Obnoxious Droppings

Hard to Believe

2008-12-16T07:40:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy couple of days.

On Sunday, my Baby Girl, Attitude With Legs, turned 32. I love you, little girl!

Then yesterday, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I celebrated our 35th Anniversary. With everything I've put that woman through, with my back problems and PTSD, I can't believe she's stuck around this long. I guess it's amazing what trust and respect will do. I'm the luckiest man in the world to have found such a loving, caring angel - and I hope others out there can be so lucky!

S&G - Ecoweenies and Others

2008-12-09T07:26:00.002-05:00

I know - it's been a month. I just don't seem to have the fire in the belly since the two year election. So this is going to be a "when the Muse strikes" blog for a while.

Now for the fun:

There's a group of Save the Planet idiots who are trying to grow more plankton in the oceans, since they absorb CO2. I don't think they know that plankton generates over 50% of our oxygen, not their pretty trees. By growing more plankton, they will be adding more oxy into the atmosphere, which may kill off any plants or animals that can't adapt to the higher level. I wonder if these scientists have ever heard of the Law of Unintended Consequences?

And, of course, the Ecoweenies have killed off their favorite theory - Darwin's Natural Selection, or Evolution. By placing everything they can think of on endangered lists, as well as humans breeding for recessives, evolution has been killed. In order for evolution to work you need a species to go extinct in order to open a niche for others to fill. Dipshits.

Now one of my pet peeves - while all these States are banning hand-held cell phones, our car manufacturers are putting GPS, restaurant lists, maps, etc, right smack in the middle of the dashboard, so you have to take your eyes off the road. I know most speak, but people are still going to look at the map, causing them to either go off-road or wandering across lanes. What are these folks thinking?

And finally, the owner of the Chicago Cubs, the Tribune Co, has filed for bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the Cubs are not included in the bankruptcy. Not only has it been over 100 years since they won a World Series (and since 1945 that they even made it there), they can't even file bankruptcy right!

Wait 'til Next Decade!!

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T12:01:00.002-05:00

Today is a day for peace and reflection for myself and all my brother and sister Veterans, past or present, and to celebrate the lives of those who gave all in defence of our Nation.

I wish you all peace, and tolerate those who say, "Happy Veterans Day" - they do not know better but at least they remember.

And if the reflection starts to get too much, go mow the lawn or something.

Attitude Check

2008-11-10T09:32:00.002-05:00

I got the following from a friend who's brother is a Disabled Vet. By what I was told he wrote this, but if that's incorrect I'll give the deserving citation to it when I get it:

I think says it all:

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values; we have exploited the poor and called it the Lottery; we have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; we have killed our unborn and called it choice; we have shot abortionists and called it justifiable; we have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; we have abused power and called it politics; we have coveted our neighbors possessions and called it ambition; we have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; we have ridiculed the time honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

There's a little more but that's the general content of the prayer that Paul Harvey aired on his radio program. The political fools as well as all the SOCIAL TRASH that are the ones that voted Obama into office should remember this: If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

That accurately described the Obama supporter, NONE OF THEM STOOD FOR ANYTHING, AND THEY ALL FELL FOR HIS BULLSHIT. THOSE THAT OPPOSED OBAMA ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF FUN OVER THE NEXT 4 YEARS, SAYING "SEE, I TOLD YOU SO."

Happy Birthday, My Brothers

2008-11-10T06:01:00.001-05:00

Today the United States Marine Corps turns 233 years old. May all my Brothers have a happy day!

A Really Bad Week

2008-11-09T14:33:00.003-05:00

I haven't written this last week because of a bad case of depression - depression over the continuing death spiral of this once great Nation.

On Halloween night in South Carolina, a father took three of his children trick-or-treating, while his wife and toddler followed in the car. Now, a standard signal of Halloween participation is having the front light on.

The four went up to one house. Inside was a recently ex-con. Instead of answering the door, this felon picked up his fully-automatic AK-47 (illegal for anyone without a proper license to own, and illegal for a convicted felon to own ANY firearm). He then emptied a 30-round magazine thru the door and front walls, instantly killing the 12 year old son and maiming the father and another child. You tell me - what new gun law would have prevented this?

Then on Tuesday we elected a new president who ran on a ticket of bread and circuses for the masses. Many people I've talked to said they liked what Obama said. I replied yes, he's great at rhetoric, but did you actually listen to the words? Over 90% admitted they hadn't. Now that we have a half Arab (no, not half Black) President who has promised the world, what's going to happen when he reneges on those promises?

Ever since the 60's, this once great Nation has gone from We to Me, and more and more that Me means Me to the exclusion of all others.

About 200 years ago, our Second President, John Adams, made a very prophetic statement when speaking of our three branches of government:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

S&G - Follow the Bouncing Numbers

2008-11-01T10:58:00.003-04:00

First, I have to give congratulations to my daughter, Attitude With Legs. Even with having back surgery and all the pain she's gone through, both before and after the surgery, she's gotten her Associates Degree - Cum Laud no less. I couldn't be prouder of her, going back to school and pulling these kind of grades.

Now for the fun. Are you rich? You'd better check that 1040, because there's a real good chance you're gonna get hammered. Remember when Obama said that everyone who makes less than $250,000 would get a tax break, while those making more would get shafted? Well, he's now said that limit is $200,000 - I saw him say it, so there's no mistake. Then his running mate Joe (boy, this shoe is tasty) Biden said that the limit will be $150,000. To the best of my knowledge Obama hasn't corrected him. Then Bill Richardson, one of Obama's advisers, said the limit will be $120,000.

By the time they finally figure it out, anyone who pays taxes is going to be considered rich!

And on a different note, Luke Air Force Base is located just west of Phoenix, AZ. It's been there since 1941, but lately urban sprawl has housing moving into this area. I received the following in an email, and I have no reason to believe it's not factual:

Noise Complaint at Luke AFB, AZ

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were.

A certain Lieutenant Colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit. The complaint:

Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On 15 June, precisely 09:12, a perfectly-timed four-ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on 30 May, Memorial Day.

At 0900, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the rifle salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured. A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously; on 15 June what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their respects. The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and we will thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Lt. Col. Scott Pleus
CO 63rd Fighter Squadron
Luke AFB

I love it when slimy civilians run their mouth with an empty brain.

S&G - Two Quickies

2008-10-29T09:42:00.002-04:00

First, "news" outlets like the New York Times and Newsweek, among many others, have already decided the election. They are spending their time and ink speculating on who Obama is going to appoint to what cabinet positions. Do you think there's any mention of McCain? Even in passing?

If you have ever believed that we have an impartial press, I recommend long-term professional care.

Also - and this is the scary one - Obama's campaign people are accepting donations made through prepaid credit cards. These cards can be bought at drug stores, grocery stores and just about anywhere else. There is no way to track back where these donations came from - the money can be from foreign nationals, government contractors, unions, donors who have exceeded their limits or other illegal sources.

By accepting this anonymous cash (which is a no-no in the first place), the Federal Election Commission could rip Obama a new asshole.

But I wouldn't hold my breath.

Grab Yer Ankles - Again

2008-10-28T08:15:00.003-04:00

So - after Ms Barbara West quoted "From each according to his abilities to each according to their needs" (by Karl Marx, not Harpo or Groucho), the centerpiece of Obama's platform, Joe Biden got all huffy and refused to continue the interview. He even had the gall to ask her who was writing her questions.

Now, Ms West - and her family - are being dragged thru the mud by Obama's folks who are looking for anything to discredit her (Carville tactics again), and they have shut down that station from any further contact with the Democrats.

Is it just me, or does this sound kinda like Hugo Chavez?

S&G - All Over the Place

2008-10-26T15:16:00.002-04:00

I was doing a little calculating - I have nothing else to do with my spare time - and worked out the "accuracy" of the so-called JDAM Smart Bombs.

The bomb itself is claimed to hit within 10 meters of the aiming point. If you can do it without getting run over, take a piece of chalk and a long piece of string. Mark a center point, then measure out 39 feet of string and, using the center point, draw an arc.

Now JDAMs come in two flavors - small and large. The small one has a blast radius of 26 feet, so mark the arc you have and draw another arc 26 feet from that initial arc. The large JDAM has a blast radius of 82 feet, so from the original arc mark that out. That comes to 121 feet from ground zero. That's a smart bomb?

I've also been doing some actual research on facts regarding Global Warming, and have some up with some interesting items. First, some months ago an experiment was held in a jungle (they're not rain forests, dammit!) where they pumped extra CO2 into an area for a week. When they came back, the leaves in that area had turned yellow - they couldn't cope with the added CO2. How many trees in summer have you seen with sickly yellow leaves? Secondly, one decent size volcano eruption puts more poisons and "greenhouse gasses" into the atmosphere than all of America's factories and cars can in a year. And while everyone blames the U.S. for the so-called warming, has anyone noticed that China, for the last century, has been using soft brown coal to generate their electricity and other fires needed in their factories. And we're the bad guys?

And is anyone else tired of the bouncing numbers of those without health insurance? 40 million, 47, 46 - make up my mind. Now, let's have a look at who these people are. At least the 12 million illegals A YEAR aren't covered, and millions of employees who have company health plans that require their participation opt out, so they and their families aren't covered.

If you want health insurance, go buy it. Medicare and Medicaid cover many who are genuinely in need, but also cover way to many who are scamming the system.

Yeah - I'm pissed off - again - still - yet.

Bye, American

2008-10-22T09:13:00.003-04:00

Have you noticed that there hasn't been many "Buy American" campaigns lately? Wonder why?

Here in North Carolina I've watched most of the textile plants close, throwing thousands out of work. Hanes Brands, located here, has been closing factories. Just south of me is Thomasville, who has been synonymous with furniture for decades. Even that town is seeing corporations close.

Other than York Barbells, have you seen any sporting equipment made in the U.S. in the last 10 - 15 years? How about electronics? About the only cars still made in the U.S. are Toyota, Honda and BMW. The Big Three (soon to be the Anemic Two) have outsourced to Canada and Mexico years ago.

Even our energy. Hell - even China and Cuba are drilling oil in the Gulf of Mexico, where we're not allowed to go. Laws passed back when Carter was President have prevented us from being energy-independent by making it illegal to drill for oil off the coast of our country. Even if we are allowed to drill, it won't do much good, since we can't refine the crude - no new refineries have been built in the last 30 years. Come to think of it, no new nuclear plants have been built in that time either.

This leaves us the choices of importing almost 90% of our oil, burning coal, or hydro electric (but the dams kill fish). Solar and wind are nice, but years away from being of any use.

In Australia, the government pays to convert your car to run on natural gas, and it's readily available at every gas station. What's our problem? We put catalytic converters on our cars so they can spew carbon dioxide. Good move.

Until we get serious about our energy and labor costs, you can continue to watch our nation go to the dogs - if they'll have it.

Sorely Missed

2008-10-20T08:05:00.003-04:00

On this date in 1977 - 31 years ago - a plane ran out of fuel and crashed near McComb, Mississippi while trying to land. Six people were killed in the crash and the rest sustained injuries.

Just as Lynyrd Skynyrd was getting the world-wide attention they deserved, lead singer and writer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist and writer Steve Gaines and Gaines sister, back-up singer Cassie Gaines, pilot Walter Wiley McCreary and co-pilot William John Gray, both of Dallas Texas, and Dean Kilpatrick, assistant road manager for the group were killed. All died instantly.

It took 10 years for the band to reunite (with Ronnie's brother Johnnie from .38 Special as lead singer), and after going through several personnel changes, I went to one of their concerts with Boy Wonder a couple of months ago, and Skynyrd is kicking ass today as much as they ever did - and still singing about common folks.

Short Takes

2008-10-19T11:36:00.002-04:00

It didn't take the Democrats and the MSM long to do their hatchet job on "Joe the Plumber", did it? Of course, they've conveniently ignored both his question and Obama's answer. I didn't know that James Carville was working for Obama - this looks like his work. Remember when the Paula Jones thing came up on Clinton's watch? It was Carville who said, "Roll a quarter down a trailer park and you never know what will show up."

And now that the Supreme Court has sanctioned Ohio's systemic voter fraud, my one vote ain't gonna count for much!

Also - if there are any Obamaniacs out there, take a lesson from She Who Must Be Obeyed. My wife is Australian, and a lot of times people tend to listen to her accent and miss what she's saying. The same is true of Obama. He's great at rhetoric and has a beautiful melodic voice - but people are listening to that and missing the substance of what he's saying. The man came flat out and said he plans to turn the U.S. into a Socialist country by "spreading the wealth", yet there has been nothing but apathy over such an outrageous statement.

And people wonder why I'm cynical. Being a cynic just means you're paying attention.

U.S. - SSR?

2008-10-14T08:44:00.003-04:00

Is the United States prepared to become a Socialist nation? Judging by the number of people saying they plan to vote for Barack Obama, it would appear that way.

Why do I claim that?

Yesterday, I saw Obama on TV and heard that he "Plans to spread the wealth." Who is he - Robin F'kin Hood? Take from the rich and give to the lazy.

I also saw a video clip where Obama said that between winning the election and the inauguration, he will call in community organizations from across the country to "Help set the agenda" of his Presidency.

And in today's paper, during a speech yesterday in Toledo, Ohio, Obama said he will give a two year tax break for businesses that create jobs. Considering the crushing taxes he's going to level on corporations and small businesses, I don't think he'll have to worry about that tax break.

Considering Obama's lies about not working with the Chicago Democratic machine, his 20 years of Rev Wright, his long-term association with Bill Ayers (which he denies, of course), the lockdown or "disappearance" of his past work and university documents, and his wife's Senior Thesis at Princeton (which puts the Klan to shame when it comes to a bigoted rant), and his rating as the most "Liberal" Senator, do you really believe we can afford him?

Be prepared to grab your ankles, folks - BOHICA.

My Atitude Problem Hit Meltdown

2008-10-13T15:32:00.003-04:00

The Federal government gives $85 Billion of our money to AIG, so the AIG execs immediately go and spend almost half a million partying. What does our government do? Gives them another $37 Billion. Again, of our money.

Now that the $700 Billion Bailout is "law", can someone please point out where the Constitution gives our lawmakers the right to give charity?

As a taxpayer, I have some questions for our Federal government (you should too). Just over the last 4 years:

* Other than the CIA, DIA, NSA, NRO, etc, I would like to see a complete list of Federal departments and agencies ( the IRS, EPA, FDA, OSHA, etc), what Cabinet position they report to and what their annual payroll and administrative costs are.

* How many Federal grants have been made to State, County or Municipalities - which should have raised the money locally? How much money went in these grants?

For our members of Congress (names, please):

* How much has each spent in earmarks for its home district (using our money for their campaigning)?

* How much has each received from sources other than their government paychecks, and where did this money come from?

* Which ones have gone on "Fact-Finding Missions"? Where to? And did family members go with?

I know better than to get the answers to these, but this is OUR MONEY we're talking about. Our Senators and Representatives believe that they're playing with Government money! The Government HAS NO MONEY THAT IT DIDN'T TAKE FROM US.

If this doesn't truly piss you off, I truly pity the apathetic existence you consider a life.

I Give Up

2008-10-02T12:40:00.002-04:00

I think I've decided not to vote this year - why bother?

The Secretary of State in Ohio has come out and said that, since the law requires a 30 day period between registration and voting, those people wern't voting, they were mere casting their ballot. Huh? Please explain the difference.

And between them and ACORN, they've been bussing in homeless to "cast their ballot". Excuse me? You're a resident of where? And apparently some of them were so drunk that they started fighting in the lines and had to be bussed out.

Between this and bogus voter registrations (just how many Mary Poppins are there?), it sounds like Obama has exported Chicago politics. Unless they are willing to ink-stain fingers like in Iraq, I can see no reason to even try beating the system.

And the system is called stealing an election through fraud.

Banking 101 - And The "Truth"?

2008-09-30T08:05:00.002-04:00

To break things down to their lowest level, it does not matter how many deposits a bank has - they are all liabilities since they cost the bank money in the form of interest.

Banks make their money by loaning, where the interest rate is significantly higher than the interest rate on the deposits.

BUT ...

In 1995, Bill Clinton pushed Congress to pass a change to the Community Reinvestment Act which basically forced banks to allow those with no down payment, no savings and little to no income to get mortgages. The banks knew that these mortgages were destined to fail, causing them to foreclose. And many of these homes, with their "owners" knowing that they were going to be foreclosed on, trashed the houses before moving out. This left the bank out the money they loaned in the first place and a property that couldn't be resold without investing thousands more dollars to repair the homes.

In 2005, under Dubya, The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency tried to put new regulations into effect as of September 2005. The Democrats killed it.

If banks can't make loans, they're guaranteed to go out of business. It was Bill Clinton, not George Bush, who put us in the current position.

And Now For Something Completely Different!

Have you heard of Obama's "Truth Squad"? So far several web sites have been closed down after threats from Obama, and this "Truth Squad" consists mostly of lawyers and prosecutors - something that many would find extremely intimidating if they were thinking of saying anything negative about Obama.

Plug the Hole Before You Bail!

2008-09-29T19:35:00.002-04:00

So - Nancy Pelousy gives a speech prior to the vote today, blaming the entire situation on Bush and all the Republicans. Well, she wanted a bi-partisan vote, and she got it - she couldn't even get her own people in line. As one Rep said, you don't poison the well before you drink. And of course after the vote she again blamed the Republicans, even though her own party had the votes to pass it.

And having someone like Obama, who has remained pretty much neutral on this entire fiasco, calling Dems in Washington saying he wasn't going to support the bill but he wanted them to - that kind of crap don't fly in DC.

Bush - along with McCain - tried in 2005 to unscrew what Clinton screwed in 1995, and the Dems basically said for him to piss up a rope. Now they can't figure out why Fannie and Freddie went belly up. And of course, since their thought processes work about as well as my Devil Dog's, everything must be the fault of Bush.

The general American public who have seen the companies they worked for go under with no government bailout are not happy about this whole thing, and I think many of those Dems who voted against the bill heard loud and clear from their constituents - if you want to keep your job, you'd better not vote for this piece of garbage.

Why Our Cash Just Went South

2008-09-29T09:22:00.004-04:00

If you want to know the facts about why we are looking at this multi-billion dollar bailout, have a read of this from Wikipedia on the Community Reinvestment Act that Jimmah Carter enacted.

Pay particular attention to Clinton's amendment 0f 1995 - especially about the money going to "Community Organizers", George Bush I's amendment of 1989, and the attempted changes Dubya tried to get introduced in 2005.

After reading it - and checking out how much money Obama got from Freddie Mac, it's execs, etc - If you still believe Obama is the man for the job I pity you.

And just as an aside, Obama claims that, while working as a community organizer in Chicago, he wasn't part of the Chicago Democratic machine. As a former Chicagoan, I can tell you right now that nothing - and I mean NOTHING will get done unless you're part of the machine.

And don't wear a Soldier Bracelet if you don't know who it is or have been specifically asked not to use it politically!

No Bailout, Please?

2008-09-26T15:09:00.002-04:00

I was looking at several news sites online, and found out that the CEO of WaMu, who had been on the job for 17 days, is walking away with about TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS!

Alan H. Fishman was hired by WaMu on Sept. 8th, given a $7.5 million bonus and guaranteed a cash severance of $11.6 million. And yes, even though the corporation went belly up, he gets to keep every cent.

Why are we, the small-change taxpayers with our own mortgages and debts to pay, supposed to pitch in to keep companies like this going?

Oh, yeah - because if you're not willing to pay more and more taxes, you're not patriotic.

I forgot.

Doing the Right Thing?

2008-09-26T10:51:00.003-04:00

John McCain has gone to Washington (where Harry Reid says he's not welcome) to try to hammer out acceptable legislation relating to the bank and stock market failures (WaMu went under overnight).

Meanwhile, Obama showed up in Washington for a couple of hours - just long enough for a photo - and was basically told that his greatest contribution to the current situation was to get the f'k outta town, which he did as soon as his private plane could be warmed up.

This is a blinding difference between the two. McCain is actually working on his current job - the one he was elected to and is being paid for - and Obama happily accepts his Senatorial paycheck while being too busy working towards the job he wants and ignoring the job he has.

Another reason why I will not vote for Obama. Not because he's Black - I couldn't give a damn what color he is - but because he's too f'kin ignorant. Tonight's debate is supposed to be about Foreign Policy, but how much do you want to bet that Obama is going to try to slam McCain about the current financial situation?

OK Folks, Grab Your Ankles

2008-09-25T08:43:00.004-04:00

That bailout for AIG - and possibly others with credit card debt, etc, is going to be a severe BOHICA* for the American public. Depending on if the amount is 700 billion or 780 billion, that will hit up everyone in this country for somewhere between $2,300 to $2,600.

Plus, taxing won't get the money in time. Neither will selling bonds. The only way to get that money is either borrow it from another nation or crank up the Bureau of Engraving and start printing money like toilet paper - which would devalue the dollar to the point that the toilet paper analogy might not be that far off.

Why not let AIG divest itself of some of the companies not directly connected to it's core business.

And how about they and others stop mortgaging the unemployed, the illegals, lending to people buying more house than they can afford, and those who are already in debt up to their hairline?

Living on pensions, I do my best to ensure that I can pay all my bills - mortgage, credit card, medical, taxes and others. Can someone PLEASE explain to me - preferably in words of one syllable - why I should be paying for the deadbeats that the banks knew wouldn't repay their loans?

* Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

Election Bits

2008-09-23T08:22:00.003-04:00

Our economy has basically tanked ever since we went to an "Information-based" society. Since NAFTA back in the early 90's most of our manufacturing base has moved out of the country. We now have "retrained" our workers, so there's no journeyman base to train apprentices to manufacture goods. Other than the Louisville Slugger, try to find any sporting goods or electronics that are made in the United States. And remember, this all started with NAFTA.

The government is going to rape us for over $700,000,000 to bail out AIG, because the company is "too big to all to fail". I'm sorry, but if it's too big to be allowed to fail, it's too damn big to start with! By buying this out, does that mean that the government will be foreclosing on your home?

According to "common knowledge", Republicans are all fat cats while Democrats are the poor disenfranchised. So how come the Democrats can raise and spend tens of millions (at least) more each month than the Republicans? Oh, right - most of Hollywood, most of the music industry, etc.

And finally, Since his Taxes = Patriotism speech, has anyone seen Joe Biden? Do they have him tied up in a safe house? Did they have him go hunting with Cheney? A friend told me the latest rumor is that immediately after the vice presidential debate, Biden is going to come up with the creeping crud, drop out and Hillary will step in.

That could be a giggle!

Never Underestimate Human Stupidity

2008-09-20T11:12:00.002-04:00

So the New York Jewish community is going to hold a protest against Iran. They invite both Hillary and Sarah Palin to the protest, but once Hillary finds out Palin will be there, she turns tail and runs. As a result, the Jewish community "disinvites" Palin. Two things immediately strike me about this.

The Jewish community has always given tons of money and votes to the Democrats at election time - and then the Dems screw them for the next four years. Which party is it that wants us to break our ties to Israel? Secondly, are they really that ignorant that they think that Palin will make it a political event if specifically asked to keep it nonpartisan?

Also, for as long as I can remember (which is about 15 minutes these days), the "people" have been whining that we need someone from outside the Beltway elected - someone who's not part of the Washington party machine. So as soon as one is nominated for Vice President, these same "people" bitch, piss and moan that she doesn't have the "experience".

Will you dumb shits please make up your mind? You can't have it both ways - or haven't you figured that out yet?

The New Patriotism

2008-09-19T09:04:00.003-04:00

Thank you, Senator Biden. Here I thought that serving in my country's armed services and holding a deep love of country made me patriotic. Silly me! Apparently I can't be a true patriot unless I'm gladly willing to pay more taxes.

And by saying something like that, I have a feeling that Biden has let the rat out of the bag - if you can't be a true patriot unless you're happy to pay more taxes, it would seem that the so-called "middle class" is going to get hammered as well. You know - that middle class that was going to get a tax cut?

Because tax cut = lack of patriotism. He can kiss my tired shriveled old ass.

But if you happen to be an actual patriot - or just an average American - today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and I'd love to see every home flying the flag.

Please?

Boy, Am I Confused!

2008-09-17T09:02:00.002-04:00

So – Obamessiah is going to cut taxes for the “Middle Class”. Did you know that his definition of “Middle Class” is those making between $30,000 - $200,000 a year? $30,000 is "Middle Class"? $200,000 is "Middle Class"? Besides raising the taxes on the top earners – the ones who are providing the jobs – he also plans on raising taxes on businesses. Does anyone seriously think that the businesses are going to eat that increase and not pass it on to the consumer, effectively cancelling out the supposed tax break?

And two of Obamessiah’s programs are universal health care and alternative energy. Where is the money for these programs going to come from?

Yeah, I know: everything, up to and including the bombing of Hiroshima, is the fault of Bush. But what did Clinton do about alternative energy? And, other than Hillary’s fiasco, what did he do about health care?

Now Obamessiah isn’t going to be allowed out of his cage without a teleprompter, since several videos have surfaced showing him trying to think on his feet. No wonder he doesn’t want a Town Hall style debate! And it’s going to make the other debates interesting if he has to have his teleprompter. Watching him trying to ad lib has shown me that the man is absolutely clueless. Unless his every word is scripted Obamessiah is completely lost.

People are screaming that as a nation, we can’t afford to have an inexperienced, unqualified political tyro one heartbeat from the Oval Office. I guess we need an inexperienced, unqualified political tyro IN the Oval Office!

And now for something completely different.

Can someone define biofuel for me? Last I looked, coal and petroleum were biofuels, just not manufactured this week.

Biodiesel relies on the filtering of the oils from restaurants – lots of filtering. This process throws pollutants into the atmosphere. And converting crops such as corn into ethanol does the same. Somehow, that part of the process is conveniently ignored.

And a few questions I have. With both wind and solar power, what are the storage systems like for that energy to cover the periods when there’s no wind or no sun? How long will that last before everything goes dark? And, using Teddy Kennedy as an example, who didn’t want any windmills within sight of where he goes yachting, what is the NIMBY effect going to be of having acres upon acres of windmills or solar panels in your neighborhood?

Two Things on my Mind

2008-09-10T09:42:00.002-04:00

First, to my mate Cityslicker in Houston, and all those along the Texas coast, our prayers are with you and I hope you have the brains to get the hell outta Dodge!

Now - the Large Hadron Collider, a 17 mile circle under France and Switzerland, is up and being tested. The physicists who've built this are hoping to accelerate photons to near light speed and by having them collide they might see what the universe was like mere nanoseconds after The Big Bang.

One thing that's been mentioned by scaremongers is the fear that this will create a Black Hole that will devour the planet - almost impossible. My worry is a little different.

According to current theory, right after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with matter and anti-matter. As they collided with each other, they were both annihilated, giving off incredible amounts of energy. That by itself is, to me, worth thinking about. But if particles of anti-matter happen to hit he sides of the collider, the results could be massive destruction - almost on the scale of a bomb.

I could be wrong - I hope to hell that I am - but I haven't heard anything from the collider operators that even takes this into consideration.

Besides, we don't need France anyway, do we?

Jerry Reed, R.I.P.

2008-09-03T08:38:00.002-04:00

Best known as Cledus, or "The Snowman" in Smokey and the Bandit - driving the semi full of Coors along with his Basset Hound Fred, Jerry Reed passed away yesterday at the age of 71.

Jerry Reed was best known for his music - such songs as "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot", "She Got The Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)", and of course the theme of the movie, "Eastbound and Down".

He also wrote "U.S. Mail" for Elvis, along as songs for such a diverse group as Johnny Cash, Dean Martin, The Oak Ridge Boys and Nat King Cole.

His music always put a smile on my face, and although he's gone, as long as I have his "Greatest Hits" CD, I can remember him fondly and always.

Thoughts on Left-Wing MSN

2008-09-03T07:40:00.003-04:00

These guys have really been hammering Sarah Palin. I guess they haven't noticed that, as a Mayor and Governor, along with being head of Alaska's National Guard, she's got more command time (any) then the Dem's pick for Prez (none).

One thing they've picked up on is that Todd Palin, Sarah's husband, had a DUI 22 years ago. At the time he was 22 years old and was pulled over - there was no accident and no injuries to anyone. And by the way, this happened two years before Todd and Sarah Palin got married. At the same time, according to his own book, Barack Obama was spending most of his spare time snorting up nose candy.

It's going to be an interesting election. McCain has the dry, quick sense of humor that pretty much comes with serving in the military, and since the media ain't all that quick, they try to portray him at stodgy and boring. But he's excellent at thinking on his feet, which is why he likes the Town Hall formats. Obama, on the other hand, seems to go into shut down mode when he doesn't have his teleprompters in front of him.

While there's no way I'd ever vote for Obama - not because he's Black but because of who he is - My personal jury is still out on McCain. And I'm doing my damnedest to avoid watching any Convention broadcasts!

America the Insipid

2008-08-26T10:19:00.002-04:00

It's been interesting watching how strongly my generation - and those about 10 years younger than us - have dedicated themselves to destroying the children of today. No playing tag or dodgeball, or anything else that involves physical contact. Many kid's sports teams aren't allowed to keep scores so no one loses (or wins).

And now this.

Jerico Scott, a nine year old from New Haven, Conn, isn't allowed to pitch for his team in the Youth Baseball League. Is it because he can't get the ball to the plate, or is wild? No - it's because he's too good! They are going so far as to disband his team and scatter the players among other teams.

The kid has been saddled with a guilt trip - he feels that it's his fault that the other kids can't play if he pitches - the one thing in his life that he loves.

Oh - and at the start of the season he turned down an invitation to play for the team sponsored by an employer who just happens to be one of the league's administrators. Must be just a coincidence, huh?

Just Livin' the American Dream, right?

I Couldn't resist

2008-08-20T14:15:00.003-04:00

With the conventions coming up and the picks for veep hanging, this is just too good to pass up:

In bad taste? Damn, I hope so!

Cold War Mark II?

2008-08-19T09:44:00.001-04:00

With hard-liner Putin in power in Russia, why are we jerking their chain by putting 10 ABM’s in Poland with high powered targeting radar in the Czech Republic?

We are also either in the process of – or already have – signing a mutual defense treaty with Poland. If I remember right, the start of World War II was due to both Britain and France had similar pacts with Poland (although theirs were unenforceable).

Russia’s military second in command, General Staff Col.-Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn, has already stated that by deploying these missiles, Poland is opening itself up to a nuclear attack. Russia’s attack on Georgia shows that the Bear really hasn’t changed much, but we may have to wait until Putin finally loses his grasp on power to see if this is truly a Russian policy of the bad old days or if it’s Putin personally.

Regardless of the U.S. claim that these are being placed to intercept Iranian missiles, I doubt there are many sane people who are buying that. I remember Cuba in 1962, and have no desire to ever see anything like that again. This time it looks to me that we are the ones forcing Russia’s hand, and I think it’s idiotic.

Commiting Suicide?

2008-08-15T12:47:00.002-04:00

So Obama is letting the delegates vote for either him or Hillary at the convention - similar to conventions of old.

This incredible arrogance on the part of Obama may turn around and bite him in the ass. By allowing what is basically an open convention, it is quite possible that Hillary could pull the needed votes - making Barack a head-shaking footnote in history.

Obama is so full of himself that he booked the 75,000 seat stadium, instead of giving an acceptance speech at the convention like everyone else has. He even has the balls to require everyone to perform public service on his behalf in order to get a ticket.

It would be hilarious if he ended up having to pay for an empty stadium should Hillary be able to garner the needed votes. This looks a lot like the Democratic party self-destructing because of Obama's over-confidence and arrogance.

Michelle Obama

2008-08-12T08:38:00.002-04:00

Remember back when Michelle Obama said that for the first time she was proud to be an American? Remember when everyone came to her aid, saying it was a slip of the tongue?

Well, go to Politico.com here and see what her Senior Thesis was at Princeton. And after you read what Politico has to say, you can read the entire thesis for yourself.

Do we really want this person in the White House - even as the First Lady? And remember - we paid for her to attend that school!

Thanks to Cityslicker for pointing this out to me.

Clarification

2008-08-06T08:37:00.002-04:00

In my post "Silly Question" below, by what I've heard there's quite a few people who open several savings and checking accounts in the same bank. They think that by doing this they can beat the $100,000 FDIC deposit insurance.

Wrong!

When the FDIC goes thru a financial institution's accounts, they do it be Social Security Number, not account numbers. If everything you have totals more than the limit, you lose.

Be safe - use several different banks, credit unions, etc, so you don't end up "in the position".

Of course, since my daily hits have dropped to the point that I'm basically writing to myself, I don't expect this info to go very far.

OK - So I'm Slack

2008-08-03T14:13:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to post - I haad one all set for Obamessiah and his non-visit to the troops in Germany, but my daughter and granddaughter are still with us and, while that's no hassle at all, I get anal trying to care for them.

At least this weekend my Sidekick, her best friend, Boy Wonder and She Who Must Be Obeyed are in Pigeon Forge, TN - home of Dollywood and more mini golf, etc, than Kissimmee or Orlando outside Disney. They're having a ball and my sidekick deserves every minute of it.

Here, I've been overdoing things (as per normal) so I'm a physical mess and haven't even been writing to folks to let them know what's going on. Many don't read the blog, so they must figure I'm taking a dirt nap.

Should I ever get my mental and physical shit together, you'll be the third to know!

Just A Silly Question

2008-07-28T10:42:00.002-04:00

Banks and other financial institutions have been foreclosing on homes and repossessing vehicles at a rate that I don't think this nation has seen since the 1930's.

The silly question? What do they plan on doing with these? They obviously have to get rid of all that real estate by selling it off, but who's buying? Who will be eligible to buy? Are you going to have $200,000 in the bank to get a $150,000 mortgage?

And if the bank gets taken over by the FDIC, you lose everything in that institution over $100,000 in a heartbeat. And if you don't have a fixed mortgage, you'd better get out the KY Jelly and grab your ankles.

S&G - It's Been a Zoo

2008-07-26T10:16:00.002-04:00

First, my daughter is recovering slowly - much more slowly than I would have thought. The thing is, after the surgery the doc's basically said "See ya later" - no exercises, no physical therapy - nothing. Last night she went back home so she could sleep in her own bed. I'm a bit worried about her being there but us and her brother are only about 2 minutes away.

Something serious for Veterans - if the VA is giving you a run-around and rejecting your claim, you MUST get an Advocate to assist you. The VFW, American Legion, Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled Veterans of America and others will do this for you for no fee. And if you go through the C&P process (Compensation & Pension) and feel that you have been ill treated or they have decided your level of disability is much lower than you believe, have your advocate help you file an appeal. It took about 4 years before the VA finally admitted I'm 100% disabled.

Now for the fun -

Have any of you seen an ad from an outfit called Cash Call? I caught the fine print at the end of the ad. On an average loan of $2,600 paid over 42 months, the APR is 99.25%. People with a gun don't do that well!

And some doctor is selling advanced versions of Snake Oil. Just spray it in your mouth and it cures everything from hang nails to rheumatism. Or get the pet version, spray it in their water and it will cure them of everything!

One thing I haven't figured out are the ads that state that a woman shouldn't even handle the medication if they're nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. I guess you need a hysterectomy or menopause.

And they'res a new funny noney ad - this time for a $20 Liberian certificate that they claim is made from .999 silver leaf. Sorry, but if it's stamped from silver leaf, there's no way you can have different designs on the front and back. And they claim they're selling it at face value - $20.00. I checked, and the exchange rate, and 0ne U.S. dollar is worth about $60 Liberian ones. Therefore, the face value would be about 33 cents, right?

Breakfast just arrived, so I'll be back one day.

She's Home

2008-07-12T12:57:00.002-04:00

Baby Girl came home from the hospital yesterday. She'll be staying at our place, as She Who Must Be Obeyed took the week off and, with her husband on the road most of the time, she'd have been home by herself - not a good thing.

Right now she's having a really hard time dealing with the bone pain - both in her back and her leg where they took some bone marrow. I'm about the only one who knows exactly what she's going thru, since I had a fusion where they took a chunk out of my hip.

Bone pain is a real bitch, and if you haven't been there you can have no idea what it's like. And no, broken bones don't count - that's nothing like this.

Lots of pain leads to lots of depression and can lead to a downward spiral if it's not intercepted. But I'm goofy enough that I can usually get a laugh if I can come up with something dumb enough!

Here's Hoping

2008-07-09T15:57:00.002-04:00

Well, my baby girl, Attitude With Legs, is now in recovery. This morning she went under the knife because her discs at L4-L5 and L5-S1 were ratshit. They put in a couple of rods and six screws and cleaned out the dead discs.

If all goes well, and the surgeon said it went perfectly, she should be home by Friday. She's 31 years old - WAY too young to have to have gone thru what she's suffered over the last couple of years, especially with a 7 year old and an 11 year old to look after. Thankfully my Sidekick - the 11 year old - was able to pick up most of the slack. At least this should make a huge difference in pain reduction and freedom of movement.

I know from personal experience what she'll go thru with bone pain, but she's a strong-willed and stubborn SOB, so I know that with a lot of TLC she'll make it.

Nothing But Nuts

2008-07-07T09:03:00.002-04:00

I don't know if you've seen the ad where some idiot is dressed up as a mosquito and harasses everyone in his office. It's for a program called Nothing But Nets, and apparently they have raised over 20 million dollars so far. Each net for a child in Africa costs $10.00.

I can see a couple of problems with this program. Just about all of southern Asia, from Pakistan to Vietnam also have high rates of malaria - no help for them?

And a mosquito net is lovely for the limited amount of time a child spends in bed. The rest of the time the net isn't worth squat.

The sentiment is laudable and has managed to separate kids from their money for the cause, but wouldn't spraying insecticide on stagnant pools, inside old tires, etc, do a much better job of keeping the children safe?

Oh, right - that's not politically acceptable.

The Most Important Words

2008-07-04T11:22:00.003-04:00

This historic document has been the basis for the French Revolution and many others over the years. Yet people, in my humble opinion, have always focused on the wrong words:

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776,

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united STATES of AMERICA,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:For quartering large bodies of armed troops amoung us:For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare. That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

People have always focused on these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Lovely words, but abstract ideas that had no basis in fact and, other than the Civil Rights Act, have never enforceable.

But the most important words are the last sentence. Pledging their Lives, their Fortunes and their Sacred Honor were not just abstract ideals. The 56 men who put their names on this document were signing their own death warrant if they were caught, yet they had the courage of their convictions to do so in order to lay the foundations for the great nation that was to come.

How many people today would have the sheer balls to do the same?

And notice that this was done relying on the Creator and Divine Providence - will that be removed from this under the guise of separation of Church and State?

Obituary for Common Sense

2008-07-03T06:44:00.002-04:00

I got this in an email today, and since it fits in beautifully with my own feelings I had to share it:

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion, his daughter, Responsibility,and his son, Reason, He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim."

S&G - Obama Said WHAT?

2008-06-30T13:21:00.002-04:00

I'd been doing a lot of running around this morning, and got home just in time to hear Obama giving a speech. Before I could change the channel, I heard him talking about "patriotism". In his words, Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus and Roosevelt interred the Japanese-Americans in the name of "patriotism", and anyone who dared disagreed was deemed unpatriotic. Obviously, Obama doesn't know the difference between Patriotism and National Security. And he wants to be President?

I got an email from a friend, who's on the left, who was upset that he found out about Congress legislating incandescent light bulbs out of existence by 2013. Everyone must have the energy-savers by then. I know of at least one case where one broke in a bedroom and the clean-up because of the mercury in the bulbs cost over $2,000. I wrote him back welcoming him to the Nanny State and his reply? And I quote: "I try to follow the more important news items, not every petty law that Congress comes up with! This is an ill conceived law." Apparently it never dawned on him that it's the petty pissant laws that are stripping our freedoms.

Whoever it was who first came up with the term "common sense" was a f'kwit.

S&G - George Carlin R.I.P.

2008-06-25T08:05:00.004-04:00

A comic master of the English language, George Carlin, passed away this week. I loved Wonderful WINO Radio, with Al Sleet, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman and the way he pointed out the foibles of the language, but sadly, in my opinion, in his later years he ceased to be funny and turned into a bitter left-wing old man. Even so, he still had nuggets of brilliance.

Even tho the opposition has withdrew from the runoff election this Friday, Robert Mugabe is going ahead with the Zimbabwean election. Since few, if any, of the opposition voters will show up, Mugabe should squeak it in. Mugabe 1, Zimbabwe minus several thousand.

The Beijing Olympics have been in the works for many years and are just 2 months away. It has just dawned on the international press that they may not be allowed to do any filming or interviews outside of the venues unless escorted to pre-arranged propagandists. What a surprise!

Speaking of Beijing, China has now passed the U.S. in chucking pollutants into the atmosphere - and they are exempt from that sacred document, the Kyoto Protocol. China burns vast amounts of dirty coal with no attempt to scrub the smoke. The athletes taking part in the games should find breathing a bit of a trick.

And my daughter, Attitude With Legs, has hit a new high (or low, depending on your point of view). Her left leg has stopped working completely and the other night she fell and knocked herself out. My Sidekick, God Bless Her, called an ambulance and then called us. They checked out her head but found nothing (a family joke), gave her a double shot of happy drugs and sent her home. She's now in a wheelchair for the next 2 weeks until the operation, which hopefully will keep her out of too much trouble.

S&G - Election? What Election?

2008-06-17T10:33:00.005-04:00

Yeah, I know - I've been MIA again, but I gots an excuse. My daughter, Attitude With Legs, is going thru back pain worse than mine and I've spent the last week or so driving her from one doctor to another, one clinic after another. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to get her walker in and out of the car all the time! She's set for surgery early July to remove two bad discs and fuse her. She's naturally scared shitless about the surgery, but it should make her a whole bunch better then she is. There are millions of successful operations of this type, and she has her support system on hand - I live less than a mile from her and Boy Wonder isn't much farther.

My favorite tyrant, who turned his nation from the breadbasket of Africa into one of the poorest, with inflation over one million percent, is supposed to be in a runoff election later this month.

So far, the Zimbabwe army and Robert Mugabe's supporters have intimidated, arrested, beaten, tortured, mulitated and murdered opposition supporters. Now he's finally come out and said what everyone knew from the beginning, and this is a direct quote from him released by his own people:

"We shed a lot of blood for this country. We are not going to give up our country for a mere X on a ballot. How can a ballpoint pen fight with a gun?"

Ya gotta love it!

Meanwhile, the Supremes have decided that the prisoners at Gitmo are covered by our Constitution. Say What? Will this cover all the prisoners being held in Iraq and Afghanistan as well? These assholes aren't criminals to be charged - they are prisoners of war who have committed war crimes and unless there's a prisoner exchange (not f'kin likely!), they stay put until the war is over and can be repatriated unless a military tribunal decides they get the chop.

Angelina Jolie has her panties in a wad. She's chucking a hissy at Disney - because they haven't had a black princess in any of the animated films. What an ass. Doesn't she have anything better to do?

And there's been ads running for some outfit called "Nothing But Nets", that claim sending mosquito nets to Africa and Asia will stop malarial. Right. Don't drain stagnant water or spray to kill the bugs - heaven forbid! Spending your sleeping hours under a net will protect you all day long!

Finally, there's one outfit I just have to comment on. There's a company called Cash Call who will lend you money without any background checks or collateral. But if you're quick enough to catch the fine print at the end of the ad, the average loan of $2,600 is paid back over 42 months at 99.25% interest! I haven't seen the Mafia loan sharks or a man with a gun do that well!

Some Fun, A Great Loss

2008-06-06T09:12:00.003-04:00

First the loss - Bo Diddley passed away this week. Every rocker has, at one time or another, stole riffs from him and they all owe a large debt of gratitude to him. I'll miss him and that box guitar.

Now for the Giggles:

Two idiots decided to break into a house in Green Bay last week. Only problem was it belonged to a Packer's running back. When one of the burglars entered his bedroom, the running back cold-cocked him with a bed post, and the other guy was arrested just outside. The guy who entered the bedroom is expected to live, but it's touch and go.

With all that's going on about the Military Tribunals, can someone please tell me what the status of Iraq is? Is it a War? A Police Action? Something else? If it's a war, then all the jokers in Gitmo are POW's and should be held until the war is over. Although - it wouldn't break my heart to see Khalid Sheik Mohammad swing from a short rope.

So far, United, Continental and other airlines have grounded up to around 95 jets each, cutting flights to places like Las Vegas and Orlando. They're also firing a shitload of staff, and doubled or tripled the price of round-trip tickets. Right - that'll make me want to get on a plane, now that there will be fewer flights, all overbooked, and less staff on the planes! At least one airline is considering charging fares based on how much you weigh! I can foresee some serious slap-downs on that one!

And one of favorite subjects - side effects of drugs on TV ads:

- An asthma drug that might cause asthma-related deaths,
- Sleeping pills that could lead to driving while asleep, and
- An Osteoporosis drug that might cause blood clots and death by stroke!

Finally, if you haven't seen this, a drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel and plowed into the back of a cycle race in Mexico, killing at least one and injuring 10 others. The police showed up just in time to prevent the other cyclists from lynching the guy. An AP photog was in just the right place at the right time:

Oops!

Dis 'n Dat

2008-06-01T11:00:00.003-04:00

Well, I checked the paper this morning and I wasn't in the Obits (dammit!) so I might as well empty my spleen.

Last night I saw a show about the Mongols motorcycle gang, and how they "demand respect". It made me think about all the rap songs, pro atheletes and communities in general where the term "dissin' me" has become almost a mantra. What has happened where kids and young (and not so young) adults believe that they automatically have a "right" to be respected?

Sorry, Waldo, but with me, you have to earn my respect - otherwise you're just a pathetic turd.

Now that the price of gas is hitting the $4.00 a gallon range and diesel about $5.00, whatever happened to all that "Blood For Oil"? Aren't we supposed to sucking every drop of Iraqi oil out of the ground and shipping here? And on a related subject, something that truly makes me want to go postal is the fact that, when oil on the Futures Market for July and August goes up, the price at the pump TODAY goes up to those levels. These people should know that I have She Who Must Be Obeyed, and I'm not afraid to use her!

California's penchant for goofy laws, along with the general political atmosphere, has always given me reason for not moving there. Now they're upping the ante - if you live in an apartment, you're not going to be allowed to smoke in your own home for fear of leakage of smoke into the hall and killing people. Yes, I'm a smoker, and I believe I have a legal and ethical right to smoke. Every case of lung cancer is automatically linked to tobacco smoke, yet how many of us in our 40's, 50's, 60's, etc, grew up with asbestos all over the place? Guess what asbestos causes?

California is also looking at re-working it's legal pot laws, while the Feds still claim that marihuana has no medicinal uses whatsoever. I've lived with back problems for about the last 30 years, and in the past - damn, it must be at least 15 years or so - I used pot because it was better than morphine or any other drugs I'd had for relieving back pain.

Finally, being homebound most of the time and daytime TV being so wonderful, I tend to watch VH1 Classic a lot. Occasionally I'll hear a song that I hadn't heard for at least 35 years or so. Yesterday they had a Tom Petty concert on and in the lyrics of one of the songs I picked up a gem that fits my family perfectly:

"If he gets lucky
A boy finds a girl
To help him to shoulder
The pain in this world."

I wish I would have written that - I just can't remember what song it was in (that short-term memory thing again). Oh well, an internet search should find it for me.

Addendum - I found it - the song is "Wake Up Time" from his "Wallflowers" CD. Looks like I have some shopping to do.

Selective Amnesia

2008-05-29T08:24:00.002-04:00

Just a quickie:

OpEd writer Eugene Robinson, who is slightly to the left of Stalin, has a column in today's paper about Cuba.

He goes over how stupid, childish and ignorant it is for the Bush Administration to keep up the embargo against Cuba. Of course, it's all Bush's fault.

He seems to forget that the embargo was put in place by Kennedy, and that Democratic presidents Johnson, Carter and Clinton had ample time to rescind the embargo but refused to.

I just love reading hypocrites like this.

Back Again

2008-05-29T07:32:00.002-04:00

I've spent the last several days doing the old "do something stupid, spend a day recovering" circle - mowing lawns, etc. I'm back enough to post, but I know some of this will be slightly out of date. Screw it if you can't take a joke.

We've had another sign of the Apocalypse - last Saturday Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, turned 70. There's no excuse for that! Also, James Arness - Marshall Dillon of Gunsmoke, turned 85 - I didn't even know he was alive! Trivia time - his brother is Peter Graves of the TV show Mission Imposible.

Now for the fun and games:

The Armed Forces Foundation had been flying wounded troops from Walter Reed and Bethesda, two at a time, to Vegas. They go in a private jet and, once there, the Venetian Resort has been giving them the full "high roller" treatment - top level rooms, full service, etc. The Armed Forces Foundation is trying to ensure that all - or as many as possible - of our wounded men and women are able to take advantage of this. Fantastic!

Meanwhile, Obama and Billary are still talking about bringing our troops home. Right - and put them where? The reserves aren't a problem, but the enlisted troops will have to go to a duty station somewhere, and I don't know if there's room for all. I'm waiting for Obama to call for all troops to come home, including Germany, Korea, etc. That'll put some highly trained and motivated troops on the street looking for work. Oh, wait - that was Jack Murtha, wasn't it?

Finally, I figured something out (I'm a bit slow sometimes):

- If you don't vote for Hillary, you're sexist,
- If you don't vote for Obama, you're racist, and
- If you don't voth for McCain, you're agest.

And if you vote for a Democrat, you're an idiot.

I'm Mad As Hell

2008-05-23T11:08:00.003-04:00

And I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

It's bad enough that our government moved Memorial Day to a Monday Holiday, so folks can use it as an excuse for the unofficial start of Summer. I still observe May 30th.

Then came the businesses - ads on TV, in the newspapers, in the mail, all advertising their "Memorial Day Sales". But to me, the worst came in an email this morning.

Now, with grandkids, I'm on the email list for Disney shopping. You can usually get some good deals through the sales they have, and the girls are really into Disney.

But today I'm cancelling my subscription to these.

This morning I got an email from Disneyshopping.com that says, in large letters, "Salute Summer With Our Memorial Day Sale!" For Disney to put out something like that with nothing about the reason or meaning of Memorial Day has really jerked my chain.

Feel free to to to their site, go down to the "contact us" and let them know how you feel. I sure as hell did.

News I've Been Dreading

2008-05-21T13:48:00.001-04:00

Indigo, who was Barbara Manning, passed away peacefully yesterday around 5:30 in the afternoon. Her family was with her, and I am so thankful that she went without pain.

I had made several trips to her home, and I loved that old gal and enjoyed every minute I was privileged to spend with her.

She had 'adopted' the Marines from Camp LeJeune, and I know that there was an Honor Guard of thousands at the Pearly Gates when she arrived.

While she has left us who knew her to grieve, I know that she is happy to be reunited with her husband. Services for her will be this Saturday at the grave side.

Sorry, folks, but this is about the hardest post I've ever had to do.

Ted Kennedy Has Brain Cancer

2008-05-21T12:07:00.003-04:00

Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with the worst type of brain cancer you can get. Normally a person with this has about a year, max. I guess it depends on how advanced it was when the doctors found it.

Now, I have never made my feelings about Teddy a secret, but I wouldn't wish any type of cancer on anyone. I don't like his chances, but we can hope that he can pull through this.

At least if it metastases, it shouldn't hit his liver - that should be so pickled by now that it would be immune to almost anything.

By what I've heard, there's no plan to operate, so I assume it has gone too far. I've seen family members die of cancer, so I can only hope that if he doesn't beat this, he can pass peacefully with a minimum of pain.

It's A Miracle!

2008-05-20T09:51:00.002-04:00

Stand by for someone to be Beatified! Just being alive has to count as several miracles!

Joe Cocker, singer of "Up Where We Belong", "You Are So Beautiful", and hundreds of others since he started out in the 60's, is 64 years old today. Hell - I didn't even know he was still alive, and with what he's done to his mind and body over the years he shouldn't even have seen 30!

For him and Keith Richards of the Stones to still be sucking oxygen has to be a sign of the Apocalypse!

I think I'd better start reading the Bible again!

On a different subject, Attitude With Legs is having a Myelogram today - a fancy name for a spinal tap. I've had one of those, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone my little girl. Then she'll have a discogram, and depending on the results she'll have back surgery.

With her having a 7 year old and an 11 year old - and a husband who is on the road 5 -6 days a week, staying on enforced bed rest is going to be a real trick. I may have to move in over there.

Bits and Pieces

2008-05-19T11:50:00.002-04:00

Well, things in the country formerly known as Burma are about the same. The French tried to unload 1,500 tons of supplies in small boats to the river delta in most need, and the government turned them back. As far as I know, what the military hasn't grabbed is still sitting in Rangoon airport. And people thought Pol Pot was a bad boy. The really fun part is that the government is allowing aid workers from only four Asian countries - Thailand, China (who is currently bringing in aid workers for help with its earthquake), India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh? They have a lot of experience with aid workers - they've been watching them since 1972!

It's mid-May, which means that just about all of Florida is in flames, from Miami and the Everglades to Daytona. When the arsonists are caught, a tall tree and a rope tied around their scrotum would sound like an excellent idea.

Now for On This Date -

- 1536 - Anne Boleyn went from five foot two to four foot three, thanks to Henry VIII and the headsman.

- 1935 - Lawrence of Arabia died after crashing his motorbike. A bit ironic after what he'd been through.

Birthdays:

- Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) is 64.

- Pete Townsend (The Who) is 63, a surprise to everyone.

- Dusty Hill (bassists for ZZ Top) is 59.

Yesterday:

- Dobie Gillis (Dwane Hickman) was 74. Shame about Maynard G. Krebbs. If you're not at least 40, this will mean nothing to you.

- Rick Wakeman, Keyboardist for Yes was 59. To me,when he left someone pushed the "SUCK" button on Yes' recordings and concerts.

Armed Forces Day 2008

2008-05-17T12:12:00.002-04:00

I hope that you have remembered this day and have at least got your Flag flying.

I tend to get carried away:

If you got 'em, fly 'em!

A Quick & Dirty S&G

2008-05-14T08:51:00.002-04:00

Barry Bonds and the Player's Union are still looking for collusion in his unemployment. I wonder if his indictment for 14 counts of perjury and 1 of obstruction of justice - and his inability to play in the field - have anything to do with it?

Meanwhile, in the country formerly known as Burma, the government is finally allowing emergency supplies in - but they're either sitting at the airport or have been hijacked by the military. And the ecoweenies wonder why there's so much suffering in the world.

And I think it's getting to be time to move. In today's paper, there's an article about a guy who was convicted of "several" breaking & entries, punching out a cop, attempting to steal his police car, and "indecent liberties" with a seven year-old girl. His sentence? Seven and a half years! And that's as a habitual criminal!

By the way, Happy Birthday goes out to:

- Jack Bruce (bassist with Cream) is 65;
- George Lucas (Star Wars, etc.) is 64;
- And for my kid's generation, CC DeVille (Poison lead guitarist) is 46.

This getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative!

Mothers Day 2008

2008-05-11T10:35:00.002-04:00

First, Happy Mothers Day to my darling wife, who has been with me for 34 1/2 years. I have no idea why. Also, to my daughter who is having a very tough time right now with severe back problems. At least her two girls try to help her.

And a Happy Mothers Day to all, but especially those who have a child in the military, those who have a husband in the military or are in the military themselves. May they and their loved ones come home safe and sound and never have to rotate back overseas ever again!

A Night to Remember

2008-05-10T10:46:00.003-04:00

Right now, just sitting at this hurts - but damn, it was worth it! Last night Boy Wonder and I went to see Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Greensboro Coliseum and they just blew the place away. Only problem was the seats were for crap and I was a mess by the time we left.

It was supposed to be Attitude with Legs (dear daughter) and me going, but her back is worse than mine right now (a pretty good trick if you think about it), and she would never had made it. It was her Father's Day gift to me - a very thoughtful and loving thing for her to do.

The next few days are going to be in the supine position, attempting Better Living Through Chemicals.

A price worth paying, and I'd do it all again next weekend!

Primary Stupidity

2008-05-06T07:52:00.002-04:00

Well, today's Primary day here in NC and the polls opened at 7:30. The problem is that they've made an "interesting" choice of polling places.

All three of my grand daughters attend the same elementary school. For reasons best known to someone, this school is a polling place. That means that before the polls opened people had their cars up by the front door of the school, double- and triple-parked, making it impossible for parents to drop their children off.

This school also does not have a metal detector, and there were no police or anyone else controlling traffic or keeping a close eye on those entering the school. This means that anyone could be wandering the halls putting the children at risk.

If you think this has me just a tad pissed off, you could be right - and I'll be making a few phone calls this morning (for what good it'll do). Using an open and functioning elementary school as a polling place rates right up towards the top five or so of Stupidest Things I Have Ever Seen.

Funny, But ....

2008-05-05T08:49:00.002-04:00

This link to YouTube has had a lot of work done to make it, and it's pretty funny. If you haven't seen it yet, go have a look at "The Empire Strikes Barack".

I wonder if George Lucas had a hand in this, is getting royalties, or is gonna sue someone's ass off!

Meanwhile, the body is telling me that I'd better not do any stupid shit today. That usually means that I'm gonna mow the lawn or something. Putting fertilizer down was a bloody stupid thing to do!

At least the peas, snow peas, cucumber, zuchinni and squash are growing nicely. Still have to get the tomatoes and herbs in.

She Who Must Be Obeyed brought some seeds back from her last trip to Australia, so we're clearing out a corner of the yard for the bottle brush, kangaroo paw and other Oz natives. Should look beautiful if I can pull it off!

The Newest Obscenity

2008-05-03T09:20:00.002-04:00

Barak Obama is still calling for change, even though it appears he has no idea what he wants changed or how to change it.

Now Obama is trying to make the word "experience" a dirty word. Sorry, but I don't understand how a person can base a campaign on being ignorant. Obviously it must be working judging by the numbers voting for him - or is that a racial thing?

If lack of experience is such a good thing, when was the last time you applied for a job with a blank resume (and empty head) other than when you came right out of school?

Follow the Money

2008-05-01T08:26:00.003-04:00

First, a Happy May Day Communist Holiday to Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez, whoever is runing China these days, and the University of California at Berkeley.

Now for the news. Recently in the Winston Salem Urinal they had two articles immediately over each other - an interesting juxtaposition.

The first was how the ice melt in the arctic may be putting pressure on the population of Narwhals - the wales with the unicorn tooth sticking out. Of course, it's all our fault.

The next article was how they decided to trap the seals and sea lions instead of shooting them in the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington. Why, you may ask? Well, it seems that these animals are eating aroung four percent of the chinook salmon run. Four f'kin percent! I would imagine the Bald Eagles and the Bears, after doing what they do in the woods, would take care of some of that percentage as well.

The catch to this story? (no pun intended for once) The very last sentence says that The Department of Fisheries has raised the quota for commercial fishermen by a third!

Ecoweenies - bite my skinny old hairy ass!

Boy Wonder - A Bio

2008-04-24T08:52:00.003-04:00

Some of you out there may have noticed in the comments that Boy Wonder and I share the same disgusting sense of humor. There's a reason for this (besides genetics).

When living in Australia, he attended Marist, a Jesuit school; then went to St Edmunds High School, run by the Christian Brothers. While in high school, he managed one year to get a zero in Religion for the entire year. Now, this can't be done by accident - even a stopped clock is right twice a day. No, this took real talent. When She Who Must Be Obeyed and I were called in to the school to discuss this, it was all I could do to keep a straight face.

My boy is also flatulent in several languages. He holds a dubious record that I had never seen before, and deserved a standing ovation:

While at my mate Freddo's house, the normal loo was in use, so sunny boy used the one off Freddo's bedroom. After the paint and wallpaper peeled off the walls and the tiles started to melt, he was banned from EVER using the loo in that house again - there was a gas station two blocks away.

I was so proud!

An Earth Day S&G

2008-04-22T09:11:00.002-04:00

So today is Save the Planet Day. To use George Carlin's point of view, the planet's doing just fine - it's the people who're screwed. All the ecoweenies talk about the greening of the world. Let's work this out for a minute. Take all the bodies of water, Death Valley, the Sahara, the Middle East and the Gobi desert, and we're lucky to have 20% green on the planet, tops. And for all you tree huggers out there, do a little research. You'll find that around 75% of the oxygen on the planet comes from ocean algae.

I saw something in today's Urinal that brought back fond memories (tho they wern't so fond at the time). Both the Army and the Marines are now accepting felons - including armed robbers and arsonists. It reminds me of the days of poetic judges - "Five to Ten in the State Pen or Four in the Corps!"

Now on the political front. I've been thinking about who I'd like to see in the job of President. The main requirements would be:

- They don't want the job.
- They're laid back but intelligent enough to surround themselves with the best minds available.
- They may have a stand for either political party, but are not rabid about it.
- There'd be some really ass-kicking parties at the White House!

Here's what I came up with. I figured that since we've has an actor for President, why not a musician?

- Jimmy Buffett
- Joe Walsh
- Buddy Guy
- George Thorogood
- Toby Keith
- Hank Williams Jr
- Ted Nugent

And just for the attitude and the comic relief we so badly need, Bill Engvall.

And yes, I honestly believe that any one of these would do a better job than any of our current choices!

A Long Time Coming

2008-04-20T13:38:00.002-04:00

From what I've seen in the news or in the paper, you'd never know that a racing first took place yesterday.

In the Indy Car race in Japan, Danica Patrick became the first woman in history to win a race. The only other time a woman won a major racing event was at the Paris to Dakar.

Congratulations to Danica - she's proven that she's there because she can do the job.

A Personal Protest

2008-04-20T10:46:00.002-04:00

Some years back, guitarist Eddie Vedder of the band Pearl Jam and a certified headcase, decided he'd sport a Mohawk haircut "until Americans stop killing people." I don't know if he's held to his political ideals.

It sounded like such a good idea that I've decided not to shave my beard until people overseas stop killing Americans.

I have a feeling that I'll be tripping over the damn thing if I live that long.

Nation Destroying??

2008-04-18T08:52:00.002-04:00

Last time I looked, we had cabinet positions out the ass - Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, and the Attorney General.

So how come the Marines and the Army are trying to do the nation building in the sandbox? The last time I checked, they both excelled at breaking things and killing people. Combat Engineers and SeaBees can only do so much.

If we're really serious about "nation building" then we need to get people over there to teach those folks. Besides State, which is a waste of time, we need to get Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development into Iraq and Afghanistan.

Or are we just jerking off?

A Few Giggles

2008-04-08T07:34:00.004-04:00

Ben Hur, Moses, Michaelangelo and the hero of the Planet of the Apes died this week. Charleston Heston was a great actor, by all accounts a very good man, and Number One on the ACLU's Ten Most Wanted list. I guess Nugent will now inherit that position. Rest in Peace, Charleston.

You may not know this, but the Olympic torch is lit in Greece with a "pure flame" by using a mirrored parabola and the sun. So when the Chinese deliberately extinguished and re-lit it twice yesterday in Paris, they screwed the pooch.

Speaking of Olympics, contrary to popular belief, since the Games resumed in 1896, the Games have always been awarded to a city, not a nation. For example:

1964 Tokyo
1968 Mexico City
1972 Munich
1976 Montreal
1980 Moscow
1984 Los Angeles
1988 Seoul
1992 Barcelona
1996 Atlanta
2000 Sydney
2004 Athens
2008 Beijing
2012 London.

By the way, I did some research - Tibet covers an area of about 965,250 square miles - as you look straight down at it. If you flattened it out, it would be closer to 15 million!

There was an ad for one of those wonderful weight loss pills that stopped me in my tracks - the ad claimed that their product was "not available in pharmacies or drug stores". Huh? What did I miss?

Apparently she's done it again, but since Hillary has proven herself a pathological liar there's no sense going any further.

Oh - and a true story I heard on radio back in the 70's. Apparently there was a fire in a cave at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and what was on fire was fossilized Giant Sloth dung. By examining this dung scientists could determine the sloth's diet and what the vegetation was like - but they were having a problem putting the fire out without destroying the dung. Then the radio announcer, I swear, said "If anyone knows how to save this endangered feces please let us know".

I almost crashed the car!

One Mind, Any Weapon!

2008-04-01T08:35:00.002-04:00

The following article was sent to me by a mate in San Diego. It's from The Mercury News, a Silicon Valley paper:

Police: Teen makes mistake of trying to rob former U.S. Marine
Bay City News Service

SANTA ROSA - A boy in his mid-teens learned Wednesday afternoon that it is not a good idea to try to rob a former U.S. Marine at knifepoint, even if the former Marine is 84 years old, police said today.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Steve Bair said that's what happened around 2 p.m. in the 1600 block of Fourth Street. The elderly man was walking with a grocery bag in each arm when the boy approached him with a large knife, Bair said.

The boy said, "Old man, give me your wallet or I'll cut you," Bair said. The man told the boy he was a former Marine who fought in three wars and had been threatened with knives and bayonets, Bair said.

The man then put his bags on the ground and told the boy that if he stepped closer he would be sorry. When the boy stepped closer, the man kicked him in the groin, knocking him to the sidewalk, Bair said. The ex-Marine picked up his grocery bags and walked home, leaving the boy doubled over, Bair said.

The man reported the attempted robbery to police 45 minutes later.

Bair said the teen is described only as 15 or 16 years old. Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department.

Copyright © 2008 by Bay City News, Inc. - republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

I think the teen could also be identified by his high voice, his stooped walk, and the funny-looking pair of earrings!

But Did She Spend Christmas in Cambodia?

2008-03-26T09:56:00.002-04:00

I don't think it comes as a great surprise that a Clinton would be a lying sack of shit, but this one was magic! I was going to post this yesterday but I couldn't stop laughing long enough.

So Hillary remembers - in vivid detail - her trip to Bosnia where they had to scatter under sniper fire. Oops - maybe she didn't remember that after all.

You'd think that someone would know better than to come up with something like this when the plane is filled with media-types who actually know how to write notes. And have a camera. Hell, even the comedian Sinbad, who was on the flight (I have no idea why he'd be there), said that the most dangerous part of the trip was the possibility of running out of food.

Now she says that she "misspoke" - a lovely euphemism for lying her ass off. I'm guessing she's working on having John Kerry as her running mate.

FLASH - I just found out that Hillary is coming to Winston Salem tomorrow. And we don't even have a school book depository!

And on a completely different subject - anyone out there who, like me, grew up watching "The Rifleman" on TV as a kid? I had a toy rifle like Lucas McCain's, with the big round cocking handle and I loved it. Anyway, just in case you're not feeling old enough this morning, Johnny Crawford who played Chuck Connors' little boy on the show turns 62 today.

Happy Birthday, Johnny, and I think I'll go through the obits again just in case.

Throw Grannie From The Train

2008-03-21T09:25:00.002-04:00

Ise mus be one o' dem "typical white folks", cuz Ise aluss afeared o' dem black peepuls on da street!

Give me a f'kin break, Obama Your Mama. What if he would have said "typical Arab folks" or "typical Jewish folks"? Am I insulted by this blatant racism, stereotyping and profiling? You bet your ass I am!

Obama seems quite happy to blame anyone but his preacher for the vile crap the preacher spewed. You're running for President, Barack - how about showing just a teensy bit of personal responsibility?

Clinton, Obama or McCain. Can't we get Ted Nugent to run? Please?

Calling Discworld Fans

2008-03-17T08:27:00.002-04:00

For those who aren't aware, the movie "Hogfather" was released on DVD earlier this month. I got mine from Amazon for about $10.00.

It's very true to the book - which might explain why it runs for over three hours. The disc also contains an interview with Terry Pratchett. I can highly recommend it to anyone who has gotten into the sick and twisted sense of humor in these books.

For those who haven't discovered the Discworld series yet, picture a flat world, going thru space on the back of a giant tortoise. Now add incompetent wizards, witches, trolls, dwarves, and Corporal Nobbs of the City Watch who has to carry a note to prove he's human. Now picture this being written after the smoking of lots of illegal substance. She Who Must Be Obeyed always knows when Boy Wonder or I are reading one of these books, because they're laugh out loud funny.

Pick up the first book, "The Color of Magic", and you'll be hooked!

Hi Honey, I'm Home

2008-03-15T12:40:00.003-04:00

Hello, boys and girls. It's been an interesting couple of weeks - first the pain levels, then the pain doc boosted my meds. My mind then spent a few days off playing with the little animals, but everything is coming back together - I still feel the pain but I don't give a shit.

Let's see what I missed:

I've been wondering what ever happened to that guy with the Ricin, and this morning I heard he's come out of the coma. I've been a bit nonplussed that the government wasn't able to talk to him, to find out where he got that much ricin - or any for that matter - but of course it had nothing to do with terrorism. Excuse me? I must have missed something there.

The governor of New York resigned after the FBI found him in wiring money, which led to his using prostitutes. Hey, at least he didn't have them as interns or just picking someone from a party to drop his pants.

I saw where scientists have found all kinds of drugs in our drinking water. Well no shit - how long have people been flushing unused drugs down the toilet? And it took them this long to find out?

In an interesting juxtaposition, both the History Channel and Nat Geo have run shows with an identical premise - what would happen if the entire human race disapeared in an instant. History did a straight view of what would happen over the following years, but Nat Geo focused on how many years it would take to clean up our mess. I'm presuming that one was written by Greenpeace.

Oh - and we had Billary offering Obama the Vice Presidency. What balls she has.

And one thing that's always bugged me. Have you seen all those ads for weight loss pills where the people lose 30 - 40 pounds, but are still wearing the identical clothes? And how about the guy with the gut who's suddenly got ripped abs, etc.

No - it doesn't look like I missed that much after all.

And So It Goes

2008-03-05T14:17:00.003-05:00

Those who know me realize that when I go this long without posting, it's usually a bad sign. The last couple of weeks haven't been a lot of fun, and this morning I had to get the Devil Dog to the vet - oh, how we laughed. Damn dog's up to 85lbs!

He wasn't happy about having his temp taken, so at least I don't have to worry about him joining Code Pink. I tried to tell him at least he didn't need his prostate checked.

I'll spend some more time horizontal, hoping for better living through chemistry, and hopefully I'll be back soon.

Hey - Farve might have retired, but I don't plan to!

NASCAR? Too Mnay Letters

2008-02-18T08:37:00.002-05:00

Isn't it about time they took the "SC for Stock Car" out of NASCAR? I know I'm an old fart, but I can remember when the car bodies matched what was in the showrooms.

Yesterday started their season at Daytona, and I have to admit that for quite a long time I've watched the races (I guess I was a Redneck before I moved to the South). But it's getting to the point of why bother?

You now have cookie-cutter cars whose "manufacturer" is only identifable by the grill decal on the front. Chevy, Toyta, Dodge - the only real difference I can see in any of them is who made the original engine block before the fabricators got hold of it.

And now you have mostly cookie-cutter race tracks - 1 1/2 mile tri-ovals that have popped up all over the place. Two tracks in North Carolina have been closed (North Wilkesboro and Rockingham) while they've moved multiple races to California, Texas and who knows where else.

Over the last couple of years, NASCAR's TV ratings have been slowly eroding and not all races are sell-outs.

I guess because of political correctness (or a business decision by RJR) they dropped Winston, the series sponsor who, for over 25 years helped build NASCAR into what it had become. Then they became the Nextel Cup and now the Sprint Cup - but when a car sponsor changed to AT&T they took them to court to try and prevent the sponsor from marking the car.

So now it's the Sprint Cup. Shouldn't that mean they drive on 1/4 mile dirt tracks?

Follow-Up On Yesterday's Blog

2008-02-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned President Bush's trip to Africa. Well, some news came out today that fits with that perfectly.

In Harare, Zimbabwe, the inflation rate is so bad that no one can keep up with it. In November of last year, the inflation rate was 24,470 percent. December's rate? 66,212 percent! In one month!

To give you some idea of what that means, between January 2007 and January 2008, the price of a chicken has gone up 236,000 percent! That is, of course, if you can find a chicken. The stores are almost completely empty.

Of course, Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987), isn't searching for chickens. As one of the top ten dictators in the world, Mugabe has enough cash stashed away that he couldn't give a rat's ass about his people - if they get unhappy with his reign, they get disappeared - quickly.

I don't know how much money we've sent there, but it has to stop. All it's doing is making that monster richer and his people poorer.

S&G - Fonda Admits She's A .......

2008-02-15T07:58:00.002-05:00

On yesterday's "Today Show", Hanoi Jane was talking about her role in that idiotic play "The Vagina Diaries" when she dropped the "C" word (think Country). Sorry, but there's some words that even I won't use on this page. If we were to need any more evidence that one of Time's "Women of the Century" was a complete waste of oxygen, she couldn't have done a better job - unless she picked up her AK-47 and started removing the staff of that show.

Speaking of weapons, another school shooting took place, this time close to my old stomping grounds. With a shotgun and pistol some deranged piece of rancid feces got on a lecture room stage at Northern Illinois and started blasting away, killing five so far, until he blew himself away. At least he saved the prison system a bunch of cash.

It's nice to see that the Chinese are staying consistent. After putting lead paint on the toys they shipped to us, now they've shipped some medicines to Panama that contained anti-freeze and brake fluid among other ingredients. So far between 120 - 300 have died. Way to go, Communist quality control!

Syria claims that they're going to sue the United States because Israel attacked Hezbollah in 2006. Does that mean we can sue the Russians and everyone else who've supplied Syria with it's weapons?

President Bush, getting ready for a trip to Africa, is saying that the African countries should be partners in overcoming violence and poverty - especially with the amount of our tax dollars going over there. Hey, Dubya - have you checked the bank accounts of the leaders of those countries lately?

One article I saw today that made me happy - the American College of Surgeons is calling on the government to allow the medicinal use of marijuana. Despite the DEA claims, it's been known for years that it's an appetite stimulant, helps with cataracts, and is one of the best muscle relaxants for things like back pain (I know from personal experience, but haven't used it for years - it's better than Valium). I can't see the government backing down on this, but it's nice to see such an august body come out of the closet.

Finally, for the last couple of weeks I've been wondering what ever happened to wave power as an alternative energy source. Well, today I saw an article where Florida is looking into using the Gulf Stream - just 15 miles off their coast for electrical generation. The scientists think it cound generate as much power as 10 nuke plants.

Oh - and on this date the USS Maine blew up in Havanna Harbor, leading to the start of the Spanish-American War!

A Heart-Throbbing S&G

2008-02-14T07:22:00.003-05:00

First a bit of trivia - did you know that there are somewhere between 3 and 7 St Valentines, depending on your research and which church - Eastern or Catholic - and that none of them seem to know squat as to why they were martyred and sainted. Also, the name, which came from Roman times, whould have been Valens.

So today is the one day of the year where the male is supposed to give his significant other a card with flowers, candy, jewelry - or all three. I have a clue for you Clyde - if you need one day out of the year to express your love you'd better have a really close examination of your relationships.

And on a completely different subject, don't you just love it that our Navy allowed a Russian bomber, the TU-95 "Bear", to overfly the flight deck of the USS Nimitz at 2,000 feet - not once but twice, while another Bear circled around 60 miles away. If anyone can come up with a reason why these bombers wern't intercepted by our fighters and escorted away, I'd love to year it.

Finally, I wonder if the Obama staffer in Houston has taken her flags off the wall yet. You know, the Cuban flags with a picture of Che on them? I doubt that Obama was aware of them - it's a small office and maybe the staffer was under the impression that Latinos would think the Cuban flag with the picture of Che would get them excited. I think it may have worked, but not in the way she had in mind. Of course, the photos I saw could have been photoshopped, but the original story came from a local Houston TV news.

Now, go put on Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and have an early afternoon delight with the species of your choice - Happy Valentines Day!

Idiocy Abounds

2008-02-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams this week made a statement that confirms that he's not attached to this planet.

The Archbishop, acting head of the Anglican Church (Epispicopal here) made a statement saying that he believes Great Britain should place Sharia Law on a par with Parliamentary Law, leaving it up to the individual which set of laws they should be governed by.

I don't know what he's smoking but I want some - it must make Ganja look like aspirin!

Starting in the 17th century and continuing through the 20th century, England was one of, if not the most powerful nations on the planet. Now all they have is a loose Commonwealth that does what they damn well please. If Williams' statement was taken seriously by anyone, England would pretty much cease to exist.

As a person who has immigrated to another country in the past, it was up to me to fit in with their customs and laws, not the other way around (although we're doing pretty good with the Mexicans - making sure everything is printed is Spanish - even election ballots!).

When I first saw this, I could have sworn the Archbishop's name was Robin Williams!

BTW - the rerason I call him the "acting head" is because the ruling Monarch is the head of the church - in their eyes equal to the Pope.

BOHICA

2008-02-06T11:41:00.000-05:00

For those who don't know, that stands for Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.

In the wee hours of Tuesday, January 29th, Dell had people all over the country removing the kiosks they had in malls. At 8:30 that morning, all the employees of these kiosks were told they were fired. No notice, no nothing.

Now, this wouldn’t have been so bad if not for the fact that these kiosks were about the most profitable part of Dell’s business. The machines they’re selling at Wal-Mart are mostly basic models that barely run the operating system, and at Best Buy they’re not paying for shelf space, so even their top XPS models are hidden amongst the cheap knock-offs on the metal shelves. Even the lap top computers they’re selling – for the most part – do not meet even the basic standards required by the schools here in North Carolina.

Dell knew by New Year’s Day that they were going to do this, so what would have been the problem with giving at least one week’s notice? Sure, some may have left, but that would have saved Dell on severance packages. Hell – just the weekend before they did this they had a guy pack up his family and move from Florida to Atlanta. Now he has nothing in either place.

The reason I write this is because Boy Wonder had been employed by Dell at the kiosks for four years, and on two occasions had been their top salesman nationally. Now he’s out of work, the single parent of a 6 year old girl, and was in the process of buying a house. Now – not to put too fine a point on it –he’s screwed.

This leaves me wondering if Dell will keep it's factory here in Winston Salem, or if it will end up in Honduras or somewhere.

Corporations around the U.S. demand loyalty from their employees. I’m old enough that I can remember when that loyalty went both ways.

S&G - Bits & Pieces

2008-02-04T07:18:00.000-05:00

Well, on Saturday the Groundhog saw his shadow, meaning 6 more weeks of Winter. Let's see - Groundhog Day is February 2nd, and the first day of Spring is March 20th. You do the math.

Apparently the Mexican Government has it's panties in a wad - again. Seems that they're all upset because the U.S. Border Guards have fired tear gas at the Mexicans who have been shooting at them, using slingshots with steel balls, throwing rocks and even using knives. How dare those gringos use non lethal force to protect themselves!

And a bill has been presented to the Mississippi Legislature to hold restaurants responsible if they serve obese people. The bill won't pass, but can you picture this? Someone like Brian Urlacher, linebacker for the Chicago Bears who has about 4% body fat, is listed as "morbidly obese" according to the BMI index. I guess all restaurants would have to measure the heigth and weight of the customers before seating, and it would make drive-thru's interesting!

Finally, the local school district has decided that Middle School kids will have to take 3 years of a foreign language. By doing this, they cut the Arts section of the schools - something my eldest grand daughter excels at. Since a foreign language is now mandatory, I think I'd ask to study Latin, Aramaic or Arabic. What's the odds they end up with Spanish?

Almost forgot - yesterday was the Day The Music Died - Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper's plan crashed, killing all aboard.

Berkeley, CCP

2008-02-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

So - the city of Berkeley in what was formerly known as California has made it official - they want the Marine Recruiters to pack up their tent and sneak silently into the night. The irony of this is absolutely astounding.

Firstly, it was William Jefferson Clinton who came up with the idea of "don't ask, don't tell" but he's a hero there.

Secondly, examine the sheer numbers of Marines vs Army troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's no contest, as the Marine Corps strength consists of a total of under 200,00. That includes all the support troops - truck drivers, cooks, clerks, etc.

Thirdly, lets have a look at the Air Force and the Navy Air Wing. Even using GPS-guided bombs and missles, the JDAMs and JSOWs have an "acceptable" accuracy of a ten meter radius. Go out in your yard, put a stick in the center, measure out 33 feet and draw a circle. Any bomb that lands in that is considered "highly accurate". Not quite the precision we'd been led to believe, is it?

Additionally, many of these bombs are cluster bombs, which release multiple warheads that explode about 20 - 30 feet above ground.

I've been searching online, but so far haven't been able to find what the blast radius is for and of the solid or thermobaric bombs. When you have a bomb of up to 2,000 pounds land at the extreme edge of the 33 feet, then add in the blast radius; double it for the diameter of the circle of destruction, the Air Force is responsible for more "collateral damage" than the Marine Corps could ever be. The Marines - for the most part - see their enemy up close and personal which reduces collateral damage to almost zero.

Why isn't Berkeley busting down on the other branches of service? Personal opinion is that the Marines have the reputation as the best fighting force in the world (although the Royal Marines and SAS might take umbrage at that!).

I saw where a bill has been placed before Congress to remove all Federal funding from Berkeley - including the University - but with a Democrat-controlled Washington and this being an election year I can't see anything happening.

Since it appears that Berkeley wants to secede from the Union, we should help them out by fencing it off from the outside world so they can continue with their inbreeding.

Getting the Chop

2008-01-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

"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

2008-01-30T07:18:00.000-05:00

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'

2008-01-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-15T17:33:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-14T07:17:00.000-05:00

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

2008-01-02T07:56:00.000-05:00

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?

Stupid Is My Middle Name

2007-12-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

With my back, other than tossing 100lb bags of cement, one of the worst things I can do is vacuum. So have a guess what I did today?

Yeah - I vacuumed about 3/4 of the house before my back told me what an ass I was and directed me to the drugs and the supine position.

A wonderful way to end the year.

San Francisco - Don't Feed the Animals

2007-12-28T07:13:00.000-05:00

About that tiger attack at the zoo - if there was enough time for police to show up and kill the tiger, there must have been time for vets with trank guns to show up.

No, I'm not a PETA Prick, but there are so few Siberian tigers left in the world - in the low hundreds spread over thousands of square miles - that there must have been a way to distract the cat while pumping it full of nighty nighty drugs.

Siberians are the largest cats in the world, and are being killed off so the Japanese can have (and this is no joke) Tiger Penis Soup. I hope they send this cat's scrotum over there so the Japanese can "tea bag" it in their noodles.

Now I Can Relax

2007-12-28T07:03:00.000-05:00

For many years I have not done Christmas well. Of course, for the grandchildren I have to "put on a happy face", but once their gone I can revert to my actual mood.

She Who Must Be Obeyed took a picture of me after the kids left - actually a very good likeness:

Says it all, really!

A Normal Christmas - And A Quiz

2007-12-27T11:23:00.000-05:00

True to form, the grand kids couldn't have raked in a bigger haul if they'd used a gun. It's been an unusual year - no feuds starting at either Thanksgiving or Christmas. We must no have been trying!

Now for the quiz:

A TV show started on this date in 1947 and ran until 1960. Some of the characters were Flub-A-Dub, Princess Summerfall Winterspring, Clarabelle and Buffalo Bob. All the kids lucky enough to attend the show sat in the Peanut Gallery.

Let's see how old you are - the show was named after the main character. What was it?

Here's A Real Shocker

2007-12-26T07:49:00.000-05:00

This article was lifted from the Winston Salem Urinal:

Services cost more than taxes collected;
Illegal immigrants negatively affect budgets, study says
By Billy House
MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON

State and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrants fail to offset the cost of public services that state and local governments provide, a new study done for Congress says.

The same report said that state and local officials can do little to avoid or minimize some of these costs because they are limited by rules governing federal programs, court decisions and state laws or constitutional requirements.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report does not estimate how much more money, exactly, is spent on public services for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants than the amounts taken in through their tax dollars.

But it said that these costs are concentrated in programs that make up a large percentage of total state spending, particularly in the areas of education, health care and law enforcement.
“The result is probably a modest negative impact on state and local budgets,” said Peter Orszag,
the director of the Congressional Budget Office.

By most estimates, spending for unauthorized immigrants accounted for less than 5 percent of total state and local spending for those services, the study said.

The study was done at the request of GOP Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.

Previous studies have found that the fiscal impact of both legal and unauthorized immigrants is slightly positive for state and local governments - that the tax revenues they generate exceed the cost of government services they use.

But this new study focuses strictly on the fiscal impact of undocumented immigrants only.
The study’s researchers acknowledged that their work was difficult and imprecise. Differences in benefit programs and mixes of sales taxes, personal property taxes, real property taxes and income taxes vary greatly.

Meanwhile, advocates for immigrants complain that such studies produce merely snapshots in time - they don’t account for immigrants who move up the socio-economic ladder over time and, therefore, eventually pay higher taxes.

“Over time, these same immigrants increase their earnings, succeed, marry, buy homes, create businesses and naturalize, like immigrants have done throughout the history of this country,” said Angela Kelley, the director of the Immigration Policy Center of the American Immigration law Foundation.

I love that last paragraph - I'm still giggling!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T11:33:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year - when the grand kids arms are too small for handcuffs, so I have to thigh-cuff them away from the tree.

To all of the usual suspects, who've stuck with me through thick and thin; and for all the occasional visitors to this poor excuse for a web site, may you all have a safe and peaceful Christmas, Kwanzaa or whatever you happen to not believe in.

And may next year be better than this year was!

GOC,
She Who Must Be Obeyed,
Boy Wonder,
Attitude With Legs
and the Devil Dog

She's Back!

2007-12-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

After about 35 hours of fly, wait, fly, wait, etc, She Who Must Be Obeyed got home around midnight last night. Her luggage, of course, is on the virtual plane somewhere - and it has the Aussie gifts for the grand kids in it (and a bottle of Port for me!). Hopefully it'll turn up - somewhere, sometime.

The airline tried that "gate closed an hour before" trick again, and apparently it was touch and go whether she got on the flight or in the slammer for the night. Thankfully she got on the flight - she was not putting up with that shit again.

I got semi-domestic so that when she got home she could see the kitchen and the floor in most of the house. She house-trained me years ago so it doesn't take long. I just had to make sure I got the bimbos out in time!!

Anyway, she's home, I'm ecstatic, and Merry Christmas to all.

"God bless us everyone!"

On This Date

2007-12-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

With She Who Must Be Obeyed being gone, I really don't feel like doing much of anything, so I thought I'd cheat and put this up:

In 1621, the Pilgrims from the Mayflower came ashore for the first time.
In 1945, General George S. Patton died.
In 1937, the first full-length animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered.
And 19 years ago today, a PanAm jet exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland.

Now that I feel older I'm going to go have a lie down.

She's Going Nuclear

2007-12-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

As I wrote yesterday, She Who Must Be Obeyed left yesterday to get home. Because of crossing the Date Line, she leaves Sunday and gets there Tuesday. Wrong.

Her flight last night got to Los Angeles at least 45 minutes in time, but some bitch from Qantas (who wasn't wearing a name tag) told her they closed the gate an hour before the flight. Even after explaining why she was flying, the Qantas response was basically "Tough Shit".

So, She Who Must Be Obeyed spent the night in tears, sleeping in the airport and now has to wait until about 9:00 tonight for the next flight. This means she'll get there Wednesday, and comes home Sunday. Needless to say, she is about to go ballistic if she hasn't already.

If her father doesn't last until she arrives, I wouldn't like to be associated with Qantas. You do not cross She Who Must Be Obeyed. The situation now is bad enough, but if that happens she'll more than likely own a large chunk of the airline before she's done. You piss her off and I'd rather kiss a pit bull!