Idiots in Congress put Marines at Risk
February 27, 2008
This is what happens when congressional representatives show-boat about how Bush is not delivering what the troops need in battle. They have no idea what they are talking about, but they push and push. We have to do something! Guess there were no user acceptance testing involved.
Marines Call New Body Armor Heavy, Impractical
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By Jennifer Griffin, FOX News
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Pentagon and Marine Corps authorized the purchase of 84,000 bulletproof vests in 2006 that not only are too heavy but are so impractical that some U.S. Marines are asking for their old vests back so they can remain agile enough to fight.Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway wants to know who authorized the costly purchase of the nearly 30-pound flak jackets and has ordered the Marine procurement officers at the Quantico base in Virginia to halt the rest of an unfilled order, FOX News has learned.
“I’m not quite sure how we got to where we are, but what I do know is it is not a winner,” Conway told FOX News at the end of his recent trip to Iraq.
I’m certain that some representative went out and deemed the problem solved; buy spending millions of dollars on equipment that will not work. Wonderful.
Remember that Little Bit of Mercury in those Bulbs?
February 26, 2008
These bulbs are being mandated on people left and right and they are not cheap. A regular bulb will cost you $1.50 and these new compact fluorescents are upwards of $8 or $9 each.
On top of that, let’s look at the hazards related to these new bulbs. I think it’s all hogwash, but the government is now providing people with instructions on how to dispose of these things and deal with them when they break! From boston.com:
“We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques,” said Mark Hyland, director of Maine’s Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. He said levels were the lowest if the room was well ventilated after breakage.
The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.
Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some – such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California – ban disposal in trash, according to Bender.
Let the lawsuits begin! But if it makes you feel better, go buy some.
[UPDATE] I just did a Google search on ‘mercury leak school‘ to see what comes up. I had remembered a few instances where schools were shut down for a day or two while the haz-mat teams cleaned up the place. It happens almost every week!
First Attack on WTC – 15 Years Ago
February 26, 2008
Why doesn’t the main stream media take a couple of minutes of broadcast time to remember the first terrorist attacks on U.S. soil? We’ll see if they cover at the 6:30 p.m. national news hour.
Michelle Malkin reminds us. So does Debbie Schlussel. Not much out there if you do a Google News search.
NY1 has a piece, and amNewYork has an opinion piece.
Here’s just some of the aftermath.
Chavez Urges Workers – Avoid English Words
February 26, 2008
It seems like state phone company workers in Venezuela are using some English phrases and Hugo Chavez doesn’t like it. From the AP.
President Hugo Chavez’s government is taking its battle against U.S. “imperialism” into Venezuelans’ dictionaries, urging state phone company workers to avoid English-language business and tech terms.
Through a campaign launched Monday, newly nationalized CANTV hopes to wean employees and others from words like “staff” (”equipo” is preferred), “marketing” (”mercadeo”) and “password” (”contrasena”).
Stickers and banners printed up by the company exhort Venezuelans to “Say it in Spanish. Say it with pride.”
Yeah, try being the owner of a cheesesteak shop in Philadelphia and asking people to order in English and see what happens.
So Much for Airport Security
February 25, 2008
We’ve read the reports about “testers” from the TSA getting certain items through security with no problems. As a matter of fact, TSA has failed numerous tests for a variety of reasons. Look, if somebody wants to get something on a plane, their going to be able to do it with time and money.
Today’s story from Heathrow just continues to prove that we’re not any safer. These nuts just walked out there and climbed out onto a BA jet? What is going on?
