Week of 16 Dec 2007

Baptist Rant Against the Mormons #2

Second in my series of Baptist rants that we are hearing in the current Huckibee versus Romney. This time.....Salt Lake City is America’s Leader in Plastic Surgery. Shocking that all of that plastic surgery....is being done in the Mormon heartland. As the Baptist chatter....their accusation is that the Mormons are spending their money on looks and deceiving their public.

http://www.forbes.com/health/2007/11/29/plastic-health-surgery-forbeslife-cx_...

I learned a lot examining statistics from Environmentalists…..so you fundamentalists and your statistics are easy game for me. If you examine the plastic surgery sector in Utah….they have one unique factor from the vast majority of states….they offer “medical tourism”, which basically means you take a person who was going to have surgery done anyway….and they come to the location to have the procedure and have a “wellness” period after that.

If you examine the current practice, which has a major international following (Thailand, Brazil, Greece, etc)…..you have a very strong package which attracts a lot of out-of-state visitors. Of course, this statistics game that Forbes played…..doesn’t tell you that it was only Utah residents attending…it merely says a lot of procedures were done in Utah. If you add in the major resorts in the state….you have a huge drawing card…..being only a 90-minute flight from LA or San Fran or Portland or Seattle. You go off quietly for two weeks, have the process, and then return home two weeks later....looking good and feeling good.

Next time a Baptist asks you to do a survey in plastic surgery, ask the players if they are locals or visiting.

How Things Swing in a Banana Republic

For those who follow political swings and the fall of empires....this week....we had the lesson of what it feels like to screw up a country enough...to trigger a division of the country (in Bolivia's case....a Banana-Republic).

Down in Bolivia....a few months ago.....Bolivian President Evo Morales, who is a extreme socialist politician and elected by a huge number of the poor of Bolivia....had this great idea....split up the wealth of the richest regions of the country....and give them to the poorer regions of the country. That didn't sit too well.

So this week.....President Morales met with European diplomats about possibly mediating a crisis between the government and the independence minded provinces.

Basically....after meeting with the European leaders....I doubt that he got much of a positive message. They suggested that they would be willing to monitor a possible dialogue with the provinces and President Morales." But thats about all they would volunteer for.

In the past few days.....Morales placed the army on alert and put out extra police before the independence-minded demonstrations start up.

The pro-Morales majority in the parliament there......approved the new constitution last weekend over a boycott of opposition legislators after moving the meeting to the Andean city of Oruro, another Morales stronghold, to avoid street protests.

Amusingly enough.....the new constitution is NOT recognized by the regional governments nor the right-wing opposition to Morales' leftist government.

Morales did want to let everyone know.....that the independence-minded states were illegal, and that the army would guarantee Bolivia's territorial integrity.

The four provinces in question.....come out of nine that make up Bolivia....and account for around two-thirds of the total gross domestic product and are home to a more than a third of the country's 8.5 million people.

Many of their inhabitants are mixed-race descendants of Spanish colonials, in contrast to the indigenous population that forms the majority in the poorer mountain regions.

There are basically two scenarios that will play out here....the first being a independence effort that splits the country, or the second being an assassination attempt on Morales or coup. I'm thinking the the second option is the most favored by most folks.

The lesson learned here....when you decide to take wealth away from folks who worked for it and earned it....they tend to get upset. Don't expect any smiles or handshakes from that point on.

The Mormon Dump

In recent days, alot of dim-witted Baptists have made it their mission in life....to dump on the Mormons. I've sat there and read alot of their garbage....and have finally had enough of the crap. So over the next week....I'm going to take every one of their accusations and counter them. Today.....we get to discuss Utah and its number one bankruptcy status in America.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600103927,00.html

So the Baptist argument is.....Utah and its Mormon flock....almost 70 percent of the state are Mormons...wouldn't you know....are helpless with money.

The stat's? For 2004....first nationally in households per filing, with one of every 36.5 households in the state filing for bankruptcy.

So lets spend a minute looking at a unique Utah. For disposable income....they have the least amount of any state in the US, with barely $12,500. Washington D.C......has over $22,000, which makes it number one. So this puts them out on the first step.

Then these magnificent folks...are bound by their religious rules....to give to the church and to charity....even if they are two steps away from bankruptcy. There are no waivers. The Baptists? They might give to some missionary work and maybe the Red Cross....but they are sure not going to give ten percent of their income over. So you have to admire these folks....even as they get down to the last $100 in their pocket, $10 is going to a charity.

With all of the great industry in the US.....Utah is known for being the state where salary has been kept stagnant forever. No one gets huge pay raises but this translates into a state where the cost of living has been kept in check. Its a plus-minus situation....which companies love.

Finally....kid-wise....families in Utah tend to have more than two kids. The more kids you have....as we all know....the more cost you have.

So with so many bankruptcy's....you'd expect to see alot of homeless folks....right? Baptists would sure like to think this. But take a look at Utah....there aren't any great proportions of homeless folks walking around. No homeless families. Why? Because the family structure envelope the bankrupt families....picking them up....and helping them back into the saddle. With the church connections.....you go and find employment....and settle back into rebuilding.

Now, for the Huckibee Baptists....its ok to feel nasty and dump on the Mormons....but if you are going to do it....pick your topics carefully. I've sharpen my mind and wit with the environmental movement. I'm sure I am going to fit quiet well when it comes to poking the evangelical movement. If you want to repeat the environmental mistakes of graphs and charts....be forewarned....I can actually read those and decipher them now.

Baseball and the Mitchell Report

This week, we had to chance to read a fine report....detailing drug usage in Major League Baseball. I found it fascinating reading....because it was 409 pages, and finely written as a document....with all of the paragraphs, sub-paragraphs, and sub-sub-paragraphs....along with footnotes out the wazoo. Since I am a document writer on occasion.....to me....this was like the 10 Commandments written down.

So, what do we really learn via this document? Nothing new....except a few more names. Basically.....at least 30 percent of the major leagues is made up of drug-users of some variety. From cocaine to joints, from growth hormones to steroids. The truth is that this has been going on since the early 1990s, and baseball chose to do nothing much about it.

What happens next year? I'm thinking some folks....maybe ten percent....are now permanently turned off baseball....and won't be watching. I'm guessing alot of old timers and hall-of-fame members....are going to dance around the magnificent records of some guys and just go to the players who were slightly above average. Barry Bonds? He won't be in the hall of fame. How many will be put to the side in this game? Enough to say it was a major black-eye for baseball.

What I'd like to see? Absolute drug tests on a seven-day rotation.....with double the number of drugs that they currently list. Get caught? Permanent ban from the sport.....no second chance. If you want to regular old vitamins....fine.....but beyond that.....if you are collecting $5 million a year.....get back to being normal and real.

Friends of Taxing the US to Give Money to the Unaccountable UN

FTUSGMUUN News Release:

We the people of Friends of Taxing the US to Give Money to the Unaccountable UN.....would like to shout as much as possible after our magnificent conference in Bali. It was a terrific conference where we got to socialize with Friends who Absolutely Hate America, Friends of Digusting America, and Friends of the Goricle. We partied every evening and drank a ton of booze during this period.

As part of our grand end-game, we've tried hard to saddle the US with carbon taxes, coal taxes, nuclear taxes, SUV taxes, Hersey Kisses taxes, $7 a gallon gas taxes, cow taxes, mansion (any house larger than 1,200 sq ft) taxes, tree-house taxes, and bar-b-q taxes.

In the months to come, we hope to take over 30 percent of the US economy and resettle it to the hopeless and needy of the world. We hope to soon force the US worker to improve his work time to 47 hours a week, to help the poor and needy.

For our 2008 conference, we are already planning to get another great 5-star resort lined up, with a open-bar and lots of crushed ice to help us chill during the hot afternoons on the beach. See all you dudes in 2008!

Hucking-Up

My new word: Hucking-Up

Definition: When asked a question about something you don't really know....you immediately launch into a chat about Jesus, Satan, Moses, or John the Baptist. No matter what the other guy was expecting for an answer......he will get the "right" answer.

Hint: If you huck-up enough.....you won't be elected as Mayor, Governor, or President.

How much hucking is too much? Usually twice is enough to guarantee you screwed up.

Should you huck on national TV? Nope...try and aim for small media-markets.....like Eastern Tennessee or West Virginia.

Should you do any hucking with the wife? Nope.....she will wise-up on this hucking real quick after you do it once or twice.

Should you huck with the local barber? Nope......it'll dissolve a good relationship if you resort to hucking with the barber.

A word of warning.....if you start hucking....and talking against some other religion with this hucking.....don't expect too much support later. So......happy hucking.

Just Saving the Earth

Sadly, we must report to you today.....that scientists....real scientists, not environmentals.....have discovered that Global warming may not be the only thing melting Greenland and the glaciers there. Apparently.....natural magma under the Arctic island that could be pitching in. While originally, everyone was hoping it was human activity that was triggering earth's rising temperatures which was causing the faster melting and the disappearance of the glacier....but serious clues now point to a natural contribution....where the heat from the Earth's insides...are seeping into the area....killing ice.

So, what can we do?

Here and now....I have the answer. I want to construct 60 nuclear generators in Greenland....and deliver 6 billion tons of freon gas....and build the largest freezer unit ever....to truly freeze Greenland and bring back the glacier period. I'm thinking....this will also help chill alot of the earth, employ a bunch of unemployed Greenland losers, and maybe make it a glacier vacation spot for us folks from Bama to visit. The fact is....none of us from Bama....have ever been to a glacier....and we are truly missing out on something that exists.

So to do this project....I'm proposing a magma credit program....similar to the carbon credit program, and run out of Red Bay, Bama. I have several local guys from the VFW who are prepared to run the syndicate and raise/lower magma prices per day. We also would deploy several unemployed NFL players up to Greenland to act as on-the-scene analyst, reporting back on our own channel "Red-Hot-Magma News", which would feature a bikini clad gal with evening weather each night.

I'm also proposing that our refrigeration team be put up for a Nobel Peace Prize in building this whooper of a freezer unit, and saving the world in the process. We'd all be willing to travel from Red Bay to Norway....provided there is plenty of beer for the boys there at the reception.

This Magma crisis may consume more of my time, and I may have to lay off the blogs for a year or two....until we get this under control. I'm thinking I'll need a office in Greenland....with a HBO satellite feed....and a operating septic tank to handle overflow.

I'd also like to start a Magma senate committee....which we'd personally fly the senators involved up to Greenland....and release them at the far north end of the island....to have them walk to the rescue station 300 miles away. Oh....by the way....for some odd-reason....polar bears have left the Artic wilderness....and have made it to the shores of Greenland....but I'm pretty sure most of the senators are in decent running condition.....well.....I'm hoping anyway.

Germans Who Just Watch

This week in Kaiserslautern....at a local clinic....they had some nut show up....and start waving a knife at the chief admin person...with at least eight guys within 30 feet. The guy did his little threat game....that he was upset and mad, and he was going to hurt the admin gal. The eight German guys? Oh....they all high-tailed out of the room. The nut....he stabbed the nurse and she is fairly serious condition.

Over fourteen years I've been here....and I've seen this behavior over and over. Germans watch....they don't react. Americans....invite themselves into any action necessary.

My co-worker in the office....about three years ago here in Kaisersalutern....saw a old guy in the late afternoon near the train-station....being beat up by two guys in their twenties....no one was making a damn move. This was in daylight, on the main street. He pulled his SUV right over onto the sidewalk and got out to "pretend" to whoop some butt. The two punks stopped....and started to back off. At least a dozen folks were around....with no one making a move toward the situation.

I hate Germans.

I've said this a thousand times. I really hate them. They won't stand up for nothing....they just watch and then later want to play arm-chair quarterback. They like to criticize and openly push you down verbally. But when it comes to being a "hero"....they are losers. They can't be a hero, in anything. If I offend any Germans....tough luck. I doubt you even have the "balls" to punch me....so I'll offer the first punch....just be nice. Go for it. But you won't even defend yourself. Thats really sad.

Huckabee: Jesus and Satan?

Sometimes, I'd just like to take a politician out to the woodshed, and give them a whooping to straighten things out.

Today, we woke up to find that our boy Huck Huckabee.....made a fool out of himself.....first saying that he didn't know a thing about Mormons....then he says.....thats the religion that says Jesus and Satan are brothers....and that's pretty weird.

I sat there thinking.....what kind of Baptist minister would I want for President of the United States.....and answer is.....none

I couldn't sit there and think seriously about some dimwit minister....speaking from the Bible and making logical decisions based on what John the Baptist said.

I couldn't bring myself to take this kind of leader seriously....in dealing with all the various contingencies that occur on a daily basis.

Then there is the issue of Huck picking on the Mormon folks. When you say you are Mormon.....you tend to live your life in clean and pure manner....something that half the Baptists in America can't do. A hardcore Mormon, doesn't drink coffee or Pepsi. They don't frequent bars....they don't get into scandals....and they take care of their families. Once Huck decided to jump on the Mormon folks.....I pulled my wagons up around the group. As far as I'm concerned.....that was probably enough to ensure I wouldn't take him serious.

Not to offend those of religious proportions.....but once you drag Jesus and Satan into your normal daily life.....twenty-four hours a day....seven days a week.....you pretty much have turned your faith into some passion.....that cannot flourish or thrive. That faith....will weigh upon you as an anchor.....and no wind or sail will move your life. You are left in a precarious position.....and no real life to achieve.

Icelandic Kid and the Bush Call

We sat around the office and chatted about this Icelandic kid and his call to the White House staff. One of the guys had an interesting prospective.....having been there for an assignment. He said the cost of calling the US....was like $3 a minute....so this 20-minute call.....probably ran around $60 minimum. The minute he found out about such a prank call....he wouldn't whooped the kid and chased him around the neighborhood for an hour. Me? I would have disconnected the phone for a month and made him shovel snow all month (remember, its Iceland).

Week of 12 Dec 2007

Playing Only for a Number

This is a true story. A sergeant in the air force, almost 13 years in the service....had his wife give birth (first kid)....and she had post-partum depression to some degree. So the local air force clinic said they were under-staffed....so they authorized Champus-insurance coverage to go off-base and see a mental health doctor.  The woman saw this doctor for three months....then got better. So almost 18 months passes, and now he has orders in his hand....to her home country (Germany). He goes over to the personnel office and they give him a checklist to accomplish....which there is this "family advocacy" (FA) point to stop at. He goes over, and they want to see all his records, his wife's and his son's records. He authorizes the records to be read, then they ask to have the three show up there.  The guy, his wife, and son (1-year old) go. They immediately latch onto this recommendation to see a mental health professional from a year prior.....and they want the entire record and analysis performed. The wife thought this was all private and doesn't want nothing handed over to the air force. During this little 15-minute discussion....they pull out a blank folder, start filling in the name on the front, and announce that they are starting "an exceptional family member" file.  The wife gets up and leaves. The wife states....even though this is an assignment to her home country....she won't allow that private record to be brought out.....almost a year after treatment ended. So the assignment is canceled because he can't complete this action. It wasn't a mandatory assignment....just a special duty one....so nothing was forced upon him.  Now eight months pass by. And a mandatory assignment comes up.....to her home country, Germany....again. This time....the guy realizes the argument that will occur. So he takes his son and himself.....and proceeds to get orders established for only those two....not the wife. He takes the son and himself to FA, and sit down. They immedately grasp he has a file....so they drag it out.....and announce that he needs to bring the wife in. He smiles and states that the wife isn't going. She loves America so much....that she wants to stay there. The idiots look at him...and then he says....smiling....sign the "damn paperwork for me and the kid". They then look at the folder....and discover that they don't know why they started the folder....no mention of the issue over his wife....or why....or the cause, etc. They want him to explain the details....and he says politely...."I've seem to have forgotten....and I really don't have time to play any games with you". So they sign the paperwork, and he gets orders for himself and the kid to Germany.   The wife leaves the site a month before he leaves....going back to the homeland....moving in with her dad....and waiting for them to arrive. The guy and the kid leave. They arrive in Germany.  Six weeks later....he walks into the personnel office and asks for orders for his wife to be there. They do everything up to the FA position, and then he goes to the new base's FA office....and they have to request the folder from the previous base. They figure four weeks to get the folder and sign off. So seven weeks pass by.....nothing. So the guy calls the previous base and asks the FA office there....where is the folder? The airman states that the folder is empty and they don't know why it exists or why the guy is on the FA program. The guy says...."what issue is that of yours....send the folder to the new base."  So the folder arrives seven days later. The new FA office looks at it....and says they don't know why nothing is there but they don't see any issues, so they sign off. The wife is now sponsored, and he gets full housing pay at this point. Over the next six months....the wife goes over to a medical appointment.....and then pulls out any mention of the mental health visits to the off-base provider in the old location.  About a year passes, and this base is now ordered to close....so the guy has to leave again. He gets new orders....again within Germany. So now.....the FA office pulls out this folder and they are trying to figure out why he is on the "exceptional family member program".....and why the folder exists. The guy says he has no idea. The records of the wife indicate nothing. They decide to sign off but won't terminate the record.  So he goes to base number three. He arrives there and the FA office there asks why he is on the exceptional family member program. He has no idea. They check the records. But they can't find nothing. So they continue this game completely. After almost four years at this base and within a month or two or retiring....some airman calls up and tells the guy that they've tossed the folder out because they can't figure out why the guy was ever on the program. I talked to this guy.....and its a farce how this game was played out. We had a admin guy there who see this from the unit prospective. Twenty years ago....a unit of 80 guys had three guys who were on the exceptional family member program.....usually a crippled kid and a blind wife. Somewhere in the early 90's....these psychological geeks at the base level....wanted to build up a empire....so they started looking for any reason to put a guy on the exceptional family member program. So....now.....you have 80 guys in a unit....and almost 16 guys on the exceptional family member program. These FA offices used to have three guys running them...today....there are at least ten guys in the office.  As the admin guy said....it triples up the paperwork and the pains of doing anything because then everybody wants to know why you are on the program and why you can't get off it. The FA guys.....just want numbers....so they can build up a empire with more staff, personnel, and office space....plus training money. I sat there....kinda laughing at the whole episode. They wanted the wife to admit all kinds of stuff.....to be in a record that would have been dragged around....and the husband kinda figured this out quickly....giving them as little info as possible. Every step of the way....he kept giving them little information. They wouldn't toss out a empty record....that the brilliance of this whole thing. They had no idea why the guy was on the program, but they wouldn't toss him off either. Says alot for professional medical help, and the waste of time.

The Torture Tapes

Lets sit back a moment and review the CIA, its torture tapes (destroyed) and the dimwits. The CIA decided to torture some guys who weren't cooperating....of which they video-taped the whole episode.  This is from three to four years ago in terms of tape creation. The CIA.....after consulting some folks....decided a year ago....to destroy the tapes.  Congress is terribly upset....and the media is too. Some facts before we jump into this.  From each interrogation....there is a text document made up....from the video....so we have every word written down that the guy said. This is the same type coverage that you see at murder trials and closed senate hearings. So have a complete listing of whatever the guy said or the interrogators said. Apparently....it is not the substance of what was said that irks folks....its the destruction of the tapes. Why would the CIA destroy the tapes? Simply the "wait and see". You see....after December of next year....politics in America will change. Let us assume President Hillary sweeps into office....and then sends out 1000 little trolls to glean all the bad things of the past eight years....to create criminal charges against various appointees and actual government workers. How happy would you be to find that whatever you did back in 2004....was now perceived as a criminal act....and President Hillary had tapes to prove every case? I'm pretty sure every single CIA operative has begun to realize what happens possibly in 2009. You don't want such images getting into the press....being leaked on purpose....to discredit the previous administration. I'm personally off the list of supporting Gitmo and the entire concept of any torture. I'm a firm believer of the Nazi method of playing "nice guy" to get all the info I need. It worked great for the Nazis, and we don't need to think otherwise. But I also see precisely where the next administration will attempt to blame anything off of themselves for the first eighteen months....and try "pucker-up" to show how wonderful they are in relation to the previous regime. Its a ratings game....like some kind of "Lost" episode. Frankly....we've got better things to worry about.....than ratings.

Week of 8 Dec 2007

A Candle in a Dark Room Illuminated

Climate change is a non problem. The right answer to a non problem is to have the courage to do nothing.

Lord Christopher Monckton

Divorce: Rhode Island Style

They had a case pop up in Rhode Island....which made it to the state supreme court there. The issue.....a female gay couple....married in Massachusetts.....had decided to divorce in their home state of Rhode Island. The law there is pretty clear. You can marry and divorce...only if you are a man and woman. The state supreme court decided....three to two....that the law is ok, and not to be challenged.

So the couple is sitting there now....all upset that their human rights have been damaged. They won't admit if they are still living together or not....which might be a teaser of a situation if they brought this all up....for no real reason.

As for what they can do now? Well....two things. One....move to Massachusetts and get a divorce there. Those folks up there would really like for more folks to move in....because so many folks are leaving the state. Then you could get a divorce real easy. Or use option number two....just pretend you aren't really married and walk away....which is what the Rhode Island law hints very strongly at. If you aren't recognized as being married in Rhode Island....then you aren't married. So all that fancy paperwork you paid for.....the $10k you spent on booze and food for the friends.....was a total waste, and you could have just spent the money on yourself and just been another live-in couple.

Folks tend to make things complex. But I like these guys in Rhode Island....they see simplicity....where it should be.

Some Kid's Mom and Dad

Here in Germany.....west of where I live...lies the Saarland....a state. Of the sixteen German states...its one of the smallest and least. Most Germans make jokes about the Saarlanders....their lifestyle....their corruption....and problems.

This week....there was another Saar problem. About a year ago....at a hospital in the region....fifteen couples went into the place to deliver a kid within a seven day period.

As they all eventually left....one couple left....went home....and six months later...the father started questioning if he was the father of the kid. No appearance related to the father at all....or at least Dad said that. So the accusation was....Mom was cheating. To settle this....because Mom knew she was faithful....she had a test done to prove her point.

The test didn't match Dad up. Dad had made his point, and the kid just wasn't his. This really ate up the mother....as you can imagine. The hospital then looked at the test....and said a second comment....that the mother couldn't be the mother of the kid either. That kinda blew things apart.

So the hospital sat there....and began to realize...that in this one-week period....amongst the other fourteen couples....one of them had taken the wrong kid home as well.

You can just see the wheels turning here....and put yourself in the position of getting a call....to be tested....and maybe your kid...ain't yours....after twelve months of living there.

So they've been testing this week. It may be another week before the results are back. The Saar prosecutors office is involved. A family support person is currently sitting 24-hours a day at the home of the original kid since this came out....protecting "his" rights. No one is quiet sure how they will end. It is possible....that none of the fourteen match up...but that would real far fetched.

But this is the fascinating thing about this whole game. The German medical concept is that you put a tag on the kid upon birth...so that mixing the kids can't really happen....even by accident. So the only way to defeat this system....is to have someone...a nurse or a parent...switch the tag. The Germans won't admit this....and this really leads into a lot of questions. Is it possible that some nurse there....has been switching babies for thirty years? I can see some nutcase coming out....admitting such....and over 300 people suddenly waking up to realize the situation.

So it is in Germany tonight.

The "Jesus" Lesson

So boys and girls....a lesson in history....and a lesson in ethics...at the same time.

Once upon a time....there was Christianity.....which was a simple religious "cult". You may not like this word....but don't worry....in a minute....I'll stop using the word cult.

The early Christians made a simple pact upon themselves. Christians were forbidden to be in the Army...to fight for any cause. Christians were not supposed to participate in capital punishment.....such as stoning someone or executing them. They weren't even to testify against one accused of a capital offense. Their lifestyle was to work hard six days out of the week, and rest the seventh. Christian youth were supposed to respect the elders, and obey them. You gave to the poor, and helped the sick. You didn't involve yourself in running governments or making government decisions....because Christianity rose above that. It was your lifestyle and that of those around you. And you didn't advertise it far or widely....it was still a "cult" in those days....which meant ridicule if discovered.

So the early church of Christians was set into stone. Active nonviolent and non-cooperation with Caesar meant perscution and being labeled as a "problem". This was the method that the cult grew, had martyrs, attracted new membership and spread far beyond what anyone would expect.

Somewhere along this time period.....came Constantine, a Roman emperor around 300AD. He basically made Rome into the next modern era....and published the Edict of Milan. The Edict....basically authorized Christians to exist in Rome and the empire...without threat. They weren't a cult anymore. They were a out-of-the-box religion.

But a funny thing happened now. Christians came out of the shadows, the closets and the catacombs....went mainstream. As they transformed after the Edict.....they more or less....volunteered to gave up their nonviolence, their independence, and their compass of ethics.

So this elaborate method of honoring the church and Caesar....and the Roman Empire....started up. It now became a easier event to talk to the people and convince them to fight a "just" war.....if the Chrisitans supported the war. So the decades and centuries roll right on by. Millions of Christians have died in various wars since 300AD. Before that point....none.

So today....we are sitting in the days of the Edict of Milan....which more or less exist in a slightly different fshion....but in a newer more modern display. You can be jealous today....as a Christian. You can keep score or get revenge.....as a Christian. You can portray yourself as something you are not....as a Christian. You can pretend to lecture folks about the good life but commit the greatest sins possible....as a Christian. You can organize a magnificent mega-church and put massive influence on local politicians....as a Christian. You can denounce other religions, other faiths, and condemn the poor....as a Christian.

So here on the bright side....Christians aren't a cult anymore. They are Ok. They can walk freely.....worry little about being chastised....and say just about anything they want. The question left to ponder....as only Socrates could imagine: "Are Christians today any better than their counter-parts before 300AD?" I'm guessing your answer will be "no" after you ponder my writings. So tomorrow...the sun will rise....and everything will be almost the same in your mind....except you might not be so "professed" of a modern Christian....and you might tend think pre-300AD in terms of your life and what you think, do or deliver. Life just isn't simple today....but maybe some folks in 300AD had some wiser ideas.

West Coast Banning

Sadly....we must report that Britney Spears has apparently been banned from Winston's....a five-star celebrity hotspot in Hollywood. This comes from a October incident....where Brit triggered a big scene with the bartender there....where Brit was begging her to switch clothing. Then Brit got all obsessed with the club's manager and he finally said enough of her attention. So they banned her.

In Bama.....its hard to get banned from a club. Usually....you'd have to shoot the bartenders dog or refuse to pay your $8 bar-tab....to get banned. Out in Hollywood....they must have a stricter code or such. If I were Britney....I'd pack up and go to Bama....where we'd welcome her with open arms.....and probably buy her first six drinks for her. Course....Bama bars are different. You don't get those little sticks to stir anything....causing its mostly beer in a can or bottle that you get served. And for food....we are partial to boiled peanuts and beef jerkey. The good thing though.....is that we don't normally have any reporters around...taking pictures.....or asking stupid questions. Maybe Bama could offer Britney something better than Hollywood then.

Week of 8 Dec 2007

Fred Phelps and his Weakness

I have this thing about the Fred Phelps group....the wanna-be Baptists out of Kansas....who attend funerals of GIs.....and display signs saying that God punished the guy with death because of homosexuality in America. It bothers me. As anti-Baptist as I really am.....it gets under my skin when I see these guys on the news.

I thought recently....with various state efforts...that Fred and the boys were kind of finished. But a state ruling in Missouri....went Fred's way....so he still has the right there to carry on his acts.

When you read "The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer....he goes into great detail on how you create a mass movement. This isn't a simple task. You need folks who are basically "lost" and without something to pursue. You need an agenda, which is easy to sell to a naive crowd. You need to push the agenda so that it goes as far and as wide as possible. Fred Phelps and the boys....are on such a pursuit.

There should not be much that could stall out Fred and his boys....well...there shouldn't be.

I'm thinking....that a man dressed as Jesus....carrying a cross....at one of their funeral games....could march right up. It might take a good 20 minutes of scripture and verse....with lecture by "Jesus" himself....but as dim as the members of the church are....I'm thinking they will pack up and retreat to Kansas. Fred would lose five or six members very easily on that day. Another protest? Fine....another meeting with "Jesus". It might take a dozen meetings...but we'd eventually wipe Fred and his movement out.

Normally....I'm not a big "Jesus" pusher....but in this case....they need as strong a dose as they can get.

Soviet Management and Goals

Once upon a time....in the mighty land of the Soviet Union....they had a marvelous method of management....which we might be able to take and learn from. The idea was....after the "big cheese" and then the Politburo.....which was more or less a small club of a dozen guys who acted like vice-presidents to some degree....there were all of these various committees. If you wanted to be somebody in the Soviet Union....you had to be high up in the commuist structure and get onto a committee.

They had numerous committees.....from dealing with nuclear power....to the defense of the homeland. The key factor to running or being part of a committee....was the yearly meeting or the five-year meeting....where you established goals. These were proudly discussed and would be graphically enhanced at the end of the meeting....to be sent up to the Politburo....where you might gain statue within the committee or even get promoted one day.

To be quiet honest....the goals were more or less a joke. Most committees went with five-year goals because they didn't anticipate being around in that group long enough to see the failures of the goals or that your goals were a farce to start with. If you walked into any headquarters related to that committee, then you immediately saw the big poster and the goals listed.

In terms of reviewing the 5-year goal "trick" today....it settles everyone's minds that you are envisioning an improvement....better life....better roads....more wheat....perhaps even a telephone in everyone's house....all in five years. Whether you ever make it or not....is not part of this discussion. They never went back and talked about the old plan.....they just tossed it out.

So I see the same trick here at hand with the environmentalists. They will establish various graphs, charts, and goals.....but the reality is....no one will stand there to point out in three or five years...hoping in some way that no one points out their data was corrupt or wrong. They are hoping for that type of situation.....but they aren't finding it. The anti-carbon players are paying more attention. So I'd like to suggest that we all embrace the emissions game....playing it Soviet-style....and make a huge goal on paper to cut emissions....but act just like the Soviets....do nothing. This way....we all feel good and will chill out tonight.

Well....It Could Happen

An earthquake actually did hit Bali yesterday...in the misdst of this environmental conference being held there. Not any damage and other than some shaken folks....things just kept going.

I sat there....and could see a magnificent scenario. A massive earthquath does hit Bali before the end of this conference. A tsunami also pushes up six feet of water on the shore. Death and destruction everywhere...no help from the Bali police or national guard. The only nation capable of helping them....the mighty Americans.....so GW orders immediate assistance to Bali. The key thing...we don't immediately evacuate the attendees. We bring in tents and food, with lots of medical personnel...and lots of media folks to take pictures of the attendees who are forced to accept MRE's from American GI's. After two weeks of this...then we take the idiots...by boat...all the way to San Diego. We fly GW in on the day before they leave to survey the damage and shake hands...and let GW smile in front of the camera and say..."Its good that Bali and the environmentalists have such a good friend such as America".

Top Drunk Cities in America?

Somebody sat down and did the stat's.....and these are the worst cities in th country where you might end up dead or hurt....by a drunk:

Denver, Colo
Anchorage, Alaska
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Omaha, Neb.
Fargo, N.D.
San Antonio, Texas
Austin, Texas
Fresno, Calif.
Lubbock, Texas
Milwaukee

Anchorage doesn't surprise me....there is little else there to do.....for five months out of year, except drink.

Religion and the Race

This week....we got news of Huckibee moving up....and had Mitt Romney do a piece on his religion (Mormons). This is the new joke of the Republican party.

When you sit there and make religion a big part of your political preference....you start forgetting history and start a downward spiral of reality.

George Washington wasn't much of a religious man....and would not have gotten any points by the Republicans today. The same for Lincoln or for Teddy Roosevelt.

This entire religious effort by the party.....is tide up into a dozen special interest groups...which all have a vested interest in their agenda....from the abortion crowd, to the gay-marriage fight....from the selection of the supreme court justices to challenges on schooling. The other side of the coin.....is just as bad.....forcing someone to stand up to counter their agenda. Its a lose-lose situation.

So you sit there and watch these idiots....challenge each other....over who is the most religious or the most-Christ-like. Who would Jesus pick? Why would Jesus pick this guy over that guy? If you cheated.....does that make you anti-religious or anti-Jesus? If you are Mormon.....are you anti-Jesus? This is where things start to turn into a real mess.

I hear this comment constantly now....what would Jesus say? What would Jesus do?

Frankly....Jesus didn't have a $240,000 mortgage. Jesus didn't have relatives who donate $8000 per year to some TV ministry out of Knoxville. Jesus didn't have a teenage daughter who got pregnant by some 35-year old teacher. Jesus didn't have Dick Cheney over to go hunting with. Jesus didn't have to register to vote...because you didn't have any vote to cast in those days.

Jesus didn't have the IRS asking questions about some fake farm that you have claimed as a tax credit. Jesus didn't take vacations to New Orleans or sip booze along the bar district there. Jesus didn't get stuck with a $18k lemon of a car that Ford sold. Jesus didn't take a job with CBS news as a loser of a news analyst. Jesus didn't get the job of replacing Bob Barker on the Price is Right. Jesus didn't live in a trailer park. Jesus didn't sign up for reserve duty to discover he has to go to Iraq for a year.

Jesus didn't have septic tank problems and waste $1000 paying a cousin who really didn't know that he was doing. Jesus wasn't married to a drunk. Jesus wasn't married to some gay guy. Jesus didn't live in a town where water might not be available shortly. Jesus didn't have to appear on Wolfe Blitzers show to be known. Jesus didn't hang out at toilets in airports.

My honest point here....is that we can use the Bible for some personal Bible studies....but trying to figure out what Jesus would do or wouldn't do.....and invoking that into politics...is plain stupid. We ought to know better.

Week of 8 Dec 2007

The Bali "Global Warming" Cult

The Heartland Institute showed up in Bali this week....wanting to sit in on the conference there. You see....they aren't pro-global warmers.....if you know what I mean. Shockingly enough....they were not allowed press passes to attend any part of the entire Bali circus.

Adding to this mess...the Heartland Institute brought along a number of scientist to be seated at the conference......which NONE of them have been allowed entry.

If the global climate experts expected folks to listen to them....they need a open forum to discuss facts....not propaganda. I don't need a cult-like group running around pretending to know something....when the truth is....they don't know much.

The sad fact is....every time you bring out some Hollywood "pro" to talk the environment....you lose points with the real public in America.

Every time you publish a graphical display or a chart....which is later proven to contain false data or trends....which you DON'T apologize for.....then you lose points.

Every time your environmental publication allows the printing of data....which is later proven to be somewhat false or untrue.....which they don't even admit that in later publications....you lose points.

Working like a cult.....you seek the weakest minds possible....to easily convert to your trend. You don't seem to have any heartburn in acquiring folks with no concept of reality or truth....which is also a point-loser for the most part.

Enjoying the use of dim-witted media consultants or news folks....who know nothing about nothing....but use your cued questions to carry out a conversation....doesn't help much.

Refusing to discuss tough analysis in a public forum....loses points.

Simply skipping the mini-glacier period of the 1300-1700s....and pretending it doesn't exist....helps you to lose points.

Building a graph....which you pick various bits and pieces of data....but leave out other bits and pieces of data....to make a graph utterly false....helps you to lose points too.

After a while....when your numbers are negative fifty.....we tend to lose confidence in your wisdom or truth. Think about that comment for a second.....we aren't asking for rocket scientists here....but if you can't talk the truth....what can you talk? We might as well get serious about aliens visiting the earth....it has the same potential as global warming.

Hot Cells

So out in the desert....north of Las Vegas....near Nellis AFB....some folks have been busy for the past year on 140 acres. They have been erecting 70,000 panels....to bring in 15 megawatts of power....the most of any solar station on the face of the earth. For the base....this will provide all of the power they need....and exceed it by 70 percent....so they will be selling a portion back to the grid.

What does this mean?

Its an experiment for the most part....but in a year or two.....it will be proven that they can support a bigger portion of the grid, and attract more investors. Here is the deal....for 150 megawatts of power....I'll need 700,000 solar panels....and 1400 acres of property....this would power a fair-sized region....like Nashville and the surrounding 50 miles around it.

But lets get grand....why not 1500 megawatts of power....with 7,000,000 solar panels and 14,000 acres of property? That would support all of Tennessee and probably a good portion of Kentucky.

The thing here is open space and a desert atmosphere. With Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada....and the millions of acres of government owned property....we could buy enough to support 50 percent of the grid in the US with solar power....by 2050. The cost would be tremendous....but after you start building these.....that could drop down by half. You consider the property is already owned....and you've got lots of potential here.

The "95-percent" Solution

Its been a great meeting in Bali so far this week....discussing carbons and greenhouse emissions. The new Prime Minister of Australia....having just won his seat in the past two weeks....on a huge promise to do good for the environment in Australia.....actually had to retreat from some comments and promises made this week.

A government representative at the talks this week said Australia backed a 25-40 per cent cut on 1990 emission levels by 2020.

After a little bit of discussion and analysis....folks suddenly woke up and realized that 2020 is only twelve years away. To meet those goals....there would have to be a monster sized raise in power costs....which Mr. Rudd just couldn't sign the government up to.....having just won the election and all. But Mr. Rudd wasn't finished....nope....not by a single bit. He did say that he would support a longer-term greenhouse emission cut of 60 percent.....of the year 2000 levels....by 2050....43 years away.

Somewhere along the discussions.....a government official did comment that no medium-term targets would be announced, period.....until a report by the government economy ministry was issued....NEXT year.

So basically....everything that Mr. Rudd ran for and advertised to win the election...was bogus.

But lets not consider this a lost opportunity. Put yourself in Bush's shoes....why not come out on 1 January of next year and announce a 95 percent cut in greenhouse emissions by 2060? We could save the world and solve world hunger and maybe even get GW a Nobel Peace Prize. I'm all for it now.....I think we should make the announcement on the Today Show.....bring in the Beach Boys to sing a song or two.....then bring in K-Fed and Britney to sing together....and then make the "95-percent announcement". This would be great politics for the Republicans....plus....to be honest....most of us are going to be dead by 2060 and nobody will remember Bush, Hillary or global warming.

Gore in Oslo

Big Al is sitting there in Norway tonight....having flown commercial into the country to receive his award. Its mostly shocking that he didn't rent a private jet.....but I'm guessing that he didn't want to look that stupid using up carbon and then getting his Nobel Peace Prize. So chalk one up for Al.

So he's sitting there tonight....hob-nobbing with the big Norwegian dudes and hot babes. He's probably got lots of parties to attend and lots of crab to munch on. I'm betting he gets at least 40 invites from some hot babes to visit their hotel room for the evening....and he probably had his suit fitted in the last day or so.....to make sure he looks sharp.

For Al....this is the highlight of his career. I can't see much else occurring now....no more presidential runs....no more power-plays....no more real awards. By the time Hillary sweeps into office....he is gone for eight years into the basement. So....we should enjoy Al....while we can.....and tape the acceptance speech. He probably deserves alot for being able to come back from a 496 on his physics SAT test....and know that much about a science topic.

Just Preparing You

This is more or less to prepare you....for some French dude or some Italian agent or some Russian cop....who will show up in Memphis or Baltimore or Red Bay....and apprehend you one day.

Strange and bizarre? Yep......the U.S. sat there this week....restated its position that its not only right, but legal for the US to go into a foreign country and kidnap one of their targets (non-US citizen or a US citizen, doesn't matter).....and just take the person back to the US for trial.

We are kindly talking of a no-extradition episode....no permission asked. This kinda upset alot of Europeans, especially the British. They are believers in the rule of law, and that you can go around grabbing dudes....with no legal process.

So.....what do you think that other 185 countries in the world think of this idea? Will they just sit there and accept it....and pretend to be like the US and start kidnapping US citizens.....without any processes? So folks are thinking that the obvious target now....is Donald Rumsfeld, or perhaps some CIA agents. Italy and Switzerland have arrest warrants out for US citizens currently.....government officials. No one has a Rumsfeld warrant out yet....but I'm guessing by spring....this will happen somewhere.

So how will you fell about this? Having a Swiss guy at your door....demanding your husband be brought back to the Alps because someone has accused him there of making a threat via the internet. Or how about your wife arrested for smearing some Italian model on the internet.....and being dragged back to Rome to face charges. There are alot of possible things that could occur.

So this brings us back to the current administration and this whole episode.....to include Gitmo and various operations underway. You really get the impression that no one has a end-goal in mind and is making up the rules as we play. No one anticipated Rumsfeld being arrested in Houston.....dragged across the border....and flow to Belgium to face charges....but the odds in 2008 are pretty good that someone will do it. We need to step back and think about how stupid we are starting to appear....and improve our situation slightly.....or else.....Rummy will be eating Belgium waffles in some Belgium prison next year....and he won't be a happy camper.

Sinking by the Grammys

Amy Winehouse....two years ago....probably deserved the Grammy's by a mile. Her album in the past twelve months.....might be that good....but to drag the drug-ho out and make everyone watch the Grammys.....and watch this trashed-up gal sing now....which she can't.....is pain and punishment.

A year ago....she was probably one of the best talents on the face of the earth and sing enough to make you weep. But she was sliding fast on drugs then....and today is sitting in a pit. She won't escape. We are watching the last year in the life of Amy Winehouse....and we can't do a damn thing to halt it. So much talent.....wasted.

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*

Amongst us bloggers.....the term "*" is now standing for Barry Bonds. Sadly...enough.

Barry had to go into court today....and state to the judge that he was innocent. Barry isn't happy....and he isn't going to be playing next year......and I doubt that Barry will ever play again. I doubt that Barry can beat the charges, and may end up spending four years in a federal prison.

As for his baseball record....pretty safe.....the dimwits in baseball just won't dare challenge Barry on that effort. But the hall of fame? I'm thinking that once Barry enters prison....you can forget the hall of fame, and we won't discuss his name much after that. Barry is more or less a loser now.

The Canoe Man

Once upon a time, there was this guy by the name of John Darwin. He was an ex-prison officer and a teacher at one point....living in the UK....and married to a gal named Anne.

Around 2002, John was out off the coast in a canoe....and disappeared. Pieces of his canoe came ashore a week or two after that day....and they all assumed he was dead. His dear wife eventually came up.....and asked for her insurance money.

About two weeks ago.....John suddenly appears in the UK....claiming amnesia to the cops. The wife? Well....a strange thing.....last year....she shows up in Panama to buy property, after selling her property in the UK and taking that plus the insurance money....almost $800k to Panama.

It ought to be a miracle.....but then.....there is the insurance money, and this matter of John being dead. John still claim amnesia....but the cops really aren't buying this.

The wife apparently got on a plane today in Panama.....and is rumored to be on her way back to the UK. Some information indicates that she was helping him to buy a yacht back in 2005....but the deal fell through.

John still doesn't explain where he has been or why he came back.

Personally....its a strange affair. If I went to the trouble of disappearing.....I wouldn't be coming back to claim amnesia. Also.....I wouldn't leave Panama if I had $800k in my pocket....or even $200k in my pocket. Why come back? The cops were seriously looking for him....he just shows up at the cop station. None of this part makes any sense.

I'm thinking he probably got homesick or he just ran out of cash. The wife? Maybe she found a boyfriend in Panama and just thought she could disappear too. Rather strange.

By those Kind Folks in Austin

There is a new fee in Texas....approved this year by the Texas Legislature, set to take effect on Jan. 1.

They think it will raise about $40 million to be dispersed for sexual assault prevention programs and health care for the uninsured.

The $5 fee....triggered when you walk into a strip club and observe a dance. Yep....and if you go out three times a week....figure $15 a week or $60 a month or $720 a year. Almost enough to have bought Moma a new dishwasher or have taken her out to the casino for a weekend (with buffet meals).

The Texas Entertainment Association and Karpod, Inc., the operator of an Amarillo club, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Travis County against Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs.

The lawsuit argues that the fee is a damn unconstitutional tax on nude dancing, a form of expression protected by the First Amendment. It also says the measure unfairly targets strip clubs, while not including modeling studios and adult video arcades.

"Exotic nude dancing is protected speech under the First Amendment," the lawsuit says. "It (the fee) singles out income derived from protected speech for a burden the state places on no other income."

Being from Bama, a dry county, and Baptist at heart.....I know little about strip clubs or such sinful affairs.

I view this in a slightly different view. If this is ok....then I'd like to have a "senator-waving-at-you-in-the-airport-toilet" tax which when caught....the senator is fined $18,000....of which goes to the "Save the Rednecks" foundation of Red Bay, Bama.

I'd also like to have a tax on vehicles in front of trailer homes on cinder blocks....which would amount to $300 a year....which would pay for wider seats for our big-ass senators in DC.

I'd also like to start a tax on NPR stations that don't carry opera, classical or jazz music at least 12 hours a day.

I'd like to start a tax on the New York Yankees for any game they lose after 70 losses....say $66,000 per loss...with the proceeds to go to the old folks homes of Joplin, Missouri.

If these Texas folks think a stripper tax is keen...I've got lots of ideas for them....but I'm guessing they really don't want to hear about those ideas.

10k Environmentalists, 300 Hookers & 40 Rigs of Booze

This week...the boys all met up in Bali....for the big 12-day rough & ready environmental conference. Everybody who could rig up a private flight did....and for those too poor....they got all kinds of full-up planes to take butt-loads of environmentalists to the big wing-ding of the year.

Based on early numbers....at least 10,000 delegates or scientists or environmentalists or Hollywood stars showed up. Add in another 1,500 reporters with their camera crews and at least 300 Thai hookers who were ever flown in or boated in....and you've got yourself a pretty dang good affair.

You can figure that the 12,000 odd characters need alot of beer, booze and Pierre water to survive for twelve days....so I'm politely guessing at least 40 tractor trailer rigs of booze that had to be hauled in....plus 16,000 lbs of beef, and probably around 12,000 lbs of Turkey. By the time you figure in toilet paper and handy-wipes for tough spots to clean.....plus 10 pallets of Ajax for cleaning up stains.

As for doctors brought in to treat the delegates.....I'm guessing at least 40 on call at all times. You can figure a fair amount of sexual diseases....which a fella has got to treat prior to returning home.....and lots of sunburns from those afternoons that you just skipped meetings...you can figure alot of medical attention. I'm guessing at least four guys who develop a hernia....although they won't admit to the wife how they got this at a conference. And then you got two guys who always end up drowning while drinking a good bit of booze before swimming.

If I seem to be skipping over the great and grand aspects of the conference.....I am. If you had to pick a tropical island where hotel costs are over $250 a night normally....then you really invite interest in your real motives. You can't attend this conference for less than $15k....in my honest opinion...which says alot about what they are attempting to say or do.

Work in Progress

So there is this Danish dude.....a self-employed software engineer.....Thomas Sorensen....who broadcasts his qualifications to potential employers across Europe and the Middle East. He is willing to work anywhere.....but Denmark.

Today....he's in Frankfurt....handling a computer security job....for a Swiss company. No interest whatsoever in going back to paying top heavy Danish taxes.

How bad does it get? 63 percent can go to various taxes....think about that.

Denmark is the home of "flexicurity," the catchy name given to a system that pays ample unemployment and welfare benefits but, unusually in Europe, imposes almost no restrictions on hiring and firing by employers. The mixture has served Denmark well, and its economy barreled ahead in 2006 by 3.5 percent, one of the best performances in western Europe. The country is effectively at full employment.

Success has given rise to an anxious search for talent among Danish companies, and focused attention on émigrés like Sorensen.

The problem, employers and economists believe, has a lot to do with the 63 percent marginal tax rate paid by top earners in Denmark - a level that hits anyone making more than 360,000 Danish kroner, or about $70,000.

The movement toward lower taxes passed Denmark by, even as it took root in much of Europe.

Danish taxes also contrast sharply with those in nearby London, often jokingly referred to among Danes as a Danish town, because so many of them live there. Lower taxes on high earners have been a centerpiece of the policy mix that has fed the rise of London as a global financial center since the 1980s.

Sorensen, who graduated from business school in Copenhagen, found himself earning the equivalent of more than $100,000 before he was 30 - and paying 63 percent of it in taxes. His work as a computer consultant for Deloitte also took him to Brussels, where he met the Spanish woman he would eventually marry.

But the high taxes, mixed with his wife's discomfort in Denmark, meant that a job offer in Qatar three years ago was all it took to pry him away from Copenhagen. Now, he is ensconced in Frankfurt, setting up a new business on the side and planning to pay no more than 25 percent of his income to the German state.

"When you are at 63 percent tax, you don't look forward to the evaluation with the boss to get a raise," Sorensen said. "You look for more vacation or a training course in the tropics - something that you get the full benefit of."

Why so much in taxes? Well....there are so many infrastructure items and city improvements that cost alot.....so the public has to pay. Its worth a week to visit Denmark and appreciate a wonderful place....but then understand the cost of building such a wonderful place.....and then leave. I've spent six weeks there in my life.....and would spend more....but the cost is huge to just visit for two weeks and appreciate the beaches there.

Bush's Letter to Kim Jong IL of North Korea

We come to know today that GW sent a personal letter to the dearly beloved leader of North Korea, Mr. Kim.....which was the first time ever that a US president had sent a letter to any North Korea leader. So I sat and pondered what GW would write....and this is my version:

Howdy Kim:

I knowed it's been a coon's age or two since we have corresponded....and a might bit of water has passed under the bridge. I wanted to say hey....and send some thanks.

First....that was dang nice of you to halt that damn nuclear stuff. I was somewhat worried that you might hide stuff or pretend to do something but then screw us over.....however....it seems that you were truthful and awful nice about the whole damn thing.

Second....Laura said that ifing you did feel like a visit to DC early next year....that we'd put you up in the White House. I knowed its damn expensive to find a decent motel six spot in DC....and the food all around here is just plain crap. I could hustle up my cook....and cook up a serious batch of Bar-b-q'ed ribs and some Texas-sized frys with lots of beer (its the hidden stash that I keep under the desk in that cooler that Rummy bought me).

Third....Condi had been mentioning that we ought to meet up....maybe at the Crawford ranch or maybe at Micheal Jackson's place out in California....I'm pretty flexiable about this stuff.....and heck....I'd even come over to North Korea....long as Laura come come along and I'd hope you had some beer stashed away where we could meet and sip a bit of good stuff.

I realize its damn hard to be a international leader in this time of age.....and damn...it'd be awful nice if we could hug up in front of the camera....heck....you and I might win a Nobel Peace Prize or something....if we could hug....not that I'm into hugging you know....but it'd show something nice for the CNN folks who are desperate for some hugging pictures.

So, in parting.....please accept my friendly "hey" and maybe we can meet up in 2008....and booze it up a bit without Laura around.

signed

GW

Naive in Louisiana

Along the last year or two....an guy by the name of Brent Finley (38 years old), and his lovely wife Stacey.....both from Louisiana.....got into trouble. And in the past month....they both got sentenced to heavy jail-time.

You see.....Brent walked around and conned family and friends out of $800,000. He stood there and told everyone that Stacey was a CIA agent....a secret agent....thats the best kind....and she had insight into a US spy satellite.....which could scan through walls.....detecting medical problems and then diagnosed them....all by satellite imaging. Brent got sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Brent and Stacey convinced their victims that, if medical problems were found, secret agents would give them medicines while they slept in exchange for payment. Now I sat there and pondered....as naive as I could be....how would these folks enter my home or trailer? How would they administer a shot without me knowing about it?

Stacey was sentenced to five and a quarter years in August.

The prosecutor believes....that both Stacey and Brent....are the charismatic types....who prey on folks....mostly your senior citizens and your naive crowd.....so it was a simple task to talk this up.

The thing is....as everyone in Bama knows.....that secret satellite is permanently parked above Montgomery and only shadows folks in Bama....so those folks in Louisiana are totally naive in this sort of stuff.....and our satellite can mostly detect ring-worm and unfaithful husbands or wives. So the cost tends to go higher here than with this health stuff they do in Louisiana.

Blogs and Threats

So a week ago...a guy who had been visiting my blog on occassion...suddenly got attacked via his blog site. The culprit....basically wiped out the entire site. Absolute vandalism....of the highest proportion.

I'm an analyst....so I started looking at his trigger events. Five weeks ago...he started a group in Yahoo to talk about switching out of 360....to other possible alternate sites. He was rather naive about this entire computer game....having just started blogging in the past year. Based on mounting evidence (he doesn't have any site up anymore.....with a huge amount of anger at what was done and destroyed).....I can guess he had NO firewall and no real virus protection. Someone sneaked in.....put a key-counter....and figured out his password eventually.

The culprit? I started looking at past comments over the twelve hours prior to the attack....and started to note someone who had attracted "herself" to my site....about four months ago. She had been to his site in that period of time....attempting to let it be known that she had "powdered up" his site. It was a elderly gal....in appearance of around 65.....at least from the picture and the statements on her blog (few if any). I started to think back about the last three weeks....when this gal started inviting constantly to come over to another blog site and become a member. She would include the button on the email, and it'd all look offical and very personal.

I have a general rule.....I don't join other blog sites.....I don't sign up for nothing recommended....and I have a ton of spy-ware gear loaded. So I deleted all these invites. I'm guessing the invites would have lead to a key-counter, and "she" would have lead me to the same situation as the "chief".

"She" is not really what she appears to be. The picture....as I've sat and thought about.....was probably fake....and all the "friends" listed....were really other innocent victims like the "chief" or potentially myself. Who is "she"? I'm guessing a 15-year old boy of a very immature level....probably acting at 13...at best. He might be in the first year of college....but why waste so much time in weaving a group up, and then playing the invite game? Nope....this is a teenage boy of some little-league fame....who showed a minor bit of effort in graphics and thinking capability. He is counting on NO firewall and inadequate spy-ware....and probably no McAffee or Norton anti-virus software.

His behavior? This is simply a little kid in teenage clothing....nothing more than that. The waste of braincells? Yep....the punk can't find anything to interest himself....from WOW to watching video clips....so he wants to prey on easy players who are just random bloggers and not into technology or the defense of a computer. This is the sad state of our punks today....nothing to do....but to screw with people.

So...there are two things I need to say. First...for those with no firewall....get one free from Zone-alert and start denying anyone access into your system. Don't accept email invites unless you've been a "friend" for months and months. Don't trust people with any seemingly innocent behavior....make them prove their value through time.

Second....for the punk still out there....and probably watching my site on occasion....you are basically a loser....a very young loser who pretends to be a teenager...but you really aren't even a teenager in truth. You can't live much of a life unless you've screwed with people and their efforts. Your value in life....just about zero....but then, you already know that. You aren't counting on a long productive life....but more along the lines of how much can you get away with before the cops show up at the front door and arrest you. I won't even say you need treatment or jailtime.....in fact.....it'd be kinda nice if you just happened to find the right Mountain Dew truck tomorrow morning and just happen to have it crash into your vehicle. I don't see much left in your life that will earn any applause or credits.....a loser is a loser.

Why We Can't All Be Angels

The savior who wants to turn men into angels is as much a hater of human nature as the totalitarian despot who wants to turn them into puppets.
-- Eric Hoffer


I'm not much of an angel....nor will I ever be much of one. I sat around and pondered Eric Hoffer's quote....and it probably makes more sense than people think. There are alot of us....who have various things tossed at us....to change or modify our behavior. The majority of us react to to that. A handful of us....don't.

I don't really sit around much and ponder how to make folks into angels or into anything else. If they watch me long enough....my actions often speak louder than words. For that reason....I often don't make long-winded explanations for things. I state the obvious, and then the direct course. My belief....is that most folks look for real human nature to guide them. It isn't a fancy slide or presentation....or some total quality management program, or some degree from Mississippi State.