MaxRedline

What Was To Be Revealed, Will Not Be

You may have been reading during the past couple of days that:

Ark hunters and Bible enthusiasts are buzzing about a report that the Ark of the Covenant, the ancient container that holds the Ten Commandments, is expected to be unveiled in Rome today.

The patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia says he will announce to the world the unveiling of the Ark, which he says has been hidden away in a church in his country for millennia, according to the Italian news agency Adnkronos.

Abuna Pauolos, in Italy for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this week, told the news agency, "Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablets of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries."

Ummm...not so fast.  Pauolos has issued a clarification:

Non sono qui per dare delle prove che l’Arca sia in Etiopia, ma sono qui per dire quello che ho visto, quello che so e che posso testimoniare. Non ho detto che l’Arca sarà mostrata al mondo. E’ un mistero, un oggetto di culto.

In other words:

"All that which is found in the Ark--explained the Patriarch, responding to the curiosity of journalists--is described perfectly in the Bible. The state of conservation is good because it is not made from the hand of man, but it is something that God has blessed." "There are many writings and evidences of the presence of the Ark in Ethiopia. There is no reason why someone [would] dare to affirm to have something that he doesn't have," explained the Patriarch. "I am not here to give proofs that the Ark is in Ethiopia, but I am here to say what I saw, what I know and I can attest to. I didn't say that the Ark would be revealed to the world. It is a mystery, an object of veneration."

Grab the bullwhip and hat; keep looking.

FDA Approves Depressant Drug

Do you know somebody who's annoyingly cheerful?

FDA Moves To Regulate Cheerios

Yes, you read it right.  Because the breakfast cereal is made from oats, and because oats have been shown to aid in lowering cholesterol, and because General Mills occasionally notes in ads for the cereal that consuming it may help to lower your cholesterol, the FDA believes that the cereal should be regulated as a drug.

Apparently, this administration believes that anything starting with "G" is subject to government takeover.  First it was General Motors (a.k.a. "Government Motors"); now it appears that they're after General Mills.

Only four percent (4%) of voters nationwide agree with the federal Food and Drug Administrationthat the popular breakfast cereal Cheerios should be regulated as a drug. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 87% disagree and oppose such regulation.

These days, our government and their bureaucrats increasingly resemble the wallabies in Tasmania.

More Change

Obama's U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is pushing Congress to enact new "hate crime" laws: "There are groups that have been singled out, that have been targets of violence," the attorney general said.  Holder went on to maintain that "hate crimes" against hispanics have increased in each of the past four years, though of course he completely failed to discuss the rising influence of latino gangs around the country.

Republicans questioned whether the change would expand federal power unnecessarily into cases already being prosecuted by state and local officials. They also asked why certain victims of violence should be singled out for particular types of protection.

The Change You Get

The Obama administration has undertaken a series of new moves aimed at further eroding citizen freedoms.  Bloggers, beware:  The Federal Trade Commission is drafting new rules that would extend its authority to encompass bloggers who promote products in exchange for compensation or giveaways. The FTC’s new oversight could be quite extensive, even covering the common marketing practice of affiliate links, as the Associated Press reports:

New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest. It would be the first time the FTC tries to patrol systematically what bloggers say and do online. The common practice of posting a graphical ad or a link to an online retailer — and getting commissions for any sales from it — would be enough to trigger oversight.

In other words, if you use AdSense or any other means for potentially obtaining compensation to defray your blogging-related costs, you'll be fair game, as far as the FTC is concerned.

For those with a pilot's license, the Obama administration is enacting draconian new policies, requiring private pilots to reveal detailed personal information about their passengers and to seek government permission to leave the country, a first in American history.

The Department of Homeland Security further maintains that it is free to conduct random searches of civilian aircraft, with no need to bother with formalities such as obtaining a search warrant.

Complaints to Homeland Security higher ups about these “routine checks” were answered by spokeswoman Kelly Ivahnenko with a statement that said, and I accurately paraphrase, “we maintain we have this power and authority, you can expect we will continue to do it whenever and wherever we wish, and there is no requirement that we justify ourselves or explain our reasons.”

Ivahnenko? 

Greetings, Comrade!

Shlock And Aww

Oregon AG Kroger decided that he couldn't win a prosecution against Portland "mayor" Sam Adams because he couldn't meet the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt.  Of course, Sam has taken this as vindication, but it actually is far from anything resembling it, as documents and previous drafts of Kroger's findings amply demonstrate.  These earlier drafts contain scathing assessments about the mayor’s credibility; his veracity and investigators’ unhappiness about the mayor’s reluctance to cooperate with the investigation.

The recall push is slated to get underway in a week and a half.  Critical questions remain to be answered: can they collect enough valid signatures to get a recall on the ballot?  If so, are Portland voters willing to toss him out?

Coming Soon To America

Straplines used in the poster campaign included "Thanks to Mugabe this money is wallpaper", "Z$250,000,000 cannot buy the paper to print this poster on", "It's cheaper to print this on money than on paper", and "Fight the regime that has crippled a country".

Is Obama paying attention?

Might it not be in the country's best interest to step back from the frantic bailouts, the borrowing, the printing of money - and just let the free markets get back to doing what they do best?

Government has never grown our economy.  And it won't do so by burying every citizen in debt.

America was founded upon revolution against an over-reaching government.

We're overdue for another.

Our political class cannot be trusted with their own wives, let alone with your life, or your paycheck.  They live like kings, building monuments to themselves, and none of the rules of civil life seem to apply to them.

It's time to look again at our founding principles, and to act upon them.

The Religion Of Piece

Hardline Islamists in Somalia have carried out double amputations on four men for stealing phones and guns.

They have each had a hand and foot cut off after being convicted by a Sharia court in the capital earlier this week.

More then 300 people, mainly women and children, watched as masked men cut off their limbs with machetes.

They were not afforded legal representation, and there were no provisions for appeal.  Hardline Islamic "justice" is, however, swift.

Meanwhile, back in Iran:

The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of Neda Agha Soltan out of their Tehran home after shocking images of her death were circulated around the world. . . .

The police did not hand the body back to her family, her funeral was cancelled, she was buried without letting her family know and the government banned mourning ceremonies at mosques, the neighbours said. . . .

The government is also accusing protesters of killing Soltan, describing her as a martyr of the Basij militia. Javan, a pro-government newspaper, has gone so far as to blame the recently expelled BBC correspondent, Jon Leyne, of hiring "thugs" to shoot her so he could make a documentary film.

And of course, they also blame the USA.  These are the folks that Obama wants to engage in dialogue.  To what end?  What is there to say?

Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on President Obama on Thursday not to interfere in Iranian affairs after the U.S. president said he was "appalled and outraged" by post-election violence, a news agency reported.

"Mr. Obama made a mistake to say those things . . . our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously (former U.S. President George W.) Bush used to say," the semi-official Fars News Agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

"Do you want to speak (with Iran) with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about," said Ahmadinejad. "I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it."

What is left to talk about, indeed.  Obambi has missed some fundamental facts - and when dealing with hardline Islamists, fundamentalism is what it's all about.

You can talk all you want, but it won't change anything.  Fanatics don't do group hugs, and they don't give a rat's heinie about political correctness.  You've got nothing to talk about.

Mr. President, do you actually understand the basics?  Hardline Islamists can't be circumsized, because there's no end to them pricks.  Your "let's talk" approach just demonstrates your weakness.

There is only one way to achieve peace with fundamentalist fanatics:  superior firepower.

In The Name Of Global Warming, We Revoke Thy Right To Television

Amazingly, that's what those whacky, fun-loving bureaucrats in the California Energy Commission (CEC) plan to serve up next.  Bad economy or no, they're pushing right along with a plan to ban large-screen television sets in order to help Save The Planet. 

The CEC is looking to move forward with proposed language for the ban in the coming weeks - under the guise of "adopting energy efficiency standards for televisions."  The cost:  estimated at $50 million a year in tax revenue from sales alone, plus the loss of 4,600 jobs that are tied to TV sales, distribution and installation.  If you're not working, you're not paying income tax. 

Of course, their plan doesn't actually ban anything; that would be socialist.  Under the plan, California residents will have complete freedom to choose any type and size of television that meets the efficiency standard.

So hey, it's all good.  You see, the plan affects only manufacturers, who simply will no longer be permitted to offer for sale any televisions that fail to meet their arbitrary "efficiency standard".  You can buy anything that's offered.  You have complete freedom of choice.  This is very similar to the former Soviet Union, in which prospective customers had complete freedom to choose to buy - or not to buy - what was permitted to be offered.

Now, what if you want to buy a high-wattage, high-definition, monster plasma tv?  Sorry.  Not available.  Not permitted.

This is the real beauty of the sales pitch: nobody is depriving you of your freedom; you have complete freedom to choose.  You can choose a Prius, a Smart Car, or a bicycle.  You don't have to purchase anything, if you choose not to.  While we understand that you would like to have a pickup truck so that you can haul bulky items, those vehicles are not permitted to be sold at this time.  Still, you have choices, and you have complete freedom to select among the options available at this time.

Why do so many people seem to believe that this is okay?  It's how they were "educated".  Never have I seen so many people so willing to yield their freedoms as in the past twenty years.  And the trend is clearly accellerating in the USA - though it seems to be winding down a bit in Europe.  Those poor folks are trying to begin the cleanup process that has accompanied their loss of freedom.

In the USA, people today sort of understand what "life" is, although even that is up for debate.  As for "liberty" - they have no clue.  They figure that they have liberty if they can choose between McDonald's and Wendy's.  The "pursuit of happiness" is simply too strenuous; happiness itself should be a Right, and you shouldn't have to waste a lot of time and energy "pursuing" it.

 

What Is It With Dictators And Wiping?

The nutjob in Iran claims he'll wipe Israel off the map.  Now that other one in N. Korea is yapping: 

"If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will ... wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all," a dispatch from the official Korean Central News Agency said.

As they consider looking sideways at them an act of war, it's really about time to accord them the level of seriousness they deserve.  Likely, a rolled-up section of newspaper would serve.  Though as they seem so interested in wiping, perhaps we should send them a roll or two of two-ply.

It would be amusing to send each "leader" a roll of toilet paper each time they mention "wiping".  Hey, they're nutjobs; we might as well have fun with them.