Al Sharpton and Bill de Blasio should be considered accomplices in this murder

Preach hate for police and this is what you get. Two policemen killed. Assassinated. Targeted. From the surnames, I’m guessing both were minorities—one Asian, one Hispanic.  Alleged shooter Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot himself after being chased on foot.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/20/us/new-york-police-officers-shot/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/12/20/2-nypd-cops-shot-in-car-critically-injured/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/nyregion/two-police-officers-shot-in-their-patrol-car-in-brooklyn.html?_r=1

“I’m Putting Wings on Pigs Today,” a person believed to be the gunman wrote in an Instagram post that referenced both Brown and Garner posted just three hours before the officers were shot, the New York Post reported.  Al Sharpton has been arousing emotions of protesters who show up for all these rallies. deBlasio hasn’t been defending the NYPD.

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/kerik-police-killings-nypd/2014/12/20/id/614261/

Actions have consequences

According to Reuters, 8 days before the Taliban faction known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) brutally massacred over 130 school children in Peshawar Pakistan on Tuesday, the U.S. released the terror group’s second in command, Latif Mehsud. He had been captured in October 2013 and held in an Afghanistan prison.. http://www.reuters.com/…/us-pakistan-afghanistan-militants-…

http://gopthedailydose.com/taliban-leader-just-released-by-obama-involved-in-the-pakistani-school-massacre/

http://www.hngn.com/articles/53165/20141218/pakistan-tragedy-prevented-taliban-commander-released-u-s-eight-days.htm

In a perfect world

That’s the name of a blog  by Don whom I vaguely remember meeting blogging or in a Usenet writers’ group. I’ll note it here so I don’t lose it again. http://mytypewriterbroke.blogspot.com/  The crazy thing about blogging, or the internet in general, is it’s just too easy to get side tracked.  And I really wasn’t looking for Don when I found him. Or Paula.

And Paula is still blogging. Goodness.  How many years.  Longer than me I think. Light Motifs. http://lightmotifs.wordpress.com/  I met her on Usenet. Likes to write romance novels.

Top 10 liberal superstitions

To read the complete article by Kate Bachelder (from October 2014)

1. Spending more money improves education. The U.S. spent $12,608 per student in 2010—more than double the figure, in inflation-adjusted dollars, spent in 1970—and spending on public elementary and secondary schools has surpassed $600 billion.  
2. Government spending stimulates the economy. Case in point is the $830 billion 2009 stimulus bill, touted by the Obama administration as necessary for keeping unemployment below 8%. Result: four years of average unemployment above 8%. . . .
3. Republican candidates always have a big spending advantage over Democrats. Yet the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  raked in $127 million this cycle, about $30 million more than the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Democrats have aired more TV ads than Republicans in several battleground states, according to analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. . . .
4. Raising the minimum wage helps the poor. . . .Nearly 30% of the benefits would go to families three times above the poverty line or higher, in part because half of America’s poor families have no wage earners. Minimum-wage increases help some poor families—at the expense of other poor families (who won’t be able to find jobs at those salaries).
5. Global warming is causing increasingly violent weather. Tell that to Floridians, who are enjoying the ninth consecutive season without a hurricane landfall. . . .
6. Genetically modified food is dangerous. Farmers have been breeding crop seeds for 10,000 years, but the agricultural innovation known as genetic modification makes liberals shudder. . . .
7. Voter ID laws suppress minority turnout.  GAO released an analysis of 10 voter-ID studies: Five showed the laws had no statistically significant effect on turnout, four suggested a decrease in turnout (generally among all ethnic groups, though percentages varied), and one found an increase in turnout with voter ID laws in place. . .
8. ObamaCare is gaining popularity. . . the law’s approval rating hovers around 40%, and 27% of people told Gallup this month that the law was hurting them, up from 19% in January, while only 16% reported it was helpful . . .
9. The Keystone XL pipeline would increase oil spills.  In 2013 pipelines with a diameter larger than 12 inches spilled 910,000 gallons. Railroad tankers spilled 1.5 million gallons. Yet pipelines carry 25 times the oil that tankers do . . .
10. Women are paid 77 cents on the dollar compared with men. The mother of all liberal superstitions, this figure comes from shoddy math that divides the average earnings of all women working full-time by the average earnings of all full-time men, without considering career field, education or personal choices. When those factors are included, the wage gap disappears. A 2009 report commissioned by the Labor Department that analyzed more than 50 papers on the topic found that the so-called pay gap “may be almost entirely” the result of choices both men and women make.

Double standard for two men of color

Listening to the President's speech before he took off for Hawaii, I reflected again on the jail time for Dinesh D'Sousa who made a movie critical of Obama. His terrible offense? A minor political donation infraction. But it's hugs and kissy face for tax evader ($4.5 million) Al Sharpton from the President. The President in addressing the Norks talked a strong line about the tradition of creative freedom in film. . . something about this was a comedy, and what happens when it is a documentary. Like something about him? I think we've already got that answer. Nothing will happen to the North Koreans, but an immigrant American who is a conservative? Look out!

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/09/23/documents-federal-prosecutors-misled-judge-in-pursuit-of-prison-time-for-dinesh-dsouza-n1895285

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2014/11/19/lessons-from-rev-al-sharptons-4-5-million-tax-bill/

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2014/dec/19/obama-fbi-sony-hack-north-korea-china

Snail mail, for sure

Kelly Rogers Denton of 4 South Hannah Ave.,  Mt. Morris, Illinois says she received this letter on Tuesday, December 16th. It's postmarked December 15th, 1963 from Dixon, Illinois with another postmark from Seattle, Washington on December 11th of this year. Kelly put it on Facebook hoping to find out more information about the letter and who it was actually intended for. Kelly didn’t open the letter but believes it's a Christmas card. On FB, a discussion on the Mt. Morris determined that Carolyn Hackbarth (I went to high school with her) sent it.  I think someone knows where the Kiddell family lives. A Rockford station will do a story on Carolyn opening it. (Isn’t it illegal to open someone else’s mail?)

For me it’s doubly interesting since my family lived at 4 South Hannah where the letter was delivered.  Back in the day of 4 cent stamps you could make a wild stab at an address in Mt. Morris and the postman would get it there.  This one must have stuck in the bottom of a mail bag.  Would be interesting to know how it got to Seattle.

Elbert Guillory

Our protected victim classes are clashing

The left wing crazies are making it difficult to identify the protected victims!  A Muslim student at the University of Michigan is taken down for satire because he's a conservative. At Marquette, a Catholic university, a tenured professor was taken out for criticizing (in a tweet) the lack of free speech and discussion in the classroom of a female grad student instructor of a philosophy class (no tenure) who shut down a student (no first amendment rights) in an after class private discussion on gay marriage, accusing him of homophobia for believing the church's teaching on marriage which the university thumbs its nose at.  Wow.  You need a score card. Al Sharpton is attacking a female executive (there are very few) at Sony.  What if she turns out to be transgendered.  Would that trump Sharpton’s shakedown because of his race?

http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/18/student-says-his-home-was-egged-he-was-fired-conservative-column

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/17/marquette-university-tells-employees-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage-could-be-unlawful-harassment/

Leader of the swap was serving 2 life sentences

“The three Cubans released as a part of the deal belonged the so-called Cuban Five, a quintet of Cuban intelligence officers convicted in 2001 for espionage. They were part of what was called the Wasp Network, which collected intelligence on prominent Cuban-American exile leaders and U.S. military bases.

The leader of the five, Gerardo Hernandez, was linked to the February 1996 downing of the two civilian planes operated by the U.S.-based dissident group Brothers to the Rescue, in which four men died. He is serving a two life sentences. Luis Medina, also known as Ramon Labanino; and Antonio Guerrero have just a few years left on their sentences.”

http://video.foxnews.com/v/3951389545001/family-of-brothers-to-the-rescue-victim-rips-cuba-deal/?#sp=show-clips

Slap in the face of the families of the killed men.  They were not told the swap was going to take place.

Sharpton and Sony

Al Sharpton is beginning the shakedown of Sony. Will he ask for white executives or just roaming around money for this?. A white female Sony executive makes a remark about Obama, and suddenly all 12.5% of Americans need an apology?  She probably voted for him—twice.  Sharpton’s got some kind of gig blackmailing cities for protecting these "peaceful" protesters, many of which show up for all the lefty events. The reps from the police unions said on TV that the police are practically on first name basis with some of them. You can bet the organizers aren't paying. The police get overtime, Sharpton gets face time on TV, and the tax payers get the bill (except Rev. Al, he cheats on taxes big time).

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/nyregion/questions-about-al-sharptons-finances-accompany-his-rise-in-influence.html?_r=1

http://redalertpolitics.com/2014/12/11/sony-executive-jokes-obama-race-leaked-e-mail/

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/12/uk-sony-cybersecurity-obama-idUKKBN0JP29L20141212

Dennis Prager on the Pope and the Dictator

It took a Pope, a President and a Prime Minister to bring down the USSR. now a President and a Pope are propping up a dictator regime.

I don’t get to hear talk show host Dennis Prager often, but had him on today during a late lunch.  He is not happy with the Pope. And I paraphrase him on Obama's normalizing relations with the Castro dictatorship. The Pope is a very nice man, he said, but he is a Latin American. They find it hard not to love a leftist dictator. Can we imagine such nice things being said about the right wing dictatorship of South African apartheid?

Am I a victim of police harassment?

I've been stopped by the police 2.5 times (the 3rd time I was telling my husband what to do, so that gets a half although he was driving). It was always my fault, and I didn't argue with the police. Police have also come to the house when we called (burglary) and when a neighbor called (saw a strange car in the drive-way she didn't recognize). I called the police when there was a flasher in my library following young women around in the stacks and another time when a suspicious guy hung around a female employee at night. More recently, I took a cell phone to our local police which I found in my car that had drug messages on it (fell out of the pocket of someone who parked my car for me we found out later). I'm wondering now if I might have been a victim instead of being protected? (That's sarcasm.)

Jack Webb on being a policemen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7COcohB9n3w

Sony and Benghazi

Sony wasn't the first casualty of terrorists and films.  Remember the lies the WH told on the morning news shows about the video causing the Benghazi tragedy?  That film maker actually went to jail (supposedly on unrelated charges that were being ignored, and probably for his own safety after the government goof up). But there have been no more unflattering films made by Americans about Islam, have there? Few death threats against theaters and some bombings and beheadings seems to cool creative expression.

Victimology 101

“Student organizations representing women’s interests now routinely advise students that they should not feel pressured to attend or participate in class sessions that focus on the law of sexual violence, and which might therefore be traumatic.”

http://reason.com/blog/2014/12/16/profs-have-stopped-teaching-rape-law-now

Maybe doctors in training should not have to study virology or bacteriology for fear of triggering memories of children immunizations? Pre-vet students should be excused from equine rotation if a horse kicked them at the rodeo.

“It's time to admit that appeasing students' seemingly unlimited senses of personal victimhood entitlement, unenlightened views about public discourse, and thinly-veiled laziness is not merely wrong, but actively dangerous. Colleges are supposed to prepare young people to succeed in the real world; they do students no favors by infantilizing them. But worse than that, by bending over backwards to satisfy the illiberal mob, colleges are doling out diplomas to people who are prepared for neither real life nor their eventual professions. Should medical colleges abdicate their responsibility to instruct students on how to administer a rape kit to a victim, or ask a victim difficult questions about her trauma, because that discussion is triggering to some of the students?”

Ebola vs. mystery virus—where’s the hysteria?

The country had a melt down over Ebola which killed or sickened a few people and got us an Ebola czar with no experience for a few weeks. But there wasn't much said about the mysterious virus that has killed 12 children, left 94 with polio like paralysis, and sickened over 1,000. Lots of unanswered questions. We've finally got a new name: Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), but the experts are not sure how it is related to EV-D68 virus. CDC is unable to answer whether the EV-D68 epidemic is connected to the tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children allowed to enter the U.S. from Central and South America in the last couple of years. EV-D68 is known to have circulated in El Salvador and Nicaragua.

 http://sharylattkisson.com/two-mystery-illnesses-linked-to-…

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6340a6.htm?s_cid=mm6340a6_w

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6336a4.htm?s_cid=mm6336a4_w

http://www.cdc.gov/ncird/investigation/viral/sep2014/index.html

Covered in prayer for many months

This little guy’s family are members of our church.  He was born premature, and we prayed for months.  So happy to see him on Facebook.

BalletMet Nutcracker—a real delight

We enjoyed the matinee performance of the Nutcracker at the Ohio Theater on Sunday. Our 10 year old Lakeside neighbor who has been in several of Bob's paintings was performing in a small part. The devotion of the parents to exposing their children to this type of culture is admirable--her mother was probably there 8 hours Sunday because another child became ill and she will also do the evening performance. I did the football, baseball, track, cross country, soccer, cheerleader, Campfire, sports lunchroom, Jones musical gigs, UA high school choir--but I never told my kids about dancing lessons. It was fun to stand at the stage door after the performance to wait to see her. Bob gave her a Twinkie—other dancers got bouquets.

“We open on Christmas Eve, in the Stahlbaum house. There's music and presents and food, and the three Stahlbaum children are beside themselves with joy at the wonder of it all. There's danger on the horizon though, heralded by the arrival at the door of local magician Drosselmeyer. He brings bearing gifts for the children, including a wooden nutcracker. This is just the start of an adventure which will lead our characters into a war between mice and gingerbread men and through the Land of Sweets. “

We were pretty high up for $58/seat—not exactly nosebleed territory, but close.  Managing that many stairs was very difficult for me, and on Monday my legs felt like I’d been in a box for 2.5 hours—seats are pretty small.

Putting on my “fashion police” cap, I was so pleased to see that younger women are rejecting their mothers' idea of fashion (sweatshirts and jeans) for nice events in classy theaters. I was just amazed at the well turned out young ladies in dresses! and heels at this event. How refreshing. The "protest march" look was really getting old.

This photo is from the Internet and we think that is Lillian in the front (red hair). She was a “page,” and appeared in the 2nd act.

Taliban kills over 130 children in Pakistan

Just an awful, awful sight.  Such beautiful kids.

When I have trouble finding the right word, I try Google. Obama can't seem to say, "Taliban." The left never runs out of names for the Tea Party.  Must be something political.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-fails-blame-taliban-mass-school-murder-pakistan_821714.html#!

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/16/politics/obama-pakistan-attack/index.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30491435

This child lost his mother who was a teacher at the school.

Being a Democrat is easier

Tax more.  Spend more. Take away more personal freedoms.  Kill the unborn and weep over the condemned killer.  It’s easy, and they all seem to agree.

I’m so tired of listening to these conservative talkers tear apart the various possible candidates for 2016.  Ted Cruz—now there’s a guy with guts (or something else).  Ted Cruz—he’s just crazy, only concerned about advancing his career.  Rand Paul—best thing since sliced bread.  Rand Paul—what a loser.  Really?  Republicans couldn’t agree on where to go for lunch.

It’s not too late

Father Mark Yavarone, O.M.V. (Oblates of the Virgin Mary) humbly and prayerfully offering himself to those in need at Planned Parenthood, Boston, Massachusetts.

Posted by Kelly Thatcher at her blog.

New York Times corrects its correction with a correction

This correction in the New York Times was appended to an article about tax evader and chief presidential consultant on race Al Sharpton's march on Washington. The reporter mixed up Michael Brown and Darren Wilson, got the Trayvon Martin story wrong, and even misspelled his name in an earlier correction. This is what the most famous newspaper in the land uses for reporters?

"Correction: December 13, 2014. An earlier version of this article misidentified, on second reference, the person who was shot in Ferguson, Mo. It was Michael Brown, not Darren Wilson. An earlier version of this article also referred incorrectly to the shooting of Trayvon Martin. He was killed by a civilian, not by a police officer. In addition, an earlier version of this correction misspelled Trayvon Martin’s given name as Travyon."

Scroll to the end, past the opinion that passes for news: http://www.nytimes.com/.../thousands-march-in-washington...

Don’t cook much, but love to look

I bought this nice hard cover Taste of Home at Marc’s last week for $2.93.  I’ll put it on the coffee table to browse while “watching” TV. Maybe it will inspire me to try something new, but I really think I’m buying more processed or store baked foods now than when I worked and didn’t have time.

Taste of Home 2004,  Taste of Home 1998  Premiere issues 1993 Taste of Home Quick Cooking

It was announced in 2002 that Reader’s Digest Association Inc . acquired Reiman Publications LLC for US$760 million cash, and also completed US$950 million in syndicated financing that was partially used to fund the Reiman purchase. Link. Initially, there was little change in the folksy format or style, but the most recent Taste of Home I saw looked like any other recipe magazine, including lots of ads and coupons.

On the cover is Best Chocolate Raspberry Torte (p. 57)

Guess who hasn’t read the violent crime statistics of the DoJ? CNN

Or as the Department of Justice delicately puts it: “The demographic characteristics of homicide victims and offenders were different from the characteristics of the general population.”

Most violent crime is intrarracial—93% black on black, 87% white on white. But the rate of crime is much, much higher for blacks.  In fact, in numbers, more blacks are victims/offenders than whites even though they are only 13% of the population.

Blacks were disproportionately represented as both homicide victims and offenders. The victimization rate for blacks (27.8 per 100,000) was 6 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000). The offending rate for blacks (34.4 per 100,000) was almost 8 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000). Young black men are at much greater risk walking the streets of their neighborhood than they would be knocking over a minority owned store and confronted by a policemen (who would probably be black).  http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/htus8008.pdf

Violent crime has been drastically reduced in the last two decades.

1 in 4 police are members of a minority.

Black infants are substantially more at risk for homicide than are other infants. In 2011, the homicide rate for black infants was 15.3 per 100,000, while Hispanic and white infants had rates of 6.0 and 4.9 per 100,000, respectively. However, the rate for black infants has decreased greatly since 1990, when it was at 24.5 per 100,000.  http://www.childtrends.org/

The Bed Brigade of St. John’s Lutheran

A woman from St. John's told me about this vital ministry when she delivered baby gifts to the pregnancy center--the bed brigade. Watch the video. Very touching.

This is one of the most interesting and unique ministries I’ve heard about.  Church members build bed frames, supply new mattresses, and then witness to the recipient about the love of Jesus when they are delivered to homes in need.

 http://www.stjohnsgc.org/…/BedBrigade/tabid/163/Default.aspx

Our Purpose: We have been called by God to build beds and deliver them free of charge to those in our midst who need them.  In doing this, we are engaging our church family of St. Johns in a service ministry that meets a very basic need that is unmet for so many.  This allows Jesus to work through our hands to love others on his behalf.  Our purpose is to meet a real need and to point others to the love and truth of Jesus Christ.

There is also one in Circleville.

St. John’s is located at 3220 Columbus Street, Grove City, Ohio, 43123 ~ (614)875-2314.  Scott Ness is the Associate Pastor at St. John’s.  I watched him grow up; in fact I remember when his mom was pregnant.

Pastor Brodie Taphorn graduates--again

I think this is a business degree.  He’s one of the pastors at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church.

Rejoice

      

This is "Gaudete" Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent. In Latin, Gaudete is a positive command that means, "Rejoice!"  St. Paul tells the Thessalonians, "Rejoice always!"  As far as I can tell that’s not followed by an under the breath,  “except,” or “unless,” or “that’s too hard,” or even, “what about the terrible news today.”

“That's impossible, what he's saying is impossible, it can't be done,” you're right, from the human viewpoint. It is not natural. It is, however, supernatural joy, and that's the kind of joy we're talking about. We're not talking about happiness which comes from happenings, or happenstance, or because something just happens to be good. We're not talking about a shallow, superficial, emotional response to positive circumstance. We're talking about not a natural joy, but a supernatural joy. It is a joy at another level. It's a divine level. That is why it says in Galatians 5, “The fruit of the Spirit is love” – what's the second one – joy.” That is why in Romans 14 you have in verse 17 that marvelous statement that “the Kingdom is made up of joy in the Holy Spirit.” It is a spiritual joy. It is a Holy Spirit joy. It is a supernatural joy.”  Grace to You

Today’s date

Mia Love and Ted Cruz know more about the Constitution than the President

The president said about 22 times in public (according to John Boehner, a great flip flopper himself) that he lacked the constitutional authority to enact amnesty for illegal aliens without permission of Congress. [Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution. ]

"Every senator in this body should be put on record whether he or she believes it is constitutional for a president to disregard, to ignore federal immigration laws, and to grant blanket amnesty to millions in defiance of both the laws on the books and the voters" - Ted Cruz, son of Cuban immigrant.

"It is Congress’ job under Article 1,Section 8, to create a uniform rule of naturalization, a way in. It should be done line by line, section by section with the input of the public instead of being done by one person. It looks more like a dictatorship when a president is unilaterally making decisions for the American people." Mia Love, daughter of Haitian immigrants

The slippery slope of words

Michael Smith writes: "What does it say about a society that has grown comfortable with cursing so ubiquitous as to be a normal part of conversation while being uncomfortable with words like "illegal alien", "gay" or "Merry Christmas?""

I like the term "undocumented Democrat" as a replacement for "illegal alien" which offends the sensitivities of people in Cleveland, Ohio, who don't live near the Texas/Mexico border.

"Gay" used to be a pejorative (addicted to pleasure and dissipation), but has come into its own, and now even "queer" has become quite acceptable, as is "trany."

I think, since the word "holiday" comes from holy day (hāligdæg, hālig "holy" + dæg "day"), we could compromise with "Blessed holy days" as an acceptable substitute for Merry Christmas, bringing in Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and any others who want to join in on pleasant greetings of the season. The Bible used the Greek word makarios, which means to be happy or blissful. So why not have a happy blissful holy day?

Agonizing over the Democrats’ CIA torture report?

Abortions cut off legs and arms, suck out brains, or vacuum contents

Sometimes it’s the same people worrying about our “values” that allow torturing a terrorist suspect who think “choosing” to end the life of an unborn child is OK because it’s up to the woman.

“Surgical abortion empties the contents of your uterus and is usually performed within 12 to 14 weeks from your last normal menstrual period (first-trimester). However, the procedure can be done up to 20 weeks (mid-trimester). The procedure involves "vacuum aspiration" of the contents of the uterus.”

https://www.optionsforsexualhealth.org/birth-control-pregnancy/pregnancy/surgical-abortion

Suction pulls apart the fetus’ body and out the uterus. After suction, the doctor and nurses must reassemble the fetus’ dismembered parts to ensure they have all the pieces.

http://www.birthmothers.org/extras/types-of-abortions.htm

Finding bin Laden

Heads and apologies are rolling at Sony

Hollywood hypocrisy? Fake kissy face? Oh surely not! The Sony hack shows you should never say in an e-mail what you wouldn't say to the face. . . of the president.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/12/11/a-sony-exec-cracks-jokes-about-obamas-race-and-eight-more-bruising-revelations-from-the-sony-leak/

Only 9% consider race an important news topic--the economy and terrorism are at the top. But if Hollywood is joking about Obama, maybe that should be a little higher.

Outraged

Highlights of prisoner statistics of the Bureau of Justice, 2013

• U.S. state and federal correctional facilities held an estimated 1,574,700 prisoners on December 31, 2013, an increase of 4,300 prisoners from yearend 2012.
• The 3-year decline in the prison population stopped in 2013 due to an increase of 6,300 inmates (0.5%) in the state prison population.
• The federal prison population decreased in size for the first time since 1980, with 1,900 fewer prisoners in 2013 than in 2012.
• The number of prisoners sentenced to more than a year in state or federal prison increased by 5,400 persons from yearend 2012 to yearend 2013.
• The number of persons admitted to state or federal prison during 2013 increased by 4%, from 608,400 in 2012 to 631,200 in 2013.

In 2012, the most recent year for which offense data were available, 16 percent of state prisoners and 51 percent of federal prisoners were serving sentences for drug offenses. Violent offenders equaled 7 percent of the federal prison population, compared to 54 percent of state prisoners.

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5110

Rape and sexual assault at colleges

Among college-age females (ages 18 to 24), the rate of rape and sexual assault was 1.2 times higher for NONSTUDENTS than students for the period 1995–2013, the Bureau of Justice Statistics announced today[Dec. 11, 2014]. Nonstudents (65,700) accounted for more than double the average annual number of rape and sexual assault victimizations compared to students (31,300). Press release

Kristallnacht American style

Daniel Henninger, writing in the Wall Street Journal about the mobs invading NYC businesses, smashing windows, disrupting shoppers during the Christmas shopping season, and destroying property with the approval of the mayor and the encouragement of the president of the United States: "If we have learned anything in the past century, it is that when politically approved mobs start invading shopkeepers and smashing their windows in the name of politics, it is a sign that a society is veering off the rails." In 1930s Germany the elected government and local police stood by while businesses and targeted groups were terrorized an demonized. People were looking for someone to blame, so then it was "rich Jews." Now it's "white privilege." Goons just the same; mobs who have no idea what they are protesting. And now you don't even need a charismatic leader--you've got the internet to hype the lies. (HT Harry Lewis.)

Dr. Ben Carson on victimhood

Who are the racists?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBAEJlR4pk#t=13

Those who believe blacks are capable, or those who believe they need special help, different standards? Those who believe blacks can obtain an ID needed for almost all transactions in modern society, or those who think they are incapable of getting one? Those who send their own children to private schools but want to close charters, or those who think blacks will do better outside the public system, just like the liberals kids?

Feinstein apologizes for CIA during Bush years with report prepared only by Democrats

Republicans didn't participate in the so-called "Senate" torture report. Will this be another case that the narrative matters more than the truth? The Intelligence committee's Democratic staff who are researchers but not experience in what happened after 9/11 prepared the $40 million classified 6,300-page report and its 600-page, declassified executive summary. What could possibly go wrong with only one party in charge? Like with the ACA? All the major players signed off on this.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2014/dec/09/cia-torture-report-released-senate

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-09/cia-misled-congress-about-terror-interrogations-report-finds

http://sistertoldjah.com/archives/2007/12/09/democrats-on-waterboarding-then-versus-now/

And it just had to come out the day of Jonathan Gruber’s testimony on how he helped confuse Democrats (called them “stupid”) with his expert advice (received about $6 million through 3 administrations), which the mainstream probably would have ignored anyway.

Democrats who were told exactly what was going on are running for cover, lying as they go.  Better to use drones, as Obama does, and don’t take any prisoners who could provide information. Just wipe out residential neighborhoods where they might be hiding.

Reducing violent crime—how it was done, 1992-2012

“In the last 50 years, the United States experienced an extraordinary increase, followed by an equally extraordinary decrease, in the number of Americans victimized by violent crime. Between 1960 and the early 1990s, violent crime in the United States increased dramatically. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reports, the number of violent crimes in the United States rose from 288,460 in 1960 to 1,932,274 in 1992. The number of murders rose from 9,110 in 1960 to 23,760 in 1992. The number of rapes rose from 17,190 in 1960 to 109,062 in 1992; robberies from 107,840 in 1960 to 672,478 in 1992; and aggravated assaults from 154,320 in 1960 to 1,126,974 in 1992.

According to the Bureau of Justice  Statistics' National Victimization Survey, 10,015,769 Americans were victims of violent crime in 1992, up from 7,827,356 in 1973 (the first year of the survey). The causes underlying these increases have been debated for decades in universities, in legislatures, and around kitchen tables. But one fact is beyond debate: the country reacted to this extraordinary increase in violent crime with extraordinary policy changes and public safety investments at all levels of government.”

“. . . Between 1992 and 2010, the number of violent crimes in the United States dropped remarkably. The number of murders in 2010 was down to 14,748 from 23,760 in 1992. The number of rapes was down to 84,767 from 109,062 in 1992. The number of robberies was down to 367,832 from 672,478 in 1992, and the number of aggravated assaults was down to 778,901 in 2010 from 1,126,974 in 1992.10 According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey, about 3,817,380 Americans were victims of violent crime in 2010, down from 10,015,769 in 1991. And these accomplishments were achieved at the same time the enforcement community made a new commitment to prevent and detect terrorist activity at home and abroad.”  Letter from Assistant Attorney General, Dec. 23, 2012

Reasons for the improved safety of Americans is debated, but they include (a huge budget increase, of course) the following:

• reforms to policing
• increases in the number of police on the streets
• reforms to criminal sentencing,
• increases in prison and detention populations
• a commitment to reducing illegal drug use and drunk driving,
• increases in treatment capacity
• recognition that almost all those who go to prison are someday released
• efforts to reduce reoffending
• promote effective prisoner reentry
• drug courts
• "hot spot" policing
• CompStat,
• AMBER Alert system,
• new commitment to victims of crime and their right to be treated with dignity and respect.

Report to the Sentencing Commission as required by law, December 23, 2012, Assistant Attorney General of the United States.

Violent crime in the United States, 2013

Jonathan Gruber’s excuse

“I’m not a politician, and I was using inexcusable language to make myself sound smarter than I really am.”  He said it over and over to Trey Gowdy, House Oversight Committee,  and said he was not a politician.  But he sure did sound like one. He’s received over $6 million from the federal government. “Glib, thoughtless and inexcusable language” he said over and over.

http://legalinsurrection.com/2014/12/gruber-gets-gowdy-ed/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1PCuTLrfcE

Thomas Sowell on Ferguson’s victims

"The first victims of the mob rampages in Ferguson have been people who had nothing to do with Michael Brown or the police. These include people — many of them black or members of other minorities — who have seen the businesses they worked to build destroyed, perhaps never to be revived.

But these are only the first victims. If the history of other communities ravaged by riots in years past is any indication, there are blacks yet unborn who will be paying the price of these riots for years to come.

Sometimes it is a particular neighborhood that never recovers, and sometimes it is a whole city. Detroit is a classic example. It had the worst riot of the 1960s, with 43 deaths — 33 of them black people. Businesses left Detroit, taking with them jobs and taxes that were very much needed to keep the city viable. Middle class people — both black and white — also fled." Thomas Sowell

Eric Holder denies reports of his own department

Eric Holder says no more profiling--race, gender, ethnic group, age--but he'd have to ignore his own DOJ reports. "Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008 Annual Rates for 2009 and 2010."

Blacks were disproportionately represented as both homicide victims and offenders.

*The victimization rate for blacks (27.8 per 100,000) was 6 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000). The offending rate for blacks (34.4 per 100,000) was almost 8 times higher than the rate for whites (4.5 per 100,000) (table 1).

* Males represented 77% of homicide victims and nearly 90% of offenders. The victimization rate for males (11.6 per 100,000) was 3 times higher than the rate for females (3.4 per 100,000).

*The offending rate for males (15.1 per 100,000) was almost 9 times higher than the rate for females (1.7 per 100,000).

*Approximately a third (34%) of murder victims and almost half (49%) of the offenders were under age 25. For both victims and off enders, the rate per 100,000 peaked in the 18 to 24 year-old age group at 17.1 victims per 100,000 and 29.3 offenders per 100,000.

Most homicides are with in the same group—93% of blacks are killed by blacks, 84% of whites are killed by whites, but when it is an interracial crime it is most likely a stranger, and black on white crime is much higher percentage than white on black.

See also: Easy access to the FBI’s supplementary homicide statistics reports

Unbroken the movie

Millions of people loved and read the book "Unbroken," and will wonder why his faith in Jesus Christ has been left out of Angelina Jolie's film. Stop wondering--I think we know why. But it does change his story. You can catch his real story of liberation on video. http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelist-greg-laurie-disappointed-director-angelina-jolie-chose-to-leave-out-world-war-ii-heros-christian-faith-in-unbroken-movie-125839/

"But his life was changed, and he was, as he told me personally, 'instantly healed of PTSD' as well as his dependence on alcohol. When I interviewed Louis in front of over 45,000 people at Dodger Stadium, he was far more interested in talking about his conversion at the Billy Graham Crusade than his other amazing exploits. Louis Zamperini used his story as a bridge to tell the 'greatest story ever told,' the story of Jesus Christ."

Jonathan Gruber on abortion as a poverty tool

http://www.nber.org/papers/w6034.pdf

The 1996 welfare reform, signed by Clinton, pushed by Republicans, and decried by the liberal media, sort of coincides with falling abortion rates.  Gruber speculated in 1997 that an aborted child was better off than a child living in poverty—at least for the taxpayer.  I think improving the lives of single moms is a better plan.

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41917.pdf  This report is a good summary of pre- and post-welfare reform programs.

A dramatic transformation in single mothers’ welfare, work, and poverty status has occurred over
the 27-year period examined in this report. The period has seen a marked structural change in the
provision of benefits under a number of programs that contribute to the fabric of the nation’s
“income safety net.” In turn, single mothers’ behavior has changed markedly over the period, in
part a response to structural changes to income “safety net” programs, with more mothers
working and fewer relying on cash welfare to support themselves and their children in the postwelfare
reform era.

Blacks and police—the myths, memes, and mistakes

Police community relations? Black victims are more likely than white to report crime, and 91% report the police came within an hour. Such careful attention to the needs of the black community since the outcries of the 1980s has resulted in saving many lives--mostly young black men. It also resulted in many bad guys being taken off the street--which makes Eric Holder angry.

The group most likely to be victimized by crime are not blacks (32.9 per 1,000), but American Indians (56.8 per 1,000) who have cradle to grave government supervision, health care, social workers, special police, many transfer programs, and reparations who mainly reside on land away from other groups. Victims of crime, regardless of race, are usually poor and urban. The myths and memes spreading with the riots encouraged by the administration will only hurt the very people Democrats claim to care about most.

 http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/bvvc.pdf

Landrieu—end of the Democrats in the South?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/12/07/mary-landrieus-seat-will-be-held-by-a-republican-for-the-first-time-in-132-years/

“The last time the Senate seat currently and temporarily held by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who lost in a runoff race Saturday night, was held by a Republican was in 1883. When Rep. Bill Cassidy (R) takes over the seat in January, he'll not only complete the Republican sweep of Louisiana's state house and Senate seats, he'll move the Deep South one step closer to being completely red.”

Do you have a college age son?

Mayor deBlasio says he has warned his bi-racial son about the police (who protect the family, btw). He's married to a black, former lesbian. But I digress. If I had a college age son I'd warn him about the campus rape-hysteria. The UVA isn't the first and won't be the last. I'd suggest not going to bars because if he takes a girl home she'll accuse him of putting a rape drug in her drink. I'd suggest he not live in a co-ed dorm that the universities encourage and sanction. Even after a relationship of 3 months and her climbing into his bed, he can be accused of rape (I think this was in a Philadelphia paper). Even if she signs a paper saying the sex was mutually agreeable, she can claim coercion. I'd suggest never being outside his apartment or dorm after 10 p.m. because all the notices I get from OSU seem to be about 2 a.m. crimes. I'd tell him that the presumption of innocence does not apply when the accusation is rape, and the case will be handled by the campus police and a kangaroo court, not experienced officers or our judicial system. Not that he would listen to me. . . but I'd nag anyway.

Can HIV drugs help people with MS?

I’ve known a few people who had HIV/AIDS, but I know many more who have MS.  “HIV and lower risk of multiple sclerosis: beginning to unravel a mystery using a record-linked database study,” Mia L van der Kop, J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry jnnp-2014-308297 Published Online First: 4 August 2014 doi:10.1136/jnnp-2014-308297

http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2014/07/16/jnnp-2014-307932

“Even though multiple sclerosis (MS) and HIV infection are well-documented conditions in clinical medicine, there is only a single case report of a patient with MS and HIV treated with HIV antiretroviral therapies. In this report, the patient's MS symptoms resolved completely after starting combination antiretroviral therapy and remain subsided for more than 12 years. Authors hypothesised that because the pathogenesis of MS has been linked to human endogenous retroviruses, antiretroviral therapy for HIV may be coincidentally treating or preventing progression of MS. This led researchers from Denmark to conduct an epidemiological study on the incidence of MS in a newly diagnosed HIV population (5018 HIV cases compared with 50 149 controls followed for 31 875 and 393 871 person-years, respectively). The incidence rate ratio for an HIV patient acquiring MS was low at 0.3 (95% CI 0.04 to 2.20) but did not reach statistical significance possibly due to the relatively small numbers in both groups. Our study was designed to further investigate the possible association between HIV and MS.”

Wouldn’t this be wonderful news?

Bill Cosby, UVA, and Eric Garner

I have no idea if Bill Cosby is guilty of the charges made against him by women, much like the "Jackie" in the Rolling Stone article who accused an entire fraternity at UVA, a story that was later completely debunked. But if he is guilty, he must have hundreds of accomplices over 60 years in the media, talent booking agencies, entertainment industry, and the women themselves who seemed to come back for more. But it's really strange that in 2014 a man who did more for the black family than all Obama's team is now vilified, and another man, 43 years old, with a 30 year history of criminal activity who resisted arrest and died, is being mourned like a saint. If you tried to write this as fiction, who would believe you?

The University of Virginia phony rape scandal and the real scandal of the media and the administration

Buck Sexton writes: “The Left has gone mad over the Rolling Stone retraction.

I don't mean it's angry and self-righteous- that's always the case. I don't mean its arguments are weak, self-contradictory, unprincipled- I expect that too. This is different.

Many progressives have absolutely lost all touch with reality over the rapidly collapsing tale of the most vicious, sadistic campus rape imaginable.

They aren't reevaluating based on the facts, they are doubling down, and saying things so stupid, and so immoral, it is hard to believe they are serious.

Here we have a prime example:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…/no-matter-what-jackie-said…/

A leftist commentator, in a major newspaper, writing flat out- the truth of the Rolling Stone story of a hideous gang rape at UVA doesn't matter.The individuals falsely accused don't matter. The University and administrators defamed in the piece don't matter.

It's the cause that matters. Only the cause. Always the cause.

This thinking dictates we must believe every and all accusations of rape, right away, without questioning or investigating. That's not an overstatement, read the piece and you will see an incoherent but fervent attack on the presumption of innocence as a principle. And written by a lawyer no less!

She is not alone, by the way. Other commentators have somehow perversely turned this into a case of "rape denialism." First off, I'm not sure that's even a thing, because rape is a serious criminal violation in every state and nobody anywhere in this country denies that it exists, and it happens far too often. One rape is too many.

But denialism? If something is said to be true, and it isnt, are we to say its true anyway, lest we be denialers? This is absurd.

Are there "murder denialists?" If someone wrote a story about how a fraternity was engaging in ritualized human sacrifice and stacking dead bodies in its basement, without anyone who noticed caring enough to call the cops- I think it would raise some eyebrows and strain believability. At a minimum, it would require investigation.

This isn't "denialism," it's rationality.

Which brings us to the next point of the bitter enders on the Left here- that the entire onus of everything wrong in this whole situation is on Rolling Stone. That's just simply not true.

Did a Rolling Stone reporter find a far too convenient, one-in-a-million story with the sort of sensational implications that would get national attention? Yup. Did that reporter then fail to uphold even the most rudimentary standards of journalism in a rush to publish something that should have required additional levels of fact-checking and even more vigilant journalistic ethics?Indeed.

But Rolling Stone isn't the only party at fault here. Despite the shrill (and in the case of MSNBC's Chris Hayes twitter tirade- childishly profane) effort to place this all on a magazine that would have ceased to exist in a rational world many years ago, there is the very real possibility that the subject of the story-- "Jackie"- lied.

That doesn't mean she fabricated the whole thing, although that is entirely possible, but she did apparently get facts wrong. Not jumbled, not vague- wrong. And that's apart from the basic credulity issues surrounding all this.

Nobody downstairs at the fraternity house was unnerved enough by the site of a woman covered in blood, bruises, and broken glass to do anything? None of her friends cared? No administrator called the police? Didn't tell her parents? Not a single, honorable person is to be found anywhere at UVA or anywhere in this story?

Of course, this is what got the story so much attention. In a country where the sexual assault scourge on campus is well-established and now even has the White House involved, this story was an outlier. Nobody had ever heard of an attack like this at a major university with such callous responses from so many.

And now those in the media who were willing to use the most baseless slurs- "rape apologists"- against anyone who questioned this outlandish narrative want to tell us all that something still happened to Jackie. It's not her fault. Maybe she got foggy, or maybe she exaggerated a little because of the trauma.

(How do they know this, by the way? Any of it? Aren't they relying on a retracted magazine piece for all of their facts too?)

But even a material exaggeration of facts in a sexual assault is problematic (and under oath, would be perjury). If someone punches me in the face at a bar, that's assault. I can't just decide to add that brass knuckles were used, and I was also robbed, in order to make the assailant seem worse and get more time. In a criminal court, the details of the crime have very real implications for the charges brought, and the length of sentence. It's not ok to intentionally get creative or exaggerate a crime, no matter how much catharsis it may give a victim.

This is all starting to feel very much like the Duke Lacrosse case of 2006- another story that to an honest reader from the beginning seemed very, very improbable, but it turned into a national media sensation anyway. "Race, class, sex, and privilege"- that was the story. And it was all a big, fat, grotesque lie.

And if you recall, the disgraced, almost comically evil prosecutor in that case- Mike Nifong- still would claim that "something happened that" after the accused lacrosse players were said by the state of North Carolina to be completely innocent! Not "not guilty," but "innocent!"

It seems the Nifong effect is on display now. Rolling Stone is disgraced, the entire rape story may have been a fabrication, and there are Leftists who think that those who questioned the initial story- even though they were right to do so- are somehow the real problem.

The truth always matters. There is no cause that can make the truth irrelevant. The Left is dead wrong on all this, but don't expect them to admit it anytime soon.

Why the left needs racism

Racism, in my opinion, was dying out before 2009--panicked Democrats then had to ratchet it up because without victims, who would vote for their progressive policies which demand more government? Obama took his amazing win and frittered it away on insurance reform that about 10% of the population needed, added mandates no one wanted, and ignored the financial plight of many blacks and a deteriorating middle eastern problem. So who gets blamed? Everyone who wasn't black. Crime rates have been dropping for 2 decades, and that was upsetting for Democrats too--that party must have victims for the nanny state.  These links are to articles are the observations of James Taranto, writer for Wall Street Journal.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324591204579038930800899184 Third part

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703922804576301162877959524 Second part

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704671904575193921155425154  First part

If Saul Alinsky had a son

If the late Saul Alinsky had fathered a black son, he’d look like Barack Obama. … Alinsky emphasized that the overarching objective of any crusade is NEVER to promote peace or reconciliation, but rather to be unwaveringly ‘dedicated to an eternal war’ in which ‘there are no rules of fair play’ and ‘no compromise’ whatsoever; to mercilessly ‘pulverize’ people with ‘fear’; and ultimately to ‘force their capitulation.’”—John Perazzo, Front Page, Dec. 5, 2014

Hillary Clinton is also a big fan of Alinsky.

Are we being lied to about race and income by the media and politicians?

Today I was looking at the U.S. Census.  Now, to answer a question, you can’t always get a table of Honey Crisp apples.  Sometimes it’s apples and oranges in a box.    For instance, I looked at the Family Income by race—but the table didn’t define “family.” That’s not necessarily mom, dad and kids.  I suppose for census purposes it’s any group of related people living in a household, but I don’t actually know.  Anyway, it’s Table 695. Money Income of Families—Number and Distribution by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2009. U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2012   Based on that table, the percent of white families earning over $100,000 is 27%; the percent of black families earning over $100,000 is 12.1%; the percent of Hispanic families earning over $100,000 is 12.4% and the percent of Asian families earning over $100,000 is 37.7%.  So if whites are 77.7% of the population and blacks are 13.2%,  and Asians are 5.3%, if something needs to be investigated, if something isn’t “fair,” if the president wants to address a wealth gap, wouldn’t it be the fault of the Asian families?  What are they doing to “deserve” such a big slice of the pie?  Marriage?  Education?  Values? Entrepreneurship? Have you ever heard the president chastise Asians for their education, intelligence, hard work?  Their median family income is $75,027, black family income is $38,409.

Thankful for what

It’s a little beyond Thanksgiving, the holiday, but I watched Dr. Jeremiah on a Christian TV channel and liked the subject—thankfulness.  Thought it would be good to have it on file. http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/turning-point/video-player/thankful-for-what-435307.html   The sermon begins at about 19:50—or you can watch and listen to the music (contemporary) and then sermon.  Take away.  Thankfulness is not a feeling, it’s an action.  The feeling will come after the action.

Paul is the “thankfulness” writer of the Bible, and most of those letters were written from prison.

Warnings of peak oil are nearly as old as the oil industry

“. . . the International Energy Agency forecasts that U.S. production will still surpass Saudi Arabia’s output of 9.7 million barrels a day, and overtake Russia’s 10.3 million, perhaps sometime next year. This would make America the world’s largest oil producer, which it was from the dawn of the oil age through 1974. Thanks to the fracking boom, the U.S. surpassed Russia as the world’s largest natural-gas producer in 2013. “  Peak Oil Debunked Again.

White privilege?

I like to shop at Volunteers of America.  Today I got a "Baby Boom Box" radio (about 7") for 90 cents, a Charles Dickens novel on cd for 90 cents plus a 10th ed Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary for $2.93.  Checking out I heard the door alarm go off and a customer came back--there were multiple apologies between clerk and customer as her bag was checked.  The customer, a white 30-ish woman, then announced that now she realized how poor and minorities feel who are subjected to this suspicion "all the time." She was giving a "white privilege" mea culpa rant right there where you can buy a coat for $2.00.  The Asian clerk who had limited English looked a little puzzled. The woman next to me who was buying a nice cookbook for $1 just rolled her eyes.

Use of force by police

Better policing has improved life for minorities and saved many lives. But that information, even though it's from government sources, doesn't buy votes. "Two decades of data on police interactions with the public don’t support the idea that something extraordinary is afoot, that the police are becoming “militarized” as President Obama has suggested, or that distrust between police and local communities has produced an enormous spike in conflicts. By contrast, the data show that significant crime declines have been accompanied by a leveling off and then a reduction in confrontations with the police, as reported by Americans of all races."

 http://www.city-journal.org/2014/eon1204sm.html

From the archives of Obama opening his reign by soothing race problems, blaming the police of Cambridge for doing their job--the Louis Gates incident in 2009:

"The actions of the Cambridge Police Department, and in particular, Sgt. Joseph Crowley, were 100 percent correct,'' said Hugh Cameron, president of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police. "He was responding to a report of two men breaking into a home. The police cannot just drive by the house and say, 'Looks like everything is OK.'

"Sgt. Crowley was carrying out his duty as a law enforcement officer protecting the property of Professor Gates, and he was accused of being a racist," Cameron added. "The situation would have been over in five minutes if Professor Gates cooperated with the officer. Unfortunately, the situation we are in now is the environment police work in now." From ABC news which also noted that the residence in question belonged to Harvard, not Gates (I did not fact check ABC).

This is why Eric Garner died. He was selling loose cigarettes in a state where cigs are $12.50+ a pack--Obama added $1 in 2009 and Bloomberg added $1.65.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/nyregion/05loosie.html?

French toast sticks

I made a breakfast casserole (eggs, bread cubes, ham, Half n Half) and had a lot of crusts left over, so I googled the dilemma, “what to do with bread crusts” and found this.  I had some cinnamon/sugar mix left from making snickerdoodles the other day, so it solved 2 problems.

Baby Boom Box

Today I bought a Baby Boom Box (AM and FM radio) at Volunteers of America for 90 cents.  It’s really cute. It was missing the clip that covers the 4 AA batteries, but I figured that wouldn’t be a problem if it worked.  It works fine, has good quality sound, BUT there isn’t an off on switch, so it looks like I’ll need to remove at least one battery to turn it off.

Friday Family Photo—napping with Abby

All I need to know about life I learned from a snowman

It’s okay if you’re a little bottom heavy.

Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.

Wearing white is always appropriate.

Winter is the best of the four seasons.

It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.

There’s nothing better than a foul weather friend.

The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.

It’s not the size of the carrot, but the placement that counts.

We’re all made up of mostly water.

You know you’ve made it when they write a song about you.

Accessorize! Accessorize! Accessorize!

Avoid yellow snow.

Don’t get too much sun.

It’s embarrassing when you can’t look down and see your feet.

It’s fun to hang out in your front yard.

Always put your best foot forward.

There’s no stopping you once you’re on a roll.

 http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/1552/all-i-need-to-know-about-life-i-learned-from-a-snowman/#ixzz3L1ietOoF

Why wasn’t this a hate crime?

Not once was this gang rape and beating of a girl at a school dance with many students watching called a "hate crime."  I blogged about it in 2009, and see some of the "men" and boys were convicted in 2013.  No riots about race, either--couldn't see her face in the court drawings, but she appeared to be white, the assailants black and Hispanic.

 http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/07/16/juries-deliberating-in-2009-richmond-high-school-gang-rape-case/

The war on women doesn’t include rape and cross-racial crime.  Too touchy. Al Sharpton didn’t show up.  The president didn’t say she could have been his daughter. And why 4 years to get a conviction?

The lies about Ferguson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2PYJPPFx9Q#t=301

Conspiring to put an innocent man in jail—truth is a casualty.

Benjamin Aaron Shapiro, known as Ben Shapiro (born January 15, 1984 is an American conservative political commentator, best selling author, radio talk show host, attorney, and media consultant.

A native of Los Angeles, Shapiro graduated from UCLA and Harvard Law School. He has written five books, starting with Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America's Youth in 2004, writes a column for Creators Syndicate, is editor-at-large of Breitbart News, and founder/editor-in-chief for the media watchdog group TruthRevolt. Wikipedia

The Christmas catalogs keep coming

I mentioned the huge number of catalogs we've been getting. Yesterday we got "Wireless," which sells just about anything, especially t-shirts.  If you've got a train buff on your list look at VQ7722, $34.95.  Supposedly, each engine and caboose is so detailed you can identify it. Then there is "Easily manipulated by grandkids," that would work for some I know. "Prayer the world's greatest wireless connection." Some really nice long sleeve black T's with musical instruments. "World cat herding champion." "With age comes oldness." "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel." "Back in my day we had 9 planets." http://www.thewirelesscatalog.com/wireless/T-Shirts_3RA.html

 

 

How to use a crisis

Something's a little fishy. Obama loads up our local police with all that left over war stuff--even Ohio State got some and lumbering multi-wheeled armored trucks suitable for sand dunes look a little silly on campus.  Then he decides local control of the police isn't good enough to protect blacks, and the police really need more federal control. http://wdtn.com/2014/09/09/ohio-and-military-equipment/ Then he has tax dodger Al Sharpton at his beer summit as though he speaks for law abiding African Americans. 

And how about that lefty media getting vapors about what one GOP woman said on Twitter?  Ayesha Kreutz, a black woman FB friend, comments:

“So, I read a headline ONLY that some GOP woman has resigned? What? She resigned over making a comment about the Obama girls looking bored and their clothing apparently. What in the world is happening people? Now, don't get it twisted, sure it is kind of mean spirited IMHO to pick on kiddos especially those of high profile people, but hey, it is part of the job I suppose, it happens. But how in the world is this lady resigning and not Barack Obama?

• He can launder money (Solyndra) and not have to resign?
• He can get an United States ambassador killed ( Benghazi) and not have to resign?
• Obama and his administration did more than Nixon ever thought of doing, he has an enemies list and targeted citizens with the IRS, and no resigning for him?
• He can lie repeatedly to the American people as a matter of fact he is a prolific liar I would list the list but they are endless, yet no resignation?

This is just the mega short list of why he should resign, though impeachment is much better. Democrats should be ashamed to let this guy represent them, If he was a Republican president he would have been impeached already and we would have brought up the charges ourselves. The GOP has its head somewhere bad or else the White House has so many secrets/scandals on these folks and are threatening to use them. If that is the case for the good of the country you all need to step down; other wise grow a pair.”

Then an NFL player posted a photo of the rear end of Malia, and nary an outcry for sexualizing the first daughter.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/2/ferguson-police-werent-invited-white-house-meeting/

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/dec/01/obama-white-house-summit-ferguson

“Protesters in Ferguson were confronted by police driving armoured personnel carriers and carrying assault weapons, who repeatedly used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators. Last week, teams of officers armed with military-grade weaponry and army-style fatigues were once again seen driving around Ferguson, although the overall response by law enforcement was more calibrated.”