Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough...
I'm sure that many of you out there wake up every morning with a sincere hope or wish that TODAY will somehow be just a tad BETTER than yesterday...I know I do (or at least try).
Despite my recently discovered cynicism (twelve LONG years and counting - the same amount of time I've lived in Fort Wayne...weird, huh?), I remain relatively optimistic...always been that way.
So when I step out the door to retrieve the morning paper, take a deep breath and smell clean, fresh air, and the only thing I hear are songbirds chirping nearby (because they want me to feed them), that alone is enough to set my compass pointed in the right direction...
After that, things tend to go a bit more "downhill", shall we say.
I've made the coffee, and that goes swimmingly well, but it's when I either turn on the TV or open that paper to read "the news" that reality creeps up from behind and smacks me square in the back of the head.
Everywhere I look...it's something about the recently-deceased Michael Jackson...!
(and therein lies the meaning for the title to this day's post)
I suppose mainstream America hasn't gotten their "fill" of "The Gloved One's" death...but I know I have.
In his day, he was an innovative performer and he sold a lot of albums...period.
His later life was a train wreck, and he died pathetically...period.
Let it GO, for God's sake.
I mean, lottery tickets for a memorial service???
WTF is this world coming to, anyway?
I do find it curious that this "Cap & Trade" fiasco was basically "snuck" under OUR NOSES the DAY AFTER Jackson's death...don't you? I would think THAT bears a lot more air time and scrutiny that ALL this media frenzy over Jackson. It's like sharks circling the freshly-tossed chum.
Like I said...going downhill...a bit faster now.
Unless you change the channel to QVC or the HISTORY CHANNEL, you're going to be hard-pressed to escape Michael Jackson-Mania. Enough is enough (for me). Can we all PUH-LEASE move on with some REAL problems facing the world?
Yesterday, I talked about the "locals" that infest...I mean LIVE in this area.
And, like most EVERY other day, "they" will arise from their drug-induced slumber to walk the earth once again...usually around 1100 hours. Cripes, it has damn near all the makings of a George Romero movie synopsis, doesn't it?
Kinda makes me feel like Will Smith in the movie I AM LEGEND, except I can't go around wasting the zombies...dammit!
But I digress...
When I spoke about MISDIRECTION last week, it was to plant the seeds of thought regarding this nasty habit the MSM has with certain issues while ignoring those we SHOULD be paying attention to.
They, in no small part, perpetuate the "ADHD" America suffers from (as well as a lot of it's apathy).
Hell, they CAUSED it.
It doesn't matter if it's Sarah Palin leaving her governorship (it's HER decision...deal with it and leave her alone), Michael Jackson, or some other stupid thing Lindsey Lohan might be getting ready to do this week (and we know that somewhere...she is)...people gravitate to this tripe...and want even MORE.
Benjamin Franklin once said:
"EVERYTHING in MODERATION...NOTHING to EXCESS."
And for Ben, that even meant dallying about with French women (while he was married), but at least he followed his own words...it was just that he was one "busy" guy in MANY respects.
Still, too much of ANYTHING is not necessarily a GOOD thing...(yes friends, even chocolate).
So when, exactly do we say that ENOUGH is truly enough?
Sure, the mainstream media is there to (obviously) entertain, but when do they turn THAT off, and provide us with what we NEED to know, instead of what we "want" to know?
I think the MSM has gotten more than a bit off the tracks here.
They have marvelously confused what we NEED with what we WANT, unless "we" have decided to feed our wants instead of needs.
And that asks an interesting question of us all:
Are our WANTS more important to us that our NEEDS?
I don't know about you, but I was raised to take care of your NEEDS...FIRST, and worry about what you "want" when the timing's right and you have the resources to pursue them...and not before.
Sounds like having the HORSE BEFORE THE CART works damn well there.
And it also sounds like many people have got that all ass-backwards.
Which would explain why people find all this over-exposure on the news "fun". It's like the MSM wants us to all become a bunch of closet voyeurs...peeping in on everyone's life for the sake of entertainment.
I've got bigger fish to fry, and I'm still working on MY life...probably be "fine-tuning" it until I leave this world, too.
Life is way too short and precious to waste watching OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.
And most of you out there already know that...or are learning it.
Damn shame our "locals" here haven't...(won't).
You know what the really ODD thing about this whole media-entertainment thing?
Those who hang on every word, do so in order to fulfill something missing in their life...it HAS to be.
Maybe what they need are a few more songbirds in THEIR mornings...
Or even a bit more cynicism to ground them in reality.
Reality can be one helluva wake-up call...that's for sure.
And it would certainly be a pleasure to see a lot more people refrain from rolling over (in life) and hitting that damn snooze button...wouldn't it?
Now that would make (common) sense.
We can but hope.
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings...
Well, the 4th of July for us (the missus and I) was saved once again by the HISTORY CHANNEL.
We spent the better part of the 4th watching the series THE REVOLUTION, and I have to admit, it was a well-crafted series, as well as several hours well spent. Learned some stuff even I didn't know regarding our fight for Independence
I also decided to BBQ up some burgers and some chicken...and even though some rain came down, the food came out just fine.
That was as far as the "good" news goes...
(And now...for a lesson in CIVICS...which is sure to piss off a lot of liberals out there, but tough crap)
The BAD news was that the locals across the street (and by now, you have a pretty good idea as far as ethnicity and class-distinction go, as to who SPECIFICALLY I refer to, when I mention "the locals" aka the Aborigines) decided to have a multi-state (Illinois plates...hmm...Chicago gang ties?) HUGE freaking party.
The wife guessed at least 25 people at the house (which is slightly SMALLER than ours at 1200 square feet and change), and she came really close. There were more than THIRTY-FIVE (in 15 vehicles) that finally showed the hell up.
Now before you go and start referring to me as some sort of "Buzz-Killington", please note that I have nothing whatsoever against a good old, down-home party on the 4th!
In my old neighborhoods, we did things like that on most every holiday. It WAS less costly than driving places, and being frugal was on a lot more people's minds...(well, the ones that WORKED for a living, that is). And we never had the police break any party up. Yeah, we were THAT well-behaved.
(Ok, Bob...so when are you going to say "but..."?)
BUT...
(whew...thanks)
Whenever WE had a party, it was a lot more CIVIL in nature, and that's not to say we all sat around, groaned "yay" once an hour and stared off into empty space. We had fun. The kids had fun...the adults had fun, and we didn't bother anyone else that didn't want to BE bothered. And we knew full-well HOW MANY people could "comfortably" be attended to at anyone's house. We never did the college kids-in-a-phone booth or clown-in-a-car gig. We knew our LIMITS. We never felt a need to "share" our party with those down the street.
Things have certainly changed.
First off, the entire top half of our block was...well, BLOCKED by all these damn vehicles. God forbid if "WE" decided to have ANYONE over to OUR house (heaven forbid a FIRE ENGINE...or an AMBULANCE)...parking was NOT an option (luckily, we DO have a driveway that will accommodate 2 vehicles...everyone else...take your chances)! And of course, they had to break out the "red shirts" (much like the people were wearing in Miami when a gunman opened fire into them...must be a "cultural thang") for all to see.
Fortunately, the locals DID stay on THEIR side of the street (and I was making sure). Then, after dark, came the FIREWORKS!
(I guess the "pro" shows downtown just weren't GOOD enough)
I have to say that it was one helluva light show, but that got me thinking...
HOW THE F$CK can people who seemingly have NO job, be able to AFFORD what amounts to over SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH of pyrotechnics, anyway...hmm?
These weren't lady fingers....these were the freaking "mortar-round" variety, replete with spectacular aerial displays. And these buggers tend to sell for (at least) $10 A PIECE. I lost count after FIFTY (rounds), so you can do the math.
But wait (as Billy Mays would say), there's more...
The OTHER bunch of "locals" in the rental across the other street and down the block were playing "dueling skyrockets" with the first house...and guess WHO was "stuck in the middle" (with you?) of all this "fun"?
I mean when you were outside, you could FEEL the pressure wave of the explosion that detonated a mere fifty feet OVER our house!
That is simply TOO LARGE a variety of ordnance to be shooting off in an area that is NOT a bit more "wide open". My buddy with THREE ACRES in Harlan, IN, would have THE place to pull off this stuff...but NOT here.
I heard on the police radio that officers were not EVEN answering 44FW calls...they had to deal with all the traffic letting out from the shows downtown. Didn't see ONE car in OUR area, that's for sure. I blame the departmental "top dogs" for this screw up. It's certainly not the patrolmen's fault
Fort Wayne residents that "have" to DEAL WITH THIS CRAP (as the city loves to tell us), can thank the shit-for-brains City Council members who voted 2 years ago to ALLOW fireworks on specified days at specified times.
Good in CONCEPT , coming from a "dry city" when it came to fireworks (sparklers were OK) such as Philly..and that's all well and good. (Where's the "but", Bob?)
BUT...
City Council (with VERY few exceptions) ALWAYS fails to take into consideration the F$CKING MORONS who meander through their pitiful and meaningless lives daily without the use of something the REST of us have...namely COMMON SENSE.
The Council (erroneously) believes that EVERYONE should have the same chance to muck about with pyrotechnics, and will most definitely be practicing RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR and SAFETY in the process...
ROFLMAO...!
You people have GOT to be shittin' me, right?
When are these politicians going to learn that EVERYONE may be entitled to the same inalienable "rights" granted to us BY the Constitution, but that doesn't MEAN they have the CAPACITY to UNDERSTAND what that means...or even give a flying crap in the first place.
Some people simply DO NOT DESERVE to live among normal, law-abiding people (hint - that's why we have PRISONS).
Some people don't deserve to BEAR CHILDREN (they can't even manage a pet or THEMSELVES).
Some people don't deserve the PRIVILEGE of DRIVING A VEHICLE (lack of insurance, drunkenness on the highways, and the inability of follow SIMPLE rules of the road are prime examples)
And some people certainly don't deserve to BILK the taxpayers of this nation, who bust THEIR asses for a living (such as it is) by feigning some "poor me" mindset, just so they can get the "gub'ment" check every damn month.
So my friends...what happens when you have ONE family of decent, law-abiding people, who don't bother anyone, and simply want to be left alone to enjoy their gardens, house, and life itself, when everyone else around them does just the opposite, displaying disrespectful and irresponsible behavior (on a daily basis)?
You have some damn fine makings of a GHETTO...that's what you have.
Welcome to OUR world.
It was only a mere TWELVE YEARS AGO, when we had a lot more whites in the area, and whenever we had a holiday party or celebration, there was NONE of this crap. People plain out respected OTHER PEOPLE (and their space).
Yeah, it tends to take a lot of the wind out of one's sails when it comes to actually ENJOYING any holiday.
Yet, given the fact that these "locals" pretty much treat EVERY DAMN DAY AS A HOLIDAY (they never work, are not disabled, lame, or crippled in anyway, and they've got nothing to do all damn day BUT nothing), what gives THEM any right to impinge on those of us who DO view it as a VALID holiday?
They already get 365 days off AS a damn holiday...and they have the parties (weekly) to prove it, so WTF is with these people using a REAL holiday as just another excuse to party some more?
Now dig this...
The one group of "locals" that were shooting off a LOT of aerials on the 4th, somehow HAVE the money to BUY all this crap (and the dope they smoke outside regularly)...and YET, they hang their LAUNDRY out on the damn FENCE...!
I guess the word PRIORITIES never enters into THEIR vocabulary, does it?
WTF is MORE Important?
1-Having a means to properly CLEAN your clothes?
2-Buying fireworks to bother others?
If you're like US, you'd choose #1 without blinking an eye.
Everyone ELSE around here opts for #2...and that speaks VOLUMES as to the misdirection that is leading THEM around by the noses on their simian faces! And ask ANY police officer what the INSIDE of these houses look like...their answers will amaze you. I know...I've been in too many, and you come home wondering if you'll EVER shower all of it off of you.
It's sad, but true.
NO furniture, and a bedroom consists of a an old mattress on the floor...BUT there IS a nice new 50 inch Big-Screen TV in the living room fed by cable...gotta love that, hmm? No wonder schoolkids from houses like this come to class with NO pencils, or notebooks,.
To THEM...it's ALL about entertainment...and "status"...and one-upsmanship.
To people like you and me (and many others)...it's all about making the RIGHT CHOICES in life, taking care of the business at hand, and keeing our noses clean.
To us, there simply is NO choice when it comes to feeding our kids...OR copping that dime of crack.
To us, there is NO choice when it comes to our children's essential preparedness for the classroom...OR grabbing that sale on Budweiser 24 ozs at the grocery.
To us, there is NO choice when it comes to fixing what needs fixed (at home, under the hood of the car, or even a checkup at the doc's)...OR buying all those fireworks (didn't know WIC sponsored that crap these days).
But to these locals HERE, it's the exact REVERSE of what is considered by many of us to be NORMAL.
Which makes it easy to predict their behavior in many ways.
Think about what YOU would do, and then turn it 180 degrees the OTHER way, and you have "my" neighbors (and their disgusting behavior).
So you can see where I might become a tad cynical when I see things like THIS around MY area, because I know for certain, that this is NOT representative of main-stream AMERICA...it's just a lot of the ethnic pockets of apathy and slovenly behavior, that dot our inner cities like a pox upon mankind. And some are just fine having them around, apparently. Go figure.
Be nice to have a "vaccine" for such an urban disease, wouldn't it?
We've tried education, but THEY say it's a "white thing", and they're not interested in it.
We've tried assisting them (through welfare), and that's pretty much "busted the bank account" in this nation.
Hows'about we try to get them off their lazy asses and force them to EARN their "keep". (that's too harsh)
We've got a crapload of infrastructures that need serious mending all over the nation's cities, and who better to do it than ALL those with ALL this time on their hands, hmm?
I mean, even the residents at the damn ZOOS across America are doing MORE to earn the food they get.
They AT LEAST entertain US, when we pay our admission.
But the locals around here?
Not as interesting as the ZOO in the LEAST...but they DO make for a damn fine THESIS when it comes to psychological and/or socio-economic abnormalities.
America...Land of the FREE...and the home of the BRAVE.
Somehow, I'll wager that the freedom to act STUPID wasn't bantered about when the founding documents were being written, and any "bravado" was not based upon how large your "posse" was, or how many "gats" you have..
I believe we CAN get this train back on track, but it's going to demand vigilance and persistence on the part of ALL of us, and that especially means the black community stepping up and getting tough on their OWN people.
Stop with the hand-holding...it's not working.
We do have time to reclaim this nation for ALL people who make the right choice when it comes to freedom and liberty.
We just have to still WANT it...bad enough.
Because, we already NEED it...bad enough.
Our nation's motto says E Pluribus Unum...(From many - one).
It's NOT the other way around, in spite of what critics might falsely think.
But you already KNEW that, right?
Stay safe out there, America.

Weekend Roundup...
Straight away, I want to "lift" a chunk from last year's post regarding this nations's INDEPENDENCE DAY (not to be confused with the movie with the same title, which has little to do with breaking from England, and everything to do with box office receipts): So here goes...
(( Independence Day was originally supposed to be the 2nd of July, but with ANY group of politicians, there was some bickering, and things were pushed back to the 4th. Good for us, because somehow yelling "Put out the flag...It's the SECOND OF JULY", doesn't quite roll off the tongue all that well. Must be the monosyllabic aspect of the word FOURTH.
Anyway, John Adams might have been a great rabble-rouser, and an excellent statesmen, but he wasn't all that up to speed when it came to timelines and calendar dates. he even wrote his wife saying the Declaration of Independence would be completed on the 2nd. Lucky for everyone concerned it wasn't, eh?
Now this is one of the most important days in THIS nation, make no mistake about that. And to me it was always right up there with MEMORIAL DAY and VETERAN"S DAY. To my Dad it was the "big three", and it was one days such as this when we'd pack up and take a drive to some local AIR SHOW, or go downtown to watch a parade. Seemed we used to do a LOT more of them back in the 1960s.
It was all about PATRIOTISM.
And that's something (too many) Americans have lost touch with.
Wanting what is best for this nation and her people constitutes part of patriotism.
The willingness to make a sacrifice FOR this nation is another aspect to patriotism.
The selfless devotion to this nation in good times as well as bad is another hallmark of patriotism.
It can be as simple as flying our flag, or it be as profound as losing a son or daughter in another country while KNOWING that the life they gave was for the cause of what this nation was founded upon in the first place...namely FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
But maybe we're too busy setting off fireworks to notice all that. After all, that's not as "exciting".
Liberty and freedom can most times be downright BORING, but they are BUILDING BLOCKS of this country, and the reasons YOU can set those fireworks off in the first place. They are the reasons you can say "NO" when someone else says "YES".
Today was the first milestone in this nation's journey, and I feel that there are many more along our trek along history's road. And like any sojourn, sometimes it's nice to pull the car over and take a gander of that spectacular view that doesn't cost a red cent. maybe we all need to do that a bit more frequently..just so we don't forget. ))
That's my story...and I'm sticking to it!
Now, if any of you readers would like the skinny on this, our most precious patriotic holiday, look no further than HERE:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)
I would be remiss not to mention what OUR Independence Day is NOT, so here goes...
--It is NOT a day to act like a fool. Too many patriots (past and present) have sacrificed much (and some all) so you COULD act like a dumbass the OTHER 364 days, so give it a rest for 24 hours, kapeesh?
--It is NOT a day to annoy others with YOUR inability to act in a RESPONSIBLE manner when handling fireworks. Face it, there ARE people out there that cannot properly raise a PET...or a CHILD, so what makes them believe they can handle something like pyrotechnic ordnance, anyway?
-- It is NOT a day to IGNORE the significance of WHO WE ARE, as a nation. Rather, it's a time to understand the importance of this country in the eyes of oppressed people throughout the globe who LOOK TO US as a model of FREEDOM and LIBERTY.
--It is NOT a day to denigrate our nations foremost symbol...our FLAG. We should fly it proudly, and show proper decorum and dignity towards it. And we should above all come to know the representative aspects OF our flag.
(Google it up and learn, if you need to).
The 4th of July IS a day akin to Memorial Day...or Veteran's Day. it's a day to reflect, remember, celebrate and acknowledge those who breathed life into this fledgling country, turning it into a bastion of FREEDOM for anyone and everyone willing to make a go of it.
--To all our troops both here and overseas...may the 4th find all of you safe from harm, and safe in the knowledge that what you do, by your service, will NOT go unnoticed. (and enjoy your pizzas, people)
--To the firefighters of this nation...may this holiday keep all of you safe from harm, as you place your lives in danger that others may live.
--To all the police and law-enforcement officers of our nation...may you all find the strength to do the extraordinary under conditions many of us can never imagine. As you protect our cites and town, remember that YOU are as important as the signers of our founding documents. It is every one of YOU that carries out the laws that have been laid down, to ensure that every citizen can feel safe. You task is probably the most daunting of anyone else who lives IN America, but we have faith that you CAN rise to the occasion, and that you WILL be victorious in whatever situation arises.
And finally, to all of you out there in the "ether", may this holiday find you all in good cheer, knowing that THIS nation, ONE nation, under GOD is still the best nation in the entire world. What we, as a people stand for, in the end...is what so many can only WISH for.
We ARE blessed, and with our combined and continued diligence, and fortitude, we CAN come out of any situation, no matter how severe, with a pride unsurpassed by ANYONE ELSE on this planet.
This is YOUR nation...YOUR independence, and YOUR freedom.
Have a marvelous Fourth of July, and don't forget...
Stay safe out there, America.

Odds and Ends...
Well, the wife's car air-conditioner is working once again, and we're about $450 bucks LIGHTER for the experience...just gotta LOVE all this economic stimulation, don'cha?
It only took TWO days, too.
The shop said they were having problems LOCATING THE PART (compressor). The car is only 13 years old. Hell, mine is 26 years old. And I know people that drive cars from the 1930s! And even they can get parts.
Funny things, Mr. Mechanic...I went ONLINE to the AUTO ZONE site (insert gratuitous plug), did a reccy, and came up with FIVE REPLACEMENT compressors...ALL of them AVAILABLE at a store JUST a spit and a slide down the road from YOUR shop, Bub. You could have had one of these puppies in YOUR hands in less than TEN MINUTES...so WHY did it take TWO DAMN DAYS?
I miss the days of truth and honesty in AUTO REPAIR...don't you?
Those were the good old days.
And I used to be a PARTS MANAGER for a large operation in THOSE days; Able to get damn near ANYTHING...and ASAP.
('ya think that helped any?)
But the car is back and appears to be working properly.
I know I was thrilled beyond the ability to cogently produce a polysyllabic word or two...but that's passed, thank God.
Two quickies::
-Fort Wayne has slipped to the 73rd largest city (LMAO...wonder why, I said as I looked around MY neighborhood).
-Indiana hasn't "lost any weight", when it comes to it's citizens, but it hasn't gained any either.
(all the other states got fatter - must be all the "stimulus" PORK...LOL)
In that...there is irony.
And now...the REST of the story.
We're rapidly approaching the 4th of July weekend (this year complete with the day celebrated...free of charge), and in Indiana, we're already hearing rumblings over the "proper use" of fireworks.
Apparently, there are still some people out there that want to ASSIST those dumb asses that have NO idea what SAFETY is all about, by educating them on how to handle pyrotechnic devices (for the morbidly stupid).
And, as is the case every year, there will STILL be those injured by the improper use of such things...like we couldn't see THAT coming, hmm?
Personally, I leave fireworks for the "pros", and I enjoy the show much better for it. Besides, even though the area around my house HERE (in Indiana) is greater than the row homes in Philly, the chance of damage to someone else's property (or even mine) isn't worth the price I'd have to pay should something go awry.
But in my neighborhood, we have people that live my one creed alone:
"Yes, I'm totally irresponsible...deal with it!"
Well, it might work for them, but with attitudes like that, the only good they are for me is TARGET PRACTICE.
And if the improper usage and lack of responsibility towards fireworks aren't enough to get you riled, how about all those "magic ciggies" the GUB'MENT has mandated for us?
What?
You didn't HEAR about this?
Where've you been?
Seems "das Feds" have found a reason to screw with something else in our lives.
And while I admit that smoking is bad (m'kay?), I smoke...as did most all of our founding fathers (tobacco came from our Indian friends in America).
These "new" ciggies are wrapped with a thicker paper that makes them prone to extinguishing themselves, should you doze off WHILE smoking, thus averting a house fire.
Now, straight away, let me say that IF you are trying in ANY manner to combine SMOKING with SLEEPING, you're too damn stupid to be mainstreamed with NORMAL people. You NEED to be placed in a special care facility like "Dipshit Downs Mental Hospital", kapeesh?
The rooms are padded for YOUR protection, the staff are courteous (when lacing you into that straight-jacket), and the food rivals the ALPO your dog's been chowing down.
This is bordering on INSANITY....the cigarettes, I mean.
Follow me on this...
If a GUN is used in a crime...do something about...the GUN.
If a CAR is being driven unsafely...do something about...the CAR.
If a CIGARETTE cause a fire when someone nods out while smoking it...do something about...the CIGARETTES.
Anyone see a PATTERN here, yet?
What the hell is NEXT?
If a person places a pot of food on a stove, then goes out for a while, leaving it unattended, and the damn house burns down, killing three kids along the way, do we suddenly enact legislation for ...(wait for it)...SAFER STOVES?
The government INSISTS that they are looking out for OUR "well-being" by making ALL these items (and much more) SAFER, but the REAL PROBLEM still never gets addressed...does it?
It's the damn PEOPLE that are to blame...every single time.
We make all the innocent (and obviously more intelligent) people suffer for the sheer stupidity of those with no desire to educate THEMSELVES as to HOW to read, to behave, to interact, and to properly use items the rest of us apply to our daily lives without a second thought, AND, in the manner to which all these devices and items were intended.
And we do this because of diversity...or equality...or tolerance...or whatever other lame-ass excuse someone can dream the hell up.
Sounds like some MISDIRECTION to me.
Making someone more "equal" can and must never be predicated upon debasing everyone else to level that field.
And attempting to educate those that have no desire TO be educated just wastes time AND money.
Yet NO ONE wants to "rehabilitate" these people (properly)...or even lock them away from the rest of us for OUR safety (the judicial system manages to snag some of them when they turn to crime, but that's another post for another day).
Instead, the government GIVES them the ability to get a cheap-ass house in a neighborhood near YOU, forcing YOU to move, due to flagging home values, then they get FREE money (actually, it's YOUR money, but you're not supposed to catch onto that), so they can get free food, all the while they manage to get some drugs to use, a gun (somewhere), ciggies (that they stole from a local store), a loud-ass sound system (for the house OR car...OR BOTH), and even some fireworks (that cost more than YOU, a working stiff can afford...that;'s why your family goes to watch the REAL DEAL at some park).
Somehow, I'm not feeling all that "equality"...are you?
It would appear the deck has been stacked AGAINST the good folks...for the bad ones.
THAT is considered EQUAL?
THAT is considered FAIR?
THAT...is (considered) BULLSHIT!
(imho)
I just want the government to leave ME the hell alone.
And so do YOU.
Let us pay the taxes we SHOULD, and not HAVE to pay for everyone else else too damn lazy to be productive.
Let us pursue happiness...and not wrest it from us.
Allow us the liberty our founding documents ascribe to us.
We don't ask for much. We only ask we not have to foot the bill for everyone else's mistakes.
Besides, we're often busy paying for our OWN mistakes, and we don't need the extra baggage.
Stop penalizing those with a clean slate and a good life, while rewarding those with neither.
Like I say...we're not asking for the moon....just our little slice of THIS world.
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
Ever hear something on the radio or TV, or read something, and it turns out to be EXACTLY what YOU have been thinking...word-for-word, with all the right inflections, and said with the same convictions?
It's more than a mere sense of Deja-Vu...
I heard such a statement yesterday while watching Glenn Beck's show (as if you didn't know I already watched it).
He stated something to the effect:
"Ever go to bed with a sense that this nation is doing well, and that tomorrow things will be normal, and it will be a better day, only to wake up and find that yet another type of insanity is taking over?"
I've said for YEARS (if not decades) that this is certainly NOT the world I remember as a child, a teen, and as a young adult.
SOMEWHERE along the way...somehow...things went horribly wrong, and are continuing to do so, at an accelerated pace.
Soldiers returning from 'Nam were treated with less respect than a homeless bum panhandling change off of you at a bus station.
Prices for damn near everything were doubling...tripling, while the companies that USED to make all those items vanished from the face of this nation...never to be seen here again.
It was like something came along and scooped them off the surface of the planet, whisking them away to...where?
I recall my Dad being asked if he wanted to RUN an entire printing plant in (of all places)...VENEZUELA, because the company was MOVING this particular operation down there (from Philly, where it was founded).
And Dad thought long and hard over it.

More money versus strange surroundings, a barely stable government (which turned out a lot worse than even Dad could imagine), and a lower cost of living...was it worth it?
Dad decided not to pursue it (thanks, Dad...I wouldn't have gotten along all that well with Chavez, anyway)
But that only one facet of this "changing" scenario called life.
Much of the manufacturing belt all along the East coast of America also disappeared.
Vast acreage of farm land also took flight across the Midwest.
And to this day, I don't know where all THAT went, either.
Yes...the world that I USED to know, and grew up in, is no longer around.
Wonder who stole it, and how much that ransom is?
I'd "bet the ranch" (if it were still around) that there are many out there that would damn near pay anything to get THAT world back.
It really makes me wonder, when the people of this nation find it more intriguing to watch the news regarding the death of Michael Jackson and what's going on with his WILL, than whether or not Americans will go broke paying for socialized medicine, Cap & Trade (more like CRAP & TRAITOR), fire-safe cigarettes (I call 'em "magic ciggies"...they go out if you're not constantly toking on 'em).
Screw Jackson's will...what happened to YOUR WILL, and I don't mean that piece of paper that divvies up your "stuff", but the will of the human spirit...as in FREE WILL?
You're giving it up...that's what's happening.
And it's all intentional.
Well, at least that's the way things work on THIS version of EARTH.
In less than two hundred years, we went from an agrarian society, to an industrialized society, to an information-gathering society, to an entitlement-laden society, replete with a shrinking middle-class to foot the bill for the rich AND the poor alike.
The best part is, the jobs the middle class once held just ain't around in the same numbers any longer, folks!
So, I wonder where all that money the rich and poor are expecting is going to be coming from anyway, hmm?
Yes sir..scary sh*t out there.
Not the world I remember one damn bit.
Taxes on almost everything you purchase...taxes on your paycheck (expect that to go up), and taxes on your SAVINGS (if you can still mange to save anything). It's all there for someone else's taking.
This is not being cynical...it's being REALISTIC.
You can't smoke, eat red meat, drive your car on gasoline, mine coal for utility plants making electricity, or have a dark-colored roof on your damn house.
You no longer are capable of knowing what is BEST for you...that's the government's job now.
Hmm...what about that "free will" thing?
Sorry...it's getting "recycled" (along with the bath water).
You might soon be "free" top do anything (the government allows, that is).
Didn't I read a book or three about such a "future" back in HIGH SCHOOL?
And weren't they all considered science FICTION?
Seems like were all "living the novel", as it were.
Funny, I would have chosen a different book, if it were up to me.
(Mary Shelleys' Frankenstein would be a step UP at this point)
If this IS all but some weird-ass dream, I can't WAIT until I wake the hell up.
That is going to be one helluva tale I'll be able to tell.
But...aren't all of YOU experiencing the exact SAME "dream"?
Now when, do you suppose we ALL fell down that same rabbit hole, anyway?
And why do we keep looking up and seeing the BOTTOM?
Move over SIX FLAGS - Welcome to BIZARRO WORLD...
(everyone remember where we parked, OK?)
As for the balance of the week, and the brand new month staring at us, it's all down hill from here (or uphill if you're into masochism) ?
And, as always,
Stay safe out there, America.