Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!!!

I got home this evening to find a very pleasant surprise on my desk, Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny". I never expected to get it this quickly from the library when I put my name on the waiting list but I did and I am thrilled. I will have to get a copy for my bookshelf to sit next to Natan Sharansky's " The Case for Democracy".

I have only read one chapter so far but feel like I just ate a multi course meal featuring beef tenderloin, the red meat is so rich with conservative flavor, no wonder it is sitting atop the NYT's best seller list considering the direction Obama and his statist cronies are taking us. No my friends conservatism is not dead or dying, it had just become complacent but the fire has been relit around the country as the "Tea Parties" show. I think Mark speaks for many that feel as I do about what conservatism is, not the watered down shinola of the beltway elite like Brooks, Frum or John McCain and his "valley girl" daughter but true to the Constitutional Federalism of our Founders.

I did not get Mark's radio show in California but now that I am back in Dixie I have the pleasure of listening to him on my evening drive home. I do miss Hugh Hewitt but Mark is a decent trade I can't complain about and I am sure Hugh would agree since I can't seem to find him on my dial.

Anyway, get Mark's book either from the library or shell out and buy it, it is worth every penny.

Time To Grow

No, not the federal deficit, our garden, we got it all planted this weekend with maybe a few things to stick in around the edges. We have okra, green beans(Kentucky Wonder pole beans of course), three kinds of squash, broccoli, carrots, radishes, some herbs and most important, tomatoes. We have two heirloom varieties, German Queen and Pink Brandywine and a good standby hybrid Betterboy. I am very interested in how this German Queen produces, from what I have read it puts out huge, tasty, beefsteak slicers which this household loves.

I also got all my birdfeeders and birdbath set up and already have birds coming to visit them. I actually have more species here to visit than I did in California, out there I only had three or four species and here it will be around a dozen or more including the same ones I had out there except for hummingbirds.

The Teleprompter Strikes Again

Smokin' Smoker

Well I got the garden plot all tilled yesterday so now its time to relax and watch the grill smoke a nice pork roast, yummmmmm. I haven't smoked a roast in quite a while so this is my treat for getting all my major chores done, that sonny-do list was long.

Update: The rain held off long enough for me to finish my roast and then came in with a bang, tornado warnings and all. There were touchdowns and numerous funnels spotted in my area but nothing bad here though the sky got really black and roiled looking for a little bit this evening. Anyway, the roast was so tender you couldn't cut it with a knife, it just fell apart with a nice crunchy crust and moist ultra-tender inside, perfect pulled pork quality. Ah, life in the South -East BBQ and tornados, what a combination?!

Busy, Busy

Its nice to be back in Alabama for sure and to start back to work so quickly but dang my mom and sister had a sonny/bro do list all made up for me so between unpacking and doing chores I have had little to no time to blog. Its all cool though since I have a cheap place to stay till I get back on my feet and at least there is food in the refridgerator. I am pretty much done unpacking and the movers finally got here yesterday with my big items, dang I was missing my bed.

I've got the yardwork done which included the initial battle against a stand of bamboo, I hate that stuff and its near impossible to get rid of. It spreads like wildfire and will take over your yard in no time once it gets established. If you want my qualified advice after battling two different stands of it, never, never plant it in the first place, you will regret it if you do. The last stand took over a year to defeat in near daily battles with an ax.

I finally got caught up with my email today and have just semi-caught up with what's happening around the interwebs. I see our "Dear Leader" is still clueless about the economy or ruthlessly socialist, its hard to tell. He is definately dimwitted when it comes to national security but we all knew that didn't we. Hopefully I will be around more once I get settled in and get my schedule worked out.

Yay, I am Back

I finally got internet access for my machine today so things should be back to fairly normal around the Barnyard once again after a turbulent last couple months. I probably will not be able to post with the same frequency I have the last couple years because I will be away from my computer working for someone else instead of myself. It stinks but at least I have a job, something that was nonexistant in California. My old boss is taking me back and seems very glad to have me back. Heck I worked for him for 12 years before I moved so he knows my work ethic and abilities.

Anyway, my sister has a beautiful home she has opened up to me till I get back on my feet. It has a nive deck and gazebo where I have to retire to smoke my cigars but there is a nice patch of woods in the back that is full of songbirds so my smoke breaks are filled with a chorus. The three dogs are a hoot, the older one knows me and is my buddy but the pups don't trust me yet, they'll come around though.

Safely Arrived In Alabama

I got here about midnight last night after 18 hours straight on the road, what a long drive. I am on my sister's laptop tight now and will get my machine set up tonight and get a longer post up about the trip soon. I just wanted to let everyone know I was safely here.

We Need Chaotic And Unforgiving Capitalism Not Government Command And Control

I love Mark Steyn and his column this week is an absolute must read. He skewers Obama and Geithner on turning what was a recession into an all out government power grab of the economy and everything that goes with it.

Writing in the Chicago Tribune last week, President Obama fell back on one of his favorite rhetorical tics: “But I also know,” he wrote, “that we need not choose between a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism and an oppressive government-run economy. That is a false choice that will not serve our people or any people.”

Really? For the moment, it’s a “false choice” mainly in the sense that he’s not offering it: “a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism” is not on the menu, which leaves “an oppressive government-run economy” as pretty much the only game in town. How oppressive is yet to be determined: To be sure, the official position remains that only “the richest five percent” will have taxes increased. But you’ll be surprised at the percentage of Americans who wind up in the richest five percent. This year federal government spending will rise to 28.5 per cent of GDP, the highest level ever, with the exception of the peak of the Second World War. The 44th president is proposing to add more to the national debt than the first 43 presidents combined, doubling it in the next six years, and tripling it within the decade. But to talk about it in percentages of this and trillions of that misses the point. It’s not about bookkeeping, it’s about government annexation of the economy, and thus of life: government supervision, government regulation, government control. No matter how small your small business is — plumbing, hairdressing, maple sugaring — the state will be burdening you with more permits, more paperwork, more bureaucracy.

Of course some regulation is needed to keep capitalism running as smoothly as possible like not letting people that shouldn't be buying a house get a mortgage. There is a big difference between good regulation and bad like killing our economy with draconian cap and trade rules on energy production and environmental laws that prevent anything from being built.

Obama and his fellow Demcrats are about one thing and that is the power to control you and every aspect of your lives while redistributing whatever wealth is left to the government.

Moving News

I am 99% packed and raring to go back to Dixie where the water is warm and the girls are pretty. The movers are coming Monday and I will roll the next morning for a three day journey across this great nation. Don't worry I will take plenty of pictures and post a write up as soon as I can.

Dang, I really hate leaving my little house with all the work I put into it and the gardens but I am left with no other choice as it stands. The good news is my old boss is really anxious to talk to me so I guess I have a job waiting for me. I am extremely good at my trade, much of that thanks to my old boss, and anybody in my trade would be lucky to have me on their team.

Anyway, I am going to drink some beer and watch American Idol and Hell's Kitchen and just vege for a bit after all I have gone through recently.

Sarah Palin At The Alaska Lincoln Dinner

It is a bit long and you can come back here when you have some time to watch it or the google page is here.
The audio is better on You Tube but it is chopped up into a dozen parts that can be found here.

Rush Limbaugh And Mark Levin

They discuss Mark's new book "Liberty and Tyranny" and from what I am gathering this is an absolute must read for conservatives and moderates wondering what conservatism is all about. Via Hot Air where the other three segments can be found, I heard it live this morning and it is a must listen.

I might as well add this video as well of a Brit Parlimentarian ripping into PM Gordon Brown about government overspending. I have always liked that CSPAN program where they cover the Parliment questioning the Prime Minister, they let it rip in a way we seem to have forgotten. I also heard this on Rush's show this morning.

Obama Supporters Are Canvassing For Loyalty Pledges

This is just plain creepy and certainly fits in the "cult of personality" that has been brought up many times in the last year or so.

Why would any sane person pledge loyalty to a politician that is clearly incapable of doing the job he was elected do let alone his economic plans and budget that will bankrupt America. I support this country and its Constitution not individual politicians and I want it and everyone in it to thrive not become slaves to the state. Obama's budget is 3.5 TRILLION dollars with deficits pushing 2 TRILLION for as far as the eye can see and that's if the economy turns around. We can't just crank up the Reserve printing presses and print money Zimbabwe style to get us out of this mess. To put this in personal terms Obama's budget for this year alone is $11,666 per person in America and that does count the Generational Theft Act or the porkulus budget bill that just passed let alone what the Fed and Treasury are doing behind the scenes. Where is all this money going to come from? Not to mention skyrocketing inflation because business just passes their tax hikes on to the consumer. This madness has to stop NOW. This won't hurt just conservatives it will hurt every single person living in the US today including you brain dead liberals that voted for this nut case President Obama.

Glenn Beck Goes On A Real Tear

I've only heard his radio show a couple times and seen his FOX show once other than web snips like this but the more I see the more I like. It is well worth the 15 minutes of your time.

American Depression

What is happening to the American psyche in these somewhat troubling times? The economy is sputtering, our enemies are emboldened and we have an inexperienced naively liberal President that increasingly appears to not have a clue as to how to actually govern. Victor Davis Hanson takes a look into the many factors that are playing to our state of mind far more elonquently than I can.

Why are so many Americans so depressed about things these days? It is perhaps not just the economy.

I think the answer is clear: all the accustomed referents, the sources of security, of knowledge and reassurance appear to be vanishing. Materially, we still enjoy a sumptuous lifestyle in comparison with past generations—and the world outside our borders. America remains the most sane and successful society on the planet.

But there is a strange foreboding, a deer-in-the-headlights look to us that we may be clueless Greeks in the age of Demosthenes, played-out Romans around AD 450, or give-up French in late 1939—with a sense it cannot go on. Why? Let us count the ways.

Heck even the New York Times and the AP are starting to wonder if the Teleprompter President is in way over his head. None of this really surprises me since I was warning about this Obama well over a year ago as being nothing but an empty suit with pleasing oratory. Many of us knew a long time ago that Obama would prove to be Carter II if he was elected and the sad part about it for our country is that he may prove to be even more disasterous than we ever feared.

God help us.

Governor Palin On Accepting Some Of The Stimulus Dollars

She is accepting the dollars that will go to infrastructure and create jobs but rejecting funds that will grow the cost to Alaska in the future because of Federal strings attached to them. As I said in several posts about the "stimulus" about a fifth went to actually worthy projects and the rest was just a liberal hog trough of slop. This is via Hot Air and Conservatives4Palin where you can also find a transcript.

I think this is the path the other states should follow as well accept some but not all the money and use it wisely to actually create jobs and not expand social services with increased reliance on DC to keep them funded. Meanwhile my current Gov. Schwartzenegger just stuck his nose deep in Obama's crack, took a deep breath and declared it beautiful before moving around to the front side on his knees. Can I gag now?

I really like Sarah Palin and if she and Mitt Romney both run in 2012 I will have a very tough choice to make. That is still a long ways off especially politically since so much can happen in just a few weeks let alone years untill then conservatives need to focus squarely on 2010 in the hopes of getting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid removed from their leadership positions in the House and Senate respectively.

There are currently about 40-45 Democrat House members representing districts that went for McCain in '08 and around 10-12 Democrat Senators representing red or purple states up for re-election next year including Harry Reid in Nevada. That is where our focus should be concentrated.

This Is Pretty Wild

Some crazy folks got video of that underwater volcano that erupted near Tonga, shouldn't they be worried about some serious wave action or something, via Ace of Spades.

FOX On The AIG Hearings And Bonus Outrage

There is all kinds of outrage out there over AIG employees getting bonuses after the taxpayers bailed them out but who is resposible for this, namely Chris Dodd(D) who put a provision in the stimulus bill allowing for them. The thing is these were retention bonuses written into contracts signed well before the bailout was needed. A retention bonus works like this, I agree to work for a company till a certain date and then I will get paid an X amount of dollars, its not a performance bonus, its a delayed hiring bonus common in the financial sector. AIG is contractually obligated to pay those bonuses, performance bonuses are another thing and from what I have seen none of those have gone out. The government despite all the grandstanding and screaming cannot interfere in contract law. Besides they are whining about 175 million when they spent almost 2 trillion in the last couple weeks and are talking trillions more, oh cry me a river.

Here is Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin and Jonah Goldberg talking about who really is to blame here, Democrats in Congress, via Hot Air.


Here is Shepherd Smith also giving the lowdown on who is to blame and with a bit more background on what caused the melt down in the first place which I explained in depth here many times leading up to the election of our Dufus in Chief, the community reinvestment act.

Brain Freeze

Ugh, I really don't know what to blog about since there is so much going on and I have so little time to sit and type besides getting ready to move 2500 miles. All I know is that the Obama administration is turning out exactly as I warned about for months prior to his election, a massively corrupt and disjointed affair of fecklessness along with a complete disregard for our Constitution. So heres a couple links to stories I found interesting.

Bob Owens at Confederate Yankee on Obama's DoD decision to stop selling spent rifle and pistol brass to reloaders and instead sell the melted down bulk to China, smart eh. I don't use military calibers so I have no idea how it will effect my ammo prices.

Michelle Malkin has been all over the bailout frenzy and the outrage over the AIG bonuses and she notes that the bonuses were retention bonuses written into contracts to be paid at the end of the contract, legally obligated. Its all smoke and mirrors from Obama and the Dems to distract us from their other shenanigans.

Now I have more packing to do, dang I accumulated a lot of stuff in a few short years.

Obama Wants Vets Private Insurance To Pay For Their Medical Care

This just the latest outrage by the Obama administration, they want active and veteran miltary's private insurance to pay for duty related medical costs that have normally gone through the VA as it should. In other words if you want to serve your country you will have to have private insurance to cover any injuries you may receive while protecting America since Obama doesn't think you're worth be taken care of by the government but illegal aliens and octomoms are. This is outrageously stupid so much so that I really don't have words to express my disgust. Via Hot Air where Ed has more details.

The leader of the nation’s largest veterans organization says he is “deeply disappointed and concerned” after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.
“It became apparent during our discussion today that the President intends to move forward with this unreasonable plan,” said Commander David K. Rehbein of The American Legion. “He says he is looking to generate $540-million by this method, but refused to hear arguments about the moral and government-avowed obligations that would be compromised by it.”
The Commander, clearly angered as he emerged from the session said, “This reimbursement plan would be inconsistent with the mandate ‘ to care for him who shall have borne the battle’ given that the United States government sent members of the armed forces into harm’s way, and not private insurance companies. I say again that The American Legion does not and will not support any plan that seeks to bill a veteran for treatment of a service connected disability at the very agency that was created to treat the unique need of America’s veterans!”
Commander Rehbein was among a group of senior officials from veterans service organizations joining the President, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and Steven Kosiak, the overseer of defense spending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The group’s early afternoon conversation at The White House was precipitated by a letter of protest presented to the President earlier this month. The letter, co-signed by Commander Rehbein and the heads of ten colleague organizations, read, in part, ” There is simply no logical explanation for billing a veteran’s personal insurance for care that the VA has a responsibility to provide. While we understand the fiscal difficulties this country faces right now, placing the burden of those fiscal problems on the men and women who have already sacrificed a great deal for this country is unconscionable.”

The only relief I can take for this is that I doubt it has chance in hell of getting through Congress as there are plenty of Vets on the Dem side of the aisle as well that wouldn't go for this. This a way beyond stupid move by Obama and goes way past the line of being an un-American proposal. We owe our vets the very best care we have to offer and if there is any tab the government is obligated beyond a shadow of doubt to pick up its that one.

I can't wait to see Mike Yon weigh in on this since he is a vet and now a private war correspondent that has to pay for insurance before he can embed in war zones and if I remember correctly it is very expensive perhaps even his highest outlay. It is more than the average serviceman makes a month.

Moving News

I had two of my biggest worries removed last week and I feel much better now. The first was an outstanding contract that had been in holding pattern for the last two years because the client kept changing the drawing for a piece of art glass, the architect and contractor released me from my contract and will finish the job working directly with my artist.

The second was getting rid of my inventory but a good friend came around and took it all off my hands for a decent price. I am worn out from spending the last couple days loading up a couple tons of glass, machinery and other supplies. We stuffed his truck to the hilt a couple times but were able to get it all in just a couple loads so that is a big relief and cash for the road.

Now I can concentrate on the final details of closing down my company which just consists of a few letters to the proper state agencies and packing up. The mover is booked for the first week of April and I will be back in the heart of Dixie a week after they load up, in time for my niece's first soccer games. Mom tells me she asks everyday when her uncle goat is going to get there. I know I am ready to get out of this state ASAP.