Friday, May 29, 2009

Garrett Withdraws from Assistant Treas. Sec. Nom.

Elizabeth Garrett has withdrawn from consideration for the post of Assistant Treasury Secretary for Tax Policy. She sites the stringent vetting process. Which I think can fairly translate into 'they found something embarrassing and I'm backing out gracefully.' It would seem that at times like these the President would want someone in charge of developing tax policy, what with all the tax policy that's being developed. Well chalk up another loss to the Admin's human resources department. Seems it's just impossible to find ethical Democrats these days... I wonder why that is.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Steven Chu is Nuts

This speaks for itself. To say nothing of the cost of painting all the roofs in the world white (upwards of $30 a gallon for paint) it stands to reason that making all that paint would involve processes that produce significant 'carbon usage' and would probably greatly offset any actual benefit, even assuming that the good doctor is right about global warming in the first place. What's more disturbing is that this is the conversation you get with the country's leading government official on energy policy. Not environmental issues but energy policy. He claims that white roofs will cut consumption. I claim that he's got needs that the other kids don't.

I'm interested in any cheaper and less ridiculous options from my homeowner friends. Drop me a comment with ideas you have to reduce home energy consumption that aren't idiotic. I'll start.

Solar Powered Attic Fans.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Supreme Court Mad Lib

The most important qualification for a Supreme Court Just is that _______(pronoun) should possess the utmost____________(quality). Beyond all other possible qualifications or experiences I believe the proper candidate should posses a strong respect for ____________(rights).



As I read story after story this morning on the Obama administration's nomination of Sonia Sotomayer I noticed a trend. Very few people were talking about her court decisions and her biases. Instead everyone, the administration included, was talking about how many women will be on the court and how monumental it is to have a nominee whose parents are from Puerto Rico. Now I've seen some of Sotomayer's record and I wont go so far as to say this is a purely affirmative action hire, but for the party that prides itself on equal rights and throws constant claims of racism and sexism at it's opponents, it takes a ton of gall to glaze over real qualifications in favor of skin tone and gender. I couldn't care less if her family is from PR, what strikes me is that she seems to have no respect for private property rights as evidenced in her upholding the Second Circuit's decision in Didden V Village of Port Chester. Radly Balko covers that issue in his Agitator blog and on Reason.com.

An interesting take on her judicial history is Richard Epstein's this morning in Forbes.

For my money I'd like to see a nominee that isn't a Yalie. If ever there was a place that diversity was needed, I think the Supreme Court is it. I just don't think racial diversity is what's important. I'd like to see diversity of thought. Good Luck.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Lite Blogging This Week

I have been busy with work and stuff, spent the weekend at a motocross race and now my sister is in from out of town. I will try and be get some things done for you guys this week but forgive me if I don't manage much. But to tide you over...

Monday, May 18, 2009

Obama and The IRS Joke

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit has an interesting piece at the Wall Street Journal this week on the power of the presidential joke and what happens when the IRS becomes a political weapon. For my money the President can keep abusing that power and degrading the legitimacy of the IRS as it helps free people understand what taxes are in the first place, a means of political oppression. Take a read Reynolds usually has interesting things to say.

For me this week should be interesting. I'm filming all day today and tomorrow will hear speaches by Arthur Laffer, Andrew Breitbart, and Lynne Cheney. Perhaps with Biden's gaff this week I'll have an opening to ask Cheney how she liked living underground beneath the naval observatory after millions of dollars in government money was spent renovating it.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Obama Says Debt Load 'Unsustainable'

Obama on Debt

I'm not a genius or anything but perhaps this is the kind of revelation he could have used... Oh i don't know... BEFORE HE CAUSED THE DEBT LOAD TO GET THIS HIGH!!!!

It's not like millions of us weren't saying it was going to be a problem. Even his supporters had to be lured into the fold with promises of net budget cuts. Still there he is, standing on top of the worlds largest debt funded national budget in history. There he is, encouraging more deficit spending in his first year in office than the entire Bush presidency. It's almost as if Barack Obama is just a sleazy scumbag politician who does one thing and says another so he can claim to have been on both sides of an issue. But that just can't be the truth. He was supposed to be the new Jesus right? He couldn't possibly be a scamming liar like all the rest of those statist manipulators... could he?

Thursday, May 14, 2009

MHD JAIL UPDATE

A search of inmate records in Jones County just informed me that all three of the guys are listed as 'Bonded Out'. So the guys are out or processing out right now.

If want to see the record (which contains very little information) go here

MHD JAILED

Some of you may know that I am following the adventures of some liberty minded guys galavanting around the country searching for freedom. They are chronicling the whole thing on thier website MotorhomeDiaries.com. This morning all three of the guys at MHD were arrested by police in Jones County MS. It appears that the even started with what could have been a routine traffic stop. Now we don't know for sure that there was any kind of cause for the initial stop but I haven't heard anything to suggest that there was. What people are piecing together in the liberty blogosphere is that Jason Talley has been arrested and is being held on charges of disorderly conduct, disobeying a police office, and resisting arrest. Pete Eyre is being held on the charge of possession of a beer in a dry county. Whatever that is. And Adam Mueller is charged with disorderly conduct and disobeying a police office. There has been a rumor that there is a charge of posses ion of a firearm across state lines, which is a MS state specific law if it's a law at all. I've heard the firearms charge tied to each of the guys throughout the day so I can't be sure whats going on there.

These are typical charges for officers that want to arrest people but can't find a decent reason. My old cop friends call it 'felony breathing'. What's telling is that there isn't a charge related to the stop, there isn't a charge related to any use of force. All of the charges so far seem to stem out of what is most likely an unlawful arrest in the first place. I'll be updating on this as I know more. As of this moment it looks like some or all of the guys are going to have to spend the night in jail. People from the Free State Project and other liberty minded groups are working on putting together bail funds and should have the guys out soon.

If you would like to contribute to the guy's defense or if you just want to know more about what people are doing for freedom in America, check out MotorhomeDiaries.com

FREE THE MHD 3

UPDATE: if you want to follow the most up to date news about the guys incarceration freekeene has the most current updates.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

An Interesting Take on Abortion

Steve Waldman has an interesting idea. You may know that I don't have a lot riding on the abortion debate but that a great many of my friends list it amongst their highest political priorities on either side of the issue. I have my ideas but honestly would rather the debate was treated with less urgency and vehemence than it is as I feel it distracts from more important and specifically more solvable issues. I'm not sure Waldman's solution is realistic or answers important obstacles for either side. I do wonder if embracing it would bring both sides closer to their goals than continuing the ill-used debate as it is.