Commentary

[Carnut]

From Sam

 Many people would say the greatest movie line ever was Clark
Gable's delivery to Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind: 'Frankly, my
dear, I don't give a damn'.

But the greatest, most accurate, most focused, most down-right truthful
and most timely movie line was Bob Hope's from a real oldie with
Paulette Goddard and Richard Carlson.

Enjoy the 20 second clip. This is THE greatest movie line EVER.......!!!!

[Puma]

 

[BTGirl]

Pffftttt!!!!!!!!

[Cat]

It was a great line,the best.

[Puma]

Carnut posted a few articles that I scanned - Muslims, Hiroshima and Israel -  but will go back tomorrow to read.   My quick look at them, however, reminded me of how I was cheering when Dennis Miller ranted earlier tonight on O'Reilly.  I usually just think he's funny, but tonight I felt like he said things that I sit here thinking.  I wish it was on youtube or the Fox News site. 

I'm tired of the whining.  I'm all for fairness, tolerance, compassion and understanding.  But I'm tired of those who bend over backwards to appear that way and in so doing, make excuses for the hateful, illegal or dishonest and hurtful behavior of others.    I'm tired of our politicians, including our Hope &  Change, no more business as usual President who's just a new boss, same as the old boss.  I'm tired of people feeling sorry for those who hate us and America, whether they're from south of the border or Iran.  I'm sick of everyone having an excuse instead of solutions and a sense of responsibility.  I'm sick of people shrugging off bad behavior from politicians.  Geez, people are more appalled at Mel Gibson's rant than with what Congress is doing to this country while lining their own pockets.  Who gives a damn about Lindsey or Mel?   How about taking responsibility for ourselves and holding our public officials accountable for their actions?   

 

[Carnut]

I think the lady author had it best on BOR when she said Muslims want to build the Mosque at Ground Zero to celebrate the event and establish their dominance. (stick it in the eye of America)

[Sam]

well said both Puma and Carnut.

[Lalasmom]

OMG!  How much longer will people just stay with the staus quo?  I despise this "as long as it doesn't bother me" mentality.  Wake up people!  It WILL bother you in due time and by then it's too late.

The average citizen no longer watches the news or reads or even knows what is going on in their own country.  Then when something outrageous happens they wonder why the government let it happen.  Our government was not founded on the principle of giving things to people and everyone is not entitled. 

It's okay to build a mosque, but just let someone stand in front of that mosque and pray to the Lord Jesus Christ and see what happens. No crosses can be erected at that mosque. No prayers to anyone but allah (sorry I refuse to capitalize that term) and then ONLY THE MEN CAN PRAY.  We have people in this country, congressmen, senators, presidents, governors, etc. that have no sense of the principles of the founding fathers.  It's coming to bite us...sooner rather than later.

[MumInOhio]

Carnut posted a few articles that I scanned - Muslims, Hiroshima and Israel -  but will go back tomorrow to read.   My quick look at them, however, reminded me of how I was cheering when Dennis Miller ranted earlier tonight on O'Reilly.  I usually just think he's funny, but tonight I felt like he said things that I sit here thinking.  I wish it was on youtube or the Fox News site. 

I'm tired of the whining.  I'm all for fairness, tolerance, compassion and understanding.  But I'm tired of those who bend over backwards to appear that way and in so doing, make excuses for the hateful, illegal or dishonest and hurtful behavior of others.    I'm tired of our politicians, including our Hope &  Change, no more business as usual President who's just a new boss, same as the old boss.  I'm tired of people feeling sorry for those who hate us and America, whether they're from south of the border or Iran.  I'm sick of everyone having an excuse instead of solutions and a sense of responsibility.  I'm sick of people shrugging off bad behavior from politicians.  Geez, people are more appalled at Mel Gibson's rant than with what Congress is doing to this country while lining their own pockets.  Who gives a damn about Lindsey or Mel?   How about taking responsibility for ourselves and holding our public officials accountable for their actions?   

 

Puma...I can't load his page but Google Bill O'Reilly and go to the Fox News Link of his, not his own page. There are Dennis Miller videos and BOR has a transcript section...last night's is not up yet. Also podcasts and audios...May have what you are looking for. I could only load a cached page and got that much info. Fox is always terrible for me to load...odd!

[Carnut]

Neil Cavuto mentioned in his show summary that none of the mainstream media were mentioning that the guy who killed the Nun in a car wreck was an 'illegal' alien who had been ordered deported in 2008, and how had several DUI's in the past.

[Cat]

Yes,I am back.A novel idea,enforce the law all the way around.Solves the problems.

[Carnut]

6 Curious Displays of How the Struggling Economy Is Hitting the Middle Class

Posted by Brad Tuttle at Time.com

The impact of the Great Recession and its long-languishing fallout can be seen, among other places, in doctor's offices, coffee shops, yard sales, and Nascar race tracks.

Nascar just isn't what it used to be. The NY Times reports that Nascar—"a barometer of Middle American tastes" that in the 2000s was "a money-printing juggernaut"—is now struggling with lower fan attendance, lower spending fans attending races, and even lower TV ratings. In an attempt to lure back race car fans, track owners have cut ticket prices and rolled out promotions such as 99¢ gallons of gas at stations near the track.

Wi-Fi is disappearing at coffee shops. Coffeehouses are increasingly turning off the free Wi-Fi on evenings and weekends, and sometimes they're removing power outlets and getting rid of Wi-Fi altogether, according to the LA Times. Why the removal of the perk techies have come to expect? It's hard to run a business when your customers are "deadbeats who stayed too long and bought too little," and when "too many customers spread out at big tables for long stretches over a lukewarm mug," café owners have to turn away other, more profitable customers.

There might be a bar at your workplace. How could this be a sign of economic struggle? Well, per the Baltimore Sun, booze-filled employee lounges, employee-only farmers markets, free food, and other employee perks are being used to keep morale up while staffers are asked to work more hours—without overtime or pay increases. (More on Time.com: See the top 10 long forgotten liquors)

Yard sales have an air of desperation to them. Shoppers and sellers at this year's World's Largest Yard Sale aren't out merely for fun, games, socializing, and the chance to get rid of (or bring home) some junk. Now, the scene is serious, with buyers who are trying to outfit their families with clothing at one-tenth of what items would cost at Wal-Mart, sellers who are eager to make money to pay the bills before they're evicted, and heated haggling occurring over goods marked at a mere $2.

Folks who used to live the high life now feel like failures while trying to pretend nothing's changed. "I am currently one of thousands of middle-class paupers out there putting on a brave face and pretending nothing has changed when, in fact, beneath the glossy varnish of the facade, our entire way of life is crumbling under the crushing pressure of the credit crunch," writes a columnist at the UK Daily Mail. Consumers who had grown accustomed to dining out whenever and wherever they pleased, who traveled and spent outlandishly on clothing and homes, are now ashamed and have hard times admitting to friends that their lifestyles aren't sustainable.

Patients have to listen to doctors upselling them with cosmetic surgeries. Doctors love performing elective surgeries: The procedures are quick easy sources of profit, and they're typically not covered by health insurance, so the doctors don't have to deal with insurers. USA Today reports that doctors, eager to make money during an uneasy economic climate, are giving their best pitches to patients—suggesting, say, a tummy tuck after a woman gives birth, or some Botox during an eye exam. The fact that these procedures won't be covered by insurance may or may not come up in the conversation.

http://money.blogs.time.com/2010/08/09/6-curious-displays-of-how-the-struggling-economy-is-hitting-the-middle-class/

[Carnut]

9 Signs That Your Town, State, or Country Is Broke

Posted by Brad Tuttle at Time.com

The bad signs include canceled sales tax holidays, dark street lights, the reappearance of gravel roads, and the elimination of every one of your city's employees.

Most of your neighbors believe social security is mirage. According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, three-fourths of young workers—ages 18 to 34 (guess they're using the term "workers" loosely, because it's rare to been in your teens and have a job)—and 60% of adults don't expect there to be enough money for them to get a social security check when they retire.

Your roads are being de-paved. In states such as Michigan, Ohio, and North Dakota, local governments are finding it too expensive to bother putting more asphalt onto crumbling, pot-hole-infested roads. So instead of adding more blacktop, they're grinding up the old asphalt and converting the roads back into gravel, which is cheaper to lay out and maintain, per the WSJ.

Your traditional back-to-school sales tax holiday is canceled. That's the situation in Georgia, where officials have decided to end the annual practice of granting shoppers a no-sales-tax weekend in the summer. Why was it canceled? The state is facing a $2 billion budget gap, and doesn't want to miss out on revenues generated by sales tax—not even for a single weekend.

Empty lots and abandoned buildings represent 10 square miles of your city. This is the case in Flint, Michigan, where the thrust of one visionary's plans to save the town revolve around demolishing thousands of dilapidated and abandoned homes.

Your state's public college tuition is skyrocketing. Check out U.S. News & World Reports' infographic to see if your state's universities financial pressures qualify as "high" or "very high."

One-fourth of your fellow citizens have sub-600 credit scores. That means their finances are so screwed up they're categorized as poor risks for lenders. Before the recession, 15% of Americans had FICO scores of 599 or under. But now,
25.5% have dismal scores under 600.

One-third of your town's streetlights have been turned off. That's what they did in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they've also taken drastic cost-cutting moves such as removing trash cans from public parks, closed museums and pools, and cut weekend bus service.

When you tell people where you live, they inevitably respond by asking, "Why?" Proud residents of Detroit answer that question.

Every one of your city's employees has been laid off. Maywood, California, has gotten the attention of the NY Times and the WSJ for doing just that—getting rid of its police force, school crossing guards, street maintenance crews, City Hall staffers, the whole deal. All of the work has been outsourced to the country or nearby towns to save costs. And, according to early reports, most residents seem to prefer the change, and not only because it will save them money, but because the outsourced workers are doing the jobs better.

http://money.blogs.time.com/2010/07/20/9-signs-that-your-town-state-or-country-is-broke/

[Carnut]

Top 10 Signs of a Troubled Economy and/or the Apocalypse

Posted by Brad Tuttle at Time.com

This is a gray area: When money is a problem, it can feel like the end of the world is near.

1. New Yorkers are sharing.
In "The New Collectivism," New York magazine rounds up all the different trendy, forward-thinking, and practical ways city residents—often depicted as selfish Type A consumers—are coming together to share food, space, possessions, knowledge, and more. The list of mostly free or cheap options includes babysitter exchanges, bike-repair workshops, clothing swaps, handyman skill discussions, and communal compost piles. The editors explain: "The modern collective is more about pragmatism than altruism." It's about networking and experiencing new things, it's about saving time, money, and space, and it's about consuming less.

2. Nobody is going on strike.
OK, nobody is overstating it a bit. But, reports USA Today, throughout most of the 2000s there was an annual average of 20 major strikes, each involving more than 1,000 employees. In 2009, however, when the Great Recession took hold, unemployment topped 10%, and everybody feared for their livelihoods and lived more frugally, there were only five major strikes. That's the lowest figure since the U.S. Labor Department began tracking these numbers, in 1947.

3. Cows are invading restaurants demanding free chicken.
The cows are actually people dressed in costumes, and they're grazing their way into Chick-fil-A restaurants today to take advantage of a promotion: Anyone who comes in fully dressed as a cow gets a free meal.

4. People are getting married at T.J. Maxx, The Home Depot, and Taco Bell.
Man, the things some people will do to get a discount, or at least a free wedding venue. USA Today reports on the "trend" of couples exchanging vows in strip malls, big-box stores, and fast-food joints.

5. Mortgage rates dip to lowest-ever recorded rates—three weeks in a row.
Bloomberg reports that 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell to the lowest rates on record for their third straight week, winding up at 4.57%. And yet the housing market remains sluggish, slowed down at least partly by the huge supply of foreclosed homes.

6. The Royals embrace frugality.
Both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles are discovering their inner cheapskates and saving money for the British taxpayers by, as examples, allowing former colony Canada to pick up their travel expenses and opting for cheap fixes rather than full refurbishments in castle renovations.

7. Many laid-off workers collected 99 weeks of unemployment benefits.
And even that was arguably not enough assistance in light of today's economy: 4.3 million Americans have been without jobs for more than a year. These federal benefits, by the way, which became available after a laid-off worker exhausted his or her 26 weeks of state benefits, were ended more than a month ago and haven't been replaced. Since then, over 1.2 million unemployed stopped receiving benefits. One of the frustrations the unemployed have to face is that it's much easier to find a job when you already have one.

8. A woman in Colorado with leukemia nearly lost her health insurance because she supposedly underpaid her premium by 1¢.
Yes, the insurance company held back the woman's benefits because it believed it was owed a single penny, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette. After three days and many phone calls, it was revealed that the 1¢ differential was a rounding error—made by the insurance company, not the customer—and the benefits were reinstated.

9. An uninsured woman in Michigan shot herself in order to get treatment for her torn rotator cuff.
After a month of agonizing pain in her shoulder, an unemployed, uninsured 41-year-old woman from Michigan made what she calls a "rational choice." She pointed a gun directly at the locus of the pain, shielded her face with a pillow against her neck, and pulled the trigger. While the woman may have to face criminal charges, she was successfully treated in a hospital for both the torn rotator cuff and the gunshot wound. WalletPop tells her story, and offers less drastic solutions for those without insurance in need of health care.

10. An unemployed woman in Texas offers a $1,000 reward to anyone who can find her a job.
After more than a year with no work, a woman from Dallas who used to collect paychecks as a financial analyst and an accountant posted an ad on the Fort Worth Weekly website offering $1,000 to anyone who can find her a job, reports Consumerist (via
local station WFAA). She also posted the $1,000 reward on Facebook. Explaining her strategy, the frustrated woman said: "It's based on if I get a job offer … I figure the worst case scenario, I'll give them my first paycheck. Literally. That's better than going another year like this."

http://money.blogs.time.com/2010/07/09/top-10-signs-of-a-troubled-economy-andor-the-apocalypse/

[Sam]

Interview of illegal Mexican immigrant


Here is a REAL INTERVIEW with an illegal Mexican at a protest march in Texas . This is good! Below is a good example of a discussion with a master of circular logic. Don 't be logical, don't respect the truth of your adversary, just say what you think makes a new case when the previous case gets too difficult to defend.


Jim Moore reporting for a Houston TV station on the streets of downtown Houston

Jim: Juan, I see that you and thousands of other protesters are marching in the streets to demonstrate for your cause. Exactly what is your cause and what do you expect to accomplish by this protest?
Juan: We want our rights. We will show you how powerful we are. We will bring Houston to its knees!

Jim: What rights?
Juan: Our right to live here...legally. Our right to get all the benefits you get.

Jim: When did you come to the United States ?
Juan: Six years ago. I crossed over the border at night with seven other friends.

Jim: Why did you come?
Juan: For work I can earn as much in a month as I could in a year in Mexico . Besides, I get free health care, our Mexican children can go to school free, if I lose my job I will get Welfare, and someday I will have the Social Security. Nothing like that in Mexico !
Jim: Did you feel badly about breaking our immigration laws when you came?
Juan: No! Why should I feel bad? I have a right to be here. I have a right to amnesty. I paid lots of money for my Social Security and Green Cards.

Jim: How did you acquire those documents?
Juan: From a guy in Dallas . He charged me a lot of money too.

Jim: Did you know that those documents were forged?
Juan: It is of no matter. I have a right to be here and work.

Jim: What is the "right" you speak of?
Juan: The right of all Aliens. It is found in your Constitution. Read it!

Jim: I have read it, but I do not remember it saying anything about rights for Aliens.
Juan: It is in that part where it says that all men have Alien rights, like the right to pursue happiness.. I wasn't happy in Mexico , so I came here.

Jim: I think you are referring to the Declaration of Independence and that document speaks to unalienable rights .. Not Alien rights.
Juan: Whatever.

Jim: Since you are demanding to become an American citizen, why then are you carrying a Mexican Flag?
Juan: Because I am Mexican.

Jim: But you said you want to be given amnesty ... to become a US citizen.
Juan: No. This is not what we want. This is our country, a part of Mexico that you Gringos stole from us. We want it returned to its rightful owner.

Jim: Juan, you are standing in Texas .. After winning the war with Mexico , Texas became a Republic, and later Texans voted to join the USA . It was not stolen from Mexico .
Juan: That is a Gringo lie. Texas was stolen. So was California , New Mexico and Arizona . It is just like all the other stuff you Gringos steal, like oil and babies . You are a country of thieves.
Jim: Babies? You think we steal babies?
Juan: Sure. Like from Korea and Vietnam and China . I see them all over the place. You let all these foreigners in, but try to keep us Mexicans out. How is this fair?

Jim: So, you really don't want to become an American citizen then.
Juan: I just want my rights! Everyone has a right to live, work, and speak their native language wherever and whenever they please. That's another thing we demand. All signs and official documents should be in Spanish. Teachers must teach in Spanish. Soon, more people here in Houston will speak Spanish than English. It is our right!
Jim: If I were to cross over the border into Mexico without proper documentation, what rights would I have there?
Juan: None. You would probably go to jail, but that' s different.

Jim: How is it different? You said everyone has the right to live wherever they please.
Juan: You Gringos are a bunch of land grabbing thieves. Now you want Mexico too? Mexico has its rights. You Gringos have no rights in Mexico . Why would you want to go there anyway? There is no free medical service, schools, or welfare there for foreigners such as you. You cannot even own land in my country. Stay in the country of your birth.
Jim: I can see that there is no way that we can agree on this issue. Thank you for your comments.
Juan: Viva Mexico !

Pass this along to every American citizen in your address books and to every representative in the state and federal government. If you choose to remain uninvolved, do not be amazed when you no longer have a nation to call your own nor anything you have worked for left since it will be "redistributed" to the activists while you are so peacefully staying out of the "fray"..    Check history, it is full of nations/empires that disappeared when its citizens no longer held their core beliefs and values. One person CAN make a difference. One plus one plus one plus one plus one plus one........
The battle for our secure borders and immigration laws that actually mean something, however, hasn't even begun.