The health care legislation reconciliation bill (full text: http://www.opencongress.org/house_reconciliat... allocates $1,000,000,000.00 for Federal administrative expenses for the creation of a Health Insurance Reform Implementation Fund. I know my kids will certainly enjoy paying for this along with the remaining almost $1 trillion in cost for this Obamanation of legislation.

SEC. 1005. IMPLEMENTATION FUNDING.

(a) IN GENERAL.--There is hereby established a

Health Insurance Reform Implementation Fund (referred

to in this section as the “Fund”) within the Department » read more »

As I contemplate the means to securing freedom once more, searching for the strategic lynch pins necessary for success, I keep returning to the same key components. Few revolutions were concerned with freedom. Most seem to have been about revenge (e.g., class warfare), regime change, and pretenses for even greater tyranny. Two obvious examples of the former come to mind, but only one succeeded. I've written before about the ingredients necessary for success in the American Revolution. What now might we have and what is still missing? » read more »

A reader's post to an article by Peggy Noonan's in the WSJ on Deem and Pass published yesterday (3/18/2010) appropriately brings in the relevance of The Declaration of Independence:

"There is guidance for our situation:

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — » read more »

Wyoming shows it's got a pair of brass ones.

According to a law signed into effect yesterday by Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal, any agent of the U.S. who "enforces or attempts to enforce" federal gun rules on a "personal firearm" in Wyoming faces a felony conviction and a penalty of up to two years in prison and up to $2,000 in fines. » read more »

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. He is the master of deception. The greatest trick the tyrants ever pulled was convincing the nation they were legitimate. Our nation's greatest enemy is the federal government. There. I said it. And I have broken federal law doing so (despite the First Amendment's obvious protections). Our so-called president is an obvious usurper with overwhelming evidence of his illegitimacy. Congress is exempt from all their own rules, violates Constitutional limitations, and ignores Natural Law. » read more »

A few weeks ago, Elton John was quoted as stating that Jesus was a "gay man." His "reasoning" was that, like gays, Jesus was "loving and forgiving." So, Mr. John has once again publicly demonstrated that he is a moron.^* » read more »

My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day. He has his food prepared for him. He can eat whenever he wants, 24/7/365. His meals are provided at no cost. He visits the doctor once a year for his checkup and any other times during the year if any medical needs arise. For this he pays nothing and nothing is required of him. He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house much larger than he needs, but he is not required to do any upkeep. If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up. He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep; these accommodations are absolutely free. » read more »

Public education indeed:

A school district in Arizona has filed a lawsuit against a handful of taxpayers seeking a court ruling that they have no right to ask for public records, sue the district or even complain to anyone about the educational institution's activities. » read more »

Thought I would post a link to my hubby's new blog, called "A Simple Man's Blog." He just wrote a little blurb about the census so thought I'd send it on.

http://runfromtheleft.blogspot.com/

I started a new job a couple months ago and have since enjoyed some small-time persecution for being a Bible-believer. Each night I fail to lock up my stuff in my office, some of it is stolen. So far, this has been limited to food (e.g., candy). When I told my boss, he said he'd experienced no such problems and made no effort to report it or do anything about the continuing problem. I cannot report it again to official channels, because it's not anonymous and my boss would see this as an end-run. My contract would likely be dropped and I'd be unemployed during a depression. » read more »

How can we blast the Government for intruding into places it shouldn't be when we are unwilling to tread in those same places which we are commanded to be.

As Christians our responsibility is to glorify God through obedience to His commands. And clearly, one of His commands is to help the hungry and the poor, and those who are powerless.

7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh? » read more »

Judge Napolitano is the youngest life-tenured Superior Court judge in the history of the State of New Jersey. Here is video of Judge Napolitano discussing the constitutionality of the Federal Government regulating health care, along with intrusions into other personal freedoms including the freedom to tell the truth. This is worth watching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=7n2m-X7O...

In a story both tragic and comic, a Haitian family fled their native country in the wake of the earthquakes earlier this year. Unfortunately, their destination was Chile, where they experienced yet another quake. The family survived both quakes, but now they are doubly-homeless and considering moving once again.

I hope I can find out where they're headed. If I do, I definitely won't be vacationing there!

This may be enough to make me start drinking coffee.

The major news media was replete with reports over the weekend that the coffee company, Starbucks, "has no problem with customers packing heat while placing their orders." » read more »

Patent lawsuits, the refuge of the sore loser, constitute Apple's strategy for market success.

Apple thinks it owns the concept of the touchscreen Web phone and it wants other cell phone makers to pay for copying the iPhone or to stop altogether. » read more »

If a police officer tells you to do something, you had better do it, quickly and quietly. Otherwise, you might find yourself in cuffs. That's what happened to Minnie Carey, a 61-year old woman. An Atlanta police officer, Brandy Dolson, told her to move. Ms. Carey asked, "Why?" Ms. Carey was then arrested and held in jail for nine hours. » read more »

Age segregation is practiced in government schools, private schools, and churches. It's wrong, yet believers still participate this worldly idiocy. For example (hat tip Kat):

There are three basic flaws with systematic age-segregation. Number one, it's not found Scripture. You can't go to the Bible and come away with this "young adults," "medium adults," "married" — you can't go to the Scriptures and come away with that kind of segregation as a church model. » read more »

Chuck Baldwin's latest column, accessible here, tells an interesting story (a parable, really) about a trapper and some hogs. He presents it as a metaphor for America's impending police state^*, and I think he is right on the money.

^*By this, I don't mean the de facto police state that we have today. I mean a police state that openly flaunts its existence, a police state that everyone sees and fears. I don't think we're there, yet.

Vox wrote:

Not only does the accuracy of one's analysis have no positive correlation to the size of one's audience, but recent media history tends to suggest that the relationship between accuracy and audience size is a negative one.

Well, then TuscanyCircle just may be sittin' pretty!

I've been struggling to listen to the coverage running on CSPAN.org http://www.c-span.org/Topics/Health-Care-Insu... of the White House Health Care Summit. I am convinced that our system of government is hopeless. All I saw was political posturing, lying, a spirit of non-compromise, and two parties who are deadlocked in their positions, not because they think it's best for the American People, but because they want to increase their position of power. In my mind, they should all be tried as traitors to this country and thrown into jail. » read more »

No surprise, but the judicial branch is protecting the executive branch.

The family of a father and two sons who were shot dead on a San Francisco street in 2008 can't hold the city responsible for failing to turn their alleged killer over to immigration authorities after earlier arrests, a judge has ruled. » read more »

http://www.mobyinthemorning.com/blog//1/2010/... » read more »

I've long known Rush Limbaugh was nothing more than a GOP shill. The GOP is as corrupt and irredeemable as the other half of The Party. Both factions should be abandoned (and rightfully charged with treason, but that's another matter). » read more »

Al Gore might not have invented the Internet, but he may well be responsible for helping send AGW scientists off to jail. And Al himself may be in a bit of trouble too.

Our friend Senator J. Inhofe (R-OK) has called for the Justice department to open a criminal investigation http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/climategate-and-... into the activities of several AGW Scientists. The Senator also wants Al Gore's butt in the Senate chamber to explain himself and his "science fiction movie". » read more »

Ah, it's most gratifying to see the "political science" theory of AGW crumble.

An article on MSNBC a while back states "A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off from the Antarctic Peninsula, the latest sign of global warming’s impact on Earth's southernmost continent. Scientists are shocked by the rapid change of events." » read more »

Voddie Baucham on Christian education:

"If we continue to send our children to Caesar for their education, they'll continue to come home as Romans."

Jesus on Christian education:

"A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Luke 6:40

The recent announcement of Apple's iPad product has got me thinking about slate computers.^* At this point, I know two things: I don't want an iPad, but I do want a slate device. While there are many things to like about the iPad, the lack of multitasking and the fact that it is not an open platform rule it out for me. With that in mind, I think it's worth considering which characteristics are important in a slate device. I have already mentioned two that are must-haves for any device I would consider purchasing. » read more »

Given an $88 million deficit, the Dekalb County school system^* is closing four schools this year and another 8-10 schools next year. I'd say that they are well on their way to complete success. All they need to do is reduce the overall budget to $0 and close the remaining schools. » read more »

Jon Langford asks:

Do you remember when UFO sightings and Big Foot stories were questioned due to their obvious lack of facts and truth value? Well times are changing. It seems to me that communications today, no matter how bizarre or lacking in evidence, are pretty much being accepted at face value. Few people if any are checking the facts and it truly is troubling. Doesn't the truth matter anymore? » read more »

Another reason to homeschool: » read more »

A visit to Joe Stack's website, http://www.embeddedart.com reveals the site has been shut "in compliance with a request from the FBI":

"This website has been taken offline due to the sensitive nature of the events that transpired in Texas this morning and in compliance with a request from the FBI. If you want to see the original letter, please see the archived version at thesmokinggun.com: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0218102stack1.html"

Below is a copy of Joe's (a software engineer) suicide note:

======================================= » read more »

Sometimes violence is the only way, at least according to Joseph Stack. His suicide note explains why: http://guanabee.com/2010/02/joseph-stack-suic...

I'm tired of evil. I'm tired of watching once Godly ministries get infiltrated and dismantled by evil. I'm tired of watching supposed believers deny Christ before men by their steadfast disobedience. I'm tired of watching church-going parents destroy their children with their well practiced evil. I'm particularly tired of ministry shepherds leading their flocks into evil's traps. » read more »

Here is a good example of how restricting government benefits a country financially: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhanna...

A police officer recommends shooting "open-carry" proponents.

"Haha we had one guy last week try to do it!" Tuason replied. "He got proned out [laid face-down on the ground] and reminded where he was at and that turds will jack him for his gun in a heartbeat!"

Several comments later, the detective suggested shooting the gun rights advocates, some of whom have carried firearms openly in recent weeks in California's Bay Area, particularly at Starbucks locations. » read more »

I am testing a new feature of TuscanyCircle. When complete, this is how it will work: » read more »

• I start broadcasting from my phone or webcam.
• TuscanyCircle will automatically be updated to announce the live broadcast. This will be done via a new blog entry.
• Twitter will then be notified of the new blog entry.
• Those so registered (via Twitter) will be notified via SMS of the broadcast. Of course, all the standard means of following TC content will be updated, but Twitter's SMS is the fastest mechanism to date.

This would be hilarious if it weren't so tragic. It's now the job of police in Britain to prowl around in the middle of the night looking for unlocked doors and windows on peoples' houses. If they find one, they are instructed to roust the inhabitants and haul them outside for a verbal smackdown. What's next, citations for an untied shoestring? Jail time for venturing out in the cold without your muff? » read more »

So Iran is a "nuclear nation" now. Big whoop. They were a backwards little tyranny before, and they're still just a backwards little tyranny now. I must confess, there's a part of me just waiting for them to abuse this new capability (which they were unable to develop on their own, I might add). I'd love an excuse to blast that petty dictatorship to hell. Why we haven't done so already, given their ample and obvious sponsorship of evil, is only because we haven't had manly leadership since the 80s. (Even then, we only had one manly leader, as Congress was nothing but frightened women.) » read more »

The importance of good fathering: » read more »

I've had a few days with my Magic Mouse and its capacitive touch surface. While the mouse is indeed pretty cool, I've noticed some very annoying anomalies associated with the capacitive touch surface. This being my first lengthy experience with capacitive touch, I can now compare and contrast it with resistive touch surfaces. I can say in all honesty, not just hypothetically but empirically, that capacitive touch's success is purely based upon hype. It's cr@p compared to resistive touch. » read more »

We've blogged several times about the growing apostasy within the church (though that last term seems not to apply much anymore). It's getting exponentially worse (hat tip Katrina).

An expert on the advance of radical Islam in the United States says the Muslim Brotherhood is effectively employing a strategy of presenting "Islam lite" to organizations, including Christian churches. » read more »

» read more »

Score one for life. A recent study has shown that some patients with severe brain damage, while thought to be vegetative, actually show not only brain activity, but evidence of awareness. Using a diagnostic tool called a functional MRI, scientists were able to illicit responses in patients by asking them to use their brains in specific ways, which are then detectable on the MRI. » read more »

We've discussed the pitfalls of RFID on TuscanyCircle in the past. It's a really stupid technology that employers, banks, and others have latched onto like it were candy. For those who are clueless, RFID is generally an unpowered chip with a unique ID programmed into it. It also includes a small antenna, usually loops. When an RFID read is brought into close proximity, a small amount of power is wireless transferred to the RFID chip, which then dutifully transmits its contents to the reader. Businesses use these in the form of ID cards ("badges") to enter secure areas. » read more »

Traditionally, when men disagree, they sometimes resorted to fisticuffs. It's an old, masculine tradition, however barbaric you may perceive it. Men also tend to get over the conflict soon thereafter, too, having worked through their aggression and resolved their conflict physically. These days, though, in this litigious environment, such conflict resolution can cost you dearly. » read more »

Arguably the only righteous purpose for the federal government, defense of our borders, is being further dismantled by Usurper Obama.

Pres. [sic] Barack Obama's newly proposed 2011 budget would reduce the number of Border Patrol agents along the Southwest border by 180 and cut the funding for the "virtual fence." Homeland Security said it plans to cut the jobs through attrition, and it would result in increased pay for the remaining agents. » read more »

Ayn Rand was wrong about a lot of things. However, the sort of economic idiocy that she described in her seminal work, Atlas Shrugged has become reality^* in Oregon. Those on the left coast have passed "Measure 67," which levies additional taxes on high-income individuals as well as businesses. » read more »

Our trash company, Robertson Sanitation, sold out a few months ago to a larger company, Republic Services. Since then, they have increased our bill without cause, billed us repeatedly and fraudulently (i.e., several times for the same period), failed to honor their agreed upon price (the previous price we were paying, to which they eventually agreed to meet), and then failed numerous promises to pick up their bin.

While Robertson was great before the sale, we cannot warn consumers enough about the gross incompetence at Republic Services.

Anybody been reading about the iPad this week? (I have.) Here is an interesting comparison between the iPad and another product:

My son, who is not quite four years old, reached a significant developmental milestone today. At breakfast, my wife asked him if he wanted a piece of her banana. He responded by saying, "NTH," by which he intended to convey, "no thank you." My wife and I paused to let this moment sink in. He's not even four years old, and he is already using three-letter acronyms!