Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

July 2007

More Democratic Party Cowardice

House Minority Leader, John Boehner on the Democrats’ bill to retreat from Iraq by April 2008: “This is not leadership. This is negligence.”

A note about tonight’s vote on Iraq: Is this really a win for Democrats?

John Boehner photo credit RNC

boehner.jpgToday, for the sixth time in as many months, Democrat leaders offered legislation that cheers for retreat in our war with radical jihadists in Iraq. It outlines no “new way forward” in Iraq at all – no plan for a safer Middle East or a safer America; no guarantees for the safety of the Iraqi people; no plan to prevent Iraq from becoming a breeding ground for terrorists; no consideration of the disastrous consequences of precipitous withdrawal; and completely disregards the safety of American troops.

In short, the Democrats’ bill does not constitute any “new direction” whatsoever – it just changes the subject on the Democrats’ failure to govern on every domestic policy issue under the sun.

In the meantime, House Republicans:

1. Remained unified today in supporting our troops and giving General Petraeus a chance to succeed – consistent with their firm belief that our generals on the ground should make military decisions, not politicians in Washington, DC.

2. Secured passage of the funding bill for our troops six weeks ago, enabled the General to receive the full complement of reinforcements three weeks ago, and refused to support the Democrats’ latest partisan charade to renege on those Congressional commitments.

3. Exposed the Democrats’ penchant to over-reach and pander to the Ultra-Liberal Left on Iraq. The “record of genuine bipartisanship” they promised last year has been non-existent this year; their blatant partisanship makes it that much easier for Republican members to stay united.

4. Repeatedly made it clear that Democrats have NO plan for Iraq should their plan to withdraw troops immediately pass, other than to leave Iraq in chaos.

5. Maintained a principled stand, never cowering to pressure from millions of dollars in political advertising by the outside groups that coordinate with Democrats. Republicans continue to do the right thing for the right reasons, regardless of the polls.

Democrats want to throw open the borders, disengage from fighting terrorism, protect criminals from justice and they want to take my guns away so I can’t defend myself against the havoc their insane policies will inevitably wreak.

12 Jul 2007 by Beltway Kabuki Military Whacko Politics

The Great 1991 Solar Eclipse – 16 Years Ago Today

Less than 1500 km from home, and I didn’t go! I kicked myself mentally for days after that, knowing that I had missed one of the more spectacular astronomical events in my lifetime. I did watch the partial eclipse visible from my location near LAX with an improvised helioscope made from an old set of binoculars and a cardboard box. It was OK, but when I heard the reports coming in from friends who were in Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja, California, I kicked myself again.

From Fred Espenak (Mr. Eclipse):

19910711.jpgThe Experience of Totality is one never to be forgotten. In the last seconds as totality begins, the daytime sky is quickly replaced by an eerie twilight as the Moon’s shadow sweeps across the landscape at speeds in excess of 1,200 mph. The bright Sun is suddenly extinguished and in its place stands the pitch black disk of the Moon surrounded by the gossamer, ethereal solar corona. All too quickly, totality ends and you realize you must see another one!

The next opportunity for totality in North America will be in August of 2017, following a path from Oregon to South Carolina: Continue reading…

11 Jul 2007 by Astronomy Science

Karen’s Korner – WOW

karen.jpgOur choice for Weblog of the Week (WOW) this week is Karen’s Korner.

Karen’s blog is filled with Americana and down-to-Earth views on interesting articles, news and humor. The blog is supportive toward our Military and posts articles and links to that effect. Karen doesn’t pull any punches in her commentary and offers sobering, to-the-point thoughts on topics at hand. Karen has a great weblog and we visit often.

We’re glad to select Karen’s Korner as this week’s Weblog of the Week. A link to Karen’s Korner will ride along with the Never Forget Tribute this week.

10 Jul 2007 by Blogosphere

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Once again, my friend and colleague, Rick pointed me to an interesting discussion about global climate on the Internet:

A DVD of the film, The Great Global Warming Swindle, will be available from mid July (despite the strenuous efforts of those who support the theory of global warming to prevent its release). The DVD is an expanded and improved version of the film broadcast in the UK on Channel Four. More interview material has been added, covering a broader range of subjects than was possible in the broadcast film.

The makers of the documentary The Great Global Warming Swindle have made many science documentaries before. The thing they found most shocking when they started to make this one, was the weakness of the case for man made global warming, and the quantity and quality of the evidence which flatly contradicts it.

Martin Durkin, the director of this film, wrote an excellent editorial, “Hostages to a Hoax, which is all about the reasons for the documentary:” Continue reading…

10 Jul 2007 by Global Warming Science

The Flight of the Phoenix

phoenix-lander.jpgYesterday’s launch of the asteroid-bound Dawn Mission was postponed until September due to bad weather and potential interference with the scheduled launch of the Mars Phoenix Lander on August 8th.NASA has scheduled a news conference for later today to discuss aspects of the postponement and the Phoenix program. Prior to the Phoenix presentations, media will have the opportunity to learn in more detail about the rescheduled Dawn launch.

Image left: Artist’s concept of Phoenix on the surface of Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL.

The Phoenix Lander is the first in a series of landers in NASA’s Mars Scout Program. The “Phoenix” name is taken as the lander is a reincarnation of previous landers or failed missions. Phoenix will land in the icy Northern Plains of Mars and become a fixed-location probe designed to explore the geological history of that region of the planet.

Read more about the Phoenix Lander Program and watch the really cool NASA animated video of the arrival of Phoenix on Mars: Continue reading…

09 Jul 2007 by Aerospace Rocket Science

Rosemary Skewered Shish Kebabs

How’s this for something different on the BBQ? We cut up some pork loin and marinated the chunks in a citrus-honey and hickory BBQ concoction. We then chopped up some fresh pineapple to go on the skewers along with the pork. The skewers were branches from one of our rosemary bushes, washed and sharpened to a point on the bottom so when you push the meat and fruit on the skewers, the leaves on the branch will fold toward the center.

shish-kebab.jpg

After cooking the pork thoroughly and browning the pineapple, we discarded the skewers and served this sumptuous entree with roasted corn cobbettes and a sauteed vegetable medley. This made for a very good meal, low in fat and high in fiber.

08 Jul 2007 by Food & Dining Home & Garden Photography

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