Flag flap...

Apparently some 12,000 US flags were recovered by a worker of Invesco Field in Denver right after the Democrat National Convention. I'm hearing that the McCain campaign plans to hand them out today at their event in Colorado Springs.

Of course, the Obama campaign is distancing themselves from this, saying that they didn't discard them or that Senator Obama himself didn't order them discarded, even after they sat for over week in bags on a dock.

I really don't think that they cared until they heard that the flags had been rescued. After all, the US flag is a symbol of things that most Democrats stand against. Why would they care about some US flags unless their use promotes their purpose? See my previous post about a similar disgrace at a liberal University. How liberal? How about the University of Maine is the only known university to offer programs in Socialist and Marxist studies, including a minor?

Random thought of the day on global warming

As much as we realists have come to understand that the warmers preach the ideas of global warming with such fervent faith as those believe in other myths, I'm reminded that throughout history, we've been plagued by such people who believed in other pseudoscientific drivel (and in some cases, still do). How about the old theory that the earth was the center of the universe? There were people who believed so strongly in this idea that they would kill off dissenters. The Salem Witch Trials were so steeped in ignorance that 20 so-called "witches" were executed (moreover, they were not burned at the stake, as many still believe... after all, as anyone knows a true witch could never be killed in this fashion).

So... I don't suppose that global warming could just be another such episode... could it?

Michael Phelps, role model

I'm no fan of the Olympics or the sport of swimming, but I can't help but look on Michael Phelps's achievements with any less than the feelings of utter awe and total pride. His performance is one that brings forth tears in me. What better place to display the fruits of individual achievement than in front of a nation of people who are brainwashed to believe that it is wrong and bad? This is perhaps the greatest juxtaposing of individual achievement and political discourse since Jesse Owens's spectacular performance in the face of Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Olympics in Germany. Or the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" where the USA's hockey team beat the heavily-favored Soviet Union in Lake Placid, NY during the thick of the Cold War.

I'm certain that it's only matter of time before some council of anti-individualists claiming to work for the "greater good" makes it impossible for such achievement to burst forth. After all... it was a young, white, rich, American male with a reasonable name that did all this. In today's world, that's so much to hate.

Thank you, Mr. Phelps. Thank you for showing us once again what's possible with hard work and determination.

Increase in minimum wage = increase in jobless claims

From the SayAnything Blog. You can't teach liberals how to run a proper economy when all they care about it using it to feed their political careers.

Thinking of moving to Wordpress...

Both sites are far from quick and speedy, but I like the Wordpress interface better and they have more templates to satisfy my intemperance. We'll see.

Depeche Mode... what was I smoking?

For some reason, Depeche Mode slipped under my radar from the 80's all the way up to now. Don't know how or why. But it doesn't matter. I've "discovered" them. Amazing how many "oh that's THEM" moments I had. LOL.

Alot of their stuff reminds me of an 80's version of NIN.

Question of the moment: Will Rush ever be elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Why in the wide world of sports do so many Rush fans care about this? Rush was built on a healthy foundation of not selling out or caring much about what people thought about their music. That's why so many of us claim to love them. Yet so many of us are ready to sell that legacy out to the decision of "popular" opinion---one that consists of what people think about their music.

I don't listen to Rush (or any other music, for that matter) because other people like it or not. I guess this explains how I feel about the critics' opinions, too. I'm the one listening, making personal and emotional connections within me with the music; it's not up to someone else to tell me what to like or how to feel. At the same time, the critics' opinions are their own and they are entitled to them. So in general, I feel that motions taken to get Rush inducted into the Hall or to hate on critics who pan the group are largely a waste of time. In fact, that critics and the Hall don't seem to care for Rush means that the guys are probably doing something very right.

Music is very personal and very often an emotional experience for me. In this parlance, I sure as hell am not concerned about Rush's status in the Hall. That's too much like "conforming or being cast out." That's not what Rush is about, and that's not what I'm about.

Environmental hypocracy...

A quicky I thought up last night: Enviromental wackjobs don't want you to make clothing out of animal or plant products. But they don't want you to pollute the earth by making synthetic materials.

I guess we all should just run around naked! :-D

So-called netiquette & Comic-Book Guy wannabees

This is too much for my feeble mind to untangle, so 'splain something to me: On an Internet forum, if you post a new topic that has been covered previously in a different thread, you've done wrong. If you dare post that topic to a thread that has crossed someone's arbitrary idea of "old", you've done wrong. Regardless, it's obviously more important to waste time & bandwidth pointing out to everyone that you're emo and offended than to stay on topic.

This reminds of the Caps-lock police... a n00b posts a question all in caps and then the next 22 posters feel like they have to chastise the n00b. "It's like shouting," they say. "Get over yourself," I reply. Welcome to the oh-so-useful forum on the friendly, productive Internet.

Or the spell-check police. Here we have purportedly sophisticated humans who never make a mistake but can't cope with it if someone else does. So, the next 31 posters complain that someone misspelled "the". Alot of these folks pride themselves on being l33t h4x0rs. Even worse is when one of these bastions of grammatical grace has found their way into the losing side of a debate... and then they try to discredit the winner by pointing out a spelling error several posts back. Classy!

All this make me view my audiences as consisting of a bunch of Comic-Book Guy wannabees. You know... those guys who trifle over irrelevant details instead of concerning themselves with proper scope? These are the guys that when they speak, 95% of the time the first words out of their mouths are "Well, actually..." (or some derivative). These guys are so great and knowledgeable, but somehow they forgot to learn about human nature and built-in error correction. I work with guys like this, and no one can stand them because of it. What's worse, they have no idea why nobody care to be around them anymore than they have to.

Ever wonder why we don't elect a President by direct vote? Go figure.

We're in a world of hurt, courtesy of the Democrat Hate Machine

Yep... the Democrat Hate Machine (DHM). You know... the folks that hate achievement, logic, reason, and everything they produce?

It's pretty easy to see that we're pretty much teetering on the edge of Real Trouble with all of this oil stuff. Since Pelosi's Politburo took office, national average gas prices are up from $2.10/gal to over $4.00 a gallon. In spite of the IMMEDIATE drop in oil prices upon the mere mentioning by the President that he was killing restrictions on drilling from his office, the Politburo still claims (without ANY justification) that it would take 10 years for any drilling to lower gas prices.

Today, the Say Anything Blog pointed out that it would take much to militarily cripple the US by restricting oil imports. I mean really... how hard could it be when just a little blip in demand and a socialist majority in Congress cause the gas prices to shoot through the roof? And in the face of this glaring vulnerability, the Politburo still won't allow drilling in ANWR or off-shore in massive deposits.

Kudos to the Congressional Republicans drawing attention to this yesterday. The so-called "People's Party"... the tolerant party that SO concerned about everyone's rights turned the lights and microphones off on the people that are trying the hardest to do the "People's Work" and address this crisis... so they could go on vacation.

Something tells me that it just got a whole lot easier for Congressional Republicans to take back the majority in 2008. It won't stop our inexorable slide to the left, but hopefully it'll slow things down.

BTW... how does Senator Obama address the issues of high energy prices? By planning to tax "windfall profits" of oil companies and redistributing this money to his proletariate in the form of $500 and $1,000 checks. I thought that the minimum wage increase would have taken care of this. Wait... the reality of that is that jobs will be lost, prices will go up, and the people that this was supposed to be for will be hardest hit.

It's truly sad that this nation has allowed itself to become one populated by foolish, ignorant voters. It is they who have allowed the DHM to gain such a foothold in our leadership. And it is they who will eventually cost us our freedom.

Coincidences can be a real bastard...

In spite of how much I like trip-hop and Portishead, I really never took notice of this song until it came up on the thumb drive on the way to work last Tuesday morning.



Pretty fantastic, huh?

Of course, my day took a terrible turn later on when I also discovered some upsetting personal news (that I'm not going into here). Coincidences being what they are, I'll prolly always associate this song with that news. Guess it's appropriate... at least it's a sad-sounding song. It'll be good for when I want to feel sorry for myself, I reckon.

We're done.

President Bush signed the housing bill. This constitutes my vote of "no confidence" in the current administration.

Downright fucking disgusting...

Someone want to tell me why I can sit there and deny myself a hedonist lifestyle so I can keep myself financially stable... making proper decisions about how much to spend on necessities like houses and food and also desires. AND NOW I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THOSE THAT DECIDED NOT TO MAKE SIMILAR, RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS BAILED THE FUCK OUT?!?!? WHERE IN THE CONSTITUTION IS IT ENUMERATED THAT BAILING OUT HEDONISTS IS THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY?!?

Yeah. I'm pissed. Once again, the intelligent and reasonable are forced to prop up the inconsiderate buffoons. All in the name of buying votes so the government elite can make a career out of doing so. All in the name of a media-overblown "crisis" that affects a whopping 5% of homeowners.

Thanks be to Congress (truly the opposite of "progress"). I guess it's time for me to stop being responsible for my actions.

FUCKING COME ON!

Seeing a 76-10 vote on this tells me that in addition to the broad Democrat support (no surprise, here), there was broad Republican support (less of a surprise than it used to be). The 10 no-voters were:

Barrasso (WY), Coburn (OK), Corker (TN), Cornyn (TX), DeMint (SC), Ensign (NV), Enzi (WY), Grassley (IA), Hatch (UT), Hutchison (TX), Kyl (AZ), Thune (SD), Vitter (LA)

The non-voters don't impress me... they could have voted "no", but they were too coward.

Thank goodness these ten had the balls to do the right thing. I expect no less from Senator Coburn, who impresses me more and more with every passing day.

I've long supported President Bush amidst all the irrational "Bush Disillusionment Syndrome" perpetrated by the media (except with how he's handled the illegal immigrant invasion problem). However, if he signs this, I'll pull all my support. At that point, I might as well vote for the Democrat Party candidate for President. After all, they'll be the same thing.

Sad news...

My fondest childhood memories include the nights Mom & Dad used to take us kids to Sandusky Speedway to watch the supermodifieds race. We spent many summer Saturday nights watching the Shullicks, the Sauniers, and the Gibsons take home trophy after trophy. I'm still a big fan, but they don't have supermodified racing out here in Oklahoma. So I follow it via the web.

Over the years the names and faces have changed, many times coming down through the next generation of family drivers. One of my favorites from back in the 80's was Todd Gibson. A racing legend, Gibson raced supermodifieds since the 60's and started races in IndyCar along the way. He and his son Gene Lee used to tear up the Perkins Township 1/2-mile asphalt oval regularly, their Baja Boats-sponsored roadsters in purple (#0) and yellow (#75) unmistakable as they zipped around the track.

Racing is many times a family affair. Todd's three other sons, Jeff, Terry, and Larry, are all involved in racing, and so is Larry's son Zach, who's a rising star in winged sprints. In fact, since I've been on a supermodified-photo-collecting kick lately, I stumbled on Zach's website the other night. This is where I learned about the rest of the Gibson family.

As I was reading Supermodified Scorecard to catch the weekend's race results, I learned that Terry had been killed in an accident in a MSA heat race at Toledo Speedway Friday night.

My thoughts are with the Gibson family as well as Terry Gibson's team and competitors during this difficult time.

Points for the day...

First... the Science & Public Policy Institute is reporting that it has been mathematically proven that global warming is not happening.

It won't matter, though... after all, the religion of global warming thrives on faith just as much as any other religion. It doesn't matter how much science you throw at it, people will still blindly believe.

Next, apparently Chicago's ban on handgun ownership is working very well: they're calling in the National Guard to help with the violent crime problem there.

Finally, Reason.com is reporting that even though socialists everywhere would have us believe that "the middle class is shrinking", not only is it simply not true, people don't care.

Nicely done...

You know this is an act because in the real world, some whiny bitch would ruin this for everyone:



I was going to embed this from the original site, but the embed code had a ridiculous amount of garbage embedded in it.

Speaking of idiots...

Here we have video of John Wiley Price's apparently racist rant, plus an interview where he decries terms such as "angel food cake" and "devil's food cake" as racist:



The Dallas Fox affiliate had an online poll up on the page where they showed this video on their website. The question was, "Is the term "Black Hole" racist?". Last I looked before it was pulled, the vote was 97.5% "no". Most lopsided online poll I have EVER seen. LOL.

It's good to know that Mr. Price's primary concern as a county commissioner is looking out for the best interests of his constituency as opposed to his hangups over differences in skin color and culture.

Just for funsies...

I'd like to share this video of Criss Angel's steamroller illusion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7gl8nNsDMA

I could have embedded this, but I chose not to because what I really want you all to see is the raft of comments that has been posted to the video. Here we have a cross-section of some very intelligent people... people who will most likely voting for our next President. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? Restores your faith in humanity, no?

I wasn't going to address the issues contained within, but this is the sort of thing that happens when those that put their unsubstantiated beliefs up against those who refuse to suspend their realism long enough to enjoy the "unreal". Great unwashed, indeed.

To clarify for everyone concerned: Criss Angel is billed as an illusionist. That would literally mean "one who deals in illusions". Of course he wasn't really run over by a steamroller on the asphalt surface... it was an illusion. Anyone who actually believes that this was real is an idiot, and so is anyone who can't appreciate this fantastic illusion for what it is. That would cover 99.9% of the commenters to that video.

Well... they're no rocket scientists, are they?

Once again, a tale of people so preoccupied with perpetuating racism that they are ignorant of even basic science.

As reported by the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield (white) , said it seemed that central collections, "has become a black hole" because paperwork apparently was lost in the office. Another Dallas Commissioner, John Wiley Price (black) erupted with a loud, "excuse me!", followed by him correcting Mayfield by saying the office has become a "white hole." Then Judge Thomas Jones (black) demanded an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive remark.

You have GOT to be kidding me. I have to find these geniuses on YouTube. And here they are:

In 1999 when a white DC staffer resigned amidst criticism for using the word "niggardly", which means "miserly", to describe a business dealings, I could almost understand the confusion, considering that "niggard" and its derivatives have fallen out of common usage. But even people educated in gubment schools knows what a black hole is: an object so massive that it's gravitational pull doesn't let even light (hence "black") escape (hence "hole"). Hell, Disney made a movie about one back in the early 1980's.

For those that don't know, a "white hole" is quite the opposite of a black hole: it's a point that nothing can enter; it casts material forth with force analogous to a black hole's ability to suck it in.

But to Price and Jones, that doesn't seem to matter. It's apparently a HUGE priority to trot out their hangups with differences in race because it's overwhelmingly more important than what's being discussed in a public meeting. In my humble opinion, if the public that they "serve" is any smarter than these two bozos, they'll show them the door at the earliest opportunity.

The most important half-hour you will spend this week...

US Navy SEAL MA2 Michael Monsoor lost his life 9/29/06 during fighting in Ramadi, Iraq when a grenade threatened to kill him and two of his teammates. He fell on the grenade, selflessly giving his own life to safe those of his brothers.

I'll never have the honor of standing in the same room as this hero. But I feel privileged to know that there are such people who will stand thusly for our freedom.

The most important half-hour you will spend all week will be remembering MA2 Monsoor by watching these videos (sorry for the links, embedding was disabled).

Memorial footage
Medal of Honor presentation, part 1
Medal of Honor presentation, part 2
Medal of Honor Flag presentation

Never forget this American Patriot.