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.

Tug's Observations On Life...

Here are a few things that I have noticed over the years.

They are totally random, and may not hold consistently true 100% of the time, but in my personal experience, they hold true most of the time.

So, here they are, in no particular order.

1. Everybody likes to have their back scratched, no matter who they are.

2. Nobody enjoys having their feet tickled. (Not even the dog.)

3. If you ask most women about the fuel milage that their car gets, they will tell you everywhere they have been since the last time they bought gas, and how much gas is left in their tank.

4. Nobody on Television ever has a dropped Cell Phone Call, or has poor Cell Phone Service unless a Killer is after them.

5. The 9 minutes between hitting the Snooze Alarm and actually having to get up are the best 9 minutes of sleep of the whole night.

6. Dogs understand the concept of personal property.

8. Cordless Power Tools are cool.

9. If your Wife is having a bad day, and you can beat her home, Wash the Dishes. (You'll be glad you did.)

10. Albums sounded better than CD's, and CD's sound better than mp3's.

11. Snakes are not as afraid of me as I am of them.

12. Good fences make good neighbors. No neighbors at all make wonderful neighbors.

13. Sometimes it's circumstances. Sometimes it's just bad luck.
And then again, sometimes, it's nobody's fault but mine.

14. Men, if they do manly things, need Pickup Trucks.

15. Nobody really wants to hear you complain...So sing, and let everyone else complain.

16. If you buy something on sale for 10% off, and put it on a credit card at 18% interest, you haven't saved any money.

17. There absolutely IS such thing as a stupid question.

18. Tommorrow is one of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

19. The only good Fly is a dead Fly, and even they don't taste all that great.

And last but not least, a wise old saying that I made up. (You might recognize it from my Blog Header.)

20. Every decision that you make in life boils down to these three questions...

What Do You Want?

What Does It Cost?

Can You Afford It?

It's The Least We Can Do!

My Wife got a call today from a computer which was taking a poll about the opinions of Americans like her.

It was interested in how she felt about the Democrat proposal on raising the Minimum Wage which failed to pass the senate last week because it was blocked by the Evil, uncaring GOP.

The conversation went like this:

Computer: "This is an automated poll. The Democrats recently proposed a bill in Congress to raise the Minimum wage, which has not changed for the past nine years, from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour.
The Republicans in Congress blocked this bill."

"If you support the democrat's plan to raise the Minimum Wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, press 1 on your phone now."

"If you oppose the Democrat's plan to raise the Minimum Wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, please press 2 on your phone now."

"If you are undecided or not sure, please press 3."

(She pressed 2.)

"For more information about the Democrat's Plan to raise the Minimum Wage, go to www.workingamerica.org."

*Click.*

My Wife and I both oppose the Democrat's Plan to raise the Minimum Wage.

But not for the reasons that you might think.

She is a Public School Teacher. At her job, she deals on a daily basis with children from every walk of life.

And fairly early on, she can identify with a certain amount of confidence which of her students will be wildly successful, and which will probably spend their lives working for Minimum Wage, or pretty close to it.

The Minimum wage kids break her heart. She tries to help them, push them, encourage them, and prepare them in any way that she can, to be successful.

But some of them simply will not be, no matter how hard she tries.

It has nothing to do with their family's Socio-Economic situation. It has nothing to do with their Race.

It really has nothing to do with their Intelligence.

It has everything to do with their willingness to work, and to pay attention, and on how soon they grasp the importance of getting a good education, and investing in themselves.

She opposes the Democrat's Plan to raise the Minimum Wage because she knows that raising the Minimum Wage will not help these people.

The reason that people work for Minimum Wage in the first place is because they do not have any skills. They have not invested in themselves.

They have decided for whatever reason to settle for the Minimum. This is a choice that they have made.

Since it is the least they can do, they do it.

And so, their reward is not very great.

(Obviously I am not talking about high school students working their first jobs, while going to school. These are the only people who should ever take a Minimum Wage job in the first place.

If you are trying to raise a family on a single Minimum Wage job, then you seriously need to re-evaluate your situation, for the sake of your children.)

I, however, oppose the Democrat's plan for a totally different reason.

I do not think that this plan goes far enough.

$7.25 per hour is an insult. Nobody can be expected to live on that, much less raise a family.

I believe that we should raise the Minimum Wage to Ten Million Dollars an hour, with a corresponding raise in pay for everyone who makes more than Minimum Wage now.

My plan would completely eliminate Poverty by Nine O'clock on the first day.

It would eliminate Joblessness by Eleven.

By Two O'clock on the first day, anyone in America who was willing to work at all would be hired immediately, and then become a Millionaire almost as soon as they showed up to work.

By day two, nobody in America would ever have to work again.

And then, as an entire Nation of Millionaires, we could focus on the important issues...

Like fixing Global Warming, fixing the problem of Global Poverty, and Eliminating War and Injustice, wherever it exists.

If we are going to raise the Minimum Wage, we should make it count.

It is the only option.

Sounds Like A Lot Of Bull To Me...

I swiped this from Neal Boortz's Website...


A Midwestern Perspective on Politics and Economics

DEMOCRATIC
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
You feel guilty for being successful.
Barbra Streisand sings for you.

REPUBLICAN
You have two cows.
Your neighbor has none.
So?

SOCIALIST
You have two cows.
The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.
You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.

COMMUNIST
You have two cows.
The government seizes both and provides you with milk.
You wait in line for hours to get it.
It is expensive and sour.

CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows.

BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE
You have two cows.
Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pours the milk down the drain.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one.
You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows.
You are surprised when one cow drops dead.
You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses.
Your stock goes up.

FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike because you want three cows.
You go to lunch and drink wine.
Life is good.

JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.
They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains.
Most are at the top of their class at cow school.

GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour.
Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.

ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows but you don't know where they are.
While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman.
You break for lunch.
Life is good.

RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have some vodka.
You count them and learn you have five cows.
You have some more vodka.
You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.
The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have.

TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two.
You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature's private parts.
You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons.

IRAQI CORPORATION
You have two cows.
They go into hiding.
They send audio tapes of their mooing.

POLISH CORPORATION
You have two bulls.
Employees are regularly maimed and killed attempting to milk them.

BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow.
The cow is schizophrenic.
Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish.
The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow.
The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk.
The cow asks permission to be cut in half.
The cow dies happy.

FLORIDA CORPORATION
You have a black cow and a brown cow.
Everyone votes for the best looking one.
Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one.
Some people vote for both.
Some people vote for neither.
Some people can't figure out how to vote at all.
Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow.

CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows.
They make real California cheese.
Only five speak English.
Most are illegal.
Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Matters Of Public Interest...

It has been a busy week in Iraq, and overall another good week for President Bush.

The U.S Military has been kicking butt all week long, acting on information which was recovered from Abu Musab Al Zarqawi's bombed out "Safe House". We have captured yet another top Al Qaeda operative, known as Sheik Mansur Sulayman Mansur Khalif.

American and Iraqi forces have killed 104 insurgents in 452 raids nationwide since al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed last week, the U.S. military said.

The United States has found 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003, and more weapons of mass destruction are likely to be uncovered, two Republican lawmakers said Wednesday.

That said that WMD were found in Iraq, and that more are likely to be found, in case you missed that fact. All that the Bush-haters will be able to do with that tidbit of information is try to spin it so that you will believe that Saddam Hussein didn't know about them, or that they are not the specific WMD that the President was refering to when he proposed invading Iraq, but facts are very stubborn things.

WMD are WMD.

And when WMD of any kind are found in Iraq, then the statement that there were no WMD in Iraq becomes false.

A lie.

No matter how you slice it.

Liberals lied while American Soldiers died.

Speaking of that subject, The U.S. military recovered the bodies Tuesday of two missing soldiers from an area it said was rigged with explosives. An Iraqi official said the Americans were tortured and killed in a “barbaric” way.

At least their torture was over fairly quickly, and they are no longer suffering at the hands of their captors.

Where is Amnesty International? Where is the U.N. Human Rights Commission? Where are all of the Liberal organizations who should be speaking out against this horrible and unforgivable treatment of U.S. Soldiers engaged in a fight for the Freedom of the Iraqi People?

Oh, yeah, that's right. They are in Europe, bashing President Bush over the Detention Center at Guantanimo Bay, Cuba.

I mean, who can forget all of the photos of those poor, innocent victims of U.S. Aggression, the photos of their mutilated bodies, their eyes gouged out, their sexual organs mutilated, their heads cut off?

THERE AREN'T ANY!!

We don't do things like that.

Americans at our absolute WORST are not as abusive as most of the rest of the World would be to Prisoners of War on a good day.

American Torturers play loud music. They turn off the Air Conditioner. They commit horrible violations of Political Correctness and hurt people's feelings.

Our Enemies castrate and emasculate people, and operate Rape Rooms and employ state Rapists.

They saw off people's heads, and publish video tapes of these events.

Terrorists Gone Wild.

And somehow WE are the bad guys.

But we are winning.

WE ARE WINNING.

Al, Qaeda may have bruised us, but we have bloodied and crippled them, all in the past week.

You will not see the War portrayed that way in the New York Times, but then again, that is no real surprise.

Their focus is, and has been to undermine America's ability to defeat Terrorists, and to over throw the Bush Administration, thereby returning Liberal Democrats to power, at whatever cost.

I say this because of the fact that with all of the success and positive news coming out of Iraq over the past few days, and in spite of the story that displays undeniably the brutality and inhumanity of our Enemies, They have decided that the best use of their time and resources today is to expose a very effective and valuable tactic of tracking Terrorist Activity, and thus render it useless.

Because THAT is a matter of public interest, dont'chya know.

Have you ever thought about the fact that the main weapon of the Terrorists who have declared War on America is the American Media?

Without our own News Media, their attacks would be of absolutely no consequence, except to the immediate victims of those attacks.

The Terror aspect of their tactics only comes into play when the Media broadcasts the news of their success.

And our Main Stream Media seems all too willing to assist them, not only with the spread of Terror, but by alerting the Terrorists to the systems and tactics by which we would thwart their efforts.

But then again, the New York Times has a Constitutional Right to assist Terrorists in any way that they can.

If you don't believe that, just ask the ACLU.

NOTE: Comment Moderation has been enabled. I am currently under attack by a peace loving Liberal Blogger, who only wants to spread love, togetherness, and understanding through his personal attacks, hatred, vulgarity, and profanity.

Bear with me. He will get tired of being ignored soon.

- TBC

The Reagan Legacy At Work...

Do you remember?

I do.

I remember all of the comedians making fun of "Ronald Ray Gun". I remember the "Star Wars" references, the ridicule directed at the very idea of such a system, and the assertions that it would never work, would cost too much, and could not be done.

I also remember that President Reagan stuck to his guns on it, and as a result, the Soviet Union conceded defeat in the Arms Race.

Thank you President Reagan.

Today, for the first time ever, The Pentagon activated it.

From the Washington Times, via the Drudge Report...

N. Korean threat activates shield
By Bill GertzTHE WASHINGTON TIMESJune 20, 2006

The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system, and officials announced yesterday that any long-range missile launch by North Korea would be considered a "provocative act."

You don't say? Just because they have been announcing for years that they are building a Nuclear Missile with which to attack the U.S. Homeland doesn't mean that their testing a Long Range ICBM is a "Provocative act"...

I mean, maybe the North Koreans want to use their Long Range ICBM for humanitarian purposes...

Like taking out San Francisco, California.

So, North Korea has at last completed assembly of their "Do It yourself Intercontinental Ballistic Nuclear Missile Kit" provided to them by the Clinton Administration.

But do not worry.

President Reagan provided a way for us to protect ourselves from threats like this one.

While the Democrats said in unison that it could not be done.

Just like they always do.

Happy Father's Day!

I haven't recieved a single Father's Day Gift.

No card, no power tools, no gaudy neck tie, no nothing.

Maybe it is because my children do not appreciate everything I do for them. Maybe they forgot that Father's Day was coming up. Maybe they didn't have any money.

Or maybe they find that it is extremely hard for them to shop for me, because they haven't been born yet. (I can see how not existing yet could seriously hamper your ability to accomplish your goals.)

But that does not mean that I have done nothing for them.

I married their future Mother, so that they will have a stable, two parent household in which to grow and develop.

I work a job, so that when they do arrive, I will be able to provide for them.

I try to stay healthy, so that when they are older, I will be around for them to borrow money from.

I worship God, so that when they are old enough, I can introduce them to Him, and so that I will be qualified to guide them on their voyage of discovery of right and wrong.

And last but certainly not least, I remember and understand the value of the lessons my own father taught me, and the wonderful example that he set for me, and continues to set for everyone around him.

My father is a Southern Baptist Minister. He pastors a small church in Brunswick NC.

He has lived his whole life in faithful, unwaivering pursuit of the Will of God. Nothing was ever more important to him than being in God's Will in all things, and while he was not always perfect, he got a lot closer than most people do.

I was never worried about whether my parents would do the right thing for our family. I was never subjected to the uncertainty and confusion children are forced to face because of their parents' marital instability, or their parents' irresponsible decisions or lifestyle choices.

My parents both believed that they were guided by a higher power, and they actively sought that guidance and leadership.

My father was, and still is the most capable man that I have ever encountered. My whole life, I have watched him do whatever came along that had to be done.

He raised a beautiful garden every year, and we ate what it produced. He repaired his own cars when they broke down, built lawn mowers from scratch and used them for years, and built the house that he and my mother live in now.

He taught me by example that I have just as many fingers and toes as anyone else does, and if they can do something, I can do it too.

He is very active in the Baptist Men's Disaster relief program, and automatically assumes a position of leadership in any situation in which he finds himself. The people around him automatically look to him to organize activities, partly because he carries himself with an attitude of authority, and partly because he has proven himself repeatedly to be a capable and decisive leader.

He taught me from an early age that there are always going to be emergencies and disasters, and when they occur, it is better to be one of the helpers than one of the helpless.

He taught me to depend on myself first, ask for help if I need it, and provide assistance when I can. He taught me never to sit around and wait to be rescued, no matter what my situation might be.

My father raised his children to be productive, responsible adults, and I believe that we all turned out pretty well.

I only hope that I can do as well when my own children arrive.

That would be the greatest tribute that I could ever offer my father.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you.

Response To The Anti-War Patriot...

A commentor over at Mike's America asked the following question:

"How is being anti-war a sign that a person is anti-American? Why a person living in the great democracy such as yours can not be a patriot unless he/she believes in your brand of politics?"

Here is my reply.

"Being Anti-War in itself does not make a person Anti American. No one enjoys War for the sake of War. (Not even Republicans.) But when War becomes necessary, it is necessary.

The more forcefully and decisively it is engaged when it is necessary, the sooner it is over, and the longer it will take for another enemy of America to attempt to engage us in another one. The more effective a threat of war will be at the negotiating table during future contests of Ideology and Policy with Governments who do have America's best interests in mind.

A person living in our great democracy has every right to oppose War as a concept. The right to peaceful dissent is one of our cornerstone Freedoms.

But the vast majority of the Anti-War crowd who are active in America at this particular time are in reality "Anti-Bush". They use an "Anti-War" stance as a tool with which to undermine the Elected Leaders of our country and their policies, and to obstruct progress and depress public opinion about any progress that has been made during the War, all of this in order to attempt to regain Political Power for Democrats.

That is Un-American.

These people waste no opportunity to portray America as a force of evil in the world which goes around attacking Nations which have done nothing wrong simply because those Nations may have Oil.

These people constantly assert that American Troops massacre innocent people and torture prisoners of war, announce to the World that our fighting forces are under equipped, under manned, and unable to win an armed conflict against an enemy who basically fights using sticks and rocks.

That undermines the credibility of our Nation around the World and emboldens enemies who, because of this type of rehtoric, begin to believe that they, too, might be able to win a war against America.

This leads to future attacks against American interests and American Citizens, and more War.

That is Anti-American.

These people constantly call for America to effectively surrender, and pull the Troops out, knowing that when America did this before (in Viet-nam,) it led to the slaughter of millions of innocent people at the hands of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and provided our enemies with an example of how to beat America in Armed conflict. (An example that the current Anti-Bush crowd is following to a T during this War.)

That is Un-American.

I want to stress again the point that the Anti-War people in America are doing all of these things in order to regain Political Power at whatever cost. If Democrats regain their power, and America recieves a Black Eye as a Nation because of their tactics, then that is acceptable Collateral Damage in their opinion.

That is Anti-American.

Anyone is free to oppose War. But once we become entangled in a War, the only option is to WIN the War, and then apologize, restore the victims, rebuild the destruction, and repair the damage on our own terms afterward.

Pushing for American Surrender, Defeat, and International Embarrassment is Anti-American and Un-Patriotic."

Uhm, Uhh, Well - I Duh..Ahhh, Ahem...

From the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday:

Wolf: "Murtha wants a redeployment over the next several months. John Kerry wants a redeployment over the next several months. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, does not, but you, Nancy Pelosi, are saying that Democrats and you are more in line with Murtha than with Senator Clinton?"

PELOSI: Well, e-e-exactly. Yeah, no. I don't think -- in the -- in the House there isn't very much support. I don't exactly know what Senator Clinton's position is.

Well, exactly. Yeah, no. You don't think?

At least she's articulate.

That may be the fastest Democrat Flip-Flop I have ever heard.

This is exactly what America needs. More of this type of leadership.

Don't Take My Word For It...

From FoxNews.com...

(I wanted a credible news source for this one...)

The Dan Rather Era Is Over
Thursday, June 15, 2006
By Neil Cavuto

There was a time when he was "all that."

So big, so quoted, so "it," that it seems hard to believe he has now become a "so what?"

The Dan Rather era is over. Reports are that he's leaving CBS, not with the bang by which he came in, but with barely so much as a kind whisper on the way out.
CBS executives are apparently not interested in extending his contract.

Not for reporting. Not for commenting. Not for anything.

So Long, Sucker.

I wish him nothing but a long and happy retirement, making up stories for his Grandchildren. Far away from the hassle of public life.

We have heard enough of his made up stories.

I guess, in a way, Republicans owe Dan Rather a profound debt of gratitude. He provided an unquestionable example of the Left Leaning nature of Main Stream Media at a time when a demonstrable example of that was sorely needed.

The case could be made that George W. Bush owes his second term as President to Rather.

We appreciate it.

The "Rathergate" incident marked a turning of the tide, of sorts. It caused a lot of people to realize that the News Media would indeed lie to them, if it advanced their political agenda.

So, ironically, the Legacy of Dan Rather, once the most trusted man in America, is this:

Question everything you hear. The people that you trust will lie to you if it serves their purposes. Do your own research.

I hope we have all learned this lesson well.

The more informed we are, the longer we will remain a Free People.

It's Good To Be On The Right Side...

The past few days have been a good days to be a Conservative Republican.

But then again, every day is a good day for that.

Our Military has finally demonstrated that no matter how brutal and bloodthirsty Terrorists may be, they still have not mastered the art of playing catch with 500lb cans of American Whoop-Ass against the U.S. Air force.

The EEE-VIL Genius Karl Rove, despite overwhelming, undiscovered evidence of his depravity and corruption, has once again escaped the clutches of the Judicial System, and will remain free to engineer the defeat of even more Democrats in the upcoming Elections.

Denny Hastert announced on Monday that no matter how loud the Senate may scream over the decision to do so, the House is actually planning to READ the 500 page Unconstitutional Immigration Bill that the Senate sent them a few weeks ago before they vote to send it to the President to (hopefully) be Vetoed.

The Grocery Bill at The Guantanimo Bay Murderous Bloodthirsty Enemy Combatant Detainment and Interogation Facility has decreased slightly, and there are now enough newly vacated cells there for at least three more Terrorists.

Ann Coulter is on a Book Tour, and has demonstrated without question that the deeper you stab a Jack Ass, the louder it brays. She is #1 on both the Amazon Best Seller list, and the NYT list, as well as several Liberal hit lists, and the Daily KOS Sh... Well, they have her on a list as well.

Which is fine with her. When your opponents absolutely hate your ever-lovin' guts, that means that you are effective.

John Kerry and Jack Murtha have been reduced to pleading for President Bush to bring home the Troops before they mess around and win the War, apparently hoping to relive the Glory Days of the 2000, and 2004 Elections.

The Democrat National Committee has announced that in order to take back America from it's rightful owners (Republicans who BELIEVE in America), they have decided to take the Democrat Party in a "new direction." They are going to turn Left.

Al Gore's new Science Fiction Movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" has finally drummed up enough attention for the myth of Capitalist Induced Global Warming that the Scientific Community are starting to come out and shoot that fairy tale down.

This is common sense. If Global Warming is caused by Human Beings, then why is it happening on Mars?

Oh, that's right. We sent two SUV's up there.

The President demonstrated that he will come to your house if he wants to, and demonstrated it to none other than the Prime Minister of the Newly Formed Government of Iraq. He also proved that he does not have to submit his Itenerary to the Press so that his whereabouts can be published to the Enemy during a time of War.

The President these past few days has demonstrated something that the Democrats absolutely do not understand.

Leadership.

Honest, decisive, straightforward, confident, unapologetic Leadership. The type of Leadership that the President of the Greatest, most prosperous, most powerful Nation in the History of the Human Race should display.

This is a very good thing.

Watch his Poll Numbers rise over the next few weeks. (If you can find any reports of the President's Poll Numbers. When they rise high enough, The Press will stop reporting them.)

These are ALL very good things. And not just good for Republicans.

Good for AMERICA.

So now, since I am a Compassionate Conservative, I am faced with somewhat of a dilemma. A Crisis of Conscience, so to speak.

Is it right to make fun of Democrats when they are struggling?

Beats me.

Sure is fun, though...

Oh, and Happy Flag Day!

(That means Salute it, not Burn it.)

Mission Accomplished!

Hey! We got one!

After only three years, and the deaths of only 2,500 or so American Troops, we finally killed a Terrorist!

John Kerry and John Murtha wasted absolutely no time in finding microphones and cameras in order to proclaim that now that we have killed Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, now we can begin to bring the Troops home.

Mission accomplished!

(They were careful not to use that phrase, however... They do not want anyone to beat them over the head with it the way that they did the President over the Banner on that Air Craft Carrier that the President obviously stayed up all night working on...)

I do not know what to think about all of this.

Some in the Media have told me that Al Zarqawi was not really an important figure, and that his death means very little. Some others have told me that he has now become a Martyr, and that the very mention of his name will now be enough to inspire hundreds of thousands of new Terrorists and Insurgents, ( so they make a point of mentioning his name at every opportunity.)

Still others seem to want me to believe that American Troops simply wanted to kill the child who was in the house with Al Zarqawi, and that he was just a collateral casualty. The American Troops were glad to get him however, (according to these people,) because it gave them the opportunity to snatch him off his stretcher and beat him to death while hundreds of witnesses looked on, for the simple enjoyment of watching the blood squirt out of his nose.

(If this is your view of what happened, or if you believe that any part of this happened, then I do not want to hear from you. If you have video of American Troops sawing off his head while he was still alive, or setting his body on fire and dragging it behind a HumVee through the streets of Bahgdad, then we'll talk.)

Enough about Al Zarqawi. He was a bloodthirsty monster, for whatever reason, and he has been rendered incapable of taking any more human life.

Good.

As far as his death being a reason for bringing the Troops home, the mission has not yet been accomplished.

If you are sitting around waiting for an announcement from the Government that we will soon begin to stage a large scale Troop withdrawal from Iraq, you are wasting your time.

There will never be a large scale Troop withdrawal.

Never.

That opportunity for Political Grandstanding will be forever denied.

When the job is done there, and it is time for the Troops to come home, they will be slowly rotated home, and not replaced, until over the course of time there will only be enough Troops there to maintain whatever Military Bases are necessary in Iraq to protect U.S. interests in that area of the World.

America will forever more have Troops stationed in Iraq.

Get used to it.

Cat Fight!

Woo-Hoo!!

Hey, guess what?

Ann Coulter has a new book out. The title is "Godless: The Church Of Liberalism." In it, she speaks out against four 9/11 Widows that she calls "The Witches of East Brunswick."

These women are making a career of selling the memories of their husbands who died in the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks to the Left Leaning Media, and using their husbands' memories to push a Democrat political agenda. They have spoken out in support of an independent commission to examine government failures before the attack (a good idea), and in the 2004 presidential campaign they endorsed Democrat John Kerry (a BAD idea).

The fact that Coulter has chosen to exercise her Constitutional Right to Free Speech and speak out against these Saintly Victims of Republican Policies that created Global Terrorism has angered, of all people, Hillary Clinton.

"Perhaps her book should have been called 'Heartless,"' the senator said. "I know a lot of the widows and family members who lost loved ones on 9/11. They never wanted to be a member of a group that is defined by the tragedy of what happened."

The New York Democrat and former first lady said she found it "unimaginable that anyone in the public eye could launch a vicious, mean-spirited attack on people whom I've known over the last four and a half years to be concerned deeply about the safety and security of our country." (NewsMax.com)

Oh, really? I have known over the last four and a half years that President Bush is deeply concerned about the safety and security of our country, and that has not slowed Mrs. Clinton and her ilk from launching daily, vicious, mean-spirited attacks on him.

Well, Hillary does not scare Ann Coulter, who responded immediately.

"I think if she's worried about people being mean to women she should have a talk with her husband."

"Before criticizing others for being "mean" to women, perhaps Hillary Clinton should talk to her husband who was accused of rape by Juanita Broaddrick and was groping Kathleen Willey at the very moment Willey's husband was committing suicide." Said Coulter. (The Drudge Report.)

Apparently, Hillary believes that she will be running against Ann Coulter in the 2008 Presidential Election. (And in my opinion, Coulter has about as much chance of being elected President in 2008 as Hillary does.)

Why is it that when Democrats accuse Republicans of wanting to starve children, wanting to force people to drink polluted water and breathe dirty air, wanting to force the elderly to choose between eating dog food and buying their prescription medications, wanting to steal from the poor and give to the rich, and wanting to kill brown people all over the world for oil, that is portayed as "Civil Political Discourse", but if Republicans say outrageous things against Democrats, that is "Mean-Spirited and Cruel"?

The truth is that this whole exchange was juvenile and immature. This is Jerry Springer Politics.
We should expect more from figureheads of our respective parties.

I like Ann Coulter, most of the time, but she should have known (and probably did know) that she would be crucified by the Media and the entire Democrat Party over her statements about these 9/11 Widows.

But she is entitled to her opinion.

For the time being.

Hillary, however, should know better than to engage in Playground Politics. She is planning a run for the Presidency, by all accounts.

How about a little Statesmanship?

(Note: I did not post a photo of Ann Coulter, because I do not have to.)

Who Cares?

For some reason I can't seem to Blog anymore.

I sit down at the computer, go to the "Create New Post" screen, and stare at it.

I minimize the window, go to Drudge, NewsMax, the NYT, Rush's website, Hannity, Boortz, the Onion, Mark's Blog, ER's Blog, Lone Ranger's Blog, and Ebay.

Nothing.

I'm not fired up enough about anything to put an opinion into words.

I just do not care.

Illegal Immigration? I know that nothing good will be done on that issue by the self serving political Hacks in Washington, so my getting upset about it serves no purpose.

The Defense of Marriage Act? The Hacks are going to pretty much call each other names, pull every proceedural trick in the sizable book to trip one another up, sling mud, try to enrage their respective bases, and then vote right down Party Lines, all except for just barely enough Republicans siding with the Democrats to keep a Constitutional Amendment from happening.

I, personally do not care one way or the other whether Gay people get married. Do it. Don't do it. Don't do it and say you did.

Just keep it to yourself. Leave me out of it.

I don't care.

Bush's approval numbers are up? Who cares? I didn't believe them when they were low, and I don't believe them now.

Ann Coulter's new book? I love her. Some of you hate her. We are not going to change each other's minds.

Religion? Jesus is the Son of God. He was/is neither Liberal nor Conservative. I will not attempt to hijack Him and use His Message for my own purposes, and if you choose to do so, then in the end, you will answer to Him, not me.

Gas Prices? They are falling, slowly. They are still too high. My crying about it will not change anything.

Iran? Still being run by Maniacs. Still a ticking Time Bomb. Still 10,000 miles away. Israel will deal with them when the time comes. The time has not yet come.

Haditha? The Report is not yet out. Neither I, nor anyone else knows for sure what happened there. The Marines involved are due their Constitutional Rights to Due Process. If they are Guilty, then they will be punished, and it still is not as bad as the attrocities that would have been committed against Iraqi Citizens by Saddam Hussein had he been allowed to remain in power.

To those of you who oppose the War effort, I hope that this incident makes you happy. History will ultimately prove that you have been wrong.

But you will not listen to me about it. Feel free to continue in your self- righteous ignorance.

I don't care what you think either.

I guess I could write about the things that happen around the house...I watched Television, I played with the Dog, I talked to the Wife, I went to work, I came back home.

You guys don't care about that stuff either.

Maybe Tommorrow I will find a subject that makes me angry enough to write about.

Tonight it all seems pointless.

Backlash...

From the Boston Herald...

Claws, Tongues Sharp In Beauty Salon Brawl
By Michele McPheeSaturday,
May 27, 2006 -

Fake nails and women’s shoes were flying as a bloody claw fight erupted at a Dorchester salon after one primping patron allegedly screamed at a woman bantering in Spanish, “Speak English! This is America!”

Just minutes after the melee broke out at Kathy’s Nail Design at 261 Bowdoin St., it escalated to the point of a 911 call.

A cop who arrived to break the fracas up got angry red scratches on his neck and arm for his trouble. They were left by a woman who’d just spent $40 for French manicure nail tips, said the shop’s owner, David Win.

Now, how about that?

This is what happens when our Government and the Media whip the American Public into a lather about an issue, and then does nothing about it.

Or makes matters worse by constructing legislation which amounts to nothing more than a gratuitous power grab on behalf of an already bloated and overgrown Federal Government, or a political show for no other purpose than to be able to claim that they have addressed the issue in an Election Year.

The Immigration issue is a powder keg waiting to explode, and every day, and with every new round of discussion on Capitol Hill, the fuse gets a little shorter.

The President seems to want to grant Amnesty and Citizenship to everyone who can sneak in to our Country, for God only knows what reason.

The Republican Party seems to want cheap Labor for their Big Business cronies, and the Democrat Party wants millions of disadvantaged, overworked, underpaid, oppressed, disgruntled Voters who might buy into the idea that Democrats might look after anyone besides themselves. (I should say, the elected representatives of the Republican and Democrat Parties inside the Beltway.)

Neither Party, nor the President seem to care what the American People want.

The American People want our Borders secured. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs.

The American People want the Laws of our Country enforced.

The American People want Representation by our Elected Leaders.

Sadly, I do not believe that we will get it on this issue.

The pundits say that there is still hope, and that it lies in the House of Representatives, but I believe that they are too worried about covering up what they have hidden in their offices and freezers to do the right thing on the Immigration Issue.

I wish I could be more optimistic, but I can't.

But there is one thing that I know about the American People. We solve our own problems in the end.

When the realization sets in that our government will not solve this problem, the Minutemen will finish their Fence. Employers will stop using Illegal Laborers. Beauty Shop Patrons will demand that the people around them speak English.

If our Elected Representatives fail to deal properly with this problem, America could become a very hostile place for Hispanics, Legal or Illegal.

I hope it does not come to that.

I Know Everything... Almost...

Well, as of about 07:00 this morning, I am officially 40 years old.

I thougt when I was younger that by the time I turned 40, I would be filthy, stinking rich.

Well, I got the filthy, stinking part down pat. Still working on the rich part.

I thought that by now, I would know everything.

Well, I don't. Not yet.

There is one thing that I still do not know. (See if you can guess what it is...)

Here are some things that I DO know.

1. I KNOW WHAT WOMEN WANT.

2. I KNOW EVERY WAY UNDER THE SUN TO WORK YOURSELF DOWN, WITHOUT MAKING ANY MONEY.

3. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY BOOKS A DOUBLE WIDE MOBILE HOME WILL HOLD.

4. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY DAYS I CAN GO WITHOUT SLEEP.

5. I KNOW THAT POLITICIANS, (ALL OF THEM) ARE THE POPULAR KIDS WHO MADE FUN OF YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL. NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRUST THEM WITH YOUR LIFE, YOUR MONEY, OR YOUR FREEDOM.

THEY THINK YOU ARE STUPID.

6. I KNOW BETTER THAN TO EVEN JOKE ABOUT WANTING A BOX OF CONDOMS FOR MY BIRTHDAY.

7. I KNOW THAT I AM SMARTER THAN MY WIFE IS.
(I married her, and She married me.)

8. I KNOW THAT ONE COMPUTER, ONE GUITAR, AND ONE KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUT IS TOO MANY, AND A THOUSAND WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH.

9. I KNOW THAT IT IS A BAD IDEA TO JOKE WITH THE BORDER GUARDS ON THE USA/CANADA BORDER. (About anything.) (Long story.)

10. I KNOW THAT ALL OF THE PROBLEMS OF SOCIETY ARE CREATED FROM THE TOP DOWN, AND SOLVED FROM THE BOTTOM UP.

There's more.

If you need to know anything at all, just ask me.

You might just hit on the one thing that I do not know.

May 24th, 2005

Today is my one year Anniversary on the Blogosphere.

I have learned a lot, made a few friends, and ticked a few people off.

I have wasted an enormous amount of time, stayed up too late, and ignored my Wife on occaision because of my Blog.

I have had a little over 10,000 hits since I set up my hit counter, but I had been Blogging for several months by that time, and I only count original hits, so I really have no idea how many times my site has been viewed, or by whom. I normally get between 50 and 60 hits per day, so I guess I'm pretty happy with that.

I still sometimes misspell words or make mistakes with my typing, and I always will. As long as my readers understand what I am trying to say, there is no need to sweat the small stuff. This is a hobby. Nobody pays me to write anything, and it doesn't cost anyone anything to read it. I never promised perfection.

I am truly amazed that anyone is interested in my rantings, but I'm glad that you are. I started Blogging because I needed an outlet for all of the things that rattle around in my head all the time, and so far the Blog has served that purpose quite well. The fact that I also get to interact with other opinionated people is a bonus (in most cases.)

So tonight, I want to thank all of you, my readers. Whoever you are.

Whether we agree or not, at least we are talking, and that's a start.

It's been a fun year.

No Post Tonight, Either...

Much more important subjects to deal with tonight than Politics...

Like American Idol.

Go, Taylor!!

No, I can't do this two nights in a row.

Have you ever heard of Rep. Mike Pence? (Indiana)

He gave a speech at the Heritage Foundation Today outlining the only workable plan for dealing with the Immigration Problem that I have heard from anyone.

(It's even better than mine, and that's saying something...)

You can read the text of his speech here.

I sent Rep. Pence an E-Mail tonight.

I will post it here.

"Representative Pence...

I am a Conservative. I vote Conservative.

I LIVE Conservative.

What can I say or do to encourage you to run for the Presidency of the United States in 2008?

The political landscape at this time is shaping up in such a way that it will leave me unrepresented yet again for at least six, and as long as ten more years.

As you well know, the Bush Administration is not a Conservative Administration. Domestically, President Bush is the most Liberal President America has ever had.

I support the President in the War Efforts, both in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I support the Tax Cuts, and believe that more Tax Cuts are needed.

But Spending under this Administration is out of control, and there seems to be no end in sight.

Any action that the current Congress and Senate may take on the issue of Illegal Immigration will be disasterous at best, because the current Legislators are motivated more by hopes of Re-Election than by any discernable Convictions of Principle.

You are the only person that I am aware of who has voiced any real Conservative ideas.
America NEEDS you.

The Conservative Base is crying out for some Real, Decisive, Conservative Leadership, and you alone fit the bill.

If I need to send Money, then tell me where to send it.

If I need to move to Indiana, then I will do it.

If you need a Campaign Manager or Advisor, I will work for less than $35,000 per year.

Let me know.

I will do whatever it takes.

You MUST do this, for the Good of our Country."

What do you think?

I believe that a strong, unapologetic Conservative would DOMINATE the next Election Cycle.

The American Public is not disgusted with Conservatives, they are disgusted with Politicians.

A choice between Hillary and McCain would be absolutely no choice at all. They are two sides of the same Plug Nickel.

We need a real choice.

If you love this Country, and the things that have made it great, then Write Rep. Pence.

Encourage him to be the Republican Nominee in 2008.

No Post Tonight...

Watching 24.

Talk amongst yourselves...

Pickin' Party...

Over at D.Daddio's place, He, ELAshley, and Dan Trabue have been beating each other's brains out for the last couple of days over which side has historically had the stinkiest Presidents.

ER has launched yet another attack against God's Church, and the Made-Up Media Boogey Man known as the "Religious Right, in his continuing quest to determine whether or not God still uses Lightning Bolts to smite people.

Mark is attempting to reclaim the English Language for Republicans.

My most recent post deals with the fact that Government regulations have prevented me from buying a vehicle that I do not want, and would not buy, at any price.

Seems a little pointless when I look at it all in the context of the real big picture.

I like all of these guys, and I am tired of arguing all the time.

Let's talk about something pleasant for a change...

I have been pleased to learn recently that D.Daddio is a Picker, and so is Dan Trabue.

I know that ER plays Guitar, and so do I. (I also play Banjo, a little, sometimes...)

Daffy plays Flute, and so does Xena.

So, what do you play, and why?

How did you get started?

Are you passionate about it, or do you just noodle around with it?

Are you any good?

What brand of Instrument do you have?

What brand do you want? What style of Music do you play?

What style do you listen to mostly?

If you could learn a new Instrument, what would it be?

Why haven't you tried it already? Or have you?

Music, Time, and Politics are all Human inventions.

We've all talked about Politics ad-nauseum. Let's branch out...

Truck Suit? Chevrolet Snowball?

Do you know what this is?

I didn't either.

I saw one on the highway the day before yesterday, and I made a point to remember the logo off the tailgate, so that I could look it up when I got home.

It's a Chevy Tornado.

Cool. huh?

Do you want one? Well you can't have one.

They are manufactured in Brazil by General Motors, and only sold in Mexico and Brazil.

The list of features from the Premier Chevrolet Website (translated by Google) is absolutely priceless.

"General Motors have marked to the history of the Mexican automotive industry with load vehicles, conserving the smoothness of handling of the Chevrolet suspension. Returned Chevrolet is one of the great launchings for the 2006 and surely small leader in the Mexican market will become pick-up.

Returned Chevrolet is the new member of the more powerful group of pick-ups of the market.
He is ideal for people with work necessities that please of a design. Returned Chevrolet is a versatile and functional vehicle for those who looks for an economic car and of low maintenance, that also can be used for the business or the diversion.

The outer design of Returned Chevrolet presents/displays a robust and youthful, same line that makes from nobody pick-up of its category different.

Account with an innovating, sport and attractive appearance and presents/displays the following characteristics:

• Tinted Crystals
• Windshield shaded in the superior part
• Intermittent Windshield wiper with adjustable speed and system ejector of cleaning liquid
• Hooks of drag, forward and buttock
• Lateral Steps
• Lateral Hooks of subjection in the box

Returned Chevrolet account with an inner design of great amplitude, comfort, ergonomics and visibility, offering the following characteristics:

• Seats of bucket with adjustable heads and endorsements
• Folding Saddle horn of the side of the passenger
• Space Max Cab (Concept who offers interior of great space and comfort)
• Visors with mirror of vanity covered for conductor and passenger
• Flying of three arms
• Guantera illuminated with cover
• Analogous Instrument panel with cluster in black color and details in gray
• Multipurpose Compartments of storage in the instrument panel and the doors"

You show me an American vehicle that comes standard with "Lateral hooks of subjection in the box", "Seats of bucket with adjustable heads and endorsements", or "Flying of three arms"...

(I also love the line about 'Visors with mirror of vanity covered for conductor and passenger"...)

Now, don't get me wrong. This would not be my first choice of vehicle, but this thing (from the best translation of MPG to l/km that I could come up with), gets a little over thirty miles per gallon, and costs less than $10,000 American Dollars brand new.

It is big enough to haul my butt, my lunch box, and my cooler from Brooksville to Tampa every day, and when it wore out, I could throw it away and get another one.

Except that the Government of the United States will not let me buy one.

They are not sold in the U.S. because they are not safe (by U.S. Standards, no passenger side Airbag, no Antilock Brakes), and they do not meet U.S. Emissions restrictions.

The reason that they cost so little is because they are built in Brazil (No UAW workers to pay) and they are not required to meet U.S Government Safety and Emissions Standards.

VW has a version of this same vehicle that is even more efficient, and costs even less.

Now, you may never want a vehicle like this. But picture yourself as a young College Student or minimum wage Wal*Mart Door Greeter trying to take responsibility for your own Health Care Insurance, who needs a dependable, fuel efficient vehicle with a very low monthly payment with which you would be able to haul yard sale furniture, books, backpacks, groceries, Beer, Pizzas, and the occasional Girl (or Boy, as the case may be.)

This thing might actually be the ticket. I really believe that there is a market in America for these little trucks. (If we can all get past the fact that they look like the Early-Eighties Dodge Rampage or Subaru Brat...)

But the Government has regulated them out of your reach. Even if they decide to allow a U.S. version, it will cost $8,000 more than the Mexican version, putting it out of the financial reach of the transportation seeking American Poor.

So forget it. You can't have it. Just like the 5 gallon per flush Toilet, Analog Television Broadcasts, and R-12 Freon, it's just too dangerous for the Government to let you have, no matter how useful to you it would be.

At least it is good to know that our Government is looking out for our best interests...

Should They Stay Or Should They Go...

Illegal Immigrants, that is...

The feeling that I get from cruising the Blogosphere, watching TV and listening to the Radio, is that pretty much every American with an opinion thinks that they should go, but that getting rid of them is an impossible proposition.

I mean, after all, we are talking about a whopping 5% of the American Workforce. Five or ten or twelve or twenty or sixty million people, depending on which pundit you choose to believe. What would happen to the price of Tomatoes? Who would serve our food, do our laundry, vacuum our Hotel rooms, hang our Drywall and nail down our Shingles?

We HAVE to have these low-wage workers to offset the fact that we stupidly did away with Slavery in the 1800's, and then to make matters worse, we passed the Civil Rights Act during the 1960's, effectively doing away with the Domestic Underclass, and SOMEONE has to do these crappy jobs...

This is simply another problem America faces which was brought upon us by Republicans.

All that aside...

As one of the few Americans remaining who has not yet sacrificed the capacity for rational thought upon the altar of Political Correctness, I take solving the World's problems as a very serious duty.

So far, no one that I have heard speak about this issue has actually proposed a workable plan to deal with the problem of Illegal Immigration, so allow me to offer mine.

Step 1: ( How to secure the Border.)
BUILD A FENCE. Build it long, build it high, build it NOW. Put razor wire on the top, and machine gun nests every 100 yards, and a gate every 500 miles. Use undocumented workers as a cost saving measure, and make sure that the last brick is put into it from the South Side.

Patrol our side of it twenty four hours a day, seven days a week with enough National Guard Troops to make sure that each squad will be able to see the next at all times.

Make it impossible for anyone to cross our Border unnoticed.

STOP THE FLOW OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN BORDER, WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Step 2: ( What to do about the ones who are already here.)

(This is a radical proposal...Stay with me...)

NOTHING.

Leave them alone. There is no need whatsoever to send them home, make new laws preventing them from getting jobs here, or punish them in any way for being here illegally.

Let them live. Let them work. Let them stay.

If they return to Mexico for any reason, make them go through the proper channels to come back. If they want to bring family members to America, make them bring them through the System.

If an Illegal is arrested for any reason, from Murder to unpaid parking tickets, document them at that time. If they apply for Government Assistance of any kind, from Emergency Health Care to Welfare to WIC, make a record of them.

Start tracking down Employees whose Social Security Numbers are bogus, and identify and document them.

If they send a child to Public School, apply for a Driver's License, Marriage License, Business License or Home Ownership Loan, make a record of them.

Within a few years, we will know who is here, and where they are, for the most part.

Their children who are born here will be Citizens, whether the Parents ever become Citizens or not, and within forty or fifty years, the Illegals will die off, and be gone.

If we stem the tide of new Illegals, the System will eventually right itself and absorb the ones who are already here, without manipulation by the Government.

Step 3. (Demand Assimilation)

Declare the National Language of The United States to be English, and from that point forward, do not print any Government Document in any other language.

Segregate Non English speaking school children from the English speaking children, and teach them nothing but English Language Classes until such time as they are able to display proficiency in communicating in English, at which time they can be integrated into the student body at whichever grade level with which they can keep up.

Allow an abbreviated path to Citizenship for Undocumented School Children who perform exceptionally in school, as well as extra incentives for excellence in the form of Government Scholarships to good Colleges for those who go the extra mile, and cut all of this off if the child gets into any kind of trouble. This will reward hard work, and develope a high priority for Academic Excellence and overall good behavior among the undocumented community, and provide the best chance for children who are underpriviledged due to their family's undocumented status to take advantage of the blessings that America offers.

These are the high points of my plan. There are details to be filled in, obviously, and none of my plan (or any other plan) will work without first sealing off the Border. No one will ever be able to forge a plan to deal with an ever increasing flow of Illegals over our Border without sacrificing everything that has made America Great for all these years.

Mr. President, if you need help drawing up a workable, fair, and straightforward plan to solve this problem, give me a call.

(The NSA has my number...)



( Hat tip to Lone Ranger, one of my heros on the Blogosphere.)

Watching The Fourth Amendment Slip Away...

Okay, I don't want to hear any more about how horrible the NSA Telephone Number Database Program is from anyone on the Left until you are ready to join with me in calling for the Dismantling of the IRS, and the repealing of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.

Every year, every American Citizen fills out and sends in a report to the Government outlining how and where they make their money, how much money they make, and how and where they spend their money. They are required, if called upon to do so, to produce paperwork proving that this report is accurate, and if they cannot do so to the satisfaction of the investigating Government Official, they are required to either pay a punative Fine, serve Prison time, or both.

This does not seem to bother anyone on the Left, even though it is a far more invasive intrusion into our privacy than the NSA Telephone Database Program.

The Income Tax Return is used SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of determining how much of your private property the Government can seize. (Just because it is money does not mean that it is not your property.)

(Besides that, try not paying your Taxes for a few years, and see if the Government does not take away your house.)

The Fourth Amendment reads:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

If the Government can throw you into Jail for Tax Evasion, then you are not secure in your person. If they can take away your house, then you are not secure in that. If they can demand your papers, then you are not secure in those either. If they can take away your money, any of it, then you are not secure in your effects.

They do not issue Warrants on an individual basis to collect your most personal information, nor to confiscate your property, probable cause or not.

The 16th Amendment clearly violates the 4th, on a point by point basis.

It has to go.

So, after we have successfully overturned the Violation of my Privacy Rights which is the Income Tax System, then maybe I will consider joining in with those of you who are offended by the NSA stuff.

Until then, feel free to Joust at whatever Windmill you feel is the most Dangerous.

Just don't expect me to join you, unless you are willing to Joust alongside me.