An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Archive for 28 February 2010
TSA Training Video
Gleefully swiped from Stew Magoo!
Democrats, Unions, and The Economy
Political Litmus Test: Bluest States Spilling The Most Red Ink
Want to know which states are in the worst financial condition? One telling indicator that might not immediately come to mind is whether most of its citizens identify themselves as Democrats.
The five states in the worst financial condition–Illinois, New York, Connecticut, California and New Jersey–are all among the bluest of blue states. The five most fiscally fit states are more of a mix. Three–Utah, Nebraska and Texas–boast Republican majorities and two–New Hampshire and Virginia–skew Democratic.
The financial ranking of the states is part of a recent Forbes report on the Global Debt Bomb. The political affiliation data was compiled in a 2009 poll of 350,000 adults by Gallup Daily.
Tennessee is ranked #13. I’m hoping we’ll at least head into the top 10 in the not too distant future. An FYI for my Wisconsin friends, that state is ranked #41. I’m surprised the state actually ranks that high considering it’s wholly owned by some fairly powerful unions. 
Why do Democratic states appear to be struggling more than Republican ones? It comes down to stronger unions and a larger appetite for public programs, according to Kent Redfield, professor emeritus of political studies and public affairs at the University of Illinois’ Center for State Policy and Leadership.
For those of you who still don’t get it, unions are screwing up, not just the states, but the whole flippin’ country!
“Because workers of the world unite, it’s not just a slogan anymore.” – Andy Stern, SEIU President
One of Obama’s best buddies quoting Karl Marx. Isn’t that nice. And quite telling, don’t you think?
New Test At NFL Combine…
So the wife turns on the TV this morning and found that I left it on the NFL Channel last night, since I was catching up on some of the combine coverage for the day. She has never actually watched any of the combine so she was kind of curious to see what it was all about. We were talking and I was explaining some things to her, when she burst into laughter. Now I’m not talking about a chuckle, I’m talking a side splitting hysteria. With a confused look on my face she tells me to look at the ticker on the bottom of the screen. PRICELESS! Apparently jumping the Ol Broad has become an official test at the NFL Scouting Combine!
Now that’s high quality comedy right there!!
Dissolving Association With The Oath Keepers
Yesterday, I put up on a blog post on the Oath Keepers site. As is the norm with all such sites, blog posts must be approved by the moderator. I logged into the site this morning to find my post had been deleted, no explanation forthcoming. Considering the content of my post, I suppose I really don’t need one.
Since the moderator of the Oath Keepers .ning site has forgotten that he swore to uphold ALL of the U.S. Constitution, which includes the 1st Amendment, I am reposting the entire thing here.
Deleted post:
I was quite dismayed when I received an email from a friend this morning, linking to a post on a site I am quite fond of, and link to on my site.
February 24th, 2010
In the comments, BOHICATwentyTwo left this link to a Mother Jones article about the Oathkeepers. It was written by Justine Sharrock who visited us last year when she erred in writing an article about Adam Kokesh. Sharrock quotes folks like Glen Beck and Lou Dobbs as they praise the Oathkeepers, but I think Beck and Dobbs don’t know Oathkeepers like we know Oathkeepers. In fact, in a companion photo essay of the Oathkeepers, Mother Jones calls them “The Tea Party’s Military Wing” and they tout the participation in the Tea Partys. But on the last last page of the article, she quotes founder Stuart Rhodes, former Ron Paul
Congressional staffer on the IVAW;
After an Oath Keeper who is also a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War touted IVAW repeatedly on Oath Keepers’ Web forum, Rhodes deleted the guy’s online testimonial. “The IVAW have their own totalitarian mindset,” he told me. “I don’t like communists any more than I like Nazis.”
Yeah, Rhodes didn’t delete the online testimonial voluntarily. It took four days for members of This Ain’t Hell to convince Rhodes to take the testimonial down. It began here and ended here. What hasn’t ended, however is Oathkeepers’ support of Adam Kokesh which Bev Perlson told us earlier today. So, apparently Rhodes gets his marching orders from Ron Paul…still.
When the Oathkeepers first came to my attention, right after the 2008 election, it smelled a little fishy to me. All of the American servicemembers I know don’t need a group to tell them to uphold their oath – in fact, I take offense that Stuart Rhodes thinks they will not. Supposedly Rhodes was a member of the military – does he honestly think that the mothers’ sons with whom he served needed a boy scout troop to tell them to obey the law?
Maybe some of the assclowns who Sharrock interviewed in that article need adult supervision, but they are the exception, not the rule.
The bottom line is this; the Tea Party Movement, Glen Beck, Lou Dobbs, Dick Armey and any other Conservative group needs to back away from the Oathkeepers and their secret alliance with IVAW unless they want to be tainted by that special brand of crazy that comes with being a paulian.
The Tea Party’s military wing? IVAW? Supporters of 9/11 Troofer, Ron Paul? I’ve never even heard of Adam Kokesh.
Needless to say, I am concerned. While Ron Paul is dead on when it comes to most fiscal issues, when it comes to national security, the only way I can put it, politely…..sheets without a mattress.
I find the Mother Jones rag to be offensive to a thinking, rational person’s intelligence, but I have a lot of respect for the people at This Ain’t Hell.
If this organization is, in fact, strong backers of the Paulista types, I will have no choice but to remove myself. I stood with many others on 9/12 in Nashville, and took a very important oath. The same oath our brave military men and women have taken. It was one of the proudest moments in my life, second only to being washed in the Blood of Christ in the Jordon River. I will continue to uphold that oath.
If I am mistaken in my concerns, please let me know.
Thank you.
Since obviously, they will not allow me to ask my questions, I will be leaving the group. I, however, will continue to hold dear the oath I took, to uphold and defend the WHOLE Constitution, not just the parts that suit my whims.
