Thursday - December 30, 2004

Vioxx (AGAIN!)

I’ve posted a couple of things about the Vioxx scare and how we need to take responsibility for our decisions.  You can read the first one here and the second one here.

As I implied before and make very clear now, since Vioxx and Aleve and all those other names in the news have a greater risk, I say they should stay on the market, companies should change the label to reflect the newer findings and let people decide.  A small minority (in this case) should not have power over a vast majority that might be helped by carte blanche demanding these medications be removed from the shelves.

But, as luck would have it, a couple of good writers have come to my aid.

Once more, I bring you the lucid arguments of Thomas Sowell who starts with is:

The government will allow you to risk your life for the sake of recreation by sky-diving, mountain climbing or any number of other dangerous activities. But it will not allow you to risk your life for the sake of avoiding arthritis pain by taking Vioxx.

More:

Businesses that conduct dangerous recreational activities are not being denounced for “corporate greed” by making money at the risk of other people’s lives. But such charges are flung around regularly about pharmaceutical companies

He then goes on to excoriate the media for the hype they attach to assholes like Rachel Carson and her DDT scare which is now responsible for millions of death of humans due to mosquito bites because there is no other effective way to eradicate them.

Or the fact that if one boxer dies from taking a whack to the head, the whole world is up in arms yet no one really cares much when hundreds die in boating accidents..  What makes one death in boxing so much more precious?

And he hits the nail on the head with these:

Facts don’t matter to those for whom principles don’t matter, however loudly those principles may be proclaimed. Many so-called “thinking people” do remarkably little thinking.

This is heady stuff and they are not going to give it up for anything so mundane as facts or logic or principles. The best that the rest of us can do is to stop calling their ego trips idealism.

Another great piece was written by Emmitt Tyrrell.

He also puts most of the fault over this hysteria on the backs of the media (and lawyers hoping to grab a cash cow.) He explains:

“(W)e now have journalistic hysteria over the Giant Pharmaceuticals and their alleged reckless pursuit of profit. The trial lawyers’ pursuit of profit will get little attention. Witnesses will turn up who will insist that they recognized the painkiller’s dangers all along. They will claim Vioxx’s producer did, too.”

The operant phrase there is the fact that the lawyers’ pursuit of millions will get little attention.

There’s much more written here that you should see for yourself.  Go ahead.  Get smart.  Take the blinders off.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 07:48 AM   
Filed Under: • Editorials •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Tsunamis In The News

Now it is going to start getting ugly as fingers will be pointed every which way for what happened in Asia.

We start with this little bit:

“Thailand’s foremost meteorologists, meeting in a crisis session before the tsunami hit, decided not to issue a warning “out of courtesy to the tourism industry,”

Out of COURTESY!?!?!?!?!

And the media is constantly calling Americans greedy fucks for our love of the buck.  What gall!

In their defense, though, when they made that call they were told the quake was 8.1 versus 9.0.  But still.........any evacuations would only have lasted a few hours.  Then, if no waves came, people could return and no harm would have taken place.

Most people are deathly afraid of snakes.  But if you see a log-sized snake floating by....well, hell, hang on to it.  It could save your life. And did for these folks.

And what compilation of stories would not be complete without a good bashing of the United States? This stupid piece of shit survives because she was scuba diving and then criticizes the US government because:

“At the airport in Bangkok, other governments had set up booths to greet nationals who had been affected and to help repatriate them.  That was not the case with the U.S. government. It took...three hours to find the officials from the American consulate, who were in the VIP lounge.”

OMIGOD!! She had to wait three hours!!  Poor baby!  And there was no one there to greet her?  Poor little princess! 

Then this botch complains she had to pay for her passport photos!  There’s just no pleasing some people.  Then again, they ARE from California.  And anyone who can go to Thailand to scuba dive has got to have some money so now I have more reason to hate them for their criticisms.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 07:11 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Another Idea Whose Time Has Come

Another Idea Whose Time Has Come

A couple of lawmakers in Alaska want to pass a law that would hold juvenile vandals accountable for their actions through adulthood.

HOORAY!!  About damned time!

The law:

“removes caps on parents’ liability for their childrens’ vandalism, allows the court to establish a payment plan and makes the minor responsible for debt before and after they turn 18. State law now caps parent liability at $25,000.  The bill also would allow the state to garnish Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks for vandals who have not repaid their debts.”

They’ve got my vote!

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 07:07 AM   
Filed Under: • Politics •  
• Comments (1) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

I LIKE this!

An entrepreneur is doing what some sites purport to do for free but if he can show results I predict he will be a millionaire within a few years.

His idea?  To charge people a small fee to report illegal immigrants.  What makes his site different (after all, the government says there are lots of places a person can go (including direct to the INS) for free but the founder of the company says this in defense of his service:

“the government’s tip line often frustrates people because they are often put on hold. ....people find it difficult to keep straight the various phone numbers needed to report crimes to different agencies.  People have a hard time finding the number or the number is busy.  In some areas, (federal offices) don’t even accept reports except in writing.”

Now check out the arguments some have against this site.  They definitely fits into the category of “Things That Make You Go, Hmmmm”

Immigrant-rights groups say they are concerned about the business because they believe it could stir anger aimed at illegal immigrants....and may exploit people’s anger at immigrants for profit.

Federal authorities said they are discouraging people from using the site, pointing out that immigration agencies have their own free tip line to report immigration crimes.

An immigration attorney said he is concerned that the Web site could be misused to report legal immigrants and that it raises legal questions, such as possible slander.

In typical socialist fashion, this moonbat fucktard exposes his stupidity and level of fear for all to see by saying:

“he was not familiar enough with the service the Web site provides to form a legal opinion ”

I wish him the best.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 06:44 AM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

The Hatred For The US

Way back in May I posted an article written by Olavo de Carvalho, a Brazilian philosopher and autrhor.  It dealt wiyth assymetric warfare and I found it intersting as hell.  Read it and see how it is applying even now, as I write this and you read it, to the Iraqi war.

Well, as luck would have it I was recently contacted by a gentleman named Ingo who lives in Brazil (man, the reach of BMEWS is long and powerful, eh?) who found our site and sent me another article written by Mr. Carvalho.

If you want to read it, click here. 

It’s a great piece about how seemingly all of Brazil hates America and President Bush and finding anyone who is pro-America in Brazil is an effort in futility.  None in politics, none in the military.  Not even in the Brazilian conservative movement.

This article is, to me, a blueprint for how much of the world has been led to hate both the US AND Israel through efforts of the media.

You’d be remiss to not read it.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 06:36 AM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

What Are You Thankful For?

As the year winds down, reflect back on 2004 and tell us what you have to be thankful for?  For the sake of avoiding shitloads of repetition, let’s just say good health and good familial relations are assumed.

I am thankful for the following:

1.  To Allan and this blog which allowed me to communicate with some great folks out there.  I’d also like to think that Allan and I did our share as part of the “pajamahadeen” of the blogsosphere.

2.  My son, Daniel, got married to his fiancée, Tiffany

3.  My granddaughter, Trinity, was born in March (what a cutie!!)

4.  My father changed his political affiliation to more closely reflect his faith, ethics, fiscal responsibility and morals

5.  I got to shake the hand of President Bush (twice!)

6.  Our President was re-elected (YAAAY!!)

7.  To all my friends and family that have helped me during the year

I know I am forgetting one or two things but if they come to me I will amend this.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/30/2004 at 06:28 AM   
Filed Under: • Personal •  
• Comments (2) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

   Wednesday - December 29, 2004

OK, Give !

Americna Red Cross Relief.

Sri Lanka Relief (UN).

The Canadian Catholic Relief Organization.

Save The Children.

CARE Australia.

OxFam.

The Indian Red Cross.

American Jewish World Service.

Islamic Relief.

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/29/2004 at 07:43 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

The History Of Blogging

Yeah, blogs have come a long way since 1959. Blogger Joey DeVilla discloses the first use of the word “blog” .... in a Superman comic in 1959. Lois Lane was there for the scoop.

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/29/2004 at 06:04 PM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Another Mis-Reported News Story

OK, these forons in the news media have finally encroached into my turf. For days now, I’ve heard how there is no warning system around the US to give us advance notice of undersea earthquakes or approaching tsunamis. Some newscasters have grudgingly admitted that there is a small system in the Pacific to warn of tsunamis on the West Coast.

There is a complex system of thousands of data buoys all around the US, in the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Gulf Of Mexico and it is linked in with data buoys off the coast of Europe operated by our friends, the Brits. The system is operated and monitored by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and managed by the National Data Buoy Center at the NASA Stennis Space Center in southen Mississippi. That’s where NASA builds and tests the engines for the Space Shuttle too.

How does the system work? These buoys are either floating or anchored in position. On board are countless measuring devices which monitor all manner of meteorlogical information, including wave height (hint, hint). These buoys communicate through a satellite uplink directly bouncing this information off of several NOAA-operated satellites down to a huge satellite farm at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The signal data is cleansed and sent down a wide pipe to the NDBC Center, where it is stored in real-time databases for instant analysis by quality specialists. The database is HUGE and is constantly updated by the stream of real-time data. What is done with this data? It is published on the NDBC web site and is also available by phone link to a voice report of conditions anywhere along our coast. The US Navy, the Coast Guard and nearly all commercial fishermen know of this system and take advantage of it daily.

How do I know all this? For two and a half years I was database administrator for this system. It was my responsibility to keep the data flowing in and out to the analysts and to the web sites and dial-up lines. On several occasions, I had to “camp out” in my office there during hurricane alerts to make sure the data kept flowing (where the hell do you think the Weather Channel gets its information from?). FYI, the NASA Stennis Space Center is just down the road from Keesler AFB where the hurricane hunters fly out of.

So there you have it. Go visit the NDBC web site. There is a lot of good information there about coastal conditions all around the US. Tell ‘em Allan sent ya!

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/29/2004 at 05:36 PM   
Filed Under: • Personal • Science-Technology •  
• Comments (3) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Former US Attorney General Defending Saddam ?

Yep, that’s what the headline read. Former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who served under President Lyndon B. Johnson, is in Iraq to help defend Saddam Hussein (link goes to Al-Jazeera news site - where else, eh?). At first, I didn’t believe my eyes when I read the story. Then I saw where he recently defended Yugoslav mass-murderer Slobodan Milosevic. At a press conference in Jordan, Ramsey Clark had this to say ....

“In international law, anyone accused of crime has the right to be tried by a confident, independent and impartial court, and there can be no fair trail without those qualities,” he said.

“The special court in Iraq was created by the Iraqi governing council, which is nothing more than a creation of the US military occupation and has no authority in law as a criminal court,” he said.

Clark also said the US itself must be tried for the November assault on Falluja, destruction of houses, torture in prisons and its role in the deaths of thousands of Iraqis in the war.

Posted by The Skipper     on 12/29/2004 at 05:08 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists • Judges-Courts-Lawyers •  
• Comments (8) • Trackbacks(1)  Permalink •  

Follow-Up On Vioxx

A few days ago I posted this where I talked about Vioxx, Celbrex, etc. and the risks associated with those drugs.

Well, from one who writes much more eloquently than I ever could, read Thomas Sowell’s take on how we are undermining our own ability to make personal decisions.

He uses this analogy concerning how football players are reducing padding on their uniforms:

The NFL players know that padding gives some protection against injuries—but at a price. Carrying the extra weight of padding around slows players down, making them less effective on the football field and perhaps less able to quickly get out of the way of tackles and collisions. In short, they understand that safety is not a free lunch but something you have to pay for, in one way or another.

He goes on to say that although these players are making tradeoffs, there are those who are making decisions for others who just can’t grasp that concept.

A fine read.

I feel vindicated.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/29/2004 at 07:57 AM   
Filed Under: • Editorials •  
• Comments (12) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Let’s Get Serious Now

On The Subject Of Oil.......

It all started with this story about the Saudis increasing their oil reserves to 461 billion barrels.  That’s a shitload of oil!

So I began a little research to try and figure out oil consumption worldwide. 

I shouldn’t have done that!  What I found was what I was looking for----plus some!

First off I wanted to know how many barrels of oil the world consumed per day.  In addition to discovering that as of 2003 consumption totally about 76 million BPD I also found out our oil supply was more diverse.

Remember back in the glory days when oil was about $26 a barrel?  Well, Saudi Arabia chose that time to:

curtail production in response to weak demand and to a significant 1.45 million barrel per day increase in non-OPEC oil output. Large daily production increases occurred in Russia (640,000 barrels), Kazakhstan (150,000 barrels), Canada (170,000 barrels), Angola (160,000 barrels) and Brazil (160,000 barrels).

You may be asking yourselves, “Yet with all this oil flowing from everywhere how come oil is over $42 a barrel today?” We’ll get to that another day.  Remind me.

Back to the original quest....so far so good.

Then I see where US consumption is about 18.5 MBPD versus world consumption at (back in 1999) 73.25 MBPD.  I wonder why that was thrown in there like that with no qualifiers.  So you should not be surprised to read that I am getting a bit leery now.

Then I see this bullshit by some barking fucking moonbat in our OWN GOVERNMENT!!!

When discussing oil consumption he says:

The U.S. consumes 26% of the world’s oil every day! Or, 300 million U.S. consumers out of 6 billion world consumers, that’s 5 % of us, use 26% of the oil.

What inane, stupid, mindless drivel!!!!  OF COURSE WE CONSUME 25% YOU STUPID MORON!  WE PRODUCE 25% OF THE WORLD’S GDP!!!

The level of stupidity when it comes to government bureaucrats knows no bounds, apparently.

And then they go on to say world productivity is ever declining.  What bullshit!  If anything, it’s been increasing!  Witness the Saudi development mentioned above.  And we’ve not even tapped into ANWR.

So, after all that, I concluded that at current consumption rates we’ve got about another 17 years’ worth of oil just from the newest Saudi finds.  For some reason I do not think we will be running out of oil.  Like all commodities, when it TRULY gets low in quantity we will find ways around it.  Natural gas cars, anyone?

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/29/2004 at 07:39 AM   
Filed Under: • Economics •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Interesting (And Weird) Bits O’ News

Bored with your job? Too stressful?  Tired of traffic?  Want to move someplace quieter?

Lots of places are offering homesteads to folks willing to move. With some nice incentives.  Read the one about Ellsworth, Kansas. It reminded me of something I ran across while cycling cross county in 1997 so I dug out my diary and there it was:  in Dighton Kansas the locals were complaining that people were moving out and for every child that left with the parents the local school district lost $5000.  Now, apparently, it is $6000.  Must be inflation.

In a coma?  Can’t get out?  Wish you could?

Get your boss to deliver a message where he yells at you.

From the “People Are Truly Stupid” department, I bring you a story of morons buying water that was in a cup once held by Elvis Presley.

If you hate yourself, don’t try and blame others. Especially if you can’t understand the concept of reflections from mirrors.

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/29/2004 at 07:37 AM   
Filed Under: • Outrageous •  
• Comments (0) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Kwanzaa

Ahhh, yes.  How could we have forgotten that beloved holiday, Kwanzaa.  I fine tradition for Black Americans. Full of hope.  Steeped in heritage.

Founded by a peaceful man, Ron Karenga, who started a group called “The United Slaves” who ended up having violent confrontations with the Black Panthers!!!!  Yep they were more violent than the Panthers!

Founded by a peaceful man who tortured two women

Founded by a peaceful man who a psychiatrist said:

“This man now represents a picture which can be considered both paranoid and schizophrenic with hallucinations and illusions, inappropriate affect, disorganization, and impaired contact with the environment.”

Founded by a peaceful man who later became the head of Black Studies at California State University who said:

“We lost our land through blood; and we cannot gain it except through blood. We must redeem our lives through the blood. Without the shedding of blood there can be no redemption of this race.”

Read this article by Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson that finishes exposing this assclown for the fraud he truly is...evil.

First of all, as we’ve seen, the whole holiday is made up! You won’t find its roots in Africa or anywhere else. Second, Kwanzaa’s “principles” are straight from Hell. Third, and most importantly, Christians who celebrate or incorporate Kwanzaa are moving their attention away from Christmas, the birth of our Savior, and the simple message of salvation: love for God through his Son. To add or subtract from that message is evil.

What a piece of shit, made up festival.  Sadder, though, is that so many people are falling for it getting all dressed up in those African traditional costumes acting all hokey and nice.  Moonbats!

Posted by Ranting Right Wing Howler     on 12/29/2004 at 07:18 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

DISCLAIMER

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

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.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.

Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner