Sports Talk with Tugboatcapn...

Did any of you watch the World Cup Soccer Games?

Me neither.

Americans generally do not like Soccer. Some do, but most could not care less.

We won't even call it by the right name. Everywhere else in the World, Soccer is called "Football", and has been forever, but we call it "Soccer".

And I understand why Americans do not like it. It's a stupid, wimpy game. The main rule is that you don't get to use your hands. You kick the ball down the feild and try to get it into an oversized basket, while someone else tries to get in your way.

That's stupid.

Now, American Football, THERE'S a real game. In American Football, you use a ball that absolutely will not roll, you kick it, you throw it, you tuck it under your arm and run with it. You fight against the other team in order to gain territory inches at a time. The rules are complex and complicated, and differ according to what day of the week you are playing, and (judging by some of the referee's calls that I have seen over the past two years,) according to which two teams are playing.

And we choose the dumbest people among us, and force them to learn all of these complicated rules and regulations, and then we put them on the feild, and pay them Millions of Dollars to try to kill each other on Television.

I can't wait for September.

But I really did not want to focus on Football tonight.

What I am thinking about tonight is World Sports, and how the rest of the World gets caught up in sports that do not make any difference, but Americans usually dominate anyway (if one of us becomes interested in a meaningless sport from another part of the World.)

Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France seven times, and the French complained that he was taking drugs. (Which he was. He had Cancer.) He retired last year, having become bored with defeating the French, and moved on to more worthwhile pursuits, mainly raising money for Cancer research and sleeping with supermodels and rock stars.

But this year's winner of the Tour De France was also an American, so he is being accused of using drugs as well.

Landis denies doping...

(Rueters, Thursday.) By Larry Fine
(THE Larry Fine? From the Three Stooges? - TBC)

"Tour de France winner Floyd Landis denied on Thursday taking performance-enhancing drugs during the race and said he would fight to clear his name after testing positive for the male sex hormone testosterone.

"I don't know what the explanation for it is, whether it was a mistake or whether it's an occurrence from some other circumstances that go on in the race or something I did," he told reporters in a teleconference call.

"But it was not from an exogenous outside source of testosterone."

I think the problem here is obvious.

Aparently the French have no idea what the normal level of Testosterone for an average American Male is supposed to be, having only ever gathered that type of data on Frenchmen. No wonder it seems high to them.

This could explain a lot about the behavior of the French throughout History as well.

It's just a theory...

I mean, I'm not a scientist or anything...

Hillary For President!!

In a brilliant and inspirational speech before the DLC (Democratic Loser Committee) on Monday, the former First Lady Mrs. Bill Clinton articulated her plan for a totally new direction for the Democrat Party.

"Americans are earning less while the costs of a middle class life have soared..." she announced.

"A lot of Americans can't work any harder, borrow any more or save any less..." Clinton said. President George W. Bush and Republicans have "made a mess out of the country's finances."

The DLC's "American Dream Initiative," is a package of proposals that claim to make college and home ownership more affordable (?), help small businesses (by reinstating the Death Tax), improve retirement savings and expand health insurance coverage (by taking over all of it).

"This plan will make the basics of life in the middle class -- health care, education and retirement -- affordable for those who take responsibility... These ideas will make sure every American will get a fair wage, access to college and home ownership and a path out of poverty and into the middle class," Mrs. Bill Clinton said.

And then, for the part of the plan that is sure to sweep hordes of Democrats to landslide victorys in the next couple of elections, she announced the new and improved Bumper-Sticker Slogan...

"It's the American dream, stupid!"

So now, let's recap this shiny new plan that Hillary...uhmn, excuse me...Mrs. Bill Clinton and the Democrat Loser Committee have unveiled...

1. Bash the Bush Administration.

2. Talk down the Economy.

3. Capitalize on the incompetence and hopelessness of American Citizens.

4. Socialize EVERYTHING.

And last but not least...

5. Think up and announce a catchy, easily chantable slogan with which to shout down any opposition and divert any real, in depth discussion about the Democrats' plans for the "Workers".

Sounds a lot like the old plan to me.

It's Hillary Clinton, stupid!

Is this insulting to anyone besides me?

Why don't they just come right out and say it and stop beating around the Bush, so to speak?

"Vote Democrat, stupid."

I, personally, can not WAIT for 2008. Please, please, PLEASE, Democrats...choose Mrs Bill Clinton as your Presidential Nominee!

And while you are at it, go ahead and run Barack Osama Obama al Democrati for V.P. too. (We might as well get rid of him in 2008, too.)

We WANT you to!

Hind Ends And Elbows...

Boy, am I tired.

The Company that I work for has recently expanded the territory that we cover, and the driver who normally runs the new route is on vacation this week. I have been picking up the slack.

His truck has a Piggy-Back Forklift which we have to have to deliver to a lot of the new stops, and I can't carry it on my trailer. My normal trailer is an open flatbed, and his is a curtain-side, so I am having to drive his truck, while my truck is being driven by another guy.

Since Monday morning at 06:30, I have worked 64 1/2 hours in unfamiliar territory in the wrong truck, and with a forklift to babysit.

It's almost Midnight, Thursday night.

Add to all of this the fact that I live an hour and ten minutes from the warehouse that I work out of, and I have been home every night (for a couple of hours, anyway.)

I have wanted to post every night about one current event or another, but for some reason going to bed just seemed more important for the past few nights.

I will rejoin the fray this weekend.

Please bear with me.

I really appreciate all of my friends who check by here, (all except that one guy,) and I do not want you to give up on me.

I've just got my hands full right now.

See you Saturday...

Xena Rules!!

Do you see what this is?

This is about a pound of Alaskan Snow Crab Legs, Boiled Shrimp with Coctail Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Drawn Butter and Lemon Slices, on a paper plate and paper towel, on a TV tray!

You can even see my old sneaker on the floor underneath the TV tray.

This was my Dinner tonight.

My Wife cooked it all on the stove in her kitchen while I watched television, and when it was done, she brought it to me and I ate it.

You have no idea what it is like to be me.

I had thought that they had stopped making women like my Wife, but they haven't. Before I met her, the women that I dated would have burned the pot of water if they tried to boil an egg.

Totino's Frozen Pizza was a rare delicacy as far as they were concerned. (Because the preparation process was so complicated and difficult.)

My Wife cooks me Snow Crab Legs and Shrimp Cocktail on the stove.

I was 36 years old when I met my Wife, 37 when we got married. Neither of us had been married before, nor did either of us have any children. I had given up on ever getting married, and I think that she had as well.

Show's what we knew.

She works very hard to make me happy, and she has become very good at it. (She has no idea how easy that is for her to do.)

I just had to take this opportunity to brag on her a little.

I wouldn't trade her for any other woman in the World, and I hope she always knows that.

She is my wife, and I love her very much.

And no, you can't have her.

Opinion Poll...

I'm curious...

I know that there are a pretty good number of people who check by my Blog every day.

So I am going to ask a question, and supply the answers.

If you read this, then click on the comment link, and answer it.

I want to know what the people who read my Blog think about the current struggle in the Middle East.

So here is my question:

Should Isreal...

A. Get' Er Done?

Or...

B. Back 'Er Down?

You can elaborate on your answer if you want, but you don't have to.

But I want to know what you think.

See ya on the comments page!

It's Not Really Human Life that We're Talking About, Right?

From the Washington Post...

Stem Cell Bill Gets Bush's First Veto
Thursday, July 20, 2006; A04

President Bush issued the first veto of his five-year-old administration yesterday, rejecting Congress's bid to lift funding restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research and underscoring his party's split on an emotional issue in this fall's elections.

At a White House ceremony where he was joined by children produced from what he called "adopted" frozen embryos, Bush said taxpayers should not support research on surplus embryos at fertility clinics, even if they offer possible medical breakthroughs and are slated for disposal.

The vetoed bill "would support the taking of innocent human life in the hope of finding medical benefits for others," the president said, as babies cooed and cried behind him. "It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect." Each child on the stage, he said, "began his or her life as a frozen embryo that was created for in vitro fertilization but remained unused after the fertility treatments were complete. . . . These boys and girls are not spare parts."

So President Bush has demonstrated that he actually DOES know how to use his VETO pen after all.

And he saved it for this.

Completely and totally irresponsible.

Does the President not understand that Embryonic Stem Cell Research could possibly in the distant future help literally Hundreds of people who suffer from a wide variety of diseases and syndroms, both real and imagined?

Does he not know that these are the Elderly that will benefit from the discoveries that will be discovered someday through Embryonic Stem Cell Research?

Does he not understand that the Generations of Americans who thought up and voted for things like the Great Society and Social Security MUST be preserved, no matter the cost?

If the destruction of thousands of Human Embryos will result in the prolonging or improvement of even one elderly or handicapped person's life in any way, then isn't it worth it?

I mean, it isn't really human lives we are talking about, right?

They're just Embryos, right?

I think that Government Funded, Taxpayer supported creation of Human Embryos to be destroyed in the name of Medical Research is a wonderful idea.

As a matter of fact, I think that we should explore what other uses we can find for both Human Embryos and Aborted Fetuses...

How about this?

We could use them to feed the poor!

Just think of the hunger that could be alleviated, simply by using resources that we are currently throwing away!

Everyone wants to ease the suffering of the less fortunate, right?

We could feed all of our aborted Fetuses to the poor hungry people of America!

We could even create Human Embryos in Embryo Farms, grow them into fetuses suitable for aborting, and then feed them to the poor!

Think of the possibilities!

We would have an unlimited supply, they are made out of meat, and they obviously contain all the nutrients that a human being would require, because they are made up of exactly the same stuff as a human being!

So, all of you supporters of Abortion and Embryonic Stem Cell Research, unite with me now!

Let's put pressure on our elected leaders to implement this plan to feed the poor as soon as possible!

Let's stop wasting this valuable resource, and begin to use it to help the less fortunate!

Isn't it the least we can do?

The Tools Of Terror...

The U.S. could learn a lot from Israel.

They know how to conduct a war. Especially THIS war.

Have you ever thought about what the absolute most powerful weapon of a Terrorist Organization is?

It isn't suicide bombers, or missiles, or rockets, or even nukes.

It is the News Media.

Without the help of the Press, it would be absolutely impossible to spread Terror on any large scale.

They could scare people in the immediate area around their attacks, but without a National and International Media falling all over itself to carry the message of Terror and intimidation all over the World, and to sensationalize and inflate news of Terrorist successes, Terrorist Tactics would be virtually useless as a tool of Global Political Manipulation.

Add to that the fact that the Old Media in America has for fifty years been a willing tool of the Left Wing of American Politics, and that they passionately hate the President and will take every opportunity to undermine any endeavor that he or his Administration may undertake, even if their efforts may be damaging to the United States, in order to point out his failings and ineffectiveness, and you have a very useful tool, if you are a Terrorist.

Isreal is not putting up with it, however.

Al Jazeera bureau chief detained again...

Israel police on Monday detained the Jerusalem bureau chief of the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera, for the second time in as many days, the journalist said.

Walid Al Omari was first taken into custody on Sunday along with the Israel crew of the Qatar-based satellite Arab TV station for a real-time broadcast of a Hizbullah Katyusha attack on Haifa, which disclosed the area of the rocket attack, in violation of Israeli military censorship guidelines.

Military censorship rules ban real-time reporting on the exact location of rocket hits, so as not to help the Lebanese-based Shi'ite terror group refine future attacks.

The rules are very simple.

If a News Organization publishes information that is helpful to the Enemies of Israel, then Israel arrests the publishers of that information, and they put a stop to it.

Right now. In Real Time.

Before any more damage can be done.

They understand that they are engaged in a War. A violent, bloody, and real struggle for their own existance.

They understand that they must win, whatever it takes.

We could learn a lot from the Israelis.

The Enemy in the War on Terror declared War on US.

Not the other way around.

They have called upon the name of their god to help them to prevail in their War against Western Culture. (Our way of life.)

They will use any tool that is available to them to destroy us, whether it is the tool of Diplomacy, our own Constitution, our own Media, the Peace Movement, or the Democrat Party.

It is up to us how useful these things will be to them.

And we had better get it right.

Slow News Week...

I apologize for the lack of new posts lately...

I've tried to think of a subject to post about, but there just doesn't seem to be anything interesting going on this week.

It almost makes me wish that a War would break out in the Middle East, or that there would be some new information in the Plamegate case, or even that the President would hold a Press Conference explaining the effectiveness of his Tax Cuts...

Something like that.

But then again, it would be irresponsible 0f me to wish for War, or bad news for Democrats, or even for things as boring as Presidential Press Conferences, just for the sake of a Blog Post.

Ho hum...

Maybe soon something interesting will happen, and when it does, I will be right on top of it to offer my wisdom.

I promise to keep my eyes and ears open, so that the minute that interesting things happen in the World, I can bring them to your attention and offer my commentary immediately, if not sooner.

Stay tuned...

Pass the SALT...

Do you want to know how to solve America's problem with North Korea?

Here it is, right here.

From Breitbart.com...

China's Trade Surplus Hit Record in June/July
10 3:06 PM US/Eastern

"China's global trade surplus rose to a record monthly high of $14.5 billion in June, the Commerce Ministry reported Monday, raising the likelihood of more tension over Beijing's currency controls. "

"China's ballooning trade surplus with the United States, which hit a record $202 billion in 2005, has fanned antagonism over the persistent imbalance between the two countries. That figure is bigger than China's global trade gap because China has trade deficits with some nations. "

The biggest problem that the United States has concerning the North Korea Situation is not Nuclear Weapons, not Kim Jong Il, not long range Missiles.

We could deal with all of that, were it not for one specific facet of the situation.

And that is China.

China has been a partner to North Korea ever since before the Korean Conflict. They are the reason that America had to abandon the Police Action there without accomplishing our goal, which was a unified Korean Peninsula.

It was not worth a full scale War with China, and China knew that.

And they still know that neither the U.S., nor China wants a full scale War between us now.

Not YET.

I believe that there will come a time when China may be willing to risk an all-out Military Engagement with the U.S., but they do not believe that they could win such a conflict at this time.

We can possibly stave off that eventuality for a few more years with a show of strength and determination, if we are strong enough and determined enough now, but I do not know if we are.

But China is absolutely addicted to Trade with the U.S.

They sell more stuff here (thank you Wal*Mart) and import more stuff from us than any other Country, and since China is essentially Communist at the bottom, and Capitalist at the top, the Ruling Class can not stand the thought of losing the U.S. as a trading partner.

And don't forget that the Government of China and more specifically the Military/Industrial Complex there, is the main benificiary of their experimentation with the concept of Capitalism.

So, if we were willing to take the steps necessary to bring current the North Korean standoff to a screeching halt, then this is what we need to do:

Tell the Chinese Tomorrow Morning that if they do not tell Kim Jong Il, in no uncertain terms, to knock it off with the threats, the Missile Tests, and the Nuclear Weapons Program, and find a way to behave himself and to get along with his neighbors and with the World, then we will balance the National Budget, pay off the National Debt, and fix our Social Security System over the next three years, all with Tarriffs and Duties on Chinese Goods, going and coming.

Tell them that we will tax exported Automobiles bound for China to the point that only high ranking Governmental Officials will be able to afford a Ford Focus. (They can ALL forget about buying an Expedition...)

Tell them that we will make a Chinese made paper drink umbrella cost Eleven Dollars.

Tell them that we will replace China with Mexico in the U.S./China Trade Partnership, until Mexico will be trying to close their Northern Border because of the influx of Workers crossing Illegally to look for Work.

If we did this, and stuck to it, all of the horsecrap coming from North Korea would dry up within Weeks.

But Big Business would fight that plan tooth and nail, as would the American Consumer.

We are as addicted to Chinese made junk as they are to selling it to us.

So we beg, we plead, we talk tough, and we threaten.

We will waste time with the United Nations, until they eventually agree to some sort of Sanctions on Rice, Fertilizer, and other Food related Items, and condemn thousands of poor North Korean Citizens to death by Starvation by Diplomacy, while the people who caused the problem continue to live in Luxury.

We have become unwilling, as a Nation, to solve Global Problems, no matter how serious or how dangerous these problems are.

So we will continue to put up with the likes of Kim Jong Il, and the whole World becomes more and more convinced that America can be intimidated and toyed with.

While we continue to slice up the carrots for the stew pot in which we will eventually cook.

With a knife made in China.

The Truth Slowly Begins To Seep Out...

I found this interesting.

From (Gasp!) Fox News...

Iraq How-to Manual Directed Arab Military Operatives In Afghanistan...
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Ray Robison

An Arab regime, possibly Iraq, supplied how-to manuals for Arab operatives working throughout Afghanistan before 9/11, and provided military assistance to the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

That's the most likely conclusion drawn from an apparent training manual unearthed in captured Iraqi government computer files translated and analyzed exclusively for Fox News, and made public for the first time.

The document, apparently written before the Sept. 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, could bolster the Bush administration's contention that Saddam Hussein was providing support forIslamic Extremists who were plotting against America.

The alledged document, supposedly captured in a recent unprovoked and possibly illegal U.S. invasion of an Arab Country, possibly Iraq, and apparently written before 9/11, could possibly bolster the Bush Administration's heretofore uncoroborated contention that an individual claiming to be Saddam Hussein may have been providing a small and insignifigant amount of support for Religious Fundamentalists who may or may not have been followers of Islam, and who might have mentioned in passing their general feelings of negativity toward America, or some other un-named Western Superpower, huh?

In case that was difficult for anyone to understand, let me translate it for you.

Iraq How-to Manual Directed Arab Military Operatives In Afghanistan!

In the above sentence, the words "Arab Military Operatives In Afghanistan", when translated from Journalist into English, means "Al Qaeda Terrorists."

The word "Iraq", means "The Saddam Hussein Regime."

So when we put these two translated phrases back into the orriginal sentence, we get this:

"The Saddam Hussein Regime 'How-To' Manual Directed Al Qaeda Terrorists."

But that doesn't even tell the whole story...

To get the whole story, we must put this translated sentence into context. To do this, we need only to look in the article, and find out when this "How-To" Manual was published by the Saddam Hussein Regime.

And that would be "before the Sept. 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks."

So let's put it all together now.

"The Saddam Hussein Regime 'How-To' Manual Directed Al Qaeda Terrorists before the Sept. 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks."

But wait! There is yet another important phrase that I have not yet added into my sentence, and I do not believe that my translation of this article is complete without it.

I will insert it now.

"The Saddam Hussein Regime 'How-To' Manual Directed Al Qaeda Terrorists who were plotting against America before the Sept. 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks."

Now, tell me how these were not the specific Al Qaeda Terrorists that attacked us on 9/11, and that they were old, and out dated Terrorists, and were no longer effective.

Feel free to recite the Left wing talking points about how this is only Bush Administration Spin, and that Fox News is only a Right Wing Propaganda Machine, and to tell me that I should be getting my news from unbiased and honest sources like Dan Rather, or the New York Times.

Go ahead and deal with this however you need to in order to feel better about being wrong on every single aspect of this War in Iraq.

The Truth is coming out. Slowly but surely.

If you need help understanding it let me know, and I will untangle it for you.

There's No Place Like Home...

Well, Xena and I just arrived home from a 1400 mile round trip fact-finding mission into the deepest, darkest jungles of North Carolina, with a stopover at the super-secure Tugboatcapn version of Camp David, located in the suburbs of Atlanta GA.

It was good to see the Family, and to scout out various possibilities for the future, but it is also good to be home.

The dog, Sydney, spent most of the trip in the back seat for a change. (He usually rides in Xena's lap.) This was not his idea, but he adjusted quite well, and that left Xena free to read most of Ann Coulter's new book to me while I fulfilled the driving duties.

We spent conservatively $180.00 on Gasoline, $175.00 on food, and another $200.00 between us on incedentals for a grand total of about $555.00 for a week of travel, fun, and frivolity.

We stayed with relatives, (Thank you Miriam, Wilton, and Mr. Dan!) and they fed us some of the time. (Thanks again!)

On Saturday, I went to the North Carolina Old Threshers Reunion in Denton NC with my Dad, my Brother and his son, and my Brother-in-Law. (All VERY cool people.)

Basically this is a Tractor Show featuring every type of old tractor, farm implement, power unit, hit-and-miss engine, lawn mower, car, truck, horse drawn buggy or plow or piece of machinery that you can imagine. I loved every minute of it. I am especially fascinated with the hit-and-miss engines which were used in the late 19th and early 20th Century to power water pumps, hay bailers, grain threshers and cotton gins.

One guy there had built, from scratch, a hit-and-miss engine which was about four inches long. We asked him if it would run, and he said "Oh, yeah."

He put his thumb over the air intake, spun the flywheel with his other hand and quickly let go of the intake, and it fired right up.

I saw the American spirit of ingenuity displayed in no uncertain terms there, over and over.

It is no wonder to me that this Nation is as great as it is. Americans do whatever we want to do, for no other reason than "because we can."

I also saw how close men in America came to being saddled with doing the laundry forever. (The first Washing Machines were gasoline powered.)

Xena spent the day playing with Daffy's kids, and hanging out with the rest of the girls. (I don't know if she had a good time or not.)

(Just kidding. She had a great time.)

Yesterday, we celebrated Independence Day by sleeping late, going to see the new Superman Movie (It's great! Go see it immediately if not sooner!) and grilling Steaks outside on the Deck at Xena's Dad's place. We watched TV late into the night, and talked about what we want to do as a couple over the course of the rest of our lives.

It was a wonderful day, and it made me realize again how God has blessed me in every way.

We made it home today at about 5:30 pm. The house was warm, and smelled like an old Trailer House. (I can't imagine why.)

But I loved it.

This is where we live.

There are nicer houses, better houses, newer houses. And someday, we will own one.

But for now, this is home.

And I am happy to be here.

It is the greatest place on Earth for me, right now.

And I thank God for seeing me and my little family safely back to it.

There's no place like home.

Happy Birthday America!

This is number 230.

I vividly remember the National Bicentenial Celebration in 1976. For a whole year, everything you saw had red, white, and blue stripes all over it.

I was ten years old, and I didn't understand what the big deal was at the time, but I remember what a big deal it was.

As the years go by, and I become more and more Politically Aware, Independence Day means more and more to me.

America is the greatest Nation on the face of the Earth, in the History of the World.

No exceptions.

Nowhere, Ever has allowed the Human Spirit to run free, and to realize it's full potential the way that America has.

Nowhere, Ever has the concept of personal Liberty been explored the way that America has explored it.

And as a result, nowhere, ever has the standard of living been as uniformly high as it is here. America's poor live a lifestyle reserved for the Rich in a lot of the rest of the World. Our poorest citizens have Televisions, Air Conditioning, running hot water and indoor plumbing.

The Poor in the rest of the World are starving to death. America's Poor are dying of Diabetes and Obesity.

We are free to look after each other in ways that the rest of the world cannot begin to understand.

And we do.

This is something to celebrate, and to be very proud of.

America is the place to be, by anybody's standards.

I was born here, and that was a blessing from God. I will never get tired of expressing my gratitude.

And I will never get tired of defending the policies and institutions that made America the envy of the World.

Today is America's Birthday.

Celebrate it with pride.

Enjoy spending time with family and friends, eat a burger or a steak, drink your fill of the beverage of your choice, sing, dance, and shoot off fireworks.

But never forget what it is that you are celebrating.

230 years ago today, our forefathers and the Founders of this, the greatest and free-est Nation in Human History declared our Independence from the Crown of England, and thus began this experiment in human freedom and self-sufficiency.

Rejoice today in our success.