Mythologies and Pathologies of the California Drought

Victor Davis Hanson

http://comicallyincorrect.com/2014/02/18/thirsty-in-california/

... "Take the Bay Area, Ground Zero of water environmentalism. From Mill Valley to San Jose is where most of the green activists are based who have demanded, even as the snowfalls and rains ceased, that reservoir storage waters be diverted to the sea to encourage the resurgence of the delta smelt and river salmon. The Bay Area’s various earlier lobbying groups long ago helped to cancel the final phases of the California State Water Project and the Central Valley Project, and now talk about reducing world carbon emissions rather than building more storage capacity to solve California’s water crisis.

"How odd that is — given that the San Francisco greater community has almost no aquifer to supply its millions. Environmentalists count instead solely on vast water transfers from the far distant Hetch Hetchy reservoir to supply the nearly three million water users of the Bay Area with their daily showers and lawn irrigations. " ...

...

..."the California coastal strip is an environmentally unwise place to locate millions of Californians; its swarms exist largely by water transfers from either Northern California or the Sierra Nevada mountains. And yet far too many of its inhabitants have a bad habit of pontificating about water usage for others."

We’re All Safer Now That The Government Has Rolled Out Recommendations For Making S’mores

Downtrend

 

" ... The US Forrest(sp) Service has addressed one of the most pressing safety issues facing our country: the proper way to make s’mores.

 

"As an arm of the US Department of Agriculture, the Forest Service has an annual budget of $5.5 billion and is charged with protecting our forests and grasslands. As such, they’ve come up with fool-proof way of keeping our outdoor spaces safe by setting new guidelines for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

 

"First, the basics:

Use a roasting stick of at least 30 inches in length. The degree a marshmallow is roasted runs the gamut, from the barely cooked, light caramel-colored outer layer to the flaming marshmallow that contains a gooey interior wrapped by a crispy, blackened shell.

"Then we get some help with making s’mores. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Michelle Obama had a hand in this part:" ...

Fox News, Enemy of State; The Obama administration’s curious cable jihad.

NRO

... "Mr. O’Reilly became an enemy of State when he conducted an interview with Fox News reporter James Rosen, who had some mildly unflattering things to say about Ms. Harf’s superior, Jen Psaki, the witless off-brand Pippi Longstocking who is the current media face of the American diplomatic project. The Obama administration is, to be charitable, currently unsure of how to go about dealing with the Islamic State, and Ms. Psaki was something less than convincing in trying to explain what exactly the administration has been up to between that group’s beheadings. Ms. Harf proclaimed (here I’ll translate from the Twitterese): “Jen Psaki explains foreign policy with intelligence and class. Too bad we can’t say the same about Bill O’Reilly.' ” ...  Kevin D. Williamson

 

 

 

Benghazi Bombshell: Security Team Told to 'Stand Down' By CIA Officer    "It's a must-see Fox News Reporting special, tonight at 10p ET as Bret Baier reveals the inside accounts of the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi attack from the men who were there to protect the CIA annex. We're already getting a preview of some of the new information coming to light, including that the men believe they could have gotten to the U.S. consulate in time to save Ambassador Chris Stevens and Sean Smith."

Krauthammer; Ukraine abandoned

Republican Security Council

Charles Krauthammer

U.S. President Barack Obama is seated with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko as they meet with
other  countries regarding Ukraine at the NATO summit at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales,
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. At rear center is U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

... "We’ll see whether Obama comes up with an ISIS strategy. But he already has one for Ukraine: Write it off. Hence the more shocking statement in that Aug. 28 briefing: Obama declaring Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — columns of tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery and a thousand troops brazenly crossing the border — to be nothing new, just “a continuation of what’s been taking place for months now.”

 

"And just to reaffirm his indifference and inaction, Obama mindlessly repeated his refrain that the Ukraine problem has no military solution. Yes, but does he not understand that diplomatic solutions are largely dictated by the military balance on the ground?

"Vladimir Putin’s invasion may be nothing new to Obama. For Ukraine, it changed everything. Russia was on the verge of defeat. Now Ukraine is. That’s why Ukraine is welcoming a cease-fire that amounts to capitulation."  Emphasis mine, TD

 

This Is Why Women Live Longer Than Men

mindblowing.WORTHaLIKE.com

 

Via Victoria Faith at Conservatives Network

United States Forms “Core Coalition” to Fight Islamic State Militants; Romney's op-ed hits hard

Please do not call it "The League of Nations" 

Foreign Policy   "The United States said on Friday that it was forming a "core coalition" to counter Islamic State militants in Iraq, though ruled out deploying combat troops. Ministers from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland, and Denmark met on the sides of the NATO summit in Wales to discuss strategies for dealing with the Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said those states comprised the core group, which will form the larger and extended coalition. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the countries should develop solid plans by the U.N. General Assembly this month in New York. Meanwhile, British military officials said a limited military operation may be imminent and Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday offered to supply arms to Kurdish forces. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has authorized military cooperation with the United States, as well as Iraqi and Kurdish forces, in the fight against Islamic State militants."...

 Romney's stinging op-ed  "Mitt Romney, for all his weaknesses, has come out with a muscular column in the Washington Post on “The Need for a Mighty U.S. Military." He portrays a chaotic world that ignores, with good reason given who helms us, America. Barack Obama famously ridiculed Mitt Romney in the 2012 debate when Romney answered that Russia-under Vladimir-was our greatest foe. That was the Russia that Barack Obama whispered “sweet nothings” to when he promised Putin’s flunky, Dmitry Medvedev, that Obama would be (even) more flexible in a second term. American weakness has followed. Our position when confronting adversaries and enemies has been supine."  

Lasky sums the Obama approach with these words:

And our Department of Defense might as well become, in his adolescent view, his “Department of Common Humanity” - just another example of a string of his banal statements that pass for profundity among his adoring fans. Trite clichés do not make policy-nor will they defend us from evil.  ...

  Ed Lasky

2012: Obama's snarky treatment of Romney in the debate over US military readiness.

Mitt Romney: The need for a mighty U.S. military

... "The president asserts that we must move to “a new order that’s based on a different set of principles, that’s based on a sense of common humanity.” The old order, he is saying, where America’s disproportionate strength holds tyrants in check and preserves the sovereignty of nations, is to be replaced." ...

Degrade and Destroy

Mexican President Peña Nieto Declares United States 'the Other Mexico'

Breitbart

 

"Forget so-called "Mexifornia." How about the United States of Mexico? Video

"On Monday, Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto called on other states to "evolve" like California so the United States can be more like his home country. 

 

"Appearing with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown in Los Angeles, Peña Nieto called for amnesty legislation and more open borders while blasting governors who have taken a tough stance on illegal immigration.

 

" 'This is the other Mexico," Peña Nieto reportedly "said of the United States, which is property to an estimated 11 million Mexican immigrants," according to the Los Angeles Times."  

 

Senate Democrats Push Radical Amendment Prohibiting Pro-Life Free Speech In Elections…

Weasel Zippers    "Planned Parenthood doesn’t pump tens of millions of dollars into Dem campaigns for nothing."

 

A leading pro-life group is sounding the alarm about a measure Senate Democrats are pushing that would place stringent limits on pro-life free speech when it comes to campaigns and elections.
The National Right to Life Committee today warned members of the U.S. Senate that it will “scorecard” the upcoming Senate roll call on a proposed constitutional amendment. The pro-life organization informs LifeNews that the amendment would allow Congress and each state legislature to restrict or prohibit virtually any type of communications to the public that might “influence elections.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated that he will seek Senate action on the measure on September 8. Fifty Democratic senators have so far expressed support for the measure.
The letter, signed by National Right to Life President Carol Tobias, Executive Director David N. O’Steen, and Legislative Director Douglas Johnson, referred to the proposal as “a radical assault on the Bill of Rights.”
It underscores how the amendment could allow states to prohibit pro-life groups from issuing scorecards letting pro-life voters know how their elected officials in Congress voted on key pro-life issues.
Keep reading…

Chart: How Much Fast-Food Prices Would Rise If Employers Paid $15 an Hour

Why does the left not care that they turn everything they touch to, well... crap?

The Daily Signal   "As thousands of fast-food workers participate in strikes today pushing for their wages to be raised to $15 an hour, it’s important to remember the consequences that such a steep raise could have.

"According to a new report released today by James Sherk, a labor policy expert at The Heritage Foundation, such an increase could result in fewer hours of work overall at fast-food restaurants and higher prices for all.

 

Higher Fast-Food Wages: Higher Fast-Food Prices    "Union activists want to raise the minimum wage in the fast-food industry to $15 an hour. However, fast-food restaurants operate on very small profit margins; they could only afford such wages by raising prices—significantly. Higher prices would, in turn, drive customers away, forcing even larger price increases to cover costs. Ultimately, the average fast-food restaurant would have to raise prices by nearly two-fifths. This would cause sales to drop by more than one-third, and profits to fall by more than three-quarters. Absent the widespread adoption of labor-saving technology, the union-led “Fight for 15” would make fast food much more expensive for Americans."

James Sherk Senior Policy Analyst in Labor Economics

Did Bush derangement syndrome doom Obama?

floppingaces.net

Silvio Canto, Jr.  ... "But why is all of this happening?  How did the US go from a position of strength to one of weakness?  How did this happen in such a short time?

"My theory is that this is all about President Bush, or reversing Bush's policies.   

"The mission of the Obama administration was to "de-Bush" the world.   They were convinced that it was "the Bush/Cheney way" that created all of the problems.  President Obama felt that he could turn everything around by changing Bush's policies .

"In fact, they threw out the baby with the bath water.   They are now facing bigger problems than they could have imagined when Mr. Romney and Mr. Obama had that foreign policy during the campaign.  

"The US public does not want a hawkish president but it does not want a weak president either.  President Obama is now a casualty of "Bush derangement syndrome".

 

Victor Davis Hanson: The New World Disorder    ... "Barack Obama apparently believes that such a retrenchment was both inevitable and to be welcomed. He thought that most U.S. interventions abroad had been either wrong or futile or both; he questioned the world’s status quo and certainly felt, for example, that the widespread persecution of Christians in the Middle East was not nearly as much of a problem as Islamophobia in the West. He came into office believing that Iran, Hamas, and Russia had all been unduly demonized, especially by George W. Bush, and could be reached out to by a sensitive president whose heritage and attitudes might not appear so polarizing." ...

...

"Can the old, pre-Obama postwar order be rebuilt? Of course, but it will require budgetary discipline, a visionary president, experienced national-security advisers, skillful diplomats, and a public that is informed and cares. In other words — not for another two years and five months."

 

You say America cannot be the world's policeman? Who, then will protect us from world criminals?

 

SEIU-led fast food strikes

SEIU organized fast-food strikes   "Our new report – “The Union Money Behind the Fast Food ‘Strikes’” – from our WorkerCenters.com project has been generating a lot of media attention over the last few days. In it, we call out the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and its PR shop Berlin Rosen for organizing the astroturf “fight for $15” campaign, with an end-goal of unionizing restaurants.
...

seiu.org

 

"The report, published last Thursday, shows that the recent fast food “strikes” are essentially union-funded publicity stunts with little grassroots interest. The report tracks $15 million in funding from the SEIU to worker centers, and nearly $4 million from Big Labor to the PR shop running the campaigns—all since January 2013."

Fast Food No More: How The SEIU & Union Front Groups Want To Occupy Your Big Mac   Via Red State
... "In actuality, however, the entire fast-food effort is part of a four-year old plan cooked up by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

"So far, the union-funded protesters are demanding raises to $15–more than twice the minimum wage–under the slick campaign slogan “Fight for $15.” However, the true aim of the SEIU and its allies is to unionize the industry and it appears the SEIU is about to launch a full-out blitzkrieg fast food joints across the country."...

Their plan laid out:

Initiate a focused experiment in one or two metro areas to test the organizing theory and bring resources to bear on a limited geographical target.

Choose metro areas with a favorable local political environment and workforce composition (Los Angeles and an east coast market) [The SEIU chose New York to launch its fast food union campaign]

Target 7-10 of the largest chains to keep bargaining manageable and map out geographic clusters where field work can be concentrated. [Though McDonalds was the first, other chains are now being targeted by the union.]

Build broad-based support for targeted workers via extensive community outreach and organizing and political work with prominent local elected officials

While staying focused on the 7-10 chains, bring workers together across companies within geographic clusters to build a sense of movement and solidarity. [Fast-food strikes, when they occur, are not at a single restaurant but several.]

Use a living wage as a vehicle to excite, build momentum, build worker lists/ID potential leaders and potentially support collective bargaining. We believe we will have enough traction with an ordinance to use as a legitimate tool for organizing and potentially as legislation to raise standards.

Move fast and furious with an army of 200-300 Staff/MOs/VOs/other volunteer organizers and the necessary number of leads to:

• Petition for living wage
• ID leaders
• Bring workers together within geographies
• Sign authorization cards
• File on dozens of restaurants per week

The funniest dashcam video you'll ever see

Spongebob Squarepants, Mickey Mouse pummel driver in 'road rage'

WND

 

"Cases of road rage are usually no laughing matter, but an incident captured on video over the weekend in Russia is leaving millions of people howling with delight, as four people dressed as cartoon characters are seen pummeling a man.

"It took place at 2:40 a.m. Saturday morning in the Siberian city of Chelyabinsk, when a vehicle suddenly pulls in front of a minivan on a highway and then stops.

'When the driver gets out and approaches the other driver, that’s when the surreal scene begins.' ...