National Review: Colorado’s Marijuana Law Is Sensible

By William Teach January 6, 2014 – 10:47 am

This article probably has blown the minds of a few liberals. Here’s NRO’s Editorial Board

Launching 17 million “Rocky Mountain High” jokes, Colorado has become the first state to make the prudent choice of legalizing the consumption and sale of marijuana, thus dispensing with the charade of medical restrictions and recognizing the fact that, while some people smoke marijuana to counter the effects of chemotherapy, most people smoke marijuana to get high — and that is not the worst thing in the world.

Regardless of whether one accepts the individual-liberty case for legalizing marijuana, the consequentialist case is convincing. That is because the history of marijuana prohibition is a catalogue of unprofitable tradeoffs: billions in enforcement costs, and hundreds of thousands of arrests each year, in a fruitless attempt to control a mostly benign drug the use of which remains widespread despite our energetic attempts at prohibition. We make a lot of criminals while preventing very little crime, and do a great deal of harm in the course of trying to prevent an activity that presents little if any harm in and of itself. (snip)

Perhaps most important, the legalization of marijuana in Colorado — and the push for its legalization elsewhere — is a sign that Americans still recognize some limitations on the reach of the state and its stable of nannies-in-arms.

While NRO does discuss the fact that pot is, yes, a drug, and can be abused, they seem to be taking the position that 1) government wastes too much money on resources and enforcement of what is a minor drug, as well as judicial proceedings and incarceration, and 2) if a State wants to do this, hey, that’s what the Constitution is for, particularly the 10th Amendment.

While there can certainly be some negative affects from Colorado’s pot law, most particularly making it easier for people in the surrounding states to obtain pot in a “black market”, I’ve argued before that if people want to get stoned, or even buzzed, go for it. I won’t get deep into that argument, as I’ve done it before. Just don’t blow it in my face. I don’t smoke pot. I used to, long ago, but I stopped enjoying it.

Read: National Review: Colorado’s Marijuana Law Is Sensible »

Posted in States Rights | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Polar Vortex Blamed On, You Guessed It, Climate Change

By William Teach January 6, 2014 – 8:56 am

Is it ironic that this article is written by Dr. Susan Brooks Thislethwaite, Professor of Theology, Chicago Theological Seminary, and appears in the Huffington Post religion section? It’s certainly spew on your monitor funny

Cold as Hell: The Chilling Effect of Global Warming

Hell is normally depicted as a “lake of fire,” as in Revelation 20:10. This week in the Midwest, however, Hell is likely to look more like lakes of ice, as dangerous cold from a polar vortex, brings “wind chills [that] could hit 50, 60 or even 70 below zero.” The Great Lakes will likely freeze over and prolong an already very cold winter.

This is the chilling effect of global warming, as NASA points out: Cold Snaps Plus Global Warming Do Add Up.

This frigid weather is another example of the kind of violent and abrupt climate change that results from global warming. It’s ongoing impact falls disproportionately on where you live, certainly, but especially if you are poor.

There you go: mega-frigid cold is caused by greenhouse gases which make things warm. All “climate change” articles belong in the religion section. Well, the section on cults, anyhow.

The science of what is causing this current extreme cold is, in fact, complex, and research is ongoing.

Complex because Warmists have to invent wild rationales to encompass deciding that cold and snow are part of “climate change”. Mother Nature Network links a long video by Rutgers University’s Jennifer Francis and Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters explaining why cold frikking weather is all part of the theory of hotcoldwetdry.

But while the science of changes to the polar vortex and its relationship to global warming are complex, the Christian theology of our failure to protect the creation is not complex.

Simply put, the Christian theological argument must start with our sinful failure to take care of the creation, as God intends (Gen. 2:15). Instead, we are trashing the planet and changing its climate primarily through the fossil fuel emissions.

So, you’re a bad Christian if you drive a fossil fueled vehicle (anyone want to place a bet on whether the good Dr. Susan drives a fossil fueled vehicle and takes fossil fueled plane trips?), but, you’re not a bad Christian if you support abortion on demand, which is the primary position of most who post at the HuffPo.  Driving a fossil fueled vehicle is now a “sin”.

Chris Mooney, in an article called Dear Donald Trump: Winter Does Not Disprove Global Warming, has made a valiant attempt to explain to Trump and others on the right-wing how winter and global warming interact. “Global warming is actually expected to increase ‘heavy precipitation in winter storms,’ and for the northern hemisphere, there is evidence that these storms are already more frequent and intense, according to to the draft US National Climate Assessment.”

In that article, Mooney explains (note: I’m leaving the 3rd point out, as it is about Antarctica, going more to the Ship Of Fools)

  1. Statements about climate trends must be based on, er, trends. Not individual events or occurrences. Weather is not climate, and anecdotes are not statistics.
  1. Global warming is actually expected to increase “heavy precipitation in winter storms,” and for the northern hemisphere, there is evidence that these storms are already more frequent and intense, according to the draft U.S. National Climate Assessment.

Four out of the last five Northern Hemisphere winters have been brutal, particularly in Britain, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. This winter is shaping up to be brutal. The long term 17 year trend is for statistically insignificant warming. The 13 year trend is for no warming. But, remember, when any weather occurs Warmists run out to tell us that this is Proof!!!!!!!, proof, I tell you, of “climate change”, ie, man-caused. They even tell us the current warming pause is caused by “climate change”. Weather is climate over the long term.

This is a cult, the articles belong in the religion section of all outlets, and Warmists who use fossil fuels should be labeled as heretics for sinning.

Read: Polar Vortex Blamed On, You Guessed It, Climate Change »

Posted in Climahypocrites, Global Warming, New Climate Deniers, Unhinged Tools | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Senator Ron Johnson To Sue Obama Admin Over Congressional Exemption

By William Teach January 6, 2014 – 8:11 am

We can quibble to our heart’s content over the word “exemption”, but at the end of the day the Office of Personnel Management decision violates the text of the law

(Wall Street Journal) On Monday, Jan. 6, I am filing suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin to make Congress live by the letter of the health-care law it imposed on the rest of America. By arranging for me and other members of Congress and their staffs to receive benefits intentionally ruled out by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the administration has exceeded its legal authority.

The president and his congressional supporters have also broken their promise to the American people that ObamaCare was going to be so good that they would participate in it just like everyone else. In truth, many members of Congress feel entitled to an exemption from the harsh realities of the law they helped jam down Americans’ throats in 2010. Unlike millions of their countrymen who have lost coverage and must now purchase insurance through an exchange, members and their staffs will receive an employer contribution to help pay for their new plans.

It is clear that this special treatment, via a ruling by the president’s Office of Personnel Management, was deliberately excluded in the law. During the drafting, debate and passage of ObamaCare, the issue of how the law should affect members of Congress and their staffs was repeatedly addressed. Even a cursory reading of the legislative history clearly shows the intent of Congress was to ensure that members and staff would no longer be eligible for their current coverage under the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan.

Senator Johnson goes on to point out that once members of Congress who voted for and support Obamacare found out what’s in it and how it affect them, they went running to Obama to find a way out for themselves, ending with the magical decision by OPM to treat congress as a small business along with providing payment to Congressional members and their staffs.

The legal basis for our lawsuit (which I will file with a staff member, Brooke Ericson, as the other plaintiff) includes the fact that the OPM ruling forces me, as a member of Congress, to engage in activity that I believe violates the law. It also potentially alienates members of Congress from their constituents, since those constituents are witnessing members of Congress blatantly giving themselves and their staff special treatment.

If Johnson wins the suit, it won’t end Obamacare, much like all the suits over the contraception mandate will not end the terrible law. But, it will make Congress live under the same rules everyone else has to live under.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

Read: Senator Ron Johnson To Sue Obama Admin Over Congressional Exemption »

Posted in Current Affairs, Healthcare | 6 Comments | Trackback URL

Ship Of Fools Pledges To Plant 800 Trees To Offset Expedition

By William Teach January 5, 2014 – 5:13 pm

Hmm, it seems they’re heavily aware of all the fossil fuels they’ve used, you know, fossil fuels which are supposedly evil (via Breitbart)

(NZ Herald) The hapless Australasian Antarctic Expedition is finally homeward bound – and thousands of trees will have to be planted to offset the carbon footprint from the prolonged rescue effort. (snip)

The expedition had pledged to plant about 800 kauri trees in Northland to cover its carbon footprint. Environmentalists believe planting trees helps to offset the impact of burning fuels such as diesel.

But former Act Party leader and Herald on Sunday columnist Rodney Hide said that would have to increase to about 5000 trees to make up for the fossil fuels burned in the rescue.

Expedition leader Chris Turney said more trees would be needed than earlier estimated but he was yet to work out how many.

This is like acknowledging that running red lights is Bad, and Other People should be stopped from running red lights, but you yourself will run red lights and simply pay the fines. Because you’re spreading awareness that running red lights is Bad.

Of course, when all is said and done, is there really much in the way of proof that these trees actually get planted? Oh, I’m sure a few trees get planted here and there via purchasing carbon offsets, but what is the overall percentage?

Read: Ship Of Fools Pledges To Plant 800 Trees To Offset Expedition »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach January 5, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is a horrendous, drenching downpour, Bad Weather which never happened before CO2 hit 350ppm, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is 90Ninety Miles From Tyranny, with a post on 11 nasty trends that will test America.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 3 Comments | Trackback URL

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

By William Teach January 5, 2014 – 10:18 am

Gil Elvgre Patriotic Pinup

Happy Sunday! Another gorgeous day in the Once And Future Nation Of America, if you like bitter, historic cold, that is. This pinup is by Gil Elvgren, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Victory Girls Blog has TSA agents drunk on power
  2. Western Hero notes that justice is blind and stupid
  3. Wizbang notes Rand Paul suing Obama over NSA spying
  4. This ain’t Hell… has a good guy with a gun
  5. Doug Powers discusses Obama vs Nuns
  6. The People’s Cube was a the recipient of Facebook censorship
  7. The Other McCain features a competitive victimhood derby
  8. The Lonely Conservative notes Obama’s whiny weekly address
  9. The Last Tradition covers the big marijuana sales in Colorado
  10. The Last Refuge explains how NSA spying affects you
  11. The Daley Gator notes some wasted money by the DOJ
  12. Sister Toldjah has Obamacare follies, via vending machines
  13. Right Truth notes a man arrested for the knockout game, but not charged with a hate crime
  14. Rhymes With Right notes how screwed up Obamacare is
  15. And last, but not least, protein wisdom covers some feminists, noting that all penetration is now rape

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page. While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your “Pinups for Vets” calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. (BTW, since someone asked, the reason I leave links for the previous week up (or you might see a *) is because they are place holders for later in the day or for next weeks. Easier than rewriting all the time. Also, the listing order has to do with how they are added over time, not how good a post is. I just copy and paste from the previous week, then edit. If you see one of the *’s, go ahead and check out the blog anyhow, see if there is an update. I cannot update with my Android during the day.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Posted in Patriotic Pinup | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

Obama’s Post-American Smart Power Leads To Middle East Power Vacuum

By William Teach January 5, 2014 – 8:50 am

Unsurprisingly, this has led to an even stronger Islamist movement and a more open spread of the Islamists (It’s been a while since Islamists has been defined. The term covers the hardcores, those who are interested in jihad, in forcefully spreading a hardcore version of Islam, in Sharia law. And before any liberal claims “Islamaphobia!!!! the NY Times uses the term, as well)

(NY Times) The images of recent days have an eerie familiarity, as if the horrors of the past decade were being played back: masked gunmen recapturing the Iraqi cities of Falluja and Ramadi, where so many American soldiers died fighting them. Car bombs exploding amid the elegance of downtown Beirut. The charnel house of Syria’s worsening civil war.

But for all its echoes, the bloodshed that has engulfed Iraq, Lebanon and Syria in the past two weeks exposes something new and destabilizing: the emergence of a post-American Middle East in which no broker has the power, or the will, to contain the region’s sectarian hatreds.

Amid this vacuum, fanatical Islamists have flourished in both Iraq and Syria under the banner of Al Qaeda, as the two countries’ conflicts amplify each other and foster ever-deeper radicalism. Behind much of it is the bitter rivalry of two great oil powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose rulers — claiming to represent Shiite and Sunni Islam, respectively — cynically deploy a sectarian agenda that makes almost any sort of accommodation a heresy.

What we have is a delicate balance. The US has been the historical powerhouse across much of the world since the end of WWII, competing with the now defunct Soviet Union. Certainly some European nations played a part, particularly in the Middle East, but the US led the way. But, do we want lots and lots of bases across the world? Both Conservatives and Liberals can agree that the interference in countries around the world, including reducing bases, should occur, albeit for different reasons. However, like it or not, the United States is still the country so many turn to when guano hits the fan, as well as for attempted stability.

And the US has been somewhat absent or squishy in the Middle East under Barack Obama. From his wanting to run away in Iraq to refusing to take a stand during the Iranian Green uprising to his tepid and late response to the Arab Spring, to the baffling dealing with Egypt and Syria, to the mess regarding the “red lines” with Syria. Air strikes to nominally protect civilians in Libya but no Syria or other nations. Obama’s Smart Power seems to have no bearing on any doctrine, it’s more about off the cuff last minute academic decisions. In other words, it’s a mess.

Read: Obama’s Post-American Smart Power Leads To Middle East Power Vacuum »

Posted in Barry Obama, War On Terrorism | 1 Comment | Trackback URL

UK Guardian Fascist Wonders If Aussie Papers Should Give Platforms To Skeptics

By William Teach January 4, 2014 – 5:42 pm

Lest you think I’m casually throwing around the word “fascist”, Progressives are, at their very core, part of the Fascist movement. Jonah Goldberg referred to them as “nice fascists” in his book Liberal Fascism. And Warmism has Progressivism at its very roots. And, for all their high-minded discourse about wanting debate and free speech, they Do Not like people being allowed to disagree with them, and do everything they can to Shut Debate Down. Here’s yet another example, as Warmist movement to shut down debate in the media grows. This is Alex White at the UK Guardian

Should Australian newspapers publish climate change denialist opinion pieces?

Should Australian newspapers, like Fairfax, publish opinion pieces that deny or seek to cast doubt on man-made global warming?

Obviously, you won’t be surprised that Mr. White leans towards the position that papers should ban any diverging viewpoints on “climate change”, like has happened at the LA Times, Reddit science, and a few other outlets. White is discussing an op-ed in the The Age by Skeptic John MacLean, and doesn’t seem to like that MacLean was given a platform. Progressives really hate that. White ends with

Is the responsibility of major media publishers on honesty, accuracy and objectivity?

That seems to be the view of the L.A. Times, and of Reddit.

If that was really the case, every media outlet would stop publishing the views of Warmists, who live in an alternate reality where unicorns=science.

This comes via Bishop Hill, which writes

Guardian Eco is, yet again, trying to set out its stall as the new home for totalitarianism in the international media, in an article questioning whether things would be a whole lot better if we didn’t have freedom of the press any longer.

BH also notes that we should expect more of this, as professional journalists are replaced with activists.

Read: UK Guardian Fascist Wonders If Aussie Papers Should Give Platforms To Skeptics »

Posted in Global Warming, Liberal World | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Don’t Forget, De Facto Ban On 60 and 40 Watt Incandescent Bulbs Starts This Year

By William Teach January 4, 2014 – 1:25 pm

Remember, pot is legal in Colorado, but certain lightbulbs aren’t

(Business Insider) Soon you won’t have much of a choice than to buy energy-efficient lightbulbs — the government ban on the production of 40- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs has gone into effect for the new year.

These lightbulbs account for more than half of the lightbulbs purchased in the U.S., according to Sustainable Business. The government has already phased out 75- and 100-watt incandescent bulbs.

It’s not really a “ban”, so much as legislation signed by President Bush (thanks, George!!!!!) that mandates energy efficiency specifications. Which means that most incandescents cannot be produced to meet those specifications, not without making them really, really expensive. KVAL puts it succinctly when it comes to all the different types of bulbs

And if you don’t prefer that choice? Too bad.

These incandescents were warmer and used more energy, so you will be made to comply. Cause Climate Change. CFLs are greener or something. And healthier! Except for all that mercury. Which will end up in landfills. Soaking into the land.

Read: Don’t Forget, De Facto Ban On 60 and 40 Watt Incandescent Bulbs Starts This Year »

Posted in AGW Idiocy, Global Warming | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach January 4, 2014 – 1:00 pm

…is horrible freezing cold water inundating the biosphere because someone drove a fossil fueled vehicle, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Director Blue, with a post on Democrat Logic.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 1 Comment | Trackback URL
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