POKES AND PRODS - Editorial - SwampfoxNews.COM

MARCH
Notes on stuff that happened in March, 2012.

Your Old Kit Bag and Smile - Mar 31
Garbage In, Garbage Out - Mar 28
What You Want Is What You Are - Mar 27
Smoke - Mar 26
Pork Trap - Mar 24
More Later - Mar 21
Progressives Call For Compromise - Mar 19
Woo-Woo Weather?/Rosie-Oprah - Mar 18
Sounds of Oinking In The Market - Mar 16
Cheesy Grits? - Mar 12
Precious Heavy Metal - Mar 11
Derrick Bell and the Neverending Umbrage - Mar 10
Glenn Moves Up, But Not Out - Mar 9
Like A Street Scene in Southside Chicago - Mar 8
Political Quickies - Mar 7
Rush to Judgement - Mar 6
And Look What We Got, Instead - Mar 5
Thanks to the Gov - Mar 3
"...problems with the employment numbers.." - Mar 2
Andrew Breitbart Dies - Mar 1

(The Swamp) --
March 31, 2012
Your Old Kit Bag and Smile
There is an old WWI song by George Henry Powell that goes, "...so, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile!" In other words, you can't do anything about it, so, get a spine, be glad for what you've got, and do your bit. It's a good theme song for the Republican Party.

Many, MANY Reagan Republicans don't want Rick Santorum as their presidential candidate. He's too unctuous in his public display of piety. Mitt Romney is an empty suit, but that means he can be filled with something. Many people think he's already full of something. And, it looks like Newt is toast.

Powell's Sheet Music from WWI written under the name, "George Asaf"
Add to this mix a Progressive who is willing to ruin the country in order to change America into a fiefdom of the United Nations, submissive to Russia and China. He is very sincere in his desire, and he really does think he's doing good for America.

It's wrong to yell, "Fire!" in a crowded theater, especially when there isn't one. It's equally wrong to continue to sit in a burning theater. Thanks to Barack Obama, America is burning. Whoever the Republican candidate may be, he may not be the best fireman, but he will be, at least, a fireman.

Pyromaniac. Fireman. The choice won't be that hard. But many of us are going to have to pack up our troubles and smile, smile, smile..

March 28, 2012
Garbage In, Garbage Out
The White House spokesperson was telling the truth. Solicitor General Donald B. Verilli, Jr., did a very good job of setting out the Administration's argument. The fact that he coughed so much can be attributed to the fact that it's spring and the dumb gardeners in Washington, DC, have planted too many male cherry trees. The real problem is that Obamacare is a cynical, badly-written power grab.

And Nancy Pelosi was right. She didn't know what was in it when she, Harry Reid, and Barrack Hussein Obama rammed it down the throats of America, two years ago. Now, however, we all know what's in it, and we know what a really, really dumb idea it is.

Missing Information
Several people have written to me, asking why I haven't said anything about the Trayvon Martin thing.

Although many people hope to find racial conflict here, the answer is simple: Very few of the facts are available for comment. When we know more about what REALLY happened, I'll say something. Until then, I'll remind everyone that a young African-American man is dead, and he was shot by an African-Latino man.

There is nothing of "fighting the man" in this shooting. And, so far, the only obvious law that has been broken was done by Spike Lee when he accidentally trashed the ancient couple in Florida, tweeting - with malice - their address instead of the shooter's.

The fact that no-one has been arrested does not mean that there will be no arrests, or that there will be any arrests. Let's let the police do their job. As the Greek philosopher, Sextus Empyricus (ca. 295 BCE), said, "The mills of the gods grind exceedingly slow, but they grind exceedingly fine."

March 27, 2012
What You Want Is What You Are
When one argues before the Supreme Court of These United States, it's a lot like a full physical in the army - you have to strip down to your birthday suit and defend yourself only with your wits - metaphorically speaking. This allows the observer of the argument a perfect view of the true desires of the litigants AND the judges.

Of course, there is a LOT of "legalese," so a thoughtful listener will increase his or her knowledge of the nouns and verbs and special syntax of the court in order to listen with understanding. Having those tools in hand, and listening even casually, one comes to the conclusion that there are four justices on the court who are dyed in the wool Hobbesian Royalists - they believe a king and his counselors can rule better than a Progressiveically elected federated republic.

Hobbesians have no idea, and perhaps even fear, what a free society can do, and believe that "people are no damn good" and that they need a tight reign around their necks - that society is more important that the people within it. Put another way, they believe in a country of men, not of laws. That the law is to be bent to the will of the righteous few - Plato called them "philosopher kings." Not even Plato considered the fact that people do not need to be brilliant to have a free society of laws, only that the citizens be smart enough.

Thomas Hobbes, father of "Royal Stateism"
I'm sure you've heard, a hundred times by now, that this is the most important year for our republic since 1789. I believe it to be so. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Obamacare, for whatever reason, we will have to reverse it by congressional force, and that means a whole lot of Republicans need to replace a whole lot of Progressives in the House and the Senate.

The rule of law must be re-established, and the rule of the Hobbesian Royalists, with their fascist ideas and practices, must come to an end.

March 26, 2012
Smoke
Here I am, again, reminding you that there is still no evidence that cigarette smoking causes cancer in people who are not prone to catch cancer. There is also no compelling evidence that moderate cigar and pipe smoking (one Churchill size cigar a day or two pipefuls of genuine pipe tobacco a day) causes cancer of any kind in people who are not prone to catch cancer. And, unlike cigarette smoke, pipe tobacco and fine cigar tobacco contain no bad chemicals (all substances have chemicals.) An added plus is that you don't have to inhale cigar or pipe smoke to enjoy it. If you wash your face once a day, you'll be just fine.

There is ample evidence that repeated intensive inhaling of ANY smoke from ANY source can cause emphysema (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - COPD). So don't do that.

Into this circus ring of half truths and outright lies told to you by our ever so officious public officials, are some doctors who want to increase their practice by aligning themselves with government's ideas. You see them on media everywhere claiming that smoking causes cancer, when they know that the truth is more subtle and less dangerous than the people they are trying to sucker would know.

I am willing to state, categorically, right here, that if I am not allergic to cigar smoke, a really good cigar every week ($10 bucks or thereabout these days - it's all I can afford) is not to be feared. Period.

Sancho Panza - a great weekly smoke!
If you would like to argue the facts with me - ALL facts being considered - I welcome the challenge. I also challenge the government to prove that their prohibitive taxes have INCREASED jobs, rather than DESTROYING them by raising the price of cigars well over 500%.

In the mean time, I will enjoy, on my newly widened porch, my semi-weekly 3-hour-lasting, colorado-colored, humidor-aged Sancho Panza, and fooey on the government! Government makes nothing better - only harder.

March 24, 2012
Pork Trap
Heard something on Fox Business news today that tripped a wire in my memory. The figurehead at one of the smaller prosperous brokerage firms talked about "a strong into summer." When asked about how he could be so bullish, given the weak underpinnings of the market rally, he said - without batting an eye - that he never looked at the overall numbers, but rather, he bought on other people's emotion.

A Chart of the DJIA from July 1987 - Feb 1988
Almost the EXACT same thing was being said by several market experts, back in the summer of 1987. These same people crowed about how accurate they had been as late as Friday, October 16^th. People who had warned of bad times, back in the Spring of '87, were laughed at.

Then came Monday. I remember sitting in front of my computer screen, watching, as the Dow Average shed almost a quarter of it's value, the volume so great, that the system, literally, could not handle it.

Were the DOW to shed 22% this coming Monday, it would shrink to 10,195. Even then, it would still be almost ten times what it was after Monday, October 19, 1987. However, some experts are saying that the current market, at a price - to - earnings ratio at around 24.6, would have to fall to 7,000, - which would still be a P/E over 11.

In December of 1987, people, who were trying to bury their bad advice, reminded people that other people had made a lot of money between March and October. They stopped short of reminded their clients that hogs always get fattened before the slaughter.

March 21, 2012
More, Later
Romney sounded truly presidential, tonight, for the first time in this race. I don't think he's a conservative. There were fewer people at the polls which means what? - because he isn't a conservative? or because he's a slam dunk and the weather is weird? Maybe real conservatives and libertarians staid away because Santorum's religious supererogation makes them jittery.

We're all going to have to look into the mirror, soon, and ask ourselves, not, "is Mitt Romney A conservative," he's not, but, "is he conservative, ENOUGH?"

March 19, 2012
Progressives Call For Compromise
Ever get the feeling that everything is falling apart?

It is.

But the answer is NOT to get together with Progressives.

THEY caused it and are just looking for cover.

And, I'm just sayin'..

March 18, 2012
Woo-Woo Weather?
Every honest columnist has wondered, over the years, if his or her readers actually believe what that columnist has written. I endeavor to write information for you which is supported by at least two sources, even if I can't tell you who those sources are, and I DO wonder if you believe me.

This time is more important than most of those other times, because, what I have to tell you is almost beyond belief.

The magnetic North Pole has been moving south (as of 2003, it had been heading north), now, for several years - about 45 miles a year. As we speak, the magnetic north pole is back in northern Siberia, and moving steadily southward.

An illustration of the Earth's cores.
AT the same time, the coldest spots in the northern hemisphere are close to the magnetic North Pole. If you look at a map of the average snowfall, Eastern Europe and Russian Asia have the coldest temps and the heaviest snowfall so far this winter. Alaska, which is within that circle of coldness, is breaking cold temperature and snowfall records. Meanwhile, the lower 48 United States is undergoing much warmer temperatures and an early spring. It's almost as if the equator has moved. But we're being told, officially, it only appears that way.

Yet, this, too repeats. Something else interesting is happening: The Moon is not only closer to the Earth than it has been in years, the actual apparent northernmost azimuth of the moon is almost overhead at 34° north latitude. Since the plane of the ecliptic is only 23°, the moon should only rise to 23° in the wintertime and spring equinox. Indeed, the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England, attests that the actual ecliptic does move about - something to which NASA gave a non-denial denial, just recently. Kepler, remember, said it would.

Even more interesting is the fact that we have been bombarded by an incredibly active Sun. We know that heavier solar activity can cause extreme changes in weather, we're just not completely sure HOW it happens, although some scientists think they have a pretty good idea.

If the position of the Earth has slightly changed vis à vis the Sun and Moon, and if the Earth's magnetic cores (there are more than one, remember) are countervailing, and if the equator is moving, and if the Sun has increased in intensity, then all bets are off, except one, when it comes to climate change. That ONE thing which will NOT have caused the change will be humans. Cold comfort if it gets too cold or too hot, whichever might happen.

Now, before we start running off into the woods, screaming, remember that, in most cases, climate is cyclical. It may merely be that all of these observations - proven and denied - are signs of a geographical, geological, and meteorological hiccup. And that would be great - we can all wipe our brows and have a good, hearty laugh.

But before we can do that, what we really, really need is less BS from our government-bought scientists and lots and lots of accurate, non-biased, scientific observations. Now.

Maybe Nearly As Important..
And interesting nonetheless. Oprah canned Rosie. I kid you not. Not that many are watching the Obama Winfrey Network, anyway, but even fewer people were watching Rosie's show. If you are someone who wants to see Obama gone in 2013, this should give you a hint. The super-liberal Rosie O'Donnell basically ran hours-long pro-socialist commercials which were filled with nonsense and unfactual information. Her opinions..

March 16, 2012
Sounds of Oinking In The Market
Have you checked your barnyard lately? Are your pigs missing? Honestly? I go away for a couple of days, and the Hogs get loose and start feasting!

Metaphorically speaking, of course
Mind you, there is no reason for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to be any higher than 10,000. It was too high at 11,000, and the earnings haven't been that good.

The the actual Price-to-Earnings ratio is over 26, now (some websites tell you it's 17, but they're not using current price to current earnings). That means that the price of the average stock on Wall Street is selling at 26 TIMES the amount of money coming into the company, after taxes, per share! In an economy which is teetering on the edge of oblivion, with runaway inflation, unrelenting unemployment, and a demoralized small business sector, a Dow P/E of 10 is a better bet than one of 26.

And to add insult to injury, the current administration continues to lie by changing the reporting rules that would give us a real idea of what is happening - heedless of the financial ruin these actions are perpetuating - while crippling the image of our armed forces (see "Just Plain Crazy" from Feb 28, 2012 and "Better Jobs Numbers, Right?" from January 6, 2012.)

Having said all of that, I need to remind those of you who still give a hoot, that Conservatives and libertarians still only control the House. Ronald Reagan horsewhipped his Progressive House into shape, and could, because he had a Republican Senate and he was President. There is very little that can be done to change the current scenario, if there is not a change in the Senate AND the Presidency.

One other false flag - Apple. Apple is so way over its rational P/E ratio and it's inflating the appearance of the market - in other words, another bubble is rising. What happens when it pops? Well......

March 12, 2012
Cheesy Grits?
I probably should have moved on, but I can't get over the embarrassment I felt for Mitt Romney and three of the five on The Five, making fun of cheese grits.

Fine. Make fun of the number one Southern Food. But just remember that when you make fun of our true soul food, you make fun of every Southerner. And, you are missing our number one culinary delight.

And, no, this is not an anti-Romney column, nor an anti-The Five column. I've given up hating Mitt - it's like hating your dog that's been run over by a drunk. And who can hate The Five? It's got Greg Gutfeld, the funniest gnome to ever grace a tv or a lawn. But, this IS a pro grits column.

A Breakfast of Cheese Grits with sides of
egg, ham, biscuit, gravy, and coffee
There is nothing on God's green Earth better than a bowl of slowly cooked hand-milled grits with a tablespoon of butter, a teaspoon of garlic, a teaspoon of salt, ½ tablespoon of pepper, six ounces of extra sharp cheese, and 5 strips of crumbled, thick-cut, hickory-smoked bacon (not pictured, dangit!).

The honor of Southern Grits scores far above something Bill Mahr said, or Obama lying about his energy policy, or who's going to be the the new Senate Prez Pro-Tem, or the growing split between the NASDAQ and the DOW, or even another presidential apology.

And by the way.. do you know what the plural of grits is? Careful how you answer that, son..

March 11, 2012
Precious Heavy Metal
I've been doing a lot of thinking about precious metals over the past five or six years, and the one thing that occurs to me about American precious metal coins is that they make their holders sitting ducks. Here's what I mean..

Twice, in the history of the USA, government has outlawed the possession of gold bullion and American gold coins, thought better of it, and rescinded the presidential order, but only after the very rich had lost billions of dollars byt trading in their gold for worth-less paper money, destroying their investments and killing thousands of jobs throughout America. It could easily happen again. But there is one thing that they haven't tried, and which they could pull off without any effort.

Recalling ALL American coinage, not just those containing precious metals, is within the purview of the Federal Reserve (another reason to do away with the beast) and the President. And as quick as you can say, "Michelle Robinson," your supply of silver and gold coins could be gone. But there is one thing you can do to forestall this government sponsored piracy.

Right now, while there is still time, trade your American coins for coinage from another country. Canadian, Swiss, and South African gold and silver coins are most prized by collectors for their purity and provability. There are also hallmarked silver and gold (the company's seal of genuine value) mini-bullion pieces of tenths of an ounce through ten troy pounds Often the bullion resembles coinage - something that might become necessary when people start taking other payments for their goods and services.

You may want to make a special order of your not-coin coins - ask that they put a hole in each smaller piece. This can then be pieced together, like jewelry, which it becomes. Jewelry has never been confiscated because it's too foggy an issue, and can be a true legal problem.

It also wouldn't hurt to purchase a lead-encased box - one which can be buried in a safe place. That's where you'll want to store your larger bullion from the eyes of future government thieves, until you can get it broken up into pieces of "jewelry."

I do not want to think that a sitting president can be so evil as to steal from his constituents, but his hero is Lincoln, and Lincoln couldn't exactly keep his word. Ever. At some point people are going to want real money for real goods and services, rather than the funny money we are printing. But if you're convinced to do this, remember - THINK JEWELRY.. better yet, fire the current administration.

March 10, 2012
Derrick Bell and the Neverending Umbrage
It is entirely possible that you have gotten through the entire week without hearing the name Derrick Bell. Bell is, like so many Liberals and Progressives, a child of the 30's and 40's, a radical in the 60's, and by the 70's, a professor in a Northeastern College. Probably as proof that affirmative action works more in the lurch than in the lee, Bell, whose logic defies Simmons' syllogisms, was the first tenured person of color at Harvard Law School. His ideas are remarkable only in that they are completely bizarre.

Derrick Bell's invention of Critical Racism has major flaws, not the least of these is the dependence on completely subjective criteria to asses levels of racism. For instance, he argues, umbrage is usually initiated by the afflicted rather than the inflictor. Again, using Bell's rules for the initiation of a racist act, only minorities can be the victim of racism, which, as we have seen in the behavior of some groups of minorities in Philadelphia, disproves this idea.

Maybe you have seen the video of Soledad Obrien's embarrassing argument with breitbart.com's new leader, trying to justify Bell's dreadful logic. That, more than anything, points up one of the reasons Progressives have to fib in order to win their arguments, Bell's Critical Racism being one such example.

Frankly, public education, which WAS racist at one time, CAN still be done much, much better, today - I write about it, often - and using those suggestions would obviate affirmative action. But most people who embrace affirmative action these days, who are operating under a progressive agenda, misuse true affirmative action, admitting that they want it to operate as reverse racism, which, by standard definition (not theirs, of course) is racist.

Remember that it is impossible to legislate morality, an Eleutherian truism that is, nonetheless a provable theorum. But Critical Racism, in order to be redressed, must have legal bona fides. Which means they are trying to legislate morality.

True affirmative action can only make things approximately equal. You can't make the stupid become geniuses. Proponents of Critical Racism are looking for a perfect equality, which would only achieve the equality of Procrustes' iron bed,

which is no equality at all.

March 9, 2012
Glenn Moves Up, But Not Out
There is a HUGE grin spreading across my face. With Ken Ard stepping down from the Looie Guv position, Sen. Glenn McConnell - Prez Pro Tem of the Senate - moves into that slot.

Sen. Glenn McConnell Now, Glenn is a long-time friend of mine, so you need to judge this little essay with that fact in mind. I cannot say that what I have heard is gospel, but my one source says that he will not be giving up any of the power he has as he becomes the Lt. Governor. And who can blame him? Who would want a job which is basically meaningless, except for the fact that you're sitting around waiting for the Governor to die?

As the most powerful person in the Senate, Glenn has far more influence than he would were he to merely move up. As President Pro-Tempore, historically, he has presided over more sessions of the Senate than all the Lt. Governor's combined over the past 12 years. And it's not in Glenn's nature to coast.

Also, he and I are about the same age, so he's got plenty of energy, and he could, conceivably, still maintain most of his power for a while just by force of personality. But the President of the Senate, in South Carolina politics, is mostly an honorary position, and people who are close to the Pro-Tem rung, on the political ladder, are itching to move up. It will be interesting to see how long Glenn holds onto his considerable statehouse power.

As my 3-Greats Grandfather, Lt. Col. Richard "Fighting Dick" Anderson of the Continental Army, a Scottish immigrant, used to say,"Gang see what gang see."

March 8, 2012
Like Watching A Street Scene in Southside Chicago
Not only did Barack Obama fib his way through an entire news conference, but he went on to use the majority of reporters like willing, but cheap, street prostitutes. Pimp Of The United States? The acronym would still be POTUS..

March 7, 2012
Quickies
Had to laugh. CNN ignored most of Newt's GA win speech. Fox admitted that Newt could win with a Southern strategy and then took two hours to show why they thought Romney really ought to be the nominee. On the other hand, you can dispense with Carl Rove's opinion, but you cannot afford to dismiss his numbers. Rove's numbers are ALWAYS right.

But like it or not, Romney is the weakest frontrunner since Michael Dukakis. Everybody admits that Ron Paul's ideas are excellent, except for his foreign policy, but nobody's voting for him. Santorum is running for Pope.. and winning plenty of votes!

March 6, 2012
Rush to Judgement
What do Carbonite, Pro Flowers, Legal Zoom, Sleep Train, Sleep Number, Quicken Loans, and Citrix Systems have in common? They are all advertisers who have dumped Rush Limbaugh for calling Sandra Fluke (pronounced "Fluck") a "slut." They apparently didn't care that he later thought better of it and apologized for the word usage. They also didn't care that the 31-year-old Miss Fluke was a Progressive plant.

My mother taught me better. I would never have called Miss Fluke a slut - I don't care how many people she's slept with - the peccadillos of Progressives are irrelevant to the national conversation. I would have called her a fraud and a cheat, for her testimony before Nancy Pelosi - set up by the dubious thief, Barbara Boxer - to the planned phony phone call from the current resident of the White House.

Also.. she, Pelosi, Boxer, and Obama have the right to say whatever they want as long as they tell the truth. The problem, of course, is obvious - they have now, all lied. Another Progressive telling half truths and falsehoods. Not novel. Sadly, not novel.

And the boycotting advertisers who supported these fibbers deserve to be boycotted, themselves.

March 5, 2012
And Look What We Got, Instead
Why can't we have a leader like Bibi Netanyahu? What a courageous, strong, gracious, truthful leader who leads from in front, rather than from behind!

March 3, 2012
Thanks to the Gov
Romney was not as specific as Santorum and Gingrich on the Huckabee debate. It will run again, so, if you missed it, you'll have another chance to watch it on the Fox News Channel. But Romney has been coached so well that he now appears to be a sincere empty suit.

Romney is hoping that Republican voters will forget his vicious personal attacks on Cain and Gingrich via his superPAC and that he still has not gotten more than a third of the vote in every state, except one. Only 25% of voters cast their ballots for well thought out reasons. 45% of voters vote their emotions. The rest that make up the remaining 30% vote on the spur of the moment or for even less noble reasons.

Three things have certained themselves in the last three months:

Gingrich and Ron Paul "get it," and either would make a great President or support the other.

Santorum is riding the Gospel Train, but most true conservatives and especially little L libertarians are more than a little leery of anyone who claims to judge others by divine revelation.

Romney may make a good president, but he doesn't have the interpersonal skills necessary to get him the hard working TEA Party or deeply conservative, or libertarian vote.

One more thing: Most of the TEA Partiers are looking to Cain, Fred Thompson, and Rick Perry for direction. They know who the two real conservatives in this race are.

I'm getting out the mustard and mayo with a little gruyere for my ham sandwich - which I will vote for.

15 Minutes of Fluke Fame
So Ms. Fluke thinks that the government should provide contraceptives for the bunny rabbits in northern colleges. I find that more than amusing in that she is in school via education lottery money, already.

Frankly, I don't care whether Ms. Fluke has the sexual drivec of a rutting moose. Just don't make me pay for her protection during her frequent sexual set-ups. Elective medication has no place in medicare or medicaid.

March 2, 2012
Weather Maps Here
Not a lot to say, except that our weather maps are animated and free and the most up-to-the-minute! Remember that a lot of people come to this site during bad weather, so be patient, if it takes a little time to load. - Thanks.

March 1, 2012
Andrew Breitbart Dies of Heart Failure at 43

Andrew Breitbart (photo by Gage Skidmore) His strong suit was the truth. His craft was persistence. His trump was trust. The candle that burns the brightest, burns the shortest.

(click here to read last month's Pokes and Prods -
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(click here to go to the all articles archives)

- Dick Anderson.

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