House GOP shows some life on the fiscal front:

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Unlike the GOP sock puppets in the Senate, the House GOP seems to have a clue.

Thanks to
Doug Ross @ Journal.

Dems Rip Rule Change That Could Constrain Their Reckless Spending

There's no outrage like the outrage of a liberal who's been told the taxpayer's wallet is closed.

Dems rip proposed rule giving new power to GOP Budget chairman

A proposed House rule granting new powers to the GOP chairman of the Budget Committee has sparked outrage from Democrats... The proposed rule would allow the Budget Committee chairman to set spending ceilings for 2011 without a vote by the full House.

...In practice, this would give power to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the incoming chairman of the panel, to impose deep spending cuts since spending bills cannot exceed the budget ceiling for the 2011 fiscal year...

Sounds good. What's not to like?

Democrats argue the provision would give unilateral power to Ryan and flies in the face of GOP promises of transparency.

Coming from the party that promised -- and failed to deliver in spectacular fashion -- "the most transparent administration ever", that guilt trip rings a tad hollow, no?

...Republicans argue allowing the Budget chairman to set spending ceilings is necessary because of the failure of the last Congress to approve a budget last year.

“This provision is only necessary because of Democrats’ historic failure to pass a budget last year. They have nothing but their own ineptitude to blame for this temporary authority,” Brendan Buck, a spokesman for the House Republican transition... Another House aide argued the powers are not unprecedented. The GOP gave the chairman of the House similar powers in the opening days of the 1999 Congress, when the GOP also controlled the chamber.

Gee, you mean this rule change not only has precedent but could also check the radical Left Democrat Party from further destroying America's balance sheet?

Faster, please!

Obama Nation: I Solemnly Swear...

HT to Big Government.
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This is New Years Eve.

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Don't get stupid out there. Stay safe... get the designated driver thing going on.

Don't drink and drive.

Just.... don't.
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Memo 2 Steve "Easy Money" Stuart and Marc Boldt: don't cave now - The criminal enterprise known as the Mohegan/Paskenta/Cowlitz/Barnett megacasino...

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... isn't a done deal yet.

When I read something like this from Boldt:

“They always said they want to be a good community member, so I’ll take it on their word,” he said.

I just want to cringe.

Again in the interests of full disclosure, Marc Boldt is my brother in law. And that these words could possibly leave Boldt's mouth given the history of threats, intimidation and even restraining orders by women against David Barnett, former chief shill for this slimy enterprise, is simply astounding.

Boldt had received at least one threat from the late John Barnett at one of the high school meetings where Marc spoke.

These slimeballs pull the race card, even though my cocker spaniel has more Cowlitz blood then some of these morons, they've treated the community WHICH DOES NOT WANT THE CASINO HERE with a contempt and arrogance that is simply incomprehensible... and Boldt is "taking their word?" On ANYTHING?

One of the problems we have here is that Steve "Easy Money" Stuart is a wholly owned tribal subsidiary. Using this bogus and easily overturned Interior decision (Can YOU say "Carcieri?" I KNEW you could!) who will use this garbage memo as an excuse to roll over and do whatever Barnett tells him to do.

Let's remember, people: it is the county commission's fault, and their fault alone, that this garbage heap is even being built here.

For several years, the commissioners had the ability to take the land designated for this economic black hole under eminent domain... and they could have done it for next to nothing.

But with Stuart on the case, acting for the Tribe and against the people of this county, the second vote couldn't be developed.

And now, we've got Boldt making noises like HE is going to roll over for these clowns and toss this entire county under a bus, because Stuart, who seems to run his political life (When was the last time Stuart and Boldt voted differently.... on ANYTHING?) is going to tell him to.

The interests behind this scam are NOT "good community members." In fact, NONE OF THEM LIVE HERE, and MOST NEVER HAVE LIVED HERE. So the fact is that they're not only NOT "good community members...." they're not community members, period... good OR bad.

So now, we're going to have Stuart working for these guys like they're giving him a check every week; Boldt, who seems to show himself incapable of thinking on his own when Stuart's around; and Stuart chomping at the bit now to blow TWO economic black holes in our local economy: the first being the hundred million plus he'll vacuum out for tolls every year, and the second; the HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS from building what plans call for as the 5th largest casino ON EARTH that will be vacuumed out going to Connecticut with the Mohegans, California with the Paskenta, Seattle with Barnett and chump change left over for the Tribe, the vast majority of which who do not live within 100 miles of this location.

"Payments for the Sherrif?" That ought to come out of the toll booths set up at every entrance to this crap pile... if we provide any service, including law enforcement, fire or sewer to them AT ALL.

As we move forward to fight this economic obscenity, the question is this: what are Stuart and Boldt going to do FOR us, instead of TO us?
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The new cat controller to the X-Box Kinect.

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Best one yet.



HT to The Sniper..

So, apparently there's some confusion about my DADT position.

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So, when I busted a cap in Laird's idiocy below as yet another fringe left, non-serving REMF who styles themselves as experts on homosexuality in a military they typically despise (Much like Obama, come to think of it) and wouldn't dream of ever serving in; I was fairly sure that I'd made my position clear.

I guess I didn't.

Here's a (not-surprisingly) Anonymous comment some courageous individual left concerning those positions.

Anonymous said...

Still trying to find reasons to discriminate.

First, there was no statement they swore to that claimed they were not homosexual. I suppose that neither of you two EVER did anything against regulations that you failed to report. I guess that would make you liars as well. I guess that would make all the minors getting into the military during WWII liars as well, unworthy of serving their country. Your lack of logic is useless and your claims are baseless.

Second, I see that Lew has changed his tune, more accurately showing a change in REPORTING, not an increase in incidents.

It is not that homosexuals are not capable; it is that people like you refuse to accept
that they are without prejudice.

4:18 PM

HHhhmmmmm.

As a case in point, Anon, you'll do quite nicely.

No one who ever served in the Armed Forces could possibly make the following statement:

First, there was no statement they swore to that claimed they were not homosexual.

Sorry. When they swore the oath, they both knew that as homosexuals, they were ineligible for enlistment.

In fact, when they were given their physical, they were both, as we all were, asked if they were homosexual, in part to determine their eligibility/suitability for enlistment.

They both inarguably knew that admitting to homosexuality would disqualify them for service... much like being too short, being an avowed communist, having a criminal record or any number of the dozens of other reasons people were and are discriminated against EVERY DAY in the military... without peep one or complaint from people like you

So, when they took the oath and said: "that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;" they were both lying.

They lied when they denied their homosexuality as part of their qualification to enlist, and as a result, they also lied when they said they had "no mental reservation" since as prospective commissioned officers, they both knew that homosexuals were barred from enlistment, and they also lied when they indicated they were not involved in any "purpose of evasion."

To that end, by swearing the oath, they were, in fact, swearing that they were not homosexual.

When you start with a fallacy, Anon, it becomes difficult to take the remainder of your position seriously.

Let me illustrate it this way: Even though I did not go to West Point, I am quite familiar with what used to be their Honor Code:

"I will neither lie, nor cheat, nor steal, nor allow a misleading silence to continue, nor tolerate anyone who does."

That's rather straight forward, don't you think?

Both of them knowingly lied to enlist. Both of them knowingly had mental reservations; both of them knowingly had the "purpose of evasion."

Had either of these two lied in any other way... say, past drug use, past criminal record, lying about their marital status or having kids... would THAT have been adequate grounds for you for their discharge?

These two "officers" lied. They either lied by COmmission when they lied about their sexuality, or they lied by Omission by failing to reveal it once they were on duty, before DADT was implemented... and they were both ON duty before DADT was implemented.

It does not matter WHAT they lied about, or how, or under what circumstances. THAT they lied, from the beginning of their military careers until they were caught is the thing.

And to me, the issue of WHAT they lied about has much less relevance to their continued service then the separate issue of their sexuality. In fact, it's a separate issue... both separate from the issue of homosexuality in the military AND separate from Laird's whine about equality.

Equality with homosexuality is one issue. Having officers serving in the military who are liars is quite another.

Anon, completely missing the point, continues with this issue of "relativism:"

I suppose that neither of you two EVER did anything against regulations that you failed to report.

I, of course, cannot speak for Lew. But I can tell you this: I would bet American money that neither of us did anything prior and or up to our enlistment that would have disqualified us from serving that either of us hid at any time.

That is, I had not engaged in activity or conduct that would have disqualified me from enlistment.

And when I was on active duty, I did not engage in any activity or conduct that would have caused me to be discharged.

"Did anything against regulations" that I "failed to report" is ridiculously nebulous.

In response to your question directly, I never violated any regulation that would have seen me discharged as a result.

So, in reality, your effort to manipulate MY reality is a #fail.

Since you asked.

And then this nonsense:

I guess that would make all the minors getting into the military during WWII liars as well, unworthy of serving their country.

Sigh.

So, then, we should lower the age of enlistment to, say 10 or so?

Those who fraudulently enlist in the military for ANY reason, including lying about their age (which those who enlisted under false pretenses at any time, for any reason... age OR sexuality) should not be allowed to serve.

LIVES are at stake here. As the soldier, I need to know that the man or woman putting my life at risk by their orders are people of integrity. As the officer, I have to know that my orders will be carried out to that person's best ability.

Liars at either end of that equation screw it up for everybody.

But let's explore that age thing for a moment, shall we?

I enlisted the day after I turned 17. I had a rough time of it. I look at my teenagers (one 17 and one 19) and I shake my head at the thought that they could have served in combat arms like I did at that age.

So, in your world, it's just spiffy for, say, a 15 year old girl to serve in the military?

When and where were you in, again?

CHILDREN SHOULD NOT SERVE IN THE MILITARY. And if it's discovered that someone is serving and they lied about their age... then they need to be removed.

Just like if they lied about their sexuality, education, criminal record OR ANYTHING ELSE.

Again, I cannot comment on what Lew is or is not doing. If you have an issue with him, take it up with him, because I only speak for myself.

And finally:

It is not that homosexuals are not capable; it is that people like you refuse to accept that they are without prejudice.

Really?

Let's replay that statement, shall we?

It is not that 80 year olds, amputees, dwarfs, giants, quadriplegics, identity thieves, those who are blind, deaf or mute; those with asthma, those with cancer or HIV (and yes, the open presence of male homosexuals WILL increase the levels of HIV in the military) Bernie Madoff, polygamists (The next group to be allowed in, no doubt) NAMBLA members, 12 year olds, siamese twins, psychopaths, domestic violence perps, Gordon Gekko, muslim militants, too fat, too thin, or are possessed of any of these medical issues are not capable; it is that people like you refuse to accept that they are without prejudice.

See, in your non-military world, apparently the ONLY issue we must concern ourselves with are the "capabilities" of the people in question.

Clearly, based on the long, long list of reasons why you can get disqualified for military service, they've got it all wrong, and the sole arbiter of qualifications should be on how "capable" you are.

This goes back to the one unassailed fact: No one has the right to serve. No one. Gay, straight, crooked. No one.

There is a hell of a lot more to this then what you can or can't do, or what you're "capable" of.

But then, as one of the many gay cheerleaders out there who haven't served and never will serve, I guess you couldn't know that... could you?

And as far as what I personally think of gays openly serving? Well, we're suffering as a nation from one who did: I give you Bradley Manning.
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So, why are Blumenidiot and Obama trying to cover this stuff up?

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I don't believe we'll ever actually see something approximating a death panel. But there isn't really any doubt that the fringe left nutters like The Empty Suit and Blumenauer would love to see them happen.

Of course, we're all comforted by the certain knowledge that neither of these two whack jobs will ever have to rely on the medical system they've fought so hard and long to ram down our throats... kind of resembles the situation we have here locally with people like Steve "Easy Money" Stuart and Tim "The Liar" Leavitt ramming a bridge we don't want or need down our throats because they won't have to pay for it... or that organized crime scam ring of the Mohegan/Paskenta/Branett megacasino that's going to suck money out of our region faster then Obama can print it.

But for an actual, honest-to-God congress critter to get this stupid?

NW Republican is on the case:

Liberal/Progs (Blumenauer) know that they need to hide their true colors

Of course when people like me call these liberals deceitful it gets ignored. Of course they will try to wrangle their way out of this with more double speak and their partners at The Oregonian will buy into it hook line and sinker.

Mr. Blumenauer, the author of the original end-of-life proposal, praised the rule as “a step in the right direction.”

“It will give people more control over the care they receive,” Mr. Blumenauer said in an interview. “It means that doctors and patients can have these conversations in the normal course of business, as part of our health care routine, not as something put off until we are forced to do it.”

After learning of the administration’s decision, Mr. Blumenauer’s office celebrated “a quiet victory,” but urged supporters not to crow about it.

“While we are very happy with the result, we won’t be shouting it from the rooftops because we aren’t out of the woods yet,” Mr. Blumenauer’s office said in an e-mail in early November to people working with him on the issue. “This regulation could be modified or reversed, especially if Republican leaders try to use this small provision to perpetuate the ‘death
panel’ myth.”

Moreover, the e-mail said: “We would ask that you not broadcast this accomplishment out to any of your lists, even if they are ‘supporters’ — e-mails can too easily be forwarded.”

The e-mail continued: “Thus far, it seems that no press or blogs have discovered it, but we will be keeping a close watch and may be calling on you if we need a rapid, targeted response. The longer this
goes unnoticed, the better our chances of keeping it.”

Blumenauer is such a lowlife slimeball. He did this. But he sure doesn't seem proud of it.

One wonders: what is he... and the rest of his ilk... trying to hide?
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Obama the Hypocrite: The Klingon Princess gets her school food gestapo, and Barry pigs out on pure sugar.

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Like the hypocrisy of his daily violations of federal law concerning smoking at the federal workplace aside, we're struck by how the Klingon Princess broke out her Himmler-like oversight of school bake sales and the like while her husband sets yet another fine example in the middle of his tax-paid vacation in Hawaii, his adoptive home state, while the entire Northeast freezes in his absence.

Here's a brief glimpse of the empty-suited, Anti-American racist bigot's feeding habits... the kind the KP does not want you to engage in.

Unconfirmed reports have him smoking a carton of Camel filters after he sucked down his little treat.

SWEET LIFE: DON'T TELL MICHELLE!



Obama, who's Nero-like tendencies are hard to overstate, parties every week and golfs most every weekend while the rest of the country becomes more of a wreck at his hands.

Unfortunately, Barry O is a manager at a time when we need a leader. Oddly, one of the things LEADERS do, is lead by example.

You know... like by skipping the parties and golf while the rest of the country suffers? Like by skipping the multi-hundred thousand tax dollar vacations that they don't rate and we cannot afford? Like that?
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Hey, Barbie... show us if you've got some guts.

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Your hopefully short-lived tenure has been a disaster to date; your ongoing, cowardly refusal to take a position on anything may be "cute" or "smart" to an empty suit like you... and it may be what your keepers want.

So, here's a way you can repair some small amount of the damage you're causing yourself:

GOP Congressman Walsh Declines Health Insurance

Monday, 27 Dec 2010 03:50 PM

Article Font Size

Rep.-elect Joe Walsh of Illinois has become the third freshman Republican to turn down the gold-plated government-sponsored health insurance plan available to lawmakers. "I don’t think congressmen should get pensions or cushy healthcare plans," he tells the Chicago News Cooperative, The Hill reports.

The other two incoming GOP freshmen shunning their government health insurance are Reps. Bobby Schilling of Illinois and Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

Democrats are pressuring Republicans in Congress who oppose Obamacare to drop their own government coverage.

That pressure grew after Rep.-elect Andy Harris, R-Md., reportedly complained in a private November meeting that his government healthcare benefits didn’t start until next year.

But Walsh's wife is reportedly upset with her husband's move. She has a pre-existing medical condition and will have to buy her own insurance, the Chicago News Cooperative reports.

I don't see your name there, Babs. So, here's your chance to man up, and dump that Cadillac package that comes with your job.

After all, you were such a liar during your campaign when you babbled that you weren't "the typical Republican."

Well, now's your chance to show it.

Should we hold our breath?

Cross posted at Jaime Herrera Watch.
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Brian Baird: Cowardman (XXXVIII) democratian lies by omission.

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In today's continuing saga of the democratian puff pieces wherein the local rag continues their forlorn efforts to rehab the Cowardman's image, we get their most positive spin on Baird's tenure.

Scant, nonspecific mention is made of the true Baird emerging, the hypocritical Baird, the true Lairdian type of politico who kept a lid on it as long as he could.

The rag, for example, mentions, once again, Baird's nonsensical "72 hour rule," shilled for public consumption, but never lived by it's strongest proponent.

That's right. Baird and his propaganda arm, the democratian, never missed the opportunity to trumpet his "demand" that all bills be posted for 72 hours before they were voted on.

You'd think that someone who would champion such a cause would be morally bound to live by its tenets. After all, shouldn't that plan's strongest proponent live by the standard he wanted to set for everyone else?

Apparently not.

In my Cowardman series, I lay out the rank hypocrisy on our esteemed oh-so-soon to be former congressman, hypocrisy that includes wasting huge amounts of taxpayer dollars for his vacations, the facts surrounding his fake death threat babble; and, of course, his many votes for bills that not only didn't have 72 hours of daylight... but had less then a day before, well, he voted yes.

I freely admit that it didn't always happen. But it happened enough to blow holes in his self-proclaimed-but-not-lived-by 72 hour rule...

And the democratian didn't mention that.

Towards the end of his tenure, the real Brian Baird peeped out... we saw it, and the moment we did, his political career here locally went up in smoke. But the 1st District offers new opportunities for Baird... so expect him to take it.

Why else would he move up there?

I expect that as Baird makes public his decision to run for Inslee's seat after Inslee announces for governor, the rag will crank up it's rehab press even more. Because, well, after all... that's what they do if they "like" you. And Baird carried the rag's water like Gunga Din on, among other things, that steaming pile of bridge/loot rail.
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A more... entertaining presidential campaign? “Tell Obama I’m Coming After His Black A$$”

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Gateway Pundit fills us in:

Jimmy McMillan on Presidential Run: “Tell Obama I’m Coming After His Black A$$”

Posted by Jim Hoft on Friday, December 24, 2010, 11:33 AM

(Movie Line)

Jimmy McMillan, the leader of “The Rent Is Too Damn High” Party announced his run for president this week.

Ben Smith at The Politico reported:

Because life is short, I try generally to avoid irrelevant joke candidacies (particularly ones whose views have a slightly sinister tinge) in this space, but it seems worth noting that the semi-coherent Jimmy McMillan of “The Rent Is Too Damn High Party” fame is attempting to take his black-gloved act national.

He announced his campaign for the presidency on the libertarian-leaning Revolution Radio yesterday.

The tag line: “Tell Obama I’m coming after his black ass.”

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Professor Jacobson again speaks for many: "He's Everybody's President."

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That's one of the things we're going to see more and more beginning today. These calls for civility and bi-partisanship... or to the fringe leftist, the hidden calls to "do it our way."

Well, to quote that empty suited, anti-American racist bigot occupying the White House, "Elections have consequences."

The consequences of THIS election should include hearings on everything from Holder's violation of non-minority voter's civil rights (His support of Black Panther intimidation) to Bawney Fwank's involvement in the economic melt down.

That's what we SHOULD do.

Like what we SHOULD do would ever happen. Just look at the lame duck Senate session.

He's Everybody's President

Okay, the last two plus years, in which we have been called every name in the book by Obama, his administration, the Democrats in Congress, and the Democratic base, are forgiven and forgotten.

Let's just make pretend it never happened:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Me, I'm still waiting for apologies.

May be. But I ain't holding my breath.
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Laird's fringe-left, non-serving DADT idiocy continues.

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If there's a fringe-left nutter cause, and DADT is such a cause, expect the miscreant running the democratian's editorial page to stupidly expound on it.

He holds up as two examples, Grethe Cammermeyer and Margaret Witt, two officers kicked out because they were not only queer as 3 dollar bills, they couldn't keep it in the closet.

Here's just one of the problems... and certainly one that a non-serving moron like Laird did not, and will not, address.

Having served my country as an officer in the Armed Forces of the United States, I can tell you that one of the rules concerning being an officer is that you are not supposed to lie.

Here's the oath these two clowns took to become officers:

I, (state name), having been appointed a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.

Read it again, carefully... particularly this part:

that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

So, from this, we can absolutely note that from the moment they first became a member of the military... they lied. Knowing, as they did, that homosexuals were prohibited from serving in any capacity in the Armed Forces. Clearly, they DID take that oath with mental reservations and purposes of evasion.

The Lairds of the world don't care. The lying? That just means their ends are somehow justified, and who cares that they were dishonorable liars? To those like Laird, that's just a cost of doing business.

Honor and integrity are certainly among those more uncomfortable military concepts that a Laird has no knowledge of and wouldn't be caught dead mentioning in one of his self-serving screeds... and they're concepts obviously unknown to those whiners like Cammermeyer and Witt.

It never ceases to amaze me how little telling the truth means anything to people like Laird... and by "truth," I also mean that part of the truth that involves the uncomfortable aspects that tend to weaken a position if discussed as part of full disclosure.

There are victims here... and they aren't these two. They are, in fact, us; as these two lied to get in... and lied to stay in.

But there's no place for that kind of situational expedience, where scum like Laird would now have us turn a blind eye to the fact that these two joined under fraudulent conditions, that every day they served UNTIL the implementation of DADT was a lie to the Armed Forces and that they are both guilty of gross misconduct and Conduct Unbecoming an Officer... because they lied to get in and lied repeatedly thereafter... with each day they served.

Like Laird, those whining the loudest about this didn't serve. Further, like those scum shilling an unneeded and unwanted Bridge/Loot Rail project won't have to pay for that project... won't have to cough up the $1300 plus a year to go to work over that piece of crap, those like Laird who pound this drum won't have to live with it.

I don't take this position because these people are homosexual (Many reading this will think at this point, "Yeah... SURRRRRE you don't.") There's a symmetry in this position for me, because I apply a similar justification to, say, teachers and government employees in the realm of their pay and benefits. The monumental amount of whining these people make over their pay and benefits gives me cause to wonder: were they even aware of what they were going to get paid when they took the job? And if they were, what right do they have to bitch about it now?

That, of course, is the same standard I hold up for gays in the military, particularly officers and particularly those who enlisted under a lie... like Laird's two heroes.

Laird won't have to live with gay men and women, or shower with them, now emboldened by a system that will essentially beg homosexuals to attack those who don't see things "their way" by claiming bigotry, putting careers at risk much like a false rape allegation.

This policy and the horrific problems it causes will be implemented and they won't intrude or impact the cheerleaders fors gays like Laird one "Witt," so to speak.

But blood is going to be spilled over this. And when it is, we will NOT see any second thought words or columns from clueless idiots like Laird. No matter how bad it gets, the Lairds of the world will not admit they were wrong.

Many of the more ignorant like Laird equate this to integration of the Armed Forces, which was accomplished by Harry Truman's Executive Order... the same thing a gutless Obama COULD have done, but refused to do because he knew of the political costs ahead of time.

But here's the dirty little secret: unlike the integration order, had such an order manifestly reduced our combat capabilities... had it resulted in a less-safe, less effective fighting force.... it would have been repealed.

When the implementation of the pro-gay policies so loved by the left (who won't be putting THEIR asses on the line, BTW...) result in reduced combat capabilities, and the unnecessary spilling of blood and reduced mission capabilities, massively increased costs and reduced enlistment/retention rates and the like, it will make no difference to the idiots like Laird.

Everyone, including homosexual cheerleaders, need to remember:

There is no right, Constitutional or otherwise, to serve in the Armed Forces. If homosexuals found the conditions of service in the military so damned intolerable, they could have taken a pass... because, as we all know... no one made them enlist.

And how long is it going to take for these same cheerleaders to advocate for polygamists, molesters, those bound to wheel chairs, their fellow submorons and the rest unqualified to enlist?
To the cheerleaders, it's an academic exercise. To a grunt, it's a very real violation of HIS rights.

But these same people don't give a damn about THOSE rights. Only SOME rights need to be protected... just one example being the same whiners and snivelers who complain about guns... to them, the 2nd Amendment is really the 2nd Suggestion.

Because unless the enemy is standing in front of HIS desk, he won't give a damn as long as his agenda is implemented... like the rest of the clowns where he works.
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Local boy does good: Kyle Garcia from Ridgefield.

From an Associated Press newswire;

ADDS THE REASON WHY THE SOLDIERS WEARING SANTA HATS – Pfc. Kyle Garcia from Ridgefield, Wash., right, along with Spc. Steven Galvin from Holstein, Iowa, of 2nd Platoon Bravo Company 2-327 Infantry, returns fires after a sudden attack by Taliban on Combat Out Post Badel in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on Friday, Dec. 24, 2010. The two U.S. soldiers were wearing Santa Claus hats to celebrate Christmas eve inside the small outpost when Taliban fighters shot at them from a hillside outside the base. Still wearing the hats, the soldiers rushed to take defensive positions and returned fire on the Taliban. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Another fine product from This Ain't Hell.
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See what dem control of Washington State has wrought: Democrat Auditor - $24.1 billion in unfunded liabilities - pensions are just the start.

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We are in very, very bad shape. Is bankruptcy far behind?

Brian Sonntag is my one guaranteed vote.

State’s Unfunded Liabilities are Whopping $24.1 Billion, Says State Auditor – Pension Problems are Just the Start

Report Cites Huge Troubles With College-Tuition Program, Retiree Benefits and Lawsuit Fund

State Auditor Brian Sonntag.

By Erik Smith

Staff writer/ Washington State Wire

OLYMPIA, Dec. 23.—Maybe you’ve heard about the big problems with the state-employee pension system? Well, get set for a shock. Turns out those are just the start.

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A new report from the state auditor’s office says Washington’s unfunded liabilities are an
eye-popping $24.1 billion. And while some of that may not be cause for alarm, the report points to some great big holes in accounts the state has established to take care of long-term expenses. Simply put, the Legislature hasn’t been setting aside enough money over the years, and recession has only made the problem worse.

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Among other things, there’s a quarter-billion-dollar deficit in an account set up to provide college tuition for Washington children. The state’s risk-management fund, which pays to settle lawsuits, is about $600 million short of the amount required to cover future estimated payouts. There’s a nearly $4 billion unfunded liability in a program that provides benefits for retired workers. And there are some worrisome trends in the state worker-compensation system, including a pay-as-you-go liability to cover the future costs of pensions for disabled workers that has now reached $12 billion.

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There’s a great big bill coming, says state auditor Brian Sonntag, and one way or another, the state’s taxpayers ultimately are on the hook.

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“A lot of these things get talked about, one at a time, but when you put ‘em all together, you can see what it means,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of work to get our house back in order.”

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A Parade of ‘Red Flags’

The figures come from the state’s comprehensive annual financial report, a big fat compendium of numbers that normally is read mainly by people on Wall Street. It should be noted that the bond-rating houses continue to give Washington a high rating. So taxpayers in this state don’t have to worry about the junk-bond rates that force California residents to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in additional interest charges every year.

More:

We are in horrible financial shape in this state, and yes, the democrats, who in one form or another, have been in charge of this state's government since 1984, are the ones directly at fault.
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Will the next legislature have the testicular fortitude to do what has to be done?

Is the governor capable of understanding that, no, teachers and state employees have NOT "sacrificed enough;" THEY must now sacrifice much, much, more... since the legislature was neatly tied up in a well-deserved Eyman Knot this passed November.

Cuts, legislators. And cuts in pay and benefits is where its going to start.

It may also mean bankruptcy. But that's a cost I'm willing to bear.
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Merry Christmas, everyone.

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This has been a very tough year for us... here locally and around the country.

Many are discouraged. Many are overworked and overtaxed to support those who are neither.

We have not been blessed with a responsive, flexible government. We've been hosed by a GOP that simply does not get it, and who turned on us in this past lame duck session.

Our future as a nation continues to grow darker by the minute. There does not appear to me to be any light at the end of the tunnel that isn't attached to a train.

We are utterly clueless in both domestic and foreign policy. We have an Administration that uses the blood of our sons and daughters overseas as political pawns while the rest of the world neither fears... nor respects us.

But we must persevere.

We must press on. no matter how discouraged we get, no matter how biased media has become, particularly locally; no matter how deaf those we've foolishly elected are to those they would govern, we must continue the struggle to return to what we once were.

It will be a difficult fight. We will have a hard time either educating, or voting out of office, those we've elected if they will not do the will of the people.

Our economy continues to suffer while they raise our taxes. Jobs are hard to come by, and the government sector prospers FAR out of proportion to the private sector that they allegedly work for. Government employees are allowed to get away with fiscal murder while the GOP at both the federal and local levels (How much are county employees paying for health care again?) stand by and either let them do it, or actively help them do it as our own GOP-controlled county commission has most recently done.

And folks, there is no reason to vote for fake democrats when we actually have the real thing.

But press on we must.

Today, we celebrate the birth of Christ. Tonight, say a little prayer for all of those harmed by the idiocy of government at all levels. Spend some time thinking about our brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line for increasingly questionable and incompetent leadership acting for increasingly questionable and incompetent reasons. Give to charity if you can afford it; help those who need help if you have the means.

Believe that ultimately, this too shall pass. We must believe that inevitably, our current nightmare of a government will be the footnote that the Carter Administration has become, a punchline to a very bad joke. In time, Obama will become the floor from which we spring, and not the horror story that many of us knew, and he himself has confirmed, that his Administration has become..

God bless you all.
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My take on the Cowlitz/Paskenta/Mohegan/Barnett Casino scam.

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I have always opposed this project, ever since I started paying attention and heard the thugs surrounding it lie, exaggerate, and just ooze dishonesty.

Now, on top of that, we have the Obama Administration telling the Supreme Court to drop dead.

Briefly,

Carcieri v. Salazar, No. 07-526 (2009), was a recent case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held held that the term "now under Federal jurisdiction" referred only to tribes that were federally recognized when the Indian Reorganization Act^[1] became law and the Federal government could not take land into trust for tribes that were recognized after 1934.^[2]

There was no exception for the Cowlitz, who were not federally recognized in 1934 and, in fact, became federally recognized in 2000.

Leaving aside the horrific damage this project will cause Clark County residents in infrastructure issues related to tremendous increases in traffic and the subsequent costs (in the hundreds of millions) necessary to address these issues; the sub-minimum wage jobs (The megacasino will not have to pay Washington State Minimum Wage of $8.67 or so; they'll only have to pay the federal minimum wage of $7.25) the social costs and the like, the idea that as Interior put it:

The Cowlitz Tribe’s application to place land into trust was filed under the Indian Reorganization Act, which required the Department to examine whether it could be approved under the Carcieri Supreme Court decision. The Interior Solicitor’s office conducted a thorough review of the application and determined that it satisfied the requirements of the Indian Reorganization Act and the Carcieri decision.

...is utter nonsense.

Calling a pancake a football doesn't make it a football.

This casino cannot be built on land that has not been taken into trust.

The Supreme Court has decided that unless your tribe was federally recognized in 1934, you cannot have land taken into trust.

If a casino can be built on land that is NOT taken into trust, then anyone, tribal or no, can build a casino on any land adequately zoned for such a project. Since the tribes own the democrats in this state and the democrats control this state's government, there is zero likelihood of such a scenario.

Several efforts, documented here and here, were made to eviscerate the Supreme Court decision by implementing the so-called Carcieri Fix as a part of the CR, or continuing resolution. They were stripped out by Sen. Feinstein, who has made her opposition to the Carcieri Fix well known. Others in opposition include Senators Boxer, Kyl, Reid and McCain.

So, we're faced with the obvious question: in the face of a Supreme Court decision clearly making this decision illegal... why did Interior do it?

Is it mere coincidence that Obama met with 60 tribes at the White House on the 15th of December, the Carcieri Fix (Which was added by Oklamahoma Republican Congressman Tom Cole, BTW... wonder who bought him?) was stripped out of the Continuing Resolution by Feinstein and BAM, they wave a magic wand and all of a sudden Interior makes a decision as if Carcieri never happened?

And in the face of the wide-spread opposition to this project, where local municipalities, civic organizations and governments have expressed their opposition to this project, why even have a "process" to begin with?

If the overwhelming evidence that this would be harmful to the local people (Since the vast majority of the Cowlitz Tribe is Seattle-centric) is to be ignored by these morons in DC... why even bother to have a process in the first place?

Let's just allow any tribal member who wants to to set up a casino wherever they feel like it, environment, public opposition and damage to the surrounding area be damned?

This violation of the Supreme Court decision, which remains in effect even now, shows that something is going on here that hasn't yet been made public. This isn't rocket science, and while local gambling addicts are positively giddy in their rejoicing that they won't have to ride a bus for 90 minutes to get their fix, they fail to understand that they will have to sit in their cars for at least that long... because there's a solid likelihood that traffic on I-5 and surrounding roads will become an absolute nightmare... not to mention that the local economy of LaCenter will now become destroyed in the ways that Mayor Jim Irish and his fellow travelers always wanted.

Even now, the lawyers are likely gearing up to trash this effort; several US Senators are about to become unhinged at this obvious abuse of law, and those paying attention are left to wonder: is this just the first episode of Obama ignoring the Supreme Court, like he's ignored the people he would govern?

Now, about a $25 per head county toll for each car going into the casino. Looks like a good deal to me. Surely those people won't mind helping to pay for the government costs of this project?
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The Senate GOP got rolled... again... on the First Responders Bill. Sigh.

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As the month of December has shown, the GOP is fully cappable of acting the role of political lambs, led to the slaughter through obvious ploys like those of Harry Reid and Barry O.

The so-called First Responder Bill was a case in point.

The GOP was either too stupid or too cowardly to see how they were getting hosed. So they screwed us again, and the left again comes out of this looking like heroes when they should be locked up for theft.

Professor Jacobsen schools us again at Le*gal In*sur*rec*tion

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Tom Coburn Was Right

Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) was right to insist on greater financial accountability and fraud prevention in the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act (history of text changes here).

The Zadroga Act had all the hallmarks of the type of government spending which, without vigilance, gave rise to massive fraud in Hurricane Katrina relief. Take a worthy cause and pick a number out of a hat, and what you get is a rip-off of the taxpayers, which is what happened on a huge scale in the aftermath of Katrina.

Taking care of 9/11 responders who actually became ill from dust inhaled during or in the aftermath of 9/11 certainly is a worthy cause, but the numbers thrown about by
Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand appeared to be picked out of a hat. Coburn was right to ask why "X billion dollars" and not "Y billion dollars."

In fact, more than $2 billion was shaved off the price tag by the time the bill was passed, without any obvious harm to the purpose of the bill.

Republicans were bullied into writing a blank check for Katrina relief by legitimately sad stories. Even The NY Times called Katrina relief fraud "breathtaking."

More:

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Collectively, the GOP in the Senate is like the Keystone Cops of politics. Even when the GOP had control, they were played like a fiddle, in ways a beginning Poli Sci 101 student could see in a heartbeat.

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Like lemmings jumping off a cliff for a little swim, the Senate GOP plods along, doing whatever they're manipulated into doing: lying to us about not passing legislation until a budget bill was passed; adding tens of billions to the deficit, getting rid of DADT instead of getting rid of the divisive influence of homosexuals in the military altogether, passing the idiotic START treaty... making Obama out to be the greatest politician of the last century, helping him to resurrect a political career deader then the proverbial bus load of illegal aliens at a John Birch Society Convention.

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The GOP allowed all these things.

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And while I despise democrat policies, I have to admire their political ability while simultaneously bemoaning the GOP's lack of it.

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Words to live by: Why I don't want an iPad for Christmas

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The Wall Street Journal's take; worth a read and true about much of our technology.

Why I Don't Want an iPad for Christmas

• By BRETT ARENDS

• Article
• Video
• Stock Quotes
• Comments (279)

Everyone wants an iPad this Christmas, right?

Apple's tablet computer is this year's hottest adult toy. Sales are booming. James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Securities, expects the company to sell six million this quarter, half of them here in the U.S. It's driving the company toward what will probably be yet another blowout Christmas period.

Apple is expected to sell millions of its popular iPad tablet computer this holiday season but Brett Arends has several reasons why he's not willing to join the masses and buy one for Christmas.

But you can count me out. I don't want an iPad for Christmas, thanks very much.

Sacrilege!

Why? Here are my reasons.

1. It'll be cheaper next year.

How dumb are people? Apple is coming out with iPad II in 2011. (Mr. Cordwell predicts April.) That means fanatics won't be seen dead with this year's model, and you'll be able to get it much cheaper. Try eBay or buy it "refurbished" direct from Apple. Price deflation in technology is a wonder to behold. Remember the first iPhones? The 8-gigabyte models cost $599. A few months later they cost $399. Now they're paperweights. The average middle-class American earns maybe $16 an hour after taxes. So if you save, say, $150 on a product, that's more than nine hours' extra work. Of course, if you love your job so much you like putting in an extra day for free, go ahead.

View Full Image

Associated Press

Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the then-new iPad in January.

2. It's going to be better next year.

The next iPad will have new features—allegedly including video conferencing and maybe a better screen. This year's model will be so over. When Steve Jobs unveiled the second iPhone in 2008 he actually made fun of the slow first model—the same product that he had hailed a year earlier as the eighth wonder of the world. The audience yukked it up. Me? I'm not a fan of buying a product for $500 from a guy who's going to deride it a few months later.

3. Check out those profit margins!

OK, I admit it: I've been wrong about Apple stock lately. After correctly turning bullish at $85 two years ago, I turned cautious waaay too early. My mistake? This isn't a technology company. It's a luxury brand, like Hermès or Tiffany. And it's wooed customers so they'll pay almost anything for its products. Last Christmas, Apple's gross margins were 41%. That's incredible. It's good for Apple, good for stockholders—but not so good for shoppers. Me, I don't want to support someone else's 60% markups with my own dollars. Generally speaking, the smarter move is to invest in the Tiffanys of the world—and shop at the Wal-Marts.

4. Competitors are coming.

Right now the iPad has just one serious rival, the Samsung Galaxy Tab. So no wonder it's doing so well. But all that will change in just a few months. New tablets, many running on the Android platform, are expected to hit the market as soon as March. These will give you a much wider choice of size, style and operating system. And when these companies duke it out for market share, you know you'll be able to get a deal. So why would I buy now?

5. No Flash.

Do you want to watch video clips on the Web? On a boring old laptop or PC, you can do that for free. On the amazing new iPad? Only sometimes. Most Web video runs on Adobe Flash, and the iPad can't—or rather, won't—handle Flash. So there are plenty of video clips you won't be able to watch. And plenty of others you will have to pay to watch, either by renting them from Apple's iTunes, or by paying for a subscription service like Hulu Plus. Mr. Jobs had a very public bust-up with Adobe over Flash this year. I have sympathy for his position, as Flash can be unstable. But it's still the software most Web video clips use, and I want that choice.

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Eyman to bring it: Will run 2/3rds legislative tax vote initiative every 2 years.

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Tim Eyman has announced the following:

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Initiative activist Tim Eyman says he'll introduce another initiative in 2012 requiring a two-thirds supermajority for the Legislature to raise taxes.

Eyman's Initiative 1053 was overwhelming approved by voters in November. It requires the Legislature to get a two-thirds majority on tax-hike votes rather than the simple majority required for most legislation. Lawmakers also could send taxes to Washington voters for approval.

It took effect Dec. 2. However, lawmakers are allowed to change or suspend initiatives after two years. Eyman says that starting in 2012, he'll introduce a similar initiative ever two years to try to keep that from happening.

I'm looking for the democrats to do everything they can to find a way around this; expect something as wide-ranging as a Constitutional amendment of some sort to stop this kind of initiative.

The next general election would be perfect for such a thing as a way to bring out their fellow fringe leftists. With typical GOP incompetence, adequately displayed in the last election, this is a situation just begging to happen.

Meanwhile, good job, Timmy.
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More idiocy from the Kelso Cops: City Council accepts police union plan to avoid layoffs.

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On December 11, I pointed out the Kelso Police Department union as an example of why I despise government unions today.

Why governments from the state level on down don't just declare an economic
emergency, tear up their union contracts, and cut payroll across the board is
just a mystery to me. And here's an example of why they need to do that:

This story documented how the men and women in blue who allegedly "Preserve and Protect" the fine people of Kelso are much more interested in "preserving and protecting" every penny of their pay checks when they refused to take a minimal (and I believe 5% to BE minimal) pay cut to protect the jobs of 4 police officers, who were subsequently subject to firing due to budget cuts.

Well, not to be outdone, the Union came back with another plan that will result in keeping the 4 officers in question.

On the surface at least, this seems like a pretty good outcome. Those not drilling down beyond the title of what that union accomplished might even believe the union actually did some good here.

Well, they didn't.

Last month, the City Council said if police cut $90,000 from next year's payroll, the city would use roughly $330,000 from its reserve account in 2011 and 2011 to fund the balance of the jobs on the chopping block and not lay anyone off.

On Dec. 7, the union announced it was rejecting the city's proposal for union members to take a 5 percent pay cut in 2011 in exchange for no layoffs. In response, the council said a police clerk and officers Aaron Marthaller, Sarah Hoffman and Phil Weismiller would be laid off as planned Dec. 31.

Tuesday, the council voiced its displeasure over the "11th hour" offer and wondered why police hadn't offered sooner to cut back on overtime.

"I feel that we have been trying for quite awhile to lay out the financial position the city finds itself in," Councilman Dan Myers said. "It's only lately that they believed we were saying what we meant."

"If overtime can drop down from $143,000 to $50,000 just by changing the schedule, why the hell haven't we changed the schedule in the past?" Mayor Futcher demanded.

Why, indeed?

It would seem the Kelso PD union has been screwing the taxpayers for years.

So, while the retention of the 4 officers in question is certainly a good thing... I add my voice to the chorus demanding to know why this cut in overtime didn't take place years ago, to save the taxpayers a substantial amount of money that could have been put to good use elsewhere, or could have been kept in the pockets the PD extorted to get it in the first place.

I renew this call:

That all governments at all levels declare that which we are obviously in the middle of to be an economic emergency; tear up the union contracts and tell these people:

THIS is what we're going to pay; THIS is how much work you're going to do, THIS is how much you are going to pay for health care, and THIS is how much we're willing to spend for retirement. .
And if you don't like it... quit.
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GOP sells us out again on the START Treaty.

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Pumping new political life into the Empty Suited, anti-American racist bigot occupying the White House has become the top priority for the Senate GOP.

First, the GOP violates it's word not to pass any legislation until a budget bill is passed.

Second, the GOP ads 150 billion unnecessary dollars to the deficit.

Third, the GOP allows the repeal of DADT.

Fourth, The GOP allows billions to be wasted on the so-called "First Responders Bill."

And now, the GOP has helped the nutbergers pass the START Treaty.

Not only has the GOP not allowed Obama to become a lame-duck president, he's played them like he inveted the position.

Instead of putting him on political life support and saving our country from further horrific damage, the GOP's actions, or failures to act, have actively aided and abetted his political resurrection.

Opposing these irresponsible actions by the leftist in the Senate and Obama personally would have saved billions and saved lives. Secondary to that, it would have further weakened Obama and increased his political isolation.

Now all we've done is made him look like a hero.

Refer to my initial post on the subject: Don't be fooled: The GOP hasn't changed; it's going to be government as usual.

The government of this country will not positively change by out-democrating the democrats.

And for the entire month of December, instead of pounding these guys like rented mules, we've lost the initiative, the drive, the integrity and the vision to do the right thing in exchange for the politically expedient thing.

And we will not forget.
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Ridgefield Barbie's keeper forces a name change, decided before the election.

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As yet another sign that Jaime Herrera is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Dr. Frankenstein character who built her from spare parts around the office, an official, post-election (So the hispanic surname wouldn't get buried on the ballot or in the press releases) name change has taken place.

Jaime "Ridgefield Barbie" Herrera is now known as Jaime "The Camas Manikin" Herrera BUETLER (Or, "Butler," to aficionados) because her boss, Cathy McMorris Rogers, wanted it that way.

The press release, which is total fiction, spews this garbage:

“Now that the dust from the campaign has settled, I’ve had the chance to thoughtfully consider and make a permanent choice regarding this personal decision about my family,” she said in her release.

Besides the fact that Herrera hasn't done a "thoughtful" thing in her government careered life, the fact of the matter is this:

The decision to do this was made BEFORE the election. The proof?

Herrera recycled all of her campaign signs starting November 3. She didn't keep any of them.

It had not one damned thing to do with "dust settling," or "thoughtful consideration."

CMR did it this way. CMR told Barbie to do it this way. Barbie hears and obeys. Which will ultimately be the story of her hopefully brief time in office.

Herrera, who's tenure to date has been marked by her cowardly failures to take any positions on ANYTHING, is at least to be congratulated for making a decision about SOMETHING, even as moronic as putting her name familiarity ahead of her familial duty, and convention, of becoming Jamie Beutler.

Course, there's nothing particularly hispanic about that. And being 1/2 hispanic for Herrera is much the same as John Kerry's Vietnam "service," such as it was.

Where people used to say, "Hey... did you know John Kerry served in Vietnam?" They'll now say, "Hey, did you know Jaime Herrera is hispanic?"

Like Herrera, the name thing is a joke. And, it serves as yet another example that when it comes to CMR, Mr. Lincoln didn't really free the slaves, and the 13th Amendment is, in reality, the 13th Suggestion.

By the way... did you know that Jamie Herrera is hispanic?

So, there you have it. Ridgefield Barbie starts her tenure off with yet another lie. But then, isn't that what we've grown to expect from her and her keepers?

Cross posted on Jaime Herrera Watch. And as a reminder... Herrera will always be Ridgefield Barbie to me.
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Get your head in the game, Laird: the election was November 2nd, not the 3rd.

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Like most fringe left nutters, facts have little meaning to John Laird, the democratian's radical leftist in residence. So, I wasn't terribly surprised when he used yet another rather indisputable example of his incompetence, this little nugget in his last roll of used toilet paper:

Over the years, Laird has spewed so many false positions; presented so much tripe in subjects as wide ranging as the unneeded, unwanted and inexcusable waste of billions of dollars to get loot rail into Vancouver specifically and Clark County generally, to the steaming pile contained within his most recent embarrassment to the journalistic science... though, while considering the source of his employment, it shouldn't have been terribly surprising.

The election, you moron, was the 2nd... not the 3rd. And the democrats hosed the GOP, whipping them like rented mules, forcing them to lie about their requirement to vote on anything until the issue of tax rates AND the CR were actually passed.

As Dr. Krauthammer so adroitly pointed out, and you so moronically tried (while failing miserably in the attempt) to rejoin, the GOP has nothing to celebrate here.

They were out-maneuvered at every turn; weakening the military with the new homosexual recruitment tools, dramatically increasing an already horrific deficit, and now, no doubt, caving to the Russians on the START treaty... FURTHER weakening this nation... perhaps the most damage done to our security in one week since the Navy's rum ration was outlawed.

Facts have meaning, Laird. It's a pity they're so unimportant in your world... from the small facts like the date of an election, to the huge facts like your consistent, week in, week out murder of the truth to further your political agenda... the people be damned.

Calendars are your friend, Laird. Look up November 2nd, a day that will live in infamy as the day the base of the GOP was raped by the Republican liars running, if nothing else, the GOP Caucus of the US Senate.
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