Nobody asked me, but...: 05/01/2006

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

"For Emergency Use Only"

You have no idea how well I relate to the character Zed (on the left) in this comic:

Day By Day

Monday, May 29, 2006

Unconscious Mutterings

From Gina's inspiration...

Bounce :: Check (I used to work in a bank)
Wasting time :: Sleep
Utility :: Electric
London :: England
Pregnant :: Don't look at me!
Cranberry :: Paul¹
International :: Trade
Disappointment :: Ask my-much-better-half
Sponsor :: commercial
Second :: What²

¹ Ask anyone who know Beatle trivia
² Who's on First, What's on second...

Meme

Friday, May 26, 2006

The Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summer. But some of us are fortunate to remember a certain solemnity, a quiet reverence, that hushed neighborhoods across the nation during solemnities honoring our fallen soldiers.

Memorial Day ceremonies will be held this year, and flags will fly -- in some neighborhoods. But as we move further into history from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the World Wars -- it becomes more difficult to grasp their gravity, and why they affected our national consciousness. In those wars, casualties mounted in numbers that would astound us today -- with the outcome in doubt. It wasn’t a matter of losing a war; it was a matter of losing the country.

In Korea, Vietnam, and Gulf War I, there was no widespread perception that our way of life hung in the balance, but the sacrifices were just as awe-inspiring.

Right now, America -- unjustly attacked -- is in the midst of another global conflict. As in every conflict, at every pivotal moment in our history, a special breed of men and women have stepped up to protect each one of us against those who seek to destroy us. Some have paid the ultimate price and, as is the case in every war, their families continue to pay that price long after the ceremonies are over.

So folks, sometime this holiday weekend, as we celebrate summer (and high gas prices), let’s take a moment to remember, honor, thank, pray for -- and be grateful for -- those who step up when called. And lay down their lives.

--Rush Limbaugh

Memorial Day

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Bring what?

Long day, longer evening. My day started as it usually does, around 4:15 AM; it's almost midnight and I just got home.

After my last regularly scheduled Cub Scout Meeting (Webelos), I was just cleaning up when my much-better-half rang my cell phone. "Come to {her sister}'s house, " she said. "But first go home, change your clothes, and bring rubber gloves and a couple of garbage bags."

Oh boy, I thought. Sounds like it's going to be fun...

Read More...

"There's a ground hog under the car."

OK.... so grab a shovel and get rid of it.

"It’s in the engine."

"So bang on the hood a couple of times... that'll scare it. Just don't start the engine.... oh, I get it... you did start it already, huh?"

"Yep. I don't see any blood, but I see something furry and its not moving."

Terrific. After changing, we head on over. Inside the RAV4's engine compartment, on the driver’s side, there's a space between cowl and the radiator, and sure enough, something brown and furry was there.

"When you pull it out, watch that the blood doesn't drip."

"I'm not pulling it out... the bugger is still breathing."

"It can't be!"

I bang the hood.... its head turns and its teeth chatter, in what I guess was its best snarl.

The next hour found me with a garden stake ... one of those green sticks that hold plants upright ... poking the bugger, trying to piss it off enough to leave. I can't tell if its injured, but the bugger shows it has strong jaws when it locked on to the stick. Taking a water bottle, I pour about 1/3 of it onto the ground hog. Great... now he's mad and wet.

Obviously, if he won't move from being poked and water-tortured, he's not going to get out on his own. My guess is he was near the serpentine belt when she started it, and he fell into this pocket.

The weird thing is that he was in the engine in the first place. I know its a concern to have critters in the engine during the winter, because they cozy up to hot engine, but it was low-60s last night, so why was even in there?

Now to get him out.

After a few more prods, I turn to the phone book. No listings for animal control, which being in NE Pennsylvania, that was somewhat surprising. So, I called the local Police Department.

"Officer nnn, how may I help you?"
"Hi, I need some advice. Who do I call to get a ground-hog out of my car's engine compartment?"
"You have a what stuck where?"
"A ground hog inside a car's engine... is there a number for Animal Control?"
"Can't you reach in and get it?"
"No, because now it’s angry and its teeth still work very well."
"OH! You mean it’s still alive?"
"Yes sir" (Said to myself: what do you think I mean?)
"Hold on.... OK, what's your address.... we'll send someone right out."

10 minutes later, a patrol car arrives, and the same questions are repeated ("Can't you reach in and get it?"). I never expected a local patrol Cop would get the task, but sure enough he pulls out of the trunk one of those cable snares - a long pole with a loop of cable on the end, and a loose end on the other side to tighten the loop around the animal's neck. The Cop came with an off duty cop who wanted to see what was happening. (You mean I could sell tickets to the neighbors??)

Between the three of us, we spent another hour poking and prodding. I was on flashlight duty, and these guys tried their best. The dang animal kept biting the noose and wouldn't let the cops snare it.

"That's it, I'm spraying him,” and the cop proceeded to pepper spray the ground hog.

Stuck. Poked. Wet, and now maced. Oh yeah, he was pissed.

You have to marvel at Murphy's Law. The air was still last night, not a breeze to be had.... until the Officer used his pepper spray, of course. The poor cop had to take a few minutes off to the side to clear his lungs.

Now that it was sprayed, the ground hog's eyes were closed so they had hoped to snare it easier. Not so lucky, however. Another 20 minutes go by, and another spraying. Finally they loop it around his neck.

Stuck. Poked. Wet. Maced twice. Now lassoed. Do not put any extremities anywhere near this animal!

The poor bugger was lying on its stomach, with its rump under the radiator. They tried to pull him up but couldn't get him to twist the right way. He wasn't coming out that way. He had one paw in the loop keeping it from being tightened fully.... but we could see it stomach was raw and one leg looked mangled.... no doubt due to the engine starting.

Now the Cop and I are looking under the front wheel, trying to figure a way to pull him down and out. A screwdriver removes a shroud panel, and there's the face of an angry, injured ground hog (yes, I still have 10 fingers).

While off-duty cop pokes from above, Cop tries to snare him from the wheel well, and again I hold the flashlight.

"Now remember... as soon as he's out, you had better get back just in case he gets loose."
"Yes sir" (Said to myself: do you think?)

One more spray, a few pokes, and a few moments later, the ground hog is pulled from the engine, its stomach injured pretty bad, and one paw is mauled.

"We have to put it down... there's no way we can help it."

A few minutes and one shot later, they bring back the body, still snared.

We put the body in a garbage bag, and the cops told me to bury it. SIL balked at the idea of digging on her property (gee, thanks Sis), so it rode home with me. Either tomorrow it’ll be buried or fall into the trash.... I'm not sure which.

Never a dull moment, right???

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Congressional Foolishness

Recent actions in the Congress are nothing short of foolish. When my water pipes leaked, I didn't first worry about what whether the water heater, the filter and the pressure tank had to be replaced. No, first thing: I shut off the water supply. Then I addressed the water damage, replaced the pipe, and assorted peripherals.

The Congress is so worried about 'the water damage' that they are skidding around 'the water valve'. Yes, yes, the Senate voted on an amendment to build a new wall on the southern border. It is a right step, but its taking too long to be voted on by the whole Senate. Still, there is no Senate bill that addresses 'the valve'; what are they waiting for? The 'water level' to get higher?

The House is closer to correct, but overboard nonetheless. They want to punish the criminals who came here illegally; that may be well and good, but shouldn't we shut off the flow, first??

The GOP has to force the issue to a vote; make the Democrats vote against securing the borders, revealing the obstructionist that they are. The GOP thinks that by kicking the ball down-field they'll be able to take it up after the elections, but we all know the matter would probably die in November, then recess, then not get brought up again for months (if at all).

There are no Senators that exhibit the Conservative values they bragged about during their campaigns; the last stronghold of Conservatives is in the House. While I have expressed reservations about their Illegal Immigration bill, these folks have at least produced something to work with; Let's hope the majority party in the senate wakes up, and soon!

Because the water continues to rise.

Congress, Illegal immigration.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

The whole picture

As promised yesterday, here's the Sunday funny you may have not seen:

Day-by-Day is a toon that I have frequently linked to here on my humble blog. In fact, if I ever get a decent template to replace what's here, I hope to have the daily strip, but that's my problem. Chris Muir, the author, admits his own website's template limitations in that on Sundays he features a full 8-9 panel strip that is only visible on Sundays. Viewing the archive any other day reveals a typical 3 panel strip, such as:

But what's lost this week is an eloquant argument for any who debate with family, friends or colleagues on Left. Click here to see it in its entirety.

Chris Muir said he intends on providing his Sunday funnies in all their glory soon; I know I am looking forward to that day!

War On Terror, Day by Day

Psychic News Service

FOXNEWS.COM Brit Hume Special Report Grapevine: Liberal Web site Truthout.org has issued what it calls a "partial apology" for reporting that White House adviser Karl Rove had been indicted last weekend in the CIA leak case and given "24 hours" to set his affairs in order.

More than 200 hours later, no indictment has emerged and Rove's attorney has categorically denied the account. Truthout director Marc Ash says he regrets doing readers a disservice, not by getting the story wrong, but by "getting too far out in front of the news-cycle."

Ash says, "In moving as quickly as we did, we caused more confusion than clarity," adding, "we will be taking the wait-and-see approach for the time being." But Ash also conceded, "Unless we get some official confirmation, we're going to look stupider and stupider."

On that final point Mr. Ash will get but one argument from this humble blog: I think there's very little chance they can look any more stupid than they do now. TruthOut really should take a cue from Dionne Warwick when it comes to such psychic readings.

Karl Rove, TruthOut.com, Marc Ash

Monday, May 22, 2006

24 season finale

Wish I had more time to discuss, but what an ending!!

Obviously, the sub scene was anticlimatic, as we knew Jack was going to confront President Logan. And confront he did!!

As soon as the 'agent' said Kim was on the phone, I was suspect... how could she know, right?

Can't wait for January.... More tomorrow (I hope), and a post about a Congress that is doing nothing to solve any problems, another treasonous comment from a member of the House, and a Sunday comic...

Ticking away the moments that make up the dog-days...

Where does all the time go?

I find it difficult to make time for such minutiae as a hair cut. It is getting so that recently I called to make an appointment for said hair cut, only to be told by the gal who cuts my hair that you were only here two weeks ago. I couldn't believe that it was only 2 weeks, but she was right. For some reason, that morning I became convinced that my hair needed more than a trim, but to do so after 2 weeks would be a first. So I put it off.

And you run and run
to catch up with the sun
but it's sinking,
racing around to come up behind you again.

It's now 3 weeks since that phone call, and I can't imagine an evening in the next week or so where I could fit a cut in, even if I had an appointment (which I neglected to make in the aforementioned phone call).
Continued... The weird thing about it all is that my hair is just now reaching the length that I have always liked (well, long before my forehead started to expand).

There's a guy in my office who is older than I am (or at least looks as though he is) and he wears a pony tail.... the mixture of light brown and grey is pretty hard to look at, at least in my opinion. I'm nowhere near that point, nor have I ever wanted to look that way, but it exemplifies what I don't want to become. So I called my hair gal for an appointment, and naturally forgot today is her off day.

The sun is the same
in a relative way,
but your older
shorter of breath, and one day closer to death.

It's just that every time I turn around I have another task to do that takes precedence over other tasks. This weekend was a Scout Jamboree, and there's a fair amount of material I could blog about (including the obstinate parents of a 6 year old who blamed our Pack leadership because the parents couldn't be bothered to watch her son), and a new sport called GeoCaching, but I don't have the time to compose it, and forget about keeping up with my reading: between current events, blog list, e-mail, and work (yes, I make time for work, too), the day light seems to pass to quickly.

Every year is getting shorter,
never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught
or half a page of scribbled lines.

It could be worse, of course: I could be bored out of my mind (or whats left of it), with all the time in the world at my disposal. I mean I have other matters in my life even more pressing than hair length, but they are hardly matters to be recorded here. So I shouldn't bemoan my timetable, but rather get busy and do something about it.

I started this post around 7:45 this morning, and I have finally reached whatever ending I can create; I'm not even sure if this makes even half the sense I imagined it did when I started it. I had better post now before something else hits me that prevents this from being published.

Hanging on in quiet desperation
is the English way.
The time is gone, the song is over

thought I'd something more to say....

Time

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Connecting the Dots

Michelle Malkin does a frighteningly accurate job connecting the dots in this HOT AIR installment.

Required viewing, no matter where you stand politically.

POTUS, Illegal Immigration

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

N.E. Floods

Having heard from my brother in New Hampshire that his area was sparred any damage from the recent floods, I am hoping my other readers in that region are (largely) high and dry as well.

The worst, it seems, is over: New England Flooding - Google News

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Primary Day

Today was Primary Day in Pennsylvania. But in my County, at least, it was horribly dull. All of the big tickets (Governor, US Senate) were uncontested in each Party, as were the local candidates. And we had no initiatives to vote on, so it was pretty a lame ballot.

But I did get to try the new voting machine: not at all 'touch screen', but rather pressure sensitive switches behind a white sheet of the candidates. See the new machines across the Commonwealth here.

The weird thing? There was a state Rep's position that was blank... a write in. I wonder what would have happened if I wrote my name in?? Well, my much-better-half being a registered Independent, there was little chance of my getting a second vote.

Primary Day, Pennsylvania

Disgusting

Michelle Malkin: rightly calls the following story Disgusting:

"A street in a Paris suburb has been named in honor of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of the 1981 murder of a Philadelphia police officer.
'In France, they see him as a towering figure,' said Suzanne Ross, co-chair of the Free Mumia Coalition of New York City, who was part of an April 29 ceremony to dedicate the Rue Mumia Abu-Jamal in the city of St. Denis.
Ross said the street is in the town's Human Rights district, which includes Nelson Mandela Stadium.
Abu-Jamal, a former radio reporter and member of the Black Panther party, was sentenced to death in 1982 for the shooting of 25-year-old Daniel Faulkner. He has maintained his innocence. His writings and taped speeches have made him a cause celebre among Hollywood activists, foreign politicians and some death-penalty opponents who believe he was the victim of a racist justice system."

Fortunately, near as I can tell, the day his death sentence was commuted to life-without-parole seemingly ended much of the fanfare surrounding his alleged celebrity status. I haven't heard of any new commencement addresses from his cell block, for instance.

On President Bush's speech

I really wish he had used an opportunity like September 12, 2001 to make last night's speech. I have long advocated that he could have deployed the Guard in the days after the attacks, with zero opposition, and within a few months have a substantial physical/electronic border in place.

The promised resources will help, no doubt, and any help is good, but 'better than nothing' is hardly a goal to aspire towards.

This President still ranks high in my book on overall Foreign Policy and the War on Terror. His picks for Federal Judiciary ranks as high as did his President Reagan. He has yet to show actual resilience in the face of run away spending bills (although he is starting to take a stand), and last night he is finally showing some leadership regarding our Southern border (ah, yes: but what of the Northern border?).

I am not disappointed, truly, but I can't say I am overwhelmed either.

UPDATE:

Mark Levin has a decidedly different take on the speech.

I didn't spend 35 years in the conservative movement for this. We're supposed to
jump up and down for 6,000 Guardsmen, which means about 2,000 functional
Guardsmen at any given time (since they all don't work 24/7)? By any factual
analysis—costs to public education, the health-care system, entitlement
programs, prison systems, etc.—unrestrained immigration is extremely detrimental
to our country, as it would be for any country. And when you consider that the
Senate bill now under consideration would result in some 100 million legal
immigrants over the next 20 years—not including illegal aliens—the threat to
this society is crystal clear. The U.S. cannot possibly assimilate such numbers,
and the financial strain on federal, state, and local budgets is
incalculable. continued...

POTUS, Illegal Immigration

Monday, May 15, 2006

Words fail me

Ala at Blonde Sagacity offers the following observation:

There's More to Models Than a Pretty Face ... or maybe not!
"Supermodel Tatyana Simanava was almost killed yesterday when she mistook the exit door of a luxury bus for a bathroom door and fell from the moving vehicle onto a Brooklyn, NYC, highway." (source)
Is there really anything else to say?

No, ALa, I think that says it all!

Browser Gaming

Several people have sent me one or another link that point to a game hosted on KewlBox.com.

As I make it a point to keep the rhetoric of my posts to a certain level (as seen in my disclaimer) I won't post the specific links that were recommended to me here.

It should be mentioned that there are a number of fun and harmless games at KewlBox.com, not the least of which is one called OfficeInvaders (which is only offensive to IT people and Office Admins). So, by all means, take some of whatever free time you have, look around their site and play some games.

Additionally, I would also recommend HigherGames, a site that features board games of a more cerebral nature. You can be a visitor or register for full, free access and a low-volume mailing list (maybe 2 e-mails per year).

Online games

Of pots and kettles, and the names they call each other

The Reality Hammer brings the following to light:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Democratic Party leaders are wondering what to do about a candidate for attorney general who denies the Holocaust occurred and wants to "reawaken white racial awareness."

Now let it be clearly stated that racism by any race against any race is abhorrent and disgusting.

That much said, since far too many people still hold the misguided belief that the Republican Party is actually in favor of the oppression of minorities, I look forward to seeing how that Democrats treat such an anomaly such as David Duke in their own midst.

And if you still suffer from the misinformation about the Republican Party, I invite you to refer to this post which leads to documented proof which Political Party has its roots in the Civil Rights movement.

Democrats, Republicans, Civil Rights

Thursday, May 11, 2006

It's like deja vu all over again

Was reading my feed list and noticed MacRanger linking to a piece by The Great One, Mark Levin.

Mr. Levin's piece featured excerpts from the NY Times referring to what a difficult time the US had during post-war occupation, how 'ugly' it got, and how the local population 'hated' the troops. Those excerpts were not about Iraq, but were about post-war Germany.

MacRanger featured this photo of a periodical that had enormous circulation for it's day:

I instantly recognized the LIFE magazine pic, because I had wished I could upload pics to my then new-Blog way back in 2003 (not to mention that I also wished for trackbacks back then, too).

Sad but true: the MSM still can't help but point out only the bad news, and rarely focus on the greater good.

Iraq,War on Terror

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

GOP takes a good step

In a move that I consider to be a (long overdue) first-step in the right direction, the House GoP passed a bill extending $70 billion in tax cuts.

It's not a permanent tax cut, only an extension. But this is the kind of legislation the GoP has neglected for far too long. Couple it with spending cuts and border security, and there will be little to worry about come the November elections.

Read Three Sources: GOP Hard at Work For You for more.

And let's not forget how border security transcends politcs!

Tax Cuts

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Seasonal Naming

No, this isn't a post debating the names of the Seasons, but rather related to an office e-mail I just received:

All, I'm happy to announce that Paul and Erin NameChanged had their first baby, daughter Summer NameChanged, 6 lbs 9 oz, this morning at 4:36 AM.

All are doing well. I'm sure that everyone will join me in extending our best wishes to the family.

Of course, the names have been changed, except for the baby's. I've posted about baby names before, but this was worth noting. What is it with people going to great lengths to name their kids differently? And how do you pull off 'Summer' in May?

Certainly, I extend nothing but well-wishes to my colleague, spouse and baby. And I rest assured it could have been worse:

Writers Blog:
[O]n the subject of celebrity names, we think the winners of the Worst Celebrity Baby Names Recently Chosen are 1) Kal-el Coppola Cage (named by father Nicholas Cage) and 2) Pilot Inspektor Lee (named by father Jason Lee, star of My Name is Earl).

baby names

What? They still don't have a vision?

The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia : "Optimistic, Democrats Debate the Party's Vision By ROBIN TONER
Intellectuals in the center and on the left are debating how to present a clear alternative to conservatism."

We're 182 days out of the November elections, and the Democratic Party still doesn't have a vision?

Speaking of which, did I miss it, or has Dr. Dean still yet to release an agenda?

Monday, May 08, 2006

USA: CRAG now, while you can.

You want reasons why we need to stop illegal immigration?? Read this well-written, well-sourced piece by Dr. Madeleine Pelner Cosman, and if you aren’t yet enraged as am I, you will be soon.

My mechanic employs an illegal I shall call Umberto, who said when I came for my truck, "Dr. Cosman, my children lost their shadows! Help me!"

What does this mean? Umberto has five disabled children: two are autistic, two have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and one has oppositional defiant disorder, with additional obsessive compulsive disorder. All take California government-supplied medications, including Ritalin. The autistic children had shadows or personal attendants, one per child, under the federal Individuals with Disability Education Act of 1975 (IDEA). The program provides a shadow, plus an individual education program that cost about $30,000 per year per child. Umberto and his wife dine out alone each week, thanks to California-provided respite-care babysitters.

Illegal aliens have translators, advocates, and middlemen supplied by immigrants, civil rights groups or by Medicaid. MediCal in 2003 had 760,000 illegal aliens, up from 2002 when there were 470,000. Supplemental Security Income is a non-means-tested federal grant of money and food stamps. People qualify easily. Scams, frauds, and cheats are rampant. In one clinic, 300 people diagnosed as mildly mentally retarded all had the same translator, same psychiatrist, same symptoms, and similar stipend. Fraud is an equal-opportunity employer that flouts America's generosity to the feeble, the crippled, and the poor. Illegal aliens have powerful legal facilitators who litigate and lobby for Open Borders and for welfare benefits for all who cross onto America's soil. Open Borders proponents imperil America's sovereignty by obliterating distinctions between legal immigrants and illegal aliens, and between American citizens and all other people of the hungry world.

No one ever said the poor or indigent should be left to starve, but somehow the notion that a law breaker gets to dine out weekly pushes the envelope a little, don't you think? Right now, all of you reading this: can you picture in your mind someone who plays by the rules who deserves the kind of treatment this law breaker gets?

C: Close America's borders
R: Rescind the citizenship of anchor babies
A: Aiding and abetting illegal aliens is a crime.
G: Grant no new amnesties.

Updated: URL above fixed.

Illegal Immigration, CRAG,

Yet another 24 question

Continuing with previous questions (here and here)....

Sec. Def Heller, upon realizing the terrorists were pursuing him in his car, and having trained a laser gun sight on his chest, decided to 'not give in' to the terrorists and promptly drove himself off a cliff into a lake. Wouldn't it have been better for him to have let the bad guys shoot him? You just know the media and/or blogs are going to say he committed suicide after becoming distraught upon falsely accusing the President of treason. I mean, how do you spin 'shot in the chest by a rifle from the air'??

Yeah, I know... but what else is there to think about during the radio commercials on my commute?

Agita from gas: pass the Bromo Seltzer¹

I've gone on about my ideas to curb the rising price of fuel, and today there's news that pump prices are on the rise again.

Truth be told, I don't see that increase this week. In fact, this morning I filled up at $2.79⁹, which is down 2 cents since last week. Not sure what to account for the difference, but it helps my wallet, albeit a little.

This morning's 5AM fill-up still cost me over $38., and I'll tank up again by COB tomorrow for another $30 or so; currently I average about $150 per week on fuel alone (that doesn't include my much-better-half's car). Whereas a year ago we were looking to upgrade her RAV4 to a larger SUV (and I take over her RAV for my daily commute), it's looking more likely that I will be buying something more economical to run than the 14 year old Blazer. She needs the more room (and a vehicle better suited for car seats than the ol' Blazer); with the way I drive, I cringe at getting anything new (or even like-new) for myself, but we'll have to see what plays out.

As I've warned before, the Republican Majority is theirs for the losing, and if they do not start getting tough with spending, getting tough with border enforcement, and getting tough with tax cuts (including shelving the federal gas tax, at least for 6 months), the will be a big change in the party affiliations in both houses of Congress.

Sadly, however, there will be no real change in how they govern, at least not in the last 12-18 months.

¹In case you're too young to remember Bromo Seltzer

Fuel prices, Congress, Bromo Seltzer

Thursday, May 04, 2006

More on 24

Continuing where 24 on 24 left off, the following is a continued list of questions that are running through my mind during my daily commute. The order of the questions is purely random. Some may be answered before the end of Season 5, others may never be answered at all.

At 12:04 AM, Bill Buchanan took Wayne Palmer somewhere safe... where?

Check, check, check 1-2, check 1, check 2 .. is this thing on?

Yes, yes, I am still here. Exaggerated rumors and all. Busy beyond all get out, and all that politics to post about, and I am missing it. And i haven't even told about the TKD tournament last weekend...

Will catch up... eventually.