdles of regulation, and an economy floundering under the manipulation of central planners.

Is silently following along as an intact 50 state nation darts headlong toward a fiscal (or some other) abyss any less obscene than symbolic talk of letting some states break off before a collective national demise?

I hate it when those who profess a love of liberty think small, and leave big government Leftists to frame the conversation of what's on the table. Yes, choose your battles wisely. But shake off the bias of normalcy in making your evaluations. These are not normal times.

Orchestrated apparitions of rebellion

Were the secession petitions on the radar when Ol' Remus wrote this?

The regime will likely face a televised revolt complete with stirring events that will live forever in the annals of human liberty. But they'll lose and be destroyed in detail because it will be a sting, an in-house enterprise. They know Americans want an opposition with a cafeteria and a Rebel of the Month parking space. Only the regime can provide such a thing, and provide one it will.

FBI finally searches Broadwell home

Last night, it appears the FBI descended on the home of David Petraeus' alleged mistress Paula Broadwell.

WCNC TV in Charlotte reports the raid

This investigation has been going on for months, right? But the president, we're told, wasn't looped in on an investigation involving the head of the CIA until last week. Notice conveniently withheld until after the election cycle.

 And only now the FBI sees a need to search the Broadwell home?

This thing just smells more and more.

Another means of protest

It looks like some people not happy with last week's election have taken to flying Old Glory upside down in Pennsylvania.

From Pittsburgh's KDKA:

Secession 'n such

Chessie Cat enjoys a good secession
tweet as much as I do.

I've been having fun on social media with the secession fever created through Obama's White House petition site. Texas has crossed the threshold that's supposed to trigger a presidential response.

We're still waiting.

Meanwhile, I'm hearing anecdotal reports of people moving into gold, guns and silver (while others are  moving into more of it). Hearing people talk of shuffling their wealth into hard assets is probably a better indicator of an awakening that uncertainty lies ahead than the petitions are.

But the secession petitions seem to be causing stir. And they probably wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the Obama's administration gimmicky use of the White House website to let people post all kinds of petitions. Some serious. Some stupid.

Time will tell how serious these petitions and petitioners are, and how seriously they're taken.  It'll be interesting to see how the president responds. If he does.

Gun treaty advocates prepare to greet Hillary Clinton

From the Australian paper the Herald Sun:

ACTIVISTS calling for tougher regulation of the global arms trade will stage a demonstration in Perth this week to coincide with a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.

Republicans are such slackers

Why can't counties with Republican election officials generate the kind of participation Democrats do?

Chew on these election results from St. Lucie County, Florida.

Okay, I'll ditch the sarcasm.

Now explain to me why the Justice Department hasn't rolled a task force seeking an explanation for precinct turnouts exceeding 100 percent?

How many other localities would show discrepancies like this - if only someone would bother to check?

Why is there not outrage from coast to coast?


Update: Is this an explanation for the St. Lucie phenomenon?

If  two cards per voter due to a too long ballot are all that's a work here, the elections supervisor should have had some clue. If the two card explanation is legit, she's certifiably incompetent if only for her lack of credible explanation when first asked about impossibly high turnout stats.

Storm dead still being recovered

As you read this, remember that in the first days after the storm, NYC diverted resources for marathon preps that could have been used for rescue and recovery.

From the New York Post:

Cops found the body of David Maxwell in his Staten Island home on Friday after it lay undiscovered for 11 days — with his neighbors thinking he had fled before the storm.

The storm response post-Katrina is looking like a well organized affair compared to what's been put in play in the Northeast.

Turning local collapse into a national phenomenon

Murder is way up in Chicago.  But the numbers of police officers is way down. And dropping fast.

More cops with enough time in are getting out in record numbers.  And the city's not replacing them, according to a story published last week in the Chicago Sun Times. 

The Sun Times said Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police estimates a record-breaking 580 cops will retired this year. And so far, the city's only hired 190 to replace them.

No, the answer is not fund local cops with federal grants.

The cities are a mess. And getting worse. And yet, large concentrations of voters living there have enough sway over national politics, allowing Democrats to roll out the policies that are destroying the cities on an even wider scale.

Yup. The national cancer is growing.

Last week's election chose not to fight that cancer, but to feed it.

The mocking of a constitutional right

Have you noticed the Left and the so-called mainstream media seem to have come more militant in their mocking of gun owners and the Second Amendment? The Chicks on the Right have, and they offer a little push-back:

Since when did it become a mockable notion to purchase and have firearms?  To exercise my Second Amendment rights granted by the United States Constitution?  To me, that's like making fun of someone for voting.  The Constitution and the rights guaranteed within it - it's why America is a huge slice of awesomesauce.  It's precisely what our Founding Fathers intended.  And for the left to make fun of those intentions?  Those RIGHTS?  Our Constitution?

There is no U.S. economic growth

Hasn't been any for a long, long time.

Denninger explains.

A more practical political snapshot

Mr. Obama's reelection was hardly a national mandate for his policies or priorities.

Washington Post has an interactive map giving county-by-county
election breakdown

He may have mesmerized the urban centers and select progressive blue zones.

But Red State-Blue State comparisons don't break things down far enough to be a practical snap shot of who people are and how they voted.

When you look at a county by county  breakdown of who voted Romney versus who voted Obama, it's Republicans who have the  geographical advantage.

It you want to push back against the Obama team's progressive push, put more emphasis on local and state politics. Encourage you local governments to push back against Washington's overreach.

And keep tabs on your local congressional represenative too. Encourage them to remain true to traditional American ideals. Those serving in "red zone" districts will be far less motivated to go with the flow of the Obama regime. And the House has tremendous clout with its powers over the budget.

Obama's new flexibility after re-election

ATF fires a Fast and Furious whistle blower.

David Codrea has the scoop. 

Mr. Obama promised to exercise more flexibility in dealing with the Russians on American defense issues in a second term. I think we're seeing how he and his team plan to exercise new flexibility on the home front as well.

The "Don and Doug" post-election show

A major American employer is slashing jobs and closing facilities.

Looters and power outages remain a problem in Northeast storm recovery. National media overlook the shortcomings - even as ABC's studio went dark on election night.

Wednesday was like Black Friday in the guns and ammo business. And that was before word got out the Obama administration was working to get UN arms trade treaty talks back in motion.

What other news has caught your eye since Obama won re-election? 

Don and I will talk about it all on Friday's show on TalkSouthRadio.com.

We go live at one o'clock each Friday afternoon.

Miss Communication

Saw this at the Woodpile Report:

Worth repeating

"Need now means wanting someone else's money. Greed means wanting to keep your own. Compassion is when a politician arranges the transfer." - John Stossel

I've seen this posted in a bunch of places. I'll assume the attribution is correct. Regardless of who said it, the sentiment stands on its own merit.

More on the Obama administration's resurgent interest in the UN Small Arms Trade Treaty

TheHill.com notes:

The treaty would have a hard time being ratified by the Senate, which requires a two-thirds vote, but if the president signs it, that would create some obligations under international law, such as agreeing to refrain from actions that would defeat the treaty's purpose and goals.

Feinstein and an "assault weapon" ban

Wild speculation or clear and present danger?

David Codrea is keeping tabs on the rumors.

Codreas also comments on revived speculation over a UN small arms trade treaty.


I follow many of the writers at Examiner.com, but pop-ups and other ads at the site are out of control. Even with high speed Internet, the ads are so excessive that at times Examiner seems about as clunky and cluttered as Internet access was back in the bygone era of free dial-up.

Crushing personal freedom

"Regrettably, this election addressed how much private wealth the feds should seize and redistribute and how much private behavior they should regulate, rather than whether the Constitution permits them to do so." - Judge Andrew Napolitano in the Washington Times

Obama's move on gun control... Has it started?

The GOP may hold the House. But can they be bypassed if Obama goes through the UN?

The idea of using a UN treaty to diminish the Second Amendment had activists on alert last summer. Now there's word we may get another round of UN Arms Trade talks come March.

Previous posts:
About that UN Small Arms Treaty
NRA: Gun registration is part of arms treaty draft
How far could O take an unratified treaty?

Smart cat

As I watched election coverage last night, our youngest cat, Chessie, curled up on my legs and kept me company. As the night wore on, he looked up at one point as if to say "Are things as bad as I think they are?"

The networks started declaring Obama the winner about a minute later.

Fundamental transformation enters Phase Two

Sorry Mitt, wrong tone in your concession. While the pundits oozed about how Romney hit the perfect pitch, I can't warm to its focus on reconciliation. Opposition to this president is more important than ever if America is going to survive. 

The GOP still has the House, but will it have the courage and vision to use appropriations powers to keep a second term Obama administration in check? So far, it hasn't. 

I haven't listened to President Obama's entire victory speech yet. Nor is it posted at WhiteHouse.gov (as of 8:00 am ET). But snippets I've seen don't suggest any real intent toward compromise after working so hard to divide us though Mr. Obama seems open to conservatives surrendering to his agenda. In his first term, that seemed to be the working definition of compromise.

One line from the victory address especially stood out to me:

“Tonight more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.”

Sounds to me like Mr. Obama's vision to fundamentally transform America is now entering Phase Two. 

The new order of things

From Chris Muir's Day by Day Cartoon:

Counter demonstration at Biden event

A pro-Romney flash mob with tractors and a big, big flag.

Photo gallery.

Another voice articulates our decline

"We are broke for the reason nations go broke: we forgot that everything has a price." - Sarah Hoyt

It's come to this

The Obama team knows its election strategy is nothing but a sack of deceptions and empty promises. And it's gotten so bad, the campaign apparently can't keep from mocking itself over it.

Who's gonna vote tomorrow?

From Hope N' Change Cartoons:

My home carpet cleaning tips

My old style secret weapon

If you're into cleaning your own carpets, and have one of those steam-vac/extractor carpet cleaner models, here's a tip or two.

For tough stains and other spotting, I spray a dash or two of Folex brand spot treatment on the blemished area, and then brush it with an old style rotating brush carpet shampooer. This can either be done before or after an initial pass with the steam-vac.

The brushes on a shampooer work better than those on the newer steamers at driving out dirt. They also seem to do a better job at fluffing up flat trampled carpet. After pre-treatment and some brushing, use the steam-vac/extrator unit as you usually would. The results are usually impressive.

My extractor is a typical
Hoover home model

I'm advocating the shampooer as an addition to the extractor, not  a replacement. I don't use the tank on my shampooer for the initial treatment because it leaks.

Only draw back to the old shampooers is that they're getting hard to come by. Used to be you could find them at Goodwill or other thrift stores for around ten bucks. Sometimes less at yard sales. But since they fell out of favor 15 or 20 years ago, they're getting harder and harder to come by.

You can guess what I did last night. And I was so pleased with the results, I got up early this morning and tackled another couple of rooms.

"Bill's Barbecue"

Few political ads hit you like this one does.

It's from the Romney campaign.


H/T: Chicks on the Right

Winter predictions

Old Farmers Almanac predicts a return to colder, snowier winter coming up for the Eastern U.S.:

For the coming season, we’re predicting that winter will return to some – but not all – areas. We think it will be a “winter of contraries, as if Old Man Winter were cutting the country in half. The eastern half of the country will see plenty of cold and snow. The western half will experience relatively warm and dry conditions. In other words, as in the political arena, the climate this winter will render us a nation divided.

Accuweather's winter forecast is a bit different, but also calls for above average snowfall in some areas.

If you live in an area prone, or even just sometimes prone, to severe weather, now's the time to put your winter contingency plan together. Food, firewood, maybe a generator are some of the things to consider now.

A mind of their own?

Looks like three states have found voting machines that are switching votes from Romney to Obama.

Check your ballots before final submission!

Union politics stalls power restoration crews

Huntsville, Alabama TV station reports utility crews from there were supposed to report to Jersey...

Then they found out New Jersey puts union politics over restoring power.

Blame game

In the aftermath of Katrina, Democrats blamed Bush.

In the aftermath of Sandy, Democrats held a news conference yesterday to blame the Red Cross.

Where was Obama yesterday?

In Vegas.

Just a day after pretending to be hands on in overseeing the hurricane disaster response.

The hope and change message has changed drastically

Is this really the mindset of an American civil rights icon? The Rev. Joseph Lowery of Atlanta said some things in Forsyth, Georgia last weekend that apparently caused some in the audience to feel uneasy.

From the Monroe County Reporter, a local newspaper:

"I don't know what kind of a n----- wouldn't vote with a black man running," said Lowery. "All that he did with the stimulus was genius. Nobody intelligent would risk this country with Romney." 

Lowery praised Obama's commitment to the poor and said politicians should quit saying 'middle class' and go ahead and say 'poor.' Then he urged individuals to look at their own character and conduct. 

"We've turned our backs on the faith," said Lowery. "America is going to hell in a hand basket. We need to straighten up so God can use us." 

Lowery said that when he was a young militant, he used to say all white folks were going to hell. Then he mellowed and just said most of them were. Now, he said, he is back to where he was. 

"I'm frightened by the level of hatred and bitterness coming out in this election," said Lowery. 

Forsyth Mayor John Howard, a member of St. James who opened Saturday's program, said he was "pretty shocked" by Lowery's comments. He said if a speaker had made the same comments about black people, he would have gotten up and left.

Lowery is a retired United Methodist minister. If this unorthodox view on salvation is indeed his position, he certainly appears out of step with his denomination. Lowery is also the minister who delivered the benediction at President Obama's inauguration. He's considered an icon of America's civil rights movement from the 1950s to the present day.

Yet here we have another minister associated with Mr. Obama seemingly eager to stoke the fires of America's racial divide to an attempt to generate emotional buzz in support of the president.

We were told Mr. Obama was going to usher in a post-racial era. It was a major part of his mainstream appeal in 2008. In reality, divisive themes of race and class war are now used on a scale not seen in America for decades.

Politics of division may be a cheap and dirty path to power (or to hold onto it), but it demands a high price down the road.

How's this brand of Hope and Change working out for you?

"Deep dish politics"

From Chris Muir's Day by Day Cartoon: