NW Arkansas Ice Storm, 2009 Part 2

Boy! What a mess! I stayed home and tried to do a little clean-up. There wasn't much I could really do because with so much ice still on the branches it was dangerous to do much. I did manage pull a few branches down and clean up the branch on the front gate. I'll be cleaning up this mess for weeks.




A bunch a branches fell across the privacy fence into my neighbor's yard. A few may damage their house. I tried to do some of the clean-up with a small electric chainsaw I have. It didn't work well. I'm going to need something bigger. I went to Lowe's to see if a miracle occurred and they actually had some still left. Nope! I order one on-line. It's the only way to guarantee that I get one within a few days.


It was amazing to see how many trees were broken and down. Everywhere you looked there was tree damage. The ice on the trees does look pretty but when it all melts we're going to see the worst of it.

NW Arkansas Ice Storm, 2009

My beautiful elm! The pride and joy of my garden is being decapitated. The ice build-up was just too much for the limbs so they are breaking off. Unfortunately several were above my house and fell on it. I have one more left and I'm just praying that it's able to withstand the ice. I tried to knock off some of the ice from the limbs with no effect. The ice completely encircles the limbs and is about an inch thick. It's nerve wracking waiting for those limbs to fall.


Well, I have my weekend planned out for me. I'll be cleaning up the mess and figuring out how much damaged was done. Everyone else in the neighborhood will be doing the same thing. Just from my house I can see a lot of tree limbs down and I can also hear all the tree limbs cracking and falling. I've talked to some friends in Springdale and out east Fayetteville and they are telling me the same thing is happening there. NW Arkansas is going to be a big mess come tomorrow.

No Half-Ass Road

When Tracy Hoskins first proposed the rerouting of Arkansas 112 it sounded like it was a good idea. His suggestion would remove those really rotten curves off Van Asche and Howard Nickel. Somehow his original proposal of rerouting 112 became making a half of a road which conveniently ended into his developments. Fayetteville would pay for half of a road that may or may not eventually become the new 112. While I found the concept of a new 112 something that would be beneficial to Fayetteville, the half-ass job wouldn't. It could take years before Traci developed his land to a point such that he felt it would advantageous to finish the "new" 112. Well, the City Council shot down his half road proposal. If he really wants Arkansas 112 through his development he's going to have to come up with something that will benefit Fayetteville.

What a Paine!

Liberal Democrat Lindsley Smith is at it again. She is once again trying to make Jan. 29 Thomas Paine Day in Arkansas.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Lindsley Smith, D-Fayetteville, said the measure failed in 2007 because of misconceptions about Paine's writings.

Yeah, as I remembered the vast right wing fruitcakes made a big deal about his anti-Christian beliefs. A bunch of red-necks that can barely read obviously aren't enlighten enough to understand the genius that was Thomas Paine.
Well, Thomas Paine wasn't just anti-Christian. The book Age of Reason was just plain anti-religion.

All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

Thomas Paine described himself as a "Deist". Basically you create your own ideal god because the Christian God won't allow you to do what you want.
Anyhoo, that's not the reason Ms Smith is attempting to create a Thomas Paine Day. Paine wrote another book Rights of Man, Part the Second, Combining Principle and Practice which described a government that has numerous social programs to remedy the wrongs (as perceived by liberals) that would be funded by progressive tax measures. He was one of the earliest advocates of social security, universal free public education, a guaranteed minimum income.

Gee, that sounds awfully familiar. Oh yeah, it mirrors all the social bills that Congress and P BO is going to be dumping on America. Thomas Paine is a hero to these socialist Democrats just as Ronald Reagan is to conservative Republicans. So, Ms Smith wants a day to honor her hero. Fine, I propose that we let the Democrats can have their Thomas Paine day as long as Republicans get a Ronald Reagan Day.

Barack Obama's New First

U.S. Stocks Slide in Dow Average’s Worst Inauguration Day Drop

Apparently Wall Street didn't get the message that Hope and Change had now taken the "oaf" of office. While BO isn't the first President who come into office with a poor economy, it has to be shocking for the new President and his team to see stocks plummet so much. Not a vote of confidence by any means. The biggest part of the drop, and I mean 200 points of it, came after his speech. Which isn't surprising because his speech was nothing spectacular. What was noteworthy was the promise of more government hand outs. That will not encourage growth.

Racism at Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

Yesterday, most people celebrating MLK day were declaring that finally MLK's dream was fulfilled. America had finally gotten enlighten enough to elect a Black President. Racism has now been defeated by putting someone of the "right" color into power. Why, even Fayetteville, which fully embraced it's own racist has finally named a street after MLK.

I was listening to the Inauguration and even managed to suffer through the poet but when Joseph Lowery gave the benediction I was shocked and offended.

We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back ... when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man ... and when white will embrace what is right ..

Where in the world does BO find these white-hating preachers? Are these the only preachers he knows? There we have it, the first black President has a racist “prayer” spoken over his inauguration. Lovely,a sign of things to come? So much for Dr. King's dream.

Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

Tomorrow America celebrates the peaceful passing of one leader to another. No matter how we feel about the current President or the incoming President, the leadership transition is done without bloodshed and it is only tears that are shed. Tears of those who rejoice in new President and the tears of those who see the damages to the American people this President and Congress will do.

Tomorrow, BO will be giving a speech that is said to be soaring in rhetoric and will go down in history as one of the greatest speeches given. Do you know that I helped BO write it? Yeah, there is this handy Inauguration Speech Generator. This has apparently been very helpful to the Obama speech-writing process, so have at it if you wish. Here's my go at it:

My fellow Americans, today is a silly day. You have shown the world that "hope" is not just another word for "finger", and that "change" is not only something we can believe in again, but something we can actually piss.

Today we celebrate, but let there be no mistake – America faces grossly and wrinkled challenges like never before. Our economy is dry. Americans can barely afford their mortgages, let alone have enough money left over for diapers. Our healthcare system is orange. If your elbow is sick and you don't have insurance, you might as well call a dentists. And America's image overseas is tarnished like a rock rope. But fishing together we can right this ship, and set a course for mountain.

Finally, I must thank my slowly family, my yellow campaign volunteers, but most of all, I want to thank mothers for making this historic occasion possible. Of course, I must also thank you, President Bush, for years of melting the American people. Without your soft efforts, none of this would have been possible.

Arkansas' Sin Tax

Ouch! A ton of bricks are hitting smokers! Not only is Gov. Beebe considering a 56 cent tax increase on cigarettes but Congress is now in the process of increasing the federal tax on cigarettes.

in the House on Wednesday, 40 Republicans joined Democrats in passing a spending increase for the children's health program. The bill would raise the federal excise tax on cigarettes by 61 cents to $1-a-pack to pay for the SCHIP expansion. The bill before the Finance Committee also calls for the tobacco tax increase.

The federal tax is to fund the SCHIP program for children 30 years and younger while the state tax is to fund a trauma system in Arkansas. There may be a little problem with both the federal and state's desire to raise revenue. They may be taxing cigarettes too high that enough people may have to quit. The revenue the politicians were counting on may dry up and the health program lose funding.
I quess the politicians are forgetting that the ideal sin tax is high enough to pay for your program, but not so high that people will actually quit the vice. It would be really inconvenient for Gov Beebe's profits from the cigarette taxes to die out because he killed the goose that laid the golden egg.

Feeling the Pinch

Everyone has been waiting for it to happen. Actually, I'm a bit surprised that it didn't happen a few months earlier with gas prices being so high this summer. Hopefully, since gas prices dropped before Christmas people had a little more money to spend and the HMR tax increased a bit. The Fayetteville City Council should be keeping a close watch on how money is spent and try to curb their impulse to raise property taxes to make up for the HMR tax loss. Increasing taxes will just make people spend less. Less spending means less taxes collected, a vicious cycle.

The Clintons', Loyal to Us or Their Banking Account

AP reports that Secretary of State nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton has interceded at least six times in government issues directly affecting companies and others that contributed to her husband's foundation. A large number of foreign nations have given quite a bit of money to the Clintons. Many of them might be considered less then a friend to the USA. I would like to know in any given crisis, who is she going to be more loyal to, the people of the United States or any unfriendly nation? I fear that the Clintons' greed is going to win over their loyalty to us.

Eating Your Vegetables

Yup, that's broccoli Toby is eating. You could have knock me over with a feather when I caught him sneaking some from my plate (my fault for leaving it unguarded). So now when I cook it I save a little for him. Hey, veggies are good for cats too! I did find out that Toby isn't unique. Other kitties like broccoli.



More cats at Friday Ark

Global Cooling Power Play

We know that Gov Beebe is just another sucker that has fallen for the global warming hoax. He and his global warming commission are more than willing to burden a poor state with legislation that will tax and fine industries in Arkansas and make the poor in Arkansas suffer.
"I've read some pundits lately who say, 'oh, this is just a hoax, global warming's not really a serious threat.' I don't subscribe to that theory," Beebe said on his monthly call-in radio show. "I think it is a threat, and I think global warming is occurring."
Another leader is taking a different approach. Joe Bastardi, long-range and hurricane forecaster for Accuweather.com’s notes that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s recent cut of gas flows to Europe via Ukraine may have been done so in anticipation of a global cooling cycle.
"The thing I want to bring up here – very interesting – most of the solar cycle studies that we know about and that guys like me read have come out of the Russian scientists," Bastardi said. "But when Glasnost developed, the Russian scientists, a lot of their ideas on the coming cool period that a lot of us believe is going to occur – ice, rather than fire is the big problem down the road here 2030, 2040, and the reversing cyclical cycles of the ocean – it came out of the East."
The scientific evidence so far is proving that Putin's gamble may pay off. The earth's temperature has been cooling for the last ten years and solar activity has been disturbingly quiet. Putin has been listening to his scientists and we, unfortunately, have been listening to a washed-up politician. But, the forecast is for the next 20 years. Enough time for us to knock some intelligence in our political leaders and get some coal and nuclear plants built.

Another Pig Waddles Up to the Gov Trough

Well, everyone else has been asking for a bailout why not the
porn industry?
There is a lot of stiff competition for the bailout money. I'm sure the Democratically-controlled Congress can come up with an appropriate stimulus package. You can be sure that Barney Frank isn’t going to let the porn business fail. There is something a bit strange about their reason for a bailout.

But according to Flynt the recession has acted like a national cold shower. “People are too depressed to be sexually active,” Flynt says, “This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex.”

Somebody out there is having a lot more sex. The CDC has just
reported that births and fertility rates increased for most states, age groups, and race and Hispanic origin groups. Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nevada, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia round out the top ten based on the final 2006 numbers.

People out there are still having sex they are just not giving Flynt his cut of the action. Anyway, make way for a nationalized porn industry. I did hear that Pres. Clinton volunteered to be the new Porn Czar.

Innovative Ways for the Government to Tax Us

This really stinks! Obama and Congress are going to be spending tax payer money like crazy the next few months. Somehow, someway they have got to pry more money from the taxpayer's wallet. The EPA is going to provide Congress the opportunity to tax a totally normal activity.

The ANPR, released early this year, would give the EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gas for not only greenhouse gas from manmade sources like transportation and industry, but also "stationary" sources which would include livestock. The New York Farm Bureau assigned a price tag to the cost of greenhouse gas regulation by the EPA in a release last month.

Yeah, the EPA is going to tax livestock farts. Is the earth warming up so fast that we must regulate cow farts?

The tax for dairy cows could be $175 per cow, and $87.50 per head of beef cattle. The tax on hogs would upwards of $20 per hog,” the release said. “Any operation with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs would have to obtain permits

What the hell is the EPA thinking? Tax the meat supply to such an extent that you essentially eliminate it from the American diet? Is America going to be forced to become vegetarians? Why stop at livestock? Why not start taxing people's gaseous emmisions? After all, 6+ Billion people passing gas is not good for the environment and greenhouse gas levels.

The EPA calls talk of a tax on cow flatulence a bunch of hot air.
Those ranchers should relax, said the EPA’s Whitley. "The fact is, there is no proposal right now. We’re in the public comments phase (on greenhouse-gas emissions rules), and the public can say anything. The EPA is obligated to consider all comments, but this is not a likely change. "This is a great example of Internet viral folklore," he said. "But there’s not a whiff of truth."

Then again, if there is a tax that can be implemented in a practical manner by bureaucrats they'll do it.

15 'Normal' Jobs You Can't Pronounce

Whadda ya know? I made the list.

A Good Start to the New Year

I finally figured out what was wrong. I was tired. Mentally, spiritually, and physically tired. These past few weeks I've paid little attention to what was on the news, let the writing slip and just didn't think about anything. Oh, there were a few projects that I completed but for the most part I just left everything else go. I went to bed really early with a book and listen to some good jazz. The holidays brought House and Monk marathons on TV. I've enjoy watching episodes I've not seen.

Hiking has always been refreshing and I've done as much as I could. I've discovered Lake Lincoln. What a beautiful spot! Easy hiking and wonderful views, what could be better. Today I went to pick up a couple of geocaches. It was a beautiful day and a lot of people had the same idea of enjoying the lake and the day. I even met some fellow geocachers. One hiker gave me directions to a private hiking/biking trail on his property. I've definitely got to try that one out. Casey, of course, had a ball running around and greeting everyone we met. One repeller commented that Casey was quite a people person.

I guess I need more of these down time weeks. The earth is chock-full of problems and sometimes it gets overwhelming. One should step back and realize that God is sovereign and He holds the earth in the palm of His hand.