Hawaii Trip Reflections

Wrapping up some loose ends from our recent Hawaii trip. This is a lengthy post, so please be patient...

The first thing that struck me was the gas prices. When we left Texas it was around $2.69 per gallon. When we landed in Oahu it was $3.73 per gallon. I understand that it's an island and everything has to be shipped there, but damn ... just DAMN.

My wife scheduled us for a number of different activities while we were there. In my mind I divided them into two categories: one where we were responsible for ourselves (e.g., boogie boarding, snorkeling, hiking, surfing) and one where we were dependent on others for our safety (parasailing and ziplining). This really hit home during the parasailing, when my son and I were dangling a few hundred feet above the ocean while being towed by a speedboat crewed by a couple of surfer dudes.

As we boarded the boat I noticed the name on the stern - "Lucky Lady." It looked like it was hastily painted over something, kind of like those paint patches you see covering up gang graffiti. I didn't give it a second thought, as we were busy getting fitted for harnesses, briefed by the crew on what to expect and what to do in the case of a malfunction or emergency, and sightseeing as we left the harbor and set sail for the open sea.

We were strapped into the harnesses, hooked up to a steel bar that was connected to the parachute, sat on the rear deck of the boat, and before I knew it we were whisked off and up. At first it was fun and enjoyable, but then...

By nature and training I almost always inspect any gear I'm going to rely on in a potentially dangerous situation. For some reason, in this case I was lulled into a false sense of security. I did take a quick look at the D-rings and carabiners that connected us to the steel bar, and the steel bar to the parachute, but I overlooked the line that connected the steel bar to the boat. As we were sailing through the air, I noticed that the line was faded and frayed, probably as a result of the sun and salt. I also noticed that the knot used to fasten the line to the steel bar looked more like a series of half-hitches than any sort of seaman's knot. 

Of course at this point it was too late to do anything about it. I consoled myself with the thought that if the line snapped or the knot came undone we would basically just be parachuting into the ocean. We're both pretty strong swimmers, and we had on life vests, so I wasn't too worried, but still...

About this time the speedboat turned and I could see some artwork on its side. It was the original name of the boat: "Classy Bong."

At that point a couple of remarks the crew made snapped into focus. Something about leaving Mexico and going to the Caribbean, and then having to leave the Caribbean and moving to Hawaii.

Still, everything went well. We had a great time, made it back safely, and enjoyed the crew's company. But the next day, when we went ziplining, I did pay a lot closer attention to the gear and the staff.

I mentioned earlier about the long, high zips we did. Here's an example. The picture was taken from the platform we left from. There are two parallel lines faintly visible in the top center of the picture. Those are the ziplines. If you look very, very closely on the right side of the picture, slightly less than halfway down, you can see the platform we landed on. It's about 1/4 mile away. (You can click to embiggen any of these pictures.)

We spent most of our time on the island of Kauai. The very first thing we noticed leaving the airport was that the place is overrun with chickens - lots and lots of chickens. There are a couple of stories that purport to explain them. One is that when Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai in 1992 it blew the roofs off all the chicken coops on the island and the birds escaped. Another explanation, and one I put more stock in, is that the sugarcane plantation laborers imported from the Philippines in the late 1800s brought chickens with them, both for eating and for cockfighting. Over the years a number escaped and multiplied, lacking any natural predators. I tend to believe this one because the wild roosters are brightly colored - usually a nice-looking bright red, banded with other colors.

The chickens are wild, tough, and wary. They'll let you get close, but not too close. They're also tough, both figuratively and literally. A local story states that the best way to cook a wild chicken is to place it in a pot of boiling water with a lava rock. Keep it boiling until the rock gets soft, then throw away the chicken and eat the rock.

Feral chickens - go figure.

Speaking of eating, we fell in love with a local desert call Hula Pie. It's a big hunk of Lappert's macadamia nut ice cream (Lappert's is to Hawaii as Blue Bell is to Texas) covered with chocolate sauce and crushed macadamia nuts, and buried under a mound of whipped cream. One serving satisfies a family of four.

Hula Pie - before.

Hula Pie - after.

After chowing down on several Hula Pies it was time to work off some of those calories. So my darling bride dragged us off to hike up and down (and up and down and up and down and up and down...) Waimea Canyon. As previously reported, a gorgeous view of the canyon

was followed by a disappointing view of Waipoo Falls, probably because we hiked to the top of them. In the picture below, the people you see on the edge of the rocks are right next to the 800 foot dropoff over which the falls flow. (Again, click to embiggen.)

I posted earlier about the insensitivity of some people in demanding that special accommodations be made for them, in spite of the fact that they are visitors in a different land/culture, and in the minority. I saw a perfect example of this one afternoon in Hawaii. I was sitting in a bar watching Arkansas play Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl (As an aside, Hawaii time (HST) is 4 hours ahead of CST, my usual time zone. This means that football games scheduled for noon CST (1:00 p.m. EST) start at 8:00 a.m. HST. As a result, the bars open early in the morning to accommodate fans. This requires a little getting used to, but it's a surprisingly easy adjustment after the first beer or two).

Anyway, this particular bowl game started around 3:00 p.m. HST. There was a pretty good crowd in the bar watching it, including some of those obnoxious Hog fans, all dressed in red and making those ridiculous sooie pig noises (the hillbilly equivalent of the vuvuzelas from the World Cup). In the midst of all this hooting and hollering a Canadian walked up to the bar and asked the bartender if he could switch the TV to the Canadian junior hockey championships.

There was a stunned moment of silence, and then the hogheads surged to their feet as one. I'll give the bartender a lot of credit. He eyed the crowd and very smoothly said "I'm sorry, but we don't get that channel." The Canadian, very politely as is their wont, thanked him and wandered off in search of another bar that would accommodate him.

Those of us watching the game just looked at each other and asked "Was that guy really serious?" The bartender said they get a few Canadians in from time to time, and have their stock "We don't get that channel" reply ready. But how oblivious was the Canadian? I understand that hockey is a national obsession with them, but was he blind to the crowd in the bar? And for the junior nationals? Maybe the Stanley Cup, but the junior nationals? What was he thinking?

Speaking of people oblivious to their surroundings, there are some people that should be prevented, under penalty of law, from appearing in public in a bathing suit. 'Nuff said. (For God's sake DO NOT click to embiggen.)

Bottom line - great people, very warm and friendly; great place, beautiful with lots to do. We're already planning a return trip.

I'll describe the Great obama Birth Certificate Search in a later post...

Friday Follies Not-So-Happy-Hour

This one is dedicated to the victims of the Tucson shootings and their families. It's one of my favorite spirituals. By combining grief and hope it brings closure to the mourners while leaving them with the feeling that there's a better home awaiting. I pray it's so.

I Have A New Hero

From Drudge:

Maine guv to NAACP: 'Kiss my Butt'...

While attending a meeting for business leaders in Sanford, Governor Paul LePage spoke out about why he would not attend Martin Luther King ceremonies on the upcoming holiday.

LePage has declined invitations from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The organization has already expressed its displeasure with the governor's plans to not attend the events.

"They are a special interest. End of story...and I'm not going to be held hostage by special interests. And if they want, they can look at my family picture. My son happens to be black, so they can do whatever they'd like about it," said LePage.

LePage has an adopted son who is from Jamaica.

When LePage was asked if his non-participation is more than one instance, and rather a pattern, he replied, "Tell 'em to kiss my butt. If they want to play the race card, come to dinner and my son will talk to them."

This isn't the first time LePage has caused a stir with his comments. During the campaign, while speaking in front of a group of fishermen, then-candidate LePage said if he were elected governor, headlines would read "Governor LePage tells President Obama to go to Hell." 

Give the guy credit for having the stones to call the NAACP what it is - a special interest group. In this case it's special interest is perpetuating racial disunity by emphasizing differences rather than commonalities. Anyone who dares questions the motives of the NAACP is immediately labeled a racist, regardless of the validity of their comments.

Ditto for disagreeing with obama. If you do so then you are by default a racist.

How's this for a dream ticket in 2012: NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Maine Gov. Paul LePage? At least there wouldn't be any doubt about where they stand...

Small Town Life

I love living in (well, actually about 15 miles outside of) a small town. Why? Here's my errand list from yesterday.

• Get  a haircut (Larry's Barber Shop - an old fashioned real barber shop, not a salon or styling parlor. It's been in the same place, run by the same guy - Larry - for around 25 years. There's usually some folks who aren't there for a haircut just sitting around BS-ing. $12 for a haircut and beard trim)

• Submit my passport renewal paperwork at the county courthouse.

• Run by the bank.

• Pick up the dry cleaning.

• Pick up medicine at the drug store.

• Get a flu shot.

• Go by the post office.

• Get a few things at the grocery store.

• Fill the truck up with gas.

Total elapsed time in town - 1 hour 55 minutes. Add in another 30 minutes round trip travel time and I got a whole slew of stuff done in around 2 1/2 hours. And that includes chat time with several people I ran into that I knew.

I got up in the morning, had a cup of coffee, ran my errands, and was home in time for my wife to fix me lunch. That's hard to beat...

Perspective

5 Nov. 2009 - Ft. Hood, Texas

13 people killed and 30 wounded by (allegedly - snort) Nidal Malik Hasan, a muslim who shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he moved through the room shooting a semi-automatic pistol with high-capacity magazines. The American public was immediately cautioned by the mainstream media and assorted liberal politicians against making any assumptions regarding the shooter's motivation.

After a few days the story fades from the news cycle, with only occasional sporadic updates. The dead are allowed to rest in peace.

 8 Jan. 2011 - Tucson, Arizona

6 people killed and 13 wounded by Jared Lee Loughner (again, allegedly), a mentally unstable individual with no apparent ties to or interest in any particular political party, using a semi-automatic pistol with high-capacity magazines. The mainstream media and assorted liberal politicians immediately blame the shootings on incendiary rhetoric from conservative politicians and talk radio.

After a few days the story remains a high-profile exchange of charges and counter-charges. The dead are politicized for personal and political purposes.

This topic has been beaten to death (caution - violent rhetorical usage, not to be taken literally). I don't have much to add, other than to offer thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families. However, I would like to provide a couple of links that highlight the sickening hypocrisy of the left and their media minions (or is it the other way around? See the Final Note below).

Go here for a Right Wing Hate Speech Quiz.

Go here for an Illustrated Primer of Hate Speech

Final Note: I was getting my hair cut today in a traditional, old-fashioned barber shop here in the small town where I live. There were the usual old farts hanging around, and the topic of discussion was the Tucson shootings. As you might expect, general disgust was voiced regarding politicians and the media. One old fellow summed it up by snorting "Politicians ... Hell, they're almost as bad as the press."

That should give you some idea of how far the media's reputation has fallen, when they're ranked below politicians...

What's Wrong With Oklahoma?

As a life-long Texas resident and UT graduate, my answer is "just about everything."

But more specifically,

The OU Board of Regents approved raises for all nine assistant football coaches Oct. 28. At the cream of the crop, Kevin Wilson and Brent Venables received a $45,000 raise, increasing their salaries to $440,000 and $430,000 respectively.

Less than two weeks later, during his State of the University address to the Faculty Senate on Monday, OU President David Boren warned that department heads to prepare for a 5-percent budget cut next year in case state funding for higher education doesn’t match increasing costs.

Admittedly, OU isn't the only university that's increasing spending on its football program while cutting funds on the educational side. But proponents claim some justification for this.

There are 68 schools in the six major conferences that make up the BCS. Only one - Wake Forest - lost money on its football program. The other 67 either broke even or made money.

On average, each team earned $15.8 million last year, or well over $1 million per game.

They posted that jump in combined profit even though revenue rose by only 6% to $2.2 billion. That means the schools had a combined profit margin of 49%...

The University of Texas (ahem...) football program was once again the leader in both revenue, with $94 million, and profit, with $68 million.

At most schools the athletic department is a fiscally self-contained unit, operating under its own budget separate from the rest of the university. The football program usually funds a host of money-losing sports such as soccer, volleyball, swimming, and so forth. But that's still a lot of money being spent on what is basically an entertaining diversion that does little to further the educational mission.

I'm a college football fan. But I also am a college professor. When I see overcrowded classrooms, obsolete equipment, spiraling administrative costs, rising tuition and shrinking faculty support, I start thinking about carts and horses.

Remind me again how the MIT football team did this year...

One final note: it's not just universities that stoke the football machine. Here in pigskin-mad Texas we have a local high school that just spent $800,000 on a hideous red artificial turf football field, while at the same time the school district is struggling with a budget deficit. That gives you some idea of our misplaced priorities.

I could understand it if they went with a traditional green turf, but red?!?!? If the taxpayers don't rise up in revolt over the foolish use of funds, they should at least protest the lack of taste...

Mixed Up

Still catching up on a bunch of things that got neglected over the last two weeks - including a mound of laundry. How on earth did I accumulate so many dirty clothes when all I wore was a swim suit and t-shirts?

Anyway, here's a few examples of how easy it is to get things mixed up.


Prayer for 2011

Dear Lord, all I ask for 2011 is a big fat bank account and a slim body. Please don't get them mixed up like you did last year.

Man's Best Friend

A real woman is a man's best friend. She will never let him down. She will reassure him when he feels insecure and comfort him after a bad day.

She will inspire him to do things he never thought he could do; to live without fear and forget regret.

She will enable him to express his deepest emotions and give in to his most intimate desires.

She will make sure he always feels as though he's the most  handsome man in the room and will enable him to be the most confident, sexy, seductive and invincible...

No, wait... Sorry.

I'm thinking of whiskey.

It’s whiskey that does all that shit.

Never mind.

Educational TV

The wife and I were at home watching TV. I had the remote and was switching back and forth between a fishing channel and the porn channel.

She became more and more annoyed and finally said: "For God's sake! Leave it on the porn channel!  You already know how to fish!" 

Album Meme

Brigid at Home on the Range encouraged her readers to participate in a creative (well, actually it's random) exercise similar to the 'porn name' game. (Your porn name = your first pet's name + the name of the street you lived on as a child. My porn name is pretty boring - Brownie Scott - but my wife's has possibilities: Suzie Camelback.) 

Anyway, my album cover came out so well (see below) I'm inspired to form a rock band and go on tour. I have very little musical ability, but I can trash hotel rooms with the best of them.

Band Name = Eduardo Bone (opens the door to a host of raunchy jokes)

Album Name = one link at a time (vague and mystical enough to be appealing)

I'm Back...

Arrived home from Hawaii yesterday afternoon. Lots to catch up on around here, plus the lingering effects of jet lag and post-vacation syndrome (What - I have to cook my own meals?), so don't expect much for a few days.  But here's a tidbit.

Based on the weather so far this winter, here's an early nominee for Ironic Photo of the Year.

Sunday Funnies

Kona coffee is an excellent coffee grown only in Hawaii. It also has other uses, as shown below.

 

In Hawaii there's a different attitude towards clothing. Shorts and t-shirts are the norm. Business dress consists of slacks and Hawaiian shirts (referred to as Aloha shirts by the locals). It's an easy habit to get into, as the story below explains.

Vacationing in Hawaii, two priests decide to wear casual clothes so they won't be identified as clergy. They buy Hawaiian shirts and sandals, and head for the beach.

They notice a gorgeous blond in a tiny bikini. "Good afternoon, Fathers" she says as she strolls by.

The men are stunned. How does she know they are clergy? Later that day, they buy even wilder attire consisting of surfer shorts, tie dyed T-shirts, and dark glasses.

The next day, they return to the beach. The same fabulous blond, now wearing a string bikini, passes by, nods politely at them and says, "Good morning Fathers."

"Just a minute young lady," says one of the priests. "We are priests and proud of it, but how in the world did you know?"

The blonde replies, "Don't you recognize me? I'm sister Katherine from the convent."

Please Forward

I received the message below today. Please forward it to all your liberal acquaintances and any obama supporters you may know. They're probably dumb enough to fall for it.

 * * * * * * * * * *

Greetings To You,

We notify you as a scammed victim beneficiary to be compensatedwith $950, 000.00USD in the United Nation and Obama Foundation.

Contact Mr.Peter Kelly For more Information.

You are to fill the appropriate form and submit to the bank.

[1] Full Names:________________

[2] Contact address______________________________

[3] Direct Telephone No: ___________________

|4| Occupation : ____________________________

Managing Director of the HSBC BANK,Malaysia

Name: Mr.Peter Kelly

Yours Faithfully, Hon.Mr.Clow Griff

(Chief Co-ordinator)

OBAMA'S FOUNDATION

Copyright © 2003-2011

 * * * * * * * * * *

And no, I still haven't found his damn birth certificate...

Money = Happiness?

Oh Lord, please let me find out for myself.

Winning the lottery: Does it guarantee happiness?

She was a mother of three living in a small apartment and working four jobs. And then, as if in a fairy tale, she won her state's lottery last year. But the story doesn't have the happy ending you might expect.

She didn't do anything overly extravagant after the $1.3 million got slashed in taxes. She bought a house, got a new wardrobe at the Salvation Army, cut work down to just one job and invested the rest.

And then came the phone calls: promises, marriage proposals, accusations, threats. People who used to volunteer to help her do things wanted money for their trouble. Family members, she says, tried to run her life, and control her money.

"Sometimes I wish I could change my name and go somewhere and hide," said the woman, who asked not to be identified to prevent further attention.

It's fun to think about what you would do if you played lottery numbers that brought in millions of dollars. But, disillusioning as it may seem, big winnings can come with big costs, especially because of the greed of others, experts say.

Jim McCullar of Washington state, who claimed half of the Mega Millions $380 million prize Thursday, said he was initially afraid to come forward because "all we saw were predators and we were afraid to do anything until we got down here with police protection."

McCullar is "not going to know who to trust and whether he can even stay and live in the same hometown," said Steven Danish, professor of psychology and social and behavioral health at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Lottery winners sometimes experience high-profile misfortune. West Virginia businessman Andrew "Jack" Whittaker Jr. is a well-known example; he won $112 million after taxes in 2002. Among his personal tragedies since then, his granddaughter and daughter have both died, and he has allegedly been robbed several times.

Another case is Abraham Shakespeare of Florida, who was slain after winning a $31 million lottery prize. A friend was charged with murder in his death last year and has pleaded not guilty. Shakespeare, Whittaker and other unlucky winners have been featured in documentaries such as E!'s "Curse of the Lottery."

The story goes on to point out that not everyone who wins the lottery suffers from misfortune, and offers some tips for those fortunate enough to unexpectedly come into large sums of money.

As long as those I care about are happy and healthy, I'm happy.

But I'd sure like to find out if I could be happier by winning a few million $$$...

Friday Follies Happy Hour - Hawaii Style

This video is worth watching just for the HD images of the beach. The music is a nice and relaxing Hawaiian tune. So sit back, take a deep breath, and let your cares get washed out to sea.



BTW, still no sign of obama's birth certificate. But right now, I don't care....

DFW Airport Gets A Facelift ... No, Wait, a Booblift ... Or Something...

Posted with minimal comment (because I'm tired).

One of the busiest airports in the world will soon be a neighbor to an upscale gentlemen’s club, but some prominent North Texans are trying to shut it down before it even opens.

A new Rick’s Cabaret is about to open near the South entrance to DFW International Airport.

Thursday the DFW Airport board of directors met in a closed meeting and members officially agreed to join American Airlines and others on the list of club protesters.

The problem for many is that the club will be one of the first things you’ll see going to or from the airport.

Rick’s Cabaret is expected to open its doors in a few weeks.  Owners say their place is going to make the airport ‘sexier’. But for travelers at DFW Airport, the ‘naked truth’ has yet to be seen.

Prominent Tarrant County leaders, including County Judge Glen Whitley, are protesting the permit.

“It’s a bad business to have in the area,” says Whitley, who is among the growing group of dissidents, including Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and American Airlines.

Moncrief admits stopping Rick’s Cabaret from operating will be a big challenge. “I understand they have their rights, we have ours. I have already indicated, by correspondence, my disappointment and opposition to this location,” he said. “I’m not real happy about our, our flights coming in here and looking down on that signage and that kind of operation. Whether or not we can stop it remains to be seen.”

The club will be located between the airport and American’s corporate headquarters.

Eric Langan, the president of Rick’s Cabaret, says  he doesn’t understand why there’s opposition now.  He says the city of Fort Worth approved all their plans and they will be opening on January 20.   If they don’t get a liquor license in time, then it will be BYOB.

A protest hearing concerning the license will be held next month at Fort Worth City Hall.

As men's clubs go, Rick's is about as good as it gets.

 

I suppose the powers-that-be would prefer more appealing-looking businesses, like parking lots and convenience stores.

And where were they during the planning, permitting, and approval process?

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not a patron of men's clubs - haven't been to one in over two decades - but if they cross all their t's and dot all their i's then they should be allowed to operate just like any other business.

Besides, I remember the "Fly Me" and hot pants days of Southwest Airlines. 

 

I wonder how many AA managers will find their way into Rick's once it opens? Quite a few, I'd wager...

Snow Thoughts From Hawaii

Sitting here on the balcony of my luxurious resort hotel room (graciously paid for by the taxpayers of the Great State of Texas - thanks, y'all) with a cold Longboard in hand, enjoying a postcard-perfect sundown (wispy clouds tinged pink-orange by the setting sun, surf breaking about 5 stories below me, fragrant and exotic scents on the gentle breeze), it's hard to identify with the denizens of New York and their recent struggles with excessive amounts of snow. However, a Michelle Malkin column on that topic prompted me to comment.

...government sanitation and transportation workers were ordered by union supervisors to oversee a deliberate slowdown of its cleanup program — and to boost their overtime paychecks.

...city plowers raised blades “unusually high” (which requires extra passes to get their work done) and refused to plow anything other than assigned streets (even if it meant leaving behind clogged routes to get to their blocks).

When they weren’t sitting on their backsides, city plowers were caught on videotape maniacally destroying parked vehicles in a futile display of Kabuki Emergency Theater. It would be laugh-out-loud comedy if not for the death of at least one newborn whose parents waited for an ambulance that never came because of snowed-in streets.

This isn’t a triumphant victory for social justice and workers’ dignity. This is terrifying criminal negligence.

It's not so much the egregious actions (or non-actions) taken by the NYC sanitation workers union that are disturbing - after all, is anyone really surprised that a union would take advantage of a disaster to improve their situation? - as it is the (again, not surprising) revelation that privatized services are much more efficient and cost effective than government provided services, whether or not they are unionized.

New Yorkers could learn a thing or two from those of us who call Colorado Springs home. We have no fear of being held hostage to a politically driven sanitation department — because we have no sanitation department. We have no sanitation department because enlightened advocates of limited government in our town realized that competitive bidders in the private sector could provide better service at lower cost.

And we’re not alone. As the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan reported: “The largest study ever conducted on outsourced garbage collection, conducted by the federal government in the 1970s, reported 29 to 37 percent savings in cities with populations over 50,000. A 1994 study by the Reason Foundation discovered that the city of Los Angeles was paying about 30 percent more for garbage collection than its surrounding suburbs, in which private waste haulers were employed. A 1982 study of city garbage collection in Canada discovered an astonishing 50 percent average savings as a result of privatization.”

Completely privatized trash collection means city residents don’t get socked with the bill for fraudulently engineered overtime pay, inflated pensions, and gold-plated health benefits in perpetuity — not to mention the capital and operating costs of vehicles and equipment. The Colorado Springs model, as city councilman Sean Paige calls it, is a blueprint for how every city can cope with budget adversity while freeing itself from thuggish union threats when contracts expire or cuts are made. Those who dawdled on privatization efforts in better times are suffering dire, deadly consequences now.

Let the snow-choked streets of New York be a lesson for the rest of the nation: It’s time to put the Big Chill on Big Labor–run municipal services.

Cue Peter, Paul, and Mary: "When will we ever learn...?"

In other snow-related news:

The feds have opened a criminal investigation into allegations that city employees conspired to paralyze the city during last week's blizzard by failing to remove the snow, authorities confirmed today.

The probe launched by the Brooklyn US Attorney's Office comes in response to City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Queens) revelations to The Post last week that sanitation workers told him they were involved in a work slowdown, sources told The Post.

At the same time, both the Brooklyn and Queens DAs offices have started their own investigations into whether there was a work slowdown.

I'm just guessing here, but I'm willing to bet that the Brooklyn and Queens DAs, plus a few pissed-off feds, live on streets that didn't get plowed.

There's more.

Even the dead can't escape the ineptitude of the city's Sanitation Department.

Sanitation crews dumped tons of dirty snow from the Christmas-weekend blizzard into the city's biggest Jewish cemetery, toppling 21 gravestones and wrecking an iron fence.

Can you imagine the outrage if the union slobs had dumped all that snow on some muslim property? We'd never hear the end of it.

There is, however, a very serious side to all this union nonsense. It's quite likely that heavily unionized states may be forced to default on their bonds, or even declare bankruptcy.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Washington earlier this year (2010) to get $7 billion for his state government, which resorted to paying off vendors with scrip and delaying state income tax refunds. Illinois seems to be in even worse shape. A recent credit rating showed it to be weaker than Iceland and only slightly stronger than Iraq.

It's no mystery why these state governments -- and those of New York and New Jersey as well -- are in such bad fiscal shape. These are the parts of America where the public employee unions have been calling the shots, insisting on expanded payrolls, ever higher pay, hugely generous fringe benefits and utterly unsustainable pension promises.

One final note: Andy Stern, former head of obama's puppet master SEIU and unqualified member of the deficit commission, voted against the commission's plan for reducing the deficit, effectively killing it.

What the hell a union head was doing on a deficit reduction commission is beyond me, but that's obama for you.

Speaking of obama, my search for his birth certificate continues with renewed vigor. I have definitively ruled out the possibility that it is in any of the bars within a one mile radius of this resort...

It's A Tough Job

I put the wife and kids on a plane back to the mainland yesterday. Now it's time to get down to the business part of this trip (he said with an almost-straight face).

I'm here for a conference. It kicked off today with a reception on the beach. Gorgeous sunset, crashing surf, a Hawaiian band playing island tunes, trays of tasty tidbits, and, oh yeah, an open bar.

The conference sessions and workshops start tomorrow. Somehow I doubt that I'll be attending too many of them. Early morning (well, more like mid-morning) walks on the beach will consume my a.m., and the afternoons will be spent practicing for happy hour. I found a little local bar about a half-mile from here, with cold beer and good affordable food. The resort food and drink is fine, but pricey. I think I'll be spending a fair amount of time at Kalapaki Joe's.

The resort itself is excellent. If you ever visit Kauai I highly recommend the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. 

My presentation is scheduled for the last session of the last day, which is a good thing for two reasons. First of all, I haven't finished the PPT slides yet. I'll get that done in the next day or two. Second, thanks to the flight schedules, I'll have to stay over one more day after the conference.

It's a tough job, maintaining proficiency in both my subject matter and pedagogical skills, but it's a sacrifice I gladly make for the youth of America.

And of course I will continue seeking obama's birth certificate...

PC Run Amok

We interrupt our vacation posting to express our utter indignation at the idiots running the St. Peter's Head Start Program in Minnesota (courtesy of BMWS). 

Father Christmas banned at children’s centre after Muslim family complained (original source here). 

Father Christmas has been banned from visiting a children’s nursery after a Muslim family complained.

For the last four years, Dennis Jackson has donned a beard and red-and-white costume to hand out presents at the St Peter’s Head Start Programme in Minnesota.

But this year he was told he wasn’t welcome after objections from a Somali family.

‘It kind of burnt me up,’ Mr Jackson said, after being banned by officials at the Head Start Programme.

They had told him ‘it was against some people’s wishes’ for him to make the half-hour appearances for two classes, for about three dozen children all aged three and four.

According to the regional coordinator for the Minnesota Valley Action Council, Chris Marben, at least one Muslim family complained of his visit.

When asked about banishing Father Christmas, Mrs Marben said: ‘We have Somali families in the programme. We’re respecting the wishes of families in the program.’

She added: ‘Part of our challenge in Head Start is providing an environment where young children from many different cultures can all feel comfortable.’

Mrs Marden didn’t say how many objections were made, but said that program parents are surveyed annually to gauge their feelings toward holiday observances in classes.

She indicated that more than one objection would be sufficient to waive an observance.

Mr Jackson said he has played Father Christmas with children from other cultures before and they were fully comfortable with him - it’s just, in his opinion, some parents who are being unreasonable.

‘They’re not respecting the majority,’ he said. ‘My feeling is [objecting parents] can take their kids out of class for half an hour and let the other kids enjoy it. They should sacrifice, not rule.’

First of all, note that the story refers to Father Christmas, not Santa Claus. Some PC asshole already got in there ahead of the somalis.

Second, note that this idiocy takes place in Minnesota, a state that is so whacked out it elected a former professional wrestler as governor (Jesse "the body" Ventura)

and allowed a broken-down comedian to steal the most recent senatorial election. 

Finally, ponder this. Most people with any modicum of class will adapt to their surroundings and hosts, rather than demand that their new home jump through hoops to accommodate them. In this case, that means the newcomers should gracefully bow out and allow the existing customs to take precedence, rather than demand that the established citizenry make such absurd contortions to accommodate them.

Another way of putting it is "Screw the God-Damn muslims. If they don't like how we do things here, they can crawl back to their dung heap of a country and pray to allah or whatever other raghead heathen they worship to deliver them to somewhere better than the good old U.S. of A."

And while they're waiting for that miracle to happen they can kiss my rosy red All-American Ass.

I'm not normally this much of a redneck, but jeez this story just super-rubbed me the wrong way. Like the Father Christmas guy said, if you don't agree with the premise of a big jolly guy coming down your chimney that's fine, but don't spoil it for the majority of people who do. Just take your little future terrorists out of the room for less time than it takes to take off your burka and pleasure a camel.

I'm so disgusted I'll have to put my obama birth certificate search on hold for a day or so...

Oh My Achin' Knees

As advertised, we hiked the Waimea Canyon today. I consider myself in reasonable shape ... well, reasonable shape for a 58-year old: a little overweight, a little short of breath, and a bad knee, but compared to the average 58-year old I think I can hold my own. I go walking several days a week in the Texas hill country, which has some pretty good elevation changes. None of that made a bit of difference. Waimea Canyon flat out kicked my butt.

Of course, it didn't help that my wife (who doesn't work outside the house, so has plenty of time for pilates, biking, etc.) and kids walk at a much faster pace than I do. I tend to mosey, which is Texan for a gait somewhat slower than a stroll. Their pace is closer to speed walking.

It also didn't help that the damn trails go up and down faster than a crack ho' trying to score her next rock. The elevation change from the trailhead to our destination was 450 feet over 3+ miles. That doesn't sound like much, until you look at a topo map. The trail goes up 80 feet, then down 100, then back up 80, then down a hundred again ... lather, rinse, repeat. That 450 feet is actually more like 1500 up and 2000 down (of course, the trail out was downhill - that meant it was uphill on the return trip). The trail was labeled as "strenuous," and I'm here to testify that's an understatement.

Add in my wife's constant exhortations to hurry up, and it was just like being back in basic, except I wasn't toting a rucksack and rifle.

Nevertheless, it was worth the pain. The views of the canyon were tremendous. The Waipoo waterfalls were a little disappointing, but that might be because we hiked to the top of the falls, and hence couldn't see them below us.

The hiking took about 5 hours total. Add in driving time, and the day was pretty well shot. The wife and kids leave tomorrow, while I stay on for 5 more days (conference - tough job). I'll miss them, but God I could use some rest.

I can conclusively state that obama's birth certificate is not in Waimea Canyon. I scoured that SOB from one end to the other today. I change hotels tomorrow. Maybe that'll change my luck...

What Was She Thinking?

I deeply love my wife, but sometimes I wonder, "What was she thinking?"

Take today, for example. She scheduled us for 9:00 a.m. surfing lessons.

9:00 in the morning.

On New Year's Day.

The morning after a New Year's Eve beach luau.

With an open bar.

What was she thinking?

I didn't have to worry about driving home, or amateur drunks on the road. It was just a short stumble to the room. What could go wrong?

I'll tell you what.

Surfing lessons at 9:00 a. friggin' m.

(Well, there was an unfortunate incident at the luau involving a young lady in a grass skirt and a tiki torch, but that could have happened to anyone. Fortunately, we were near the pool. But that's a story for another day. The key point here is 9:00 a. friggin' m.)

After the surfing lessons we were allowed to have lunch, and then it was off to the other end of the island for an afternoon of snorkeling.

I was dyin' out there.

My wife is one of those people who believe that a vacation is not a success unless some activity is crammed into every spare minue. The concept of downtime is foreign to her.

In spite of that character flaw I love her ... most of the time.

But I wasn't so sure this morning.

The worst thing about it was that it prevented me from making any progress tracking down obama's birth certificate. Maybe tomorrow.

No, wait. Tomorrow we are supposed to hike Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

What was she thinking?

Fern Bar

Did the Fern Grotto tour this morning. Not the most exciting thing to do, but it is a nice, relaxing couple of hours. You take a large tour boat upriver, followed by a short hike to the grotto. The guides rattle off the typical tour guide mix of facts, legends, and bad jokes. On the way back they teach you a few simple hula moves, and everyone sings along to a couple of songs (Tiny Bubbles, anyone?). Like I said, it was a nice respite from the more active activities.

Tonight there's a New year's Eve luau on the beach, with flaming torches, more hula dancers, and fireworks. I don't have time for much self-reflection on this trip, so I'll just say I hope everyone's 2011 is their best year ever.

Or at least better than 2010.

And maybe in the new year I'll be able to track down obama's birth certificate...

Zip-A-Dee-Do-Da

We went ziplining today. We've done this before in Central Texas, but much as I hate to admit it, that was nothing compared to this one. Some of the runs were several hundred feet above the ground and a quarter of a mile long. Terminal velocity was around 40 MPH. I usually don't have a problem with heights, but a couple of times it felt like making love for the first time - terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

The weather has remained constant - overcast and rainy. We've been here four days and only seen the sun for brief stretches. Fortunately, the timing has worked out so that it rains while we're indoors and stops, except for a little drizzle every once in a while, when we go out. I blame this on obama vacationing here at the same time. He brings doom and gloom wherever he goes.

Speaking of obama, still no sign of his birth certificate. I'll keep looking...

Food For Thought

Q: Why does Hawaii have Interstate highways? It's a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. What state(s) could they possibly drive to?

A: Hawaii has Interstate highways so it can guzzle at the public trough, just like the other 49 states. Without federal funds it wouldn't be able to build and maintain the extensive road system between the islands ... no, wait ...

Why does Hawaii have Interstate highways?

Parasailed and boggie boarded yesterday. Visited the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial this morning. Catching a flight later today for Kauai. Waikiki is nice to visit for a couple of days, but enough is enough. 

Haven't caught a glimpse of obama, but his spoor is all over the place. However, can't find a trace of his birth certificate. Will continue searching.

Stay tuned...

The Longest Day

The Longest Day is not the June 6 1944 landings at Normandy. It is the Dec. 27 2010 trip from Central Texas to Honolulu.

We got up in Central Texas at 5:30 a.m. CST. We collapsed into bed in Honolulu at 10:30 p.m. HST (Hawaii Standard Time - four hours difference). That's 21 hours of airports, flights, cab rides, wrangling kids, and dealing with indifferent airline employees and rude passengers. Oh yeah - don't forget overpaying for that wonderful airport food.

We arrived in Honolulu on the heels of a series of rainstorms that triggered mudslides and flash floods. It's currently raining outside, with showers forecast for the next few days. The first item on the local news was a shark attack on a surfer. But we're here, we're all in one piece, our luggage made it, so life is good. At least we're not dealing with blizzards on the east coast, or more rain and mudslides on the west coast. We'll manage.

First impressions of Honolulu are of apartments - lots and lots of apartments, many of them the high-rise type. Makes sense, I guess. This is an island, after all, and land is limited.

The streets around where we're staying (Waikiki Beach) are narrow and crowded. Lots of high-end shops. Reminds me of a cross between Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and the Galleria in Houston.

Our hotel is on the beach. Even in this weather (drizzly, overcast, temperature in the 70s) there are people surfing.

No formal plans for today - just recover from the trip and get a feel for the place. Tomorrow we tour Pearl Harbor in the a.m., and then that evening move on to Kauai.

So far no sign of obama's birth certificate...

More TSA

Saw this on another blog. Supposedly it's a true story. Based on the idiots currently running Homeland Security and the TSA, I have no reason to doubt it.

"Yes, that's a burka, yes that's a real TSA agent, (I saw her badge when I passed her and made a U-turn to snap a pic)."

Fox guarding the henhouse...

Aloha

I have a conference next week in Hawaii. We leave this morning. Notice the change in pronouns.

When I had a conference a couple of weeks ago in St. Louis, no one wanted to go with me.

But everyone wants to accompany me to this conference. Go figure.

I'll be posting pictures and notes from the trip. Here's the first one - what I expect from the TSA.

Stay tuned...

Net Neutrality - Quick Hits

April 6, 2010

The Federal Communications Commission does not have the legal authority to slap Net neutrality regulations on Internet providers, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday...


Tuesday's decision could doom one of the signature initiatives of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, a Democrat. Last October, Genachowski announced plans to begin drafting a formal set of Net neutrality rules--even though Congress has not given the agency permission to do so.

Dec. 21, 2010

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, in a historic vote Tuesday, approved network neutrality rules...

The FCC approved the rules in a 3-2 party-line vote, with both of the commission's Republicans voting against the proposal. They require broadband providers to disclose their network management practices and performance metrics to customers, in addition to prohibiting broadband providers from blocking legal Web content.

Rules? We don't need no stinkin' rules. We're unelected, appointed democrat commissioners. We know what's best for you. Just relax and enjoy it.

Dec. 26, 2010

Net neutrality is anything but neutral. It takes the operation of the Internet away from the heterogeneous and diversified interests of the private sector that has created it and concentrates it in the hands of an unelected and unaccountable board of political appointees atop a federal bureaucracy. Does that sound like a recipe for continued innovation?

The dire problems net neutrality activists cry wolf about either don't exist or have already been resolved without the heavy hand of government influence. A federal court has ruled the FCC lacks the legal authority to regulate Internet service providers. So why try to do so?

Over the last two decades, millions of individuals have contributed to a remarkable expansion of freedom, creativity and commerce on the Internet that has benefited billions of people. For three FCC commissioners, that's a problem. The power to regulate, after all, is the power to control. For control freaks, few things are more tempting than an unfettered Internet.

More tempting, and more frightening...

Twas The Morning After Christmas

Here's hoping your Christmas exceeded expectations.

Santa's certainly did...

Merry Christmas

Bad news. Christmas has been canceled this year.

 
But seriously, folks, here at Bergheim Follies we unabashedly wish each and every one a Merry Christmas. I can think of no better Christmas wish than that old standard:

"Peace on Earth. Good will towards men."

May it come true this year...

Friday Follies Happy Hour - Christmas Edition

My all time favorite Christmas song. Enjoy, and have a very Merry Christmas.



Ho Ho Ho!

Last Minute Gift Suggestion

For all you married men out there, here's a gift that's sure to bring a smile to your little woman's face.

Let me know how it works out for you...

Tis The Season

This is a true story. The lead character - Bob, the patient - is a friend and mentor of mine. He plucked me from a gaggle of entry-level employees at my first job after I got my bachelor's degree and groomed me for a series of special assignments that gave me the opportunity to grow professionally. Over time our relationship progressed from mentor-mentee to friendship. When I moved from Houston to Central Texas we stayed in touch, and got together for a few rounds of golf every year. By a stroke of fate, his daughter ended up living about 30 miles from us, so we'd visit when Bob and his wife came to see their grandkids.

Several years ago he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Chemo and radiation seemed to have regressed, or at least halted, the disease. However, on Tuesday of this week the following stream of emails began. (The author is a friend of Bob and I who lives in Houston, where Bob still lives.)

* * * * * * * * * *

Date: Tue Dec 21 18:17

I went to the hospital today to see Bob………

If you have never been to MD Anderson, I hope you never have a reason to go……. Most people are walking around with bald heads and caps, sad eyes, and soulless stares.  They move slowly, and their family and visitors act just like they do, except they have hair.

There is a stench of disease in the hallways, and no one smiles……… I’m sure it’s a great hospital with a tough job….. but existing there and waiting for treatment has got to be as hard as the treatment, or worse.

Bob…….. I don’t think it’s good,  (The wife) was there, and although having been sick with a cold she said, looks like she has been beaten with a stick….. tired, sad, and I think scared.

Bob is swollen…. His head and neck are one big bulge….. any definition around his eyes are gone…. Just slits….. his forearms are swollen, he looks like Popeye in his arms….

He was waiting for a MRI….. he needs a stint to relieve the fluids in his body,,,,, there is a tumor pressing on his heart, and he may have a blood clot in his heart…..

But he can’t have the stint procedure if he has brain cancer….. yep, for some reason they think he may have brain cancer again….. that’s why he is having the MRI…….

His family is supposed to let me know tonight or in the morning what the MRI showed and whether the brain cancer is back or not, and if they will be able to do the stint to relieve the pressure and figure out what else is going on………. Like he needs more to be going on……

I gave him the cards y’all signed, and if you didn’t, I signed your name to them….. I gave him a t-shirt that said “ golf is easy, it’s the scoring that’s hard”.  And some Killer Bee golf balls that are not USGA approved because of their supposed increase in distance.

I think he liked still being considered a non-conformist…..

You guys know what to do….. pray for our friend Bob, and tell others…. As soon as I hear  from (the wife) I’ll pass on the word

 * * * * * * * * * *

Date: Wed Dec 22 17:29

I called (the wife) a couple of hours ago to see how the tests went yesterday.  She sounded annoyed, angry, and generally pissed off, and really tired.

She said the tests did not go well.  I asked if it was brain cancer and she said it was worse than that; that it was very bad.  She wouldn’t tell me what it was because they were not ready to tell anyone ( that would be me and Y’all by default ) what it is or what’s happening now.  She said that (the son) and (the daughter) could not handle what was going on and left the hospital and said they couldn’t or wouldn’t be coming back…… Leaves (the wife) there alone I guess, except I do plan on going back.

Not really sure the kids said exactly that, but that’s what she heard and I understand how hard it would be to see dad at this stage.

So, I know nothing except to say it’s worse than they expected or at least (the wife) hoped and wanted. I’ll try to get more info.

 * * * * * * * * * *

Date: Thu Dec 23 11:22

I’m so excited of the news I just got from (the wife), and the way she sounded with hope and some sort of relief in her voice, it’s kind of hard to type….

Yesterday when I sent y’all the email about how angry and defeated (the wife) was, it was because the doctors had just told her that there was nothing else they could do for Bob.  Finished, completed, run out of answers and ideas. DONE!

However, one doctor in this band of Christmas coal delivery suggested that maybe another doctor, Dr. Expert, should be consulted….. (The daughter) and (the wife) implored Dr. Expert to look at Bob.  Nothing to lose, the others had written him off, it was just of matter of time, days, hours,…. Whatever.

Dr. Expert reviewed Bob’s issues ( besides his poor putting ) and immediately put him in surgery.   Three to four hours later, he is in ICU, recovering from having his blood clots removed from his heart ( they crushed them!?) and installation of the stint he needed to drain the fluids so they could now tackle the radiation treatment with less fear of complications.  He will be in ICU for about another 24 hours, then moved to another room….

(The wife) said that they said within another week, he will be feeling much better.  Didn’t go as far as to say feeling like a new man, but  an alive man.  Damn he is tough!  (The wife) sounds like she has drawn her first breathe in about three weeks or longer.

I think they were going to let him die yesterday….. Dr. Expert said no, I want, I can , I will do this.  He did!

Bob is far, far from being out of the woods as you all know, but as he has always done, lives to fight another day……. God Bless you all for your prayer and thoughts for Bob and (the wife)…. She told me tell you all that she knows that you are praying for the family, and she appreciates it,,,,,,, and it’s worked?

Miracle on Holcombe Blvd!   Merry Christmas everyone,,,,, I’ll keep you updated.

  * * * * * * * * * *

Bob has a long way to go, but he's much better off today than he was yesterday. So I guess tis indeed the season for miracles...

More DADT

To put DADT and other social movements in historical perspective, here's a retelling of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. (Original story from here, via C&S).

Nelson: "Order the signal, Hardy."

Hardy: "Aye, aye sir."

Nelson: "Hold on, this isn’t what I dictated to Flags. What's the meaning of this?"

Hardy: "Sorry sir?"

Nelson (reading aloud): "England expects every person to do his or her duty, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious persuasion or disability. - What gobbledegook is this for God’s sake?"

Hardy: "Admiralty policy, I'm afraid, sir. We're an equal opportunities employer now. We had the devil's own job getting ' England ' past the censors, lest it be considered racist."

Nelson: "Gadzooks, Hardy. Hand me my pipe and tobacco."

Hardy: "Sorry sir. All naval vessels have now been designated smoke-free working environments."

Nelson: "In that case, break open the rum ration. Let us splice the mainbrace to steel the men before battle."

Hardy: "The rum ration has been abolished, Admiral. Its part of the Government's policy on binge drinking."

Nelson: "Good heavens, Hardy. I suppose we'd better get on with it ........... full speed ahead."

Hardy: "I think you'll find that there's a 4 knot speed limit in this stretch of water."

Nelson: "Damn it man! We are on the eve of the greatest sea battle in history. We must advance with all dispatch. Report from the crow's nest please."

Hardy: "That won't be possible, sir."

Nelson: "What?"

Hardy: "Health and Safety have closed the crow's nest, sir. No harness; and they said that rope ladders don't meet regulations. They won't let anyone up there until a proper scaffolding can be erected."

Nelson: "Then get me the ship's carpenter without delay, Hardy."

Hardy: "He's busy knocking up a wheelchair access to the foredeck Admiral."

Nelson: "Wheelchair access? I've never heard anything so absurd."

Hardy: "Health and safety again, sir. We have to provide a barrier-free environment for the differently abled."

Nelson: "Differently abled? I've only one arm and one eye and I refuse even to hear mention of the word. I didn't rise to the rank of admiral by playing the disability card."

Hardy: "Actually, sir, you did. The Royal Navy is under represented in the areas of visual impairment and limb deficiency."

Nelson: "Whatever next? Give me full sail. The salt spray beckons."

Hardy: "A couple of problems there too, sir. Health and safety won't let the crew up the rigging without hard hats. And they don't want anyone breathing in too much salt - haven't you seen the adverts?"

Nelson: "I've never heard such infamy. Break out the cannon and tell the men to stand by to engage the enemy."

Hardy: "The men are a bit worried about shooting at anyone, Admiral."

Nelson: "What? This is mutiny!"

Hardy: "It's not that, sir. It's just that they're afraid of being charged with murder if they actually kill anyone. There's a couple of legal-aid lawyers on board, watching everyone like hawks."

Nelson: "Then how are we to sink the Frenchies and the Spanish?"

Hardy: "Actually, sir, we're not."

Nelson: "We're not?"

Hardy: "No, sir. The French and the Spanish are our European partners now. According to the Common Fisheries Policy, we shouldn't even be in this stretch of water. We could get hit with a claim for compensation."

Nelson: "But you must hate a Frenchman as you hate the devil."

Hardy: "I wouldn't let the ship's diversity co-ordinator hear you saying that sir. You'll be up on disciplinary report."

Nelson: "You must consider every man an enemy, who speaks ill of your King."

Hardy: "Not any more, sir. We must be inclusive in this multicultural age. Now put on your Kevlar vest; it's the rules. It could save your life"

Nelson: "Don't tell me - health and safety. Whatever happened to rum, sodomy and the lash?"

Hardy: As I explained, sir, rum is off the menu! And there's a ban on corporal punishment."

Nelson: "What about sodomy?"

Hardy: "I believe that is now legal, sir."

Nelson: "In that case .............. kiss me, Hardy.

Social Safety Net

I have nothing to base this on other than my belief in the basic goodness of human nature, but I do believe that most people are, at heart, at least somewhat compassionate. Most of us don't want people starving, freezing, homeless, etc., and are willing to provide some sort of social safety net to help those in need. Where the problems arise, however, is in determining how big the mesh of that net should be.

For example, I have no problem with the government facilitating distribution of surplus peanut butter, cheese, bologna, bread, and so forth to keep people from starving, or even going hungry. I do, however, have a problem with using my tax dollars for food stamps (or whatever the current equivalent is) that allow people to buy just about anything in the grocery store.

Similarly, I don't object to a little assistance that helps people in need pay their heating bills during extreme cold weather. However, this story really raised my hackles.

The Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council, which distributes the federal money, had its share of funding for the program cut by 44 percent this year.

Jimmie Samuel, executive director of the agency, said the need for assistance in Bibb County has spiked, while the available funds to fill those needs have been slashed.

“We’re close to being out of money,” Samuel said. “We’re going to assess to see what we can do, to see if we can do any more.”

That’s left people such as Raymeica Kelley frustrated. Kelley said she, her mother and her sister arrived at the church about 3 a.m. Wednesday, only to get turned away.

“We were already too late,” she said. “It’s like impossible (to get a ticket). It gets in the way of people who need it. ... If we’re there at 3 a.m. and it’s already too late, what time are you supposed to go?”

Kelley said she was unemployed for a year before recently landing a job. But her bills have stacked up while she was unemployed, and she needs the assistance.

The story was accompanied by the picture below, captioned as follows.

"Showing her Georgia Power bills in the one warm room of her home, Raymeica Kelly explains how her mother, sister and herself were turned away from the Energy Assistance Program on Wednesday morning after standing in line for four hours. All three complained that the system the Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council uses to give out the assistance needs improving."

I might have had some sympathy for Kelly if the picture hadn't shown her standing in front of a big screen HD TV and an X-box game system. And note the look of indignation on her face. It's so unfair that the gummint doesn't pay her heating bills.

This has got to be the only country in the world where the poor are obese, have cable, HD TVs, cell phones, don't work, don't pay taxes, and still find something to complain about.

I wonder how many of them vote for the democraps...

(H/T to BMEWS for the link to the original story.)

FOD Substitute

Christmas season = busy busy busy. Not much time for FOD, but in the spirit of both FOD and Christmas I offer the following.

 

Ho ho ho...

Now That DADT's Behind Us...

... can we please focus on solving serious problems? Like unemployment and the economy?

As I've said before, I have mixed feelings about Don't Ask Don't Tell. However, I don't feel strongly enough about it to get very excited over the Senate's vote to end it. Hopefully it will result in the benefits it's proponents expect, with little or none of the drawbacks suggested by critics.

One point which has escaped most commentators so far is the repeal's effect on universities that today don't allow ROTC on their campuses. A primary reason given by many of them is the military's so-called discrimination against gays. Now that that crutch has been removed it'll be interesting to see what happens.

Some top universities moved quickly Saturday to respond to the vote repealing the ban on gays in the military, and those who don't restore their ROTC programs in the wake of the vote are likely to face immediate pressure on the issue.

The ROTC programs have been absent from a number of Ivy League and other leading campuses since the Vietnam War, and many schools subsequently linked programs' return to open service for gays and lesbians. The vote, said Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, provides "the opportunity for a new era in the relationship between universities and our military services."

"This is an historic development for a nation dedicated to fulfilling its core principle of equal rights. It also effectively ends what has been a vexing problem for higher education, including at Columbia -- given our desire to be open to our military, but not wanting to violate our own core principle against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," he said in a statement through a spokesman.

Harvard University President Drew Faust today signaled that she would move to restore ROTC to the campus.

"Because of today's action by the Senate, gay and lesbian Americans will now also have the right to pursue this honorable calling, and we as a nation will have the benefit of their service," she said in a statement through a spokesman. "I look forward to pursuing discussions with military officials and others to achieve Harvard's full and formal recognition of ROTC."

A spokesman for Yale University also suggested that change may be coming soon.

"We are aware of the vote and have plans in consideration," said Yale spokesman Thomas Mattia in an email.

A Stanford official declined to comment for the record but noted that the school's Faculty Senate is already reviewing the restoration of ROTC, a process that began last "in part in anticipation of the 'Don't ask Don't tell' issue," and is due to consider a report and recommendation in the next few months.

The Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol suggested today that repeal should trigger an immediate press for reinstating ROTC on campus, a battle that has been a front in the culture wars since the 1960s.

"One trusts the presidents and trustees of colleges that have been keeping ROTC at arm's length, allegedly because of DADT, will move posthaste to ensure a hearty welcome and full equality for ROTC at their universities," he wrote, pointing to Senators who are alumni of the relevant schools. "One would expect that patriotic alumni of those universities would insist on quick action."

Also lost in all the hullabaloo about DADT is that it is not the military's policy. It stems from the "Military Personnel Eligibility Act of 1993," passed by congress during the Clinton administration. As with most things controversial, the media over time has rewritten facts and history to suit the liberal perspective.

In any event, all that's behind us now (no pun intended). So can we please move on to any number of serious issues that desperately need to be addressed? 

Like global warming...