In this area, NPR can be useful, yes. First off, there is the classical music.
And then, there are the info-bits.
This morning, I learned that Wonder Woman was a creation of a psychologist named Marston. Marston was married, but also had a live-in mistress (!!) who was the niece of none other than Margaret Sanger. Both his wife AND his mistress produced two children who were his.
Further, it is now thought that Wonder Woman was modeled on Sanger, as a 'savior' of women who were bound by chains to such drudgery as raising children. Don't recall if any Wonder Woman story-lines included butchery-for-profit, but there you are.
Marston also invented the pop-psych "DISC" test which enjoys popularity with lots of small companies who don't want to spend Big Bucks hiring an industrial shrink when looking at prospective hires.
Now, class: is Wonder Woman the immediate cause of the Feminazi Movement??
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Dobszay on the Liturgy v. The Local Guy
One of the most useful critiques of the Catholic liturgical landscape is "The Bugnini-Liturgy and the Reform of the Reform" by Prof. Laszlo Dobszay (RIP). While it is impossible to condense the entire work into a blog-post--for it covers not only the Mass, but also the rest of the liturgy, i.e., the Hours--one paragraph caught my attention.
"The most harmful consequence of the Novus Ordo [OF] was that the thinking of many priests (and their followers) about the liturgy has been radically changed. The liturgy in the practice of many priests is not a holy, divine action, an actio praecellenter sacra, performed by the priest as the servant of the Church according to the order given by the Church, not something which enlivens, preserves and transmits certain objective values...No, it is rather an event organized by the priest (often by a specific group from the congregation), and its value can be measured by its effect on the given members of the congregation...."
Why did this passage strike a chord with me?
Last week, at my exurban parish, the former pastor celebrated one of the Masses. Since there was some reference to marriage in last week's readings (OF), he then took it upon himself during the sermon to ask all married couples to stand--with their spouses--and recite their marriage vows again. Cute.
Far more serious, he then switched out the Preface for the Sunday Mass for the Preface of the Nuptial Mass. And, as is his usual wont, he inserted a rambling blather-ette before the Our Father.
In a civil context, this would amount to felonious assault and battery against the Mass.
The good news? He's in retirement. The bad news? He shows up regularly with this dog-and-pony routine. Ironically, he is a moral theologian by training.
"The most harmful consequence of the Novus Ordo [OF] was that the thinking of many priests (and their followers) about the liturgy has been radically changed. The liturgy in the practice of many priests is not a holy, divine action, an actio praecellenter sacra, performed by the priest as the servant of the Church according to the order given by the Church, not something which enlivens, preserves and transmits certain objective values...No, it is rather an event organized by the priest (often by a specific group from the congregation), and its value can be measured by its effect on the given members of the congregation...."
Why did this passage strike a chord with me?
Last week, at my exurban parish, the former pastor celebrated one of the Masses. Since there was some reference to marriage in last week's readings (OF), he then took it upon himself during the sermon to ask all married couples to stand--with their spouses--and recite their marriage vows again. Cute.
Far more serious, he then switched out the Preface for the Sunday Mass for the Preface of the Nuptial Mass. And, as is his usual wont, he inserted a rambling blather-ette before the Our Father.
In a civil context, this would amount to felonious assault and battery against the Mass.
The good news? He's in retirement. The bad news? He shows up regularly with this dog-and-pony routine. Ironically, he is a moral theologian by training.
Fancy, Gutless Footwork on Butcher-House Funding
The latest GOP offer on Planned Parenthood is to "freeze" spending on them.
It's the usual half-a-loaf (or less) for Conservatives, but even more disturbing is Cong. Black's "reasoning" on this move:
“I’m not in the shut down government camp. That is not the way to get to the bottom of this issue, by shutting down the government,” the three-term lawmaker said. “It puts the president in charge instead of the legislature.” --quoted at HotAir
Actually, Ms. Black, it puts Obozo and all the Planned Chop-Shop supporters--like you, most Democrats, and a lot of other Republicans, on the hot seat. Let him veto it and go for the over-ride. Let's put the cards on the table instead of hiding them under your skirt, eh?
You're not outraged by what The Butcher Shop is doing.
That tells us something, Ms. Black.
It's the usual half-a-loaf (or less) for Conservatives, but even more disturbing is Cong. Black's "reasoning" on this move:
“I’m not in the shut down government camp. That is not the way to get to the bottom of this issue, by shutting down the government,” the three-term lawmaker said. “It puts the president in charge instead of the legislature.” --quoted at HotAir
Actually, Ms. Black, it puts Obozo and all the Planned Chop-Shop supporters--like you, most Democrats, and a lot of other Republicans, on the hot seat. Let him veto it and go for the over-ride. Let's put the cards on the table instead of hiding them under your skirt, eh?
You're not outraged by what The Butcher Shop is doing.
That tells us something, Ms. Black.
You Got a Problem With This?
Another excellent insight into Trump's popularity, this from Julius Krein:
Trump’s campaign is predicated on restoring American
greatness here and now, and he is seen to select policies in support of
that overarching purpose. Others, in contrast, appear to pursue public
office mostly for the sake of implementing favored policies so that they
can read about the results of their grand experiments in future
economics textbooks. ...
In a gentle and not too specific debate with Rick Esenberg (below), we do not quite get to this issue. But in the last few days, my thought has run along the same lines as those of Krein, i.e., yes, indeed, I am more concerned with my next-door neighbor's well-being than I am over the well-being of someone in Thailand making shirts--or for that matter, someone imported here from India to replace my neighbor in an IT position.
Rick argues, along with a large number of others, that "cheaper goods" are the point. I argue, along with a large number of others, that "cheaper goods" cannot be purchased by the jobless; and that while manufacturing may now require less people due to mechanization, it is also true that manufacturing off-shore requires ZERO Americans. That is a whole lot "less", is it not?
So yes. Who has a problem with "My Neighbor First" policy? Or "my children/my grandchildren", for that matter?
When it comes down to it, this is a battle which Capitalism will lose, and deservedly so.
...What Trump offers is permission to conceive of an American
interest as a national interest separate from the “international
community” and permission to wish to see that interest triumph. What
makes him popular on immigration is not how extreme his policies are,
but the emphasis he puts on the interests of Americans rather than
everyone else. His slogan is “Make America Great Again,” and he is not
ashamed of the fact that this means making it better than other places,
perhaps even at their expense.
His least practical suggestion—making Mexico pay for the
border wall—is precisely the most significant: It shows that a President
Trump would be willing to take something from someone else in order to
give it to the American people. Whether he could achieve this is of
secondary importance; the fact that he is willing to say it is
everything. Nothing is more terrifying to the business and donor
class—as well as the media and the entire elite—than Trump’s embrace of a
tangible American nationalism. The fact that Trump should by all rights
be a member of this class and is in fact a traitor to it makes him all
the more attractive to his supporters and all the more baffling to
pundits.
In a gentle and not too specific debate with Rick Esenberg (below), we do not quite get to this issue. But in the last few days, my thought has run along the same lines as those of Krein, i.e., yes, indeed, I am more concerned with my next-door neighbor's well-being than I am over the well-being of someone in Thailand making shirts--or for that matter, someone imported here from India to replace my neighbor in an IT position.
Rick argues, along with a large number of others, that "cheaper goods" are the point. I argue, along with a large number of others, that "cheaper goods" cannot be purchased by the jobless; and that while manufacturing may now require less people due to mechanization, it is also true that manufacturing off-shore requires ZERO Americans. That is a whole lot "less", is it not?
So yes. Who has a problem with "My Neighbor First" policy? Or "my children/my grandchildren", for that matter?
When it comes down to it, this is a battle which Capitalism will lose, and deservedly so.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Sipsey Has It re: "Gun Violence"
In short, it is NOT "gun violence."
...the reason the collectivists blame "gun violence" and seek to expand the definition of "mentally ill" as pertains to restricting the availability of firearms is the traditional method of such people to win the argument -- citizen disarmament -- by framing the question and corrupting the language. Buy into that, and they've won the argument already -- an old Communist trick. Remember, they think anybody who resists them is, ipso facto, mentally ill. Why do you think they call us "gun nuts"?
Besides, admitting that there is unrelenting evil in the world leads back to the Devil which leads back to God, and overarching moral authority other than their own cannot be conceded or tolerated. It was not accidentally that Obama criticized people who "cling to their Bibles and their guns." Collectivists view both as deadly dangers to their appetites....
He misses only one other point: it ain't a "communist trick." It belongs to the Father of lies, who simply leased it to the Commies, the Socialists, and the Democrats. Yes, that's repetitive.
...the reason the collectivists blame "gun violence" and seek to expand the definition of "mentally ill" as pertains to restricting the availability of firearms is the traditional method of such people to win the argument -- citizen disarmament -- by framing the question and corrupting the language. Buy into that, and they've won the argument already -- an old Communist trick. Remember, they think anybody who resists them is, ipso facto, mentally ill. Why do you think they call us "gun nuts"?
Besides, admitting that there is unrelenting evil in the world leads back to the Devil which leads back to God, and overarching moral authority other than their own cannot be conceded or tolerated. It was not accidentally that Obama criticized people who "cling to their Bibles and their guns." Collectivists view both as deadly dangers to their appetites....
He misses only one other point: it ain't a "communist trick." It belongs to the Father of lies, who simply leased it to the Commies, the Socialists, and the Democrats. Yes, that's repetitive.
Old-Fart Baseball Geek Goes All Nutso Over Trump
George Will, who spends his time idling at the baseball park (in D.C., of course) goes into primal scream over Trump.
...After Donald Trump finishes plastering a snarling face on conservatism, any Republican nominee will face a dauntingly steep climb to reach even the paltry numbers that doomed Mitt Romney....
...If the Republicans’ 2016 nominee does not do better than Romney did among nonwhite voters, he will need 65 percent of the white vote, which was last achieved by Ronald Reagan when carrying 49 states in 1984. Romney did even slightly worse among Asian Americans — the fastest-growing minority — than among Hispanics. Evidently, minorities generally detected Republican ambivalence, even animus, about them. This was before Trump began receiving rapturous receptions because he obliterates inhibitions about venting hostility....
Umnnhhhh, George: keep up with the news. Specifically, the news that Noonan broke: Mr. Trump’s support is not limited to Republicans, not by any means.
Will decides that belittling Trump supporters is the best course of action.
...Trumpkins simultaneously despise GOP congressional leaders because they do not somehow jettison the separation of powers and work conservatism’s unimpeded will from Capitol Hill....
Actually, George, a large and growing number of Americans have finally realized that the (R) party "leadership" has no intention whatsoever of stopping Obozo-ism's anti-American and totally immoral agenda. But then, George, that would require you to understand the term "has balls" in a VERY different sense than 'baseballs.'
And at your age, re-training is damned difficult.
Let's review the Establishment record, George. For this, you'll have to get your face out of Reince's....ahhh...posterior.
...just two weeks after the November elections, Obama announced the nullification of all immigration laws and the suspension of enforcement of our borders and sovereignty. The GOP treated it like another day in the political playground and failed to see that this was a revolutionary act in the eyes of Middle America. And as 2015 came upon us, it was one issue after another and one broken promise after another. Between the fallout from amnesty and the release of criminal aliens, ObamaTrade, the Planned Parenthood videos, the fomenting of insurrection and dismantling of law enforcement, allying with Iran, the courts remaking the Constitution and redefining marriage while preserving Obamacare – there was a bursting sense of disquiet among the people. It became painfully clear that the GOP had no plans to lift a finger to stop Obama and his allies on a single important issue, and that he had a free lane to remake the country in his final months. ...
Like a boatload of other Americans--Democrat, Hispanic (legal), and Conservative, I view that short list as damning evidence that the Party of D.C.--the Cartel, The Establishment, whatever--is a monumental failure. Kinda like the Chicago Cubs, to put it in language you might understand.
And like Horowitz, I am not a Trump fan.
...After Donald Trump finishes plastering a snarling face on conservatism, any Republican nominee will face a dauntingly steep climb to reach even the paltry numbers that doomed Mitt Romney....
...If the Republicans’ 2016 nominee does not do better than Romney did among nonwhite voters, he will need 65 percent of the white vote, which was last achieved by Ronald Reagan when carrying 49 states in 1984. Romney did even slightly worse among Asian Americans — the fastest-growing minority — than among Hispanics. Evidently, minorities generally detected Republican ambivalence, even animus, about them. This was before Trump began receiving rapturous receptions because he obliterates inhibitions about venting hostility....
Umnnhhhh, George: keep up with the news. Specifically, the news that Noonan broke: Mr. Trump’s support is not limited to Republicans, not by any means.
Will decides that belittling Trump supporters is the best course of action.
...Trumpkins simultaneously despise GOP congressional leaders because they do not somehow jettison the separation of powers and work conservatism’s unimpeded will from Capitol Hill....
Actually, George, a large and growing number of Americans have finally realized that the (R) party "leadership" has no intention whatsoever of stopping Obozo-ism's anti-American and totally immoral agenda. But then, George, that would require you to understand the term "has balls" in a VERY different sense than 'baseballs.'
And at your age, re-training is damned difficult.
Let's review the Establishment record, George. For this, you'll have to get your face out of Reince's....ahhh...posterior.
...just two weeks after the November elections, Obama announced the nullification of all immigration laws and the suspension of enforcement of our borders and sovereignty. The GOP treated it like another day in the political playground and failed to see that this was a revolutionary act in the eyes of Middle America. And as 2015 came upon us, it was one issue after another and one broken promise after another. Between the fallout from amnesty and the release of criminal aliens, ObamaTrade, the Planned Parenthood videos, the fomenting of insurrection and dismantling of law enforcement, allying with Iran, the courts remaking the Constitution and redefining marriage while preserving Obamacare – there was a bursting sense of disquiet among the people. It became painfully clear that the GOP had no plans to lift a finger to stop Obama and his allies on a single important issue, and that he had a free lane to remake the country in his final months. ...
Like a boatload of other Americans--Democrat, Hispanic (legal), and Conservative, I view that short list as damning evidence that the Party of D.C.--the Cartel, The Establishment, whatever--is a monumental failure. Kinda like the Chicago Cubs, to put it in language you might understand.
And like Horowitz, I am not a Trump fan.
Morning Laugher: GOP's Talking Points
The (R) Senate "leadership" has sent out its talking points for RoJo et.al.
It's a scream.
...“In this packet you will find a number of resources to help you draw attention to our 2015 accomplishments,” Thune wrote to all 54 GOP Senators. “Please use the August recess to hold events in your state highlighting the work you’ve done and the successes we’ve achieved in the Senate,” he wrote. “Spread the word about [the Senate] getting back to work.”
“Back to work” is apparently the new messaging campaign for the Republican Congress. ...
Apparently, in the 'minds' behind this, "back to work" means rolling over and taking it from Obozo. (More accurately, forcing Americans to roll over and take it from Obozo.)
...there is not a single mention of migration in Thune’s packet...
Because illegals are no big deal, except that they are VERY cheap labor.
...The package advises Senators and staffers to arrange a press event at their a local Chamber of Commerce to tout the passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) which cedes Congress’ authority to negotiate trade deals to President Obama allowing for the speedy passage of unpopular trade agreements that will subject American sovereignty to governance of a global commission similar to the European Union....
Because everyone knows that Obozo has the interests of America, and only America, at heart.
And, by the way, the news story doesn't bring up any mention of PlannedParenthood Butcherhood, or queer "marriage."
That's what they call "work."
It's a scream.
...“In this packet you will find a number of resources to help you draw attention to our 2015 accomplishments,” Thune wrote to all 54 GOP Senators. “Please use the August recess to hold events in your state highlighting the work you’ve done and the successes we’ve achieved in the Senate,” he wrote. “Spread the word about [the Senate] getting back to work.”
“Back to work” is apparently the new messaging campaign for the Republican Congress. ...
Apparently, in the 'minds' behind this, "back to work" means rolling over and taking it from Obozo. (More accurately, forcing Americans to roll over and take it from Obozo.)
...there is not a single mention of migration in Thune’s packet...
Because illegals are no big deal, except that they are VERY cheap labor.
...The package advises Senators and staffers to arrange a press event at their a local Chamber of Commerce to tout the passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) which cedes Congress’ authority to negotiate trade deals to President Obama allowing for the speedy passage of unpopular trade agreements that will subject American sovereignty to governance of a global commission similar to the European Union....
Because everyone knows that Obozo has the interests of America, and only America, at heart.
And, by the way, the news story doesn't bring up any mention of Planned
That's what they call "work."
Friday, August 28, 2015
Where Was Wisconsin, Gov. Walker?
Well, well. Our favorite law-busting pResident will ignore a TRO leveled by a Fed judge in the matter of EPA v. Everyone Who Owns a Puddle.
However, EPA WILL honor the TRO in the thirteen States which sued to overturn EPA's power-grab.
You guessed it: Wisconsin is not among those 13.
So what the Hell were you thinking, Gov. Walker?
However, EPA WILL honor the TRO in the thirteen States which sued to overturn EPA's power-grab.
You guessed it: Wisconsin is not among those 13.
So what the Hell were you thinking, Gov. Walker?
Why Trump?
I think Jim Antle has the answer.
When pundits call Donald Trump a "know-nothing," they are not just using a historical if pejorative term to describe his immigration stance. They really mean that he appears to know nothing about public policy or governance.
On the charitable assumption that his blustery, content-free stump speech isn't an act, you'll get no argument here. But Trump does seem to know a lot more about politics than many of his detractors, including those critics who are well versed in the finer details of entitlement reform or international trade policy....
(Such as Karl Rove and the rest of the NeoCon crowd of yappers and whiners.)
...Pat Buchanan gave us a hint in his 1992 Republican National Convention speech, when he spoke of "conservatives of the heart" whose political convictions were more visceral than intellectual. "They don't read Adam Smith or Edmund Burke, but they came from the same schoolyards and playgrounds and towns as we did," he told the delegates.
Many Americans, even those engaged enough to identify as liberal or conservative much less Republican or Democrat, aren't systematic political thinkers.
There was a reason that Buchanan thumped GHW Bush in New Hampshire, people!
...in terms of policy, it isn't just that some conservatives haven't read Hayek. They fundamentally disagree with him. At the grassroots level, the American right has always had strong strains of nationalism and moralism. That's not an inherently bad thing, but the modern conservative movement has generally tried to wed these tendencies to a more limited or even libertarian view of government....
We're looking at you, Free Traders, Mass-Immigration Bonzos, and "Law of the Land" queer-marriage shufflers.
...Many Americans think the people running their government are jokes, self-promoting blowhards with bad, expensive haircuts engaged in pointless political theater....
Easily the best short sentence to describe Boehner & McConnell and their obsequious, obedient, "majorities." That means YOU, RoJo and Ryan.
Read the rest!!
When pundits call Donald Trump a "know-nothing," they are not just using a historical if pejorative term to describe his immigration stance. They really mean that he appears to know nothing about public policy or governance.
On the charitable assumption that his blustery, content-free stump speech isn't an act, you'll get no argument here. But Trump does seem to know a lot more about politics than many of his detractors, including those critics who are well versed in the finer details of entitlement reform or international trade policy....
(Such as Karl Rove and the rest of the NeoCon crowd of yappers and whiners.)
...Pat Buchanan gave us a hint in his 1992 Republican National Convention speech, when he spoke of "conservatives of the heart" whose political convictions were more visceral than intellectual. "They don't read Adam Smith or Edmund Burke, but they came from the same schoolyards and playgrounds and towns as we did," he told the delegates.
Many Americans, even those engaged enough to identify as liberal or conservative much less Republican or Democrat, aren't systematic political thinkers.
There was a reason that Buchanan thumped GHW Bush in New Hampshire, people!
...in terms of policy, it isn't just that some conservatives haven't read Hayek. They fundamentally disagree with him. At the grassroots level, the American right has always had strong strains of nationalism and moralism. That's not an inherently bad thing, but the modern conservative movement has generally tried to wed these tendencies to a more limited or even libertarian view of government....
We're looking at you, Free Traders, Mass-Immigration Bonzos, and "Law of the Land" queer-marriage shufflers.
...Many Americans think the people running their government are jokes, self-promoting blowhards with bad, expensive haircuts engaged in pointless political theater....
Easily the best short sentence to describe Boehner & McConnell and their obsequious, obedient, "majorities." That means YOU, RoJo and Ryan.
Read the rest!!
At Least Wisconsin is Not Orange County--Yet
While the John Doe corrupto-crat "investigation" will be, perhaps, the most significant blot on Wisconsin's justice record--and it WILL be that--at least we're not Orange County.
Yet.
...It turns out that prosecutors and police officers committed an egregious violation of Dekraai's rights—so much so that Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals shocked everyone and removed the Orange County District Attorney's Office, and all 250 prosecutors, from having anything more to do with the case....
...Orange County has a secret system of evidence manufacturing and storage that they have used in countless cases, and the collusion is unraveling dozens of cases and may soon unravel the careers of countless prosecutors and law enforcement officers who've maintained it for decades....
Not to worry. Those public "servants" will still have their salaries, benefits, and pensions, just like Lois Lerner and Kevin Kennedy will. And we'll pay for them.
HT: Grim
Yet.
...It turns out that prosecutors and police officers committed an egregious violation of Dekraai's rights—so much so that Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals shocked everyone and removed the Orange County District Attorney's Office, and all 250 prosecutors, from having anything more to do with the case....
...Orange County has a secret system of evidence manufacturing and storage that they have used in countless cases, and the collusion is unraveling dozens of cases and may soon unravel the careers of countless prosecutors and law enforcement officers who've maintained it for decades....
Not to worry. Those public "servants" will still have their salaries, benefits, and pensions, just like Lois Lerner and Kevin Kennedy will. And we'll pay for them.
HT: Grim
Will Reince Be the Last RNC Chair?
Perhaps Reince should be putting the Party's affairs in order, eh?
...The repeated betrayals of Republican leaders have led to the rise of Donald Trump. The petulance of the party’s congressional leaders who have spent more energy fighting conservative attempts to hold them to their word than fighting Barack Obama now have to fight to wrest control from Trump. Trump, at least presently, is immune from establishment attacks because the party leaders have lost all their credibility. A party that will not stand up to stop tax payer funds going to an organization that pulls whole children out of freezers to sell as scrap is not a party with the moral clarity to tell Donald Trump he is fired....
... The only way to save the GOP is for it to elect an outsider as its Presidential nominee who can lead the party in a fight against the President and the moral evils of the age. The party, as a hollow instrument to be controlled for ballot access will live on. But 2016 will be the moment many define as when the party left them instead of them leaving the party.
Noted below, only ONE of the top-tier (R) candidates--Cruz-- will defend real marriage; and only Trump is clear, direct, and forthright on immigration matters.
And only 18 Congressmen will shut down DC over funding for Murder, Inc.'s Chop Shop Ops.
Who needs that (R) brand, anyway?
...The repeated betrayals of Republican leaders have led to the rise of Donald Trump. The petulance of the party’s congressional leaders who have spent more energy fighting conservative attempts to hold them to their word than fighting Barack Obama now have to fight to wrest control from Trump. Trump, at least presently, is immune from establishment attacks because the party leaders have lost all their credibility. A party that will not stand up to stop tax payer funds going to an organization that pulls whole children out of freezers to sell as scrap is not a party with the moral clarity to tell Donald Trump he is fired....
... The only way to save the GOP is for it to elect an outsider as its Presidential nominee who can lead the party in a fight against the President and the moral evils of the age. The party, as a hollow instrument to be controlled for ballot access will live on. But 2016 will be the moment many define as when the party left them instead of them leaving the party.
Noted below, only ONE of the top-tier (R) candidates--Cruz-- will defend real marriage; and only Trump is clear, direct, and forthright on immigration matters.
And only 18 Congressmen will shut down DC over funding for Murder, Inc.'s Chop Shop Ops.
Who needs that (R) brand, anyway?
Walker, Trump, Bush Give Up on Real Marriage
Imagine that! After Walker's "...law of the land..." evasion on the gay-"marriage" matter, he reaffirms his position. Not surprising that Trump doesn't care, of course, and Bush? Who knows what's in his mind?
However: Cruz, Jindal, Santorum, and Carson still get it.
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has made public the presidential candidates who signed their "Marriage Pledge," which promises to support a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
However: Cruz, Jindal, Santorum, and Carson still get it.
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has made public the presidential candidates who signed their "Marriage Pledge," which promises to support a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
Four
of the 17 Republican presidential hopefuls signed the pro-marriage,
pro-child, and pro-family document: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former
Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and
retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson put their signatures to the pledge....
Uh-huh.
The Stench of G.A.B.
Ask anyone at Wisconsin's Gummint Accountability Board--composed of a bunch of retired judges and a large bunch of bureaucrats who work for them. They'll all tell you how "non-partisan" and "fair" the Board and its employees are.
They're lying.
Not only was the executive director playing footsie with Lois Lerner, who is arguably the most corrupt and partisan IRS employee in recent history. Now we have a former GAB staff attorney, Shane Falk, admitting, on the record, that the GAB was a willing and active participant in the John Doe harassment-and-intimidation scheme cooked up by John Chisholm--the purpose of which was to un-seat Scott Walker from the Governor's chair.
One could say, I suppose, that the Board members were either too lazy or too incompetent to supervise the staff. Fine. They should admit that, and resign en masse. But they won't, will they? They're too lazy and incompetent to do that, too.
They're lying.
Not only was the executive director playing footsie with Lois Lerner, who is arguably the most corrupt and partisan IRS employee in recent history. Now we have a former GAB staff attorney, Shane Falk, admitting, on the record, that the GAB was a willing and active participant in the John Doe harassment-and-intimidation scheme cooked up by John Chisholm--the purpose of which was to un-seat Scott Walker from the Governor's chair.
One could say, I suppose, that the Board members were either too lazy or too incompetent to supervise the staff. Fine. They should admit that, and resign en masse. But they won't, will they? They're too lazy and incompetent to do that, too.
Thursday, August 27, 2015
John Boehner: War. F**k You!
John Boehner, fueled with his normal load of alcohol and tanning lotion...
Speaker of the House John Boehner stunned audience members Wednesday evening at a Colorado fundraiser by referring to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as a “jackass,” two people in attendance tell The Daily Caller....
Reince, you have a problem.
Speaker of the House John Boehner stunned audience members Wednesday evening at a Colorado fundraiser by referring to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz as a “jackass,” two people in attendance tell The Daily Caller....
Reince, you have a problem.
The BS-Meter Pegs on Psychology (!)
Few rational people ever put much stock in psychology. Turns out there's a reason for that.
A major investigation into scores of claims made in psychology research journals has delivered a bleak verdict on the state of the science.
An international team of experts repeated 100 experiments published in top psychology journals and found that they could reproduce only 36% of original findings....
Uh huh. And in the most silly category...
...Social psychology looks at more social issues, such as self esteem, identity, prejudice and how people interact.
In the investigation, a whopping 75% of the social psychology experiments were not replicated, meaning that the originally reported findings vanished when other scientists repeated the experiments....
Poor little darlings are going to have to get a whole new set of excuses.
A major investigation into scores of claims made in psychology research journals has delivered a bleak verdict on the state of the science.
An international team of experts repeated 100 experiments published in top psychology journals and found that they could reproduce only 36% of original findings....
Uh huh. And in the most silly category...
...Social psychology looks at more social issues, such as self esteem, identity, prejudice and how people interact.
In the investigation, a whopping 75% of the social psychology experiments were not replicated, meaning that the originally reported findings vanished when other scientists repeated the experiments....
Poor little darlings are going to have to get a whole new set of excuses.
Esenberg's Opinion
Rick Esenberg is a smart guy, well-respected, and likeable. But now and then even Homer nodded.
...A nation ought to have a secure border and need not accept persons in the country unlawfully as a complete fait accompli, entitled to all the accoutrements of citizenship. But mass deportations are both unrealistic and undesirable and our economic woes are not caused by hard-working Mexicans....
First off, what's a "mass deportation"? Would that be like Operation Wetback (see below post)?
Rick, you're a lawyer. Are there any other laws we should just ignore? (I have a list of my own, by the way; we could match notes, I suppose.)
Trump and Sanders' railing against free trade simply highlights their shared economic ignorance.
Umnnnhhh...really? As I have noted earlier, Keynes' FIRST economic tome posited that Keynesian pump-priming (which was in his SECOND opus) only works in a closed economy. So which shall we ditch? The Keynes, or the borders?
More germane: there is a difference between "free" trade and "fair" trade. In order to make "free" trade work for the benefit of US citizens--which one assumes Rick wants--shall the US simply reduce its corporate taxes, repeal all of the labor laws beginning with FLSA, and eliminate EPA (and its sister State entities) and all their regulations? How, exactly, will that 'benefit US citizens'?
Or shall we assemble a "Fair" trade regime, which will come about largely through variable-rate duties which reflect US standards?
And to combine both the illegals and the Keynes, Friedman, who was NOT a Lefty, was emphatic: one cannot have both "open borders" AND a welfare-state. Now, then, if we shut down the welfare state to accomodate mass immigration, will that be "unrealistic and undesirable"? Will there be civil disorder? Riots? Chaos? (Another question: if we shut down the welfare state, will there be mass illegal immigration?)
It is one thing to declare that Trump and Sanders are 'economic illiterates;' that may well be the case. But it is another thing entirely to consign US citizens to bargain-basement living, racing to the bottom with the inhabitants of PRC/Vietnam/Thailand.
Disclaimer: there is NO way I will vote for Trump, nor Sanders. At the same time, the approved (R) candidates are less and less attractive every week. Maybe it's because their vision of America doesn't include all Americans, eh?
...A nation ought to have a secure border and need not accept persons in the country unlawfully as a complete fait accompli, entitled to all the accoutrements of citizenship. But mass deportations are both unrealistic and undesirable and our economic woes are not caused by hard-working Mexicans....
First off, what's a "mass deportation"? Would that be like Operation Wetback (see below post)?
Rick, you're a lawyer. Are there any other laws we should just ignore? (I have a list of my own, by the way; we could match notes, I suppose.)
Trump and Sanders' railing against free trade simply highlights their shared economic ignorance.
Umnnnhhh...really? As I have noted earlier, Keynes' FIRST economic tome posited that Keynesian pump-priming (which was in his SECOND opus) only works in a closed economy. So which shall we ditch? The Keynes, or the borders?
More germane: there is a difference between "free" trade and "fair" trade. In order to make "free" trade work for the benefit of US citizens--which one assumes Rick wants--shall the US simply reduce its corporate taxes, repeal all of the labor laws beginning with FLSA, and eliminate EPA (and its sister State entities) and all their regulations? How, exactly, will that 'benefit US citizens'?
Or shall we assemble a "Fair" trade regime, which will come about largely through variable-rate duties which reflect US standards?
And to combine both the illegals and the Keynes, Friedman, who was NOT a Lefty, was emphatic: one cannot have both "open borders" AND a welfare-state. Now, then, if we shut down the welfare state to accomodate mass immigration, will that be "unrealistic and undesirable"? Will there be civil disorder? Riots? Chaos? (Another question: if we shut down the welfare state, will there be mass illegal immigration?)
It is one thing to declare that Trump and Sanders are 'economic illiterates;' that may well be the case. But it is another thing entirely to consign US citizens to bargain-basement living, racing to the bottom with the inhabitants of PRC/Vietnam/Thailand.
Disclaimer: there is NO way I will vote for Trump, nor Sanders. At the same time, the approved (R) candidates are less and less attractive every week. Maybe it's because their vision of America doesn't include all Americans, eh?
Operation Wetback Worked; Why Not Again?
Just a touch of actual US history here.
...at the personal direction of President Dwight D. Eisenhower – the fabled American hero of the D-Day invasion – illegal immigrants in America were rounded up and deported back to Mexico. Exactly as Donald Trump is proposing to do today. ...
With the full support of Prescott Bush, father to GHWBush and grandfather to Jeb!
Huh.
...at the personal direction of President Dwight D. Eisenhower – the fabled American hero of the D-Day invasion – illegal immigrants in America were rounded up and deported back to Mexico. Exactly as Donald Trump is proposing to do today. ...
With the full support of Prescott Bush, father to GHWBush and grandfather to Jeb!
Huh.
...Some 750 agents swept northward through agricultural areas with a
goal of 1,000 apprehensions a day. By the end of July, over 50,000
aliens were caught in the two states. Another 488,000, fearing arrest,
had fled the country.
By mid-July, the crackdown extended northward into Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, and eastward to Texas.
By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 illegals had left the Lone Star State voluntarily...--Christian Science Monitor quoted at CR
That 800,000 was Texas alone, folks. Who knows how many fled from the rest of the US?
Immediately thereafter, the economy of Texas and the USA collapsed, just as the current crop of illegal-alien backers, alien-lawyer profiteers, and wage-slavery employers have predicted. And of course, there were riots, and the collapse of civil order. You remember that, don't you? /sarcasm
Or not.
By mid-July, the crackdown extended northward into Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, and eastward to Texas.
By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 illegals had left the Lone Star State voluntarily...--Christian Science Monitor quoted at CR
That 800,000 was Texas alone, folks. Who knows how many fled from the rest of the US?
Immediately thereafter, the economy of Texas and the USA collapsed, just as the current crop of illegal-alien backers, alien-lawyer profiteers, and wage-slavery employers have predicted. And of course, there were riots, and the collapse of civil order. You remember that, don't you? /sarcasm
Or not.
Silly or Stupid? Colin Roth
Roth attempts to make the case for "birthright citizenship" by declaring that Marco Rubio and Bobby Jindal are examples of how wunnerful that could be.
Frankly, I didn't know that Rubio's and Jindal's parents were here illegally.
But let's take this one step further. The 14th Amendment's clause "...and subject to the jurisdiction [of the US]..." would, in a sane world, ipso facto disqualify babies born here of illegal aliens. Simply put, if one's parent(s) are illegally present, they--and their child--cannot be "subject to the jurisdiction...."; in fact, they remain "subject to the jurisdiction" of their native country.
In the converse, Brennan's revolutionary interpretation, strictly speaking, would mean that chilluns born of ANY foreign national, such as ambassadors, MUST be US citizens.
So happens that I am not a doctrinaire opponent of immigration. But I AM a doctrinaire opponent of Ted Kennedy immigration, if only because it was Ted Kennedy.
Frankly, I didn't know that Rubio's and Jindal's parents were here illegally.
But let's take this one step further. The 14th Amendment's clause "...and subject to the jurisdiction [of the US]..." would, in a sane world, ipso facto disqualify babies born here of illegal aliens. Simply put, if one's parent(s) are illegally present, they--and their child--cannot be "subject to the jurisdiction...."; in fact, they remain "subject to the jurisdiction" of their native country.
In the converse, Brennan's revolutionary interpretation, strictly speaking, would mean that chilluns born of ANY foreign national, such as ambassadors, MUST be US citizens.
So happens that I am not a doctrinaire opponent of immigration. But I AM a doctrinaire opponent of Ted Kennedy immigration, if only because it was Ted Kennedy.
The Chop-Shop Hero: Obozo
Obozo will stamp his widdle feets and take away the toys.
...some states have decided to funnel their federal and state monies to medical clinics that do not do abortions.
Kansas is one such state. Kansas has defunded Planned Parenthood in favor of healthcare businesses that do not do abortions.
Kansas legislators said the state could better provide health care for low-income patients by funding medical facilities that provide a wider range of medical services. In 2011, they directed the state health department to give federal funds first to public health departments and hospitals.
Planned Parenthood sued for the tax funding, but an appeals court ruled that states are free to decide how best to use healthcare dollars for their citizens.
However, the Obama administration strongly champions both abortion and Planned Parenthood, and so is now penalizing states that defund the abortion giant.
In fact, the Obama administration reduced its Medicaid funding to Kansas precisely by the amount which Planned Parenthood was getting....
Wisconsin will soon join the group of States which will delete the Chop Shop from "funded" through Medicaid and will undoubtedly earn Obozo's ire.
Good.
...some states have decided to funnel their federal and state monies to medical clinics that do not do abortions.
Kansas is one such state. Kansas has defunded Planned Parenthood in favor of healthcare businesses that do not do abortions.
Kansas legislators said the state could better provide health care for low-income patients by funding medical facilities that provide a wider range of medical services. In 2011, they directed the state health department to give federal funds first to public health departments and hospitals.
Planned Parenthood sued for the tax funding, but an appeals court ruled that states are free to decide how best to use healthcare dollars for their citizens.
However, the Obama administration strongly champions both abortion and Planned Parenthood, and so is now penalizing states that defund the abortion giant.
In fact, the Obama administration reduced its Medicaid funding to Kansas precisely by the amount which Planned Parenthood was getting....
Wisconsin will soon join the group of States which will delete the Chop Shop from "funded" through Medicaid and will undoubtedly earn Obozo's ire.
Good.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
The Stuck Pigs Are Squealing
So ironic it's funny.
Organized labor, which fought hard to pass Obamacare, has been worried about the tax's impact for years. At its 2013 convention, the AFL-CIO labor federation passed a resolution criticizing the law and demanding major changes.
Several top unions such as Unite Here, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and the Laborers International Union of North America have joined a coalition group called "Alliance to Fight the 40" that also includes major health insurance companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Cigna and New York Life Insurance Co....--WaExaminer quoted at Thinker
Yes, the unions and the health insurers lobbied, hard, and at great expense, for ObozoCare.
Now they don't like it?
As Breitbart often said: "Fuck you. WAR!!"
Organized labor, which fought hard to pass Obamacare, has been worried about the tax's impact for years. At its 2013 convention, the AFL-CIO labor federation passed a resolution criticizing the law and demanding major changes.
Several top unions such as Unite Here, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, and the Laborers International Union of North America have joined a coalition group called "Alliance to Fight the 40" that also includes major health insurance companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Cigna and New York Life Insurance Co....--WaExaminer quoted at Thinker
Yes, the unions and the health insurers lobbied, hard, and at great expense, for ObozoCare.
Now they don't like it?
As Breitbart often said: "Fuck you. WAR!!"
Rubio's False Dichotomy
We're not expecting much from Rubio, and we are not disappointed.
Here's a brief on one of his recent speeches:
...Rubio gently poked at the real estate tycoon who is towering over the Republican field in the polls, portraying Trump’s message as one of anger as opposed to the senator’s message of hope and opportunity....
IOW, the US is not "angry."
Don't bet too much on that, Marco. Maybe there's no "anger" in the fat and sloppy Political Class--but you might try traveling a few feet outside of the press-boundaries at your lightly-attended events. By that I mean NOT into the 100+ admirers you find. Try, instead, a grocery.
As to this part of your shtick:
..."Ask yourself this question: who would you trade places with? Would you rather be China? Would you rather be Brazil or India or anyone else for that matter? There’s no nation on earth I’d trade places with...."
Bzzzzzzzt. Wrong. Falso dichotomies work well with sophomores and most of the Press. But what many of US are concerned with is this: our Political Class (see, e.g., your nearest mirror) would like us to BECOME China, Brazil, India. Or France.
That's what the "anger" is all about, Marco.
Here's a brief on one of his recent speeches:
...Rubio gently poked at the real estate tycoon who is towering over the Republican field in the polls, portraying Trump’s message as one of anger as opposed to the senator’s message of hope and opportunity....
IOW, the US is not "angry."
Don't bet too much on that, Marco. Maybe there's no "anger" in the fat and sloppy Political Class--but you might try traveling a few feet outside of the press-boundaries at your lightly-attended events. By that I mean NOT into the 100+ admirers you find. Try, instead, a grocery.
As to this part of your shtick:
..."Ask yourself this question: who would you trade places with? Would you rather be China? Would you rather be Brazil or India or anyone else for that matter? There’s no nation on earth I’d trade places with...."
Bzzzzzzzt. Wrong. Falso dichotomies work well with sophomores and most of the Press. But what many of US are concerned with is this: our Political Class (see, e.g., your nearest mirror) would like us to BECOME China, Brazil, India. Or France.
That's what the "anger" is all about, Marco.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Walker's Giving The RNC Line on 14th
On again, off again, and finally, covering it with crap.
GOP presidential hopeful Scott Walker appears to have yet again shifted his stance on allowing the children of illegal immigrants to automatically gain U.S. citizenship.
In an interview on ABC News'
"This Week" on Sunday morning, Walker said he does not want to alter the
14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution...
This "altering the 14th" line has become the (R) default line and Walker's happy to spread it around, hoping that no one in the USA knows about another part of the Constitution which gives Congress the right to remove Federal courts from jurisdiction over some issues.
It only takes a Congressional majority and a Presidential signature to make "anchor babies" a thing of the past.
And let's not even get into the actual operative clause of the 14th: "....and subject to the jurisdiction thereof...". That's clear as crystal. But we already know that "Tax" Roberts & Co. read clear prose through very dark glasses.
So take them off the case.
As to Walker: it appears that he's becoming desperate--just like the rest of the GOP Establishment.
GOP presidential hopeful Scott Walker appears to have yet again shifted his stance on allowing the children of illegal immigrants to automatically gain U.S. citizenship.
This "altering the 14th" line has become the (R) default line and Walker's happy to spread it around, hoping that no one in the USA knows about another part of the Constitution which gives Congress the right to remove Federal courts from jurisdiction over some issues.
It only takes a Congressional majority and a Presidential signature to make "anchor babies" a thing of the past.
And let's not even get into the actual operative clause of the 14th: "....and subject to the jurisdiction thereof...". That's clear as crystal. But we already know that "Tax" Roberts & Co. read clear prose through very dark glasses.
So take them off the case.
As to Walker: it appears that he's becoming desperate--just like the rest of the GOP Establishment.
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Moroccan/French Terrorist Was "Hungry"
This is actually funny.
A gunman who attacked passengers on a high-speed train in France two days ago is “dumbfounded” at having been taken for an Islamist militant and says he only intended to rob people on board because he was hungry, his lawyer said on Sunday. --PJMedia quoting Reuters
Uh huh. 180 rounds of 7.62x39 and an AK, plus a 9mm with at least 10 rounds to gather enough for a couple of sandwiches and some coffee?
Sure.
Or he could have sold his weapons/ammo for $400-$500 USD and lived at George Webb's for a month or so.
A gunman who attacked passengers on a high-speed train in France two days ago is “dumbfounded” at having been taken for an Islamist militant and says he only intended to rob people on board because he was hungry, his lawyer said on Sunday. --PJMedia quoting Reuters
Uh huh. 180 rounds of 7.62x39 and an AK, plus a 9mm with at least 10 rounds to gather enough for a couple of sandwiches and some coffee?
Sure.
Or he could have sold his weapons/ammo for $400-$500 USD and lived at George Webb's for a month or so.
The Problem With Church Musicians
There are dozens of Church documents which mention music in the liturgy. Almost all of them give a nod--or more--to Gregorian Chant as the 'preferred,' 'first,' or 'primary' music of the Roman liturgy. And that preference is, to one degree or the other, ignored. Oh, yes, there is a movement afoot to restore (instaurare) Chant to its place as the principal song of the Church. And yes, EF communities utilize Chant quite a bit.
We all know that Chant is sung, of course. And we all know that Chant really should be un-accompanied. And most of us know that Chant comes in two varieties: the relatively simple, easy-to-sing, 'congregational' Chant of the Ordinary of the Mass, and the more elaborate, sometimes quite challenging, Proper chants.
But this is not really about Chant is. It is what Chant is NOT that is important here.
Chant is not accompanied. Chant is not continuous--that is, each Chant has its place and has no more than just that place. It is not entertainment; it is not bombast, it is not 'filler.' Most important, it is not imposed upon the Mass--rather, it is PART of the Mass.
What can we learn from this list of 'nots'? We can learn that the music most strongly recommended for use at Mass is part of the Mass itself. Negatively, then, we learn that that's all the music that the Mass really 'needs.'
Uh-huh. So what?
There is a tendency among church musicians to 'fill every hole with music.' That's not surprising, I suppose. It's probably related to the old saying about problems: if you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. And if you're a musician, music is the solution to every need, whether that need is real or merely perceived.
Therein lies the rub. Chant teaches us simplicity, and about the value of silence. It teaches us that the priest, congregation, and schola (or choir) have their own roles. It teaches us where music MUST be, and where it does not HAVE to be, and it teaches us that music for the Mass is really quite subtle.
Little of that is understood in our time, where continuous music has been imposed on us by the psycho-motivators of Muzak, the commercialism of Itunes (and the multitude of competitors), and our own inability to exist comfortably with ..............silence. It is somewhat ironic that "The Sounds of Silence" was not silent at all, and was played all. the. time. on commercial radio, no?
Were it only church musicians who have the music problem, it might be simple to resolve. It is not restricted to them. There are these priests!!
Locally, a misguided parish priest ordered his music-critter to "play something" for 10 full minutes before the beginning of each Mass. That order was given in order to get deh pipples to shut up when they entered the church. It was the right reason, but the wrong solution, for the music-critter's repertoire is largely drawn from hotel-lobby/bar entertainment stuff--French impressionist--and it cannot possibly convey the sense of "church." Worse, it feeds the fire of Muzak-psych. This is compounded when the music-critter stuffs the communion "space" with keyboard riffs on hymns, then with the official 'communion hymn,' and sometimes an additional choral or congregational piece.
(The priest himself should have told deh pipples to shut up, of course--but he has an overpowering need to be adored and liked, so he chose the wrong solution.)
In the EF (Old Rite), the music-critter will impose music even more freely because in that Rite, the priest does not 'speak' the Canon. Since silence is The Vacuum Which Must Be Filled, organ music will be heard, and the Vacuum At Communion will ALSO be filled, often right to the brim, with mo' music. There is an Order of priests, based in France, which teaches that organ music should be imposed on nearly the entire Mass, save during the parts where the priest is speaking (!) and where the choir or schola is singing. This may result from confusion on their part: perhaps they think that the church is really a funeral home, where dirges sound at all times. No matter their excuse, or their peculiar tradition, it is counter to both common sense and good taste. But that's the French.
Please! Shut Up!! Take the unstated but obvious advice of Chant!
Less is more, folks. Silence is golden. God's voice is still and small. Maybe HE should be heard, eh? Even in preference to the priests!
We all know that Chant is sung, of course. And we all know that Chant really should be un-accompanied. And most of us know that Chant comes in two varieties: the relatively simple, easy-to-sing, 'congregational' Chant of the Ordinary of the Mass, and the more elaborate, sometimes quite challenging, Proper chants.
But this is not really about Chant is. It is what Chant is NOT that is important here.
Chant is not accompanied. Chant is not continuous--that is, each Chant has its place and has no more than just that place. It is not entertainment; it is not bombast, it is not 'filler.' Most important, it is not imposed upon the Mass--rather, it is PART of the Mass.
What can we learn from this list of 'nots'? We can learn that the music most strongly recommended for use at Mass is part of the Mass itself. Negatively, then, we learn that that's all the music that the Mass really 'needs.'
Uh-huh. So what?
There is a tendency among church musicians to 'fill every hole with music.' That's not surprising, I suppose. It's probably related to the old saying about problems: if you have a hammer, every problem is a nail. And if you're a musician, music is the solution to every need, whether that need is real or merely perceived.
Therein lies the rub. Chant teaches us simplicity, and about the value of silence. It teaches us that the priest, congregation, and schola (or choir) have their own roles. It teaches us where music MUST be, and where it does not HAVE to be, and it teaches us that music for the Mass is really quite subtle.
Little of that is understood in our time, where continuous music has been imposed on us by the psycho-motivators of Muzak, the commercialism of Itunes (and the multitude of competitors), and our own inability to exist comfortably with ..............silence. It is somewhat ironic that "The Sounds of Silence" was not silent at all, and was played all. the. time. on commercial radio, no?
Were it only church musicians who have the music problem, it might be simple to resolve. It is not restricted to them. There are these priests!!
Locally, a misguided parish priest ordered his music-critter to "play something" for 10 full minutes before the beginning of each Mass. That order was given in order to get deh pipples to shut up when they entered the church. It was the right reason, but the wrong solution, for the music-critter's repertoire is largely drawn from hotel-lobby/bar entertainment stuff--French impressionist--and it cannot possibly convey the sense of "church." Worse, it feeds the fire of Muzak-psych. This is compounded when the music-critter stuffs the communion "space" with keyboard riffs on hymns, then with the official 'communion hymn,' and sometimes an additional choral or congregational piece.
(The priest himself should have told deh pipples to shut up, of course--but he has an overpowering need to be adored and liked, so he chose the wrong solution.)
In the EF (Old Rite), the music-critter will impose music even more freely because in that Rite, the priest does not 'speak' the Canon. Since silence is The Vacuum Which Must Be Filled, organ music will be heard, and the Vacuum At Communion will ALSO be filled, often right to the brim, with mo' music. There is an Order of priests, based in France, which teaches that organ music should be imposed on nearly the entire Mass, save during the parts where the priest is speaking (!) and where the choir or schola is singing. This may result from confusion on their part: perhaps they think that the church is really a funeral home, where dirges sound at all times. No matter their excuse, or their peculiar tradition, it is counter to both common sense and good taste. But that's the French.
Please! Shut Up!! Take the unstated but obvious advice of Chant!
Less is more, folks. Silence is golden. God's voice is still and small. Maybe HE should be heard, eh? Even in preference to the priests!
Understanding "Air-Gap" & Classified Info
Grim has been there, done that, and has several t-shirts. So pay attention!
...I think maybe the most likely case is that the Hillary State Department -- or at least her clique of advisers and aides, as well as non-DOS personnel from her faction like Sidney Blumenthal -- were just completely careless about classification. It's less likely that they downloaded or wrote down information from the TS system to transfer onto the private email server than that they summarized what they'd read on the TS systems in unclassified emails. Quite possibly she and they believed this was perfectly safe to do, as they controlled the server and were only talking to other members of the trusted in-group....
...From the perspective of the law, this makes no difference. The rule is that a document that contains classified information is classified, and if it was built out of another document or set of documents, the new document inherits the highest level of classification of any of the summarized documents. Thus, if I write an email to you about yoga and your daughter's wedding, and at the very end say: "PS: Did you see the column of tanks moving up on Benghazi this morning?" based on a satellite photo from the high side, the email I have just written now needs to be marked "TS // SI / TK // NOFORN" and cannot be sent on the unclassified system. Indeed, just because the computer will automatically save a draft of that information on the unclassified system while I am typing it up, just by typing it up and not sending it I have already committed the crime that Petraeus went down for (i.e., storing classified information in an unapproved location)....
Got that?
No, she won't do time in Club Graybar. She's a member of the Ruling Class. Same with her accomplices/pals/dirtball friends.
Which is precisely why The Ruling Class is becoming an endangered species.
...I think maybe the most likely case is that the Hillary State Department -- or at least her clique of advisers and aides, as well as non-DOS personnel from her faction like Sidney Blumenthal -- were just completely careless about classification. It's less likely that they downloaded or wrote down information from the TS system to transfer onto the private email server than that they summarized what they'd read on the TS systems in unclassified emails. Quite possibly she and they believed this was perfectly safe to do, as they controlled the server and were only talking to other members of the trusted in-group....
...From the perspective of the law, this makes no difference. The rule is that a document that contains classified information is classified, and if it was built out of another document or set of documents, the new document inherits the highest level of classification of any of the summarized documents. Thus, if I write an email to you about yoga and your daughter's wedding, and at the very end say: "PS: Did you see the column of tanks moving up on Benghazi this morning?" based on a satellite photo from the high side, the email I have just written now needs to be marked "TS // SI / TK // NOFORN" and cannot be sent on the unclassified system. Indeed, just because the computer will automatically save a draft of that information on the unclassified system while I am typing it up, just by typing it up and not sending it I have already committed the crime that Petraeus went down for (i.e., storing classified information in an unapproved location)....
Got that?
No, she won't do time in Club Graybar. She's a member of the Ruling Class. Same with her accomplices/pals/dirtball friends.
Which is precisely why The Ruling Class is becoming an endangered species.
Nature's God and Common Good v. The Donald et. al.
Alan Keyes occupies a lonely place in punditry; he sees the Declaration's phrase "...laws of Nature and Nature's God..." as having great weight--far greater than most of us want to acknowledge. He also reminds us that those laws are absolutely necessary for "the common good," whether they are convenient or not.
So what does that have to do with Trump and mutatis mutandis, all the rest of the candidates?
...If, in material terms, we built a nation that fulfilled for a time so many of mankind’s material dreams, it was because, all along, we have invited people to come to our New World, bringing with them their best hopes. But like the master of the biblical wedding feast, we also demanded that they live by the God-endowed commitment to justice and the self-disciplined exercise of right. For that fulfilled commitment is the saving grace of rightful human liberty. So we are not supposed to welcome the enslavers and beheaders of innocent humanity, or any others who despoil that grace, whatever their motive or excuse.
On that account, secure borders and the lawful regulation of movement and immigration across them are not selfish aims we pursue only to serve ourselves. They are part of the ethic of liberty we must demand of ourselves and of any who sincerely wish to add their light to the beacon lamp of righteous liberty. To represent their last, best hope, we must preserve it, as a people, in the land we hold, in sovereign trust, by the authority of its Creator. For we are bound, by our vocation as a nation, to lift up that “lamp beside the golden door,” on behalf of decent human beings, both within the bounds of our constitutional sovereignty and wherever people strive, as we do, to reach the God-intended destiny of decent human life.
What we've seen of (R) candidates so far is that to one degree or another they have no 'center' in their campaign statements, platforms, or rhetoric. That 'center' has to do with those laws referenced above, AND the "common good," a phrase almost NEVER uttered in political discourse and, sadly, even less implemented in law and regulation over the last 50 years or so.
Keyes has a lot more on the topic.
...The problem with Trump and the quisling GOP has to do with political character. It has to do with the tenor of Trump’s entire life as an unprincipled materialist, doing whatever it takes, giving money to whomever he has to, to serve his selfish interests, with no thought for the common good of our nation, and no commitment to it. The problem is his utter failure to speak to the moral purpose, not just of our immigration policy, but of our very existence as a nation. He is a man who says nothing that doesn’t serve some selfish interest, whether it is true (e.g., the facts about the damaging impact of elitist sponsored illegal immigration) or a corrupting lie (e.g., single payer health care is ideal). Now he is inviting the American people to debase itself to the same level....
So in the end, The Donald will 'make a deal', just as have all the Ruling Class creatures.
But will the deals they make be consonant with the Declaration's 'laws' or the Common Good?
Recent history tells us that the answer is no.
That, my friends, is the underlying and almost un-stated cause of the current turmoil in the nation. Keyes nails it. Which is why he's such a lonesome voice.
So what does that have to do with Trump and mutatis mutandis, all the rest of the candidates?
...If, in material terms, we built a nation that fulfilled for a time so many of mankind’s material dreams, it was because, all along, we have invited people to come to our New World, bringing with them their best hopes. But like the master of the biblical wedding feast, we also demanded that they live by the God-endowed commitment to justice and the self-disciplined exercise of right. For that fulfilled commitment is the saving grace of rightful human liberty. So we are not supposed to welcome the enslavers and beheaders of innocent humanity, or any others who despoil that grace, whatever their motive or excuse.
On that account, secure borders and the lawful regulation of movement and immigration across them are not selfish aims we pursue only to serve ourselves. They are part of the ethic of liberty we must demand of ourselves and of any who sincerely wish to add their light to the beacon lamp of righteous liberty. To represent their last, best hope, we must preserve it, as a people, in the land we hold, in sovereign trust, by the authority of its Creator. For we are bound, by our vocation as a nation, to lift up that “lamp beside the golden door,” on behalf of decent human beings, both within the bounds of our constitutional sovereignty and wherever people strive, as we do, to reach the God-intended destiny of decent human life.
What we've seen of (R) candidates so far is that to one degree or another they have no 'center' in their campaign statements, platforms, or rhetoric. That 'center' has to do with those laws referenced above, AND the "common good," a phrase almost NEVER uttered in political discourse and, sadly, even less implemented in law and regulation over the last 50 years or so.
Keyes has a lot more on the topic.
...The problem with Trump and the quisling GOP has to do with political character. It has to do with the tenor of Trump’s entire life as an unprincipled materialist, doing whatever it takes, giving money to whomever he has to, to serve his selfish interests, with no thought for the common good of our nation, and no commitment to it. The problem is his utter failure to speak to the moral purpose, not just of our immigration policy, but of our very existence as a nation. He is a man who says nothing that doesn’t serve some selfish interest, whether it is true (e.g., the facts about the damaging impact of elitist sponsored illegal immigration) or a corrupting lie (e.g., single payer health care is ideal). Now he is inviting the American people to debase itself to the same level....
So in the end, The Donald will 'make a deal', just as have all the Ruling Class creatures.
But will the deals they make be consonant with the Declaration's 'laws' or the Common Good?
Recent history tells us that the answer is no.
That, my friends, is the underlying and almost un-stated cause of the current turmoil in the nation. Keyes nails it. Which is why he's such a lonesome voice.
"Ruling Class" Families: Dyer/Ivancic
Well, this is kinda interesting.
Seems that John Boehner (R-Spineless) employed a woman whose sister is CEO of The Chop-Shop's customer, StemExpress.
And Boehner's employee was not just an administrative assistant. She was Boehner's chief legal counsel.
By a remarkable co-incidence, said legal counsel resigned on August 5th, when it became known that StemExpress was paying The Chop-Shop for baby parts.
The inquisitive observer might ask whether the law's 'expenses may be reimbursed' clause had anything to do with the founding and monetary success of StemExpress. If one were to establish such a business, one would ask a well-informed lawyer about the legal technicalities, of course. I mean, who would EVER think of ......
On the other hand, we all know that every family has a black sheep. This family's black sheep just happens to traffic in baby-parts.
So it's handy to have a Ruling Class family member/lawyer/mover-and-shaker.
Seems that John Boehner (R-Spineless) employed a woman whose sister is CEO of The Chop-Shop's customer, StemExpress.
And Boehner's employee was not just an administrative assistant. She was Boehner's chief legal counsel.
By a remarkable co-incidence, said legal counsel resigned on August 5th, when it became known that StemExpress was paying The Chop-Shop for baby parts.
The inquisitive observer might ask whether the law's 'expenses may be reimbursed' clause had anything to do with the founding and monetary success of StemExpress. If one were to establish such a business, one would ask a well-informed lawyer about the legal technicalities, of course. I mean, who would EVER think of ......
On the other hand, we all know that every family has a black sheep. This family's black sheep just happens to traffic in baby-parts.
So it's handy to have a Ruling Class family member/lawyer/mover-and-shaker.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
EPA Was WARNED About Mine Spill Potential
The contractor told EPA that there was a lot of water backed up in the Gold King mine.
EPA didn't bother itself to worry about that.
And EPA really, really, doesn't like to answer questions, either.
This--like Hillary--is The Ruling Class in action, folks. Like it?
EPA didn't bother itself to worry about that.
And EPA really, really, doesn't like to answer questions, either.
This--like Hillary--is The Ruling Class in action, folks. Like it?
The (D) Ticket
Monica Crowley has something here.
...Mr. Obama has a more important reason for doing [Clinton] in. As I have written previously, he needs a successor he can control. Over the years, including recently, he has waxed rhapsodic over a possible third term to continue his “fundamental transformation of the nation.” Mrs. Clinton will not provide it; therefore, she must be sidelined. If Mr. Obama does not want an investigation to go forward, it does not go forward. Witness the scandals involving the Internal Revenue Service, Benghazi, Veterans Administration and Operation Fast and Furious gunrunning. . .
The Democratic ticket will be Joe Biden-Elizabeth Warren. That’s what Mr. Obama wants. And what Mr. Obama wants, Mr. Obama gets. This is “Game of Thrones.” And Mr. Obama is winning. --quoted at SipseyStreet
To my mind, Warren has been the candidate from the get-go. You'll note that the White House has been pushing Biden, with the very odd 'speculative promise' that Creepy Joe will only serve half-a-term, and then resign. That makes sense ONLY if Fauxcahontas--another True Believer in the transvaluation of all values--is next in line.
...Mr. Obama has a more important reason for doing [Clinton] in. As I have written previously, he needs a successor he can control. Over the years, including recently, he has waxed rhapsodic over a possible third term to continue his “fundamental transformation of the nation.” Mrs. Clinton will not provide it; therefore, she must be sidelined. If Mr. Obama does not want an investigation to go forward, it does not go forward. Witness the scandals involving the Internal Revenue Service, Benghazi, Veterans Administration and Operation Fast and Furious gunrunning. . .
The Democratic ticket will be Joe Biden-Elizabeth Warren. That’s what Mr. Obama wants. And what Mr. Obama wants, Mr. Obama gets. This is “Game of Thrones.” And Mr. Obama is winning. --quoted at SipseyStreet
To my mind, Warren has been the candidate from the get-go. You'll note that the White House has been pushing Biden, with the very odd 'speculative promise' that Creepy Joe will only serve half-a-term, and then resign. That makes sense ONLY if Fauxcahontas--another True Believer in the transvaluation of all values--is next in line.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Scott, the Big Leagues Are TOUGH
Seems like Scott Walker is becoming the back-and-forthright candidate. This will--no doubt--change his position in the (below) scoring system. To near-last.
...Didn’t he say just four days ago that he opposed birthright citizenship for the children of illegals? Now this. If he hadn’t been so slippery on immigration (among other things) in the earliest phase of the campaign, it’d be easy to dismiss this as a case of him having misunderstood what he was being asked on Monday instead of him perpetually trying to feel his way towards whatever position he thinks will be the most electorally advantageous.
But wait. Is this sudden agnosticism about birthright citizenship really the most electorally advantageous position? What’s strange here is that Walker promised supporters this week on a conference call that he was going to be more aggressively anti-establishment on the stump and try to win back some of the supporters he’s lost to Trump. Birthright citizenship for illegals is as establishment as immigration policy gets; Trump naturally opposes it, and until a few days ago, Walker did too. Pretty logical for an anti-establishmentarian. Now he’s formally uncommitted. What gives?...
Actually, it's "WHO gives?" Money talks, and bullshit....evades.
The linked item has some quotations from a Stanley Hubbard of Minnesota, who definitely does not want Walker yapping about 'social issues.'
But AllahPundit misses the more obvious: Diane Hendricks, Chair of ABC Supply, a very large national roofing-materials supplier. Her customers are exclusively roofing contractors and she kick-started Walker's campaign with major dollars. $5 million of them.
Add 2+2 here, folks.
Maybe Walker can get away with it--but the Big Leagues are tough, eh?
...Didn’t he say just four days ago that he opposed birthright citizenship for the children of illegals? Now this. If he hadn’t been so slippery on immigration (among other things) in the earliest phase of the campaign, it’d be easy to dismiss this as a case of him having misunderstood what he was being asked on Monday instead of him perpetually trying to feel his way towards whatever position he thinks will be the most electorally advantageous.
But wait. Is this sudden agnosticism about birthright citizenship really the most electorally advantageous position? What’s strange here is that Walker promised supporters this week on a conference call that he was going to be more aggressively anti-establishment on the stump and try to win back some of the supporters he’s lost to Trump. Birthright citizenship for illegals is as establishment as immigration policy gets; Trump naturally opposes it, and until a few days ago, Walker did too. Pretty logical for an anti-establishmentarian. Now he’s formally uncommitted. What gives?...
Actually, it's "WHO gives?" Money talks, and bullshit....evades.
The linked item has some quotations from a Stanley Hubbard of Minnesota, who definitely does not want Walker yapping about 'social issues.'
But AllahPundit misses the more obvious: Diane Hendricks, Chair of ABC Supply, a very large national roofing-materials supplier. Her customers are exclusively roofing contractors and she kick-started Walker's campaign with major dollars. $5 million of them.
Add 2+2 here, folks.
Maybe Walker can get away with it--but the Big Leagues are tough, eh?
Rating the (R) Candidates
Interesting criteria, even more interesting results here.
Since Cruz was my guy from the git-go (and yes, I have some quibbles with his positions), I like the way this one came out. And yes, Walker deserves #2.
As to the rest? No Carly?
She'd make a good VP pick for Cruz, assuming that he doesn't go with Walker. (Or that Walker doesn't go with him.)
Best breakdown I've seen.
Since Cruz was my guy from the git-go (and yes, I have some quibbles with his positions), I like the way this one came out. And yes, Walker deserves #2.
As to the rest? No Carly?
She'd make a good VP pick for Cruz, assuming that he doesn't go with Walker. (Or that Walker doesn't go with him.)
Best breakdown I've seen.
What ELSE Did Beale Lie About?
Aside from stealing about $1.3 million from taxpayers, what else did this jackwad lie about?
The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job.
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court....
"Climate change expert," eh?
The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison Wednesday for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job.
John C. Beale’s crimes were “inexplicable” and “unbelievably egregious," said Judge Ellen Huvelle in imposing the sentence in a Washington. D.C. federal court....
"Climate change expert," eh?
UW-Mad's Mitchel: Mad, Indeed!
"Mad" as in 'insane.'
A man whose job description reads thus:
"Represent[s] the UW-Madison Chancellor’s Office and institutional positions on community development, education, broadening UW-Madison’s presence in the local community, nurturing partnerships, and cultural issues through membership on and leadership on various public and private boards, commissions and committees.”
...said that 'those big box stores, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target, have insurance, so let's not prosecute shoplifting as a crime any more.'
He's a lawyer and ex-prosecutor, by the way, and obviously studied in the (SCOTUS-twerp) Kennedy School of Fantasy-Law.
...Mitchel argued that communities should be able to decide for themselves what laws should be enforced. He argued that the ultimate goal of law enforcement is not the actual enforcement of law, but community safety as defined by the community itself. Mitchell cited theft from big box stores as an example of a crime that police and the community may view differently....
UW's Med School claims to be dependent on chop-shop baby parts for its "research," and UW's Community relations honcho thinks laws are entirely relative.
Consistency, if nothing else.
A man whose job description reads thus:
"Represent[s] the UW-Madison Chancellor’s Office and institutional positions on community development, education, broadening UW-Madison’s presence in the local community, nurturing partnerships, and cultural issues through membership on and leadership on various public and private boards, commissions and committees.”
...said that 'those big box stores, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target, have insurance, so let's not prosecute shoplifting as a crime any more.'
He's a lawyer and ex-prosecutor, by the way, and obviously studied in the (SCOTUS-twerp) Kennedy School of Fantasy-Law.
...Mitchel argued that communities should be able to decide for themselves what laws should be enforced. He argued that the ultimate goal of law enforcement is not the actual enforcement of law, but community safety as defined by the community itself. Mitchell cited theft from big box stores as an example of a crime that police and the community may view differently....
UW's Med School claims to be dependent on chop-shop baby parts for its "research," and UW's Community relations honcho thinks laws are entirely relative.
Consistency, if nothing else.
"Birthright" Can End, Suddenly
Ah, the Wiser Heads argue, softly, about "birthright citizenship."
...amending the Fourteenth Amendment requires two-thirds votes of both houses of Congress and ratification by 38 state legislatures. Ain’t gonna happen....
Correct.
But by legislation, Congress can remove Federal courts from deciding that matter, just as Federal courts can be removed from deciding issues surrounding ObozoCare and marriage.
And of course, there's also the Obozo Precedent: simply ignore the law and do whatever the Hell you want. That's the solution that SCOTUS itself seems to desire, given its own revolt against nature.
IOW, screw 'em.
...amending the Fourteenth Amendment requires two-thirds votes of both houses of Congress and ratification by 38 state legislatures. Ain’t gonna happen....
Correct.
But by legislation, Congress can remove Federal courts from deciding that matter, just as Federal courts can be removed from deciding issues surrounding ObozoCare and marriage.
And of course, there's also the Obozo Precedent: simply ignore the law and do whatever the Hell you want. That's the solution that SCOTUS itself seems to desire, given its own revolt against nature.
IOW, screw 'em.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Wisconsin PropTax Only #5 in USA
Another bit of wonderful news for the Spending Class!!
But it's certainly not wonderful enough.
...Jared Walczak, a policy analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation, writes that the map “cuts through this clutter, presenting effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing.”
“This is the average amount of residential property tax actually paid, expressed as a percentage of home value,” Walczak wrote....
But we could try harder; New Jersey (2.38%) and Illinois (2.32%) lead this parade and we all know that New Jersey and Illinois are real loser States. Wisconsin is only at 1.96%, but hell's bells, that's only a few more teachers, cop-shop Tahoes/Suburbans, Cadillac bennie plans and jiggered overtime rules away from COMPLETE VICTORY!!
Cal your laggard Mayor, School Superintendent, and Water/Sewer district. Tell them you will NOT stand for being fifth in this competition. Don't settle: go for about 3.0%!!
But it's certainly not wonderful enough.
...Jared Walczak, a policy analyst with the Center for State Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation, writes that the map “cuts through this clutter, presenting effective tax rates on owner-occupied housing.”
“This is the average amount of residential property tax actually paid, expressed as a percentage of home value,” Walczak wrote....
But we could try harder; New Jersey (2.38%) and Illinois (2.32%) lead this parade and we all know that New Jersey and Illinois are real loser States. Wisconsin is only at 1.96%, but hell's bells, that's only a few more teachers, cop-shop Tahoes/Suburbans, Cadillac bennie plans and jiggered overtime rules away from COMPLETE VICTORY!!
Cal your laggard Mayor, School Superintendent, and Water/Sewer district. Tell them you will NOT stand for being fifth in this competition. Don't settle: go for about 3.0%!!
The Donald v. Kudlow
Kudlow, a scrivener, doesn't like Trump's plans.
...Trump’s agenda of trade protectionism, dollar devaluation, and immigrant deportation is completely anti-growth. It’s like Fortress America in an economy that is completely globalized and where the U.S. must compete in the worldwide race for capital and labor. Trump’s policies don’t fit....
Kudlow, like a lot of other "economists", never read Keynes' complete works. If he does, he might learn something, specifically that Keynes assumed a closed economy for his 'pump-priming' to work. So Kudlow can have his invasion-of-immigrants OR he can have pump-priming, but not both. (Friedman underlined it with his remark that one cannot have both open borders and a welfare state.)
But hey! Kudlow's part of the Establishment. Being blind, deaf, and dumb is the trademark. It's a bug, not a feature, but it works.
For them, anyway.
...Trump’s agenda of trade protectionism, dollar devaluation, and immigrant deportation is completely anti-growth. It’s like Fortress America in an economy that is completely globalized and where the U.S. must compete in the worldwide race for capital and labor. Trump’s policies don’t fit....
Kudlow, like a lot of other "economists", never read Keynes' complete works. If he does, he might learn something, specifically that Keynes assumed a closed economy for his 'pump-priming' to work. So Kudlow can have his invasion-of-immigrants OR he can have pump-priming, but not both. (Friedman underlined it with his remark that one cannot have both open borders and a welfare state.)
But hey! Kudlow's part of the Establishment. Being blind, deaf, and dumb is the trademark. It's a bug, not a feature, but it works.
For them, anyway.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Are the Jesuits Proud of Tom Barrett?
Tommy Barrett, who shows up at St Sebastian's church now and then, is a graduate of Marquette High School.
Tommy Barrett, graduate of Marquette High School, is an enthusiastic backer of the Human Chop-Shop business, Planned Parenthood.
Think any of the Jebbies have given Tommy Barrett a call and told him they'll erase his name from the MUHS directory?
Tommy Barrett, graduate of Marquette High School, is an enthusiastic backer of the Human Chop-Shop business, Planned Parenthood.
Think any of the Jebbies have given Tommy Barrett a call and told him they'll erase his name from the MUHS directory?
Business Model: "Screw Americans!"
The above-referenced business model prevails at lots of Silicon Valley outfits including Facebook, Google, Intel, and--at a distance--Microsoft.
Malkin has gotten into the fray, although Norm Matloff has been there for years.
...8 U.S.C. § 1182(n)(1) requires the Department of Labor to approve all LCAs within seven days as long as the form is filled out correctly. The employer can put anything down on the LCA and know that it will be approved. 8 U.S.C. §1182(n)(2)(G)(v) prohibits the Department of Labor from going back and reviewing LCAs later....
Some bozo at the Wall Street Journal wrote a Clinton-esque (parsed! no truth emerges!!) idiot-orial which gets nuked here:
...Pettifoggers will tell you that H-1B workers are required to be paid the higher of the prevailing wage or the wage paid to similar workers. And golly gee willikers, it says just that right at the top of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(n)(1). That’s enough information for the willful ignorami writing the Wall Street Journal editorial page.
But scroll down to 8 U.S.C. § 1101(p)(4). There you will find that the Department of Labor is required to take an existing wage survey and divide it into four skill level prevailing wages. Notice there is no requirement that the employer pay the H-1B worker at his skill level. Even if there were such a requirement, it would be unenforceable because skill is a subjective measure....
C'mon. Do you think that Bill Gates, or Zuckerfacebook, would LIE? Be still, my heart....
...employers classify:
* 52 percent of H-1B workers at the lowest skill level, where they command a wage at the 17th percentile for the occupation and location.
* 30 percent at the next lowest skill level, where they command a wage at the 34th percentile. ...
The remaining EIGHTEEN PERCENT are the "best and brightest." Obviously, the first EIGHTY TWO PERCENT are not very best, and not very brightest--or they'd be paid that way.
Right??
Now you know why certain (R) candidates get a helluvalotta money from Silicon Valley.
You may judge those (R) candidates by their actions, or lack thereof.
As for me, I'll take those who prefer Americans.
Malkin has gotten into the fray, although Norm Matloff has been there for years.
...8 U.S.C. § 1182(n)(1) requires the Department of Labor to approve all LCAs within seven days as long as the form is filled out correctly. The employer can put anything down on the LCA and know that it will be approved. 8 U.S.C. §1182(n)(2)(G)(v) prohibits the Department of Labor from going back and reviewing LCAs later....
Some bozo at the Wall Street Journal wrote a Clinton-esque (parsed! no truth emerges!!) idiot-orial which gets nuked here:
...Pettifoggers will tell you that H-1B workers are required to be paid the higher of the prevailing wage or the wage paid to similar workers. And golly gee willikers, it says just that right at the top of 8 U.S.C. § 1101(n)(1). That’s enough information for the willful ignorami writing the Wall Street Journal editorial page.
But scroll down to 8 U.S.C. § 1101(p)(4). There you will find that the Department of Labor is required to take an existing wage survey and divide it into four skill level prevailing wages. Notice there is no requirement that the employer pay the H-1B worker at his skill level. Even if there were such a requirement, it would be unenforceable because skill is a subjective measure....
C'mon. Do you think that Bill Gates, or Zuckerfacebook, would LIE? Be still, my heart....
...employers classify:
* 52 percent of H-1B workers at the lowest skill level, where they command a wage at the 17th percentile for the occupation and location.
* 30 percent at the next lowest skill level, where they command a wage at the 34th percentile. ...
The remaining EIGHTEEN PERCENT are the "best and brightest." Obviously, the first EIGHTY TWO PERCENT are not very best, and not very brightest--or they'd be paid that way.
Right??
Now you know why certain (R) candidates get a helluvalotta money from Silicon Valley.
You may judge those (R) candidates by their actions, or lack thereof.
As for me, I'll take those who prefer Americans.
Birthright Citizenship?
PowerLine ruminates a bit on the fraud called "birthright citizenship."
...polls indicate that a huge majority of Americans want to get rid of the “anchor baby” rule, and we can infer from their dissent in the Hamdi case that at least two Supreme Court justices agree. Congress could pass a law defining citizenship in a manner that gives effect to the “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause of the 14th Amendment. The law would be challenged on constitutional grounds and the case would make its way to the Supreme Court. That would give the court an opportunity to reconsider its poorly thought out decision that anyone born here, regardless of the circumstances, is required to be a citizen by the 14th Amendment. How likely is that strategy to succeed? I don’t know, but I think it is worth a try....
So pass the law and get taken to court. When (and IF) SCOTUS affirms its moronic Hamdi, ignore the ruling, or let "Tax" Roberts enforce it along with "Create Your Own Reality" Kennedy.
IOW, screw them.
...polls indicate that a huge majority of Americans want to get rid of the “anchor baby” rule, and we can infer from their dissent in the Hamdi case that at least two Supreme Court justices agree. Congress could pass a law defining citizenship in a manner that gives effect to the “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” clause of the 14th Amendment. The law would be challenged on constitutional grounds and the case would make its way to the Supreme Court. That would give the court an opportunity to reconsider its poorly thought out decision that anyone born here, regardless of the circumstances, is required to be a citizen by the 14th Amendment. How likely is that strategy to succeed? I don’t know, but I think it is worth a try....
So pass the law and get taken to court. When (and IF) SCOTUS affirms its moronic Hamdi, ignore the ruling, or let "Tax" Roberts enforce it along with "Create Your Own Reality" Kennedy.
IOW, screw them.
Translating Clinton-Speak Lies
The Hildebeeste is well on her way to indictment, trial, and imprisonment over her use of a personal email account to conduct State business. That's good.
But as usual with the Clinton Criminals, it's important to parse her statements.
"Whether it was a personal account or a government account,’ she said, ‘I did not send classified material. And I did not receive any material that was marked or designated classified – which is the way you know whether something is.’...
She's telling part of the truth. The 'received' documents had been stripped of the "Classified" denotation when sent from State to her account. That's the fig-leaf.
Hildebeeste ordered that stripping, of course.
HT: Owen
But as usual with the Clinton Criminals, it's important to parse her statements.
"Whether it was a personal account or a government account,’ she said, ‘I did not send classified material. And I did not receive any material that was marked or designated classified – which is the way you know whether something is.’...
She's telling part of the truth. The 'received' documents had been stripped of the "Classified" denotation when sent from State to her account. That's the fig-leaf.
Hildebeeste ordered that stripping, of course.
HT: Owen
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
The GOP Elite....
Gobsmacking accuracy:
The GOP elite, for example, expected us to keep our mouths shut about the rape and murder rampages of illegal aliens and quietly bury our children while they divvied up Chamber of Commerce donations. --quoted at ColdFury
Or expected us to keep our mouths shut about the dis-employment and financial wreckage of US citizen computer folks and the grinding impoverishment of taxi-cab driving at the behest of Facebook, Intel, Microsoft, and QualComm.
IOW, the murder, rape, and pillage of careers.
From the same source, a clarifying moment on George Will, doddering and aged baseball fan.
...But then I recall Will sniffing his nose at another déclassé Republican candidate and his supporters as “kamikaze conservatives.“ That was Ronald Reagan, and Will invited him to form a third party and lead his mob of followers “into outer darkness.” Will acknowledged that while this “would cost the party some support…it would make the party seem cleansed.”...
History repeats itself, ain'a?
The GOP elite, for example, expected us to keep our mouths shut about the rape and murder rampages of illegal aliens and quietly bury our children while they divvied up Chamber of Commerce donations. --quoted at ColdFury
Or expected us to keep our mouths shut about the dis-employment and financial wreckage of US citizen computer folks and the grinding impoverishment of taxi-cab driving at the behest of Facebook, Intel, Microsoft, and QualComm.
IOW, the murder, rape, and pillage of careers.
From the same source, a clarifying moment on George Will, doddering and aged baseball fan.
...But then I recall Will sniffing his nose at another déclassé Republican candidate and his supporters as “kamikaze conservatives.“ That was Ronald Reagan, and Will invited him to form a third party and lead his mob of followers “into outer darkness.” Will acknowledged that while this “would cost the party some support…it would make the party seem cleansed.”...
History repeats itself, ain'a?
The Self-Destroying Health Insurance "Business Model"
If you believe that the Left eats its own--and they do (see, e;g;. abortion)--then you'll understand why health-insurers are driving their greed-fueled clown-car off the cliff.
...healthcare costs are up. We feel it in our premiums, which were supposed to go down. This is happening because ObamaCare has utterly failed to control the insurance companies, which Obama told America would be held “accountable” under his health care law — another ObamaLie. One of the goals of ObamaCare was to create the so-called exchanges — in which insurance companies would compete for customers, who would be mandated to purchase their products. That competition was supposed to improve access to healthcare and contain healthcare costs.
It hasn’t worked out that way. One way insurance companies limit access by restricting the numbers of doctors and hospitals in a coverage network. Still, one could say, because competition, if you don’t like one insurance company’s plan, you could move on to another company’s plan. Not really. There is significantly less competition in the ObamaCare exchanges than was promised. This reached its comical climax in 2013 when only one insurance carrier offered up a plan under ObamaCare in New Hampshire. An option of one does not create competition.
This problem is guaranteed to become exponentially worse now that ObamaCare has reached its inevitable conclusion: Health insurance companies merging to corner the market and maximize profits. I’m all for profits and a free market. But ObamaCare is far from free market economics in action.
The insurance companies, of course, like where this is headed. Perhaps that’s why they appear to be all-in behind a Hillary Clinton presidency.
There's only one problem with that: HHS will eat the last remaining insurance company for breakfast when the inevitable "single-payer" becomes operative.
But hey! Bonuses are paid year-by-year, not decade-by-decade. So eat, drink, and be merry.....
...healthcare costs are up. We feel it in our premiums, which were supposed to go down. This is happening because ObamaCare has utterly failed to control the insurance companies, which Obama told America would be held “accountable” under his health care law — another ObamaLie. One of the goals of ObamaCare was to create the so-called exchanges — in which insurance companies would compete for customers, who would be mandated to purchase their products. That competition was supposed to improve access to healthcare and contain healthcare costs.
It hasn’t worked out that way. One way insurance companies limit access by restricting the numbers of doctors and hospitals in a coverage network. Still, one could say, because competition, if you don’t like one insurance company’s plan, you could move on to another company’s plan. Not really. There is significantly less competition in the ObamaCare exchanges than was promised. This reached its comical climax in 2013 when only one insurance carrier offered up a plan under ObamaCare in New Hampshire. An option of one does not create competition.
This problem is guaranteed to become exponentially worse now that ObamaCare has reached its inevitable conclusion: Health insurance companies merging to corner the market and maximize profits. I’m all for profits and a free market. But ObamaCare is far from free market economics in action.
The insurance companies, of course, like where this is headed. Perhaps that’s why they appear to be all-in behind a Hillary Clinton presidency.
There's only one problem with that: HHS will eat the last remaining insurance company for breakfast when the inevitable "single-payer" becomes operative.
But hey! Bonuses are paid year-by-year, not decade-by-decade. So eat, drink, and be merry.....
Annie Coulter Shows Her Stupids
Little Annie Coulter goes all Nelson Rockefeller.
I don’t care if @realDonaldTrump wants to perform abortions in White House after this immigration policy paper
Leopards and spots. The woman has been singing the East Coast Pubbie hymns for so long that she forgets the reason for actual hymnody.
I don’t care if @realDonaldTrump wants to perform abortions in White House after this immigration policy paper
Leopards and spots. The woman has been singing the East Coast Pubbie hymns for so long that she forgets the reason for actual hymnody.
Walker Going Rogue?
Interesting. Maybe Walker--or his consultants--have figured out that actually, a lot of real people despise the Establishment, almost as much as the Establishment despises them.
...Walker, appearing on Glenn Beck’s radio show Monday stated, “We were told that if Republicans got the majority in the United States Senate, there would be a bill on the president’s desk to repeal Obamacare. It is August, where is that bill, where was that vote?”...
Well, Scott, that's something you should have asked "Mighty Mouse" Paul Ryan and Senator "Cave-In" Ron Johnson a long, long, time ago.
Where have you been for the last 18 months, Scott? Nestled in Reince Priebus' comfy lap?
...Walker, appearing on Glenn Beck’s radio show Monday stated, “We were told that if Republicans got the majority in the United States Senate, there would be a bill on the president’s desk to repeal Obamacare. It is August, where is that bill, where was that vote?”...
Well, Scott, that's something you should have asked "Mighty Mouse" Paul Ryan and Senator "Cave-In" Ron Johnson a long, long, time ago.
Where have you been for the last 18 months, Scott? Nestled in Reince Priebus' comfy lap?
Obozo: Stupid? Or Worse Than Anyone Thought?
There are a number of people who think that the Bush War in Iraq was ill-advised. Reason: taking out Saddam, while a good thing, triggered a much larger bad thing: the demolition of order in Iraq. Yes, Saddam's "order" was dystopian--but he kept a lid on Muslim fanatics.
Such as ISIS, for example.
Now we have Obozo. After a successful campaign partly founded on Bush-bashing over the war, what is this character doing?
Trying to take out another Middle Eastern dystopia.
And guess what the results have been?
An even more virulent and strong ISIS (which the US armed through its CIA), and a resurgence of Iranian Muslim fanaticism.
But there's more: remember that Obozo also toppled the government of Egypt, which resulted in another period of riots and destruction until the Egyptian army had had enough of that, dumping the Muslim-fanatic government and restoring order.
So. Is Obozo just stupid? Or is he a committed revolutionary, dedicated to overturning order anywhere he can make it happen?
If you're having trouble answering that question, you are exactly what Obozo needed to get elected.
Such as ISIS, for example.
Now we have Obozo. After a successful campaign partly founded on Bush-bashing over the war, what is this character doing?
Trying to take out another Middle Eastern dystopia.
And guess what the results have been?
An even more virulent and strong ISIS (which the US armed through its CIA), and a resurgence of Iranian Muslim fanaticism.
But there's more: remember that Obozo also toppled the government of Egypt, which resulted in another period of riots and destruction until the Egyptian army had had enough of that, dumping the Muslim-fanatic government and restoring order.
So. Is Obozo just stupid? Or is he a committed revolutionary, dedicated to overturning order anywhere he can make it happen?
If you're having trouble answering that question, you are exactly what Obozo needed to get elected.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Trump's H1-B Platform
Norm Matloff is a Democrat, but he's honest.
...Trump’s proposals for handling illegal immigration are vintage Trump, some sensible, some off-the-wall, but on H-1B, the man gets an A+. I’ve never seen any politician, even Tom Tancredo, put up such an effective platform as Trump has. He decries that most of the visas go to the bottom two (out of four) wage levels in the legal requirements for H-1B, recognizing that the unrealistic prevailing wage law is at the heart of the problem. He insists that employers be required to give hiring priority to Americans. Most important to me is that, at least as stated, these provisions would go a long way to stem the visa abuse by not only the “Infosyses” (rent–a-programmer firms) but also the Intels, who are just as culpable. One nice added touch: He refers to pro-H-1B Senator Rubio as “Mark Zuckerberg’s personal senator.” ...
One blog-observer (maybe at Ace's place) suggested that the Other Pubbies running for President should pay a LOT of attention to which Trump positions get the crowds excited and simply snatch them instead of stamping their widdle feet and attempting to defend the indefensible or, like Walker on immigration, spewing well-practiced meaningless bullshit.
As if.
...Trump’s proposals for handling illegal immigration are vintage Trump, some sensible, some off-the-wall, but on H-1B, the man gets an A+. I’ve never seen any politician, even Tom Tancredo, put up such an effective platform as Trump has. He decries that most of the visas go to the bottom two (out of four) wage levels in the legal requirements for H-1B, recognizing that the unrealistic prevailing wage law is at the heart of the problem. He insists that employers be required to give hiring priority to Americans. Most important to me is that, at least as stated, these provisions would go a long way to stem the visa abuse by not only the “Infosyses” (rent–a-programmer firms) but also the Intels, who are just as culpable. One nice added touch: He refers to pro-H-1B Senator Rubio as “Mark Zuckerberg’s personal senator.” ...
One blog-observer (maybe at Ace's place) suggested that the Other Pubbies running for President should pay a LOT of attention to which Trump positions get the crowds excited and simply snatch them instead of stamping their widdle feet and attempting to defend the indefensible or, like Walker on immigration, spewing well-practiced meaningless bullshit.
As if.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Good, Short, Advice
This guy speaks like Trump regarding domestic violence perps:
...“Get your concealed weapons permit. Ladies, learn how to safely handle a weapon, learn how to safely store a weapon, and when you’re in a situation like this shoot him in your back yard before he gets in your house. Drop him,” said Wiley....
Ammo is not as expensive as your hospital stay might be, assuming you GET to the hospital.
HT: BearingArms
...“Get your concealed weapons permit. Ladies, learn how to safely handle a weapon, learn how to safely store a weapon, and when you’re in a situation like this shoot him in your back yard before he gets in your house. Drop him,” said Wiley....
Ammo is not as expensive as your hospital stay might be, assuming you GET to the hospital.
HT: BearingArms
The Ridiculous: Gummint Regs
Mind you, this is the story behind killing a pre-born business.
...I decided it might be time to open a retail food establishment in the space that used to be a restaurant. How hard could it be?
The link will give you all the gory details, but we're talking about $100+K to 'bring into compliance' a 1000 (yes, ONE thousand) square foot bagel shop. BAGELS!!
There's more to it than just Gummint stupidity, though. What this entrepreneur doesn't even suspect is that the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical contractors' associations (and unions) are usually found behind the scenes agitating for all this horse-puckey--and that's before looking at crony capitalists.
Land of the free, my ass.
HT: Ticker
...I decided it might be time to open a retail food establishment in the space that used to be a restaurant. How hard could it be?
The link will give you all the gory details, but we're talking about $100+K to 'bring into compliance' a 1000 (yes, ONE thousand) square foot bagel shop. BAGELS!!
There's more to it than just Gummint stupidity, though. What this entrepreneur doesn't even suspect is that the HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical contractors' associations (and unions) are usually found behind the scenes agitating for all this horse-puckey--and that's before looking at crony capitalists.
Land of the free, my ass.
HT: Ticker
The "Mental Illnes" Gun-Grab
Recently, a Texas Senator (Cornyn), the NRA, and a few other less-than-perceptive people (Bobby Jindal, hello!!) have endorsed strengthening a 'mental illnes' provision in the gun-grabber arsenal. This will include court-ordered psychiatric treatment.
Hmmmm.
So does that mean that Dinesh D'Souza will not be able to purchase or retain guns?
If one searches for recent news about D’Souza, one will find that a federal judge recently ordered him to undergo ongoing psychiatric treatment as a condition of his probation.
“Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and … is prone to anger in reaction to criticism,” the judge stated.
Really? Or was he too successful in criticizing Barack Obama?...
I'll take Door #2 anytime, although plausible deniability will be in play from the get-go.
Those who forget the past are doomed to re-live it. The Stalinists were notorious for imprisoning dissenters in 'mental hospitals' and declaring them to be mentally ill. Why should today's Stalinist-in-Chief be any different? It worked then and will work again, now, because defining 'mental illness' is sorta like defining 'up high.'
There's another question here which makes for interesting discussion. Can one distinguish 'mental illness' from 'prone to sin'? At what point?
Hmmmm.
So does that mean that Dinesh D'Souza will not be able to purchase or retain guns?
If one searches for recent news about D’Souza, one will find that a federal judge recently ordered him to undergo ongoing psychiatric treatment as a condition of his probation.
“Mr. D’Souza has weaknesses in controlling his own impulses and … is prone to anger in reaction to criticism,” the judge stated.
Really? Or was he too successful in criticizing Barack Obama?...
I'll take Door #2 anytime, although plausible deniability will be in play from the get-go.
Those who forget the past are doomed to re-live it. The Stalinists were notorious for imprisoning dissenters in 'mental hospitals' and declaring them to be mentally ill. Why should today's Stalinist-in-Chief be any different? It worked then and will work again, now, because defining 'mental illness' is sorta like defining 'up high.'
There's another question here which makes for interesting discussion. Can one distinguish 'mental illness' from 'prone to sin'? At what point?
"New/Improved" Air Traffic Control? The Crazies Are Loose
From the summary presented by Aviation Today, it's difficult to sort out who are the knaves, who are the nuts, or even 'who's on first'.
But as an IT project (or ANY project), it's clear: nobody knew what the Hell they were going to do. At all.
....Three officials gave three different views, while FAA’s integrated product team lead for en route said she did not understand how it could be accomplished or how often one would have to go into the system at any or all of the ARTCCs to perform the incremental modifications. “There’s nothing practical about this,...
And believe it or not, it actually gets worse.
But then, there were $2.1 BILLION on the line. Someone has to grab it, eh?
But as an IT project (or ANY project), it's clear: nobody knew what the Hell they were going to do. At all.
....Three officials gave three different views, while FAA’s integrated product team lead for en route said she did not understand how it could be accomplished or how often one would have to go into the system at any or all of the ARTCCs to perform the incremental modifications. “There’s nothing practical about this,...
And believe it or not, it actually gets worse.
But then, there were $2.1 BILLION on the line. Someone has to grab it, eh?
Waco Biker Shooting Mystery
Grim reminds us that there are plenty of questions remaining in the Shootout at the Waco Corral.
In this instance, the police seem to be following the Hillary Clinton procedure manual very well.
In this instance, the police seem to be following the Hillary Clinton procedure manual very well.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
AT&T: NSA's Butt-Buddy
Have AT&T? Never fear; they're keeping track of you for NSA.
The National Security Agency’s
ability to spy on vast quantities of Internet traffic passing through
the United States has relied on its extraordinary, decades-long
partnership with a single company: the telecom giant AT&T.
While
it has been long known that American telecommunications companies
worked closely with the spy agency, newly disclosed N.S.A. documents
show that the relationship with AT&T has been considered unique and
especially productive. One document described it as “highly
collaborative,” while another lauded the company’s “extreme willingness
to help.”
Yah. The very same AT&T which GM selected as its Wi-Fi carrier!
Maybe NSA has some favorite movies they'll run for you in-car, eh?
Yes, Walker Mush-Mouths on the Illegals
Huh. When I saw Walker's statement a couple of days ago, I thought 'that's mush-mouthing.'
Turns out I'm not the only one.
We absolutely have to secure our southern border through better infrastructure, personnel, and technology. I’ve visited the border and learned from border state governors how crime, gangs, and international criminal organizations have overwhelmed our border communities. It’s clear we must secure the border first and foremost. (Breitbart interview of Walker.)
Good ol' Cold Fury read it the same way.
....that meaningless roundabout politicospeak was “serious” candidate Scott Walker....
Contrast that to Trump's specific remedy:
1) Build a fence, deploy 25,000 additional border agents, utilize Predator drones
2) Enforce immigration law
3) No more cozy detention centers
4) Oppose “DREAM Act”
5) No future tuition benefits
Walker is not the only (R) candidate who has adopted the Clinton-Parse method of evasion, of course. But The Donald's polling should tell those "serious" (R) people something.
I doubt that they'll take the hint.
Turns out I'm not the only one.
We absolutely have to secure our southern border through better infrastructure, personnel, and technology. I’ve visited the border and learned from border state governors how crime, gangs, and international criminal organizations have overwhelmed our border communities. It’s clear we must secure the border first and foremost. (Breitbart interview of Walker.)
Good ol' Cold Fury read it the same way.
....that meaningless roundabout politicospeak was “serious” candidate Scott Walker....
Contrast that to Trump's specific remedy:
1) Build a fence, deploy 25,000 additional border agents, utilize Predator drones
2) Enforce immigration law
3) No more cozy detention centers
4) Oppose “DREAM Act”
5) No future tuition benefits
Walker is not the only (R) candidate who has adopted the Clinton-Parse method of evasion, of course. But The Donald's polling should tell those "serious" (R) people something.
I doubt that they'll take the hint.
Campaigning for Hillary!
Sure, I'll campaign for Hillary. But only with THIS yard-sign:
By the way: The Donald sucks up to HRC.
HT: Gateway
By the way: The Donald sucks up to HRC.
HT: Gateway
The HomoNazis, Chapter 34,453
Another cake-baker, another smashing of the 1st Amendment.
In essence, the court toed the Obama administration’s “freedom of worship” line which says you can [go] to whatever church you want but you are forbidden to live life in society according to your faith. In fact, the court’s decision actually invalidates the Catechism and religious principles of the Catholic Church which holds that by cooperating with sin your are participating in sin. This is why driving a woman to an abortion clinic carries the same moral penalty as actually having the abortion. When Phillips was asked to make a wedding cake for a simulated marriage he was put in the position of endorsing that act and participating in that act.
Note well: HRC and Obozo (and their lawyer-ly cabal) use the well-parsed phrase "freedom of WORSHIP" rather than the Bill of Rights' formula "freedom of RELIGION." That's specifically written to evade the reality of 'religious practice,' which is a far cry from just 'worshiping.'
And there's a reason that the HomoNazis pick on Christians rather than Muslims. You get only two guesses as to 'why.'
In essence, the court toed the Obama administration’s “freedom of worship” line which says you can [go] to whatever church you want but you are forbidden to live life in society according to your faith. In fact, the court’s decision actually invalidates the Catechism and religious principles of the Catholic Church which holds that by cooperating with sin your are participating in sin. This is why driving a woman to an abortion clinic carries the same moral penalty as actually having the abortion. When Phillips was asked to make a wedding cake for a simulated marriage he was put in the position of endorsing that act and participating in that act.
Note well: HRC and Obozo (and their lawyer-ly cabal) use the well-parsed phrase "freedom of WORSHIP" rather than the Bill of Rights' formula "freedom of RELIGION." That's specifically written to evade the reality of 'religious practice,' which is a far cry from just 'worshiping.'
And there's a reason that the HomoNazis pick on Christians rather than Muslims. You get only two guesses as to 'why.'
The Pillars of Anti-Liturgical Heresy
Found in the writings of Dom Prosper Gueranger (Solesmes), and summarized in the writings of Dom Alcuin Reid.
...hatred of Tradition in the formulas of divine worship
...substitution of writings from Sacred Scripture for formulas composed by the Church
...fabrication and introduction of new liturgical formulas
...the contradictory principle that operates from an affection for antiquity that seeks to “reproduce divine worship in its original purity” while spurning development later in liturgical Tradition and yet introducing new elements of “incontestably human” origin
...Guéranger proscribes the rationalistic removal of ceremonies and formulas that leads to a loss of the supernatural or mystical element of the Liturgy without regard for its tangible and poetic nature
...the total extinction of the spirit of prayer or unction from the Liturgy. Guéranger speaks here of pharisaical coldness and cites the Protestant insistence on the vernacular by way of example
...use of the vernacular itself is the eighth. Here Guéranger warns of the transience of the vernacular and of the dangers of using mundane language in worship
...desire to lessen the burden of the Liturgy (by shortening it)
...Rejection of all things papal or Roman
...presbyterianism that downplays the ministerial priesthood forms the eleventh characteristic
...Guéranger deprecates secular or lay persons assuming authority in liturgical reform lest the Liturgy, and consequently dogma, become an entity limited by the boundaries of a nation or region...
As we have mentioned a few times, the Liturgical Movement did not begin in 1963; it had been around since the late 1800's and was largely centered in Germany at the outset. Gueranger saw the above as dangers already present even in his times.
Bp. Athanasius Schneider's call for re-instituting the pre-1965 Offertory prayers fit neatly into the fourth, fifth, and sixth issues above, by the way.
Gueranger's warning makes him an intellectual predecessor of the "reform of the reform" leaders of today.
Good.
HT: LiturgyGuy
...hatred of Tradition in the formulas of divine worship
...substitution of writings from Sacred Scripture for formulas composed by the Church
...fabrication and introduction of new liturgical formulas
...the contradictory principle that operates from an affection for antiquity that seeks to “reproduce divine worship in its original purity” while spurning development later in liturgical Tradition and yet introducing new elements of “incontestably human” origin
...Guéranger proscribes the rationalistic removal of ceremonies and formulas that leads to a loss of the supernatural or mystical element of the Liturgy without regard for its tangible and poetic nature
...the total extinction of the spirit of prayer or unction from the Liturgy. Guéranger speaks here of pharisaical coldness and cites the Protestant insistence on the vernacular by way of example
...use of the vernacular itself is the eighth. Here Guéranger warns of the transience of the vernacular and of the dangers of using mundane language in worship
...desire to lessen the burden of the Liturgy (by shortening it)
...Rejection of all things papal or Roman
...presbyterianism that downplays the ministerial priesthood forms the eleventh characteristic
...Guéranger deprecates secular or lay persons assuming authority in liturgical reform lest the Liturgy, and consequently dogma, become an entity limited by the boundaries of a nation or region...
As we have mentioned a few times, the Liturgical Movement did not begin in 1963; it had been around since the late 1800's and was largely centered in Germany at the outset. Gueranger saw the above as dangers already present even in his times.
Bp. Athanasius Schneider's call for re-instituting the pre-1965 Offertory prayers fit neatly into the fourth, fifth, and sixth issues above, by the way.
Gueranger's warning makes him an intellectual predecessor of the "reform of the reform" leaders of today.
Good.
HT: LiturgyGuy
Friday, August 14, 2015
How About Hacking Your Infusion Device?
So there you are, in the hospital, getting infused, when WHAMMO!!
Some hacker pumps up the juice.
Yes, it can happen. Right after your Jeep gets hacked off the road, causing you to be hospitalized.
Some hacker pumps up the juice.
Yes, it can happen. Right after your Jeep gets hacked off the road, causing you to be hospitalized.
The Continuing Success *Cough* Of ObozoCare
In North Carolina, ObozoCare succeeded in raising its insurance rates by 34%.
We all know that in ObozoLand, a 34% increase is equal to a $2500.00 decrease.
Because Obozo.
We all know that in ObozoLand, a 34% increase is equal to a $2500.00 decrease.
Because Obozo.
Maybe "Homegrown Terrorists" Ain't "Homegrown"?
Once again, Ted Cruz is asking the right question.
With the FBI warning that the homegrown terror problem is growing out of control, especially among the ranks of families who emigrated from the Middle East, two conservative senators want answers on the danger of our immigration policies and the role it has played in homegrown terror. Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, and Secretary of State John Kerry demanding answers regarding the immigration status of the growing list of individuals caught planning terror attacks, executing terror attacks, or flying abroad to fight for Islamic terror groups....
Well, duh!!
Chris Christie indirectly admits the problem, too. But he won't "go there," will he?
...After he was asked why he couldn’t get a search warrant, Christie stated, “Because if you don’t have probable cause, you can’t get a search warrant. Let’s remember something, we had in — pre-9/11, we had folks over here who had no apparent terrorist ties, but were getting phone calls from people who did have terrorist ties from out of the country. If we had had the NSA program then, we very well could have matched those phone numbers up, that would have been — given us probable cause to go after the folks who were here in the country before 9/11. I don’t know if that would have prevented 9/11, but it would have given us a much better chance than the one we had....
The unlimited immigration policies exercised (legally or not) by the Feds over the last 20 years have created far more problems than just wage suppression and unemployment of native-born US citizens.
Now we await Cdl Dolan's condemnation of all this as "Xenophobic nativism." Did Cdl. Dolan's history teaching include reference to "Xenophobic nativism" on the part of FDR during WWI?
With the FBI warning that the homegrown terror problem is growing out of control, especially among the ranks of families who emigrated from the Middle East, two conservative senators want answers on the danger of our immigration policies and the role it has played in homegrown terror. Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, and Secretary of State John Kerry demanding answers regarding the immigration status of the growing list of individuals caught planning terror attacks, executing terror attacks, or flying abroad to fight for Islamic terror groups....
Well, duh!!
Chris Christie indirectly admits the problem, too. But he won't "go there," will he?
...After he was asked why he couldn’t get a search warrant, Christie stated, “Because if you don’t have probable cause, you can’t get a search warrant. Let’s remember something, we had in — pre-9/11, we had folks over here who had no apparent terrorist ties, but were getting phone calls from people who did have terrorist ties from out of the country. If we had had the NSA program then, we very well could have matched those phone numbers up, that would have been — given us probable cause to go after the folks who were here in the country before 9/11. I don’t know if that would have prevented 9/11, but it would have given us a much better chance than the one we had....
The unlimited immigration policies exercised (legally or not) by the Feds over the last 20 years have created far more problems than just wage suppression and unemployment of native-born US citizens.
Now we await Cdl Dolan's condemnation of all this as "Xenophobic nativism." Did Cdl. Dolan's history teaching include reference to "Xenophobic nativism" on the part of FDR during WWI?
EPA/McCarthy's Lips Were Moving
Remember that old saw about how you could tell that some people were lying?
Well.....
Republicans on the House science committee are accusing EPA Chief Administrator Gina McCarthy of lying while testifying before Congress last month, not so subtly reminding her that lying before lawmakers is a criminal offense....
...Republican lawmakers are referring to a July 9 hearing where McCarthy made allegedly false statements regarding the science behind the EPA’s Clean Water Rule, the agency’s approach to regulating ozone levels and concerns about withholding highway funding from states....
And those are the ones that were easy to spot.
Well.....
Republicans on the House science committee are accusing EPA Chief Administrator Gina McCarthy of lying while testifying before Congress last month, not so subtly reminding her that lying before lawmakers is a criminal offense....
...Republican lawmakers are referring to a July 9 hearing where McCarthy made allegedly false statements regarding the science behind the EPA’s Clean Water Rule, the agency’s approach to regulating ozone levels and concerns about withholding highway funding from states....
And those are the ones that were easy to spot.
ObozoConomy: Non-Performing Loans Up!
This is a "recovery." Remember that as you read this:
After 5+ years of moving lower, the past two quarters have seen a marked increase in Commercial & Industrial Nonperforming Loans....
... From a low of $8.515 Billion at the end of 2014 C&I NPLs have increased $2.381 Billion for a 27.97% increase in 6 months. The NPL % to total C&I loans has grown from 0.50% in 2014 Q4 to 0.61% in 2015 Q2...
Looking at C&I NPLs at the individual bank level reveals that the $2.381 Billion NPL $ increase is widespread and is not due to a small handful of institutions having issues....
Yah, that means that a LOT of jobs are hanging by a thread.
But we're in a "recovery," ya'know.
After 5+ years of moving lower, the past two quarters have seen a marked increase in Commercial & Industrial Nonperforming Loans....
... From a low of $8.515 Billion at the end of 2014 C&I NPLs have increased $2.381 Billion for a 27.97% increase in 6 months. The NPL % to total C&I loans has grown from 0.50% in 2014 Q4 to 0.61% in 2015 Q2...
Looking at C&I NPLs at the individual bank level reveals that the $2.381 Billion NPL $ increase is widespread and is not due to a small handful of institutions having issues....
Yah, that means that a LOT of jobs are hanging by a thread.
But we're in a "recovery," ya'know.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
UW-Mad: Chop-Shop Patrons
The UW-Madison ghouls are worried that their research will be compromised if they can no longer obtain Chop-Shop parts from Abortion, USA's affiliates.
That's not very different from Mengele testifying that his 'research will be compromised' if there are no more concentration camps.
The dean of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health declared in a state legislative hearing on Tuesday that his school needs women to keep getting abortions in order to provide a steady stream of aborted fetal body parts and tissue for use in scientific and medical experiments. Also on Tuesday, Media Trackers released information showing University of Wisconsin researchers using fetal tissue acquired from a supplier with ties to Planned Parenthood in various experiments and research projects....
One might wonder how much tax money is extorted just to have the UW 'research'. Perhaps Mr. Kleefisch should start asking those questions, too.
That's not very different from Mengele testifying that his 'research will be compromised' if there are no more concentration camps.
The dean of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health declared in a state legislative hearing on Tuesday that his school needs women to keep getting abortions in order to provide a steady stream of aborted fetal body parts and tissue for use in scientific and medical experiments. Also on Tuesday, Media Trackers released information showing University of Wisconsin researchers using fetal tissue acquired from a supplier with ties to Planned Parenthood in various experiments and research projects....
One might wonder how much tax money is extorted just to have the UW 'research'. Perhaps Mr. Kleefisch should start asking those questions, too.
Establishment Morons: Wehner, Rove, Gerson
Jeff Lord says it as well as anyone. Naming Wehner, Gerson, and Rove, all of whom have said nasty things about The Donald, Lord reviews the "accomplishments" of that trio.
...President Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll showing Mr. Bush's final approval rating at 22 percent. Seventy-three percent say they disapprove of the way Mr. Bush has handled his job as president over the last eight years. Mr. Bush's final approval rating is the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since Gallup began asking...(quoting CBS News)
Although the war had a lot to do with that, let's not forget Bush's insane rush to "save" GM and Chrysler, his equally insane welfare-state expansion, and his bizarre "No Child" crap.
[What we have here, then, are a]ides who staffed a presidency that was so unpopular it bequeathed the nation with Pelosi, Reid and Obama – and yet here they are lecturing the rest of the GOP that “A GOP led by Donald Trump will fail, and deserve it,” that Trump is a “stain” on the GOP and, oh yes, “a complete moron.”
The word chutzpah comes to mind. ...
You can bet your house that these same swamp-dwellers will vilify Ted Cruz, who appears to be the most Conservative candidate remaining in the field, as it becomes clear that Perry and Paul will be out in the next 30 days or so.
Sorry, folks: I'm not a fan of The Donald. He is not "a moron," but he's in it for The Donald, and The Donald only. He's not a Conservative, and the USA is not a real-estate empire, either.
But one can make the case that the real "morons" here are Rove, Gerson, and Wehner. Just look at the evidence.
...President Bush will leave office as one of the most unpopular departing presidents in history, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll showing Mr. Bush's final approval rating at 22 percent. Seventy-three percent say they disapprove of the way Mr. Bush has handled his job as president over the last eight years. Mr. Bush's final approval rating is the lowest final rating for an outgoing president since Gallup began asking...(quoting CBS News)
Although the war had a lot to do with that, let's not forget Bush's insane rush to "save" GM and Chrysler, his equally insane welfare-state expansion, and his bizarre "No Child" crap.
[What we have here, then, are a]ides who staffed a presidency that was so unpopular it bequeathed the nation with Pelosi, Reid and Obama – and yet here they are lecturing the rest of the GOP that “A GOP led by Donald Trump will fail, and deserve it,” that Trump is a “stain” on the GOP and, oh yes, “a complete moron.”
The word chutzpah comes to mind. ...
You can bet your house that these same swamp-dwellers will vilify Ted Cruz, who appears to be the most Conservative candidate remaining in the field, as it becomes clear that Perry and Paul will be out in the next 30 days or so.
Sorry, folks: I'm not a fan of The Donald. He is not "a moron," but he's in it for The Donald, and The Donald only. He's not a Conservative, and the USA is not a real-estate empire, either.
But one can make the case that the real "morons" here are Rove, Gerson, and Wehner. Just look at the evidence.
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