Archive for August, 2009

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Score one for the good guys

August 8, 2009

Wimps of various stripes will not like the story that follows. Then again, they don’t give a hoot about the rude men that protect their right to be wimps…

Pakistani Taliban head’s death a blow to militants

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s Taliban chief was killed by a CIA missile strike, a militant commander confirmed Friday—a severe blow to extremists threatening the stability of this nuclear-armed nation and a possible boost to U.S.-Pakistani cooperation in fighting insurgents who wreak havoc along the Afghan border.Pakistani officials vowed to dismantle the rest of the network run by Baitullah Mehsud regardless of who takes over, a move seen as essential to crippling the violent Islamists behind dozens of suicide attacks and beheadings in the country.

Already, the Taliban were holding a “shura” council in the lawless, rugged South Waziristan tribal region to choose Mehsud’s successor, intelligence officials and militants told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information. It was unclear when they might reach a decision.

Full Story

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, News, Politics, War, Warfare, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

WATERFOWL REGULATIONS FOR 2009

August 8, 2009

COMMISSION TO FINALIZE WATERFOWL REGULATIONS FOR 2009 SEASON AT AUGUST WORKSHOP IN FRISCO

FRISCO, Colo. – The Commission will finalize 2009 waterfowl season dates and bag limits and will hear public comment on the five-Year Review of the Big Game Season Structure at its August 10th workshop in Frisco.

The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. at the Holiday Inn – Summit County, 1129 North Summit Boulevard.

The Commission will consider amending 2009 waterfowl and migratory bird hunting seasons for the Pacific and Central Flyway portions of Colorado including season dates and bag and possession limits. Federal regulations have set more liberal parameters for the Commission to consider. Possible Central Flyway changes include: Allowing for pintails and canvasbacks to be taken during the entire season instead of just the first 39 days with a daily bag limit of one bird per species and also allowing for a daily bag limit of three wood ducks instead of two.

In the Pacific Flyway, the Commission will have the option to allow for a daily bag limit of one canvasback, two pintails instead of one and allowing for a daily bag limit of three scaup instead of two, during the first 86 days of the season.

The Commission maintains the ability to keep regulations more restrictive than federal regulations, and is therefore not required to make these changes.

Division of Wildlife staff will also present the Commission with draft guidelines and alternatives for the 2010-2014 big game Season Structure. Limited Elk Game Management Unit nominations will be included in this presentation.

The Commission will hear public comment on the Five-Year Review of Big Game Season Structure agenda item at all meetings and workshops during the process. Anyone who would like to comment is asked to fill out a “blue sheet” –Request to Speak Before the Wildlife Commission – and give it to any Division of Wildlife staff. Comment may be given on any aspect, but will be most effective if directed at the portion of the Big Game Season Structure topic being discussed at that meeting. The time of testimony may be limited by the Commission chair. The usual time limit is three minutes. The Commission is scheduled to finalize the 2010-2014 Big Game Season Structure at its September 2009 meeting.

Drafts of the Middle Park Deer Management Plan (D-9, GMU’s 18, 27, 28, 37, 181 and 371) and the State Bridge Deer Management Plan (D-8, GMU’s 15, 35, 36 and 45) will be presented to the Commission by Division staff.

Constituents can listen to Commission meetings and workshops through the Division’s Web site. This opportunity is provided to keep constituents better informed about the development of regulations by the Commission and how they and Division staff are resolving issues facing Colorado’s wildlife.

People can listen to the live audio feeds of the meeting by clicking on the “listen to audio” link on the “Wildlife Commission” Web page during the meeting. Broadcasts are only available during the meeting.

To view the entire agenda for the August Commission Workshop, please visit: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Wildlife Commission/.

The Colorado Wildlife Commission is an 11-member board appointed by the governor. The Commission sets Division of Wildlife regulations and policies for hunting, fishing, watchable wildlife, land purchases and property regulations.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

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Posted in Education, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Law, Local Politics Colorado, News | Comments Off on WATERFOWL REGULATIONS FOR 2009

BLUE MESA FISHERY MANAGEMENT ISSUES

August 8, 2009

NEW DOW WEB PAGE EXPLAINS BLUE MESA FISHERY MANAGEMENT ISSUES

GUNNISON, Colo. — Starting in late October, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is planning to remove some lake trout from Blue Mesa Reservoir to help restore balance to the fishery. To respond to anglers’ questions about fishery management regarding kokanee salmon and trout at the reservoir, a new information page is available in the fishing section at the DOW web site, http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing.

“There is a lot of interest in this issue and we want to make sure people understand our management plans,” said John Alves, senior aquatic biologist for the DOW’s southwest region. “Anglers can submit questions through the Q and A section of the web page and we’ll provide answers that will be posted. Rather than responding to every question the DOW is receiving individually, the web site will allow more immediate feedback for our constituents and will let everyone see the answers.”

The DOW is planning to remove some lake trout that are 30 inches and smaller in size. Larger fish will be released.

DOW officials stated previously that 5,000 lake trout might be removed. However, because the DOW has never removed fish from the reservoir, no target number will be used this year. Biologists will be working to locate fish and test removal techniques during the first year. Population monitoring work for the salmon and trout, as always, will be conducted during the spring and summer.

“We have a lot to learn and we’ll be going slowly this fall,” Alves said. “We’ll know a lot more next summer after we evaluate the removal operation and the spring population monitoring work.”

Blue Mesa Reservoir, located west of Gunnison, is a very productive fishery and the primary water for kokanee salmon production in the state. Production of kokanee salmon has always been the No. 1 priority for the fishery and will continue to be. The reservoir, however, is home to a growing population of lake trout — predator fish that are contributing to the decline in the kokanee population. Rainbow trout survival is also falling due to lake trout predation. At the same time, based on findings from annual netting surveys, the overall body condition of lake trout is declining because competition for food among the fish is increasing.

“We’re losing kokanee and we’re losing the potential for long-term production of trophy-sized lake trout,” Alves said. “The DOW’s strategy is aimed at maintaining a highly productive kokanee fishery, a good rainbow trout fishery and a viable trophy lake trout fishery. Without a strong population of kokanee salmon there is no possibility of growing lake trout to trophy size. There is room for all the species in the lake, but careful management is necessary.”

The situation at Blue Mesa is also a problem for 26 other lakes and reservoirs in Colorado that depend on stocked kokanee salmon raised from eggs produced at the reservoir. Blue Mesa provides about 60 percent of the eggs needed to stock 10 million kokanee fingerlings in the Colorado waters each year. Stocking of kokanee statewide will likely be reduced if the annual spawn take at Blue Mesa continues to decline. The value of kokanee fishing in Colorado is valued at $29 million annually.

Balancing the fishery at Blue Mesa Reservoir for the benefit of resident and non-resident anglers is the goal of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. To learn more about managing the fishery at this important Colorado fishing destination, go to the web page at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing.

For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.

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Posted in Education, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Local Politics Colorado, News | Comments Off on BLUE MESA FISHERY MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Ninth Circuit to Hear Gun Case

August 8, 2009

Second Amendment: Ninth Circuit to Hear Gun Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed this week to review en banc (by the full court) a panel ruling from earlier this year which held that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments through the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment. The idea of such incorporation has long been a question regarding the Second Amendment, though no one would seriously question that the First Amendment, for example, applies to state and local governments. And the First Amendment contains the far more specific provision of “Congress shall make no law…” (emphasis added). The Second is far broader: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Still, we were rather surprised to see even a panel of the Ninth Circuit find that the Second Amendment means what it says.

Furthermore, Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain’s ruling in favor of gun rights is at odds with rulings by other Courts of Appeal — including a ruling penned by Sonia Sotomayor on the Second Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court deliberately left the issue for another day in its Heller ruling last year, because the District of Columbia is not a state. Expect that silence to be broken in the not-too-distant future.

SOURCE

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Law, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | Comments Off on Ninth Circuit to Hear Gun Case

Climate Change This Week: NYT Hypocrisy

August 8, 2009

The Gray Lady continues her downward death spiral:

It must be great fun to be part of the mainstream media these days: Make up stories, unencumbered by fact, and when contradictory facts do get in the way, just spin it a little more. A prime example is The New York Times’ treatment of global warming. In a recent article, the Times named this summer the coolest in the Big Apple in over a century, citing a “persistent jet stream” (a.k.a. Mother Nature). Yet the Times was also careful to remind us that 2009’s cool summer and extremely cold winter do not disprove the theory of man-made climate change.

Granted, there is a difference between the weather and the climate, but when asked to explain its 2000 article stating that the warmer-than-usual winter of that year was man-made, the Times responded simply that those temperatures had been on point with scientific predictions — made by scientists purporting that humans are causing global warming. And around and around.

But the media are not alone in pumping out bogus stories of anthropogenic global warming. Many scientists are bent on suppressing any opinions (along with the very real scientific findings supporting those opinions) that run contrary to their own. But a revolt has started among the “deniers” (as those who do not believe in man-made climate change have been dubbed). Recently, several members of the American Chemical Society wrote scathing letters to its global warmist editor in chief, Rudy Baum, exposing his shoddy treatment of them and their work. “Your editorial was a disgrace,” wrote ACS scientist Dennis Malpass. “It was filled with misinformation, half-truths, and ad hominem attacks on those who dare disagree with you. Shameful!” One can only imagine the similar disgust journalists with integrity must feel toward those in their profession.

SOURCE

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Broken Window Economics: Redux

August 8, 2009

The Truth About Cash-for-Clunkers

The Obama administration has been raving about the success of “Cash for Clunkers” (officially named the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS), and this week Congress dutifully approved $2 billion more for the program. Why the popping of champagne corks? First, the demand for the program was so great that consumers burned through the $1 billion allotted for the rebates in a matter of days. Second, with the amount of flak the administration has taken for its mismanagement of the economy and the health care debate, any perceived victory is welcome. But this is simply not the victory that Obama wants us to believe it is.

Even in the handful of days that the program was active, CARS was plagued by administrative problems — just like any other government program. The government Web site that dealers were told to use to submit buyers’ rebate applications crashed repeatedly due to the high volume of requests. Dealers also had a difficult time registering for the program. Fine-print stipulations about the types of cars and light trucks that could be turned in and which ones could be bought led to customer confusion. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) said, “If this is how the government is going to handle billion-dollar programs affecting all Americans, I ask, whatever will we do if this administration takes control of our health care?”

Meanwhile, the positive impact on the automotive industry and the economy, and indirectly on energy consumption and the environment, is grossly overstated. The upsurge in new vehicle sales that CARS is expected to bring will likely to be short lived — all it did was condense several months of expected new vehicle sales and old vehicle trade-ins into a shorter period of time. No new wealth is being created; it’s just moving from one pocket to another. And destroying thousands of older, cheaper automobiles negatively affects the economy. Having trouble finding an inexpensive used vehicle for your newly driving son or daughter? Thank the CARS program.

Beyond all these issues, Fox News’ Glenn Beck reported that the federal government posted an ominous message at the Clunkers Web site stating that while logged into the Department of Transportation CARS system, users’ computers would be considered property of the federal government and therefore all materials on the computers could be scanned, recorded, monitored, inspected and disclosed to any element of the government, including law enforcement. After Beck’s program aired, the government quickly “clarified” that users who logged into the site had no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy, which sounds essentially like what Beck reported, just in better legalese.

This should be considered an outrage of epic proportions, but the response from watchdog groups has been muted. The ACLU, which challenged every move the Bush administration made during his eight years in office, had this to say: “[I]t is hard to believe that [the Obama administration] would do something like this.” Unfortunately it’s not hard to believe that the ACLU’s selective view of civil liberties would cause them to be asleep at the switch while Socialists run the White House.

SOURCE

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Calling All Informants

August 8, 2009

More from the Patriot Post.

THE FOUNDATION

“In politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution.” –Alexander Hamilton

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

ObamaCare opponents beware

Calling All Informants

The White House this week took to quoting John Adams in an effort to “debunk” criticism of and opposition to ObamaCare. “Facts are stubborn things,” said the administration. After videos resurfaced of Barack Obama saying in 2003, “I happen to be a proponent of a single-payer universal health care program,” and in 2007, “I don’t think we’re going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There’s going to be potentially some transition process,” damage control became imperative.

Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White House’s Health Reform Office, came to the rescue with a video of her own, claiming that opponents were simply cherry-picking quotes to create a “very false impression.” The trouble is, simply repeating Obama’s claims about Americans keeping their insurance plans isn’t the same as disproving the critics. Facts are stubborn things, Linda.

Not only is this administration intellectually lazy, it is thuggish. “There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care,” says the aforementioned post. “These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.” Got that? Team Obama wants you to be a snitch; they want you to report even casual conversation with those who oppose ObamaCare directly to the White House itself.

Red State blogger Erick Erickson says that could be illegal. “According to 5 U.S.C. § 552a, United States agencies, including the Executive Office of the President, shall ‘maintain no record describing how any individual exercises rights guaranteed by the First Amendment unless expressly authorized by statute or by the individual about whom the record is maintained or unless pertinent to and within the scope of an authorized law enforcement activity.'”

Next, the erstwhile community organizer and his Chicago thugs attacked community organizers around the country for attending town hall meetings hosted by congressmen and expressing their disapproval of Washington’s takeover of health care. According to some Democrats, American citizens, when they actively protest the policies of the ruling party and the president, are a “mob” that is out to “hurt our president,” not Americans exercising their constitutional rights to free speech, free assembly and petition to the government. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) went so far as to claim that the protesters were “carrying swastikas and symbols like that.” Class act, that Speaker of the House.

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) strongly implied that ObamaCare opponents are all just pawns of the insurance companies: “I hope my colleagues won’t fall for a sucker punch like this. These health insurance companies and people like them are trying to load these town meetings for visual impact on television. They want to show thousands of people screaming ‘socialism’ and try to overcome the public sentiment, which now favors health care reform.” He added, “There are health insurance companies that are … very profitable and they don’t want to see this reform so they are helping to organize these rallies.”

To recap then, more than half the population is opposing massive, unconstitutional government intervention in health care only because profit-making health insurers told us to. And Obama supporters are supposed to rat out their friends and family for opposing this unprecedented Socialist power grab. Witness the Democrats’ version of America.

Quote of the Week

“‘Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.’ We have heard that many times. What is also the price of freedom is the toleration of imperfections. If everything that is wrong with the world becomes a reason to turn more power over to some political savior, then freedom is going to erode away…. Ultimately, our choice is to give up Utopian quests or give up our freedom. This has been recognized for centuries by some, but many others have not yet faced that reality, even today. If you think government should ‘do something’ about anything that ticks you off, or anything you want and don’t have, then you have made your choice between Utopia and freedom.” –economist Thomas Sowell

News From the Swamp: ObamaCare Costs More

The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 31-28 last Friday to approve health care legislation. The Senate Finance Committee is nearing a “compromise” bill, as well. The only real compromising going on, however, is that of the principles of so-called fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats. A public option insurance plan still dominates the House bill and the estimated cost is still about $1 trillion over 10 years, though we don’t believe that low-ball figure for a moment. As The Wall Street Journal notes, “The press corps has noticed the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that the House health bill increases the deficit by $239 billion over the next decade. But government-run health care won’t turn into a pumpkin after a decade. The underreported news is the new spending that will continue to increase well beyond the 10-year period that CBO examines, and that this blowout will overwhelm even the House Democrats’ huge tax increases, Medicare spending cuts and other ‘pay fors.'”

According to CBO director Douglas Elmendorf, new revenue to pay for health care would grow at 5 percent per year for the decade following 2019, while spending will increase at more than 8 percent per year. Worse, the Journal adds, “[T]he CBO score almost surely understates this deficit chasm because CBO uses static revenue analysis — assuming that higher taxes won’t change behavior. But long experience shows that higher rates rarely yield the revenues that they project. As for the spending, when has a new entitlement ever come in under budget?” Democrats may indeed win approval for their plan by claiming it will be “deficit neutral” through 2019, but that’s what we call the BIG lie.

From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

“President Obama and I are working closely with Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate and health care experts to make sure we get the details of health reform right. But we can’t let the details distract us from the huge benefits that reform will bring.” –Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who admitted that she has “no idea” about a provision in the health care bill that requires her to “develop standards for the measurement of gender.” Details, details…

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Posted in Economics, Editorial, Opinion, Education, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 1 Comment »

Best of the web

August 8, 2009

Here’s a compilation from The Patriot Post of this weeks Best of the Web.

On ObamaCare:

Utopia Versus Freedom by Thomas Sowell

Impossible Promises by John Stossel

Health Politics Quagmire by Tony Blankley

Sebelius: Don’t Sweat the Details by Cal Thomas

Hazardous to America’s Health by Debra Saunders

Fat Load by Jacob Sullum

Tea Party-Bashers Gone Wild by Michelle Malkin

The Villains of Health Care by Paul Greenberg

On politics:

Obama’s Great Race to Change America by Victor Davis Hanson

The Global Redistributionist at Obama’s Left Hand by Terence Jeffrey

On foreign policy:

Russo-Georgia One Year On: From Reset to Repeat? by Austin Bay

On the birth certificate kerfuffle:

Obama Birth Certificate Spotted in Bogus Moon Landing Footage by Ann Coulter

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Triggering The Vote!

August 7, 2009

With each election, Americans go to the polls and make decisions that affect — for better or worse — the future of freedom in America.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 72 percent (142 million) of the eligible voting age citizen population (197 million) were registered to vote in 2004. This means that as many as 55 million people were eligible to vote, but unregistered — and therefore did not participate in the November 2004 elections.

Far too many gun owners and hunters are among them. And every year, millions of teenagers turn 18, thus becoming eligible to register and vote. Many of them have spent their formative years learning hunting and shooting skills, and could be expected to pay attention to NRA’s message.

Now, NRA-ILA has created a new affiliate, the NRA Freedom Action Foundation (NRA-FAF), which focuses on nonpartisan voter registration and citizen education.  The NRA-FAF has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Donations are fully deductible.

The NRA Freedom Action Foundation, in turn, has launched a new campaign – Trigger the Vote. And to serve as Honorary Chairman, we brought on board one of America’s most persuasive action heroes — Chuck Norris.  Visit www.TriggertheVote.org to hear his message.

This campaign has deployed a new approach to reach the younger generation, using new social media outlets. It will also use traditional methods of outreach including TV, radio and direct mail.

And Trigger the Vote is mobile, going on the road to educate and register voters at gun shows, shooting ranges and anywhere else gun owners, hunters and shooters can be found. The campaign will post regular updates on the site, including short videos of volunteers explaining why they are putting their time and effort into the campaign.

You too can be part of the campaign. Visit the website, recommend it to friends — and use it to persuade any unregistered gun owners, hunters or shooters you may know to get on board by registering to vote.

Then, click on the “Why Me Why Now” tab to send us your testimonial, whether a short video, photo, or even just an e-mail telling us what you did to sign up new voters. We’ll post the best submissions for all to share, and to inspire other visitors to the site to do their part as well.

Visit www.TriggertheVote.org today – and Trigger the Vote in your community.

SOURCE

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Hunting Fishing and the Great Outdoors, Law, News, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 3 Comments »

Mack Daddy’s fan club…

August 7, 2009

So many times people on the web are branded racist’s, or misogynist, or whatever because of political correctness by those that are ruled by their politics rather than any sort of rational logic.

Never mind that they speak the words that so many are afraid to say. Tracy at No Compromise, Texas Fred, and Romantic Poet come to mind, not to mention Pamela at Atlas shrugs, and Anthony at The Liberty Sphere.

What these good people attempt to communicate is not a thing of hatred, as they are so often portrayed to be doing. But one of love; for this nation, it’s traditions, and yes, it’s people.

Guess what? They are not alone, and not all of their supporters are white. Today while surfing around the web I came across an allied site and one heck of an inspirational speaker, and no, he is not at all white.

Check out this man here.

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Posted in Editorial, Opinion, Education, Gun Control, Immigration, Law, Men's Issues, mysandry, News, Non Compos Mentis, Politics, Wordpress Political Blogs | 3 Comments »

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