Friday, January 9, 2009

Down Due To Illness!... ... J.D. Longstreet


Sick!
by: J. D. Longstreet
******************************

Just so you know:

On doctor’s orders I am taking a few days off to rest and re-cooperate.

Got the official diagnosis this morning of... pnuemonia.
Anyway, I ask you not to give up on me. I’ll be back, with God’s help, as soon as I am able. Oh, and I'd appreciate your prayers.

Thanks!

J. D. Longstreet
*********************

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Plain Truth about Glorious Carbon Dioxide ... by Alan Caruba

The Plain Truth about Glorious Carbon Dioxide
By Alan Caruba
*****************************

Okay, children, let’s all sit up straight at our desks. We are going to begin 2009 with a lesson about carbon dioxide (CO2).

Why do we need to know about CO2? Because the President-elect, several of his choices for environmental and energy agencies, the Supreme Court and much of the U.S. Congress has no idea what they are talking about and, worse, want to pass legislation and regulations that will further bankrupt the United States of America.

Do I have your attention now?

For the purpose of the lesson, I will be borrowing heavily from a paper on CO2 written by Robert A. Ashworth [http://www.ilovemycarbondioxide.com/pdf/No_Evidence.pdf]. It requires some understanding of science, but anyone with a reasonable education and common sense should be able to read it on their own. Ashworth is a chemical engineer.

Suffice it to say that if any of the nitwits babbling about CO2 and global warming ever went to any of the several dozen excellent websites that provide accurate scientific data and analysis, they would cease from their abusive manipulation of the public and perhaps find honest work.

To begin at the beginning; at the heart of the global warming hoax is the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While it purports to represent the views of thousands of scientists, it does not. As Ashworth notes, “Most scientists do not agree with the CO2 global warming premise. In the United States 31,072 scientists, including the author, have signed a petition rejecting the Kyoto global warming agreement.” An additional 1,000 scientists are being verified to be added to the list. Thousands more exist who find the assertion the CO2 will destroy the Earth totally absurd.

Here’s what you need to know; if an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) is directly related, i.e. causes changes in the Earth’s temperature, there would be a direct correlation between the two. As CO2 rose, we would see a comparable rise in the Earth’s temperature. This correlation does not exist.

Global warming liars, however, insist that CO2 builds up on the atmosphere over a 50 to 250 year period, but this is untrue. “Every year around April, increased CO2 absorption by plants in the Northern Hemisphere starts reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere,” notes Ashworth, “and the reduction continues until around mid-to-late August when plants start to go dormant.”

“It is clear that nature reacts very fast in its consumption of carbon dioxide.” Farmers call this the growing season, followed by the harvest season, followed by snow and cold during which nothing grows. Modern civilization, beginning about 5,000 years ago, is predicated on the ability to provide food to both humans and livestock, all based on these obvious seasonal cycles.

The ancient Egyptians and Mayans understood the seasons, but they are apparently too difficult a concept for today’s many ex-politicians, some PhD’s, United Nation’s flunkies, and high school teachers.

Warming and cooling cycles are well known throughout human history, reaching back to the days of ancient Rome. There were Viking settlements in Greenland because they arrived in warmer times. By 1410 the place froze up. Shakespeare lived during a Little Ice Age when the Thames would freeze too. The man-made emissions of CO2 had nothing, zero, to do with these climate events.

The IPCC, however, with its agenda to tax and control energy use that produces CO2, is not based on either the obvious or more complex science involved. Its “data” is the invention of computer models that are deliberately manipulated to produce false results which, in turn, can be announced and repeated worldwide.

In March 2008, The Heartland Institute brought together more than 500 climatologists, meteorologists, economists, and others for two days of seminars and addresses that totally destroyed the IPCC’s lies. It will do so again for a second time, March 8-10 of this year in New York City. Suffice it to say that the mainstream media did it best to ridicule or ignore the event and will no doubt do so again.

Here, then, is a fundamental fact about CO2 you need to commit to memory. “Nature absorbs 98.5% of the CO2 that is emitted by nature and man.” Nature is a totally self-regulating mechanism that dwarfs any mindless effort to “control” the amount of CO2 produced by coal-fired utilities, steel manufacturers, autos and trucks, and gasoline fueled lawn mowers, not to forget fireplaces where logs glow or just about any human activity you can name, including exhaling two pounds of the stuff every day!

“Further,” says Ashworth, “no regulation by man is necessary because CO2 is not a pollutant; it is part of the animal-plant life cycle. Without it, life would not exist on Earth. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere increases plant growth, which is a very good thing during a period of world population growth and an increasing demand for food.”

“Taxing carbon,” Ashworth adds, “would do absolutely nothing to improve the climate but would be devastating hardship to the people of the world.” For example, U.S. Representative John Dingell’s plan to tax carbon would add 13% to the cost of electricity and 32% to the cost of gasoline; just what we need during a Recession that threatens to become a Depression.

Dr. Tim Ball, a former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg, recently asked, “How many failed predictions, discredited assumptions and evidence of incorrect data are required before an idea loses credibility? CO2 is not causing warming or climate change. It is not a toxic substance or a pollutant.”

It is time to rebuke everyone attempting to foist the global warming hoax and carbon taxes on the United States and the rest of the world. It is time let Congress and the White House know that Americans will not be ruled by laws that have no scientific merit.

Alan Caruba writes a daily blog at http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/. Every week, he posts a column on the website of The National Anxiety Center, http://www.anxietycenter.com/.

© Alan Caruba, January 2009


************************************


Monday, January 5, 2009

Obama Administration to Lead US into Second Vietnam?



Obama Administration to Lead US into Second Vietnam?
J. D. Longstreet
*****************************
When two countries war against each other it is necessary, even vital, that both countries have leadership, which can negotiate truces, ceasefires, victories, surrender, and peace terms, plus a few other minor details. Without that leadership, the war continues with no end ever in sight. The first army to leave the field is declared the loser. Respectable, honorable, armies will not leave the field. As a result the body count continues to rise, as does the discontent of the families back home, not to mention the citizens back home footing the bill for what will have become a totally useless war.

It seems to me that is exactly where the Obama Administration will be taking the US if he sends more troops into Afghanistan.

There is so single leader of the Taliban who can call a truce and sign a surrender document to end the war in Afghanistan. Twenty years from now the US will still have troops slogging around the godforsaken hills and valleys of that country searching for someone to kill or pacify, yet unable to leave for lack of an enemy leader to wave the white flag.

Any commitment the US military makes in Afghanistan is an open-ended commitment. There is no end date. There cannot be. No need to call for a date certain when US forces will withdraw from Afghanistan, no one can tell you. To just pack up and leave is looked upon as “turning tail and running” and will only embolden our enemies in the Middle East. Not to mention the fact that it is a dishonorable thing to do to our military. But then, we live in a period of history when honor is not understood. To most, living today, it is an antiquated idea that has no place in the 21st century. And THERE lies the problem.

Honorable men do not commit other men to hopeless causes in their stead. And yet… it certainly appears that is exactly where we are headed. That tells you all you need to know about the new leadership of the United States.

Sending US troops into Afghanistan in search of Bin Laden is one thing. I can support that, for he needs to be found and summarily executed if he is actually alive. If he is not alive we need to find his body, positively identify it, and bring our troops home.

On the other hand, sending troops into Afghanistan to conquer the Taliban is sheer folly on the part of the US government, and will result in the useless loss of life of the young men and women of our military who volunteered to serve their country and deserve better treatment and more respect from their government.

To stay in Afghanistan to “nation build” is worse than folly. Decades will be required just to bring a people, who have never known democracy, to an understanding of what is required of them in a democracy. Not to mention the years it will take to neutralize the warlords who control far more of that country than does the legitimate government, such as it is, today. I am truly afraid it is a hopeless case and it is a “tar baby” just waiting for our embrace.

In our opinion, Iraq will soon be, once again, a strongman’s playground as the Iraqis throw off all vestiges of democracy and return to what they know and understand… and that is… a one man dictatorship which tells them what to do every moment of their lives. In other words a leader who will treat them like the children they so resemble. Democracy in Iraq has no chance of longevity. Iraq is a Muslim country and democracy and Islam cannot co-exist for very long. Afghanistan is a Muslim country. The same thing holds true for that country, as well.

Rather than pouring more troops and treasure into that part of the world we need to concentrate on finding Bin Laden and stop sacrificing the lives of young Americans and wasting what little of our national treasure we have left in a hopeless campaign that, in our opinion, is doomed to failure.

This advice is offered free and with no expectation of reward, and, honestly, with no expectation of it’s acceptance, either.

In a few days the conflict in Afghanistan will be Obama’s war. He will not want a lost war as a part of his legacy and neither will the Democratic Party. After January 20th attempting to reason with Obama, or the democrats, concerning the wisdom of continuing the destruction of the Taliban and building a real nation where the closest thing to a nation that ever existed was a tribal confederation, will be an exercise in utter futility. I am concerned that a lot more blood will be shed in Afghanistan before the American people will understand the complete waste of American lives there and demand that we leave. By that time, of course, there will be no way to leave with dignity.

I suspect, along about now, Mr. Obama is wondering how he ever allowed himself to be talked into running for an office he was sure he would never win, anyway! Sometimes The Fates can play really cruel jokes on the sons of men. This one is from the box marked “Most Cruel”!

J. D. Longstreet
***********************

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Conservative Unity? What Is That?


Conservative Unity? What Is That?
By: J. D. Longstreet

*******************************

I have a burr under my saddle today. Actually it’s been there for some time. So, I’m going to sound off on it.

Question: Why are there so few conservatives leaving comments on conservative blog sites???

I surf a lot of blog sites a day and I see scores of comments from lefties all over those sites, mine included, but seldom do I see a conservative comment.

There used to be an expression, which I cannot remember verbatim, but the gist of it was that: “Conservatives eat their young.” It was, of course, just another way of saying that conservatives do not, as a rule, bond together to defend their positions, or advance their positions. I have learned, as a Conservative Blogger, there is much truth in that statement. If you are a conservative, and you take a position… you may, very well, find that you are on your own!

I participate in a number of conservative web rings and blog rolls and, frankly, I can’t see that they do a bit of good.

Look, conservatives are “against the wall” in today’s world. There is an all out drive to rid the world of us. The only group standing for sanity and reason on the globe today are the conservatives! The only group standing for traditional values in today’s world are conservatives and yet, we will not stand shoulder to shoulder, with other conservatives, to defend our positions, or to advance our cause! There is something seriously wrong with that.

It is not difficult, it is not hard, and it is not even “trying” to bond with fellow conservatives. So… why aren’t we doing it???

I understand there are degrees of conservatism. There used to be degrees of liberalism. Unfortunately for the US, and the world, those degrees of liberalism have all dissipated… save for the extreme leftists, the socialists. And they have control of their political party and the US government.

As a conservative, I know it is extremely difficult to visit left wing Blog sites and expose oneself to the acrid hate emanating from those sites. It’s akin to being held over the pits of hell and letting the flames scorch one’s toes. It is somewhat like being in a room with a rotting corpse. The odor is nauseating. But we may find it necessary in order to fight back, or to take the fight to them. Isn’t it time we fought back? Isn’t it time we demonstrated we have the courage of our convictions???OK, so I’ve said it. I am under no illusions that it will do any good, but heck, I feel better!

J. D. Longstreet

************************

Saturday, January 3, 2009

America Lost !


Note from the Editor:
A frequent commenter, from the UK, tipped me off to to a piece by a Russian Professor, Igor Panarin, who has, interestingly, made a prediction extremely close to my own. You'll find an artilce from the Wall Street Journal at:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html

Now, of course, we are going to suggest that you read our piece FIRST, then read the artilce from the WSJ which includes a map depicting how Professor Panarin believes the US will break apart and which countries will rule the various parts of the former United States of America! Yes, this is serious! I assure you... we would not joke about something this serious! Please read on.

J. D. Longstreet
*****************************
America Lost!
By: J. D. Longstreet

**********************************

I was talking to a dear friend the other day and we began to commiserate on the state America finds herself in these days. It is not a pretty picture.

I do not like what America has become. No longer “united”, we have become two countries barely co-existing under one flag. We are at the doorstep of becoming a copy of the Balkans.

I think the country is hopelessly split. I don't think it will ever be one again. The wounds are too deep. The ideology of both sides is so completely at odds that I see no way we will ever return to being a single entity again. If an attack on the nation, our common home, can't bring us together, (and it didn't) there is absolutely no hope.

Roughly 1/2 of the people on this continent want to go the way of Europe and the other half would like to return to the pre-1960's America. You know where I come down. (For those who don’t I’m among the latter group.)

I think the country was doomed no matter who ultimately won the recent election. As the GOP has learned (or should have learned... and the Dems are about to learn) you cannot govern a country split this badly. Just as the left was doing everything in it's power to sabotage everything the right tried to do, now the right will be making every effort to sabotage everything the left tries to do.

Eventually we will have to become two countries... or go to war with each other. The last Civil War didn't begin overnight. As far back as the 1820's the country was in a similar spot as we find ourselves today. Neither side was interested in settling it through negotiation. Negotiation wouldn't have worked, anyway. So we started shooting at each other.

I don't think there will be another Civil War. I think we learned our lesson from the last one. I have come to believe that, this time, we will simply agree to separate. I'm not sure, geographically, how that will play out. But, it will not, necessarily, be a north/south split. Some think the northeastern states will most likely join with Canada.

I suppose the really sad thing is, our enemies will be salivating as they wait for the split so they can move in and take control of the weaker of the two countries. The northern states will, in all likelihood, go Islamic almost overnight. That region seems to be where the Islamic influence, and presence, is most prevalent. So, they already have a beachhead. New York, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, etc, will become mirror images of Baghdad, with the bombings and killings, until the populace surrenders to Islam.

This is a dark picture of the future of what used to be the United States. But, just saying, "united", doesn't make it so. Far from it.

History teaches us that ALL great nations commit suicide. I think the act itself has already happened. I think the opening shot was the assassination of JFK. Now, we are simply bleeding out.

As soon as the nuclear attacks, on our great cities, begin (I suspect we are talking about months, not years) it will be all over. After the experience Texas had, with the refugees they took in from Louisiana, the states left unharmed are not going to be willing to take in refugees from the areas contaminated by radiation.

I see no light at the end of the tunnel. There isn't any. The experiment we called the United States has failed... utterly.

J. D. Longstreet
***********************


href="http://technorati.com/tag/Conservative+Liberal+US+Socialism+America+Demise" rel="tag">Conservative+Liberal+US+Socialism+America+Demise

Thursday, January 1, 2009

America's Ignorance Not Only Threatens America... But The World!

Hamas Wins! Hamas Defeats Israel! Say What?
J. D. Longstreet

****************************

America's Ignorance Is Now A Threat To The World!

No matter how the fighting between Israel and Hamas turns out in the end, Hamas WILL claim victory. The process for announcing their “win” is already set up just waiting for the withdrawal of Israeli units from Gaza. Shortly after the Israeli forces turn toward home, watch for a press conference to be called by Hamas and the International media will flock to their propaganda fest with willing hearts and willing pens to write up the story of how Hamas bested the mighty Middle Eastern “Bully”… Israel.

I know, I know if sounds absolutely idiotic, but this is a very good example of how the MsM views the consumers of their product… as idiots who will believe anything they tell us to believe. And the really scary thing about this… they’re not far wrong…especially when addressing their American readers, viewers and readers. As an American it saddens me beyond description.

It has been said that America’s most expensive product this day and age is out and out ignorance. I must say I believe that. We have a general population that cannot tell you who bombed Pearl Harbor and when. They cannot tell the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. And these are the people who voted Obama into the office of President of the United States. Now… go to bed tonight and try to sleep while mulling that bit of knowledge over and over in your mind during the wee hours.

One of the founding fathers of America, Thomas Jefferson, is reported to have said: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be. No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity." As we have learned time and time again, the founding fathers had a grasp of enduring truths we, their descendents, seem to have lost. You’ll find an excellent article on America’s ignorance HERE.

It is embarrassing to live in a nation where our countrymen are just plain ignorant. But what’s worse? How about living in a nation where our ignorant countrymen don’t seem to care that they are ignorant! Point out a fellow countryman’s ignorance by asking him/her a few simple questions, and finding they don’t know the answers, you may well be startled by a shrug of the shoulders the exclamation: ”Well, who the hell cares, man?” If you have taken the time to read this article, chances are you have probably experienced this very scenario... right? Thought so.

We are a deluded people. We live with the false impression that we are the most learned generation of Americans … ever. Ask a recent college graduate and chances are he/she will tell you they are the most knowledgeable generation of Americans… ever. THAT’S what I mean by deluded. Somehow we have made ourselves believe this gross untruth.

I have concluded that one of the reasons we have college graduates who border on the imbecilic is what I have come to believe is a result of the cheapening of a college education. Look, not everybody is entitled to a college education, not everybody is even suited for a college education. Now, I can see the red flags going up and I can hear the howls of protest. As we used to say in the broadcasting industry, “Keep them cards and letters coming in, friends!” And yes, our government is looking for ways to make it possible for everyone to go to college. It is just another way of using up space in the college classrooms that should be reserved for those who actually deserve to be there because they have a genuine interest in learning and a thirst for knowledge and a desire to put that knowledge to use in the service of their fellow citizens once they earn their diploma. Those who are there for a perpetual party ought not be allowed on the campus.

The American public education system is in a shambles. It has collapsed of it’s own weight. Once we strayed from the “basics” of education our child scholars began to slip behind the remainder of the world in raw, basic, education.

Now, why is that raw, basic, education so important? Because it is the foundation upon which a good student builds a solid higher education … even a college education. Our elementary education is so “dumbed-down” these days that children who really have an aptitude for learning are bored to death and turned-off by the classroom offerings and they, too, are denied the opportunity to learn. It is a shame what we are doing to our would-be child scholars in the American public education system.

Back in the day, we had institutions known as trade schools. They were schools set-up especially to train young men and women in a trade of their choice which would provide them with the training they would need to carve out a place for themselves in America’s workforce and insure they would become contributing members of our society and further provide them with the dignity of, not just a job, but a trade. Having a trade, back in my day, was important. Even if one DID go on to an advanced education the security of having a “fall-back” trade was considered extremely important. There are still a few trade schools around but they ARE few and far between.

There was a period in America when we understood that some young people simply were not cutout as college material. Yes, there were, and are, folks who had/have no reasonable excuse for taking up space in a college classroom. That has always been the case. But in the past few decades we decided it was politically incorrect to say such a thing or even to admit it to ourselves. As a result we have a high percentage of college graduates leaving those hallowed halls with no more education than they had when they entered 2, 4, or more years earlier. Yes, it IS sad, but it is true, nonetheless.

Back to Hamas winning the current conflagration in Gaza… the “Hamas Wins” propaganda has already begun. And you, my fellow Americans, are expected to believe that. Still doubt me? Look and see who the President-Elect of America is today. A few months and years down the road from now, ask yourselves why the dickens you voted for that man? Then remember what you were told by the MsM, and even more important, ask yourselves what you were NOT told by the MsM about the candidate. And finally, ask yourselves why you did not take the time to do a little light research on your own to gather the facts and make your decision on that instead of just accepting the tailor made, dumbed down propaganda fed you hourly by the MsM. If you do not feel humbled by what you discover… then there simply is no hope for America.

J. D. Longstreet

********************

education" rel="tag">education





What’s In A Name? Just About Everything.

What’s In A Name? Just About Everything.

J. D. Longstreet

************************************
I know, it’s a little thing, an inconsequential thing, and yet, it bothers me. Actually, as I used to say: “It bugs me.”

I mean, of course, the MsM’s insistence on dropping Mrs. Schlossberg’s husband’s name in favor of the use of her maiden name Kennedy. Yes, I am speaking of Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

So what am I complaining about now? You have already guessed it … the MsM’s bias toward Carolina Kennedy Schlossberg to replace Hillary Clinton as the Junior Senator from New York.

Now, it takes no great Olympiad feat of intellectual strength to deduce their bias. All one has to do is watch how they are trying, almost desperately, it seems to me, to cover it up.

I have seen a number of stories on how tough the press is on poor Caroline. Yeah, right! I am convinced it is all a sham. The MsM WANTS poor Caroline to have that seat. No doubt about it. And, I’d bet, right now, she will get it. No others need apply.

Notice how often the name Kennedy is repeated over and over again. One must remember when the press dropped a woman’s last name in favor of her maiden name as that woman sought the very same seat in the US Senate. That was with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Remember how they dropped her last name, Clinton, for her maiden name Rodham. For different reasons, granted. That was to put as much distance between her and her playboy husband, Bill Clinton, as was humanly possible.

The MsM is falling all over itself to promote Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg for Hillary’s seat in the US Senate.

There IS a notable difference, this time, however. What is it? Well, a little research will show that Ms. Kennedy/Schlossberg did not change her name when she married Mr. Schlossberg. She kept her maiden name… Kennedy! It’s as though she may have suspected that somewhere in her future she might have need to fall back on her father’s name.

Ok, so… just for the heck of it… who IS Caroline’s husband?

His name is Edwin Arthur Schlossberg. He was born July 19, 1945. He is the founder and principal of ESI Design. He is an internationally recognized designer, author and artist. Schlossberg specializes in designing interactive, participatory experiences, beginning in 1977 with the first hands-on learning environment in the U.S. for the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Schlossberg continues to work in the field and publishes frequently on the subject. Schlossberg is the author of Interactive Excellence: Defining and Developing New Standards for the Twenty-first Century.

Schlossberg's multidisciplinary design firm, ESI Design, is based in New York City and has produced award-winning interactive experiences for both institutional and corporate clients. His signature projects include:

  • Best Buy - Concept Stores
  • Ellis Island - American Family Immigration History Center
  • Playa Vista
  • Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
  • Reuters Spectacular at 3 Times Square
  • Sony Plaza and Sony Wonder Technology Lab
  • World Financial Center Breezeway Media Walls
  • World Trade Center and World Financial Center Informational Kiosks

All four of Schlossberg's grandparents were Ukrainian Jews born near Poltava, Ukraine, who arrived in the United States at Ellis Island.

Schlossberg is a graduate of Birch Wathen Lenox School and Columbia College of Columbia University. He married Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, on July 19, 1986. They have three children:

  • Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, born on June 25, 1988 in New York City, New York (named after Caroline's grandmother Rose Kennedy)
  • Tatiana Celia Kennedy Schlossberg, born on May 5, 1990 in New York City, New York (named after Edwin's former colleague, the lithographer Tatiana Grossman, and after Edwin's grandmother)
  • John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, born on January 19, 1993 in New York City, New York (named after his mother's maternal grandfather, John Vernou Bouvier III) (nickname Jack)

They live on Park Avenue in Manhattan. (All the above, on Mr. Schlossberg, courtesy of Wikipedia)

It’s that darned Camelot hallucination all over again. The press created that myth and they have come to believe in it completely. Never mind that the term “Camelot” (referring to the Kennedy Administration) was not used during the actual administration of JFK, only after his death! And, like the original Camelot, it never existed. JFK and Jackie’s marriage was a joke. His administration was pathetic, and though it is not politically correct to say so these days, he was practically hated in the southern states of America. There were no major accomplishments to point to from his days in office. About the only notable thing was his kick-off speech that ultimately caused the planting of the US flag on the moon in 1969. But, never mind. The MsM created the myth of Camelot and it covers a LOT of missteps, mistakes, and errors in judgment made by Kennedy and his henchmen, the so-called “best and brightest”, with whom, the press of the sixties never tired of telling us.

In any event, the MsM seems to see a chance of reviving that myth and they’re going all out to get sweet Caroline in that seat, even though she is severely under qualified for a Senator’s seat in the US Congress. But, hey, we’ve got the least qualified President ever, so why not have another unqualified Senator?

You know, I have come to believe the only other group in this country so out of touch with the American people, as the US Congress, is the Mainstream Media. And they wonder why they’re going broke!

J. D. Longstreet
***********************