Recommended Reading

See Direct Link Between Algeria Attack that Killed 3 Americans and Libya Attack that Killed 4 at Mike's America.

Conform!

The government of the District of Columbia, apparently having nothing else to do, has decided that taxicabs in Washington, D.C, must conform to a uniform color code.  Four of the proposed color schemes:

You can view all of the color schemes HERE.

According to the Washington Times:

Video: Slaves of Dubai

(hat tip to Mark Alexander of A New Dark Age Is Dawning)

Most people know Dubai for its massive skyscrapers and luxurious hotels, but few know that the city was built by modern-day slaves.

Please watch the following video:

Some Details About Media Bias

Please watch the following short video, particularly appropriate on Inauguration Day 2013 (hat tip to Randy's Roundtable):

Blog Break

My friend Tammy Swofford — blogger, journalist, and novelist — arrives today for a short visit with the AOW household. I will have little or no time for blogging during Tammy's visit.

Obama's Arrogance

(Two posts today.  If you own a car, please scroll down)

At yesterday's press conference, Obama stated:

"I'm a pretty friendly guy. I like a good party," Obama said during his press conference Monday at the White House. He joked that, "now that my girls are getting older, they don't want to spend that much time with me anyway, so I'll be probably calling around, looking for somebody to play cards with."

Obama also said the following (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

If Congressional Republicans refuse to pay America’s bills on time, Social Security checks and veterans benefits will be delayed.

At Infidel Bloggers Alliance, Epaminondas opined

Uhm .. SOCIAL SECURITY, Mr. President is funded separately from the budget. Just because you have been raiding it’s surpluses until now, to fund Solyndra and trips by Michelle to the Costa Del Sol does not give you the ability to hold those funds to get the people to blame republicans for TRYING to have SOME TINY degree of responsibility.

TINY....

Ever since re-elected, Obama's arrogance has been growing by leaps and bounds.  Expect more of the same for the next four years.

We have a demagogue as President of the United States.

Beware Of E 15

You need to know — before you find out the hard way.


From How The Fiscal Cliff Bill Might Void Your Car's Warranty:

The Entitlement Tsunami

(hat tip to Debbie of Right Truth)

Please take THIS QUIZ. Worth your time.

Neither of the two major political parties has even begun to batten down the hatches in advance of this tsunami.

Winter Beauty

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

Enjoy this video footage taken at Yellowstone National Park:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Video - CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad: Islam and the U.S. Are Twins, Linked by Common Values, There Are Accounts that Muslims Discovered America before Columbus

How college students think they are more special than EVER: Study reveals rocketing sense of entitlement on U.S. campuses

Tyranny And Gun Control

Gun-control executive order in the works?


From the Weekly Standard on January 9, 2013:

"The president is going to act," said Biden, giving some comments to the press before a meeting with victims of gun violence. "There are executive orders, there's executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action that we believe is required."

Biden said that this is a moral issue and that "it's critically important that we act."

Biden talked also about taking responsible action. "As the president said, if your actions result in only saving one life, they're worth taking. But I'm convinced we can affect the well-being of millions of Americans and take thousands of people out of harm's way if we act responsibly."

Biden, as he himself noted, helped write the Brady bill.

Eric Holder was scheduled to be at the meeting that's currently taking place at the White House.

A history lesson (hat tip to Gateway Pundit for the video below):


Some reading from, of all places, Pravda, on December 28, 2012, by guest writer Mat Rodina: Americans never give up your guns.  [working link HERE]; the Pravda link is no longer working]  First paragraph:

These days, there are few things to admire about the socialist, bankrupt and culturally degenerating USA, but at least so far, one thing remains: the right to bear arms and use deadly force to defend one's self and possessions....

Read the rest HERE.

For as long as I can remember, alarmists have been screeching, "They're coming for our guns!"  That screeching got on my nerves like you wouldn't believe.

Now, in these weeks after the horror of Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, I am reminded of Aesop's story, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," the reason that I used the graphic at the beginning of this blog post:

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored as he sat on the hillside watching the village sheep. To amuse himself he took a great breath and sang out, "Wolf! Wolf! The Wolf is chasing the sheep!"

The villagers came running up the hill to help the boy drive the wolf away. But when they arrived at the top of the hill, they found no wolf. The boy laughed at the sight of their angry faces.

"Don't cry 'wolf', shepherd boy," said the villagers, "when there's no wolf!" They went grumbling back down the hill.

Later, the boy sang out again, "Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!" To his naughty delight, he watched the villagers run up the hill to help him drive the wolf away.

When the villagers saw no wolf they sternly said, "Save your frightened song for when there is really something wrong! Don't cry 'wolf' when there is NO wolf!"

But the boy just grinned and watched them go grumbling down the hill once more.

Later, he saw a REAL wolf prowling about his flock. Alarmed, he leaped to his feet and sang out as loudly as he could, "Wolf! Wolf!"

But the villagers thought he was trying to fool them again, and so they didn't come.

At sunset, everyone wondered why the shepherd boy hadn't returned to the village with their sheep. They went up the hill to find the boy. They found him weeping.

"There really was a wolf here! The flock has scattered! I cried out, "Wolf!" Why didn't you come?"

An old man tried to comfort the boy as they walked back to the village.

"We'll help you look for the lost sheep in the morning," he said, putting his arm around the youth, "Nobody believes a liar...even when he is telling the truth!"

Shortly, America is going to find out if the wolf has truly arrived.

Recommended Reading

See A NEW GENERATION by Mustang at A Montpelier View.  A glimpse of the future? Is there any remedy? Your comments welcome here at Always On Watch.

Top Cat

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

Cameo was the youngest cat in the household until Amber arrived on September 13, 2012.

Click directly on the image to enlarge it:

Cameo, true to her Siamese heritage, has been our alpha cat since her arrival in 2001. She is top cat and knows it! Nevertheless, she mothers Amber. Cameo has even allowed Amber to take over the bedroom as personal den and shares food with "her baby."

Politics And Mental Health

A few weeks ago, Indigo Red left the comment below to this thread here at Always On Watch (emphases mine):

The roots of the current problem go all the way back to the Eugenics Movement that spawned the Holocaust and Planned Parenthood.

"It is true Gov Reagan did gut funding for state mental hospitals, but was forced to do so by court decisions ruling that the mental health patients could not be confined without patient consent or due process. Previously, people could be detained and institutionalized for any number of reasons and often for no good reason.

In an attempt to find alternatives to the eugenics movement that contributed so much to the Holocaust, a federal mental health study was begun in 1955 resulting in the 1963 Mental Health Act as part of John Kennedy's New Frontier. From this came multiple court decisions emancipating the mentally ill from the vagaries of the law and the shame of families with mentally ill members. Because the decisions were Federal and states are always trying to save local money, the Federal gov't then became the funding agency of first resort while states cut back on local funding. The Federal budget was not large enough to cover all the new fiscal demands of the new found mental health gold mine limited the resources to the states. (Lesson for ObamaCare.)

While Reagan was governor (1967-75), a Federal court ruled in Jackson v. Indiana (1972) that due process required the commitment for mental health treatment also required adequate and appropriate treatment must be provided - the mentally ill could no longer be warehoused for the safety of themselves and society, they must be treated in preparation for release to the general population and several lower courts recognized the due process right of the mentally ill. In that same year, Gov Reagan signed the Lanterman–Petris–Short Act effectively doing what the O'Connor v. Donaldson ruling would do nationwide in 1975. The LPS bill had bipartisan support and was widely lauded by the left as a civil rights masterpiece. The ACLU argued for the end of forced institutionalization of harmless insane people. Ronald Reagan argued just the opposite, but was compelled by the courts to release the harmless mentally ill without any guidance on what harmless meant after hospitalization and medication. It was, in fact, assumed that the mentally ill, when returned to sanity, lucidity, and reality, would voluntarily continue their treatment and medications never wanting to go back to crazy. Boy, were the experts ever wrong.

As President, Ronald Reagan repealed the Mental Health Systems Act by signing the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 consolidating ADAMHA's treatment and rehabilitation programs into a single block grant enabling each State to administer its own allocated funds. The repeal of the community mental health legislation and the establishment of block grants, the Federal role in mental health services changed once again from funding to providing technical assistance in increasing the local providers capacity for mental health services to a population of growing mental health concerns because of the continued redefining of and addition to mental health disorders.

Once the funding responsibilities of States had been taken up by the Federal government and the States having found other uses for the money formerly used for the mentally ill, States were reluctant and loathe to finding new State funding or dropping other programs to re-fund moribund mental health programs. And now we're stuck with mentally ill people without help, without the wherewithal to request help, and a society so increasingly frightened of the mentally ill they are threatening to disarm in the face of danger and at the same time take to the streets with pitchforks and torches to chase down and slay the monsters among us. What a fine mess good intentions have left us."

AOW, I have a cousin not much younger than myself who has been mentally ill for as long as I can recall. As a child he would beat his head against walls and his family thought it was cute as did schools and doctors. Eventually after many years in and out of prison and mental hospitals, and not being able to find adequate help, he took control of his life the only way he knew how - with a screw driver in his hand, he faced two police officers in an alley who shot him 7 times. He survived, but since that time almost 30 yrs ago, he has been in prison for psychiatric care. It's where he wanted to be -- or dead. He's been diagnosed as autistic and schizophrenic and had been before such diagnoses had been possible.

As the above words by Indigo Red indicate, the law of unintended consequences has reverberating effects that can direly affect society — effects that reap the whirlwind.

Now, how do we remedy this mess? Or CAN we remedy this mess and, at the same time, safeguard individuals' rights?

January 6: Epiphany

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

January 6 is also known as Three Kings Day and the last of the Twelve Days of Chrismtas.

The Bible is silent as to how many magi visited the Holy Family and exactly when they came to present their gifts. Nevertheless, the carol most associated with this day is hauntingly beautiful:


Words to the carol below the fold.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Ladies of the Democratic Party Pose For Photo on Capitol Steps (or, how not to dress)

Liberal columnist calls for killing NRA members and declaring group a terrorist organization

Obama picks his favourite photos of himself for 2012 (not that he likes to show off)

State Department who "resigned" after Libya findings never left

Health Care Tax Hikes for 2013 May Be Just a Start

Murderers 'ask for fertility treatment on NHS so they can father children from behind bars'

America, This Is Your Congress

Picture of Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) below the fold (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance).  SPEW ALERT!

This Week On The Gathering Storm

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, hosted by WC and Always On Watch. The show broadcasts live for 30 minutes every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is 646-915-9870. Callers welcome!

Our scheduled guest is my good friend and fellow infidel Pastorius of Infidel Bloggers Alliance.

Listen to the January 4, 2013 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:

Israel 2013 - Czechoslovakia 1938?

(Two posts today, the earlier one about the fiscal cliff "deal."  Please scroll down)

Is history repeating itself?  Please watch the video below the fold.

The Fiscal Cliff Deal

Some deal, some rescue.

Annual Tax Increase = $62 Billion


2011 Budget Deficit = $1,089 Billion



This graphic from Zero Hedge says it all:

Selective Reporting

From Nice Deb:

On Sunday night, December 16, 2012, a man went to the China Garden restaurant in San Antonio and opened fire. The gunman intended to kill his ex-girlfriend but as she wasn’t there, so he continued on to the movie theater next door where he fired on panicked moviegoers, sending them to the exits, and ducking for cover.

Witnesses said the shooting reminded them of the Dark Knight theater massacre last July that killed 12 people and injured 58 in Aurora, Colo.

The story was covered locally, but seeing as it happened just one day after the Sandyhook massacre in Connecticut, you would think it would have gotten more airplay in the MSM. Don’t stories like this one play right into their anti-gun hands?

No – not this one....

As long as the mainstream media hold sway, public opinion will be ever skewed to the Left.

As Thomas Jefferson said:

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be...The People cannot be safe without information....

Happy New Year!

To all who stop by this blog:

CLICK HERE FOR AN E-CARD COUNTING DOWN THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW YEAR
So, do YOU have any New Year's resolutions?

My resolutions for 2013: (1) spending less time on the web, (2) spending more time reading novels, and (3) spending more time practicing the piano according to workable schedule.   The past few weeks, I've returned to one of my favorite pastimes, a pastime that I gave up after 9/11: working the crossword puzzle in my daily newspaper;  I'm going to continue to enjoy that pastime in the new year.

For once, I don't need to make a resolution to lose weight.  Over 40 pounds lost in 2012.  Yeehaw!

Do YOU have any specific wishes for 2013?

I wish for continued health for myself and for every living creature in the AOW household.

Do YOU have anything specific that you're looking forward to in the new year?

Mr. AOW and I are looking forward to a January visit from Tammy Swofford, journalist, author, and fellow blogger; she will be staying with us for a few days, and we'll be cramming as much fun as possible into those few days.  In the summer, Mr. AOW and I hope to take our first road trip since his brain hemorrhage in 2009.

(hat tip to Conservatives on Fire for the above video)

Cameo And The Christmas Tree

(This re-post will be stuck here through the Christmas season. Please scroll down for more recent material)

With many thanks to Stogie, who made the graphic for this post in 2011! Click directly on the picture to enlarge it:


I wrote the story below the fold in 2005. Within the past several months, Cameo has mellowed (somewhat, anyway, in large part due to her recent illness). But the memories of those bygone days Cameo's terrorizing the Christmas tree still bring a smile to our faces. I hope that the anecdote will bring a smile to your face too.

Retro Break From Politics

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

The parody Went with the Wind, one of the best comedy skits ever:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Mona Eltahawy links her vandalism of AFDI ads to a sexual revolution, or something

[Narcissist in Chief] Obama Uses Funeral Service to Talk About Himself [63 Times]

Analysis of social media in Libya finds no reference to anti-Islam film on day of [Benghazi] attack

Dated December 21, 2012: Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn't reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.

At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, "I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?"

[...]

The president repeatedly reminded Mr. Boehner of the election results: "You're asking me to accept Mitt Romney's tax plan. Why would I do that?"

The Sword Wielder At The School

Creeping Sharia asks:

Why wasn’t this story big news this week following Sandy Hook? Why no outrcries to ban swords (a popular Islamic icon along with AK-47′s)? Why such a muted reaction from the Islamic school and the sharia-pushers?

Could it be because the perpetrator isn’t an ideal target for CAIR nor big brother media? Could the perp herself be Muslim?

According to the News 6 video she was driving a vehicle registered to the Dept. of Defense at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Odd to say the least.

Video of one news report about the incident, which occurred on December 19, 2012:

Mr. AOW And Amber Settle In For Their Long Winter's Nap

I couldn't resist lifting this post from Mr. AOW's web site (Click directly on the images to enlarge them):

After all the Christmas goodies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Amber, the kitten that Mrs. AOW and I got a few months ago, and I have settled in for our long winter's nap:

Amber has celebrated her first Christmas. What a hoot!

On Christmas Eve, she freaked out when she saw those big flakes of snow flying around.

On Christmas morning, Amber got so excited about her Christmas present - a catnip toy - that she flipped up in the air and came down in her water dish! Mrs. AOW couldn't grab the camera in time, of course. Amber was off and running to get away from all that spilled water.

Amber in her kitty hut:

One Cat's Views On Christmas

Henri Le Chat Noir:

Welcome All Wonders

Many years ago, I had the privilege of working under the baton of Richard Wayne Dirksen at the Washington National Cathedral. Below is one of his choral pieces, a glorious celebration of the birth of Christ the Lord. Ever since I obtained a recording of "Welcome All Wonders," I never let a Christmas go by without listening to this glorious musical celebration of the birth of Christ the Lord:

Welcome all wonders in one sight! Eternity shut in a span.
Summer in winter, day in night, heaven in earth, and God in man,
That He, the old Eternal Word, should be a Child and weep.
Each of us his lamb will bring, each his pair of silver doves,
Till burnt at last in fire of thy fair eyes, ourselves become our own best sacrifice.
Welcome all wonders in one sight!

(Thanks, Stogie, for the Christmas graphic of Amber, Mysti, and Cameo)

Christmas Eve

For today, no politics! Instead, two beloved carols to feed the soul during this Holy Season:

Longfellow's Christmas

With thanks to Mustang, who emailed me the following last Christmas:

Christmas Lights

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Northern Virginia:

More images from the Winter Walk of Lights HERE.

This web site has many photos taken at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens during other seasons of the year.  This particular photo shows the gazebo in the spring.

So much beauty in the world!  I hope that you will take a few moments to explore the above links.  It seems to me that we spend too much time dwelling on politics — and the ugliness and the divisiveness thereof.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Despite Tax Increase, California State Revenues in Freefall

"We have a country where the young don’t know Shakespeare and haven’t read the Bible, and their lives are almost wholly unconnected with the past."

JD Hayworth Infomercial: Free money! You never have to pay it back!

Obama approved F-16 fighter jets as gift to Egypt

[Baltimore] Speed camera nabs car stopped at light

Christmas Jazz: "O Tannenbaum" And "Canadian Sunset"

Enjoy and relax (hat tip to Stogie for the first video):


Crooner jazz from 1959 below the fold:

Musical Interlude

!

The words, a poem by Christina Rosetti:

Madonna And Child

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

A lovely Madonna and Child:

When Autists Become Monsters

(This post is my final one regarding the terrible events of last week)

It is not politically correct to criticize the disabled.

But sometimes disability is mental illness.  Rarely, thank God!

According to some information to date, dangerous and deadly mental illness resulted in the horror inside the walls of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012.

From Salon in March of 2009:

Dangerous Travel Destinations

According to Travel and Leisure, the following are the top ten most dangerous travel destinations (hat tip to Debbie of Right Truth):

1. Pakistan

2. The Sudan

3. Georgia

4. Lebanon

5. North Korea

6. Syria

7. Yemen

8. Uzbekistan

9. Iran

10. Algeria

The above are dominated by Islamic law or socialism.

Musical Interlude

Enjoy!


Information about "Carol of the Bells," composed in 1904 by Ukrainians Mykola Leontovych (music) and Peter J. Wilhousky (lyrics).

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

ELECTION OVER, ADMINISTRATION UNLEASHES NEW "JOB-KILLING" REGULATIONS

New York City Hits Sandy Victims With ‘Failure To Maintain’ Property Citation: And What's More, The Tree Causing All The Fuss Was City's Responsibility

21 Blatant Lies Obama Has Told you Directly To Your Face

Obama Honors Rosa Parks by Tweeting a Photograph of Himself

Beyond Horrible, Beyond Tragic

Dead in Connecticut school shooting include 20 children

The bereaved and the survivors are scarred for life.  They will never recover.

The saddest music I know below the fold:

Amazing!

(If you must have politics, please scroll to a few posts below this one)

Salvador Dali and Walt Disney collaborated (hat tip to Thersites):


More information below the fold.

An Annual Odious Task (And My Consolation Prize: The Life of Pi)

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

I have never enjoyed shopping — especially Christmas shopping.

The crowds.

Our unfamiliarity with the layout of the mall and the department stores.

Too many decisions to make.

The U.S. National Debt Visualized (With Addendum)

With a hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News:


Where do we go from here?

Please make time to watch the following short addendum (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):


Did you hear what Harry Belafonte said toward the end of the above video clip?  He has actually advocated imprisonment of opposition to the Obama agenda and that Obama "work like a Third World Dictator"!

Good News!

Back on October 5, I posted about M, one of my finest students  — exceptional in several ways.  She is of Ethiopian descent, and both of her parents immigrated to the United States, where her five children were born.  M is the oldest of the five and turned 11 years old on December 4.

At the age of 41, M's mother perished on November 5 of inflammatory breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types of the disease, while she was visiting friends and family in the country of her birth. She chose to go there alone so as to spare her husband and her children from witnessing those last terrible days.  In fact, her visit to Ethiopia was very short  — only a matter of a week or so.

Blog Break

The semester break and Christmas vacation officially begin on December 11 at 3:00 P.M.  I have an unusually-heavy teaching schedule the next few days and am taking a short blog break until my workload eases off. In addition, I need some time to consider the direction in which to take this blog after the debacle of an election on November 6.

IED Detonated At Arizona Social Security Office

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

[Pictured at the left: Abdullatif Aldosary, arrested for detonating the IED on November 30, 2012]

The major mainstream media outlets continue to ignore whatever doesn't contribute to the agenda actively promoted by our so-called leaders. Thus far, only local media in Arizona have reported the name of the man arrested.

From Pajamas Media, dated December 2:

About The Fiscal Cliff

Possibly of interest (hat tip to American Power):


Of course, WE THE PEOPLE are powerless in all this negotiation relating to the fiscal cliff. WE THE PEOPLE had our say on November 6 and will have to live with the consequences.

Musical Interlude

Advent 2012 begins today.   The Advent season is the time of preparation for celebration of the Nativity.

A processional hymn for Franciscan nuns, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is one of the oldest and one of the most solemn pieces in the Advent repertoire:


Another interpretation:


More information about "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" HERE.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS in the Urban Dictionary. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more possibly added as the weekend progresses):

Texas Schools Teaching Boston Tea Party As Terrorist Act

Jamie Foxx Gives “Honor to God and Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama” (Video)

White House Says Disagreeing With Obama-Claus Will Ruin Christmas

Who Knew?

(Two posts today.  Please scroll down)

November 2012 has been Islamophobia Awareness Month (hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):

Birds Of A Feather

From Politico on November 28, 2012 (hat tip to Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

Obama And The Fiscal Cliff

In the video clip below the fold, Charles Krauthammer opines that Obama is trying to destroy the GOP — not trying fix the economy (hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):

Holiday Trees

Why not just throw any reference to Christmas to the curb? But don't you dare avoid references to Ramadan!

Via Weasel Zippers:

A North Carolina community college has been accused of violating the First Amendment rights of students after they told a club they could not use the word “Christmas” to promote a Christmas tree sale.

Academia's Lies

Recently, George Washington University, an educational institution with astronomical tuition rates, lost its coveted spot in the college rankings list produced by U.S. News & World Report, a guide often consulted by parents, students, and guidance counselors.  Excerpt from this article in the Washington Post:

Pat Condell On Middle East Peace

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Worth a few minutes of your time (hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):

A Viable Strategy?

From this article that appeared on November 16, 2012 (hat tip to Rational Nation USA):

LAS VEGAS—After two days of meetings at the Republican Governors Association conference, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez on Thursday said she heard a lot about the party's need to reach new constituencies—particularly women and ethnic minorities—but few specifics about how.

Dance A Jig Of Thanks!

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

With a hat tip to FreeThinke, who provides additional information about this music by J.S. Bach and the painting by Peter Paul Rubens:

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post.   For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more may be added as the weekend progresses):

NYC sends health teams to post-Sandy food handouts, rubbing some wrong way

New Beltway express lanes lead to crashes and changes

Barack Obama blunders again on the world stage

Crime And Punishment In The UK

If the following is accurate, Eurabia is in full bloom in the UK:

Thanksgiving 2012

During this season of Thanksgiving, may we put aside all matters except the counting of our bountiful blessings!

This Thanksgiving 2012, what are you most thankful for?

Below the fold, you can read my responses to that question.

The Ship Of State

From this essay at American Digest (hat tip to Pastorius of Infidel Bloggers Alliance):

The thing is under the boat. The crew suspects as much but can't know for sure exactly where it is. They won't know where Leviathan is until it rises, inevitable and unstoppable, from the deep directly beneath them.

Can you feel it lurking just under the surface? I can and I think you can as well. The Greeks knew it as "Nemesis." Melville's Ahab knew it as "thou damned whale" and he struck at it from Hell's heart. Unperturbed it gathered him up and took him down. Then it took the boat and after that the ship. All save one followed. The whale beneath the surface of America's life is still there and all signs point to its breaching soon. Exactly where and exactly how are still unknown, but soon.

I feel the thing beneath the boat and I think others of my fellow citizens in ever growing millions feel it as well. We do not feel good about it and what it augers for the near and far future.


[...]

It's large and it's under the boat and it is beginning to rise. The crew is confused and flailing about. And the captain is insane but convinced he's on the right course. During the boom years it was commonly said, "A rising tide lifts all boats." True enough, but the rising of Leviathan can break the spine of our boat and send it down into the Maelstrom. And the thing is under the boat.

Read the entire essay HERE.

Or was Longfellow correct in his poem "O Ship of State"?

A Time Gone By

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

Believe it or not, life here in Northern Virginia in the 1950s was much like what is depicted in the video below — without the Western flavor, of course (hat tip to Paladin of Jumpmaster 263):


More photos HERE.

Nincompoopery

(Weekend roundup post, a new feature here at Always On Watch. For the definition of nincompoop, see THIS. Commenters are encouraged to post links that tell of more nincompoopery)

Links to read (more added below the fold as the weekend progresses):

Obama Consults With MSNBC Host Al Sharpton, and Other Civil Rights Leaders, on Fiscal Talks

Despite $15.9 billion loss, U.S. Postal Service execs see boost in pay

Goodbye, Private Retirement Accounts?

From the National Seniors Council (hat tip to Will of MFS - The Other News):

Thoughts From An Obama Supporter

Food for thought.


An Obama supporter whom I indirectly know opined the following the day after the November 2012 Election (paraphrase):

Botox On The Brain?

Nancy Pelosi on November 14, 2012, outdoes herself. Spew alert!

Behind Gore's Fraud

By Sam Huntington

According to a recent report by UPI, Al Gore said that global warming is the real culprit behind Hurricane Sandy, and predicts that global warming could mean even more storms like Sandy.  According to Gore, “Scientists tell us that by continually dumping 90 million tons of global warming pollution into the atmosphere every single day, we are altering the environment in which all storms develop.  As the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, storms are becoming more energetic and powerful.” 

My only response to this is, Simply Amazing.  I’m cleaning up my vocabulary. 

Obama Moving Quickly On His Agenda

Two recent items from the Washington Times:

A New Era

(If you haven't read yesterday's post here at Always On Watch, please do so. The videos are, well, something else)

"The dawn of a new era," says the Communist Party USA upon the re-election of Barack Hussein Obama on November 6, 2012.

I hear cries of bravado from the Right: "We'll take back the Senate in two years!"

Reality check!

"America"

The video of college students celebrating Obama's reelection outside the White House makes me doubly sad and doubly angry on this 2012 observance of Veterans Day (hat tip to Geeeeez! for the video):

Veterans Day

Blog Break

(If you must have politics, please scroll down)

The reasons for this blog break are three — and completely unrelated to the recent election results.

The Day After Election Day (With Addendum)

Now, what? 

And what have we learned about America via this 2012 election?

Inauguration Day arrives on January 21, 2013.  The inauguration of the President of the United States cannot occur on January 20 because that date falls on a Sunday next year.

Addendum: Election analysis by Epaminondas of Infidel Bloggers Alliance below the fold (lightly edited and with emphases mine):

Election Day Open Thread

(Two posts today. Please scroll down)

Have your say at the ballot box and here at Always On Watch!

Mr. AOW and I plan to go to the polls early this morning before I go to work. If the line is so long that I have to get to work before I've voted, I'll have to get back into the line when I get off from work.

If we have to make two trips to cast my vote, so be it.  Since the day that I first became eligible to vote, I've never missed the opportunity to exercise my right to have my say at the ballot box.

We do expect long lines here in Virginia, a 2012 battleground state.

Recommended Reading

See The devolution of an American president, a commentary by Tammy Swofford in the Daily Times Pakistan.

Also see The Benghazi Fiasco. Why? Why? WHY?!!! at Conservatives on Fire.  Worth your time and consideration.

Both essays are worth your time.

Video: Conservatism Is Calling

(Two posts today.  Please scroll down)

Please watch (with a hat tip to Black Sheep of Newsbleat):

Obama's Green Energy Failures

The complete list and all taxpayer funded, of course (hat tip to Randy's Roundtable):

Fall Colors

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling.  I have a political post for today)

CLICK HERE to enjoy some beauty and a respite from politics!

The home page for this photographer is HERE.

Informed Voters?

On the campus of Ohio University on October 17, 2012 (hat tip to Mike's America):


Ye, gods!

Your comments welcome.

Obama's Outrageous Lies

Sixty-five of them (hat tip to Reliapundit of THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS):

Message To Duck From The Beak

From the disaster zone of New York City, Beakerkin phoned me with the following message to relay:

Quote Of The Day

Dated April 18, 2011, the following is from the Prager Zeitung, a publication in the Czech Republic (hat tip to Freedom by the Way):

The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting an inexperienced man like him with the Presidency.  It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America.  Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince.  The Republic can survive a Barack Obama. It is less likely to survive a multitude of Idiots such as those who made him their president.

Beyond Incompetent

Our government is so large, and so complex that I am by now convinced that it doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. Worse, it doesn’t seem to understand very much about what it does know. I will happily admit that “nation building” is complex in the extreme, and the truth of this helps us to understand why so many Americans are opposed to such policy. What follows is but one example of the pitfalls of nation building.