Irritable Engineer

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Little Akio

The teacher said, "Let's begin by reviewing some American History. Who said 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death'?"
She saw a sea of blank faces, except for Little Akio, a bright foreign exchange student from Japan, who had his hand up: "Patrick Henry, 1775," he said.
"Very good!
Who said, 'Government of the People, by the People, for the People, shall not perish from the Earth'?"
Again, no response except from Little Akio: "Abraham Lincoln, 1863."
"Excellent!" said the teacher continuing, "Let's try one a bit more difficult
Who said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country'?"
Once again, Akio's was the only hand in the air and he said: "John F. Kennedy, 1961."
The teacher snapped at the class, "Class, you should be ashamed of yourselves, Little Akio isn't from this country and he knows more about our history than you do."
She heard a loud whisper: "F_ _ k the Japs."
"Who said that? -- I want to know right now!? she angrily demanded.
Little Akio put his hand up, "General MacArthur, 1945."
At that point, a student in the back said, "I'm gonna puke.'
The teacher glares around and asks, 'All right! -- Now who said that?"
Again, Little Akio says, "George Bush to the Japanese Prime Minister, 1991."
Now with almost mob hysteria someone said, "You little shit! If you say anything else -- I'll kill you!"
Little Akio frantically yells at the top of his voice, "Michael Jackson to the children testifying against him, 2004."

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Ice-T Makes Sense

Rapper, actor speaks to British television show. Makes practical sense without raising his voice. I like it very much, and an hapy to say I was already a fan of both Homocide and Law & Order SVU. .

Chic-fil-A

It seems like half of the population is mad at the Cathy family right now. I have met the founder of Chick-fil-A twice and consider him to be a man who acts on his conscience. That people do not like what he or is son have to say is part of their own right to express. One is not valued more than the other.
I happen to agree with Dan Cathy, but have enjoyed the parody in the Onion article titled..

Chick-Fil-A Debuts New Homophobic Sandwich

That includes the ridiculous...

"Of course, the young ones will want to finish their meals off right with a No Fudge Packin' Soft Serve Cone," Gary added. "I can't think of a better way to follow up a sandwich this good."

Absolutely tacky, but that was the intent.

That Doesn't Apply to Me....Next Question

This politician has been on the offensive, saying that Republican Presidential candidate should release more than two years worth of tax returns.

When posed with the same demand, of equal force, the politician runs for cover.

“We spent too much time on that. We should be talking about middle-income tax cuts,”

In my book this is a chicken-s**t play by the former house speaker. Whats more, the the term "middle-income tax cuts" is dishonest in its design. What the lady desires to discuss (not act mind you) is raising taxes on rich people.

I would add that I think politicians should not have to release tax returns any more than private individuals. Those documents include personal things the public does not have a right to know. I suggest there be specially designed IRS audit to which candidates can voluntarily apply. The results of those special audits can make public a binary (pass/fail) result that serves as proof the taxpayer is or is not compliant with the law.

Nancy Pelosi Downplays Tax Return Demand : Roll Call News

It's The Law In Kennesaw

I remember when this law was made official, it seemed to be more grandstanding than anything else. There is little doubt in my mind that a large percentage of persons in the town do not have hand guns. But how would a criminal know which?
You can bet that Wildman has a couple of firearms about.
This is a likely deterrent, as on the opposite side of Cobb county, there have been some forcible entries, in which, one case down the street, the intruders were found by the police DRT (dead right there).

The Most Pro-Gun Low-Crime City in the United States : Political Outcast

Hardly a Surprise

In the nineties there was an exodus from the military because the Clinton administration was purposefully unsupportive. If the current administration is re-elected, I predict we will see the same reaction.
I suspect that the support for the administration is racially demarcated within the military.

Among Military Veterans: Romney 59% Obama 35% - Rasmussen Reports™

MegaVote

Congress.org (congress.org) presents: M E G A V O T E for July 16, 2012

In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes

Senate: Small Business Tax Cut Motion to Table
Senate: Small Business Tax Cut Cloture
Senate: Small Business Tax Cut Cloture
House: Veterans Licensing Suspension Vote
House: ATM Fee Disclosure Suspension Vote
House: Hydropower Generation Suspension Vote
House: Health Care Overhaul Repeal
House: Mining Project Permitting and Review

Upcoming Congressional Bills

Senate: Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2012
House: Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2013
House: Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012
House: United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012
House: Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012
House: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013

Recent Senate Votes:

Small Business Tax Cut Motion to Table

http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=175&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Agreed to (73-24, 3 Not Voting)
Taxes moved to the center of Washington political debate on July 9, when President Obama announced his support for extending the Bush tax cuts on the first $250,000 of household income for one additional year. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R.-Ky. sparred over the question of voting on the presidents proposal and on a one-year extension of the tax cuts for all income, which is Republicans preference. Ultimately no such votes were held. Instead the Senate proceeded to consideration of a small business tax cut bill, holding three votes in all. The first vote was a motion to table an amendment introduced by Reid. The amendment contained the text of a House-passed bill (H.R. 9, Roll Call 177) introduced by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., which would allow a 20 percent deduction on taxable income for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Max Baucus, D-Mont. moved to table (set aside) the amendment, and the motion was agreed to.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted YES
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
In this case a motion to table discussion is no different than a husband and wife who after arguement, just stop talking.

Small Business Tax Cut Cloture
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=176&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Rejected (57-41, 2 Not Voting)
The next vote in this series was a cloture motion on a substitute amendment offered by Mary Landrieu, D-La. The Landrieu amendment would extend a number of tax benefits, including 100 percent expensing for equipment purchases, higher deductions for start-up costs, and elimination of capital gains taxes for certain small business stock. The motion fell three votes short, as 60 votes are needed to invoke cloture.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO

Guys keep it up, fight all paths to new monies.

Small Business Tax Cut Cloture
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=177&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Rejected (53-44, 3 Not Voting)
The final vote was another cloture motion, this time on the underlying bill. The bill would give employers a tax deduction of 10 percent on payroll increases from 2011 to 2012, up to $5 million. It would also extend 100 percent expensing for equipment purchases for one year. The President expressed support for the measure, but it is unlikely to be taken up in the House.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
No bedtime for Harry, you cannot control what you want and have to hide everything else from Senate activity.

Recent House Votes:

Veterans Licensing Suspension Vote

http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=452&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (369-0, 62 Not Voting)
The first of three suspension bills passed by the House last week would instruct the heads of federal agencies to recognize relevant training and skills acquired by veterans during their terms of service as meeting the requirements for federal licenses. The bill passed the House without a single nay vote and was cleared under unanimous consent two days later by the Senate. It is expected to be signed into law by President Obama. (Under suspension of the rules, a bill must receive two-thirds majority support for passage.)
Rep. David Scott voted YES
This looks one of those things that you do not dare vote against if you do not want get pilloried during the next election.

ATM Fee Disclosure Suspension Vote

http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=453&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (371-0, 60 Not Voting)
The next suspension bill would lift a requirement that ATMs bear a physical display warning users that they may incur a fee if they are not account holders at the financial institution that owns the ATM. Current law allows class action suits against institutions whose ATMs do not bear a placard, which can lead to frivolous actions by individuals who tore off the signs and then sued.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Sounds like common sense.

Hydropower Generation Suspension Vote
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=454&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (372-0, 59 Not Voting)
Last weeks final suspension concerned the regulatory process for small hydropower facilities. The bill would exempt facilities that generate up to 10,000 kilowatts of electricity from permitting by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It would mandate an expedited review of permit requests by FERC and would also allow FERC to extend preliminary permits for up to two years. A similar bill (S. 629) was introduced in the Senate by Lisa Murkowski, R- Alaska and reported out of the Energy and Natural Resources in May 2011.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Again, common sense.

Health Care Overhaul Repeal
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=460&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (244-185, 2 Not Voting)
In light of the Supreme Courts largely upholding President Obamas signature health care overhaul, House Republican leaders had pledged to hold another vote to repeal it. Last week, they made good on that promise. This was the second vote in this Congress to repeal the law in its entirety (much was made during floor debate that H.R. 6079 represented the 33rd repeal vote, as there have been numerous bills to repeal individual sections of the bill). Five Democrats voted for repeal Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Mike Ross of Arkansas, Jim Matheson of Utah, and Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina. Boren, Ross and McIntyre voted for repeal the first time, while Matheson and Kissell did not. Democrats offered a motion to recommit that would make any Member who voted to repeal the bill ineligible to receive the congressional health care package (Roll Call Number 459). The motion was rejected, largely along party lines. President Obama threatened a veto of the bill, though it will not be brought up in the Senate.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Keep saying it people, you are going to get the chance to stands by those votes pretty soon.

Mining Project Permitting and Review
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=468&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (256-160, 15 Not Voting)
Following health care, the House moved on to a bill that would expedite the federal permitting and review process for mining of critical minerals. The bill defines strategic and critical minerals and then classifies all operations to extract those minerals as infrastructure projects in order to utilize a March 2012 executive order streamlining the permitting process for projects so defined. The bill also defines the process by which governing federal agencies should proceed in reviewing covered projects. Judicial review of challenges to covered projects would be prohibited after 60 days. President Obama issued an official statement criticizing the measure as providing far too broad a definition of critical minerals and for prioritizing mineral extraction on public lands over other uses such as hunting and grazing, charges echoed by congressional Democrats. The bills preamble outlines the importance of mineral production to national security and the economy.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Typical Democratic position, if you can take a swipe at business, have at it.

Upcoming Votes:

Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2012 - S.3369

The Senate is expected to hold a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to a campaign finance bill known as the DISCLOSE Act, which would require disclosure of campaign spending by entities such as unions and corporations above $10,000.

Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2013 - H.R.6018
This measure would set policy and authorize spending levels for the State Department and related agencies such as the Peace Corps and USAID.

Haqqani Network Terrorist Designation Act of 2012 - S.1959

This bill would require the Secretary of State to report to Congress within 30 days whether the Haqqani network meets the criteria for designation as a terrorist group, and if not, why not.

United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 - S.2165

This bill would extend certain measures regarding military assistance to Israel.

Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012 - H.R.5872
This bill would require a report from the President regarding the spending cuts required by last years Budget Control Act, referred to in congressional parlance as sequestration.

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2013 - H.R.5856

Coming up under an open rule, this measure will set FY 2013 spending levels for the Pentagon.

UN Treaty

Is this so wrong?

I saw a one legged Muslim with no arms at the ATM today.
He asked me to check his balance.
So I pushed the fucker over.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Being Green

Forwarded by a neighbor….

I thought you would all appreciate this, BUT not because I think you are old!

Being Green

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this 'green thing' back in my earlier days."

The young clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the 'green thing' in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.

But too bad we didn't do the "green thing" back then.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.

But she was right. We didn't have the "green thing" in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that young lady is right; we didn't have the "green thing" back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the "green thing" back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family's $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the "green thing." We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the "green thing" back then?