HoodaThunk?

New camera installed on Hubble

Astronauts from the Shuttle Atlantis successfully replaced the primary camera unit onboard the Hubble telescope today. Well done, gents!

Two astronauts used brute force to free a stubborn bolt Thursday during the first of five spacewalks planned to upgrade and repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel also swapped out an old camera for a new one the size of a baby grand piano, the first step to making Hubble more powerful than ever.

I understand they’re replacing the data encoder tomorrow. With these improvements, we should have the Hubble around taking pics for another decade or so.

May 14th, 2009 Posted by ricjames | Human Interest, Science, Technology | no comments

Loudoun traffic poll by LoudounExtra

Take their traffic poll here. Question: What do you think should be done to reduce traffic and congestion in Loudoun. Note that deporting transplants from Fairfax County and mounting .50 caliber chain guns are not options in this poll. (Heh.)

May 14th, 2009 Posted by ricjames | Human Interest, Politics, The Media, Virginia Politics | no comments

Senate votes in support of measure containing pro-2nd Amendment provision

Senator Tom Coburn has been one of the staunch defenders of 2nd Amendment rights in this Congress and he’s been actively working to get firearms matters addressed. Tuesday he submitted an amendment to a credit card reform bill that would expressly permit lawful gun owners to carry their weapons in national parks in accordance with the laws of the states those parks are in. The Senate supported the measure by a vote of 67-29.

The Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of a measure, 67-29, that would allow Americans to carry firearms in national parks, if their state laws permit them to possess a gun, with 27 Democrats voting in support.

But because the measure was passed as an amendment to a broader bill seeking reform of the credit card industry, the move jeopardizes the reform bill, whose lead sponsor, Sen. Chris Dodd, opposed the firearm amendment.

…

The Coburn amendment to the credit card bill would allow states to determine whether or not legal gun owners can carry guns in state and national parks. It prohibits the Department of Interior secretary from making any rule or enforcing any regulation that goes against that determination.

Coburn cited statistics, including 41 rapes, 92 robberies, 16 kidnappings and 5,944 other felony violations taking place in national parks last year.

Bravo, Senator Coburn. Dodd says the amendment threatens the bill but no other Senator has complained about its presence. I would point out that Senate Majority Lead Reid voted in favor of the amendment. I would also be remiss if I did not point out that Virginia Senator Jim Webb (D) also voted for it, even rising to speak in support of the amendment.

“It doesn’t mean you can go hunting. It doesn’t mean a 12-year-old can carry a gun” into a park, he said, adding that current law leaves means there is a risk of arrest for gun carriers who simply travel down a highway that might skirt or cut through a park, as happens in Virginia and other states.

Quite correct and I’m glad to see Senator Webb putting the interests of Virginians ahead of the DNC’s party line.

May 14th, 2009 Posted by ricjames | 2nd Amendment, Politics | no comments

Public opinion rising against Democrat/Obama stances and initiatives

The gentlemen at Power Line have taken note of this post over at The Corner by Yuval Levin wherein some interesting trendlines are noted in Rasmussen poling data since the election last November.

Moe Lane points to some interesting trends in Rasmussen issue polling over the past few months, suggesting the “Democrats Ascendant” storyline is not all it seems to be. Just before last year’s election, the Democrats had a 13 point edge on economic issues, which is now down to 1 point. They even had a 3 point edge on handling national security, but today the GOP has a 7 point lead on those issues (and a 2 point lead on Iraq). Similarly, on taxes a 5 point Democratic lead has become a 6 point Republican lead.

The full table is certainly eye-opening.

In the matters of national security, taxes, and the overall economy there’s been a 10-point-plus shift in the public’s assessment of which party has the right ideas and which the wrong ones. In literally every category listed, the public sided with the Democrats’ policies and plans. In just the 4 months since the current administration took office and the Democrat majorities in Congress were seated, voter assessment has reversed on 5 4 of the 10 listed and a sixth fifth is in a tie at the moment. The Power Line post offers this insight:

It’s worth noting that little or none of this shift is due to anything Republicans have done; rather, it is a function of voters’ observations of the Democrats in power. When the Republicans were in power, the Democrats were “the other guys.” Now that the Democrats are in power, they are being transformed, in the public’s view, into “the power-crazed guys who are amazingly liberal, spend money like water, don’t care about national security and are laying the foundation for massive tax increases and destruction of the free enterprise system.” Small wonder that their appeal is rapidly diminishing.

Yes, and we’re just getting started. It won’t be until next November – and I mean the one after this one coming up in 6 months – that voters will have the chance to change things up in Congress. I certainly hope they take advantage of the opportunity but Republicans must give them a good reason to make that change. Until then, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. I hope we don’t run off the rails until then, but we have more immediate work to do, especially here in Virginia.

May 14th, 2009 Posted by ricjames | Politics | no comments

Team America PAC endorses John Brownlee for AG

Team America PAC, an organization founded by former Congressman Tom Tancredo which seeks to support the election of candidates committed to enforcing border security and immigration laws, has announced their endorsement of John Brownlee for Attorney General of Virginia:

Team America PAC endorses John Brownlee for Attorney General of Virginia. Brownlee is in a close three way race for the nomination that will be decided at the Virginia GOP convention in Richmond on May 30.

Team America’s Co-Chair Bay Buchanan said,

“John Brownlee is the only conservative who not only has a proven record fighting against illegal immigration but is also calling for new legislation that would require all employers in the state to use the E-Verify system. John represents the kind of bold new leadership that Virginia desperately needs if it is to tackle the ever increasing problem of illegal immigration and the violent crime, lethal drugs, and brutal gangs that are associated with it.”

John Brownlee is the best candidate for the GOP to send to the general election. Fellow delegates, support Brownlee for AG!

May 14th, 2009 Posted by ricjames | GWOT, Immigration, Politics, Virginia Politics | no comments