Saturday - February 17, 2007

Drowning

_{John Deering - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette}

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/17/2007 at 10:04 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather •  
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Weekend Eye Candy

Now we all know Jack Bauer is THE MAN. When it comes to saving the world (or at least our part of it), no one even comes close. Every week we watch in suspense as Jack endures another terrible ordeal in his ongoing fight for Truth, Justice and The American Way ... wait a minute, that’s that other guy in the red and blue tights and a cape.

Anyway, we watch and hold our breath as another hour ticks slowly by and the bad guys get closer and closer to destroying civilization. We know Jack will come through somehow or another though. Except ... there’s something missing. I think Jack needs to be more like 007. You know, all those beautiful dames falling all over him as he fights against the evils of the world.

Which brings me to this weekend’s Eye Candy. I have decided that Jack should have 24 beautiful women to make life a little easier during his long day each season. With that thought in mind, I have chosen twenty four of Playboy’s cutest Cyber-Girls for this season of “24”. There is no need to ask “what would Jack Bauer do” this time. If he’s smart, he’ll save the world in the first five minutes then spend the rest of each hour with one of these lovely ladies.

Click the “24” image up there and proceed to the gallery. We’ll let you decide what hour of the day each one belongs to. The usual warning applies: DEFINITELY NSFW ....

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/17/2007 at 08:16 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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Barking Moonbat Of The Week

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/17/2007 at 02:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Awards •  
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   Friday - February 16, 2007

Postcard From Iraq

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

-- Edmund Burke --

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 05:32 PM   
Filed Under: • Iraq •  
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Motivational Poster Of The Day

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 05:22 PM   
Filed Under: • Motorvators •  
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Lost!

Hehehehe. I ain’t lost this time, by golly. I know exactly where I am. Down there is the largest USAF base I’ve ever seen. I’m over CONUS and I just checked and it’s warm outside so I’m gonna enjoy this landing.  That’s all the hints you get today. Ready-set-GO!

Note From Skipper: I love this base. I’ve worked here on government contracts several times and I always loved those assignments. The most awesome sight in the world is standing or parking close to this end of that main runway and watching the F-16’s take off. Those hot shots come flying down the runway and just as they reach the end they switch on the afterburners and go vertical - and I DO mean vertical. Those birds have so much power that they climb straight up and they ACCELERATE while doing it. ZOOM-ZOOM!

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_{(Photo from Google Earth Desktop)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 04:43 PM   
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Congress Disapproves

House Passes Resolution Opposing Bush’s Plan to Send More Troops to Iraq
_{WASHINGTON (FOX NEWS) - Friday, February 16, 2007}

House Democrats on Friday sent the Bush administration the clearest message to date on Iraq by passing a resolution that opposes the president’s plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to the war-torn country.

House lawmakers wrapped up a four-day marathon debate leading up to the 246-182 vote. The Senate is expected to take up the debate for a test vote on Saturday. The resolution vote, however, won’t alter Bush’s policy in Iraq or stop the surge of troops into Baghdad.

“The bipartisan resolution today may be nonbinding, but it will send a strong message to the president: we here in Congress are committed and supporting our troops,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the House floor. “The passage of this legislation will signal change in direction in Iraq that will end the fighting and bring our troops home safely and soon.”

Bush pitched his plan last month to send an additional U.S. forces into Iraq to quell sectarian violence there, igniting opposition from Democratic leaders and some Republicans.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., called Iraq a “defeat.” “What we now have in Iraq is a defeat. We cannot achieve the illusions of the Bush administration that we will be able to create a stable unified liberal democracy in Iraq that is pro-American,” Waxman said on the House floor. “Instead, we have sectarian fighting, death squads and a disabled Middle East that threatens to be engulfed by the nightmare that we have unleashed.”

Republicans warn the vote will embolden terrorists and insurgents, and send the wrong message to the troops on the ground, while Democrats argue that the troop surge will risk more American lives.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., asked fellow lawmakers to vote against the resolution, calling it “misguided and dangerous.” “You cannot support the troops if you are undermining their mission and challenging their commander in the field,” King said on the House floor. “By opposing this new policy, the supporters of the resolution are clearly undermining our new commander in Iraq at such a vital time at the conduct of this war.”

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who chairs the House panel that oversees military spending, said he plans to introduce legislation that would end Bush’s plan by setting limits on which troops can be sent and would prevent them from being sent back too soon or too poorly equipped. Troops going overseas for another tour would have to stay in the United States at least one year before being redeployed.

- More ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 03:32 PM   
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Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

MORT KONDRACKE: That would deny funds for any troops that go to Iraq unless they meet certain benchmarks of training, of equipment, of — they have to be back in the states a year, you can’t send them over there if they haven’t had their years rest. You can’t extend troops beyond a certain length of time service in Iraq.

Look, I mean it’s pretty clever on two different levels. One, it pretends to be for the troops, I mean, to make sure that they’re trained adequately and rested adequately and all this. And it’s also appears to be for the troops in that if you vote against the supplemental with this in it, you’ll be against funding the troops while they’re in combat. But it is truly anti-troop, because you’ve got — the surge will be well underway and what Murtha is going to try to do is deny reinforcements for these troops . . . leaving them more vulnerable than they were.

NINA EASTON: What happens if it passes both Houses and it lands on the president’s desk and the president says, “I’m sorry, I’m commander in chief, this is micromanaging the war. I’m going to ignore this.” He might not even bother to veto it and then it goes to the courts.

FRED BARNES: This is way too clever by a half for two reasons. One, it’s clear what Democrats are doing. . . . And secondly. . . in micromanaging the war with all these restrictions and so on that Mort talked about, they risk taking ownership of this war. I mean, this is Bush’s war, it’s the Republican’s war, but if they’re going to apply all these standards to it and micromanage the war . . . it could become their war.

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 01:08 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Military •  
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Glowbull Warming Daily Briefing

Remember that godawful winter storm that just passed through dumping dozens of feet of snow, killing 15 people, stranding drivers in a 50-mile pileup and leaving an Arctic frozen wasteland behind? Well, it turns out he has a big brother coming to visit us this weekend - some guy named Alberta Clipper. No relation to Alberta Gore.

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/16/2007 at 02:27 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-Weather •  
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   Thursday - February 15, 2007

Through The Looking Glass

“Holy Snakes”

Dwijendra’s name is among the most frequently mentioned in the history of temples in Bali. His pilgrimage is described in a lontar (palm leaf book) entitled Dwijendra Tattwa (The Teaching of Dwijendra). It covered Bali, and the eastern islands of Lombok and Sumbawa. At almost every place he stopped, a temple was built by the local community as a way of giving thanks for his spiritual teachings.

The Pulaki Temple, on Bali’s west coast, north of Gilimanuk, was built by fishermen to give thanks for his help, when they almost drowned. The Gading Wangi Temple, also not far from Gilimanuk, was built to give thanks by a local man who had suffered from prolonged illness. Dwijendra’s journey eastward brought him to what is now the Rambut Siwi Temple - where travelers stop to pray.

Sailing south-eastward from Rambut Siwi, Dwijendra arrived at a small rock-island, where he decided to take a rest. Local fishermen brought him offerings, and provided him a place to sleep. The priest, however, chose to stay on the rock island where at nights he gave Hindu teachings to the villagers. The priest advised them to build a shrine to the God Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa which is the origin of The Pakendungan Temple, better known as Tanah Lot. On his departure, the priest’s belt fell off, which according to popular myth, became black and white (polèng) snakes which still live under the rocks and are worshipped as holy snakes.

-- “Bali’s South Sea Temples - Holy Places”

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/15/2007 at 06:13 PM   
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Lost!

Lost again! This time I may be in Injun territory. I’m somewhere in the Middle East over what looks like a large USAF base. I smell roasted goat and camel dung from outside. Altimeter says runway below is at 175 feet above sea level and those look like hardened aircraft shelters in those loopey-loops to the left of the runway. I suppose now would be a good time to bow to Mecca and pray for a safe landing on that 10,007 ft. runway below. HELP!

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_{(Photo from Google Earth Desktop)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/15/2007 at 03:50 PM   
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Help Wanted

Do you want a chance to harass Congress-critters and help make sure they’re doing what we pay them to do? Now’s your chance and all it will take is a few minutes of your time on the web.

I registered this blog with the Sunlight Foundation last year, shortly after they went live. It seemed like an idea whose time had come, namely let’s shine a little daylight on Congress and and expose the crooks and slackers. They’re doing such a good job that they were recently featured and interviewed on FOX NEWS.

I still think it’s a good idea and I urge you to trot on over there (see links below) and sign up. They’ll provide you with a flashlight - all you have to do is go shine it on a Congress-critter’s website and evaluate whether the wankers in DC are actually doing anything or just blowing smoke (at our expense). Now git on over there ...

The Sunlight Foundation Wants You To Research Congressional Web Sites!

The Sunlight Foundation is launching a new citizen journalism project. This distributed research project asks you to dig through the official, taxpayer-funded Web site of a member of Congress, and help determine those that act as genuine tools for transparency.

We’re asking questions in three broad areas: do they provide access to basic information on what they do in Congress (the bills they sponsor, the committees they serve on); do they provide information from or access to any of the legally-required disclosures they have to file (on personal finances or junkets they take), and do they provide any additional information that furthers transparency (their daily schedule, lists of earmarks they’ve asked for or gotten).

We’re asking you to help us determine whether a member’s Web site, by furthering transparency, serves the interests of the citizens who pay for it. The findings will be used to highlight the best practices and to develop a set of transparency standards for sites of members to meet.

The project may take you ten minutes or longer, depending on the size and complexity of the Web site you’re looking at.

To get started, click here: http://www.sunlightlabs.com/research/sites/

Thanks so much for your interest in Sunlight, and good hunting!

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/15/2007 at 02:53 PM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
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Banking Games

Republicans in Congress finally decided to go after Bank Of America for their new Illegal Alien Credit Card™ program ("Don’t leave su casa without it!") and guess who’s leading the charge? If you guessed Tom Tancredo (who pisses off Muslim Congressmen by smoking cigars in his office), then your’re right. All in favor of Tancredo for President in 2008, raise your hand!

For the record, I know why BOA is doing this ... greed, pure and simple. You see, I once had an account with the bastards and I closed it for various reasons: (1) they told me there would be no monthly checking fee - then, after I took a contract with a company that didn’t do direct deposit I found out about BOA’s fine print which says there is no monthly fee AS LONG AS YOUR PAY IS DEPOSITED ELECTRONICALLY, otherwise its’ $14 per month; (2) they offered me a Visa credit card that could be tied to my checking account to cover overdrafts - at 23.9% interest AND a $30 charge any time an overdraft was covered by the card; (3) any check that you deposit that is not from your local Bank Of America is automatically held for FIVE DAYS before your account is credited with it - I deposited a paycheck drawn on Bank Of America in Virginia, where my employer’s corporate offices were, into my Bank Of America account in St. Louis and even though it was another BOA branch they STILL held up crediting my account for nearly a week - DURING WHICH TIME THEY WERE DRAWING INTEREST ON THE MONEY. I finally told them to shove it, closed all my accounts and will never do business with them again. Period.

You see, in days gone by banks used to make a profit based on the difference between the interest they charged on loans and the interest they paid on savings. If they made a million in interest on loans and mortgages and paid out half a million in interest on savings accounts and CD’s then they made half a million profit. That wasn’t good enough - starting about 20 years ago they started raising monthly fees and overdraft charges, increased finance charges on credit cards, hidden charges here, there and everywhere as well as earning interest on delayed deposits. They have reached into every loophole on the books to increase profits, which all goes to the fat cats in charge at the top. Banks have always paid their help (tellers, bookkeepers, etc.) the lowest wages they could get away with - that hasn’t changed. Where does all this increased profit go? I’d like someone in Congress to look into that.

As for the Illegal Alien Credit Card program, you can bet there will be a $500 limit, which will probably have to be secured by a $500 deposit in a savings account which will pay 1.9% interest and the Mess-cans will be charged 28.9% interest plus various unspecified finance charges each month. In addition, BOA will move the statement date around and mail out statements only a few days before the due date to confuse the credit card user and cause late fees and other charges.

I know all their tricks. I’ve seen them used - on me and others. Bank Of America isn’t doing the illegal aliens any favors - which they will soon find out. My guess is BOA has to find a new market because most American citizens are on to their trickery and won’t do business with them. That means dropping profits - so it’s time to go scalp a few Mexicans. If Congress really wants to do something right (for a change) they need to kick out the lobbyists from the banking industry and open hearings into bank fraud in this country. Drag a few CEO’s in from Bank Of America, CitiBank, Bank One and a few others and rake them across the coals. If they did that, I might begin to think our Congresscritters are actually on our side - for a change.

GOP Lawmakers Peeved at New Bank of America Credit Card Program
_{WASHINGTON (FOX NEWS) - Thursday, February 15, 2007}

Lawmakers are lashing out at Bank of America Corp. over its new program to offer credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers, saying it creates a dangerous loophole for terrorists and illegal immigrants.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., called for a federal investigation of the program on Wednesday, sending Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff a letter requesting a review of the program.

“After September 11, we were told that money was the lifeblood of terrorists, and that we should do everything possible to block their access to financial resources,” Tancredo said in a statement. “Today we are hearing a far different message: Bank of America, it’s everywhere terrorists want to be.”

The program welcomes applicants without a Social Security number and credit history if they have held a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft, The Wall Street Journal first reported in Tuesday editions.

Another Republican lawmaker criticized the program, saying it should be stopped to avoid security risks with illegal immigrant members of the program. “If an individual wants to get a credit card, they can get that in their home country,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told FOX News.

“This is something that is of deep concern to me, that Bank of America would choose to market to those that have chosen to break U.S. law to enter this country and then they would give credit to them,” Blackburn said.

Bank of America stands by its program, saying that it complies with all U.S. banking and anti-terrorism laws. Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., said a loophole in a Treasury regulation allows Bank of America to act within the law. The program was tested last year at five Bank of America branches in Los Angeles. It was expanded to 51 branches in Los Angeles County last week.

- More ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/15/2007 at 01:47 PM   
Filed Under: • Corruption and Greed • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration •  
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Motivational Poster Of The Day

Posted by The Skipper     on 02/15/2007 at 12:38 PM   
Filed Under: • Motorvators •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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