text:
Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Can ANY party survive this? Ever? Can our country?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican strategy for the fall elections seemed set: hammer Democrats on the health care law and "jobs, jobs, jobs."

As Democrats show increasing confidence on those fronts, however, House Republicans are gambling that ramping up new inquiries into old controversies involving the Internal Revenue Service and Libya will energize conservative voters without turning off moderates.

FILE - This May 8, 2014, file photo shows House Speaker …Over Democrats' heated objections, House Republicans voted this month to hold an IRS official in contempt for refusing to testify. They also launched a new investigation into the September 2012 terrorist attack on a diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya, which killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.
Democrats say the moves reek of political opportunism and desperation.
Criticizing the president's health care law "has run its course," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, and Republicans "have to find something else to talk about." She called the new Benghazi inquiry a "political stunt." (Z:  Nancy, just wait till people start getting sick, then let's see how criticism has 'run its course')

Republicans say their actions are serious and justified, even if they also might be good politics. (Z: Oops...did the Republicans say that or the author added that second half? :-)
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said the select committee on Benghazi will not be partisan or involve political "sideshows." But he declined to tell Republicans to stop using the Benghazi tragedy to raise campaign money.  (Z:  Have Democrats ever had to tell people to stop 'using' any story that would promote their success?)
Republicans acknowledge the hearings could backfire if their select committee members appear overly zealous.
"There's a real burden on us," said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. "We need to not overreach" and simply "figure out what the truth is." He predicted the select committee chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., will "lean over backward to be fair."

Democrats spend little time defending the Obama administration's role in Benghazi or the IRS' actions in scrutinizing conservative groups that sought tax-exempt status. Instead, they cite the multiple hearings and inquiries already conducted into the matters, which were fading from national headlines except on outlets such as Fox News.  (Z:  Finally, some truth.  Yes, looks like the Democrats are using this politically even more than the Republicans.  They don't want these stories scrutinized and they'll blame Republicans for looking into them.  unreal)

An inspector general's report blamed poor management in an IRS office that gave special scrutiny to conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. But it found no evidence of political conspiracy.  (Z: Oops!  Someone hasn't read all the IRS emails, has he).

The division's director, Lois Lerner, infuriated Republicans a year ago by proclaiming her innocence at a House Oversight Committee hearing and then declining to answer questions, citing her constitutional right against self-incrimination. In a mostly party-line vote, the House voted May 7 to hold Lerner in contempt. It wants a U.S. attorney to take steps to force her to testify. (Z: Yes, testify and show America the Republicans are WRONG. GO ahead, Ms Lerner; why not?)

As for Benghazi, at least half a dozen inquiries have probed the terrorist assault of Sept. 11, 2012, generating more than 25,000 pages of documents. Main questions include: Did the Obama administration do enough to get military relief to those under attack? And did it try to mislead Americans about the attack's origins to protect President Barack Obama's record on terrorism with two months left in his re-election campaign?
Opinions mostly fall along partisan lines, although some Republicans express more outrage than others. House Armed Services Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said the military did what it reasonably could.  (Z:  WRONG.  Most polls say Americans feel Obama and Hillary are lying about this.)

The attack's origins were murky at first. At the time, Egyptians were rioting over an amateur American-made video mocking Islam's prophet Mohammad.
Then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice cited Islamic outrage over the video when she appeared on talk shows the Sunday after the Benghazi attack. Administration officials later said the assault was a calculated terrorist action, not a direct response to the video.
House Republicans have seized on a recently divulged White House "talking points" memo written to help Rice prepare for her TV appearances. The memo said one goal was "to underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video and not a broader failure of policy" by the administration.
Republicans say the White House deliberately hid the memo from investigators.   (Z:  Well, they didn't present the email, soo...  by the way, what about those "talking points" and their motivation?  It was pretty clear.)
Many Democrats say congressional Republicans want to injure Hillary Rodham Clinton, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, who was secretary of state during the Benghazi tragedy.

Several GOP political strategists said revived inquiries into Benghazi and the IRS will probably do their party more good than harm, provided their lawmakers appear more professional than partisan.
Undecided voters might not get excited about GOP accusations regarding the IRS and Benghazi, said Dan Schnur, a former Republican consultant who teaches political science at the University of Southern California. But given the administration's questionable behavior in both areas, he said, "They certainly don't line up on the other side."
GOP strategist Terry Holt agrees. The Benghazi assault, he said, was "the phone call Hillary Clinton warned us about in 2008 when she was running against Obama. They both blew it."
Democrats are banking on public revulsion.
"To make use politically and financially of the tragedy of the loss of four great Americans is beneath contempt," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.  (END OF ARTICLE)   (Z: and, you know, Ms Slaughter?    Protecting your White House is REALLY "beneath contempt" at the cost of four Americans.)

SO, you see, America.  NOTHING the Republicans can do OR SAY is legitimate, according to the Democrats/this author.  Get it?   NOTHING.

How does this country survive with the misinformation and mischaracterizations in this article and others?   We know by now about Ben Rhodes' delayed emails which finally came out and need review!  We know Lois Lerner isn't the only one involved in emails that finally were forced to come out!   We know CBS's News Department, which I believe hasn't mentioned Benghazi in the last many months and never ran the Ben Rhodes emails!, is run by Ben Rhodes' brother.  ABC and CNN have White House connections that are startling, too.    How about this author mentioning that?

How DO we get to the bottom of situations like those above, which NEED getting to the bottom of since, in the time since earlier hearings, more evidence has shown up?   Just bow to the Democrats and go away?

WOW.   What can we do about articles like this?   This piece wasn't in a liberal rag that runs all this kind of stuff, it's a Yahoo HEADLINE.    And the author has the NERVE to mention FOX above!?  REALLY?

Always On Watch said...

Yes, looks like the Democrats are using this politically even more than the Republicans. They don't want these stories scrutinized and they'll blame Republicans for looking into them. unreal...

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

I see another problem as well, and that problem involves the inability of Obama/Dem supporters to act rationally upon evidence even if it's presented to them and shocks them for the moment. For example, in late November 2008, I pointed out to my neighbor some details about Obama from some of my blog archives. The one about redistributing wealth shocked and infuriated my neighbor to the core; my neighbor is quite wealthy. Yet, this same neighbor again voted for Obama in 2012.

Always On Watch said...

BTW, this neighbor is in his mid-70's.

Rottweiler said...

I have to ask you liberals on these boards and on "those " progressive boards, to you listen to your fellow "comrades" do you listen to these radical, unhinged positions of your fellow liberals? Do you really believe their position on what really happened at Benghazi? and do you really believe that dribble?

I'm sorry that the facts disturb you. I really am. But it doesn't change them from being the facts. And going on those progressive boards and mimicking the comments that you read here only adds to the fact that you are off kilter. It's not funny, not at all. I tried to listen to it. The dude that takes our comments and makes that mish-mach out of it really thinks that he's cute!

Even Bill Clinton let the truth out of the bag. He says Hillary recovered from her brain issues in 6 months while the State Department lied and stated that it only took 1 month. Why would the State Department lie about something like that? (Unless they have something to hide -- of course). Bill Clinton also said she was in perfect health. This is the only president to be impeached for lying. So why would anyone believe him? OR HER?

Jarhead said...

Well, just as I figured, I see the Gun Control Freaks are coming out of the woodwork. Every time another tragedy occurs in America, it’s very predictable, these ludicrous lefties will start another one of their crusades with their Progressive gibberish and Bull-Shit..Every time there's a shooting, liberals run around saying this proves we need more gun laws. How many times have we asked these libaturds, how exactly you are going to keep guns out of the hands of criminals no matter how many gun laws you impose? Gun Control Laws only keep responsible and law abiding citizens from owning them... Criminals and Mental Cases don’t stop killing, and stealing just because the “Law” tells them not to. And these mindless little clowns of course know damn well these laws don't work! Once again, we see that In order to be a liberal you either have to be a complete blithering idiot, or a criminally insane authoritarian sociopath.
Just in case you dimwits didn’t know it, California has one of the strictest gun laws in the USA... yet it happened 3 were killed by knife and 4 by gun, so why not ban Knives as well? The level of stupidity of these Liberals is amazing.

First of all, the parents KNEW their nutjob wild animal son was mentally ill, and yet they didn't do anything about it. Then they blame everyone else including Guns but not the parents who let this narcissistic, dangerous little women hating monster run wild in the streets. And now they blame the gun, so that way, no one else is held accountable. Actually there were 4 people died by the gun, the other 3 died by a knife. NO gun law could have stopped this from happening.

Annie of Watertown said...

Yes, I to have notice several bloggers have opined that an armed citizenry faced with a situation like this would result in a gun control frenzy . Of course, no such scenario would have stopped this from happening. The parents had a 22 year old son who had a mental health issue and did nothing to help him, and now we have this latest tragedy and 6 or 7 people with dead children have to deal with it instead. I blame the parents for enabling this. Mental illness was the cause, not guns, or the lack of gun control.

Mustang said...

In pursuing the so-called phony scandals, is the GOP motivated by party politics, or do they think that these investigations are warranted as in the best interests of the American people? The question is one involving integrity and confidence. Can we trust our government, or can we trust either party to do the right thing? Confidence eludes us when both political parties are overpopulated with swindlers and all that is subsequently left to us is partisan politics. Believing one over the other demands an amazing amount of absurdity.

Personally, I’m automatically circumspect about people such as Charles Babington (Degree in Islamic History) who, more than pretending to be a journalist appears to have a political agenda of his own. What does irritate me is that beyond the Speaker sitting in his office crying like a baby, the GOP doesn’t appear to have a very sophisticated apparatus for refuting Babington’s claims

Impertinent said...

"It wants a U.S. attorney to take steps to force her to testify"

It falls to the Obama / Holder appointee of the DC district alone. He too is Black and a political appointment...so that doesn't look like a criminal indictment presented to a DC grand jury will ever happen. Not if this guy wants to keep his job, does it?

A shame that he'll sacrifice his integrity to continue with the coverup. Lerner belongs in jail. And Holder was also hit with a contempt of Congress. Guess what?

Duckys here said...

This is strictly kabuki for the far right.

Yes, it might get them stirred up and increase turnout at a time when center and center/left turnout is likely to be low.

Te danger is that moderates get steamed about this colossal waste of time and take it as an insight into the scope of right wing "ideas".

Impertinent said...

"The parents had a 22 year old son who had a mental health issue.."

Adam Lanza redux...when will and where will the next one occur? Cause it will.
BTW, Rogers parents were big deal libs in the right circles too. And daddy also made a good living photographing women's derrières. So I wonder why the kid was a virgin? And a misogynist. One would think a dutiful dad would have hooked him up with a willing model?

Impertinent said...

"kabuki"..so you think it's all entertainment? For whom? The 4 families? Or the administration?

I'd think they'd want the facts to surface to make it clear that the committee is wrong. That's all they have to do. Answer the questions truthfully....and disclose all the communications without redaction.

Z said...

Mustang...Babington(the author who wrote this for Yahoo, and who I forgot to 'credit') clearly has an agenda; That's the reason I posted this. THE AGENDA.

And I don't think that finding out the IRS is illegally attacking Conservatives is "party politics," ...that's my other point; that the Left is so desperately trying to show that, when most Americans aren't too happy about any hint that the IRS is being biased.

Rottweiler; Sorry, I had to delete you. I don't get into blog wars that some are trying to get GeeeeZ dragged into. Sorry :-)

Jarhead and Annie; While, clearly, not enough was done, how does ANYBODY know what's going on in somebody's head? Their kid was seeing a psychiatrist, the parents frequently called up to Santa Barbara for help and were dashing up to S.B. the minute they saw the Facebook entry. I'm not sure I'd say they did nothing. And I can't imagine the guilt and grief they're feeling now.
Amazingly, I just found out that a friend's cousin was one of the girls who was grazed but will make it...that was pretty shocking; to have it happen to people I know.

Imp; you wonder why the kid was a VIRGIN? You'd want his dad to get a girl for him for sex??

Sam Huntington said...

Ducky makes me laugh. Kabuki theater? Ha! He’s a broken record. You’d think that George Soros’ butt boy could come up with something better than “Kabuki theater.”

Impertinent said...

"Imp; you wonder why the kid was a VIRGIN? You'd want his dad to get a girl for him for sex??"

Yea..he was 22 and a very privileged "kid".

It wouldn't be the first time a father introduced his son to the world, would it? However, since his father was around pretty women all the time...getting his "kid" a date as a favor from one of his clients wouldn't have been scandalous.

Maybe when the "kid" was 17 or 18 and had some healthy interaction with women...6 people might be alive? Apparently his therapist knew of his condition too? Why didn't the Doc alert the authorities? HIPPA maybe? Doctor patient privilege?

That's why those with mental illnesses will still be able to legally get guns. Or knives for that matter.

Z said...

I think we can rest assured that since this kid wasn't ugly, he had something in him that repelled girls....now we can see that, can't we.
I'm pretty sure a stint with a paid girl for sex wouldn't have done this kid one bit of good...particularly if he didn't know she'd been paid and wouldn't want to see him again.

Sam..."kabuki" is pretty much what this article's about. if it was kabuki, we'd have the facts on all the 'scandals'.
I'm thinking that if they hadn't been referred to as scandals, that might have helped Americans realize what's up,too. It's kind of a good word for the left to pounce on, it kind of implies it's BS.
Would that they were BS.

Impertinent said...

"I think we can rest assured that since this kid wasn't ugly.."

Outside, yea. Inside..

He had plenty of spending cash, a chick magnet car, a rich, generous Dad …. and he couldn’t get a girl in Isla Vista in 2014?

He must have been one incredibly revolting poisonous little toad with serious impulse control issues ….. and that pretty much explains everything.

If he hadn’t had a rich Daddy, he wouldn’t have had $5000 in weapons. He probably would have already been in prison, right where he belonged. There was not enough stress on this worm, so his colors had not been shown to society earlier, when the damage would likely have been much less.

Duckys here said...

Here's what I'd do, Imp.

First, continue to ignore the crowd that seems upset about us not using enough military force and killing more Muslims, Russians or whomever.

Then I'd take a look at what has happened in foreign affairs.

Heard from the Somali pirates lately(or "the little brown Somali pirates" as z called them)?

In spite of action against separatists in the East, Russia hasn't tried to intervene.

Russia has agreed to accept the elections and there is likely to be no more nonsense about Ukraine joining NATO. They may develop economic ties with the EU but with the Chinese energy agreement Russia isn't as concerned.

The nationalists barely registered in the elections and finished further down than a Jewish candidate so that crap seems to be dead and dying.

Along with the rapprochement in Iran he has some successes.

If he pulls one off against Boko Haram the Teabags will have to dial the Benghazi hearings up to 12.

You underestimate the families of the dead when you assume they can't recognize kabuki.

The MB is being exterminated in Egypt and elsewhere. We are backing the general in Libya against fundamentalists.
Of course people will still be in a vice between two oppressors but when we think of the war economy it's unfortunate collateral damage.

Diak it up to 13 and throw in some IRS for seasoning. Show the moderates that you're impotent.

Lucky Chamas said...

Ducky please do us all a favor and STFU

Duckys here said...

Ad hominem. It's all Sam has.

Duckys here said...

Meanwhile in Libya, forces loyal to a pro West strong man have stormed parliament and declared the assembly dissolved. Must be a regular Oliver Cromwell, I don't understand why the right doesn't get behind this instead of calling for some hearings.

But Fox Snooze isn't talking about it so the right can't acknowledge the situation exists.

And the Great Game continues.

Z said...

Ducky, you're beyond loathsome and it's almost becoming amusing.... you say "Heard from the Somali pirates lately(or "the little brown Somali pirates" as z called them)?"

First, IF I said that, I know what the context was: "little brown Somali pirates" are BEATING OUR AMERICAN NAVY. That bugged a LOT of Americans, did that bother YOU?
By the way..they are little and they are brown. Why's that bother you? Odd, isn't it.
You reveal yourself.

Please alert your media: it's so nice to hear Russia's no threat to anybody, that Iran's easing off building nukes, and Boko Haram's hostages are said today to have been found by the Nigerian army (not us)....are you suggesting that Obama will score points if he "pulls one off" against the captors?
Like HOW, Ducky? Killing them?

And, could you tell us who wants to "kill Muslims and Russians or whomever?"
You mean INNOCENT Muslims? Tell us who'd like to do that, Ducky.
And who's ever considered killing Russians or "whomever"?

now "DUCK AND HIDE" as your name apparently implies.

Ya, I was surprised Sam didn't say more but, frankly, we're ALL a bit tired of your same ol', same ol's....WE GET IT BY NOW, DUCKY:
All Republicans are evil murderers who love guns and want to "kill muslims and Russians and WHOMEVER"
All Republicans want to kill the sick and not help the Poor
All Republicans are racists
All Republicans hate women
All Republicans are stupid
All Republicans want zero government
All Corporations are bad
The Rich are bad (though you crow about how wealthy you are quite often..tsk tsk tsk) and only Republicans are rich :-)

Man, anybody who's ever read GeeeZ could fill the blanks in "the Republican according to DUCKY".

Sam...why must he bother anymore?

Z said...

Ducky, why wouldn't you think Democrats would support a "pro West" 'strong man'? Not PRO WEST yourself?

It's your 'game', Ducky...we think this is all pretty serious.

Always On Watch said...

Worth reading carefully: Elliot Rodger's Previous Attacks on Women, Couples.

Brief excerpt therefrom:

Elliot Rodger's rage-filled manifesto documents his growing fury with the world and his initial attacks on women and couples that he envied. One of those attacks occurred on his 22nd birthday [July 20, 2013].

Rodger said he grew jealous watching “a group of popular college kids” at a park. He felt insulted. He wanted to ruin their fun....

It seems that he often targeted happy people so as to ruin their fun. What the hell?

Impertinent said...

"It seems that he often targeted happy people so as to ruin their fun. What the hell?"

Like I said...he was a libby loon of libby LA, Hollwweird barking moon beamers with a butt chasing parent. Libs are never happy...they show up here all the time with "manifesto's.

They thought they'd keep him happy by giving him 5K to buy the guns he killed with and a BMW he tried to use as a weapon too. Adam Lanza II.

Always On Watch said...

Duckys here said...

Well Imp, the parents were sufficiently concerned to call the police who knew that mental health professionals were concerned.

They knew he had registered handguns also.

So what happens? They send a couple of cops who because of their fantastic training and fantastic political orientation decide they know best and let it skate.

My guess is that Fox Snooze isn't interested in any kind of dialog concerning when a gun owner becomes a menace.

Constitutional Insurgent said...

So Ducky...tell us the political orientation of the police in this event?

Duckys here said...

Err on the side of having him retain the firearms despite the concerns.

Just go through the motions.

Constitutional Insurgent said...

I thought you said 'political orientation'?

Z said...

CI, good question.

Ducky....what political orientation are you suggesting?

And FOX very often talks about exactly what you describe.

And it's Fox NEWS and you'll be deleted next time for your constant stupid insults.
Thanks! (try to remember)

Kid said...

IMP, Z. On the OT.. Think Nurse Rachett, Jack Nicholson and the young shy kid inexcusably committed to a mental institution in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In that case the young man just needed a women's touch to push him into the confidence zone and Jack hooked him up.

In this case who knows. Could very well be a case of drugs, hollyweird lifestyles and genuine severe mental problems.

As far as the politics I have nothing worthwhile to say. I'm just wondering when we start electing horses to the Senate as they did in Rome. We have some in the House so it shouldn't be too long.

Kid said...

Let's take a poll on how much longer it takes duck to absorb an electron of common sense.

Put me down for Never in a million years - for 10 grand Alex. ;-)

Duckys here said...

@CI -- I thought you said 'political orientation'?
A laissez-faire attitude to gun control constitutes a political position.

Sam Huntington said...

@ Kid

I think you guys misjudge Ducky; he’s every bit as stupid as he seems.

Impertinent said...

"A laissez-faire attitude to gun control constitutes a political position."

You're kidding right? 20,000 laws on the books already...CA with the most stringent, anti constitution ( except for the swells ) laws on the books...along with NJ,NY, CT, RI and DE....hate the constitution. All the laws....are meant for only one class of people. The rest don't give a shit.

Kid said...

Sam, Dats What Um Sayin, know whad Um Sayin !

Liberalmann said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Constitutional Insurgent said...

Ducky - "A laissez-faire attitude to gun control constitutes a political position."

You're projecting a baseless assertion onto people you don't know and haven't heard from....and confusing it with a political orientation.

Z said...

Ducky, no it doesn't.

Law and Order Teacher said...

As usual Ducky is able to slime a lot of different groups as he seeks to make points. I'll speak up for the police. In my 30 years in law enforcement I don't remember officers I worked with using some supposed political agenda to make enforcement decisions.

We are restricted by department regulations, local and state laws and the Constitution. We worked within that framework in making enforcement decisions. Heck, I even enforced "hate crime" laws despite the fact that they are an unconstitutional infringement on first amendment rights as they criminalize thought.

I've made many arrests for weapons violations such as possession of a weapon under disability. Most often these are for felons possessing weapons. When a police officer is involved in a situation with a person who exhibits signs of mental illness, he has to tread very lightly.

Adults have freedom of movement and no officer wants to risk a lawsuit. Why is up to the police in so many situations, to deal with these people? Probably, because everyone else has failed. Therapists, on many occasions, have raised the alarm about a person and it's been ignored. By the family, by social welfare agencies, acquaintances, and other medical professionals. So the situation tumbles down the hill and drops in the lap of the police.

As much as I would have liked to arrest everyone who I think is dangerous, that dang Constitution gets in the way. In this country, a charge must be the basis for incarceration.

Details, details.

Impertinent said...

I'm sure this presents a terrible conundrum for the anti gun freaks....3 dead with a bullet from a small caliber pistol....3 dead from a...KNIFE. Then using his car as a weapon...BMW in this case.

What to do...what to do? Modify BMW's and sell only to those who buy them at car shows...require background checks and licensing for hunting knives...restrict the use of BMW's and require they're always parked and the keys hidden in a safe from the children and ignition locks too?

What to do.

Kid said...

LAOT, If libtards blamed the right persons/groups they'd be stuck dealing with the actual problem. Not an option for them. No profit there.
Take education. Everyone has failed the education system except for thoe who can't do anything about it. Parents are the actual failures and the government that rewards their bad behavior.

So, teachers are the problem and solution. Teachers need more money, so administrators need more money and schools need more useless administrators and the unions collect more and the democrat politicians collect more from the richer unions. It's a parasitic relationship form hell.

I don't think there is a single thing going on outside good homes that is health or productive.

Impertinent said...

"Take education." Take it please, Says Henny.

Did you read where the $100,000,000 Zucker face gave to the City of Newark, ostensibly for education...has gone to unions, pensions and salaries instead? What a Sucker Zuker was. Not a dime to those kids...I'm horrified I tell ya...just...LMAO.

Ed Bonderenka said...

I wrote the first comment this morning and erased it before publishing it because I thought it would be rude.
I wrote something to the effect of "Ducky will say something stupid, and the rest of the comments will be a running battle with him."
I wish I'd published it.

Z said...

Ed..and you'd have been right.

Kid, there really IS nothing good going on outside good homes. I couldn't have said it better (IMAGINE? smile!!) :-) :-)

Which leads me to why I published the post article....what DO we do about our country's future with anything good being insulted so badly by the Left and substituted for everything SO BAD?

Impertinent said...

"what DO we do about our country's future with anything good being insulted so badly by the Left and substituted for everything SO BAD?"

I think it's been clear for some time now that we are...two separate countries. That E pluribus unum is a joke. We are now a salad bowl and no longer all one.

I only see a geographical impediment to living the way we prefer. It took 3 centuries to make the US...it's come apart at the seams in 1/2 of that time.
We were still adding states in the 20th Century. Now some of them are hard to recognize as "states".

Kid said...

IMP. zuker. Yea, that's where it's at. I hate libtards and not just because they're stupid. That could be fixed. Maybe.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Well I don't know where Bob's been with his particular wisdom :)
But my take is that if there is not a spiritual revival in this country (and I mean Christ centered, not Mohammo centered) then we tailspin.
Not PC.
Not caring.
There is a spiritual component to good living, and there is only one Spirit that is life.

Kid said...

Ed. why does duck get so much attention? It's like walking into a restaurant and seeing every arguing with the 3 year old who won't shut up instead of enjoying their meal and asking the manager to throw the libtard family out.

Kid said...

Z, sadly, I don't think we do anything about it short of a neo-con dictatorship. And that's not America either is it?

People will have to learn that zero effort gets zero reward. It's going to be painful for many.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Sounds about right.
But this is a "salon", not a restaurant.
Some give and take should be expected.
If it were a diner, this would be a foodfight :)
But it sure is entertaining.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Impertinent said...

"I'm pretty sure a stint with a paid girl for sex wouldn't have done this kid one bit of good.."

He didn't need dady to arrange that for him. $50 bucks and a car stop would have been all he needed. And he had a nice car for easy pickups.

But...I've been thinking about this kids problem. And I'm convinced his inadequacies were two fold....his package...and he was impotent. Nothing like being impotent to fill himself with rage and blame it on the woman. Perhaps there were a few women who pointed this out to him and didn't offer their criticisms tactfully?

Constitutional Insurgent said...

Ed - "But my take is that if there is not a spiritual revival in this country...."

I think that's a great solution, for those who wish to partake, but for the whole...I would like to see a liberty revival. I would like a comprehensive rollback of tax withholding and closed legislative sessions [just at the top of my list]....so the citizenry can really see where their labor and their freedoms are vanishing to.

And I politely disagree about your characterization of Ducky. He didn't put up enough of a fight to call it a running battle. More like a thug drive-by.

Rita said...

Since this post turned more into a debate about the latest crazed "gunman", I'm wondering what would have happened had the first three guys killed had had a gun to defend themselves against someone using a knife.

It would seem to me, that would likely have stopped this loon's carnage at the start.

Always On Watch said...

Ed mentioned the need for a spiritual revival.

In most of the murder spree cases, isn't it true that these murderers spring from households of no faith? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Z said...

AOW, I certainly wouldn't be surprised.

Rita, most blogs go Off Topic a bit, but I will be pulling that back here at geeeeZ starting today. thanks.

Imp, I think you were the one who brought up 'daddy' arranging sex for the kid..


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big, celebrity, love, quotes, rapper, sayings, sean, rapper, big sean

funny birthday messages. funny happy irthday wishes

Big Sean

Pflasterarbeiten, Hofbefestigungen & Außenanlagen

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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Mother Nature Doesn't Read Her Memos

I've had all the physical signs that ovulation happened this week.

Yeah, that seems useful.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Highs and Lows, on an iPhone

I went for a nice long walk/run today. One of my favorite parts of walking, other than zoning out and often clearing out enough fog from my brain to elicit new ideas, is listening to music. I recently discovered the wonders of Pandora radio -- I love choosing an artist based on my mood and listening to the mix of similar music on "their" station.

There's a commercial around here for a fertility clinic that Pandora plays (for those of us who don't cough up the fee for their service) from time to time. It begins, "Are you having trouble getting pregnant?" and I swear to you, every time I hear it, I come this close to throwing my iPhone into the Long Island Sound.

It came on today and almost killed my good mood. Almost.

But then Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" started playing and, just as it does every time I hear it, it gave me the feeling that more good things are coming, right around the corner.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Part of the deal as a newly ordained curate is attendance at "Continuing Ministerial Training", a programme of assorted workshops, study days etc spread out across the year. Ever since the timetable arrived last autumn, the dates 24-26th January have been tinged with dread...We were scheduled to spend the time with the armed forces chaplaincy department, learning all about how chaplaincy works in a military context. As a paid-up pacifist, this was not something I could muster any enthusiasm for...and there was the additional fear that there might be awful assualt courses involving high ropes and fast flowing water. Not to mince words, I was scared stiff, but a feeble "Please sir, do we have to..." had fallen on deaf ears when I tried it on the then-CME officer.
Having not received any details of the programme, I reluctantly phoned up this morning...only to discover that,- hallelujah-, my name had somehow erased itself from the lists. Further phonecalls to Church House confirmed that I DON'T HAVE TO GO
It's ridiculous how happy this makes me feel....I've been singing around the house all day as a result and the time restored in the diary has the flavour of a holiday, even though it means I can do Monday's funeral and a meeting or two as well.
Now, of course, if mark is going he'll probably tell me that it was a wonderful and wholly life-enhancing experience...but my life feels hugely enhanced by this escape.

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Ice Truck Adventure |

Ice Truck Adventure

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (107 votes, average: 2.06 out of 5)
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  • Description
    • Drive the truck from the start flag to the end flag to complete a level. The truck is indestructible, so if you end up upside down, just restart the level.

Review Ice Truck Adventure

One Review to Ice Truck Adventure

  1. harnabell on May 29th, 2014 8:10 pm

    Nice game


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Google Payment App - TEZ
Bank Transfer NEFT, RGTS, IMPS will be outdated soon. UPI will be next big revolution in Indian Banking system. Thanks for the @Google @sundarpichai for developing TEZ Mobile App(Simple, Secure, easy to use) and supporting Narendra Modi’s Digital India and Digital Transactions. Try TEZ, do 1 transaction and get the scratch cards.


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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Lakeville Senior Center, December

Since my stories in my books are based on my experiences of growing up on a farm five miles west of Lakeville, Minnesota, I feel a special kinship to audience members when I am performing at Lakeville Senior Center. My Heritage is their Heritage.
Before Thanksgiving this year we did my story A Farm Country Thanksgiving at the Lakeville Senior Center, and on Friday, December 17, 2010, we did a 45-minute show which included my story A Farm Country Christmas Eve.  Since some students from Kenwood Trail Elementary School were in the audience, Santa stopped by or a visit after the show.

Santa with children.

Santa with Nancy and me.

Santa with Linda Walter and me.

Before the show we were entertained by a group called Dragonfly,
who sang many standard and unique Christmas songs.

Ages in the audience ranged from children in the fifth and sixth grade to senior citizens
who are older than I am, but my Christmas story knows no age limits on either end.

After the show when Santa had completed distributing presents,
 there was plenty of time to meet people and to share stories.

Nancy and I had ample opportunity to talk to the children and their teachers, as well as many of the visiting seniors and staff members at Lakeville Senior Center.
Our standard for a fun day is to meet people, entertain an audience, have some fun, and sell a few books.
In short, we had a fun day.
I hope to return next year.

Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson

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Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Rumors and gossip

I sit here in my little corner of Luzerne County and throw out some speculation and it gets all kinds of attention. If any of it's wrong I will post a correction, after all I don't want to violate any of Bernie's ethics rules.

My previous post about Joe Peters running in the 10th CD was picked up by Stanley at Keystone Politics in KP's Delegation '08 Blog but LVDem is not impressed by him noting that he got creamed in his AG run. The Yonk thinks he will cruise to victory but I doubt that my friend. 2008 is going to be another big year for the Democrats. His biggest fan is Bill Fitz who considers himself the kiss of death in these sort of things. He also posted it at PAWaterCooler.com which is hottest new PA website according to the Politico. Christopher Hackett, of One Source Staffing Solutions, has also been mentioned as the "true conservative" considering a run. But after the Mueser brothers catching flak about giving to Democrats his $5000 donation to Luzerne County Democratic Commissioner Greg Skrepnak will need to be explained. But just like Pride Mobility, One Source has to pay to play.

In the 11th CD it seems that Scranton Times columnist Chris Kelly reads Gort42 and cites my Chris Doherty post -without attribution: While supporters decried Judge Munley’s decision as a bitter defeat, it was the best possible outcome for Mayor Fife (Barletta), who some fans have dubbed “St. Lou.” His enhanced martyrdom will be invaluable next year when he’s running against Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty for the congressional seat now occupied by Rep. Paul Kanjorksi. GrassrootsPA points out a story of the the chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee knocking down Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta's door to get him to run against Kanjo. Lou is so coy. Another rally in support of Lou's law is planned for Nanticoke this Sunday. And just to add to the fire:

I drove past Senunas' Bar in W-B yesterday afternoon ...and spotted John Yudichak having a drink with Jim and Evie McNulty. I have a tendency to read into things, but I know Big Jim has done work for him in the past, and he's up for re-election next year ... but why meet at a bar that's not in his district or near South Scranton, where McNulty lives and has his office. Yudichak has always had ambitions to run for higher office, and I wonder if he's thinking about running for ether state senate against Musto or congress against Kanjo. It would be really interesting (and good for Kanjo) if both Doherty and Yudichak ran.

Anonymous said...

These "republicans" kill me. While Leonardi was out there working his butt off against Kanjo with no money, Mueser was giving cash to the sitting Democrat. Hackett has given money to Skrep, that will go over good with the Republicans in Luzerne county. And now Madeira is going to go work for him? I thought Mr. Madeira was looking for a true conservative. So he picked a guy who helped finance a tax and spender like Skrep against fellow republicans, including one Steve Urban in particular and Urban was one of the few elected Republicans to come out for Madera in his primary run. Since Hackett likes to dole out the cash, how much is Madeira's support worth?

What ever happened to ideology? If anyone ever wonders what is wrong with the local republican party they shouldn't anymore.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Gort, too late. Five points deducted .

danny said...

depeche mode was a good choice. is this in germany?

Gort said...

It was in Germany. Since the host is not speaking English it can't be played in Hazleton.

LVDem said...

Make no mistake, Peter's will be in better position than Sherwood was. But I still think the guy prove a rather poor candidate in 2004. That should be noted. The GOP lost the seat in 2006 b/c it put out a candidate with serious baggage. They would probably give up the seat for the next 10 years if Peter's botches this one like he did his 2004 race.


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These 7 Famous Architects In India Are Adopting Sustainability As A Vital Feature In Their Work

The construction industry is one of the largest consumers of natural resources, hence there is this huge need to design structures that have minimal environmental impacts. Green and sustainable buildings are an upcoming concept and the need for the present-day construction industry in India. Over the past few decades, more and more builders and architects […]

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Inspired by one photo

This is a photo I took a while back that I uploaded to my deviantart account. Yesterday while in a moment of depression I decided to play with it as art is the perfect medication for depression for me. Anyways I went crazy with it. Here it is as a photo. It's a gate around a grave normally.

Darkness taking over by =Gothicmama on deviantART

Here it is on several items in several variations after I got inspired. LOL, well it least it got my mind off my depression anyways.

I still have many more variations to go.

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Emory & Henry Men’s Basketball Posts Stellar First Half, Defeating Roanoke, 88-81, Wednesday

Emory & Henry Men’s Basketball Posts Stellar First Half, Defeating Roanoke, 88-81, Wednesday

EMORY, Va. – Emory & Henry College junior guard Malcolm Green (Marshville, N.C.) electrified the crowd at Bob Johnson Court Wednesday night, putting up a career-high 31 points to lead the Wasps (10-12, 4-9 ODAC) to an 88-81 victory over the Maroons of Roanoke College (6-16, 2-11 ODAC) in Old Dominion Athletic Conference Action.

Emory & Henry surged out to a 9-0 lead, two three's coming from Green with 18:09 on the clock. Roanoke was able to close the gap to six (13-7), but the Maroons stirred the Wasps' nest. Over the next 7:10, E&H scored 24 unanswered points for a 37-7 lead at the 7:52 mark.

RC was able to chip into the seemingly insurmountable lead and got within 12 (44-32 with 1:18 remaining) late in the first half. Four straight points by sophomore forward Jorel Terrell (Port Saint Lucie, Fla.) closed the opening frame for the Wasps, who took a 48-32 lead into the locker room.

Emory & Henry pushed its lead back to 20 (54-34) with a 6-2 run to start the second half. The Maroons once again began their journey to cut into the Wasps' advantage. An 18-8 spurt by Roanoke trimmed the margin to 10 (62-52 at 10:23) but E&H once again was able to extend the gap to 19.

Down by 14 with 2:54 remaining, the Maroons scored six straight points to cut the Wasps lead to single digits for the first time since 13:48 in the first half. Roanoke got within seven points on three occasions down the stretch, but would get no closer as Emory & Henry came away with the 88-81 win.

Green finished the night with 31 points on 10-for-12 shooting with two three-pointers made. He also hit 9-of-11 from the free throw line on his career night. It was the most points scored by an Emory & Henry player since Terrance Grigg netted 33 against Hiwassee College on January 2, 2011.

E&H junior guard Kyle Sensabaugh (Columbus, Ohio) tallied 14 points on the night, hitting four treys and pulling down eight rebounds. Junior forward Armando Murrell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had 13 points on five-for-five shooting and added four rebounds while Terrell finished the game with 11 points.

The Wasps shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) from the field and hit 6-of-15 (40.0 percent) of their attempts from beyond the arc. E&H was 24-for-35 (68.6 percent) from the charity stripe and held a 41-35 advantage on the boards.

Roanoke was paced by Kwasi Amponsah, who tallied 23 points before fouling out. Barrett Hunter chipped in 14 points on the night while Stefan Vulevic added 11 points. Logan Singleton recorded the only double-double in the contest with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Emory & Henry will remain at home on Saturday when it welcomes Eastern Mennonite University in an ODAC showdown. The contest, which is scheduled to tip at 2:00 p.m., will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps.


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About the GPEMjournal blog

This is the editor's blog for the journal Genetic Programming and Evolvable Machines. The official web site for the journal, maintained by the publisher (Springer) is here. The GPEMjournal blog is authored and maintained by Lee Spector.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

SIGEVOlution Volume 3, Issue 3, is now available

I'm a little late with this post because I couldn't reach the blog from China (where I was for the 2009 World Summit on Genetic and Evolutionary Computation). Aside from the web access issues it was an interesting conference and I had a great visit in China more generally. I'm now in Tokyo where I'll visit GPEM associate editor Hitoshi Iba tomorrow, and the only web challenge appears to be in getting Blogger's menus to appear in English rather than Japanese... but I've managed.

Anyway, in the interim I have received mail from Pier Luca Lanzi informing me that the latest issue of SIGEVOlution, the SIGEVO newsletter, has just been released. It is available from http://www.sigevolution.org and features:

  • An Interview with John H. Holland with an introduction by Lashon Booker
  • It's Not Junk! by Clare Bates Congdon, H. Rex Gaskins, Gerardo M. Nava & Carolyn Mattingly
  • Car racing @ CIG-2008
  • GECCO-2009 competitions
  • New issues of journals
  • Calls & calendar

Don't be confused by the "Autumn 2008" cover date. It is indeed a new issue that just came out in June, 2009, but the volume/date correspondence has slipped (and will probably be adjusted soon).

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Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing

You may get your learner's permit when you reach 15 years and 6 months of age. It allows you to operate a motor vehicle when a licensed driver at least 21 year of age is seated beside you. The driver accompanying you may be 18 years of age if he or she is your legal guardian, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, step-brother or step-sister. The driver accompanying you must hold a valid driver's license, be alert and able to assist you and be legally permitted to drive.

When you apply for a learner's permit, you will also complete the application process for your driver's license and pay the fees for both the permit and license. You will be required to pass a vision screening and the two-part knowledge exam.

If you are under age 19, you must provide proof of successful completion of a state-approved driver education program and you must hold a learner's permit at least nine months before you can receive a driver's license. Plus, your parent, guardian or foster parent must certify that you received at least 40 hours of driver practice, ten of which must have been completed after sunset. You will receive a certificate when you complete the driver education program.

If you are between age 16 years, 3 months and age 18, your driver education certificate and a valid learner's permit allow you to drive without a licensed driver beside you provided you have held your learner's permit for nine months and the certificate is signed by a parent or legal guardian. After you have held your permit nine months, turned age 16 and 3 months and completed driver education, you will receive a notice that tells you when to appear in court for a licensing ceremony where you will receive your permanent driver's license.

Curfew Restrictions

Virginia's curfew laws prohibit a driver under age 18 who holds a learner's permit or driver's license from driving midnight to 4 A.M. If you hold a driver's license you may drive during these hours:

  • in case of an emergency;
  • when traveling to and from work or a school-sponsored event;
  • when accompanied by a parent or other adult acting in place of a parent;
  • when responding to an emergency call as a volunteer firefighter or rescue squad personnel.

Passenger Restrictions

If you are under age 18, you may carry only one passenger under age 18 during the first year that you hold your driver's license. After you have held your license for one year, you may carry only three passengers under age 18 until you reach age 18. Learner's permit holders may not carry more than one passenger under age 18. Passenger restrictions do not apply to family members.
Violations of either the curfew or passenger restrictions can result in the suspension of your driver's license.

You will receive a notice that tells you when to appear in court for a licensing ceremony where you will receive your permanent driver's license. You must appear before the judge with a parent or legal guardian to receive your license.

If you are 19 years of age and older and you have never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory or foreign country, you must hold a learner's permit for 30 days or more or show completion of a state-approved driver education program. You may take your driver education certificate to any DMV customer service center and take the road skills test. You may take the road skills test no more than three times in any three-month period.

What is Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing?

What is Virginia GDL? Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing is a system for phasing in on-road driving, allowing beginners to get their initial experience under conditions that involve lower risk and introducing them in stages to more complex driving situations.

Take some time to watch the Young Drivers video here. See if your teen likes this video. If they do, they will love our Virginia graduated driver licensing program.

  • We begin with combining the in-class with the behind-the-wheel training process concurrent with one another.
  • Then we add more hours behind-the-wheel to give the new drivers an opportunity to experience all four seasons and weather conditions under a controlled risk factor.
  • We take away the 6 hour driver training clock and base achievement and graduation on performance, skill and experience.

Remember when we were trying to teach our new teenagers as if we were traveling on a two-lane dirt road at 35 MPH, when our average traveled speed in Virginia exceeds 55 MPH on a six-lane highway? Most families had a single vehicle in the fifties and sixties, and then to two vehicles in the seventies. The days of driving on weekends with mom and dad for the first year or two is over. In today’s hectic schedules, we are not allowing ourselves time to protect our Virginia teens and teach them to drive as we should be. Parents need to realize that as the times change we must keep pace with that change.

Our driving generation, 35 to 50 years old, will be remembered as the worse driving generation in the history of the vehicle. We average 40,000 fatalities per year. Our generation needs to change the way we think and teach Virginia graduated driver licensing.

If you look closely, you'll realize we spend about 12 years on basic education, reading writing, math, history and physical education…and only 6 hours behind the wheel training in a vehicle.

We need to be remembered as the generation that created the best Virginia drivers in history. The generation that did something about the way we think and teach driver training. We need help from every mom and dad to complete this goal. We need to invest our time in our teenagers and take the time needed to teach our children to drive better.

This could mean as much as 1 or two years of guidance. And to do this you will need the very best Virginia curriculum and training videos available. You will need to allow Virginia graduated driver licensing to become part of your families dinner conversation and sharing experiences on new intersections, changes on the interstate on ramps or maybe a lost of a fellow student friend.

Virginia Driver education and training is no longer a project to hire out to the local driving school. Parents need to get involved and stay involved for at least two or three years. Placing driving restrictions and hours on when a new driver is allowed to drive and with whom. This, in essence, is Virginia Graduated Driver Licensing.

Online Video Library

As soon as you enroll, the student will have access to over 7 hours of excellent quality video content at the click of the button. All graduated driver licensing videos are also available on our Video Library DVD featured below. The online program is easy to follow, and provides over 100 video clips throughout the course to guide the teen driver along the way. A high speed internet access is required.

What is Graduated Driver Licensing?

Essentially an apprentice system, graduated driver licensing utilizes three stages. the first is a supervised learner's period, lasting a minimum of 6 months in optimal systems, then an intermediate licensing phase that allows unsupervised driving, but only in less risky situations, and finally a full-privilege license becomes available when requirements of the first two stages have been met.

Within this framework, substantial variation is possible in terms of the provisions of the stages and their duration. This variation often has created difficulty for jurisdictions that are producing a graduated driver licensing system. Lawmakers need to know what sections their system should include and what the features should be.

About Us About Us

NDT's foundational curriculum combines the at-home or classroom study with hands-on activities, focusing on all parts of the mind while examing the young driver's grasp of the lesson. Not only does this make concepts easier to learn and remember, it’s a blast!

There are seven levels to the curriculum, providing over 30 hours of accreditation. Each lesson ends with a written exam, which can be taken repeatedly if necessary to achieve the desired score.


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The Official Website of the grande prairie storm
Back to all News
Four Enough This Time
Posted October 4th, 2017 @ 11:24 pm

This time four was enough, but early on it felt like eight wouldn't be out of the question.

The Grande Prairie Storm won their fourth game of the season Wednesday night in Revolution Arena downing the Drayton Valley Thunder 4-1 and for the first time got a victory without scoring eight goals.

Four would have been enough in those other games - 8-3 wins twice and one by an 8-1 count - and it was more than enough Wednesday.

After outshooting the Thunder 16-4 in the first it looked like the Storm were on their way to another eight or more performance taking a 3-0 lead. But, unlike those other wins when they kept their foot on the pedal, they eased off and actually had to fend off the Thunder in the third.

With the league-leading Whitecourt Wolverines coming to GP on Saturday (7:30 p.m.) easing off may not be an option.

The Storm, in fifth place with nine points, find themselves just three points back of Whitecourt and only two out of second place in the North Division.

A pair of goals by rookie Zach Okabe and one off the stick of Noah Walters gave the Storm their 3-0 first period lead. Connor Blake made it 4-0 in the second before Brayden Richards replied with Drayton Valley's only goal.

Storm forward Edouard Michaud, named the Alberta Junior Hockey League Player of the Month for September, collected two assists on Wednesday and now has 11 goals and six assists and sits atop the AJHL scoring race with Jordan Taupert of the Drumheller Dragons who has eight goals and nine helpers.

The Storm fired 32 shots at DV netminder Tyman Edelkoort while Storm netminder Charles-Olivier Levesque had to handle 20.

Drayton had six powerplay chances - including a two-man advantage in the second - and didn't score a PP goal while the Storm came up short on both of their chances.

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Shocking Behavior

Given enough time, most enthusiasts can figure out how an anti-roll bar or a set of trick brake pads will increase their car’s performance, but how many out there truly understand the benefits of a good set of shock absorbers? Probably too few, which is unfortunate. Properly selected and tuned, shocks can make or break a car’s foundation.

If you’re one of the masses who believe that a stiffer shock is always the right way to increase performance and decrease lap times, then read on.

Perceived stiffness cannot be better by definition,” explains Jay Morris, owner of the racing shock company Advance Design and parent company Ground Control. “Perceived stiffness would be a misconception compared to actual stiffness, which should benefit the race car.

Why the distinction? Because there is such thing as a perceived stiffness that is not actually stiff. This is found in a shock that is a poor design with internal leakage preventing any real handling benefit, but which is very stiff over bumps in a misguided attempt to improve handling. The driver feels the bumps more, but the chassis is still uncontrolled. This is usually the very worst handling setup for any car.”

What Do Shock Absorbers Do?

Thanks to their common name, most people think that shock absorbers absorb the shocks and bumps experienced by the car as it travels down the road. Technically, this is not true.

In reality, the springs carry the load of the car and regulate the suspension’s reaction to any bumps or dips in the road. They’re the ones that really absorb the shocks. The shock absorbers time the springs’ reaction by changing kinetic energy (the spring moving up and down) into thermal energy (the heat built up as the shock’s oil passes through the various pistons and valves).

Springs hold the car,” explains Lex Carson of JRZ Suspension Systems. “Shocks control the spring loading and unloading.”

Since the shocks are damping the springs, technically shock absorbers should be called dampers. However, we’ll stick with the name shocks or shock absorbers, out of a matter of habit. A strut is basically a shock that is also a load-bearing member, but once again we’ll stick with the catch-all name of shocks.

To understand how a shock works, picture a car driving down a road that is perfectly flat except for one speed bump. If the car simply has springs but no shocks, once the car passes over the speed bump, the springs will continue to oscillate until they disperse all of the kinetic energy they gained by compressing. As a result, the car will pitch and buck as it drives away from the speed bump.

Now picture a car with both springs and shocks encountering the same speed bump. The springs would once again absorb the bump, but this time the shock absorbers would damp the spring’s oscillations (by converting the kinetic energy into heat), allowing the car to calmly drive away from the bump.

Unfortunately, we all live in a world filled with more than one bump. Our cars are constantly encountering all sorts of bumps and dips. Throw in a few turns and place the car in a competitive or sporting environment, and you can see how your suspension is trying to do many things at once. This is why a good set of shocks can make the difference.

Defining Our Terms

Like anything in life, there is a certain lingo used when talking about shocks-words like bump, compression, rebound and extension. These words describe the valving or action of the shock.

Bump (or compression) is when the shock rod is compressed into the shock body. Rebound (or extension) is when that rod is extended from the shock body.

Note that the same shock can have different bump and rebound characteristics. You can have a shock that has a slow bump (hard to compress) but a fast rebound (easy to extend). Matching the bump and rebound characteristics of a shock absorber to your car and venue is the trick. Hopefully, we can help you here.

Who Needs Good Shocks?

Good shocks are probably the second most significant handling change you can make to a stock car,” says autocross and road racing national champion Jeff Altenburg, “tires with an alignment being the most significant.

The only car I competed in without [upgraded] shocks was my 1989 Formula 350 Firebird,” he continues. “I ran one event in it at Jacksonville on an undulating lot, and it was floating like crazy. I had a set of hydraulic Konis for the next event which was the Sebring Pro Solo 1991, and the difference was night and day. I won the event and the Challenge.”

While some limited-production performance cars like the Miata Sport and Camaro 1LE come from the factory with high-quality shocks, most cars are sold with only commercial-grade pieces.

The average enthusiast needs a good set of shocks because he is an enthusiast,” explains Advance Design’s Jay Morris. “A difference in handling and performance will neither be discovered or cared about by a non-enthusiast, so why spend the money? This is the attitude (and usually correctly so) of the car manufacturers, so the average stock or replacement shock is engineered to be adequate, safe and inexpensive as priorities over performance.

This begs the question of why can’t a performance shock also be cheap? It is not so obvious. The primary reason is that a performance shock is both stiffer and simultaneously accurately stiffer. With the increased stiffness comes a requirement for less internal leakage, or bypass. For the non-enthusiast, internal leakage is softer and preferred.

In an inexpensive shock, the advantageous internal leakage inherent in using cheaper parts (o-rings instead of actual piston wipers, for instance) is utilized as part of the softer damping characteristics desired in the non-enthusiast shock. This puts the base cost below any performance shock, because of the lower quality of parts reducing the need for accurate tolerances. An economist could probably work out an inverse exponential function to describe this, but let’s just say that it costs a lot less.”

Shocktek’s Michael G. O’Callaghan further explains the problems encountered by most street cars: “Typically, when the shocks are at the end of their life cycle, the rod seal will fail (hopefully slowly) and the shock absorber fluid will leak out. The damping characteristics of these aged shocks are not good: the overall damping forces are much lower, the damping curves have changed and there may be air in the shock which may act like a spring. Bottom line: wheel hop, uncontrolled porpoising, excessive body roll. Very dangerous in a collision avoidance maneuver.

A lot of the readers of Grassroots Motorsports might be changing the mission of a car, such as modifying the car to be more competitive in a weekend autocross, or installing stiffer springs, sways and shocks to make the car corner better on the street,” he continues. “In this case, the idea of a ‘good’ shock is that it is very important to match the components carefully when modifying the suspension of a car.

Not only does the shock have to control wheel motion and body sway,” he further explains, “but it has an important influence in controlling the dive and squat of the car during braking and acceleration. And, of course, making sure that the shocks remain functional is an important preventative maintenance function that car owners should perform on a regular basis.”

Enthusiasts who lower their cars—whether for looks or performance—also need to consider upgraded shocks. In most cases, the stock shocks will not properly operate when teamed with short, stiffer springs. “OEM equipment is not meant to be operated below stock height,” explains Truechoice’s Greg Calhoun. “Another thing to keep in mind is that when you lower a vehicle, travel is taken away from the unit. If there is not enough travel, the unit has the chance of bottoming out.”

Those enthusiasts involved in competition also need to think about their vehicle’s equipment and the effect those parts have on their lap times. “A vehicle’s performance is directly related to the performance capabilities of its equipment,” explains Jim Arentz, design engineer for Penske Racing Shocks. “When put to extreme conditions of a racing environment, typically the stock equipment does not provide the optimum handling package. Most road cars are equipped to handle everyday driving over a variety of road conditions.

Racers need dampers that will outperform the stock parts in extreme driving conditions where comfort and ride aren’t always a priority. The handling becomes paramount as the control of subtle variations in chassis platform movement and bump recovery can amount to a large gain in lap speed.”

Charles Cadieux of Dynamic Suspensions further explains. “A properly-sprung and damped vehicle has a better chance of maximizing the tire contact patch, therefore better grip, better turn in, braking, acceleration, etc.”

Are My Shocks Shot?

So, how do you know when it’s time for new shocks? Even if your car came with better-than-average shocks, they may be at the end of their lifespan.

Generally when your shocks are shot, you will feel a lack of control or crispness in the suspension,” says JRZ’s Lex Carson. “The car may begin to bounce or float when you go over bumps or uneven pavement changes.”

First, the car will feel different on the track or on the road,” continues Michael O’Callahan. “It might be different steering characteristics, different behavior over bumps or any other anomaly. Next, visually check the shocks for leaks. And finally, if you’re still stumped, you can always have the shocks dynoed.”

Note than sometimes you may have a spring problem and not a shock problem. “Spring problems tend to be persistent and consistent, shock problems tend to usually occur only in transitions,” explains Jay Morris. “Theoretically, if you have a problem in the middle of a corner (shocks in low-influence mode) it will be springs. Virtually any other time can be shocks or springs.”

Sometimes you’ll need to take the shocks off the car and inspect them to determine if you have a problem. “A shock problem is easily detected usually by hand-compressing a damper off the car and comparing to another damper that seems to be working correctly,” explains Penske’s Jim Arentz. “The feel of the damper as it’s compressed, the speed at which the shaft returns to an extended position, and the feel of the adjusters are easy hints at problem areas. For the best proof, a shock dynamometer usually can determine the source of a problem instantaneously, whether caused by system contamination, damaged parts, or an incorrectly-built damper.”

Note than an on-track (or off-track) incident can also cause problems with your shocks. “If the car has been involved in an incident by hitting a wall, guardrail, or another car, then it is best to at least have the shocks looked at,” explains Greg Calhoun of Truechoice. “Most times after a hit, the shock will need to be serviced depending on how heavy the hit was.”

You Get What You Pay For

The first tough decision you must face is deciding how much to spend. All of us have budgets, all of us hate to lose, and all of us have to balance the two. In all types of racing, you should buy the best shocks you can afford. Inevitably, you’ll second-guess yourself many times and curse yourself for not going to the next level. Hopefully you’ll be able to sell some of your first mistakes to your competition.

Shock absorbers come in many sizes and styles. They also vary in price from $25 each to more than $2500 apiece. “The $100 shock doesn’t have the technology or the sophistication that a $1000 shock has,” explains Lex Carson. “It’s like the difference between an IT car and a WSC car.”

Why the big difference in prices? The high-dollar shocks have bigger shock shafts, bigger pistons and bigger valve stacks. They are also built with more care to tighter tolerances. All of this costs more to manufacture. We’re not saying everyone needs to spend 10 grand on shocks, but buying the best ones you can afford is usually the smart move.

Excluding a few glaring examples of cheap shocks intentionally disguised as good shocks, you get what you pay for,” explains Advance Design’s Jay Morris. “Sometimes in performance, sometimes in additional features, or if you spend enough, both.”

For example, Jay points out how a $199 Bilstein Sport shock for a Camaro offers good valving and monotube quality, but no adjustment. That same $199 will also buy one Tokico Illumina, which has softer but adjustable valving. However, a true race shock for that Camaro that offers qualities found in both shocks-rebuildable valving, monotube quality and adjustable compression and rebound-can start at $399 each.

Where you buy the shocks and which company you use should also be a factor. Shock tuner Guy Ankeny of Pro Parts West says you should ask yourself the following questions: “Does the person you’re purchasing shocks from know about the type of racing you do-or want to do-with the car? Does the shop have references for the types of shocks or shock work that they’re trying to sell? Can the person selling you shocks give you any assistance in chassis setup?”

Shocktek’s Michael G. O’Callaghan also notes that customer service should be strongly considered when buying shocks. “Can you get decent product support?” he asks. “Even the name-brand manufacturers can get you lost in a maze of phone tag to get even the simplest question answered.”

Danny Criss from Leda Suspension also recommends looking at the quality of components and recommendations from other customers. “Serviceability and initial cost play a role as well,” he explains. “Customers should be careful when comparing different manufacturers’ shocks and struts to ensure that they are comparing apples with apples. A good question that customers should ask themselves is, ‘What kind of performance do I want, and what is the budget?’”

Michael O’Callaghan also warns against purchasing low-quality shocks. “Bargain performance shocks can be very inconsistent in their damping characteristics which you’ll be able to feel very easily,” he says. “Brand name means nothing. Some of the poorest-quality shocks are made by the biggest brands, simply because their shocks are low priced. In fact, some of the very expensive shocks have pretty poor quality.”

In response to the recent import performance boom, many new shock companies have sprung up on the scene. Some are truly geared towards the performance enthusiast, while others are better suited for common street use.

When buying shocks, especially lately, reputation is more important than hype,” explains Jay Morris. “Many companies have become aware of the demand for quality suspension components and have thrown their hats into the ring with hastily-developed shocks.

Paradoxically, high-quality companies are left at the bus stop regarding new customer perception (Bilstein). Even then, there are so many inexperienced ‘experts’ in the Internet chat rooms that a lot of misinformation is being repeated as gospel. Try to get an opinion from someone who has owned more than one shock.”

Options and Choices

Besides quality and reputation, there are some nuts-and-bolts options to consider that are well-suited for the enthusiast. The ability to externally modify damping characteristics is a desirable feature. If you can easily tune your shocks to compensate for tire wear, poor surface adhesion and sometimes even poor driving, you’ll be ahead of the game. Note than some shocks can only have their rebound adjusted (single-adjustable shocks), while some can have both rebound and compression adjusted (double-adjustable shocks).

Double-adjustable shocks are geared to the serious enthusiast who requires specific ride/handling capability,” explains Leda’s Danny Criss. “The single-adjustable units are simple and easy to adjust and more than adequate for the average guy.”

As a driver moves up the ladder, then maybe double-adjustable shocks should be considered. “At some point in a driver’s career, independently double-adjustable shocks may be appropriate,” says Michael O’Callaghan. “Certainly in purpose-built race cars at the higher levels, double- or even triple-adjustable shocks are appropriate. However, they are always more expensive and sometimes a lot more expensive.

From my observations, the average guy at an SCCA event would not gain a significant advantage from independently double-adjustable shocks. Those who have them usually change the settings in the same direction at the same time. (When they stiffen the rebound, they also stiffen the compression.) This method of adjustment can be done much more cheaply by a single adjustment, double-acting shock or strut, in which the rebound and compression are changed by the same percentage by a single adjustment.

Shocktek sells both single- and double-adjustable shocks and struts (based on Bilstein components), and the singles outsell the doubles by a wide margin.”

Penske’s Jim Arentz doesn’t see double-adjustable shocks as so confusing, however: “Double-adjustable shocks are easy enough to understand (basically one bump adjuster and one rebound) that the average enthusiast will be able to understand with some experience and track time.”

When purchasing shocks, you should ask if they are serviceable. Shocks comes in two basic flavors: sealed and rebuildable. The rebuildable ones can be repacked and tuned for your exact needs. The sealed ones can only be thrown away when they wear out, and have no potential of ever being upgraded. Of course, the rebuildable shocks have a higher initial cost.

Konis are a very good off-the-shelf shock, but can be a great shock when rebuilt to autocross or road race specs,” explains Guy Ankeny. During this rebuilding process, changes are made to the valving so the shock is better suited for its ultimate use.

Off-the-shelf shocks are best for the average street enthusiast,” says Truechoice’s Greg Calhoun. “When doing custom-valved shocks, the customer is usually racing the vehicle in some form, whether it be track events, autocross, or drag racing. When the customer is in fact racing the vehicle, Truechoice will discuss with them exactly what is being performed with the vehicle and its setup to determine the proper valving for their application.

Custom valving can also be performed to the standard street car, depending on its setup. If the vehicle is lowered in excess of 2 - 2 1/2 inches, it may be a case where the shocks will need to be revalved and shortened. This is necessary to allow for the increased spring rates and sufficient suspension travel.” “Custom valved shocks are for the discriminating enthusiast,” says Advance Design’s Jay Morris. “When someone is experienced enough to tell the difference in performance and/or lap times, they should consider cost vs. benefit of custom valving; often the price is worthwhile. Some shocks are exclusively custom made, and although they cost extra initially, there is no custom charge to be paid.

Please note that there are two types of revalving: the limited revalving used to try to use a street shock on a race car, and true revalving of a purpose-built racing shock which optimizes compression and rebound levels, rates of change and limits.”

Also note than several companies can successfully convert a street shock to full-race specs, installing the appropriate guts into a street shock shell for production-based race cars.

All of these better race shocks can be rebuilt or revalved at factory-authorized facilities. Depending upon the brand of shock and work performed, rebuilding and revalving can cost $20 to $135. Rebuildable shocks can also be freshened to like-new condition at the end of the racing season or before a major event. “Shocks should be rebuilt at least every other year to keep them tip-top,” says Guy Ankeny. “Fresh oil does make a difference.”

Even if the high-dollar shocks totally shatter your piggybank, you can still shop wisely. “The very least anyone can expect to pay is to find a mass-produced street shock that by coincidence or substitution has sufficient damping for racing,” Jay Morris explains. “These shocks usually don’t last as long, and racing voids the warranty, but the cost/benefit ratio is very favorable.”

Damper Designs

There are three basic designs of shock absorbers: twin-tube hydraulic, twin-tube low-pressure gas, and monotube high-pressure gas. Each of the three has its own abilities and functions, and you will find all three in street or street-derived racing applications.

One of the most common misconceptions is that a gas shock is filled entirely with gas and no oil. In fact, all three designs use hydraulic oil-they just may have a nitrogen gas charge pressurizing the oil in the shock.

The twin-tube hydraulic, as the name implies, has two cylinders (or chambers) and no nitrogen. The inner cylinder is where the rod and piston live and work, and the outer chamber is a reservoir for oil and air. As the rod travels in and out of the inner cylinder during stroking action, it displaces oil from the inner to the outer cylinder, then draws it back inside. Although this is the oldest of the three designs, it still maintains certain benefits and has a place in performance damping.

The twin-tube low-pressure gas shock is much the same as the hydraulic, except that it has a low-pressure nitrogen charge (usually 5-15 bar/70-210 psi) in the outer chamber, instead of an air pocket. Some manufacturers seal the nitrogen in a plastic bag, while others will allow the nitrogen in solution with the oil.

The original theory behind placing the nitrogen inside was that it would put the oil reservoir under pressure and therefore raise the oil’s boiling point, reducing the tendency for heat-related fading or foaming as it passed through the valves. That really isn’t much of a concern today as the quality of oil has increased in performance dampers. Plus, modern performance shock design has moved away from needle valves and o-ring seals that are affected by heat and viscosity changes, and most street cars and many race cars simply will not generate enough heat to challenge the oil in a proper performance shock.

However, when the nitrogen gas is in solution with the oil, it can give the added effect of damping really minute harmonics and motions that otherwise would not be big enough to make the damper’s piston move. The final design is the monotube high-pressure gas shock. The monotube’s entire body serves as the chamber; this allows for a larger piston area, and therefore it has the ability to transfer more damping information over a smaller stroke area. Displacement of oil by the incoming rod is handled by a chamber at the bottom of the unit that contains a high-pressure nitrogen charge (20+ bar/ 300+ psi) and is separated from the oil by a floating piston.

Each design offers certain advantages and disadvantages, so the best choice will depend upon the intended application.

A twin-tube design, when compared to a monotube, has a longer stroke capability and greater oil volume in a similarly-sized unit. Therefore, the twin-tube will tend to give a smoother or more forgiving ride characteristic and still supply the firmness for proper handling control in vehicles that see average or long suspension stroke length.

The larger piston area of the monotube will give more control over much shorter stroke lengths or at the lowest piston speeds, but also tends to ride more harshly for exactly the same reasons. In racing applications where heat generation is more likely to be a factor, a monotube can cool itself more quickly because the shock body is the wall of the working cylinder.

You are likely to find monotubes on non-production-based race cars (formula cars and such), where control over very short strokes is mandatory and ride quality is not an issue, or on production-based race cars where once again control is more important than ride quality. Most of the rebuildable, high-end race shocks will use a monotube design.

Note that gas pressure in the shock can extend the oil’s heat tolerances, but can also affect ride height because the greater pressure can act as a slight booster to the spring rate. Cars that run lower spring rates don’t want the boost, so they usually use hydraulic shocks or must be willing to compensate for the gas pressure.

Monotubes can also operate while mounted on their side or at any angle, so they are more conducive to racing pushrod suspensions, while twin tubes must operate from upright to no more than 45 degrees from upright (which is still fine for most production-based suspensions).

Before You Call

So let’s say you have decided what vendor to go with and you have credit card in hand; now what do you do? Before calling, Danny Criss from Leda recommends you have at a minimum the following info on hand: vehicle year, model and use (street, road race, rally, autocross, etc.).

If the shocks are for a competition car, he also recommends being aware of any limitations set forth for that particular series. While the general trend in racing has been a loosening of the limits set on shocks, you’re still better off knowing what you can and cannot run before making any financial commitments.

Retailers need to know the true use of the car, stresses Jay Morris. “No Walter Mittys allowed except for the Walter Mitty Challenge. No retailer likes to field complaints from customers who said they were going to go through drivers school and never did.” Morris adds one more caution for prospective customers who may still be coming to grips with reality: “We also need to know how much room you have left on your credit cards.”

If the car is a purpose-built car (vs. a production-based race car), there is some other info the shock builder will need, points out Penske’s Jim Arentz: “Make and year of car, type of racing, inner spring diameter, spring length, needed bump travel, fully extended length of existing damper on car, number of adjustments desired, and type of chassis mounts.”

From the info you provide, the shock company should be able to hook you up with the right shock. “The tuner should be able to calculate natural frequencies (or recommend spring rates) and a good guess at the damping characteristics, while on the phone,” explains Shocktek’s Michael O’Callahan. “Note that this information should not be a guess out of the blue, or from ‘experience,’ but should be based on the physics of automotive suspensions.”

Rebuilding What You Have

Many of us can’t afford to buy new shocks, but we would still like to improve our chances of winning. Upgrading your present shocks may be an economical way to vastly improve your car’s transient handling characteristics and bump control.

For instance, if you bought off-the-shelf Konis or Bilsteins, you can have the internal valving modified so that it reacts more quickly or offers more resistance in bump or rebound. Koni shocks that initially came with only adjustable rebound can be upgraded to double-adjustable specs (both adjustable rebound and bump). Likewise, Shocktek can convert non-adjustable Bilsteins to either single- or double-adjustable specs. This can be done at a substantial savings when compared to purchasing new shocks. At the time of the upgrade, you could also have the valving modified to suit your specific type of racing. Autocross shocks would be valved differently than road race or drag shocks.

Having your shocks upgraded is good, but just as in purchasing, be cautious. This work should be done by factory-trained personnel (who have access to a shock dyno), and hopefully by someone who also understands the type of racing you do. Look for references and look for the reputation the company has within your racing circles.

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Archive for the ‘Art + Culture’ Category

local design

mulitfunctional desk by WG3 plus

Eine künstlerische Anleitung zur Dechiffrierung der Konsumräume unserer Stadt…

Heute Eröffnung 19 Uhr ….Markthalle am Lend

Pot Tin God

We will set up a joint. And with “set up” we really mean “set up”. Our joint will be 10 meters in height.

Where? Joanneum, Graz (as part of “Absolutely Free”).
Opening: May 1, 2009.

Fourelements Festival 26.6. – 2.7.08

The Fourelements festival is back, with the 4 ingretients: Rap, DJing, Graffiti and Breakdance, presented on 7 spots in Graz.

I was at a live performance of MC Klumzy Tung, DJ Dero and drummer Dr.Pheel yesterday at the Parkhouse and I loved it. calls it:
packed with live turntablism, fresh lyrics, freestyles and energy loaded hiphop, mixed with oldschool, funk and drum’n’bass mashup(…)”

Their first CD will be presented on September 19th at the Postgarage, Graz. You better be there!

Check for a timetable of the upcoming events.

Klumzy Tung, Dero & Dr.Pheel Klumzy Tung, Dero & Dr.Pheel Klumzy Tung, Dero & Dr.Pheel Klumzy Tung, Dero & Dr.Pheel

Synthesizerpark @ Medienkunstlabor

A little delayed, but still worth mentioning, a few impressions of the Synthesizerpark Presentation during the SpringEight Festival.

Synthesizerpark Synthesizerpark Synthesizerpark Synthesizerpark

Countless Synthesizers from all decades, open for everyone to play. Loud and Fun!

This week: PolitCamp 2008!

BarCamp is an international network of user generated conferences — open, participatory workshop-events, whose content is provided by participants — often focusing on early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.
By “open-sourcing” the organizational process (=codifying it in a wiki and making that publicly available), BarCamp seems to have struck a chord. It quickly became a model for user generated conferences in other fields or for more specialized applications, ranging from WordCamp and PodCamp to Seattle Mind Camp, to name a few.

And Graz will feature the first PolitCamp… this week!

PolitiCamp will be a great opportunity to talk about the political dimensions of new communication infrastructures and to meet influential Austrian minds.

Don’t forget to check it out!

Graz Apocalypses: News!

“Österreich” reports…

Graz Apocalypses go postcards

KPÖ Graz (the Communist Party of Graz) published some of our “Graz Apocalypses” as postcards!

Take My Change! Take it! No, You Take it!

Several times,while shopping in Graz I have noted female customers handing their wallets to the cashiers and making them fish out the change.

What is up with that?!?

Maybe it’s a new service, or maybe the ladies think the cashiers can find the change faster. Did they forget their glasses? Just had their nails done?

This post was copy and pasted from my personal blog lapsus humanus.

Eat your hear out… literally!

Enter the gates at Schloss Eggenberg follow the main path towards the castle through the gardens, and take the first right. Just behind two statues, one of which is pictured above, you will find a small cafe’. Probably not meant to wet the appeitite!

This post was copy and pasted from my personal blog lapsus humanus.

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U.S. judge blocks Pa. from immediately seizing $200M from insurer to balance state budget

A federal judge has, at least temporarily, blocked Gov. Tom Wolf and the Legislature from forcibly siphoning $200 million from a quasi-state agency to help balance Pennsylvania’s cash-starved budget.

U.S. Middle District Chief Judge Christopher C. Conner issued a preliminary injunction this week barring the state from making good on a threat to dissolve the Pennsylvania Professional Liability Joint Underwriting Association if it doesn’t hand over that money by Dec. 1.

Conner’s order puts the issue on hold until a federal trial can be held on the dispute.

In granting the injunction, he noted the nonprofit association, although created by the state, does not and never has received state funds. It is financed completely by mandatory contributions from 621 medical malpractice insurers.

Conner’s approval of the injunction is at this point just a temporary victory for the association. If the agency wins the case, however, it will punch a major hole in the $2.2 billion package Wolf and legislators cobbled together to fill the state’s funding gap.

The association filed suit right after Wolf signed Act 44, which demanded the $200 million, on Oct. 30. The money is to come from the association’s budget surplus.

The Legislature created the association in 1975 to provide medical malpractice coverage for hard-to-insure clients, including doctors with a history of malpractice claims, those with gaps in coverage, and those reentering practice after license suspensions.

None of the association’s money is held by the state treasury, Conner noted. At the end of the 2016 fiscal year, the group logged a surplus of just over $268 million.

Act 44 states that there has been a decline in the need for the association’s services and that the agency has more than enough money to meet its mandate. So, it continues, squeezing $200 million from the association “is in the best interest of the residents of this commonwealth.”

Conner cited the association’s claim that it will lose more than $200 million if it is forced to comply with the state’s hand it over or die command. It could cost another $20 million to pry the cash from the group’s investment portfolio, agency officials contend.

“All told, the association faces considerable financial harm,” the judge wrote.

“We have no quarrel with the governor’s assertion that the citizens of this commonwealth have a genuine interest in a balanced budget, and we are not unsympathetic to the Byzantine intricacies of the General Assembly’s budget process,” Conner added. “But a sovereign cannot achieve a legitimate end by unconstitutional means.”

Whether the state’s means in this case are unconstitutional remains to be determined, he found. In granting the injunction, Conner promised to expedite the case to quickly reach a resolution as to whether that $200 million is really the state’s for the taking.

He also ordered the association to post a $2.9 million bond for the continuation of the court fight.

As seen on PennLive. Matt Miller can be reached at


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Michelle Boswell

Mobile: (850) 783-0777

770 Harbor Blvd.
Destin, FL 32541

Michelle was taught that honesty, hard work and stellar customer service are the most important aspects of business, and she puts that philosophy into practice. As a licensed agent in both Florida and Texas, Michelle brings over 20 years of customer service and sales experience to real estate and is adept at handling any transaction.

Michelle has gained experience in negotiating buying at the best value, selling for top dollars, and doing everything in her power to ensure her clients' success. Grateful to pursue her passion for a living, Michelle is highly motivated, determined and hands on with each sale from beginning to end. She doesn't take her responsibilities lightly, genuinely enjoys the time spent working with clients and strives to make each client's experience a positive one.

Michelle understands that buying a home is a reflection of an individual's personal style, achievements and aspirations in life. It's so important to find an agent who takes the time to understand your tastes and requirements.

When Michelle isn't engrossed in real estate, she can be found running the beach, hiking with her hound dog, Harley, or boating with her husband, Sam.

If you have real estate or are looking for a property, contact Michelle for a consultation. She can help you evaluate your current portfolio or help you start one.