California and New Zealand’s “Tsunami Bombs”!

Dear Readers:  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  And, may the Goddess of Capitalism act ever in your favor.

I wanted to start the new year with some heartfelt thanks to 3 gentlemen who made the struggles of 2012 a little more bearable, and who have been really wonderful friends of the Shrine.

• Bill Jacobson, of Legal Insurrection, who has invited me to join his team in support of his newest effort: College Insurrection.

• Aaron Clarey, Captain Capitalism, whose kind links to my history pieces are most appreciated — as his overall support of Capitalism.  I am looking forward to the publication of his newest book, “Enjoy the Decline“, which I had the privilege to edit very lightly.

• Silvio Canto Jr., who does the innovative and informative Canto Talk BlogTalkRadio.com show — and is one of the pioneers in the new mode of podcast-based talk radio that I think is the wave of the future.

I also want to give a big thank you to the SLOBS – SAN DIEGO LOCAL ORDER OF BLOGGERS, who are part of a dynamic punditry team covering local, state and national issues. A special mention needs to go to our tech guru, Charles of Doo Doo Economics.

Now, for today’s news. It seems that the Golden State is set firmly on a path to self-destruction. A new wave of fiscal badness is about to hit our shores: Higher down payments could be compromise Prop. 13 reform

Could simply requiring higher down payments on home loans be a compromise reform of Proposition 13?

The Democratic Party supermajority in the state legislature is presently pushing for reforms of Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that limits property tax increases to 2 percent per year until a property resells.

Some of the legislature’s proposed reforms include  eliminating Prop. 13 for commercial properties and lowering the voter threshold for school parcel taxes to 55 percent from the current two-thirds.

But there may be a better way.

The culprit involved in state budget deficits is not Prop. 13.  It is low down-payment requirements and interest rates on home purchases combined with the effects of slow-growth management and environmental laws. Growth-management laws cause the excessive housing booms and busts that throw state and school budgets out of balance, as well as causing upside-down home values.

That Proposition 13 is being target by the Democratic Supermajority should be especially concerning to Californians. It is about the only taxpayer friendly legislation passed in the past 50 years, and makes living in the state quasi-affordable. Any “reform” will tsunami-like fiscal repercussions.

Speaking of Tsunamis: The United States and New Zealand conducted secret tests of a “tsunami bomb” designed to destroy coastal cities by using underwater blasts to trigger massive tidal waves.

The tests were carried out in waters around New Caledonia and Auckland during the Second World War and showed that the weapon was feasible and a series of 10 large offshore blasts could potentially create a 33-foot tsunami capable of inundating a small city.

The top secret operation, code-named “Project Seal”, tested the doomsday device as a possible rival to the nuclear bomb. About 3,700 bombs were exploded during the tests, first in New Caledonia and later at Whangaparaoa Peninsula, near Auckland.

The plans came to light during research by a New Zealand author and film-maker, Ray Waru, who examined military files buried in the national archives.

“Presumably if the atomic bomb had not worked as well as it did, we might have been tsunami-ing people,” said Mr Waru.

“It was absolutely astonishing. First that anyone would come up with the idea of developing a weapon of mass destruction based on a tsunami … and also that New Zealand seems to have successfully developed it to the degree that it might have worked.” The project was launched in June 1944 after a US naval officer, E A Gibson, noticed that blasting operations to clear coral reefs around Pacific islands sometimes produced a large wave, raising the possibility of creating a “tsunami bomb”.

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Reading the CA Tea Leaves for Nov. 2012 election

Dear Readers:  I was thrilled to be able to join SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition President Dawn Wildman and her husband Geoff for a fun-filled day of citizen activism Sunday, Oct.7th at the West LA Federal Building at the “Wake Up America” Rally.  Most of my posts this week will be related to the wonderful chats I had with fellow patriots and the connections I made with other independent-minded people.

SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition Co-founders Dawn Wildman (l) and Leslie Eastman (r).

I am happy to report that the event was well-attended for a Sunday afternoon, with 1000-plus people in the audience to hear wonderful speakers like Dennis Prager, Mark Meckler, and a personal favorite of mine — Bill Whittle. This was despite the fact President Obama was in the neighborhood, sucking away at the teat of Hollywood one more time. I would not be surprised if the Once looses LA Basin, as people are tired of the hideous traffic in the wake of one of his visits.

Butt, I digress. (Homage to Michelle’s Mirror).

One aspect that I found the most fascinating is that most people were not focused necessarily on the speakers, but on connecting with each other. They were checking in on the status of elections, taking a look at California Tea Party Recommendations for the Nov. 6th election, and congratulating each other for displaying “Survivor Skills”:

A lot of sassy signs were on display. Given the Shrine’s most recent focus on #EyeCandy and the Women’s Vote, I had to vote Megan Barth’s masterpiece for “MUT’S SIGN OF THE DAY”.

(MUT’s Note: The is now NO GENDER GAP! Women are evenly spilt 47% to 47%)

One nice thing I noticed is that cars were constantly honking support for the event and its participant. The only downside was that it made it hard for me to interview. However, I did come across a great example of citizen activism I wanted to share.

Meet John Cormie of the Surf City Tea Party, who was working a busy booth when I stopped by:

John reported his memberships has been steadily growing, with over 350 members and regular meetings twice monthly with over 100 in attendance.

“When I started, I had know idea what a union-run socialist city council we had,” said John. “We have been focused mostly on the local election process. His group has been working to get Erik Petersen and Devin Dwyer into the Huntington Beach City Council this election.

“One of the things we are working toward is passing Proposition Z”, explained John. The Orange County Register offers details on this innovative, taxpayer-friendly measure:

Outgoing Huntington Beach Mayor Don Hansen’s farewell gesture to Orange County’s fourth-largest city is a ballot measure that would do away with the portion of the city’s annual property tax assessment that goes to some city employee pension costs….

Huntington Beach is the only city in Orange County, and one of the few in California, that imposes extra levies on property owners to subsidize public employee retirements.

The anachronistic provision of the city’s charter dates to 1966. And it only applies to Huntington Beach’s retirement obligations that existed in 1978, before Proposition 13 became state law.

Yet, even with the limits imposed by Prop. 13, the Huntington Beach City Council has increased the pension property tax assessment five times, for a total of 115 percent, since 2002.

“The unions have been totally dishonest with their campaign”, said John. “They have been putting up signs that say NO ON Z – NO NEW TAXES, but the taxes come with the yes vote. Surf City Tea Party is working on getting everyone informed about this lie.”

John explained he was working hard to get out both the independent and the Republican vote. If the reaction to the Chicago Teachers Union strike AND Californians upset over gas prices, November will arrive with voters unhappy with union shenanigans and more money taken because of government regulations.

I will follow-up with John to find out what the final vote is — after I recover from my celebratory hangover on Nov. 7th.

One last note about the event: I had the privilege of watching Bill Whittle film one of his impressive videos. During the shoot, he was explaining how you really kind fight an enemy effectively using PC-terms. For example, in WWII, the American press was just fine using words such as Nazi, Panzer and Luftwaffe. However, during the War on Terror, it seems the only time its OK to use such a term is when extreme leftists are insulting Republicans.

As I was away from my camera, and on we were poised to leave event, I will direct you to Bill’s latest excellent Afterburner video: The Incredible Shrinking Man. Fortunately, I had a chance to thank him for his great work and note that his “Star Trek” piece was my absolute favorite.

A couple of quick notes about some out-of-state friends:

* Captian Capitalism: An Exercise in Liberal American Economic Thought

Hop in the Captain’s F-22 fighter jet and let’s go for a ride. We’re going to do an exercise in liberal economic thought. Specifically, we are going to follow the typical American liberal’s economic model or beliefs to their logical conclusion or end, and in doing so learn a lesson I think all people in the political spectrum can appreciate.

It is excellent, including a great graph!

* Lonley Conservative, Circle of Mom’s #1 Political Blogging mom will be joining me on Canto Talk this Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7 pm PST/9 pm CT/10 pm EST. I will be discussing her wonderful work more tomorrow, as the topic of our show will be “Blue State Blues”.

– Poll: Americans Don’t Believe Higher Taxes Would Go To Debt Reduction
– Obama’s Lead Vanishes, GOP Voters Show Much More Enthusiasm
– Black Actress Endorses Mitt Romney, ‘Tolerant Left’ Shows True Colors

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EXPLAINING the UNEXPLAINABLE!

Dear Readers: While my hero, Captain Capitalism, is off taking a much needed break on his version of Calypso’s Island, he has kindly asked me to contribute a post.  I pondered the topics, and decided to try and explain the unexplainable to his vast and savvy audience.

As a Goddess, you might think I would try to explain women.  And while I am pleased to grace the “manosphere” today with my decidedly female viewpoint, I decided to try to lift the veil on an entity more troubling: California voters.

Many of you will recall that the “big red wave” of 2010 stopped at the Sierra Nevada.  Why did California voters choose as Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown while most other voters chose more sensible options for their states?

Here is the reason: In this state, you will find that many in Democratic Party leadership are corrupt; however, Republican politicos tend to be both corrupt and incompetent.

I would like to offer several examples.  Many of you are involved in citizen activism through Tea Party groups.  I am a “Palin Democrat” who helped organize the first San Diego area Tea Party in Feb. 2009, as part of the first nation-wide protest event.  The local Republican party attempted to hijack this activity, making promises about locations and supplies they had no intention of keeping.  The logo our group created was usurped as well.  Later on, after the state GOP selected politico neophyte and charisma-deficient candidate Meg Whitman as their gubernatorial candidate, her staff called California Tea Party organizers and basically told our citizen activists exactly how we were going to help her campaign.

She did not bother to take questions regarding her positions on illegal immigration or global warming, which were issues over great concern to my California compatriots on that business call.  She was neither informative nor gracious.  Subsequently, there was little enthusiasm or involvement from our state’s grassroots conservatives.  The result is as you see: Governor Brown (who, now that several cities have declared bankruptcy, is trying to up-end green-based restrictions on businesses).

Thanks to six Republicans in the California Senate and Assembly, the largest tax increase was passed on this citizens on this state.  The former chairman of the state GOP, Ron Nehring, is reported to have said: “We will take over the Tea Party or destroy it.”  The San Diego County chairman spends his time hacking the Twitter account of his Democratic Party counterpart, resulting in the suspension of his Twitter account.  Needless to say, given the quality of the competition, California has truly become a one-party state.  In fact, the most thrilling political development has been that the Libertarians have taken over a former GOP office in Sacramento: If a third party can succeed anywhere, it is most likely in this state.

Some supposed “Tea Party leaders” have tried to tell us how to deal with the Republican Party, based on their own (probably better) red-state standards.  However, in this state, the usual rules of political sanity do not apply.  So, we Tea Party peeps have got to make it up as we go along.

Now, is it time to despair of we in the Left Coast? No, I say to you.  Californians have the initiative process, and during the last one, our voters said no to a tax increase on cigarettes (a sin tax, which would have normally passed).  All the BIG spending measures were passed before 2008; after 2009, not so much.   Citizen activists have gotten a new measure on the ballot to fight against the political use of union dues.  We are so active, that some power-crazed members of the Assembly have introduced bills to make the initiative process more challenging.

As a Democrat, I have an advantage over many of by GOP or Libertarian friends: Fellow Democrats are more inclined to share their thoughts with me.  So, I can tell you all that I have dialoged with (perhaps about 50) are very unhappy with Team Obama.  Some will not bother to vote, some will vote Romney, and only 2 will vote Obama (focused only on the abortion issue).  No, Romney will not win this state – but the margin he will lose by will be substantially less than McCain’s results in 2008.  And, as I suspect these same margins will hold across the country, I prophesy that Obama loses by a landslide.

The biggest Tea Party news recently was the victory of Ted Cruz in Texas.  However, the most significant story from that evening went unreported:  The Hispanics did not show at the polls.  My friend and talk show host Silvio Canto has the complete details (here is the link — http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2012/08/03/todays-message  ).  I suspect that California’s vast Hispanic population will also fail to show this November, too. (MUT Note;  Silvio is the Cuban version of the Dos Equis man, so please check out his show on BlogTalkRadio.com).

The Captain has broken my heart, by saying he will not come out to California because we drive him crazy.  I do understand – but I will keep a candle burning at the Shrine of Flaming Capitalism in hopes I might persuade him to give us a second chance, based on the general election results.  Watch our propositions – if we reject the Brown Tax Increases, this will be a Tea Party win.  Also, the San Diego mayor’s race may produce our future equivalent to Scott Walker (the candidate, Carl DeMaio, is awesome).

One last item:  I am grateful to be so favorably mentioned on the “Manosphere”.  I have another friend in this realm who has written a brilliant series on the “Age of Arthur”, describing in detail the transition from a Roman province to a medieval kingdom.  It’s truly by a man for men, so check it out: http://deadliestblogpage.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/the-age-of-arthur-part-sixteen/

Finally, as Captain Capitalism likes “Big Books”, I sent him an image of mine as a way to say thanks for his continued support of my Shrine!

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WOMEN: Do we really need to step on MEN to empower ourselves??? NO, I say!!!

Dear Readers: I wanted to go on a major rant this week, but profit-center activities have precluded some serious venting about fellow members of my gender. This is fortunate, as I just learned some interesting information that helps vindicate the women of this country somewhat.

Item #1: The first recipient of the newly created Goddess Facepalm award is — Jessica Wakeman, the author of: The Soapbox: The Aurora Shooting & The Myth Of Men’s Obligation To Be Heroes

Here is a sampling of her post-modern feminist ramblings:

Three men died on Friday; their girlfriends did not die. It seems, from the stories we’re hearing from their loved ones, that they sacrificed their lives to save someone else. Their sacrifices are more touching, in fact, given the split-second nature of these men’s reactions. A soldier going off to combat has reason to anticipate they might have a reason to risk their lives. Not so for a young couple off for a night at the movies.

I can respect and be touched by these men’s sacrifices. But I’m also wary of some byproducts of the heroism myth, the idea that a few good men will have courage under fire and put “women and children first.” The Post crowed over these men’s “old-fashioned chivalry,” which are funny words to use, when you get right down to it. Why does masculinity have to have anything to do with heroic behavior? Their sacrifice was noble, sure. But in every telling of the “boyfriends risked their lives” story — and every boyfriend who then tells his girlfriend, “Sweetie, I would have done the same for you!” — there’s an implication that heroism is a gendered concept.

There is a galactic level of outrageous inanity in this entire post, of which the above is a mere fraction. By honoring Matt McQuinn, Jonathan Blunk, and Alex Teves, young men who died while protecting their dates from alleged shooter James Holmes, no one was casting aspersions on the women for whom they died nor any other woman involved in this or any other tragedy. There is every reason that their sacrifice and chivalry should be recognized for what it was — heroic. It is that type of valor that is iconic, which inspires other of both sexes in times of disaster.

There was no fucking need to “balance” the story to focus on women involved in the incident, and dilute what these three men did by drowning their deed in a deluge of “I-am-woman-hear-me-roar” buffoonery.

On behalf of my gender, I would like to offer an apology for Wakeman’s piece to men everywhere. And, Jessica, I would like to highlight a point that several of your many detractors made: Which women threw themselves in front of their dates to save their lives?

Item #2: As if this wasn’t bad enough, Captain Capitalism featured a piece that was absolutely frightening! Boy, Indoctrination Sure Starts Early

You know how in true intellectual honesty I worry time to time that the advice we give young boys may no longer be pertinent? That girls have changed since we were boys and that our advice today may actually hurt them? Then I see this and realize today boys need the Manosphere more than ever.

And this is  the piece to which he was referring:

Cute Kid Note Of The Day: Why Being A Girl Is Wonderful

Title: A Few Wonderful Things About Being A Girl

Author: One very wise 8-year-old

Why We Love It: Her DAD posted her “unexpected response” to the “assignment” on Reddit

All I can say is that the beta-male meterosexual from whose loins this girl sprung is going to be happy I am raising my 10-year old boy with a real sense of empowerment — through achievements in fencing and weapons use. It could be it is his daughter’s life my son  saves one day, by chivalry and not sex organs.

Item #3: Now, just when I was despairing of my gender, I read this great article at Hot Air: NJ: Team Obama hitting the panic button over shrinking gender gap

In the latest week-long survey results (July 16-22) from Rasmussen’s daily presidential tracking poll, which sampled 3500 likely voters, the gender gap has fallen to five points (48/43) — but it’s only down to two points in today’s three-day rolling average (46/44). Meanwhile, Romney has a 13-point lead among men, 54/41, in today’s result, and a nine-point edge from the previous weeklong results, 50/41. When leaners are included in the three-day rolling average, Romney has a twelve-point lead among men, 55/43 — and a tie among women with Obama at 47/47. Among those women “certain” of their vote, Obama only has a one-point edge, 38/37. Among men certain of their vote, Romney leads by 14, 47/33.

Without that gender gap, Obama is toast — and he knows it!!! So, ladies, tonight’s lesson is this:

We DON’T need to step on MEN to empower ourselves. We need only STEP on ONE MAN…. on Nov. 6th!

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Speaking of the “Manosphere”, I am grateful to Captain Capitalism for his support, as well as Word Warrior for allowing my comments to grace his MILITARY HISTORY PAGE. They help keep me in tuned with regular, alpha-type American men!

Also, Word Warrior has published his next installment, PART 14 – THE AGE OF ARTHUR! This is a fabulous analysis of the time-frame conjectured to be that of the real King Arthur. Read it, if just to annoy Jessica Wakeman, who has a problem with knights in shining armor. (Or, start with PART 1, and read through #14).

Finally, I was able to introduce Silvio Canto to Charles Caesar…which lead to a discussion of Marc Antony and Cleopatra!!!! Click here to listen to a great podcast!!! Silvio sent this joke:

On another one of their encounters, Marc Anthony comes out and talks to the Roman soldiers:

MA: “Men, I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, the Queen will be joining us today for a trip up the Nile.”

The men cheered and sang the praises of the Queen.

MA then said: “The bad news is, she wants to go water skiing.”

Finally, here is a current news item involving the American Goddess of Awesome, courtesy of Professor Jacobson/Legal Insurrection. The hate directed at @SarahPalinUSA for her tweet-pic of Chick-Fil-a is an example pf the toxicity directed at the business for the personal beliefs of its owner. I hope the haters of the left are content — the official spokesperson has died of a sudden heart-attack, after trying to deal with the ensuing stress.

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