Shark attack!

Being a blogger, I receive many e-mails from friends and acquaintances all over the globe.  I consider it, frankly, a large plus.

Some of this traffic results in any number of posts I may make.

This is one of those posts, suggested from an e-mail.  From Hugh:

Yesterday there was a shark attack on a surfer at Kiholo Bay which is on the Kohala Coast of the island of Hawaii. The shark was estimated to be a 15’-16’ tiger shark and the attack occurred in about 8’ of water. The pictures provided are taken from a shark tagging several years ago by the Univ. of Hawaii and the tagging was done at THE EXACT SPOT of the attack. Please note that the half tiger was cut in half in just one bite. The victim was air lifted to Oahu where he is expected to recover.

On a personal note, some of you know that I used to participate in the kayak (surfski) races here and that I trained only about 12 miles down the coast from this spot. I almost always went out alone and I had several encounters with big tigers, one of which was at least 15’ long. I stopped going out because shortly after my last encounter a one man canoe was attacked at the mouth of the harbor at which I launched and returned.

The photos:

Shark Attack 1Shark Attack 2

Shark Attack 3Not politics, but incredibly engaging nevertheless.

BZ

 

 

Why I’m quitting the GOP

Or perhaps I should be more realistic: the GOP actually quit me.

Last night Boehner and the GOP caved.  Again.  Boehner also put off a vote for aid for victims of Sandy.  And further, here’s how stupid your US Senate was on Tuesday:

The U.S. Senate voted 89-8 to approve legislation to avoid the fiscal cliff despite having only 3 minutes to read the 154-page bill and budget score.

Multiple Senate sources have confirmed to CNSNews.com that senators received the bill at approximately 1:36 AM on Jan. 1, 2013 – a mere three minutes before they voted to approve it at 1:39 AM.

Correct.  Mr Obama’s “transparency” once more: three minutes to read a bill before a demanded vote.

And then Republicans voted.

I shake my head.  How insane is all of this?  No one knows of this abortion.  And no one seems to much care.  The DEM/MSM ignores all of it, purposely.  The American Media Maggots.

Perhaps I’ll have to craft a new logo for the DEM/MSM/AMM.

The “debt ceiling” issue is also around the corner, in roughly six to eight weeks.  Boehner will cave on that as well.  So will the rest of the GOP.

Simultaneously, it’s being trumpeted that Obama will rapidly be going for amnesty for Mexicans and gun control.  He’s on a roll.  Imagine that.  And who might the “enablers” be?

It really doesn’t matter what the GOP does any more in DC — similar to the GOP “presence” in my state, Fornicalia.  The Demorats have such a supermajority in Fornicalia that they can do what they wish when they wish, with absolute impunity.

In DC, realistically — any more — there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between the Demorats and the Republicans.  They all want to be treated with deference, like little Kings and Queens.  They all want their cars and perks and pensions unsullied by such limitations as are placed on the Proles and Groundlings — you and me.

They want excoriations and limitations placed upon you and me, but with exemptions for their perfumed and coiffed personas.

I say: that shit has to die.  Throttled and garroted and shot and exsanguinated again.

I say: it won’t, if the Republicans have anything to say about it.  And they do.

Because they are in league with the Demorats in terms of fleecing the American electorate.

I am changing my registration from Republican to Independent.

My cash to the GOP stopped long ago, with a few exceptions.  My Congressman, Tom McClintock, did NOT vote with Boehner.  He gets my cash as long as he’s in office.

It’s like this:

Your house is on fire.

House On FireYou are watching TV at another friend’s home.

Your emergency is being covered by the media.

But you’re worried about the response of the fire station.

How are their rigs polished?  Are they nice and resplendent?  Do they shine?  And, moreover, when they have an open house, will they feature tri-tip as opposed to burgers?  Will you be invited?  And how many tri-tips can you consume — more than your neighbors?

Because, after all, how they respond is as important as what they mean to do.

BZ

 

 

Obama and Congress go over the fiscal cliff with their pockets stuffed full of cash:

Just as America goes over the proverbial fiscal cliff, Mr Obama recently signed an Executive Order increasing pay for himself, Biden, and Congress.

Despite what a Bloomberg Businessweek article characterized as “the nation’s worst economic slump in seven decades,” Barack Obama has issued an executive order granting pay increases for his second-in-command Joe Biden, Congress, and a number of federal judicial posts.

WHY, I ask, WHY hasn’t this information been BLASTED across the national and global DEM/MSM?

Whilst you and I suffer as taxpayers, the only people profiting are

We spend 42% of GDP on government.

When do we say “enough,” people?

When do taxpayers start to revolt?

BZ

 

 

Too low, too slow, too heavy

Much like the American economy.

More on the video:

Published on Aug 4, 2012

Crash at 2:44
This is unprecedented footage of a small airplane crash from inside the cockpit from two different views. Miraculously, everyone survived. The pilot will make a full recovery and the rest of us escaped with superficial injuries and feel very lucky to be alive . This trip was much anticipated and due to our excitement we had our Gopro cameras filming at various times. After flying up into the mountains for a morning hike in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness we were planning on flying to a small mountain town for dinner. Due to warming temperatures there was an increase in density altitude and we had a hard time getting adequate lift. The cameras were left on for a couple of hours during the aftermath. Thank you to all the many individuals who eventually came to our aid and took the time and effort to help in any way they could. We appreciate you more than you know.

-Thanks to my brother Aaron who helped by editing and posting this video experience. Please visit his project helping others in need at www.OriginallyNew.com

Likely suspects: older plane, unknown maintenance, altitude (thinner air), possibly coupled with temperature (was it a hot day?).  A small plane like that, at that altitude and temperature is susceptible and sensitive to weight.  A full passenger compartment (FOUR people and equipment!) means it’s overweight.  You can clearly tell, by the length of time required to lift off, coupled with the poor climb-out, that the aircraft was in serious trouble early on.

This crash was foreseeable.

So is the coming fiscal crash.

BZ

 

 

Boehner’s Plan B

Kabuki TheatreJohn Boehner is going to get the GOP to violate their pledge to not raise taxes, via his Plan B.  The DEM/MSM is already portraying Beoehner as having “conceded” on Wednesday.

Boehner will let the Demorats have their way, and then call it a victory.  I quantify it via one word only: capitulation.

George HW Bush broke his word to the taxpayers in 1988, in re “read my lips: no new taxes.”  And it ended his tenure.  Bang.

Yes, the Republicans cannot block tax increases.  But apparently they may sign off on Obama’s will to cut another $100 BILLION dollars from defense.  That is insanity personified — if for no other reason than because of the profligate manner in which Obama himself is applying our American military in numerous theaters around the planet.

And none — none — of the Republicans apparently have the huevos to publicly stand against Boehner and stand on a refusal to increase taxes.  With a singular exception: I listened to Marco Rubio speak on Hannity’s show indicating so.

Hugh Hewitt and his callers excoriated Plan B.  He wrote on Wednesday:

Plan B raises taxes.

A yes vote on Plan B violates the pledge many if not all GOP candidates took, and convoiuted logic won’t change that and Grover’s pardon won’t matter.

After the routine violations of the “Pledge to America” of 2010, GOP credibility is in tatters.

MSM will begin every story on taxes for the next two years with “The GOP once before broke its pledge not to raise taxes, so…”

Plan B cuts defense by $100 billion.

Plan B won’t pass the Senate.

So why exactly did this get pushed forward, without consultation with the Senate leadership and without any chance for the GOP base to weigh in?  At what point does GOP leadership figure out the “representative” part of their job?

This is a huge, indeed potentially catastrophic mistake, and the Speaker ought to withdraw the plan and send everyone home with a vow to make any tax cuts in the new year retroactive.  We will go over the president’s cliff, but the GOP will have some credibility left and may yet remember that the party of Reagan defends the military that defends us and, crucially, doesn’t raise taxes.

Thank you Hugh.  Precisely.

The Fed has already said it will print a TRILLION dollars next year.  Inflation is going to hit, in 2013, in a way and manner that harkens back to 1980 — where I was paying 12% for a home loan with a minimum of 20% down, and vehicle loans hovered around 20% to 25% or more.  Or worse.  Much worse.

Recognize this: HALF of the people in the US don’t have a mortgage, so the elimination of the mortgage deduction means nothing to the bulk of the Free Cheese electorate.  But what might you then conclude about the already-poor health of the housing market if this deduction is eliminated?

Boehner is not taking this crisis seriously.  Obama is not taking this crisis seriously.  No one in Congress is taking this crisis seriously.

Let me state things as bluntly as possible: these assholes have no skin in the game and play, cavalierly, with your “skin.”  That is because Congress does and has historically exempted itself from the bulk of the bills it passes — plus –  by the time each individual has reached DC they have a sufficient layer of fiscal scams and insularity as to guarantee their continued profit but upon retirement.  There is always another high-paying job awaiting for Congress Critters because that is their nature and their history and their linkage.

Congress simply has no skin in the game.  And they are not held to answer save “censure” or harsh language or perhaps a bit of sarcasm or temporary embarrassment via some red cheeks.

This is generational theft.  This is immoral.  It borders on actual evil because it is planned and plotted and designed and calculated to the Nth degree.

Make no mistake: on both sides of the aisle.

It’s all Kabuki Theater at this point.

BZ