Uncommon Sense

Article I, Section 9, clause 3...

2009-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

For those unclear on the term, a Bill of Attainder is,

BILL OF ATTAINDER - An act of the legislature by which one or more persons are declared to be attainted, and their property confiscated.

Outrage

2009-03-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

Elections have consequences. This is the consequence of electing the dishonorable junior senator from Illinois to be the President.

The leader of the nation's largest veterans organization says he is "deeply disappointed and concerned" after a meeting with President Obama today to discuss a proposal to force private insurance companies to pay for the treatment of military veterans who have suffered service-connected disabilities and injuries. The Obama administration recently revealed a plan to require private insurance carriers to reimburse the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in such cases.

Got that? If you're in the military and get hurt on duty, Obama wants your private insurance to cover the cost of making you whole (or as close to whole as possible) again. This is why the Democrats must loose Congress in 2010, and this piece of slime needs to be chucked out on his ear come 2012.

The charm offensive continues...

2009-03-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

...and it continues to make the Somme look like Desert Storm in comparison. Seriously, how do you blow a translation like this?

And they say Bush was terrible at diplomacy?

2009-03-06T01:04:00.001-08:00

I don't recall Bush ever showing such an utter lack of class to the leader of one of our closest allies. With all due respect to Baldilocks, I have to go with my mother-in-law's theory that the guy is just tacky. (Not that the two theories are mutually exclusive...)

Most ethical congress ever, ever!

2009-02-28T03:10:00.000-08:00

So ethical, in fact, that we don't need to know what sort of footsie they've been playing with lobbyists.

One to support...

2009-02-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Blue Dog Opposes Obama Budget

What I'm reading

2009-01-26T23:32:00.000-08:00

I just finished Von Neumann's War by Ringo & Taylor. A pretty good read. Doc Taylor wrote the book on defending against an alien invasion. (No, seriously...) It suffers a little bit from Doc Taylor's patented "Hey y'all, hold my beer and watch this!" approach to engineering, but that may just be my personal tastes on the subject.

Added bonus: the book turned me on to a group called The Cruxshadows. Here is the song mentioned in "Von Neumann's War". Citidel

Republicans for tax cheats

2009-01-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

Ten for the unemployment line the next time they face a primary. These are the RINOs for voted to put noted tax cheat Tim Geithner as the head of the Treasury Department.

Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
Ensign (R-NV)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Voinovich (R-OH)

Only 649 days until the midterm elections

2009-01-21T03:34:00.000-08:00

Now is the time to get organized and to get active. If we wait until the primaries, then it will be too late: The RINOs that the party hacks love to run will have too much of a lead to be beaten. Now is the time to do your research and find worthy conservative candidates to support. Now is the time to start volunteering with the local & state party organizations. We can't have a grass-roots revolt is there's no grass-roots out there.

As a helpful reminder, I've put a countdown clock down at the bottom of the blog.

The Reeds Of Runnymede

2009-01-19T23:17:00.000-08:00

The Reeds of Runnymede
Magna Charta, June 15, 1215

At Runnymede, At Runnymede,
What say the reeds at Runnymede?
The lissom reeds that give and take,
That bend so far, but never break,
They keep the sleepy Thames awake
With tales of John at Runnymede.

At Runnymede, at Runnymede,
Oh, hear the reeds at Runnymede:--
"You mustn't sell, delay, deny,
A freeman's right or liberty.
It makes the stubborn Englishry,
We saw 'em roused at Runnymede!

"When through our ranks the Barons came,
With little thought of praise or blame,
But resolute to pay a game,
They lumbered up to Runnymede;
And there they launched in solid time
The first attack on Right Divine--
The curt, uncompromising 'Sign!'
That settled John at Runnymede.

"At Runnymede, at Runnymede,
Your rights were won at Runnymede!
No freeman shall be fined or bound,
Or dispossessed or freehold ground,
Except by lawful judgment found
And passed upon him by his peers.
Forget not, after all these years,
The Charter Signed at Runnymede."

And still when Mob or Monarch lays
Too rude hand on English ways,
The whisper wakes, the shudder plays,
Across the reeds at Runnymede.
And Tames, that knows the moods of kings,
And crowds and priests and suchlike things,
Rolls deep and dreadful as he brings
Their warning down from Runnymede!

Rudyard Kipling

(Set to music by Leslie Fish and available here on the album "Serious Steel")

Um, because they're goddamned cowards?

2009-01-08T03:37:00.000-08:00

We do not hide in hospitals, in schools, in homes. Why, why do the Palestinians?

232 years ago today...

2008-12-19T05:54:00.000-08:00

Quoth my spiritual ancestor and the namesake of my nom du clavier...

These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tip of the tricorne to Tam for the reminder.

In other news, water still wet...

2008-11-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Scientists have released a study showing the "Broken Windows" theory of crime prevention to have merit. Professor Sampson does point out that, as designed, this study is unable to show a correlation between graffiti and person-on-person crimes, but I have trouble seeing an ethical way of testing for that.

Five for the uneployment line...

2008-11-17T23:24:00.000-08:00

Via Right Wing News, five "Republican" congress-critters who've volunteered to be replaced in the 2010 primaries.

* Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]10th District.
* Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]18th District.
* Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ]7th District.
* Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT]Sing it!
* Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE]

Unfortunately, Shays has been replaced by an actual Democrat, Jim Himes. Hopefully in 2010 we can replace him with an actual Republican instead of a RINO like Shays.

Wish I'd said it...

2008-11-12T02:29:00.000-08:00

Riehl hits one out of the park.

The money quote:

Reagan was for that, not against everything. One of the Right's biggest mistake has been to allow the liberals to frame the argument, leaving us always looking as though we are in opposition to everything and for nothing at all.

What the Dems think of achievers...

2008-11-12T02:18:00.000-08:00

I found this via the Anarchangel: Congressman Moran saying that those who do well must share the fruits of their labors. In other words, fairness demands, according to this congress-critter, that what you earned via the sweat of your brow must be taken from you at the point of a gun and given to those who don't work. Overdramatic, you say? Guess what happens if you don't pay your taxes: Men with guns come to lock you up.

Any questions?

Here comes a candle to light you to bed...

2008-11-12T00:21:00.000-08:00

The telescreen was hidden in the search engine... So, Google, what other searches are given over to the Government?

Blue Dawgs

2008-11-07T23:05:00.000-08:00

According to Wikipedia, these are the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats", who represent conservative districts. As such, they need to be held accountable if they back the hard-left line of Speaker Pelosi and President-Elect Obama. If they go along with them to keep from loosing choice committee seats and barrels of pork to bring home, remind them that they can only have those things if they're still in Congress. No committee chairmanship or pork for you if you're making your third unsuccessful bit for the job of dog catcher. If they back Pelosi & Obama on their radical agenda, we need to hang that around their necks like an albatross, and back conservative Republicans to retake those seats. In particular, the leadership of the Blue Dogs need to feel the pressure from We, The People. More cost effective to bring over the delegation's Whip and other leadership, if you have the resources to turn a few. Make your dollars and your letters count.

Mike Arcuri (New York)
Joe Baca (California)
John Barrow (Georgia)
Melissa Bean (Illinois)
Marion Berry (Arkansas)
Sanford Bishop (Georgia)
Dan Boren (Oklahoma)
Leonard Boswell (Iowa)
Allen Boyd (Florida), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration
Dennis Cardoza (California)
Christopher Carney (Pennsylvania)
Ben Chandler (Kentucky)
Jim Cooper (Tennessee)
Jim Costa (California)
Bud Cramer (Alabama)
Lincoln Davis (Tennessee)
Joe Donnelly (Indiana)
Brad Ellsworth (Indiana)
Gabrielle Giffords (Arizona)
Kirsten Gillibrand (New York)
Bart Gordon (Tennessee)
Jane Harman (California)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (South Dakota), Blue Dog Whip
Baron Hill (Indiana)
Tim Holden (Pennsylvania)
Nick Lampson (Texas)
Tim Mahoney (Florida)
Jim Marshall (Georgia)
Jim Matheson (Utah)
Mike McIntyre (North Carolina)
Charlie Melancon (Louisiana)
Mike Michaud (Maine)
Dennis Moore (Kansas), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania)
Collin Peterson (Minnesota)
Earl Pomeroy (North Dakota)
Mike Ross (Arkansas), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
John Salazar (Colorado)
Loretta Sanchez (California)
Adam Schiff (California)
David Scott (Georgia)
Heath Shuler (North Carolina)
Zack Space (Ohio)
John Tanner (Tennessee)
Gene Taylor (Mississippi)
Mike Thompson (California)
Charlie Wilson (Ohio)

Yeah, that was classy...

2008-11-07T22:45:00.001-08:00

About this blog

2008-11-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

This is a place where I can vent about politics (from the Latin Poly meaning "many" and Ticks meaning "blood-sucking vermin") without it being too easily traced back to the on-line persona associated with my resumé. Not to come across as paranoid, but two of the folks in my blogroll have been made unemployed (and in one case, unemployable) by their online writings. Yes, I know there's no such thing as true online anonymity, and that my writing style is quirky & distinctive. And my blog comments under my usual handle may be enough to cause me trouble despite having this alternate alter ego for my more political rants. I'm making the attempt anyway.

My primary focus is on regaining a conservative majority in our government and limiting the damage that President-Elect Obama can do to our civil liberties in the meantime. First things first: Remember the lesson of Ft. Sumter. If it should, $DEITY forbid, come down to force of arms, public opinion will be against the side which shoots first. I agree with the Libertarian Party in renouncing the initiation of force as a means of political change. On a related note, if some dumb-ass methhead, neo-nazi turd burglar, or peckerheaded member of the Bedsheet Brigade does pop a cap into Obama, you'll have changed him from the next Carter to the next JFK. Worse than that, you'll have given the green light to every bit of gun-control legislation imaginable and you'll have put Biden into office with powers that (to steal a line) will make Martial Law look like Anarchy. For our Republic to survive, Obama has to do so as well. If you're the praying type, you may want to sing a few hossannas each night for his safety.

Who am I?

2008-11-07T01:50:00.001-08:00