Getting the Chop

"Remember, remember the fifth of November.
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."

On that day Guido "Guy" Fawkes and others planned to place barrels of gunpowder under the Houses of Parliament in London. The plot fell apart when one of the conspirators told a friend who was a Member not to attend the session that day.

All of the conspirators were quickly rounded up, and on this day in history Guy Fawkes was hung, drawn and quartered. For those not familiar with this, it means he was hung until almost dead, then taken down, his body opened up and his own beating heart shown to him, then cut into quarters which were displayed at various places in the city - the standard punishment for traitors.

Did someone mention Sandy Berger? I could have sworn I heard something. Must just be the voices in my head again.

Also on this date in 1945, Private Eddie Slovik was executed by firing squad for desertion in the face of the enemy. He was the first soldier executed for this since the Civil War.

To Protect the Innocent

I've been reading a bit lately about people who got sub-prime loans having their homes foreclosed on. In more than a few of these, before leaving, the "owners" have trashed the house - busting up walls and fixtures. Whatever turns you on. The real shame is that the bank or other lender doesn't even want the house.

One thing these people have not been doing is taking care of any pets they had. There have been many of these homes where starving dogs have been found, trapped inside the house. Some of these animals were beyond saving - as far as I'm concerned a criminal act on the part of those who left.

If you ever find yourself in that position - and I pray that you don't - and you don't feel like taking your pet to the local animal shelter, at least make sure that the dog can get outside and, if your yard is fenced, that you leave a gate open.

It might not be much, but at least it would give your pet a slim chance at life. And if your pet hasn't been fixed before you do this, I personally would love to hunt you down and perform a radical scrotomity- maybe with a Ka-Bar, but preferrably with a dull spoon!

An Old-Time Ass Whoopin'

So Obama got over twice the votes that Hillary got in South Carolina. Hillary was so gracious in defeat that as soon as the polls closed she flew out of the state instead of giving a concession speech.

Personally, I think Obama needs to send a "thank you" note to Bill Clinton - without him and the rest of Hillary's attack dogs I think the race would have been much closer.

And Edwards, who barely got name recognition in his home state, is staying in the race, thinking he'll get enough delegates to be a "king maker". Right - he's like the last person selected in the NFL draft - "Mr. Irrelevant".

I know I said I was going to stay away from politics, but this is turning out to be more fun than a litter of puppies!

S&G - Economics 101

US Airways has joined Delta, United and American airlines in posting a 70+ million loss. While the majority of this is blamed on the increase of the cost of fuel, some is supposedly due to some empty seats. Their solution to this? Chop the number of flights and boost the fares. Now, I understand some flights just aren't profitable, but airline seats aren't precious gems. I'd always been taught that the best way to make a profit is to sell a lot of things at a minimal markup, not fewer at prices most can't afford.

Today is a black armband day - Dennis Kucinich has dropped out of the presidential race. All together now: AAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!

With Number 1 grand daughter preparing for middle school next year, the local school district had decided to make a foreign language mandatory for all three years. Gee - do you think Spanish will be the main one offered? I recommended that, since she must take one, she should ask for Arabic, Hebrew or Russian. What do you think her chances would be?

Speaking of which, it's now been over two weeks since she had the operations on her feet. She's gotten used to dealing with casts on both legs and not being able to walk anywhere - but that doesn't mean she likes it. She goes to the sawbones this morning, so I'm hoping that the news is good.

Southern Drivers

Well, a couple of days ago we had our first ice storm, and yesterday we got a dusting of snow. When the forecast was released for the ice storm, drivers were doing around 35 miles per hour on the Interstates the day before the storm.

The snow made the roads wet, but never froze - the temp was in the mid-30's. Of course that brought speeds down even further.

We normally get a few days of ice and days of snow down here, but the drivers, well, I think this explains it better than I could:

A Good Time

Yesterday turned out to be a great day - basically because of Attitude With Legs and my Sidekick. We ended up with the three of us playing that game of Life mentioned below.

Now, in my family you have to give as good as you get, and if a comeback takes more than two seconds, forget it - it ain't worth it. Attitude and I started it off, sniping at each other, then Sidekick joined in and we all ended up laughing so hard we had tears and Sidekick's stomach hurt.

I'm pretty sure it was the first good laugh Sidekick had had since her operation which was great therapy.

After the cake (and the fire dept. on call) She Who Must Be Obeyed and I went home with some leftover cake - and she ended up juggling it while trying to put it in the fridge (it had whipped cream instead of icing) and missed. Oh, well - I'd already made a pig of myself on it.

One of the better birthdays I'd had in years.

Welcome to Geezerhood

Well, today I turn 57, and I have to admit I don't feel a day over 85 - I think this officially moves me from Old Fart status to Geezer. Many years ago there were quite a few people who would have given you odds that I wouldn't have seen 21.

Even tho I've pretty much given up on birthdays, the grand kids have fun with them. And I have to admit that, even with all the physical problems I've had over the years, having been married to the same woman for 34 years who has nursed me and loved me thru the good and bad makes me feel pretty lucky.

Speaking of physical problems, my #1 grand daughter had both of her feet operated on last week and isn't allowed to put any pressure on them, so she must now spend at least 4 - 6 weeks in a wheelchair. For a ten year old, having to deal with the pain and having to rely on others for help with the most basic things is a version of hell that I'm glad I never saw.

It took less that 24 hours for cabin fever to set in and, while she's surrounded by things to do, she just can't be bothered getting into anything right now. So far I've managed to go see her each day and today I think I'll take a "Pirates of the Caribbean" version of the Game of Life over and have her kick my butt - as usual.

She's always been my sidekick and has looked after me. The least I can do is return the favor. So I ask that you spare a thought for her - if she does what she's told she should come out of this with two good feet and hopefully will run me ragged!

Short Attention Span Theater

Yesterday afternoon, while flipping channels around bowl games, I watched a fair bit of VH1 Classic. They had a five-hour, commercial free concert - originally from October 2001 - to raise money for the families who lost loved ones in 9-11 and to recognize the heroism of the First Responders. Clapton, McCartney, Bon Jovi and dozens of other top flight acts were there.

The first several rows were filled with police, fire, EMT and others who worked tirelessly after 9-11. Behind them were family members who'd lost loved ones.

As these things usually do, it got me thinking - a sure recipe for trouble.

On 9-12 and for about three months following our nation was stronger and more united than at any time since Pearl Harbor.

Today our nation is weaker and more divided than at any time since the Civil War. Why?

Politicians of both parties are more interested in scoring petty points against each other than trying to work for the betterment of our nation. The news presented on TV - whether on commercial or cable - is slanted to reflect the views of the news division. All of this is designed - accidently or purposefully - to divide us and keep us weak.

As an aside, have you noticed how Bin Laden and Zawahiri are like Stone Age Shamans? Their point of view is that they need a human sacrifice - of anyone but them. And if they are such brave and strong leaders, how come they're still shitting in caves?