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On the Funnier (?) Side

Top Ten Signs That Obama Is Getting Nervous:
10. New slogan: "Yes we can . . . or maybe not, it's hard to say"
9. In moment of confusion, requested a $300 billion bailout from the bailout industry
8. He's up to not smoking three packs a day
7. Friends say he's looking frail, shaky and . . . no, that's McCain
6. He's so stressed, doctors say he's developing a Sanjay in his Gupta
5. Been walking around muttering, "What the hell have I gotten myself into?"
4. Offered governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, $100,000 to buy his old Senate seat back
3. Standing on White House roof screaming, "Save us, Superman!"
2. Sweating like Bill Clinton when Hillary comes home early
1. He demanded a recount
Tags: nervous   obama  
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Gun Re-manufacturing in Pakistan

I got the following video from an old friend. I found it fascinating; and I think you will too. It concerns the re-manufacturing of guns in Pakistan, near the Khyber Pass. Some of you who are interested in guns will notice the older weapons being repaired in these shops. Some date back almost 200 years. If you have always wondered where groups like Al Qaeda get their weapons, here are the "gun" stores they use.
 
The strange thing is that after watching the video I felt more "in common" with the people in the video than I do with the Looney Left here in the US. Here is the address:
 
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I Demand That President Obama Be Charged and Tried for War Crimes

Two US missile strikes in Pakistan on Friday, January 23, 2009, have left at least 21 people dead. At least nine of these people were Pakistan tribesmen, not Al Qaeda operatives. These missle attacks occurred in the South and North Waziristan districts of this unstable country. (In all fairness I should note that twelve of those killed were Al Qaeda terrorists.)
 
In the spirit of political cooperation that the Left extended to President Bush, I want to formally demand that President Obama be charged with war crimes. I am going to write the UN and make my demands to this international organization. I am also going to write to the American Peace Society, "Not in Our Name", Troops Out Now Coalition, Code Pink, and any other group I can think of demanding that President Obama be charged with war crimes.
 
Please go to the following site for more information: 
 
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Expect Gasoline Prices to Rise!

The Wall Street Journal (1/9, Casselman) reports, "Oilfield services giant Schlumberger Ltd. has begun laying off hundreds of workers in the US and around the world in the first of what experts say will likely be a wave of job cuts in the energy industry." Schlumberger, which is "the world's largest oilfield services firm by market capitalization" stated on "Thursday that it plans to lay off about 1,000 workers in North America, about five percent of its workforce there. The company also is cutting some of its 65,000 overseas workers but said it does not yet have exact figures." Schlumberger "said the cuts...are in response to a global slowdown in oil and gas drilling due to slumping energy prices and falling demand for oil due to the weak economy." Notably, "Halliburton Corp., Schlumberger's largest rival, said Thursday that it also will be cutting jobs."

        Bloomberg News (1/9, Polson, Lonkevich) reports, "Schlumberger, Halliburton and other oilfield services companies began slowing their hiring practices in September, Michael Henzi, an analyst at Stern, Agee & Leach, said," adding, "I don't envision a whole lot of vicious cuts." He said that "oil prices will come back up 'pretty quickly' after production cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. ... When oil prices rise, 'they don't want be caught without enough people.'"

        The AP (1/9, Porretto) notes, "Job cuts that have afflicted almost every sector of the economy reached into the oil industry Thursday, as the biggest oilfield service providers said they were cutting employees." The AP continues, "Oil and gas companies have since scrapped many exploration and production projects, reducing work for companies like Halliburton and Schlumberger."

        According to the Houston Chronicle (1/9, Clanton), "in a report [Thursday] morning, Pritchard Capital Partners, citing internal sources at the company, said Schlumberger was planning to cut 10 percent of its global workforce. With 84,000 employees worldwide, that would mean 8,400 employees would be laid off. But Harris said company-wide job cuts would be 'dramatically less' than 10 percent."

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The Proposed Democrat Gun Ban of 2009

Groups from all over the USA are starting to talk about the up coming gun ban that WILL BE introduced in the 111th Congress. These sources include the "Buckeyes Firearms Association", the NRA, "The Shooting Wire", and three "deep cover" people with whom I have close connections. These three people are located in Washington DC and work in the US Congress.

 
The guns to be included in the upcoming proposed Democrat federal gun ban will include the following: 

     1. Any semiautomatic rifle that accepts a detachable magazine and has:
               (i) a folding or telescoping stock,
               (ii) a threaded barrel,
               (iii) a pistol grip (which includes ANYTHING that can serve as a grip, see below),
               (iv) a forward grip;
               (v) a barrel shroud. 


      2. Any semiautomatic rifle with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds (except tubular magazine .22 rimfire rifles). 

      3. Any semiautomatic pistol that has the ability to accept a detachable magazine, and has:
                (i) a second pistol grip,
                (ii) a threaded barrel,
                (iii) a barrel shroud or
                (iv) can accept a detachable magazine outside of the pistol grip,
                (v) a semiautomatic pistol with a fixed magazine that can accept more than 10 rounds. 


       4. Any semiautomatic shotgun with:
                (i) a folding or telescoping stock,
                (ii) a pistol grip (see definition below),
                (iii) the ability to accept a detachable magazine or a fixed magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds,
                (iv) a shotgun with a revolving cylinder.


Frames or receivers for the above guns are also included in the ban, along with conversion kits. The Attorney General will receive carte blanche to ban guns at will. Under the proposal, the U.S. Attorney General can add any "semiautomatic rifle or shotgun originally designed for military or law enforcement use, or a firearm based on the design of such a firearm, that is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, as determined by the Attorney General."
 
Note that Obama's pick for the office of Attorney General (Eric Holder, confirmation hearing set for January 15, 2009) wrote a brief in the Heller case supporting the position that individual citizens have no right to have any working firearm in their own home.
 
Leaked portions of the proposed ban says the following: "there shall be a rebuttable presumption that a firearm procured for use by the United States military or any federal law enforcement agency is not particularly suitable for sporting purposes, and a firearm shall not be determined to be particularly suitable for sporting purposes solely because the firearm is suitable for use in a sporting event." In plain English this means that ANY firearm ever obtained by federal officers or the military or any firearm based on a military design is not suitable for the public.
 
That presumption can be challenged only by suing the federal government over each firearm it decides to ban, in a court it runs with a judge it pays. This virtually dismisses the principles of the Second Amendment. The last part is particularly clever, stating that a firearm doesn't have a sporting purpose just because it can be used for a sporting purpose. And of course, the "sporting purpose" test is a rights infringement with no constitutional or historical support whatsoever, invented by domestic enemies of the right to keep and bear arms to further their cause of disarming the innocent.
 
If these near-total bans aren't enough, the most dangerous part may be the phrase "pistol grip" because: "The term 'pistol grip' means a grip, a thumbhole stock, or any other characteristic that can function as a grip." In other words, any semi-auto long gun with a grip (that's ALL semi-auto long guns) would be banned under the proposal.

Take a look at the following sites for additional information:

 http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/6376

I will post additional information as I obtain it. I am also working on an article concerning a course of action should this proposed gun ban become law.
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Bush Administration Rule Makes It Harder for Congress to Block Oil and Gas Drilling

The Associated Press reported today that the Bush administration is trying to make it tougher for Congress to block mining and oil and gas drilling on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management, which manages 258 million acres of federal property, stripped from its regulations Thursday a provision that gives two Congressional committees the power to compel the Interior Secretary to temporarily place public land off limits to mining and oil and gas development.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), top candidate for interior secretary under President-elect Barack Obama, attempted to employ the little-used provision for the first time in more than 20 years earlier this year in an effort to halt uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. The House Natural Resources Committee passed a measure to block the mining 20-2, but the Interior Department has yet to issue an emergency withdrawal, saying there were not enough Republicans present for a quorum. According to Grijalva, "the last-minute change was part of a strategy by the Bush administration to avoid complying with the resolution."

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Mississippi Vs. North Carolina: Car Jacking

The following two articles illustrate the difference in "carjacking" in North Carolina and Mississippi. The Mississippi "model" MUST become the preferred method of dealing with this crime in the United States.
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House Democrats Plan Bill to Help States Build Infrastructure

The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) reported the following today:
The New York Times (12/2, A20, Pear) reports, "House Democrats said Monday that they would try to pass an economic recovery bill costing $400 billion to $500 billion next month as governors pressed Congress for money to build roads and bridges, provide health care to low-income people and develop alternative sources of energy." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hopes to have a bill ready for President-elect Barack Obama when he takes office next month. Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell, chairman of the National Governors Association (NGA), "said the states had $136 billion of transportation and public works projects 'ready to go.' States, he said, want to use the money for roads and bridges, airports, transit systems, ports, railways, schools, waste water treatment plants and broadband networks," which could lead to many new jobs. But, a main factor that will determine whether or not the bill will pass is how Democrats "negotiate with Republicans." Some Republican lawmakers want the government to offset new spending.

The Washington Post (12/2, D1, Connolly) adds on the front page of its Business section that "if Congress passes an economic stimulus bill of $500 billion to $700 billion, as Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) expects, then $150 billion for infrastructure is 'not outlandish,' Schumer said. 'If we want to avoid a steep downward spiral, we need a strong injection quickly,' he said. Spending on infrastructure 'has a multiplier effect; it causes other people to be employed.'" Governors are expected to ask for about "$136 billion for infrastructure projects and $40 billion to bolster Medicaid health programs."

The Christian Science Monitor (12/1, Cook) noted that "of the projects states have ready to roll out, 'well over 70 percent are transportation' related, Rendell said. They are 'not curbside repairing,' Rendell said, but 'major, major' projects likes bridges and roads." Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, vice chairman of the NGA, said that "states are not asking the federal government to make up all of their revenue losses." He said, "'States are not just coming to Washington with hands out,' but are also cutting their spending."

Bloomberg News
(12/2, Selway) points out that "30 states are dealing with budget shortfalls totaling $30 billion for the current budget year, which ends in June for most states, on top of the cuts they made when they put their budgets together just months ago," according to the NGA and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Meanwhile, "25 states are forecasting shortfalls totaling $60 billion for the 2010 year." Taking into account "the budget cuts made before the year began, the states are contending with budget shortfalls totaling $140 billion for the 2009 and 2010 budget years," and "that number may grow as the year progresses."
 
I have only one question: Where is the money coming from? I remember the 1960's. Federal grants of all kinds were available for the construction of water systems, wastewater systems, storm water systems, roads, and other types of infrastructure. However, during the 1960's the US economy was booming. Since August of this year, the US economy is not too strong. Funds have been allocated for the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "bailout". Unless Congress intends on drastically increasing the debt, where will we get the money? (Perhaps I already know the answer: TAXES.) 
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On the Funnier (?) Side

Many people here at TH have asked me about what it is like to be a Mississippian and what my fair state is like. The following address will take you to a youtube video that was made at Lake Washington here in Mississippi (about 70 miles South of where I live). I even know one of the "good old boys" in the video.
I have fished Lake Washington many times. There are many snakes there. And even though I won't do what the boys in this video do, it still shows (within reasonable limits) what it is like to be a Mississippian. Enjoy the video.
 
(And thank God there aren't that many Mississippians in the world.)
 

 
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Alaska's North Slope Contains Deposits of Frozen Natural Gas

The National Society of Professional Engineers just sent its members a report concerning the following: "Frozen crystals packed with concentrated natural gas and buried 2,000 feet below the permafrost on Alaska's North Slope could become the next major domestic energy source." This study was released on Wednesday, November 11, 2008, by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The study finds that in the North Slope, frozen methane-and-water crystals known as hydrates contain as much as 85.4 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. "That's enough to heat 100 million homes for as long as 10 years," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said. The interior secretary added that, "globally, hydrates have more potential for energy than all other fossil fuels combined. ... This can be a paradigm shift."
 
Government research is beginning to show that it may be possible to extract hydrates using depressurization, a technique used to get at more conventional fuel sources. Steve Rinehart, a spokesman for British Petroleum in Alaska said that, "boring into the ground may be enough to change the pressure to extract it. ... Or the pressure could be changed by pumping."
 
Although there are tremendous hydrate deposits in Arctic regions, they also exist in the deepwater regions of the Gulf of Mexico, an area where there are existing natural gas pipelines. (Though much of the government research into hydrates has taken place in Alaska, it might be cheaper to consider the Gulf of Mexico first.)
 
I wonder how long this information concerning Alaska has been known? (Another point for my "conspiracy theories"?) You can read the news article at:
 
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Wanted: Young Blood for 2012

Please take a look at the video on YouTube at the following address:
 
 
This young man understands what happened on November 4, 2008, better than 95% of the pundits who are commenting about the election. Although I don't share his "love" of Mike Huckabee, I have to admit that Huckabee would have done better than McCain.
 
The video is 9 minutes long and is worth watching.
Tags: 2012   2008  
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An American Hero

United States Army Specialist Joseph Gibson of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was on a mission to find and eliminate terrorists in Iraq in April 2008. Gibson and his fellow Rangers were being transported by helicopter. The chopper touched down at night and the soldiers disembarked, only to come under immediate enemy fire. One Ranger received a life-threatening wound in the firefight and Gibson helped navigate him over an uneven field filled with irrigation ditches to safety.

That’s when the fight got interesting. The Rangers continued with their mission, clearing a field with tall grass and canals near the helicopter’s landing zone. As Gibson walked through the field in the dark, he stepped on a terrorist hiding in a ditch. He took another step forward before turning to see what he had stepped on. The jihadi then moved to kill him and as many other Rangers as possible, but Gibson grabbed the terrorist’s rifle muzzle as he opened fire. Gibson wrestled him to the ground, stripping the enemy of his weapon, but the jihadi disarmed Gibson as well. Ferocious hand-to-hand combat ensued. The terrorist then reached for the detonator to his suicide vest and screamed “bomb!” in English. To put it simply, Gibson beat the jihadi unconscious. Then, “I got my weapon into his stomach and fired,” Gibson said. “He came back to consciousness after that, [but] I knew I got him. I stood up and neutralized him.” For his outstanding courage under fire and the daring rescue of his fellow Ranger, Spc Gibson was awarded the Silver Star.
 
This man is a d*mn fine descendant of the proud lineage of Roger's Rangers!
 
Reprinted from "The Patriot Post", October 24, 2008.
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My Five Best Halloween Movies of All Time

 
Since we are close to Halloween, I thought I would again post my personal list of the 5 best Halloween movies of all time (with an honorable mention). I hope you will enjoy this list; I will personally guarantee that all of these movies are worth watching. However, you are advised that "Signs" is very intense so it might not be a good movie for children under the age of ten(10).

(I have been doing this list of movies for over ten years. So far, the only change I have made is to add an "Honorable Mention".) 
 
 
1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944, Rated G)
    It doesn't get any better than this Cary Grant movie. The scene is Brooklyn. It is Halloween night. The Brewsters have a few family secrets and more than their share of relatives that are not playing with a full deck of cards. This is a truly classic Halloween movie.
 
2. Spaced Invaders (1989, Rated PG)
    The Martians have invaded the USA (Prepare to die Earth Scum!) on Halloween night and a small town fights back. Don't ask questions, just sit back and enjoy the fun. In many ways, this movie represents "Small Town America" and its values (on a comedy scale anyway).
 
3. The Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad (1950, Rated G)
     Walt Disney knew how to do cartoons. This is one of his best. The second half is on the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and the headless horseman, with Bing Crosby singing and doing the narration. I have been to the real Sleepy Hollow on the Hudson River in New York. The animators of this cartoon have shown it correctly.
 
4. The Ghost Breakers (1940, Rated G)
    This is one of the movies that gave Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis the idea for "The Ghostbusters". Bob Hope, pre WW2 Cuba, a haunted castle, and a hidden treasure; plus Bob Hope gives the best description of Democrats ever.
 
5. The Thing from Another World (1951, Rated G)
     With actor James Arness as a giant "carrot" man from outer space, this movie is both funny and "campy". (By the way, the title of this movie, and the year it was released, have nothing to do with me; regardless of what any of my relatives have said.)
 
Honorable Mention: Signs (2002, Rated PG13)
     Mel Gibson is a preacher who has lost his faith in God due to the death of his wife. However, events are starting to happen in the world that will shake his quiet existence in Pennsylvania. I will give you a prior warning: This movie is intense. The first time I saw it, my wife had gotten it for me to watch while she went to a school meeting. I knew nothing about the movie at all and watched it only because she had gone to all this trouble to do something nice for me. About a quarter of the way through (after turning on all the lights), I realized I was looking at a true classic.  
 
 
 
TRICK OR TREAT!
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On the Funnier (?) Side

Just when you thought this election couldn't get any stranger, along comes this news article from the St. Petersburg Times.
 
The head line reads: "Vote Drives Defended, Despite Fake Names".
 
Honest to God, ACORN tried to register Mickey Mouse as a voter in Florida. You will note that the application does show Mickey's place of residence as Orlando. His social security number is also shown as: 123-15-1778.
 
And I hope this is enough evidence of ACORN's illegal activity to bring a federal investigation against this organization.
 
If not, perhaps ACORN will receive the award for "Stupidity" this year at the Oscars.
 
                           
 
I wonder where Minnie Mouse's application is?
 
If you would like to see the full article, please go to the following address:
 
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Undiscovered Oil and Natural Gas in the Black Warrior Basin

In late 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed the undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Black Warrior Basin in northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama. This assessment is based on the geologic elements of each total petroleum system defined in the province, including hydrocarbon source rocks; reservoir rocks; and hydrocarbon traps.
 
For the Black Warrior Basin, the USGS estimated means of 8,511 billion cubic feet of gas, 5.9 million barrels of oil, and 7.6 million barrels of total natural gas liquids. This is good news for the states of Mississippi and Alabama. The Black Warrior Basin was one of the earliest oil and natural gas fields developed in the US. And it has been in continuous production for over a hundred years. Production in this field has been falling off for years.  

Please see the following map which indicates the area of the basin:
           
 
Now I know that the Black Warrior Basin, when compared to the Bakken Field and the Marcellus Ridge, amounts to no more than "hors d'oeuvres". But my point is: "Did you know anything about this?" I live in Mississippi and keep up with such things, being a professional engineer. But up until last week, I didn't have a clue about this.
 
Hypothesis:  Is there a conspiracy in the US to keep the knowledge concerning the size of our oil and natural gas resources away from the general public? It would have on-going for about 20 years now. 
 
The USGS assessment, mentioned above, can now be found at:
 
pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-038-03/FS-038-03-508.pdf
 
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