It's Not Easy Being Green

I have had it with "green."

Don't let the kids read this tirade. There will be bad language. I am 50 years old now, and I'm entitled to some swearing, an entitlement I will exercise in this post. If you don't like it, change the channel NOW.

I was just scrolling through my hundreds of FiOS channels in search of something worth my time, when I stopped on a show titled,

Emeril Green

where Emeril Lagasse, the erstwhile Boston Yankee so-called Louisiana chef, will teach you how to cook "green."

Yes, how to be a "green" cook. I am SO tired of the term "green," that it can't begin to describe the color of bile that I puke up when I see crap like this. GREEN cooking? What - has Emeril been grilling Bigfoot filets and Spotted Owl breasts over moon rocks for the last decade or so? Has he been cooking with coal or diesel fuel? Has he been cooking over a short-block Chevy engine? Has he used cattle methane straight from the ass to combust his truffles?

Break. I need a break. Green this, green that. I saw an ad for a "green" CAR DEALERSHIP the other day. They're "green" because they use recycled water for their landscaping. I plan to contribute to their efforts and poop on their grass one night very soon.

There's some moron in my very own neighborhood who's purchased a CONVERTIBLE Smarte Car. A car that 2 drunken teenagers could flip over barehanded. But these vehicles are cool now, because they're GREEN, in spite of the fact that a collision with a Harley would total those French POS-mobiles.

Naturally, politics have gone "green." Algore has repeated a lie often enough that some people, some companies, some communities have begun to actually BELIEVE that shit.

Let's be perfectly clear, people, and I need you to hear me five by five: "Green" is a marketing campaign. It's the latest bandwagon to get you to buy horse manure, snake oil, cold fusion. It's the latest gimmick to get you to buy garbage you wouldn't have bought a mere year ago, simply because it says "green."

It's religion, and an apostatic one at that. Do NOT fall for this nonsense. The dogma that you're being fed via the news, propaganda, marketing and politics is crap that's "greener" and better for your lawn than the truth. Yesterday's hippies are now capitalizing on their newfound legacy, and selling you crap because they're "older and wiser" and you kids have squandered our precious meager natural resources.

Emeril Green? Gimme a break.

Cimarron Canyon

Today at the range with temps at or near 100, I couldn't help but think of my lunch stop hiking up the Cimarron Canyon last week. Temps were probably only in the 70s next to this little waterfall and it was absolutely splendid. The water was crystal clear and cold and the solitude was marvelous.

Mt. Greenie

11,271 ft.

Highest point in New Mexico attainable in a vehicle. The trip up and down was quite a bit of fun, I've gotta say. And the view at the top was awesome.

5,000 gallons of molasses spill on Texas highway

Good thing this didn't happen in the winter. Bonus: it's in Sugar Land!

News Flash: D.C. Idiots Don't Understand English

Apparently the fools running DC can't understand a simple court decision.

Google Trends: ǝlƃooƃ noʎ ʞɔnɟ, Jul 13, 2008

I just noticed an interesting #1 Google trend (follow the link above). It says, "ǝlƃooƃ noʎ ʞɔnɟ." What an interesting trend, indeed.

Winning the Energy War

This is an expanded version of a little thing I sent in to Senator Cornyn's website; perhaps it will show up there as well at some point in the near future. In the meantime, here you go....

All that is required to win the energy war that has been raging in this country since the 1970s is to defeat the radical environmentalists.

Think about it.

Every policy, law and regulation that is keeping us from becoming energy independent has its origin with the environmental movement.

The United States sits on more resources than we could use in the foreseeable future in the form of oil, gas and coal deposits. Add nuclear and emerging technologies into the mix and our reliance on foreign governments that may or may not support the United States would be over.

Yet we are not allowed to mine the resources that we are in fact, sitting on, thanks to the environmental movement. Between the moratorium on offshore drilling that was signed into law in the 1980s, and President Clinton's proclamation in 1996 making 1.7million acres in Utah a national monument and therefore putting off limits billions of tons of clean burning coal - the United States is fighting the energy war with both hands tied behind its back.

Thanks to public reaction to the 1979 movie The China Syndrome, we have
limited the construction of nuclear power plants. Thanks to "do as I say, not as I do" liberals like Teddy Kennedy, we can't build windmills in areas that might ruin the cultural "viewscape." Environmental regulations make it impossible to build oil refineries to the point that we haven't had a new refinery built in the United
States in decades. It makes you wonder just whose side the environmentalists and their lackeys are on because clearly they are not on the side of the American people. It is crystal clear that we are on the cusp of a growing energy crisis yet we as a country are handcuffed at every turn as we search for either existing energy supplies or new sources of energy whether that is nuclear, wind, or water power. To an outside observer, it would appear that the environmentalists want nothing more than to return to the Jeffersonian ideal of an agrarian nation of yeoman farmers.

In order to regain our energy independence, we must turn back the tide of radical environmentalists who would have us believe in manmade climate change. Common sense should dictate that while climate change is real, man has nothing to do with it. Ice ages have come and gone without the internal combustion engine. Global warming is taking place on Mars and mankind has yet to set a foot there. More pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere during a large volcanic explosion than all of mankind's history, from day 1. Yet somehow, the radical environmentalists and their willing accomplices in the media will have us believe that in a little over 100 years, the internal combustion engine is to blame for any climate change we are currently experiencing.

Again, proving that common sense is not so common, let's think about this. We all know that weathermen can't predict with any degree of certainty what the weather will do this weekend. In fact, here in north Texas, we're lucky if they can predict what it's going to do this afternoon with any accuracy! Yet many of these same people who can't tell us what's going to happen 5 days from now will have us believe
that they know for certain what will happen 50 years from now. Am I the only one that sees a problem with this?

And let's look at the expense our economy is paying for "going green". Hybrid cars are great, right? No one ever seems to say anything (with the exception of Car and Driver) that after you pay the premium the dealerships are putting on hybrid vehicles, you'd have to own the car several decades to balance out the cost savings. No one points out that the batteries are going to wind up in a landfill
somewhere. Everyone knows that batteries, even rechargeable ones, die over time. What kind of environmental mess is THAT going to make?

The ethanol gas lobby that is forcing "green" ethanol down our throats adds additional expense to an already tight gasoline market for a gas product that performs at least 10-15% worse than a non-ethanol based product. So you end up using more gas and paying more for it at the pump all so we can feel good about the environment. Governmental entities across the country are spending billions upon billions of dollars to purchase "green" equipment that doesn't work as efficiently or as powerfully as gasoline powered equipment but hey, at least we can all feel good about ourselves, right?

What's the answer? I am surely not advocating strip mining or irresponsible drilling. There have been enough technological advances in the last 30 years that make both prospects environmentally conscious and safer than they were 3 decades ago. (Again, apply common sense. Do you really think that Exxon wants another Valdez? To do so would kill their company in today's climate.) Drill responsibly for oil and natural gas. Mine responsibly for coal. Build nuclear power plants. Develop new technologies that are economically feasible and practical. Deregulate the energy business to the point that they can work to explore and produce additional power supply for the country. Build new refineries. Think about what that would do to job growth alone, not to mention our energy woes! We're the United States of America for God's sake! We put a man on the moon in about a decade of trying, do you really think we can't solve our energy issues if we put our mind to it? But in order to do all of this, we need to stop the hoax that is the
environmental movement and refuse to be bullied by their tactics.

Take away the illusion that leftists are the only ones who *care* about the
environment. I am as avid an outdoorsman as any environmentalist I know. Unlike most of them, who only pretend that they can survive in the outdoors without their A/C and running water, I know (because I've done it many, many times) that I can survive and thrive in harsh environments from deserts to mountains to swamps, thickets and timber. I love to be outdoors and view the natural environment as something to be treasured and enjoyed. But I also understand that in order to
protect and support this thing that is the United States of America, we have to defeat the environmental movement that will have us believe that a field mouse is more important than the survival of our society.

Defeat the radical environmentalist movement, and we are well on our way to winning the energy war.

Survival of the Sudsiest

George Will has an excellent column that tells us civilization has depended on the creation of beer.

Like we needed to be told that.

To avoid dangerous water, people had to drink large quantities of, say, beer. But to digest that beer, individuals needed a genetic advantage that not everyone had -- what Johnson describes as the body's ability to respond to the intake of alcohol by increasing the production of particular enzymes called alcohol dehydrogenases. This ability is controlled by certain genes on chromosome four in human DNA, genes not evenly distributed to everyone. Those who lacked this trait could not, as the saying goes, "hold their liquor." So, many died early and childless, either of alcohol's toxicity or from waterborne diseases.

In other words, those of us alive today owe our survival to our ancestor's ability to drink beer!

So, go have a beer and celebrate humanity, will you?

Shock Bracelet Considered For Airline Passengers, Border Control -- Homeland Security

This has to be one of the most outrageous things I've heard of in quite some time.

In order to enhance the security of air travel and to help manage illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security has solicited a proposal from a Canadian security company to develop a passenger stun bracelet.
Like the pain collars featured in the classic Star Trek episode The Gamesters of Triskelion, Lamperd Less Lethal's electro-muscular disruption (EMD) bracelet is intended to incapacitate wearers on remote command.

I cannot even fathom that this would be legal, much less allowed by the public. It's being marketed as a tool to aid passengers in the airport, and as an anti-terrorist device. The potential for abuse is monstrous.

The stupidity of PC

In yet another sign of the coming Apocalypse, it's now considered to be racially insensitive to use the term "black hole". You heard that right folks, a scientific term that refers to "the invisible remains of a collapsed star, with an intense gravitational field from which neither light nor matter can escape" is now a rascist term.

Sadly, this little incident took place in Dallas County - which just again proves my point that idiots are running the County, but what do I know.

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."
That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

You can't make this stuff up, folks.

FISA set to pass, finally

Finally, the Dems running Congress are set to pass the FISA bill that has been stalled for quite some time. It has been held up over concerns the liberals had over being able to sue telecommunication companies that are assisting the government in tracking down terrorist activities.

Even though the Dems in Congress have finally come to their senses and are working on passing the bill, it would appear that Senator Cornyn's opponent still thinks its a bad idea. You've got to ask yourself just who Noriega is protecting. I think it's safe to say that since 9/11 we have had no other terrorist attacks on American soil, at least in part due to FISA working. Like his liberal bretheren in Congress, you have to wonder just who's side Noriega is on.

We've said it before and I'll say it again. Put liberals in charge of National Security and we all lose.

Back yard critters

Been reading Blackfork, Robert's blog, and all his pics of wildlife reminded me of this picture I snapped in our backyard on a wet day this past winter. Not the best picture in the world, but I was happy to get this big boy on film and had to run and find my camera to catch him....

When liberals rule the world - Clusterbombs, part deux

In May, JR wrote about a group of 3rd rate countries who'd all gathered together to ban cluster bombs.

A month later, we get another lesson on what happens when liberals are in charge.

Faced with growing international pressure, the Pentagon is changing its policy on cluster bombs and plans to reduce the danger of unexploded munitions in the deadly explosives.

The policy shift, which is outlined in a three-page memo signed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, would require that after 2018, more than 99 percent of the bomblets in a cluster bomb must detonate.

Limiting the amount of live munitions left on the battlefield would lessen the danger to innocent civilians who have been killed or severely injured when they accidentally detonate the bomb.

OK, I don't have too much of a problem with this. If the new guidelines don't interfere with the ability of our military to accurately and reliably deliver the bombs, then like I said, it doesn't bother me.

However, Senator leaky Leahy (D-Vt), is not happy. Apparently, he doesn't like the fact that the United States is the sole world superpower and would like to create a more even field for our enemies to fight on. Stating that the new policy is "a step back", Leahy goes on to say:

"Now the Bush administration's 'new' policy is to wait another 10 years," said Leahy, calling it "another squandered opportunity for U.S. leadership." He said that in wake of the international treaty agreement, the Pentagon's plan to wait another decade before requiring the 99 percent detonation rate cannot be justified.

So, you put liberals in charge of our national security and this is the kind of crap that happens - you can count on effective weapon systems to be killed off leaving us to fight with one hand tied behind our backs.

Have no doubt - when liberals run our national security, we lose.

Happy Birthday, U. S. A.

Plasma, LCDs blamed for accelerating global warming

Need a little pick me up on this 4th of July?

Read this tripe!


In the latest bit of global warming (or is it now climate change?) hysteria, your flat paneled TVs are now being blamed for a rapid increase in the deterioration of our environment.

A gas used in the making of flat screen televisions, nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), is being blamed for damaging the atmosphere and accelerating global warming.

Wow, sounds serious!

But there's a catch. You see, just as with the rest of the global warming hysteria, there is not one shred of evidence that proves this ridiculous point.

Levels of this gas in the atmosphere have not been measured, but scientists say it is a concern and are calling for it to be included in any future emissions cutting agreement.

So, they have no idea how much of this gas is in the atmosphere, but they KNOW it's causing a problem.

The scientist (spit, hack, spit) who is raising the alarm about this new, powerful gas has this to say:

"We don't know what's emitted, but what they're producing every year dwarfs these giant coal-fired power plants that are like the biggest in the world...."

Now, I know I'm only a historian, but even I can figure out that if you DON'T KNOW WHAT'S EMITTED, then how in the hell could you know that *they* are producing more pollutants than a giant coal-fired power plant. Are we to be so stupid as to believe that plasma TVs - which are only in a portion of American households - are creating as a by product of their production, more pollution that coal power plants which can be found all over the entire world?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

What a retard.

And oh yeah, have a happy and safe 4th of July.

"We Won't Try to Pry Guns Away"

Some people just don't get it. Vis-a-vis Miss Lori Jefferson Foster of Dallas:

We won't try to pry guns away

Re: "Rejection of ban triggers new debate – Some use decision to fight other arms laws; others laud support for 'reasonable' restrictions," last Friday news story.

For those of us who believe that common sense gun laws can save lives, last week's ruling may have a very positive upshot. For years, the gun lobby has used fear to thwart efforts to pass sensible gun laws, arguing that even modest gun laws will lead to a complete ban on gun ownership.

Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the Washington, D.C., ban on handguns while making it clear that the Constitution allows for reasonable limitations on access to dangerous weapons, this slippery slope argument is gone. Life-saving proposals like requiring Brady background checks on all gun sales and limiting bulk sales of handguns can be debated without the distraction of: "You're trying to take away my gun."

We'll accept that gun bans are unconstitutional, but you'll have to accept that the Second Amendment now guarantees reasonable restrictions on guns.

Lori Jefferson Foster, Dallas

This, I'm afraid, is the next battle, one of inches. The gun-grabbers will now hyper-focus on nit-picking (wow, 3 hyphenated phrases in one sentence). I still don't know what a "common-sense gun law" really is, because if people had common sense, they'd leave the guns alone. Why are people like Ms. Foster demonizing guns ("dangerous weapons" - ooooh)?

I have an idea - let's make it illegal to commit murder, rape, robbery, theft, and other um, crimes. And let's make it illegal for felons and children to buy guns. What's that you say? All that's already illegal? Hmmm. Common sense dictates that it's not the weapons, it's criminals. What's a criminal? Someone who disregards the law.

Now, let's look at what criminals are willing to do: ignore laws, and break them while committing crimes against law-abiding citizens like you and me. What is a law-abiding citizen to do? I know - call 911! After all, in a life-or-death situation where seconds count, it's worth waiting several minutes for the police to arrive. After all, someone has to fill out a report, right?

Okay, so if the police don't follow you around all the time, seriously, what are you to do? Protect yourself? Heaven forbid! Say it ain't so, Lori!

Let's talk common sense. Why do you have a fire extinguisher in your house? Do you plan on burning your house down? No, you try your best not to start a fire in your home, but if you do, you'd at least have a fighting chance to stop it before you waited several minutes for the fire department to arrive, wouldn't you?

I don't carry a gun because I expect to shoot someone. I use common sense. I avoid places where I'm likely to have to defend myself, first. I'm aware of my surroundings, and I don't act or look like a target. However, if a criminal is still motivated enough to come after me or mine, I need to be able to prevent him from forcing his will on me. Common sense dictates that I be able to stop this criminal, and I have that inalienable right to do so.

This is the crux of the Second Amendment. I have a God-given right to protect myself, and no government may take that away. Moreover, the Second Amendment makes provision for me to protect myself with a firearm. I shouldn't have to defend that right.

Common sense tells me that more gun laws aren't going to help anything. Go find another windmill to tilt after, Ms. Foster. You're doing it wrong.

Feds consider euthanizing wild horses in West

OK, the mere thought of this, is one of the sickest things I could ever imagine.

Understand, I am not a horse person. I did not grow up on a farm. Nor am I a cowboy wanna-be. But the thought of some government-eco-nazi-bean-counter drafting a plan to take wild horses and put a bullet behind the ear is just repulsive and truly forces me to ask the question: Why?

We are talking about 33,000 horses. ACROSS 10 WESTERN STATES! Are you kidding me? Break out a map and look at the Western United States. Now imagine 33,000 any thing's there. You won't exactly be bumping into each other. Try 33,000 aircraft carriers? Nope, plenty of room left over. How about 33,000 skyscrapers? We could do that and another 100,000 and still not feel it. I know, think about this. How about 33,000 Mall of Americas? Still just a drop in the bucket. You have to get to the Grand Canyon size objects, to get close. I'm sorry, a horse is much smaller than that.

The state of Nevada is 110,000 square miles in area. That would be 3 horses standing on every single square mile of state. AND YOU STILL HAVE 9 MORE STATES!!! Are you starting to see a problem?

And yet, we have the bunny-huggers protesting deer hunting, sport fishing and Olympic archery. But hey, put one into ole' Trigger, pass me the shootin' iron, Tex!

This is simply killing for financial reasons. Don't ever say that deer hunting is somehow unfair and barbarian. The deer has more chance than a horse in a pen. An animal that acts more like a puppy than a man-eating lion. But hey, to save a few bucks, kill'em all.

And who is doing their books. It's costing the US Government 26 MILLION dollars to care for 30,000 horses per year? I need a job at that ranch. What kind of feed are they using? And remember, these horses are wild! They take care of themselves! All of this because the cattle ranchers have a lobby. Because ranching is big business and can afford to make us believe that 33,000 horses somehow represent a threat to our way of life and sure starvation.

Unfortunately, our history is repeating itself here. After WWI, the Army decided it was going to become a mechanized force and put down their faithful companions by the hundreds.

What's next, the Dept. of the Interior euthanizing Border Collies and Golden Retrievers because they shed too much? Because they pooped on your lawn? Gotta stop those pesky varmints before things get out of control. Is the BLM going to play "Whack a Mole" with every new litter of puppies? Think of how much money it would save the taxpayers.

This is disgusting! That's the only word that comes to mind: Disgusting.

Why I carry a gun

JR (the other one) points out just why we carry.

GRANITE CITY, Ill. — Police and FBI agents captured an ex-convict suspected of killing eight people in two states as he smoked a cigarette outside of a southwestern Illinois bar Tuesday night, a bar employee said.

Nicholas T. Sheley, who was the subject of a multistate manhunt after authorities linked him to the deaths of eight people in Illinois and Missouri, was arrested around 7 p.m. outside of Bindy's, a Granite City bar, said bartender Katie Ronk...

Said punk has been taking jaunts around the country randomly killing 8 people he came in contact with.

What the bulk of civilized society has yet to realize - or perhaps we should say, forgotten - there are bad people out there who don't conform to polite society and the only person who's going to save your booty is going to be you.

That sound you hear

is a pin drop. Otherwise known as the news media's unbiased reporting on the war. Seems to me the media's been pretty damn quiet about the war as of late. Seems to me I heard that the number of deaths in the war is approaching the number of deaths you'd see annually due to training accidents.

And yes - EVERY soldier killed is a tragedy, so don't give me any BS about not giving a damn.

Seems to me reports of suicide bombings are down. IED attacks down.

Why is it we don't hear of the good stuff I wonder?

Why don't we hear about things like this happening:



I know good and well why we don't see images like this from Iraq. And so do you.

Take this one and pass it on. Don't let the media's unbiased (and yes, I have to spit when I say that) reporting stop this story. Despite what we don't hear from the media, our troops are doing great things. Don't let that story go untold.

More on Heller

It’s really quite simple: gun control legislation did not reduce violence. Secondly, people started actually reading the text of the second amendment of the United States Constitution. Thirdly, ‘laws allowing concealed weapons proliferated - with no ill effects.’

To put it more succinctly; the idea that outlawing guns makes society more safe was proven wrong, this while Americans started to realize that, just perhaps, the US Constitution actually means what it says.

Who would have thought it could be that simple?

No comment from me required.... H/T to McBane for the link!