Friday, October 31, 2014

CDC continues to botch its Ebola message...

What's up with this?

To hear the CDC tell it, you might think Ebola must be nearly impossible to catch.

UK Daily Mail notes:
New CDC confusion over Ebola as it deletes warning that virus can spread through coughs and sneezes from its website 
It has replaced the old language with new guidance that says there's 'no evidence' Ebola is spread through either
Via Twitter:

More tricks than treats may lay ahead

The Don and Doug webcast goes live at one o'clock eastern.

Program pitch via Blogtalk Radio:
Trick or treat. 
No, not Halloween. The midterm elections. 
Will conservative voters treat the GOP to the senate? 
Will the GOP return the favor any better than it did after conservative voters gave Republicans the House in 2010? Or will be see another round of bad tricks? 
Regardless of how the midterm turn out, expect Obama and the Democrats to unleash ghoulie-like moves once the votes are counted. Moves that may haunt America for years to come. 
Other stuff to talk about as well.
The Halloween/midterm edition will be available for playback at the same link after the live program concludes.

Their path to "social justice" is a downward spiral

Community organizers and the rowdies who follow them are hurting, if not be killing, the economy and community in Ferguson, Missouri.

The CBS station in St. Louis reports many Ferguson businesses are boarded up, some have hired additional security. On the demand side, shoppers are shopping elsewhere, unwilling to venture into areas that have been plagued with unrest, and that have potential to erupt again.

Who do you think will get the blame when jobs, and access to goods and services, dry up and go away?

I suspect the same organizers will holler and scream about greedy business owners deserting their under served community.

You can't expect business to stick around when mobs frequently unleash everything from traffic disruptoins to rioting. It's hard for anyone to go about their business when communities descend into something more akin to mob rule and the resulting chaos that ensues.

Dispossession

From October 29th's
Day By Day Cartoon
When Obama and the Democrats talk amnesty, please understand they're talking willful, systematic program to - at the very least - dilute the opportunities of citizens and those who immigrated here legally in the first place.

It's recently been reported (in the Washington Post, not some "right wing" blog) many of those who illegally immigrate here then vote illegally as well; some may do it intentionally, others out of ignorance. And enough may do it to sway elections.

Non citizens, voting their own self-interest, now have enough clout (albeit illegally obtained) to spoil election outcomes that would have been if only citizens voted.

Are you cool with that?


Thursday, October 30, 2014

Trick or Treat. An update...

Okay, I've done it.

My driveway has the first Halloween haunted minivan in the neighborhood.

Maybe in the county.

Happy Halloween

A bit of an early Halloween prank this morning as I drove my daughter to middle school.

We took a friend along for the ride.

Subtle. You had to look to see him.

But when spotted, he waved back.

Has me thinking. Might set up a haunted minivan out front tomorrow night to greet trick or treaters.

Of course, the skeleton would have to be moved to the driver's seat. Light up the interior with a blue or red bulb (I don't think this particular skeleton is painted for black light).

Maybe put an old Android in his hand.

Texting while driving. More scary and dangerous than some old skeleton, ya know.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Scouting memories

I found myself looped into an online discussion of current events and personal stories this morning when someone mentioned the Boy Scouts and the Order of the Arrow.

A burst of old memories filled my head, and I shared some personal recollections.

Let me share them with a wider blog audience:

 I too had been involved in scouting as a boy growing up. First at a Boy Scout troop organised by my elementary school in Florida, and then with an Explorer Post in Virginia.

And I too had an Order of the Arrow induction.

It was about two weeks after I "sprained" my foot while running high school track. The foot continued to bother me, so eventually my parents relented and had it x-rayed at the local hospital. But the radiologist was gone for the day, so a reading would have to wait (Instant access to x-rays something now taken for granted).

Despite an obvious limp, and an unread x-ray, I wrapped the foot tight in an ACE bandage, and embarked on my planned Order of the Arrow "ordeal" weekend - which included an extensive hike carrying full gear in backpack. It was raining, the trail slippery.

When I arrived at camp after the hike, my dad and little brother were waiting. X-ray showed a clear fracture. Doc had expressed an opinion it was a wonder I was walking on it, but it appeared to be setting reasonably well thanks to the way I'd been wrapping it.

I declined an offer to go home. So I finished the weekend activities sometimes using the prescribed crutches my dad had brought along. No other special dispensations were given.

The high school age Explorer Post I belonged to was sponsored by an Isaac Walton League club that had a full rifle and pistol range, plus skeet facilities. We frequently brought firearms to our weekend camps on the club property. We also had some great ex-military advisers who also introduced us to arms like the Garand, the 1903 Springfield, the Mauser, the Krag, and others. But we spent most our shooting time with our favorite. 22s.

We didn't even wear traditional Explorer uniforms. It was the early '70s, and we adapted the olive drab military fatigues (think trousers with button flies) of the era by sewing on a few patches on the shirt, and usually carried an alternate in-camp uniform without patches. Much more durable for the kind of weekends we found ourselves enjoying, and cheaper to replace if we really messed 'em up.

Good times at age 14 and 15.

There was nothing virtual about them, the experiences were the real thing.

I doubt most kids today have physical and character building experiences like those we, at times, probably took for granted in scouting. And that's a shame.

What's with the photo?

Michelle Nunn's running a campaign ad saying that photo of her with Barack Obama was taken at a Points of Light function with the elder George Bush present.  Nunn seems to imply she's not aligned with Obama.

In that context, I find another photo most interesting. It's one that appeared in the Washington Post where Michelle Nunn and Michelle Obama were snapped holding hands at an event in Georgia.

Is it credible to think anything other than Nunn's staunnchly aligned with the Obamas?

If you still harbor some doubt, here's what Harry Reid said last year, before most folks began paying attention to the Nunn campaign:


Meanwhile, when watching local TV, I'm assaulted nearly every commercial break by a Nunn ad vowing bi-partisanship.

Seriously, Michelle. Thanks to your friends, even the sheeple should see where your allegiance lies.

"We have liftoff"

No, not the rocket that blew up after leaving a NASA launch pad last night.

The number of Ebola cases in West Africa continues to expand exponentially.

Pardon the salty language in the report, but Raconteur Report lays it out.

Two thousand new cases were estimated over a five day period last week.

The power of compounding is at work.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Been out of action for some medical tests

Routine follow-up stuff, but quite invasive. Best I can tell, nothing adverse discovered. All is well.

Now I'm two days behind on what I have to get done this week.

But I'll try to have some new material posted in the next 24 hours or so.

For those who don't know, I had a nasty bout with cancer seven or so years ago.

Might not be here if it weren't for one of my cats.

Monday, October 27, 2014

How long since you've seen this?

A 1,000 rounds of 5.56 for under $300. 

Seems like old times.

But who knows how long it will last.

Somebody push the wrong button?

What claimed to be a White House emergency message appeared across U-Verse cable systems in several cities last week. 

The army way...

The U.S. Army, while undergoing progressive fundamental change orchestrated by Barack Obama, still manages to be less PC than Obama's civilian agencies.

So, what happens to American soldiers sent by Obama to Ebola hot zones?

When it's time for them to come home, they must first spend time in isolation and undergo "enhanced monitoring" (I suspect that's PC for quarantine).

CBS News notes that soldiers being monitored at a base in Italy include Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams who was the commander of the U.S. Army in Africa, but who turned over duties to the 101st Airborne Division over the weekend. There are currently 11 soldiers in isolation, and the isolation period runs for 21 days.

Meanwhile, back here in the states, the CDC insists progressives, or Africans, or anyone else coming in from West Africa's Ebola hot zones should be rushed right in among the USA population if they're not in full Ebola puke 'n fever mode.

Wouldn't want to deprive someone like nurse Kaci of their "civil rights"...

Or deprive future Doc Spencers of a night of bowling, now would we?

Suddenly, Obama's anti-ISIS air war surges in efficiency

Is it just the introduction of British special forces on the ground that made this happen?

Or does this being the final week before the U.S. midterms election day have anything to do with this burst of good news?

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Summing up...

Recently at Day By Day Cartoon:


Could non-citizen voters sway U.S. elections?

Soak in this one. It's from the Washington Post:
How many non-citizens participate in U.S. elections? More than 14 percent of non-citizens in both the 2008 and 2010 samples indicated that they were registered to vote. Furthermore, some of these non-citizens voted. Our best guess, based upon extrapolations from the portion of the sample with a verified vote, is that 6.4 percent of non-citizens voted in 2008 and 2.2 percent of non-citizens voted in 2010.
Here's the rub, the story in the Post goes on to say many of these apparent illegal voters don't know they're doing anything wrong. They don't know enough about our country, our customs, or our laws to know non-citizens can't vote.

The Post also concedes, when illegals vote, they tend to vote Democrat.

MSM priorties

So-called mainstream media seems to have priorities. Among them: Not rocking Obama's boat, and not offending progressive voters. 

Spree killing suspect was previously deported

The suspected gunman in last Friday's killing spree in the Sacramento area is apparently an illegal alien who has been twice deported from the U.S. in the past, according to a report in the Sacramento Bee.

Initially booked after arrest as Marcello Marquez, federal officials identified the suspect using fingerprints as Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte, who was deported in 1997 after a drug conviction in Arizona, and deported again in 2001, according to the Bee.

Loosey-goosey border security, and even more loose immigration enforcement, has consequences.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is pledging to bypass Congress, and by fiat give legal status  millions of aliens here illegally once the midterm election cycle is over.

Outing a "secret"

”Unfortunately, as I tell my white friends, we as black people, we’re never going to be successful, not because of you white people, but because of other black people. When you’re black, you have to deal with so much crap in your life from other black people. It’s a dirty, dark secret; I’m glad it’s coming out.” - Charles Barkley, on why there aren't more successful black people

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Much being made of this. Consider the context

It's popping up all over social media. Hillary Clinton saying corporations or businesses don't create jobs.

“Don’t let anybody tell you it’s corporations and businesses create jobs. You know that old theory, ‘trickle-down economics.’ That has been tried, that has failed," Clinton said.



Stop to recognize the context of where she's saying this.

At a rally in Boston for Martha Coakley, the Democrat running for Massachusetts governor.

It seems Clinton's going out of her way to sound a lot like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Remember the "You didn't build that" socialist rant Warren gave when running for office?



Strikes me, Clinton's a tad worried Warren may eclipse her popularity among "progressive" northeast voters.  So, Clinton's crafting campaign talk there to sound as much the Democratic socialist as Warren.

My hope is by 2016, Americans are burned out on Democrats spouting short-sighted populist class war rhetoric, and that speeches like these will help derail the presidential bids of both both Clinton and Warren, as well as those of anyone else foolish enough to talk like this.

Islam wearing out its welcome

From a rally in Italy:

"Ladies, we need also you to whistle against this advance of caliphate, against this extremism that has massacred Italy." - Soud Sbai, an Italian politician of Moroccan origin, an Italian citizen since 1981.



H/T: Matt Bracken on Facebook

"Silence Means Security"


Silence means security. 


Silencing opponents appears to to be a Democrat strategy to better secure the party's political fortunes. 

School threats trigger rash of absenteeism

A second Gwinnett County, Georgia high school reported high absenteeism Friday after apparently receiving a text threat.

The Gwinnett Daily Post reports about a third of the students at Collins Hill High School stayed home Friday. The Post didn't disclose the nature of the threat.

On Thursday, school officials said about ten percent of the students at Brookwood High were absent following a series of email threats to teachers and staff at that school. Citing a source, WSB Radio reported those messages threatened to "shoot up a school."

Friday, October 24, 2014

Shift in tactics

The al Qaeda model was to use elaborate terror plots, many were foiled before being carried out.

In the ISIS era, a new model emerges: Grab whatever weapon is available and get to work.

We seem to have seen the ISIS era model at work in New York yesterday. And twice in Canada earlier in the week.

At Sipsey Street, Mike Vanderboegh notes:
Much has been been speculated upon in what passes for the cable news "press" about the precise links between the Parliament shooter and the other Canadian jihadi who plowed into soldiers with his car the day before (killing one) and their links to ISIS -- as if that matters. They are missing the whole point of 4th Generation Warfare. No orders need be given, no money needs to change hands. In 4GW, the targets are known and understood by all, the individual actions are targeted to specific enemy vulnerabilities. It is the IDEA that is weaponized. This makes defending against such attacks almost impossible, since you cannot kill an idea, nor can you trace a command structure that doesn't exist, nor "decapitate" it if you could find it.
In New York yesterday, a man said to be Muslim and a supporter of ISIS, grabbed an hatchet and took on four city cops before being shot dead. Not too many weeks ago, a Muslim in Oklahoma beheaded a coworker. One of two terrorists in Canada this week used a gun to attack Parliament, but the other only needed a car to run down two soldiers.

Remains to be seen how far and how fast this new, more expedient method of Islamic terror catches on in North America. But with at least three such attacks in just one week, a new trend seems to be emerging.

We've seen it before. Lone wolves launching personal Islamic holy war. Think Fort Hood. But because it could be billed as "isolated", authorities in the past were somewhat successful in minimizing the Jihad angle.

Going forward, when authorities assure us an attacker acted alone, that it was an "isolated" incident, it may be cause for deeper concern, as opposed to being a reason to sigh with relief.

Good morning, y'all

Don and I do our webcast at 1 pm EDT today.

Lots of fresh events to top things off, as we attempt to connect the dots in these perilous times.

Media seems to be hyping the New York City Ebola case, paying less attention to the Muslim who went after four cops yesterday with a hatchet before being shot and killed.

But I have to ask, what's the bigger threat in New York (and perhaps all America) right now: Ebola or Jihad fever?

Talking about it today at one. 


Have you seen this story?

I haven't seen where it's received much American MSM coverage...

Hamas activist kills infant American citizen in a terror attack in Israel. 

Ebola's in NYC

Doc who'd been in West Africa was out bowling in New York the night before his Ebola was confirmed.

Rode the subway too.

Why are medical personnel who've had potential exposure not doing more to confine themselves until incubation periods pass?

Whatever happened to "First, do no harm"?

It's a new game

Indeed, it appears ISIS has transformed Jihad in North America.

Complex bomb plots and attempts at large mass casuality terror events have apparently given way to expedient "grab 'n go" Jihadism.

Of three attacks in North America so far this week, one used a car, one an ax, and one a gun.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Executive priviledge

Judicial Watch continues its quest for more documents on the Fast and Furious scandal where agents of the ATF allowed straw purchasers to buy guns... and them "walk" them across the border to waiting Mexican drug cartels.

Among the new revelations today is new legal document reveals President Obama is asserting executive privilege over Fast and Furious emails between Attorney General Holder and Holder’s wife, according to a Judicial Watch news release.

Another anti-gun front group

Remember when Dianne Feinstein made the absurd claim that "all police" backed her ill-fated push for deep reaching new federal gun control law in 2013?

Well, it looks like the anti-gunners are rounding up a bunch of prosecutors to give credence to their next push.

David Codrea has details at Examiner.com. And while the new Prosecutors Against Gun Violence claims its members aren't "ideologs", Codrea notes two main principals of the group have a long history of anti-gun campaigning.

Democrat bigots

Democrats value the African American voting block.

Yet Democrats frequently express bigoted opinions about the capability of African American voters.

Breitbart notes:
Charles Stewart, a political scientist was retained by the Justice Department to testify against voter identification laws and other election integrity measures. His testimony argued that ending same day voter registration and requiring voters to vote in the precinct where they live constitutes racial discrimination.  
When asked if terminating the ability to register to vote on the day that someone casts a ballot impacts blacks disproportionately, Stewart testified in court that it did. Stewart:  
"It's also the case that -- well, yes, so it would, empirically more likely affect African Americans. Also, understanding within political science, that people who register to vote the closer and closer one gets to Election Day tend to be less sophisticated voters, tend to be less educated voters, tend to be voters who are less attuned to public affairs. That also tells me from the literature of political science that there are likely to be people who will end up not registering and not voting. People who correspond to those factors tend to be African Americans, and, therefore, that's another vehicle through which African Americans would be disproportionately affected by this law."  
Less sophisticated. Less educated. AKA low information voters.

If a Republican had said such things, he'd be hammered with allegations of racism. But these are terms used by a presumably highly paid consultant hired by a black Democrat attorney general serving under a black Democrat president.

Democrats pride themselves on prioritizing a low threshold for voting. Strikes me,  it's not so much for protecting someone's rights as it is about exploiting those African Americans (and others) who can't figure out how badly they're being used, not to mention publicly disparaged.

Another theory on those DOJ leaks

I've wondered if leaks in the Michael Brown case by the DOJ were politically motivated, designed to revive the story's profile going into the midterm voting cycle.

But Chicago's SecondCityCop blog takes a different view. It speculates the leaks are designed to lower expectations of an indictment, intended to lessen any backlash when the grand jury eventually wraps up without indicting the officer involved.

Got heat?

I picked up a Big Buddy portable propane heater a couple of weeks ago, but only now have had a morning cool enough to give it a test. I'm impressed, got my family room toasty warm in rapid order.

The Big Buddy takes two one-pound camping propane bottles. I also picked up a Little Buddy, the smaller version that only uses one bottle.

Plan is to take along one or both these heaters on cold mornings when our daughter has fall softball tournaments. But they were primarily purchased to be home heating backups (oxygen sensor allows them to be used indoors) during power outages, and I might even use one in the basement or garage while working on projects this winter.

Only downside is the propane bottles have become rather pricey, often retailing for three dollars or more at stores. Bright side, I've seen valves available that allow the disposable bottles to be refilled (for personal use only) from a 20 gallon tank. I also picked up an adapter that allows the Buddies to be fueled directly by a 20 gallon tank in outdoor settings.

Now that the heaters check out, what's a reasonable and practical number of one-pound propane bottles to keep on hand? We also have a propane camp stove using the same fuel. Nine bottles fit nicely in a standard milk crate.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Micheal Brown had been smoking weed

More autopsy results coming to light in the Ferguson, Missouri police shooting death of Michael Brown last August.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports levels of THC were found in Brown's blood and urine. The Post-Dispatch quotes forensic toxicologist Alfred Staubus:
“The detection of THC in the postmortem blood of Michael Brown really indicates his recent use of marijuana (within a few hours) and that he may or may not have been impaired at the time of his death,” Staubus wrote in an email.
But another newspaper is quicker to speculate on Brown's state of mind at the time of his altercation with police. The Washington Post says it has sources of its own:
Jurors have also been provided with the St. Louis County autopsy report, including toxicology test results for Brown that show he had levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana. The Post’s sources said the levels in Brown’s body may have been high enough to trigger hallucinations.
What we don't know is if the Washington Post's sources are locals in St. Louis or, perhaps more likely, are closer to the Post's home city, and coming from within Eric Holder's Department of Justice.

We do know the New York Times reported it was getting information on the case leaked by sources within the DOJ.

Earlier in his term as attorney general, Mr. Holder went to extraordinary and questionable measures in attempts to trap and trail both those who leaked from inside DOJ as well as journalists on the outside suspected of receiving tips.

So, why's DOJ suddenly appear to be leaking like a sieve?

Jihad in North America

Too soon to say who the gunman was behind today's shooting attacks in Ottawa, but unofficially, there are press reports he was a Canadian born man who converted to Islam.

The UK Telegraph has taken note, Canada seems to have a "Jihad problem."

I suspect something of the same sort may start to bubble to the surface here in the U.S., though I also suspect any Jihadists here will at least wait until after the midterms.

Jihadists have to know they've had things pretty good with Obama and the Democrats controlling most things in DC. Why spoil an election for the Dems by attacking America prematurely?

What's up, Doc?

"They're a Three Stooges farce with a seven billion dollar budget and a bewildered Baghdad Bob for a Director. It's wall to wall clowns at six-figure salaries. All that's missing are the kazoos and cowbells." - Ol' Remus at the Woodpile Report, assessing the status of the CDC.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Opportunity knocks...

Inventory's back. Prices are good. Lay in a stash while the gettin's good.


We're talkin' ammo!

The photo above was part of one seller's ammo advertising sales pitch in Autumn 2012, just months before Democrats launched a well financed push for drastic new nationwide gun control measures. An ammo buying panic began that December and kept most retail ammunition inventories wiped out within minutes of new arrivals for a year (or longer depending on the caliber).

Don't be the guy caught short the next time demand outstrips supply.

Doling out rights

Jason Carter, Democrat running for governor in Georgia, believes it's government that "doles out" rights to us.

WSB's Erick Erickson grabbed the soundbite from last Sunday's Atlanta Press Club debate:




For those who may not know, Jason Carter is Jimmy Carter's grandson.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Another highlight from the Klain resume...

Ron Klain was Janet Reno's chief of staff.

ISIS parody

MEMRI reports an Iraqi Kurdish TV station recently broadcast this parody of ISIS.

I'm thinking the Kurds aren't known for political correctness.

Amnesty's a comin'. Get those ID card ready

Government request for bids seeks up to 34 million cards...

Breitbart reports:
Unnoticed until now, a draft solicitation for bids issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Oct. 6 says potential vendors must be capable of handling a “surge” scenario of 9 million id cards in one year “to support possible future immigration reform initiative requirements.” 
The request for proposals says the agency will need a minimum of four million cards per year. In the “surge,” scenario in 2016, the agency would need an additional five million cards – more than double the baseline annual amount for a total of 9 million. 
“The guaranteed minimum for each ordering period is 4,000,000 cards. The estimated maximum for the entire contract is 34,000,000 cards,” the document says.

Support your local Caliphate

U.S. humanitarian aid is being trucked in to support ISIS. And we're paying taxes demanded by the Islamic State in order to deliver it.

I suppose the genius of Barack Obama and John Kerry is behind this.

From the Daily Beast:
GAZIANTEP, Turkey — While U.S. warplanes strike at the militants of the so-called Islamic State in both Syria and Iraq, truckloads of U.S. and Western aid has been flowing into territory controlled by the jihadists, assisting them to build their terror-inspiring “Caliphate.” 
The aid—mainly food and medical equipment—is meant for Syrians displaced from their hometowns, and for hungry civilians. It is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, European donors, and the United Nations. Whether it continues is now the subject of anguished debate among officials in Washington and European. The fear is that stopping aid would hurt innocent civilians and would be used for propaganda purposes by the militants, who would likely blame the West for added hardship.
Did we air drop humanitarian aid to help the Japanese as we fought their soldiers in World War II?

Did we truck in food to North Vietnam's civilians while we fought their regulars and the Viet Cong to the south?

I don't recall General Sherman bringing relief supplies as he marched across Georgia, it was quite the opposite actually. Sherman's troops stripped civilians of all his troops could carry or burn.

The administration of Barack Obama is providing underlying support to the same Islamic State it portends to be running an air war against.

This makes no sense.

If the self-proclaimed Islamic State wants to be a Caliphate, it can start by feeling its people. Instead, we're doing that, so that ISIS can concentrate on grabbing more territory, including what appears to be its coming conquest of Iraq.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

The thrill is gone

At a Sunday campaign rally in Maryland, when President Obama took the podium, people in the audience began heading for thd door. Not everyone, but enough to make it the story's lead. 

Working to keep Ebola out

News accounts report DeKalb County, Georgia public schools now mandate medical documentation before enrolling students from Ebola outbreak countries in West Africa.

Before anyone goes crying racism, please understand that DeKalb's population is majority Black (54 percent in the last Census), its elected and appointed leaders are largely African American, and are heavily weighted to the Democratic Party.

Hold on, Soldier

Before you go and take that hill, we'd better run it past the lawyers.

Democrat hypocrisy ramps up along with Obama's Ebola deployment plan

Here's a nugget: American troops being sent to battle Ebola in Africa won't have the kind of bio-hazard suits we're getting used to seeing on TV:

From Nashville Public Radio:
Troops from the 101st Airborne Division leading the military response to Ebola in West Africa will only need gloves and masks to protect themselves from the deadly virus, so said Gen. David Rodriguez at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday. 
“They don’t need the whole suit – as such – because they’re not going to be in contact with any of the people,” the commander of U.S. troops in Africa said.
No direct contact? There already seems to be some confusion.

Let's take our nugget, and dig a little deeper.

From the UK Guardian, a week or so earlier:
A handful of highly trained American troops will have direct contact with potential Ebola patients in west Africa, thehead of the US Africa command said during a Pentagon briefing on the military’s response to the Ebola outbreak. But a few hours later, the general issued a correction, saying that the troops would only work with Ebola samples.
Meanwhile, some Democrats in Congress are already demanding more direct military contact with Ebola, not less. Three of them have sent the president a letter, according to The Hill:
"We write to urge you to consider building on the current response to the Ebola epidemic by allowing military medical and technical personnel to provide direct care to and to come into contact with patients in West Africa," the representatives wrote in a letter to Obama.
No full protective gear, but Democrats want American troops to get all touchy-feely with Ebola patients.

Hold that thought,  and turn back the clock.

I remember clearly how the Democrats alleged President Bush deliberately sent troops to war without proper gear.  In 2008, Senate Democrats issued a position paper alleging Republicans had "left our troops without sufficient body armor and protective equipment on the battlefield; and severely tarnished America's reputation in Iraq and around the world." Will Senate Democrats be as critical if Mr. Obama's hastily conceived African intervention implodes?

Meanwhile, Obama's already clearing the way to call-up National Guard units for his Ebola mission. Will Lefty bloggers jump on Obama using the same criteria they used to persecute Bush for Guard deployments?

From a NetRoots blogger, circa 2009:
National Guard and Reserve troops have been used extensively in Iraq. This was not what they were really envisioned to do, or what many of them had signed on to do. They often lacked adequate training and equipment. On the other hand, they were cheaper than active duty Army soldiers and were essential to Bush’s strategy of keeping large numbers of troops deployed in Iraq.
Barack Obama's setting in motion policies and actions with all the attributes the Left insisted were flaws, or even criminal actions, when troops were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan under Bush.

The Dems were full of noisy protests when Bush was president. But now that Obama's calling the shots, Dems are at best silent, or willfully calling for Obama to double down on the levels of danger U.S. forces will face in Africa.

American voters have one last chance to put a check on Obama and his Democrat allies' power in DC.  Midterm elections are just over two weeks away, and in many areas, early voting has already started.

Don't waste your vote. Make it count. Even if it means holding your nose, and voting for a Democrat's opponent who's less than ideal.



Liberal logic

As seen on Twitter:

Saturday, October 18, 2014

ISIS advance contiues

The Obama team insists Baghdad isn't under "imminent threat" from ISIS.

And if you like your Baghdad, you can keep your Baghdad.

Right on cue

I noted earlier that the Eric Holder's Department of Justice had commenced leaking details of the Micheal Brown investigation to the New York Times.

Some of what was leaked failed to sync with the version of events spun by community organizers.

Didn't take long. Based on what was leaked, the agitators are back to agitating.

Strikes me, somebody at DOJ wants the Brown case back front and center.  And we're less than three weeks away from the mid-terms, with early voting underway in many states.

Strikes me the timing's not coincidence.


Update: Here' more on what appears to be an orchestrated resurgence in unrest.

And you thought it was a spoof?

Here's a blast from the past: Zombie apocalypse training materials from the CDC.



This blog first noted CDC and FEMA zombie themed campaigns prior to the 2012 election.

But they seem to fit even better with 2014 pre-midterm Ebola developments.

Oh no, not that!

Flying monkeys (think Wizard of Oz) seen in L.A. in advance of Hillary Clinton fundraiser. 

Ebola scare at Benning

Ebola rumors circulated in and around Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia on Friday.

It wasn't until late in the day that the commander there, Major General Scott Miller confirmed a soldier was under observation.

From the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:
During in-processing, the soldier was identified as having traveled to Nigeria. Later, after receiving immunizations, he had a high temperature and was sent to Martin Army Hospital, where he has been isolated and is being monitored. Miller said it's likely the soldier's fever "can be attributed to immunizations he received during in-processing."
So, Miller says the soldier's affliction is likely not Ebola. But doctors at Martin Army Hospital are consulting with the CDC.  

I have to wonder what took so long for the Army to give on-the-record clarification. 

Allowing panic to swell probably wasn't in anyone's best interest.

Good grief

Far from working to keep potential Ebola carriers from West Africa out of the U.S., the Obama administration has reportedly expedited the process for them to enter. 

DOJ leak

With a dateline of Washington, the New York Times has a story that reads as if folks at the DOJ are leaking elements of the civil rights investigation into the Ferguson shooting of Micheal Brown.

Timing is suspect.

It's disconcerting the feds feel the need to leak their version of details while a local grand jury in Missouri is currently taking testimony in the Brown shooting case.

A little more, or a lot?

Stock market's been giving some folks heartburn and whiplash in recent weeks.

Up and down, but mostly down.

Here's a guy in a CNBC video who makes the case there's more downside to come. 

Maybe a little. Maybe a lot.

Runs about three minutes.

Is he right or wrong?

Friday, October 17, 2014

More ammo options in the marketplace

Ammunition quantities and price continue to return to pre-December 2012 panic levels at online sellers.

There were a few examples in an email I received today touting 5.56 and 30.06 offerings at SGAmmo.

Not making a pitch for anyone to buy these specific offerings, though I've long recommended persons who enjoy shooting should consider laying in a stash to get 'em through any future hiccups in the supply chain.

America's Ebola panic

How much of America's growing Ebola panic is fueled by fear of the disease itself.

How much of it is fueled by government's inept response so far?

How much of it is fueled by knowing how many times the progressive, change-driven administration of Barack Obama has lied to us before, or peppered us with half-truthes, and may be trying to pacify us again with falsehoods?

Think: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.

Naming a political spin doctor (not a medical doctor)  as an Ebola Czar won't fix anything.  The Obama administration seems focused on massaging its message, adding layers of political filters, still not willing to consider its politically correct Ebola response is a failure on many levels including botched assumptions and protocols.

Don and I tackle a lot of this on this week's Friday webcast. What I've mentioned above is just part of it.

If the archive player is slow to load, give it a few seconds... You can play the program from here on the blog.


Check Out Current Events Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with TalkSouthRadio on BlogTalkRadio

DOJ still trying to keep a lid on Fast and Furious

But others are still working to bring to light a greater knowledge of the damage it did.

MSM still noticeably absent in pursuit of the story. Has been for years.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

How it begins...

While I'm not convince an Ebola epidemic will overrun America, I am convinced the government response to Ebola has probably increased rather than diminished the odds.

As seen on Facebook

A milestone

Looks like I've finally reached that age...

Received my first invite to a dinner where the sponsor hopes to sell me on a prepaid funeral plan.

I think I'll pass for now.

Bloomberg's backing Nunn

In the Georgia senate race, Mike Bloomberg's giving money in a big way to support Democrat Michelle Nunn.

Via Jim Galloway at AJC's Political Insider:
Former New York City mayor, media tycoon and gun control advocate Michael Bloomberg gave $350,000 to a pro-Michelle Nunn Super PAC last month, making him easily the biggest single benefactor to her campaign.
Ever know Bloomberg to shower cash on a candidate without assurances the candidate would back his gun control agenda?

Pennsylvania lawmaker exchanges gunfire with would be band of robbers

And yes, the lawmaker is a Democrat.

Obama scrapped quarantine regs

Flashback 2010. USA Today noted:
The Obama administration has quietly scrapped plans to enact sweeping new federal quarantine regulations that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention touted four years ago as critical to protecting Americans from dangerous diseases spread by travelers.

Micheal Brown update

Grand jury witness reportedly says Micheal Brown refused orders to stop, and was advancing toward Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson when shot on August 9th. 

Sound science or a terrible gamble?

Before the woman who is now the latest confirmed Ebola patient flew commercially from Cleveland to Dallas, she called CDC.

She was told her fever was no problem, go ahead and board the flight.

From CBSDFW:
CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. John LaPook reports that Vinson called the CDC several times before boarding the plane concerned about her fever.  
“This nurse, Nurse Vinson, did in fact call the CDC several times before taking that flight and said she has a temperature, a fever of 99.5, and the person at the CDC looked at a chart and because her temperature wasn’t 100.4 or higher she didn’t officially fall into the category of high risk,” said Dr. LaPook on the CBS Evening News. 
The woman was formally diagnosed with Ebola the following day.

Still think the bureaucracy's got this Ebola thing licked?

Fundamental change in full bloom

From Chris Muir's Day by Day Cartoon:


Protocol? What protocol?

Via Twitter:




Update: Are you ready for the kicker? The guy with the clipboard is a "protocol supervisor."

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Damn the Ebola, full speed ahead...

"It's bad enough the America has sailed into the iceberg Ebola by proceeding at full steam into a fog of incompetence so thick that it would blind a flock of eagles. But compounding that, at every step of this crisis, (CDC Director Dr. Tom) Frieden has been found scurrying along the deck, and drilling holes in the bottoms of the lifeboats." - Raconteur Report

More progressive double talk

Ace of Spades breaks down some of today's Ebola advice from the CDC:
Doctor Frieden: You Can't Catch Ebola From Some Guy Sitting on the Bus With You. But If You Have Ebola, Stay Off the Bus. Somebody Could Catch It From You.

The public health bureaucracy keeps digging itself in deeper and deeper.


Meanwhile, the New York Times has its own the advice for its progressive readers: Quit worrying about Ebola, and go back to fretting over firearms.

Ebola on a busy airliner

CDC says an Ebola infected passenger flew aboard a Frontier Airlines jet from Cleveland to Dallas while running a low-grade fever.

The airline removed the plane from service Wednesday after contact from the CDC...
However, according to Flighttracker, the plane was used for five additional flights on Tuesday before it was removed from service. Those flights include a return flight to Cleveland, Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (FLL), FLL to Cleveland, Cleveland to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), and ATL to Cleveland. (From CBSDFW) 

White House canceled Obama's political calendar today

After this morning's CDC presser, I heard radio news report Obama canceled his "political event calendar" today to deal with the Ebola crisis.

Now I see this:
Obama had been slated to visit Union, New Jersey, for a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser before traveling to Bridgeport, Connecticut, for a campaign rally with Gov. Dannel Malloy. Earnest said both events will be rescheduled before Election Day. 
So, what gives?

Are Dems telling Obama to stay away?

Do internal White House polls show his numbers in complete collapse?

Third possibility: White House expects significant bad turn of events near term, and is attempting to rehab Mr. Obama's image to some extent before the next wave piles on.

It's not like Obama to ditch a pep rally. He seems to live for that kind of stuff.

What's being said in today's White House Ebola meeting to make Obama think it's worth  blowing off a fundraiser?

BTW, this is the second scheduling move that may suggest unfolding Ebola events are far more serious than politicians or bureaucrats are letting on. The first was that suspiciously timed late Friday public briefing on October 3rd.

Colder winter in the works?

It seems water in the Great Lakes are running six degrees cooler than last year.

The UK Daily Mail picks up on a report suggesting a colder than normal winter is on the way, at least in Michigan:
Average surface temperatures for both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan have dropped: Superior's went from from 53.7 degrees on October 11, 2013 to 47.6 degrees Saturday, while Michigan's went from 62.1 degrees to 56.0 degrees, MLive.com reported.

Got pets?

Every buy pet food on Amazon?

Pet food is getting expensive.

We have a dog we rescued years ago that needs a special diet. The dry food she eats runs around $50 for a large bag, and the canned stuff we mix in with the dry can run $3.19 a can at brick and mortar pet stores.

We love the dog, and have to feed her what keeps her well.

Anyway, I checked Amazon.com this weekend and found the exact same canned food on sale. Only $2.25 a can when bought by the case. And two cases run the total past the point to qualify for free shipping.

Ordered a couple of cases, may order more if the sale continues.

I've stumbled across similar discounts on run of the mill canned cat food in the past, and bought in bulk when I did.

I really like to shop local when I can. But a bargain is a bargain, and I'll take 'em where I can find 'em.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

What? Me worry?

From Mad Magazine...

Yes, Mad's on Twitter now...

Busted loose and committed a carjacking

The suspects are a couple of asylum seekers Obama and his open border welcomed into the U.S.

Here we go again

The "underfunded" excuse.

Fact is, the "underfunded" excuse is actually a strategy to grow bad government.

Via Human Events:
In truth, the CDC and NIH are swimming in money, just like every other appendage of this ridiculously overpriced, painfully mis-managed government.  Like every other agency, they fritter away their money on silly distractions and naked attempts to extend their power.  They put more effort into “mission creep” than their actual mission.  When confronted with a crisis that exposes an inability to handle core functions, the agency curls into a defensive crouch and begins whining that it’s under-funded.  If that works – and until now, it often has – the result is growth through failure.
Meanwhile, Raconteur Report notes the CDC has spent somewhere around ten billion dollars since 2001 on plans for preparedness and response to public health emergencies.

Hard to imagine another billion or two or even three making any difference.

Squandered

More wisdom in 140 characters or less:

Forgotten truth

"What the Greatest Generation knew that our current princes have forgotten is that survival is not a given." - Richard Fernandez, writing at PJ Media

Priorities. Perspective

Via Twitter:

West Virginia injustice

Accosted by eight assailants, a West Virginia man now faces criminal charges for firing a warning shot.


McCain. More clueless than I imagined

As Islamic State forces push forward in Syria and Iraq, Senator John McCain assesses it like this:
“We now have the largest, richest, most powerful caliphate and base for terrorism in history,” McCain continued. “They now encompass an area larger than the state of Indiana and they are dedicated to attacking the United States of America.”
It seems Sen. McCain is unfamiliar with the history of the Ottoman Empire. He also seems unaware of Islam's record of conquest in North Africa and Europe.


Monday, October 13, 2014

Obama is a wizard without a curtain

I kind of like this photo of Barack Obama. It suggests how really small he his. It's just the amplification he gets that makes him look so important.

U.S. Government work/White House photo
I saw this and immediately thought of the "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" scene in the Wizard of Oz. Only here, the admonition might be to pay no attention to the small man behind the podium, keep your eyes fixed on the larger than life projection.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Hmm...

Via Twitter:

Top news in a nutshell

Kobani getting clobbered. A new Ebola case confirmed in Dallas. Barack Obama goes golfing. 

Anyone expect anything different?

A well stocked pantry

Here's more evidence a well stocked pantry and holding some other extra household supplies are key to surviving an Ebola (or any other) epidemic. 

The UK Guardian carries the first person story of a 13 year old in Liberia who has witnessed Ebola close up, and been forced to live in an intentionally isolated community:
Our community was quarantined from the rest of town and we were told that no one could leave or enter for 21 days. We were surrounded by police and military: it was scary as no one could buy or sell from within the “isolation”, nor could any business people come in to sell. People who attempted to sneak out, in need of food, were forced by the guards to return.
Even though my aunt had been discharged from the hospital, she was too weak to go in search for food or prepare any for the family so we really suffered from hunger. No one brought us food or water for the first two weeks of isolation. In the third week, a charity group brought bulgur, oil and beans.
You don't have to buy exotic survival foods for preparation. A few weeks worth of extra canned goods might be enough to make a difference.

There's no harm in buying ahead, and staying ahead, on foods you and your family eat anyway. Doesn't hurt to be a cycle or two ahead on toiletries and other personal grooming articles.

Even if Ebola never comes our way,  it just makes sense to have some kind of personal backup supplies.

The Walking Dead returns tonight

Do I want so sit through another season that its makers describe as "devastating"?

Strategy in "ruins"

The UK Independent declares that America's anti-ISIS strategy is in ruins. 

I'd argue Obama was right all along when he said he didn't have a strategy.

Sure, he's ordered some air strikes. I'm still of the opinion they were (and are) more intended to save Democrats in November than to save those in the path of Islamic State conquest ambitions.

If epidemic comes to America...

Are you prepared to go home, lock the doors, and ride things out in self imposed isolation?

The Saudis and their oil

Oil prices are falling, yet the Saudis are pumping more.

Some believe the Saudi's are trying to preserve market share. Others suggest it's part of a strategy to force oil prices down, one designed to dove-tail with Western sanctions to punish Russia which depends on commodities like oil to fuel its economy.

But maybe it's more simple than that.

Maybe those now running Saudi Arabia are panicking over ISIS.

ISIS flags were seen flying in Mecca during this year's Hajj gathering.

If Saudi royals have any concern at all that ISIS, or some fundamental force like it, might threaten their rule of the kingdom, they might be motivated to start converting more oil to cash or gold.

Cash can be used to fund a home front war with ISIS if things come to that. Pumping more cash into the Saudi economy might also be a way to score additional popularity points at home for the present government.

Cash or gold is also something the royals and their loyalists could take with them in a hasty exit if ISIS were seen as having potential to depose the present Saudi regime.

Gold prices are down along with oil, so the downside of pumping now is diminished if the Saudis are intending to invest in more gold after converting more oil to cash.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

"Southern snow"

Cotton field near Watkinsville, Georgia

The way we were

"It is amusing to observe what the ability for self-preservation is among children in a country where nursemaids are rare. It frightened me at first to see mere babies playing on broken wooden bridges, where the rushing water below might be seen through large holes; and little boys climbing trees which slanted over a rocky precipice; or getting into a canoe tossing on a rough river. But I find that accidents to children are rarely or never heard of. The obvious results of such training are a dexterity, fearlessness, and presence of mind, and aptitude for bodily exercises, which are of eminent use in mature life." - Harriet Martineau, Society in America, published 1837

Strikes me this was kind of the norm at least into the late 1950s.

Will recent generations raised as more insulated children be able to carry America forward in a recognizable manner?

Inventory's back, prices way down from panic levels

Been to a gun store lately, or seen the gun counter at a big box sporting goods store?

Most cases, they're back to being well stocked, at least as far as new stuff's concerned.

File photo from the panic. Empty
shelves like this no longer the norm.
I made calls on some of my favorite suburban Atlanta sellers earlier in the week, and am happy to report that not only has inventory returned, but prices have also dropped reasonably close to what they were before the buying panic that started in December 2012.

Revolvers are harder to come by. Handgun displays are overwhelmingly stocked with semi-autos.

I did note that used inventory is still scarce at many places both for handguns and long guns. When I asked, sellers who used to carry a wider assortment just said they can't sell what people aren't selling to them. Many of the used guns I did see appeared the type and vintage that might have come from estate sales.

Ammo's is also back both online and in retail stores. At least one big box chain still enforces a two box limit on some varieties. And, forgive me, but I didn't think to look to see if .22 LR was back on the shelves.

Online ammunition sellers may not have inventories as broad as two years ago, but what they do have is sometimes priced where it was in fall 2012. For example, I've seen 50 round boxes of Brown Bear 9mm selling for $9.95, and Prvi Partizan .38 Special priced from $13.50. Shop around, prices still vary widely from seller to seller. For those who got caught short on ammo in the 2013 panic, now seems like a good time to build a stash to counter personal impact of any future panics or retail shortages.

There was one thing that sort of bugged me. The one time I stopped by a shop with an indoor range, most the lanes were empty. Maybe it was a slow night. But just over a year ago, you'd have had to wait in line for a lane to open up. I hope those folks who bought guns in the panic have taken time to train with them. Semi-autos especially often need a break-in period to perform dependably.

If you haven't taken a new gun to the range, now might be a good time to do so. Might also be a good time to invite a friend to go with you.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Deep thoughts

Chessie contemplates the state of affairs. Even from a cat's perspective, there's much to think about.


It's a dismal world

The New York Times apparently wants you to think it's a Republican campaign theme.

Sorry dudes, I see it as reality.  Though I  also see Obama enabling Republicans as being part of of the problem.

Don and I tackled the unraveling on today's webcast.

Government's Ebola plan: Reality or PC fantasy?

Government may insist it has the Ebola crisis covered. But does it really have the grip on the situation it claims?

Past Ebola outbreaks burned themselves out in rapid time.  This one's still seems in Energizer Bunny mode. Question is, how much longer does this run of Ebola have?

A blog called Raconteur Report points out, there's no way a U.S. military Ebola response can match the compounding rate and speed of the current outbreak if continues to compound at present rates.

Everything about the current crew in Washington is guided by politics, timing and polls.

Worries me they seem to treat Ebola by political rules rather than age-old historical means of dealing with epidemics.

Generations past were quick to invoke quarantines to protect America from epidemics. Ship travel made it easier, incubation periods took place at sea, infected travelers - at least some of them - generally showed signs of illness upon arrival.

Quarantine islands and plague houses were oft at the ready in an earlier America.

Not so today.  Politicians, even those operating under a public health banner, fret over political risk of preventing someone's travel or even delaying it. They fret of economic disruptions by limiting travel, but I suspect they fail to factor in the economic disruptions they may be setting in motion by not doing enough to keep seed carriers out.

Hindsight's always 20/20.

Time will tell if Ebola reaches America in epidemic proportions.

If Ebola's not the big one, it's at least giving us a glimpse of how prepared or unprepared we're going to be when the big one gets here.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Peak Gold?

The head of a major mining company says gold output will soon peak, and then go into decline as soon as 2015. 

Can't frack gold. 

More trouble in St. Louis

Another "teen" has been shot and killed by a police officer.

The 18-year-old had a gun. Allegedly fired at the cop three times... before the cop unleashed 17 rounds of his own.

GMA shares details as of Thursday morning
Wednesday's shooting happened at about 7:30 p.m. in the city's Shaw Neighborhood, and involved an officer working a department-approved secondary job for a private security company, Police Chief Sam Dotson said at an early-morning news conference.  
The officer approached a group of men. One of the men took off running, Dotson said, so the officer pursued. Dotson said the suspect approached the officer in an "aggressive" manner, with a physical altercation occurring. The man then turned and fired three rounds at the officer before his gun jammed, Dotson said.  
The officer, who was not injured, returned fire, shooting 17 times and fatally wounding the man, Dotson said...

Activists took to the streets of St. Louis overnight, marching and chanting, seeking answers.  
Some police vehicles were damaged during the protests, with windows smashed, Dotson said. 
How does smashing police car windows contribute to "seeking answers"?

Exactly how do the unrest instigators expect a cop to react when he's being shot at?

Count to ten to give the assailant time to un-jam his crapper of a gun?

It's not an unarmed teen this time who's death they protest. It was, by official accounts, an armed perp using deadly force of gunfire just before a police officer returned fire. And yet rampage in the street still results.

Seems absurd.

On the other hand, the excess of these "activists" may prove beneficial.

Maybe this latest incident will awaken more sheeple to the kind of unchecked lawlessness the so-called social justice crowd really champions. And do so before November elections roll around.

Update:  National Public Radio quotes the St. Louis paper where a relative claims it was a sandwich, not a gun, in the man's hand.

Can't say I've ever seen a sandwich jam after three rounds.

Was it a PB&J (powder, bullets and jam)?

Will the soon-to-retire Eric Holder be hopping a plane to sort (or spin) this one out?

Did Obama's lax immigration policy import an epidemic?

Anyone following developments concerning a polio-like disease known as enterovirus D68? 

It's killed five children in the U.S. in the past month.

Reporter Sharyl Attkisson notes:
Though the U.S. government is keeping secret the locations of the illegal immigrant children, there are significant numbers of them in both cities in which the current outbreak was first identified, Kansas City, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois, according to local advocates and press reports.

The EV-D68 outbreak was first recognized after Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri notified CDC on August 19 of an increase in severe respiratory illnesses. Four days later, on August 23, the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital notified CDC of a similar increase. 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

More nanny state...

Swings now deemed uncool for school playgrounds in Richland, Washington.

Just too dangerous for the little tykes, they say.

So swing sets will be removed as school playgrounds there are renovated.


These are far different times than when I was a kid.

We had swing sets at school, in parks, and at home.

And sometimes while on those swings, we would recite a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson:
How do you like to go up in a swing,
             Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
             Ever a child can do!  
Up in the air and over the wall,
             Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
             Over the countryside--  
Till I look down on the garden green,
              Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
              Up in the air and down!

Big Brother's getting bigger and bigger

A Connecticut committee recommends home schooled children be presented for government inspection from time to time. 

Free falling

How do I know things are now spinning out of control?

Because Obama has transitioned from using dominant use of  the word "I" to using the word "we."

"We" leaves room to blame others when things fall apart.

Wasn't it just a couple months ago that White House spokesman Josh Earnest was bragging on the Obama era of "international tranquility"?

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The mid morning cat nap

As practiced by Max...


Gold and silver are big sellers at the U.S. Mint

Bullion prices are off compared to recent past years.

Judging by the sales pace of gold and silver coins at the U.S. Mint, people think they're at bargain prices.

Some Americans are fighting with ISIS

And America's FBI director says those American ISIS fighters are "entitled" to come back home when they feel like it.

More thoughts on Ebola, and epidemics in particular...

It's not necessarily Ebola that might might build the bottom line of victims in a potential American Ebola outbreak.

Ol' Remus, posting at the Woodpile Report, sees us as playing with fire in our thus-far Pollyanna response to a potential epidemic :
A realistic mortality estimate has to include secondary effects, which includes a drastic reduction in ordinary medical services, disrupted transportation of food, fuel and other necessities, much diminished commercial activity, breakdown of civil order and the like. If we discount "perfect storm" doomer scenarios and stay within the likely, a mortality of 25% in the US is a reasonable estimate, with a burnout time of about three years. That's about 77 million. Our population is unevenly distributed and the country is large, look for it to advance in waves like the pandemic of 1918-1919. Again, mortality means deaths from Ebola and secondary effects.
And there's this:
Our institutional defenses against epidemics assume 1950s-style civic support. Those days are gone. Even so, it'll work for a while, not perfectly, but well enough. For a while. Ebola will go exponential when it gets into our Liberia-like urban areas and separatist enclaves. Necessary but inconvenient countermeasures will be widely evaded, denounced as genocide in disguise. Those who demand drastic action in defense of the nation will be slandered as paleo-rednecks.
Multiculturalism, the politically expedient formula that lets politicians thrive by playing societal groups against each other, will emerge for what it is - the new normal of groups demanding preferential treatment. And demanded preferential treatment may run counter to the best interests of everyone.

With general concepts of a common good discarded, the new tribalism in America may be nearly as responsible for what may unfold as any bitter disease itself.

Casual contact encouraged

It's almost like public officials in Dallas are trying to shame people into unnecessary contact during the current Ebola scare.

From NBC News:
He (Texas Health Commissioner Dr. David Lakey) said he was so confident that people who aren't showing signs of illness that he shook hands with one man who was being monitored. Local officials have complained that certain service providers, like tutors, have been reluctant to come into the neighborhood where (Ebola patient) Duncan was staying because of Ebola fears.
And, of course, those who may have been exposed are upset they're being discriminated against.

The CBS station in Dallas notes:
Dallas City Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates says that she met with over 30 community leaders on Monday, trying to assess the needs of the residents. Most are concerned about the possible stigma of living near the apartment building. 
“Unfortunately, they are feeling discriminated against,” said Gates. “We still have some that have been turned away from jobs. Some that have been turned away at retail locations. We’re getting them in touch with legal aid and any resources necessary.” 
Isolation and quarantine have been effective means of stopping epidemics since Bible times. Maybe earlier.  Depriving someone of a their livelihood may be a tougher call, but is every shopping trip really necessary?

Today, political correctness seeks to undo the common sense approach that's spared civilizations through the ages.

Are a few weeks of less frequent, more discerning contact really such a bad thing - especially since it has the potential to save lives?

It concerns me that public health officials continue to champion casual attitudes about potential exposures. If they understood Ebola as well as they claim to, there would be more effective treatments, or even a vaccination. But there's not.

Kobani is falling

Should be clear to everyone by now that Obama's air strikes against the Islamic State are only intended to give Democrats political cover in November.

They have little to no tactical impact as IS continues its advancing conquest.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Fraternity house vandalized with swastikas

At Emory University in Georgia. The targeted house belongs to a Jewish fraternity.

Texas holdup stopped, suspects killed

Guy with a gun who stopped a holdup and killed two of four robbers will likely face felony charges when identified.

Are we really prepared to deal with an Ebola outbreak?

Probably not.

Here's some push-back and counter points to Friday's hopey-changey spin from the White House and other rosy assessments from the feds.

And for the record, here's the official White House spin of Friday's official White House spin session.
"The feds—whatever the intention of individuals—are setting up the machinery of a totalitarianism beyond anything yet known on the earth. It falls rapidly into place. You can argue, if you are optimistic enough to make Pollyanna look like a Schopenhaurian gloom-monger, that they would never use such powers. They already do. The only question is how far they will push. What cannot be argued is that they have the powers." - Fred Reed, writing at Fred on Everything

There's danger in arming weak hands

Lots of ISIS ammo is made in USA.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Meanwhile, back on the ISIS front...

Via Twitter:



This one too caught my eye:

"Big government is, inevitably, stupid government"

Government's blunder with the Ebola carrier in Dallas are just part of the package.

A new executive order

Obama moves to give more job protections to more agents at the frequently scandalous Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

While Mr. Obama moves to give civil service cover to more agents at ATF, Bloomberg Businessweek opined last year about cutting more ATF "bumblers" loose, and merging what "better agents" the agency has into the FBI.

Even a Bloomberg entity like Businessweek sees ATF as making a mockery of federal law enforcement because it's so poorly run.

But Obama? He moves to protect the agency and its agents by executive order.

Friday, October 3, 2014

The White House talks Ebola

A very uncharacteristic Friday late afternoon briefing on the Ebola crisis caught my attention.

The White House lined up a crop of talking heads to insist the government and America's medical infrastructure has everything in place to keep us safe.

But wait.  The same White House has a president who said just two weeks ago it was unlikely Ebola would even get here in the first place.

The timing on this presser concerns me. Friday afternoon info releases in DC are usually intended to get overlooked by news consumers. The fact these people rushed on camera so late in the day seems to suggest panic behind the scenes.

Interesting too that the White House held Ebola conference was held in competition to Obama's own Friday afternoon event in Indiana on the topic of manufacturing. Yes, the president was out of town in Indiana when the White House made its big Ebola info push.

Does the White House know more Ebola bad news will be breaking over the weekend, and the afternoon event was a last minute attempt to get out in front of it, or were there other considerations?

Midterm elections are just a month away.

For those who missed the live White House briefing, a Twitter recap via Twitchy can be found here.

Relax. Bureaucracy's here to protect you

From Hope n' Change Cartoons:



Meanwhile, in the real world, the photo below shows how the sophisticated U.S. public health system is caring for Ebola exposure cases.

Via Twitter:


Not a pretty picture.

American public health agencies apparently recommend more protective measures when cleaning up a broken florescent light bulb than they do for workers dispatched to known Ebola contamination locations.