captainfish's blog | Snapped Shot

From Wiki we find:

An oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) (oligocracy) is a form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, military might, or religious hegemony. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few/one" (ὀλίγος olígos) and "rule" (ἀρχή arkhē). Such states are often controlled by politically powerful families whose children are heavily conditioned and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy.

Oligarchies have been tyrannical throughout history, being completely reliant on public servitude to exist. Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group. 

It would seem, that this most open and transparent and honest administration EVAH, is resorting to kickbacks, kickbacks, bribery, more kickbacks, and now to downright illegal behavior.  At least, behavior typified by Oligarch governments.

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it
By Lori Montgomery and Paul Kane

After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed.

The tactic -- known as a "self-executing rule" or a "deem and pass" -- has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation...

In other words, if a member votes yes on another bill that carries certain aspects similar to what is in the ObamaCare bill, then it is "deemed" that they agree to the whole of the ObamaCare bill.

Tell me this isn't chicanery in the least.  Tell me this isn't illegal at the worst.

And, Obama's little on-the-road stories just keep falling apart.

Natoma Canfield, the cancer-stricken woman who has become a centerpiece of President Obama's push for health care reform, will not lose her home over her medical bills and will probably qualify for financial aid, a top official at the Cleveland medical center treating her told FoxNews.com. 

"She may be eligible for state Medicaid ... and/or she will be eligible for charity (care) of some form or type. ... In my personal opinion, she will be eligible for something," he said, adding that Canfield should not be worried about losing her home.

If you have any doubt that the Democratic leadership of the House views passing the current health care reform bill as the beginning, not the end, of the process of creating a national government health care system, just note what Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a group of bloggers on Monday.

"My biggest fight has been between those who wanted to do something incremental and those who wanted to do something comprehensive," Pelosi said, according to an account by Washington Post reform advocate Ezra Klein. "We won that fight, and once we kick through this door, there'll be more legislation to follow."

But since the current bill is unpopular, and Pelosi at the moment does not have enough Democratic, much less Republican, votes to pass it, the door she will be kicking through is the back door.

In a particularly Alice-in-Wonderland moment, Pelosi argued that the debate over health care reform can begin after the bill is passed. "Pelosi said passing the bill would allow Dems to undertake a 'debate' with Republicans over 'what is the balanced role that government should have,'"

with part 2 here and part three here.

This climate scandal is falling faster than a F-16 screaming towards the earth.

Else this might be seen as ludicrous.  Who does this?  Who sees this as a good thing?  Especially during our current financial crisis?

Hillary Rodham Clinton's State Department is spending $5.4 million to buy fine crystal stemware for American embassies -- but it won't give the US economy much of a boost.

The contract was given to a tiny Washington, DC, interior designer, which in turn subcontracted the crystal work to a Swedish firm -- snubbing such US companies as the famous manufacturer in Clinton's own back yard, Steuben Crystal of upstate Corning.

And what is even more hilarious?  Didn't the dems and Clinton herself complain about former Pres Bush's use of no-bid contracts?  And yet, this administration is flush with them.

The firm didn't even get a chance to bid on the contract, which will outfit embassies and ambassadors' residences with fancy crystal for ritzy functions.

Ironically, under the no-bid contract, some of the crystal is to be custom-crafted to include the seal of the United States, although Swedes will do all of the manufacturing.

And to top it all off....

Contracting rules require any American firms that subcontract work to use a domestic firm or get a waiver.

The firm that got the contract, Systems Design Inc., is a small interior-design firm in tony Georgetown. The company, which is eligible for minority small-business contracts, does not appear to have done any similar work.

After getting the contract in September, the firm subcontracted to Swedish glassmaker Orrefors/Kosta Boda USA.

Yes, we must have it. It is the technology to have.  It will lead us to the next Utopia.  It will do everything you dream of.  It will allow you to read anywhere.  It will cook your bacon.  It will clean your house.

What is this amazing item that will deliver our future of technology today? Continue Reading »

Well, we already know that we hate it due to the government can't run a lemonade stand, let alone a health care system like Medicare\Medicaid.  But now they want to run the whole country's care?  With less money?

We know that everywhere this type of health care system has been undertaken, it has failed and is failing.

We know that any Socialist that makes a proposal about control, that control will be Socialism.

And, we now also know that this Health Care bill will also radically alter the Student Loan system.

Obama pledged the use of coal and oil during his 2010 State of the Union address along with nuclear an alternative energy sources. 

But yet,

...for the next three years and probably more, trillions of dollars in domestic energy assets will remain untouched while billions of dollars more are spent on foreign oil.

Pres Obama is locking away vast amounts of natural and easily accessible sources of energy.  Continue Reading »

Sanity prevails.  America prevails.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected two legal challenges by Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow, who claimed the references to God disrespect his religious beliefs.

"The Pledge is constitutional," Judge Carlos Bea wrote for the majority in the 2-1 ruling. "The Pledge of Allegiance serves to unite our vast nation through the proud recitation of some of the ideals upon which our Republic was founded."

And what is more...

In a separate 3-0 ruling Thursday, the appeals court upheld the inscription of the national motto "In God We Trust" on coins and currency, saying that the phrase is ceremonial and patriotic, not religious.

So, what did the anti-American athiest zealot have to say about all of this?

Reached on his cell phone, Newdow said he hadn't been aware that the appeals court had ruled against him Thursday.

"Oh man, what a bummer," he said.

Now, send him the bill for all this harassment and see if he still thinks its just "a bummer"!!

Yep.  That statement heard coming soon to a Chicago school near you.

It is bad enough that Chicago itself is one of the most, if not #1, dangerous city in America for juveniles.  Now, the Dept of Education is buying shotguns!

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) intends to purchase twenty-seven (27) REMINGTON BRAND MODEL 870 POLICE 12/14P MOD GRWC XS4 KXCS SF. RAMAC #24587 GAUGE: 12 BARREL: 14" - PARKERIZED CHOKE: MODIFIED SIGHTS: GHOST RING REAR WILSON COMBAT; FRONT - XS CONTOUR BEAD SIGHT STOCK: KNOXX REDUCE RECOIL ADJUSTABLE STOCK FORE-END: SPEEDFEED SPORT-SOLID - 14" LOP are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.

Didn't we have the IRS buying assault shotguns a while back? 

That last line makes me really scared.  The Dept of Education has an inventory of shotguns and battle armor?

Holy freak!!! 

Are the Chicago schools really that bad that the teachers have to wear amor and carry shotguns?  I mean, who else would? 

When you allow progressives, socialists, and liberals a foothold in your country and your life, they desire more and more control.  We allowed them in to help provide some jobs during the Great Depression.  We allowed them in more to help give our old people supplemental income when retirement and savings accounts were unheard of.  They were then allowed to institute health care for the poor and elderly as well.  All good intentions.

They were then allowed to provide monies to the unemployed and unemployable.  No longer were families thrown out in the cold and forced to find any kind of work should they lose their former jobs.  Now, they can look for more fitting employment with ease and less stress.

They were then allowed to determine how much people got paid by private companies.  They were allowed to dictate the level of health care that the company and worker agreed to.  They were allowed to dictate taxes and fees on any and everything.  They were allowed to dictate where people could live and what people could do do or construct on their own properties.  They were allowed to take personal properties in place of property taxes.  They were allowed to charge drivers for driving on certain roads and were now allowed to dictate what kinds of vehicles people could buy.

Lately, we have allowed these do-gooders, busy-bodies, over-bearers to dictate what kinds of food we could buy and eat.  They banned certain foods and food ingredients and even how foods were made.  Some have even gone to the extraordinary step of banning your easy access to food by just driving by the restaurant.

Now, these progressive, socialist, liberal nazi's are seeking to take that power one step more. Continue Reading »

How many times have we heard about the transplanting of species in attempts to either bring in an economy or to eliminate a pest and it turns around and causes a much bigger problem than the original issue.

Pigs and cats in Hawaii?  Snakeheads in California?

Well, scientists who think they know everything are at it again.

A handout image obtained on March 9 shows an adult psyllid, a Japanese insect which preys on Japanese knotweed. The insect is to be introduced on a trial basis in Britain to tackle a damaging super-weed, the government announced Tuesday.
(AFP/CABI)

They want to bring in a plant eating insect from Japan in the hopes that it will eat, and only eat, a noxious weed.  Yeah..... Say good bye to your agriculture, England.

I guess spraying the weeds is out of question?  Oh right.  The informed don't spray anymore.  After banning DDT spraying to kill off Malaria-carrying mosquitos, we are now being banned more and more from home-spraying of weeds with easy and effective herbicides. 

Now, Malaria is growing around the globe and my weeds are harder to kill.  Ugh, it is going to be another clover year.