Random Shots - World Less Thrilled With Obama, Anal Educators in New York, Obama Fraud, and Much More!

FIRST SHOT!

World Less Thrilled With Obama Now


Yes, the world around us is finally recognizing what we see! Countries around the world that hailed Barack Obama when he first took office in 2009 are no longer so keen about the president, a new survey finds.

A Pew Research survey of 21 countries shows that global confidence in and attitudes toward the United States have slipped since Obama moved into the White House. The biggest drop in approval of Obama’s foreign policies occurred in China, where it plummeted from 57 percent in 2009 to 27 percent now, the Global Attitudes Project survey revealed.

The survey found Europeans still remain largely confident in Obama, albeit somewhat less so than in 2009. In Muslim countries, however, the public remains highly critical of Obama, In Japan, confidence in Oabma’s policies dropped from 77 percent in 2009 to 58 percent today,

In nearly all countries, more than half the public disapproves of the Obama administration’s use of unmanned drones to take out terror suspects. His ineptness is affecting their economies and subsequently their households. He stands for nothing other than Black rights, Socialism, and Muslim appeasement. 

The rest of the world, like most Americans, sees Obama as setting Race Relations in America back 50 years. And yes, people are tired of his constant playing of the Race Card at every turn. 

His nemesis the Tea Party doesn't give a shit that he's black, his policies are what they can't accept. Why can't he understand the difference between disagreeing with someone over substance? Why can't Obama stop making it into something that it is not about?

Sorry, Mr. President but no one really cares that you're half black. They care about the fact that you have shown open disdain for us, our way of life, our form of government, and our culture. You have openly embraced America's enemies and tried taking credit for what troops out in the field facing real danger are doing to keep us safe.

As for Obama's love of Socialism, most of the real world -- sans college kids who have wealthy parents -- has had about a belly full of Socialism. The system of government being our lord and master doesn't appeal to anyone with half a brain in their head. In fact, even Communist China has had to talk to Obama about the benefits of Capitalism.

As for Muslim appeasement, he's sold out all of our allies -- including the only democracy in the Middle East just so he can be "popular". He reminds me of a girl that I once knew in college that would play one person against the other just to be "liked". 

Maybe we should make it mandatory that our President is secure with himself, and has no mommy/ daddy issues before they assume the office of president? Obama, the poor bastard, seems to be loaded with all sorts of conflicts - black, white, racial, religious, economic, and ideological!

SECOND SHOT!

Top Global Accounting Firm says U.S. Debt Crisis "Bigger Than You Think"

What is the real cost of the U.S. government's nearly $16 trillion debt? "The debt crisis is likely bigger than you think," a new report issued last week by Deloitte, one of the world's largest accounting firms, concluded.

That's because interest payments add a whole new level of fiscal pain to the country's debt problem. Interest payments on the national debt alone, it noted, are expected to total some $4.2 Trillion over the next decade. And that number could fluctuate depending on rates.

The lead author of the Deloitte study, director Bill Eggers, stressed the way that U.S. government debt could quickly spiral out of control if investors become less willing to lend more money. "If interest rates go up by simply 3 percent over the next decade, the additional cost to the Treasury, just for interest payments, would equal the peak combined cost of the wars in both Afghanistan in Iraq," he said.

So what can the huge amount of $4.2 Trillion Taxpayer Dollars buy instead? Deloitte, an accounting and consulting firm that often audits government finances, says it's enough to do all of the following:

Build 80,000 miles of highways; Pay tuition for every science/math/engineering college degree in the country; Triple U.S. government general R&D funding; Build six international space stations; Offset 80 percent of global warming pollution in the atmosphere as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report notes that the $4.2 Trillion could also be given back in the form of tax cuts. Imagine that!

What a concept! Give the money back to the people! Nope, they'll never go for it! 

Not all economists are on board with the implications of the study. "The major holders of government bonds are agencies and individuals within the U.S.," Robert Stonebraker, an economics professor at Winthrop University, told Fox News. "So if you pay $1 Trillion in interest on the debt, a lot of it will go back to Americans anyway."

But Eggers noted that a lot of the interest payments do go overseas. "If you look at the interest payments going to foreign countries, soon we're going to be spending enough to essentially finance the Chinese military," he said. Currently, foreigners own some $5 Trillion in U.S. government bonds, $1 Trillion of which is owned by China. 

Some criticized the report's ideas. "I think they're overhyping the need to fix the debt crisis in the short run," Stonebraker said. "If the economy recovers, a lot of the debt will go away automatically. There wouldn't be as much need for unemployment benefits, food stamps, Medicaid -- so a significant part of the spending would go away, and debt growth would slow on its own."

Stonebraker agreed with the Deloitte report that debt will eventually need to be dealt with, but said he disagreed on the timing. "It's not appropriate to cut spending during an economic slowdown -- that is exactly when you need deficit spending to stimulate the economy and get people back to work."

Other analysts say that the deficit should be brought under control quickly, and cite European countries that are cutting budgets as an example. "There are a whole set of economists who think that we need to bite the bullet and start making cuts now, essentially what the U.K. government is doing now," Eggers said. "The debt is not something that is going to go away the more time that goes by."

THIRD SHOT!

Bible-College Student Arrested In New York For Having Pocketknife

A student from a Pennsylvania Bible college was arrested and charged with a high misdemeanor for carrying a pocketknife at the subway station in Times Square during a visit to New York, The Columbus Dispatch reported. Clayton Baltzer, 19, who attends Baptist Bible College & Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pa., has paid a $125 fine and completed two days of community service for the March 27 offense.

He is becoming something of a poster child for "the prosecution of honest citizens carrying knives," Doug Ritter, chairman of the advocacy group Knife Rights, told the paper. Baltzer, a camping-ministry major who considers the arrest part of God’s plan, tells the paper that he's "never been in trouble before" and would use similar knives to whittle for children at special-needs camps.

Nevertheless, a few years ago, New York cracked down on illegal knives, the paper reported. Ohio's case law, meanwhile, leans toward not considering a common pocket knife a deadly weapon. The report said the arrest will likely drop from Baltzer’s record in a year, but that Baltzer may have soured on the Big Apple.

The paper reported, he said, "I don't plan on visiting New York unless I have to." 

And honestly now, would you blame the guy if he never went back? I wouldn't.

FOURTH SHOT!

NYC principal bars students from singing 'God Bless the USA' at graduation

From the New York Post, on June 12th, 2012: A New York City principal has pulled the plug on patriotism by preventing students from singing "God Bless the USA" at their graduation.

The decision has sparked fireworks at a school filled with "proud immigrants." 

What the hell are "proud immigrants"? If they are so proud of where they came from, then ask them to go back! This is a fallacy. No one leaves anywhere that they can't be away from being away from. Pride in another culture that is not our culture means that you have no desire in assimilating into American society. 

Greta Hawkins, principal of PS 90, the Edna Cohen School, will not allow kindergarten students to belt out the beloved Lee Greenwood ballad, also known as "Proud to be an American," at their moving-up ceremony. Five classes spent months learning the patriotic song, which skyrocketed in popularity after the 9/11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was to be the rousing finale of their musical show at the June 20 commencement. The kids, dressed up for their big day, would wave tiny American flags -- which, as the lyrics proclaim, "still stand for freedom."

But Hawkins marched in on a recent rehearsal and ordered a CD playing the anthem to be shut off, staffers said. She told the teachers to drop the song from the program. 

"We don't want to offend other cultures," they quoted her as explaining.

These people are the ones screwing us up! Other cultures? Why can't these people understand assimilation? Cultural assimilation supports and promotes the assimilation of cultural and ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. In this case, the melting pot we call America.

The term assimilation is often used when referring to immigrants and various ethnic groups settling in a new land. New customs and attitudes are acquired through contact and communication. The great part about America is that it has always been the case where each group of immigrants contributes some of its own cultural traits to the new society - and that's fine as long as they have no misgivings as to where they are. Assimilation usually involves a gradual change and takes place in varying degrees - full assimilation occurs when new members of a society become indistinguishable from older members.

Why do teachers, liberals, want a divided nation? It is happening here, in Great Britain, France, Germany, and really all over Europe. This whole concept of having one nation divided into hundreds of cultures - all divided among its people - is asinine. It encourages strive and dissension and violence.

And yes, besides being completely anal, to consciously encourage division instead of seizing the moment to instill some unity, divisiveness is criminal. Why can't liberal "educators" see this? Why are liberal "educators" all so dumb? If I could answer that, I'd cure the world's problems.

FIFTH SHOT!

Obama Fraud "Biggest Potential Crime" In U.S. History

Citizenry urged not to abandon "irradiated" eligibility issue. 

This is from World Net Daily, June 11th., 2012: In an hour-long radio interview on presidential eligibility, an award-winning journalist and author declared Barack Obama could be at the center of the “biggest potential crime in all of American history.”

Diana West, a columnist known for her boldness and penchant for eliciting dropped jaws, was interviewed Saturday by Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy, on his Secure Freedom Radio. According to the show’s promotion, "Despite the results of Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s Cold Case Unit, which found that both Obama’s birth certificate and Selective Service Registration card had been forged, Obama’s behavior in the ’08 elections and the very words of the Constitution itself, the government has not allowed for a thorough and fair investigation into the issue of Obama’s eligibility.”

West contends Americans should be investigating exactly what is going on. The nation is "looking at a great unsolved mystery, the greatest potential crime of all of American history," she told Gaffney. “What we’re looking at is a president of the United States whose documentation has not been presented, vetted, corroborated,” she said.

Gaffney noted that the subject has become "irradiated."

The issue has been raised in dozens of lawsuits and other legal challenges. Yet the courts and media have combined to make sure “this is a subject that does not make it into America’s living rooms and parlors,” West said. "It’s not considered polite conversation."

But according to documentation in some of the legal challenges, the potentially damaging consequences are unquantifiable. The issues that would arise should Obama be declared ineligible include the status of laws he has signed and the international agreements he has made?

West said determining Obama’s eligibility isn’t complicated; it’s a matter of the definition of “natural born citizen,” which is what the Constitution requires for presidents.

"This was a specific designation that was much discussed among the Founders in order to eliminate any possibility of divided loyalties in the commander of the American armed forces," she said.

She cited a 19th century U.S. Supreme Court case that determined a “natural born citizen” is the offspring of two citizen parents. Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., was in the United States only as a student and never was a citizen. West discussed a pending court case in Florida that raises the issue of the parentage of natural-born citizens.

She explained that the judge in that case already has noted that while critics of Obama have cited a legal definition for natural born citizen, supporters of the president have failed to cite a single instance to back their position. "The mystery must be solved," she said.

While serving as an editorial writer for The Washington Times, West began writing a regular column in 1999. It went to syndication shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. West won second place for editorial writing in the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Contest in 2001. She left the Times in 2002 to write her first book, "The Death of the Grown-Up: How America’s Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization," by St. Martin’s Press.

Not one to shy away from controversial commentary, along with Obama’s eligibility, West explores such topics as Islam’s claim to be "a religion of peace," and society’s efforts to "protect" children from Mother’s Day.

SIXTH SHOT!

Texas Man On Trial In Stand-Your-Ground Case Facing Life

This is one of those stories that the liberal news media wants to use to depict all gun owners as being the same. This is a story of horrible needless lose to one family. 

Western Justice came to a retired Houston-area firefighter, as he now faces up to life in prison after a jury convicted him of murder after he gun down his unarmed neighbor during a dispute over a noisy house party. That's right, this guy actually shot someone over too much noise!

Raul Rodriguez, 47, argued he was within his rights under Texas' version of a "Stand-Your-Ground" law when he killed Kelly Danaher in 2010. The trial's punishment phase, which will include further testimony, was scheduled to begin Thursday. The report said that Rodriguez was angry about the noise coming from Danaher's home, where the family was having a birthday party for Danaher's wife and young daughter. Because of his anger over the noise, Rodriguez went to the home and got into an argument with Danaher, a 36-year-old elementary school teacher, and two other men who were at the party.

Actually, it was a lot worse than that. And to top it off, believe it or not, Rodriguez filmed it all!

In a 22-minute video that Rodriguez recorded the night of the shooting, Rodriguez can be heard telling a police dispatcher "my life is in danger now" and "these people are going to go try and kill me." He then said "I'm standing my ground here," and shot Danaher after somebody appeared to grab his camera. The two other men were wounded. Rodriguez's reference to standing his ground was his attempt to link his actions to the commonly known self-defense doctrine of the same name. 

But can you imagine this? This is what it sounds like to me: He goes over to their house with a gun and a video camera, then proceeds to bait them outside. In this case, he wanted them to come out into the street. Then, while the camera is rolling, he says his lines - and fires. That's what it sounds like to me.

I have no idea what makes people like this tick. I have no idea what he wanted to do with the video? What if they would have said, okay and shut their door? Would he have been disappointed? What if it were a kid who grabbed for the camera, who he have done the same thing?

No, this is totally unconscionable!

The victim's wife, Mindy Danaher, said she cried tears of joy and sadness after the verdict was read. "I'm just glad that he can't hurt anybody else. That's my main thing," she said outside the courtroom. "I love my husband and I miss him so much."

Rodriguez's attorneys left the courtroom without speaking to reporters. His family, who sobbed after hearing the verdict, declined to comment. His attorneys did not present any witnesses in his defense.

Jurors deliberated for about five hours after having received the case following closing arguments earlier Wednesday. During closing arguments, prosecutor Kelli Johnson said Rodriguez started the confrontation -- when instead of calmly asking Danaher to turn down the music -- he armed himself with a handgun and a camera and proceeded to harass people at the party. Johnson said in essence Rodriguez lured and provoked Danaher and two other men to come out onto the street and threaten them by brandishing his gun.

Rodriguez did have a concealed handgun license. She said Danaher and the two other men were unarmed and that Rodriguez's life was never in any danger.

Danaher's widow had told jurors her husband was not a confrontational person. "This is not what stand your ground is," Johnson said. "Stand your ground is something the law takes very seriously. The law makes it very clear" when the law can be used.

Texas' version of the law, which is known as the Castle Doctrine, was revised in 2007 to expand the right to use deadly force. It allows people to defend themselves not only in their homes but also in their workplaces or vehicles. What some people fail to understand, or simply try to conveniently disregard, is that the law also says "a person using force cannot provoke the attacker or be involved in criminal activity at the time."

Johnson said Rodriguez can't hide behind the stand-your-ground law because he provoked the confrontation and then brandished his weapon against an unarmed individual, which is a crime. 

But defense attorney Neal Davis said he doesn't believe Rodriguez did anything illegal. He said Rodriguez went to complain and was confronted by Danaher and the two other partygoers, and that he didn't pull out his gun until he was standing in the street and Danaher approached him in a threatening manner. "He had a right to be in the street. He was not provoking anybody. He was not engaged in any criminal activity. The stand-your-ground law is not only for home invasions. That's why the law was changed," Davis said. An acquittal of Rodriguez would not "say everyone in the city of Houston is going to turn into the Wild, Wild West," Davis went on to say.

Johnson told jurors prosecutors don't have any problems with guns in Texas. "But with that comes a lot of responsibility. It has to be used as a last resort," she said. 

For me, I've been around firearms for a lot of years, over 50 years really. I support "Stand-Your-Ground" laws, but it was not to be used like this. It angers me when I see something like this. People like this Rodriguez fellow foul our society. They poison the well of understanding that says self-defense has no limits when it is justified. 

Human nature being what it is, it seems that there will always be some jerkweed out there who will try to skirt or abuse or parse the law for their own advantage. Besides the loss of life here, it is a real shame that a law intended for use by wise and clear thinking citizens to defend themselves when they believe that their life or the life of another is in clear mortal danger -- can be twisted and used in this way.

The law states clearly, a person using force cannot provoke the attacker or be involved in criminal activity at the time. All over folks getting too loud at a birthday party? Give me a break! Why didn't he just call the police and let them handle it if he felt threatened? To try to bait someone into a fight in the street, then bring a handgun out and actually film yourself using it? It sounds wicked. It borders evil.

LAST SHOT!

Aging Ranchers And Farmers

American has a crisis on its hands that should be addressed with extreme urgency. Besides the problem of costs going up for Ag supplies and production, urban sprawl has reduced the land available to agriculture, shifting weather patterns have left southwestern states repeatedly parched, there is also another seldom talked about the problem facing American agriculture.

The problem that Ranchers and Farmers across the nation are facing in more and more numbers is that America's ranch and farm producers are aging. And yes, to add to the crisis, fewer young people are being drawn to ranching and farming for a living.

Right now the average age of American beef and farm producers is 57, and Ranchers and Farmers are focused on finding solutions. Along with Ranchers and Farmers, the USDA has started programs aimed at developing more farmers and ranchers - as well as boosting interest in locally grown food.

There are opportunities for agriculture-related jobs because global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows. America still feeds the world, and American Ranchers and Farmers ensure there are products to be shipped. 

They are an important weapon in America's ongoing battle to feed those who right now starve because they live under the yoke of a totalitarian government.

Story by Tom Correa

Random Shots - Florida Sues To Take Dead People Off Voter Rolls, Brits Cut Army Strength, Texas Dad Kills Daughter's Molester, and More!

FIRST SHOT!

State of Florida Sues Homeland Security Over Access To Citizen Database

Reported Monday, June 11th, 2012

The State of Florida sued the U.S. Department of Homeland security over access to a database to verify the citizenship of residents as the state seeks to purge non-citizens and dead people from its voter rolls, a spokesman for Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner said.

Florida claims DHS has refused to give it access despite repeated requests.

After the state filed suit, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas E. Perez slammed Gov. Rick Scott's move in a terse five-page letter.

Calling the state's program "faulty," Perez said the purge comes too close to elections and will endanger the right of thousands of lawful citizens to cast ballots, The Miami Herald reports.

Perez faulted Florida for ignoring warnings by the Justice Department to stop the voter purge. And he threatened a suit as well against the state.“I have authorized the initiation of an enforcement action against Florida in federal court," he wrote.

“The significant problems you are encountering in administering this new program are of your own creation,” Perez wrote.

“Your claim that the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security have worked in concert to deny Florida access to the SAVE Program is simply wrong,” Perez added. “Please immediately cease this unlawful conduct.”

"We have a right to this database,” Florida Gov. Scott said on Fox’s Your World Cavuto show, according to the Miami Herald. “It's supposed to be used for voting registration. I look forward to them giving us the database but, again, we don't' have a choice but to sue them this afternoon.”

Florida’s lawsuit is part of Scott and the state's effort to remove illegals and dead people from voter rolls. About 87 non-citizens have been found on the voter rolls so far, at least 47 of whom may have unlawfully cast ballots, according to the Herald.

Florida’s elections division started comparing a motor vehicles database against some citizenship information, acknowledging that that information can be out of date.

Florida initially believed some 180,000 people might be non-citizens. So far more than 500 people have been contacted on the list and most have been lawful citizens.

The Department of Justice ordered the state to drop the purge two weeks ago saying it likely violated voting laws, particularly the National Voter Registration Act, which bans voter purges within 90 days of a federal election.

On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the State of Florida in Federal Court to stop the purge saying it unfairly targeted minorities.

But wait, how many dead people are registered to vote in Florida?

Well, how about 53,000 dead people! Friends, that a whole hell of a lot dead folks!

That's right, 53,000! On May 17th, 2012, it was reported that as many as 53,000 dead people may be registered to vote in Florida.

When I told my wife about this, her first reaction was "That's crazy! Why can't they just remove their names? Those names aren't doing anyone any good unless you're cheating the system!"

When I told her that Florida Democrats don't want them removed, she just shook her head in disbelief. And yes, I'm sure that most people are shaking their heads because this is so hard to believe.

Why can't election just remove names who are null and void?  Well, that's the problem.

State officials are reportedly pushing local election supervisors to remove the dead voters as the critical 2012 elections near - but friends, Democrats simply don't believe that that should be done. 

They are counting on those votes. Yes, as weird as it sounds, Democrats are counting on the votes of dead people to get their candidates elected - which of course includes re-electing President Obama.

Empowered by an election law passed by the Republican controlled Legislature last year, officials also compared the rolls to federal Social Security files and reportedly identified more than 53,000 dead people still registered to vote, which officials also want deleted from voter rolls.

Democrat supervisors reportedly fired back at state officials asking how certain the state was about the thousands of names on the preliminary ineligible-voters list.

Florida Democrats are pushing to keep those 53,000 dead people on the voter rolls. I can't help but laugh at their argument not to take them off.

And no, no one's questioning the citizenship of dead people - no matter how the Democrats want to paint it.

For the Republican controlled Legislature, it is all about trying to eliminate voter fraud. For the Democrats, it is all about keeping their Democrat voters - no matter if they are dead!

As I see it, if the Democrats really need to keep 53,000 dead people on the voter rolls to keep Obama in office - they are in a real trouble - they have lost any sort of sense of right and wrong.

To regain any sense of integrity, they really need to CHANGE their way of doing business and be honest.

SECOND SHOT!

Firearm-friendly towns in Idaho lure gun makers

Yes, towns in Idaho are trying to lure gun manufacturers. Their goal is to get people working again.

“It’s gonna create some jobs,” says David Brown, mayor of Potlatch, Idaho. “We can stay here, our kids can stay here and live and work.”

Potlatch, in western Idaho, for generations was a mill town. In 1906, it boasted the world’s largest pine saw mill. Its lumber built cities all over the United States. But in 1981, with its mill obsolete, Potlatch Lumber Inc. closed the mill and, with it, the town’s identity.

PNW Arms, a high-tech ammunition company based in Seattle, was recently looking for a new home. Tired of the long drives to the shooting range to test their products, and of course the laundry list of government regulations on weapons makers from a anti-gun state, PNW Arms settled on Potlatch.

“We have a welcoming environment,” says William Lyon, vice president of sales and marketing at PNW Arms. “We’re able to bring on staff that is familiar with our kind of work, and our supply chain is a lot closer.”

About 58 companies that make either guns or ammunition are currently based in Idaho, and government officials throughout the state are targeting more.

The Commerce Department calls it "Rec-Tech". The state legislature is gun-friendly, passing a law that shields weapons makers from liability when their products are involved in tragedies. The goal is to poach gun makers from states where the industry is heavily regulated - or heavily hated.

Potlatch is just getting started. B.J. Swanson, Latah County’s economic development director, has had inquiries from six weapons makers in the past few weeks. She and other officials envision an industrial park on the site of the old mill. Artist drawings show the manufacturing plants surrounded by stores and restaurants catering to gun enthusiasts.

“Big, yes,” says Swanson. “To start off with, maybe small. Maybe a couple companies with 10 employees would be a great start, and we could expand from there.”

Mayor Brown says gun crime is not a concern. Firearms are already a way of life in Potlatch. “Every pickup in town, you’ll see a gun in the rack,” says Brown. He only sees opportunity.

“The guns are gonna be built someplace, why not here?” says Brown. “It’s controlled; we’re not having a lot of killings around here.”

Thanks to places like Idaho, America will prosper!

THIRD SHOT! 

The British Army is being forced to rely on Foreigners and Contractors?

Yes, that's what's happening in Great Britain these days!

Defense cuts will force the British Army to rely on foreign forces and private contractors for support and supply operations, according to Philip Hammond.

Philip Hammond is the current Secretary of State for Defence in the Coalition government led by David Cameron, having succeeded Liam Fox on 14 October 2011. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport from 13 May 2010, when he was appointed as a Privy Counsellor. He is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Runnymede and Weybridge.

Hammond's remarks will add to Scottish fears for the future of infantry battalions such as the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (5 Scots) and the Scots Dragoon Guards
The Defence Secretary will say that reforms in the Army structure will focus the shrinking force’s resources on its combat units.

The British Army’s "combat service support" operations including logistics will increasingly be provided by other organisations. Other organizations?

Reforms will also mean that regular Army units will always deploy to the front line with troops from an enhanced Territorial Army.

The British Army is being cut from 102,000 soldiers to 82,000 - and as well as shedding personnel, the British Army is also restructuring. That means that "some units inevitably will be lost or will merge," according to Hammond.

The regimental restructuring plan has raised fears for long-standing infantry units like the Black Watch

In a speech to the RUSI Land Warfare Conference, the annual forum for debating the future of the Army, Philip Hammond will ensure folks that the restructuring operation will retain the basic regimental structure of the Army.

The changes will "maintain the ethos, traditions and connections that are part of what makes the British Army so effective – particularly, a regimental system and regionally-focused recruiting."

Philip Hammond insists that ministers "value the history and the heritage because they deliver tangible military benefits in the modern British Army."

However, he warns that a smaller British Army means making "difficult decisions" - "difficult decisions" that mean the Army remains "capable and agile" in the years to come.

A significant part of the reform will be to focus resources on the "teeth" of the Army, the units that are trained and equipped for combat. The cost of that focus will be reductions in "tail" units providing supply, logistics and transport capabilities.

Those capabilities, Hammond suggests, will be increasingly provided by private contractors and Britain’s international allies.

The British Army, according to Hammond,  must be "thinking innovatively" about how combat service support is provided. Using more systematically the skills available in the Reserve and from our contractors. Working closely with partners to operate logistics more rationally through Alliance structures. Looking to others to provide the tail, where Britain is concentrating on providing the teeth."

As the regular Army becomes smaller, British ministers want to make more use of the Territorial Army. To maintain the Army’s ability to carry out its existing military tasks, ministers have said that the capability of Territorial Army reservists will be increased so Generals can rely on 30,000 deployable reservists by 2015.

So what does the British Army think of all of this?  Well, commanders in the regular British Army have serious doubts on that target, questioning the training and commitment of some reservists.

However, ministers insist it will be realized and Hammond will tell Army chiefs that the Territorial Army will become a "permanent" part of the Army's overall strength.

"The integrated Army concept means that light infantry battalions will be reinforced on deployment through a permanent partnership with reserve battalions," according Hammond.

So now my readers are asking why? Why would I put an article about the British Army in the American Cowboy Chronicles?

Well, it's because of the significances of what it means to America's long standing commitment to NATO and because Great Britain is our number one ally in the entire world.

Fact is, yes, we really do have a special relationship with Great Britain that obviously goes back to our beginning, but more so for the last 120 plus years as a military ally.
The idea that the British Army will scale back from 102,000 soldiers to 82,000 is one thing - but the bigger point is that they are going to attempt to privatize part of their Army.

As far back as you want to go, you will find out that Army's run, as Napoleon said, "on their stomaches". Sure the Army has a mission, but it's their supply chain and logistics that keep them going to make the mission a success.

Any hiccup in their supplies and logistics due to labor problems or otherwise by a private contractor could be a horrible thing to have happen. And don't think it hasn't in the past, because it has in America as recently as during World War II.

And yes, Union private contractors are the worse!

Even during World War II, the war itself couldn’t budge organized labor unions into concessions with their corporate counter parts - government contractor or not. Fact is that there were no public employee unions back then, the only unions were those dealing with private companies.

The AFL, CIO, United Auto Workers, and United Mine Workers viewed the war as an opportunity to build power - not to be part of the war effort.

As UAW boss Tom Di Lorenzo told the Washington Post back in 1943 in the midst of World War II, "Our policy is not to win the war at any cost."

Over the years, here in the states, I've seen all sorts of cuts to our military. Many years ago, I watched as Marines were removed from preforming the security duties at Alameda Naval base. They were replaced with civilian security personal. 

Later we Marines were placed on standby waiting for the call to resume the security at the gates - all because base security personal and the base authority were having problems over pay and benefits.

The civilian security couldn't strike, so instead many came down with what was called the "blue flu". It was an illness that made many of them call in sick. Their ailment only lasted until the base agreed to their demands.

These days, here in the states, the Obama administration wants to make cuts to our military as well as to Veteran Services. He wants to cut many branches of needed equipment and services available to the troops, including combat protective measures and certain insurances.

The Obama administration has talked about having returning Veterans find their own health care, even though they may be returning with Service Connected Disabilities.

There is talk that America should do like the British are doing in that we should privatize our supplies and logistics to save money.

Philip Hammond said: "Of course I regret that it has been necessary to make redundancies to deliver our plans for reducing the size of the armed forces. We inherited a multi-billion pound black hole in the defence budget which had meant the previous government had not been able to afford to properly equip our troops with the kit they needed. We've now brought the defence budget back into balance for the first time in a generation. We will have smaller armed forces but we will ensure they will have the protection and equipment they need."

The British term their cuts "redundancies". If it is true that they are cutting redundant jobs, then I'm all for it.

For a long time, I've felt that our own military is filled with redundancies such as every branch of our armed services having Special Forces sorts of units - why does the Air Force and Navy have Special Forces units when the Army and the Marine Corps has their Special Forces units?

The Army actually trains the Air Force Special Forces unit called AFSOC and the Marine Corps trains the Navy's Special Forces unit called the SEALs. All while the Army has it's Rangers and the Marine Corps has its MARSOC. 

That, my friends, is true redundancy!

As for saving money? Well, if the British are indeed cutting back of the redundancy of work in their supply and logistics - then it may save them some money.

But if the British Defence Secretary thinks that his government will save money in the long run by going with private contractors? I don't think private contractors can save the British money, just as I don't think they'd save us money if we tried something like that.

In fact, from what I know of government contractors - because I once worked for one - I don't see them trying to save taxpayers anything. In fact, it's been may experience that they do the opposite.

It would surprise me to find out the Great Britain's Philip Hammond didn't do some research on the history of why an Army or Navy does their own supplies and logistics. It would surprise me to find out that Philip Hammond doesn't understand that there are certain things that can't be trusted to civilian workers, or contractors, or private businessmen and women.

It would really surprise me to find out that he really thinks Great Britain is going to save money and manpower by turning over duties that should be accomplished by the Army - to civilian contractors?

Someone should explain to him the cost involved in government contract over-runs, then maybe he'd think twice about doing what he's doing.

FOURTH SHOT!

Proposed Horse Slaughterhouse polarizes industry

On June 6th, 2012, this report came out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Emaciated horses barely clinging to life at a New Mexico auction house, the place is their last stop before a lengthy trip to a slaughterhouse south of the border, give credence to grim tales from around the Southwest.

People unable to afford the rising cost of hay are dumping their horses either by selling cheap or by the worse alternative of just turning them loose on the side of the road. This is causing a growing problem as tens of thousands of wild horses are now roaming free foraging for food wherever they can get it. And yes, that means stripping drought-plagued landscapes and draining stock tanks as well.

As horse rescue operations struggle to keep up with a growing number of neglected, abused and starving animals, a businessman in Roswell, New Mexico, has filed an application to open what would be the first horse slaughterhouse to operate in the United States in five years.

The proposal by Valley Meat Co. owner Rick De Los Santos has reignited emotional debates over what constitutes humane treatment of horses, and how best to control an exploding equine population.

The horse is regarded as the iconic animal of the American West. It played a key role in the settling of much of America.

The idea of horse slaughterhouse goes to the question: Are horses livestock or pets?

"It's probably the most polarizing issue the horse industry has had to face in a long time," said Ward Stutz, senior director of breed integrity at the American Quarter Horse Association in Amarillo, Texas, one of a number of livestock and horse groups that support a return to domestic slaughter.

"Let me just say it this way," he said. "We believe it is the owner's right to determine what is in the best interest of their horses. We recognize that there is a lot of abandonment and neglect, therefore we believe that horse slaughter should be available."

Many animal humane groups and public officials are outraged at the suggestion, including New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.

"A horse's companionship is a way of life for many people across New Mexico," Martinez said after the proposal became public earlier this year. "We rely on them for work and bond with them through their loyalty. I believe creating a horse slaughter industry in New Mexico is wrong, and I am strongly opposed."

Supporters of horse slaughter point to a June 2011 report from the federal Government Accountability Office that shows cases of horse abuse and abandonment on a steady rise since Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by cutting funding for USDA inspection programs in 2006.

But a bill passed last year authorized the USDA to resume horse slaughterhouse inspections, prompting the application from De Los Santos. His cattle slaughter business dropped off as area ranchers sold their herds because of drought.

"What we see here will actually break your heart," said Charles Graham, executive director of New Mexico Horse Rescue at Walkin' N Circles Ranch and a supporter of humane horse slaughter in the United States.

"The problem in New Mexico is there is a lot of land. People get a horse, the wife loses her job, they keep the new car, the big TV, the cable service, and a horse in the backyard starving," he said

In Colorado, the GAO report states, investigations for abuse and neglect increased more than 60 percent after horse slaughter was banned domestically, from 975 in 2005 to 1,588 in 2009. Although national data is lacking, the GAO report says California, Texas and Florida have also reported a rise in the number of abandoned horses since 2007.

The number of U.S. horses sent to other countries for slaughter has nearly tripled since domestic horse slaughter ceased. Last year, 68,429 horses were shipped to Mexico and 64,652 to Canada, according to USDA statistics compiled by the Equine Welfare Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ending horse slaughter. That compares to total exports of 37,884 in 2006.

In New Mexico, Randol Riley, a supervisor with the New Mexico Livestock Board, said he gets calls reporting suspected abuse every day. And he says abandonment is on the rise.

"Here lately it's gotten worse. They are dumping horses like crazy," he said, as he delivered three horses a private landowner found abandoned without food or water on his property. The new arrivals brought the population at Walkin' N Circles to 90 head, 30 above what the facilities and budget are meant to handle. The state's other eight licensed rescues are also above capacity, and have been for years.

The plight of some horses was captured recently on video posted on YouTube by the animal rights group Animal Angels. The video, which shows four horses unable to stand inside a pen at the Southwest Livestock Auction in Valencia, N.M., prompted a criminal probe by local and state officials of the sale yard, where many unwanted horse are bought and sold for slaughter in Mexico.

The Valencia County district attorney on Tuesday charged the auction's owner, Dennis Chavez, with 12 counts of misdemeanor and other animal cruelty charges related to the four horses, which had to be euthanized. Chavez did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press.

Debbie Coburn of Four Corners Equine Rescue in Farmington, N.M., says the case highlights the need to end horse slaughter, including in Mexico. Instead, she said, the horse industry needs to address the issue of population control.

"The slaughter pipeline is where the majority of abuse and neglect take place," said Coburn. "To use slaughter as a way to get away with abuse and neglect is how I see it ... that's what slaughter is, a way for people to throw their trash under the carpet."

Graham said opinions among horse lovers "are all over the board. "

"What really bothers me is the hypocrisy. As soon as they cross the border we turn a blind eye. And those horses die a horrible death," he said. "To say we can't regulate slaughter and make it humane ... we can. Everybody who opposes slaughter, tell me your solution to 130,000 unwanted horses every year."

Graham said rules should be implemented for slaughter to make certain the horses are killed humanely, meaning instantly, taken care of on their way to slaughter by being fed and watered, with injuries treated. Most important, he said, the highly intelligent animals shouldn't see other animals being killed or placed in a position to smell blood.

Indeed, on a recent visit to the rescue operation east of Albuquerque, it was clear how in tune the horses are to other horses. As state livestock inspector Riley drove in with the three new arrivals, each of the some two dozen horses in nearby corrals stood completely focused on the trailer even before it passed through the gates.

For those who think horses are in the same league with livestock, I almost feel sorry for their complete lack of knowledge and understanding of horses.

Shamefully, it is their stupidity that will eventually lead to horse slaughterhouse operation where there should not be one.


FIFTH SHOT!
Texas Dad Beats Daughter's Molester To Death Accidentally

A Texas father has not been arrested and is unlikely to face charges after he beat a man to death. The pedophile was trying to molest his 4-year-old daughter at their rural ranch.

The father told law enforcement that he caught the man molesting his daughter and tried to physically stop him.

Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon said the father, whose name has not been released, said no evidence so far has led investigators to doubt his story.

"There doesn't appear to be any reason other than what he told us," Harmon said.

Harmon described the man as "very remorseful" after the Saturday killing.

"I don't think it was his intent for the man to die," Harmon told the Victoria Advocate. The man's grandfather also said his son was "sorry" and the killing was an "accident."

Harmon said the victim was a 47-year-old man from Gonazles with no apparent prior criminal history. His name continued to be withheld Monday because authorities still hadn't tracked down any of his family.

"We are still having trouble locating the deceased's next of kin," the sheriff said. "The chief deputy has been in Gonzales running down some leads, but his family may end up being from out of the country."

The victim was an "acquaintance" of the father who had come to help care for some horses, Harmon said. He did not know how long the two men may have known each other. The girl was taken to a hospital to be examined and has since been released, Harmon said.

The incident took place through a metal gate, down a rut-filled - almost gully-filled drive in a pasture behind a barn where the father was tending to horses, Harmon said.

Across the county road from where the beating took place, a neighbor said the family who owns the property are "good people."

"They have horses and chickens over there and come out every day to feed and water them," said the neighbor. "They are good people. Good, hard-working people."

The father called police late Saturday afternoon and told them he attacked a man caught trying to sexually assault his daughter, Harmon said. The alleged attack happened near a barn where some horses were being kept.

"In the course of trying to get her away from him, and protect her, he struck the subject several times in the head and the subject died," Harmon said.

Harmon said a grand jury will decide what, if any, charges the father will face. So all in all, no charges have been filed in the case and neither the father nor the 47-year-old man who died has been identified by law enforcement.

District Attorney Heather McMinn said that once the investigation is complete and turned over to her office, she will present it to a grand jury.

The victim's body was sent to the Travis County medical examiner for an autopsy.

The ranch near Shiner is about 130 miles east of Houston. Killings are rare in rural Lavaca County, Harmon said his office has only investigated six in his eight years as sheriff.

This is the sort of event is something that no father ever wants to have happen. I can only hope that there isn't a parent out there who wouldn't do the same thing is they found someone trying to molest their child.

I don't have a second's worth of pity for the child-molester who died.

He got what he deserved. The good part about this - he will not be doing such a horrible act to any other child again.

Now I'm very certain that some will probably write me, and yes they will tell me that I'm not living up to the Cowboy Code or that I'm not a very good Christian because I like the idea that a man gets beaten to death while trying to molest a child.

Sorry folks, but as I said before, being a Cowboy and living to the Cowboy Code don't make folks naive or stupid either. And as for me being a good Christian, well let's just say that I'm definitely not your turn the other other cheek sort of Christian. No, I'm definitely not that sort of Christian at all!

And yes, I'm pretty sure a few homosexuals will write me to say that it's people like me that are keeping gay men from getting their way of lowering the age of consent for boys - as the gay lobby LAMDA is working hard to do with the help of liberal Democrats in the carious states.

My answer to them is that all pedophiles, straight or gay, should be dealt with severely. The reason is simple. They attack the innocent; They strike without hesitation or conscience; They ruin a child's life every time they act out their selfish desires.

Because of this, their lives should be completely ruined in return violently through castration or capital punishment.

Short prison terms and so-called rehabilitation programs have been shown to be poor substitutes for real solutions simply because they don't work to stop child molesters from acting again and again. Let's face the facts, pedophiles are the highest repeat criminal offenders.

Because of that, I really believe that castration or capital punishment should be considered when looking at penalties for child molesters - especially if they are repeat offenders.

In the case of the father in Texas who caught the man molesting his daughter and tried to physically stop him - and accidentally killed him.

That dad should be given a medal!


Story by Tom Correa

Random Shots - Obama's Fixing Job Numbers, Holder Has Amnesia, California Whales, And More!

FIRST SHOT!

Dirty Politics - Obama Administration Manipulating Jobless Numbers To Show Less Unemployed and More "Green Jobs"

Congressman Darrell Issa says Obama Administration classifies jobs with political purpose.

The Obama administration is manipulating how it reports and provides information about U.S jobs - in some cases for "clearly political reasons" - said U.S. Representative Darrell Issa.

Rep. Darrell Issa, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, made the assertion during a hearing on how the Obama administration counts so-called "green jobs" and the Labor Department's recent, unannounced change on how Reporters can access key unemployment reports and other information.

The Labor Department "has jeopardized the integrity of employment data in some cases for clearly political reasons," Issa said.

Issa said the administration is reclassifying such jobs as welder, college professor and diesel mechanic as "green jobs" to prove that Billions of taxpayer dollars have created alternative-energy jobs -  though they in fact haven't.

Under questioning by Issa, senior U.S. Labor Department officials revealed that the Obama administration counts oil lobbyists, bus drivers, welders, garbage men, bicycle shop employees and used-record store clerks as "green jobs."

The exchange occurred between Issa, Bureau of Labor Statistics Acting Commissioner Josh Galvin and Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Jane Oates at the "Addressing Concerns about the Integrity of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Jobs Reporting" hearing Wednesday in Washington

Bottom line: the Obama administration is trying to fix the reports so that it look like that huge Federal stimulus package which cost Taxpayers almost a Trillion Dollars actually produced new jobs - when in fact it didn't.

Of course, so-called "green jobs" is a major initiative for President Obama, so why not fix it to make it look like he has accomplished more than he in reality has. 

"It’s about politics. It’s always been about politics," said Representative Issa, R-Calif. "If you work at the Salvation Army, that’s a green job?"

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor of RealClearMarkets.com, said the administration should be focused on simply creating jobs, not classifying them.

She cited the administration putting $3.5 million into the failed Solyndra solar-energy company as an example of the administration appearing to misleadingly or incorrectly tout green-job creation.

Besides the Obama administration trying to now classify truck drivers, school bus drivers, and those riding the bus as "green-jobs," there is another concern to all of this that screams of Obama's idea of Big Brother telling Americans how to conduct themselves.

This second concern has to do with the Labor Department recently ordering Reporters to use government-issued software and other equipment to access Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, perhaps a violation of free-speech laws.

"This proposal threatens the First Amendment," said Daniel Moss, a Bloomberg News executive editor, testifying at the hearing.

This whole idea of having to use equipement issued by the government to access information from the government would have made famous Communist leaders like Linin, Stallin, Moa, and Castro proud.

It is just another attempt of the Obama administration to impose authoritatian measures on Americans. It's seems to be his way of imposing a dictatorial government - one that is run with unlimited power by the head of government or head of state - on Americans.

Some folks might have forgotten, but in March of 2011, Obama had told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China - as one official put it, "No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square."

Then of course, it was in August of 2011, when Obama slammed American Democracy - although technically, we are a Republic - when Obama blamed our terrible economy on what he called a "big, messy, tough Democracy."

Imagine that!

SECOND SHOT!

Fast & Furious Amnesia Hits Attorney General Eric Holder

Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost either by physical or psychological reasons. It's a condition that can be slow in coming, or in the case of Attorney General Eric Holder very sudden - almost, let's say, convenient.

When asked about the Justice Department’s Operation Fast and Furious which gave thousands of weapons to Mexican Drug Cartels, and which high-ranking Obama administration officials knew about the botched operation, Holder can't remember at of very pertinent facts.

Out of convenience or not, Holder's new found amnesia helped him evade questions by Rep. Darrell Issa about some of the smallest details - such whether he or other Justice Department officials had even started to pull together Fast and Furious documents requested in an October 2011 subpoena Issa sent the agency.

"Nothing has come from your department, not a shred of paper," Representative Issa said during a House Judiciary Committee meeting.

Representative Darrell Issa, (R-CA), is the Chairman of the chamber’s Committee on Oversight and Government Affairs which issued the subpoena to the Justice Department.

The subpoena demanded "all" documentation regarding Operation Fast and Furious and the gun-running which has been linked to the 2010 death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.

"You are not a good witness," Representative Issa said in frustration, after Holder essentially repeated Issa's questions over and over again.

Issa has vowed to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to respond to the subpoena. Holder has testified he has given congressional investigators the requisite information. Holder has stated that he has turned over "relevant" documentation while steadfastly refusing to turn over all documentation and not just that that he deems relevant.

On Monday, Representative Issa released information about six wiretap applications that he says prove high-ranking Justice Department officials knew about the Justice Department's gun-running operation.

Issa says the applications were signed by Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, Holder’s second in command.

The Obama administration has repeatedly said high-level Justice Department officials had no specific knowledge of the gun-running of thousands of weapons into the hands of criminals and murderers in Mexico.

Holder has testified at least seven times before Congress on Fast and Furious and has acknowledged the program’s failures.

"We now know … inappropriate tactics were used in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal guns across the Southwest border," he said Thursday in opening remarks. "Although these law enforcement operations … were focused on the laudable goal of dismantling illegal gun trafficking networks, they were flawed in both concept and execution."

The Justice Department responded to Issa’s interpretation of the wiretap applications in a letter saying the agency disagrees with his assertion but is "legally prohibited from commenting on the content of sealed court documents."

The gun-walking tactic had the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Arizona stage gun sales across the Mexico border with alleged arms dealers, with the hope that the thousands of weapons would lead to organizers of Drug Cartels.

Instead, yes the guns have been used in murders across Mexico. One of the Fast & Furious weapons was used to murder U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

In another tense exchange Thursday, Representative Lamar Smith asked Holder, whether he or anybody else told the White House about so-called "gun-walking tactic" after it appeared to contribute to the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry?

Attorney General Holder replied “I don’t know.”

The exchange occurred during a hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee, on which Smith is the chairman.

"When was anyone in the White House informed of the tactics used under Operation Fast and Furious?" asked Smith, (R-TX).

Holder replied: “I don't know.”

When Representative Smith asked Holder if he personally told the White House?  Holder replied, "There was contact between staff. .. I don't myself remember any direct contact."

Yes, it sounds like a sudden onset of amnesia. And as I stated be before, amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost.

The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into certain categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia.

Functional causes are psychological factors, such as mental disorder, post-traumatic stress or, in psychoanalytic terms - defense mechanisms.

Since it's almost certain that the Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder has not fallen on his head lately, I can only wonder if his new found state of amnesia is being caused by psychological factors, such as a mental disorder - or say some defense mechanism like that of not wanting to go to prison.

THIRD SHOT!

Voters From Two Heavily Democrat California Cities Vote To Curb Pension Abuse

Is it Pension Abuse? Damn right it is, and Voters are tired of it.

Decisive victories for ballot proposals cutting retirement benefits for government workers in two of the largest cities in the U.S. emboldened advocates seeking to curb pensions in state capitols and city halls across the nation.

The voter responses in San Diego and San Jose were stinging setbacks for public employee unions, which also came up short on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall victory in Wisconsin.

"The message is that if elected officials and public employee unions do not responsibly deal with this issue, voters will take things into their own hands," said Thom Reilly, former chief executive of Clark County, Nevada, now a professor of social work at San Diego State University. "We could see more draconian measures from citizens."

In San Diego, two-thirds of voters favored the pension reduction plan. And the landslide was even greater in San Jose, where 70 percent were in favor.

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, a chief backer, said he was surprised by the margin of victory and considered it a statement that voters won't tolerate benefits that are more generous than those they receive working at private companies.

Voters in two major California cities overwhelmingly approved cuts to retirement benefits for city workers in what supporters said was a mandate that may lead to similar ballot initiatives in other states and cities that are struggling with mounting pension obligations.

Supporters had a simple message to voters in San Diego and San Jose: Pensions for city workers are unaffordable and more generous than many private companies offer, forcing libraries to slash hours and potholes to go unfilled.

"The public is frustrated," said San Diego Councilman Carl DeMaio, a Republican who staked his mayoral bid on the pension measure and advanced to a November runoff in Tuesday's election to lead the nation's eighth-largest city.

In San Diego, 66 percent voted in favor of Proposition B, while 34 percent were opposed. Nearly 97 percent of precincts were tallied by early Wednesday.

The landslide was even bigger in San Jose, the nation's 10th-largest city. With all precincts counted, 70 percent were in favor of Measure B and 30 percent were opposed.

"The voters get it, they understand what needs to be done," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, a Democrat who has called pensions his highest priority.

Shrinking tax revenues during the recession are also responsible for service cuts in San Diego and San Jose, but pensions were an easy target. San Diego's payments to the city's retirement fund soared from $43 million in 1999 to $231.2 million this year, equal to 20 percent of the city's general fund budget, which pays for day-to-day operations.

As the pension payments grew, San Diego's 1.3 million residents saw roads deteriorate and libraries and recreation centers cut hours. For a while, some fire stations had to share engines and trucks. The city has cut its workforce 14 percent to 10,100 employees since Sanders took office in 2005.

San Jose's pension payments jumped from $73 million in 2001 to $245 million this year, equal to 27 percent of its general fund budget. Voters there approved construction bonds at the beginning of the last decade, but four new libraries and a police station have never opened because the city cannot afford to operate them.

The city of 960,000 cut its workforce 27 percent to 5,400 over the last 10 years.

Tuesday's votes set the stage for potentially lengthy legal challenges by public employee unions. The measures are unusual because they address pensions for current employees, not just new hires.

Opponents argued that the measures deprive workers of benefits they were counting on when they got hired. They tried to pass along the idea that some workers decided against potentially more lucrative jobs with private companies, figuring their retirement was relatively safe.

Voters didn't accept what the opponents had to say. They simply were not accepting the arguement that workers decided against making more money with private companies to opt for those jobs. It didn't make any sense. It sounded like a line of bullspit!

The ballot measures differ on specifics.

San Diego's imposes a six-year freeze on pay levels used to determine pension benefits unless a two-thirds majority of the City Council votes to override it. It also puts new hires, except for police officers, into 401(k)-style plans.

More than 100,000 residents signed petitions to put the San Diego measure on the ballot.

Under San Jose's measure, current workers have to pay up to 16 percent of their salaries to keep their retirement plan or accept more modest benefits. New hires would get less generous benefits.

Mayor Reed joined an 8-3 City Council majority to put the measure on the ballot. He said after Tuesday's vote that he expected other cities in financial binds to pursue similar measures.

"It's novel but it's certainly not radical," he said. "Mayors across the country are very interested. We're at the leading edge but we're not alone."

FOUTH SHOT!

Coyotes cause temporary closure of Palo Alto trails to dogs

Some trails in Palo Alto California's Pearson Arastradero Preserve have been temporarily closed to dogs, following encounters with coyotes.

The closed trails are Ohlone, Bay Laurel and Woodland Star, according to the city's Community Services Department. Parts of the Juan Bautista de Anza and Meadowlark trails have also been off limits to dogs since May 31.

The coyotes may be acting aggressively because they have pups in a nearby den.

Trail users are encouraged to pay close attention to their surroundings. They shouldn't approach, bark at, feed or attempt to tame the animals. Children should also be kept close.

They advise people who are followed by a coyote to make loud noises and throw rocks if that doesn't.

Of course, there is always the concept of having a gun on you - but that's the liberal San Francisco Bay Area and no one would think of such a thing!

FIFTH SHOT!

Post Election Voter Message: We Want Fiscal Responsibility!

Voters sent a clear message Tuesday to their local leaders.

This was the message that voters sent: Get your financial houses in order, Don't ask for more money until you start responsibly spending what we've already given you. We're tired of losing public services as you siphon off our tax money to pay mounting costs of overly generous public-employee retirement benefits.

Nowhere in the San Francisco Bay Area that message clearer than the city of Alameda and the East Contra Costa Fire District, two very different public agencies that were both asking for more money.

Neither had yet to address their badly underfunded pension systems. Voters resoundingly rejected both measures.

Nowhere in the state was that message clearer than San Jose, where voters overwhelmingly approved a pension reform plan that will force city employees to pay more toward their pensions or accept reduced retirement benefit accruals in the future.

San Jose voters are tired of closed libraries, streets pocked with potholes, and neighborhoods unnerved by upswings in gang violence. They've watched the cost of employee pensions triple over the past decade while the number of city employees providing public services plunged.

San Jose's plight is not unique. Indeed, it has become the new normal for local governments across the state. But San Jose residents benefit from an unusual charter provision that makes it legally easier to impose changes on current employees.

Thus, while the city has become a poster child for pension reform, it doesn't provide a legal road map for the rest of the state. Some other local government will have to find the path. But the vote by the residents of the city sends a political message of growing discontent that state and local politicians must heed.

East Bay voters sent a similar message. They did not flatly reject new taxes. When a legitimate need was demonstrated and meaningful efforts had been made to control costs, voters were generally supportive.


That was true in the Dublin and Hayward school districts, as well as the cities of Hercules, San Pablo and Pittsburg. Conversely, Alameda and east Contra Costa voters definitively rejected new taxes - and with good reason.

In Alameda, leaders wanted to add a half-cent sales tax levy for 30 years to raise money for capital projects, but the proposal did nothing to address the city's staggering $285 million debt for unfunded retirement benefits. That's equal to four years of general fund revenues.

The East Contra Costa Fire District proposed the East Bay's most irresponsible tax plan on Tuesday's ballot. The 10-year levy, starting at $197 per parcel annually, would have more than doubled the district's revenues. And it would have all gone to increased services, keeping more stations open and adding costly paramedics to every fire engine. 

But it would have done nothing to address the district's ballooning retirement debt. Within a decade, the district will be spending far more on retirement benefits than on salaries. The tax proposal ignored that; indeed, it would have exacerbated the problem.

Voters demonstrated that they are willing to tax themselves when local leaders make reasonable proposals. But they're unwilling to continue digging the financial hole deeper.

It all sounds like the Tea Party is taking shape in California!

Yes, as shocking as that sounds, it is happening. The desire for fiscal discipline and reduce taxation is what started the Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party movement is a grassroots movement of Millions of like-minded Americans from all backgrounds and political parties. Tea Party members share similar core principles supporting the United States Constitution as the Founders intended, such as: Limited federal government. Individual freedoms. Personal responsibility. Free markets. Returning political power to the states and the people.

As a movement, the Tea Party is not a political party nor is looking to form a third political party any time soon. The Tea Party movement is, instead, about reforming all political parties and government so that the core principles of our Founding Fathers become, once again the foundation upon which America stands.

It seems apparent that this is exactly the message that the voters of California sent.

Could it be possible that there are more Tea Party folks in California than anyone in Sacramento wants to admit to? I think so!

SIXTH SHOT!

Humpback, blue whales spotted near the Farallon Islands

The Farallon Islands are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of California.

They lie 27 miles outside of San Francisco's Golden Gate and 20 miles south of Point Reyes. And yes, they can be seen from the California mainland on clear days.

The islands are officially part of the City and County of San Francisco. The only inhabited portion of the islands is on Southeast Farallon Islands (SEFI), where research residents of the Point Reyes Bird Observatory are located.

The islands are closed to the public. And yes, it might just be for the birds because the Farallon Islands are an important reserve protecting a huge seabird colony.

Because of the position of the islands in the highly productive California Current and Eastern Pacific upwelling region, as well as the absence of other large islands that would provide suitable nesting grounds, this all results in a seabird population of over 250,000. Believe it or not, 12 species of seabirds and shorebirds nest on the islands

Boaters are being warned that humpback and blue whales are starting to appear in the waters outside San Francisco and have been sighted in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Around 40 humpback whales were first spotted from Southeast Farallon Island in April, and even a few blue whales, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said.

Blue and humpback whales are often seen along the West Coast between late spring and fall, feeding on dense swarms of krill - small shrimp-like crustaceans - and small fish like anchovies and sardines.

A Blue Whale compared to the size of a Diver

The blue whale is a marine mammal. At about 98 feet in length and 200 short tons or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed on earth. They were almost hunted to extinction.

The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. Adults range in length from 40 to 53 feet and weigh approximately 79,000 pound.

A Humpback Whale compared to the size of a Diver

Blue whales and Humpback whales are most frequently found near the islands in the summer and fall, when strong upwelling may support a rich pelagic food web.

Killer whales are also found around the islands. That may be due to the five species of seals that come to shore on the islands, and in some cases breed. These are the Northern Elephant Seal, Harbor Seal, Steller's Sea Lion, California Sea Lion, and the Northern Fur Seal.

Gray whales are reliably found near the Faralons during their spring migration north and the fall/winter migration south. Some Gray whales may also be found during the summer, when a few whales skip the trip north to Alaska and spend the summer months off the coast of Canada and the continental United States

The gray whale is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of about 52 feet, a weight of 40 short tons, and lives 50 to 70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called devil fish because of their fighting behavior when hunted.

A Gray Whale compared to the size of a Diver

The humpback whales appearance was right on time, sanctuary officials said, however the blue whales were spotted unusually early.

Whale sightings are common throughout the year, however, because from the winter through the spring migrating gray whales traveling between Mexican breeding grounds and Arctic feeding grounds pass through the sanctuary, as well. 

Much of a whale's body is often not visible from the surface, but observers can watch for the whale's blow, which looks like a puff of smoke, 10 feet tall for humpbacks and 30 feet tall for the enormous blue whales.

Boaters who encounter whales are legally required to keep their distance as the animals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

NOAA officials recommend boaters who do encounter whales keep a distance of about 300 feet, and ask that boaters please don't cut across a whale's path, avoid sudden speed or directional changes, and absolutely don't get between a mother and her calf. It might lead to a huge problem for the boater.

Here's something that happened off of South Africa! Think Moby Dick!

SEVENTH SHOT!

All's NOT OK with Vanity License Plates

When Whitney Calk sought a personalized license plate from a Tennessee state agency to tout her vegetarian ideals, she was annoyed when she was told no. Turns out the letters ILVTOFU can be construed to mean more than enjoying bean curd.

"When I see T-O-F-U, I see tofu," says Calk, who requested the so-called vanity plate from the Tennessee Department of Revenue last September.

"I can't control the way anyone else interprets that," said Calk, 26, an animal rights activist from Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The dilemma faced by Tennessee authorities last year is not unusual, as officials at motor vehicle agencies nationwide consider hundreds of thousands of personalized plate requests each year. There are an estimated 9 million personalized license plates in the United States.

The vast majority of the requests are not objectionable, but thousands provide insight not only into the boundaries of free speech but the amount of human ingenuity expended to display seven and eight character insults, sexual references and descriptions of bodily functions to other motorists.

The battle to keep highways free of offensive phrases means state officials must track everything from Internet slang to foreign languages to commands like 3MTA3, which reveals its meaning when read backwards in a rear view mirror.

Virginia may be the capital of vanity plate mischief. Personalized plates in the state cost just $10 more than regular license plates—compared with $40 in Texas and $94 in Illinois. One million of the Virginia's 7.8 million vehicles have them.

In 2009 alone, the state denied more than 700 plate requests including IHAV2P and IAMHIGH along with 100 requests beginning with the letter ‘F' and myriad proposals involving the number ‘69,' according to state documents.

Questionable formulations are so common that a 20-person committee of motor vehicle staffers meets for an hour each month to review suspicious applications.

State guidelines ban deceptive plates such as FBI or confusing configurations like O0O0O and NOTAG as well as excretory, sexual, racial or drug references.

"It's the only time you get to talk like that at DMV, that's for sure," said Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Melanie Stokes, who sits on the review panel. Less offensive and more playful ideas, including EWOBAMA, IPUNCHU and DMYANKI, have all been reviewed and rejected at the meetings.

Some slip through.

Pictures have been posted on the internet of the Virginia-issued 370H55V — which has to be read upside-down to get the full message.

In Maryland, a software program checks requests against 4,331 banned license plate formulations, a list that includes WILDPIG, TOILET and GAY.

State prisoners who make the plates also help out by identifying drug, gang or sexual references that slip by the computer and the civil servants, said Philip Dacey, a spokesman for the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.

"A lot of these are gray areas," said Dacey. "TOILET is on the list and if people want to challenge it they can have a hearing."

That's what one motorist did after Maryland revoked his MIERDA vanity plate following a complaint. Though the Spanish term would seem to embody the state's ban on "scatological" references, an administrator is currently considering the man's appeal that the license plate should be interpreted as a non-vulgar reference to a form of fertilizer.

More recently Maryland attempted to revoke a plate reading WTF, an abbreviation for a three-word phrase beginning "what the ..." that is widely used in Internet chat. The agency reversed course after an investigation revealed that the plate predated the Internet, and was a reference to the motorist's waterfront home.

In Florida, the state's motor vehicle agency takes a permissive stance towards celebrations of clothing optional bathing. O2B NUDE, BARE ALL and BE NAKED have all been deemed acceptable by the director of the agency, who nonetheless spiked 4NICK8, CAT BUTT and COW PADY, according to records released by the state.

Other states are less permissive. Utah, which faced a lawsuit in the 1990s for issuing plates with the term "Redskins" because it offended Native Americans, has recently denied ‘IH8TBYU,' ‘MNKYBUM,' and ‘MYSHRAZ' for being derogatory, vulgar, and an alcohol reference to a popular wine.

Massachusetts' vanity application form now instructs motorists that the letters "I" "O" "Q" and "U" can only be used "as part of a word that is clearly defined and correctly spelled."

California requires applicants to explain the meaning of any request. So yes, if you're in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles and find yourself behind someone trying to explain their NOBAMA license plate renewal - have patients - DMV might not accept a short explaination.

LAST SHOT!

This is a Wow! Photographer captures a "Moonbow" over Waimea on the Big Island

Yes, this is a Wow! It's something that happens rarely, but believe it or not, this incredible image of a "Moonbow" was captured this last weekend over Waimea on the Big Island.

The photo was taken by photographer Ethan Tweedie who says conditions for the Moonbow were excellent, a 98 percent full moon low in the sky, along with wind and rain.

In fact, as the winds hit about 40-miles per hour, Ethan says he had trouble standing long enough to get the shot.

A moonbow, also known as a lunar rainbow, is produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon, rather than from direct sunlight.

This is outstanding! And yes, I thought you'd like to see it.

Have a great day! 

Story by Tom Correa