Happy New Year

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for another year of this old blog. Your readership and comments mean more than you can imagine.

Go out and celebrate the end of 2009, good riddance, I say. I am sure many of you agree.

If you drink, let someone else drive. Be safe. Have fun. I will see you next year!

Just Because

Cooking with the Hoosierboy

I do most of the cooking around the old Hoosierboy homestead. I won't pretend I am a gourmet or top chef, but I get the meals done. I have mastered the art of timing, my dishes nearly all finish within a minute or two. I make a mean white gravy and those who have eaten my cooking rarely complain. Aside from from posts about my lunches or what I have eaten for supper this is no way a cooking blog.

That said, the wife brought home a recipe last week that is intriguing. When I read it, I thought it was one of the worst concoctions I have read. Upon tasting, this salad is excellent. I made it for the Hoosierboy family feast at Christmas and all who tasted it loved it.

Chili Corn Salad

2 cans of corn drained
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1 bag crushed chili cheese Fritos

Mix it all up.

There you have it. All I might add next time is maybe a dash of Tabasco or hot sauce and maybe use green onions instead of sweet yellow onion.

Let me know if you try it.

The year that was

It is just too much. The incompetence of the current administration and Democrat leaders in Congress leaves me just depressed. Can anyone point to one single example of something good that has been accomplished this year?

We spent nearly a trillion dollars on a stimulus that did not stimulate.

We spent billions of dollars destroying perfectly good used cars.

We took over two Auto companies and completely ignored the standards of bankruptcy law in the process.

We managed to insult some of our closest allies, including Great Britain and Israel.

We apologized to our enemies.

We failed to support democracy in Iran and Nicaragua, instead siding with despots.

We failed to bring home the Olympics, but managed to give American Taxpayers money to Third World Despots. I suggest President Obama not make any more trips to Copenhagen.

Obamacare is on track to pass, even though it will do nothing to reduce the cost of healthcare.

Unemployment has hit double digits with no end in sight.

Housing values are still falling.

We have had two terrorist attacks in recent weeks. Obama is determined to bring terrorists to the continental US, in spite of the wishes of teh People. He is going to conduct a civilian show trial for the mastermind of 9/11.

His administration has excused domestic criminals who denied votors access to the polls because of their race.

Seriously, has this year been better for anyone than 2008? Do you think 2010 will be a good year? Are you confident about your future?

We got the change Obama promised. It is our hope that has been destroyed.

Sports Commentary

Here's the reality: Some teams don't just play for championships, they play to be the best there has ever been. Others are just satisfied with doing what's required. The Colts decided that resting is more important than making a run at history.

--Teddy Bruschi ESPN

Yesterday the Colts had a shot at perfection and let it slip through their fingers. There was no reason to tank the game. There was hardly any chance the Jets could win against the Indy front-line players.

I get the arguments for resting the players. What if someone gets hurt, blah blah. If that is the concern then the starters should have been picking splinters for weeks now. Why are they playing a half at all? Look, they get a week off when the playoffs start. They can rest then, plus they just had ten days between games. I agree with the decision to hold out any injured player. That is smart, but to take out your best healthy players? That is not trying to win, that smacks of "I hope we don't lose".

The decision to rest the starters makes the come-from behind and hard-fought games the past few weeks a waste of time. The team is paid to win.

Here is a conspiracy theory for you. Had the Jets lost, there would be no team in the playoffs from NY, Chicago, LA, Houston or Miami -- some of the largest markets in the Country. The owners share TV revenue. It is in the owner's best interest to have lots of people watching the games. Did some of the owners put pressure on Colts owner Jim Irsay to rest his players? Not to lose on purpose, mind you, but to give the Jets a chance to win?

I do not pretend to have one-one millionth the football knowledge of the Colts management. I do know that the past two times they rested players, they were knocked out of the playoffs. The time they played through the end of the season they won the Superbowl. Pundits always talk about that team that goes into the playoffs on a roll as the team to beat. Recent Superbowls uphold that maxim (Pittsburgh, Arizona, Indy, The Giants,New England, etc,). Who was the last team to win the Superbowl entering the playoffs with a two game losing streak?

Christmas Hangover

Good Morning, I hope you all had a great Christmas. Even those of you who do not celebrate, I hope your day was good. Mine was. I got some fine gifts including a Cubs coffee mug and a new Colts hat, I cooked up a fine meal, enough food for a dozen people. The oldest boy is taking most of the leftovers with him back to school today. School does not start for a week or so, but he has to work. Yes, I am an evil parent, I make my kids work while they go to college. It has been great having him home.

Thank you for your kind comments and wishes for a Merry Christmas.

We are off to do the Hoosierboy family Christmas later today. I have some food to fix, so be good. Regular programing will resume on the morrow. Or maybe not. Tune in to see...

Merry Christmas

Santa Claus is coming tonight

Who was the most hated President in History?

I read something interesting this morning. You can read it too here. It seems that in the latest polls, 46% percent of the respondents report they strongly disapprove of President Obama's job performance.

At the end of his Presidency, George W Bush, the most loathed President ever according to the big-time media. had a disapproval rating of 43%. It took him eight years to become that unpopular. The Obama has accomplished it in less than a year.

How is that Hope and Change working out so far?

I cannot wait for certain liberal bloggers to eat their words and write my favorite sentence -- 'I was wrong and you were right" when, as I predicted, Conservatives again take control of Congress in 2010. And do not think I will not remind her of it when the time comes.

Just Because

This will mark the first year my daughter will not be home for Christmas. We will celebrate with her and her fiancee on the 26th. I keep telling myself it is just a day on the calender, but Christmas morning will still be strange. The wife and two boys and I will open our presents. I will fix a nice breakfast. Later I will bake a turkey and all of the trimmings. But something will still be missing. There are phone connections between Farmville and Chicago. We will have to make the best of the situation. Next year his parents will get the alternate day. I guess that is part of ever-growing families. Soon the boys will find loves of their own and go their separate ways too.

I am baking some pecan tassies later this morning. My daughter is coming this afternoon to bake Christmas cookies and candy with my wife. It is a long-time girl tradition around here.

Thanks George Bush

That whore Ben Nelson was not the deciding vote to move forward opn the worst piece of legislation to ever grace the halls of the Senate. You can blame the politician who only cares about keeping the perks and privledges of his office -- Arlen Sphincter. If GW had not campaigned for him last time he would not be in office, and not able to switch parties to be the key 60th vote. I hope the people of Pennsylvania are proud.

Me, I am calling out Senator Evan Bayh, He was a fairly conservative Governor. He lost all sense of the people of Indiana when he went to Washington, massing a very liberal voting record. Other so-called moderates got something for their votes. You, Sen. Bayh, are just the local slut -- giving it away for nothing. I suspect you will find your upcoming election bid a little tougher than you thought, especially if you continue your support for Cap and Trade and Card Check.

And that piece of shit Harry Reid claiming someone just died because he lacked insurance while Reid was pontificating. Yep, this is so urgent it will go into effect in five years. I hope we can elect some people with balls and courage come November of 2010 that will dismantle this big government boondoggle before it goes into effect.

That is my Christmas wish.

Go. Read.

Go over to Doug Ross' place and scroll through his posts the past 24 hours. There is a terrific rant by Victor the Contractor. Learn how the trial lawyers and excessive lawsuits are what is driving the cost of health care. Roughly 75% of your health insurance premium goes to fighting malpractice suits. Does Congress want to reform healthcare -- the answer is easy, except the Trial Lawyers are among the largest donors to the Democratic party. Educate yourself and act accordingly.

Dear Senator Evan Bayh

Do not sell us out. At least Ben Nelson and Mary Landreau got something for fucking over the people of their states. They may be whores, but that is a step up from giving it away for free. That just makes you a slut.

Please remember you are there to represent the people of Indiana, not the Democrat Party. Your Pop forgot that and he got stuffed by a Quayle. I am sure you are aware this is an election year.

You phones have been off the hook with calls the past two weeks, polls are overwhelmingly against moving forward with Obamacare. Represent the wishes of the people. Stand up and be a man. All politicians want to be remembered by history. Future generations will thank you for standing strong and doing what is right. Do not be afraid to make your mark for the people of Indiana and the citizens of the United States.

You proud Americans out there, those who favor limited, fiscally controlled Government. Write and call your Senator now. Here is a service that will fax your letters free. The vote is tonight. If you have ever considered letting your voice be heard, the time is now. Tomorrow is too late to stop this nonsense in its tracks. Let your Senator hear your voice.

If, like the good Senator Bayh, he/she ignores your will. Do everything in your power to vote him out of office.

Click here to send a free fax to your Representative. You must act today.

A Saturday Tale

Good morning Blog World. Hope all is well in your corner of the forest. We have a skiff of snow on the ground. For you non-Hoosiers that would be a dusting. The weather quacks claim we will have 2 inches by 9:00 in the morning. Mother Nature better get busy. I am not sure it is even still snowing.

After a very wet summer, we have seen little to no snow so far this season. It has been cold, but I can live with that. Maybe the dry spell will continue through January and February? That is some climate change I can get behind.

I met a buddy yesterday evening for a couple of cigars and a couple of beers. I had a nice time. It has been a long time since I went out. These days my extremely rare Boy's Night Out are pretty mellow. That is a far cry from my younger days when I lived the true redneck lifestyle, drinking, fighting and raising Hell. Somewhere in my archives is the story of my fight in a third rate strip club. I will offer a brief version here.

I was working the graveyard shift and a few of us went for drinks after work one Saturday morning. Some of you might find pounding beer at 7:00 in the morning a little strange, but those of you who have worked the third shift understand. Morning turned to late afternoon and only my pal Duane and I were left. We found ourselves in the infamous Combo Lounge, a dank strip club where aging and ugly strippers went to end their careers. Working a strip club in a farm town of 16,000 is not anywhere close to the road to fame and fortune.

There were about ten people in the bar on this Saturday afternoon. I was ignoring the strippers, as was my custom. I honestly have never really seen the point of getting yourself all flustered with no chance of release. Admittedly there was slim chance of that with this crop of females. The saturday afternoon crowd is not probably the place to make a lot of tips. My buddy Duane went to the restroom. A few minutes later I heard a commotion.

Suddenly the door to the head flew open and I see Duane, a big stocky linebacker in high school, deliver an overhand right to some guy's face. The stranger back peddled right at me. At the last minute he gained his balance and turned, just in time to meet my own right hand. In classic pack mentality, I figured if this guy had done something to deserve a punch from my friend, I was in it too. I am sure you guys will understand.

The stranger fell back from my punch only to get another smack from Duane. The guy was like a human version of one of those bumper cars you had as a kid. Every time it hit the wall it went in the opposite direction.

The guy offered no further resistance and Duane and I paid our tab and left at the suggestion of the management. After we staggered to our car, I asked Duane what the guy had done to warrant the mild beating. Duane said that he had pissed on the stranger's shoes while they were standing at the urinal (on purpose) and the guy had called him a mother fucker. "No one is calling me a mother fucker." Duane said.

Like Archie and Edith used to sing, "Those were the days"...

I know, let us borrow money to give to United Way

Imagine you have a neighbor. He is a nice guy, a Ned Flanders type. Old Ned has a mortgage, car payment, bills, the typical debt load. Ned learns the local food pantry needs donations, so he spends his grocery budget to help out the less fortunate. Our good Samaritan learns the homeless shelter needs donations and repairs. He bites the bullet and takes out a second mortgage to finance the repairs.

The economy sours and he has to borrow a little more to make his payments. He takes out credit cards to pay his credit card bills. He takes some items to the pawn shop. He has some unexpected medical bills. He is drowning in debt, but imagines he will survive somehow.

Our Hero decides to "adopt" a kid based on a late-night commercial. A local family's house burns down and there is a plea for donations. Ned sends three thousand dollars. He goes to the bank to discuss a third mortgage. He pleads with his boss for more hours.

Good old Ned has good intentions. He cares about his fellow man, but he is an idiot. He is bankrupting himself. I think most of us would agree.

The US is broke. We have a staggering national debt. The current administration has borrowed more money than all of the previous administrations combined. They are promising more debt and borrowing in the future.

Yet now we are promising we will borrow $100,000,000,000 -- that is one hundred billion dollars -- to give to Third World Countries to assuage our guilt over having advanced industrial capacity. We are going to pay these poor nations, many run by greedy despots, for our evil carbon usage. Our factories may spew CO2, a natural gas that makes farms more fertile, but the plight of the Third World is our fault somehow.

Just think, Hillary Clinton and the Obama administration just signed that third mortgage in your name for a payment of $333 for every man woman and child in this country, plus interest -- every year. I am all for helping out others, but when we are borrowing money to give as charitable donations, we need to take a step back.

I have been asked to leave better places

Why is it some liberals cannot take anyone questioning their belief system? The big pussy over at Cosmic Navel Lint has asked me to go away.

Boo Hoo, can you see my sadness? Blame any misspellings on the tears blurring my eyes.

It seems it is to inconvenient to answer the Constitutional issues presented in the Health Care debate. It is too inconvenient to present that the US Constitution limits the powers of the Federal Government.

Now I have dared to question his sheep-like devotion to the religion of Global Warming. That was going to far, and I have been asked to vacate the premises.

Here is the post and associated comments. I guess my joke hit a little close to home, eh?

I get it, it is Fluffly's blog (and he is about as substantive as a piece of lint) and he can do as he pleases. I will also state unequivocally that he is typical of most liberals, honest debate is not in the DNA. I guess that is why they want the Government to regulate everything; they will not have to think. They will just follow the State directives.

I posted my parting shot, and will not visit the place any more. Somehow I do not think my life or intellect will be a bit poorer for the decision.

Riddle me this

Many of my liberal readers consider me a moron. Here is your chance to educate me.

How is it possible to provide goods and services to twenty million, thirty million, or even one hundred people without adding any cost? Funny, most of you ridicule the Bible, where the only example of getting something from nothing is told in the loaves and fishes story.

I await your response.

Keen insight

You would not think so, but I have nothing so far today.

Keep checking in. You never know when inspriation will hit.

In the meantime, go on over to James Old Guy's place. He has been sick. Wish him a speedy recovery. Some of you think he has no heart, clearly that is not the case.

Ord till Tisdag

I am late getting a post up this morning. I went back to bed after the boy went to school and the wife to work. The joys of vacation. I got up early to make a taco dip plate for the wife to take to work. I know what you are thinking, and you are right. She does not deserve me.

As I type I am having a bit of breakfast. Three fig newtons, two pieces of cold bacon and one can of root beer. It almost sounds like some redneck version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The bacon was left over from supper last night. I made a pot of potato soup and BLTs. Reheated soup is on the menu for lunch today. It is even better when reheated. If you do not believe me, come on over around noon.

It appears a decision was made in the dark of night to bring the Gitmo terrorists to Illinois. I am not a genius, so can anyone explain the difference in holding terrorists, caught on the battlefield in civilian clothing, prisoner in Illinois compared to Gitmo? The only difference is now they are on US Soil should they escape. And yes, prisoners do escape from prisons.

Has there ever been an administration and Congress so hell-bent on defying the wishes of the People? No wonder 40+ percent of those polled recently said they wish that worthless GW Bush was back in office. That, my friends, is a pretty sad commentary on Hope and Change.

Not a bearded clam, a bearded Hoosierboy

I last sported facial hair back in my college days. I had a full beard, but no mustache -- Amish style. I kept it about a month or six weeks. I went a week or so a few years back and my wife bitched like you cannot imagine. I shaved it mostly because the itchy phase was tough.

I am now on day two of not shaving. I am thinking about growing a beard over the next few weeks, since I am on vacation. I am certain it will be very gray, if not white. It may make me look older.

Since I base my entire life on the opinions of others (sarcasm alert), what do you think? Grow the beard or shave? If I go with the beard I will post a pic.

Pretend you are a Democrat -- vote early and vote often.

I will 'splain it, Lucy

The Democrats Health Care proposal includes taxes on business and "Cadillac plans". Without those taxes, the trillion dollar budget for this boondoggle will be passed to taxpayers of future generations. At this point we will not point out that the only way the plan does not cost us in the first ten years is we are taxed for it for four years before the plan takes effect. BTW, those of you who are wringing your hands that we must fix Health Care now, 'cause people are like, dying,could you explain this delay to me?

Anyway, when people are taxed for having really excellent coverage figure this out, what do you think they will do? Unless they are completely clueless, they will take out a policy that does not earn them a tax penalty. They will save that money and use it to pay under the table for better coverage.

I am going to type this next sentence for the one thousandth time, somehow, someway, those of you who are determined to punish Corporations for making a profit will finally understand. Businesses do not pay taxes. This cost is part of doing business and is passed to the consumer. If the Widget Corporation is taxed an additional three percent to help pay for Government run health insurance they will add three percent to the cost of their product. YOU will pay more. Thus, The Obama's pledge to never raise taxes on the 'middle class' will be just another lie.

Like Big Dick says, leave those Obama bumper stickers on your Prius. It will make it easier to identify whom to blame.

Hope and change

The Democrats passed a new debt bill last night. Government workers will all get a 2% raise. Did you get a raise this year? Remember the Feds only get money from one place to give these raises -- from taxing YOU.

Keep that in mind the next time you go to the polls.

I descended into Dante's second ring...

Holy crap.

I went with the wife Christmas shopping yesterday. It is the first time I have been to the mall on a weekend during Christmas season in many years. I always take a day off during the week and do my shopping, when it is not too busy. Anyway, you could not even get into the mall. Not the building -- the parking lot. Cars were backed up just trying to turn in. The access road around the parking lots was so backed up there was nowhere for the incoming cars to go. I will not even talk about finding a place to park.

We did get a lot done. We have only a few little gifts for distant family members to do. I still have some stuff to get my wife.

While the spouse was in the candle store, a place I refuse to visit since the various smells make me nauseous, I found a vacant spot on a bench. Not long after, the biggest family I have ever seen tried to squeeze onto the bench opposite. Big as in size, not numbers. The old guy sitting next to me leaned over and whispered "We now know those benches are well built". Yes, I laughed. Out loud.

Big day for some football. The Colts put their undefeated team and a shot at history on the line against the Broncos. It should be fun.

I think I have reinstalled Blogger commenting correctly. I guess the Haloscan comments are lost to memory. I have them saved in a file, so if some genius figures out how to import them, please let me know.

Shoot me a comment so I know if it is working.

All right, I know the commenting is working, but I am a whore for comments. Help me out anyway, 'K?

I'm in the mood for love...

but not for writing.

I have discovered Holoscan is going away. I have exported my comments, but I have no idea how to get rid of haloscan and how to turn blogger comments back on. Should I use a different service? Can anyone help me with this? I am not very good at the HTML thing.

I feel better

I grabbed a couple hours wink time on the couch. I feel a little better about taking on the day now.

The local news sends out a reporter to cover human interest stories. He was at a bakery that makes nutritious, natural, organic treats for dogs. Whatever. Some people treat their dogs like they are part of the family. If you ant to spend 10 bucks on a dog treat, it is certainly none of my f-ing business. That is just the way I roll.

I do not have a dog anymore. When I did, it was known to eat just about anything -- old used Kleenexes, trash. garbage, Rival dog food, cat food, cat turds from the litter box, a chair, table scraps, bones, a bunk bed, used tampons and pads, grass, old diapers, roadkill, and occasionally his own shit. My dog was not unlike most dogs I have known when it comes to its eating habits. Do we really need to make sure the ingredients in the dog treats are organic and natural?

*#@*&^%

It is Friday, and I am on vacation. I had an unexpected and unwelcome visitor last night. It was my old buddy insomnia. It really pisses a person off to wake at 4:30 in the am when you are supposed to be on vacation. Such is life.

Since I was up, I did manage to find the promo code to preorder tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy in February. Merry Christmas to me, eh?

I changed my work phone message so the customers will not keep calling, put an out of office message on the work email, and checked out some morning news and Sports Center. Not a bad morning's work so far.

It is time to get the boy up for school.

More later.

Random Ramblings

Happy Thursday to you out there in winter wonderland. Baby it is cold outside. Here we find ourselves at Thursday already. Don't you find Thursday as the most worthless day of the week? That is a pretty sad comment on the day named after the el Supremo of Norse gods. Think about it. Monday sucks, we know it and are mentally prepared. Tuesday you hit your stride. Wednesday is hump day, you are almost there. Friday heralds the weekend. Thursday is just an "ughhh, gotta make the donuts" kind of day. I bet if you were to do a survey, Thursday brings more problems to the workplace than any other day. But for me Thursday is not so bad this week. I am on vacation tomorrow, so this is my Friday! As an added bonus, I am off all of next week too. I rolled into December with 8 days of vacation, and it is use 'em or lose 'em where I work. I know, reason 237 you wish you were me.

Did you learn anything from yesterday's post? I knew Cardigan lead the Charge of the Light Brigade, but I did not know he was considered such a piece of crap as a human being. Here is a fun fact for you to nibble on today -- Andrew Jackson's tombstone makes no reference that he ever served as President. Don't look at me that way. You will spring this bit of trivia on someone before the holidays are over.

What, you do not believe me? Imagine yourself at the family gathering. After the ham or turkey is gone everyone is sitting around waiting on the gossip girls to get their act together so the screaming kids can open their presents. There you are, stuck on the couch with Uncle Bruce and Aunt Petunia. You see your Uncle Bruce is wearing a pumpkin-colored cardigan sweater. You have already talked about the weather and if he made good time on the drive up. Conversation is lagging, and you know he is a liberal dipshit from way back, so you do not want to talk politics, and he is rather an effeminate pussy, so a frank discussion on the NFL playoff situation is out. Uncomfortable silence is creeping in.

You shoot from the hip. "Hey, Uncle Bruce, that is a nice sweater you have there. Did you know the cardigan was named after Lord Cardigan, the leader of the famous Charge of the Light Brigade?" He will admit he had no such knowledge. You continue. "I read all about Lord Cardigan at this very interesting, fascinating, and entertaining blog the other day. Apparently the guy was a real piece of work, a real asshole." His wife, bossy Aunt Petunia chimes in, telling you that the conversation is boring her to death. In the past, you would slink off to the kitchen to see if the women needed help with the dishes, or to the garage to grab a beer. Now you can look obnoxious Aunt Petunia and Uncle Bruce right in the eye, and say, "Well, speaking of dying, did you know Andrew Jackson's tombstone makes no reference that he ever served as President?" Game, set and fucking match. You never liked those stuck-up pricks anyway.

See, I am here to help. Speaking of help, I need some. I am usually pretty good with spreadsheets, but I am stymied by the math and formulas on one I am working on (I know, bad grammar).

I have a series of data points that have changed every week. I am tracking a customer's weekly forecast for the past six months. I am looking to see the cumulative change. Let us say there are ten lines. To get the cumulative change do I subtract A10-A9-A8-A7-A6..., or do I use the following format (A2-A1)+(A3-A2)+(A4-A3)...? Or am I completely off base? Remember I am looking to find the cumulative change. Hell, if I get the accurate number does it even matter? All I know is I have been key punching numbers for three days and I just want this spreadsheet to go away.

See, you think this is just random words thrown together by a chimpanzee with a laptop. Instead, we come right around to the work that needs to be done on this cold, dismal Thursday. I ask again, is there a single workday more disheartening than a Thursday?

Legacy

As you may be aware, I like to dabble in the study of history. Every now and then I pick up my well-worn copy of the Wordsworth Dictionary of Military Biography. My paperback version was published in 1997. I have used this reference numerous times and I have gotten far more value from this book than the measly $2.99 I paid.

I opened the book at random last night and read the entry on Lord Cardigan. Here is what I read:

Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of (1797-1868)

Lord Cardigan, one of the most unattractive personalities ever to hold a senior command in the British Army, has gone down in history as the leader of the 'Charge of the Light Brigade'. A man of undoubted physical courage but very few other admirable qualities... (page 44)

Time usually gives us a clear picture of an individual. Admirable and irascible qualities are usually leveled out to give a fairly neutral portrait of a person.

Lord Cardigan must have been an unmitigated asshole. It appears his only redeeming quality was the design of the woolen sweater that still bears his name.

More research into Lord Cardigan shows some similar flaws. According to Wikipedia (always a suspect source), Cardigan was a jerk in his love life:

In 1823, Brudenell fell in love with Mrs. Elizabeth Tollemache Johnstone (8 December 1797 - 15 July 1858). Her husband, Lt.-Col. Christian Johnstone, started divorce proceedings in June 1824 and the divorce was finalised in June 1826. Johnstone was apparently happy to be rid of her, calling her “the most damned bad-tempered and extravagant bitch in the kingdom”. She and Brudenell married on 19 June 1826. It was not a happy marriage; they separated in 1846, and had no children.

After scandalising society by leaving Elizabeth, on 20 September 1858 he married Adeline de Horsey, achieving still greater notoriety as he had been conducting an affair with her as his wife was dying. This, however, was a happy union, notwithstanding the disparity in their ages. Adeline, harshly excluded from fashionable society for the rest of her days, accustomed herself to life in the country while James spent large sums of money making their home together comfortable. Adeline even remained on good terms with James's principal mistress, Maria Marchioness of Ailesbury, and tolerated his other affairs.[3]

In 1841 Cardigan was prosecuted for "cheating" in a duel with one of his former officers. He was accused of using a rifled pistol with a hair trigger. He escaped through a legal technicality.

As a military commander Cardigan routinely court marshalled and reprimanded his officers for petty discrepancies. He once forbade a certain kind of wine in the mess because he thought the bottle was too common.

His blame for the disastrous charge of his Brigade at Balaclava remains controversial. The officer who gave the order to charge died in the attempt, so what Cardigan was told remains a mystery. Eyewitness reports claimed Cardigan fled the field before reaching the Russian guns, an accusation he denied to his death.

A contemporary of Lord Cardigan, Cecil Woodham Smith, described him as follows:

He had in addition to courage another characteristic which impressed itself on all who met him. He was, alas, unusually stupid; in fact [he was] an ass. The melancholy truth was that his glorious golden head had nothing in it.

source

That, my friends, is quite a legacy.

Dear Harry Reid,

I am confused. The Democrats have majority control of the Senate. The Republicans are unable to filibuster or prevent any bill from passing. How can the Republicans be responsible for the failure to pass a Health Insurance bill?

Either you are a liar, or you are not intelligent, or irresponsible on a level unseen in American Politics. Perhaps you are just stupid,brainless, dazed, deficient, dense, dim, doltish, dopey, dull, dumb, foolish, futile, gullible, half-baked, half-witted, idiotic, ill-advised, imbecilic, inane, indiscreet, insensate, irrelevant, laughable, a loser, ludicrous, meaningless, mindless, moronic, naive, nonsensical, obtuse, out to lunch, pointless, puerile, rash, senseless, shortsighted, simple, simpleminded, slow, sluggish, stolid, stupefied, thick, thick-headed, trivial, unintelligent, unthinking, and witless.

Maybe you are historically ignorant and a piece of shit altogether.

Or maybe you just cannot count.

Your Friend,

Hoosierboy

Now this is climate change

Experts agree that in the far distant history of this small blue planet we call Earth, huge chunks of the surface were covered with ice. Some even estimate these giant sheets of ice (glaciers) extended at times as far south as the equater. I would guess that the surface temperature was pretty cold.

Eventually all if that ice melted. Something caued the Earth temperature to change dramatically over time. I am pretty sure it was not the activities of man. Evil SUVs and coal-burning plants did not cause the ice sheets to receed.

Right here in the rustbelt, ice covered the landscape. According to Wikipedia,the last ice age brought ice sheets below 45 degree of latitude. This galciation occured 26,000 to 13,000 years ago. Experts refer to this time as the Wisconsin Glaciation.

This Wisconsin glaciation left widespread impacts on the North American landscape. The Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes were carved by ice deepening old valleys. Most of the lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin were gouged out by glaciers and later filled with glacial meltwaters. The old Teays River drainage system was radically altered and largely reshaped into the Ohio River drainage system. Other rivers were dammed and diverted to new channels, such as the Niagara, which formed a dramatic waterfall and gorge, when the waterflow encountered a limestone escarpment. Another similar waterfall, at the present Clark Reservation State Park near Syracuse, New York, is now dry.

The area from Long Island to Nantucket was formed from glacial till, and the plethora of lakes on the Canadian Shield in northern Canada can be almost entirely attributed to the action of the ice. As the ice retreated and the rock dust dried, winds carried the material hundreds of miles, forming beds of loess many dozens of feet thick in the Missouri Valley. Isostatic rebound continues to reshape the Great Lakes and other areas formerly under the weight of the ice sheets.

-- source

This ice was estimated to be 1.8 to 2.5 miles thick. I am no scientist, but if I understand chemistry at all, it would take a bit of warming to melt that much ice.

So here is my question,Copenhagers, if Nature managed to change the temperature in the past, what makes you so convinced man is responsible now? How can you justify your draconian proposals to limit and change my standard of living? Tell me agian the whole issue is not about social engineering.

You are killing the Earth, you bastard

Quit breathing. You are poisoning the planet. You are major pollutant. CO2 is a contributor to the coming mini-ice age, global warming, fuck it, let's call it climate change so we will always be right. The EPA is going to drastically change the way you live. Not to make our air more clean, but to advance a certain social policy. That it may wreck the economy, destroy your standard of living is just the point. The socialists in charge do not care about science, about reason, about anything but their agenda. It is about power. It is about people who think they know more than you. It is about punishing the rich, and redistribution of wealth. It is about bringing down the wealthy, even if it means giving up American Sovereignty.

There is no science that proves man has caused climate change. Consensus is not science.

If you hearken back to your days when you studied biology, you might remember that plants "breath" CO2. If we reduce Carbon emissions, then plant life will not thrive. These same alarmists cry about global hunger, yet try to regulate and destroy the very mechanism that encourages plants to grow and reproduce.

This stuff is not that hard. Logic will always win the day. This is about money, control and power. Nothing more.

December 7

To the Congress of the United States

Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with the government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleagues delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

This morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, Dec. 7, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

Franklin Roosevelt

Weekend Funny

George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth, and Vladimir Putin all die and go to hell.
While there, they spy a red phone and ask what the phone is for. The
devil tells them it is for calling back to Earth.

Putin asks to call Russia and talks for 5 minutes. When he was finished
the devil informs him that the cost is a million dollars, so Putin
writes him a check.

Next Queen Elizabeth calls England and talks for 30 minutes. When she
was finished the devil informs her that cost is 6 million dollars, so
Queen Elizabeth writes him a check.

Finally George W. Bush gets his turn and talks for 4 hours. When he was
finished the devil informed him that there would be no charge for the
call and feel free to call the USA anytime.

When Putin hears this he goes ballistic and asks the devil why Bush got
to call the USA free. The devil replied, "Since Obama became president
of the USA , the country has gone to hell, so naturally it's a local
call."


h/t my big brother

We know who you are

I do not think even The Obama's most ardent supporters will deny that the President's political philosophy is liberal. His policies are true children of the 1960's. No matter how much personal contact they may have had, Obama has clearly read and admired William Ayres and his radical ideas. He is following the teachings of Saul Alinsky and the political strategies of Cloward and Piven (at least some of his "Czars" are).

For those who were alive, or studied the history of the times, no single person embodied all that was wrong with America (according to the 1960's radicals) than Richard Nixon. Tricky Dick was vilified and hated long before Watergate. Even as the name of George W. Bush creates an almost visceral hatred among those of the liberal stripe, Nixon evoked even stronger emotions.

Now, we have the darling of the Left, the last hope for a compassionate America, He who will return America to respect, He who will reduces the seas, and lower the temperature across the fruited plains (his claim, not mine), He who will give health care to us all, adopting Richard Nixon's very strategy for prosecuting the war in Vietnam, as his own in Afghanistan. Yes, my friends, Obama has become Nixon.

Nixon instituted a policy in Vietnam that can be be described as a "do not lose the war" policy. We certainly did not try to win. And if you listened to The Obama's speech earlier this week you did not hear the words win or victory. In fact, you heard about winning the hearts and minds and getting out of the place. After the speech a single image continued to creep forward in my brain; that of the Marine helicopters circling the American Embassy in Saigon in April of 1975. Do you remember what happened in May and June of 1975 in Saigon and the former South Vietnam? Those who supported the Americans were rounded up and shot by the patient North Vietnamese.

What support can we expect in Afghanistan going forward when we have a;ready announced to our enemies our intentions? Like visitors who stay too long, we are reaching for our coats and telling those last jokes. Our hosts know they can hold our for a little longer. Already the Taliban are starting a whispering campaign among the villages and warlords -- we know who is with us, and who is supporting the Americans.

Obama says we will be gone in 18 months. The Taliban can wait. They have been fighting this war for centuries. A year and a half is nothing to people who are looking forward from the Seventh Century.

Obama, our man in charge. He has the leadership skills of Jimmah Carter. He has adopted the economic strategies of Herbert Hoover. He is trying give us the guns and butter policies of LBJ. Obama is adopting the battlefield tactics of Nixon. I will not be surprised if we see a return to price and wage controls when inflation creeps into the economy.

It has been said we do not know who Obama is. We do. He is the embodiment of every negative aspect of the worst Presidents we have elected. Silent Cal, where are you?

Do do do doo

I had a root beer and a baked potato for breakfast. I slathered the spud in sour cream and butter. Do you think I really care if you approve?

Perhaps I spent too much time alone this week, windshield and hotel time leave the brain open for thought. How about this scenario for a Sci-Fi tale or movie? Feel free to flesh it out, just toss a little credit my way.

A secret cabal of powerful politicians is intent on creating a one-world Government. They know that for a certain segment of the global population this will be a difficult task -- namely the pesky Americans. They succeed in getting their man elected, in spite of his apparent lack of qualifications. They create a run on the American financial system, leading to a takeover of the banks and various essential industries. The wheels are put into motion to destroy the capitalistic base of the American economic system. The Government is poised to enact stringent laws that will affect energy, medicine and additional crisis are planned to allow Government control over every aspect of our lives.

Fake scientific reports are created to convince the people that business, industry, petroleum and the Western way of life are endangering the planet, that we will die if radical changes are not enacted.

In spite of the cabal's best efforts,the American people rebel. They stand up and say no. Decades of work by the secret power brokers is in danger. They dream up a fake health scare. For years they have prepared the public for the aspect of mutating viruses, killer germs, and epidemics of massive, deadly proportions. A new disease is created, the media is fed reports of large-scale deaths, even though the numbers do not back up the fear mongering. We are told that if we do not get this "killer" disease under control, untold numbers of kids and elderly will die -- a modern bubonic plague.

Just in the nick of time, the Government comes up with a vaccine! We are saved. Every school child is encouraged to get vaccinated, the teachers and health workers and police and military are given first crack at this new wonder drug that will save us all. The young adults are next. Those from 20 to 50 are vaccinated. By coincidence, these are the ones who could have made up the armies to fight tyranny and oppression.

Unknown to us all, included in the vaccine is a secret mind-altering drug. When the leaders of the various nations speak to us in frequent public speeches, code words are used that activate the secret drugs within the vaccine. The drugs brainwash those who have taken the vaccine to accept and believe the words of the leaders....

I cannot concentrate to finish the story. Black helicopters are hovering around the house and black Escalades and Tahoe SUVs are erupting with armed men. The Government is after someone in the neighborhood....

On an unrelated note, have you gotten your H1N1 vaccination yet?

It did not work the first time, so let us try it again

I read in the paper this morning that Pelosi,that economic genius, wants to improve the unemployment situation by giving another stimulus to cities and towns to build "shovel-ready" infrastructure projects and to hire teachers, firemen, and public servants (all of whom just happen to be union employees!).

1. Isn't that what the last stimulus was supposed to do?
2. I love firemen, policemen, and especially teachers. We cannot possibly hire enough of these wonderful professionals to reduce the unemployment ranks in any significant manner.
3. None of these ideas create jobs. The only way to significantly create jobs is to create an environment that encourages a businesses to hire.

GuyK has harped on this for a long time. I even tried to make some of you economically challenged folks understand. I will try again. Businesses do not exist to provide jobs. They are in business to make money. Profit is not a dirty thing. Profit allows a company to buy new equipment, buildings and do the research and development that increases sales. Profit is what allows the business to hire people. When faced with increasing taxes and regulatory costs, businesses will not hire additional personnel. They will reduce the ranks of their workers to make a profit.

On the other hand, the Government produces nothing. It cannot create revenue without confiscating it from another source. Government workers, including teachers, firemen, and policemen do not create wealth. They do not create profit. They do nothing but add cost to government. By the same token I am also mere overhead to my company. I add no direct profit to the bottom line. Like the firemen, I am a cost for the company. We may both be essential (I hope), but in the end we are just costs.

I am always amazed that we elect leaders that have so little understanding of how businesses work. Perhaps, when your entire life consists of spending other people's money with no repercussions, you lose a little perspective.

It is time, my friends

Good morning blog world. I am transmitting to you from a secret remote location.

the rocking chair is red.

John needs his diaper changed

Storm clouds are churning

I spent the day yesterday in the Michiana area and then proceeded slightly SE to my current hideout. It is very much like a fort. Even if your name was Tony, you would be mad to try and determine my current whereabouts. Just ignore the code phrases above if they were not meant for you.

Rest easy, my followers, I will be back on station -- and on vacation-- on Friday.

Feel free to ignore this silly post.

the fox is in the hen house
the bucket has been upturned
I repeat, the bucket has been upturned

At your peril....

Don't worry Afghanistan Terrorists, we will be gone soon. Unless you want to give up before we leave.

I did not serve in the military. What I know about guerrilla warfare and counter-insurgency I learned from watching John Wayne in The Green Berets and reading books by Richard Marchenko. But I was gifted with a little common sense.

If the Generals say we need more troops on the ground in Afghanistan, I am all for it. They know their business. But the nonsense about pulling out in 18 months is pure idiocy. It demonstrates a complete ignorance of human psychology, history, and war. Didn't the Clown-in-Chief even read the Cliff Notes version of Clausewitz (I read the whole thing)?

Let us look at it a different way. Say you are skinny kid with big ears and a funny name who just moved to the hood from Hawaii or Jakarta or who knows where. The local bully decides he is going to make you whipping boy. He declares he will smack you around every day for 18 days. You can put up with just about anything for 18 days, you can avoid him and hide at least half the time. What makes The Obama think they Taliban and other assorted evil ragheads won't bide their time in Pakistan, or the mountains of Wiziristan until we get tired of the game, or 18 months passes and go home? In chorus now -- that is what they will do.

Maybe you are the terrified high school girl alone in the spooky house. You keep finding blood dripping on the walls. The electricity goes out. You are terrified. The phone rings. "hello" you say. You hear deep breathing and a sinister laugh. "I am going to kill you" a deep raspy voice whispers in the phone. "But I have to leave in 18 minutes."

You cannot put a timetable on war. You fight until you win. You do everything in your power to win (The idiotic rules of engagement are another matter). It is a good thing the Powers In Charge did not put a three year time-table on WWII, Hitler would have hit us hard in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) and we would have taken our ball and gone home. Maybe someone should brief the Commie bastards about Vietnam. At least someone should give Obama a copy of Stephen Coonts' Flight of the Intruder.

With all of the cries about GW's incompetence, he is starting to look sharp beside this guy. Hell, Carter is starting to look good.

And I will tell you another thing...

Gotdamn Obama is going to pre-empt Charlie F-ing Brown tonight.

I ain't happy about it.

Afghanistan is important. So is the economy. I guess we need to discuss health care, since every time The Obama opens his mouth about health care the public hates the idea even more.

But we are talking about missing the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. You know, where the kid in the upper right corner of the dance party in the school auditorium dances so cool. Where Linus tells us the true meaning of Christmas. Remember Pig Pen and Schroeder and the puny Christmas tree? That Charlie Brown?

Thanks for making my life even more miserable, Mr. President.

Urgent update

I was hungry this morning. I threw together some tuna salad and slapped a bit on some white bread. I washed it down with a root beer. Other than those boring and mundane details, I have nothing.

h/t otter

Quick hit Monday

In NFL news, if the Colts were not already in the Houston Texan's heads, another come-from-behind victory by Indianapolis yesterday will make the Texans feel there is nothing they can do to beat Indianapolis.

You may love the Colts or hate them, but is there any lead that is safe at halftime against Manning and Company?

A bad offensive line, a defense that scares no one, coupled with many bad decisions at the QB position equal a really bad Bears team.

Tonight we will see just how good the 'Ain'ts really are. So far this season, the NFC has been poor competition when matched with teams from the AFC.

Samedi

Good morning readers. I hope this crisp fall morning finds your bellies full and your wallets lighter. I got both of the wife's Christmas trees up yesterday and the boy and I finished decorating outside by putting a swirl of lights around the weird fruit tree.

The wife did something she has never done before; braved the Black Friday morning crowds. She was after a big-ticket item at WalMart. She got there around 4 in the am and still missed out. She learned her lesson. She found the same item (different brand) elsewhere for 50 bucks more Friday evening. She told me there were people running for the opportunity to stand in line to get $2 towels. They are usually $3. Yes, that is a big savings, but how many towels are you going to buy? Is it worth it to get up in the middle of the night to save a Hamilton? I do not get it. Many years ago I braved the midnight lines and pushed and shoved to get my boy the coveted Power Rangers toys he wanted. The only reason the wife even made the attempt was the savings were so large.

The wife told me that the store had a 50 inch LCD flatscreen TV for $500. I told her if she loved me she would have skipped buying stuff for everyone else on her list this year and snagged me one of those. Once again, we had a difference in opinion. I tell you that woman will not see reason.

It is supposed to warm up into the upper 50s today. Maybe I will be able to get outside and enjoy a cigar this afternoon. I bet a certain female in this house has a list of projects for me to work on instead. Are there any bets on who gets their way?

Friday Covers

In honor of Black Friday and opening day of the Christmas shopping season, we will look at the classic tune Money. Most of us of acertain age associate the song with the Aninal House Soundtrack:



The Beatles did a version:




Here is a live version from The Doors:



Finally, here is the Barrett Strong original:



Money, I need Money. I bet you do too.

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks to those of you who take time out of their day to visit this old blog. You have no idea what your visits and comments mean to me. Thank you.

Now, what are you doing surfing the interwebz? Go eat!

rambling on

It is day three without coffee. that makes four out of the last five days. I am feeling queasy and a bit mean. It is a good thing I work alone.

What? You with your hand up, what is your question? Oh, no reason. It just did not sound good when I woke up.

I did scramble some eggs about an hour ago. i threw in a little cheese to get all melty at the end. I had a tall glass of milk too.

I am not ready for Thanksgiving. I have to make some desserts for the various meals we will be attending. I have to make something for my oldest son to take to a gathering on Friday. Who expects a college kid to bring food? He can't cook. I will make up something on Thursday before we head off to the families that he can take on Friday. Sometimes I wonder about people. I could tell him to just go pick up a pie at the store.

I am trying hard to wind down the work week early today. So far the phone has not cooperated.

Back Home Again

Around 200 years ago the first of my ancestors moved into North Central Indiana. They found a heavily forested land -- flat with rich black soil. They cleared the trees and worked the land.

Today, a vast majority of the Hoosierboy clan still lives in the area. I am not sure where exactly, but the original homestead was likely within ten miles of where I took this picture Monday.

Not only can you see the filthy dash of my sporty Taurus, but you can see that Kansas has nothing on Central Indiana when it comes to a view. If you look close you can see some massive grain elevators in the distance. Yep, Cappy, you can store a lot grain in those babies.

Dear Evan Bayh

You have been a fixture of Indiana politics for years. As Governor of Indiana you administered from a fairly conservative position, as you know Hoosiers are a conservative people. You are now in your 11th year as a Senator.

To date, your voting record is liberal. Somewhere along the line you forgot your conservative values. You seem to think you are in Washington to represent the Democrat Party. You could not be more wrong.

With an election looming next year you are suddenly a moderate. Perhaps you remembered that your father was booted out of his Senate seat when he forgot to represent the people. Good old Birch thought he was a Senator-for-life until Danny-boy Quayle, of all people, defeated him. Senator Bayh, do not be so sure the same fate does not await you next fall.

It is pretty convenient that your local office and Washington office phone lines are always busy. Somehow, I do not think the switchboard is overloaded with calls encouraging you to vote for the Healthcare bill or Cap and Trade.

Come on Evan, have the courage to vote for the people of Indiana, not the Democrat Party. Many of us are tested at one moment in our lives. Our courage is measured, our mettle tested. This is your moment. Just vote no.

It has been said that the US Senate is a chamber of 100 would-be Presidents. You have never disguised your ambition. You have always lacked the national attention to get that brass ring. Standing for what is right will get you the fame and exposure you crave. Who knows? I do know this, losing your Senate seat by toeing the Party line will not get you elected to a higher office.

Your Friend,

Hoosierboy.

I am pissed too

What he said at this link. Go ahead and read it here.

Tell either of us where he is wrong. Last chance to click the link

I took great pains to present a logical (my mistake) argument that this whole health care bullshit is un-Constitutional. I was promised a rebuttal, instead I got the same old name calling. I am not surprised, logic trumps emotion every time.

Monday Musings

I hope you had a good weekend. I did. We went and saw that new Sandra Bullock flick on Friday -- The Blind Side. Go see it, it rates a big Hoosierboy thumbs up.

Saturday we went to some friends house to play some cards and eat some pizza. Sunday we hung Christmas lights. It was a nice day, little wind and warm for late November (mid- fifties) and sunny. The boy helped me put up the lights and the wife arranged the wreaths etc. I missed watching the Colts game, but I heard snippets on the radio while I was working outside.

Last year, when I went to put up my lights almost every strand of the outside lights failed to work. I am sure you remember that minutiae, since a truly devoted fan reads the archives at least every month, and I know most of you keep a log of my activities in an effort to be more like me. I get it. Anyway I made the trek to WalMart to grab new lights and remembering the lessons of Boy Scouts, I bought a few extra boxes (be, be , be prepared is the motto of the Boy Scout, come on sing along). Of course, as often happens three strings did not work properly. You spend good money to buy Chinese electronics and 30% of the products are bad. Go figure.

Since I have a hard and fast rule about turning on my Christmas lights before Thanksgiving, you will have to wait for a picture a few days. I know... Plus the wife now thinks I need to put lights on the cherry/crab apple (not sure which -- the fruit is inedible), so you want to wait to see the whole thing when it is finished.

Happy Monday.

Weekend Funny

Weekend Funny

Friday Covers

Lets jump into the the wayback machine to the 1980's: big hair, ankle warmers and this:


I think we all remember Pat Benatar's more popular version:


Bring me home Mr. Turtle...

America needs Obamacare like Nancy Pelosi needs a Halloween mask.

Q: Have you heard about McDonalds new Obama Value Meal?

A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay for it.

Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and a penitentiary?

A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society. The other is for housing prisoners.

If Pelosi, Reid, Kerry and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it sank, who would be saved? .....
America!

If Nancy Pelosi has her face lifted one more time she'll have a beard!



Check out this post from my man MTS. It is hilarious.

Healthcare -- the debate goes on.

Below is a long counterpoint I have offered in what I believe is a very good dialogue over at Cosmic Navel Lint. I post it here only because my comment is so lengthy. Please read this post and the comments, then this post. I know you do not like to click links, but I think you will find the arguments interesting.

Before I begin my counterpoint, I want to be clear that I do believe there are issues in our current healthcare system. I do believe we need some reform. Where we disagree is what shape that reform should take.

To Erin’s example, people sometimes do not get the treatment they need. It happens, even though it shouldn’t. If the Doctor in question was a true practitioner of his Oath, he would have helped the patient. Again, while not the best solution, the emergency room was available.

To your point regarding the Harvard study. The report acknowledges that part of the results could be that the hospitals and care were unequal, that it may have little or nothing to do with the availability of insurance:

The hospitals that treat them also could have fewer resources.

"Those hospitals tend to be financially strapped, not have the same level of staffing, not have the same level of surgeons and testing and equipment,""That also is likely a major contributor."

Again, it should not be that way. If we spent ½ of the proposed spending to provide insurance for all on upgrading the healthcare infrastructure those result would very well change.

You discuss in detail the denial of coverage by HMOs. You might be aware that HMOs were the brainchild of Ted Kennedy and designed as the 1970s version of reducing the cost of health care in the US. We also have numerous examples of those who are covered under Government Healthcare in Briton, France, and Canada who come to the US for care because they are denied coverage, or the wait times are too long. So let is not pretend those issues will disappear under the current proposals. For those of you who think care will improve under a Government plan, look at the Breast Cancer screening recommendations issued by the Government this weekend. The report allows that by changing screening recommendations 1 in 1.900 women will develop untreated breast cancer. However you do the math, that equals anywhere from 30,000 to 50,000 American women per year. But we save a few bucks! The reality is every system will have cracks and denial of service. Let us not pretend otherwise.

As far as the numbers of uninsured, that 40 million number is not even accepted by the White House any more. There are some, like Brook that fall into the category that needs to be addressed. I have been in the same situation. When out of work I could not afford the COBRA payments. It is tough to wake every day praying that your kids do not get sick. I think there is a way to help those people. I have stated so at my site many tomes. I have no issue with vouchers or even a plan to help those who have pre-existing conditions or portability issues etc. I just do not think we need to throw out the baby with the bath water.

We agree the cost of healthcare is too high. You maintain it is because of the HMO/Insurance companies. I ask you, which is more efficient, a company beholden to stockholders and owners or a Government entity with no reason to hold down costs? If we were to open the health care insurance industry to intrastate competition costs would go down. We have evidence in the reduction of premiums when the auto insurance industry was deregulated. If we can strip the onerous requirements applied by the states we could also reduce the costs. For example New Jersey insists all insurance plans cover the cost of hair transplants. I should not be forced to have that coverage if I do not want it. I should not be forced to pay for that coverage just because New Jersey says I should (Yes I know this will be contradicted later, but I am demonstrating how costs could be reduced with out the Government providing health care).

I completely disagree with your Ford Pinto example. If you remember as the reports of exploding Pintos hit the news, sales of the vehicle plummeted. In fact, even after the redesign Ford was forced to abandon the platform. The free market would have accomplished the same as Federal regulations. Do you really think the engineers at Ford purposely designed a dangerous car? Do you believe all corporations are inherently evil? I have more faith in my fellow man. Yes, the examples of corporate greed are legion, but usually a good person will step in and blow the whistle. Governments are also capable of unspeakable evil – we can find examples from Hitler’s Germany to the Tuskegee Airmen to Agent Orange.

You believe the Constitution is an outdated Georgian artifact. I see it as a reflection of true genius. It contains the means to change the Supreme Law of the land. It is adaptable to modern times. I challenge you to show me one case where it is not applicable to today’s society. I, and a majority of Americans (see any number of polls that shows Americans are primarily conservative) believe in a limited Federal Government. You might argue that such a form of Government does not allow for universal health care (And by the way, quoting Keynes is not a good way to convince me; his economics caused the Great Depression to extend by many years). You are right; the founders did not envision women voting etc. But they planned for it with Article V. I stick to my original point; the purpose of the Constitution was a Federal Government with limited powers. You cannot dispute that fact. The 9th and 10th Amendments leave such issues as healthcare to the States. You may not like that Government Design, but you can always create a new Constitutional Convention, or propose and ratify an Amendment granting such powers to the Federal Government. Again, you have not shown where my Constitutional argument falls short, other than “well, Hoose, it shouldn’t be that way”. If you can show me where the Constitution is antiquated and does not fit with today's World, please show me. The fact it does not allow for a strong Federal Government only proves my point -- that was its intention.

I am unclear how another individual’s inability to buy insurance is reason enough to force me to pay for my own insurance should I not want it. You might argue that we are forced to buy auto insurance. I would offer these counter arguments:

1. We are forced to cover the “other guy”, not ourselves or our own vehicle.
2. Driving is a privilege, not a right
3. The requirement for auto insurance and the levels of coverage are State mandates, not Federal mandates. If the individual States want to create a universal healthcare system, I have no issues. In fact, several states have such a plan (Massachusetts, Tennessee, etc.)

Let us follow your logic. You cannot deny that basic housing and food is even more important than health care. Why is there no cry for universal basics of life provision? Sure, I wish everyone on earth had a nice house in the suburbs, three square meals a day, a big screen TV and chocolate cake on their birthday. Wouldn’t that be grand? But nowhere is there a Universal Right to take forcefully what is mine and give it to someone else.

Life is not fair. Some are born stronger, faster, smarter, and healthier. By weakening the strong, slowing the speedy we do not advance the human race. By offering an equal opportunity to succeed to best of our abilities we open the World to freedom, to prosperity, to happiness. Will some fall short of these lofty goals, sadly yes? Should we offer a hand up when our fellow man see hard times? Most Americans would agree. But there is a big difference between a hand up and hand out.

The United States has spent trillions of dollars since LBJ declared his war on poverty. More than forty years later exactly the same percentages of Americans live below the poverty level. The only difference is now we have generations living on welfare, the family structure is in disarray and living conditions for many are worse than they were in 1966. Is that a shame? Absolutely. Do I have the answers? No. But I do think it is clear that big government solutions are not the answer. As I have asked many times in the past, besides the basic duties outlined in the Constitution (defense, interstate commerce, printing currency, etc.) is there anything the Government does better than the private sector? No one has yet given me an answer.

We need a laugh on a rainy day

The hospital called the cell to inform him that his wife had been
involved in an accident. The man told the doctor to inform his wife
where he was and that he'd be
there as soon as possible. As he hung up he realized he was leaving what
was shaping up to be his best ever round of golf.

He decided to get in a couple of more holes before heading to the
hospital. He ended up playing all eighteen, finishing his round shooting
a personal best 61, shattering the club record by five strokes and
beating his previous best game by more than 10. He was jubilant....

Then he remembered his wife. Feeling guilty he dashed to the hospital.
He saw the doctor in the corridor and asked about his wife's condition.

The doctor glared at him and shouted, "You went ahead and finished your
round of golf didn't you!" "I hope you're proud of yourself!"

"While you were out for the past four hours enjoying yourself at the
country club your wife has been languishing in the ICU!" "It's just as
well you went ahead and finished that round because it will be more than
likely your last! For the rest of her life she will require round the
clock care and you will be her care giver! She will need IV's; you will
have to change her colostomy bag every 3 hours; she will have to be
spoon fed 3 times a day and don't forget the hygiene care."

The man was feeling so guilty he broke down and sobbed..

The doctor snickered and said, "I'm just messing with you. She's dead.
What'd you shoot?"

Monday Grab Bag

Did you sty up and watch Sunday Night Football last night? Wow. What other coach in the world would go for it on fourth and two at you own 27 yard line? the football gods hate arrogance and the evil Patriots paid the price.

Remember when I posted about my daughter proudly buying her first car a few months back. She loves her little Jetta. She cleans it every week and will not even eat in the car.

Yesterday an 85 year old man pulled right into the side of her car. She said she was on a busy road and she was one of many cars and he just drove into her. She is spitting mad. Luckily she is not hurt. She said she sat there and called the cops, some witnesses came over to see if she was Ok. The old man just sat in his car. She finally went over and tapped on his window. After she got him to roll it down she said "hey you just hit me". He said "where did you come from?"

Her car had to be towed. He hit hard enough to push her across the other lane and into a parking lot. I have long maintained you should not be allowed to drive until you are 18, and that after 70 you should be tested every two years.

In other boring news you do not care about, I raked the leaves Saturday, then I went with the wife to buy a few Christmas gifts. The holidays will be light this year, and maybe we can avoid going at the last minute like we usually do.

Help me Rhonda

Some of you think I resemble Forrest Gump -- not a smart man. So could some of you liberal-IloveObama-types explain something for me?

How is it possible, or even make sense, to offer enemy combatants a trial in US Courts (New York!)? Why are we offering foreign nationals, who have waged war and committed terrorist acts against our Nation, the protections of the US Constitution? These terrorists are not even covered under the rules of the Geneva Conventions (legally we could have executed them on the spot).

Here is another 'splain this Lucy observation I made earlier this week. Nealy every 'conservative' leaning blog I visited had a comment or post dedicated to Veteran's Day. Check out the liberal blogs. Did any of them even mention the Holiday? Did you notice? Draw your own conclusions.

Weekend Funny

How Pumpkin Pie is made

Free Advice Friday

On occasion I like to go slumming and read liberal blogs. I never cease to be amazed at some of the garbage they spew. Lately, Some of them have been fixated on Fox News. For people who generally take a condescending, I am so much smarter than you tone, these people are either idiots, ignorant, or outright dissemblers of truth.

let me try to set you straight, oh narrow minded ones ( and let me interject that it is not necessary for your to parrot the White House and Daily Kos in every post -- think for yourselves). I will type this slowly so you can follow me. There is news and there is opinion. News is facts. Opinion is commentary and interpretation of those facts.

The front page of your local paper is usually news. The page called Editorials or Opinion is not news. Shows where people of various political stripes offer their interpretation of the events of the day are opinion shows. They are not news reports.

Hannity is opinion. beck is opinion. In the same vein Rush, and Olbermann are both opinion shows. Maddow and Matthews are not news. O'Reilly is not news and neither are the Sunday shows.

If you condemn Fox as not being a news network you should also refuse to read your local paper, it also has opinions. If you are anything but raving lunatics you would be up in arms at MSNBC, the liberal version of Fox -- when it comes to its opinion shows.

You are likely to point out that on occasion the anchors of the news portion of Fox show their bias. yes they do. I suggest you spend some time looking into the actions, words and deeds of the "mainstream media". You remember "Fake but accurate" Dan Rather. Cronkite's lies regarding Tet, blowing up the trucks when they did not roll on 20/20, etc., etc., etc...

Take a little advice from the old Hoosierboy fellas. Get off that high horse, it shows your ass.

Friday Covers

This week we are are going to again look at a Beatles song and some interesting covers.



Here is Evan Rachel Wood doing a beautiful version from the Across the Universe Soundtrack:


CSN put some terrific harmonies into their version:


You have to give it to the original, but these other versions also reflect the beauty of the ballad from the White Album.

A pot of chili, the hand of God, and me

Part One. I made a pot of chili Monday night. I am not fond of the stuff (beans), but the wife loves it. She has a serious case of acid reflux or maybe even an ulcer. If she eats spicy foods she is up vomiting all night. She is a stubborn mule and will not go to the doctor. I made the chili deliberately mild, to the point she complained I did not put in enough spice.

Part Two. Our alarm clock is an old digital model we have had for at least twenty years. It has never failed. It has two alarm settings. Alarm 1 I never change, that is the time I get up. I set alarm 2 for unusual needs, like a two hour delay of school etc.

Part Three. I get up every morning at 6:14 am to wake the boy for school. I wake the wife at 6:50 so she can get ready for work. Often I go back to sleep after I get her up for a quick half-hour power nap before I start my long commute to the spare bedroom to work.

Part Four. In spite of the mildness of the chili, the wife was up sick all night. When she was not in the bathroom, she was tossing and turning and keeping me awake. When the alarm went off Tuesday morning, I was tired and grumpy. I had stayed up late Sunday night, then got very little sleep Monday night. I woke the boy. When I woke the wife I was looking forward to a little make-up sleep. She said she did not know if she was going to work since she still did not feel good. She did not get up. I woke he again about five minutes later. She said again she did not know if she was getting up or not. So I ask myself, am I supposed to keep waking her or not? Who knows? She has to call in if she is not going. I want to go back to bed, but I can't until she makes up her mind.

I wake her a third time. Again I ask if she is getting up. again no definite answer. I tell her to go, don't go, just take a decision. I tell her I am tired of waking her. This pisses her off. She decides she is not working and goes back to bed.

I power nap on the couch for about 20 minutes. I have to leave for Michiana later Tuesday morning. She mentions she set the alarm and is going in 1/2 day. She is still mad at me because I was irritated at her indecision. Whatever.

Part Five. I woke with a start Wednesday morning. It is 6:16, two minutes after the alarm is supposed to go off. WTF? I check the alarm, yes it is on. I check the time -- the wife had changed Alarm 1! It is a miracle I am awake. I get up the boy. When it is time to wake the wife I tell her it was the hand of God who woke me up in time this morning. I am in a good mood because in spite of a potential disaster I woke on time. I ask her why she changed the main alarm? She said it was closer to her. I point out the buttons to set Alarm 1 and Alarm 2 are less than 1/2 inch apart. She points out I should have known she would change Alarm 1, and it is my fault we nearly overslept.

A smart guy would have dropped it. You may have noticed if you read here much that I have a need to prove I am right at times -- like when I am.

I told her we NEVER have changed Alarm 1 once it is set. She said she is tired of me being an asshole every morning.

I now double check the time is correct on the alarm clock every night before I go to sleep.

That is how a pot of chili and the hand of God combined to put me into the doghouse.

Thank You

Thank you to all current members of the Military and veterans for your sacrifices so I can enjoy the freedoms of America.










In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

Today's stupidest comment

We all have our opinions on the Second Amendment.

Some opinions are so over the top I am not sure how to comment:

e. My heart goes out to the victims of the Fort Hood and Orlando shootings and their loved ones. Senseless, senseless incidents. I will not go quietly into the night on this one. America needs to do something about idiots with handguns. How many more Fort Hoods and Orlandos do there have to be before our political leaders have the guts to severely restrict access to murderous weapons?

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/peter_king/11/08/mmqb/4.html#ixzz0WOTF9YOd

There is no one who speaks better about football than Peter King. He should stick to sports. Even the most anti-gun kook can't believe that banning guns on a military base makes sense.

Monday's rant

Mainstream Muslims(if there is such an animal) have gone to great pains to tell us the suicide bombers and terrorists and Taliban-type followers of the teachings of Mohamed do not represent the true nature of Islam. Every time a Muslim male between the ages of 18 and 40 decides, in the name of Allah, to blow a pizza parlor or a disco, to fly planes into a building, to bomb an Embassy or hotel, to put an explosive into an airliner or bus or train station, to drive a TNT-loaded speedboat into a Navy ship, to attack a school, etc., etc., etc., we are told that they do not represent Islam. Yet every time one of these Islamic-fascists, who we are told are not really Muslims, does a depraved act of barbarous terrorism, we see thousands of what I guess are non-true-adherents cheering and partying in the streets?

Why is it when a Muslim soldier rolls a grenade into a tent, or murders a baker's dozen (and wounds 30 more) we are offered the excuse of he did not want to fight Muslims. We are told that this is not a war against Islam. Our Government has told us that repeatedly. We are told that we are at war against terrorist organizations and regimes who want to do us harm. That these people are all followers of Islam is a tragic coincidence. In mosques around the country we are assured that Islam is not at war with the culture of the West. If this is so, then why is it always offered as a lame excuse that "he did not want to kill other Muslims"?

In previous wars Catholics did not declare they could not fight Germans or Italian Catholics and shoot up their fellow soldiers. Americans with Italian and German heritage felt no qualms about shouldering an M1 and heading for the shores of France or Italy. Yet for some reason we are supposed to accept that for a certain segment of the population it is OK to take Uncle Sam's dollar and decide later who you want ot fight. That it is acceptable to kill as many people as possible who may not agree with your decision. Somehow we have come to a position in this society where we can have post traumatic stress disorder before we even get the stress. Should we call this pre-traumatic stress disorder?

Here is what I think, there are people who put their religion first. Quakers feel strongly about the Ten Commandments and do not enter the military. Many Americans put their religion first. But it is unacceptable to put your religion first if you join the military. In today's armed forces the brave men and women who serve do so voluntarily. There is no draft. When Major Hasan took the oath to protect America from all enemies, both Foreign and Domestic, that oath did not say "unless they are Muslim".

Maybe it is time we faced facts and admitted the truth. There is no compromise between those of us who love freedom and those who believe in Shari'a Law. There is no compromise between those of us who love freedom and the teachings of goat herding pedophile from the 7th Century. Islam is at war with us, whether we like it or not. The sooner we face that unpleasant fact the better off we will be.