The 1%-er

Look at this

Is this more readable?

I am the 1%
Enterred the Army at 17
Worked through college with 3 jobs
Minimal loans - paid off in 4 years
Started companies, worked to the top of the ladder

Now, only 1% has served
Only THIS 1% never whines - we work, raise families,
Contribute to society EVERY single day.
And we defend your rights, too
Even if we would never agree with them

I am, a 1%-er

Bosque Farms Centenarian

There was a big party in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, yesterday. It was a celebration of the 100^th birthday of Erlinda Garley Moya — born here in 1911, before New Mexico was a state. People came from all the surrounding towns, and then some, to help celebrate.

A program of family pictures showed pieces of Erlinda's life. And she was serenaded by an excellent guitar-playing singer.

There was a nice write-up about Mrs Moya in the La Vida section of the Valencia County News-Bulletin yesterday. Unfortunately, that article has not been made available online — so it's been replicated here.

Obama Endorses the "Occupy" Movement

President Barack Obama has endorsed the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. He says "We're on the same side." He says the Occupiers are really just like the Tea Partiers.

Obama makes these statements despite the HUGE difference in behavior — and goals — between the two groups. And despite the fact that he ignored the Tea Parties when he wasn't insulting them and lying about them, while he endorsed the Occupiers. The Tea Parties leave their demonstration areas clean, while the occupiers trash the places they infest. The Tea Parties want smaller, less intrusive government while the occupiers see government as the answer to all their wishes. (Can you say lying hypocrite?) And yet, no matter how Obama wants to camouflage it, the occupiers are extreme leftists, far outside the mainstream of American politics.

Even so, Obame still endorses the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. . . just like his close friends the union bosses and Chicago Communist organizers, as well as Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela's dictator Hugo Chavez. Plus, of course, the CAIR Islamist pressure group. And that doesn't even count the endorsements by the Nazis, Communists, fascists, socialists

. . . and all the other left-wing extremists.

And the media — still in thrall to Obama — "reported" on the occupiers and their message — after conspiring with them to help them craft it.

Given the folks that are have endorsed and supported them, I think I'd rather be in the opposition.

"Occupy" Movement Spawns a New Affiliate

The Protesters of "Occupy Wall Street"

"The mere existence of our demonstration will bring about major changes in our society." "The mere existence of our demonstration will bring down this society." A lot of the "Occupy Wall Street" and similar protesters seem to believe one or the other of these statements, at least according to the statements they gave to the press. They are unanimous about being against the "greedy rich millionaires" (mostly bankers) they blame for the country's economic problems — the "1%". That's why they are calling themselves the "99%".

The protesters have gotten a lot of support. Millionaires George Soros, Michael Moore, and AlGore are backing them. So are some union leaders and a number of politicians including Barack Obama and his top political adviser. In fact, when the owner of the park they're occupying wanted them to leave for a while so it could be cleaned, he got leaned on by a bunch of Democratic Party politicians to let the protesters stay.

It's not just the political Left that is supporting these protesters. The media have also been taking up their cause.

Contemplate this: The Occupy Wall Street folks drew more broadcast network stories in the first nine days of coverage (with 24 stories) than the Tea Party drew in the first nine months (with 19 stories). [emphasis added]

Their biases also show in the stories' contents, as captured by a cartoonist here.

To me, the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters seem to be mostly unemployed folks taing on protesting as their "job". Some of them are being paid to be protesters. And there are some interesting claims about the places the money for that is coming from. With all that, and with the additional things the protesters say they want, here is what I think is a more accurate view I found of the percentages that matter.

And yet they have the nerve to pretend they are the 99%!

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

It's amazing! It's spectacular! It gets tens of thousands of people to willingly join long lines of traffic at 4 a.m. And this year is its 40^th appearance. It is — as it has been for forty years — the world's largest hot air balloon event. It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Mrs Critter and I were there for the first day of this year's fiesta. We were there for the special commemoration of the life and impact of Sid Cutter who owned New Mexico's first hot air balloon, co-founded the Albuquerque Aerostat Ascension Association — still the world's largest community ballooning organization, and co-founded the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. We were there for the Mass Ascension, which launched 345 hot air balloons in one hour, and many more before and after that official hour. It was all amazing!

Want to see something of the Mass Ascension of the balloon fiesta's opening day? Look at the pictures here.