November ended very dry, putting Austin in the exceptional drought category, i.e. the worst possible. We’re surrounded by an extreme drought area (the red on the map) with no end in sight. Our driest year since 1956. Odd combination: no rain and an early winter of chilly days andfrigid nights. Yech.
Comments Off on Centex drought continues
Posted in Blogosphere, Rancho Roly Poly, Texana, Weather/Climate
Tagged 2008 drought, Austin, Central Texas, USDA Drought Monitor
Comments Off on The battle of the banners
Posted in Texas Football
Since a continuation of the culture war (anti-gay marriage, etc.) has been cited as one reason the Reps lost the election, it would seem to be a perfect time to end the drug war, which has failed to do anything but strain government spending, raise the price to the consumer and destablize producing countries like Mexico, Columbia and Afghanistan.
Plus, if you’re going to nationalize health care, anyway, which Barry seems intent on doing, it would be a perfect time to offer "free" drug treatment to all who need it. But pols are such cowards, never doing anything that might cost them re-election. So we stumble along, with cops devoting too much energy to seizing marijuana and cocaine and, increasingly, needing automatic rifles to defend themselves against the foot soldiers of the drug cartels. Can Barry fix it? Yes, he can! If he only has the nerve.
UPDATE: It’s not a unique idea, of course, but I knew that. On the other hand, it may be a bit much expecting a progressive to end drug prohibition, considering it began on FDR’s watch. Alcohol prohibition, the previous failed effort, was pushed through by "progressives," as well.
President Andrew Jackson broke with tradition and invited the common people to the White House reception after his inauguration in 1829 and they tracked in mud and otherwise left him a big cleaning bill. But history has recorded no sniping remarks from him about it. The snark is left to his Democrat party descendents such as (who else?) Harry Reid. Thanks to the air-conditioning (wind or solar-generated, surely, can’t be from oil or coal) in the new Capitol Visitors Center, Reid’s delicate olfactory sensibilities will no longer be troubled by commoner body odor. Term limits, please.
Finally getting around to replacing the Nikon Coolpix S10 VR I had that got run over by a truck back in August. I had set it down on the top of the car while getting some bags in and forgot it was there. Halfway down the highway at seventy-plus I saw something black sail into the air behind us and realized immediately that it was the Nikon in its case.
I turned around and went back to it and ran out in the road to retrieve what turned out to be the cushioned case alone. The camera had somehow come out and smacked into the asphalt. I located it and started to dash out for it just as a semi approached. My prayer didn’t work. The truck’s front wheel ran over it. Not enough left for a souvenir. So far I like this Canon model the best. It’s got some of the same features, has a viewfinder for use in bright sunlight, looks like it will fit in the old case, and it is a lot cheaper. In case it winds up getting run over someday.
Via Instapundit.
I kind of like the idea of Hilarity being Obamalot’s new SecState. She’ll singlehandedly bring the agency down to its fundamental uselessness. Although I have a hard time imagining how her penchant for telling lies and throwing temper tantrums is going to enhance Barry’s alleged interest in "soft power."
Comments Off on Our new secretary of state
Posted in Obamalot
Tagged Obamalot, SecState Hillary Clinton
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 