Sunday Morning Dawg

Regardless of how many hours I work in a week, I've still got to make sure that the dog gets his share of sunlight and exercise.  Luckily, he likes being outside and the weather we've been having lately is perfect for a hirsute dog.

That dog really needs a haircut.  We'll try to get to that this week.

Electoral Tie

The Washington Examiner takes a look at possible scenarios that might result in a 269-269 tie in the electoral college.  As we all know, it takes 270 to win, so with a tie  the Presidential election would be thrown into the House of Representatives.  The Senate would elect the Vice-President.

I can see the House electing Romney, but who would the Senate elect?  Biden?  Harry Reed?  Hillary Clinton?  It would be a crap shoot for sure.  The Dream Ticket would be for the House to elect Romney and the Senate to elect Obama.  Not only is that result constitutional, it is plausible.  I can recall a number of Vice  Presidents that were not only well liked in the White House, they were mostly shunned.  Many were scape-goated.  I think that President Obama would make a perfect Vice-President to President Romney.  He could be both shunned, scape-goated, and eventually indicted for felonies committed while he was the President.

Oh, and the riots.  It would be a dream scenario.

Change

There's an interesting electoral map over at Real Clear Politics.  It shows the race is changing based on the debate performances, the Libya debacle, the tone of the race, and the economy.  In short, based on the totality of Obama's performance over the past four years.  RCP is only willing to call eight states as Obama locks.  California, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Delaware, Maryland, and Hawaii.  They show Obama having only 201 electoral votes in the Locked, Likely, or Leans column.

There area a whole bunch of toss-up states on this map, and it's vastly different from maps I've seen before last week.  Many other polls show Romney drawing even with or surpassing Obama, and there is still three weeks left before the election.

Now's the time for grass roots politics.  Talk to your neighbors, your family, your co-workers.  Get one hundred people to the polls.  They don't all have to vote for Romney, but they should all vote against Obama.  We need to put this pretender in the unemployment lines.

Testimony

Testifying in Court today, there were two retired troopers and me, once retired and back in harness.  The judge took a recess and came back in chuckling, then ordered his bailiff to ask our attorney the question the bailiff asked in chambers. The bailiff sheepishly got to his feet. "I only asked "Where did he get all those retired officers?"

Our attorney rose to his feet.  "For the record, your honor, I found them all playing dominos down at the old folks home."  The courtroom erupted in laughter, as did the Judge.

And, to complete the record, we kicked their ass.  Never discount eighty years of experience when you're dissecting an accident report.

Details

A Detail, in police jargon, is a very temporary assignment outside of your normal job description.  Normally on a detail, we're tasked with providing a law enforcement presence at an event, or hired by a private concern to assist in a task where a law-enforcement presence is desired.

I've been a cop for thirty years and I've worked a lot of details.  I'm a cop, a very good cop with long experience and a deep understanding of my job.  I'm not "security".  If you need security at an event, you're doing it all wrong, and there are private security companies that will provide contracts at great expense to provide "security" for your event.  That ain't me.  I am the Police.  I know my job, and it isn't standing at a door making sure that everyone has a ticket.  If you need ticket-takers, hire ticket-takers.  That ain't me.  If someone sneaks in and you want him arrested for trespassing, I'll do that, but I'm not your ticket-taker.

Some folks think that because I'm just standing quietly against a wall that I'm available for other tasks.  Not so.  Last night for example, several of my brethren were talking before the event.  We were near a service area filled with folding chairs, discussing how best to handle the situations of the evening, when up walked this officious looking lady.  "We need somebody to set up fifty chairs."

I reached over to the rack of chairs.  "Let me help you." I said.  I took a chair, unfolded it, and set it on the ground.  "Do it just like that, fifty times."

She looked at me, stunned.  "You mean that you're not going to help?"

"That's right, ma'am.  I was sent here to provide a law enforcement presence.  You're not paying me, so I don't work for you.  If you want someone arrested, we'll be glad to help.  If you want a disturbance quelled, we're the folks.  We'll be polite and sociable, and we'll try to make sure everyone has a good time.  But setting up chairs?  Not likely."

She didn't speak to me the rest of the night.  That's a good thing.

Let There Be Monuments

Reading the news earlier today, I had a Red Curtain of Blood moment, when my eyes clouded and my rage filled my eyes.  It seems that the Taliban is targeting school girls and actually targeted one in particular who has decided to stand for female rights in a country where women are chattel.

MINGORA, Pakistan – A Taliban gunman walked up to a bus taking children home from school in Pakistan's volatile Swat Valley on Tuesday and shot and wounded a 14-year-old activist known for championing the education of girls and publicizing atrocities committed by the Taliban, officials said.

A fourteen year old school girl, the Taliban can't stand to hear the truth about women, so they're shooting school girls.  This is the same Taliban that we routed in 2001 and that we're told is knocked back on their heels, in danger of extinction, but not nearly extinct enough.  The same Taliban (and Al-Queda) that we're told is defeated.  It seems that government stance is a lie.  CBS Corresondent Laura Logan reports:

The lie is that America’s military might has tamed the Taliban. …

“There is this narrative coming out of Washington for the last two years,” Logan said. It is driven in part by “Taliban apologists,” who claim “they are just the poor moderate, gentler, kinder Taliban,” she added sarcastically. “It’s such nonsense!”

Logan stepped way out of the “objective,” journalistic role. The audience was riveted as she told of plowing through reams of documents, and interviewing John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan; Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and a Taliban commander trained by al-Qaida. The Taliban and al-Qaida are teaming up and recruiting new terrorists to do us deadly harm, she reports. She made a passionate case that our government is downplaying the strength of our enemies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a rationale of getting us out of the longest war. We have been lulled into believing that the perils are in the past: “You’re not listening to what the people who are fighting you say about this fight. In your arrogance, you think you write the script.”

In my view, we should be building monuments to the Taliban, and Al-Queda as Jerry Pournelle recommended at the beginning of this war.

Nablus. Gaza. Baghdad. Damascus. There shall be monuments, perpetual, large enough to be seen from the air, from space: monuments of desolation in each of those cities. A million square feet; let the company commanders measure each building before flattening it.

Let it be recorded. And let salt be sown where those places stood. Let their refugees go where they will. And if that requires the Army fight its way into those places, then the devil take the hindmost. We have no lack of volunteers.

When that is done, Kabul, since they decline to deliver bin Laden or his head. That will be more difficult because it is harder to get to.

Begin by laying bare their air defenses. Leave them naked to air attack. These are acts against military targets, legitimate targets of war. Next drop leaflets mapping that part of Kabul that has been chosen for our monument. Twenty four hours later, begin its construction. We will have to open iron bomb factories, we may have to build new heavy bombers. So be it. The monument will be built. It will not be completed until we ritually sow salt on the site, while the population of Kabul stands at a distance and does not interfere.

I think Libya needs to contribute a monument site as well. There may be other places. Tehran now appears to be a candidate.

Our President is lying to us about winning the war. It's not over. Go read all the links above. There is only one way to win this, and that is by total destruction of our enemies. Follow them into their lairs, lay waste to them, and hound them until they die.  When we're finished, no one will dare strike us again.

Targeting school children, indeed.

Long Week

I got to school this morning and started getting hit up for extra-curricular activities.  As it turns out I have to work late Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and most of the day Saturday.  If y'all don't see much blogging happening, it's because I'm in my boots and standing watch.

I'll check in when I can, but don't count on much.

I do see that Pew has Romney up by four points over our President.  Rasmussen is calling it a horse race.  Gallup also says they are even.  This is getting interesting, and I still believe that Romney is going to win it in a walk.  It's going to be an interesting week in politics.

Y'all try to entertain yourselves while I work over 60 hours this week.

Raccoons

I see that raccoons are invading New York City.

They are getting more brazen on Washington Avenue, rummaging through trash, and running right up to neighbors. One even went face-to-face with Barbara Mattocks on her own front stoop. “I don’t want that feeling ever again. I was petrified,” Mattocks said.

Heh! The residents don't know how to deal with raccoons.

It’s gotten so bad, one 3-year-old Maltese named ‘Snowball,’ who used to love to play outside, is now a prisoner in his own home, according to his owner.

I don't know what to tell those fools, but raccoons aren't that bad. They respond well to axe-handles and baseball bats. And, they're good to eat. If you've never tried barbequed coon, you have missed a culinary treat. They're fatty like pork and respond well to the same treatment.  Recipes abound.  Imagine the next dinner party, when your guests ask about the piece de resistance.  "Oh, that?" you respond.  "That's a raccoon we killed on our front stoop.  He was rummaging through the garbage can and I killed it with a cricket bat.  Try it with the yams, they're excellent."

You'd be the toast of the town.

Talents

We were all challenged to show our talents by our pastor, and my son showed his by designing and erecting a new church sign.  Made completely of steel, it should last until long after I'm gone.  Additionally, it is easily disassembled for painting and maintenance.

I think that's a great looking sign, don't you?  Here's another photo with the designer.

Well done, son!

Sunday Morning Dawg

I found the dog's ball and we played chase-the-ball, till he decided that he's had enough and wouldn't bring me the ball.  He's still got it with him, but he won't let me get any closer than a half-room away from him.

Every time I get close, he picks up the ball and leaves the area.

Poor ol' California

I feel bad for the motorists in California.  Drudge leads with a headline saying that the prices there have set a new record in that state.  It's part and parcel of what our President promised us and so far he's been true to that promise if none of the others.

I can't spend too much time worrying about California motorists, though.  Their own elected officials have implemented policies that caused this artificial shortage and the resultant high prices.  It's their own damned fault.  If Cali voters had any sense at all, they'd fire the Democrats running the place and return to the freedom loving, individualistic place that it used to be.  I'd love to see California go for Romney next month to send a message to the officials there.  That ain't gonna happen and they made their bed, let them sleep in it.

Here in freedom loving Louisiana, a state that understands the petroleum business, I paid $3.43 for a gallon of unleaded this morning.  It wasn't real unleaded gasoline, it was that ethanol crap, and I lay the blame for that on the Federal regulators.

LSU at Florida

Florida just kicked off to LSU.  This is a very important game amongst the family because we have both LSU and Florida fans.  The outcome of this game every year is the cause of much mirth, and decides which colors one of the grandkids will wear this year.  It's a great afternoon for college football.

UPDATE:  What a revolting development.  Florida wins, 14-6.  Looks like the kid wears Florida shirts this year.

Weather

I had to go to the lease this morning to take care of a few last-minute details, like getting the red wasps out of the deer stand, sweeping the stand out, and putting another bag of corn in the feeder.  While I was hooking up the trailer to load the Mule, I felt the wind change and get noticeably cooler.  Much cooler than a simple tee shirt would indicate.  Before I left, I put a jacket in the car and the thermometer in my pickup truck told me that the temperature was 63F, cooler than we've experienced yet this year.

Driving toward the lease, I heard two weather reports that told me that we'd be getting a cool front later today.  I believe that the weather-weenies had taped that weather report because that front is moving faster than they anticipated, to the tune of about twelve hours.  That jacket felt good at the lease this morning while I did my chores and I kept it on until I got back in the truck to head home.

Accuweather tells me that the front will get here later today.

Unless I'm sadly mistaken, and the thermometer on the porch has quit working, that front has already arrived.  Tonight might be a good time to make a pot of chili.

Friday Nite

I've spent the day watching security camera footage, which is closely akin to watching paint dry. Some teacher claims her I-Pad was stolen and I've been trying to find out who stole it. Of course, she did nothing to secure the device and has no apps to help locate it.

She's distraught and I understand that, so I've been trying to help. If there is anything more soul-crushing than watching security camera tapes, I've yet to find it. It's like boredom crossed with drudgery in low definition. Still, I did my job, and gave them an extra hour. My brain feels like it's been filled with sand.

I came home, poured a stiff shot of whiskey, and now Milady and myself are headed to the auction. I doubt I'll buy anything but a sandwich for supper. Yet, there might be a treasure there, so my hopes are optimistic. I have to remember that I've been drinking whiskey before I start bidding. Just another day in the life of a school-house cop. The football team is going to take their ass-whipping in another town, so I don't have to work the game. I'm off tonight.

Gasoline in California

It looks like gasoline supplies in California are at an all-time low.  Why is that?  Simple.  California has some weird requirements for gasoline and the refineries have to switch over from summer blend to winter blend.  That takes time.

California’s summer-blend fuel requirements are in effect in Southern California until Oct. 31. The Reid Vapor Pressure, or RVP, limits are lifted in other areas of the state as early as Sept. 30. The state Air Resources Board and Energy Commission are evaluating fuel supplies and haven’t decided on the waiver, Dave Clegern, a spokesman for the air board in Sacramento, said by e- mail.

Of course, if they'd start pumping their own petroleum out of the ground and open a few more refineries, this might not happen, but right now, parts of California are out of gasoline. That's what happens when you let government tell you what you can sell.

Romney by a Knockout

In case you've been living under a rock, it looks like Mitt Romney won the debate last night, by a knockout. You can go to Instapundit for a number of links, but the best is by James Taranto, who quotes Jeffrey Lord, saying:

Barack Obama has been so totally coddled by the liberal media that he looked absolutely shell-shocked in this debate. Stunned, unhappy, angry, sour--and at some points genuinely incoherent.

Taranto had some of his own goodness, talking about Chris Matthews meltdown after the debate.

About the private reaction of Obama's wife, of course, we can only speculate. But many of his lovers went public with their devastation: "I don't know what he was doing out there," wailed Chris Matthews. "He had his head down, he was enduring the debate rather than fighting it." One expected Matthews to burst into song: "The thrill is gone baby / The thrill is gone away / You know you done me wrong baby / And you'll be sorry Election Day."

Evidently, it was a bitter defeat for the Democrats. This race ain't over by a long shot and Mitt Romney looked presidential last night. Probably the best quote of the night goes to liberal comedian Bill Maher, who tweeted: Obama made a lot of great points tonight. Unfortunately, most of them were for Romney

This race isn't over by a long shot.  I stand by my prediction that Romney will win the electoral college with over 300 votes.

Wednesday Wanderings

I understand that there is a presidential debate tonight, but I'm going to watch Ghost Hunters instead.  That's probably a metaphor for something, but I'm not in the mood to figure it out.  If Romney would come on stage and tell the world that he intends to be a one-term president; that he won't run for office while in office and that he's got the business acumen to make the hard decisions to put the country back on the right track, he'd win in a landslide.  He won't do that.

The top cop in Detroit is suspended from his job after having had an affair with a subordinate.  She found out that she'd been supplanted by a newer squeeze and decided to go all Facebook on him, putting a picture on the interwebs with her gun in her mouth.

As a gunny, I can't really tell, but I believe that's a Smith and Wesson M&P.  It looks a lot like the gun I carry every day, to include the night sights and all the little machining on the back of the slide.  Her career is pretty much over, as is his.  One old sheriff told us a long time ago, "Boys, that badge can get you a lot of women, but it doesn't take but one woman to get your badge."  Good advice for all the young cops out there.  If you are single and you ever see this chick on your contact list, don't take her out.  She's crazier than a shit-house rat.

It looks like Syria and Turkey are engaging in good old-fashioned artillery duels.  Evidently, Syria lobbed some mortar shells across the border, and Turkey retaliated with long guns.  More at WaPo.

That's enough for a Wednesday, I guess.  I've got a big jambalaya on the stove and I best tend to it.

Huff Post Playing the Race Card

Look for more of this as we get closer to the election.  Writer (and English prof) Stephanie Li writes at the Huffington Post that Mitt Romney might be the whitest man to run for the Presidency.

But the leaked video reveals something more pernicious: his utter blindness to his own privilege. For decades, scholars in the field of critical race theory have demonstrated how "whiteness" is not a universal standard but instead a specific social identity built upon unearned entitlements. Romney's whiteness is most flagrant not in the remarkable privilege he enjoyed, but in his denial of how his race has fundamentally influenced his life's trajectory

Oh, so Mitt Romney is a white guy. We knew that. Then the perfesser gets into crucial race theory:

The Romney's shortsightedness on this issue demonstrates their ignorance of one of the central ideas in the field of critical race studies, the unearned privileges accorded to whiteness. In her foundational essay, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," Peggy McIntosh likens whiteness to "an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks."

Ha! Really? No one's ever given me a blank check, or a code book.

The academes are distressed that we might un-do the historical black president and elect a white guy.  I thought that they were supposed to be blind to race, but it turns out that they are some of the most racist people available.  Critical Race Theory, indeed.

Cartel Boss had Fast and Furious Weapons

Hot Air is reporting on an update to the Mexican drug cartel problem.  You might remember that Fast and Furious, the illegal scheme of Eric Holder to run guns to Mexican drug cartels so that he could help his buddy and boss, President Obama, trace guns into Mexico so that they could inflict new, stringent gun regulations on us.  Well, it turns out that the Mexican government knew just how far those guns got.

When Mexican authorities took Juarez drug cartel carnage king Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez — better known as “El Diego” — into custody, he had weapons from Operation Fast and Furious on his person, the English-language transcript of the Spanish-language television network Univision’s special investigation into the scandal shows.

He had Fast and Furious guns on his person. Interesting. We know now how high in the cartels the guns got. All the way to the top. The Univision reporter is asking hard questions and maybe soon the Mexican government will start asking hard questions.

The Univision reporter says at the end that “the United States government has many things that they ought to make public.” Unfortunately, this administration is still hiding Fast & Furious evidence and witnesses from Congressional investigators via a bogus executive privilege claim.

I'd think that the Mexican government might like to subpoena Eric Holder and have him extradited to Mexico to answer questions.  As soon as we fire his boss, even if President Obama gives him a pardon for that string of felonies, I doubt that the Mexican government would be so forgiving.  Eric Holder might get to see what the inside of a Mexican prison looks like and that would be poetic justice.

I see that another Border Patrol agent has been gunned down in Arizona.  I wonder where those guns came from?  Holder has blood on his hands.

Skin In the Game

If it's going to matter to you, you've got to have skin in the game.  It doesn't matter if you're playing sandlot baseball, or if we're talking about income taxes.

Glenn Reynolds has a great little opinion piece at USA Today where he lays out some conservative ideas for tax reform.  I agree with most of what he says, and I think that this is something that we should be talking about.  If everyone had to pay some federal income tax, even a minimal amount like 2%-5%, then they'd have skin in the game.  It really doesn't matter how much or how little a person pays, what matters is that they're participating.  He's also got another great idea, tying federal tax levels to federal spending.

I'd like to see a system where everyone pays some minimum amount of tax — enough to notice, say 2%-5% of gross income. And that amount should go up noticeably when the federal government spends more, and go down noticeably when it spends less.

In a given year, that might only affect some individuals by a few hundred dollars, but as anyone who has followed local-government property tax fights knows, people can get pretty exercised over a few hundred dollars when they know it's coming out of their pocket and not someone else's.

I'd also like to close the government service-private sector loophole. If someone is appointed or elected to a federal position, then after they leave government service everything they make over $125,000 should be taxed at a 100% rate for five years. That would stop folks from parlaying government service into lucrative private sector jobs.

We really need to talk about some sort of plan like this.