Congrats to Retired War Vet

Let's hear it for Treo!

The heroic nine-year-old black labrador twice averted catastrophe by seeking out rigged devices with his handler Sergeant Dave Heyhoe.

And today loyal Treo — who is now retired — was handed the highest honour for a military dog, the Dickin Medal, by animal charity PDSA.

Devoted Treo saw frontline action patrolling with soldiers in Sangin, Afghanistan, in 2008 — dashing into danger with his super-sensitive nose to sniff out deadly devices.

"They give a unique contribution to the troops on the ground searching for these devices on a daily basis.

"This medal is a unique honour for all of our dog handlers, particularly all the military working dogs and their handlers that are serving in Afghanistan."

Mr. Harvard Law Doesn't Know a Thing About Insurance

Simply unbelievable.

Just Another Day Islamic Savages

Always a nice touch to machine gun civilians in their sleep.

Islamist militants have attacked a village in the southern Philippines, killing at least 11 people, military officials have said. About 70 members of Abu Sayyaf, a group linked to al-Qaeda, raided Tubigan village on the southern island of Basilan, an army spokeswoman said.

Lt Steffani Cacho said homes had been raked with gunfire and set ablaze in a pre-dawn attack.

Most of the victims were still asleep when they were strafed and then their houses were torched," he said.

I guess the Filipino people there just aren't Muslim ENOUGH for these animals.

Politicians I Could Get Behind

For they speak the truth:

In good times and bad, in economic sickness or economic health, government keeps spending more of your money. In recent years, policymakers, legislative commissions and state economists found a further troubling trend: long-term demographic changes threaten the state's fiscal well-being, especially public health spending expectations for the needs of retiring and disabled individuals.

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If you make $40,000 this year, you don't set a larger budget for next year based on the possibility that you will make more money. You certainly can't storm into your boss's office during a recession and demand a 20 percent raise to meet your lofty spending visions. But that is exactly what government does. It sets a budget based on what it hopes to have, and comes calling for more of your money if that hope turns out to be wrong.

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We expect vociferous opposition from our colleagues who benefit by promising out pieces of the government's ever-expanding checkbook. They will warn of doom and disaster if our amendment passes, but they fail to recognize the peril of continuing our broken system.

We are simply asking voters to set the maximum amount for government to spend. The Legislature will still retain the flexibility to debate how much under that limit would be spent for education, public safety and other priorities. We will also ensure the proposal allows us to meet our needs during times of extraordinary crisis or emergencies.

Honestly - try arguing against this outlook.

Flying the Grifty Skies

Old weird eyes is making chumps of us all:

According to the documents, obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Speaker’s military travel cost the United States Air Force $2,100,744.59 over a two-year period — $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol. The following are highlights from the recent release of about 2,000 documents:

• Speaker Pelosi used Air Force aircraft to travel back to her district at an average cost of $28,210.51 per flight. The average cost of an international CODEL is $228,563.33. Of the 103 Pelosi-led congressional delegations (CODEL), 31 trips included members of the House Speaker’s family.
• One CODEL traveling from Washington, DC, through Tel Aviv, Israel to Baghdad, Iraq May 15-20, 2008, “to discuss matters of mutual concern with government leaders” included members of Congress and their spouses and cost $17,931 per hour in aircraft alone. Purchases for the CODEL included: Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey’s Irish Crème, Maker’s Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey, Corona beer and several bottles of wine.
• According to a “Memo for Record” from a March 29—April 7, 2007, CODEL that involved a stop in Israel, “CODEL could only bring Kosher items into the Hotel. Kosher alcohol for mixing beverages in the Delegation room was purchased on the local economy i.e. Bourbon, Whiskey, Scotch, Vodka, Gin, Triple Sec, Tequila, etc.”
• The Department of Defense advanced a CODEL of 56 members of Congress and staff $60,000 to travel to Louisiana and Mississippi July 19-22, 2008, to “view flood relief advances from Hurricane Katrina.” The three-day trip cost the U.S. Air Force $65,505.46, exceeding authorized funding by $5,505.46.

Legacy Media - Always Afraid of the Wrong Villian

In case you're still worried about "Big Business" having access to the First Amendment, try this on for size.

(A)s union membership has grown in government, so has union clout in pushing politicians (especially but not solely Democrats) for higher wages and benefits. This is why labor chiefs Andy Stern (SEIU) and Rich Trumka (AFL-CIO) could order Democrats to exempt unions from ObamaCare's tax increase on high-cost health insurance plans. To the extent Democrats have become the party of government, they have become ever more beholden to public unions.

The problem for democracy is that this creates a self-reinforcing cycle of higher spending and taxes. The unions help elect politicians, who repay the unions with more pay and benefits and dues-paying members, who in turn help to re-elect those politicians.