Chicago 2nd Amendment Rally

Illinois State Rifle Association will be holding a rally for second amendment rights on Friday, July 11, 2008, from 11am to 1pm at the James R. Thompson Center. 100 W. Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60601.

The Illinois State Rifle Association and IllinoisCarry.com are sponsoring a Second Amendment Freedom Rally in the heart of downtown Chicago! This will be a historical event that any supporter of the Second Amendment will not want to miss! In the coming days please look for more details on transportation and parking options at ChicagoRally.isra.org. Please share this information with all your friends, family, and associates that support the Second Amendment

Chicago has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. Illinois state is one of 2 that has no concealed carry laws and is often run like an smaller ward of the city, what ever Daley wants Dailey gets and that means tight gun laws. Thank goodness local governments like the Winnebago County are looking into the possibility of having county wide concealed carry. DKK

FARC Terrorists -- Nancy Peloicy And The Dems -- NGO's

New information reveals that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was indirectly sending messages to the FARC. The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is designated as a terrorist group by the US government. Speaker Pelosi was doing this while at the same time she refused to bring a free trade agreement with Colombia up for a vote in the US House. In fact, Pelosi took extraordinary steps to block this trade agreement with America's closest ally in South America.

Gateway Pundit -- DEM SHOCKER!!... Speaker Pelosi Was Sending Messages to FARC Terrorists While Undermining Colombian Government!

As we learn more about the Colombian military's daring hostage rescue last week, one detail stands out: In tricking FARC rebels into putting the hostages aboard a helicopter, undercover special forces simply told the comandantes that the aircraft was being loaned to them by a fictitious nongovernmental organization sympathetic to their cause called the International Humanitarian Mission.
It may have taken years for army intelligence to infiltrate the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, and it may have been tough to convincingly impersonate rebels. But what seems to have been a walk in the park was getting the FARC to believe that an NGO was providing resources to help it in the dirty work of ferrying captives to a new location.

WSJ
DKK

Red State Update -- Obama Flip Flops

DKK

Why Would You Democrats Vote To Eliminate Workplace Choice?

 

Coalition For A Democratic Workplace.
DKK

Seriously, We Can Drill Our Way Out Of This!

Jed Babbin: “Democrats have voted three times against increased oil production in the last year. They are content with rising prices.”

Babbin has a simple response to the Democratic Party line of “We can’t drill our way out of this problem.”

Babbin: Yes We Can.

“More than three times the oil reserves of Saudi Arabia are embedded in Western states’ oil shale, estimated at 800 billion to 2 trillion barrels of recoverable oil,” Babbin wrote.

As long as it's not all we do we can too drill our way out of this mess, I have said this repeatedly!   What we can't do is conserve our way out of this.  Our society is 50% more efficient now then we were 30 years ago, yet we are using nearly 3 billion barrels more oil today then we did then.

DKK

Don Surber -- Gasoline Wars 

Are The Weather Disasters We Were Promised Missing?

Here's a quotation from Jeff Masters's blog at Weather Underground:

Tropical Storm Bertha has maintained it's strength overnight, but is having trouble with Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) of 25°C--one degree below the threshold of 26°C considered beneficial for tropical storms.

One overstuffed European degree--almost two REAL AMERICAN degrees--below the threshold! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Weren't we supposed to have super-hot sea temperatures due to global warming? What's up with that?

What happened to the worldwide environmental catastrophe we were all expecting? Did it get lost at the UPS hub? Maybe we should have asked for a tracking number.

DKK
Hog On Ice -- When Imaginary Worlds Collide

Hey, Is There A Manual For This Thing?

When Obama held his second press conference late last week to address his ever more slippery position on withdrawing troops from Iraq, he stated:

"I am absolutely committed to ending the war," the longtime community organizer declared. "I will call my Joint Chiefs of Staff in and give them a new assignment and that is to end the war."

Barnett explains well the role of Joint Chefs as a staff unit, which provides advice to the commander-in-chief. In order to avoid conflicts within their respective services and provide clear advice, the joint chiefs are by law excluded from the command structure. The command structure (what is called the "line" part of the organization in corporate organizations) consists of people like General Petraeus, who actually run the military organization through its structure of commands. Barnett comments sarcastically:

Surely Obama knows this. Obviously he wouldn't be seeking the role of Commander-in-Chief without knowing how the job is done.

DKK
American Thinker Blog -- Obama's lack of understanding exposed again

Vets For Freedom Ad -- Finish The Job

We changed strategy in Iraq.  The Surge Worked!  Now that's change you can believe in!

Vets for Freedom
DKK

Daily Trek -- July 8, 2008

What'd I miss?

Everything you need to know to stay informed each day in 5 minutes or less!  Read your regular news and include this and you will be able to participate in most any current events discussion.
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Research: Frequent sex is good for men.

He has spoken!  Obama has actually admitted that the surge is working!

"The FARC are terrorists with a capital 'T'"  Marc Gonsalves, Former FARC Hostage, July 7, 2008.

GM set to unveil the actual production Volt for grim 100 year anniversary, stock at lowest point since 1950's.

Meanwhile VW has Alabama as the frontrunner for their new plant.

"MORE CLINTON PUSHBACK: 'Sen. Barack Obama, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, faces dissent from dozens of top fund-raisers and other supporters of former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton, who are angry over how she was treated during their bruising primary battle and are hesitating to back Sen. Obama.'"

It has been nearly 7 years and construction has yet to begin at Ground Zero in NYC.  Now some are suggesting we just rebuild the Twin Towers.

The US Navy practices keeping the oil flowing in the Persian Gulf!

GE cheated on its Brazil taxes, or so it appears.

So you got sick on that picnic huh?  Don't blame the mayo, seems it isn't as evil as we were led to believe as most commercial brands have acidic vinegar that can kill bacteria.

Did 55 mph speed limits waste not only time, but human lives?

One in Every Hundred Overseas War on Terror Detainees has a Criminal Arrest Record in the U.S.

There were no U.S. military deaths in Iraq to report from the past week, the first time that’s happened.

Harry Reid won't allow oil, coal, or nuclear production.  Has he checked to see what powered his state's economy?  Las Vegas runs on energy, tourists run on oil!

"China wants to have 100 of Westinghouse Electric Co.'s nuclear -- more than double what was anticipated."

The Bush administration is accusing the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez of providing cash and refuge to the militant Islamist group Hezbollah of southern Lebanon.

Where is the media now that the Arctic ice concentration is at the same How many years of normal ice conditions will it take before they admit the Polar Bear isn't threatened? The coverage of both Arctic and Antarctic ice has been very one sided. (images at link)

Washington DC, still smarting from the loss of control over law abiding citizens lives, may keep semi automatics illegal.  Only revolvers would be allowed -- it's a step, but they really are power hungry jerks.
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DKK

Wow -- A Thousand Year Old Supernova Shock Wave

Around May 1, 1006 A.D., observers from Africa to Europe to the Far East witnessed and recorded the arrival of light from what is now called SN 1006, a tremendous supernova explosion caused by the final death throes of a white dwarf star nearly 7,000 light-years away. The supernova was probably the brightest star ever seen by humans, and surpassed Venus as the brightest object in the night time sky, only to be surpassed by the moon. It was visible even during the day for weeks, and remained visible to the naked eye for at least two and a half years before fading away.

It wasn’t until the mid-1960s that radio astronomers first detected a nearly circular ring of material at the recorded position of the supernova. The ring was almost 30 arcminutes across, the same angular diameter as the full moon. The size of the remnant implied that the blast wave from the supernova had expanded at nearly 20 million miles per hour over the nearly 1,000 years since the explosion occurred.

Today, SN 1006 has a diameter of nearly 60 light-years, and it is still expanding at roughly 6 million miles per hour. Even at this tremendous speed, however, it takes observations typically separated by years to see significant outward motion of the shock wave against the grid of background stars. In the Hubble image as displayed, the supernova would have occurred far off the lower right corner of the image, and the motion would be toward the upper left.

DKK

NASA Image Of The Day

Wait, I Pay HOW MUCH In Gas Taxes?

Earlier I had posted a summary of the gas taxes here in Illinois, well here is a handy chart of the prices state by state.

Click for larger image.



Keep this in mind as your planning your vacations this summer.  Oh and remember that local taxes may apply, for example while this lists Illinois as 66.5 cents the same gas in Chicago would have taxes of 82 cents.

DKK

Graphic via Coyote Blog

Tongue In Cheek SUV Bailout -- Barney Frank SUV Buyback Program

This was referenced by see-dubya on Michelle Malkin's blog but there was no transcript so I grabbed the video for them. Via: RedLasso DKK

Classic Restored -- 'Metropolis' Missing Scenes Found

The museum director from Buenos Aires had something special in her luggage: a copy of a long version of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, including scenes believed lost for almost 80 years. After examining the film the three experts are certain: The find from Buenos Aires is a real treasure, a worldwide sensation. Metropolis, the most important silent film in German history, can from this day on be considered to have been rediscovered. ...

They (Paramount) oversimplified the plot, even cutting key scenes. The original version could only be seen in Berlin until May 1927 – from then on it was considered to have been lost forever. Those recently viewing a restored version of the film first read the following insert: “More than a quarter of the film is believed to be lost forever.” Zeit Online

This is fabulous news for what has remained a lasting gem of film.  Here is ten minutes from the transformation scene:
.

Giorgio Moroder did a restoration that colored the slides and added contemporary music in 1984.  I know some hated the tampering but I loved the version and the new interest in the film.  Here is one song from that restoration:


DKK

Daily Trek -- July 7, 2008

What'd I miss?

Everything you need to know to stay informed each day in 5 minutes or less!  Read your regular news and include this and you will be able to participate in most any current events discussion.
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Following Al Qaeda is against Islam according to a Saudi Muslim scholar.

Reducing the speed limit to 55 is fundamentally defeatist, a tacit admission that America can’t solve the problem.  That is just NOT the case.  We have untapped resources and untapped innovation but the government has to just get out of the way and let us do what we do best. -- My reply to Senator John Warner's suggestion that the DOE look into fuel savings if the speed limit were lowered again to 55 mph.

"It used to be we broke down doors. We went in and we killed people inadvertantly(sic)."  Jack - deploy the cold blooded murderers to Okinawa - Murtha on why the surge is working. (video).

Canadian Free Press says Alleviate world hunger: produce more CO2! Why CO2 isn't the poison it is being made out to be.

US Embassy returning to it's pre-WWII location in Berlin!

Obama's candidacy is not the judgment of America's civil rights growth.  That's already been decided.

19 year old offers to sell his vote, realizes he is an idiot when he gets arrested!  Will probably face prison.

"Wes Clark has decided to retreat redeploy over the event horizon after a week of criticism regarding his remarks about John McCain’s service. "

"The “recession” is causing women to choose to get abortion. And abortions are down."  Don Surber points out the AP's strange understanding of math.

Perhaps the most famous Iranian political dissident escaped to the West!  

One of the stated reasons the Supreme Court struck down the death penalty of child rapists ends up being factually incorrect, and it was only caught by a blogger!  There are calls for a rehearing on this case with that new information.

Iraqi Army Mopping up al-Qaeda in Mosul.
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DKK

Daily Trek -- July 6, 2008

What'd I miss?

Everything you need to know to stay informed each day in 5 minutes or less!  Read your regular news and include this and you will be able to participate in most any current events discussion.
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Will the Colombian Hostage Rescue Expose the Democrat's Links to FARC?

San Francisco mayor Newsome now says he will cooperate with ICE by reporting illegal alien juvenile felons.  This is after the city was caught harboring convicted juvenile crack dealers.

Musharraf of Pakistan has reportedly given the US the okay to launch predator attacks on Osama Bin Laden if he is spotted inside Pakistan.  Do you really think we wouldn't have anyway if we were certain it was him?

Chevy to manufacture the Beat concept for sale in the US.  The realization of high gas prices is forcing the production of less profitable vehicles, but at least they should sell. (Picture at link).

Obama's position on abortion has flipped and now flipped back... I think?  I really can't keep track any more.

LGF "Barack Obama’s image as a “community organizer and activist” suffers when you take a closer look at the Chicago neighborhoods where he put his ideas for hope and change into action: Grim proving ground for Obama’s housing policy - The Boston Globe. CHICAGO - The squat brick buildings of Grove Parc Plaza,"

As boomers retire is it possible universities could return to teaching and turn away from indoctrination?  We can only hope!

CNN has failed in it's duty to report on who Bud Day is and why he is supporting McCain. Luckily there are bloggers!

"Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday that the country's security forces have managed to save Baghdad from a "siege by terrorists" backed by foreign nations. ... We have defeated the terrorists."

Charlotte smashed a 123 year temperature record -- hitting the coldest temperature in over a century!

"While most Americans probably slept, 1,215 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, raised their right hands and committed to a combined 5,500 years of additional service during the largest reenlistment ceremony in the history of the American military."

"Chris Wallace: 'I thought we were fair and balanced. But since coming to Fox four and a half years ago, I have come to see things a little differently.  I, in fact, do believe there is a bias in the mainstream media and that is something I was only able to understand when I was outside of it.'"
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DKK

Saddam's Yellowcake -- A Fitting Resolution -- To Some A Bridge Too Far

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.
The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.

Associated Press

Some are reporting this as a new unreported finding.  I think that is being blown out of proportion as this really is old news.

When I head this story this week I remembered the origins from a few years back.  I wrote about it in October 7, 2004 in passing (search page for yellow), and today I am glad they were finally dealing with this material and removing it from the region.

This material was discussed in the Iraqi Survey Group's report.  In addition it was a known quantity of material that was acquired and reported by Iraq in their declarations following the 1991 Gulf War.  We know where the material came from and where it was kept.

Known Iraqi uranium holdings have been accounted for by the Coalition and the IAEA. In June 2004, a joint IAEA and Coalition team verified the inventory of Iraqi uranium compounds—an inventory comprising both imported material and that indigenously produced prior to 1991 (see figure 4).

• During the 1970s and early 1980s, Iraq bought uranium in various forms from the international market. These materials included about 486 tons of yellowcake, 33,470 kg of “natural” uranium dioxide, 1,767 kg of “low-enriched” uranium dioxide (2.6 percent 235U), and 6,005 kg of “depleted” uranium dioxide from Portugal, Italy, Niger, and Brazil.
  

Prior to 1991, Iraq also acquired highly enriched uranium for its research reactors from France and Russia—material that was removed from Iraq following the 1991 Gulf war. Following the Husayn Kamil defection in 1995, Iraq admitted that in 1991 it had intended to use this highly enriched fuel as part of a “crash program” to develop a nuclear weapon (see Table 1).  (ed note: the difference in tonnage is accounted for in Iraq's pre 1991 domestic production facilities -- see link).

Additionally this was part of the material that the IAEA was pissed off about us disturbing in July 2004 as it was under their control and UN seal up till the invasion of the country, as pointed out in this American Thinker report dated July 15, 2004.

Now, the IAEA complains that the Department of Energy (DOE) shipped the radioactive materials to the US without UN permission.  The agency's rationale is that there was
some concern about the legality of the U.S. transfer because the nuclear material belonged to Iraq and was under the control and supervision of the IAEA.

That has to be an intricacy of the cease fire agreement, Iraq owned the material and would probably have been required to sell it under the supervision of the IAEA, but I'm just guessing here.  They can't have been allowed to keep it, right?  (From the AP story:)

The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp., in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars." A Cameco spokesman, Lyle Krahn, declined to discuss the price, but said the yellowcake will be processed at facilities in Ontario for use in energy-producing reactors.

This material does not involve Wilson/Plame or their attempts to change history in any way.  Various agencies still support the story that Iraq was attempting to purchase yellow cake.  This simply is not that material.

That Iraq had a nuclear program before the Gulf War is a fact, they have the destroyed reactor to prove it thanks to the Israelis.  That Iraq had an ongoing program that was exposed in 1995 is also a fact as it was uncovered following the defection of Saddam's son in law.   That Iraq planned on reconstituting that program as soon as sanctions were lifted is also a fact.

However, this yellow cake is not a new revelation or a new admission of Iraqi guilt.  This is simply the fitting resolution of an old news story.
DKK

One More Time -- We Are At War, Not Just Out To Capture One Man!

I can't believe anyone has to say this again.

I am amazed that the Democrats don't get it and disgusted that the media refuses to reinforce it.

Here goes:

We are fighting all terrorism.  We are intent on eliminating international terrorism by eliminating the willingness of any nation to host the terrorists and fracturing the command and control of current terror operations.

Bin Laden doesn't matter in the war, just as the capture of a single general didn't halt WWII Bin Laden's capture won't halt this war (it would however be a PR coup and demonstrate the futility of al Qaeda).

It is frightening that Democrats are so limited in their strategic thinking.  They appear to be so set on vengeance that Bin Laden is their only focus in the war, or is it merely the belief that his capture is the end all, final goal?  (Bush initially had the desire for revenge but quickly realized that he had to address the illness and the symptom.)


President Bush has failed by not pounding this home each and every day, but the Democrats and the MSM have completely blanked on this simply because it isn't their goal.  They seemed to understand early on, but for them to remember they would have to admit that Iraq was part of the same war, and they can't do that or they would lose any political advantage they might have.
DKK

McCain Corrects The Record On Economic Knowledge

Your gonna hear this a lot between now and election day so here, in his own words, is John McCain correcting the record on his understanding of economics:



Reporter -- You have said your not exactly an expert when it comes to the economy...

McCain -- No I have not!  Actually I said I am stronger on national security because of all the time I have spent in the military.  I'm very strong on the economy, I understand it, I'm a lot more experienced then my opponent.
DKK

Ooow, Al (Gore), Sorry -- Wrong Again! -- Update -- Report: Biofuels Caused Food Crisis

Courtesy: RedLasso

A 17 year study indicates that it would take 1000's of years for the melting of Greenland's Ice Caps to affect sea levels. In addition in some spots melting has slowed or even stopped.

Special Report, Grapevine -- July 4, 2008

As I have said repeatedly, we really don't know enough about what's happening to formulate effective solutions that don't end up being worse then the perceived problem.
DKK

Update -- Case in point, biofuels did lead to world hunger!

Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian.

The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body.

The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises. It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and across Europe, which have turned to plant-derived fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil. ...

"Political leaders seem intent on suppressing and ignoring the strong evidence that biofuels are a major factor in recent food price rises," said Robert Bailey, policy adviser at Oxfam.

Guardian UK -- Secret report: biofuel caused food crisis
DKK

Daily Trek -- June 5, 2008

What'd I miss?

Everything you need to know to stay informed each day in 5 minutes or less!  Read your regular news and include this and you will be able to participate in most any current events discussion.
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The US lifted it's moratorium on new solar energy projects out west.  There was concern about the environmental impact but they have wised up under pressure.

A 53 Second cartoon, Welcome Back Carter comparing Obama and Carter.  It's funny, but true.

"One of the fundamental differences between liberals and conservatives, perhaps the most important one politically, is what they think (or how they feel) about the United States. Conservatives think the U.S. is a great country. Liberals think it is a deeply flawed, but redeemable, country. Radicals think it is hopelessly bad and should be destroyed or remade."

Viacom may soon have access to YouTube user IDs, IP addresss and details of every video they've ever watched,  thanks to yesterday's district court order.  Blame Viacom, a huge media company, for not understanding 21st century media.

Obama was only able to buy his home because his friend, convicted felon Tony Rezko, purchased the lot next door.  Shortly thereafter Rezko received federal assistance in the purchase of 1000 rental units that became so rundown many weren't habitable.  Now there are questions about whether Obama received a sweetheart deal on his loan, possibly making him a member of the Subprime Six Seven.

Fascinating video of the worlds first computer design that was never built till now!

"Did you know that just a few months ago the government of Iraq signed a $5 billon dollar contract with Boeing for commercial airliners? Probably not. After all, this is a war for oil, right? Not a war for commercial airliners. Golly! Could it possibly have been a war to liberate a country and to create a beacon of freedom and entrepreneurship in the otherwise rancid Middle East?"

About those high oil prices, 14 members of the House and at least one Senator have holdings in the largest oil companies.  Locking up oil protects those investments no matter how much they criticize the CEO's.

Was successful Columbian hostage rescue only made possible because the fake NGO employees wore Che T-shirts?  Probably not, but it didn't hurt!

Obama has now flipped and moved right on abortion, nowclaiming that mental distress should not qualify as medical necessity for partial birth abortions.

"Barack Obama's policy switches are giving the Left whiplash -- The Democratic nominee's policy pivots are causing anguish among liberals. He is no fool."

With all these flips you have to wonder who the Rube is, the left, the MSM, or the American People. --
Plus this relating to misinformation in the NYT, "Dudes. In the just-decided Heller case, all nine of the Justices of the Supreme Court found that the Second Amendment describes an individual right to bear arms."

Ever wonder one of the ways they save money on Health care in Canada? They close nearby hospitals and pack them into the halls of the rest!

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DKK