Defogger's Xanga

Van Jones leaving? Don't hold your breath . . .

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:01:26 GMT

Lately there has been much hullabaloo about President Obama's so-called "Green Jobs Czar," Van Jones, who, we have come to learn, is a foul-mouthed Marxist, cop-killer advocate, racist, and 9/11 Truther (a wacko who believes that the George W. Bush administration knowingly allowed the 9/11 attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and perhaps even planned them). Van Jones has not been shy about expressing his contempt for the U.S.A. and our capitalist system. He wants to bring it down.

In short, Van Jones is an America-hating lunatic.

The conservative media, and even some of the so-called "mainstream" (= progressive, liberal, leftist) media, have been breathlessly predicting that Obama will soon be showing Van Jones the door, maybe as soon as Labor Day or the day after. For his part, Van Jones has issued an apology for anything offensive that he may have said before being appointed to his position, and is now disavowing a Truther letter that he had signed some time ago, claiming that he was misled into signing the document.

I would like to think that Van Jones is on his way out, but I am more than a little doubtful. Many in the media are marveling at how the White House vetting process failed to uncover Jone's extremist views and behavior before giving him a pass into the inner sanctum of the executive branch. Sorry, media fellas and gals, but you are missing the point. This was not due to a failure of the vetting process. In fact, there was no vetting process! Mr. Obama absolutely knows who Van Jones is and what he stands for. That is why he chose him to work in the White House. The fact is that Van Jones is not the only leftist radical in the Obama administration, and it is no accident. These are the kind of people Barack Obama has associated with all of his adult life. Think Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and ACORN, just for starters.

In other words, Van Jones and Barack Obama are birds of a feather. Why would Mr. Obama, who has never shown any inclination to receive constructive criticism gladly, begin now to listen to those who are calling for the dumping of Van Jones?

I hope I am wrong about this, but even if I am, dumping Jones will not substantially change anything. We will still have a leftist government, hell-bent on imposing its Marxist vision on the American people, whether they want it or not.

Something for Flag@whitehouse.gov

Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:32:36 GMT

Okay, I've had it. It is time to let loose about President Obama's "plan" to fix health care and the economy. He and his minions have said so many outrageous things in the last week or two, that I can't even begin to catalogue all of them, let alone respond to them. But this little bit of demagoguery is unbelievably vile. It is part of a speech President Obama delivered recently in MacLean, Virginia.

The key sentence in the video is, "But I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess. I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking."

He was referring, of course, to Republicans, insurance companies, doctors, bankers, and auto executives. I will concede for the moment that -- with the exception of doctors -- all these had a role to play in our current national financial mess. But their culpability is miniscule in comparison with what Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, and Barney Frank have done, or are attempting to do, to the American people. These are the ones who should NOT do ANY talking, except to apologize for the mess they have created.

Chris Dodd and Barney Frank are the geniuses who engineered the Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac monstrosities who pressured banks to make thousands of bad mortgage loans to people who could not possibly afford them, and then bought up the bad loans and repackaged them and sold them as "investments" to unsuspecting investors -- many of whom were retirement fund managers. The Bush administration and Republican legislators made repeated efforts in 2007 and 2008 to convince the Senate and House banking committees to reign in Fannie and Freddy, but they were stonewalled by the Democrats (led by Dodd and Frank), who insisted nothing was wrong. And let us not forget ACORN's involvement in pushing for the bad loans, as well. This is what led to the implosion of the investment banks and the massive $850 billion bailout bill at the end of Bush's term.

Following that, Rahm Emmanuel declared that a good crisis like this should not be wasted, and along came the so-called "stimulus" bill, which was really a massive exercise in porkbarrel spending, most of which is not scheduled to take effect until just before the 2010 congressional election. The whole point of this so-called "stimulus" was to pay off Obama's friends and to get Democrats re-elected. And to put the country into even deeper debt.

Then, as if the present debt is not enough, the Dems have added the "Cap and Trade" energy bill and the healthcare bill into the mix, which will drive the country EVEN FURTHER into debt. We are talking about multiple TRILLIONS of dollars of debt over the next ten years, if all of this passes both in both the House and Senate. My grandchildren will be still be paying for this mess for many years to come, in the form of taxes, inflation, unemployment, curtailed freedom, government mismanaged health care, and a much lower standard of living.

And, for the record, my standard of living isn't very high even now.

So, Mr. President, if the people who created this mess should keep quiet, then I suggest that YOU lead the way.

Mid-June ('09) Garden Update

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 04:22:43 GMT

I got up on my step-ladder for this shot:

Except for the items in the "salad box," and the potatoes, I was very late getting most of the garden planted this year. I think, however, that most of my plants will catch up with those planted earlier by others. A late last frost and unseasonably cool nights have slowed a lot of plants down. It is starting to warm up now, and we have had some good rains. Actually, I am a little frustrated because the garden is so wet that I can't do much in there right now. There are weeds and bugs that need to be dealt with!

Some may have noticed that I use a lot of structures in my garden -- the salad box, tomato fences (and stakes), pole bean supports, and cucumber trellises. This is to encourage vertical growth and save room for stuff like corn, potatoes, and cabbage, which take up a lot of real estate. It is little too early to draw conclusions, but the tomato fence looks promising:

I am not as confident about the cuke trellises, though. Cukes seem to have a mind of their own and in the past I have had trouble training them to a trellis. I keep trying, though.

The potato plants are really getting big. Makes you wonder what is happening down below.

Note that there is an apparent gap in the row on the left. Actually, there are plants there, but they seem stunted. I have no idea why. They don't seem diseased, just small. Weird. Well, this is my first experience with growing potatoes. It should be a learning experience.

Precious Memories . . .

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:20:48 GMT

The last couple of weekends gave Mrs. Defogger and I some good photo ops, mostly with our grandson. He turned 18 months old just a few days ago, and he has CUTE down to a science.

He loves this little slide we picked up for him at a recent
yard sale.

Later, he helped himself to Grandpa's hat, so Grandma
made him pose.

Here he is checking out Grandma's hanging basket of flowers.

As I said, most of the photo ops were of the grandson, but not all of them:

As you know, I love to play in the dirt, and I am fascinated by the composting process. This is this spring's batch, after the first turning. It began as leaves, weeds, lawn thatch, grass clippings, kitchen vegetable waste, and a lot of straw, and almost filled the first bin to the top. It has already reduced to about 60% of its original volume, and contains a lot of black humus. Although the straw is breaking down nicely, the stuff is still fibrous enough that it requires a fork to work it.

Last summer's batch is now safely stored in the little black plastic compost bin on the right. It is easily dug with a shovel. The bin on the left is now empty, ready to receive new material. I have some shrub clippings, grass clippings, weeds, black-and-white newspaper, and wood shavings ready to dump in there. Maybe some sphagnum peat moss, too.

Okay, I'm weird, but I think compost is awesome . . .

Trying something new in the veggie garden

Fri, 29 May 2009 04:37:03 GMT

It has been raining for a couple of days -- just when I wanted to finish my planting (Grrrrrr!) -- so it was too wet this morning to do much in the garden. But I did take a few photos, to show how things are progressing. Below is a new experiment. I have constructed what could be called a 'tomato fence,' for lack of a better term. Actually, there are two of them.

They are made from a heavy wire fencing called cattle panels. Each panel is 16 ft. long and 4 ft. high. I bought one, cut it into two halves, and fastened each half panel to two eight-foot fence posts, driven 3 ft. into the ground. I added a four-foot post in the middle to add greater stability. Tomato plants will be set in front of the fence about 18'' apart, and trained up the fence.

I saw this in a book (can't remember which one) and was attracted to the idea, because good tomato supports are hard to find, especially at a price I can afford. The wire supports found at most stores around here are almost useless, especially when the vines grow taller than four feet or so. A good, stiff wind will blow them over, and sometimes the wind isn't even necessary. A healthy tomato vine laden with fruit can be very heavy. A good, stout stake made of rot-resistant wood works just fine, but good ones can be expensive. These cattle panels, however, are very sturdy, and one half-panel, firmly anchored, will accomodate 6 or more plants.

BTW, I had to saw the full panel in half in the parking lot of Lowe's, and tie the halves onto my van's luggage rack. I had no other way to get the monster home!

Behind the tomato fences you can see some sweet onions, and two rows of potatoes.

In other developments, here is what the "salad box" looks like, presently:

Those are just weeds at the base of the box. Just ignore them. That's what I have been doing (obviously).

Finally, take a look at my final compost setup:

This is just before I turned the almost-done stuff in the middle bin into the right "storage" bin, and the newer stuff from the left bin into the middle bin for more cooking. You can't tell from the outside, but the inside of that pile was fermenting nicely.

Have you planted a garden this year? What are you growing?

Thu, 28 May 2009 03:35:22 GMT

So far: Potatoes, onions, lettuce, carrots, and cabbage. I also planted peas, but they never came up - don't know why.

Yet to plant: Tomatoes, peppers, muskmelon, cucumbers, corn, dill, snap beans (pole), marigolds, zinnias, and nasturtiums. Maybe some perennial wild flowers - I haven't decided yet.

Some photos and details can be seen here. More to come.

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

Scene while on a stroll . . .

Thu, 28 May 2009 03:13:21 GMT

. . . pun intended.

Mrs. Defogger and I were taking a short walk, and brought the camera along. Across the street from our home is a portion of the Tuscarawas River. You can't see much of the river from the house, because it is obscured by a thick stand of trees along the bank. But just a couple hundred yards down the street, the river bends closer.

This made a terrific "wallpaper" for my computer desktop!

My PhD (Piling It Higher and Deeper)

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:18:49 GMT

Here is the newest addition to my veggie garden:

It's a double compost bin, consisting of two 4'x4'x4' side-by-side cubes. I have always done some composting, but this is the first time I have tried to do it on this scale. I am not abandonning my old compost bin, which is much smaller.

It is a store-bought unit, measuring roughly 3'x3'x3', and it is presently full. It works well enough, but the problem with this unit is that one is always adding fresh organic material to the top, and the "done" stuff (at the bottom) is hard to access without taking the whole pile apart. Actually, it is even more complicated than that: good compost management usually requires frequent turning, but if you keep turning the fresh material into the "working" stuff, then it never truly gets "done," unless you stop adding new material. That's why serious composters use two or even three bins. The first one is used to accumulate fresh material and to start the process, the second is for aging or "cooking" the material until it is done, or until it is turned into a third bin for finishing and storage. I think I will use my old, little bin primarily to store finished compost until needed.

The other visible feature of my 2009 garden is this 4'x8' raised bed, which I am calling my "salad box":

If you look closely, you can see two rows of tiny lettuce seedlings (to the front and right), and one long row of onions (at the rear). I also have carrots and Swiss Chard planted in the box. Why the box? Mainly to give the carrots enough deep, loose soil to grow in. It is filled with sphagnum peat moss, manure and compost, and some good store-bought enriched garden soil.

Yeah, I know. I'm obsessed.

Another 'Earth Day' Has Passed

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:54:24 GMT

I hope you all had a nice Earth Day. It was too cool and wet here to enjoy it very much. Apparently this part of the Earth never got the memo about global warming.

By the way, I think Earth Day is a fine idea. Without the past efforts of environmentalists, our Great Lakes waterways probably would not be in the admirable shape they are now in. Without a doubt, our air -- especially in crowded urban areas -- is much cleaner than it was in the 50's and 60's, due to environmental activism and legislation. And there is still plenty that could be done. Recycling, for example, is only being pursued half-heartedly in most communities.

But the environmental movement has been co-opted by a bunch of left-wing lunatics whose main agenda is to destroy capitalism. They are not motivated by science or reason, but by politics. The global warming (a.k.a. "Climate Change") hysteria is a case in point. It may be true that the earth is experiencing a slight warming trend, but the current data shows that there has been no warming since 1998, and, in fact, in the last two years we have experienced a slight cooling. This does not disprove that the earth is warming, but it would give a wise person reason to pause before committing the nation to a hugely expensive, and economy-depressing policy such as "cap and trade." The earth has experienced warming in the past, and it clearly had nothing to do auto and factory CO² emissions. The earth has also experienced Ice Ages, without human intervention. Earth has had elevated CO² levels in the past, also. It is normal, Earthly behavior.

Well, on to other things:

My tomato, pepper, cabbage, cucumber, muskmelon, and flower seedlings seem to be doing well. My first flat has spent several hours in the mini-greenhouse over the past week. My second flat, planted about a week later than the first, will be introduced to the greenhouse tomorrow or Friday. The first flat is all tomatoes, peppers, and a bit of cabbage. The second one is mostly melons, cukes, and flowers, with a few tomatoes and and cabbage thrown in. The melons, cukes, and flowers require more heat than the other plants, so I am in no hurry to take them outside. I'll try to put up some photos, soon.

I have potatoes, onions, lettuce, and carrots in the ground, but only the onions are showing at this point. I still haven't planted any peas. We have had plenty of rain over the last two weeks, which was needed, but makes it hard to get everything done.

More later.

The reason I blog so infrequently . . .

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:33:10 GMT

. . . is because nothing changes.

What I mean is that I have warned about the "Global Warming" scam (now it is weaselly called "Climate Change") and though I and my allies are being proven right, the relentless drumbeat for "green" automobiles and power plants, and for draconian "cap and trade" policies continues unabated.

Also, to a lesser extent, I have joined others to warn people about the dangers of the leftist politics (of which "Global Warming" is one example), and now that Obama has taken office, those warnings are proving to be correct as well. His administration is spending trillions of dollars that do not exist, while taking over management of our major industries and institutions, and promising to raise taxes on the "rich." This is a giant lurch toward socialism (and disaster), yet virtually no one is saying "Boo." House and Senate Republicans are sitting on their hands, and the mainstream media are clearly in the tank for the Left. The Constitution of the United States has been rendered meaningless, and no one seems to notice.

Of course, I can still blog about my garden, but to be honest, nothing much changes there, either. How many photos of dirt, weeds, and vegetables can one post before they all look the same?

I don't know the answer to the last question, but I think we are about to find out. At least my veggie garden is something that is productive.

For what it's worth, I have added potatoes and onions this year. I am also planning to try a vine or two of Burpee's new seedless tomato, as well as their "Big Mama" hybrid paste tomato.