I Keep Apologizing

For not posting and it’s getting old. Both to you and to me. But the fact is things have been very busy lately at work and my father is experiencing some possibly serious medical issues that have taken my mind away from this little hobby.  Bear with me.

Let’s see.

Cap and Trade is dead they say.  Not going to be finished until Spring which means not in an election year which, unless the economy really does a turn-around, not at all.

That’s a good thing.

The push for Obamacare?  Still alive but taking more and more hits every day.  Latest blunder on our socialist overlord’s part is picking a fight with the Pink Ribbon crowd over breast cancer screening.  What morons. Getting between a woman and her boobs is a dangerous thing indeed.

Good news though, because it is serving to wake-up more and more Americans to the fact that government-run health care will include rationing of this sort big time.  Yeah, yeah, Barry and the Dems are swimming backward from it now, but seriously does anyone believe they won’t do this very thing over and over under a government program?  And forget it if you are elderly.  It’s pushing the wheelchairs down the stairs for you.

Oh, Barry went to Japan once again made a total fool of himself.  First Pacific President my ass.   And the way he bowed to the Japanese Emperor you would have thought it was date night with Michelle.  And the Chinese.  Plenty of time for photo-ops of him wearing his favorite Mao jacket, but no time to meet with real Chinese folks.

He has done nothing to improve our standing in the world.  People respect strength and he is not a strong man.  Trying terrorists in a civilian court is not strong.  Being too much of a quivering wimp to call the Fort Hood shooting Islamic terrorism is not strong.

Sends a great message.

They also want a man who keeps his word and knows his mind.  Which Barry doesn’t.  Close Gitmo down by January?  Well, no.  Make a decision, any decision, on Afghanistan?  Maybe in a few weeks.

What a putz this guy is.  Carter times infinity.

Speaking of strong, well, women, Sarah Palin released her new book.  I don’t have one yet but I am hoping for a copy for Christmas.  I don’t know if she has a shot at the presidency or not but I am confident she would be a good one.  Perhaps a great one.  Certainly a better one that we have now.

By a long shot.

Have you ever noticed that blogging is so much more easy and fun when you don’t have to link all the time.  Well, it is.  So just look this stuff up if you don’t believe me.

Oh, speaking of Carter. Did you hear that he actually thinks his actions during the Iranian Hostage Crisis helped things? Look it up. He did. Talk about self-delusion.

Hey, that’s it. I got to go. Hopefully things will slow down after Thanksgiving (which I may be working).

Oh, hat-tip to Theo for the picture. It’s worth a link.

I Want To Hang With John Cusack In A Disaster

Because he is the luckiest guy alive. At least in 2012 which I saw yesterday and which I will briefly review for you folks.  I don’t think I am spoiling anything but be warned.

1.  Great special effects.  It makes The Day After Tomorrow look downright boring (which it was, but not because of the special effects).

2.  Like I said, John Cusack is the guy to hang with in a disaster. He and his family are literally inches from death again and again and somehow manage to outrun it on planes, trains and automobiles. Well, not trains really, the folks on those are screwed.  But give Cusack a limo or camper or his wife’s “had three flying lessons” boyfriend an airplane large or small, and they leave death behind in their dust.

3.  As reported in the news,  everything Muslim is safe in the 2012 world-ending disaster, while Christianity and Buddhism take a big hit.  No word on how atheists make out, but I swear I saw Bill Maher crying and hugging Janeane Garofalo while they both screamed, “It’s all Bush’s fault.”  Of course it could have just been indigestion from all those Sour Patch Kids I was eating, but tell me they wouldn’t be doing just that should the world end.

4.  Some totally unnecessary deaths that disappointed. I’m not sure what the director was thinking, but the movie would have been much better without them.

5.  The only bad guy was an older American white guy of course, although he was offset by a number of good Americans doing good things. The fact that the bad older American white guy had some valid points (basically think saving humanity triage) was lost in all the kumbaya stuff. And really, the Russians and the Germans are more humane than the Americans?  I know this is fiction, but jeez, Stephen King’s clown in the sewer is more believable.

All in all a good escapist flick which will keep your attention unless your Alma mater just happens to be kicking Tennessee’s ass 42-17 while you are in the movie (sigh), with a good performance by Woody Harrelson, who you just know is as crazy in real life as he is in this movie.

Check it out.

They Need To Say Thanks

While I have attended a few Veteran’s Day ceremonies over the years cheering on the old veterans as they marched by, yesterday was the first time I ever participated as one of those old veterans.

And let me tell you I never knew what a wonderful thing I was missing.

Each year my son’s middle-school puts on a belated ceremony so that it doesn’t conflict with the one the town throws on November 11th, and while loving wife, also a vet, has always attended, I’ve always been out-of-town when it happened.

Well, yesterday I was in town and here’s how it went.

First the entire school shows up – several hundred middle school kids from 5th to 8th grades – along with parents and siblings and teachers and of course the honored guests. The band and choir are down on the gym floor and the students and the rest of the audience are up in the bleachers with the veterans in seats of honor down to the side so they can face both the entertainment and the crowd.

Colorful posters drawn by students decorate the walls with words of thanks and as the ceremony begins the Boy Scouts post the colors.

The school band plays and the school choir sings.  All wonderfully patriotic songs, of course, with the word God thrown in – dare I say it – liberally, throughout the program.  And interspersed between the songs and music selected kids approach the microphone to tell the veterans and their proud parents what Veterans Day and the men and women who serve our country mean to them.

And it was these speeches that really got to me because you could tell that these kids had written them themselves. From their hearts.  Each one having had a relative (or two or three) who had served or was serving now.  Grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, fathers, mothers, brothers or sisters.  All remembered and celebrated by children who are barely teens  at most.

It was great.

But the best speech was the one by the young Iraqi boy – born in that far-away country but now living here in our little county in Tennessee – who thanked America’s veterans for freeing his native land and making it safer than it was before.  He said much more than that and very eloquently too,  but frankly it was hard to take it all in what with my eyes welling-up and my trying to hide it from anyone who might be looking.

Of course it wasn’t over with all that.

Next it was time for the veterans to stand and introduce themselves to the crowd.  And let me tell you we were a hodgepodge.  We had both a Korean/Vietnam War Army vet and a WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War Air Force vet in their uniforms – the latter with an oxygen tank and walker – and we had Marines and Navy and an Army Nurse and then loving wife and I, two Air Force vets from the Cold War. And each one stood up and told a small part of their story for the kids and the crowd to truly thunderous rounds of applause.

It was all so very cool.

Of course loving wife stood and told her story which ended with her joking about marrying a veteran as well, and then my turn came and I stood and I swear never felt so humbled in my life.  (Yes, TRO can be humble when it calls for it.)

And actually the first sentence out of my mouth was about how I felt humbled and honored to be in the presence of so many combat veterans, because while every veteran sacrifices during his or her service, some are called upon to sacrifice more than others, and some, the ones who weren’t sitting with us listening to school bands and choirs and speeches, have been called upon to sacrifice everything.

And while I am immensely grateful that the good people of my little part of the USA thanked me and loving wife and the otherveterans, I just have to take still another opportunity to thank the combat veterans who were called upon, and are still being called upon, to sacrifice more.  Sometimes all.

Anyway, let’s not get all serious here, okay.

The main reason I am writing this is to recommend to all veterans that they attend and participate in these ceremonies.  It doesn’t matter if you are a brand new veteran or if you served in combat or not.  Every veteran is welcome.

And don’t wait until you are using a walker and carrying an oxygen tank to do so. Don’t worry about feeling that you don’t deserve it or that you might be accused of showing-off. You’re past proving yourself to anyone, my friend.

Do it because it is simply another service to your country and to your fellow citizens. Especially the children. Because they need to see you. They need to shake your hand and maybe even give you a hug. They need to hear your stories. They need to see the example of service and honor that you set and perhaps hollow it whether it takes them to the military or on some other path.

They need to thank you.

Where Does He Get Those Wonderful Toys?

Asked in my best Jack Nicholson as the Joker voice of Theo who never seems to have trouble finding photos of beautiful brunettes.

The Perfect Mother In Law

And future wife, I’m thinking.

Hat-tip to Theo, who else?

American Woman Suffers Amnesia After Intercourse

Mind-blowing sex so they say.

The sudden loss of memory, called “transient global amnesia” or TGA, is caused by pressure in blood vessels in the brain, and can be triggered by strenuous activities, bowel movements, or – commonly – sex.

The 59-year-old woman, known only as Alice, had the worrying experience after she and her husband Scott had sex last August. She suddenly, albeit temporarily, lost all memory of the last several years and the ability to form new memories.

After sex they turned on the television, which was showing the Beijing Olympics, and she asked: “Is there an Olympics?”

Scott told CNN: “I saw that something was wrong, so I asked her, ‘OK, what day is it?’”

When she couldn’t answer, he asked her to name the current President, to which she replied: “Bill Clinton.” Scott called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital, where it was initially thought she may have had a stroke.

However, neurologists were soon able to diagnose TGA, a relatively common experience in the over-50s.

Dr Louis Caplan, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, said: “[Sex] is actually a well-known precipitator.”

In a related study, numerous husbands have claimed amnesia after calling out the wrong name during intercourse. There was also a subsequent inability to form new memories, but this phenomenon may be the result of being hit upside the head by a bedroom lamp.

French Women Do Get Fat

American women breath a sigh of relief.

Paris – Weight-watchers everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. Contrary to their image as slim models of restraint, French women, it seems, really do get fat.

According to a 2009 study published on Tuesday, 15.1% of France’s women are classed as clinically obese, while a further 26% are overweight.

The survey, conducted by TNS Sofres Healthcare and Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche, also pointed to similar trends among the male population, with 13.9% of Frenchmen obese and 38.5% overweight.

The world has long marvelled at the ability of the French population, and particularly its women, to remain thin in a country famed for its pastries, cheese and wine.

French author Mireille Guilano even published a diet manual in 2004 entitled French Women Don’t Get Fat, praising the eating habits of women who prefer to savour their food calmly and never snack between meals.

I’m thinking hairy and fat is not a good look, but maybe that’s just me.

The Chicago Way

Like Steve Martin in The Jerk who blamed the cans as he was being sniped at from afar, the left is doing everything they can to blame the Fort Hood shooting on anything but Islamic Jihad.

And Chicago Mayor Daley is reaching new heights in idiocy by blaming inanimate objects for the atrocity.

“Unfortunately, America loves Guns. We love guns to a point where that uh we see devastation on a daily basis. You don’t blame a group.”

Not that it’s new to blame guns for shootings. It’s not. What’s new is blaming  guns for shooting on an Army installation. It is makes about as much sense as not mentioning Ronald Reagan during the Berlin Wall anniversary.

Oh yeah, that didn’t happen either.

Rewriting history and disappearing people. Isn’t that what communists have historically done?

Bye, bye Reagan.  Year One is now officially the Year of Obama.

But back to the shooting.

Daley doesn’t want to blame a group of people for this action.  He wants to blame guns.  But if there had been no guns available wouldn’t this Muslim coward have simply built him a nice little backpack bomb and lit the fuse as he yelled, “Allah Akbar” for all to hear?

The answer is yes.

But that wouldn’t be his fault.

Blame backpacks.

Blame PTSD.

Blame discrimination against him and other Muslims in America, despite the fact that there is no evidence that it even exists, much less results in some fantasy backlash that appeasers continue to push.

Blame anything and anyone BUT the real problem.

Hat-tip to Theo for the cartoon.

Thanks To Our Veterans

And a thank you to Theo for the drawing.

Semper Memoralis*

Happy Birthday to the United States Marine Corps.

Yeah, the song doesn’t have anything to do with the Corps except that it is bad ass like them.

*I’m told this means “Always Grateful,” which is what Americans should be to the Corps.

Perspective

As is typical of many things, the importance thereof is in the eye of the beholder. Swine flu, for example, has everyone riled-up and for no real reason that I can see. At least no more reason than any other end of the world issue that the media and nanny-staters in our government play up these days.

Remember Alar in apples? Oh my!

Global warming? Save us, Obi-Gore!

Millions of people dying in our streets without healthcare? Obamacare is the only answer!

Zombie attack? Okay, well, we DO need to worry about zombies, especially with millions of non-insured bodies just lying in the streets unclaimed. But the rest of this stuff is blown out of proportion by a factor of 10,000 at a minimum.

Not that we shouldn’t pay some attention to these things. Pandemics are certainly possible and Zombies are a certainty sooner or later. But come on, how much false fear has been instilled in our society by this disaster bloviating over the years?

There is real stuff to be concerned about though. Islamic radicalism for one. And the equally dangerous politically correct attitude that is allowing it to take root in our society and, from the looks of it, kill our soldiers here at home. (Hey, Army leadership – wake the frack up!!)

Perspective.

One must get a sense of it.

For example, some would say too big, but they’d be wrong.

They’re just right.

Hat-tip to Theo.

I Post The Picture Because As The Song Says, “Just A Spoonful Of Sugar Helps The Medicine Go Down”

1. A Marine wife asks, “Life is full of mysteries, but chief among them in this Marine wife’s mind at the moment is, ‘Just how stupid does this White House think we are?” The answer is very stupid. Because he thinks all the military is stupid. And over half the American people. He KNOWS, however, that his supporters are stupid and he plays to that like a master.

2. “If you really care what you put in your body, Ruby’s is a good place for you,” says Mr. Beall, as the wait staff clears away the plates. “If you don’t care, hell, go to Hardee’s.” So says, Sandy Beall, the founder and chief executive of Ruby Tuesday’s. A restaurant we used to frequent but don’t any longer because their food really started sucking. Now the local one is out of business, which is good because even if their food is better and better for you, as is touted by Beall in this article, I wouldn’t eat there again. Why? Because that was an insulting thing to say. Yes, to Hardee’s, but also to the people who choose to eat at Hardee’s and who might have chosen to eat at Ruby Tuesday’s now and again. Look, I don’t eat at Hardee’s. I’m not sure I ever have. But when I do eat out, “caring about what I put in my body” is not high on my list. One eats out at a nice restaurant to enjoy a good meal, have a drink or two, and relax with friends or family . . . not to count calories. If you want to do that stay at home. And if you do like to eat out at a nice place,  but also like a greasy (insert fast-food chain here) burger now and again, you might just try Applebee’s instead of Ruby Tuesday’s. Their baby-back ribs are great.*

3. That cowardly shooter at Fort Hood was a Islamic Jihadist, not some poor soul suffering from PTSD. The liberal media and the administration are doing their best to spin it away as anything but Islamic terrorism, but the growing evidence just does not fit that narrative. And since this guy was probably alone, without some Al Qaeda-like support system, can we now say that we may, just may, be at war with Islam. At least the much larger than people are willing to admit radical part of it? Because the sooner we admit that the safer we will be.

4. Someone wishes the Berlin Wall never fell. Perhaps this is some kind of Stockholm Syndrome thing. Or just some nutty socialist who pines for the good ole days. Whatever the reason, I’m happy to say I was one of the many American military members serving in Germany before and when the Wall came down and if my CI/AT support for the Ground Launched Cruise Missile program (and other secret squirrel stuff) helped just a tiny bit then I am very proud. I do recall though, that after the Wall fell and East Germans began migrating into West Germany, many of the West Germans complained about some of them not wanting to work and wishing for a social system that did not exist any longer. Seems that dependence has lasted longer for some than others.

5.  No link needed because if you haven’t heard about it, then you have your head stuck so far down in the sand that you deserve the rectal exam the Democrats are about to give you. The putting on the rubber gloves part happened this weekend when the House passed their version of Obamacare.  All Democrats and one lame-ass Republican who is more worried about his own seat than his country, but hey, that’s politics, right?  Anyway, it’s not over yet, but seriously if you are not out there calling, writing, and talking to your representatives it will be soon.  Do you really want the government making life and death decisions on your health care? Seriously? You’ve been that happy with what they have done so far in other, much less intrusive, parts of your life?

Hat-tip to Theo for the babe and to Maggie’s Farm and Instapundit for some links.

* Full disclosure – I do not work for Applebee’s.  Nor in the restaurant business at all.

Runs In The Family

Law enforcement that is. One of these is my nephew, new SWAT member and generally all-around good kid young man. We need more like him out there.

The President Of The United States Of America

Said this?

“Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”

“Teabag” being, in case you didn’t know, a vulgar sexual reference made-popular by liberals recently when referring to Tea Party protestors who have the audacity to speak truth to power and disagree with The Won.

Well congratulations to him. He’s become as despicable as Jimmy Carter in a micro-second of the time it took Jimmy Carter to become despicable. Of course, neither Barry nor Jimmy became despicable after they were elected. They were both despicable for a long time before and somehow managed to fool enough people into thinking they weren’t to get elected.

Shameful.

Double The Pleasure, Double The Fun

Leia and her stunt double.

Via My [confined] Space.