Abbott and Costello Explain California for You

Michael Walsh  "On the home page, Victor Davis Hanson has a devastating indictment of Road Warrior California, while over at NRO, Kevin Williamson piles on with “Penniless in Paradise,” about the parlous financial circumstances of the no-longer Golden State. It’s all very depressing to us semi-native Californians, who still harbor hopes that the best place to live in America can somehow yet be salvaged if the racket ruled by the state Democratic Party and the public-employee unions can ever be broken up.

"The news, however, is not good." 

"....“The public-employee unions are killing us. They are killing our cities, our states, and our country.” "

"Well, duh. Abbott and Costello explained all this for you years ago. So hear instruction and be wise:"

Happy Chick-fil-A Day!

Rick Moran; Happy 'Chick-fil-a Appreciation Day'  "Many may be unaware that the chain puts its money where its mouth is. Chick-fil-a is one of the only large companies in the US that is still closed on Sunday to honor the commandment. A $4 billion company that forgoes profit by being closed 1/7 of a week is to be admired for possesing values and sticking with them regardless of the cost.
"So there's more to appreciate about Chick-fil-a than the personal stand of the CEO, maintained under the most vile and despicable criticisms."

Ray Gross; Bully is as Bully Does "I detest hypocrisy, but the bullying kind of hypocrisy  really makes my blood boil.  It is especially important for me to take on the gay Left when it comes to hypocrisy, because I am gay and was once immersed in the Left's mentality of intolerance and hypocrisy.  It is the Left's tactics of bullying that really leaves a pit in my stomach -- a leftover from my days as a brainwashed liberal.

"The only way to fight the Left in regard to their hypocrisy is to point it out. Use analogies they might be able to understand. Here is one:"...Read more, his example is excellent...

PJ Media; How quickly does the Left move from “tolerance” (for one of its transgressive ideas) to fascism? This fast:  "When the mask drops on the Fairness & Tolerance crowd, it’s never a pretty sight. Expect a lot more of this should Obama somehow win a second term. And speaking of socialist boycotts against commercial establishments with religious principles with whom the rabid Left disagrees…"

Harry R. Jackson, Jr.; Gay Rights Activists Attempt to Bully Business

"To gay activists we ask the following questions:

1. Name one homosexual who have been denied service at a Chick-Fil-A?

2. What in Chick-fil-A’s position is discriminatory?

3. How would a Chick-fil-A employee know if a customer was homosexual or not?

PowerLine; Ted Cruz serves Chick-fil-A at his victory party Tuesday night

"If you can make it to a Chick-fil-A today, please do: it’s an opportunity to fight back against the anti-free speech movement. You can locate a Chick-fil-A restaurant near you here. You can also follow the action on Twitter, as people record their visits to Chick-fil-A and post photos of what I am sure will be crowded restaurants. And, by the way, Ted Cruz got a jump on Appreciation Day by serving Chick-fil-A at his victory party last night."

The Birth Control Mandate and the Black Pastors Coalition: 'We're Going to Keep the Heat on Obama'

The Christian Post  "We are calling on the NAACP, a beloved organization in our eyes, to reclaim its mission. The black church founded the NAACP, and it is not the organization for the advancement of gays and lesbians – whatever the merits of that movement. Return to your roots and stand with the black church on marriage. The black church in our eyes remains the conscience of America.
More here: Black pastors target Obama

 

Heritage Obamacare’s Anti-Religious Freedom Mandate Starts TODAY  "HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s latest promise rings hollow and adds insult to the grievous injury that HHS is already doing to Americans who believe that religious liberty is not something that stops when one leaves a house of worship."  More here. 

If it weren't for double standards, Democrats wouldn't have any.                                 (Hat tip to Paul Van Alstine)

NRO;  Mandate Goes into Effect; It is a dark day for religious liberty.  "This is not a dispute about contraception or abortion, but about our constitutional order: All Americans, regardless of whether they share those objections, should protest the Obama administration’s willful assault on religious liberty."

Illegal immigrants head to Charlotte

Politico  "A busload of illegal immigrants has begun a month-long, cross-country tour of protests culminating at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., according to reports.

Approximately 30 men and women departed Phoenix, Ariz., on Sunday on a trip scheduled to hit states that have passed aggressive laws against illegal immigration, reports the Charlotte Observer."

From 2010; Several people pointed me to an interview Mexican President Felipe Calderon gave to CNN in which he acknowledges Mexico deports illegal immigrants from Guatemala and other Central American countries.

MEXICO’S IMMIGRATION LAW: LET’S TRY IT HERE AT HOME  From 2006. So what?
"That’s too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles theimmigration issue. Under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico."

Berryville, Arkansas in the Civil War

The Tunnel Wall has frequent visitors from some locations that we like to feature in history posts. One such is Berryville, Arkansas. That area has a special attachment because Mrs. Dweller's roots are from Northwest Arkansas, specifically in nearby Grandview , with most of her family buried at the Grandview cemetery. That includes her uncle Carl Standlee, whose name is listed in the Historical Society building upstairs as one of the Carroll County boys serving in WW2.

      The Downtown Square in Berryville

"The city's Civil War history and heritage is strong. During the Civil War Union soldiers camped on the town square. Most of the town was burned by both sides, although most of the brick buildings on the square were built in the 1890s. Berryville was founded in 1850 by Blackburn H. Berry from Alabama. The first settler in what is now Berryville was David Williams of Tennessee in 1831."

The Battle of Pea Ridge was fought just a few miles away.   
"On March 7-8, 1862, 26,000 soldiers fought here to decide the fate of Missouri and the West.  The 4,300 acre battlefield honors those who fought for their beliefs. Pea Ridge was one of the most pivotal Civil War battles and is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the United States."

Regular Confederate Troops, Carroll County, Arkansas  "Company E, Sixteenth Arkansas Infantry, was the first company of regular Confederate troops formed in Carroll County. It was organized in October, 1861, at the militia muster at Green Forest, and numbered ninety-three men. The officers were Captain, W. S. Poynor; first lieutenant, A. S. McKennon; second lieutenant, W. W. Wilson; junior second lieutenant, James H. Berry."

"Men Of Arkansas" - Don Troiani

Wikipedia; 16th Arkansas Infantry Regiment  "After being surrendered with the garrison of Port Hudson the unit was reorganized in Arkansas and consolidated with the remnants of several other Arkansas Regiments to become the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment (Trans-Mississippi)." 


Edward G. Gerdes Civil War Home Page

The war record of Arkansas.  "With a white population of only 324,000 in 1860, the state sent 60,000 men into the Southern armies. Arkansas regiments fought valiantly in Virginia as well as in Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia and other states. Most of the Arkansas troops served in the Army of Tennessee, which campaigned in the middle South."
Right: The flag of the 16th Arkansas Infantry. Carroll County sent Company E, commanded by Captain Garrett. No color photo found as surprisingly few Arkansas battle flags survived.

• 16th Arkansas Infantry reenactors

• Known Union Soldiers Buried in Carroll County Arkansas
• Known Confederate Soldiers Buried in Carroll County Arkansas There are few graves of soldiers from the 16th Arkansas in Carroll County, which is no surprise since most soldiers were buried on the fields where they fell. Those from this unit who have graves in Carroll County either had family who could afford to transport their loved one's remains back home or they survived the war to die later near family.
• Carroll County, from the encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

Confederate headstone

Arkansas Genweb

Types of cemetery headstones; We are researching the story that graves of union soldiers and confederate soldiers each have distinctive shapes. The verbal account is that Union soldiers are buried with a headstone rounded on top; Confederates have a pointed top. Anyone who can give us some history on this, please enter your information at the comments link below this post. If you want to remain anonymous, feel free to do so.
Here is what I have found that sheds some light on the question: two photos that may be typical. There were many more photos like this.

Union headstone

Soldier Headstones   Union soldiers who served in the Civil War or soldiers who served in the Spanish-American War have a specific style of marble headstone that is upright. The lettering on these headstones is inside a recessed shield. This encompasses the name of the soldier and the military organization.

Confederate Soldiers  Soldiers who served with the Confederacy in the Civil War have their own type of headstone. These headstones are upright or flat and are made in either granite or marble. There is a Southern Cross of Honor inscribed at the top of the headstone. The inscription contains the soldiers name, military organization and the date of birth and death.

Book; The Flags Of Civil War Arkansas   Some text here.

Painting by Rick Reeves

Evolution Complete: Dems To Adopt Same-Sex Marriage Platform, Report Says

Evolution Complete: Dems To Adopt Same-Sex Marriage Platform, Report Says  "This would be a major break from prior Democratic Party platforms, and would put the Party in major conflict with voters in swing states. Virginians disapprove same-sex marriage by a margin of 49-42 percent; North Carolinians approved Amendment One, the Constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage, by a margin of 61-39. Other states, including Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, and Arizona, also generally disapprove same-sex marriage. Just a few swing states, including Colorado, do support same-sex marriage according to polls."

RUSH: The Left's Stalinist War on Chick-Fil-A

TEA Party  "I read about it on conservative blogs, and I can't believe what I'm reading! I'm reading intellectual treatises on, "Well, you know, they have the right to say these things, and the solution here is let Chick-Fil-A open a store in Chicago and let's see if the people will visit it." That's not the reaction to have! The reaction to have is, "Who the hell do you think you are, Rahm Emanuel? Who the hell do you think you are? What country do you think you're in?" "

http://patriotupdate.com/cartoons/chick-fil-a-solidarity


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/olympics-366131-chick-president.html?pic=2

U.S. Bridges, Roads Being Built by Chinese Firms

ABC News video: I guess this is the price we pay for living in a global economy.

  Hat tip to Jack Hamner, Orcutt, CA

Yahoo forum: Why are U.S. Bridges, Roads Being Built by Chinese Firms?

"Your question is valid, but there are many things you are not considering. Sure, it looks bad the way ABC put it, but consider the WHOLE story and it's not so clear cut.

"First, the Chinese are world leaders in bridge building, both in terms of engineering and in fabrication. They also have the facilities for fabrication of components that do not exist in the US. Third, the project began back in the 90's and the contract was let years ago, long before the 2008 recession (it was originally slated for completion in 2007). Finally, the Oakland project is an innovative design which became an international project with input from 5 foreign countries ... not just China.

"Read the history of the project at the link and see if you still feel the same way. It's easy to look back from today and say it was a bad decision, but consider it from the perspective of 2002."

This is so painful to read, especially when you read about American manufacturing in World War 2 and it's role in fighting two wars simultaneously while also supplying the war efforts of Britain and the Soviet Union. TD

Fact Check.org: Is President Obama responsible for Chinese companies building U.S. bridges with stimulus money, as reported by ABC News?

Answer: No. A viral email distorts an ABC News report. California officials hired a Chinese contractor and rejected federal money to avoid federal “Buy American” laws.

But the report pointedly said states were to blame. It didn’t mention federal funds — let alone stimulus funds — except to note that California turned down federal money to avoid federal “Buy American” laws and hire a Chinese firm.

Who to believe in the Valerie Jarrett/ SEAL raid story?

Daily Caller;  Book bombshell: Obama canceled Bin Laden ‘kill’ raid three times at Jarrett’s urging  "Obama administration officials also said after the raid that the president had delayed giving the order to kill the arch-terrorist the day before the operation was carried out, in what turned out to be his fourth moment of indecision."

Politico has this rebuttal: White House: 'Fabrication' that Obama called off bin Laden raid  "And as the liberal group Media Matters notes, Miniter's report does not square with other reporting on the timeline of the mission. Miniter alleges that Obama called off the operation first in January, but the New Yorker's Nicholas Schmidle reported that the plan to kill bin Laden was not even presented to the president until March."

From Mother Jones via Blackfive; "9 Worst Lies Right-Wingers Tell About the bin Laden Raid" "This actually is a telling expose of just how far in the tank O's apologista corps in the media branch of his campaign are. Not only is dissent from the articulated message of martial glory and battlefield accomplishment verboten, but it is classified as a lie by these self-appointed commissars in the the Ministry of Truth." 


 White House: Obama did not postpone bin Laden raid  " "It is an utter fabrication," said White House spokesman Joshua Earnest."

Also from Blackfive: Sorry, despite the fact that I’m not at all a fan of this President, I’m also not much for anonymous single sources.

Nice Deb has more to say in support of the book's account: What changed the president’s position and enabled the attack against Osama Bin Laden to proceed?

The American Civil War; July 30th, 1862. The Seven Days Battle

Lee takes command of the Army of Northern Virginia  on June 1, 1862. Attacks the Federal Army of the Potomac, beginning the Seven Days Battle.

GLENDALE - A. P. HILL'S ASSAULT, JUNE 30, 1862

CIVIL WAR INDEX; Battle of Glendale, VA in the American Civil War

OBAMA PLANS MASSIVE 2ND TERM AMNESTY ORDER

Klein Online  "Progressive organizations behind White House policy have crafted specific, second term plans for President Obama to issue amnesty to millions more illegal aliens living inside the U.S. 

"There are also designs to remove the caps on H-1B visas and green cards, a move that would bring in an untold number of new immigrants.

"Other second term plans include a program for government agencies to immediately register as voters the new Americans who would receive amnesty."  See next:

Demos; FROM CITIZENSHIP TO VOTING: IMPROVING REGISTRATION FOR NEW AMERICANS "Elimination of administrative practices and legal requirements that discriminate against eligible immigrant voters, these include certain types of database matching policies, laws unduly restricting the means of confirming citizenship for purposes of registering to vote, and unnecessarily restrictive voter identification laws."  Read: "photo ID"  
Emphasis added.

Disillusioned Obama Supporter Interviews Her 2008 Self

Conservative Daily News 

'I would have to say this lady isn’t so happy with the “hope and change” Obama has delivered!'