Mother Jones finally Realizing Keystone Might be Better than Oil Rail Cars Exploding

Seriously, if Mother Jones is starting to wake up (emphasis on "starting") how long to get Obama on board? You telling me that a pipeline is worse than rail cars full of oil exploding?

Early on the morning of July 6, 2013, a runaway freight train derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, setting off a series of massive explosions and inundating the town in flaming oil. The inferno destroyed the downtown area; 47 people died. 

The 72-car train had been carrying nearly 2 million gallons of crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken fields. While the recent surge in domestic oil production has raised concerns about fracking, less attention has been paid to the billions of gallons of petroleum crisscrossing the country in "virtual pipelines" running through neighbor­hoods and alongside waterways. Most of this oil is being shipped in what's been called "the Ford Pinto of rail cars"—a tank car whose safety flaws have been known for more than two decades. 

... 

Not waiting for a final decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, oil companies are also building rail terminals in Canada's tar sands region. The Association of American Railroads says that the vast majority of rail shipments arrive without incident. But more oil on the rails has also meant more spills. Trains leaked more crude in 2013 than all years since 1971 combined. (These figures don't include the Lac-Mégantic disaster, in which 1.6 million gallons of oil spilled.)

Rachel Carson would be 107 Today, Not Sure How Old the Malaria Victims Would Be

Google's doodle today:

This is to celebrate Rachel Carson's birthday, who would be 107 today. She wrote "Silent Sprint" that got DDT outlawed. I highly recommend John Berlau's "Eco Freaks" book detailing the damage the removal of DDT has wrought. Here is some of his findings:

3. But DDT was once nicknamed “Double Death Twice” in the popular press. What happened to people exposed to higher than normal amounts of DDT? 

Studies show they turned out fine, and the experiences of some folks makes me wonder if exposure to DDT actually prolongs your life. Joseph Jacobs was a chemist directing the effort to mass-produce DDT to protect World War II soldiers from insect-borne disease. In the rush to get the first shipment out the door, a valve that Jacobs happened to be standing under was accidentally opened, and Jacobs was soon covered with hot DDT. Jacobs did indeed die – more than 60 years later at the tender young age of 88. He would go on to build a top engineering firm, write books, and have a family. But he always considered his role in the early production of DDT as one of his greatest accomplishments. The story is same for others, including one man who is still alive at 97. (A lot longer than Carson lived. Maybe she should have had some DDT herself. -- Yoda) 

4. But what about birds and forests. Doesn’t DDT do a lot of damage there? 

DDT can be harmful if used in excess, but application of DDT has also saved many trees from insect infestations and may be partly responsible for an increase in bird populations. Starting in the late ‘40s, it was sprayed on elm trees to successfully stave off predatory beetles spreading Dutch Elm disease. After DDT was banned, the U.S. population of elm trees fell by more than half, and many American towns have few of the elms that once lined their streets. DDT also saved Oregon’s “old-growth” Douglas fir trees, home for the celebrated spotted owl, from devastation by tussock moths in 1974. 

In some of the instances where DDT was alleged to have killed birds, other factors – from excess hunting to mercury poisoning – were more likely the real culprits. Further, the bird population would often increase in areas spread with DDT as there were fewer insects to spread bird diseases. Ironically, today the mosquito-borne West Nile virus is killing many of the birds – including robins, condors, eagles and peregrine falcons – alleged to have been harmed by DDT. Yet greens still oppose most spraying programs that use any type of pesticide to fend off mosquitoes.

"We Don't Take Obamacare." Family was Told.. But at Least it Cost More

Yes the insurance appeared to be cheaper. But if nobody takes it and you get no return for your money, the cost-benefit ratio is sky high.

 But the Robinsons soon learned the HMO Blue Cross Blue Shield plan they pay about $375 each month for wasn't quite what they expected. 

For example, when it came to finding an obstetrician in Texas for their upcoming baby earlier this year, Rachel said she called all 28 practices listed as acceptable options for their plan, but could find none to take her as a patient. 

“Some would just come right out and say, ‘We don’t take Obamacare,’” she said. ”Or the best one was, ‘The doctor takes it here at the actual practice, but whatever hospital you use … does not take that insurance.’”

Obamacare doesn't work. All the cries of "Racism" won't help a couple pay for the baby they are trying to have, or pay for the hospital visits after a car crash or any number of other things. These are the realities and as John Adams said, "Facts are stubborn things." 

New Site Name, Same Great Taste

We are now www.conservativeyoda.com. The old link will still work but we are looking to update a bit. We'll be doing a site redesign and maybe moving from here to Wordpress as they do better with the podcasting. Thanks for your support and if you like what's happening here, spread the word!

@Toure May Be the Most Hateful Stupid Person at MSNBC... and That's Saying Something

What makes me so upset? This twit.. I mean tweet:

The power of whiteness: RT @hope_and_chains: My family survived a concentration camp, came to the US w/ nothing, LEGALLY, and made it work.
— Touré (@Toure) May 23, 2014

Surviving the holocaust is skin color based now? Even if he means making it work coming over here was somehow a white power, I'd like him to go to some of the poor white areas and tell me all about the "power of whiteness."

Toure I would assume thinks that racism is bad. To use racism to fight it however makes him a grade A hypocrite. In our last podcast, we spoke of not moving the conversation forward because of tainted thinking. Jill Abramson couldn't get past the idea of victims and oppressors. In the modern era, this is outdated thinking. Sure, in Iran, Nigeria, Burma, and most of the Islamic dictatorships there are victims and oppressors, a cause Toure doesn't seem to muster a lot of enthusiasm for. But being white is not a superpower. I truly believe that Toure thinks this video is real:

It's not. It's satire Toure. It's damn funny satire showing that perhaps your view of a black and white race based world is absurd. Progressives like Toure haven't actually progressed. They are living in the past and cannot see past skin color. It's sad. At least free speech has let us identify this idiot for the racist he really is.

Obamacare Incompetence Roundup

Cover Oregon Director was shown the door after the mess that was Oregon's Obamacare website. His punishment? He still gets to collect his 14k a month paycheck.

The resignation was “effective immediately,” said officials in the governor’s office. 

Or so we thought. 

It turns out, Goldberg never really left and is now drawing a full-time salary from the state. Oregon officials confirm Goldberg returned to full-time status at the Oregon Health Authority on May 15 and will use his accrued vacation pay until July 18. 

He’s getting paid $14,425 a month.

The administration won't release enrollment numbers anymore anyway so Oregon's failure sounds like it's the tip of the iceberg.

During the initial open enrollment period, the Obama administration released monthly enrollment reports that — even if they were exasperatingly incomplete and/or doctored in what data they chose to reveal — gave us at least some sort of idea of what was going on with the president’s crowning legislative achievement. Now that the Obama administration has that alleged 8 million sing-ups number to tout, however, they evidently no longer feel the need to even keep up the pretense of releasing regular reports on the law’s progress.

Well we lied about the initial numbers so why keep giving them? It interrupts our being lazy.

One of the reasons they touted having Obamacare was that people without coverage would use emergency rooms since they didn't have insurance. Now that 8 million do (uh-huh) at least the frequency of visits would go down now, right? Nope.

The ObamaCare boosters in the mainstream liberal media are once again avoiding negative news on the health care law’s unintended consequences. According to a study released Wednesday by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), emergency room visits are on the rise, in spite of promises to the contrary by supporters of ObamaCare.

Well don't worry. With all the money they haven't saved, they've used it to buy 21 helicopters for just one president. Like Mr. Burns said "I like to put my feet up."

There is much huffing and puffing by Navy officers and elected officials that such a debacle will not recur — and it may not. And yet… Gizmag reports that this is “initial US$1.24 billion contract is for six S-92 helicopters and two trainer simulators for the US Marine Corps as part of a development and conversion program that will see a fleet of 21 aircraft built for presidential use by 2023.” 

$1.24 billion is a lot of money.  For six helicopters and two simulators. 

Then, presumably, many more dollars to scale up to 21 “aircraft built for presidential use.” 

This columnist might find no sum excessive to protect the United States of America from (to appropriate and adapt a phrase from MoveOn.org) the three most frightening words in the English language, “President Joe Biden.” Yet … the delivery of these craft will occur much too late to fulfill such a noble mission. 

And… 21? 

To transport one president? 

Really?

Really. The boy king needs his carriages.

Carpool Conversations Episode IV (and V?) Double Sized #Podcast - New York Times, Batman, and Indiana Jones

Part 1


Part 2


So we went a little haywire and decided on a double sized podcast. We start out with the Time firing Jill Abramson (Yes, I looked up her name later.) She may have or not have a case regarding her pay but the point we are trying to make is beyond that, we are talking about the liberal mindset and how it taints these kinds of discussions.

Then we dovetail into the Agents of Shield and the differences between the DC and Marvel attempts at creating franchises, and finally into Batman, the Man of Steel, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

We'll get a little more into politics the next time. Maybe. Or not. Who knows, these aren't scripted folks. Enjoy!

Download Part I
Download Part II