The Mayflower

I don't think they teach this in schools anymore. 

This is the history of the quirky, obstinate people who built America. Tell your children and your grandchildren this story. All kids need cultural roots, and they won't get them in today's schools or churches.

A Samizdata Quote of the Day

You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. 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 the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

– Adrian Rogers

Never a truer word.  Related.

Bravo

Wow.  That was one hell of a speech.

Here is my (limited/xenophobic) take:

An extremely well crafted speech. Some points that stood out for me (probably because i'm Canadian) were:

Trump mentioned the Canadian PM by name "Justin Trudeau" cue the fact that everyone knows JT is a Socialist and is operating a Socialist government in Canada. Trump mentions that JT, and he, came to some agreement on trade (JT is an idjit, out maneuvered and out smarted by Trump). The trap is laid.

Many minutes later, Trump starts talking about a new "Immigration" system, one that mirrors/copies the Canadian model of immigrants having to earn "points" to qualify for entry as an immigrant. The trap closes.

A Socialist leader (JT) of a Western democracy (Canada) enforces an immigration system that vets and tests and holds up pre-stated standards to potential immigrants.

Fucking brilliant.

The Last Crusade

Trump's win has shaken things up with the right as well as the left. What do you all think about this post by author John C. Wright? Is it a lone voice in the darkness or a rallying cry that will be taken up by the men of Christendom?

"We are behind enemy lines. A darkness is haunting the world. The lamps are going out. As the lamps die one by one, the darkness grows.

For too long, far too long, we have patiently watched the denigration, the desecration, and the destruction of all cherished things in life, great and small. We have seen our freedoms eroded, our wealth robbed, our culture corrupted, our laws and customs turned from loyal watchdogs to ravenous wolves, trespassing on the very rights they were erected to protect.
Nor is the corrosion limited to politics. The political order is the fruit of but one branch; the culture is the trunk; the soil is the moral foundation of the people. The bedrock is faith.
But in these days the rock is shattered, the soil is poisoned, the trunk is hollow, so the fruit is maggoty and putrid.  The religious, moral and cultural sources from which politics spring have also been savaged, beaten, and exiled. A whole world has been buried under a bottomless trashheap of lies and curses.

All branches of life are afflicted. The enemy is victorious on all fronts."

Read the rest HERE.

What's Not To Like?

From the Daily Mail:

Earlier this month, senior Tory Cabinet ministers published six pieces of legislation they hoped to pass to restore Britain's border controls and end the supremacy of EU law following a Brexit. 

Michael Gove, Chris Grayling and Boris Johnson set out what is effectively a manifesto for a 'government in waiting'. They pledged that the new laws would be in place by the next General Election in 2020.

Finance Bill: This would abolish the 5 per cent rate of VAT on household energy bills. Paid for by savings from the UK’s contributions to the EU budget. 

National Health Service (Funding Target) Bill: Requirement that by the next general election, the NHS receives a £100 million per week real-terms cash transfusion on top of current plans. Paid for by savings from the UK’s contributions to EU budget. 

Asylum and Immigration Control Bill: Ends the automatic right of all EU citizens to enter the UK by the next election. Criminals refused entry and a ‘non-discriminatory’ Australian points-based system, based on skills, introduced for those wishing to enter from inside and outside the EU. 

European Union Law (Emergency Provisions) Bill: This would end the European Court of Justice’s control over national security, allow ministers to remove EU citizens whose presence is not conducive to the public good – including terrorists and serious criminals – and end the growing use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to overrule UK law. 

Free Trade Bill: The UK would leave the EU’s ‘common commercial policy’. That would restore the UK Government’s power to set its own trade policy. UK would take back seat on the World Trade Organization. 

European Communities Act 1972 (Repeal) Bill: Ensures the European Communities Act 1972 – the legal basis for supremacy of EU law – is repealed. EU Treaties will cease to form part of UK law and European Court’s jurisdiction will end. UK would cease to contribute to the EU budget. EU law to be transferred into domestic law with Parliament choosing what to keep, remove or amend.

(Emphasis mine.)

I wonder how many people in the "Remain" camp realised exactly how much British sovereignty was ceded to the Union.

Okay, who wants to start the UN exodus...anyone?

Israel...Just Because

Things that make you go "Huh?" one of which is hairdryers in Israeli Hotels. These are they. Yes, really. Even in the 5 Star Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel. The hairdryer was a vacuum hose attached to the wall. I do not get it.

Divine Steyn

Mark Steyn and Nick Farage decimate Louise Arbour and Simon Schama in the Munk debate.  Cons won as well they should.  Oh Mark, be still my heart...

Too Good Not To Share

Not Working...Survival Tips For Democrats

This article is so spot on that it's stunning in its simplicity. I don't always agree with Glenn Reynolds, but he nails it this time.

Working class white people don't like President Obama much. According to the latest Gallup Poll, only 27% approve of him. That's 21 percentage points down since he took office in 2009.

A standard talking-point is that these voters don't like Obama because they're racist. But that assumes that the key word in "white working class" is "white." In fact, the key word is "working." After all, Obama isn't any blacker than he was in 2009.

A few Democratic pundits seem to get this. Writing in Mother Jones, Kevin Drum observes: "So who does the WWC take out its anger on? Largely, the answer is the poor. In particular, the undeserving poor. Liberals may hate this distinction, but it doesn't matter if we hate it. Lots of ordinary people make this distinction as a matter of simple common sense, and the WWC makes it more than any. That's because they're closer to it. For them, the poor aren't merely a set of statistics or a cause to be championed. They're the folks next door who don't do a lick of work but somehow keep getting government checks paid for by their tax dollars. "

Read it all. You'll be glad you did!

Eurosceptic Wins Big

UKIP wins their first seat in UK House of Commons in a by-election.  The General Election is scheduled for May 7, 2015. 

Could this be the start of an outbreak of common sense somewhere in the world.  Please.  Pretty please.

Off The Beaten Path

Here is a really cool article about arrows. Giant arrows.

And planes!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Choosing Your Community

My husband and I are both anticipating a migration of conservatives/libertarians/constitutionalists in the coming year or two. As a political strategy, for this group to shift their numbers out of solidly blue states such as New York and California, where their voices are not heard, and into toss-up states such as Ohio and Florida, where they can create a vocal majority with a high number of accompanying electoral votes, makes perfect strategic sense.

From a security viewpoint, we both expect a sizable number of working, heavily armed citizens to load up the Uhaul and put down new stakes in states such as Texas, Utah, and Idaho, strengthening these states with skilled, self-reliant citizens and driving out the simpering, hand-wringing liberals and slugs.

Armed fortresses WITHIN a state are already forming. In my opinion, the federal government's response to these communities will, in all likelihood, be swift and brutal. What they can't destroy using the jackbooted might of the IRS or the bigoted Attorney General's office (racism!), they will attempt to destroy with Homeland Security.

Here is one such endeavor:

"A group of like-minded patriots, bound together by pride in American exceptionalism, plan on building an armed community to protect their liberty.

The group, named Citadel,  intends to purchase 2,000 to 3,000 acres for the project in western Idaho.  The community will comprise of 3,500 to 7,000 families of patriotic Americans who "voluntarily choose to live together in accordance with Thomas Jefferson's ideal of Rightful Liberty."

Good luck to the brave, rugged individualists who will help build The Citadel; we'll be watching with great interest.

Comfort Food!

This culinary delight is not good for you. Don't make it, and don't try it...not even one bite! Just walk away, because it's absolutely delicious, and your taste buds will never be the same! What you'll need:

Ingredients:

2 cups elbow macaroni or penne

1 cup half and half

2 cups milk

1/2 stick butter plus 1 Tbs.

1/4 cup flour

8 oz. Velveeta cheese ( you can use American, but nothing beats Velveeta in this)

about 4-6 slices Swiss cheese

2 cups cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (may sound strange but it adds a hint of flavor)

The end result:

 Here's how to put it all together, but I'll warn you, this cooking blog will add more than a few inches to your waistline!  TCKT, meet Sweet Tea and Cornbread.  Yum!

Election Open Thread

Today is the day. I'm very nervous.

I'll be watching the election results on Beck's new channel, and flipping occasionally to Fox. I'm heartened by reports of long lines and record voter turnout in Republican areas. I hope it's enough to steamroll the dependent class and the union gravy train.

We almost had a rumble today in one of my classes. A classmate (Wisconsin transplant)  blew up everyone's facebook newsfeed with hateful and disgusting anti-Romney pictures. Let's just say that the rest of the class wasn't happy. Conservatives are not only standing their ground, but fighting back. Enough is enough!

What are you all hearing and thinking?

July 4th, 2012

"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

It's 1775.

"You Are Not Special"

The no-nonsense David McCullough Jr told Wellesley High School's "pampered" and "bubble-wrapped" class of 2012 that they were "not exceptional" at a graduation ceremony last weekend, the NY Daily News reports. "Capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counselled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again," Mr McCullough said. "But do not get the idea you're anything special. Because you're not."

Excellent!

What Do You Expect?

The horror of the GI who went bonkers and opened fire on Afghan civilians has shaken many, but one nurse wasn't surprised. She asks "what do you expect?".

"There were 60 of them. About 12 litters and 48 ambulatory. It was me, another nurse and 3 techs. In the back of a C130 cargo plane flying over the desert. They had a variety of injuries, none critical. There were more psychs than you would think. Back then, those with mental health problems were sent home, not given SSRIs and sent back. No one with PTSD would ever have been sent back"

Read the rest. It's a perspective you probably won't find anywhere else.

‘We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so."

Wow, just wow. David Cameron really grew a pair the last two weeks. First he told the EU to p**s off and now he blasts The A of C.

Well done Cameron.

David Cameron last night called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to lead a return to the ‘moral code’ of the Bible.

In a highly personal speech about faith, the Prime Minister accused Dr Rowan Williams of failing to speak ‘to the whole nation’ when he criticised Government austerity policies and expressed sympathy with the summer rioters.

Mr Cameron declared Britain ‘a Christian country’ and said politicians and churchmen should not be afraid to say so.

He warned that a failure to ‘stand up and defend’ the values and morals taught by the Bible helped spark the riots and fuelled terrorism.

Linky

Adam Carolla! Who knew?

NSFW or kids/language. WARNING: you may be suddenly moved to jump to your feet, pump your fist in the air, and scream "Yeah! Tell it like it is bro!"



Phrase of the day: culture of ass-douchery. Perfection!

Three Cheers For Michigan!

Yes! Michigan!

In an effort to cut costs and balance Michigan’s state budget, Human Services Director Maura Corrigan has removed an estimated 30,000 college students from the state’s food stamp program.

“Maybe (students) could go get a part-time job — that’s what I did,” said Corrigan, a former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in a recent story from The Detroit News.”

For the most part, college students are not eligible for food stamps under federal rules. But under former Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration, attending college alone qualified people for food assistance.

But at the direction of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, Corrigan is making it clear that the state can no longer sustain the costs involved in handing out food stamps to college students.

“We want to encourage people to be self-sufficient, not to be dependent on the government,” she said.