What is it that the democrats are afraid to show the American People?
House and Senate democrat “leaders” are planning on keeping deliberations secret as they work out the compromise “heath care” bill behind closed doors.
Openness and transparency in the political process. That is what the democrats ran on, but are refusing to implement.
The reality is the the democrats really don’t want any honest and open debate. If that happens, the American people could see exactly what they are trying to shove down their throats without their knowledge.
A wise woman spoke the truth when she said, “They win in the dark; we win in the light.”
The last thing the democrats want is the ObamaCare bill to be brought out of the cover of darkness and into the cleansing light of the public.
Avatar spoilers
This is a comment I left on a review of Avatar on Dark Worlds blog that raises issues with the lousy science in Avatar:
Then there is the subject of evolution on Pandora. All the animals have six limbs. Four up front and two in the back. All of them, including the Pterodactyl like creatures. Four wings and pair of legs. Four eyes as well. One pair above sightly farther out than the inner pair.
Everything except the Terminator Smurfs. Two eyes, and four limbs.
Radically different biology, yet they could mesh their nervous system with the local animals.
Did the Terminator Smurfs braid their hair to protect the nerve bundle or did it grow like that naturally.Oh, why did the Pterodactyl like creatures naturally develop stirrups for the Terminator Smurfs?
With all the “scientists” they had on that planet, why didn’t any notice that the Terminator Smurfs obviously didn’t evolve there?
Originally posted at e-Ramblings
Update: One of the comments points out that the story line is remarkably similar to a Poul Anderson short story, “Call Me Joe.” There are also comments about the movie drawing from Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The World for World is Forest.” I would add Alan Dean Foster’s Midworld as well.
Monday Book Pick: Melody of Vengeance
Melody of Vengeance by Michael A. Black.
A rousing good pulp adventure that pays tribute to the two greatest pulp heros, Doc Savage and the Shadow!
Quote of the Day
“I made it to 2010 and all I got from the SciFi books of my youth was the lousy dystopian government.”
Quote of the Day
“The communist countries had the worst environmental record in the world; the only saving grace was that they were so inefficient they couldn’t do more damage.” — NY Times best selling author John Ringo
Friday B-Movie Pick: Star Wars
The 1977 original! The one where Han shot first! B-Movie? You betcha! Check out sets, the plot, and delicious evilness oozing out of the bad guys. George Lucas is a big film buff and this is a tip of the hat to multiple genres, including some Japanese classics and WWII flying Ace movies.
Alert Citizens work better than government bureaucracy
Filed under: Global War on Islamofascism, Our Dear Leader, Politics
An al-Qaida operative tried to ignite an explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was know to have terrorist ties, and managed to walk through the security system at a major European airport with an explosive device.
When Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian native and a Muslim, attempted to ignite the device, it was the passengers who noticed that something was wrong, and did something about it.
On September 11th 2001, the government’s (1970s) security procedures all failed, and the only good news of the day came from self-reliant citizens (on Flight 93) using their own wits and a willingness to act.
On December 25th 2009, the government’s (post-9/11) security procedures all failed, and the only good news came once again from alert individuals.
While our Dear Leader and the democrats may have forgotten 9/11, the American people have not.
Update: Our Dear Leader‘s DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was out quickly to provide the Obama administration spin on this foiled terrorist attack. Ms. Napolitano’s response shows that she is either a bold faced liar or dangerously incompetent. Neither one of those options are good for America.
DHS Secretary Napolitano kept repeating the the administration’s spin, “the system worked.” As I pointed out, that obviously is not the case. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was know to have terrorist ties, and managed to walk through the security system at a major European airport with an explosive device.
Ms Malkin points out:
If the “system” had “worked,” the U.S. consular officials who granted Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab a short-term visa last June would have revoked it immediately upon being informed by his father that he was a Muslim radical with al Qaeda ties.
If the “system” had “worked,” U.S. consular officials would have never granted Abdulmutallab — a rootless, young, single male — a visa in the first place in compliance with State Department visa regulation 214(b):
…
If the “system” had “worked,” Abdulmutallab would have been barred from the U.S. like he had been barred from Britain.
Epic Fail for Napolitano.
Quote of the Day
“You can’t even dignify this squalid racket as bribery: If I try to buy a cop, I have to use my own money. But, when Harry Reid buys a senator, he uses my money, too. It doesn’t ‘border on immoral’: it drives straight through the frontier post and heads for the dark heartland of immoral.” — Mark Steyn
Pelosi losing her iron grip on House democrats?
It appears so, Politico reports that freshman democrat congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama is leaving the democrat party and join the Republicans.
Griffith, a medical doctor, is no fan of ObamaCare it seems.
A radiation oncologist who founded a cancer treatment center, Griffith plans to blast the Democratic health care bill as a prime reason for his decision to switch parties—and is expected to cite his medical background as his authority on the subject.
For that last mintue Christmas gift idea
Email an amazon gift card, or print it out and stick it in a card.
If you are not in a hurry, my book of Yosemite photographs will grace any coffee table in style.