Stones Cry Out

Well, if they aren’t the government-approved type of hospitals, that is.  Catering to lobbyists, ObamaCare™ cuts off Medicare funding to new or expanded hospitals owned by doctors. 

This little-noticed but particularly egregious aspect of Obamacare is, by all accounts, a concession to the powerful American Hospital Association (AHA), a supporter of Obamacare, which prefers to have its member hospitals operate without competition from hospitals owned by doctors.  Dr. Michael Russell, president of Physician Hospitals of America, which has filed suit to try to stop this selective building-ban from going into effect, says, "There are so many regulations [in Obamacare] and they are so onerous and intrusive that we believe that the section [Section 6001] was deliberately designed so no physician owned hospital could successfully comply."

Competition drives down costs, but with this and all these insurance mandates, it’s sure to do precisely the opposite.  That’s government for ya’.

Best laid plans and all. Anyhow, good morning all.

1. Yah think? Ditto.
2. In a Paul Harveyish voice, “The rest of the story, err, bailout.
3. Government and (a) movement.
4. Legal correspondence (HT: MM).
5. One definition of libertarian principles. 
6. Another smart guy comes out of the closet.
7. Financial crises and government.
8. Eastward.
9. What the left wants for the US, or more accurately … the unintended consequence of the other things the left wants for the US.
10. Place and distance.

More tonight.

A longer list this time.  I took a vacation from blogging during — if you’ll forgive the expression — Christmas vacation, and this video comes out.  Nina Totenberg apologizes for using the term "Christmas party".  Is this really a taboo among liberals?  Or are liberals in the press really this out of touch with the rest of America?

Here are six good reasons why embryonic stem cells will never make it out of the lab and into the bodies of sick people.  But money will still pour into it because, hey, it’s money!

Palestinians fired a Qassam rocket at a kindergarten, hurting one teen passing by.  I didn’t watch much news over vacation, but I’m sure this was all over it.  Right?  I mean, it would have been if Israel had done it, so I’m just supposing.

It’s amazing how stark the double standards are regarding leaks.  Julian Assange didn’t mind dumping data that is life-or-death to some of our Afghani informers, but hated it when leaks about his own legal troubles came out.  Really?  And there are other news reporter groups that hate it when they get leaked. 

Iran is shipping missiles to Venezuela.  Hey Hollywood, this is just fine, right?  (Chavez blames all the failures of socialism on others, and so this paranoia is bound to give him cause to use such weapons.  So, no, it’s not al right.)

No, the polar bear is not endangered.  So says the Obama administration.  Really.  And Bruce McQuain notes that, really, endangered status is more about power than it is about the environment.

The (Democrat-controlled) Congress blocked the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the US.  I guess Obama has no one to blame for this other than … Bush.

Twenty years ago, and continuing as recently as 2009, it was predicted that global warming would bring much milder winters with less snow because of the temperatures.  Ski slopes would be barren and snow would vanish from places as far north as Scotland. Now, however, they’re saying that all that snow we got, even in the deep south, is because of global warming.  The link has a good round-up of weather vs predictions.

More power to this guy, who quit his job, got some legal education, and started suing e-mail spammers.

Why do atheists whine about not being invited to a prayer event?  Hey, you don’t like an inauguration that includes a prayer service?  Go out and win an election, and run your inauguration any way you want.

Good day.

1. Recycling done right.
2. Some quotes as inspiration.
3. Gitmo as recruiting tool is a unexamined truth for the left, alas.
4. I’m not lawyer, but that doesn’t seem like a very parallel example to me.
5. Badging.
6. Keynesian economics and an example. This is a similar article, and the study noted should be important for upcoming budget/tax discussions (behind subscription wall alas). As a quick summary, a good number of studies of countries over the last 30 years and their strategies between taxation and cost cutting were examined in light of whether they were successful in controlling deficits and budgets. The upshot is cost cutting needs to be the primary tool and raising taxes doesn’t work well.
7. As to that study, it’s what we aren’t doing, alas.
8. Icon and the East.
9. Watch tech.
10. Poetry in motion.
11. A book noted.
12. A comparison of religion and harmful practices.
13. Libertarianism doesn’t need to be caricatured to be called Utopian. One just has to point out that the actual libertarian society in the US, namely the Western/backwoods folkway of the 18th and early 19th century as noted in Albion’s Seed is horrifying to most of those who claim to be Libertarian. And if you are repelled by the actual examples of a political philosophy you espouse, that seems problematic.
14. East vs West.

Good day. Just a few today.

1. Patterns found.
2. St. Stephen the protomartyr.
3. Narnia and Nativity.
4. Zooom.
5. Repurposed head tube.
6. Calculus?
7. Bank bailouts.
8. Cricket races of sorts.
9. It occurs to me that is a relationship for which I have little to no understanding, one in which a spouse turns to legal redress for such a thing is not a marriage which has any common ground with mine.
10. A trend.
11. Brandon provides some good links for winter reading.

Good day.

1. Israel and Islam.
2. Somebody still thinks that conservatives dominate the media. Whatta jamoke.
3. A gift suggestion. Another here.
4. Zoom juice.
5. Mr Obama and detention.
6. Cinema noted.
7. Music appreciated … and it got our puppy barking.
8. Christ is born … 100 short stanzas.
9. That’s right. It doesn’t have to be partisan. It needs to be personal. 
10. Shadowing the Nativity.
11. Breaking silence?
12. Verse. And more verse.
13. A SCOTUS brief.
14. Do like the challenge/response “Christ is Born/Glorify Him” better than Merry Christmas/Happy New Year.
15. On Prayer.

On Christmas Eve, we have a number of traditions that are a combination of things from my family, from my wife’s family, and some we started.  There’s typically a Christmas Eve service at the church.  This year my 3 youngest are reciting Luke 2:1-20 — the Christmas story — while kids from the children’s choir are acting out story itself.  When we return, we’ll open up one gift each, although which gift is usually determined by other — you don’t get to pick yourself — so it’s not going to be that big thing in the corner.

This year we’re reading a portion of the sermon that our pastor preached this past Sunday called "The Fullness of Christ".  The question is asked over and over, "Have you received from Him lately?"  It starts out this way:

He is full of grace.  He is full of compassion.  He is meek and lowly of heart.  He is a friend of sinners.  He is familiar with suffering.  He is a wonderful counselor.  He’s a father to the fatherless and a husband of widows.  He is the father of compassion and the God of al comfort.  Yes, He is full of Grace.  Have you received from Him lately?

Each paragraph highlights a characteristic of God from which we can receive from His fullness; His provision & care, His wisdom and revelation, His forgiveness & redemption, and His full life.  But the question always is; have you received from Him lately.

In this world we’re often asked, "so what have you done for me lately?"  God wants us, desires us, to ask ourselves, what have we received from Him lately?  He has so much for us that he wants to give us if we’ll only ask.

The last thing we do before heading to bed is play Mannheim Steamroller’s "Silent Night".  Before I play it, I ask folks to think about those who are far from home on this night; missionaries, soldiers, people on the road.  Also, think about those we may be missing on this particular night; family and friends that are away from us.  It’s a time to remember those not present on this night, and to ask God to watch over them wherever they are.

Enjoy your Christmas traditions.  Sometimes they’re silly (e.g. my previous Christmas Adam post) and sometimes they’re sacred.   Enjoy your time with your family and friends, and make sure that Jesus is there with you in everything you do, silly or sacred.  He’d love that.

Good day and good holiday. And … next week I’m off all week … 

1. For which this seems very apropos.
2. Talking free will.
3. Obamacare and medical bankruptcy.
4. Vows taken.
5. Hmmm. 
6. Link this site (RSS) for news of Belorus and political oppression. Google translate usually kicks in, for me at any rate.
7. Needing a clue.
8. Talking about politics more generically.
9. Xmas in the Balkans … and just East of there as well.
10. Not-Quite Bike re-purposed.
11. Stepping around a problem with climate science.
12. Flee.
13. Mr Krugman and the “science” of economics.
14. Change of the inevitable sort.

We thought we were so very clever coming up with the idea that, since Adam was created before Eve, that the day before Christmas Eve should be called Christmas Adam.  We’ve since discovered that others had come up with the same concept.  But it appears that each family that has come up with it did so pretty much on their own.  As such, we would chuckle at our cleverness whenever we used that term.

One year, about 6 years ago, we were at a restaurant called Max & Erma’s.  It had opened up near us recently, and it was a throwback to a favorite restaurant of students at the college my wife and I went to in Kentucky.  The date was December 23rd, "Christmas Adam", and we had gone there to eat and have their "all you can eat ice cream sundae buffet" for dessert.  It had vanilla and chocolate ice cream to scoop out, and a bunch of toppings.  I said that we ought to start some sort of Christmas Adam tradition, and that having all-you-can-eat ice cream at Max & Erma’s would be a good one.  My kids were very happy for us to declare that.  Realizing that we’d probably forget this declaration next year, I put a note in my Palm Pilot; "Christmas Adam all-you-can-eat ice cream".

Thanks to that, we remembered it the next year, and off we went to Max & Erma’s.  One event does not a tradition make, but a second one does, and thus began our fun little tradition.

Unfortunately, Max & Erma’s didn’t last until the 3rd annual celebration, so we just bought our own ice cream and toppings and kept the tradition going.

We’ve expanded it just a bit over the years.  This year we’re still having the ice cream but we’re having the kids invite some of their friends over.  We’ll do the Narnia movie and then to home for ice cream and games. 

Anyway, just a little glimpse into our family, and one of the silly little things we do.

A very clever rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus performed by The Silent Monks.

Good morning.

1. Finance and government … another view.
2. Alcohol was involved.
3. Feet on the holocaust denial ladder … I wonder if my minor disgruntlement about how the 6 million Jews killed masks the 12 million total killed and causes us to forget the other groups.
4. Death, harm, and the musings of the philosphe.
5. All those birds.
6. Command and authority.
7. Video games intrude into stranger spaces.
8. Charity and a authority of government. (the link worked this morning, but not when I created this post … which in and of itself might be troubling).
9. Physics and theology.
10. Demon rodents?

Good morning.

1. Limits on government.
2. Some history of Advent.
3. Cinema.
4. A faretheewell
5. Cloud formation and climate.
6. Heh.
7. A US Map
8. A Christian novelist.
9. Education.
10. What isn’t tolerance, so why do they call it tolerance?
11. Maths as stem cell.

Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room! From a news report headline, Gunman opens fire at school board meeting.

A gunman held the Bay District School Board hostage Tuesday in a videotaped drama, ultimately opening fire on them before being shot and disabled by Mike Jones, the district’s chief of safety, security and police. After being shot several times, Clay Duke, 56, turned his pistol on himself in front of the stunned group, ending his life with a shot to the head, Panama City Police officials said.

The chilling video, if you desire to watch, was aired on CNN.

How could this have happened? After all, the school board meeting was being held in a GUN-FREE SCHOOL ZONE. Per David Codrea,

In accordance with the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990, employees of the District, parents of students, and visitors (with the exception of law enforcement officers) shall not possess, discharge or attempt to discharge a weapon as described in School Board Policy 7.203 on any facilities or real or personal property owned by the School Board.

Unfortunately, a “gun-free zone” mentality usually equates with a “reality-denying” state of mind.

###

You just point, and shoot… right? If you watch the video referenced above, you may be asking yourself, “How could he miss at such a close range?”.

That’s a good question.

Let’s discount the fact that there is a possibility that the gunman intentionally missed (it doesn’t, after all, seem to fit in with his other actions). To better understand how the gunman missed I think one should first understand the dynamics of what happens when shooting a handgun.

1. Physics is involved. There is a cartridge chambered in a gun barrel and, when fired, propels a projectile (the bullet) through and out of the barrel. Obviously wherever the barrel is pointed is the direction the bullet will travel.
2. This then brings us to the human element – that of pointing, or aiming, the weapon in the direction of the intended target. Semiautomatic handguns typically have two sights on top of the slide: a front sight, and a rear sight. To achieve proper sighting, there is a thing known as a “sight picture”, which is the lining up of the target, the front sight, the rear sight, and the shooter’s eyes. This is not an insignificant point, as even the slightest variation in alignment will result in the bullet going somewhere not intended. This problem is only exacerbated with shorter barrels, which give a shorter distance between the front and rear sights.
3. Congruent with sight alignment is the shooter’s stance. When a handgun is fired there is a recoil from the force generated by the gases coming out of the barrel. To best control the effects of recoil on the shooter’s arms and body, the shooter should essentially stand leaning forward a bit, so as to use their weight to help absorb the recoil forces.
4. Another aspect of shooting properly is that of the shooter’s grip on the handgun. A proper grip, with two hands, also helps control the effects of recoil, thereby allowing the shooter to reacquire the target in his sights.
5. Lastly, shooting accuracy is also determined by the shooter’s proficiency at “trigger control“. Any errant movement on the handgun at the time the bullet is fired will affect the sight alignment, thereby sending the bullet off course. If the shooter “anticipates” the recoil of the handgun, he will inadvertently shoot high and to the right (if he’s right handed). If the shooter “yanks” the trigger, instead of gently squeezing it, he will shoot low and to the left.

In viewing the video of the school board shooting, it appears the shooter’s stance was leaning back, he had no sight alignment (the gun was not at eye level), he shot one handed, and he exaggerated the recoil effects not only on the upward swing but in returning to acquire his “sight picture”. While it seems unlikely for him to miss at such close range, in my opinion, none of his actions contributed towards him shooting his intended victims (which is very lucky for them).

###

Let everyone sing (except, perhaps, those feeling closed in?) For the introverts out there who may be apprehensive at this most extroverted time of the year, here are some tips to help alleviate the stress:

• Hide in plain sight: On a group excursion to a mall or shopping district, while everyone else is distracted by shiny things, you can wander off… for some alone time.
• Sit in a dark room: Take the kids… to a movie.
• Make a “sacrifice”: Volunteer for supermarket duty. …you can stroll up and down the aisles, sing along with the piped-in music (Christmas carols, I presume), commune with nothing more demanding than Brussels sprouts and canned pumpkin.
• Have a project: I’m a fan of jigsaw puzzles during long stretches of house time with others. Set it up on a table and there it sits, for days, where anyone can work it when the mood strikes.

###

Death and taxes, together forever When asked about the enormous estate tax, despite the deceased individual having paid taxes their entire life, the response, “You won’t be paying anything because you will be dead,” seems to me to expose the liberal mindset for what it is.

What Charlie Rangel did:

To summarize briefly, we have blatant and recurring Federal and State tax fraud, illegal use of four rent-controlled apartments in New York City, using his Congressional letterhead to illegally solicit funds for his private foundation from lobbyists for companies he was writing tax regs on, outrageous conflict of interest, failure to declare over $600,000 in income..the sort of stuff that would get you or I locked up for a long time.

What punishment he got:

Charlie Rangel’s penalty? He’ll be required to stand in the well before his colleagues in the House while a censure resolution is read, which will then become part of the Congressional Record. That’s it. Boo-freaking hoo.And he will stay in Congress.

Love that accountability.

Remember the movie "Erin Brockovich", telling of one woman’s crusade to get justice for the people of Hinckley, California from the eeevil corporation, Pacific Gas & Electric, for releasing a toxic plume of hexavalent chromium 6.  PG&E was sued for (what was going to be) a huge spike in cancer for the people.  No real scientific proof was offered, but this result was clearly going to happen.  Yeah, well, it didn’t.  Turned out John Stossel was right.  Again.  And Erin is back in Hinckley, pursuing the same thing.

Chuck Collins, senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and writing for they Sojourners blog, decides that the moral measure of a tax plan. 

"Does it further concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few? Or does it disperse concentrated wealth and power, and strengthen possibilities for a democratic society with greater equality, improved health and well-being, shared prosperity, and ecological sustainability?"

By this measure, it sounds like the "rich" should never have their taxes decreased.  Ever.  OK, so what’s his limit on that moral measure?  How much money should the "rich" be allowed to keep?  Can we just get that number out, so we know what the standard is?

Wonder what the Hollywood Left’s supporters of Hugo Chavez will think of his upcoming dictatorial powers?  Eh, probably sweep it under the rug.

Liu Xiaobo, newest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, also endorses the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, praised George W. Bush, and is strongly on Israel’s side in the Middle East conflict.  Just sayin’.

Post-natal abortions are all the rage.  Oh, please don’t be surprised.  It’s just the natural result of the culture of death mindset.

Death panels are getting ready to meet.  Really. 

Imagine seeing a vision of Jesus and hear Him calling your name.  Now imagine if you were Kamal Saleem, a Muslim, and that happened.