Wednesday, March 26, 2014

He Cooperated with the Cops -- and is Paying the Price: The Ordeal of Mark Byrge

Via Knuckledraggin' My Life Away

 

American Fork, Utah --  
 
When Mark Byrge had a minor traffic accident on a street in American Fork, Utah, he did the “responsible” thing by reporting the incident to the police. He has never stopped paying for that mistake.
 
Within a few minutes of receiving Mark's call, a pair of American Fork cops arrived to document the damage to Byrge's delivery truck from a collision with a tree branch that protruded into the street. Mark was cooperative – and he put up no resistance when the lead officer, Andres Gianfelice, placed him under arrest for an outstanding traffic ticket (as well as citing him for not providing proof of insurance). 


Byrge submitted without complaint to his officially sanctioned abduction, including the demeaning injury of being shackled. He politely made a single request of his captors: Owing to several back surgeries and the implantation of a $50,000 Spinal Cord Stimulator (SCS), Mark asked that the officers cuff him in front.

Ruger LCR's One Big Shortcoming

Funny, at the end. I carry one in .357, but just painted liquid paper on mine. :) 


2013 National SHAG Dance Champons Junior Division I 14 years and under


NC: Man Arrested for Public Consumption of Iced Tea Urged to Take a “Deal” from Prosecutors

 iced tea 1

So, it’s a warm day, and you’re standing in a parking lot, drinking a refreshing can of iced tea.

Suddenly, a random dude walks up and demands your beverage. You show him that it is in fact iced tea and that you aren’t publicly intoxicated. He tells you to give him the can and you say no, figuring this stranger can get his own iced tea.

The Real Inflation Fear - US Food Prices Are Up 19% In 2014

Via avordvet

 

We are sure the weather is to blame but what happens when pent-up demand (from a frosty east coast emerging from its hibernation) bumps up against a drought-stricken west coast unable to plant to meet that demand? The spot price (not futures speculation-driven) of US Foodstuffs is the best performing asset in 2014 - up a staggering 19%...

Overall & Pro Champions National SHAG Dance Champonships


California state Democratic Sen. Leland Yee arrested in federal raid

 http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/07/15/41/1890423/20/628x471.jpg

State Sen. Leland Yee, one of the most powerful Democratic politicians in California, was arrested Wednesday morning in a major series of federal raids in the Bay Area targeting corruption and gang activity, CBS San Francisco reported.

Federal agents arrested Lee at his home in San Francisco Wednesday morning and drove him to the federal courthouse while his offices in Sacramento were raided as well.

An FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint against Yee and 25 other people reveals the lawmaker is accused of conspiracy to deal firearms and wire fraud.


Yee performed "official acts" in exchange for donations from undercover FBI agents, as he sought to dig himself out of a $70,000 debt incurred during a failed San Francisco mayoral bid, according to court documents.

More with video @ CBS

963 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 327/360 HP, 4-Speed

 S137 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible 327/360 HP, 4-Speed Photo 9

Sometimes the most telling Corvette stories are ones represented by the awards they have accrued in their travels through the hobby. In the case of this stunning 1963 Sting Ray convertible, the story opens not with trophies and awards (although those are certainly part of the tale) but with its ownership history, which begins and ends with a single individual - one owner, who purchased the car new in 1963 and still holds the original title.

More @ MECUM

Report: NY schools are most racially segregated

Via Billy

http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/27/13/35/6076274/3/628x471.jpg

New York state has the most segregated public schools in the nation, with many black and Latino students attending schools with virtually no white classmates, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California at Los Angeles looks at enrollment trends from 1989 to 2010.

In New York City, the largest school system in the U.S. with 1.1 million pupils, the study notes that many of the charter schools created over the last dozen years are among the least diverse of all, with less than 1 percent white enrollment at 73 percent of charter schools.

More @ Yahoo

Construction Worker´s Rescue From Massive Apartment Complex Fire In The Nick Of Time


1864: Mississippi soldiers launch snowball fight in Dalton

Via Robert


Winter months often gave the Union and Confederate armies a respite from the fighting that occurs in the spring and summer. In 1864, a particularly harsh winter achieved what warring armies and pontificating politicians couldn't provide. Other than a few skirmishes and occasional cavalry raids, most of the major fighting came to a stop.

When an army traveled by foot or horse, winter could often bring a war to a standstill. In 1864, that was the case. Large camps were established in both the eastern and western theaters. Muddy roads that were all but impassable and harsh weather stopped most military operations.

More @ S&S

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http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID26912/images/battle_royale.jpg

   http://johnmangus.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/snowball-fight-at-fredericksburg.jpg?w=450&h=294
   


My great grandfather and great uncle were in the 53rd.

                    The Great Snowball Battle of Rappahannock Academy, February 25, 1863 

Two back-to-back snowstorms in February of 1863 provided the ammunition for a friendly snowball battle amongst rival divisions of Confederate troops near Fredericksburg, Virginia. On February 19, eight inches of snow fell on the region. Two days later, nine inches of snow fell. On February 25, sunny skies and mild temperatures softened the deep snow cover, providing ideal conditions for making snowballs.

During this time, the Confederate Army was camped near Fredericksburg. Some of the Divisions of the army had been reorganized, which had created friendly rivalries between the Confederate brigades and regiments. This helped spark a huge snowball battle near Rappahannock Academy in which approximately 10,000 Confederate soldiers participated. One soldier who participated in the snowball battle described it as one of the most memorable combats of the war.”

The battle started on the morning of February 25, 1863, when General Hoke’s North Carolina soldiers marched towards Colonel Stiles’ camp of Georgians, with the intent of capturing the camp using only snowballs. The attacking force, composed of infantry, cavalry and skirmishers, moved in swiftly. Battle lines formed and the fight began with “severe pelting” of snowballs. Reinforcements arrived from all sides to assist the brigade under attack. Even the employees of the commissary joined the snowball battle. Soon, the attacking soldiers were pushed back.

Hoke’s beaten soldiers retreated back to their camp. Colonel Stiles then held a Council of War on how best to attack the retreating force. He decided to organize his men and march directly into their camp, with snowballs in hand. When Stile’s forces finally arrived in Hoke’s camp, they were quite surprised to find that their adversaries had rallied and filled their haversacks to the top with snowballs. This allowed Hoke’s soldiers to provide an endless barrage of snowballs “without the need to reload.” The attacking force was quickly overwhelmed and many of their soldiers were captured and “whitewashed” with snow. The snowball battle came to an end and both brigades settled back into their respective camps. The captured prisoners were quickly paroled and returned to their camp, to much heckling from fellow soldiers. It was noted that General Stonewall Jackson had witnessed the snowball battle. One soldier remarked that he had wished Jackson and staff had joined the fight so he could have thrown a snowball at “the old faded uniforms.”

The weather turned mild and rainy in the following days. Other snowball battles were documented during the Civil War – including a snowball fight at Dalton, Georgia – but The Snowball Battle of Rappahannock Academy was unique in size, strategy and ample snow cover. The depth of the snow cover on the day of the battle was documented in a soldier’s diary to be 12 inches.

More links and information @ NamSouth

Socialists Hammered in French Elections

 

Round one in French elections is over, and the socialists were hammered.

The victor was Marine Le Pen's Front National party. The Socialists only received 43% of the votes, with the center-right pulling in 46-48%. Front National only got 5-7% (reports vary), but that was far better than expected. Front National fielded candidates in fewer than 600 of France's 36,000 municipalities.

The goal of the socialists was to prevent Front National from winning a mayoral race on any town. They failed.

Recall that French elections are in two rounds. If someone gets 50% in the first round, they win. Otherwise there is a runoff between the top two candidates.

Le Pen Surprises in French Elections

The Guardian reports Le Pen Grows Stronger Amid Disillusion as FN Surprises in French Elections

More @ Townhall

Issa to IRS Commissioner: Release Lerner's Emails or Face Contempt

 

"Unfortunately you've been more concerned with managing political fallout than complying with this Committee," Issa said, urging Koskinen to comply or "potentially be held in contempt."

More @ Townhall

What Happens If A US President Stops Speaking, And Nobody Claps

Via Steve


Heh!  Love it!

... does it mean that everyone saw right through the endless bluster, hollow rhetoric and empty promises of the man tasked with reading from a teleprompter, and currently in charge of one of the world's most totalitarian states? Because either someone is getting fired for forgetting to turn on the "applause" sign, or Europeans no longer care for the lies uttered by Obama on all topics NSA-related (and all other topics too). One wonders: how long until the US president finally gets the same treatment in his own country?

More @ Zero Hedge

Mint 1969 Shelby GT500 found under 40 years of dust

Via Terry

From dust to dust, people and cars come and go, but sometimes the old is reborn … and out of the dust emerges something immaculate.

A 1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 428 Cobra Jet is a mouthful to say but it will drop any car enthusiasts jaw. This particular garage-find was owned and perfectly preserved by a now-deceased automotive connoisseur.

Larry never washed the car for fear of scratching the paintjob or cause even the slightest bit of rust. Yahoo News estimates that the only time the car was ever washed was before delivery. Accordingly, the car is in absolute show room condition, except for a layer of dust.

More @ Fox

Pop Quiz: Can You Name One U.S. Senator?

Via Sioux


This Common Core math problem asks kids to write the ‘friendly’ answer, instead of the correct one!

Friendly problems / Twitter screenshot and Paint

Absolutely insane!

A second grader’s answers to a Common Core-aligned math worksheet were marked as incorrect because they weren’t “friendly” enough… even though they were the right answers.

A screenshot of the worksheet was posted to Twitter. The teacher wrote that even though the questions — addition and subtraction problems — were solved correctly, the student used the wrong technique to arrive at the answers. (You should use the quickest technique, ignoramus.) 

Sessions Report Demolishes Obama 'Deporter In Chief' Myth

Fully 98 percent of individuals deported from the United States in 2013 were either criminals, apprehended while illegally crossing the border, or had been previously deported, according to a new analysis from Senate Budget Committee ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL).

The three-page document, labeled a “Critical Alert” by the senator’s office, found three executive actions by President Barack Obama providing amnesty to groups of illegal aliens meant that virtually no one who did not meet other criteria beyond simply being in the country illegal was deported.

“The evidence reveals that the Administration has carried out a dramatic nullification of federal law,” Sessions said in a statement to Breitbart News. “Under the guise of setting ‘priorities’, the Administration has determined that almost anyone in the world who can enter the United States is free to illegally live, work and claim benefits here as long as they are not caught committing a felony or other serious crime.

More with video @ Breitbart

NC: Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon arrested on corruption charges

Via WiscoDave

CANNON_ELEX_DAY_08

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, a Democrat, was arrested Wednesday on federal public corruption laws after a four-year investigation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte announced.

Cannon was charged with theft and bribery after an FBI sting operation, said Anne Tompkins, U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

FBI agents, working on a tip that Cannon, 47, was potentially involved in illegal activities, started an investigation in August 2010, Tompkins said in a statement.


Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/03/26/4795861/charlotte-mayor-patrick-cannon.html#.UzMfaSTNvIX#storylink=cpy

1967 Shelby GT350 Fastback 289/306 HP, Shelby #117

S136.1 1967 Shelby GT350 Fastback 289/306 HP, Shelby #117 Photo 1 

More @ MECUM

What is Social Justice?

Via Bill

"Once again, Jonah Goldberg NAILS IT!

"Social Justice" is one of those slippery, ultimately meaningless terms the libtards throw around to belittle, demean and demonize anyone who disagrees with them.

I think my cause today is going to be seeking social justice for the descendants of those brave Confederates who lost their lives and their property to the ravening damnyankee (one word) hordes during the Late Unpleasantness.

That this includes myself and Cousin Laddin is totally besides the point.  'Cause, you know, it's all about the social justice, baby!"

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Concealed Carrier Stops Shoplifter’s Syringe Attack On Home Depot Security Guard

 joshua joseph silva

But why would you ever need a gun in Home Depot?

Police say an armed citizen came to the aid of security guards at a metro Detroit Home Depot store who were being attacked by a drug-addicted shoplifter with a dirty syringe.

The incident happened Monday afternoon at the Home Depot store on 13 Mile Road and Little Mack Avenue, off I-94 in Roseville, as the guards were trying to apprehend 26-year-old Joshua Joseph Silva who was caught shoplifting.

Instead of cooperating, police say  Silva man “began to violently fight” with the guards in an attempt to avoid arrest. At some point during the altercation,  Silva allegedly pulled a concealed syringe from his jacket and began using it as a weapon.

More @ Bearing Arms

NC: Civitas Statement to Common Core Study Committee

Via Cousin John

http://www.teaparty911.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/end-common-core-in-nc.jpg

Below is a transcript of the comments made by Civitas Senior Policy Analyst Bob Luebke to the LRC Common Core Study Committee on March 20, 2014.

Good morning to members of the General Assembly and guests.  My name is Bob Luebke. I am a Senior Policy Analyst with Civitas Institute and our organization hosts a web site titled

StopCommonCoreNC. I appreciate the Committee’s invitation to come and share a few thoughts about Common Core.    Today I’m speaking for the Civitas Institute as well as for the many parents, teachers, and concerned citizens who oppose Common Core Standards.

On June 2, 2010 the North Carolina State Board of Education adopted Common Core Standards. The standards emerged out of a national discussion over the decline in the value of a high school diploma and growing concern over America’s poor performance on international tests. Simply stated, the standards were put forth as a way to boost academic achievement, equip students with different  skill sets and to aid businesses that needed metrics to make valid comparisons across states.  We believe Common Core represents a flawed idea and there are strong reasons to oppose the standards.

Common Core’s  one-size-fits-all controlled approach to education makes no sense for a country as vast and diverse as the United States. One of the strengths of American education is its diversity. Common Core’s template will work to eliminate that diversity and homogenize learning across schools and grades.

We believe Common Core will also work to further politicize education.

Sotomayor, Kagan: Hobby Lobby Should Drop Insurance, Pay Penalty and Let Employees Use Exchange

 

During oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday which focused on whether the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act violates the free exercise of religion, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan suggested employers who have moral objections to birth control should not provide health care coverage for their employees.

“But isn't there another choice nobody talks about, which is paying the tax, which is a lot less than a penalty and a lot less than -- than the cost of health insurance at all?”

More @ CNS News

"I'm from New York"

Via Paul

One on one as it should be, but if the races were reversed, it would have been all on one.

LANGUAGE!


Goodies from Ol' Remus


1937-texas-ennis-roadside-stand.jpg

1937. Ennis Texas, the Nu Deel Sandwich Shoppe 

Ennis is a town of 18,500 in east-central Texas. Places like these were the forerunner of the 'miracle mile' seen in every town of any size. 

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art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg Give me that old time precision
“At one time, my office was asked to do a study regarding upgrading the Iowa-class battleship fire control systems from analog to digital computers. We found that digitizing the computer would improve neither the reliability nor the accuracy of the system and recommended, ‘Don't bother.’” How did this box of gears and cams out-calculate digital systems for so long?, says Sean Gallagher in this article, When mechanical analog computers ruled the waves - In some ways, the Navy's latest computers fall short of the power of 1930s tech, at Ars Technica.

Race card payday - New York City is set to pay up to $98 million in back pay and benefits to settle a Bloomberg-era lawsuit alleging the FDNY's entrance exams for firefighters discriminated against minority applicants. The proposed settlement would make about 1,500 black firefighters who took [meaning: failed] the exams in 1999 and 2002 eligible for compensation. It would create an FDNY chief diversity officer and require the city to try its best to ensure that the proportion of minority test-takers exceeds the city's job-eligible racial makeup to address past discrimination.
Matthew Chayes at newsday.com

art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg End of science
The science settlers have responded to the serious questions that have been raised about their unscientific advocacy has been to demand a more closed system, to hide more data, to urge newspapers to stop printing letters from anyone who questions Global Warming and to even propose the imprisonment of Warming critics. This isn't the confident attitude of a field that believes it has the facts on its side, says Daniel Greenfield in this article, The End of Science, at Sultan Knish.
art-link-symbol-tiny-grey-arrow-only-rev01.gif Also see Aliens Cause Global Warming: A Caltech Lecture by Michael Crichton, at Watts Up With That? "Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world" - Anthony Watts.
Scare them young, make examples of the clearly innocent, and all will see and fall into line out of fear of the state and those who will imprison you over imaginary threats. Where such psychosis leads is now on display in Connecticut, which has adopted an Obama'esque “red line” by implementing a gun registration law that most have refused to obey.  Connecticut's budding fascists must either go Full Brownshirt in their determined assault on the Constitution, thereby fomenting open revolt by those peacefully doing what the Constitution protects, or they will have to back down, says Jeffrey Brown in this article, Zero Tolerance, Evil Objects, and the Psychosis of the Left, at American Thinker.

art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg Drugging bored kids
He's bored to tears with teachers who know less than he does and can't manage to give him something challenging to do because the school stuck a bunch of kids with sub-90 IQs in the class in the name of political correctness—and you cannot both challenge the 110 IQ kid and meet the needs of the 90 IQ one at the same time in the same room. When the 110 (or 120+!) IQ kid gets bored he might first try to get more attention, but that's considered "acting out" and is punished. What's next? Drugs, says Karl Denninger in this article, No, Really? (ADHD), at Market Ticker.

art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg I am woman, watch me swoon
The trigger-warning vogue began a few years ago on feminist websites, and then spread to other "social justice" blogs. The idea behind them is that for people who have post-traumatic stress disorder, something that reminds them of the trauma can trigger painful flashbacks and panic attacks. Trigger warnings have now arrived on college campuses, now student sensitivities must be coddled and protectedeven letting students skip uncomfortable material, says Cathy Young in this article, Trigger Warnings—A Ludicrous Step Toward Censorship, at Minding The Campus.
Remus says - Stuff like this is why American education is the world's laughing stock.
Ask the experts - I can think of two groups with whom I have some sympathy—the Tea Party and climate skeptics—who share one problem in common:  the media does not come to them to ask them what their positions are.  The media instead goes to their opposition to ask what their positions are.  In other words, the media asks global warming strong believers what the skeptic position is, without ever even talking to skeptics.  It should be no surprise then that these groups get painted with straw men positions that frequently bear no resemblance to their actual beliefs.
Warren Meyer at coyoteblog.com

Judge Awards “Permanent” Custody of Justina Pelletier to DCF Officials

Via LH

http://lifenews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/justinapelletier7.png

In a ruling that deals a striking blow to the parents of Justina Pelletier, a judge has ruled that the state of Massachusetts will received “permanent” custody of Pelletier.

After the Liberty Counsel litigation team filed a contempt of court motion against the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) in the Justina Pelletier case a judge ruled against her parents.

The decision came after Lou Pelletier, Justina’s father, disclosed to the attorneys representing her and her family that Justina’s health is rapidly deteriorating. After a Friday visit, Justina’s older sister, Jennifer, told Fox News Connecticut (Fox CT) that her sister’s health is “scary” and she has never seen her in worse condition.

As a local newspaper reports:

In what appears to be a major setback to the parents of a Connecticut teenager in the middle of a long-running custody dispute, a Massachusetts juvenile court judge Tuesday issued a ruling giving “permanent” custody of Justina Pelletier to the state Department of Children and Families, which then leaves it up to the agency to decide if or when she should be returned back home.

More @ Life News