I have questions

Why is it that the Republicans have to compromise with the Democrats?  Why don't the Senate Democrats compromise to the House of Representative's position? The media would have you believe it is the Republicans being recalcitrant. It is Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats who refuse to accommodate the American people -- after all there are more elected Republicans at the Federal level than Democrats. Public polling shows the public wants ObamaCare gone or at least reformed in significant ways (choose any poll you like, they all agree). Americans want the Feds to spend less money, but the Democrats refuse to pass a budget.

I say shut the f-er down. Stand firm, see who blinks.

I know, the Stupid Party will cave. The leadership has no backbone. I suspect I am not alone when I tell you this crisis is an audition of sorts for the Republican Party. My votes future support and donations are at stake. Do they want to be the party of conservative values, of limited government or do they want to be Democrat-lites and moderates?

Twenty

Join me in wishing my youngest son best wishes for a happy 20th birthday today. Yes, long time readers, the little one is twenty years old!

Hooray! Woot!

Forget that boring crap below, I have breaking news of the best kind! 

There was Wonder Bread at the store today! Queue up the marching band! Use more exclamation points!

Ch-ch-changes

I am certain it is fair to say I have been a faithful correspondent at this blog. I make no claims as to quality, but I have presented you with quantity. I have averaged about 40 posts a month since the last week of March 2005 (102 months and 4,230 posts). There are people who post more. But all things considered, I think I have faithfully followed the Acidman's admonition to post every single day*.

Anyway, this post is to beg your indulgence in the coming weeks as my electronic scribblings may miss a day or two here and there. I am facing a brutal work schedule and the wife and I have decided to make some changes. We bought a house on the north side of the big city this week. We are leaving this hamlet for the delights of suburbia.

The change was harder for my wife than it was for me. We have lived in this town for 24 years (not in the same house). She has strong ties to the community and knows a lot of people here. I have never worked locally. When we first moved here and I worked at a factory, it was in another town. When I went into sales it was in an office by my lonesome. Working from home has also kept me sheltered. I know some folks from coaching various sports when my kids were small, but I have not formed the attachment my wife has through raising the kids, school, PTO,play group, clubs, and work.

In any case this is my typical long-winded way of telling you that painting and packing and moving and maintaining my work schedule will all take precedence over bloggedity philosophizing. Oh, it could be I won't miss a beat. After all, as evidenced by much of my body of work, I spend about 15 minutes a day writing this stuff. But I am warning you things may get spotty.

All of which begs the question, would anyone have even noticed?**


*sadly, today much of the blog world has no idea who the Acidman was.
**nothing like ending a post with a one sentence paragraph comprised of passive voice. That is surely the way to leave 'em longing for more!

Weekend Funny

A five year old boy asked his friend what a penis was. His friend's response was that he would ask his dad. That evening the second boy asked his father. His dad gladly exposed himself to his son, and holding his penis in one hand said "Son, this is a penis. In fact, if you take a closer look you will see this is a perfect penis."

The next day the boy saw his friend at recess and called him behind a hedge. The boy exposed himself and whispered "This is a penis. In fact, if it was three inches shorter, it would be a perfect penis."

Friday Covers

Neal Young is a lousy singer. His tone is akin to cats fighting inside a metal trash can.  Somehow, his tone is perfect for the songs he writes.



Jewel has a beautiful voice, but this version just seems to lack the emotion Young puts into it, for me, it comes across as contrived.



Metal band Seether offers a straight-up take.  I rather like this one.

Oh yeah, he did mention something about that...

You cannot stand it that you have no idea what I was doing yesterday while on vacation. I know it is true. I suspect you sat around mumbling all evening, changing the channels in frustration, your attention span shortened, your temper kicking off with the slightest provocation. I am certain you tossed and turned all night, kicking the sheets and blankets off, pulling them over your head in an endless cycle of restless dozing.

Or maybe not.

Anyway, here is a brief musical interlude that hints at the events not far in my future:



Plus, it is always good to jam with The Animals

It is Trash Day in my neighborhood

I am on vacation today. I have important stuff to do. I rolled the garbage cans to the curb already. I drank one cup of coffee and ate a granola bar. I just poured another cuppa Joe. Later, I will be very busy doing very important, life changing stuff.

I wonder...

...how many Republicans truly have the courage of their convictions? I wonder how many of our modern politicians believe in their cause sufficiently to endanger their next election? Read the biographies of the antebellum Congressmen and Senators. Some were on the wrong side of history, some stood for principles in spite of heavy public pressure. But they stood by their convictions.

Congressional courage will be tested in the coming weeks.  Let the Democrats shut down the beast. Take the blame. Remember, almost 70% of the country does not like ObamaCare. We don't want it and this is last and best hope to kill it. For once, stand firm with a clear message -- "The Democrats forced this unpopular law on us, The Democrats are shutting down the Government."  Repeat every time a talking head shoves a microphone in your face with the conviction of a POW citing name, rank, and serial number.  Say no more and say no less and make sure every diarrhea mouth politician in the Party sticks to the short and simple two-line script.

They really hate you and wish you would die a slow painful death.

I have long maintained history never repeats. But we can learn lessons, and history never lies (historians do, that is another post, though). Lefties get outraged, they stamp their feet, cover their ears and mumble "na,na,na,na" when we point out the record of tyranny, murder, and misery perpetuated by the leftist governments in the past 100 or so years. The lessons of the French Revolution are ignored as mere excess. Yet the the height of the Reign of Terror saw French Society adopt every leftists' wet dream -- outlawing religion, class warfare on a grand scale, the rich losing their heads just for being rich, complete and total equality. Every citizen was guaranteed and equal outcome, not opportunity. The result was squalor, famine, and despotism. It was like Occupy Wall Street and the Haymarket riots and Mao and Joe Stalin combined in one bloody monumental failure.

But that could never happen in America. Our lefties are civilized, they only want the best for America.  Our Progressives only want to help the less fortunate. That is why they are using the IRS to target Americans who hold a different viewpoint. That is why we see lefties hoping Second Amendment supporter's kids get shot, like a professor in Kansas tweeted.  That is why Democrats wish those who oppose ObamaCare could be denied healthcare. 

No, Lefties in America would never succumb to the historical excesses imposed whenever progressive ideology has been implemented.  The previous sentence is dripping in sarcasm in case your screen does not recognize my custom sarcasm font.

Weekend observations

The wife and I made our way to Brown County, Indiana on Saturday afternoon. Nashville is a charming little tourist trap arts and crafts community. Mostly, I stood or sat around outside people watching while the wife fought the crowds in the shops and stores. The weather was pleasant and following her around was better than mowing the yard or cleaning the garage or doing other chores.

I will say this about the crowds; if every person walking the streets of Nashville in Harley garb actually owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, that company would be more valuable than Apple and there would be more black and orange badged cycles on the roads than cars built by GM.

Save the puppies!

What say you wish my big brother the happiest of birthdays today?

Hope you have a good one Otter.

Weekend Funny

A lady goes to the doctor and complains that her husband is losing interest in sex. The doctor gives her a pill, but warns her that it's still experimental. He tells her to slip into her husband's mashed potatoes at dinner. So that night she does just that.

A week later she is back at the doctor and and says "Doc, the pill worked great! I put it into his potatoes like you said. Not even five minutes later he jumped up, raked the dishes and food onto the floor, ripped off all of my clothes and ravished me right there on the table!"

The Doctor says, "I'm sorry, we did not realize the pill was so strong. The drug company will pay for the broken dishes and any damages."

"Nah", she says, "That's OK. We're not going back to that restaurant anyway."

Coffee and cartridges

See, here is the thing, if the Big Cheese at Starbucks decides that asking you not tote a gun onto his premises is the best thing for his business and stockholders, so be it. Buy your coffee elsewhere. Make it at home. Start your own coffee shop. You have options. Your rights are not being trampled here.

Variations on a theme

There should be a law...

Words fail me. Our perhaps it is the ability to form words. Or maybe I just don't know what the heck I am doing.

I have had this vague outline for a post rattling around in my brain for a long time now. I am frustrated in that I lack the ability to move my thoughts to paper electronic screen. It is, alas, a nostalgia post. Perhaps you enjoy those walks back through my own Vaseline-smeared lens of past reflection. More likely, you read a line or two and move on. Such is life in the blogging world.

My great-grandma Hoosierboy's house had a particular smell that I can sniff clearly in my brain but escapes description via letters and words. It was the smell of cooking grease, and pipe tobacco, and old people; all supported by a subtle, permeating odor of apples in the cellar. It is my failure to accurately depict that particular olfactory base that plagues me to no end.

I never imagined myself a good writer. I strike out more often than not. I have occasionally hit a solid single up the middle. A few times I succeed with a little bloop to shallow right. The post swirling unformed in my skull will take true Mantle-esque home run power, perhaps even juiced with steroids and a corked bat to succeed.  Unfortunately, that effort is far beyond my meager writing skills. I fear I will never put the unformed thoughts to electronic page and you will never have the option skip right over the words.

Can we check some facts?

Popular sentiment is the public punished the Republicans severely for shutting down the Government during the Clinton administration. But the losses in the following 1996 elections amounted to two seats in the House of Representatives. Republicans gained two seats in the Senate.  Clinton bowed under pressure to institute welfare reform and budget cuts, and Republicans maintained control of Congress. The result of the governmental shutdown was not the stinging rebuke from the electorate the media or Republican leadership would have us believe.

The media went apeshit and was mean to sitting Congressmen, but in the end, the shutdown had little effect on the Party and a significant effect on policy going forward. Clinton won the propaganda war, the Republicans won the policy war.  I will take that every time.

Dear Republican Party

I am sorry to put this in such stark terms. I am a conservative first, Republican second. It is time for for all Republicans to stand for your beliefs. Perhaps you should take a page from the Democrat playbook.  They took the opportunity to pass ObamaCare when they had a chance, despite the certainty it would cost the party seats in the House and Senate. Wrong-headed legislation was the result, but at least they stood by their political convictions. It is time to see if the Republican Party is the Party of Reagan or of  Rockefeller. If the Republican Party is really aiming to be Democrats-lite, it is time to find an organization that represents my political beliefs.

Too many Republicans, especially the leadership, are only interested in staying in power. During the last election top Republicans were livid over right-wing TEA Party types offering primary challenges to old-line Republican RINOs. I say better a Democrat than a Democrat-lite. Who wants RC when Coke is available?

You are faced with an opportunity to slow and or stop ObamaCare. Every Republican has paid lip service to ending this miserable legislation. Now it is time to put courage to your convictions. If this is not the issue to take a stand, then what is? At some point you must have principles, even if it means you may lose the next election. We sent you to Congress to represent the People, not the Party. Perhaps the leadership of the Republican Party failed to pay attention in history class. In the antebellum period the Whigs tried to straddle the slavery issue, mouthing platitudes, but never taking a firm stand, more interested in winning elections than doing the right thing. In case you have not noticed, there has not been a Whig Party for 150 years.

I am certain I speak for millions of Americans when I vow going forward I will vote only for candidates that represent my limited Government, free enterprise convictions -- regardless of party.  If that means I have to "waste" my vote on Libertarian legalize marijuana nut-jobs, so be it. If that means I "waste" my vote by choosing "none of the above", so be it. I would rather let a liberal win than vote for a moral political coward only interested in power, not principle. I will never hold my nose and choose the "lesser of two evils" again. After all, isn't that still a vote for evil?

UPDATE:
It looks like I am not alone when I say shut it down,  cut spending, defund the ACA. Most of you agree with me.

You want gun control?

Then how about we have Obama stop arming Mexican Drug Lords, and terrorist groups in Syria? I suspect not giving those killers weapons would have saved far more lives than the creation of a gun registry in America. Never running guns to Mexico is more likely to save lives than limiting magazines capacities at home.

If Obama had a son...

Some how, some way, I am certain the criminal, murderous SOB who shot up the Washington Naval Yard only did it to avenge St. Treyvon of Skittles.

Did Obama really pass the bar exam?

The Constitution is not a hard document to read or understand. Most first year law students can understand the separation of powers contained therein. Heck, most 9th grade civics students get it. Apparently, President Obama, despite being touted as a Constitutional Law Professor Instructor lecturer, has no understanding of the powers of the Legislative branch.

Congress is responsible for passing a budget. In addition, all spending bills must originate in the House of Representatives. (Article I section 7)(Article I section 8). In The Obama's narcissistic world, anyone not giving in to his desires is "thwarting Constitutional structure".  I maintain the only thwarting of the Constitutional structure that is going on in the budget process is the passing of  continuing resolutions (CR) in lieu of actually passing a budget.

Like it or not, Obama is not a dictator, nor a king. Straight from Mr. Wadell's ninth grade civics lectures: the Legislative Branch passes law, The Judicial Branch interprets law, the Executive Branch carries it out. As I said, it really should not be so hard for a graduate of Harvard Law to understand basic Constitutional structure. Too bad the ass-licking sycophant Stepolopugus did not have the brains, backbone, or integrity to call the President on this ridiculous quote.

Words fail me

I hoist a tall one to  a man I have read for almost ten years. I have lived vicariously through your adventures on sailboats, with Stretch, through life. You and your woman are in my prayers.

You will be missed.

Pining for a time I never knew

It is chilly again this morning, 43F at the time of this electronic scribbling. I spent yesterday trimming up some bushes and putting the finishing touches on a desk I am painting. It was a cheap wooden desk that was bright blue when it resided in my daughter's room back when she was in high school and middle school. Now it is black.

This morning I had the inexplicable urge to do some remodeling around the old blog. It was time for a change. Do not panic, I suspect after a few days the whole shebang will revert back to the simple layout you have come to to expect. In all seriousness, the hardest blog change I ever did was to move the blog roll from the left side to the right side.

What?  Oh, you want to know about the new blog title.  I have always regretted the original nom de journal I chose when I started this collection of rants, musings and trash. I have never been able to conjure a better blog title; one with zing and panache. I like the title of my other blog, the one I never use, but it does not sing to me either. Heck, I have issues coming up with post titles. I guess after eight years it is OK to change. Don't get too used to it, though.

My personality is bent toward nostalgia. I have dined on a couple of occasions at old supper clubs, One in Wichita and one near Dayton. The faded elegance spoke to me of a time gone by, where highballs, martinis, and fine steaks were enjoyed and digested to the accompaniment of dance bands and recordings of Frank and Ella. Where the dulcet toes of Nat King Cole provided a background to the laughter and enjoyment of a night out on the town. The supper club image hails to a time in my mind when men wore suits to dinner and ladies sported furs over their shoulders and long gloves with their strapless dresses, sparkling with sequins.

Then the baby boomers and f-ing hippies ruined it all. The supper clubs became public restaurants, the nightclubs turned into discos. Country clubs became snack bars. The Moose, and Elks, and Eagles are mere bars, where they even still exist. Men do not wear suits to work, hats are replaced with ball caps. Nike T-shirts and jeans are the accepted costume of the day. We have become a society built for comfort. We interact more with our fellow man than ever, but the art of personal contact is slowly being lost in the clutter of electronic communication.

September 14

Happy Birthday to my daughter. You may be 27, but you will always be my little girl.

Happiest Place on Earth

Now we can get something done

Since Putin has bailed The Obama out of the foreign policy mess the President and his idiot SecState created, maybe we can get the Russians to get our economy moving, do something about unemployment and start building the Keystone XL pipeline.

It is a sad damn day when we have to look to the fucking Ruskies for world leadership.  We really are living in Jimmah Carter's third term.

Friday Music

For Dave.  More from the Tales of Mystery and Imagination album.

Appropriate for a Friday the 13th I think.

Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but even he is slack-jawed over this display

Who is responsible for this outrage?

Yes, Dear Readers, that is an actual cell phone photo* depicting the Christmas display at the Von Maur store at Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis. The display was on both sides of the main aisle.

This picture was taken TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,2013. It is still more than six week until Halloween. By the way, the temperature on this date in Indianapolis was 96 F. 


*I am no photographer -- ignore the shitty quality of the image

September 11

If you need me to remind you of the horrible events tied to this date, you should probably spend your time reading different blogs.

Dear Mr. President

We are all set to hear you speechify this evening about why we need to spend American treasure and lives to intervene in a civil war in Syria.  I am more interested in the why now? The cynic in me remembers how Bill Clinton bombed an aspirin factory when the Monica Lewinski affair first came to light and words keep popping in my brain: Benghazi, NSA spying on Americans, using the IRS to target political opponents, Fast and Furious, Growing discontent over ObamaCare, declining workforce, unemployment in the minority community, Keystone XL Pipeline, sluggish economy, assaults on the Second Amendment, skyrocketing electricity costs...Why?, indeed.

I assume, Mr. Obama, you will be boxing up that Peace Prize and shipping back to the Nobel people this week? More importantly, I just have to know how all of this is Bush's fault.

With apologies

Sorry, sometimes there are events in life far more important than the old blog. This is one of those times. I am sure you can live without my input for a few days.

You will be fine. Think of it as going through the day without training wheels. 

Not in the mood

No post today.

That is except the post that indicates there is no post. It is kind of like a mirror reflecting in a mirror, reflecting in a mirror...

Friday Music

Steve Winwood and company.

I don't know about you, but I'm Glad it is Friday.

See what I did there?

Are your ready for some football?

The NFL season kicks off this evening. I know. As Dr. Maturin would say "He who puns would pick a pocket". I am one of those people who much prefers professional football to college football.

Unfortunately,  I will be high above the earth in a flying aluminum tube when the game starts. By the time I shuffle down the aisle, up the jetway, through the airport, out to the parking lot and into my car for the hour drive home, the game will be in its late stages and I will be at my energy limit.

I am not sure what I was thinking when I opted for the late flight this trip.

Sobering Thought

The wife and I went for some Mexican food last night. On the way we passed one of the local funeral homes.  The parking lot was packed. It occurred to me that if I happened to assume room temperature today, outside of my family, I doubt a dozen people would show up to pay their final respects.

Today's Truth

H/T Instapundit

Any place but here

I am chanelling the Go-Go's this morning. I need a vacation.

I am tempted at every turn. I get emailed unbelievable cruise deals nearly every day, and the Hilton Hotel people want me to use some of those points I accumulate on a regular basis. They email me offers to visit exotic destinations and remind me of my point balance. The airlines offer me reduced fares to get there, wherever 'there' may be.
 
Instead I got up early and did some work. My monthly report for August is due, so I knocked it out before turning to the old blog this morning. It is business plan time and forecasts and numbers are taunting me and laughing at me and calling me names just like the school bullies did back at Samuel P. Kyger Elementary School. The business plan developed for 2013 has turned into the king of all wedgies as Obamanonics continues to hold the economy hostage. Things are not looking much brighter for 2014. How is that Hope and Change workin' out for you?

We should bomb Syria back to the stone age

Not really. We should stay out of it.

Here is an interesting article about our hypocrite-in-chief and his desire to appear manly. Is there anything Obumbler has done that is not a total screw-up? Here is a taste:

On the perils of going it alone without allies

“Where the stakes are the highest, in the war on terror, we cannot possibly succeed without extraordinary international cooperation. Effective international police actions require the highest degree of intelligence sharing, planning and collaborative enforcement.” (2004)

So far no European or Arab nation has offered military support for our planned effort against Syria.

I wonder what the liberals who think Bush was evil incarnate and claim Iraq was the "most shameful event in our nation's history" like EOB think about The Obama and his claims he will bomb Syria even if Congress fails to grant approval? Where is Cindy Sheehan? Where are the Code Pinker twits in their twat costumes?

Almost forgot to title this one

We went to see The Way Way Back last night. It was a first rate movie and both the wife and I enjoyed it very much. That will have to suffice for my review, you can read the link for critics reviews. Personally, I rarely pay attention to critics, they  need to find meaning in every movie, while I simply want to be entertained.  Generally if dickwads like the late Roger Ebert hated a movie it was a sure bet I would like it. Similarly, if he loved a movie the odds were pretty good I would find it a yawner. For example, the classic Dumb and Dumber is funny as hell. Is it stupid -- Yes. Does it have redeeming social value -- no. Will it be listed one of the greatest films ever -- not likely. Would I rather watch a couple of guys cross the country in a giant dog van or an artistic, critically acclaimed movie like The Piano? No contest. I bet most of you agree, even if you will not admit it. In the case of The Way Way Back, the critics and I actually agree -- it is a good movie.

Head scratcher of the day

Sometimes the interwebz is a scary place. I used a popular search engine -- the one that rhymes with 'joogle' -- to search for images of the small flap of skin between the thumb and forefinger known as the web on your hand. I intended to compose a smart-assed post to counter the comments on my previous post. Apparently that part of the hand has become a common location for body piercing! WTH? How do you grab a hold of anything with a chunk of metal embedded there? I am so out of touch with popular culture it is plain sad. I suppose if one could find a way to attach a non-slip/heat resistant silicone strip it could be handy. But I have gloves for that.

The sky is dark and gloomy this morning. We had some big thunderstorms roll through last night and the leaden clouds are still lounging in the sky, pregnant with rain. We needed the rain. My yard was starting to dry up and turn brown. The wife forgot to water a couple of the hanging plants while I was gone for work this week and they have dried in to brown globs. I don't think the rain will revive them to their former glory. I will likely have to mow in the next few days now.

A piece of glass cut me yesterday on the web of my left hand. The cut is  maybe a quarter of an inch in diameter, but it bled like ...well I don't know, let's just say a lot for such a little cut. It would have been much worse if I was not wearing gloves at the time. Am I turning into a closet liberal?  See how I blamed the glass? Goodness. I cut myself with a piece of glass through carelessness. There, responsibility placed on me, me, me not an inanimate object.


I hope your weekend is going well.