Bitter – Page 143 – Shall Not Be Questioned

So What is Fast Eddie’s Excuse?

By now everyone here has likely heard of Rep. Alan Grayson, the infamous target of MyCongressmanIsNuts.com, and general all around political bonehead. The guy is trying to make his name by winning the prize for “Biggest Asshole in All the History of Congress.” But Jim Geraghty offers up this insight from a political veteran:

I heard from a veteran Republican strategist who had been involved in races in this district years back, and he offered the theory that Grayson’s off-his-meds schtick stems from his early realization that he was near-certain to be a one-term congressman. He was greatly helped by the Obama wave in this district, and suburban central Florida isn’t a natural territory for a lawmaker who sounds like a commenter on Daily Kos. With nothing to lose, Grayson is going out with a bang, holding nothing back and hoping his outlandish statements win him some other public platform. (Already, Grayson’s on MSNBC more frequently than the peacock logo.)

My first thought: What’s Ed Rendell’s excuse?

See, our fine Governor has no problem opening his mouth just as wide as Alan Grayson. He says out loud that state workers should worship him and erect shrines to him in their homes. He also informs the press that he thinks women who choose not to have children “have no life.” So tell me again, what’s his excuse?

I Guess Paul Helmke Finally Switched Parties

Something odd has been happening on the Brady Twitter feed since yesterday afternoon.

Hashtags
They’ve gone full-on partisan with their tweets. Of their last 23 tweets, 21 have been labeled with either the #Democrats, #Liberal, or #p2 (progressive) hashtags.

I’m not naive enough to believe that most of their staff aren’t Democrats, but come on. One of the reasons they touted when they hired Helmke could be summed up as, “Lookie, we found a Republican who also hates guns. See, we’re bipartisan!” But with Rasmussen finding the number of self-identifying Democrats at an all time low last month and the number of self-identifying Republicans inching up to meet those numbers, it would seem like a bad idea to instantly wipe out half of your potential pool of support by tagging all of your commentary as geared for only Democrats.

I also would not suggest that it’s unwise to never use appropriate hashtags, even if they are party oriented. For example, if writing something about a Democratic Party activity, that would be a responsible and reasonable use. If complaining about Barack Obama, it might be relevant to use the party hashtag. But to label fundraising tweets, blog posts that aren’t political, and every other topic as for #Democrats only, that’s just madness for any group to do. Since it’s the Brady Bunch, I’ll just mock them. But if NRA started labeling tweets with party designation indiscriminately, I would hit the roof. I would be making every phone in Fairfax ring off the hook. Of course, that’s what happens when you have actual grassroots, not just donors who get a mailing once a year.

Service Use
During the holidays when DC basically shuts down, the Brady development staff hijacked the twitter account to send out tweets begging for donations. They abused it a little bit by sending them out too often and without any other good content, but I do applaud them for using HootSuite to both schedule their tweets and (assuming they were using it to the full ability) tracking which posts got clicks and resulted in donations. Lord knows how many times I’ve begged the daytime staff handling @NRANews to do the same thing so that they don’t flood my twitter stream with 10 posts at a time. If they just gave like a 20 minute buffer between news items, it wouldn’t be so bad.

But during the last day, the Brady feed has been updating every hour or so. They are also using a different shortner service that’s so underused, Twitter doesn’t even have its name featured in the tweets. (When using HootSuite, the tweets say that they are posted by that service, same with Seesmic and pretty much all other reputable sites.) Why make the sudden switch from a service so well-respected that even the White House uses it to some no name service? Why go from carefully timed posting to posting every single hour, even when there is no news?

Regurgitating Really Old Stuff
Whoever took over the Twitter account believes that all of the Democratic-only Brady supporters are best served by relinking really old blog posts that are more than a month old. Yes, the big breaking news late last night was Dennis Hennigan’s whine from early December that gun owners didn’t like his book. Or the equally urgent breaking news from December 10 that there was a memorial for police officers who have died in the line of duty hosted by a law enforcement group.

It’s not that I want to see the Brady Campaign succeed in meeting their mission, but man I have to wonder what kind of crack they are smoking in that office to think that posting month-old news every hour and limiting their posts to only attract the attention of Democrats is a good idea for their cause. I would love to pick the brain of the person responsible. Did Peter Hamm & Paul Helmke go on a new year vacation together and leave the interns in charge? Or did Helmke finally switch parties and decide to dive in by using the Brady Twitter feed to celebrate? What happened that made them go nuts with this social media abuse? Curious minds want to know…

The Perfect Lost Accessory

Sebastian had been watching Lost since the series started. Note the past tense. What happened? Well, me.

I didn’t watch Lost. I didn’t ban him from watching Lost, he just opted not to watch without me. So he DVR’d it while I’d leave the room since he didn’t want me to see “current” (i.e. Season 4) episodes without knowing the back story. Â He did have all of Season 5 on DVR until we needed the space for something else. Â So I deleted without him ever getting to watch.

But we got Netflix last month just so I could catch up. We’ve been watching and will receive the last two discs for Season 2 tomorrow. That means I should be starting Season 3 by the end of the weekend.

No, we won’t quite be done before the final season begins, but we’ll be close enough that we just have to record a few episodes. Â With that said, I have found the absolute perfect accessory for the ultimate Lost final season viewing party. A polar bear television. I mean, it’s a polar bear. Â How perfect can you get? Â I guess options like wild boar and black stallion would also make fine Lost accessories, but they wouldn’t be nearly as cuddly as a polar bear television.

All of that said, here are my thoughts on Lost through the first 40 episodes: Continue reading “The Perfect Lost Accessory”

New Sights for the Air Gun

Sebastian received the new peep sight for the Izzy during the holidays, and he took the time to put it on this weekend. Â Talk about just in time for today’s match. Â And with that, here is his new toy for knocking over all those pesky metallic pigs, chickens, turkeys, and rams:

Where are we Going in 2010?

Andrew Ian Dodge asks questions about where the tea party movement is headed in 2010 over at Pajamas Media.

How far has the tea party movement come since the beginning of last year? A massive event occurred in Washington, D.C., on 9/12, and even greater numbers of people demonstrated all over the country to express their frustration. But ultimately, have they achieved any results? The bills have still gone through, and Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Obama have shucked aside criticisms.

Ignoring the (majority) public outcry, some legislators have gone so far as toÂ ban tea party members from their offices under penalty of arrest. Most of the MSM, excluding Fox, has carried the Democratsâ€™ water, portraying tea parties as a fringe movement at best and domestic terror breeding at worst. …

What should the tea party movement be doing to make itself more effective and to not exist merely as an exploitable outlet for the frustrated? …

What may have affected the development of the activists is the fact that many seemed to have been suffering under the delusion that they were â€œreinventingâ€ politics at the grassroots. Politics is politics, and even the tea party movement has been affected by egos, personality clashes, regionalism, and fakery.

The tea party movement may be best served by operating locally. Mass rallies in D.C. and phone-calling initiatives do not seem to be effective in modern politics. Local activism could have an actual effect, and is a good part of what the left has done to gain power.

The movement needs to be thinking about 2012 and beyond. They need to train themselves to effectively work in the political sphere that exists, not the fantasy one that has been created by the enthusiasm of the movement. Obama fooled millions with a promised â€œnew dawn in politics.â€

It’s interesting because it goes along with something else I read on TechPresident over the holidays from the left perspective on why the “transformed” campaign-style of Obama was really not the mythical bottom-up campaign the press has claimed. Â It was a modern twist on an old style of campaigning, it’s just that Obama was the first presidential candidate to use the new technological tools to pull it off. Â As best described, they shared tasks, not power. Â It was still very top-down.

The tea party movement is similar. Â It’s not really that new for people to protest their government, it’s just that it hasn’t been done in a while (at least on our side) and we’re taking advantage of new tools to do it. Â Granted, I’m not as pessimistic about the outcomes as Dodge seems to be because I think the movement has put up serious roadblocks that no party with a super majority could have imagined. Â Yet, we have. Â Remember when health care was going to be written only by progressives and passed with a signature by August? Â The moderates in the Democratic Party at least had a voice in the current versions, and Pelsoi and Reid are so scared that they are conducting the closed door meetings to get the thing passed themselves instead of going the usual conference route. Â That doesn’t make the end result any prettier, but this is not something that could have been predicted when Obama took office with the numbers he had in Congress.

But what next? Â Dodge makes the very spot on point that the tea party movement faces an uphill battle trying to go the route of forming a third party in most states. Â But what they can do is influence the primary process in both parties and the general election result for area races.

In our district, there are at least four declared challengers to Patrick Murphy (D-BigSpenderVille), and the local tea party organizers who put on a phenomenally successful event last year is hosting a candidate forum. Â This is not only useful as a way to be taken more seriously by the political class, but it’s also a huge potential boost for candidates themselves. Â With the primary bout between these candidates just over four months away, any supporters they pick up at the forum will be worth their weight in gold even if they give just a couple of hours of time stuffing envelopes or making phone calls in advance of the election. Â Talk about making future lawmakers sit up and listen now – this is the way to do it.

That said, here’s the nationwide primary calender. Â While this is officially only for Congressional races, most states have only one primary date, so it should also apply to just about all state offices as well. Â The votes of your immediate family may well be enough to swing a low level primary race, so don’t bitch that your votes don’t matter. Â Even making a victory more decisive can make a huge difference in fundraising and attention a candidate can receive from the party folks.

Illinois, you’re up first in February. Â Next it’s Texas in March. Â Early May has Indiana, North Carolina, and Ohio. Â For those of you in Ohio, your state elections are of vital importance. Â Your state is losing two entire Congressional districts. Â Whatever party leads in the 2010 elections will decide which districts are cut. Â That’s not an issue that you can change in the next election, that’s a result you live with for at least 10 years.

Pennsylvania Leaders Involved in McDonald

Over at PAGunRights.com, I take a look at the leaders in Pennsylvania who stepped up to sign on to at least one brief in favor of the petitioners. You can read excerpts from all of the relevant briefs over there, but here are the names of those who deserve our thanks for being proactive on the issue:

It would have been nice if more Pennsylvania lawmakers had stepped up to be on the right side of history in this case. As I understand it, there were time constraints in some states.

Maybe we should use this against lawmakers anyway. As gun owners we could tell them that since most of them did not help out on McDonald, they could make it up to us by passing Castle Doctrine. :)

Tops of 2009

I decided to do a little year-end review of things here at Snowflakes in Hell to see what people liked and who you people are. I don’t know if Sebastian cares or not, but I figured I’d compile the data and let the facts speak for themselves.

First, you guys love a story on crappy history teachers who can’t keep basic facts straight – like who wrote the Bill of Rights (Washington?). It’s the number one post of 2009, followed by the rest of the top 10:

Now as to who you people are, well, you’re a mixed bunch from all over. The top 10 states sending visitors to this site:

Pennsylvania
Texas
California
Virginia
New York
Florida
Illinois
Ohio
Arizona
New Jersey

Other quick facts:

The browser you are most likely to be viewing this site in is Firefox, followed by Internet Explorer.
You spend an average of just over two minutes viewing the posts during any one visi
The overwhelming majority of you come here through links or directly. Less than 21% arrive via search engines.
If you’re reading from abroad, you’re mostly likely from Canada followed by the UK.
The only countries where we have not had hits in 2009 are: Turkmenistan, Serbia, Montenegro, Eritrea, Somolia, Botswana, Angola, Gabon, Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Togo, Benin, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Western Sahara, Mauritania, French Guiana, and North Korea.
Folks from Iran were looking for information about porn, boobs, and machine guns.

With that, I’d like to say thanks to all of Sebastian’s readers and the few who have stuck around to read my pathetic attempts at humor and analysis. I think we can all agree it’s been an interesting 2009, and we’re looking forward to 2010.

Fun Facts: US Spending Edition

I figured this is the kind of holiday story that would warm the hearts of readers of this blog.

By now everyone realizes that the President is off dipping his toes in the sand of Hawaiian beaches and hitting up some of the Aloha State’s finest golf courses. In addition to renting out the three homes for Obama to vacation, paying for the cross-country flight for the First Family & their entourage, and all associated expenses, we’re also paying residents of Hawaii to kick it up in top hotels in Waikiki.

It’s a small world, and my Christmas Eve conversation with my grandmother turned up some interesting tidbits. It turns out that her yard man also does the maintenance in the area where Obama is staying. Part of his compensation includes housing in a modest apartment there on site. However, the Secret Service doesn’t want these staffers anywhere near the President. So they take over their homes & pay for them to stay in upscale hotels in Waikiki.

Boo-freakin’-hoo, right? Eh, not so much if you’ve ever spent much time in Hawaii.

While I’m sure the accommodations inside the hotel are nice, imagine being uprooted at the holidays from your home and put squarely in the middle of the hottest tourist destination of your state during the prime tourist season. Yeah, that doesn’t sound like quite as much fun, does it? (Also, for those of you not terribly familiar with the geography of Oahu, Waikiki is no where near Kailua.)

My grandmother swears that she’s sure everyone was okay with the visit and happy to leave their homes in support of the president, but she also says that as an Obama supporter who lives just west of Diamond Head – far away from the motorcades & insanity.

Don’t Give Bad Advice

One of the drawbacks of gun owners being a generally helpful bunch is that some try to offer up advice even when they shouldn’t. Yes, shockingly, some gun owners hold themselves out as experts when they don’t know squat. I know this is news to you, especially those of you who regularly chat others up at the range or those of you have spent more than 5 minutes at a gun club.

Snark aside, there are times when it can do serious financial damage. And it makes it worse when such bad advice is found in an official newsletter of an organization that, unjustly, may be seen as an authoritative source.

Yesterday’s mail included the Pennsylvania Rifle & Pistol Association newsletter, the source of the offending advice. One of their directors wrote an article on guns and insurance based on his experience with a devastating home fire. Filing a claim does not make one an expert in insurance. In fact, in Pennsylvania, I couldn’t even get past “Hello” and “please hold” when I got the receptionist at one insurance agency. She said their rules about even discussing insurance when it comes to quotes and advice are crazy strict, so she was not allowed to do anything more than transfer calls, take messages, and assist with non-insurance business needs since she was not licensed.

What follows is when someone who doesn’t seemingly have a background in insurance starts giving advice. (Reproduced as is, including grammatical errors.)

Last January we had a house fire resulting in 15 guns damaged by fire and smoke. I had very good Homeowners Insurance (Allstate “Deluxe” Policy) , and also the supplemental NRA sponsored (Arms Care) Firearms Insurance against fire and theft loss. I hope what follows may be useful information should any fellow members have the same misfortune.

I contacted NRA and told them I was submitting a claim. Their response was that my Homeowners Policy was the first resort and that my NRA policy was residual or secondary coverage in the event that Allstate failed to cover the loss.

Let’s stop here. I don’t have the insurance offered to NRA members for their guns, but my understanding is that the policy is secondary – that it covers above and beyond what your homeowners insurance covers depending on the policy you have with them. I never bothered getting it because my small collection was always under the amount that my renter’s policy covered. So why he would call the insurance company that NRA works with first is beyond me. (At least I’m hoping he called the actual insurance company and not NRA proper. Lord help him if he got caught in that phone menu.)

Allstate, like most other insurance companies, has limited firearms coverage for theft, but will cover all losses due to fire, flood, etc.

Hold up here! What?

All of my life, I have heard that if you live in a flood zone or want flood damage protection, you had to buy separate flood insurance. Google tells me this. More importantly, Allstate even verifies it with this statement:

A flood can be one of the worst disasters that can devastate your neighborhood. It’s such a big deal that the Federal Government runs a National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). That’s why Home and Property Insurance typically doesn’t cover flooding. (emphasis added)

Now, this guy’s so-called “‘Deluxe’ Policy” may include flood insurance that was recommended because of his community or because he had a salesman who talked him into it. That does not mean that most policies cover damage to your guns from floods. In fact, it means the exact opposite. Fire, yes, but not floods.

Over the course of the next few months I found that Allstate was much more reasonable to deal with, relative to proof of firearms ownership, valuation, etc. than NRA and it’s Insurance carrier.

I’m guessing this guy has a bone to pick with NRA to have thrown that statement in there. At this point, he has already established that

the supplemental insurance is just that – supplemental to what the home & property insurance does not cover;
the primary insurance provider is going to cover the guns fully so he will not need to tap into the supplemental plan; and
hopefully by now he has figured out to call the insurance company and not general NRA staffers.

So beyond just a shot across the bow at NRA, I can’t really figure out why he would be complaining about an insurance policy that he didn’t need to cash in on. Sebastian said that he thought he had heard that the insurance offered to NRA members was a bit of a pain, but that’s not really relevant for this article since the policy didn’t apply in this case.

After advice about safes and suggesting that members go through ADT for all of their home security monitoring needs, he then jumps into the area that just made me want to cringe – handing out insurance purchase advice.

Last but not least, and information well worth repeating, get out your Home Owners Insurance policy, call your agent, and get the maximum coverage, especially on personal contents, temporary housing, structure coverage, that is allowed. If you add up your total cash outlay for Home Owner Insurance coverage over however many years, you will find that it is a fraction of the cost of just one “catastrophic loss” due to fire, flood, or other natural disasters.

If he hadn’t had the absolutely horribly wrong comment about most home policies covering flood damage, then I would believe that he was an insurance agent deliberately trying to oversell folks for things they don’t need.

Now, I am not an insurance expert, but I have purchased enough to know that most people simply do not need a platinum-coated policy for most things covered. I’m also humble enough to admit that I don’t know enough about insurance to say much more.

I will add that if this has made you think about what your gun coverage really is for different types of losses, call your agent. Or, even better, call around until you find an agent who owns guns. I bought my car insurance from an agent who is not only a gun owner who shoots at our club, but his family is full of competitive shooters who hold state records. I know if I had questions, I could call him up and pick his brain to get an honest assessment.

On Strike

Not really, but it sure does feel that way, doesn’t it?

Sebastian is crazy busy at work today. Sure, it’s the last day before vacation for him, but would you know that they scheduled some crazy something today that meant he had to get up and leave earlier than normal after working later than usual and having put in most weekends the last month. In theory, I know a little more about what’s keeping him busy at work that I’m sure you fellow techies would understand, but if I screw something up in explaining it, I’ll look like an idiot to this audience. So instead, we’ll go with the highly technical “some crazy something.”

I, on the other hand, am doing household things. Like battling Wegmans for groceries for 3 hours. They were so busy that they had police running the traffic at intersections for the store. None of the stores selling Christmas presents in the same shopping center were busy, but Wegmans was crazy. They were also out of cranberries and I got the very last head of cauliflower. Fortunately, I know they were out of cauliflower because I got the very last head. Hahaha!

Now instead of reading the news, checking my email, and going to look for interesting gun news for commentary, I’m going to buy bourbon. Then I’ll come back and take a stab at a post to amuse and horrify anyone who is involved in the insurance industry – and it’s about guns, too! But the bourbon, in addition to making my cranberry sauce more flavorful and bourbon balls more spirited, will make the post writing flow a little easier.