2/03/2007

New Richmond Reconsiders Policy on Outside Agitators
















Outside agitators spoil things for everyone.

New Richmonds Flip Flop Policy Challenged by ACLU.
Ontheborderline Freedom Fighters Charge "Banner not Big Enough"-
violates their First Amendment Free ( to say the stupidest stuff ) Speech Rights.

2/3/1870: 15th Amendment of the Constitution Ratified

Ratified during the post-Civil War, Reconstruction period, the main purpose of the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution was to enfranchise former slaves. It states: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Though the amendment empowered Congress to enforce the article, its purpose was not really achieved until the Voting Rights Act.

After the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, southern blacks voted in numbers that on a per capita basis would probably exceed black political participation today. On both a per capita and absolute basis, more blacks were elected to political office during the period from 1865 to 1880 than at any other time in American history. Although no state elected a black governor during Reconstruction, a number of state legislatures were effectively under the control of a substantial African American caucus. These legislatures brought in programs that are considered part of government's duty now, but at the time were radical, such as universal public education. They also set aside all racially biased laws, even those prohibiting interracial marriage.

Despite the efforts of groups like the Ku Klux Klan to intimidate black voters and white Republicans, assurance of federal support for democratically elected southern governments meant that most Republican voters could both vote and rule in confidence. For example, when an all-white mob attempted to take over the interracial government of New Orleans, President Ulysses S. Grant sent in federal troops to restore the elected mayor.

Read more!

Ask a Librarian



Or ask Here.
"Ayn Rand heartily alienated most intellectuals of her era- left, right and center. Even today, the mere mention of her name brings a vicious snarl to the lips of many people."

2/02/2007

In New Richmond - Outside Aggitators Unwelcome



















Borderline Ad Hominizer Says:

"Mr. Ziller has to be one of the most conflicted individuals residing in the St. Croix Valley. It is obvious that this rule applies to certain individuals from Hudson who have taken the opportunity to speak at some of the New Richmond meetings. What harm does Mr. Ziller see in this? Why is he so concerned about people actually being able to speak at the meetings? .......

Get a grip Bob. If you’d spend a little less time going to lunch with the superintendents and a little more time being concerned about freedom and liberty you’d be a lot better off. "

Time for a little reflection...

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and George W. Bush went to a fitness spa for some fun. After a stimulating, healthy lunch, all three decided to visit the men's room and they found a strange-looking gent sitting at the entrance.

He said, "Welcome to the gentlemen's room. Be sure to check out our newest feature, a mirror that, if you look into it and say something truthful, you will be rewarded with your wish.

But, be warned: if you say something FALSE, you will be sucked into the mirror to live in a void of nothingness for all eternity!"

The three men quickly entered and upon finding the mirror, Bill Clinton stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most intelligent of us three," and he suddenly found the keys to a brand new Bentley in his hands.

Al Gore stepped up and said, "I think I'm the most aware of the environmental problems of us three," and in an instant, he was surrounded by a pile of money to fund his next Presidential Campaign.

Excited over the possibility of finally having a wish come true, George W. Bush looked into the mirror and said, "I think...," and was promptly sucked into the mirror.

Ludwig the OTBL groundhog sees conspiracies everywhere but no shadow...

...therefore, winter will last untill March 21, 1776. Details at 6:66 PM.

2/01/2007

Climate Change - A Scientific Source


RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science.

Atlas Shrugged: Book Review






























Excerpt from piece by Whittaker Chambers which appeared in the December 28, 1957, issue of the convervative
Nationl Review

"Excruciatingly awful." I find it a remarkably silly book. It is certainly a bumptious one. Its story is preposterous. It reports the final stages of a final conflict (locale: chiefly the United States, some indefinite years hence) between the harried ranks of free enterprise and the "looters." These are proponents of proscriptive taxes, government ownership, labor, etc., etc. The mischief here is that the author, dodging into fiction, nevertheless counts on your reading it as political reality. This," she is saying in effect, "is how things really are. These are the real issues, the real sides. Only your blindness keeps you from seeing it, which, happily, I have come to rescue you from."

"Looters" loot because they believe in Robin Hood, and have got a lot of other people believing in him, too. Robin Hood is the author's image of absolute evil — robbing the strong (and hence good) to give to the weak (and hence no good). All "looters" are base, envious, twisted, malignant minds, motivated wholly by greed for power, combined with the lust of the weak to tear down the strong, out of a deepseated hatred of life and secret longing for destruction and death."


Justify your salaries, Bush tells US executives

"America's corporate boardrooms must step up to their responsibilities. You need to pay attention to the executive compensation packages that you approve. You need to show the world that American businesses are a model of transparency and good corporate governance."

President George W. Bush
In a speech to Wall Streeters, President Bush gave the above warning to our nation's business executives. He said those executives are under scrutiny for reaping massive salaries, and backdating share options to make them more valuable. Evidently President Bush is not a regular reader of the www.ontheborderline.net (OTLB) blog site. If he were, he would understand this is a free-market and there should be no ceiling on executive pay and, conversely, there should be floor on how little those executives can pay their employees.

Over at OTBL, they've never seen a profit that was obscene. In an OTBL post on 6/21/2006 titled "Minimum Wage Revisited," Mark Pribonic wrote the following:

"But why can’t businesses just pass on the extra cost to consumers? They possibly could; but if every business did that, then the rise in the minimum wage would be offset by the higher prices of goods and services. Thus, negating the effect of any wage gains; real income, the amount a dollar would purchase, remains the same. The rising costs logic also ignores the fact that consumers over time will discover alternatives or substitute goods. For example, the restaurant business employs a good number of minimum wage employees. Passing on the cost of a higher minimum wage to customers will more than likely result in decreasing the number of times an individual will go out to eat. Less business results in less need for employees. By not passing on the additional cost, the restaurant will experience declining profits which again will cause some employees to be laid off. In fact according to the National Restaurant Association, during the last minimum wage hike nearly 146,000 restaurant workers lost their jobs. The consumer is the ultimate driver of employment and wage rates; a fact too often ignored by economic pundits."

Evidently, it is easier to past on the costs to excessive executive pay packages to the consumers. Likewise for the back dating of stock that has been popular in the news of late.

"Government should not decide the compensation for America's corporate executives. But the salaries and bonuses of CEOs should be based on their success at improving their companies and bringing value to their shareholders."

President George W. Bush
From the above quote, it is clear that our President has turned completely into a socialist scum. Perhaps he did get a chance to read this article in the 9/23/2003 issue of Capitalism Magazine by Larry Benson titled: New York Stock Exchange Chairman Richard Grasso vs. Karl Marx .

Concerning executive compensation payouts, Benson points out that "another mistaken Marxist notion is that property is a zero-sum commodity, i.e., if Grasso gets $188 million it comes out of everybody's pocket. But those millions come out of the private pockets of the NYSE owners, not anybody else's."

Evidently, unlike rising the minimum wage, the huge costs of executive compensation packages like Grasso's $188 million or Home Depot Ceo Bob Nardelli's $210 million don't get passed on to the consumer. The fact that executive pay has skyrocketed from 40 times that of the average wager earner to over 400 times the average wage earner isn't what bothers people like Larry Benson. Rather, Benson is disturbed by the fact that these CEOs can't stand up and take their money like a man. Writes Benson:

"The most disturbing aspect of this public lynching of private property is that Grasso, like Jack Welch a year ago, has now caved in to the mob and agreed to forgo millions 'to quell the controversy.'"

"The reprehensible thing about this whole issue is not the amount of money Grasso will get, but the lack of moral courage exhibited by people like Grasso and Welch. Such cowardice hastens the day when we will all be forced to live by the Marxist mantra: 'all property is theft.'"


Looks like President Bush has dumped his dance partners at OTBL. How long will it be before we are reading an OTBL post using the words "RINO, Kitty, Shelia and President Bush" in the same sentence?

United we...

Exxon Mobil posts U.S. record annual profit despite decline in 4Q results

<- At Left: Exxon-Mobil VP Mary Schwartz was almost forced to change careers due to impending layoffs. She rides her moped to work and hopes one day to save enough money to buy a car.

Al Gore Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Former Vice President Al Gore was nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his wide-reaching efforts to draw the world's attention to the dangers of global warming, a Norwegian lawmaker said Thursday.

"A prerequisite for winning the Nobel Peace Prize is making a difference, and Al Gore has made a difference," Conservative Member of Parliament Boerge Brende, a former minister of environment and then of trade, told The Associated Press.

Ben Franklin: Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one.

1/31/2007

Von Mises Productions Presents

Come, enjoy the heartwarming story of a young girl and her lover affair with soot-spewing smokestacks.


















Tickets available at
Ayn in a Nutshell:
Atlas Shrugged is great literature. Selfishness is good, altruism and self-sacrifice are evil. There is no God or anything miraculous or supernatural. Unregulated capitalism is the ideal. Ayn Rand was the greatest thinker since Aristotle. The heroes of Rand's novels are realistic role models. A person should never have an irrational emotion. Faith is evil. America is headed toward a Nazi-style dictatorship. Kant is the most evil man in history. Popular culture is uniformly without merit. A couple should have children only if they have the proper, rational reasons to do so. The environmental movement is anti-life. Ronald Reagan was a terrible president because he was religious. We should drop nuclear bombs preemptively on our enemies (a position reiterated a year or two ago by Rand's heir, Leonard Peikoff, on The O'Reilly Factor, prompting O'Reilly, no pacifist, to blurt out, "Who are you - Dr. Strangelove?!"), the 19th century was a Golden Age, all drugs should be legalized, all roads should be privately owned, Social Security and Medicare should be abolished, the FDA is immoral, taxation should be ended and the government should rely on voluntary contributions, health inspections at restaurants are a violation of individual rights ...

MOLLY IVINS DIES

Best-selling author and columnist Molly Ivins, the sharp-witted liberal who skewered the political establishment and referred to President Bush as "Shrub," died Wednesday after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 62. -AP




"Molly Ivins was a Texas original. She was loved by her readers and by her many friends, particularly in Central Texas. I respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words, and her ability to turn a phrase. She fought her illness with that same passion. Her quick wit and commitment to her beliefs will be missed. Laura and I send our condolences to Molly Ivins' family and friends."

President George W. Bush
On the death of Molly Ivins

Read about More Ivins.

"The poor man who is currently our president has reached such a point of befuddlement that he thinks stem cell research is the same as taking human lives, but that 40,000 dead Iraqi civilians are progress toward democracy."

Molly Ivinsfrom a July 2006 column urging commentator Bill Moyers to run for president.

"If you think his daddy had trouble with 'the vision thing,' wait'll you meet this one."

Ivins on George W. Bush in "The Progressive," June 1999.

DUMPSTER-DIVING SENATOR NORMY COLEMAN RECOVERING NICELY


Another U.S. Senator has been injured, but not seriously. According to a Raw Story report, "Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) returned to Capitol Hill this week with a prominent gash on his forehead after he was knocked nearly unconscious back home in St. Paul while - of all things - dumpster diving." They cite a Washington Post column by Mary Ann Akers as the source, but note that few other media sources picked up the story from last Friday's news. According to the story, Coleman said he was "looking for something that my wife accidentally threw in the dumpster," after Akers asked about a rather large cut on his forehead. Akers is cited as adding, "He was vague about what exactly whacked him in the head. (His office explained later that it was 'a piece of wood.') But whatever it was, the impact was so hard that he 'saw stars.'" As for Coleman, he reportedly affirmed that, "I did get the lamp," while pumping his fists "in an affirmation of his manliness."

ExxonMobil's War on Science

With an elaborate network of phony think tanks and slick public relations firms, ExxonMobil has become today's Big Tobacco, defrauding the public and waging a war on science.


In a quarter-page advertorial in Thursday's New York Times, ExxonMobil launched a new greenwashing campaign to salvage its earned reputation as Earth's number one global warming villain.

For over a decade the giant oil company has waged a successful multi-million dollar propaganda campaign to deceive the public about global warming. Using phony think tanks like the Competitive Enterprise Institute, scientists-for-hire called biostitutes, slick public relations firms, and their indentured servants in the political process, they have intentionally defrauded the public by promoting the notion that global warming is a hoax or a sketchy theory that requires more study.

The company now asserts that its position on global warming has been "misunderstood," but its decade of mischief is well documented.

Exxon has dished out at least $19 million dollars since the negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol (1997) to fund an elaborate network including over 75 industry front groups mobilized in a misleading campaign to cloud the public's understanding of global warming. Their objective has been to counter balance the overwhelming scientific evidence of man-induced climate change with pseudo scientific denials to derail reforms that might effect corporate profits.

Read more: Huffington Post.com



Alternative Prespectives:

The John Birch Society:

"Global Warming Deniers" Equated to "Holocaust Deniers" — Galileo Rolls in his Grave By William Norman Grigg

Regarding the on-going "debate" over "man-made" global warming, of note is the recent letter from Senators Olympia Snowe (R.ME) and Jay Rockefeller IV (D.WV) to Exxon/Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson demanding his company cease funding the two dozen or so organizations and individuals the senators termed a "small cadre of global climate change skeptics."

Now the Weather Channel's host of a program that is a blatant advocate of global warming propaganda — Heidi Cullen of "The Climate Code" — has suggested that those who will not follow her off the cliff should be de-certified as members of the American Meteorological Society, of which James Spann holds the highest level of certification known as a "Certified Broadcast Meteorologist."

Freedom Socialist:

Global warming: sacrificing tomorrow for today’s profits by Steven Strauss

The earth is experiencing “massive and ongoing changes in our climate” and “humans are playing a major role in causing these changes.” So writes Dr. Paul R. Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, in the October 6 New England Journal of Medicine. “Given the current rate of carbon dioxide buildup and the projected degree of global warming, we are entering uncharted seas,” he warns.

Carbon dioxide is the most important of the “greenhouse gases,” which trap heat when released into the atmosphere. According to Dr. Epstein, unprecedented temperature elevations are having previously unimaginable consequences. These include an accelerating melting of polar ice caps; higher than average heat waves that kill tens of thousands of people; a fourfold increase in the prevalence of asthma in the U.S. over the past 20 years; and the life-draining “bleaching” of coral reefs, which are key to marine ecosystems.

Dr. Epstein’s comments summarize the findings of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), formed in 1988 and comprising over 2,000 scientists from 100 countries.

1/30/2007

Knutson Claims Government Censorship

Government Accused of Censorship Over Global Warming


E-Mails Suggest Officials Stopped Scientist From Talking About Global Warming
By CLAYTON SANDELL





(In October 2005 there was a request from CNBC television to interview NOAA scientist Thomas Knutson about the link between hurricanes and global warming.)

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in February, Knutson said his views had been censored.

"NOAA public affairs called and asked what I would say to certain questions, like is there a trend in Atlantic hurricanes. I said I thought there was a possibility of a trend emerging that tropical hurricanes were becoming more intense. They turned down that interview," Knutson said to the newspaper.


"We're increasing greenhouse gases and forcing the climate system in ways that we expect there are going to be very substantial changes in the coming century," he said. "We're trying to figure out what it means in terms of weather and things that impact people day to day, such as storms and heat waves and droughts."

The incident with Knutson echoes a similar recent attempt by administration officials to muzzle another government scientist who spoke out about global warming.

Nasa Scientist Rips Bush on Global Warming

OTBL-LG/MF Tours Presents

Sunny Somalian Escape















Anthropogenic climate change may be melting the polar icecaps, but here in Wisconsin we're freezing our butts like we do every February. Do you need to get away and bask in the sun?

Then join OTBL tours for a special winter Less Goverment/ More Freedom Somali Getaway. Are you tired of the cold? Do you hate government? Do you want to get
away?. OTBL LG/MF tours is offering a special package this week only to Sunny Somalia just for you.







Somalia has been without a central Federal Government for the last 16 years, so lovers of liberty, you know where freedom reigns.











And gun lovers, don't dare dream of leaving that AK-47 at home. In Somalia, there's not only no pesky regulations limiting your right to bear arms, you're gonna need that weapon if you want to return alive. It's great fun for the whole family! Don't forget the ammo.
OTBL is offering a special discount 6.6% discount to NRA members just show your
membership card at checking at Hotel Mogadishu.









On your 6 day 7 night tour you'll see things like rioting in the streets, open gunfire, and a totally unregulated trade in Khat the new hip free market drug. (Bring some home for the kiddies.)
So call OTBL tours at 1-800- Somalia and make your reservations today. Hurry, these
tours fill up fast.




1/29/2007

OTBL-TV Unveils Mid-Season Program Line Up

All Carnac All the Time:












Carnac Cartoon Network Tonight:
Carnac Chases Tiger's Tail


















Followed by: Carnac at the Pink Flamingo @ 8:00
Carnac give latest OTBL Fashion Advice















At 9:00 don't miss the O'Carnac Factor
with Special Guest Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.






Top off the Night with the Fruitcake NEWS @ 10:00.

ontheborderline.net blogger Luke Car-Nac renews his subscription to the Hudson Star Observer

Controversy swirls! HSO unable to print Luke Car-Nac's letter...

1/28/2007

Luke Despondent Over Loss of Mascot































Luke, we understand, we feel your pain here at ATBL and we're here for you. To listen and provide support. Lashing out is one response to the grief of loosing a pet. It's one of the laws of human action like gravity. But help is available. Here are a few resources for those dealing with the loss of a pet:
Pet Loss Resources.

After the healing's begun and when you're ready you may want to consider
a monument to your beloved pet Mascot. (On Special this month only for $199.00 because they care too) Add to Cart:















If there's any thing else we can do to help in you time of grief, just let us know.

Beware of the "Eye of the Tiger"

OTBL's Towncrier Provides Local Republicans Insightful "Food For Thought"















Ontheborderline.net Comment:
towncrier Says:
January 28th, 2007 at 10:21 am

"The only thing going downhill is the socialist crap from Tiger’s brain that runs out of his rectum."
---------

Eat Up Boyz!

Abbe Pierre - Most Admired Man in France

Campaigner for the homeless who was regularly named
as the most admired man in France



Henri-Antoine Grouès (Abbé Pierre), priest and charity worker: born Lyons, France 5 August 1912; entered Capuchin Order 1931 as Brother Philippe; ordained priest 1938; parliamentary deputy 1945-51; founder, Emmaus movement 1949; died Paris 22 January 2007.

Read about his life: here