FOD 2011.10.17

obama and his minions have established a tradition of releasing unfavorable news on Friday afternoons to minimize publicity. This last Friday was no exception, although it was particularly notable for the number and significance of its announcements. Number one:

No CLASS

The Obama administration Friday pulled the plug on a major program in the president's signature health overhaul law — a long-term care insurance plan dogged from the beginning by doubts over its financial solvency.

Known as CLASS, the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports program was a long-standing priority of the late Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

That pretty much tells us all we need to know about it.

Although sponsored by the government, it was supposed to function as a self-sustaining voluntary insurance plan, open to working adults regardless of age or health. Workers would pay an affordable monthly premium during their careers and could collect a modest daily cash benefit of at least $50 if they became disabled later in life. The money could go for services at home or to help with nursing home bills.

But a central design flaw dogged CLASS. Unless large numbers of healthy people willingly sign up during their working years, soaring premiums driven by the needs of disabled beneficiaries would destabilize it, eventually requiring a taxpayer bailout.

My wife and I have long-term disability insurance. It's not cheap, but we both had mothers who needed long-term care, and we saw the deleterious impact, both financial and emotional, it had on the family. We've agreed that we don't want to put the other spouse and kids through that. But we would much rather rely on a private insurance company than a government program. Evidently a lot of other people feel the same way.

After months insisting that could be fixed, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius finally acknowledged Friday she doesn't see how.

That's the same conclusion a top government expert reached in 2009. Nearly a year before the health care law passed, Richard Foster, head of long-range economic forecasts for Medicare, warned administration and congressional officials that CLASS would be unworkable. His warnings were disregarded, as Obama declared his support for adding the long-term care plan to his health care bill.

What's the point of having experts on staff if you don't listen to them? Maybe because their advice gets in the way of politics...?

The demise of CLASS immediately touched off speculation about its impact on the federal budget. Although no premiums are likely to be collected, the program still counts as reducing the federal deficit by about $80 billion over the next 10 years. That's because of a rule that would have required workers to pay in for at least five years before they could collect any benefits.

Budget gimmickry. The private sector must comply with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) but like so many other things, our uberlords exempt themselves from the rules and regulations they subject us to. Which brings us to Friday announcement number two.

Treasury announces 2011 deficit is second highest in history

The U.S budget deficit for fiscal year 2011 is $1.299 trillion, the second largest shortfall in history.

The nation only ran a larger deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, which included the dramatic collapse of financial markets and a huge bailout effort by the government. The nation's deficit that year was $1.412 trillion.

Third straight year in a row the deficit has exceeded $1 trillion ... equal to 8.7% of GDP (the historical average budget deficit is 2.3%) ... and no end in sight.

You can't keep spending more than you make. Eventually something's got to give.

Friday announcement number three seems innocuous enough on its face, but it may be the most subtly troubling of them all.

Obama sends 100 military advisers to fight Africa rebels

The first wave of U.S. Special Forces Green Berets arrived in Uganda this week to support the battle against a guerrilla group accused of widespread atrocities, Pentagon and military officials told NBC News.

I remember when Green Berets (and others) were sent to Viet Nam as 'advisers.' We all know how that turned out.

And don't forget, we still have forces involved in Libya, despite this statement.

“I said that America’s role would be limited; that we would not put ground troops into Libya; that we would focus our unique capabilities on the front end of the operation, and that we would transfer responsibility to our allies and partners,” Mr. Obama said in an evening speech to the nation. “Tonight, we are fulfilling that pledge.”

obama said that on March 28 of this year. Last time I looked we still had U.S. forces involved in ongoing operations over there.

Of course, the MSM is so fascinated by the occupy whatever Flea Baggers that there is scant reporting of obama's misadventures...

Fun With Computers

Putting the "personal" in Personal Computing...

Sunday Funnies 2011.10.16

Since this was The Week From Hell, it stands to reason that today's funnies are Hell related.

 A Texan dies and goes to Hell. While down there the Devil notices that the Texan is not suffering like the rest. He checks the gauges and sees that it's 90 degrees and about 80% humidity. So he goes over to the Texan and asks why he's so happy. The Texan says, "I like it here. The temperature is just like Texas in June."

The Devil isn't happy with the Texan's answer and decides to get him, so he goes over and turns up the temperature to 100 degrees and the humidity to 90%. After turning everything up he goes looking for the Texan. He find him standing around unbuttoning his shirt, just as happy as can be. The Devil quizzes the Texan again as to why he's so happy. The Texan says, "This is even better. It's like Texas in July."

The Devil, now upset, decides to really make the Texan really suffer. He goes over to the controls and turns the heat up to 120 degrees and the humidity to 100%. "Now lets see what the Texan is up to," he says. So he goes looking for the Texan. He find him taking his shirt off, even happier than before. The Devil can't figure it out. He asks the Texan why he's happy now. The Texan replies, "This is great, it's just like Texas in August".

The Devil says, "That's it, I'll get this guy." He goes over and turns the temperature down to a freezing 25 degrees. "Let's see what the Texan has to say about this. "The Devil looks around and finds the Texan jumping up and down for joy yelling, "THE RANGERS HAVE FINALLY WON THE WORLD SERIES!".

 One day a guy dies and winds up in hell. As he is wallowing in despair, he has his first meeting with the devil…

Satan: Why so glum?

Guy: Why do you think? I’m in hell!

Satan: Hell’s not so bad. We actually have a lot of fun down here. You a drinking man?

Guy: Sure, I love to drink.

Satan: Well you’re gonna love Mondays then. On Mondays, all we do is drink. Whiskey, tequila, beer, soft drinks, you name it! And you don’t have to worry about hangovers because you’re dead anyway.

Guy: Gee, that sounds great!

Satan: You a smoker?

Guy: You better believe it!

Satan: All right! You’re gonna love Tuesdays. We get the finest cigars from all over the world and smoke our lungs out. If you get cancer—no biggie, you’re already dead, remember?

Guy: Wow… that’s awesome!

Satan: I bet you like to gamble.

Guy: Why, yes. As a matter of fact, I do.

Satan: Good, because Wednesdays you can gamble all you want. Craps, blackjack, roulette, poker, slots, and Kino. If you go bankrupt, you’re dead anyway. What about drugs?

Guy: Are you kidding? Love drugs! You don’t mean…

Satan: That’s right! Thursday is drug day. Help yourself to a great big bowl of crack…or smack. Smoke a doobie the size of a submarine. You can do all the drugs you want, you’re dead, who cares?!?!?!

Guy: WOW! I never realized Hell was such a cool place!

Satan: You gay?

Guy: No…

Satan: Ooooh…You’re gonna HATE Fridays

One day in the future, Bill Clinton has a heart attack and dies. He immediately goes to Hell, where the devil is waiting for him.

"I don't know what to do here," says the devil. "You are on my list, but I have no room for you. You definitely have to stay here, so I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I've got a couple folks here who weren't quite as bad as you. I'll let one of them go, but you have to take their place. I'll even let you decide who leaves."

Clinton thought that sounded pretty good, so the devil opened the first room. In it was Ted Kennedy and a large pool of water. He kept diving in and surfacing empty handed. Over and over and over. Such was his fate in Hell.

"No," Bill said. "I don't think so. I'm not a good swimmer and I don't think I could do that all day long."

So the devil led him to the next room. In it was Newt Gingrich with a sledgehammer and a room full of rocks. All he did was swing that hammer, time after time after time. "No, I've got this problem with my shoulder. I would be in constant agony if all I could do was break rocks all day," commented Bill.

The devil opened a third door. In it, Clinton saw Jesse Jackson lying on the floor with his arms staked over his head, and his legs staked in a spread eagle pose. Bent over him was Monica Lewinsky, doing what she does best. Clinton took this in in disbelief and finally said, "Yeah, I can handle this."

The devil smiled and said "OK, Monica, you're free to go!"

Say What?

I try - I really, really try - to welcome and appreciate anyone who legally immigrates to this country. I honestly believe that the constant influx of new blood - new ideas, new perspectives, new "teeming masses yearning to be free" - is one of the reasons for our greatness. Historically, each new wave of immigrants has contributed their own unique flavor to the stew that is America.

However, I also believe that an equally significant factor is the willingness of those immigrants to assimilate. That doesn't mean totally abandoning their culture or heritage. Just look at the Irish or Italians, to name a couple of examples.

Another example: my father is the youngest of 13 kids, and the only one born in this country. His family came from Poland around 1915. He still speaks Polish on occasion, and we enjoy kielbasa, pierogies, and piwo. But his parents insisted that everyone learn English so they could become 'real Americans.'

My point is that I am not anti-immigrant. In fact, I am pro-immigrant, with a few stipulations. Number one of those is that the newly-arrived do their best to assimilate into this country's mainstream. That very definitely includes learning to speak English. Which is why the following, to borrow one of my father's favorite expressions, just torques my jaws. (H/T to Roger the Real King of France for the link).

Dozens of languages are spoken in the Bay Area, and some of them are about to find their way into local voting places as part of newly updated requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Alameda County already provides Chinese and Spanish language assistance at polling stations, but soon must add Vietnamese and Tagalog to its repertoire, according to the voting rights requirements announced Wednesday.

Tagalog!?! GMAFB!

"It means we must translate everything we produce into these additional languages, all the sample ballots, all the material at the polling places, anything we mail out to voters," said Alameda County Registrar Dave Macdonald.

Election sites around the East Bay will also have to staff bilingual poll workers to enable the region's increasingly diverse population to more easily participate in elections.

The California Secretary of State's office said the changes will take effect by the June 2012 election, because voter pamphlets are already mailed out for local elections in November, but federal officials said they are effective now.

"They are legally effective immediately," said Xochitl Hinojosa of the U.S. Department of Justice. "We understand the constraints that jurisdictions are operating under that have elections in November and we have already spoken to many of them."

 Xochitl Hinojosa: no doubt one of the radicals "laid off by the ACLU or the NAACP" and hired by the Eric Holder Justice Department.

The changes are a reflection of the region's growing diversity, as well as what the federal government says is a high percentage of voting-age citizens in the Bay Area who do not understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process.

Which brings me back to my original point. If they don't "understand English adequately enough to participate in the electoral process" then they should either (a) don't vote, or (b) learn the damn language of the country they live in.

In fact, given that a certain degree of proficiency in reading and writing English is required to become a U.S. citizen, and given that only U.S. citizens can legally vote, there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for government material to be printed in any other language. 

Unless...

The Week From Hell Continues

I won't bore you with the details, but I'm stuck in South Texas this weekend instead of going back home to the Hill Country. When I say this is the week from Hell I'm being literal.

Today was the 200th day this year (the 287th day of the year since Jan. 1) when the temperature was 90 degrees or higher. Yes, that's 200/287, or 70%, of the days this year when we've broken the 90 degree mark. GMTFOOH!

To make matters worse, I've been trading text messages with my 15-year-old daughter. She's at that age where she's a mix of snark and sweetness. The text's were all snark until the last one - "Goodnight Daddy."

There's something about being called "Daddy" that makes most men melt. I'm no exception.

GMTFOOH indeed...

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2011.10.14

Ever have one of those days? Well, I've had one of those weeks. I really, really, really need this happy hour.

There's No Fool Like An Old Fool - Almost

From the Huffington Post, that bastion of responsible journalism, comes this story of an old fool and a couple of even more foolish women.

An 81-year-old Florida man, who police say posed as a door-to-door physician and duped at least two women into having their breasts examined, has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.

The women must have thought this was one of the benefits of obamacare - free house calls.

Phillip Winikoff was charged with three counts of sexual battery, two counts of practicing medicine without a license, two counts of simple battery and one count of using the title of doctor without a license.

Winikoff - just the name makes one want to snicker. Sounds awfully close to Wankoff.

... Winikoff, carrying a black "doctor's" bag, went to an apartment complex in Lauderdale Lakes. The phony doctor knocked on a unit belonging to a 36-year-old woman. He allegedly said he was visiting on behalf of a local hospital.

"He told the woman that he was in the neighborhood offering free breast exams," Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesman Hugh Graf said.

The unwitting patient ("patient?" how about "victim?" or "idiot?") let Winikoff into her apartment and he began the exam. After allegedly touching the victim's chest, Winikoff moved an ungloved hand to the woman's genitals and further molested her.

Suspecting that Winikoff was not a real doctor, the victim contacted the sheriff's office. When deputies arrived, the white-haired, fake physician had already left. He did not go far, however. Instead of fleeing the area, Winikoff found another victim, a 33-year-old woman who lived in the same apartment complex as the first victim, police said.

I don't know who is dumber - the old guy, for hanging around the scene of the crime, or the women, for falling for a scam this transparent.

My vote is for the women, especially after seeing the fake doctor's mugshot.

If I were female, I wouldn't let this guy within touching distance to begin with, much less let him grope my funbags.

If the gals were foolish enough to fall for this nonsense, they probably voted for obama...

Remember The Alamo

According to the obama administration, one of the most pressing problems facing this country is that the federal government is not giving enough attention to Hispanic history and culture.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in the past year has pushed the National Park Service to identify more sites or properties related to the histories of women and minorities that could be added to the National Register of Historic Places or be preserved as national parks or historic landmarks.

 The administration has scheduled a series of meeting to discuss "Latino heritage."

The meetings, held in the closing days of Hispanic Heritage Month, come as both President Obama’s reelection campaign and Republican presidential contenders are reaching out to Latino voters. Obama administration officials are meeting regularly with hundreds of Latino leaders in hopes of rekindling excitement among Hispanic voters...

But Salazar said the White House-sponsored meetings have nothing to do with electoral politics...

Yeah, right, and I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

However, Salazar might have a point about preserving Latino heritage. Here in South Texas we have a few sites worth saving.

The first undocumented democrat illegal alien border crossing site.

The first taco wagon.

Unique to South Texas is the Hispanic tradition of beer runs - drive thru sheds where you can buy beer, ice, and cigarettes while being waiting on by scantily clad women skanks bumping and grinding to loud music. That's certainly worthy of preservation.




Still, I don't know what all the fuss is about. After all, we already have at least one world-famous historical landmark that celebrates Hispanic heritage.

The Alamo...

How To Get A Free M-16

(H/T to Doug Ross)

Hell vs. Cuteness

So far this has been The Week From Hell.

Students ... other faculty ... administrators ... the kids (the wife gets a pass because she's still recovering from surgery, but that means I have to pick up the slack) ... they're all ganging up on me and dragging me down.

The only cure is a massive overdose of cuteness.

From The In-Box

Tax Question:

Are you guys having the same problem I am?  The IRS sent my tax return back!   AGAIN!

I don't understand why.  In response to the question: "Number of dependents?"  I replied 12 million illegal immigrants; 3 million crack heads; 42 million unemployable lazy bums; the entire cast of the Jerry Springer Show; 2 million people in over 243 prisons; 300,000 leftovers from Katrina; half of Mexico; and hundreds more in the U.S. House and Senate. 

Apparently, this wasn't an acceptable answer.

 Questions We've All Been Wondering About:

Question 1: WHAT ARE THE SMALL BUMPS AROUND A WOMAN'S NIPPLES FOR?
A:  It's Braille for 'suck here'.

Question 2: WHAT  IS AN AUSTRALIAN KISS?
A: It's the same as a French kiss, but 'down under.'

Question 3: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH 365 USED CONDOMS?
A: Melt them down, make a tire, and call it a Goodyear.

Question 4: WHY WERE HURRICANES NORMALLY NAMED AFTER WOMEN?
A: Because when they come, they're wild and wet.  But when they go, they take your house and car with them.

Question 5: WHY DO GIRLS RUB THEIR EYES WHEN THEY GET UP IN THE MORNING?
A:  Because they don't have any balls to  scratch...

BONUS QUESTION & ANSWER

Question 6: What is a man's ultimate embarrassment?
A: Running into a wall with an erection and breaking his nose

BONUS JOKE:

A 4-year-old boy examined his testicles while taking a bath.

"Mommy", he asked, "Are these my brains?"

"Not yet," she replied.

Scary Bonus FOD 2011.10.10

Should we be worried about obama's mental health? We all know he shares the general liberal disconnect from reality, but are the pressures of the presidency and the nation's economic turmoil getting to him? And if so, what implications does this have for the country?

I don't pretend to know the answers, but here's some food for thought. (It's a little on the long side, but definitely worth reading.)

The reports are not good, disturbing even. I have heard basically the same story four times in the last 10 days, and the people doing the talking are in New York and Washington and are spread across the political spectrum.

The gist is this: President Obama has become a lone wolf, a stranger to his own government. He talks mostly, and sometimes only, to friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett and to David Axelrod, his political strategist.

Everybody else, including members of his Cabinet, have little face time with him except for brief meetings that serve as photo ops. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner both have complained, according to people who have talked to them, that they are shut out of important decisions.

Avoiding meetings with and input from Hillary and tax cheat Geithner are not by themselves indications of mental problems - indeed, one might argue that they are signs of mental health - but when viewed as a pattern of increasing isolation they are troubling.

The president’s workdays are said to end early, often at 4 p.m. He usually has dinner in the family residence with his wife and daughters, then retreats to a private office. One person said he takes a stack of briefing books. Others aren’t sure what he does.

If the reports are accurate, and I believe they are, they paint a picture of an isolated man trapped in a collapsing presidency. While there is no indication Obama is walking the halls of the White House late at night, talking to the portraits of former presidents, as Richard Nixon did during Watergate, the reports help explain his odd public remarks.

Obama conceded in one television interview recently that Americans are not “better off than they were four years ago” and said in another that the nation had “gotten a little soft.” Both smacked of a man who feels discouraged and alienated and sparked comparisons to Jimmy Carter, never a good sign.

Blaming the country is political heresy, of course, yet Obama is running out of scapegoats. His allies rarely make affirmative arguments on his behalf anymore, limiting themselves to making excuses for his failure. He and they attack Republicans, George W. Bush, European leaders and Chinese currency manipulation -- and that was just last week.

The blame game isn’t much of a defense for Solyndra and “Fast and Furious,” the emerging twin scandals that paint a picture of incompetence at best.

Obama himself is spending his public time pushing a $450 billion “jobs” bill -- really another stimulus in disguise -- that even Senate Democrats won’t support. He grimly flogged it repeatedly at his Thursday press conference, even though snowballs in hell have a better chance of survival.

If he cracked a single smile at the hour-plus event, I missed it. He seems happy only on the campaign trail, where the adoration of the crowd lifts his spirits.

When it comes to getting America back on track to economic growth, he is running on vapors. Yet he shows no inclination to adopt any ideas other than his own Big Government grab. His itch for higher taxes verges on a fetish.

Harvey Golub, former chairman of American Express, called the “jobs” bill an incoherent mess. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, he said that among other flaws, the bill includes an unheard of retroactive tax hike on the holders of municipal bonds.

“Many of us have suspected that economic illiterates were setting the economic policy of this administration,” Golub wrote, adding that the bill “reveals a depth of cluelessness that boggles the mind.”

I'm one of those people who agreed with Rush Limbaugh way back when he said he hoped obama failed. That is not the same as hoping the country fails. Rush and I (shameless name-dropping and linking to a conservative icon...) believe that obama's policies are so at odds with American values and proven economic principles that in our opinion obama's failure would improve our nation's situation. 

However...

I don't know about Rush, but my hopes for an obama failure did not extend to the president of the United States becoming mentally ill. That's a truly scary thing to think about.

The good news for obama is that his health care bill passed, because it covers a preexisting condition...

FOD 2011.10.10

When Dear Leader introduced his most recent deficit reduction plan - you know, the one characterized by taxing the rich (Still not sure which one? It's the one based on the Buffet Rule.) - anyway, when he introduced it he said "This is not class warfare - it's math."

He was wrong on both counts.

Over the past few weeks the Occupy Wall Street cockroaches have received his tacit blessing, encouraging further class warfare.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) completed an analysis of obama's 'original' jobs plan (the one with the Buffet Rule, which is so bad it's even opposed by his own party) and the revised version proposed by Senate democrats.

In either case, the math just doesn't add up.

On Oct. 7th the CBO issued a report comparing obama's Buffet Rule plan to the Senate dem's 5% surtax on millionaires (defined as anyone with annual income exceeding $1 million, from any source, including capital gains and dividends). The results showed that in either case it would take ten years - TEN FRIGGIN' YEARS!!! - to pay for what the government spends in four count 'em four months.

Yes, you read that right. Ten years of tax increases to offset four months of government expenditures. Maybe it's time to try something radical, like, oh I don't know ... maybe cutting spending???

From the CBO:

Honorable (*cough cough choke choke*) Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Leader:

As you requested, CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have estimated the budget impact of S. 1660, the American Jobs Act of 2011, as introduced in the Senate on October 5, 2011. CBO and JCT estimate that, in total, enacting S. 1660 would decrease deficits by about $6 billion over the 2012-2021 period (see enclosed table). That estimated deficit reduction of $6 billion over the coming decade is the net effect of $447 billion in additional spending and tax cuts in titles II through III and $453 billion in additional tax revenue from the surtax specified in title IV.

S. 1660 is similar to S. 1549, the American Jobs Act of 2011, as introduced in the Senate on September 13, 2011. Provisions in title I, II, and III related to both federal revenues and spending are identical for the two bills. The only difference between the bills is that S. 1660 replaces the provisions in title IV (Offsets) of S. 1549 with a surtax of 5.6 percent, starting in 2013, on a taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income in excess of $1 million (or $500,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), indexed for inflation. JCT estimates that title IV of S. 1660 would increase revenues by $453 billion over  the 2012-2021 period, whereas title IV of S. 1549 would increase revenues by $450 billion over that period.

Another way of interpreting the CBO report is that after netting the increased revenue of either plan (somewhere in the neighborhood of $450 billion over a ten-year period) against the estimated cost of obama's jobs plan ($447 billion over a much shorter timeframe) the country basically breaks even. And keep in mind that obama's jobs plan is just a rehash of previously failed policies.

Under either interpretation - the increased taxes either pay for four months of government or for obama's bogus job plan -the obvious question is "Why bother?"

Oh yeah, it's that whole 'pay your fair share' thing. Since the libs have never provided a definition of "fair share" (other than "more") we're back to class warfare.

Not math...

Sunday Funnies 2011.10.09

A medical theme today, based on Friday's trip to the hospital. (Actually things went well - the doctors and nurses were great. Thanks to all of them.)

Two doctors were in a hospital hallway one day complaining about Nurse Nancy.

"She's incredibly mixed up," said one doctor. "She does everything absolutely backwards. Just last week, I told her to give a patient 2 milligrams of morphine every 10 hours. She gave him 10 milligrams every 2 hours. He damn near died on us!"

The second doctor said, "That's nothing. Earlier this week, I told her to give a patient an enema every 24 hours. She tried to give him 24 enemas in one hour! The guy damn near exploded!"

Suddenly, they hear this blood-curdling scream from down the hall.

"Oh my God!" said the first doctor, "I just realized I told Nurse Nancy to prick Mr. Smith's boil!"

Q: What did the nurse say when she found a rectal thermometer in her pocket?

A: " Some asshole has my pen!"

A man goes to visit his 85-year-old grandpa in the hospital.

" How are you grandpa? he asks.

"Feeling fine," says the old man.

"What's the food like?"

"Terrific, wonderful menus."

"And the nursing?"

"Just couldn't be better. These young nurses really take care of you."

"What about sleeping? Do you sleep OK?"

"No problem, nine hours solid every night. At 10 o'clock they bring me a cup of hot chocolate and a Viagra tablet, and that's it. I go out like a light."

The grandson is puzzled and a little alarmed by this, so he rushes off to question the nurse in charge.

"What are you people doing?" he asks. " I'm told you're giving an 85-year-old Viagra on a daily basis. Surely that can't be true?"

"Oh, yes," replies the nurse. "Every night at 10 o'clock we give him a cup of hot chocolate and a Viagra tablet. It works wonderfully well."

"The chocolate makes him sleep, and the Viagra stops him from rolling out of bed."

This one is dedicated to the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters.

Chalk Up One For The Good Guys

About a week ago I posted something regarding the negative consequences for faculty that run afoul of their university's administrative powers-that-be. Today I am thrilled to report that, at least in one case, the smug bureaucrats are dining on a heaping helping of crow.

(The) University of Wisconsin-Stout (Stout) has reversed its censorship of theater professor James Miller...

Miller's troubles at Stout began on September 12, 2011, when he posted outside his office door an image of Fillion in Joss Whedon's sci-fi series Firefly and a line from an episode: "You don't know me, son, so let me explain this to you once: If I ever kill you, you'll be awake. You'll be facing me. And you'll be armed." On September 16, Stout Chief of Police Lisa A. Walter notified Miller that she had removed the poster because it "refer[s] to killing." After Miller replied, "respect my first amendment rights," Walter wrote that "the poster can be interpreted as a threat." Walter also threatened Miller with criminal charges of "disorderly conduct" if he posted any similar poster.

In response to Walter's censorship, Miller placed a new poster on his office door on the 16th. The poster read, "Warning: Fascism" and mocked, "Fascism can cause blunt head trauma and/or violent death. Keep fascism away from children and pets."

Astoundingly, Walter escalated the absurdity. On September 20, she wrote that this poster, too, had been censored as a "threat" because it "depicts violence and mentions violence and death."

As part of this debacle, Professor Miller was reported to the university's "threat assessment team." Stout's 'leadership' troika (the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and provost) issued a letter to all faculty, staff, and students, in which they defended their actions and claimed "This was not an act of censorship. This was an act of sensitivity..."

Stout's actions prompted a number of articles in the national media ridiculing the administration and generated a slew of protest letters. One of the letters pointed out that earlier this year Stout apparently had no problem with "Kill the Bill" posters based on the film Kill Bill, which depicted Uma Thurman with a sword and advocated against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's budget bill.

No double standard here.

Finally, proving once again that these administrative creatures have no principles or conscience, but only respond to external stimuli like any other bacteria, "the three senior administrators announced that Stout had reversed its decision, is developing a new protocol for handling such cases, and 'will schedule workshops and/or forums during this academic year on First Amendment rights and responsibilities in higher education.' "

Having sat through innumerable 'workshops and/or forums' on diversity, sensitivity, sexual harassment, and the like, I can only imagine what sort of indoctrination will be crammed down attendees throats in Stout's First Amendment workshops.

As for Professor Miller, I fear he may have won the battle but lost the war. I can guaran-damn-tee you that his career at Stout has just come to a screeching halt. Oh, he won't get fired or laid off or anything like that. That would be too obvious. Rather, he'll suffer death by a thousand cuts. It'll be subtle things, like unfavorable class assignments and teaching schedules, getting assigned to the committees no one wants to be on (grievance committees are notorious no-win black holes) and the like.

Trust me - I've been there...

Me And Florence Nightingale

Ol' Flo ain't got nuthin' on me when it comes to nursing.

My wife's operation was this morning. We got to the hospital at 7:00 a.m. and returned home around 2:00. All went well, and the patient is resting comfortably (more or less).

My afternoon has been spent changing dressings, applying ointment, administering medications, providing ice chips and saltines, and just now serving dinner (homemade turkey broth, made last Thanksgiving by yours truly and keep in the back of the freezer for just such a situation).

With any luck the soup plus the latest round of meds will soon knock her out for the night. Then I can have a couple of adult beverages and get some rest myself.

I was born to nurse...

..

Friday Follies Happy Hour 2011.10.07

Ol' Bocephus has taken a little flak lately for a comment he made allegedly equating Hitler with obama. What he actually did was go a little overboard when talking about the 'golf summit' between obama and House Speaker John Boehner.

“You remember the golf game they had, ladies and gentlemen? Remember the golf game? That was one of the biggest political mistakes ever,” Williams said. “That turned a lot of people off. It just didn’t go over.”

“Come on, come on,” the country performer continued. “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu...

He didn't call obama Hitler. He just tried to draw an analogy highlighting the incongruency of two political opposites pretending to interact cordially.

Of course, the MSM jumped all over it. ESPN showed its true colors by dropping Hank Jr. from Monday Night Football (Indianapolis without Peyton Manning vs. Tampa Bay with ... who? ... yawn).

Hank Jr. compounded the whole mess by apologizing - repeatedly - then saying, in essence, "You can't fire me. I quit". Very disappointing.

Anyway, regardless of all that nonsense, today we have a rare two-fer Happy Hour celebrating Ol' Bocephus celebrating America. First is a little ditty about the current state of affairs in America today...



.. followed by a more upbeat declaration that America will survive!



Enjoy...

I Am An Idiot

I had a bunch of stuff to load into the truck before leaving South Texas for my three-hour drive back home. To save space and make it easier to carry everything, I tossed a few items, including my iPod and Kindle, into what I thought was an empty ice chest.

You can guess the ending of this story.

The ice chest, of course, wasn't empty. It had a couple of inches of water in it. Not enough to make it "splash" when I dropped the stuff in, but enough to thoroughly soak everything over the course of the three hour trip.

After a quick online search for 'wet iPod' and 'wet 'Kindle, those devices are now air-drying on top of the cable box (low level warmth without forcing the water further in, as would happen if I used a hair dryer), where they will stay for at least 48 hours. This was recommend over using a hair dryer or the 'put 'em in a ziploc bag with a couple of handfuls of rice' approach.

Even if they eventually work okay, I'll never hear the end of this from my wife or the kids...

Busy Busy Busy

Things have been somewhat hectic around here lately. An extra helping of chaos has been added to the normal confusion and disorder. On top of that, the missus is scheduled for surgery in the morning - early in the morning. We'll be getting up around 5:00 a.m.

Nothing major or life-threatening, thank God, but it still involves going under general anesthesia for a few hours, plus a couple of weeks or so of post-op restrictions. So blogging has been light of late, and probably will be for the next few days.

In the meantime, here's a couple of pithy sentences about the difference between the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street (OSW) protestors.

It’s pretty simple, really. My students want to be able to pull their wagons. The occupants want to ride. (from Professor Mondo)

And here's Ann Coulter's contribution.

I am not the first to note the vast differences between the Wall Street protesters and the tea partiers. To name three: The tea partiers have jobs, showers and a point.

Point taken...

Career Change

If you've been reading this blog lately you've probably noticed a rising level of frustration on my part regarding the brain-dead administrative zombies that make my work life a living hell. It finally got so bad that I quit my job yesterday. Of course, being a former Boy Scout, I was prepared with a new job already lined up.

This morning was my first day as a greeter at Wal-Mart. 

About two hours into my first day on the job, a very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into the store with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the entrance.

I said pleasantly, 'Good morning and welcome to Wal-Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?'

The ugly woman stopped yelling long enough to say, 'Hell no, they ain't twins. The oldest one's 9, and the other one's 7. Why the hell would you think they're twins? Are you blind, or stupid?'

So I replied, "I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am, I just couldn't believe someone f*cked you twice."

"Have a good day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart."

My supervisor said I probably wasn't cut out for this line of work.

These Are The People In Charge Of Educating The Youth Of America

I posted recently about some current abuses of power by university administrators. Here's a couple more examples.

At the university where I work a student was stopped by the campus police for carrying a skateboard. The use of skateboards is forbidden on campus. God knows why, although no one else does. One would think that the administrators and police have better things to do than worry about students on skateboards, but evidently they don't.

The student wasn't using, riding, or hitting anyone with the skateboard. He was simply carrying it under his arm. After he was rousted by the fuzz he questioned the campus powers-that-be, asking if the police were within their rights to stop him while merely carrying it. The administrative council (a committee comprised of the university equivalent of senior managers - division heads, SVPs, etc.) discussed whether or not the carrying or possession of a skateboard should be prohibited.

Yes, dear readers, this high-powered collection of upper level administrative drones actually spent time discussing the nuances of skateboard possession. The mind boggles. Anyway...

It was decided to leave the rule as written (that is, no use or riding of a skateboard, but no mention of carrying or possessing one), but to caution the student that the police will fine him if he is found to actually use the skateboard on campus.

Of course, this doesn't resolve the problem of other students being detained by the cops for 'open carrying,' even though it's legal (sound familiar, you Second Amendment supporters?).

At the same administrative council meeting the issue of pets on campus was raised. Here's the ruling, handed down in stone tablets.

Live pets of any type are prohibited inside any University facilities, including classrooms, offices or workspaces.

I assume that means dead pets, or stuffed pets like Rowdy of Scrubs fame, are okay.

I wish I was making this up, but honest to God this is real true-life stuff. This is the kind of crap I put up with daily.

On a more serious note, the administrators at another school have decided to interpret the Constitution in their own special way.

Northern Arizona University students who were passing out American flags Friday in remembrance of 9/11 got a bigger response than they expected.

No fewer than four university officials and a police officer descended on the group, accusing them of hindering foot traffic and lacking an advance permit.

(Student Stephanee Freer) videotaped the confrontation, which at various times showed university officials asking the students to go outside, get a permit, or move to the other end of the building where few other students were congregating.

The students handing out flags had originally set up outside the University Union, but spontaneously moved inside after it started raining.

Unlike with outdoor demonstrations, students need to get clearance from the Office of Student Life to hold a small event like this indoors, according to the student handbook.

Freer's video shows the small group -- two or three students -- arguing with four university employees, including an associate dean, who asked them to move.

When the rain started and the students brought their flags, pins and bumper stickers inside, an employee at the nearby information desk approached them to ask if they had filled out the university forms to reserve space.

According to Freer's footage, the first employee to walk up suggested they move outside, to which Freer replied that it was raining.

The second employee, a coordinator from the Office of Student Life, told the students that it is the policy for all student organizations to reserve indoors space, and that they could move outside or step into a booth up the hall.

Freer said that the booth was out of the way and nobody would see them.

"This is for 9/11," she said. "Do you want to shut down our 9/11 table? Are you unpatriotic?"

She also asked the employee what the First Amendment states, and the employee replied, "Free speech in a designated time, place and manner."

The students vocally sneered at the definition.

Good for them. I would too.

After they folded up their small table, not much bigger than a TV dinner tray, a third employee told them the university is within its bounds to regulate the "time, place and manner" where students can assemble.

"You're not following what administration is letting you do," she said.

Oh my aching butt.

The link to the above came from Richard E. Coyote's blog at the Wall Street Journal (way down towards the end). Mr. Coyote added this postscript.

That reminded reader David Schlosser of a story:

"In 2006, I was the Libertarian candidate for Arizona's First Congressional District, running against the soon-to-be-convicted incumbent Republican, Rick Renzi.

I had spent a semester teaching at the Northern Arizona University School of Communication, which was located in a fabulous new building with a stunning entry designated The First Amendment Plaza. The First Amendment was carved into a giant stainless steel sign that overlooked the amphitheater-style entrance to the building. I thought it would be a perfect place for a Libertarian to announce his run for national office, and called the school's director to schedule the space for my kickoff event.

He informed me that political speech is not permitted at The First Amendment Plaza."

Oh delicious irony...

Maybe obama Was Right

Maybe this country is soft.

Cool weather has arrived (well, cool for down here - it was only 91 at 6:30 tonight) so when I went out for my semi-regular walk there were plenty of folks out and about.

My normal route follows a paved hike and bike trail. As I hoofed it around the trail there were a number of families on bikes. One young mother in particular had a small boy in tow. He looked to be around 3 or 4; so young that his bicycle still had training wheels.

The lad had a helmet strapped to his head, and was equipped with elbow pads, knee pads, and wrist braces. He could have pedaled that bike off a roof and not gotten a scratch.

I have no idea what the future holds in store for that kid, but I suspect it will include a heaping helping of a hovering overprotective mom.

What's next - bubble wrap?

One Reason Why Politics Leaves A Bad Taste In Our Mouths

The twin concepts of "one person, one vote" and "the person with the most votes wins" are simple, easy to understand, and often - but erroneously - thought to be the bedrock underlying our politics.

Think again.

A recent article explains how obama's 2008 campaign took advantage of - and in fact even changed - the convoluted rules that govern the democratic party's primary process.

It is often assumed that Barack Obama used his gifts as an orator and his aspirational rhetoric to energize young and minority voters in a way that allowed him to wrest the nomination from Hillary Clinton, the candidate favored by the Democratic establishment. This is a nice story, but it is not completely true. For one thing, Clinton actually defeated Obama in the popular vote.

It does not really matter who won the popular vote, however, because the Democratic Party does not select its nominee only through a direct election ... To become the party's standard-bearer, a candidate must capture the votes of a majority of the more than 4,000 delegates who are selected to attend the party's national convention ... in 2008, Democratic Party rules made such a feat almost impossible.

Indeed, it appears that the real brilliance of the Obama campaign was to realize fairly early that a true majority was not achievable.

In response to this fact ... the Obama campaign subtly changed the understanding of the rules. It acted as if the nomination would be determined by the delegate count after the caucuses and primaries, regardless of whether an absolute majority had been achieved. What this did was to lower the overall number by more than 800 votes (the superdelegates), and consequently change the threshold of victory.

Since most Americans are unfamiliar with how the nominating process works, this was a fairly easy story to sell. The press for the most part cooperated. (There's a surprise.) Once this fiction was accepted, any other result would be seen as undemocratic. Indeed, Clinton's complaints about this unofficial after-the-fact rules change were portrayed as a divisive form of sour grapes.

Ultimately, and most importantly, the elected and unelected leaders of the Democratic Party accepted the Obama campaign's spin. This was crucial to Obama's success, since a real victory at the convention depended on these superdelegates ignoring the fact that Clinton was the stronger general election candidate in swing states like Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio. In the end, it was the endorsement of these superdelegates -- again, party leaders and elected officials -- that forced Clinton to concede the nomination.

The best part of the story is its concluding paragraph.

The results of the 2010 midterms, however, when combined with recent special election results, indicate that, with Obama at the top of the ticket, the prospects for many other Democratic elected officials are rather dismal. Of course, a lot of these politicians have no one to blame but themselves. I suspect, nonetheless, that they are feeling more than a twinge of buyer's remorse.

I don't know how the republican primaries work. I wouldn't be surprised if they also contain some little-known rules that allow the power brokers to have a disproportionate say in who the final nominee is. And of course there is the Electoral College, which allows for the possibility that the person who receives the majority of the popular vote will not become president.*

For me, the bottom line of all this is that there is an ingrained tendency in American politics going all the way back to the 1780's that gives lip service to the notion of democracy, but that contains an element of elitism in that the 'ruling class' thinks they know better than the common folk.

And I'm not so sure that's a bad thing. After all, I know better than most of the people around me. Now if I could just get appointed Emperor...

* There have been four presidents elected without winning a majority of the popular vote.

• John Quincy Adams who lost by 44,804 votes to Andrew Jackson in 1824
• Rutherford B. Hayes who lost by 264,292 votes to Samuel J. Tilden in 1876
• Benjamin Harrison who lost by 95,713 votes to Grover Cleveland in 1888
• George W. Bush who lost by 543,816 votes to Al Gore in the 2000 election. 

FOD 2011.10.03

When you've lost Black Entertainment Television (BET), you're really in trouble.

Robert Johnson, the founder of BET television, says President Barack Obama needs to stop taking shots at the wealthy.

Appearing with FedEx CEO Fred Smith on "Fox News Sunday," Johnson said that demagoguing the wealthy is not the way to get people to like you.

"I think the president has to recalibrate his message," Johnson said. "You don’t get people to like you by attacking them or demeaning their success. I grew up in a family of 10 kids, first one to go to college, and I’ve earned my success. I’ve earned my right to fly private if I choose to do so. And by attacking me, is not going to convince me that I should take a bigger hit because I happen to be wealthy."

Although he didn't directly address it, Johnson seemed to frown upon Obama's plan to hike taxes on the wealthy - the so-called "Buffett Rule."

Which brings up the point that obama and Buffet are 'misrepresenting' the situation.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett isn’t as undertaxed as he and President Obama seem to think.

Buffett recently said that he paid only $6.9 million in taxes last year -- just 17.4 percent of his earnings, compared to an income tax rate of about 36 percent paid by his employees.

First of all, if Buffet's employees are paying income tax rates of 36% then their annual income is somewhere north of $380,000.

Second, much of Buffet's income is from investments, which are (a) risky, (b) taxed once as corporate income, and (c) taxed a second time as individual income, albeit at a capital gains rate of 15%.

First, Buffett had to make the money he invested. Those earnings were taxed as corporate income, at about a 35-percent rate.

Then, Uncle Sam took another cut when Buffett invested the money and earned a profit. That’s when Buffett paid the 15 percent capital-gains tax rate.

All told, after combining corporate taxes and capital gains taxes, Buffett forked over about 45 percent of his earnings.

If obama were to propose meaningful tax code reform that eliminated loopholes - including such things as subsidies for 'green' investments - then I'd agree. But that's a far call from raising tax rates. Similar to BET's Johnson, I've worked hard to improve my lot in life and get where I am today. While I'm not in the same league as Johnson or Buffet, I would like to keep most of what I earn, and not see a greater portion of my income flushed down the toilet that is government spending.

It seems clear that obama is more interested in fomenting class warfare than in solving the problems that face this country. It's definitely time to hope for change...

On The Reasons For Blogging Anonymously

I post this blog using the pseudonym CenTexTim. I don't like hiding behind a secret identity. If I had my druthers I'd use my real name. Sadly, however, there is a reason why I don't.

I work in academia, which in theory not just tolerates but encourages freedom of thought, speech, and expression. In practice, however, it's quite a different story. Here are two recent examples.

The first is from the Huffington Post. I'm as surprised as you are that I'm not only posting something from HuffPo, but that I agree with it.

On Sept. 12, 2011, (University of Wisconsin - Stout) theater professor James Miller posted this tribute to the captain of the starboat Serenity, Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds, from the beloved and short-lived sci-fi series Firefly, on his office door:

I don't know anything about Firefly. It was a 'space western' TV series that ran on Fox a few years back and evidently attained a cult-like following in the years since. Given that Professor Miller teaches theater, it seems reasonable that he would have some sort of theatrical poster on his office door.

Rather than ask what the poster meant, the campus police stepped in. Professor Miller was contacted by Lisa A. Walter, the Chief of Police/Director of Parking Services, after she removed the poster and informed him that "it is unacceptable to have postings such as this that refer to killing." She also warned the astounded professor that any future such posts would be removed and would cause him to be charged with "disorderly conduct."

Miller rightly deduced that this was an insane overreaction. The Constitution protects speech far, far harsher than a quip from Firefly. It seemed that someone at the college either had an axe to grind or was just power tripping at Miller's expense.

So, on Sept. 16th he posted this:

... the university interpreted Professor Miller's protest as being essentially pro-fascist and advocating violence.

Say what?!? How on earth does anyone with a modicum of intelligence and common sense interpret this poster as being "pro-facist and advocating violence?" Oh wait - it's administrators and lawyers. So much for intelligence and common sense.

The police tore down this poster, too, with Chief Walter claiming this time that the problem was that the poster "depicts violence and mentions violence or death." She went on to say that "it is believed that this posting also has a reasonable expectation that it will cause a material and/or substantial disruption of school activities and/or be constituted as a threat." Walter also told Miller he had been reported to the "threat assessment team."

"Threat assessment team?" For putting up a poster that chastises the administration? That sounds like something straight out of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Tuesday evening Chancellor Sorensen, Provost Julie Furst-Bowe and Vice Chancellor Ed Nieskes issued a statement to all faculty and staff passionately standing by their decision in this case. Sorensen and his fellow administrators claimed that the posters were removed because their top lawyers believed they "constituted an implied threat of violence." Further highlighting the deep denial of the top administration at UW-Stout, the email concluded, "This was not an act of censorship. This was an act of sensitivity to and care for our shared community, and was intended to maintain a campus climate in which everyone can feel welcome, safe and secure."

Get that last part? It's not censorship, it's 'sensitivity.' That just smacks of Newspeak, again a reference from Nineteen Eighty-Four. And notice who issued the statement - administrators and lawyers.

I sincerely hope Professor Miller himself gets a good lawyer and sues the crap out of the university. (BTW, where's the ACLU...?)

The second recent example of academic repression of those challenging the prevailing mindset is the announcement by Professor Christian Kobus that he is ending his conservative blog due to pressure from his university.

This blog started in resistance to the bailouts, overspending, the subversion of the US Constitution by the ruling class, and then the march of radical liberalism after the election of Obama. To that end, many of us bloggers expanded our spheres of influence through writing and made a small difference. And the tea party formed. And liberalism is being beat back. That will not end.

However, this blog must. I like blogging, but I love my day job.

In other words, he prefers eating regularly to blogging. So do I.

The common thread linking Professors Miller and Kobus is the intolerance of people in power at academic institutions for anyone who thinks differently than they do, and who dare oppose them. I've run up against this as well, and suffered serious career repercussions. In fact, that's one of the reasons I left the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) for my present position. I won't go into details, but suffice it to say that the dean of the business school at UTSA was a member of the Clinton administration, and the university's president has been appointed to an obama commission on hispanic education. Needless to say, my political opinions differ from theirs.

I expect to be able to freely and openly express my opinions and beliefs without fear of repercussion - once I retire...

Sunday Funnies 2011.10.02

I did a little grilling last night. The secret is to get the guests so marinaded that they don't taste the food.

 My grilled fish is so bad that my cat only has three lives left.

Grilling - it’s the only type of cooking some men will do. When a man volunteers to grill, the following chain of events are usually put into motion.

The woman goes to the store.

The woman fixes the salad, vegetables, and dessert.

The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils, and takes it to the man, who is lounging beside the grill, drink in hand.

The man places the meat on the grill.

The woman goes inside to set the table and checks the vegetables.

The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning.

The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it to the woman.

The woman prepares the plates and brings them to the table.

After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

Everyone praises man and thanks him for his cooking efforts.

The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off’ and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women.

Conflicted

There is a sexual predator on the loose in Brooklyn NY. The NYPD is stepping up its presence in the area, and trying to be proactive in protecting women at risk. This is proving to be controversial.

NYPD Warns Women About Skirts in Brooklyn Sex Attack Probe

Women in a Brooklyn neighborhood on edge over a spate of sex attacks are being told by police that wearing skirts and dresses might not be a good idea.

The surprising message from the NYPD is not being taken well.

"I think that women should be able to wear whatever they want," said Theresa Troupson, a Park Slope resident. "I don't think that they should be held responsible in any way for the actions of criminals."

Lauren, who did not want her last name used, told the the Wall Street Journal that she was walking down the street in shorts and a t-shirt after leaving the gym on Monday when she was stopped by an officer who also stopped two other women in dresses.

Lauren said the officer asked them if they knew what was happening in the area, and asked them if they knew what the suspect looked for.

"He pointed at my outfit and said, 'Don't you think your shorts are a little short?'" she told the Journal. "He pointed at their dresses and said they were showing a lot of skin."

The officer also told them that "you're exactly the kind of girl this guy is targeting," according to Lauren.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said the officers "are simply pointing out that as part of the pattern involving one or more men that the assailant(s) have targeted women wearing skirts."

A group called Safe Slope says the NYPD effort is "completely inappropriate."

"There have been reports that the women attacked were all wearing skirts," said Jessica Silk, a Safe Slope founder. "Unfortunately this might be a common link between the women that were attacked but the message shouldn't be that you shouldn't wear a skirt. The message should be that, 'Here are ways that you can protect yourself.'"

I'm not sure why the women are getting upset. If I read the story correctly, and if it is accurate, the police aren't blaming the women or saying it's their fault. They're merely pointing out that the perp has a preference for women dressed a certain way. 

If there was some loon running around here attacking guys wearing red polo shirts, I'd sure be grateful if the cops told me that. And I wouldn't feel guilty, or picked on, or whatever if I was wearing a red polo shirt and a LEO suggested I think twice about that.

No one is holding the ladies "responsible in any way for the actions of criminals." And IMO the message is that "Here are ways that you can protect yourself," and one of those ways is to be careful how you dress.

Yes, it's a sad commentary that some sicko out there zeros in on women wearing skirts or dresses, but don't blame the cops for pointing that out to you. Instead, be grateful that they pass that knowledge on.

Ladies, any comments...?

Only In Texas

I went to the local high school football game last night. Nice crowd, perfect weather, good game - an all round excellent night.

To top it off, about three rows in front of me was a little old gray haired lady. She looked like someone's grandmother - the kind that bustles around the kitchen with a smudge of flour on her cheek baking cookies.

She was wearing a pick t-shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. There was a symbol on the back of her shirt that looked like one of those "Gun Free Zone" signs that are posted around schools down here. I figured her for one of the anti-gun liberal crowd.

However, there was writing above and below the symbol. I edged closer to her until I could make out what it said:"Signs can't stop acts of violence. Armed citizens can."

Only in Texas...