Thor’s Hall

Get in the way back machine for a moment to 1987 and the Iran -Contra hearings, where we were first introduced to Osama Bin Laden.  Today, he is a prominent figure in our world.

In India, we are now seeing an uptick in Islamic Radicalism.  This report notes that a group in Kerala is,

s aiming to convert Kerala into a Muslim majority state in the next 20 years, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said here Saturday.
“For achieving that goal, the outfit is pumping money to attract youth and give them weapons. They also try to convert youth from other communities and persuade them to marry Muslim girls,”

It will be interesting to see how this all works out in the next 10-20 years. Perhaps Osama has come up with another method of building out the Caliphate.

… consult the book of armaments.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch…………  seen here.

The folks in the Great State of Texas are entering the ring, to fight with the Federal government and it isn’t about immigration.  The folks over at Energy Watch have been watching the developments pretty closely so, they are not surprised by the latest.

It’s no secret the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are at odds with each other right now. But the language in a letter from Attorney General Greg Abbott and TCEQ head Bryan Shaw complaining about EPA’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases via the Clean Air Act gets pretty snarky.

How snarky is it getting? Well…

Inorder to deter challenges to your plan for centralized control of industrial

development through the issuance of permits for greenhouse gases, you have called upon each state to declare its allegiance to the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently enacted greenhouse gas regulations-regulations

that are plainly contrary to United States law. 75 Fed. Reg. 31,514, 31,525&. 31,582 (June 3, 2010) (hereinafter, the “Tailoring Rule”).

To encourage acquiescence with your unsupported findings you threaten to usurp state enforcement authority and to federalize the permitting program of any state that fails to pledge their fealty to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

On behalf of the State of Texas, we write to inform you that Texas has neither the authority nor the intention of interpreting, ignoring, or amending its laws in order to compel the permitting of greenhouse gas emissions.

So, I am not really keeping score but I am starting to look at some trends:

1. Montana (and others) are asserting that firearms manufactured and sold in that state are not subject the Federal law.
2. Arizona (and others) are asserting that the Federal government cannot address immigration as they are required to, by law. So the state will help out a bit.
3. Virginia (and others) are asserting that Obamacare is unconstitutional in the courts.
4. Missouri just voted to “opt out” of Obamacare.
5. Texas is asserting their sovereignty as it applies to EPA rules.

I think a day or two ago, someone mentioned “pre-revolutionary”.  November elections are going to be interesting.

There is a reason why Generals achieve what they do.  Not the least is their ability to show their leadership with their words, as well as deeds.  Recently General McChrystal retired.  From his farewell speech – which you can get here – a small quote to ponder.

It is tempting to protect yourself from the personal or professional costs of loss by limiting how much you commit, how much of belief and trust in people, and how deeply you care. Caution and cynicism are safe, but soldiers don’t want to follow cautious cynics. They follow leaders who believe enough to risk failure or disappointment for a worthy cause.

If I had it to do over again, I’d do some things in my career differently but not many. I believed in people, and I still believe in them. I trusted and I still trust. I cared and I still care. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Winston Churchill said we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. To the young leaders of today and tomorrow, it’s a great life.

Have I mentioned how important character is lately.

http://www.youtube.com/expendables

I think I have posted about this gentleman before. It was likely several months ago when he was just getting started. Mr. West is a Congressional Candidate in Florida, who would get my enthusiastic vote if I was a resident there.

It’s all about character.

An interesting documentary looks to me coming out soon. It always amazes me the difference in America, that is “racial”. I learned early in life, and have had it reinforced through out my time that what matters is your character, not your race.

Whoa! Interesting evaluation from a Carter Administration pollster. Extremely interesting facts that are developing across the nation. Even more interesting is the choice of words. I don’t think I have ever heard the term “Pre-Revolutionary” used to describe current events.

Life is getting in the way of blogging lately. Big project moving my office around and rebuilding it. About 65% complete now. Then a major building / organization project for the garage looming, and amongst it all is the normal end of summer family commitments. Blogging may be intermittent for the next couple of weeks.

I may also change the look and feel of this site if I can find the time.

An interesting piece on American Thinker today, likening the current “States Rights” movement to the build up of pressure prior to the Civil War.  Are we headed that direction?  I think that the circumstances are different, and that we are not.  However, the build up of displeasure with the Federal government, and in some cases the judiciary, is real and it is taking form.  These things tend to snowball very quickly and the next few months could be most interesting, with elections and a lame duck period that could be very interesting.