Just A Look Around...

I'm thinking Obama's sanctions are smoke and mirrors.  They are targeting individual Russians, Putin's buddies, but they aren't stopping the flow of dollars into Mother Russia:

US Buying Russian Helicopters for Afghanistan

Sanctioned Russian Has No-Bid Contract With US

I understand why we don't want to turn Europe's heat off, but there must be a way to get around that.  Gas exports, anyone??

I don't believe Obama et. al. are taking this mess anywhere near seriously enough.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong??

Via @PoliticalLaughs @JoanOfArgghh

New Dem Fundraising Tactic in MD

Phone scammers say they are from Md. sheriff's department, request money

 Interesting.  Note the "...funds... on a pre-paid card..." part.  That means you can't get your money back as you could if it were on a credit card.

Just. Don't.

Via Drudge.

Happy Birthday...

...James Tiberius Kirk!

 

  Live long and prosper!

Falling Angel

Let's Make The Dems'...

...heads explode!

 

Thx, @yesnicksearcy

Polite Look...

...at Vlad and Barry's relationship

Carrying Putin's balls.

Heh.  Thanks Janie Johnson!

Debate Rules For Liberals

You got that right!

Thanks to @BarracudaMama!

New Time Waster...

...Twitter.

I opened an account so I could Tweet when I put up a post.  Sadly, it got out of control in the last month, and I've spent a significant part of my time over there.

Which has to stop.  I stumbled into a potential money-making gig about a week and a half ago, and we met today to start getting our brains around it.  I walked away with a pretty good list of things I need to do.  In addition, I need to get some things sorted out at the office here at home in order to support what I'll be doing there.

Yes, I'm being deliberately vague about what it is.  I think we need to get the proverbial ducks lined up before I make a big to-do about it here.

But I'm optimistic about it.

And I'm saying the (Alan) Shepard's prayer, too.  A lot!

More as it develops.

This Will Leave A Mark! Updated

The Weekly Standard's Elliott Abrams filets  Obama's (lack of) coherent foreign policy!

I see  a consensus building:

Deseret News

Washington Post

(And, just for fun, Freedom Outpost - totally unrelated!)

Sane Discussion About Abortion

I found out about Cecile Richards and her "hand wave" about when life begins in this article at NRO yesterday.  She says:

“It is not something that I feel is really part of this conversation,” Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood told Fusion’s Jorge Ramos on Thursday. “I don’t know if it’s really relevant to the conversation.”

I started reading the coments, and found this one, by Bob Wynne:

 

Bob Wynne • a day ago

If any of you full grown adults that are definitely alive needed to be hooked up to my blood supply for months, would the choice to carry that burden be up to me or not? It is not a question of whether you are alive. I accept that you are. Yet there is still a question.

 It piqued my interest, and I responded to him.  I was expecting the "forced gestation" argument to surface pretty quickly, but it didn't.  Instead, I found myself in a conversation with someone who has genuine concerns about the rights of the mother vs the rights of her unborn child.

See what you think.  My initial response:

 leelu Bob Wynne • a day ago

Wonderfully bogus argument, and totally off the point, too.

Bob Wynne leelu • a day ago

No argument from me, Boss. Just asking a question. You might wonder, "Why would Bob ask that?" In order to get an answer. So far I have been unsuccessful.

leelu Bob Wynne • a day ago

 Ah... To answer your question, I would say yes, you definitely should/would have a say in it. OK?

Bob Wynne leelu • 21 hours ago

Now, I am asking what the point is that I am off of?

leelu Bob Wynne • 21 hours ago

What I perceive as the point of the article - the assertion that the issue of when life begins is irrelevant to abortion. I just don't see a connection there?

Bob Wynne leelu • 8 hours ago

The point is that I think that if we, as civilized people, can agree that society cannot force an individual to share their blood, oxygen and nutrients with another living person, then it is not relevant when a cell mass becomes a person for purposes of abortion rights. If we can agree that society can force a person to share their blood, oxygen and nutrients with another person, then personhood might be relevant in the discussion.

leelu Bob Wynne • 3 hours ago

The short answer is, if "it is not relevant when a cell mass becomes a person", then ,by a simple logical extension, there no reason why I should be penalized in any way for shooting you. (This is *not* a threat, btw.)

Your whole "sharing" example is irrelevant as well. In your case, you are talking about somthing that, absent force, would be, by definition, a contractual arrangement. I expect that you would not let me "hook up" for nothing. That is not the case between a mother and child - no contract exists. It is a moral issue, based exactly on the point of the start of personhood. Hand-waving it doesn't make it go away.

Bob Wynne leelu • 3 hours ago

You may be right on your primary position here. We all agree that you cannot do anything to another person. I am suggesting that if the fetus is a person, that there is more to discuss along those lines.

Some would argue that refusing to share your resources is not doing something to them. It is not allowing them to do something to you. You are removing them from your personal space. You are redirecting your blood flow for your personal use. They are free to go on their way. But they feed on you only by your grace and agreement.

That is what I would say if some born person needed some component in by blood for some period of time. I do not believe in killing another, but I do not belive in forcing anyone to support someone else, either.

As far as the comparison to the abortion debate, I have no answers. I cannot support forcing anyone to make that sacrifice. Even if the fetus is deemed a person, why would I give him or her more rights than me or you? I am glad that the decision does not rest on me. I feel that it should be left up to those that will have to live with it.

leelu Bob Wynne • 2 hours ago

If you donate blood or are an organ donor, then the resource sharing issue is moot. You may, if you want, or not. Same with me, as a first responder - I am under *no* legal obligation to administer CPR, just as you are under no legal obligation to give blood. 

"Feeding" suggests a parasite-host relationship, which again, is moot, since we are agreed that you have voluntarily donated blood or organs (I'm thinking "live donor" here, as in kidney or liver parts).

I don't think it's ultimately about rights, altho that certainly is a big part of the legal debate. If we agree that the unborn baby is human, then I would argue that his/her "right to life" is equal to yours or mine. So, in spite of Richard's hand waiving, it really does come down to that.

I'm enjoying this discussion. I can relate to your dilemma- my Catholic upbringing informs my conscience even today, yet I don't want to see women forced into the old "back alley/dirty coat hanger" environment. Women *will* get abortions, legal or not. If it came to a vote, I *would* vote my conscience ("No"), and still hope that women who sought them would be well cared for.

I'd like to post this to one of my blogs (leelusplace.blogspot.com). If you prefer, I will "anonymize" you.

Bob Wynne leelu • 2 minutes ago

Post it if you like. But I would like to close with the notion that not all decisions that need to be made, need to be made by government. And if the solution is not universal, then it should not be enforced by law.

leelu Bob Wynne • in a minute

Agreed!

And there we have it.  What do you think?

Demon's Nest

On time this week.

Don't be hard on the maggots!

Via Pibgorn

Primary Challenger to Boehner!

Here's his "Meet Eric" page.

Hey, should be better than the (spit) incumbent, and damned better than any Democrat, no?

Of course, I could be wrong.

The Day We Fight Back

 

From Day By Day (obviously!)

APOD Rocks Today!

The Felix Baumgartner jump:


APOD

Belated Demons

Once again, I've bee remiss in staying on top of the weekly Demon's Nest of Sentiments.  This week's here, the rest below the fold...

It was 40 Years Today...

Mr. Brooks Taught The Band to...

Bah, that's not gonna fly.

But this did:




From  Ace!

How Fast Do You Read??

I'm still above 400 words per minute (455-ish on this test).  Guess I wasn't really cut out to be a college prof!

Source: Staples eReader Department

Via @The Anchoress

Yet Another Blog!

My daughter has the genealogy bug, and I have been scanning photos and documents for to use in her research.  I plan on writing them all off to disc, and then thought "Why not a Tumblr page for her to use?"  I can get the pictures to her, and add notes and comments to explain what each one is about.

New tab for the site - "Leelu's Tumblr" at the top.  A bit thin right now, but More To Come!

For Your Delight And Edification

President Chairman Obama:

Wow, I was putting together a list like this. Now I don't have to. http://t.co/S0SUKpPJVP @instapundit
— Elizabeth Scalia (@TheAnchoress) January 28, 2014

The real SOTU.