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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Al Qaeda Captures Fallujah, Proclaims It An Islamic State

By William Teach January 4, 2014 – 8:39 am

It’s a good thing “Bin Laden is dead and Al Qaeda is on the run“. Otherwise I’d be worried about the spread of Islamists and al Qaeda specifically

(Washington Post) A rejuvenated al-Qaeda-affiliated force asserted control over the western Iraqi city of Fallujah on Friday, raising its flag over government buildings and declaring an Islamic state in one of the most crucial areas that U.S. troops fought to pacify before withdrawing from Iraq two years ago.

The capture of Fallujah came amid an explosion of violence across the western desert province of Anbar in which local tribes, Iraqi security forces and al-Qaeda-affiliated militants have been fighting one another for days in a confusingly chaotic three-way war. (snip)

“At the moment, there is no presence of the Iraqi state in Fallujah,” said a local journalist who asked not to be named because he fears for his safety. “The police and the army have abandoned the city, al-Qaeda has taken down all the Iraqi flags and burned them, and it has raised its own flag on all the buildings.”

Al Qaeda affiliated groups, some just self-styled, have been spreading across the Middle East, Asia, and northern Africa. One of the fallacies coming from the groupthink of liberals ever since the US invaded Afghanistan post-9/11 and liberals turned on President Bush was that US forces should have just targeted Osama, because the war against al Qaeda would be over once he was dead. This was the Queen Bee Theory, where if you kill the queen bee, the hive dies. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. It’s a great moral victory that Osama is dead. I have, and I will, give Obama props for killing him, even with all the controversy surrounding the mission and Obama’s role. Hey, he’s POTUS.

But killing Osama doesn’t end al Qaeda. It did fragment it, something which was happening going back to when he was on the run. The spread of Islamists, both the violent and non-violent types, has been going on for decades, it will continue to go on, since they “breed” like cockroaches, and too many refuse to believe that Islamists believe what they say regarding their aspirations.

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Bundle Up: Record Breaking Global Warming Cold On The Way

By William Teach January 4, 2014 – 8:16 am

Following on the heels of 1,000 new cold records set around Thanksgiving, and 2,000 cold and snow records during the early part of December, and yet another big snowstorm hitting the North East, and a big blast of cold on Thursday through Friday, well, “climate change” will do its thing again, all because you, yes, you who are reading this, all because you drove a fossil fueled vehicle and refused to turn the heat down a few degrees and put greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

(Fox News) As much of the country digs out from a powerful winter storm that buried parts of the Northeast, tundra-like temperatures are poised to deliver a rare and potentially dangerous blow to the Midwest, with forecasters predicting a near-record or historic cold outbreak.

The “polar vortex,” as one meteorologist calls it, is expected to send cold air piled up at the North Pole down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast and driving temperatures below freezing for most of the nation.

Forecasters expect a weekend warm-up in some areas before temperatures plunge again, sending wind chill temperatures in areas in North Dakota and Minnesota to minus 50 degrees by Saturday night.

Those states are notorious for their cold winters, but states in the Mid-Atlantic and New England can also expect wind chill temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees.

WRAL here in Raleigh is calling for a high of 24F on Tuesday. The normal high is 49F. In Minnesota they have cancelled school for Monday for the first time in 17 years. In Wisconsin, schools in Milwaukee and Madison are also cancelled for Monday, and you can bet that other school systems will follow along. A meteorologist called the temperatures “life-threatening”.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, set a new low record of -18F, beating the previous of -17 set in 1979. That year was only a few years removed from Climatologists wondering if a new ice age was coming. The game between Green Bay and San Francisco may be the coldest game ever played.

There’s also another big blast of global warming created snow on the way, hitting the Midwest, though it is projected to be mostly a rain event when it makes it to the East coast.

What Warmists will tell you is that this is fully backed by the “theory” of “climate change”, where the super crazy melting Arctic is melting and sending that melted cold ice on a southern route in the form of cold and snow. Because, let’s face it, these people are delusional and should be put on a regimen of Thorazine, Valium, and, really, they should bring back Quaaludes.

PS: Just as always, neither cold weather, snow, or cold winters/seasons proves the Earth is entering a cooling period of any strength. Nor does it disprove it. Nor does it mean the Earth won’t further warm. It simply highlights that a) the natural forces of the Earth do what they want, and b) that man-induced climate change is mule fritters, because they claimed, using their computer models and wishful thinking, that this shouldn’t happen. Until it did, then they had to scramble for an excuse.

Crossed at Right Wing News.

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Posted in Collapsing Science, Global Warming | 10 Comments | Trackback URL
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