I wonder...

A poor read indeed, but I made it through the transcript of the State of the Union speech.

I am incapable of listening to the man any more. I thought that the Clintons were offensive but the revulsion induced from being lied to by that happy duo of grifters pales in comparison to the clumsy dishonesty, hubris, and arrogance that is The Won.

In one future to unfold there could be a Democrat desertion from the field; a wholesale retirement or even abandonment of seats from both the senate and the house.

Obama is clinical. He's already killed the Democrats. He's lining up the country for a head shot next.

The first man with black skin elected president, and he ran as a Democrat.

There's no way in Hell they will clean their own mess, our Democrat friends.

They'll bail. And in the midst of the rubble of our once great nation, as the pundits dissect the sad fate of The Won, the Democrats will begin to whisper how racist it was of the Republicans to take down that articulate and clean black man...

Buckle up.

What Next:?

"Charismatic authority, on the other hand, is part of the expression of schismatic tendencies in society. In contrast to legal or traditional authority, charismatic authority is the antithesis of routine activities and represents the desire for disruption and change of the prevailing social order. It is a necessary part of the dialectic between the human need for structure and the equally human need for variation and innovation in society. Charismatic authority is different from rational or traditional authority in that it spawns not from established orders or traditions, but rather from the special trust the charismatic leader induces in his followers, the peculiar powers he exhibits, and the unique qualities he possesses. According to Weber, it is difficult for charismatic leaders to maintain their authority because followers must continue to legitimize this authority. There is a need for the charismatic leader to constantly exhibit leadership performance to his followers to reinforce the legitimacy of his authority."

I don't think Mr. Obama has the capacity to change what he is. Buckle up.

Spring Is Right Around The Corner

... and there is certainly a glimmer of something good happening out there.

Seriously, though - we had almost TEN MINUTES this afternoon of full on blue sky sunshine. Out on the P1 deck it was almost warm enough to ditch a layer or maybe even go shirtsleeves. Ten minutes. It was fleeting.

Snow tomorrow. But today was a good day.

EXTRA EXTRA - Oldest Goddess living in New Hampshire just texted:

"Oh, and I'm watching MacGyver and he just said 'I hate it when that happens" and made me think of you. Lol, as do his nifty pocket knife skills."

Okay. GREAT day.

Me Too

Greg Mankiw, writing in the Gotham Litter Liner, musing about inflation:

"Second, the Fed could easily overestimate the economy’s potential growth. In light of the large fiscal imbalance over which Mr. Obama is presiding, it’s a good bet he will end up raising taxes for most Americans in coming years. Higher tax rates mean reduced work incentives and lower potential output. If the Fed fails to account for this change, it could try to promote more growth than the economy can sustain, causing inflation to rise."

It's a good read. He ends where I have been for the last while - that we are in uncharted territory here.

History teaches that demand and supply will always meet. I believe we are in a Monopoly Money economy already.

Who will kick the board, and when?

(via Instapundit)

Musings

It's a damned tough time to be historically literate.

That's all.

Range Report

Mrs. Utah and I spent a loud couple of hours at Rangemasters of Utah with a friend and coworker of mine. We brought my Springer MilSpec, a Glock Model 26, and our Ruger P89.

He brought his Springfield XD/9 Compact, and I have to say that had I had an opportunity to try one of these head to head with the Glock 26 (last year's Christmas present from Mrs. Utah) I might have filled out my wish list a tad differently.

The two pistols are almost identical in exterior dimensions. Perceived weight in the hand with loaded magazines was very similar as well.

Both compact pistols use a safety action trigger and have striker actions. The XD has a light rail where the 26 does not, and the geometry of the XD trigger was surprisingly comfortable. We traded pistols for a couple of magazines and I actually shot smaller groups with his pistol (nine yards) than I was getting with my .45.

Mrs. Utah humbled the both of us, however, with whatever pistol she happened to be shooting at the moment, which meant that we had a standard range day outing.

No stoppages or FTF for any of us. My friend buys a lot of reloaded ammo from Center Street Brass in Provo. His 115gr FMJ reloads were quite snappy, with expended cases showing some primer deformation and other signs of high pressure. I gave him a box of my 115 FMJ (Blue Dot 8.0 gr.). Cases from my reloads showed no signs of high pressure; his groups tightened up a little but we didn't whip out the compass to generate a number.

A fine day was had by all.

And A Happy New Year, As Well!

Well, here we are one day closer to spring.

I believe that 2010 will be better for us than was 2009.

In searching my id for resolutions or predictions, the best I can come up with are the following:

1. I resolve to spend an hour every day, by the clock, on decluttering my life. We suffer from an embarrassment of riches and our house leans closer to midden than to home.

We can make that change for the better.

2. 2010 will be the year that the carbon market scam implodes. I am not wholly convinced that Al Gore will be anything like impoverished by this time next year, but I do believe his net worth will be a shadow of what it is today. At the very least, he'll be out of the news. Unless he's been stupid enough to let his name exist on foundational documents...

Hmmm. Have to think that one through.

The cap and trade scam depends on government coercion to work - specifically, that developed Western nations gut their economies. France has decided that EU or no EU, they aren't going to play. Without the French, the EU is officially out of play. Climategate and emerging scientific reports indicate that atmospheric CO2 is not and never has been the villain in climate change/global warming/man's agenda of earth raping destruction...

We have elections in 2010. I am intrigued; how dirty will they be? Will the Republicans find a clue, or is the party truly dead?

I think it is dead - stiffer than a Whig and smells worse than last week's fish. The Republicans under Steele are unfit both philosophically and ethically to be trusted with governance. So what will the coming months bring to us in the way of choices? Who will come forward?

I guess I'd have to insert point number 3 here: Legacy media officially loses the ability to influence the narrative, much less define it, this year. And it's not a moment too soon. I believe that the 2010 mid terms are the last chance we have to keep our Republic via the ballot. More on that later.

I'm all worried out, folks. The only things to do are to not surrender to cynicism and to keep on paying attention and to continue to do the right thing when given the chance.

God bless and keep you all.