tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86196627477005096552024-02-20T13:54:25.236-06:00Third Party AnimalIt's a Freedom Thing. You wouldn't understand.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger634125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-86276985580892613512010-07-16T09:15:00.001-05:002010-07-16T09:17:45.265-05:00BREAKING: REID QUITS; DEM LEADERSHIP IN FULL PANIC MODE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu_oiw1PHzh2SNfKGyR-elpMF-fu0136pUxQ6HuHK7aLVXkB5iVaGb7lUx1MxvG1Mb3IrJIKg6TMne1LVtJzNRhWMd_E1sqdn_-W82tPtE7Pi2Ni1Hgo3MGTqw3d4b9IUUY5sAPUZQww2/s1600/newspaper.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivu_oiw1PHzh2SNfKGyR-elpMF-fu0136pUxQ6HuHK7aLVXkB5iVaGb7lUx1MxvG1Mb3IrJIKg6TMne1LVtJzNRhWMd_E1sqdn_-W82tPtE7Pi2Ni1Hgo3MGTqw3d4b9IUUY5sAPUZQww2/s400/newspaper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494507891100345842" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-63748473676052025412010-07-15T20:12:00.002-05:002010-07-16T09:23:16.184-05:00ExcerptThen he said, "This fall I think you're riding for-- it's a special kind of fall, a horrible kind. The man falling isn't permitted to feel or hear himself hit bottom. He just keeps falling and falling. The whole arrangement's designed for men who, at some time or other in their lives, were looking for something their own environment couldn't supply them with. Or they thought their own environment couldn't supply them with. So they gave up looking. They gave it up before they ever really even got started." -from THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-91691138597796608912010-07-06T09:10:00.001-05:002010-07-06T09:13:02.873-05:00Gummint Cheese: Eww.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuIfHCOQ1jtpxUeBSLkjIFNPok702KLUFQSPgoh4RD4EfLXvV4cl-pW2rg4iBhLosewXrjssfDpICAJhMARrC-UsfV02zyEDwCxyhyphenhyphenX76VoDCQh7vAxoTt9FLC936Urgh4srizAsFUcMG/s1600/GummintEww.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuIfHCOQ1jtpxUeBSLkjIFNPok702KLUFQSPgoh4RD4EfLXvV4cl-pW2rg4iBhLosewXrjssfDpICAJhMARrC-UsfV02zyEDwCxyhyphenhyphenX76VoDCQh7vAxoTt9FLC936Urgh4srizAsFUcMG/s400/GummintEww.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490795783397360978" /></a><br /><br />Click pic to embiggenate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-7027458296532694442010-07-04T14:52:00.001-05:002010-07-04T14:52:15.797-05:00I wish it would cool off again so I can wear my Super Comfy Pamper Time $1 Thrift Store Jeans I got @ Another Season in Salem. Take THAT, Obama's economy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-82295797385909355262010-06-23T21:23:00.001-05:002010-06-23T21:23:15.930-05:00TAMPICO Mango Punch tastes even better if you say TAMPICO like you would say SABADO GIGANTE! on Telemundo or Univisión. #fbUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-37828310878894714792010-03-31T00:00:00.000-05:002010-03-31T10:44:46.766-05:00FROM THE ARCHIVES: Pterodactyls Abduct Boy Scouts, Obama Votes "Present."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR74JP69agN9s1PT5HAPFV7dyT6Fbazzg1wonEFo05ShRuOYW-zZQoLwLTIUBEopTohjv0qwZgsvSIMohBbqiOX4Mz7mnoNt3ghB-irlLrDN2DEn1XwWzNWIZ6sf-63U0FxQpXG-JqD05a/s1600/PteroScouts.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 317px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454823969515347938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR74JP69agN9s1PT5HAPFV7dyT6Fbazzg1wonEFo05ShRuOYW-zZQoLwLTIUBEopTohjv0qwZgsvSIMohBbqiOX4Mz7mnoNt3ghB-irlLrDN2DEn1XwWzNWIZ6sf-63U0FxQpXG-JqD05a/s400/PteroScouts.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><br /> Click pic to embiggen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-89975131842665930532010-03-11T09:47:00.003-06:002010-03-11T09:52:54.016-06:00Two Poems By John Hutchison.<div align="center">(1.)</div><div align="center"><strong>What The Voice In My Head Shouted At The Three Idiots Who Do Not Grasp The Concept That One Is Supposed To Be QUIET At The Library.</strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong> </div><div align="center">Will!</div><div align="center">You!</div><div align="center">SHUT!</div><div align="center">UP!!!</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">(2.)</div><div align="center"><strong>What The Voice In My Head Shouted At The Old Woman Blocking The Aisle In The Grocery Store, Not Doing Anything, Just STANDING THERE In The Way.</strong></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">Move!</div><div align="center">You!</div><div align="center">Old!</div><div align="center"><em>BAT</em>!!!</div><div align="center"> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-58195123401617379272010-03-06T09:49:00.000-06:002010-03-06T09:50:19.437-06:00If there was truth in campaigning...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigDq6OvfKimjBOlA3I2wDkSuxweH6fu7EVXFA4_pBiSFg0bhi6SjhACElkEOuOSFhX5UnpHRT_zJXM5gm9eXl74YzS1yQGMHzmOIHcLzngJ3HCcPtowyTF1rhZsVIgbFDeV9se3h4aajb/s1600-h/smokenmirrors.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 301px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445548590684606946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgigDq6OvfKimjBOlA3I2wDkSuxweH6fu7EVXFA4_pBiSFg0bhi6SjhACElkEOuOSFhX5UnpHRT_zJXM5gm9eXl74YzS1yQGMHzmOIHcLzngJ3HCcPtowyTF1rhZsVIgbFDeV9se3h4aajb/s400/smokenmirrors.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-83201327888589712712010-03-03T10:25:00.001-06:002010-03-03T10:26:48.045-06:00New poster.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALSflJoGHeff-g-wVL9L4KZ2MnHqAPS8ay6cO5IbsWiBZr4RR3IceTqCQGfUGlha83ewunOY5grKrwH5WgQziGGznsCB4AtUN1nRcy5OXUgD77YQ36SW-njkBr2JZvYaGDfY_lZHU87y-/s1600-h/rand.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 269px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444444792212452466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALSflJoGHeff-g-wVL9L4KZ2MnHqAPS8ay6cO5IbsWiBZr4RR3IceTqCQGfUGlha83ewunOY5grKrwH5WgQziGGznsCB4AtUN1nRcy5OXUgD77YQ36SW-njkBr2JZvYaGDfY_lZHU87y-/s400/rand.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-33721887918120481062010-03-03T10:14:00.001-06:002010-03-03T10:15:38.296-06:00A Year On.<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8urEn_71RYNKsq3wTPu3qNIGrRTEA8lsRnizmZdi7JtgW02x_JXGFXLY82kgXi3y716azhcz5UrXcuNnSr89Cf5d04m46og60JRx5q_lUuKwuZGv95bC0_1GklbE-1oTKu-DQsQvtABB/s1600-h/falsehope.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 270px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444441792115951778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb8urEn_71RYNKsq3wTPu3qNIGrRTEA8lsRnizmZdi7JtgW02x_JXGFXLY82kgXi3y716azhcz5UrXcuNnSr89Cf5d04m46og60JRx5q_lUuKwuZGv95bC0_1GklbE-1oTKu-DQsQvtABB/s400/falsehope.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPMM782MwRWPqTTjmOa1Dqux1GWW748hWNOf4EEBB9AFuoeXOQ_0P172KdQ7KMpu_-3XHCp0mPs_4AodC7CeYOvFYNZ2cCmcLJy-bTzl5vrx1fwUyGHaXc2Tm4SngdPh_U7scpTPHMsgu/s1600-h/sparechange.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 268px; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444441805066779762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvPMM782MwRWPqTTjmOa1Dqux1GWW748hWNOf4EEBB9AFuoeXOQ_0P172KdQ7KMpu_-3XHCp0mPs_4AodC7CeYOvFYNZ2cCmcLJy-bTzl5vrx1fwUyGHaXc2Tm4SngdPh_U7scpTPHMsgu/s400/sparechange.jpg" /></a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-43746993417930723922010-02-18T12:23:00.001-06:002010-02-18T12:30:17.191-06:00Introducing JOKER'S WILD...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8KaUzc1GQxIzKfdlztZZxY9WrVSmPlPASQ6qzdHB8fREjOqs1ey6kJ_pRTuiLpWwPKSJBvGY-7e9zT7otbQ0YTViqUwT_zglXD5aD8BuGX72LFBN6Yj7vz-n06Ba9c02L1FSEDB_3rIz/s1600-h/rear.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439652552588689234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 253px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw8KaUzc1GQxIzKfdlztZZxY9WrVSmPlPASQ6qzdHB8fREjOqs1ey6kJ_pRTuiLpWwPKSJBvGY-7e9zT7otbQ0YTViqUwT_zglXD5aD8BuGX72LFBN6Yj7vz-n06Ba9c02L1FSEDB_3rIz/s400/rear.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEJqo9y_FvmLqjB5Yrc1_-ecvEwdys8Gcsg0nK8tgC_JXmGNl3x8-X7sHN2QnWyp_N4kseRzi19qa8LRIXxec_FlWbbCg0u7uGbw0ZdVtmXcGnIj5264dss241dijWkFTx1KwDcUQ5AK5/s1600-h/top.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439652544519860466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEJqo9y_FvmLqjB5Yrc1_-ecvEwdys8Gcsg0nK8tgC_JXmGNl3x8-X7sHN2QnWyp_N4kseRzi19qa8LRIXxec_FlWbbCg0u7uGbw0ZdVtmXcGnIj5264dss241dijWkFTx1KwDcUQ5AK5/s400/top.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvIn6rNPcjRIGkZIpeSGlfJm1aRqdoJkTlH2_jGEdL0Z-WHAKT0BGYJgyrZqzRWUgkwVx8zfHyvmKWAMLTasy8SwXANH5JJBNiHI-12bLYjaUNVpp58AmuIr3Gp7BnWg8GEixv_RUzLrH/s1600-h/pasgrside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439652542329363138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvIn6rNPcjRIGkZIpeSGlfJm1aRqdoJkTlH2_jGEdL0Z-WHAKT0BGYJgyrZqzRWUgkwVx8zfHyvmKWAMLTasy8SwXANH5JJBNiHI-12bLYjaUNVpp58AmuIr3Gp7BnWg8GEixv_RUzLrH/s400/pasgrside.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8dQdov7o_9PmpWJOWPhZ-qsCGtNkcjWotqS88TARugL3PdvmVUE5capJJzMeD4CeqR8vSVWjx4urQbVbXkY1h6Xhv4LtL3Gmkd1qj0OaaJrEcVl9bPy3IDYrXYUfEn4xn1cQedkQfvTY/s1600-h/drivside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439652538450861650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8dQdov7o_9PmpWJOWPhZ-qsCGtNkcjWotqS88TARugL3PdvmVUE5capJJzMeD4CeqR8vSVWjx4urQbVbXkY1h6Xhv4LtL3Gmkd1qj0OaaJrEcVl9bPy3IDYrXYUfEn4xn1cQedkQfvTY/s400/drivside.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-dhYIg_o22U2qO4imVJo-ym96UmW65vl9XAARKd46su_kRI2pIcFTxyrJ3LzRv8MvvvnTM7aYQsyhrcVKnioiVnO_q6uEEFpMqH6keNJ6ds9vZCAthHT0csSITIThyphenhyphenNP_qaR0Y6UwPtM/s1600-h/front.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439652529889040626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 248px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-dhYIg_o22U2qO4imVJo-ym96UmW65vl9XAARKd46su_kRI2pIcFTxyrJ3LzRv8MvvvnTM7aYQsyhrcVKnioiVnO_q6uEEFpMqH6keNJ6ds9vZCAthHT0csSITIThyphenhyphenNP_qaR0Y6UwPtM/s400/front.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Click on each pic to embiggen it.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-57218053520323754032010-02-17T10:45:00.001-06:002010-02-17T10:53:12.498-06:00If I could design a car for NASCAR, this would be it.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5r-Od69-lNP6BZntWyl5Q1QStPYxbNvP3jt6J0KD9DV1qzxDCAPurz6OVd104waF4g-D2IZNMuFdwFDjetEpFdoJJ2oLm8an28V1zh4lPpegI_QuOUMSlVMKwt-Wh4Ab9t3_uQCx8X_5c/s1600-h/top.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439256100888124338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5r-Od69-lNP6BZntWyl5Q1QStPYxbNvP3jt6J0KD9DV1qzxDCAPurz6OVd104waF4g-D2IZNMuFdwFDjetEpFdoJJ2oLm8an28V1zh4lPpegI_QuOUMSlVMKwt-Wh4Ab9t3_uQCx8X_5c/s400/top.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYxAfRoisp9v-Vxy9F8QE8mVM7FV-IRx3-hzd9uvnlym_Tw0EiRtWg9i9qWB6HvSluRdlffKiRoEdki1tkvwi8Gl0VQsUxaTSS3WiTw7MKctdvqFJNB5RzryBpE8NNdZ0TBCzTFEzhB4n/s1600-h/rear.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 288px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439256094193633570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYxAfRoisp9v-Vxy9F8QE8mVM7FV-IRx3-hzd9uvnlym_Tw0EiRtWg9i9qWB6HvSluRdlffKiRoEdki1tkvwi8Gl0VQsUxaTSS3WiTw7MKctdvqFJNB5RzryBpE8NNdZ0TBCzTFEzhB4n/s400/rear.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WfMVY-UR_cZUjkfthQlCf05moyHb5c6YEoBZUoqg5ucRRgXniB_MlmUqjbU4OmvCWfaIgN-MiTQ97TsreKHI0UxOvdm10VW9QQuzMFdjbgjUjjDUm_x24Wv0UcOLQuO8vTIgYv_YhnkJ/s1600-h/front.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 296px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439256090067720514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WfMVY-UR_cZUjkfthQlCf05moyHb5c6YEoBZUoqg5ucRRgXniB_MlmUqjbU4OmvCWfaIgN-MiTQ97TsreKHI0UxOvdm10VW9QQuzMFdjbgjUjjDUm_x24Wv0UcOLQuO8vTIgYv_YhnkJ/s400/front.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JkJMd-5nDCtCLyZx51NEn-OkrhnnNOd0TY166jCMZ1WuC_YCVIcrxdnb0lqsbWkCrANn1FziJMs5PZKHZL0f_93YHF7i51MdfnLEuEL2DybfaFGeM59ChX0DlLW-Gc_iJqhdzJOpw6Mk/s1600-h/drivside.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 152px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439256087113105170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3JkJMd-5nDCtCLyZx51NEn-OkrhnnNOd0TY166jCMZ1WuC_YCVIcrxdnb0lqsbWkCrANn1FziJMs5PZKHZL0f_93YHF7i51MdfnLEuEL2DybfaFGeM59ChX0DlLW-Gc_iJqhdzJOpw6Mk/s400/drivside.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiN3hyphenhyphenWaTIlAd0XDTwbW4vDBp-AJsi8AUBhb4Z1fDipd1c34FzbOilI73YOW_Tzt5C4qF2BtWbVmTNvXcccR9j3RXhkqAjUKLj7StVzj38FVuphGs0A0q3CPKPGjeCatd25WeXxouFhzZ/s1600-h/passside.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 125px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439256083836200146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbiN3hyphenhyphenWaTIlAd0XDTwbW4vDBp-AJsi8AUBhb4Z1fDipd1c34FzbOilI73YOW_Tzt5C4qF2BtWbVmTNvXcccR9j3RXhkqAjUKLj7StVzj38FVuphGs0A0q3CPKPGjeCatd25WeXxouFhzZ/s400/passside.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />The base colors need to be evened out, but this is the general idea.<br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-60291941518505021742010-02-03T09:30:00.004-06:002010-02-03T09:50:59.297-06:00The Hutchison Plan to Shave $2.7407B off the Deficit, Without Raising Taxes, in 5 Easy Steps.<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-budget-deficit2-2010feb02,0,5052151.story">The 2010 deficit is $1.56 trillion.</a><br /><br />1. Pardon all federal prisoners convicted of nothing but simple marijuana possession. <a href="http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815">Savings: $1 billion.</a><br /><br />2. Ground Air Force One and use Skype for Obama's little thinly-disguised campaign appearances instead. <a href="http://theintrepid.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-much-does-it-cost-to-operate-air.html">Savings: $68,000/hr, at least $200 million a year.</a><br /><br />3. Cancel the National Endowment for the Arts. <a href="http://www.arts.gov/news/news09/2010-nea-budget-request.html">Savings: $161.3 million</a>.<br /><br />4. End "Don't Ask; Don't Tell." <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-4107-International-LGBT-Issues-Examiner~y2010m1d27-Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell-has-cost-US-taxpayers-half-a-billion-dollars">Savings: $29.4 million per year.</a><br /><br />5. Halve the budget of the National Parks Service. <a href="http://home.nps.gov/news/release.htm?id=951">Savings: $1.35 billion per year.</a><br /><br />Now, if <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=United+States+Population">the other 304,059,723 of you</a> can come up with 5 similar steps each, we've got this deficit problem licked.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-1212116205080744622010-01-28T09:51:00.002-06:002010-01-28T09:57:12.734-06:00January 28, 1986.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0MdX9vNXx0sBvWNxoiDTxobvmZKTCL9LAlwD4T0DVqsd223_J1ghg3POs41OyUjISA9QqNqoW0xgmeU-nMJhOyZzO8QspfdVaYENy0rOML0x0IwQ2PEnbWDsKAoYTibVn-E-HYHx7E2g/s1600-h/challexp.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431819572364276802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir0MdX9vNXx0sBvWNxoiDTxobvmZKTCL9LAlwD4T0DVqsd223_J1ghg3POs41OyUjISA9QqNqoW0xgmeU-nMJhOyZzO8QspfdVaYENy0rOML0x0IwQ2PEnbWDsKAoYTibVn-E-HYHx7E2g/s400/challexp.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we've never lost an astronaut in flight; we've never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.<br /></div><br /><div>For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, 'Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy.' They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.<br /></div><br /><div>We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.<br /></div><br /><div>And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them...<br /></div><br /><div>There's a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, 'He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.' Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.<br /></div><br /><div>The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'" -- Ronald Reagan, at the Challenger memorial service.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-92112555180889789252010-01-25T10:47:00.001-06:002010-01-25T10:48:40.975-06:00Good thing he's going to a government school, so it can beat such creativity out of him.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5BC8JjHMTPmivzWXbALznndCAoUe3OhEeFORnbLdwkCV4LFikt_lxEvD58FurN-N0ouKPbP-FNaNAqs6RG1hX2suk93gKsek2S_HHU52UsEiibXRzFdozI8OSyidyvUKC0-244CFvosx/s1600-h/yungjim.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430720155631117026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5BC8JjHMTPmivzWXbALznndCAoUe3OhEeFORnbLdwkCV4LFikt_lxEvD58FurN-N0ouKPbP-FNaNAqs6RG1hX2suk93gKsek2S_HHU52UsEiibXRzFdozI8OSyidyvUKC0-244CFvosx/s400/yungjim.jpg" /></a> Click pic to embiggen.<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-28603269874584102182010-01-01T00:35:00.001-06:002010-01-01T00:35:57.267-06:00Just after midnight New Years morn. All my texts are failing. Any ideas what's going on? Cyber attack?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-83848414885303754452009-10-24T08:55:00.004-05:002009-10-24T09:26:44.759-05:00Timeline of Rick Sanchez 10/22 lie.October 22, one of the topics discussed on Rick Sanchez' portion of CNN Newsroom was the limiting of executive pay and bonuses for those seven companies that have not paid back their bailout money.<br /><br />I began with two tweets to Rick.<br /><br />2:04 PM "@ricksanchezcnn. Since Congress & the White House rely on taxpayer $ to stay afloat, shouldn't they take a 90% pay cut too?"<br /><br />2:09 PM "@ricksanchezcnn How many of those 7 firms have already TRIED to pay the taxpayers back but were NOT ALLOWED TO DO SO by Obama?"<br /><br />These are CLEARLY pro-CEO-bonuses (actually, pro-sanctity-of-contract).<br /><br />I don't have an exact time for Rick's comments, because I can't find a YouTube video of the show, but I do know Rick's first comment relevant to this came after my second tweet and before my third.<br /><br />According to the <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0910/22/cnr.07.html">show transcript</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez.Boy, you guys are -- we call this a national conversation and let me tell you something. The nation is conversing<br />and all of you <strong><em>to a man and to a woman</em></strong> seem to be angry at these big Wall Street fat cats.<br /></p><p></p></blockquote><br /><br />I knew this was clearly a lie, considering I myself had tweeted twice taking the side Rick claimed nobody was taking. I didn't have access to Twitter at the time (cheap cellphone; can't surf the net with it) but I could surmise that I surely wasn't the only one, either.<br /><br />2:16 PM "@ricksanchezcnn just outright lied, said ALL his Twitterers 'TO A MAN' were angry abt corp bonuses."<br /><br />I honestly thought Rick would take this opportunity to go back and correct his <ahem>error. He didn't.<br /><br />(I'm fairly certain this Sanchez quote came after my 2:16 tweet but before my 2:28 one.)<br /><br /><blockquote>SANCHEZ: By the way, I'm still waiting.<br /><br />Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez here in the world headquarters of CNN.<br /><br />I'm still waiting for one person to Twitter me since this show began -- maybe it will be you -- Twitter me if you believe that the Wall Street bankers should get their bonuses, because I swear, <strong>I have yet to get one person who's backing the bankers on this thing.</strong> I have never seen a situation where it's quite so one-sided.<br /><br />In fact, look. Look at this one that we got just a little while ago during the break. It's another one. And it seems to say the same thing. "Look, if you get government money, all deals are off. No big paycheck until you pay off the debt." That seems to be what everybody is saying.<br /><br />I would be interested. Again, if you're out there and you believe that the bankers should be getting their bonuses, send me a tweet. I would like to hear what you have to say. Maybe you can even things up. Oh, I doubt it.</blockquote><br /><br />I sent another.<br /><br />2:28 PM "@ricksanchezcnn The CEOs should be paid what they're owed. Dodd, at Obama's urging, put in the loopholes that demanded it, remember?"<br /><br /><blockquote>SANCHEZ: Let me share a couple more on the Twitter page, if we possibly can. There you go. "What the bankers should be getting is a nice kick in their rear end."<br /><br />And underneath that: "You're nuts. No one's going to fight for these bankers." There you go. If you're serious, I'm serious. Let me know. <strong>If you think that you can explain a cogent reason why these bankers should get their money, send me a tweet and we will put it on right away</strong>.</blockquote><br /><br />2:46 PM "@ricksanchezcnn Ppl who get welfare still have to honor their contracts. So why shouldn't bailout corps have to honor their contracts to CEOs?"<br /><br />and finally<br /><br />2:51 PM "@ricksanchezcnn Out of the last 50 years, how many years has the US gone further in the red? Where's THEIR [i.e. the govt] 90% pay cut?"<br /><br />Rick didn't put any of them on. Which means "we will put it on right away" is ALSO a lie. He did manage to put an @MikeBates tweet on, so I know it wasn't a case of getting lazy late in the show and not putting on any new tweets, which sometimes happens.<br /><br />It's not a situation where Rick didn't see my Tweets. He has, on several occasions, had no problem finding my tweets and putting them on the air.<br /><br />Spin is one thing; we are talking about bald-faced lying. He deliberately, blatantly lied. And I called him out on it.<br /><br />I watched yesterday, to see if he might, just MIGHT grow a little integrity and admit that he lied (he sure had no problem calling out FOX for what he perceived as a lie, now did he?) or at least retract the claim that his Tweeters TO A MAN AND TO A WOMAN were angry about the bonuses.<br /><br />But he didn't.<br /><br />And because of that, I will no longer watch his show.<br /><br />And I'm in the process of composing an email to CNN explaining WHY I will no longer watch his show.<br /><br />Participation implies endorsement, and I do not endorse his lying. I will no longer loan him my legitimacy by participating in his little charade.<br /><br />@RagnrDannskjoldUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-8815442756098129032009-10-15T09:11:00.004-05:002009-10-15T09:20:17.648-05:00Squidgy.You know <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssOq02DTTMU">that commercial</a> where the little girl takes what she calls "happy words" out of reviews of Microsoft 7 and makes them the dialogue for cartoons?<br /><br />Well, I'm at the store yesterday and I was forced to buy a package of Jaffa cakes, a product of Jacob's Biscuits, a subsidiary of <a href="http://www.jacobfruitfield.com/">Jacob Fruitfield Foods Limited</a>, for absolutely no other reason than it had the following happy words on the box.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 342px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392831204047053330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbvy07YN3BPmr_qTCJWw4ioktzpZA10_at0VFVfNagGHddJ8aJg_8mLF5Sgj7UP3N_wL1WeRcJLElNNhPmKYhl02DkV5Rxe6npXDEWaBz3r1kAM7aDolEM6F3nxAwPGuSVyGNP6HHdcdc/s400/squidgy.jpg" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-56298513763475411122009-10-06T08:44:00.004-05:002009-10-06T09:06:49.887-05:00Picking up black walnuts to Bring Down THE MAN!(WARNING: This post is Not Safe For Work if you're Al Gore.)<br /><br />Yay! Hooray for me! I'm done with walnuts for the year! After probably ten hours of work, I cashed in my walnuts today, and received as a reward for my work a grand total of $6.57.<br /><br />That wouldn't be much, if the story stopped there, but it doesn't.<br /><br />I took my walnut money and bought two of the little pull-chain light socket adapter thingies that let you turn off a light bulb without flipping the power switch.<br /><br />I put them in the bathroom, so now I can burn only one bulb when I need only one bulb, which is the vast majority of the times I'm in there. The only time I really need to burn all three is when I'm shaving. With the pullchains, I can turn on the two over the mirror at the sink if I need them, and turn them back off when I'm done. Previously, with all three running off the same switch, it was all or none.<br /><br />Awhile ago, I had already switched out the 60-watt incandescent bulbs for 23-watt CFLs, so now instead of running 180 watts whenever I went into the bathroom, I'm only running 23 watts, less than 13% of what I WAS using.<br /><br />(Pause here while Al Gore needs a moment of "alone time.")<br /><br />I may ... MAY ... switch out the one bulb for a 10-watter from the kitchen. That'd be a 94+% energy savings.<br /><br />(Pause here for Al Gore again.)<br /><br />If I wasn't effectively trading walnuts (which are of no real use to me) for the adapters, I don't know how long it'd take for them to pay for themselves, but I don't think an estimate of "years" is all that unreasonable. So I don't know how cost-effective this is for real-live, actual humans. But once they save enough to pay for the three bucks or so per adapter, everything else will be just gravy.<br /><br />(Now someone please get Al Gore a baby wipe!)<br /><br />P.S. The less electricity you use, the less money you're paying the utilities in rates, and thus the less money you're paying the government in sales taxes. Just one little way to help Starve The Beast.<br /><br />(Now Ron Paul needs a baby wipe too!)<br /><br />Now, just to review -- Yay! Hooray for me!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-83515167803597880332009-09-28T09:24:00.002-05:002009-09-28T09:34:27.371-05:00As long as we're on Michael Moore...... his <a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/IF-MICHAEL-MOORE-WAS-GERMA-by-ALONE-090926-24.html">little pie analogy</a> is just stupid. But, for the sake of argument, assume it's not stupid. <br /><br /><blockquote>Speaking on inequality and lack of access to good loan conditions and livelihood for the vast majority, Moore stated “There's the larger crime, though, of course, of how the pie is divided in this country. And the fact that one guy can come to the table and take nine slices of that pie and leave one slice for everyone else at the table to fight over, that is criminal. </blockquote><br /><br />He does not consider the possibility that that one person bought the ingredients for the pie, supplied the stove, and hired a baker to make the pie. If it's your pie, you get to decide how it's divvied up, right?<br /><br />Nor does he consider the fact that over the years, that person has "grown the pie" and improved the ingredients, so that the "crumbs" are now larger, better-tasting and more healthy than entire pies were as recently as a half-century ago.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-53590929275670328132009-09-28T09:02:00.002-05:002009-09-28T09:17:05.313-05:00This is "The Most Trusted Name In News"?From CNN <strong>News</strong>room (keep that "News" part in mind; it's important later) ometime last week,emphasis mine:<br /><br /><blockquote>Michael Moore: And when you and I went to college, we didn't have to go to a private bank to take out a loan that would have us in hock for the next 20<br />years, a loan that would eventually have us paying $500,000 to the bank just so<br />we could go to college. When we went to college, there was a sign on a door that<br />said "Financial Aid Office," and you went in there and you got a grant or a<br />scholarship, work study, you might have to work in the library 10 hours a week,<br />you know, maybe a low-interest loan, like a one or two percent, pay it back when<br />you can to the college. I mean, that's the way it worked. People got to go to<br />school and you weren't in debt. Our 22-year-olds now, when they leave college,<br />they are socked with so much credit card debt because, of course, the credit<br />cards are all over the campus encouraging kids to sign up for these things. And<br />they're in student loan debt. The noose is already around their neck, and they<br />don't really maybe get to go and explore their dreams, or work the jobs that<br />they would like to work, because they have to get to work right away at any job<br />they can get because they have to start paying off these loans and these credit<br />cards. It wasn't that way 30 years ago.But this beast, this beast call<br />capitalism, just got so out of control and it just said, you know, I'm going to<br />gobble up whatever I can gobble up. And it's an insatiable beast. You can never<br />stop it. And even when it's exposed for being a corrupt system, like it was in<br />this last year, it just moves on to the next thing to suck money out of.<br /><br />Rick Sanchez: Well, then why is it -- you know, it's funny, <strong>because I don't<br />think anybody who just listened to you say that, whether they are on the right<br />or on the left, Republican, Libertarian, whatever the heck they call themselves,<br />are going to disagree with what you said</strong>, but yet when we watch protests, all we hear people say is give more power to the corporations and take it away from the government. How have they been able to pull what appears to be a snow job off?<br /></blockquote><br /><br />What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, first, on it's website, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/sanchez.rick.html">CNN lists Sanchez under the "Anchors & Reporters" heading</a>, not "Commentators." An anchor/reporter ought to be sticking to the facts, not presenting personal opinions as if they WERE facts.<br /><br />Second, it's flat-out wrong. <strong>I</strong> disagree with what Moore said. Capitalism has built this country into the strongest, freest, most prosperous country in the world. And under capitalism, while the rich got richer, the poor and middle class got richer too. Today's middle class have it better than the rich did even fifty years ago. And this country's poor have it better than a lot of countries' rich.<br /><br />I used to think MSNBC was the most insidious, with their far-left agenda. But while MSNBC claims to get you the real story, it's with a little wink; you KNOW what you're getting when you tune into MSNBC. But what CNN does is try to pass off agenda-driven opinion/commentary as objective, fact-based news. And that's just dishonest.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-3773142950013952962009-09-25T08:46:00.006-05:002009-09-25T09:31:24.031-05:00Barack Obama's THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPEROnce upon a time in the heartland of America, an ant and a grasshopper were discussing the future on a bright spring day.<br /><br />"I'm going to gather a little extra food each day and store it away for the winter," the ant said. "That way I'll have enough to last until next March, when the grass and seeds will start growing again."<br /><br />"Oh, that's too hard!" exclaimed the grasshopper. "Besides, there's time to do that later. I'm going to take some time off to enjoy the summer and have some fun!"<br /><br />So every day, the ant would work hard gathering food, carrying it past the grasshopper, who played his fiddle and paused only long enough to smirk or laugh at the ant.<br /><br />"You work too hard!" he observed. "Who do you think you are?"<br /><br />The ant answered "I'm someone who intends to survive another year!" and kept on going.<br /><br />This continued all summer and into the fall.<br /><br />Little by little, the food became scarcer and harder to find.<br /><br />The ant didn't worry; if he didn't find enough food in a day, he would take a small amount out of storage to fill his plate. With careful rationing, he'd still have plenty to last until spring.<br /><br />But the grasshopper grew hungrier and hungrier and became resentful of the ant.<br /><br />"Who does that greedy little ant think he is, hoarding all the food?" he muttered to himself. "He thinks he's too good to share with those less fortunate than him!"<br /><br />When the grasshopper's appetite grew too voracious to control, he petitioned the Deer Leader, a tall, lanky creature with protruding ears, whose job it was to make all the decisions the woodland creatures had to live by.<br /><br />"Look at all the food that greedy ant has, Deer Leader, and I don't have ANY! If I don't get something to eat, I'll be dead by November! It's not fair!" he implored.<br /><br />So Deer Leader paid a visit to the ant.<br /><br />"It's not fair that you have so much, ant," he said, "while the grasshopper has so little."<br /><br />The ant cried, "But I worked hard for every piece of food that I have! If you take it, all that work will have been for nothing!"<br /><br />Deer Leader snorted derisively, "Then maybe you shouldn't have worked so hard!"<br /><br />Angered, the ant asked "And why is it that the grasshopper had NO responsibility to work HARDER, instead of playing his fiddle all summer?"<br /><br />Deer Leader snorted again, "What an insensitive question!"<br /><br />Deer Leader <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">seized</span> half the ant's food and took it to the grasshopper.<br /><br />"Here, grasshopper," he said as he dropped the food on the grasshopper's doorstep. "When the rich, greedy ants won't share, remember that Deer Leader will take care of you, because I CARE."<br /><br />The leaves fell, and soon the snow did too.<br /><br />As December faded into January, the ant, who had gathered enough food to last until March, and the grasshopper, who hadn't even gathered enough to last through November, starved to death, dying in fact on the same day.<br /><br />And Deer Leader laughed and laughed and laughed, because their Outcomes were Equal, and in the end that was the only thing that mattered.<br /><br />THE ENDUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-72716855234269499062009-09-12T08:52:00.003-05:002009-09-12T09:30:13.553-05:00A Spider's Eulogy.(Written 9/11/09)<br /><br />At the far end of my front porch is a metal garbage can. I put my aluminum cans in it until I get enough to take to the recycling center. It's next to the wall, half-blocking the view from my bedroom window.<br /><br />Some time this past spring, a large, slender spider built a web attached at one end to a point a couple of feet above the trashcan on the window and at the other end to the trashcan's handle facing the wall.<br /><br />I say "large." Not Tarantula Large, but large enough to take down a good-sized grasshopper or Junebug. It was mostly black, with a few small spots of yellow on the thorax, with long, spindly legs that were black from the "elbows" to the ends, and a pale, pinkish brown from the "shoulders" to the "elbows."<br /><br />Now, bugs are a problem on my porch. In the evenings, mosquitos will about carry you away if you try to sit out there, and on humid days especially, you have to swat flies at any hour.<br /><br />So I decided to let the young spider keep on keeping on there in the hopes it would gorge itself on some of the bugs and eventually, they'd forward a chain email to all their friends warning them to stay off my porch.<br /><br />(Here's where you think I'm going to put in a pun about the World Wide Web, but nope. Not gonna do it.)<br /><br />Every few days, I'd take an armload of crushed soda cans out. I'd be careful not to jostle the web too much when I lifted the lid or to drop the cans in too loudly.<br /><br />In time, the spider grew, not too much in length, but a good deal in girth, so I could then recognize it was one of those ... I think they're called "garden spiders" ... with the pretty yellow- and black-splotched thorax.<br /><br />It seemed rather peaceful and content there in it's home, except when it would swiftly and gleefully pounce on the latest hapless bug that became ensnared it the web. That part wasn't too peaceful.<br /><br />Then came the day that I came to view as The Attack. A smaller, evil-looking spider, this one brown, took up residence in one corner of the web.<br /><br />My spider stayed in the middle and on the opposide side for a few days. Then, on one of my can runs, I noticed the brown one in the center and my spider on the edges. Mine would try to regain the center and the brown one would pounce on it and drive it back to the edges.<br /><br />That night, my spider disappeared. To be honest, I thought the invader had killed it, or at least driven it away.<br /><br />A week or so passed, and one dewy morning, I found my spider had moved to the other end of the porch, with a new, bigger, stronger web on the outside of the living room window. This web would prove far more productive, as the living room lights were on several hours a night, as opposed to a couple of minutes for my bedroom window. It drew in all sorts of big, juicy nightbugs.<br /><br />Over the past couple of monthes, I enjoyed from my chair many occasions of watching my spider catching bugs.<br /><br />I never named my spider. I should have, but I didn't really know if it was a male or female (my knowledge of Spider Anatomy is very limited), and I find those gender-neutral names like "Pat" and "Kim" obnoxious.<br /><br />About a week ago, I discovered "it" was a "she," and she had deposited a bulky eggsac (about an inch in diameter) on the underside of the upper windowframe.<br /><br />Maybe the invader hadn't been an attacker after all, but a mate. (Again, my knowledge of Spider Anatomy, specifically Gender Differentiation in Spider Anatomy, is limited, so I don't know what the males of the species look like.)<br /><br />Then, as the first hints of fall set in, my spider grew listless and lethargic. The first couple of days, she'd still eat bugs, but without much gusto. I hoped maybe she was resting. But when she stopped repairing holes in her web, I knew what was coming.<br /><br />Two days ago, she moved up close to the eggsac and stopped moving. I thought she had died yesterday, but a couple of taps on the window glass elicited a feeble wave from one of her front legs.<br /><br />This morning, six of her legs were curled up. The other two were still grasping the web. I knew she was probably already gone, but decided to wait a couple of hours in case some small remnant of her consciousness was still in there and wanted to die in peace.<br /><br />After noon, I went out on the porch and plucked at one of the anchor lines of her web. No response. I moved a little closer and tried again. Still nothing. Just in case, I grabbed a stick (I didn't use my finger because I'm allergic to spider and insect venom, one of the reasons I so LOATHE the mosquitos) and gently prodded her body. Nothing. She hung there lifeless.<br /><br />My spider was gone.<br /><br />At first, I started looking for a large matchbox to bury her in, but then I thought maybe the babies are supposed to feed on her body. I know less about Spider Life Cycles than I do about their anatomy. So I left her hanging there.<br /><br />She hangs there still.<br /><br />In lieu of a burial, I decided to give her what she SHOULD have had all along, a name.<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">Rest In Peace,</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">STARFIRE,</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">A Very Good Spider,</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">Mother & Friend</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;"></span></strong> </div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:180%;">Spring 2009 - September 11, 2009<br /></span></strong></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-25486659471095565092009-09-10T10:01:00.003-05:002009-09-10T10:23:22.145-05:00Barack Obama, on his decision to abolish my freedom to choose. (My comments in brackets.)"Now, even if we provide these affordable options, there may be those -- especially the young and the healthy -- who still want to take the risk and go without coverage ... The problem is, such irresponsible behavior costs all the rest of us money. If there are affordable options and people still don't sign up for health insurance, it means we pay for these people's expensive emergency room visits. <br /><br />[Except that it is not a foregone conclusion that those without insurance will go to the emergency room. Some, such as I, will go to their family doctor and pay out of pocket. Others have a deep mistrust of all doctors and will choose to treat themselves. Some might even take care of their health and not HAVE to go to a doctor.]<br /><br />... And unless everybody does their part, many of the insurance reforms we seek -- especially requiring insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions -- just can't be achieved. <br /><br />[It's not my responsibility to offer up my liberty as a sacrifice just so you can achieve your agenda, Mr. President.]<br /> <br />And that's why under my plan, individuals will be required to carry basic health insurance -- just as most states require you to carry auto insurance. <br /><br />[Apples and oranges, Mr. President. I can CHOOSE not to buy auto insurance, by choosing not to drive a car. Do we really want to live in a society where the only option I have to exercise my freedom is to choose not to live?]<br /><br />... There will be a hardship waiver for those individuals who still can't afford coverage ...<br /><br />[So, I'm supposed to go crawling to some career bureaucrat on a power trip, throw myself on his mercy, and beg for an exception?]<br /><br />... [W]e can't have large businesses and individuals who can afford coverage game the system by avoiding responsibility to themselves or their employees. <br /><br />[Where did this responsibility come from? Is it in the Constitution? Or is it a responsibility because you SAY it's a responsibility?]<br /><br />Improving our health care system only works if everybody does their part."<br /><br />[I am a human being, endowed by my Creator with certain unalienable rights, such as life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness, not some cog in your death machine, Mr. President.]<br /><br />Now, just a reminder of what CANDIDATE Obama said about the Individual Mandate:<br /><br /><object width="325" height="244"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4PfFJ4IR-ZY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4PfFJ4IR-ZY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="325" height="244"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8619662747700509655.post-35478948233556076982009-08-28T08:50:00.003-05:002009-08-28T11:05:13.351-05:00You STILL don't believe the public schools are deliberately brainwashing children into socialism?My friend (we'll call him Spongerob Tyrapants) called me a couple of days ago, alarmed at what he'd just heard on the Sean Hannity radio show.<br /><br />At a Fay Boozman town hall, it seems, a woman related <a href="http://surferyoda.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/pencils-and-socialism/">her child's story</a> to the Congressman.<br /><br />She and the child were getting their school supplies for the year. He (I assume it was a 'he'.) wanted a specific kind of pencils; she and the school supply list thought he should get a cheaper kind.<br /><br />She came up with a good idea. If he earned enough money himself to buy the pencils, he could get them.<br /><br />Which he did.<br /><br />On the first day of school, however, the teacher let each child keep four of his or her own pencils and put all the rest into a community "pot." When someone lost or broke their pencil, they could pick any pencil out of the pot they wanted.<br /><br />Private property, it seems, is not a priority for the Educational Establishment.<br /><br />Call it Pencil Socialism. You have no incentive to keep track of your pencil, or to take care of it. If you lose or break it, hey, no big deal -- there's more in the community pencil pot. And under such a system, why on earth would you buy a good pencil instead of the cheapest one you can find?<br /><br />And, sadly, that's not the only instance. There are examples <a href="http://conservativeblogscentral.blogspot.com/2009/08/different-kind-of-wealth-redistribution.html">here</a>, <a href="http://thefirstamendmentnotpoliticallycorrect.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/just-a-little-bit-o-socialism/">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.blogher.com/school-supplies-socialism-makes-angry-village">here</a>. And I'm sure that's just the tip of the iceberg.<br /><br />[UPDATE:] Question is, what to do about it? I suggest having the child "lose" a couple of pencils a week, grab his or her own pencils out of the pot to replace them, and smuggle them home.<br /><br />And NEXT year, buy some of those personalized pencils, and put things on them like "Socialism is WRONG!" or "Ron Paul 2012!" or "Redistributors go to HELL when they die!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1