The New Luddites

The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the early nineteenth century who protested — often by destroying sewing machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their livelihood.

This English historical movement has to be seen in its context of the harsh economic climate due to the Napoleonic Wars; but since then, the term Luddite has been used to describe anyone opposed to technological progress and technological change. For the modern movement of opposition to technology, see neo-luddism.
Wikipedia

On Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 1:25 PM (CST) I posted my first fraud warning about a website that was shopped to me via email as “shattering” all theories of anthropogenic global warming. The email that was sent purported to be from a “Dr Mark Cox”, an “astrophysicist with an interest in issues related to climate change”. The author - who is most assuredly not really named Dr Mark Cox – complained about the treatment – the raw hate – that had been directed at his colleagues for daring to publish such a paper. (Whoever sent the email had to get past the box-trapper software used on my email, so this was quite intentional and not a group automated mailing.)

It’s a shocking story of censorship and intimidation. Their paper was published a few days ago but no one has reported on it and it looks like its in danger of being frozen out by the climate change 'consensus'. I phoned Daniel yesterday and recommended to him he should talk to the media about it. But he's so worried that he or his colleagues could lose their funding or their jobs that he is flatly refusing. He and his colleagues have already removed their contact details from the university directories because of the hate mail they've been getting.

The way Klein and colleagues have been treated is an outrage and it makes me very sad and worried about what's happening to science. We really do seem to be entering a new 'Dark Ages'. If you can break the silence on this issue, you will be doing a major service. As I say, please do not mention my name in connection to any of this.

That email is time stamped as having been received in my inbox at 11:01:15 AM. I did not open it until I checked email sometime around 1 PM. The second I opened the website linked in the email (now taken down), I knew something about it was badly wrong. The supposed scientific article was written in overwrought language that would never have appeared in a peer reviewed journal. The “science” in the article was not even close to real science and made no sense. The mathematical equations (which I happen to have a degree in) did not make any sense whatsoever. The site looked quite pretty on the surface - but it was all surface – only the one article and the editorial were live links.

I started searching the web, made one phone call and knew the article – and the email directing me to it – were frauds. I spent more time double and triple checking what I had found – then wrote my first post exposing the fraud. (Not ‘hoax’ - fraud.) I did so within one half hour of opening the email. I put up another post later that day when fellow blogger Quilly Mammoth tipped me to who he thought might be the perpetrator of the fraud. 

One (if there is more than one) of those perpetrators is one David Thorpe. A self described “prize-winning novelist and environmental journalist” from Wales, Thorpe blogs at The Low Carbon Kid (among other places, apparently). Thorpe was, as he puts it, “besieged” by reporters after the fraudulent website went live. Mr. Thorpe flat-out lied about his involvement in the fraud to a reporter from Reuters. Then he later confessed that he had lied – that he was in on the fraud from the start on his blog:

I recently collaborated in an elaborate hoax - called "a spoof that puts the fun back into lying about science" by desmogblog - that was intended to smoke out the latter sort. It was so successful it was syndicated across 600 radio stations in the US.

A client wrote a fake paper, purporting to 'prove' that rather than fossil fuel burning it was the previously undetected emissions from undersea bacteria which were responsible for the last 140 years' increase in atmospheric concentrations.

We said it was from a fake 'Journal of Geoclimatic Studies', based at a fake Institute of Geoclimatic Studies at Okinawa University, in Japan. We had a fake Editorial Board, back issues, editorial and other papers.

The 4000 word paper itself, Carbon dioxide production by benthic bacteria: the death of manmade global warming theory? contained graphs and numerous references, and was launched on its own website late afternoon on 7 November. (It has since been taken down.)

(Side note: Thorpe posted the following at a Myspace blog: "For the record, I didn't write it. The writer of the fake paper has a high understanding of the science and is a prominent campaigner." I can only add this here: if this fraudulent paper was the product of someone who has "a high understanding of the science" then there is a a real problem.This was so amateurish as to be the product of an English major rather than someone who has credentials is any physical science.)

So, we have an environmental crusader who presents himself as a journalist (and fiction writer). He has admitted that he was part of the entire fraud. But he told a reporter from Reuters that he only put up the website, that he had nothing to do with the content. That is a very, very disingenuous way to lie. And his lies do not stop there. Thorpe tries, very very hard to sound like he was only trying to smoke out the people who really do not understand the science with his fraud. He tries to sound reasonable in his post on the fraud.

One little problem; Thorpe also has a trail of blog posts. Including this little gem:

Meanwhle (sic), the logic from all of this leads to the conclusion that only one thing will reduce our overall energy use: personal carbon trading with a yearly reduced overall cap.

This will be because there will no possible way to use more energy. No choice. Nada.

Like the spoilt child, we should be banned from playing with our dangerous toys, and learn to do more with less.

It's the only way.

One of the people who emailed Thorpe – and slammed him quite hard over his stunt - Theo Richel, sent this to Thorpe:

"Usually we skeptics are accused of deliberately causing confusion, now we catch you doing it. Bit like what Michael Crichton predicted in his Climate of Fear, environmentalists would do. Great visionary skeptic that man. So I’ll gladly keep you as an example of the journalists who need fiction to prove their point. And then fail."

Thorpe’s goal appears to be, according to his own writings, to be to put mankind back into the Neolithic age by depriving mankind of the benefits of access to energy. Thorpe brags on his blog that he is now a paid free-lancer for the Guardian newspaper in Britain.

I think the Guardian might want to examine their standards for hiring “journalists”. Is the standard there one that Ned Ludd would be proud of? Is the standard of the Guardian to hire self-professed liars who think promoting fraud is a valid technique to discuss issues?
Is it fiction to prove a point or lies to promote Luddism?  I think the Guardian might want to answer that. For their own good.

(Earlier posts here and here. I riffed off a post from Quilly Mammoth here. Thanks, QM.)

UPDATE: Again, thanks to American Thinker for the link. Visitors, please take a look around. Thanks for following the link and stopping by.

Not Good, Not Good At All

A Chinese attack submarine surfaced within torpedo range of the USS Kitty Hawk without having been detected by the American screening vessels.

When the U.S. Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, it takes the security of its aircraft carriers very seriously indeed.

At least a dozen warships provide a physical guard while the technical wizardry of the world's only military superpower offers an invisible shield to detect and deter any intruders.

That is the theory. Or, rather, was the theory.

American military chiefs have been left dumbstruck by an undetected Chinese submarine popping up at the heart of a recent Pacific exercise and close to the vast U.S.S. Kitty Hawk - a 1,000ft supercarrier with 4,500 personnel on board.

By the time it surfaced the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine is understood to have sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missiles at the carrier.

According to senior Nato officials the incident caused consternation in the U.S. Navy.

The Americans had no idea China's fast-growing submarine fleet had reached such a level of sophistication, or that it posed such a threat.

One Nato figure said the effect was "as big a shock as the Russians launching Sputnik" - a reference to the Soviet Union's first orbiting satellite in 1957 which marked the start of the space age.

The incident, which took place in the ocean between southern Japan and Taiwan, is a major embarrassment for the Pentagon.

That classifies as a warning to America, Japan and Taiwan all at the same time. It also signifies that we have a problem. This is not as isolated an incident as it might appear. There have been multiple "surprises" in the past year. Some real, some not so much. The problem with the western left's obsession with navel gazing is that it exposes the back of the western neck to people that do not have good intentions. It really is not all about us. Other people have other agendas. Many of those agendas are not peaceful or friendly toward us.

(H/T to Fresh Bilge - who found the Crabitat last night and is now on the blogroll.)

Surrender Pancakes

Funny, funny post from Charlie Foxtrot. I'll send you over there to read it. Let's just say pancakes and Melodramatic Maple syrup feature prominently.

King Juan Carlos Of Spain Tells (T)Hugo Chavez To Shut Up

This is one of those stories that just make you grin. King Juan Carlos of Spain literally told the red-shirted dictator-to-be of Venezuela to 'shut up' at a conference in Santiago, Chile.

Chavez, who called President Bush the "devil" on the floor of the United Nations last year, triggered the exchange by repeatedly referring to former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a "fascist."

Aznar, a conservative who was an ally of Bush as prime minister, "is a fascist," Chavez said in a speech at the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile. "Fascists are not human. A snake is more human."

Spain's current socialist prime minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, responded during his own allotted time by urging Chavez to be more diplomatic in his words and respect other leaders despite political differences.

"Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people," he said, eliciting applause from the gathered heads of state.

Chavez repeatedly tried to interrupt, but his microphone was off.

Spanish King Juan Carlos, seated next to Zapatero, angrily turned to Chavez and said, "Why don't you shut up?"

About time somebody told Chavez that. I know absolutely nothing about the king, but he's already on my good side for this one.

Whoops, She Did It Again!

Another day, another sockpuppet! Hillary Clinton's campaign has been accused of trying to plant yet another question for an audience member to ask her. And they appear to be trying to lie about it as well.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Geoffrey Mitchell, 32, said he was approached by Clinton campaign worker Chris Hayler to ask a question about how she was standing up to President Bush on the question on funding the Iraq war and a troop withdrawal timeline.

The encounter happened before an event hosted by Iowa State Sen. Gene Frais on a farm outside Fort Madison, Iowa.

Clinton's Iowa campaign confirmed to Fox News that one of its staff discussed questions with Mitchell before her April 2 event, but denied attempting to plant a pro-Clinton question.

Mo Elliethee, spokesman for Clinton's campaign in Iowa, told Fox that Hayler and Mitchell "had a previous relationship" and that a discussion about Clinton arose out of a normal conversation between two people who knew each other well.

"They had a previous relationship and were talking before the event and the topic of the senator's position on Iraq came up and Geoffrey said he had some questions," Elliethee said. "Chris suggested Geoffrey ask a question."

Mitchell, however, said that he and Hayler did not know each other personally before the event.

"I had no previous relationship with him," said Mitchell. "I knew his name and by name only as some who worked for Sen. Evan Bayh. But we didn't know each other and I had never met him before this event."

Mitchell told Fox the Clinton campaign wanted to contrast Clinton to Sen. Barack Obama who had recently said the president would probably prevail in the Iraq funding battle with Congress.

Mithell said he refused to ask the question.

"I told Chris I had other issues I wanted to raise with Sen. Clinton," Mitchell said.

Asked what those were, Mitchell said, "I wanted to ask her why she voted for the Iraq war and why she didn't consider that a mistake."

Big mistake, getting worse and the pain is about to become enormous. As Uncle Fester said in comments, "Stupid should hurt.” I think it is about to. People in Iowa will not take this well - Hillary may just get a nasty, nasty surprise come caucus day.

UPDATE: Others: JustOneMinute, QandO, Wake up America, Riehl World View, Redstate, Stop The ACLU, Macsmind, 

UPDATE: Doug Ross: Hillary having a conversation with America (funny stuff).

No Gun To School For Oregon Teacher

Last month I posted about a court case in Oregon where teacher Shirley Katz was suing the school district that employed her for the right to carry her legally licensed concealed firearm. News is out that she lost in Oregon state court and will not be allowed to carry to class.

Shirley Katz, who has a legal permit to carry a concealed handgun, argued she needed the Glock semi-automatic pistol to protect herself from her ex-husband. She sued the school district when it told her carrying a gun was against a district policy prohibiting guns.

Circuit Judge G. Philip Arnold agreed with the district, saying "The District has a right to enforce this policy." he noted that employees "accept their jobs subject to, and knowing, the policy."

"We are pleased," said Dr. Phil Long, superintendent of the Medford School District. "This case was a distraction from our real mission, which is educating children."

As mentioned in the earlier post, Shirley Katz may not have been the ideal candidate for this type of lawsuit. There was some question about whether her need for self defense had a bit to do with a custody battle rather than real physical danger. It is unfortunate that so many people still believe that banning guns will do anything more than keep them out of the hands of those who obey the law. The people who go on shooting rampages usually refuse to check their guns at the door, don't they? The people who might be able to stop such incidents, having obeyed the ban, are unarmed.

Distinguished Service Cross

John at Argghhh! posted this item. First Lt. Walter B. Jackson received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action at a ceremony on November 2, 2007. The medal is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor as American military awards are ranked. Lt. Jackson is only the seventh person to receive the award since 1975.

Nov. 2, 2007: First Lt. Walter B. Jackson [Oak Harbor, Washington] became the seventh Soldier since the Vietnam War ended in 1975 to receive the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in action.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren presented the DSC, which is second in precedence to only the Medal of Honor for valor in battle, at a ceremony held in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes this afternoon.

A second lieutenant at the time of his heroic action on Sept. 27, 2006, Lt. Jackson was cited for selfless courage under extreme enemy fire while serving as a company fire support officer with company A, Task Force 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.

Lt. Jackson was engaged in combat operations with his unit against insurgents and while he attempted to recover a disabled vehicle, his unit came under heavy machine gun fire, which resulted in several Soldiers being wounded. As he applied first aid to a severely wounded comrade, he too was shot in the thigh.

Lt. Jackson’s citation in part reads: “Upon regaining consciousness after being shot, second lieutenant alternated between returning fire and administering first aid to the Soldier. Second Lt. Jackson was hit again with machine gun fire as he helped carry his wounded comrade to safety, but he never faltered in his aid. Although his own severe wounds required immediate evacuation and surgical care, 2nd Lt. Jackson refused medical assistance until his wounded comrade could be treated. Second Lt. Jackson’s selfless courage under extreme enemy fire was essential to saving another Soldier’s life and is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service…”

Before the presentation, Lt. Col. Thomas C. Graves, former Task Force commander, recounted part of that September 2006 day when he arrived at the medical aid station to see his wounded Soldiers and the first words to come from 2nd Lt. Jackson were of concern for the wounded captain he’d rescued.

“All the leadership schools, classes and years of experience never really prepare you for that moment in time when you are standing among heroes who have given their all, where their first concerns still remain with their fellow Soldiers,” he said. “It reinforces duty and commitment unlike any other experience.”

After Secretary Geren made the award presentation, 1st Lt. Jackson spoke to the packed room, humbly thanking his family, his West Point classmates and the Soldiers he’s served with in his short two-year career and saying simply, “I believe I just had to do what I had to do in that situation… I think many Soldiers would have done the same thing.”

1st Lt. Jackson has been recovering from his wounds at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, having undergone more than a dozen surgeries. While recovering at WRAMC, he volunteered as an intern with the Judge Advocate General’s office. He is awaiting orders to take over a multiple launch rocket system platoon in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division Fires Brigade.

There is not one, single news report that I can find about this. Zero, zip, nada. Only blog coverage. If you're a blogger, pile on. This man deserves recognition for his actions.

Lieutenant Jackson, you are a credit to the Army and an example to the nation. Thank you for your service.

I'll just remind people that the annual fundraiser for Project Valour-IT ends tomorrow, on Veteran's Day. If you can, please, please make a donation. There is a donation button at the top of the sidebar.

Fife Symington: UFOlogist

Ex-Arizona governor Fife Symington says he saw a UFO in Phoenix one night in 1997.

I witnessed a massive delta-shaped, craft silently navigate over Squaw Peak, a mountain range in Phoenix, Arizona. It was truly breathtaking. I was absolutely stunned because I was turning to the west looking for the distant Phoenix Lights.

To my astonishment this apparition appeared; this dramatically large, very distinctive leading edge with some enormous lights was traveling through the Arizona sky.

As a pilot and a former Air Force Officer, I can definitively say that this craft did not resemble any man-made object I'd ever seen. And it was certainly not high-altitude flares because flares don't fly in formation.

But wait! There's more!

We want the government to stop putting out stories that perpetuate the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth conventional terms. Investigations need to be re-opened, documents need to be unsealed and the idea of an open dialogue can no longer be shunned.

Fortunately, we know exactly who can help you Barney - er - sorry - Fife. We now have a matched pair to run for office!

At The Clinton Q&A Session

(Apropos this post) UPDATE: Second photo honoring the second charge of sockpuppetry by the Clinton campaign. Life is beautiful.

UPDATE: Oh my, there is no love for Hillary on this one. Even the few left-leaning blogs commenting are not at all happy with this one.

Captain's Quarters, Michelle Malkin, BitsBlog, Say Anything, Taylor Marsh, Don Surber, Political Machine, Macsmind, Blogs for Bush, Redstate, Fausta's blog, TigerHawk, Patterico's Pontifications, ScrappleFace, Spin Cycle, Riehl World View, Gina Cobb, QandO, Lonewacko, PoliPundit.com, Brilliant at Breakfast, Flopping Aces,  Booman Tribune,

Diamonds, Guns And Dirty Money

Chavez's Venezuela: crime central. An article in the Los Angeles Times today details the rapidly increasing criminal activity in Venezuela. It has become a hub for criminal gangs trafficking in just about every criminal activity on the planet. It is getting much worse, very rapidly.

A nation at the crossroads of South America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, Venezuela's location is ideal. Borders? Long, scantly populated and porous. Financial system? Large and with easy-to-evade governmental controls. Telecommunications, ports and airports? The best that oil money can buy. U.S. influence? Nil. Corrupt politicians, cops, judges and military officers? Absolutely: Transparency International ranked Venezuela a shameful 162 out of 179 counties on its corruption perception index. Chavez's demonstrated interest in confronting criminal networks during his eight years in power? Not much.

While this situation has so far been rather invisible to the rest of the world, it is patently clear to those in charge of fighting transnational crime. Anti-trafficking officials in Europe, the United States, Asia and other Latin American countries are paying unprecedented attention to Venezuela. These officials are not particularly interested in Venezuelan politics or in Chavez's policies. All they care about is that the tentacles of these global criminal networks are spreading from Venezuela into their countries with enormous power and at great speed.

The numbers speak volumes: About 75 tons of cocaine left Venezuela in 2003; it is estimated that 276 tons will leave the country this year. Before, the main destination was the United States; now, Europe is increasingly the target. Italy and Spain are two new important and lucrative end-user markets, and earning in euros is undeniably better than getting paid in dollars these days.

A senior Dutch police officer told me that he and his European colleagues are spending more time in Caracas than in Bogota, Colombia, and that the heads of many of the major criminal cartels now operate with impunity, and effectiveness, from Venezuela. The cartel bosses aren't exclusively Colombians — there are Asians (especially Chinese) and Europeans too. Caracas' most posh neighborhoods are home to important kingpins from around the world, including some from Belarus, a country that Chavez notably has visited several times.

There are vast amounts of money being laundered through Venezuela as well as trade in drugs, blood diamonds and even Iranian arms:

In Uruguay, an outraged legislator dropped this bombshell a few weeks ago: A group of Venezuelans had engineered the sale of Iranian arms and munitions to his country, using Venezuelan companies as a cover to bypass the U.N. embargo on Iran's arms trade. Likewise, the guerrillas in Colombia seem to have no trouble acquiring weapons — many of which come through Venezuela-based arms dealers.

I posted about the blood diamond issue earlier when Global Witness and Partnership Africa first broke that story wide open. I posted about the drug ties when the Washington Post ran an article on it. But the useful idiots of the West continue to go to Venezuela to fawn at the feet of Chavez. There will soon be interpretive dances about him, no doubt.

The Coming Tax Hikes

I have mentioned this before. Charlie Rangel's Mother of all Tax Hikes® is only the tip of the tax iceberg, so to speak. There is another massive tax hike already scheduled. It will hit in 2011 when the temporary tax cuts pushed through by George Bush expire. It will be brutal, it will be widespread and a lot of people are going to see major tax hikes. Alex Brill explains:

Yet Chairman Rangel's proposal is not the biggest hike on the horizon. Today's current tax code will "naturally" deliver a tax increase to all taxpayers in 2011. While Republicans have attacked the Democrat's proposal as "the mother of all tax hikes", the biggest tax increase is the pending expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. That hike will boost tax collections by over $200 billion a year after 2011, more than twice the size of the revenue raisers proposed by Rangel.

The reason that these "natural" tax increases are on the horizon is a function of the legislative process and bizarre rules of the United States Senate. Senate procedures are such that while a permanent tax increase can be enacted with a simple majority vote under a budget process known as "reconciliation," a permanent tax cut requires support from 60 Senators. Tax cuts can be enacted through the 51 vote reconciliation process but the rules require those cuts to be temporary (up to ten years). As a result of these rules and slim Republican majorities in the Senate, the key individual tax cuts enacted by the Republican Congress over the last six years are set to expire at the end of 2010.

If Congress does not act to prevent these hikes, the impact will be dramatic. According to an analysis by the Treasury Department, for a family of four earning $50,000, it will be, an average tax hike of $2,100. Five million taxpayers currently paying no federal income tax will be brought onto the tax rolls. Marginal tax rates would rise for most taxpayers. The tax on dividend income would more than double and capital gains tax rate would jump from 15 percent to 20 percent. In a time when the tax on capital has been declining in other countries to encourage investment and attract capital, the U.S. tax code is scheduled to head in the opposite direction. (Emphasis added)

Notice where the tax hike will hit? And hit very, very hard. A tax increase of almost $200 a month for a family of four earning $50,000 a year is, frankly, obscene. Yet this is what the Democrats call "tax cuts for the rich". This is what is going to happen, automatically with no further legislative effort needed.

When the taxes hit, the Democrats will have redefined what "rich" means downward even further.

Clinton Campaign Makes HUGE Mistake

I noted yesterday that there are signs that the Clinton campaign is overreacting and fumbling over issues in a very clumsy, almost frantic way. Today comes a revelation that indicates there may be real trouble ahead for the campaign. The campaign planted at least one question at a townhall meeting in Iowa. They swear it was just one question and they promise it won't happen again. Yeah, right.

"After her speech, Clinton accepted questions. But according to Grinnell College student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff ’10, some of the questions from the audience were planned in advance. 'They were canned,' she said. Before the event began, a Clinton staff member approached Gallo-Chasanoff to ask a specific question after Clinton’s speech. 'One of the senior staffers told me what [to ask],' she said.

"Clinton called on Gallo-Chasanoff after her speech to ask a question: what Clinton would do to stop the effects of global warming. Clinton began her response by noting that young people often pose this question to her before delving into the benefits of her plan.

"But the source of the question was no coincidence — at this event 'they wanted a question from a college student,' Gallo-Chasanoff said."

The tape of the event shows that the question and answer went as follows:

Question: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming How does your plan combat climate change?

Clinton: "Well, you should be worried. You know, I find as I travel around Iowa that it's usually young people that ask me about global warming."

The campaign's admission that it planted the question may be another blow to the New York senator's image as a trustworthy politician.

Gee, ya think? Who has Clinton got as campaign consultants, FEMA? Let's improve the candidate's answer, shall we: "I find as I travel around Iowa that it's usually young people who are coached by my staff who ask me canned questions about global warming so I can pontificate, safe in the knowledge that I will never be asked an unscripted question."

This will not go over well with primary voters. Not at all. This is not a "stumble" for the campaign. It is a pratfall.

UPDATE: A picture is worth 1,000 words……

May The Force Pork Be With You

Dana Milbank over at the Washington Post notes the override of the President's water projects veto by Congress. President Bush had vetoed the massively porked-up bill but the legislators were not about to let their earmarks go. The pork is strong in this one, eh, Luke?

The levies couldn't hold.

Ten minutes after noon yesterday, the floodgates burst on the Senate floor, and the dams crumbled. Billions of dollars for public-works projects poured forth. For the first time in the Bush presidency, Congress had overridden a veto.

The legislature has proved impotent in its efforts to challenge President Bush on such matters as the Iraq war and the waterboarding of prisoners. But the president learned an important lesson yesterday: Don't mess with lawmakers' pet projects.

Bush vetoed a $23 billion bill for water projects after the White House determined that it was "unacceptable" to the nation's finances. Yesterday, the Senate, following the House, told Bush just what was acceptable, voting 79 to 14 to override the veto. If anything, the opposition to Bush was even greater than the margin suggests; not a single senator came to the floor during yesterday's debate to defend Bush's veto.

Milbank uses the article to take a lot of shots at Republicans (and a few Democrats) who voted for the override, but this is and always has been, a bi-partisan problem in Washington. Being against pork should be one of the things people should be able to agree on regardless of political affiliation. It is a massive misuse of Federal power - and our tax money, period. The bill amounts to nearly $77 in taxes for every man, woman and child in the United States. Think about that.

Funny how the only thing that seems to be able to joyfully unite lawmakers is nothing any of them should be proud of, isn't it?