Few Worries about Bird Flu, Plenty about Man-Flu

Scientists have successfully, purposefully engineered a highly communicable version of bird flu virus. Previously the virus was only rarely transmitted from bird to human, and virtually never from human to human. It is just me, or is this action incredibly stupid and self-destructive? Via Theodore Dalrymple:

According to The Lancet, researchers have now genetically-engineered strains of bird flu that can pass easily  from ferret to ferret (the animal model often used in flu research) by means of aerosol, that is to say by air exhaled from the lungs. This demonstrates the possibility that a bird flu virus could emerge that would threaten the health of mankind.

The first justification for deliberately engineering a bird flu virus that is easily transmitted from ferret to ferret is that it alerts the world to the potential hazard to public health posed by the virus, thus countering a dangerous complacency about it; the second is that it might aid attempts to produce a vaccine against or a treatment of the illness. But critics argue that the research actually increases the risks of disaster rather than reduces them, either by inadvertence or (if the technique for engineering viruses fell into the wrong hands) by malice.

This is tantamount to going around setting forest fires to alert the public to the danger of fire.

Romney's Three Percent

Romney barely wins his home state, in the north, where he is supposed to be most popular, by three percent. Erick Erickson says, "And this is our nominee — a guy who can only win in states with a home state advantage, New Englanders and New England transplants, and Mormoms."

Yeah, the Republican establishment sure can pick 'em can't they? One middle-the-road, Democrat half-breed candidate after another. Sheesh.

I remain enthused about Newt, whether anyone else is or not. If Romney is the nominee, we will lose. I suspect the Republicans actually prefer it that way. They would rather lose than see real reform occur, and make themselves subject to losing some of their own power. Conservatives are in the awkward position of expecting government to help reform itself. That's about like expecting a demon to exorcise itself. We're in a war for the life and soul of our country, and some people just don't get it. I have no idea how anyone thinks that we will get anywhere with a status quo candidate like Romney.

Kay Bailey Hutchison on Obama's Damaging Energy Policy

"President Obama's policy has resulted in an unprecedented slowdown in new exploration and production of oil and gas. Offshore drilling permits are being issued at less than half the rate of the previous administration. The average number of leases issued on public lands is less than half than during President Clinton's term. Not only will the slowdown in domestic production drive up fuel prices, it also takes away jobs from tens of thousands of oil industry workers.

"The same is true for the Keystone pipeline. It would produce thousands of good-paying construction jobs and tens of thousands more at U.S. refineries and suppliers. That pipeline would assure the U.S. of 830,000 barrels of needed oil daily -- not from halfway around the world, but from our friend to the north, Canada. After four years of environmental reviews and regulatory approvals, the Obama Administration is still stalling. If we wait, the Canadians have indicated they can ship their oil to China, and a huge opportunity will have been lost."

Government doesn't just Encourage the Mob: It is the Mob

The IRS is targeting Tea Party groups. Who knew this could happen? Meanwhile, no matter how many laws OWS breaks, they are treated with kid gloves.

[T]he Richmond Tea Party, [is] a group which applied for tax-exempt charitable status in December 2009.

“After waiting two and a half years for approval,” Radtke wrote, “the IRS recently communicated a new set of overly-burdensome and invasive demands for information that exceed the scope of the IRS code.”

Those demands, Radtke said in a press release, included the answers to “12 additional questions in 53 separate parts.” The Richmond Tea Party was also ordered to hand over a list of all its donors and volunteers.

Krathammer says "One word: Algae"

 "Get in early" on algae, says Charles Krauthammer, "Obama's on to something." Krauthammer is impressed with Obama's "cutting edge" energy policy.

Newt Gingrich Slams President Obama over Koran Apology

Newt Gingrich takes it to the president -- again. It certainly can't hurt Newt to be on the cutting edge of the news cycle. Gingrich made headlines yesterday by slamming Obama for his support of infanticide, and he makes them again today by criticizing Obama for "bowing to dictators" (figuratively speaking) once more as he apologizes for the U.S. military's destruction of coded copies of the Koran. It is a smart strategy. Those counting Gingrich out may end up with egg on their faces again.

"There seems to be nothing that radical Islamists can do to get Barack Obama's attention in a negative way and he is consistently apologizing to people who do not deserve the apology of the President of the United States period," the ex-House Speaker said while stumping in Washington state.

Let me remind you that the U.S. military burned bibles in the recent past, deeply offending Christians here at home, for which no one received any apologies as far as I know. Obama saves his apologies for our enemies.

(CNN) -- Military personnel threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles that were printed in the two most common Afghan languages amid concern they would be used to try to convert Afghans, a Defense Department spokesman said Tuesday.

Leftists Ridicule Santorum While Believing that Humans are Satanic

Leftists peg human-kind as Satanic, while they ridicule Santorum as "extreme" for his Christian beliefs.

Try this Google search.

Romney: "I'll be better than Ted for Gay Rights"

Via MassRestistance

Plus 25 video clips of Mitt Romney supporting gay rights, gun control, etc.

Newt Gingrich had the Courageous Arizona Debate Message

Once more, Newt rises above the stage by putting his finger on the obvious. The things Newt says just resonate with me. Gingrich has had so many outstanding, courageous debate moments over past weeks and last night only improved his stature. His were the two standout moments of the debate in my opinion.

First came the moment when the moderator insisted on a protracted discussion surrounding contraception. By this action, John King and CNN framed the debate on leftist terms while completely ignoring for the entirety of the debate (1) Arizona's collapsed mortgage industry and (2) the spiking fuel prices that are on everyone's mind, but I digress. Newt took the opportunity to shift the spotlight from contraception to Obama's outright endorsement of infanticide. Now that is a courageous conservative position which is already throwing the left into fits of apoplexy.




Second, Newt Gingrich was the only one on the stage willing to call the auto bailouts exactly what they are: payoffs to unions. While Santorum and Romney danced around the real issue, Gingrich was the one courageous enough and willing to state the obvious. This is the boldness that conservatives should be embracing. As far as I'm concerned, there really is no one else in the race.



Santorum did not have a great night. I'm hoping for a resurgence of the only real conservative reformer in the race. Newt is the only person willing to shake things up in Washington.

Religious Enviro-Nazi Attempts to Order Hit on Fur Wearer

It is past time for left-wing religious extremism to enter the public lexicon. Left wing religious zealots are a serious threat to our nation's safety and future.

An Ohio woman who compared animal-welfare work to the liberation of World War II concentration camps has been charged with soliciting a hit man to fatally shoot or slit the throat of a random fur-wearer, federal authorities said.

In her estimation, a human life is worth the grand total of $850. People spend more than that on their dogs every day. And if she is not pro-abortion, I'll be shocked.

White House Claims Republicans "Forced" Obama to Kill Keystone Pipeline

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney appeared to be having some kind of epileptic fit as he attempted to shift the blame for cancelling the Keystone XL petroleum pipeline to Republicans. I wish I had the video. It is bizarre. When it surfaces on the web, I'll post it. More blame shifting from a completely incompetent and self-destructive administration.

"In terms of Keystone, as you all know, the history here is pretty clear. And the fact is because Republicans decided to play political with Keystone, their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process because they insisted on a time frame in which it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline," he told ABC's Jake Tapper.

"How can you say that you have an all of the above approach if the President turned down the Keystone pipeline? And you blame the Republicans for making it political," Tapper asked.

Carney responded: "But the President didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline." [My Emphasis]

Romney and His Supporters Known by their Fruits

I have never seen a Republican primary so tainted by nastiness and despicable behavior. Romney's supporters are just like him. They cannot extol Romney's virtues as a candidate, instead they spend their time trying to destroy his competitors. In Michigan, Romney's people were paid to remove Rick Santorum's signs. I can't support a man like this. He is way too much like Obama. Even his supporters behave like OWS union thugs. Behind Romney's congenial facade lurks a despicable person. "But he is not as despicable as Obama" is no reason to vote for him.

The Dangerous, Economically Crippling Religious Left

Rick Santorum recently said something that I didn't know he said. His statement coincidentally meshes with a Bible study that I taught Sunday.

“I just said that when you have a world view that elevates the Earth above man and says that, we can't take those [energy] resources because we're going to harm the Earth by things that frankly are just not scientifically proven- for example, that politicization of the whole global warming debate,” Santorum told liberal Grand Inquisitor Bob Scheiffer on CBS News’ Face the Music. “I mean, this is just all an attempt to centralize power and to give more power to the government.”

Earth worship, Cosmos worship, materialism,  old-style paganism (Wiccans, Druids, Shamans) -- all of these religions have dire economic, freedom-destroying consequences. The religious left suppose that mankind is essentially a product of the earth (your "mother") and that we owe "Her" our deference. We are to be Her servants. The neo-pagan legalists declare "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" This philosophy is a direct attack on, and usurpation of, the traditional Christian worldview on which this nation is based, and which has led us all to prosperity.

God created the earth and filled it with resources for the benefit of mankind. We are its rightful managers. Use of the earth's resources is no "sin against the Mother," rather it is good, appropriate, noble, and just. We should be responsible managers, of course. But Gaia idolators insist on total prohibition on the productive activities of mankind. Unless people are able to spiritually awaken and see pagan idolatry for what it is, our future looks bleak. Santorum nails it.

In that past few months we have seen prohibitions on extracting oil, natural gas, coal, and minerals from the earth. Dozens of coal plants are closing, the Keystone Pipeline prohibited, Alaska drilling banned. The list goes on. All of these things directly resulting from crippling neo-pagan religion.

I Helped Verify the Recall for Governor Scott Walker

You can too. At TruetheVote.org you can sign up for an ID to log petitions into a database for verification, check for duplicates, etc. I did not find any Mickey Mouse or Hitler signatures. I couldn't tell if I found any duplicates. The recall effort is a corrupt process. I hope the time I spent this weekend did some good.

UPDATE, via True the Vote:

VERIFY THE RECALL

Progress Report For Monday, February 20

DEADLINE: 120 HOURS FROM NOW

 

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK  

You rolled up your sleeves, sat down at your computer, and got busy!

 

Here Are the Latest Project Stats:

 

2.7 MILLION records entered

136,000 Records Entered in Past 24 Hours

78% of the way through the 152,000 pages

 

Over 151 Gigs of data have been served
Over 18 MILLION people have viewed the website

 

 - Fraud of the Day -

Scott Walker has signed his own petition 4 TIMES so far! 
His wife Karen only signed it twice!
You will hear more about this in the coming days.

Romney Smear Merchants claim Newt Gingrich Supported "China’s one-child policy"; Newt Threatens Lawsuit

Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has threatened to sue dozens of television stations if they run a political attack ad that says he supported China’s one-child policy.

The ad, produced by the Restore Our Future Super PAC which supports Mitt Romney, is “fundamentally false and misleading,” according to a letter sent by Atlanta lawyer Patrick Millsaps to stations in Gingrich’s home state of Georgia.

The letter points out that the Tampa Bay Times website, Politifact, had given the ad a “Pants on Fire” rating, something Millsaps described as “a brand of abject falsity.”

JotForm.com Domain Restored

JotForm is "permitted" once more to conduct business following summary suspension of the service by the U.S. government and GoDaddy with no explanation whatsoever.

The JotForm suspension is disturbing. It could happen to any business at anytime with no available appeal, recourse, or redress. And people said that fears over SOPA were overblown.

It sounds as if the only protocol that was followed was the silent treatment – an approach favored by authoritarian organizations that consider it their right to enforce the rules but view any questions about their methods to be interference from perpetrators who have no right to know for what they're being harassed or arrested anyway.

The treatment of JotForm and its customers is simply outrageous. I received the following statement from the company:

I wish we could provide more details about what happened, but we are also in the dark. We have not been given any information by Godaddy or the Secret Service, other than our domain being suspended “as part of an ongoing law enforcement investigation”. You can read more details about it on Arstechnica, Wired, Forbes, CNET, Techdirt, and TheNextWeb.

In the next few days, we will work hard to restore your confidence in us. A suspension at the domain level is a very harsh punishment for a web service provider. However, we are not in a position to make excuses. You have trusted us and added JotForm forms into your web pages. It's our top priority to make sure that our service is reliable, and robust.

GoDaddy.com is dead to me.

Why do Political Ads Work?

To me, political ads, much like polls, are nothing but background noise. I barely pay attention to them. I don't get my information from political ads, and I take broadcast news with a grain of salt. Primary sources of information come in the form of my own research, mostly conducted over the internet, and, I must confess, talk radio. I feel that Rush Limbaugh in particular has tried to be fair to all the candidates, though Ron Paul might be an exception. Paul receives a lot of ridicule (from myself included) but I have come to have a great deal of respect for the man, and far more respect for libertarianism in general than I used to.

Of course, no matter where the information comes from, I am left to evaluate it in light of my own worldview. Truth is there, but it can be a tricky thing. It takes work sometimes to overcome my own biases. I try to actively cultivate a willingness to change my mind when facts warrant it.

I must be in the minority though, since political ads, particularly negative ones, are very successful. Why so? I attribute it to the "80/20 rule," also known as the Pareto Principle, which basically says that only 20 percent of people are worth a damn in any endeavor. In church, 20 percent of the congregation does most of the work and the giving. The ratio holds true in corporations, volunteer groups.. pretty much across the board. A wise man once compared these alternative paths to two roads: one broad, straight, and easy to take; the other winding, narrow, and difficult.

So which group are you in? The 80 percent of fools* waiting to be coerced, shoved, herded, or bribed, in a particular direction (and who listen to stupid political ads?) Or the 20 percent group of people who can actually think for themselves and navigate the difficult path?

I like to think that blog readers are a little better equipped than most. At least reading various sources indicates an effort to tease out some information. If the Pareto Principle holds true, it does not bode well for a propaganda laden culture.

* I use the term "fool" here in the careful sense of one who is unwise, lacking discernment and sound judgment.

Newt Gingrich Factoid

The following was not written by me. It was passed to me by a Facebook friend. I have reviewed it and it appears to be accurate.

It is terrible that conservatives are out there distorting the records of each candidate.  Or worse passing along wrong information without checking facts.  All of them have qualifications and disqualifications.  But can we get away from what they SAY they will do and compare what they actually DID when they were afforded governing power?

I was talking to a nationally published conservative author and speaker today who had absolutely no clue that Newt Gingrich gave the “keynote” rebuttal AGAINST Al Gore on Cap and Trade legislation.  This is a travesty not just of conservative media, but those we surround ourselves with who will only hear it from us.

Sorry in advance to those supporting Santorum and Paul.  For Florida at least, this is a 2 man race.   My apologies in advance for the lack of objectivity.  The more I read about how wildly Romney lies about his record (and distorts Newt’s), I realize I simply can’t address this without showing emotion.  But I am trying to give an ACCURATE snapshot of anything that could be considered conservative or liberal on both. (Read why the Founder of the Heritage Foundation and Moral Majority was ready to lead a revolt against the GOP in 2008 if McCain selected Romney as VP.)

What are their biggest accomplishments ACTUALLY governing?

Mitt Romney as MA Governor:

• 4 years as governor – 220 days absent his last year.
• Scored a 55 on CATO scorecard of Governors.
• Had a Democrat Controlled Congress.
• Promised no new taxes and raised them excessively.
  
  In 2003, Romney actually set the record for the most fee increases enacted by a state, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. In addition, he raised over $300 million dollars from businesses by “closing loopholes” on subchapter S corporations but this loophole closing actually resulted in doubling the tax rates. Indeed, as Peter Nicholas, chairman of Boston Scientific stated, “when Mitt Romney became governor in 2003, subchapter S corporations that were owned by Massachusetts business trusts were taxed at 5.3 percent…..By the time Romney left office, the tax rate on these corporations had climbed to 9.8 percent.” *
  
  
• Was 47th out of 50 in job creation of all Governors. If Katrina had not hit he would have been lower.
• State spending ended $5.2 billion dollars higher when he began office.
• He left a $3 billion deficit.
• He spent millions on pork projects such as buying new cars for welfare recipients.
• Initiated most liberal progressive socialized health care of any state in history.  50% (2010 poll) dislike it, and costs are higher than other states.
• Allowed Planned Parenthood to be incorporated into MA law by name as part of the oversight of parts of the program.
• A key MIT Economist and architect of “RomneyCare” admits it’s “the same f'***ing bill” as ObamaCare, and gave Democrats a blueprint.
• Used executive orders to implement gay marriage
• Romney spent millions of state money pursuing Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and although they dumped it, then created the Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan
• Romney dramatically limited emissions on six power plants, even going so far as to claim – with radical environmentalists at his side – that one power plant had killed 59 people.
• He continued to grant state aid to four “sanctuary cities” in Massachusetts with no effort made to restrict this assistance. Contrary to his campaign propaganda there was no bill or effort to give drivers licenses to illegals that he “fought.”
• One of his own endorsers (Powerline) admit, “…there is no question that Governor Romney’s initial fiscal discipline slacked off in the second half of his term…” Note: Said another way, he couldn’t even be fiscally responsible for more than  2 years.
• As Chairman of the Republican Governors Association lost 6 GOP seats in 2006 election and 20 of 36 races. *
• As Governor Romney Massachusetts GOP lost seats and local media castigated him for speaking ill of the very liberal programs he himself tried to work on with Massachusetts Democrats trying to portray himself as a conservative outside of the state.  Romney lost a net of 2 GOP seats in the MA Senate over his term and 5 seats in the MA House. 
 

Conservative initiatives?


• He consolidated the social service and public health bureaucracy and restructured the Metropolitan District Commission.
• Romney even eliminated half of the executive branch’s press positions, saving $1.2 million. (yes million, less than the office supply budget).
• In May of 2004, he proposed cutting the state’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.0%. He failed. Three times.
• He pushed for legislation that increased the number of hours each week recipients must work and establishing a five-year limit for receiving benefits.
• He forced Medicaid recipients to make co-payments for some services and for new state workers to increase contributions from 15% to 25%.
• He changed the state pension system by moving it from a defined benefit system to a defined contribution system.
• He vetoed a “card check” system for unions.
• He vetoed a minimum wage law.
• The Economist summation of his Governorship.

Romney left office without running for a second term with approval ratings under 35%. 


Newt Gingrich as GA Congressman and Speaker of the House:

• 33 years as Congressman including 4 as Speaker of the House
• Lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 90%
  (most recent year was for 1998 at 100%)* **
• He had a Democrat controlled Congress up until 1994, a Democrat President and Senate from 1992 until 1998
• Helped Reagan pass biggest tax cut in 50 years as Minority Whip, called out George Bush on breaking his promise and led (as a legislator) a Democrat President to do the same.
• Art Laffer confirms Gingrich helped on a team that designed “Supply Side Economics.”
• Supported/Championed policies that created 11 Million jobs.
• National Taxpayers Union’s Annual Scorecard on reduced spending and taxes gave Gingrich an “A”, for his last four years in office, ranking him #1, #4, #2 and #11 and as one of the most conservative members in Congress.
• Led a Balanced Budget initiative with a Democrat President. He did this AS A SPEAKER, not an Executive Branch Leader and not in control of the Senate or Executive Branch.  He balanced the budget 4 times creating the first SURPLUS in decades.
• $400 billion in debt was paid off during time as Speaker, although Gingrich agreed with Reagan on deal that ended up running deficits until 1988.
• Fought and defeated HillaryCare both in strategy, as well as political and legislative maneuvering.
• On third try got a Democratic President and Senate to initiate Welfare Reform that put 60% of recipients to work.
• Gingrich’s pro-life voting record is 98.6%, 70 out of 71 votes.
• Brought two partial birth abortion bills to Clinton that served as the model for what was passed under George W. Bush.
• He helped Reagan’s initiative to eliminate 12 of 94 programs and cut budgets of many others like the SBA more than 50%.  (Life Lesson: SBA grew afterward to over 10X it’s original budget. If you don’t eliminate a it, it will always grow bigger.)
• He identified, recruited, campaigned for and helped organize the biggest minority opposition swing in US modern history getting 367 Congressional candidates to sign the Contract With America.  This resulted in a NET GOP pickup of 52 seats in the House, 8 in the Senate and 11 Governorships.  GOPAC founder Pete DuPont and Paul Weyrich both didn’t believe it could be done.
• Multiple conservatives congressmen got their political start including:
  
  Jon Kyl
  Mike DeWine
  Jim Inhofe
  Fred Thompson
  Bill Frist
  Rick Santorum
   
• Contract With America - (1995 Description): “…represented the culmination of 30 years of creative conservative thinking dealing with the basic social and economic problems of modern America. The ideas provided the background for the widest range of legislative initiatives, certainly since the 1930s, and possibly at any time in American political history.”
  The ten items in the Contract were all acted upon in the first 100 days of the new Congress, which is what the signatories had pledged. Nine of the ten items in the Contract passed the House: Only the constitutional amendment on term limits (which required a two-thirds vote) was defeated. Out of a total of 302 roll call votes on issues related to the Contract With America, the conservatives prevailed on 299 of them. A balanced budget amendment passed in the House by a 300-123 margin but was subsequently defeated as it fell one vote short of the two-thirds needed for passage in the U.S. Senate. The overall margin by which the items in the Contract were passed averaged about 70 percent despite the fact that the Republicans only held a 12-seat margin over the Democrats (52-48 percent, the smallest House majority margin in 40 years). Given the notorious lack of party discipline in the American Congress, the passage by a large majority of nearly all of the items in the Contract was a remarkable achievement.
  I can’t adequately cover all 10 initiatives and their profundity but they include:
  • Congressional Reform including Congress being subject to the law they pass
  • Balanced Budget with Line Item Veto (failed Senate, passed Veto but declared unconstitutional)
  • Anti-crime package (truth in sentencing, more law enforcement help)
  • Personal Responsibility (ultimately became Welfare Reform)
  • Tax Package Including Child  Tax Credit, Elimination of Marriage Penalty, Savings Account, Middle Class Tax Relief
  • Disallow US Troops from serving under foreign authorites like the UN
  • Frivolous Litigation vetoed by Clinton but tort reform override veto.
  • Job Creation act included capital-gains cuts and indexation, neutral cost recovery, risk assessment/cost-benefit analysis, strengthening the Regulatory Flexibility Act and unfunded mandate reform to create jobs and raise worker wages.
    Other sections of the Contract include a proposed Family Reinforcement Act (tax incentives for adoption, strengthening the powers of parents in their children's education, stronger child pornography laws, and elderly dependent care tax credit) and the Senior Citizens Fairness Act (raise the Social Security earnings limit, repeal the 1993 tax hikes on Social Security benefits and provide tax incentives for private long-term care insurance).
    The only bill that failed was Term Limits.
• He is the longest-serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting course for Major Generals at Air University and taught officers from all five services as an honorary Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University.
  
  His “Liberal” Legislation?
• Voted for Department of Education with Carter in first term.
• Supported Reagan in Simpson-Mazzoli Amnesty Bill
• Voted to raise taxes twice with Reagan.
• Would vote for earmarks in exchange for conservative legislative votes.

When Newt became Speaker in 1995 congressional approval was about 20%.  When he resigned the Speakership four years later, it was about 60%.
(Now it is at 11%).

OBSERVATIONS
It is interesting how Romney is mostly lauded for conservative positions he never implemented, or was able to pass, when he was a governing leader and Gingrich is chastised for supposed liberal positions for which there is no voting record evidencing it.  When it comes down to what they accomplished when in power to govern – Gingrich acted more like a Conservative President, and Romney more like a Compromising Legislator.
Similarly, why there is no evidence that Gingrich ever voted against something he campaigned on, Romney broke numerous pledges to both liberals and conservatives in his state.
So I leave it up to you to conclude who is more likely to do what they say.
(If I have omitted any MAJOR legislation that was passed into law for either – please submit in CONTACT page so I can add it).

FOOTNOTE:
**Santorum lifetime ACU rating is only 83%, 84% for 1998 alone.   David Keene, who headed the organization during most of Gingrich’s 20 years in Congress, said Gingrich’s rating is high in part because the issues on which he deviated were not voted on in Congress, and votes determine the group’s scorecard.   While he’s not a conservative, he’s a partisan. He’s done a lot for conservatives. His speakership was basically conservative,” said Keene, who calls Gingrich a friend but is neutral in the 2012 race.  Keene gives no substantive fact for his assertion and doesn’t explain why Gingrich wouldn’t vote for non-conservative positions if indeed he wasn’t a conservative.  He similarly doesn’t comment on Santorum’s ideas that didn’t make it into law or Romney’s.

Government Takedown of Jotform

One of my sites employs the extremely helpful and easy to use Jotform service. Not any more. My forms are now dead courtesy of the overbearing, site take-down happy federal government. Hundreds of thousands of users and millions of forms are adversely affected, many of them e-commerce sites like mine. Once again fascist bureaucrats think nothing of taking actions costing small businesses untold dollars in lost revenue. And be aware that GoDaddy is complicit. They offered not the slightest resistance, taking down the domain apparently at some whiff of a suggestion. I'm voicing my extreme displeasure with the company via their support system. I will never do business with GoDaddy again. They deserve to be held accountable for failing to protect their customers.

...it’s troubling to Tank, and many other digital rights advocates, that a thriving, legitimate business can be shut down simply at the request of a government agency, with no reason or chance for appeal given to the owner before enforcement.

Because of the domain seizure, all of JotForm’s paying customers suddenly lost access to the product they purchased, and the site had to scramble to design a workaround. It has since relaunched on a .net domain and contacted frequent users with information on how to get their forms working again.

The take-down is surprising because JotForm is unique among the many other sites that have seen enforcement actions. Instead of providing blind hosting for pirated media files, or helping facilitate copyright infringement by serving Torrents or illegal video streams, JotForm is more like YouTube: a service that helps users create and share a particular type of content.

And like YouTube, JotForm has pieces of content numbering in the millions — more than staff can reasonably sift through by hand.

“I believe this can happen to anybody who allows users to create content on the web,” the site’s founder concluded.

Rombo Fires Mud

Romney's aggressive and dishonest campaign tactics are becoming the stuff of legend. But Santorum pointing to the elephant in Romney's campaign boiler room has USA Today spewing the headline "Santorum's 'Rombo' ad fires mud at Romney." Go figure. When you're in the tank, truth becomes a casualty.

Renewable Green Nuclear Technology

Thorium-Based MSRs, or Molten Salt Reactors were invented in the 60's. Clean. Safe. Disastrous meldowns are impossible. So why aren't we using the technology?

Some Sanity on Santorum

David Bass at American Spectator wisely interjects some balanced perspective on Rick Santorum. It is amazing to me how so many Republicans harbor visceral dislike for Santorum due to his strong moral and religious convictions, while the very same Republicans reject Newt Gingrich on account of his notorious moral failings. How about making up your minds. The extreme neurosis is uncalled for. The fact is, either of these men are a far sight better than the RomneyCare statist that the Republican establishment continues to jam down our throats. I prefer Newt, the reformer, by a wide margin but I'll take Santorum over Romney and still be happy. It is true that some facets of Santorum's history are decidedly unconservative. On the other hand, virtually Romney's entire history reeks of statism.

My sense is that libertarian-inclined Republicans detest Santorum's "God talk," and that's driving much of their reproach. Chiefly, they don't like that he has genuine convictions on the sanctity of unborn human life and the importance of traditional marriage. That's their right. But the real question is this: From a strict libertarian perspective, which is the greater threat to freedom in America -- laws restricting abortion and reserving marriage for one man and one woman, or Obamacare and it's "mini-me," Romneycare?

Besides, Santorum's position on abortion and marriage is more mainstream-Republican than the stance espoused by many libertarians. And the general population is quickly coming in line with Santorum's view, more so than with Obama's approach of abortion anywhere and everywhere, financed through coercion by the taxpayer.

Chuck Norris Explains Why he Chose Not to Support Santorum

Chuck's article is titled "Why I Chose Newt Over Santorum" even though Newt is barely mentioned. The article is a laundry list of grievances against Santorum, chief of which is "How can the alternative to Romney (Santorum endorsed and defended Romney in 2008) also be a Romney supporter?"

Good points. Santorum has many problematic past votes and positions. Really, the more one examines the evidence, the more one is compelled to support Newt, whose conservative infidelities are chiefly symbolic or rhetorical. When it counted, Newt almost always voted the conservative way.

Another Hurdle Jumped

Am I the only guy who feels as though holidays are hurdles that I must jump while being judged on my performance? Happy Valentines Day. Another hurdle cleared. This one more successfully than some. Last night I was at the card shop, where I found myself standing next to a compatriot. "How ya doin'?" says I. "Just trying to keep myself out of trouble," says he.

I Love Newt Because Establishment Republicans Hate Him

If you want to know why the establishment so vociferously supports Romney and so despises Gingrich you need only listen to Newt's CPAC speech for the answer. Speeches from all three major presidential contenders are included at the featured link so I will not repost them here. I listened to all three. Newt wins speech of the day hands down, in my view.

I suggest first posing the question, "What will this candidate do as president?" Then listen to the speeches for the answer. Only one candidate answers that question with specifics. Only one candidate presents himself as a true reformer. Only one candidate makes bold predictions, plans, and promises. That man is Newt Gingrich. It is not a close contest. Gingrich's speech is loaded with specifics. Newt's boldness is exactly why the Republican establishment not only hates him, but fears him. He is a threat to their very existence. If Gingrich only accomplishes half what he promises as president, I will be ecstatic.

By contrast, Romney's is a speech practiced in cliched conservative abstractions. Mitt does promise to defend traditional marriage and promote pro-life policies, but those are rather safe positions in the current climate that fail to distinguish him from the others. Mitt will be no more pro-life or anti-abortion than Santorum or Gingrich and he may well be less.  At least he mentions Hayek. Unfortunately, I suspect it's no more than a crowd pleasing name-drop. "We need bold and sweeping reform," Romney says. (Gotta be sure and get that "reform" buzzword in there.) He promises to cut the budget and "get rid of a lot of programs." "I won't just slow the growth rate of government, I will actually cut the spending of government." "I will eliminate ObamaCare." Mitt plans to get rid of a large number federal employees. Romney's is a speech steeped in vagueness. I see your lips moving, but I can't hear what you're saying. It must be the RomneyCare and automatic minimum wage increase background noise.

Santorum's speech can be summed as "I will be principled." If you get more out of it than I did, let me know. Surprisingly, I found Santorum's speech even more vague than Romney's. But I believe every word that Santorum says. I can't say that about Romney.

CPAC 2012 Begins Today

I confess that I have never paid all that much attention to what happens at CPAC. This year is different. Big things could happen. Intrigue and controversy abound. Sarah Palin accepted the keynote speaker position this year, after refusing to participate in years past. How will Ann Coulter ever repair her damaged credibility among conservatives? Her one-note Romney/Christie song has gotten old, but I look for her to sing it still. Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum will be there. What does Mitt Romney have to offer a crowd of conservatives, if anything? Can anyone capture the conservative imagination? Will one candidate successfully use the event to distinguish himself? Will conservatives emerge with a badly needed unifying message? Robert McCain, at the American Spectator, calls it The Best CPAC Ever.

I look forward to seeing what happens between now and Saturday. This time, I'm paying close attention.

UPDATE: Live Stream here.

Santorum Sweeps Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado

Congratulations to Rick Santorum on a great night. Bad news for Romney. It is now more apparent than ever that Mitt Romney will be incapable of competing against Barack Obama with a base that he helped fracture. Romney's positions are more Democrat than Republican.

Santorum has now won more states than Romney, four  to three.

Dirty Harry: ‘I am certainly not affiliated with Obama’

Clint Eastwood found it necessary to disavow the idea that his Superbowl commercial appearance was meant to support President Obama, CEO of government motors, and auto bailouts. Backlash over the ad has been fierce, as many people assumed that the ad was simply a not-so-subtle Obama campaign message.

“It was meant to be a message just about job growth and the spirit of America," said Eastwood.

Government bailouts did not make this nation great. Most of us feel that bailouts, amounting to big union payoffs, are nothing of which to be proud.

Update: Rush Limbaugh's parody of the "Halftime in America" ad.

Blockbuster Express (NCR) sells to Redbox

I use Blockbuster Express kiosks because they are close to my house. A Redbox kiosk is another several miles away. I received the following email.

Dear Valued Customer,

NCR, which operates your Blockbuster Express kiosks, has entered into an agreement to sell its kiosks and other assets to Redbox. Until the transaction is completed (we anticipate in the third quarter of 2012), you will continue to enjoy the convenience, choice, and value you're used to from BLOCKBUSTER Express. Until the sale is completed, we will continue to run the business as we have been, focused on bringing you the latest New Release movies with most titles only $2 for the first night. You'll also notice that we've increased our In-Stock Guarantee value so you will now enjoy a movie night on us with a value of up to $3 if we don't have the New Release movie you want in stock.

As a reminder, we still have 100s of great movies available at $1 and additional nights of all movies are still only $1, all part of preserving an exceptional value for an affordable night of entertainment.

Update: They didn't waste any time reducing service. I just got this note:

"Your preferred BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosk is moving next week!"

In fact, the two closest kiosks will be removed. Now Redbox is closest.

How Dare the Federal Government interfere with the Catholic Church? That's the States' Job!

Catholics are rightly upset about federal interference in matters of religious conscience, within faith-based institutions.

To which Mitt Romney and Ann Coulter counter, "That's the job of the states!" State interference is conservative! Let the states do it! Vote Romney!

I'm being facetious. They didn't really say that. Or did they?

UPDATE: I was more right than I knew. Via Gateway Pundit

"The White House says the same mandate was included in Romneycare. And Newt Gingrich pointed this out on Sunday."

Newsmax:  Romneycare Required Anti-Catholic Regulations Like Obamacare's

Mitt Romney is vociferously attacking a provision in Obamacare requiring religious employers to cover birth control in employee health plans — but the healthcare bill he enacted as governor of Massachusetts also contained that requirement.

UPDATE 2: Beware Romney talking points. Romney supporters (cough, Coulter, cough) claim that Governor Romney "tried to veto the offensive provision in his healthcare bill but was overruled by the mostly Democrat legislature." But that is playing politics with the truth.

"Coulter then argued to this writer that Romney was pro-life because he vetoed a bill requiring all private hospitals to provide the abortion pill for rape victims. She got that wrong as well. Not only did the legislature notify Romney in advance that his symbolic veto would be overridden, but a few days later, he reversed his position and said ”I think, in my personal view, it’s the right thing for hospitals [referring to private hospitals] to provide information and access to emergency contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape.

Moreover, after the bill became law, Gov. Romney could have used his executive power to exempt private Catholic hospitals from complying, but he refused to do so, even though the Catholic Church begged him to intervene based on existing religious conscience protection statutes on the books. Romney’s action, or lack thereof, led to an unprecedented assault on freedom of religion."

To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required, Mr. President

America, and God, have given you much. You have failed to deliver. That is all.

Ann Coulter has Doubts about Mitt Romney

Ann Coulter is not backing away from her support of Mitt Romney, or her criticism of the other Republican primary challengers. However, Coulter did express a kernel of doubt today in her appearance on Fox and Friends Sunday. Ms. Coulter relayed how she approached Governor Romney specifically to tell him "You better be as Right-wing a president as I'm telling everyone you're going to be."

Clearly, that constitutes an admonishment. Why does Coulter feel the need to admonish the former Governor in such a manner? There can be only one reason. Coulter has doubts, and she is worried about what a future President Romney will do to her credibility, which is already suffering among conservatives due to her over-the-top Romney boosting. (If you doubt me, check the comments anywhere her "Three Cheers" column appears.)

Coulter encouraged viewers to go read her column, "Three Cheers for RomneyCare," which has been roundly debunked by Tea Party favorite Mark Levin. Coulter also persists in the attempted partisan rewrite of history pertaining to Newt Gingrich's relationship to Ronald Reagan. Coulter's arguments are specious, wherein she attempts to speak for a dead man beyond the grave, as those closest to Reagan loudly and publicly rise to support Gingrich's contentions, an honor roll including Mark Levin, Michael Reagan, Jeff Lord and others. Rush Limbaugh called Gingrich "the premier defender" of President Reagan and his policies during the Reagan years.

Allow me to also point out that Romney already breaks faith with conservatism by espousing at least one (additional) far-left position, that of indexing a permanent automatic minimum wage hike to inflation. President Obama proposed the same idea during his 2008 campaign for president. Leftists have been pushing this radical proposal, which breaks new entitlement ground,  for years. Here we have a leading Republican contender for the White House touting this progressive wet dream within his candidacy and Ann Coulter doubling down to vouchsafe his "conservative" credentials. These are strange times indeed.

Note at the end of the video how Ann Coulter employs a typical liberal canard: since the government messed something up, more government intervention is then required to "fix" it. Coulter thus supports the "perpetual motion theory" of government growth.

Thomas J. DiLorenzo on The Rothbardian Theory of Taxes

Yeah, this is a long video lecture on the Austrian school of economics. The economic ignorance of the vast majority of Americans allows the government to play on populist fear and greed. Educating ourselves is vital. The things that DiLorenzo says here are rarely heard. He blows the whistle on the usual rhetorical euphemisms and helps us to recognize them for the lies that they are. Indulge me.

SNL attempts to Palin Gingrich

I'm surprised they didn't have Gingrich saying "I can see Earth from my moon." The skit also ridicules South Carolina voters for selecting Gingrich, and pictures Herman Cain as his ignorant lackey.

It is funny stuff. Will it stick like SNL's Palin evisceration? We'll see. For a bit of equal time, Romney is portrayed as "robot-like." Oooh. Don't push the envelope too hard there, SNL.

How about a skit ridiculing the truly ignorant rubes who think that Mitt Romney is conservative?

As for the supposed superiority of "forward thinking" (read "progressivism"), it is unmistakably plain where that has taken us. Wisdom informs us that we had better start returning to the sound principles of limited government and reverence for God that made America the greatest nation on earth. I'm glad that the good people of South Carolina get it. Let us hope that the rest of the nation follows suit.

George Soros: "If it's between Obama and Romney, there isn't all that much difference."

That's what I keep trying to tell everyone.

Newt is the Conservative

I defy you to listen to this and tell me that this is not the voice and the heartbeat of conservatism. This is only one of many brilliant Gingrich debate moments.

Bill Whittle Follows the Money

Congratulations, You are Now a Target

The accidental Facebook millionaires

About a thousand people, many of whom joined Facebook in the early days of the company, are set to become millionaires. I hope they are prepared to pay their "fair share" and then some.

Tom Sowell: "As a Consultant, but Never a Lobbyist, I know the Difference"

A message from Thomas Sowell, "influence peddler":

While Gingrich backed away from his demagoguery about Bain Capital, Romney is continuing to press ahead with his charges that Gingrich was a lobbyist for Freddie Mac. As someone who has been a consultant, but never a lobbyist, I know the difference.

As a consultant, I have offered advice to people in government and in private organizations, both businesses and non-profit organizations. But I have never gone to a government official to urge that official to make a decision favorable to those who were paying me, or to those for whom I did free consulting.

"Conservatives for Romney" is like "Jews for Obama"

Supporting the guy who is trying to destroy you.

President Obama loves to bloviate about what a "friend" he is to Israel, at the same time he undermines them and stabs them in the back. Obama's Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, declared to the world current U.S. intelligence on Israel's plans to attack Iran, including the anticipated timing of such an attack. Why would the Obama administration do this? I believe, in order to rally world sentiment against Israel, and to give Iran a heads up. In other words, President Obama seeks to derail any such Israeli plans to defend themselves. Do you have a better idea? Which state would appear to be an ally and which an enemy to an objective third party observer?

Try not to pat yourself on the back, Mr. President.


Charles Krauthammer Puzzles over Panetta Revelation





"Just get to the damn table."




"I try not to pat myself on the back." (But I just can't help myself.)

On Evolution at the Genetic Level

According to geneticist Michael Denton, the break between the non-living and the living world `represents the most dramatic and fundamental of all the discontinuities of nature. Between a living cell and the most highly ordered non-biological systems, such as a crystal or a snowflake, there is a chasm as vast and absolute as it is possible to conceive." Even the tiniest of bacterial cells, weighing less than a trillionth of a gram, is `a veritable microminiaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of 100 thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machine built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world'.
 <------->
Thus the simplest cells available to us for study have nothing "primitive" about them... no vestiges of truly primitive structures are discernible.

God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? by John C. Lennox

Florida Primary: 7 of 10 Conservatives did not Vote for Romney

Even though Romney paid for this Florida win on his debit card -- outspending Newt by millions -- he still couldn't nail down the rank-and-file vote. Seven out of ten self-described conservatives didn't vote for him. This foreshadows the boredom and disgust that will keep conservatives home in the fall.

Romney cannot maintain the same levels of spending throughout his campaign.  According to Rush Limbaugh, "On Florida Television, Newt Gingrich was Outgunned 65 to One." In addition, the Florida Primary hosted the most negative campaign in history, entirely due to the poison presence of Mitt Romney and his elitist backers.

Keep fighting the good fight my friends. Mitt Romney must not succeed in buying this election. If Romney wins, conservatives will not get another chance to elect a president. That's not hyperbole. Think about it. If Romney ascends to the presidency, unless he completely blows it, he'll likely be there for eight years. With the American propensity for "taking turns," we'll likely see another Democrat president after that. Do the math. Consider the times.

Creeping Politburo

[Arizona] State law -- this is the state of John McCain, apostle of political purification through the regulation of political speech -- says that anytime two or more people work together to influence a vote on a ballot measure, they instantly become a "political committee." This transformation triggers various requirements -- registering with the government, filing forms, establishing a bank account for the "committee" even if it has raised no money and does not intend to. This must be done before members of this fictitious "committee" may speak.

This is America? Thank you, John McCain, Mitt Romney endorser. Many of us are concerned about Creeping Sharia. What about Creeping McCain?

Mitt Romney and the Taming of the Shrew

It seems that Ann Coulter's chosen loyalties lie with the Republican Party line of the moment. When one pledges loyalty to a person or party, and they violate your principles, you have two choices. You can modify your principles, or you can break faith with your friend(s). Coulter chooses the former. Ann has formally and conspicuously adopted what we call "situational ethics" wherein one's "principles" shift according to circumstance. Socialized medicine is now a moral good in Coulter-land because it comes with a big "R" attached. But don't judge too harshly. Ann is in the company of every Republican Romney defender. When the big "R" is at stake, principles are secondary. I'm embarrassed to be associated with these people.

As Legal Insurrection points out, it was only a short time ago (10-10-2011) that Coulter called RomneyCare a failure. But that was another time-byte.

Mark Levin deconstructs the Coulter duplicity line by line.

More...

Coulter Cheers the Fool

Red State: Speaking of Sacrificing One’s Credibility at the Altar of the Romney Campaign…

Top o' the Groundhog to ye

Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow. Six more weeks of winter.

How Much for Your Soul?

The "electability" argument is bankrupt on both philosophical and practical grounds. It destroys the party's soul and guarantees defeat.

So says George Neumayr at the American Spectator today. Something that today's wimpublicans need to read and take to heart.

Newt Gingrich: The Erratic Conservative

Newt Gingrich is criticized for being an "erratic conservative," "going off half cocked," and "lacking discipline." I agree. There is no denying that those things are all true. Newt Gingrich is erratic, but he also has had amazing success advancing conservatism. As Mark Levin said, “Newt Gingrich, if he does nothing else, did more for the conservative movement and to stop the liberal Democrats in the House of Representatives than virtually everybody today who is criticizing him." And Newt Gingrich has a 90% lifetime American Conservative Union rating. That's a proven record, and a pretty consistent one. When it counts, Gingrich has been solidly in the conservative corner. Genius and a certain level of eccentricity often go together.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has no conservative accomplishments whatsoever. Until recently, Mitt Romney prided himself on his moderate progressivism. He distanced himself from President Reagan and cozied with Ted Kennedy in implementing RomneyCare. Now we are to believe that the only reason Mitt Romney has no conservative credentials is that he had to govern a liberal state like Massachusetts, which necessarily limited his potential and required certain compromises. This is a narrative which we must take on faith. Though not expressly stated, the inference is that Romney will move right politically once he captures the presidency. Color me exceedingly skeptical. When was the last time a major office holder moved to the political right?

Even Romney's supporters, in their more honest moments, recognize that Mitt is a moderate. Romney's moderate credentials are the very thing that supposedly appeal to those all-so-important independents.

 Mitt Romney, then, may best be described as a steady moderate who prides himself on having the ability to reach out to both sides and strike deals that will supposedly benefit the country as a whole. Romney will never "go off half-cocked." I'd be surprised if he ever drew a weapon, much less pulled back the hammer. In fact, his metaphorical weapon will likely collect dust in a metaphorical drawer somewhere. Romney shows far more willingness to help eat our own than battle the opposition.

Therefore, who should a conservative  support? Mitt Romney, the "steady moderate" seeking to make friends on both dies of the isle to broker the best Washington deals as only a good CEO can? Or Newt Gingrich, the "erratic conservative" who knows who are his enemies and wants to take them out? Is it better to go off half cocked, or never to go off at all? Make enemies, or make friends? Is this a war for the soul of our country or a game of badminton on the White House lawn?

I'll stand on the front lines with erratic Newt any day before I trust someone who does not even recognize that we are in a war to begin with.

California Mandates 1.4 Million Electric Cars by 2025

California's electric car mandate  seeks to "influence other states and Washington."

Wow. But that's what states are for, right? That's what states are supposed to do as a matter of conservative principle. Go California! This is so obviously different from Washington mandates. Completely. Different. The electric car mandate is sure to save millions and boost the economy so much better than the free market is capable of doing. In fact, I bet two-thirds of the people of California will overwhelmingly support it.

At least, that's the Romneybot argument.

"I like mandates," Romney said during a debate in New Hampshire. "The mandate works."

I think the "conservative" movement has gone insane. Someone wake me up.