Goose and Sexy Senior Citizen Updates

Unfortunately, what I feared has come to pass. The guardian goose previously posted about was hit by a car and severely injured. (Story below adapted from The Boerne Star.)

The gander who faced traffic guarding his nesting mate on the busy corner of River Road and Mesquite Street was struck by a car over the weekend and suffered a severe back injury. According to the Hill Country Animal League, veterinary examination revealed the gander is unable to eat, swim, walk or continue his vigil.

While his injuries are most likely fatal, he seems content to spend his remaining time resting near his mate. Orange barricades, a fenced yard, and a swimming pool now surround the nesting pair and their soon-to-arrive goslings. Patrons and friends from The Dodging Duck restaurant continue to give moral support.

It's nice to see that people took action to help safeguard the geese. However, it would have been even nicer if someone had thought to do this before Papa Goose got hurt. Isn't there a saying about barn doors and horses...?


On a different note, a previous post noted the availability of free condoms for the residents of my father's assisted living facility. Turns out that randy senior citizens is an international phenomenon, as illustrated by this story about an orgy in a British retirement home.

It's bound to make you smile, it's bound to make your imagination run wild, but for the old folks involved, it ended in tears.

A group of nine elderly English residents were kicked out of their nursing home after having decided to celebrate their friend's 90th birthday party in style and with gusto ... by having an orgy in the recreation room!

The oldsters, ranging in age from 73 to 98 lit candles, slathered baby oil and played music to create the sexy mood. The three romeos and six seductresses boogied for about twenty minutes until a staffer, on hearing the rumba music, went to investigate.

"They hadn't gotten too far -- I guess it was taking some of the gents a while to get started," said the unidentified staffer. "But they were all naked. Believe me, it was the scariest thing I've seen in all my life!"

Why were they booted out?

"This may sound harmless or amusing to some people, but Scarborough has a reputation to uphold. We cannot tolerate that kind of conduct!"

Although the nursing home endeavoured to keep the story out of the press, enough detail was released to force the well respected Edith Scarborough Nursing Home to admit the bizarre story was true.

IMO the nursing home management overreacted. A warning should have sufficed. I doubt if that type of activity would become a recurring pattern. Like the story's first paragraph said, you start off smiling but end up feeling sad. Another example of image taking precedence over common sense.

Speaking of which, anyone going to watch obama's speech about the oil spill tonight...?

What A Day

Today is Flag Day . It's also the U.S. Army's 235th birthday.


Johnny Cash and the American Flag - it just doesn't get any better...




Happy Birthday to my former branch of the service. It wasn't much fun at the time, but looking back on it I have to say that it certainly helped make a man out of me.




God Bless the U.S. Flag and all who serve under her.

True Love

Boerne (pronounced "Bernie," not "Born") is the nearest town to where we live. When I go in to town one of my favorite stops is a microbrewery called The Dodging Duck. It's across the street from River Road Park (below), a small green space that parallels a local creek that meanders through town.











River Road Park's biggest claim to fame is that it is home to an assortment of ducks and geese that were first attracted by the dammed-up creek, but stayed when they realized that the people who came to the park were more than willing to feed them. Thus we have a population of lazy, overweight waterfowl who have become dependent on handouts from others for their sustenance (think democrats with feathers).

One of the consequences of this avian lifestyle is that the birds have become conditioned to associate people, and by extension automobiles, with food. So the ducks and geese often wander into traffic. This requires some fancy moves by both drivers and birds to avoid fatalities. Hence the name of the brewhaus - The Dodging Duck.

Our love story starts with the decision of a pregnant goose to build her nest underneath some shrubbery running along the front lawn of the brewhaus. As the local paper reports, her loving and devoted mate has stationed himself a few yards in front of the nest and zealously chases off any person, dog, or car that comes too close (if you're not familiar with geese, they make great guard animals).

This particular goose is so diligent that he now has his own 'parking place', delineated with orange traffic cones, in front of The Dodging Duck. Regular patrons have learned to take a detour around the nest, and Papa Goose has learned that they're not a threat, so he usually lets them pass. He also ignores the traffic, as long as it stays out of his parking spot.

























Geese mate for life, and tend to return to the same nesting area year after year, so this may be the start of an annual tradition. Boerne is a friendly place, and a small enough town, that things like this are not just tolerated, but encouraged.

The eggs are expected to hatch soon. I don't know what will happen when a bunch of little goslings start waddling around, but I sure hope they don't wander out into the traffic. I'd hate to see such a happy story end in tragedy.

In the meantime, I'll spend some time sitting on the Dodging Duck's front porch sampling their wares and watching Papa Goose chase off the newcomers. Great way to spend a summer afternoon...

Credit for Trying

My father is widowed, 92, and in pretty good mental and physical condition. He moved into an independent/assisted living facility last Nov. It's about an hour's drive from us. We go see him once or twice a week. Last week I had some business near there, so I went in early and took him his favorite breakfast tacos. We sat around and talked for a while, and had a couple cups of coffee.

On the way out the coffee was making itself felt, so I stopped in a restroom in the lobby. I was flabbergasted to find a supply of free condoms in there!!! I asked the manager about it, and she said that many seniors are still sexually active, especially with drugs like Viagra available, and that the STD rate among senior citizens is increasing. I did a little research and found that she was right. So I did a little more research and came up with the following.

* * * * * * * * * *

Three old ladies were sitting on a park bench talking amongst themselves when a flasher comes by. The flasher stood right in front of them, and opened his trench coat.

The first old lady had a stroke.

Then the second old lady had a stroke.

But the third old lady had arthritis and couldn't reach that far.

* * * * * * * * * *

























* * * * * * * * * *

A husband and wife were celebrating their 50th anniversary. That night the wife approached her husband wearing the exact same negligee she had worn on their wedding night. She looked at her husband and said, "Honey, do you remember this?"

He looked up at her and said, "Yes dear, I do. You wore that same negligee the night we were married."

She said, "That's right. Do you remember what you said to me that night?"

He nodded and said, "Yes dear, I still remember."

"Well, what was it?" she asked.

He responded, "As I remember, I said, 'Oh baby, I'm going to suck the life out of those tits and screw your brains out.'"

She giggled and said, "Yes honey, that's exactly what you said. So, now it's 50 years later, and I'm in the same negligee I wore that night. What do you have to say tonight?"

Again he looked up at her and replied, "Mission accomplished."

* * * * * * * * * *



















* * * * * * * * * *

A fitness fanatic took excellent care of his body. He lifted weights and jogged six miles every day while wearing a speedo. One morning he looked into the mirror, admiring his body, and noticed that he was suntanned all over with the exception of his penis. So he decided to do something about that.

He went to the beach, undressed completely, and buried himself in the sand, except for his penis, which he left sticking out of the sand.

A bit later two little old ladies came strolling along the beach. When they saw the you-know-what sticking out of the sand, the first old lady turned to the other and said "There really is no justice in the world."

The other little old lady asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The first one replied, "Look at that. When I was 20, I was curious about it. When I was 30, I chased it. When I was 40, I enjoyed it. When I was 50, I asked for it. When I was 60, I prayed for it. When I was 70, I forgot about it. Now that I'm 80, the damned things are growing wild, and I'm too old to squat."

* * * * * * * * * *

AZ Misc.

Miscellaneous tidbits on Arizona's recent illegal immigration legislation, and reaction to it (miscellaneous because I'm unorganized today, and tidbits because I'm lethargic today).


Now's a great time to visit scenic Arizona. The liberals are boycotting the state, and the illegals are leaving in droves. That leaves AZ uncrowded and free of undesirables.


Speaking of liberals and Arizona, here's another example (like we needed any more) of liberal hypocrisy (source here.)

Seattle has joined several other U.S. cities in protesting Arizona's sweeping new immigration law.

However, the Seattle City Council's 7-0 vote on Monday to boycott the state won't have much practical effect.

The council's resolution was written to protect the only substantial contract Seattle has with an Arizona company - a $106,000-a-month deal with American Traffic Solutions. The Scottsdale-based company operates Seattle's 29 red-light cameras.

So let me get this straight -- a police officer verifying the immigration status of someone is a gross violation of civil liberties, but sending someone a letter accusing them of a crime based on a machine that took a picture of their license plate is a necessary revenue stream function of government that must be protected?

By now most people have seen the picture that's been floating around the internet regarding a billboard urging illegals to move from AZ to California. Unfortunately, the billboard is a digital mock-up, not a real one. Nevertheless, it captures the essence of the majority's sentiments.

If there's one thing Arizona has more of than illegal aliens, it's cactus. Below are a couple of examples of cactus (cacti?) that reflect the prevailing attitude towards those opposed to SB 1070, the notorious illegal immigration bill.


























Bend over, California. This one's for you!!!

Angry Black Man II

Following up on the previous post, author and columnist Fareed Zakaria has written an interesting opinion piece in which he argues that obama has caved in to the public and the media's demand for more anger regarding the BP oil spill. Zakaaria's premise is that obama:

"has been caving in to this media outcry that he show more emotion and anger and energy in dealing with the problem. And I think the result of it is that you're getting government as theater rather than government that is actually doing something effective."

No!!! obama acting in response to public opinion, rather than showing leadership!?!? Who woulda thunk it?

"...the president has been demeaning himself by trash-talking the CEO of BP. He's engaging in, as far as I can tell, pointless committees, make-work briefings, ... all of which is really just designed to appease this hungry media, and as far as I can tell is not going to speed up by one second the point at which the leak is plugged."

Admittedly, there's not much the government can do to plug the leak. What it can do, though, is help manage the leak: that is, provide resources and coordinate efforts to contain the oil, mitigate the damage, and help with the economic and environmental recovery. That's where obama is failing.

"In what other profession is it supposed to be a good idea that you suspend your rational faculties and let yourself be overtaken by raw emotions? Unless you're an offensive linebacker, this is not supposed to be a good thing. And in this case, we're saying the president is being too rational, too calculating."

It's one thing to empathize with people affected by the spill. But when that emotion gets in the way of solving the problem, then rationality and calculated response is a good thing. As Kipling said, "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs ... you'll be a man my son!"

And while obama is running around trash talking, what about the opportunity cost of all this hardline rhetoric?

"And the real effect it will have is to totally distract the government from dealing with the important issues the federal government has competence and jurisdiction over, such as the state of the economy, the dangers of a European debt crisis, the issues involving the way in which the Chinese military has been flexing its muscles, North Korea, Iran -- these are the things the president should be holding lots of meetings on, these are areas which are uniquely within the purview of the federal government. We have descended to government as theater."

There's more from Zakaria here. Check it out.


One more thought on the oil spill: yes, it appears at this point that BP cut some corners on safety and backup issues. They certainly should be held responsible for cleaning up the mess they've made. But has anyone thought to ask why they were drilling so far offshore?

Actually, that's a two-part question. The first is why were they drilling, and the second is why were they drilling in 5000 feet of water.

Why were they drilling? Every administration since Nixon has failed to implement a reasonable, forward-looking, long term energy policy. Remember the oil embargo of 1973? I do. Limited gasoline availability, waiting in line for hours, rationing, odd and even days, and more. But did we learn from that? Hell no. We were (and still are) so addicted to oil that we passed up numerous opportunities to lessen our dependence on oil, or at least foreign oil. So today, 37 years later, we end up paying obscene amounts of money to Middle East despots who despise us and everything we stand for.

And why were they drilling in 5000 feet of water? Everything at that depth is incredibly difficult and complex. The pressure, the cold temperatures, the technological problems of what the energy industry refers to as 'ultra deep drilling' are exponentially greater than drilling at shallow depths or on land. As Charles Krauthammer points out, "Environmental chic has driven us out there." Safer locations, such as off the east and west coasts, or even in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), have all been put off limits by the environmentalists. Consequently, they must share part of the blame for the Gulf spill.

As the masthead of this blog states, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

Sigh...

What bias?

In response to calls for obama to show more passion when dealing with the oil spill, we have the following statement:

"I thought when we elected a black president, we were going to get a black president. You know, this is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEO, you know, where he lifts up his shirt where you can see the gun in his pants." (Source here.)

Is this an indefensible racist statement, or a benignly clever parody? It will come as no surprise that, since Bill Maher said it, it's cutting edge comedy. There has barely been a ripple in the media.

Of course, if a conservative radio talk show host said it, can you imagine the furor?

On the other hand, some folks think that obama should keep his cool and avoid the angry black man stereotype. The reasoning here is that American society is hardwired to respond negatively to angry black men. Think Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Jeremiah Wright, etc. Acting like a typical NBA thug or resident of Detroit could turn much of white America against obama.

And that's not being racist, just realistic...

Air Force One Goes Stealth

We here at Bergheim Follies have just obtained a top-secret Air Force report. It seems that the Air Force has developed a new stealth technology that literally makes an airplane invisible.

Once the technology was finalized it was applied to Air Force One. This was done because that plane carries the leader of the free world. It must be protected at all costs.

Below is the story of the initial flight:

Air Force General: Mr. President, we've just invented an invisibility cloak for Air Force One.

Obama: No shit?

General: That's right, sir. Will you be going along on its maiden flight?

Obama: Wouldn't miss it for the world.

General: Have a good trip, sir.

Plug the Hole

Best idea yet for plugging the leak in the Gulf...

Hillary Strikes Again

Hillary's latest gaffe, sending the Queen of England a birthday card on the wrong date, is just the latest in a string of mistakes, misstatements, and 'misspokens' that would put Joe Biden to shame.

It follows on the heels of her "the rich are not paying their fair share" and 'the US should model itself after Brazil' pronouncement on economic policy. (For a fact-based rebuttal of that nonsense go here.

Then there was her statement last fall that she had stayed in a bomb-damaged hotel in Belfast. That was an apparent attempt to demonstrate empathy with the troubles in Northern Ireland, but, like her story about running for cover from sniper fire during a trip to Bosnia, was also a mis-remembering.

Finally, we have a gaffe that's about Hillary, not by her. It's included here because I thought it was funny. It's also an illustration of how far the New York Times has fallen. (Image courtesy of NPR. Click to embiggen - read the caption under the picture.)




















And just to beat a dead horse, remember how the media delighted in trumpeting even the slightest Bush mistake or mispronunciation? Oh well, no one ever said life was fair...

6 June 1944

Today is the 66th anniversary of the WWII landings at Normandy - better known as D-Day .

D-Day continues to be noted by the various media outlets, but as the years pass it becomes more of a cursory mention. All too soon the few remaining veterans of that day will be gone, leaving us with dry words on a page and grainy black-and-white images.

My father was a combat engineer attached to an infantry division. He went ashore that day on Omaha Beach to help clear mines and obstacles. This was done under fire and amidst a chaos and fury that most of us, thankfully, will never experience.

"Obstacles of three sorts were existent on Omaha Beach. These consisted of gate-like structures (approximately 10 feet high and strapped with mines) placed about 250 yards from the high-water line. Next, about 200 yards from shore, heavy logs were driven into the beach floor at an angle with mines strapped to the ends and along the logs. These were followed by the 5 ½ tall metal hedgehogs that were buried in the sand."

After D-Day Dad slogged across Europe until he was wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. He talks freely about all his WWII experiences, with the exception of D-Day. He just quitely says he was part of the landing force and then changes the subject.

War is hell...

Country Life

We live on a few acres about 15 miles from the nearest town. There's no water or sewage service out here, so we're dependent on a well for our water. This part of the country suffered under a severe drought for the last two years. Our well stayed wet, although some of our neighbors' wells dried up.

The drought is over now. We've received plenty of rain over the past few months. But the drought left us concerned about the wisdom of depending on the well for water in a location that is subject to frequent droughts and increasing demand for water. So to supplement our well we installed a rainwater harvesting system.

Basically, we just funnel all the rainwater from our roof into a storage tank, and use a pressure tank and booster pump to get the water into the house. It's a very simple and efficient system, and the water is incredibly pure and free of minerals and other contaminants. To be on the safe side, it's run through a series of filters before we use it. And therein lies the tale.

After each rain, we have to clean filters. The first one in line is a fine mesh sock filter, similar to the skimmer basket on a pool. It's designed to catch any large debris that might get swept off the roof into the capture system; leaves, twigs, frisbees, etc. After the rain a couple of nights ago, I assigned my wife to clean the filters (well, actually, I told her I'd make dinner if she'd clean the filters). So she went out the back door and I put a frozen pizza in the oven.

About 30 seconds later I heard a bloodcurdling shriek. I tore outside, thinking she'd tripped and broken a leg, or dropped her wine glass, or something equally appalling. I found her dancing around the filter, pointing at it and gibbering away incoherently. After I got her calmed down I took a look inside the filter. There was a little ribbon snake about two feet long in it. Evidently the snake had been on the roof and got washed into the gutter, down the downspouts, and into the collection system. Quite a ride.

Snakes don't usually bother my wife, but it was the unexpectedness of this one that got to her. When she took the filter off and it started moving by itself, she was a little startled, to say the least.

Bottom line - it looks like I'll be cleaning the filters from here on out...

Friday Night Follies

One of my early memories is hanging out with my parents at a neighborhood ice house on the outskirts of San Antonio. For those of you not familiar with the concept of a Texas ice house, NPR explains: (NPR can produce some really cool stuff, just as long as they stay away from politics.)

"Part town hall, part tavern, icehouses have been a South Texas tradition since the 1920s. Before refrigeration, icehouses stored and distributed block ice for the neighborhood iceboxes.

Over time, they diversified— iced beer, a little food, maybe some groceries — a cool, air-conditioned spot where neighbors and families come to sit, talk, play dominoes, turn up the juke box, maybe eat some chicken wings, dance on the slab outside."

Instead of a concrete slab outside, our neighborhood ice house had an indoor dance floor - real wood, sprinkled with sawdust. Most of our friends met there on Friday nights. The parents would dance, the kids would run around and raise hell, and everyone generally had a pretty good time.

Most of the music was typical for south Texas; polkas, waltzes, conjunto, and of course, western swing. I grew up an enthusiastic if not particularly skilled dancer. That's why I like this video so much. As you watch it you'll see the evolution of pop culture through dance, from the 50's through disco and rock.

For the record, I'm old school. My definition of dancing is a rhythmic activity engaged in by two people of the opposite sex who hold each other throughout (get your mind out of the gutter...). This excludes such abominations as disco and line dancing.

Anyway, it's Friday night. Let's dance!

National Pasttime

This is one of the best things I've ever seen on the Internet, not just for it's perspective, but for it's creativity.

If you're a baseball fan you'll recognize the inspiration for it. If you're not, check out the classic poem Casey at the Bat .

Enjoy.

Mellow Out

Last night a cool front (at this time of the year, there are no more cold fronts in central Texas) blew through these parts, triggering a spectacular display of lightening. Farther south there were hail storms, damage from high winds, and widespread power outages, but all we got here were light shows and a little rain.

Thanks to the front, today was cloudy and cool. The clouds started breaking this evening around sundown. Consequently, we were treated to a breathtaking sunset - horizontal smears of purples, pinks, oranges, and golds, interspersed with gaps of blue and white. I wish I could paint, or photograph, or write well enough to do justice to such beauty.

We sat on the back porch, enjoying the cool temperatures, coos from the flocks of white-wing doves that frequent our feeders, and the soft calls of bobwhite quail (my personal favorite) in the distance. We even saw a pair of whistling tree ducks perched in a big old oak.

Top off with a few adult beverages, and the result was a mellow glow that reduced to insignificance thoughts of oil spills, idiots in congress and the White House, illegal immigrants, and the other nonsense that grinds us down every day. All that stuff will be there tomorrow, but for a few hours tonight it was reduced to meaningless insignificance while we reconnected as a family and enjoyed the truly wonderful things this life has to offer.

Mellow out...

A Love Story for the Ages - Well, Almost

By now everyone knows that Al and Tipper Gore are splitting the sheets after 40 years of wedded bliss marriage. I don't blame her. If I was stuck under the same roof with a bloviating hypocrite like Saint Al there would be either a divorce or a homicide.

Reactions to the pending divorce are varied. First, of course, it's all Bush's fault.

"(T)hey never got over being denied the presidency despite winning the popular vote in 2000. If only Bush hadn't taken it from them."

Then there's the damage their divorce is doing to the planet: "...people with failed marriages can be blamed for global warming ."

But best of all is the "Top Ten Reasons Al and Tipper Gore are Separating," courtesy of Stilton Jarlsberg (click below to embiggen).

Update to Previous Post

Evidently I shouldn't have posted the previous comments casting doubts on obama's competency. According to over-the-hill rock person Paul McCartney, we should all just "lay off him, he’s doing great."

Of course, this advice comes from someone who married Heather Mills...

That's a No-Brainer

Early in the 2008 presidential campaign many people expressed doubts about whether obama was qualified to perform as president (qualified from a competency standpoint, not from a citizenship one). Of course, if you raised questions about his experience and ability, you were ipso facto a racist.

However, shortly after obama took office, his supporters began to have doubts. In March 2009, Michael Goodwin of the NY Daily News reported:

"a veteran Democratic pol approached me with a pained look on his face and asked, "Do you think they know what they're doing?"

Which brings us to the heart of the matter: the doubts about Obama himself. His famous eloquence is wearing thin through daily exposure and because his actions are often disconnected from his words. His lack of administrative experience is showing.

His promises and policies contradict each other often enough that evidence of hypocrisy is ceasing to be news. Remember the pledges about bipartisanship and high ethics? They're so last year."

Another democrap stalwart, Dick Morris, advisor to the Clintons for 20 years, flat-out asked " Is Obama Competent ?"

"... Is he competent? Does he know what he is doing? ... Does he know how to do anything other than spend money?"

No less a well-credentialed liberal than Gore Vidal got on board the obama-is-incompetent bandwagon back then as well:

"I was like everyone else when Obama was elected – optimistic. Everything we had been saying about racial integration was vindicated," he says, "but he's incompetent. He will be defeated for re-election. It's a pity because he's the first intellectual president we've had in many years, but he can't hack it. He's not up to it. He's overwhelmed."

The most recent round of doubts concerning obama's competency were triggered by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What's telling about them, however, is that they're not doubts concerning his ability to "plug the hole." They may start off that way, but they soon morph into doubts about his ability to govern this country.

Mad Dog James Carville, a fervent democrap, flails obama for his inaction on the oil spill. Carville's tirade is both amusing and tragic. (From my perspective it's a mixture of "I told you so" and sorrow for the long term damage being done to the Gulf and the coast. I like seafood and long walks on the beach. Sadly, both are out of the picture for the foreseeable future.)

Peggy Noonan, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, states "The president, in my view, continues to govern in a way that suggests he is chronically detached from the central and immediate concerns of his countrymen."

Even Maureen Dowd, the most left-leaning floozy since Hanoi Jane Fonda, echoes Noonan's theme that The Chosen One is detached and remote from the problems besetting him.

Too often it feels as though Barry is watching from a balcony, reluctant to enter the fray until the clamor of the crowd forces him to come down.

The oil won’t stop flowing, but the magic has.

Of course, in true liberal fashion she does manage to blame most of the problems on Bush and Cheney.

"It’s impossible not to feel sorry for President Obama, pummeled by the cascading disasters, at home and abroad, unleashed by two war-mongering oil men."

Dick Morris returns to ask "Who would have thought that this president, so anxious to lead us and so focused on his specific agenda and ideas, would turn out not to know what he is doing?"

It's interesting to see the rats abandoning the sinking S.S. Obama. The question is, where are they going to go?

Perhaps Michael Barone of the New York Post has the most intriguing perspective on this whole mess:

"It can be argued that Republicans have won the elections that turned on ideology and that Democrats have won the elections that turned on competence.

Republican victories in 1984, 1988 and 2004 were clearly endorsements of Ronald Reagan's and George W. Bush's policies. Democratic victories in 1992 and 2008 were indictments of the two George Bushes for incompetence and in 1996 an endorsement of the competence of Bill Clinton."

So now we have barack hussein obama, failed politician, failed socialist, and most regrettably, failed president. Why is that regrettable? Because he's dragging the rest of us down with him...

More Teacher Follies

Alright, folks, I know it's the end of the school year, but for goodness sakes, can't teachers control themselves?

The latest teacher-making-a-fool-of-him/her self news is from good old San Antonio. Seems a middle school band director got himself on the outside of a little too much beer while taking band members on a field trip to the Six Flags Fiesta Texas amusement park.

I totally understand how a bunch of middle school students (or high school students, or college students) could drive a man to drink. But at least wait until you hand the little darlings back to their parents.

On the bright side, he didn't sleep with any of them...

Jobs for Democrats

Finally, the stimulus package is paying off. A recent announcement publicized new jobs for which democraps are uniquely qualified.

NHL team seeking help to flush Pa. arena's toilets

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for 250 students to help with an important task and there's only one major requirement: You must know how to flush a toilet.

Construction is near completion on the NHL team's new arena, the Consol Energy Center. But like with any new arena or stadium, officials need to simultaneously flush all the toilets and urinals to make sure everything is working. The Penguins are calling the June 10 event the "Student Flush," a spinoff of their popular ticketing program known as "Student Rush."

Students already involved in the ticketing program can enter for a chance to win. Students must be 18 or older to participate in the flush-apalooza.

In all, there will be 400 flushers, including some construction officials, on hand that day.

Insert your own joke here...

Memorial Day

Every once in a while the NY Times comes up with something that reminds us of how great it used to be. Today is one of those times. Excerpt below - link here

* * * * * * * * * *

The Great Unknowns

By ROBERT M. POOLE and RUMORS

The blessings of war are few, but one hard- won result of the nation’s conflicts is expertise in accounting for the dead. The Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Mexican War together claimed some 58,000 lives, on and off the battlefield. But lax records and hasty on-site burials meant the number of unknown fatalities from those formative American wars remains a mystery.

Record-keeping improved with the Civil War, still the nation’s deadliest conflict. But because the conflict involved millions of men, shifting fronts and hurried burials, the percentage of soldiers who went to their graves without names is astounding: more than two in five were never identified.

Determined to do better, the United States fielded specialty teams to recover and identify its fallen soldiers and sailors from the Spanish-American War, bringing thousands home from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines for burial. As a result, the percentage of unknowns plummeted. The number of total American deaths from World War I, the first conflict of truly global proportions, shocked the nation: 116,000 deaths in about 18 months of fighting.

In 1921, the unidentified remains of one of those soldiers became the first body interred at Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Nevertheless, because of advances in battlefield recovery, better records and the introduction of dog tags, the number of unknowns in our first great war dropped markedly, to about 2 percent, a rate that held through World War II and the Korean conflict.

Thanks to refinements in forensic dentistry and the use of X-rays and CAT scans, the number of unknowns has continued to dwindle with each subsequent war. In 1998, Arlington’s unknown service member from the Vietnam War, who was buried in May 1984, was disinterred and identified as First Lt. Michael J. Blassie, an airman shot down in 1972. With elaborate honors, he was returned to his hometown, St. Louis. His tomb at Arlington remains empty, marking the first 20th century conflict for which there is no unknown warrior.

In the three major wars since — the Persian Gulf war and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan — there has not been a single unknown soldier, and only one combatant has been listed as missing in action: Capt. Michael Speicher, who was shot down over Iraq in 1991. His remains were recovered from the Iraqi desert in August 2009 and returned to his family.

The sad reality is that there will likely be new recruits for Arlington’s ranks, now 300,000 strong. Though all losses are painful, perhaps we can take some consolation in the knowledge that the names of those who will sacrifice so much are unlikely to go unknown.

Robert M. Poole is the author of “On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery.” Rumors is a design studio.

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Correction: This chart incorrectly states the percentage of unknown soldiers in the civil war. It should be 25 percent, not 41 percent. A correct version is forthcoming.

Ray of Sunshine

I grew up in and around the San Antonio area, and still live near there. San Antonio prides itself on being Military City USA, based on history ("the military presence in San Antonio is unbroken for nearly 300 years") and the large number of military installations and retirees that have made San Antonio home during that time frame. Two recent articles in the local paper illustrate the close relationship between S.A. and the military.
















This is a picture from a slideshow that depicts local Cub Scouts planting flags on every grave at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.

















In this picture, local volunteers are reading the names of every veteran buried in the cemetery - all 76,000 of them.


I have friends and relatives buried at Ft. Sam, including my mother, so these ceremonies are very meaningful to me.

The news today is full of doom and gloom, but when I see stories like this, I realize that there are places in this country where some of the traditional values not only still exist, but are celebrated and honored. As we enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, let us not only pause to give thanks for our veterans, but also acknowledge the rays of sunshine that are out there.

Don't write this country off just yet...

Experiential Learning - Good, Bad, and Ugly

Harper recently had a post about a couple of Texas teachers that were in the news. It seems that inspired the fine folks in Georgia to up their game.

First we have the ever-popular saga of a high school teacher 'sleeping' with one of her students. The catch here is that the teacher in question was just selected by her colleagues as Teacher of the Year. Guess they have different standards for that award in Georgia.

The second teacher was suspended for guiding students through a historical reenactment of racism in U.S. history. As part of the project, four students dressed up in Ku Klux Klan robes. Needless to say, this opened the floodgates to hysteria and overreaction (link 1 here; link 2 here).

Regarding teacher #1, there's nothing that can be said in her defense. She crossed a line that should never even be approached, much less stepped over. Nevertheless, what makes this especially sad is that this woman was by all accounts a good, dedicated, and caring teacher who evidently had difficulty coping with "mouthy teens, pushy parents and administrators who failed to support hard-working teachers." She reportedly had problems sleeping and lost some of her hair due to the stress. All this for a job that only paid her $35,600 per year. I'm not defending what she did, but it does illustrate the low pay and demanding working conditions that teachers endure.

As for teacher #2, there's nothing that can be said in defense of the idiots protesting and complaining about her. Here's a person who was honored last year by the Georgia Senate for teaching excellence using a well-regarded method to teach an Advanced Placement class in U.S. history. But thanks to the 'react first, think later' mentality of a bunch of overly sensitive idiots, her teaching career is in jeopardy. Yes, she probably should have told the students to take the robes off before they went wandering around campus, but that's not an oversight worthy of suspension. My God, people, is common sense in such short supply?

I should add that both my kids were fortunate enough to have history teachers who believe in the educational value of reenactments. They've done a school-wide reenactment of events from the Revolutionary War, and both of them did smaller class projects for the National History Day contest. They both made it to the state finals, and one made it to the national finals. Needless to say, we are blessed with extraordinary teachers here.

The point, however, is not the brilliance of my offspring. It's about how much they learned as a result of participating in these historical reenactments. Not only the bare facts (names, dates, and places), but the subtler nuances of context, contributing factors, and consequences. They also learned that if you want to succeed you have to work for it, along with valuable skills in planning, teamwork, public speaking, and so forth. It's these qualities that will (hopefully) help them succeed throughout life. That's what the Georgia students will be missing if the whiners have their way.

Leaves on a Tomb

We buried my mother yesterday at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery. Mom was a veteran - a WAF (Women in the Air Force) in the time between WWII and the Korean War. She had to leave the service when she became pregnant with her first child (who grew up to be an incredibly wise and good-looking blogger...).

Dad was also a veteran. He started off in the Army (landed at Normandy, wounded at St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge). When the Air Force became a separate service in 1947 Dad transferred over. That's where he met Mom. The two of them lived happily ever after for 60 years. Dad served 26 years in the military.

My father-in-law joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor. He served as an air operations officer on the USS Block Island (CVE 21), an escort carrier that performed anti-submarine warfare duties while escorting convoys across the Atlantic. He was on board when the ship was torpedoed and sunk on May 29, 1944. Fortunately he survived and went on to father an amazingly intelligent and attractive daughter who had the good sense to marry the afore-mentioned wise and good-looking blogger.

My mother-in-law was a volunteer ambulance driver and USO member in Phoenix AZ during WWII.

I can't match any of their distinguished service records, but I did serve for three years in the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam era.

All of the above is a lengthy build-up to explain why I am so thoroughly disgusted by obama's decision to vacation in Chicago rather than uphold the tradition of American presidents and lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington on Memorial Day.

Even more despicable is the left's defense of the turncoat-in-chief. One columnist even went so far as to ask "...does it matter if Obama throws some leaves on a tomb?" (Rebuttal to that column here.)

Well, yes, asshole, it matters a great deal to me, and to people like me who believe that those who have served, those who are currently serving, and those who have paid the ultimate price deserve to be remembered, respected, and honored. If that clown in the Oval Office has the time to welcome a basketball team to the White House, and to give an award to Paul McCartney, then he damn well should have the time to remind himself that while he's hanging out with his homies in Chi-town people are fighting and dying halfway across the world, in a war that he may have inherited, but that he has now made his own.

Inexcusable...

Ouch

I'm in the middle of making arrangements for my mother's funeral. The actual funeral arrangements are complete, but there's still lots of logistics left to resolve (meal planning, coordinating trips to the airport, accommodations, etc.). However, I just couldn't let this one pass without comment.

HSC releases genital piercing study

A team of researchers at Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center have published research on male genital piercings that casts a new light on the men associated with such piercings.

The online study shows the average male who has a genital piercing is 36 years old, white, has some college education, heterosexual, married or in a monogamous relationship, and reported themselves in excellent health.

Perhaps in excellent health physically, but I'm not too sure about their mental health.

“It’s usually done for sexual stimulation or experimentation, but this is not a flippant decision,” she (Myrna Armstrong, one of the lead researchers) said. “We don’t believe, from our findings, that this is a flippant decision. These people have thought about it for a long time before they made the decision to do it.”

What?!?!? Not a flippant decision? Thought about it for a long time? I'd damn sure wouldn't have to think about it for very long before I decided not to have sharp objects penetrate Hannibal and the Twins.

Because of the deliberate decision making, some men took up to five years to get pierced. Some do it for stimulation or aesthetics, but most wanted to try it and see if it works for them. There are eight types of genital piercings for men and different complications for each.

EIGHT?!?!? The mind boggles. I can't even begin to conceive (pun intended) eight different ways to harpoon my junk. One is too many.

“It’s like when you buy a little red convertible, you’re so proud of it,” Armstrong said. “You take care of it. You wash it and you vacuum it all the time because you’re proud of it and take care of it so well. You’re not going to subject it to a lot of hard work.”

Words fail me. The analogy of a little red convertible fails on so many levels. First of all, it's not little (please allow me some male braggadocio). Second, it's not red (well, not usually). And third, it damn sure isn't convertible. It works one way only - the way God himself intended for it to work.

Month From Hell

A few weeks ago we had a hailstorm that damaged our roof to the extent it needs replacing. Dealing with insurance adjusters and roofing companies is enough to make me tear out what little hair I have left.

Last Saturday my father suffered a stroke. As strokes go it was pretty mild - some weakness and loss of fine motor skills on his right side, and difficulty in speaking/swallowing. He's out of the hospital now and in a rehab facility for a few weeks. It's particularly frustrating for him because he's one of those people that loves to talk, and now not only can he not speak, he can't use his right hand to communicate by writing. But we're hopeful the physical therapy will help.

And finally, to top it all off, my mother died this afternoon. It's been a long time coming, and may be a blessing. She's had an advanced case of Alzheimer's for the past 2 or 3 years and has been in decline for a while. She was under hospice care for the past few months. About a week ago she become non-responsive and was about as close to being in a coma as you can get without actually being comatose.

If you've ever had a loved one die of what's basically old age, you know the process of a body shutting down gradually is a long, drawn-out, and painful affair.

I don't know how much Dad's recent absence contributed to her final decline. They were married 60+ years, and he's been incredibly devoted to her. During the last few months while the Alzheimer's has progressed he's visited her every day, spending hours talking to her, brushing her hair, feeding her, etc. So maybe that constant presence was helping her hang on.

The other worry is how this will affect Dad. Without her around, he may not have as much motivation to improve.

The words are trite, but the sentiment is heartfelt.

Rest In Peace.

Almost Forgot

Today is Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. Organized in response to Muslim reaction to cartoons depicting the prophet, the event has set off a predictable round of action-reaction.

News article here. Facebook page here .

I'm not an artist, so I'm posting a cartoon that captures my sentiments much better than I could (lifted from here).

Enjoy...

A Ray of Sunshine?

One view of the economic crisis currently engulfing Europe's PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain) offers some hope for the future, not just there, but perhaps here in the U.S.

This optimistic perspective argues that fundamental reforms to over-regulated economies, over-spending governments, and overly-generous social and labor programs are possible only during times of crisis. It won't be quick, and it won't be easy, but the crisis gives politicians political cover to do the things that must be done - cut government spending, cut entitlement programs, and deregulate business and labor.

There is historical precedent for this.

"Finland became one of the world's most competitive, tech-driven economies and built the world's best-ranked education system only when its economy went into a free fall after the collapse of the Soviet Union, its main trading partner at the time. Germany began to reform its calcified economy and labor markets a decade ago only after years of relentlessly rising mass unemployment led to widespread protests and national discontent. The newest poster child for crisis-driven reforms is tiny Latvia, (where) the country's economic crisis has made it possible to drive through necessary reforms that would be impossible under normal circumstances. These include deregulation and wage cuts that are deeply unpopular now, but will improve the country's competitiveness, create a more stable basis for future growth, and generate new jobs for many years to come."

The drive for fiscal responsibility is currently driven by Germany and its concept of Schuldenbremse (debt brake). The concept is to limit government deficits to 0.35% of GDP.

"The consequences of a debt brake could be a reduction in the size of European governments. With state spending averaging 50.7 percent of GDP across the EU (compared with 38 percent in the U.S.), taxes are already so high that governments in Europe are running out of room to increase them without strangling what's left of their economies."

Since Germany is the mainstay in propping up Greece for the moment, they are seizing the opportunity to push for EU-wide fundamental economic reforms (got to love those Germans - they're going to take over Europe, one way or the other).

If (and that's a giant IF) Europe succeeds in taking advantage of this crisis to push through EU-wide reforms, then some experts predict that "by 2020, Europe's governments will—out of simple necessity—have become more efficient and less intrusive, the EU will have turned itself into a borderless and dynamic single market, and the continent's least competitive economies will have been forced to reform and innovate."

The parallels between the current European economic crisis and the looming U.S. one are obvious. We can only hope that we integrate the lessons learned from Europe and the simmering political unrest here and take the necessary steps sooner, rather than later.

Rahm Emanuel may look forward to crises ("You never let a serious crisis go to waste"). However, I prefer to avoid them. The first step to dodging (or at least minimizing) this one takes place next November. Step 2 occurs in Nov. 2012.

Choose wisely...

Be Afraid ... Be Very Afraid

On Monday, May 16, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sex offenders can be held in prison for an indeterminate time after they have completed their criminal sentences.

Known as "civil confinement," this allows the government to continue to detain people after their sentence is up. In order to do so, the government must convince a judge - no 'jury of his peers' involved - by "clear and convincing" evidence (a legal standard that is less stringent than "reasonable doubt") that the subject is likely to offend again.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want sexual predators turned loose any more than the next guy; I have a teen-age daughter and a young granddaughter. If I had my way, pedophiles and sexual predators would face castration and/or capital punishment. But I also fear the precedent this sets. We are now giving government agencies (prosecutors, parole boards, and penal system administrators) the power to petition a single individual (the judge) to imprison people indefinitely for crimes they might commit.

What's next? Locking up Tea Party members and veterans because the head of Homeland Security thinks they might become domestic terrorists?

Again, I'm all in favor of harsh punishment for sexual offenders. But I'm not at all in favor of granting such extraordinary powers to a government that has time and again shown itself to be inept, incompetent, and lacking in integrity. I fear the government will do greater harm to a greater number of people than will released felons. Cold comfort, of course, if one of your loved ones becomes a victim, but still...

If we want to get serious about keeping sexual predators in prison, address the issue at the sentence-the-pervs level, not at the restrict-civil-liberties-for-everyone level.

An even more worrisome aspect of this decision is its second-order effect. By ruling that the civil commitment law is valid, the Supremes gave at least limited support to expanding the "necessary and proper" clause of the Constitution. (The clause gives Congress the right “to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution” its other powers.)

The defendant in this case argued that "none of the powers granted to Congress in the Constitution empowered it to authorize such civil commitments." But the Supreme Court ruled that in this case the "necessary and proper" clause gave congress the authority to pass the law in question.

This is extremely troubling because it pulls the rug out from under the 10th Amendment ("The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people"). Many of the states resisting obamacare plan to base some or all of their case on this amendment.

In recent years the Tenth Amendment has been used to overturn a case regarding radioactive waste disposal (New York v. United States, 505 U.S. 144 (1992)), and a portion of the Brady Bill mandating the states conduct background checks on firearms buyers (Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898 (1997)). So any ruling that undermines the 10th could have serious implications for future 'states rights' cases, including obamacare.

And in a final disturbing note, Elena Kagan, obama's handpicked nominee for the Supreme Court, argued in support of using the "necessary and proper" clause to justify the civil confinement law.

Be afraid, be very, very afraid...

Three Guys Walk Into A Bar

A Mexican, an Arab, and an Arizonian walk into a bar.

When the Mexican finishes his beer, he throws his glass in the air, pulls out his pistol, and shoots the glass to pieces. He says "In Mexico, our glasses are so cheap we don't need to drink with the same one twice."

The Arab, obviously impressed by this, drinks his non-alcoholic beer (cuz he's a muslim), throws his glass into the air, pulls out his AK-47, and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, "In the Arab world, we have so much sand to make glasses that we don't need to drink with the same one twice either."

The Arizonian picks up his beer, downs it in one gulp, throws the glass into the air, whips out his .45, and shoots the Mexican and the Arab.

Catching the glass, setting it on the bar, and calling for a refill, he says, "In Arizona, we have so many illegal aliens that we don't have to drink with the same ones twice."

Some Things Never Change

Politicians lie...

From CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The Democrats may soon wish they had a different horse in the race for the Connecticut senate seat being vacated by Chris Dodd.

The New York Times has an explosive front page story today about Democratic candidate Richard Blumenthal - saying he has lied on multiple occasions about serving in Vietnam.

Blumenthal, who is the state's attorney general, never served in Vietnam. Yet on numerous occasions he has said things like: "We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam." He's also referred to: "When we returned." These are lies.

Blumenthal never returned from Vietnam, because he never went to Vietnam. What's more, he got at least five military deferments so he wouldn't have to go to Vietnam. And he eventually joined the Marine Reserves - so he wouldn't have to go to Vietnam.

Blumenthal's campaign was quick to slam the New York Times story calling it an "outrageous distortion." How is it a distortion if the New York Times said he lied about serving in Vietnam if he never served in Vietnam. He just lied about it.

Blumenthal held a news conference this afternoon where he said he unintentionally misspoke on a few occasions, adding that he regrets it and accepts full responsibility. What does that mean? Unintentionally misspoke? Is he not sure whether or not he ever fought in Vietnam? What garbage. He repeatedly referred to his comments as "a few misplaced words."

It's called lying.

In what will prove to be a huge mistake, Democrats say they will continue to back him in the race to replace Chris Dodd in the U.S. Senate. If he wins, Blumenthal will fit right in in Washington with the rest of the weasels down there.

Politicians cheat...

From CNN's Alexander Mooney and Evan Glass

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Indiana, abruptly announced his resignation Tuesday, after acknowledging that he “sinned against God” by engaging in a relationship with a member of his staff.

The 59-year-old married father of three, who just won a competitive primary, said he will leave office at the end of the week.

"I believe it is the best decision for my family, the people of northeast Indiana, and our country,” an emotional Souder said at a news conference in his district. “I will submit my resignation to Speaker Pelosi effective this Friday.”

Souder, politically a social conservative, made the stunning revelation that he had an inappropriate relationship outside of his marriage but offered no more details.

"I sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff," he said. "In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C, any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain.

"I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process," he added.

Should have thought of that before taking off his pants.


What's up with these clowns? Don't the realize that they move in the most closely scrutinized environment in the country, if not the world? Are they so arrogant that they believe they can get away with lying and cheating. True, most of them do, but still...

I feel so slimy. Gotta go take a shower.

No Surprises Here

Sketchy posting schedule for the near future - my father suffered a stroke Sat. night and is currently hospitalized. It was relatively minor as strokes go - some mild weakness and loss of fine motor skills on the right side - but thankfully cognition seems unimpaired.

The biggest problem is aphasia, or loss of speech. It's not so much the inability to speak - extremely frustrating, because Dad is someone who lives to talk - as the loss of control over muscles in the mouth and throat. This causes difficulties in swallowing, with subsequent implications for eating and drinking. Right now nutrition and hydration needs are being handled via an IV, but long-term needs may require a feeding tube (a percutaneous endoscopically placed gastrostomy (PEG) feeding tube, for those of you with a clinical bent).

Anyway, here's a few short tidbits from the daily news.

Obama's aunt can stay in U.S.

President Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt can stay in the United States, a U.S. immigration judge has ruled, ending a more than six-year legal battle over her status.

Onyango, who is the half-sister of the president's late father, applied for political asylum in 2002 due to violence in her native Kenya. She was a legal resident of the United States at the time and had received a Social Security card a year earlier.

Onyango's asylum request was turned down in 2004. She appealed the rejection of her request twice, but was denied each time and ordered to leave the country. Onyango remained in the country illegally until April of 2009, when Judge Shapiro gave her permission to stay in the United States while he considered her case.

Does this really surprise anyone...?


Obama doesn't take questions at Freedom of Press Act signing

President Barack Obama signed legislation Monday expanding the federal government's role in monitoring global freedom of the press.

Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act, which requires a greater examination of the status of press freedoms in different countries in the State Department's Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

Among other things, the State Department will now be required to "identify countries in which there were violations of press freedom; determine whether the government authorities of those countries participate in ... or condone the violations; and report the actions such governments have taken to preserve the safety and independence of the media," according to a statement from Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, one of the bill's primary sponsors.

1. The irony is just too delicious.

2. Since when is the U.S. the Freedom of Press Police - especially since it looks like someone who believes it could be lawful to ban books and pamphlets is about to become a Supreme Court justice.

3. This is just another example of obama's ongoing snubs of the press. Makes you wonder why they still show him some love.


Federal official overseeing offshore oil development to retire early

And in a totally unrelated development...

The head of offshore drilling at an Interior Department agency criticized after the Gulf Coast oil spill is retiring earlier than planned, an administration official told CNN on Monday.

Chris Oynes will step down as associate director of the agency's Offshore Minerals Management Program at the end of May, the official said. The program is part of the Minerals Management Service.

"This was Chris Oynes' decision to retire after almost 35 years of public service," the official said. "Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, he approached leadership at MMS and announced he would be retiring on June 30th, and today [Monday,] he told his colleagues that he would be accelerating his retirement."

Ho hum, just another slow news day...

Read My Lips ... No, Wait, Don't ...

September 12, 2008 - in Dover NH presidential candidate Barack Obama said:

“I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.”

(quote and video here) (full story here)

May 12, 2010 - in New York, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag described Obama’s pledge as a “stance” and a “preference:”

“The president has been very clear about what he prefers,” Orszag said under questioning from Thomson Reuters’ Chrystia Freeland. “That was his stance during the campaign, and he still believes that’s the right course forward. But he has also been very clear that we shall let the commission (the president’s newly formed bipartisan Commission on Fiscal Responsibility) go do its work.”

(link here)

In a masterpiece of understatement, Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), a member of both the House Budget Committee and the aforementioned Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, said “It appears that the president’s ‘promise’ is being morphed into a ‘preference.’

So if I understand this right, obama's firm pledge is subject to being overruled by a committee that he formed. That's a classic bureaucratic CYA move - "I was against it, but it was the committee's decision."

Even NPR (!) points out that this is a bit of a flip-flop on obama's part.

We'll see how this plays out, and how the lame-stream media covers it. But for now, I am reminded of Rep. Joe Wilson's shout of "You lie!" during an obama speech on 9/9/09 to Congress. It seems Mr. Wilson was not only right then, but also prescient.

S.O.S.

I am so tired of the same old crap. In this case it's Eric Holder, obama's handpicked choice for Attorney General. You would think that a high ranking government official, the head of the U.S. Department of Justice, the person responsible for enforcing Federal laws and giving legal advice to the executive branch of the government, would at least read a law before he begins spouting off about it.

But nooo...

"Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who has been critical of Arizona's new immigration law, said Thursday he hasn't yet read the law and is going by what he's read in newspapers or seen on television.

"I've just expressed concerns on the basis of what I've heard about the law. But I'm not in a position to say at this point, not having read the law, not having had the chance to interact with people are doing the review, exactly what my position is," Mr. Holder told the House Judiciary Committee.

This weekend Mr. Holder told NBC's "Meet the Press" program that the Arizona law "has the possibility of leading to racial profiling." He had earlier called the law's passage "unfortunate," and questioned whether the law was unconstitutional because it tried to assume powers that may be reserved for the federal government.

Rep. Ted Poe, who had questioned Mr. Holder about the law, wondered how he could have those opinions if he hadn't yet read the legislation.

"It's hard for me to understand how you would have concerns about something being unconstitutional if you haven't even read the law," the Texas Republican told the attorney general."

Isn't it comforting to know that our government is led by people who let the lame-stream media tell them what to think?

We've got to get that bozo out of the White House and the rest of his clowns out of D.C. before they do any more damage.

Immigration Law Enforcement, Anyone?

Early news reports indicate that the people arrested in conjunction with the failed Times Square bombing plot are being held on immigration charges.

Gee, ya think that enforcing immigration laws might help protect us?

Another One Bites The Dust

Closed the books on another semester today. Everything's graded, grades have been turned in to the registrar, we've had the final meeting of the semester, and I'm headed home, where family and Shiners galore await.

Life is good...

Anti-incumbent Fever

The following excerpt from a story about anti-incumbent fever illustrates what is wrong with our political system today, and what I hope is a movement to vote ALL the incumbents out of office. Those 535 worthless losers have been busy fiddling while our country burns.

"In West Virginia, 14-term Democrat Rep. Alan Mollohan is competing in the May 11 primary against state Sen. Mike Oliverio. The primary battle, observers note, is the first real challenge for Mollohan since taking over the seat in 1982 when his father retired from it."

Fourteen terms?!?!? And he took it over from his father?!?!? That's almost as bad as the poster child for arrogantly believing that a congressional seat is a family birthright, that drunken, murdering, lying hypocrite Ted Kennedy.

Throw 'em all out. Beginning with that idiot in the White House.

Update: He's outta there!!!

Tiger Woods Injury

Tiger Woods withdrew from a golf tournament due to some sort of bulge...

More from Arizona

Below are links to a series of reports from T. J. Woodard, a retired Army officer who lives in Cochise County, AZ., less than ten miles from the Mexican border. The reports were published in the American Thinker.

The Arizona Desert and its People

Report from Cochise County

Update from Cochise County

Mr. Woodard informs us and illustrates the situation in a clear, concise, and rational manner, from the perspective of someone who lives with the impact of illegal border crossing daily. This is a welcome change from the shrill, emotional, and uninformed blather emanating from commentators who have no idea what the hell they're talking about.

Tolerance - Us vs. Them

Follow-up to an earlier post on tolerance.

I note without comment the following:

"A Swedish artist who angered Muslims by depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was assaulted Tuesday while giving a university lecture about the limits of artistic freedom." (link here)

Well, maybe one comment: I don't want to hear one word - not a single friggin' word - about how we should be tolerant and understanding of Muslims until crap like this stops, or at least until a significant majority of Muslims speak out loud and clear condemning this "it's okay for us to denigrate other religions, but nobody can say anything negative about ours" mindset.

'Entitlement' Death Spiral

We ignore demographics at our own peril. Robert Samuelson offers Greece as a chilling preview of our own economic future if we don't do something to address the growing imbalance between government revenue inflow and 'entitlement' (read: welfare) program outflow.

"What we’re seeing in Greece is the death spiral of the welfare state. This isn’t Greece’s problem alone, and that’s why its crisis has rattled global stock markets and threatens economic recovery. Virtually every advanced nation, including the United States, faces the same prospect. Aging populations have been promised huge health and retirement benefits, which countries haven’t fully covered with taxes. The reckoning has arrived in Greece, but it awaits most wealthy societies."

Full article here. Read, heed, and act.