Rich TAkes! on Climate Change

Our Dear Leader has recently threatened to take on limiting carbon emissions through regulatory agencies, since Congress “won’t act”. I’d like to remind everybody that a Democratic controlled Senate refused to ratify Kyoto years ago by a vote of 99-0. icy thinker

Many, if not most people believe than man is on the road to causing catastrophic global warming, after all, Al Gore, Barack Obama and legions of others tell us incessantly that the science is settled, why there is even scientific “consensus”, even though the very concept of scientific consensus is antithetical to the concept of science itself.

Climate Forcing! Feedbacks, The PDO and The AMO! Aerosols, Greenhouse gases, the Sun and the Clouds, oh my! Don’t forget La Nina and el Nino, the Little Ice Age, and the Medieval Warming Period, to say nothing of cows belching and farting…and especially politics!

Here is my RichTAkes! on Anthropogenic Global Warming!

(as always, my comments appear in cayenne, and the use of a flash-blocker to disable auto-play is recommended due to multiple embedded vids.)

US physics professor: ‘Global warming is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life’

“It is of course, the global warming scam, with the (literally) trillions of dollars driving it, that has corrupted so many scientists, and has carried APS before it like a rogue wave. It is the greatest and most successful pseudoscientific fraud I have seen in my long life as a physicist. Anyone who has the faintest doubt that this is so should force himself to read the ClimateGate documents, which lay it bare. (Montford’s book organizes the facts very well.) I don’t believe that any real physicist, nay scientist, can read that stuff without revulsion.”

American Physical Society Sees The Light: Will It Be The First Major Scientific Institution To Reject The Global Warming ‘Consensus’?

Richard S. Lindzen: The Climate Science Isn’t Settled

– Confident predictions of catastrophe are unwarranted.

Lindzen’s 2009 WSJ piece appeared after the Climategate CRU* email scandal erupted

Richard Lindzen: An Inconvenient Expert

Perhaps the preeminent US climate scientist, Lindzen  was Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was lead author of Chapter 7, ‘Physical Climate Processes and Feedbacks,’ of the IPCC Third Assessment Report on climate change.

Climategate

Anthony Watts has assembled a fine set of articles chronicling the Climategate scandal

Climate change: this is the worst scientific scandal of our generation

from 2009

The Climategate Whitewash Continues: Don’t Believe the ‘Independent Reviews’ About Goings on at the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia

from 2010

Time Mag AGW

Lennart Bengtsson: The Science And Politics Of Climate Change

The science isn’t settled and we still don’t know how best to solve the energy problems of our planet.

Reflections on Bengtsson and the GWPF

Professor Judith Curry’s take on the recent Bengtsson controversy 

Science as McCarthyism

One of the most telling features of climate science is just how few climate scientists changed their minds as the evidence changed. The pause in global temperature in the last 15 years or so has been unexpected. Now we know why:

Climate scientists slam Obama science czar on global warming

Former NASA scientist Dr. Roy Spencer and University of Colorado climate scientist Roger Pielke, Jr. slammed Holdren for his “pseudo-science rambling.”  Plenty of links here

‎cfact.org/pdf/2010_Senate_Minority_Report.pdf

a primer on positive and negative feedback loops.

“We check the main predictions of the climate models against the best and latest data. Fortunately the climate models got all their major predictions wrong. Why? Every serious skeptical scientist has been consistently saying essentially the same thing for over 20 years, yet most people have never heard the message.”

Continue reading Rich TAkes! on Climate Change

Rich’s Select Committee Double-TAkes!

Special Double Edition Rich TAkes!

Lots has been going on, and very little has been going on. Trey Goudy is named Chairman of the Select Committee to investigate Benghazi, The EPA has been asking human subjects to stick their head up a tail-pipe, and the IRS targeting seems to track directly to the White House (to the surprise of virtually no one).  Trey

The EPA has also proposed regulating (read: taxing) cow farts. And the FCC has raised the ugly head of Net Neutrality once again. Oh yes, the TEA Party is not dead yet.

Judicial Watch: New Documents Show IRS HQ Control of Tea Party Targeting

Linking straight to the White House

The Terrifying Implications of the IRS Abuse-DOJ Connection

Gun-running in Libya and Syria led to 9/11/2012 at Benghazi?

House approves select committee to investigate Benghazi attack

I’m not sure if better late than never applies here, John Boehner should have done this a year ago

CIA Whistleblower faces the ire of an angry Justice Department over Benghazi questions

Hillary Language On Benghazi Identical To Rhodes Email — 1 1/2 Days Before!

Clinton advisor Dick Morris traces video talking points directly to Hillary.

Fast & Furious: Benghazi Edition

Speaking of Fast & Furious, I remember raising my eyebrows when I heard reports of an early Secretary of State speech in Mexico City inn early 2009. She said, “Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade,” Mrs. Clinton said, using unusually blunt language. “Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians.”

Besides the obvious, which is, if we controlled our borders this wouldn’t be happening, my second thought was that legal semi-automatic firearms sold in the US would not be at the top of any drug cartel’s wish list. Much better would be Mac10s, Uzzis, and AK47s from black market sources, which would also be cheaper than US AR-15s when purchased in bulk.

The timing here is important, this story appeared in the NY Times on March 25, 2009.

Clinton Says U.S. Feeds Mexico Drug Trade – NYTimes.com

Judging by her statements in Mexico City, Hillary must have been in the loop on fast & Furious as well. No other logical conclusion can be reached. 

The Obama administration announces on March 24 that Project Gunrunner will be expanding: “March 24, 2009: David Ogden, deputy attorney general at the time, stated, “The president has directed us to take action to fight these cartels and Attorney General Eric Holder and I are taking several new and aggressive steps as part of the administration’s comprehensive plan.””

Fast & Furious timeline:

Fast and Furious: The Events Leading to Eric Holder’s Contempt Vote

And this from MRC:

“DOJ’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is increasing it’s efforts by adding 37 new employees in 3 new offices using $10 million dollars in Recovery Act funds and redeploying 100 personnel to the southwest border in the next 45 days to fortify it’s Project Gunrunner- which is aimed at disrupted arms trafficking between the United States and Mexico. ATF is doubling it’s presence in Mexico itself, from 5 to 9 personnel working with the Mexicans specifically to facilitate gun tracing activity which targets the illegal weapons and their sources in the United States.”

Flashback: David Ogden Announces New Efforts With Project Gunrunner “As Directed By the President”

Vid at the link.

Continue reading Rich’s Select Committee Double-TAkes!

Rich TAkes! on Bunkerville, NV

The Cliven Bundy TAkes!

Open range cattle grazing in the west has been an American tradition since before the west was won.

The recent Bundy Ranch debacle is just the latest in a long history of federal over-reach over state’s rights and the rule of law. He has a solid claim to continue to run his cattle since his family has done so continuously since 1877. 

At some point you gotta wonder why Washington claims ownership of 86% of Nevada.  For some background, 52 ranchers have been driven out of business in Clark County, NV, they sold their water and grazing rights to the Feds. Bundy is the last rancher standing. Clark County is nearly as large as New Jersey, and larger than Delaware, Rhode Island, and Hawaii combined. And it’s not even the largest county in Nevada. 

Supposedly this whole thing started over a tortoise which was placed on the endangered species list in ’89? And then taken off the list the very next year. This was just spin in the early days of the story, it was never about a turtle. It happens that the turtle and cows coexist just fine. 

Then the story was that Cliven Bundy owed one million in unpaid fines and fees since 1993. Further research reveals that the BLM spent 3 million to remove Bundy’s 900 plus head of cattle from federal public lands. Bundy says that they are state-owned public lands. I have no idea who is correct, but 137 years of continuous use by the Bundy Ranch is good enough for me. As the saying goes, possession is nine tenths of the law. Bundy is not even claiming possession, he only wants his cattle to walk around the same public ground that they have done for hundreds of years.

What disturbs me most is the excessive show of force by the BLM in this case to forcibly remove the cattle, which have certainly done no wrong. Reports vary, but at least fifty, and as many as two hundred heavily armed agents showed up to enforce the removal with rustlers using helicopters to round up the easy pickings cattle. There is evidence that they even shot two prize bulls, to say nothing of destroying fencing and water retention improvements which the ranch had made. 

In case you haven’t noticed, this administration has identified Christians, returning vets and other traditional American conservatives as terrorists. Apparently 67 year old Cliven Bundy falls into this group of American citizens considered to be terrorists to the Obama progressive movement.

What disturbs me even more is the tendency for progressive Democrats to use the full force of arms against American citizens on American soil. Clinton did it repeatedly, at Ruby Ridge, the Branch Davidians Waco TX debacle and the following Elian Gonzales affair. All were examples of extreme use of force, especially Waco. Thankfully, Obama showed more restraint at Bunkerville. I can’t help but think that dozens of camera phones taping video may have had something to do with it, along with militia showing up with their own sharp-shooters to the party.

Harry Reid says it isn’t done yet, and I suspect he is correct in that assessment. 

Links after the jump:

  Continue reading Rich TAkes! on Bunkerville, NV

The Unaffordable Deadline TAkes!

Get your Obamacare by midnight tomorrow or face a penalty. Heck, just drop something in your basket, you might get covered even if you don’t check out*.

The missing 777 is still a mystery, the FBI breaks up a plot to traffic in military grade small arms, including shoulder fired rocket launchers, and the administration moves to give away control of the Domain Name System to the world…to foster “good will”????

Here is the

Late March Unaffordable RichTAkes!

[* just kidding, I’m not advising anyone to visit healthcare.gov for any reason]

last-ditch effort from our First health insurance salesman, on SNL

Democrats sinking in sea of charges

California Democrat And Gun Control Advocate Charged With Arms Trafficking

just the tip of the iceberg of the real culture of corruption, and they all have a (D) after their name

Wyoming welder faces $75,000 a day in EPA fines for building pond on his property

He had permits in hand, and built his pond legally. It’s difficult to imagine an illegal pond at any rate, unless you work for the EPA.

On Weddings and Conscience: Are Christians Hypocrites?

An interesting, thought-provoking read.

Open the floodgates? Indiana becomes first state to scrap Common Core

Hoosiers taking the lead in the race to restore Common Sense again.

Harry Reid is even worse than Joe Biden. Reid really means it.

Biden: ‘11 Million Undocumented Aliens Are Already Americans in My View’

On the other hand…

Harry Reid’s FEC Whoopsie Not His First

Just the tip of Reid’s corruption ice-berg. Cowboy Poetry, anyone?

Comrade Majority Leader Reid going off the deep end. “Our tax system is a voluntary system”

Related: Harry Reid’s Two Minutes Hate

Glorious Majority Senate Leader’s Koch obsession becomes a full-fledged mania.

Reid on need for ObamaCare extension: People ‘not educated’ about Internet

Surprise! White House To Delay ‘Firm’ Obamacare Enrollment Deadline Past March

It’s time for White House to start sweating over legal challenge to Obamacare subsidies

this one could change everything

Continue reading The Unaffordable Deadline TAkes!

Rich TAkes! On Hyde and IUDs, Plan B

In 1976, Congress was over-whelmingly controlled by Democrats, and was continually until 1994 when Republicans gained control of the House for the first time in 40 years. In 2006, Pelosi took up the gavel once again.

The Hyde “amendment” prohibited federal payments for abortion, and was attached to family planning and Medicaid bills, as well as foreign aid.

Fast-forward to 2009, when the Obamacare debate was in full swing. Bart Stupak (D, MI) along with ten or so Democrat colleagues could not support the ACA without certain language prohibiting abortion and aborticides being covered in the bill. His amendment was added to the House Bill, but not the Senate version which was passed by hook or by crook. Obama promised to issue an Executive Order to secure these votes.

He issued the EO, but it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on, as predicted.

Now we have close to 100 lawsuits traveling through the Courts over the HHS mandate that their employee health insurance cover all forms of “contraception”, including aborticides such as Inter Uterine Devices (IUDs), and the morning after pill which effectively abort conceived life.

This mandate was written by Sebelious and HHS after the law was enacted and is an affront to the first Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion. Plaintiffs include Notre Dame, Hobby Lobby, and the Sisters of the Poor. The Supremes will issue a ruling sometime in June.

Stupak declined to run for re-election. The Democrats purged their party of all moderates following the passage of Obamacare, which resulted in the Republicans retaking the House in the 2010 mid-terms.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Amendment

RichTAkes! on Enforce the Law, Red Dresses and TEA

A Boeing 777 has been missing for a week, the people of Crimea will be voting on whether to secede from the Ukraine or to secede from the Ukraine and join Russia. Kerry and Obama are protesting, but they really can’t do anything about it, can they?

So until each of those stories plays out, here is my early spring

Rich TAkes! On Blue Dresses and stuff.

IRS Documents Reveal Agency Flagged Groups for ‘Anti-Obama Rhetoric,’ Big Three Refuse to Report

Using the IRS against political opponents should terrify everyone.

▶ Rep. Gowdy’s Floor Speech on the ENFORCE the Law Act – YouTube

Hypocrisy Meter Shattered: Bill Clinton Receives Women’s Day ‘Red Dress Award’

They should have called it the Blue Dress Award

Hillary Clinton campaign received illicit funds from Jeffrey Thompson

Both Clintons and Obama had no trouble accepting campaign funds from foreign sources either

Ted Cruz Wins Big in Texas

The real story in Texas primary is the ascendancy of Republican right wing

Progressives point to Cornyn’s win as proof of TEA party weakness, even though no one thought he would lose. Plenty of true conservatives won primaries is the real story here.

“Drunks,” “Bullies,” “Traitors,” “Fringe,” and Other Things Mitch McConnell Has Called Conservatives   MitchTEA party

The TEA party has always been just as much about tossing Republicans as Dems. They know it too.

Leading Republicans Move to Stamp Out Challenges From Right

McConnell Is For, and Has Always Been For Amnesty

Mitch has a long history of supporting liberal causes.

Mitch McConnell tells NYT he wants to crush young conservative challengers like Matt Bevin

Matt Bevin for Senate! It’s time to go, Mitch. It’s too bad your exit won’t be graceful.

Continue reading RichTAkes! on Enforce the Law, Red Dresses and TEA