This and That...

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Theodore 'Dutch' VanKirk: Last Surviving Enola Gay Crew Member Dies

Via Stars and Stripes:
http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/theodore-dutch-vankirk-last-surviving-enola-gay-crew-member-dies-1.295849

The last surviving member of the crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima has died in Georgia.

Theodore VanKirk, also known as "Dutch," died Monday of natural causes at the retirement home where he lived in Stone Mountain, Georgia, his son Tom VanKirk said. He was 93.

VanKirk was the navigator of the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress aircraft that dropped "Little Boy" – the world's first atomic bomb – over the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. The bomb killed 140,000 in Hiroshima. A second atomic bomb dropped by another plane killed 80,000 in Nagasaki three days later. VanKirk was 24 years old at the time.

The "Enola Gay" at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, November, 2013. The B-29 Superfortress dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

Tom VanKirk said he and his siblings are very fortunate to have had such a wonderful father who remained active until the end of his life.

"I know he was recognized as a war hero, but we just knew him as a great father," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

In a 2005 interview with the AP, VanKirk said his World War II experience showed that wars and atomic bombs don't settle anything, and he'd like to see the weapons abolished.

A funeral service was scheduled for VanKirk on Aug. 5 in his hometown of Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He will be buried in Northumberland next to his wife, who died in 1975. The burial will be private.

[Warph]

[Ross]

Patent workers paid to
exercise, shop and do chores,
investigation reveals

Paralegals on payroll years before their bosses hired
Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Dozens of employees working for an obscure federal agency went years with little work to do, allowing them to collect salaries and bonuses while they shopped online, caught up on chores, watched television or walked the dog, an investigation revealed Tuesday.

The probe by the Commerce Department's inspector general found that paralegals at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's appeals board were paid more than $5 million for their time even though there was so little work for them to do that supervisors didn't care how they used it.

"I almost don't blame [paralegals] for watching TV because, I mean, you're sitting around for 800 hours," one chief judge told the investigators, who found that supervisors not only tolerated the problem but in one instance admonished an employee who complained about the lack of work.

The idle paralegals nonetheless managed to take home more than a half-million dollars in performance bonuses from 2009 to 2013, before the agency hired enough judges to increase the workload, according to the report.

The underworked paralegals and supervisors concealed non-work activities by recording hours under the pay code as "other time."

One official told investigators it was an open secret that "other time" was code for "I don't have to work, but I'm going to get paid."

Investigators said the practice continued until last year when agency officials got word that the inspector general's office was looking into complaints from whistleblowers.

Todd Elmer, chief communications officer for the Patent and Trademark Office, said the agency is reviewing the report and plans to issue a formal response within 60 days.

"Many of the OIG's recommendations for improvements at the PTAB are already underway or have been implemented," Mr. Elmer said in an email statement.

He said the agency conducted its own study after it was informed of the problem.

Asked why they had logged so much "other time," paralegals and their supervisors blamed a lack of work. One paralegal told a supervisor that she didn't have any work, but the supervisor didn't seem bothered.

"There is not much work and I know there is not much work, and you can stop calling me every day and telling me you have nothing to do because I know you have nothing to do," the paralegal recalled being told.

Still, the paralegals received such high performance ratings that supervisors doled out generous bonuses.

One senior manager recalled a meeting in which managers stated "although we're not obligated to provide bonuses, we're still going to."

The review released Tuesday also found that some managers were fearful of antagonizing labor union officials, so efforts to assign "special projects" to the paralegals were "feeble, half-hearted and ineffective."

From 2009 through 2013, the agency spent more than $4.3 million overall to reimburse "other time," and many of those paralegals took home nearly $700,000 in bonuses.

"In the worst cases, paralegals seemed content to have idle time while collecting full salaries and benefits ... while management seemed to sit on their hands, anticipating the arrival of judges at some unknown date in the figure," the report concluded.

Managers interviewed by the investigators didn't seem surprised that paralegals weren't doing much work. One said he wouldn't have been "a bit surprised if there were people who were going out to the golf course."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/29/patent-workers-paid-exercise-shop-do-chores-report/?page=all#pagebreak


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A real eye opener about waste of your tax dollars at:

A Year in Review: $73B of fiscal waste identified for the taxpayer

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/10/golden-hammer-year-review/

[Ross]

Uncle Sam bankrolled
a third of Kansas
spending in 2013

By Travis Perry  /   July 30, 2014  /

BIG TALK: While Kansas' elected officials
preach self reliance and fiscal prudence, more
than a third of all monies spent by the state in
2013 came from the indebted federal government.

By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. — On the home front, Kansas' elected officials talk a big game about self-reliance and prudent fiscal governance, but last year more than a third of all dollars doled out by the Sunflower State came directly from the woefully-indebted federal government.

Should Kansas put its money where its mouth is and lessen its leaning on Uncle Sam's wallet? State Rep. Gene Suellentrop, R-Wichita, says yes — to a point, at least.

In FY 2013, Kansas spent more than $13.9 billion. Of that, about $5.2 billion, or 37.6 percent, was awarded by the feds in one form or another. While the statistic peaked at 47.8 percent in FY 2010 in the wake of the Great Recession, it's still higher than the state's 2007 low of 32.6 percent ($3.9 billion) just before the national economic collapse.

Suellentrop, House Appropriations Committee chair, said without extensive research it's hard for him to comment on Kansas' reliance on federal dollars.

"It is interesting how much there is in the way of federal funds in the funding of state government, but you know we have a citizen-run Legislature and it is challenging to sit and research on how something like this is in comparison to other states," Suellentrop told Kansas Watchdog.

Rep. Gene Suellentrop

"To do a good, fair analysis some of those things need to be examined, and I don't know that I've got enough time to go look all that up," he added.

A study released in March by State Budget Solutions did just that by examining federal funding as a portion of overall state revenues. Looking at data from 2001 to 2012, Kansas ranks low in terms of federal dependence compared to states like Mississippi or Wyoming, which drew more than 40 percent of all state revenues from the feds on average.

But while Kansas actually decreased its share of federal monies over the timespan by 2.51 percent, study authors Bob Williams and Joe Luppino warn the overall trend is on the rise.


Growing reliance on federal funding in state budgets is a dangerous trend. It threatens the financial stability of all 50 states, as well as the federal government. As federal debt skyrockets, Congress must look for ways to reduce spending. In the many states that count on the federal government for over one-third of their general revenue, every congressional spending reduction proposal puts the state at risk of a serious financial shortfall.

States must recognize that this funding arrangement also harms fiscal federalism. Federal funding usually comes with strings attached, and that means less chance for local control. When states cannot stand firmly on their own financial footing, they will lose the ability to make the best, locally-based, independent decisions for their residents.

However, Suellentrop said Kansas has already taken a stand against perceived runaway federal spending in the form of its opposition to Medicaid expansion under Obamacare.

"That's not a popular stance, as you well know," he noted. "Every paper throughout the state beats up the administration and all of us for not expanding it."

So what would it take for Kansas to decrease its reliance on federal purse strings? Suellentrop said it could be done, but it's not a simple answer.

First and foremost, he said Kansas shouldn't issue a blanket objection; Suellentrop wants to make sure Kansas receives a fair amount in proportion to the level of tax revenue feds draw from the state.

But the real key to the matter is restructuring things at the top to reduce costs. Namely, Suellentrop said, getting the federal government to hand over things like interstate management — and the accompanying funds drawn from the gas tax — to the states, while leaving the feds just enough to manage administration.

"The states that use the money correctly, like Kansas, will have good highways. The ones that don't, won't," he said, adding that states could be significantly more efficient than the sprawling federal government. "We'd have more money than we'd know what to do with."

While Suellentrop couldn't give a direct answer whether Kansas' reliance on federal funding is good or bad, it has certainly caught his attention.

"You've provoked an interest in me to find out how we compare to surrounding states or comparative states," he added.

http://watchdog.org/162399/ks-uncle-sam-spending/?roi=echo3-21683208015-21447343-6fdab68b15ecbb226e360703cd99c2a1

[Warph]

When It Comes to Israel, Liberals Can't Handle the Truth

Peter Wehner
07.28.2014

Here is an excerpt from an interview with Charlie Rose and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal that's noteworthy:

b]ROSE:[/b] I think I just heard you say — and this — we will close on this — you believe in the coexistence of peoples, and, therefore, you believe in the coexistence of Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East?

MESHAAL (through translator): I can't coexist with occupation.

ROSE: Without occupation, you can coexist?

MESHAAL (through translator): I'm ready to coexist with the Jews, with the Christians and with the Arabs and non-Arabs and with those who agree with my ideas and those who disagree with them. However, I do not coexist with the occupiers, with the settlers, and those who...

ROSE: It's one thing to say you want to coexist with the Jews. It's another thing you want to coexist with the state of Israel. Do you want to coexist with the state of Israel? Do you want to represent — do you want to recognize Israel as a Jewish state?

MESHAAL (through translator): No. I said I do not want to live with a state of occupiers. I do coexist with other...

ROSE: I'm assuming they're no longer occupiers. At that point, do you want to coexist and recognize their right to exist, as they would recognize your right to exist?

MESHAAL (through translator): When we have a Palestinian state, then the Palestinian state will decide on its policies. But you cannot actually ask me about the future. I answered you. But Palestinian people can have their say when they have their own state without occupation. In natural situations, they can decide policy vis-a-vis others.

So there you have it. The leader of Hamas says, point blank, it does not want a two-state solution. Yet scores of liberal commentators continue to make arguments like this: "We have to get a solution. And it has to be a two-state solution. And it has to be basically encouraged, if not imposed, I think, from without."

This is an example of what social scientists call "motivated reasoning." It refers to when people hold to a false belief despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. In this instance, the Hamas charter and the Hamas leader don't accept Israel's right to exist. And yet liberals don't seem to care. They appear to be content to live in world made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust. A world of make believe. And so in the context of Israel's war with Hamas, they continue to revert to arguments that simply don't apply–for example, arguing that Israel needs to "end the occupation" despite the fact that Israel completely withdrew from Gaza nearly a decade ago.

Israel, on the other hand, has to live and survive in reality. Israelis know the nature of the enemy they face–implacable, committed, ruthless, malevolent. Given all this, and given that Israel itself is a nation of extraordinary moral and political achievements, you might think that the United States government would be fully supportive of the Jewish state in its war against Hamas. But you would be wrong.

The Obama administration is racheting up pressure on Israel. Hamas's war on Israel, combined with its eagerness to have innocent Palestinians die as human shields in order to advance its propaganda campaign, is pushing America (under Obama) not toward Israel but away from her. Mr. Obama and the left perceive themselves as reality based and their critics as fantasy based. It's a conceit without merit. And in no case is it more evident than in the left's stance toward Hamas and Israel.

This is a case where reality and all the arguments, including all the moral arguments, align on one side; and yet Obama and the left are on the other.

They live in a fantasy world. In this instance, doing so has diabolic consequences.

The Hamas Charter (if you want to spend an hour reading CRAP):
http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html?chocaid=397

[Warph]

Underground home was built as Cold War era hideaway

Now for sale: a quaint, two-bedroom home complete with fireplace, putting green, lots of natural light - and a 26-foot deep bunker designed to withstand a nuclear blast and the post-apocalyptic nuclear winter that's sure to follow.

An Underground Thinker

Las Vegas's famous Casa Apocalypse was built in 1978 by gajillionaire businessman Girard "Jerry" B. Henderson. In 1978, Cold War tensions engulfed a tense world, and those tensions were especially tense for Henderson.

Making his fortune through companies such as Gulfstream Aerospace and Avon Cosmetics, he branched out into a new initiative called World Underground Homes. With this enterprise, he envisioned an America whose populace would live underground when the U.S. and the Soviet Union exchanged nuclear attacks, rendering the Earth's crust an unlivable wasteland. From this vision came his masterpiece, Casa Apocalypse.

Casa Apocalypse
From the outside, Casa Apocalypse appears to be like any other home on the market in Las Vegas. Two bedrooms, two stories, a neat front yard - a front yard adorned with enormous industrial turbine ventilation fans. The fans ventilate the main selling point, which is under the house.

The concept? If you have to wait out the remnants of nuclear annihilation, do it in style. Casa Apocalypse's hidden underground chamber is buried 26 feet down and is designed to withstand a nuclear explosion.

Survive on Earth Alone in Style
Since you may never be able to go outside again, all 15,000 square feet are designed to remind you of the comforts of the world you left behind. A wraparound mural mimics the landscape of Earth during better times. The green carpet is designed to look like grass, the weight-bearing pillars look like trees reaching up to a ceiling that's painted to look like the clear daytime sky - unless it's dark, when the flickering stars come out at "night." The lighting reflects the time of day, from dawn to dusk to dark.

There is a marble tub and enough pink tile to remind you that the last days were envisioned in the disco era. Enjoy the pool, jacuzzi, barbecue, fireplace, and putting green as you ponder the extinction of your species.

On - or Under - the Market
Take a virtual tour of what might be the most stylish survival bunker in the world. Although it was rumored to have been built for $10 million 35 years ago, you can take it off the hands of Kingly Properties LLC for a cool $1.7 million. Buy now before you run out of time. Literally.

Surviving is good, but surviving in style is great. Deep below Sin City, you can do just that now that Casa Apocalypse is for sale

[Warph]

Washington Redskins Donate $200,000 Playground To Montana Tribe

(Pride over political correctness... how sweet)

Via GF Trib
Mike Sangrey understands some people think his Chippewa Cree Tribe is selling out by taking money from the Washington NFL team's Original Americans Foundation. Sangrey doesn't care about that. There's a spanking-new playground scheduled to open at noon Friday on the Rocky Boy's Reservation, and that's what matters to him.

"If us accepting the money makes (the team and its owner) sleep better at night, then fine, I wish them a good night's sleep," Sangrey said. "What matters is our kids get to enjoy a new playground. And how can that be bad?"

The rodeo-themed playground belongs to the tribe, but the branding belongs to the Washington Redskins. The place is awash in the team colors of burgundy and gold. The team's logo appears four times, near a slide here and a teeter-totter there. The team's foundation paid roughly $200,000 for this gleaming tribute to itself.

Arguments over the Redskins are heard from the White House to trademark court to barrooms across the land, but there is little debate amid the rolling high-plains grasslands of northcentral Montana, where members of the business council of the Chippewa Cree Tribe say the name is fine with them.

"I have no problem with the name," tribal chairman Rick Morsette said. "And if they're willing to help our youth, that's good too."

[Warph]

Federal Court Orders DOJ To Release Fast And Furious Documents
Withheld Under POS Obuma Executive Privilege Claim

(I wouldn't be surprised if the lawless Obuma regime fails to hand the docs over as crooked as he and Holder are)

Townhall:

Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act Lawsuit pursued against the Department of Justice by government watchdog Judicial Watch, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ruled documents being withheld from Congress under President Obama's claim of executive privilege must be turned over. Obama made the claim on the same day Attorney General Eric Holder was voted in criminal and civil contempt of Congress in June 2012.

"This order forces the Obama DOJ, for the first time, to provide a detailed listing of all documents that it has withheld from Congress and the American people for years about the deadly Fast and Furious gun running scandal," Judicial Watch released in a statement.

The FOIA lawsuit has been ongoing for 16-months and is now proceeding after a lengthy delay. The Justice Department originally asked the court for an indefinite hold on a FOIA request from Judicial Watch, citing executive privilege and an ongoing investigation. That indefinite hold request was shot down more than a year ago.