Fish Wrap: North Carolina Gay Marriage Amendment Likely To Pass

By William Teach May 5, 2012 – 11:29 am

Back in March I was wondering whether or not to vote for Amendment 1, because it stops all civil unions. I did the early voting thing on Thursday, and, after much soul searching, voted in favor of Amendment 1. Nate Silver thinks, once you get past all the leftist hand-wringing and obfuscation, that it will pass.

On Tuesday, North Carolina will vote on a state constitutional amendment that declares, “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized,” thereby banning recognition of same-sex marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships of any kind.

Both recent polls of the state and an analysis of past ballot initiatives in other states suggest that the measure,  Amendment 1, is likely to pass, although there is ambiguity over the outcome because of voter confusion about what the amendment seeks to achieve. (snip)

The most recent poll was conducted by Civitas Institute, a conservative think tank whose poll results have generally shown little partisan bias in the past. That survey polled Democratic and Republican primary voters separately, but projected that the measure would win by 16 percentage points when it combined the results.

I’m still not particularly happy with the civil unions ban, but, it is what it is.

A significant number of North Carolinians have already cast votes in the primaries through early balloting. According to the Civitas Institute, which tracks these statistics, about 160,000 Democratic ballots and  130,000 Republican ballots have been requested so far. One hopeful sign for opponents of the amendment is that an especially large number of ballots have been cast in Durham County and Wake County, which are home to colleges like Duke University and are socially liberal.

That may be so, but many are also very religious. I spent quite a bit of time talking about it with a Black pastor who lives in Durham, and was the one who convinced me through both religious and non-religious points in the validity of the Amendment. Many others feel the same, because, yes, this is very much a religious issue. No matter how many personal slurs and insults opponents of the Amendment throw, many people have beliefs. We’ll see what happens Tuesday night.

More: Donald Douglas discusses the same article and points out that this could have national implications vis a vis the general election.

Read: Fish Wrap: North Carolina Gay Marriage Amendment Likely To Pass »

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Join Blogs4Mitt!

By William Teach May 5, 2012 – 10:06 am

Rusty Shackleford, the guy who runs The Jawa Report, has started a new blog called Blogs4Mitt, in support of Mitt Romney. You’ll notice the nice graphic in the sidebar done by Tom Mannis which leads to the site. Rusty writes

The primary season is all but over and Mitt will be our nominee. In 2004 bloggers rallied around George W. Bush and I was part of that movement.  Together, we helped President Bush beat the challenge by John Kerry.

It’s time for us to do the same for Romney.  Can we really afford four more years of Obama’s failed economic policies?

Look, no matter what you might think of Romney, we can’t afford Obama anymore. We never could. With all due respect, you go to the ballot box with the candidate you have, and while purism is nice, winning is better. See the post I wrote about my support for Mitt.

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About Those Heartland Billboards That Made The Warmists Insane..

By William Teach May 5, 2012 – 8:48 am

Yesterday, we saw the Heartland Institute put up a series of billboards, like this

Heartland took them down after the resulting freakout from Warmists, and had this to say

“This provocative billboard was always intended to be an experiment. And after just 24 hours the results are in: It got people’s attention.

“This billboard was deliberately provocative, an attempt to turn the tables on the climate alarmists by using their own tactics but with the opposite message. We found it interesting that the ad seemed to evoke reactions more passionate than when leading alarmists compare climate realists to Nazis or declare they are imposing on our children a mass death sentence. We leave it to others to determine why that is so. (snip)

“Heartland has spent millions of dollars contributing to the real debate over climate change, and $200 for a one-day digital billboard. In return, we’ve been subjected to the most uncivil name-calling and disparagement you can possibly imagine from climate alarmists. The other side of the climate debate seems to be playing by different rules. This experiment produced further proof of that.

They completely exposed the Warmists for the unhinged tools they are.

The billboard series features Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber; Charles Manson, a mass murderer; and Fidel Castro, a tyrant. Other global warming alarmists who may appear on future billboards include Osama bin Laden and James J. Lee (who took hostages inside the headquarters of the Discovery Channel in 2010).

These rogues and villains were chosen because they made public statements about how man-made global warming is a crisis and how mankind must take immediate and drastic actions to stop it.

Tom Nelson points to an apoplectic Andrew Revkin post at the NY Times in which he calls for Heartlands private funding to be pulled, and notices that Andy forget to take Michael Mann to task and have his public funding pulled for comparing climate realists to Holocaust deniers.

The Heartland article provides much more in terms of the debate on anthropogenic global warming, well worth the read.

Hard Left tool Joe Romm pitches a hissy fit, but, can’t refute the notion that these “rogues and villians” are on his side of the debate. Anthony Watts, who wasn’t a fan of the billboard, points out that Brad Johnson wrote an article at Joe Romm’s Soros funded Climate Progress saying that the “Norway Terrorist is a climate denier.” I don’t remember Warmists freaking out over that uncivil discourse.

(The Other McCain) Speaking of deranged nutjobs who believe in global warming, if you’ll check the Memeorandum thread, you’ll see that Little Green Footballs and Andrew Sullivan are both apoplectic over this billboard campaign.

Scratch an environmentalist and a thin-skinned hysteric bleeds. Facts always drive ‘em nuts, and the Heartland Institute links to the famous Al Gore or Unabomber quiz.

The Heartland billboards accomplished exactly what they set out to do: expose the Warmists.

That said, I’m rather ambivalent about it. It accomplished the mission, but, we’re better than the Warmists. More adult, more rational. But, I guess we have to stoop to their level now and then to highlight the insanity of AGW.

BTW, I don’t remember Warmists having a problem with the 10:10 blowing “denier” kids up video. My Youtube copy was removed as “content inappropriate”, probably because it had been getting a lot of hits and comments. I’m still waiting for a reply from Youtube as to why other copies are still on Youtube but mine isn’t.

Read: About Those Heartland Billboards That Made The Warmists Insane.. »

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Romney To Obama: Welcome To Ohio, Champ. Where Are The Jobs?

By William Teach May 5, 2012 – 8:05 am

Obama is “officially” kicking off his campaign today, a notion that even many in the media found absurd, understanding that Obama kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign about 5 minutes after he stepped into the Oval Office. Anyhow, Romney has an Ohio challenge for PBO. A few choice snippets. You have to read it in full for the full effect, one in which I hear an adult speaking in a calm voice, as opposed to Obama’s whining, blamestorming one

(Romney 2012 and Cleveland Plain Dealer) Dear Mr. President,

Welcome to Ohio. I have a simple question for you: Where are the jobs?

As we enter the fourth year of your term, unemployment is over 8 percent and has been for your entire term. Nearly 23 million men and women are unemployed, underemployed or are no longer even looking for work. In the face of such challenges, many Americans have simply given up hope.

I recognize, of course, as do all Americans, that you inherited an economic crisis. But you’ve now had three years to turn things around. The record of those three years is clear. Your policies have failed, not only in Ohio, but across the nation.

I like the way he hits Obama up with “inherited”. Every president inherits issues: it’s what they do about them that matters. Obama decided to use the economic downturn, which was a world-wide issue, to reward campaign contributers with the power and money of the US government.

Mr. President, forgive me for being blunt, but when it comes to economic affairs, you’re out of your depth. Unlike you, I am not a career politician. Unlike you, I’ve spent more than two decades working in the private sector, starting new businesses and turning around failing ones. Undoing the damage you’ve done will be a daunting challenge. But I’ve learned a thing or two about how government policies can kill private investment and stifle job creation and I have a plan to get government out of the way.

Who would have predicted a far left ideologue with no private sector nor executive experience would be so incompetent?

Mr. President, while campaigning for the presidency nearly four years ago, you declared that you were “absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.”

Mr. President, the American people are tired of the grandiose promises. And they are even more tired of the paltry results.

And tired of legislation that was unpopular before it passed, and even more unpopular now.

Mr. President, your promises now ring hollow. If you have brought new ideas to Ohio for creating jobs, why have you waited three years to unveil them? Have you suddenly had a revelation, or is it because 2012 is an election year? Whatever the case, what you are offering Ohio now is too little, too late.

Don’t expect an real or new ideas to be trotted out today or in the future. It will be about simply raising taxes on people who succeed, on people who create jobs.

What Ohio needs — what the country needs — is not four more years of economic mismanagement and failed leadership. It needs a fundamental change in direction that, by returning the country to the principles of limited government and free enterprise, would unleash the potential of the American people.

Romney may be a bit squishy when it comes to some social issues, and we aren’t quite sure about his foreign policy, but, I believe he will be fantastic on the economy, which is one reason I support him. He understands the Way Economies Work.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: Romney To Obama: Welcome To Ohio, Champ. Where Are The Jobs? »

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Chicago Basically To Be Shut Down For NATO Summit

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 7:08 pm

Now, why would they do this?

(CBS Chicago) A large security zone around McCormick Place will be off limits to Chicagoans, and the Museum Campus, Lake Shore Drive and several major expressways and streets will be shut down before or during the NATO Summit, under a plan revealed on Friday.

All of this comes on top of a large restricted air space zone above the city. Anybody violating that airspace could be shot down.

(Metro riders) may be subject to TSA-style pat downs and screenings and they can expect delays for security sweeps. Service may be reduced during the summit, but those details are not yet available. Metra officials said they hoped to have a plan finalized next week.

Hint: they aren’t worried about Conservatives/Republicans/Tea Party members causing problems.

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Obama Uses Celebration Of Intoxication To Push Dream Act

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 2:13 pm

Much like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco De Mayo is primarily a celebration of drinking and eating certain special products in excess. With Cinco De Mayo, tequila, margaritas, and “Mexican” food. Nothing says “I support you” like using the occasion of getting blind stinking drunk in a patronizing manner to push one’s agenda

(ABC News) President Obama told a largely Hispanic audience today that he is ready to sign the DREAM Act and blamed Republicans for the failure of the legislation that would grant illegal immigrant students a path to citizenship.

“We’re going to keep fighting for this common-sense reform — not just because hundreds of thousands of talented young students depend on it, but because ultimately America depends on it,” the president said at the annual Cinco de Mayo reception at the White House. “‘No’ is not an option. I want to sign the DREAM Act into law. I’ve got the pens all ready. I’m willing to work with anybody who is serious to get this done, and to achieve bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform that solves this challenge once and for all.”

Tell you what, Champ: I’ll agree to it if you put in provisions that say they all must speak literate high-school level English, pass citizenship tests like other immigrants, cannot take public money for assistance, and do not get to vote for 5 years once legalized.

It’d be nice if he actually submitted legislation to Congress, eh?

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Posted in Barry Obama, Illegal Immigration | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 1:00 pm

…is beer which contributes to globull warming, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Girl On The Right.

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Young Alarmists Sue To Make Everyone Else Comply

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 11:30 am

Doesn’t filing lawsuits use up quite a bit of paper, meaning trees that could otherwise be ingesting CO2 will die?

(Bozeman Daily Chronicle) Few adults would stand alone to challenge powerful interests for a cause, but dozens of young people across the nation are doing just that for their entire generation.

Saturday’s graduation at Montana State University, a major life event for many, may be somewhat ho-hum for John Thiebes, who has already represented his generation as a plaintiff in a Montana Supreme Court case to protect the earth’s atmosphere.

Thiebes is one of several people age 11 to 22 who filed lawsuits against states and the federal government in the past year as part of the Atmospheric Trust Litigation. Organized by the iMatter Campaign, the litigation is part of an effort to compel governments to protect the atmosphere from pollution that is accelerating climate change.

They aren’t willing to practice what they preach unless everyone else is screwed and taxed, too. If they really cared, they lead the way in living a 14th century lifestyle. Take away their iPhones, tablets, computers, DVRa, and gaming systems, and they would all freak out.

Beers plans to file at the district court level. But he is taking his time, trying to find a case that demonstrates the detrimental effects of climate change on Montana residents without entanglements that an opposing attorney could use to sidetrack the issue.

One would think that if ‘climate change’ was so utterly horrible and causing so many problems that it would be easy to find cases all over the place. Guess not.

Read: Young Alarmists Sue To Make Everyone Else Comply »

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Warmist Want You To “Connect The Dots”

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 7:47 am

Because any slight change in day to day weather obviously means we’re all doooooooooomed! So says hyper-warmist Bill McKibben

(Grist) The Williams River was so languid and lovely last Saturday morning that it was almost impossible to imagine the violence with which it must have been running on Aug. 28, 2011. And yet the evidence was all around: sand piled high on its banks, trees still scattered as if by a giant’s fist, and most obvious of all, a utilitarian temporary bridge where for 140 years a graceful covered bridge had spanned the water.

Floods never happened when CO2 was below 350ppm. It goes up when people fly/drive from Vermont to Washington D.C. in order to be arrested while protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. Like McKibben.

Which is what we must do. As long as this remains one abstract problem in the long list of problems, we’ll never get to it.  There will always be something going on each day that’s more important, including, if you’re facing flood or drought, the immediate danger.

If only there was something that Warmists could do within their own lives, like not taking fossil fueled trips to get arrested while protesting.

But in reality, climate change is actually the biggest thing that’s going on every single day. If we could only see that pattern we’d have a fighting chance. It’s like one of those trompe l’oeil puzzles where you can only catch sight of the real picture by holding it a certain way. So this weekend we’ll be doing our best to hold our planet a certain way so that the most essential pattern is evident. At 350.org, we’re organizing a global day of action that’s all about dot-connecting; in fact, you can follow the action at climatedots.org.

Finally, Warmists are going to use this day of action to change their own lives.

In Portland, Ore., city dwellers will hold an umbrella-decorating party to commemorate March’s record rains. In Bandelier, N.M., firefighters in full uniform will remember last year’s record forest fires and unveil the new solar panels on their fire station. In Miami, Manhattan, and Maui, citizens will line streets that scientists say will eventually be underwater. In the high Sierra, on one of the glaciers steadily melting away, protesters will unveil a giant banner with just two words, a quote from that classic of western children’s literature, The Wizard of Oz. “I’m Melting,” it will say, in letters three stories high.

Or not. McKibben provides multiple paragraphs highlight more of the tired “spreading awareness.” Why should anyone believe their mule fritters if they will never take action themselves?

It’s sunny here in Raleigh, with a 30% chance of rain later. Obviously, that’s because I drove an SUV to work. It was never hot/cold/wet/dry before 350ppm.

Read: Warmist Want You To “Connect The Dots” »

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

What To Name The Next Generation? How About “iNsolvent”?

By William Teach May 4, 2012 – 6:50 am

What’s your take?

(USA Today) A frantic race to name the next generation of American consumers may be nearing the finish line.

The winner could walk off with fame, fortune — and way cool bragging rights.

But exactly what do you call a generation of techno-junkies? How about Generation Wii — after the wildly popular home video game console? Or, perhaps, the iGeneration — with a wink and nod to Apple’s iPod and iPhone? Both are in the running. So are a bunch of other tech-drenched monikers, including Gen Tech, Digital Natives and, of course, Net Gen.

iBroke? iStrapped? iDestitute? Under the last two administrations, we’ve added over 9 trillion dollars in debt, over $5 trillion under Obama alone. Unfunded liabilities is over $70 trillion. America is approaching a cliff of monetary disaster.

But, perhaps we could call them the iGovernment generation, in which the Central Government is involved from cradle to grave, as we learned from Team Obama’s “Life Of Julia” story. David Harsanyi wonders who the hell she is and why he’s paying for her whole life

In the new Barack Obama campaign piece The Life of Julia, voters can “Take a look at how President Obama’s policies help one woman over her lifetime — and how Mitt Romney would change her story.” It is one of the most brazenly statist pieces of campaign literature I can ever remember seeing.

Let’s, for the purposes of this post, set aside the misleading generalizations regarding policy in the ad (no one is innocent on that account, obviously). What we are left with is a celebration of a how a woman can live her entire life by leaning on government intervention, dependency and other people’s money rather than her own initiative or hard work. It is, I’d say, implicitly un-American, in the sense that it celebrates a mindset we have — outwardly, at least — shunned.

It is also a mindset that women should find offensively patronizing. When they’re old enough, I hope my two daughters will find the notion that their success hinges on the president’s views on college-loan interest rates preposterous. Yet, according to the “Life of Julia,” women are helpless without the guiding hand of Barack Obama.

When I first read it Thursday, I marveled at the rampant misogyny, in which women are shown as only being able to survive through the intervention and help of Big Daddy Government, that they aren’t capable of doing it on their own.

Ed Morrissey offers an alternative timeline, as does Kevin D. Williamson. Both forget about the part where Julia’s business is firebombed during the seasonal Greek-like riots from those younger than her who see their comfy lifestyle being eroded by unsustainable spending and debt.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

Read: What To Name The Next Generation? How About “iNsolvent”? »

Posted in Barry Obama, Current Affairs, Economy | 2 Comments | Trackback URL
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