On this 4th of July, what are you prepared to do?

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(This was started on July 4... and OBE)

It's another beautiful day here in my little corner of the United States. I'm sitting in my office, where I'm fortunate enough to work out of my home; surrounded by computer screens, looking out over my deck into the back yard.

Reading and listening to the news, providing updates and analysis; impacts and strategies. Immersed in oceans of information, looking for the bit or piece that will make a difference.

The problem with that is essentially, you frequently wind up knowing too much. You get too close. You follow along directly and you see the nightmare coming.

Each day, our country seems to be sinking deeper into the abyss. Each day, we become less a society of independent, self-reliant, self-accountable individuals and more a mass of sheep, driven by the clever shepherds who can manipulate public opinion through a corrupt, biased media.

Our massive debt, run up since the ascension of The One, will weaken this country for decades. The nanny state is on course for massive growth as the leftists controlling our government implement their campaign of lies and deceit, now forgetting all of the promises they made with little to no complaint by the "leg tingling" media.

Our sacrifices in Iraq soon to be forgotten as the leftists do not want to be reminded that despite their terrorist sympathies and their support of those who killed American men and women that THEY sent over there, early returns indicate that to some degree... we have succeeded... the democrat's best efforts notwithstanding.

And now, have you noticed? The American left has gone almost completely silent about the War. No massive demonstrations... no attacks on the troops... just the odd voice wondering aloud: How come, when democrats took over in 06 promising to end the war, and they didn't do what they promised us... how come we were so moronic as to believe them in 08.... and why were we moronic enough to vote for them again?

We used to project an aura of strength. The other countries with some power used to give us a hard time, but ultimately, the US prevailed, for the most part, because they respected the United States.

Well, who the hell respects us now?

We allow tin pot dictators like that moron in North Korea to fire missiles in our general direction.... telling him all along... no, no, no... you shouldn't oughtta do that... as they fire even more missiles.

And what are we doing about it?

The clown running Iran is slaughtering his own people to remain in power, while he busily builds the nuke that we've warned him he cannot have and our Great Leader can only sit on his thumb and spin in response?

What happened to us?

Are we so fat, dumb and happy that we are allowing this to happen?

As a nation, we are completely adrift. We're led by an incompetent moron who wastes our money on everything from weekly White House parties to flying that air yacht instead of taking his chopper out on his campaign stops.

Our media has abandoned us in favor of leg-humping the one they worked so hard to elect... facts and issues aside.

Who do we believe? Who do we look for? Who can lead us?
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Leavitt's hypocrisy.

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There are some around here who've never learned. They've been taken in by the stadium rip offs in Seattle... the baseball and football stadium wastes of mountains of taxpayer money in Seattle seems to leave visions of grandeur in the minds of many. Thus, the rather bizarre talk of building a stadium here so the Beavers, now in PDX, would have somewhere to play baseball.

The complete idiocy of a taxpayer-paid astounding waste of money aside, Tim Leavitt wrote the following on his blog (via Clarkblog.org.)

Thursday, June 25, 2009

A Ballpark in Vancouver? YOU Should Be The Ones Who Decide!

As you might have heard, the Portland Beavers are soon to be a team without a stadium -- and one option that's come up is locating the new park up here, in Clark County.

Yesterday, KGW came out and interviewed me, as well as the incumbent, about our views on the matter. You can see by watching the clip that although both he and I are baseball fans (he of his hometown Boston Red Sox and me of the Northwest's own Seattle Mariners) -- I appear to be the only one interested in finding out what YOU have to say about it!

http://www.kgw.com/video/thesquare-index.html?nvid=374478

For those of you who've been paying attention the last few years, you'll probably find it as funny as I did that the man who's been consistently raising your taxes year after year, while slashing vital services, waited until he was in front of a TV camera to talk about how he'd rather spend tax dollars on police and fire.

That statement would be a lot more compelling if it were actually true.

Yes, he does love to tax this community -- but every year, as his revenues get larger -- he makes bigger and bigger cuts in core services -- including police, fire, road repair, and parks.

A ballpark might be a great addition to the county. But it might also be a huge drain. Something this big isn't for me, or for a sitting Mayor who's on his way out to decide. Only you, the voters, should have the say on something that big, and which could have such an impact.

So tell me! What do YOU think?

NO toll is "reasonable." Only a slimy politician would try to get people to believe that he's actually doing something for us instead of too us when he has done absolutely nothing to give us any say where it actually matters: at the polls.

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What we're GOING to get because of his cowardice and lack of belief in the will of the people, is a massive toll, an economically crippling toll that will suck as much as $100,000,000 a year out of our local economy... and there will be ol' Timmy, standing on the sidelines, telling us, "Well, I TRIED to keep the tolls low" (As if that matters) when he COULD have taken the lead and demanded a vote.

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His failure to do that just makes him Pollard Light, and there's no reason to get rid of a moron and replace him with another moron.

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At least Pollard is the moron we know.

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Eyman does it again: turns in 314,277 signatures for his latest.

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Leftists in our state have weirded out over most of Tim Eyman's ballot efforts because they typically reduce revenue to out spenders in Olympia.

The Seattle Times has the bad news for our leftist brethren and now, as always, we'll be told the world is going to end and the earth will shift it's access.

Tough nuggies. Unlike leftists, I'm very big on the will of the people.

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July 2, 2009 at 11:12 AM

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Eyman turns in signatures for new initiative to limit government spending

Posted by Andrew Garber

Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman has apparently turned in enough signatures to put another initiative on the ballot aimed at limiting growth in government spending.

His latest effort, Initiative 1033, would limit revenue increases for state, city and county governments to the rate of inflation plus population growth. Taxpayers would get any money above that amount, in the form of lower property taxes.

Eyman turned in 314,277 signatures today, the last day for submitting petitions. State law requires at least 241,153 valid voter signatures to qualify. The Secretary of State's office advised having around 300,000 to cover duplicate or invalid signatures.

Eyman has sponsored a series of initiatives over the years dealing with taxes, state spending and transportation, with mixed success.

For example, voters approved I-960 in 2007, which requires a two-thirds vote in the Legislature to increase taxes. And in 2008 voters defeated I-985, which would have opened HOV lanes to all motorists.

When the leftist bent of the Columbian interferes with facts and journalism. (Lies about aliens)

So I get a call from a friend of mine yesterday about a bizarre article in the Columbian that wrongly claims that "County can't deny services to immigrants."

First of all, the issue isn't ABOUT denying services to IMMIGRANTS.

The issue is about denying services to ILLEGAL ALIENS.

IMMIGRANTS are those who came here legally from another country. I've yet to read anything about denying services to anyone here legally.

Providing services to those here in violation of the laws of this country here illegally... that is, ILLEGAL ALIENS, is another thing entirely.

So, why didn't the newspaper make that distinction? Because they've allowed their bias to dictate their stories.

THIS paper doesn't want illegal aliens to be held accountable. THIS newspaper doesn't care that we have to reduce services due to expenditures to illegals. THIS paper doesn't care that we've had to lay off county employees because of budget cuts.

Nope... spending tens of millions of our increasingly scarce tax dollars on people violating the law of this land as an incentive for them to stay here is just peachy for the Columbian.

And I get that.

The problem is when their biases interfere with the increasingly tattered remnants of what passes for journalism at this paper, then the public is misinformed.

Now, I haven't decided if that's a result of poor reporting, incompetence, or bias... or a happy (for the paper) confluence of all three.

But the fact of that matter is this:

This county CAN deny "services" to our illegal alien population. The paper is either wrong... or lying.

CA Counties Cut Illegal Aliens Healthcare

From a deeply outraged Los Angeles Times:

California counties cut healthcare to illegal immigrants

With budget problems afflicting counties across the state, some have begun eliminating healthcare to illegal immigrants. Critics say this will only shift the burden to hospital emergency rooms.

By Anna Gorman
April 27, 2009

Forced to slash their budgets, some California counties are eliminating nonemergency health services for illegal immigrants — a move that officials acknowledge could backfire by shifting the financial burden to emergency rooms.

Sacramento County voted in February to bar illegal immigrants from county clinics at an estimated savings of $2.4 million. Contra Costa County followed last month by cutting off undocumented adults, to save approximately $6 million. And Yolo County is voting on a similar change next month, which would reduce costs by $1.2 million.

"This is a way for us to get through what I think is a horrible year for healthcare in California," said William Walker, director of Contra Costa Health Services.

More:

Odd, isn't it? California counties that seem to have to work under the same rules as Clark County now seem to be doing the very thing that OUR paper reports WE cannot do.

Maybe they'll do another article, where first, they'll mention that counties around this country actually ARE doing that which they wrongly allege we cannot; and second, how it is that they could write something... anything, without due diligence and fact checking.

I mean, after all, it took me all of about 10 seconds to discover that, once again, the paper has been dead wrong... as they've been dead wrong on so many other issues.

Local leftists seem upset that I go out of my way to remind people that Stuart is owned by David Barnett.

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Steve Stuart is one of our 3 county commissioners.

He became an elected county commissioner in 2005 when the election, and Stuart's loyalties, were bought by David Barnett at the last minute when he laundered money through Progressive Majority, a fringe leftist group that goes around fronting for corrupt politicians and those who would by them... much like a side of beef. Barnett, former chief shill for the massive megacasino project resulting from his reservation shopping activities, dumped a butt-load of money in at the last second, to buy Stuart.

CHA-CHING!

The purchase price? $100,000... clearly, money well spent.

Barnett tried the same thing in the most recent election, when he got hosed by a consultant and proceeded to get raped for $78,000 or so in the last few days when Pam Brokaw managed to snatch defeat directly out of the jaws of victory by losing an election she had no right to lose.

It's odd that democrats, who are all about allegations of corruption when it comes to the GOP, choose to overlook so many of their own peccadilloes at every level... and this particular version here... confronting us all... right now, today.

I am not going to leave this issue alone. I am sick of corruption at any level, by anyone, and I will constantly remind the democrats precisely and exactly who it is they support so strongly... and, perhaps, envision as a congressman down the road.
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A glimpse of the confirmed leftist bent of the Columbian.

The local paper is a completely-in-the-tank organization for the democrats in this state. The democrats obliged that support by slipping in a massive B&O tax cut for this, and other rags, in the midst of a $10 BILLION budget deficit.

Even though the people of this area spoke overwhelmingly in opposition to affirmative action, our paper is as unconcerned about that community value expressed at the polls as they are about seeking our permission to saddle us with a $4 BILLION unneeded and unwanted bridge replacement/loot rail project.

Todays installment has peeked out in the middle of a blh, blah, blah editorial about buying locally. Here's the offending paragraph:

Not unlike the way we should view hiring practices — when all other factors are equal, we should give consideration to a minority candidate — we should view buying practices: When all other factors are equal, we should buy locally.

NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE HIRED BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE (as hiring Obama because he's half black has proven) AND NO ONE SHOULD BE DENIED EMPLOYMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE.

In this idiotic excuse for a paper, the Columbian cannot help but spew this liberal pap as an affirmation of what they are.

Such racism is not welcome here, and is not wanted here. That our local paper advocates a racist policy is yet another reason it should be closed... sooner, rather than later.

So, Russell has made it official... sorta.

As I mentioned before, political mercenary Jon Russell has announced for Congress against Baird.

Readers of my blog know that I'm not particularly fond of Brian Baird. He's taken votes that suck... he's voted "yes" on bills he hasn't read... he's had a major "back scratching" problem with earmarks... he's been far too cowardly in his handling of the Barnett/Paskenta/Mohergan/Cowlitz organized crime venture known as the megacasino... and he's lacked the courage of his convictions when it comes to his frequent articles in the Columbian about how he wants to change the rules and give everyone 3 days to read any bill before a vote is taken... only to convienintly forget about that every time issues inside that window come up.

That said...

I would volunteer my time, effort and money to re-elect Baird over Russell any time.

Russell spews pap like this:

“I represent a new generation of reformers who are fed up with career politicians in Congress because they suffer from a lack of vision and the will to do the right thing for the people,” he said in the release. “Restoring trust in government can only happen when we send people to Congress who recognize their place in history and serve a short time and then return to their careers outside of government.”

Sounds beautiful, doesn't it? You can almost hear the hearts and flowers and violin music playing as he says it.

And none of it is true.

What Russell represents is a new generation of political mercenaries where principle has no place at the table.

Oddly, in Russell's case and in the article below, he mentions something called "deputy campaign manager" for some guy in Indiana; his "former" involvement with Faith and Freedom, and a bogus shell company he set up with an impressive name: "Columbia Gorge Medical Center."

He left out his failed time at HROC, his disasterous spell as a Legislative Assitant in Olympia, and the fact that he ran the worst campaign in local elective history when he ran the Port of Vancouver's major effort to jack our taxes up through the roof.

Odd, isn't it? Russell lacked the "vision" to understand that he was profiting off an effort to nail us with a massive tax increase, yet he claims that HE has the "vision and the will to do the right thing for people?"

There's only one word for that:

Hypocrite.

Washougal Man Plans Congressional Run
Friday, June 26, 2009 10:48 PM PDT

A Washougal city councilman is the latest Republican to announce his intentions to run against incumbent Democrat Brian Baird in the 2010 3rd Congressional District race.

Jon Russell, the 33-year-old co-owner of the Columbia Gorge Medical Center, announced his candidacy in an e-mailed press release Friday. Russell has a degree in political science and was the deputy campaign manager for U.S. Rep. John Hostettler of Indiana’s 8th Congressional District.

He’s the former director of the Faith and Freedom Foundation

“I represent a new generation of reformers who are fed up with career politicians in Congress because they suffer from a lack of vision and the will to do the right thing for the people,” he said in the release. “Restoring trust in government can only happen when we send people to Congress who recognize their place in history and serve a short time and then return to their careers outside of government.”

More:

Leavitt has a priority problem: NO crime should be "tolerated."

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Sometimes, you gotta love politicians and their political opportunism.

Tim Leavitt, who I've jotted some thoughts down about on this blog before, hasn't let this "me too" opportunity get by him, and now he's directly tying his legislative agenda to his campaign.

On his website, he tells us: Hate and Bias Crimes Must NOT Be Tolerated

But other crimes should be?

This leftist pap is just that. Further, Leavitt's "draft resolution" accomplishes ABSOLUTELY NOTHING except to provide this guy with an opportunity to politically grand stand.

"Hate" crimes are a sickening concept that somehow makes an assault based on skin color or gender or sexual proclivity or any of the many, many other segments we've been divided into, more worthy of greater punishment than just your average, run of the mill crime.

That is, if someone is shot because they are _____________ (fill in the blank) THAT crime is somehow more worthy of concern then someone getting shot, say, at random... or during a robbery.

And that, my friends, is pure, grade A, moronic bullshit. Fringe leftists love this kind of thing, but then, they are easily led tools anyway, or they wouldn't be fringe leftists.

There is no excuse for this kind of crap, and Leavitt ought to be at least as ashamed of himself over this as he is his rabid support for a replacement bridge that we don't need; loot rail that we neither need or want, and his continuing, ongoing failure to demand a vote for that entire project.
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Yesterday, our moron of a Congressman voted for yet ANOTHER bill he hadn't read: Columbian provides cover.

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Unfortunately, the American people have saddled this nation with an unabashed leftist liar.

We are already well aware that Mr. Obama lied during his campaign about every other sentence or so so who's managed to break many of his campaign promises, turn our foreign policy into a complete joke, and bury us in trillions of debt in the first few months of his painful tenure.

One of his fav scams is to force Congress to vote on bills that haven't even been read by those doing the voting.

Now, rest assured: had a GOP president pulled the several stunts this moron has nailed us with over their tenure, the Columbian and every other media organ in this country would be screaming like cut cats.

Yesterday, our erstwhile congressman for the past 11 years, backbencher Brian Baird, AGAIN voted for ANOTHER bill THAT HE HAD NOT READ.

This is PARTICULARLY hypocritical, given that ol' Brian has championed a time requirement between dropping a bill and then voting on it.

How can Brian Baird vote for this, or any other bill, after demanding 72 hours to review bills (Hey.... HERE'S a radical concept: MAYBE he can READ a bill BEFORE he votes for it?) and then vote for this crapfest in violation of his own rule?

For the past five years, Baird has been pushing for a change in House rules to require the waiting period — to no avail.

So, yesterday, when he had the opportunity to live up to his own standard... and perhaps persuade others to do the same.... what did he do?

He caved like a cheap, cardboard suit.

This goes beyond the major damage this bill will do to us and our country. The substance of this bill is as harmful as every other Obama initiative.

That is, it will waste hundreds of billions of dollars and we will have nothing to show for it but a mountain of debt.

Yes, all of that is aside from Mr. Baird's decision to sell us out... and sell out one of his own cherished principles because he, quite apparently, lacks the testicular capacity to stand up to the Belle of Botox or Rahm Emmanuel, who's skinny little ass can be booted out a door as fast as he breaks it down.

Now, these facts aren't secret. And so what does our local fishwrapper, bankrupt in both integrity and money, print?

Another in the series of their info-mercials for their boy, Brian Baird (D-Columbian).

Baird has completely ignored the needs of this community where it matters most. His cowardly non-stand on the organized crime development known as the Branett/Paskenta/Mohegan/Cowlitz casino, his "I am a wholly owned lackey of downtown Vancouver" earmarks, his complete stupidity on failing to demand a vote on the I-5 Bridge/loot rail scam; his vote, to implement NINE THOUSAND earmarks by voting for the Budget, and then again, when he voted for the Porkulous Bill, AGAIN WITHOUT READING IT.

And what does our local rag do?

Immediately write about his malfeasance as if they were on the payroll.

The problem with this is that when handed a turd sandwich, no amount of fancy bread changes the meat of the matter.

The rag KNOWS that the people HATE the Cap and Trade bill. They know it so much that the phrase "Cap and Trade" wasn't anywhere in this article.

Talk about cover.

Mr. Baird, you screwed us. Again. Mr. Baird, you sold us out. Again.

And the contemptable paper that is The Columbian is aiding and abetting you with their lies and cover.

Despicable.




Energy bill gives boost to biomass
Once-unusable forest slash could be turned into power

Friday, June 26 11:13 p.m.

BY ERIK ROBINSON
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER

Loggers have long contended that trees are a renewable resource.

Now, the byproduct of logging — the unmerchantable tree tops and limbs that are normally left on the forest floor or burned as slash — could be classified as a renewable source of fuel to generate electricity. The news bolsters a surging interest in biomass energy plants, including one proposal under consideration in north Clark County.

Turning wood scraps into energy got a major boost Thursday with a new provision added to the House version of a major federal energy bill. The bill narrowly passed Friday.

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, said the provision should provide a new incentive for federal forest managers to thin overcrowded forest threatened by wildfire, disease or insect infestation.

"We have in the Gifford Pinchot thousands of acres of forest that are in need of treatment," he said in a telephone interview Thursday evening. "Much of that material would be used for renewable biomass (energy)."

Baird worked with Oregon Reps. Greg Walden, a Republican, and Kurt Schrader, a first-term Democrat from the Portland area, to define logging slash and wood debris from national forests as a renewable energy source. The provision will need to be adopted by the Senate version of the energy bill before it becomes law.

More, if you can stomach it.
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Queensryche Does Benning.

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I was enthralled by Queensryche's latest work: American Soldier. As an Alum of 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division back in the day, I've been following their work for awhile now, and just started following the Hammer Brigade on twitter: @3HBCT_3ID

Well, they found the time to stop by and entertain the troops at Benning (Climbed a tower there, once. FUUUUUUUN City!) and here's the highlights.



Many thanks to QR, a local group from Seattle if I'm not mistaken.

Here's the rest of the story on the PAO's site.
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