More Wierd News...

This came from a UPI dispatch datelined Oakdale, California

Diners "Have A Ball" At Testicle Festival

The fund raising idea may seem a little nuts, but the annual Testicle Festival is always a big hit. Volunteers with the town's Rotary Club plan to fry up 400 pounds of the private parts of bulls and serve them to diners who pay $50 apiece for the sit down meal. The event, whose proceeds also benefit the Oakland Cowboy Museum, has drawn an average of 450 people and last year raised $28,000. It's common practice on cattle ranches for young male bovines to be castrated into steers, which after the initial loss, eventually makes them more docile and easier to handle. Fans of the delicacy, also referred to as "mountain oysters," come from around the state. According to Rotarians,

Everyone who buys a ticket is guaranteed to "have a ball."

Copyright © 2009 by United Press International

Infighting Among Democrats in Olympia

An article in the Seattle Times outlines the infighting going on among the majority party in Olympia. The split runs the seam between pro-labor and pro-business Ds, with the failed Worker Privacy Bill being the catalyst that has brought it into the public eye.

In spite of the Governor's insistence last November that there was no looming multi-billion dollar deficit, the tanking economy has made it clear that lawmakers have to cut billions as the state budget is a whooping $9+ billion in the hole — and growing. Tensions have been running high since the early days of the session, and have only gotten worse since Democratic leaders killed the worker-rights bill earlier this month. The bill was considered a sacred cow by organized labor. It would have prohibited companies from requiring employees to attend meetings or participate in activities related to political or religious matters — including labor issues. The unions point blank threatened to cut off campaign contributions to any legislator who voted against it.

Business interests strongly opposed the bill, and shortly before it was killed, Boeing lobbyists were pressuring Governor Gregoire to help stop the bill from being put to a vote.

Rep. Brendan Williams (D-Olympia), a left wing perpetual blowhard who naturally supported the bill, whined that he's "dismayed" that a pro-business faction (read: legislators who don't have their heads stuck where the sun doesn't shine) among House Democrats is "tilting" party politics to the right. Oh please... You can't even see to the right from where Williams sits.

Williams has a history of running his mouth over differences with House leadership. In 2007, he threatened to resign when Speaker Frank Chopp (D-Seattle) blocked an onerous home-warranty bill that the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) opposed. Why is no one surprised he didn't keep his word, and what does that say about Williams' character anyway?

"I understand there is an obligation to strike a balance between diverse perspectives in our caucus, but at the same time there seems to be an imbalance," Williams continued whining. "I think there is definitely some enormous concerns that progressive voices aren't being listened to."

Those "concerns" are only a problem for those loose cannons like Williams who reside on the far far-left. Instead of figuring out even more ways to support organized labor-sponsored legislation that will only result in chasing our largest employers out of the state — and make the budget problem even worse — they need to get their heads out of their collective ass and deal with the real problem their past actions have caused — all $9+ billion worth of it.

A Random Thought...

It’s interesting watching all the finger pointing from both parties over the financial mess the country is in. Considering the huge institutions at the core of the crisis like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for example, that contributed campaign money to people bellyaching the loudest and trying to blame Bush for the mess — folks like Barney Frank, Charles Rangel and Chuck Schumer, (Yes, President Obama took money from them too), it appears to me at least that there is more than enough blame to go around.

With that in mind, perhaps members of Congress from both parties should be compelled to wear uniforms and numbers like NASCAR drivers. That way, we could easily identify their corporate sponsors.

The Race Is On

Political pundits often suggest four years is an eternity in politics. The Bremerton mayoral race may be a good example.

Incumbent Mayor Cary Bozeman, who ran unopposed during the previous election cycle, faces what may become a serious challenge from candidate Mike Shepherd. Shepherd, a long-time city council member whose district covers the downtown area, recently announced his candidacy for mayor and has visible support throughout the major thoroughfares. Dozens upon dozens of homeowners have "Shepherd for Mayor" signs in their yards along Burwell, 6th Street, and Warren Avenue -- reminiscent of the perennial Norm Dicks signs that frequently appear along the same streets during congressional elections.

Not be outdone, Bozeman's recent campaign kickoff raised more than $25,000 and a reported 100 supporters took signs with them as they left the event.

The official filing for office ("filing week") will not take place until May, but the race is on.

Editorial Cartoons You Won't See Here

Being an admitted news junkie, I've always been intrigued by how America and Americans are viewed by people — and especially the news media — in other countries. And when I've traveled abroad, I've noticed a very distinct difference in news coverage both in newspapers and on TV, from the left-wing filter most Americans are so used to digesting our news through.
With that in mind, A good friend from Australia sent me this collection of editorial cartoons from various papers there. I thought they are worth sharing.

Intelligent Words To Consider...

Hopefully enough of our leaders will see this quote and take it to heart before it is too late for our nation.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for — that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it"

—The late Dr. Adrian Rogers 1931-2005

Why We Are Bankrupt

A friend sent me this, and I thought it was worth passing on. It's definitely food for thought. You can check out the links for verification of the statements.

You think the war in Iraq is costing us too much? Read this:

Boy, was I confused. I have been hammered with the propaganda that it is the Iraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting us. I now find that to be ridiculous. I hope the following reasons are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them. I also have included the URL's for verification of all the following acts.

• $11 Billion to $22 Billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments.
Verify Here

• $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
Verify Here

• $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
Verify Here

• $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally who cannot speak a word of English!
Verify Here

• $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
Verify Here

• $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
Verify Here

• 30 percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
Verify Here

• $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & Social Services by the American taxpayers.
Verify Here

• $200 Billion dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.
Verify Here

• The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are likely to create a huge additional crime problem in the US.
Verify Here

• During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 milion illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S. from the Southern border.
Verify Here

• The National policy Institute, estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230Billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46Billion annually over a five year period.
Verify Here

• In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45Billion in remittances to their countries of origin.
Verify Here

The total cost is a whopping $338.3 Billion Dollars a year. Talk about stimulus money — How much of our failing infrastructure could that fix every years and how many jobs would that create?

Absurdity In The News

Banning Barbie
A UPI dispatch datelined Charleston, West Virginia, states that American icon Barbie, could get an unwelcome present for her 50th birthday: she could be outlawed in West Virginia. A state lawmaker has proposed a bill to ban sales of the iconic Mattel doll and others like her. The proposal from Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge said such toys influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development.

"Basically, I introduced legislation because the Barbie doll, I think, gives emphasis on if you're beautiful, you don't have to be smart," Eldridge said.

Barbie officially turns 50 this month, and the toymaker reportedly has some big plans to mark the anniversary. Stay tuned.

Larry Flynt Wants a Government Bailout
According to a recent article in the Los Angles Daily News, “adult entertainment moguls” Larry Flynt (of Hustler and Barely Legal fame) and Joe Francis (of Girls Gone Wild fame) are asking “Washington for a $5 billion federal bailout” to offset the decline in “U.S. adult-entertainment industry revenue” from $18 billion three years ago.

Looking at the reader comments on the LA Daily News Web site, was almost as entertaining as the premise of the story itself.

Someone named Gail-Tzipporah Saunders wrote, "Larry Flynt and Joe Francis must be joking. If not, they are living in a suspended state of reality if they expect a $5 billion bailout from Congress. Never mind that many of our elected officials are regulars; if they don't want to be caught with their pants down on this, then they'd better not give in to the request."

Well, Duh...

She adds, "For the time being, if Flynt and Francis are strapped for cash, they could always sell their holdings at an auction. Hopefully, some Mormons will show up along with Rick Warren and the ever-loving Ann Coulter."

Meanwhile, one Rob Asghar noted, "It's just a publicity grab for this San Fernando Valley-based industry, right? Still, how exactly does GM claim it has more of a right to taxpayer money than Larry Flynt? One makes some obscenely bad products, while the other makes porn. It was GM that sold us the Hummer and now pledges to be more chaste in its future designs if we save it now."

He adds, "AIG alone has rifled through our pockets to the tune of $145 billion, beyond all the other bailouts that have been occurring. If Francis and other suffering local adult-entertainment workers want a mere $5 billion more, I'm not altogether sure they're any more unworthy of it than the other folks who are managing to profit off their losses."

However, Morality in Media (MIM) President Bob Peters issued the following response: "Perhaps the two 'adult entertainment moguls' are figuring that if they can keep Congress and the next President laughing about the 'U.S. adult-entertainment industry,' neither will do much if anything to ensure that the U.S. Justice Department vigorously enforces Federal obscenity laws against commercial distributors of hardcore 'adult' pornography."

The New York City-based group works to curb traffic in whatever it deems obscenity, and operates the www.obscenitycrimes.org website, where citizens can report possible violations of federal Internet obscenity laws.

Fake Money Used To Buy Fake Drugs
AP reports from Erwin, Tennessee, that a man was been arrested after police said he used counterfeit money to purchase fake OxyContin pills from an undercover officer. Unicoi County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 21 year old man and charged him with criminal conspiracy with schedule II drugs, forgery and criminal simulation.

Investigator Frank Rogers said the officer met with several people at a mobile home park (doesn't that just fit perfectly in this story?) and arranged for the suspect and another man to come to Unicoi to buy 76 OxyContin pills for $4,875. Officers said it was "obviously bad money," with some bills printed on just one side. Authorities also tracked down the device believed used to make the counterfeit money.

Well, at least he wasn't trying to use the fake money to buy Girl Scout cookies...

And finally...
Postmaster General Gets Pay Bonus As Agency Falters

Again from UPI: Dateline Washington, D.C. As the U.S. Postal Service considers cutting delivery service in the face of dwindling mail volume and rising costs, the Postmaster General received a big pay raise and a performance bonus last year — all authorized by Congress.

Postmaster General John Potter's base salary climbed to $265,000 last year from $186,000 in 2007. He also received a "performance bonus" of $135,000 (based on exactly what, I have to wonder. Inquiring minds want to know). In all his total compensation — salary, bonuses, retirement benefits and other perks — topped $850,000, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service said. At the same time, the Postal Service is crumbling alongside the economy as online communications increase competition.

The Postal Service lost $2.8 Billion last year when total mail volume recorded 202 billion pieces of mail, its largest single drop in history — down more than 9 billion pieces from a year earlier. Despite annual rate increases, including stamp prices set to rise another two cents in May, 2009 could be the first year since 1946 that the actual amount of money collected by the service declines. Potter told a Senate committee last month that if current trends continue, the agency could lose $6 Billion or more this fiscal year.

For this, Congress rewards him with a "performance bonus?" Aren't these are the same geniuses that are going to save our economy?

The "Forbidden" Saturday Night Live Skit

This was sent to me by a friend, and seemed worth passing on, if for no other reason than the humor value. I tried to verify the truthfulness of the claims made below on Snopes, but couldn't find any information to confirm it.

So, for what it's worth...

SNL did a " Bail Out" skit, which created some incredible problems for NBC because it exposed people in Congress who made FannieMae and FreddieMac their own personal piggy banks, then pointed their fingers at others. Now, NBC has tried to pull the video, almost successfully, because the video has all but disappeared from YouTube (Google owned) off the Internet. It was up on multiple Web sites and virtually all the copies are gone now. There are a few new "highly edited" copies on the Internet. How much power would you have to have to pull something from the entire Internet?

The following is the ONLY unedited copy still on the Internet. Pass it on. Let the whole world see what happened in this country and who's responsible for this financial crisis. If the clowns and writers for SNL know what's up... why shouldn’t everybody else have the information ?

Find the "banned" SNL skit here.