Makes Me Wonder

It really makes one wonder why minorities continue to support democrat candidates.

In a decision handed down just this past week, a US District Court judge issued a ruling that bars a voter approved referendum from listing on ballots the party the affiliation of candidates running for office.

The reason given for the suit was that without the party of the candidate listed on the ballot, minority voters would not know who to vote for.

The organizations that filed or supported the suit are all left-wing and progressive. In other words, they vote democrat.

All my life, I have never had an issue identifying my candidate of choice and I don’t need to have a party affiliation listed next to their name for me to place the “check-mark” next to their name. But maybe I am usual in that I actually do some research and can identify a candidate not by their party but by what they stand for.

It is a crying shame that the people who run the democrat party really have such a low opinion of a minority being able to gather information and make an informed decision. Based on the ruling and it sure seem like they are saying that minorities are too stupid to read and review a candidate’s platform and make a decision based on whether or not they can support a candidate’s ideals.

Cuts Aren't Balanced

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but have been up to my eyeballs in some new stuff.  I’ll cover this in another post in the next day or two.

On to the posts

Many of you are aware that the state of Washington is struggling to balance its budget. Poor revenue forecasting and just plain old decreasing revenue has caused another huge shortfall in what the state is going to bring in and what it has to spend. Like most states (and unlike the feds) Washington State is required by its Constitution to balance the budget. Because of the lack of income, the Governor and state legislature are trying to deal with the $1.2 billion gap.

Initially I have been a supporter of the tough decisions that Christine Gregoire has made. In times of budget constraints, there really aren’t any sacred cows anymore. But recent events have made me reconsider both my support and my opinion.

Merry Christmas from PACNW RIghty

My family and I would like to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas. Thank you all so much for reading my blog over the past year. May your New Year bring you much happiness and warmth.

And always please remember the reason for the season.

Click for Larger Image

Slow Housing Recovery

Most of you know that one of the subjects that I blog about is how the housing market is or isn’t doing.  For the most part the news has been a bit gloomy, but showing some sign of recovery, although very slowly.

But according to this clip from Breitbart TV, maybe the news isn’t so good. Link to video here.

I know that many will have the reaction that we need to get rid of the man currently occupying the White House, the sooner the better, but not all of the blame can be laid at his feet. Oh, I do blame him for the sluggishness that has taken hold of the entire economy. But the housing crisis and the slow climb out from the depths had its roots before the guy took office. Has he made it worse? Most certainly! Policies and decisions from the White House that has caused the economy to continuously falter impacts the housing market as much as the housing market impacts the economy. In a way, this is a vicious circle that, until someone does something to bump it off track, will continue for the foreseeable future.

Labor Goes After Seattle PD

Over the past two years or so, the Seattle Police Department has been mired in controversy over several incidents of excessive use of force. The most noteworthy example was when a SPD member shot and killed a woodcarver in downtown when the woodcarver made a threatening move towards the police officer who shot him. There have been other incidents recent which finally caught the attention of the US Justice Department.  After a top-down review, the report was particularly harsh on the SPD, especially the senior-level leadership.

Now a influential labor group, the King County Labor Council, has called for Mayor Mike McGinn to replace or shuffle the SPD leadership.

The King County Labor Council urged McGinn to make sweeping changes to the command structure with SPD, calling the leadership within the department “deficient” and saying there’s a lack of oversight from the top down. (Source: Seattle PI)

The council might not be reaching far enough in my opinion. They are calling for changes within the department, which I think might be a good idea, but I think they need to look at McGinn. While it is true that McGinn is not the Chief of Police for the SPD, John Diaz, who is the chief, works for McGinn. Diaz does admit the DOJ report has merit and changes will be made.

Executive secretary David Frieboth writes that “this situation is particularly troubling, as it tars good cops with the sins of the few.”

He also writes that there appears to be a “pattern of excessive force that clearly indicates deficient leadership,” and “this absence of accountability reveals a major defect in leadership at the Seattle Police Department.” (Source: Seattle PI)

I do have to wonder why a labor group would stick their nose into an issue that really is kind of out of their area of expertise. While everyone does have an opinion about the SPD situation, a labor group is probably reaching outside their neighborhood by getting involved with this matter.

Occupy Vs. Tea Party

The linked article is a little old, but still worth a read.

Arrests related to the Occupy movement:

5,425

Arrests related to the Tea Party Movement:

Zero

Is there really anything more that needs being said?

Is Fast And Furious Just the Tip?

Several links that discuss possible links between Eric Holder and the Oklahoma City bomber, Tim McVeigh. As I read through the links and the articles, I was troubled for two reasons.

First, while this might paint me as naïve, I do have troubles trying to wrap my hands around a conspiracy this large. Is it really possible that people within our own government would be so calloused and evil as to assist someone with plans to kill US citizen for purely political gain? As more information comes out about Fast and Furious (F&F), it does seem more and more likely that the people mentioned in the articles would use any means necessary to achieve their ultimate goals. Maybe that is why so many people on the left actually believe that Bush and Cheney lead us to war just for the oil profits. Would Eric Holder really be so uncaring of human life that he would be willing to sacrifice his fellow citizen just to inflame the narrative against the extreme right?

Secondly, I am troubled by the lack of supporting evidence. The articles do provide a lot of information on which they base their suppositions. But several key documents have been pulled and are no longer available for review. The authors of the linked post do make it clear that some of the documents they used as background are no longer readily available, but they do stand behind their story. Of course, in the initial stages of the F&F case, much of what was said was mostly tying together some very loose information, easily denied or dismissed. But as time has gone along and more evidence is released, it has become quite apparent that F&F is more than just guessing and crazy-talk by a bunch of right-wingers in a cabin in Montana. In the case of F&F, there was smoke, and it led to fire. Could we be looking at the same thing here? Time will tell.

Holder Playing Race Card

Interesting post over at Sister Toldjah about how Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are beginning to play the race card as both the 2012 presidential race and the fast and Furious case heat up.

ST provides several examples of how the race card has been played in the past, noting that when his back is up against the wall like during the 2010 mid-term elections, he really ratchets up the rhetoric.

The longer this guy stays in office, the further the divide is going to get.

Wyden Supports Free Speech?

As someone who was born and raised in Oregon and could be considered a SNOB (Son of Native Oregon Born), I would be hard-pressed to support nearly any of the Senators or Representatives that come from my former home.

However, Democratic Senator, and a real bleed-heart liberal if there ever was one, Ron Wyden has decided that something like free-speech actually really matters. He has promised to filibuster the PROTECT IP Act once it makes it way to upper chamber. The bill was initially designed to make it more difficult to sell music, movies and counterfeit products illegally online. But Wyden and other who oppose the bill feel that it goes too far and infringes on free speech.

Now if we could be sure that Senator Wyden wouldn’t support giving President Obama the ability to knock out the internet whenever he might feel like.

News Bits For Your Enjoyment

A couple of quick news tidbits.

This guy is not a fan of FDR. He feels (and I agree) that FDR was the leading edge of the socialist movement here in the US. FDR policies were certainly not limited government. He also makes it a point to show how one of the left’s great heroes wasn’t exactly a believer in “social justice” when he force Japanese-Americans into internment camps during WW II. (h/t Director Blue)

Senate approves the payroll tax cut that also includes the Keystone XL pipeline construction approval. Obama has said he will reject the bill if it includes any Keystone language.

Some Chevy Volt news: Is GM being less than truthful when it comes to sales and production of the electric-hybrid? This article seems to think so.  And the Audi chief doesn’t think highly of the vehicle either.

Cool Rhetoric From the Left

Unless you live under a rock, you will recall that the media and President Obama called for a cooling of the heated rhetoric in the wake of the Tucson Tragedy that claim the lives of six people and severely wounded several others, including Rep Giffords.

Well, here is a fine example of the cool rhetoric coming from left. (h/t: The Blaze)

Government Abuse: Rails to Trails

Over the course of the next several weeks I am going to highlight some government abuses that were done in the name of the greater good.

My source of this information was a paper written a few years ago that is chock-full of anecdotal evidence of government abusing their power just because they can. The paper is titled SHATTERED DREAMS: One Hundred Stories of Government Abuse by the National Center for Public Policy Research.

Many of you have heard of the Rails to Trails Act that authorized the government at both the state and federal level to seize land for the development of bike and hiking trails. These bike and hiking trails are being built on abandoned rail lines. There are several in my area that have been converted to such a purpose. Much of the land at one time was actually owned by private landowners, but was taken from them for the development of the railroads. However, when this land was originally taken, provisions and laws were written in such a manner as to return the land back to the original landowners. The railroads had no property rights to the land once they abandoned the land.

Here is one story:

Book Review

A few months ago I purchased Patrice Lewis’ book The Simplicity Primer through her website Rural Revolution.

In this well-written and easy to read book she lays out 365 different tips and ideas on how to simplify your life. Each tip and idea falls under one (sometimes two) of 12 different categories ranging from “Getting Personal” to “Your Daily Bread” to “It’s Easy Being Green.”

Among the many reasons why I liked this book is that its not only for those who wish to live off the grid. Most of the ideas and tips she provides could easily be implemented by those of us who live in a suburban environment and even for folks who live uptown. It is not a survivalist book chock full of how-to’s for living off the land, or shooting and dressing your own meat, or getting your cable for free. It is a book that gives you ideas on how you can take a step back, simplify your daily activities, and declutter your life.

Woman Uses 4-Year Old To Stop A Train

This has to be seen to be believed. Video found here in case this doesn’t work or I have to delete.

How can anyone be so stupid?

GOP Field (Part One)

As we move along in 2011 and approach 2012, the GOP presidential hopeful field continues to shrink and front-runners are beginning to emerge (sort of).

Early on, in the Iowa straw poll, it looked like Michelle Bachmann was going to gain some steam. She has conservative bonifides, and she had the backing of the Tea Party. But after that early momentum, she has sort of falling off the face of the earth.

Next came Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, and heir-apparent, for good or bad, of the Bush legacy. But after several stumbles in the debates, he too has fallen by the wayside.

About the same time Perry came along John Huntsman of Utah announced he was going to run. The main stream media made much ado about his joining the race, but after about 10 minutes, he slide to the very rear of the pack.

Early in the summer Rep Thad McCotter decided to join the fray, but was quickly eliminated as his candidacy was never able to gain any traction. It didn’t help matters when the rest of the GOP field wouldn’t include him in one of what has turned out to be an endless stream of debates.

For over a year, Sarah Palin teased us. Was she going to run? Was she happy being a king-maker? When she finally made her announcement I think there were more than a few sighs of relief. Not only from the Republican field, but from the general public. I really do think she would have made terrific candidate, but the MSM would have crucified her. She has proven to be a strong woman, but I have my doubts she (or any other for that matter) could have survived the beat the media had in store for her.

Herman Cain got his 15 minutes, that eventually turned in 30 minutes with the last 5 minutes being a treatise on how to bring everything tumbling down on your head. I was actually gearing up to support Cain even after the first wave of accusations began to appear. When Gloria Allred got involved, it actually bucked up my resolve. But the latest news about the possible affair was the end for me. I feel it was wise of him to withdraw; he needs to spend some time repairing his relationships.

Newt Gingrich also teased us for while, but when he finally made it known he was going to run, it barely caused a ripple. He started off slow and only got slower. I actually thought that he might drop out, especially after his Iowa team imploded. But he has resurged in recent weeks as the GOP voters look for the “anyone but Romney candidate.

I will only mention “The Donald” because he did throw his hat into the ring for a bit, but as a complete political novice, he was more of an interesting sideshow than a candidate to really look at all that hard. It is true we are trying to find a candidate who isn’t a beltway insider, but Trump was too far out of the circle as to make Obama look like a seasoned pro.

Ron Paul cannot be forgotten here as he poses some interesting feelings. The guy has a strong conservative background, especially when it comes to small government. But as a libertarian candidate, he is going to struggle to get much more than a cursory glance from the voters. This is not to dismiss his as serious candidate, of which he is. But I think his foreign policy of isolationism is going to get him bypassed by most of the voters

Finally we have Mitt Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts. During all of this he has remained fairly consistent. I’m not talking about his political consistency; I’m referring to his polling. Others have surged ahead of him from time to time. First Bachman, then Perry, the Cain, and now Gingrich.

As has happened with the previous candidates, the MSM has is taking it whacks at Newt.

After Bachmann gained serious traction after the Iowa straw poll, the media really began to focus on political positions, painting her as a cold-hearted person. Never mind that she and her husband took in many, many foster kids over the years.

When Perry began to surge the media was waiting in the bushes to ambush this guy and it didn’t take too long for him to provide the fodder. While his early debate performances were nothing to write home about, it was when he couldn’t remember the three government agencies he would close that did him. Granted, the wounds could be considered self-inflicted, but I certainly don’t remember the MSM going after Obama for his “57 states” comments or his mispronunciation of Corpsman. Of the first mistake, the media, playing their role as his protector, chalked it up to him being tired. As for the later, they pretty blew it off, most likely because none of them would have pronounced the word correctly either.

As for Cain, they certainly did a great job of digging into his background, which is entirely fine with me. But the question must be asked (and has many times); why didn’t they vet Obama as well as they vetted Cain? Why haven’t they insisted on Obama showing his grades while at Columbia and any of his legal papers while studying at Harvard? Why not question his alliance with proud domestic terrorist Bill Ayers? And they most certainly glossed over his 20-year association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Now they are going after Gingrich. Only this time they have help from the conservative wing of the Republican Party.

I will have more later.

Unions Require Photo ID to Vote

Hypocrisy at its finest.

Unions, who are the democrats biggest supporter in terms of dollars, are requiring photo ID to vote. But democrats are crying racism when the national voter ID card has been suggested.

Make sure you click through the links at the site.

Wind Turbine Projects Stopped

OK Greenies, you need to come clean. You don’t want solar panels in the Mojave Desert because of some tortoise and a bug. You don’t want nuclear power because of the issue of burying the waste miles underground. You don’t want fossil fuels because of the environmental damage done during extraction, production, and usage. You don’t want wind farms because of the slight possibility it could kill some birds. And you want to remove dams that generate hydroelectric power because of the salmon runs.

So just how do you propose we generate our electricity? I know how much you guys like your bicycles, maybe you could get a bunch of your friends together and have a power generation party. You could sip fine wines and eat cheese and crackers while riding your bikes in place, kind of like hamsters on a wheel

Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot over this post, I do have to tell you that I am a fan of alternative power generation. I do believe that we need to reduce our consumption of oil and coal. But I also think we need to be smart about it. Right now, other that nuclear power, there is not a source of energy generation that can touch oil and coal for it's deliveralbes (energy). Solar, wind and other sources cannot touch oil, it isn't even close. To replace oil and coal we need massive projects, somewhere on the scale of the building of the interstate highway system. But I also feel we should tap into the resources that we have while the other forms of power generation become much more mature.

Two recent events here in the PACNW goes to show just how far in the sand the environmental movement has buried its head.

Unemployment's Real Rate

Did you go “Yippee!” when the news broke last week that unemployment fell to 8.6 percent? Well if you did here is some sobering news that might interest you.

Since 2007, the percent of the population that either has a job or is actively looking for one has fallen from 62.7 percent to 58.5 percent. That’s millions of workers leaving the workforce, and it’s not because they’ve become sick or old or informed. It’s because they can’t find a job, and so they’ve stopped trying. That’s where Luce’s calculation comes from. If 62.7 percent of the country was still counted as in the workforce, unemployment would be 11 percent. In that sense, the real unemployment rate – the apples-to-apples unemployment rate – is probably 11 percent. And the real unemployment rate – the so-called “U6” – is near 20 percent (Source: Washington Post)

When calculating the unemployment rate, only people out of work and actually seeking employment are considered when developing the unemployment rate. Those who have given up the search for work are no longer considered.

Occupy Efforts Fall Short

As the Occupy Wall Street protests began to wind down last month, the leaders of the movement called for one last desperate move to try and infuse some life into the movement. As the call for the shutdown of ports along the west coast went out, it seemed that this try might have some success.

But it wasn’t to be. First off, the longshoremen who run the ports refused to join the folks aligned with the Occupy movement. This lack of support from the unions is understandable. When many democrats and other liberals are quickly backing off of their support to the movement, the unions followed suit. Plus, when you think of how difficult times are right now, taking a day off without pay may not be in the budget for most of these folks who work the docks. Unlike many of the Occupy folks, the union people actually have jobs.

Today was the big day when the Occupy people were going to gather and shutdown commerce along the west coast. A funny thing happened on the way to this utopia: commerce wasn’t impacted in the least. A few routes into the ports were disrupted for a few minutes by a few hundred people at the various locations:

A Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train was delayed north of Seattle.

Protesters briefly shutdown the access to the Seattle port.

In Portland, workers were told to stay home, without pay, for the day to avoid any confrontations.

Up in Vancouver, Canada, protester shutdown to access points for less than 30 minutes, barely causing a ripple.

Weather in LA significantly reduced participation and caused minimal disruptions.

All in all, I would have to say this wound up being a failure on the Occupier’s part.

US Wealth Drops

More bad news for the economy and our recovery. Household wealth has taken a very sharp drop.

Americans’ wealth last summer suffered its biggest quarterly loss in more than two years as stocks, pensions funds and home values lost value.

At the same time, corporations raised their cash stockpiles to record levels.

Household net worth fell 4 percent to $57.4 trillion in the July-September quarter, according to a Federal Reserve report released Thursday. It was the sharpest drop since the tumultuous period after the September 2008 bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers. And it was the second straight quarterly fall. (Source: Seattle Times)

We have entered the fourth (and hopefully, final) year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Over the course of that time, wealth in this nation has plummeted, jobless rate remains staggeringly high, and people, at home and abroad, have lost confidence in America. Please tell me again what makes this guy so wonderful.

One thing I would like you to notice is the second paragraph of the excerpt above. “…corporations raised their cash stockpiles to records levels.” Why is this? It shows me that there is money to be made out there, and that there is money to expand the economy. Yet why are corporations holding onto, and growing, funds? I really do think it can be all traced back to one man. Barack Obama. Business leaders from both sides of the political spectrum do not have confidence that he can lead us to a robust recovery. They are concerned how much Obama Care is going to cost them, they are concerned about new taxes to help feed the runaway deficit, and they are concerned about Obama’s ties to organized labor and his administrations attempts to appease labor.

If I had a fist full of money and was unsure how regulations were going to impact my invest of that money, I’d hang on to it like a baby does a rattle.

Another Pepper-Spraying Incident

An unrelated but related update to the UC Davis pepper-spraying incident that got a lot of Americans (and a few on my readers) really worked up.  You will recall that I posted this: and my support for the police and their actions remain unchanged. The article linked here asks why aren’t Americans up in arms over Marines that get pepper-sprayed and then forced to navigate an obstacle course lined with drill sergeants trying to knock them off their feet.

Mr. Paul Hair and I are just askin’

HHS Overrides FDA

I know this post is going to stir some controversy and most of you know that I speak my mind. Sometimes you agree, and sometimes you don’t. This post might cause you to reevaluate your opinion of me and this blog. At the risk of doing that, here we go:

When it comes to the sexual activity of our young population, I tend to be a realist. The kids are going to experiment, and they are going to be sexually active. And teenage girls are going to get pregnant. I certainly do not support or encourage youngsters being active in this manner because I don’t feel they are emotionally ready for that level of commitment nor are they ready for the consequences.

Today’s decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to not allow the so-called morning after pill to be sold to those under 18 gives me pause. As mentioned above, teenagers are going to be active and teenage girls are going to get pregnant. No amount of burying your head in the sand is going to change this fact. And teen pregnancy is not a pleasant road. Very few of these girls and their child(ren) make it out of poverty unless given tremendous support from their immediate family. At the risk of being obvious, the best way to avoid getting pregnant is not participate in the activity that causes pregnancy. However, reality is: kids are active.

Looking at the other side of the coin is this pill is designed to terminate a pregnancy. If you believe that life begins at conception, then this is akin to abortion. As Christians is that something you can support, knowing that if the girl take the pregnancy to term, her life (and the baby’s) life will forever be altered?

Most of my life I have held a firm belief that you sleep in the bed that you have made. As my kids will attest, I am the kind of guy that will tell you not to put your hand in the flame, and I will tell you what the consequences are if you put your hand in the flame. I will tell you this several times. But if you insist on putting your hand in the flame after I have told you what is going to happen, I’ll bandage your hand, make sure you are going to be OK, but I will not kiss your booboo. But on the subject of teen pregnancy my feelings are more muddled and I am less inclined to be so hard-nosed. Hormones cause people to do stupid things and to lose the sense of reasoning. Should a teenage girl be made to pay the life-altering price just because they made this mistake?

I just don’t know.

Is the best answer here for us to be sanctimonious and not allow teenage girls to end something that will have a tremendous negative impact on their lives? Or do we turn our backs on or heartfelt beliefs and allow the pregnancy to be terminated?

I wish I had an answer.

As you might guess from this little post, I am torn. My convictions state that the pill should not be allowed. I try to live my life as best as I can in a way that I think the Lord will be pleased with my thoughts and actions. But I also do not want to see a teenage girl have her life driven towards poverty because of a one-time poor decision made in the heat of a backseat.

The Military and Terrorism

Here is a couple of disturbing links regarding the military and terrorism.

-- In the grand tradition of mollifying terrorists in the hopeless hope they will like us; the Obama White House has categorized the Fort Hood massacre that killed 14 people and carried out by an Islamist as “workplace violence.” This little bit of word play is no different than the term “man-caused disasters” and changing Global War on Terrorism to Overseas Contingency Operations. Gee, those phrases have worked so well in gaining us likability in the region; why not go for strike three.

If you want to get a feeling of just how bad this makes the folks in the White House look, Susan Collins, A republican Senator from Maine was upset. Collins, not known for her conservative ways, blasted the White House:

Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood Massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation’s Armed Forces at home.

During a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, the Maine Republican referenced a letter from the Defense Department depicting the Fort Hood shootings as workplace violence. She criticized the Obama administration for failing to identify the threat as radical Islam. (Source: Fox News)

Day of Infamy, 70 Years Ago

Today I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the men and women of our “Greatest Generation” who responded magnificently to the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 70 years ago today. Life magazine has some images from the days following the attack.

A Couple Chevy Volt Links

Has there been a cover up regarding the lack of safe performance of the lithium battery in the Chevy Volt?

GM may not be buying back Volts if people are scared of the fire.

Gingrich Surges

As the Republican primaries get closer to commencing, Newt Gingrich, whom I had written off this past summer, has seen a dramatic surge in the polls. I think his standing has as much to do with Herman Cain’s trials and tribulations as it does with the “anyone but Romney” feelings out there. I also happen to think that folks are discovering that Gingrich is actually a very smart man, who truly knows his stuff and would wipe the floor with Obama in any debate.

But Newt doesn’t come without some warts; many of them in fact. Most of us are aware of his serial marriages and some of the issues he had with ethics while serving as Speaker of the House during the Clinton Administration.  However, if you are willing to dig a little deeper, there might be a few other issues that might cause one to pause.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a blogger than she reads quite frequently and he really does have a problem with some of the stances that Gingrich has taken over the years.  In his post, the writer covers several topics that he feels make Gingrich not qualified to be the Republican nominee for President. (my take in italics)

- Campaigned for Nelson Rockefeller during the 1968 presidential elections. Anyone remotely familiar with the Rockefellers in general and Nelson in particular knows full well that no conservative could ever support such a candidate.

   A little bit before my time, but I during some research on the Rockefellers, they do seem to have a bit of an elitist attitude towards most people. In fact, the Rockefellers could be the poster children for everything bad ever said about the Republicans.

Occupy and Tea Party Align

File this under “eventually we can all agree on something”. Recently I posted about how the Mayor of Richmond, VA has initiated an audit process against the Richmond Tea Party. What triggered the Mayor’s ire was an invoice sent to the city requesting that funds the Tea Party group used to pay for toilets and trash collection be reimbursed. The Tea Party figured that since the Occupy Richmond group got all of these services for free, why shouldn’t the Tea Party.

Now it seems that all of the stars and planets have aligned, if only for a brief moment. The Occupy Richmond group has released a statement in support of the Richmond Tea Party:

After the city accused the Richmond Tea Party of being overdue on tax filings, Occupy Richmond issued a statement saying “it would not surprise us” if the move was “retaliation” for the Tae Party’s criticism of Mayor Dwight Jones. […] “The Tea Party and Occupy movements disagree on many, many issues,” Occupy Richmond’s Thursday statement said. “This should not stop all Americans from proudly standing together against government abuses.” (Source: Big Government) (Emphasis BG’s)

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when word of this reached the Major’s office. Using a term that my younger teenaged son might use, I’m sure the dude had a cow. “Those ungrateful ingrates. I paid for their toilets (didn’t want them pooping on my cop cars), I gave them trash collection, I gave them a place to set up their tents, I even offered them showers. And this is how they repay me!? Anybody got any pepper spray?”

Cain Suspends His Campaign

The “high-tech lynching” is done and Herman Cain has decided to suspend his presidential campaign.

After several allegations of sexual harassment and one woman claiming that she a Cain had a 13 year extra-marital affair, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and one of the more recognizable faces of the Tea Party movement, Cain has decided it would be better for him and his family if he slipped from the national scene.

We all know the story. About two months back sexual harassment allegation began to surface, although with one notable exception, the women pretty much remained unknown and the reports were anonymous. The earlier this week, which has proven to be the backbreaker, Ginger White came forward and said she had a long-lasting affair with the married Cain.

GM Offers to Buy Back Volts

To say this is any less than HUGE would be a big understatement.

General Motors will buy back Chevrolet Volts back from any owner who is afraid the electric cars will catch fire, the company CEO said Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, CEO Dan Akerson insisted that the cars are safe, but said the company will purchase the Volts because it wants to keep customers happy. Three fires have broken out in Volts after side-impact crash test done by the federal government.

Akerson said that if necessary, GM will recall the more than 6,000 Volts now on the road in the U.S. and repair them once the company and federal regulators figure out what caused the fires. (Source: Big Government)

Many of you are aware that I have been blogging about the Volt for the past year. The links are too numerous to link here, but if you are interested in updating click “Chevy Volt” on the left sidebar. I recommend you start with this one, then work your way through the post. Mike over at Stately McDaniel Manor has also been posting on this subject.

Golly, I wonder if GM would buy back my truck if I suddenly was unhappy with it. They wouldn’t, mostly because I don’t drive a Chevy, but also because they aren’t trying to keep the customers happy, they are trying cover their backsides. As far as I can tell none of the other models in the GM line are in danger of spontaneous combustion while resting in the garage.

One more thing I’d like to point out. The mileage the Volt delivers per charge has been sliding backwards. When GM initially released the Volt, there were some who said the Volt would get upwards of 75 miles per charge. In this recent commercial GM has dropped that distance to 35 miles.

"Buy American" Ads Turned Down

I think I’d file this under a “little kooky.” The Seattle area Metro bus company has refused to sell ad space on their buses to a company that is asking folks to buy American made products this Christmas season.

A local group’s plan to buy ads on Metro buses urging people to “Buy American” and “shop Locally” has been rejected by King County as too political

TAP America, a Seattle-based nonprofit, sought to place the ads starting this week on the outside of Metro buses, concentrating on bus routes that run through shopping districts of downtown Seattle and Bellevue.

The message was meant as a reminder to holiday shoppers that they could do something positive for the country by thinking about how they spend their money, said Richard Tso, TAP America’s executive director. (Source: Seattle Times)