Wheelchair Accessible

Yesterday we climbed aboard the Golden Thunderbolt and hied ourselves off to Napa Valley for a stroll around a winery/Mediterranean castle and the nearby Petrified Forest in Calistoga.

The castle was surprisingly fun, and the trees, billed as the world's largest, were pretty impressive, one redwood being some 8 feet in diameter and 65 feet long. Interestingly, the path was billed as wheelchair accessible. Herewith a bit of video which missed the early part of the climb which inspired me to hit the video button, and the later part (past a sign recommending thast wheelchairs turn back) which while steep enough for three of us to wheel it down backwards, was at least blacktopped:



All survived with senses of Heroic Accomplishment in the face of Nature Primeval.

Important Analysis

Here.

Terrorists to the right of them...

...Into the Valley of Terrorists listened the...

The Brevity Act

Perhaps more accurately known as the Brevity Amendment. In any case, it would be the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution. It was prompted by such as the Climate Change bill recently enacted:

Yet the bill that was passed on June 26, 2009 by 219 of our elected representatives — people to whom we’ve entrusted our Constitution, men and women who have sworn an oath to uphold it - was more than 1200 pages long....And not one member of Congress, NOT ONE, read the whole thing!

Bob Gale came up with this as an amendment to the Constitution:

No law, bill, resolution or any act of Congress shall exceed 2000 words, including all footnotes, amendments and signatures. Congress shall not vote on any item longer than that. Each item requiring a vote shall be read aloud in its entirety in session to a majority of members. Those not in attendance may not vote on the item.

That would take so much fun out of being a Noble Solon on the Potomac. More here. I shan't hold my breath for enactment.

Ping Pong Ball on a raft: "US Fortifies Hawaii"

The ping pong ball on a raft which has spent a good deal more time in Pearl Harbor over the last several years than out at sea guarding us from nefarious missiledoers has gone back to service. I grabbed this pic from our lanai at 7:56:34 AM two days ago:

 

Today, the Wall Street Journal tells us why it is cruising for missiles:

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is moving ground-to-air missile defenses to Hawaii as tensions escalate between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's recent moves to restart its nuclear-weapon program and resume test-firing long-range missiles.

Restart? It stopped?

Some senior U.S. officials expect a North Korean test by midsummer, even though most don't believe the missile would be capable of crossing the Pacific and reaching Hawaii.

Well, I hope most officials are correct. For once.

Mr. Gates told reporters that the U.S. is positioning a sophisticated floating radar array in the ocean around Hawaii to track an incoming missile.

AKA our Ping-Pong Ball.

The U.S. is also deploying missile-defense weapons to Hawaii that would theoretically be capable of shooting down a North Korean missile, should such an order be given, he said.

But we'd rather not, as missing it would be embarrassing, and encourage the Japanese et al to consider defending themselves, instead of relying on us. Maybe it's time we let them grow up.

World's Shortest Slasher Flick

No wonder Hollywooders are pro-gun control.

I'll bet the fly does, too.

Or did, Briefly.

PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly during interview

Well, in his defense, he may have mistaken it for a Republican.

PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.

So it can go bug someone else.

"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."

Save the Tsetse!

With a healthy dose of DDT.

Aiea Sunset