January 2007

Moonbat Miranda

moonbat.jpgThe next time you encounter an individual bent upon believing the unbelievable, recite the following Miranda rights for Moonbats:

  • You have the right to remain stupid.
  • Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of public opinion.
  • You have the right to become informed rather than believing false conclusions.
  • If you cannot or will not become informed, nothing can be done for you.
  • Do you understand these rights?
  • Do you wish to become informed?

If, at the conclusion of the Moonbat Miranda, they do not wish to become informed, there is no need to cuff and transport them — they will usually remain arrested by their own stupidity.

The Wait Is Over

Well, it was over last Friday, actually. The new Remington 870 18″ BBL CAP7 Security Gun went with us to the range Sunday. We had a terrific shoot and are very pleased with this gun. Damsel’s youth 870 is still her favorite choice for home defense (it has a shorter stock and she’s petite) but she manages to work the action on this one just fine. Watch closely as she shoots the silhouette man off the hook. Press > to play. You can mute the volume too by clicking on the speaker icon.

STEREO

sun-explode.jpg“The Sun is anything but a stable yellow ball in the sky” — That’s how the narration begins in the NASA video presentation about the STEREO mission. The video itself is well done, with informative commentary and the usual outstanding NASA animated graphics. I highly recommend that you follow the link above and watch the four-minute video.

NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft completed a series of complex maneuvers Sunday to position the spacecraft in their mission orbits. The spacecraft will be in position to produce the first 3-D images of the sun by April.

As physicists learn more about the Sun and it’s less than subtle behavior, we can expect to be able to “connect the sunspots” and identify the extent to which the Sun influences Earth’s environment and climate.

An Aerial Encounter

I caught this encounter yesterday over the County Recycle Center. Adjacent to the center lies the open fields of an inactive landfill where critters dwell — both predators and prey. And there also, live scavengers like this crow who tries to discourage a red-tailed hawk from hunting in the area. The hawk, a voracious raptor, eventually drove the crows away and resumed its graceful search for prey on the landfill.

red-tail.jpg

Weekend Warbirds

We had to drive past Zamperini Field this morning on our way the sporting goods outlet to pick up a new toy. Unexpectedly, two WW2-era warplanes flew overhead as they departed the airport. Then two more – and two more after that and then one solo departure. We opened the windows to enjoy the sound of the radial engines as they flew overhead. Later, as we were driving up to the recycle center, Damsel took this picture of the warbirds after they formed up and made a pass overhead. What a beautiful sight they were. What a beautiful sound they made – the sound of freedom WW2 style.

warbirds-torrance.jpg

Irises and Yellow Tulips

On our weekly visit to the flower concession, I came up with this nice combination of irises and tulips and promptly photographed them. These look so nice with the complimentary colors and graceful lines under the soft illumination. This beautiful arrangement (if I do say so, myself) looks lovely on the dining room table.

tulip-iris.jpg

Caving to the Myths

As Damsel and I sat watching the State of the Union address Tuesday night, I winced and groaned when President Bush made the following remarks:

the-prez.jpg“America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.”

I said to Damsel something to the effect of “Dammit! I hope he’s not caving in to the Greenbats“!

Apparently, I’m not the only one bristled by the President’s remarks; Tom DeLay had this to say on his weblog:

tom-delay.jpgI have long been a skeptic of the ‘global warming’ doomsday set, and the President seems to be caving in to the politically correct but scientifically questionable arguments in favor of man made ‘global climate change’ in his speech. The discussion of energy policy is best left in the realm of scientifically proven fact – and I wish he had made his argument on decreasing our energy consumption as a means to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, rather then framing the discussion by using unproven theories about the forces affecting the earth’s climate.

Now don’t get me wrong. I liked most of the things the President said, but I think he’s getting some bad advice on several of the policies and initiatives he advocated during the speech. Read Tom Delay’s complete critique of President Bush’s address: “A Grander Vision.”