That's Gonna Leave A Mark...

Fresh on the heels of getting bitch-slapped by noted neocon Jimmy Carter is this new bumper sticker, seen and reported by Stretch:

Ouch. If it wasn't such a serious matter, being completely and utterly bumbled by the current clown-in-chief (apologies to clowns everywhere) with lives on the line, I'd laugh.

And yes, before you point it out, I know that the flu kills more people every year. So does pneumonia. Do a little analysis, though. Very rarely does the flu kill perfectly healthy people. Usually the fatalities are those whose immune systems are already compromised.

The other thing is that it was entirely preventable. Travel restrictions, screening of passengers, etc. - except that, in the name of political correctness, we didn't want to screen people from Africa for fear of appearing racist. For the love of all that's good and wholesome, just step in front of a bus now if you really think that way.

There's a disease that's pretty much limited to one geographical area. There's nothing racist about applying a little extra scrutiny to folks coming from that region. It's not everyday that we have a clear cut case of political correctness killing someone, but after this debaucle, it's a near-certainty.

And don't even get me started about us putting thousands of boots on the ground in West Africa to combat ebola but not a single one in Syria to combat ISIS...

That is all.

But Gun-Totin' White Dudes Are Just Fine...

Fresh off the BLNN comes this lovely little tidbit...

Justice Department likely to expand its definition of racial profiling

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is likely to expand the definition of racial profiling to bar federal agents from considering religion, national origin, gender and sexual orientation in their investigations, a person familiar with the issue said Thursday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity about the matter because a Justice Department review of the issue is ongoing. The likely expansion was first reported by The New York Times.

So, really, they're saying that only white males of European descent can be profiled. Because, basically, they have excluded every single other differentiating factor. Look, if folks from one particular religious affiliation are more inclined to, say, have multiple wives, are we going to look at the Baptists when there's a pernicious bigamy problem going around? This is so incredibly politically correct and stupid that it hurts my head just thinking about it.

And of course, there's the reverse. Owning a gun, or believing in the Constitution, or serving in our military allegedly makes one more pre-disposed to committing acts of terrorism, yet not adhering to a certain flavor of a certain religion. Got that? If you belong to a gun club, expect to get hassled any time an act of violence occurs in your area, because obviously you must be some sort of violent felon. However, if you come from an area known for committing acts of violence, you're just fine.

This is just a logical extension of the zero tolerance BS that's destroying our school system. Rather than crack down on law enforcement agencies that misuse profiling, just water down what can and can't be "profiled" until it's completely meaningless. We can't consider ethnic background, religious affiliation, or anything of that nature, even if certain elements might lead one to bear further investigation. We continue our navel gazing at our own peril.

We'll be the most inoffensive, politically correct empire at the bottom of the ash heap, though...

That is all.

It's Not Just Massachusetts...

#1 Blogdaughter sends in this story. Please note where it comes from - i.e. not MA or anywhere else in the liberal northeast...

Why Did a Tennessee Grade School Ban Pork?

A Tennessee elementary school banned students from eating ham sandwiches, BLT’s and anything else made with pork, but eventually lifted the ban after parents complained.

Third grade teachers at Sunset Elementary School in Brentwood, Tenn. sent home an “Approved Snack List” for the school year and it specifically banned anything that comes from a pig. “No meats containing pork,” read the memorandum. “Starting Monday, August 12, 2013 your child must provide their own snack from the above approved snack list.”

"Approved snack list". Sure sounds like something you'd hear coming out of Massachusetts, doesn't it? I mean, we do have the "Approved Firearms Roster", so you know our nannies love to only let you have "approved" things.

But no, this is down in Tennessee, voted one of the top five free states. And yet they're caving to the pressure of a very vocal, very minor minority - just like their northern brethren. Now, the school did rescind the ban on pork products after only one day, so there is that much of an improvement over the lily liberal northeast, but the fact remains that they tried it in the first place.

It's hard to imagine the rationale behind a "pork-free" school. One of my son's favorite lunches is a ham and cheese sandwich - verboten under the regulations. Why pork? It's easy to understand peanuts, as peanut allergies can be quite serious and severe - even as much as sitting next to someone eating peanut butter can trigger a reaction in a severely allergic person. But a pork allergy? I just don't see it.

Stay vigilant - the PC idiots will not rest, and we need to keep an eye on their foolishness no matter where we are...

That is all.

You Can't Write Satire Like This...

Who on earth would believe a story like this one?

That’s a clown question, bro: Rodeo clowns asked to take ‘sensitivity training’

The fallout from a Missouri rodeo clown’s mockery of President Obama continued as the Missouri State Fair said it will force all clowns to undergo sensitivity training and the head of the state rodeo-clown organization resigned.

The state fair commission voted Monday to ratify its decision to ban for life the clown in question who wore an Obama mask. The rodeo announcer and a second clown wearing a microphone asked whether the crowd wanted to see him get run down by a bull.

I cannot freakin' believe that: a) There is a state fair commission that investigates rodeo clowns; b) there is a state rodeo-clown organization; c) that said organization has a head who would resign over a simple stunt; and d) that someone actually thought the words "sensitivity training" and "rodeo-clown" belonged in the same sentence.

Folks, we have hit rock bottom, have started digging, and are in the process of procuring dynamite to faster facilitate going lower. This was a silly, stupid stunt performed at a state rodeo by a freakin' rodeo clown. We had Hollywood celebrities calling for George Bush to be arrested and tried as a war criminal and they were celebrated by the intellectual elite; but a rodeo-clown needs to undergo sensitivity training over an Obama mask.

Personally, I think that the whole story is offensive - to rodeo-clowns.

That is all.

I Believe That Handbasket Has ROCKETS On It...

Fresh off the BLNN (and seen on Facebook) is the latest in "Zero Tolerance" idiocy:

Colorado boy, 7, reportedly faces suspension for tossing imaginary grenade

A Colorado second-grader may be suspended from his elementary school after he disobeyed a key rule of no weapons, real or imaginary, when he tossed an imaginary grenade Friday during recess and went, 'pshhh,' to indicate that the imaginary device detonated, KDVR.com reported.

Alex Watkins,7, who attends Mary Blair Elementary in Loveland, said he was playing the game "Rescue the World." He plays the role of a heroic soldier out to rid the world of an evil threat.

Really? They ban IMAGINARY weapons? Are you kidding me? Please note that this is NOT Massachusetts. I thought it was bad when they told us that our son couldn't wear his Excalibur shirt to school because it had a picture of a weapon - I mean, hello, this is Excalibur, the legendary sword of King Arthur here; it's not like he came into school with a COD WOW shirt with machine guns and RPGs. Of course, I wore my Smith & Wesson polo shirt to the parent-teacher conference that year...

I wonder what they do if a kid picks up a stick - or, heaven forbid, points their finger. Does a teacher hover nearby, trying to gainsay the intent of said stick or finger? What if the stick is being used as a magic wand? Harry Potter shows us that wands can be weapons (sharper than knives) - would a child re-enacting "Fantasia" then be suspended? In their imagination, it's a director's baton - but since it *could* be a weapon...

This is zero tolerance taken to the bIZarRo world degree here, folks...

That is all.

Stop Me If You've Heard This Story Before...

Solyndra, the sequel? Bankrupt solar firm, DOE facing scrutiny over panel problems

House Republicans are pressing the Obama administration for more information about a solar-panel company that received a $400 million loan guarantee, then went bankrupt and is now the focus of a criminal investigation.

The committee pursuing documents on Colorado-based Abound Solar is the same that investigated the half-billion taxpayer loan to Solyndra, whose bankruptcy rocked the Obama administration. Two more Department of Energy-backed companies have since filed for bankruptcy, with Abound Solar being the latest.

I know, I know, it's pretty shocking. The Obama administration threw a metric sh*tload of money at an "alternative" energy company, only to see the company go teats-up in less than two years. If only they'd had some indication that alternative energy companies weren't a solid bet for government money! If only there were a track record of shoveling taxpayer dollars at unproven technology blowing up in the faces of everyone who wanted them to succeed!

I hate this for two very simple reasons. First and foremost, hello, that's my money (and your money) they're wasting right there. This company got a dumptruck full of our tax dollars that we will never see again, all thanks to a tone deaf administration that so desperately wanted to pander to the greenies that all common sense went out the window. You have to wonder if at some point someone pitched the "magic bean plant food company" or perhaps the "perpetual motion machine" - because they sure as hell weren't doling out money based on viability.

The second reason is that it's going to be just that much harder for legitimate forms of alternate energy to get money going forward. Some bright young engineer fresh out of MIT and looking to make her mark in the world might come up with the greatest renewable energy source breakthrough since the hydroelectric plant, but she won't be able to get any funding because a skeptical public will lump her in with every other green snake oil salesman out there.

It doesn't seem like Abound ever had any intent to produce "green" energy - they just heard that the Obama administration was flinging greenbacks at any "green" energy company that came down the pike and decided to get some. They lined up at the trough, took their cash, and when it was time to produce something, they claimed that Chinese competition put them out of business. Hmmm. Chinese competition in alternative energy. Why does that sound so familiar?

Oh yeah, that's right - Obama hit the Chinese with stiff tariffs on solar panels, didn't he?

Now isn't that a handy coincidence? The Obama administration tosses out millions of dollars of taxpayer money to alternative energy companies. Said companies produce little-to-nothing, piss away their taxpayer loans on hats, declare bankruptcy, and blame Chinese competition for going out of business. Teleprompter Jesus comes in, slams the Chinese with high tariffs, and gets to pat himself on the back for saving the day.

Problem is, he's saving the day for himself.

Now, a skeptical person would wonder just how much money these alternative energy companies funneled into Obama's campaign war chest in order to get these prized loans. There doesn't seem to be any demonstrable science behind their product - Abound's solar panels were "losing output the more they were exposed to sunlight". Hmmm. Seems that should be the opposite of what happens, doesn't it? I mean, hell, I could wrap a 4X8' sheet of plywood in tinfoil, call it a solar panel, and it would lose output, too... Of course, I would still be able to cook a hotdog on the patented JayG Solar Cell...

Again, the more I hear the angrier I get - because I am more and more likely to support Mittens because of this guy...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Common Sense? Never Heard of It...

Whenever you hear the phrase "zero tolerance", mentally replace it with "administrators with tiny brains". It's the same thing.

UK school bans bracelets paying tribute to student who died of cancer

Students at a UK school are outraged after being told they can't wear wristbands that pay tribute to their classmate who died of cancer.

Friends of Jordan Cobby, 14, reportedly created the bracelets to raise money for charity after Cobby lost his battle with eye cancer in March last year.

Yes, the wristbands are not part of the school uniform. If they were friendship bracelets, or any number of inspirational or themed bracelets, something along those lines I would understand the ban. This is a group of kids honoring one of their friends taken from them at too young an age through no fault of their own. They're still mourning his loss, and some pea-brained administrator is pointing to a rigid rulebook and waving the banhammer.

My lord, how on earth do people function in the real world, what with all those shades of grey?

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Flipping The Bird...

Okay, now this is downright ridiculous...

New York village officials fret Dunkin’ drive-thru will make eagles sore

Bald eagles apparently don't run on Dunkin’, according to opponents of a gas station owner's plan to add the doughnut chain's service in a bid to boost business.

Kenny Elmes, owner of the Elmesco Citgo in Cold Spring, N.Y., says he's dealt with one obstacle after another from his local planning board over his goal of replacing the station's repair garage with a Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru.

The eagles, mind you, are miles away - and experts have testified that this business is no threat to them.The town has been granted discretion to approve or deny permits, and the Chairman of the Planning Board - who won't give interviews - is the one holding up the permit. They've been jerking the gas station owner around for months, and the eagle issue only came up recently.

So what's going on? I think it can be summed up here:

"I physically cannot keep working," Elmes said. "Converting to the this will help keep me in business. If I can't, I'll have to sell the place."

Emphasis mine. $50 says that's the intent from the get-go. I wonder if Chairman Barbaro - or one of his friends or "associates" - has a business in the immediate vicinity that would benefit from expansion? Either that or there's a personal beef between Barbaro and Elmes, always a possibility.

Much like phony cries of racism or sexism, this sort of environmental shenanigans hurts everyone. Legitimate cases will be viewed with a jaundiced eye after such an egregious abuse. Petty tyrants on other Planning Boards will be emboldened to act in a similar manner - and to use the bald eagle and other endangered animals to run their opponents out of business.

In this case, it's hard to imagine that a repair shop would have less of an environmental impact than a coffee shop drive thru. It defies credibility that nesting birds miles away are going to be affected by a Dunks attached to a gas station. It's far more likely that either a personal beef or plans are behind the stonewalling, with a thin green veneer to cover the skulduggery.

I hope Mr. Elmes gets his donut shop - and the petty town dictators get voted out in the next election.

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Again, It's Not Just Massachusetts...

RI school says dad-daughter dances violate law

CRANSTON, R.I. – School officials in the Rhode Island city of Cranston have ended their traditional father-daughter dances and mother-son ballgames, saying the activities are a violation of state gender discrimination law.

School Superintendent Judith Lundsten tells the Providence Journal (http://bit.ly/Pv6SzE ) the move came in response to a complaint from a single mother, who brought her case to the American Civil Liberties Union after her daughter wasn't allowed to attend a father-daughter dance.

Now, shame on the school for not allowing the single mom to attend her daughter's dance. That's just plain stupid. The response, though, doubled down on stupid - a blanket ban on gender-specific events? Really? One of the highlights of my year is the annual "Daddy-Daughter Dance" sponsored by the Girl Scouts - which is held at the elementary school. If we lived in this district in RI, we couldn't hold the dance at the school.

And here we see what happens when political correctness ("ZOMG! We can't have gender-themed events! Someone, somewhere might be offended!") intersects with Zero tolerance ("ZOMG! Make a decision on which events to disallow? Better ban them all so we don't have to think about it"). Events which I would assume go back many years, traditions if you will, are being tossed under the bus so that a tiny subset don't get their feelings hurt.

I'd ask for a return to common sense, but petty bureaucrats have never been known for being able to recognize that...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

I've Heard Some Stupid Things In My Time...

...but I think this might about just take the cake.

Schools beat the drum for equity

Verenice Gutierrez picks up on the subtle language of racism every day.

Take the peanut butter sandwich, a seemingly innocent example a teacher used in a lesson last school year.

“What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?” says Gutierrez, principal at Harvey Scott K-8 School, a diverse school of 500 students in Northeast Portland’s Cully neighborhood.

Not knowing what something is due to cultural differences ≠ racism. Racism is the belief that someone from a race other than your own is automatically inferior because of their race and for no other reason. Not knowing what a sandwich is does not mean racism.

Now, granted, this is idiotic. But read a little further into the article to find *real* racism:

Gutierrez denies that any students were turned away from the drum corps, and vehemently rejects any suggestion that it is discrimination to offer a club catering to minority boys.

“When white people do it, it is not a problem, but if it’s for kids of color, then it’s a problem?” says Gutierrez, 40, an El Paso, Texas, native whose parents were Mexican immigrants. “Break it down for me. That’s your white privilege, and your whiteness.”

Got that? Discriminating against white people is not racism. Even though you are deliberately excluding them based on their race. And if you complain? It's your "whiteness" talking. In this woman's twisted view on what is or is not racism, it is perfectly acceptable to discriminate against a race of people - as long as they are white people.

It's almost like we're being judged not by the content of our character but by the color of our skin...

That is all.

Shut Up, Whiner.

Good lord. The current generation is going to be eaten alive in the real world.

Curry Student’s Dorm Room ‘Smells Like Urine & Feces’

MILTON (CBS) – A junior at Curry College in Milton was looking forward to the new school year, until he saw his dorm room.

“It smells like urine and feces,” says Peter Maxwell of Michigan. “And we have three fans going, but this room is so humid it’s almost dripping. It’s like being in a prison.”

You know what it smells like? A freakin' college dorm room! Wah! Wah! My concrete-walled room gets hot in the end of summer! You can't open the windows much because college students are known to throw things out of them. Calling in the Board of Health? Seriously? Over a dorm room? It's good to know there's nothing more important going on in Milton.

When you think about it, that's the scary part. What's the response to a situation you don't like? Call the government! No, we can't take care of things on our own, we need the omnipresent nanny state to step in and help us. Rather than find an alternate living arrangement - and I've never heard of a college that wouldn't let you change dorms if you asked - he calls in the .gov. This is going to be the default action for a lot of people in this day and age.

Calling the Board of Health over a dorm room - that's gotta be some kind of nanny state record right there...

That is all.

Consequences, Schmonsequences...

I'm sure this won't possibly have any consequences of the unintended variety, right?

54.5 mpg fuel economy rule finalized

The average gas mileage of new cars and trucks will have to nearly double by 2025 under regulations that were finalized Tuesday by the Obama administration.

The new rules will require the fleet of new cars and trucks to average 54.5 miles per gallon in 13 years, up from 28.6 mpg at the end of last year.

54.5 mpg - that's a fleet average. For every car that gets bad gas mileage - like, say, 40 mpg - there will need to be a vehicle that gets really great gas mileage - like 70 mpg. This is doomed, and they know it - there is, quite simply, no way this can be achieved in 13 years. The CAFE standards have been in the mid-20s since at least the 1980s, and after the past 10 years, the rise of the Prius and $4/gallon gasoline, any car maker that could put out a 70 mpg car wouldn't have been able to make enough of them.

No, this is a political weapon, plain and simple. Pass a law that cannot possibly have a snowball's chance in hell of being achieved, then demonize your opponent as wanting to poison the earth when they lower the standard to something remotely possible. Or in this case, something resembling a target that could be achieved without making cars so small that they are often blown away by leafblowers.

If you thought the GM/Chrysler bailout was bad for the auto industry, doubling the CAFE standards in a little more than a decade is going to make that look like a picnic...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Zero Tolerance = Zero Thought.

Zeeke42 sent me this story, first seen in a comment at Tam's but also all over Facebook:

Grand Island Preschooler Asked to Change the Sign for His Name in School

Hunter Spanjer says his name with a certain special hand gesture, but at just three and a half years old, he may have to change it.

"He's deaf, and his name sign, they say, is a violation of their weapons policy," explained Hunter's father, Brian Spanjer.

My initial thought was WTF?, but I realized something. Make the PC idiocy work to your advantage here. Sue the school under the ADA - this child has a legitimate disability, and the school is not allowing him equal access under the law. It's a clear ADA violation - unless they can prove that other students have had to change their names as well.

The only way we're going to get rid of "zero tolerance" is to make it prohibitively expensive for schools to roll out moronic blanket policies like "nothing resembling a weapon". Hey, morons? That pencil that kid's holding? ZOMG IT'S A SPEAR! WEAPON!!!!! ZOMG THE CRAYON TOO!

The fact that no one stopped, took a step back, and said, you know, asking a three year old deaf kid to change his name is a really stupid idea is scary. That they're so slavishly adherent to the zero tolerance mindset is predictable. The only way to reach these people is by making their own policies start to hurt them.

And until that happens, we'll be here to make fun of the idiots...

That is all.

Zero Tolerance - Easier Than Thinking!

Apparently the state of Oklahoma has a problem with pre-school gangbangers...

Dress code bars Oklahoma City kindergartner from wearing University of Michigan T-shirt

An Oklahoma City student was forced to turn his shirt inside-out because he was wearing a University of Michigan T-shirt, violating the district’s dress code.

Fox 25 reports that the 5-year-old kindergartner violated a 2005 rule created by the Oklahoma City Public Schools banning clothing with sports team logos unless they are from Oklahoma colleges or universities. The rule, which was established due to gang affiliations some teams carry, excludes all professional teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Of course, "zero tolerance" is the reason for this insanity. Apparently, in the mid 2000s OK City had a gang problem, and their brain trust came up with the idea to outlaw all sports-related apparel. It seems that gang members were identifying themselves with certain team jerseys and hats, so, naturally, the way to deal with this was to ban all team jerseys and hats. When your only tool is a nerf hammer, every problem looks like a foam-filled nail.

Naturally, no one questioned their intellectual superiors in administration when this policy was enacted, so some seven years later, some poor kindergartener has to turn their new T-shirt inside-out because of a namby-pamby response to gang violence nearly a decade prior. The best part is that the school is doubling down on stupid:

OKCPS Superintendent Karl Springer said the district will determine if the rule is outdated.

No, the rule isn't outdated. The rule is stupid. It addresses a tiny fraction of the problem - how the gangs identify each other - while ignoring the elephant in the room of what to do with school aged gang members. Much like gun control, where we see criminals using firearms to commit crimes and decide the answer is to ban bayonet lugs, they're addressing a tiny part of the problem that will do nothing except harass the innocent so that they can look like they're doing something.

Here's a tip: If the choice is between doing something stupid and ineffectual and nothing, choose nothing...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Good News From the Land of Fruits and Nuts...

S.F. judge tosses Happy Meals lawsuit

(AP) NEW YORK - Children in California will still be able to get toys with their Happy Meals.

A San Francisco judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit that sought to stop McDonald's Corp. from using toys to market its meals to children in the Golden State. The suit had been filed in late 2010 by Monet Parham, a California mother of two, and The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

The suit claims that McDonald's was "using toys to lure them to eat nutritionally unbalanced meal", which is a crock of s**t. McDonald's uses nutritionally unbalanced meals to lure them to eat nutritionally unbalanced meals... The toy is ancillary to the grease and fried mammal fat that comprises the average fast food meal. It doesn't make the kids want fast food, it makes them want to eat one variety of fast food over another because of the quality of plastic trinket.

Quite frankly, I'm shocked that this was thrown out - it was just looney enough to get traction.

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

THIS One, However, *IS* From MA...

Reader Scott sends this one in with the simple question "Seriously, what are the officials drinking over your way?"...

School Removes “God” From Lee Greenwood Song

Parents at a Massachusetts elementary school are furious after educators first removed the word ‘God’ from the popular Lee Greenwood song, “God Bless the U.S.A.” and then pulled the song all together from an upcoming concert.

Fox 25 in Boston is reporting that children at Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham were told to sing, “We love the U.S.A.” instead of “God Bless the U.S.A.”

The. Name. Of. The. Song. Is. "God Bless the USA"... NO ONE thought that it would be a problem to just change the name??? What gets me, though, is that they even thought about using this song in a school program in Massachusetts, of all places. Did they think that no one would pick up on the fact that they were changing an anthemic song? Like folks weren't going to notice the striking similarity between "God Bless the USA" and "We Love the USA"??

Look, I understand that, being a school in Massachusetts of all places you'd be reluctant to showcase a song with "God" in the title. But here's the thing - when it's a song as widely known as Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA", you do one of two things: you either run with it and take whatever lumps from chosing a song with "God" in it come your way, or you don't use it. You don't bastardize it into something it's not - and hey! Look! You got a metric sh*tload of controversy anyways!

It's freedom *of* religion, not freedom *from* religion. Any child that was honestly offended by the inclusion of the word "God" in a song to be sung could very easily be excused with zero punishment. It's not like the school was requiring the students to pray here (you know, like in a mosque or anything), just sing a patriotic song. And, predictably, the school administrators exhibited the expected "take my ball and go home" end result - they canceled all songs.

It seems like in their rush to not offend a small minority, they wound up offending everyone...

That is all.

Not Just MA, Part 3

PC student tests forbid dance, dinos & lots more

In a bizarre case of political correctness run wild, educrats have banned references to “dinosaurs,” “birthdays,” “Halloween” and dozens of other topics on city-issued tests.

That’s because they fear such topics “could evoke unpleasant emotions in the students.” Dinosaurs, for example, call to mind evolution, which might upset fundamentalists; birthdays aren’t celebrated by Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Halloween suggests paganism.

I'd laugh, but I'm too busy crying. I'm thinking of the world my grandkids are going to grow up in, where counting sheep is verboten from PETA (to say nothing of the horrors of the cow being forced to jump over the moon) and they can't count change because Kenny's family is too poor. Welcome to the brave new world of soft indoctrination, of "everybody gets a trophy", and "your feelings trump all.

I'm buying my grandkids helmets - they're gonna need 'em...

That is all.

PC Backlash?

From the BLNN, we read a story about a politically incorrect happening...

Tucson school board votes to do away with Mexican American studies program

The school district in Tucson voted Tuesday to dismantle its Mexican American Studies program that had left critics wondering what exactly the course taught participating students.

“There was no clear curriculum and it currently serves less than 1 percent of Tucson students,” Andrew Le Fevre, a spokesman for superintendent of public instruction, said. He said the classes were poorly supervised and students would get extra credit for things like attending protests and bringing family members along.

Wow. It wasted money, served a tiny percentage of the school population, was poorly defined, and they cut it anyways? Toto, I don't think we're in Massachusetts any more! It's heartening to see that there's still some modicum of common sense somewhere in America; that there are still holdouts to fiscal prudence over feel-good do-nothing PC bullshit. The natural protests abound, including violence threatened against the Hispanic board member who voted to kill the program - of course, accused of being a sellout, because he should naturally support the program because of his ancestry, right?

Not be judged by the color of their skin - or their heritage - indeed.

That is all.

Another dispatch from

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Math Is Hard...

...It's even harder when the taxpayer takes it up the money chute. Bubblehead Les sends in a link from Michelle Malkin with an interesting twist on the Chevrolet Volt from Government Motors.

Analysis: Chevy Volt Costing Taxpayers $250,000 Per Vehicle

Each Chevy Volt sold thus far may have as much as $250,000 in state and federal dollars in incentives behind it – a total of $3 billion altogether, according to an analysis by James Hohman, assistant director of fiscal policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Hohman looked at total state and federal assistance offered for the development and production of the Chevy Volt, General Motors’ plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. His analysis included 18 government deals that included loans, rebates, grants and tax credits. The amount of government assistance does not include the fact that General Motors is currently 26 percent owned by the federal government.

Kinda puts that $46K price tag in perspective, doesn't it? The Volt's not exactly flying off dealer floors at a shade under $50K; imagine if that price was closer to $300,000... Now, granted, the math is a little fuzzy - they're using every penny spent developing the batteries for the Volt as part of the development for the car, for example. While this is technically true, it's also simplistic - those batteries are now available for all electric cars going forward.

Although at a whopping 35 miles per charge, I'd say someone got ripped off big time on those batteries...

It's just funny. The greenies love to hate on SUVs and trucks for not having to conform to passenger car regulations, inferring that it's some sort of special loophole or legal trick responsible. Certainly it can't just be that {gasp} regulations are different for cars and trucks, could it? Yet factor in the staggering costs, incredible amounts of government grants, loans, and tax deferments, and the hybrids *still* cost a significant amount more than their gasoline counterparts, and that's the cost of R&D. Right.

The problem I have is that these imbeciles want to use this crappy technology to force the rest of us to conform to their whim. Cars that can't go more than 30 miles on a charge that cost more than my truck and my camper - combined - are held up as some sort of magical green panacea for our energy woes. This conveniently ignore the environmental risks associated with the battery production, the power generation needed for pure electrics or the need for a gasoline motor anyways in the hybrids. The Geo Metro, with a 1.0L inline 3 cylinder, got well over 50 MPG on the highway back in the early 1990s - and the fanciest hybrid available now, some 20 years later, can barely match that even with a battery.

This is progress?

That is all.

Et Vous, Canada?

Heh. Another quality news item from the BLNN (Bubblehead Les News Network*)...

Canada to withdraw from Kyoto Protocol

Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, the minister of the environment has said.

Peter Kent said the protocol "does not represent a way forward for Canada" and the country would face crippling fines for failing to meet its targets.

It seems the pricetag is just a little too steep for the Canadians, especially given that China - one of the largest polluters - is not affected by the protocol - and the US as well has failed to ratify. Given that "global warming" is based on science that is questionable at very best, it's hard to justify asking every Canadian man, woman, and child to fork over nearly $2K each.

It's interesting to see the cracks begin to appear in the facade, is it not? As the harsh realities of the new, more austere world economy start to sink in, frivolous niceties like paying ($1.3 Billion) homage to the greenies fall to the waysides like scales from the eyes of even the most jaded socialists. Saving the environment is a noble cause; however when it comes at the expense of legitimate, proven business, well, Canada just kicked it to the curb.

Way to go North Minnesota!

That is all.

*Coined by my blogson PISSED...