ANDREW BREITBART HAS DIED.


Instapundit has much more, including links to assholes people who richly deserve having their respective heads ripped off and shoved someplace where the sun don't shine.

An Army of Davids can't replace him, but we sure as hell can try. Fight on.

FIGHTING BACK: "Royal Dutch Shell launched an extraordinary preemptive legal strike Wednesday against opponents of offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean, filing suit against more than a dozen environmental organizations likely to challenge its plan for drilling exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea this summer."

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: For all the problems of national pride, democracy, free markets, alliances and military preparedness, the alternatives seem far worse.

YES, YOU CAN see Russia from Alaska. I've noticed that several people have visited my earlier link which has since succumbed to link rot.

The above link is to the Bering Strait School District, which has 4 controllable webcams; two of which look out toward Russia. Only one of the webcams appears to be operating today, which given Alaska's weather, is probably reasonable. Here are two pictures I took at at 7:56 and 8:16 pm Eastern time today. I was controlling the camera from my desktop.




Iditarod TrailCam - White Mountain Checkpoint

HOW TO FIGHT OBAMA'S CLASS WARFARE: “[N]body in America, no matter how rich or how poor, should have to pay more than one-fourth of their income to government.”

RANDOM THOUGHTS from the retirement lane. I received my 2012 property reassessment today. According to Prince William County, the economy is reviving: my assessment rose by 0.9% from 2011. Of course it's still down 42% from its high.

But never mind that. What's interesting is that when property values go down, the tax rate goes up and the taxes remain the same. When property values go up, the tax rate remains the same and taxes go up.

Imagine that.

IT'S ABOUT FAIRNESS: And to ensure fairness, we must have control.

FAA REGULATORS are streamlining flight routes around Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of an effort to save fuel and reduce delays at major airports across the country. Reading the article, it strikes me that the cost-to-benefit ratio is very high, but here is the nut graf:

The FAA didn’t address how it expects to deal with potential environmental challenges to the new routes.

There are only two realistic ways to deal with 'environmental challenges' -- ignore them or quit flying.

BETTER, NOT BITTER: Dispatches from Bitter America.

RANDOM THOUGHTS from the retirement lane: those who have the most confidence in technology are the ones who least understand it.

KELP IS ON THE WAY to help with high gasoline prices. Next up: unicorn droppings.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH CALIFORNIA? Everything. Thank God I had the sense to leave when I did.

DETECTING LIFE on exoplanets by 'planetshine'.

HOW TO decrease gasoline prices, increase voter turnout, and ensure Obama is put out to pasture:


Hold elections in gas stations.

DOUBTFUL: Why Drones May Bring a Renaissance, Not Erosion, of Privacy. If you're a betting person, bet against and take precautions.

LINDA CHAVEZ: Raiding Social Security. Some additional thoughts:

First, that 2% tax break we've been hearing about so much lately really doesn't exist. The 2% payroll tax you don't pay is being paid out of the General Fund; i.e., your income taxes. It's a classic bait-and-switch.

Second, it's instructive to see how much the payroll taxes have grown over time. In 1962, when I graduated from high school, my father paid 3.125% of his income (with another 3.125% paid by his employer) up to a limit of $4,800/year. There was no Medicare tax until 1966. In 2010, when I turned 66, I paid 6.2% (with the other 6.2% paid by my employer) up to a limit of $106,800. Medicare cost another 1.45% (with the corresponding employer contribution) with no limit on income.

Over 48 years, that's an increase of 198% in tax rate and an increase of 2,225% in income limit. Roughly speaking, about an 8.25% per year increase, not including Medicare.

Here's the data: Social Security/Medicare tax rates and contribution limits.

POLITICALLY CORRECT WEATHER FORECASTS: An environmental activist group now wants to compel every TV meteorologist to promote its global warming agenda.

As annoyed as I am with these environmental goofballs, I am more annoyed by the TV weather nannies. If it rains, 'take an umbrella' or 'wear your galoshes'. If it rains heavily, 'don't drive through standing water'. If it's cold, 'wear multiple layers'. If it's windy, 'there may be tornados'. If it's snowing, 'watch for ice on bridges'. If it's not 73 degrees, clear, calm, and sunny, 'don't drive unless you absolutely have to'.

It's reached the point where I don't listen to weather forecasts any more; I just look out the window. But then, I'm smarter than the average liberal.

CHARLES BLOW: 'Nits Will Make Lice'. The New York Times' visual Op-Ed columnist needs to go back to being a graphics editor.