Humorous compendium of the last 3 disastrous years (where would we be without satire?):
2011 Annual D.C. Spendathon
Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has just published a report that’s guaranteed to get any taxpayer’s blood boiling: “Wastebook 2011.” It’s a compilation of some of the most outrageous ways the feds have managed to squander money over the past 12 months – money that isn’t even theirs’ to squander!
Over the past 12 months, Washington politicians argued, debated and lamented about how to reign in the federal government‘s out of control spending. All the while, Washington was on a shopping binge, spending money we do not have on things we do not need, like the $6.9 billion worth of examples provided in this report. The result: Instead of cutting wasteful spending, nearly $2.5 billion was added each day in 2011 to our national debt, which now exceeds $15 trillion. 😯
…[The] report details 100 of the countless unnecessary, duplicative and low-priority projects spread throughout the federal government.
Make sure you take your blood pressure medication, or have an adult beverage or two, before perusing the report. Here’s just a sampling of the many ways your hard-earned tax dollars are being thrown away:
Remember the $50,000 that Harry Reid claimed was critical to the promotion of Cowboy poetry? Or how about $592,527 for a study of feces-throwing chimpanzees?
Those are just a couple of the more egregious examples of waste in a huge pile of feces that includes;
• $30 Million ~ totally blown on an ill-conceived project to help Pakistani farmers grow mangos
• $765,828 ~ to build a new IHOP(International House of Pancakes). Intended for a “underserved” area, the new restaurant ended up in a popular D.C. yuppie neighborhood.
• $15.3 ~ Million for another bridge-to-nowhere in Alaska
• $120 Million ~ for Dead Federal Employees! Yep, they’re still getting benefits checks.
• $198,195 ~ to study Tweeting and Friending
• $697,006 ~ in Federal Transportation Dollars to Make Las Vegas Highways Beautiful. Old Harry sure is good at bringing home the bacon.
• $1 billion ~ or more in tax credits for energy efficient residential improvements…being claimed by individuals with no record of owning a home, including prisoners and underage children!
Hey Congress! I know where I’d like to throw some feces!
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Here’s Sen. Coburn’s full report: Wastebook 2011. Read it, then go check out the U.S. National Debt Clock [Total debt per citizen is now $180,000].
Happy New Year from your federal government!
Posted in Fruits of Their Labors, Unvarnished
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Thank-you Troops!
In contrast to the president’s blah-blah insincerity at Fort Bragg last week, here is a true thank-you to all the U.S. troops who have, or are currently serving, at home and abroad:
Forget the corrupt poltroons in D.C., who’ve actively undermined the success of the War on Terrorism from the start – and the ingrates in Fallujah – this video expresses the real pride that all patriotic American feel towards our “boots on the ground.”
May God bless you, and your families, for all the sacrifices you’ve made.
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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Oddly enough the “Religion of Peace” rejects the “Prince of Peace”
“Saying Merry Christmas is most evil.., biggest crime…worse than fornication or killing someone”
Hey you! Abu Mussab Wajdi Akkari! –
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
~ Isaiah 9:8 ~
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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For Islam’s latest contributions to world peace, check out Islam: Making a true difference in the world.
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Video source: FrontPageMag
Posted in Good vs.Evil
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“Tea Party Patriots” Choose “Gingrinch”?
Who the heck are these “Tea Party Patriots?” ~ Gingrich wins straw poll of Tea Party Patriots activists – Dec. 18th 😯
Dupes?
Seriously. All the Tea Party people I’ve encountered place a premium on personal ethics, principles and integrity. If these qualities are any part of Gingrich’s make-up, they haven’t been very evident, and they’re certainly subordinate to his ambition. In fact, the only character trait that’s been consistent about over the course of Newt’s career is his single-minded pursuit of power and influence.
Words like “integrity” and “principled” are appropriately descriptive not of Newt, but of his first wife.
Last May, Jackie Gingrich Cushman, Newt’s daughter from his first marriage, wrote a wonderful tribute to her mother at Townhall Magazine titled “My Miracle Mom.” (HT- astute Freeper Kaslin). It’s well worth a read. Jackie Battley Gingrich was definitely the better half of that duo; a woman who has her priorities straight. Who knows that God, faith and family are much more important than public adoration and political achievement.
Although his daughter never really takes a shot at “Dad” in the article (and in fact, is supportive of his bid for president), the contrast between the parents’ priorities is striking.
We desperately need someone in the White House who’s not willing to toss aside personal commitments for the sake of professional aspirations. And that ain’t Newt.
To be fair, Gingrich is frequently on the right side of the issues. His comments earlier this month, about the Palestinians being invented people,were historically accurate. But is he being principled, or just politically expedient? His record as a Big-Government-is-best-RINO in undeniable.
If the “Tea Party Patriots” think Newt’s the one to help restore our Constitutional Republic, I’ve got some Florida swampland to sell them:
“The American challenge in leading the world is compounded by our Constitution. Under our [constitutional system] — either we’re going to have to rethink our Constitution, or we’re going to have to rethink our process of decision-making.”
Gingrich (1995) in a speech before the Center for Strategic and International Affairs
No thanks Newt. I’m an original Tea Partier, and I’m with these guys.
If we can’t start to reform the entire culture, and begin a return to America’s original founding principles, what’s the point?
More POTUS Prevarication – “Stable” Iraq?
So the first anti-American American president was at Fort Bragg for a photo-op last Wednesday. Ostensibly there to welcome home the troops, I’m sure he’s planning on using the footage for his reelection campaign.
Amid the usual empty rhetoric, one obvious falsehood really jumped out at me; “We’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable Iraq.”
“Stable?” For whom? Somehow I doubt that the remaining Iraqi Christians would agree with Obama’s proclamation.
From Compass Direct, here are some reports from Iraq of serious instability:
On May 16th ~ The body of a Chaldean Christian was found with marks of severe torture and mutilation.
General Secretary of the Chaldo-Assyrian Student and Youth Union Kaldo Oghanna described the mood among the Christian community in Iraq as miserable….
He said that the murder of Yaqub took away the glimmer of hope that Iraq’s youth had for the future and further eroded their faith in the government.
On August 2nd ~ Blast Near Church in Kirkuk, Iraq Injures 13.
A car blast outside a Syrian Catholic church in Kirkuk, Iraq yesterday morning left 13 wounded as police located and disarmed two more car bombs targeting churches in the city.
On August 15th ~ Insurgent Blast Ravages Church Building.
An insurgent blast left a church building in Kirkuk, Iraq severely damaged on Monday (Aug. 15) in a second round of attacks against the city’s Christian community in two weeks.
“Please pray for us. Pray for peace and stability. Our Christians are afraid indeed.”
On December 3rd ~ Islamic Rioters Attack Christian Shops in Northern Iraq.
“I think these attacks were organized,” Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako said. “They might be connected not only to domestic issues, but also to events outside the country. Unfortunately, it’s always the Christians who pay the price.”
It’s not like this aggressive persecution of Iraqi Christians is a recent phenomenon. This video is over a year old:
Where God Weeps
“Is it because they want to purge the land of Christians?”
Um… ya think?! ~
“Leave our Muslim Territories immediately, otherwise we will kill you.”
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Before the 2003 U.S.-led military operation, there were approximately 1.2 Christians in Iraq. Open Doors estimates there are only 300,000 to 350,000 left.
Apparently the military brass wasn’t too concerned with the plight of the Christian community while we were in Iraq. And now that our fearless leader has brought all the troops home we can just ignore the situation all together.
Obama’s opportunistic Fort Bragg speech was no more sincere than his phony profession of Christianity.
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Related ~ Country profiles of Iraq and other areas of the world where Christians are suffering ongoing persecution:
Aid to the Church in Need
Compass Direct
Open Doors Ranking Iraq as 8th on the World Watch List, up from 17th last year, i.e., worse.
Posted in Mendacity, Unvarnished
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Saturday Shorts (Sunday version) 12-17-11
Swamped with holiday party preps, I just wasn’t able to squeeze in my regular Saturday post, so it’s actually “Sunday” Shorts this week…
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Random links of interest, concern or curiosity from the past week or so, that deserve at least a SHORT mention:
Shunning Facebook, and Living to Tell About It ~ Time-wasting, superficial, pointless distractions… what’s not to love? Good to see that not all twenty-somethings are obsessed with Facebook.
Port Whine: Big Labor’s Occu-punks ~ Michelle Malkin highlights the destructive union thuggery behind the West Coast Port Shutdown:
In reality, it’s the young Occupiers who are being exploited as human shields for the economy-strangling agenda of the violence-prone International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
And speaking of “human shields,” here’s Oregon’s 2011 Mother-of-the-Year award recipient: Occupy Portland Mother Places 4-Year-Old Daughter on Train Tracks During Protest to Shut Down Port ~ These people are so tragically misguided.
Virginia agencies can ban adoptions by gays ~ Good news. At least until the anti-family folks push back.
Iowa conservative Christian leaders hit the road in Iowa for Bachmann – not Gingrich ~ “We have determined that Michele Bachmann is Biblically-qualified to be the president, to be a leader. She is capable. She is trustworthy. She fears God and she hates dishonest gain.”
Praise God, there are some capital “C” Christians in Iowa.
A much better Christmas greeting than we can expect from the White House:
And a “Happy Hanukkah” to you Mr. Prime Minister!
Posted in Everything Else
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Feliz Navidad – Techno Version
iBand with their own unique spin on the Christmas classic.
I think these guys have too much time on their hands. 🙂
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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Happy Holidays from Big Brother
Here we go again: Obama Asks For Republican Email Addresses From His Supporters.
Some fool in the reelection campaign came up with a nonsensical scheme to get contributions from the drones by implausibly offering to send their Republican friends “a message letting them know they inspired you to donate.” 🙄
And oh, by the way, now we’ll have the evil Republican’s email address.
Hmmm…
Here’s the campaign page:
[And, as an added bonus…By making a donation today, you’ll
be automatically entered for a chance to have dinner with
Barack and Michelle Obama. Woo-hoo! Sign me up!]
Of course it’s all in the fun-loving spirit of the holidays (chuckle-chuckle).
Not only is this latest intrigue unsettling in a I’m-starting-to-fear-my-own-government way (remember “Attack Watch?”), it’s childish (can you just Bush doing something similar?), unbecoming of the office, and downright irreverent.
As John Hayward at Human Events comments;
Of course they don’t say “Merry Christmas,” but they don’t even bother to capitalize “happy holidays.” Hope you have a reasonably entertaining event of some kind during the winter solstice!
…did Obama really have to take a dump on the Christmas spirit of love and hope, by launching a mean-spirited propaganda campaign virtually guaranteed to end a few friendships? This man could not understand America less if he had just tumbled out of a flying saucer yesterday.
2013 can’t get here soon enough!
Posted in Arrested Development, Cultural Erosion, Good vs.Evil
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Bethlehemian Rhapsody
Video production budget? Low. Value? Priceless. 🙂
Freddie Mercury had an awesome gift. How wonderfully ironic that the Holy Spirit is using it to spread the “Good News!”
Posted in Comfort & Joy
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Padina – Touched by Isa
“God works in mysterious ways,” the old adage goes. It’s a saying that’s certainly been proven true in the last couple of decades; He’s been working His wonders on untold numbers of Muslims. Throughout the Middle East, where Islam is the predominant religion, possibly hundreds of thousands, have been called to faith in Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ), many through dreams and visions.
Some of these “miracles” might be easy to dismiss, especially if you lean toward non-belief. But only if one deliberately overlooks the harsh reality that in Muslim countries apostasy (renunciation of Islam) typically results in being shunned by family and friends, and is punishable by imprisonment or even death. That’s an awful lot to risk over a silly dream. Unless the dream is so real that the recipient can’t deny it… even though it goes against everything they previously believed.
Not all Muslim conversions are occurring as the result of visions. Some, as was the case with Padina, are just plain miracles.
The video is from Voice of the Martyrs. Now, several years since her conversion, Padina is a leader in the Iranian house church movement. A recent interview with Padina is posted HERE.
She shares the following about the increasing persecution of Christians in her country:
Persecution has caused us to be stronger in faith, has caused us to be more in prayer and fasting, and we take what we are doing for God more seriously, that this is serious. Because every place we go and every ministry, every trip, we feel this might be our last…
…I have chosen this way knowingly and I know that this was my choice so I don’t have a problem with it.
To go from being a suicidal follower of Allah, to a believer in Jesus Christ, with a faith so strong you’re willing to die for it – is truly miraculous.
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More information about these “mysterious” conversions ~
Who is Isa al Masih? – the man in white ~ Dreaming of Isa.
Muslim4Jesus YouTube Channel ~ video testimonies of Muslim converts.
Exodus from Darkness ~ Apologetics and evangelistic ministry led by a former Muslim from Iran.
SecretBelievers.Org ~ A ministry of Open Doors.
Open Doors Daily Devotionals These inspirational readings include many testimonies from Muslim-background believers, stories of persecution and perseverance.
Posted in Comfort & Joy, Unvarnished
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Founding Wisdom [Flouted by the Foolish]
“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.”
~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to Thomas Cooper, 29 November 1802 ~
And that was over 200 years ago!
Posted in Timeless Principles
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