Intellectuals Defined

The next time you hear the intellectual nincompoops who appear in politics, the media and academia remember this quote, credited to General Eisenhower.

Willie P

When you illegally cross a border, there are consequences . . .

Obama, Mr. Transparency

General Consensus by Patriotic Americans on recently released Senate Report on alleged Torture

Dick Cheney's definition of torture!

Torture is  “an American citizen on his cellphone making a last call to his four young daughters shortly before he burns to death in the upper levels of the Trade Center in New York on 9/11.”

I'm just sayin!

Willie P

Which Lie today!

by Bill Neinast

IN PERSPECTIVE

The cache of lies over and about the Affordable Care Act, ACA, Obamacare, or whatever you call it, continues to grow like an untreated cancer.  The latest and, possibly, the most damaging revelation is the claim of Johnston Gruber, the so called architect of the act, that lies. or “the lack of transparency” in his words, was necessary to get the legislation past the “stupidity” of American voters.

Those lies and the others about keeping your doctor and insurance, however, pale in comparison with the biggest lie of all that is not even mentioned or discussed.

The very title of the act--the Affordable Care Act--is a lie.  The act does not directly address the cost of medical care.  It is written, instead, to require every American to be covered by medical insurance, either personally, by employers, or the government. 

If the law’s drafters had been honest about its purpose they would have followed the lead of Texas law makers.  When those legislators first imposed a requirement for those regularly driving on state roads to be financially responsible for any damages they caused to others, they were specific in their intent.  They enacted the Texas Financial Responsibility Law (called the Texas Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act since 1995).

Had Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues been honest in labeling the 2,000+ hodgepodge of legal gobbledegook, they would have called it something like The Medical Insurance Requirements Act.  

Maybe, however, calling it the Affordable Care Act was not a deliberate lie.  Possibly the title merely reflects the problem with flooding the nation’s capitol with officials, both elected and appointed, who have no experience or knowledge of simple business.  

Conceivably, one who has never met a payroll could believe that requiring all medical bills to be paid by either insurance companies or the government would make medical care affordable, i.e., cheaper.

Those dreamers apparently never thought of the question, cheaper for whom?  

How is medical care “cheaper” for a healthy young man or woman who does not go to the doctor for every sniffle and who believes that medical insurance is an unnecessary expense?  How is it cheaper for the individual who buys a policy with an $8,000 deductible because it is the only one he can afford and then pays the premium and $8,000 every year before the insurance company picks up the bills?

The financial geniuses like Pelosi and Gruber must believe that assuring medical institutions and practitioners that all their bills will be paid by either the government or insurance companies will prompt them to voluntarily and promptly lower their fees.  

Forget about the government, through its Medicare and Medicaid programs, and insurance companies routinely paying only arbitrary caps placed on each procedure, regardless of the original charge.  What matters is a belief that, out of gratitude for being assured payment, every medical bill assuredly will be reduced.

Consider, also, the flood of new patients who will now have “free” medical care paid for by insurance companies or Medicaid.  This increase in business and prompt payment at reduced rates will also be an incentive for more men and women to enter the medical profession, or so some non business men believe.

“But, wait,” what will be Pelosi’s and Gruber’s responses.  “We are not seeking to reduce medical costs.  We just want to reduce medical insurance premiums.  Ballooning the number of individuals required to have insurance will be such a boon to the insurance carriers that they will, in accordance with business practices as we understand them, rush to reduce premiums as a good competitive practice.”

Requiring companies to insure individuals with pre-existing conditions, to include coverage for procedures that are not desired or needed by some customers, and to use prescribed government forms certainly will not dampen the competitive process in establishing rates.

Fortunately or unfortunately, however, there was a spoiler in the wood pile.  

Someone noted that some of the theories on a competitive race to reduce costs may not work.  So some provisions to cover that possibility and provide a basis for the ingenious title for the bill were slipped in.

Elaborate provisions for having medical records available for review by panels of  “experts” to determine which procedures were allowable were slipped in.  Reducing the number of procedures, primarily for the elderly, that will be allowed and payed for certainly should reduce demand.  

As a reduction in demand always reduces cost, this should give credence to the title of the law.  That must be what the law’s authors were thinking.

So here’s the perspective.

If the lie that is ACA is to be President Obama’s signature accomplishment, he will not be fondly remembered in history.

Nine Important Facts to Remember as You Grow Olde

Number 9 -  Death is the number 1 killer in the world.

Number 8  -  Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 7  -  Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 6  -  Men have two emotions: hungry and horny, and they can't tell them apart.   If you see a gleam in his eyes, make him a sandwich.

Number 5  -  Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day.  Teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks, months, maybe years.

Number 4  -  Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing.

Number 3  -  All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 2  -  In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird, and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Number 1  -  Life is like a jar of jalapeno peppers.  What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.

...and as someone recently said to me:

Don't worry about old age; it doesn't last that long!!

Thought this was worth sharing.

Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year!

Interesting Trivia

A SHOT OF WHISKEY

In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a "shot" of whiskey.

THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges.  The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long.  If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards.

BUYING THE FARM

This is synonymous with dying.  During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000.  This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you "bought the farm" for your survivors.

IRON CLAD CONTRACT

This came about from the ironclad ships of the Civil War.  It meant something so strong it could not be broken.

PASSING THE BUCK/THE BUCK STOPS HERE

Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company.  When playing poker it was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was.  When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer.  If this person didn't want to deal he would "pass the buck" to the next player.  If that player accepted then "the buck stopped there".

RIFF RAFF

The Mississippi River was the main way of traveling from north to south.  Riverboats carried passengers and freight but they were expensive so most people used rafts.  Everything had the right of way over rafts which were considered cheap.  The steering oar on the rafts was called a "riff" and this transposed into riff-raff, meaning low class.

COBWEB

The Old English word for "spider" was "cob".

SHIP STATE ROOMS

Traveling by steamboat was considered the height of comfort.  Passenger cabins on the boats were not numbered.  Instead they were named after states.  To this day cabins on ships are called staterooms.

SLEEP TIGHT

Early beds were made with a wooden frame.  Ropes were tied across the frame in a criss-cross pattern.  A straw mattress was then put on top of the ropes. Over time the ropes stretched, causing the bed to sag.  The owner would then tighten the ropes to get a better night's sleep.

SHOWBOAT

These were floating theaters built on a barge that was pushed by a steamboat.  These played small towns along the Mississippi River.  Unlike the boat shown in the movie "Showboat" these did not have an engine.  They were gaudy and attention grabbing which is why we say someone who is being the life of the party is "showboating".

OVER A BARREL

In the days before CPR a drowning victim would be placed face down over a barrel and the barrel would be rolled back and forth in an effort to empty the lungs of water.  It was rarely effective.  If you are over a barrel you are in deep trouble.

BARGE IN

Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats.  These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats.  People would say they "barged in".

HOGWASH

Steamboats carried both people and animals.  Since pigs smelled so bad they would be washed before being put on board.  The mud and other filth that was washed off was considered useless "hog wash".

CURFEW

The word "curfew" comes from the French phrase "couvre-feu", which means "cover the fire".  It was used to describe the time of blowing out all lamps and candles.  It was later adopted into Middle English as "curfeu", which later became the modern "curfew".  In the early American colonies homes had no real fireplaces so a fire was built in the center of the room.  In order to make sure a fire did not get out of control during the night it was required that, by an agreed upon time, all fires would be covered with a clay pot called a "curfew".

BARRELS OF OIL

When the first oil wells were drilled they had made no provision for storing the liquid so they used water barrels.  That is why, to this day, we speak of barrels of oil rather than gallons.

HOT OFF THE PRESS

As the paper goes through the rotary printing press friction causes it to heat up.  Therefore, if you grab the paper right off the press it is hot.  The expression means to get immediate information.

By the way I have no clue if this is correct or not but they are some good stories, so tell them like you know what you are talking about.  Most people want know the difference!  Just look how that tactic works for our politicians!

Wille P

Military Rules of Interaction for Survival

Marine Corps Rules: 

 

1.   Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.  
2.   Decide to be aggressive enough, quickly enough. 
3.   Have a plan. 
4.   Have a back-up plan, because the first one probably won't work. 
5.   Be polite.  Be professional.  But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.  
6.   Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun whose caliber does not start with a '4.' 
7.   Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice.  Ammo is cheap.  Life is expensive. 
8.   Move away from your attacker.  Distance is your friend.  (Lateral and diagonal preferred.)  
9.   Use cover or concealment as much as possible. 
10. Flank your adversary.  When possible, protect yours. 
11. Always cheat; always win.  The only unfair fight is the one you lose. 
12. In ten years, nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived. 
13. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating your intention to shoot..  
 
Navy SEAL Rules:  

 

1.  Look very cool in sunglasses. 
2.  Kill every living thing in sight. 
3.  Adjust Speedo.  
4.  Check hair in mirror.  
 
US Army Rangers' Rules:  
 
1.  Walk in 50 miles wearing 75 pound rucksack while starving. 
2.  Locate individuals requiring killing. 
3.  Request permission via radio from 'Higher' to perform killing. 
4.  Curse bitterly when mission is aborted. 
5.  Walk out 50 miles wearing a 75 pound rucksack while starving.  
 
US Army Rules: 

1.  Curse bitterly when receiving operational order.  
2.  Make sure there is extra ammo and extra coffee. 
3.  Curse bitterly. 
4.  Curse bitterly. 
5.  Do not listen to 2nd LTs; it can get you killed. 
6.  Curse bitterly.  
 
US Air Force Rules:  

 

1.  Have a cocktail. 
2.  Adjust temperature on air-conditioner. 
3.  See what's on HBO.  
4.  Ask 'What is a gunfight?' 
5.  Request more funding from Congress with a 'killer' Power Point presentation. 
6.  Wine and dine  ''key' Congressmen, invite DOD and defense industry executives. 
7.  Receive funding, set up new command and assemble assets. 
8.   Declare the assets 'strategic' and never deploy them operationally. 
9.   Hurry to make 13:45 tee-time.

10. Make sure the base is as far as possible from the conflict, but close enough to have tax exemption. 
11  Always have ICE CREAM

 

( And I Love This Next One) 

US Navy Rules: 

1. Go to Sea. 
2. Drink Coffee

3, Insert SEALS

4, Deploy Marines, 

5, Launch Aircraft and Missiles 350 miles away from fighting

5, Drink more Coffee
Go Navy! 

 
And the next... (You've got to love the military, and God bless them all.) 

 

U.S.  Navy Directive 16134 (Inappropriate T-Shirts) 

The following directive was issued by the commanding  officer of all naval installations in the Middle East . 
(It was obviously directed at the Marines.) 

To:  All Commands 
Subject:  Inappropriate T-Shirts 

Ref:  ComMidEast For Inst 16134//24 K  
 
All commanders promulgate upon receipt:

 

The following T-shirts are no longer to  be worn, on or off base, by any military, or civilian personnel, serving in the Middle East:  
 
1. 'Eat Pork or Die'    [Both English and Arabic versions]

2.  'Shrine Busters'  
  [Various.  Show burning minarets or bomb/artillery shells impacting Islamic shrines.  Some with unit logos.]

3.  'Goat  - it isn't just for breakfast any more.'  
  [Both English and Arabic versions]

4.  'The road to Paradise begins with me.' 

  [Mostly Arabic versions, but some in English.  Some show sniper scope cross-hairs.]

5.  'Guns don't kill people. I kill people.'  
  

6.  'Pork.  The other white meat.' 

 

7.  'Infidel' 

 

The above T-shirts are to be removed from Post Exchanges upon receipt of this directive.

 

In addition, the following signs are to be removed upon receipt of this message:

 

1.  'Islamic Religious Services Will Be Held at the Firing Range at 0800 Daily.’

 

2.  'Do we really need 'smart bombs' to drop on these dumb bastards?'

 

All commands are instructed to implement sensitivity training upon receipt.

The Most Effective American President

I have said since his election that President Obama is the most effective president in my life time.  His accomplishments are significant!

He is:

(1) First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.
(2) First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.
(3) First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States.
(4) First President to violate the War Powers Act.
(5) First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
(6) First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
(7) First President to spend a trillion dollars on "shovel-ready" jobs when there was no such thing as "shovel-ready" jobs.
(8) First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
(9) First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
(10) First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
(11) First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
(12) First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign.
(13) First President to terminate America's ability to put a man in space.
(14) First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation.
(15) First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
(16) First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
(17) First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke out on the reasons for their rate increases.
(18) First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.
(19) First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
(20) First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
(21) First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal).
(22) First President to fire an inspector general of AmeriCorps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
(23) First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
(24) First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists.
(25) First President to golf more than 150 separate times in his first five years in office.
(26) First President to hide his birth, medical, educational and travel records.
(27) First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
(28) First President to go on multiple "global apology" tours and concurrent "insult our friends" tours.
(29) First President to go on over 17 lavish vacations, in addition to date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayers.
(30) First President to have personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.
(31) First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
(32) First President to fly-in a personal trainer from Chicago at least once a week at taxpayer expense.
(33) First President to repeat the Holy Quran and tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.
(34) First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona).

And the really sad part of all of this is, he told American's his plan before we elected him, then in 2012 he was re-elected!  Effective yes, destructive to the American way of life, yes!  But make no mistake about it, he is not an idiot or stupid, but he is effective! 

I'm just sayin,

Willie P

 

Liberals Immigrate to Canada

 The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada

 has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased
 patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The recent actions of the
 Tea Party, and the fact Republicans won the Senate, are prompting an
 exodus among left-leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required
 to hunt, pray, and agree with Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck.

 Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of
 sociology professors, animal rights activists, and Unitarians crossing
 their fields at night.

 "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood
 producer huddled in the barn," said Southern Manitoba farmer Red
 Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was
 cold, exhausted, and hungry. He asked me if I could spare a latte and
 some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left
 before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

 In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher
 fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers
 that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he
 said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so
 much that they wouldn't give any milk."

 Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet
 liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station
 wagons, and drive them across the border, where they are simply left
 to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for
 our rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found
 one carload without a single bottle of imported drinking water. They
 did have a nice little Napa Valley Cabernet, though." When liberals
 are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly
 that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been
 circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where
 liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR races.

 In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing
 the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus
 trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching
 half-a-dozen young vegans in powdered wig disguises, Canadian
 immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the
 supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to
 prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the
 accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious
 about their age," an official said.

 Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are
 creating an organic broccoli shortage and are renting all the Michael
 Moore movies. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the
 Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said.
 "How many art history majors does one country need?"

 In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada,
 Vice President Biden met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged
 that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals. A
 source close to President Obama said, "We're going to have some Paul
 McCartney and Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might even put some
 endangered species on postage stamps. The President is determined to
 reach out," he said.