Don't Miss Your Life: Epiphany On The Road Home

There are those moments, those moments when time stands completely still. Sometimes, we can schedule their arrival, such as midnight service on Christmas Eve--we show up and The Moment happens, right on time. Other times, we can sense something may happen, as the sunset approaches, or Bubba Watson (or Tom Watson!) lines up that final putt, Kirk Gibson at the plate when only a home run will do, when the fishing fly hits the water just-so under that particular tree limb.

Then, there are the completely unexpected epiphanies, when the heavens open up and the angels sing, perhaps loudly perhaps softly; still it's unmistakeably a voice from outside that takes us by the lapels, looks us in the eye and growls--Pay Attention! You need to listen!

OS has had just a few of those, and reports with regret he disregarded a few of them. Others, he is grateful to report, he heeded.

Yesterday saw one of those moments arrive unbidden, out of the blue, like a slap upside-da-head. OS was driving home from short business trip, decided to see how much of the interstate he could avoid, and took in the countryside and small towns of southern Tennessee. The radio was playing, oldies until the station faded, a bit of black gospel (same story), and then a strong-signal country station from the next county over...ahh that's better. Some dreck, some classics. OS decided to drive through what remains of the once pretty downtown of Fayetteville. It was a scene of long decline, capped by this last recession decisively kicking the legs out from underneath the town. Radio playing, radio playing....and a song begins about a busy man on a plane with a deadline and BigThingsToDo--this song, as a matter of fact.

It tears at the heart, this song. OS was listening, absorbed in the lyric, rounded the curve at the old city cemetery, and saw a large old tombstone facing out to the road--with his name on it. Song plays on, and on--Don't Miss Your Life.

So, for the record (no pun intended) this epiphany did capture the attention, and OS has no intention of disregarding such a gift.

Al Amendariz Issues An Apology Of A Sort--Where's The Line That Says 'I Resign'?

From CBS News

HOUSTON — A top administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has apologized for using the word "crucify" two years ago when describing the agency's enforcement policies, and for saying it makes examples of bad players in the oil and gas industry.

EPA Region 6 administrator Al Armendariz, who oversees Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico, issued a written apology Wednesday after video surfaced of him at a meeting in May 2010 in the tiny town of Dish.

The video shows Armendariz answering a question about the agency's enforcement policies. In the Middle Ages, he tells the crowd, the Romans would enter a troublesome village, "take the first five guys they saw and crucify them." Then the town would be "really easy to manage for the next few years," he said.

Armendariz's apology was issued Wednesday by the EPA's headquarters in Washington.

"I apologize to those I have offended and regret my poor choice of words. It was an offensive and inaccurate way to portray our efforts to address potential violations of our nation's environmental laws," he said. "I am always and have been committed to fair and vigorous enforcement of those laws."

Cynthia Giles, the assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, also issued a statement.

"Strong, fair and effective enforcement of the environmental laws passed by Congress is critical to protecting public health and ensuring that all companies, regardless of industry, are playing by the same rules," she wrote.


A few points come to mind:

1. Al didn't write the apology, and he sure didn't have the stones to actually go on camera and read it. Both would require a bit of contrition and true integrity. Remember, after all, this is the Obama administration.

2. Notice what the apology conveys--just a poor choice of words. Actually no apology for the attitudes behind those words, from either him or Mzzzzz Giles. The apology is for the manner of stating the brutal attitude taken by the EPA toward the culture and economy of the United States. There is no repentance concerning the policy set in place and followed. They plan to continue screwing us all to the wall, and will take care to not be so candid about it. Sweeeeeet.

3.  Had this occurred in the Reagan or either Bush administrations, CBS and NBC would lead off every hour expressing their outrage at this outrageous pronouncement, and demanding resignations.
Not a peep except a quiet reporting of a non-apology.

This is a firing offense, and the Administration should have him cleaning out his office in the morning.  But they won't, and the mainstream press will never utter a discouraging word.

Al Amendariz, EPA's 'Enforcer' For The Oil Fields Of Oklahoma And Texas

The news spread pretty quickly about the video of the speech given by EPA Region 6 Administrator Al Armedariz. The YouTube video carrying the speech has been stuffed down the Memory Hole already, but not before being viewed many times, and its content noted in the Congressional Record by Senator Inhofe. Oops.


So, in fairness to Mr. Armendariz, OS looked him up on the EPA website. The first sentence is most informative. He is Obama's man.

Al Armendariz was appointed by President Obama on November 5, 2009, as the Regional Administrator for EPA’s Region 6 office in Dallas. He is responsible for managing Agency activities in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 tribal nations, under the direction of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Dr. Armendariz has brought a deep commitment to environmental issues to his work at EPA. He has made working with communities a priority across the Region, frequently engaging directly with those most vulnerable to harm from polluters. This was especially evident during the Agency's response to 2010's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, during which he worked tirelessly with area residents, local governments, and community groups. As he continues his tenure, he brings the same passion to the Region's work on air quality, wetlands protection, climate change and other environmental goals.

Let's think back a bit to what the Obama Administration did in response to the BP oil spill. They proceeded to shut down the oil industry in toto, and impoverished large swaths of the US Gulf Coast. Guess what happens to states that don't vote for Obama...

That word 'passion' is descriptive, because on the now disappeared video, in his speech given before a friendly audience, he said:


EPA’s “philosophy of enforcement is kind of like how the Romans used to conquer little villages in the Mediterranean: they’d go into little Turkish towns somewhere, they’d find the first five guys they’d run into, and they’d crucify them.”

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years,” Armendariz added.

Sweet--he's an historian, too!

Let's repeat that final phrase a few times...

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years."

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years."

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years."

“That town was really easy to manage for the next few years."

Does it make you wonder if your town, your business, your school, your church, your family is next?

Happy Earth Day, everybody. This is our future under Barack Obama.

   

The Great Louisville Orchestra Food Fight May Possibly Pause For A Truce

At least the musicians are announcing news to that effect.

What seems to be in place will be a one-year contract with a mediator hired to see if a longer agreement can't be worked out.

This whole episode resembles one of those really nasty divorces in which former spouses decide they'd each rather spend 50k on lawyer fees than allow the other to keep the patio furniture.

Simultaneous to this announcement, news that Louisville Fund for the Arts has appointed a new executive director.

The two events are unrelated, but may create some sort of synergy. It seem the Fund was also involved in its own airborne transport of nutritonal products.

OS scratches his gray head and wonders out loud:

Did it occur to anyone that the orchestra debacle, with its nastiness and name-calling, would deter people from buying tickets and donating what dwindling amounts of discretionary money may yet remain?

No one wants to buy tickets or give donations to a food fight. Even if they go back to work, it will still be a food fight for the musicians and concert goers. Musicians hate management, which is completely out of patience. The board (the people who give money) has been vilified by the people who are the direct recipients of the money the board raises...and much of Louisville would rather go to high school and college ball games on Friday night than hear a punch of pissed-off unhappy musicians go through the motions of playing a Brahms symphony.

The food fight isn't over, just put on hold. Rather like a divorcing couple, each seeking to prove itself the injured party, willing to burn everything down just to take possession of the ashes and declare victory, the war will flare up once more.

If everything goes well, and everyone behaves, it will require at least five years to rebuild the band, the brand, and the organization.

Tick, tock, ya'll...

Say What? The Argentine Navy Steaming Toward The Canary Islands?

Read here.

The stranger news from the Adam Smith Institute relates that the Argentine government has nationalized the local holdings of Spanish-held oil company Repsol.

Oh joy...

Let us remember, at this point, that Obama and Miz Hilary really really really like the Kirchner government in Buenos Aires. They think these wonderful wise people should be allowed to take over the Falkland Islands. The fact that the residents of the Falklands are British, and wish to ever remain so, is of no consequence in their minds.

Just something to keep in mind this November, ya'll.

When All Else Fails, Try Laughter: Israel to 'thank' fly-in activists in mocking letter

So, some 1500 'activists' give or take a few wackos decided to descend upon the Tel Aviv airport to express their indignation at Israel's human rights outrages...outRAGEs, we tell you...

Notice how the 'activists' always seem to target democracies and ignore murderers and tyrants?

Well, the Israeli government, no fools they, notice. And they've prepared a 'welcome' for them--an open letter, translated to many languages, and a summary deportation, at the expense of the airlines that flew them in.

"Dear activist," reads the letter that will be translated in a number of different languages. "We appreciate your choosing to make Israel the object of your humanitarian concerns. We know there were many other worthy choices."

For instance, the letter – drawn up in the Prime Minister's Office -- noted, they "could have chosen to protest the Syrian regime's daily savagery against its own people, which has claimed thousands of lives".

Or, they could have chosen to protest "the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown on dissent and support of terrorism throughout the world."

Or, if they just had to come to this part of the globe, they "could have chosen to protest Hamas rule in Gaza, where terror organizations commit a double war crime by firing rockets at civilians and hiding behind civilians."

But instead, the letter read, "you chose to protest against Israel, the Middle East's sole democracy, where women are equal, the press criticizes the government, human rights organizations can operate freely, religious freedom is protected for all and minorities do not live in fear."

Classic Bebe Netanyahu. Makes Lefties insane, because it simply states facts, and points out what childish schmucks they are.

If only the 'activists' would fly themselves into Syria and protest there...wonder what would happen to them?

The Left's War On Women--Karen Floyd Weighs In

Hilary Rosen, bless her heart.

She sounded off with candor, speaking from the heart, flying her true colors. It was really refreshing to hear her attempt to flatten Mrs. Romney with her class-warfare cudgel.

She did us all a favor, really, and those who attempt to silence her (from any corner) are in error. She is truly A Voice Of The Left, and expresses The Left's deep contempt for anyone outside their tent.

We need her, to remind us who The Left is, and who we are, and what needs to be done to remove them from power, from any ability to impact our lives and families.

Mzzzzz Rosen, OldSouth salutes you!

Another strong, vibrant, high achieving woman (from South Carolina--yes they do exist there!), Karen Floyd, took the time today to bow in the direction of Mzzzzzz Rosen, and OS thinks her words are worth sharing:

Mothers’ real-life experience in managing household budgets makes them intensely aware of a simple fact: you cannot spend more than what you take in. Unfortunately, that is what our government is doing day in and day out, in epic proportions. Fiscal austerity must be practiced for any household to survive. Priorities must be funded, and conveniences sometimes must be sacrificed. Moms make tough choices every single day to ensure that needs are met. They cannot do what our government has done – try to be all things to all people, by offering an ever-growing number of handouts without any eye toward sustainability.

Mothers also worry about the future of their children, and with the massive debt our country is accruing, they have reason to be concerned. Under the Obama administration, the national debt has grown to a level greater than the country’s economic output for an entire year. Every man, woman and child in the United States currently owes $50,017, according to the National Debt Clock. By 2025, entitlement spending alone will consume all federal revenues. A mother’s fundamental goal is to leave her children more opportunity than she herself had. The government’s spending trajectory is making that impossible.

Once again, OS salutes Mzzzz Rosen, and cheers Mrs. Floyd. The more they both weigh in, the more clearly our choices become apparent.

Orphaned Housing, Declining Neighbohoods In Louisville--A Cautionary Tale Of the Shadow Inventory

You might not know it, but Louisville has much more going on, and much bigger problems than the current food fight between labor and management at the Louisville Orchestra.

This article gives some insight:

97-year-old house at Virginia Avenue and South 32nd Street in Parkland has languished for years, with its overgrown grass and a piece of metal drip edge hanging over the porch.Last April, Louisville Metro Government employees made an “emergency” visit to board up the house because “people have been going in and out stealing copper and hanging out.”

A month later, metro officials filed criminal charges against the property owner, Dartanya Hill — a move reserved for only the most negligent property owners.

But while he remains the house’s legal owner, Hill contends that he “surrendered” the $42,910 one-story home and three other western Louisville rental properties in 2007 when he went through bankruptcy.

Now he is suing Bank of America, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo, claiming the mortgage creditors have left him in “legal limbo” by keeping their liens on the dilapidated houses but also refusing to take title — and thus legal responsibility — for them.

.

Sweet. The banks write mortgages that at bottom say: 'Make your payments, or we'll seize the property.' This owner went through bankruptcy, and voluntarily surrendered the banks' property back to them. They refused to take them back, and also refused to release the lien. In other words, they know the properties are deep under water, that they were never worth the money lent on them. They now refuse to have them on the books, and simultaneously insist that the debtor still owes the full amount of the remaining mortgage. The taxes have piled up as well in the meantime, but the city doesn't wish to seize them either.

So the houses sit and rot, attract vermin vagrants and criminals, and serve to pull the neighborhood down into the black hole with them. Whose gunna lend money on the house next door to one of these houses, or down the block for that matter?

After all that money was shoved at the banks via TARP, the Fed, and the FDIC to save them from themselves, we have this mess on our hands.

Mr. Hill's former houses are part of that large 'shadow inventory', in legal and financial limbo. Until someone begins telling the truth, and takes the initiative to clean up this mess, this problem only gets worse.

OS nominates the banks for the role. They lent the money, it's their risk.

Not ours.

Sense of Events: Buh-bye, Current TV!

Sense of Events: Buh-bye, Current TV!

Now, all that remains is for the Obama Administration to bail it out via a back-door means such as an educational or 'investment' grant, and threaten Time-Warner with unshirted perdition if they drop the network.

After all, every banana republic regime needs its own official outlet, even if no one watches it.

Doctored Audio Files, NBC News, Treyvon, George Zimmerman...And OS's Friend Julie

NBC has just issued a non-apology/apology for having released a fatally doctored 911 conversation between Mr. Zimmerman and the 911 call center, shortly before the fatal shooting of Mr. Martin.

The tersely-worded statement admits to 'an error', but mainly projects the tone of someone who regrets getting caught in a nefarious act.

Conscience? Schmoncience! Conscience is for suckers like you, something to be manipulated by organizations like NBC News.

Outside The Beltway reported how NBC News was outed, but by that time, the damage had been done.
The Narrative (White America Seeks To Destroy Black America) was carried forward, the hysteria was ramped up, the race-and-fear mongers from all corners began to foam at the mouth once again.

Doug Mataconis offers sane words:

This episode is just the worst example of what we’ve been seeing, from both sides of the political world, with regard to this case. We’ve got people purporting to do frame-by-frame analysis of the video of Zimmerman arriving in the garage of the Sanford Police Department to either prove or disprove the assertion that he had been injured during a fight with Trayvon Martin prior to firing his gun. This morning, a Florida newspaper published a story about a “voice analysis expert” purporting to examine the screams heard on one of the 911 calls even though he has absolutely no exemplars of Trayvon Martin’s voice and only old, recorded exemplars of George Zimmerman’s voice. In all likelihood neither of these analyses would be admissible in Court because of the dubious science behind them. In the case of the jail video, there’s considerable doubt that it would be admissible for any purpose because it is generally considered that photographs of the Defendant in handcuffs or prison garb are prejudicial and not to be shown to the jury except under extraordinary circumstances (even if it is shown, the “analysis” would have to be a lot more scientifically rigorous than any of the nonsense I’ve seen in the blogosphere). This case is being tried in the court of public opinion and, for the most part, people are making judgments about George Zimmerman’s guilt or innocence, or Trayvon Martin’s possible aggressiveness, based on their preconceived political notions and not on anything close to objective fact.

Radio personality Michael Baisden, on the other hand, has hitched his wagon to The Narrative. OS has been listening in over the past few days, and Baisden's language is emotional gasoline being poured upon the cultural fire.

What. A. Mess. This may not end well at all.

OS has two observations to offer:

1. OS has edited hundreds of audio files in his lifetime, beginning back in the day when he and his engineers would stay up until the wee hours with strong coffee, razor blades, a cutting block and non-magnetic blue tape and a wax marker to locate 'just the spot' to cut analog tape, to the present day with software, editing down to the specific wavelength for a clean edit.  The process is essentially unchanged, just a bit quicker these days.

There is no way that the edit of a sound file is a mistake. It is a most deliberate act, requiring expertise, equipment, and multiple reviews of the results of edits, in order to make certain they are clean. Noise floors and levels must match, timing must sound natural and in tempo. The edited version released was not a mistake, it was a deliberate fabrication, because it could not be anything but a fabrication. The release of the edited version was not a mistake, but rather a deliberate act to generate news. If it were perchance released by an editor who did not review the source of the sound file, that would be a grossly negligent act--a firing offense, demonstrating the editor held a callous view of factual reportage. It appears no one was, or will be, fired for this. But again, there is no way that the edit of a sound file is a mistake, simple physics being what it is.


2. A more personal side to this story lives in OS's world. He has a young friend, who shall be named Julie. A more delightful young lady would be hard to find. Brought up in humble circumstances, graduated a private university with high marks, with a great first job, cheerful, positive, she is a devout Protestant and a political conservative. She happens to be black. Julie has already let it be known that she does not appreciate the race-baiting by Revs. Sharpton and Jackson, as horrified as she is by young Mr. Martin's death. But now, the crazies on the Left will suspect her of 'collaboration' of 'being an Oreo', and the belligerent racists on the Right will assume she can't be trusted, because, after all, she's a black young woman, and we knooooow what they're like, etc...
Everyone is so eager to advance Their Narrative (They, whoever They are, are out to get Us), that people like Julie may easily end up in the crossfire. She knows how to find her way to Mr. and Mrs. Os's house, and OS has urged her to put his phone number on her speed-dial, just in case.

Please, everyone. Take a deep breath.