Thursday, April 28, 2005

Finally!!!

As Ol' BC listened to Dubya's nationally televised press conference tonight, the O word was finally mentioned. That word would be OWNERSHIP as it applied to personal social security accounts. The President finally spoke of the hardship on a family when one dies. Presently, they get virtually nothing from social security. In a two worker family, now the surviving spouse can choose to draw on the higher benefit of his or her own or the deceased. All the money paid into social security system by the other party goes to the government. If there were personal accounts, the money paid in would stay with the family in their time of need. I was also heartened to the the prez say that one's money need not be invested in the stock market, but instead into safer investments such as bonds or treasury bills.

Ol' BC is still pretty certain that the Democrats will oppose nearly anything Dubya proposes. It has been over four years now and the ideas of the minority party still seem to be locked away in a secret hiding place. All they can do is criticize anything Dubya proposes or does.

Just an observation.

Howard Dean, Is Anybody Home?

Most of us realize that DNC chairman Howard Dean is out to lunch most of the time. However, while reading Joe Scarborough I came across the most interesting paragraph.


On April 11, DNC Chairman Howard Dean told a newspaper reporter the
following:
"We need to talk about Christian values and how they're Democratic
values...The Democratic Party is the party of those values, not the Republican
Party."

HELLO? Howard?

Joe goes on to say:

Imagine for a moment if the head of the Republican Party claimed that Christian
values were the exclusive domain of your Party.

Dean is still out to lunch.

Just an observation.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Here's a Load of Crap

Here it is! An MSM article hinting at a compromise between Bill Frist and Harry Reid to get two of Dubya's seven judicial nominees approved if the Republicans abandon their threats to ban filibusters on judicial nominees. But,

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., wants a third appointee to the same circuit to be
replaced by an alternative who is preferred by Michigan's two Democratic
senators.
Reid also remains staunchly opposed to four conservative
candidates for other appellate circuits, these officials said in reference to
Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, William G. Myers III and William H. Pryor
Jr.

Ol' BC is guessing that when the follow up story comes out, the compromise won't be possible because of Frist.

Just a thought.

Here's a Good Laugh

This is funny if you have a sense a humor.

The Montreal singer was to perform the national anthems of two countries
before the United States' 5-4 exhibition victory over Canada on Friday in Quebec
City.
Caroline Marcil, who failed twice singing the United States national
anthem, falls on the ice before an exhibition hockey game between Canada and USA
in Quebec City on Friday. (Le Journal de Quebec, Leopold Rousseau / Associated
Press)
Despite two tries, she forgot the words to the U.S. anthem and then
left to get the lyrics. When she returned to the rink, she slipped on the carpet
covering the ice and plopped on her back before a Quebec Coliseum crowd of
7,166.

From looking at the picture, she fell on her aaaaaass. A large one at that.

After lying motionless for a few seconds, the 24-year-old Canadian left on
her own and the game began without either anthem sung.

Ol' BC is guessing she's a "fwench" Canadian.

Just a thought.

Make That Threat a Promise...Pleeease

Ol' BC has been hearing and reading so much lately about the "nuclear" option of dealing with Democrats filibustering judicial nominees. Also, about the Democrats "shutting down" the Senate if this is exercised.

Let's consider two points here:

1) The filibuster itself. Whatever happened to the day when one had to actually hold the floor for the entirety of the filibuster? Read the paper, recite poetry, tell jokes. Keep talking. Now, they just say we're filibustering. What a bunch of sissy-asses. If you're going to filibuster, then get your ass up front and do it right. That's how they taught it when Ol' BC took Civics.

2) "Shutting down" the Senate. Please, please do. That will mean and recess from more and more legislation. From more and more spending bills. From more and more government intrusion. Please shut it down for a while.

Once we quit trying to figure out how to legislate out religion or legislate in morality, this nonsense will go away. A judge's body of work is no longer considered. His or her stance on religion or abortion certainly is. Legislating morality has never worked, probably never will.

Just a thought.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

MSM Bludgeoning Benny Already

Ol' BC just listened to a CBS news report that absolutely ripped Pope Benedict XVI from top to bottom. Apparently, Benny is going to be a stand up Pope, one the church can be proud of.
How else can one explain MSM's disdain.

RWR gets it. (see comments of post below.)

The very intuitive Sorreli gets it.(see comments of post below.)

And Ol' BC gets it. The MSM and all the "progressive" Catholics have a different agenda. Here's hoping Benny has backbone( or other body parts of significance). So far so good.

The Baron gets it. (see this post)

I'm still observing.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Ryan-Sununu Plan Looks Good for Social Security

This sums it up. Dubya needs to get a command of the numbers. They have been hashed and rehashed. And then there is that one huge advantage of private accounts - OWNERSHIP. Ol' BC has said from the beginning that this would be the best thing for the working poor and lower middle class. What do their families get now if they die at age 60 after paying in to Social Security all their lives? What the bird left on the pump handle!

Just a thought.

Pope Benedict XVI a Conservative

As the white smoke rose in the Vatican and the church bells rang, another conservative was elected to lead the Catholic church. This may not sit especially well with the "relativism" arm of the church. An MSNBC piece said this:

A man of deep personal faith who choked up as he delivered the homily at
Pope John Paul II’s funeral, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger also has alienated some
Roman Catholics with his zeal in enforcing church orthodoxy.
And on those
issues, the new Pope Benedict XVI is immovable.

Now, Ol' BC is not a Catholic and in many ways probably can't relate to a large number of them on church issues. However, it seems to me, that this "relativism" group of the church sees themselves a progressives. The suggestions they make and their complaints lead Ol' BC to this conclusion - The progressives in the Catholic church kinda want to be Catholic but don't really want to have to abide by the rules and laws of the Church. It's kind of like someone wanting to be Christian ( which I know Catholics are), but not wanting the inconvenience of trying to live by the teachings of the Bible.

Many have said this will be a "transition" Pope. Ol' BC doesn't see much transition here. John Paul II and Benedict XVI seem to be cut out of the same cloth.

Just an observation.

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Blogger RWR Nails It

A few days ago I posted a blog about the politics of the Papacy. In a comment, RightWingRocker suggested any speculation be taken with a grain of salt due to the gag order placed by John Paul II.

Now an AP article confirms this.
Italians, with 20 cardinals, are the biggest national bloc of the 115 voting
churchmen. But the newspaper's Vatican expert, Marco Politi, wrote that the
Italians, whose 455-year-old hold on the papacy was broken by John Paul II's
election, were divided, and there was no European or Third World candidate who
had captured the prelates' imaginations. Voting cardinals decided days ago not
to give interview before the vote, and it was not clear what La Repubblica's
assessment was based on.

As RWR said, pure speculation.

Just an observation

Friday, April 15, 2005

Mark Alexander On Taxes, Socialism

One of my favorite sites, RightWingRocker , posted on this column by Mark Alexander. For those of you who recognize the increasing presence of big brother and those of you who think government intervention and stealing our money via taxes is alright, it is an interesting piece.

The deadline for filing income taxes may be April 15th, but the average taxpayer
will not earn enough cumulative gross income to pay for federal, state and local
government spending and regulation until sometime in July. In fact, the cost of
spending and regulation now exceeds $24,000 per person per year.

This figure continues to grow. As revenues to the government continue to increase as a result of Dubya's tax cuts (see The Baron...Are You Tired?) , big bro continues to spend our money at a more rapid pace.

That's why I can't really categorize Bush as a conservative.

Just an observation.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

One for the Good Guys - A Judge Upholds the Law

Generic drug whores lost their bid to overturn Eli Lilly & Co's patent for the anti-pyschotic drug Zyprexa. Here's one for the guys who spend billions of dollars doing research and development in order to continue to develop new and better medications for the ailing in this world.

The generic manufacturers - Zenith Goldline Pharmaceuticals, owned by IVAX Corp.
of Miami; Dr. Reddy's Laboratories of India; and the U.S. arm of Israeli-based
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries - had challenged a 1993 patent that granted Lilly
exclusive U.S. rights to Zyprexa until 2011.

I don't want to go on a RWR rant about generic whores, but let it suffice to say that these type companies don't spend a dime trying to bring a drug to market or chip in a dime when a "real drug company" gets sued. They are just assholes who want to profit from the investment, expertise and hard work of others. But they have a good gig going. They make lots of money and don't have any expenses of significance to recover.

Read the article here.

At any rate, in spite of those who cry about the cost of meds in the U.S., I tip my hat to Judge Richard L. Young. I just haven't figured out why it took 212 pages to tell a bunch of whores to go f**k themselves. I wish he could tell them to share in the risk of investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of drugs that don't pan out. I wish he could tell them to share in the cost of the boatload of idiotic lawsuits against the developers of the drugs they produce. I wish he could tell them to share in the cost of satisfying multiple countries regulatory agencies and drug approval agencies. I wish...

I better stop or pretty soon they won't have the money to sue for patent infringement and will have to start charging like "real drug companies."

Just a thought.

(full disclosure...Ol' BC owns stock in two pharmaceutical companies)

Baseball Bat Murder

What a sad sad story. A 13 year old murders another youth league baseball player following a game in California. I know things are a little different out there, but c'mon. I played ball at various levels and never thought beating someone to death because we lost a game. You can read the story here. I normally am one for charging murderers as adults, but in this case I'm just not sure that would be best. It can't happen anyway in California.

The district attorney spokeswoman declined to say what may have prompted
the attack or to provide details about the allegations. The Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department, which investigated the incident, also declined comment.

I do find it somewhat odd that nobody is talking out there. Let me hazard a guess. How about violent video games or maybe bad parenting? What about no parenting?

Nobody's talking.

Just an observation.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Politics of The Papacy.

Politics has begun rearing its head as the Cardinals prepare to convene to elect a new Pope. This article suggests Ratzinger of Germany already has about half the votes needed. Ol' BC still thinks Tettamanzi from Milan is the one to watch. After all, he's Italian and John Paul II wasn't.

Just a thought.

ROTT Hits Another Home Run

Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler has a fabulous post about war protesters. This is really good and worth taking a couple of minutes read. The comments of the marine quoted says it all.

Just an observation.

Bush Bashers Wrong....Again and Again

Tom Bowler at Libertarian Leanings had this post about a Wall Street Journal editorial piece that seemed really too kind to the Bush Bashers. Whether you like Ol Dubya or not, it's not too difficult to see the level of carping and criticizing the man has had to endure. Tom's post reminds us of some of the whiners' predictions and how awfully wrong they were. Pretty obvious some are willing to play politics with national security.

Just an observation.

Monday, April 11, 2005

Hatfields & McCoys in Florida?

Have the Hatfields and the McCoys moved to Florida and changed their names? All indications are this could be the case. The AP reports a Florida feud eerily similar to the Hatfields and McCoys complete with them shooting at each other. If you spend any time in Crescent City, Florida, be careful.

Just an observation.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Here's Who Will Vote For The Next Pope

Here's the 117 who will vote for the next Pope. Pick your favorite.

Taxpayers To Support Olympic Bomber - How Can That Be?

The AP is reporting that Olympic Bomber Eric Rudolph will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. Something is terribly wrong here. The guy allegedly bombed a nightclub and two abortion clinics in addition to the bomb at the 1996 Olympics that killed one and injured about a hundred others.

Apparently the Justice Department and then Attorney General John Ashcroft had decided to try a Birmingham Alabama bombing first and seek the death penalty. Ashcroft stated the trial would be "relatively short and straightforward." Now those Alabama courts just may have recommended the death penalty and saved taxpayers half a million dollars or more.

Jeff Lyons, whose wife was critically injured in an Alabama abortion clinic
bombing, said he was informed by the Justice Department of the plea. Two Justice
Department officials confirmed the plea agreement, speaking on condition of
anonymity. An announcement was expected later Friday.


Lyons said he and his wife were "extremely disappointed" in the life
sentences for Rudolph. "As they say, let the punishment fit the crime. That was
a death sentence," he said.


Ol' BC hates the thought of us paying for this scuzzbucket's existence after he has admitted to the death and maming of others and pointed out his explosives stash for the feds. This guy is nothing more than a terrorist and taxpayers are going to be supporting this guy for tens of years.

Maybe he won't last long in prison.

Just a thought.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

7000 Year Old Porn

The oldest porn discovery to date. Read this. Ol' BC thinks sex probably wasn't taboo in the Stone Age. We're still here, faults and all.

Just an observation.

Jimmy Carter's Nose Out Of Joint

Former president Jimmy Carter apparently has his nose out of joint after being left out of the U.S. delegation for the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Captain's Quarters has this on the subject.
Seems Carter, who has been hard on presidents Bush and Clinton, is upset at not being included, however he didn't attend Popes funerals when he was in office.

Ol' BC sees it this way - Carter was perhaps the worst president ever elected and his feelings being hurt on this issue are of virtually no consequence. It's just another opportunity to criticize Dubya.

Just a thought.

Wake Up Indiana...It's Time

It's time! Daylight saving time is a big issue in the Hoosier state. It is one of the two or three states not to "spring forward and fall back." Now Congress is crafting an energy bill that will include extending daylight saving time for the energy savings. Most of us aren't old enough to remember, but Ol' BC read somewhere that energy savings was the biggest benefit when daylight saving time was originated. (I think it was Winston Churchill in Great Britain.)

At any rate, it seems Indiana may get in line with most of the rest of the country as a bill is now before the legislature. It has been speculated that June 5 could be a start date. But, you must remember, those Hoosiers see things a little differently. They are also debating whether to change time zones! Yes, time zones. Take a step forward, then take a step back.

Just an observation.

Saturday, April 02, 2005

French Wino Terrorism...Yeah French

Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler has a fabulous post on the fwench. Seems Ol' BC and others boycotting fwench goods is having an impact in Fwance. It seems wine producers in Fwance are bombing government offices because people aren't buying their whines, I mean wines. They are blaming the government because nobody is buying their products. ROTT clarifies the EU mindset nicely:

You see, according to the EUnuch mindset, if you can't sell your crap, you're
"entitled" to have the government buy it from you, lest you be left to face the
Evil Reality of the Free Marketplace.


Now it seems funny to Ol' BC that the government is quick to avoid conflict at any cost but the Fwench population seems to be a bit more aggressive.

And before the fwench government starts thinking about countering this
latest outburst of domestic terrorism with anything resembling force (which they
won't do anyway, being fwench), we'll offer this slogan to the masses
undoubtedly getting ready to protest such a move:
"NO BLOOD FOR OVERPRICED
VINEGAR"

Just an observation.

What a Day

Well the Pope passed away today. RightWingRocker has a nice post on the Pope prior to his passing. He should be remembered as one of the truly great Popes. Remember, he was instrumental in the crumbling of the "iron curtain."

Also, The Baron has a fabulous post about attending a Town Hall meeting hosted by Congressman Mike Sodrel. Being near a major university, Ol' BC can just imagine the scope of questioning the Congressman had to endure. The Baron sheds light on this in his usual witty fashion. There is, however, some very good information pointed out on the issue of Social Security reform. As you may or may not remember, this is one of Ol' BC's pet topics. The Baron had this little tidbit which Ol' BC thinks needs to be pointed out from time to time.


For example, during the discussion on Social Security, he was explaining
that the average life expectancy when the program was created was 61, but now it
is 77. However, he never said that the retirement age has only gone from 65 to
67, meaning that the original Social Security plan never intended the average
guy to draw a check. Now, nearly everyone will draw a check.
I might have
compared the program’s formation to modern times, and explained that if Social
Security were formed today, it would mean that the retirement age would not be
67 but 82 or 83 - five years above the average life expectancy, which is exactly
where FDR set it the first time. Then, once the ooohs and aaaahs quieted enough
for me to continue, I would probably say something witty like, “And that, my
friends, is why we can’t continue to tax our way out of this problem.

That's powerful stuff. Ol' BC understands that the math thing can be challenging and confusing, but most elementary students can grasp this - BUT can the Democrats in Washington?

Just a thought.