Thursday, December 29, 2011

What happens under the ice


This is something I had never heard of so I thought you might enjoy watching.

When the tide is out... Under the ice.

Very interesting what natives have done for ages Just click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z0qGvC3vqaA

Amazing lack of business experience


This list represents the percentage of each past president's cabinet
who had worked in the private business sector prior to their
appointment to the cabinet. You know what the private business sector
is -- a real life business, not a government job. Here are the
percentages.

T. Roosevelt...........38%
Taft.........................40%
Wilson ...................52%
Harding...................49%
Coolidge.................48%
Hoover ...................42%
F. Roosevelt............50%
Truman...................50%
Eisenhower.............57%
Kennedy..................30%
Johnson...................47%
Nixon.......................53%
Ford.........................42%
Carter......................32%
Reagan....................56%
GH Bush...................51%
Clinton ....................39%
G.W. Bush................55%

And the winner is:

Obama............... 8%


This helps to explain the incompetence of this administration: only 8%
of them have ever worked in private business!

That's right! Only eight percent---the least, by far, of the last 19
presidents! And these people are trying to tell our big corporations
how to run their business? They know what's best for GM, Chrysler,
Wall Street, and you and me?

How can the president of a major nation and society, the one with the
most successful economic system in world history, stand and talk about
business when he's never worked for one? Or about jobs when he has
never really had one? And when it's the same for 92% of his senior
staff and closest advisers? They've spent most of their time in
academia, government, and/or non-profit jobs such as "community
organizers." They should have been in an employment line.

Pass this on, as we'll NEVER see these facts in the mainstream media.

"One of the penalties of not participating in politics is that you
will be governed by your inferiors."  Plato

Budget Woes


This is pretty explanatory.  Love it.

Remember the out cry stemming from S&P's down grade of the US credit worthiness?  Well lets have a closer look!

This really makes it easy to see 
what is happening.

Current status ........

U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000

Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000

New debt: $1,650,000,000,000

National debt: $14,271,000,000,000

Recent budget cut: $38,500,000,000

Now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a Household Budget:

Annual family income: $21,700

Money the family spent: $38,200

New debt on the credit card: $16,500

Current outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710

Total budget cuts: $385

When it is broken down like this, it makes it easier to see how much trouble we are in !!!!!

Who is buying companies that manufacture guns?


  SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT IS HAPPENING
     Who is buying companies, manufacturing guns ?????

        For the last several years a company called The Freedom Group has been
     buying up gun and ammunition manufacturers.  Some of the companies are
     Bushmaster, Marlin, Remington, DPMS, Dakota Arms and H&R.  Some  
     people worry that this Freedom Group is going to control most of the 
     firearms companies in the United States.  If you control the manufacturers 
     you can decide to stop selling to civilians.  What a perfect way to control  
     guns.
     
     Now if you do some digging you will see that The Freedom Group is owned
     by a company called Cerberus Capital Management.
   
     Guess who controls Cerberus???  GEORGE SOROS !!!!!!!!!   One of the  
     most evil men on this planet who wants to restrict or ban all civilian guns.
     Please pass this on to all your freedom loving friends.  This needs to come
     out.  Why have we not heard about this in the "mainstream" media?  I would
     think this would be BIG news.  (Soros also owns Progressive Insurance)

     If you don't know who George Soros is, you need to do some 
     research.  He backed Obama with millions of dollars and 
    Obama is a puppet on a string controlled by Soros .

     Send this to every gun owner in America.

European Life Died in Auschwitz


The  following is a copy of an article written by Spanish
writer  Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez and published in a
Spanish newspaper  on Jan. 15 2008.  It doesn't take
much imagination to  extrapolate the message to the
rest of Europe   -  and possibly to the rest of the world.


IT WAS IN A  SPANISH PAPER
Date:  Tue. 15  January 2008  14:30

EUROPEAN LIFE  DIED IN AUSCHWITZ   

By Sebastian Vilar Rodrigez

I walked down  the street in Barcelona , and suddenly
 discovered a terrible  truth -  Europe died in Auschwitz 
  ... We  killed six million Jews and replaced them with
20 million  Muslims.  In Auschwitz we burned a culture,
thought,  creativity, talent.  We destroyed the chosen
people,  truly chosen, because they produced great
and wonderful people  who changed the world.

The contribution of this people  is felt in all areas of life:
science, art, international  trade, and above all, as the conscience of the world. 
These are the people we burned.

And under the  pretense of tolerance, and because we
wanted to prove to  ourselves that we were cured of the disease of  racism,  we opened our gates to 20 million Muslims,  who brought  us stupidity and ignorance,
religious extremism and lack of  tolerance, crime and
poverty, due to an unwillingness to work  and support
their families with pride.

They have blown  up our trains and turned our beautiful
 Spanish cities into the  third world, drowning in filth
and crime.

Shut up in  the apartments they receive free from the government, they  plan the murder and destruction of
their naive  hosts.

And thus, in our misery, we have exchanged  culture
for fanatical hatred, creative skill for destructive  skill,
intelligence for  backwardness and  superstition.

We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of  the Jews
of Europe and their talent for a better future for  their
children, their determined clinging to life because life 
is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by  the desire for death for themselves and others, for our
  children and theirs..

What a terrible mistake was made  by miserable Europe .

A lot of Americans have become so  insulated from
reality that they imagine America can suffer  defeat
without any inconvenience to  themselves.

Recently, the UK debated whether to remove  The
Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offends'  the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. It is 
 not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening
portent of  the fear that is gripping the world and how
easily each  country is giving into it. 

It is now more than  60 years after the Second World
War in Europe ended.
This  e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in
memory of the, 6  million Jews, 20 million Russians,
10 million Christians, and  1,900 Catholic priests who
were 'murdered, raped, burned,  starved, beaten,
experimented on and humiliated. Now, more  than
ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust
to  be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world
never  forgets. 

This e-mail is intended to reach 400  million people.
Be a link in the memorial chain and help  distribute this
around  the world.

How many years  will it be before the attack on the
World Trade Center 'NEVER  HAPPENED' because it
offends  some Muslim in the United  States ?


Angry caller calls me a Nazi


Dear YourHub Editor,

I received a voice mail today from a “Private Number” that I think you should be made aware of:

“This call is for Mark Helgeson about an article he wrote that was handed to me.    Mark Helgeson doesn’t know what he is talking about.   I’m a member of the Monticello Jefferson Foundation, the James Madison Restoration, and Friends of Valley Forge, and Friends of Fort Ticonderoga,  and Ben Franklin.   I’ve traveled New England for eight years studying colonial history and founding fathers.   James Hitchcock would fit in with you, Nazi.   Stasi.   The orthodox Catholic Church today is close to fanatical and very close to Nazism and Fascism.   If Mark Helgeson is going to be pushing the Anthony Scalia and William Rehnquist view of things, you need to read the history of the Ustasi in the Ukraine, I mean the Balkans, prior to World War II.    Mark, if you believe this stuff, you make a good Nazi.”


I also believe this must be Jack Van Ens calling me because I criticized his article in my article.

The caller also attacks James Hickcock whom I quoted in my article.  A quick web search shows that James Hickcock is a PhD at Saint Louis University where he has written several books on religion and society.   He appears to be well regarded by his students and the faculty at this Jesuit University in St Louis  where he has taught for many years.   

I wonder why judicial opinions issued by supreme court justices, Scalia and the late Rehnquist, would make them Nazis also.   

What’s the saying about losing an argument when you have to resort to ad hominem name calling and personal insults?    From his comments, I think Jack must be an anti-Catholic bigot which is not very kind of this former Episcopalian minister.

I hope you will take these ad hominem attacks into consider prior to publishing articles by Jack Van Ens.

Mark Helgeson
LtCol,USMC (Ret)
Westminster, CO

Australia Looking For A Few Good US Veterans


Romney Attended Planned Parenthood Events & Sought Their Endorsement


The president of Planned Parenthood has said that GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney used to seek her organization’s endorsements and attend events, according to the New York Times.
In a Friday column by Gail Collins, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) president Cecile Richards was quoted as saying that Romney once was a friend to Planned Parenthood before switching from a pro-choice to a pro-life platform.
“He used to come to Planned Parenthood events,” said Richards. “He asked for our endorsement.”

Obama skips Christmas but hails Kwanzaa


Barack Obama did not release a special statement for Christmas this year.
But, Barack Obama did issue a statement in celebration of the fake holiday Kwanzaa on Monday December 26.
From the White House website:
Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa — unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
We celebrate Kwanzaa at a time when many African Americans and all Americans reflect on our many blessings and memories over the past year and our aspirations for the year to come. And even as there is much to be thankful for, we know that there are still too many Americans going through enormous challenges and trying to make ends meet. But we also know that in the spirit of unity, or Umoja, we can overcome those challenges together.
As families across America and around the world light the red, black, and green candles of the Kinara this week, our family sends our well wishes and blessings for a happy and healthy new year.
To be fair, the president did send out a Christmas card… But it did not refer to Christ or Christmas. It was a picture of Bo the dog.

Christmas in Eurabia


Little Johnny

The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History.  Who said, ‘Give me Liberty or give me Death?’ "

She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Little Johnny, a bright foreign exchange student from Japan , who had his hand up: “Patrick Henry, 1775,” he said.

“Very good!  Who said, 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth?' “

Again, no response except from Little Johnny, 'Abraham Lincoln, 1863.'

“Excellent,” said the teacher continuing, “let's try one a bit more difficult...
Who said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?’ “

Once again, Johnny's was the only hand in the air and he said, “John F. Kennedy, 1961.”

The teacher snapped at the class, “Class, you should be ashamed of yourselves.  Little Johnny isn't from this country and he knows more about our history than you do.”

She heard a loud whisper: “F*** the Japs.”

'Who said that? I want to know right now,” she angrily demanded.

Little Johnny put his hand up, “General MacArthur, 1945.”

At that point, a student in the back said, “I'm gonna puke.”

The teacher glares around and asks, “All right!!! Now who said that!?”
Again, Little Johnny says, “George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991.”

Now furious, another student yells, “Oh yeah?  Suck this!”

Little Johnny jumps out of his chair waving his hand and shouts to the teacher, “Bill Clinton, to Monica Lewinsky, 1997!”

Now with almost mob hysteria someone said, “You little shit. If you say anything else, I'll kill you.”

Little Johnny frantically yells at the top of his voice, “Michael Jackson to the child witnesses testifying against him, 2004.”

The teacher fainted.

As the class gathered around the teacher on the floor, someone said, “Oh shit, we're screwed!”

Little Johnny said quietly, “the American people, November 4, 2008.” 

Sunday, December 25, 2011

What is success?

At age 4 success is . . . . Not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . Having friends.
At age 17 success is . . Having a driver's license.
At age 35 success is . . . ..having money.
At age 50 success is . . . Having money...
At age 70 success is . .. . Having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . ... . Having friends.
At age 80 success is . . .. Not piddling in your pants.

The Four Stages Of Like

1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

Great Truths About Life

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED: 
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don 't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don 't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.
 

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground...
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy..


GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD:

1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional...
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions...
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

A Great Christmas Story

This is what Christmas is all about...

I think I need to read this every year at Christmas. I can't count the times I've read this one and I always cry.


Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving. 

It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. 

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.. 

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the sideboards on. 

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting. What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what? 

Yeah," I said, "Why?" 

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern. 

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?" 

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp. 

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say 
something, but it wouldn't come out. 

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. 

My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people. 

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us." 

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it. 

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes. 

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine. 

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away. 

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will." 
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that,but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand." 

I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. 

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensen's, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life. 

Don't be too busy today. Share this inspiring message. God bless you!

A Social Network Christmas




EDITORIAL: An old soldier who won’t fade away

Obama is outclassed and outsmarted by retiring Gen. Petraeus:

Gen. David H. Petraeus closed his phenomenal 37-year Army career this week with a joint review at Fort Myer in Arlington . Service members from every branch were present, and flags of all 50 states fluttered in the breeze. A substantial crowd had come to hear the general's farewell address. Many were classmates from the West Point Class of 1974, smartly attired but enthusiastic and occasionally whooping like they were cadets. Others were people with whom he had served over his storied career, whom he recognized from the dais during his speech. The morning was sunny and clear, and the general was his usual affable, ebullient self. 

In his remarks, Gen. Petraeus recalled the days when he entered the military, when the Vietnam War was winding down and the armed services were being pared down to the "hollow forces" of the 1970s. "The Army I joined as a second lieutenant had suffered enormously," he said. "In the wake of our involvement in Vietnam , our Army and much of our military were grappling with a host of very serious challenges." The senior leaders who first wore the uniform in those dark days were not discouraged. They began their careers with a sense of mission. "I know I speak for many when I say that we came away from that period vowing to never let our forces get to such a point ever again." Through his efforts, and those of countless other visionaries in and out of uniform, the hollow forces were transformed once again into the finest fighting force in the world. Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over the ceremony with William J. Lynn, deputy secretary of defense. Notably absent were Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, whose former position as CIA director is Gen. Petraeus' next assignment, and President Obama. Their non-appearance did not sit well with some. "Obama should have been here," a warrior who served under Gen. Petraeus told The Washington Times. "And he should have invited [former President George W.] Bush. The general saved their bacon. Twice.



"Everyone has forgotten that in 2007 we as a nation had said, 'OK, we are going to lose Iraq .' And President Bush said, 'Well what if we win?' Petraeus rode into town and assembled an extraordinary team. His personal drive, his charisma, his optimism, his can-do spirit, all of that is what gave us hope that we could in fact turn Iraq around," our source explained. "And by September of '07, the progress had been dramatic enough that it became common knowledge to the American people that things were turning around in Iraq . Eight months earlier, a lot of people, including Obama, wanted to tuck tail and have another Vietnam ."
 

That's not all "Here is the guy who saved our reputation as a nation. Seriously, who's missing this? And then he went to [Central Command] and was doing great things. And Obama asked him to take a functional demotion and go back to Afghanistan and save our bacon again," we were told. "To leave his family, to step down from a regional command, to take on that burden. And he said yes, and he did it. Petraeus was the right guy at the right time, he answered the call, and now he's being yanked out before we're ready, just like the troops are being yanked out before Afghanistan is ready."

So what's the reason for the White House about-face? "They are sending him to the CIA to keep him quiet during the 2012 election. It shows how small and scared they are. He is an honorable man, he has never expressed political ambition. But they saw him as a threat. He is an independent thinker, the finest military mind of his generation," our source posits. "What he suffers from is that he is more excellent than almost anyone he meets, to include the president. The troops love him. Strong people surround themselves with the most excellent people they can find, even those brighter and more capable than themselves. Weak people don't."

There is a shameful indignity in how this hero was treated. "The president couldn't find the time in his schedule, nor could the [defense secretary] find the time to look him in the eye and say thank you in person," this warrior told The Washington Times. "It's one thing to say 'we support the troops' and trot out your first lady to do that, but this is where it counts. It would have been an appropriate gesture to come here to recognize the professional and personal sacrifice of this extraordinary man. It would have been the dignified thing to do."

The hero remained above it all. The cannons boomed and the crowd cheered and Gen. Petraeus stood smiling in the sun.

Copyright 2011 The Washington Times, LLC.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Are the rich really not paying their fair share?

    In his recent YourHub article, “The economics of Christmas trees,” Jack Van Ens calls for higher tax rates on the top 1% so that the added revenue will provide tax relief for the poor and middle class.   Van Ens also plays the class warfare game by accusing the wealthy of greed and graft and comparing them to pine beetles boring into Christmas trees.   Such comments not only call for a closer look at the facts, but they also call for a comment of “Good Grief!”

   Isn’t it amazing how Liberal Democrat politicians have completely convinced huge numbers of their followers that our economic/fiscal mess is the fault of "the rich?"   Liberals insist that the reasons for our deficits/debt problem is not over-spending by the federal government, but greed by wealthy people who don't pay "their fair share" of income taxes.  It is astonishing to see, but  when liberals mouth charges like this, they are immediately accepted and repeated by so many.  So, let’s look at the charge that the rich are not paying "their fair share."  
     The House Budget Committee has reported that the top 1% of income earners pay 38% of all federal tax revenue.  The top 5% pay 59%.  The top 10% pay 70%.  The top 25% pay 86%.  The top 50% pay 97.3%.  Conversely, the bottom 50% pays merely 2.7% of all federal tax revenue.  As the data shows, the rich are certainly paying their fair share.  In fact, they pay the vast share.  The poorest Americans, conversely, pay literally nothing in income taxes.  If anything, the system is disproportionately titled against the wealthy.  Our "rich" are paying for the reckless behavior of politicians addicted to spending; they are subsidizing spending addicts.  And to watch those addicts blame the mess on the rich for not paying enough?  It's ludicrous.   We should be thanking the top 1% who is paying more than their fair share, particularly when the bottom 50% isn’t paying practically anything.
    But too many folks such as Van Ens have the complete opposite opinion.  And lately, it has been aided and abetted not merely by the usual class-warfare demagogues, but by the likes of Warren Buffet and even some Republican writers, who are dupes for this line of propaganda.  Warren Buffet is the Democrats' dupe.  In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, Representative Paul Ryan put it this way: “The president likes to use Warren Buffett and his secretary as an example of why we should raise taxes on the rich.  Well, Warren Buffett gets the same health and retirement benefits from the government as his secretary. But our proposals to modestly income-adjust Social Security and Medicare benefits have been met with sheer demagoguery by leading members of the president’s party.”
    I would love it if all those Occupy Wall Street types would repeat after me: America's deficit/debt problem is a spending problem.  It is not the fault of rich people who pay too little income tax or Tea Party members guilty of "terrorism."   But, Don't take my word for it.  Look at the data.  However, the data just doesn't matter to a huge number of blind followers.  And that's a serious problem for this country.  It’s leftist propaganda, but there’s hope that it may not be fooling the majority of the public.  Despite the best efforts of President Obama and the Occupy Wall Street movement to pit the so-called “99 percent” against the “1 percent,” Americans are increasingly rejecting the idea that the country is divided into “haves” and “have notes.”  A recent Gallup poll reports the percentage of Americans who believe this has dropped significantly since 2008, especially among independents and moderates.  Americans are now less likely to see U.S. society as divided into the “haves” and “have notes” than they were in 2008, returning to their views prior to that point. A clear majority, 58 percent, say they do not think of America in this way, after Americans were divided 49 percent to 49 percent in the summer of 2008.

    But, the real function of the "tax the rich" mantra is not to tax the rich and create jobs, but to break the resistance working voters have against tax increases.  By enabling the federal government to appear to "tax the rich," voters are fooled into thinking that Democrats will tax only the rich, whereas in reality they are raising taxes on everyone, particularly those who accept the "tax the rich" rhetoric.   The remarkable thing is not that progressives continue this rhetoric, but that some of the electorate continue to buy it.  After all, that's why progressives continue this rhetoric.

    History shows that if the tax rate placed upon the wealthiest 1% of income earners were increased, the wealthy would act to shelter their incomes and send the money offshore.  Again, though, trying to explain this point to a progressive is akin to trying to explain things to the paranoid.  Do we really want to keep increasing taxes on the rich?   We should hope not because that is how we turn rich people into poor people.   I want all of us to become rich, and raising taxes is not a way to achieve that.

     Central redistribution of wealth was tried in the former Soviet Union and is still in use in EU countries. The former went bankrupt while trying to even out the wealth. The EU is now experiencing the consequences of redistribution: forcing Great Britain to cut back on their national health service and driving Greece into bankruptcy.   When liberals scream that we have a big gulf between the haves and the have-nots in our country, we should respond with the following:  “Yes, we do, just like every other country that has ever existed.  The difference is that we have more “haves” than other countries, and God Bless America!”

    If we want our beloved country to have the highest number of rich people possible, then let’s maximize the chances for everyone to become rich.   Financial success is not a zero-sum game.  We should minimize taxes not selectively increase them.  We should maximize education and thereby opportunities.  And, we must always avoid inciting class warfare.   Europeans have a tradition of despising the wealthy.   We Americans have a tradition of admiring our successful citizens, and we believe that we can achieve a high level of wealth as well.  Let’s not envy the Steve Jobs among us.

    So, we currently have an extraordinarily progressive income tax, which requires the wealthy (and the relatively wealthy) to bear virtually the entire burden of the income tax.  President Obama wants to “spread the wealth’ not because the wealthy do not currently bear their fair share of supporting the government.  He wants to spread the wealth because he views the wealth itself as unfair.  If we follow this policy, we will be one of those countries that sought "fairness" by taking massive amounts of money from one part of society to give to another.   The USA has never been about “redistributive change" in order to create "fairness."   As we can now clearly see in the EU, that policy has always made matters significantly worse for everyone.  We don’t need to all be equally miserabl

    Liberals firmly believe that tax increases are an important step towards the “economic justice” of a society.  If income inequality is really what troubles liberals, they should be leading the effort to reform entitlements along the lines outlined by Congressman Ryan. Instead, they are fierce critics of his plan. 

    The problem isn't the wealthy; it is the people clamoring for money that isn't theirs.  All those Occupy Wall Street types whine and moan because wealthy people who earn their living won't hand over money to people that have not worked for it.    Wouldn’t you love to tell them to quit relying on others to provide for them?

    Everyone except liberals knows that increasing taxes on the job creators during these harsh economic times will only cause further harm and increase unemployment.  We saw a preview of President Obama’s campaign strategy in his recent speech in Kansas.  He intends to make the case for big government and wealth redistribution. The campaign will be about the federal government picking winners and losers and will be presupposed by his belief that our free market has failed and that the 1% are boring into our Christmas trees.  Good grief!

Beware the Humane Society of the USA

The Humane Society of the United States is not what you think

By:Ron Arnold | 12/02/10 8:05 PM

If you donate to the Humane Society of the United States for supporting the homeless doggies and kitties in your local animal shelter, you've likely been suckered by one of Big Green's most notorious propaganda mills.

HSUS is a radical no-meat, anti-hunting, anti-gun octopus that spends millions swallowing other animal groups whole, but habitually gives less than 1 percent of its annual revenue to a few selected local shelters. It's not that they can't afford it -- they raked in $101.6 million last year alone.

HSUS got so big because of CEO Wayne Pacelle's takeovers of the extremist Fund for Animals and the respectable Doris Day Animal League, in what he calls "corporate combinations."

That, and his ability to create high-profile projects like disaster relief crews that swoop stranded cats and dogs from flooded housetops while the TV cameras watch -- then quietly dump them on nearby shelters without so much as a dime's worth of support.

Pacelle gets the credit, the grunts get the critters.

In 2008, the Los Angeles Times said, Pacelle couldn't get more aggressive without some CGI movie magic.

Most local animal shelters have caught on to him. Many prominently display signs and Web site disclaimers reading "Not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States."

They're angry that HSUS spent $22.3 million last year siphoning $51.9 million from animal lovers so they could lobby against "factory farmers," harass hunters and anglers, file lawsuits against circuses and animal acts, and muscle farmers and ranchers into bankruptcy.

Two weeks ago, Brandon Hunnicutt, president of the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, told its annual meeting that HSUS is not out to change agriculture, "they're out to completely destroy it" -- the living embodiment of lawyer Christopher Manes' 1992 book, "Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization."

But HSUS literature and news releases don't give you a clue. Last week, HSUS campaign director Paul Shapiro -- who once climbed atop a McDonald's at lunch hour with a "No Meat" banner -- told KOLN-TV News in Lincoln, Neb., "The HSUS has about 11 million supporters across the U.S. These are supporters that donate to the organization."

That's odd. Supporters who donate get the membership magazine. The HSUS 2009 Form 990 says HSUS sent out its bimonthly membership magazine to 450,000 people -- and there are penalties for filing false IRS reports.

But it's a standard Big Green tactic: They lie.

Defenders say HSUS is not a Big Green group, but an animal welfare group far removed from the environmental movement.

Then why is Joshua Reichert, mastermind of Pew Charitable Trusts' Environment Group, on HSUS' board of directors? And Mary Max, trustee of Global Green? And Andrew Rowan, president of the Center for Respect for Life & Environment?

And get this: HSUS Treasurer and CFO G. Thomas Waite III is also an officer of 10 other related groups, including EarthKind USA, Earth Voice International, and the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education.

Big Green pretenses get completely ridiculous when you see which foundations are giving them how much for what. Like the Marisla Foundation (Getty Oil money) and its $50,000 HSUS grant for "Mexico's regulation of marine noise impacts."

And the Ford Foundation's $185,000 "[t]o optimize the participation of foundation grantees in the World Summit on Sustainable Development."

Then, of course, the Harold Simmons Foundation's $10,000 to HSUS for "Cocktail reception."

This holiday season, donate to your local homeless doggy and kitty shelter, not HSUS.

Examiner contributor Ron Arnold is executive vice president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise.

Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2010/12/humane-society-united-states-not-what-you-think#ixzz1h2ORYjaA

Do NOT Donate To The Humane Society

This holiday season, donate to your local homeless doggy and kitty shelter, not HSUS.

If you donate to the Humane Society of the United States for
supporting the homeless doggies and kitties in your local animal
shelter, you’ve likely been suckered by one of Big Green’s most
notorious propaganda mills.

HSUS is a radical no-meat, anti-hunting, anti-gun octopus that spends
millions swallowing other animal groups whole, but habitually gives less
than 1 percent of its annual revenue to a few selected local shelters.
It’s not that they can’t afford it — they raked in $101.6 million last
year alone.


HSUS got so big because of CEO Wayne Pacelle’s takeovers of the
extremist Fund for Animals and the respectable Doris Day Animal League,
in what he calls “corporate combinations.”


That, and his ability to create high-profile projects like disaster
relief crews that swoop stranded cats and dogs from flooded housetops
while the TV cameras watch — then quietly dump them on nearby shelters
without so much as a dime’s worth of support.


Pacelle gets the credit, the grunts get the critters.

In 2008, the Los Angeles Times said, Pacelle couldn’t get more aggressive without some CGI movie magic.

Most local animal shelters have caught on to him. Many prominently
display signs and Web site disclaimers reading “Not affiliated with the
Humane Society of the United States.”


They’re angry that HSUS spent $22.3 million last year siphoning $51.9
million from animal lovers so they could lobby against “factory
farmers,” harass hunters and anglers, file lawsuits against circuses and
animal acts, and muscle farmers and ranchers into bankruptcy.


Two weeks ago, Brandon Hunnicutt, president of the Nebraska Corn
Growers Association, told its annual meeting that HSUS is not out to
change agriculture, “they’re out to completely destroy it” — the living
embodiment of lawyer Christopher Manes’ 1992 book, “Green Rage: Radical
Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization.”


But HSUS literature and news releases don’t give you a clue. Last
week, HSUS campaign director Paul Shapiro — who once climbed atop a
McDonald’s at lunch hour with a “No Meat” banner — told KOLN-TV News in
Lincoln, Neb., “The HSUS has about 11 million supporters across the U.S.
These are supporters that donate to the organization.”

That’s odd. Supporters who donate get the membership magazine. The
HSUS 2009 Form 990 says HSUS sent out its bimonthly membership magazine
to 450,000 people — and there are penalties for filing false IRS
reports.
But it’s a standard Big Green tactic: They lie.

The Piano Puppet...incredible puppeteering.


A great video! Enjoy . . .

Where Are The Three who brought down Wall Street?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?  Surprise....  Answer

The three who brought down Wall Street.

Here's a quick look into the three former Fannie Mae executives who brought down Wall Street.

Franklin Raines was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae.  Raines was forced to retire from his position with Fannie Mae when auditing discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting activities.  Raines left with a "golden parachute valued at $240 Million in benefits.  The Government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the accounting scandal became clear.

Tim Howard - was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae.  Howard "was a strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a "stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie.  Investigations by federal regulators and the company's board of directors since concluded that management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses.  Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004.  Howard's Golden Parachute was estimated at $20 Million!

Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO.  Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million when it fact it was $21 million." Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae.  Johnson's Golden Parachute was estimated at $28 Million.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

FRANKLIN RAINES?  Raines works for the Obama Campaign as his Chief Economic Advisor.

TIM HOWARD?  Howard is a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama under Franklin Raines.

JIM JOHNSON?  Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.

Kinda makes you sick to your stomach.  Our government seems to be rotten to the core!!!!

Happy Christmas

The Christmas story told by children . . .

December 17: Happy Saturnalia Day

    Saturnalia is an Ancient Roman festival held in honor of Saturn (Cronus), the youngest of the Titans, father of the major gods of the Greeks and Romans, and son of Uranus and Gaia.  Most relevantly, Saturn is the father of Rome's primary god, Jupiter.
    The poet Catullus describes Saturnalia as the best of days (Cat. 14.15). It was a time of celebration, visits to friends, and gift-giving, particularly of wax candles (cerei), and earthenware figurines (sigillaria).
    A number of scholars view this festival as the origin of later Christmas celebrations, or at least as contributing to them. Others point out that the Christian feast of Christmas on December 25 does not coincide with the date range of the Saturnalia, and that Christmas in any regard has not always been celebrated on December 25.
    The Catholic Encyclopedia states that church's view on the matter by saying that while midwinter pagan feasts such as Saturnalia may have helped influence the eventual choice to fix the date of Christmas, this does not mean that Christian Christmas traditions find their origin or inspiration there: "though the abundance of analogous midwinter festivals may indefinitely have helped the choice of the December date, the same instinct which set Natalis Invicti at the winter solstice will have sufficed, apart from deliberate adaptation or curious calculation, to set the Christian feast there too.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Koala Twins saved when Mother is killed in traffic!

It is not common for a Koala to bear twins, and regrettable in this instance the Mom was struck and killed by a passing car. 

Fortunately, the driver stopped, and took the mother to the local vet, unbeknown she was dead, where it was discovered she had these twins in her pouch.

http://www.samscorner.org/?p=1537