tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80754434189824207092024-03-13T13:10:18.501-04:00OTIS, the HandOTIS blogs about conservative politics, socio-economic and religious trends from a pro-American and evangelical Christian perspective.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-55846340319437076722012-11-13T21:39:00.002-05:002012-11-13T21:39:25.455-05:00Fire John Boehner NOW!Fire John Boehner NOW! As in, yesterday.<br />
<br />
I did go to the polls -- to vote for Virgil Goode -- which is the first time in my life I did not vote for a Republican for president. It has gotten so the very mention of "Republican" makes me nauseous. The Republican party is pathetic. They have joined with Democrats to become enemies of the people. They must present an actual alternative, or be destroyed.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-85213158296800689522012-08-28T17:00:00.001-04:002012-08-28T17:00:10.725-04:00The Last StrawThis is the last freaking straw. I'm tired of being <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/2012/08/27/floor-fight-grass-roots-activists-battle-attempt-to-rig-gop-convention-delegate-rules/">undermined and attacked by my own party</a>. I will not go to the polls in November.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-55342386117944855552012-03-07T08:55:00.000-05:002012-03-07T08:58:01.230-05:00Time to Face FactsI had hoped that Newt would perform better on Super Tuesday, perhaps taking Tennessee. It now looks as though his weakness is endemic. It is time for Nest to get out and make this a two-man race. I do not believe that Romney will survive on those terms. Romney is an extremely weak frontrunner. Santorum has emerged as the only viable anti-Romney. I voted for Newt last night, and I still think he is the right man, but it is time to move on.<br />
<br />
Some people say that Newt has it in for Romney and is out for vengeance. If that is true, he will get out now and let Romney take his medicine.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-80326194650233076532012-03-06T18:11:00.000-05:002012-03-06T18:12:25.062-05:00Newt Gingrich Live TeleconferenceI'm on a conference call with other Newt Gingrich donors. Newt is speaking live from GA. I've been asked to donate more money, but I really can't do it. My life consists of scraping pennies right now. I am the smallest of small donors.<br><br>
The call begins with Amy Pass, Newt's financial director, recounting Newt's record, including the only serious welfare reform in our lifetimes.<br><br>
Amy turns it over to Herman Cain, speaking from CA. Herman says that the Karl Roves of the world are trying to steer the race towards the "inevitable" one. Herman says that Newt will do much better in Tennessee than the media is leading us to believe. "I believe that tomorrow morning we are going to see results that exceed some people's expectations." "We don't need a custodian in the White House." (Only Herman Cain could get by with this characterization. Ha ha.)<br><br>
Newt says that Rove's analysis of the delegate count is flawed. Newt turns it over to "Randy" who basically says that the race is far from over, many of the delegates are proportioned, and they see a path to victory. Three to four weeks from now they expect to be in sound shape with respect to delegates.<br><br>
There is an extremely annoying "deedle" on the line. It's difficult to hear the speaker over it. The connection is horrible. so I'm ending it here.<br><br>
Amy says that 97 percent of Newt's donors have given less than $250. Newt is the average Joe's candidate.<br><br>
"The way to change the establishment is to beat it." -- NewtOTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-64403236047990872862012-03-01T19:33:00.000-05:002012-03-01T19:33:24.629-05:00Andrew Breitbart -- Genuine, WarriorI've been working all day and was out on a project when i got the news. God bless Andrew Breitbart. I only hope that the left hates me half as much as they did him before I die. Being hated by slimeballs is the measure of a pretty good life. It means you're doing something right.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-39688154312753217462012-02-29T12:47:00.000-05:002012-02-29T12:50:44.562-05:00Few Worries about Bird Flu, Plenty about Man-FluScientists 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 <a href="http://pjmedia.com/blog/should-we-be-worried-about-bird-flu/?singlepage=true">Theodore Dalrymple</a>: <br /><br>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
According to <i>The Lancet</i>, 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.<br />
<br />
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.</blockquote>
<br><br>
This is tantamount to going around setting forest fires to alert the public to the danger of fire.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-36333446794511758462012-02-29T09:13:00.001-05:002012-02-29T09:13:24.393-05:00Romney's Three PercentRomney barely wins his home state, in the north, where he is supposed to be most popular, by three percent. <a href="http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/02/29/three-percent/">Erick Erickson says</a>, "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."<br />
<br />
Yeah, the Republican establishment sure can pick 'em can't they? One middle-the-road, Democrat half-breed candidate after another. Sheesh.<br />
<br />
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.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-36649764194665698002012-02-26T21:37:00.000-05:002012-02-26T21:37:03.652-05:00Kay Bailey Hutchison on Obama's Damaging Energy Policy<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"President Obama's policy has resulted in an <b>unprecedented slowdown</b> in
new exploration and production of oil and gas. Offshore <b>drilling permits
are being issued at less than half the rate of the previous
administration.</b> The average <b>number of leases issued on public lands is
less than half</b> 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. <br /><br />"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."</blockquote>
<br><br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7Dg6PScWo7I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-50296796335943939342012-02-24T19:48:00.000-05:002012-02-24T19:48:31.160-05:00Government doesn't just Encourage the Mob: It is the MobThe IRS is <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2012/02/22/congressional-investigations-sought-over-irs-assault-on-tea-party-groups/">targeting Tea Party groups.</a> Who knew this could happen? Meanwhile, no matter how many laws OWS breaks, they are treated with kid gloves.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
[T]he Richmond Tea Party, [is] a group which applied for tax-exempt charitable status in December 2009.<br />
<br />
“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.”<br />
<br />
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 <b>ordered to hand over a list of all its donors and volunteers.</b></blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-35462527021793755502012-02-24T09:23:00.000-05:002012-02-24T09:23:45.033-05:00Krathammer 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.
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="410" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cRBVQZzsrTI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-35865980296393216012012-02-24T09:11:00.000-05:002012-02-25T11:42:56.548-05:00Newt Gingrich Slams President Obama over Koran Apology<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election-2012/newt-gingrich-rips-president-obama-apology-afghanistan-hamid-karzai-koran-burnings-article-1.1027945?localLinksEnabled=false">Newt Gingrich takes it to the president</a> -- 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.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"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. </blockquote>
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<b>(CNN) </b> -- Military personnel <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/05/20/us.military.bibles.burned/">threw away, and ultimately burned, confiscated Bibles</a> 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.</blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-52816559063625037142012-02-23T17:41:00.000-05:002012-02-23T18:08:26.176-05:00Leftists Ridicule Santorum While Believing that Humans are SatanicLeftists peg human-kind as Satanic, while they ridicule Santorum as "extreme" for his Christian beliefs.<br />
<br />
Try this Google search.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CvL5ISiH0zc/T0bGzs37jDI/AAAAAAAAAMU/EZ2wVL9ntTc/s1600/humans%2Bthreaten2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CvL5ISiH0zc/T0bGzs37jDI/AAAAAAAAAMU/EZ2wVL9ntTc/s400/humans%2Bthreaten2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-85677573444747843762012-02-23T09:35:00.000-05:002012-02-23T09:35:12.046-05:00Romney: "I'll be better than Ted for Gay Rights"<a href="http://www.massresistance.org/">Via MassRestistance</a>
<br />
<br />
Plus 25 video clips of Mitt Romney supporting gay rights, gun control, etc.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4DFffbmiE8/T0ZOHSW-fQI/AAAAAAAAALw/KlhsIMIa4N0/s1600/romney_1994_bay_windows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4DFffbmiE8/T0ZOHSW-fQI/AAAAAAAAALw/KlhsIMIa4N0/s400/romney_1994_bay_windows.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-51279928088908789192012-02-23T08:41:00.000-05:002012-02-23T09:39:51.284-05:00Newt Gingrich had the Courageous Arizona Debate MessageOnce 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.<br />
<br />
First came the moment when the moderator insisted on a protracted discussion surrounding contraception. By this action, John King and CNN <b>framed the debate on leftist terms</b> while completely ignoring for the entirety of the debate (1) Arizona's collapsed mortgage industry and (2) the <b>spiking fuel prices that are on everyone's mind</b>, 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 <a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2012/02/23/bill_bennett_explaining_obamas_infanticide_vote">throwing the left into fits of apoplexy</a>.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="410" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FpWBYxlx5RI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br>
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.<br />
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<br />
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.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-67720276059848895302012-02-22T21:49:00.000-05:002012-02-23T09:01:00.306-05:00Religious Enviro-Nazi Attempts to Order Hit on Fur WearerIt 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.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
An Ohio woman who compared animal-welfare work to the liberation of
World War II concentration camps has been charged with <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/radical-animal-rights-activist-arrested-for-soliciting-undercover-hitman-willing-to-kill-someone-wearing-fur/">soliciting a hit man</a> to fatally shoot or slit the throat of a random fur-wearer, federal
authorities said.</blockquote>
<br />
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.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-55224384100305393522012-02-22T08:49:00.002-05:002012-02-22T09:22:22.142-05:00White House Claims Republicans "Forced" Obama to Kill Keystone PipelineWhite 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.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"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, <a href="http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/white-house-press-secretary-obama-didn-t-cancel-keystone-pipeline-gop-did">their action essentially forced the administration to deny the permit process</a> because they insisted on a time frame in which
it was impossible to completely approve the pipeline," he told ABC's
Jake Tapper.<br />
<br />
"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.
<br><br>
Carney responded: <b>"But the President didn't turn down the Keystone pipeline." </b>[My Emphasis]<b><br /></b></blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-34097815732528418802012-02-21T22:07:00.001-05:002012-02-21T22:07:21.938-05:00Romney and His Supporters Known by their FruitsI 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 <a href="http://www.therightscoop.com/romney-supporters-remove-santorum-signs-at-michigan-event/">paid to remove Rick Santorum's signs.</a> 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.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-44800327040642000302012-02-20T08:29:00.002-05:002012-02-20T08:33:41.939-05:00The Dangerous, Economically Crippling Religious LeftRick Santorum recently said something that I didn't know he said. His statement coincidentally meshes with a Bible study that I taught Sunday.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I just said that when you have a <a href="http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/02/20/obamas_phony_theology_offers_phony_financing_on_everything">world view that elevates the Earth above man</a> 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 <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57381060/face-the-nation-transcript-february-19-2012/?pageNum=2&tag=contentMain;contentBody"><u>Grand Inquisitor</u></a> Bob Scheiffer on CBS News’ <i>Face the Music</i>. “I mean, this is just all an attempt to centralize power and to give more power to the government.”</blockquote>
<br />
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 "<a href="http://www.biblestudytools.com/colossians/passage.aspx?q=colossians+2:20-23">Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!</a>" 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
In that past few months we have seen prohibitions on extracting oil, natural gas, coal, and minerals from the earth. <a href="http://thenewamerican.com/tech-mainmenu-30/energy/10253-dozens-of-power-plants-closing-due-to-new-epa-rules">Dozens of coal plants are closing</a>, the Keystone Pipeline prohibited, Alaska drilling banned. The list goes on. All of these things directly resulting from crippling neo-pagan religion.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-87690641329752359872012-02-19T20:18:00.000-05:002012-02-20T19:04:57.336-05:00I Helped Verify the Recall for Governor Scott WalkerYou can too. At <a href="http://truethevote.org/news/wisconsin-is-just-the-beginning">TruetheVote.org</a> 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.<br />
<br />
UPDATE, via True the Vote:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 20px; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #d8832b;">VERIFY THE RECALL</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 20px; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><span style="color: #d8832b;">Progress Report For Monday, February 20</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>DEADLINE: 120 HOURS FROM NOW</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">You rolled up your sleeves, sat down at your computer, and got busy!</span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Here Are the Latest Project Stats:</span></span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">2.7 MILLION records entered</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">136,000 Records Entered in Past 24 Hours</span></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">78% of the way through the 152,000 pages</span></div>
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<div style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">Over 151 Gigs of data have been served<br />
Over 18 MILLION people have viewed the website</span></div>
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<div style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; line-height: normal; text-align: left;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> - Fraud of the Day -</span></span></strong></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Scott Walker has signed his own petition 4 TIMES so far! </span></span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">
His wife Karen only signed it twice!</span></span><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">
You will hear more about this in the coming days.</span></span></blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-81185243377384759572012-02-18T09:38:00.001-05:002012-02-18T09:46:24.857-05:00Romney Smear Merchants claim Newt Gingrich Supported "China’s one-child policy"; Newt Threatens Lawsuit<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Presidential candidate <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/GingrichlawsuitChina-one-child-TVRomney/2012/02/17/id/429823">Newt Gingrich has threatened to sue</a> dozens of
television stations if they run a political attack ad that says he
supported China’s one-child policy.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.”</blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-2915771730145605832012-02-18T09:11:00.000-05:002012-02-18T09:11:58.651-05:00JotForm.com Domain RestoredJotForm is "permitted" once more to conduct business following summary suspension of the service by the U.S. government and GoDaddy with no explanation whatsoever.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.itworld.com/security/251042/jotform-takedown-shows-anti-sopa-hysteria-wasnt-alarming-enough">It sounds as if the only protocol that was followed was the silent treatment</a> – 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. </blockquote>
<br />
The treatment of JotForm and its customers is simply outrageous. I received the following statement from the company:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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
<a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/02/secret-service-asks-for-shutdown-of-legit-website-over-user-content-godaddy-complies.ars" target="_blank">Arstechnica</a>,
<a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/02/jotform-domain-seizure/" target="_blank">Wired</a>,
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/02/17/did-godaddy-help-the-secret-service-shut-this-website-down-without-a-warrant/" target="_blank">Forbes</a>,
<a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-57379725-245/jotform-says-domain-suspended-by-feds/" target="_blank">CNET</a>,
<a href="http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120215/18044017773/us-government-suspends-jotformcom-over-user-generated-forms-censorship-regime-expands.shtml" target="_blank">Techdirt</a>, and
<a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/02/16/online-form-building-startup-jotform-has-its-domain-suspended-by-the-us-secret-service/" target="_blank">TheNextWeb</a>.
<br />
<br />
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.</blockquote>
<br />
GoDaddy.com is dead to me.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-71677970202914485532012-02-16T23:38:00.000-05:002012-02-16T23:38:39.587-05:00Why 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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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?<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
* <i>I use the term "fool" here in the careful sense of one who is unwise, lacking discernment and sound judgment.</i>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-49600313967526892312012-02-16T22:17:00.001-05:002012-02-16T22:17:32.720-05:00Newt Gingrich Factoid<span style="font-size: large;">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.</span><br />
<br />
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 <b>SAY </b>they will do and compare what they actually <b>DID </b>when they were afforded governing power?<br />
<br />
I
was talking to a nationally published conservative author and speaker
today who had absolutely no clue that Newt Gingrich gave the “keynote”
rebuttal <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9bOfQItB8c">AGAINST Al Gore on Cap and Trade </a>legislation. This is a
travesty not just of conservative media, but those we surround ourselves
with who will only hear it from us.<br />
<br />
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.)<br />
<br />
<b>What are their biggest accomplishments ACTUALLY governing?</b><br />
<br />
Mitt Romney as MA Governor:<br />
<ul>
<li>4 years as governor – 220 days absent his last year. </li>
<li>Scored a 55 on CATO scorecard of Governors. </li>
<li>Had a Democrat Controlled Congress. </li>
<li>Promised no new taxes and raised them excessively. <ul><br />
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.” *</ul>
<ul><br />
</ul>
</li>
<li>Was 47th out of 50 in job creation of all Governors. If Katrina had not hit he would have been lower. </li>
<li>State spending ended $5.2 billion dollars higher when he began office. </li>
<li>He left a $3 billion deficit. </li>
<li>He spent millions on pork projects such as buying new cars for welfare recipients. </li>
<li>Initiated
most liberal progressive socialized health care of any state in
history. 50% (2010 poll) dislike it, and costs are higher than other
states. </li>
<li>Allowed Planned Parenthood to be incorporated into MA law by name as part of the oversight of parts of the program. </li>
<li>A
key MIT Economist and architect of “RomneyCare” admits it’s “the same
f'***ing bill” as ObamaCare, and gave Democrats a blueprint. </li>
<li>Used executive orders to implement gay marriage </li>
<li>Romney
spent millions of state money pursuing Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative (RGGI) and although they dumped it, then created the
Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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.” </li>
<li>One of his own endorsers (Powerline) admit, “<b><i>…there is no question that Governor Romney’s initial fiscal discipline slacked off in the second half of his term…</i></b>” <i>Note: Said another way, he couldn’t even be fiscally responsible for more than 2 years.</i> </li>
<li>As Chairman of the Republican Governors Association lost 6 GOP seats in 2006 election and 20 of 36 races. *</li>
<li>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. </li>
</ul>
<ul>Conservative initiatives?<br /><br />
<li>He consolidated the social service and public health bureaucracy and restructured the Metropolitan District Commission. </li>
<li>Romney
even eliminated half of the executive branch’s press positions, saving
$1.2 million. (yes million, less than the office supply budget). </li>
<li>In May of 2004, he proposed cutting the state’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.0%. He failed. Three times. </li>
<li>He
pushed for legislation that increased the number of hours each week
recipients must work and establishing a five-year limit for receiving
benefits. </li>
<li>He forced Medicaid recipients to make co-payments for some services and for <b>new </b>state workers to increase contributions from 15% to 25%. </li>
<li>He changed the state pension system by moving it from a defined benefit system to a defined contribution system. </li>
<li>He vetoed a “card check” system for unions. </li>
<li>He vetoed a minimum wage law. </li>
<li>The Economist summation of his Governorship.</li>
</ul>
<b>Romney left office without running for a second term with approval ratings under 35%. </b><br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
Newt Gingrich as GA Congressman and Speaker of the House:<br />
<ul>
<li>33 years as Congressman including 4 as Speaker of the House </li>
<li>Lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 90%<br />
(most recent year was for 1998 at 100%)* ** </li>
<li>He had a Democrat controlled Congress up until 1994, a Democrat President and Senate from 1992 until 1998 </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>Art Laffer confirms Gingrich helped on a team that designed “Supply Side Economics.” </li>
<li>Supported/Championed policies that created 11 Million jobs. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>$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. </li>
<li>Fought and defeated HillaryCare both in strategy, as well as political and legislative maneuvering. </li>
<li>On third try got a Democratic President and Senate to initiate Welfare Reform that put 60% of recipients to work. </li>
<li>Gingrich’s pro-life voting record is 98.6%, 70 out of 71 votes. </li>
<li>Brought two partial birth abortion bills to Clinton that served as the model for what was passed under George W. Bush. </li>
<li>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.)</li>
<li>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. <b>This resulted in a NET GOP pickup of 52 seats in the House, 8 in the Senate and 11 Governorships</b>. GOPAC founder Pete DuPont and Paul Weyrich both didn’t believe it could be done.</li>
<li>Multiple conservatives congressmen got their political start including: <ul><br />
Jon Kyl<br />
Mike DeWine<br />
Jim Inhofe<br />
Fred Thompson<br />
Bill Frist<br />
<b>Rick Santorum</b></ul>
<ul><b> </b></ul>
</li>
<li>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.”<br />
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.<br />
I can’t adequately cover all 10 initiatives and their profundity but they include: <ul>
<li>Congressional Reform including Congress being subject to the law they pass </li>
<li>Balanced Budget with Line Item Veto (failed Senate, passed Veto but declared unconstitutional) </li>
<li>Anti-crime package (truth in sentencing, more law enforcement help) </li>
<li>Personal Responsibility (ultimately became Welfare Reform) </li>
<li>Tax Package Including Child Tax Credit, Elimination of Marriage Penalty, Savings Account, Middle Class Tax Relief </li>
<li>Disallow US Troops from serving under foreign authorites like the UN </li>
<li>Frivolous Litigation vetoed by Clinton but tort reform override veto. </li>
<li>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.<br />
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).<br />
The only bill that failed was Term Limits.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>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.<br />
<br />
<b>His “Liberal” Legislation?</b> </li>
<li>Voted for Department of Education with Carter in first term.</li>
<li>Supported Reagan in Simpson-Mazzoli Amnesty Bill </li>
<li>Voted to raise taxes twice with Reagan. </li>
<li>Would vote for earmarks in exchange for conservative legislative votes. </li>
</ul>
<b> </b><br />
<b>When
Newt became Speaker in 1995 congressional approval was about 20%.
When he resigned the Speakership four years later, it was about 60%.</b><br />
<b> (Now it is at 11%).</b><br />
<br />
OBSERVATIONS<br />
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. <br />
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.<br />
So I leave it up to you to conclude who is more likely to do what they say.<br />
<i>(If I have omitted any MAJOR legislation that was passed into law for either – please submit in CONTACT page so I can add it).</i><br />
<br />
FOOTNOTE:<br />
**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.OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-10299218699110404402012-02-16T21:18:00.001-05:002012-02-16T23:44:09.819-05:00Government Takedown of JotformOne 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, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/02/secret-service-asks-for-shutdown-of-legit-website-over-user-content-godaddy-complies.ars?clicked=related_right">site take-down happy federal government.</a> 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.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/02/16/successful-online-startup-kicked-off-domain-without-stated-reason/">...it’s troubling to Tank, and many other digital rights advocates</a>, 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
And like YouTube, JotForm has pieces of content numbering in the millions — more than staff can reasonably sift through by hand.<br />
<br />
“I believe this can happen to anybody who allows users to create content on the web,” the site’s founder concluded.</blockquote>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8075443418982420709.post-81543159450102854782012-02-16T10:43:00.000-05:002012-02-16T11:08:22.924-05:00Rombo Fires MudRomney'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 "<a class="l" href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2012/02/rick-santorum-rombo-ad-mitt-romney-/1">Santorum's '<em>Rombo</em>' <em>ad</em> fires mud at Romney</a>." Go figure. When you're in the tank, truth becomes a casualty.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OtOcrS6axnE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>OTIS the handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13852669738299870886noreply@blogger.com0