Remember the 911 Terrorist Attacks
Too many Americans have a short memory. Today should be a day of remembrance of the innocent victims and the surviving families of the mass murder perpetrated by fanatical Muslims. Two hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center, a third destroyed part of the Pentagon, and a fourth hijacked plane crashed when the passengers defended themselves.
It was a day of unbelievable tragedy for Americans.
Don't Be Fooled
Don't let yourself be fooled by those who claim that they want to build a Mosque near the Ground Zero site. It represents a victory mosque to those of the Muslim faith. It is NOT meant to "heal" American wounds. It does just the opposite. It is a slap in the face to ALL Americans. It insults us all - including the victims and their surviving families.
Instead of creating a huge controversy, why not create a memorial to honor and remember what happened? Anything else is just a travesty! Don't let political correctness be the rule of the day.
NYC trade unions should all unit and refuse to build such a structure for such an outrageous purpose.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Emergencies
Communications Failure
Whenever, there is a natural disaster the first thing to break-down is communications. Primarily telephones and cell phones. These systems are not equipped to handle extremes in usage like those encountered during emergencies. A busy line or lack of service availability is not only frustrating, but can be dangerous.
What should you do if you need to call the fire department, ambulance, or the police? Frankly, you're out-of-luck!
Alternative Communication
So what can you rely on for emergency communications? There is a time-tested alternative. Short-wave radios fit the bill. A citizen's band radio (CB) is OK but the HAM radio may be better.
What's the Difference?
They both have limitations. A CB radio has limited broadcasting capabilities. They are limited to a maximum wattage (power rating) of only 5 watts. Amateur radios can be over 1,000 watts in power. It all depends on the band and frequency. Usually more power usually means more distance and stronger signals.
CB radios rely on line-of-sight for connections. So do several amateur bands, including 2 meter, 6 meter, and 70 cm.
What's Best?
If you live in a relatively flat area a CB radio may be sufficient. They can transmit signals 5-6 miles. However, if you live in the mountains or have hills, amateur radios may be the best answer. The 2 meter, and 6 meter radios can reach two way distances of 30 miles and occasionally much further!
Catch 22
Technically you need a federal license to operate either CB or HAM radios. However, most CB radio operators don't bother getting a license. The FCC isn't too strict about CB radio operations. On the other hand, if you want to operate on the HAM frequencies, a federal license is a must.
Amateur Licenses
There are three types or classes of amateur licenses; Technical, General, and Extra. The Technical license is the lowest class license with the fewest privileges. It's all you need to be able to broadcast over 30 miles.
All three licenses require that you pass a written test. The Technical license test is 35 multiple choice questions. A passing score is above 70% and there is no Morse Code requirements. You can get study guides for all licenses. Just Google "Ham radio license manuals" for more details.
If you take the time and effort, you can get a Technical license. This could save your life in times of emergency or natural disaster!
Whenever, there is a natural disaster the first thing to break-down is communications. Primarily telephones and cell phones. These systems are not equipped to handle extremes in usage like those encountered during emergencies. A busy line or lack of service availability is not only frustrating, but can be dangerous.
What should you do if you need to call the fire department, ambulance, or the police? Frankly, you're out-of-luck!
Alternative Communication
So what can you rely on for emergency communications? There is a time-tested alternative. Short-wave radios fit the bill. A citizen's band radio (CB) is OK but the HAM radio may be better.
What's the Difference?
They both have limitations. A CB radio has limited broadcasting capabilities. They are limited to a maximum wattage (power rating) of only 5 watts. Amateur radios can be over 1,000 watts in power. It all depends on the band and frequency. Usually more power usually means more distance and stronger signals.
CB radios rely on line-of-sight for connections. So do several amateur bands, including 2 meter, 6 meter, and 70 cm.
What's Best?
If you live in a relatively flat area a CB radio may be sufficient. They can transmit signals 5-6 miles. However, if you live in the mountains or have hills, amateur radios may be the best answer. The 2 meter, and 6 meter radios can reach two way distances of 30 miles and occasionally much further!
Catch 22
Technically you need a federal license to operate either CB or HAM radios. However, most CB radio operators don't bother getting a license. The FCC isn't too strict about CB radio operations. On the other hand, if you want to operate on the HAM frequencies, a federal license is a must.
Amateur Licenses
There are three types or classes of amateur licenses; Technical, General, and Extra. The Technical license is the lowest class license with the fewest privileges. It's all you need to be able to broadcast over 30 miles.
All three licenses require that you pass a written test. The Technical license test is 35 multiple choice questions. A passing score is above 70% and there is no Morse Code requirements. You can get study guides for all licenses. Just Google "Ham radio license manuals" for more details.
If you take the time and effort, you can get a Technical license. This could save your life in times of emergency or natural disaster!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Weekly Polls
The Rasmussen Reports is an independent electronic publishing firm that specializes in public opinion polling. Here are some current results on some main issues:
Presidential Tracking Poll
This tracks how the President is doing by those surveyed.
This chart is from RasmussenReports.com:
Job Approval Rating
Repeal ObamaCare?
Do you favor a repeal of ObamaCare?
Presidential Tracking Poll
This tracks how the President is doing by those surveyed.
- Strongly Approve... 23%
- Strongly Disapprove... 47%
- Approval Index... -23%
This chart is from RasmussenReports.com:
Job Approval Rating
Repeal ObamaCare?
Do you favor a repeal of ObamaCare?
- Favor a repeal... 56%
- Oppose repeal... 45%
- Favor drilling... 61%
- Oppose drilling... 21%
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Guest Article - Obama's Failed Plan
THE STIMULUS KICKS IN: HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENTS
By Dick Morris And Eileen McGann
"“The prospect we now face is not the intermittent up-and-down fluctuations of unemployment we have had since the Great Depression. Thanks to Obama’s policies, we’re confronting the possibility of an unemployment rate that never comes down, just as they have in Europe. If we stay on Obama’s course, lower joblessness in the United States will be a thing of the past.”
The recent rise in unemployment back up to 9.6% and the loss of 54,000 jobs in August, suggests that our prediction is – dismally – coming true.
The Obama stimulus plan has finally kicked in: The higher spending he brought to our nation and the debt levels that are accompanying it are the result.
Why is unemployment remaining so high? Because the totality of Obama’s policies are dragging us into a depression.
In his haste to re-make America and to bring us the “fundamental change” he promised as he campaigned for president in 2008, Obama has torpedoed the recovery and sent us back into a double dip recession.
The answer is to cut spending back to pre-Obama levels, reduce taxes and eliminate the threat of tax increases, zero fund the changes Obama has legislated in health care (and repeal them in 2013), eliminate the threat of cap-and-tax, and lay the basis for solid economic growth.
We have left the recession that started in 2007 and entered a new recession caused by Obama’s policies."
By Dick Morris And Eileen McGann
"“The prospect we now face is not the intermittent up-and-down fluctuations of unemployment we have had since the Great Depression. Thanks to Obama’s policies, we’re confronting the possibility of an unemployment rate that never comes down, just as they have in Europe. If we stay on Obama’s course, lower joblessness in the United States will be a thing of the past.”
The recent rise in unemployment back up to 9.6% and the loss of 54,000 jobs in August, suggests that our prediction is – dismally – coming true.
The Obama stimulus plan has finally kicked in: The higher spending he brought to our nation and the debt levels that are accompanying it are the result.
Why is unemployment remaining so high? Because the totality of Obama’s policies are dragging us into a depression.
- The prospect of dramatically higher taxes next year is freezing consumer spending, particularly in the upper income ranges which spend a third of America’s consumption.
- The huge changes that are looming in medical care brought about by Obama’s health care legislation are freezing new employment and expansion in the medical sector which accounts for 16% of GDP.
- The financial reform legislation has so raised the prospect of a federal takeover of any bank that makes “imprudent” loans that financial institutions are afraid to lend, freezing new job creation.
- The looming possibility of cap-and-tax legislation in the name of halting climate change is freezing any expansion in the manufacturing and energy sectors since these policies will force jobs to move overseas to locations that do not impose such a tax (e.g. India and China).
- The massive expansion in the deficit and in the resulting debt has so eroded confidence in our nation’s future that Americans are now saving 6% of their income, up from 1% in the past, sapping consumer spending.
- The threat of new rules for union elections that will spread private sector unionization is freezing business expansion plans.
In his haste to re-make America and to bring us the “fundamental change” he promised as he campaigned for president in 2008, Obama has torpedoed the recovery and sent us back into a double dip recession.
The answer is to cut spending back to pre-Obama levels, reduce taxes and eliminate the threat of tax increases, zero fund the changes Obama has legislated in health care (and repeal them in 2013), eliminate the threat of cap-and-tax, and lay the basis for solid economic growth.
We have left the recession that started in 2007 and entered a new recession caused by Obama’s policies."
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Guest Article - Have We Won?
"Can the Tea Party Deliver?
by Patrick J. Buchanan - syndicated columnist.
"There are only two men in America who can fill Yankee Stadium on three weeks' notice," a friend instructed me years ago.
"Billy Graham and Louis Farrakhan."
Indeed, a decade ago, Black Muslim Minister Farrakhan's "Million Man March" brought a throng of hundreds of thousands to the Capitol.
But, last Saturday, Glenn Beck packed the Mall with a crowd that could have filled Yankee Stadium to overflowing five times over. As it stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, the estimates of its size ran to half a million.
This was twice the size of the crowd that heard Martin Luther King Jr. 47 years ago and matched the antiwar demonstrations of 1969.
Wisely, Beck dropped partisanship to convert his gathering into a God, country and Constitution rally, with speakers honoring the courage and sacrifice of America's military. Said Sarah Palin, a rally star, "Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet, and you can't take that away from me."
Al Sharpton, who organized a counter-rally that turned out a few hundred folks at Dunbar High, was his usual gracious self. Speaking of the half a million Americans on the Mall, the Rev. Al volunteered, "They want to disgrace this day."
President Obama, seeing that crowd on the Mall as large as the one that came to celebrate his inaugural, must understand what it portends. His moment may have passed.
For that enthusiastic and energetic assembly is the spear point of an army of millions headed for the polls to throw out the party he leads.
Nevertheless, as Obama raised hopes only to be perceived as having fallen short, so, too, Beck's believers and the tea party folks are raising hopes and expectations.
But can they succeed?
"We must not fundamentally transform America, as some would want," said Palin, in one of the direct challenges to Obama. "We must restore America."
But can we restore America, or is the old America gone forever?
Consider the issue that unites all on the Mall on Saturday -- the need for the U.S. government to cut spending, to balance its budget and not to shove an immense burden of debt on our children.
Like last year, we are running a deficit of $1.4 trillion, almost 10 percent of the entire economy. With housing starts and housing sales plunging, jobless claims rising, the stock market sinking and economic growth slowing to a crawl, we will face a new deficit equally large in the fiscal year beginning in October. Where are the victorious tea party Republicans going to cut?
According to USA Today, 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, and perhaps an equal number on Medicare and Social Security. Which of these three will tea party Republicans cut, when Republicans are already denying Democratic charges that they plan to raise the retirement age for Social Security?
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has a 600-page plan to reform Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the tax code, the work of a conscientious conservative. But only one in 16 House Republicans has signed on as co-sponsor.
Are Republicans going to go after other entitlements -- veterans benefits, earned income tax credits, food stamps -- which now go to 41 million Americans, or unemployment benefits that run for 99 weeks?
With the racial achievement gap on test scores returning, will the GOP abolish No Child Left Behind or slash federal aid to education?
The big remaining items in the budget are interest on the debt, which must be paid, and war and defense. But Republicans are more likely to be supportive of Obama's rebuilding a military ravaged by war, and staying the course in Iraq and Afghanistan, than are Democrats.
Obama's budget commission will surely come in with tax increases on personal incomes, perhaps also for Social Security and Medicare. But the GOP cannot sign on to these and go home again.
Indeed, how can Republicans cooperate with a president who has spent the campaign blaming them for the Great Recession and telling voters the GOP intends to drag us back to the dark past of Bush II?
And why would a "Party of No" that picks up 40 or 50 House seats by its Alamo defiance become a Kumbaya, "Yes-we-can!" party and work in happy harness with Barack Obama?
Can we really "Restore America" as she once was?
According to The New York Times, Orange County, Calif. -- birthplace of Richard Nixon, Goldwater Country, bastion of the John Birch Society, land of the "little old ladies in tennis shoes" -- is today a place where less than half the population is Anglo and almost half speak a language other than English in the home.
Where Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter three to one in Orange County, Obama ran a near dead heat with McCain. And as Orange County goes, so goes California and so goes America.
Republicans and tea partiers are going to have a glorious fall.
But is this one of the last hurrahs?"
by Patrick J. Buchanan - syndicated columnist.
"There are only two men in America who can fill Yankee Stadium on three weeks' notice," a friend instructed me years ago.
"Billy Graham and Louis Farrakhan."
Indeed, a decade ago, Black Muslim Minister Farrakhan's "Million Man March" brought a throng of hundreds of thousands to the Capitol.
But, last Saturday, Glenn Beck packed the Mall with a crowd that could have filled Yankee Stadium to overflowing five times over. As it stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, the estimates of its size ran to half a million.
This was twice the size of the crowd that heard Martin Luther King Jr. 47 years ago and matched the antiwar demonstrations of 1969.
Wisely, Beck dropped partisanship to convert his gathering into a God, country and Constitution rally, with speakers honoring the courage and sacrifice of America's military. Said Sarah Palin, a rally star, "Say what you want to say about me, but I raised a combat vet, and you can't take that away from me."
Al Sharpton, who organized a counter-rally that turned out a few hundred folks at Dunbar High, was his usual gracious self. Speaking of the half a million Americans on the Mall, the Rev. Al volunteered, "They want to disgrace this day."
President Obama, seeing that crowd on the Mall as large as the one that came to celebrate his inaugural, must understand what it portends. His moment may have passed.
For that enthusiastic and energetic assembly is the spear point of an army of millions headed for the polls to throw out the party he leads.
Nevertheless, as Obama raised hopes only to be perceived as having fallen short, so, too, Beck's believers and the tea party folks are raising hopes and expectations.
But can they succeed?
"We must not fundamentally transform America, as some would want," said Palin, in one of the direct challenges to Obama. "We must restore America."
But can we restore America, or is the old America gone forever?
Consider the issue that unites all on the Mall on Saturday -- the need for the U.S. government to cut spending, to balance its budget and not to shove an immense burden of debt on our children.
Like last year, we are running a deficit of $1.4 trillion, almost 10 percent of the entire economy. With housing starts and housing sales plunging, jobless claims rising, the stock market sinking and economic growth slowing to a crawl, we will face a new deficit equally large in the fiscal year beginning in October. Where are the victorious tea party Republicans going to cut?
According to USA Today, 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, and perhaps an equal number on Medicare and Social Security. Which of these three will tea party Republicans cut, when Republicans are already denying Democratic charges that they plan to raise the retirement age for Social Security?
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has a 600-page plan to reform Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the tax code, the work of a conscientious conservative. But only one in 16 House Republicans has signed on as co-sponsor.
Are Republicans going to go after other entitlements -- veterans benefits, earned income tax credits, food stamps -- which now go to 41 million Americans, or unemployment benefits that run for 99 weeks?
With the racial achievement gap on test scores returning, will the GOP abolish No Child Left Behind or slash federal aid to education?
The big remaining items in the budget are interest on the debt, which must be paid, and war and defense. But Republicans are more likely to be supportive of Obama's rebuilding a military ravaged by war, and staying the course in Iraq and Afghanistan, than are Democrats.
Obama's budget commission will surely come in with tax increases on personal incomes, perhaps also for Social Security and Medicare. But the GOP cannot sign on to these and go home again.
Indeed, how can Republicans cooperate with a president who has spent the campaign blaming them for the Great Recession and telling voters the GOP intends to drag us back to the dark past of Bush II?
And why would a "Party of No" that picks up 40 or 50 House seats by its Alamo defiance become a Kumbaya, "Yes-we-can!" party and work in happy harness with Barack Obama?
Can we really "Restore America" as she once was?
According to The New York Times, Orange County, Calif. -- birthplace of Richard Nixon, Goldwater Country, bastion of the John Birch Society, land of the "little old ladies in tennis shoes" -- is today a place where less than half the population is Anglo and almost half speak a language other than English in the home.
Where Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter three to one in Orange County, Obama ran a near dead heat with McCain. And as Orange County goes, so goes California and so goes America.
Republicans and tea partiers are going to have a glorious fall.
But is this one of the last hurrahs?"
Monday, September 6, 2010
The "O" World
The Iraq War
Obama's Shrinking Ratings
Obama on TV Shows
Cloward & Piven Strategy at Work
Obama's Shrinking Ratings
Obama on TV Shows
Cloward & Piven Strategy at Work
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Congressional Pay Cuts
Americans Favor the Idea
The idea for Congress to take a pay cut is supported by the majority of Americans. 75% of Americans believe Congress should cut their pay. As you know only Congress sets their own pay scale. It seems that they have done so often and are now "earning" $174,000 per year (up 23% over the last decade). Not bad, for never reading the legislation that they pass, huh? This of course, does not include their healthcare benefits or their lifetime retirement package. (They only have to serve one term and they will get full pay and free medical for life. And, by the way, they are exempt from using ObamaCare). Why is this?
Representative Ann Kirpatrick (D, AZ) initiated legislation that would give Congress a 5% pay cut last March. The idea being that Congress should also "feel" the pain that the rest of us are experiencing. OK, that seems pretty logical and straight forward. 5% isn't huge, but is IS a step in the right direction. So here we are 7 months later and still no new law that would cut Congressional pay. How come?
Here we are suffering pay cuts, layoffs and furloughs for the past two years. And Congress? Why should they get pay INCREASES during hard times? Simple. Congress passed a law that AUTOMATICALLY gives themselves pay increases each year!! Incredible!!!! It's a fact that Congress has NOT taken a pay cut in over 77 years!
So why hasn't this bill passed? Congress is IGNORING IT! This allows the bill to die a slow death in committee. This way representatives do not have to vote on it or even tell you that they don't feel your pain or want to either.
Action To Take
Tell your representative to take a stand and support this issue. If not, then vote them OUT-OF-OFFICE in two months!
The idea for Congress to take a pay cut is supported by the majority of Americans. 75% of Americans believe Congress should cut their pay. As you know only Congress sets their own pay scale. It seems that they have done so often and are now "earning" $174,000 per year (up 23% over the last decade). Not bad, for never reading the legislation that they pass, huh? This of course, does not include their healthcare benefits or their lifetime retirement package. (They only have to serve one term and they will get full pay and free medical for life. And, by the way, they are exempt from using ObamaCare). Why is this?
Representative Ann Kirpatrick (D, AZ) initiated legislation that would give Congress a 5% pay cut last March. The idea being that Congress should also "feel" the pain that the rest of us are experiencing. OK, that seems pretty logical and straight forward. 5% isn't huge, but is IS a step in the right direction. So here we are 7 months later and still no new law that would cut Congressional pay. How come?
Here we are suffering pay cuts, layoffs and furloughs for the past two years. And Congress? Why should they get pay INCREASES during hard times? Simple. Congress passed a law that AUTOMATICALLY gives themselves pay increases each year!! Incredible!!!! It's a fact that Congress has NOT taken a pay cut in over 77 years!
So why hasn't this bill passed? Congress is IGNORING IT! This allows the bill to die a slow death in committee. This way representatives do not have to vote on it or even tell you that they don't feel your pain or want to either.
Action To Take
Tell your representative to take a stand and support this issue. If not, then vote them OUT-OF-OFFICE in two months!
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