January 2005 Archives

Either the depression is coming back, or I've set the thermostat too low, but I can't seem to get out or stay out of bed. My participation in the message forums I post to is way down, and everything seems flat. This is the dark side to bipolar disorder, the feeling you're in a hole with no way out.

I apologize for my lack of comment this morning, but I didn't get out of bed until 10 this morning, when I should have been out at 7.

On the up side of things, I did manage to play a game up Epic this weekend. While I got my butt handed to me, the president of the Epic club who played me said, "You may be new to Epic, but you are a skilled player and will be a force to be reckoned with as you gain
experience with the game." Boo-yah!

While I made some mistakes, I managed to surprise him and almost won. I only lost because of my timing in reaching one of the objectives. I won't make those mistakes again.

I'll try for some posts this afternoon.

Later.

In a few hours, Iraqis will be risking their lives to vote. To show that they have voted, the cuticle of their right thumb will be marked with a Sharpie so they don't vote twice. This mark will be a badge of honor and a target at the same time.

Vote. That's the job of a citizen.

Wow, I just has the most "wonderful" attack. Thankfully it only lasted an hour, but I might still miss work because of it. I'm still in the recovery stage of it, but I think I can make it.

Well, the crusade against outdoor smoking has taken a turn for the worse in San Francisco. San Francisco Enacts Outdoor Smoking Ban.

"San Francisco has been a pioneer in tobacco control for decades and continues to be a pioneer with this law," said Bronson Frick, associate director of Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights. "No other city has enacted a law even close to what San Francisco is in terms of covering outdoor places."

Yeah, well most parts of the country aren't as rabid about restricting freedoms as you guys are either.

I am not a smoker, and I do not like the smell of smoke. Granted, their smoking is an intrusion on me, but that does not give me the right to restrict their freedom, any more than I can or should restrict the freedom of others that offend me.

You can't go around and restrict somebody just because it might offend somebody else. I am quite sure I offend a lot of people with my views, but that does not give them the right to restrict me because they don't agree with me.

While it would be nice if nobody offended anybody else, it ain't never gonna happen. Someone will be thin skinned enough to take offense at any slight, real or perceived. That does not give them the right to restrict another because they don't have the ability to deal with other people.

There is a line that should not be crossed, but this doesn't even come close. I'm glad I don't live in SF.

some pains are physical, and some are mental, the one that's both, is dental – e e cummings

In a sort of followup to my post yesterday about Unreasonable Search, this article documents just how bad our "War on Drugs" has gotten. Drug War Shrinking Bill of Rights.

From seizures where there is no crime, to automatic sentences for selling pot that outdo murder convictions, I think it is time we overhaul this system.

First of all, let me be clear. I am against legalization of illegal drugs. I do not believe there is such a level as "recreational use." Once you're in, you're in and it is very difficult to get out. These drugs for the most part do significant damage to your body and brain. That wonderful feeling you get when you're high? That's your brain cells popping like popcorn.

That being said, things need to change and they are changing, but toward a police state. Until things are tightened up at the borders, we cannot hope in making a dent in the supply side of things. And until society changes, we cannot hope in making a dent in the demand side of things.

The unlawful searches and seizures must stop, but too many municipalities are addicted to the revenue that these actions generate. They get to keep the cash seized, get to sell off the cars, houses and so on. That's a lot of money flying around.

I don't know what to do. You can drag a horse to water but you can't make him drink. You can keep drugs illegal, but you can't stop the flood.

But legalization is not the answer either. To make such soul-destroying drugs available OTC will not cut down on drug related crimes. Sure, the drugs will cost less, sure, a lot of the money will go into rehab programs, but the addict still has to get the money from somewhere, and he will still rob and steal to get that money.

Society has to change. Until drug usage becomes socially unpopular, it will continue.

This is a good op-ed: War Is Hell; Losing Is Worse. The article gives you a quick background into Islam and shows you that this religion is based on conquest. It also correctly points out a vital piece of strategy for winning wars.

Cutting and running from the Middle East would bring the war to our homeland. Left to develop its nuclear capabilities, Iran could be expected to share them with its al-Qaida allies and we would be facing a serious nuclear threat here at home. Fighting the war here at home would entail the creation of a police state mechanism where all America would look like Washington, D.C., during the Inauguration – an armed camp devoid of most civil liberties. And there would be no exit strategy, nowhere to cut and run.

Wars are not won by defense, but by offense. You get on the offensive, you stay on the offensive, and you never give the enemy a chance to regain his footing. You knock him down, kick him while he's down, step on his neck and don't give him the chance to do anything to you. To do anything less would result in you ending up on the ground, being the object of the exercise.

We are in a fight for our survival. Our very safety against nuclear fire in one or more of our cities will be measured by our success in Iraq. Islam must go through a Reformation as the Christian faith did. Otherwise we may have no choice but to wipe that religion out.

It's us or them, and it's all up to them.

In another ill-thought out decision brought on by the KGB IRS, the Justices now have approved that jury awardings are now taxable. Lawsuit Winners Lose the Tax Battle.

Thankfully it has been clarified that winnings related to personal injury are exempt, but other lawsuits are now taxed as earned income. The kicker is the lawyers cut is also taxed, which can reach as high as 40%. Given that most tax rates for big settlements can reach 50% or higher, the "winner" can end up with nothing, or even owe the KGB IRS money for "winning" their case.

If there is a good effect from this, it will certainly cut down on the frivolous lawsuits, but this in reality is throwing the baby out with the bath water.

In another SCOTUS ruling, police now have the right to call out the narcotics dogs during a routine traffic stop, even when they have no suspicion of any drugs or illegal activity. Justices: Dogs can sniff in traffic stops.

The lawyer who successfully argued for this case said:

"You don't have a legitimate right to privacy in the possession of illegal drugs," she said. "There are no Fourth Amendment implications, so there never was any violation of anyone's civil liberties."

And I firmly believe she blew smoke up the justice's collective asses. The Fourth Amendment states that, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Bringing dope dogs around your car is a fishing expedition, not founded upon probable cause. I don't see anything up there that says, "except when you are in the violation of the law." The burden is on the police to prove that you are breaking the law and this is a violation of my rights, I don't give a damn what SCOTUS says.

Because if they can get away with it here, then they can just start walking the drug dogs down the street and picking up people just walking around. That is known as a police state.

In another police related story, but this one is funny. Here you go, just how strict and far are the British Bobbies willing to go in prosecuting a moving violation? Read this story, Spotter plane called in to catch driver holding an apple.

The story refers to a left turn, but for those of you who don't know, they drive on the other side of the road. Their left turn is our right.

So the police and prosecutors went berserk on a lady making a right turn while having an apple in one hand.

Sheesh.

I wanted you to see that old Ted is as Liberal as ever. From Drudge:

TED TURNER COMPARES FOXNEWS TO HITLER Tue Jan 25 2005 15:53:55 ET

Ted Turner called FOX an arm of the Bush administration and compared FOXNEWS's popularity to Hitler's popular election to run Germany before WWII.

Turner made the controversial comments in Las Vegas before a standing-room-only crowd at the National Association for Television Programming Executive's opening session.

His no-nonsense, humorous approach during the one-hour Q&A generated frequent loud applause and laughter, BROADCASTING & CABLE reports.

While FOX may be the largest news network [and has overtaken Turner's CNN], it's not the best, Turner said.

He followed up by pointing out that Adolf Hitler got the most votes when he was elected to run Germany prior to WWII. He said the network is the propaganda tool for the Bush Administration.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's certainly legal. But it does pose problems for our democracy. Particularly when the news is dumbed down," leaving voters without critical information on politics and world events and overloaded with fluff," he said.

A FOXNEWS spokesperson responded: "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network and now his mind -- we wish him well."

In 1996, Turner apologized to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for comments he made comparing FOX head Rupert Murdoch to Hitler.

I especially loved the comment from the FOX spokesperson.

Straight from the horses mouth about what is going on in Indonesia about all of the "aid people." No Relief in Sight for the Lincoln.

What really irritated me was a scene I witnessed in the Lincoln’s wardroom a few days ago. I went in for breakfast as I usually do, expecting to see the usual crowd of ship’s company officers in khakis and air wing aviators in flight suits, drinking coffee and exchanging rumors about when our ongoing humanitarian mission in Sumatra is going to end.

What I saw instead was a mob of civilians sitting around like they owned the place. They wore various colored vests with logos on the back including Save The Children, World Health Organization and the dreaded baby blue vest of the United Nations. Mixed in with this crowd were a bunch of reporters, cameramen and Indonesian military officers in uniform. They all carried cameras, sunglasses and fanny packs like tourists on their way to Disneyland.

My warship had been transformed into a floating hotel for a bunch of trifling do-gooders overnight.

As I went through the breakfast line, I overheard one of the U.N. strap-hangers, a longhaired guy with a beard, make a sarcastic comment to one of our food servers. He said something along the lines of “Nice china, really makes me feel special,” in reference to the fact that we were eating off of paper plates that day. It was all I could do to keep from jerking him off his feet and choking him, because I knew that the reason we were eating off paper plates was to save dishwashing water so that we would have more water to send ashore and save lives. That plus the fact that he had no business being there in the first place.

It goes on later in the article that these hangers-on had no intention of recompensating the ship for their meals. For those of you who don't know, the reason why the officers eat a lot better than the enlisted is because the officers pay for their food, while the enlisteds is free.

The article also documents that while everyone is busy with taking care of those who have been devastated, they don't have the time or resources to carry out their training missions, which keeps them battle-ready.

For once, just once, I would like to see Americans, both the government and private organizations, withhold their generosity for the next disaster like this. We are in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" spot, and just once I would like to see America hold back its customary willingness to give to others. It will make others think more about how much we really do give.

Of course we wouldn't withhold it forever, but a week or so of saying, "We're tired if all of the name calling and the ingratitude. No, we're not giving this time."

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear readers, America gives 40% of the world aid, and for that we get kicked in the teeth. Altruism only goes so far. Let's make them appreciate what they do get, instead of letting them whine like a spoiled child.

We give so much because we are a Christian and God-fearing people. While Liberals are "raising awareness" by having dinners (5% gets a steak dinner, 15% gets hamburgers, 30% get rice and 50% get nothing), the churches and other charitable organizations are giving of themselves, out of their own pockets to get food and aid to those people who need it. Unfortunately, a lot of it goes to warlords and their troops, leaving those who aren't in power to starve.

There are no easy answers, but let's "raise awareness" about how much we really give. Let's not send that aircraft carrier to the stricken region, let's not ship tons and tons of food and water. Let's start attaching some strings to this aid.

Like I said, altruism only goes so far.

I half expected this. Senator Boxer, during Condolezza Rice's SecState confirmation hearings, laid into Condi like she was a red-headed stepchild. Sen. Boxer takes victim role after hearing for Rice

Boxer attacked Rice's credibility, integrity and honor. She called Rice everything but a slut and when Rice had the temerity to stand up and assert herself, well then, the nerve! How dare she get uppity with me!

And Boxer is still at it. Boxer: I'll Call Condi a Liar Again.

Of course, the Senator was "mis-informed" when she said "Californians account for 25% of the dead in Iraq."

However, it appears that Boxer may have indulged in a few falsehoods of her own while questioning Dr. Rice.

To justify her tough grilling, the Golden State Democrat repeatedly invoked war casualties from her home state, saying they amounted to 25 percent of the 1,400 GIs killed in the fighting.

But after checking with the Web site Casualties.org, OpinionJournal.com says that's not true. "The number of California servicemen who've died is 157, which is about 11.5% of the total, less than half the proportion Boxer claimed," they noted.

The Marin County demagogue also had her facts wrong when she claimed that her fellow senators voted to authorize the Iraq War based solely on Bush administration claims about weapons of mass destruction.

In fact, the Senate's Iraq War resolution also cited Saddam's "brutal repression of its civilian population thereby threatening international peace and security in the region" and its refusal "to release, repatriate, or account for non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, including an American serviceman, and by failing to return property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait."

So, like all those extreme Liberals, Boxer prefers what she thinks over the truth. After all, how can a Liberal be wrong on the facts? They care.

Well, the nightmare(s) are coming to an end, I hope.

First of all, the BRAND NEW furnace stopped working yesterday, but the workman did something that finally got it to work. Hopefully it will keep working.

Second, the refrigerator guy is here and is working on it as I type. He should be done in a hour or two.

This morning I was cold, cranky and upset. I haven't had a good dose of caffeine since Thursday, and having a 55 degree apartment was not a good excuse to get out of a warm bed.

Also, I am starting to take active steps to combat the 100 spam comments I get every day. I have installed a Moveable Type plug-in that is supposed to throw a 'nofollow' tag into my comments, which causes the search engines. I haven't seen it yet. I also am checking out plug-ins that will close old comments, which is where all of the spam goes, all of those entries that are over a week old. No one really wants to comment on those anyway.

All-in-all, I am starting to feel better. I made a pot of hot tea which warmed me up and got me that dose of much-needed caffeine, and with my problems getting fixed, things are staring to look up. Hopefully this will reduce the SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) that I also seem to suffer from.

See you later.

Things are getting worse. Experts: 'Phishing' more sophisticated.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER respond to an email that says "You need to verify your account information." No matter how official it looks, no matter how the links check out, don't do it. That's not how your financial institution does business with you. Of course, you can tell it's a phishing scheme when a bank that you don't do business with tells you to do that.

But these schemes are getting more and more sophisticated. Worms and trojans are accompanying these emails, so even opening them can compromise you.

You need to get an email program like Eudora, that shows you what's in the email without ever opening it. Virus filters won't help in these cases, because these malwares are not viruses.

Be careful out there.

This week holds three tragedies, the fire in Apollo 1, the loss of the Challenger, and the loss of Columbia. How NASA Betrayed Our Heroic Astronauts.

In the first two cases, we had what was known as 'Go fever.' The drive to get it done, get into space that we cut corners. Three on the ground and 7 in the air paid for that fever.

Columbia was lost due to political correctness. By building a more "environmentally friendly" main tank, changes were made that led directly to that tragedy over East Texas.

Many people, young and old, died in our colonizing of this continent. We should expect losses when we conquer that last frontier, but from real things, not cutting corners or PC run amok.

It's time we got back into space, and stayed there.

Chile radically changed their version of Social Security 24 years ago, and it has so far proven to be a big success. No fulfillment of the 'doom and gloom' predictions of the naysayers, and good returns has been had on the accounts. Chile offers privatized Social Security model.

Now we face a crisis of our own. We can tell almost exactly when things will happen, and it is better to make a small course correction now than wait and make a violent course correction later.

With your money diversified in several good growth stock mutual funds, you lower your risk while improving your chases of a good return. Instead of putting all of your money on one horse, you put your money on every horse, so you win no matter who comes in first. In order for these funds to lose money, Pepsi, GM, and about a dozen other stable stocks would have to tank simultaneously, in which case the entire stock market will also tank.

But this does not mean you shouldn't put your money in the stock market. if you are looking for a long term investment, that's the place to go. It's just about the only place to go, considering that nothing else has as good a rate of return.

If you are young, put every spare penny you have into your retirement account now, instead of later. A little bit now beats a lot later due to the cascading effect of compounding. Retire with dignity, because I can't. It's too late for me, but if you have a good job, invest, invest, invest.

Here is a two part article, No Teacher Left Behind, and the firestorm of spam created by it is covered is covered here, Education Moe-Joe.

In these days of governmental regulation of the work force, unions are becoming anachronistic. They have become Political Action Committees that don't necessarily have their members interests in mind. As evidenced in the last election, many Union members voted Republican, while the Union leaders poured the membership dues into Democrat candidates by the millions.

Unions also have the bad habit of protecting incompetent members. By keeping these members on at the same pay scale that the hard working members get, why should the worst workers get the same pay as the best workers?

In any case, this article shows these and other problems that the Teachers Union visits upon the students, as the teachers act in their best interests, rather than in the students best interests.

This means that the future of the country suffers because the teachers are turning out sub-standard work, i.e. the qualifications of their students. At least electricians and carpenters have building codes they have to follow. Teachers don't.

The second article details the spamming of the WSJ by hundreds of letters, spurred by this email:

Dear AFT leader/activist,

Today's Wall Street Journal includes an outrageous attack on teacher unions by Terry M. Moe (reprinted below). Moe suggests that "If the teachers unions won't voluntarily give up their power, then it has to be taken away from them--through new laws that, among other things, drastically limit (or prohibit) collective bargaining in public education. . . ."

AFT president Edward J. McElroy will prepare a response to this, but we are also asking our leaders and activists to respond as well and to encourage letters from classroom teachers on this issue. Please send your letters and e-mails to [the Journal].

And the payoff comes from the last paragraph of the second article:

Far from refuting Mr. Moe, the AFT's letter barrage proves his point. Teachers unions have become the largest single barrier to better American schools, and the political system needs to find ways to reduce their destructive influence.

Their selfish and short-sighted interest in themselves and their lack of accountability is destroying our future, graduating more and more young adults who cannot read their diploma.

"When you say that you agree to a thing in principle, you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice." -- Otto Von Bismarck

Here is a letter from Lieutenant Colonel Tim Ryan, Commander, Task Force 2-12 Cavalry, First Cavalry Division in Iraq. Media coverage distorts Iraq reality.

All right, I've had enough. I am tired of reading distorted and grossly exaggerated stories from major news organizations about the "failures" in the war in Iraq. "The most trusted name in news" and a long list of others continue to misrepresent the scale of events in Iraq. Print and video journalists are covering only a fraction of the events in Iraq and, more often than not, the events they cover are only negative.

The inaccurate picture they paint has distorted the world view of the daily realities in Iraq. The result is a further erosion of international support for the United States' efforts there, and a strengthening of the insurgents' resolve and recruiting efforts while weakening our own. Through their incomplete, uninformed and unbalanced reporting, many members of the media covering the war in Iraq are aiding and abetting the enemy.

The fact is the Coalition is making steady progress in Iraq, but not without ups and downs. So why is it that no matter what events unfold, good or bad, the media highlights mostly the negative aspects of the event? The journalistic adage, "If it bleeds, it leads," still applies in Iraq, but why only when it's American blood?

I know you can't trust the words coming out of the news anchors and reporters on the national news programs, and you can generally take them 180 degrees out of what they say. When they say it's getting worse, it's actually getting better.

I just wanted to share this with you because I like to share good news with my readers. And this qualifies as good news. WE are winning the war of attrition over there, at a rate of 7:1. We will run out of terrorists long before we run out of troops.

There is a ton of good news that isn't going to be reported by anybody because the Liberal MSM wants us out of Iraq, and damn the consequences of that action. We must get the word out wherever we can that the terrorists are about as bad as the riots in South Central LA. They are confined to small areas of control and can only exert limited actions outside of those areas.

Spread the word.

Jib Jab has made a new video, for President Bush's Inauguration, based on the old folk tune "She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain."

It's funny. Go and watch it.

My good friend Mike at Half-Bakered has returned to the keyboard! Please check him and his Spotlight of Truth out. He brings up very thoughtful commentary and analysis on Memphis and Shelby County.

Welcome back, Mike.

It turns out that the FBI and other authorities are looking for four Chinese nationals who possibly crossed into the US via the Mexican border. FBI Alerts Boston of Four Terror Suspects.

Keep tuned to the news for further updates.

It seems that these people just don't give up. Protesters Accuse Bush of 'Exterminating the Muslim Race'.

These deep left-fielders are spouting all of the nutjob stuff, "Bush and his friends at Diebold stole the election (again)", "Destroying the planet", etc., etc., etc.

This is one that I really liked:

Molly from Massachusetts accused the Bush administration of "putting out fake science -- fake pseudo-science and having Nazi doctors -- the same way Nazi Germany did in a lot of ways. There are a lot of parallels now between America and Nazi Germany," Molly said.

Yes, of course there are. There are Brownshirts roaming the streets, smashing Jewish businesses, violently beating up protesters against Bush... Oh, wait. There isn't anybody doing that you say? Then I guess WE'RE NOT NAZI GERMANY.

I just included this for a laugh, and to let you know there are people so far out on the fringe, they are barely holding onto the tassels.

Reports are coming in from Boston about a possible dirty bomb somewhere in or around Boston. It is still uncorroborated at this time, but the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is taking it seriously.

NewsCenter 5's David Boeri reported that an uncorroborated report said that several illegal immigrants from the California/Mexico border were on their way to Boston carrying some sort of explosive material. So far, no threat has been corroborated.

If this pans out, this ought to slam shut the door on Bush's "Guest Worker" pipe dream. If a dirty bomb explodes in a major city, and it was snuck across the Mexican border, things will change in a hurry. Fence and mine the border, run guards along the border 24/7, and start throwing out the undocumented illegal aliens. But we have to catch them before anything happens.

We have to be right 100% of the time, they only have to get lucky once.

This is good news: Atheist Loses Bid to Ban Inaugural Prayer.

The SCOTUS Chief Justice told Michael Newdow to go piss up a rope and denied his request to strike the benediction from the inauguration tomorrow.

It made my day. How about you?

The Eco-nuts are at it again: Ecoterror Group Warns of More Firebombings.

These anus headed idiots are at it again, firebombing housing developments because they are 'intruding on Nature.' Notice I capitalized Nature, as Momma Nature is a real person, looking out for all of the trees and little creatures of the forest, which the bad land developers are killing.

So, like spoiled evil children, they burn other peoples property. They burn it because of their sixth-grade Michael Moore logic tells them to.

I sincerely hope one of these goes off in their hands one of these days. It won't teach them not to play with fire, but it will result in one less eco-terrorist.

A wonderful bill is in front of our lawmakers in the House: 'Self-Defense' Bill Introduced in House of Representatives.

The proposed Citizens' Self-Defense Act of 2005, introduced last week by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, would specifically protect the right of law-abiding citizens to use handguns, rifles and shotguns in defending themselves, their families or their homes.

The bill also would allow people whose self-defense rights have been violated by any government entity to bring legal action in federal court.

I don't know where the NRA is on this, but I'm quite sure they are supporting it, letting the CCRKBA have their moment in the sun and let them get credit for it.

I mentioned it before, the case was South v. Maryland in 1856, which stated that the police are not there for the protection of individual citizens. So calling on the police to come and 'protect' you, they can't be held liable if they don't get there in time. It's up to you to protect yourself. 911 is state sponsored Dial-A-Prayer.

If this bill can make it over the hurdles and gets to become law, this would be big leverage on ruling that firearms under the Second Amendment are an individual right.

But, to tell you the truth, I'm not holding my breath. Some Liberal will get to put a 'poison pill' amendment in the bill, which will kill it. Hopefully the solid Republican majority will prevent this from happening and pass a 'clean' bill.

Here's hoping.

This will have to be watched closely: Md. Senator Introduces Bill to Criminalize Assault Weapons.

The bill would criminalize the use of "Assault Weapons" (there is no such thing, except in the minds of anti-gunners) and add 20 years on to the sentience for using them in a crime.

Why will this have to be watched closely? Because this bill sounds great on the surface. This guy has been trying to ban these weapons for years now, and all of a sudden he changes course? I don't trust him as far as I can drop-kick him.

I would be happy if the bill was expanded to add that 20 years for using any firearm in the commission of a crime. That being said, there will likely be a 'poison pill' of some gun grab in the bill, which will kill it. If they can keep it on target (sorry about the pun) then I would happily support it. But they will most likely include self-defense using these weapons as part of the commission of the said crime, giving the homeowner defending his family 20+ for doing the right thing.

I have a meeting in Jackson this morning, so I'm up and off early. I'll be back by this afternoon for my posting.

I found this article and had to laugh. Strait-Jacketed Teddy Bear Brings Protests.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company came up with this bear, called the Crazy For You Bear:

"This bear was created in the spirit of Valentine's Day and as with all of our bears it was designed to be a light-hearted depiction of the sentiment of love," it added.

The bear, being marketed for Valentine's Day, comes with commitment papers and is meant to convey out-of-control love.

Of course, the people in the mental health community who have no sense of humor are up in arms over it.

Mental health advocates believe the bear is "a tasteless use of marketing that stigmatizes persons with mental illness," Jerry Goessel, the executive director of the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, wrote to the Shelburne-based company.

"A strait jacket is not a symbol that we want to associate with sales of a teddy bear for loved ones over Valentine's Day," Goessel said. "And the use of commitment papers, legal documents committing an individual to involuntary treatment, is not something to be taken casually."

Lighten up. I've been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I think we have lost something important in America today, the ability to laugh at ourselves. We are too busy portraying the victim and taking it seriously that we cannot laugh at anything anymore. There is a line between being funny and demeaning, and I don't suggest we cross that line. But the line has been moved so far that there is no room for light-hearted humor anymore.

There is nothing wrong with this bear and I wish I had the money to get this for my wife. Despite what we have gone through, I am still as crazy for her as the first time we met.

Well, I'm about to let the cat out of the bag: Psst, the Deficit Is Shrinking.

Yep, it's true. While spending is up 6.1 percent, revenues are up 10.5 percent, fueled by the tax cuts.

The reason why we can't get the Liberals to concede that cutting taxes raises revenues is because they see the world as one zero-sum pie. If somebody gets rich and takes more of the pie, he is making someone poorer and taking part of their slice.

In reality, we are spitting out several dozen pies a second, giving more and more people more and more pie. It is not a zero-sum game, the upper limit is there is no upper limit.

Once you realize that everybody can get rich if they properly apply themselves and their money, then your whole paradigm shifts.

Here are some hints. Don't use credit cards. Interest steals your money. Pay cash for everything. Stay out of debt, invest your money in a good growth stock mutual fund. Save a little when you are young and you will have millions when you get to retirement.

Do these things and you will never have to worry about money, no matter how much you make. If you don't dig yourself into debt, then you have a head start on everybody else.

You know I'm crazy. Well, to tell the truth I'm mentally unstable, but crazy is a more recognized term. And of course when you view the world through a Liberal paradigm, people who apply fact and common sense to things are crazy. So I must not be alone. California professor flunks Kuwaiti's pro-U.S. essay.

Here's the assignment:

The topic chosen by Mr. Al-Qloushi stated that some scholars "contend that the Constitution of the United States was not 'ordained and established' by 'the people' as we have often been led to believe. They contend instead that it was written by a small educated and wealthy elite in America who were representative of powerful economic and political interests. Analyze the U.S. Constitution (original document), and show how its formulation excluded the majority of people living in America at that time, and how it was dominated by America's elite interests."

Typical Liberal pablum, blame the rich white dead guys. The nation was founded by "eeevil" men who sought to exclude women and blacks from voting. Which, in 1787, was perfectly reasonable and logical for the time.

Now comes the students response:

In his essay, Mr. Al-Qloushi said, "I completely disagree. ... The American Constitution worried monarchs in Europe. The right for men to choose their own representatives was unheard-of in the rest of the world. ... The United States Constitution might have excluded the majority of people at the time. But it progressed, and America, like every nation in the world, progressed ...

"Because of America, the world is free. ... America freed Kuwait and is now currently in a fight to free Iraq and its 25 million residents and vanquish the tyranny and monstrosity of Saddam Hussein."

Well, of course, the Liberal professor went ballistic on the poor student and suggested that he attend psychotherapy to get over his naiveté.

"He told me, 'Your views are irrational. He called me naive for believing in the greatness of this country and told me, 'America is not God's gift to the world. ... You need regular psychotherapy.' "

You can't get any better than that. I mean it, you just can't. There is no way your view of the world can be any more stilted than that and stay rational. Where this professor got his ideas about the world I'll never know, but he is a poison spreading into the minds of our youth.

The real problem is, he's not alone.

From the New York Post: Down Sandy's Pants.

The update is his investigation has finally gone before a Federal Grand Jury. It's about time. The article contains a quick synopsis of the facts for those who have forgotten them, including that infamous "what if?" about if it had been Condi Rice stuffing notes into nether regions.

After all, Dems get a pass on National Security issues, while Republicans get their head taken off. This double standard is just the way of the Liberal world, and thank God it has no connection to reality. In reality, in a fair, just and truthful Administration, everybody gets the same treatment before the law.

This one takes the cake. If this isn't a clear-cut case of bias, I don't know what is. This is why I don't watch Face the Nation, I have no faith in their credibility.

From Newsmax.com:

CBS News turned over its entire "Face the Nation" broadcast on Sunday to inveterate Bush-basher Ted Kennedy, after refusing a White House request that they also include a Republican to rebut Kennedy's bloviations.

"The White House was happy to put Dan Bartlett or somebody else on that program and CBS said, 'Thank you, No,'" reported Brit Hume on "Fox News Sunday."

The CBS snub comes just a week after the network promised Bartlett, who recently moved from Communications Director to the White House counsel's job, that they'd stop skewing their coverage against the president.

According to Broadcasting & Cable, CBS News President Andrew Heyward traveled to D.C. and personally assured Bartlett that "neither CBS News nor [Dan] Rather had a vendetta against the White House."

"From here on out [CBS] would do everything it could to be fair and balanced,” he reportedly pledged.

If this is a show about how much effort CBS is putting into being fair and balanced, then they aren't trying very hard.

I managed to stay late at work last night and got to see the first episode, "33" and I thought it was awesome! Gritty, stressful drama that exceeded my expectations. The cinematography was also outstanding and kept me on my toes.

I can hardly wait to see the next episodes. If I had the cash I would buy me some of the pirate DVDs coming out of England where the series has already run to its' season finale.

This has nothing in common with the original BSG, except a guest appearance by Richard Hatch, the original Apollo.

Watch. You won't be disappointed.

Battlestar Galactica the Series premieres tonight on the Sci-Fi Channel, check your local listings for the time. From the reviews, it's great. Don't miss it, you won't be disappointed.

Name the person or group who sang that song for Bonus Cool Points.

A new Boston Tea Party is happening in the wilds of our Arizona-Mexico border. Americans Doing The Job Congress Won't Do.

It seems that volunteers all over the country are heading down to the border to help protect Arizona from the flood of illegal immigrants. No, they aren't there to shoot on sight, but rather to keep an eye out with night vision goggles and other equipment to at least temporarily stem the tide of illegals crossing the border.

If you have the time and ability, please consider joining the effort.

For a full information packet: www.minutemanproject.com.

Here you go. Something the feminists don't want you to know. Unequal Pay For Equal Work?

This article explodes the myth that women get "76 cents for every dollar a man makes."

It tells you why all of the high paying jobs are male oriented, they're all dangerous, high stress, long hours away from family, or all of the above.

The article also documents career tracks where the woman is given the same or higher pay for less experience.

As with anything, your mileage may vary. It all depends on what career and what your qualifications are to get you the pay you deserve. You get the pay be driving yourself to the top of your profession. Sometimes it tops out below other professions.

But here's the most important fact of all:

Only in a socialist economy do employees get paid the same, regardless of the number of hours worked.

If you want to be paid lots of money for your work, you have to sacrifice a lot to get there, and I am sure that many women are more sensible about it and realize that more money does not pay for lost time with the family. That's why women are not paid the same as men. Their priorities are more towards family than to work. This does not mean that women work any less hard than men do, but when it comes time to burn the midnight oil, the woman would probably rather burn that oil with their children than their co-workers.

Nothing wrong with that.

I found this an interesting "what if?" read. Cruel Times.

First of all, a very good point is brought up.

Certainly, those who opposed the development of nuclear weapons then and those who do so now are entitled to voice their opinions. It was clear to all Americans in 1945 that failing to defeat the Japanese was clearly not an option, and most Americans would have considered questioning the morality of defeating them by any means necessary seditious, not to mention manifestly insane.

Yet, the equivalent is precisely what is taking place now.

[...]

So there is evidently a line – somewhere – between freedom of speech and criminal or seditious speech. It would seem that this line has become as clear as the one delineating what is and is not acceptable in terms of America defending herself from foreign aggression.

Our very own news agencies could well and rightly be accused of aiding the enemy by their slanted reporting of the news. They report what is in perspective an uprising in Compton a widespread national uprising. They legitimize the animals who fight against our troops.

But this is the important part that you must all remember:

If a party or parties forcibly entered my home with the intent of harming my family, I would do everything within my ability to dispatch them with extreme prejudice. Fortunately, I live in a state that still respects my right to do so.

If I were to become aware of the location of the aforementioned party or parties beforehand, I would do the same thing. No doubt that such action would lead to my being prosecuted, but in my view this is preferable to finding oneself at the mercy of a criminal element. In either case, the protestations of neighbors who found my deeds extreme or unwarranted would simply not be a factor.

As a child I was told never to hit unless someone hit me first. In practice of course this is highly impractical, since the party struck first is often in no shape to hit back (I mean, you wouldn’t let someone shoot you first, would you?). Over the years this protocol ultimately evolved into: if you even think someone is going to hit you, hit them as hard and as fast as you can, and keep on hitting.

That may not be the way you do things in your life, or in your home, but for better or worse, it is the way of the world – and that is where we all live.

Why should we wait to get hit again? Liberals in their guilt will tell you that we deserve to get hit again (and again, and again...) because of who we are. That is not true, nor has it ever been.

Taking a proactive stance and carrying the fight to the enemy has always been a primary military objective. While you're battling in his territory, you're not battling in yours.

Remember, we are trying to change the face of Islam and bring it into the modern era. Democracys do not go to war unless they are attacked first. By instilling a Republic in the heart of the Middle East, we can domino it to all of the countries. But we must be successful in Iraq first.

If this isn't the state interfering in the rights and responsibilities of a parent, I don't know what is. Communism For Kids.

It starts out innocuously enough, talking about "community boxes," "cooperative learning," and social promotion, all standards of schools today, but then it drops this California bombshell:

According to a WorldNetDaily report, California schools have been barred from informing parents if their children leave school grounds “to receive certain confidential medical services that include abortion, AIDS treatment and psychological analysis, according to an opinion issued by the office of state Attorney General Bill Lockyer.”

You've known for years that schools have been handing out condoms, and I'm sure that actually this stuff above has been going on as well, but to have the state Attorney General make it policy is something that would only happen in Krazyfornia.

It severely saddens me to see parental responsibilities usurped like this, and I haven't even told you the bad news yet. I would not be surprised if a significant portion of parents do not care or even welcome this ruling. I don't know what that percentage might be, but I'm guessing that it would be statistically significant.

I was stationed out in San Diego for a couple of years during my Naval career, and all I can say is I'm glad I'm not there any more. Too many things didn't make sense for me.

Sad, sad, sad.

You can never expect a truthful answer out of a Liberal when it comes to gun control. Come to think of it, you can't expect a truthful answer out of a Liberal at all, but I digress.

This article, Gun Control: True Lies in San Francisco is a footnoted article on how bad they lie.

“The homicide rate in Washington, D.C., in 2002 was 9.4 incidents per 100,000 people. In San Francisco that year, the rate was 5.2.”

A key gambit of gun banners is the judicious use of misapplied statistical data. In the above quote, the writer referenced FBI crime data that covers metropolitan areas. (2)

The mythical “9.4 incidents per 100,000 people” for “Washington, D.C.” includes residents of five Maryland counties, 17 in Virginia, and two from West Virginia. This report is also the source of the stated rate for the SF metropolitan area, which includes only two additional counties: Marin and San Mateo.

[...]

Since these three states’ counties had a combined population of 14,553,552, over 25 times D.C.’s population of 570,898, the D.C. homicide rate was significantly diluted. Also, the author compares “apples to oranges,” since the San Francisco metropolitan area is completely covered by similar gun control laws, while the D.C area is not.

In reality, while the SF metropolitan area experienced the 5.2 rate, Washington D.C. had a homicide rate of 46.2, nearly five times the article’s assertion.

Now why would they lie about this? I think because DC is a Gun Control Paradise, no one is allowed to own guns. At least the law-abiding citizens aren't allowed to own guns, the criminals don't abide by the law, which is why they're criminals.

You can't have such a Paradise with an outrageous number like that, it would show that Paradise isn't working. And we can't have that, now can we?

You must always be suspect of such statistics, especially from Liberal organizations. Remember, they think you are too stupid to dress yourself in the morning without a government program picking out your clothes for you. They think you are too stupid to notice their lying to you about this or anything for that matter.

It's like their lie about "10 children die every day by gun violence." When you look at the statistics, 8.5 of that 10 are gangbangers aged 15-19.

You just can't trust Liberals, they lie even to themselves.

I found this "editorial", It's Time to Stop Being Hit...a letter from Michael Moore, from this article, Michael Moore and the Loony Liberals and thought it was time to comment on my least favorite film producer.

In his writings, MM wants the Democrat party to move farther Left, because that is where the base is, and not towards the middle where the majority of Americans are politically.

I for one would like to help. It's the best way for that party to self-destruct. They must learn not to give in to the extremists, but that's where MM wants them to go. It's an elevator ride straight to Hell and I'm happy to sell them a ticket. You can't stop a man from doing what he wants to do. So I'm not going to even try.

Until the Dems learn not to move left, they will become a less and less powerful political force, simply because the extreme Left scares most people. They are the ones prone to violence (eco-terrorists, PETA, et. al.) and until they are marginalized, their influence will drive more people away than attract.

Go ahead Michael, take the party Left. How can I help?

The serviceman just came, confirmed I have a dead compressor and told me it would be another 1-2 weeks before he can get a replacement.

Oh, Joy. Hopefully the apartment manager will get me another fridge so I won't have to wait.

I found this and wanted to share it, Why Liberals Love Gun Control.

The article nails it on the head that Gun Control is not about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, but rather out of the hands of responsible citizens, making them dependent on the government for protection and safe-keeping. Never mind that the Police have been absolved of any responsibility since 1856 and the SCOTUS case South v. Maryland. 911 is nothing more than state-sponsored Dial-A-Prayer.

...Gun control does nothing but oppress a population, deny them basic rights, make them subservient to the government, and prevent them from changing their collective conditions at the time of their choosing, rather than at the sanction of the State. Liberals do not want you making your own decisions anymore than they did the slaves. That is their job. How can they possibly restructure society so a Republican is never elected President again if people are running around not doing what they are told? Liberals love gun control for the simple fact that it directly impacts the most independent, self reliant, and