Friday Night Music

Celebrate, the week is ovah! Let's get this party started!


FILTER-Hey Man Nice Shot


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World's Greatest Inventions Week

Welcome to World's Greatest Inventions Week, where we take a peak at the pinnacle of human ingenuity!

Screw privacy filters and screen blockers it's time for a wearable sollution! The Screen Sock is your only true 100% screen blocker. Wearing the Screen Sock is the only way to guarantee that no one other than the wearer will be able to view your screen. Added bonus, keeps your head warm. It's the only 100% screen block solution. When it absolutely, positively has to be visually secured, Screen Sock.

I guess it's the only safe way to view pr0n while aboard an aircraft...

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Crunk In a Cruiser

Smooth taste, less filling criminal

Meet Tasha Lee Cantrell, 19 of Fort Walton Beach, FL. You may be asking yourself, what could such a seemingly young and innocent looking girl do to earn a mugshot? Since you asked:

The 19-year-old Floridian was riding in a car early Monday morning when the vehicle's driver was pulled over and arrested for DUI. As a tow truck arrived to remove her friend's car, a stranded Cantrell asked Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office Deputy Mitchell Landis for a ride home to her Fort Walton Beach residence. Landis agreed, but only after checking Cantrell's purse for any contraband, according to an offense report. While chauffeuring Cantrell, Landis heard the teenager "open a can of some sort" in the back of the cruiser. "As I looked at my in car video I observed Cantrell drinking out of an unknown can." Landis stopped his car and, upon further investigation, determined that Cantrell had popped open a can of Steel Reserve, a malt liquor known for its high alcohol content.

Be sure to check out the TSG report, and for an added bonus watch the video! Exit question and answer:

"Why do you think you can drink a beer in the back of a cop car?" The handcuffed woman could only respond, "I have no right answer for you."

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Don't Accept The Premise

FAIL!

In reading an article over at American Thinker entitled Retaking the Offensive in the Illegals Fight, this stuck out at me. Here is a quote from the article.

The key to end-running Mr. Obama is to factually assert that he's failing his oath of office. The president of the United States is firing off charges of racism because he doesn't want to do anything substantive to seal the nation's borders, staunch the flow of illegals, and send illegals on American soil packing. His partisan agenda to legalize illegals and harvest their votes trumps American national security interests. Mr. Obama aims to keep the illegals pipeline open between Mexico and the United States. A steady supply of new Democratic voters is a very good thing for Democrats.

Most Americans see the Democrats' harvest of illegals has a Harvest of Shame. To turn a blind eye to America's porous southern border makes a mockery of Mr. Obama's constitutional oath to protect and defend the United States. It flouts the nation's immigration laws, thereby undermining respect for law generally. It tells those immigrants and their American sponsors who are playing by the rules and jumping through every hoop to obtain and keep legal residence that they're awfully big suckers.

The charge of dereliction of duty against Mr. Obama needs to be made over and over again until it sticks like superglue. Is this a tough line of attack? You bet. But charging Americans as being racists because they simply want state and national laws against illegals upheld and enforced ain't exactly beanbag. When it comes to grabbing power and holding it, the left and Democrats never play beanbag.

Don't let them set the premise. Take the offensive and press our advantage. The law is on our side, and they are arguing against federal statutes. Obama is actively fighting against his oath of office.

Go read the whole thing.

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Facts Regarding Illegal Immigration

Copied and pasted directly from American Thinker.

The facts on illegal immigration

Clarice Feldman

As the rhetoric on illegal aliens residing in the U.S. heats up, it would be nice to have some reliable facts with which to work. The Congressional Research Service has put them together for us--the numbers, areas of residence, time of arrival, participation in the work force--all in one tightly written pdf file.

Update:

Doug Ross has reviewed the Congressional Research Service's paper on illegal aliens in the U.S. and winkled out some interesting data and charts. For example, 23% of all illegal aliens in the U.S. reside in California and 5% of the U.S. work force consists of illegals.

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Federal Immigration Law

Just in case you ever wondered what the Federal Immigration Statute is, below is the section regarding Improper Entry and Powers of Enforcement Officers. You'll notice that the Powers of Enforcement Officers echos the Arizona statute or vise-versa, except that the Arizona statute goes a step further and offers a definitive metric, i.e. showing of papers.

Winner, nonsensical statement of the century.

TITLE 8; CHAPTER 12; SUBCHAPTER II; Part VIII; § 1325

§ 1325. Improper entry by alien

(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection; misrepresentation and concealment of facts

Any alien who

1. enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or


2. eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or


3. attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.

(b) Improper time or place; civil penalties

Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of—

1. at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or


2. twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection.

Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.

(c) Marriage fraud
Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both.

(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud
Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.

TITLE 8; CHAPTER 12; SUBCHAPTER II; Part IX; § 1357

Powers of immigration officers and employees

(a) Powers without warrant
Any officer or employee of the Service authorized under regulations prescribed by the Attorney General shall have power without warrant—

1. to interrogate any alien or person believed to be an alien as to his right to be or to remain in the United States;


2. to arrest any alien who in his presence or view is entering or attempting to enter the United States in violation of any law or regulation made in pursuance of law regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, or to arrest any alien in the United States, if he has reason to believe that the alien so arrested is in the United States in violation of any such law or regulation and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the alien arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay for examination before an officer of the Service having authority to examine aliens as to their right to enter or remain in the United States;


3. within a reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States, to board and search for aliens any vessel within the territorial waters of the United States and any railway car, aircraft, conveyance, or vehicle, and within a distance of twenty-five miles from any such external boundary to have access to private lands, but not dwellings, for the purpose of patrolling the border to prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States;


4. to make arrests for felonies which have been committed and which are cognizable under any law of the United States regulating the admission, exclusion, expulsion, or removal of aliens, if he has reason to believe that the person so arrested is guilty of such felony and if there is likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest, but the person arrested shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest available officer empowered to commit persons charged with offenses against the laws of the United States; and


5. to make arrests—

• for any offense against the United States, if the offense is committed in the officer’s or employee’s presence, or
• for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States, if the officer or employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing such a felony,


if the officer or employee is performing duties relating to the enforcement of the immigration laws at the time of the arrest and if there is a likelihood of the person escaping before a warrant can be obtained for his arrest.

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World's Greatest Invention Week!

Welcome to World's Greatest Inventions Week, where we take a peak at the pinnacle of human ingenuity!

Today's great invention is the fart filtration underpants.  Have you ever been in that position?  You know, in an elevator with 4 other people and suddenly and quite unexpectedly you've got that sharp pain in your lower abdomen.  Well there's great news!  With the Fart Filtration Underpants you no longer have to hold it, or risk the embarrassment of letting one loose.  You can fart away, all the live long day.  Also be sure to check out the Silencer, which includes an extra layer of noise filtration.  Silent but deadly, No!  Silent and friendly, Yes!


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LINK DUMP!!!

It's been a while since I've done a good old fashioned link dump ala Paul Mitchell, so lets dust 'er off and giver 'er a go!

They're putting a wind farm, where?!?

Cape Wind Power Approved. Translation: Ted Kennedy is rolling over in his grave.

Majority believes Health Care legislation will increase deficits. Hope for America yet?

The State will take your property for the benefit of others, property which you own but are not entitled to sell. That's brilliant.

An expose about the government run monopoly everybody loves to hate. Since when is choice a bad thing?

Via Andy, why there's little crime in Switzerland. Now if they could get their shit together on the direct democracy thing, they'd be squared away.

Obama appoints a commission to investigate the idiot fiscal moves he made last year. Keep in mind, this is the most smartest President, evah!

Guess the party. New York (state) Senator hurls racist invective at colleagues. Has history of rage control issues.

Basil needs some advice. Help a brother out.

Love Story. Evil Clown and the Racist Asshat. Bonus, Evil Clown now on Twitter... Fair warning on the link!

Conundrum. Former President waffles between brief moments of brilliance, and long stretches of unhinged lunacy.

Email hacker could get 50 years. Sympathizers despondent.

Sweet Survey! Post your results in the comments!

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Sheriff Slaps Around Black Man

What it looks like when a Sheriff really slaps around a black man. Well okay, no one was physically assaulted in the video. It's a war of words, and Al Sharpton loses. Anyone here surprised?



Since no one can argue the fact that Al Sharpton is retarded, here is the relevant portion of the law which was just passed in Arizona. Emphasis mine.

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OF A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON, EXCEPT IF THE DETERMINATION MAY HINDER OR OBSTRUCT AN INVESTIGATION. ANY PERSON WHO IS ARRESTED SHALL HAVE THE PERSON’S IMMIGRATION STATUS DETERMINED BEFORE THE PERSON IS RELEASED. THE PERSON’S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c). A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY NOT SOLELY CONSIDER RACE, COLOR OR NATIONAL ORIGIN IN IMPLEMENTING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBSECTION EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES OR ARIZONA CONSTITUTION. A PERSON IS PRESUMED TO NOT BE AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES IF THE PERSON PROVIDES TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR AGENCY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. A VALID ARIZONA DRIVER LICENSE.
2. A VALID ARIZONA NONOPERATING IDENTIFICATION LICENSE.
3. A VALID TRIBAL ENROLLMENT CARD OR OTHER FORM OF TRIBAL IDENTIFICATION.
4. IF THE ENTITY REQUIRES PROOF OF LEGAL PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE ISSUANCE, ANY VALID UNITED STATES FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION.

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World's Greatest Inventions Week

Welcome to World's Greatest Inventions Week, where we take a peak at the pinnacle of human ingenuity!

We're well into spring time here on the left coast, which means that it's allergy season. So when the grass getsta mowin', or the farmers getsta farmin', or the wind getsta blowin' those of us with allergies slide the barrel of a revolver in our mouths an contemplate ending it all. I've found the Cranial Toilet Paper Dispenser to be a much more agreeable option. With it's highly stylish appearance and undeniable 'cool factor' you're sure to be the life of any party when you wear the Cranial Toilet Paper Dispenser.

*Batteries not included.

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Hump Day Hottie

Sweet lord, it's afternoon and I nearly forgot what day it was. Luckily, Andy and The Mayor have their posts up.

As you're probably aware, we do Hump Day Hottie a little different around here, in that we actually use hotties. So for your ocular pleasure, I present todaze Hump Day Hottie! Click 'em to make bigger!

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How To Slander

Democrats can teach us lots of useful things. Here's one example: Slander. Watch this video.



Did you catch the part where they said "Paul Ryan actually voted to abolish Medicare..." Under the picture of Ryan in the video, the DNC cited the source legislation. Curious what the legislation stated, I looked it up.

Here is the record of the vote.

Here is the search result at the Library of Congress.

And finally, here is the amendment which Paul Ryan proposed. What follows is the legislative text.

An amendment in the nature of a substitute numbered 4 printed in House Report 111-73 which seeks to spend $4.8 trillion less than the President's budget over 10 years; sets spending levels which are 20.7% of GDP; freezes non-defense/non- veterans spending; borrows $3.6 trillion less than the President's budget over 10 years; seeks to hold debt to 65% of GDP; and puts forward a long-term budget to bring debt under control. The substitute also seeks to permanently extend 2001 and 2003 tax relief; permanently fix the Alternative Minimum Tax; create 2.1 million more jobs than the Democrats' budget; suspend capital gains taxes through 2010; and reduce the corporate tax rate to 25% from the current 35%. The amendment also seeks to provide $5 billion over the President's budget for Defense; $540 million over the President's budget for Veterans; to save $50 billion annually for war or unmet defense needs; and provide for health and retirement security by reforming programs to ensure they provide benefits for future beneficiaries.

My reading comprehension may be suffering, but I do not see where Mr. Ryan suggested or voted for the abolition of medicare. Ryan was offering an amendment to the Congressional Budget for 2010. In the end, Ryan voted no on the budget, but voted yes on the amendment. Where did he 'vote to abolish Medicare' again?

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Video Education

Whilest perusing the internet, as I'm wont to do, I began searching for the smartest person on the political left. Here is his video.



Since it's rather late at night/early in the morning, and I can hear my pillow calling out to me, I am asking each of you to take a 'fact' out of this video and write a response in the comments. I was able to find several inaccuracies within the video and am interested to find out if you'll come up with the same and provide me with some I missed.

H/T iOwnTheWorld

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World's Greatest Inventions Week

Welcome to World's Greatest Inventions Week, where we take a peak at the pinnacle of human ingenuity!

Men of San Francisco, rejoice! Screw the natural order of things, now you can nurse, too. With Funbag Co's latest invention, the Boobinator, any flat-chested and emasculated male can breast feed like a pro! Just mix the solution, fill the breast pouches and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds.  It's just that easy!  No more messy bottles, or breast pumps, just safe sterile plastic nipples!  Bottles and straps come in a selection of colors including, nude, lily-white, dark chocolate, and many more.

*No children or dolls were harmed in the making of this advertisement.  The same cannot, however, be said should you actually attempt to use the Boobinator to breast feed any child.  Not intended to cure, diagnose, treat or prevent your mother issues. Void where prohibited. Use as directed.

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Karma's A B!%@#

The smile is CLASSIC!

Well, okay maybe Karma isn't a Bitch, but she can come unhinged sometimes. Karma's latest target? Jason Chen and Gizmodo. You have no idea how pleasing it is to read all of the background on this story. In case you are not up-to-speed, here is the short version:

Sometime within the last two weeks, Gizmodo purchased, from an unnamed source, a prototype of Apple's next generation iPhone. The phone was reportedly lost in a bar in Redwood City, CA and it was purchased for the sum of $5,000. Jason Chen, an editor at Gizmodo, then reviewed the device posting his thoughts, pictures and detailed information regarding the phone. Gizmodo then received a letter from Apple's lawyers claiming ownership and demanding the immediate return of the device. Gizmodo complied and returned the iPhone. Then on Friday of last week, California police executed a search warrant at Chen's residence, seizing four computers and two servers amongst other items. Gizmodo's parent company, Gawker Media then sprang into action demanding the return of items seized from Chen's home and citing California Penal and Evidence code in support of their claim.

Whew! You still with me? Since the issue and execution of the search warrant, debate has been raging across the interwebbynets on whether or not this was a legal search and whether Chen is, in fact, a journalist protected by the cited Penal and Evidence codes. Damn, that's a lot of pontificating. Surely there's a legal expert somewhere in that mess, right? No?! Well, let's get a legal expert. Eugene Volokh tells CNET:

Eugene Volokh, a professor at the University of California at Los Angeles who teaches First Amendment law, says that court decision--the case is called Rosato v. Superior Court--means that California's state shield law "wouldn't apply to subpoenas or searches for evidence of such criminal activity."

Translated: If Gizmodo editors are, in fact, a target of a criminal probe into the possession or purchase of stolen property, the search warrant served on editor Jason Chen on Friday appears valid. A blog post at NYTimes.com on Monday, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, said charges could be filed against the buyer of the prototype 4G phone--meaning Gizmodo.

Here's another little interesting tidbit in the CNET piece:

In the Fresno Bee case, the judges noted that the attorney-client privilege, the physician-patient privilege, and the psychotherapist-patient privilege are circumscribed during criminal investigations of lawyers, doctors, and therapists. Each of those privileges is stronger than the limited immunity that California extends to journalists.

Ruh Roh, Scooby Doo!

Orin Kerr posting at The Volokh Conspiracy gives a detailed clarification on the legality of the search warrant.

Gawker, which owns Gizmodo, has claimed that the search was unlawful. I thought I would offer some tentative thoughts on the legal issues we know so far.

1) Fourth Amendment. Based on the warrant form, and Chen’s report of how the warrant was executed, I don’t see any Fourth Amendment problems. Parts of the warrant are overly broad (such as the boilerplate paragraph 1 of attachment B), but others are not (such as paragraph 3 of attachment B). It doesn’t seem like the officers actually relied on the overly broad portions of the warrant, so the warrant and its execution will pass muster based on what we know so far. Note, though, that I don’t think we have the affidavit yet: The four corners of the affidavit have to articulate probable cause. I suspect that won’t be too hard given what we know of this case, but it’s too early to tell without actually seeing the affidavit.

2) Nighttime Execution. Gawker’s letter contends that the search was unlawful because it was executed at 9:45pm at night when the warrant does not permit nighttime entry. This argument doesn’t work because the California warrant statute makes the critical time 10pm. See California Penal Code 1533. (“Upon a showing of good cause, the magistrate may, in his or her discretion, insert a direction in a search warrant that it may be served at any time of the day or night. In the absence of such a direction, the warrant shall be served only between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.”) You might not think that 9:45pm is daytime, but it is according to the California warrant statute.

3) California Reporter’s Shield. Here things get interesting, although it’s on a somewhat arcane matter of state law. The Gawker letter argues that reporters are exempt from search and seizure under the California Reporter’s Shield law. Specifically, California Penal Code 1524(g) states that no items described in the California reporter’s shield law can be the subject of a search warrant: “No warrant shall issue for any item or items described in Section 1070 of the Evidence Code.” This law was passed in response to Zurcher v. Stanford Daily, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Fourth Amendment allowed the government to obtain a warrant to search a news office for evidence of crime that the news source was gathering in the course of reporting the news.

It appears, at this point, that Gizmodo has some trouble coming their way. Now, as to why I've entitled the post 'Karma's a B!%@#', during the course of the revelation of the details of the next iPhone and how it came to be in Gizmodo's possession, the tech blog destroyed the guy who lost the phone. Gizmodo posted pictures of the Apple employee, his name and directly linked him to the phone. WAYYYY over the line. Why? Why did Gizmodo feel the need to out this guy? Why was it necessary to post the guy's name and pictures all over the internet? Did it enhance the story? No. Did it add to the intrigue? No. Did it serve any purpose at all? No.

Gizmodo is being paid back in a way that the Apple employee who lost the phone could never have done himself. Ergo, Karma is having her way with Jason Chen and Gizmodo. Bend over and grab those ankles!

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Worlds Greatest Inventions!

Welcome to World's Greatest Inventions Week, where we take a peak at the pinnacle of human ingenuity!

First up is this beaut!

Hoping to capitalize on the success of their famous army knife, the Swiss have tried several other designs. None, however, are quite as popular as the Swiss Army Garden Tool. As functional as it is light and compact, the SAGT is the invention which ushered farming into the 21st Century. Just imagine, before the SAGT, people actually had to lug about separate tools to complete the jobs that only one SAGT can do. If you think this is great, you should see the Swiss Army sex toy!

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Why Republicans Are Subject To Wandering In the Desert

From my recent blog post at the Bakersfield Californian.

Why you should not support Ken Mettler in his campaign to get elected to the California Assembly, 32nd District.

I began hearing about Ken Mettler a few years ago, and liked some of what I had heard. He was passionate about Proposition 8, even getting physical defending campaign signs from an opponent who was stealing them. I’d also heard him on the radio, and he really seemed to be a strong conservative with a passionate message. Recently, however, several things that Mr. Mettler has done or said have concerned me greatly, so much so that I am reaching out to those who support him.

Mr. Mettler has been at odds with some of the members of the local conservative community, even choosing to conduct opposition research on Zack Scrivner whom Mr. Mettler believed would run against him for the Assembly Seat. Mr. Scrivner ultimately did not run against Mr. Mettler . As you may have read in the paper, Mr. Mettler is now being investigated for improperly using Republican Assembly of Kern County (RAKC) monies to conduct that research. Mr. Mettler is also accused of improperly using RAKC monies to pay for his defense in the civil suit brought by the individual who was assaulted during the Proposition 8 scuffle.

That's right, Mettler, hide behind your kid...

It has been revealed recently, Mr. Mettler encouraged candidate Shannon Holloway to enter into the race for the 32nd Assembly as ‘political strategy’, a charge which Mettler has both denied and then more recently confirmed. Holloway recently dropped out of the race, however, her name will still appear on the ballot. Apparently, Mr. Mettler is incapable of winning on his message alone, so he must use the political strategy of adding another person with the name of Shannon to the race, in the hopes of drawing votes away from his opponent Shannon Grove. Mr. Mettler's response was not to defend his actions, but instead attempt to refocus the conversation from his highly questionable tactics to the actual leaking of the emails which broke the story. If you can't defend your actions, diversion is always a good second option.

I have been friendly with members of the Kern County Young Republicans (KCYRs) for just over a year. Since befriending those individuals, I have in turn met many more great YRs including christians, young professionals as well as upcoming community leaders. They are hard working young people who seek to advance conservative principles in Kern County, the state and across the nation. In December of 2009 an election was held within the California Young Republicans (CYRs) causing a dispute over the proper leadership of the group which has now led to arbitration. When Mr. Mettler addressed the KCYRs during their April meeting, he was made aware of the leadership dispute within the California club and asked not to accept any endorsement by the CYRs, as it was also a violation of the club’s bylaws for the state group to endorse a local candidate. Mr. Mettler, however, refused, announcing the same week, via his Facebook account, that he’d received an endorsement from the CYRs.

"The California Young Republicans have endorsed Ken Mettler, Conservative for Assembly."

When Andy Stanley, the recently elected Chairman of the CYRs questioned and attempted to correct the announcement, his comments were deleted from Ken Mettler’s Facebook page. When another Kern Young Republican asked Ken what was going on, their comments were deleted as well. The Young Republican is reporting that they were subsequently ‘unfriended’ by Ken Mettler who later went on to describe the endorsement as being from the ‘legitimate CYR group’.

The Announcement of the Improper CYR Endorsement

During his address to the Young Republicans, he was also questioned over the statement that he was ‘embarrassed’ of the Kern club (see his March 14th Facebook post).

"The GOP state convention. Lots of good work uniting volunteer groups (though opposed by a few GOP staffers from Kern Co..... embarrassing)"

No, Mettler, it's you who's embarrassing.

The "GOP staffers from Kern County" are members of the KCYRs. Mr. Mettler first denied that the comment existed, then when pressed, denied writing the comment but instead claimed was written by someone else. So concerned with this message on his Facebook wall was Mr. Mettler that he went right back to his office and took no action regarding the post. The comment was still up as of the writing of this post.

Mr. Mettler has engaged in talking out of both sides of his mouth, questionable financial dealings and questionable ethics. What does it say about a man who cannot address dissent and correction, but must instead cover them up and act as if they never happened? If this is the type of behavior that Mr. Mettler is engaging in prior to the election, just what is he going to do when he’s in office?
I do not know, nor have I ever met Shannon Grove, and I am not asking you to vote for her. You must judge her record and her actions for yourself. I am, however, asking you not to vote for Ken Mettler. California cannot abide another politician in the mold of Mr. Mettler.

Ken Mettler is one of two candidates running for California's 32nd Assembly seat. He is seen, at this point, to be the leader in the race. Since the end of March, however, several damaging stories including some of those above, have come out. Ken Mettler is a politician of the worst kind, using undue influence to sway the outcome of his political race and being caught recklessly using PAC funds. Shame on Ken Mettler, and anyone who votes for him choosing to overlook his failings.

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Rule 5 Sunday

It is morning, once again, in America. No, not Reagan's kind. You recall the earthquake in California last month? That was Reagan rolling over in his grave. Apparently word reached him regarding what PeeBo's been doing here, topside.

To brighten your otherwise weary existence on this first day of the rest of your week, I give you Miranda Kerr. Enjoy!

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MOHAMMAD!

Unless you've been living in a religious sect, or on the planet Mars for the last week, you're well aware that Comedy Central censored an episode of South Park over their depictions of the douche-bag Mohammad. As a result, (via Reason blogger Michael Moynihan) Dan Savage has instituted amongst men, the first annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day! The first annual EDMD is going down on May 20th, 2010 so get your submissions in order and send them to Reason (mmoynihan at reason.com) prior to the 20th! The best submissions will be featured on Reason's blog, Hit and Run.

I will be creating an original Mohammad piece and submitting it, and if I'm feeling super ballzy, I might even post it here.  Stay tuned!

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Friday Night Music, Again

Deftones - Minerva



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Friday Night Music

Muse - Uprising



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Crazy Portrait Week

It's Crazy Portrait Week, here at IACLAYST, and that means we take a look back at that special time in your life when you took extra long to get that hair just right and pick out the perfect outfit so that we could all laugh at your epic failure. From each and every one of us, thank you so very much.

Our final contestant is Dieter.

Dieter played the title roll in his high school's Peter Pan play. After graduating he went on to star in several off Broadway hits including The Vagina Monologues, Girls Night The Musical, Who's Eating Gilbert's Grapes?, I'm a Proper Southern Lady (pictured above), and most recently What's So Wrong With Wearing Your Mother's Pantyhose?!. Dieter hopes to one day star in a on Broadway production and/or be John Edwards lover.

Thanks for viewing Crazy Portrait Week!

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Updated Gear!

Fair warning, shameless self promotion to follow. About a month ago, I created a Zazzle shop. I've been tinkering with some designs and have finally got a few selections up for sale. One, I'm particularly proud of. If you're so inclined, stop by the shop and get yourself or your lady friend something nice.

Front

The image at the top of the post is the back of the shirt. The designs come in different styles and different colors, so you can customize them to fit your body and personality. Some of my products are rated PG-13, which means you'll have to create an account, if you don't already have one, and set your preferences to view them. If there's something you'd like to get, but don't see it available, let me know and I'll put it together for you. The proceeds go to feed my family, fuhreals.

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Crazy Portrait Week

It's Crazy Portrait Week, here at IACLAYST, and that means we take a look back at that special time in your life when you took extra long to get that hair just right and pick out the perfect outfit so that we could all laugh at your epic failure. From each and every one of us, thank you so very much.
Guest starring in the role of steamy leading man is Randy!

Randy always wanted to be something more than just the drive through attendant at Quicky Burger. He worked hard, and worked out harder hoping one day to leave that small town. That was before the accident. One afternoon on his way home from the opening shift he stopped in at Home Depot to get a plunger and some energy saving light bulbs. Well, just watch what happened next.

Lesson: Energy saving light bulbs will f*#@ing kill you. Plan accordingly.

Tomorrow wraps up Crazy Portrait Week, be sure to check it out!

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Stanley's Vs. Rodriguez's UPDATED

UPDATE:

The Kern County Young Republicans issued a Press Release concerning the Mettler endorsement. The applicable portion is below.

The KCYRs also contest the recent illegitimate endorsement announced by

former members of CYR, Inc. who are improperly using the CYR name and touted

by Ken Mettler, Candidate for the 32nd Assembly District. Under the bylaws
that govern the organization, local clubs are the proper organization to

issue an endorsement in a local race. Article XV A3 of the CYR, Inc bylaws
states, "...no endorsement for such local office shall be made unless a

specific endorsement is requested by Chapter in such candidate's
district..."

"The CYR, Inc bylaws are clear that they do not allow the state organization
to supersede a local club in endorsing a local candidate," said Bryan
Williams, Chairman of the Kern County Young Republicans. "At our monthly
meeting held Monday, April 19th, Mr. Mettler was directly asked not to
accept the illegitimate endorsement made by those seeking to benefit their
own political careers by attempting to harm the KCYRs directly. We continue
to ask Mr. Mettler to reject their endorsement and wait for the KCYRs to
hold a proper vote at our May 3rd endorsing convention."

It seems pretty obvious that Mettler has no desire to reject the improper endorsement. Sad for a man campaigning to change politics as usual.

---

The California Young Republicans are seeking arbitration against Jenniffer Rodriguez and the the 'former' CYR leadership.

Truth be told, I hate this subject, and I hate writing about it. The whole thing stinks and people are taking advantage of it for political gain. It's revealing things about people I thought I respected, which is, in turn, changing my opinion of them.

Wednesday evening, Ken Mettler candidate for California's 32nd Assembly race, announced an endorsement from the California Young Republicans. Knowing that the chairman position and board positions are in dispute, I found this 'endorsement' odd. I immediately brought up the two Young Republican sites for California. CYR.org is the official legacy Young Republican site. Recently, a new site CAYoungRepublicans.com opened, and claims to be the site for the CYR's.

I know some people within the California Young Republican club and have my opinions on the matter. I am, however, interested to read the findings of the arbitrator. As I've investigated this issue, I've run across a few things that should cause those interested in the dispute to wonder who legitimately has a claim to the chairmanship and board positions.

1. CYR.org has been registered to the California Young Republicans since 1996. CAYoungRepublicans.com has only been registered since January of 2010. If the CYR group, led by Andy Stanley is illigetimate, then how did they get access to the official California Young Republicans website?
   


2. If the CAYoungRepublicans.com led by Jenniffer Rodriguez is legitimate and the bylaws are on their side, why didn't they seek arbitration against Andy Stanley and the CYR.org group? Instead, Stanley's group sought arbitration against the Rodriguez group.
   


3. Why are politicians such as Ken Mettler and Steve Poizner, who are fully aware of the dispute within the organization touting endorsements from the group? As much as I have respect for the Young Republicans, until the dispute is arbitrated an endorsement from either faction is political napalm right now. If the chairmanship of the national GOP were in dispute and it had endorsed Mitt Romney, do you think he'd be touting that endorsement?
   


4. Why are news organizations reporting on the endorsements without acknowledging that the chairmanship of the organization is in dispute? If the chairmanship of the national GOP were in dispute and it had endorsed Mitt Romney, do you think the dispute would be mentioned in every news story covering the endorsement?
   


5. If the Stanley group is illegitimate, then how is it that they have the support of 5 former CYR chairmen, including Congressman Kevin McCarthy?
   


6. What do Mark and Cathy Abernathy have to do with anything? I have been accused of being a 'Abernathy flunky', what is that anyway? I've never met Mark or Cathy Abernathy, and cannot figure out what they have to do with this dispute. Why are they brought up every time someone who supports the Rodriguez group speaks out about this issue? Most all of the elected officials within the CYR groups (as far as I can tell) are employed by political organizations of some form. It makes sense that someone who is committed enough to seek a political office within a political organization would also seek to be employed in politics.
   

This whole dispute traces it's beginnings to a spat which involved former Congressman Bill Thomas. While I do not know the specifics of the disagreement, I do recognize that the next incoming group of YR's will potentially be younger than the dispute itself. Further, I would venture to guess that less than 2% of the total membership (of CYRs and YRFCs) were even involved in the group when the dispute originated. Why, then, is a political disagreement from the early 90's still an issue? Why hasn't this been resolved? Why are people who agree on limited government and conservative values fighting?

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Happy Earth Day!

Lifted from The Jawa Report.

Content Warning!



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Working On Something

I'm getting ready to post another 'investigative report' on some local political happenings. Currently, I'm awaiting confirmation of some details. As soon as I have it all together, I'll post it.

As a result, I really have nothing of substance to post this morning. However, if you haven't already, go take the quiz for a shot at fabulous prizes! Also check out the blog roll and read some really great stuff from some cool people! If you've got a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, head over to Amazon via the widget to the right and get some great books and/or music!

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Crazy Portrait Week

It's Crazy Portrait Week, here at IACLAYST, and that means we take a look back at that special time in your life when you took extra long to get that hair just right and pick out the perfect outfit so that we could all laugh at your epic failure. From each and every one of us, thank you so very much.

Today's lucky contestant is Michael Score's younger sister Michelle.

Michelle never attained the stardom her older brother did. She tried, unsuccessfully to start a new wave band of her own called The Hairy Upper Lips, but they never really caught on outside of Ye Olde Pub and Grille in Canterbury where they got their first (and last) gig. Michelle, now known as Ron, has completed his gender reassignment surgery and is a Constable assigned to Scotland Yard's infamous Kensington beat.

Tune in tomorrow for our next entry to Crazy Portrait Week.

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Hump Day Hottie

It's Wednesday which means this lame excuse for a week is nearly half over. Monday it was 81° and sunny. On Tuesday it was 68° and rainy. WTF?! The weather is more schizo than Chris Matthews. Anyway, I was searching the internet for something to warm me up and I came across these pictures. I skipped Rule #5 Sunday because I was planting my tomatoes and peppers, so this will have to suffice until this upcoming Sunday. Happy friggen Wednesday.

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Crazy Portrait Week

It's Crazy Portrait Week, here at IACLAYST, and that means we take a look back at that special time in your life when you took extra long to get that hair just right and pick out the perfect outfit so that we could all laugh at your epic failure. From each and every one of us, thank you so very much.
Today we bring you Wayne.

Wayne is that guy everyone knows. You know the pervert type. The one that is still in junior college at 32 years old? Yeah, that's old Wayne, alright. He loves getting together with his buddies and watching Dazed and Confused, after lighting up a bowl. Wonder what he's doing today?

Anyway, stick around for the next Crazy Portrait Week! Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

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Pop Quiz with PRIZE POTENTIAL!

It is widely known by the staff and the readers of this blog that IACLAYST has some of the smartest readers that the web has to offer. What follows is a list of quotes, beliefs and ideals assembled for the purpose of this quiz. Read the quote/belief/ideal, and determine if the it is from a Republican/Conservative/Libertarian or from a Democrat/Liberal/Progressive. Bonus points for naming the person responsible. The scoring is quite subjective and points will be awarded by myself.

In my opinion the ideals listed below are vital to understand in order to make sure that we do not continue down the path that has lead us to our current political state, therefore the answers will not be easy. The questions are purposefully vague, but if it's determined that they are too difficult, additional information will be provided.

I am offering a prize, of my choice, with a value of no less than $20 and no more than $75 to the winner so be sure to play along.

1. Which party affiliation was held by an economist and adviser to two Presidents in the 20th Century who said that African Americans were 'indolent and fickle'? He also endorsed protectionist laws concerning labor since 'competition has no respect for the superior races'.
   *Additional bonus available for naming the Presidents whom he advised.


2. To which party did the federal official who believed that the 'overwork[ing] of future mothers is a threat against the welfare of our nation' belong? He also argued that the bodies of women were in a sense, collectivist property.
   *Additional bonus for naming the position he was later placed in, and the individual responsible for placing him in that position.


3. Which party affiliation was held by one of the first political ideologues to publicly support the case for a national minimum wage, in opposition to his peers? He also professed that it was the power of the congress to 'remove conditions leading to poor health, immoral behavior and the deterioration of the race'.
   *Additional bonus points for identifying the military unit in which he served.


4. Which party affiliation was held by the men who professed that it was within the rights of the state to perform compulsory sterilization?
   *Additional bonus points for naming the most recognizable man who shared in this profession and what his highly recognizable previous position was.


5. Which party affiliation was held by the man who was joined by the majority in determining that a defendant must be given access to counsel upon request in a capital trial? This determination eventually opened this door to all defendants.
   *Additional bonus points for naming the group of four this man was a part of and what they stood up against.

There's a lot to chew on here, so take your time and do a little research. I promise your effort will help you and your understanding of today's political climate and it'll help you educate your friends and enemies alike. I will be tallying scores and posting results on Saturday
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Crazy Portrait Week

It's Crazy Portrait Week, here at IACLAYST, and that means we take a look back at that special time in your life when you took extra long to get that hair just right and pick out the perfect outfit so that we could all laugh at your epic failure. From each and every one of us, thank you so very much.

First up is Phineas Roustenbacher.

Phin, as his friends call him, went on to be an engineer, specializing in software integration for Linux. Phin now makes $650,000 annually and is married to this woman... Lucky bastard.

Anyway, check back tomorrow for our next installment of Crazy Portrait Week!

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Federal Income Tax Disparity, Part II

One of these things is not like the other...

First allow me to say thanks to CL for letting me post a few thoughts here. Also, I wish to thank those of you who took the time to read my previous posts. One of those posts, 'Federal Income Tax Disparity' generated a comment from a person named 'Rick W'. Here is the entire comment:

The premise of this article is false and the charts are meaningless. The "percentage of total revenue" paid by any individual or group across the income spectrum cannot provide any sense of fairness or inequality unless the "percentage of total income" is part of the calculus.

But let's accept your unsupported premise that the tax system is unfair. We should therefore expect to see unfair outcomes. If the wealthy are contributing too high a percentage, as you claim, then certainly their income and net worth are falling as a result.

In reality the, of course, after-tax incomes of the top 10% have grown far faster than those of the bottom 90%. Between '02 and '07 the income of the top 1% grew 1000% faster than the bottom 90%. Net worth has also grown dramatically.

Asserting that individuals should contribute even percentages of their incomes to the national budget is absurd. First, that presumes the economy provides a perfect measure of an individual's effort and ability by delivering fair and proportional incomes, which is obviously not the case. Second, it presumes there is no value to society helping the less fortunate.

A fair tax system must take into account the degree to which the tax burden will impact the lives of the tax payer. A ten percent tax bill for someone earning $10k will have a much more significant impact than a thirty percent bill to a person earning $250k. Yes, $75k is a lot of money to pay in taxes. But it's a whole lot easier to live on $175k than on $9k.

I initially was going to respond to Rick in the comments, but decided that the charts I wished to publish would not show up in the comments. Voila, new post. Let's address Rick's concerns one at a time.

The premise of this article is false and the charts are meaningless. The "percentage of total revenue" paid by any individual or group across the income spectrum cannot provide any sense of fairness or inequality unless the "percentage of total income" is part of the calculus.

But let's accept your unsupported premise that the tax system is unfair. We should therefore expect to see unfair outcomes. If the wealthy are contributing too high a percentage, as you claim, then certainly their income and net worth are falling as a result.

The premise of the article is that there are disparities between the tax rates individuals pay based upon income level; increasing numbers of Americans who effectively do not pay income tax; a fair tax and entitlement reform would decrease the number of households who do not pay income tax.

The first section of the post shows how the overall percentage of tax revenue generated by the top 1% and 10% of earners has increased since 1987 and the percentage of tax revenue generated by the 26-50% group has fallen. I did not claim, as Rick suggests, that this indicates some sort of inequality. However, since he's brought it up, let's take a look at some unfairness.

Below are two charts. The first chart represents the Top 1% of wage earners in the United States. It shows their adjusted gross income in dollars, the tax revenue generated from this group, and the average tax rate percentage.

The second chart represents the 26-50% of wage earners group. It depicts adjusted gross income in dollars, the tax revenue generated by this group and the average tax rate percentage.

In 1999, 2000 and 2004 these two classes adjusted gross income were roughly the same as a group. In 1999 the AGI for each group was approximately $1.175 Trillion; in 2000 the AGI was $1.30 Trillion for each; in 2004 the AGI was $1.356 Trillion for each. However, the rate at which these AGI's were taxed is radically different. Why? One group's AGI was taxed at just a little over 26% and the others was taxed at 8.5%. One group paid an average of $330 billion in taxes while the other group paid an average of $108 billion. Same rough AGI, same earning peroid, same country. The only difference was the number of earners in each group, 1.28 million in one group and 32 million in the other. The top 1% of wage earners are taxed at a higher percentage because... they can handle the tax burden? What?! This thinking amounts to a penalization upon those who do well and succeed. We can argue all day long about who is in each tax bracket, and how they got there, but the reality is that a majority in each tax bracket would argue that they work hard to earn their income.

This is the unfair outcome, wealth is confiscated at a much higher rate from the wealthy than it is from the middle class.

Now on to Rick's second point.

Asserting that individuals should contribute even percentages of their incomes to the national budget is absurd. First, that presumes the economy provides a perfect measure of an individual's effort and ability by delivering fair and proportional incomes, which is obviously not the case. Second, it presumes there is no value to society helping the less fortunate.

A fair tax system must take into account the degree to which the tax burden will impact the lives of the tax payer. A ten percent tax bill for someone earning $10k will have a much more significant impact than a thirty percent bill to a person earning $250k. Yes, $75k is a lot of money to pay in taxes. But it's a whole lot easier to live on $175k than on $9k.

No one 'asserted' that 'individuals should contribute even percentages of their income to the national budget'. The Fair Tax taxes consumption, not production. From Americans For Fair Taxation's FAQ page:

What is taxed?

The FairTax is a single-rate, federal retail sales tax collected only once, at the final point of purchase of new goods and services for personal consumption. Used items are not taxed. Business-to-business purchases for the production of goods and services are not taxed. A rebate makes the effective rate progressive.

Therefore, the Fair Tax does accurately measure an individuals effort, the effort to spend.

The broader implication seems to be that the current 'progressive income tax' does a good job of measuring individual effort and ability. Such an assertion is ludicrous. You might suggest that the tiered tax rates are that measurement, but that's ridiculous as any family with and AGI of $114,000 will tell you. A family with an AGI of $114,000 in 2007 was taxed at 12.66% on average. However, a family with an AGI of $112,000 was only taxed at 9.43% on average. The implication that the progressive tax effectively measures individual effort then states that the family with the AGI of $112,000 worked harder than the family with an AGI of $114,000.

The Fair Tax does a good job of solving some of the inherent problems within our 'progressive tax system', and it places an incentive upon activities which grow the economy. To find out more about the Fair Tax, visit Americans for Fair Taxation.

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Yaaaayuh!

What?! Ohkayyy!

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