A1A South

Oh, please. Officials should have known THIS was coming. Chinese counterfeit cigarettes cost 20 cents per pack to make and the packaging, including tax stamps, is indistinguisable from the genuine packs. Since the cost per pack is so high now due to taxes, the profit potential is enormous. Expect taxes to fall precipitously as these cigarettes are smuggled in. The profits are as high as the drug trades but the consequences of getting caught are minimal.

Cigarette counterfeiting is immensely lucrative, with profits easily rivaling those of the narcotics trade. While a pack of fake Marlboros costs 20 cents to make in China, it can fetch up to 20 times that amount in the United States. And though a drug trafficker might land a life sentence if caught, a cigarette counterfeiter usually receives a comparative slap on the wrist—a handful of years in jail or possibly a fine.

“In the last few years, pretty much every market has been targeted,” said Andrew Robinson, who directs Philip Morris International’s efforts to protect its brand. In 2001, Chinese manufacturers were producing eight different varieties of counterfeit Marlboros. As of last year, though, Chinese counterfeiters were manufacturing separate versions of Marlboro tailored for some 60 countries—down to the specific details of tax stamps and regional health warnings. As many as 99 percent of counterfeit cigarettes in the United States come from China. Read the rest here.

I can only shake my head in sadness at the gross stupidity of the politicians whose stated aim is to drive a legal product that consumers want to buy out of business and people that make a living with that legal product into unemployment and bankruptcy. I said at the time “are these jokers crazy? The only thing they will do is handicap the people that work inside the law and enable the people that work outside the law. Expect cigarette smuggling to skyrocket.”

So, here you go, dipshits. Glad that you’ve proved that you cannot reason. Even the purported reason for the tax hike (the health of the consumers) is going to take a dive. The real reason, of course, which is extracting higher tax dollars from people that are mostly poor that have no recourse as they don’t have politicians in their pocket, is also going to dive, dive, dive.

The grandsons are here today while Mommy is at work and Daddy is doing his Guard service. Meemaw thought it would be a great time to whip up some chocolate chip muffins using the miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Jacob whipped up the egg, oil and milk, then stirred it into the flour, sugar, etc. mixture. Then he stirred in the chocolate chips. They both licked the spoon, then Jacob went out to drive the riding lawnmower under Papa’s watchful eyes which allowed the muffins to actually bake since otherwise the boys would want to look at them every 30 seconds to see if they were done yet. I convinced both boys that it would be a good idea to eat those muffins in the kitchen. Soon there were crumbs everywhere and about 25 chocolate chips squished into the clean kitchen floor. *sigh* Could be worse, I suppose. It could have been squished into the carpet!

Update: Little 2-year-old Dylan asked for a paper towel and laboriously cleaned up every squished chocolate chip and some of the crumbs, then proudly announced “all gone!”

The boys are about to go outside to splash in a kiddie pool. Although it is only 18″ deep, I’m going to be sitting with them, closely supervising. There won’t be much in the way of blogging today!

Val Prieto (of Babalu Blog fame) said it best:

I had a list, but nothing on it could compare or even come close to meriting the incredible FUCK THE FUCK OFF that our esteemed Body of Congress led by those bastions of democracy – the Democratic party – deserves today.

For submitting the cAP and Trade legislation and for barring any amendments of the 254 or so that were proposed and for allowing a last minute, 300 page amendment shoved in at 3 am this morning thus not giving anyone anytime to read, digest, study or research same, You, esteemed Democrats in Congress, can royally and wholeheartedly FUCK THE FUCK OFF, you clicque of corrupt, disingenuous, socialist FUCKING MOTHER FUCKING FUCKING FUCKS. you have the lowest FUCKING approval rating ever in the history of this FUCKING country and for good FUCKING REASON, you bunch of thieving, conniving, lying sacks of FUCKING RAT FUCK SHIT MOTHERFUCKING FUCKS. Stop stealing our FUCKING hard earned FUCKING money for your own personal power and stop paying for your little FUCKING PET FUCKING PORK PROJECTS with our FUCKING SWEAT, you FUCKING PARASITIC FUCKLEECHES. You arent FUCKING sailors that have been out at sea for ten years at a FUCKING WHOREHOUSE with fistfulls of FUCKING FIFTIES, you irresponsible FUCKING WANTON SPENDING FUCKING FUCKERS. The United States of America isnt your own personal FUCKING ATM, YOU FUCKING LANDLOCKED FUCKING REMORAS. Each FUCKING dollar you FUCKING waste comes FROM MY FUCKING DINNER TABLE, FROM MY FUCKING SWEAT AND FUCKING HARD WORK. You are single handedly FUCKIMNG DESTROYING THIS FUCKING COUNTRY WITH YOUR LIBERAL FUCKING MOTHERFUCKING AGENDA, YOU FUCKING PSEUDOFUCKINGSTALIN S AND ONCE THE FUCKING DUST SETTLES, you better not POINT ANY FUCKING FINGERS, BECAUSE WE WILL ALL KNOW HO IS, FUCKING EXACTLY, TO FUCKING BLAME, YOU FUCKS. NOW FUCK OFF AND FUCKING DIE LIKE GOOD LITTLE FUCKING PARASITES

That’s a good start, but I don’t think he feels as much outrage as I do.

H/T Armybrat at GCP for bringing this righteous rant to my attention. I’m too busy trying to refrain from going to Washington in person to show our elected representatives how I REALLY feel* to even write about it at the moment.

*Rage at these lying, thieving dipshits that aren’t even reading what they’re voting on. I hope somebody on the Republican side slipped a 300-page addendum into the bill at the last minute requiring all the people that voted FOR the bill to be executed upon passage.

Cost of the bill for the average family: $12,161.50

Better start emptying out those piggy banks, folks.

Here’s the list of the congressmorons that voted for the bill. Act accordingly.

Close to the Ortega river entrance area at the moment. Take cover, y’all.

From the Gallup Independent:

WINDOW ROCK — A fourth Navajo Code Talker has died within five weeks. Matthew Martin of Crownpoint died from a lengthy illness June 22 at his home, his daughter Patricia Begay said. He was 84.

The funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, at the Gospel Lighthouse Assembly of God Church in Crownpoint.

Martin was born May 3, 1925, at Star Lake. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Oct. 12, 1943, in Santa Fe and was qualified as a marksman and a Code Talker. He attained the rank of corporal.

He saw combat at Iwo Jima and the Volcano Islands from Feb. 19 to March 16, 1945, and participated in occupation of Japan from Sept. 23, 1945, to April 20, 1946, according to the Navajo Nation president’s office.

Martin was honorably discharged from the First Separation Company MGB on May 13, 1946. President Joe Shirley and Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan each expressed condolences to the family of Martin.

“As we approach the 233rd anniversary of Independence Day, Navajos’ thoughts turn to the service performed by our warriors and veterans, and our honored Navajo Code Talkers are foremost in our thoughts and prayers,” Shirley said. “On behalf of the Navajo Nation, I offer our deepest condolences to the family of the late Matthew Martin, another of our distinguished Code Talkers, and we thank him and them for the service he rendered to the Navajo Nation and United States during World War II.”

“We are truly fortunate to have had such noble men — gentleman — who played significant roles in American history, as well as our own Navajo history,” Morgan said.

Among his awards, Martin received the good conduct medal and the Navajo Code Talker Congressional Silver Medal in 2001. He was also recognized for his service and outstanding contributions by then-Ariz. Gov. Jane Hull on May 9, 2002, and by the 45th Arizona State Legislature on May 13, 2002.

Martin worked for the BNSF Railway after his military service. After retiring in 1988, he raised livestock and farmed at his home in Crownpoint.

Martin is survived by wife Linda E. Martin, his daughters Patricia Begay of Crownpoint, Pearl Nez of Standing Rock, Lucinda Rosenbauer of Deming, Perlinda Begay of Crownpoint, Bernadette Martin of Crownpoint, Merlinda Martin of Becenti, Brenda Martin of Crownpoint, Sharlinda Martin of Standing Rock, sons Jasper Martin of Mesa, Ariz., Sgt. Lamar Martin, who is serving with the National Guard and is stationed in Georgia, Matthew Martin, Jr., of Arlington, Va., Patrick Martin of Crownpoint, and his siblings Paul Martin, Billy Martin, Leo Martin, and Alice Platero, all of Crownpoint, and Bernice Etcitty of Standing Rock.

The fourth code talker to die within five weeks. I salute these heroes. We will not see their like again.

“…when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another Heaven and another Earth must pass before such a one can be again.”

–William Beebe