Politics Via The Loons

The never ending Race in Minnesota, and another inexperienced Shoo In.

Hey folks,

Yeah, that never ending Race is STILL going on in Minnesota. Now the issue? MORE UNCOUNTED BALLOTS. How is this even possible? Well, barging those attempting to steal the election. You know, Franken drones. ACORN. and the LWL. {Left Wing Loons}

Now it turns out the issue is now over hundreds of unopened Absentee Ballots that could of course put either over the top. Why are they uncounted? Well, that is easy to explain, the Absentee Ballots in question were incorrectly rejected by Poll Judges on or before Election Day, mostly because of clerical errors outside the four legal reasons for rejection. So they were ILLEGALLY REJECTED.

You know folks, I really do not care what the argument is, it is crystal clear that fraud is running rampant in this election. From Ballots in the back of Election Officials cars, to missing Ballots just turning up, to all the mistakes made, all favoring Franken of course. Now he is a head of Republican Norm Coleman by 47 Votes. Now, we have Hundreds more?

The Court ruled that either Campaign can keep any ballot out of the mix with a written objection, leaving spurned voters the option of going to court to reinstate their ballot. This is just absolutely incredible. Both Parties want to cherry pick these Ballots for their own benefit. Why is it left up to Voters to challenge ANYTHING? This is an easy concept to understand. Voters Vote. Votes Counted. Those with the most WIN. If we allow this Circus, run by Democrats by the way, in Minnesota to continue and we allow this Joke of an Election to be Stolen by Franken and Company, then we make a mockery of the entire Democratic Process.

But that is not the only Joke of Politics we need to look at. Let's go New York. Let's talk about Caroline Schlossberg. Who you ask? EXACTLY. Caroline Schlossberg has NEVER held ANY kind of Elected Office whatsoever. She has never ran anything. She has never accomplished ANYTHING. When a Reporter asked her what she thinks makes her qualified to be the next Senator of New York, she answered, "I wrote a book, I care." {Sigh}

So why should she be seen as a possible Shoo In? Well, one, you don't get to Vote on it. The Governor of New York will appoint her to take Hillary's place. Two, did I mention that her other name is Kennedy? "OH! That changes EVERYTHING. Of course she is qualified. Hell, she is more than qualified than Sarah Palin was." Sarah Palin is more qualified to be President than Obama or McCain were. She was a Mayor, and is the current Governor of the biggest energy producing State in the Country. She is celebrated by Republicans, Conservatives, Democrats, Liberals, and Independents in Alaska. But this equalled not enough experience to be VP for those on the Loony Left. Yet these same people accept Caroline Schlossberg, with NO experience whatsoever in anything? Well, she does have the name Kennedy. That seems to be good enough for them. Idiots.

People wonder how New York got so screwed up. Look at who is running it. People will wake up and wonder how it happened that this very Country got so screwed up. Look who YOU Voted for. Ignorance really is the most expensive and dangerous commodity we have.
Peter

Sources:
Newsmax.com - Hundreds of Ballots Still Uncounted in Minn. Race
Newsmax.com - Caroline Kennedy Slammed After Latest Tour

A Little Excessive

Most Definitely Stupidity

Hey folks,

I wasn't going to talk about this one for the simple fact, I really do not know where I stand on it. This is most definitely a clear case of stupidity, but does it really meet the Second Degree Murder Charge? I am also wondering what was up with the 12 year old Brother.

OK. So you are driving to meet your kids Mother, your car get's stuck in snow in zero degree weather. What do oyu do? Of course, you get your kids to safety in any way you can.

What did Robert Aragon, 55, of Jerome, Idaho do? He let his 12 year old boy, and 11 year old girl walk the rest of the Ten Mile journey. Alone. The girl was wearing a brown down coat, black shirt, pink pajama pants and tan snow-boots. They found her dead, likely of hypothermia, about 2.5 miles from where she started from.

Well it appears that they split up because the girl, Sage, wanted to go back to where she thought her Father was, and the boy, Bear, wanted to continue on. They found Bear wearing only long underwear. Seems he took off all the other cloths he had on for unknown reasons. He is expected to make it.

So is this guy guilty of stupidity? MOST DEFINITLY. Should he be charged with something? Most likely. Should he ever have his son back. Most definitely not. But Second Degree Murder?

One of my other problems with this is WHO is the other Adult? According to the AP, Aragon let the children out to walk to their mother's house while he and another adult stayed behind to free the vehicle.

So who was that? Are they being charged as well? If there were two Adults there, why then would one not go with the kids? Why did they not wait to see if another car would go by and possibly get help from them? Did NO ONE even see these kids walking down the road? About 5 miles? NO ONE saw them?

The Father is guilty of neglect. No doubt about that. He is guilty of stupidity. He is most likely guilty of Reckless Manslaughter. But Second Degree Murder? That may be a little excessive. He has to live the rest of his life knowing that he caused his Daughter's horrible and painful death. That is worse than ANY Judge can dish out.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Father of 11-year-old hypothermia victim charged

For Those Anxious To See 2008 Gone

Well, you have another second to wait.

Hey folks,

Happy Tuesday to you. Sorry, not much time today, I'll be taking care of some family stuff. But I did find this interesting. For those of you, like me, who really want to see the end of 2008, I guess we have to wait just a tad bit longer. According Reuters - Tick tock ... tick: Extra second added to 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Those eager to put 2008 behind them will have to hold their good-byes for just a moment this New Year's Eve.

The world's official timekeepers have added a "leap second" to the last day of the year on Wednesday, to help match clocks to the Earth's slowing spin on its axis, which takes place at ever-changing rates affected by tides and other factors.

The U.S. Naval Observatory, keeper of the Pentagon's master clock, said it would add the extra second on Wednesday in coordination with the world's atomic clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC.

That corresponds to 6:59:59 p.m. EST (23:59:59 GMT), when an extra second will tick by -- the 24th to be added to UTC since 1972, when the practice began.

UTC is the time scale kept by highly precise atomic clocks around the world, accurate to about a billionth of a second per day, the Naval Observatory says. For those with a need for precision timing, it has replaced Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT.

The decision to add or remove a second is the responsibility of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, based on its monitoring of the Earth's rotation.

The goal is to make sure clocks vary from the Earth's rotational time by no more than 0.9 seconds before an adjustment. That keeps UTC in sync with the position of the sun above the Earth.

Mechanisms such as the Internet-based Network Time Protocol and the satellite-based Global Positioning System depend on precision timing.

The first leap second was introduced into UTC on June 30, 1972. The last was added on December 31, 2005.

They have been added at intervals ranging from six months to seven years, Daniel Gambis, head of the IERS Earth Orientation Center at the Observatoire de Paris, wrote in an explanatory piece this month (http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/).

Among the reasons for Earth's slowing whirl on its axis are the braking action of tides, snow or the lack of it at the polar ice caps, solar wind, space dust and magnetic storms, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, another timekeeper.

By contrast, a leap day, February 29, occurs once every four years because a complete turn around the sun -- our year with all its seasons -- takes about 365 days and six hours.

In 1970, an international agreement established two time scales: one based on the Earth's rotation and another on highly accurate atomic clocks.

The U.S. Naval Observatory's master clock is based on a system that now includes 50 atomic clocks, 36 based on the element cesium and 14 known as hydrogen masers.

With the Earth's rotation gradually slowing, the periodic insertion of a leap second into the atomic time scale is needed to keep the two systems within a second of each other.

(Reporting by Jim Wolf; Editing by Peter Cooney)

See you tomorrow. Have a great day.
Peter

Sources:
Reuters - Tick tock ... tick: Extra second added to 2008

The US Government Should Do More

Who Controls The Oil Prices?

Hey folks,

Happy Monday to you. Now I'm not sure if you are as fortunate as I, and do not have to worry about getting back to normal until about January fifth, or if you are getting up and ready right now to head off, but remember, it is most likely a short week either way. {Smile}

So last Tuesday, I caught this. From John W. Rich.

John W. Rich, Jr. has been a leader in the energy sector for decades and he is the CEO of WMPI PTY, LLC in Gilberton, PA and UltraCleanFuels.com. For over a decade his company has been leading the drive to build a waste coal and biomass to diesel fuel industry in the United States. Rich is proposing utilizing new technology for the gasification of existing waste coal intermingled with traditional biomass feedstock to produce an abundant supply of domestic liquid transportation fuels that will displace the foreign oil we are importing at the rate of $1 billion per day.

He wrote the following.

John W. Rich, Jr: API Must Do More About OPEC Production Cuts

The American Petroleum Institute should do more to resist OPEC's manipulation of the price of oil, says John W. Rich, Jr., a leader in the domestic waste coal and biomass to diesel fuel effort.

"OPEC's decision to cut oil production again to raise the price of oil and gasoline is economic terrorism and amounts to a foreign imposed surprise tax for the Holidays for American families. It's time for the domestic oil industry to stand up for the American consumer and take action to resist OPEC's manipulation of the price of oil."

John Rich has previously called for a cap and trade policy on oil imports. The system would work like other cap and trade plans, whereby a cap is set, say at today's import levels, and incremental demand would be sourced from domestic alternatives or suppliers could trade production credits with other suppliers. Overtime, as alternative sources were increased, domestic production increased, or conservation increased, the cap could be pressed downward, further driving down demand and prices for imported foreign oil. This form of cap and trade system is already used to successfully control emissions of toxic and greenhouse gasses.

Now, what was my first thoughts on this when I read it?

1- This is a guy trying to make a buck with the domestic waste coal and biomass to diesel fuel concept.

2- He is using API and OPEC as straw man to accomplish this.

3- It is not API that has to do more. It is those in charge, or soon to be in charge of Government that need to do more. They need to first, assure that there will be no oppressive taxation, and completely unreachable goals, and unmeetable restrictions and limitations. Second, they need to reassure EVERYONE that there will be no reinstatement of the Drilling Ban. Third, it is the Government that are the ones standing in the way of our complete independence of foreign Oil. They have been for years.

But since he named them, I figured, why not ask. So I sent a quick Email to my friend over at API and here is her response.

It appears that Mr. Rich doesn’t understand API’s role. We represent about 400 oil-related companies in the United States and focus our efforts on domestic issues. Needless to say, we don’t have any influence over OPEC, its member countries, and its decisions. Also, as several economists have noted, the oil industry is a “price taker,” not a “price maker.” In other words, this industry has no influence over the global price of oil. The price is determined by market forces. As you probably noticed, the price oil actually fell below $40 a barrel a couple of days after OPEC announced the recent cuts. That fact flies in the face of Mr. Rich’s comment that OPEC is applying a holiday tax on oil prices.

{Laughing} Yeah, I have noticed that. Thank you Jane. It is kind of like OPEC, losing all this unreasonable profit to begin with, attempted to cut production to artificially inflate demand. However, as always, the Free Market STILL controls the pricing. The Free Market is what said $4.00 a gallon was the breaking point. It was the Free Market that says prices are going to stay down.

You see folks, this is the whole concept behind the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less, movement. More domestic oil, less demand, lower prices. Just the talk of it, brought the price at the pump down. The Ban lifting brought them down even more. As long as the Government stays OUT of it, allows domestic drilling to take place, we will GUARANTEE low prices for you and me at the pump, pretty much forever. While we are doing this, by all means, let's look for alternatives to Oil and let's look at ways to further end our dependency on foreign Governments.

If our new Government, lead by Obama, Pelosi, and Reid, decide to reinstate the Ban, and decide to take us back to total dependency, then we will also go back to paying $4.00 plus a gallon. It really is that simple.

As for Mr. Rich? You Sir, have been working on this plan of yours for over a decade. You and your company has been leading the drive to build a waste coal and biomass to diesel fuel industry in the United States. You are proposing utilizing new technology for the gasification of existing waste coal intermingled with traditional biomass feedstock to produce an abundant supply of domestic liquid transportation fuels that will displace the foreign oil we are importing at the rate of $1 billion per day. That all sounds impressive. Very impressive. But one question to you. What have you actually accomplished? What have you actually achieved? Ten plus years? Is it perfected? Could we go with your plan tomorrow and replace those $1 billion dollars per day worth of foreign Oil? How much cheaper will your plan be? Amount some facts?

No folks, we need to stick to what we KNOW works, while we work on pipe dreams, until those pipe dreams become reality. It really is just that simple.
Peter

Sources:
John W Rich, Jr.
API- Website
American Solutions - Website

Holidays and 2008 Are Almost Over

Preview for Sunday 122808

Hey folks,

Welcome to the Big Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog. The Holidays are coming to a close. 2008 is coming to a close as well. Soon, all the festivities will be over and people will be trying to get back to normal. Looking back and looking ahead toward a new.

Coming right up today:

There IS True Evil In The World
Ann Coulter and Kwanzaa
Further Proof Liberals Are Kooks
Maybe Brain Damage Makes You Smarter
IWA for Sunday 122808

Yes, I'm going to use the Ann Coulter piece. By popular demand. "Don't tease us like that. What was it?" OK. OK. OK. I'll use it. I won't comment on it, but I will use it.

Anyway, for that 8 year old Girl that was shot in the face, you are in my prayers. For all those involved in that horrible Christmas Eve incident, may you have the peace you need in this most devastating time.

I really hope that you pay attention to the first post, There IS True Evil In The World. I really hope that you understand that I am not preaching to preach. I am not attempting to convert you into any one way of thinking. I'm just pointing out the fact that true Evil exists, and wherever and whenever it is encountered, it needs to be fought against.

We get into a place in our lives where unless we are directly involved, we couldn't really care less about what is happening around us. This is a dangerous way of thinking that sometimes allows Evil to creep into our lives and effect us. So whenever you start thinking that "it can't happen to me," remember stories like this one. They were at a Christmas Party and the little Girl answered the door for Santa.

We have a lot of ground to cover today, so go get your coffee, mine is Caramel Swirl today, and get ready. I'll be right back.
Peter

There IS True Evil In The World

They are NOT Red, Wrinkly Faced Demons

Hey folks,

Edmund Emil Kemper, David Richard Berkowitz, John Wayne Gacy, Jr., Jeffrey Dahmer, all have something in common. They were all well liked. They were all loved by those around them. Those around them were all SHOCKED to learn the truth. They were all Evil.

True Evil, if you care to recognize it or not, does exist in the world. They walk among us. Truth is, they are not Hollywood Evil. They are real. They are NOT Red Wrinkly Faced Demons sent from Hell. They are your Neighbor. The Bus Driver for your kids school. The Clerk that checked you out yesterday. The Truth is, you may even LIKE the person that will become, or is, the next Edmund Kemper.

These individuals are charismatic, influential, and very likable. Why do you think people will willingly give up their lives to follow them. Jim Jones, Charles Manson, David Koresh, were so charismatic that they got people from all walks of life to Murder, and kill themselves for their new found "leaders."

Now we have this story, The "Santa Clause Killer." Here is a guy, like the rest, that was well liked. His neighbors reported seeing him walking a dog around the neighborhood and working on his lawn. The normal stuff we all do. He also served regularly as an usher at evening Mass at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montrose, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Police were told things like: "I'm just — this is shocking," Detanna told the Times. "He was the nicest guy you could imagine. Always a pleasure to talk to, always a big smile."

Yeah, well this "nicest guy" dressed up as Santa, went to a Christmas Party, knocked on the door, and shot an Eight year old girl in the face. He then proceeded to enter the house and just start randomly shooting people. He then set the house on fire, drove away to another location and, thankfully, killed himself.

Bruce Pardo's ex-wife and her parents were believed to be among the dead. That 8 year old Girl that he shot in the face, a 16 year old Girl shot in the back and a Woman that tried to escape by jumping out the window, are expected to make full recoveries.

So what was it that set Pardo off? Some are speculating that it was the bitter Divorce. After one year of marriage? I doubt it. But he did not have a Criminal History, was an Usher at a Catholic Church, and no signs that he was capable of such things. Well, Dahmer actually made the statement, "I should have stayed with God. I tried and failed and created a holocaust." He killed 17 people before he was discovered. He knew God.

The Devil was there when the Bible was written. He can quote it word for word. He has seen God up close and personal. Yet, he IS Evil. Some people will lay down their lives for others. Some people will take other's lives. The Spectrum of Life is not really that vast. Most of us live in the center. Living our happy lives, without a single solitary clue as to what reality REALLY is. But there are two ends to that same Spectrum. Those that are born to serve God, Right, and Justice, and those born to do Evil. Sounds like a horror movie I know, but then someone like Bruce Pardo comes along and reminds us, Evil really does exist in the very real world.
Peter

Sources:
AP- Man in Santa suit kills 8, self on Christmas Eve
AP- Santa gunman had lost job, wife before gory attack

Ann Coulter and Kwanzaa

By popular demand

OK. OK. OK. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ann Coulter:

Is it just me, or does Kwanzaa seem to come earlier and earlier each year?

This year, I believe my triumph over this synthetic holiday is nearly complete. The only mentions of Kwanzaa I've seen are humorous ones. Most important, for the first time in eight years, President George Bush appears not to have issued "Kwanzaa greetings" to honor this phony non-Christian holiday that is younger than I am.

It is a fact that Kwanzaa was invented in 1966 by a black radical FBI stooge, Ron Karenga, aka Dr. Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a founder of United Slaves, a violent nationalist rival to the Black Panthers and a dupe of the FBI.

In what was probably ultimately a foolish gamble, during the madness of the '60s the FBI encouraged the most extreme black nationalist organizations in order to discredit and split the left. The more preposterous the organization, the better. Using that criterion, Karenga's United Slaves was perfect. In the annals of the American '60s, Karenga was the Father Gapon, stooge of the czarist police.

Despite modern perceptions that blend all the black activists of the '60s, the Black Panthers did not hate whites. They did not seek armed revolution. Those were the precepts of Karenga's United Slaves. United Slaves were proto-fascists, walking around in dashikis, gunning down Black Panthers and adopting invented "African" names. (That was a big help to the black community: How many boys named "Jamal" currently sit on death row?)

Whether Karenga was a willing dupe, or just a dupe, remains unclear. Curiously, in a 1995 interview with Ethnic NewsWatch, Karenga matter-of-factly explained that the forces out to get O.J. Simpson for the "framed" murder of two whites included: "the FBI, the CIA, the State Department, Interpol, the Chicago Police Department" and so on. Karenga should know about FBI infiltration. (He further noted that the evidence against O.J. "was not strong enough to prohibit or eliminate unreasonable doubt" -- an interesting standard of proof.)

In the category of the-gentleman-doth-protest-too-much, back in the '70s, Karenga was quick to criticize rumors that black radicals were government-supported. When Nigerian newspapers claimed that some American black radicals were CIA operatives, Karenga publicly denounced the idea, saying, "Africans must stop generalizing about the loyalties and motives of Afro-Americans, including the widespread suspicion of black Americans being CIA agents."

Now we know that the FBI fueled the bloody rivalry between the Panthers and United Slaves. In one barbarous outburst, Karenga's United Slaves shot to death Black Panthers Al "Bunchy" Carter and Deputy Minister John Huggins on the UCLA campus. Karenga himself served time, a useful stepping-stone for his current position as a black studies professor at California State University at Long Beach.

(Sing to "Jingle Bells")
Kwanzaa bells, dashikis sell
Whitey has to pay;
Burning, shooting, oh what fun
On this made-up holiday!

Kwanzaa itself is a nutty blend of schmaltzy '60s rhetoric, black racism and Marxism. Indeed, the seven "principles" of Kwanzaa praise collectivism in every possible arena of life -- economics, work, personality, even litter removal. ("Kuumba: Everyone should strive to improve the community and make it more beautiful.") It takes a village to raise a police snitch.

When Karenga was asked to distinguish Kawaida, the philosophy underlying Kwanzaa, from "classical Marxism," he essentially explained that under Kawaida, we also hate whites. While taking the "best of early Chinese and Cuban socialism" -- which one assumes would exclude the forced abortions, imprisonment of homosexuals and forced labor -- Kawaida practitioners believe one's racial identity "determines life conditions, life chances and self-understanding." There's an inclusive philosophy for you.

Coincidentally, the seven principles of Kwanzaa are the very same seven principles of the Symbionese Liberation Army, another charming invention of the Worst Generation. In 1974, Patricia Hearst, kidnap victim-cum-SLA revolutionary, posed next to the banner of her alleged captors, a seven-headed cobra. Each snake head stood for one of the SLA's revolutionary principles: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani -- the exact same seven "principles" of Kwanzaa.

Kwanzaa was the result of a '60s psychosis grafted onto the black community. Liberals have become so mesmerized by multicultural nonsense that they have forgotten the real history of Kwanzaa and Karenga's United Slaves -- the violence, the Marxism, the insanity. Most absurdly, for leftists anyway, is that they have forgotten the FBI's tacit encouragement of this murderous black nationalist cult founded by the father of Kwanzaa.

This is a holiday for white liberals -- the kind of holiday Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn probably celebrate. Meanwhile, most blacks celebrate Christmas.

Kwanzaa liberates no one; Christianity liberates everyone, proclaiming that we are all equal before God. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). Not surprisingly, it was practitioners of that faith who were at the forefront of the abolitionist and civil rights movements.

Next year this time, we'll find out if our new "Halfrican" president is really black or just another white liberal. If he's black enough to say the "brothers should pull up their pants," surely Obama can just say no to Kwanzaa.

Link:
Town Hall.com - My Triumph Over Kwanzaa

Be right back.
Peter

Further Proof Liberals Are Kooks

Some STILL wonder why I call them LWL and Kooks?

Hey folks,

I hate animal experiments. I guess, in a way, I understand their need. If say, killing a Money, causes the cure for AIDS, then by all means, the Money must die. I understand that experiments on Rats, have found cures and help for other diseases. So is it worth it? I guess.

That is not to say that I do agree with how some of these animals are treated. I do not. I do not like it anymore than some of the Kooks out there. But what should we do if we find abuse? REPORT IT. Give the proof to the Authorities and allow them to investigate and take action when appropriate.

My problem with these Loons is things like this. According to Reuters - Four animal rights activists guilty of blackmail by Kate Kelland

LONDON (Reuters) – Four British animal rights activists were found guilty on Tuesday of blackmailing companies which supplied Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a firm that conducts tests on animals.

Good.

Gerrah Selby, 20, Daniel Wadham, 21, Gavin Medd-Hall, 45, and Heather Nicholson, 41, were accused of orchestrating a campaign of blackmail against the Cambridgeshire-based company between 2001 and 2007, the Press Association reported.

Selby, Wadham, Medd-Hall and Nicholson denied the charges but were found guilty at Winchester Crown Court.

Three others -- Gregg Avery, Natasha Avery and Daniel Amos -- pleaded guilty to conspiracy to blackmail. Trevor Holmes, 51, was cleared.

So what were they up to?

The activists were part of a group called Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, which used tactics such as false allegations of pedophilia against managers of supplier companies, hoax parcel bombs, criminal damage and threatening phone calls to force them to cut links with HLS, the court heard.

Another tactic was to send used sanitary towels or needles in the mail, saying they were contaminated with the AIDS virus. Some employees of firms linked to HLS had slogans such as "Puppy Killer" daubed with paint on roads outside their homes.

Oh yes, the intelligent and civil approach.

Sentencing was set for January 19.

Like Rape, I find pedophilia as the most Heinous of crimes. Those guilty need to be thrown out of the Human race for good. However, those who make false claims of such, with malice, need to be as well. There are far better ways to get your point across. But then again, some of these Kooks see animals more important than people, so may they enjoy the cages they are about to be put in.
Peter

Sources:
Reuters - Four animal rights activists guilty of blackmail

Maybe Brain Damage Makes You Smarter

Health and Science for 122808

Hey folks,

OK. I have read this about four times. My first reaction was to dismiss it and move on. This came out Wednesday, when I saw it. But it keeps popping up in my mind. I'm still not one hundred percent sure if this Researcher, Brick Johnstone of Missouri University, is trying to say this is a good or bad thing. Here it is. From LiveScience.com - Spirituality Spot Found in Brain by Robin Nixon Special to LiveScience

What makes us feel spiritual? It could be the quieting of a small area in our brains, a new study suggests.

The area in question - the right parietal lobe - is responsible for defining "Me," said researcher Brick Johnstone of Missouri University. It generates self-criticism, he said, and guides us through physical and social terrains by constantly updating our self-knowledge: my hand, my cocktail, my witty conversation skills, my new love interest ...

People with less active Me-Definers are more likely to lead spiritual lives, reports the study in the current issue of the journal Zygon.

So right here, my first thought was, "OK. So this guy is saying that those who are 'Spiritual' must be brain damaged. Right?" But I'm not so sure now.

Most previous research on neuro-spirituality has been based on brain scans of actively practicing adherents (i.e. meditating monks, praying nuns) and has resulted in broad and inconclusive findings. (Is the brain area lighting up in response to verse or spiritual experience?)

So Johnstone and colleague Bret Glass turned to the tried-and-true techniques of neuroscience's early days - studying brain-injured patients. The researchers tested brain regions implicated in the previous imaging studies with exams tailored to each area's expertise - similar to studying the prowess of an ear with a hearing test. They then looked for correlations between brain region performance and the subjects' self-reported spirituality.

Among the more spiritual of the 26 subjects, the researchers pinpointed a less functional right parietal lobe, a physical state which may translate psychologically as decreased self-awareness and self-focus.

Yet another way of putting it would be Selfishness.

The finding suggests that one core tenant of spiritual experience is selflessness, said Johnstone, adding that he hopes the study "will help people think about spirituality in more specific ways."

Which would be what? This I still do not get.

Spiritual outlooks have long been associated with better mental and physical health. These benefits, Johnstone speculated, may stem from being focused less on one's self and more on others - a natural consequence of turning down the volume on the Me-Definer.

OK. THIS is a Duh factor here. Scientist have PROVEN, over and over again, that when we do for others, we are much happier. We feel more powerful when we become subservient. They have studied this for years. A good Leader leads. A GREAT Leader serves. Jesus himself washed his disciples feet. The most powerful man to ever walk this earth on his hands and knees washing his SERVANTS feet.

Tis better to give than receive. Do for others and YOU will be blessed. ETC. It is true. Try it. You will find it to be true.

In addition to religious practices, other behaviors and experiences are known to hush the Definer of Me. Appreciation of art or nature can quiet it, Johnstone said, pointing out that people talk of "losing themselves" in a particularly beautiful song. Love, and even charity work, can also soften the boundaries of "Me," he said.

This makes Logical sense to me. When you recognize that the world does NOT revolve around you, and you realize that your life is a blink in the span of eternity. You humble yourself into the bigger picture.

The greatest silencing of the Me-Definer likely happens in the deepest states of meditation or prayer, said Johnstone, when practitioners describe feeling seamless with the entire universe.

That is, the highest point of spiritual experience occurs when "Me" completely loses its definition.

"If you look in the Torah, the Old Testament, the New Testament, in the Koran, a lot of Sufi writings, Buddhist writings, and Hindu writings, they all talk about selflessness," said Johnstone.

We may be finding the neurological underpinnings of these writings, he said.

Like I said, this is now time number five of me reading this. Now is he saying that those that live a more Spiritual life are brain damaged? Is he saying those that do not, ARE brain damaged. Unable to turn off the Me factor? Is he saying that those who are able to are more in control of their minds? Truthfully, I'm not sure where he stands. But I do find this interesting either way.
Peter

Sources:
LiveScience.com - Spirituality Spot Found in Brain

IWA For Sunday 122808

Last one for 2008

Hey folks,

It is here. This is the last IWA award for 2008. Next week, the IYW, The Idiot of the Year Winner. This is where we go back and revisit the IWA Winners and pick out the top five and of course, the BIGGEST Idiot of the year. This time, YOU can help vote. All you have to do in type in IWA in the search section on this Blog and relive the joy of stupidity. Email me at opntalk@aim.com with your choice for the Idiot of the Year. I will take that into consideration when attempting to make the final decision.

So who is it this week? This week's winner is guilty of stupidity for whom he chooses to associate himself with, making this COMPLETELY idiotic statement that even most in Minnesota are saying is stupid, and being part of one of the biggest attempts to STEAL and election in US history. His name? Andy Barr.

"We approach the end of a recount that Minnesotans can be proud of — and one that we strongly believe will result in the election of Al Franken."

Of course it will. That is the whole point in stealing an election. YOUR GUY WINS. Idiot.

Folks,, it is clear to anyone but those involved, that this is one of the biggest, most obvious attempts to steal an election in this Country's history. From Ballots turning up AFTER the election in the back seat of the car of Election Officials, to all these missing Ballots that keep just turning up. To all these errors that just HAPPEN to favor Franken. To NOW, the Highest Court in Minnesota ruling that ILLEGAL DOUBLE COUNTED BALLOTS can be counted. Which of course WILL end in the election of the joke of human breath that IS Al Franken.

Turns out that a number of Ballots got damaged and couldn't be fed through optical scanners. Under Minnesota law, Election Judges then must copy such ballots, mark the copies as duplicates, and count them. The original damaged Ballots are to then be kept in an envelope. Problem is, they were COUNTED. Not only were they counted, they were counted in favor of Franked. Yeah, maybe one or two in favor of Coleman to give the excuse, "Hey they both benefited by this." Just flat out BULL.

Coleman won this Election. Now he trails by just 76 Votes. Franken got into the lead with all these mysterious Ballots and errors that just HAPPEN to favor him. So how could this be allowed to happen? The Canvassing Board is in the tank for Franken. Two of the Justices are on the Canvasing Board. Including Chief Justice Eric Magnuson.

Now I know that Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Associate Justice G. Barry Anderson who also serve on the Canvassing Board, did not participate in the decision. But really? You really believe that they did not get the Court to say out of it? You see the court really did not decide anything. They allowed this Election Theft to happen and in essence said, "Hey, SUE after the fact."

Of course there WILL be lawsuits filed in this complete and utter joke that is Minnesota's 2008 Senate Election.

Congratulations Andy Barr, you ARE the Idiot of the Week. Just the fact you chose to associate yourself with one of the Biggest Idiots there is, Al Franken, and then making such a patiently absurd statement such as this, "We approach the end of a recount that Minnesotans can be proud of — and one that we strongly believe will result in the election of Al Franken." you ARE the Idiot of the Week. Do you guys wear your diapers together or is that just a private thing? {Smile}
Peter

Sources:
AP - Minn. court blocks Coleman on double recount votes

President Bush Radio Christmas Address

President Bush Christmas Address:

President Bush: "Good morning. This week, millions of Americans gather with loved ones for Christmas. This is a season of hope and joy. And it is an occasion to remember a humble birth that has helped shape the world for more than two thousand years.

One of the things that makes Christmas special is that it allows us to step back and take stock of what is truly meaningful in our lives. As years pass by, we often forget about the gifts and the parties, but we remember special moments with families and friends.

This year, as you spend time with those you love, I hope you'll also take time to remember the men and women of our armed forces. Every one of them has volunteered to serve our Nation. And with their incredible sacrifices, they preserve the peace and freedom that we celebrate during this season.

This tradition of service is as old as our Nation itself. In 1776, it looked as if America's first Christmas as an independent Nation might also be its last. After a series of crippling defeats by the British, George Washington's army was exhausted and disheartened. With their terms of service expiring in just a few weeks, many soldiers were planning on leaving the army. And it seemed that without a miracle, America's fight for freedom would be doomed.

That miracle took place on Christmas night, 1776. George Washington planned a surprise attack on the enemy forces camped across the Delaware River in Trenton, New Jersey. Under the cover of darkness, he led a few thousand soldiers across the icy waters in the midst of a driving snowstorm. Most generals would not have taken such a risk. But the commitment of Washington and his men was absolute. They headed into battle with a bold password -- "Victory or death."

In a matter of hours, victory was theirs. Morale immediately improved. And the American people began to believe that our Nation possessed the perseverance and courage to protect our liberty. The turnaround that began that night would end with the United States' triumph in the American Revolution -- and the permanent establishment of a free Nation.

Two hundred and thirty-two years have passed since George Washington crossed the Delaware. But on this Christmas, his legacy lives on in the men and women of the United States military. Some of them are spending this holiday helping defend emerging democracies like Iraq and Afghanistan. Others are spending it in lands where we defeated tyranny long ago, such as Germany or Japan. And some of them are spending it stateside, recovering in places like Bethesda National Naval Medical Center or Walter Reed.

Regardless of where they are, our men and women in uniform and the families who support them remind us of a clear lesson: Defending freedom is a full-time job. Our enemies do not take holidays. So the members of our armed forces stand ready to protect our freedom at any hour. For their service, they have the thanks of a grateful Nation -- this Christmas and always.

Thank you for listening."

Atheists Vs Christmas

From The Emails For Friday 122608

Hey folks,

Hope you all had a Great Christmas, and Holiday Season. It's FRIDAY! Time to go to the Emails. OK. I got two this week from TownHall.com. The first is from BG who said this. "A little blunt. No?" Uh Yeah it is. A little over the top. Even for me. So I hesitate using it. Sorry Ann Coulter.

But this one is something that I have talked about for years. It is by Mary Grabar.

Mary Grabar earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Georgia and teaches in the Atlanta area. A Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and published fiction writer, she is shopping her novel manuscripts, “Dancing with Derrida,” a satire on the postmodern academy and sexual revolutionists, and “The Secret of Little Sister,” a literary mystery. Visit her website and get on her mailing list at marygrabar.com.

I agree one hundred percent. Here it is.

Tis the season. . . for atheist Grinches to display their hatred of Christmas by trying to stomp out one of the most visible displays of Christianity in a country founded, and still operating on, Judeo-Christian principles.

A group called Freedom From Religion began in the state of Washington, where they posted their anti-Christmas sign next to a manger display in the Capitol. They have since continued on cross country to Wisconsin and Illinois, with their sign that reads in part, “At this season of the winter solstice, may reason prevail . . . . There is only our natural world. “Religion,” the sign says, is nothing but “myth” and “superstition.”

Abetting such efforts are preemptive capitulations like that of the library staff of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that decided to forgo a Christmas tree.

While the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) aims its legal and propaganda guns at Christianity, some like CNN’s Mike Galanos call their attacks as directed on “people of faith.” On their website, FFRF titled this CNN segment “FFRF vs. Christian Crybabies.” Although a menorah had been placed next to the Christmas display, it is Christians who are called “Crybabies.”

FFRF likes to use other occasions for their attacks. For the seventh anniversary of 9/11, FFRF placed an ad in the New York Times with the Twin Towers skyline, headlined “Imagine a World Free From Religion.” They warned, “American liberty is menaced not only by religious terrorism from abroad. Consider the growing threat of religious fanaticism here at home: The relentless war against secular values, gay rights, abortion rights, stem cell research and the teaching of evolution in public schools.” No mention was made of “the growing threat” of Islam, like separate Islamic public schools and various efforts to teach Islam in schools. Instead, the group goes after Christians who object to the teaching of an atheistic Darwinian doctrine to the exclusion of other scientific theories like intelligent design. In their ad the group bragged, “FFRF has stopped public funding of pervasively sectarian social agencies and schools, halted a state chaplaincy to proselytize government workers, ended unlawful bible instruction in public schools, persuaded a Top Ten university to drop commencement prayers, and won a court victory overturning a law declaring Good Friday a state holiday.” While the group aims their sights at Bible instruction in schools, director Annie Laurie Gaylor told me that she had not even “heard of the controversy” regarding the establishment of a PUBLIC MUSLIM SCHOOL in New York City.

Their attempt to subvert Christmas with a claim that it is simply a superstitious appropriation of the solstice resembles other attempts to diminish and ultimately wipe out Christianity. Contrary to the claims of college campus atheist debaters who like to throw out the falsehood about “Christian Nazis,” the literature of the Nazi regime reveals a deliberate attempt to transform Christmas into a pagan holiday in line with the pagan ideological goals of the Nazi regime. While the other socialists, the communists, presented a full frontal assault on religion (meaning Christianity) by dismissing it and denigrating it as the “opiate of the masses,” the Nazi socialists were a bit more clever.

For example, in a Nazi journal article, “New Meanings for ‘Inherited’ Customs?” archived by Calvin College’s Randall Bytwerk, author Hannes Kremer calls for creating “new ideas and new customs,” while also adjusting “those customs which have grown out of the people to the new ‘community of the Germans.’” These customs would be given new “content,” i.e., that which would advance the goals of national socialism over traditional Christian beliefs.

Similarly, Nazi Wilhelm Beilstein, in a 1939 brief titled “How We Celebrate Christmas,” advises taking the Christmas traditions back to their pagan roots, thus using them to promote the national socialist ideal of the “eternal life force of our nature”—a nature predicated on the belief in the biological superiority of the race. To “deepen and enrich” Christmas traditions, Beilstein recommends celebrating the winter solstice with “community fires.” In language similar to that being bandied about today by “change” enthusiasts, Beilstein suggests that such a new/old tradition would promote “unity”; it “signifies the being and growth of our people’s community from the spark of the worldview that the Fuhrer lit in our hearts.” (Need we mention commemorative plates, collections of wise sayings, or the declaration of a Barack Obama holiday in at least one county?)

On Fox News a bearded and bedraggled self-described “progressive” from Massachusetts opined that he was too sophisticated for such a silly superstitious holiday as Christmas: He was going to celebrate the winter solstice. Drumming around the bonfire, now that is based so much more on reason than are Christian traditions!

The educationists have maligned Christianity, but even secularists, if they are intellectually honest, have to acknowledge that our form of democracy has its roots in Christianity. Alexis de Tocqueville in Democracy in America wrote, “there is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America; and there can be no greater proof of its utility and of its conformity to human nature than that its influence is powerfully felt over the most enlightened and free nation of the earth.”

The usual suspects will complain that Tocqueville was writing about a “free nation” that hypocritically practiced slavery. The atheists will point to the stories of rape, pillage, and murder in the Old Testament. What about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command? they predictably retort.

What they forget, or don’t know (thanks, public schools), is that child-sacrifice was common among polytheistic, “pagan” religions. (Think about that as you worship magical Nature during the solstice.) The Old Testament story serves as illustration of God’s mercy and a foretelling of the coming of the Savior. And, one more time, the American abolitionist movement was a fundamentally Christian movement, as are many movements today to end slavery still being practiced in non-Western countries.

Freedom From Religion should remember that we have freedom of religion, not from religion. The founding fathers understood the importance of religious belief, especially that which values human reason and free will. They understood that those without a higher authority are vulnerable to earthly tyranny. They understood the value of such displays in the public square.

One needs to ask then why a group that claims to advocate “Freedom From Religion” selectively attacks the Christian religion. If they’re so proud of eliminating commencement prayers, why haven’t they questioned calls to prayer during Ramadan and footbaths for Muslims on campuses? Or what about prayer rooms in one our nation’s airports? What about this Stealth Jihad?

What about it, brave free-thinkers? Come on: I want to see a debate with a Muslim advocacy group. I want to see it linked on Freedom from Religion’s website with the title, “FFRF vs. Muslim Crybabies.”

Great article. Have a great Weekend folks. Enjoy all the leftovers and I'll see you Sunday.
Peter

Link:
Townhall.com - The Atheists Who Try to Steal Christmas

Note: "From The Emails" is a weekly segment in the Friday edition of the OPNtalk Blog. If you care to send in News Articles, Comments, Stories, or anything else you may wish to share, please feel free to send it to opntalk@aim.com As always, you never know what you are going to see here.

Merry Christmas For 2008

Wishing you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

May you all have a very Merry and Healthy Christmas. Happy Holidays to all. May you all receive the peace and happiness you deserve this Holiday Season.
Peter

Violent Crimes Are Hate

No need for a distinction

Hey folks,

Some of you are not going to be happy with me on this one. But facts are facts and propaganda is propaganda. What is right and just is right and just, and anything else is merely agenda driven.

I feel for this young lady. If these four guys are caught and found guilty of this brutal crime, then they should be charged and thrown into jail for the maximum sentence. I have no compassion for this. I see no rehabilitation possibility when it comes to this type of crime.

However, if I attack you and kill you BECAUSE you are Black, it is an act of hate. If I attack you and kill you, and you HAPPEN to be Black, it is STILL an act of hate. Why would your life be less important, if some judge somewhere decided that your Race had nothing to do with it? Or if I happen to be a Black guy? If I kill you BECAUSE you are a Jew, or I kill you and you HAPPEN to be a Jew, why would that distinction mean anything? How would you actually PROVE what was in my mind at the time?

I see Rape as worse than murder. If you are killed by someone. Your dead. You go wherever it is you go. If you do not believe there is anything after, then you know nothing and cease to exist. But Rape Victims have to live with it for the rest of their lives. The most intimate and personal violation that one can suffer is Rape. For someone to be forcibly inside your body. To brutalize someone like this is the worse kind of crime.

According to FBI, and other Criminal Reporting agencies, the number that keeps coming up is "police-recorded rapes totaled 95,770 in the United States" in 97. In 2003 alone, America was witness to 93,433 forcible rape cases (US Department of Justice). Now remember, these are REPORTED Rapes. Who knows how many are not. Or how many are false reports.

So why is this ONE, that just reported to happen in California headline news? The last two paragraphs in this AP Article tells you why. Agenda.

Skolnik said the group plans to analyze hate crime data to see whether fluctuations may be related to the gay marriage bans that appeared on ballots this year in California, Arizona and Florida.

"Anytime there is an anti-LGBT initiative, we tend to see spikes both in the numbers and the severity of attacks," he said. "People feel this extra entitlement to act out their prejudice."

So could these four guys simply be in the countless numbers of Dirty Bags that like to, and should be thrown out of society for, Raping Women. There were no witnesses, yet according to Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan, the men, who ranged from their late teens to their 30s, made comments indicating they knew her sexual orientation. Therefore, it MUST be a Hate Crime.

Since this takes place right after Prop 8, it is YOUR fault folks. YOU caused this to happen. YOU might as well have held her down yourself if you Voted for Prop 8. YOU and your hatred and Homophobia caused this poor innocent Lesbian to be Raped.

I told you, they are going to try ANYTHING to subvert the Will of The People. They want Prop 8 and anything like it, THROWN out. They want you to just shut up and accept them. They want you to be forced, by law, regardless of YOUR Religious, or Moral code, to accept them and their lifestyle.

I have no problem with what you do in the privacy of your Bedroom. I have no problem with how you chose to live your life. We all chose our own paths. If the people in this country Voted Gay Marriage is OK with them, I would have no problem with that. I still do not think Government should have ANY say in the Holy Matrimony of two coming together and becoming one. But I believe in the rule of law. I believe in the Will of the People. The people voted Obama in. I do not like it. I think that this will cause more damage to this country than at ANY time in history. Yet, it is done. Obama is in. I will HAVE to give him a chance and hope I am wrong.

I really do hope that they get these guys that did this. I hope ALL those that Rape Women in this country and around the world get what they deserve. I hope that the other 93,433 or so victims get the help and comfort they need. But to use this "Victim" as a pawn to further the radical agenda of overturning the Will of The People is just as bad as the Rape itself.
Peter

Sources:
AP- Lesbian's brutal gang rape investigated in Calif.

Why Bailouts Are Wrong

DO a Good Job, get rewarded. Fail, get fired. It really IS that Simple.

Hey folks,

Good Monday morning to you. You get rewarded for a job well done. If not, you fail or get fired. True story. A few years ago, I started "PC Mailings." The concept is simple. I have information you need. You send me money, I send you the information. Simple right? Not so much. I took the time and the money, to go to Tallahassee and buy the "Rights" to the name. I bought the Licenses I needed. I wrote the Informational Packets. I was ready to go.

The hopes and dreams were filling my head. The Math was sound. If just 100 people wanted the informational packets, I would have made over $2,000 dollars. 1000 people? 10,000 people? You get the picture. I bought advertising for $500.00 for a two week period. I received ONE DOLLAR.

Was the advertising worded wrong? Maybe. Was it placed in the wrong place? Maybe. Could I have continued trying, spending more and more in advertising trying to keep the hope alive? Of course. Did I? Nope. I took the hit and dropped the idea and continued to work for others that PAID me for doing my job.

Now I, like most of you, have worked for others my whole life. EVERY JOB I have ever had, with the exception of one, I excelled and was promoted and rewarded for doing a good job. When I was in Security and Law Enforcement, I was promoted to Sgt and Senior Investigator. When I worked in a kitchen, I became the Night Supervisor. When I was in the Hotel Business, I went from Security, to Night Auditor, to Front Office Manager in one year. I ran a major brand Hotel in NY for six years, and one here in South Florida for three.

Then I worked for a Distribution Company. I could not care less about it. I was there for eight months. I did the minimum of what was asked. I did not show for work, I did not go anywhere. I refused to learn new things, and I pretty much could not have cared if the place burnt down. Did I get rewarded? Nope. I quit and moved on to work for a local City Government.

So the lesson? Do the job you were hired for. Do it well. No matter WHAT the field of endeavor. Get rewarded. Do NOT do the job you are hired for. Get fired or end up leaving on your own. So why does this seem to be a difficult concept?

The AP, Associated Press, conducted an investigation into the Banking Bailouts. What did they find? Get this.

The 116 banks that so far have received taxpayer dollars to boost them through the economic crisis gave their top tier of executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses and other benefits in 2007, an Associated Press analysis found.

That amount, spread among the 600 highest paid bank executives, would cover the bailout money given to 53 of the banks that have shared the $188 billion that Washington has doled out in rescue packages so far.

So these Executives that in essence FAILED to do their jobs. Got caught in the scam that was Fannie and Freddie, are now being rewarded to CONTINUE to fail. Or, I cannot believe I actually agree with him, but I do. As Barney Frank said, they are being bribed to do the job they were hired for.

"Most of us sign on to do jobs, and we do them best we can," said Frank. "We're told that some of the most highly paid people in executive positions are different. They need extra money to be motivated!"

Screw them. Don't do the Job, get the hell out. When I was in Hotel Management, what do you think I said to those that came to me and said, "You know what Pete, I just can't do this anymore. But if you give me a raise, I will try a little harder..?" Yup. I said "Your Fired."

• Lloyd Blankfein, president and chief executive of Goldman Sachs, took home nearly $54 million in compensation last year. The company's top five executives received a total of $242 million.

This year, Goldman's seven top-paid executives will work for their base salaries of $600,000, with no stock or cash bonuses, the company said. Last spring, before Wall Street's staggering losses and layoffs mushroomed, Goldman described its pay plan as essential to retain and motivate executives "whose efforts and judgments are vital to our continued success, by setting their compensation at appropriate and competitive levels." Goldman spokesman Ed Canaday declined to comment beyond that written report.

The New York-based company, after gains last year, on Dec. 16 reported its first quarterly loss since it went public in 1999. It received $10 billion in taxpayer money on Oct. 28.

• Even where banks cut back on pay, some executives were left with seven- or eight-figure compensation that most people can only dream about. Richard D. Fairbank, the chairman of Capital One Financial Corp., took a $1 million hit in compensation after his company had a disappointing year, but still got $17 million in stock options. The McLean, Va.-based company received $3.56 billion in bailout money on Nov. 14.

• John A. Thain, chief executive of Merrill Lynch, topped all corporate bank bosses with $83 million in earnings last year. Thain, a former chief operating officer for Goldman Sachs, came to Merrill Lynch in December 2007, avoiding the blame for a year in which Merrill lost $7.8 billion. Since he began work late in the year, he earned $57,692 in salary, a $15 million signing bonus and an additional $68 million in stock options.

Like Goldman, Merrill tapped taxpayers for $10 billion on Oct. 28.

Look at some of these other numbers.

The records detailing last year's pay packages show that personal financial advice was among the executive perks. Wells Fargo of San Francisco, which took $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money, gave its top executives up to $20,000 each to pay financial planners.

At Bank of New York Mellon Corp., chief executive Robert P. Kelly's stipend for financial planning services came to $66,748, on top of his $975,000 salary and $7.5 million bonus. His car and driver cost $178,879. Kelly also received $846,000 in relocation expenses, including help selling his home in Pittsburgh and purchasing one in Manhattan, the company said.

Goldman Sachs, paying as much as $233,000 for an executive's car and driver, told its shareholders that financial counseling and chauffeurs were needed so executives would have more time to focus on their jobs.

JPMorgan Chase chairman James Dimon ran up a $211,182 tab for private jet travel last year when his family lived in Chicago and he was commuting to New York. The company received $25 billion in bailout funds.

Banks cite security to justify personal use of company aircraft for some executives. But Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., questioned that rationale, saying executives visit many locations more vulnerable than the nation's security-conscious commercial air terminals.

Now we are bailing out Auto Companies? Where is that money going to go? Housing? Did that money go to help YOU. YOU stay in YOUR house? Nope. Private Jets, Big Parties. Big compensations for THEIR Executives. Big rewards for those that CAUSED the problem or ALLOWED it to continue, Like Frank himself. Why is the Auto Industry Different? It's not.

What about a bailout to ME? I started a business that failed. I lost money. I need a consultant, a driver, and someone to fly me places, you know, so I can concentrate more on the business. What would YOU get if I were to get say one Million? Nothing. Just like the Banking, Housing, and Auto industries. You would pay me YOUR tax money, for, well, nothing. But hey, if everyone else is getting bailed out, why not?

So more and more people, including States, Private Business, Public Businesses, and the Little Man on the Moon, are all coming out of the wood work for this "Free Money." Problem is, it's not free, it is YOURS.
Peter

Sources:
AP - AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs

Congress Raises, Blagojevich Has To Be Thrown Out, We Suffer

Preview For Sunday 122108

Hey folks,

Welcome to the Big Sunday Edition of the OPNTalk Blog. Glad you could make it. Just three more days to go, and Christmas is here. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all. May you have a blessed day and a joyous fellowship with your friends and family.

OK. Let's get right to it. How are you doing? Financially? Are you OK? You are paying all these taxes, which have to go up to pay for all the freebies that the Government wants to "give you." How about getting a raise at work? Have you asked? Well, they did. They will get it also. YOU will pay for that as well.

Our friend, Irishgodfather, sent me the following.

"A lot of never I'd say.

With the economy in shambles and Americans losing their homes and jobs at record levels, Congress has moved to take drastic measures. For Themselves. The law makers have failed to vote down a $4,700 pay raise beginning in January, increasing their annual salaries to $174,000.

The increase for 535 House and Senate members would cost taxpayers more than $2.5 million. That salary alone, which excludes all other household incomes (spouses etc.), ranks each lawmaker in the TOP SIX PERCENT of ALL American households. Is this real? This disgusting move toward further wealth disparity shows Congress for what they really are - The King's Court."

I couldn't agree more. Talking about arrogance and complete lack concern for the people. Ill. Gov. Blagojevich will HAVE to be thrown out. He is not going anywhere. Get this, from Friday, AP - Ill. Gov. Blagojevich pledges to fight, won't quit

CHICAGO – A combative Gov. Rod Blagojevich served notice Friday that he has no intention of quitting over his corruption arrest, declaring: "I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong." The forceful three-minute speech marked the first time the former amateur boxer directly addressed the allegations since his arrest 10 days earlier.

Yeah, and he is being attacked for nothing. He also said this.

"Now I know there are some powerful forces arrayed against me. It's kind of lonely right now. But I have on my side the most powerful ally there is, and it's the truth. And besides, I have the personal knowledge that I have not done anything wrong."

So it is simple. You folks in Illinois want him out, you are going to have to throw him out. I really am in a weird mood today. I'm in the Christmas Spirit. I have a whole lot of extra time coming up in the next couple of weeks. Things that would normally tick me off are just really making me laugh.

Anyway, coming right up today?

Holiday Energy Saving Tips
Conversation Between Mr. Government and Joe Liberal
Why Are We Wasting Time and Money
Want Fries With That
IWA For Sunday 122108

Really pay attention to the Energy saving tips. One got my attention right off the bat. Just ten strans of lights run for a few hours a day can add $50.00 to your electric bill? I have to rethink the whole decorading thing. {Smile}

Oh, and by the way, if you live in California, you see someone in need, you may want to re-think helping them out. According to the AP - Calif. Court: Would-be Good Samaritan can be sued

LOS ANGELES – Proving that no good deed goes unpunished, the state's high court on Thursday said a would-be Good Samaritan accused of rendering her friend paraplegic by pulling her from a wrecked car "like a rag doll" can be sued.

California's Supreme Court ruled that the state's Good Samaritan law only protects people from liability if the are administering emergency medical care, and that Lisa Torti's attempted rescue of her friend didn't qualify.

Justice Carlos Moreno wrote for a unanimous court that a person is not obligated to come to someone's aid.

So forget about it. Just let them die. {Sigh} Got to love Califorina. Anyway, we have a lot of ground to cover, so let's get right to it. Get your morning cup of, whatever, and I'll be right back.
Peter

Sources:
AP - Ill. Gov. Blagojevich pledges to fight, won't quit
AP - Calif. Court: Would-be Good Samaritan can be sued

Holiday Energy Saving Tips

From our friends at Energy Tomorrow.

Hey folks,

Since it is the Holiday Season, I thought you might find some of these energy saving tips useful. As I told you last week, I had friends and family that came over and decorated the house. Lights galore. I even have a giant Penguin in my front yard. Now they want to come over and decorate my back porch and yard.

After reading some of these tips by Wendell Cox, I'm starting to rethink the whole thing. {Smile}

Wendell Cox is principal of Demographia, a St. Louis area based public policy firm specializing in demographics, urban policy and transportation.

Mr. Cox recently surveyed the most authoritative studies on energy demand and assessed various energy trends. He maintains that despite recent dips energy demand will continue to rise and we’ll need all the energy we can get to meet it in the years to come.

What do the holidays and our national energy policy have in common? According to Wendell Cox, perhaps more than you think.

Energy demand in the United States typically increases during the holiday season. Just think of every holiday celebration you attend—ovens and other kitchen appliances working overtime, not to mention dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers. And that’s just inside the house. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's are the most heavily traveled of the year—that's a lot of energy use.

The U.S. government predicts that traditional sources of energy—coal, oil and natural gas—will continue to meet the majority of our energy needs well into the future. When the holiday cheer ends and a new Congress and president turn their attention to energy, they must recognize the need for policies that promote all forms of energy and utilize America’s vast resources.

While practicing and conservation are not the whole answer to meeting growing energy demand, it is part of it. Below, please find some holiday energy efficiency tips that will help you make the most of your energy use this holiday season.

Holiday Travel Tips
(Source: EnergyTomorrow.org Fuel Saving Tips)

Keep your tires properly inflated. Underinflated tires can decrease fuel economy by up to one mile per gallon.

Slow down. The faster you drive, the more gasoline your car uses. Driving at 55 miles per hour rather than 65 miles per hour reduces fuel economy by about two miles per gallon.

Avoid jackrabbit starts. Abrupt starts require about twice as much gasoline as gradual starts.

Pace your driving. Unnecessary speedups, slowdowns and stops can decrease fuel economy by up to two miles per gallon. Stay alert and drive steadily, not erratically. Keep a reasonable, safe distance from the car ahead of you and anticipate traffic conditions.

Cooking Tips
(Source: California Energy Commission)

Holiday ham and turkey are usually roasted for hours. Since it's a long, slow cook, there is no need to preheat your oven, even when the recipe suggests it. In fact, unless you're baking breads or pastries, you may not need to preheat the oven at all.

Don't open the oven door to sneak a peek at what is cooking inside. Instead, use the oven light to check the cooking status through the oven window. Opening the oven door can lower the oven temperature by as much as 25 degrees, which increases cooking time and wastes energy.

As long as your oven is on, cook several holiday favorites at the same time.

How to Save Electricity Used by Holiday Lights
(Source: Alliance to Save Energy)

Turn off your holiday lights before you go to bed, or consider installing timers to reduce the amount of time your holiday lights are on. Just 10 strands lit for 13 hours a day can add more than $50 to a monthly energy bill.

Use energy-efficient LED holiday lights, which use 10 percent of the energy of mini lights.

Tips to Save Energy with Electronics
(Source: Department of Energy)

In the average home, 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the products are turned off. This can be avoided by unplugging the appliance or using a power strip and using the switch on the power strip to cut all power to the appliance.

For new holiday electronics gifts, unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged or the chargers are not in use.

Hope you find these tips as interesting as I did. Thank you Jane. Again, a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to all.
Peter

API- Website
Energy Tomorrow- Website

Conversation Between Mr. Government and Joe Liberal

A Possibility of things to come.

"Hey there Joe."

"Oh, Hey Mr. Government. Congratulations on your victory. You know, I Voted for you."

"Yeah, that's great. You know some changes will have to be made right?"

"Yeah of course I do. That's what I Voted for. Change."

"Good, good. Then you understand that we will be taking over the Auto Industry, well, actually just continuing what Bush started. Only we will have to change a few things there also. We will now require them to pay higher taxes, and make cars that are safe for the environment. No more SUVs."

"Great. I'm all about the environment. I want a safe and clean world for my kids and Grand kids to grow up in. Who needs a SUV anyway? Even if the price of gas is down."

"Well Joe, the problem is this. The price of gas is going back up. Here is the reasons why. One, we will tax Big Oil and take their completely insane profits. We will use that money to fund other natural resources, and sources of energy. We will be also reinstating the Drilling ban. If someone decides that they want to open a coal plant, we will simply tax them into Bankruptcy.

You see Joe, High gas prices are actually good. It is a motivator to seek and prefect alternative energy. We do apologize, but your electric bill will skyrocket. This is a good thing as well."

"Well, Mr. Government. I do not like that, but I understand. We all have to make sacrifices."

"Exactly Joe. Besides, our experts say that 77 degrees in the Summer, and 68 degrees in the Winter is good enough and will also save you some money. Since we know that some will fight this, we will be allowing the energy companies to come into your home and control your thermostat."

"Don't you think that is a little intrusive?"

"Not at all Joe. Like you said, we all have to make sacrifices."

"OK. No problem. I can walk around my house Naked in the Summer and put on a sweater in the Winter. But I can not wait until you guys give it to those millionaires. You know, spread the Wealth and all that."

"Well Joe, ACTUALLY, we see that you are doing pretty good. You made $150,000 last year. Yeah I know we said $250,000 was going to be the cut off, but we are not bringing in that much money. So we have lowered the figure. We have to start taking some of your profits also."

"But wait,,,,"

"No, no, no, Joe. Don't start going down that road. Don't be greedy. It's time that you do your Patriotic Duty and help solve this horrible economic mess. You know, we are still trying to fix what Bush and the Republicans screwed up.

Besides, if you really think about it, why would you need to make more? We plan to give you free Healthcare, free Education for your kids, help you with that mortgage of yours, and pretty much take care of whatever you need."

"Well, I guess I understand. I will not have to worry about paying for my kids education. He wants to be a Doctor, and,,"

"Hold on Joe. We have enough Doctors. With us taking over the Healthcare system, it is really those in an office sitting somewhere that will decide what you need and when you need it. You know, like the insurance companies have done for years. No we do not need anymore Doctors right now. What we do need is Plumbers, Electricians, and Carpenters. We need people to learn trades to serve the betterment of all.

Of course, you do realize that if your kids do not want to go to college, that is OK too. Those of us in leadership always need housekeepers, drivers, and people to take care of those everyday things that people like you have to deal with. We are far too busy to worry about shopping, cutting the grass, that sort of thing. They can always work for us."

"No wait a second Mr. Government. If my Son wants to be a Doctor,,,"

{Sigh} "Joe, Joe, Joe. We can not all get want we want. Come on Joe. Don't become a problem. Look at what we are going to give you. You ungrateful slub. Trust me, you do not want to cause a problem for yourself. Allow us to think for you. Allow us to rescue you from yourself and your own stupidity."

"Now wait just a damn second. That is not what I Voted for. You guys were suppose to go after Big Oil, and the other Billionaires out there. You were suppose to give me and my family free money and take care of us. You know, so I don't have to worry about gassing up my car, and paying my mortgage. You guys were suppose to do that.

Now you are telling me that you are taking MY MONEY! You are telling me that you are going to tell me how to live my life and what my kids are going to become? You are telling me that YOU control every aspect of my life? Don't question that?

I guess Rush and Hannity were right about you guys. I guess,,,"

"Why do you think they are off the air Joe?"

"But,,"

"Joe, you really do not want us to look into your back taxes do you? You really do not want us checking your computer to see where it is you have been going, do you? Do you really want a better future for your kids? A better way for YOU? Then just know your role and shut your mouth."

Mr. Government leaves. Joe sits and ponders. He thinks to himself, "How could this have ever happened?"

Peter