GWOT vs. Global Warming

Which should be our highest priority? The Global War On Terror or Global Warming? I believe your answer will accurately predict whether you are more of a "wingnut" or more of a "whackjob far-left, loser, dweeb whiner". I place myself in the former category.

But consider .....

• How will future generations judge us when they read today's stories about the Senate holding headline-grabbing, alarmist hearings about possible global warming right before one of our great cities is devastated by a suitcase nuke?
• How will they view the MSM who yesterday parroted (without question) a press release by far-left groups like Concerned Scientists?
• And keep in mind, the MSM failed to report the Concerned Scentist's press release cried wolf because they "surveyed" govt scientists yet their "survey" got a response rate of less than 20% and fewer than 10% of the "surveyed" scientists complained of White House interference.

Rod Stewart Is Starting To Look Like Carmella Rizzo

No disrespect intended to Mrs. Rizzo, but when I glanced at this picture, I thought it showed Prince Charles shaking hands with a woman and the woman looked a lot like Carmella Rizzo, the widow of the late mayor, Frank Rizzo.

Ralph Peters - Quote Of The Week

"Because America gives people hope. America gives everybody hope. You'll get some Muslim bad apples eventually, but America transforms humanity. America makes Americans. We certainly have to control our borders and immigration, but I believe in the transformative genius of America to make anyone anywhere on this earth a good American".

That was Peter's answer when he was asked "why do you think we haven't had any suicide bombers erupt here"? h/t to ElRushbo.

United For Peace Rally

I watched some of the rally on C-span today. The speakers consisted of a gaggle of grotesque, ugly loons. They are best described as America-haters, boomer losers, hanging on in the fringe elements of society. You would not want to have a beer with these gargoyles. They are losers, they know it and that makes them very, very angry at the rest of America.

And this picture is a file photo from the demonstrators at the Republican National Convention a few years ago. These protestors are only slightly better-looking than the hateful speakers at today's rally.

God bless America for putting up with these citizens who hate it.

Ann Althouse - Where Are You?

My favorite blog is the one written by Ann Althouse, a law professor at the University of Wisconsin. Ann has posted to her blog every day for about three years. She usually posts 6-10 long and interesting topics per day! Don't know how she does it but lawyers generally can crank out words at a phenomenal pace. Anyway, she has not posted to her blog for more than 24 hours and I bet her regular visiotrs are getting a little bit conerned. Here is a link to her blog:

http://althouse.blogspot.com/

Big Baby !

This picture is from a news story about a family that got scammed for their rent money by a "landlord" who no longer owned the house. They lost $3,000 and the bank is evicting them. The Philly district attorney won't pursuse prosecution because its policy is an econmic crime must be $50,000 or more to prosecute. Can you frigging believe that?

And is this baby big or what? (only 2 months old according to the news story).

Clinton Loses In New Jersey

New Quinnipiac (bet you did not think I could spell that) poll say Guiliani beats Clinton handily in New Jersey. If this is accurate, she can't win the election. Read My Lips : WITHOUT NEW JERSEY, HILLARY CAN NOT WIN!

Cause the math does not work-she can't lose this blue, blue state and still get 270 electoral votes. Find the story yourself. Just do the googles on the internets.

Senator Warbucks aka Diane Feinstein

H/t to Instapundit for this story about how many million in defense dept money goes to two companies controlled by Senator Feinstein's husband.

Her husband is/was majority owner of URS corp and Perini Corp. From 2001-2005, USB Corp had $792 Million in defense dept business and Perini got $759 Million.

Funny how the MSM never brings up Feinstein as benefiting financially from the war yet the MSM never fails to lambaste VP Cheney for his financial ties to Halliburton. Here is the link and thanks again to Instapundit.

http://www.metroactive.com/metro/01.24.07/dianne-feinstein-0704.html

Castor & Hartel Alumnus Loses Jackpot at New Casino

C&H alumnus gets screwed at new Philly casino.

"Hippie" or Wilbo" - those were his nicknames back on the corner 35 years ago. I have not seen him in more than 20 years but he was on the local news last night.

Because the other day, he was playing the slots and the machine said he just won $102,000 but they did not pay him!! The casino claimed the machine malfuntioned. Way back when, they would have needed several big bouncers to get Wilbo out of the casino after telling him that.

Btw, Tad Decker, the head of the Pennsylvania is also a C&H alumni. Wonder if Wilbo knows that? Below is the link and I bet Wilbo gets his money.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/16530089.htm

Update- the Inquirer reported today 1/28/07 that the casino has paid my old buddy, Wilbo, the full jackpot amount of $102,000.

SOTU Healthcare Proposal Has Unintended (?) Consequences

The healthcare proposal put forth by the president poses some interesting questions.

For instance, government workers generally receive very generous benefit packages. Bush has, perhaps cleverly, put Congress in the uncomfortable position of debating a bill that could require the Congress to reach in their own pockets to pay taxes on their own generous benefits (if the annual cost is in excess of $15,000). I view this as another tool or weapon to add to the "porkbuster" arsenal.

In addition, many union workers receive highly generous benefits. In some cases, these include annuity contributions of $4-5 per hour worked (worth $8-$10,000 to a worker who works a full year). Union influence has been waning, so it is possible the Congress may be placed in a position where it has to consider taxing these overly generous benefits in order to be fair and equitable to Americans who are not members of a union.

Guns Kill & People Do Too

Instapundit (writing about gun control vs. mandatory gun ownership) piqued my interest in an old news clipping I had from 2004. I tend to keep old news clippings planning to share with others.

• Anyway, this clipping stated that 3,588 people were killed by guns from 2001-2003 (3 years) in the state of Pennsylvania.
• 2,112 of them (or 59%) were due to suicide!
• 1,476 of them (or 41%) were due to accidents, assaults, etc.
• I estimate the city of Philadelphia has about 900 gun deaths itself in an average three-year period.
• That means the rest of the state had fewer than 600 gun / firearm deaths in those three years.
• Philly has 1.4 million people and the rest of the state has about 11 million.

From these stats, one could conclude society should spend more money on suicide prevention if it wants to reduce the gun death rate. AND the locale is far more relevant to gun death rates than gun laws.

In other words:

• Guns laws in PA + locale's high crime rate = high gun deaths.
• Guns laws in PA + locale's low crime rate = lower gun deaths.

And it will be interesting to see the far-left libs like Will Bunch of Dopes twist himself into a pretzel when he supports Michael Nutter's proposal to have car-checks for guns. But But But on the other hand, Will Bunch of Dopes would never support Bush's similar efforts to detect terorrists!

Mike Ditka - Gotta Love Him

"I don't wanna hear all this jumbo mumbo......."we're a bad country we got this wrong that wrong." I love this country! Period. The good overweighs the bad by far. And if people don't understand that then get the heck out! "

-- Former Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints Head Coach Mike Ditka.

• h/t to Laura Ingraham's website & radio show!

47 Initiatives

Governor Fat Eddie Rendell announced he has 47 initiatives to insure everyone in the state of Pennsylvania. But I can't find them listed anywhere. It's been six days since he announced his sweeping plan which I believe will increase taxes but I support a universal health plan (just could not support anything this governor dreams up).

The Angry White Male - aka Cartman

People Are Leaving Pennsylvania Faster Than All But Five Other States

Pennsylvanians love Governor Fat Eddie and he loved them back by giving everyone healthcare (the middle class will of course pay for it).

Unfortunately (for the governor) news reports indicate there will be fewer state residents to tax to pay for his "new investments" (that's the terminology Democratic governors use because it sounds better than "TAX INCREASE").

Yahoo News (or some such) announced Pennsylvania was ranked 6th highest in net outflow when they compared moving vans departing a state vs. moving vans coming to a state. In Pennsylvania, for every 43 arriving moving vans there were 57 moving vans leaving the state.

Here is the quote from the US News & World Report: " On the outbound trail:

• Michigan tied with North Dakota for the top 66 percent outbound rate,
• followed by New Jersey, 60.9 percent;
• New York, 59.5 percent;
• Indiana, 58.2 percent;
• Pennsylvania, 57.0 percent;
• Louisiana, 56.4 percent and
• Ohio, 55.8 percent. "

So let me get this straight- Pennsylvania could not even beat out Louisiana where I assume many, many people left due to the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina.

And I am tired of giving you the links to the stories so find it yourself.

Mayor John Street aka "Mayor of Simpleton"

Fellow Philly blogger (Support Your Local GunFighter) has a low opinion of Philadelphia's mayor, John Street. Below is a link to his post.

http://sharpshooters.blogspot.com/2007/01/mayor-of-simpleton.html

Whoops - Fuck Da Eagles II

A bunch of visitors have come here and have looked here for the Eagles picture but the referring blog gave the wrong link so just click below to get there.

http://theringleader.blogspot.com/2007/01/whoops-fuck-da-eagles.html

New Jersey Sucks

I knew that when I was a kid. It was just a state we drove thru on the way to the shore. But a new poll of business CFO's found that New Jersey really sucks because its taxes are so high. See the blurb for yourself:

New Jersey Ranked Among Worst on Taxes by CFOs

"New Jersey placed second, behind California, in a survey on states with the worst tax climate. The survey, called the CFO State Tax Survey and produced by Boston-based CFO Publishing, asked corporate tax officials for impressions of their states' handling of tax-related issues, including audit fairness and the appeals processes. Of the 5,500 tax directors nationwide who received the survey, nearly 300 responded. This is the fifth state tax survey put out by CFO since 1996. According to CFO, “Tax directors rated New Jersey as having the most negative influence of any state on businesses' expansion plans as the state has raised sales taxes and continues to struggle with a fiscal crisis.” New Jersey had been cited as having the worst overall tax environment in 2004, the last year the survey was published. - Yvonne Darling "

Blogger's comment- I find it interesting that two of the most liberal states (Jersey & California) ranked 1 & 2 in the survey.

Wanted: A Mayor With Vision

Today, the city of Philadelphia has two full districts in Congress and part of a third. Its population is 1.4 million. The country’s population is 300 million. In 1960, the country had five full districts in Congress and a population of more than 2 million. The country’s population was about 180 million.

If I were running for mayor:

1. My primary vision is to aggressively grow the city’s population by 50% by the year 2020.
2. That would require only a moderate annual increase in Philly's population of about 3%. But it would represent a positive and dramatic turnabout to the steady and large population losses of the last 30-40 years. Which occurred under Democratic mayors, I might add.
3. Once achieved, the city might regain that third full district and perhaps add part of fourth.
4. As mayor, I will target big, bold and broad initiatives to draw people to the city.
5. These could include new ideas like an urban homestead program that rewards residents for staying in Philly and also provides incentives to others to move into the city.
6. Virtually every other city program would be tailored to add positive impetus and synergies to my overriding goal: Bring more people to Philly and keep those we already have happy! (gotta work on this wording- needs to be a bit more snappy & sloganish).
7. This ambitious goal must be accomplished by the time the 2020 census/re-districting begins.
   
   Sounds like a lot of work? Well, it is and it requires a candidate with a grand vision.
   
   And a grand vision is what it will take to get noticed . Especially when I am not part of THE BIG POLITICAL MACHINE (hell, I don't even live in the city).

Say Goodbye To Hollywood

I have been a fan of the TV show "24" for only the last two years. In last night's episode, the terrorists were successful in detonating a suitcase nuke in Los Angeles. It probably killed 100,000 people and the episode depressed me.

First, the terrorists finally struck a huge blow to America and second because I believe this will actually happen one day. We must secure the borders and get a good secure ID program in place. And Americans must stop fighting with each other over every little frigging policy decision.

Everyone knows there are sensible, reasonable and logical steps to keep us safe. Let's stop bickering and get them done. If we don't, then be prepared to say goodbye to some great American cities like Chicago, Frisco, Denver, Boston, Miami (sorry Philly - according to those in the know, you are not great yet).

What's The Matter With Kansas? Especially Those Who Go To Church

Here is a quote from an INKY OPED on Sunday written by Chris Hedges who apparently believes the Christian right and its ten of millions "poor, helpless, despairing, neglected and hopeless" followers represent the most radical mass movement ever seen in this country. To me, Hedges piece should be entitled "What's The Matter With Kansas ....Particularly Those Who Go To Church?"

Chris Hedges OPED in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 1/14/07:

“ The engine that drives the radical Christian right in the United States - the most dangerous mass movement in American history - is not religiosity, but despair. It is a movement built on the growing personal and economic despair of tens of millions of Americans, who watched helplessly as their communities were plunged into poverty by the flight of manufacturing jobs, their families and neighborhoods torn apart by neglect and indifference, and who eventually lost hope that America was a place where they had a future. “

"Lightning" Can Strike Twice

A patient was being taken by ambulance to the hospital and the back door opened and the patient was deposited onto busy Route 295. Talk about double bad luck.

Reminds me of a story about Richie Ashburn. He is a Phillies Hall of Famer and was adept at fouling off pitches and got a lot of walks. He claimed he once hit a fan with foul ball, she was being carrried up the steps out of the stadium and he fouled off another pitch which hit her a second time!
So, I guess you could say lightning can strike twice.

Here is the link to the ambulance story.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/16469205.htm

Best Letter To The Edior

"The president had a number of new initiatives, it's just that you don't like them. But I'll make a bet that George Bush gets the violence under control in Iraq quicker than the Democrats get the murder rate under control in Philadelphia." Fran Steffler, Philadelphia fsteffler@aol.com

That quote is from a letter to the editor in the INKY this morning (which I am boycotting and will not buy until they stifle or balance out the far-left lib idiotors especially Chris Scatullo). Below is the Fran Steffler's full letter. Enjoy.

Not listening (The writer means the INKY idiotors are not listening)
Re: "Bush on Iraq: This is new?" editorial, Jan. 11:
Dear Editor:

The only "new" thing The Inquirer wanted to hear about President Bush's Iraq plan was that the United States would conduct a complete pullout.

The president talked about holding the Iraqi government responsible for taming the hot spots in Baghdad. He talked of confronting those supplying the insurgents. He also talked about an economic plan to help rebuild Iraq and a revenue-sharing plan from oil profits that benefit Sunnis and Shiites alike, as well as the Kurds.

No, he didn't talk about a diplomatic plan because there's nothing to do diplomatically. The United States is not going to stop pressing Iran to stop its nuclear plans. The Bush administration is not going to give Syria a free pass.

The president had a number of new initiatives, it's just that you don't like them. But I'll make a bet that George Bush gets the violence under control in Iraq quicker than the Democrats get the murder rate under control in Philadelphia.

Fran Steffler, Philadelphia

Andy Reid - The Good & The Bad

Reid is well qualified to draft offensive players except perhaps receivers (Freddy Mitchell, UCLA, #1 pick was a flop) and Reid is great at putting together an offensive line.

Reid sucks at putting together D-line and linebackers. Further, under Reid, the team seems to have reached the conclusions that linebackers are not key players in the NFL. I don't think any expert would choose any of the Eagles D-line or linebackers if they were starting a team from scratch. IMHO, none are keepers- get rid of them and get hungry, tough, bigger replacements.

On the whole, Reid has done a mediocre job in 7-8 years. He lucked out with the McNabb selection because the Eagles would have been very lousy without McNabb and no one really knew which QB in that draft would be successful (there were 5-6 choices). So yes I say Reid and the team stepped in shit when they picked McNabb and I don't think McNabb will ever win a Super Bowl (and yes the Eagles now have a QB controversy on their hands- Garcia has played great.) Try as I suspect he did, Reid could not ignore Brian Westbrook in the draft cause Reid lives within a mile of Villanova University and Reid's two boys probably told him how great Westbrook would be on the Eagles.

So, go or stay, the Eagles face a bit of serious re-building on the defense. And may need a QB in 2-3 years too. And have a mediocre coach and GM. That adds up to some more years of no championships for the Eagles.

Immaculate Exception

Editors note: I originally called this the "miraculous" exception when all the while I meant "immaculate" exception to reflect

1. the new minimum wage law being enacted and
2. including the exception of American Samoa
3. but no parents (legislators) stepped forward to take responsibility for inserting the exception.

That is what I am calling the clause in the new minimum wage law that excludes American Samoa. Congress has pledged to be more transparent so we should be able to find out who inserted this "immaculate exception" into the minimum wage law. Some blogs are accusing Speaker Pelosi of protecting a large employer in her district (Star Kist Tuna). We'll see.

Picture Of The Nags I Usually Bet On

Guess that explains why I don't win much money at the racetrack.

Whoops (Fuck Da Eagles)

Watching the Eagles-Saints game on Fox and the Fox cameraman inadvertently (I asume) lingered a bit too long on a Saints fan in the stands and she was wearing a T-shirt that very distinctively said "Fuck Da Eagles".

More Photos

I promised more photos- and here is a photo of my blog!

Camden Yards (I Promised More Photos)

A picture of a painting of my favorite stadium, Camden Yards. If you look closely, surrounding the painting and stuck into the frame are my ticket stubs from stadiums I have visited including Dodgers, KC Royals, Twins, Yankees, Fenway, Toronto Blue Jays, old baseball Giants (Candlestick), Indians, PNC Park, Turner Field, Phils of course, and one minor league (Tuscon) and the 2001 Army-Navy Game.

"The Wall" Photos Will Be A More Regular Part Of Blog

Just got a new digital camera and plan to post more visuals to this blog. Last year I took a great shot on my phone / camera at the Manayunk Bike Race of the riders rounding Main Street en masse and leaning into and thru the turn as they headed up The Wall. It was an unbelievable shot to see the riders right on top of each other and I was only on the curb just inches away. But I screwed up somehow and lost the shot.

I will get that picture this year (the race is in June) on my new camera and post it here. That s a promise.

Trump Vs. O'Donnell - The Poll Results Are In

Trump vs. O'Donnell- USA Today did a poll. I was surprised Trump trumped Rosie.

Unfavorable Opinion:

• 63% for Rosie! [Stop The Presses -Is This Lower Than Bush?]
• 48% for Trump.

Favorable Opinion:

• 28% for Rosie [ Jeez how the hell did she get hired for a national TV gig?]
• 41% for Trump

I have never been a Trump fan and way back when I heard some very good things about Rosie from some fans who went to see her old TV show. But the poll results surprise me. Rosie's unfavorable of 63% is even worse than the public's stance on gay marriage (about 55-60% are against it). Wonder if that has anything to do with Rosie's blowhard image? Here is the link to the USA Today if you want to read it.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/2007-01-08-odonnell-trump_x.htm

Daily Show "We tried a black writer once but it didn't work out"

A black comedian wrote an article in the WAPO today and that is what he says he was told by a writer for The Daily Show.

Here is the quote form the WAPO article........."Entering the comedy world as a black man means you always stand out, even during off hours, such as one Christmas evening in New York at my first holiday comedy mixer. All of Gotham's comedic glitterati were there. I cornered a "Daily Show" writer, doing my best to get the inside track on a possible actor/writer gig. We broached the subject of black correspondents. He told me that they "tried a black guy once, but it didn't work out." I nearly threw my imported beer in his face. Tried it once and it didn't work? You say that about Toyotas, not a whole race of people."

Here is the link to the article if you want to read the whole story (the comedian is a good writer).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/05/AR2007010501613.html

Will Alligators Migrate to the Delaware River?

I am not much of a believer in global warming and the doomsayers. But it is almost 70 degrees today in Philly. This also occurred in January in the early 1990's cause I remember I took a bike ride on Kelly Drive down to the Art Museum.

But the thought does occur to me that if global warming is really occurring, does that mean alligators will migrate northward and will soon be common in the Delaware River and the Wissahickon Creek.

If so, someone better warn all those kids who dive off the high rocks into the Wissahickon every summer. And if the alligators are not migrating northward, why aren't they? Perhaps I should pose these questions to the all-knowing chicken little, Al Gore (known as Al Bore in my house).

Fox News Ratings Beats All Other Cable Stations

The Inquirer TV writer, Gail Shister, always seems to be writing about the lower rated cable news shows like Larry King or Olberman. If she based the number of stories on the ratings, she'd write more about the Fox News crowd. But she is a lib, so that will never happen. Below are the ratings for Jamuary 4th per Drudge. Note that Chris Mattews is bringing up the rear- it's pretty bad when even Olberman gets more viewers than girly-boy Matthews. Paula Zahn should do her show in a wet T-shirt and cutoffs and her ratings would zoom up. Lastly, scanning this list, I just noticed there is not a single minority on it. That's hard to believe they can get away with that today.

• FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,505,000
• FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,802,000
• FNC SHEP SMITH 1,374,000
• FNC HUME 1,258,000
• FNC GRETA 1,194,000
• CNN KING 1,014,000
• CNN COOPER 835,000
• CNN DOBBS 814,000
• CNNHN GRACE 676,000
• MSNBC OLBERMANN 665,000
• MSNBC SCARBOROUGH 648,000
• CNN ZAHN 643,000
• CNNHN BECK 467,000
• MSNBC MATTHEWS 424,000

Long Term Impact To Field Of Journalism

The Philadelphia Inquirer reduced its writing workforce by 20% - 71 people will lose their jobs. That is the second round of layoffs in less than 12 months. This type of news has become ordinary throughout the news industry. I believe it will have a long-term affect on the industry and may spur innovations in the web world visa vie bloggers and web version of the daily newspaper. In fact, I view Real Clear Politics as the business model for the newsppaer of the future (lotta opinion and voices). My last word for now is the layoffs must be creating a bunch of bitter employees and career jouralists and will the smaller revenue pie ever affect the high-paid big shots like Couric, Brian Williams, O'Reilley ( who toil in slightly different venues I admit) ?

Here is the article "The Philadelphia Inquirer's newsroom staff will shrink by nearly 20 percent in two weeks as the paper revamps itself into a local and regional publication with a growing online presence anchored by a redesigned Web site.
Yesterday, 71 editorial jobs among about 400 at the newspaper were on the list to be eliminated as of Jan. 17. Jay Devine, spokesman for owner Philadelphia Media Holdings, said three people had been offered other positions within the company and 68 were slated to be laid off. Union officials said the final layoff figure also would depend on how many workers volunteer to leave or decide to retire.

The Inquirer will focus more on local and regional news, as well as expand its presence online, Devine said. On Tuesday, the company unveiled its Phillycars.com Web site for car listings.

In March, McClatchy Co. became the owner of the Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News as part of its acquisition of Knight Ridder. McClatchy sold the papers three months later to Philadelphia Media Holdings, an investment group led by Brian Tierney, now the papers' chief executive and publisher.

Natalie Pompilio, a reporter who had won national honors for her work, was among those laid off this week. "I feel bad for myself, and I feel really bad for my colleagues who are staying, because I don't know what the current ownership considers journalism," she said as she drove home yesterday with her belongings. "I'm just kind of shocked, the way the whole thing went down. I thought I'd done a lot of good work for the paper."

Winter Picture

I took this picture on the way to work last winter. I think this picture shows my route to the office along Spring Mill Road in Bryn Mawr/ Villanova just after I made a right from Conshohocken State Road. I like snow cause it makes things so quiet outside.

Hannibal (Lechter) Rising

Just finished my first book of 2007. It is the story of Hannibal Lechter's youth, a prequel if you will to the two other books, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal.

If you are a Silence of the Lambs fan, I recommend it though it was not as suspenseful as the others. It casts a bright light on the deadly revenge quests spurred by the horrors of WWII. Here is the link to the author's website (Jeez , I feel a bit like Instapundit).

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/thomasharris/