Author: Kevin

Guverment Skools

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I couldn’t make this up:

Wisconsin company fixes highway sign mistake

WAUSAU – A Madison company has paid to fix a highway sign south of Wausau with three misspellings.

The word “business” and the names “Rothschild” and “Schofield” were misspelled on the sign along I-39. The word “exit” was the only word spelled correctly.

WSAW-TV reported that Decker Supply Company, the Madison company which made the sign, fixed the errors at its own expense over the weekend. The sign had been installed by a separate company.

Wisconsin DOT records indicate the company was given the correct spelling for the sign.

I bet they were.

Here’s the sign in question:


“The word “exit” was the only word spelled correctly.”

I’m surprised they got the numbers right. If it wasn’t so damned sad, I’d be laughing.

Quote of the Day

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Quote of the Day

Anyone who is being honest recognizes the country is on a path towards a major calamity. We have been living beyond our means for decades and the fiscal mismanagement of the country will come to a dramatic climax in the next decade. What many deny is that this crisis was pre-ordained based upon a predictable timeline of generational forces repeating over and over again throughout history. The elites are continuously stunned that every 20 to 25 years a fresh mood engulfs the country and new generations act differently than the generations who proceeded them. The privileged are astounded because they don’t want to accept the fact that progress is not linear and that society will undergo highs and lows over the course of a century.

— Financial Sense Editorials, Boomers – Winter is Coming

Found at Bloodletting

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

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OK, I’m livid.

As most of you know, the fourth annual Gun Blogger’s Rendezvous is fast approaching (43 days away as I write this), and this year I planned to make a special contribution to support Project Valour-IT – a gun giveaway that would be for even those unable to attend. But I’m not a 501(c)(3) organization, or any other kind of tax-free charity, so I couldn’t actually run a charity raffle. Besides, I’m not really set up for it and wouldn’t know how. So, with the aid of Rendezvous organizer Mr. Completely, arrangements were made with Soldiers’ Angels to provide on-line ticket sales. Tickets went on sale Friday, July 17. We were ON!

Soldiers’ Angels uses PayPal for their on-line donations. PayPal even has a “Case Study” of Soldiers’ Angels’ success (PDF) using PayPal, bragging:

Today Soldiers’ Angels’ biggest online contributions go through PayPal. “It’s trustworthy to people and so they donate,” says (Founder Patti) Patton-Bader. “There’s a confidence that donors feel – that it’s a safe way to make a donation. There are not many companies that inspire that kind of trust.”

Trust.

Coincident with the Gun Blogger Rendezvous Raffle, Soldiers’ Angels had also started a fund drive for other projects that same weekend. PayPal put a stop to that. Here’s Patti Patton-Bader’s official statement:

Online donations through PayPal are a huge part of our fundraising. They shut down our entire account-not just the raffle button—for twelve hours right in the middle of an email fundraising push. Looking at the Terms of Use, we couldn’t understand where we’d gone wrong, but we had to immediately remove the raffle so we could get back online ASAP. This just breaks our hearts because we were so excited about the tremendous fundraising impact the Gun Blogger Rendezvous raffle was already having.

(My emphasis). The “tremendous fundraising impact”? In the short time (3.5 days) the PayPal button was live, they had 42 participants and 109 tickets sold.

As noted above, we’re still 43 days out from the Rendezvous. I just found out about this today.

And not only did the contributions for the raffle stop coming in, ALL contributions to Soldier’s Angels via PayPal were cut off for twelve hours.

Because PayPal is anti-gun.

So where does that leave us? Well, you can call Soldiers’ Angels and do a transaction over the phone. During normal business hours (PST) you can call (626) 529-5114, or you can call their voicemail service any time at (615) 676-0239, leave them a callback number and they’ll get back to you – probably the less expensive option, timewise. It’s not as convenient as a mouse click, but it beats snail-mailing a check.

You can also contact PayPal. Their Customer Service phone number is (402) 935-2050.

I’ve never asked this before, but I would appreciate it if every gun- and mil-blogger on the web and every gun board picked this up and spread it far and wide. I’m tired of gun-bigots. PayPal needs to hear from US – the law-abiding gun owners of this country – that we’re no longer willing to just roll over when we’re abused by the companies we “trust” just because we believe in and practice the rights guaranteed to us under the Second Amendment.

UPDATE – So far here are all the links (direct and indirect) to this piece I’m aware of:

1. – Maj. Chuck Zeigenfuss at From My Position, On the Way! – Paypal is asshats
2. – Laughingwolf at Blackfive – Step Up for Valour-IT, Especially as PayPal Won’t
3. – Blackfive at Blackfive – Anti-gun PayPal Shuts Down Soldiers’ Angels Contributions
4. – BillT at Castle Argghhh! – How Innnnnteresting
5. – Alan at Snarkybytes – Paypal: Anti-Gun
6. – Sebastian at Snowflakes in Hell – PayPal’s Gun Policies
7. – Kahr40 at From the Barrel of a Gun – Paypal is anti-gun
8. – Kevin S. at Brown Valley Kingdom – Paypal shows their ass
9. – Albert A Rasch at The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles – It’s About Time We Pushed Back!
10. – Major C at A Major’s Perspective – Important Information You Need to Know
11. – SayUncle – PayPal: Fear of guns overrides helping soldiers
12. – Tam at View from the Porch – Figures
13. – Joe Huffman at The View from North Central Idaho – Quote of the Day–Kevin Baker
14. – Phelps at The Everlasting Phelps – PayPal Hates Soldiers
15. – Jim at The Travis McGee Reader – A current outrage
16. – Morgan at My Two Cents Worth – Outrage via PayPal
17. – Derek at The Packing Rat – Paypal = Bigots
18. – Jennifer at In Jennifer’s Head – PayPal and Guns
19. – Pamibe – PayPal vs. Soldier’s Angels
20. – Firehand at Irons in the Fire – So PayPal is so anti-gun that they’ll screw over Soldier’s Angels
21. – Musings of the Geek with a .45 – That’s Quite Enough of PayPal
22. – falfenix of Insert witty title here – Sometimes you just can’t win
23. – Some Soldier’s Mom – PayPal is Anti-Gun
24. – Stephanie’s Blog – PayPal is Anti-Gun
35. – Ride Fast and Shoot Straight – PayPal is an evil, eBay anti-gun minion
26. – Caleb at Gun Nuts Media – PayPal cuts off donations to veteran’s charity group
27. – Russell at Solarvoid – Gah, stupid Paypal
28. – Sailorcurt of Captain of a Crew of One – Paypal and the Geek
29. – US Citizen at Traction Control – PayPal is no Pal to Soldiers
30. – Top of the Chain – Paypal = Bovine Fecal Material
30. – Dirtcrashr at Anthroblogogy – Pay-Pooper is Not Your Pal
31. – Linoge of Walls of the City – paypal sucks
32. – Phil at Random Nuclear Strikes – Some People’s Children
33. – Hazmat at Thunder River Home – Gotta Love That PayPal
34. – Evyl Robot Soapbox – Paypal is Anti?
35. – Jerry of Cogito Ergo Geek – The Smallest Minority Goes to PayPal – NOT!
36. – Josiah of Our Lunch Money – One more reason why I hate paypal!
37. – Instinct of Life in 3D – Paypal hates guns, and apparently the military
38. – Argent of Gay Military Life – PayPal Costs Charity
39. – Roberta of The Adventures of Roberta X – More Things that Induce Monitor-Punching Impulses
40. – Bore Patch – Paypal shutting down a Wounded Soldier Charity?

Bore Patch also mentions eBay’s (the parent company) Press Relations phone number: (408) 376-7458

41. – Mr. Completely his own self weighs in: Paypal Blocks Soldiers Angels Fund Raising and it’s cross-posted at the GBR site

42. – Little Steve of Sensibly Progressive – Paypal sucks
43. – Laughing_Wolf has a new post up at Blackfive – Ask PayPal How They Feel About the Wounded
44. – Gun Shy Tourist of Around the O-Town – In My Opinion Paypal Sucks
45. – CTone of Legion’s Fate – Anti-gun Paypal hates the military
46. – Nicki at The Liberty Zone – Note to self:
47. – Billoblog® – Paypal bans fundraising for wounded veterans
48. – Mulligan of Do Over – who’s your pal?
49. – Doubleplusundead at Right Wing News – Of Pistols, Project Valour, and PayPal
50! – Brian at Another Gun Guy – OK one real post – Paypal hates not just guns, but soldiers too. Boo.
51. – Misanthropic? Me? Inconceivable! – In Case You Didn’t Know that Paypal is Anti-gun
52. – Jeff at Alphecca – PayPal and Guns
53. – Don Gwinn, Chicago Gun Rights Examiner – PayPal suspends Soldiers’ Angels charity over gun raffle
54. – What Bubba Knows – Links for August 3, 2009

Thanks, y’all!

UPDATE – 8/7/09: ON-LINE TICKET SALES ARE ONCE AGAIN AVAILABLE!

Quote of the Day

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Quote of the Day

Van der Leun again:

As the dew dries to crusted smegma on the Obama rose, we need to find better metaphors for the Obamallationist media that’s looking for a way to rinse the acrid taste out of their morning-after mouths.

Yes, with every passing day spin is getting more and more difficult and desperate for those that stapled their scrotums to the axles of Obama’s juggernaut.

– Gatesgate moves MSM From the Tank to the Toilet

He does “evocative imagery” well, doesn’t he?

Tell Me Again

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Tell Me Again?

Just received via email from my brother:

Tell me again why people thought GWB was so stupid?

If George W. Bush had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought this embarrassingly narcissistic and tacky?

If George W. Bush had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had visited Austria and made reference to the non-existent “Austrian language,” would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

If George W. Bush had filled his cabinet and circle of advisors with people who cannot seem to keep current on their income taxes, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to “Cinco de Cuatro” in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the fourth of May (Cuatro de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, would you have winced in embarrassment?

If George W. Bush had misspelled the word advice would you have hammered him for it for years like Dan Quayle and potatoe as “proof” of what a dunce he is?

If George W. Bush had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on “Earth Day,” would you have concluded he’s a hypocrite?

If George W. Bush’s administration had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually “get” what happened on 9-11?

If George W. Bush had been the first President to need a teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how he inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

If George W. Bush had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had proposed to double the national debt within 10 years, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had given the unions a majority stake in GM and Chrysler, would you have approved?

If George W. Bush had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take Laura Bush to a play in NYC, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Can’t think of anything? Don’t worry. He’s done all this in 6 months — so you’ll have three years and six months to come up with an answer.

Make sure you catch tomorrow’s QotD.

EDITED TO ADD: If George W. Bush had given China an autographed (his autograph) basketball as a diplomatic gift, would you have thought it tacky and cheap?

Quote of the Day

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Quote of the Day

We were young.

And we were very, very stupid for college kids. Check that. We were stupid because we were college kids.

Many of the most committed of us, decades later, are still in college and even dumber. We’re professors now and our ability to be dumb has never been deeper.

Others of us are well ensconced in the various parts of what passes for the media. We’re there with a lot of others just like us and, even if we thought differently, we’d never say it for fear of losing regard, position, grants, or promotion. Besides, we’ve been around others who think like us for so long its no problem at all to top up the latte and nod in blind agreement.

Nope, we never sold out. We bought in. But we kept the Che poster pinned up forever in our hearts.

And now, we’ve arrived at our rendezvous with history.

In our aging but fitness-crazed hearts, we hate what we’ve become and, like any good group of neurotics, transfer that hate to the country that gave us everything including the Long Peace in which to enjoy it.

We’re the first in line to bitch and moan and hate a country that makes our freedom possible. More than that we’re also in love with the privilege, comfort, money and safety that makes it possible for us to mouth off without limit. And finally, we’re coming to understand that we are not our parents’ generation, we’re “The Not-So-Great” Generation, and, like our president, deep down we’re cowards.

We say we’re ‘afraid’ of losing our cherished ‘freedom’ to the jackbooted legions of Conservative Brownshirts that might stifle our dissent from every street corner. That’s really what a lot of us think. That’s really just how bull-goose looney we’ve become.

We’re so afraid that we can’t look at what scares us but instead pull the covers over our head and dream of the ChristerBoogeymen. Why? Because they’re an illusion. They are not really scary at all. Why? Because they are all “just pretend,” and we know it. What many of us simply cannot face is the real terror of the times, terror.

We’re really afraid of the wrath of those who, unlike us who believe in nothing, believe in something so deeply that they’ll kill us for it and die doing it. The bomb in the baby carriage that’s wired to the radio. The teenager in the Army sweatshirt with three pounds of C4 wrapped inside of two pounds of ball bearings showing up at the Mall for a Big Mac Attack. The Muslim-American who decides one afternoon to park his Jeep on top of as many of our kids as he can find in a group. That guy sitting next to the window at 36,000 feet with fuses coming out of his Nikes and a t-shirt on that says, “Just Do It.” The Immam with a plan who is so tense that he decides to walk into downtown San Francisco and unwind with a small shooting spree. All these realities disturb our dreams and threaten to pull the covers off our heads. We want to elect magic soothing daddy-cools to smarm us to sleep.

As a result, we like the slogans, books, movies, TV shows, politicians and publications that confirm for us the deep liberal dream that if we are just understanding enough, long enough, apologize for living enough, and offer enough in the way of bribes, the oppressed of the world will come to love us… and then just leave us alone.

— Gerard Van Der Leun, American Digest: Goodbye to the Way We Were