From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 1 07:07:32 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 07:07:32 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] =?iso-8859-1?q?A_virus_called_=27Shariah=27?= Message-ID: <33C609E8B6C548A58D79B273F81AA540@YOURB88038198E> A virus called 'Shariah' By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | A Denver airport shuttle driver from Afghanistan who plotted to blow up subway trains in New York City. A Jordanian who tried to destroy one of Dallas' tallest skyscrapers. An American who thought he was detonating a truck bomb aimed at a federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois. Law enforcement authorities who successfully stymied these alleged attacks have been at pains to emphasize that there are no connections between the three. Of course there are. Maybe it will prove to be the case that the three men at the heart of these interrupted plots - Najibullah Zazi, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi and Michael Finton (also known as Talib Islam) - had no connection in a tactical or operational sense. Still, it is absurd, and extremely dangerous, to insist that they are not connected in at least one way: What apparently animated all three of these suspects (and perhaps a number of others believed to have been involved in the New York plot who are still at large) is the seditious, supremacist theo-political-legal program authoritative Islam calls "Shariah." Shariah requires its adherents to engage in jihad - the struggle to bring about the triumph of Islam worldwide through whatever means are available. Shariah explicitly calls for the use of violent techniques designed to instill terror in those who stand in the way of a global Muslim theocracy. Lethal truck-bombs, pellet-laced explosive vests and backpacks and bombs or hijackers aboard aircraft have already been used for this purpose. It is a matter of time before vastly more destructive weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear) become available to jihadists who believe that, pursuant to Shariah, they are fulfilling Allah's will when they kill "infidels" or otherwise force them to submit to Islam. Even more insidious, though, is what Robert Spencer calls "Stealth Jihad." This practice involves using myriad non-violent measures to insinuate Shariah into non-Muslim societies. Adherents demand such concessions as special treatment for them and their faith in public spaces, private corporations, schools, communities and government at every level. The prime-mover behind these demands is the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that shares the violent jihadists' commitment to advance Shariah's end-state of a global caliphate, but seek (for the moment, at least) to do so non-violently. The successful prosecution last year of one Brotherhood front, the Holy Land Foundation, established that the organization's mission is "to destroy Western civilization from within...by its own miserable hand." (In the course of the trial, the government also identified virtually every prominent Muslim-American group as Brotherhood affiliates or "friendly" to its purposes.) What happens as tolerant democratic societies try to accommodate themselves to the stealthy form of jihad, backed by the persistent threat of the violent form - if not its actual occurrence, can be seen in much of Western Europe. For example, France now has 751 zones urbaines sensibles - Muslim-only areas that amount to "no-go" zones for French authorities. In these zones, Shariah rules instead of the laws of the host government, at the expense most notably of women's rights, due process and public order (especially for Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims). To be sure, accommodations to date to Shariah have not metastasized in the United States to nearly this extent. There are, however, numerous worrisome examples of concessions that have been made here, too. To cite a few: taxpayer-financed footbaths for Muslims installed at state universities; corporations providing Muslim-only prayer rooms and time off for prayers; government-sanctioned discrimination by taxi drivers against passengers deemed "impure" (haram) because they have alcohol or dogs; unhygenic practices in food plants to accommodate the preferences of Muslim workers; government-offered Shariah-compliant mortgages; Islamic proselytizing in public school curricula; etc. The failure by U.S. and other governments' officials to recognize the connection between Shariah and jihad (of either the violent or stealthy kind) is like refusing to acknowledge that there is a common virus causing an outbreak of swine flu. How could the medical community hope to identify appropriate prophylactic measures (for instance: Keep kids in school or shut the schools down? Take antibiotics or not?) if it were not permitted to understand the nature of the virus. There would certainly be little chance of developing effective vaccines under those circumstances. We face approximately the same problem if we require our law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security and military personnel to behave as though there is no toxic virus - think of it as the "anti-swine flu," since pork is the ultimate in haramunder Shariah - animating those seeking to destroy us, our government and our freedom-loving way of life. At best, we will be able to stop some of the attacks the jihadists are plotting against us. We certainly will not be able to defeat the disease and thereby protect Western civilization from its potential for truly pandemic virulence. Our natural allies in taking such a stance against Shariah are the many millions of Muslims around the world whose practice of their faith does not involve adherence to this medieval, barbaric and totalitarian program. Indeed, most Muslim immigrants in America came here to get away from Shariah in their native lands. Only by differentiating such Muslims from the carriers of this lethal virus can we hope to inoculate them against the spread of the disease - and enlist their help in protecting the rest of us by keeping American Shariah-free. Jewish World Review Sept. 29, 2009 / 11 Tishrei 5770 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091001/7b6ee023/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 1 10:16:14 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 09:16:14 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Tipping Point Revisited Message-ID: <400985d70910010716n2c3c07a8g36ff57f07073fa6c@mail.gmail.com> This is how people like Obama get elected. When one group has everything to gain and nothing to lose, you vote for the guy who promises the most stuff. http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/30/pf/taxes/who_pays_taxes/index.htm What a LOT of people don't realize is that everyone's taxes will rise and the people who can afford it the least will pay the most as a percentage of income. http://tinyurl.com/yc86wcp Remember what President Ford said; "A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have". Brad ------------- From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 1 10:35:52 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 09:35:52 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Tipping Point Revisited In-Reply-To: <400985d70910010716n2c3c07a8g36ff57f07073fa6c@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910010716n2c3c07a8g36ff57f07073fa6c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910010735r3e40751bx717f241c6d8ffb1@mail.gmail.com> Add this to the pile - http://american.com/archive/2009/september/making-bush-look-like-a-piker Brad On 10/1/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > This is how people like Obama get elected. When one group has > everything to gain and nothing to lose, you vote for the guy who > promises the most stuff. > > http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/30/pf/taxes/who_pays_taxes/index.htm > > What a LOT of people don't realize is that everyone's taxes will rise > and the people who can afford it the least will pay the most as a > percentage of income. > > http://tinyurl.com/yc86wcp > > Remember what President Ford said; "A government big enough to give > you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you > everything you have". > > Brad > > ------------- > From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 1 10:55:02 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 10:55:02 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] A virus called 'Shariah' Message-ID: <9974CAA09BF144B796DD1D22C4D622FB@YOURB88038198E> It does not seem to have come thru the first time I posted ita: A virus called 'Shariah' By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. A Denver airport shuttle driver from Afghanistan who plotted to blow up subway trains in New York City. A Jordanian who tried to destroy one of Dallas' tallest skyscrapers. An American who thought he was detonating a truck bomb aimed at a federal courthouse in Springfield, Illinois. Law enforcement authorities who successfully stymied these alleged attacks have been at pains to emphasize that there are no connections between the three. Of course there are. Maybe it will prove to be the case that the three men at the heart of these interrupted plots - Najibullah Zazi, Hosam Maher Husein Smadi and Michael Finton (also known as Talib Islam) - had no connection in a tactical or operational sense. Still, it is absurd, and extremely dangerous, to insist that they are not connected in at least one way: What apparently animated all three of these suspects (and perhaps a number of others believed to have been involved in the New York plot who are still at large) is the seditious, supremacist theo-political-legal program authoritative Islam calls "Shariah." Shariah requires its adherents to engage in jihad - the struggle to bring about the triumph of Islam worldwide through whatever means are available. Shariah explicitly calls for the use of violent techniques designed to instill terror in those who stand in the way of a global Muslim theocracy. Lethal truck-bombs, pellet-laced explosive vests and backpacks and bombs or hijackers aboard aircraft have already been used for this purpose. It is a matter of time before vastly more destructive weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear) become available to jihadists who believe that, pursuant to Shariah, they are fulfilling Allah's will when they kill "infidels" or otherwise force them to submit to Islam. Even more insidious, though, is what Robert Spencer calls "Stealth Jihad." This practice involves using myriad non-violent measures to insinuate Shariah into non-Muslim societies. Adherents demand such concessions as special treatment for them and their faith in public spaces, private corporations, schools, communities and government at every level. The prime-mover behind these demands is the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization that shares the violent jihadists' commitment to advance Shariah's end-state of a global caliphate, but seek (for the moment, at least) to do so non-violently. The successful prosecution last year of one Brotherhood front, the Holy Land Foundation, established that the organization's mission is "to destroy Western civilization from within...by its own miserable hand." (In the course of the trial, the government also identified virtually every prominent Muslim-American group as Brotherhood affiliates or "friendly" to its purposes.) What happens as tolerant democratic societies try to accommodate themselves to the stealthy form of jihad, backed by the persistent threat of the violent form - if not its actual occurrence, can be seen in much of Western Europe. For example, France now has 751 zones urbaines sensibles - Muslim-only areas that amount to "no-go" zones for French authorities. In these zones, Shariah rules instead of the laws of the host government, at the expense most notably of women's rights, due process and public order (especially for Jews, Christians and other non-Muslims). To be sure, accommodations to date to Shariah have not metastasized in the United States to nearly this extent. There are, however, numerous worrisome examples of concessions that have been made here, too. To cite a few: taxpayer-financed footbaths for Muslims installed at state universities; corporations providing Muslim-only prayer rooms and time off for prayers; government-sanctioned discrimination by taxi drivers against passengers deemed "impure" (haram) because they have alcohol or dogs; unhygenic practices in food plants to accommodate the preferences of Muslim workers; government-offered Shariah-compliant mortgages; Islamic proselytizing in public school curricula; etc. The failure by U.S. and other governments' officials to recognize the connection between Shariah and jihad (of either the violent or stealthy kind) is like refusing to acknowledge that there is a common virus causing an outbreak of swine flu. How could the medical community hope to identify appropriate prophylactic measures (for instance: Keep kids in school or shut the schools down? Take antibiotics or not?) if it were not permitted to understand the nature of the virus. There would certainly be little chance of developing effective vaccines under those circumstances. We face approximately the same problem if we require our law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security and military personnel to behave as though there is no toxic virus - think of it as the "anti-swine flu," since pork is the ultimate in haramunder Shariah - animating those seeking to destroy us, our government and our freedom-loving way of life. At best, we will be able to stop some of the attacks the jihadists are plotting against us. We certainly will not be able to defeat the disease and thereby protect Western civilization from its potential for truly pandemic virulence. Our natural allies in taking such a stance against Shariah are the many millions of Muslims around the world whose practice of their faith does not involve adherence to this medieval, barbaric and totalitarian program. Indeed, most Muslim immigrants in America came here to get away from Shariah in their native lands. Only by differentiating such Muslims from the carriers of this lethal virus can we hope to inoculate them against the spread of the disease - and enlist their help in protecting the rest of us by keeping American Shariah-free. Jewish World Review Sept. 29, 2009 / 11 Tishrei 5770 http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091001/6f762e13/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Thu Oct 1 11:23:28 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 10:23:28 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Tipping Point Revisited In-Reply-To: <400985d70910010716n2c3c07a8g36ff57f07073fa6c@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910010716n2c3c07a8g36ff57f07073fa6c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910010823q648c296cl9eba5b68f60b8eff@mail.gmail.com> Brad, "And it?s also no secret that economists love the idea of a VAT. It promotes savings over consumption, and its hidden nature may mean it has less behavioral impact on taxpayers." Yes, let's be sure the American tax payer can't figure out what his gov't is really costing him. I don't mind the idea of a sales tax, like the "Fair Tax", but this would replace many other current taxes, including the income tax. I really dislike the VAT idea for exactly the reason above. If you google fair tax, you'll be able to see the difference. Or go to www.fairtax.org Can't pontificate anymore for a while. I'm shutting the computer off right now to head out for down south. Take good care y'all. Rik On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 9:16 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > This is how people like Obama get elected. When one group has > everything to gain and nothing to lose, you vote for the guy who > promises the most stuff. > > http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/30/pf/taxes/who_pays_taxes/index.htm > > What a LOT of people don't realize is that everyone's taxes will rise > and the people who can afford it the least will pay the most as a > percentage of income. > > http://tinyurl.com/yc86wcp > > Remember what President Ford said; "A government big enough to give > you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you > everything you have". > > Brad > > ------------- > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091001/9c4dde92/attachment-0001.html From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 2 07:12:42 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 07:12:42 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Canadian point of view watching American Politics Message-ID: <88A28811ABCB4E09AC5EFB1FACC7A1D6@YOURB88038198E> http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/13872 This is an outsider's look of American Politics: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obama has now become a noose Below is an informative and sobering article from the Canada Free Press about Obama's fall and what it might mean for America. If what he sees comes to pass, the blame will be put on conservative, patriotic Americans, and the media will see to it. The blame game is already in progress. The author believes Obama will soon be brought down by the same people who put him in power. Author JB Williams is a business man and a no-nonsense commentator on American politics, American history, and American philosophy. He is published nationwide (Canada) and in many countries around the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obama's Well Organized Community Is Falling Apart ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obama has now become a noose around the neck of every American Democrat! By JB Williams Tuesday, August 18, 2009 It's now official-the average American is not as stupid as Washington DC Democrats and their international leftist friends thought. Their mystery messiah has already gone from hero to zero after only seven months in power, and Obama has now become a noose around the neck of every American Democrat, and every international fascist who "hoped" Obama could usher in Marxist "change." Nobody can organize a community like a good old fashioned communist thug can. It worked long enough to put a mystery man in the Oval Office, thanks to international socialists working through CPUSA - SPUSA and DSAUSA, funded by literally hundreds of leftist front-groups operating as special interest 527 organizations. Here's a short list of the BIGGEST leftist front groups - America Coming Together - Joint Victory Campaign 2004 - Media Fund - Service Employees International Union - American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees - MoveOn.org - New Democrat Network - Sierra Club - EMILY's List - AFL-CIO - League of Conservation Voters. Who spends an obscene $1 Billion dollars to win a lousy $400,000 per year job, and why? The people behind Obama expect a return on their investment. And they are NOT the kind of folks you want to disappoint. These folks make Capone look like a choir boy. Before the ink was dry on Obama's fake Certification of Live Birth (not to be confused with an actual birth certificate), Obamanation was off to confiscate control of banking, insurance, energy and auto manufacturing. Before they knew what was happening, the American people woke up the proud new owner of Government Motors and $13 Trillion in debt. But it wasn't until Obamanation tried to confiscate control of 1/7th of the US economy by nationalizing the private American health care industry that the people took to the streets in protest. On the heels of dozens of angry Town Hall meetings turned public tar and feathering parties for countless career DC bureaucrats, Obama and his Democrat partners in crime found themselves in a historic freefall from popularity among average American taxpayers. Eight months into office, Obama has bounced Jimmy Carter from his famous position as America 's worst president. The people behind the puppet in our Oval Office did what leftists always do. They over-estimated themselves, under-estimated the American people, and over played their hand. They actually thought that Americans would sit quiet as unbridled leftists trampled all over 300 million Americans. That was the good new. As Obama becomes an anvil chained around the neck of DC and international leftists, he becomes a liability to their agenda. These folks have an interesting way of dealing with political liabilities. Losing control of their agenda and in a power-slide towards the bottomless pit of political has-beens, Democrats are desperate to keep their international friends at bay. But at the same time, being career politicians always focused on self-preservation, they must find a way to get re-elected by people ready to lynch them in Public Square . Obama has foolishly allowed himself to be pushed into a no-win position, in his unlikely quest to "make history" by becoming the first "black" mystery messiah allowed to sit at the big desk with his finger on the red button. In short, he's in way over his head, just as many worried would be the case with a freshman politician complete with blank resume. Nancy "crazy as an out-house rat" Pelosi is no help and Harry Reid is headed for the political boneyard no matter what. Teddy Kennedy is in no position to lead the young lad out of the woods, and wannabes like Chucky Schumer and Bawny Fwank will soon be looking for an escape hatch of their own. Time to Bring in the Heavy Artillery and Circle the Wagons Since Obama just won't become the "transparent president" he tricked so many voters into voting for, the issue of his constitutional conflict won't go away. $1.35 million in legal defense fees later, the demand to see proof that he passes Article II requirements is getting louder. Despite around the clock media efforts to paint every constitutionally conscious American a "right-wing racist Timothy McVeigh," the people seem only further agitated by the leftist suggestion that NO American citizen has "proper standing" to question their employees (elected representatives) on even the most fundamental questions. Obama's problem with Americans isn't the color of his skin. It's the bright RED color of his belief system and agenda. He is undoubtedly making mentors like Saul Alinsky, Frank Marshal Davis and Bill Ayers quite proud. But he is clearly losing the support of many Americans in that effort. Before the dissent gets any wider spread, they have to do something. Out of nowhere comes Obama's "experts" on national security, the Southern Poverty Law Center. At the time of SPLC's founding, Julian Bond, who currently chairs the NAACP, was named the fledgling group's first President. On the basis of these folks, Obama's Department of Homeland Security issued a "Right-wing Extremist" threat analysis, labeling every American with a gun or bible, or willing to publicly oppose Obama, a "potential domestic terrorist." Yesterday, British newspaper The Independent published a story titled The right-wing crackpots taking over the mainstream, in which British leftist writer Rupert Cornwell proceeds to assault all American citizens who are currently speaking out against Obama's "global" agenda, and warns of coming civil unrest, and of course, his authority on the matter is the Southern Poverty Law Center. >From the report, one SPLC official says, "every element is in place for a "perfect storm" of home-grown extremism. For the first time, the detested federal government is run by a black man." There ya have it! That was easy! It's all about the "black man!" "A struggling economy fuels discontent, with illegal immigrants accused of stealing American jobs." Or is it that unemployment has doubled to the highest level since the great depression, under the "black mans" brief administration? "The military, long a breeding ground of the far right, is sending home veterans in vast numbers." Yes, those crazed military veterans. And don't forget. "Finally there is the internet, which simultaneously propagates and intensifies the feelings of true believers-and the conspiracy theories they devour.."-The so-called "birthers" have made headlines all over the world? Clearly, Cornwell received his talking points memo from David Axelrod, who obviously got his from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Observer got the memo too, and they wasted no time attacking every American at odds with Obama's agenda. It's American Patriots against the world, or at least the leftists of the world. Cornwell concludes, "So might not elements even further to the right enter the fray-"sovereign citizens" who believe they are above the law, or the new "Oath Keepers" movement, of soldiers and police officers past and present, who believe their duty is to the constitution, not to elected politicians? Perhaps the healthcare rallies and the SPLC report were no coincidence, after all." Well, let me just say that I think Obama's life could in fact be in danger, but not from Tea Party protesters, Town Hall protesters or so-called "birthers." All of these folks are well aware of the reality that assassinating the first "black" president would be counter-productive to their agenda. The Obama press has been burning the midnight oil trying to make certain that Hillary Clinton's "right-wing conspiracy" ghosts were set up to take the fall for any misfortunate event that might befall an increasingly unpopular president. No "right-winger" is likely to even break wind in Obama's direction. His leftist international friends are quite another story however. These are BIG buck-BIG socialism folks who play by no particular set of rules, people like George Soros. As Obama becomes more of a liability than an asset to their cause, it is his own people who are most likely to make a martyr out of the mystery messiah. In the British Observer, writer Paul Harris is even more extreme in his column, Fears for Barack Obama's safety as healthcare debate fuels extremism and once again, we see the report from the Southern Poverty Law Center. The stage is being set. If anything happens to Obama, the entire world has been put on notice that Americans opposed to socialism from a "black" nobody president who won't even release his birth records, are responsible. This leaves the door wide open for Obama's own friends to commit the crime with impunity, as they have already placed the American patriots' finger-prints on the imaginary murder weapon. It would be the perfect crime blamed on the perfect right-wing storm. It's brilliant! The leftist press around the world has already accused and convicted "right-wingers" of the murder. Talk about your grand conspiracy. Nobody does it better than the international leftist cabal. But who is this Southern Poverty Law Center responsible for all of the recent "hate speech" aimed at constitutionally concerned American citizens opposed to bankruptcy-by-communism in America ? In 2007, SPLC identified 888 separate "active hate groups" in the United States . Despite the events of 9/11 and an ongoing threat of additional terror strikes here and abroad, not one of the 888 "active hate groups" identified was Islamic. Detroit Michigan had more violent killings than Iraq and Afghanistan combined, but none of the groups responsible for those killings made the list of 888. Only white, capitalist, constitutionalist, Christian, pro-freedom, in other words, "right-wing extremists" made the list. Black on white crime is not "hate." Black on black crime is not "hate." Muslim on Christian crime is not "hate." According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, only white, Christian, capitalists opposed to Marxism and attending Town Hall meetings are guilty of "hate." That's what their report says, and everyone from Obama's DHS and FBI to England 's press has bought that report hook, line and sinker. I too fear for Obama's life. But not from any of the people attending Tea Parties or Town Hall meetings in an effort to talk with their elected representatives. I fear that Obama's life is increasingly in danger from the very people who put him in power - The people he is currently failing, as the American people stand up to stop his secular socialist global agenda. I am 100% opposed to the Obama administration and today's Democrat agenda. But I am here to tell you that the worst thing that could happen in America today is for Obama to be assassinated. Every Obama opponent knows this. He would be safest if he were guarded around the clock by American conservatives opposed to his entire agenda. Only his leftist partners around the world would benefit from his assassination. Their agenda would move forward unchallenged if anything were to happen to Obama or his family. As his agenda meets with serious resistance at home, his puppet masters abroad will lose faith and eventually, their patience. Only a freshman senator would have fallen for the trap Obama finds himself in today. He can't win. If he's very lucky, he can only live to tell about it one day. Obama has spent an entire lifetime surrounded by some of the world's worst thugs. If he is unable to move their agenda forward, his life will be at risk from within his own ranks. However, the nation and the world will pay a heavy price, as both are being conditioned to blame it on average Americans who simply oppose all forms of intrusive tyrannical government. As Obama's agenda is shut down by average Americans, his friends will turn on him. Liberals are already warning him not to back off on nationalized health care. But the people are not going to allow it to go forward. Even though I oppose everything Obama is and everything he stands for, I pray for his safety. You can bet your last dollar. his well organized community is falling apart as his agenda begins to crumble. They will be very motivated to ignite a second civil war as they watch their agenda die a brutal political death. Nothing would ignite a second civil war faster than the assassination of Barack Hussein Obama. I can only pray that the Secret Service does not take their cues from the Southern Poverty Law Center. If they are no better at understanding political security than British op-ed pages, Obama's life is indeed in danger. Not from so-called "right-wing extremists" angry over Obama's blatant disregard for the Constitution today. But from within his ranks, as those who placed him in power, become saddled with his failures. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Posted from the Canada Free Press, a politically right view. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091002/bcbf1a98/attachment-0001.html From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 2 07:25:13 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 07:25:13 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Understand the drum beats... Message-ID: <9AF6BF5C555A498887C02252260C7BC2@YOURB88038198E> Democracy is the road to socialism How Democracy is being used to Destroy our Republic By JB Williams Thursday, October 1, 2009 Contrary to popular public education propaganda, the United States of America is NOT, has never been, and should never be a "democracy." It is and must always be, a constitutional representative republic, and yes, there is a VERY significant difference. Don't confuse the term "democratic society" with "democracy." A representative republic is a "democratic" form of self-governance - of, by and for "the people." In the case of the Unites States, we have a system limited by the scope and authority granted to the Fed in the US Constitution. In a representative republic, the term "the people" is interpreted to mean, "the individual citizen[s]," at large. But a "democracy" as Thomas Jefferson said so well, "is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." In other words, the term "the people" means the "ruling mob" in a "democracy." And, so it is today! "The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is the largest socialist organization in the United States, and the principal U.S. affiliate of the Socialist International. DSA's members are building progressive movements for social change while establishing an openly socialist presence in American communities and politics. - At the root of our socialism is a profound commitment to democracy, as means and end. "-from the About Us page at the Democratic Socialist of America web site. [1] Karl Marx, often referred to as the father of socialism, or Marxism, also had a firm commitments to "democracy," stating for the record, that "Democracy is the road to socialism." Of course it is. as "democracy" is a system of "mob rule." The vast majority of people in any free society are referred to by Marx as the "proletariat," otherwise known as the working class stiff. As the majority of society, Marx envisioned a society owned and controlled by the "proletariat" for equal benefit of the "working class stiff." This is Marxism in a nutshell, or... socialism. The goal is central ownership and control of all forms of productivity, for benefit of the working class, the proletariat, the majority. In any free society, the only way to achieve this is through confiscation of private assets and wealth. And the legal way to accomplish that is by "democratic" process. Thus, "Democracy is the road to socialism."-as Marx said! The Communist and Socialist Parties of old, now work through the Democratic Socialists of America, who control the leadership of today's Democratic Party via their two congressional leadership committees, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus. Card carrying Socialist Bernie Sanders founded the Congressional Progressive Caucus for DSA, and card carrying Communist John Conyers founded the Congressional Black Caucus. Contrary to leftist propaganda, which aims to paint all dissent against their Marxist agenda as an act of "racism" or "hate," the problem with these organizations and their members isn't the color of their skin, but rather the anti-American color of their agenda. And, now that they control both house of congress, the White House, the news room, the movie, TV, book and magazine industries and even the judicial branch, we can see what kinds of "change" they "hope" to implement in the United States. But Marx tipped his hand when he stated his deep seated disdain for what he called bourgeois, the "propertied class" in his twisted mind, land owners. In America, he is referring to some 68% of the people, and the term bourgeois actually means "middle class." Marx spoke of the bourgeois (the middle class) as if they were "rich"-"greedy" and deserving of envy and vile social denigration, just because they were "property owners." In America, that is most people, as of today. But in any system of central power, the real "rich" and "greedy" are those in control of that central power. The "ruling elite," who promise to do for you, that which they claim you are incapable of doing for yourself. The Political Proletariat Tricking the working class into voting against their own freedom and liberty on the basis that freedom isn't fair, was easier than it looked, once done in an institutional environment. At the top of the list are labor unions like Service Employees International Union, followed by community organizing groups like ACORN, and then 527 funding juggernauts like America Votes, American Solutions Winning the Future and The Fund for America. These leftists love patriotic sounding names. What a shame they don't like patriotic policies nearly as well. In a representative republic, limited by constitutional text, these folks would have to power to do anything they want, so long as it doesn't infringe upon the rights of the minority, the average American taxpayers, whom they intend to leave their tab with as they rush out the door. But in a "democracy," the mob is free to run roughshod over the minority, for the "greater common good" of the mob, of course. And, it's all legal because it was done by way of democratic process. The people voted for it, or so they claim. They voted for "social justice" without knowing that this term is the marketing buzz-phrase for Economic egalitarianism-"a state of economic affairs in which the participants of a society are of equal standing and equal access to all the economic resources in terms of economic power, wealth, and contribution. It is a founding principle of various forms of socialism, communalism and cooperative economic organization." Note how Wikipedia dodges use of the terms communism, or totalitarianism. Remember, they love the agenda, but not the titles that go with it! They hate to be called "socialists" or Marxists," no matter how deeply they embrace those belief systems. In 2006 and 2008, the American people voted for Marxism (change), without knowing they were voting for Marxism. At least that's what the ballot counters tell us. They also voted for a natural born citizen of Kenya, not the USA. They voted for a "black man" who is 1/2 white, 3/8 Arab and 1/8 African. But who's counting? This is what can happen while the giant sleeps But after only six months of unbridled Obama rule and 37 "Czars," the average American is awake and coming to understand exactly what kinds of "change" (Marxism) Obamanation had in mind. They want to run the banking, auto, energy, food, water, insurance and health care industries, and of course, control all of the related revenue streams. In all cases, they have titled their agenda "reform" because every American can relate to the term "reform," just like most fell for the term "change." Leftists don't call it a "government buyout" of these industries, because that would make it clear to citizens that the Fed was engaged in taking over private industries. They call it a "bailout," even though when the "bail out" is complete; the Fed "owns" the company and controls the industry. They promise to create new jobs while attacking the businesses that actually create jobs in a free market economy, as in Senators Stiffen Employer Fees in Health Bill. That's because they don't intend to create "free-market" jobs, but rather government funded jobs by way of "union bid only" contracts on federally mandated projects across the country, many of them under the heading of "green" jobs. Make no mistake, totalitarianism is alive and well in all three branches of the federal government now, and it came to be, by way of "democratic process." The people made it happen! The good news is this. Since the people made it happen, the people can undo it. Now that they know they bought a communist wolf in capitalist clothing, they are going to have to reverse course. The longer they wait to do it, the more costly this horrific mistake will be. In fact, ONLY the people can stop the ongoing destruction of their free republic. Nobody in Washington DC, including the courts, wants to stop it. And unless the people put a stop to it, they won't recognize this nation a year from now. This is exactly why the Unites States of America is NOT a "democracy," but rather a representative republic restricted in power by the letter of the US Constitution. Amendment X in the people's Bill of Right's is the most important amendment of all. "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." The powers of the federal government are limited to the scope and authorities granted it in the US Constitution and nothing more. Even by democratic process, anything less is unacceptable to American citizens and the Tea Party movement is designed to serve such notice. The Fed can reform itself to a constitutional status, or the people will reform it. God help those elected officials who have chosen the wrong side in this battle for freedom and liberty! Just in case you somehow missed all of the above, here's how "democracy" works in America under the new Marxist regime currently running your federal government-have a look! - youtube.com Printed from: http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/15330 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091002/689a30ad/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 2 08:47:28 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 07:47:28 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Kash for Koreans Message-ID: <400985d70910020547w1916e6f4m2c1484151d29cb2e@mail.gmail.com> Hyundai sales are up 27%! That's good news for Alabama. On our most recent trip to Destin we drove past dozens of small plants feeding the Hyundai factory outside of Montgomery. So C4C was a success? BTW, Hyundai builds some great cars, the Sonata was my second choice after the VW diesel. Brad ------------------ GM, Toyota, Ford U.S. Sales Fell as ?Clunkers? Ended By Jeff Green and Katie Merx Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. said sales fell in September as waning demand after the ?cash for clunkers? rebates cut industry deliveries to the second-slowest rate this year. GM deliveries tumbled 45 percent, while Toyota dropped 13 percent, both worse than analysts had estimated. Ford slid 5.1 percent, and Chrysler Group LLC, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. also posted declines. ?We knew sales would slow down significantly after the cash for clunkers surge,? said Stephen Spivey, senior auto analyst at Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio. ?October will tell you what kind of rebound comes off that dip.? U.S. auto sales plunged 23 percent, and the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate fell to 9.22 million units, said industry researcher Autodata Corp. of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. July and August were the only months in 2009 when the sales pace topped 10 million, a level that Ford and researcher J.D. Power & Associates expect the U.S. to surpass for the year. The industry is coming off an August surge that snapped a streak of monthly sales declines dating to 2007. Buyers responded to the U.S. government?s offer of as much as $4,500 to trade in older, less fuel-efficient light vehicles from July 27 through Aug. 24, with almost 700,000 purchases. Shrinking Inventory Showroom visits fell after the $3 billion program helped empty dealers? lots. With inventory at a 24-year low at the end of August, customers found fewer choices and automakers less willing to offer discounts. Analysts expected a sales rate of 9.3 million vehicles, based on the average of 8 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Industrywide light-vehicle sales will be 10.3 million this year and 11.5 million in 2010, Westlake Village, California-based J.D. Power estimates. Last year?s sales were 13.2 million, after averaging 16.8 million this decade through 2007. The lowest pace this year was 9.11 million, in February. The annual rate is important to the industry because manufacturers, suppliers and dealers use it to compare monthly totals by taking into account seasonal buying patterns. September?s results brought the annualized sales rate in the third quarter to 11.5 million, the strongest since the same period a year earlier, when deliveries ran at an annual pace of 12.9 million units. Analysts? Estimates Analysts? sales estimates are adjusted for one more sales day this month than in September 2008. Unadjusted figures, used by Bloomberg and some automakers, would be about 4 percentage points lower. September sales at GM, the largest U.S. automaker, slid 47 percent on an adjusted basis, worse than the 44 percent decline projected by 6 analysts. Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, fell 8.9 percent on an adjusted basis, worse than the 5 percent average of 6 analysts? estimates. The decline on that basis was 44 percent for Auburn Hills, Michigan-based Chrysler, matching the average of 5 estimates. Nissan?s adjusted decrease was 11 percent, compared with 2 analysts? estimates of 7.1 percent, and Honda?s was 23 percent, worse than the estimates of 13 percent. Toyota?s adjusted decline was 16 percent, while analysts projected 13 percent. Light-Vehicle Totals U.S. light-vehicle sales for GM dropped to 155,679 from 282,806. Ford?s total including Volvo was 114,655 cars and trucks, compared with 120,788 a year earlier. Chrysler sales fell 42 percent to 62,197, down from 107,349. Nissan, which like Honda is based in Tokyo, said sales dropped 7 percent to 55,393 from 59,565. Honda said sales slid 20 percent to 77,229, compared with 96,626. Toyota, based in Toyota City, Japan, sold 126,015 Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles, down from 144,260. Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea?s largest automaker, bucked the industry slide with a 27 percent increase. Seoul-based Hyundai said it sold 31,511 vehicles last month, up from 24,765 a year earlier. Industry deliveries totaled 745,997, Autodata said. Ford fell 24 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $6.97 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have more than tripled this year. Auto sales improved later in September from early in the month as dealers restocked inventory and discounting picked up, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at auto-information provider Edmunds.com in Santa Monica, California. Edmunds raised its forecast for September?s annual pace to 9.34 million on Sept. 24, from 8.8 million a week earlier. Prices paid for GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles rose by $2,000 on average in the second quarter as automakers slashed production, J.D. Power said. Incentives fell by 26 percent from March to August, according to Autodata. ?The last two weeks of September could be an important indicator of the underlying rate auto sales are trending at,? Brian Johnson, a Chicago-based analyst at Barclays Capital, said in a note to clients. To contact the reporters on this story: Jeff Green in Southfield, Michigan, at jgreen16 at bloomberg.net; Katie Merx in Southfield, Michigan, at kmerx at bloomberg.net. Last Updated: October 1, 2009 16:23 EDT From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 2 09:07:48 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 08:07:48 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Chicago Way Olympics Message-ID: <400985d70910020607q50ac2e1cg5f462299cac8a71@mail.gmail.com> Get Ready for a Real ?Chicago Way? Olympics Posted By Frank J. Fleming On October 2, 2009 The economy is floundering. Terrorists still threaten us, and Iran continues on its path toward obtaining nuclear weapons. Afghanistan stands on the brink, and the war could be lost if we lose our resolve. Thus, we know what is foremost on President Obama?s mind: the Olympics! That?s right. Obama is determined to help get the Olympics for Chicago. We Chicagoans got him to be senator and then president, so he pretty much owes us. And with Obama?s influence ? foreigners love the guy ? Chicago should be a lock, so we might as well start planning now. I?m excited; Chicago is a great place for the Olympics, as the city is known for fair play. In fact, under the city?s influence, this should be the fairest Olympics ever, where it won?t just be open to an elite set of athletes who trained all their lives. Instead, it will be open to anyone of any physical ability who happens to have the right connections and enough money. I already talked to Tony Rezko, and he has some great deals lined up for us on properties where we could build the stadium. All he wants is for his son to win a silver medal in one of the events; he doesn?t even care which. It?s a steal, really. So as soon as we have the go-ahead, we?ll talk to the unions and get things started. Now, Chicago could be a bit of a culture shock for some of you from foreign countries. If you?re from some violent, third-world dictatorship that holds show elections where the result is predetermined, then it will actually be pretty similar. Anyway, we will set everyone up with some pamphlets on how to avoid getting stabbed and whom not to make eye contact with. We?re all friends here, though, so if you see a crime being committed in the city, keep it to yourself. We don?t like squealers. That?s one of the ways you get stabbed. Unfortunately, we?re going to have to get rid of all the target shooting competitions. Guns aren?t allowed in Chicago. I know the Supreme Court has ruled that you can?t ban guns, but I?m pretty sure most of the Constitution doesn?t actually apply to Chicago. At least we all operate under that assumption. Plus we keep guns out of here for a good reason: When people start bringing them in, it makes the criminal element nervous. They?re a constituency, too, and we look out for them here. In fact, we have perhaps the highest percentage of legislators who are convicted felons. For the other competitions, we can set those up however people want them. Like maybe some competitors don?t like their hurdles so high. For certain donations to certain individuals, we can set those lower for you. In weight lifting, maybe those weights don?t have to be as heavy as advertised. Let?s just say it pays to make friends in Chicago, and the best people to introduce you are dead U.S. presidents. By the way, we?re going to need to have a discussion on how we?ll pick judges. Now, we know that the Olympic competitions usually have judges from around the world, so we won?t just stack the judges with the Chicago elite. We?ll leave half open to the rest of the world, so you might as well prepare your bids now. If you?ve never been a judge before, don?t worry; we?ll make it simple. You?ll have a list of names and which score to give them. Also, if some of the votes in the competition come from dead judges, don?t worry; that?s normal here. I know some of you are worried about there being mob influence in the Chicago Olympics, but there is no reason for that, because there is no such thing as the mafia. That?s just made up by the media. So shut up about it. I?m serious. But if perchance you hear that one of the competitors is a mob favorite, and you think you see him using performance enhancing drugs, don?t say anything to anyone! Getting into business that doesn?t concern you is how you end up going back to your home country in a pine box. Capisce? Anyway, it?s going to be some great competition for those medals that haven?t already been allotted to appease certain constituencies (hopefully a lot of them will settle for bronze). I even expect we?ll see some world records set in the marathon when you add in the very real threat of being shot. Really, a Chicago Olympics should be great fun, and I think everyone should come out of it relatively unscathed, as long as everyone learns to keep their heads down and be quiet. So we?re counting on you to deliver this one to us, Obama. You owe us. Big time. We have plenty of dirt on you, Mr. Big Shot, so don?t think you can screw us on this, you bastard! Good luck in Copenhagen. From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 2 19:07:27 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 18:07:27 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Top 10 Reasons Chicago Didn't Get The Olympics Message-ID: <400985d70910021607n510c79d7gfa46bd78de46d6b@mail.gmail.com> Top 10 Reasons Chicago Didn't Get the Olympics 10. Dead people can't vote at IOC meetings 9. Obama distracted by 25 min meeting with Gen. McChrystal 8. Who cares if Obama couldn't talk the IOC into Chicago? He'll be able to talk Iran out of nukes. 7. The impediment is Israel still building settlements. 6. Obviously no president would have been able to acomplish it. 5. We've been quite clear and said all along that we didn't want the Olympics. 4. This isn't about the number of Olympics "lost", it's about the number of Olympics "saved" or "created". 3. Clearly not enough wise Latina judges on the committee 2. Because the IOC is racist. 1. It's George Bush's fault. From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 3 08:29:34 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:29:34 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Health Care Fail - Revision #19 (give or take) Message-ID: <400985d70910030529n248db44elf3ad3e9498651d7d@mail.gmail.com> Frankly, it is hard to debate a bill that hasn't been written, or was just published and hasn't been read. As I've stated many, many times, TennCare was a bust for the State of Tennessee. No other state has gotten it right either. Neither has another nation. So we're going to cobble together something in the middle of the night that's just right? This entire issue is not about improving anyone's health but instead is about creating a monument to one man's ego. Brad -------------- States Show How Not To Fix Health Care By KERRI HOUSTON TOLOCZKO Posted 10/01/2009 07:04 PM ET Since the debate over the government takeover of medical care exploded onto the national stage, advocates of market-based, patient-centered reforms have pointed to the failed government health care systems of Canada and the U.K. as examples of what America should not replicate. And rightfully so. Democrat proposals have duplicated many components of these systems, creating frighteningly similar base lines here to these unsuccessful foreign models of "universal" coverage. Yet we don't need to peer over borders and across oceans to find government health care that does not work; indeed, we have examples here in our United States. Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Maine have all created some version of government takeover or administration of health care, and all are a mess. Hawaii's Prepaid Healthcare Act and its coverage mandates have left Hawaiians with fewer coverage choices, higher costs and nearly double the number of uninsured. Recent budget cuts resulted in discontinuation of its coverage for children. Oregon's state-controlled care includes an official list that dictates what treatments will be covered based on annual budget constraints. If your disease is above the treatment line, you are covered. Below the line ? you're not. However, patients being denied treatment often receive an additional note in their denial letters ? the system telling them it will pay for "physician aid in dying." Oregon won't help you live, but it will help you die. In the three years since the Massachusetts "universal" coverage plan was launched, the state still has thousands of uninsured, costs have exploded to unsustainable levels, and waiting lists for treatments have appeared. Tennessee's "TennCare" program, an attempt to expand coverage to low-income uninsured, included dead people, escaped felons and NBA stars. It drove doctors and insurers out of the state, and has been on the brink of insolvency several times. Tennessee's Democrat governor, Phil Bredesen, recently went to Washington, D.C., to explain to Congress that government health care does not lower cost. But perhaps the worst ? and closest ? example of why a federal takeover of health care won't work comes from Maine. The name of Maine's government-run universal health care plan "Dirigo Health" is derived from the state's motto ? "to lead." Fitting, as this failed attempt at government health care has led its people right off a cliff. Maine's universal coverage plan is most similar to the plans circulating on Capitol Hill. It was proposed in May 2003 by Democrat Gov. John Baldacci and passed a scant four weeks later. Much like the $787 billion federal "stimulus" plan that passed Congress in February of this year, nobody read the Dirigo plan either. While greasing the pipeline for quick passage of Dirigo Health, the governor assured that all of Maine's 128,000 uninsured would be covered by 2009, the bureaucracy would be streamlined and health costs lowered, and the plan would fund itself based on system savings with no tax increases ? a similar claim to what President Obama has said about a new federal plan. Six years after it was passed, it has insured only 3% ? roughly 3,400 ? of the 128,000 promised. By 2007, the system was so broke that it closed to new enrollees. It still has not reopened and has also cut and capped benefits. The "streamlined" bureaucracy has cost the state's taxpayers $17 million in administrative costs to cover 9,600 people, leading one to wonder if there are more bureaucrats in the system than enrollees. Systemwide insurance costs have increased 74% since Dirigo was passed, and the governor and legislature have tried ? unsuccessfully ? to raise taxes to fund the system. Dirigo's more "efficient" bureaucracy started out with an aggregator agency for health records and a cost administration agency, but it now includes numerous councils to study this, that and anything else bureaucrats can conceive. These agencies also dictate to providers how much they can spend on new technologies and diagnostic machines even though these costs are borne by physicians and hospitals and not the state. Dirigo has failed because it lacks market forces, ignores the nature of the uninsured and was more interested in bloating its bureaucracy than providing care to patients. These states could have fixed the broken pieces of the system by implementing market-based, patient-centered reforms that bring people into the private insurance market, thus lowering costs and increasing access. Instead, they layered enormous bureaucracies over patients and physicians, and separated them both from each other and from quality care. Government intrusion is not reform. Congress must use the failures of state-run health care as cautionary tales of change to avoid. It's time to start pushing for real reforms that increase access and portability and, above all, protect the primacy of the doctor-patient relationship. ? Houston Toloczko is senior vice president for policy at the Institute for Liberty and director of its Center for Health Security and Access. From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 3 08:34:41 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:34:41 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Hollywood Message-ID: <400985d70910030534l7a1a3849y27577c64e4650ce8@mail.gmail.com> http://tinyurl.com/ydqzx7v From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 4 07:40:19 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 07:40:19 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Brad, our political accountant are these numbers reasonably accurate? Message-ID: WHAT WE SAVED WITH CASH FOR CLUNKERS! A vehicle getting 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline. A vehicle getting 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year. So, the average Clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year. They claim 700,000 vehicles - so that's 224 million gallons per year. That equates to saving a bit over 5 million barrels of oil per year. I repeat---per YEAR. 5 million barrels of oil is about 1/4 of one day's US consumption. And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $75/bbl. Our Government "gave" each Clunker Trader $4,500 per car for 700,000 transactions which cost US Taxpayers $3,150,000,000--not including Washington's astounding Administrative costs. So, we all contributed through our taxes to spend more than $3 billion to save $350 million. How good a deal was that ??? They'll probably do a great job with health care though. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091004/94b1a1cb/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 4 19:07:02 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 18:07:02 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Brad, our political accountant are these numbers reasonably accurate? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910041607k694e1c1fm7f33e832544006c9@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Yes, the math is correct. I got that e-mail a few weeks ago but didn't bother to check the math until you asked today. The one number off is the daily use. The July EIA (Energy Information Agency) daily use number was 19,498,000 barrels of oil consumed daily in the US (a barrel is 42 US gallons). What the whole C4C program ignored is that the break even for energy consumption to recapture the energy used in building a new automobile is about 4 years. The program only makes sense from an environmental point if the cars traded-in were absolutely on "their last legs". This is true on a personal level as well. BTW, I just passed my 777 type ride so I'll have some more time to keep an eye on the world for the next few weeks. The 777 burns 18% less fuel than the jet it is replacing and goes farther with more payload. Now we're talking fuel savings! (I still like my diesel VW and the 40+ MPG, but I can save more fuel in one day with good descent planning in the bird than I can burn in ten years in the VW - and they both burn the same fuel). Brad On 10/4/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > WHAT WE SAVED WITH CASH FOR CLUNKERS! > > A vehicle getting 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year > of gasoline. > > A vehicle getting 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year. > > So, the average Clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by > 320 gallons per year. > > They claim 700,000 vehicles - so that's 224 million gallons per year. > > That equates to saving a bit over 5 million barrels of oil per year. I > repeat---per YEAR. > > 5 million barrels of oil is about 1/4 of one day's US consumption. > > And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $75/bbl. > > Our Government "gave" each Clunker Trader $4,500 per car for 700,000 > transactions which cost > > US Taxpayers $3,150,000,000--not including Washington's astounding > Administrative costs. > > So, we all contributed through our taxes to spend more than $3 billion to > save $350 million. > > How good a deal was that ??? > > They'll probably do a great job with health care though. > From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 4 20:22:02 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 20:22:02 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Question about winch springs Message-ID: Does anyone know where to get winch springs cheap? West has them, but pricey. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091004/946a4783/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 5 10:12:44 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 09:12:44 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Sarah's Revenge Message-ID: <400985d70910050712w38aae04av535d163cd60608@mail.gmail.com> October 02, 2009 Palin's Revenge: Who's Laughing Now? By C. Edmund Wright Now correct me if I am wrong, but didn't I hear the Jurassic media bury the career of Sarah Palin just last July? And weren't they joined in this mockery by the so-called conservative elites like David Brooks and Karl Rove and Joe Scarborough and so on? Wasn't Mo Dowd just delirious in fact that the wicked witch (of her world) was dead? You betcha. Well, just who is looking out of touch and foolish now? Hint: It isn't the Killa from Wasilla. And yes, I think that is her Brinks Truck in fact. One of them anyway. The temptation here is to rub the seven million dollar book advance in the face of all her naysayers -- then add that the book is coming out early and in fact breaking all kinds of sales records though not even edited yet. But we won't do that for Mo's sake. Another temptation is to chide the Jurassics and the elites who were snickering at the thought she could command the six figures fees the big boys get for speaking engagements -- with the reports that she is currently sifting through some eleven hundred offers. Cha-ching. We won't make a big deal over that either. It might make Colin Powell blush. What is the real story here is that given a set of singularly difficult circumstances, Governor Palin made a counter-intuitive and gutsy decision that has already proven right for all parties involved. We call that brilliance. We call that effective leadership. Perhaps inside the beltway, those measures of wisdom and intelligence and instinctive leadership are out of date. All too often in that world, decisions are made by what is the safe play and by what will play well with the pundits. Damn the consequences to others, just pull that focus group report and make sure we look good to the media. That was not how Palin measured her decision. She was willing to look outside the box for a possibility, and when she found an idea that worked for everyone she grabbed it. Quickly. And she never looked back. Why Dan Rather might call that "...courage..." Palin did not seem to worry a bit about how her decision would look to the pundit class as she strode to the microphones and confidently gave a shocking announcement that she knew would bring down a hell storm of self-important derision. She did not flinch. She made her decision, announced it, and went about making it work for all involved. And it has. It has worked for the state of Alaska, where their small government is no longer burdened by over the top media scrutiny and an endless string of nuisance legal actions. Alaska can get back to being Alaska, and the state is governed by a man who shares Palin's vision for the state without having one of the biggest media targets in the history of the country painted on his back. What? You don't know his name? Good. Alaskans probably like it that way. And the resignation has certainly worked for Palin's family and the former governor herself no doubt. They no longer have the targets painted on their backs either. They no longer are burdened by a mountain of legal debt and the mountain of legal debt is no longer growing like it was. Win. Win. Win. Heck, it looks like the family will be able to travel the entire country at the request of many other people happy to pay their expenses and a nice honorarium as well. That's not a bad educational experience, and I even doubt the former governor will burden us with stories about how much she has sacrificed while doing all of this jet setting. Along the way, she will be exposed to millions and millions of American voters who will see her in person or see local coverage of her appearances. She will curry favor with many Republicans and other conservative candidates across the country. Her rolodex will be engorged with valuable contacts. Her work in this area is likely to have a major impact on the mid-term elections of 2010 in fact. If it goes well for the GOP, she will get much of the credit in all likelihood. There will be sound bytes from her on any number of weighty issues. That started last week in Asia in fact. Even Charles Krauthammer will be impressed. By the time 2012 rolls around - just in case she has that year circled in her day planner - any notion of her lack of depth or experience will have been clearly dispelled. Tina Fey shooting the moose will be a distant memory. Charlie Gibson will be the one thrown to the curb in his chosen profession. And I doubt Katie Couric will age as gracefully as Sarah Palin will. To summarize, every single ramification of Palin's resignation has come up aces. For her, her family, her state and even for any future political ambitions, it was the right call. Even in the one arena the Jurassic media and conservative elites thought they were really expert -- politics -- Palin has trumped them in that too. It is almost 100% certain that she will come in to the year 2012 with a lot more money, a lot more exposure, a lot more commentary on the big issues, a lot more potential campaign workers across the 57 states and a lot more favors owed than she ever could have by hanging around Juneau for two more years. Yes, even in purely political terms, Palin's business and personal decision has proven to be superior to what the pundits thought she should have done. Now of course this is sending the pundit class in the D.C.-Manhattan corridor into the vapors, not to mention shock. They never have been able to make one correct assessment about Palin and her relationship with the American people and their reaction to their own ineptness is to hate Palin herself. Millions of Americans are not surprised however. Why do you think so many are buying her book already. You can call those "votes" and also "future campaign contributors." They are not caught off guard by the brilliance of her decision. They knew it all along. And I add proudly, so did American Thinker. Our contributing authors penned no fewer than 9 articles in the two weeks following Palin's resignation, and every single one of them supported her decision as wise and several pieces were scarily prescient in how they predicted just this type of success for her in light of the decision. It is obvious that Palin knew what she was doing all along. Who knows what she will do in 2012. It doesn't matter at the moment. What matters is that her decision to resign as Governor of Alaska will put her in a far superior position for whatever she does or does not pursue. I think that's hilariously ironic. Betcha she does too. So who's laughing now? Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/10/palins_revenge_whos_laughing_n.html at October 05, 2009 - 10:09:06 AM EDT From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 5 13:33:31 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 12:33:31 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Yon on War Message-ID: <400985d70910051033p2696bb41yb19108970accc989@mail.gmail.com> You may remember, Yon was right on just about everything in Iraq. He's now here - http://www.michaelyon-online.com/two-firefights-one-video.htm Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 6 08:24:59 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 07:24:59 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Brad, our political accountant are these numbers reasonably accurate? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910060524n24150359reaf38fc69c5a82e5@mail.gmail.com> Ed, More on C4C below. What's 3 billion when we're spending TRILLIONS? Other countries have taken notice, we'll discuss that in a separate post. Brad -------------- from the WSJ * OCTOBER 4, 2009, 7:10 P.M. ET Clunkers in Practice One of Washington's all-time dumb ideas. Remember "cash for clunkers," the program that subsidized Americans to the tune of nearly $3 billion to buy a new car and destroy an old one? Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood declared in August that, "This is the one stimulus program that seems to be working better than just about any other program." If that's true, heaven help the other programs. Last week U.S. automakers reported that new car sales for September, the first month since the clunker program expired, sank by 25% from a year earlier. Sales at GM and Chrysler fell by 45% and 42%, respectively. Ford was down about 5%. Some 700,000 cars were sold in the summer under the program as buyers received up to $4,500 to buy a new car they would probably have purchased anyway, so all the program seems to have done is steal those sales from the future. Exactly as critics predicted. Cash for clunkers had two objectives: help the environment by increasing fuel efficiency, and boost car sales to help Detroit and the economy. It achieved neither. According to Hudson Institute economist Irwin Stelzer, at best "the reduction in gasoline consumption will cut our oil consumption by 0.2 percent per year, or less than a single day's gasoline use." Burton Abrams and George Parsons of the University of Delaware added up the total benefits from reduced gas consumption, environmental improvements and the benefit to car buyers and companies, minus the overall cost of cash for clunkers, and found a net cost of roughly $2,000 per vehicle. Rather than stimulating the economy, the program made the nation as a whole $1.4 billion poorer. The basic fallacy of cash for clunkers is that you can somehow create wealth by destroying existing assets that are still productive, in this case cars that still work. Under the program, auto dealers were required to destroy the car engines of trade-ins with a sodium silicate solution, then smash them and send them to the junk yard. As the journalist Henry Hazlitt wrote in his classic, "Economics in One Lesson," you can't raise living standards by breaking windows so some people can get jobs repairing them. In the category of all-time dumb ideas, cash for clunkers rivals the New Deal brainstorm to slaughter pigs to raise pork prices. The people who really belong in the junk yard are the wizards in Washington who peddled this economic malarkey. On 10/4/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > WHAT WE SAVED WITH CASH FOR CLUNKERS! > > A vehicle getting 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year > of gasoline. > > A vehicle getting 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year. > > So, the average Clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by > 320 gallons per year. > > They claim 700,000 vehicles - so that's 224 million gallons per year. > > That equates to saving a bit over 5 million barrels of oil per year. I > repeat---per YEAR. > > 5 million barrels of oil is about 1/4 of one day's US consumption. > > And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $75/bbl. > > Our Government "gave" each Clunker Trader $4,500 per car for 700,000 > transactions which cost > > US Taxpayers $3,150,000,000--not including Washington's astounding > Administrative costs. > > So, we all contributed through our taxes to spend more than $3 billion to > save $350 million. > > How good a deal was that ??? > > They'll probably do a great job with health care though. > From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 6 08:38:58 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 07:38:58 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Your Dollars Message-ID: <400985d70910060538q41411d76s3ba223cdd436a64@mail.gmail.com> You'll hear about this a lot the next few days - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html This is inevitable. Several of us have predicted this event on this forum for months. You don't need a PhD in economics to understand Gresham's Law (bad money drives out good). Most of us lived through the late 70's and early 80's so we have some experience with inflation. Study the history of Wiemar Germany or pick a Latin American country at random to see where this leads. Talking about spending a Trillion+ dollars on a health-care program when the existing health-care programs are unfunded makes about as much sense as bitching about the food on the Titanic. This time it won't be like the Carter years where interest rates went to 21% and you only lost 3% on your money by investing in CDs at 11% at a S&L - this will be much worse. Only a leader completely ignorant of economics or someone bent on the fiscal destruction of a nation could miss the obvious. Since we've been told endlessly that our Dear Leader is well educated and intelligent, I'll pick the latter. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 6 08:43:52 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 07:43:52 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] American Pie Message-ID: <400985d70910060543g73c76ed3la7a4c9cb568adb17@mail.gmail.com> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3KDmEvNmJ0&feature=player_embedded From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 6 12:50:42 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 12:50:42 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-091002-michelle-transcript, 0, 2812708, print.story Message-ID: <9CD2D549ED73445598187AD2046FB73F@YOURB88038198E> www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-091002-michelle-transcript,0,3883054.story chicagotribune.com Transcript of Michelle Obama's remarks Tribune staff reporter 6:33 AM CDT, October 2, 2009 I was born and raised on Chicago's South Side, not far from where the Games would open and close. Ours was a neighborhood of working families, families with modest homes and strong values. Sports were what brought our community together. They strengthened our ties to one another. Growing up, when I played games with the kids in my neighborhood, we picked sides based not on who you were, but what you could bring to the game. Sports taught me self-confidence, teamwork and how to compete as an equal. Sports were a gift I shared with my dad, especially the Olympic Games. Some of my best memories are sitting on my dad's lap cheering on Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis and others for their brilliant perfection. Like so many young people, I was inspired. I found myself dreaming that maybe just maybe, if I worked hard enough, I too could achieve something great. But I never dreamed that the Olympic flame might someday light up lives in my neighborhood. But today I can dream, and I am dreaming of an Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago that will light up lives and neighborhoods all across America and all across the world, that will expose all our neighborhoods to new sports and new role models, that will show every child that regardless of wealth or gender or race or physical ability, there is a sport and a place for them too. That's why I'm here today. I'm asking you to choose Chicago, I'm asking you to choose America. I'm not asking just as the First Lady of the United States, who is eager to welcome the world to our shores -- and not just as a Chicagoan, who is proud and excited to show the world what my city can do, not just as a mother raising two beautiful young women to embrace athleticism and embrace their full potential, I'm also asking as a daughter. See, my dad would have been so proud to witness these Games in Chicago. I know they would have meant something much more to him too. You see, in dad's early 30s, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As he got sicker, it became harder for him to walk let alone play his favorite sports. But my dad was determined that sports continue to be a vital lifeline, not just to the rest of the world, but to me and my brother. And even as we watched my dad struggle to hold himself up on crutches, he never stopped playing with us, and he refused to let us take our abilites for granted. He believed that his little girl should be taught no less than his son. So he taught me how to throw a ball and a mean right hook better than any boy in my neighborhood. More importantly, my dad taught us the fundamental rules of the game, rules that continue to guide our lives today -- to engage with honor, with dignity and fair play. My dad was my hero, and when I think of what these Games can mean to people all over the world, I think about people like my dad, people who face seemingly insurmountable challenges but never let go. They work a little harder, but they never give up. Now my dad didn't live to see the day that the Paralympic Games became the force that they are today, but if he had lived to see this day, if he could have seen the Paralympic Games share a global stage with the Olympic Games, if he could have witnessed athletes who can excel and prove that nothing is more powerful than the human spirit, I know it would have restored in him the same spirit of unbridled possibilities as he instilled in me. Chicago's bid for the Olympic and paralympic movement is about so much more than what we can offer the games, it's about what games can offer all of us, it's about inspiring this generation and building lasting legacy for the next. It's about our responsibility as Americans, not just to put on great games, but to use these games as a vehicleto bring us together, to usher in a new era of international engagement, to give us hope and to change lives all over the world. And I brought somebody with me today who knows a little something about change, my husband, the president of the United States, Barack Obama. Copyright ? 2009, Chicago Tribune -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091006/136d36a1/attachment.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/octet-stream Size: 35 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091006/136d36a1/attachment.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/octet-stream Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091006/136d36a1/attachment-0001.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: application/octet-stream Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091006/136d36a1/attachment-0002.obj From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 6 13:06:37 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 13:06:37 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Hey Rik, they are coming... Message-ID: www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45 Verified on snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/politics/guns/blairholt.asp Now 'all Guns' must be listed on your next (2010) tax return! Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own. It will require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun. | This bill was introduced on Feb.. 24, 2009, by the Obama staff... BUT . . this bill will only become public knowledge 30 days after the new law becomes effective ! This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act of 1986. This means that the Finance Committee has passed this without the Senate voting on it at all. Trust Obama ? ..... you must be kidding ! The full text of the IRS amendment is on the U.S.. Senate homepage,U.S. Senate You can find the bill by doing a search by the bill number, SB-2099.. You know who to call; I strongly suggest you do.. Please send a copy of this e-mail to every gun owner you know.| | Obama's Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply.. It has begun .. . . Whatever Obama's secret Master Plan is....this is just the 'tip of the iceburg!' Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.| Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the government is trying to fly it under the radar as a 'minor' IRS revision, and, as usuual, the 'political' lawmakers did not read this bill before signing and approving it ! To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009.. You will get all the information. Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless: -It is registered -You are fingerprinted -You supply a current Driver's License -You supply your Social Security # -You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing -Each update - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail. -There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18. -They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison. If you think this is a joke - go to the website and take your pick of many opt ions to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the wor d along. Any hunters in your family pas s this along.| This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense - chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it. This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not.. : Please.. copy and send this out to EVERYONE in the USA , whether you support the Right to Bear Arms or are for gun control. We all should have the right to choose. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091006/a93b6a74/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 6 23:01:25 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 22:01:25 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Hmmmmmm! Message-ID: <400985d70910062001n76ecd1b2k5c1cf56a9da29aef@mail.gmail.com> So maybe the truth will slip out? http://backyardconservative.blogspot.com/2009/10/bill-ayers-no-dream.html From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 7 15:18:21 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 15:18:21 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Message-ID: <5291B8794BC44D8DAB26A8FBD87AC00C@YOURB88038198E> Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil. The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won't allow at home. Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved And this is where the reference came from: Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" on FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: "Today even though President Obama is against offshore drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for oil off the coast of Brazil. The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and use of China and not the USA. The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of barrels of oil". We have absolutely no gain from this transaction whatsoever. Wait, it gets more interesting: Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most generous supporter during his campaign. Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other news networks. Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama meant ---??? Or, maybe it was. ____________________________________________________________ On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" published the same news. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` EK -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091007/518837e0/attachment.html From mweisner at ebsmed.com Wed Oct 7 16:14:19 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 16:14:19 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling References: <5291B8794BC44D8DAB26A8FBD87AC00C@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <81AF38C33844416E9B80DF63BBD22316@ebsoffice> OK. So the position is not that they are against offshore oil exploration and all of the environmental impact, yada, yada. It is simply a case of NIMBY, that's all! Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Kroposki To: Swift Water Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 3:18 PM Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil. The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won't allow at home. Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved And this is where the reference came from: Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" on FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: "Today even though President Obama is against offshore drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for oil off the coast of Brazil. The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and use of China and not the USA. The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of barrels of oil". We have absolutely no gain from this transaction whatsoever. Wait, it gets more interesting: Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most generous supporter during his campaign. Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other news networks. Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama meant ---??? Or, maybe it was. ____________________________________________________________ On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" published the same news. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` EK ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6051 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091007/40f42fde/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 7 18:05:50 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 17:05:50 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling In-Reply-To: <81AF38C33844416E9B80DF63BBD22316@ebsoffice> References: <5291B8794BC44D8DAB26A8FBD87AC00C@YOURB88038198E> <81AF38C33844416E9B80DF63BBD22316@ebsoffice> Message-ID: <400985d70910071505k2aad7affq51814dac8143496a@mail.gmail.com> Mike, Ed, Just got home from two days of Captain school (third one in 18 years) and listened to presentations from company executives (including a dinner last night) and much of the presentations concerned fuel and energy taxes. I get the impression that everyone in the airline industry have accepted there will be some form of an energy tax (our CEO is calling for a tax on carbon rather than cap-n-trade). Call it what you want, it is a TAX that will be passed on to consumers and used for something other than energy independence. We could be independent next year via the Fischer-Tropsch conversion of coal to liquid fuels but cap-n-trade kills that option as well. Corn ethanol is a bust. Boeing and several other participants (including us) are working on algae based diesel and jet fuel but so far it isn't scalable or economic. We'll see some type of efficiency standards put in place for commercial vehicles (all of my personal company's construction equipment is already Tier3 emission compliant, Tier4 is coming soon). More stringent MPG requirements for passenger cars is coming as well (something I support, in fact, I love my VW diesel and have already been rear-ended by one of Memphis's finest drivers - it will take a lick and keep on ticking). We need 20 to 30 years to find a transition away from oil and we need to tap our own resources. We could use the jobs as well. That ain't gonna happen under Teleprompter Jesus. Brad On 10/7/09, Michael D. Weisner wrote: > OK. So the position is not that they are against offshore oil exploration > and all of the environmental impact, yada, yada. It is simply a case of > NIMBY, that's all! > > Mike > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ed Kroposki > To: Swift Water > Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 3:18 PM > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling > > > Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling > Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. > Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off > Brazil. > The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil > company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in > Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's > planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James > Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. > > The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary > commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has > discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank > says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct > loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike > some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash > and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. > > But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore > drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free > and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and > last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, > Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. > > The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer > continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of > Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in > Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior > Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling > applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals > court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision > applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. > Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. > > This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to > explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our > equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading > oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in > Brazil what he won't allow at home. > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved > > And this is where the reference came from: > > Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. > > On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" > on FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: > > "Today even though President Obama is against offshore > drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan > 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration > Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for > oil off the coast of Brazil. > > The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole > purpose and use of China and not the USA. > > The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all > the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of > barrels of oil". > > We have absolutely no gain from this transaction > whatsoever. > > Wait, it gets more interesting: > > Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this > Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? > > It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal > businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as > well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most > generous supporter during his campaign. > > Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money > > Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other > news networks. > > Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama > meant ---??? Or, maybe it was. > > ____________________________________________________________ > > On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" > published the same news. > > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` > > EK > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > -- > I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. > We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. > SPAMfighter has removed 6051 of my spam emails to date. > Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len > > The Professional version does not have this message > From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 7 18:19:49 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 17:19:49 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling In-Reply-To: <5291B8794BC44D8DAB26A8FBD87AC00C@YOURB88038198E> References: <5291B8794BC44D8DAB26A8FBD87AC00C@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910071519m47466e33u42715c09a27b01@mail.gmail.com> Right in schedule, here comes Sarah! (from her Facebook post - today) Further Proof of the Need for Energy Independence Yesterday at 5:39pm The British newspaper The Independent reported today that Gulf oil producers were negotiating with Russia, China, Japan and France to replace the dollar in pricing oil with a basket of currencies.[1] According to the Wall Street Journal, Arab oil officials have denied the story, but even the possibility of such a talk weakens the dollar and renews fears about its continued viability as an international reserve currency.[2] In fact, today a United Nations official called for a new global reserve currency to replace the dollar and end our ?privilege? to run up huge deficits.[3] We can see the effect of this in the price of gold, which hit a record high today in response to fears about the weakened dollar.[4] All of this is a result of our out-of-control debt. This is why we need to rein in spending, and this is also why we need energy independence. A weakened dollar means higher commodity prices. This will make it more difficult to pay our bills ? including the bill to import oil. In his book Architects of Ruin, Peter Schweizer points out that the Obama administration is focusing primarily on ?green energy," while ignoring our need to develop our domestic conventional energy resources.[5] We?re ignoring the looming crisis caused by our dependence on foreign oil. Because we?re dependent on foreign nations for our oil, we?re also at their mercy if they decide to dump the dollar as their trade currency. We can?t allow ourselves to be so vulnerable to the whims of foreign nations. That?s why we must develop our own domestic supplies of oil and gas. Though the chant of ?Drill, baby, drill? was much derided, it expressed the need to confront this issue head-on before it reaches a crisis point. Bottom line: let?s stop digging ourselves into debt and start drilling for energy independence. - Sarah Palin On 10/7/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling > Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. > Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off > Brazil. > The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil > company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in > Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's > planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James > Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. > > The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary > commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has > discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank > says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct > loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike > some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash > and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. > > But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore > drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free > and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and > last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, > Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. > > The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer > continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of > Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in > Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior > Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling > applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals > court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision > applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. > Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. > > This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to > explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our > equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading > oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in > Brazil what he won't allow at home. > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved > > And this is where the reference came from: > > Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. > > On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" on > FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: > > "Today even though President Obama is against offshore > drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan > 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration > Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for > oil off the coast of Brazil. > > The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole > purpose and use of China and not the USA. > > The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all > the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of > barrels of oil". > > We have absolutely no gain from this transaction > whatsoever. > > Wait, it gets more interesting: > > Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this > Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? > > It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal > businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as > well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most > generous supporter during his campaign. > > Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money > > Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other > news networks. > > Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama meant > ---??? Or, maybe it was. > > ____________________________________________________________ > > On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" > published the same news. > > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` > > EK > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 8 08:08:44 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:08:44 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Maine, this time of the year Message-ID: <955311DE5E8640DEB020F50A3404C797@YOURB88038198E> Some of you will recall Bob Skinner, a devout Liberal and Obama acolyte. Here is an autumn view post, and hopefully not his autumn. You might acknowledge the post to him to remind him the world lives and appreciates the finner things. Ed K ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Skinner" To: "Friends of Robert Skinner" Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11:13 PM Subject: Maine, this time of the year http://www.vintagewings-millersfield.com/fallfoliagetrips2008.html From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 8 08:38:09 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:38:09 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fw: Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Message-ID: <1F67BBA867C842B5A310F6ADEFBEB32C@YOURB88038198E> Yesterday, I posted a Wall Street Journal article and an email that lead me to Wall Street Journal article. I have been challanged on accuracy of posts, See reply to me below. However, looking at source of complaint, 'Factcheck.org' one immediately notes that that Factcheck.org is funded and assumed controlled by the 'Annenberg Public Policy Center'. A quick review is that they put a opinionated twist to the post. Specifically, they mislead, in their statement: "The message claims that George Soros would "benefit most" from the loan, but that is also a baseless accusation. Soros is a favorite whipping boy of conservatives because of his early financial help to the liberal group MoveOn.org. And he is indeed a major investor in Petrobras, through his New York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC. But the hedge fund recently sold 22 million shares of common stock in the company (which carry voting rights) while buying 5.8 million shares of preferred stock (which is non-voting.) As reported by Bloomberg News, Soros reduced his stake in the company before any of the Ex-Im Bank's promised loan has been dispensed." Changing from voting common stock to non voting preferred stock in no way changes the fact that Soros benefits. The only way for him not to benefit is to be completely out of the picture before loan was approved. Futhermore, the hedge fund sold the common stock after the world knew of the promised loan. The fact that it had not been dispensed does not change its effect on the stock's future value. The real question to be asked was 'what was purchase price and what was selling price'. Sure the original email was slanted. So you had to go back to the Wall Street article to gain perspective. The Annnenberg fact check is gregiously flawed in not going to real value in money from the purchase price to the selling price and factoring in inflation and transactions costs. The Annenberg article does not honestly and fairly address the beneficiary of the transactions involved. Submitted, Ed K ----- Original Message ----- From: R22RumRunner at aol.com To: ekroposki at charter.net Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:55 AM Subject: Re: Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Ed, This so called article is a piece of shit. Check the facts. http://factcheck.org/2009/09/bogus-brazilian-oil-claims/ In a message dated 10/7/2009 3:24:36 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ekroposki at charter.net writes: Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off Brazil. The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in Brazil what he won't allow at home. Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved And this is where the reference came from: Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" on FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: "Today even though President Obama is against offshore drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for oil off the coast of Brazil. The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole purpose and use of China and not the USA. The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of barrels of oil". We have absolutely no gain from this transaction whatsoever. Wait, it gets more interesting: Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most generous supporter during his campaign. Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other news networks. Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama meant ---??? Or, maybe it was. ____________________________________________________________ On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" published the same news. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` EK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.5/2419 - Release Date: 10/07/09 05:18:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091008/24add5ef/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 08:46:21 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 07:46:21 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Essay by Dr. Hanson Message-ID: <400985d70910080546k2f52ce83lb387bb92c5a38c45@mail.gmail.com> No one has any good answers for Afghanistan. No invading country in history had an exit strategy and neither do we. My sim partner left yesterday after the last class and is heading there with his unit next week. He's been there many times and believes in his mission. What he was able and willing to share with me is what we already know. The bad guys hide behind women and children, inside mosques and schools, AND other countries. Firing missiles off is the easy part - doing so in a country that is supposedly our ally with TV cameras around isn't an attractive alternative. There seems to be a willingness on the part of our military leadership to risk their careers out of frustration with their Commander in Chief. We're faced with a situation of choosing the least worst alternative. How does Dear Leader vote "present" on this one? Brad ------------------- The Power of Payback Posted By Victor Davis Hanson On October 7, 2009 @ 12:20 pm In Uncategorized | No Comments Nemesis Everywhere I have believed in the power of the goddess Nemesis (?dispenser of dues?), ever since I was introduced to the concept as a teen-ager studying classics, especially in the texts of Hesiod, Herodotus, and Sophocles. Some of you know her also as a variant of eastern Karma, or the folk notion of ?what comes around, goes around?, or the now common ?ain?t payback a bitch?? We all agree on the symptoms: overweening success and surfeit (koris) lead to hubris (gratuitous arrogance), which in turn promotes destructive behavior (at?), that at last calls you to the attention of divine Nemesis?who ensures your ruin. At Rhamnous on the Attic coast there is a beautiful temple to the goddess, proof of her ubiquity and power. Obama as all-knowing Oedipus As sure as sun rises, you readers knew that, as early as 2007, Obama?s fiery rhetoric about the disaster in Iraq and the good war in Afghanistan was not only disingenuous, but would come lurking back to haunt him?especially given the efforts of the talented David Petraeus, and the myriad challenges of the age-old tribalism in Afghanistan. And so it has. He now owns the ?good? and ?necessary? war that, according to Obama, we supposedly wrongly ?took our eye off of.? Now at last Obama is free [1]as he wished to go into Pakistan in hot pursuit of terrorists (and as he once boasted in the debates amid the trashing of the then big-target Bush administration.)* Snap My Fingers?Guantanamo Closed! Remember Guantanamo? He could have said in January: ?Tough call. Eric Holder once thought it was fine. Where else do you put non-uniformed murderers, who are sort of foreign soldiers in a global war unlike domestic criminals, but yet not soldiers either as we have traditionally defined them at Geneva? We will have a long look at the facility, get bipartisan input from the Bush administration and the Congress, and then choose the bad rather than the worst choice.? Nope. Instead, we got the hope and change soaring cadences about shutting it down within ?a year? and ?reset button? inanity?ad nauseam. That will prove to be impossible. Already he is throwing his Guantanamo czar under the bus, even as Mr. Craig blames (you guessed it) the Bush administration for his inability to depose of the detainees. (Did he really think that divine-sounding Germans and British leftists who shouted that we were running a Stalig would really want their own terrorists back home rather than in Cuba under lock and key?) Snap Twice?Europeans Hypnotized In fact, most contemporary meltdowns involve Nemesis. Did Obama imagine that he could wow cynical Europeans with diversity stories about Chicago, as if they were props at a campaign rally or guilt-ridden college deans? Yes, it worked in 2008, but already then his fatuousness was gaining the goddess?s attention. (I am careful when doing European interviews; even sympathetic Euros have at best an ironic streak, at worse a sort of delight in embarrassing you, given their world weariness and suspicion of anything that sounds of idealism or na?vet? (cf. the old trope of ?innocents abroad?). Obama should have learned all that from his Brandenburg Gate/Victory Column stunt two summers ago. (When he stands next to the smaller, but more signifcant Sarkozy, Obama now seems almost pre-teenish.) And Then There is Always Letterman to the Rescue Ditto David Letterman. It was not just that he indulged in the same sort of behavior as the butts of his jokes serially enjoyed, but that such jibes naturally turned attention to his own supposedly exempt lifestyle. If a Clinton or Edwards got caught up in the vanity of power, and needed the ego-boosting or enjoyment that younger flesh might impart, why did Letterman, given his similar character, think he was any different? Did he think the goddess was snoozing when he libeled the 14-year daughter of Sarah Palin as a dugout tart? Be Careful?. The Greeks remind us that when success and bounty arrive, then, especially, it is time to be self-effacing, modest, generous, and forgiving. If not, retribution follows?whether because human nature dictates that the crowd wishes misfortune upon the haughty, or, as I confess that I believe, there is a sort of divine force that seeks to remind us of our own folly and can only do that in appropriately dramatic and timely fashion. If it were true that the financial meltdown of last September, and the tough time in Iraq were reminders to the Bush administration that once around 2003, coming off Wall Street surges and easy victories in Afghanistan and Iraq, they should have calmed down, and treaded softly (rather than ?mission accomplished? and ?bring ?em on?), so too Obama should have feared the goddess last winter. Nemesis Was Watching, watching? Nemesis has caught up with him in oh so many ways. From what we can tell, he was not a serious student, but rather a glib and politically astute observer, who rode affirmative action, identity politics, and campus trends (I am now gleaning this from his own autobiography) right through Occidental and Columbia to Harvard Law?without much scholarship. He was given much more attention at Chicago Law School for what he represented than what he accomplished. He arrogantly thought he could glide into the racist cauldron of Trinity Church, and glide out as an authentic African-American organizer of the Jesse Jackson sort. His Senate career was similar?long on soaring rhetoric, in perpetual campaign mode, predicated on white liberal guilt and ease with a charismatic ?other??and short on actual accomplishment. Nixonian If Richard Nixon had a bad habit of being vindictive and bending the rules for political purposes, so too Obama had believed that glibness, casual acquaintance with facts, and flashy rhetoric were substitutes for accomplishment. Just as Nemesis struck Nixon in 1973 at his apogee for long accrued but previously unpaid sins, so too Obama is now caught and tumbling to or below 50% approval. (Despite the media blitz, the worn racist charge, the glamour, the youth and interviews, the novelty of his presidency, despite all that, one of two Americans, within a few months of his inauguration, simply does not support him or his agenda.) So Easy Then, So Easy Now? Daily, his lack of study and prior scholarship come calling to embarrass him. Apparently one can get through Harvard Law and think Austrian is a language or Auschwitz was liberated by Americans? or that there is no difference between a democratic Columbia and Israel and a dictatorial Venezuela and Syria. After the dazzling campaign, the 75% approval ratings at the inauguration, and the nonstop media attention, Obama was at the crossroads. Could he have pondered the choices, ?Now is the time for serious study and statesmanship?or wow, that was easy, now more of the cheap path of duping crowds with hope and change banality, and ?I am the one we?ve been waiting for? monotony?? He took the latter path, and so summoned Nemesis. What If? A sober man would have concluded the following: Republicans tanked because of Congressional corruption, deficit spending, natural weariness after eight years with Bush, the Iraq war?and especially the September 2008 meltdown. That latter panic, combined with American good will toward the idea of electing the first African-American as President, and eagerness to have a young Camelot couple in the White House, provided the narrow margin of victory. The win was not because we like debt, more government, the UN, or Van Jones. Instead Obama, as was his wont, thought ?I am so charismatic and the public so easily mesmerized, that I will talk on through the greatest upside-down change in the nation?s history, partly through mellifluousness, partly through my accustomed demagoguery.? It worked?but scarcely for six months. The Albatross Has Landed So here we are: a center-right country?looking back with more perspective at what caused the panic, assessing Iraq over time, always uncomfortable with the collective burden of debt, not eager for the DMV people and the post office running health care?is balking. Yet look at the agenda to come soon: socialized health care, cap and trade (a trillion in new surcharges?), immigration reform (open borders and amnesty?), more stimuli (redistributive, not job-creating, influxes?), iconic appointments to czardom, who are race/class/gender polarizing figures?and always the class warfare rhetoric of Michelle?s bar-raising ?they,? coupled with confessions of American sins abroad. Sorry, that agenda would take a demi-god to push through. Obama thought he was divine, but he has feet of clay, and now his once hypnotized supporters in the Congress are stuck with a Jimmy Carter / LBJ like albatross around their collective neck. The reason Dick Morris is one of the most astute critics of Obama is precisely because he saw the same tendencies is the less charismatic Clinton, and found the right elixirs to purge him of such suicidal political instincts?just in time to save his presidency. Time to Repent? Whereas Clinton tried to coax the opposition, and out-fox them legislatively, Obama, always the even greater narcissist and more sincere ideologue, is choosing the us/them crusade. But defaming critics, assuming that moderates are apostates, redealing the dog-eared race card, gnashing his teeth at legitimate skepticism?all in pursuit of making America Luxembourg or Belgium, all that will boomerang. Just watch?but avoid Nemesis in our ?We told you so? moments. _____________________ * I hope this is not a ?I told you so? moment, since the idea of such an essay was not not just mine: I offered a few thoughts on the Democrats as Afghan zealots, over a year ago, in World Affairs, at the invitation of my friend, the gifted editor Peter Collier, who easily saw through the ?Let Me Go Get ?Em? tough Obama talk on Afghanistan. Collier was worried that the rhetoric of the future President would get him?and us?in trouble. The more I reviewed the texts of Obama?s whistle-stop braggadacio, energized by toss-offs from the Kerrys and Reids of Congress, the more I agreed and wondered whether Obama knew what he calling down upon himself. In many of the comments posted here during the past three years, many of you readers voiced your own skepticism about this sudden muscularity on Afghanistan?not that you wished it were not true, but rather that you wished it were, but suspected it was not, and that is was a campaign pose. The tragedy is, of course, that the best among us are out there fighting the 7th-Century, and sorely need our support for their magnificent vigilance and the terrible risks they incur. As long as they are in harm?s way, we should hold the President to his boasting about his rock-solid determination to give them the tools they need: Vowing to do what it takes in the good war by leaving Iraq?infusing more troops into Afghanistan, and occasionally invading Pakistan?was for candidate Obama always a rhetorical stance that proved both his anti-Iraq War bona fides and his larger credibility on matters of national security. But President Obama and his mercurial supporters in Congress will soon face a rather embarrassing dilemma. Without the responsibilities of a commander-in-chief, he once demanded we should leave Iraq when leaving would have lost that war. But now, as commander- in-chief he will soon learn that a few thousand more troops will not guarantee lasting victory over the Taliban. And changing strategy from stealthy attacks by aerial drones in Pakistan to open ground incursions across the border risks widening rather than solving the conflict. ?Taking our eye off the ball? was always a dubious campaign talking point. Afghanistan was not the only ?ball? in the global war against terror; we never took our eye off it; and we were always binocular. What we may well see instead is that those who wished more of an American commitment to Afghanistan as cover for their opposition to Iraq will now desert President Obama, as anti-war critics take their eye off a receding Iraq and focus it instead on an increasingly violent Afghanistan?especially given the sensational terrorist acts associated with the near-rogue state of Pakistan. In that case, President Obama may well have to revert to his earlier manifestation of candidate Obama, who campaigned on the notion that a surge of military forces into an apparent quagmire was little more than an unsophisticated act of desperation?in a complex landscape that required American forces to exit and to allow indigenous tribal folks to sort out their own affairs. From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 09:01:58 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 08:01:58 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fw: Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling In-Reply-To: <1F67BBA867C842B5A310F6ADEFBEB32C@YOURB88038198E> References: <1F67BBA867C842B5A310F6ADEFBEB32C@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910080601q76f59d5ha1b6d936508a0dae@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Factcheck.org as revealed their bias on many occasions. Factcheck supporters like to point out the financial support from Annenberg, just as they do the Annenberg Challenge in Chicago that Bill Ayers wrote the grant for and Barack Obama administered, as proof of neutrality because Annenberg was a Republican. That means nothing. Like the Ford family, the Rockefellers, and the like, wealthy people start foundations and they often morph into entities that have no reflection on the founders political beliefs. I take Factcheck with a grain of salt. I'm not a big believer in conspiracy theories but make an exception regarding Soros. He has a long history of financial and political meddling, including almost bankrupting the Bank of England once with currency manipulation. MoveOn.org is but one of hundreds of left-wing political organizations he funds. I raised the issue of crude oil hedging contracts with an airline executive this week and got an interesting reply; "we see nothing that explains the rise in oil prices last summer other than market speculators". Who has the power to manipulate a market so large and diverse? I'm just asking. When Soros is lurking in the background of any deal it makes me nervous. I hope the WSJ stays on the story. Brad On 10/8/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Yesterday, I posted a Wall Street Journal article and an email that lead me > to Wall Street Journal article. I have been challanged on accuracy of > posts, See reply to me below. > > However, looking at source of complaint, 'Factcheck.org' one immediately > notes that that Factcheck.org is funded and assumed controlled by the > 'Annenberg Public Policy Center'. A quick review is that they put a > opinionated twist to the post. Specifically, they mislead, in their > statement: > > "The message claims that George Soros would "benefit most" from the loan, > but that is also a baseless accusation. Soros is a favorite whipping boy of > conservatives because of his early financial help to the liberal group > MoveOn.org. And he is indeed a major investor in Petrobras, through his New > York-based hedge-fund firm, Soros Fund Management LLC. But the hedge fund > recently sold 22 million shares of common stock in the company (which carry > voting rights) while buying 5.8 million shares of preferred stock (which is > non-voting.) As reported by Bloomberg News, Soros reduced his stake in the > company before any of the Ex-Im Bank's promised loan has been dispensed." > > Changing from voting common stock to non voting preferred stock in no way > changes the fact that Soros benefits. The only way for him not to benefit > is to be completely out of the picture before loan was approved. > Futhermore, the hedge fund sold the common stock after the world knew of the > promised loan. The fact that it had not been dispensed does not change its > effect on the stock's future value. > > The real question to be asked was 'what was purchase price and what was > selling price'. > > Sure the original email was slanted. So you had to go back to the Wall > Street article to gain perspective. The Annnenberg fact check is gregiously > flawed in not going to real value in money from the purchase price to the > selling price and factoring in inflation and transactions costs. The > Annenberg article does not honestly and fairly address the beneficiary of > the transactions involved. > > Submitted, > Ed K > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: R22RumRunner at aol.com > To: ekroposki at charter.net > Sent: Thursday, October 08, 2009 7:55 AM > Subject: Re: Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling > > > Ed, > This so called article is a piece of shit. Check the facts. > http://factcheck.org/2009/09/bogus-brazilian-oil-claims/ > > In a message dated 10/7/2009 3:24:36 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > ekroposki at charter.net writes: > > > Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling > Too bad it's not in U.S. waters.You read that headline correctly. > Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is financing oil exploration off > Brazil. > The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil > company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery in > Brazil's Tupi oil field in the Santos Basin near Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's > planning minister confirmed that White House National Security Adviser James > Jones met this month with Brazilian officials to talk about the loan. > > The U.S. Export-Import Bank tells us it has issued a "preliminary > commitment" letter to Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion and has > discussed with Brazil the possibility of increasing that amount. Ex-Im Bank > says it has not decided whether the money will come in the form of a direct > loan or loan guarantees. Either way, this corporate foreign aid may strike > some readers as odd, given that the U.S. Treasury seems desperate for cash > and Petrobras is one of the largest corporations in the Americas. > > But look on the bright side. If President Obama has embraced offshore > drilling in Brazil, why not in the old U.S.A.? The land of the sorta free > and the home of the heavily indebted has enormous offshore oil deposits, and > last year ahead of the November elections, with gasoline at $4 a gallon, > Congress let a ban on offshore drilling expire. > > The Bush Administration's five-year plan (2007-2012) to open the outer > continental shelf to oil exploration included new lease sales in the Gulf of > Mexico. But in 2007 environmentalists went to court to block drilling in > Alaska and in April a federal court ruled in their favor. In May, Interior > Secretary Ken Salazar said his department was unsure whether that ruling > applied only to Alaska or all offshore drilling. So it asked an appeals > court for clarification. Late last month the court said the earlier decision > applied only to Alaska, opening the way for the sale of leases in the Gulf. > Mr. Salazar now says the sales will go forward on August 19. > > This is progress, however slow. But it still doesn't allow the U.S. to > explore in Alaska or along the East and West Coasts, which could be our > equivalent of the Tupi oil fields, which are set to make Brazil a leading > oil exporter. Americans are right to wonder why Mr. Obama is underwriting in > Brazil what he won't allow at home. > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved > > And this is where the reference came from: > > Not reported by --- ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN or MSNBC. > > On 20 August 2009, on a segment of the "Glen Beck Show" > on FCN (Fox Cable News) ... was the following: > > "Today even though President Obama is against offshore > drilling for oil for this country..... He signed an executive order to loan > 2 Billion more of our taxpayers dollars to a Brazilian Oil Exploration > Company (which is the 8th largest company in the entire world) to drill for > oil off the coast of Brazil. > > The oil that comes from this operation is for the sole > purpose and use of China and not the USA. > > The Chinese government is under contract to purchase all > the oil that this oil field will produce, which is hundreds of millions of > barrels of oil". > > We have absolutely no gain from this transaction > whatsoever. > > Wait, it gets more interesting: > > Guess who is the largest individual stockholder of this > Brazilian Oil Company, and who would benefit most from this ---??? > > It is American Billionaire, George Soros, the Liberal > businessman who is a radical left wing supporter, finances "MoveOn.org" as > well as other liberal programs, and was President Obama's largest and most > generous supporter during his campaign. > > Are you able to connect the dots and follow the money > > Not a word of this transaction was on any of the other > news networks. > > Does anyone think this was the type of change Obama > meant ---??? Or, maybe it was. > > ____________________________________________________________ > > On 18 August 2009 - "The Wall Street Journal" > published the same news. > > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574346610120524166.html > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` > > EK > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.421 / Virus Database: 270.14.5/2419 - Release Date: 10/07/09 > 05:18:00 > From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 16:50:14 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 15:50:14 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Health Care Smoke Message-ID: <400985d70910081350l1cfd367cu1bb1bc349bfbd918@mail.gmail.com> There has been a multitude of articles in the past two days that shoot holes through the Baccus "cost neutral" bill, but here is the "the best of the best" to get through the smoke - http://www.cato.org/pressroom.php?display=ncomments&id=287 If you have good employer provided health insurance, you are directly in the cross-hairs. I'd rather be assigned a family and be forced to provide them health insurance. It would certainly cost a lot less than this fiasco will in the long run. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 17:00:36 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 16:00:36 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Is Barack Jesus? Message-ID: <400985d70910081400p6ce331d2u6429e80023366f15@mail.gmail.com> http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=video&video-id=2544 From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 8 22:23:16 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2009 21:23:16 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama Money Message-ID: <400985d70910081923n69c0a11dm34b7503906155649@mail.gmail.com> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKekTG1qvDg From Robert at SquirrelHaven.com Thu Oct 8 10:11:53 2009 From: Robert at SquirrelHaven.com (Robert Skinner) Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:11:53 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Maine, this time of the year In-Reply-To: <955311DE5E8640DEB020F50A3404C797@YOURB88038198E> References: <955311DE5E8640DEB020F50A3404C797@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <4ACDF329.2030501@SquirrelHaven.com> Thanks, Ed for coopting the beautiful gift of Gaia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis ) in your never-ending politicization of otherwise cordial conversation. In return, I hope you and your tribe are approaching the winter solstice and attendant commercial excesses in good health and joyous spirits. Always good to hear from you. And, BTW, we in Maine certainly enjoy the "finner things." We catch a lot of them. And eat them. /Robert Ed Kroposki wrote: > Some of you will recall Bob Skinner, a devout Liberal and Obama acolyte. > Here is an autumn view post, and hopefully not his autumn. > > You might acknowledge the post to him to remind him the world lives and > appreciates the finner things. > > Ed K > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Skinner" > > To: "Friends of Robert Skinner" > Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11:13 PM > Subject: Maine, this time of the year > > > http://www.vintagewings-millersfield.com/fallfoliagetrips2008.html > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 9 10:59:57 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 09:59:57 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Told Ya! Message-ID: <400985d70910090759i791acec5xa3434eade02a4164@mail.gmail.com> This should be obvious - http://tinyurl.com/yedrbxe No one wants to listen - everyone wants to re-invent the wheel. Study Mass and Tennessee. It's been tried folks and it "breaks the bank" every time. Geeeze! Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 9 22:16:00 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 21:16:00 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] WTF? Message-ID: <400985d70910091916w2b148381tda452f2a3895f967@mail.gmail.com> I had to laugh when I read this snippet from Dr. Sanity's blog - -- -F*@K THIS S#%T I do not tend to swear much, but F*@K THIS S#%T. What in God's name is a moron like this doing "advising" the US President??? And, what exactly is she advising him to do?? Sharia law isn't 'misunderstood'; anybody with a brain understands its purpose all too well. And, I ask again, WTF is this moron doing advising the President? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? Beck?Bold --- For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Sanity, she's a practicing psychiatrist who does/did work for NASA. Here's the article that pissed her off so - http://tinyurl.com/ylq7stw The world has gone mad! Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 9 22:32:29 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 21:32:29 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] And The Winner Is? Message-ID: <400985d70910091932h33cd6b6auf5a9ca54e260a2a6@mail.gmail.com> Winner for the best response to the Nobel Prize announcement ........ http://twitter.com/Michael_Yon/status/4733234980 Yon is the best war correspondent of our time. http://www.michaelyon-online.com/ He survives on donations so spare some change if you can. Yon is almost the sole source of reality based news on Afghanistan (and most of it hasn't been good for some time - when he said we were losing in Iraq, we were). Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 10 09:24:34 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:24:34 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Money Message-ID: <400985d70910100624l3988b3fr69df1639d782c2a@mail.gmail.com> Here is the "money quote" - " All this massive spending and borrowing is killing us." Yup, we're gonna relive the late 70's again, complete with a disruption in the oil supply soon enough. We're way beyond "politics as usual", liberals versus conservatives, Democrats v Republicans. No sane and rational person can explain how we're going to pay off the debt without massive inflation. There aren't enough "rich" to do it alone without crippling the economy. Obama's redistribution plan will work about as well as all redistribution plans have throughout history. American capital is running scared and who in their right mind wants to hold dollars? The Chinese "done broke the code". They are better off buying US assets rather than debt. Hummmmmmmer. Brad --------------------- Friday, October 09, 2009 Save the Greenback, Mr. President [Larry Kudlow] We know that gold is soaring. And we know the dollar is slumping. But, did you know that year-to-date, while the S&P 500 is up 18 percent ? a great showing, no doubt ? gold is up even more? The precious metal is up 21 percent. In other words, measured in true, gold-backed purchasing power, stocks have really done nothing this year. Zip. It is most disappointing. I try to be optimistic about better earnings, a stock-market rally, and economic recovery. And I?m sticking to my guns. But what we?re seeing right now is pretty darn close to what we witnessed in the 1970s ? the rise in gold and inflation really cuts into the stock market. So what?s the way out? Well for starters, we need a stable dollar to stop inflationary pressures. And we also need lower tax rates to spur the economy, help it grow, and reduce unemployment. I?ve been calling this the Mundell-Laffer supply-side solution, after Nobel Prize?winning economist Robert Mundell and my mentor, former Reagan advisor Arthur Laffer. It was put to work with great success nearly 30 years ago to stop stagflation. It also launched a 20-year bull-market recovery. Put simply, the Mundell-Laffer model exercises monetary restraint to save the dollar ? and low marginal tax rates for economic-growth incentives that benefit investors, risk takers, small businesses, and workers. Right now, for therapy, the Fed should begin moving excess cash from the economy, and they should raise their target rate. Take a page from the Reserve Bank of Australia?s playbook and move rates higher. In addition, the Treasury ought to get out there and buy these unwanted dollars in the marketplace. Just go out there and bid for them. And they need to stop printing so much debt from Congress. All this massive spending and borrowing is killing us. We need to be slashing tax rates on large and small businesses. There?s just no better place to begin job creation. And leave the Bush tax cuts in place, for heaven?s sake. This supply-side shock therapy would save the dollar. And it would put real long-term torque into the recovery. We?re supposed to be in an era of post-partisanship. So in this spirit, I?d like to respectfully ask President Obama and his economic team to give this plan a try. It worked for JFK. It also worked for Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. It can work for you as well. The time has come to save the greenback and grow the economy, sir. From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 11 20:53:55 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:53:55 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Military Takeover Message-ID: <400985d70910111753w750bccd0s4b17c68cc9fb1ee9@mail.gmail.com> Since China already owns us, maybe they'll want to send some soldiers over to look after their investment. It might not be so bad - I vote for this detachment. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/01/content_12148065.htm Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 12 08:40:44 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:40:44 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Gone Fishing! Message-ID: <400985d70910120540w142d2c27m46fd893d6cf3318@mail.gmail.com> Oh for gawds sake, is nothing safe anymore? Ninety days to "zone" fishing areas - the world has gone, er, dictator? Brad ------------- Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don't need you IRVINE, Calif. USA ? October 5, 2009 ? A recently published administration document outlines a structure that could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters. Under the guise of ?protecting? these areas, the current second phase of the Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by December 9, 2009. Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, ?In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast. Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water was adopted into the report verbatim ? the key points we submitted as an industry were ignored.? Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the United States and supports jobs in every state according to government figures. Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle to fishery conservation and education for decades. In addition to the economic aspects, anglers lead the nation in volunteer conservation efforts on behalf of improving fish habitat, water quality and related environmental areas. ?There was no mention of the fishery conservation efforts which anglers have led for over 50 years in every state ? an environmental success story that has no equal in the world?, said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental Affairs for Shimano. ?The Task Force did not make any distinction between the dramatic differences between harmful commercial fishing harvest methods and recreational fishing, even though we spelled it out for them in detail,? added Morlock. Claiming to be the result of a public consultation process the report states, ?Having considered a broad range of public comments, this report reflects the requests and concerns of all interested parties.? The original White House memo and not surprisingly the Task Force report contains multiple references to developing a national policy where Great Lakes and coastal regions are managed, ?consistent with international law, including customary international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea? - a 300-page treaty the U.S. has never ratified. ?We question what implications there will be for state authority and jurisdiction in the Great Lakes and coastal regions if the U.S. adopts the U.N. Treaty,? said Pfeiffer. The report makes it clear that future authority for implementing the policy for coastal and inland waters will fall under White House jurisdiction with a new National Ocean Council comprised of over 20 federal agencies at Cabinet Secretary or Deputy Secretary level. No reference to Congressional jurisdiction is indicated. ?This significant change in U.S. policy direction is the result of a 90-day fire drill process as ordered by the President that, not surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity and quality in the end product,? said Morlock. ?People who simply want to take their kids fishing on public waters deserve better from their government,? he added. Shimano is joining with other members of the recreational fishing industry to urge anglers to contact their members of Congress and the administration to request this process be required to adopt the economic, conservation and social contributions of recreational fishing as key elements of the policy. It is critical that we ensure Congressional oversight and state jurisdiction and management continues. E-letters can be sent to the administration and members of Congress by visiting KeepAmericaFishing.org. The future of fishing is in your hands. ### Editor?s Note: Phil Morlock is attending Congressional Sportsmen?s Caucus functions this week in Washington, DC, but will make himself available for questions, interviews on this. Contact John Mazurkiewicz with Catalyst Marketing for arrangements. From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 12 09:12:29 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:12:29 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Inconvenient Truth Message-ID: <400985d70910120612t27f23656ud77e0e86e87494fa@mail.gmail.com> I used to say Al Gore was a "useful idiot" because his global warming scare tactics might influence some good legislation, like raising the fleet MPG requirements. Anything that makes us less vulnerable to imported oil is good. But, now that Cap-n-Trade is nearing a reality it is time to call Gore out for what he really is - a dangerous statist. I was always taught that the true sign of intelligence was being able to argue both sides of an issue. This is Gore's idea of a debate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf-fzVH6v_U&feature=player_embedded India and China are laughing their asses off at the US. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 12 11:35:49 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:35:49 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] DC Protest Message-ID: <400985d70910120835l6b4d5ec9t326971a95d1c768@mail.gmail.com> No, this is not about "teabaggers". Although, did you read that the Tea Party is blasting the GOP? Well duuuuuh. It never was partisan. The "dead tree" media is either too stupid or too biased to report this. I go with stupid. On another issue, education, these people had this to say - http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=video&video-id=2557 As a union member and former union organizer, I don't have a problem with unions, but, everything in moderation. Dear President Obama - Helloooooooo? Brad From mweisner at ebsmed.com Mon Oct 12 12:45:59 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:45:59 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Great online email checker - any truth here: References: <39F3EB1E9FC741D5B5F974EC960BDBF7@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <4377CAFB1F1B41DBAE612206934D884F@ebsoffice> Ed, I think that the task force is working within the charged presidential mandate from June: http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009ocean_mem_rel.pdf If you wish to read the 38 page report, check out; http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/09_17_09_Interim_Report_of_Task_Force_FINAL2.pdf Public comments may be submitted at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/ Public meetings will be held at various locations and dates (some already passed): http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/publicmeetings/ It is too early to read anything further into the interim results. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Kroposki To: Mike Weisner Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 10:53 AM Subject: Great online email checker - any truth here: Any truth to Brad's post" http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/2009-October/001849.html Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don't need you IRVINE, Calif. USA - October 5, 2009 - A recently published administration document outlines a structure that could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters. Under the guise of 'protecting' these areas, the current second phase of the Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by December 9, 2009. Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, "In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast. Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water was adopted into the report verbatim - the key points we submitted as an industry were ignored." Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the United States and supports jobs in every state according to government figures. Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle to fishery conservation and education for decades. In addition to the economic aspects, anglers lead the nation in volunteer conservation efforts on behalf of improving fish habitat, water quality and related environmental areas. "There was no mention of the fishery conservation efforts which anglers have led for over 50 years in every state - an environmental success story that has no equal in the world", said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental Affairs for Shimano. "The Task Force did not make any distinction between the dramatic differences between harmful commercial fishing harvest methods and recreational fishing, even though we spelled it out for them in detail," added Morlock. Claiming to be the result of a public consultation process the report states, "Having considered a broad range of public comments, this report reflects the requests and concerns of all interested parties." The original White House memo and not surprisingly the Task Force report contains multiple references to developing a national policy where Great Lakes and coastal regions are managed, "consistent with international law, including customary international law as reflected in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" - a 300-page treaty the U.S. has never ratified. "We question what implications there will be for state authority and jurisdiction in the Great Lakes and coastal regions if the U.S. adopts the U.N. Treaty," said Pfeiffer. The report makes it clear that future authority for implementing the policy for coastal and inland waters will fall under White House jurisdiction with a new National Ocean Council comprised of over 20 federal agencies at Cabinet Secretary or Deputy Secretary level. No reference to Congressional jurisdiction is indicated. "This significant change in U.S. policy direction is the result of a 90-day fire drill process as ordered by the President that, not surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity and quality in the end product," said Morlock. "People who simply want to take their kids fishing on public waters deserve better from their government," he added. Shimano is joining with other members of the recreational fishing industry to urge anglers to contact their members of Congress and the administration to request this process be required to adopt the economic, conservation and social contributions of recreational fishing as key elements of the policy. It is critical that we ensure Congressional oversight and state jurisdiction and management continues. E-letters can be sent to the administration and members of Congress by visiting KeepAmericaFishing.org. The future of fishing is in your hands. ### Editor's Note: Phil Morlock is attending Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus functions this week in Washington, DC, but will make himself available for questions, interviews on this. Contact John Mazurkiewicz with Catalyst Marketing for arrangements. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6273 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091012/82f57fb2/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 12 13:04:43 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:04:43 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Great online email checker - any truth here: In-Reply-To: <4377CAFB1F1B41DBAE612206934D884F@ebsoffice> References: <39F3EB1E9FC741D5B5F974EC960BDBF7@YOURB88038198E> <4377CAFB1F1B41DBAE612206934D884F@ebsoffice> Message-ID: <400985d70910121004i263583c0w63465446520dba80@mail.gmail.com> Mike, This just crossed my radar this morning (see earlier post). The bottom line - 90 days! Everything is a crisis! The means and methods should be clear by now - think Reichstag burning. 2010 cant come soon enough! Brad On 10/12/09, Michael D. Weisner wrote: > Ed, > > I think that the task force is working within the charged presidential > mandate from June: > http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009ocean_mem_rel.pdf > > If you wish to read the 38 page report, check out; > http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/09_17_09_Interim_Report_of_Task_Force_FINAL2.pdf > > Public comments may be submitted at: > http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/ > > Public meetings will be held at various locations and dates (some already > passed): > http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/publicmeetings/ > > It is too early to read anything further into the interim results. > > Mike > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Ed Kroposki > To: Mike Weisner > Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 10:53 AM > Subject: Great online email checker - any truth here: > > > Any truth to Brad's post" > > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/2009-October/001849.html > > Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don't need you > IRVINE, Calif. USA - October 5, 2009 - A recently published > administration document outlines a structure that could result in > closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. > The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in > June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal > policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters. Under the > guise of 'protecting' these areas, the current second phase of the > Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close > vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by > December 9, 2009. > > Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, > "In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing > community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to > include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million > anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast. > Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water > was adopted into the report verbatim - the key points we submitted as > an industry were ignored." > > Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the > United States and supports jobs in every state according to government > figures. Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have > provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle > to fishery conservation and education for decades. > > In addition to the economic aspects, anglers lead the nation in > volunteer conservation efforts on behalf of improving fish habitat, > water quality and related environmental areas. "There was no mention > of the fishery conservation efforts which anglers have led for over 50 > years in every state - an environmental success story that has no > equal in the world", said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental > Affairs for Shimano. "The Task Force did not make any distinction > between the dramatic differences between harmful commercial fishing > harvest methods and recreational fishing, even though we spelled it > out for them in detail," added Morlock. > > Claiming to be the result of a public consultation process the report > states, "Having considered a broad range of public comments, this > report reflects the requests and concerns of all interested parties." > > The original White House memo and not surprisingly the Task Force > report contains multiple references to developing a national policy > where Great Lakes and coastal regions are managed, "consistent with > international law, including customary international law as reflected > in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" - a > 300-page treaty the U.S. has never ratified. > > "We question what implications there will be for state authority and > jurisdiction in the Great Lakes and coastal regions if the U.S. adopts > the U.N. Treaty," said Pfeiffer. > > The report makes it clear that future authority for implementing the > policy for coastal and inland waters will fall under White House > jurisdiction with a new National Ocean Council comprised of over 20 > federal agencies at Cabinet Secretary or Deputy Secretary level. No > reference to Congressional jurisdiction is indicated. > > "This significant change in U.S. policy direction is the result of a > 90-day fire drill process as ordered by the President that, not > surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity and quality in the end product," > said Morlock. "People who simply want to take their kids fishing on > public waters deserve better from their government," he added. > > Shimano is joining with other members of the recreational fishing > industry to urge anglers to contact their members of Congress and the > administration to request this process be required to adopt the > economic, conservation and social contributions of recreational > fishing as key elements of the policy. It is critical that we ensure > Congressional oversight and state jurisdiction and management > continues. > > E-letters can be sent to the administration and members of Congress by > visiting KeepAmericaFishing.org. The future of fishing is in your > hands. > > ### > Editor's Note: Phil Morlock is attending Congressional Sportsmen's > Caucus functions this week in Washington, DC, but will make himself > available for questions, interviews on this. Contact John Mazurkiewicz > with Catalyst Marketing for arrangements. > > > > -- > I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. > We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. > SPAMfighter has removed 6273 of my spam emails to date. > Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len > > The Professional version does not have this message > From mweisner at ebsmed.com Mon Oct 12 13:28:23 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:28:23 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Great online email checker - any truthhere: References: <39F3EB1E9FC741D5B5F974EC960BDBF7@YOURB88038198E><4377CAFB1F1B41DBAE612206934D884F@ebsoffice> <400985d70910121004i263583c0w63465446520dba80@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <73E0CEBEEEA1464CBC7D83ECE8787006@ebsoffice> Brad, Although I find much to disagree with in the current administration (as well as the past administrations), please READ the original memo from Mr. Obama at:(http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009ocean_mem_rel.pdf). First, the memo reestablished a defunct committee from an '04 X-order. The TF was then charged to prepare a national policy and an implementation strategy within 90 days. "Within 180 days from the date of this memorandum, the Task Force shall develop, with appropriate public input, a recommended framework for effective coastal and marine spatial planning." I think that 6 months to put together a framework is reasonable. I think that this document would then be used to generate appropriate policy and legislation. If you want to find a problem with the X-order, look carefully at the phrasing of "This memorandum covers matters involving the oceans, the Great Lakes, the coasts of the United States (including its territories and possessions), and related seabed, subsoil, and living and non-living resources." Can you say offshore drilling? I pick my fights carefully and this ain't one of them, at least not yet. Mike From: "Brad Haslett" Monday, October 12, 2009 1:04 PM > Mike, > > This just crossed my radar this morning (see earlier post). The > bottom line - 90 days! Everything is a crisis! The means and methods > should be clear by now - think Reichstag burning. 2010 cant come soon > enough! > > Brad > > On 10/12/09, Michael D. Weisner wrote: >> Ed, >> >> I think that the task force is working within the charged presidential >> mandate from June: >> http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009ocean_mem_rel.pdf >> >> If you wish to read the 38 page report, check out; >> http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/09_17_09_Interim_Report_of_Task_Force_FINAL2.pdf >> >> Public comments may be submitted at: >> http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/ >> >> Public meetings will be held at various locations and dates (some already >> passed): >> http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/oceans/publicmeetings/ >> >> It is too early to read anything further into the interim results. >> >> Mike >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Ed Kroposki >> To: Mike Weisner >> Sent: Monday, October 12, 2009 10:53 AM >> Subject: Great online email checker - any truth here: >> >> >> Any truth to Brad's post" >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/2009-October/001849.html >> >> Feds to 60 Million American Anglers: We don't need you >> IRVINE, Calif. USA - October 5, 2009 - A recently published >> administration document outlines a structure that could result in >> closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas across America. >> The White House created an Interagency Oceans Policy Task Force in >> June and gave them only 90 days to develop a comprehensive federal >> policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great Lakes waters. Under the >> guise of 'protecting' these areas, the current second phase of the >> Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may permanently close >> vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be completed by >> December 9, 2009. >> >> Dave Pfeiffer, President of Shimano American Corporation explained, >> "In spite of extensive submissions from the recreational fishing >> community to the Task Force in person and in writing, they failed to >> include any mention of the over one million jobs or the 6o million >> anglers which may be affected by the new policies coast to coast. >> Input from the environmental groups who want to put us off the water >> was adopted into the report verbatim - the key points we submitted as >> an industry were ignored." >> >> Recreational fishing generates a $125 billion annual economy in the >> United States and supports jobs in every state according to government >> figures. Through the Sport Fish Restoration program, anglers have >> provided more than $5 billion through excise taxes on fishing tackle >> to fishery conservation and education for decades. >> >> In addition to the economic aspects, anglers lead the nation in >> volunteer conservation efforts on behalf of improving fish habitat, >> water quality and related environmental areas. "There was no mention >> of the fishery conservation efforts which anglers have led for over 50 >> years in every state - an environmental success story that has no >> equal in the world", said Phil Morlock, Director, Environmental >> Affairs for Shimano. "The Task Force did not make any distinction >> between the dramatic differences between harmful commercial fishing >> harvest methods and recreational fishing, even though we spelled it >> out for them in detail," added Morlock. >> >> Claiming to be the result of a public consultation process the report >> states, "Having considered a broad range of public comments, this >> report reflects the requests and concerns of all interested parties." >> >> The original White House memo and not surprisingly the Task Force >> report contains multiple references to developing a national policy >> where Great Lakes and coastal regions are managed, "consistent with >> international law, including customary international law as reflected >> in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" - a >> 300-page treaty the U.S. has never ratified. >> >> "We question what implications there will be for state authority and >> jurisdiction in the Great Lakes and coastal regions if the U.S. adopts >> the U.N. Treaty," said Pfeiffer. >> >> The report makes it clear that future authority for implementing the >> policy for coastal and inland waters will fall under White House >> jurisdiction with a new National Ocean Council comprised of over 20 >> federal agencies at Cabinet Secretary or Deputy Secretary level. No >> reference to Congressional jurisdiction is indicated. >> >> "This significant change in U.S. policy direction is the result of a >> 90-day fire drill process as ordered by the President that, not >> surprisingly, lacks balance, clarity and quality in the end product," >> said Morlock. "People who simply want to take their kids fishing on >> public waters deserve better from their government," he added. >> >> Shimano is joining with other members of the recreational fishing >> industry to urge anglers to contact their members of Congress and the >> administration to request this process be required to adopt the >> economic, conservation and social contributions of recreational >> fishing as key elements of the policy. It is critical that we ensure >> Congressional oversight and state jurisdiction and management >> continues. >> >> E-letters can be sent to the administration and members of Congress by >> visiting KeepAmericaFishing.org. The future of fishing is in your >> hands. >> >> ### >> Editor's Note: Phil Morlock is attending Congressional Sportsmen's >> Caucus functions this week in Washington, DC, but will make himself >> available for questions, interviews on this. Contact John Mazurkiewicz >> with Catalyst Marketing for arrangements. >> >> >> >> -- >> I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. >> We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. >> SPAMfighter has removed 6273 of my spam emails to date. >> Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len >> >> The Professional version does not have this message >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6273 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091012/0e5e9c02/attachment-0001.html From ekroposki at charter.net Mon Oct 12 18:35:44 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:35:44 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ Message-ID: <4676799C2B5B4F4F94A1AD67A2EB0ED2@YOURB88038198E> See attachments -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091012/e43dac2c/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 13 07:18:44 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:18:44 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Utube dedicated to Rik Message-ID: <6A88943E59D84A119E026F0C318650FB@YOURB88038198E> (2nd posting) While we pound away on our keyboards, this guy from Michigan sounds like some on this forum. This Utube is dedicated to Rik: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091013/f8a25fde/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 13 09:15:26 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:15:26 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Utube dedicated to Rik In-Reply-To: <6A88943E59D84A119E026F0C318650FB@YOURB88038198E> References: <6A88943E59D84A119E026F0C318650FB@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910130615n56764074u45ddad031526932f@mail.gmail.com> Ed, New day, new bill. Actually, we're debating something that doesn't even exist - there is no bill. Initially, the insurance companies and pharmaceuticals thought they had a deal with Obama, now they've relearned the old lesson "there is no honor amongst thieves". http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091012/D9B9QLO81.html A lot of industries think (or thought) they could game the system in their favor, not unlike the industrialists of Germany and Italy in the 30's. It won't work in the long run. I sat through several presentations from executives of a Fortune 100 company last week and winced in my seat when one began discussing potential threats on the horizon for his industry. He mentioned "social costs" and went on to imply that at some point companies would "load shed" the financial burdens of health care to the government if that was an option. No company who wanted to remain competitive could do otherwise. This is precisely what Obama has in mind - he's on record several times stating just that. The current debate is not about insuring 50 million or 15 million, or whatever the latest number, it is about NATIONALIZING HEALTH CARE. The insurance industry is finally waking-up to this fact and is fighting back. As a reminder, the profit margin for the insurance industry is less than 4%. They make Billions in profit because the market is so large. Does anyone really believe that government can operate more efficiently and save that less than 4% margin through efficiency? Here's another way to look at the problem - Obama says there's 50 million uninsured. The State of Tennessee managed to find affordable health-care for the uninsured after their experiment failed for around $200 per month. Assuming that is a reasonable number (and it is), that would amount to 120 Billion a year for the nation. Where is that money coming from? Are we going to borrow it? I don't think so, the potential lenders don't want US dollars - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7mHS_OElufk This is insane. Now the Nobel Peace Prize winner declares war on Fox News because one network dares to point out the flaws in his programs and the questionable background of some of his appointees. Everyone gets one vote and many think they can vote themselves a raise. Not so. Money votes too and "capital is going on strike". FDR got that part of the Great Depression right. Brad On 10/13/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > (2nd posting) > > > While we pound away on our keyboards, this guy from Michigan sounds like > some on this forum. > > This Utube is dedicated to Rik: > > http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc > > Ed K From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 13 10:58:54 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:58:54 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Utube dedicated to Rik In-Reply-To: <400985d70910130615n56764074u45ddad031526932f@mail.gmail.com> References: <6A88943E59D84A119E026F0C318650FB@YOURB88038198E> <400985d70910130615n56764074u45ddad031526932f@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910130758u1f1c1efbtec7a5a4aecd205b5@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Another follow-on observation (below). First, employer provided health-care WILL go away, it is inevitable if the Dems get a bill passed. My personal plan for Cora and myself (Fan has her own coverage) will only stay in place if we negotiate it to stay in place. Once the tax on the "Cadillac plan" exceeds the benefits we'll trade it for direct compensation (I'm already taxed on "excess" life insurance benefits). This isn't idle speculation, this is reality, now. Anyone who truly believes the middle and working class won't be hit with massive increases in taxes to support this re-distribution scheme is truly a fool. That's the problem, a sizable proportion of the voting population doesn't care because they think they won't pay. Union employees are what, 7% of the population, most of them in government? I support collective bargaining but I'm also a realist. This will accelerate manufacturing jobs going overseas or to mechanization. There's going to be a lot of disappointed firefighters, policemen, and school teachers when they figure out their "safe" retirement is bankrupt. It is happening right now. Brad --------------- Taxing Our Patients Posted By Jennifer Rubin On October 13, 2009 As the New York Times [1] reports, there is a jumbo fight brewing among Democrats over just how much they?re going to tax the middle class in the name of health-care reform. Senate Democrats want to tax so-called Cadillac health-care plans to pay for the gargantuan health-care bill, while House Democrats don?t think it?s a good idea to whack middle-class voters, and especially union members. Well, on this one, House Democrats have a point: In a preliminary estimate, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation calculated that absent any such employer efforts, 14 percent of family health policies and 19 percent of individual policies would be hit by the tax in 2013. By 2019, according to the estimate, 37 percent of family policies and 41 percent of individual policies would be affected. Those numbers rise over time in these calculations because although the initial tax threshold would increase with the economy?s overall inflation, premiums would be expected to rise even faster. The tax really won?t be paid, because employers will start cutting back on health-care benefits, say supporters of the scheme. Turning Cadillac health-care plans into Yugo health-care plans won?t be so easy for unionized employers with collective bargaining obligations. But the idea that the problem will be ?solved? by taking away current health-care benefits runs smack into Obama?s promise that we?ll all get to keep the health-care benefits we have. Apparently we won?t. And let?s suppose all employers cut back so there aren?t so many Cadillac plans out there. Where is the money going to come from to pay for the whole scheme? We were promised, you recall, that this reform was going to save money. Well, not if the tax doesn?t materialize. You can?t help but marvel at what?s going on here. The Democrats are fighting among themselves on how to tax and slash health-care benefits for their own constituents. Democrats fear doing nothing on health-care reform and that wary voters will punish them for inaction. But once voters catch on to what that action is, they may be very, very upset. Article printed from Commentary: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs URL to article: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/125022 URLs in this post: [1] New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/health/policy/13plans.html?_r=1&hp On 10/13/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Ed, > > New day, new bill. Actually, we're debating something that doesn't > even exist - there is no bill. Initially, the insurance companies and > pharmaceuticals thought they had a deal with Obama, now they've > relearned the old lesson "there is no honor amongst thieves". > > http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091012/D9B9QLO81.html > > A lot of industries think (or thought) they could game the system in > their favor, not unlike the industrialists of Germany and Italy in the > 30's. It won't work in the long run. I sat through several > presentations from executives of a Fortune 100 company last week and > winced in my seat when one began discussing potential threats on the > horizon for his industry. He mentioned "social costs" and went on to > imply that at some point companies would "load shed" the financial > burdens of health care to the government if that was an option. No > company who wanted to remain competitive could do otherwise. This is > precisely what Obama has in mind - he's on record several times > stating just that. > > The current debate is not about insuring 50 million or 15 million, or > whatever the latest number, it is about NATIONALIZING HEALTH CARE. The > insurance industry is finally waking-up to this fact and is fighting > back. As a reminder, the profit margin for the insurance industry is > less than 4%. They make Billions in profit because the market is so > large. Does anyone really believe that government can operate more > efficiently and save that less than 4% margin through efficiency? > > Here's another way to look at the problem - Obama says there's 50 > million uninsured. The State of Tennessee managed to find affordable > health-care for the uninsured after their experiment failed for around > $200 per month. Assuming that is a reasonable number (and it is), > that would amount to 120 Billion a year for the nation. Where is that > money coming from? Are we going to borrow it? I don't think so, the > potential lenders don't want US dollars - > > http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7mHS_OElufk > > This is insane. Now the Nobel Peace Prize winner declares war on Fox > News because one network dares to point out the flaws in his programs > and the questionable background of some of his appointees. > > Everyone gets one vote and many think they can vote themselves a > raise. Not so. Money votes too and "capital is going on strike". > FDR got that part of the Great Depression right. > > Brad > > On 10/13/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: >> (2nd posting) >> >> >> While we pound away on our keyboards, this guy from Michigan sounds like >> some on this forum. >> >> This Utube is dedicated to Rik: >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc >> >> Ed K > From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 13 19:38:14 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:38:14 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Do not get too sick ... Message-ID: <66FFFC9A404B4923A9DDF924C1E99F83@YOURB88038198E> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CZAR WARS Sunstein: Take organs from 'helpless patients' 'Though it may sound grotesque, routine removal would save lives' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: October 12, 2009 9:34 pm Eastern By Aaron Klein ? 2009 WorldNetDaily Cass Sunstein TEL AVIV - President Obama's newly confirmed regulatory czar defended the possibility of removing organs from terminally ill patients without their permission. Cass Sunstein also has strongly pushed for the removal of organs from deceased individuals who did not explicitly consent to becoming organ donors. In his 2008 book, "Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness," Sunstein and co-author Richard Thaler discussed multiple legal scenarios regarding organ donation. One possibility presented in the book, termed by Sunstein as "routine removal," posits that "the state owns the rights to body parts of people who are dead or in certain hopeless conditions, and it can remove their organs without asking anyone's permission." "Though it may sound grotesque, routine removal is not impossible to defend," wrote Sunstein. "In theory, it would save lives, and it would do so without intruding on anyone who has any prospect for life." Get Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny" for the amazing price of just $4.95 - today only! Sunstein continued: "Although this approach is not used comprehensively by any state, many states do use the rule for corneas (which can be transplanted to give some blind patients sight). In some states, medical examiners performing autopsies are permitted to remove corneas without asking anyone's permission." Sunstein's example of medical examiners removing corneas, however, applies only to patients who are already declared deceased. After defending the position, Sunstein conceded the "routine removal" approach "violates a generally accepted principle, which is that within broad limits, individuals should be able to decide what is to be done with and to their bodies." Still, Sunstein did not add that the removal of organs from a living individual should be banned. Also in the same book, CNS News previously noted Sunstein argued for removing organs from deceased patients who are not registered as organ donors, a policy not without precedent. Spain and some European Union countries have been debating accepting a law of implied consent. Writes Sunstein: "A policy that can pass libertarian muster by our standards is called presumed consent." "Presumed consent preserves freedom of choice, but it is different from explicit consent because it shifts the default rule. Under this policy, all citizens would be presumed to be consenting donors, but they would have the opportunity to register their unwillingness to donate, and they could do so easily. We want to underline the word easily, because the harder it is to register your unwillingness to participate, the less libertarian the policy becomes." Sunstein continues: "Although presumed consent is an extremely effective way to increase the supply of organs available for transplant, it may not be an easy sell politically. Some will object to the idea of 'presuming' anything when it comes to such a sensitive matter. We are not sure that these objections are convincing, but this is surely a domain in which forced choosing, or what is referred to in this domain as mandated choice, has considerable appeal." Sunstein advocates making it mandatory for all citizens to register either as an organ donor or as unwilling to donate their organs. "Mandated choice could be implemented through a simple addition to the driver's license registration scheme used in many states. With mandated choice, renewal of your driver's license would be accompanied by a requirement that you check a box stating your organ donation preferences. Your application would not be accepted unless you had checked one of the boxes. The options might include 'yes, willing to donate' and 'no, unwilling to donate.'" Government must fund abortion Sunstein is not shy about his view concerning rights to life or abortion. WND reported that in his 1993 book, "The Partial Constitution," Sunstein argued the government should be required to fund abortion in cases such as rape or incest. "I have argued that the Constitution ... forbids government from refusing to pay the expenses of abortion in cases of rape or incest, at least if government pays for childbirth in such cases," Sunstein wrote. The Obama czar asserts that funding only childbirth but not abortion "has the precise consequence of turning women into involuntary incubators." Sunstein argues that refusing to fund abortion "would require poor women to be breeders," while co-opting women's bodies "in the service of third parties" - referring to fetuses. Sunstein wrote he has no problem with forcing taxpayers to fund abortions even if they morally object to their money being used for such a purpose. He wrote: "There would be no tension with the establishment clause if people with religious or other objections were forced to pay for that procedure (abortion). Indeed, taxpayers are often forced to pay for things - national defense, welfare, certain forms of art, and others - to which they have powerful moral and even religious objections." http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=112757 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091013/349a4beb/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1459 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091013/349a4beb/attachment-0001.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 9593 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091013/349a4beb/attachment-0001.jpe From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 14 07:17:09 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:17:09 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] He Cuts Quite A Figure Message-ID: <400985d70910140417sf745c6fnb758a0fa1874defb@mail.gmail.com> This is a new series from the boyz at Powerline and isn't the first report about this administration's ability to blow through money. Does anyone recall Air Force One being used so often? Date night in NYC? DC to Western Virginia? This may seem petty but it is a good indicator of how much respect they have for YOUR money. Brad ------------------- He cuts quite a figure, Part One Share Post Print October 13, 2009 Posted by Paul at 10:49 PM I think everyone agrees that President Obama cuts quite a figure as he dashes around the world giving flowery speeches in which he apologizes for America while, in the interest of balance, he suggests that we're not the only nation that has sinned. It's more difficult to agree as to just what kind of figure Obama cuts. There's no doubt that Obama is admired by many ordinary foreigners, though perhaps not so many in Eastern Europe and certainly not many in Israel. But ordinary foreigners do not make the decisions that matter to Americans, unless we happen to be tourists. So the key question is how Obama is perceived by the foreigners who do make them. These foreigners aren't quick to provide a candid public assessment of the U.S. president. Nonetheless, there are reports that French President Sarkozy considers Obama to be a bit ridiculous. Now, I'm reasonably confident that Sarkozy is jealous of Obama's mass popularity. But jealousy probably explains why Sarkozy has let his contempt show, not necessarily the existence of that contempt. Italian Prime Minister Burlusconi is another European leader who seems underwhelmed by Obama. I suspect that Sarkozy and Burlusconi are the tip of the iceberg. France and Italy are allies. How does the political class in countries adverse to the U.S. see Obama? If my Russian sources are reliable, the answer is that Obama is viewed there mostly with amusement. Some of the amusement stems from his trip to Russia this summer. My sources were amused by the flotilla of Air Force jets that brought him and his entourage to Moscow. They were also taken (but not necessarily impressed by) the fact that Obama and his crew took over the Ritz Carlton hotel, where rooms start at around $1,200 per night and the presidential suite goes for $13,000. The Marriott had been good enough for Presidents Clinton and Bush. Rooms there -- described as similar to Marriott rooms in the U.S. -- can be had for around $350. I was also told (but have not been able to confirm) that Bush himself stayed at the Ambassador's residence, rather than in a hotel as Obama did. Russia has seen self-aggrandizing, luxury loving heads of state before. What really has turned Russian heads, according to my sources, is Obama's eagerness to give things away. The Russians, you see, are hard-nosed. They drive hard bargains in their dealings with themselves and perhaps harder still with outsiders. They may even take what they can't get through hard bargaining when you're not looking. Throughout the Cold War, except to some extent during the Carter years, the U.S. responded more or less in kind to Russian hard-bargaining. In the modern era, President Bush, prodded by Vice President Cheney, eventually did so as well. It probably never occurred to the Russians that a U.S. president would come to power hoping to "reset" relations with Russian on some basis other than the hard bargain and the "trust but verify" mentality. Yet this is precisely what has fallen into the Kremlin's lap. From what I've heard, the Russian elites can neither believe their good fortune nor hide their amusement. From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 14 07:39:55 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:39:55 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Captain Ron provides morning entertainment Message-ID: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alNxLjCBJc&feature=related Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091014/0323a0fe/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 14 08:09:47 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:09:47 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Man of Peace Message-ID: <400985d70910140509o1dc11df1x1877e11f8c132f01@mail.gmail.com> Top Quotes From This Year's Nobel Peace Prize Award Winner Obama on political opponents: "They Bring a Knife...We Bring a Gun" Obama to His Followers: "Get in Their Faces!" Obama on ACORN Mobs: "I don't want to quell anger. I think people are right to be angry! I'm angry!" Obama To His Mercenary Army: ?Hit Back Twice As Hard? Obama on the killer Iranian regime murdering their own people in the street: (Silence) Obama on the keeping US troops in Iraq (2007): The United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there. Obama arguing against keeping a baby alive after the baby survives an abortion: "Essentially adding an additional doctor who then has to be called in an emergency situation to come in and make these assessments is really designed simply to burden the original decision." Truly, he is a man of peace. From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 14 09:13:08 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:13:08 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fake But Accurate Message-ID: <400985d70910140613v620bb683n544fa700e3596f2b@mail.gmail.com> One would think that the "dead tree" media would look at their failing business model and previous embarrassments and do some homework. Nope! Ain't gonna happen. I personally don't listen to Rush but if he had in fact said the things attributed to him recently, the Jessie Jackson's and Al Sharpton's would have been on his case as quickly as they were Imus. Once again, the foreign press has to do the job the American media can't or won't do. http://tinyurl.com/yhbvmbb How's that post-racial Presidency working out for you? Brad From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 13 07:09:45 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:09:45 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Utube dedicated to Rik Message-ID: While we pound away on our keyboards, this guy from Michigan sounds like some on this forum. This Utube is dedicated to Rik: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=G44NCvNDLfc Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091013/aadd863f/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 14 15:06:47 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:06:47 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Interview with Russian Historian who spent 12 years in Gulag Message-ID: <69C5879DD17F41F1967564A6D3CE9744@YOURB88038198E> Here is a 24 minute utube of a Russian historian who spent 12 years in Gulag. While at times a dry commentary, if you take the time to listen he has some important comments about Russia today: http://www.youtube.com/usukraine#p/a/0/JRSQNMJ7CZg Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091014/766fb5d5/attachment.html From bill at effros.com Wed Oct 14 22:10:41 2009 From: bill at effros.com (Bill Effros) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:10:41 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If George W. Bush Was an Idiot Message-ID: <4AD684A1.4040007@effros.com> Some questions from the Internet > > > If George W. Was an Idiot... > > If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a TelePrompTer installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes? > > If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVD's, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky? > > If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip? > > If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment? > > If George W. Bush had misspelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potato as proof of what a dunce he is? > > If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite? > > If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11? > > If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made > into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence? > > If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved? > > If George W Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved? > > If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved? > > > So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? > > Can't think of anything? Don't worry. > > He's done all this in 5 months -- so you'll have three years and seven months to come up with an answer.. > > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091014/daa97b85/attachment.html From bill at effros.com Wed Oct 14 22:14:50 2009 From: bill at effros.com (Bill Effros) Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:14:50 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If...Were Message-ID: <4AD6859A.4090807@effros.com> Elle, At the risk of sounding like an effete snob, "If" is always supposed to be followed by "were" (not "was") isn't it? How is that supposed to work? Was/Were? I suspect it's another one of those rules that is sliding out of usage, like it, or not, never to return. But it would be nice if a few of us could still remember how the old rules work. Help? B. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091014/174dd45b/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 15 08:40:26 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:40:26 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Pioneers Take The Arrows Message-ID: <400985d70910150540w4c138cabhca0e311a114dbb95@mail.gmail.com> Rush seems a bit pissed and he has every right to be - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4MMgc7okNI&feature=player_embedded I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see the Palin family become financially secure. Rush doesn't need any money but I hope he continues to defend his name. People deserve to be sued over this last round of smears. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 15 18:29:10 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:29:10 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] This Is Not Going To Be Recieved Well At Home Message-ID: <400985d70910151529hffd56e0kde976e51e18c54c6@mail.gmail.com> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBDpL2dExY&feature=player_embedded From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 15 19:59:48 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:59:48 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Worth your time to read - educational - by a college professor Message-ID: http://www.hillsdale.edu/news/imprimis.asp Also worth forwarding to others... Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091015/909109f2/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 16 06:32:17 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:32:17 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Check this web site out Message-ID: <1623BBC9570F45D28D525EB49A9AC9B8@YOURB88038198E> Check this web site: http://www.isil.org/resources/philosophy-of-liberty-english.swf Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091016/f969bdcb/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 16 09:18:42 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:18:42 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Coast Update Message-ID: <400985d70910160618j7a1278b2oeb3ec507dd069b46@mail.gmail.com> There isn't Jack Schitt happening on the MS Gulf Coast. President IPromised is supposed to be in NOLA today, or was it yesterday, tomorrow? It doesn't matter. Nothing will happen until individuals accept that they chose to live next to the beach, or 6 feet below sea level, etc. Pay attention folks. No matter frugal you have lived your life, no matter how much you've saved, higher powers have designs on your dollars! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYcFCyZC8Sc&feature=player_embedded Oh, so you don't have debt? Don't worry, your elected representatives have a plan for you. Brad From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Fri Oct 16 14:08:28 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:08:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ In-Reply-To: <4676799C2B5B4F4F94A1AD67A2EB0ED2@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <790944.8765.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> This reminded me to ask y'all to contact your friends in Virginia (or NJ) and ask them to vote early & vote often.? I've never voted a straight ticket in my life...there's always ?a first time. elle --- On Mon, 10/12/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: From: Ed Kroposki Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ To: "Swift Water" Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 6:35 PM See attachments ? ? ? -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091016/03c4e1ad/attachment.html From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Fri Oct 16 14:32:43 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:32:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If...Were In-Reply-To: <4AD6859A.4090807@effros.com> Message-ID: <821809.62282.qm@web111215.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Bill, sorry to be answering you so late but I can only read so much of this beforeI have to go & pound sand & get my blood pressure down. Yes...you are correct....'If' begins a type of conditional clause (there are many types)...one which may be or is contrary to the established condition.We therefore use ?'were.' >From Wikipedia: ?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_sentence The contrary-to-fact present conditional (sometimes referred to as the "second" conditional) is used to refer to a current state or event that is known to be false or improbable. The past?subjunctive?(or in colloquial English, simply the past tense) must be used:If she were [colloq.?was] at work today, she would know how to deal with this client.If I were [colloq.?was] the king, I could have you thrown in the dungeon. elle (can't find my Warriner's english Grammar...the Bible) ....drat. --- On Wed, 10/14/09, Bill Effros wrote: From: Bill Effros Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If...Were To: "SwiftwaterGazette" Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 10:14 PM Elle, At the risk of sounding like an effete snob, "If" is always supposed to be followed by "were" (not "was") isn't it? How is that supposed to work?? Was/Were? I suspect it's another one of those rules that is sliding out of usage, like it, or not, never to return. But it would be nice if a few of us could still remember how the old rules work. Help? B. -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091016/979f6763/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 16 20:50:09 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:50:09 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ In-Reply-To: <790944.8765.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <4676799C2B5B4F4F94A1AD67A2EB0ED2@YOURB88038198E> <790944.8765.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910161750y58a33ed6je4cadaa16f8fc0bd@mail.gmail.com> Elle, Like you, I have seldom ever voted a straight ticket. As a conservative, I'm stuck with voting for the GOP candidates most of the time and they seldom fail to disappoint. We have a great Guv here in Tennessee who ruins my straight party ticket vote. Funny, you never hear anyone interview him on his experience with taxpayer provided health-care (and he's a health-care multi-millionaire). We're in a different situation now. I'm waiting for the sane-n-rational element of the Democrat party to speak out .......... any day now would be fine. Then there's this issue - http://tinyurl.com/yjxpu8l I'm not a Rush listener but he is intelligent and entertaining (whether you agree with him or not). What the "dead-tree" media has done to him this week is criminal. This isn't all that difficult to figure out - it's straight out of Salinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and the direction comes straight from the top. At the current rate, Jimmah Cartah will look downright competent and Nixon honest. Interesting times! God Bless America. Brad On 10/16/09, elle wrote: > This reminded me to ask y'all to contact your friends in Virginia (or NJ) > and ask them to vote early & vote often. > I've never voted a straight ticket in my life...there's always a first > time. > elle > > --- On Mon, 10/12/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > > From: Ed Kroposki > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ > To: "Swift Water" > Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 6:35 PM > > > > > > > > > > > See attachments > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Sat Oct 17 10:17:30 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:17:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ In-Reply-To: <400985d70910161750y58a33ed6je4cadaa16f8fc0bd@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <610064.10414.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> If you can't substantiate, assassinate... thanks heavens for the Internet...even as it allows disinformation to spread quickly, it allows for quick searching & verification.? they are really frightened of Rush... elle --- On Fri, 10/16/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com Date: Friday, October 16, 2009, 8:50 PM Elle, Like you, I have seldom ever voted a straight ticket.? As a conservative, I'm stuck with voting for the GOP candidates most of the time and they seldom fail to disappoint. We have a great Guv here in Tennessee who ruins my straight party ticket vote.? Funny, you never hear anyone interview him on his experience with taxpayer provided health-care (and he's a health-care multi-millionaire).???We're in a different situation now.? I'm waiting for the sane-n-rational element of the Democrat party to speak out .......... any day now would be fine. Then there's this issue - http://tinyurl.com/yjxpu8l I'm not a Rush listener but he is intelligent and entertaining (whether you agree with him or not).? What the "dead-tree" media has done to him this week is criminal. This isn't all that difficult to figure out - it's straight out of Salinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and the direction comes straight from the top.? At the current rate, Jimmah Cartah will look downright competent and Nixon honest. Interesting times! God Bless America. Brad On 10/16/09, elle wrote: > This reminded me to ask y'all to contact your friends in Virginia (or NJ) > and ask them to vote early & vote often. > I've never voted a straight ticket in my life...there's always? a first > time. > elle > > --- On Mon, 10/12/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > > From: Ed Kroposki > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ > To: "Swift Water" > Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 6:35 PM > > > > > > > > > > > See attachments > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091017/b2703667/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 17 13:10:35 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:10:35 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ In-Reply-To: <610064.10414.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910161750y58a33ed6je4cadaa16f8fc0bd@mail.gmail.com> <610064.10414.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910171010s58321039s829156ef00eb1a62@mail.gmail.com> Elle, This is from last night's O'Reily show - http://tinyurl.com/yf92jtd Juan Williams is consistently left of center and a frequent Obama apologist, enough so that I often want to throw shoes at the TV screen, but he is intelligent and articulate. What happened to him personally the night before was too much. Another HopenChanger is mugged by reality. Brad On 10/17/09, elle wrote: > If you can't substantiate, assassinate... > thanks heavens for the Internet...even as it allows disinformation to spread > quickly, it allows for quick searching & verification. > they are really frightened of Rush... > elle > > --- On Fri, 10/16/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Friday, October 16, 2009, 8:50 PM > > Elle, > > Like you, I have seldom ever voted a straight ticket. As a > conservative, I'm stuck with voting for the GOP candidates most of the > time and they seldom fail to disappoint. We have a great Guv here in > Tennessee who ruins my straight party ticket vote. Funny, you never > hear anyone interview him on his experience with taxpayer provided > health-care (and he's a health-care multi-millionaire). We're in a > different situation now. I'm waiting for the sane-n-rational element > of the Democrat party to speak out .......... any day now would be > fine. > > Then there's this issue - > > http://tinyurl.com/yjxpu8l > > I'm not a Rush listener but he is intelligent and entertaining > (whether you agree with him or not). What the "dead-tree" media has > done to him this week is criminal. This isn't all that difficult to > figure out - it's straight out of Salinsky's "Rules for Radicals" and > the direction comes straight from the top. At the current rate, > Jimmah Cartah will look downright competent and Nixon honest. > > Interesting times! God Bless America. > > Brad > > On 10/16/09, elle wrote: >> This reminded me to ask y'all to contact your friends in Virginia (or NJ) >> and ask them to vote early & vote often. >> I've never voted a straight ticket in my life...there's always a first >> time. >> elle >> >> --- On Mon, 10/12/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: >> >> From: Ed Kroposki >> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Other Well-Earned Awards........ >> To: "Swift Water" >> Date: Monday, October 12, 2009, 6:35 PM >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> See attachments >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Inline Attachment Follows----- >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 17 22:52:13 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:52:13 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What Not To Do When You Don't Know The Answer! Message-ID: <400985d70910171952s72c480ecx4710a68f9227c4be@mail.gmail.com> Who say's politics is boring? This is from the Virginia AG race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQj6FavCF2I&feature=player_embedded Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 18 08:09:33 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:09:33 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen Message-ID: <400985d70910180509v4f178cb1of8865c7816dcb898@mail.gmail.com> O's 'blank screen' By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck. For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign machine. The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his party than standing up for actual change. A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get a job as a driver and put two children through college. I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what government gives, it can take away. Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the present debates over the president's many policies. Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not policies that made individuals beholden to the state. In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience no change. In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further erodes his authority. In light of all the political capital that true and sensible health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank screen" politics. And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another Jimmy Carter. Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Sun Oct 18 12:04:01 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:04:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <400985d70910180509v4f178cb1of8865c7816dcb898@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <280803.57446.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if the?Republicans ?prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support of?some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. ? ?Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy? & umemployment are on the skids???) ? elle ? ? --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen To: "Letters to the Editor" Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM O's 'blank screen' By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck. For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign machine. The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his party than standing up for actual change. A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get a job as a driver and put two children through college. I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what government gives, it can take away. Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the present debates over the president's many policies. Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not policies that made individuals beholden to the state. In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience no change. In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further erodes his authority. In light of all the political capital that true and sensible health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank screen" politics. And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another Jimmy Carter. Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091018/7756da83/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 18 12:17:49 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:17:49 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen and lack of appreciation Message-ID: <093EBC6FA6254F5D92F7056D6C144D58@YOURB88038198E> Brad, That was an interesting post. An it was written by heretofore supporter of 'liberal' views. Here is another interesting article about 'us' meaning people in general being brainwashed: http://www.radscihealth.org/RSH/docs/UN-Chernobyl/WPROSTChernBluff/wprost_chernobyl_bluff.htm However, this article does not fully appreciate future damage. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091018/9b636502/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 18 18:58:01 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:58:01 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <280803.57446.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910180509v4f178cb1of8865c7816dcb898@mail.gmail.com> <280803.57446.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910181558w67eb2ffbgd59715ba2e2fd681@mail.gmail.com> Elle, I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message. Having said that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums get/stay in. Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. Marc Rubio is gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to go. Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or not. Brad On 10/18/09, elle wrote: > I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if > the Republicans prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support > of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. > > Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy & > umemployment are on the skids???) > > elle > > > --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: "Letters to the Editor" > > Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM > > > O's 'blank screen' > > By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD > > Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 > > Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 > > IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank > screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project > their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains > why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans > joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. > > Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing > the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has > avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans > ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- > particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. > > The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take > over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and > small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain > without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their > mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from > paycheck to paycheck. > > For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President > Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his > narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign > machine. > > The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who > promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, > is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. > Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is > proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his > party than standing up for actual change. > > A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster > child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's > entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he > finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States > from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get > a job as a driver and put two children through college. > > I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had > guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education > for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. > > First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his > family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know > what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what > government gives, it can take away. > > Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at > the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the > present debates over the president's many policies. > > Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A > paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality > and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to > the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle > that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton > built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not > policies that made individuals beholden to the state. > > In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and > individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does > not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect > with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with > captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. > > It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's > health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not > possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 > million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow > anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience > no change. > > In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, > Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that > his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. > > On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of > our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded > liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's > lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further > erodes his authority. > > In light of all the political capital that true and sensible > health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President > Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a > case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our > health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank > screen" politics. > > And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another > Jimmy Carter. > > Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder > of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 18 19:34:16 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:34:16 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank screen Message-ID: <93D2A16A47FF49CBA5B0C80A1F2382B1@YOURB88038198E> Brad said, "Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality conversation." Last Monday night he had a town hall meeting about 15 miles from me. I did not go, intentionally. He was very derogatory in his comments about conservative comments from his audience. I would say look up his remarks, but do not waste your time. I understand that I am in the minority. Most of my life I have been. I have worked for more loosing candidates than winners. I pointed that my support was often the kiss of death to Jim Dement, but he was not phased. Oh well, at least the forecast says tomorrow it will be sunny. Maybe it will help me forget the naive Americans supporting the National Democrats. Maybe I need to buy a real blue water sailboat and just sail away... Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091018/1622a7f6/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 18 21:44:36 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:44:36 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Book Report Message-ID: <400985d70910181844g16d20318n5598475d46f13ebd@mail.gmail.com> Hey boys and girls, just sent this book report off to my Bo list and thought I should share it with you .... Just finished Capt. Sully's "Highest Duty". It was on sale at Sam's Club for $15 and here - http://tinyurl.com/yhb4c83 (watch the video at Amazon) This craft called flying has always suffered from a dearth of good writers no matter how good the tale or experience. Sully chose Jeffery Zaslow as his co-writer and if you're familiar with Zaslow's handling of "The Last Lecture" about Dr. Randy Pausch, you'll have high expectations. You won't be disappointed. There's good lessons in the book for new pilots, old pilots, and non-pilots. It will be especially difficult for the "old vets" to make it through to the end without at least a lump in their throat or a tear. Buy the book for yourself and then give the copy away. This is the best book I've read by/about a pilot since "Autobiography of Values" by C.A. Lindbergh. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 18 22:13:12 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:13:12 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Cash for Clubbers Message-ID: <400985d70910181913r1ebed926t41e6ae041caae26e@mail.gmail.com> Why does this not surprise me? Actually, I sold my 14 year-old Lexus (28mpg) for $2000 a month before the C4C program began (but did get a $1300 tax credit for the diesel I bought). Still, I screwed myself out of $2500 by jumping the gun and not consulting a tax attorney to make a car purchase. Buy hey, THANK YOU CONGRESS! I won't miss out on this scam - and I don't even play golf. Brad --------------- * OCTOBER 17, 2009 (Wall Street Journal) Cash for Clubbers Congress's fabulous golf cart stimulus. We thought cash for clunkers was the ultimate waste of taxpayer money, but as usual we were too optimistic. Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart. The federal credit provides from $4,200 to $5,500 for the purchase of an electric vehicle, and when it is combined with similar incentive plans in many states the tax credits can pay for nearly the entire cost of a golf cart. Even in states that don't have their own tax rebate plans, the federal credit is generous enough to pay for half or even two-thirds of the average sticker price of a cart, which is typically in the range of $8,000 to $10,000. "The purchase of some models could be absolutely free," Roger Gaddis of Ada Electric Cars in Oklahoma said earlier this year. "Is that about the coolest thing you've ever heard?" The golf-cart boom has followed an IRS ruling that golf carts qualify for the electric-car credit as long as they are also road worthy. These qualifying golf carts are essentially the same as normal golf carts save for adding some safety features, such as side and rearview mirrors and three-point seat belts. They typically can go 15 to 25 miles per hour. In South Carolina, sales of these carts have been soaring as dealerships alert customers to Uncle Sam's giveaway. "The Golf Cart Man" in the Villages of Lady Lake, Florida is running a banner online ad that declares: "GET A FREE GOLF CART. Or make $2,000 doing absolutely nothing!" Golf Cart Man is referring to his offer in which you can buy the cart for $8,000, get a $5,300 tax credit off your 2009 income tax, lease it back for $100 a month for 27 months, at which point Golf Cart Man will buy back the cart for $2,000. "This means you own a free Golf Cart or made $2,000 cash doing absolutely nothing!!!" You can't blame a guy for exploiting loopholes that Congress offers. The IRS has also ruled that there's no limit to how many electric cars an individual can buy, so some enterprising profiteers are stocking up on multiple carts while the federal credit lasts, in order to resell them at a profit later. We should note that some states, such as Oklahoma, have caught on to the giveaway and are debating whether to cancel or limit their state credits. But in Congress they're still on the driving range. This golf-cart fiasco perfectly illustrates tax policy in the age of Obama, when politicians dole out credits and loopholes for everything from plug-in cars to fuel efficient appliances, home insulation and vitamins. Democrats then insist that to pay for these absurdities they have no choice but to raise tax rates on other things?like work and investment?that aren't politically in vogue. If this keeps up, it'll soon make more sense to retire and play golf than work for living. From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 07:01:04 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:01:04 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Is Obama A Marxist? Message-ID: <400985d70910190401y7d477aa7h15061891ca0d8227@mail.gmail.com> I'm linking to this article from the American Thinker rather than cut-n-paste because some of the comments are worth reading as well. This paragraph sums up the fears I've had for some time; "Critics claim Obama's budget is an example of the Cloward-Pivin model of planned economic destruction of a functioning capitalist economy via sabotage. Outlays are so gigantic, and so dreadfully misspent, that our financial infrastructure will soon collapse. A trillion dollar tax increase and spending rising by $10 trillion dollars over the next decade is probable. If so, government default will occur, only offset by mass currency printing, which will then bankrupt the general populace. The middle class will fall. Chronic inflation will result, causing America to lose its sterling credit rating. Global financial players must dump the dollar as it swan-dives. Then, hyperinflation will accelerate, and the era of superpower America will end." A fellow from my airplane list manages several hundred million dollars of commercial real estate for a wealthy investor in California. I've been privately picking his brain for the last several weeks on the direction of interest rates, real estate values, and inflation. Like me, his background is in accounting and finance, not economics, but we both agree on the old adage by Herb Stein, "If something cannot go on forever, it will stop". I keep asking for someone, anyone, to explain how we can continue to borrow massive sums of money from the Chinese until (1) they no-show the next Treasury auction, or (2) we devalue the dollar to the point we have massive inflation. No one has yet to answer the question effectively using a common sense, easily understood explanation. This raises the question; why would our government continue down this path? What if the answer was precisely to continue a path that is unsustainable to accomplish other purposes? Read this first - http://tinyurl.com/yhtuyyp Someone, anyone, please explain to me how I'm just being paranoid and too feeble minded to see "the big picture" and how it will benefit our country. Based on my study of history (and that of my wife's family), I don't see a happy ending to the current direction we are heading. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 08:15:48 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:15:48 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Wildly Profitable Message-ID: <400985d70910190515s53f835e7o49504b0ff5513f93@mail.gmail.com> The largest corporation in the US (assuming they choose to stay here) is Exxon/Mobil with a profit margin of around 10%. People buy a lot of their stuff. The health care industry's profit margin is around 4%. They sell a lot of their product as well. Big corporations pay health care benefits out of their earnings and pay insurance companies to handle the paperwork. If insurance companies get too "greedy", big companies find another vendor or handle the paperwork themselves. Health insurance companies do not provide health care anymore than car insurance companies "fix" wrecked cars or homeowner policies re-roof houses. I know you know this, but does the POTUS? His wife worked for a hospital that created a "patient dumping" scheme to make it more profitable. He should have at least a limited understanding of profit. Here he is smirking about the drop in value of a certain sector of the stock market - http://tinyurl.com/ygbnr3n If you own mutual funds, you probably own stock in insurance companies. If you're retired with a defined benefit plan (school teacher, fireman, etc.), part of your retirement is probably invested in insurance companies. Since when did it make sense for the President to become giddy about the loss of value of something a lot of citizens own? What really is the agenda here? Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 08:31:12 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:31:12 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Wildly Profitable In-Reply-To: <400985d70910190515s53f835e7o49504b0ff5513f93@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910190515s53f835e7o49504b0ff5513f93@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910190531u56a49b50u81597f33934bb300@mail.gmail.com> Forgot to include this - http://tinyurl.com/yl4zdr4 Here's the "money" quote - ?And they?re earning these profits and bonuses while enjoying a privileged exemption from our antitrust laws,? he said, ?a matter that Congress is rightfully reviewing.? So he threatens a whole segment of the economy with anti-trust and the market value of that segment drops. Well, duhhhhh! How about this for an idea; we end the anti-trust element of each state regulating insurance companies and let them compete across state lines? Nah, too capitalistic. Brad On 10/19/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > The largest corporation in the US (assuming they choose to stay here) > is Exxon/Mobil with a profit margin of around 10%. People buy a lot > of their stuff. The health care industry's profit margin is around > 4%. They sell a lot of their product as well. Big corporations pay > health care benefits out of their earnings and pay insurance companies > to handle the paperwork. If insurance companies get too "greedy", big > companies find another vendor or handle the paperwork themselves. > Health insurance companies do not provide health care anymore than car > insurance companies "fix" wrecked cars or homeowner policies re-roof > houses. I know you know this, but does the POTUS? His wife worked for > a hospital that created a "patient dumping" scheme to make it more > profitable. He should have at least a limited understanding of > profit. > > Here he is smirking about the drop in value of a certain sector of the > stock market - > > http://tinyurl.com/ygbnr3n > > If you own mutual funds, you probably own stock in insurance > companies. If you're retired with a defined benefit plan (school > teacher, fireman, etc.), part of your retirement is probably invested > in insurance companies. Since when did it make sense for the > President to become giddy about the loss of value of something a lot > of citizens own? > > What really is the agenda here? > > Brad > From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 08:35:09 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:35:09 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] This Is Not Going To Be Recieved Well At Home In-Reply-To: <400985d70910151529hffd56e0kde976e51e18c54c6@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910151529hffd56e0kde976e51e18c54c6@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910190535g23f6d90ata2a35022f1fae342@mail.gmail.com> >From Dr. Hanson - Saturday, October 17, 2009 Now We Know Why He Passed on the Dalai Lama [Victor Davis Hanson] I am not a big fan of saying that officials should resign for stupid remarks. But interim White House communications director Anita Dunn's praise of Mao Zedong as a "political philosopher" is so unhinged and morally repugnant, that she should hang it up, pronto. Mao killed anywhere from 50 million to 70 million innocents in the initial cleansing of Nationalists, the scouring of the countryside, the failed Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, Tibet, and the internal Chinese gulag. Dunn's praise of a genocidal monster was no inadvertent slip: She was reading from a written text and went into great detail to give the full context of the remark. Moreover, her comments were not some student outburst from 30 years ago; they were delivered on June 5, 2009. Her praise of Mao's insight and courage in defeating the Nationalists was offered long after the full extent of Mao's mass-murdering had been well documented. Mao killed more people than any other single mass killer in the history of civilization. So where do all these people, so intimate with our president (Dunn is the wife of his personal lawyer), come from? A right-wing attack machine could not make up such statements as those tossed off by a Dunn or a Van Jones. There seems to be neither a moral compass nor even a casual knowledge of history in this administration. And now we have the avatars of the "new politics" claiming it's okay to praise Mao's political and philosophical insight and his supposed determination ("You fight your war, and I'll fight mine") because Lee Atwater supposedly once evoked Mao too. Ms. Dunn should simply duck out of her D.C. suburb and ask any Tibetan or Chinese immigrant in his 70s and 80s what life was really like in Mao's China. On 10/15/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBDpL2dExY&feature=player_embedded > From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 08:57:21 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:57:21 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Tax on Work Message-ID: <400985d70910190557x3d03cfe6wacb86799e8cd3539@mail.gmail.com> Forgive me, I know I'm slinging a lot of information at you today, but a lot is being slung our direction (Rules for Radicals tactic). Here is another "need to know" piece of info (below, WSJ). Brad --------------- * OCTOBER 18, 2009, 7:28 P.M. ET ObamaCare's Tax on Work Middle-income families will face a big marginal rate increase. None of the new distortions that the Senate health-care bill will layer onto the already-distorted tax code have received the attention they deserve, but in particular its effects on marginal tax rates could use scrutiny. Incredibly, for those with lower incomes, ObamaCare will impose a penalty as high as 34% on . . . work. Central to Max Baucus's plan?assuming the public option stays dead?is an insurance "exchange," through which individuals and families could choose from a menu of standardized policies offered at heavily subsidized rates, provided that their employers do not offer coverage. The subsidies are distributed on a sliding scale based on income, and according to the Congressional Budget Office 23 million people will participate a decade from now, at a cost to taxpayers of some $461 billion. Think about a family of four earning $42,000 in 2016, which is between 150% and 200% of the federal poverty level. CBO says a mid-level "silver" plan will cost about $14,700 in premiums, of which the family will pay $2,600?since the government would pay the other $12,100. If the family breadwinner (or breadwinners, because the subsidies are based on combined gross income) then gets a raise or works overtime and wages rise to $54,000, the subsidy drops to $9,900. That amounts to an implicit 34% tax on each additional dollar of income. Or consider a single worker earning $20,600 and buying an individual "silver" policy with a premium at $5,000. Again according to CBO, if his income rises to $26,500, his subsidy plummets to $2,700 from $4,400 (including a cost-sharing subsidy that goes away). This is a 29% marginal tax; moving to other income levels yields increases in the neighborhood of 20% to 23% for both individuals and families. Jim Capretta, a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, calculates that when combined with other policies like the Earned Income Tax Credit that also phase out, the effective marginal rate would rise to nearly 70% at twice the poverty level. The incentives for low-wage workers are especially perverse. The exchanges give them a huge break and then take it away gradually as their income goes up. Usually such phase-outs are used to make sure "the rich" don't benefit from IRS dispensations, but here they will have a giant effect on decisions about whether and how much to work, since each additional hour worked reduces the subsidy. As CBO noted in a July health brief, "Higher [marginal] tax rates also reduce people's incentive to raise their income in other ways, such as working harder in the hope of winning raises; accepting new positions or responsibilities with higher compensation; or investing in their future earning capacity through education, training or other means." This disincentive effect will be especially hard on workers in the middle of their careers and who may not see the same potential for upward mobility as younger workers, but who could earn more through work and effort. These marginal rate "cliffs" are also a sneaky way for Congress to lower the "scorable" cost of the bill without appearing to do so, because diminishing these rate hikes would boost the total cost of the subsidy. For the same reason, the subsidy is only extended to certain favored people, making it deeply unfair to those not allowed into the exchanges. Families earning identical amounts of money could pay wildly different taxes?a family earning $42,000 and getting insurance through an employer wouldn't receive close to $12,100 from the current tax exclusion for employer-sponsored coverage?while some families earning more money than others will pay significantly lower taxes. This is an equity catastrophe waiting to happen?and senior Democrats know it. They're laying a political booby-trap that will transfer even more health spending to government after ObamaCare passes. A far better and cleaner alternative would be to extend the same tax exclusions to individuals that employees receive if they get coverage from their employers. The current bias for one type of insurance has persisted for decades despite its unfairness and irrationality. But ObamaCare will keep all that, while in the process creating many new problems. From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 09:25:20 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:25:20 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dreams Message-ID: <400985d70910190625w721b200dk80d7487d51da0dc@mail.gmail.com> Gonna be hard to ignore this guy - he founded Times books, the publisher of "Dreams". ------------- What If Ayers? ?Joke? About Writing Dreams Is On the Press? Posted By Thomas Lipscomb On October 19, 2009 @ 12:47 am In . Column2 01, . Positioning, Blogosphere, Media, US News | Given all the blogosphere speculation about Bill Ayers ghostwriting for Obama, one major development at the end of September threatened to break the story wide open. Veteran journalist and bestselling author of 33 books Christopher Andersen has just published a fascinating new book: Barack and Michelle: Portrait of an American Marriage. It is largely a sympathetic look [1] at the dynamics within America?s first family. But sorting through the more than 200 interviews Andersen says it took to create this book, he came to a startling conclusion: After Obama had to give up on a $150,000 Simon &Schuster contract because he couldn?t complete the manuscript, his sources were telling him Obama finally had to bring in a ghostwriter to put together his highly praised Dreams From My Father for Times Books. He had a million pieces of tape, pictures, memos, notes, and no manuscript. And he was running out of time to deliver the book. Nothing wrong so far. Few politicians can string a paragraph together without a ghostwriter. Unfortunately for Obama, he was caught at a July 10, 2008, meeting in Fairfax, Virginia proudly saying the following: I?ve written two books. I actually wrote them myself [2]. [2] Also unfortunately for Obama, Andersen?s sources ? all of whom were sympathetic and appear to be at least neighbors to Obama ? came to other conclusions. Andersen wrote: These oral histories, along with a partial manuscript and a truckload of notes, were given to Ayers. ?Everyone knew they were friends and that they worked on various projects together,? another Hyde Park neighbor pointed out. ?It was no secret. Why would it be? People liked them both.? In the end, Ayers? contribution toBarack?s Dreams From My Father would be significant ? so much so that the book?s language, oddly specific references, literary devices, and themes would bear a jarring similarity to Ayers? own writing. Even the caveat at the beginning of Dreams, in which Barack points out that he uses invented dialogue, embellished facts, composite characters, inaccurate chronology, and pseudonyms to create an ?approximation? of reality, resembles Ayers? defense of the inaccuracies in his memoir Fugitive Days. In the foreword to his book, Ayers states that the book is merely a collection of his personal memories and ?impressions.? ? Thanks to help from the veteran writer Ayers, Barack would be able to submit a manuscript to his editors at Times Books. On Sean Hannity?s show, Andersen explained why: During that campaign I think he was doing some backpedaling, I?ll be honest. And I think that Michelle probably recommended that he not emphasize [3] their relationship with Ayers. Andersen is a celebrity journalist who has worked at Time and People. He knows what kind of lawsuits are occasioned by careless reporting and so far, after many years, he has never had a source or one of his notoriously touchy celebrity subjects complain about the accuracy of his reporting. And the last thing Andersen wanted was to follow this line of questioning as one can see watching him slide out of it on theHannity clip. Repeatedly grilled on numerous occasions about how close he was with the notorious 1960s Weatherman radical Bill Ayers, Obama stated [4] Ayers was just ?a guy who lives in my neighborhood,? and ?not somebody who I exchange ideas with on a regular basis.? During the 2008 presidential campaign, The Washington Post ?Fact Checker? backed up [5] that Obama statement in attacking a McCain campaign ad that claimed Obama lied about his relationship with Ayers. The Post?s Pinocchio Test concluded [6]: ?The McCain campaign is distorting the Obama-Ayers relationship, and exaggerating their closeness. There is no evidence that Obama has ?lied? about his dealings with Ayers.? McCain was so cowed by the award of ?two Pinocchios? that he wouldn?t let his ticketmate Sarah Palin raise the issue again. Thanks to Christopher Andersen?s hard work there is now credible sourced evidence that Obama did lie about his dealing with Ayers. And thanks to the literary sleuthing of JackCashill, whom Andersen credits for finding the textual comparisons between Obama?s Dreams and Ayers? writing, there is an abundance of internal evidence. Cashill has published a number of articles like ?Who Wrote Dreams From My Father and Why It Matters [7]? using classic literary forensic techniques, many of the articles were published [8] in the center right e-magazine American Thinker. Cashill has written for Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and holds a Ph.D. in American Studies. He has also produced documentaries for PBS and other stations, one of which won an Emmy. But once he began to dig into stories that examined the similarities betweenObama?s Dreams and the writing of Bill Ayers, he found himself restricted to blogs like World Net Daily. Fortunately in an age in which many formerly authoritative news outlets have deserted the interests of their readers and viewers in favor of giving each other journalism prizes for stories few in their evaporating market care about, Americans are being taught to get their news where they can find it. As a former adman, publisher, and a teacher of writing who has published a work on literary fraud, Cashill brought rare qualifications to the task. ?In September 2008 I picked up a copy of Ayers?s Fugitive Days and it hit me,? he told me. ?From comparing Obama?s Dreams From My Father to his earlier works it was already clear to me some one had helped him with it. And they did a damned good job.? ?But I?ll admit Bill Ayers as Obama?s ghost writer had never occurred to me before then.? Those who praised Obama?s work may have some rethinking to do now. ?I?ve read Obama?s books, and they are first-rate. He is that rara avis, the politician who writes his own books. Imagine.? Now Christopher Buckley may learn he has an even more vivid imagination than he thought. After all, his admiration for Dreams was an integral part of his explanation as to why he resigned from the National Review his father had founded and voted for [9] Obama. Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison had called the book [10] ? ? unique. It?s his. There are no other ones like that.? Well, she is partially right. At least there are no ?ones? that may have been ghostwritten for an American president by a terrorist that anyone can remember. Joe Klein at Time knows more about ghostwriting than most authors, having ghostwritten his own book under the pseudonym of pseudonyms: ?Anonymous.? His authorship of Primary Colors was outed by another textual effort not dissimilar from Cashill?s. Klein has the only quote that stands up in the light of the new information. He said [11]: Dreams ?may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician.? ?Produced? may definitely be the operative word. In January this year, the New York Times? Michiko Kakutani called it [12] ?The most evocative, lyrical and candid autobiography written by a future president.? Oh well, who knew? As a former publishing executive and the founder of Times Books ? which originally published Dreams ? I can accept that these kinds of frauds occasionally happen. And without a direct admission of guilt, the evidence will always be unsatisfying with conflicting opinions battling back and forth. A publisher can get gulled by a skillful con. And once outed it can be a major catastrophe. One has only to recall the James Frey controversy over his Random House best-seller, which, likeObama?s ?truckload of notes,? was another A Million Little Pieces. Once Frey was revealed by a careful scan of his police records by SmokingGun.com as a liar whose ?memoir? was largely fiction, Random House did the only honorable thing it could. It explained that all future printings of the book would be delayed until it had notes from both the publisher and the author on the lies in the text as well as notations on the cover and posted to the website. Random House also sent out inserts for the books already in the stores. Later Random House set aside several million dollars to compensate readers who felt they may have been defrauded in buying the book. But at least no one accused James Frey of not writing it. And the evidence keeps piling up around Ayers. Around 9:00 a.m. on October 5th, 2009, Anne Leary was sitting at the Starbucks by the United Airlines gate at Reagan Airport for flights to and from Chicago. She was drinking a cup of coffee before getting on her flight home. She looked up and recognized Bill Ayers with his backpack waiting in line for a cup of coffee. She walked past him, turned and took his picture. She asked what he was doing in Washington. He told her he was giving a speech to a Renaissance Group in Arlington on education. ?That?s what I do, education ? you shouldn?t believe everything you hear about me, you know nothing about me,? Ayers said to her. ?I know plenty ? I?m from Chicago, a conservative blogger, and I?ll post this.? According to [13] her blog: Then, unprompted he said ? ?I wrote Dreams From My Father.? I said, ?Oh, so you admit it.? He said ?Michelle asked me to.? I looked at him. He seemed eager. He?s about my height, short. He went on to say: ?And if you can prove it, we can split the royalties.? So I said, ?Stop pulling my leg.? (Horrible thought.) But he came again: ?I really wrote it, the wording was similar.? I said, ?I believe you probably heavily edited it.? He said ?I wrote it.? I said, ?Why would I believe you, you?re a liar.? He had no answer to that. Just looked at me. Then he turned and walked off, and said again his bit about my proving it and splitting the proceeds. What will Random House do as this kind of clear evidence accumulates that the sitting president of the United States lied to them and the American people about having written his memoir by himself? Obama may have lied about having it ghostwritten by a man infamous to many Americans for his unrepentant attitude towards his deep involvement in the terrorist Weathermen in the 1960s. ?I don?t regret setting bombs,? Bill Ayers said in an interview [14] with the New York Times that appeared the morning the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed by al-Qaeda. ?I feel we didn?t do enough.? A good publisher first looks for a commercial opportunity. This doesn?t have to be bad news. Ayers may be lousy at being a terrorist, but he is a damned fine writer. Random House can always relaunch the book as a co-authored product, sending out corrective inserts to the books in the stores and sending Ayers on the road on a publicity tour. With this kind of publicity, they can?t miss. I have called Markus Dohle, the CEO of Random House, and Stuart Applebaum, the wily director of Communications at Random House who helped weather the Frey fray so well. Do they have a lower standard for an American president who may be defrauding them and their American and international readers than for a James Frey? Are they looking into this? We will soon see. I am waiting to hear. In the meantime, remembering the publicity firestorm that raged for months over the Frey book, complete with hot and cold running Oprah shows, where is the press? A president of the United States caught in the glare of accusations like this? A real newsman like BenHecht would have been in heaven and gotten 10 extra editions out of it already. But the white rabbits and white mice that make up the increasingly reader and viewer deprived press today are just doing what they always do in the face of a good story these days ? hiding until the news value goes away. After the Anne Leary blog appeared [13] on October 5, there were three interesting developments. The New York Times Kate Phillips wrote [15] a snarky dismissive piece establishing that for the ?newspaper of record? Ayers was enjoying yanking chains of gullible reporters by claiming he had ghosted Obama and would share the royalties with anyone who could prove it. And NRO carried a piece by conservative Jonah Goldberg establishing that that made sense to him, because the National Journal had carried [16] a similar story by their reporter, Will England, on October 3. And TheDailyBeast.com?s Ben Sarlin called up [17] Ayers who gave him the non-denial denial quote: ?You?ve all lost your minds,? he wrote. ?Best of luck in the twilight zone.? Sarlin was careful not to call a non-denial a denial, but the sense of his piece was like Kate Phillips-lite ? this is wingnut material, you have to be crazy to look into things like this. I disagree. Here?s why. The timing of these two ?teasing? incidents right after the Andersen statement may be more than a coincidence. Andersen told a tale out of school onHannity ? on September 24, take a look at the tape above ? and Ayers/Obama had to walk it back. So far they are doing fine. The various speculations by ?wingnuts? in the blogosphere were no danger to Ayers/Obama. MSM reporter Andersen blowing it in a surprise question by an interviewer who actually had read his book (a rarity in itself) was a nightmare. Andersen is a superb celebrity journalist from Time and People. He has never been sued through more than 30 books and hundreds of articles. He says he has two sources. And his book was a kissy face look at the Obamas meant to sell as a love fest ? he had interviewed the first family. He was anything but hostile. And he claims he has two sources in Oak Park. There are only two chain-yanking incidents I can find. The first was alluded to by Will England on Oct 3rd in the National Journal. It refers to an ?over the weekend? questioning of Bill Ayers at a book festival. ?This is my quote. Be sure to write it down: ?Yes, I wrote Dreams From My Father. I ghostwrote the whole thing. I met with the president three or four times, and then I wrote the entire book.?? He released National Journal?s arm, and beamed in Marxist triumph: ?And now I would like the royalties.? That weekend might most likely have been the same weekend the National Journal piece appeared, October 3 and 4, or the week earlier. England is unlikely to have run a news item that was older than that. The Hannity mistake by Andersen was more than a week earlier on September 24. Anne Leary?s piece recounted an incident on October 5. When I read it and interviewed Anne Leary, I was struck by how hard Ayers worked to make sure this self-proclaimed conservative blogger (?Thank you, God!? Ayers must have thought) stopped flaming him long enough to get his story across ? and turned back and did it again to make sure. It never occurred to Anne it was a setup. She was enjoying telling him what a creep he was. He had to interrupt her twice to make his ?confession.? No one has yet posted any Ayers? chain-yanking about his ghostmanship prior to the Hannity show. And both these incidents were volunteered by Ayers. Neither England nor Leary had asked Ayers about his possible ghosting. Ayers clearly pushed this story at them. I have been watching this story evolve for over a year. I did nothing until Christopher Andersen blathered on Hannity. And I saw the stricken look on his face and I have had three very revealing calls with his consultant, who is a pro. Andersen is terrified of talking about this. He won?t speak to me. Ayers hasn?t called back either. For now the clever ?I was joking? story is working fine ? except for the timing. Unless someone can show me another ?I was joking? incident prior to theHannity incident, I think the evidence leads to Andersen outing Ayers by mistake, and the chain-yanking being a ploy. Andersen never should have gone onHannity. His book sales come from nice middle-aged ladies who don?t watch Hannity. Now they are worried this disclosure will make the book look (horrors!) anti-Obama, which it isn?t. And if so, that will slow his sales. And they are right. ?Authoritative? denials are always worth a little shoe leather, particularly when the denied story, if true, could cause major problems to the denier. During his campaign for the presidency, John Kerry told everyone he wasn?t present at the 1971 Kansas City meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War which discussed assassinating U.S. senators who favored the Vietnam War. That would have been a problem for Kerry because at the time he had been the national spokesperson for theVVAW. He also denied it to Douglas Brinkley who included it in his campaign biography Tour of Duty. I found witnesses to his presence, and details started coming out of my sources. like an FBI report that made it clear that he was. He had to admit he was there. That kicked off theSwiftboat Veterans for Truth campaign which led to the end of his presidential hopes forever. As of now, Ayers has not denied being the ghost. Andersen has said he was, and he has sources and a fine reputation in the MSM. It is just lazy reporting to ignore the implications and claim anyone who continues to look into it is some kind of wingnut. The ultimate Ayers joke would be telling the truth and having the media think he was just yanking chains. You can tell the truth and yank chains at least as effectively as you can tell a lie. The case is still open on Ayers and any responsible news organization should press on. Article printed from Pajamas Media: http://pajamasmedia.com From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 10:18:50 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:18:50 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] This Is Not Going To Be Recieved Well At Home In-Reply-To: <400985d70910151529hffd56e0kde976e51e18c54c6@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910151529hffd56e0kde976e51e18c54c6@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910190718m47299a10ye6ecff06132fb61f@mail.gmail.com> And the view from abroad - http://ussc.edu.au/articles/Mau-Mauing-the-Maoist-Flak-Catcher On 10/15/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiBDpL2dExY&feature=player_embedded > From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Mon Oct 19 11:36:43 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:36:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <400985d70910181558w67eb2ffbgd59715ba2e2fd681@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <718013.69086.qm@web111216.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> >Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. Who is she? elle --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM Elle, I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message.? Having said that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums get/stay in.? Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum.? Marc Rubio is gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to go.? Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or not. Brad On 10/18/09, elle wrote: > I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if > the Republicans? prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support > of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. > >? Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy? & > umemployment are on the skids???) > > elle > > > --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: "Letters to the Editor" > > Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM > > > O's 'blank screen' > > By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD > > Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 > > Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 > > IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank > screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project > their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains > why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans > joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. > > Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing > the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has > avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans > ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- > particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. > > The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take > over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and > small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain > without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their > mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from > paycheck to paycheck. > > For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President > Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his > narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign > machine. > > The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who > promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, > is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. > Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is > proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his > party than standing up for actual change. > > A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster > child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's > entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he > finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States > from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get > a job as a driver and put two children through college. > > I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had > guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education > for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. > > First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his > family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know > what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what > government gives, it can take away. > > Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at > the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the > present debates over the president's many policies. > > Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A > paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality > and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to > the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle > that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton > built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not > policies that made individuals beholden to the state. > > In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and > individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does > not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect > with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with > captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. > > It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's > health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not > possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 > million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow > anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience > no change. > > In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, > Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that > his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. > > On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of > our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded > liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's > lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further > erodes his authority. > > In light of all the political capital that true and sensible > health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President > Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a > case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our > health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank > screen" politics. > > And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another > Jimmy Carter. > > Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder > of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091019/77f03bfd/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 11:57:25 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:57:25 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <718013.69086.qm@web111216.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910181558w67eb2ffbgd59715ba2e2fd681@mail.gmail.com> <718013.69086.qm@web111216.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910190857m2dac8cak6419ba3ea938d6f5@mail.gmail.com> Start here - http://tinyurl.com/yg2o6j4 Then, Google her name. For the time being, I'm sticking with my adopted Congressman from South Mississippi, Gene Taylor - D in a red district, and Steve Cohen - D from from a permanently blue district - Memphis, but I'm not beyond getting behind a "throw all the bums out" program including my own Congressman, Marsh Blackburn, if she misbehaves. Brad On 10/19/09, elle wrote: >>Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. > > Who is she? > elle > > --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM > > Elle, > > I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message. Having said > that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums > get/stay in. Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. Marc Rubio is > gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to > go. Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his > friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality > conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask > themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or > not. > > Brad > > > On 10/18/09, elle wrote: >> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if >> the Republicans prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support >> of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. >> >> Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy & >> umemployment are on the skids???) >> >> elle >> >> >> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >> >> From: Brad Haslett >> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >> To: "Letters to the Editor" >> >> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM >> >> >> O's 'blank screen' >> >> By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD >> >> Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank >> screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project >> their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains >> why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans >> joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. >> >> Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing >> the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has >> avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans >> ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- >> particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. >> >> The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take >> over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and >> small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain >> without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their >> mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from >> paycheck to paycheck. >> >> For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President >> Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his >> narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign >> machine. >> >> The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who >> promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, >> is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. >> Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is >> proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his >> party than standing up for actual change. >> >> A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster >> child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's >> entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he >> finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States >> from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get >> a job as a driver and put two children through college. >> >> I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had >> guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education >> for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. >> >> First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his >> family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know >> what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what >> government gives, it can take away. >> >> Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at >> the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the >> present debates over the president's many policies. >> >> Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A >> paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality >> and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to >> the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle >> that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton >> built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not >> policies that made individuals beholden to the state. >> >> In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and >> individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does >> not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect >> with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with >> captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. >> >> It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's >> health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not >> possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 >> million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow >> anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience >> no change. >> >> In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, >> Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that >> his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. >> >> On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of >> our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded >> liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's >> lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further >> erodes his authority. >> >> In light of all the political capital that true and sensible >> health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President >> Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a >> case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our >> health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank >> screen" politics. >> >> And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another >> Jimmy Carter. >> >> Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder >> of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From ekroposki at charter.net Mon Oct 19 14:53:19 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:53:19 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Special attachment for Rik Message-ID: <024FF55AC0D34CCBBAAEAB5BE1D1F456@YOURB88038198E> see attachment -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091019/94134f34/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Nobel Prize Poster.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 26089 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091019/94134f34/attachment-0001.jpg From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 16:41:18 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:41:18 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Christmas Gift Ideas Message-ID: <400985d70910191341la247ee3x704564c43eae0956@mail.gmail.com> Hey, they love it in China - http://www.breitbart.tv/oba-mao-chinese-grab-gear-depicting-obama-as-communist/ From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 19 16:49:55 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:49:55 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Nooooo! Say It Ain't So Message-ID: <400985d70910191349h5fce14b4vd3c5342d5a333700@mail.gmail.com> Forget Massachusetts and Tennessee's experience, let's follow the Brit's example. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6879553.ece No, better yet, let's re-invent the wheel! Brad From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 20 08:44:44 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:44:44 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Lord Moncton - Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty Message-ID: <73026667756B4B0DBCC41C658303BE8C@YOURB88038198E> See official posting for details: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21234759/Lord-Moncton-Obama-Poised-to-Cede-US-Sovereignty Somehow the site locks out coping parts of text. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091020/0622880a/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 09:50:29 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:50:29 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mao Sure Is Popular These Days Message-ID: <400985d70910200650p296aae1fw57dc8eb03d71ffbe@mail.gmail.com> Another administration official who admires Mao - http://tinyurl.com/ylzc69l The Mao quote is actually pretty benign - I've used it myself. The statement, "the free market is nonsense" is the one we should focus on. I'm a union member and I support collective bargaining - emphasis on "bargain". What this man advocates is using the force of federal government to overturn contractual law. That is exactly what happened in the Chrysler bankruptcy. This man replaced Rattner who said to the Chrysler creditors, "do you know who you're f*#king with?" Rattner left because of questionable personal financial dealings. You tell me what the Mao reference meant. The term "bully pulpit" has taken on a whole new meaning. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 09:54:03 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:54:03 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Lord Moncton - Obama Poised to Cede US Sovereignty In-Reply-To: <73026667756B4B0DBCC41C658303BE8C@YOURB88038198E> References: <73026667756B4B0DBCC41C658303BE8C@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910200654h69169c19yd11ddb9e6b31dd0b@mail.gmail.com> The video - http://tinyurl.com/yz5j5m2 On 10/20/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > > > > > See official posting for details: > > http://www.scribd.com/doc/21234759/Lord-Moncton-Obama-Poised-to-Cede-US-Sovereignty > > Somehow the site locks out coping parts of text. > > Ed K From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 10:42:02 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:42:02 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mao Sure Is Popular These Days In-Reply-To: <400985d70910200650p296aae1fw57dc8eb03d71ffbe@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910200650p296aae1fw57dc8eb03d71ffbe@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910200742h4ab0a454l9dcb08758e933a93@mail.gmail.com> Imagine if you will, the Surgeon General saying she admired Hitler because he didn't smoke, or the Secretary of Transportation stating his admiration for Mussolini because he made the trains run on time. Now you get an idea how much this Dunn woman pisses off Chinese who lived under Mao. If you don't like Fox News, don't watch it. ACORN = busted. Van Jones = busted. Who carried the stories? Fox News. Most of you heard about those stories here days before they hit the airways. Fox isn't going after anyone, they're just broadcasting videos of Obama Administration supporters and members using their own words. This is hardly "Deep Throat" style investigation. Private citizens are doing all the heavy lifting. And you wonder why this POTUS wants to control ALL the news. What would Mao do indeed! The word is getting out (see below). Brad ------------ Tuesday, October 20, 2009 EDITORIAL: What would Mao do? THE WASHINGTON TIMES White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told a group of high school students last June that former Chinese communist dictator Mao Zedong was one of her two favorite political philosophers, and you could tell she was speaking from the heart. Her earnest appeal to the teenagers to fight their own wars, as Mao had counseled when challenged within his own party, was clearly meant as a call to activism. "You fight your war and I'll fight mine," she quoted Mao as saying, because apparently Mao was all about personal choice. Of course, Mao's usual response to those who questioned his authority was to have them killed, but mentioning that inconvenient truth might detract from Miss Dunn anointing him a philosopher. Miss Dunn's quotation of Chairman Mao as one of the two people she "most turns to" has created a media sensation. A bewildered Miss Dunn, discovering that not everyone reveres mass murderers as sources of valuable life lessons, claimed she was only quoting late Republican political operative Lee Atwater's views on the Chinese Communist Party chairman. But there is a significant difference between uberconservative Mr. Atwater making a joke about Mao and reverential views coming from one of President Obama's mouthpieces. "What would Mao do?" seems to be the guiding question in White House communications strategy. Miss Dunn bragged that during the 2008 presidential campaign, "very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control." The Obama White House continues this drive for control using the tools of government, seeking to harness all means of communication and organize a Cultural Revolution Lite. A push for control is revealed in attempts to organize Hollywood to help convey party messages and to use the National Endowment for the Arts to promote Obama policy initiatives. The Federal Communications Commission is considering content regulations on radio stations under the guise of promoting "diversity." The White House convinced television networks to embed themes of "service and volunteering" all this week, and tried to rebrand Sept. 11 as a Day of Service. This reminds us of Mao's admiration for the Soviet "subbotnik," or voluntary (actually forced) labor program. The fact that the White House communications director finds inspiration in the words of the man who gave the world brainwashing is cause for concern. The current war with Fox News - which Miss Dunn called "opinion journalism masquerading as news" - shows the White House commitment to controlling the press. Among Fox News' crimes was when Chris Wallace fact-checked controversial statements made on his program by Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth. Yet to Miss Dunn, the media should serve as what Vladimir Lenin called "transmission belts," simple purveyors of whatever the White House dishes out, uncritically and unthinkingly. How dare Fox News check facts. No one fact-checked Mao. On "This Week" on Sunday, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod lectured George Stephanopoulos on how ABC should treat Fox. Any news shop that follows the White House line will be seen as an extension of Miss Dunn's information machine. Meanwhile Fox's ratings continue to go up. ------------- Tuesday, October 20, 2009 EDITORIAL: What would Mao do? THE WASHINGTON TIMES White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told a group of high school students last June that former Chinese communist dictator Mao Zedong was one of her two favorite political philosophers, and you could tell she was speaking from the heart. Her earnest appeal to the teenagers to fight their own wars, as Mao had counseled when challenged within his own party, was clearly meant as a call to activism. "You fight your war and I'll fight mine," she quoted Mao as saying, because apparently Mao was all about personal choice. Of course, Mao's usual response to those who questioned his authority was to have them killed, but mentioning that inconvenient truth might detract from Miss Dunn anointing him a philosopher. Miss Dunn's quotation of Chairman Mao as one of the two people she "most turns to" has created a media sensation. A bewildered Miss Dunn, discovering that not everyone reveres mass murderers as sources of valuable life lessons, claimed she was only quoting late Republican political operative Lee Atwater's views on the Chinese Communist Party chairman. But there is a significant difference between uberconservative Mr. Atwater making a joke about Mao and reverential views coming from one of President Obama's mouthpieces. "What would Mao do?" seems to be the guiding question in White House communications strategy. Miss Dunn bragged that during the 2008 presidential campaign, "very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control." The Obama White House continues this drive for control using the tools of government, seeking to harness all means of communication and organize a Cultural Revolution Lite. A push for control is revealed in attempts to organize Hollywood to help convey party messages and to use the National Endowment for the Arts to promote Obama policy initiatives. The Federal Communications Commission is considering content regulations on radio stations under the guise of promoting "diversity." The White House convinced television networks to embed themes of "service and volunteering" all this week, and tried to rebrand Sept. 11 as a Day of Service. This reminds us of Mao's admiration for the Soviet "subbotnik," or voluntary (actually forced) labor program. The fact that the White House communications director finds inspiration in the words of the man who gave the world brainwashing is cause for concern. The current war with Fox News - which Miss Dunn called "opinion journalism masquerading as news" - shows the White House commitment to controlling the press. Among Fox News' crimes was when Chris Wallace fact-checked controversial statements made on his program by Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tammy Duckworth. Yet to Miss Dunn, the media should serve as what Vladimir Lenin called "transmission belts," simple purveyors of whatever the White House dishes out, uncritically and unthinkingly. How dare Fox News check facts. No one fact-checked Mao. On "This Week" on Sunday, Obama senior adviser David Axelrod lectured George Stephanopoulos on how ABC should treat Fox. Any news shop that follows the White House line will be seen as an extension of Miss Dunn's information machine. Meanwhile Fox's ratings continue to go up. On 10/20/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Another administration official who admires Mao - > > http://tinyurl.com/ylzc69l > > The Mao quote is actually pretty benign - I've used it myself. The > statement, "the free market is nonsense" is the one we should focus > on. I'm a union member and I support collective bargaining - emphasis > on "bargain". What this man advocates is using the force of federal > government to overturn contractual law. That is exactly what happened > in the Chrysler bankruptcy. This man replaced Rattner who said to the > Chrysler creditors, "do you know who you're f*#king with?" Rattner > left because of questionable personal financial dealings. You tell me > what the Mao reference meant. > > The term "bully pulpit" has taken on a whole new meaning. > > Brad > From mweisner at ebsmed.com Tue Oct 20 10:54:14 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:54:14 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Lord Moncton - Obama Poised to Cede USSovereignty References: <73026667756B4B0DBCC41C658303BE8C@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <59CD1AD14F2A41C59FA3DF7AD5610749@acer7e8cb8aec8> Ed, The format of the website documents is "scribd", something like pdf but proprietary. They permit downloading to a pdf (see attached file) from which you may extract text for your own use. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Kroposki To: Swift Water Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 8:44 AM Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Lord Moncton - Obama Poised to Cede USSovereignty See official posting for details: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21234759/Lord-Moncton-Obama-Poised-to-Cede-US-Sovereignty Somehow the site locks out coping parts of text. Ed K ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 100 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091020/f2c84706/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 21234759-Lord-Moncton-Obama-Poised-to-Cede-US-Sovereignty.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 22355 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091020/f2c84706/attachment-0001.pdf From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 11:07:24 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:07:24 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <718013.69086.qm@web111216.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910181558w67eb2ffbgd59715ba2e2fd681@mail.gmail.com> <718013.69086.qm@web111216.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910200807r7831970cia184799dbe323e58@mail.gmail.com> Elle, Update below. Actually, I'm starting to like this woman - she's gonna save me a lot of money. The next time the GOP calls asking for a donation, I'm going to mention Dede's name and explain why I'm personally choosing the candidates I support. It IS imperative that we replace the current Congress but that doesn't mean a candidate automatically gets my support because they have an R behind their name. Got Tea? Brad ------------- Scozzafava Calls the Cops Lowville, N.Y. Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone with Scozzafava's campaign called the police. On me. Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September. So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the campaign's spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the door. I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: " Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her twice more. Silence. After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to report the evening's events. Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address. "Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me. "[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's not like you're in any trouble." That was good to hear. But I do wonder if it?s the Scozzafava campaign that?s in trouble--with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to say she?d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she?s questioned by a reporter who is (if I may say so) polite--if a bit persistent. Posted by John McCormack on October 19, 2009 11:14 PM | Permalink On 10/19/09, elle wrote: >>Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. > > Who is she? > elle > > --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM > > Elle, > > I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message. Having said > that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums > get/stay in. Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. Marc Rubio is > gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to > go. Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his > friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality > conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask > themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or > not. > > Brad > > > On 10/18/09, elle wrote: >> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if >> the Republicans prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support >> of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. >> >> Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy & >> umemployment are on the skids???) >> >> elle >> >> >> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >> >> From: Brad Haslett >> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >> To: "Letters to the Editor" >> >> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM >> >> >> O's 'blank screen' >> >> By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD >> >> Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank >> screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project >> their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains >> why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans >> joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. >> >> Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing >> the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has >> avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans >> ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- >> particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. >> >> The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take >> over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and >> small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain >> without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their >> mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from >> paycheck to paycheck. >> >> For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President >> Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his >> narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign >> machine. >> >> The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who >> promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, >> is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. >> Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is >> proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his >> party than standing up for actual change. >> >> A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster >> child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's >> entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he >> finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States >> from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get >> a job as a driver and put two children through college. >> >> I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had >> guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education >> for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. >> >> First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his >> family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know >> what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what >> government gives, it can take away. >> >> Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at >> the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the >> present debates over the president's many policies. >> >> Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A >> paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality >> and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to >> the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle >> that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton >> built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not >> policies that made individuals beholden to the state. >> >> In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and >> individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does >> not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect >> with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with >> captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. >> >> It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's >> health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not >> possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 >> million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow >> anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience >> no change. >> >> In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, >> Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that >> his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. >> >> On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of >> our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded >> liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's >> lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further >> erodes his authority. >> >> In light of all the political capital that true and sensible >> health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President >> Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a >> case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our >> health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank >> screen" politics. >> >> And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another >> Jimmy Carter. >> >> Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder >> of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 11:28:44 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:28:44 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] JOBS! Message-ID: <400985d70910200828xf65367h4dac29581bb0f714@mail.gmail.com> Someone run the world for awhile, I'm needed at the hangar. Here's my spin on the article below; small business owners are scared shitless. Small businessmen don't know what this administration has in store for them, but they don't perceive it as good. The economy will come around on its own (they don't call it the business "cycle" for nothing) but jobs lag a recovery. My prediction - the lag will be even greater this time. Credit for businesses of all sizes will be a problem (who wants dollars?). We're being led by politicians who quote Mao while the people who live in the land of a million Mao statues embrace wide-open capitalism. Go figure. Brad ------------- The jobs battle Posted By kbh On October 20, 2009 @ 6:56 am In economy, featured, labor The President?s advisors are devoting a lot of communications effort to framing the employment picture. The ?jobs battle? is likely to continue as a first-tier economic and political issue through 2010. Here is some context on the intersection among the economics, the policy, and the politics. I have written much of this before but thought it might be useful to summarize it in one place. * U.S. employment continues to decline, albeit much more slowly than at the beginning of 2009. * Declining more slowly is not the same as increasing. The President?s team wanted to trumpet good news as early as possible and they jumped the gun. A few weeks ago they had to adjust their message (again) to a less optimistic one. This was a communications mistake, not a policy one. * Employment growth will return. We just don?t know when, and the when is critical economically and politically. * Most forecasters expect a strong Q3 GDP number, to be released Thursday, October 29th. The two big questions are: (1) will that GDP growth be sustained through 2010, and (2) will it translate into job growth? The fiscal stimulus is temporary, and needs to translate into job growth and consumption growth to be sustainable. * It is normal for employment not to grow at the beginning of a recovery. As demand for their products begins to increase, employers typically make their employees work longer hours before hiring new workers. Once the increased demand looks stable and predictable, and once the current workforce is working as much as they can, then employers start hiring. First you increase hours per worker, then you increase the number of workers. * I recommend watching two numbers: 1. the unemployment rate ? It was 9.8% in September. Most economists consider about 5% to be ?full employment.? When will it begin to decline, and how long will it take to regain full employment? 2. the net change in payroll employment ? This was ?263,000 in September. First this needs to turn positive. Second, since the labor force grows with population, this number needs to reach +100K to +150K per month to keep up with population growth and keep the unemployment rate constant. Finally, it needs to exceed this range for the unemployment rate to decline toward 5%. * The press is paying a lot of attention to a third statistic, the U-6 measure of unemployment + underemployment. It?s an interesting and politically significant statistic, because it?s so much bigger than the traditional unemployment rate metric. But so far I don?t think it tells us a lot more about the trends than the above two metrics. * I will begin to feel good about the employment picture when we have had two consecutive months of payroll numbers >100K. At the same time you would expect the unemployment rate to start declining. I think the most important question you can ask an economic forecaster right now is, ?When do you think the unemployment rate will begin to decline?? * Job growth was slow to start in the 2003-2004 recovery. You may remember the political attacks from the left about the ?jobless recovery? in the 2004 campaign. The recent severe recession was cause by a financial shock. Economists have widely dispersed views on two questions: o Did the jobless recovery of 2003-2004 signal a fundamental change in the pace of job growth in a ?normal? recovery? o Will the somewhat unusual cause of this recession affect the pace of job growth in the recovery? * There is even more uncertainty than normal in projecting near-term job growth. I generally treat economic forecasts more than 12 months out as wild guesses. This year I have shortened that window to 6 months. I don?t think anyone has a clue what the employment picture will look like 9 or 12 months from now. * This uncertainty makes it hard for businesses to plan. Consumer spending is about 70% of GDP, and the most important determinants of consumption are (1) how many people are working and (2) are their paychecks going up? * Some on the right argue the fiscal stimulus is not helping increase economic growth. That?s silly. The government is pushing hundreds of billions of dollars out the door. At least in the short run, that?s going to increase GDP growth. We should see some of that effect in the Q3 GDP numbers nine days from now. The fiscal stimulus should continue to help increase GDP growth above what it otherwise would have been into and through most of 2010, especially in the first half. * I believe the stimulus is helping boost GDP growth now above what it otherwise would have been, but that it is too late, poorly designed, and horribly inefficient and wasteful. They are getting some bang, but their bang-for-the-buck and effectiveness are terrible. * At the same time, the Administration irresponsibly overstates and overspecifies the employment impact of the fiscal stimulus. o Their ?jobs created or saved? numbers are claims, not measures. Since we can?t know how many jobs would have been lost without policy changes, we can?t measure the change that policies have caused. o This means they cannot prove their statements about the number of jobs saved or created by policy, and critics cannot prove those statements are incorrect. This lack of verifiability, and the vulnerability of these statistics to political bias, allow the Administration flexibility to adjust their claimed success to meet political demands. It is irresponsible for an Administration to use these numbers as definitive, and irresponsible for the press to report them without heavy caveats. o Every time I hear ?[number] jobs saved or created,? I ignore the number and assume I am being spun. This is particularly true when the numbers are specific, e.g., ?250,000 education jobs saved or created.? I think this is irresponsible and misleading. It feels like they?re just making these numbers up. Reading the methodology behind the numbers only reaffirms this view. o The fiscal stimulus is one of several policy moves contributing to stronger (or less weak) economic growth. The Fed?s and Treasury?s actions (begun last September) to stabilize large financial institutions and financial markets helped a lot. The Fed is also keeping interest rates extremely low. Administration officials routinely attribute all of the unmeasurable economic benefit to one of three major policy changes. This is invalid. * Given the above caveats about unpredictability, the Administration?s forecast for 2010 is gloomy. The Administration forecasts an unemployment rate hovering in the high 9?s throughout 2010. If they?re right, there will be a period where net job growth will be slightly positive (say, 100K-150K jobs per month) and the unemployment rate will be inching downward. This could create a dangerous political dynamic, in which the Administration and Congressional Democrats will be tempted to argue that things are getting better, but where it won?t feel like they?re getting better because the unemployment rate is still so high. * If this economic forecast plays out, it will pose an interesting question for the 2010 Congressional elections. Which is a more important determinant of how Americans vote: the level of unemployment, or the direction and rate of change? It?s possible that next November things will still be bad, but getting slowly better. Will voters punish the party in power for the level, or reward them for the change underway? * Elected officials in both parties correctly think their rhetorical efforts can affect how voters view the economy. Expect the political jobs battle to continue for another year. Article printed from KeithHennessey.com: http://keithhennessey.com From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 20 18:23:36 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:23:36 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Sink or Swim Message-ID: <400985d70910201523nb7e3076q94877890ccf6e830@mail.gmail.com> Talk show host Oprah Winfrey will interview former Alaska governor Sarah Palin for an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" slated to air Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. The interview will be Palin's first appearance on the top-rated daytime talk show. It will also be her first interview to discuss her new memoir "Going Rogue: An American Life." You Go Girl! Brad From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 21 09:22:51 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:22:51 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Media twist words to attack Demint Message-ID: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> As the media reports, two Republican county offices in rural South Carolina made comments. Specifically in commending Demint's position on controlling spending, "They wrote, "the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves."" Well a local South Carolina Jew, replied, "This is wack. First of all, DeMint didn't write this,and these people don't work for him. And while the sentiment does him honor, he has nothing to apologize for. As a Jew, as far as I'm concerned no one does. Two GOP chairmen write something commending the Torah value of thrift and it's an 'outrage'? I seem to remember when thrift was a virtue in America. I know DeMint's record and frankly I classify this as a smear." Rob Miller Oh well, Demint's reelection campaign may just get nasty. Where is Stan to comment? I suggest they will try to find racist smears next? However, they have to walk lightly in South Carolina with that. See http://www.glennmccall.com/ (and this guy grew up in rural South Carolina?) http://www.votetimscott.com/ (this guy is city dweller, Charleston, S.C.) Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091021/a6847502/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 21 09:57:58 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:57:58 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Analysis of Obama - The coyotes howl but the wagon train keeps rolling along Message-ID: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/another_failed_presidency.html http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/american-thinker-another August 31, 2009 Another Failed Presidency By Geoffrey P. Hunt Barack Obama is on track to have the most spectacularly failed presidency since Woodrow Wilson. In the modern era, we've seen several failed presidencies--led by Jimmy Carter and LBJ. Failed presidents have one strong common trait-- they are repudiated, in the vernacular, spat out. Of course, LBJ wisely took the exit ramp early, avoiding a shove into oncoming traffic by his own party. Richard Nixon indeed resigned in disgrace, yet his reputation as a statesman has been partially restored by his triumphant overture to China. George Bush Jr didn't fail so much as he was perceived to have been too much of a patrician while being uncomfortable with his more conservative allies. Yet George Bush Sr is still perceived as a man of uncommon decency, loyal to the enduring American character of rugged self-determination, free markets, and generosity. George W will eventually be treated more kindly by historians as one whose potential was squashed by his own compromise of conservative principles, in some ways repeating the mistakes of his father, while ignoring many lessons in executive leadership he should have learned at Harvard Business School. Of course George W could never quite overcome being dogged from the outset by half of the nation convinced he was electorally illegitimate -- thus aiding the resurgence of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. But, Barack Obama is failing. Failing big. Failing fast. And failing everywhere: foreign policy, domestic initiatives, and most importantly, in forging connections with the American people. The incomparable Dorothy Rabinowitz in the Wall Street Journal put her finger on it: He is failing because he has no understanding of the American people, and may indeed loathe them. Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard says he is failing because he has lost control of his message, and is overexposed. Clarice Feldman of American Thinker produced a dispositive commentary showing that Obama is failing because fundamentally he is neither smart nor articulate; his intellectual dishonesty is conspicuous by its audacity and lack of shame. But, there is something more seriously wrong: How could a new president riding in on a wave of unprecedented promise and goodwill have forfeited his tenure and become a lame duck in six months? His poll ratings are in free fall. In generic balloting, the Republicans have now seized a five point advantage. This truly is unbelievable. What's going on? No narrative. Obama doesn't have a narrative. No, not a narrative about himself. He has a self-narrative, much of it fabricated, cleverly disguised or written by someone else. But this self-narrative is isolated and doesn't connect with us. He doesn't have an American narrative that draws upon the rest of us. All successful presidents have a narrative about the American character that intersects with their own where they display a command of history and reveal an authenticity at the core of their personality that resonates in a positive endearing way with the majority of Americans. We admire those presidents whose narratives not only touch our own, but who seem stronger, wiser, and smarter than we are. Presidents we admire are aspirational peers, even those whose politics don't align exactly with our own: Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Harry Truman, Ike, Reagan. But not this president. It's not so much that he's a phony, knows nothing about economics, is historically illiterate, and woefully small minded for the size of the task-- all contributory of course. It's that he's not one of us. And whatever he is, his profile is fuzzy and devoid of content, like a cardboard cutout made from delaminated corrugated paper. Moreover, he doesn't command our respect and is unable to appeal to our own common sense. His notions of right and wrong are repugnant and how things work just don't add up. They are not existential. His descriptions of the world we live in don't make sense and don't correspond with our experience. In the meantime, while we've been struggling to take a measurement of this man, he's dissed just about every one of us--financiers, energy producers, banks, insurance executives, police officers, doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, post office workers, and anybody else who has a non-green job. Expect Obama to lament at his last press conference in 2012: "For those of you I offended, I apologize. For those of you who were not offended, you just didn't give me enough time; if only I'd had a second term, I could have offended you too." Mercifully, the Founders at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 devised a useful remedy for such a desperate state--staggered terms for both houses of the legislature and the executive. An equally abominable Congress can get voted out next year. With a new Congress, there's always hope of legislative gridlock until we vote for president again two short years after that. Yes, small presidents do fail, Barack Obama among them. The coyotes howl but the wagon train keeps rolling along. Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/another_failed_presidency.html at October 21, 2009 - 09:55:32 AM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091021/8d2463c8/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 21 10:12:26 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:12:26 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Media twist words to attack Demint In-Reply-To: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> References: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910210712h3c9bc816h8ea9f1b3042391db@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Is it just me or are other people getting really annoyed at these self-appointed PC police? A few days ago, I was reading an article about discrimination in education. The gist of the article was that an Asian with a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT gets about 230 points deducted versus an African-American who gets about the same number of points added (the school used as the example was Princeton). The author used this sentence; "Asians are the new Jews". Sure enough, someone found that offensive and complained in the comments section (they weren't Jewish or Asian). What, pray tell, is offensive about that expression? Anyone familiar with the discrimination against admitting Jewish students at the turn of the century, and the later domination of Jewish students at the top schools when they were finally admitted, finds that description pretty accurate. It's history folks, you don't have to like it, it just is what it is. After reading that article, my wife asked me how were going to handle our daughter at college admission time. I suggested we put down "black" and let them prove otherwise. Has the world gone nuts? Brad On 10/21/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > As the media reports, two Republican county offices in rural South Carolina > made comments. Specifically in commending Demint's position on controlling > spending, "They wrote, "the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by > watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars > taking care of themselves."" > > Well a local South Carolina Jew, replied, "This is wack. First of all, > DeMint didn't write this,and these people don't work for him. And while the > sentiment does him honor, he has nothing to apologize for. As a Jew, as far > as I'm concerned no one does. > Two GOP chairmen write something commending the Torah value of thrift and > it's an 'outrage'? > > I seem to remember when thrift was a virtue in America. > > I know DeMint's record and frankly I classify this as a smear." Rob Miller > > Oh well, Demint's reelection campaign may just get nasty. Where is Stan to > comment? > > I suggest they will try to find racist smears next? However, they have to > walk lightly in South Carolina with that. See > > http://www.glennmccall.com/ (and this guy grew up in rural South Carolina?) > > http://www.votetimscott.com/ (this guy is city dweller, Charleston, S.C.) > > Ed K > > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 21 10:48:30 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:48:30 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Media twist words to attack Demint In-Reply-To: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> References: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910210748k4cf4c783td744d5596c0980c7@mail.gmail.com> Perfect timing - new video from PJTV - http://www.pjtv.com/v/2592 The descriptions of he/she is racist, biased, or prejudiced are often intermingled and misused. I personally am often biased and/or prejudiced. If I'm walking back from a night on the town in Seoul, Korea and being stalked by three Korean punks (and I have been), I prejudge them for wanting to harm me (not for being Korean but for being punks). Jesse Jackson said the same thing one time about preferring to be followed by "white" people rather than black. Sometimes prejudice is simple survival skills. I'm also biased toward people who share the same values as me - race or tribe or color is immaterial. It is human nature. A racist is one who believes one race is superior to another. I don't believe that at all. One could easily come to the conclusion that Asians are smarter because one knows so many smart Asians. I don't believe that. Most of the Asians I know are smarter than average but they have been filtered by immigration and education. Go to Asia, there's plenty of "dumb" people. On a day-to-day basis, I don't waste a lot of time with these issues because I don't give a shit about race-creed-color-religion. Throw it in my face or use it for an economic advantage and I suddenly give a shit. When is enough, enough? Brad On 10/21/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > As the media reports, two Republican county offices in rural South Carolina > made comments. Specifically in commending Demint's position on controlling > spending, "They wrote, "the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by > watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars > taking care of themselves."" > > Well a local South Carolina Jew, replied, "This is wack. First of all, > DeMint didn't write this,and these people don't work for him. And while the > sentiment does him honor, he has nothing to apologize for. As a Jew, as far > as I'm concerned no one does. > Two GOP chairmen write something commending the Torah value of thrift and > it's an 'outrage'? > > I seem to remember when thrift was a virtue in America. > > I know DeMint's record and frankly I classify this as a smear." Rob Miller > > Oh well, Demint's reelection campaign may just get nasty. Where is Stan to > comment? > > I suggest they will try to find racist smears next? However, they have to > walk lightly in South Carolina with that. See > > http://www.glennmccall.com/ (and this guy grew up in rural South Carolina?) > > http://www.votetimscott.com/ (this guy is city dweller, Charleston, S.C.) > > Ed K > > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 21 11:36:42 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:36:42 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Analysis of Obama - The coyotes howl but the wagon train keeps rolling along In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910210836u789d482ch6fb3eafd5b683fd2@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Look at what is happening. The President of the United States has declared war on free speech with his open attack on Fox News and the "behind the scenes" attack on talk radio. Quick, what is the first thing an attacking army does to overthrow a regime? Answer - shut down the media. Why do you think China is so obsessed with the Internet? They don't have good control of the "truth" as they want it to be presented. Who is in command right now? Answer - a bunch of Chicago thugs. Look at how they operate. What did the current people with direct access to the President do for the city of Chicago? Name a successful program that any one of them ran. Any! The City of Chicago is cutting their budget and limiting government services. What choice do they have? A city can't print money. These Chicago thugs who now run our US government CAN print money. Brad On 10/21/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/another_failed_presidency.html > > http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/american-thinker-another > > August 31, 2009 > Another Failed Presidency > By Geoffrey P. Hunt > > Barack Obama is on track to have the most spectacularly failed presidency > since Woodrow Wilson. > > > In the modern era, we've seen several failed presidencies--led by Jimmy > Carter and LBJ. Failed presidents have one strong common trait-- they are > repudiated, in the vernacular, spat out. Of course, LBJ wisely took the exit > ramp early, avoiding a shove into oncoming traffic by his own party. Richard > Nixon indeed resigned in disgrace, yet his reputation as a statesman has > been partially restored by his triumphant overture to China. > > > George Bush Jr didn't fail so much as he was perceived to have been too much > of a patrician while being uncomfortable with his more conservative allies. > Yet George Bush Sr is still perceived as a man of uncommon decency, loyal to > the enduring American character of rugged self-determination, free markets, > and generosity. George W will eventually be treated more kindly by > historians as one whose potential was squashed by his own compromise of > conservative principles, in some ways repeating the mistakes of his father, > while ignoring many lessons in executive leadership he should have learned > at Harvard Business School. Of course George W could never quite overcome > being dogged from the outset by half of the nation convinced he was > electorally illegitimate -- thus aiding the resurgence of the liberal wing > of the Democratic Party. > > > But, Barack Obama is failing. Failing big. Failing fast. And failing > everywhere: foreign policy, domestic initiatives, and most importantly, in > forging connections with the American people. The incomparable Dorothy > Rabinowitz in the Wall Street Journal put her finger on it: He is failing > because he has no understanding of the American people, and may indeed > loathe them. Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard says he is failing because > he has lost control of his message, and is overexposed. Clarice Feldman of > American Thinker produced a dispositive commentary showing that Obama is > failing because fundamentally he is neither smart nor articulate; his > intellectual dishonesty is conspicuous by its audacity and lack of shame. > > > But, there is something more seriously wrong: How could a new president > riding in on a wave of unprecedented promise and goodwill have forfeited his > tenure and become a lame duck in six months? His poll ratings are in free > fall. In generic balloting, the Republicans have now seized a five point > advantage. This truly is unbelievable. What's going on? > > > No narrative. Obama doesn't have a narrative. No, not a narrative about > himself. He has a self-narrative, much of it fabricated, cleverly disguised > or written by someone else. But this self-narrative is isolated and doesn't > connect with us. He doesn't have an American narrative that draws upon the > rest of us. All successful presidents have a narrative about the American > character that intersects with their own where they display a command of > history and reveal an authenticity at the core of their personality that > resonates in a positive endearing way with the majority of Americans. We > admire those presidents whose narratives not only touch our own, but who > seem stronger, wiser, and smarter than we are. Presidents we admire are > aspirational peers, even those whose politics don't align exactly with our > own: Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Harry Truman, Ike, Reagan. > > > But not this president. It's not so much that he's a phony, knows nothing > about economics, is historically illiterate, and woefully small minded for > the size of the task-- all contributory of course. It's that he's not one > of us. And whatever he is, his profile is fuzzy and devoid of content, like > a cardboard cutout made from delaminated corrugated paper. Moreover, he > doesn't command our respect and is unable to appeal to our own common sense. > His notions of right and wrong are repugnant and how things work just don't > add up. They are not existential. His descriptions of the world we live in > don't make sense and don't correspond with our experience. > > > In the meantime, while we've been struggling to take a measurement of this > man, he's dissed just about every one of us--financiers, energy producers, > banks, insurance executives, police officers, doctors, nurses, hospital > administrators, post office workers, and anybody else who has a non-green > job. Expect Obama to lament at his last press conference in 2012: "For those > of you I offended, I apologize. For those of you who were not offended, you > just didn't give me enough time; if only I'd had a second term, I could have > offended you too." > > > Mercifully, the Founders at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 devised a > useful remedy for such a desperate state--staggered terms for both houses of > the legislature and the executive. An equally abominable Congress can get > voted out next year. With a new Congress, there's always hope of legislative > gridlock until we vote for president again two short years after that. > > > Yes, small presidents do fail, Barack Obama among them. The coyotes howl but > the wagon train keeps rolling along. > > Page Printed from: > http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/another_failed_presidency.html at > October 21, 2009 - 09:55:32 AM From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 21 12:21:00 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:21:00 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] How Much Is A Trillion? Message-ID: <400985d70910210921w1e4cbd29v194691e09faee31d@mail.gmail.com> Jay Ambrose: How much is a trillion dollars? By: Jay Ambrose Examiner Columnist October 21, 2009 A friend recently gave me a sense of how much a trillion is with an illustration you can also find on various Internet sites. A million seconds, he said, is 12 days, while a billion seconds is 31 years. A trillion seconds? That's 31,688 years. In other words, a trillion is a whole, whole lot, and that's something you might keep in mind when reading that the U.S. deficit for 2009 is now projected at $1.4 trillion, which is a cool trillion more than the deficit in 2008 and the most government spending as a percentage of gross domestic product - 10 percent - since World War II. It would be nice if this were just some amusing detail about a budgetary mishap in Washington, but the truth is something else. Our current spate of runaway spending could have a devastating effect on the lives of virtually all of us, and not just in the estimate of such Republicans as Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, who sees this sort of thing continuing for the next decade and warns it will render us a "banana republic." Equally concerned are most economists, who agree such fiscal folly can be ruinous unless it's stopped. And that brings us to the seeming solution of President Obama: Spend more. His latest proposal along these lines is to give 50 million Social Security recipients a cost-of-living increase when there has been no increase in the cost of living. Just send each one a check for $250. The total expenditure would come to something like $13 billion, but look, this has to be done because older Americans could be taking it on the chin under Democratic health care legislation, and there is political peril there. A provision in a measure approved by the Senate Finance Committee would lop off some $400 billion in private-company Medicare reimbursements over the next decade. The fabrication from the Democrats and Obama has been that you can do this without affecting benefits or premiums, an assertion you might accept if you were of the persuasion that you can have your cake and eat it, too. One major insurance provider debunked the hogwash in letters to customers, causing some federal bureaucrats to issue a gag order telling the company to quit it, a clear abridgment of this country's free speech guarantees. But there was a fuss, the bureaucrats retreated, the public is learning the facts, and a number of observers are predicting the Democrats will back away from the proposal. Even if they do not, this health plan would still be a threaten-the-nation spending monstrosity made to look more acceptable as a matter of 10-year cost estimates by postponing benefits for the first three years or so. There are many things wrong with our health care system, and ways to fix them short of the extremities that all the exaggerations have demanded, and there are prudent means as well to begin to address Medicare's trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities. Ah, but prudence sounds conservative, doesn't it, and there will be none of that. A guide to the likely inefficacy of a break-the-bank health care plan that now appears almost sure of enactment is the inefficacy of Obama's $787 billion stimulus package that was supposed to have immediate, significant consequences and has instead so far created 30,000 jobs through federal contracts and grants while 3.4 million jobs have been lost. With solutions like this, Americans are going to have trillions of reasons to worry, and even one trillion, as I said before, is quite a bit. Examiner Columnist Jay Ambrose is a former Washington opinion writer and editor of two dailies. He can be reached at: Speaktojay at aol.com. Find this article at: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/How-much-is-a-trillion-dollars_-8413515.html From mweisner at ebsmed.com Wed Oct 21 12:31:02 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:31:02 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Media twist words to attack Demint References: <36F9931362FD4B35B80DD9767C5D37B4@YOURB88038198E> <400985d70910210712h3c9bc816h8ea9f1b3042391db@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Brad, When my oldest daughter filled out the college entrance and scholarship forms many years ago, she listed her race as "pink" since she was not really "white" with her ruddy redhead complexion. I don't think that it enabled her to receive any special minority treatment although it caused much of her paperwork to be "hand reviewed", thus enabling her to discuss her goals with admission folks, eventually providing a definite "in" with the school administration which led to scholarship opportunities that were not available to the public. With the cost of college today, every little bit counts, especially if not a recognized minority. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brad Haslett" To: Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 10:12 AM Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Media twist words to attack Demint > Ed, > > Is it just me or are other people getting really annoyed at these > self-appointed PC police? A few days ago, I was reading an article > about discrimination in education. The gist of the article was that > an Asian with a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT gets about 230 points > deducted versus an African-American who gets about the same number of > points added (the school used as the example was Princeton). The > author used this sentence; "Asians are the new Jews". Sure enough, > someone found that offensive and complained in the comments section > (they weren't Jewish or Asian). What, pray tell, is offensive about > that expression? Anyone familiar with the discrimination against > admitting Jewish students at the turn of the century, and the later > domination of Jewish students at the top schools when they were > finally admitted, finds that description pretty accurate. It's history > folks, you don't have to like it, it just is what it is. > > After reading that article, my wife asked me how were going to handle > our daughter at college admission time. I suggested we put down > "black" and let them prove otherwise. > > Has the world gone nuts? > > Brad > > On 10/21/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: >> As the media reports, two Republican county offices in rural South >> Carolina >> made comments. Specifically in commending Demint's position on >> controlling >> spending, "They wrote, "the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by >> watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the >> dollars >> taking care of themselves."" >> >> Well a local South Carolina Jew, replied, "This is wack. First of all, >> DeMint didn't write this,and these people don't work for him. And while >> the >> sentiment does him honor, he has nothing to apologize for. As a Jew, as >> far >> as I'm concerned no one does. >> Two GOP chairmen write something commending the Torah value of thrift and >> it's an 'outrage'? >> >> I seem to remember when thrift was a virtue in America. >> >> I know DeMint's record and frankly I classify this as a smear." Rob >> Miller >> >> Oh well, Demint's reelection campaign may just get nasty. Where is Stan >> to >> comment? >> >> I suggest they will try to find racist smears next? However, they have >> to >> walk lightly in South Carolina with that. See >> >> http://www.glennmccall.com/ (and this guy grew up in rural South >> Carolina?) >> >> http://www.votetimscott.com/ (this guy is city dweller, Charleston, S.C.) >> >> Ed K >> >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6812 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message From ekroposki at charter.net Thu Oct 22 07:11:35 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:11:35 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] pc preferences Message-ID: <2EA4D1137F434D2389EF4EBD3013DB8F@YOURB88038198E> Brad said, "The gist of the article was that > an Asian with a perfect score of 1600 on the SAT gets about 230 points deducted versus an African-American who gets about the same number of points added (the school used as the example was Princeton). So, what number is added at Harvard? Maybe more if you claim you are black and Indonesian? So much for that comment on the old Rhodes list about how brilliant the anointed one is. Gee adding that number to some people I know puts them over 1600. Will they consider someone over 1600? Or what about some really smart black guy like Thomas Sowell? How much over the 1600 does that put him? Attached is a picture of a Rhodes list member. You know him. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091022/16ac18f5/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Obama Supporter.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 227059 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091022/16ac18f5/attachment-0001.jpg From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 22 23:01:09 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:01:09 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] You Go Girl! Message-ID: <400985d70910222001j1cb98724od11bd0f2ce575018@mail.gmail.com> Sarah Palin just endorsed the independent candidate for Congress in the NY 23rd. If you have some spare change, help him out - http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/ The GOP candidate is a loon and needs to be defeated. Way to go Sarah! Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 23 08:57:01 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:57:01 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] All The News That Is Fit To Attack Message-ID: <400985d70910230557q4378385fpde2c6d939f1e9b5e@mail.gmail.com> Remember what the car czar said, "do you know who you're f*#king with?" as the federal government was screwing over bondholders and ignoring contract law. Some of us do - a bunch of Chicago thugs. Brad -------------- October 23, 2009 White House Tactics Go Too Far By Charles Krauthammer WASHINGTON -- Rahm Emanuel once sent a dead fish to a live pollster. Now he's put a horse's head in Roger Ailes' bed. Not very subtle. And not very smart. Ailes doesn't scare easily. Receive news alerts Sign Up Charles Krauthammer RealClearPolitics Obama administration media The White House has declared war on Fox News. White House communications director Anita Dunn said that Fox is "opinion journalism masquerading as news." Patting rival networks on the head for their authenticity (read: docility), senior adviser David Axelrod declared Fox "not really a news station." And Chief of Staff Emanuel told (warned?) the other networks not to "be led (by) and following Fox." Meaning? If Fox runs a story critical of the administration -- from exposing White House czar Van Jones as a loony 9/11 "truther" to exhaustively examining the mathematical chicanery and hidden loopholes in proposed health care legislation -- the other news organizations should think twice before following the lead. The signal to corporations is equally clear: You might have dealings with a federal behemoth that not only disburses more than $3 trillion every year but is extending its reach ever deeper into private industry -- finance, autos, soon health care and energy. Think twice before you run an ad on Fox. At first, there was little reaction from other media. Then on Thursday, the administration tried to make them complicit in an actual boycott of Fox. The Treasury Department made available Ken Feinberg, the executive pay czar, for interviews with the White House "pool" news organizations -- except Fox. The other networks admirably refused, saying they would not interview Feinberg unless Fox was permitted to as well. The administration backed down. This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake here. While government can and should debate and criticize opposition voices, the current White House goes beyond that. It wants to delegitimize any significant dissent. The objective is no secret. White House aides openly told Politico that they're engaged in a deliberate campaign to marginalize and ostracize recalcitrants, from Fox to health insurers to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There's nothing illegal about such search-and-destroy tactics. Nor unconstitutional. But our politics are defined not just by limits of legality or constitutionality. We have norms, Madisonian norms. Madison argued that the safety of a great republic, its defense against tyranny, requires the contest between factions or interests. His insight was to understand "the greater security afforded by a greater variety of parties." They would help guarantee liberty by checking and balancing and restraining each other -- and an otherwise imperious government. Factions should compete, but also recognize the legitimacy of other factions and, indeed, their necessity for a vigorous self-regulating democracy. Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimize and destroy is not Madisonian. It is Nixonian. But didn't Teddy Roosevelt try to destroy the trusts? Of course, but what he took down was monopoly power that was extinguishing smaller independent competing interests. Fox News is no monopoly. It is a singular minority in a sea of liberal media. ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, NPR, CNN, MSNBC vs. Fox. The lineup is so unbalanced as to be comical -- and that doesn't even include the other commanding heights of the culture that are firmly, flagrantly liberal: Hollywood, the foundations, the universities, the elite newspapers. Fox and its viewers (numbering more than CNN's and MSNBC's combined) need no defense. Defend Fox compared to whom? To CNN -- which recently unleashed its fact-checkers on a "Saturday Night Live" skit mildly critical of President Obama, but did no checking of a grotesquely racist remark CNN falsely attributed to Rush Limbaugh? Defend Fox from whom? Fox's flagship 6 o'clock evening news out of Washington (hosted by Bret Baier, formerly by Brit Hume) is, to my mind, the best hour of news on television. (Definitive evidence: My mother watches it even on the odd night when I'm not on.) Defend Fox from the likes of Anita Dunn? She's been attacked for extolling Mao's political philosophy in a speech at a high school graduation. But the critics miss the surpassing stupidity of her larger point: She was invoking Mao as support and authority for her impassioned plea for individuality and trusting one's own choices. Mao as champion of individuality? Mao, the greatest imposer of mass uniformity in modern history, creator of a slave society of a near-billion worker bees wearing Mao suits and waving the Little Red Book? The White House communications director cannot be trusted to address high schoolers without uttering inanities. She and her cohorts are now to instruct the country on truth and objectivity? letters at charleskrauthammer.com From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 23 10:09:57 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:09:57 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Job Losses Message-ID: <400985d70910230709q29df6563tfbd8518675370e06@mail.gmail.com> Here's the "money quote" - "Ultimately, I think that all this debt will produce a lot of inflation, with very little net gain in employment relative to what would have taken place without it". Read the whole thing here - http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2009/10/a_recalculation.html No kidding! Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 23 12:23:42 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:23:42 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Little Red Book Message-ID: <400985d70910230923v5d19b513xfdb7c463a6e0c84d@mail.gmail.com> My wife is at work and we have a "date" planned for tonight - the movie "Amelia" is opening. I'm debating whether to show her this video this afternoon or tomorrow. Her head explodes every time she watches one of these things. She knows a thing or two about where this leads. http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdSU2GkU4z This is going beyond the point of being merely amusing or annoying. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 23 12:37:45 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:37:45 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] All The News That Is Fit To Attack In-Reply-To: <400985d70910230557q4378385fpde2c6d939f1e9b5e@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910230557q4378385fpde2c6d939f1e9b5e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910230937y3a80e577m8d74e03d7b40c03@mail.gmail.com> More ...... Obama's Enemies List Peter Wehner Web Exclusive I have argued before that the tone and manner in which one practices politics are undervalued commodities, especially at a presidential level. The public looks for leaders who are large-minded rather than petty and peevish, who engage in public arguments rather than in personal attacks, who want to solve problems rather than settle scores. Tone and approach are important not simply for the aesthetics of politics but also because of what they reveal about a person's predisposition and attitude, temperament and spirit. That is but one reason why President Obama's war on Fox News -- being carried out by him and his top aides -- is so unwise. One of the attractions of Obama during the election -- one of his attractions to me, who wrote favorably about him several times -- was his tone and countenance, his apparent interest in a serious engagement with issues, and his professed allergy to politics practiced by those who are bitter and brittle. We should, he said, "resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long." He went on to say, "I will listen to you, especially when we disagree." All impressive and high-minded sentiments. And all, apparently, a ruse. We have seen from this White House Nixonian tendencies and, it would appear, a burning anger and resentment toward its critics. Whether it's Fox News, the Chamber of Commerce, or companies that sponsor reports that take issue with the administration's assessments, there seems to be a cast of mind that views critics as enemies, as individuals and institutions that need to be ridiculed, delegitimized, or ruined. Given the administration's brazen public statements, one can only imagine what is being said privately, behind closed doors, as strategies are plotted and put into effect. This is disquieting for any number of reasons. Among them is that the presidency is the most powerful office in the world and the temptation for the chief executive and his top aides to misuse that power is considerable. I understand that in the daily give-and-take of politics there will be some rough stuff said and done, that the better angels of our nature can often get pushed aside given the pressure of governing this nation and the partisan crossfire that is a permanent feature of politics. And in the White House it's easy enough to feel that you're being treated unfairly and therefore want to strike back. I get all that. But there are lines that ought not to be crossed, temptations that need to be resisted, and people in the White House who need to say "no" to tactics that begin to drag an administration, and a country, down. There need to be, in short, people who care about character. The Obama White House is showing a fondness for intimidation tactics that might work well in the wards of Chicago but that don't have a place in the most important and revered political institution in America. To see these impulses manifest themselves so early in Obama's presidency, and given all that he has said to the contrary, is rather startling. The danger is that as the pressures mount and the battles accrue and the political heat intensifies, these impulses will grow stronger, the constraints on them will grow weaker, and the voices of caution and reason will continue to be ignored. If that should come to pass -- if what we are seeing now is only a preview of coming attractions -- then the Obama administration, and this nation, will pay a very high price. Mark my words. On 10/23/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Remember what the car czar said, "do you know who you're f*#king > with?" as the federal government was screwing over bondholders and > ignoring contract law. Some of us do - a bunch of Chicago thugs. > > Brad > > -------------- > > October 23, 2009 > White House Tactics Go Too Far > By Charles Krauthammer > > WASHINGTON -- Rahm Emanuel once sent a dead fish to a live pollster. > Now he's put a horse's head in Roger Ailes' bed. > > Not very subtle. And not very smart. Ailes doesn't scare easily. > > Receive news alerts > Sign Up > Charles Krauthammer RealClearPolitics > Obama administration media > > The White House has declared war on Fox News. White House > communications director Anita Dunn said that Fox is "opinion > journalism masquerading as news." Patting rival networks on the head > for their authenticity (read: docility), senior adviser David Axelrod > declared Fox "not really a news station." And Chief of Staff Emanuel > told (warned?) the other networks not to "be led (by) and following > Fox." > > Meaning? If Fox runs a story critical of the administration -- from > exposing White House czar Van Jones as a loony 9/11 "truther" to > exhaustively examining the mathematical chicanery and hidden loopholes > in proposed health care legislation -- the other news organizations > should think twice before following the lead. > > The signal to corporations is equally clear: You might have dealings > with a federal behemoth that not only disburses more than $3 trillion > every year but is extending its reach ever deeper into private > industry -- finance, autos, soon health care and energy. Think twice > before you run an ad on Fox. > > At first, there was little reaction from other media. Then on > Thursday, the administration tried to make them complicit in an actual > boycott of Fox. The Treasury Department made available Ken Feinberg, > the executive pay czar, for interviews with the White House "pool" > news organizations -- except Fox. The other networks admirably > refused, saying they would not interview Feinberg unless Fox was > permitted to as well. The administration backed down. > > This was an important defeat because there's a principle at stake > here. While government can and should debate and criticize opposition > voices, the current White House goes beyond that. It wants to > delegitimize any significant dissent. The objective is no secret. > White House aides openly told Politico that they're engaged in a > deliberate campaign to marginalize and ostracize recalcitrants, from > Fox to health insurers to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. > > There's nothing illegal about such search-and-destroy tactics. Nor > unconstitutional. But our politics are defined not just by limits of > legality or constitutionality. We have norms, Madisonian norms. > > Madison argued that the safety of a great republic, its defense > against tyranny, requires the contest between factions or interests. > His insight was to understand "the greater security afforded by a > greater variety of parties." They would help guarantee liberty by > checking and balancing and restraining each other -- and an otherwise > imperious government. > > Factions should compete, but also recognize the legitimacy of other > factions and, indeed, their necessity for a vigorous self-regulating > democracy. Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimize and destroy > is not Madisonian. It is Nixonian. > > But didn't Teddy Roosevelt try to destroy the trusts? Of course, but > what he took down was monopoly power that was extinguishing smaller > independent competing interests. Fox News is no monopoly. It is a > singular minority in a sea of liberal media. ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, NPR, > CNN, MSNBC vs. Fox. The lineup is so unbalanced as to be comical -- > and that doesn't even include the other commanding heights of the > culture that are firmly, flagrantly liberal: Hollywood, the > foundations, the universities, the elite newspapers. > > Fox and its viewers (numbering more than CNN's and MSNBC's combined) > need no defense. Defend Fox compared to whom? To CNN -- which recently > unleashed its fact-checkers on a "Saturday Night Live" skit mildly > critical of President Obama, but did no checking of a grotesquely > racist remark CNN falsely attributed to Rush Limbaugh? > > Defend Fox from whom? Fox's flagship 6 o'clock evening news out of > Washington (hosted by Bret Baier, formerly by Brit Hume) is, to my > mind, the best hour of news on television. (Definitive evidence: My > mother watches it even on the odd night when I'm not on.) Defend Fox > from the likes of Anita Dunn? She's been attacked for extolling Mao's > political philosophy in a speech at a high school graduation. But the > critics miss the surpassing stupidity of her larger point: She was > invoking Mao as support and authority for her impassioned plea for > individuality and trusting one's own choices. Mao as champion of > individuality? Mao, the greatest imposer of mass uniformity in modern > history, creator of a slave society of a near-billion worker bees > wearing Mao suits and waving the Little Red Book? > > The White House communications director cannot be trusted to address > high schoolers without uttering inanities. She and her cohorts are now > to instruct the country on truth and objectivity? > letters at charleskrauthammer.com > From mweisner at ebsmed.com Fri Oct 23 12:41:20 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:41:20 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Little Red Book References: <400985d70910230923v5d19b513xfdb7c463a6e0c84d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <39E83437EC644AF2B6D6171572BA6128@ebsoffice> Brad, I'm all in favor of every one having a fair chance at becoming President, if that is their desire. No color or ethnic hurdles should stand in their way. Teaching that each and every child has the ability to become President, regardless of ability can't be correct. The problem appears to be that the inequalities of the past are currently being reversed, not removed. It's time to get down to studying and learning what it takes to properly discharge the duties of the office, not simply talking or singing. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brad Haslett" To: "Letters to the Editor" Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 12:23 PM Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Little Red Book > My wife is at work and we have a "date" planned for tonight - the > movie "Amelia" is opening. I'm debating whether to show her this > video this afternoon or tomorrow. Her head explodes every time she > watches one of these things. She knows a thing or two about where this > leads. > > http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/checker.aspx?v=GdSU2GkU4z > > This is going beyond the point of being merely amusing or annoying. > > Brad > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 6973 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 23 17:34:30 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:34:30 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Priceless! Message-ID: <400985d70910231434j4286761ej59ee7251efea3b91@mail.gmail.com> It's free - what could go wrong? http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/photos/65691622.html?index=6 Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 24 09:05:10 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:05:10 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] You Go Girl! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910222001j1cb98724od11bd0f2ce575018@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910222001j1cb98724od11bd0f2ce575018@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910240605w38269fa3ha02e993678c6c538@mail.gmail.com> I love it! The press made no effort to explore any of Palin's real accomplishments in 2008, and the GOP leadership wrote her off after the election. Stupid move. Palin blew the GOP apart in AK (which is why she was so loved by the Dems until she got national recognition). Now she's got the national GOP in her sights. The left fears her or they wouldn't pay so much attention to her every move. They shouldn't worry so much, she's tracking other game first, same as in AK. This NY 23rd race is important because it is the first Tea Party challenge to the GOP establishment. Are you listening, Graham, Main Sisters, McCain, et al? Brad ----------------- Sarah Palin Strikes Back Posted By Melissa Clouthier On October 24, 2009 @ 12:06 am In . Feature 01, Politics, US News | 23 Comments ?You wouldn?t believe how badly they treated her,? an insider friend told me of Sarah Palin not too long ago. I assumed this person meant the Republican establishment. One can only imagine what they?ve been up to. So Thursday night the former Alaska governor posted the following on her Facebook page [1]: The votes of every member of Congress affect every American, so it?s important for all of us to pay attention to this important Congressional campaign in upstate New York. I am very pleased to announce my support for Doug Hoffman in his fight to be the next Representative from New York?s 23rd Congressional district. It?s my honor to endorse Doug and to do what I can to help him win, including having my political action committee, SarahPAC, donate to his campaign the maximum contribution allowed by law. Our nation is at a crossroads, and this is once again a ?time for choosing.? Palin has been sending a couple messages recently. First, she has, since stepping down as governor, started to communicate with the people not through the press but around the press. In other words, she?s speaking directly to the people through social media. She has had a couple well-timed and well-placed op-eds that have helped define policy arguments. However, most of the time she?s talked to the people via social media. (It should be noted that she?s been silent on Twiiter for some time ? something I hope she?ll change soon.) This has had the benefit of letting the press know that she does not need them. Rather than go the Obama route and deny what is perceived as the one ?enemy? to her aims, Sarah denies nearly everyone. And why not? The press trashed her with risible lies. Why give a dying breed ratings when she can reach the people herself? Second, Sarah Palin has a massive army fundraising for her. It has been interesting to contemplate how she?s going to use that power. The GOP power brokers have certainly seemed disinterested in having her run for president, but they are very interested in her money and endorsements. The only problem is that they have, to use a vulgar turn of phrase, pissed in their Cheerios. They underestimated her star power. They misjudged her almost as badly as the left did; they thought she was just some feather-headed lightweight who would be nice arm candy for John McCain. She?d win the women vote because women are so stupid; ovaries are enough to win them over was the idea. Turns out that Sarah Palin was formidable because of the strength of her ideals, not just because of the strength of her beauty. And don?t forget the strength of her spine. This gross miscalculation has put the Republican Party at odds with their one star candidate. The Republican establishment made another miscalculation last year. They underestimated the resolve and force of the tea party movement. These folks are ticked. They are angrier at the Republican establishment than they are at President Obama and his Marxist minions. In fact, this trouble was brewing all through the presidential campaign and even before. It all started, really, with the notion of ?compassionate conservative? ? an idea both insulting and inherently false. Conservatism is compassionate. Conservatism is something to be proud of, not something to hide. So the Republicans have seemed as stunned with the tea partiers as the tea partiers are stunned at their party. The grassroots folks have had it. They?re tired of being disrespected. They?re tired of being told to pipe down and go along to get along when the candidates the party picks stink and then lose. That brings us around to the election in New York. Local party people decided [2] that a liberal woman would be just the ticket. The national party decided to second and third that notion. They chose identity over ideology. (This is something the party looks inclined to do in California in two races, by the way.) Ironically, some have viewed Sarah Palin as a horrible candidate because identity politics was involved in her selection. Well, the old establishment might have wanted her for her ovaries, but they got more than they bargained for in Sarah Palin. She actually believes something. With her decision to endorse Doug Hoffman, the conservative (not Republican) candidate, Sarah Palin sends the Republican Party a very clear message. She will be using her considerable fundraising ability to fund candidates who ideologically match what it used to mean to be a Republican. Since the Republican Party, from its toes to its nose, has difficulty identifying candidates with those credentials, she?ll help them do it. The Republican Party has a choice. They can continue to antagonize those who vote them into office or they can start paying attention. They mistakenly buy the D.C. bubble philosophy that moderation is the way to find good candidates. What they?re seeing is a base willing to lose if the Republican Party doesn?t change its ways. A friend on Twitter said to me last night: ?Sarah Palin has the base, she has to find a way to reach out to the moderates and independents.? I retorted: ?The Republican party might have the moderates and independents (which I question since those people chose Obama over the moderate McCain), they have to find a way to win the base.? The base won?t be discounted any longer and they have found their champion in a very powerful Sarah Palin. On 10/22/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Sarah Palin just endorsed the independent candidate for Congress in > the NY 23rd. If you have some spare change, help him out - > > http://www.doughoffmanforcongress.com/ > > The GOP candidate is a loon and needs to be defeated. > > Way to go Sarah! > > Brad > From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 24 11:58:34 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:58:34 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Need A Haircut? Message-ID: <400985d70910240858j53cb2cc0wce4d49a9b06a026e@mail.gmail.com> Your tax dollars at work - http://tinyurl.com/ykadybx From mweisner at ebsmed.com Sat Oct 24 12:08:54 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:08:54 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Priceless! References: <400985d70910231434j4286761ej59ee7251efea3b91@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1F316498B09240DE9AE0D4B14E415A30@acer7e8cb8aec8> Brad, Pictures speak! Flu shot at CVS, <5 min wait, $24,99 Flu shot at Target Pharmacy, 10-15 min wait, $16.99 Gov't sponsored FREE Flu shot, hours waiting on lline (if there is even enough to go around), PRICELESS! How much is your time worth? Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brad Haslett" To: "Letters to the Editor" Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 5:34 PM Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Priceless! > It's free - what could go wrong? > > http://www.jsonline.com/multimedia/photos/65691622.html?index=6 > > Brad > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 359 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Sat Oct 24 16:47:43 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:47:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <400985d70910200807r7831970cia184799dbe323e58@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <537501.90987.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> >Got Tea? Actually...just bought a lot of tea bags for Catherine Crabill, candidate for delegate in the 99th district of Va. .....sharp lady...knows her Constitution & Bill of Rights...and can make a good argument 'agin' the O'Bambi sludge oozing around. the State GOP will not back her...they have actually taken the 99th district off their website ? ((http://www.rpv.org/candidates/) where they have listed the other districts in VA & the Repub candidates. Two of the counties in the 99th also will not back her..the Democrat was running unopposed in the 99th...they must have preferred the Dem over one of their own....(Albert Pollard).. She has been making the rounds at 'meets & greets'...she's the one who used the "Ballot Box/Bullet Box" quote from Patrick Henry that the Dems sliced & diced & spread all over(even to other countries!) ?saying that she is advocating violence. there is a Utube video of both..... elle --- On Tue, 10/20/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 11:07 AM Elle, Update below.? Actually, I'm starting to like this woman - she's gonna save me a lot of money.? The next time the GOP calls asking for a donation, I'm going to mention Dede's name and explain why I'm personally choosing the candidates I support. It IS imperative that we replace the current Congress but that doesn't mean a candidate automatically gets my support because they have an R behind their name. Got Tea? Brad ------------- Scozzafava Calls the Cops Lowville, N.Y. Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone with Scozzafava's campaign called the police. On me. Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September. So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the campaign's spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the door. I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and asked her: " Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her twice more. Silence. After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to report the evening's events. Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took down my name, date of birth, and address. "Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," Officer Grolman told me. "[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's not like you're in any trouble." That was good to hear. But I do wonder if it?s the Scozzafava campaign that?s in trouble--with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to say she?d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she?s questioned by a reporter who is (if I may say so) polite--if a bit persistent. Posted by John McCormack on October 19, 2009 11:14 PM | Permalink On 10/19/09, elle wrote: >>Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. > > Who is she? > elle > > --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM > > Elle, > > I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message.? Having said > that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums > get/stay in.? Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate > in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum.? Marc Rubio is > gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to > go.? Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his > friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality > conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask > themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or > not. > > Brad > > > On 10/18/09, elle wrote: >> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if >> the Republicans? prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support >> of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. >> >>? Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy? & >> umemployment are on the skids???) >> >> elle >> >> >> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >> >> From: Brad Haslett >> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >> To: "Letters to the Editor" >> >> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM >> >> >> O's 'blank screen' >> >> By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD >> >> Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 >> >> IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank >> screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project >> their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains >> why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans >> joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. >> >> Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing >> the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has >> avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans >> ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- >> particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. >> >> The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take >> over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and >> small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain >> without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their >> mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from >> paycheck to paycheck. >> >> For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President >> Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his >> narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign >> machine. >> >> The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who >> promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, >> is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. >> Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is >> proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his >> party than standing up for actual change. >> >> A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster >> child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's >> entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he >> finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States >> from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get >> a job as a driver and put two children through college. >> >> I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had >> guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education >> for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. >> >> First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his >> family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know >> what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what >> government gives, it can take away. >> >> Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at >> the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the >> present debates over the president's many policies. >> >> Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A >> paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality >> and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to >> the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle >> that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton >> built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not >> policies that made individuals beholden to the state. >> >> In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and >> individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does >> not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect >> with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with >> captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. >> >> It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's >> health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not >> possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 >> million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow >> anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience >> no change. >> >> In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, >> Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that >> his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. >> >> On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of >> our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded >> liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's >> lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further >> erodes his authority. >> >> In light of all the political capital that true and sensible >> health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President >> Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a >> case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our >> health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank >> screen" politics. >> >> And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another >> Jimmy Carter. >> >> Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder >> of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091024/b4441b8a/attachment-0001.html From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 25 08:50:20 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:50:20 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Kentucky Lake Message-ID: <7915DBF8D7404B9795493637F0004228@YOURB88038198E> Waiting to see some fall pictures of Kentucy Lake... maybe even taken from a sailboat? Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/3dec34ad/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Sun Oct 25 09:15:24 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:15:24 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Kentucky Lake In-Reply-To: <7915DBF8D7404B9795493637F0004228@YOURB88038198E> References: <7915DBF8D7404B9795493637F0004228@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910250615t65977f6cx95f286e614a02abd@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Ha ha, if you're waiting for me to post pics of Ky Lake, you'll be waiting a while. Didn't even bring the camera with this trip. Actually, there wasn't much fall color change going on yet anyway. I expect it will get going good this next week or so, as it got pretty cold (below freezing in spots) a couple nights earlier this week. I really should learn to take pictures someday before I die, I guess. Never got in the habit. Rik On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 7:50 AM, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Waiting to see some fall pictures of Kentucy Lake... maybe even taken > from a sailboat? > > Ed K > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/b86e2d11/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 25 09:56:41 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:56:41 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Ingrates Message-ID: <400985d70910250656l640fb9c8g10de62338f9020b8@mail.gmail.com> First, a personal letter to two of the principals at PowerLine blog, then an article by the letter writer. According to Micheal Yon, we are slowly losing to the Taliban. Afghanistan is not a unified country and is mostly tribal, each valley with its own allegiances. Obama campaigned on his support for the Afghan war and his insights about what to do. Now he's voting "present". I've given him a pass so far because it IS a difficult situation and far greater (and smarter) men than he have been stymied by Afghanistan. That said, we're losing good men and women in that fight (despite the old medias lack of interest now that their man is in office). Either shit or get off the pot! Brad -------------- You, Paul and Stephen have the story dead to rights. I was involved in the the Bush administration's 2008 Afghanistan review and it was every bit as in depth and serious as the one several years earlier for Iraq. It involved many of the same people who helped conduct Gen. McChrystal's recent review and included Democrats, Republicans, our British allies, Afghans, etc. The strategy put forward was sound and competent, and carbon-copy similar to the one that President Obama announced in March. It is also true that team Obama was briefed on this review before assuming office. In fact, we began briefing both campaigns even before the election. I don't remember the dates, but well before the election we began bringing together the national security teams from both campaigns for in-depth briefing sessions under the auspices of the Aspen Institute. These were long events where Bush administration cabinet-level officials spent days -- yes, days -- briefing the two candidates' advisers. After the election we began spending hours with the transition team on the details of the plan and the situation on the ground. It is also true that Obama's transition team asked us to hold the Afghanistan review findings, a request to which President Bush acquiesced because (as it was relayed to me) he did not want to box the new president into a narrow set of options. In March, when Obama announced his new Afghanistan strategy, I did not notice a single change from the new plan that we had given him...only Obama did not resource it with enough troops. The Chicago mob's behavior is unbelievably unseemly. Here they were given an immense amount of material, a complete strategic review and plan with the author's heading left blank. President Bush felt it was his duty to do so. And all Obama can do is smear president Bush, even after he filled his own name into the author's column. Obama seems not to understand that it is not President Bush who is suffering here. Rather, it is our under-resourced soldiers in Afghanistan who are suffering. Obama has had his hands on this plan for a full year now, and he's done virtually nothing except play politics. He needs to give our soldiers the resources to succeed, and then help create the political atmosphere so that they have time to succeed. It seems he has the intestinal fortitude to do neither. Weak, weak, weak. ---------- Obama's Minions Are Ingrates The Bush administration did leave a plan for Afghanistan. by Stephen F. Hayes 11/02/2009, Volume 015, Issue 07 On October 18, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel appeared on the Sunday morning talk shows and, in the process of answering questions about Barack Obama's strategy on Afghanistan, accused the Bush administration of failing to ask the most basic questions about that country and our war there. The president is asking the questions that have never been asked on the civilian side, the political side, the military side, and the strategic side. What is the impact on the region? What can the Afghan government do or not do? Where are we on the police training? Who would be better doing the police training? Could that be something the Europeans do? Should we take the military side? Those are the questions that have not been asked. And before you commit troops??.??. ?.??before you make that decision, there's a set of questions that have to have answers that have never been asked. And it's clear after eight years of war, that's basically starting from the beginning, and those questions never got asked. Then, after former vice president Dick Cheney used a speech on October 22 to accuse the Obama administration of "dithering" on Afghanistan, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs responded by claiming that the Bush administration did not care about U.S. troops. "What Vice President Cheney calls 'dithering,' President Obama calls his solemn responsibility to the men and women in uniform and to the American public," said Gibbs. "I think we've all seen what happens when somebody doesn't take that responsibility seriously." Gibbs went on, calling Cheney's comments "curious" and claiming that a request for troops from General David McKiernan during the final year of the Bush administration "sat on desks in this White House, including the vice president's, for more than eight months." So there are two separate and very serious charges that Obama White House officials are making about their predecessors. First, that the Bush administration had no real Afghanistan policy and failed for eight years to ask the important questions about the war there. And second, that the Bush administration ignored requests from commanders on the ground to increase troops in Afghanistan. Bush administration officials were furious. "The idea that we just sat on our f--ing asses--it's really a slander," says one senior Bush administration official. "It's just not credible that we didn't take this seriously." In fact, the Bush administration did ask those questions. From mid-September to mid-November 2008, a National Security Council team, under the direction of General Doug Lute, conducted an exhaustive review of Afghanistan policy. The interagency group included high-ranking officials from the State Department, the National Security Council, the CIA, the office of the director of national intelligence, the office of the vice president, the Pentagon, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its objective was to assess U.S. -policy on Afghanistan, integrating a simultaneous military review being conducted by CENTCOM, so as to present President Bush with a series of recommendations on how best to turn around the deteriorating situation there. The Lute group met often--sometimes twice daily--in a secure conference room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. (The group used the room so frequently that other national security working groups that had been meeting there were required to find other space including, occasionally, the White House Situation Room.) The Lute review asked many questions and provided exhaustive answers not only to President Bush, but also to the Obama transition team before the inauguration. "General Jones was briefed on the results of the Lute review, and that review answered many of the questions that Rahm Emanuel says were never asked," says Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley. Jones and Hadley discussed the review, and Lute gave Jones a detailed PowerPoint presentation on his findings. Among the recommendations: a civilian surge of diplomats and other non-military personnel to the country, expedited training for the Afghan National Army, a strong emphasis on governance and credible elections, and, most important, a fully resourced counterinsurgency strategy. Jones asked Hadley not to release the results of the Lute review so that his boss would have more flexibility when it came time to provide direction for the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Bush officials reasoned that Obama was more likely to heed their advice if he could simply adopt their recommendations without having to acknowledge that they came from the Bush White House. So Hadley agreed. "Mr. Emanuel either did not know about our review or chose to lie about it," says Eliot Cohen, who served as counselor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and was one of the principal participants in the Lute review. Virtually nobody believes Emanuel is clueless. In any case, the author of the review, Doug Lute, remains a senior Afghanistan adviser in the Obama White House. Perhaps more infuriating for Bush veterans was the suggestion by Gibbs that the Bush administration ignored requests for more troops. It's nonsense, they say. McKiernan wanted more troops--he asked for three additional brigades in the summer of 2008--but he understood that he could have them only when they became available. "McKiernan was making requests down the line," says a Pentagon official, "and late in 2008 we did have the ability to commit more forces. So we did." Indeed, Bush sent nearly 7,000 additional troops to Afghanistan before he left office, including one brigade that had been repurposed from Iraq. One Bush veteran asks, "If it's true that the Bush administration sat on these troop requests for eight months, is the White House suggesting that the Pentagon was incompetent or negligent or both? That would be a good question to put to the defense secretary--and President Obama is in a position to make him talk." I couldn't reach Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, but I did talk to a senior defense official who serves with him. This person stressed that Gates has gone to great lengths to avoid being dragged into political fights between administrations. Nonetheless, he offered a strong rebuke to the present White House political team. "There was no request on anyone's desk for eight months," said the defense official. "There was not a request that went to the White House because we didn't have forces to commit. So on the facts, they're wrong." When Obama took office, he ordered an Afghanistan review of his own. Led by former CIA official Bruce Riedel, the Obama review team looked at Afghanistan and made its recommendations. On March 27, the president announced his new Afghanistan strategy--one that included many of the recommendations of the Bush administration's review. And that is another indignity. Not only did the Obama administration understand full well that the Bush administration had conducted a comprehensive assessment of Afghanistan, and not only had Jim Jones asked that the Bush review be withheld from the public--but Obama's "new" strategy bore an uncanny resemblance to that prescribed by the Lute review. Says Eliot Cohen, "My challenge to the Obama administration is: Why don't you declassify both documents--the Bush administration's Afghanistan review and your own." Not surprisingly, Republicans were among the most outspoken supporters of Obama's strategy announced in March. And while Democrats on Capitol Hill did not, for the most part, voice their opposition in public, they registered their concerns in private conversations with White House officials. They had a receptive audience. Several top White House officials, including Emanuel, Jones, David Axelrod, and Joe Biden, remain skeptical of escalating U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan. And according to the man who conducted the Afghanistan review for the Obama White House, Bruce Riedel, politics is at the center of those concerns. "I think a big part of it is, the vice president's reading of the Democratic party is this is not sustainable," Riedel told the New York Times. "That's a part of the process that's a legitimate question for a president--if I do this, can I sustain it with political support at home? That was the argument the vice president was making back in the winter." It is a legitimate question for a president. Why then, as Obama again nears a decision on the way forward in Afghanistan, would Rahm Emanuel pick a fight with Republicans--the very people who gave the president his most ardent backing the last time he announced a new strategy? Could it be that Emanuel hopes to foreclose one of Obama's options--the one Emanuel opposes--before the president makes his decision? ???? Stephen F. Hayes is a senior writer at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 25 10:41:14 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:41:14 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <537501.90987.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910200807r7831970cia184799dbe323e58@mail.gmail.com> <537501.90987.qm@web111206.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910250741g34c493b2ue0d7bbe9b94446a3@mail.gmail.com> Elle, Always good to see a "non-politician" throw their hat in the ring. Both parties had better be paying attention. Brad ------------- Take back the Party! By DOUG HOFFMAN Last Updated: 9:09 AM, October 25, 2009 Posted: 12:26 AM, October 25, 2009 The 23rd Congressional District in upstate New York is locked in an election battle that echoes far beyond Watertown. When the local Republican party nominated Assembly member Dede Scozzafava, some conservatives balked, objecting that her positions (on gay marriage, abortion and spending) are too liberal. Local businessman Doug Hoffman decided to run as the Conservative Party candidate to oppose both the Democrat, Bill Owens, and Scozzafava in the November election. Hoffman tells The Post why the Republican Party needs to return to its base. At this time, three months ago, I was wrestling with a decision. A decision as to whether or not to run in a special election to fill the seat vacated by the new secretary of the Army, John McHugh. If you had told me 90 days later I would be penning an op-ed piece for the New York Post, I would have laughed in disbelief. I would have laughed even louder had you told me that I would be receiving endorsement and support from political leaders like Fred Thompson, former Majority Leader Dick Armey, or Sarah Palin. Or appearing on broadcast media with national audiences, as their hosts peppered me with questions about the future of the GOP and our nation. You see I?m not a professional politician; I?ve never sought elected office. I grew up poor in Saranac Lake, in the heart of the Adirondacks. My siblings and I were raised in a single-parent household by our mother. We worked to help her pay the mortgage. But, like so many others in this great land, I worked hard, got a good education, did a six-year stint in the military, married, landed a good job with a ?big eight? accounting firm and started living the American dream. It?s funny what can happen in America, when you are able to dream and have the courage to follow your dreams. At 27 I was hired as controller of the organizing committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Three years later I bought the accounting firm that employed my mother. Now I have six offices spread across the northern reaches of New York and a dozen other small businesses in the Adirondacks that employ my wife, children and hopefully someday, my grandchildren. I am living the American Dream. The reason I?m running for office is to ensure that others share the same opportunities. Sadly, that dream is quickly becoming a nightmare. Unemployment grows, our economy is in crisis, and our elected officials seem out of touch with reality. Government in Albany is a disgrace; it?s the most dysfunctional in the nation. New York has six statewide elected officials, only two of them have been elected by the people. Three of the remaining four hold office as a result of the scandals, sexual and financial, that forced a governor and a comptroller to resign. It?s just as bad in Washington. The Obama administration suffers from the illusion that the way you solve problems, both social and economic, is to throw money at them.In the meantime, Congress fiddles while our economy burns. They lack common sense. They don?t seem to get it that increased spending leads to higher taxes and fuels a projected $9 trillion deficit. That earmarks and pork-barrel spending might be beneficial to their political careers, but are devastating to the taxpayers who foot the bill. They are oblivious to the fact that tort reform, cutting of waste, and the introduction of free-market solutions are the ways to lower the cost of health care. That Obama-care will only lead us down the slippery slope to socialized medicine. They are addicted to spending. When they run low on funds they simply create a new tax or raise an old one. Taxes, the deficit, red tape and regulation are breaking the back of the nation, mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. Americans have had enough and are vocalizing their anger in town hall meetings and on the streets of Washington. They are mad as hell and they?re not going to take it anymore! That?s why I am running. I am one of them! Freedom is what Americans want. Economic freedom to reap the rewards of the free enterprise system, personal freedom from the intrusion of big government in our lives, freedom from the nanny state that is being forced upon us. I?m a lifelong Republican running as the nominee of the New York State Conservative Party. I didn?t leave the Republican Party, the party left me. The GOP bosses in New York and Washington felt the candidate needed to be as liberal as possible. They picked a professional politician, with a voting record more liberal than 46 Democrats in the New York state legislature. They threw principles out the window. Their candidate has voted for increased spending, higher taxes, gay marriage and abortion. She supports ?Card Check? (EFCA) and is supported by trial lawyers, gay activists and Big Labor. In 2008 she ran on the line of the radical left Working Families Party, ACORN?s political party in New York. The battle I wage is not a lonely one. Like-minded citizens in the district, the state and the nation have joined me in this fight. It is a battle that has been joined by current and former elected Republican officials, conservative activists and members of the ever-growing Tea Party and 9/12 movements. And if the GOP picks liberal candidates for the midterm congressional elections next year, they may find that there are a lot more people out there like me who won?t go along. We are not going to win by becoming more like the Democrats. We?re going to win by standing up for our beliefs. It?s principle over party. It?s a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. It?s a fight for fiscal responsibility and the return of common sense to those who govern us. This is a fight for our children?s future. It?s a fight for America. On 10/24/09, elle wrote: >>Got Tea? > Actually...just bought a lot of tea bags for Catherine Crabill, candidate > for delegate in the 99th district of Va. .....sharp lady...knows her > Constitution & Bill of Rights...and can make a good argument 'agin' the > O'Bambi sludge oozing around. > the State GOP will not back her...they have actually taken the 99th district > off their website ((http://www.rpv.org/candidates/) where they have listed > the other districts in VA & the Repub candidates. Two of the counties in the > 99th also will not back her..the Democrat was running unopposed in the > 99th...they must have preferred the Dem over one of their own....(Albert > Pollard).. > She has been making the rounds at 'meets & greets'...she's the one who used > the "Ballot Box/Bullet Box" quote from Patrick Henry that the Dems sliced & > diced & spread all over(even to other countries!) saying that she is > advocating violence. there is a Utube video of both..... > > elle > > --- On Tue, 10/20/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 11:07 AM > > Elle, > > Update below. Actually, I'm starting to like this woman - she's gonna > save me a lot of money. The next time the GOP calls asking for a > donation, I'm going to mention Dede's name and explain why I'm > personally choosing the candidates I support. It IS imperative that we > replace the current Congress but that doesn't mean a candidate > automatically gets my support because they have an R behind their > name. > > Got Tea? > > Brad > > ------------- > > > Scozzafava Calls the Cops > > Lowville, N.Y. > Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 > special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about > 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. > After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava > fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party > candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in > order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a > rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. > It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone > with Scozzafava's campaign called the police. On me. > > Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to > an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check > legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for > organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements > made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September. > > So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports > card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. > > At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between > Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the > campaign's spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of > the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means > she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of > taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed > themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the > door. > > I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and > asked her: " Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill > should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her > twice more. Silence. > > After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to > report the evening's events. > > Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights > flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because > "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took > down my name, date of birth, and address. > > "Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, > persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," > Officer Grolman told me. > > "[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's > not like you're in any trouble." > > That was good to hear. > > But I do wonder if it?s the Scozzafava campaign that?s in > trouble--with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to > say she?d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes > abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that > she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she?s questioned > by a reporter who is (if I may say so) polite--if a bit persistent. > > Posted by John McCormack on October 19, 2009 11:14 PM | Permalink > > > On 10/19/09, elle wrote: >>>Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate >> in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. >> >> Who is she? >> elle >> >> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >> From: Brad Haslett >> Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >> To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM >> >> Elle, >> >> I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message. Having said >> that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums >> get/stay in. Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race. The GOP candidate >> in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. Marc Rubio is >> gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to >> go. Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his >> friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality >> conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask >> themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or >> not. >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/18/09, elle wrote: >>> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if >>> the Republicans prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support >>> of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. >>> >>> Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy & >>> umemployment are on the skids???) >>> >>> elle >>> >>> >>> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >>> >>> >>> From: Brad Haslett >>> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >>> To: "Letters to the Editor" >>> >>> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM >>> >>> >>> O's 'blank screen' >>> >>> By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD >>> >>> Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 >>> >>> Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 >>> >>> IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank >>> screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project >>> their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains >>> why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans >>> joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. >>> >>> Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing >>> the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has >>> avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans >>> ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- >>> particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. >>> >>> The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take >>> over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and >>> small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain >>> without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their >>> mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from >>> paycheck to paycheck. >>> >>> For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President >>> Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his >>> narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign >>> machine. >>> >>> The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who >>> promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, >>> is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. >>> Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is >>> proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his >>> party than standing up for actual change. >>> >>> A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster >>> child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's >>> entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he >>> finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States >>> from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get >>> a job as a driver and put two children through college. >>> >>> I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had >>> guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education >>> for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. >>> >>> First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his >>> family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know >>> what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what >>> government gives, it can take away. >>> >>> Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at >>> the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the >>> present debates over the president's many policies. >>> >>> Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A >>> paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality >>> and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to >>> the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle >>> that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton >>> built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not >>> policies that made individuals beholden to the state. >>> >>> In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and >>> individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does >>> not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect >>> with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with >>> captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. >>> >>> It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's >>> health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not >>> possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 >>> million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow >>> anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience >>> no change. >>> >>> In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, >>> Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that >>> his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. >>> >>> On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of >>> our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded >>> liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's >>> lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further >>> erodes his authority. >>> >>> In light of all the political capital that true and sensible >>> health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President >>> Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a >>> case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our >>> health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank >>> screen" politics. >>> >>> And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another >>> Jimmy Carter. >>> >>> Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder >>> of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >>> >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Sun Oct 25 13:48:43 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:48:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen In-Reply-To: <400985d70910250741g34c493b2ue0d7bbe9b94446a3@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <55568.1901.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> How's Jesse Turner doing? He was on several of the Utube videos posted last month. I suppose I could google him but I have GOT to get my computers switched aroud before Wed. elle --- On Sun, 10/25/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009, 10:41 AM Elle, Always good to see a "non-politician" throw their hat in the ring. Both parties had better be paying attention. Brad ------------- Take back the Party! By DOUG HOFFMAN Last Updated: 9:09 AM, October 25, 2009 Posted: 12:26 AM, October 25, 2009 The 23rd Congressional District in upstate New York is locked in an election battle that echoes far beyond Watertown. When the local Republican party nominated Assembly member Dede Scozzafava, some conservatives balked, objecting that her positions (on gay marriage, abortion and spending) are too liberal. Local businessman Doug Hoffman decided to run as the Conservative Party candidate to oppose both the Democrat, Bill Owens, and Scozzafava in the November election. Hoffman tells The Post why the Republican Party needs to return to its base. At this time, three months ago, I was wrestling with a decision. A decision as to whether or not to run in a special election to fill the seat vacated by the new secretary of the Army, John McHugh. If you had told me 90 days later I would be penning an op-ed piece for the New York Post, I would have laughed in disbelief. I would have laughed even louder had you told me that I would be receiving endorsement and support from political leaders like Fred Thompson, former Majority Leader Dick Armey, or Sarah Palin. Or appearing on broadcast media with national audiences, as their hosts peppered me with questions about the future of the GOP and our nation. You see I?m not a professional politician; I?ve never sought elected office. I grew up poor in Saranac Lake, in the heart of the Adirondacks. My siblings and I were raised in a single-parent household by our mother. We worked to help her pay the mortgage. But, like so many others in this great land, I worked hard, got a good education, did a six-year stint in the military, married, landed a good job with a ?big eight? accounting firm and started living the American dream. It?s funny what can happen in America, when you are able to dream and have the courage to follow your dreams. At 27 I was hired as controller of the organizing committee for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Three years later I bought the accounting firm that employed my mother. Now I have six offices spread across the northern reaches of New York and a dozen other small businesses in the Adirondacks that employ my wife, children and hopefully someday, my grandchildren. I am living the American Dream. The reason I?m running for office is to ensure that others share the same opportunities. Sadly, that dream is quickly becoming a nightmare. Unemployment grows, our economy is in crisis, and our elected officials seem out of touch with reality. Government in Albany is a disgrace; it?s the most dysfunctional in the nation. New York has six statewide elected officials, only two of them have been elected by the people. Three of the remaining four hold office as a result of the scandals, sexual and financial, that forced a governor and a comptroller to resign. It?s just as bad in Washington. The Obama administration suffers from the illusion that the way you solve problems, both social and economic, is to throw money at them.In the meantime, Congress fiddles while our economy burns. They lack common sense. They don?t seem to get it that increased spending leads to higher taxes and fuels a projected $9 trillion deficit. That earmarks and pork-barrel spending might be beneficial to their political careers, but are devastating to the taxpayers who foot the bill. They are oblivious to the fact that tort reform, cutting of waste, and the introduction of free-market solutions are the ways to lower the cost of health care. That Obama-care will only lead us down the slippery slope to socialized medicine. They are addicted to spending. When they run low on funds they simply create a new tax or raise an old one. Taxes, the deficit, red tape and regulation are breaking the back of the nation, mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. Americans have had enough and are vocalizing their anger in town hall meetings and on the streets of Washington. They are mad as hell and they?re not going to take it anymore! That?s why I am running. I am one of them! Freedom is what Americans want. Economic freedom to reap the rewards of the free enterprise system, personal freedom from the intrusion of big government in our lives, freedom from the nanny state that is being forced upon us. I?m a lifelong Republican running as the nominee of the New York State Conservative Party. I didn?t leave the Republican Party, the party left me. The GOP bosses in New York and Washington felt the candidate needed to be as liberal as possible. They picked a professional politician, with a voting record more liberal than 46 Democrats in the New York state legislature. They threw principles out the window. Their candidate has voted for increased spending, higher taxes, gay marriage and abortion. She supports ?Card Check? (EFCA) and is supported by trial lawyers, gay activists and Big Labor. In 2008 she ran on the line of the radical left Working Families Party, ACORN?s political party in New York. The battle I wage is not a lonely one. Like-minded citizens in the district, the state and the nation have joined me in this fight. It is a battle that has been joined by current and former elected Republican officials, conservative activists and members of the ever-growing Tea Party and 9/12 movements. And if the GOP picks liberal candidates for the midterm congressional elections next year, they may find that there are a lot more people out there like me who won?t go along. We are not going to win by becoming more like the Democrats. We?re going to win by standing up for our beliefs. It?s principle over party. It?s a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. It?s a fight for fiscal responsibility and the return of common sense to those who govern us. This is a fight for our children?s future. It?s a fight for America. On 10/24/09, elle wrote: >>Got Tea? > Actually...just bought a lot of tea bags for Catherine Crabill, candidate > for delegate in the 99th district of Va. .....sharp lady...knows her > Constitution & Bill of Rights...and can make a good argument 'agin' the > O'Bambi sludge oozing around. > the State GOP will not back her...they have actually taken the 99th district > off their website???((http://www.rpv.org/candidates/) where they have listed > the other districts in VA & the Repub candidates. Two of the counties in the > 99th also will not back her..the Democrat was running unopposed in the > 99th...they must have preferred the Dem over one of their own....(Albert > Pollard).. > She has been making the rounds at 'meets & greets'...she's the one who used > the "Ballot Box/Bullet Box" quote from Patrick Henry that the Dems sliced & > diced & spread all over(even to other countries!)? saying that she is > advocating violence. there is a Utube video of both..... > > elle > > --- On Tue, 10/20/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 11:07 AM > > Elle, > > Update below.? Actually, I'm starting to like this woman - she's gonna > save me a lot of money.? The next time the GOP calls asking for a > donation, I'm going to mention Dede's name and explain why I'm > personally choosing the candidates I support. It IS imperative that we > replace the current Congress but that doesn't mean a candidate > automatically gets my support because they have an R behind their > name. > > Got Tea? > > Brad > > ------------- > > > Scozzafava Calls the Cops > > Lowville, N.Y. > Tonight, Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate for the November 3 > special election in the 23rd congressional district, spoke to about > 100 Republicans at the Lewis County GOP dinner at the Elks Lodge 1605. > After a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, Scozzafava > fended off criticism that she wasn't as conservative as third-party > candidate Doug Hoffman and urged her supporters to vote for her in > order to keep her Democratic opponent Bill Owens from serving as a > rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama's agenda in Washington. > It was a fairly typical evening--until the speech ended and someone > with Scozzafava's campaign called the police. On me. > > Earlier today Lindsay Beyerstein reported that Scozzafava responded to > an AFL-CIO questionnaire by saying she would support card-check > legislation that eliminates the secret ballot requirement for > organizing unions. As Beyerstein notes, this contradict statements > made by a Scozzafava spokesman in September. > > So after the dinner, I asked Assemblywoman Scozzafava if she supports > card check. "Yes, yes I do," she replied. > > At that point someone from her campaign placed himself between > Scozzafava and me and told me I should direct all my inquires to the > campaign's spokesman. I nonetheless asked Scozzafava if her signing of > the Americans for Tax Reform pledge not to vote to raise taxes means > she would oppose any health care bill that raises taxes. "What kind of > taxes?" she replied. Then another couple of gentlemen interposed > themselves between Scozzafava and me as Scozzafava headed for the > door. > > I spotted Scozzafava later as she was walking to the parking lot, and > asked her: " Assemblywoman, do you believe that the health-care bill > should exclude coverage for abortion?" She didn't reply. I asked her > twice more. Silence. > > After she got into her car, I went to my car and fired up my laptop to > report the evening's events. > > Minutes later a police car drove into the parking lot with its lights > flashing. Officer Grolman informed me that she was called because > "there was a little bit of an uncomfortable situation" and then took > down my name, date of birth, and address. > > "Maybe we do things a little differently here, but you know, > persistence in that area, you scared the candidate a little bit," > Officer Grolman told me. > > "[Scozzafava] got startled, that's all," Officer Grolman added. "It's > not like you're in any trouble." > > That was good to hear. > > But I do wonder if it?s the Scozzafava campaign that?s in > trouble--with a candidate who supports card check, who is unwilling to > say she?d oppose a health care bill that raises taxes or includes > abortion coverage, and who is so reluctant to answer questions that > she has someone with her campaign call the cops when she?s questioned > by a reporter who is (if I may say so) polite--if a bit persistent. > > Posted by John McCormack on October 19, 2009 11:14 PM | Permalink > > > On 10/19/09, elle wrote: >>>Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate >> in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum. >> >> Who is she? >> elle >> >> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >> From: Brad Haslett >> Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >> To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 6:58 PM >> >> Elle, >> >> I'm with you on the VA & NJ Guv races - send a message.? Having said >> that, it won't do any good to "throw the bums out" if new bums >> get/stay in.? Watch the NY 23rd Congressional race.? The GOP candidate >> in that race needs to go down in flames, she's a bum.? Marc Rubio is >> gaining on Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race - Crist needs to >> go.? Ed's got a Senator in his backyard (the one who is not his >> friend) that need's taken behind the woodshed for a fantasy v reality >> conversation. Your basic premise is correct, these people need to ask >> themselves whether they want to follow "The One" over the cliff or >> not. >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/18/09, elle wrote: >>> I'm thinking the races in Va & NJ are an early referendum on O'Baby....if >>> the Republicans? prevail some Dems may back up a bit on their support >>> of some of these wild policies. being promoted to 'save' America. >>> >>>? Russian helicopters???Did I hear correctly?? When our economy? & >>> umemployment are on the skids???) >>> >>> elle >>> >>> >>> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >>> >>> >>> From: Brad Haslett >>> Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Blank Screen >>> To: "Letters to the Editor" >>> >>> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 8:09 AM >>> >>> >>> O's 'blank screen' >>> >>> By LYNN FORESTER DE ROTHSCHILD >>> >>> Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 17, 2009 >>> >>> Posted: 12:14 AM, October 17, 2009 >>> >>> IN "The Audacity of Hope," Barack Obama described himself as "a blank >>> screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project >>> their own views." This is a powerful tool in elections and explains >>> why liberals, moderates, Democrats, Independents and Republicans >>> joined together to give him 53 percent of the vote last November. >>> >>> Since his election, this "blank screen" has been an asset, allowing >>> the new president to maintain an illusion of progress, even as he has >>> avoided the hard choices necessary for progress. But, as Americans >>> ponder the unavoidable consequences of the president's policies -- >>> particularly health-care reform -- the illusion is wearing thin. >>> >>> The government has spent $3 trillion to prop up Wall Street and take >>> over the big insurance and auto industries -- yet the middle class and >>> small businesses continue to suffer. Fifteen million workers remain >>> without jobs; 32 percent of Americans' homes are worth less than their >>> mortgages -- and a whopping 61 percent of Americans are living from >>> paycheck to paycheck. >>> >>> For these reasons, the American people have begun to judge President >>> Obama on his record, not his rhetoric; on his policies, not his >>> narrative -- and on his ability to govern, not on his campaign >>> machine. >>> >>> The cool and reasonable candidate who gave hope to his voters, who >>> promised to rise above the ugly politics and big money of Washington, >>> is turning out to be as conventional a politician as any other. >>> Indeed, as he runs a permanent campaign from the White House, he is >>> proving to be more committed to protecting the vested interests of his >>> party than standing up for actual change. >>> >>> A gentleman I met recently in Washington, DC, could well be the poster >>> child for Obama's problems. Like many Americans, he greeted Obama's >>> entry to the White House with high expectations. But increasingly, he >>> finds himself at odds with the president. He came to the United States >>> from Haiti in the '80s with nothing; he was able to learn English, get >>> a job as a driver and put two children through college. >>> >>> I asked him if he would not have preferred if our country had >>> guaranteed him a job, a pension, health care and a college education >>> for his children. He told me no -- and gave three reasons. >>> >>> First, he said, he takes pride in knowing what he has done for his >>> family. Second, he knows that the government does not, cannot, know >>> what he wants for himself and his family. Third, he knows that what >>> government gives, it can take away. >>> >>> Having lived the American dream, he realizes that the individualism at >>> the heart of American democracy is what is actually at stake in the >>> present debates over the president's many policies. >>> >>> Immigrant or native-born, it's written in the American DNA: A >>> paternalistic government threatens our independence, our individuality >>> and our right to self-determination. It's why Jefferson sang praise to >>> the yeoman farmer and Jackson to the common man. It's the principle >>> that Reagan placed at the heart of his presidency, and that Clinton >>> built on by advancing policies that empowered individuals -- not >>> policies that made individuals beholden to the state. >>> >>> In contrast, President Obama's praise for the free market and >>> individual liberty just doesn't ring true -- because his record does >>> not reflect his rhetoric. His actions show a fundamental disconnect >>> with American values -- a disconnect that won't be dispelled with >>> captivating speeches, no matter how masterfully delivered. >>> >>> It is for this reason that so many Americans are uneasy about Obama's >>> health-care plan. The promised benefits don't add up. It's just not >>> possible for the government to simultaneously a) provide care for 30 >>> million more people, b) not increase the budget deficit and c) allow >>> anyone who is satisfied with their health care package to experience >>> no change. >>> >>> In repeatedly insisting that he'll deliver all three results at once, >>> Obama has lost credibility: 80 percent of Americans polled said that >>> his health-care reform will raise costs or diminish quality of care. >>> >>> On the back of total federal debt that is already over 70 percent of >>> our total GDP, and in light of $34 trillion of existing unfunded >>> liabilities in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the president's >>> lack of actual, as opposed to rhetorical, fiscal discipline further >>> erodes his authority. >>> >>> In light of all the political capital that true and sensible >>> health-care reform would cost him, it is most likely that President >>> Obama will accept legislation that fails in all but name. In such a >>> case, the president will claim victory -- but not solve our >>> health-care problems. It will be another empty triumph of his "blank >>> screen" politics. >>> >>> And voters will find that they elected not another FDR, but another >>> Jimmy Carter. >>> >>> Lynn Forester de Rothschild is CEO of E.L. Rothschild Ltd. and founder >>> of Together4Us.com, a political Web site. >>> _______________________________________________ >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >>> >>> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/889176b8/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sun Oct 25 18:09:10 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:09:10 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Capitalism After the Crisis Message-ID: <400985d70910251509t27de86daxa42e48a294cc9f2@mail.gmail.com> To long to paste but a must read - http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/capitalism-after-the-crisis From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 25 21:20:22 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:20:22 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Article - Capitalism After the Crisis Message-ID: Brad, Thanks for that long and heavy article. But, it is consistent with previous posts on this forum. Unfortunately, it is what I call an academic article in that few will read it and most do not care. An unfortunately most do not understand nor want to understand. I recently picked up a book about Statistics. Most do not nor have read anything by Edwards Deming. He was a statistician who could read and understand numbers. He also understood that corporate chiefs neither understood statistics nor how those statistics explained quality and corporate values. At least for the moment truth is still available and free. Again, thanks for the post. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/0df40b57/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Sun Oct 25 07:02:06 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:02:06 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Did you get yours yet? Message-ID: <4969D43830454A85B78B3A1F45E7F92F@YOURB88038198E> Did you get yours yet? See attachment: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/5e13f6e3/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Jacks.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 713910 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091025/5e13f6e3/attachment-0001.jpg From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 07:11:22 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:11:22 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Free Cell Phones Message-ID: <400985d70910260411l190b64c1v52a463019bf9fb2d@mail.gmail.com> Can we call him a Marxist yet? https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/how_to_qlfy.aspx From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 07:41:11 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:41:11 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Article - Capitalism After the Crisis In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910260441r27b9a10o710f59f5a21d4c05@mail.gmail.com> Ed, The truth has always been there for those willing to seek it (see article below). Never in my lifetime have I ever heard the word 'profit' thrown around with such contempt. Where do those in government and academia think the money comes from to pay their salaries? Now we're being told we have a national emergency. Distribution isn't the problem, my employer has the contract to deliver the swine flu vaccinations nationwide. You can get a shot at the local drugstore. There is an issue of production rate - but a national emergency? It's a sideshow. Brad -------------- NOTE - This article by the AP, are they catching on? FACT CHECK: Health insurer profits not so fat Email this Story Oct 25, 8:37 AM (ET) By CALVIN WOODWARD WASHINGTON (AP) - Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common? Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo? Answer: They're all more profitable than the health insurance industry. In the health care debate, Democrats and their allies have gone after insurance companies as rapacious profiteers making "immoral" and "obscene" returns while "the bodies pile up." Ledgers tell a different reality. Health insurance profit margins typically run about 6 percent, give or take a point or two. That's anemic compared with other forms of insurance and a broad array of industries, even some beleaguered ones. Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. This partly explains why the credit ratings of some of the largest insurers were downgraded to negative from stable heading into this year, as investors were warned of a stagnant if not shrinking market for private plans. Insurers are an expedient target for leaders who want a government-run plan in the marketplace. Such a public option would force private insurers to trim profits and restrain premiums to compete, the argument goes. This would "keep insurance companies honest," says President Barack Obama. The debate is loaded with intimations that insurers are less than straight, when they are not flatly accused of malfeasance. They may not have helped their case by commissioning a report that looked primarily at the elements of health care legislation that might drive consumer costs up while ignoring elements aimed at bringing costs down. Few in the debate seem interested in a true balance sheet. But in pillorying insurers over profits, the critics are on shaky ground. A look at some claims, and the numbers: THE CLAIMS _"I'm very pleased that (Democratic leaders) will be talking, too, about the immoral profits being made by the insurance industry and how those profits have increased in the Bush years." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who also welcomed the attention being drawn to insurers'"obscene profits." _"Keeping the status quo may be what the insurance industry wants their premiums have more than doubled in the last decade and their profits have skyrocketed." Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, member of the Democratic leadership. _"Health insurance companies are willing to let the bodies pile up as long as their profits are safe." A MoveOn.org ad. THE NUMBERS: Health insurers posted a 2.2 percent profit margin last year, placing them 35th on the Fortune 500 list of top industries. As is typical, other health sectors did much better - drugs and medical products and services were both in the top 10. The railroads brought in a 12.6 percent profit margin. Leading the list: network and other communications equipment, at 20.4 percent. HealthSpring, the best performer in the health insurance industry, posted 5.4 percent. That's a less profitable margin than was achieved by the makers of Tupperware, Clorox bleach and Molson and Coors beers. The star among the health insurance companies did, however, nose out Jack in the Box restaurants, which only achieved a 4 percent margin. UnitedHealth Group, reporting third quarter results last week, saw fortunes improve. It managed a 5 percent profit margin on an 8 percent growth in revenue. Van Hollen is right that premiums have more than doubled in a decade, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study that found a 131 percent increase. But were the Bush years golden ones for health insurers? Not judging by profit margins, profit growth or returns to shareholders. The industry's overall profits grew only 8.8 percent from 2003 to 2008, and its margins year to year, from 2005 forward, never cracked 8 percent. The latest annual profit margins of a selection of products, services and industries: Tupperware Brands, 7.5 percent; Yahoo, 5.9 percent; Hershey, 6.1 percent; Clorox, 8.7 percent; Molson Coors Brewing, 8.1 percent; construction and farm machinery, 5 percent; Yum Brands (think KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), 8.5 percent. --- Associated Press writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this report. On 10/25/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Brad, > > Thanks for that long and heavy article. But, it is consistent with previous > posts on this forum. > > Unfortunately, it is what I call an academic article in that few will read > it and most do not care. An unfortunately most do not understand nor want > to understand. > > I recently picked up a book about Statistics. Most do not nor have read > anything by Edwards Deming. He was a statistician who could read and > understand numbers. He also understood that corporate chiefs neither > understood statistics nor how those statistics explained quality and > corporate values. > > At least for the moment truth is still available and free. > > Again, thanks for the post. > > Ed K > From ekroposki at charter.net Mon Oct 26 09:39:19 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:39:19 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] After the Crisis Message-ID: <7A469EE5DC1C428EB4C2161BBC9B96CB@YOURB88038198E> Brad, Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it. Unfortunately, the current versions of world history being taught are neither accurate nor truthful. There are always those that lust power and as the adage says, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." In economic history, Feudalism was a dominant system for centuries. Then came along two systems that displaced it. The two were capitalism and Marxisms aka socialism, progressivism, liberalism, etc. The difference between the two is straight forward. Capitalism has property rights vested in individuals, where as socialism replaces the king or equivalent figure with the state. Under socialism the individual becomes subservient to the state. Whereas under feudalism the individual was vassal to the king. Capitalism by its nature is not static. There are always those trying to displace either a person or product at the top. The type of capitalism that produced the greatest benefits to mankind had limits or a sheriff that kept the fight to the top fair. New products or types of business organizations are what propelled many to the top. Those products or methods were work products of individuals and did not nor do not belong to the state. And the difference between the costs of the product and the ultimate selling price were understood as profits. Profits were always transient but the rights to those belonged to individuals, not to solve a state crisis. Marxist believe that the state owns that difference and not individuals or companies. Obama believes that those differences belong to the state to solve crises. Therein comes the 'Galt Effect' or in Reagan's story, the 'Red Hen'. America has succumbed to rule by dictatorship. And so many are complacent in accepting that. In Russia, Stalin used purges to clean house of those who did not acquiesce to Socialist beliefs. Ukraine was populated by many small farmers. Approximately one third of the population of Ukraine was either shipped to Siberia or starved to death to create the Socialist Utopia. http://www.infoukes.com/history/famine/gregorovich/ And you know well of Mao's methods of solving the problem of humans seeking to keep their own work product. The do gooders believe that compelling everyone to contribute to the human charitable program of health care is the right thing to do. They create a manmade 'right to healthcare'. Unfortunately, compelling all to contribute to a social good recreates serfdom. Serfdom and slavery have always required subjugation of the individual. Creating a man made right to all creates a man made servitude to all. All becomes slaves to the state. When people are free to keep their work product and dispose of the profits thereof as they see fit, they voluntarily work harder, try harder. When their work product is confiscated by government they just do enough to get by. That is just the way it is. The crisis is best solved by people and not compulsion. Your comments on the Gulf coast illustrated that. America may not survive until the 2010 elections, but I suspect that many of us will. And for the time being we still have a method of communication, and not the lies of the mass media. Leadership differs from dictatorship. The differences are freedom to choose and compulsion. The problem is numbers, just count the sheep on the Rhodes list as one example. I do not know how to suceed in preseving freedom and getting off the road to serfdom. But I encourage you to continue on... Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/3ab94741/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Mon Oct 26 09:46:39 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:46:39 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Billy Joel is as much at home on the water as he is at the piano. Message-ID: <13D5FB9B7E4D4C4EA1DC2CB9EAC9498A@YOURB88038198E> http://www.showboats.com/Vendetta -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/d676a251/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 10:08:29 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:08:29 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] After the Crisis In-Reply-To: <7A469EE5DC1C428EB4C2161BBC9B96CB@YOURB88038198E> References: <7A469EE5DC1C428EB4C2161BBC9B96CB@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <400985d70910260708s5d00ba8oa606c506382cae96@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Davy Crockett on Public Money - "Mr. Speaker ? I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him. This government can owe no debts but for services rendered, and at a stipulated price. If it is a debt, how much is it? Has it been audited, and the amount due ascertained? If it is a debt, this is not the place to present it for payment, or to have its merits examined. If it is a debt, we owe more than we can ever hope to pay, for we owe the widow of every soldier who fought in the War of 1812 precisely the same amount. There is a woman in my neighborhood, the widow of as gallant a man as ever shouldered a musket. He fell in battle. She is as good in every respect as this lady, and is as poor. She is earning her daily bread by her daily labor; but if I were to introduce a bill to appropriate five or ten thousand dollars for her benefit, I should be laughed at, and my bill would not get five votes in this House. There are thousands of widows in the country just such as the one I have spoken of, but we never hear of any of these large debts to them. Sir, this is no debt. The government did not owe it to the deceased when he was alive; it could not contract it after he died. I do not wish to be rude, but I must be plain. Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much of our own money as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks." You can read the whole thing here - http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Constitution_Issues/davy_crockett_and_charity.htm On 10/26/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Brad, > > Those who do not know history are destined to repeat it. > > Unfortunately, the current versions of world history being taught are > neither accurate nor truthful. > > There are always those that lust power and as the adage says, "power > corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." > > In economic history, Feudalism was a dominant system for centuries. Then > came along two systems that displaced it. The two were capitalism and > Marxisms aka socialism, progressivism, liberalism, etc. The difference > between the two is straight forward. Capitalism has property rights vested > in individuals, where as socialism replaces the king or equivalent figure > with the state. Under socialism the individual becomes subservient to the > state. Whereas under feudalism the individual was vassal to the king. > > Capitalism by its nature is not static. There are always those trying to > displace either a person or product at the top. The type of capitalism that > produced the greatest benefits to mankind had limits or a sheriff that kept > the fight to the top fair. > > New products or types of business organizations are what propelled many to > the top. Those products or methods were work products of individuals and > did not nor do not belong to the state. And the difference between the > costs of the product and the ultimate selling price were understood as > profits. Profits were always transient but the rights to those belonged to > individuals, not to solve a state crisis. > > Marxist believe that the state owns that difference and not individuals or > companies. Obama believes that those differences belong to the state to > solve crises. > > Therein comes the 'Galt Effect' or in Reagan's story, the 'Red Hen'. > > America has succumbed to rule by dictatorship. And so many are complacent > in accepting that. > > In Russia, Stalin used purges to clean house of those who did not acquiesce > to Socialist beliefs. Ukraine was populated by many small farmers. > Approximately one third of the population of Ukraine was either shipped to > Siberia or starved to death to create the Socialist Utopia. > http://www.infoukes.com/history/famine/gregorovich/ > > And you know well of Mao's methods of solving the problem of humans seeking > to keep their own work product. > > The do gooders believe that compelling everyone to contribute to the human > charitable program of health care is the right thing to do. They create a > manmade 'right to healthcare'. > > Unfortunately, compelling all to contribute to a social good recreates > serfdom. Serfdom and slavery have always required subjugation of the > individual. Creating a man made right to all creates a man made servitude > to all. All becomes slaves to the state. > > When people are free to keep their work product and dispose of the profits > thereof as they see fit, they voluntarily work harder, try harder. When > their work product is confiscated by government they just do enough to get > by. That is just the way it is. > > The crisis is best solved by people and not compulsion. Your comments on > the Gulf coast illustrated that. > > America may not survive until the 2010 elections, but I suspect that many of > us will. And for the time being we still have a method of communication, > and not the lies of the mass media. > > Leadership differs from dictatorship. The differences are freedom to choose > and compulsion. > > The problem is numbers, just count the sheep on the Rhodes list as one > example. I do not know how to suceed in preseving freedom and getting off > the road to serfdom. > > But I encourage you to continue on... > > Ed K > > > > > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 11:53:48 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:53:48 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If Everyone Is Exceptional, No One Is Message-ID: <400985d70910260853n410559f0ud03fac7f6f779bdf@mail.gmail.com> There's at least a hundred pleasant things I could be doing today rather than reading and reflecting on history and current events. The boat needs winterizing, the plane has at least two days of solid work left, and my wife keeps a running "honey-do" list going at all times. But, this article caught my attention and slowed me down by at least an hour. Exactly where are we going as a nation? My bed stand reading material for the last few days has been "Lords of Finance; The Bankers Who Broke The World" by Liaquat Ahamed. This is the story of finance during WW1 up to the Great Depression. Yea, yea, I know, reading material like that would depress anyone. I can't help but thinking we're re-inventing the wheel here with all this populist rhetoric that is currently in vogue - stifle the press, the bastards on Wall Street are responsible for our problems, we need national .... fill in the blank here ____________. As the old adage says, "there's nothing new under the sun". Krauthammer has some valid points on China. That said, our family is slowly transferring our meager assets to China and the Chinese people are choking-back on their investments in the US. We'll see how this plays out. I'll stay here for the good fight. As for money, capital is under attack in the United States of America. Brad ---------- Decline is a choice. But is it America's choice? By: Charles Krauthammer OpEd Contributor October 26, 2009 First of two parts. Tomorrow: Retreat abroad begins at home. The weathervanes of conventional wisdom are engaged in another round of angst about America in decline. New theories, old slogans: imperial overstretch. The Asian awakening. The post-American world. Inexorable forces beyond our control bringing the inevitable humbling of the world hegemon. On the other side of this debate are a few -- notably Josef Joffe in a recent essay in Foreign Affairs -- who resist the current fashion and insist that America remains the indispensable power. They note that declinist predictions are cyclical, that the rise of China (and perhaps India) is just the current version of the Japan panic of the late 1980s or of the earlier pessimism best captured by Jean-Fran?ois Revel's "How Democracies Perish." The anti-declinists point out, for example, that the fear of China is overblown. It's based on the implausible assumption of indefinite, uninterrupted growth; ignores accumulating externalities like pollution (which can be ignored when growth starts from a very low baseline, but ends up making growth increasingly, chokingly difficult); and overlooks the unavoidable consequences of the one-child policy, which guarantees that China will get old before it gets rich. And just as the rise of China is a straight-line projection of current economic trends, American decline is a straight-line projection of the fearful, pessimistic mood of a country war-weary and in the grip of a severe recession. Among these crosscurrents, my thesis is simple: The question of whether America is in decline cannot be answered yes or no. There is no yes or no. Both answers are wrong, because the assumption that somehow there exists some predetermined inevitable trajectory, the result of uncontrollable external forces, is wrong. Nothing is inevitable. Nothing is written. For America today, decline is not a condition. Decline is a choice. Two decades into the unipolar world that came about with the fall of the Soviet Union, America is in the position of deciding whether to abdicate or retain its dominance. Decline -- or continued ascendancy -- is in our hands. Not that decline is always a choice. Britain's decline after World War II was foretold, as indeed was that of Europe, which had been the dominant global force of the preceding centuries. The civilizational suicide that was the two world wars, and the consequent physical and psychological exhaustion, made continued dominance impossible and decline inevitable. The corollary to unchosen European collapse was unchosen American ascendancy. We -- whom Lincoln once called God's "almost chosen people" -- did not save Europe twice in order to emerge from the ashes as the world's co-hegemon. We went in to defend ourselves and save civilization. Our dominance after World War II was not sought. Nor was the even more remarkable dominance after the Soviet collapse. We are the rarest of geopolitical phenomena: the accidental hegemon and, given our history of isolationism and lack of instinctive imperial ambition, the reluctant hegemon -- and now, after a near-decade of strenuous post-9/11 exertion, more reluctant than ever. Which leads to my second proposition: Facing the choice of whether to maintain our dominance or to gradually, deliberately, willingly and indeed relievedly give it up, we are currently on a course toward the latter. The current liberal ascendancy in the United States -- controlling the executive and both houses of Congress, dominating the media and elite culture -- has set us on a course for decline. And this is true for both foreign and domestic policies. Indeed, they work synergistically to ensure that outcome. The current foreign policy of the United States is an exercise in contraction. It begins with the demolition of the moral foundation of American dominance. In Strasbourg, President Obama was asked about American exceptionalism. His answer? "I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism." Interesting response. Because if everyone is exceptional, no one is. Indeed, as he made his hajj from Strasbourg to Prague to Ankara to Istanbul to Cairo and finally to the U.N. General Assembly, Obama drew the picture of an America quite exceptional -- exceptional in moral culpability and heavy-handedness, exceptional in guilt for its treatment of other nations and peoples. With varying degrees of directness or obliqueness, Obama indicted his own country for arrogance, for dismissiveness and derisiveness (toward Europe), for maltreatment of natives, for torture, for Hiroshima, for Guant?namo, for unilateralism and for insufficient respect for the Muslim world. Quite an indictment, the fundamental consequence of which is to effectively undermine any moral claim that America might have to world leadership, as well as the moral confidence that any nation needs to have in order to justify to itself and to others its position of leadership. According to the new dispensation, having forfeited the mandate of heaven -- if it ever had one -- a newly humbled America now seeks a more modest place among the nations, not above them. For the New Liberalism, it is not just that power corrupts. It is that America itself is corrupt -- in the sense of being deeply flawed, and with the history to prove it. And because we remain so imperfect a nation, we are in no position to dictate our professed values to others around the world. Demonstrators are shot in the streets of Tehran seeking nothing but freedom, but our president holds his tongue because, he says openly, of our own alleged transgressions towards Iran (presumably involvement in the 1953 coup). Our shortcomings are so grave, and our offenses both domestic and international so serious, that we lack the moral ground on which to justify hegemony. These fundamental tenets of the New Liberalism are not just theory. They have strategic consequences. Thus, for example, there is no more "Global War on Terror." It's not just that the term has been abolished or that the secretary of homeland security refers to terrorism as "man-caused disasters." It is that the very idea of our nation and civilization being engaged in a global mortal struggle with jihadism has been retired as well. This deliberate choice of strategic retreats to engender good feeling is based on the na?ve hope of exchanges of reciprocal goodwill with rogue states. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the theory -- as policy -- has demonstrably produced no strategic advances. But that will not deter the New Liberalism because the ultimate purpose of its foreign policy is to make America less hegemonic, less arrogant, less dominant. In a word, it is a foreign policy designed to produce American decline -- to make America essentially one nation among many. This article -- condensed from The Weekly Standard -- is based on syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer's 2009 Wriston Lecture delivered for the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York on Oct. 5. From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 12:21:36 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:21:36 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Old News Message-ID: <400985d70910260921y126c449fh72d0d2be3981ae9@mail.gmail.com> This film clip has been out for days, but you may see it on the dead-tree media by the end of the week - or not. http://tinyurl.com/yk7khhz Pretty much sums up California. Brad From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Mon Oct 26 16:04:29 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:04:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Did you get yours yet? In-Reply-To: <4969D43830454A85B78B3A1F45E7F92F@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <943919.93585.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Beautiful! I have an order in for several cases in case I ever have to go back into the classroom. Remember the mantra? "You are somebody...." (Yea..you haven't accomplished a thing but ....you are special....) elle --- On Sun, 10/25/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: From: Ed Kroposki Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Did you get yours yet? To: "Swift Water" Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009, 7:02 AM Did you get yours yet?? See attachment: -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/fca42739/attachment.html From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Mon Oct 26 19:13:17 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:13:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? Message-ID: <292297.85051.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Brad, What's your best guess as to what was happening in that cockpit of the jet that overshot the airport?? What WERE they looking at on their laptops..? elle -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/e6291e69/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 21:08:27 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:08:27 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? In-Reply-To: <292297.85051.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <292297.85051.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910261808n257fc8eg25342193f895e3a7@mail.gmail.com> Elle, You know I don't like to speculate on these things, but ......... I don't have a clue. I just recently checked out on the 777 so I'm now up to speed on "glass" (what a PITA that was). There's no such thing as getting "lost" anymore and there's so much information available and so many obvious signs that the beast (big shiny metal thingy your in) isn't where it is supposed to be that it is almost inconceivable that event could happen. I've followed the story on the professional boards and the guys were apparently competent. The crew says they were engaged in a heated "debate". Hell, that's when you are the most alert. I have no idea what happened but I can tell you from personal experience, silly things happen when you're really, really sleepy. We'll know soon enough. The spotlight is shining brightly on the profession right now and the Feds are turning up the heat. My employer is probably the most enlightened in the industry about accepting a sick-call for fatigue. Some of the others are not so reasonable dealing with the issue. Brad On 10/26/09, elle wrote: > Brad, > What's your best guess as to what was happening in that cockpit of the jet > that overshot the airport?? > What WERE they looking at on their laptops..? > elle > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 21:30:35 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:30:35 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? In-Reply-To: <400985d70910261808n257fc8eg25342193f895e3a7@mail.gmail.com> References: <292297.85051.qm@web111207.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> <400985d70910261808n257fc8eg25342193f895e3a7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910261830v30abb38fv7d1c31dc88807b05@mail.gmail.com> Elle, Been out all afternoon and just got back in the news loop - http://tinyurl.com/ylg2oco OK, I'll buy that, especially the part about the F/O being more knowledgeable about work rules. Mergers are never pretty - been there, done that. I wish them the best but this will not look good on a resume. Brad On 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Elle, > > You know I don't like to speculate on these things, but ......... I > don't have a clue. I just recently checked out on the 777 so I'm now > up to speed on "glass" (what a PITA that was). There's no such thing > as getting "lost" anymore and there's so much information available > and so many obvious signs that the beast (big shiny metal thingy your > in) isn't where it is supposed to be that it is almost inconceivable > that event could happen. I've followed the story on the professional > boards and the guys were apparently competent. The crew says they were > engaged in a heated "debate". Hell, that's when you are the most > alert. I have no idea what happened but I can tell you from personal > experience, silly things happen when you're really, really sleepy. > > We'll know soon enough. The spotlight is shining brightly on the > profession right now and the Feds are turning up the heat. My employer > is probably the most enlightened in the industry about accepting a > sick-call for fatigue. Some of the others are not so reasonable > dealing with the issue. > > Brad > > On 10/26/09, elle wrote: >> Brad, >> What's your best guess as to what was happening in that cockpit of the >> jet >> that overshot the airport?? >> What WERE they looking at on their laptops..? >> elle >> >> >> > From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 21:39:23 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:39:23 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] No Bull Message-ID: <400985d70910261839m1cc6372cq36cb49b56eed4a62@mail.gmail.com> Ain't gonna happen - I'll have steaks FedEx'd to China from Brazil if needed. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6891362.ece Will this silliness ever end? Brad From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Mon Oct 26 22:01:52 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:01:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] No Bull In-Reply-To: <400985d70910261839m1cc6372cq36cb49b56eed4a62@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <403206.75886.qm@web111205.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> >Direct emissions of methane from cows and pigs is a significant source of greenhouse >gases. At least now it's getting easier to identify the nuts. elle --- On Mon, 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] No Bull To: "Letters to the Editor" Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 9:39 PM Ain't gonna happen - I'll have steaks FedEx'd to China from Brazil if needed. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6891362.ece Will this silliness ever end? Brad _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/4057da53/attachment.html From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Mon Oct 26 22:03:30 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:03:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? In-Reply-To: <400985d70910261830v30abb38fv7d1c31dc88807b05@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <924765.12756.qm@web111211.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Ya sure they didn't have a 'honey' in the cockpit with them?? If they did turn the radios down & sleep.....didn't have much of a plan...still sounds weak to me... elle --- On Mon, 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: From: Brad Haslett Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 9:30 PM Elle, Been out all afternoon and just got back in the news loop - http://tinyurl.com/ylg2oco OK, I'll buy that, especially the part about the F/O being more knowledgeable about work rules.? Mergers are never pretty - been there, done that. I wish them the best but this will not look good on a resume. Brad On 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > Elle, > > You know I don't like to speculate on these things, but ......... I > don't have a clue. I just recently checked out on the 777 so I'm now > up to speed on "glass" (what a PITA that was).? There's no such thing > as getting "lost" anymore and there's so much information available > and so many obvious signs that the beast? (big shiny metal thingy your > in) isn't where it is supposed to be that it is almost inconceivable > that event could happen.? I've followed the story on the professional > boards and the guys were apparently competent. The crew says they were > engaged in a heated "debate".? Hell, that's when you are the most > alert.? I have no idea what happened but I can tell you from personal > experience, silly things happen when you're really, really sleepy. > > We'll know soon enough.? The spotlight is shining brightly on the > profession right now and the Feds are turning up the heat. My employer > is probably the most enlightened in the industry about accepting a > sick-call for fatigue.? Some of the others are not so reasonable > dealing with the issue. > > Brad > > On 10/26/09, elle wrote: >> Brad, >> What's your best guess as to what was happening in that cockpit of the >> jet >> that overshot the airport?? >> What WERE they looking at on their laptops..? >> elle >> >> >> > _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091026/ca81bc80/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Mon Oct 26 22:10:41 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:10:41 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? In-Reply-To: <924765.12756.qm@web111211.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <400985d70910261830v30abb38fv7d1c31dc88807b05@mail.gmail.com> <924765.12756.qm@web111211.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910261910k41a45fc9v1b9c11bdaa08c80a@mail.gmail.com> Elle, Nah, the "honey" story is definitely out. All the cabin attendants hate the cockpit crews at the legacy airlines, even the ones who actually like boys. Personally, I'd have gone with the sleep story. They're probably toast no matter what the story. Brad On 10/26/09, elle wrote: > Ya sure they didn't have a 'honey' in the cockpit with them?? > If they did turn the radios down & sleep.....didn't have much of a > plan...still sounds weak to me... > elle > > --- On Mon, 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: > > From: Brad Haslett > Subject: Re: [Swiftwater Gazette] What's ya best guess?? > To: SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > Date: Monday, October 26, 2009, 9:30 PM > > Elle, > > Been out all afternoon and just got back in the news loop - > > http://tinyurl.com/ylg2oco > > OK, I'll buy that, especially the part about the F/O being more > knowledgeable about work rules. Mergers are never pretty - been > there, done that. I wish them the best but this will not look good on > a resume. > > Brad > > On 10/26/09, Brad Haslett wrote: >> Elle, >> >> You know I don't like to speculate on these things, but ......... I >> don't have a clue. I just recently checked out on the 777 so I'm now >> up to speed on "glass" (what a PITA that was). There's no such thing >> as getting "lost" anymore and there's so much information available >> and so many obvious signs that the beast (big shiny metal thingy your >> in) isn't where it is supposed to be that it is almost inconceivable >> that event could happen. I've followed the story on the professional >> boards and the guys were apparently competent. The crew says they were >> engaged in a heated "debate". Hell, that's when you are the most >> alert. I have no idea what happened but I can tell you from personal >> experience, silly things happen when you're really, really sleepy. >> >> We'll know soon enough. The spotlight is shining brightly on the >> profession right now and the Feds are turning up the heat. My employer >> is probably the most enlightened in the industry about accepting a >> sick-call for fatigue. Some of the others are not so reasonable >> dealing with the issue. >> >> Brad >> >> On 10/26/09, elle wrote: >>> Brad, >>> What's your best guess as to what was happening in that cockpit of the >>> jet >>> that overshot the airport?? >>> What WERE they looking at on their laptops..? >>> elle >>> >>> >>> >> > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 08:56:47 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:56:47 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] We're In The Best Of Hands Message-ID: <400985d70910270556y33c92bb9s882308713375b972@mail.gmail.com> Just stumbled across this post this morning (below - from the guy who coined the term blog-sphere) and it summed-up my mood perfectly. Looking around the horizon, nothing looks attractive but to get out of US dollars and US based companies without a substantial foreign revenue stream (preferably Asian). I've been corresponding with a fellow airplane owner who manages large commercial real estate properties in California and he agrees with me, the deflationary period will continue for hard assets, followed by rampant inflation when the Chinese start no-showing Treasury auctions. If the current administration has a plan at all, it is to print money. The buying process of the condo in Destin (in theory from individuals but in reality from a major bank) has been insightful. The banks are playing games with their accounting. If they were forced to recognize their non-performing mortgages they would be insolvent - that is precisely why there are millions of "short-sales" available in CA and FL and not foreclosures. Commercial real-estate is next followed by municipality funded pension plans. Assuming municipalities use "creative accounting" to work around their problems, inflation will eat away at fixed retirements (myself included) anyway. No politician or party has the guts to face the problem head-on, encourage the nation to endure the short-term suffering and get on with life. Half the TARP money has disappeared into thin air, never to be seen again. Studying the history of finance of the Western nations for the period between 1914 to 1929 has been fascinating, but rather depressing at the same time. We never learn. Interesting times these are! Brad -------------- Sometimes economic fundamentals get flushed by waves of hideously depressing non-economic data, and markets cease to care about anything but the train wreck that appears to unfolding in front of us. Then it?s time to go to cash. This is such a time for nemo. Actually, my perception of economic fundamentals has been getting bleaker by the second, anyway. In spite of an alps of newly-minted cash, the possibility that producers may not be able to mandate pricing finally forces me to accept the possibility of long-term deflation, something I had not thought could happen in my lifetime, or yours either. Having overconsumed for so long now, and unable to leverage their assets or future earnings (if any), Americans may well dive into a savings frenzy of Japanese dimension. But that is not important now. It is important that the nation is suddenly awakening to the possibility that the president has no real plan for anything whatsoever, and never did. He literally seems to be making it up as he goes along, and his strategy is to do nothing at all but procrastinate. In the recent past, we have watched the White House and its branch offices gaze glassily past Iran, the Taliban, North Korea and Moscow in hot pursuit of their real enemy, which appears to be the dissenting media. Economic policy, formerly the purview of rooms that at least contained Larry Summers, is now directed by a Chicago-hood playground pal named Valerie, and its focus is on the compensation levels of 200 people. Joe Biden is the commander in chief. The national health care bandaid will provide improved coverage for a group estimated at between 5 and 20 million people, some of whom are US citizens, at a cost of roughly an MRI machine per newly-covered patient. The ?most ethical Congress ever? ? well?. And in the words of W. H. Auden: ?In the nightmare of the dark All the dogs of Europe bark, And the living nations wait, Each sequestered in its hate?.? A deep and chilling foreboding pervades nemo?s soul. Let the market do what it will. We had previously said that however rosy the possibility of 14,000 might be, the risk was too great. When you think there?s a chance that the driver might be drunk, how hard is it to get you to get off the bus? Well, here?s the next stop. I suggest you disembark before this thing goes off a cliff. From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 09:43:18 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:43:18 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dr. Sowell Is Not Happy Message-ID: <400985d70910270643l6f5711d3y4a17c9bbee43b618@mail.gmail.com> October 27, 2009 Dismantling America By Thomas Sowell Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate but simply one of the many "czars" appointed by the President, could arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 percent or 90 percent? Did you think that another "czar" would be talking about restricting talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers-- that is, to create a situation where some newspapers' survival would depend on the government liking what they publish? Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel of so-called "experts" deciding who could and could not get life-saving medical treatments? Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to make life and death decisions about your loved ones? Does any of this sound like America? How about a federal agency giving school children material to enlist them on the side of the president? Merely being assigned to sing his praises in class is apparently not enough. How much of America would be left if the federal government continued on this path? President Obama has already floated the idea of a national police force, something we have done without for more than two centuries. We already have local police forces all across the country and military forces for national defense, as well as the FBI for federal crimes and the National Guard for local emergencies. What would be the role of a national police force created by Barack Obama, with all its leaders appointed by him? It would seem more like the brown shirts of dictators than like anything American. How far the President will go depends of course on how much resistance he meets. But the direction in which he is trying to go tells us more than all his rhetoric or media spin. Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to "change the United States of America," the people he has been associated with for years have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the principles and the people of this country. Jeremiah Wright said it with words: "God damn America!" Bill Ayers said it with bombs that he planted. Community activist goons have said it with their contempt for the rights of other people. Among the people appointed as czars by President Obama have been people who have praised enemy dictators like Mao, who have seen the public schools as places to promote sexual practices contrary to the values of most Americans, to a captive audience of children. Those who say that the Obama administration should have investigated those people more thoroughly before appointing them are missing the point completely. Why should we assume that Barack Obama didn't know what such people were like, when he has been associating with precisely these kinds of people for decades before he reached the White House? Nothing is more consistent with his lifelong patterns than putting such people in government-- people who reject American values, resent Americans in general and successful Americans in particular, as well as resenting America's influence in the world. Any miscalculation on his part would be in not thinking that others would discover what these stealth appointees were like. Had it not been for the Fox News Channel, these stealth appointees might have remained unexposed for what they are. Fox News is now high on the administration's enemies list. Nothing so epitomizes President Obama's own contempt for American values and traditions like trying to ram two bills through Congress in his first year-- each bill more than a thousand pages long-- too fast for either of them to be read, much less discussed. That he succeeded only the first time says that some people are starting to wake up. Whether enough people will wake up in time to keep America from being dismantled, piece by piece, is another question-- and the biggest question for this generation. From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 10:14:35 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:14:35 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mr. Galt Done Gone! Message-ID: <400985d70910270714i136e4914i3d8b774d4bbe7dab@mail.gmail.com> This is why upside-down municipalities can't tax their way out of a hole - http://tinyurl.com/yzhpy8u California is worse. Brad From sanderico1 at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 10:52:52 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:52:52 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dr. Sowell Is Not Happy In-Reply-To: <400985d70910270643l6f5711d3y4a17c9bbee43b618@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910270643l6f5711d3y4a17c9bbee43b618@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910270752x15bdb198g3cc17e740f165595@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Couldn't agree more. A year ago, I wouldn't have believed this was possible. I think it's time we fill the capitol mall again, but this time while congress is there to see, so the lapdog msm can't minimize the effect like last time. If this shit keeps up much longer, I think BO is going to see some change he might not have bargained for. I believe he's coming seriously close to the edge of a revolution. It would be good if he were gone before the next election. Rik On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 8:43 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > October 27, 2009 > Dismantling America > By Thomas Sowell > > Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected > government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate > but simply one of the many "czars" appointed by the President, could > arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 > percent or 90 percent? > > Did you think that another "czar" would be talking about restricting > talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers-- > that is, to create a situation where some newspapers' survival would > depend on the government liking what they publish? > > > Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel > of so-called "experts" deciding who could and could not get > life-saving medical treatments? > > Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from > the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart > operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would > you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to > make life and death decisions about your loved ones? > > Does any of this sound like America? > > How about a federal agency giving school children material to enlist > them on the side of the president? Merely being assigned to sing his > praises in class is apparently not enough. > > How much of America would be left if the federal government continued > on this path? President Obama has already floated the idea of a > national police force, something we have done without for more than > two centuries. > > We already have local police forces all across the country and > military forces for national defense, as well as the FBI for federal > crimes and the National Guard for local emergencies. What would be the > role of a national police force created by Barack Obama, with all its > leaders appointed by him? It would seem more like the brown shirts of > dictators than like anything American. > > How far the President will go depends of course on how much resistance > he meets. But the direction in which he is trying to go tells us more > than all his rhetoric or media spin. > > Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to "change the United > States of America," the people he has been associated with for years > have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the > principles and the people of this country. > > Jeremiah Wright said it with words: "God damn America!" Bill Ayers > said it with bombs that he planted. Community activist goons have said > it with their contempt for the rights of other people. > > Among the people appointed as czars by President Obama have been > people who have praised enemy dictators like Mao, who have seen the > public schools as places to promote sexual practices contrary to the > values of most Americans, to a captive audience of children. > > Those who say that the Obama administration should have investigated > those people more thoroughly before appointing them are missing the > point completely. Why should we assume that Barack Obama didn't know > what such people were like, when he has been associating with > precisely these kinds of people for decades before he reached the > White House? > > Nothing is more consistent with his lifelong patterns than putting > such people in government-- people who reject American values, resent > Americans in general and successful Americans in particular, as well > as resenting America's influence in the world. > > Any miscalculation on his part would be in not thinking that others > would discover what these stealth appointees were like. Had it not > been for the Fox News Channel, these stealth appointees might have > remained unexposed for what they are. Fox News is now high on the > administration's enemies list. > > Nothing so epitomizes President Obama's own contempt for American > values and traditions like trying to ram two bills through Congress in > his first year-- each bill more than a thousand pages long-- too fast > for either of them to be read, much less discussed. That he succeeded > only the first time says that some people are starting to wake up. > Whether enough people will wake up in time to keep America from being > dismantled, piece by piece, is another question-- and the biggest > question for this generation. > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/4ded6414/attachment-0001.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 11:10:52 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:10:52 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mr. Galt Done Gone! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910270714i136e4914i3d8b774d4bbe7dab@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910270714i136e4914i3d8b774d4bbe7dab@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910270810w13b026ebt4e530772a51b371f@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Another hard lesson in the realities of life for our fearless leaders. You can make life so difficult, or expensive that people won't put up with it anymore. We are reaching that tipping point in many places now. I read a while ago that CA's population had been shrinking for a while now. Same problem .... too hard to live there. People will only put up with so much. Eventually, they vote with their feet. Had any of the fools in our state houses ever been in business for themselves, they would have already understood this. Speaking of fools, who is it that keeps electing these idiots?? Rik On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 9:14 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > This is why upside-down municipalities can't tax their way out of a hole - > > http://tinyurl.com/yzhpy8u > > California is worse. > > Brad > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/8295e016/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 11:26:18 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:26:18 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dr. Sowell Is Not Happy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910270752x15bdb198g3cc17e740f165595@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910270643l6f5711d3y4a17c9bbee43b618@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910270752x15bdb198g3cc17e740f165595@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910270826w55bc29aas458f7d32c460003d@mail.gmail.com> Rik, Lot's of folks are going to get their comeuppance. The GOP ignores the Tea Party at their peril. They've already tried to claim the movement as their own and that blew-up in their face. Pay attention here folks, the "little people" are pissed. http://tinyurl.com/ylrf2dl This is a watershed moment. Are we Americans, and if not, what are we? The 'dead tree' media keeps referring to our ilk as "tea baggers", a description of a gay sexual act. I've got nothing against gays but aren't these people (formerly known as MSM) supposed to be the tolerant ones? Is this PC? Enough is enough! Here's the bottom line, Rik. We don't have to leave the country, only our capital does. Or, we just invest our capital in the Bank of Sealy. Or, we just follow the gub' cheese truck around. Someone has to pay for all this shit! Brad On 10/27/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Couldn't agree more. A year ago, I wouldn't have believed this was possible. > > I think it's time we fill the capitol mall again, but this time while > congress is there to see, so the lapdog msm can't minimize the effect like > last time. > > If this shit keeps up much longer, I think BO is going to see some change he > might not have bargained for. I believe he's coming seriously close to the > edge of a revolution. > > It would be good if he were gone before the next election. > > Rik > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 8:43 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> October 27, 2009 >> Dismantling America >> By Thomas Sowell >> >> Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected >> government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate >> but simply one of the many "czars" appointed by the President, could >> arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 >> percent or 90 percent? >> >> Did you think that another "czar" would be talking about restricting >> talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers-- >> that is, to create a situation where some newspapers' survival would >> depend on the government liking what they publish? >> >> >> Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel >> of so-called "experts" deciding who could and could not get >> life-saving medical treatments? >> >> Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from >> the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart >> operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would >> you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to >> make life and death decisions about your loved ones? >> >> Does any of this sound like America? >> >> How about a federal agency giving school children material to enlist >> them on the side of the president? Merely being assigned to sing his >> praises in class is apparently not enough. >> >> How much of America would be left if the federal government continued >> on this path? President Obama has already floated the idea of a >> national police force, something we have done without for more than >> two centuries. >> >> We already have local police forces all across the country and >> military forces for national defense, as well as the FBI for federal >> crimes and the National Guard for local emergencies. What would be the >> role of a national police force created by Barack Obama, with all its >> leaders appointed by him? It would seem more like the brown shirts of >> dictators than like anything American. >> >> How far the President will go depends of course on how much resistance >> he meets. But the direction in which he is trying to go tells us more >> than all his rhetoric or media spin. >> >> Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to "change the United >> States of America," the people he has been associated with for years >> have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the >> principles and the people of this country. >> >> Jeremiah Wright said it with words: "God damn America!" Bill Ayers >> said it with bombs that he planted. Community activist goons have said >> it with their contempt for the rights of other people. >> >> Among the people appointed as czars by President Obama have been >> people who have praised enemy dictators like Mao, who have seen the >> public schools as places to promote sexual practices contrary to the >> values of most Americans, to a captive audience of children. >> >> Those who say that the Obama administration should have investigated >> those people more thoroughly before appointing them are missing the >> point completely. Why should we assume that Barack Obama didn't know >> what such people were like, when he has been associating with >> precisely these kinds of people for decades before he reached the >> White House? >> >> Nothing is more consistent with his lifelong patterns than putting >> such people in government-- people who reject American values, resent >> Americans in general and successful Americans in particular, as well >> as resenting America's influence in the world. >> >> Any miscalculation on his part would be in not thinking that others >> would discover what these stealth appointees were like. Had it not >> been for the Fox News Channel, these stealth appointees might have >> remained unexposed for what they are. Fox News is now high on the >> administration's enemies list. >> >> Nothing so epitomizes President Obama's own contempt for American >> values and traditions like trying to ram two bills through Congress in >> his first year-- each bill more than a thousand pages long-- too fast >> for either of them to be read, much less discussed. That he succeeded >> only the first time says that some people are starting to wake up. >> Whether enough people will wake up in time to keep America from being >> dismantled, piece by piece, is another question-- and the biggest >> question for this generation. >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it > is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington > From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 27 11:32:15 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:32:15 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mr. Galt Done Gone! Message-ID: <7EE2103AB38D4382A86FD09E21CD3F26@YOURB88038198E> Rik asked who keeps voting for these people? 90% of the Rhodes List! Is but one example. And the lady who explained where the money was coming from --- Obama's stash. As to Mr. Galt, many who could do more are fishing in Canada, deer hunting big time this year, anything that does not add wealth. As I mentioned in an earlier post a few days ago, I wonder if we will even survive to the 2010 elections. As to Sowell's comment on a national police force, there are many 'rumors' about facilities having been built to house detainees of civil unrest. But the question is how many would be loyal to Obama? I listened politely to one Greenville contractor explain his work over in Georgia. He was told it was an emergency evacuation facility. Keep in mind that whatever is discussed on the internet may be red flagged! Deer rifles apparently are available with ammunition. South Carolina has a limit of 4. EK -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/ee00a1e1/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 11:46:49 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:46:49 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] If George W. Bush Was an Idiot In-Reply-To: <4AD684A1.4040007@effros.com> References: <4AD684A1.4040007@effros.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910270846p10b5169bq4446210479fa2154@mail.gmail.com> Time to dig up an 'expired' email - http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20091027/pl_politico/28764 Brad On 10/14/09, Bill Effros wrote: > Some questions from the Internet > > > > > > If George W. Was an Idiot... > > > > If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a TelePrompTer > installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have > laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and > is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes? > > > > If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take > Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had reduced your retirement plan's holdings of GM > stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have > approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had made a joke at the expense of the Special > Olympics, would you have approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and > incorrectly formatted DVD's, when Gordon Brown had given him a > thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing > videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly > narcissistic and tacky? > > > > If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you > have approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the > non-existent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a > minor slip? > > > > If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with > people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you > have approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to > "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th > of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, > would you have winced in embarrassment? > > > > If George W. Bush had misspelled the word advice would you have > hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potato as proof of > what a dunce he is? > > > > If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a > single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite? > > > > If George W. Bush's administration had okayed Air Force One flying > low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown > Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they > actually get what happened on 9-11? > > > > If George W. Bush had failed to send relief aid to flood victims > throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in > New Orleans, would you want it made > > into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and > incompetence? > > > > If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major > corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, > would you have approved? > > > > If George W Bush had proposed to double the national debt, which had > taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have > approved? > > > > If George W. Bush had then proposed to double the debt again within > 10 years, would you have approved? > > > > > > So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant > and impressive? > > > > Can't think of anything? Don't worry. > > > > He's done all this in 5 months -- so you'll have three years and > seven months to come up with an answer.. > > > > > > > > > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 12:15:28 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:15:28 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dr. Sowell Is Not Happy In-Reply-To: <400985d70910270826w55bc29aas458f7d32c460003d@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910270643l6f5711d3y4a17c9bbee43b618@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910270752x15bdb198g3cc17e740f165595@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910270826w55bc29aas458f7d32c460003d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910270915q53ac5d80q5756e808a31010e@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Agreed, I've been in "cash" for quite a while already. Back during the last election campaign I sent a 100 bucks to McCain, not because I liked him to speak of, but because he was surely a lesser evil than the anointed One ... what I really wanted was Palin. I have been getting letters from the GOP ever since begging for money. I keep thinking I should send them a letter to let them know how disappointed I have been in their performance in recent years, but then I think, why bother, they'd never read it. or care, anyway. Their continued backing of people like this scoozapaloosa or whatever the hell her name is is just more evidence that the GOP is so far out of touch with their roots that it is not likely they will ever be useful to a conservative voter while there is any old blood left in the party. I don't like the idea of a third party, but what can we do if the party that was supposed to represent the conservatives in this country has simply become liberals by another name?? Christ, can't we find someone more like a Ron Paul to get behind .... someone who actually reminds me of a conservative?? I agree with the post's writer. Voting by the party line anymore is dumb ... it always was, but it's worse now. Rik On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 10:26 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Rik, > > Lot's of folks are going to get their comeuppance. The GOP ignores the > Tea Party at their peril. They've already tried to claim the movement > as their own and that blew-up in their face. Pay attention here folks, > the "little people" are pissed. > > http://tinyurl.com/ylrf2dl > > This is a watershed moment. Are we Americans, and if not, what are > we? The 'dead tree' media keeps referring to our ilk as "tea baggers", > a description of a gay sexual act. I've got nothing against gays but > aren't these people (formerly known as MSM) supposed to be the > tolerant ones? Is this PC? Enough is enough! > > Here's the bottom line, Rik. We don't have to leave the country, only > our capital does. Or, we just invest our capital in the Bank of Sealy. > Or, we just follow the gub' cheese truck around. Someone has to pay > for all this shit! > > Brad > > On 10/27/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > Brad, > > > > Couldn't agree more. A year ago, I wouldn't have believed this was > possible. > > > > I think it's time we fill the capitol mall again, but this time while > > congress is there to see, so the lapdog msm can't minimize the effect > like > > last time. > > > > If this shit keeps up much longer, I think BO is going to see some change > he > > might not have bargained for. I believe he's coming seriously close to > the > > edge of a revolution. > > > > It would be good if he were gone before the next election. > > > > Rik > > > > On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 8:43 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > >> October 27, 2009 > >> Dismantling America > >> By Thomas Sowell > >> > >> Just one year ago, would you have believed that an unelected > >> government official, not even a Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate > >> but simply one of the many "czars" appointed by the President, could > >> arbitrarily cut the pay of executives in private businesses by 50 > >> percent or 90 percent? > >> > >> Did you think that another "czar" would be talking about restricting > >> talk radio? That there would be plans afloat to subsidize newspapers-- > >> that is, to create a situation where some newspapers' survival would > >> depend on the government liking what they publish? > >> > >> > >> Did you imagine that anyone would even be talking about having a panel > >> of so-called "experts" deciding who could and could not get > >> life-saving medical treatments? > >> > >> Scary as that is from a medical standpoint, it is also chilling from > >> the standpoint of freedom. If you have a mother who needs a heart > >> operation or a child with some dire medical condition, how free would > >> you feel to speak out against an administration that has the power to > >> make life and death decisions about your loved ones? > >> > >> Does any of this sound like America? > >> > >> How about a federal agency giving school children material to enlist > >> them on the side of the president? Merely being assigned to sing his > >> praises in class is apparently not enough. > >> > >> How much of America would be left if the federal government continued > >> on this path? President Obama has already floated the idea of a > >> national police force, something we have done without for more than > >> two centuries. > >> > >> We already have local police forces all across the country and > >> military forces for national defense, as well as the FBI for federal > >> crimes and the National Guard for local emergencies. What would be the > >> role of a national police force created by Barack Obama, with all its > >> leaders appointed by him? It would seem more like the brown shirts of > >> dictators than like anything American. > >> > >> How far the President will go depends of course on how much resistance > >> he meets. But the direction in which he is trying to go tells us more > >> than all his rhetoric or media spin. > >> > >> Barack Obama has not only said that he is out to "change the United > >> States of America," the people he has been associated with for years > >> have expressed in words and deeds their hostility to the values, the > >> principles and the people of this country. > >> > >> Jeremiah Wright said it with words: "God damn America!" Bill Ayers > >> said it with bombs that he planted. Community activist goons have said > >> it with their contempt for the rights of other people. > >> > >> Among the people appointed as czars by President Obama have been > >> people who have praised enemy dictators like Mao, who have seen the > >> public schools as places to promote sexual practices contrary to the > >> values of most Americans, to a captive audience of children. > >> > >> Those who say that the Obama administration should have investigated > >> those people more thoroughly before appointing them are missing the > >> point completely. Why should we assume that Barack Obama didn't know > >> what such people were like, when he has been associating with > >> precisely these kinds of people for decades before he reached the > >> White House? > >> > >> Nothing is more consistent with his lifelong patterns than putting > >> such people in government-- people who reject American values, resent > >> Americans in general and successful Americans in particular, as well > >> as resenting America's influence in the world. > >> > >> Any miscalculation on his part would be in not thinking that others > >> would discover what these stealth appointees were like. Had it not > >> been for the Fox News Channel, these stealth appointees might have > >> remained unexposed for what they are. Fox News is now high on the > >> administration's enemies list. > >> > >> Nothing so epitomizes President Obama's own contempt for American > >> values and traditions like trying to ram two bills through Congress in > >> his first year-- each bill more than a thousand pages long-- too fast > >> for either of them to be read, much less discussed. That he succeeded > >> only the first time says that some people are starting to wake up. > >> Whether enough people will wake up in time to keep America from being > >> dismantled, piece by piece, is another question-- and the biggest > >> question for this generation. > >> _______________________________________________ > >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, > it > > is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/5a3db14a/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 12:27:03 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:27:03 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mr. Galt Done Gone! In-Reply-To: <7EE2103AB38D4382A86FD09E21CD3F26@YOURB88038198E> References: <7EE2103AB38D4382A86FD09E21CD3F26@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910270927h5de911d9g568575e95e9c7001@mail.gmail.com> Ed, I'm no different. I've thought about finding a job, it isn't like I couldn't use a few more bucks toward retirement. But, after consideration, I sorta refuse to support what is going on lately. Fortunately, I already have all the bang sticks and hog legs I could reasonably use. It would be interesting to see how far BO would get if he attempted to turn the military inward. I'm not so sure that would go very well for him. Rik On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 10:32 AM, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Rik asked who keeps voting for these people? 90% of the Rhodes List! Is > but one example. And the lady who explained where the money was coming from > --- Obama's stash. > > As to Mr. Galt, many who could do more are fishing in Canada, deer hunting > big time this year, anything that does not add wealth. > > As I mentioned in an earlier post a few days ago, I wonder if we will even > survive to the 2010 elections. > > As to Sowell's comment on a national police force, there are many 'rumors' > about facilities having been built to house detainees of civil unrest. But > the question is how many would be loyal to Obama? I listened politely to > one Greenville contractor explain his work over in Georgia. He was told it > was an emergency evacuation facility. > > Keep in mind that whatever is discussed on the internet may be red > flagged! > > Deer rifles apparently are available with ammunition. South Carolina has a > limit of 4. > > EK > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- "Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ?. George Washington -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/c3b73d3d/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Tue Oct 27 17:44:30 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:44:30 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mr. Galt Done Gone Message-ID: Rik said, "It would be interesting to see how far BO would get if he attempted to turn the military inward. I'm not so sure that would go very well for him." That is exactly why the talk of a national police force. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091027/d33c602d/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 22:14:02 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:14:02 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] More Hot Air Message-ID: <400985d70910271914k35886362yc04365e704aa85a5@mail.gmail.com> Haven't read SuperFreakonomics yet, the first book was good. Brad -------------- * OCTOBER 27, 2009, 11:51 A.M. ET Freaked Out Over SuperFreakonomics Global warming might be solved with a helium balloon and a few miles of garden hose. * By BRET STEPHENS Suppose for a minute?which is about 59 seconds too long, but that's for another column?that global warming poses an imminent threat to the survival of our species. Suppose, too, that the best solution involves a helium balloon, several miles of garden hose and a harmless stream of sulfur dioxide being pumped into the upper atmosphere, all at a cost of a single F-22 fighter jet. Good news, right? Maybe, but not if you're Al Gore or one of his little helpers. The hose-in-the-sky approach to global warming is the brainchild of Intellectual Ventures, a Bellevue, Wash.-based firm founded by former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan Myhrvold. The basic idea is to engineer effects similar to those of the 1991 mega-eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, which spewed so much sulfuric ash into the stratosphere that it cooled the earth by about one degree Fahrenheit for a couple of years. Could it work? Mr. Myhrvold and his associates think it might, and they're a smart bunch. Also smart are University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and writer Stephen Dubner, whose delightful "SuperFreakonomics"?the sequel to their runaway 2005 bestseller "Freakonomics"?gives Myhrvold and Co. pride of place in their lengthy chapter on global warming. Not surprisingly, global warming fanatics are experiencing a Pinatubo-like eruption of their own. Mr. Gore, for instance, tells Messrs. Levitt and Dubner that the stratospheric sulfur solution is "nuts." Former Clinton administration official Joe Romm, who edits the Climate Progress blog, accuses the authors of "[pushing] global cooling myths" and "sheer illogic." The Union of Concerned Scientists faults the book for its "faulty statistics." Never to be outdone, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman scores "SuperFreakonomics" for "grossly [misrepresenting] other peoples' research, in both climate science and economics." In fact, Messrs. Levitt and Dubner show every sign of being careful researchers, going so far as to send chapter drafts to their interviewees for comment prior to publication. Nor are they global warming "deniers," insofar as they acknowledge that temperatures have risen by 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past century. But when it comes to the religion of global warming?the First Commandment of which is Thou Shalt Not Call It A Religion?Messrs. Levitt and Dubner are grievous sinners. They point out that belching, flatulent cows are adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than all SUVs combined. They note that sea levels will probably not rise much more than 18 inches by 2100, "less than the twice-daily tidal variation in most coastal locations." They observe that "not only is carbon plainly not poisonous, but changes in carbon-dioxide levels don't necessarily mirror human activity." They quote Mr. Myhrvold as saying that Mr. Gore's doomsday scenarios "don't have any basis in physical reality in any reasonable time frame." More subversively, they suggest that climatologists, like everyone else, respond to incentives in a way that shapes their conclusions. "The economic reality of research funding, rather than a disinterested and uncoordinated scientific consensus, leads the [climate] models to approximately match one another." In other words, the herd-of-independent-minds phenomenon happens to scientists too and isn't the sole province of painters, politicians and news anchors. But perhaps their biggest sin, which is also the central point of the chapter, is pointing out that seemingly insurmountable problems often have cheap and simple solutions. Hence world hunger was largely conquered not by a massive effort at population control, but by the development of new and sturdier strains of wheat and rice. Hence infection and mortality rates in hospitals declined dramatically as doctors began to appreciate the need to wash their hands. Hence, too, it may well be that global warming is best tackled with a variety of cheap fixes, if not by pumping SO2 into the stratosphere then perhaps by seeding more clouds over the ocean. Alternatively, as "SuperFreakonomics" suggests, we might be better off doing nothing until the state of technology can catch up to the scope of the problem. All these suggestions are, of course, horrifying to global warmists, who'd much prefer to spend in excess of a trillion dollars annually for the sake of reconceiving civilization as we know it, including not just what we drive or eat but how many children we have. And little wonder: As Newsweek's Stefan Theil points out, "climate change is the greatest new public-spending project in decades." Who, being a professional climatologist or EPA regulator, wouldn't want a piece of that action? Part of the genius of Marxism, and a reason for its enduring appeal, is that it fed man's neurotic fear of social catastrophe while providing an avenue for moral transcendence. It's just the same with global warming, which is what makes the clear-eyed analysis in "SuperFreakonomics" so timely and important. (Now my sincere apologies to the authors for an endorsement that will surely give their critics another cartridge of ammunition.) Write to bstephens at wsj.com From flybrad at gmail.com Tue Oct 27 23:12:55 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:12:55 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Community College Message-ID: <400985d70910272012i3c02d116hc15cb0fafe24126e@mail.gmail.com> http://tinyurl.com/ygxeove From mweisner at ebsmed.com Wed Oct 28 09:41:23 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:41:23 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Community College References: <400985d70910272012i3c02d116hc15cb0fafe24126e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <759783AB791D4B7385FAC669833CD4D2@acer7e8cb8aec8> Brad, Very cute and would be funny if not so close to the truth. Wait for the next 1000 page, overnight approval bill from this administration entitled the "National Education System" which will not only alter the reserved powers of the states to provide a basic education but will provide funding for each and every child to attend college. You want to choose your school? Oh there will be choice - for the first 5 years, at least, just like healthcare. Mike From: "Brad Haslett" Tuesday, October 27, 2009 11:12 PM > http://tinyurl.com/ygxeove > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 762 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 28 14:50:52 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:50:52 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dr. Hanson on Reality Message-ID: <400985d70910281150y69ac711o824a4f5276be5c2c@mail.gmail.com> All Falling Down . . . Posted By Victor Davis Hanson On October 27, 2009 @ 7:24 pm Money Obama?s mega-borrowing is predicated on a rather thin margin of safety. We can service nearly $2 trillion in additional debt this year?on top the of the existing $11 trillion?only because interest rates are so low. But as a veteran of the near usury of the 1970s and early 1980s, I see no reason why interest rates won?t shoot up to 10% once the economy recovers and the U.S. has to convince lenders to buy our paper in an inflationary spiral. In other words, we could fork out each year about $150-200 billion in interest costs on our annual red ink, in addition to paying annually another trillion dollars to service the existing debt. (We forget that many of us young people in the 1970s and 1980s simply never bought anything new due to high interest: my first new car was not purchased until 1989 when interest was only 7.2% on it; my parents bought a small condo in 1980 for the unbelievably low rate of 8.8%, due only to redevelopment incentives in a bad neighborhood of Fresno. Inflation will be back, even in this quite different age of globalized competition and low wages.) When Obama talks of a trillion here for health care, a trillion there for cap-and-trade, it has a chilling effect. Does he include the cost of interest? Where will the money came from? Who will pay the interest? Has he ever experienced the wages of such borrowing in his own life? Did he cut-back and save for his college or law school tuition, with part-time jobs? Did he ever run a business and see how hard it was to be $200 ahead at day?s end? What destroys individuals, ruins families, and fells nations is debt?or rather the inability to service debt, and the cultural ramifications that follow. When farming, I used to see the futility in haggling over diesel prices, trying to buy fertilizer in bulk, or using used vineyard wire?when each day we were paying hundreds in dollars in interest on a ?cut-rate? 14% crop loan. The difference between the 5th century BC and late 4th century BC at Athens is debt?and not caused just by military expenditures or war; the claims on Athenian entitlements grew by the 350s, even as forced liturgies on the productive classes increased, even as the treasury emptied. At Rome by the mid-3rd century AD the state was essentially bribing its own citizens to behave by expanding the bread and circuses dole, while tax avoidance became an art form, while the Roman state tried everything from price controls to inflating the coinage to meet services and pay public debts. Integral to public debt are two eternal truths: a public demands of the state ever more subsidies, and those who pay for them shrink in number as they seek to avoid the increased burden. Once the conservative Bush people started talking about trillions in debt in terms of percentages of GDP rather than of real money, I feared we were done for: if a so-called conservative is doing this, I thought, what will the liberal Congress do when it gets back in power? (One more historical truth: the melodramatic language of people dying, starving, being ignored, etc. increases as the level of government services expands as the fears of public insolvency spread: in the late 1930s our grandparents thought tiny sums from social security were lavish godsends, now we assume a temporary suspension in cost-of-living increases on top of generous pay-outs is nothing short of a national disaster and proof of our collective selfishness.) Abroad The same storm clouds pile up on the horizon of foreign policy. One can get away with Carterism for a year or two. Remember, Jimmy Carter was loved up until about 1978, as he bragged of human rights, slashed defense to use the money for more entitlements, promised to get troops out of Korea, sold out the Shah, intrigued with the exiled Khomeini, pooh-poohed communists in Central America, sold warplanes without bomb racks to our allies, lectured on the inordinate fear of communism and sermonized how no one would die on his watch. We were his Plains Sunday school class, he the sanctimonious prayer leader. The lions abroad would lie down with us, the new lambs, at home. ?I will never lie to you? Carter repeated ad nauseam. I used to listen to his call-in empathy radio shows while driving to work as a grad student, and at 24 thought ?Does this adult really believe all this?? And then somewhere around 1979 the world finally sized him up?and the result was a bleeding American goat crossing the Amazon as the piranha swarmed. Radical Islam was on the rise. The Soviet army invaded Afghanistan. Nicaragua blew up. Iran took hostages. And in reaction Carter devised brilliant strategies like boycotting the Olympics and arming jihadists in Pakistan?and more lecturing us from the rose garden. He wanted a flashy hostage rescue mission?after slashing defense in 1977-8: but the two don?t mix, as he learned. Obama likewise is outside the mainstream of bipartisan Democratic foreign policy as practiced by Truman, JFK, LBJ, and Clinton. He?s to the left of Carter, and indeed, on both Afghanistan and Iran, to the left of France and Germany. Readers, none of you thought you would ever see Europeans wanting us to buck up in Afghanistan and get tougher against Ahmadinejad. For now, however, Obama surely sounds mythic. The world adores us. We apologize for slavery, genocide, the cold war, and Hiroshima; you name the sin, Obama wrinkles his brow and provides the mea culpa. Brazilians love it. Egyptians now say we?re A-OK; even sourpuss Russians now smile. Listen to Obama apologize and you would have thought that Americans have leveled Grozny, or obliterated Hama, or swallowed Tibet. Our administration officials praise the mass-murdering Mao, or talk up the UN ?human rights? commission. We reach out to Ahmadinejad, Assad, Chavez, Putin, and others. We snub the Brits, the Europeans, the Japanese, Colombians, Israelis and eastern Europeans. Russia tries a simple gambit?a) lie about helping on Iran, b) in exchange get the US out of the anti-missile business in eastern Europe?it works so well that Putin brags that he expects more of this, as if he is sitting at a rigged roulette wheel in Vegas. Like our spiraling debt, there will be a reckoning soon, maybe in a year or two?and it will cost more than boycotting the next Olympics. Fuel Then there is energy. We are in a very temporary lull of cheap energy, as the world economy catches its breath. And while Obama was right to stiffen efficiency standards and promote alternate energies, he is neglecting the only mechanisms that can tide us over for the next 20 years?more natural gas, domestic oil, shale, tar sands, clean coal, and nuclear energy. We should be on a dash to build nuclear plants for the coming demand from plug in hybrids and spikes in electricity usage. We should be leasing as much natural gas lands as possible, to gain the supplies to run energy plants and to power vehicles. There is plenty of oil in the Dakotas, California, Texas and in the Gulf and we should be drilling there like mad. Sorry, even Santa Barbara should either ban SUVs or have oil derricks on the horizon. Sarah Palin knows far more about ANWR than does Van Jones. Instead, we talk grandly of cap and trade, solar and wind, and green lunacies, while very shortly it will cost $5 a gallon to fill up the fleet of Barack Obama?s SUVs. Putin, sly fox that he is, only welcomes a confrontation with Iran: a great way to drive oil speculation sky-high. Ditto the Saudis and the rest. We are one Middle East crisis away from a $100 fill-up. Terrorism Here is our anti-terrorism policy. 1) Euphemism: hope that words can change reality??overseas contingency operations? aimed at ?man-caused disasters? (this will mean there is no more terrorism as our enemies are no longer demonized) 2) Apologies to Islam: boast that Muslims fueled the Renaissance, invented printing, pretty much gave the world our present civilization, while we offended them after 9/11 (this will mean no more plotting inside the US to kill us all, as they sense our newfound empathy) 3) ?Bush Did it?: a) blame Bush the Impaler for our unpopularity and shredding the Constitution to pacify the Middle East and Europe; while stealthily keeping in play most of his protocols like Predators (more attacks in last 9 months than Bush did in 3 years); tribunals, renditions, intercepts, wiretaps, and Guantanamo, etc.); (this will mean that we copy Bush, but blame him for our failures and claim success as our own). 4) Reach-out: Become socialist at home, and UNish abroad, to convince an Ahmadinejad, Assad, Chavez, Putin, and others that we are a declining, 1950s British-like socialist state, a threat to no one, exceptional in the manner that Greece is, and becoming, as Pravda boasts daily, more like them than they like us (this will mean, why hate us when we are one of you?) 5) Declare victory and leave: there is a reason why Afghanistan and now Iraq have flared up since Obama took office, and it may well have to do with the fact that radical Islam, defeated in Iraq, stalemated in Afghanistan, suddenly bets that with a little push here and there, Obama will declare victory and leave, with something like ?We can?t win Bush?s wars.? If I were a terrorist, I might think, ?One or two more big death days, and this American government will Mogadishu its way home?). In a year or two, al Qaeda will begin to suspect we are the weaker horse. They hated us when we were strong, but they will hate us even more when we appear weak. There will be renewed plots at home, and a fiery Middle East within two years?with all sorts of opportunists like China and Russia ready to capitalize. Why the pessimism? I think there are a few truths that transcend politics and remain eternal. In life as a general rule, debt has to be paid back, and with greater pain and anger than it was to borrow it. Bullies do not respect magnanimity, but tragically interpret it as weakness to be exploited rather than to be admired. Hoping that something good comes true ?like being self-reliant through solar and wind?does not make it true; neglecting the riches at hand to dream about greater riches that do not exist is adolescent. Radical Islam hates the West, not because of what we do or say, but because of who we are: a dynamic, mercurial culture that challenges all the protocols of a traditional, tribal and religiously fundamentalist society. Diplomacy is a tool to lessen, but not eliminate, tensions?a way to conduct foreign policy, not a foreign policy in and of itself. I hope I am wrong about all of the above, and that human nature really has magically changed in the era of Obama. So close your eyes, listen to the Messiah?s voice, and repeat: ?Debts will be forgiven by creditors; inflation will not follow from massive borrowing; breakthroughs in solar and wind will power our cars and heat our homes; enemies will admire our compassion and join us to achieve world peace; and terrorists are either misunderstood or provoked needlessly by our bellicosity that alone stands in the way of peace.? Believe all that and you can lay back and enjoy the age of Obama. From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 28 16:43:05 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:43:05 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama's Pill Message-ID: <9CCEBE211EA342FC88679C4F4D369EA5@YOURB88038198E> For your entertainment see attachment: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/516ffb57/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Obama's Pill.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 135519 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/516ffb57/attachment-0001.jpg From sanderico1 at gmail.com Wed Oct 28 18:33:25 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:33:25 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama's Pill In-Reply-To: <9CCEBE211EA342FC88679C4F4D369EA5@YOURB88038198E> References: <9CCEBE211EA342FC88679C4F4D369EA5@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910281533x66f05597ma79f315a6376190a@mail.gmail.com> Ed, What a HOOT!! That's a keeper Rik On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 3:43 PM, Ed Kroposki wrote: > For your entertainment see attachment: > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/4dee69d6/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Wed Oct 28 19:25:19 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:25:19 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Texoarkla Message-ID: <2C8AB8B78C294E9D857EF21E83548D67@YOURB88038198E> THE COUNTRY of TEXOARKLA In case things get a little tougher during the next few months, we In LOUISIANA, TEXAS , OKLAHOMA & ARKANSAS have a plan.. Maybe you don't know it, but LOUISIANA , TEXAS , OKLAHOMA , & ARKANSAS have a legal right to secede from the Union . (Reference the Texas/Louisiana-American Annexation Treaty of 1848.) Us TEXOARKLANS love y'all Americans, but we'll probably have to take action since Barack Obama won the election and is now the President of the U.S.A. We'll miss ya'll though. Here is what can happen: 1. Barack Hussein Obama, after becoming the President of the United States , begins to try and create a socialist country, then TEXAS , LOUISIANA , ARKANSAS and OKLAHOMA announces that they are going to secede from the Union ... 2. George W. Bush becomes the President of the Republic of TEXOARKLA . You might think that he doesn't talk too pretty, but we haven't had another terrorist attack and the economy was fine until the effects of Barney Frank and the Democrats lowering the qualifications for home loans came home to roost. So what does TEXOARKLA have to do to survive as a Republic? 1. NASA is just south of Houston , Texas ... We will control the space industry. 2. We refine over 90% of the gasoline in the United States ... 3. Defense Industry--we have over 65% of it. The term "Don't mess with TEXAS ," will take on a whole new meaning. 4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of TEXOARKLA will need for the next 300 years. What will the other states do? Gee, we don't know. Why not ask Obama? 5. Natural Gas - again, we have all we need and it's too bad about those Northern States. John Kerry and AlGore will just have to figure out a way to keep them warm... 6. Computer Industry - we lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications equipment - small companies like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Nortel, Alcatel, etc. The list goes on and on. 7. Medical Care - We have the research centers for cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world, as well as other large health centers. 8. We have enough colleges to keep educating and making smarter citizens: University of Texas , Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Oklahoma , Oklahoma State University, UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, LSU, Louisiana Tech University , University of Arkansas , Arkansas State University , Baylor, Rice, TCU, SMU and MANY more. 9. We have an intelligent and energetic work force and it isn't restricted by a bunch of unions. Here in TEXOARKLA, we are a Right-to-Work State and, therefore, it's every man and woman for themselves. We just go out and get the job done.. And if we don't like the way one company operates, we get a job somewhere else. 10. We have essential control of the paper, plastics, and insurance industries, etc. 11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the TEXOARKLA National Guard, the TEXOARKLA Air National Guard, and several military bases. We don't have an Army, but since everybody down here has at least six guns and a pile of ammo, we can raise an Army in 24 hours if we need one. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over the Texas Rangers. 12. We are totally self-sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs, and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables and let's not forget seafood from the Gulf. Also, everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. We don't need any food from somewhere else. 13. FIVE of the ten largest cities in the United States and THIRTY TWO of the 100 largest cities in the United States are located in TEXOARKLA. And TEXOARKLA also has more land than California , New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Delaware , Hawaii , Massachusetts , Maryland , Rhode Island and Vermont combined. 14. Trade: FIVE of the ten largest ports in the United States are located in TEXOARKLA. 15. We also manufacture cars down here, but we don't need to. You see, nothing rusts in TEXOARKLA so our vehicles stay beautiful and run well for decades. This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of TEXOARKLA in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. Now to the rest of you folks in the United States under President Obama: Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only President Obama will be able to drive around in his big 9 mpg SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. You won't have any TV as the Space Center in Houston will cut off satellite communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes, but since AlGore has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas as long as you survive the 2000 years it will take to get enough heat from Global Warming. In other words, the rest of ya'll in the USA are screwed! Signed, The People of TEXOARKLA P.S. This is not a threatening letter - just a note to give you something to think about! Sleep well tonight 'cause the eyes of TEXOARKLA are on YOU!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.36/2465 - Release Date: 10/28/09 09:34:00 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f26d733/attachment-0001.html From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Wed Oct 28 19:45:34 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:45:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Texoarkla In-Reply-To: <2C8AB8B78C294E9D857EF21E83548D67@YOURB88038198E> Message-ID: <907532.16299.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> OK..I'm moving... :^) elle --- On Wed, 10/28/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: From: Ed Kroposki Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Texoarkla To: "Swift Water" Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 7:25 PM ? ? ? ? THE COUNTRY of TEXOARKLA ????? ???????In case things get a little tougher during the next few months, we In LOUISIANA, TEXAS , OKLAHOMA ? & ARKANSAS have a plan.. ?????? ???????Maybe you don't know it, but LOUISIANA , TEXAS , OKLAHOMA , & ARKANSAS have a legal right to secede from the Union . (Reference the Texas/Louisiana-American Anne xation Treaty of 1848.) ?????? ???????Us TEXOARKLANS love y'all Americans, but we'll probably have to take action since Barack Obama won the election and is now the President of the U.S.A. ?We'll miss ya'll though. ?????? ???????Here is what can happen: ?????? ???????1. Barack Hussein Obama, after becoming the President of the United States , begins to try and create a socialist country, then TEXAS , LOUISIANA , ARKANSAS ?and OKLAHOMA announces that?they are going to secede from the Union ... ?????? ???????2. George W. Bush becomes the President of the Republic of TEXOARKLA . You might think that he doesn't talk too pretty, but we haven't had another terrorist attack and the economy was fine until the effects of Barney Frank and the Democrats lowering the qualifications for home loans came home to roost. ?????? ???????So what does TEXOARKLA have to do to survive as a Republic? ?????? ???????1. NASA is just south of Houston , Texas ...? We will control the space industry. ?????? ???????2. We refine over 90% of the gasoline in the United States ... ?????? ???????3. Defense Industry--we have over 65% of it. The term "Don't mess with TEXAS ," will take on a whole new meaning. ?????? ???????4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of TEXOARKLA will need for the next 300 years. What will the other states do? Gee, we don't know. ?Why not ask Obama? ?????? ???????5. Natural Gas - again, we have all we need and it's too bad about those Northern States. John Kerry and Al Gore will just have to figure out a way to keep them warm... ?????? ???????6. Computer Industry - we lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications equipment - small companies like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD,? Nortel, Al catel, etc.? The list goes on and on. ?????? ???????7. Medical Care - We have the research centers for cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world, as well as other large health centers.? ?????? ???????8. We have enough colleges to keep educating and making smarter citizens: ? University of Texas , Texas A&M, Texas Tech, University of Oklahoma , Oklahoma State University, UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe, LSU, Louisiana Tech University , University of Arkansas ,? Arkansas State University , Baylor, Rice, TCU, SMU and MANY more. ?????? ???????9. We have an intelligent and energetic work force and it isn't restricted by a bunch of unions. Here in TEXOARKLA, we are a Right-to-Work State and, therefore, it's every man and woman for themselves. We just go out and get the job done.. And if we don't like the way one company operates, we get a job somewhere else. ?????? ???????10. We have essential control of the paper, plastics, and insurance industries, etc. ?????? ???????11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the TEXOARKLA National Guard, the TEXOARKLA Air National Guard, and several military bases. We don't have an Army, but since everybody down here has at least six?guns and a pile of ammo, we can raise an Army in 24 hours if we need one. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over the Texas Rangers. ?????? ???????12. We are totally self-sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs, and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables and let's not forget seafood from the Gulf. ? Al so, everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good.? We don't need any food from somewhere else. ?????? ???????13. FIVE of the ten largest cities in the United States ? and THIRTY TWO of the 100 largest cities in the United States are located in TEXOARKLA.? And TEXOARKLA also has more land than California , New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Delaware , Hawaii , Massachusetts ,? Mary land , Rhode Island ? and Vermont combined. ?????? ???????14. Trade: ?FIVE of the ten largest ports in the United States are located in TEXOARKLA. ?????? ???????15. We also manufacture cars down here, but we don't need to. You see, nothing rusts in TEXOARKLA so our vehicles stay beautiful and run well for decades. ?????? ???????This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of TEXOARKLA in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. ?????? ???????Now to the rest of you folks in the United States under President Obama: ?????? ???????Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only President Obama will be able to drive around in his big 9 mpg SUV.? The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. ?????? ???????You won't have any TV as the Space Center in Houston will cut off satellite communications. ?????? ???????You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes, but since? Al Gore has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas as long as you survive the 2000 years it will take to get enough heat from Global Warming. ?????? ???????In other words, the rest of ya'll in the USA are screwed! ?????? ???????Signed, The People of TEXOARKLA ???????P.S. This is not a threatening letter - just a note to give you something to think about! ?????? ???????Sleep well tonight 'cause the eyes of TEXOARKLA are on YOU!! ? ? ? No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.36/2465 - Release Date: 10/28/09 09:34:00 -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/86d3b568/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Wed Oct 28 20:26:04 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:26:04 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Texoarkla In-Reply-To: <907532.16299.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <2C8AB8B78C294E9D857EF21E83548D67@YOURB88038198E> <907532.16299.qm@web111212.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910281726j26e6aed3pae01c20d61b9286e@mail.gmail.com> Me too! Rik On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 6:45 PM, elle wrote: > OK..I'm moving... > > :^) > > > elle > > --- On *Wed, 10/28/09, Ed Kroposki * wrote: > > > From: Ed Kroposki > Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Texoarkla > To: "Swift Water" > Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 7:25 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.423 / Virus Database: 270.14.36/2465 - Release Date: 10/28/09 > 09:34:00 > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/c68d4a7f/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 28 21:24:22 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:24:22 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Halloween Message-ID: <400985d70910281824v52fe96eesfbfcf139595a2519@mail.gmail.com> Hey, this is my costume for this year - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1HWqbOSJLo Yeah right, I'd be in traction for a week. Brad From flybrad at gmail.com Wed Oct 28 23:59:38 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:59:38 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Joe Wilson Was Right Message-ID: <400985d70910282059r101c90cfwe07587b336c49d29@mail.gmail.com> How we gonna pay for this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_mUwzoYcc&feature=player_embedded From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 29 00:12:49 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:12:49 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Mobile Homes Message-ID: <400985d70910282112r3b8c1841x58a8e78973be76ef@mail.gmail.com> If I every buy a mobile home, I'm buying it from this guy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-RLqLx1iYI&feature=player_embedded From sanderico1 at gmail.com Thu Oct 29 02:06:39 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:06:39 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Joe Wilson Was Right In-Reply-To: <400985d70910282059r101c90cfwe07587b336c49d29@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910282059r101c90cfwe07587b336c49d29@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910282306k17903168tb7a23703e2fe5290@mail.gmail.com> Brad, This is the most amazing thing about all of this. Not ONE person I have ever talked to about this whole health care thing has been able to tell me what it is going to cost. Oh yeah, they'll say it's some billions of dollars per year or whatever total, but NO ONE can tell me what it is going to cost ME, out of my pocket, every month. Nobody even knows yet if they can fit this deal into their household budget .... yet, they're stuck to it like shit to a blanket. Good grief..... is there anything else that we buy without even considering whether we can even actually afford to pay for it? If they want me to get behind this deal, telling me what it is going to cost me personally is the very first thing they are going to have to do. 'Til then, I ain't interested.... not now, not ever. Rik On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 10:59 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > How we gonna pay for this? > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_mUwzoYcc&feature=player_embedded > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091029/118df695/attachment.html From mweisner at ebsmed.com Thu Oct 29 07:06:07 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:06:07 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Joe Wilson Was Right References: <400985d70910282059r101c90cfwe07587b336c49d29@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910282306k17903168tb7a23703e2fe5290@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: Rik, How profound a question describing nearly all that is wrong with the world! "Good grief..... is there anything else that we buy without even considering whether we can even actually afford to pay for it?" Folks do it all the time, especially once every four years when they are willing to pay anything for a change of leadership as we have witnessed. Pay for it? Who ever considers that detail? Mike From: Rik Sandberg Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:06 AM Brad, This is the most amazing thing about all of this. Not ONE person I have ever talked to about this whole health care thing has been able to tell me what it is going to cost. Oh yeah, they'll say it's some billions of dollars per year or whatever total, but NO ONE can tell me what it is going to cost ME, out of my pocket, every month. Nobody even knows yet if they can fit this deal into their household budget .... yet, they're stuck to it like shit to a blanket. Good grief..... is there anything else that we buy without even considering whether we can even actually afford to pay for it? If they want me to get behind this deal, telling me what it is going to cost me personally is the very first thing they are going to have to do. 'Til then, I ain't interested.... not now, not ever. Rik On Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 10:59 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: How we gonna pay for this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p_mUwzoYcc&feature=player_embedded _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 762 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091029/fb226ad9/attachment.html From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Wed Oct 28 12:22:22 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:22:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fw: Military Humor Message-ID: <608889.93159.qm@web111201.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> I thought you guys would appreciate our boys... elle --- ? ? Military Humor THANK GOD THEY CAN STILL MAINTAIN THEIR SENSE OF HUMOR OVER THERE!!! ? ~~~~~~~~~~ Error! Filename not specified.? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~ ~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ Error! Filename not specified.? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ~~~~~~~~~~ ? ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 37593 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0015.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 20323 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0016.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 33885 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0026.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 19424 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0027.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 74759 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0028.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 29196 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0029.jpe -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 64126 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/3f9b4357/attachment-0001.gif From ragdollelle at yahoo.com Wed Oct 28 18:17:01 2009 From: ragdollelle at yahoo.com (elle) Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:17:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fw: Message-ID: <22759.74276.qm@web111211.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Here's my contribution to the cause: elle -- For all of us?struggling to get into, or stay in,?shape, here's a great exercise video! ? ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/826989aa/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Sweatin'_To_The_Socialists.wmv Type: video/x-ms-wmv Size: 5444449 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091028/826989aa/attachment-0001.bin From flybrad at gmail.com Thu Oct 29 12:23:32 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:23:32 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Ode to Elle Message-ID: <400985d70910290923o5f9a243xf25e21efb94f9832@mail.gmail.com> Two good ones! I love that purse hanging from the engine fire handle! A few weeks ago when I was taking one of my "gateway" checkrides as an f-ee student instead of an f-or instructor - the examiner (a gal I've known for over two decades) said, "Bradley, I love you like a brother but I'll bust your ass in a heartbeat". My F/O asked after she left the room, "what does that mean?" "It means you're likely collateral damage". Where do we find these girls? Brad From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 30 07:20:18 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:20:18 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Obama's plans to win next election Message-ID: <3206FCEB9EF942CBB21A222BF267CD70@YOURB88038198E> In case you forgot, he is how Obama has laid the plans to remind his supporters to vote in the next election: https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/how_to_qlfy.aspx Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/122db682/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 30 11:15:52 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:15:52 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] information about new scam circulating the internet Message-ID: Mike, I checked this out on scopes and it is not there. Is it valid? It happened at Wal-Mart (Supercenter Store #1279, 10411 N Freeway 45, Houston, TX 77037 ) a month ago. I bought a bunch of stuff, over $150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of $40. I told her I didn't request a cash back & to delete it. She said I'd have to take the $40 because she couldn't delete it. I told her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came & said I'd have to take it. I said NO! Taking the $40 would be a cash advance against my Discover & I wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan everything! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed & a cash-back of $20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the electronic pad must be defective. Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she NEVER offered me the $40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money she pocketed? Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford, DE Wal-Mart last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co worker didn't look at her receipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked for $20 cash back. SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK! My co-worker called Wal-Mart who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in line. Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards! This is NOT limited to Wal-Mart, although they are the largest retailer so they have the most incidents. FYI Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/866644cf/attachment.html From mweisner at ebsmed.com Fri Oct 30 11:24:42 2009 From: mweisner at ebsmed.com (Michael D. Weisner) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:24:42 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] information about new scam circulating theinternet References: Message-ID: <0F471C1DD3CD47189E089A0F3CF1DEE4@ebsoffice> Ed, It has been reported on snopes: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/cashback.asp and on Urban Legends: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_walmart_cash_back.htm Beware the cashier! Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Kroposki To: John Tonjes ; Swift Water Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 11:15 AM Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] information about new scam circulating theinternet Mike, I checked this out on scopes and it is not there. Is it valid? It happened at Wal-Mart (Supercenter Store #1279, 10411 N Freeway 45, Houston, TX 77037 ) a month ago. I bought a bunch of stuff, over $150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of $40. I told her I didn't request a cash back & to delete it. She said I'd have to take the $40 because she couldn't delete it. I told her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came & said I'd have to take it. I said NO! Taking the $40 would be a cash advance against my Discover & I wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan everything! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed & a cash-back of $20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the electronic pad must be defective. Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she NEVER offered me the $40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money she pocketed? Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford, DE Wal-Mart last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co worker didn't look at her receipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked for $20 cash back. SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK! My co-worker called Wal-Mart who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in line. Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards! This is NOT limited to Wal-Mart, although they are the largest retailer so they have the most incidents. FYI Ed K ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ SwiftwaterGazette mailing list SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 6 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 7258 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/f97c35ed/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 11:39:23 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:39:23 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] information about new scam circulating the internet In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910300839w6c2ccf25qd6d74d843e14b0c0@mail.gmail.com> Ed, This is not "theory" or urban legend, it happened to me. Ten years ago, my old and tired Mercedes-Benz had vacuum locks, and the right-rear door didn't unless manually manipulated. Three checks were stolen from my car (they didn't have to break-in) and I canceled the checks with the bank (Nashville based). A year later I moved to Memphis and had a check denied from Home Depot. After investigation, I had three outstanding checks from a WalMart in Mississippi (written exactly one year and one day from the theft). The short version of a long story is this; WalMart has the most sophisticated software system for checks in the industry. Conveniently, that system was down for two hours on a Sunday afternoon. When I queried the WalMart auditor about whether this was a coincidence or an "inside job" he immediately responded, "it was an inside job, no doubt". I asked what the chances were of me walking into a Mississippi store, with a Nashville check, using a Memphis ID and bouncing a check and he said "Zero, if the system is working". The crooks are a lot smarter than you think. While the tale you posted may be urban legend, the threats are out there. Trust me. Brad On 10/30/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Mike, I checked this out on scopes and it is not there. Is it valid? > > It happened at Wal-Mart (Supercenter Store #1279, 10411 N Freeway 45, > > Houston, TX 77037 ) a month ago. I bought a bunch of stuff, over $150, & > > I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a > > cash-back of $40. I told her I didn't request a cash back & to delete it. > > She said I'd have to take the $40 because she couldn't delete it. I told > > her to call a supervisor. Supervisor came & said I'd have to take it. I > > said NO! Taking the $40 would be a cash advance against my Discover & I > > wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! > > > > If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. > > So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan > > everything! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed > > & a cash-back of $20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she > > deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the > > electronic pad must be defective. > > > > Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she > > NEVER offered me the $40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people > > went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money she > > pocketed? > > > > Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford, DE Wal-Mart last > > week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her > > along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt > > and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her. My co worker didn't look > > at her receipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked > > for $20 cash back. SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK! My co-worker called > Wal-Mart who > > investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then > > called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This > > is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash > > back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in line. > > > > Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or > > debit cards! > > > > This is NOT limited to Wal-Mart, although they are the largest retailer so > > they have the most incidents. > > > > > > FYI > > Ed K > From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 30 14:46:11 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:46:11 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] The scam revisited and a reply from sender Message-ID: <0A06B3ECAA5A425AA669A734146AC245@YOURB88038198E> Well, if forwarded Mike's scope and urban legends comment back to sender. I would point out that the sender is retired. Retired from being President of major international chemical company. Here is his reply, "Ed, this happened to the wife of one of the guys I worked with. Bill" What did Paul Harvey used to say, "The rest of the story." So while it is noted as internet falsehood, it can also be true. Maybe it is the same guys dismissing it who said Obama was not a Marxist, just a progressive? Humm? Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/2d3c855c/attachment.html From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 30 15:23:06 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:23:06 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Poll on NPR Message-ID: Here is a poll on NPR that you can vote in: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/in_white_house_vs_fox_news_war.html To bad it doesn't also ask if we believe NPR news reporting. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/0448b5ad/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 15:48:36 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:48:36 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy Message-ID: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. Brad --------------- * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET We're Governed by Callous Children Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even notice. * By PEGGY NOONAN The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who are not in Washington, most especially those in business. It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can make it better." I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit double digits. America was in what might be called a functional depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans again." Everyone had a path through. Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in 2006 alone more than $4 billion. You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for the lost money. They'll raise taxes. I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are trying on every front to increase the role of government in the regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, Chamber of Commerce.) *** And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a sense of its limits. More Peggy Noonan Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong it can take endless abuse? I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. She laid it in grandpa's lap. They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They don't even notice. From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 16:11:03 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:11:03 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Poll on NPR In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301311j1ba48f9fye97a5253534c0e9b@mail.gmail.com> Don't suppose I have to tell you which way I voted, eh. Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:23 PM, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Here is a poll on NPR that you can vote in: > > > http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/10/in_white_house_vs_fox_news_war.html > > To bad it doesn't also ask if we believe NPR news reporting. > > Ed K > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/2d577080/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 16:27:33 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:27:33 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the > "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. > > Brad > > --------------- > > * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET > > We're Governed by Callous Children > Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even > notice. > > * > By PEGGY NOONAN > > > > The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third > quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no > one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing > through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats > for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're > bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one > thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will > ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, > forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new > numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept > away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed > the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. > > The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, > huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two > wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term > threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that > this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most > broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who > are not in Washington, most especially those in business. > > It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can > make it better." > > I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call > "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing > enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our > conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to > late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, > that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing > now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit > double digits. America was in what might be called a functional > depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's > why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we > could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, > "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others > said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower > taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans > again." Everyone had a path through. > > Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how > the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you > heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get > better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all > work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. > > This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, > and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to > think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. > > Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too > big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White > House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems > to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. > They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old > paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us > more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term > everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems > to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. > > And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in > business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post > carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York > state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even > higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in > 2006 alone more than $4 billion. > > You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for > the lost money. They'll raise taxes. > > I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the > insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. > (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, > reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed > regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some > cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are > trying on every front to increase the role of government in the > regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't > understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and > colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own > increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they > start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." > > He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run > by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is > populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he > and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can > become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used > to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since > the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, > Chamber of Commerce.) > *** > > And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel > increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one > almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. > > It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate > toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of > its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't > see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a > sense of its limits. > More Peggy Noonan > > Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns > > click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace > > When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend > and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health > care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the > impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong > it can take endless abuse? > > I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen > things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa > 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the > habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that > word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the > goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. > She laid it in grandpa's lap. > > They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious > about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest > nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," > "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious > enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. > > We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and > daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but > they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, > they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are > callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They > don't even notice. > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/bd8c9c9c/attachment-0001.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 16:42:02 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:42:02 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience first! Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Hope the BOss reads Noonan. > > Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? > > Rik > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the >> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >> >> Brad >> >> --------------- >> >> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >> >> We're Governed by Callous Children >> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even >> notice. >> >> * >> By PEGGY NOONAN >> >> >> >> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third >> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no >> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats >> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're >> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one >> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will >> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept >> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed >> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >> >> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, >> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term >> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that >> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most >> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who >> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >> >> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >> make it better." >> >> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call >> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our >> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to >> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, >> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing >> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit >> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's >> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, >> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others >> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >> again." Everyone had a path through. >> >> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how >> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all >> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >> >> This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, >> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to >> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >> >> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too >> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White >> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems >> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems >> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. >> >> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York >> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >> >> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for >> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >> >> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed >> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some >> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they >> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >> >> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run >> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he >> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used >> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since >> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, >> Chamber of Commerce.) >> *** >> >> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one >> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >> >> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate >> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of >> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't >> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >> sense of its limits. >> More Peggy Noonan >> >> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >> >> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >> >> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend >> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the >> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong >> it can take endless abuse? >> >> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that >> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. >> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >> >> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious >> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. >> >> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and >> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, >> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are >> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They >> don't even notice. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/c36b0e5b/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 17:33:42 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:33:42 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> Rik, Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience first! > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? >> >> Rik >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >>> >>> Brad >>> >>> --------------- >>> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >>> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even >>> notice. >>> >>> * >>> By PEGGY NOONAN >>> >>> >>> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >>> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >>> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >>> make it better." >>> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >>> again." Everyone had a path through. >>> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >>> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >>> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. >>> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >>> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >>> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >>> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, >>> Chamber of Commerce.) >>> *** >>> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >>> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >>> sense of its limits. >>> More Peggy Noonan >>> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >>> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >>> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong >>> it can take endless abuse? >>> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >>> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. >>> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They >>> don't even notice. >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat >> you with experience. >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:07:26 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:07:26 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> Brad, What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% income earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the democrats are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the future. Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Rik, > > Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for > the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing > 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for > months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of > the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other > half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using > history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. > > Brad > > > On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience > first! > > > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg > wrote: > > > >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. > >> > >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? > >> > >> Rik > >> > >> > >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett > wrote: > >> > >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the > >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. > >>> > >>> Brad > >>> > >>> --------------- > >>> > >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET > >>> > >>> We're Governed by Callous Children > >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even > >>> notice. > >>> > >>> * > >>> By PEGGY NOONAN > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third > >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no > >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing > >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats > >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're > >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one > >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will > >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, > >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new > >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept > >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed > >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. > >>> > >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, > >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two > >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term > >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that > >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most > >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who > >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. > >>> > >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can > >>> make it better." > >>> > >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call > >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing > >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our > >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to > >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, > >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing > >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit > >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional > >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's > >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we > >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, > >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others > >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower > >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans > >>> again." Everyone had a path through. > >>> > >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how > >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you > >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get > >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all > >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. > >>> > >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, > >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to > >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. > >>> > >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too > >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White > >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems > >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. > >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old > >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us > >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term > >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems > >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. > >>> > >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in > >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post > >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York > >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even > >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in > >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. > >>> > >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for > >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. > >>> > >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the > >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. > >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, > >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed > >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some > >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are > >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the > >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't > >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and > >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own > >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they > >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." > >>> > >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run > >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is > >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he > >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can > >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used > >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since > >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, > >>> Chamber of Commerce.) > >>> *** > >>> > >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel > >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one > >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. > >>> > >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate > >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of > >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't > >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a > >>> sense of its limits. > >>> More Peggy Noonan > >>> > >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns > >>> > >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace > >>> > >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend > >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health > >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the > >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong > >>> it can take endless abuse? > >>> > >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen > >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa > >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the > >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that > >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the > >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. > >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. > >>> > >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious > >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest > >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," > >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious > >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. > >>> > >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and > >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but > >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, > >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are > >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They > >>> don't even notice. > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >>> > >>> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then > beat > >> you with experience. > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > > you with experience. > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/40eb7a31/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:10:59 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:59 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Does This Surprise You? Message-ID: <400985d70910301510t58ec9d16h2c96db7f6dedf3f7@mail.gmail.com> This is but one paragraph on one page of 1900+ http://tinyurl.com/y98yb7v Gee, what other jewels are waiting for us? Brad From ekroposki at charter.net Fri Oct 30 18:11:23 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:11:23 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] NPR Poll Message-ID: Rik said, "Don't suppose I have to tell you which way I voted, eh." But don't you support Stan's man? In case you did not notice, you can vote as much as you want. It provides a go back key. They apparently posted that on some insider blog. Periodically the machine suspends operations due to volume. Probably more votes than listeners to NPR. Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/18f8881f/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:12:08 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:12:08 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> Rik, I don't think we have until 2010. Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% income > earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the democrats > are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. > > We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the future. > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Rik, >> >> Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for >> the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing >> 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for >> months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of >> the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other >> half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using >> history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience >> first! >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg >> wrote: >> > >> >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. >> >> >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? >> >> >> >> Rik >> >> >> >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett >> wrote: >> >> >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the >> >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >> >>> >> >>> Brad >> >>> >> >>> --------------- >> >>> >> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >> >>> >> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children >> >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even >> >>> notice. >> >>> >> >>> * >> >>> By PEGGY NOONAN >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the third >> >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no >> >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >> >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all boats >> >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, they're >> >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No one >> >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will >> >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >> >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >> >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things swept >> >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts missed >> >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >> >>> >> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, >> >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >> >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term >> >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, that >> >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most >> >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class who >> >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >> >>> >> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >> >>> make it better." >> >>> >> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call >> >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >> >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our >> >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to >> >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, >> >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're experiencing >> >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment hit >> >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >> >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's >> >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >> >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people saying, >> >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" Others >> >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >> >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >> >>> again." Everyone had a path through. >> >>> >> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how >> >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >> >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >> >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all >> >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >> >>> >> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, >> >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to >> >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >> >>> >> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too >> >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the White >> >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, seems >> >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >> >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >> >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >> >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >> >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems >> >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path through. >> >>> >> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >> >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >> >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York >> >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >> >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >> >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >> >>> >> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for >> >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >> >>> >> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >> >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >> >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >> >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new proposed >> >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some >> >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >> >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >> >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >> >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >> >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >> >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they >> >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >> >>> >> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is run >> >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >> >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he >> >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >> >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what used >> >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again since >> >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, >> >>> Chamber of Commerce.) >> >>> *** >> >>> >> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >> >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one >> >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >> >>> >> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate >> >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of >> >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They don't >> >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >> >>> sense of its limits. >> >>> More Peggy Noonan >> >>> >> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >> >>> >> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >> >>> >> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, spend >> >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >> >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the >> >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong >> >>> it can take endless abuse? >> >>> >> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >> >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >> >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >> >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that >> >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >> >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. >> >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >> >>> >> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be anxious >> >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >> >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >> >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >> >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. >> >>> >> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons and >> >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >> >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, >> >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are >> >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. They >> >>> don't even notice. >> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >>> >> >>> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> beat >> >> you with experience. >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:27:09 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:27:09 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Well, truth be told, I don't either. Short of impeachment I'm not sure what we CAN do before then. Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:12 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Rik, > > I don't think we have until 2010. > > Brad > > > On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > Brad, > > > > What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% > income > > earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the democrats > > are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. > > > > We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the future. > > > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > >> Rik, > >> > >> Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for > >> the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing > >> 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for > >> months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of > >> the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other > >> half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using > >> history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. > >> > >> Brad > >> > >> > >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience > >> first! > >> > > >> > Rik > >> > > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg > >> wrote: > >> > > >> >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. > >> >> > >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? > >> >> > >> >> Rik > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett > >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about the > >> >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. > >> >>> > >> >>> Brad > >> >>> > >> >>> --------------- > >> >>> > >> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET > >> >>> > >> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children > >> >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't even > >> >>> notice. > >> >>> > >> >>> * > >> >>> By PEGGY NOONAN > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the > third > >> >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no > >> >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing > >> >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all > boats > >> >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, > they're > >> >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No > one > >> >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will > >> >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, > >> >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new > >> >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things > swept > >> >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts > missed > >> >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. > >> >>> > >> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, > >> >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two > >> >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term > >> >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, > that > >> >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most > >> >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class > who > >> >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. > >> >>> > >> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can > >> >>> make it better." > >> >>> > >> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to call > >> >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing > >> >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our > >> >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- to > >> >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of numbers, > >> >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're > experiencing > >> >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment > hit > >> >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional > >> >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's > >> >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we > >> >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people > saying, > >> >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" > Others > >> >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower > >> >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans > >> >>> again." Everyone had a path through. > >> >>> > >> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in how > >> >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you > >> >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get > >> >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it all > >> >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. > >> >>> > >> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political history, > >> >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to > >> >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. > >> >>> > >> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem too > >> >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the > White > >> >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, > seems > >> >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. > >> >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old > >> >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us > >> >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term > >> >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone else?seems > >> >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path > through. > >> >>> > >> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in > >> >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post > >> >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York > >> >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even > >> >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in > >> >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. > >> >>> > >> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for > >> >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. > >> >>> > >> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the > >> >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. > >> >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, > >> >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new > proposed > >> >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on some > >> >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are > >> >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the > >> >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't > >> >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and > >> >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own > >> >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they > >> >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." > >> >>> > >> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is > run > >> >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is > >> >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command he > >> >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can > >> >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what > used > >> >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again > since > >> >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, > >> >>> Chamber of Commerce.) > >> >>> *** > >> >>> > >> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel > >> >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . one > >> >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. > >> >>> > >> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate > >> >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware of > >> >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They > don't > >> >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a > >> >>> sense of its limits. > >> >>> More Peggy Noonan > >> >>> > >> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns > >> >>> > >> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace > >> >>> > >> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, > spend > >> >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health > >> >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about the > >> >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so strong > >> >>> it can take endless abuse? > >> >>> > >> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen > >> >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa > >> >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the > >> >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on that > >> >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the > >> >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. > >> >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. > >> >>> > >> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be > anxious > >> >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest > >> >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," > >> >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious > >> >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even fatally. > >> >>> > >> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons > and > >> >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but > >> >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, > >> >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are > >> >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. > They > >> >>> don't even notice. > >> >>> > >> >>> _______________________________________________ > >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> >>> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> -- > >> >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then > >> beat > >> >> you with experience. > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then > >> > beat > >> > you with experience. > >> > > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > > you with experience. > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/bd6ed3ca/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:27:54 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:27:54 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Fat Tuesday Message-ID: <400985d70910301527l25b9bed1q9021d84be9afa7dd@mail.gmail.com> Don't know much about the NJ Guv race, but this was an interesting exchange - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5yJgqGz6nA&feature=player_embedded From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:28:17 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:28:17 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301528v459e33a6gf7e6c6aee23c656e@mail.gmail.com> Want to go to DC?? Maybe we could convince a couple million of our friends to come with. On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Well, truth be told, I don't either. Short of impeachment I'm not sure what > we CAN do before then. > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:12 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Rik, >> >> I don't think we have until 2010. >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% >> income >> > earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the >> democrats >> > are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. >> > >> > We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the future. >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett >> wrote: >> > >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for >> >> the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing >> >> 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for >> >> months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of >> >> the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other >> >> half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using >> >> history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience >> >> first! >> >> > >> >> > Rik >> >> > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg >> >> wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. >> >> >> >> >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? >> >> >> >> >> >> Rik >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about >> the >> >> >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Brad >> >> >>> >> >> >>> --------------- >> >> >>> >> >> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >> >> >>> >> >> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children >> >> >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't >> even >> >> >>> notice. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> * >> >> >>> By PEGGY NOONAN >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the >> third >> >> >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no >> >> >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >> >> >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all >> boats >> >> >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, >> they're >> >> >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No >> one >> >> >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will >> >> >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >> >> >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >> >> >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things >> swept >> >> >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts >> missed >> >> >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, >> >> >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >> >> >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term >> >> >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, >> that >> >> >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most >> >> >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class >> who >> >> >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >> >> >>> make it better." >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to >> call >> >> >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >> >> >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our >> >> >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- >> to >> >> >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of >> numbers, >> >> >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're >> experiencing >> >> >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment >> hit >> >> >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >> >> >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's >> >> >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >> >> >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people >> saying, >> >> >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" >> Others >> >> >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >> >> >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >> >> >>> again." Everyone had a path through. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in >> how >> >> >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >> >> >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >> >> >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it >> all >> >> >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political >> history, >> >> >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to >> >> >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem >> too >> >> >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the >> White >> >> >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, >> seems >> >> >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >> >> >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >> >> >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >> >> >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >> >> >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone >> else?seems >> >> >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path >> through. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >> >> >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >> >> >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York >> >> >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >> >> >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >> >> >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for >> >> >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >> >> >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >> >> >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >> >> >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new >> proposed >> >> >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on >> some >> >> >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >> >> >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >> >> >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >> >> >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >> >> >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >> >> >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they >> >> >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >> >> >>> >> >> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is >> run >> >> >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >> >> >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command >> he >> >> >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >> >> >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what >> used >> >> >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again >> since >> >> >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, >> >> >>> Chamber of Commerce.) >> >> >>> *** >> >> >>> >> >> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >> >> >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . >> one >> >> >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate >> >> >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware >> of >> >> >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They >> don't >> >> >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >> >> >>> sense of its limits. >> >> >>> More Peggy Noonan >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >> >> >>> >> >> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >> >> >>> >> >> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, >> spend >> >> >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >> >> >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about >> the >> >> >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so >> strong >> >> >>> it can take endless abuse? >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >> >> >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >> >> >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >> >> >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on >> that >> >> >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >> >> >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. >> >> >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be >> anxious >> >> >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >> >> >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >> >> >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >> >> >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even >> fatally. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons >> and >> >> >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >> >> >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, >> >> >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are >> >> >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. >> They >> >> >>> don't even notice. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> beat >> >> >> you with experience. >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > -- >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> > beat >> >> > you with experience. >> >> > >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/0bdc5ffc/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:37:28 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:37:28 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301537j7c9350b8p192c67c40c3ff2a0@mail.gmail.com> Rik, A clean sweep on Tuesday would help. President IWon already threw the VA Dem candidate under the bus (anyone notice a pattern here?). NJ is close. Hoffman is tied in the NY-23rd which may be the most important race of all because it will send a strong message to the GOP, ie, the Tea Party is not your party and you better take us serious. If this so-called health bill passes we may be toast. Europe has had enough and is turning away from socialism. Even Sweden has had enough! Like my wife says, maybe people need their noses rubbed in it a while to get the message. I hope it doesn't come to that. Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Well, truth be told, I don't either. Short of impeachment I'm not sure what > we CAN do before then. > > Rik > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:12 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Rik, >> >> I don't think we have until 2010. >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% >> income >> > earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the >> > democrats >> > are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. >> > >> > We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the future. >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> > >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for >> >> the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing >> >> 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for >> >> months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of >> >> the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other >> >> half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using >> >> history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a conscience >> >> first! >> >> > >> >> > Rik >> >> > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg >> >> wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. >> >> >> >> >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? >> >> >> >> >> >> Rik >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett >> >> wrote: >> >> >> >> >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about >> >> >>> the >> >> >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Brad >> >> >>> >> >> >>> --------------- >> >> >>> >> >> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >> >> >>> >> >> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children >> >> >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't >> >> >>> even >> >> >>> notice. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> * >> >> >>> By PEGGY NOONAN >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the >> third >> >> >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because no >> >> >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >> >> >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all >> boats >> >> >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, >> they're >> >> >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No >> one >> >> >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it will >> >> >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >> >> >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >> >> >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things >> swept >> >> >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts >> missed >> >> >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government spending, >> >> >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >> >> >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest long-term >> >> >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, >> that >> >> >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts most >> >> >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class >> who >> >> >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >> >> >>> make it better." >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to >> >> >>> call >> >> >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >> >> >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and our >> >> >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- >> >> >>> to >> >> >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of >> >> >>> numbers, >> >> >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're >> experiencing >> >> >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment >> hit >> >> >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >> >> >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. Here's >> >> >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >> >> >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people >> saying, >> >> >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" >> Others >> >> >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >> >> >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >> >> >>> again." Everyone had a path through. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in >> >> >>> how >> >> >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >> >> >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >> >> >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it >> >> >>> all >> >> >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political >> >> >>> history, >> >> >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting to >> >> >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem >> >> >>> too >> >> >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the >> White >> >> >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, >> seems >> >> >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >> >> >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >> >> >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >> >> >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >> >> >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone >> >> >>> else?seems >> >> >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path >> through. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >> >> >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >> >> >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New York >> >> >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >> >> >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >> >> >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up for >> >> >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >> >> >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >> >> >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >> >> >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new >> proposed >> >> >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on >> >> >>> some >> >> >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >> >> >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >> >> >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >> >> >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >> >> >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >> >> >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if they >> >> >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >> >> >>> >> >> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is >> run >> >> >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >> >> >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command >> >> >>> he >> >> >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >> >> >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what >> used >> >> >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again >> since >> >> >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be you, >> >> >>> Chamber of Commerce.) >> >> >>> *** >> >> >>> >> >> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >> >> >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . >> >> >>> one >> >> >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily affectionate >> >> >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware >> >> >>> of >> >> >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They >> don't >> >> >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >> >> >>> sense of its limits. >> >> >>> More Peggy Noonan >> >> >>> >> >> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >> >> >>> >> >> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >> >> >>> >> >> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, >> spend >> >> >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >> >> >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about >> >> >>> the >> >> >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so >> >> >>> strong >> >> >>> it can take endless abuse? >> >> >>> >> >> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >> >> >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >> >> >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >> >> >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on >> >> >>> that >> >> >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >> >> >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their laps. >> >> >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be >> anxious >> >> >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >> >> >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >> >> >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >> >> >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even >> >> >>> fatally. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons >> and >> >> >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >> >> >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have faith, >> >> >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they are >> >> >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. >> They >> >> >>> don't even notice. >> >> >>> >> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> beat >> >> >> you with experience. >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > -- >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> > beat >> >> > you with experience. >> >> > >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 18:38:20 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:38:20 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Dear Peggy In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301528v459e33a6gf7e6c6aee23c656e@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301248m77836db7mb27a7e7319ffbe9c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301327w78a84062p65a2e4809c9cd5c2@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301342o4659fba8x6d691ee0498d7e9e@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301433l517c8fdbpd40c571877d6c10a@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301507v4591ee89ld1968af7cece9d4b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301512l43d1e2f1o4dbc5f4234b5328c@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301527m2044a846ib1ecb454319c985d@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301528v459e33a6gf7e6c6aee23c656e@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301538w150cef49t6c167d153f152efc@mail.gmail.com> What time is departure? I'm packed! On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Want to go to DC?? Maybe we could convince a couple million of our friends > to come with. > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:27 PM, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> Brad, >> >> Well, truth be told, I don't either. Short of impeachment I'm not sure >> what >> we CAN do before then. >> >> Rik >> >> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:12 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> >>> Rik, >>> >>> I don't think we have until 2010. >>> >>> Brad >>> >>> >>> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >>> > Brad, >>> > >>> > What I don't like to thnk it's REALLY about is getting the bottom 50% >>> income >>> > earners of the voting public so dependent on the gov't that the >>> democrats >>> > are virtually guaranteed re-election for a good long time. >>> > >>> > We BETTER get this turned around in 2010 or we're lookin' at the >>> > future. >>> > >>> > Rik >>> > >>> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 4:33 PM, Brad Haslett >>> wrote: >>> > >>> >> Rik, >>> >> >>> >> Well, it's here, the almost 2000 pages of socialism is available for >>> >> the reading. This isn't about health care, it is about nationalizing >>> >> 1/5 of the economy in addition to autos and banking. I've said for >>> >> months (if not years) that we're at a tipping point where one half of >>> >> the electorate thinks they can vote themselves a raise from the other >>> >> half (more like top 10%). We'll see how well that works. Using >>> >> history as a guide, it hasn't worked anywhere else. >>> >> >>> >> Brad >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >>> >> > PS: I doubt he'll start to get it .... he'd have to grow a >>> >> > conscience >>> >> first! >>> >> > >>> >> > Rik >>> >> > >>> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 3:27 PM, Rik Sandberg >>> >> wrote: >>> >> > >>> >> >> Hope the BOss reads Noonan. >>> >> >> >>> >> >> Too much to hope he'd actually start to get it?? >>> >> >> >>> >> >> Rik >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 2:48 PM, Brad Haslett >>> >> wrote: >>> >> >> >>> >> >>> Ms. Noonan sees the light. I was going to write something about >>> the >>> >> >>> "good" economic news published yesterday, Peggy beat me. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> Brad >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> --------------- >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> * OCTOBER 29, 2009, 7:20 P.M. ET >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> We're Governed by Callous Children >>> >> >>> Americans feel increasingly disheartened, and our leaders don't >>> even >>> >> >>> notice. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> * >>> >> >>> By PEGGY NOONAN >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> The new economic statistics put growth at a healthy 3.5% for the >>> third >>> >> >>> quarter. We should be dancing in the streets. No one is, because >>> >> >>> no >>> >> >>> one has any faith in these numbers. Waves of money are sloshing >>> >> >>> through the system, creating a false rising tide that lifts all >>> boats >>> >> >>> for the moment. The tide will recede. The boats aren't rising, >>> they're >>> >> >>> bobbing, and will settle. No one believes the bad time is over. No >>> one >>> >> >>> thinks we're entering a new age of abundance. No one thinks it >>> >> >>> will >>> >> >>> ever be the same as before 2008. Economists, statisticians, >>> >> >>> forecasters and market specialists will argue about what the new >>> >> >>> numbers mean, but no one believes them, either. Among the things >>> swept >>> >> >>> away in 2008 was public confidence in the experts. The experts >>> missed >>> >> >>> the crash. They'll miss the meaning of this moment, too. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> The biggest threat to America right now is not government >>> >> >>> spending, >>> >> >>> huge deficits, foreign ownership of our debt, world terrorism, two >>> >> >>> wars, potential epidemics or nuts with nukes. The biggest >>> >> >>> long-term >>> >> >>> threat is that people are becoming and have become disheartened, >>> that >>> >> >>> this condition is reaching critical mass, and that it afflicts >>> >> >>> most >>> >> >>> broadly and deeply those members of the American leadership class >>> who >>> >> >>> are not in Washington, most especially those in business. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> It is a story in two parts. The first: "They do not think they can >>> >> >>> make it better." >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> I talked this week with a guy from Big Pharma, which we used to >>> call >>> >> >>> "the drug companies" until we decided that didn't sound menacing >>> >> >>> enough. He is middle-aged, works in a significant position, and >>> >> >>> our >>> >> >>> conversation turned to the last great recession, in the late mid- >>> to >>> >> >>> late 1970s and early '80s. We talked about how, in terms of >>> numbers, >>> >> >>> that recession was in some ways worse than the one we're >>> experiencing >>> >> >>> now. Interest rates were over 20%, and inflation and unemployment >>> hit >>> >> >>> double digits. America was in what might be called a functional >>> >> >>> depression, yet there was still a prevalent feeling of hope. >>> >> >>> Here's >>> >> >>> why. Everyone thought they could figure a way through. We knew we >>> >> >>> could find a path through the mess. In 1982 there were people >>> saying, >>> >> >>> "If only we get rid of this guy Reagan, we can make it better!" >>> Others >>> >> >>> said, "If we follow Reagan, he'll squeeze out inflation and lower >>> >> >>> taxes and we'll be America again, we'll be acting like Americans >>> >> >>> again." Everyone had a path through. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> Now they don't. The most sophisticated Americans, experienced in >>> how >>> >> >>> the country works on the ground, can't figure a way out. Have you >>> >> >>> heard, "If only we follow Obama and the Democrats, it will all get >>> >> >>> better"? Or, "If only we follow the Republicans, they'll make it >>> all >>> >> >>> work again"? I bet you haven't, or not much. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> This is historic. This is something new in modern political >>> history, >>> >> >>> and I'm not sure we're fully noticing it. Americans are starting >>> >> >>> to >>> >> >>> think the problems we are facing cannot be solved. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> Part of the reason is that the problems?debt, spending, war?seem >>> too >>> >> >>> big. But a larger part is that our federal government, from the >>> White >>> >> >>> House through Congress, and so many state and local governments, >>> seems >>> >> >>> to be demonstrating every day that they cannot make things better. >>> >> >>> They are not offering a new path, they are only offering old >>> >> >>> paths?spend more, regulate more, tax more in an attempt to make us >>> >> >>> more healthy locally and nationally. And in the long term >>> >> >>> everyone?well, not those in government, but most everyone >>> else?seems >>> >> >>> to know that won't work. It's not a way out. It's not a path >>> through. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> And so the disheartenedness of the leadership class, of those in >>> >> >>> business, of those who have something. This week the New York Post >>> >> >>> carried a report that 1.5 million people had left high-tax New >>> >> >>> York >>> >> >>> state between 2000 and 2008, more than a million of them from even >>> >> >>> higher-tax New York City. They took their tax dollars with them?in >>> >> >>> 2006 alone more than $4 billion. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> You know what New York, both state and city, will do to make up >>> >> >>> for >>> >> >>> the lost money. They'll raise taxes. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> I talked with an executive this week with what we still call "the >>> >> >>> insurance companies" and will no doubt soon be calling Big Insura. >>> >> >>> (Take it away, Democratic National Committee.) He was thoughtful, >>> >> >>> reflective about the big picture. He talked about all the new >>> proposed >>> >> >>> regulations on the industry. Rep. Barney Frank had just said on >>> some >>> >> >>> cable show that the Democrats of the White House and Congress "are >>> >> >>> trying on every front to increase the role of government in the >>> >> >>> regulatory area." The executive said of Washington: "They don't >>> >> >>> understand that people can just stop, get out. I have friends and >>> >> >>> colleagues who've said to me 'I'm done.' " He spoke of his own >>> >> >>> increasing tax burden and said, "They don't understand that if >>> >> >>> they >>> >> >>> start to tax me so that I'm paying 60%, 55%, I'll stop." >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> He felt government doesn't understand that business in America is >>> run >>> >> >>> by people, by human beings. Mr. Frank must believe America is >>> >> >>> populated by high-achieving robots who will obey whatever command >>> he >>> >> >>> and his friends issue. But of course they're human, and they can >>> >> >>> become disheartened. They can pack it in, go elsewhere, quit what >>> used >>> >> >>> to be called the rat race and might as well be called that again >>> since >>> >> >>> the government seems to think they're all rats. (That would be >>> >> >>> you, >>> >> >>> Chamber of Commerce.) >>> >> >>> *** >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> And here is the second part of the story. While Americans feel >>> >> >>> increasingly disheartened, their leaders evince a mindless . . . >>> one >>> >> >>> almost calls it optimism, but it is not that. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> It is a curious thing that those who feel most mistily >>> >> >>> affectionate >>> >> >>> toward America, and most protective toward it, are the most aware >>> of >>> >> >>> its vulnerabilities, the most aware that it can be harmed. They >>> don't >>> >> >>> see it as all-powerful, impregnable, unharmable. The loving have a >>> >> >>> sense of its limits. >>> >> >>> More Peggy Noonan >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> Read Peggy Noonan's previous columns >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> click here to order her new book, Patriotic Grace >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> When I see those in government, both locally and in Washington, >>> spend >>> >> >>> and tax and come up each day with new ways to spend and tax?health >>> >> >>> care, cap and trade, etc.?I think: Why aren't they worried about >>> the >>> >> >>> impact of what they're doing? Why do they think America is so >>> strong >>> >> >>> it can take endless abuse? >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> I think I know part of the answer. It is that they've never seen >>> >> >>> things go dark. They came of age during the great abundance, circa >>> >> >>> 1980-2008 (or 1950-2008, take your pick), and they don't have the >>> >> >>> habit of worry. They talk about their "concerns"?they're big on >>> that >>> >> >>> word. But they're not really concerned. They think America is the >>> >> >>> goose that lays the golden egg. Why not? She laid it in their >>> >> >>> laps. >>> >> >>> She laid it in grandpa's lap. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> They don't feel anxious, because they never had anything to be >>> anxious >>> >> >>> about. They grew up in an America surrounded by phrases?"strongest >>> >> >>> nation in the world," "indispensable nation," "unipolar power," >>> >> >>> "highest standard of living"?and are not bright enough, or serious >>> >> >>> enough, to imagine that they can damage that, hurt it, even >>> fatally. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> We are governed at all levels by America's luckiest children, sons >>> and >>> >> >>> daughters of the abundance, and they call themselves optimists but >>> >> >>> they're not optimists?they're unimaginative. They don't have >>> >> >>> faith, >>> >> >>> they've just never been foreclosed on. They are stupid and they >>> >> >>> are >>> >> >>> callous, and they don't mind it when people become disheartened. >>> They >>> >> >>> don't even notice. >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> >> >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> >>> >> >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >> >>> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> >>> >> >> -- >>> >> >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level >>> >> >> then >>> >> beat >>> >> >> you with experience. >>> >> >> >>> >> > >>> >> > >>> >> > >>> >> > -- >>> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >>> >> > beat >>> >> > you with experience. >>> >> > >>> >> >>> >> _______________________________________________ >>> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> >> >>> >> >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >> >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > -- >>> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >>> beat >>> > you with experience. >>> > >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >>> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >>> >>> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat >> you with experience. >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 19:17:43 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:17:43 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Does This Surprise You? In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301510t58ec9d16h2c96db7f6dedf3f7@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301510t58ec9d16h2c96db7f6dedf3f7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301617w589d7b44yfd29b3be3339cea@mail.gmail.com> S'pose the lawyers will send flower and chocolate?? Seems like the least they could do. Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:10 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > This is but one paragraph on one page of 1900+ > > http://tinyurl.com/y98yb7v > > Gee, what other jewels are waiting for us? > > Brad > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/9f47db47/attachment.html From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 19:19:07 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:19:07 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] NPR Poll In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301619r7400fc90o913316884f9b6614@mail.gmail.com> I'm a true patriot .... I only voted once! Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 5:11 PM, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Rik said, "Don't suppose I have to tell you which way I voted, eh." > > But don't you support Stan's man? > > In case you did not notice, you can vote as much as you want. It provides > a go back key. They apparently posted that on some insider blog. > Periodically the machine suspends operations due to volume. Probably more > votes than listeners to NPR. > > Ed K > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/0a01e175/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 21:19:59 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:19:59 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! Message-ID: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in Washington DC? Brad From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 21:42:04 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:42:04 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> Brad, What airport in DC Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her > press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that > show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with > a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in > Washington DC? > > Brad > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/d68cc896/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 21:54:11 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:54:11 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> Rik, I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the night before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > What airport in DC > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> Washington DC? >> >> Brad >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 22:17:26 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:17:26 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301917l659798bemba3b0ecb85c31eec@mail.gmail.com> Rik, Here's the clip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded Listen to her numbers near the end - 48% of the US economy will be controlled by the government if this passes. That's it, game over! The O-P-R trilogy have chosen to go for broke. This bill was written in secret and they plan to sneak it through with every socialist wish list intact. The fact that there's no way in hell we can pay for it is immaterial. Bachmann says it is 11:59. She's not exaggerating. Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > What airport in DC > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> Washington DC? >> >> Brad >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 22:32:31 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:32:31 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or take. Damned expensive lunch. Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find someplace for my wife to stay for that long. Don't think this is gonna work. Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Rik, > > I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons > Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I > can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. > Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the night > before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. > > Brad > > On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > Brad, > > > > What airport in DC > > > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her > >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that > >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with > >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in > >> Washington DC? > >> > >> Brad > >> _______________________________________________ > >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > > you with experience. > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/8df71eb0/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 22:42:59 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:42:59 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> Rik, Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. Time for another miracle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or take. > > Damned expensive lunch. > > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find someplace for > my wife to stay for that long. > > Don't think this is gonna work. > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Rik, >> >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the night >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. >> >> Brad >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > What airport in DC >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> > >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> >> Washington DC? >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 23:04:45 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:04:45 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> Brad, If you get a chance to get anywhere near Congressman Collin Peterson from MN, 7th district, would you tell him that Eric Sandberg from Long Prairie tried to come and couldn't make it but says hello and really expects a no vote from him on this. Christ, I can't believe this is even happening ..... Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:42 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Rik, > > Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and > can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel > from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies > for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. > > Time for another miracle - > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded > > Brad > > > On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > Brad, > > > > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or > take. > > > > Damned expensive lunch. > > > > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find someplace > for > > my wife to stay for that long. > > > > Don't think this is gonna work. > > > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > >> Rik, > >> > >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons > >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I > >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. > >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the night > >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. > >> > >> Brad > >> > >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> > Brad, > >> > > >> > What airport in DC > >> > > >> > Rik > >> > > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett > wrote: > >> > > >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her > >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that > >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am with > >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in > >> >> Washington DC? > >> >> > >> >> Brad > >> >> _______________________________________________ > >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then > >> > beat > >> > you with experience. > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > > you with experience. > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/1895d766/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 23:22:05 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:22:05 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910302022h4c9155e6lbd55640efc044bb7@mail.gmail.com> Whoops, wrong tape - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk&feature=related On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > If you get a chance to get anywhere near Congressman Collin Peterson from > MN, 7th district, would you tell him that Eric Sandberg from Long Prairie > tried to come and couldn't make it but says hello and really expects a no > vote from him on this. > > Christ, I can't believe this is even happening ..... > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:42 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Rik, >> >> Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and >> can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel >> from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies >> for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. >> >> Time for another miracle - >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded >> >> Brad >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or >> take. >> > >> > Damned expensive lunch. >> > >> > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find someplace >> for >> > my wife to stay for that long. >> > >> > Don't think this is gonna work. >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> > >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons >> >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I >> >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. >> >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the night >> >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> > Brad, >> >> > >> >> > What airport in DC >> >> > >> >> > Rik >> >> > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett >> wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her >> >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that >> >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am >> >> >> with >> >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> >> >> Washington DC? >> >> >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > -- >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> > beat >> >> > you with experience. >> >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 23:40:59 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:40:59 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <400985d70910302022h4c9155e6lbd55640efc044bb7@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910302022h4c9155e6lbd55640efc044bb7@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910302040kc96091an7549b3119242cdce@mail.gmail.com> Brad, Do we know we won't be left standing in the street if we were to get there for Ms. Bachmann's press conference. Saw some people turned away from the gate when Pelosi made the announcement that the bill was done and coming to the house. They just turned them away from a public announcement .... shameful My wife thinks we should just jump in the car and drive. Says it'll be an adventure. I tell ya, sometimes she's just tougher than nails. Not sure myself yet ...still thinking Rik On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 10:22 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Whoops, wrong tape - > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk&feature=related > > > > On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > > Brad, > > > > If you get a chance to get anywhere near Congressman Collin Peterson from > > MN, 7th district, would you tell him that Eric Sandberg from Long Prairie > > tried to come and couldn't make it but says hello and really expects a no > > vote from him on this. > > > > Christ, I can't believe this is even happening ..... > > > > Rik > > > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:42 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > > > >> Rik, > >> > >> Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and > >> can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel > >> from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies > >> for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. > >> > >> Time for another miracle - > >> > >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded > >> > >> Brad > >> > >> > >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> > Brad, > >> > > >> > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or > >> take. > >> > > >> > Damned expensive lunch. > >> > > >> > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find > someplace > >> for > >> > my wife to stay for that long. > >> > > >> > Don't think this is gonna work. > >> > > >> > Rik > >> > > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett > wrote: > >> > > >> >> Rik, > >> >> > >> >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons > >> >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. I > >> >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. > >> >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the > night > >> >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a room. > >> >> > >> >> Brad > >> >> > >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > >> >> > Brad, > >> >> > > >> >> > What airport in DC > >> >> > > >> >> > Rik > >> >> > > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett > >> wrote: > >> >> > > >> >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at her > >> >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more that > >> >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am > >> >> >> with > >> >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in > >> >> >> Washington DC? > >> >> >> > >> >> >> Brad > >> >> >> _______________________________________________ > >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> >> >> > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > > >> >> > -- > >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level > then > >> >> > beat > >> >> > you with experience. > >> >> > > >> >> _______________________________________________ > >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> >> > >> >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> >> > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> > -- > >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then > >> > beat > >> > you with experience. > >> > > >> _______________________________________________ > >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > >> > >> > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > >> > > > > > > > > -- > > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > > you with experience. > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091030/4ca80f8c/attachment-0001.html From flybrad at gmail.com Fri Oct 30 23:57:49 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:57:49 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910302040kc96091an7549b3119242cdce@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910302022h4c9155e6lbd55640efc044bb7@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302040kc96091an7549b3119242cdce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910302057t7961e546h14212edaaa38ad2d@mail.gmail.com> Rik, Nancy closed her announcement to the public, just like the bill was written. No guarantees on Bachmann's press conference but it will be on the Capitol steps. It's still a free country, at least for another week or so. I looked it up on Mapquest and it looks like a 20 hour drive for you. Can you do a run to the East Coast for your former company? Brad On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Do we know we won't be left standing in the street if we were to get there > for Ms. Bachmann's press conference. > > Saw some people turned away from the gate when Pelosi made the announcement > that the bill was done and coming to the house. They just turned them away > from a public announcement .... shameful > > My wife thinks we should just jump in the car and drive. Says it'll be an > adventure. I tell ya, sometimes she's just tougher than nails. Not sure > myself yet ...still thinking > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 10:22 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Whoops, wrong tape - >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk&feature=related >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > If you get a chance to get anywhere near Congressman Collin Peterson >> > from >> > MN, 7th district, would you tell him that Eric Sandberg from Long >> > Prairie >> > tried to come and couldn't make it but says hello and really expects a >> > no >> > vote from him on this. >> > >> > Christ, I can't believe this is even happening ..... >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:42 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> > >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and >> >> can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel >> >> from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies >> >> for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. >> >> >> >> Time for another miracle - >> >> >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> > Brad, >> >> > >> >> > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or >> >> take. >> >> > >> >> > Damned expensive lunch. >> >> > >> >> > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find >> someplace >> >> for >> >> > my wife to stay for that long. >> >> > >> >> > Don't think this is gonna work. >> >> > >> >> > Rik >> >> > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett >> wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> >> >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons >> >> >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. >> >> >> I >> >> >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. >> >> >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the >> night >> >> >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a >> >> >> room. >> >> >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> >> > Brad, >> >> >> > >> >> >> > What airport in DC >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Rik >> >> >> > >> >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett >> >> wrote: >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at >> >> >> >> her >> >> >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more >> >> >> >> that >> >> >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am >> >> >> >> with >> >> >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> >> >> >> Washington DC? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > -- >> >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level >> then >> >> >> > beat >> >> >> > you with experience. >> >> >> > >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > -- >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> > beat >> >> > you with experience. >> >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 31 00:24:47 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:24:47 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Headed for DC! In-Reply-To: <6634e19e0910302040kc96091an7549b3119242cdce@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910301819o2976e653vec19c17e6c270f62@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301842s6802c69fhd7c88399668d3081@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301854n57210f71vc10d2d3345a8aa88@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910301932x69cbb775t80adba2109caea1b@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910301942v15fa801ej37003eaf9ebde303@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302004j4512e7d5q8680949fbf16aeae@mail.gmail.com> <400985d70910302022h4c9155e6lbd55640efc044bb7@mail.gmail.com> <6634e19e0910302040kc96091an7549b3119242cdce@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <400985d70910302124l42add51eu4de622c920f099f6@mail.gmail.com> Here's the law - http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment01/21.html On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: > Brad, > > Do we know we won't be left standing in the street if we were to get there > for Ms. Bachmann's press conference. > > Saw some people turned away from the gate when Pelosi made the announcement > that the bill was done and coming to the house. They just turned them away > from a public announcement .... shameful > > My wife thinks we should just jump in the car and drive. Says it'll be an > adventure. I tell ya, sometimes she's just tougher than nails. Not sure > myself yet ...still thinking > > Rik > > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 10:22 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: > >> Whoops, wrong tape - >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk&feature=related >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> > Brad, >> > >> > If you get a chance to get anywhere near Congressman Collin Peterson >> > from >> > MN, 7th district, would you tell him that Eric Sandberg from Long >> > Prairie >> > tried to come and couldn't make it but says hello and really expects a >> > no >> > vote from him on this. >> > >> > Christ, I can't believe this is even happening ..... >> > >> > Rik >> > >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 9:42 PM, Brad Haslett wrote: >> > >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> Yeah, that's a lot of dough. Unless you have access to SouthWest and >> >> can fly into Baltimore, NWA really gouges you on last minute travel >> >> from a hub city (like Memphis). The total cost for me will be cookies >> >> for the front-end crew (old FDX tradition) and bus/subway fare. >> >> >> >> Time for another miracle - >> >> >> >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLDzKfsUzy0&feature=player_embedded >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> > Brad, >> >> > >> >> > Don't think I can make this happen. Looks like it'd cost 1700 give or >> >> take. >> >> > >> >> > Damned expensive lunch. >> >> > >> >> > Hell for that kind of money I'd drive, but I doubt I can find >> someplace >> >> for >> >> > my wife to stay for that long. >> >> > >> >> > Don't think this is gonna work. >> >> > >> >> > Rik >> >> > >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:54 PM, Brad Haslett >> wrote: >> >> > >> >> >> Rik, >> >> >> >> >> >> I'm flying into Dulles. I'll either ride with the crew to Tysons >> >> >> Corner and catch the subway from there or maybe just take the bus. >> >> >> I >> >> >> can meet you near the Capital if you choose to fly into Reagan. >> >> >> Baltimore might be an option as well. If you decide to come the >> night >> >> >> before, I can swap my jumpseat, fly in early and we can split a >> >> >> room. >> >> >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> >> >> On 10/30/09, Rik Sandberg wrote: >> >> >> > Brad, >> >> >> > >> >> >> > What airport in DC >> >> >> > >> >> >> > Rik >> >> >> > >> >> >> > On Fri, Oct 30, 2009 at 8:19 PM, Brad Haslett >> >> wrote: >> >> >> > >> >> >> >> Congressman Michelle Bauchman just put out the call to show at >> >> >> >> her >> >> >> >> press conference at noon on Thursday, November 5th. The more >> >> >> >> that >> >> >> >> show the better. I just booked the jumpseat to DC, arriving 7am >> >> >> >> with >> >> >> >> a return flight leaving 8pm. Who wants to join me for lunch in >> >> >> >> Washington DC? >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Brad >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > >> >> >> > -- >> >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level >> then >> >> >> > beat >> >> >> > you with experience. >> >> >> > >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > -- >> >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> >> > beat >> >> > you with experience. >> >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> >> >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> >> >> > >> > >> > >> > -- >> > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then >> > beat >> > you with experience. >> > >> _______________________________________________ >> SwiftwaterGazette mailing list >> SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com >> >> http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette >> > > > > -- > Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat > you with experience. > From ekroposki at charter.net Sat Oct 31 07:29:59 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:29:59 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Crown Jewel of Socialism Message-ID: Brad, I forwarded your post to several groups who likely might forward it to others. I am at least an 8 hour drive to D.C., when there is no traffic. I several cousins who work in D.C. area, unfortunatley they come from the socialist side of the family, as far as I can tell. At least one is a lawyer working for Federal Agency. Ed K Ed K -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091031/6591c209/attachment.html From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 31 08:27:34 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:27:34 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Thou Shalt Message-ID: <400985d70910310527ud3b8a97k529cdd47e2ce9f4@mail.gmail.com> October 30, 2009 Washington 'Shall' Control Your Healthcare By David Harsanyi The King James version of the Bible runs more than 600 pages and is crammed with celestial regulations. Newton's Principia Mathematica distilled many of the rules of physics in a mere 974 pages. Neither have anything on Nancy Pelosi's new fiendishly entertaining health-care opus, which tops 1,900 pages. Receive news alerts Sign Up David Harsanyi RealClearPolitics Health care So curl up by a fire with a fifth of whiskey and just dive in. But drink quickly. In the new world, your insurance choices will be tethered to decisions made by people with Orwellian titles ("1984" was only 268 pages!) like the "Health Choices Commissioner" or "Inspector General for the Health Choices Administration." You will, of course, need to be plastered to buy Pelosi's fantastical proposition that 450,000 words of new regulations, rules, mandates, penalties, price controls, taxes and bureaucracy will have the transformative power to "provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending . . . ." It's going to take some time to deconstruct this lengthy masterpiece, but as you flip through the pages of the House bill, you will notice the word "regulation" appears 181 times. "Tax" is there 214 times. "Fees," 103 times. As we all know, nothing says "affordability" like higher taxes and fees. The word "shall" - as in "must" or "required to" - appears over 3,000 times. The word, alas, is never preceded by the patriotic phrase "mind our own freaking business." Not once. To vote for the bill, a legislator must believe a $1 trillion price tag is "revenue neutral," or that it alleviates any of the pain higher costs bring to the average American. This would require alcohol. Real competition, as far as anyone can tell, is antithetical to the authors of this bill. Remember, you can purchase oranges from Florida and whiskey from Kentucky, yet you're prohibited from buying health insurance from anywhere outside your state . . . so sayeth Nancy Pelosi. Instead of creating a new market with interstate trade, what we get is the institution of the pleasant-sounding "Health Insurance Exchange," which exists, it seems, only to accommodate a non-competitive, government-run insurance option. Now, finding a name for a state-run program without offending the lingering capitalistic sensibilities of bourgeoisie has been problematic. So Pelosi went with the innocuous "consumer option" - known for a fleeting moment as the "competitive option" and popularly as the "public option." Whatever your preference is, it's the option that leads to a single-payer insurance program. Democrats say we can save billions by funding a plan that uses billions of wasted tax dollars from another public plan that we already supplement with billions. Make sense? In actuality, we pay for all this by "cost sharing," or "sharing the cost" of insuring everyone through higher prices and taxes. But no fear. The legislation taxes "the rich." The bill doesn't index the tax to inflation so more of you will be on the hook as inflation rises due to the tragically irresponsible behavior of Congress and the White House. The rich - many of them small-business owners - are already set to see their rates go up in 2010. Hey, who needs those jerks to create real jobs when we have Washington pretending to do it? All of this, as Madame Speaker says, constitutes a "a historic moment for our nation and families." True. No legislation in modern American history compares when in comes to injecting itself into the everyday decisions of the citizen. And few can compete with its deception. The bill's intentions are cloaked in euphemisms and it is teeming with ulterior motives, all cobbled together in closed-door meetings where industry payoffs are offered using taxpayer dollars to facilitate a power grab of unprecedented cost. All of it, rolled right into a neat 1,900 pages. Reach columnist David Harsanyi at dharsanyi at denverpost.com. From flybrad at gmail.com Sat Oct 31 08:45:50 2009 From: flybrad at gmail.com (Brad Haslett) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:45:50 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Crown Jewel of Socialism In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <400985d70910310545u11a77444x6fbf03443b077518@mail.gmail.com> Ed, Great, the more the merrier! A lot is riding on Tuesday. VA looks OK. NJ is all tied with Corizine spending 20+ million of his own money. The DEMS are spending 1 million over the weekend in the NY-23rd. The GOP has pulled funding in NY-23 which should help Hoffman, but it is very close. A trifecta would send a strong message to those wavering on the health care bill debacle - but it's a long shot. The O-P-R (Obama-Pelosi-Reid, otherwise known as "Other Peoples Resources") are throwing a Hail Mary pass. The only thing that will keep it from being caught is to have enough members in Congress to worry about keeping their job. This bill is no longer a "Trojan Horse" unless you consider horses bristling with guns stealthy. It is nothing short of socialized medicine. The 8% tax on employers will cause massive dumping of private plans. It does nothing about tort reform in medicine (estimated cost savings = 50 Billion per year). No single legislator will have time to read and analyze the bill prior to voting. No single citizen knows all it contains. It was written behind closed doors with "candy" scattered everywhere for special interests. Now is the time for action! Spread the word. Brad On 10/31/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > Brad, > > I forwarded your post to several groups who likely might forward it to > others. > > I am at least an 8 hour drive to D.C., when there is no traffic. > > I several cousins who work in D.C. area, unfortunatley they come from the > socialist side of the family, as far as I can tell. At least one is a > lawyer working for Federal Agency. > > Ed K > > Ed K > > From sanderico1 at gmail.com Sat Oct 31 10:44:30 2009 From: sanderico1 at gmail.com (Rik Sandberg) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:44:30 -0500 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Crown Jewel of Socialism In-Reply-To: <400985d70910310545u11a77444x6fbf03443b077518@mail.gmail.com> References: <400985d70910310545u11a77444x6fbf03443b077518@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <6634e19e0910310744p180bfa2awd131f747eb4bdc3d@mail.gmail.com> I emailed Michele Bachmann last night for advice on how to get to the capitol steps on Thursday for someone with limited physical abilities. Sandy wants to go and says if we can't afford to fly, then by god, we'll drive. Rik On Sat, Oct 31, 2009 at 7:45 AM, Brad Haslett wrote: > Ed, > > Great, the more the merrier! A lot is riding on Tuesday. VA looks > OK. NJ is all tied with Corizine spending 20+ million of his own > money. The DEMS are spending 1 million over the weekend in the > NY-23rd. The GOP has pulled funding in NY-23 which should help > Hoffman, but it is very close. A trifecta would send a strong message > to those wavering on the health care bill debacle - but it's a long > shot. The O-P-R (Obama-Pelosi-Reid, otherwise known as "Other Peoples > Resources") are throwing a Hail Mary pass. The only thing that will > keep it from being caught is to have enough members in Congress to > worry about keeping their job. > > This bill is no longer a "Trojan Horse" unless you consider horses > bristling with guns stealthy. It is nothing short of socialized > medicine. The 8% tax on employers will cause massive dumping of > private plans. It does nothing about tort reform in medicine > (estimated cost savings = 50 Billion per year). No single legislator > will have time to read and analyze the bill prior to voting. No single > citizen knows all it contains. It was written behind closed doors > with "candy" scattered everywhere for special interests. > > Now is the time for action! Spread the word. > > Brad > > On 10/31/09, Ed Kroposki wrote: > > Brad, > > > > I forwarded your post to several groups who likely might forward it to > > others. > > > > I am at least an 8 hour drive to D.C., when there is no traffic. > > > > I several cousins who work in D.C. area, unfortunatley they come from the > > socialist side of the family, as far as I can tell. At least one is a > > lawyer working for Federal Agency. > > > > Ed K > > > > Ed K > > > > > _______________________________________________ > SwiftwaterGazette mailing list > SwiftwaterGazette at mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com > > http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/swiftwatergazette > -- Never argue with idiots, they just drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091031/25916db1/attachment-0001.html From ekroposki at charter.net Sat Oct 31 17:01:11 2009 From: ekroposki at charter.net (Ed Kroposki) Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:01:11 -0400 Subject: [Swiftwater Gazette] Played at Sony's Annual Meeting Message-ID: <8F0B41BB9B9640AFA5FFC87929B531BC@YOURB88038198E> You may have already seen this video played at Sony's Annual Meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Wu2kWwSY EK -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.theswiftwatergazette.com/pipermail/swiftwatergazette/attachments/20091031/ee860581/attachment.html