Jay in Ames

May 31, 2011

Memorial Day remembrance

Great quote from a friend on Facebook:

"The American flag does not fly because the wind moves past it-The American flag flies from the last breath of each military member who has died protecting it, American soldiers donâ€™t fight because they hate whatâ€™s in front of themâ€¦they fight because they love whatâ€™s behind them.â€

Should have had this up yesterday, but Happy Memorial Day! And a thousand thanks to those who gave all to give us what we have today. You are not forgotten!

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 07:39 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 87 words, total size 1 kb.

May 27, 2011

Weapons Check

The Arizona Department of Safety Officer pulled over pick-up truck owner Mike Murray for a weapons check because of an NRA bumper sticker. When the officer approached the vehicle, the man behind the wheel handed the officer his driver's license, insurance card and concealed carry permit. The officer took all the documents, looked them over and said, "Mr. Murray, I see you have a CCP. Do you have any weapons with you?"

The driver replied, "Yes I do. I have a 357 handgun in a hip holster, a .45 in the glove box and a .22 derringer in my boot."

The officer looked at Mike and asked, "Anything else?"

"Yes. I have a Mossberg 500 12 gauge and an AR-15 in the trunk."

The officer asked if the man was driving to or from a shooting range and the man said he wasn't, so the officer bent over and looked into the driver's face and said "Mr. Murray, you're carrying quite a few guns. May I ask what you are afraid of?"

Mike locked eyes with the officer and calmly answered, "Not a damn thing"

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 06:45 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 187 words, total size 1 kb.

May 11, 2011

People develop political opinions at an early age

In 6th grade, I was for Jimmy Carter. But then someone educated me on his plans for the military, and cutting costs. I canâ€™t remember who it was, but it wasn't my parents, they allowed me freedom to develop my own opinions. Since I lived at Selfridge ANGB (Michigan, north of Detroit) at that particular time, that news changed my political perspective, for some reason. I immediately went to the Ford camp, including our in-class political campaigns (I was formerly working for the in-class Carter campaign). Been in the Republican camp ever since 76.

My first vote for president, Reagan in 84.

Getting the students is important, and the left is better at it than the right is.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 08:40 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 126 words, total size 2 kb.

April 15, 2011

Reminded me of a story...

I'm gonna get together with some fake internet friends at the end of next month, and it reminded me of a story a real life friend told about me. Pretty funny, give it a read:

Innocent Bystanders: Welcome to the Party, Pal

St. Louis is gonna be a blast.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 06:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 54 words, total size 1 kb.

April 13, 2011

Tax cuts, explained for a liberal

From FreeRepublic

This has been posted before but deserves a re-post. It is from David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. Professor of Economics 536 Brooks Hall University of Georgia.

Tax Cuts Explained

Let's put tax cuts in terms that everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

more...

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 09:01 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 580 words, total size 4 kb.

Cowboy in a saloon...

A Cowboy sitting in a saloon one Saturday night, he recognized an elderly man standing at the bar who, in his day, had the reputation of being the fastest gun in the West. The young cowboy took a place next to the old-timer, bought him a drink and told him the story of his great ambition. 'Do you think you could give me some tips?' he asked.

The old man looked him up and down and said, 'Well, for one thing, you're wearing your gun too high. Tie the holster a little lower down on your leg.'

'Will that make me a better gunfighter?' asked the young man.

'Sure will,' replied the old-timer.

The young man did as he was told, stood up, whipped out his 44 and shot the bow tie off the piano player. 'That's terrific!' said the hot shot.. 'Got any more tips for me?'

'Yep,' said the old man. 'Cut a notch out of your holster where the hammer hits it. That'll give you a smoother draw'.

'Will that make me a better gunfighter?' asked the younger man.

'You bet it will, ' said the old-timer.

The young man took out his knife, cut the notch, stood up, drew his gun in a blur, and then shot a cuff-link off the piano player. 'Wow!' exclaimed the cowboy 'I'm learnin' somethin' here. Got any more tips?'

The old man pointed to a large can in a corner. 'See that axle grease over there? Coat your gun with it.' The young man went over to the can and smeared some of the grease on the barrel of his gun. 'No,' said the old-timer, 'I mean smear it all over the gun, handle and all.'

'Will that make me a better gunfighter?' asked the young man.

'No,' said the old-timer, 'but when Wyatt Earp gets done playing the piano, he's gonna shove that gun up your ass, and it won't hurt near as much.'

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 07:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 329 words, total size 2 kb.

April 06, 2011

Wisconsin Supreme Court election a lesson for who?

I think the Republicans did just about everything they could have to win this seat for the incumbent, Prosser, but the union money that was poured into this race will prove to be too much to overcome. Right now, Prosser holds an 800 vote lead, with 99% reporting, but does anyone honestly expect this to hold up? Dane County has one precinct left, and that county broke 73-27 for Kloppenburg. Milwaukee has a couple of precincts left, but that didn't break as hard for Kloppenburg as I had expected.

So who learns a lesson from this? I know my beliefs are confirmed, and I really am not taking any new lessons from this election. Prosser has been on the court for 10 years now, and was elected comfortably the last time. What has changed, to cause him to be unseated? A decision by the elected GOP governor to reign in spending, and to provide some assurances that those changes would stick. I am referring to the collective bargaining aspect of this election cycle, specifically Walker's attempt to take that away from public sector unions, not including fire and police. They shouldn't have them in the first place, but Wisconsin is the birthplace of collective bargaining (so I'm told).

more...

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 08:03 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 521 words, total size 3 kb.

April 05, 2011

An important post that everyone should read.

Ace of Spades: Ryan's Plan: Necessary But Not Sufficient

Written by a very smart person, Geoff. He knows his stuff, so take this post to the bank. Link it, send it, but most important of all READ IT! Here's a taste:

â€œThis is what the President and his crackerjack economic team have wrought. A one-year deficit that is so large that it can only be paid back if everything goes exactly right. And if everything goes exactly right, weâ€™re still looking at decades before we can get back to the debt level we had only 6 months ago.

But, on the bright side, perhaps as early as 2023 we can start working on paying off the FY10 deficit.â€

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 11:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 124 words, total size 1 kb.

March 31, 2011

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in Texas...

A DEA officer stopped at a ranch in Texas , and talked with an old rancher.

He told the rancher, â€œI need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.â€

The rancher said, â€œOkay , but donâ€™t go in that field over thereâ€¦..â€, as he pointed out the location.

The DEA officer verbally exploded saying, â€ Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me !â€

Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removed his badge and proudly displayed it to the rancher.

â€œSee this badge?! This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wishâ€¦. On any land !!

No questions asked or answers given!! Have I made myself clearâ€¦â€¦do you understand ?!!â€

The rancher nodded politely, apologized, and went about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher heard loud screams, looked up, and saw the DEA officer running for his life, being chased by the rancherâ€™s big Santa Gertrudis bullâ€¦â€¦

With every step the bull was gaining ground on the officer, and it seemed likely that heâ€™d sure enough get gored before he reached safety. The officer was clearly terrified.

The rancher threw down his tools, ran to the fence and yelled at the top of his lungsâ€¦..

more...

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 11:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 222 words, total size 5 kb.

March 02, 2011

Wisconsin better than Texas in education? Not so fast, Krugman!

Patterico: iowahawk Destroys Krugman and The Economist â€¦ No Joke

Direct link to: Iowahawk: Longhorns 17, Badgers 1

Krugman bases his conclusion solely on ACT/SAT performance. Texas has no collective bargaining, and ranks 43rd out of 50 in those college entrance exams. Wisconsin, with their beloved public sector teacher's union, ranks 2nd. Slam dunk, right?

Not so fast. As uncomfortable as it is to say, Texas has a much higher minority population as a percentage of overall population: 42% of Texans are Hispanic and African American, as opposed to 8% of Wisconsin s. This is not a racial argument, just a fact because minority students score worse on these exams than white students, no matter what reason it is.

Read through the article to discover an eye opening fact, about student performance in Texas vs. Wisconsin, when you measure tests taken by 4th and 8th graders. You'll be surprised, as I was. Bite me, Krugman, and take your selective facts and stuff them.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 10:28 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 172 words, total size 1 kb.

Great article at the Iowa Republican, on WI and Walker

Good article outlining some of the issues with Public Sector unions. I did not know the origin of health care in the employee's benefits package was wage freezes during WW2. Makes a lot of sense, though.

Iowa Republican: Bust the Union, Lose the Next Election, Save the Country

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 12:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 58 words, total size 1 kb.

March 01, 2011

Now I understand!

I had always wondered why people got so excited when they were able to wear something that didn't fit them a short while ago.

Now that I dropped some weight, I can fit some clothes that were "too tight" just last December. I feel that sense of satisfaction that comes with a job that gets done.

I can't wait until I can't wear them, anymore. Hopefully I'll make it, but right now it feels good!

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 12:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 78 words, total size 1 kb.

February 24, 2011

I predict that The Athena Project will be a hit movie soon.

Brad Thor's newest tome, The Athena Project (Amazon), will be the next Charlie's Angels. It's got action, it's got really hot babes kicking ass, and did I mention really hot babes?

Plus, the bad guys are the Nazis, at least at the start of the book. So that's perfect for Hollyweird. They don't have to go through any effort changing the story, to remove the evil typical Jesusland villians. Hard work, finding a good writer, I hear. It's easier just to start out with better source material.

Anyhoo, it's a fun read so far. I hope it ends well.

Big Hollywood review: Fox Force Four: Brad Thorâ€™s The Athena Project

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 08:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 122 words, total size 1 kb.

February 23, 2011

Someone is better than you for this...

Why is it that every liberal position takes a position of superiority over someone else? From the economy (collective policies overcome individual rights) to gun control (take guns away from everyone to limit access to them) liberal and progressive policies think that central government control can more effectively run regular life. Meanwhile, every piece of evidence is contrary to this theory.

more...

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 12:27 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 545 words, total size 3 kb.

February 22, 2011

Tom Clancy's Dead of Alive final verdict?

Kinda disappointed. Maybe my expectations were high, but this was underwhelming. It started out very strong and Clancy-esque, but the last 1/3 of the book seemed too driven to the conclusion. The ending was also kinda weak, in Clancy terms.

Still a pretty good book, but not a Clancy of old type of techno thriller. In H2 terms, 2.5 bald heads out of 5.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 11:46 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 71 words, total size 1 kb.

February 17, 2011

Wisconsin protesters not to be paid?

Wow, just wow. I hope they hold firm on this stand!

JSOnline: Madison schools close as teachers protest bill

Read down, spokesman for the district says:

Teachers who call in sick will not be paid unless they provide a doctor's note, said Ken Syke, a spokesman for the district. Whether other discipline will be imposed on them will be determined later, Syke said.

Yeah, bring those protests.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 10:50 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 73 words, total size 1 kb.

February 08, 2011

Tom Clancy's Dead or Alive, fun read!

All the old favorites are back, John Clark, Ding Chavez, Alistair Stanley, Jack Ryan, Dr. Catherine Ryan, Andrea Price O'Day, Pat O'Day. Since there is a Russian component, I'm waiting for Golovko to make an appearance.

Jack Jr. is taking more of a role, alongside the old characters in an interesting character development. He's interested in the spook business, but he's not sure how the folks will take it. His cousins the Carusos are also in it.

The election parallels are quite ingenious, also. All in all, this is a fun read so far, and I recommend it. Not sure if Grant Underwood is a ghost writer, but it sure has the feel of an old Tom Clancy book.

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 11:14 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 126 words, total size 1 kb.

January 21, 2011

Gabrielle Giffords' amazing recovery

Since I keep hearing about every part of Giffords recovery, I decided to look up exactly what happened to her. I was surprised that my conception of the incident was not correct, thanks to the MFM.

Web MD: Gabrielle Giffords Brain Injury FAQ

I did not know she was shot from behind, I had the impression she was shot from the front. Not withstanding that, it's an amazing recovery!

Posted by: Jay in Ames at 10:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 73 words, total size 1 kb.